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June 4, 2001
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Money > Business Headlines > Report June 4, 2001 |
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Star tells NDTV to beef up news contentAnjan Mitra With Star News losing some of its sheen in the face of stiff competition, parent company Star India feels it's time for a major revamp in the channel. It has asked content provider, the Prannoy Roy-controlled TV software company New Delhi TV, to spruce up the news channel with more focus on the Hindi content. It has also been decided that the NDTV-produced Good Morning India, a long-running programme on Star Plus, will be phased out by month-end. Star is also not keen on distributing the proposed NDTV World as part of the Star bouquet. Sources in both Star India, the Indian arm of the Rupert Murdoch-controlled Star Group Ltd, and NDTV confirmed the moves. In a high-level meeting held in Delhi last week, attended amongst others by Star India chief executive Peter Mukerjea and NDTV's Prannoy Roy, Star made a presentation identifying areas which needed attention and subsequently beefing up, keeping in mind new entrants in the news and current affairs genre of programming. The major areas of concern: existing Hindi programming and also business news. "The meeting was held to take stock of the Star News channel. Some suggestions have been made by Star, including the fact that Hindi content needs to be increased," a NDTV source admitted to Business Standard, adding that Good Morning India too would be phased out. Senior Star programming executives reportedly held a series of meetings with NDTV on new programming aimed at adding a zing to the news channel. The source said, "Suggestions have been made, but nothing has been finalised as yet." On the distribution of its proposed entertainment channel, NDTV sources said that this was discussed with Star India, but "not pushed after that." NDTV is yet to fix the time for launching its proposed entertainment channel, NDTV World, earlier slated to go on air by mid-2001. The channel will have 70 per cent of entertainment and 30 per cent of infotainment programming, barring news bulletins. NDTV's contract with Star to produce content for Star News runs through till March 2003, with a clause that it comes up for review in September-October. According to the agreement, if Star decides to pull out of the deal, then it has to pay NDTV about Rs 700 million per year for the remaining period of the contract. Powered by YOU MAY ALSO WANT TO READ:
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