Parikh Worldwide Media acquires TV channel ITV Gold in the US

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NEW YORK – Parikh Worldwide Media, the largest news publishing house in the United States, has acquired the New York City-based 24×7 national cable TV channel, ITV Gold (International Television Broadcasting), the longest running channel in the US catering to the Indian and South Asian diaspora.

ITV Gold is the first-ever 24×7 cable TV channel in the US to deliver news about India, Indian-Americans and South Asians, since it was launched in 1985.

The ITV Gold portfolio includes the signature program ‘Vision of Asia’ that the community is familiar with since 1976, when it was launched by founder of ITV Gold, Dr. Banad N. Viswanath, an entrepreneur and philanthropist. He passed away in October, 2014.

With this acquisition, Parikh Worldwide Media is now the #1 media house in the United States, catering to the Indian and South Asian diaspora community.

The New York City-headquartered Parikh Worldwide Media, with offices in Chicago, Bay Area, Mumbai and Ahmedabad, publishes the nationally circulated English weekly newspaper News India Times; regional English weeklies, Desi Talk in New York, and, Desi Talk in Chicago; as well as the Gujarati language weekly newspaper, Gujarat Times. It also publishes an online magazine, Indian American, and a bimonthly journal, U.S. India Global Review, which is affiliated to a think tank based in New York City, the Parikh Foundation for India’s Global Development.

Parikh Worldwide Media was founded by Padma Shri Dr. Sudhir Parikh, a renowned allergist, philanthropist, and decorated community leader.

Dr. Parikh is the recipient of India’s Padma Shri award (2010) as well as Knights of Malta (2012), the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award (2006), and the Ellis Island Medal of Honor (2005). He supports numerous charitable organizations both in the US and India. He has been closely involved with strengthening US-India relations for decades, including bringing the US-India civil nuclear cooperation deal to fruition.

In 2002, he received the National Excellence Award from former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao. Dr. Parikh was appointed member of the National Leadership Advisory Committee of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans in 1999 by the Chairman of the India Caucus, U.S Congressman Gary Ackerman (D) of New York. He was a Member of American Media Delegation that accompanied President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama on their visit to India in November 2010.

Dr. Parikh has led major Indian-American organizations, including the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) and the Indian American Forum for Public Education (IAFPE), where he was instrumental in starting a Congressional Internship Program for second-generation Indian-Americans. Among the charitable organizations he has supported are American India Foundation, Share and Care Foundation, Gujarat Cancer Society, the Nargis Dutt Foundation, and was named the ‘Grand Benefactor’ of the Vraj Srinalhajee Temple in Pennsylvania.

“I had many discussions in the past with Dr. Viswanath about joining hands and while I am saddened that he is not here to witness this union, being the visionary that he was, it is what he would have wanted,” said Dr. Parikh, of his acquisition of ITV Gold. “ITV Gold has solid brand value and a massive following in the Indian-American, South Asian, and Indo-Caribbean market and we plan to give more community news and local events coverage with the combination of print and television connecting viewers to matters that affect them here in the U.S. and in India,” he added.

“This partnership combines the strength of two well established and respected Indian American Medias. It is a launching pad to expand the channel on new platforms across the USA,” said Deepak Viswanath, son of the founder, Dr. Viswanath, in a statement representing his family.

ITV Gold brings 24×7 local and national entertainment and news content to Indian and South Asian diaspora households in the US, with select entertainment and news programs from India as well.

“We want to connect the community in the US to India’s culture and heritage. ITV Gold is already available on cable through Spectrum, Optimum and RCN. We will strive to take this forward to the next level platform, including digital and satellite, to reach out to even more viewers,” said Dr. Parikh, on his vision for ITV Gold.

“Future plans include to increase healthcare and political round table programs, shows on the second generation Indian-origin and South Asian-origin diaspora, and to increase community and diaspora coverage to have daily community roundup programs,” he added.

Dr. Parikh is also keen to launch ITV Gold in India soon.

“We will have tie-ups with digital platforms in India, to launch ITV Gold, before we penetrate the cable markets there, with informative news shows and programs that will give insight into the Indian diaspora and their issues in the US,” said Dr. Parikh.