ESPN Software today apparently decided to go after the big boys in its ongoing tussle with the Hinduja Group‘s cable arm InCable Network.

Industry sources say that based on a complaint made by ESPN at the Shivaji Park police station in the central Mumbai suburb of Dadar, a first information report (FIR) was filed this evening against two senior Incable executives - chief executive Ram Hingorani and president Rajiv Vyas.

Apparently this time ESPN took another tack from that adopted on 25 January when two affiliated cable operators, Jagdish Shah and Bimal Navsaria, of Sri Sai Vision Santa Cruz East, were arrested for allegedly stealing ESPN and Star Sports signals. ESPN‘s case in this round of fisticuffs with the MSO seems to be that ultimate responsiblility for all InCable‘s operations - whether that of affiliates, franchises or joint ventures - rests with the heads of the organisation.

On the issue of their possible arrest, sources say anticipatory bail has already been secured.

Neither InCable nor ESPN Software representatives were however available for comment on the issue.

B4U Network has cancelled plans to launch operations in Australia and New Zealand and is instead looking to North Africa as its next area of coverage.

After the launch of operations in Canada in September 2001, B4U was hoping to bring Australia and New Zealand under its ambit as well by December but has cancelled on that for the present because "it is still far too small a market to launch in the current scenario," global chief executive officer Ravi Gupta revealed.

Gupta said B4U had already identified the platform on which it would be launching but declined to give details. However, in most foreign markets B4U beams on both direct-to-home (DTH) service and cable systems. Gupta said that it would take another three months before B4U started airing there. The countries being covered are Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia.

Meanwhile, B4U Music which was to go pay in the UK in the beginning of the year has still to do so. Gupta said the modalities were still being worked through but expected it to become effective by March-end. According to reports B4U Music will be offered as a package with Sony Entertainment Television and B4U Movies. The combined pricing of Sony and the two B4U channels has not been decided yet and is being worked out.

Sony and B4U Movies have already entered into a joint pricing agreement in Europe. In the Middle East, B4U is being made available in three bouquets. Star, Zee TV and B4U share a common platform in the Pehla bouquet while only B4U is available in the Alawael network. Mini Pehla carries the music channel.

Once the North Africa feed is launched B4U will have a presence in the UK, US, Canada, Western Europe, Middle East, most of Africa and South Asia, Gupta said.

After the launch of Insat 3C, another homegrown satellite gets ready for launch in March this year.

Insat 3A will join the Insat family in space on 19 March. To be launched by Araine 4, the same vehicle that propelled Insat 3C into orbit, Insat 3A was initially scheduled for a 15 March launch, but will be delayed by four days, latest reports say. The satellite will take off from Kourou in French Guiana, the launch pad favoured by Isro‘s partner in the satellite programme, Arianespace.

Meanwhile, Insat 3C, which was launched on 24 January, reached its home in space on 1 February. According to Isro, station acquisition manoeuvres were successfully conducted from MCF, Hassan in the last four days by firing the 10 Newton Reaction Control Thrusters on board to position the satellite precisely at 74 deg East longitude. Inast-3C will be maintained in this location for the rest of its service life, officials say.

In the coming weeks, the payloads comprising 24 C-band transponders, six extended C-band transponders, two S-band transponders and the mobile satellite service transponders will be tested before Insat-3C is commissioned into service by the end of February.