ITV

Category: Regulators

  • Trai releases recommendations on ‘Rating of Buildings or Areas for Digital Connectivity’

    Mumbai: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has released its recommendations on ‘Rating of Buildings or Areas for Digital Connectivity’.

    The release by Trai said , “In the past, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) and the Government have taken various policy initiatives to fulfil the demands of telecom connectivity. These policy interventions have helped in improving connectivity, resulting in wider coverage and higher data throughput. However, all these efforts have fallen short in achieving the desired level of digital connectivity experience of the users, who now prefer to work from anywhere, at any time.”

    It further added, “ The rollout of the 5G network has further stimulated the need for seamless experience of the 5G services, specifically inside the buildings.”

    Trai has conducted many studies to assess the quality of connectivity, identify challenges in providing connectivity and to suggest the way forward.

    Based on these studies Trai published a monograph on “Quest for a Good Quality Network inside Multi-Storey Residential Apartments: Reimagining ways to improve quality’.

    Trai undertook the process of consultation on a Suomoto basis to provide a framework for the establishment of an eco-system wherein Digital Connectivity Infrastructure becomes part of all development activities.

    Trai issued Consultation Paper (CP) on “Rating of Buildings or Areas for Digital Connectivity’ on 25 March 2022, to seek stakeholders’ input on issues raised, by 07 July 2022.

    Based on the comments received, discussions held with stakeholders during the Open House Discussion and analysis thereof, the recommendations of the Trai on “Rating of Buildings or Areas for Digital Connectivity’ have been finalised.

    The emphasis of these recommendations is on providing a framework for the creation of an ecosystem for Digital Connectivity Infrastructure (DCI) to be an intrinsic part of building development plan similar to other building services such as water, electricity or Fire Safety System.

    “DCI is to be co-designed and co-created with building development through collaborations among various stakeholders, including property managers (owner or developer or builder etc.), service providers, infrastructure providers, DCI professionals, and authorities at various urban/ local bodies. This framework shall also open job opportunities for the young professionals to become DCI Professionals and be part of design, deployment and evaluation of digital connectivity infrastructure.” Trai said in the release.

    Trai has also proposed a new chapter on ‘Digital Connectivity Infrastructures in Buildings’ to be included in Model Building Bye Laws 2016 by modifying and updating existing provisions added in MBBL as an annexure through an Addendum to Model Building Bye Laws 2016 titled “Provisions for In- Building Solutions Digital Communication Infrastructure” issued by Town and Country Planning Organisation (TCPO) of Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), in March 2022.

    Trai further emphasised that Digital Connectivity Infrastructure (DCI) developed in the buildings by the property managers (developers, builders etc) should be accessible to all service providers on a fair, transparent, nondiscriminatory and non-chargeable basis. 9. The recommendations also include development of a framework for Rating of the buildings for digital connectivity, which will add value to the property. Trai will come up, separately, with appropriate regulatory framework for Rating of Buildings, which will also include the issue of Rating certification.

  • Providing creative ways to give content in India a key focus point for the NBA: Sunny Malik

    Mumbai: The National Basketball Association (NBA) has several areas of focus to grow the business. One of which is working with broadcast partners to ensure greater access. OTT is another important avenue. Grassroots activities are natural and also an important element. However, COVID did prove to be a challenge.

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com NBA India business head – global content, and media distribution Sunny Malik said that like everyone, the NBA had to adapt. “Once we suspended our season in March 2020, we knew we had to do everything we could to continue engaging fans and players worldwide.  The fact that we were able to do that and ultimately safely resume play in a bubble environment and crown a champion showed us that we needed to listen to the experts and follow the science and data. It also reminded us about the importance and unifying power of sports around the world.”

    Rethinking engagement was important. “In India, the pandemic had a fairly significant impact on youth basketball development efforts. In a normal year, our Jr. NBA programme reaches more than six million youth in India, so we had to rethink how we could engage players across the country and help keep them active in a safe and healthy way. We ended up transitioning much of our basketball development programming to virtual sessions for players, coaches and parents, which was helpful in showing us the impact we could have through online programming.

    “We also found new and creative ways to provide localised content to fans in India on the devices and platforms they use most.  We began a multiyear agreement with Prasar Bharati to air NBA, WNBA and NBA G League programming on its sports channel – Doordarshan (DD) Sports – and its YouTube channel – Prasar Bharati Sports.  This, combined with our reach on Viacom18’s channels and platforms, led to record broadcast viewership last season.  We also continued to produce lifestyle-focused content for our channels to engage Indian fans around the fashion, music and entertainment associated with NBA culture.”

    On a more positive note, he said that the company is grateful that the worst of the pandemic seems to be behind us.  “It’s been a great start to the 2022-23 season, and we’re looking forward to engaging fans in India in new and creative ways in 2023 and beyond.”

    Progress Made: He added that the NBA is very encouraged by the growth of basketball and our fanbase in India over the past five years.  NBA games and programming on Prasar Bharati and Viacom18 reached nearly 100 million unique viewers last season, he points out. This he noted was a record for the NBA in India.  “And last season, India was among the top five markets outside the U.S. and China in NBA League Pass subscriptions.  Our localized social media channels also continue to grow, generating 114% more views and 100% more engagement last season than the previous one.

    “Our first games in India in 2019 were a historic milestone in our efforts to grow the game here.  More than four million people tuned in to watch the two games.  And we continued to build on that momentum even during the pandemic.  Last year, we named Bollywood superstar Ranveer Singh as the NBA Brand Ambassador for India, which has seen him travel to a number of our marquee events around the world and create content for his and our channels, which has been instrumental in helping us expand our reach, particularly among casual fans.

    Overall, we know there’s a lot more to do, but we’re proud of our progress so far and excited about the future of basketball and the NBA in India.”

    The partnership with Viacom18: He said that the NBA is very pleased with its collaboration with Viacom18, which he explains provides comprehensive coverage of the NBA’s regular season, “Playoffs and marquee events in English and Hindi across television and over-the-top streaming.  And they’ve been great about continuing to innovate in order to provide the best possible viewing experience to fans in India.  Earlier this season, Viacom18 unveiled a new NBA marketing campaign entitled, “Morning Time Is Baller Time,” headlined by Ranveer Singh.  The Viacom18 team also travelled to our first-ever games in Abu Dhabi in October and will continue to work closely with us on a variety of initiatives.

    As the season progresses, we look forward to working with Viacom18 to find new and creative ways to engage fans across the country.”

    Local Content: The NBA he said produces a variety of original, localised, in-language content to engage fans and connect them with their favourite teams and players. “As I mentioned, our collaboration with Prasar Bharati sees non-live NBA, WNBA and NBA G League programming across its sports channel – Doordarshan (DD) Sports – and its YouTube channel – Prasar Bharati Sports.

    Another example is our “NBA India Weekly” show that airs on the NBA India Twitter and YouTube channels and provides fans with a one-stop destination for all things basketball and the NBA, including the on-court action, the popular culture around today’s game, as well as local stories about Indian basketball and the communities around it.

    And finally, our new NBA Style Instagram account showcases the many ways that the league and its players influence and are influenced by music, fashion, art and entertainment.  In one year, we’ve managed to grow this highly-engaged community to nearly 100,000 fans that generated more than one billion impressions last season.  These are just a few examples, and we’re committed to providing more localized content to fans in India in the months and years to come.”

    OTT: He added that in order to reach new and existing fans across the country, the NBA needs to ensure that NBA games and programming are accessible across a variety of platforms and mediums. “India currently has 424 million over-the-top (OTT) viewers, roughly 30 per cent of the country.  And as 5G service continues to grow in the country, that number is expected to continue to increase, which means the NBA needs to be widely available on OTT platforms. That’s why this season we have selected games live streaming for free on JioCinema, which allows for a wider audience to watch our games.  

    For the league, direct-to-consumer is a critically important part of the future of our business.  It’s why we’re so excited about our new and improved NBA App that was rolled out globally at the start of the 2022-23 season, which offers fans more ways to engage with the league through premium content, wall-to-wall highlights and a new league membership program, NBA ID. It’s also important to remember that we’ve had a direct-to-consumer service in NBA League Pass, the league’s premium out-of-market live game service, for nearly 14 years.”

    Grassroots Activities: Grassroots basketball development he said has been and will continue to be critical to the long-term growth in India.  “We know that local heroes are important for any sport, and basketball is no different.  That’s why we’ve built a predictable pathway for young boys and girls in India to learn the game and maximize their potential over the last decade.  

    Our international basketball development strategy is a grassroots to high performance system.  As players develop, they can progress from the Jr. NBA and NBA Basketball School (youth) to Basketball Without Borders Asia and NBA Academy India (elite), and ultimately to the national team and professional leagues around the world.  Though we had to pause in-person programming during the pandemic, we’ve since resumed our Jr. NBA program that has reached more than 11 million youth and 13,000 physical education instructors across 34 cities nationwide since its launch in 2013.  The 2022 edition included both in-person and virtual programming for schools across the country and featured appearances by NBA, WNBA and NBA G League players, legends and coaches, who engaged participants in skill development, leadership and life skills sessions.

    And at the elite level, we’ve resumed our national scouting program – ACG-NBA Jump – which identifies top prospects across the country to attend NBA Academy India.  From there, graduates can earn scholarships to prep schools, junior colleges or universities in the U.S, or sign professional contracts like Princepal Singh, who was the first NBA Academy graduate to sign with the NBA G League and first NBA Academy India graduate to sign a professional contract, and Amaan Sandhu, who recently became the first Indian-born male player to receive a scholarship to an NCAA Division I university and is in his freshman year at Monmouth University in New Jersey.

    All in all, we think we’re just scratching the surface of our talent identification and development efforts in India and that it’s only a matter of time before an Indian player makes it to the NBA or WNBA.”

  • Publicis Worldwide India onboards Lokesh Sah as senior VP

    Mumbai: Publicis Worldwide India (PWW)  has roped in Lokesh Sah as senior vice president, of account management.

    An accomplished advertising & communications leader, Sah will play an instrumental role in enhancing the agency’s vision of being a creative agency that delivers true brand value and growth, bringing greater depth and dimension to client relationships and accelerating opportunities for PWW’s clients through the Groupe’s Power Of One thinking and offering.

    In a career spanning over two decades, Sah has garnered a rich multi-category experience, having managed large multinational and national brands such as Unilever, Samsung, MG Motors, IndianOil, Reckitt Benckiser, HSBC, Hero MotoCorp, Hamdard Laboratories, Sony Playstation among others. Sah has worked in senior roles at Lowe, Cheil, FCB Ulka, Havas Worldwide, and TBWA. His last stint was with IdeateLabs, a digital-first agency, where he worked as the head Of account management. 

    Publicis Worldwide India managing dorector Oindrila Roy said, “We are glad to have Sah as a part of the team, leading and enhancing our key client relationships. His skills and capabilities contribute perfectly to our product and vision of creating powerful work that works for our client businesses and accelerates growth for the agency. Sah’s wealth of experience in the integrated brand-building space along with his admirable leadership skills bodes well for our momentum and phenomenal growth.”

    Sah said, “I am excited to begin this journey where I hope to play a significant role in writing a new chapter for PWW and scaling up its operations and market stature in India. What is great is the implementation of a truly integrated model – The Power Of One, which is core to Publicis Groupe’s DNA. Being the world’s most valuable agency group, it gives me an opportunity to work under the guidance of great mentors and build powerful brands, in order to  achieve new milestones.”

  • AIDCF clarifications on certain issues raised by broadcasters

    Mumbai: The All India Digital Cable Federation (AIDCF) has clarified some issues raised by broadcasters.

    The new regulatory framework (NTO 1.0) announced by Trai in 2017 promised consumer choice and lower prices for channels on cable TV and DTH platforms.The framework came into effect in February 2019 after an extended 2-year legal battle between the Trai and the broadcasters.

    “The broadcasters announced MRP for the consumers for the first time ever which was raised by as much as 400 per cent  in some cases. Most of the popular channels were announced at an MRP of Rs.19/. Annexure 2 showing details of some popular channels,” said the press release by AIDCF.

    The press release further made these points

    Broadcasters also announced bundles of channels that had both popular and unpopular channels in the same bundles (bouquets)  However, the broadcasters effectively killed consumer choice by pricing these bouquets at heavily discounted prices as compared to the a-la-carte prices.

    Consumers as well as the cable TV and DTH platforms had effectively no choice but to subscribe to the bouquets. For eg. The smallest bouquet offered by Sony was for Rs 31/ for the consumer which included 9 channels including both Sony Entertainment, Sony Sab, Sony Max, Max 2, Sony Pal, Sony Yay, Sony Wah and Sony Marathi/Sony Aath (Bengali). The a-la-carte price for just two channels Sony Entertainment and  Sony Sab at Rs 19 each amounted to more than the bouquet price which included the same two channels.

    The situation was similar across all broadcasters

    The cost of NTO 1 was:

    Loss of more than 30 million (3.00 crore) subscribers from the cable tv service providers

    Increase of subscription revenue by more than 200 per cent  for broadcasters and resultant massive increase in profits for them (Annexure 3 showing result of a publicly listed broadcaster before and after NTO). Even free-to-air channels of these broadcasters were converted into pay channels at minimal prices so that they could be pushed into bouquets and thereby to consumer homes.

    Within a period of less than 6 months, Trai felt the need to undergo another consultation process to correct the anomalies in the structures and perverse pricing of channels and bouquets announced by broadcasters.

    Consultation was followed by the amendments to the regulations (NTO 2.0) issued on 1 Jan 2020.

    Broad highlights of the amendments:

    Reduction of MRP from Rs 19 to Rs 12 for inclusion of a channel in a bouquet by a broadcaster

    logic was given to prevent perverse pricing of bouquets compared to a-la-carte prices so that consumers could effectively choose what they want to see.

    NCF announced in initial regulations was amended and a cap of a maximum of Rs.130 was introduced for 200 channels and a maximum of Rs 160 for more than 200 channels to ensure consumers were not burdened.

    Discount on multi-tv homes was introduced. The cable tv platforms implemented the reduction in prices immediately so as to ease the consumers’ burden.

    The broadcasters, however, again went to court against the amendments related to pricing of channels as well as the logic of pricing of channels in bouquets. The case went on till 2021 which the broadcasters lost in the High Court at Mumbai

    The High Court decided the case after almost two years while upholding the structure proposed by Trai and their right to do so.

    The Trai approached all the stakeholders to try and come to a solution to the impasse and held a couple of meetings. These meetings were inconclusive since the cable platforms (under AIDCF) were against any price increase for the customers while the broadcasters wanted the price for channels to be restored to Rs.19 for the channel to be included in bouquets.

    The Trai brought out a minutes of meeting dated 23 December 2021 which was purportedly agreed by all stakeholders including broadcasters, DTH, cable TV platforms and Trai.

    AIDCF had written to Trai and disagreed to the minutes and raised other issues too. However, Trai overlooked the communications for unknown reasons

    Trai announced a consultation again in 2022 with the purpose of bringing relevant amendments.

    The consultation process culminated with the issuance of the amendments (NTO 3.0) on 22 November .2022. Price of individual channels allowed to be priced at a maximum of Rs.19/- again for inclusion in a bouquet. A new provision allowing broadcasters to discount their bouquets by a maximum of 45 per cent  as compared to a-la-carte prices. This effectively keeps the consumer choice limited since the situation is similar to initial regulations (NTO 1.0) and the consumer does not have the option to choose.

    Cost of NTO 3.0 and its impact

    Broadcasters have significantly increased their channel prices and bouquet prices by approximately 18 per cent  – 35 per cent  which will definitely affect the consumer price (details given Annexure 4)

    Average price increase across different areas of the country is expected to be in the range of Rs 30 to Rs 100 per month depending on the channels/bouquets opted by the consumer. The above price increase will result in a cost of close to Rs 5,000 crore to Rs 8,000 crore per annum to consumers which will largely benefit the broadcasters.

    AIDCF and MSOs have immediately filed a case in Hon. High court of Kerala requesting stay on this Trai amendment

    Various LCO associations have also filed their requested to put a stay on this Trai amendment

    Broadcasters in meanwhile, despite the matter being sub judice, sent legal notices to AIDCF members to sign the agreement within 48 hrs. of issuance of notice or to face disconnection of signal immediately

    Disney-Star, Sony and Zee switched off their channels on 18 February morning.Only three broadcasters have taken action. Other broadcasters who have not affected switch-off include Colors, Times, Discovery, Sun TV, ETV, etc.

    Nearly 45 million households are affected (details appended in Annexure 1) who are unable to see the channels from these broadcasters. Now, broadcasters are urging consumers to go through the inconvenience of changing their service provider for their own limited benefit.

  • We aim to grow into a company that offers everything in the digital space and the creator economy: Simran Hoon

    Mumbai: Today the FTA channels are doing extremely well and channels like The QYOU Media India are giving the consumers of FTA content what they want to watch. Though connected TV is surging due to low data prices and the entry of JIO they are holding the fort. QYOU is now a major player in the digital landscape as well.

    As Chief Executive Officer at QYOU Media India, India’s youngest and fastest-growing entertainment network, Simran leverages her experience and insights to provide strategic direction to create new opportunities for the company and drive organizational growth.5

    Since her appointment, Simran has built a robust entertainment ecosystem for QYOU Media India. Under her aegis, the organisation has witnessed exponential growth in the industry with numerous milestones. With an experience of over two decades in the media industry, Simran is one of the youngest women in a senior C-level leadership role in India. 

    One of the fastest-growing creator-media companies, QYOU Media operates in India and the United States producing, distributing and monetizing content created by social media influencers and digital content stars. In India, under our flagship brand, The Q, curates, produces and distributes premium content across television networks, VOD and OTT platforms, mobile phones, smart TV and app-based platforms. 

    QYOU now has 5 emerging content destinations engaging over 125 million Indian households weekly – The Q (mass entertainment), Q Marathi (regional content), The Q Kahaniyan (animated content), The Q Comedistaan (comedy-focused) and our latest Q-GameX (live gaming). Our influencer marketing company, Chtrbox, has been a pioneer in India’s creator economy, leveraging data to connect brands to the right social media influencers. 

    Indiantelevision.com in conversation with QYOU Media India CEO Simran Hoon, on their growth and way forward in 2023….

    On QYOU Media India as a niche broadcaster and prominent player on the FTA.

    When we launched The Q as a Free-To-Air (FTA) channel, there were no challenges but just untapped opportunities. Although there were formidable FTA players, their primary Source of Content was the Pay-TV market. With QYOU Media India, we entered a market that was entirely underserved with good content, particularly the tier-2, tier-3, and smaller towns in India. While the FTA players who arrived earlier than us did have that as a benefit to their offering, I believe that the emphasis was lacking.

    At QYOU Media India, we realized the untapped market for good content, particularly digital content. There are regions in smaller towns where digital penetration is high but consumption is still in its early stages and hence, we made it quite clear when we entered the FTA market, that this is where we want to remain. At QYOU Media India, we stepped in to curate content for that untapped market. Our founders, Curt Mavis, and Sunder Aaron envisioned the tremendous potential of this market where 70% of Indians live in smaller towns. The ability to be able to provide them with content that is differentiated was an opportunity that we have capitalized upon.

    On NTO 3, connected TV surging, Jio entering the market and with most GEC moving away from FTA where does QYOU stand.

    NTO 3.0 is more for what the paid broadcasters need to do, but it is a great opportunity for us, nonetheless. With the implementation of NTO 3.0, the Pay-TV market will undergo a complete rejig. And as we all know, one of the best price points that sell is free. So, for folks like us who are FTA players, it is going to be a huge opportunity. There will be a funnel of audiences with top-end, crème de la crème audiences being in the OTT and connected TV space. The Connected TV space, will funnel down further with TV sets and data becoming cheaper.

    Right from choosing one OTT, Pay-TV, or FTA connection or wanting to watch content on a mobile device, everybody in India, at every economic stratum has a choice to decide the content they wish to consume. At the low end of the funnel, Doordarshan FreeDish, a one-time installation is available. While the four channels exited, six more entered to grab the opportunity to expand their portfolio. With content being platform agnostic, distribution is about to become much more democratic.

    On the content, line-up to attract non-metro-rural audiences.

    Doordarshan Free Dish reaches around 42 million rural homes on which we are available. For the smaller towns, television is one of the largest windows to the world because that’s the major source of entertainment. Audiences in these regions prefer to watch content that resonates with their beliefs and values and therefore we aim at providing relatable, resonating content. In terms of genres, they prefer watching content in the comedy genre since it provides respite. Also, in the past two years, with the pandemic and growth in online learning, the urge to learn something through television has attracted audiences in non-metro-rural regions.

    On QYOU Media India reaching out to the aspirational market with a different kind of programming and content strategy.

    Most of our content comes from YouTube which has a lot to do with influencers and social media content creators, making it an aspiration that we also work on. The influencers, in the comedy space, on our network, are from very small towns who with their entertainment and engaging skills have grown to become equivalent to influencers who are now celebrities. As a result, influencer-driven content is a big aspect for us. We believe that it doesn’t matter where one comes from, one can come from a small town and still be powered by digital content to grow to become the next content creator.

    On QYOU Media India upscaling and strengthening its position in the market today, both in linear and digital. 

    We aspire to be the next powerful network and I have had the fortune of working with networks when they were at their conceptual stages. At QYOU Media India, all of us have a big dream of being in every aspect of the ecosystem that is evolving in a very different way. There is a whole audience that is cutting the cord and moving on to connected TVs which are still at the top end of the funnel. A connected TV is a perfect hybrid between a linear and a digital platform. With CTVs becoming affordable, the first thing that people will do is get a broadband connection. Considering there are 20 million homes, this space is going to explode. Economic strata will have a big role to play here. With the growth in broadband connection, audiences will have an option of getting FAST channels which are embedded in their television sets.

    On pay tv revising rates 

    At QYOU Media India, we have a unique proposition in terms of the content we broadcast as opposed to a traditional GEC that airs daily soaps. We are the only ones with a differentiated content strategy and I don’t see us being influenced or affected.

    On the reach of linear TV will Connected TV also emerge as a forerunner in non-metros.

    Television, as a medium, is going to be completely remodelled. Today, linear television is at the cusp of becoming digitized. While television will continue to remain a gold standard, the question is whether you want to watch it through linear TV or connected TV. Digital platforms, too, are now moving into AVOD. Television isn’t going anywhere, it’s just a matter of how television is delivered, whether via satellite cable or WiFi. It will always stay as an ‘and’ market.

    On consumers still watching Saas-Bahu, your thoughts 

    Television, in its new avatar, continues to bring families together. India’s almost 65 per cent of the population falls under the below 35 years of age category and this young population is spending most of their time on digital platforms and have stepped out from watching the typical daily soap content. This is where we as a network differentiate ourselves in terms of catering to this young audience. We want to stick to our content lineup and bring people, who are not a part of the daily soap era, back on television with family-inclusive content. That is the kind of niche we want to be in and keep investing in because it is all about the young population. Young Indian audiences believe in influencers and therefore we have an influencer marketing company called Chtrbox for them. Our target audience indulges in gaming and therefore we have Maxamtech, our gaming platform. We have also got The Q, a Hindi GEC that caters to the Doordarshan Free Dish audiences and we also have Connected TV channels such as Q GameX, The Q Kahaniyan, The Q Comedistaan, and Q Marathi. We get our content from digital platforms, resonating with the youth. We are curating content for them so that they can watch it with their family rather than searching for it.

    On the YoY growth 

    For the first few years, The Q was just a VOD channel available only on DTH platforms. But our main focus shifted when we joined DD Free on April 1st, 2021. Since then, we have been doubling our revenues year-on-year. And we expect to outperform the market by 30 per cent in the coming year.

    On the learnings, you bring from Zee, Sony, and Colors to QYOU Media 

    The most important thing I have learned is how the best teams can come together with a very propelling vision of what can be done. A startup culture that is entrepreneurship-driven, high energy and doing or creating something is what excites me. My entire learning has been focused on what it takes to turn startups into successful brands and how it all comes down to people, entrepreneurship and energy. At QYOU Media India, everyone thinks of the company as their own and comes with a common vision.

    On the way Forward

    We aim to grow into a company that offers everything in the digital space and the creator economy. We already have a television channel in the linear form. We have connected TVs that we are already into; we are into gaming and influencer marketing, too. These are all future directions in which the world is currently moving. Keeping in mind the young population of India, and how they can be entertained, influenced, and educated, that’s where we see ourselves going in 2023.

  • AIDCF members continue to not comply with the new price regime and make false claims – IBDF

    Mumbai : Indian Broadcasting & Digital Foundation (IBDF) has alleged that the All India Digital Cable Federation (AIDCF) made certain false statements about the new pricing structure, which went into effect on 1 February 1, 2023. 

    The revised Rules and Tariff Order were announced on 22 November , 2022, by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), following a protracted consultation process. The AIDCF and its members took part in the consultations as well and were aware of the deadlines set by Trai.

    The IBDF letter said, “They understood that the law mandates that the TV channels could only be provisioned under a signed interconnect agreement. As of today, all the broadcasters, all DTH providers and most of the cable operators, including some AIDCF members, have implemented the amended regulatory framework. Consequently, more than 90 per cent  of the DPOs have signed the revised interconnect agreement issued by the broadcasters, thereby choosing to comply with the law and ensuring that the service is not disrupted for majority of the subscribers.”

    IBDF stated that Trai’s 2017 regulations brought in a separate charge of Network Capacity Fees (NCF), which DPOs charge and collect from the subscribers for provisioning access to the TV services. DPOs collect subscription fees in advance from consumers but do not pass the share to broadcasters in a timely manner. The price hike during implementation is largely due to the demand of the increase in the NCF by the DPOs and not at the back of the channel prices. 

    “While no pay TV channel is provided against the said charge, the burden of this cost ultimately results in making the TV services expensive for the subscribers. As a result, the AIDCF’s claim that broadcasters are driving up TV channel prices and that 45 millions households have been impacted by channel disruption is completely false. Having not been granted any interim relief in multiple High Courts, the AIDCF is seeking to invoke public sympathy through a false narrative,” added IBDF. 

    IBDF further alleged that while the broadcasters are under no legal obligation to provide any additional opportunity to the AIDCF members, they offered such DPOs additional 48 hours to sign the revised interconnect agreement in order to continue receiving TV signals without interruption, keeping in mind the interest of the subscribers. While some operators have signed the agreement, AIDCF members, have chosen to ignore it and deliberately refused to sign the revised Interconnect offer. The broadcasters, therefore, had no legal recourse but to disconnect TV services from the DPOs that refused to comply with the regulatory framework.  

    “AIDCF is not only in defiance of the law but is also holding less than 25 million  subscribers hostage, solely for its own commercial reasons and circulating misleading information. The press release issued by AIDCF tantamounts to an attempt to influence the public with respect to the matter pending consideration before the court. These DPOS are minority in number compared to the ones who have already signed and due to their non-compliance, are depriving consumers of their favourite channels. In this scenario, Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation (IBDF) would like to urge the impacted viewers to reach out to other operators to subscribe to their favourite channels,” said IBDF. 

    “Consumers are the centre of any broadcasters’ strategy and AIDCF members are only causing inconvenience to them by making false claims and leaving them without their favourite shows for selfish reasons.  Broadcasters are constantly introducing new channels with engaging new content, further creating proliferation in the industry, creating avenues for employment and providing a variety of entertainment options to the consumers,” added IBDF. 

  • Trai requests telecom service providers to review consumer complaints

    Mumbai : The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) recently held a meeting with major Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) to review the issues related to the quality of telecom services being faced by consumers and the menace of unsolicited commercial communications (UCC).

    The authority has directed TSPs to take immediate action to demonstrate visible improvements in service quality and consumer experience. TSPs were instructed to investigate the issue of call muting and one-way speech and to take corrective action as soon as possible. TSPs should ensure that there is minimal disruption or degradation of QoS of existing telecom services while rolling out 5G networks.

    TSPs were also informed that Trai is closely monitoring long-duration network outages. Such outages have a negative impact on service quality and the consumer experience. All telecom providers were asked to notify Trai of any such outages in any district or state. If necessary, Trai may consider enacting appropriate regulations.

    Trai also requested that TSPs plan and implement systems for online data collection for QoS benchmarks, as well as their processing to generate performance reports at the License Service Area, State, or lower granularity levels. This will simplify the process of QoS performance reporting by TSPs, reducing the compliance burden.

    Given the scale and size of the network being built for the rollout of 5G services, as well as the important use cases being developed by various industry verticals, Trai requested that TSPs implement systems for internal QoS monitoring by TSPs on a 24×7 and 360-degree basis. It was also suggested that network features be used in accordance with standards, and that Al/ ML techniques be used for QoS monitoring and management.

    Trai has also asked TSPs to implement two directives issued by Trai on 16 February, 2023, in a timely manner. These two directives were issued to combat some telemarketers’ misuse of principal entity (PE) headers and message templates, as well as messages from unauthorised or unregistered telemarketers, including telemarketers using telephone numbers.

    Reduce unwanted calls from registered telemarketers or 10-digit phone numbers and place them on the DLT platform for management and monitoring.

  • Broadcasters threaten to disconnect their services on large cable platforms

    Mumbai : The cable operators have refused to sign the agreement put out by the four largest Broadcasters who are now threatening to pull out by midnight. The main DTH players have signed this agreement in support of the broadcasters.

    Some of the largest cable operators in India, including GTPL, Hathway, DEN, NXT Digital, Fastway, KCCL, Asianet and UCN among others, have not signed the agreement as a mark of protest against this unreasonable pricing by the broadcasters. Also, the LCO associations are in court fighting this unfair pricing and one of the cases comes up for hearing on the 21 February.

    The Bengal LCO association has gone to Calcutta High Court and asked for a stay on the disconnection. The Judge there has verbally told the counsels for the broadcasters to not action the disconnection as the case is posted for Tuesday. While this has been told verbally by the Court, it has not been recorded.

    The broadcasters are threatening disconnection even when there are multiple cases pending in various courts. This price rise has been implemented by the broadcasters themselves. They seem to be in a hurry to implement the revised prices which they have announced as per the Tariff Order issued by TRAI in November 2022. MSOs as well as LCOs have complained to TRAI in this regard on multiple occasions.

    When the broadcasters went to court against NTO 1, the case dragged on for nearly two years and there was no action by TRAI. It was the same scenario in 2020 when the broadcasters were in court for nearly two years. Today, when the cable operators have gone to court, TRAI is in a tearing hurry to implement the new rates and have even sent notices for compliance to them. Broadcasters have also put out no information to consumers regarding this price rise which they had done while implementing NTO 1. This time around, they are expecting LCOs and MSOs to go and confront the consumer and explain the price rise on their own.

    A substantial price impact is expected on the consumers if this goes through which will be across platforms and not just limited to cable platforms. The second aspect is that if the broadcasters go through with this disconnection i.e. stop broadcasting of their channels, there are about 30-35 mn subscribers on which the signals will not be visible which will also impact the advertisers. The advertisers already have an inventory and they will not be able to reach out to these consumers, will they get their ROI?

    Thirdly it is the consumer; today he is paying a much higher amount for a cable/DTH subscription than an OTT platform. The consumer is not aware that the channels are going to go off, as the broadcasters have given a two day notice. If the broadcaster switches off the consumer, they will come to the cable operator and question him as to why he is not getting a particular channel. This will create a huge unrest in the already frayed market.
    Lastly, there are about 2,00,000 LCOs in the country today who will be impacted if there is any decline in subscriber base. In an already declining market, this action by broadcasters may hasten the decline and result in lacs of LCOs and their employees being rendered jobless and without enough income to sustain their families.

  • Philips Domestic Appliances names Omnicom Media Group as its global media partner

    Mumbai: Philips Domestic Appliances selects Omnicom Media Group (OMG) as global media agency. The partnership includes all of the company’s kitchen appliances, coffee makers, indoor climate control, clothes steaming, ironing, and floor cleaning appliances in more than 100 countries. By supporting the company through a tailored media platform, OMG will play a key role in implementing a new marketing model and advancing Philips Domestic Appliances’ accelerated growth agenda as a global leader in home appliances.

    The mission of Philips Domestic Appliances is to make houses into homes. OMG will support the company in this by planning and purchasing traditional, digital and performance media for the company’s full brand portfolio and extensive campaign schedule. The collaboration will start on 1 April, 2023.

    “Consumers want a complete experience. They don’t differentiate between the message and the medium. That’s why we designed an agency model that really puts the consumer at the center and is focused on making an impact,” said Philips Domestic Appliances Head of Global Brands & Marketing Strategies Trix van der Vleuten. He continued further, “This model is about seamlessly integrating the power of big, bold ideas and creativity, enhanced and optimized by media and data. It enables us to create consumer experiences based on data-rich insights at scale and in real-time, enabling us to deliver innovation that can stay in our industry.”

    Philips Domestic Appliances head of media Alex de Ruwe said, “With OMG we have found a media partner that enables our growth and enables us to achieve our ambitious goals. OMG’s tech, tools and talented people take media to the next level through integration, standardization, automation, simplification and innovation. We look forward to a good and long-term cooperation with our new agency.”

    Omnicom Media Group CEO Florian Adamski said, “OMG and Philips Domestic Appliances have a common goal: to transform the consumer experience to enable long-term growth. This goal is the foundation of our bespoke media platform and all the brands our team will work on.”

  • Trai issues directions to access providers to stop misuse of headers and message templates

    Mumbai: To ensure that all promotional messages are sent through Registered Telemarketers (RTMs) using approved headers and message templates on the distributed ledger technologies (DLT) platform, as well as to prevent the misuse of headers and message templates, TRAI has issued two separate directions to access service providers under the Telecom commercial communication customer preference regulations, 2018, and the Telecom regulatory authority of india Act 1997.

    Some telemarketers are abusing principal entity (PE) headers and message templates, according to Trai.

    Access service providers have been directed to reverify all registered headers & message templates on DLT platform and block all unverified headers and message templates within 30 and 60 days respectively.

    They are also needed to ensure that temporary headers are deactivated immediately after the time duration for which such headers were created.

    They should ensure that content variables in message templates do not have flexibility to insert undesired contents. Entities involved in message transmission should be clearly identifiable and tracked, if required.

    They need to remove confusions among recipients of messages and prevent their misuse, no Look-alike headers (headers which are similar by virtue of combination of small case or large case letters) are to be registered by access providers in names of different principal entities.

    To curb messages from unauthorised or unregistered telemarketers, including telemarketers using telephone numbers, Access providers have been directed to bar all Telemarketers, who are not registered on distributed ledger technologies (DLT) platform from handling the message template  scrubbing and delivery of messages to recipients through Access Providers’ network

    They need to ensure that promotional messages are not transmitted by unregistered telemarketers or telemarketers using telephone numbers (10 digits numbers)

    They shoul take action against all such erring telemarketers as per the provisions of the regulations and also initiate actions as per relevant legal laws. The Access Service Provider shall also notify details of such Telemarketers to other Access Providers, who shall, in turn, bar these entities from sending any kind of commercial communications through their networks.

    All the telecom service providers have been directed to comply with the above directions within thirty days.