Chennai, The Rs.550-million Raj Television Network Ltd Monday launched its first Tamil news channel, called Raj News 24x7.

The channel will cover stock market, business, current affairs, health, food, education and other subjects, said Raj Television director M. Raveendran. "We feel there is scope for another news channel.”

The Rs.50-million free-to-air news channel will be the company's fourth after Raj TV, Raj Digital Plus and Raj Musix.

Unlike the other two Tamil news channels - Sun News and Jaya Plus - Raj News 24x7 will give weightage to business news with programmes like Hello Sandhai and Sandhai Neram during share trading hours.

It will also feature a programme on industries called Thozhil Munai, an auto show titled Top Gear, a weekly business show Raj Vaniga Ulagam, said channel head Nijanthan.

He said there would be around 15 news bulletins daily.

The channel is present in the direct to home platforms of Dish TV and Sun Direct, and will reach all major cities.

Company secretary Lalit Mohanty said the channel wouldn't make much revenue during the first year, and advertisement revenue is expected to kick in from the second year.

The same is the case with Raj Musix, launched this January.

The company is also planning to launch a news channel in Telugu language later this year on an investment of Rs.50 million.

“We are using the money raised from our initial public offering (IPO). We are also planning to set up a studio at an outlay of Rs.150 million,” Mohanty added.

For the current fiscal Raj Television Network is targeting a revenue of Rs.750 million, he said.

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