Telugu news genre finds a new contender in V6 News

The youth oriented channel has earmarked a total investment outlay of Rs 100 crore over the next three years, of which an estimated Rs 25-30 crore is being utilised for the launch phase.

Nikit Investment, a newly launched broadcast network headquartered in Hyderabad, has launched a Telugu news channel in a bid to tap into the Rs 200 crore Telugu news market in Andhra Pradesh.

Christened V6 News, the channel claims to be the first investor-funded satellite Telugu news channel in the Andhra Pradesh market, which already houses 12 news channels.

For the record, Nikit Investment is promoted by Ravi Ankam, a journalist with 25 years of experience. He worked for the Eenadu, Indian Express and Deccan Chronicle groups. He also played an instrumental role in the launch of Surya, a daily newspaper, as well as INews.

Meanwhile, investment for V6 News has come from independent equity players including Dr Rajender Reddy, prominent cardio surgeon from the USA, and Gusti Nohria, promoter of Nomark Fashions.

While Ankam is the CEO and editor-in-chief of V6 News, Aditya S Rao has been roped in as the channel marketing head. The independent equity players, meanwhile, will not play any role in the day-to-day managerial decisions of the channel, the company notes.

Speaking about the launch of the channel, Ankam says, "The Telugu news genre is one of the most cluttered genres with more than 12 players. Many of the channels have started their operations before the last general and state elections. Many of them were promoted by people with political connections. Of late, it is believed that a few of them are on the verge of closure."

"Launch of V6 at this juncture of politically silent atmosphere is seen by many as refreshing. The quality of the editorial team, along with the independent investment, is expected to alter the news media landscape for Telugu news viewers," he adds.

The channel intends to tap into a viewer universe of Telugu news. There are around 12 crore Telugu speaking people around the world. The youth oriented channel has earmarked a total investment outlay of Rs 100 crore over the next three years, of which an estimated Rs 25-30 crore is being utilised for the launch phase.

To begin with, V6 News will have distribution tie ups with MSOs such as Hathway, Wire & Wireless, InCable and DigiCable.

Meanwhile, once V6 News firms up its footing in Andhra Pradesh, Nikit Investment intends to foray into the non-news genres to further tap into the Telugu-speaking market.