Business news network CNBC Asia has incorporated cellular phone short message service (SMS) into its programming. Viewers can now send questions and comments to analysts, market watchers, corporate personalities, and CNBC anchors directly via SMS and get the responses live on air.
The network says this will allow it to become more interactive with and accessible to viewers across the region, as well as gain valuable viewer feedback.

Queried whether the service would also be incorporated in CNBC India, CEO Haresh Chawla said there were no immediate plans in that direction. "We will be studying the response to CNBC Asia‘s service before taking a call on that," Chawla said.

CNBC India is a joint venture between Television Eighteen India Limited (TV18) and CNBC Asia. Raghav Bahl is the promoter of TV18 and holds 49 per cent stake in CNBC India. CNBC Asia holds a majority 51 per cent stake.

The Broadcast Worldwide-promoted Tara regional channel bouquet has recently launched a collection of Hindi and Punjabi songs in partnership with Milestone Entertainment. The audio cassette has been titled Tara Rum Pum clearly indicating its Tara Punjabi lineage. The broadcaster intends to further release these cassettes in all the regional languages it is aired in. "This new exercise is targeted at increasing awareness of the channel," says a source in Broadcast Worldwide.

For a long time the company‘s survival has been speculated about, and one regularly has heard the buzz of a complete sellout, courtesy the tough times it has been passing through. But the management, led by promoter (and former Star TV India chairman) R. Basu, has managed to stay afloat.

In the current exercise he has halved the staff - especially the production team - strength to 200. And he is using the $800,000 worth of investment Broadcast Worldwide attracted from Mauritian company Crombie International to revive its flagging Punjabi, Marathi, Bengali and Gujarati channels and increase subscriber awareness.

Four new shows are being introduced on Tara Bangla. Among them: an intercollegiate quiz hosted by Barry O‘Brien (brother of quiz master Derek), and a half hour women‘s show Sukanaya, Both will be introduced in September.

Tara Marathi is being revamped with a new offering beginning 22 August called Snowcem Tara Ganesh Utsav. A panel of judges will be visiting selected community worship halls and homes with Ganesh pandals in Mumbai, Pune, Kolhapur, Aurangabad and Nasik. In Mumbai there will be five awards for the best Ganesh home and sarvajanik puja pandals, while the outstation ones will be given two prizes.

The entire activity will be broadcast in half hour slots on Tara Marathi from 30 August backed by on air and offline advertising .Simultaneously Tara Marathi will be launching a music cassette called Snowcem Tara Ganesh Utsav, which will comprise of songs sung by famous artistes, including Marathi singer Suresh Wadkar. Approximately 7,000 of these cassettes will be distributed free.

Around October, the second half phase of revival will be undertaken. Tara Punjabi and Tara Gujarati will be similarly revamped.

Broadcast Wordwide director business development Pradipto Sircar says that channels drive to generate classified advertising is working out fine, thank you. Rates are being hiked on Tara Marathi (from Rs 300 to RS 400) and on Bangla (RS 400 to RS 500) for a thirty second still ad. "This exercise of broadcasting classified ads is mainly to utilise the unique localised strengths of the channels. It is quite an unique concept for channels and is highly cost effective," he says.

Go digital. That seems to be the mantra amongst Indian TV channel managers these days. ETC Networks Ltd‘s etc channel is taking the same tack. The switch to a digital feed commenced on 15 July and is scheduled to be completed in September, says Yogesh Shah, director ETC Networks. etc is available to subscribers under dual illumination at present.

"We have imported state-of-the art digital boxes and have started their rollout. Within the next month an additional consignment of imported boxes will be distributed across the country to ensure the transition from analog to digital and keep up the existing viewership figures," says ETC Networks Ltd director Yogesh Shah.

Shah said that the company was going all out to stabilise itself this year. Last year ETC had pumped in major investments into acquiring film rights and setting up a news division. The latter was shut down and rationalisation of the company‘s operations is under process. "This year the focus is on getting our operations right," says Shah. Market sources reveal the channel has close to Rs 130 million as payments outstanding from advertisers on its book.

On the uplinking front, Shah says the company is still evaluating bids for earth station and playout equipment from various suppliers.