ITV

Tag: Dinyar Contractor

  • ‘Hum Sab Baraati’ heading for premature end

    MUMBAI: Zee has decided to pull its Sunday-Wednesday 8 pm comedy show Hum Sab Baraati off air around mid-August due to faltering TRPs.

    About three-and-a-half months ago, 4 April to be exact, we thought Zee had done everything right to tickle the funny bone when it launched Sanjay Chhel Telefilms Pvt Ltd’s maiden television venture Hum Sab Baraati (starring Dinyar Contractor, Tiku Tulsania, et al). The show was described as a light and frothy sitcom with ‘a touch of soap opera,’ revolving around a family of wedding planners. Now it looks like show is coming to an premature end.

    To mark the launch of HSB, Chhel had hired a music band, palmists, mehendiwali and flower sellers, among others. Speaking about the venture at that time, Chhel had said, “It’s a feel-good comedy with integrally woven songs and dances.” In addition to the dialogues, Chhel had also penned songs for the show.
    When contacted, Zee programming head Ashwini Yardi confirmed the news.”We always keep on introducing new formats and are replacing Hum Sab Barati,, which has already run the stipulated number of episodes, with a new serial.” This is despite the fact that Zee had affirmed at the time of its launch that HSB had been commissioned for a year.

    When contacted, Chhel, however, said, “This is news to me. Zee has not sent me any intimation in this regard. I am shooting the episodes as usual.”

     

    A leading actor from the serial (requesting anonymity) also confirmed, “Yes, I have heard this rumour. But I think that the channel should observe patience. Comedies take a long time to register and grow.”

     

    We also remember Chhel telling us, the road to its telecast has been easy. “I spoke to other channels as well about this show, but somehow thought that Zee TV was the least interfering of all.” Well?

  • Chinese presence increases at SCaT trade show

    MUMBAI: The Chinese influx continues.
    At the annual three-day SCaT (Satellite and Cable TV) 2003 trade show that began at the World Trade Center, Mumbai, on Wednesday, the number of stalls taken up by Chinese hardware manufacturers has gone up from eight last year to 12 this time.
    Last year was the first time the trade show, that sees a variety of Western and domestic cable and allied hardware 
    suppliers displaying their latest wares, saw an entry of the Chinese. 
    With the USP of low prices and average quality, Chinese goods have long been swamping the Indian retail market – now it seems to have extended to the fibre optic market as well.
    At the trade show, buyers seem to have taken to the Chinese goods, which are available at nearly 30 per cent of the cost of their Western counterparts.
    “They are offering value for money at the prices they offer – a potent combination,” says Dinyar Contractor, organiser of the show.
    It is the Chinese goods which are triggering massive growth in the sector in India, enabling fibre optic penetration to the smallest of towns – as an entire fibre optic network, complete with transmitters et al can be set up at just Rs 100,000 with Chinese brands, Contractor says. Fibre optic cable available at Rs eight per metre has been instrumental in helping revolutionise the cable scenario in the country in the last couple of years, says Contractor.
    Overall, the show in its second day today, has been attracting a fair number of visitors from all over the country – the major attractions being the fibre optics and the digital receivers on display.
    Also present at the show are regular broadcasters Sahara, Deutsche Welle and Sanskar TV. 
    CAS (conditional access system) that turned out to be a non-starter does not seem to have dampened the spirits at the show. Addressability hardware makers too were in full force, with the hope and prayer that conditional access will make its appearance in India sooner than later.

  • SCat India 2002 from 23 Oct

    SCat India 2002 from 23 Oct

    MUMBAI: SCat India 2002, the country’s largest Cable TV and satellite broadcasting event will be held from 23-25 October, at the World Trade Centre in Mumbai.

    Now in its eleventh year, Scat India 2002 will concentrate on issues such as CAS and DTH. “The main highlight of this year’s the event is the transition of RF coaxial system to hybrid fibre CATV network and the large number of companies from China who will sell cable TV products”, says SCat editor promoter, Dinyar Contractor. So far 85 stalls have been booked and more than 100 companies will be participating in the event, he adds.

    Among the Indian exhibitors are a number of new participants including satellite channel Sahara TV which will launch its news channel at the Tradeshow. Exhibitors will have on display new technologies in fiber optics, cable modems, video-on-demand software, LAN networking products and software, digital satellite receivers and a host of other products.

    The show has the endorsement of India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of External Affairs.

  • SCAT 2001 gets underway on Tuesday

    SCAT 2001 gets underway on Tuesday

    Over 90 Indian and foreign companies will display their latest cable and satellite systems and hardware at SCAT 2001, the satellite and cable TV trade show that kicks off on Tuesday at the World Trade Centre, Mumbai.

    The two-day show is being organised by Satellite and Cable TV magazine for the tenth year consecutively. According to the organisers, the show will be an ideal meeting ground for the cable and satellite industry to catch up with the latest changes in the industry.

    According to SCAT Media Consultancy media director Dinyar Contractor, at least 12,000 trade visitors are expected to participate this year. The terrorist attack on the WTC buildings in New York has had a marginal impact on participation on this year’s show, only two participants have pulled out.

    Leading Indian cable companies will be launching indigenously developed fibre optic cable. Commscope Inc. and Delhi based Ask Infosys are among the top few companies in India which will introduce their fibre optic cables and cable TV products at the exhibition. Two addressable set-top boxes, developed in China, will also be unveiled at the trade show, Contractor says.

    Several broadcast companies have booked exhibitor display pavilions in the trade show, prominent among them Subhash Chandra headed Zee Telefilms, ARY TV, B4U Movies Ltd and BBC World.

    International players like Echostar and Eurostar Networks will also be displaying their products and services at the show.