arlier this month, STAR Plus hiked its advertising rates between 15 and 40 per cent, opening the doors for other mass entertainment channels to follow suit. "The main reason for this is the performance of the channel, which has improved sharply in the last eight weeks," says Kevin Vaz, executive vice-president, advertising sales, STAR India.

A quick scan of the data supplied by TAM Media corroborates the point made by the channel. The television ratings for the afternoon band on STAR Plus has almost doubled and the 9.00 pm time band has seen the average TVR rise to about 10 over the last three months. In the primetime band, the channel�s star grosser, Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, has consistently posted 10-plus ratings since April this year (according to TAM Media). The serial posted its highest rating in the last three months in the October 10-16 week when it stood at 13.50 (TAM Media: data for all India, target group: four-plus in C&S; homes). ... more