Zee In Talks With Twi, Worldtel For Sports Channel

Zee TV supremo Subhash Chandra is planning to start a sports channel, independent of STAR TV baron Rupert Murdoch. Chandra and his associates are holding talks in this connection with International Marketing Group (IMG) affiliate Trans World International (TWI), and the Mark Mascarenhas-promoted World Tel.

The proposed channel, expected to be launched by early next year, is likely to be beamed through a transponder on the

PAS-4 satellite, which is being used by Chandra promoted his Music Asia channel.

Having a sports channel in the stable would not only help Chandra take on the might of channels like STAR Sports and ESPN both sports majors but also come in handy when he starts a direct-to-home TV service, with his associates, sometime in the near future. The ZEE network channels at present include ZEE TV, EL TV, ZEE Cinema and Music Asia.

Though Chandra was not available for comments as he was said to be out of the country, cable TV sources in London told Business Standard that Chandra held a meeting with World Tel representatives recently. Chandra had also asked a media company sometime ago to conduct a feasibility study for a sports channel.

Talks have been also held with TWI representative and its parent company IMG, which specialises in covering sporting events, buying telecast rights, and managing events and sports personalities round the world, the London sources.

However, at this stage it has not been finalised whether both World Tel and TWI would be associated with the sports channel or only one of them.

Another Chandra-promoted company is fine-tuning a blueprint for a news and current affairs (N&CA) channel with an Indian focus, which will soon be ready for ZEE Telefilms Ltd (this company exports TV software to Hong Kong-based ATL to be beamed on ZEE TV) boards consideration. Asian Age editor M J Akbar will be a consultant for the N&CA channel.

Attempts made by Business Standard yesterday to get in touch with Akbar in a Taj group-run hotel in London proved futile.

As a prelude to the news and current affairs channel, the Subhash Chandra-promoted ZEE Network plans to increase the number of news bulletins on EL TV and ZEE TV from the existing six to 10. Alongside, there are also plans to introduce some more news and current affairs programmes.

It has not been decided whether any of the existing ZEE network channels would be converted into an N&CA channel or an entirely new channel will be started for this purpose.

But, according to ZEE sources, One thing is sure, STAR or Murdoch will have no association with the N&CA channel or the sports channel.

Interestingly, ZEEs partner, the Rupert Murdoch-controlled STAR TV, too has made public its intention of starting a 24-hour news and current affairs channel on its proposed direct-to-service (DTH) platform in association with Prannoy Roys New Delhi TV.

Roys company was contracted by STAR TV last year to produce news and current affairs programmes, including news bulletins, for STAR Plus.