MUMBAI: After launching the HD feeds of its regional channels, Star India is now bringing its Kannada channels under the Star brand. For starters, its Kannada general entertainment channel Suvarna is to be rechristened as Star Suvarna and its movie channel Suvarna Plus as Star Suvarna Plus.

The nine-year-old Suvarna will be rebranded from 25 July and a company press release says it will reflect the distinctive culture and traditions of Karnataka through its differentiated content.

Taking its brand legacy forward with a new brand philosophy – ‘Sambandagal Hosa Spandana’ (the new rhythm of relationships) the channel has decided to coincide the relaunch with the debut of Hindi TV producer Nikhil Sinha’s Hara Hara Mahadeva.

The show is the story of Lord Shiva and will describe his miracles and has international graphics and production values, which have never been done on regional television. The show airs from 25 July at 7.30 pm from Monday to Friday.

The content offering will further see a ramp up across genres including fiction and non fiction. The channel plans to launch an array of new programmes which includes two weekend non-fiction shows and a new fiction show which will be unveiled in the next few weeks.

A new team of experts has been roped in to ensure the production values and making of the shows are of impeccable standards.

Star Suvarna business head Ashok Namboodiri said: “Suvarna has always offered differentiated and innovative content to the Kannada viewers. With the new brand name and proposition, we plan to significantly scale up our offerings which will be on par with international standards. As we enter this new phase, we will continue to delight our consumers with new stories and new programs that will redefine general entertainment”

Star Suvarna Plus will be a unique combination of movies and sports. The channel will continue to showcase national level sporting events like Star Sports Pro Kabbadi League in Kannada and offer the best of titles from the Kannada movie industry.

A 360 degree marketing plan has been rolled out to establish the new brand logo and identity while also building up the launch of Hara Hara Mahadeva. Key mediums of communication are TV, print, radio, outdoor and digital.