t�s that time of the year perhaps when various channels pull out their we-are-No 1 placards, dust them clean and brandish ratings on various parameters to prove their lead over one another.

Last month, both HBO and STAR Movies held separate press conferences to announce their respective positions. It surprised nobody when both claimed to be number one. In a title-driven category such as English movies, such verbal fisticuffs are anything but unexpected. Especially after a 15 per cent hike in the English movie channel ad rates this quarter - a time when such channels witness an inevitable spurt in viewership. ... more