What to Expect from Kamal 50 ?

"Kamal Haasan" - the name personifies uniqueness, hard work, dedication and exceptional creativity. His journey in filmdom began with the film "Kalathur Kanamma" at the age of five; and now after 50 years; there is no stopping him. He has not only proved himself to be a versatile actor; the star has excelled in the many roles of film making such as script writer, director, producer, singer among others.

Vijay TV, the exclusive television channel nominated to celebrate the 50 years of Kamal Haasan in its own exclusive way is to launch a spate of events in the next 6 weeks. The celebrations titled "Rin Ulaganayagan Kamal Aimbathu - Oru Thodarum Sarithiram" will witness activities across the state. This exclusive event will be one of its kind ever attempted for any star and will be carried out in various phases.

PHASE 1: To begin the proceedings, a customized "Kamal Bus" would traverse the state; attracting all his thousands of fans. This bus would visit the film trade centers and fan clubs in Tamilnadu and Bengaluru. An exclusive photo exhibition with rare and never seen before photographs from Kamal Haasan's life will be on display on this bus.

Apart from the photo exhibition, the fans, technicians and artists will sign the huge scroll that would be presented to the star. The bus leaves from Chennai and travels to Chengalpet, Pudhucheri, Villupuram, Perambalur, Tiruchi, Madurai, Paramakudi, Tuticorin, Thirunelvelli, Nagercoil, Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Erode, Salem, Dharmapuri, Bengaluru, Thirupathur, Vellore and Kanchipuram over a period of 12 days.

PHASE 2 - Iyal Isai Nadaga Thiruvizha
This will be a festival that celebrates the three forms of Tamil language at three key locations in Tamilnadu i.e. Madurai, Coimbatore and Chennai.

Thamizhum Kamalum - Madurai
"Thamizhum Kamalum" event would be held at Madurai. This would be a literary discussion featuring eminent personalities from the field of Tamil literature. While the scholars speak on how the veteran actor has made use of literature in most of his films wisely; his fans group & the commoners would come up with their own interpretation of Kamal Haasan's contribution to the language.

Kamal Haasan's perfection and attention to detail when it comes to using various Tamil dictions in his films would be highlighted. The use of Bharathiyaar poems in "Varumaiyin Niram Sivappu" to Abirami Andadadhi in "Guna" & from playing a Srilankan Tamil in "Thenali" to the American "Dasavatharam" Kamal Haasan has done it all. Watch out for this gripping discussion which is interspersed with interesting anecdotes.

Kamalum Kaadhalum - Coimbatore
Kovai would witness a grand musical nite "Kamalum Kaadahalum" which will feature some of most popular evergreen hits featuring Kamal Haasan. Many popular faces from the Tamil film & music industry would perform in front of a LIVE audience. The songs from most of Kamal Haasan's movies have been chartbusters in every era.

The theme of this event would be LOVE and songs depicting the various stages of love would be sung by legendary singers like S. P. Balasubramaniyam and Chitra. Also joining them would be popular playback singers Madhu Balakrishnan, Anuradha Sriram, S. P. Charan, Benny Dayal, Karthik, Vijay Yesudas, Suchithra, Madhumitha, Naveen, Haricharan, Ranjith, Rahul Nambiar and many others.

Kamal Haasan Film festival - Chennai
In Chennai, Vijay TV has planned to organize a Kamal Haasan film festival over 3 weeks in August-September in partnership with Sathyam Cinemas; showcasing some of his best movies ever.

Special On air episodes: Parallel to these on ground events at Coimbatore, Chennai and Madurai; the biography of Kamal Haasan will air on Vijay TV. This 16 episode series would talk about his childhood days as an actor, his first passion - the theatre and his life in cinema. With experiences narrated by his contemporaries and juniors of the past 50 years, the show will be an emotional & inspiring tale of Kamal Haasan - the phenomenon. Starts August 31, 2009; airing Monday - Thursday at 8pm.

PHASE 3 - the MEGA event at Chennai
This month long celebrations will culminate with a mega event in Chennai in the 2nd week of September. An evening to treasure, as the film stars of Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada film industry come together on one stage to salute the one & only Kamal Haasan. Ulaganayagan Kamal Haasan himself will be present to witness the event and speak a few words to his ardent fans.

Popular faces beginning from Big B and Super star Rajinikanth; other stars like Shahrukh Khan, Mamooty, Mohanlal, Sridevi, Chiranjeevi, Puneet Rajkumar, Jeyapradha, Hemamalini, Suryah, Ajith, Vijay., and many artists along with top notch technicians, would be a part of this grand event witnessed by a 7,000 strong audience.

With performances by legends of the music industry and dance performances by leading actors from the Tamil industry, this would be a night to cherish. The event would be split into five parts, each representing a decade of Kamal Haasan's films.

In consultation with the legend, a core team has been set up that will monitor the celebrations. The core team has legendary director K. Balachander, actor Sivakumar, actor / producer - Sarath Kumar, Member of Parliament Napolean, directors - A.R. Murugadoss and Myshkin, actors Kushboo and Jaimala, playback singer / producer - S.P. Charan, film critics Madan and Yugi Sethu.

The advertising fraternity has already expressed great interest in associating with these celebrations; many partners like logistics (KPN Travels), hospitality (The Accord Metropolitan) and multiplex (Sathyam Cinemas) have already been roped in. With huge promotional plans across various mediums; this would surely be an event to watch out for.

I&B Ministry for consensual approach on FDI in print media, TV

With both print and television broadcasters pressing for a hike in FDI limits in newspapers and television channels, top officials in the Ministry for Information and Broadcasting today said no timeframe could be committed for this and suggested a consensual approach on the matter. "Though a large section of broadcasters and print media barons seek enhanced FDI limits in newspapers and television channels, we are trying to discuss the issue and want to arrive at a consensus on it in order to move forward (on the issue)," a top ministry official said here.

The official said though no time frame can be committed on it, the issue is being seriously discussed in the ministry as there is a need to bring unanimity on it. At present, FDI limits in both television channels and newspapers is 26 per cent and newspaper owners and broadcasters are seeking a hike of upto 49 per cent in both the sectors.

Ulaganayagan Kamal Aimbathu – Oru Thodarum Sarithiram

We all knew that to celebrate Kamal Haasan’s 50 years of celluloid journey, a series of events has been planned in Vijay TV. Beginning August 31, the show will trace the life of the actor – his childhood days at Paramakudi, little known facts about his siblings and parents, his theatre experiences and of course, his screen saga. The show will be at 8 PM from Monday to Thursday..

Monday - Thursday, 8 PM

Its with Ice..

This week in Anu alavum bayam illai it will be with ice.. last week after fire this week with ice. It has been very interesting round until now and this is the most difficult round of the show.. From the promotional video it was like Pooja Vs Pooja for the elimination. sterday Pooja did her task in 45 minutes and then Santhoshi in 41 minutes... after they are done with their task there should be someone to help them out to warm up.. its so cold that after completing their task they fall down.. i think its dangerous even. I am wondering how difficult it would be as and when the show goes on.. future shows are going to be very difficult and interesting.

Indian youth keen on paid music downloads: Music Matters survey

India comes a close second after Korea in terms of paying for music downloads, according to the just released Music Matters Synovate Survey 2009. 19 per cent of Indian youth claim to have paid to download music, just behind Korea's 20 per cent of paying public, ranking ahead of China where only 12 per cent claim to pay for music downloads. Interestingly, only 21 per cent of Indian youth claim to have opted for illegal downloads in the last one month as against 55 per cent Chinese youth who claim to have preferred unpaid downloads. The study released at the Nokia Music Connects conference in Mumbai on Wednesday, studied internet users in the age group of 15 to 24 and included 1138 respondents from India. 23 per cent of Indian youth said they spent more time listening to music and 83 per cent said music formed a very important part of their lives. Only eihgt per cent of the respondents said they didn't agree that music was an important part of their life. A R Rahman, Sony Niigaam and Lata Mangeshkar, in that order, were the preferred musicians, among Indian youth.

The mobile phone emerged as the playing device of choice, with 41 per cent of the respondents saying they listen to music on their mobiles. The TV / music channel was the next preferred medium of music consumption, with 18 per cent usage, while the computer was consumed as a playing device by only 15 per cent of the respondents. The radio ranked next with 10 per cent respondents claiming the device helped them to consume music. The MP3 player is yet to catch on in India, with only six per cent of the respondents having access to the device for music consumption. The mobile phone is likely to stay the favourite of the growing generation, with 40 per cent of the respondents saying they would use it in the future as well as a playing device, while 28 per cent said they would use a computer.

The television is still the top choice to watch music videos with 31 per cent Indian youth saying they watch videos on TV, followed by the computer which is the choice of 23 per cent of the youth. 14 per cent use the mobile device for viewing music videos. 85 per cent of the sampled youth said they own mobile phones, and 61 per cent of the respondents said they listen to music on their phones. A whopping 72 per cent said they used the Bluetooth/MMS facility to source music on their phones while 14 per cent directly downloaded the music to their phones. Only nine per cent said they downloaded the music to their computers before transferring it to their phones.

-Radio and Music

Indian animation industry slows pace

India's animation industry is being hurt by the slump in the global economy. Nasscom, the apex body of IT software and services, has revised downwards its forecast for the sector, expecting a dip in growth rates for two years before becoming a billion dollar industry by 2012. Nasscom had earlier forecast the animation industry to touch $1.2 billion by 2012, aided by outsourcing and a growing domestic market. Nasscom expects the gaming sector to size up to $830 million by 2012, lower than its earlier forecast of $1.1 billion.

"Indian animation industry is expected to grow at a CAGR of 22 per cent to reach $1-billion while gaming industry to grow at a CAGR of 49 per cent to reach $830-million by 2012," said Nasscom president Som Mittal, while releasing 'The Animation and Gaming Report 2008-09'. The report, prepared by Nasscom and Ernst & Young, provides a detailed insight on the growth-drivers, business models, issues and challenges for the gaming and animation industry in the next few years. Slow growth of domestic box-office for animation movies, absence of adequate proof of concept or IP creation, and lack of availability of skills for animation industry are the other factors that have forced Nasscom to drag down its earlier forecast.

Athu Ithu Ethu, Big FM RJs

Athu Ithu Ethu, Big FM RJs

Street singers for reality show ?

In a season of reality shows, where women face polygraph tests to prove their marital fidelity and men slug it out to win over Rakhi Sawant, this one stands out for sure. Indiavision, a Malayalam television channel, has roped in street singers for a brand new show which kicked off last weekend. Interestingly, the singers will not compete with each other. The new reality show, called VKC Street Light, is telecasted on Saturdays and Sundays and it features 17 street singers. Calicut Landmark Builders has volunteered to build two-bedroom houses for each of the 17 participants.

"We see a lot of talented people singing on trains and streets. Why not have a television show for them?" said Sudheer Ambalapad, producer of the 100-episode reality show. "Theres no elimination round. Of course, there will be emotional moments given the background of our participants. But this show is one of celebration," said singer Chitra Iyer, who anchors the show. Participants range from a Gujarati elder who ekes out a living singing Malayalam classics to little children who sing songs in trains. The production team is thrilled with the support it has got from the film and music industry.

If Shankar Mahadevan sang the signature composed by Jassie Gift, legendary composer Dakshinamurthy was a guest of honour in the first episode. Ambalapad hopes to welcome icons, such as Ilayaraja, Lata Mangeshkar and KJ Yesudas, on the show. Kerala, with at least 10 Malayalam television channels clamouring for viewers attention, has been addicted to reality shows like the rest of the country. The once-popular saops have been relegated to the background with reality shows ruling the charts.

TV entertainment channels double online promo spending

Online promotion spending by general entertainment television channels (GECs) have risen by around five percentage points as compared to the previous year — from 3-4 per cent to 8-10 per cent this year of the total marketing budget. Typically, this total amount for a GEC ranges between Rs 40 crore and Rs 90 crore, depending upon the channel.

“There has been more than a 100 per cent jump in the spends. All GECs are spending on the digital medium, as it is the only one from where you can get responses well and fast. It is a crucial strategy for creating brand awareness and reaching out to the young. It also has the advantage of becoming interactive. For channels like Colors and MTV, the online medium is playing a bigger role than it used to do earlier,” said Maneesh Mathur, Chief Operating Officer of P9 Integrated, a film entertainment marketing company.

“Although there are other established media like print and TV, there is a problem in terms of buying spots to promote a channel. For instance, Colors cannot buy a spot on STAR Plus to promote itself because they are competitors. So, they buy spots on AajTak and other news channels, where the basic reach is small. But to overcome this problem, the effectiveness of social networking sites have been realised, adds Mathur.

Viacom 18, for instance — which is promoting its channels MTV, Colors, Nick and Vh1 on the web — is spending almost 10 per cent of its marketing budget on online promotion. “Along with this, we have tied up with Orkut and Facebook in a non-commercial agreement, wherein both sides see a certain mutual benefit and value in the association. There have been certain other tie-ups (with the likes of MSN, Ibibo) wherein we have parted with our content and/or offered them tremendous branding and visibility and hence earned revenues for that,” said Anuj Poddar, Senior Vice President.

“GECs seldom use online platforms for marketing fiction shows, but for non-fiction shows, 10 per cent of the spends could be towards online promotions. I believe there’s scope for more,” adds Poddar.

When asked if there has been an increase in the investments by GECs, Poddar says: “Traditionally, GECs did not use the digital platforms much for their marketing activities, but we are starting to see this evolve. As shows themselves get hippier and the target group younger, marketing spends, too, will follow towards younger media. We have gone from zero to spending about 10-20 per cent for non-fiction shows.”

Channels like MTV, NDTV Imagine, Sony and Colors have also come with interesting content on the web like MTV’s Facebook Connect — Facebook users can post who they think their Celebrity Look-Alike is. If the judges on MTV Connected feel so, you get a chance to be featured on the show. On Roadies Battleground 2, watch MTV, note down the tasks, go to the website MTVindia.in and upload the video of yourself performing the task. If you impress the judges, they’ll let you participate! Also, recently for the show Rakhi Ka Swayamvar they came out with a game where you can kiss Rakhi online. Around 81 per cent of the online Indian population, according to a report by Hungama Digital Media, engages in some kind of social interactivity on the web, making it an ideal place for the GECs to draw young crowds.

“For us, we see the net as a core platform to engage and entertain our audiences. The only difference is that in India, entertainment through the internet has yet some distance to go before catching up with TV. However, this catch-up is happening much more rapidly amongst the youth. Hence, out of our four brands, MTV right now is the most evolved online and by default, we now have a multi-platform approach to most MTV shows. Similarly for Colors, we do things online more with the non-fiction shows than the fiction shows, due to the differing TG. Interestingly, kids’ online presence is growing exponentially and hence we have created a very vibrant site for them at nickindia.com. Just like its TV avatar, nickindia.com now enjoys the highest time-spent per kid amongst all the kids’ channel sites,” says Poddar.

The online promotion for Sony’s Bhaskar Bharti and Iss Jungle Se Mujhe Bachao is carried out by Ignitee Digital Solutions, a digital marketing company. Danish Khan, marketing head of Sony Entertainment, says: “We are spending 8 per cent from our total marketing budget on online promotions.” Atul Hegde, Chief Executive Officer of Ignitee Digital Solutions, is also not surprised by the increase in spending. “I see a lot of viability for this trend to grow, as the target audience the GECs are targeting through social media are mostly in the age groups of 15-25 years and online is the best way to attract that target group.”

- Business Standard

Ramya takes over NVK ??

I had posted sometime back that its been long time we have seen Kalakapovathu yaaru fame Ramya anchoring any show.. after Unglail yaar adutha Prabhudeva she was not seen in the channel for sometime. Now, having the next season of the kalakapovathu yaaru to start all of us were expecting her to be back. But, last week she was back in the channel hosting the Namma Veetu Kalyanam show. I am not sure from when she had taken over this role and also how long she would continue to do the role....

She came in half-saree and spoke in typical brahmin language hosting the actress Mohini's wedding memories..

Kamal Express Bus Route

Ulaganayagan Kamal 50 – Oru Thodarum Sarithiram – Kamal Express Bus Route

The route plans for both the buses are as follows:

The first Kamal Express would begin its travel from
Chennai and move to
Chengalpat,
Dindivanam,
Pondicherry,
Cuddalore,
Chidambaram,
Mayavaram,
Karaikal,
Nagapatinam,
Kumbakonam,
Tanjore,
Tiruvarur,
Pudukottai,
Tiruchi,
Madurai,
Paramakudi,
Tuticorin,
Tirunelvelli,
Nagercoil,
Kanyakumari,
Tenkasi,
Sivakasi,
Bodi and
Theni.

The second Kamal Express would begin from
Chennai and travel to
Kancheevaram,
Vellore,
Tiruvannamalai,
Krishnagiri,
Bengalureu,
Hosur,
Dharmapuri,
Salem,
Namakkal,
Rasipuram,
Erode,
Tirupur,
Coimbatore,
Pollachi,
Dindugal,
Kodaikanal and
Perambalur.

Rin Ulaganayagan Kamal 50 – Journey begins

Ulaganayagan Kamal 50 – Oru Thodarum Sarithiram – a show that salutes the legendary actor “Kamal Haasan” on his completion of 50 years in cinema. A month-long celebration that is planned by the channel had a grand start with the flag off of the “Kamal Express” from AVM Studios on August 24, 2009 at 11:30am. Mr. A. V. M. Saravannan (Producer AVM Studios) along with Mr. Ramanarayanan (President of the Tamil Film Producers’ Council) and V. C. Guganathan (President of the Film Employees’ Federation of South India) inaugurated the Kamal Express that is all set to travel across Tamilnadu visiting his hometown Paramakudi as well. Along with them Akshara Haasan and Subulakshmi (daughter of Gawthami) were also a part of this flag off ceremony.
Two specially designed Volvo buses would visit the film trade centers and fan clubs across Tamilnadu and Bengaluru. An exclusive photo exhibition with really rare photographs of the star, his close associates, his family and friends, his films would be kept on display in these two buses. Apart from the photo exhibition, the fans, technicians and artists will sign a huge scroll that would be presented to the star.
AVM Saravannan on speaking about Kamal said, “Sivaji Ganesan is a great actor. Similarly Kamal is also a genius in acting. I’m indeed very proud to have introduced two legendry actors – Sivaji Ganesan and Kamal Haasan in AVM’s banner. I hope this man would achieve more in his film career. I also thank Vijay TV for coming up with a unique show on Kamal Haasan”.

Ramanarayanan, President of the Tamil Film Producers’ Council said, “I feel honored to have born in the State where a legend like Kamal has also born. He has not just proved himself as a worthy actor but has proved himself as a worthy person by performing many social deeds”. V. C. Guganathan, President of the Film Employees’ Federation of South India on speaking about the actor commented, “Some are born great some achieve greatness but Kamal is a born talent. He is not only an actor but a complete technician who is well versed in all aspects of cinema”, continued Guganathan.
His daughter, Akshara Haasan on speaking about her dad said, “He has created a great standard in acting. We need to work very hard to achieve that standard and live up to his expectation. I congratulate Dr. Padmashree Kamal Haasan on completing 50 successful years in cinema”. Subbulakshmi said “I applaud my dad for this great achievement. He is a living icon to me”.

WWE plans to launch cable channel

World Wresting Entertainment Inc (WWE), which has softened its raunchy programming to appease advertisers and a wider section of viewers, is planning to launch its own cable network as part of its growth strategy. The effort could take two years, but it would allow WWE a lot of leveraging power to get carriage on cable networks and DTH. WWE programming draws in large audiences, the most popular of which is Raw. WWE also has 14 pay-per-view events a year in the US. It is also sitting on a vast pile of content, totaling 100,000 hours, which could feed into its channel.

Advertisers, who were earlier reluctant to associate with such content, have started flocking in, justifying the proposal of launching a channel. In India, Ten Sports has the rights for telecast of WWE programming till 2015. Being popular among younger audiences, the WWE content enables Ten Sports to get carriage even during the period when it does not have compelling live sporting events that Indian viewers watch.

Whats up with Final Audition round ?

This week it will be final audition rounds in Airtel Super Singer Junior 2 but I guess this is not the auditions rather competitive rounds but still this is how DD started the show. This week for a change it is Harish Ragavendra and Mahathi judging the performances of the kids.. I donno exactly the number of contestants now in the show and i will post them soon. All the kids will have to perform a western song and depending on the perforamnce they go into next round or get a double promotion to direct entry to meet main judges.

Chocolate Rain

Whenever the judges select any kid, there is a chocolate rain being poured on the contestant. The judges have been very careful in identifying which contestant will be selected and given double promotion. The joy in the face of kids is amazing and make u smile for a while just seeing the video.

Double Promotion

Having said that there is double promotion and the kids being selected need not participate in the next round are honoured by either of the judge and given graduation ;).. Vijay TV had made it like a real graduation where the contestant is presented with a yellow graduation coat and cap/hat and with a medal and certificate. very interesting..isnt it ??

Kamal 50 Special Bus Started

Kamal Bus

After Rasigan Express which went around the state in looking for votes from the public for their favourite film, actors and other.. now this time it will be the custmized bus named "Kamal Bus". This bus is supposed to travel
film trade centers, fan clubs in Tamil nadu and at Bangalore. An exclusive photo exhibition featuring rare photographs of Kamal Haasan sourced from the actor himself will be displayed in the bus. A signature campaign, wherein film artists, technicians and fans will sign on long canvases, will also be part of the first phase.

Get ready to board in the bus if you can.. if not atleast lets see the program in Vijay TV..

Kamal Haasan thanks Vijay TV heartily for Kamal 50

Kamal Haasan – the name personifies uniqueness, hard work, dedication and exceptional creativity. His journey in filmdom began with Kalathur Kanamma at the age of five; and now after 50 years, there is no stopping him. He has not only proved himself to be a versatile actor, the star has excelled in the many roles of film making such as script writer, director, producer, singer, among others.

Vijay TV will celebrate 50 years of Kamal Haasan in its own exclusive way with a spate of events to be launched in the next six weeks. The celebrations, titled 'Rin Ulaganayagan Kamal Aimbathu – Oru Thodarum Sarithiram', will witness activities across the state. This exclusive event will be the first of its kind for any star and will be carried out in different phases.

Kamal Haasan, appearing on Vijay TV's show 'Kamal 50', said, "These 50 years in cinema is not a single man’s achievement. There are many people in my life who have been an inspiration in making these 50 years happen; this is a team effort. I am thankful to my producers who have believed in me and my work. I will always be grateful to AVM Chettiar, Shanmugam Annachi, Iyakunar Sigaram, K. Balachander and many others who have always been my strength and watched out for me through these years. These 50 years would come in any person’s life; but it was Vijay TV that first presented this concept and was determined to celebrate this in a grand manner."

He added, "It gives me great honour that most of my friends from the industry are present here today to address the media. They are the people who always speak well of me even in my absence and have been a source of support through my failures. Their willingness to be a part of this event gives me great pleasure. Only, now I have to make myself worthy of all the nice things that they have said or would tell about me in this forum and I will take this as my responsibility. This isn’t humility but my true self."

"My friends, directors, producers and fans who have attended the meet today have always been with me, giving me strength, guiding and protecting me; a major contribution of this comes from the media. Vijay TV has also been a part of my life; they have been good critics and I am indebted to all of you for this," he said.

"This is not the zenith of my life, but an incident that has happened without my realizing it. Suddenly, when faced with the question on these 50 years, I am telling the truth when I say I search for an answer. There is a lot more for me to achieve and I will take this as morning alarm to shake me up and continue my work; I would not think of this as an evening… thank you," he concluded.

-Galatta

Love Supporters Vs Opposers

It was an interesting topic in store for Neeya Naana when the love supporters and opposers started to speak frankly. kadhalai aatharipavargal and ethirpavargal...supporting people were having good points with them and was able to convince Gopinath. But, opposers were very rude and gave comments that will make anyone afraid. In fact, one person said that he would not mind killing a couple who gets married eloping from home if their caste/religion is not same. Opposers were speaking most of the time about caste and religion and I think they have it to be in highest priority. Gopinath very well asked how the participants feel the way some of them spoke and they showed their disregard by standing in the show for some seconds. Opposers even had a points but they were not really big issues. Finally the verdict was as if the love supporters had won the word war..

Big FM team in Athu Ithu Ethu

Last week in Athu Ithu Ethu, a funny realty show hosted by Shivakarthikeyan had Big FM's RJ as special guest. The RJs who are very popular now in Chennai and they competed against each other in the show. It was RJ Deena, RJ Suresh and RJ Ophelia to participate in the contest. This week it was really an interesting show with the contestants actively participating and also commenting equally to Siva karthikeyan. In Siricha Pochu round all the 3 started laughing very early and in fact it was Dheena who lauged immediately looking at the performance of Vadivelu Balaji.. a participant of Kalaka povathu yaaru and Kodambakkam skool. Suresh took home the LCD TV after winning the contest.

Star's local channels to shift uplinking from Hong Kong to India

News Corp's restructuring of its Asian broadcasting subsidiary Star TV will include a shift in uplinking from Hong Kong to India of all its channels carrying India-based entertainment. In what could be a first phase movement, the India-based channels like Star Plus, Star One, Channel [V] and Star Gold would move their uplinking operations to India.

Subsequently, Star may decide to also shift the uplinking of its primarily foreign-based entertainment channels like Star Movies and Star World to India, according to a source in the company. "We may then increase local content on the Indian feed of channels like Star Movies and Star World. The advertiser base will also expand," the source says. Star, which spends over $20 million annually for the uplink of over 35 channels from Hong Kong, will also be savings costs by relocating the base for the Indian viewers.

The shift in uplinking base is in line with News Corp's decision to divide its Asian broadcast business into three distinct entities – Star India, Star Greater China and Fox International Channels. News Corp. has already initiated the process of scaling down its operations in Hong Kong and the restructuring exercise may be complete by December. Currently, Star TV uplinks all channels aimed at Indian viewers from Hong Kong. Star India, which has only the landing rights (downlink permission), will have to apply to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry for both uplinking and downlinking permission.

Meanwhile, I&B Ministry sources today denied the government had received any application from Star India for uplinking all its local-based television channels from India. Sources added that the government would in principle have no objection to granting permission as long as the Uplinking Guidelines 2005 are followed. "In any case, this would also mean some saving in foreign exchange, since Star India pays for the uplinking from Hong Kong,"

- Indian Television

Double Promotions..

Airtel Super Singer Junior 2 this week will be really interesting round.. the judges have changed and so the rules for this round. IT will be Mahathi and Harish Ragavendra to judge the performances of the kids in this round. This week, the kids have a chance to jump into 2 levels ahead in the competition... yeah double promotion. All the kids willl be eagerly waiting for their turn to prove their skills and get a double promotion. From the promotional video it looks like the kids are already been put on make up and dressed really well. I think from now the show is going to ROCK. Divyadarshini is likely to host the show and will continue to do her job well.

Excuse me Miss Shriya - Video

Excuse me Miss Shreya - Vinayakar Chathurthi Special, Video