Zee-STAR lock horns over series

Zee-STAR lock horns over series

Posted online: Friday, September15, 2006 at 0000 hours IST

The row over title and content of two forthcoming daily soaps is threatening to emerge as a flashpoint between Zee Telefilms and STAR TV India, with Zee threatening to take STAR to court. The two TV soaps, Ghar Ki Lakshmi Betiyaan on Zee TV and Betiyaan on STAR One, have become the bone of contention between the two broadcasters. Zee has accused STAR of not only lifting the title of the show, but also the format. Zee TV, in its notice to STAR, said, "We call upon STAR to refrain from producing any programme with the same format or title or any other programme which is deceptively similar to Ghar Ki Lakshmi Betiyaan." STAR TV has got seven days to respond to the notice. It would cost STAR India Rs 1-1.5 crore if it decided to withdraw the show at all, sources said. In its initial response, the STAR TV India spokesperson said the company was looking into the notice and would check with series producer Rekha Modi before formulating its formal response. Zee TV has asked STAR to withdraw all advertising materials relating to the show Betiyaan. "We registered our show on August 2 with the Film Writers Association and on August 21 with the Film & TV Producers Guild of India and all possible associations related to registration of TV scripts and TV shows," senior vice-president of Zee Network Ashish Kaul told FE. Consumer groups want CAS across the country
Consumer groups have demanded that CAS be implemented beyond the four metros where it is scheduled to be out. CAS is currently only in Chennai. However, following a Delhi High Court order in July, CAS will have to be implemented in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata by this year-end.

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"The roll-out of CAS in the notified areas of Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata should be followed by other regions and cities," representatives of consumer groups like National Consumer Helpline (NCH), Voice and Cuts have demanded. "Implementation of CAS in select cities is a welcome step. Ultimately, the entire country should be covered under CAS," a Cuts official said. SK Virmani of NCH, said, "The Rs 5 ceiling is high and we want this to further come down to Re 1." NCH also demanded that advertising on pay channels should be banned. ISRO building multimedia satellite
Indian Space Research Organisation is in the process of building a digital multimedia broadcasting satellite that would cater to communication requirements — internet, messaging and cellular services and rural connectivity, its former Chairman K Kasturirangan said. "This is a very powerful satellite with extremely complex instrumentation on board," Kasturirangan, a Rajya Sabha member, said delivering the keynote address at the annual convention of the Bangalore Management Association. Sources in Bangalore-headquartered ISRO said the spacecraft, INSAT-4E, which is slated to be launched on board GSLV during the second quarter of 2008-09, will cover the whole of India through five S-band spot beams using SXC and CXS transponders. "The C-band coverage for the feeder link will have India coverage," an ISRO official said. Adlabs' Big FM set to hit the waves from Delhi
Reliance-Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group's Adlabs Radio will kick off its 44-city FM network from Delhi later this month. The group has decided to brand its network 'Big FM 92.7'. Big FM will also be the first radio network in the country to rope in stars like Amitabh Bachchan to host programmes on the network as full-time presenters. Adlabs is India's biggest FM radio licence holder along with Sun TV network owned by South Asia FM, which also has licences for 44 cities. Adlabs paid Rs 110 crore in fee for licences in 44 cities. The company is also in talks with radio companies in the US and Europe to divest 20% equity for foreign direct investment (FDI). "We will start with Delhi this month and by March next year, will launch all our stations. We will offer a nationwide footprint for advertisers with a unique programming mix," Tarun Katial, CEO, Adlabs Radio, told the press. For advertisers, Big FM would price its effective 10-second advertising spots at Rs 3,000-3,500 —at par with market leaders like Radio Mirchi and Radio City, sources said. Currently, India's 25 FM stations generate Rs 350 crore in advertising revenue with nearly 14 crore listeners."When all the 300 stations are launched, the number of listeners will be over 30 crore and FM radio will generate advertising worth over Rs 1,500 crore," Rajiv Mishra, president of Association of Radio Operators in India, said. Currently, Radio Mirchi leads with 5 crore listeners, while Radio City is second with 4.5 crore. Adlabs aims to reach out to 7 crore listeners.