The much-delayed Indian satellite Insat-3C is now all set for a 23 January liftoff.
According to satellite launch partner Arianespace, the Ariane 4 rocket, which will be used for Flight 147 is now ready, following the integration of Insat-3C atop the vehicle. Final checkout of the spacecraft and launcher are now underway, on schedule, for the 23 January launch, the space agency reports.

Insat-3C will be the eighth Indian satellite boosted into orbit by Europe‘s Ariane launcher, and it will provide telecommunications and TV transmission services for the Indian subcontinent. Last week, Isro chairman K Kasturirangan had said that the launch window of Insat-3C will open on 22 January, although he did not give any definite dates about the actual launch.

Insat-3C will be launched from Kourou in French Guyana. The satellite was earlier scheduled for launch in November 2001 on an Ariane-5 rocket but after a flight failure, the launch vehicle was changed to an Ariane-4 rocket. The satellite was then to be launched on 16 January, but last minute preparations pushed the launch date further ahead. If all goes well, India will now have Insat-3C in orbit within the next week.

Jewels in the Balaji crown, Kyunki? and Kahaani? may have hit a plateau, but its other soaps are keeping the company on a winning growth graph, just ahead of its third quarter results.
Balaji Telefilms‘ stock hit an all time high of Rs 414.75 on Wednesday, rising 10.2 per cent over its previous close of Rs 376.25. Impressive third quarter results that are to be announced on 21 January have been instrumental in raising investors‘ expectations and pushing the share prices. The market expects the company to post a profit after tax of Rs 76 million, 76 per cent higher than in the same period last year.

The company‘s new high budget soaps, Kasauti Zindagi Kay on Star Plus and Kutumb and Kkusum on Sony that launched in October 2001 have also contributed to the strong performance of the Balaji stock. According to a report released by DSP Merrill Lynch, the company is riding high on the success of a slew of serials launched in the first half of the year and price increases of as much as 100 per cent on many of its running serials. In December 2001, the report notes, Balaji accounted for 16 of the top 20 Hindi satellite TV programmes on Indian television, against 9 in March 2000.

Reports that some new serials, and even a telefilm, is expected to be aired from the Balaji stable by March 2002 has further boosted the company‘s image.

Take Percept Advertising into the Top Ten in the next five years. That is the brief that former Sony Entertainment No: 2 and new CEO Rajesh Pant, who took charge yesterday, has set for himself.Pant, who was one of the high-profile departures from the SET stable in last year‘s reorganisation, says he has been given a total free hand by Percept Advertising‘s promoters Harindra and Shailendra Singh. Pant‘s initial concentration will be on building and developing internal resources and that means expanding the team that is in place at Percept. With capitalised billings of Rs 1000 million currently, he aims to take it to Rs 5000 million in the next five years.

As for former CEO Navroze Dhondy‘s equation in the new dispensation, Pant has been quoted as saying Dhondy would assume a more marketing related function.

Pant, who joined SET from Citicorp in Dubai, was last year moved to take charge of the freshly formed SET Pictures division after the company decided to enter the field of film production and distribution. Pant‘s initial projects included international distribution of the film Mission Kashmir and Lagaan.

One place where Pant‘s experience at SET will in all likelihood be utilised is in the aggressive plans that Sahara TV has for 2002. Parent company Sahara India is one of Percept‘s key clients.