Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific, the parent company of CNN, and Trans, which is part of Indonesian tycoon Chairul Tanjung'€™s portfolio, signed a strategic partnership agreement in Hong Kong to launch a 24-hour news channel called CNN Indonesia and a website in the Indonesian language.

'€œThis agreement, with one of the country'€™s largest media corporations, puts CNN in a unique position to reach millions of Indonesians in a way we have not been able to previously,'€ CNN worldwide president Jeff Zucker said in a press release, which was posted on CNN'€™s pressroom bloc on Friday.

'€œThe combination of the strength of the worldwide newsgathering power of CNN with the local perspective and sensibility that Trans Media will bring to the partnership will enable us to provide important news and information to this enormous, non-English speaking audience.'€   

Chairul '€” who owns Trans TV and Trans 7 channels as well as a stake in TelkomVision, a leading pay TV operator '€” echoed  Zucker'€™s view.

'€œI believe this partnership will help Indonesians better understand the world and even more importantly, help the world to better understand Indonesia. This is a partnership of two like-minded organizations that share common values of quality, integrity and transparency. CNN Indonesia will be the new destination for trustworthy and engaging content.'€

CNN Indonesia will be the first of its kind for CNN in Southeast Asia, a region that has 600 million people and a combined gross domestic product (GDP) of US$2.2 trillion.

Indonesia, with a population of 250 million and the biggest economy in the region, will be the right choice for CNN. 

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