MUMBAI: The Indian cricket board has approved Star India?s purchase of the media rights for international cricket played in India for a period of six years till 2018.

Star India had last month sprung a major surprise by bagging the BCCI media rights for Rs 38.51 billion, beating Multi Screen Media which had bid Rs 37 billion. Interestingly, ESPN Star Sports, the equal joint venture between Star and ESPN, did not bid.

"The BCCI working committee ratified the grant of media rights to Star India Pvt. Ltd. for the next six years - 2012 to 2018," BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale said in a media statement.

The WC has also recommended inclusion of a Pakistani team in Champions League Twenty20 tournament, a move aimed at attracting eyeballs. ESPN Star Sports holds the rights for a period of ten years till 2017, paying a whopping $975 million.

The Champions League T20 Governing Council will look into the recommendations of the working committee.

The move comes three years after the 26/11 terror attacks, which led to a break-up of bi-lateral cricketing ties between the two countries.

A Pakistani team, Sialkot Stallions, was expected to participate in the inaugural edition of CL T20. However, the terror attacks led to the exclusion of Pakistan from the tournament.

"The Working Committee has decided to invite a team from Pakistan to play in Champions League Twenty20 to be held in October," BCCI president N Srinivasan told reporters after the Board?s working committee meeting.

Srinivasan said the recommendation will be forwarded to CLT20 Governing Council for the approval of Cricket Australia, and Cricket South Africa, who are also founding members of the tournament.

"We will recommend to the GC that the BCCI has no objection and is prepared to invite a Pakistan team in the Champions League," he added.

Modeled on the lines of Football?s Champions League, CL T20 draws teams from India, Australia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies, and New Zealand. Teams that win their respective national T20 competition qualify for the tournament.

The inaugural edition of the competition featured 12 sides from seven nations and was held in India. In 2010, CLT20 moved to South Africa where 10 sides from six nations locked horns at four venues.

Last year, the tournament returned to India with a pre-tournament qualifier with six teams facing off in a qualifier in Hyderabad. The three top teams from qualifiers joined seven already confirmed teams making it a 10-team tournament.

MUMBAI: Life OK, the Hindi general entertainment channel from Star India stable, is launching a new fiction ?Aasman Se Aagey? on 23 April.

The show will air every Monday to Friday at 10.30 pm.

The show is an effort to lift the veil of glamour of talent shows and to reveal the cut throat competition in the reality TV world. It will show the pressure and the hastened mental metamorphosis of contestants from toddlers to adolescents to adults, the channel said.

Life OK GM Ajit Thakur said, "Aasmaan Se Aagey gives you a front row seat to the behind-the-curtains world of talent shows to see and determine for yourselves what?s important in life, fame or dignity? Nothing could?ve come closer to conveying our philosophy than this show. It?ll for sure leave you contemplating about the good things that surround in life without our having to look for it: for example, our family."

Aasmaan Se Aagey brings forth the ?reality of reality show? through the journey of a young girl, Meenaxi. A dancer by profession she dreams big and comes to Mumbai to participate in a reality show.

MUMBAI: Life OK, the newly launched Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) from Star India stable, is launching a new fiction property in the 8.20 pm band.

Amrit Manthan will premiere on 26 February and air every Sunday to Saturday. Named Amrit Manthan, the show will highlight the importance of a strong value system and familial ties than riches and social status.

To accommodate the show, the channel is shifting the 8.20 pm show Smile Please to 10.40 pm. Also, the channel has decided to run Amrit Manthan for 40 minutes in the first week. In order to adjust, 8.40 pm show Tum Dena Saath Mera will take a break for one week.

Amrit Manthan is a royal drama set in Punjab and is based on the story of two sisters, Amrit and Nimrit, who regress from being best friends to the worst of enemies, an animosity that is sparked by a dwindling dynasty, a facade of royal wealth and excessive pride and greed.

Life OK GM Ajit Thakur says, ?Life OK has always prided itself in creating unique and engaging content for the viewers that is also very relatable. In keeping with this promise, Amrit Manthan truly stands out against the various sibling stories on television as this show highlights the ?rivalry? between two sisters a huge contrast to the usual ?bonding? that has formed the crux of many stories. The show also attempts to bring to fore the imbalances of life, highlighting how excessive pride and greed leads to ruined relationships.?

The channel said that Amrit Manthan highlights a very key problem of today?s imbalanced life ? that excessive pride and greed can ruin relationships. It displays the gnawing importance given to wealth and social status by society today.

Amrit Manthan is produced by Rajan Shahi Productions that is known for its production values and story-telling vision.

Life OK runs all the shows everyday with an average episode running time of 20 minutes, unlike other GECs.

MUMBAI: English GEC Star World has announced that for the first time it will air an international show before its global launch.

?Missing?, an espionage drama, kicks off on 12 March at 9 pm. The series will launch simultaneously on both Star World and Star Movies.

The show stars Ashley Judd, Sean Bean and Cliff Curtis.

The show revolves around Becca Winstone, played by Judd, who is in search of her missing son. It soon becomes clear that this isn?t any ordinary woman, but a former CIA agent who will stop at nothing to bring her son home alive. There are exotic locations and thrilling twists in ?Missing?.

Star India GM, senior VP, English channels Saurabh Yagnik said, "It has been our constant endeavor to bring new Hollywood shows to India to match their date and time in the US. As leaders in the category, we are proud to host the world television premiere of Hollywood?s biggest show Missing in India, four days before the US. This initiative is bound to reaffirm our commitment to our viewers and boost Star World?s perception as the ultimate destination for fresh Hollywood shows."

The broadcaster is using the digital medium for marketing activities.