EXCLUSIVE: UTV Movies India to launch in Dec

UTV Movies India will be launching by mid-December in the UK on the Sky Digital platform, BizAsia.co.uk can exclusively reveal.

According to reliable sources, UTV Movies India has acquired the EPG slot that was previously assigned to South For You before it closed down a few weeks ago.

It is not yet clear as to who will manage the Bollywood movies channel in the UK but we’ve learnt that Sky Media is looking very likely as the possibly candidate. If the deal with Sky Media does go through, then the channel could possibly be available exclusively as a part of Sky Digital’s monthly package.

However, how will the market react if at all this does happen. What will current players in the Sky monthly package say on the same? Currently, the four Star TV channels and NDTV 24×7 are available in the Sky bundle.

UTV Movies India may launch as a free-to-air channel or a premium service but how it will sustain in tough conditions in such a saturated market remains to be seen.

A deal with an agency to overlook the channel is expected to be confirmed later this week. UTV Movies India is pulling out all the stops to launch before BSkyB’s Christmas break in December.

UTV Movies launched in India in February 2008 and has been eyeing the UK market for several months. It also plans to bring its showbiz channel, UTV Stars, which launched in India last month.

UTV Movies will be joining the likes of B4U Movies, ZEE Cinema, MAX and Star Gold when it arrives in the UK. All of these already broadcast UTV film titles.