For long, it?s been the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) which, as a major international media player, has enjoyed its presence in India. But now, other international players, through the medium of the mobile, are exploring the arena. Fox News channel of the US and The Sun, UK?s leading daily, have made their debut in the Indian market, through PLUS, an on-device portal of STAR Mobile Entertainment (SME).
PLUS offers customers access to a range of entertainment content and information services through a “point-click-go” iconised interface. Mobile users, who download PLUS on their cellphones, can subscribe to general and business news from Fox, and lifestyle content from The Sun, along with several other services, for a fee of Rs 30 month. The Fox News channel will initially bring real time news in the form of full-length stories in text along with graphs and images and later on, short video content. Says Viren Popli, senior vice-president, SME, “PLUS will bring tailor-made short video content from Fox News like ‘Around the world in 70 seconds? and business and sports wrap up, which will provide a comprehensive summary of news developments.”
Targeted at the young urban mobile users, The Sun will provide international lifestyle-related content on PLUS. The application will bring The Sun?s Page 3 wallpapers in the first phase and subsequently give access to news, sports and Hollywood-related content.
Vipp Jaiswal, head of international affairs, Fox News Channel, says, “It’s quite obvious for us to come to India keeping in mind the kind of impact happenings in the US have on India.” Fox will bring news in general and business through ?Fox News mobile? and ?Fox Business mobile?. According to Jaiswal, Indian consumers are constantly seeking information on the US as it relates to the markets here in India. Cell phone, being the most convenient platform, makes it the best choice for them. So, are there any plans to launch the channel in India? “There are plans to launch the Fox News channel in India, but as of now, there are no committed dates for this,” Jaiswal adds. The channel is also looking at Singapore, Hong Kong and Indonesia amongst other South Asian countries, for a presence.
Both the media will be available for unlimited usage on PLUS. Sony Ericsson has also tied up with SME to have the PLUS application embedded in the former’s Cyber Shot and Walkman handsets.