MBC is all set to launch a new Bollywood channel next month, an official confirmed.

Speaking to Gulf Business on the sidelines of the annual Gulf Business Industry Awards (GBIA), Mazen Hayek, group director of PR & Commercial at MBC said that that all the requirements were in place for the new launch.

“MBC Bollywood will launch in mid-October, and it will showcase series and movies from Bollywood. It will be our 14th channel and adds to our existing bouquet,” he said.

Dubai-based MBC, a private free-to-air satellite broadcasting company – which won the Media Company of the Year award at GBIA 2013 – currently has 13 TV channels, two radio stations and several online platforms.

“We also have more premium content coming up – we have got Arabs Got Talent – Season 3, The Voice is coming up at the end of the year, then Arab Idol returns, and then Ramadan – all the content that our Arab viewers are accustomed to,” Hayek said.

Arab-Bollywood channels are rapidly gaining popularity in the region, and MBC will face stiff competition from established players such as Zee Aflam and B4U Middle East.