The ongoing political stand-off between India and its neighbour has put paid to Sony Entertainment Television‘s plans to launch in Pakistan for the foreseeable future. But the launch of action channel AXN is very much on the cards.

Shantonu Aditya, senior vice president, franchise channels and distribution, SET India Ltd, said the English language action channel from Sony Pictures, which is part of the Sony Entertainment bouquet, is launching in Pakistan next month. Queried about the status of SET‘s launch plans, Aditya said it was tied to political temperatures between the two neighbours cooling down.

As per the original schedule, the Hindi language entertainment channel was to launch in Pakistan in December 2001. Distribution was being handled by Lahore-based Leo Communications for which the Sony was to be paid a minimum guaranteed amount aside from a revenue sharing arrangement that had been worked out.

Aditya said the distribution of set top boxes had been completed and as and when the air clears up, SET could star beaming with a a very short lag time. Aditya has been quoted as saying there are 6,000 headends in Pakistan and eight million cable and satellite homes.

Though Pakistan is not happening for the moment, SET‘s newest area of operations is Indonesia. SET began airing in the South East Asian country last month and is being distributed through a local company called Cabelvision. Plans for launch in the Philippines and Fiji are also on the anvil for which talks are still going on, Aditya said.

Sony Entertainment Television Pictures, which had bought the overseas distribution rights of Lagaan, can look forward to a boost in earnings with the Oscar nominations announced on Tuesday.
Lagaan has been nominated in the best foreign film category, and Sony and Columbia Tristar are set to reap the benefits of an Academy award nomination, which has come India‘s way after a long time. Cashing in on the nomination, Columbia Pictures, the distribution arm of Sony Pictures Entertainment, has been roped in to handle the global re-release of the Aamir Khan starrer, this time in overseas territories where even white viewers dominate. The film, released on 15 June 2001, was initially distributed by Sony Entertainment Television Pictures only in countries with a sizeable Indian population.

The first venture of Sony Entertainment Television Pictures, a division of SET, was Mission Kashmir, released worldwide in a record breaking number of cinemas (at that time) around the world in December 2000 and was featured in the all time Top 20 overseas Bollywood grossers.

Lagaan is a saga of triumph of hope over power, set against the backdrop of the British Raj. In its first weekend itself, the critically-acclaimed Lagaan entered the American charts (crowded with summer mega-movies like Tomb Raider, Shrek and Pearl Harbor) at an impressive number 15.

Ironically, the Indian channel that reaps the benefits of an increased Indian interest in the Oscars award ceremony on 25 March will be Star Movies, which will be telecasting the function live.

Meanwhile, Viacom‘s Nickelodeon has won a nomination for Best animated feature film of the year with Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius. Jimmy is Nickelodeon‘s first 3-D, computer graphics imagery (CGI) animated character. This is the first time the channel has developed a product that covers the idiot box, the big screen and the online component simultaneously. The TV series and the film are likely to make an Asia premiere soon.

It seems to be Sony‘s turn to ride the crest of the Balaji wave.

Kkusum and Kutumb, both family soaps from the Balaji stable have peaked at all time high TVRs of 10.2 and 8.3 respectively during the week ended 2 February, according to the channel. Quoting TAM figures, Sony says the channel has steadily consolidated its position in the 9 - 10 pm slot from October 2001, when the two serials went on air. The gradual phasing out of the once hugely popular Kaun Banega Crorepati on Star Plus coupled with the mass appeal of the staple Balaji fare seem to have combined to create a winning formula for Sony in the beginning of 2002.

While Kkusum is pitched as the extraordinary story of an ordinary girl and her family, Kutumb is touted as a fiery saga of a couple who get married for revenge. Kkusum goes on air at 9 pm on weekdays while Kutumb is aired Mondays to Thursdays at 9:30 pm. The channel is attempting to strengthen its prime time band by bringing in Dhadkan, a hospital series that airs Mondays to Wednesdays 8:30 pm.

Rivals Star Plus and Zee are mustering up their prime time fare as well. While Star has launched a slew of new shows from the New Year, Zee has also introduced new programmes across genres to bring in the audiences.

Comparative ratings during the week ended 2 February, 2002

Source: TAM Peoplemeter
Daypart: 2100-2159 Mon-Thu
TG: CS Females ABC 15+ years
Markets: Northwest

News channels are girding their loins as they get ready to fight for viewership during the assembly elections in four states scheduled this month.

While Sahara has already announced elaborate coverage plans, Aaj Tak, the channel that claims the top slot among news channels, too has unveiled a meticulous strategy it plans to deploy to ensure the best poll coverage.

The channel has devised a comprehensive strategy to bring the assembly live to the nation, say officials. Dubbed Aap Ka Faisla, the coverage has started on 24 January and will continue till counting culminates on 24 February.

According to the channel, the election programming initiative has been split into three parts. The pre-election coverage will encompass the campaigns and will cover factors that could influence the elections, through a half hour programme titled Voton Ka Bandar Bant, to be aired daily between 10:30 and 11 pm. The programme includes a psephological analysis and includes a pre poll survey done for the channel by C-Voter. Anchor Gaurav Banerjee and C-Voter‘s Yashwant Deshmukh, along with expert panels comprising Prabhu Chawla and other invitees will analyse the scenario on the basis of historical data. This will include regional trends, caste break-up and political parties involved. Aaj Tak has also created an exclusive Election Room for the purpose where all data are being explained with the help of maps and graphics, say channel sources.

The second phase will involve the actual election day coverage as well as the exit polls on 13, 14, 18 and 21 February. Chunav Ke Rang, a half hour programme, will attempt to convey the livelier aspects of the entire election exercise, including interviews with chief ministers, past and present, young aspirants in the fray and will touch upon subjects like the entry of criminals in politics, giving viewers an insight into the political games and strategies. The channel is also running a special profile section called Maharathi, which will profile the political careers of some of the key players in the fray.

On the day of the results, the channel will run a round-the-clock programme subtitled Chunav Ke Akhare Se. Studio guests, five OB vans placed at strategic locations and graphics for trends and results will be employed to make the live coverage interesting. The channel, a part of the India Today group well known for its indepth election coverage, has 12 complete units at important locations along with five OB vans; apart from the existing Aaj Tak bureau offices to cover the elections live. Satellite and landline connections are being put to maximum use, says the channel.