| MUMBAI:
With a month to go for the Oscar Awards, Star Movies, which will air the event
live, has a slew of plans to attract viewers for the event. The
Oscar Awards will be aired live on 8 March 2010 at 6.30 am with a repeat at 8:30
pm. Star
Movies senior VP programming Jyotsna Viriyala says that the channel will update
viewers with the latest news on Oscars through special programming modules. "There
is also an Oscar Fever initiative that will kick off on 8 February," Viriyala
avers. Oscar
Fever is a movie festival. Every Monday and Tuesday, fans can catch an Oscar winning
film after the 9 pm movie. Movies like Braveheart and Michael Clayton will air
in the 11 pm slot every Monday and Tuesday this month till the Grand Finale Event
on 8 March. Viriyala
adds that this year the channel is going the extra mile. "We have already
started the roll out of Oscar activity on the channel. We are airing capsules
that showcase Oscar legends. Our aim was to get viewers initiated into the process.
Next, we will start airing vignettes that showcase the nominees in the major categoris
like film, director, actor etc." Going
forward, the channel will also have special segments with interviews of Indians
who have previously attended the Oscars. In addition, there will be comments and
views of film critics on who has a good chance to win this year.
Moreover,
a week before the main event, the channel will have an anchored compilation of
the major contenders, which will include a film critic giving his/her predictions
on the winners. This show ‘And the Oscar Goes to…’ will air on
28 February at 8.30 pm. Viriyala adds that LG is the presenting sponsor. Other
deals are being firmed up. Last
year, the channel saw a spike in the ratings as Slumdog Millionaire won. This
year there is no Indian element. So
how would this impact viewership? Viriyala notes that while the channel does
not expect a big spike like last year, it does not expect a big drop either. "Our
audiences are becoming increasingly aware, thanks to the exposure that they get
from various media or by interacting with their peers whose interest in such content
is high." | 
