UTVi to position itself as the biz channel for growing India

UTVi, the new English business news channel from the UTV stable, is ready to be launched this month. The launch date has not been formalised, but it will be in April.

Cartwheel Creatives is the creative agency that will handle the promotions for the channel and MPG is the AOR. The brand campaign will start at the time of the launch of the channel. The ‘i’ in the name of the channel denotes intelligence, innovation, interaction, inspiration and India. The channel is targeted at all English speaking business executives and will have a special focus on young professionals.

The brand campaign will position UTVi as a new channel that is equipped to meet the growing business ambitions of the economy. A senior executive from UTVi says it’s especially important to address the small enterprises in the country as they contribute more than 7 per cent to the overall GDP. The channel will aim to address the business needs of all segments of the economy, including small, medium and large business houses. The content for the channel is designed to keep entrepreneurs informed about global business happenings along with regular news and features. The content will include shows on careers, technology, automobiles, travel and good living.

UTVi has engaged several group resources and industry experts to create feature shows. IT Nation will help with the technology shows. Autocar India editor Hormazd Sorabjee and ace rallyist Renuka Kirpalani will team up for an auto show. Rashmi Bansal, editor of the youth magazine JAM, will host a careers show.

During the research conducted internally by UTV before planning the launch of the business channel, it was found that the viewership for business news has grown by a huge 56 per cent in the period, 2005-07. The cumulative annual growth rate (CAGR) for business news channels in India was found to be 21 per cent. So far, the Indian English business market has been largely dominated by CNBC-TV18, which has a viewership base of close to three million viewers. UTVi aims to create a niche for itself with its unique programming mix and brand positioning.

UTVi has set up news bureaus across major business locations such as New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kolkata. The channel is likely to start its 18 hour dry run within a week. Chief executive officer Arun Anant and editor in chief Govindraj Ethiraj have consolidated a capable team to run the channel. A recent addition to the team is Sumit Gupta, who takes over the role of chief operating officer.