Pearson PLC, publisher of the Financial Times newspaper, hopes to boost its name in India, with plans to start a new daily business newspaper there.

The newspaper industry has been expanding in India thanks to advertisers trying to reach India's increasingly wealthy middle class.

India already has at least five business dailies, including HT Media Ltd.'s Indian business daily Mint, which receives exclusive content from The Wall Street Journal. But Pearson hopes that a paper backed by respected names in journalism will be able stand out and expects the new paper to launch as early as December.

Pearson's local partner is Network 18 Media & Investments Ltd., which controls India's largest business news television channel, CNBC-TV18.

The Financial Times has ended its 15-year relationship with the Business Standard, which will have access to FT content until the end of this year, because of Pearson's new focus of developing the FT as a global brand, thus departing from its other ventures in continental Europe.

Source: Wall Street Journal, Guardian.co.uk