STAR TV INDIA: TUSSLE AT THE TOP

A struggle for power is on at the senior-most levels in Star TV India. Last fortnight, reports were that Rupert Murdoch had given three senior executives, who had been handpicked by chief executive, R. Basu, marching orders, and that he had sidelined him by appointing him as chairman of News Television India (NTVI), with responsibility for the DTH project. NTVI ad sales head Peter Mukherjea was designated as NTVI CEO, which presumably brought all the Star TV India channels under him. Sameer Nair, who has in charge of acquisitions and of Star Movies, would head the programming function. This effectively was being seen as a comedown for Basu as he had failed to drum up profits for the Star TV Network, despite huge investments being poured into programming.

A week later, however, the scenario is looking quite different, indicating that Basu has fought his way back and gained some more power. He has brought the news and current affairs division (N&CA -- mainly the Star News channel and news bulletins on Star Plus) directly under his control, apart from DTH. The DTH division is currently headed by executive director Urmilla Gupta, while programming for the N&CA division is the responsibility of Indira Mansingh, both of who are Basu candidates and report to him.

Mukherjea has been left with the entertainment division, which includes Star Plus, Star World, and Star Movies. This apart, he will also have the task of heading the airtime sales and distribution function of all Indian Star TV channels, including Star News. As CEO, corporate support functions such as legal, corporate finance, HRD, and PR also come under him.

Industry experts, however, indicate that even this structure will not hold up for long. They believe that Basu was retained mainly because he has been at the helm of the Indianisation of the Star TV bouquet and has had dealings with producers and the government. They point out that his role in the day-to-day running of the Star TV network in India is likely to diminish gradually. Some even believe that he is unlikely to be around at Star TV six months down the line.