BRIEFS

TAMIL CABLE TV POLITICS

The AIADMK party has alleged that the Sun TV Network - which can trace its ownership to the ruling DMK party in Tamil Nadu - is using intimidatory tactics to take control of the cable TV networks in the state. Some 3,000 cable networks are operating in Tamil Nadu and AIADMK had itself made efforts to consolidate small cable operations when it was in power in the state a couple of years ago. It had even set up a couple of major headends in the state capital Chennai but it could do nothing with them when it lost at the state elections.

ZEE CINEMA ALSO FOR EUROPEAN LAUNCH

Zee Cinema, the 50:50 joint venture 24 hour Hindi movie TV channel between Star TV and Zee TV, is also to be included in the Zee Network bouquet, which is to be beamed into Europe and Africa. Last week, Zee TV international head Bhaskar Majumdar had said that Zee India TV and Music Asia are to be launched in Europe on completion of the digitalisation process of the Zee TV Network in India.

VATSA TELEVISION TO LAUNCH

Vatsa Corp, which is one of the companies with the most investor grievances listed against it, is launching a music channel off Apstar 11R. Vatsa Television Network will be a 24 hour Hindi music channel targeted at youth between 15 and 45 years. The company says it will launch another two television channels - Vatsa Education and Vatsa Movies - in future.

FICTION SERIES CAUSES CONCERN

State-owned broadcaster Doordarshan is commissioning a study of the effects of Shaktiman, a TV series about a super Indian hero along the lines of Superman, on the minds of children. At least four children have intentionally injured themselves in the hope that Shaktiman would come and rescue them. Organisations have been asking DD to take the serial off the airwaves.

FIRE: CLEARED FOR RELEASE

The Shiv Sena political party, which had launched a campaign to take the controversial film Fire off Indian cinema screens, has given the distributors the go-ahead to release the movie in the state. Fire will once again hit the silver screen on 26 February.

ASIANET FLAGS OFF MALAYALAM CINEMA AWARDS

Malayalam television channel Asianet has introduced the Johnson's Asianet Film Awards 1998. The channel has drawn up 14 categories of awards to honour the greatness in Malayalam cinema.