ITV

Category: GECs

  • International Emmy Awards judging held in Mumbai

    International Emmy Awards judging held in Mumbai

    MUMBAI: Judging is not an easy task and especially when it is for the International Emmy Awards which are considered as the Oscars of the television world.

    Indiantelevision.com founder Anil Wanvari once again – for the ninth year – hosted the semi-final judging round of The International Emmy Awards for the New York-based International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. A bevy of Indian television professionals – 12 of them from both on screen and off screen – descended on to the Raheja Classique Club, in the Andheri suburb of Mumbai on 23 August to decide which of the entries – from two categories, comedy and telenovellas – would get into the final round of the International Emmy Awards 2013. The International Emmys had a healthy response from television content creators and broadcasters world wide with more than 1000 entries pouring in, but the Mumbai leg of judging saw seven entries for comedy and four entries for telenovelas being judged.

    The jury comprised of producers, directors, actors and writers. The ones judging comedy were: Anita Basu, Amit Aaryan, Harshad Joshi, Prabal Baruah and Divyanka Tripathi. On the other hand, Meghna Malik, Ashka Goradia, Shruti Ulfat, Rajan Shahi, Yash Patnaik and Sudhir Sharma were judging the telenovela category.

    Founded in 1969, the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences promotes excellence in international television programming. With more than 700 members from 50 companies in the media and entertainment space in 500 countries, it is the International Emmy Awards are the premier recognition for those involved in content creation in television, internet, and mobile.

    “It is always a pleasure to have India as a part of our judging which is taking place in more than 20 countries worldwide this year,” says The International Emmy judging director Nathaniel Brendel. “And we are delighted to have indiantelevision.com and Anil Wanvari as our hosting partner, like we have done for so many years.”

    “The International Emmys is a recognition producers and broadcasters and creators globally aspire for,” says Wanvari. “By hosting the judging we continue the very good relationship we have with the International Academy and we also become a part of a global initiative. This apart, it gives me and my company a good opportunity to give the Indian creative and production community exposure to the best in global content. We are grateful to the Academy.”

    After the first round of shortlisting and filtration, six to seven entries for each category make it to the semi-final round. Following this, the entries are posted online for final jurors to decide on the final nominees and winners. The main two criteria of judging are content and execution. Indian industry professionals were more than happy with Wanvari’s initiative to host the judging and on being called to do International Emmy jury duty.

    Says comedy juror Big Synergy director / producer Anita Basu: “This is my third year with the International Emmy, and it is a fantastic experience to see a lot of rich and good content and be exposed to a lot of innovative content outside India.

    ”Telenovela juror and Beyond Dreams Entertainment producer & creative director Yash Patnaik says being on the jury is a time for him to get away and chill on the best of international content. “Judging the International Emmys is a wonderful experience. This is my second year with Emmy and we get to see a lot of good content and you get to know what kind of effort they put in. Their style of working is very different from ours. The storytelling, cameras, scale is different.”

    “It is always very good and educational to come and watch different programs and this time it is the international platform and watching good shows from all over the world. The telenovelas are brilliant and it’s a good experience and you get to see good work and good content of international quality,” says director and producer Rajan Shahi.

    “It was a very different experience judging the telenovela category,” says respected actor Meghna Mallick. “The entries were of a very high order, and a couple of them, well they blew me away.”

    What surprised the jurors was the absence of entries from India in the categories they were judging. Say Brendel: “The fact is Indians would not get not judge entries from India; they would be judged elsewhere. Going by the huge production base India has entries can only go up, I believe that Indian producers should compete in the International Emmys because it is the only way that their shows can be judged and be seen by the best producers, networks. These may then be interested in buying their shows.”

    Agrees Patnaik says: “Yes of course Indian shows should compete, because there is a lot of original content in India. Our programs are quiet popular in the US and UK and we have Indian audience everywhere. It will be good refreshing change for them to see Indian content which are original and go beyond self-zone.”

    Anita Basu chips in: “Production and technical wise we are much ahead and there is a lot of good content here. We are way ahead of the curve, and I think we need to make an effort to represent ourselves in a very big platform like the Emmy awards.”

    “There are two reasons why we don’t see Indian entries in Emmys is a lack of information and I think Indian television industry is still evolving. And you never know maybe next year we will see entries from here as well. Indian content is improving every year so we definitely stand a chance to showcase out talent in the international platform,” adds Sharma.

    The gala event is slated to take place on 25 November in New York. The next competition will start early this December and the deadline is till February 2014 to submit their shows.

  • Google announces ‘Helpouts’, a help-for-cash video chat service

    Google announces ‘Helpouts’, a help-for-cash video chat service

    MUMBAI: Google has quietly launched a website for “Google Helpouts,” a new p2p video chat helpline service. Anyone can sign up to receive or provide help, and providers can make money off chat sessions.

     

    While Helpouts is yet to launch, a good deal of information can be gained from the support site. Anyone can sign up to provide help; just enter in your skills, availability, qualifications, and pricing, and Google will match you with people in need of your assistance. You can even include an introductory video of the services you’ll be providing. Once you’re all set up, customers can schedule a video chat session during your available hours.

     

    Of course, the service requires a Google+ account. If you choose to charge someone for your time, payments will be handled by Google Wallet, and Google will take a 20 per cent cut. The support pages confirm support for desktop browsers, Android, and iOS, and Google is promising a 100 per cent money back guarantee for unhappy customers.

     

    The setup for some helpout listings can be pretty elaborate. This page shows that you can style your helpouts like a structured course, including any preparation or materials the person might need before starting. Google even has a process in place to verify medical certificates and licences.

  • YouTube signs international licensing deal with PRS for Music

    YouTube signs international licensing deal with PRS for Music

    MUMBAI: The multi-territory license covers the use of music by the 100,000-plus musicians represented by PRS for Music in videos streamed on the platform. This includes official music videos, live footage, soundtracks and user generated content.

     

    The license also includes the rights to tracks available through PRS for Music’s pan-European licensing initiative, the Independent Music Publishers’ European Licensing (IMPEL).

     

    Artists available through the IMPEL initiative include David Bowie, Justin Timberlake, Lou Reed and Goldie.

     

    The new license agreement is one of the most extensive yet, covering more than 130 territories across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

     

    PRS for Music first licensed YouTube in 2007, one of the first copyright collection societies outside the US to do so.

     

    This initial license finished at the end of 2008, with a new deal not being signed until September 2009 due to lengthy renegotiations between the companies.

     

    Disagreements during negotiations resulted in YouTube blocking UK viewers’ access to thousands of music videos on the site between March and September 2009.

     

    PRS Music chief executive Robert Ashcroft said: “Streaming is a key growth area for PRS for Music, helping drive our online revenues to over ?50 million in 2012. YouTube’s vast reach around the world offers our publishers and songwriters a unique stage and music lovers’ access to millions of songs.”

     

    “The issue of remuneration from streaming services remains a key one for our members, and the further evolution of our licensing relationship with YouTube will help ensure continued growth in royalties for our members from one of the world’s leading video platforms,” Ashcroft added.

     

    In July, statistics published by PRS for Music and music and entertainment strategists FRUKT revealed that big brands invested a record ?100 million on music in 2012.

     

    Artist endorsements, such as Mastercard and Emile Sande at the Brit Awards, brought in ?4.5 million, a 33 per cent increase in brand spend from the previous year.

     

    Digital spend reached ?10.4 million thanks to campaigns including YouTube’s LoveLive channel and the launch of the new Spotify app.

     

    Live music sponsorship, meanwhile, accounted for the largest share of the market at 35 per cent, netting over ?33 million.

  • Facebook forges ahead with Mobile Rich Media ads via PointRoll agreement

    Facebook forges ahead with Mobile Rich Media ads via PointRoll agreement

    MUMBAI: Mobile advertising represented roughly 41 per cent of Facebook’s ad revenue during Q2-2013, and the social media giant appears to have its sights set even higher. Facebook and Gannett-owned PointRoll are expected to soon announce an agreement that will bring more rich media ads to Facebook’s mobile News Feed.

     

    In June, Online Media Daily reported that rich mobile ads are more engaging on social-networking sites compared to the same ads on regular mobile sites. The article cited data from Celtra, and wrote that “rich media ads running in the Facebook and Twitter apps had an interaction rate of 55.2 per cent, four times that of the same ads on standard mobile sites. Time spent interacting with ads was nearly double in social media, with an average of 53 seconds versus 32 seconds on other sites.”

     

    Rich media ads on Facebook’s app already exist, but PointRoll VP of digital innovation and product strategy Todd Pasternack argued that PointRoll’s history is what will set their offering apart. “We’ve been doing this for 13-plus years,” he asserted.

     

    PointRoll CEO Mario Diez said: “What’s different about the Facebook mobile environment is that if the brands build the right type of engagement, and it is served within an environment that people are used to engaging with and interacting with, we see really good performance of the media.”

     

    Pasternack added: “What’s great about this is that it maintains the feel of Facebook.”

    While both Diez and Pasternack seemed to beat around the bush, Facebook didn’t shy away from using the word “native” when talking about the agreement. Facebook PMD Program partner manager Anurag Gulati said: “Facebook’s native format and large photo ads in News Feed – the most engaging part of Facebook – set our mobile ads apart.”

     

    “Mobile rich media lets brands create ad experiences that allow for multiple levels of content in one placement: videos, games, shares, etc.” he added.

     

    Because the Facebook Exchange (FBX) isn’t available on the app yet, all of the mobile rich media ads are the result of direct buys through Facebook’s platform for mobile News Feed.

     

    PointRoll and Facebook have an existing relationship on desktop, and Pasternack indicated that this agreement is part of Facebook’s mobile-first strategy.”We’ve been right there with them as they shift to mobile to make sure we would help support that strategy,” he said.

  • Prime Focus: 77% rise in q-o-q profit from operations for Q1-2014; lower net profit

    Prime Focus: 77% rise in q-o-q profit from operations for Q1-2014; lower net profit

    BENGALURU: Indian visual effect and 3-D conversion player Prime Focus Limited (Prime Focus) reported consolidated profit from operations for Q1-2014 at Rs 34.26 crore which was 76.72 per cent higher than the Rs 19.39 crore for the previous quarter Q4-2013 but was 5.85 per cent lower than the Rs 36.39 crore for Q1-2013.

    However, consolidated net profit after tax and minority interest for Q1-2014 at Rs 8.53 crore was 31.4 per cent lower than the Rs 12.44 crore for Q4-2013 and just 40.6 per cent of the Rs 20.98 crore for Q1-2013.

    Let us look at Prime Focus’ other figures for Q1-2014

    Net Sales/Income from operations on a consolidated basis for Q1-2014 at Rs 188.47 crore was almost flat (0.14 per cent higher) as compared to the Rs 188.21 crore for Q1-2013 and 4.3 per cent lower than the Rs 193.87 crore for Q4-2013.

    Prime Focus reported an exchange gain of Rs 14.06 crore in Q1-2014 which was 12.05 per cent more than the exchange gain of Rs 12.54 crore in Q1-2013. In Q4-2013 the company incurred an exchange loss of Rs 3.01 crore.

    Neglecting the exchange gain or loss, Prime Focus reported consolidated expenditure of Rs 168.26 crore which was 2.37 per cent higher than the Rs 164.36 crore in Q1-2013 and 3.6 per cent lower than the Rs 17.45 crore in Q4-2013.

    Depreciation and amortisation cost of Rs 22.47 crore for Q1-2014 was 8.2 per cent higher than the Rs 20.77 crore in Q1-2013 and 36.4 per cent lower than the Rs 35.32 crore for Q4-2013.

    Personnel cost for Q1-2014 at Rs 88.35 crore was higher by 1.2 per cent as compared to the Rs 87.29 crore in Q1-2013, but 6.1 per cent lower than the Rs 94.12 crore for Q4-2013.

    Other expenditure for Q1-2014 at Rs 51.67 crore was 24.8 per cent higher than the Rs 41.42 crore for Q1-2013 and almost flat (0.4 per cent lower) as against the Rs 51.88 crore for Q4-2014.

    Finance cost at Rs 13.05 crore for Q1-2014 was 67.5 per cent higher than the Rs 7.79 crore for Q1-2013 and 19.3 per cent more than the Rs 10.94 crore for Q4-2013.

    Exceptional Item:

    Exceptional item includes revaluation loss of Rs 82.28 crore on redemption of FCCBs of $55 million on 13 December, 2012 and also includes provision and write off of debtors amounting to Rs 25.38 crore.

    As a part of reorganisation of businesses of the group under common control, Prime Focus Technologies acquired the New York based post-production business from Prime Focus World on 1 April, 2013. As a result of this there is a write-down in the value of assets by Rs 721.68 lakh ($1.3 million) during Q1-2014.

    Notes:

    (1)  The Company has informed BSE that the Board of Directors of the Company at its meeting held on 21 June, 2013, inter alia, has transacted the following:
    a) Took on record principal terms and conditions on which Prime Focus World, N.V. proposes to raise $38,000,000 from Macquarie (UK) Group Services Limited at an Enterprise Valuation of USD 300 million.

    b) Considered and approved to provide a corporate guarantee for an amount not exceeding $44,650,000 in favour of Macquarie (UK) Group Services Limited to secure the obligations of Prime Focus World Limited, Mauritius, a wholly owned subsidiary of Prime Focus.

    (2)  The Board of Directors of Prime Focus at its meeting held on 5 August, 2013, inter-alia, has considered and approved to sell, transfer, and/or otherwise dispose of its ‘Backend Business’, which includes (a) business of providing the services of conversion of 2D audio visual/moving images to stereo 3D audio visual/moving images provided by the Company to Prime Focus World N.V., a company incorporated and operating under the laws of Netherlands (“PFW”) (‘Conversion Business’); and (b) the business of providing the services of computer generated film visual special effects by the Company to PFW (“VFX Business”),to Prime Focus World Creative Services Pvt. Ltd.’, a company incorporated in India and an indirect controlled subsidiary of the Company on a going concern basis by way of slump sale for a total consideration not less than INR equivalent of $38 million subject to the approval of the shareholders of the Company through a postal ballot and on receipt of requisite/regulatory approvals.

    Click here for Prime Focus – Financial Result

  • ASCI upholds complaint against 144 ads in June 13

    ASCI upholds complaint against 144 ads in June 13

    MUMBAI: The Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) of the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has upheld complaints against 144 out of 174 advertisements in June.

     

    The category leading the pack of misleading ads was health and personal care category followed by education sector. For the first time ever, ASCI has also tracked and upheld complaints against four online advertisements,   out of which one is an advertisement of Hindustan Unilever on the YouTube.

     

    The CCC found two ads violating Chapter III 1(b) of the ASCI Code as they deride colour of the skin in the digital space. The complaints were upheld against HUL’s Ponds BB Cream which is titled ‘The Future of India’ and goes on to talk about various benefits of the product and how women yearn to have fair skin and Emami Fair and Handsome cream ad which shows a flow chart depicting various problems such as inferiority complex, not good looking, etc. affecting dark skin colored people.

    In the health and personal care product or service category, the CCC found that claims of 58 ads released in the press is either misleading or false or not adequately/scientifically substantiated and hence violating Chapter I of the ASCI Code. Some of the health care products or services ads also contravened provisions of the Drug & Magic Remedies Act.

     

    The complaint against HUL’s Sunsilk Perfect Straight ad that shows a girl packing/selecting all her hair straightening equipment and her friend telling her about a shampoo that can keep the hair perfectly straight after attending a gym session, party or even in other situations’  has been upheld for misleading the customers.

     

    Another one making to this list is Johnson’s Baby Natural Massaging Oil advertisement. The ad claims that the ‘oil helps in 47 per cent more weight gain.’ Similarly, Dabur’s Fem Turmeric Herbal Bleach claim of it being a ‘herbal, mild and ammonia free bleach’ and  Zee Laboratories’ advertisement of Virgin Again Gel claiming that the ‘Vagina tightening and rejuvenating gel improves muscle tone’ complaints have been upheld.

     

    Livon Hair Gain Tonic in their print ad claiming ‘Increase hair growth with the latest hair gain formula- Livon Hair Gain Tonic’ is another one making to the list of products being upheld.

     

    The Himalaya Complete Care Toothpaste TVC begins with a message depicting importance of the `anti-oxidant’ having health benefits. The commercial which communicates that anti-oxidant not only kills the germs but also removes toxins and further strengthen the gums and teeth and then, ultimately, concludes with a message that it is much more than gum protection was upheld too.

     

    Second in lead was the education category wherein CCC found 57 different advertisers in print violating the ASCI guidelines for advertising of educational institutions and hence the complaints were upheld.

     

    Eight complaints were upheld in the consumer durables category with brands like Godrej, Samsung, Microtek etc.

     

    In the telecom category, the advertisement of Tata Docomo Network showing a husband quietly eating a pizza at night when the Tata Docomo signature sound starts playing in the background. A voice over that starts ‘When you are enjoying your pizza, think of us because leading pizza chains use our network. So, are you on the network that is everywhere?’ The CCC viewed the TVC and concluded that the claim, ‘leading pizza delivery chains  use Tata Docomo network’, was not substantiated as the support was provided only for one chain i.e. Pizza Hut.   The advertisement contravened Chapter I.1 of the Code.  The complaint was upheld.

     

    Complaints against Bennett Coleman & Co. Ltd, CNBC Awaaz and Punjab Kesari were upheld in the media category.  

     

    Other categories against which complaints were upheld were auto, food and beverage and many other.

     

    ASCI, through the National Advertising Monitoring Service (NAMS), has already started post tracking of advertisements in print and TV against which complaints are upheld.  Initial tracking results show overall there is 90 per cent compliance from advertisers on ASCI’s decisions.

  • Log on to the MJ Show on IMN to know your musicians better

    Log on to the MJ Show on IMN to know your musicians better

    MUMBAI: PING Network has launched MJ Show with radio jockey (RJ) Mihir Joshi, on its YouTube channel-India Music Network (IMN). The show which features trend setting musicians giving a sneak peek into their musical journey, also entertains audiences with candid chats focusing on life beyond work.

    The show features the RJ discussing work, dreams, inspirations and opinions with various artists from indie and Bollywood music industry. What is unique is that it allows viewers to check out an array of International and Indian songs that the artists talk about. The first few episodes featured well known artists like Ehsaan Noorani, Kavita Seth and Shamali Kholgade discussing favorites, life apart from music, first break and much more.

    PING Network founder and CEO Prashanto Das said, “The MJ Show combines the chattiness of radio with visual appeal, allowing the viewer to take a peek into to the star’s veiled life. It caters to global audiences. The beauty of the show being everybody gets to see it at the same time.”

    Commenting on the format of the show Joshi commented, “Prashanto and I felt that there was a need for a fun talk show with some of the best musicians in the country and with the entire digital revolution YouTube is a perfect platform for us to promote it. I think the fact that viewers get a chance to know their favourite musicians in a different light and their own independent original music is what sets the show apart.”

  • I&B Ministry asks TRAI and PCI to accelerate views on the proposed FDI limits

    I&B Ministry asks TRAI and PCI to accelerate views on the proposed FDI limits

    NEW DELHI: In the light of the current scenario of demands for growth in the media sector escalating, Information and Broadcasting Ministry has asked the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India to speed up its comments on the reference made earlier regarding foreign investment limits in the broadcasting sector.

    In its communication to TRAI, the Ministry has sought comments regarding the paper prepared by the Finance Ministry relating to revision in existing FDI caps in the broadcasting sector. The paper had been forwarded to TRAI seeking its recommendations under Section 11(1)(a)(ii) and (iv) of the TRAI Act, 1997, which pertains to the terms and conditions of license to a service provider and measures to facilitate competition and promote efficiency in the operation of telecommunication services to facilitate growth in such services.

    In a similar separate communication, the ministry has requested the Press Council of India (PCI) to further its advice on the existing sectoral caps of FDI in print media under Section 13 of PCI Act 1978. The advice has been sought in view of the communication received from the Finance Ministry which aims to review policy of sectoral caps of FDI in print media. Section 13 authorises PCI to express its opinion in regard to any matter referred to it by the Central Government.

    The paper proposes to raise the existing FDI cap of 26 per cent which is through FIPB route to 49 per cent through automatic route in the news sector. In the non-news sector, the existing FDI cap is 100 per cent through FIPB route which has been proposed to be 100 per cent through automatic route without the requirement of FIPB’s approval.

    In a consultation paper issued in July following the ministry’s note of the same month, TRAI had reiterated its earlier proposal for increasing the foreign direct investment for FM Radio to 49 per cent, and said the FDI for teleports, DTH, HITS, mobile and cable television networks must be raised to 100 per cent.

    TRAI also conceded a long-standing demand of news and current affairs television channels by recommending that they should be permitted 49 per cent FDI.

    However, TRAI had said that in the cases of both FM Radio and news channels where the existing limit is 26 per cent, the clearance would be through the Foreign Investments Promotion Board.

    In the case of teleports, DTH, HITS, mobile and cable television networks where the limit was 74 per cent, TRAI said that it can be raised to 100 per cent of which 49 per cent would be automatic and the rest would be through FIPB.

    No change had been recommended in the case of downlinking of TV Channels and uplinking of general entertainment (non-news) channels where the upper limit is 100 per cent through FIPB.
    TRAI had earlier given recommendations on the same subject in April 2008 and again on 30 June last year following ministerial references, on the basis of which changes had been carried out. The last such change was on 20 September 2012.

  • Colors goes FTA in the UK; gears up for battle

    Colors goes FTA in the UK; gears up for battle

    MUMBAI: The battle to capture the eyeballs of the UK-based Indian TV channel viewer is about to get fiercer. The Viacom18 group’s flagship brand Colors has announced that it is going free to air in the UK from 2 September. Following this, all of Sky Digital and Virgin Media’s cable TV viewers will be able to receive the channel as a free service.

     

    Says Colors CEO Raj Nayak: “We are elated to offer two of our leading brands, Colors and Rishtey, to our viewers in the UK. With this move, we will be reaching out to a much wider audience base giving them an enriching viewing experience of our top class fiction and non-fiction programming”.

     

    Colors became a part of Multiscreen Media’s ViewAsia bouquet (available on Sky as an Asian pack for pound sterling 17.99) in 2010 and was a pay channel there. Over the past year, ViewAsia tenants such as Sab TV, Sahara one and Aaj Tak opted to go free, leaving Colors to give company to Sony Max, B4U Movies, Sony TV Asia and ARY digital on ViewAsia. Now Colors too has headed for the exit, leaving question marks over ViewAsia’s pricing structure.

     

    Points out IndiaCast group CEO Anuj Gandhi: “The UK continues to be one of our most important markets – where in the past we have challenged the status quo with the launch and success of Rishtey and now with Colors going free to air, we are making our next big move towards leadership.”

     

    Over the past three years, the Network18 group and Viacom18 have launched Colors, Rishtey and News 18 – the first international news channel covering India- in the UK with the Viacom-Network18 joint venture Indiacast. The network says, Colors is available in close to 75 countries and its content is distributed in over 100 countries.

     

    ” Over the last 12 months, we have had phenomenal success with Rishtey that has made us the strongest challenger in the market. With Colors going free to air, we will neutralize the undue distribution advantage that some of the other south Asian channels have enjoyed in the market, making it a level playing field and we are confident of being the leading south Asian network in the UK in the near future,” says Indiacast COO Gaurav Gandhi.

     

    Adds IndiaCast UK’s business head Govind Shahi: “As a growing network, we are thrilled to independently deliver a broader spectrum of high quality entertainment to the consumer – with path breaking dramas, round-the-clock news, movie premieres and all-time favourite international formats like Bigg Boss, India’s Got Talent and Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa. Now with our channels reaching DTH homes in the UK, we are going to be the most potent and effective platform for the advertisers targeting South Asian homes.”

     

    Once it goes free to air, Colors will become a BARB rated channel in the UK. The latest BARB ratings for the week ended 11 August, show Star Plus is the leader in the UK market with 1.16 million viewers, UMP Movies is second with 994,000 viewers, Rishtey, third with 888,000 viewers, Zing – a part of the Zee Network – is at fourth with its best ever ratings of 621,000 viewers. At fifth place is Star Gold with 580,000 viewers. Sony SAB TV follows with 573,000 viewers. At seventh spot is Star Life Ok with 440,000 viewers.

     

    Cumulatively, the Star Network channels account for 2 plus million viewers in the UK – a stranglehold that the Netowrk18 group will be hard-pressed to try and break. But knowing the IndiaCast, Network18 and Viacom18, teams, well, they love a good joust. Get ready for a good fight!

  • Duty Free import of flat screen TVs by air travellers banned

    Duty Free import of flat screen TVs by air travellers banned

    NEW DELHI: The government has banned duty-free import of flat screen television by air travelers in a bid to prop up the rupee, which has plummeted to an all time low (63.73) against the US dollar.

     

    The government, according to a notification, has decided to “disallow import of flat panel (LCD/LED/Plasma) television as part of free baggage allowance” with effect from 26 August.

     

    Air travelers currently can bring a flat screen television for personal use without paying any duty.