RTL, Reliance Broadcast India venture
May 31, 2011
RTL has formed an alliance with Anil Ambani’s Reliance Broadcast Network as the pan-European broadcaster enters into Asia at a time when growth in its core markets is flagging.
The European group, which said in March that it was looking to secure a deal with a local partner in India, said the two had agreed to form a new joint venture company that would initially produce two English language channels.
One would be a reality channel, the other an action channel. It would aim to launch other thematic channels in India over time. The move will help Reliance Broadcast, which already has a joint venture with CBS Studios operating three English language channels, expand its portfolio of international content and compete with Rupert Murdoch’s Star India and Zee Entertainment.
Reliance Broadcast owns India’s largest FM radio network and recently launched BIG Magic, an entertainment channel aimed at India’s Hindi population. It also owns an outdoor advertising and live entertainment business.