NEW DELHI: Indian pubcaster Doordarshan is aggressively attempting to recover dues to shore up its bottomlines, while continuing to programme acquisitions of events held outside India.

The Commonwealth Games 2006 may be appearing a trifle distant, but DD has managed to swing a deal relating to Asian Games.

According to Prasar Bharati CEO KS Sarma, DD has acquired exclusive telecast rights of the Asian Games, to be held in Doha, for $ 400,000.

"Last time we had paid about $ 350,000 and the hike in the rights prices of Asian Games looks reasonable, unlike Commonwealth Games, for us," he added.

DD may have acquired the Asian Games, but its marketing still remains open to criticism. For example, in the case of Olympics, while world over TV networks made money through telecast, DD’s outflow was more than inflow of money.

NOTICES TO TV CHANNELS ON OLYMPICS FOOTAGES

That there is a bid to improve revenue collection comes through clearly from the news that DD has sent notices to most private sector satellite news channels to pay up for excess footages of Olympics used by them. Reason: DD had acquired the exclusive rights for the India region.

According to Sarma, “We have asked the private TV channels to pay up by 31 March, 2005 as the channels concerned have used excess of footage of the Olympics than what is allowed as per international norms for free use."

The total amount due to DD, or being sought to be recovered from private TV news channels, amounts to Rs 7 million.