The channel is also devising innovative marketing techniques to popularise the channel in India. This includes free trips to Paris, extra frequent-flier miles for heavy watchers and personalised e-mail contact programme with viewers.

Company officials said that talks with SitiCable for carrying the channel in its network across the country are at an advanced stage. The company is also open to be part of any direct-to-home platform on a non-exclusive basis. However, this will only be considered only after the Broadcasting Bill comes into effect, officials said.

The channel may consider a India-specific feed at a latter date, officials said. To increase content of India-specific news, the channel may set up a news bureau in the country.

Starting January 2000 the channel will also start English sub-titling on French movies to be telecast each week. The subtitling will be increased gradually to cover more programmes depending on consumer response, according to TV5 chairman Jean Stock.

According to TV5 deputy director (Asia) Alexandre Muller, the channel plans joint promotion activities with leading multi-service operators in the country. TV5 is a free-to-air digital channel reaching more than half a billion viewers across several countries. The channel in India is being distributed and marketed by cable television hardware manufacturer Catvision Products.

Stock said that it is first that any channel is offering frequent-flier miles to viewers for watching any channel.