BRIEFS

BBC WORLD GETS INTO CANADA

BBC World has signed a carriage agreement with Canadian DTH service provider Belle ExpressVu under which it will be available as a 24 hour service for Canadian viewers. The service is being sampled for the first two months to all Belle ExpressVu subscribers after which it will be made part of a programming tier which subscribers can opt for. This is the first time that BBC World is getting 24 hour distribution in North America. Meanwhile, a BBC Online Poll on the world's greatest star of stage and cinema threw up a surprise when Indian star Amitabh Bachchan topped it, beating back stars like Laurence Olivier and Alec Guinness.

DD TO LAUNCH NEWS CHANNEL

State-owned broadcaster Doordarshan is burning the midnight oil in order to meet its set deadline to launch a news and current affairs channel on 15 August, India's Independence Day. The channel is to be patterned along the lines of BBC World with news bulletins on the hour. The network had earlier this year launched a limited hour daily sports channel called DD Sports.

INDIA TODAY GROUP SAYS NEWS CHANNEL PLAN DROPPED

The India Today group says it is no longer pursuing its plan to launch a news channel. Its management adds that while it had toyed with the idea, it dropped it the moment it found it unviable. It denied that it was negotiating with Thailand's Shinawatra Satellite for an equity partnership.

MEN STRIKES HINDUJA DEALS

Modi Entertainment Network (MEN) has struck a corporate arrangement with the Hinduja-run MSO InCablenet under which the latter will give carriage to The Kermit Channel and Hallmark on its systems in Mumbai. MEN chief executive Tony D'silva refused to divulge any financials but said that "Mumbai was the only corporate deal that we have struck. In other cities, we are striking deals with individual cable operators." He added that Encore Media which had agreed to collect carriage fees for 1.11 million ESPN subscribers (during the World Cup telecasts) from various headends in the InCablenet cable TV network had made its payments. Earlier, InCablenet used to pay MEN carriage fees for hardly 100,000 subscribers when its network is 10 times larger than that number. Meanwhile, following in the footsteps of Zee TV, the Hinduja-run In Network, has approached the ICICI for funding for its Rs 1,000 million plus direct to operator digital television project.

VSNL OPEN FOR DTH TIEUP WITH A FOREIGN PARTNER

The overseas communications carrier VSNL has set up a core team to help it foray into direct to home television services after broadcasting regulations are passed. It says it is scanning several countries for a foreign partner. Meanwhile, it has announced that it is setting up its fourth earth station in Bangalore soon. VSNL says it will thus be in a position to offer high speed global connectivity. It is also believed to be gearing up to provide cable-delivered Internet access in partnership with MSO Hathway Cable in Mumabi within a month. The company has been conducting trials in the city's commercial district and is to decide on pricing soon.

ISRO TO SIGN UP WITH ARIANESPACE FOR INSAT 3A LAUNCH

The Union Cabinet last week gave the go-ahed to the Indian Space Research Organisation's to finalise its contract for the launch of its Insat 3A satellite Arianespace. The launch, which will take place in mid-2000, will cost Isro Rs 3527.50 million.

HUGHES ESCORTS POCKETS GIANT V-SAT INSTALLATION CONTRACT

Hughes Escorts Communications has been selected by the Reserve Bank of India to connect more than 60,000 bank branches all over the country. The V-Sat provider will thus be responsible for the largest V-Sat network being set up worldwide.

CARTOON NETWORK DUBS FURTHER

The Cartoon Network s moving ahead with its localisation plans. It has extended its Hindi dubbed daily two-hour Toon Tamasha block further by introducing its own Cartoon Cartoons on dual Hindi/English audio tracks for two hours on weekdays and three hours on weekends. In addition to new seasons of original Cartoon Cartoons in English, popular Cartoon Network originals including Johnny Bravo, Dexter's Laboratory, The Powerpuff Girls, Ed, Edd N Eddy and What a Cartoon! Show are being made available in Hindi also.