ATN to launch Disney Star's channels exclusively in Canada

TORONTO, Sept. 29, 2023 /CNW/ - Asian Television Network International Limited (ATN) (TSXV: SAT), Canada's largest South Asian broadcaster and pioneer broadcaster of cricket, is pleased to announce that it has acquired the exclusive Canadian rights from Disney Star to launch its 4 channels namely ATN Star Plus, ATN Star Gold, ATN Star Vijay and ATN Vijay Super.

Star Plus is India's leading Hindi general entertainment television channel, with its diverse range of programming from family dramas, reality shows, special events, and more. Prime time programmes on Star Plus consistently outperform other Hindi TV channels with some of the popular shows on the channel consistently featured in top 5 shows on Hindi language television. Some of the popular shows on the channel include Anupama, Ghum Hai Kisikey Pyaar Meiin, Imlie, Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai & Yeh Hai Chahatein.

Popularly known as "The Home of Blockbusters," Star Gold is among India's leading 24/7 Hindi movie channels. With one of the largest and most varied libraries of Indian movies, the channel caters to entertainment for the entire family. Year after year, Star Gold has premiered the biggest blockbuster movies, making it one of viewers' favorite movie channels.

Star Vijay is a leading Tamil language general entertainment channel showcasing innovative shows and programs with a variety of entertainment options such as drama serials, reality shows and Tamil films. The channel features one of the most popular Tamil reality shows: BIGG BOSS in a never-seen-before format hosted by the Ulaganayagan Kamal Hassan which became an overnight sensation. Over the years, the channel has given its viewers many iconic shows such as Pandian Stores, Baagyalakshmi and people's favourite couple Bharathi-Kannamma. Star Vijay is also home to some of the popular reality shows such as Super Singer, Neeya Naana, Cooku with Comali and Kalakka Povadhu Yaaru.

Vijay Super is a Tamil movie channel, part of the Star Vijay TV family, and features some of the biggest Blockbuster Tamil Movies. Vijay Super also airs Tamil dubbed versions of popular Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi and English movies.

"We tremendously value our relationship with all of our highly successful programming partners from around the World. We are now delighted to be associated with one of the largest and most reputable Media Conglomerates, Disney Star" said Dr. Shan Chandrasekar, President & CEO of ATN. "We expect to attract a much larger audience through Disney Star's compelling content, which would enhance our Subscription and Advertising Revenues" he added.

"We are excited to further extend the reach of our compelling and multi-lingual portfolio to our audiences in Canada, through our collaboration with ATN. Canada has a strong viewer base for our content, especially for our series and format shows aired on our class-leading channels across languages. We continuously seek opportunities to connect with our audience and this collaboration with ATN is another step in that direction," said Sudhir Nagpal, Head, International Business, Disney Star.

Disney Star takes pride in being able to form deep connections with its audience through the power of storytelling. Disney Star's legacy lies in creating iconic characters that have entertained audiences in India and the South Asian diaspora across the globe. Disney Star is at the heart of Indian life, bringing joy and aspirations to everyone, everywhere.  It pioneered programming in India that focuses on empowered, independent female characters – women who stand up for their identity and strike a balance between self and family. The shows tap into the desire for change for women, their families and the country. Disney Star brings people together, galvanizing them with incredible and thrilling stories, sparking their ability to imagine a better future for themselves.

With a television network that reaches more than 700 million viewers in nine different languages every month and a streaming platform (Disney+Hotstar) that has transformed the way India consumes entertainment, Disney Star is the leading media & entertainment company in the country. The organization's entertainment portfolio, which generates more than 20,000 hours of original content every year, cuts across general entertainment, sports, films, infotainment, kids and lifestyle content. With leadership positions in every segment it occupies, Disney Star has been redefining the media landscape for more than 30 years now, anchored on the three pillars of storytelling, innovation and an unwavering focus on delivering to the expectations of our audiences.  

ATN serves Canada's diverse cultural communities with over 50 specialty television channels. The Company offers its flagship ATN-HD general interest service along with 7 other general interest channels, 3 sports Channels, 7 news Channels, 5 Bollywood movie channels and a variety of channels that include music, lifestyle, and several regional language channels that includes Punjabi, Tamil, Bengali, Urdu, Gujarati & Marathi. ATN has been a pioneer in the Production of Multicultural Television Programming in Canada. ATN has invested several Million Dollars in original Canadian Content over the last four decades, and its vast Programming Library is one of its kinds in the world. ATN has programming alliances with leading international broadcasters from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka & the West Indies. ATN is also a pioneer broadcaster of Cricket in Canada and has exclusive broadcast rights for various International Cricket Boards. ATN has its own State Of The Art Production facilities. ATN's content is also available on Amazon Prime in USA & UK, Bell Media's Crave in Canada and also operates a 24X7 South Asian Radio Service on Sirius XM Radio across The United States and Canada. ATN's high class Studio Facilities have also been used by Production Companies associated with Netflix, CBC and others.

For more information, please visit www.asiantelevision.com

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SOURCE Asian Television Network International Limited