Television channels have begun waking up to the reach of Bengali, the world's sixth most widely spoken language. The new interest in Bengali has come all in a rush in the past six months with Zee Alpha Bengali and ATN Bangla and ATN World already on air. Eenadu and Sun are in the process of setting up infrastructure for telecasts round the clock from early next year.
Two Calcutta-based cable channels, CCCN and CTVN, launched a few months ago, are teaming up with RPG Netcom to increase their presence.
ATN Bangla targets India and Bangladesh through six-hour cycles of Bangladesh and Indian TV programmes. Its popularity has been increasing steadily, its only competitor being Bangladesh TV. ATN Bangla is supported by ATN World which increases its reach.
"We have an understanding with a television channel focusing on Indians in the UK and are also planning to bring popular Hollywood programmes on to ATN World in order to add to the channel's popularity," says Santosh Jain, who holds around 20 per cent stake in ATN.
Ironically, even as this search for profits from a new Bengali audience begins, Bengal's entertainment industry is mostly in precarious health.
Twenty-five to 30 low-budget Bengali films are made each year, just a few of them succeed in covering costs. The production studios in Tollygunge are in bad shape and have been so for several years.
The question now is whether the reach of satellite and cable will be able to save them.
Some production houses like Sonex have already tied up with RPG Netcom for using its widespread cable link. CCCN and CTVN, however, are yet to draw major advertisers, apart from the volley of RPG Group ads shown regularly.
But the fact that there is scope is evident from the few success stories which are around.
Rainbow production's Janmabhoomi has had a two-year run. Khas Khabor by the same company has also been successful.
This has encouraged groups like CCCN and CTVN to come forward with their own programmes over RPG's cable network which has nearly 75 per cent of Calcutta's cable market.
