The ETV network, which already has seven channels in its bouquet apart from their HD versions, has now launched a new platform for children’s entertainment called Bala Bharat. The group has launched 12 channels across the country simultaneously today. It is well known that the ETV network had earlier launched news and entertainment channels in all languages in the same way. However, later it sold all but the Telugu channels to the TV 18 Group. Among them are the entertainment channels under Colors brand while the news channels are given to Network 18.
After a brief gap, the ETV Group has been mulling on launching niche channels in a big way. The initial idea was to launch a plethora of channels in Spirituality, Agriculture, Health, Children etc. Huge groundwork was undertaken to run about 65 channels in different languages. However, there was a rethinking during the massive preparatory work and the idea had to be revisited. The idea has now been confined only to kids channels and the reasons were not disclosed. With the recent COVID 19 crisis, the revised idea has come out and a year after the original plan, Bala Bharat channels have been made ready for launch.
Worldwide popularity of child-friendly programs, the possibility of purchasing rights from many countries exclusively for India, the ability to dub all foreign programs at a low cost as they are being brought in 11 languages at once, and the possibility of using domestically produced programs in other languages as well are considered advantageous to Balabharat channels. It is also clear that ETV has made this decision in view of all the benefits such as the opportunity to sell its own quality programs to foreign channels apart from making all these channels available on Pay TV platform. .
At the same time, Ramoji’s grandchildren are now focusing mainly on digital and TV, which is also believed to have made it possible for them to analyze and accept the future of children’s channels. Anyway, ETV’s Balabharat experiment is making it possible for children of all major languages in India to watch quality children’s programs available in international languages.
As far as the availability of these channels is concerned, they are classified as pay channels and are priced at Rs. 4 per month in all Indian languages apart from English. This is the Standard Definition (SD) price, while the HD channel prices are set at Rs.6 per month per household. Right now it offers seven channels in the Telugu states, and with Balabharat as the eighth channel, the bouquet is now priced at Rs. 29 per month per household, while, the HD Family Pak price has been announced as Rs.36
Bala Bharat channels are broadcast in Telugu, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, Malayalam, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil and English. The management confidently says that their programming gives a whole new definition to the world of kids Entertainment and Information. They claim that the programs are designed to cater to regional language, culture and tastes apart from providing international programs on the other hand. It seems the management has taken all the necessary precautions to entertain and excite the children by providing them with knowledge as well as entertainment. Market sources say that the ETV management, known for its extensive and exhaustive, research and market survey on any project has already done its part regarding Balabharat channels.
At a time when readers’ attention is gradually shifting from the traditional print media to the digital side, Ramojirao, the founder of the group, is thinking in the same direction ETV Bharat, their digital platform is one such example. It is learnt that a huge project like Balabharat has taken shape as the ideas of his successors are also moving in the same direction in the field of TV. At the outset, let us wish the bouquet of Balabharat channels, a grand success.
