MUMBAI: The Walt Disney Company’s Buena Vista International Television-Asia Pacific (BVITV-AP) today announced the first deal outside the US for Disney-ABC Television Group’s ABC News Now channel with Dish TV.

The 24-hour ABC News Now channel will launch on Dish TV’s carriage later this year – subject to downlinking approval by the ministry of Information and Broadcasting in India.

ABC News Now is a 24×7 international news channel that provides live breaking news coverage, complete shows, exclusives, news specials, in-depth coverage and more. ABC News Now also offers viewers exclusive uncut interviews from award-winning ABC news programming such as 20/20, Primetime and World News with Charles Gibson as well as original programs with the latest on health, money and Hollywood.

“We are delighted to have signed this agreement with Dish TV for the ABC News Now channel, and look forward to working closely with them to bring ABC’s first class news service to the Indian audience. India is a key strategic market for our company so this deal marks a particularly significant achievement,” said BVITV-AP’s senior vice president and managing director Steve Macallister.

“This is a major step forward for ABC News Now. As ABC News strives to reach news audiences anytime and anywhere around the globe, we are delighted that one of the largest English-speaking countries in the world should be our first step,” said ABC News president David Westin.

“As technology rapidly evolves in the Indian media landscape, a new generation of consumer is embracing all it has to offer. With Dish TV, the Walt Disney Company would be able to provide top-of-the-class global news coverage to a savvy and discerning Indian audience,” said Walt Disney Company, India managing director Rajat Jain.

“In the last year, Dish TV has emerged as one of the fastest growing digital platforms in Asia. Our association with ABC News Now is in line with our commitment to provide the best of infotainment, available in India or abroad, to our subscribers. We are sure that Dish TV subscribers would be happy to access ABC News Now in India shortly,” said Dish TV business head Jawahar Goel.