The Hindu Business Line : Raj TV in expansion mode

Driven by the demand for TV game shows and the lack of quality television production space, Raj Television Network Ltd is setting up a 9,000 sq ft studio in Chennai, Mr M. Raveendran, Director, Raj Television Network Ltd, said.

In the first phase, Raj TV will invest Rs 7.5 crore to build 15,000 sq ft for the studio and library (both digital and physical). The funding is mainly from internal accruals. The company was also exploring other options for funding, he said.

Though Chennai has been a centre for films with many studios such as AVM and Prasad Studios, these catered to film production. Television requires smaller and more compact air-conditioned studios with gallery seats for games shows, he said.

He said that with this facility, the company would be able to reduce production cost at least by 40 per cent.

He said that when the channel started in 1994, the cost of producing half an hour of television programme was Rs 30,000 and now it is about Rs 2.5 lakh. The film studio charges by the hour and often it is difficult to get slots.

Mr Raveendran said that the demand for game shows in Tamil and other languages like Oriya and Kannada was growing. This facility would help Raj to cater to this growing market. He said that some of the southern markets have reached saturation point, like Kerala, which has 15 channels. There were many States in the country where there is a shortage of software, which would prove to be an opportunity for Raj TV.

Raj TV, which clocked a turnover of Rs 37 crore, has a library of 2,500 Tamil movies.

The company will also be upgrading its technology, with equipment such as a digital play out server and digital archiving system, for archiving and digitising its large content assets.

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