For the flagship channel of the Star network, it could be a tall order retaining a hold on audiences in the 9 PM slot after 9 January. But lest it be said that the channel is not trying its best, Star is lining up a variety of new shows on all bands to keep those fickle viewers from reaching for the remote.  strong line up of soaps is waiting to be unleashed on the channel as the year draws to a close. The channel has also packed in telecasts of a variety of events to ensure that the TRPs remain on a high.

The strongest weapon in Star‘s arsenal is Kamzor Kadii Kaun, the Indian cousin of BBC‘s The Weakest Link, which will be Star‘s Christmas gift to viewers. Beginning 25 December at 9 PM, Neena Gupta takes on a bunch of participants in a keen battle for intellectual survival and a prize kitty of Rs 2.5 million. Siddharth Basu directs the show produced by BBC Worldwide in association with Star India.

Wednesdays 9 PM will be taken over by Sanjivani, a Cinevista Communications creation set around hospital life and the lives of four young doctors, and loosely structured like the hugely popular US show, ER. Beginning 16 January, the serial is directed by Kaushik Ghatak, and stars Mohnish Behl, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Rajiv Verma and Daisy Irani.

KBC Junior at 10 am on Sundays will be replaced by Bol Baby Bol, a show on which 10 children get to ask questions while adults guess the answers. Hosted by Manoj Pawa, it is an adaptation of Small Talk, produced by Freemantle India.

Immediately following on from 10:30 to 11 am there is Yehi Hai Right Price, a game show that begins 6 January. The format for this one has been picked up from a successful original, The Price is Right. Host Ronit Roy invites participants from among the audience to test their consumer knowledge and walk away with a host of products. Remember Tol Mol Ke Bol hosted by Ritu Raj on Zee TV a couple of years ago anyone?

A talk show, Kashmakash also makes its debut on 4 January at 3 PM Anchored by Renuka Shahane and written by Sathya Saran, the programme deals with marital and other problems, with experts providing solutions. Also in line is Wajood, a four part series directed by Sukhwant Dhadda that kicks off on 3 January at 8 PM Set in Punjab, it weaves a story of family feuds, misunderstandings and revenge. It stars Kanwaljit Singh, Ashish Chowdhary and Shraddha Nigam.

Saturday noons from 5 January will be dominated by the three headstrong protagonists of Eeena Meena Deeka, a whacky sitcom about three single women who hate to believe it‘s a man‘s world and are out to change it. This one boasts of Reena Roy, Anita Raaj and Asha Sachdev in lead roles. All three are filmstars from the eighties era who are now trying to make their presence felt on TV.

Star Plus has also filled in all the Sundays of January 2002 with proposed telecasts of glamorous events in the past months. Beginning with the Hero Honda Indian Television Academy Awards at 8 PM on 6 January, the channel will also show the Raymond International Fashion Awards at 11 am and the Best of Screen Awards at 8 PM on 13 January, the 8th annual Star Screen Awards at 8 PM on 20 January and a concert, Celebration of a Nation at 8 PM on 27 January. Hosted by lyricist Javed Akhtar, the concert features Sukhvinder, Abhijeet, Jaspinder Narula, Kumar Sanu, Usha Uthup and veteran singer Mahendra Kapoor. Star‘s Republic Day treat for viewers is J P Dutta‘s Border.

Californian company SCM Microsystems, a leading provider of solutions for the Digital World, will collaborate with broadcast encryption provider Tsinghua Tongfang. The companies will develop and supply Conditional Access Modules (CAMs) based on the Digital Video Broadcast (DVB) which is the common Interface standard for the Chinese digital cable television market.

Tsinghua Tongfang sees the relationship as giving it a leg up over the local competitors and extend its reach beyond China. Tsinghua Tongfang was founded in 1997. It uses the talent and technological advantages of Tsinghua University by incubating vast multitudes of high-tech products in its R&D Center.

SCM realises that with over 270 million households, China represents the world?s largest potential market for digital broadcasting and cable television. SCM Microsystems operates in the areas of Digital TV, Digital Video, PC Security and Digital Media Transfer. SCM?s advanced silicon solutions, hardware and software enable secure exchange of electronic information for applications such as broadband content delivery by providing controlled access points to platforms such as PCs, digital cameras and digital television set-top boxes. SCM?s Conditional Access Module provides individual provincial TV stations the option and flexibility to select the conditional access system they prefer, while ensuring compliance with China?s central government?s broadcast regulations. SCM modules will be part of Tsinghua Tongfang?s conditional access encryption solution for digital broadcast services. Television operators throughout China will be able to use them. The module offer security from illegal copying or unauthorised access to broadcast content.

SCM ?s hardware platform and software development kit will enable Tsinghua Tongfang to integrate its conditional access broadcast encryption system into a removable module. This will be compatible with any open set top box. Open set-top boxes secure broadcast signals through the conditional access module, which plugs easily into a standards based Common Interface slot.

Consumers can easily switch from one content provider to another using only exchange modules without having to go through the hassle of adding another set-top box.

Tsinghua Tongfang was selected by China?s State Administration of Radio, Film and Television to be one opf the suppliers of the official conditional access systems. These will be deployed in the forthcoming national digital cable TV network. Digital cable TV broadcasts will be initiated next year.

The new digital network will enable the delivery of more programs and value-added services between 30 provinces and major cities across China. The network envisages a subscriber subscriber base of 150 million by 2005 which will expand to 200 million by 2010.
 

Zee Telefilms Limited and Turner International (India) Private Ltd, an AOL Time Warner Company, today announced an agreement to form a joint venture company, Zee Turner Private Ltd, to manage distribution and trade marketing for a bouquet of channels of the two companies and third party channels in India and South Asia.
The JV partners are currently seeking all relevant regulatory approvals, an official release states.

Zee will hold 74 per cent equity and Turner 26 per cent in the joint venture. The company will be based in New Delhi. The board of directors will comprise three directors nominated by Zee and one by Turner. DP Naganand, director of Zee Telefilms and group head, access business for Zee, will be chairman. The JV will be managed by a team of Turner and Zee executives. Anshuman Misra will be managing director of the JV (and will continue to head up Turner), with Sunil Khanna as the CEO, Paresh Karia as the CFO and Siddharth Jain as the senior vice-president, distribution.

Zee group chairman Subhash Chandra expressed his happiness about the formation of the joint venture with Turner, a subsidiary of AOL Time Warner, the world?s largest media company and said: ?This new joint venture is in keeping with Zee?s philosophy of associating with world class organisations to deliver better value to its customers and all other stakeholders. The joint venture leverages both partners? respective brands and will enhance each party?s distribution strength. Zee will continue to explore other strategic co-operation and investment opportunities with AOL Time Warner.?

?This alliance, the first of its kind for Turner in Asia is a ground-breaking step for us in India. Partnering with Zee, India?s premier broadcast group, means that together we can offer an unparalleled blend of international and local channels to viewers,? said Steve Marcopoto, president & managing director of Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific Inc. ?This new venture also underscores our commitment to investing and participating in the growth and future development of the country?s cable and satellite industry,? he said.

A number of initiatives in cross-promotions, programming and distribution arrangements are under consideration in line with the intent of the two companies to derive maximum value from this partnership.