Star to expand its footprint in N. America

MUMBAI: News Corporation’s wholly-owned subsidiary based out of Hong Kong – Star – is expanding distribution of its signature Hindi and Mandarin language programming in North America with the opening of a sales office in Los Angeles.

Headed by David Wisnia, vice president for distribution and sales, the new office will market and drive distribution Star networks in North America.

Star now broadcasts over 40 Asian language channels to 300 million viewers in Asia and beyond. It also produces over 10,000 hours of Indian and Chinese language programming per year.

In the United States, Star is looking to expand distribution of its current slate of four top-rated channels, which are currently available on DirecTV:

·Star India Plus– India’s number one-rated cable channel featuring popular comedy, drama and entertainment programming.

·Star One – The broad-based alternative Hindi language channel.

·Star India News– The 24-hour Hindi news channel, one of the most watched news outlets in India.

·Vijay– One of the most popular Tamil language channels in India.

Star will also market its Hindi movie channel Star Gold and several Mandarin language channels. Star’s Mandarin language channels include Star Chinese Channel, the top-rated general entertainment channel in Taiwan, and Channel [V], the trend-setting youth channel.

Star’s Hong Kong-based COO Laureen Ong is overseeing the company’s expansion efforts in the US. “Asians, particularly those of Indian and Chinese descent, represent the largest growing ethnic group in the United States after Hispanics. We know the US demand for Indian and Chinese programming is growing, and Star is well positioned to offer thousands of hours of quality, original programming to this under-served market,” said Ong.