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406 Anshu ChatterjeeThese enterprises cut into Doordarshan’s national audience by providingcommunity-relevant programs. Mythology-based programs among communitychannels, for instance, were in regional languages and were adaptationsbased on regional variations of Hindu culture. In response, the state wascompelled to address competition at diverse levels, initiating regionallanguage programs across the country and reinforcing programming on itsnationally televised channels. Soon after Doordarshan’s regional response, thetransnational media followed suit.The appearance of Hindi channels in the northern parts of the countrypresented the initial challenge to the larger players seeking a national audience.In 1992, when the transnational media began to broadcast Englishprograms into India, Subhash Chandra, the founder of Zee TV, launched anentertainment-oriented Hindi channel. The immediate success of ZeeTelefilms was an indication of the challenge that would confrontDoordarshan’s administration in the coming years. It also compelled thetransnational media to restructure their programming toward specific communities.Zee’s productions paralleled Doodarshan’s entertainment segmentsbased upon northern Indian culture and social norms. The popularity ofBollywood-style programs on Doordarshan in the past ensured a positivereception for Zee. The channel also re-ran several of Doodarshan’s mythologyprograms. Its new productions borrowed game and talk shows from theWestern media. Within a year, Zee had captured large segments of theHindi/Urdu-speaking cable and satellite audience. Its success attracted theinterest of News Corporation, which purchased 49 percent of Zee in 1994 witha contract stipulation that divided the Indian language market exclusively intoEnglish and Hindi. Star was not to venture into the Hindi market. In 1999, Zeewas watched in 22 million homes, mainly located in Hindi speaking areas. 3Zee’s success established the importance of a localized strategy for transnationalsinitially seeking a national audience.By 1997 Star TV had been operating in the country for four years, but it hadyet to show profit. In comparison, companies operating in local languageswere expanding rapidly. For example, SET, a late comer in 1995, gained highratings within two years of operating in India. MTV India, also havingchanged its language of transmission into Hinglish, 4 was successfully reachingyoung urban Indians. In 1997, Star began to challenge its contract with Zeeby introducing Hindi programs into Star channels. In 1999, Zee and Star endedtheir relationship. Subsequently, Star Plus began transmitting Hindi productions.However, Zee Telefilms and its transnational competitors are notablylimited to the Hindi/Urdu communities as are Doordarshan’s Hindi channels.Table 18.2 compares the limited appeal of Hindi channels in three of the non-Hindi regions. In Kerala, Zee captures an insignificant 0.5 percent of the view-