ETC Networks Ltd, under the Zee networks banner, is one of the leading television networks in India that owns two channels - ETC Hindi and ETC Channel Punjabi. The main mission of this channel is to provide the best content to its viewers. ETC has constantly strived to provide wholesome family entertainment. It not only serves as a music channel, but also operates as a trade channel for bollywood providing information on box office collection and the business of movies. The channel is not only admired by viewers, but is also very useful to producers, distributors and the entire bollywood society. ETC shares an excellent relationship with bollywood insiders.
History of ETC
Claiming to be India`s number 1 music channel, ETC was launched on August 26th, 1999 as a 24-hour Indian Music Channel with the punch line "Aakhir Dil Hai Hindustani". Within six months of its release the channel was rated as the best music channel in the nation. Mr. Radhakrishnan, Mr. Jagjit Singh Kohli and Mr. Yogesh Shah, the pioneers of Indian cable television industry, sponsored and supported both the channels. ETC Networks Ltd. listed with Bombay Stock Exchange in 2000, with Zee Networks occupying 54.42% of its shares.
Programmes of ETC
ETC Channel was first channel to associate itself with productions houses, in order to telecast their exclusive promos of films and conduct customised contests on the channel.
ETC still remains the leader in this unique programming, in which other networks are trying hard to follow. Amongst the other programmes, Rising Star, Un scene, Bol Bachan, Hot Shot, Bada Parda are the most popular.
Kahani Kismat Ki on ETC, is the first ever program of any non mainline satellite channel to be featured as one of the Top Five programs on INTAM rating. This is also the first ever-astrological program to have completed over one thousand episodes. ETC is the first channel ever to organize and telecast a Fusion Music show to promote world peace and also to start SMS facilities for most of its programmes in order to go interactive with the family viewers of the channel.
To cater to the channel`s spirit of `Akhir Dil Hai Hindustani`, ETC had brought in shows with anchors like Ustaad Zakir Hussain, who has debuted on television with ETC`s show Taal, and top leading Hasya Kavi performing on the channel. It also focuses on live Indian events like the nine-day Navratri Dandiya. To capture the very spirit of India, ETC has come out with Essence of India, which an extensive series of Fillers is shot all over the country right from Kashmir to Andaman. It also airs ETC Paathshala to get the rest of the country acquainted with regional slang. Recently ETC is exploiting the channel content through the net and audience interactivity and is trying to build regional as well as international interactivity.
Films and Indi-Pop music still remains the heart of the channel and constitutes 95% of the programming. ETC Networks Ltd. is only the second broadcasting network to break even in its first year of operations
On May 7, 2007, ETC launched a new show called Bollywood Business, with the popular film critic and trade analyst Taran Adarsh, which informs about movie reviews and Box Office collections, and conducts interviews with the actors of new released movies. It also airs trade information like Distribution Figures, transactions, box office figures, casting coups, unknown facts, trade reports, speculations, theatre reports, forthcoming movies, release dates, etc. The show also provides complete overseas collection reports and has live telephonic conversation with producers, distributors, directors, etc and also has them as guests for special episodes. This show is intended to be the single destination for all trade related details Bollywood. The show and the channel is supported with a 24 hr scroll that would flash all activities and developments in the entertainment industry as and when they happen. The shows generate facts about collections from the US, UK Box Office as well. Their recent show, Bollywood Ab Tak, updates viewers about the recent happenings in the film industry.
In a short time, ETC, has proved to be one of the leading music channels in India and a pioneer in entertainment channels, providing not only amusement but also business news and facts related to the business of making movies.