The television industry has dismissed Sahara TV as a lost cause. Eyes have mainly been on Star, Zee and Sony Entertainment. However, if the aggressive stance that is emerging from Sahara is anything to go by, the industry may well be wrong in taking their sights off the ethnic channel.

While Sahara has dropped its plans to launch a clutch of channels to build up a network, it is moving ahead on all four cylinders on its mother channel. Sahara TV promoter Subroto Roy has brought in external help to help it get that extra edge. A committee consisting of Modi Entertainment Group‘s Buena Vista Television CEO Pratik Basu, programming head Basaav Raj, its advertising agency Percept Advertising‘s promoters Harindra and Shailendra Singh, and other senior managers from within the company. While Buena Vista is handling the ad sales, the Percept duo along with the Sahara team are looking after programming and marketing of the channel.

And the result of their inputs is already beginning to show. Better and more focused outdoor promotions, and slicker on-air promos - translating into a jazzier Sahara TV. An industry Source indicates that the current initiative is part of a larger gameplan to relaunch the channel. The effort will culminate in a big bang in the coming festival season.

"The FPC is going to change considerably, and there will be sustained marketing activity," she says. "Currently, three properties are being developed: "Haqeeqat", "Daman" and "Draupadi". Additionally, the Sunday Hindi movie block will also see some activity."

Some RS 100-120 million has been set aside for this. If one adds the fact that the Sahara group has bagged the sponsorship for the Indian cricket team, one can be sure the Sahara group will be ubiquitous in most media.

Who has cause to worry? People say that Sabe TV and Sony Entertainment are likely to be hit courtesy the Sahara march. Reason: they have yet to get their act together on the programming front.

The media has recently been agog about an impending alliance between Sony Entertainment and Time Warner on the television front in India. That seems to be a non-starter at the moment. Asks SET India CEO Kunal Dasgupta: "What tie-up with Time Warner? There‘s nothing of the sort going on?"

Adds a SET India director: "Nothing has been finalised. Things are at a very premature stage." Sources reveal that Time Warner is talking to a host of other companies for an alliance. Earlier, it did have parleys with TV Today‘s Aaj Tak, and Sab TV.

There seems to be no end to the modifications that are being envisaged for the Communications Convergence Bill. The revised draft of the Communications Convergence Bill 2001 has just been re-revised. Industry sources indicate that at the latest meeting of the Group on Telecom and IT (GOT-IT) held on 21 July, it has been proposed that within the ambit of high-powered Communications Commission of India that the bill envisages, there should be two separate bureaus - a carriage bureau and a content bureau.

Earlier talk was around content management remaining a part of the convergence bill. And the information and broadcasting ministry was to convene a forum for the media industry to discuss the nature of the "content" bureau within the CCI.

Information and broadcast minister Sushma Swaraj‘s idea was that all content, including that relating to the Internet, should be regulated by a content bureau. Swaraj wanted that communications should be delinked from the ambit of the bill, the sources say. The telecom and communications ministries strongly opposed this pointing out that the it negated the whole concept of convergence. It was after this that a compromise formula was adopted where there would be two bureaus - a carriage bureau and a content bureau.

The revised bill prepared by the sub-group under Fali Nariman will have to be sent to Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha, who heads GOT-IT, and the prime minister. Then it will probably be referred to the Standing Committee. After which we can expect it to be put on the government website for invitations for further suggestions from the public. In this scenario how the government plans to keep to its stated aim of tabling the Bill in parliament during the upcoming monsoon session remains a mystery.

One thing has been agreed upon though. When the bill is finally ready for introduction in parlaiment it will be piloted by the communications ministry, the sources say.

To read the January 2001 modification of the convergence bill click on the link below.

It‘s hoping to act as a guide in the maze that is Indian cable & satellite television today. Channel Guide a specific preview and menu channel which began its test run on 12 April 2001 may go for a formal launch tentatively on 15 August 2001, "We are in talks with major companies, the outcome of which will decide its formal launch," informs Ravi Deshmukh chief operating officer, Channel Guide India Ltd.

The channel is programmed to provide couch potatoes with a ready reckoner on TV shows. Its interactive menu allows viewers to explore, select and watch a variety of programmes, while browsing listings. "Channel Guide airs the programme listings of different channels between 9 am and 11:00 pm, reminding viewers about their favourite programme timings," says Deshmukh.

Currently the free to air channel has a million strong viewership, and receives inputs from 27 major channel among which are Star, Zee, Sony, HBO, ESPN, he reveals. The channel is available in nine states nationally: Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Andra Pradesh, Delhi, Goa and Assam.

"So far we have received a good response, and we will do better after the channels which have been reluctant in providing us with information drop their inhibitions," emphasizes Deshmukh. "But the response is improving. English, Hindi entertainment and infotainment channels like Discovery and National Geographic, and other sports channels are already supporting us. Next month Bengali and Punjabi channels will join our bandwagon and the rest of the regional languages will soon be added."

Currently, the channel is carrying TV promos and listings gratis for its broadcasting partners. In time to come, it plans to start charging for its air time wherein channels like Sony or Zee or Star would be in a position to sponsor their own promo and interstitial programming blocks. Five of the 10 hours the channel will air will be free to air. Of the remainder, three will be set aside for broadcaster-sponsored promos, while local commercial advertising will go to account for the remainder two hours.

With an initial investment of Rs 100 million (10 crore), the channel has also plans to foray into to webcasting and cater to web savvy viewers and international audiences interested in Indian television fare.

"We have a long term vision for Channel Guide India. We cannot really commit when we will really break even, but our target has been set as June 2002," points out Deshmukh.