CEE(I)
TV was incorporated in the year 1989 and started off with
importing Television Programs for Doordarshan and then
went on to export programs to various Television channels
across the world including VANAVIL in Malaysia, SOUTH
AFRICAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION in South Africa, ATN
in Canada, etc. CEE (I) TV was one of the very first to
recognize the potential of satellite channels in India
and launched Gemini TV, the premier Telugu Satellite Channel.
They also launched the First South Indian Entertainment
Channel in the US under the name of "SUNWORLD TELEVISION'
in 1999 . They also launched a Tamil channel CEE(I) TV
in the UK with RTV network in 2001. They continue to add
more feathers to their cap by producing many super hit
movies such as Jeans, Minnale etc.
The founder and the CEO of CEE
(I) TV - Dr.Murali Manohar is a man of vision.
His capabilities to recognize the opportunities, speed
in implementing the new concepts and determination to
have secured a place for the company in the top entertainment
industries in India.
In spite of all these credits, CEE(I) TV's
venture with RTV in the UK recently had a serious set
back and went off the air. Though there have been announcements
that the channel is back on the air, the Tamil community
in the UK is amused and confused over the issue and wondering
about the fate of the channel.
Dr.Murali clarifies the cloud of confusions
on the first hand:
There
have been real confusions about the status and subscription
model of CEE(I) TV. What is happening really?
Well, RTV was running the show all these
days with our banner for Tamil. We were simply supplying
the contents. Our hands were tied up because we did not
have any say on the administration side. RTV have gone
bankrupt because of other business ventures. This pulled
us down a little.
We are firmly back on the scene with our own facilities.
We should be all right now. We were also frustrated at
the confusions over the subscription model when we were
with RTV. When a mother has many children, it is difficult
to concentrate on one child. That's what happened earlier.
Now we are on our own and assure you that there will not
be any confusion in the subscription model hereafter.
To capture the market
again, you need to offer something very special. What
is your plan for that?
We want to make it as an interactive channel
with the community. I want the community to recognize
the channel as their channel.
For any of their requirements, they should look into the
channel. Like 'Voice of America', CEE(I) TV should be
'Voice of Tamils'. I have been in this media for the past
16 years and I know what our people exactly want. I promise,
they will not be disappointed. We know exactly what is
expected out of us and we are confident of doing an excellent
job with our expertise.
Running a regional
channel in a foreign land always has lots of limitations
in terms of resources. How are you going to overcome this?
I agree with you. It is an uphill task.
But it is possible with the help of the community. I am
sure to get the help from the community to help them with
quality entertainment.
You are targeting at
a small community in the UK. Unless you have a strong
revenue model, survival is going to be difficult. What
is your opinion on that?
I am not going to stop with UK.I am going
to be in Europe very soon and will be spreading to South
Africa, Canada, USA, Mauritius and Australia over a period
of time. Once we have presence all over, there should
not be any problem in surviving commercially
I see CEE(I)TV to be a CNN for Tamil
speaking population.
Dr.Murali concludes his message with this
impressive vision.
