[icernet] Star is rising for British Asians

[Arul Selvan]

Since arriving in the UK two and a half years ago, Star TV has attracted 
90,000 customers, who pay £12.99 a month for its two channels on top of 
a basic subscription. Now, Star TV is looking for a "great leap 
forward", says Star India chief operating officer Sameer Nair. "Star TV 
is the dominant player in the Indian market, with 87 of the top 100 
shows, but for some reason the Asian viewer in the UK is not aware of 
how good we are. They think Zee is good, which is bad," he says drily.

Nair wants Star Plus in the UK to replicate the success of its sister 
service in India, where, with 42 million subscribers, it is the top 
cable channel. The reason for its success is simple, says Star TV chief 
executive Peter Mukerjea: "What's got us there is Hindi entertainment: 
family drama, soaps. Programming that appeals to Indian Hindus and is in 
the right language."

Until four years ago, Star TV's Indian broadcasting operation was part 
of a joint venture with Zee TV, under which the News Corp outfit had to 
put out channels in English. After the alliance with Zee was dissolved, 
Star TV switched to Hindi and began its climb to the top of the Indian 
ratings.

Source:
http://media.guardian.co.uk/mediaguardian/story/0,7558,973266,00.html