Watch “20-20” On CSN

Launched under a year ago, CSN offers high quality sports entertainment as a fixed option for the deserving television (TV) viewer. Following are excerpts of an interview held with CSN Director Marketing & Promotions Prasanna Jayasundera.
By Ashwin Hemmathagama

Question (Q):  Sri Lanka is a small nation with comparatively limited number of TV viewers. So, what was the reason to start CSN?
Answer (A):  The entry of a sports channel such as CSN into Sri Lanka’s TV industry has been long overdue for a nation which is both passionate and enthusiastic about Sri Lankan sports and the performance of our local sportsmen and women at any international level.
Also, the development and progress of many domestic sports and sporting events are often overlooked by the absence of a TV channel to highlight and build awareness of such developments in Sri Lanka.If you take developed countries there dedicated sports channels for their TV viewers.
Not only developed countries but some of the developing countries also follow this trend these days. A number of these foreign TV channels are available in Sri Lanka as satellite broadcasts which are costly compared to “free-to-air” transmissions. According to statistics there is a 13-14 million TV viewership in Sri Lanka.
So we thought of starting a new venture- a dedicated sports TV channel offered free-of-charge with an islandwide coverage, although it is difficult and costly. We trust the CSN sports channel will entice the younger generation to follow sports and actively engage in them.
Q:  How did CSN cope with the industry standards providing material for broadcast backed by the necessary human resources?
A: Actually, initial staffers were handpicked from the local TV industry. They are experienced and have the courage and the knowhow to take CSN to the expected level. Some of these people coming with sporting backgrounds made the task easier.  Chief Executive Officer Nishantha Ranatunga is with a cricketing background and I was Rupavahini Corporation ‘s Deputy Director General.
Q : What are the boundaries of your contents?
A:  We have no limitations to what is telecast. We show all sports starting from elle to cricket. More stress is placed on locally available sports. Currently the transmission is limited to 18 hours daily. We have no vacuum of good sport programmes and material to offer our viewers. Sometimes certain programmes are repeated based on demand. This is the first time in Sri Lanka that any network has endeavoured to dedicate a channel to broadcast a lineup of predominantly sports programmes.
CSN will also broadcast a selected line-up of supportive entertainment and business programmes to provide audiences with a comprehensive entertainment and information option. Focusing on this, CSN’s  production divisions are constantly researching, changing and developing the line-up to best suit the tastes and viewing patterns of our local audiences. This aspect of CSN’s program development will be highlighted throughout its first operational  year.
Q:  Do you make use of programmes from well-known foreign sports channels such as ESPN, Star Sports, Star Cricket, etc.?
A:  Actually, there are two methods we follow. That is obtaining locally produced programmes and secondly international contents from such channels. CSN is a strong product with higher public level acceptance, being the premier sports network. We are not different to any other TV channel in Sri Lanka. CSN is among the top TV brands and advertisers prefer it. We are a private company which is not backed by the government.
Q: What are your technical arrangements to bring the ICC Twenty 20 World Cup 2012 to CSN viewers?
A: We have secured exclusive rights from ESPN Star Sports to broadcast all cricketing events for the next three years in Sri Lanka. So, ICC Twenty 20 World Cup 2012 will also be offered through CSN. We have several terrestrial transmissions in terms of locations, islandwide UHF 47, Western Province UHF 22/47, Eastern Province UHF 30/32/47, Northern Province UHF 30/29, Southern Province UHF 28/30/47, North Central Province UHF 32/47, Central Province UHF 41/32/47, Uva Province UHF 30/51/47, North Western Province UHF 32/47 and Sabaragamuwa Province UHF 28/56.