[icernet] The non-fiction programming business drying up

[Arul Selvan MIC]

The non-fiction programming business on Indian television is drying 
up," says Iqbal Malhotra. "Soaps and family drama are the flavour of 
the day," he adds. Consequently, in the Zee TV revamp last year, all 
the AIM TV shows were taken off air.

However, the documentary film market in India is virtually non-
existent. While private satellite channels do not buy documentaries, 
the state broadcaster's budget for this genre of programming is meagre. 
"DD pays $ 12,000 for a film in which it isn't possible to meet the 
cost of production," says Malhotra.

Source:
http://www.business-standard.com/today/story.asp?Menu=2&story=1752