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SCMP Reporter

WHEN Hong Kong-based STAR TV burst on to India's television screens in August, 1991 with a kaleidoscope of progamming including soap opera, sport, pop music and news, Indian viewers were, indeed, star struck.

  Before the arrival of STAR, television was exclusively controlled by Doordarshan; the state-owned network.

  Then, suddenly, there was STAR.

   The choice of programming was immense and it ran 24 hours a day, a far cry from the short hours and relative blandness of Doordarshan.

  India's television revolution had begun.

  In its original projections, STAR TV estimated it would reach one million households by the end of last year.

  But an independent ''validation'' survey produced in January showed that it was already beaming into more than 3.3 million Indian homes, reaching about 19 million people.

  As the survey missed the more remote areas of the vast country, the true number of Indian STAR viewers is likely to be much higher.

  Even so, the official figures had ''exceeded all our expectations'', according to STAR TV spokesman Arnold Tucker.

  But Doordarshan isn't taking things lying down. The company has vowed to launch today an ambitious programme to give millions of viewers a new escape from ''cultural invasion'' by foreign satellite television.

    Doordarshan wants to launch five domestic satellite channels which plan to broadcast for 16 hours a day on entertainment, sports and education channels, and an unspecified number of hours on music and business channels.

    The plan, barely afloat in a sea of troubles, may well sink temporarily under the biggest problem of all - there are no programmes to air.

    Doordarshan announced the sale of time-slots on the channels to private producers on a first come first served basis, and people started queuing up outside Doordarshan offices some two weeks before the applications were due to ensure they got a bite atair time.

    A clutch of producers were so outraged by the inefficiency that they got court orders to suspend the scheme.

      STAR'S reach into India has been met with excitement by the millions of viewers who have embraced the satellite service like no one else in STAR'S 38-country footprint.

  According to Mr Tucker, there were several reasons for India's enthusiasm.

  ''It has a large English-speaking population and we're offering English-language entertainment of a type not seen in the country before,'' he said.

  ''Also, we're offering a BBC news channel to a population already familiar with its radio World Service.

    ''The MTV channel has captured the imagination of the younger generation and the sports channel offers coverage of world-class tournaments.''   STAR TV arrived in India at an opportune time .

  India's economic reforms are producing new-found wealth and a middle class which is hungry for good entertainment.

  STAR TV has netted millions of consumers with burgeoning spending power. With the wealthy viewers comes the advertisers, and not just in India.

       There are more than 400 advertisers using the STAR network throughout Asia.

     The scale of interest from Indian advertisers has prompted the company to open offices in Delhi and Bombay, with two more planned in Calcutta and Bangalore.

  Last year, STAR launched Zee TV, a popular Hindi channel run in partnership with an Indian consortium.

  Next year, it will offer India a variety of pay-TV channels, with a big choice of blockbuster movies, business news, family entertainment, documentaries and educational programmes.



Millions switch channels and become STAR gazers