BizAsia.co.uk - The UK's only Asian media news website - News, Features, Interviews, Jobs, Events, Ratings, Bollywood

BBC shows UK AMAs through 'Red Button'

March 17, 2010

UK Asian Music Awards shown on BBCi The UK Asian Music Awards are being broadcast on BBC's digital television Red Button facility from today until Wednesday 24th March.

The event is available to watch across all BBC channels from today (Wednesday 17th March) at 18:00 on Sky Digital, Freeview and Virgin on the interactive Red Button service.

The special Red Button programme, presented by the BBC Asian Network, will feature exclusive backstage interviews with all the performers and presenters from the night, as well as first reactions from all the award winners.

Mark Strippel, Head of Music & Events, BBC Asian Network said, "BBC Red Button Interactive TV is emerging as a brilliant platform for taking music and entertainment into British-Asian homes across the UK. Last Summer we reached an audience of more than 800,000 with our Mela specials and now the likes of Imran Khan, Jay Sean and RDB (plus exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of Amir Khan and The Grewal’s) are one red button click away on your remote control for 7 days."

The UK Asian Music Awards took place last Thursday (11th March) at the prestigious Royal Festival Hall. The glittering event saw a host of British Asian, Urban and International talent come together to celebrate what has been a phenomenal year for the British Asian music industry.

The UK AMA’s in their entirety will be broadcast worldwide on the B4U TV network at a later date. Kevin Rego says, "B4U are delighted with the success of the UK Asian Music Awards 2010. It was an eventful ceremony that yet again celebrated the success of a scene full of talent. Congratulations to all the winners. We look forward to broadcasting the ceremony globally on our network."

Editor: Lakhvinder Baddhan Source: Media Moguls

Indian Premier League - a huge hit for ITV4

March 15, 2010

ITV4 wins ratings for IPL The Indian Premier League's debut on free-to-air terrestrial television has been declared a monster hit, according to official figures released today.

ITV's digital channel, ITV4 which is telecasting the much hyped tournament has witnessed a record surge in its viewership since it started on Friday.

According to overnight BARB figures, the channel's peak viewing during the first three days were as follows:

Friday 12th March: 479,000
Saturday 13th March: 402,000
Sunday 14th March: 401,000

The numbers above exclude ITV4+1's ratings and any recorded elements viewed later.

While the opening day saw just one match being played over four hours, ITV4 cleared its daytime schedule on both Saturday and Sunday from 09:30 onwards to bring viewers rolling coverage live from Mumbai. The channel is now hoping to remain seated on the goldmine until the tournament concludes on Sunday 25th April.

Last year's UK broadcaster, Setanta Sports - a subscription channel, could only muster a viewership of around 50,000.

Lalit Modi, the IPL commissioner, was quick to comment on the success of the IPL in the UK. He expressed his excitement on the social networking site, Twitter; "UK figures for viewership on ITV already 10 times that of Setanta last year. Fantastic news."

Modi also claimed to have beaten Sky Sports in the ratings during the same period. Sky Sports at the time had been telecasting the England tour of Bangladesh. He said, "ITV beats Sky Sports over the weekend in nos of viewers. This is great going."

When someone told Lalit that comparing ratings of ITV and Setanta Sports/Sky Sports was unfair, he said the following; "Why should we do that? Viewership is viewership in the end. If ITV has higher viewership than Sky - that's great for the game. He further added, "The ITV nos are double that of rugby league. This is huge by all imaginations."

ITV4 holds the exclusive UK telecast rights of the tournament. Rumouredly, it beat off competition from the likes of STAR and Sony Entertainment Television Asia, who were also up for bidding for the UK rights.

At the time of filing this article, BizAsia.co.uk was awaiting a statement from ITV about the success of IPL 3 on UK television.

Meanwhile in India, the opening game of the third season garnered a rating of 6.95 TVR in the six metros, according to TAM data. Even though the number is huge, it failed to topple the ratings of day one of season one. Then the first match of the first edition got a rating of 8.2. However, there was some good news, IPL 3 fared better than the second edition in South Africa which had managed a rating of 5.6.

Editor: Raj Baddhan Source: Various

Starfish agency forms alliance with HPI Research

Ethnic research specialist, Starfish Research, has formed a strategic alliance with HPI Research – the UK’s largest independent research agency.

The alliance will provide Starfish with access to HPI’s resources, whilst HPI will benefit from much increased presence in the ethnic research sector.

Starfish are architects of MinorityReportTM, a large scale study identifying media consumption, attitudes and behaviour amongst England’s non-white ethnic groups. Their clients include Asda, Ofcom and ZEE Network.

Commenting on the alliance, Parveen Bdesha, Director of Starfish Research said, "HPI is a highly respected and long established research agency and we see this alliance as a real opportunity to put the needs of ethnic minorities on the agenda with some of the UK’s major corporations".

HPI conducts both UK and international research and its clients include Vodafone, Visa, British Airways and Premier Foods. Commenting on the alliance, HPI’s Senior Partner David Iddiols said,
"We are already working with Starfish and this tie-up will undoubtedly enhance our expertise and credentials in the ethnic research sector."

Editor: Lakhvinder Baddhan Source: Starfish

Rakhi Sawant: Rahul & Dimpy won't last long

'Swayamavar's Rakhi Sawant blasts new couple Loud mouthed, Bollywood 'item girl', Rakhi Sawant has spoken out about Rahul Mahajan and Dimpy's relationship and says the two won’t last long.

Rakhi who was a part of the first series of 'Swayamavar' on NDTV Imagine, made her comments about Rahul and Dimpy who were a part of the second series of the popular reality TV show.

Rakhi says, "How can one marry by choosing his or her soul mate through a public voting system?" In spite of the fact that she herself got engaged to Elesh Parujanwala in the last season of the same TV series that Rahul participated in, Rakhi now looks visibly annoyed by Rahul’s decision of getting married on the reality show.

"It is really difficult to choose a life partner through a public poll. I thought of only getting engaged with Elesh instead of marrying him so that I could get more time to decide. But as time passed, I started feeling that he was not the right person for me. He just wanted to marry me because he wanted be part of my glamorous life. Things got so bad that now I really hate him," clarifies Rakhi.

She also said that the "huge age difference between them will lead to differences between them. In fact, Rahul should have thought twice before marrying Dimpy because of these reasons. Very soon, you all get to hear that Rahul aur Dimpy ka separation ho gaya hai."

Editor: Lakhvinder Baddhan Source: ZEE News

Channel 4 News promotes Faisal Islam

Channel 4 News' Faisal Islam has been promoted to economics editor, the first time the role has been filled for 20 years at the news organisation.

Islam who has been with Channel 4 News since 2004 was previously a business reporter and then became an economics correspondent. Channel 4 News has not had an economics editor since 1986, when Sarah Hogg – now a Conservative peer – held the position.

"As we head into an election that may well be fought on an economic battleground, Faisal is the right person to explain and explore the key issues for our audience," Dorothy Byrne, head of news and current affairs at Channel 4 told MediaGuardian.

Editor: Raj Baddhan Source: MediaGuardian

ZEE Cinema lines up 10 premieres in April

ZEE Cinema has lined up ten new and old movie premieres during the month of April.

On Easter weekend (2nd - 5th April) itself, the channel will telecast five premieres including 'Money Hai To Honey Hai' on Saturday 3rd April, 'Lajja' on Sunday 4th April, 'Gauri' and 'Khallas' on the same day. On Easter Monday, the classic Dharemdra and Hema Malini movie, 'Dreamgirl' will air at 20:00.

Other premieres during April are, 'Hijack' on Saturday 10th April, classic for Vaisakhi, 'Azaad' on Tuesday 13th April, Sanjay Dutt's debut movie, 'Rocky' on Sunday 18th April and Madhuri Dixit's 'Maha Sangram' on Sunday 21st April.

However, the biggest movie premiere has been reserved until the end of the month, 'Yuvraaj' starring Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif. The channel holds the exclusive telecast rights for the Subhash Ghai romantic movie. 'Yuvraaj' will be shown on Saturday 24th April.

ZEE Cinema will also be holding an Amitabh Bachchan movie season in April, showing movies of the Bollywood legend every Friday night.

Editor: Raj Baddhan Source: ZEE UK

Zing rides high on the success of hockey

March 13, 2010

ZEE Network's lifestyle and music channel, Zing has witnessed a surge in its TV ratings, owing it to the ongoing telecast of the hockey world cup.

The channel holds the exclusive UK/Europe rights of the tournament, which kicked off on Sunday 28th February. On the first day itself, Zing registered a 225% increase in its audience share, according to BARB.

This upsurge in viewing continued with ratings rising by 145% for the hockey timeslots by the end of the first week.

The matches have been declared a hit for all types of audiences, with the Spain v England match attracting a 96% White British audience – an impressive achievement for this ethnic channel.

The 12-nation tournament was hosted in India.

Editor: Lakhvinder Baddhan Source: ZEE UK

Your Opinion! Rate ITV4's coverage of the IPL

It’s been 30 years since ITV last showed cricket but that all changed this year when the terrestrial broadcaster acquired the UK TV rights for the Indian Premier League (IPL).

While pictures are being beamed over from host broadcaster MAX India (a part of Multi Screen Media), ITV has made the effort of adding local features to its coverage such as local presenters, studio experts and interaction with viewers.

ITV4 has also opted to block out commercial elements such as IPL's website address and BCCI promos and commercial texts.

So, BizAsia.co.uk asks you, how would you rate ITV4's coverage of the IPL? Should the rights been awarded to a more experienced broadcaster? Would you have paid a premium channel for better coverage? Has ITV done well considering it hasn't broadcast cricket for 30-years?

Get interactive and let us and others know Your Opinion!

Disclaimer: The views expressed below on BizAsia.co.uk are those of readers alone. They do not represent the views or opinions of BizAsia.co.uk/Media247.co.uk or its staff.

Editor: Lakhvinder Baddhan Source: BizAsia.co.uk

ZEE TV to launch kids 'Dance India Dance'

After the hugely popular run of 'Dance India Dance', ZEE TV has confirmed it is launching a children's special of the show titled, 'Dance India Dance - Lil Masters'.

The show will feature children aged between 5 and 13 years old from across India.

"DID Lil Masters aims to open doors for talented children of our country who dream of becoming the biggest child dancing star. This season will only double up the dance mania as L’il kids will bring the house down with their unbelievable flair for dance and enduring effervescence," a ZEE Network spokesman said.

Auditions are underway in India for the show, which is expected to launch later this year after the current run of 'Dance India Dance'.

Updated: 15/03/10

Editor: Raj Baddhan Source: Various

Asian Network presenters slam BBC plans

March 12, 2010

Two BBC Asian Network presenters have slammed the BBC's plans to axe the station.

Sports presenter Nikesh Rughani and reporter Rahila Bano have both reacted with dismay at the reasons for shutting it down.

Rughani wrote in Broadcast's Ariel magazine saying that the BBC had "ruined" the network with "poor management". He added: "Commercial radio simply cannot provide the British Asian audiences with the quality of content we produce.

"We cover sport in a way that nobody else in the Western world would even dream of. We talk about British Asians in sport…and we’re the only radio station in the world that gives a platform to UK Asian artists. Seriously, how can the BBC even think about getting rid of us?"

Rahila Bano said: "The proposal to close the Asian Network is a devastatingly backwards step. We should be looking to strengthen the national network, return to the format that was popular with audiences a few years ago.

"Please Mr Thompson, if you care about growing the audiences, reconsider your decision it will do in the long term is incalculable."

Editor: Lakhvinder Baddhan Source: Broadcast

Nihal wins 'Best Radio Show' at UK AMAs

Nihal has walked away with the prestigious 'Best Radio Show' gong at the UK Asian Music Awards, which were held last night (Thursday 11th March) in London.

He fought off competition from fellow BBC Asian Network presenters, Bobby Friction, Noreen, Kiss 100's Neev and Buzz Asia's Mr Kay.

Nihal was up for the award for his radio show on BBC Radio 1. He presents the Asian music show on Tuesday midnights. He also presents 'Review Show'.

Other winners on the night were Jay Sean who walked away with all four awards that he was up for - 'Best Album', 'Best Urban Act', 'Best Male Act' and 'Best Video' for 'Down'.

Miss Pooja won 'Best International Album' for 'Romantic Jatt' and 'Amplifier' singer; Imran Khan was awarded 'Best Desi Act'.

The 'Best International Act' award was won by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, who will be in the country later this month for the latest leg of his UK tour.

'Best Club DJ' went to DJ H. 'Best Producer' was given to Sukhshinder Shinda and Biddu was given further recognition and awarded the 'Lifetime Achievement Award'.

Radio partner, the BBC Asian Network will telecast highlights of the event through BBC television's Red Button facility (on digital TV)from Wednesday 17th March. Television partner, B4U Music will broadcast the whole show in the coming weeks.

Related link:
Five radio shows up for UK AMAs 2010

Editor: Raj Baddhan Source: UK AMAs

SimplyBhangra.com launches on-demand player

Popular Bhangra online portal, SimplyBhangra.com has announced the launch of its on-demand video player.

The new section is available at www.simplybhangra.tv and the site claims the player to be "the world’s first online Bhangra channel, screening Bhangra videos LIVE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week".

The player will include a varied and vast playlist of old and new Bhangra videos. The site says that SimplyBhangra on-demand will offer users the opportunity to watch their favourite videos without having to constantly search and pick videos.

The website is currently in a BETA testing stage, but we urge and encourage users to log on and experience this exciting new project.

SimplyBhangra.com has been online since 2006 and has quickly established itself as one of the leading Asian music websites.

Editor: Raj Baddhan Source: SimplyBhangra

Viewpoint: "Asian Net. should be about the music"

In light of the recent debate surrounding the fate of BBC 6 Music and the BBC Asian Network, Ammo Talwar CEO of Punch Records has collected his thoughts on the issue and points out that it should be all about the music.

Based in Birmingham, Punch is a well known ideas-led organisation which specialises in music workshops, educational programmes, music tours and club nights, as well as training and opportunities for regional talent.

Following piece written by Ammo Talwar
The UK Asian radio and media marketplace is thriving. ZEE TV, Sony TV, STAR and a galaxy of local stations like Sunrise Radio and others are still loud and proud; jostling for advertiser revenue. So why, you ask, is the one British Asian media giant that doesn't have to worry about sponsorship bailing out in a bull market? How has the Asian Network gone from hyped powerhouse to the BBC's most expensive listen? The answers are simple.

On the air, the station has a clear line up of winners, all setting the pace for UK Asian music culture. In the back office, the BBC management has no clue what the station is for and partitions its airtime from above like Mountbatten in 1947.

When the BBC's COO Caroline Thompson told the House of Lords that the Network was confused because it had to "cater for many disparate groups simultaneously", what she was actually told us was that for some at the BBC, the Network is still a multicultural project and not the professional entertainment venture we know it should be. And however well meaning that sentiment is, we know it dooms the UK Asian music industry to failure. That's why the BBC needs more Desi programmers and managers at top level - we've spent sixty years establishing our Asian selves, our Asian businesses and our Asian entertainment industry here in the UK.

Any self described community leader who writes in to my business with demands for representation based on dodgy demographics has posted their letter thirty years too late; we listened to those people before and found out they just don't bring anything to the table.

I happen to believe that the music of South Asia is up there with the best in the world. I also happen to know that the new, fused, engaged, exciting sound that the Asian Network is currently fostering is going to be even better.

What we must do, today, is to get the office bound BBC hierarchy to listen to that music and get some contemporary context from professionals across the UK music industry. They need to know this music is open, urban, diverse and immediate - it's the unique sound of our contemporary UK streets and clubs.

The Asian Network will succeed when programmers stop try to respond to demographic breakdowns of supposed listeners and start getting Desi artists and tracks on the playlists of new listeners. Listeners from the world beyond the Asian massive and its welcome but limited circle of enthusiastic converts. Sadly, even the name is a admission of limitation. It's a "network" when it should be a station, a structure when it should be a rallying point, a maze when it should be a signpost.

The Asian media industry needs to take charge of the BBC Asian Network tomorrow with the goal of making it genuinely popular across the UK as a whole, not just potentially representative of abstract interest groups.

Still - I'm not surprised there's knee jerk reactions in the carpeted corridors of power. The recent listening figures must make uncomfortable reading at Yalding House. Nearly twenty percent of the Asian Network's audience turned it off for good last year. So where have we gone, all of us Desi divas?

Is there a secret station in Southall, staffed by Masonic Indian brothers, that only we know about? The answer - for Asian listeners at least - is that the digital dial is crowded out. We're all of us online 24/7 now; surfing stations that speak to us in our mother's mother tongue. We tune into Mumbai drivetime and Delhi downtempo. And of course, the demographic that really matters is the youth; and they're busy playlisting bootlegged Desi tracks onto their smartphones via YouTube. For kids today, that's their Asian Network,

The closure of a national radio station is no small thing in our current economic climate. One hunded plus media professionals are today hoping that their nightmare won't come true; that the door hasn't shut forever on their careers. But for some there will be a dream they dare not speak aloud - that this is their moment, that the mainstream is ready for them; that a ladder will come down from above.

But is a Desi Asian radio professional going to be climbing up to a mainstream drivetime or syndicated breakfast show anytime soon? Let them dream on. Many young bloods won't remember, but "Mainstreaming" is the word that haunted the emerging Asian media business, during the big Bhangra crossover of the eighties - the one that never happened. But aren't things different today?

Contemporary Asian media pundits argue that Bollywood has successfully crossed over to the UK's big time media. What they can't or won't see is that it plays as a cocktail party cliche; just as the US mainstreamed Latin sounds into "Mambo Italiano" fakery of the 1950s; stripped of its grace and pathos.

The fact is that only people in the media think that contemporary music benefits from being bracketed by big name DJs, quizzes and chatter. What people want to hear is new, fresh music and classic tracks that continue to hit the spot and light up their day. When, as now, programming and scheduling appear desperate and convoluted, it's proof positive that station management have little confidence or understanding in the sounds that go out over the air. Our campaign must be, not just to save the Asian Network, but to turn it into a flagship for the new, hot and popular music that draws deep from the well of Asian culture and can engage every listener in the UK. It's all about the music.

Editor: Raj Baddhan Source: Punch Records

STAR Plus bags 'CINTAA Sitaron Ki Baraat'

STAR Plus has bagged the telecast rights of Bollywood’s biggest celebrations - 'CINTAA Sitaron Ki Baraat'.

The event, which will be known as 'STAR CINTAA Superstars Ka Jalwa', will mark the golden jubilee celebration of Cine and TV artist Association and brings together the biggest names in the industry.

According to a channel release, "The show promises to have the whole galaxy of stars literally coming together to celebrate 50th anniversary of Indian Cinema and its progression.

Watch out for the veterans, legends and the new generation of Bollywood coming together to narrate their experiences, special moments, give anecdotes, and share their journey down the year.

The Khans, the Kapoors, the Chopras and the who’s who of the industry will entertain as we celebrate awe inspiring work from CINTAA over the years. Not to miss, Aamir Khan’s first appearance in an event in last one decade."

The programme will air on STAR Plus as 'Superstars Ka Jalwaa' in six 2-hour episodes, every Sunday - starting 4th April at 19:00.

Editor: Raj Baddhan Source: STAR

STAR One set for new schedule in April

STAR One set for new look in April It's finally happening! The much talked about changes at STAR One are set to take place in April, with a slew of new shows scheduled.

From Monday 12th April, STAR One, the younger sibling of STAR Plus will don a new look. As a part of the first batch of changes, the channel will introduce two new dailies and one weekend special drama.

According to a channel official at STAR UK, STAR One will be going through "a massive content refresh, with inputs from new production houses, richer content and a much younger feel."

'Odhani' will air Monday to Thursday at 20:30
Produced by Yash Patnaik
Starring Pankaj Dheer, Karan Tacker and Priyanka Chibber

'Geet' will air Monday to Thursday at 22:00
Produced by Endemol
Starring Gurmeet Chaudhary, Shalini Kapoor and Talat Rekhi.

'Patel & Family' will air Saturday and Sunday at 19:00

STAR One will also be launching a new Ekta Kapoor serial - touted as one of the biggest shows to air on the channel since launch. Keep it with BizAsia.co.uk for the utmost latest.

Editor: Raj Baddhan Source: STAR

News channels & IPL resolve differences

March 11, 2010

Indian news channels will be able to broadcast footage from the Indian Premier League, in a deal confirmed hours before the inauguration of the third series.

Last month, BizAsia.co.uk revealed how news channels could boycott the IPL due to differences between the IPL and the National News Broadcasters Association (NBA), representing 34 news channels.

Broadcasters were protesting against "arbitrary" guidelines and certain contentious clauses regarding footage of the Twenty20 event.

Lalit Modi, the IPL commissioner, confirmed the deal on his Twitter feed this evening. He said, "NBA issue resolved. Both us moved forward to ensure all fans don’t miss the IPL. My sincere thanks to the NBA members for making it happen. News broadcasters will carry IPL news."

Modi did not specify the details of the new agreement and whether any conditions between the two parties had changed.

Indian news channels will be able to broadcast footage from the Indian Premier League, in a deal confirmed hours before the inauguration of the third series.

Related link:
Indian news channels to boycott IPL 3

Editor: Raj Baddhan Source: IPL

Interview: Avika Gor "Anandi" of 'Balika Vadhu'

Avika Gor talks to BizAsia.co.uk Last night saw the "death" of "Anandi" in Colors' top rated show, 'Balika Vadhu' but has she really died? Viewers will find out in the coming days.

However, the real story is that Avika Gor who plays protagonist "Anandi", is taking some time out from the grueling filming schedule to concentrate on her exams.

A source confirmed that Avika will be coming back to the show once her exams are over. However, the track for her return has not been planned yet.

In the meantime, we caught up with Avika Gor about her debut on UK screens since Colors launched here in January.

Tell us a bit about your character for your new UK fans...
Anandi’s character can be defined as a ray of pure sunshine. Anandi is a happy go lucky girl who loves going to school and learning new things. She was married off at the tender age of just 9. Undeterred by circumstances, Anandi finds a silver lining in the darkest cloud, accepts this situation without any qualms. An intelligent, strong-willed and spirited soul, the child bride questions age old traditions and decadent rituals in her own innocent way with no intention of hurting anyone's sentiments but in the process ends up exposing the hypocrisy behind the traditions and rituals.

How do you feel to be a part of such a huge show on the channel?
I am proud to be associated with a show like Balika Vadhu. It’s good that a television show can create awareness of the repercussions of child marriages. Apart from that I am always overjoyed when I receive the love from people - they talk to me, call me by different names from the show like beendni, nakchadi chuiya, laddo, futri , thikhi mirchi etc. I like to know that people relate to Anandi, small children call me Anandi instead of Avika and say that they also cry when Anandi cries.

When you first auditioned for your role in the show, did you realise how big the show was going to be?
No never, I did not at first, I did not realise that this show had so much depth and the role I would essay would turn out to be so endearing. However after performing about 10 episodes I realized that Balika Vadhu would make history on television.

With the show's serious theme of child marriages, what are your personal beliefs on this?
Personally and earlier, I knew a very little about child marriage. I would just say I am too young to talk about this serious subject. However after my role as Anandi my understanding of child marriages and the social stigma around it has expanded.
It’s sad if a girl is married in her childhood as she does not even know what marriage means. It’s unfair that she has to leave her parents, live with strangers with whom she cannot even share her feelings, discontinue her studies, leave her school and take the responsibility of the house hold work in her learning days.

How has the shoot schedule of the show impacted your life?
There has not been much difference...I go to school in the morning post which I go for the shoot. I still do the same things I used to do before like dancing, swimming, cycling and playing with my friends - the only change is that today people recognize me, they want to be my friend, they all want to know what is going on in my life and how I manage things, to which my answer is the same as it is was before.

When do you get time for school work?
My school work is done during the evenings after shoot. Sometimes I do school work during the shoot hours when I find free time between shots, or during my tuitions classes.
I have made a perfect schedule for my subjects and have given time for each subject to finish off my school work on time.

Do you feel there is huge pressure on you at your tender age being a part of such a big show?
Pressure? WHERE IS IT? I DONT KNOW! For people who are not related with the show they do not know the difficulties a channel or a production house face while producing any show, for me it is like a piece of cake. I shoot only 4 or 5 days a week and in a day I shoot for around 4 to six hours at a stretch. Sometimes I have been called only for 2 to 4 hrs as I shoot only after my school hours.
I think the pressure is more on the channel and the production as they need to plan the script, pan out the story, manage the artists and their time etc and above all the pressure of the success of the show.

All I do is act and enjoy myself - for me it's a HOBBY and not WORK.

How well do you think 'Balika Vadhu' will work in the UK?
FINGERS CROSSED! What will happen cannot be predicted so let’s hope everything goes well...But I am also positive that the show and the channel will do well.

Any plans of your character coming to the UK for a break to give the show a local feel for us?
NO Not sure about it, maybe? It also depends upon the response we get from the people, if we get a call then definitely we will come.

Do you come to the UK regularly?
NO, I have never been to UK but definitely looking forward to visiting some day.

What did you do when you received your first pay from the show?
I never look into my finances - it is completely managed by my parents and they use it to invest for my future.

What can we expect from 'Balika Vadhu' in the coming weeks?
There will be loads of excitement fun, Tears, curiosity and of course to know more of the story you will have to watch it at 8pm on Colors. Watch it I am sure you will love it. It’s a promise.

Future plans....
I have many plans...

-Short plans :- studying and scoring good grades in my grade 7th final exam & starting YOGA

-Medium plans :- A small family vacation to GOA on my Birthday & working harder for BALIKA VADHU.

-Long plan :- Participate and WIN the Miss UNIVERSE Title.

Editor: Raj Baddhan Source: BizAsia.co.uk

MATV set for India launch later this month

Free-to-air Asian entertainment channel, MATV is expanding by launching in India, later this month.

A channel spokesman confirmed the news to BizAsia.co.uk today. He further added that MATV will be carried by cable operators in various parts of Asia - including India, uplinked by Thaicom 5.

Other channels like STAR Sports, Nat Geo Wild and ETC Punjabi are also beamed by Thaicom 5.

MATV India will initially use the same feed as MATV UK/Europe currently on Sky Digital.

In other MATV news, the channel has sold airtime to Gateway TV, a Christian TV channel set to launch full time as soon as a new EPG slot on Sky Digital becomes available. Gateway TV has bought 30 hours of airtime per month. MATV broadcast Gateway TV, one hour per day at 20:00.

Editor: Raj Baddhan Source: MATV

Colors UK to telecast IPL Rockstar special

March 10, 2010

Colors is launching its first Indian Premier League cricket property, this weekend.

Under the brand 'IPL Ka Tadka', Colors will launch 'IPL Rockstar' on Saturday 13th March at 19:00 in the UK and India simultaneously.

IPL Rockstar will have 12 contestants, who have already proved their mettle in different music reality shows over the time.

Birmingham based, Hard Kaur will host the competition from the IPL cricket stadiums. Sukhwinder Singh and Kailash Kher will judge the contestants. Also, IPL franchise owners like Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta and Shilpa Shetty will also judge the contestants for their stage presence and their ability of shining as a true rock star.

Colors programming head Ashvini Yardi said, "IPL Rockstar is a show where we are moving from the studio to the cricketing grounds in midst of real action. Here the fight is to prove yourself as a complete rockstar."

"IPL Rockstar will have one major difference from stereotype music reality shows. As we will be shooting in the limited timeframe, there won’t be any time for lengthy comments and drama. Performances of these contestants will matter most to win the title of IPL Rockstar," Yardi added.

On the concept, Endemol India MD Deepak Dhar said, "IPL Rockstar is a co-developed property and we are quite sure that it will work as it is the perfect mix of cricket, entertainment and glamour. These singers are also getting a great platform to perform in front of thousands of captive audiences."

Other specials being produced by Colors - 'IPL Nights' will air on MTV India (excluding UK), 'IPL Awards' will air April-end. 'IPL Fear Factor Edition' will air end of the year.

Editor: Raj Baddhan Source: Various

India ratings: ZEE TV & Imagine TV gain

The latest Indian viewership data is out and it shows ZEE TV and Imagine TV (formerly NDTV Imagine) gain in a big way.

Statistics out for Week 10 of 2010 has ZEE TV's ratings surge from 246 last week to a huge 301 GRPs this week. This mainly down to the success of ZEE TV's 'Rishtey Awards' (7 TRP) and the ongoing popularity of 'Dance India Dance'.

Nitin Vaidya, COO ZEEL and Business Head ZEE TV said, "We are extremely happy about ‘ZEE Rishtey Awards’ delivering on our expectations. Achieving a TRP of 7, in today’s cluttered television space is highly commendable and we would certainly show our gratitude towards our viewers with even better and exciting properties here on."

Imagine TV took over Sony Entertainment Television Asia in forth position with 172 GRPs, this compared to Sony TV's 151 GRPs. Imagine TV owes its surge to 'Swayamavar 2', which concluded last week.

STAR Plus remained on top for the second consecutive week this year with 316 GRPs. Colors settled for two with 311 GRPs, just 5 points behind the leader.

Editor: Raj Baddhan Source: Various

Prime TV announces Mothers Day shows

This Sunday will mark Mothers Day and broadcasters are gearing themselves up for special days to coincide with the special occassion.

Free-to-air channel, Prime TV, has lined up the following specials this Sunday:

Kiran Aur George
At 10:00

Classic Cinema: Zubeda
Cast: Waheed Murad & Nisho
At 14:30

Special Tele Play: Loori
Cast: Sonia Rehman & Adeel Hussain
At 20:00

Do Saal Ki Aurat
Cast: Masooma Charlie
At 21:00

Editor: Raj Baddhan Source: Prime TV

Sony TV shifts Yash Raj shows to later slots

Sony TV changes slots for YRF shows Yash Raj TV made its debut on Sony Entertainment Television Asia with much fanfare at the start of the year but some of its shows are now being shifted to later time slots.

Channel officials will be bringing back the Sunday night movies at 20:00 from this weekend (14th March). The movie slot was moved to 17:00 earlier this year to accommodate the Yash Raj TV offerings. However, the channel has a u-turn on this after poor ratings to the Yash Raj TV shows.

Matchmaking show, 'Rishta.com' will move out from the Sunday night 20:00 slot to Wednesdays at 22:00. Similarly, 'Powder' will move from Sundays 21:00 to Thursdays at 22:00.

In other Yash Raj TV show changes, 'Lift Kara De' hosted by Karan Johar will become a weekly as oppose to the bi-weekly it is at the moment. The show will air Saturdays at 20:00. 'Mahi Way' will move to Fridays at 20:00.

Danish Khan, Vice-President, Marketing, Sony Entertainment Television Asia said, "After six to eight weeks, there is an analysis on the viewing pattern and we found that these shows had performed well in metros. The shows were being watched by a younger group, which tunes into TV at a late primetime, which is why we shifted Rishta.. and Powder to a late slot. Now we will have Sundays free for our movies."

It was announced last year that Yash Raj Films, has signed an exclusive deal in which it will produce shows only for Sony TV. The channel has so far produced five shows - all of which are yet to click with viewers.

Editor: Raj Baddhan Source: MSM Asia

BBC's licence fee set to rise next month

March 09, 2010

The BBC's licence fee is set to rise by 2% in April, just days after it was proposed to close a number of services to cut down on expenditure.

The licence fee will go up to £145.50 from from £142.50 for the colour licence. Licence fee for black and white sets will go up from £48 to £49.

Today's news comes as a part of a six-year BBC funding settlement agreed in 2007. It was set at 3 per cent for the first two years of the settlement and 2 per cent in years three, four and five - with 2010 being year four.

Director general Mark Thompson outlined £600million in 'cuts' last week, including axing 6 Music and the Asian Network and slashing the website by half.

Editor: Lakhvinder Baddhan Source: DailyMail

BBC's Raj & Pablo exposé clip surfaces web

March 08, 2010

A two-year old clip featuring BBC Asian Network presenter, Raj (of Raj and Pablo duo), using the station to leverage his position as a flagship Bollywood show presenter, has surfaced the Internet this week.

The 10-minute clip includes the voices of the 'Love Bollywood' show presenter and a "Bollywood film producer" discussing ways of promoting an "upcoming movie" through the radio show and other means, i.e. the duo's monthly night club, in exchange for cash.

The revealing clip also has Raj boast about the power his radio show has. He claims that 'Love Bollywood' is the number one show and that it had enough power to convince listeners to watch a new movie or give it a miss.

The recording says; "Our radio show is the number one show where if we say a movie is going to flop...they [audience] don’t go and watch it."

There are subtle hints by Raj that the station could be used a PR tool to promote movies. He points out to the "Bollywood film producer" that there were ways to promote a movie, be it low budget or a large without any obvious advertising. He says that this could be done through competitions, a live broadcast or general pre-hype before the film is released on the show.

May we add, whilst the clip is two-years old, this story has been uploaded today as BizAsia.co.uk received many emails regarding the controversial clip. The BBC has already investigated the matter and since then the presenter (s) has NOT been found in breach of any rule breaks of similar nature at the station.

A BBC spokesperson told BizAsia.co.uk, "The BBC took the original complaint in January 2008 very seriously and the matter was thoroughly investigated. Following on from that investigation, appropriate disciplinary action was taken against them."

Questioned on how the BBC could let them (Raj and Pablo) stay on in light of this? It responded with; "We were satisfied that the presenters understood the seriousness of the matter."

Listen to the clip below:
Courtesy of YouTube and member 'asianwatchdog'

Editor: Uttam Busawah Source: Various

Stars line up to support BBC Asian Network

A host of leading celebrities are joining forces urging the BBC to halt the closure of the Asian Network.

Stars including actress Shilpa Shetty, boxer Amir Khan and Lord Dholakia OBE are among the entertainment stars, actors and peers signing a letter, published in today's Guardian newspaper.

In the letter to the BBC Trust chairman Sir Michael Lyons, all signatories expressed their "shock" at the BBC's decision to shut the national station.

The letter, published in full in the Guardian, says that the Asian Network is a "key platform" for the national Asian community "and offers creative British Asian talent an outlet which is demonstrably under-represented in the more mainstream BBC. This would all be tragically lost if these proposals are agreed".

The decision to shut both the Asian Network and 6 Music were part of a strategy review by the BBC's director general, Mark Thompson, published last week.

The entertainment stars, actors and peers signing a letter of support:
Lord Dholakia OBE
Lord Kamlesh Patel
Sir Mota Singh QC
Dave Prentis, General secretary, Unison
Shilpa Shetty, Actress
Meera Syal, Actress
Sanjeev Bhaskar, Actor
Gurinder Chadha, Film director
Amir Khan, Boxer & olympic medal winner
Jeremy Dear, NUJ
Alison Wenham, Chief executive, Association Of Independent Music
Nitin Ganatra, Actor
Tom Watson MP
Khalid Mahmood MP
M I A, Artist/musician
Jay Sean, Artist
Shazia Mirza, Comedian
Laila Rouass, Actress
Surinder Singh Purewal, General secretary, Sri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara, Southall.
Dr Imam Abdul Jalil Sajid, President of the National association of the British Pakistanis, chairman of the Muslim Council For Religious And Racial Harmony
Mohan Singh Neiyyar, General secretary, Sri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara, Hounslow,
Karan Billimoria, Founder & chairman of Cobra Beer & independent crossbench peer
Mohammed Yaqub Khan, General secretary, Pakistan Association, Leicester
Sue Harris, NUJ
Manish Bhasin, Broadcaster
Vikram Solanki, Cricketer
Ammo Talwar MBE, Director, Punch Records
Nina Wadia, Actress
Harry Anand, Artist/producer
Manzoor Moghal MBE, Chairman, Mulism Forum
Rav Singh, Journalist & broadcaster
Jatinder Verma, Artistic director, Tara Arts
Riz Ahmed, Actor/musician
Charan Gill, Entrepreneur
Asian Dub Foundation, Artists/musicians
Kulvinder Ghir, Comedian
Deepak Verma, Actor
Tigerstyle, Music producers
Mark Elliot, Actor
Taz Stereo Nation, Artist/musician
Dr Shiv Pande MBE
Sunny Hundal, Journalist and blogger
Channi Singh of Alaap, Artist/musician
Harri Dhillon, Actor
Kamran Ahmed, Managing director, Moviebox Records
Punjabi MC, Artist/musician
Ajay Chopra, Artistic director, London Mela
Preeya Kalidas, Actress
Rishi Rich, Artist/musician
Jags Klimax, Artist/musician
Bal Kumar, Realtone Records
Mumzy Stranger, Artist/musician
Apache Indian, Artist/musician
Bishi, Artist/musician
Vijay Bhatt – Achanak, Artist/musician
Aziz Ibrahim, Musician, The Stone Roses/Simply Red
Jassi Sidhu, Artist/musician
Waleed Jhangir, Promoter/manager
Imran Ahmed, Cardiff Multicultural Mela
Jaz Dhami, Artist/musician
Ninder Johal, CEO, Nachural Records
Johnny Kalsi – The Dhol Foundation, Artist/musician
VIP Records Scotland
Himesh Patel, Actor
Skinder Hundal, CEO, New Arts Exchange, Nottingham
Ashok Suman, CEO, UK Box Office/Gurdas Mann
Abs Shaid, The UK Asian Music Awards
Raj Ghai, Media Moguls
Amarpal Gaind, Head of operations Europe, Saregama
Jody Gillet, Editor, Mondomix
Surinder Rattan, Artist/musician
Rishi Madhani, CEO, 4Play Records
Reena Combo, Desi Donors
Raghav, Artist/musician
Niraj Chag, Artist/Musician
Bindya Solanki, Actress
Vanley Burke, Visual artist
B21 Artist/musicians
Graham Breakwell, Access All Areas
Uzma Johal, Director, Threshold TV Studios
Harminder Berman, Glasgow Mela
Henderson Mullin, CEO, Writing East Midlands
Frantic Kam, Artsist/musician
Keith Khan, Cultural broker
Vipen Kumar, VIP Records
Laurent Delaye, Laurent Delaye Gallery London
Peter Jenkinson OBE, Cultural broker
Tru Skool, Artist/musician
Ben Pugh, Producer, Bradford Mela
Ranjana Ghatak, Artist
Sukhy Johal, MBE, Director, Culture Nottingham
Mark Gifford, Director, Asha Centre
Al Noor, Artistic Director, Shisha
Usha Sood, Head barrister, Trent Chambers
Ali Zaidi, Artistic director, Moti Roti
Andrew Howell, International and cultural broker
Piali Ray, Director, Sampad Arts
Alan James, Hold Tight Productions
Louise Clements, Senior curator, Quad
Nigel Singh, CEO, Audience Central
Sandeep Raval, Musician/artist
Eugene Skeef FRSA, Artist
Harmage Singh Kalirai, Freelance theatre director
Tasawar Bashir, Curator
Kamraan Ahmed, Moviebox Group
Shabbir Ahmed, Moviebox Group
Shin DCS, Artist/musician
Sukshinder Shinda, Artist/musician
Jazzy B, Artist/musician
Aman Hayer, Artist/musician
Bhota Jagpal, B21 Artist/musician
Bally Jagpal, B21 Artist/musician
Ravi Bal Artist/musician
Kuldeep Manak, Artist/musician
Master Saleem, Artist/musician
Shazia Manzoor, Artist/musician
DJ Vix Artist/musician
Amrinder Gill Artist/musician
Sardool Sikander, Artist/musician
Manak-E, Artist/musician
The Dark MC Artist/musician
Abrar Ul Haq Artist/musician
Nirmal Sidhu Artist/musician
Kami K, Artist/musician
Hunterz Artist/musician
Roach Killa Artist/musician
ADH, Artist/musician
Miss Pooja, Artist/musician
Mona Singh, Artist/musician
Sunil Kalyan Artist/musician
Labh Janjua Artist/musician
Lehmber Hussainpuri, Artist/musician
Angrej Ali, Artist/musician
The Kalyan, Artist/musician
Preet Harpal, Artist/musician
Bharat Goel, Artist/musician
Sardara Gill Artist/musician
KS Bhamrah, Artist/musician
Ali Haider, Artist/musician
Hans Raj Hans, Artist/musician
Bhinda Aujla Artist/musician
XLNC, Artist/musician
Shehzad Roy, Artist/musician
AS Kang, Artist/musician
Sajjad Ali, Artist/musician
Amit Rai Artist/musician
Surrinder Rattan Artist/musician
Harry Anand Artist/musician
Gippy Grewal, Artist/musician
Geeta Zaildar, Artist/musician
Jelly Manjeetpuri, Artist/musician
Surjit Khan, Artist/musician
Debi Makhsoospuri, Artist/musician
Rana Sahota, Artist/musician
Yugraj, Artist/musician
Amir Jamal, Artist/musician
Nachhatar Gill, Artist/musician
Mangi Mahal, Artist/musician

Editor: Lakhvinder Baddhan Source: Guardian

Rahul Mahajan weds Dimpy on NDTV show

The verdict is out! Reality TV star, Rahul Mahajan has opted to marry Bengali Dimpy Ganguly on NDTV Imagine's hit TV show, 'Swayamavar 2: Rahul Dulhaniya Le Jaayega'.

The ceremony took place live on the channel at Hotel Leela Kempinski in Mumbai on Saturday 6th March. The function was open to Rahul's immediately family, friends, television colleagues and channel officials.

He entered the wedlock despite the recent death of his uncle Praveen Mahajan, who was convicted for killing his politician father Pramod Mahajan four years ago.

Rahul chose 21-year-old Dimpy, a model and dancer, over Nikunj Malik, 25, and Harpreet Chhabra, 20, on the popular show. The couple has now left for their honeymoon in the Maldives.

Editor: Raj Baddhan Source: Various

Prime TV unveils new shows for new quarter

Free-to-air Pakistani entertainment channel, Prime TV has lined up a slew of new shows for the new quarter, starting this month.

'Lollywood Classics' - Hits of yesteryears; both from Urdu Classics and Punjabi blockbusters will entertain many Lollywood fans all over.

'Tasty Bites' / 'Fashion Tips'; shows for cooking and fashion news, airing weekdays at 16:30.

'Prime Asian Music' will don a new look in its current slot.

A new addition to the schedule is the daily weekday show of 'Sports Today', giving latest gossips and score updates in the sports world from all over. Sports from cricket to soccer, hockey to tennis etc, will be covered, with obvious stress on cricket and on different controversies and famous sports personalities. 'Sports Today' - Monday to Friday at 19:00.

'NYC loves Annie' is happy go lucky show where super model Annie takes viewers on the streets of New York and her experiences.

'Mindset' is a reality cum entertainment show where the host makes her guest speak and share their little secrets.

'Washington Report' is an informative programme which revolves around American Pakistanis.

On a serious note, Prime TV brings a reality come infotainment show with 'Meri Jadjehad'.

'Sawal Uthta Hai' is a programme which invites people to come and answer the question which has been raised by a common man via this programme. Based on facts and findings this show gives an in depth analysis of many points which come in our minds from time to time. Hosted by Zubair Ahmed and Moiz Amjad

Editor: Raj Baddhan Source: Prime TV

ZEE Network set to buy 9X flagship channel

ZEE Network set to buyout 9X ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL), is set to acquire Hindi entertainment channel 9X.

The channel currently belongs to the loss-making INX Media Pvt Ltd. If the deal goes ahead, ZEE Network is expected to pay around Rs 65 crore for the channel.

The synergies from the deal are unlikely to be significant from a content and viewership point of view, but there could be implied tax benefits, besides an additional channel licence in times of tight government approvals, said DNA India sources.

9X owes around Rs 130 crore to creditors, who are expected to take a substantial haircut and okay the transfer of ownership. The INX management is expected to pitch in with some money of their own over and above the Zee funds to seal the deal with the creditors, who are expected to agree considering the options they have.

INX Media will be left with just the music channel, 9XM. Both 9X and 9XM exited from the UK last year after an uncertain future.

Today, Bhupendra Makhi, Vice President Finance of INX Media , said, "INX Media is working on a restructuring plan. Part of this initiative includes continuing and growing the music and other niche genres and discussions with the Company's creditors to come to a settlement on outstanding dues. Discussions with ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) is part of this process."

Editor: Raj Baddhan Source: Various

Channel S in trouble for "undue prominence"

Bengali entertainment service, Channel S has landed into trouble with Ofcom after it scrolled two "advertising" messages continuously across the screen during a charity appeal.

Channel S stated that the messages were not programme sponsorship credits, advertising or paid-for.

Ofcom said broadcasters may choose to transmit charity appeals free of charge, and generally, in such circumstances, they may acknowledge briefly by name individuals’ or organisations’ donations to a broadcast appeal, and/or support for the relevant cause (where editorially justified), without raising Code issues by doing so.

However, in this case, Channel S’ acknowledgements to businesses (and a barrister) who supported a Loughborough mosque extension project, were repeated throughout a 50 minute broadcast. They were not therefore brief.

In addition, there appeared to be no editorial justification for screening the contact details of six businesses that were acknowledged on screen as supporting the Loughborough mosque extension project.

Ofcom considers that by including references to the six businesses in banners that appeared were given undue prominence.

Editor: Raj Baddhan Source: Ofcom

ATN Bangla in breach of two Ofcom rules

Bengali entertainment channel, ATN Bangla, has had a telling off by media regulator, Ofcom, over two rule breaks.

Both incidents, which took place in August last year revolve around advertising/sponsorship during programming airtime and prominence of certain brands in two programmes.

In the programmes, 'Asar Azan' and 'Magrib Asan' Ofcom noted that each
programme was preceded by material that appeared to be a sponsorship credit. The credit informed viewers that the programme was sponsored.

ATN Bangla informed us that none of the broadcast references to the sponsor before or during the broadcasts were paid for and it did not therefore consider them advertising or sponsorship.

'Iftar Clock' - this 30 second programme was a countdown to the breaking of the fast during Ramadan. A commercial break preceded 'Iftar Clock', with the final advertisement in the break being for a college brand. Throughout the programme, a spatially separated sponsor credit appeared on screen.

Once again, ATN Bangla informed Ofcom that the broadcast reference to the college brand in the broadcast was not paid for and was not therefore sponsorship.

Ofcom concluded that while ATN Bangla confirmed that the programmes were not sponsored, each was preceded by what appeared to Ofcom to be a sponsorship credit, informing viewers that it was sponsored. The broadcast terminology - "brought to you by," were also the commonly words used for sponsor credits.

Whatever the validity of this, Ofcom considers that viewers would also recognise these as sponsorship messages broadcast before and during each programme as an indication that the programmes were sponsored.

The channel was in breach of three rule breaks: -

•10.2 – Broadcasters must ensure that the advertising and programme elements
of a service are kept separate;
•10.3 – Products and services must not be promoted in programmes...;
28
•10.4 – No undue prominence may be given in any programme to a product or service

Editor: Raj Baddhan Source: Ofcom

KBC fails to comply with Ofcom request

Kashmir Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) has failed to comply with numerous requests made by Ofcom regarding the clarity of its licence.

Since KBC ceased broadcasting last year, the licence has said to be transferred to another service, DBN.

However last year, Ofcom requested KBC’s agreement with DBN in connection with the provision of the service, on many occassions. KBC has repeatedly failed to comply with these requests.

On Monday 1st March 2010, under the terms of its licence, Ofcom directed KBC to comply with the following direction - "DBN held by Kashmir Broadcasting Corporation Limited".

Ofcom requires this information in order to determine whether KBC is providing the DBN service and is complying with its obligations as a licensee.

Ofcom has given KBC until Monday 15th March to respond. Failure to comply with a direction given to it by Ofcom would be a serious breach by KBC of a licence condition which could give rise to consideration of a statutory sanction including revocation of the licence.

Related link:
KBC set to close operations this month

Editor: Raj Baddhan Source: Ofcom

MAX revamps on-air look to coincide with IPL

March 06, 2010

MAX unveils new look Host broadcaster of the Indian Premier League, MAX, owned by Multi Screen Media, has donned a new look ahead of the highly anticipated cricket tournament.

The revamped version of the channel consists of a tweaked logo, new promo idents and set of new graphics. The change comes three years after the previous overhaul of the channel.

MAX has been working on its new look for the past six months. As part of the repackaging exercise, the brand has used animation to make its logo (the channel ident) look more energetic. Now, the channel ident (MAX) dissolves into the geometric logo containing the alphabet S, denoting SET (Sony Entertainment Television).

The on-air layout of the channel has also been modified, by making navigational changes to display new movies to be aired on MAX.

The channel will adopt different themes for special events and change the generic look of the channel on the type of shows it broadcasts.
For example, when movies are being showcased on the channel, the theme and backdrop will continue to be bright golden yellow. But with the commencement of the IPL tournament on 12th March, MAX will don a sporty blue colour.

The channel has developed a richer colour palette too, allowing it the flexibility of adopting different themes for its individual properties, or during festivals such as Diwali and Holi.

MAX will broadcast the IPL matches live across India, while UK channel, ITV4 will use a direct feed from MAX to beam to viewers locally.

Related link:
ITV wins Indian Premier League UK rights

Editor: Raj Baddhan Source: AFaqs

Nearly £60m spent on Asian Network since 2002

March 05, 2010

The BBC has forked out nearly £60 million on the troubled, BBC Asian Network station since 2002, according to figures just released.

MediaGuardian reports that the BBC Asian Network cost £12.1m during 2008/09, including £9.2m on programmes and other content, down from the high of £13m the BBC spent on it in 2007/08, which included £10.1m on content.

Between the BBC Asian Network and 6 Music, both of which have been proposed to close by BBC Director General, Mark Thompson, have witnessed expenses of nearly £100m since 2002 when the two launched on DAB digital radio.

The BBC Asian Network's audience has dwindled over the years. Data for the last quarter (Q4/09) supplied by RAJAR saw the Asian Network hovering around a weekly reach of 360,000 - the lowest since the end of 2002.

The BBC Asian Network peaked with 535,000 listeners at the end of 2004, before falling back in the following quarter and remaining largely static for the next three years, before peaking again with another 535,000 listeners at the beginning of 2008. Since then its audience suffered another slump, despite a brief blip in the middle of 2009.

In proposals announced by Thompson earlier this week, the BBC Asian Network's national service will be shut down with five local versions of the station replacing the flanking service.

Editor: Raj Baddhan Source: MediaGuardian

NDTV Imagine acquires more new movies

March 04, 2010

Free-to-air Hindi broadcaster, NDTV Imagine has acquired a slew of more new movies on a syndication deal with various distributors.

The channel will screen the movie premieres of the following during the spring season.

Kaminey
- Kurbaan
- Wake up Sid
- Main Aur Mrs Khanna
- Luck
- Chance Pe Dance
- Do Knot Disturb

Colors and B4U Movies have already begun telecasting these movies.

Editor: Raj Baddhan Source: WMC

India ratings: STAR Plus replaces Colors on top

STAR Plus has topped Colors from the top spot, first time this year, according to TAM India viewership data for Week 9 of 2010.

STAR Plus has scored a TRP of 300 after riding on the success of its current line-up of existing shows like 'Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai' (7.1 TVR), 'Bidaai' (6.9 TVR), 'Sabki Ladli' Bebo (3.2) along with new shows that have recently been launched like 'Pratigya' and 'Behnein'.

Anupam Vasudev, EVP, STAR India, says, "We do not think that leadership is a weekly game, and are committed to consistently creating great content. We are happy that STAR Plus viewers love the current exciting line-up of shows like Yeh Rishta, Bidaai & Sabki Ladli Bebo, while appreciating the new shows like Pratigya and Behnein. STAR Plus has always been known for its superlative story-telling and our shows depict the changes that are taking place in the society today, with a healthy dose of realism, optimism, social concerns, edginess, and humor."

Colors wasn’t far behind with 286 GRPs, down from 307 in the previous week. ZEE TV is in third with 246 GRPs.

Sony Entertainment Television Asia went down slightly by 16 GRPs to 139 GRPs and NDTV Imagine, remained steady with 123 GRPs. SAB went down to 77 GRPs.

Editor: Raj Baddhan Source: Various

ITV wins Indian Premier League UK rights

ITV4 wins UK IPL rights Terrestrial UK broadcaster, ITV has scooped the television rights for the Indian Premier League (IPL), it’s been confirmed.

It's the first time in 30 years that cricket will be shown on ITV. The matches will be shown free-to-air on digital channel, ITV4 from Friday 12th March.

The deal consists of the broadcaster telecasting 59 of the 60 matches live over the 45-day period.

While ITV will use pictures from host broadcaster, MAX from the Multi Screen Media network. ITV will have its own studio guests talking about the live action. Bollywood actress Mandira Bedi will present the coverage (including MAX coverage) alongside Matt Smith.

Lalit Modi, the IPL commissioner, said; "This is a hugely significant deal for the IPL and ideally suited to the British passion for both cricket and entertainment."

ITV will also dedicate a specialist section to the IPL on its official website, including live streaming of matches through webcasts.

ITV will support the matches with a prominent marketing campaign on ITV.

Prior to this deal, pay channel, Setanta Sports held the rights to the tournament before it was shut down last year.

"In only two years, the Indian Premier League has already established itself as one of the world's most high profile and exciting sports events which attracts some of the very best cricketers from around the globe," said the ITV director of digital channels and acquisitions, Zai Bennett.

Its already been confirmed that YouTube will stream matches live in an exclusive deal with IPL organisers. Hindi broadcaster, Colors will also be telecasting special shows around the much talked about tournament.

Editor: Raj Baddhan Source: Various

BBC chief to meet with unions over cuts

March 03, 2010

BBC Director General under pressure BBC Director General Mark Thompson is to meet with unions over the planned shake up of the organisation.

A new strategy which was announced on Tuesday, details cuts of digital radio stations Asian Network and 6 Music, and would scale back the BBC website.

In proposals sent to the BBC Trust, the BBC said the Asian Network faces its national service on DAB being shutdown but will retain its local AM outputs in Birmingham and Leicester. With the closure of the BBC Asian Network's national broadcast, the BBC is "increasing the quality of local radio and boosting investment in local news."

Union Bectu and the National Union of Journalists is concerned about the possible job cuts.

The NUJ general secretary Jeremy Dear pledged to rally other trades unionists and licence fee payers to oppose the cuts and defend jobs.

He said: "In confirming these proposals today, Mark Thompson has put BBC management on a collision course - not just with us and the hundreds of BBC staff who face losing their jobs, but with licence fee payers up and down the country.

"BBC management's strategy of desperate, hopeful self-sacrifice is fundamentally flawed. Far from convincing an incoming government or commercial rivals that the BBC should now be left well alone, their self-harming approach will only encourage commercial media operations to demand more cuts.

"Public outrage at the proposed cuts has been overwhelming. A 'Save BBC6 Music' Facebook group has gained almost 90,000 members in just a few days and group members have appealed to us and other BBC unions to organise a joint demonstration. We've seen an increase in requests for membership from BBC staff right across the UK."

BECTU general secretary, Gerry Morrissey, said; "The BBC will not secure the politicians' favour with these proposals and nor will the Corporation appease the commercial sector which will see what the BBC is prepared to sacrifice and will pile on the pressure for more cuts.

"Where is the licence fee payer in these discussions? What consideration is being shown to people who enjoy the services now put at risk? Where is the BBC’s commitment to delivering for the UK’s diverse audience and to reflecting in the make-up of its staff the multi-cultural UK?"

Editor: Lakhvinder Baddhan Source: Various

In-Car DAB radio set for marketing push

Digital radio manufacturer PURE is getting ready to promote in-car DAB radio with a £200,000 marketing push in the months leading up to 2010's summer of sport.

The PURE Highway set will be marketed with on-air promotion on Absolute Radio, Classic FM, Planet Rock and Talksport as the manufacturer bids to drive take-up of the service among motorists.

According to PURE, the Highway was the second bestselling car audio product by value and third bestselling by volume in 2009.

Colin Crawford, director of marketing, PURE said; "The consistent sales performance of the PURE Highway is real evidence that consumers want digital radio in their car. With the proposed date for digital switchover fast approaching, Highway represents a convenient and easy-to-use solution for the considerable number of cars on the road that do not already have a digital radio installed."

Ford Ennals, chief executive, DRUK (Digital Radio UK) said; "Sport on the radio is almost exclusively heard on the lower quality AM band. Highway enables listening to BBC Five Live and talkSPORT in digital quality sound and also makes BBC Five Live Sports Extra available – a win win for the driver, we believe."

The PURE Highway is an adaptor solution for the car that allows the user to listen to digital radio on the car's existing FM audio system. It is also possible to connect an iPod or MP3 player and listen to favourite tracks through the car stereo.

Editor: Lakhvinder Baddhan Source: PURE

Asian Network closure: Complaints counter

March 02, 2010

It’s been confirmed today the BBC has proposed the closure of digital stations, the BBC Asian Network and 6 Music.

BizAsia.co.uk brings you the latest on the number of complaints the BBC has received on the mounting pressure to close the UK's only BBC Asian radio service.

Complaints received by the BBC: 624
Updated: 12/03/10 at 13:00

Keep visiting this page for updates.

In the meantime, if you want your say on today's proposals to close the BBC Asian Network, click here.

Editor: Lakhvinder Baddhan Source: BBC

EXCLUSIVE: Sanjhi Awaz Radio sets launch date

The West Midland's new digital radio station, Sanjhi Awaz Radio will be launched on Thursday 15th April, BizAsia.co.uk can exclusively confirm.

Sanjhi Awaz Radio's ethos will be to promote music, arts, language and culture of Punjabi speakers from the Sikh, Hindu and Muslim communities.

The Birmingham based station; Sanjhi Awaz Radio is being touted as a direct competitor to Radio XL on a local level. The station has also told BizAsia.co.uk that it also plans to fight Sunrise Radio, Panjab Radio, Punjabi Radio and Asian FX for market share, who all "broadcast from Southall but are not providing a local service for the Midlands."

The station has asserted that it is not a community station but a full-time digital commercial Asian radio station like its rivals Radio XL, Sabras Radio and Sunrise Radio.

Sanjhi Awaz Radio has also told BizAsia.co.uk that it will broadcast in 128 kilobytes and not 64 kilobytes like rivals Panjab Radio, Asian Fx and BBC Asian Network.

Sanjhi Awaz Radio's launch details come as a welcome after it emerged today the BBC Asian Network will be leaving the digital radio platform nationally after the BBC axed its service.

Sanjhi Awaz Radio launch coincides with the Sikh festival of Vaisakhi in April. The station replaces The Arrow, which was previously available on digital radio.

Editor: Lakhvinder Baddhan Source: Sanhji Awaz Radio

Official: Plans confirmed to close Asian Network

BBC Asian Network to close down Plans have been confirmed today by the BBC to close down digital stations, the BBC Asian Network and BBC 6 Music.

Whilst details are sketchy of how the BBC Asian Network will continue post 2011, it is likely that the local outputs will be networked and syndicated nationally on local stations where there are large Asian communities.

In the strategy review, the BBC has proposed the following to the BBC Trust; "One option is to replace it with a network of five part-time local services with some syndicated national Asian programmes. These would be available on local DAB and local Medium Wave, serving areas with the largest British Asian communities."

During the briefing Mr Thompson said the earliest the BBC Asian Network and 6 Music would close would be by the end of 2011.

The proposals have now been submitted to the BBC Trust where a public consultation period will take place.

At a staff meeting at BBC Television Centre this morning, Mark Thompson, Director General announced, "The BBC can't do everything and it has to recognise the challenges facing commercial media. But people who are hoping the corporation is going to be reduced to a fraction of its size will be disappointed."

He has also confirmed that there will be 25% less spent on BBC online by 2013.

Other closures will be of teen services Switch and Blast, with Mr Thompson admitting Channel 4 should lead the way with these audiences.

As a result of the changes Mr Thompson said he expected the plans would see an extra £600m diverted into programme-making.

Updated: 13:05

Editor: Lakhvinder Baddhan Source: BBC

Rights & Wrongs of the BBC Asian Network

Since reports surfaced about the BBC Asian Network's future last week, BizAsia.co.uk has been inundated with comments by readers expressing their opinions.

As the industry awaits the fate of the station today, BizAsia.co.uk brings you the Pros and Cons of the BBC Asian Network...

Why the BBC Asian Network will be missed...
• The BBC Asian Network is seen as a bridge between Asians and the mainstream BBC. British Asians use it as a platform to voice their opinions on a larger level that other commercial stations maybe unable to.

• With digital radio being the future, the BBC Asian Network has done well to promote DAB and move listeners from analogue to digital radio.

• The BBC Asian Network has been seen as a benchmark in terms of quality for commercial radio stations to look up to. Presentation, imaging and programming has been of a higher standard compared to existing Asian commercial stations.

• The BBC Asian Network is seen as a trustworthy source for news and information but has recently become too music orientated to compete directly with commercial broadcasters.

• With many Asian radio stations catering for older audiences as a safer commercial bet, the BBC Asian Network has tapped into British Asian youths on a national level, achieved very little by Asian commercial stations.

• Asians believe that the licence fee has been more value for money with the BBC offering the Asian Network a part of its services.

Where the BBC Asian Network has gone wrong...
• The BBC Asian Network has become too commercialised and competing directly with commercial Asian radio stations. It should concentrate on news, information and documentaries rather than popular culture such as showbiz entertainment.

• The BBC Asian Network, like other BBC radio stations spends too much money on shows - researcher, producer and presenter on one show?! Commercial stations survive on one person - the presenter, to do all three.

• The BBC Asian Network has become too commercialised and has lost touch to promote new talent (with the exception of Friction). The station should be used to promote budding new artists and presenters, rather than hiring DJs from other stations.

• The BBC Asian Network is seen as a news and information station and thus should provide features such as Traffic and Travel and Weather bulletins on an hourly basis.

• The BBC Asian Network's primary target of youth programming has also not gelled with listeners. The station should provide a wider spectrum of shows with Hindi/Urdu shows during weekday mornings/afternoons.

Editor: Lakhvinder Baddhan Source: BizAsia.co.uk

BBC to officially announce radio & web cuts

Mark Thompson to announce cuts today The BBC is set to officially announce cuts to its two digital stations - BBC Asian Network and 6 Music, online and imported shows, at a press conference today.

The BBC's Director-General, Mark Thompson, will admit today that the corporation has become "unsustainably large". According to The Times, he will lay out the findings of a review of every aspect of the BBC’s activities.

He will propose the closure of its two digital stations - BBC Asian Network and 6 Music, shut down half of the BBC website, and slash spending on American imports.

The report was initially expected to be published next Tuesday (9th March) but was brought forward to today after The Times leaked details of the BBC's biggest changes in its 88-year history.

Thompson will set out the plans to staff, in a presentation at Television Centre at 09:30, followed by a media conference at 11:00.

Since Friday, the BBC has received nearly 2,500 complaints about plans to close the two radio stations. Yesterday it was reported that 6 Music's "closure" sparked majority of the complaints, with the BBC Asian Network obtaining around 100 only.

Keep it with BizAsia.co.uk for the newsbreak from this morning.

Editor: Lakhvinder Baddhan Source: The Times

Brit singer Hard Kaur lands TV host stint

March 01, 2010

Birmingham based female Indian rapper, Hard Kaur has landed a huge TV assignment.

Hard Kaur, whose real name is Taran Kaur Dhillon has become a sensation in India and remains the country's first female rapper. She will be seen hosting a special reality TV show to coincide with the Indian Premier League cricket on Colors.

The programme called 'IPL Rockstar, Music Ka Tadka' will be judged by musical maestro Kailash Kher and the internationally renowned singer - Sukhwinder Singh.

'IPL Rockstar, Music Ka Tadka' will be shown on Colors during the Indian Premier League season, which starts on Friday 12th March.

Editor: Lakhvinder Baddhan Source: Colors

Complaints flood in over BBC radio "closure" plans

The BBC has received nearly 2,500 complaints since reports emerged on Friday that the corporation was planning to cull the BBC Asian Network and 6 Music to save money.

The BBC is to officially give full details of its proposed package of cuts tomorrow (Tuesday 2nd March), which includes the future of its two flanking radio stations - BBC Asian Network and 6 Music.

While the BBC has received around 2,313 complaints called for 6 Music to be saved; only 85 have lodged their support for the BBC Asian Network.

The BBC Trust, which will launch a public consultation about the corporation's proposals later this month, is also understood to have received several hundred complaints about the BBC's cutback plans.

Editor: Raj Baddhan Source: MediaGuardian

Your Opinion! Is ZEE TV still top choice for you?

ZEE TV was the first satellite Asian TV channel to launch in the UK in 1995. The channel celebrates its 15th year in this territory, something no other channel has yet done so far.

The channel has grown into a network with four channels currently broadcasting in the UK. The UK Asian TV market is now saturated with endless free-to-air, free-to-view and premium channels but ZEE TV/ZEE Network has managed to hold on to the crown of being the leading subscription Asian TV channel in the UK. But do you agree?

Has it become more of a habit for viewers rather than loyalty? Are subscribers so used to ZEE TV that unsubscribing to the channel would be similar to losing a family member?

What are your views about ZEE TV from past and present? How has ZEE TV managed to sustain the power in the UK and able to change with the times despite stiff competition from the likes of STAR, Sony Entertainment Television Asia, NDTV Imagine and Colors?

Get interactive and let us and others know Your Opinion!

Disclaimer: The views expressed below on BizAsia.co.uk are those of readers alone. They do not represent the views or opinions of BizAsia.co.uk/Media247.co.uk or its staff.

Editor: Lakhvinder Baddhan Source: BizAsia.co.uk