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ESPN Star Sports signs deal to enhance website features

Nov 07, 2001

ESPN Star Sports, which claims to reach over 136 million households, has announced the signing of an agreement with S

At least at the Emmys, the president gave it to those baddies

Submitted by ITV Production on Nov 07, 2001

The Emmy Awards which showcase the best from America‘s television industry finally took place last Sunday at the Shubert Theatre. The show which had to be postponed twice on account of the events on 11 September, began with a jazz trumpeter playing a soulful version of God Bless America and concluded with singing legend Barbra Streisand doing a heartwrenching rendition of You‘ll Never Walk Alone. The song encourages people to get on with their lives in the most depressing of times. HBO‘s comic series Sex and the City with Sarah Jessica Parker in the lead went home with a trophy in the outstanding series category.

In a tussle between gangster and president, The West Wing chronicling drama and tension in the White House with Martin Sheen in the lead got the prestigious award of best drama series beating out The Soprano‘s. However mafia husband-wife combo James Gandolfini and Edie Falco bagged awards in the acting categories for The Soprano‘s which currently airs on Zee English. The people behind the scenes of The West Wing worked quickly to put a special episode together which addressed the issue of terrorism. This was the first time the Emmy‘s had been postponed but the invitees looked fairly relaxed and showed no signs of any security concerns. The show was hosted by gay activist Ellen Degeneres.

HBO and NBC led the party with 16 wins apiece followed by Fox with 15. ABC bagged 10 votes while CBS was placed fifth with 8. One of the night‘s huge upsets was Peter MacNicol best judged best supporting actor for Ally McBeal in a field that included Robert Downey Jr. Presenter Kelsey Grammer had a hilarious time describing how tough the job of directing himself in Frasier was. Brian Cox was recognised for his tough as nails portrayal of Nazi commander Hermann Goering. The category was Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie. Mike Nichols (The Graduate) could not be present to receive his award for directing Wit. Another person conspicous by his absence was British thespian Kenneth Branagh (Hamlet) who won for acting in HBO‘s nazi drama Conspiracy.

One of the victims of the 11 September attack was Frasier creator David Angell and Jean Smart who won for her acting on the show paid tribute to him.

The Emmy‘s were shown in 96 countries with an estimated audience of 645 million. However the November date meant that it went head to head in the US against Game Seven of the World Series.

At least at the Emmys, the president gave it to those baddies

Nov 07, 2001

The Emmy Awards which showcase the best from America's television industry finally took place last Sunday at the Shub

Urdu channel ARY Digital to start beaming end November

Submitted by ITV Production on Nov 07, 2001

News Headline

Urdu Satellite entertainment channel ARY Digital which has started its test run in India recently, is all set to launch the channel by end November.
Atul Saraf, director, Live Satellite Media Ltd, which is handling distribution and marketing for the channel in India says: "We are planning to reach close to 20 million homes in the next five months." Currently, the channel is shown only on two networks. "Our target is to reach out to the Urdu speaking people in India." Initially, the channel will target the north, where Urdu is better understood.

Asked how ARY would avoid the fate that befell UTN and other Urdu channel wannabes, Saraf says the problem with other Urdu channels has been that they don‘t have enough quality programming. "We have quite a good number of quality programmes with us. We also have the rights for many Pakistani movies. Moreover, we are procuring programmes from India too." The channel has currently commissioned four serials. Seventy per cent of the programming mix is currently sourced from Pakistan, the rest is sourced from India.

The channel is a 24-hour free to air channel, with 10 hours of original programming.

Saraf brushed aside doubts on whether the heavily Pakistani programming would create any problems in India, claiming that entertainment based programmes were not likely to cause any upsets. "We are planning to come out with serials with both Indian and Pakistani actors, which will be shot in the UK and Dubai. The message that we want to send is that people don‘t have animosity against each other, it is the lack of communication and trust that has worsened relations."

ARY is planning to start its pay services after April 2002. Advertisers have not yet been approached, but Saraf does not seem worried about the marketing part.

The channel will be shifted from Pas-4 to Thaicom-3 within the next fortnight, to avoid the time lag in transmission.

ARY Digital is a television network owned by ARY, one of the largest gold manufacturers in the world, based in London. The channel was launched in August 2001. The network was formerly known as The Pakistani Channel; its name was changed when it was purchased by the ARY Group.