ITV

Category: Regulators

  • Amit Khare to start his second tenure as I&B secretary

    Amit Khare to start his second tenure as I&B secretary

    MUMBAI: He’s back at a post he held just about two years back. Amit Khare, the higher education secretary in the HRD ministry and schools, has been hoicked into the position of secretary, ministry of information & broadcasting (I&B). He replaces Ravi Mittal who has been in the hotseat since December 2019.

    Khare had been appointed to the secretary’s post for the first time on 31 May 2018. It was in December last year, that Mittal got the top charge of MIB during a reshuffle. Now, Mittal has been transferred  as secretary, department of sports.

    Khare is a 1985 batch Indian Administrative Service officer .Considered an upright civil servant, he is credited for unearthing the multi-million dollar fodder scam two decades ago in Bihar for which some powerful politicians, including former Bihar chief minister Lalu Yadav, and senior officials have been handed jail sentences of varied time periods.

    Khare comes into the I&B ministry at a crucial time when the government is battling hard to stem the spread of the dreaded novel coronavirus SARS-COV2 which has already claimed more than 800 lives and afflicted more than 26,000 Indians. Khare will have an important role to play especially considering that the economic trials and tribulations the TV broadcasting, and advertising and media sectors are facing courtesy the government enforced lockdown nationally for the past month or so.  Khare has been relieved of his secretary schools portfolo, while continuing to hold the higher education one.

    During a career span of more than 35 years, Khare has held various field postings and has worked from grassroots to the higher levels of governance in both state and central governments.  Prior to being additional chief secretary, Jharkhand,  Khare served as principal secretary, finance & planning department, Jharkhand. He has served as member secretary in the department of pharmaceuticals, ministry of chemicals & fertilizers, and joint secretary to the in the department of higher education, ministry of human resource development.

  • I&B min requests ministries to clear dues to media

    I&B min requests ministries to clear dues to media

    MUMBAI: The media industry has been in doldrums in India due to a massive drop in ad volumes. While the industry already experienced a slowdown in FY19, the countrywide lockdown has worsened the crisis. Post COVID-19 period, many of the media houses are sacking employees, cutting salaries, shutting down divisions and furloughing workforce, making a huge number of journalists and employees vulnerable. In this dire situation, the ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) has asked other ministries to clear dues to the private media sector and the Bureau of Outreach and Communication (BOC) in order to sustain the cashflow.

    Follow Tellychakkar for the consumer facing news & entertainment

    As MIB is in urgency to have their funds released, it has, in a letter to the ministry of communications, ministry of electronics and IT, and department of posts, requested to make the payments to BOC at earliest. The payments are due for various communication and advertisement works undertaken in previous years. MIB has mentioned that it would enable BOC to release it for respective media houses.

    The letter has also mentioned that if all payments due to the private media sector are made to them, it could prevent layoffs and pay cuts keeping the businesses afloat. It also noted that these media houses are supporting the government’s efforts to communicate with its citizens during the COVID-19 crisis.

    So how much money do various ministries owe to the media sector?

    According to a document sourced by Indiantelevision.com, total pending outstanding due to the media sector by several ministries stands at total Rs 230.82 crore, which include  a due of Rs 68.77 crore to the television segment and Rs 99.14 to the print media.

    Ministry of agriculture owes RS 6.14 crore 

    Ministry of communications and IT owes Rs 16.05 crore

    Ministry of corporate affairs owers Rs 1.62 crore

    Ministry of finance owes Rs 30.86 crore

    Ministry of environment and forest owes Rs 2.33 crore 

    Ministry of health and family welfare owes Rs 55.81 core

    Ministry of home affairs owes Rs 6.44 core

    Ministry of human resources and development owers Rs 18.99 crore

    Ministry of labour and employment owes Rs 19.96 crore

    Niti Aayog owes Rs 13.05 crore

    Ministry of rural development owes Rs 24.47 crore

    Ministry of shipping, road transport and highways owes Rs 14.38 crore

    Ministry of social justice and empowerment owes Rs 1.84 crore

    Ministry of textile owes Rs 5.14 crore

    Ministry of tourism owes Rs 4.83 crore,

    Ministry of women and child development owes Rs 8.91 crore

    MIB has also stated how the newspaper industry and FM Radio sector are under stress due to heavy input costs, import duty on newsprint and low advertisement and stoppage of transport respectively. 

  • I&B min advisory on health of media persons covering COVID-19

    I&B min advisory on health of media persons covering COVID-19

    MUMBAI: The ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) has issued an advisory to media houses to ensure that the health of their field and office staff is taken care of. The advisory comes in the wake of 53 journalists contracted COVID-19 in Mumbai while covering the pandemic.

    “In view of the fact that media persons, including reporters, cameramen, photographers, etc., are covering incidents relating to COVID-19 in various parts of the country involving travel, amongst others, to containment zones, hotspots and other COVID-19-affected areas, it is advised that all such media persons may take due health and related precautions while performing their duties. Further, management of media houses is requested to take necessary care of their field staff as well as office staff,” reads the notice.

    The I&B note is addressed to both print and electronic media houses.

    News has been categorised as an essential service which enables all media houses to function during the pandemic. TV channels have said that they are practising adequate social distancing norms for on-ground reporters as well as office staff, and are working with a reduced workforce.

    Channels have been working around the clock to ensure that all the latest updates on the pandemic are brought to the notice of people.

  • TRAI issues consultation paper on technical specs for CAS, SMS compliance

    TRAI issues consultation paper on technical specs for CAS, SMS compliance

    MUMBAI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has released a consultation paper seeking comments on standardising CAS and SMS systems for broadcast and cable TV.  

    Pursuant to the full digitisation of the cable sector in India, which concluded by 31 June 2017, the focus should now be on CAS and SMS as TRAI says they “form the core systems to deliver the broadcasting services to consumers as per their individual choices, by enabling encryption to ensure content security.”

    The technical requirements for CAS and SMS are generic and allow for different type of CAS and SMS systems to exist in the ecosystem. “While some of the CASs deployed are using advance embedded security, others are based on non-standard solutions making it vulnerable to hacking, thereby putting content security at risk,” says the TRAI notification.

    Additionally, most CAS companies don’t have their own SMS, middleware and user interface, increasing the dependency on third-party solutions. DPOs also lack the technical expertise to have an in-house mechanism.

    “The authority received complaints from various broadcasters on a regular basis regarding the piracy and distribution of pirated signals. As per analysis much of such piracy occurs due to deployment of CAS/ SMS that do not fully comply with security protocols as per extant standards. Stakeholders raised this issue as one of the major concerns during the annual chief executive officers' interaction with the authority held on 14 January 2020,” says TRAI.

    With these issues in mind, TRAI felt that “these concerns reflect a need for compliance with minimum technical specifications before a CAS/SMS systems is installed in the network. With this background, TRAI brings out this consultation paper on suo-moto basis. The paper endeavours to deliberate upon the issues arising out of deployment of sub-standard CAS and SMS systems, underlying ill-effects and possible remedial measures.”

    Comments to the consultation paper are requested by 20 May 2020 and counter-comments by 3 June 2020.

  • PIB serves show-cause notice to Public TV for ‘spreading false information’

    PIB serves show-cause notice to Public TV for ‘spreading false information’

    MUMBAI: The Press Information Bureau (PIB) under the ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) has sent show-cause notice to Kannada news channel Public TV for ‘spreading false information’. The notice has been issued by PIB’s additional director-general M Nagendra Swamy for a programme titled ‘Helicopter Money – Helicopternalli Surithara Modi?’ aired by the channel at 8.30 pm on 15 February which speculated that money could be given free to the people.

    The news item has been termed as "false, mischievous, and deliberate" which clearly violates the Broadcasting Code and Rules. “When the whole country is fighting the COVID-19, your channel, instead of creating awareness and educating the public, (is) spreading false information, creating panic and social unrest,” the notice added.

    “In view of the above serious violation of Cable Television Networks(Regulation) Act, 1995 and Rules, you are hereby directed to show cause why your channel should not be taken out of air immediately,” it stated further.

    The channel has been asked to send a reply within ten days of the notice. PIB's fact check also refuted the news on Twitter.

  • I&B secretary asks union ministries to clear ad dues of media cos

    I&B secretary asks union ministries to clear ad dues of media cos

    MUMBAI: Information & broadcasting (I&B) ministry secretary Ravi Mittal has contacted his counterparts in several other ministers asking them to clear the dues they owe several media companies, media reports suggest. Mittal has cited the financial pressure that the media companies are facing because of the ongoing lockdown as one of the reasons. 

    It is being highlighted that various union ministries including telecommunications, sports, youth affairs, the departments of posts, electronics and IT, and the NITI Aayog, among others, owe at least Rs 400 crore to several media companies. 

    According to a Hindustan Times report, which cites having Mittal’s letters in its possession, he has underlined that it is of vital importance that all payments due to the private media sector are made to enable them to pay their employees, keep their businesses afloat and prevent layoffs. 

    “As you would appreciate, these media houses are also supporting the government’s efforts to communicate with its citizens during the current crisis arising due to COVID-19,” he wrote.

    Mittal’s intervention comes days after the Indian Newspaper Society (INS) communicated to Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman that they are in grave danger of losing monies. 

    Additionally, the Advertising Agencies Association of India has also written to the I&B ministry demanding tax relief.

  • Continue uninterrupted services, I&B ministry tells broadcasters, cable ops

    Continue uninterrupted services, I&B ministry tells broadcasters, cable ops

    MUMBAI: The ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) has requested all the stakeholders such as broadcasters, DTH providers, MSOs and LCOs to continue to provide uninterrupted services to their respective subscribers and cooperate with other players within the distribution chain in the interest of the viewers and larger public safety in these difficult times of COVID-19 pandemic.

    Earlier, ministry of home affairs allowed broadcast and cable services to be operational as essential services during the period of containment of the COVID-I9 pandemic in the country. Last month, MIB also requested all states/UTs to ensure operational continuity of print and electronic media. Such constant flow of essential and authentic information through various media is aimed ensuring public order and safety in the current situation of an unprecedented pandemic, said a press release by MIB.

    “It will be appreciated by all concerned stakeholders that at this critical juncture, this steady flow of information and keeping the public engaged inside their homes with programmes on news, authentic information and entertainment is of paramount importance. All steps may, therefore, be taken to ensure that the people continue to uninterruptedly view the available channels,” informed the MIB.

  • TRAI recommends mandatory STB interoperability

    TRAI recommends mandatory STB interoperability

    MUMBAI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) today released recommendations on interoperability of set top boxes (STB) for digital TV broadcasting services. STBs must be made interoperable within each segment of cable TV and DTH respectively.

    TRAI says that currently, STBs are non-interoperable and that deprives the customer of the freedom to change his service provider and creates a hindrance to technological innovation, improvement in service quality, and the overall sector growth.

    “The issue has its own challenges with disparate interest groups among distribution platform owners, CAS vendors, STB manufacturers and other stakeholders. Since the broadcasting sector is content-centric, security of content and robust anti-piracy features are necessary. Affordability of STB remains an important criterion and any suggested solution should not cause undue increase in price of STB. Ensuring proper content security, strong anti-piracy features and flexibility while keeping the STB costs reasonable are the main challenges for achieving STB interoperability,” says the release.

    DTH STBs comply with the license conditions to support common interface (CI) module-based interoperability. However, in practice, even in the DTH segment, the STBs are not readily interoperable.

    TRAI recommends the following:

    * All set top boxes in India must support technical interoperability in principle, i.e., every STB provided to a consumer must be interoperable.

    * Ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) may include a suitable clause/condition in the permission/registration/cable TV network rule mandating all the DPOs (DTH as well as MSOs) to compulsorily facilitate service provisioning through the interoperable STBs either provided by DPOs or procured by the consumers from open market.

    * There are technical and commercial constraints to universal STB. Therefore, interoperability of STBs, with effect from the date as prescribed vide the extant clause/ condition, shall be ensured within the DTH or cable segment. That is, the interoperability shall be applicable within the DTH segment and within the cable segment, respectively.

    * The MIB may notify through licensing conditions or amendment in the Cable Television  Network  Rules   1994  as  per  the  Cable  Television  Network (Regulation)  Act, 1995  or  through  any other appropriate  mechanism mandatory use of DVB CI+ 2.0 standards (with USB CAM) as per the ETSITS 103 605 standards both for DTI I STI3s and STFBs being used by MSOs from a prospective date.

    * A time of six month may be given to both DTH operators and MSOs to adopt DVB CI Plus 2.0 standards (with USB CAM) as per the ETSI TS 103 605 standards from the date of MIB notifications. MIB may also coordinate with BIS so that suitable amendments are brought within this time frame.

    * The authority recommends mandatory provisioning of USB port-based common interface for all  digital television sets in  India. MIB in coordination with TRAI and ministry of electronics and information technology may request BIS to amend the specifications for digital television sets to include provisioning of USB- based common interface port as per DVB CI Plus 2.0 standard based on ETSI TS 103 605 standards. Such specifications must mandate TV manufactures to:

    ·         Provide all digital television sets with minimum one open interface port based on DVB CI Plus 2.0 standards permitting simple connection of USB CAM to allow reception of television signals.

    ·         Provide digital television sets with built-in tuners to enable reception of television content through both satellite and cable platforms.

    Setting Up of Coordination and Implementation Committee

    A coordination committee may be set up by the MIB having members from the ministry of electronics and information technology, TRAI, BIS and representatives of TV manufacturers. The committee may steer implementation of revised STB standards for both the DTH and the cable TV segment.

    Further, the committee may maintain continuous oversight for setting up of the digital television standards by BIS to provide for DVB CI Plus 2.0 port based on ETSI TS 103 605 standards and to have provision for reception of both DTH and cable television signals. The coordination committee may steer the adaptation of the revised STB and digital television standards in a time-bound manner.

  • Govt sets up COVID-19 Fact Check Unit to counter fake news

    Govt sets up COVID-19 Fact Check Unit to counter fake news

    MUMBAI: In the wake of influx of misinformation that the government says is being spread through social media, the press information bureau of the ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) has set up a portal, COVID-19 Fact Check Unit, which will be operational from morning of 2 April to receive messages by email and send its response in quick time.

    PIB will release a daily bulletin at 8 pm every day to inform government decisions, developments and progress on COVID-19. The first bulletin was released on Wednesday at 6.30 pm.

    The bulletin has been established after the supreme court gave a directive on controlling fake news during the pandemic. One of the reasons for the mass migration of labourers was a rumour that the lockdown would continue for more than three months.

    The solicitor general of the government said that an official bulletin would be published via all media avenues, including social media; other media outlets should use only the official data. The apex court clarified that although it won't interfere with free discussion, the media should refer to the official version of the developments.

    The ministry of health has set up a technical group consisting of professionals from AIIMs, etc., to clarify any doubts in the minds of the general public on any technical aspect of COVID-19.

    The cabinet secretary has written to all the state governments informing them of the constitution of 11 empowered groups under the Disaster Management Act with clear-cut mandate to decide on various aspects of management of COVID-19, with a request to develop a similar mechanism at the state level.

    Moreover, the health department has issued detailed guidelines to deal with psychological issues amongst migrants. State governments have been requested to engage volunteers to supervise the welfare activities of the migrants. 

  • I&B min seeks donation of one day’s salary to PM-CARES fund

    I&B min seeks donation of one day’s salary to PM-CARES fund

    MUMBAI: The ministry of information and broadcasting has appealed to all its officers, staff, including media units, autonomous bodies, and PSUs to contribute their one day's salary to the Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situation (PM-CARES) Fund to aid the government's effort to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

    A ministry release signed by deputy secretary and HoD Rajendra Singh said that any officer or staff having objection to it may intimate their concerned DDOs, invariably mentioning his/her employee code by 3 April 2020 positively. In respect of Main Secretariat, MIB, the concerned officers/employees may intimate DDO, MIB over telephone number 23384892 and Whatsapp number 8826701292. 

    Even as citizens have pooled in their resources to help the distraught, aides from the media have also done the same. A few days ago, Network18 announced that all its employees will be donating one day's salary to the PM fund.