Family members watch the newly-launched Bhojpuri channel. Picture by Bhola Prasad

Jamshedpur, Feb. 22: “Pranam, aap sabke swagat ba”. These words may now serve as the wake-up call for lakhs of viewers across Jharkhand, Bihar and Nepal.

This evening marked a revolution in the world of television viewing as Purva TV, the world’s first 24-hour Bhojpuri channel, was launched with a budget of rupees 50 crores across the two states and Pokhra in Nepal.

With satellite uplinking from Germany, the company is currently using Russian satellite Yamal 200 on orbital location 49 for wide coverage.

Representatives from the channel were in the city today to complete the satellite uplinking.

“Not only that. This is the second channel after Discovery to use high definition transmission systems which in turn ensures better quality and digital clarity,” said Gaurav Sharma, president and promoter of Impulse group from Lucknow, where the channel has its headquarters.

A brainchild of Delhi-based Impulse Wireless Infrastructure Private Limited and city-based Bhojpuria.com, this channel was formally launched in Lucknow on January 26 and today reaches 10 states across India. It is also available to viewers in the Middle East and South East Asia.

“This is a channel for crores of Bhojpuri-speaking people across the globe and would be available throughout Asia, Europe and northern parts of Africa,” said Sharma.

With a pan Indian existence, the channel would soon be launched in Mauritius and UK as well.

This infotainment channel would offer a host of shows including serials, musical and chat shows and would soon launch India’s first talent hunt in Bhojpuri. Come May, Impulse would also launch the country’s first ever 24-hour Bhojpuri movie channel christened Purva Talkies.

Impulse Group is a cluster of companies working in the field of broadcast and IT-enabled services.

While Impulse owns the channel, Bhojpuria.com would play a vital role in both content development and distribution of the entire channel across eastern India.

“Our portal has a mammoth presence today across the Bhojpuri-speaking population, but with this channel we would now have a wider reach and better access,” said Sudhir Kumar, director of Infogate Exports Private Limited, the Jamshedpur-based company which launched Bhojpuria.com a year and a half ago.

With so much in store, for every Bhojpuri-speaking person, the party has just begun.