etween January and October this year, 11 television channels have been launched in India. At least three more are in the pipeline by end-December 2004. A year before, from January to December 2003, seven channels had been launched, of which four were in the news space. This, besides half a dozen language channels that have joined the slugfest since January 2003.

To borrow a phrase from Sahara One, India is watching. While round one of the cable and satellite boom (1992-98) belonged to mass entertainment, round two clearly goes to what is known as �special interest� (or niche) television. Consider this. Of the 18 channels launched over the last 18 months, only two - STAR Utsav and STAR One, launched this year - are aimed at the general entertainment segment. The rest operate in the special interest space. ... more