Arsenal?s Thierry Henry (AFP picture left) is on the ball. But if you?re a cable television viewer in the city, chances are you?re not. Around 80 per cent of city cable homes, after all, continue to remain without ESPN and STAR Sports for no fault ? or default ? of theirs. But if market forces finally prevail and the viewer has his way, the popular sports channels could well start trickling back ? independently ? this weekend.

On Sunday, ESPN STAR Sports ? beaming Champions League, English Premier League and Spanish League, among a host of other sporting action ? yanked off the two channels on multi-system operator (MSO) Indian Cable Net Company Limited for dues crossing Rs 3.5 crore. As a solidarity gesture, another MSO, Manthan, blocked beam on Monday. Indian Cable covers around 45 per cent of city homes, while Manthan has nearly 35 per cent.

Talks failing to resolve the impasse, ESPN STAR Sports has now kicked off an aggressive promotional campaign, with plans of directly approaching last-mile operators.

The pressure from operators may not be comparable to Team India cricket times. ?But operators from Behala, Bangur, North 24-Parganas and central Calcutta have been calling us repeatedly. We?ll wait till Saturday and then start providing them directly with decoders, bypassing the MSOs,? said Rajesh Kaul, assistant vice-president, affiliate sales.

Topping the promo push on the ground ? and on air ? is the English Premier League, particularly next Sunday?s Liverpool-Arsenal showdown. A local FM channel started hyping up the match on Thursday announcing watch-and-win contests. The message to the viewer denied was clear: call your local cable operator if you want ESPN-STAR Sports back. ?Viewers have the right to ask for content. And we?re urging them to exercise that right,? feels Kaul.

Around 22 billboards are up in various parts of the city plugging the League, and six trams and a Metro coach are on track. On Friday and Sunday, ESPN STAR Sports vans are slated to visit select housing estates and colleges for contests and games. There will be live screenings on the vans and on-the-spot prizes.