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With the real estate boom in its stride, the Rs 4,400 crore, Bangalore based Alliance Group is getting ready to launch Real Estate TV, the country’s first 24-hour channel in this segment
Television is booming and so is the real estate sector. The result? A dedicated audience for a TV channel on something as niche as real estate. The Rs 4,400 crore, Bangalore based Alliance Group is getting ready to launch Real Estate TV, the country’s first 24-hour channel in this segment.
“The increasing purchasing power among Indians has resulted in more and more retail projects, even in Tier II cities. As a matter of fact, real estate developers are the biggest ad spenders in the country. That will help,” says TK Vibhaker, COO, Real Estate TV.
The pan-India English language channel will provide the viewers the latest, comprehensive updates on all aspects of real estate. Talking about the programming mix, Vibhaker reveals that the channel will have the right mix of news as well as discussion programmes.
TK Vibhaker |
Real Estate TV will be targeted at the upper middle class and upper class, people who can afford to buy property with view to use or invest. “With property rates booming like never before, not everyone can buy a flat. Hence, we see only people with some purchasing power looking to invest in the booming sector as our prospective audience,” says Vibhaker.
The channel, which starts test runs today, is expected to go on air officially some time next month. It will be a free-to-air channel, available on the DTH format. “We are in talks with Tata Sky and other DTH players,” reveals Vibhaker.
The Alliance Group has already hunted big heads for the channel, including Vibhaker, who joined Alliance Broadcasting as COO in June 2006. He was earlier sales director, South Asia, with Shin Satellite Plc, servicing Indian broadcasters. Prior to that, he worked as COO of Indiavision Satellite, Kerala’s first round the clock news and current affairs television channel.
The Alliance Group has also roped in Ajit Bhaskaran from Asianet as creative head and Pankaj Saxena, who has worked with Discovery Networks in earlier stints, as programming head of the channel.