MUMBAI: News Corp’s media and entertainment company Star is launching four of its Indian channels and three Star Mandarin-language channels on Bell Fibe TV, the recently launched next generation television service in Canada.
The IPTV service is provided by Canada’s largest communications company, Bell.
“We are elated to partner with Bell Fibe TV and provide our top rated channels to the South Asian and Chinese diaspora in Canada.” said Star SVP distribution, sales and marketing and head of Star’s North American office David Wisnia.
As per the deal, Star is launching three Hindi language channels – general entertainment channel Star One (Ch No 805); Bollywood movie channel Star India Gold (Ch No 803); and Star India News (Ch No 804). It is also launching the Tamil entertainment channel, Star Vijay (Ch No 806), on the Bell Fibe TV platform.
Star‘s flagship Hindi general entertainment channel Star Plus is excluded from this as it is already a part of the ATN service. Star Plus is on ATN as a ‘must carry‘ channel since 2006.
Star is also launching on Bell Fibe TV three Mandarin language channels from Star Greater China’s bouquet, which include Star Chinese Channel (Ch No 708), Star Chinese Movies 2 (Ch No 709) and Taiwan’s music and lifestyle channel, Channel [V] Taiwan (Ch no 707).
“Bell Fibe TV offers customers an enhanced television experience delivered over IPTV platform,” said Bell SVP of residential products Heather Tulk. “Adding these seven Star channels to Fibe TV’s programming line-up makes our next generation television service even more appealing to Canada’s vibrant Mandarin-speaking and South Asian communities.”
The Star channels are also part of the ATN bouquet in Canada. “ATN has had a great programming partnership with Star for the past four years and we have had a wonderful distribution partnership with Bell for the past 13 years," added ATN president and CEO Shan Chandrasekar.
