ATN readies five new television channels
By Adnews Staff
Toronto-based Asian Television Network International has signed an agreement to launch five Canadian TV channels in collaboration with Indian broadcaster Doordarshan. ATN-DD India will carry dramas, comedies, talk shows and documentaries from India. ATN-DD News will be a 24-hour news channel with reports in Hindi and English. ATN-DD Bharati will focus on cultural programming, the arts, quiz shows and health programs. ATN-DD Urdu will be a general interest channel carrying programming in the Urdu language. ATN-DD Sports will cover international and domestic sports. "India is the world's largest democracy and has a population of over a billion people," said Shan Chandrasekar, president and CEO of ATN. "We are delighted to be associated with the launch of India's national broadcaster Doordarshan, which is similar to the BBC in the UK and CBC in Canada. We have aggressive plans to add substantial value to our diaspora and enhance our strong customer base on cable, satellite and credible distributors across Canada."