INDIA-COMMUNICATIONS: FOREIGN SATELLITE NETWORKS RUN INTO H AN INTER PRESS SERVICE FEATURE
NEW DELHI, Nov 10 (IPS) - BEAMING FREE LATE NIGHT ADULT FILMS AND POPULAR HOLLYWOOD MOVIES, FOREIGN SATELLITE TELEVISION NETWORKS ARE TRYING TO GRAB A BIGGER SHARE OF THE MASSIVE VIEWERSHIP IN INDIA.
BUT, PLANS OF MEDIA MAGNATE RUPERT MUDROCH'S POPULAR HONG KONG-BASED 'STAR TV', WHICH LAUNCHED INDIA'S FIRST ENCRYPTED TELEVISION CHANNEL IN OCTOBER, HAVE RUN INTO HURDLES, NOT THE LEAST OF WHICH COMPRISES CONSERVATIVE LOCAL CENSORSHIP NORMS.
STAR TV HAS BEEN HAULED TO COURT BY CABLE OPERATORS FOR NOT GIVING THEM A YEAR'S LIST OF FILMS, CLEARED BY INDIAN CENSORS TO BE SCREENED ON THE PAY MOVIE CHANNEL. OPERATORS SAY THEY HAVE PAID THE 1290 DOLLAR ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION FOR THE FILMS.
A PRE-LEGISLATIVE GOVERNMENT ORDER IN LATE SEPTEMBER MAKES IT MANDATORY FOR ALL MOVIES SHOWN ON ENCRYPTED CHANNELS TO CONFORM TO INDIAN CENSOR NORMS. OPERATORS MUST KEEP A YEAR'S LIST OF SUCH MOVIES TO BE SHOWN ON A PAY CHANNEL.
"WE ARE ASKING THEM TO FOLLOW OUR LAWS. THE POLICE WILL PUT ME BEHIND BARS IF A SUBSCRIBER COMPLAINS, " SAYS ROOP SHARMA, HEAD OF THE CABLE OPERATORS FEDERATION OF INDIA (COFI) WHICH REPRESENTS 42 OPERATOR ASSOCIATIONS.
THE CABLE TELEVISION ORDINANCE MAKES OPERATORS LIABLE FOR PAY CHANNEL PROGRAMMES. THE ORDINANCE WILL BE REPLACED BY A LAW AND WAS ISSUED BY THE INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING (I AND B) MINISTRY A FEW DAYS BEFORE STAR LAUNCHED ITS MOVIE CHANNEL.
STAR IS REPORTED TO HAVE OBTAINED CENSOR CLEARANCE FOR 75 MOVIES. IT NEEDS TO GET ANOTHER 225 CLEARED TO KEEP ITS CHANNEL RUNNING FOR A YEAR. NEWSPAPER REPORTS QUOTE UNNAMED STAR TV OFFICIALS AS SAYING THAT IT WILL TAKE AT LEAST A YEAR TO GET THIS DONE.
"IT WOULD NOT BE PROPER FOR ME TO COMMENT AS THE MATTER IS IN COURT," BRIAN DELAPORTE, SENIOR STAR TV MANAGER AND THE NETWORK'S REPRESENTATIVE IN INDIA, TOLD IPS WHEN ASKED IF THE FIGURES WERE RIGHT.
"OUR LONG-STATED POSITION IS THAT WE ARE COMMITTED TO WORKING WITH ALL AUTHORITIES TO ENSURE THAT WE COMPLY WITH LOCAL LAWS. WE HAVE TOLD ALL CABLE OPERATORS THAT WE WILL DO OUR BEST TO OBTAIN ALL CLEARANCES FROM AUTHORITIES," HE SAID.
COFI'S SHARMA ALSO COMPLAINS AGAINST STAR'S INSISTENCE THAT OPERATORS BUY DECODERS TO RECEIVE THE ENCRYPTED CHANNEL. STAR SELLS THE MACHINE FOR 770 DOLLARS, WHICH SHARMA SAYS CAN BE BOUGHT OVERSEAS AT A CHEAPER PRICE.
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