BRIEFS

TAINTED DD SENIOR OFFICIAL RAIDED AGAIN

The Central Bureau of Intelligence (CBI) swooped in on suspended DD deputy director general M.B. Pahari's residence in Calcutta and reportedly recovered cash and incriminating documents last week. Earlier this month, the CBI had found a cash and asset hoard totaling Rs 18 million at Pahari's residence in New Delhi. Since then, he has been remanded to judicial custody.

ESPN DOES SOME CRICKET FACE-SAVING

In a bid to deflect some of the limelight from DD - which acquired the cricket telecast rights of all Indian cricket matches held in India - ESPN-Star Sports announced last week that it had acquired the rights to telecast international and domestic cricket in England and to international cricket in the West Indies till the year 2002. Besides, it said that it had bagged the rights to telecast next week's Toronto Cricket Festival and the Kenya LG Cup.

BSES TELECOM TO OFFER INTERNET SERVICES

BSES Telecom, a subsidiary of the electricity utility, BSES is to launch Internet access services in Mumbai in the last quarter of 1999. It hopes to attract around 25,000 subscribers in its first year of operations.

DISHNET SCOUTS FOR FOREIGN ALLIES

Internet Service Provider Dishnet - promoted by C. Sivasankaran - is looking for foreign investors to take up a 49% equity stake in the company. It offers Internet access services in Chennai and Pune and is readying for its Mumbai and Delhi next month. Dihsnet is also expected to launch in Hyderabad, Calcutta, Ahmedabad and Bangalore in the near future.

DISNEY TAKES ON MURDOCH WITH ONLINE SOCCER SITE

Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, which recently launched a soccer portal is in for some competition from Disney with the latter's Buena Vista Internet Group acquiring a 60% stake in a UK-based company that runs Soccernet, one of the most popular football portals worldwide. Soccernet is to join the ESPN website at espn.com next month with the launch of the American football season.

MSO INTRODUCES CLASSIFIED ADS

IN Cable, the Hinduja-run cable TV network has started accepting classified ads for its IN Mumbai cable TV service. A network of advertisement collection centres has been set up for the classified ads.

CNN GETS WEATHER FRIENDLY

CNN International (CNNI) introduced a new look weather service on 30 August. New presenters, innovative graphics, and region-specific weather news and forecast feeds are all part of the weather service relaunch that the management has announced. Four international presenters, from Argentina, the United Kingdom, Nicaragua and Canada have joined the new weather service with an additional three to be hired by the end of the year.
"Our audience expects the most timely and accurate weather forecasts available. With the new regionally-focused weather service produced and presented by a weather team whose expertise spans the globe, CNN International will now achieve this," says Chris Cramer, President of CNN International.

BBC GETS ADVERTISING SAVVY

Come 1 September, and the joint marketing campaign by BBC World television and BBC World Service radio will start its blitz. The campaign is primarily targeted at international business travellers, cable operators and local radio and television stations in three key markets: Europe (The Netherlands, Germany, France, Scandinavia and Belgium), India and East Asia (Hong Kong and Singapore). A series of ads are to be place in pan-regional press, in-flight media, airport poster sites and website advertising to demonstrate how accessible BBC news is. The campaign devised by The Works Consultancy has the advertising strapline: "Get as close to the news as we do.", Titles such as the FT, International Herald Tribune and The Economist, together with airlines such as BA, SAS and KLM are included in the campaign the media planning for which has been managed by The Media Edge.

Meanwhile, BBC World's
new Website http://www.bbcworld.com is to be launched on 6 September.

EVENTS

MTV & Planet M Music Forum
17 September 1999.
Taj Mahal Hotel, Mumbai.

Casbaa '99
1-3 December 1999.
Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong. Email contact: guan@aic-asia.com

Mip Asia incorporating Cable & Satellite Asia 99 8-10 December 1999.
Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Centre, Singapore