Butchers of Sopore and Birmingham

Nine years of calm before icy storm

Kashmir turns crimson with blood of Pandits

AN UN-ISLAMIC KIDNAPPING AND CHAOS IN THE VALLEY

The illusion of azaadi and Kashmir’s historic deception

How Pak's terror policy evolved in Kashmir

Birth of social media jihadists, death of Article-370

Operation Sindoor: When Indian missiles rained on Pak terror parade

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<div class="itg-mosimage"><amp-img src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Fsites%2Fmedia2%2Findiatoday%2Fimages%2Fstories%2F1998August%2Fsatellitechannels1_082312105052.gif" alt="" height="425" width="650" class="" layout="responsive"></amp-img><p>Log on to the Zee TV website and you're emphatically told that the satellite television channel is "connecting people across the globe". Indeed, Asia has ceased to be the playground for Indian satellite channels. It's time to think big, time to go global. Western airwaves beckon, and there's hectic expansion activity, particularly into Europe and the US.<br><br>Sony, India's No. 2 satellite channel with a viewership of 13 million, for example, recently became the first channel from the subcontinent to be launched in the US. It is being distributed there by the Ethnic American Broadcast Company (EABC) on the DirecTV DTH platform, the nation's No. 1 digital TV service, with more than 3.6 million subscribers.</p><p>Zee has similar news. From July 15, the channel commenced its 24-hour telecast in the US, where it had been beaming for only two hours a day on the International Channel. Zee has tied up with DTH provider Echostar, which caters to about one million subscribers, and aims to net about 60,000 subscribers for itself. </p><p>Last heard, Vijay Amritraj had bagged the downlinking and distribution rights in North America for Doordarshan's international channel, DD International, but doors have been left open for other players to distribute the channel service in the region. </p><p>Meanwhile, Star Plus has plans of a tie-up with UK's Midlands Broadcasting Corporation to beam six hours of Star Plus fare and one hour of Channel V shows every day in Leicester, England. On a less ambitious note, MTV India recently concluded a deal with TV Maldives for terrestrial broadcast of MTV India feed.<br><br>The reason for the foreign march is obvious: to widen the market. In India, in the absence of subscription revenues (since the popular Hindi channels are free-to-air), TV is heavily dependent on advertisers. "The domestic market has got stuck, we're all fighting for the same advertisement pie," says Sony's Chief Executive Officer Kunal Dasgupta. "This is an effort to get the global money in."<br><br>There's another equally compelling reason. It offers a great opportunity to reach out to the NRIs and the South Asians craving for home. "South Asians, wherever they may be, have a strong attachment to their roots," says Sainath Iyer, Zee's vice-president (marketing). </p><p>The Zee network has been the prime mover in the international arena beaming to the UK, Europe, South Africa and Fiji for three years now. Zee, spanning about 40 countries in Asia, has been broadcasting across UK and Europe on the Astra 1Dsatellite and on Sky's DTH platform. The channel's largest market has been the UK, where it reaches more than 1.5 lakh households through cable networks or through DTH, with a total viewership of about a million.<br></p><div class="itemcenter"><amp-iframe height="62" title="" width="320" sandbox="allow-forms allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-top-navigation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation" allowfullscreen src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Fsites%2Findiatoday%2Fbanner%2Fpreferred-source-new.html%3Fv%3D1.014%5Cu0026native%3D1" class="mrBt15 preferred-source-banner"> </amp-iframe></div></p><p>Zee's mission of connecting Asians around the globe and bringing them closer to their roots was bound to be emulated. The estimated million strong Hindi-speaking populace and the two million Asians in the US are too huge to be ignored, both in terms of advertisement as well as subscription revenue. </p><p>Similarly, in the UK and Europe, the South Asian population is estimated to be in the region of four million, translating into a substantial advertisement and subscription figures. "The expatriates like somthing fresh from home and it's an effort to tap that market for some additional revenues," says Dasgupta.</p><p>There's suddenly a game of one-upmanship: if your rival does it, you have to do it better. Zee advanced the launch of its channel in the US from August 15 to July 15 so that Sony, which began telecast in June, may not steal a march over them. </p><p>The westward race gained tremendous momentum and urgency in March, when Sony extended its Sony Entertainment Television (set) channel franchise into the UK and Europe with the launch of set Asia, thereby carrying forward its channel war with rival Zee on to distant shores as well. "The rivalry will now be taken around the world," says Dasgupta.</p><p> Within two months of its UK launch, Sony claimed to have garnered 15,000 paying subscribers. The channel also saw its first European launch on May 22 riding on Denmark's largest cable operator, Tele Denmark. </p><p>On its part, Zee signed an agreement with NV-Caseme, Holland's largest cable company, reaching out to more than a million viewers. It started a trial run from
 July 1 and intends extending the Zee coverage to France. The channel 
has also received a letter of intent from Deutsche Telecom for 
telecasting its service in Germany and is negotiating with leading cable
 companies in Sweden as well.</p><table><tbody><tr><td></p><p><b>The go-global game is fiercely competitive, with channels devising ways to stay ahead of the others.</b></p></td></tr></tbody></table></p><p>Sony claims to be putting in "a few million dollars" in each of its UK and US operations and hopes to break even in a year with a target of 12,000 subscribers in the US and 22,000 in the UK. </p><p>The subscription rate for Sony's US operations is $15 (Rs 630) per subscriber per month, of which the channel will get $7 (Rs 294), while in the UK it is charging pounds 7.99 (Rs 560), of which it gets pounds 3 (Rs 210), with the rest going to the cable operator. The projected returns for the channel from each of its operations will be about $6 million (Rs 25.2 crore). </p><p>Zee makes about pounds 15 million (Rs 105 crore) from its UK operations of which about 80 per cent comes from subscriptions. It charges pounds 12 (Rs 840) per subscriber per month in the UK whereas in the US it charges $15 per month.<br><br>The fierce competition is also generating tremendous hype and hoopla. These channels are leaving no stones unturned to reach out to the viewers. One step in this direction has been the organisation of some high-profile events. Sony recently telecast the Diana Memorial cricket match from Lord's to catch viewers both in India and abroad and also to gain some clout. </p><p>Zee held the Midsummer Hungama concert with performances by the Pakistani band, Junoon, and the ADF (Asian Dub Foundation), one of the latest Asian bands to hit the top of the British charts. Zee also recently sent three of its shows-Close Up Antakshari, TVS Sa Re Ga Ma and Candico Ikke Pe Ikka for a shoot in London. Meanwhile, some episodes of Amanat too are likely to be shot in London.<br><br>But can the market support more than two major Hindi entertainment channels today? Star is more cautious than others on this front. It is not going abroad as a full-fledged channel but only as a software provider. "The cost of launching a channel runs into millions of pounds. We don't want to jump into the fray for the heck of it," explains Arrow Sinha Roy, the channel's spokesperson.<br><br>The programming mix will also need to be carefully worked out. Right now, it's the same soaps, comedies, game shows, film-based programmes and the ever reliable Hindi movies. But some of the recently introduced shows on Sony, like Channel Four's Bombay Blue and the special London episodes of Dekh Bhai Dekh, obviously target Asians in the UK. The channel also airs regular news bulletins on its UK service.<br><br>Zee TV in the US will initially broadcast the current programmes. But plans are afoot to produce original US-based programming specially aimed at younger, second-generation Indians. Zee has developed its own mix in the UK with Urdu programming from Pakistan and current affairs programmes from across the subcontinent. </p><p>Star has already done surveys to decide on the programming mix for its time-band on MBC. "We intend focusing on aspects other than Hindi films and melodrama," says Sinha Roy. Simultaneously, it will also help develop innovative local programmes which it might later bring over for telecast in India.<br><br>The ultimate aim of the broadcasters is entertainment without boundaries. The world of television, it would appear, is becoming a veritable global village.<br></p><div id="tab-link-wrapper-plugin"><div class="authors__container"><div class="authors__by"><div class="authlable">Published By: </div><div class="authdetaisl">AtMigration </div></div><div class="published__on"><div class="authlable">Published On: </div><div class="authdetaisl">Jun 10, 1998</div></div></div><div class="sendros">--- ENDS ---</div></div></div>

society-and-the-arts

Society & The Arts

<div class="itg-mosimage"><div class="itgimage"><img  title=""  class="" alt="" src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Fsites%2Fmedia2%2Findiatoday%2Fimages%2Fstories%2F1998August%2Fsatellitechannels1_082312105052.gif" loading="lazy" /></div><p>Log on to the Zee TV website and you're emphatically told that the satellite television channel is "connecting people across the globe". Indeed, Asia has ceased to be the playground for Indian satellite channels. It's time to think big, time to go global. Western airwaves beckon, and there's hectic expansion activity, particularly into Europe and the US.<br><br>Sony, India's No. 2 satellite channel with a viewership of 13 million, for example, recently became the first channel from the subcontinent to be launched in the US. It is being distributed there by the Ethnic American Broadcast Company (EABC) on the DirecTV DTH platform, the nation's No. 1 digital TV service, with more than 3.6 million subscribers.</p><p>Zee has similar news. From July 15, the channel commenced its 24-hour telecast in the US, where it had been beaming for only two hours a day on the International Channel. Zee has tied up with DTH provider Echostar, which caters to about one million subscribers, and aims to net about 60,000 subscribers for itself. </p><p>Last heard, Vijay Amritraj had bagged the downlinking and distribution rights in North America for Doordarshan's international channel, DD International, but doors have been left open for other players to distribute the channel service in the region. </p><p>Meanwhile, Star Plus has plans of a tie-up with UK's Midlands Broadcasting Corporation to beam six hours of Star Plus fare and one hour of Channel V shows every day in Leicester, England. On a less ambitious note, MTV India recently concluded a deal with TV Maldives for terrestrial broadcast of MTV India feed.<br><br>The reason for the foreign march is obvious: to widen the market. In India, in the absence of subscription revenues (since the popular Hindi channels are free-to-air), TV is heavily dependent on advertisers. "The domestic market has got stuck, we're all fighting for the same advertisement pie," says Sony's Chief Executive Officer Kunal Dasgupta. "This is an effort to get the global money in."<br><br>There's another equally compelling reason. It offers a great opportunity to reach out to the NRIs and the South Asians craving for home. "South Asians, wherever they may be, have a strong attachment to their roots," says Sainath Iyer, Zee's vice-president (marketing). </p><p>The Zee network has been the prime mover in the international arena beaming to the UK, Europe, South Africa and Fiji for three years now. Zee, spanning about 40 countries in Asia, has been broadcasting across UK and Europe on the Astra 1Dsatellite and on Sky's DTH platform. The channel's largest market has been the UK, where it reaches more than 1.5 lakh households through cable networks or through DTH, with a total viewership of about a million.<br></p><div class="itemcenter"><iframe scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="62" awidth="320" aheight="62" amplayout="fixed" src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Fsites%2Findiatoday%2Fbanner%2Fpreferred-source-new.html%3Fv%3D1.014" class="preferred-source-banner" loading="lazy"></iframe></div><style>.preferred-source-banner{  margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom:10px;}</style></p><p>Zee's mission of connecting Asians around the globe and bringing them closer to their roots was bound to be emulated. The estimated million strong Hindi-speaking populace and the two million Asians in the US are too huge to be ignored, both in terms of advertisement as well as subscription revenue. </p><p>Similarly, in the UK and Europe, the South Asian population is estimated to be in the region of four million, translating into a substantial advertisement and subscription figures. "The expatriates like somthing fresh from home and it's an effort to tap that market for some additional revenues," says Dasgupta.</p><p>There's suddenly a game of one-upmanship: if your rival does it, you have to do it better. Zee advanced the launch of its channel in the US from August 15 to July 15 so that Sony, which began telecast in June, may not steal a march over them. </p><p>The westward race gained tremendous momentum and urgency in March, when Sony extended its Sony Entertainment Television (set) channel franchise into the UK and Europe with the launch of set Asia, thereby carrying forward its channel war with rival Zee on to distant shores as well. "The rivalry will now be taken around the world," says Dasgupta.</p><p> Within two months of its UK launch, Sony claimed to have garnered 15,000 paying subscribers. The channel also saw its first European launch on May 22 riding on Denmark's largest cable operator, Tele Denmark. </p><p>On its part, Zee signed an agreement with NV-Caseme, Holland's largest cable company, reaching out to more than a million viewers. It started a trial run from
 July 1 and intends extending the Zee coverage to France. The channel 
has also received a letter of intent from Deutsche Telecom for 
telecasting its service in Germany and is negotiating with leading cable
 companies in Sweden as well.</p><table style="margin-left: 8px; background-color: rgb(229, 229, 229);" align="right" border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="3" height="73" width="201"><tbody><tr><td scope="" style="" dir="" id="" align="" lang="" valign="top" xml:lang=""></p><p><b style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">The go-global game is fiercely competitive, with channels devising ways to stay ahead of the others.</b></p></td></tr></tbody></table></p><p>Sony claims to be putting in "a few million dollars" in each of its UK and US operations and hopes to break even in a year with a target of 12,000 subscribers in the US and 22,000 in the UK. </p><p>The subscription rate for Sony's US operations is $15 (Rs 630) per subscriber per month, of which the channel will get $7 (Rs 294), while in the UK it is charging pounds 7.99 (Rs 560), of which it gets pounds 3 (Rs 210), with the rest going to the cable operator. The projected returns for the channel from each of its operations will be about $6 million (Rs 25.2 crore). </p><p>Zee makes about pounds 15 million (Rs 105 crore) from its UK operations of which about 80 per cent comes from subscriptions. It charges pounds 12 (Rs 840) per subscriber per month in the UK whereas in the US it charges $15 per month.<br><br>The fierce competition is also generating tremendous hype and hoopla. These channels are leaving no stones unturned to reach out to the viewers. One step in this direction has been the organisation of some high-profile events. Sony recently telecast the Diana Memorial cricket match from Lord's to catch viewers both in India and abroad and also to gain some clout. </p><p>Zee held the Midsummer Hungama concert with performances by the Pakistani band, Junoon, and the ADF (Asian Dub Foundation), one of the latest Asian bands to hit the top of the British charts. Zee also recently sent three of its shows-Close Up Antakshari, TVS Sa Re Ga Ma and Candico Ikke Pe Ikka for a shoot in London. Meanwhile, some episodes of Amanat too are likely to be shot in London.<br><br>But can the market support more than two major Hindi entertainment channels today? Star is more cautious than others on this front. It is not going abroad as a full-fledged channel but only as a software provider. "The cost of launching a channel runs into millions of pounds. We don't want to jump into the fray for the heck of it," explains Arrow Sinha Roy, the channel's spokesperson.<br><br>The programming mix will also need to be carefully worked out. Right now, it's the same soaps, comedies, game shows, film-based programmes and the ever reliable Hindi movies. But some of the recently introduced shows on Sony, like Channel Four's Bombay Blue and the special London episodes of Dekh Bhai Dekh, obviously target Asians in the UK. The channel also airs regular news bulletins on its UK service.<br><br>Zee TV in the US will initially broadcast the current programmes. But plans are afoot to produce original US-based programming specially aimed at younger, second-generation Indians. Zee has developed its own mix in the UK with Urdu programming from Pakistan and current affairs programmes from across the subcontinent. </p><p>Star has already done surveys to decide on the programming mix for its time-band on MBC. "We intend focusing on aspects other than Hindi films and melodrama," says Sinha Roy. Simultaneously, it will also help develop innovative local programmes which it might later bring over for telecast in India.<br><br>The ultimate aim of the broadcasters is entertainment without boundaries. The world of television, it would appear, is becoming a veritable global village.<br></p><div id="tab-link-wrapper-plugin"><div class="authors__container"><div class="authors__by"><div class="authlable">Published By: </div><div class="authdetaisl">AtMigration </div></div><div class="published__on"><div class="authlable">Published On: </div><div class="authdetaisl">Jun 10, 1998</div></div></div><div class="sendros">--- ENDS ---</div></div></div>

With the NRI's nostalgia for home assuring a ready market, Indian television channels leave the home turf to jostle for a piece of the global pie.

India Today

Westward bound - India Today

Indian television channels leave home turf to jostle for a piece of the global pie

Westward bound

The 15-metre-high tank, part of a Rs 21-crore water supply project, gave way while being tested at full capacity with nearly nine lakh litres of water on Tuesday.

Surat water tank collapse

7 arrested after Surat water tank collapses; contractors, officials under lens

Taylor Swift has been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame as one of its youngest members in history. The 36-year-old submitted All Too Well (10 Minute Version), Blank Space, Anti-Hero, Love Story and The Last Great American Dynasty for her successful nomination.


Taylor Swift to be inducted as second youngest member into Songwriters Hall of Fame

Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift to be inducted as second-youngest member into Songwriters Hall of Fame

The Bharatiya Janata Party convened its first Central Office Bearers’ Meeting under National President Nitin Nabin in New Delhi, focusing on electoral readiness, organisational strategies, and outreach initiatives.

BJP declares Nitin Nabin new party president

BJP holds first central office bearers' meet under new boss Nitin Nabin

Urban development experts attribute the low ridership primarily to limited connectivity and long gaps between two metro services. Persistent low passenger numbers even forced the Metro Corporation to revise its schedule within just 14 days of launch.

Bhopal Metro service to begin today: Routes, stations and key features explained

Long wait, 1,290 passengers daily: Bhopal Metro limps after 1-month commercial run

The woman's condition started deteriorating just a day after a sterilisation procedure. She was initially brought to Sehore hospital and was subsequently referred to Bhopal, where she died during treatment.

Sehore negligence case

Scissors found from ashes of Madhya Pradesh woman who died days after surgery

Play Time!

Donald Trump

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Jaipur Literature Festival

WPL 2026

AR Rahman

Budget

United States President Donald Trump, who addressed the World Economic Forum in Davos, said that he loves Europe, but it's not heading in the right direction.

I love Europe, but it's not heading in right direction: Trump at Davos

Gita Gopinath, Indian-American economist and Professor of Economics at Harvard University, shares her insights on Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's remarks on shifting global economic order during the World Economic Forum in Davos and dealing with tariffs. 

Gita

Movie isn't over: Gita Gopinath on Trump tariffs and Carney's speech

At World Economic Forum (WEF) Roundtable in Davos, India Today Group Vice-Chairperson and Executive Editor-in-Chief Kalli Purie moderated a session on India's growth story.

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WEF Roundtable: Can India become the third-largest economy? Experts weigh in

In this Special Report, we focus on the retirement of veteran NASA astronaut Sunita Williams after an illustrious 27-year career. Speaking in New Delhi, Williams described her visit to India as a 'homecoming', reflecting on her deep personal ties to the country where her father was born. During an interactive session, she shared profound life lessons from her time aboard the International Space Station, noting, 'Every person I know is there. Every animal, every plant, everything we know is there, and we're all on this one planet.' Williams, who completed three missions and set multiple human spaceflight records, emphasized how viewing Earth from orbit changes one's perception of global differences. The retired astronaut also met with the family of late fellow astronaut Kalpana Chawla during her stay in the national capital. The programme highlights her historic contributions to space exploration and her reflections on humanity's shared home.

Sunita Williams: Being In India Is Homecoming

Sunita Williams retires from Nasa after 27 years, calls India visit a 'homecoming'

This report highlights a major embarrassment for Pakistan's Defence Minister, Khawaja Asif, who inaugurated an unauthorised Pizza Hut outlet in his constituency of Sialkot.

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Indian television channels leave home turf to jostle for a piece of the global pie

With the NRI's nostalgia for home assuring a ready market, Indian television channels leave the home turf to jostle for a piece of the global pie.

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