Asia is looming large on CNN?s screens as it puts into place plans to boost its international operations.

Two integrated newsgathering and production centres are being set up in Hong Kong and London as part of a review of its global operations. Hong Kong, alongside CNN?s other regional headquarters in London, will become a fully integrated regional newsgathering and production hub for the bureaus operating within the region.

The introduction of a new Asia focused CNN web site, to be launched in February, means that CNN?s ability to report from the region will be significantly enhanced.

The changes taking place internationally are part of the major review of newsgathering, production facilities and operations worldwide, and at CNN?s headquarters in Atlanta. Part of which involves the integration of the television and web newsgathering operation and the creation of a newsgathering ?super desk? manned 24 hours a day, seven days a week and providing the focal newsgathering point for CNN?s 34 different services.

"The new ?super desk? and newsgathering operation will provide faster, smarter editorial decision making, enhanced cross platform communications, better prioritisation and collaboration across all platforms," said Eason Jordan, chief news executive and newsgathering president for CNN News Group.

The Star TV network is having a grand party in London on Thursday to celebrate the launch of the Star Plus and Star News channels in the United Kingdom and Europe. The channels began airing on 14 January on Rupert Murdoch?s BSkyB platform.

Star Plus viewers will, however, have to do without India?s daily fix, Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC). Star has failed to reach a licencing agreement to screen it from Celador, which holds the rights to the original which spawned KBC - "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire".

This hasn?t deterred Star from flying out Amitabh Bachchan - Bollywood superstar and celebrity host of KBC - for the bash. His, after all, is the face that reflects Star?s present pole position in India?s channel wars.

Star News newscaster and New Delhi Television boss, Pranoy Roy, Hindustan Times editor Vir Sanghvi, and society presenter Simi Garewal are among the other prominent personalities who will be there.

The strong south Asian community in Britain in particular is what Star hopes to hook with the launch of these two channels, says News Television India Ltd?s corporate communications head Yash Khanna. While the Star News feed in Britain will be exactly the same as that in India, Star Plus will be slightly different. KBC will obviously be a hard act to cover for but Star hopes that its other hit soaps and serials, as well as programmes from Channel V bunged in for good measure, will hook the viewer.

Down, down, down with no end in sight at least in the near term is the verdict that media sector investment analysts have given regarding the beleaguered Zee scrip.

The Zee Telefilms Ltd (ZTL) stock has taken a continuous beating over the past few months with the last week being particularly painful. The share has dropped to it touch 52 week lows thrice at Rs 240, Rs 235 and Rs 216. It is currently trading at Rs 228.

A foreign securities firm has put a ‘sell‘ recommendation on ZTL. Market sentiments are working against the scrip. To get a handle on the mood in the the market we talked with a couple of analysts and took their perspective.

The weakness in the scrip, they revealed, is attributed to many reasons. The principle contributor being "not so good programming."

"The Television business is becoming more and more visible in the sense everybody watches TV and knows fairly well as to which are the channels providing good entertainment," said a senior analyst in a multinational securities firm. "High TRP ultimately converts into revenues for channels. Zee doesn‘t have any good shows, not a single blockbuster and more than that for their prime time (9:30pm) slot what they are showing are reruns of earlier shows which is bound to affect advertising revenues."

In the coming months there seems to be no special programming in the pipeline which could draw viewers back to the channel. The onslaught on Zee TV‘s revenue, the bread and butter for the network, by Star and Sony has had a negative impact on the scrip said an analyst with another foreign securities consultant based in Mumbai. "Further highlighting this is the debacle that was Sawaal Das Crore Ka which showed programming incompetence. The third quarter results will show how much the channel has spent on that front which will further hit the share price," he said.

"Repeated announcements of plans which were finally not implemented has affected Zee‘s credibility and also raised questions about the cash flow situation of the company. This was apparent in its failed FM bid, the cancellation of the Zee Sports channel and Siti Cable‘s failure to go through with its Net on cable plans," opined an analyst attached to a leading merchant banker.

Predictions for the company‘s third quarter results, which will be out in a few days, are negative and they will take a further toll of the share price. Some discounting for the weak results is already taking place. Analysts believe that the price will remain weak for at least the coming two months as nothing positive is in the pipeline.

"The company should really put its act together and has to come out with concrete solutions. Only then can it arrest the downward slide as competition in the television industry is really heating up and better and better options are available for viewers as well as advertisers," said one analyst. "We really can‘t predict where the price will reach, but definitely the movement will be in negative territory."

The first analyst we spoke to believes that the price may touch Rs 200 in the coming month or two depending on the company‘s results. As ZTL Chairman Subhash Chandra is taking a serious review of his programming as well as overall business the recommendation is to wait and watch.

At the Rs 200 level it is a good buy for the medium term. At the present level of Rs 225 the P/E is around 35 which most analysts are comfortable with but it is the future earning expectation that is affecting the price. The volumes on the BSE as well as the NSE are high enough given the high liquidity of the scrip even though it is much lower compared to its earlier trading volume.

The AT Kerney recommendations on restructuring are apparently being implemented by Zee but to what extent and whether it will actually improve the functioning of the company is the Sawaal Dus Crore Ka (100 million rupee question).