Himalayan News Service

London, January 19:

British news major Reuters is planning to launch television channels in India and China. According to Reuters chief executive Tom Glocer, the two countries are ideal for undertaking a joint-venture channel with a local media group, probably under the Reuters banner.

He said Reuters, which has had a presence in both countries for decades, believes that expansion was necessary in India and China. Glocer said he wants to expand the news operation by making use of new-media outlets. This is already moving ahead in Britain, where Reuters is linking up with Vodafone to provide a Reuters news service on 3G phones.

There was too much competition in Britain and the US to launch a TV news channel in either country but the Chinese and Indian markets would be ideal, he said. The group is looking at increasing its number of journalists in both China and India in the near future.

In China, Reuters could sign a joint venture with media company Xinhua, with which it has a strong relationship. Entry into the Chinese market would be through a joint venture as foreign businesses are allowed to own only 25 per cent of a company in the communist state.

Reuters has recently started an interactive Internet video news channel for the US.