Former big screen superstar turned TV deity Amitabh Bachchan on Thursday paid off nearly half the dues amount of Rs203.1 million his company, ABCL (rechristened AB Corp), owed to the national broadcaster.

Bachchan has also promised to return the rest of the outstanding dues in three instalments next year during March, June and September.

Bachchan presented a cheque of Rs96.5 million to Prasar Bharati CEO RR Shah in New Delhi at a press conference where Samajwadi Party leader and close friend Amar Singh was present. He had recently given a cheque of Rs5 million to Prasar Bharati. Bachchan said that to pay towards the interest of his dues of Rs 123.5 million, he would participate in Doordarshan‘s public interest programmes.

Among the 75 companies which had outstanding dues against Doordarshan, the government-owned NFDC topped the list owing over Rs630 million followed by ABCL and Multi channel as of November this year

Zee Telefilms Ltd has lined up a new set of programmes for the Year 2001 and is planning to review its strategy and investment in the sports business. The programmes Zee has scheduled spans all its related channels and is in line with the recommendations made by consulting firm AT Kearney that the company restructure its various businesses while building some new core competencies. Towards that end, Zee‘s Alpha brand of regional languages will also feature a wide range of new programmes.

On the sports front Zee is working out new strategies after the huge setback it received in June in the bidding for telecast rights of all ICC-organised cricket matches. Despite posting the highest bid, it was arch rival Rupert Murdoch who walked away with the booty. That effectively killed off any hope Zee had of launching a channel in the near term.

Zee, meanwhile, plans to create newer streams of content in soccer and cricket. The company‘s board of directors was to meet on Friday to review the plans. Zee Chairman Subhash Chandra, in the company‘s annual report for 1999-2000, had said: "We are giving a new impetus to sports, especially cricket and soccer.

The company is also creating newer and newer streams of content in sports, particularly in soccer and cricket." It is learnt that Zee Sports is the frontrunner to obtain the three-year exclusive broadcast rights from WSG Nimbus Pvt Ltd of Singapore, for international cricket played in Sri Lanka, according to the Business Standard.

Zee is believed to have offered to cross-promote the event through its various channels including Zee TV and Zee News across the network. How Zee approaches its sporting ambitions this time round will make for interesting watching.

Militancy is not the only worry of the people of Jammu. Currently a vicious tussle is on between the Zee Telefilms? owned cable network Siticable and Star TV. The issue - the Star link has regularly been on the blink at the time when its runaway hit game show Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) is on air, the Indian Express reports.

"They are doing it deliberately, and even after 48 hours, the link has not been restored,?? said an angry viewer. Siticable officials, on their part, accept that they are involved in a legal tangle with Star. "Whatever be the problems between them, viewers feel that Siticable filed a case in a subordinate court only to avoid legal challenge from the consumers. Now they have a technical loophole to escape if consumers move the court against them,?? said the secretary, Consumer Welfare Forum, A Vashisht.

In defence, Siticable officials claim that Star TV has informed them of a survey result putting the number of connections in Jammu at 16,000, while Siticable claimed lower connectivity. A week after receiving a payment of Rs 1.55 lakh from Siticable, Star asked for additional payment on the basis of this survey report, fixing a four-day deadline.

Doordarshan has deferred to December 27 the launch of its channel catering to India?s northeastern states.

The channel was earlier to be launched on Saturday but in view of Christmas celebrations this was postponed, Information & Broadcasting Minister Sushma Swaraj, said on Friday in New Delhi. She will be inaugurating the channel at Guwahati in Assam, reports Press Trust of India.

Chief ministers of all the seven states and Sikkim have been invited for the launch, she said. The channel will initially run for nine-and-a-half hours and will ultimately beam for a full 24 hours she added .

Swaraj said emphasis will be laid on local and regional items on the channel which is aimed at giving people of the remote areas better access to DD.