Sahara plans six regional news channels

Sahara India Media Company, the media and entertainment arm of the Sahara Group, plans to launch at least six regional news channels in the next 12 months as part of its plans to expand its footprint in the regional market.

The plans include regional language news channels in Tamil, Telugu, Kannda and Malayalam. In addition, it is also planning a news channels dedicated for the states of Rajasthan and Bihar.

"This is part of our plan to expand in local markets. The channels meant for Rajasthan and Bihar will be using the same format as our Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh channels," said a senior executive with the company.

The Rajasthan and Bihar channels are in the immediate horizon and the business plans of the two channels are being finalised.

"The plans of other channels are being finalised. These will happen in about 8 to 10 months," he said.

Besides, the media company is looking at launching channel in other languages also.

According to sources, the company is also finalising plans for a channel targeting the East Indian market covering West Bengal and the North East region.

According to sources, the company sees regional markets as a major driver for its growth.

"We look at the regional news market as the major driver for operations in terms of revenue as well as viewership. Our strategy is to offer an alternative to the existing channels in terms of content and reach. We have a network that can offer regional and national news on the same platform," said the company executive.

As a part of its regional push, the company plans to launch 37 channels, targeting citi-centric and national level viewers.