Bollywood drives Star Gold ratings surge

Strong interest in Bollywood films among British viewers helps Star Gold become the third most popular movie channel in the UK, new figures have revealed.

Launched in 2006 at channel 809 on Sky's electronic programme guide, Star Gold broadcasts a mix of contemporary and classic movies from Hindi cinema.

The channel, owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, has now started reporting audience data on the British Audience Research Board (BARB) and its first round of figures show strong popularity among British viewers.

According to data supplied by BARB, Star Gold is now the third biggest movie channel in the UK behind Film4 and Sky Movies Showcase, just beating Sky Movies Family and Sky Movies Premiere.

''Star Gold consistently being the number one Bollywood movie channel in the UK has always been a clear strength for us, but now becoming the third most watched movie channel across the board in the UK is something that we are extremely proud of," said Star vice president Yeshpal Sharma.

"We are committed to providing viewers with the best in Bollywood content and our huge movie library clearly appeals to our rapidly-growing audience."

Forthcoming attractions on Star Gold include the UK television premiere of Action Replayy, staring Akshay Kumar and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, on March 27 at 8pm.