Business TV supremo undaunted by hurdles

BUSINESS TV channel CNBC Asia Business News is not expected to become profitable for at least two years, despite the synergies created with recent CNBC-ABN merger. But the company's president, Paul France, is not perturbed.

According to Mr France, advertisers had reacted favourably to the merger. And there is room for financial TV in Asia.

Mr France, who was in Hong Kong recently for the official launch of the merged channel, said the product - which is now a part of the Dow Jones range of specialist business titles - was managing to reach the target audience of people in powerful positions.

'That's what our advertisers want. They clearly see [the merger] as working in the marketplace,' Mr France said.

'The market for multinationals is influencers, which is what we are very good at doing. All the evidence we have accumulated in terms of research over the years at ABN shows that we are very good at reaching influencers, and decision-makers in business and government for a market a lot of those advertisers want to reach.' Last December, following months of speculation, the two business channels announced the merger, which led to 150 people being laid off at CNBC, and a move to Singapore.

A recently released Pan Asian Cross Media Survey revealed the penetration rate of specialist business channels was relatively low. But Mr France disputes the premise that the channel must reach a maximum number of viewers.

'The survey showed for the first time, and demonstrated absolutely, that regional cable and satellite TV was a substantial part of the media diet of people in the region. No longer could people say it was peripheral. We're talking about substantial numbers who access a regional news media all the time.