Now, this is some super hot breaking news. Can you "imagine" of a channel shutting down (pun intended)? Here's the news. Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific, Inc. (Turner) has announced today (12 April 2012) the decision to cease business operations of its Hindi general entertainment channel Imagine TV, together with its international feed Imagine Dil Se.
Yes, folks…Imagine is shutting down and that would mean that all your favourite shows will now bid farewell.
This is what Siddharth Jain, Managing Director- South Asia, Turner International India Private Limited has to say about the decision, "Imagine TV has not performed and grown as per expectations. While some programmes delivered satisfactory ratings, overall the channel was unable to achieve the ratings consistency needed to sustain the business and support continued investment. As a result, Turner made the carefully considered decision to cease operations of the channel."
He further continues, "We are grateful to the Imagine team, which includes some of the most talented and creative people in the Indian media industry. We will use our best endeavors to make this as smooth a transition as possible for them. The company remains committed to future investments and long-term participation in India. As one of the largest global media companies operating in India, Turner has enjoyed a successful track record in delivering high-quality, compelling and entertaining content to our local audiences over the course of three decades. We currently operate some of the strongest media brands in India, including HBO, CNN, Cartoon Network, POGO, WB, TCM and Boomerang. We will continue to be leaders in the media and entertainment industry and to explore expansion opportunities in this important market."
Viewers, today is the last working day for the channel and it would be airing re-runs beginning from tomorrow 13 April 2012.
This will come as a big shocker for the channel's stakeholders such as TV producers. Tellychakkar.com will bring more updates on the development.