July 2002 : etc SMS a dazzling success:

etc has proved that Bollywood is the ultimate entertainment for Indian Viewers. etc had offered its viewers SMS service to interact by way of wishing their favorite stars happy birthday on its five-minute capsule Bollywood Birthmarks.

To say the least the response is overwhelming. In the first week of implementation only Bollywood Birthmarks has received more than ten thousand SMS entries either for wishing the artiste or for some related inquiry. With this more interactive and viewer friendly show, etc has taken another leap ahead in establishing link with viewers.

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June 2002 : ETC now on SMS - Wish to wish stars happy birthday on SMS

etc takes pleasure and pride in taking Bollywood and its stars to their fan’s and viewers. Bollywood Birthmarks is one such programme that has been giving that extra personal touch to this endeavor of etc. Now to make it still more interactive and viewer friendly, etc has gone one step ahead.

So, besides wishing their favorite star via e-mail on ‘feedback@entertainmenttv.com’, viewers are invited to SMS the birthday greetings to their pet stars, directors, musicians and other whose-who from Bollywood. They just need to type ETCBMN……….. then type the message………. and then SMS it on 303.

Known as mobiletainment and developed by Positive Comsol, for the first time in India this concept is touching a very wide cellular subscriber base with SMS no. 303 on etc by forming an alliance with mobile operators.

Escotel announces interactive SMS-based TV shows on ETC:

May, 2002, Escotel, the leading cellular operator in UP(West), Haryana and Kerala today announced that a new value added service on SMS will enable its subscribers to interact and be a part of special TV shows on ETC Hindi channel. The service will be available in UP (West) and Haryana.

This service will come to the Escotel subscribers as a result of Escotel’s tie-up with Positive Comsol, who will provide the software for the interface between Escotel and ETC channel.

On this occasion, Sonjoy Mohanty, Chief Officer - Customer Acquisition and Retention, Escotel, said, “Escotel constantly innovates to make things easier for its customers. People find SMS much more convenient to use than replying through a postcard or Email. This service will give our subscribers a chance to express their choice. Bollywood stars, movies and songs are popular amongst our subscribers and we hope that this service will add some fun and excitement to their lives.”

Sonjoy Mohanty further added, “watching TV is a day-to-day activity and ETC channel has a high viewership in UP, as a result of which, this service will involve a large percentage of our subscribers.”

December - 2001 Sada top 10, is the first real interactive show featuring SMS on any regional channel :

SADA TOP 10, is an innovative countdown show targeted specifically towards the viewers of Punjab. Sada top 10, is the first real interactive show featuring SMS on any regional channel. The one-hour show to be aired on every Thursday at 19:10hrs, on etc Channel Punjabi shall facilitate the viewers to SMS their choice of the top song of the week. The song, which receives maximum SMS requests, becomes the TOP SONG OF THE WEEK and so on. There are exciting prizes to be won in the show. The show is being produced in association with POSITIVE COMSOL DELHI.