TV9 (India)

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TV9 is a Telugu news channel started in January 2004. It gained instant popualrity among the masses with the punchline "Merugaina Samajam Kosam". Later it expanded its network with news channels in Kannada, Malayalam, Gujarati languages. These channels are broadcast by Associated Broadcasting Company Private Limited of Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India.ABC Private Ltd had also launched a telugu spiritual channel Samskruthi.

[edit] Foundation

Founded in 2003 by Ravi Prakash, TV9 channel offered 24-hour free to air television news coverage formally since February 2004. A.C. Nielsen's Indian TAM ratings show TV9 and ETV 2 as the leading Telugu-language news channels.^[1] TV9 is distributed, on a subscription basis, by Sneha TV in the United States and Europe since 2004.^[2]

The TV9 Kannada channel was successful competing with general entertainment channels such as ETV Kannada, and news channels such as Sun Network's Udaya News and the Kannada Kasturi channel.^[3].

[edit] Expansion

ABC Private Ltd has announced plans to expand into Maharashtra, West Bengal, and Delhi markets under the TV9 name.^[4].ABC Private Ltd has brought a malayalam Channel Indiavision for an undisclosed amount.[www.tv9.net] [www.indiavisiontv.com],many persons called it's a pro-congress channel.A state congress leader have share in this channel.

There has been criticism about TV9's journalistic practices with regard to their coverage of the highly public elopement and subsequent marriage of leading telugu actor Chiranjeevi's daughter Srija.