US-based Crown Media Holdings, parent of Crown Media International, is in talks with the Modi Entertainment Network (MEN) to set up an Indian joint venture for kid‘s channel, Kermit. Crown is exploring whether a relationship of this kind will help increase its distribution and advertising revenue.
Kermit has been distributed by MEN in India over the past year or so and more than 5,000 IRDs have been placed with cable operators to enable them to receive the encrypted service. The channel charges cable operators a carriage fee of around Re 1 per subscriber. Indian cable ops have also paid up advances for the IRDs.

Elsewhere in Asia, Crown has taken the decision to relaunch Kermit as a day part service on Hallmark, which is also being recast and reintroduced with a snazzier look and better packaging. Kermit will cease to be telecast as a separate 24 hour feed over Asia from 1 November.

The group of ministers on DTH - headed by home minister L.K. Advani - met once again on 30 October and said they had no reservations on giving it the go-ahead.

Since television comes under the purview of the information and broadcasting ministry, minister Sushma Swaraj and her team will prepare a note which is to be presented to the Union Cabinet for approval within a fortnight.

From current indications, it appears as if the GoM is in favour of a 49 per cent ownership cap, an open set top box regime, no specific need for broadcasters to go via the Prasar Bharati‘s service, and a licence fee.

The details will however become clearer over the next few days.

The old bugbear is finally out of the way. Ku-band direct to home television (DTH) looks set to get the go-ahead finally after a three year ban on sale of Ku-band reception equipment. The group of ministers on DTH - headed by home minister L.K. Advani - met twice yeterday to flesh out the issue, but couldn‘t come up with a final set of recommendations, though in principle they agreed that it should be cleared and presented to the cabinet for its approval.

Among those participating in Sunday‘s meeting were Advani, finance minister Yashwant Sinha, information technology minister Pramod Mahajan, information and broadcasting minister Sushma Swaraj, and the law minister Arun Jaitley.

The ministers were slated to be meeting at the time of writing and draw up a final set of recommendations. It is quite likely that they will recommend that DD be the main DTH operator in partnership with private companies. Additionally, it is expected to allow limited foreign pariticipation in DTH.

केरल व कर्नाटक के महिला सरपंचों के एक संगठन द्वारा कराए गए सर्वेक्षण में कुछ रोचक तथ्य सामने आए हैं. कुछ लोगों का यह विचार था कि महिला सरपंचों का नजरिया भ्रष्टाचार के विरुद्ध है तथा वे सरकार के कार्यक्रमों को पूरी तरह से लागू करती हैं. सर्वेक्षण में यह बात गलत साबित हुई तथा यह तथ्य सामने आया है कि महिलाएं भी धनलोलुप हैं. यदि हम इन सर्वेक्षणों को किनारे रख दें तो भी हम पाएंगे कि महिला और पुरुष सरपंचों में कोई खास अंतर नहीं है.

Media company UTV‘s Singapore subisdiary is in talks with state-owned broadcaster DD to promote its online initiative, ddindia.com in Singapore. UTV Chairman Ronnie Screwvala says that revenue sharing discussions are on to launch ddindia.com on the UTV-owned sharkstream.com, its streaming video portal. Screwvala refused to divulge any further details on what the revenue share is likely to be as nothing had been finalised as yet.
He, however, pointed out that sharkstream.com has a subscriber base of 90,000 subscribers in Singapore courtesy its linkup with the local broadband initiative there, Singapore One. UTV receives a part of the Sing$ 3 to $9 per month that Singapore One collects from each of its subs. "The arrangement is under review," points out Screwvala.

Currently, sharkstream.com webcasts 17 video channels and 70 audio channels. 180 hours of programming are available for pay per view access to subscribers. sharkstream.com has also recently launched via MSO GigaMedia in Taiwan, and plans an Indian launch this month.

Screwvala added that the UTV board had recently approved the prospectus for its proposed public issue, and expects to place it with Sebi withn three weeks. UTV hopes to launch the US$ 40 million (Rs 1,859 million) public issue in early January 2001, to fund its expansion plans.

Some 90 percent of the issue will be sold via the book building route, with 10 percent being offered to retail investors. The funds are slated to be utilised to add content at both UTV and its animation offshoot UTV Tons, the company‘s broadband projects and finally to reduce the its present debt.

The UTV IPO has been one of the most awaited in recent times. Announced about a year ago, it has yet to make its debut. Screwvala and his team have been threatening to unravel it almost every two months. But they have decided against it time and again thanks either to the Nasdaq downturn, or the fizzling of new economy stocks. Hopefully, UTV means business this time.

Zee Telefilms Ltd‘s organic channel, in planning for the past couple of years, has finally been given a name-Chakra and is being readied for a lauch.

The niche, "alternative lifestyle" channel‘s concept stems from the wealth of knowledge available in India of the country‘s past - scriptures, herbal medicine, organic farming, spiritualism, etc. Because of the increasing demand in the Western markets for ancient Indian values and products, the channel will initially target the US and UK markets. But very little film or TV content on ancient Indian knowledge is available. "Freshly produced programming in English" is being specially commissioned for the channel, says the head of Chakra, Alok Dutta.

The proposed channel will launch with a four hour band, after acquiring a three month bank of programming. Depending on the success of the English programming , and the demand, the programs could be dubbed in European and other languages. Although Dutta refused committing a firm launch date, because of competitive reasons, he hopes to launch soon. However, ZTL had committed at it‘s Annual General Meeting to launch at the end third quarter-early fourth quarter 2000.

As part of the business plan, the channel will transcend from sampling visual " knowledge to experience", by marketing a range of Ayurvedic, herbal and other products via e-commerce and alliances. Chakra is open to all kinds of alliances - content, carriage, distribution, sourcing and marketing. Dutta expects the channel to be "unique and sustainable."

Chakra‘s business model is pay subscription revenues from the UK and US markets , and e-commerce from products, and consultancy. Dutta said that ZTL will invest Rs 2000 million over three years and expects break even in five years.