MUMBAI: The capital has once again come under the scanner with disturbing occurrence of a five-year-old girl?s rape by two men. Zee News has broadcast the first ever live interview of Gudiya?s (the name given to the victim) father with Mimansa Malik on the channel, first aired at 8.00 pm on 26 April in a special show apart from covering the shocking incident in its regular news bulletins.

Zee News Editor Sudhir Chaudhary said, ?Zee News has always been a pioneer in highlighting social issues. Zee News has been providing ?aam aadmi? a platform for voicing their concerns and being heard by others and the authorities in line with its philosophy ?Soch Badlo Desh Badlo?. We will continue to air and support such causes in the future as well, since we think the nation needs awakening.?

The incident took place on the evening of 15 April when the girl went missing and even after trying to look for her everywhere the family could not locate her. Fearing the worst the father rushed to the police, who instead of trying to help in the rescue operation just harassed the father. The police didn?t lodge a complaint till late after midnight after much persuasion and pleading.

Malik said, ?The next day no one from the police station even bothered to enquire from us about Gudiya. The neighbors heard her cries; they broke open the door and found Gudiya. We requested the police to come to the spot (and see it themselves) but they asked us to pick them from the police station. The police did not help us at all.?

The incident was recently reported across news channels, that a five-year-old girl had been held hostage and raped by a neighbor and his friend, in Gandhi Nagar, East Delhi. The assault was so brutal that it has startled the entire nation (recollection of the Damini / Nirbhaya case).

?Even Sonia Gandhiji has visited us and blessed the child and touched her forehead. She also promised that she will make sure that something substantial is done for the child. Even though she said this, nothing has been yet communicated to us. We are still waiting that she keeps her word.? He proclaimed.

The father of the girl wants to ensure that the accused be tried and the girl gets her justice. The latest atrocity does nothing to change the perception that authorities remain interested in only paying lip service to the cause of securing rights of women in the country, while little change is effected on the ground.

MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Television (SPT) will buy out private equity firm Capital International?s six per cent stake in Multi Screen Media (formerly known as Sony Entertainment Television India) to take full ownership of the Indian broadcasting company which is on a growth path.

Earlier, SPT had bought out 32 per cent stake of the Indian shareholders in Multi Screen Media (MSM) for $271 million, taking its shareholding to 94 per cent.

"We are going to buy out the six per cent stake of Capital International in MSM. We hope to do it by the end of this year," Sony Pictures Television president Worldwide Networks Andy Kaplan tells Indiantelevision.com.

Kaplan, however, ruled out a public listing of the company.

In 2000, Capital International had picked up eight per cent stake for $200 million.

Sony?s aggressive growth plans in India include the acquisition of regional broadcaster Maa Television Network. "We are working on it. It is a bit complicated. The acquisition will give us a foothold in the Telugu market," avers Kaplan.

In 2012, SPT entered into a strategic alliance with Hyderabad-based Maa Television Network to acquire a 30 per cent stake. Maa TV Network operates four Telugu-language channels.

Sony will also eye other regional acquisition opportunities in India. "We are looking at building on our own and acquiring companies. We are weighing both the options. We are looking at each region and trying to figure out what the best strategy is," Kaplan says.

In 2009, SPT acquired Bengali channel, Channel 8.

MSM?s other new growth pillar would be its sports broadcasting business. The company launched Six, a sports entertainment channel, last year. It has the Indian Premier League (IPL), cricket?s most lucrative property, as its driver content.

?We are also looking at other sports in which the audience interest will grow. We have the NBA rights and UFC, among others. We will be aggressive for the right property if we feel that it will be a good fit for our channel. But we will not overbid,? says Kaplan.

In terms of rights, he said that both cricket and movie acquisition costs from an industry perspective are on the higher side. ?We try to be aggressive but disciplined at the same time. India is the only market where we are in the sports genre. So it is unique for us in that sense."

Kaplan admits that India is a big international market for Sony. "As a TV market, India has been friendly towards outsiders," he says.