The changes approved by the Cabinet in the Cable TV Act, 1995 are welcome said Ashok Mansukhani, who once headed MSO InCable. "The focus is on the provider of the content, not on cable TV operators as being culpable for any questionable content," says Mansukhani. "Earlier, a couple of cases had been filed against Star Movies where we were also named as infringers of the law. The amendment forcing broadcasters to adhere to the programming and ad code puts the onus on them."

According to him, the amendments, serve to bring even pay TV channels under the DD programming code. "There is an equalisation between pay TV and free to air TV channels. Earlier on, programmers used to take refuge under the statement that they were pay channels."

He, however, expressed doubt about the fact that the government had left policing of the amendments in the hands of local authorities. "What is all right in Mumbai may be repulsive in Agra. Hence making local designated authorities responsible for content can be a potential landmine field. A central broadcasting standards council should have been set up which will monitor content nationally. This is something the industry has been demanding."

Additionally, what has got Mansukhani‘s goose is the fact that the government (read: DD) is forcibly blocking up three channels to prop up the inefficencies of the state owned broacaster through the amendments.

"Almost 40 per cent of TV sets in India are not cable TV ready," he says. "They can receive only 10-12 channels. By blocking three channels in the prime band the government- in partnership with DD - is limiting the industry from placing the channels of their and the consumers‘ choice. DD has consistently been losing revenue to private channels and this amendment is a blatant effort by the broadcaster to improve its position, reduce competition through a government mandate."

ESPN-Star Sports along with its sponsors will expand its X Games Brand to include new tours in Thailand, Singapore and Taiwan. The ESS event management group is organising the third Asian X Games Qualifier taking place at Phuket, Thailand from 7-10 December. Toyota is continuing with its sponsorship due to the immense success of the previous X games and will take the 2000 Asian X Tour to Singapore, Thailand and Taiwan. Completing the list of confirmed sponsors of this year‘s AXQ is the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

ESS viewers across Asia, Australia, Japan, Europe and Latin America will be able to enjoy the X games, a competing sport of extreme games. The Asian version of the X games began as the qualifying round of the US summer X games which served as a platform for players of these exiting sports to showcase their talents.

Along with their tremendous appeal to attract local people, the X games also translate into prime programming for ESS. A strong proof of this is the fact that Motor Sports giant Toyota is continuing with its sponsorship with a promise that it will sponsor the X games for another two years so that it can identify with the theme of passion and sports which Toyota says goes with its brand.

The X tours consists of three qualifying events to select competitors for the 2000 AXQ. The X tour is slated to stop in Bangkok (12-14 August), Taipei (9-10 September) and Singapore (7-8 September). In addition to this ESS will be organising viewing events in the Philippines and Malaysia.

India‘s number two private Hindi entertainment television channel Sony Entertainment Television (SET) is believed to have been valued at US$2.5 billion, the leading Indian financial daily The Economic Times reported today.

SET‘s promoters -Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) and a group of Indian entrepreneurs which includes cine star Jackie Shroff - have reportedly divested five per cent of the company‘s equity in favour of Capital International. Capital International has coughed up US$125 million for the five per cent stake which will be pumped into SET‘s Indian and Singapore outfits through its Japanese arm Capital Japan. SET has operations in India through SET India Ltd and in Singapore through SET Satellite (Singapore) Pte Ltd.

However, that‘ s an issue which will be resolved over time. For the nonce, SET India can be happy that it has managed to get some funds in its kitty which will go a long way in its battle with market leader Zee TV.

None of the officials in SET India or its promoters were willing to comment on the The Economic Times newsreport.

CNN International has another set of numbers to thump its chest about. The International Air Travelers survey (IATS Asia 7) - conducted by the European Data & Research Ltd (EDR) between March and April 2000 in the international departure/gate areas of ten major airports in Sydney, Melbourne, Manila, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Singapore and Taipei - has revealed that CNN reaches more than twice the number of international air travelers than its nearest rival the Beeb.
The survey shows that CNNI reaches 37 per cent of international air travelers on a weekly basis as against BBC World‘s 19 per cent and CNBC Asia‘s 15.4 per cent. IATS Asia 7 also confirmed that CNN International reaches 50 per cent of all senior business executives surveyed, the CNN press release states.

"This is a very positive result for CNN International. (It) endorse(s) our investment in regionalisation, which has meant a significant amount of extra spending to increase the localized content available to our viewers, " says CNN International managing editor, Asia Pacific Bill Baggitt.

Philips Digital Networks has announced that its organization within Philips Electronics (Thailand) Ltd has been awarded the contract to design, build and commission a multimedia production facility for Suranaree University of Technology (SUT) of Bangkok. The turnkey project is worth several million US dollars.
Under the agreement, Philips will design and build a professional production and post-production facility comprising latest technology digital broadcast equipment. The facility will be used by SUT as a multi-media centre for research and education. The centre will contain a digital production/news studio with Philips‘ state-of-the-art digital cameras and production switcher. In addition, it will include a non-linear editing suite, a computer graphics system and a digital surround sound editing and recording lab. The various rooms will be interconnected through an advanced networking system.

The project will be implemented on a full turnkey basis, including the supervision of civil works. SUT has also asked Philips to provide operation management services for a number of years, during which skill transfer to SUT personnel will take place.

When commissioned in mid 2001, SUT‘s multimedia production facility will be the first of its kind in Thailand. It will provide students with the chance to produce audio, video and multimedia content using state-of-the-art TV, radio and computer graphics technology and advanced 2D and 3D animation tools. The centre will support the university‘s vision of the ‘virtual campus‘, where study and teaching are no longer restricted to classrooms and education can also be provided over the Internet.

Rik Dovey, formerly Senior Vice ?president of Production, Operations and Engineering at ESPN Star Sports (ESS) has taken over as managing director of ESS from Alexander Brown, who will now be a strategic adviser to ESS ahead of his departure before the year end.

In addition to management responsibilities he will also oversee the establishment of espnstar.com, the company?s new internet venture which is said to include complete localisation in major markets such as India, China, Taiwan and Korea.

Dovey brings along with him 30 years of broadcasting experience to the position.