Asia No 1

Star TV is now the number one TV channel throughout Asia, stealing the mantle from Zee TV. Its mix of programmes now reaches an estimated worldwide audience of more than 300 million people across 53 countries including the US, Germany, Spain and now the UK.

Of the top 50 Asian-based TV programmes 37 of them are Star TV shows, ranging from the game show Kaun Banega Crorepati, to dramas such as Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Kahaani Ghar Ghar and Sonpari, along with Bollywood blockbuster movies, live news programmes and music on Channel V, Star’s version of MTV.

Srao, born in Leeds, is keen to cultivate viewers outside of London. She believes that rival channels Zee TV and B4U focus too much on the south east, despite 55 per cent of Asian people in the UK living outside London.

Eye On The North

"Too many of the Asian TV channels focus solely on those living in and around London. As a northerner I do not want to neglect the north of England and Scotland, which also have very big Asian communities. I have cousins in Scotland who watch Star, so whenever we do a campaign I make sure there is always a Scottish element to it.

"There are around 15, 000 Asians living in Scotland today," says Srao. "It is potentially a very lucrative market for Star TV which has remained largely untapped by any of our rivals. Star Plus and Star News is bridging the gap in quality Asian programming in the UK and driving the market expansion."

Expanding Market

That market has been expanding rapidly during the past few years with dedicated Asian channels, such as Apna TV, Asia 1 TV, the Pakistani Channel, Namaste and Reminiscent TV, all coming on-line. However, Sony Television’s Ash Jaswal believes that the packed marketplace will lead to casualties.

"With the big players delivering a quality service to the market, there is no longer room for channels which offer dated or second-rate programmes for £10 per month," Jaswal says. "There are a lot of new services popping up that do not have high production values. In the longer term, the current number of channels is simply not sustainable."

Srao and her team have just finished some ground level market research in Glasgow, asking people if they had heard of Star TV, what they thought of it and what, as an Asian person living in the UK, they would like from such a channel.

Glasgow Research

"We got some great feedback from the research we did in Glasgow, which is now allowing me to mould the channel to be what Scottish and English-based Asian viewers want it to be. I spend a lot of time out at our headquarters in India and Hong Kong in order for me to understand what programmes and new shows are coming our way and so I can tell them what needs to be done specifically for a UK market."

At the moment, UK viewers have to pay £16 per month to receive Star Plus and Star News as part of their Sky package. Some have said this is a high price, but Srao is confident that Asian people living in the UK are still keen to keep in touch with what is going on in Asia.

Chief Executive of Star TV in India Peter Mukerjea says: "We are now enabling Asian communities in the UK to enjoy the entertainment and news that their fellow countrymen see everyday back home."

That involvement with Asian communities goes further than simply providing TV programmes. On 29 July Glasgow will reverberate with the sound of Indian music, the aromas of Indian food and people will adorn Indian body art as part of the Glasgow Mela, a carnival celebrating all the riches of India’s culture which, this year, is sponsored by Star TV.

Glasgow Mela

"The great thing about Star TV sponsoring the Glasgow Mela is that it gives me the ideal opportunity to get out there and really meet the people who are going to make Star TV a huge success in Britain."

But as the Mela promises a great time for all, TV companies are still reeling from the slump in advertising revenues, a factor which could inevitably stunt Star TV’s growth and investment in the UK.

Advertising Growth

Not according to Srao. "It seems funny that everyone is talking about an advertising slump because we are not feeling it at all," she says. "I suppose because we are a new channel to the UK we have experienced a huge increase in our advertising since we went on air six months ago and have got many big clients, such as Jaguar and Kelloggs, as well as all the main players in India who are delighted to be able to target a UK audience with Asian programming. Many Asian-based clients are spending lots of money with us and they are coming back time after time. I believe I have got such a prestigious background with Star TV that Indian clients know exactly how strong we are and they are glad that the brand is now in the UK. We will easily recoup our set-up fees in the very near future."

At present, Srao has a team of seven people and, because programming, content and operations are all handled in India, Srao’s team can concentrate on getting out and about to spread the word that Star TV is definitely here to stay.

Star Spotters

"In three years time Star TV will be the biggest Asian channel in the UK," she says. "In India Star TV is the third most recognised brand. Much like the BBC has EastEnders we have India’s favourite soap opera. It’s still difficult to say exactly how many viewers we will have as we are still waiting for the latest results from the census to become available. We are working from the last census. That says there are 500,000 Asian homes in the UK and we know that figure has risen substantially since then. We are really focusing on key cities and that is right across the UK."