Bloomberg and UTV To Form India’s Premier Business TV Network

NEW YORK and MUMBAI, India -

- Global news leader joins hands with top Indian media company to deliver business news to viewers across India

Bloomberg, the global leader in business news and information, and the promoters (founders) of UTV, India’s leading integrated media and entertainment enterprise, today announced that they will collaborate on a television channel to deliver unsurpassed real-time business, economic and political news to households across India. The newly co-branded channel will become the premier business and financial broadcast news outlet in this important market.

In the next month, the business news channel UTVi will be re-branded as Bloomberg-UTV. For the first time UTVi’s local newsgathering, production and distribution expertise combine with the deep financial news capabilities and global reach of Bloomberg to broadcast news and information for and about the Indian market. India’s TV viewers will have access to the BLOOMBERG TELEVISION(R) network global feed, supported by 145 BLOOMBERG NEWS(R) bureaus around the world.

Bloomberg-UTV will incorporate substantial international programming elements from the BLOOMBERG TELEVISION worldwide network, and viewers will benefit from close cooperation between the organizations’ editorial and production teams. In addition, the Web site UTVi.com, which is the fastest growing financial portal in India, will be re-branded as bloombergutv.com with enhanced content from Bloomberg.

“The BLOOMBERG TELEVISION network is excited to be joining forces with UTV in providing a business and financial news channel with remarkable breadth and depth of reporting for the Indian market. We will welcome 30 million households in India to Bloomberg’s community of more than 200 million television households, who make up the most affluent and influential audience in the world,” said Andy Lack, CEO of Bloomberg’s Multimedia group. “By working with UTV to realize our shared vision for business and financial television, Bloomberg renews its commitment to delivering business, economic and political news and analysis to viewers in India, and at the same time to delivering news about one of the world’s most dynamic economies to investors across the globe.”

Ronnie Screwvala, Chairman, UTV News Ltd., said, “The addition of 14-15 million television sets every year and a rapid change of preference in favor of premium channels will drive viewership of business news in India. This is where our association with Bloomberg, clearly the world’s biggest and most credible business news brand, will create impact for the India market. We are thrilled about this collaboration and believe the audience in India will strongly benefit from the news, analysis and the world’s most powerful business analytics tools that Bloomberg brings to bear.”

BACKGROUND: Business News in India

India’s economy recently crossed the one trillion (USD) mark. At an annual growth rate of 6%, this makes it one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Demand for business and financial news is expected to increase among Indian households, which have already shown a unique affinity for economic news and information.

About UTV

UTV Software Communications Limited is India’s leading global integrated media house with business interests in Television, Movies, Broadcasting, Games and New Media. UTV India & its subsidiaries create, aggregate and disseminate content of various genres across varied distribution platforms.

About UTVi

UTVi is an English business news channel launched by the Indian Promoter group of India’s leading Media & Entertainment Company, UTV Software Communications Ltd. The channel is targeted at the growing business aspirations of a progressive India. Launched with a vision to transform viewer experience in the business news sphere, UTVi Business News has been focusing on setting new standards of product design and viewer involvement. Since its inception a year ago, UTVi Business News has grown rapidly to become the definitive business channel. The loyalties (time spent per viewer) and a leadership position in the evening prime time have helped differentiate it.

About Bloomberg

Bloomberg is the source of critical information and tools with which to analyze, customize and use it. The BLOOMBERG PROFESSIONAL(R) service and Bloomberg’s news services deliver data, news and analytics that create transparency and allow users to transform knowledge into success.

About the BLOOMBERG TELEVISION(R) Network

The BLOOMBERG TELEVISION(R) network is the only global 24-hour business and financial television service, broadcasting to more than 200 million homes. Bloomberg adds depth and context to on-air reports, providing viewers with charts, breaking news, stock quotes and relevant stock indexes in real time gleaned from the news, data and analytics of the BLOOMBERG PROFESSIONAL(R) service.

BLOOMBERG, BLOOMBERG PROFESSIONAL, BLOOMBERG NEWS and BLOOMBERG TELEVISION are trademarks and service marks of Bloomberg Finance L.P., a Delaware limited partnership, or its subsidiaries. BTV is a trademark and service mark of Bloomberg L.P., a Delaware limited partnership. All rights reserved.

Source: Bloomberg

Heidi Tan, Bloomberg L.P., +1-212-617-5375, htan14 at bloomberg.net; or Jyotika Ahuja, UTV News Ltd., +91-96-1912-2379, jyotika.ahuja at utvnet.com