ntertainment is now moving on, geographically. The availability of the FTA (Free To Air) channels has brought about a tectonic shift. According to the Marketing White book 2005, published by Business World, 53 per cent of all FMCGs and 59 per cent of all consumer durables are sold in the small towns of India. More than half of the Rs 11,700 crore turnover of Hindustan Lever Ltd (HLL) comes from rural India. That's where entertainment channels see great potential.

STAR, SET (Sony Entertainment Television) and ZEE, the major players, believe that there lies tremendous potential in a market where pay channels are not available. There is a huge possibility of getting new advertisers as well as providing entertainment to this audience. Leveraging this lower middle class psyche in Hindi Speaking Markets (HSM), as it is termed, in smaller towns which have not yet been penetrated by pay television is high on the agenda. Star Utsav, Janmat and Zee Smile are some of the FTA channels brought out by the Zee, Star and SAB (recently acquired by Sony) respectively. ... more