Mumbai – Turner has announced initiatives to expand its presence in India, including the launch of its animation theatrical business and the launch of a Hollywood movies and TV series channel with sister company Warner Bros. Leveraging its expertise in the children’s genre, Turner will establish a business unit to develop and produce animated films and expand its output of original live action TV series, targeted at children and families. Catering to India’s urban viewers, the proposed TV channel will combine Turner’s expertise in building and operating branded media environments in India with Warner Bros’ content and brand. Both ventures are the first of its kind for Turner. Steve Marcopoto, president, Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific, Inc., said, “We believe expanding the scope of our activities and the breadth of our core channel offerings are strategic imperatives in India today… Our recent investment in Miditech and our Hindi GEC partnership with the Alva Brothers, together with today’s announcements illustrate the accelerated pace of our company’s activities in India and our long term view of the market’s compelling potential.” Turner’s investments follow parent Time Warner’s increased emphasis on developing its businesses internationally, with India as a priority market. In India, Turner currently offers kids’ TV channels Cartoon Network and POGO; news channels CNN & CNN-IBN; English entertainment channel Warner Bros and HBO; Hindi GEC in partnership with the Alva Brothers; theatrical animation; and live action TV series. Turner also has a distribution partnership with Zee Entertainment and Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) in Zee Turner Ltd to offer various TV channels.