Meera Mohanty
Moumita Bakshi Chatterjee

New Delhi, May 9 Nettlinx is planning to invest an initial Rs 20 crore to launch a new television channel focussed on ‘health and wealth’ that will be aired in the four southern languages. The Hyderabad-based Internet solutions provider says ‘Wealth, Health and You (WHY)’ will be a consumer channel covering business news as well as everything about wellness. According to Mr Vijay Bhaskar Reddy, Executive Director, Nettlinx, “There is no precedent to the channel, which will also cater to a significant Indian population that does not have access to serious Indian content outside of India.”

The company has already applied to the Government for a licence to the start the channel. In addition, it has applied to the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) stating that Nettlinx Ltd has individual NRI shareholders aggregating 1.05 per cent of its total paid-up share capital. The company pointed out that as the broadcasting entity Nettlinx Channel Pvt Ltd is a 100 per cent subsidiary of Nettlinx Ltd, the indirect foreign shareholding in the applicant company was also 1.05 per cent and would not exceed 24 per cent.

Mr Reddy said the company would leverage the expertise of its sister company Northeast Commodities, Northeast Broking Services Ltd for business content, and can use the data centres and get technology support from its IT business. Nettlinx provides solutions for data voice and security and has relationships with major telecom operators in India.

To reach out to its NRI audience through IPTV, for example, WHY would be able to use Nettlinx’s expertise to advantage.