TV search & electronic programming guide co What's-On-India acquires Middle East firm

Mumbai-based premier TV search and Electronic Programming Guide (EPG) company What's-On-India Media Private Limited, has expanded its operations into the Middle East under the name – 'What's-On-Arabia' in Amman, Jordan through a target acquisition of a local Electronic Programming Guide (EPG) company and is in the process of setting up another one in Dubai, UAE.

Ajit Joshi, CFO, What's-On-India said in a statement, "The Middle East TV industry has seen a firm and rapid movement into digitalization, paving the way for increase in channels and content as well as proliferation of digital TV technologies. These factors are ideal catalysts for a very specialist TV Search offering that What's-On-India can bring in given its expertise in this arena."

The company has also appointed Hiba Dajani as its country manager, who is expected to alter and enhance the TV Search and EPG experience.

Through this expansion What's-On-India now offers EPGs for India, Sri Lanka and the Middle East for more than a thousand TV channels, making it one of the largest TV Search companies in this part of the world. The localisation of that TV Search is also undergoing a fascinating expansion with a multi-lingual offering of English as the base language, but translated EPGs for Hindi, Arabic, Tamil, Telugu and Marathi.

Founded by Atul Phadnis in 2005, What's-On-India is funded by Intel Capital, Sequoia Capital and Nexus Venture Partners. The company's technology vertical claims to power EPG Metadata content from over 1,000 TV channels into more than 45 million Set-Top-Boxes and devices across cable, Direct-To-Home, IPTV, MobileTV, Smart-TVs and tablets.

(Edited by Prem Udayabhanu)