REVAMPING ZEE INDIA TV; STAR PLUS GETS MORE LOCAL

The Zee Network is revamping its news and current affairs channel Zee India TV. The channel is to get a new look with the programming getting a lot more entertainment feel, a Zee TV spokesperson reveals. Zee India TV has failed to deliver on the advertising front and has been used by the Zee Network as a vehicle for bonus spots offered to advertisers who opt for Zee TV.

A local newspaper says Zee India TV has been losing Rs 20 million every month. The programming team within the Zee Network wants to revamp Zee India TV and make it a channel, which will hold its own in the marketplace.

Media barons Subhash Chandra and Rupert Murdoch jointly own Zee India TV. The local newspaper says that it is Chandra who has insisted on a new look for the channel. The Star TV Network on the other hand is gradually increasing the amount of time that it is devoting to local Hindi programming on Star Plus which made its debut as a basic pay TV service on 1 November. Compared to a small prime time band of around two to two-and-a-half hours of Hindi programming daily, Star Plus is airing around five-six hours of local fare now. The management is slated to announce a clutch of new Hindi programs by next week. This apart a substantial chunk of its programming time is being utilised to air blockbuster Hindi films over the weekends a tack that had been used successfully by Sony Entertainment earlier.

Star Plus' decision to air a Hindi movie titled Ghulam caused controversy amongst Bollywood's distributors as the film was broadcast on a satellite channel within six months of theatrical release. In India, film producers-distributors have stipulated that a six-month window from the date of theatrical release has to be maintained before a movie can be aired on a satellite TV channel.