• Government looks ready to lift DTH FDI cap; Zee-AOL-Time Warner and News Corp likely to announce DTH ventures

    Submitted by ITV Production on Mar 07, 2002
    News Headline

    The floodgates are finally opening up it would seem. Earlier this week, the Union Cabinet allowed 100 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) in advertising and films. And if reports trickling in from North Block are to be believed, the government is expected to lift a major bugbear of the broadcasting sector in the the next few days: that of the 20 per cent FDI equity cap in Indian DTH ventures. Apparently, sources say, the I&B ministry, in conjunction with the communications and IT ministry and the Prime Minister‘s Office, is likely to raise the FDI bar to 49 per cent in DTH ventures. Other anomalies in the DTH policy announced last year like cross media restrictions are to be eased too, sources indicate.

    News Corp‘s Rupert Murdoch‘s (right) Star India might be battling the combined might of AOL Time Warner‘s Gerald Levin (extreme left) & Zee‘s Subhash Chandra if the government opens up DTH

    A huge bash has been planned by AOL Time Warner CEO Gerald Levin and the Zee Network chairman Subhash Chandra in Delhi next week as a celebration of the new freedom, sources reveal. Apparently, the duo is likely to announce a further cementing of their relationship in the form of a DTH venture for India, the sources say. Time Warner and the Zee Network announced a distribution partnership in the form of a Zee-Turner joint venture in December 2001.

    Apparently, News Corp chairman Rupert Murdoch is also slated to announce similar plans at the same time, sources point out. He was, at the time of writing, slated to arrive in India on 14 March while Levin is expected to touch down in India on 12 March. Star India officials refused to make any comments when asked about its DTH plans. Star India CEO Peter Mukerjea is reported to be in Shanghai along with Star Asia chairman James Murdoch.

    News Corp‘s ISkyB venture has been on the backburner for the past five years, thanks to the Indian government‘s fear of loosening the strings on media and intense lobbying from rivals.

    But Star India has been working on reviving it with Star Asia executive Altaf Ali Mohammed working on a feasibility plan for over a year now. Earlier it was examining a proposal to launch its ISkyB project in partnership with the then government owned long distance carrier, VSNL, sources reveal. The plan was later aborted and today VSNL is in the private hands of the Tata group.

    If the reports prove right, Murdoch will be battling the combined might of AOL Time Warner and former partner Subhash Chandra, which may make it appear to be a fight of unequals. But then the septuagenarian, who became a father after many years recently, loves the scent of battle and coming out on top.

  • i&b ministry

    Government looks ready to lift DTH FDI cap; Zee-AOL-Time Warner and News Corp likely to announce DTH ventures

    Mar 07, 2002

    The floodgates are finally opening up it would seem.

  • Aastha channel to beam in UK, US, Canada

    Submitted by ITV Production on Mar 07, 2002
    News Headline

    Indian spiritual channel Aastha will soon be spreading its wings to the UK, USA and Canada.
    According to Kirit Mehta, promoter of CMM Broadcasting Network Limited, which runs the digital channel: "Plans are at an advanced stage to distribute Aastha channel in the UK, USA and Canada, since there is much demand for this channel in these countries."

    "Currently these three countries are not being covered through the present global beam of Thaicom-3. Several interested parties from these countries have approached us with telecast offers, after we telecasted a few live programmes covering these regions.

    "We are also in the process of turning the Aastha channel into a pay service by teaming up with DTH and multiple system operators in these countries as well as in countries which are presently being covered through Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, West Asia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Mauritius, Maldives and Sri Lanka."

    In India, Aastha has a higher viewership than CNBC, CNN, Hallmark and Jain TV, a company release states. Most of these numbers however, are not in the cities but come from the rural populace.

    On the international arena, CMM Music, the other channel under the CMM label, claims higher viewership than rivals Zee Music, B4U and Channel V.

    Aastha and CMM Music have a programme library of over 8,000 and 4,000 hours respectively, the release says.

    CMM has also announced that Ernst & Young has been appointed to value the intrinsic worth of the channels. The company is hopeful that the valuation exercise will help rope in more strategic investors.

    If this happens, the channels will be able to make good on their aggressive expansion plans.

  • Will Eternal Dreams help Tara to stay afloat?

    Submitted by ITV Production on Mar 07, 2002
    News Headline

    Ratikant Basu‘s beleaguered Broadcast Worldwide (BWW) - which runs the Tara bouquet of regional channels - has roped in Eternal Dreams, a channel operations and marketing agency, to generate ad sales for its ailing Tara Marathi channel.

    BWW has signed a three month contract with Eternal Dreams on an assurance that the agency will generate ad sales of Rs 1000,000 per month for the channel. Tara Marathi, which currently has only 20 per cent of original programming per day, has introduced some new shows in an effort to revive the channel. Ambitious plans to revamp the channel have been aborted for the time being due to an acute shortage of funds. Industry sources say that Prachar Advertising was earlier funding Eternal Dreams, but has since backed out.

    While the company has gone in for a revamp of Tara Punjabi, Tara Marathi‘s plans to beef up its news programming and bring in a strategic investor seem to have been put on hold.

  • CABSAT exhibitors optimistic about business opportunities in Middle East

    Submitted by ITV Production on Mar 07, 2002
    News Headline

    The eighth edition of the Middle East International Cable, Satellite, Broadcast and Telecommunications Exhibition (CABSAT 2002) concluded at the Dubai World Trade Centre Exhibition Complex yesterday.The event attracted around 4500 trade professionals, where four country pavilions representing UK, Korea, Taiwan and Bavaria were set up. Exhibitors who attended the event said that there was a regional boom in the cable, satellite, broadcast and telecommunications sectors in the Middle East. Companies struck an optimistic note regarding business opportunities in the region and exhibitors who have been displaying their wares regularly at the event noted an improvement in the quality of visitors this time round.

    American Satellite major Intelsat has claimed that CABSAT visitors showed keen interest in broadband solutions and is confident that the visit will pay off though the company does not currently have a presence in the region. The company indicated that it would be back next year with more staff to field inquiries.

    Procast, which participated in CABSAT for the first time this year said it was negotiating with Orbit to air 10 channels in Dubai. If this deal goes through, it would be one of the largest ever of its kind in the UAE. SMT Electronic Technology, a regular CABSAT exhibitor, anticipates to close deals valued at approximately US $1 million. The company wants to make a dent in the European markets and was able to meet potential clients from Turkey during the exhibition, according to a press release.

    Global Interactive Technology (GIT) used the exhibition to launch

  • CABSAT

    CABSAT exhibitors optimistic about business opportunities in Middle East

    Mar 07, 2002

    The eighth edition of the Middle East International Cable, Satellite, Broadcast and Telecommunications Exhibition (CA

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