Silchar, June 20: Doordarshan?s loss is Bangladesh TV?s gain ? as far as viewership of the current World Cup in south Assam goes.

Doordarshan has not been able to arrange telecast of all the power games of the World Cup now under way in Germany. This has come as a bonanza for Bangladesh TV, which has widened its viewership base in the border areas of south Assam.

?Doordarshan?s loss has been as a gain for the state-owned TV establishment in our neighbouring country,? quipped a Union government official.

During the past few weeks, extremely tall antennae have sprouted in Karimganj and Cachar districts, both bordering Bangladesh, for capturing signals from Bangladesh TV stations.

Doordarshan had beamed only the inaugural matches of the World Cup and is scheduled to telecast live matches only from the semifinals onwards.

Officials of an intelligence agency, who keep tabs on the border areas as well as on Bangladesh, confirmed today that there were brisk daily sales of TV sets along with high-signal antennae in rural areas of both districts.

They pointed out that residents of the region?s rural areas, particularly those who watch TV avidly, are already hooked to telecasts in Bengali, their mother tongue, from Bangladesh.

Doordarshan beams only Hindi and English programmes, barring a two-hour slot in the evenings, when the Silchar regional centre airs local programmes.

A TV dealer at Katigorah in Cachar district, which is close to the international border, said five TV sets and scores of antennae are sold in this township on an average everyday.

A visitor to Suterkandi, a border village in Karimganj district, will see many houses hoisting their antennae westwards to catch the signals of Bangladesh TV.

Abdul Rafique, an assistant in the office of a contractor at that village, confirmed that most villagers, including women, are in the grip of soccer fever, courtesy Bangladesh TV.

He added that some of the more prosperous residents have even installed digital inverters for uninterrupted viewing.

Subodh Mullick, a 40-year-old trader at Latu village, confirmed the view that with the telecast of World Cup football, Bangladesh TV has now become more popular and acceptable in the border areas of the south Assam districts.

He disclosed that the programmes aired by the TV network of Bangladesh have struck a chord with viewers in the border areas.

Border Security Force (BSF) jawans and officials have also been bitten by the Bangladesh TV bug. Ardent football fans, they enjoy Julet Rimet Cup matches, beamed by Bangladesh TV, in their community halls at their bases along the border.

A senior district official of Karimganj ruled out any possibility of dissuading TV viewers against signals from the adjacent nation, citing how globalisation is impacting on every country across the globe.