News Broadcasting
TV9 plans to invest Rs 1.2 billion in regional news channels, Africa operations
MUMBAI: Hyderabad-based Associated Broadcasting Company PVT Ltd. (ABCL) promoters are planning to invest Rs 1.2 billion in regional news channels and starting African operations.
ABCL will be pumping in Rs 200 million for TV9 Kannada, the recently launched news channel. The company is also considering launching news channels in Marathi and Gujarati languages which would consume an additional Rs 400 million. “We will take a final call on this in 4-6 months. We hope our Kannada channel, which we launched on 7 December, would have stabilised by then,” says ABCL vice president operations KVN Murthy.
The promoters plan to expand to Africa through a separate company and initially pump in Rs 600 million for the venture. “We see opportunities there, particularly in cable operations. We are also looking at local language content which would be a mixture of entertainment and news. We plan to initially invest Rs 600 million and are exploring options of going through the joint venture route with a local partner,” says Murth
ABCL has already invested close to Rs 200 million in TV9 Telugu. The company is 80 per cent owned by iLabs, a venture fund, and Unified Group. The balance 20 per cent is held by Ravi prakash and five other professionals.
Expansion into other language channels is also on the radar. “We may step into new geographies and are looking at the other regional markets except Tamil and Malayalam where there are entrenched players,” says Murthy.
The company may raise capital through private placement or dilution to strategic investors if it decides to go ahead with the expansion plans. “We want to first have a strong presence in the two regional markets before we decide to take a look at various valuation opportunities including tapping strategic investors. Our Telugu channel is doing well. We hope TV9 Kannada would break even in 18-20 months,” says Murthy.
ABCL clocked a revenue of Rs 106 million in FY06. “we expect our revenues to double this fiscal and we should touch Rs 340 million in FY08 through our existing operations alone. We are EBITDA positive since this April,” says Murthy.
News Broadcasting
Kamlesh Singh receives Haldi Ghati Award from MMCF
India Today Group editor honoured for three decades of journalism at Udaipur ceremony.
MUMBAI- Kamlesh Singh just turned a lifetime of sharp words into a shiny shield because when journalism wakes up a society, even the Maharana of Mewar wants to pin a medal on it.
The Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation (MMCF) conferred its prestigious Haldi Ghati Award on Kamlesh Singh, a senior editor at the India Today Group, during a ceremony in Udaipur on 15 March 2026. The national award, instituted in 1981-82, recognises “work of permanent value that initiates an awakening in society through the medium of journalism.”
Singh, who leads several editorial initiatives including Aaj Tak Radio, the Teen Taal community and The Lallantop, was presented the honour by Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar, Managing Trustee of MMCF. The citation highlighted his three decades of contributions to Indian media, innovations in digital journalism, mentoring young reporters, and his popular podcast persona “Tau” on Teen Taal, which fosters thoughtful public discourse.
The Haldi Ghati Award, named after the historic Battle of Haldighati symbolising valour and resilience, is one of four national awards given annually by MMCF. Past recipients include Tavleen Singh, Piyush Pandey and Raj Chengappa.
Other honourees this year included Padma Vibhushan Pt Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Vedamurti Devvrat Rekhe, Treeman of India Marimuthu Yoganathan, Vir Chakra Capt Rizwan Malik, and US-based researcher Molly Emma Aitken, who received the Colonel James Tod Award for contributions to understanding Mewar’s spirit and values.
In an era where headlines often shout louder than substance, the MMCF quietly reminded everyone that real journalism isn’t about noise, it’s about the quiet, persistent work that stirs society awake, one thoughtful story at a time.
