Mumbai : The FYI TV18 channel has launched in India, marking the second factual-entertainment network brought to the country in a partnership between A+E Networks and TV18.
FYI TV18 will be available in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. The programming mix features local Indian shows and international series. The lineup includes Man Vs Child, Tiny House Nation, Seven Year Switch and Arranged. At launch, FYI will premiere two high-profile Indian productions focusing on relationships: Real 2 States Couples and Rivals-in-law. The show is being aired at 10 PM from 5th July onwards.
Chetan Bhagat will host Real 2 States Couples, which follows a cross-cultural couple in a relationship, trying to adjust to each other’s families. Rivals-in-law, hosted by celebrity chef Vicky Ratnani, features a ‘cook-off’ between a daughter-in-law and her mother-in-law, with the husband as the judge.
The shows cater to a new-age India, providing a personalized viewing experience and avoiding the conventional “top-down approach,” addressing the viewer “as a friend, rather than preaching from a pulpit.”
FYI TV18 is the second channel to be launched from the A+E Networks/TV18 bouquet, after the success of its HISTORY TV18.
Chetan Bhagat said “India’s youth today are major change agents driving social transformation. One of the best examples of this are inter-cultural marriages which has been brilliantly captured in our new series: Real 2 States Couples. I’ve been personally very entertained by these confident young people and I’m sure our viewers will love them too.”
Avinash Kaul, the president of strategy, product and alliances at Network18 and managing director of A+E Networks/TV18, said, “As the market dynamics in the media sector continues to evolve, it exposes niches waiting to be exploited. With general entertainment going increasingly rural and mass, there is an underserved demand for convivial and progressive content. We believe that in FYI TV18, with its unique mix of predominantly local content with relationships at its core, we have a winner.”
