Patliputra Group to launch news channel for Bihar, Jharkand

The news channel will be rolled out in August

The Patna based Patliputra Group, which has interests in real estate, telecommunications and pharmaceuticals, is all set to make inroads into the media sector.

The group plans to launch a news channel called Aryan TV, which will cater to audiences in Bihar and Jharkand and will make its debut in August.

Patliputra Group to launch news channel for Bihar, Jharkand

Talking about the planned launch, Anil Kumar, chief managing director, Patliputra Group of Companies, says, "Media sector in Bihar is growing year on year by 10-12 per cent. The last entrant in the market was Maurya TV, launched by Prakash Jha. The channel is learned to have got good response from advertisers. This gives us the confidence to debut in the market with a news channel."

Currently, there are 15 news channels in the Bihar market.

In Bihar, as per TAM data (CS 15+ years) for the average market share for four weeks (June 13-July 17), News 24 leads the news space with a market share of 16.4 per cent, followed by Tez with a market share of 12.2 per cent; the No. 3 player, STAR News, has a market share of 11.3 per cent.

In such a crowded market, what role and place is Aryan TV eyeing for itself?

Kumar reasons, "We will be the voice of the people - as per the tagline of our channel - 'Aap Ki Awaaz'. Also, in terms of content, news will constitute 75 per cent of air time, while the remaining 25 per cent will be entertainment based programming."

The revenue for broadcast (electronic) media in Bihar, comprising GECs (general entertainment channels) and news channels, is estimated to be Rs 20 crore.

Without sharing revenue targets for Aryan TV, Kumar informs that as far as advertising revenue is concerned, 60 per cent of revenue comes from the government sector, while the private sector contributes 40 per cent.

As part of the core programming and operational team, the Patliputra Group has got senior people from Sahara Samay and Sadhna News to run Aryan TV.

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Anil Kumar Patliputra Group