Star billing for students

Students across Britain may soon be watching and even making their very own digital soap operas and short films following a pilot at the University of Greenwich. Programmes beamed by satellite direct to campuses could eventually include student-produced soap operas, quiz shows, short films, music and local information.

Informations systems company the Mirage Group, based in Fulham, London, will announce the timetable for its ambitious nationwide launch at the NUS Entertainments Officers' Conference, to be held in Reading at Easter. The bulk of the costs should be covered by advertising and should fall as the number of clients rises.

Greenwich campuses at Avery Hill and Woolwich have had programmes running in union bars and dining halls since the beginning of last term. Information is supplied by the students union and university and is woven into an entertainments and advertising framework by Mirage.