Reliance-RTL JV to launch channel Thrill

Anil Ambani's Reliance Broadcast Network Ltd, which signed an equal joint venture with Luxembourg-based RTL Group SA, is set to launch its first action entertainment channel, Thrill, this quarter.

RTL is part of Europe's largest media firm, Bertelsmann AG, and has a market cap of $15.5 billion (Rs 69,900 crore).

The company operates 40 television channels and 33 radio stations across 10 countries in Europe.

"RTL will launch two channels with multi-lingual content.

"The entertainment landscape in India is fairly female skewed with extremely limited options for male audiences.

"Our decision to launch Thrill is fuelled by two things --

one is the fact that there is no entertainment channel which brings the best of international programming dubbed in Hindi language.

"Second, action as an entertainment genre is largely restricted to movies but not yet exploited on entertainment channels," said Tarun Katial, CEO, RBNL.

Thrill would be distributed across the tier-I and tier-II cities in the Hindi speaking markets in the country.

The core viewers of the channel would be men in the age group of 15-44 years, who are action and adventure lovers.

The JV would also give RBNL access to RTL's library of content produced by its group production house, FremantleMedia Ltd.