Indian Programme with Pakistani Money

PyariCgudia · December 25, 2001, 1:04am

I was deeply disturbed by this week’s article from The Dawn - Images Weekly.

The Indian programme with Pakistani money

By M. Rafique Zakaria

As far as revenues were concerned, some serials of PTV were sponsored by as many as 32 companies in those days. These serials were just as popular across the border. People in India hired video cassettes of Pakistani plays and smuggled them every week, to watch the latest episodes of PTV plays. …

As far as the quiz programmes are concerned, no doubt Pakistani compere Tariq Aziz successfully conducted popular quiz show Neelaam Ghar for 20 long years. When Indian TV channel, Star Plus launched its quiz show Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) sometime back, it took the TV viewers by storm in the first quarter of the year. The popularity of this quiz show in Pakistan can be judged from the amount of sponsorship it enjoys from Pakistani companies. When KBC completed its first anniversary, fans of Amitabh Bachchan in the Indian city of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) not only made a wax statue of KBC’s anchor, but also worshipped it. They even expressed their intention to build a temple in Amitabh Bachchan’s honour.

One of the episode of KBC telecast on 7th May, 2001, featured a couple from Orissa who were roll-over contestants of the earlier programme. In this programme they answered all the questions correctly and won the jackpot of 10 million rupees. Earlier, a Mumbai contestant had won ten million rupees. The KBC episode of May 7, had four short breaks during which 23 advertisements went on air repeatedly. The interesting thing to note was that all these advertisements were of Pakistani companies.

The KBC programme that followed the next day had the same sponsors. These sponsorships not only deprived the Pakistani government and PTV of entertainment revenue but also caused the country huge loss of foreign exchange as these channels demand advertising charges from the sponsoring companies in US dollars. Isn’t it ridiculous that on one hand our government is threatening TV viewers of dire consequences if they don’t get their TV licences made, on the other hand, Indians are becoming corepatis with the revenue of the government of Pakistan?

What is it that is lacking on our channels and is available on the Indian ones that is stealing our viewers? We must remember that PTV excelled in its plays not too long ago, so its not that we don’t have the know-how and experience for smash serials. If we dig deep enough we can discover that vested interests have moved in.

Andhra · December 25, 2001, 2:13am

http://www3.pak.org/gupshup/smilies/hehe.gif

Chinese_Mafia · December 25, 2001, 4:39am

http://www3.pak.org/gupshup/smilies/smile.gif

Scorpian King

double_roti · December 25, 2001, 8:40am

äakh what is wrong with a company exercising some cross border marketing??

and why in blue hell would one think that its somehow counterproductive? companies spend money in far sensible ways than govts. and there has to be incentive for them to do so.
In this case i think the immense exposure that pak companies have gained through such advertising accross the subcontinent allows for a greater market, and in turn better revenues....... yes, you guessed it: bringing IN foreign revenues...

so relax dear, after all, like they say: YOU HAVE TO SPEND SOME TO MAKE SOME!!

najeebullahsoomro · December 25, 2001, 11:18am

This an old story,
do u know the casattes of
serial "Chand Girhan" were purchased by persnoly Mr.Aitab Bachan in Bombay. :biggthumb

ZZ · December 25, 2001, 12:46pm

i think pakistanis are unfair to PTV. now PTV is not competing with just DD but some 30-40 channels and for example, on monday at 9:30 some other channel has better program than PTV, PTV will be ignored. So the remedy is to give pakistani viewers more choice among private channels and allow more paki channels. PTV alone cant compete with 3 dozen channels across border.