TV18 launches CNBC Bajar

The TV18 Broadcast Network has announced that it will launch its Gujarati business news channel today. The channel has been launched in partnership with Infibeam.com and in association with Adani and Ganesh Housing.

The channel is the latest addition to CNBC's news portfolio that also includes CNBC TV18 and CNBC AWAAZ. CNBC Bajar will be anchored and driven by some of the biggest names in Indian news and television. Sanjay Pugalia is the editor-in-chief of the channel while Pradeep Pandya will be an anchor on the channel. Actor Aashka Goradia has been roped in as the face of the channel.

The channel's offering will be a mix of live market coverage from NSE, BSE, commodities, currency, and feature shows on aspects such as personal finance, entrepreneurship, property as well as lifestyle. Says Pugalia, "We have added stronger doses of content around small and medium enterprises, retail, bullion and commodity into the typical mainstream mix of business news. We will focus both on the micro-markets within Gujarat as well as the global markets which affect the investment and business decisions of the business savvy Gujaratis."

The channel believes that since Gujaratis are, perhaps, the most global community in the country today, the channel will not only find interest in its home state but also all over the country and beyond that as well. Talking about the business rationale behind starting this channel Anil Uniyal, CEO of CNBC Channels and Forbes India says, "Gujaratis are top performers on every economic parameter - from industrialisation to GDP per household - today. However, there isn't enough content being created to serve this hugely affluent set of viewers. It was thus a very simple decision for us when we decided to start this channel. Moreover, no other community devours content revolving around finance, markets, business and economics the way this community does.

The marketing campaign of the channel is centered on the thought "The mother tongue of business". It brings out the centricity of business in the life of Gujaratis and how extensively the language is used even today in the numerous dealings of business. The campaign has been designed by O&M. CNBC Bajar is available on Tata Sky, You Scod18 and GTPL (Hathway).