MUMBAI: InCablenet may well start receiving signals of all the 17 channels belonging to the Zee-Turner bouquet from 14 May 2003 onwards.
Speaking on the sidelines of a media briefing to announce an alliance with France TV and Silhouette Films to co-produce a film, Zee Telefilms CMD Subhash Chandra said he expected Hinduja group MSO InCablenet to settle its outstandings tomorrow (14 May). Zee Turner had switched off the signals from 6 May 2003 onwards over waht it said were long-pending payment dues.
Chandra also mentioned that Zee-Turner would also be issuing a notice to MSO Hathway Cable & Datacom (in which Star India officially has a 26 per cent stake) tomorrow on the issue of outstanding payments.
Zee's action of issuing a notice to Hathway totally rubbishes allegations that are being made against the three major pay broadcasters - Zee, Star and Sony - by certain quarters that they are cartelising in order to fragment the InCablenet network in Mumbai.
An indiantelevision.com report dated 8 May quotes industry sources who say InCablenet's total dues owed to different broadcasters are: ESS Rs 30 million, SET-Discovery Rs 40 million, Zee-Turner Rs 3.7 million and Star Rs 40 million plus.
Commenting on the switching off the Zee-Turner bouquet of channels, Zee Turner CEO Sunil Khanna was earlier quoted in the release as saying that they were forced to take this action as the outstandings had piled up.
Zee Turner is the largest television network in India with 17 television channels, which includes Zee TV, Zee Cinema, Zee News, Zee Music, Alpha Marathi, Alpha Punjabi, Alpha Bangla, Alpha Gujarati, Zee English, Zee MGM, trendz, CNN, CNBC, Cartoon Network and Reality TV.
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Zee Turner bouquet switched off InCableNet in Mumbai
Star also switches off InCableNet in Mumbai