Star India‘s new programming strategy for Friday nights has hit the right notes from Day 1 itself, as per information provided by the company.

Market research agency AC Nielsen‘s TAM data for the first day of their screening on Friday 27 July, saw STAR Plus launch 3 new shows with a bang. The TRP ratings of the three shows, Kya Masti Kya Dhuum, hosted by Sonali Bendre, Khullja Sim Sim, hosted by Aman Verma and the horror show, Ssshhhh?Koi Hai?, have been very positive, according to a company release.

Market research agency AC Nielsen‘s TAM data show all three shows have made an immediate impact with Kya Masti Kya Dhuum opening its account at 7.23 TVRs, Khullja Sim Sim at 9.80 TVRs and Ssshhhh?Koi Hai? at 5.85 TVRs.

The Tam data is for nine cities - Mumbai, Delhi, Calcutta, Chennai, Bangalore, Kochi, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Kanpur.

The release draws attention to the fact that the Sony Entertainment gameshow Jeeto Chappad Phaad Ke‘s special episode, despite filmstar Urmilla Matondkar in the hot seat, failed to garner a decent viewership. According to the release, JCPK‘s ratings the same night is 1.9 at 78.

Star has finally taken a full-fledged leap into the dotcom pool. Confirming its confidence in the Internet space, Star India today hoicked its stake in the much-hyped portal indya.com to "almost 100 per cent."

A joint release from Star and indya.com states that the Rupert Murdoch-promoted firm has bought the entire shareholding of founder and Microland chairman Pradeep Kar, and other investors. Kar had established indya.com in April 2000.

The market was abuzz for long that Star would gobble up indya.com in toto but its management had consistently pooh-poohed that possibility. Star had earlier paid out $ 50 million for a 37 per cent stake in the portal but that was before the worldwide dotcom meltdown. No further details were available on how much Star paid to buy out Kar and associates, but official sources say current valuations are significantly lower. Some estimates put the figure at about $25 million.

Gary Walrath, executive vice-president, Star Group Ltd, has been appointed chairman of indya.com while CEO Sunil Lulla will continue to head the dotcom, assisted by Indya‘s management team, says the company release.

The website is planned to become the online destination for all of Star‘s India properties on its TV channels today and in future. Already, Star Plus, Star Movies, Star World and Channel [V] have been integrated into indya.com and will soon be joined by the group‘s other channels in the coming months.

The press release says benefits will also accrue to indya.com. "The alignment will give consumers and users an opportunity to interact more with Star on the internet and see more of indya.com on television," it states.

Recently the website launched interactive applications and multimedia content built around some of Star‘s popular programmes like Kaun Banega Crorepati, Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Kaahin Kissii Roz, Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki, Ji Mantriji (all on Star Plus), Friends, X-Files, Ally McBeal and Baywatch (on Star World).

ETC Networks Ltd, which owns music heavy Hindi channel etc and etc Channel Punjabi, has announced its Q-1 results for the year 2001-2002. The network has not shown any major changes in its performance compared to the corresponding quarter last year.

Sony Entertainment Television and the Rajan Raheja-owned Hathway Cable & Datacom are hopeful that their ongoing dispute over paid connectivity will be resolved in a day or two. Sony has switched off its bouquet of channels - SetMax, AXN, CNBC (paid services) and the currently free-to-air SET to Hathway - in Mumbai, Pune and Nasik in the western state of Maharashtra.

Industry sources say that Sony wants Hathway to increase the declared connectivity of the bouquet. When Sony has signed a deal with the Hinduja-promoted InCable for a 30,000 subscriber base there is no justification in Sony‘s demand that its base be hiked above that (way higher than that it would seem) is the Hathway argument. "Ask Hathway what is the declared connectivity of Star Sports," Sony‘s senior VP franchise channels & distribution Shantonu Aditya counters, when it was put to him that the increase sought was too high. He, however, clarified that discussions were on and would be resolved sooner rather than later.

Hathway‘s other complaint is that while Sony is set to go pay from 1 September, it has already demanded an increase in the rate of its bouquet to nearly Rs 26.

The Sony signal has been on and off the Hathway feed for the last month or so in the three Maharashtrian cities and the issue at stake seems to be more in the area of parry and thrust than an all out confrontation between the two parties.