Zee Telefilms on Friday denied press reports that it planned to drop 16 serials currently airing on the channel.
Sainath Aiyar, Head Corporate Communications, said there was no substance in the reports that said Zee was dropping the serials in an effort to get the punch back in its programme selection.

Falling ratings and the bad press and legal headaches surrounding the suspension of its failed game show Sawaal Dus Crore Ka (SDCK) have pushed Zee on the defensive and Aiyar was quite outraged by the number of ?uncorroborated? reports about the beleaguered channel which were circulating.

Indiatelevision.com put it to Aiyar that the lead time the channel had given itself to correct the inherent flaws in SDCK was way too short. It was pointed out to him that Jeeto Chappar Phaad Ke, Sony?s answer to Star TV?s Kaun Banega Crorepati gameshow, had been in gestation since August for a planned January release. According to press reports, the new avatar of SDCK is scheduled to go on air in the first week of January. Aiyar clarified that the new show would only be aired when the Zee team felt confident of its having the strength to sustain itself and that could be anytime in January, not necessarily in the first week.

Mumbai?s Mid-Day newspaper reported on Friday that the show was likely to finally reappear with a new name attached - Aao Chakkar Chalayen. As for who will host the show, the names doing the rounds other than Ashutosh Rana are: Dilip Kumar, Feroz Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Naseeruddin Shah and Madhuri Dixit.

Will the new improved SDCK really see the light of day in January? Or will Zee cut its losses and give the show a quiet burial? That is the real ?sawaal dus crore kA (Rs10 crore question).

A couple of months back, the Pakistan government had awarded Star TV a licence to sell and distribute its decoders, and its channels in that country. On 14 December, Star TV executives were left looking at the ceiling or their shoes as the government suspended that licence.
The reason: the management announced its eight channel bouquet will be sold at Rs 87 per subscriber. The government has objected to this saying Star TV has no right to to unilaterally fix subscriber tariffs on its own without consulting it as the licence conditions stipulate that tariff fixation should be decided appropriately.

Additionally, government officials point out that Star TV charges a much lower subscription fee from subscribers in India.

Where is Discovery India chief Kiran Karnik headed? The buzz is that Karnik, who announced yesterday that the network was looking for a replacement for him, may be promoted within Discovery International globally. His performance with Discovery‘s Indian operations has met with approval from Discovery‘s headquarters in the US.

A replacement is likely to be in place by May 2001 and Karnik is expected to continue with the company till then.

Hallmark Entertainment Network on Wednesday signed agreements with two new partners, Videoland in Taiwan and Korea‘s World Event Network Co. Ltd (WENTV). The move comes just weeks after Hallmark unveiled its extensive channel rebranding under the ‘Celebrate Life‘ tagline.

The addition of these partners adds to the four other affiliates that have joined Hallmark Entertainment Network over the last three months - Sri Lanka‘s Grant Cable (Pvt), Saarc Media Services Ltd. in Bangladesh, Macau Cable TV and Home Cable in the Philippines.

Videoland will distribute Hallmark on a 24-hour basis to Taiwan‘s 4 million cable TV homes - 80 per cent of the market‘s total TV households. Videoland will also represent Hallmark‘s advertising sales efforts in Taiwan from January 1, 2001.

Launched on October 1, WENTV is one of 15 new cable TV channels licensed by the Korean government. Under the terms of the agreement with Hallmark, WENTV will carry four hours of programming every night during primetime, from 8pm- midnight, beginning the last week of December. The programming will carry Korean subtitles in addition to an English-language soundtrack. WENTV currently has 1 million subscribers - around 60 per cent of Korea‘s cable TV homes.

Hallmark is attempting a major revamp as part of its effort to have a more significant presence in the Asian region.

The Cine TV and Artistes Association (CTVAA) on Thursday weighed into the dispute between sacked former host Anupam Kher and Zee Telefilms over the suspension of the problem-plagued game show Sawaal Dus Crore Ka (SDCK).

As Zee desperately tried damage control measures to deal with the snowballing ruckus surrounding the sacking of Kher and co-host Manisha Koirala from SDCK, it got an unexpected shot in the arm from the CTVAA. Association Secretary Dharmesh Tiwari categorically denied the CTVAA had anything to do with the statements attributed to committee member Raza Murad that letters had been sent to Zee and Ashutosh Rana, the man the rumour mill says will replace Kher, seeking an explanation from both parties.

Murad was quoted on Wednesday as having said that the CTVAA had sought a clarification from Zee following receipt of a complaint from Kher over the manner in which Kher?s services were terminated. Murad also said that Rana was asked to explain why he didn?t secure a no objection certificate from Kher before beginning negotiations with Zee.

Tiwari clarified that unless the committee met and debated any issue no one was authorised to issue statements. He admitted the CTVAA had received a complaint from Kher but said the committee was still to meet to take up the matter. The meeting would take place in the next two days, he assured indiantelevision.com.

Asked how Murad could have made statements if he had no authority, Tiwari said unless the CTVAA committee had a chance to get Murad?s version of the situation, he could not comment.

Meanwhile, Kher himself has left the matter to the courts and doesn?t propose to follow up on any further action other than what he has already initiated. When contacted, Kher said the matter will come up for hearing in the next few days and his lawyers would take it from there.

Sony Entertainment Television, which has managed to successfully hold on to its number two slot in the face of Star Television?s Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) juggernaut, has a ?killer? slew of exciting programmes lined up for 2001, according to the ever hyper Rekha Nigam, SET?s head of programming. The shows are expected to be launched on the back of Jeeto Chapper Phaad Ke (JCPK), the ?gaming experience? that Nigam is confident will take some of the sheen off KBC.

Indiantelevision.com managed to catch up with her as she waited for superstar Govinda, who was running late, to turn up for his JCPK rehearsal.

Nigam had no definite take on what the public could expect from the Sony stable in the coming months but said a number of soaps, comedies and horror shows were in various stages of development. On JCKP, however, she was more forthcoming. The show will be a totally fun experience for all involved, she asserted. The total package, rather than purely the money angle is what would hook the viewers, she said. Speaking of money, Nigam refused to put a figure to what is the deal that has been worked out with Govinda. However, according to reliable sources, the star has been paid Rs10 million as signing amount and the total package is between Rs80 million and Rs120 million.

On a more personal note, Nigam sees the three months she has been aboard the Sony bandwagon as one great rollercoaster joyride. She certainly seems to be enjoying taking on Star and Zee Television Network at their own game.