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But Star is confident that it will grow. It is offering new packages to attract more viewers. Speaking about the present market scenario, Lisa Srao, president of UK business operations, says, "In any competitive market there will be a natural attrition and consolidation of organisations with only the best surviving. Viewers always vote with their wallets which is why competitors come and go. That is the nature of the industry."

To explore new markets, Star has now entered the cable (Telewest) segment. Says Nick Thind of Star, "The regional viewership pockets which Telewest provide are important to Star from an advertising revenue perspective since they correlate with densely populated Asian areas allowing our advertisers to target specific segments effectively. Star's launch on Telewest has extended its reach even more to the increasingly lucrative Asian market."

It has also started airing Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) hoping that it would work wonders in Britain as it did in India. However, it remains to be seen if British Asians would relate to the kind of questions that is so India specific. Is Big B's charisma enough to make KBC a hit in Britain?

There is more to Asian channels in Britain than being a source of entertainment. It has also become a political issue. Zee is popular among Indians and Pakistanis. However, Pakistanis always see it as an "Indian" channel. So it was imperative for Pakistanis to launch a "Pakistani" channel. Though Prime Television and a Pakistani channel were operating in Britain, they were unable to compete with the sheer number of subscribers Zee had. That is when ARY Gold came into the picture.

ARY has a major gold business, especially in Dubai. It was the main sponsor of the Miss World beauty pageant in London, which was organised by Zee TV. However, just a few weeks before the D-day, ARY pulled out. The reason was not clear immediately but when, in a few months time, ARY Digital was launched in Britain, all doubts were cleared. "ARY has been a minor share holder in the Pakistani channel. Now we have major share," says P.J. Mir, head of marketing, ARY. Though ARY became known in the market for being flush with funds and introducing promotional packages wherein it gave away gold and free tickets for Junoon concerts, it has now decided to merge with Prime Television to cut overheads and other costs, say media sources.

Explaining the move, Mir says, "We are going for a strategic marketing alliance with Prime Television where we will have package a deal for both channels and the best package for viewers." There are plans to introduce a package deal of £155 per year for both Prime Television and ARY.

Mir stressed that ARY was targeting both Indian and Pakistani viewers. "Every market has its own niche. We cater to all Asians. We focus on the 'Asian content' which means that we show what 'real' Indians would want."

Denouncing Hindi movies which are "not family-orientated" he says, "We show programmes that the entire family can watch together. Star and Zee TV are showing what they think family can watch. Many Indian movies are released which one cannot watch with the family. We will not show such programmes."

The main problems plaguing the Asian channels in Britain is the lack of funds in the market, mismanagement and inability to get advertisers. To lure advertisers, television companies have to show they have a certain number of subscribers. There is no other option but to go for mergers and strategic alliances. Accessing the present crisis, Pathak observes, "Some players are going to go out soon. It will be difficult for single channels to survive. Merges will be order of the day."

Asian channels now are casting their net in Europe. Asianet and Zee are popular in Holland. In fact a recent Zee fair in The Hague was attended by over 80,000 people. At the end of the day, a viewer is not interested if the channel is Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi provided has good entertainment value and has a balanced approach towards news, dramas and entertainment.