The Hindi entertainment television sweepstakes is hotting up and Sahara TV aims to be very much there on the viewerscope. After November‘s launch of four new shows, the new year is going to see more offerings from the Sahara stable. Next month will see the launch of Jayate (winner), a show which is a reversal of its celebrated Haqeeqat (reality) in that it focuses on good cops and the sacrifices they make in the line of duty. Haqeeqat, which was introduced in June, has had quite an impact. Hosted by film director Mahesh Bhatt the programme was a breath of fresh air in an environment dominated by likeminded soap opera‘s. It dealt with true incidents of human rights violation by lawmakers. It was produced by Anuradha Prasad?s BAG Films, for Sahara India Media Communications Ltd (SIMCL) and directed by Sourabh Narang. Jayate will be followed by Fateh (victory) which trains its guns on war heroes.

Next up on the channel‘s new offerings list is Har Mode Pe (at every turn), a daily soap. Sahara TV vice-president (publicity, promotions & PR) Priya Raj says there is even more coming from the Sahara cupboard but the shows are still being conceptualised. They run the gamut of genres and should provide telly buffs with plenty of food for thought, Raj promises.

Meanwhile, the channel claims that two serials it launched in November Apnapan and Zindagi? Teri Meri Kahani have drawn an excellent response. Both centre on the family and the channel claims that the immense popularity of these two programmes has helped it increase its viewership base. Apnapan shows from Monday to Friday at 1:30 pm and 11 PM Produced by SIMCL, Apnapan is directed by Chander Behl & V Menon. Veteran film actors like Kiran Kumar, Pramod Mautho, Shagufta Ali star.

Zindagi? Teri Meri Kahani airs every Friday at 10:30 PM It shows how today‘s society is more individualistic in nature. So the need for self identity is important. The story deals with marital discord. Produced by AV Telefilms, Zindagi? Teri Meri Kahani stars veteran actor Arun Govil who played Ram in Ramanand Sagar‘s Ramayana. Other stars include Rohini Hattangadi, Priya Tendulkar, Savita Prahune, Parmeet Sethi and Raju Samtani.

In less than three months, the Indian government will permit 26 private TV channels to uplink locally, if I&B minister Sushma Swaraj is to be believed.

Zee‘s bouquet of seven channels is likely to be among the favoured channels. Currently, only Sun TV and Jain TV are uplinking from India. ETC‘s plans of a teleport near Mumbai with Thaicom‘s help to enable local uplinking have been put on hold following reports that Thaicom is trying to enter India on its own.

Addressing a select group of PHD Chambers of Commerce and Industry in the capital on Friday, Swaraj said the decision to permit the channels to uplink locally is ‘in line with the recent policy decision of the government.‘ PHDCCI president Arun Kapur says the world of broadcasting and telecasting is undergoing major changes with rapid changes in technology. "The policy framework of the government in this regard should also include conducive tax and fiscal environment," Kapur has been quoted as saying in the Hindustan Times

The chamber of commerce has asked the government to encourage self-regulatory mechanism through self-regulatory organizations that would help in healthy growth of the sector.

Two half-hour slots on DD National is what Nimbus Communications has been offered in lieu of the programming it used to provide for the moribund DD News. It will hardly make up for the six and half hour programming that Nimbus had been enjoying on the national broadcaster‘s 24-hour news channel.

Although the news and current affairs programmes to air from 26 January might attract better viewership than the ones on sickly DD News, due to be given a quiet burial on Republic Day, the timing could not have been worse.

Insiders point out that hardly anyone would watch a news programme between 10:30 am and 11 am. The other slot in the afternoon is also a time when most viewers are hooked onto soaps and is unlikely to bring in audiences.

Though Nimbus has laid off 40 of its 70 odd technical and editorial staff working on the news capsules, it has reportedly said that those leaving could be re-inducted when fresh assignments come in. That, sources say, is unlikely with DD planning to create two hours of software in house. The rest (approximately four hours) is commissioned out to independent producers on a quota basis. With names like Rajat Sharma and Romesh Sharma and UTV also in the fray, Nimbus is unlikely to land any more assignments from DD in the short term. As the company‘s focus is more on entertainment and airtime marketing, however, Nimbus is unlikely to lobby for more news programmes with the pubcaster and hence not many of the outgoing staff are likely to be called back.

Most of the 40 asked to leave reportedly did not have much of an advance notice before Friday, when the production house handed them the pink slips. Some of these had joined the team as recently as two months ago, sources say.