Coming closer home, the following channels target Indians: STAR Movies, STAR News, STAR Plus, STAR Sports, STAR World, Focus Asia, Channel (V), Channel(V) Int'l, National Geographic, Fox News, Granada, UKTV and Sky News. Check out how many of these are being supplied to you by your local cable operator.

First something about the company and its pilot: Star TV is a subsidiary of The News Corporation Ltd. It uses AsiaSat 3S and Palapa C2 as its satellite platforms. Its services are available through DTH platforms on Astro and Orbit and are also extensively redistributed by cable operators. James Murdoch is the chairman and CEO of STAR TV and the executive vice-president of News Corporation Ltd.

Now something about the STAR timeline: In July 1991, STAR TV launched its pioneering venture into satellite broadcasting with the transmission of five analogue free-to-air television channels. July 1993 marked the acquisition of 63.6 per cent interest in it by News Corporation. The remaining 36.4 per cent interest was acquired by News Corporation in July 1995. In July 1998, STAR TV acquired 100 per cent of Hutchinson Hong Kong Ltd, the company licensed by the HKSAR government to operate and uplink STAR TV services. Today, the company broadcasts more than a 100 different digital TV channels to Asian and West Asian homes.

Now the forecast for STAR:
a) The company is one of the undisputed leaders in satellite television, and will continue to uphold its position despite stiff competition from its rivals. The chief reason for this will be its excellent quality of programmes and the use of high-end technology.

b) The company will probably remain free of scandals, scams and disputes, something that has become the hallmark of every profession, including sports and the armed forces. This feature of the company will ensure its dignity and respect in times to come.

c) The coming years will be years of diversification into newer areas and expansion of present projects for STAR. For lovers of the idiot box, it translates into the company becoming an Internet service provider, launching into the film industry and, of course, increasing the number of channels it broadcasts.

October 2000 and April 2001 seem to be appropriate months for massive expansion operations. The increase of channels or programmes seems to be concentrated on business and professional activities. Entertainment will be superseded by serious information.

d) The company will always be aided by the policies of the government. Increasing government deregulation will be seen in the coming months.

e) The company's financial situation will generally be described by an ascending graph, and hence bankruptcies and financial crunches will be unknown terms in the account books of the organisation.

f) I also foresee an important technological breakthrough either done by the company or used by the company in the years 2000-1. This could even take the form of an innovative design developed somewhere in a research laboratory, but bought and customised by STAR TV.

g) The invasion of satellite television has played a pivotal role in the destruction of Indian culture by propagating Western images of free sex and excessive violence. This blame for this is jointly shared by many organisations and government bodies, including STAR. Nevertheless, STAR's positive role of providing first rate entertainment, larger variety, longer hours of on-air service and honest, uncensored news cannot be ignored. A revival of our culture has to take place. Definitely, such a revival is impossible without the aid of satellite television. Here, it should be appreciated that STAR TV has realised its responsibility of re-Indianising Indian television. With more programmes in Hindi and other Indian languages and its logo `Desi channel, desi manoranjan', it seems to have understood the error made collectively earlier. I think that towards the end of 2000, the awakening towards our cultural heritage will increase, and STAR TV will play an important role in this.

h) Now, something for film-lovers. STAR TV's schedule of movies will be worth watching out for in the months of July, October and December 2000, and April and May 2001. Expect new titles, and some really dazzling stuff in these months.

i) STAR TV will always be fortunate in terms of setting its offices and key centres amidst greenery. At present, its broadcasting centre is located at Clearwater Bay in Kowloon, one of the most breathtaking places in Hong Kong. It seems that the STAR TV network is a nature lover and hence preserver of natural beauty. I will not be astonished if the company leads a green revolution at some time in the coming future. An award for being an ecologically sensitive company may be one its achievements in the coming years.

j) The company encourages creativity in all forms and this trend will continue unabated. Creativity implies diverse programming for the viewer and job opportunities for those who possess more breadth of imagination.

k) A long range forecast for STAR TV: After April 2001, a phase of eliminating competitors begins. By April 2003, STAR may be the undisputed leader in Asia in the realm of satellite television. u