Media veteran and entrepreneur Uday Shankar officially launched Upendrra Rai’s Hindi news channel, Bharat Express, in New Delhi yesterday.

The channel launch was attended by senior political leaders, Bollywood celebrities, sports icons and business luminaries.

Among those who attended the launch ceremony included Anurag Thakur, Minister for Iformation and Broadcasting and Youth Affairs & Sports; Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Minister of Jal Shakti; Nityanand Rai, MoS, Home Affairs; Sanjeev Balyan, MoS, Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying; Mr Sunil Arora, former Chief Election Commissioner of India and poet Dr Kumar Vishwas.

Bollywood singer B Praak dazzled the audience with his impromptu performance.

Speaking at the launch, Shankar said, “I wish Upendrra all the best at the launch of his media venture and congratulate the entire team of Bharat Express on a successful launch. Having known Upendrra for so many years, I am assured that Bharat Express will demonstrate paramount journalistic ethics when seeking and delivering news.”

Extending his gratitude, Bharat Express CMD and Editor-in-Chief Rai commented, “Mr Uday Shankar has continued to inspire me through years and I am privileged to have him officially launch Bharat Express today. The channel will continue to reflect our core ethos of Satya, Sahas and Samarpan in the pursuit of bold and direct journalism.

“Given the quickly changing market dynamics, Bharat Express is well-equipped to deliver relevant news content to the evolving discerning news viewer.”

The news channel, according to a press release issued by it, will have a pan-India presence and will be available across all major DTH and cable networks like Tata Play, Dish TV, D2H, and Airtel DTH.

Varun Kohli, CEO, Bharat Express, said, “The launch has created a lot of hype and anticipation among viewers and advertisers alike. We are aiming to be a leader in the news space with an improved viewer engagement across our TV and digital platforms.