Age of interactive TV not far away -- Subhash Chandra

Age of interactive TV not far away -- Subhash Chandra
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

AHMEDABAD, JULY 23: Soon you might be able to decide the story-line you want your favourite soap to follow, feels chairman, Zee Telefilms Limited, Subhash Chandra, expressing his vision for the industry.

Addressing a Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) interactive session on the `Role of Television in Convergence of the Information, Communication and Entertainment (ICE) industry' here on Saturday, Chandra said with Internet being accessible through cable, interactive TV programmes may not be far away.

``Television has come a long way from the days of a single channel in 1991 and only 19 per cent of the total advertising budget spent on TV advertising. Today, there are 70 channels on air and TV claims at least 45 per cent of advertisement share,'' he said, adding that by the end of 2004, at least 250 broad-band channels were expected to be on air.

Chandra said the growth of media in the country was evident from the fact that from 37 million homes, TV now reached 63 million homes. While the TV industry was growing at a rate of seven per cent, the cable industry was growing at an even faster rate of about 16 per cent to 18 per cent a year.

Chairman of the first-ever Indian television channel on air, Chandra said, ``We are all witnessing the realisation of the desire for current and updated information on TV. The cable TV industry will benefit the most with Internet access being possible through cable TV.''

Convergence, he explained would mean no longer having to shape one's lifestyle around a favourite programmes, but it would now be possible to view them at one's choice of time and place through the Net. ``With the emerging trends, you can chose your camera-position, your choice of seat on the ground and even the player you want to bet on when you're watching cricket or soccer,'' Chandra said.

Zee, which started with a single channel, has expanded its network to cover 14 different services, 75 countries and 200 million people across the world. Besides Zee education, the group-owned Siticable, the ninth largest brand in India and would soon take over South Indian channel, Asianet.

CEO of TARA channel Mallika Sarabhai spoke on the trends in Infotainment. ``Can programmes like Kaun Banega Crorepati be defined as infotainment?'' she asked, criticising programmes in the genre today.

Mallika said in the present scenario, the distinction between public demand and what should make for entertainment has got erased. ``Earlier, the arts were used to entertain, educate and elevate people,'' she opined, adding that learning and enjoyment did not necessarily have to be two different things.