Fire & Ice, the popular nightclub in Mumbai‘s Parel suburb, now has its own in-house channel. Launched last Friday as Fire & Ice Weekend TV, the name given is because content is being developed over the weekend and the programmes are subsequently played throughout the week.

The content changes on a weekly basis. It is essentially in-house TV with music videos being played on the screen. "Though you won‘t get to hear what is being played as the DJ is playing music of his own, you can read interesting tidbits and background about the concerned artiste rolling at the bottom of the screen," says Clyde D‘Souza, president of Immersive Television, which produces the content for the channel. "You can also check out the action at foreign nightclubs, which have their own brand of merchandising - like leather jackets. For instance Ministry of Sound in the U.K.," D‘Souza said.

D‘Souza calls the concept "club TV" and hopes to take it to discos across India. D‘Souza pointed out that international sponsors have already shown interest and the ads for sponsors are done in an innovative manner. Citing an example, he said the ads for popular soft drinks have three-dimensional images "which kind of interact with the viewer and is a welcome change from the dry and drab audio video commercial."

The programming block also covers a wide array of events. From the Ritu Beri fashion show in Paris to the just-concluded Love Parade in Germany. There is also a small movie section where trailers of Hollywood films are shown along with the top three recommendations. The trailers are outsourced from film companies abroad. Adventure sports like bungee jumping are also featured.

D‘Souza said there was also an interactive element involved. For this he has tied up with UK-based OpenTV, the leading interactive television and media solutions company. However, before rolling out the service, he was waiting to see what kind of set top boxes would be introduced. D‘Souza said he had the expertise to develop the content for interactive television but there were still some final technicalities to be resolved.

The 4th Cable TV India Show 2001, a trade event for the cable industry, will be held in New Delhi‘s Pragati Maidan beginning 13 September.
Dr AK Rastogi, promoter of Aavishkar Business Network, cable operator and publisher of cable trade magazine Avishkar is one of the main people behind this annual event. The 4th Cable TV India Show and All India Cable TV Operator‘s Samagram will be held in over three days on 13, 14, 15 September.

Rastogi says the show will provide the ideal platform to delve into issues related to cable industry and also cater to the needs of all cable TV operator in India.

The event will cover issues like: Entertainment Tax, Film Piracy on VCR Channels, Government Policies, DTH, Future of Cable TV Operators, Convergence Bill, Pay Channels, Technical Perspective, and Value added services like Video on Demand, Internet over cable, optical-fiber and telephony service.

Cable TV operators, hardware manufacturers, suppliers, traders, dealers, broadcasters, satellite channel distributors, infotech organisations, internet service providers and companies related to ground networking distribution are expected to attend the Samagram, Rastogi adds.

The organisers are also seeking sponsorship for the event. About 13 avenues are open for sponsorship with Rs 5000 per sq.ft as tariff for setting up stalls. The stall tariff varies according to the stall size and location.

Moved but not shaken is Shekhar Suman, former anchor of Sony Entertainment‘s hit talk show Movers and Shakers. Suman is all set to get back to doing what he does best - entertaining with his rib-tickling chat show. The actor has joined hands with Star India and will anchor as well as produce the show, which has tentatively been titled Simply Shekhar.

The show is going to be on a much bigger scale. It‘s lively, interactive, and fun-filled, promises Suman. "There‘ll be a live audience, people will even come on the floor to participate," says Suman, who apart from chatting with ‘real‘ celebrities also will be out on the road visiting people‘s house. The show will also have a glamorous band, and elegant ambience but unlike Movers and Shakers, which has 14 guests per week, this show will have only two celebrity guests per week.

Suman‘s show on the other hand is being produced by his Seven Thirty Entertainment Ltd. Suman is closely involved with the production apart from anchoring the show. "We are in the process of getting together the production team. We hope to get the cinematographers, writers, editors? under one umbrella very soon. Things are still at the nascent stage but the first episode should be produced by August-end," says Suman, who is currently shooting for David Dhavan‘s forthcoming movie.

Though the date and time of the show is yet to be finalised, Suman promises that in another two weeks, everything should fall in place.

"It is going to be on a big canvas and a very expensive show but we still have to sit down and work out the economics of it all," Shekhar replied when asked about the kind of investment going into the production. About the contract Suman said: "Things are yet to be finalised the talks with Star are still going."