The soap brigade has elbowed its way into the top position in the 9 to 10 pm band as well. The waning KBC has helped Sony?s Kkusum and Kutumb climb to the top of the charts, even as Star continues to hold sway with two more Balaji soaps in the 10-11 pm slot.
Kkusum, Sony says, has registered a steady rise in ratings, with the TAM ratings for the week ending 1 December, putting Kkusum at 8.6. Kutumb, the saga of a couple who get married for vengeful purposes, has apparently been a consistent favourite with viewers from the first week. The channel claims an ?incredible high of 6.6 in only the fourth week after its launch?, quoting TAM ratings for the week ended 1 December. The sample covers the north and west (Mumbai, Delhi, Kanpur, Ahmedabad, Ludhiana, Rest of Maharashtra and Rest of Uttar Pradesh).

Kkusum, a daily soap on weekdays, is the only show to have toppled KBC from its perch in the 9 pm slot, claims Sony. Kutumb, which runs Mondays through Thursdays, is the channel?s latest offering, but has already established a lead in its slot at 9:30 pm.

SET needs to ensure that both the soaps hold viewer interest, with Star just having brought in the Neena Gupta hosted Kamzor Kadii Kaun (airing Tuesdays at 9 pm). Star is also introducing another serial Sanjivani, that promises to be quite gripping, based as it is on the US series Chicago Hope. Sanjivani will take the 9 pm slot on Wednesdays from 16 January 2002.

If Saanjhi can do for Zee what Saans did for Star Plus, the beleaguered channel may have reason to smile.

After Saans, Palchhin and Sonpari, Neena Gupta is ready with her new offering, scheduled to go on air in January 2002. Gupta, who will also make her presence felt as the hostess of Kamzor Kadii Kaun, the Indian version of BBC?s Weakest Link, from 25 December, is being tight lipped about the project.

But industry sources reveal that Saanjhi will essentially explore relationships within the Indian marriage institution once again. Gupta is again slated to play the long-suffering wife. Only this time, her chief sorrow is childlessness. Saanjhi is the story of a couple (Arun Govil and Neena Gupta) who cannot have children even after 14 years of marriage. In a desperate bid to have a child, Govil marries a much younger woman - the arrangement worked out just for the sake of having an offspring - nothing more. Trouble starts when he actually falls in love with the younger woman.

The rest of the serial revolves around how the protagonists manage their lives after this turn of events.

The British Broadcasting Corporation and Discovery Communications have reached an agreement making BBC news material available on Discovery?s analogue cable channels in the US - The Discovery Channel, The Learning Channel (TLC), Animal Planet, The Travel Channel and the Discovery Health Channel.

According to the agreement, Discovery has the right to showcase BBC news programmes that deal with the US war on terrorism. Also included in the deal is the news magazine - Newsnight - and evening newscasts.

The ball started rolling when after the events of 11 September through Discovery?s use of BBC World?s programmes on TLC. The two companies have collaborated on five programmes since then on current world events.