CNBC's Awaaz to focus on retail industry

Awaaz, the Hindi business news channel from CNBC TV 18, will be positioned as a channel for end-consumers across all markets – be it metros or small towns. Awaaz will be on air from January 5, 2005, but the official launch is presumed to take place only in the later part of the month.

The channel has decided on this particular positioning since the voice of Indian consumers have never been heard on television before. Awaaz will have a host of programmes which are interactive. A senior industry source says, "The channel will be talking about various products and services with a special focus on retail market. The channel's language can be easily followed by a cross-section of people from a stockmarket investor in Ghatkopar (a Mumbai suburb) to a Punjabi farmer, who wants to purchase a tractor.”

The initiative is on account of the fact that the retail industry is experiencing a boom. The Indian real estate market, for instance, is experiencing a steady growth in residential properties, shopping malls, multiplexes, food outlets, office spaces, convention and business centres across India. There has been a boom in the credit card and insurance industry as well.

Essentially, the channel will have programmes which will be of interest for all categories of viewers and across towns and metros.

Industry sources say that even finance-related news will be presented in a very interactive format. This is probably why the channel is also planning to bring in a few known personalities, who will host and anchor various shows. However, no further details were available.

In the evening, during 6-8pm, the channel will have a programming band for personal finance which will cover everything from insurance to mutual funds to stock markets. Sources say that this will help the channel to cater beyond active stockmarket investors.

The channel will be completely different from the English business news channel of CNBC TV 18. While the English channel mainly caters to finance, marketing and advertising professionals, and stockmarket investors, the Hindi channel will cater to the end-consumer, who may not be even linked to any business or industry, and whose prime language of communication is Hindi.

Regarding distribution, the channel will be targeting as many as 70 markets (with an average of 10 markets from any given state, which includes important towns and districts of each state) and the main focus of the channel will be on markets such as Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Delhi, Punjab and the rest of central India.

B. Sai Kumar of CNBC TV18 wasn't available for comments.

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