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DD WOULD LIKE DIGITAL TRANSMISSIONS
Doordarshan engineering chief B.K. De says
that the national broadcaster is likely to start a couple
of pilot projects for digital terrestrial broadcasting in
the next financial year. A government committee has recommended
that DD should switch over to digital terrestrial transmissions.
HIGH COURT CURBS TELEVISION RATING AGENCY
A Calcutta high court has issued an ad interim
order against television rating system TAM prohibiting it
from rating any TV programmes. The court has also restrained
Zee TV from pulling a Hindi series, Ghar Jamai (Resident son-in-law),
off the channel. The series producer had approached the court
seeking that it stop Zee TV from calling off the telecast
of his series. Zee TV had threatened to take the series off
the airwaves as it had failed to generate enough TAM viewer
ratings.
Zee TV has decided to appeal against the court's decision.
At the time of writing, TAM had yet to receive the court order
restraining it from rating TV programs.
Zee TV has been waging a battle with TAM as its ratings have
shown its programs in poor light as compared to rival rating
agency INTAM. The TV company has in fact questioned the existence
of two television rating agencies and has said that both should
merge.
CARTOON NETWORK TO PIGGYBACK CRICKET
Cartoon Network is scheduled to organise 'Toon
Cricket' in both Mumbai and Delhi next month. Reputed cricketers
will play mock cricket matches alongside Cartoon characters
such as Scooby Doo and Dexter, and children. The channel management
is also scheduled to hold cricket clinics in a bid to piggyback
ride on the popularity the game has in India. Cartoon Network
has been testing its digital signal and is expected to encrypt
its service sometime in March.
ESPN RETRACTS MEN STATEMENT; CABLE OPERATORS
ASKED TO PAY UP DUES
ESPN Software India managing director R.K.
Singh says that the channel has taken no view on discontinuing
its distribution agreement with Modi Entertainment Network
when it expires in 2000. "We have build our own distribution
capabilities but we will take a decision only after the contract
expires," he says.
The channel has, meanwhile, received a boost of sorts with
the monopolies and restrictive trade practices watchdog, the
MRTPC, asking cable operators in Indore (in the central Indian
state of Madhya Pradesh) to cough up all dues for the subscription
service. The Cable Operators Cooperative Society of Indore
had approached the MRTPC complaining that ESPN had switched
off their decoders needed to receive ESPN. The watchdog has
instructed ESPN to resume the service to defaulting cable
operators within 48 hours of their clearing their contractually-agreed
dues.
MTV PROMOTES ICON
MTV is extending its promo featuring an elevator attendant
into an extensive marketing campaign covering print and outdoor
media. Last year, the MTV creative team had created a promo
featuring an aged brooken-toothed liftman (as elevator attendants
are called in India) who ridicules the veejays on the channel
and pokes fun at them. The liftman has achieved icon status
amongst the youth since then and MTV wants to extend that
further.
AGRICULTURE MINISTRY MOOTS TV CHANNEL
The agriculture ministry is considering launching TV and
radio channels to telecast news and information relating to
agriculture. The ministry has proposed that the channels be
introduced under DD and All India Radio.
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