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Category: News Headline

  • Govt proposing to set up separate disputes tribunal for broadcast content

    Govt proposing to set up separate disputes tribunal for broadcast content

    NEW DELHI: The government is proposing to set up a separate disputes tribunal for broadcast content on the lines of Telecom Disputes Settlement And Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) as part of a comprehensive content regulation framework.

    The proposed organisation, likely to be called Content Disputes Settlement Appellate Tribunal, would have the powers as vested under the Code of Civil Procedures, 1908, but not totally bound by it.

    The content disputes tribunal would take up issues brought to it by aggrieved parties, including those who feel unfair treatment has been meted out by the proposed Content Regulatory Authority of India.

    The structure of these two organizations are based on the functioning of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) and TDSAT, which oversee telecom services, including broadcast and cable services at the moment.

    The idea of creating a separate content disputes tribunal is based on feedback that the government has had from industry stakeholders and industry bodies like the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

    As in the case of TDSAT, any appeal against content disputes tribunal’s orders can be made only in the Supreme Court. The government is also proposing to put a penalty on flouting the appellate tribunal’s order’s, which can go up to Rs 50 million.

    Programming scheduling TV channel’s responsibility

    Meanwhile, as per a draft of content code being considered in the I&B ministry, the onus of proper scheduling of programming would rest with a licensee.

    “(The) licensee should take care that the time when minors are expected to be viewing the programmes, i.e. between 4 pm to 7 pm, the Broadcasting Code should be strictly followed,” a draft of the code states, stressing clearly on greater degree of self-regulation on the part of TV channels.

    However, as pr another suggestion to the ministry, the restrictions on the provision of material unsuitable on television programmes for children should be relaxed on a gradual and progressive basis after 7 pm.

    The assumption is that after 7 pm parents may reasonably be expected to share responsibility for what their children are permitted to watch on television.

    The proposed content regulator is also unlikely to preview or pre-censor any TV programme, including films on television. It should be a licensee’s responsibility to ensure that the viewers are aware of the classification of the films broadcast on the television.

  • Hathway launches digital cable in Hyderabad

    Hathway launches digital cable in Hyderabad

    MUMBAI: Even as the government is assimilating views of the various industry stakeholders on how to roll out conditional access system (CAS) smoothly, multi-system operators (MSOs) are busy plotting expansion of their digital cable TV service.

    Hathway Cable & Datacom today announced the launch of its digital cable in Hyderabad. The MSO has already rolled out its digital services in Chennai, Mumbai, New Delhi, Pune and Bangalore.

    Digital cable TV services are offered to the customer through a remote controlled digital device, which will be accompanied by a fully functional sleek smart card.

    “The advantages of the digital set-top boxes (s) is that the consumer does not have to pay extra money in their monthly cable TV bill but in turn can enjoy over 150 digital channels. The device costs over Rs. 2500,” Hathway said in a release.

  • K Sera Sera to pump in Rs 2.5 billion for 20 movies

    K Sera Sera to pump in Rs 2.5 billion for 20 movies

    MUMBAI: K Sera Sera is planning a production pipeline of 20 movies and has announced an investment outlay of Rs 2.5 billion over the next two years.

    The company will also foray into regional film production. “We have been looking at aggressively scaling up and have signed up big ticket directors. We plan to produce more than 20 films, which will be released by end-March 2008, at a total outlay in excess of Rs. 250 crores,” said K Sera Sera managing director Parag Sanghavi.

    The company has signed up a wide spectrum of directorial talent like David Dhawan, Abbas Mastan and Priyadarshan which it believes will give it a definite edge in the battle for market share in the Hindi feature films business. “We are in advanced stages of discussions to forge an alliance with yet another leading Bollywood director who has won immense critical and popular acclaim. We shall share details at an opportune time in the near future,” Sanghavi revealed.

    How does the company fund these projects? In the first phase, K Sera Sera will require Rs 1.1 billion, of which it has deployed Rs 550 million for the four movies which are on floor. Besides, it will use Rs 300 million from the money it raised through a follow-on public issue. The debt component will be around Rs 250-300 million.

    K Sera Sera recently launched its first initiative of film distribution as a test case in Mumbai. Elaborating on the plans to release more films in the near future, Sanghavi said, “We released Malamaal Weekly with a total of 150-plus prints including digital prints in Mumbai. The film achieved a revenue of close to Rs 40 million, which was much more than what was achieved by mega starrers like Family and Zinda in the same time.”

    The company is planning to make 8-10 movies a year, scaling up from three movies it produced for the current fiscal. “We should see a topline growth of over 100 per cent year-on-year in FY 07 and 08 from the expected March 06 figures of Rs 700 million. Profitability too is expected to grow at the same rate,” said Sanghvi.

  • Murdoch dips into fibre-optic network: Alliances on the card

    Murdoch dips into fibre-optic network: Alliances on the card

    Murdoch mania still is hot in town as speculation about what he really intends to do in the Indian market rising to a fever pitch. He had a rash of meetings on 14 March with top brass industrialists and other prominent political personalities.

    Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and he discussed the possibilities of investment in the Infotech and telecom area. Ministerial sources disclosed his intentions to set up a state-of-the-art fibre optic telecom carrier network in Mumbai. A possible partner for this project is InCable which has been laying a fibre optic network in the city. Star TV does not have any investments in cable TV distribution, having sold out its holdings in Siticable to Zee TV. The fibre optic project will l cater to Murdoch’s Infotech dreams in India and facilitate e-commerce and e-education and create tremendous job opportunities, ministerial sources said.

    Murdoch also met up with MTNL and VSNL executives at the Ministerial meeting. MTNL, the state telecom provider MTNL which has a strong optic-fibre backbone and Hughes Ispat which also is rolling out its network over the city.

    The Chief Minister, wanting investments in the state, also assured Murdoch that News Corp’s proposal to set up an entertainment programming studio will be cleared within a month’s time. News Corp plans to invest around $100 million in this area alone. The commercial capital of India seems to have impressed Murdoch as he identified the tremendous potential in this city.

    It is now the time of Delhi for big announcements where Murdoch will hold high-profile meetings.

  • BCCI calls for tenders for ‘neutral venue’ media rights

    BCCI calls for tenders for ‘neutral venue’ media rights

    MUMBAI: And so the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) continues along its merry road of extracting “maximum value” for its properties.

    The latest money-mopping plan the BCCI has pulled out of its cupboard, which will only add to an already seriously overloaded cricket itinerary, are for matches played by India at neutral venues (non-ICC member countries) over the next five years. The media rights for this latest piece of the India cricket pie will be inaugurated with the two-match Indo-Pakistan limited over series that will be held in Abu Dhabi next month.

    According to a media release issued by the cricket board today, the last date for submission of tenders for global media rights for India matches at these neutral venues would be 5 April, at noon at Nirlon House in Mumbai. The tenders would be scrutinised the same day.

    The financial bids would be opened in Delhi the following day between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. at the Oberoi Hotel, the release adds.

    “The global media rights tender is intended to streamline the process of match telecasting wherever the Indian team is playing. With the number and quality of matches growing, this streamlining becomes increasingly important,” said BCCI vice-president and chairman of its marketing sub-committee Lalit Modi.

    The minimum bid varies with the region/ country being bid for. However bidders have the option to bid for rights in more than one country/ region.

    Some countries tentatively included in the list of venues are Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Holland, Toronto, New York and Tristate Area, Houston, Chicago, Palo Alto and bay area, Singapore, Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur.

    The Indo-Pak Friendship Series to be played at Abu Dhabi’s Zayed Stadium on 18 and 19 April is being organised as a fundraiser for the October 2005 earthquake victims in Pakistan and India. These matches are recognised by the ICC and will be counted as official one-day internationals (ODI).

    It was yesterday that the board invited tenders for the stadium ground rights that include all in-stadium branding and on air promotions. The eligibility criteria that the board laid down for this was that interested companies and agencies would need to have a net worth of $5 million. The minimum bid for the ground rights tender package is $3 million.

    “The ground rights sponsorship entails an exclusive sponsorship package, offering logos on all tickets, entry gates, ground logos, stumps etc.,” Modi was quoted as saying yesterday.
    Sealed bid entries will be accepted at the Cricket Club of India in Mumbai till 4:30 p.m. 31 March. The bids will be opened at 5 p.m. the same day.

    “This is a unique opportunity for brands to not only reach out to the Indian communities overseas but also promote their brand in a unique manner where, for the first time, all rights are being offered to a single company,” Modiwas quoted in media reports as saying.

  • MSO protests against Maharashtra cable TV tax

    MSO protests against Maharashtra cable TV tax

    The Hinduja-run MSO InCableNet has raised a voice of protest against the Maharashtra state government’s move to double the entertainment tax levied on cable operators. The state finance minister announced the hike in the budget that was presented to the assembly for 2000-2001 yesterday.

    In a press release , InCableNet has stated that the impost will “financially cripple an already burdened cable industry. The need of the hour is to implement the existing entertainment tax system rather than increase tax burdens.”

    Says IndusInd Media – the company that runs InCableNet – CEO Ram T. Hingorani: “The increase will result in a substantial financial burden on MSOs like In CableNet and cable operators who declare 100 per cent connectivity.”

    Last year the cable TV industry had hailed the-then government’s decision to levy a flat rate of Rs 15, Rs 10 and Rs 5 for each urban, semi-urban and rural cable TV homes respectively. This replaced the earlier system of charging a percentage of subscription fees.

    InCableNet says that the governments contention that entertainment tax targets were not being met by it on account of underdeclaration by cable TV operators (hence it was forced to hike rates) was unfair.

    “The system needs correction not a 100% hike to supplement the lacunae in the entertainment tax levy system” points out Hingorani. “The cable TV subscriber is no mood to pay an increased subscription, particularly in view of the burden of rising prices of day-to-day commodities and the new hikes in kerosene and LPG prices. The current budget has also increased the professional tax which is bound to affect the common man in the state. This additional burden that the Cable TV industry will have to bear will stunt its growth further as the Government is doing nothing to promote it.”

    Hingorani also complained about the varying rates of entertainment tax levied by various state governments on cable TV operators. “All the states have approximately the the number of channels with common pay channels,” he says. “Yet each of the governments imposes varying taxes.”

    He would like the government to tax pay TV channels instead of cable TV operators. “Pay TV channels earn huge sums by way of subscription and ad revenues. The government should examine whether levying a 5 to 10 per cent tax on the channel managements is more feasible. Th tax can be collected at source and evasion will be eliminated in a structure where the onus for paying the tax is absolutely clear,” he says.

    Hingorani suggests that the government should work on schemes such as voluntary disclosure to encourage declaration of larger subscriber bases by cable TV operators.

  • Endemol rolls out comedy format in Germany

    Endemol rolls out comedy format in Germany

    MUMBAI: Endemol International has signed deals on its 8 Out of 10 Cats comedy format in Germany, Denmark and Sweden.

    The show is also being piloted in other markets and further deals are expected to be announced soon.

    In Germany, the series will launch later this year on Sat 1. It launched last month on TV4 in Sweden and TV2 in Denmark. The Swedish version is called 100% and is presented by Adam Alsing, who previously hosted Big Brother.

    Created by Endemol U.K.’s Zeppotron,,the series first aired in the U.K., where it recently completed a second season run on Channel 4 in a prime time Friday-night slot.

  • Wrangler ropes in John Abraham to launch co-branded denim label

    BANGALORE: In a first of its kind venture within the Indian fashion arena, Bollywood actor John Abraham and clothing brand Wrangler have launched a premium pr?t denim line.

    With this, John joins the select ranks of global celebrities like Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Jack Nicklaus, Eminem, 50 Cent, Kanye West, Bono, Justin Timberlake, Beouynce Knowles and Jennifer Lopez who either own or have partnered with well known fashion brands to launch their clothing lines.

    Announcing the co-branding arrangement with Wrangler, Abraham said, “I have shared my vision for the brand with Wrangler and I am thrilled that an international design team will be working on this line. The first collection would be launched and retailed through select Wrangler stores this Fall 2006.”

    Arvind Fashions Limited president Darshan Mehta said, “Wrangler embodies the spirit of the rugged metropolitan male with an individual sense of style. This is a strong and natural fit with John’s own personality and choice of fashion. In real life, I have yet to see him other than naturally sporting a pair of cool denims. The John Abraham Wrangler clothing will reflect the spirit of the young, urban cool that Wrangler and John have come to epitomize. John is very keen, committed and involved at every stage of the design and development process.”
    The deal is structured and managed by Matrix, the celebrity management firm that manages John Abraham. Reshma Shetty, managing director, Matrix said “This is the first celebrity deal of its kind. It goes beyond endorsement and brings out a new dimension in celebrity management.”

  • Blooming Kids Software releases 29 new educational programs for kids with special needs

    Blooming Kids Software releases 29 new educational programs for kids with special needs

    MUMBAI: Blooming Kids Software (BloomingKids), which creates computer programs designed to teach children who have special needs, has created 29 new educational programs. Educational experts and parents of children with special needs have combined their knowledge to develop Blooming Kids Software.

    BloomingKids has also released the home edition of its interactive computer software to therapists, parents and caregivers for online purchase. The company hopes to release its multi-user program in September 2006.

    “BloomingKids may specialise in creating software for children with special needs, but any child can benefit from learning the skills our new programs teach. The programs demonstrate many different skills, including memory enhancement and generalization of objects. Many of them also offer testing and reporting capabilities so parents can monitor the children’s success,” said Blooming Kids Software spokesperson Pat Pathmakumar.

    The programs target developmentally challenged children with Autism, PDD (Pervasive Developmental Delay) and others who require early intervention. The programs include instructions for children who need help with listening, identifying, matching and auditory processing skills. Additionally, the software provides innovative techniques in the instruction of skills, such as memory enhancement, computer usage (mouse and keyboard training), fine motor development and increasing attention span.

    BloomingKids’ programmers can incorporate any personal pictures, voices or music into all 29 programs. BloomingKids will use them to construct a learning tool customized to meet any child or student’s needs.

    Many of the programs offer internal testing and reporting capabilities. All of the programs use colorful animations, pictures and music to help children to learn with enthusiasm and attention. Each exercise in the program rewards and encourages and every correct answer earns positive reinforcement.

    “Compared to similar products, the software at BloomingKids is more effective and costs less. Parents and teachers who purchase our software can expect that these children will develop many different types of lifelong skills,” added Pathmakumar.

  • Casbaa supports converged regulatory environment in Hong Kong

    Casbaa supports converged regulatory environment in Hong Kong

    MUMBAI: The Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (Casbaa) has welcomed an announcement by the Hong Kong Government that it will begin a three-month consultation process on the establishment of a unified regulator for the electronic communications sector in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).

    “It is encouraging to see Hong Kong rationalising its approach to regulation, taking into account the digital revolution. We certainly support the concept of a converged regulatory environment in Asia Pacific markets and see models such as Ofcom in the United Kingdom addressing many of the complex issues arising from converged distribution. However, we also reinforce our position that a non-intrusive stance is the best for industry and the community at large,” said Casbaa CEO Simon Twiston Davies.

    In a recent report Casbaa assessed the regulatory environment for the pay-TV industry across Asia and found that Hong Kong had one of the most effective regulatory environments in the region. “We give full credit to Hong Kong for working to retain its position as a regional leader,” added Twiston Davies.