Rajat Sharma to launch another 24×7 news channel

NEW DELHI - Noted TV host and India TV co-founder Rajat Sharma is set to launch a new 24X7 news channel.

Called India TV Wiz, the channel will be a bilingual in Hindi and English and is the first channel to have got an approval after the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) returned to power.

Wiz will be up in six months, perhaps earlier in the beta form. You will see a truly unique bouquet of content that will make it a nationwide phenomenon. Thanks to its ideator, Wiz will break the mould, Sharma said in a statement released here Wednesday.

“It will give premium advertisers a bouquet of screens that support true marketing innovation, reaching their message to top-of-the-line audiences across TAM cities and the next wave of conditional access markets. Wiz will be plugged on to new media and mobile platforms from day one. It will power a world-class partner for international news, he added.

Sharma plans to position Wiz as a formidable twin to its sister channel India TV under his umbrella group Independent News Service (INS). Wiz will also connect with new-age audiences through INS’s digital media business, India TV Interactive.

Asked about the editorial leadership for the channel, Sharma, who is also the group editor-in-chief, did not reveal the name.

“One of the most live-wire and innovative editors in the business will run Wiz on a hands-on basis, he said.