Al Jazeera Network to launch Hindi news channel

Agencies

Quatar-based Al Jazeera Network plans to launch a Hindi news channel in India. The network, which is about to launch its English news channel, Al Jazeera English, plans to launch the Hindi channel within a year, tentatively towards the end of 2012.

The network also plans to bring some of its international channels to the country in due course of time.

Meanwhile, it is all set to enter the country officially with the launch of its English news channel today. Interestingly, it has tied up with direct-to-home (DTH) service provider Dish TV to reach Indian households.

According to Al Antsey, managing director, Al Jazeera English, the network has taken a different approach by opting for DTH as a route to enter the country. He explains, "We want to be sure that we are available in the important markets and through DTH, we can easily achieve that. At the same time, we are in talks with various cable operators to make sure that our channel reaches cable homes, too. In one year, we intend to make the English news channel available across all DTH platforms and within five years, we would like to have a pan-India presence."

The network received the up-linking and down-linking permission from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in December, 2010. Currently, it is available on cable in select states such as Kerala, West Bengal, Kashmir and a few parts of North India. Al Jazeera English is a free-to-air news channel.