Although a majority of the members of the Prasar Bharati Board favour e-auction to shortlist the television channels which will get space on the country's only free-to-air direct-to-home platform after its expansion, no final decision has been taken yet.

If DD Direct Plus auctions the slots for the channels, it is expected to earn at least Rs 3.5 billion. Prasar Bharati sources said an e-auction may mean replacement of the present system of an annual carriage fee, which is around Rs 8 million a channel.

Since over 250 free-to-air TV channels are in the queue, Prasar Bharati will now have to consider whether the slots should be given on a first-come-first-served basis or through e-auction which is bound to give greater revenue.

Sony Entertainment Television Network (SETN) is planning to expand the reach of its Bengali movie channel Sony Aath in the international market.

SEN has already launched the channel in US and Canada and is now gearing up to take the channel to UK and Australia.

"We have launched Sony Aath in US and Canada markets some time back. The channel will be launched soon in UK and Australia," SETN EVP and head of international business Neeraj Arora told Indiantelevision.com.

Coca-Cola India's Thums Up brand, in partnership with Telugu general entertainment channel Maa TV, will be launching 'Thums Up Thunder Star', south India's first stunt-based reality show. To go on air from June 10, 2011 at 9 pm, the show will see 15 contestants fighting for the title. "This is just the beginning. We will continue to broadcast more such programmes, going forward," J Shekar, chief operating officer of Maa TV, told mediapersons here on Thursday.

Today IBC Tamil Radio is celebrating its 14th birthday.  IBC Tamil Radio is based in London, and it was launched on 9th June in 1997 as the second 24 H Tamil radio-station in UK & Europe after TRT Tamil Oli from Paris. Since 1997 IBC Tamil Radio has been a voice of Eelam Tamils and has become one of the leading Tamil radio-stations in UK & Europe, broadcasting on Eutelsat Hotbird (13 degree East): 12597, V, SR 27500 and fec 3/4.

In 2000 it was merged with TRT from Paris, and for a period it was also available on 12245, H, SR 27500 and fec 3/4, where it replaced TRT Tamil Oli. For many years it was also available on Spectrum Radio for 3 Hours daily on 558 kHz AM in London, but was replaced by ILC Tamil (run by former presenters of IBC Tamil Radio) in June 2010. In the same period IBC Tamil Radio started 24 H transmission on Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) in the Greater London area.