UTV Launches New Movie Channel

MUMBAI, March 18: UTV
Software Communications, the Indian media group partly owned by The Walt Disney
Company, is set to launch the UTV Movies channel, featuring a host of
Hindi-language feature films.

UTV already has a large
library of its own feaure films, including Rang De Basanti, Life in a …
Metro and the recently released Jodhaa
Akbar. This year, UTV plans to
release more than 15 movies in the Indian and international markets. The new
channel will tap into the UTV catalogue, as well as acquire third-party
features.

Shantonu Aditya, the CEO
of UTV Entertainment Television, said, “UTV Movies will be a clearly
differentiated Hindi movie channel, benefiting from UTV’s long experience of
making successful Hindi movies and also its deep understanding of the
passionate Hindi movie viewer, who alone can make a movie a hit. The channel
will be the only one in the category to give the viewer’s voice its rightful
place. This unique approach will be backed by a high-decibel marketing campaign
with a budget of over Rs. 30 crores ($7.4 million). The channel will not only
bring a large number of outstanding movies to the viewer, it will set new
benchmarks in terms of cutting-edge packaging and enduring viewer involvement.”

Disney owns a 32.1-percent
stake in UTV, which also operates the Bindass, Bindass Movies and World Movies
channels.

—By Mansha Daswani