LONDON (Brand Republic) 鈥 News Corporation鈥檚 Asian TV network Star TV has launched its Indian pay-TV service in the UK.
The launch will see News Corp compete against established market players Zee TV and Sony鈥檚 SET Asia.
Star TV will offer Asians in the UK access to Star News, a 24-hour news channel, and Star Plus, its entertainment-based channel, with subscriptions priced at £16 a month. News Corp hopes to extend the service to other European countries later this year.
The channels will only be available on News Corp鈥檚 satellite service, BSkyB.
Star TV also plans to introduce its Mandarin television service, Phoenix, to the Chinese community in the UK and continental Europe. No timetable was given for the launch of the Chinese service, which recently launched in the US, although chairman and chief executive James Murdoch indicated it would be 鈥渋n the near future鈥.
News Corp bought Star TV in 1993 from Asian media tycoon and archrival Richard Li, chairman of Pacific Century CyberWorks. News Corp hopes the business will move into profit in the next 18 months.