Turner Entertainment Networks Asia Inc is considering a move to encrypt signals for the TNT & Cartoon Network for generating revenue through subscription. Turner Entertainment, a Time Warner company, manages TNT & Cartoon Network and CNN.
"Abroad, we have two different streams of revenue, advertising and subscriptions (from pay-per-view channel)," TNT & Cartoon Network's senior vice-president and general manager Celia Chong said yesterday.
Not ruling out encrypting TNT & Cartoon Network, Chong said, "It is a natural extension of our business plans and in future we will certainly go in for that in India too." She, however, refused to specify a time frame for the changeover.
Industry sources pointed out that with most other broadcasters like Star TV, Zee TV, MTV, ESPN and Star Sports, CNBC, National Geographic and Discovery going in for digitalisation or encryption of signals, it is matter of time when TNT & Cartoon Network would follow suit.
TNT & Cartoon Network beams through three satellites to cater to different clientele in Asia, including PAS-4 for the Indian sub-continent and Apstar-1 for Asia-Pacific.
TNT & Cartoon Network is also looking at maintaining a brisk rate of growth in the Indian region. It registered an approximate 80 per cent growth in advertisements' sales revenue from January-December compared to the corresponding period last year.
Further, there has been a slow increase in Cartoon Network's on-air duration. From 9 p m onwards, TNT airs classics from MGM's library for which Turner has a right for films made up to 1986. At many places abroad, Cartoon Network and TNT are two separate 24-hour channels.
Meanwhile, Cartoon Network yesterday made official its localisation initiatives for India and announced the launching of a daily two-hour Hindi cartoon animation programme, "Toon Tamasha".
"The Hindi programmes, to commence on January 5, will feature some of the world's most popular cartoons dubbed in Hindi, including Scooby and Scrabby-Doo, The Flintstones and The Mask," Chong said.
The Hindi bloc will be offered on dual audio track giving cable operators the option of both the English and the dubbed Hindi versions.
