According to industry sources, Zee TV paid Rs 1.7 crore for satellite telecast rights of Dil Se while Doli Saja Ke Rakhna has been acquired for Rs 45 lakh.

Dil Se, starring Shahrukh Khan and Manisha Koirala, will have Colgate and Pepsi as the main sponsors. Arch rival Coca-Cola will back Doli Saja Ke Rakhna. Two Hindustan Lever brands will be associate sponsors for all the movies.

The main sponsors for Dil Se will have to shell out Rs 9 lakh each, according to the rate structure. They will get 300 seconds to advertise on the movie and another 300 seconds for any show on Zee TV. Doli Saja Ke Rakhna is priced at Rs 6 lakh and Agni Sakshi at Rs 5.4 lakh. The card spot rates for thethree movies are Rs 1.20 lakh, Rs 80,000 and Rs 70,000.

Zee TV has decided to step into a time slot vacated by Doordarshan which had two strong programmes on Sundays -- Chitrahar and night movies. Zee's films will be telecast at 9.30 p.m. while Doli Saja Ke Rakhna will be aired on March 7, Zee Cine Awards will be screened on the 14th, Agni Sakshi on the 21st and Dil Se on the 28th.

"We are packaging the movies to develop a Sunday evening viewership which is low for all the channels. Once we create this time band, we will replace it with programming," said Ranjan Bakshi, vice-president, corporate communications, Zee Network.

Media analysts, however, say Zee's strategy to screen movies is an effort to drive the channel as several of its shows are weakening. INTAM's figures confirm a dip in Zee TV's channel share in Mumbai and Delhi, two of the country's most lucrative markets. In Mumbai, the channel had a share of 17.11 per cent (individuals 4plus, C&S homes) in November, which fellto 15.7 per cent in December and 13.53 per cent in January. Delhi saw a similar slip in share from 14.88 per cent to 12.71 per cent and 11.1 per cent during the same period.

Sony Entertainment Television and STAR Plus have successfully resorted to blockbusters to increase their viewership. Vimala Bhalla, head, programming, Star Plus, says the movie strategy helped the channel to double its viewership and revenues since September. Though Star Plus does not have a strong movie line up in March, the big title will come in April with Dil To Pagal Hai. No blockbusters, however, will be screened during the cricket World Cup.

Star Plus has used blockusters not only to generate viewership on the channel but also to create programme awareness. Says Peter Mukherjea, executive vice-president, ad sales, India and Middle East, Star TV, "When we had a big movie, our viewership went high on those days. But, more significantly, we increased audiences on a regular basis. We promoted our programmes through ourmovies."

Sony also telecast big movies on Saturday nights like Hum Aap Ke Hai Kaun to capitalise on the slot vacated by Doordarshan. Says Kunal Dasgupta, chief executive officer, Sony Entertainment TV, "Our strategy is being followed by Zee TV. But now with a whole range of killer programmes, we don't need a big movie." Sony's game plan: to allow Star Plus and Zee TV to compete while it concentrates on further strengthening its programming in the short run. In March, Sony will repeat Hum Aap Ke Hain Kaun and run the Lata Mangeshkar concert.

Vishnu Patel, vice-president, programming, Zee TV, does not agree that movies are the answer to a channel's programming problems. "Movies can't give you gross rating points because you can't have a consistent supply. They can, at best, give you visibility and connectivity. We don't need either," he said.

So why did Zee decide on blockbusters? "We are planning to launch new shows. And Zee Cine Awards happen to break on a Sunday. And we are planning tolaunch programmes. Rather than put up episodic serials and break their continuity, we decided to have movies. We also wanted to create a build up for our awards event," said Patel.

Zee is marketing March as a "mega entertainment" month. The official explanation: to use blockbusters only in March. "If I wanted to adopt movies as a strategy to counter the competing channels, I would have targeted Saturdays," explains Patel.

Is Zee trying to drive the Sunday prime-time viewership? The channel has a good programming line up with Anhonee, Zanjeerein and Vishwas. The shows average 20-25 GRPs every week. But ratings in the late hours are low. Says Patel, "If we are successful with our movies, we could create a platform for programming after 10 p.m. Our strategy is not to use movies in the long run."