Following up on the launch of Star Plus and Star News channels in the United Kingdom and Europe, Star has charted out plans to extend the footprint of the two channels in the United States and Canada.

The channels hope to capture the large Indian population in these countries, Arun Mohan, executive vice-president, distribution, says.

Confirming that Star expected to air the twin channels from August 15 in the US and later extend the same package to Canada, Mohan said: "After that we will be looking at Africa and Australia." Asked whether Star had marked out any specific countries, Mohan said that though countries like South Africa and Nigeria immediately came to mind, any country in Africa which had a significant Indian population could be covered.

The two channels began airing in the United Kingdom on 14 January on Rupert Murdoch‘s BSkyB platform. Though the channels are free-to-air at present, the process of encryption of the channels has been completed and they will become paid channels from April. Star has tied up with two multiple-systems operators (MSOs) and the two channels will be on air for ?16 per month.

In the US, Star has allied with six MSOs and will air the channels for a flat price of $25 per month for the two channels.

If the arrangement is anything like that existing in the UK, Star Plus viewers will have to do without Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC). Star has no licencing agreement from Celador to screen it. Celador holds the rights to the original which spawned KBC - "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire".

If sources in the industry are to be believed, Zee News has secured exclusive rights to the full transcript of the explosive "Tehelka tapes" which has shaken the government of prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.

The media has been abuzz with reports that rival channels Star News and Aaj Tak from the India Today group were also in the bidding race but the rights were firmly with Zee, the sources confirmed.

Zee group corporate communication head Sainath Aiyar, however, refused to either deny or confirm whether Zee had the rights or not.

Aiyar was equally cagey about reports that the Zee Network had entered into a strategic equity relationship with Buffalo Networks wherein it was taking a 26 per cent equity stake in the independent media organisation. Tehelka is a division of Buffalo Networks.

Aiyar did admit that the due diligence process was currently on but said a final decision in this regard was still to be taken. He was unable to provide a time frame within which a deal might be reached.