Prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee this morning dedicated newly launched indigenous satellite INSAT 3C to the nation.

At a function at the Delhi Earth Station, Atal Behari Vajpayee also inaugurated the telemedicine project for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The function was telecast live on Doordarshan National at 11 am. ISRO chairman Dr K Kasturirangan also presented models of INSAT 3C to the prime minister and to minister of state for space Vasundhara Raje, also present on the occasion.
The INSAT 3C, that has strengthened India‘s communication, broadcast and meterological capabilities and is currently positioned 36,000 km above Earth was also instrumental in carrying the event live on DD National today, officials said.

The Indian National Satellite(INSAT) is a multipurpose space system for communication, broadcasting and meteorological services. INSAT-3C, carrying Fixed Satellite Services (FSS) transponders, Broadcast Satellite Services (BSS) transponders and Mobile Satellite Services (MSS) transponders is intended to continue the services of the earlier INSAT-2DT and INSAT-2C, which are nearing the end of their life, besides improving and augmenting the Insat system capacity.

INSAT-3C, launched on 24 January this year is the second satellite of the INSAT-3 series; the first satellite, INSAT-3B was launched in March 2000. Another three satellites INSAT-3A, INSAT-3D and INSAT-3E are planned to be launched under INSAT-3 series in the coming years. Like all other INSAT satellites, INSAT-3C is controlled from the Master Control Facility at Hassan in Karnataka.

The telemedicine project for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, on the other hand, will help provide expert medical services to rural and remote areas, helping link hospitals and remote areas through Insat satellites. The G D Pant Hospital in Port Blair will be linked to the SRNC in Chennai initially, officials announced at the function.

State-owned pubcaster Doordarshan is getting gung-ho about DD Metro under new director-general S.Y. Quraishi. The reason: out of the 35 prime time slots on DD Metro all have been booked and "people are there in queue for some slots to be allotted," Quraishi said.
A scenario that was quite common in the late eighties and mid-nineties when private producers made a beeline for DD. But then frequent changes in policy and the arbit changes in schedules led to producers fleeing the network. As well as audiences.
Last year its year long partnership with the Kerry Packer Mahendra Nahata promoted HFCL-Nine fell apart after the government decided not to further proceed with the relationship. Channel Nine - led by Ravina Raj Kohli - had taken on specific prime time slots at an exorbitant price of Rs 1210 million and branded them as Nine Gold, giving DD the look and feel of a private satellite TV channel.

Quraishi admitted that DD‘s viewership may not be very high at the moment, but efforts are on to rectify this through proper tapping of data from non-cable areas where only DD reaches through its various channels.

Twelve new programmes are already on air on DD Metro and some 17 others are expected by the end of this month.

Expect the battle for Indian eyeballs to get bloodier and messier, even as Star India and Sony are launching new shows, Zee has added chutzpah to its programming and Sahara TV is going on a rampage with Hindi movies.

It‘s looking beyond its own living room. The Prasar Bharati, the holding company of DD and AIR, is looking at having non-Doordarshan channels and also the facility to transmit data in its package of digital terrestrial transmission (DTT) which will be experimented as a pilot project in Bangalore later this year.
The five-channel DTT project has been successfully tested in other metros like Delhi and Mumbai with the formal service likely to be launched in the Capital in about a couple of months time.
"In Bangalore, where we will be experimenting the DTT project with a 10-channel package we may look at including non-DD channels too as part of the package," DD director-general S.Y. Quraishi told indiantelevision.com yesterday.

Though Quraishi was quick to point out that the non-DD channels may not necessarily mean the direct competitors of DD (like Star, Zee and Sony), he admitted, "We may have some other channels as part of the Bangalore DTT project."

He also added the Bangalore project will also test whether data can be transmitted over the DTT network as value-added services which have the potential of generating additional revenue for the Prasar Bharati.

At the moment, the Prasar Bharati is negotiating with companies like the Mahendra Nahata-promoted HFCL for manufacturing of set-top boxes which will be necessary to access DD‘s digital transmission.

"Once when the set-top boxes are started to be manufactured in large numbers in the country, then their prices too will fall (to as low as Rs 1,200-1,500) which will enable viewers to go in for digital terrestrialial services," the DG said.

Doordarshan‘s run of bad luck continues where sporting events are concerned. The latest is that India‘s pubcaster has been served out of Wimbledon, the tennis extravaganza which is currently going on in England.
Doordarshan director-general S.Y. Quraishi admitted to indiantelevision.com, "We won‘t be airing, deferred or otherwise, any Wimbledon matches this year as negotiations have failed." However, he refused to comment any further on the Wimbledon issue.
The failure to secure Wimbeldon telecast rights, even on a terrestrial basis, comes close on the heels of DD having to do with a six-hour delayed telecast of the FIFA World Cup soccer matches and tough negotiations for the terrestrial rights of the ICC-organised cricket matches, the satellite rights of which have been bought for six years by Sony Entertainment.

Until last year, DD used to telecast matches live from the semi-finals onward. "We were negotiating with the Wimbledon authorities, but the price which had been quoted was on the higher side of Rs 50 million," another senior official of DD pointed out, hinting that the telecast rights fee proved to be too high for DD.

The DD official also pointed out that another stumbling block in securing the telecast rights of Wimbledon was their understanding that ESPN-Star Sports had secured both the satellite and terrestrial TV rights of Wimbledon for the region which had blocked out DD‘s plea that it was a terrestrial broadcaster.

However, the DD official could not say whether they would like to negotiate with ESPN-Star Sports for semi-final matches onwards. "We have not thought on these lines," the official added.

An ESPN-Star Sports spokesperson clarified on the rights issue saying that, "we only have the exclusive satellite TV telecast rights for Wimbledon. The terrestrial rights are not with us. If anyone wants to buy those, they can approach either the rights holder or the marketing agent or the Wimbledon authorities."

The increasing frequency with which India‘s pubcaster DD is being left out of business of sports telecasts has got the goat of Doordarshan director general SY Quraishi. Speaking to indiantelevision.com he said that the Prasar Bharati - overseeing the work of DD and All India Radio - was persevering with its proposal to the Indian government to bring in a law mandating that the telecast rights of any important event - and specially those where India has an interest - be awarded to DD.
The Prasar Bharati had moved the government on this front last month. And its hopes are high that things will get kickstarted during the next Parliamentary session. "If all goes well, we may see something happening on this front during the monsoon session of Parliament," Quraishi said.
If the Indian government decides to bring in a law which makes it mandatory for the telecast rights of important global events to be necessarily given to DD also apart from any other broadcaster beaming into India, then certain amendments have to be made in the Cable TV (Networks) Regulation Act. And if it manages to push the amendment through, it will be a fait accompli for the pubcaster.

A private broadcaster quipped in lighter vein, "Only a DD can show DDgiri." Touche!!!

Doordarshan has entered into an agreement with France-based Canal France International (CFI) to telecast 26 French films on DD Metro beginning 5 July at 11 pm..

Pointing out that this was another step towards Indo-French cultural cooperation, DD director-general S Y Quraishi told a press conference in Delhi today: "We have entered into an MoU with CFI to telecast French films on DD which will be sub-titled in English and some of them will be dubbed in English too."

According to Quraishi, the dubbing and subtitling will be done by CFI before the films are provided to DD which can also earn some revenue if the Indian pubcaster manages to market the films, which will certainly attract a niche audience, to advertisers.

Speaking on the occasion, French ambassador to India Bernard de Montferrand said: "France has been attempting to see how it can improve the knowledge about the country in India and films are one way of doing it. Moreover, since India produces so many films, some of them which in recent times have been shown in France too (like Lagaan and Monsoon Wedding), we hope through this arrangement with DD, we will benefit."

The present agreement is another step towards strengthening Indo-French commercial ties, what with this year‘s Cannes Film festival almost awash with the Indian flavour.

Meanwhile, DD has also signed an agreement with British broadcaster BBC to air AIDS-related shows on its regional networks.