New year, new screen hopes.

Breakaway cable operator groups, who had tried to start their own cable services last year, are firming up plans to launch them at the earliest this year.

Kolkata Cable & Broadband Pariseba, a multi-system operator (MSO) that had to push back its September 2005 launch several times owing to non-agreement with broadcasters, is confident of becoming operational this month.

?There were a few issues that had to be ironed out with some broadcasters. We have received the go-ahead from STAR and ESPN STAR Sports and are in talks with Sony. For the moment, we will go without Zee and take a call on it later,? said Mrinal Chatterjee, a promoter of the upcoming MSO. ?To start things off, we have launched a cable channel called Kolkata Cable, with movies and current affairs programmes.?

Over 100 operators, claimed Chatterjee, would be with Kolkata Cable & Broadband Pariseba, which will service around a lakh households in areas like Kankurgachhi, Phoolbagan, Bangur, Dum Dum and Sinthee.

Metro Broadband Services, another upcoming MSO, plans to start providing the feed to areas in the city and parts of North 24-Parganas and Hooghly by January 14.

?Our equipment is ready and even if we get one broadcaster on board, we will start with that,? asserted Apurba Banerjee of Metro Broadband Services.