ITV

Tag: Authority

  • India Ahead Dialogues to set accountability for Chennai floods

    India Ahead Dialogues to set accountability for Chennai floods

    Mumbai: In its continuing focus on the southern states, India Ahead will carry Live, a two-hour interaction between citizens of Chennai and the top bureaucracy of the state to find solutions to the annual problem facing the city – flooding.

    The show will broadcast Live at 3 p.m on 23 December on India Ahead’s TV and digital platforms, therefore, giving citizens a chance to directly ask questions from the bureaucrats who formulate policies and carry out disaster management activities.

    The event will host two additional chief secretaries who have extensive hands-on experience in handling floods and the aftermath namely Atulya Misra IAS, and Vikram Kapur IAS, representing the government of Tamil Nadu.

    Joining them will be NK Sudheendra of the City of 100 Tanks project, eminent environmental scientist Dr Jayshree Vencatesan and Vanessa Peter, who works with coastal communities, among other prominent guests.

    “This is an endeavour of our rapidly growing Tamil digital platform, which aims to be the non-partisan voice in a cluttered and polarised Tamil media environment,” India Ahead editor-in-chief Bhupendra Chaubey said. “India Ahead is the voice of the states, especially those of the south of the country, to bring back sanity and real news back in the media.”

    India Ahead is a national news channel with a country-wide footprint in both broadcast and digital media, is the preferred choice for discerning viewers. India Ahead has been envisioned as a news platform with a focus on ground reports and perspectives while staying away from theatrics and punditry. The channel is available on both TV (English news) and digital (English, Hindi, and Tamil news).

  • DTH subscriber growth retards in Q1-16 as per TRAI data

    DTH subscriber growth retards in Q1-16 as per TRAI data

    BENGALURU: We at www.indiantelevision.com had noted and said thatContrary to expectations that the sunset date of 31 December 31, 2015 (Q3-16 in financial terms in India) would rake in good numbers for the DTH industry for Q4-16 the subscriber base growth just did not happen.At that time, results declared by three of India’s seven DTH players whose results are available un public domain did notshow much of a change.Further, at that time, though Airtel Digital TV and Videocon d2h had both shown a small spike in subscriber additions between Q2-2016 and Q3-2016, overall taking the combined addition in subscription numbers by all the three, the change was just 3.59per cent. In the case of the third player-Dish TV, it witnessed the lowest growth over a five quarter period starting Q3-2015 until Q3-16 at 2.19 per cent.

    Results for Q4-16 (quarter ended 31 March 2016) showed a reversal of sorts in that trend. Dish TV announced that it had added 5 lakh subscribers – the highest additions in fiscal 2016. Airtel DTH and Videocon d2h added 6.19 lakh and 5.9 lakh subscribers respectively and each reported approximately 11 percent quarter-over-quarter (q-o-q) growth in operating profits in that quarter.It may be noted that TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority Regulatorreports for Q3-16 (quarter ended 31 December 2015) of the net active subscriber base included temporarily suspended subscribers that have been inactive for not more than 120 days – hence reflecting a huge 36 percent growth in active subscribers for that quarter.

    Besides Airtel DTH, Dish TV and Videocon d2h, there are three other private DTH players in India – Reliance, Sun Direct and Tata Sky, and the government’s FreeDish. Airtel DTH, Dish TV and Videocon d2h (the three players in this report) represent about 65 percent of the private DTH active subscriber universe in India. Please refer to Fig A below:

    public://image1.jpg

    FreeDish DTH service – the largest DTH player by far in terms of subscribers with an estimated 15 million or 1.5 crore subscribers in 2015 as per the KPMG-FICCI Indian Media and Entertainment Industry Report 2016 (KPMG-FICCI M&E Report 2016) titled The Future: Now streaming. It must however be noted that an exact number for registered or active subscribers is not available since this is a free DTH service. The proposed merger of Videocon d2h with Dish TV will create the largest private television carriage player in India and the second largest in the world, be it cable, internet television or DTH or any other.

    As per numbers released by TRAI for Q4-16 and the quarter ended 30 June 2016 (Q1-17), the growth of registered and active DTH subscribers has reduced from 4.5 percent and 4.6 percent in Q4-16 to 3.3 percent and 3.4 percent respectively in Q1-17. Overall, DTH active subscribers grew by 19.7 lakh or 8.06 percent q-o-q in Q1-17 to 605 lakh active subscribers (66 percent of registered subscribers) from 585.3 lakh (also 66 percent of registered subscribers) in Q4-16. The three players in this report contributed a combined 12.95 lakh or 65.74 percent in subscriber growth. Registered subscriber numbers were 915.3 lakh and 886.4 lakh in Q1-17 and Q4-16 respectively. In Q3-16, registered subscribers were 848 lakh.

    In Q1-17, 4.65 lakh (3.97 percent growth), 4 lakh (2.76 percent growth) and 4.3 lakh (3.6 percent growth) were added q-o-q by Airtel DTH, Dish TV and Videocon d2h respectively.

    Among the three, Airtel DTH added more net subscribers in absolute numbers in FY-16 than in FY-15, Dish TV added approximately the same number of net subscribers in both FY-15 and FY-16, while Videocon d2h saw slightly lower absolute net subscribers increment in FY-16 as compared to FY-15. Airtel DTH added 55.6 percent more subscribers in FY-16 – 16.52 lakh to reach net subscriber base of 117.52 lakh as compared to 10.62 lakh in FY-15; Dish TV added 15 lakh subscribers in FY-16 as well as in the previous year; Dish TV’s subscriber base was 145 lakh in FY-16; Videocon d2h added 16.8 lakh subscribers in FY-16 to reach a subscriber base of 118.6 lakh as compared to 17.4 lakh subscriber additions in FY-15. The above numbers are based on the financial results/investor presentations reported by the three DTH entities.

    Please refer to Fig B below.

    public://image2.jpg

    ARPU has been steadily increasing in the case of Airtel DTH and Videocon d2h, while it has was constant in the case of Dish TV at Rs 174 in Q4-16 as well as Q1-17. In Q2-17, however, Dish TV’s ARPU has dipped q-o-q by a huge Rs 12 to Rs 162.

    For the first time in Q1-17, despite having the largest subscriber base amongst the top three, Dish TV’s revenues have been the lowest. In Q2-17, Airtel DTH reported the highest revenue amongst the three followed by Dish TV, with Videocon d2h’s revenue lower by just a few crore rupees. This could be mainly because Dish TV is more of a value player, whilst the other two are premium players.  It may be noted Videocon d2h’s ARPU in Q2-17 has also dipped q-o-q by Rs 10 to Rs 209. Please refer to Fig C below for revenue and ARPU trends (Revenue numbers have been rounded off to the nearest Rs crore, ARPU numbers are in Indian Rupees, Rs)

    public://IMAGE3.jpg

    Let us see how the three have performed in Q1-17

    Airtel DTH

    Revenue from Airtel’s DTH segment in Q1-17 increased 22.2 per cent to Rs 836.9 crore as compared to Rs 684.8 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous year. Airtel’s DTH segment reported EBIT (Earnings before interest and tax) of Rs 121.9 crore (14.6 per cent operating margin) in Q1-17 as compared to EBIT of Rs 41.5 crore (6.1 percent operating margin) in Q1-16.

    Airtel DTH added 4.24 lakh net subscribers in Q1-17 to bring its subscriber base to 121.9 lakh from 117.25 lakh in the previous quarter. Average revenue per user (ARPU) increased to Rs 233 from Rs 229 in the immediate trailing quarter. Airtel DTH reported a monthly subscriber churn of 0.8 percent in Q1-17, same as the churn in Q1-16 and Q4-16.

    Dish TV

    Dish TV reported 6.7 percent higher y-o-y subscription revenue of Rs 728.2 crore for Q1-17, as compared to Rs 682.8 crore. Operating revenue in Q1-17 increased 5.7 percent y-o-y to Rs 778.6 crore from Rs 736.7 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous year.

    Dish TV says that:
    (1.1) For Q1-17, subscription revenue, on a like-to-like basis, was Rs 766.9 crore, a growth of 12.3 percent y-o-y.
    (1.2) For Q1-17 operating revenue, on a like-to-like basis, was Rs 817.2 crore, a growth of 10.9 percent y-o-y.

    Dish TV reported PAT of Rs. 40.9 crore in Q1-17, down 24.5 percent as compared to Rs 54.2 crore in Q1-16.

    EBIDTA in the Q1-17 increased 12.2 percent to Rs 264.6 crore from Rs 235.7 crore in Q1-16.

    The company reported addition of 4.02 lakh net subscribers for Q1-17. It closed the quarter with 149 lakh subscribers. Average revenue per user (ARPU) for Q1-17 remained the same year-over-year (y-o-y) and quarter-over-quarter (q-o-q) at Rs 174.

    Videocon d2h

    Videocon d2h is the second listed Indian DTH player to report a profit after tax (PAT), after the Essel group’s Dish TV that turned the numbers black last year. Videocon d2h reported PAT of Rs 2.7 crore for Q1-17. For the corresponding year ago quarter (Q1-17), the company had reported a loss of Rs 24.4 crore and for the immediate trailing quarter (Q4-16) reported loss was Rs 21.2 crore.

    Videocon d2h subscription and activation revenue in Q1-17 increased 23.9 percent y-o-y to Rs 752.3 crore from Rs 607.3 crore and increased 6.6 percent q-o-q from Rs 705.6 crore.

    The DTH major also reported 15.5 percent year-over-year (y-o-y) growth in net subscriber number growth at 122.9 lakh for Q1-17 as compared to 106.4 lakh and a 3.6 percent quarter-over-quarter (q-o-q) growth from118.6 lakh. Average revenue per user (ARPU) in Q1-17 increased to Rs 219 from Rs 205 in Q1-16 and from Rs 214 in the immediate trailing quarter.

    Subscriber monthly churn in the current quarter was 0.49 percent; in Q1-16 it was slightly lower at 0.46 percent, while in the immediate trailing quarter it was much higher at 0.58 percent.

    Comments

    There is not much of a change in the comments and conclusions drawn by us for FY-16 numbers. Overall, the pay DTH industry is turning profitable as is obvious from the results.

    DAS III and IV were/are sunshine periods for the television carriage industry. Activation revenues have been adding to the top lines and bottom lines of most of the players. Have they been able to optimise the opportunity that DAS has offered? Not fully! At present the focus of a majority of the players is more investor oriented, not viewer oriented. This has to change. DTH has the potential to grow even more than the predictions of the industry pundits, provided they get their act together in coming out with packaging – as has Dish TV to a limited extent. India is a price sensitive market, offer the viewers what they want at a reasonable price and the sheer volumes will bring in more and more moolah.And what happens to profits once the activation fee component goes down?

     

  • DTH subscriber growth retards in Q1-16 as per TRAI data

    DTH subscriber growth retards in Q1-16 as per TRAI data

    BENGALURU: We at www.indiantelevision.com had noted and said thatContrary to expectations that the sunset date of 31 December 31, 2015 (Q3-16 in financial terms in India) would rake in good numbers for the DTH industry for Q4-16 the subscriber base growth just did not happen.At that time, results declared by three of India’s seven DTH players whose results are available un public domain did notshow much of a change.Further, at that time, though Airtel Digital TV and Videocon d2h had both shown a small spike in subscriber additions between Q2-2016 and Q3-2016, overall taking the combined addition in subscription numbers by all the three, the change was just 3.59per cent. In the case of the third player-Dish TV, it witnessed the lowest growth over a five quarter period starting Q3-2015 until Q3-16 at 2.19 per cent.

    Results for Q4-16 (quarter ended 31 March 2016) showed a reversal of sorts in that trend. Dish TV announced that it had added 5 lakh subscribers – the highest additions in fiscal 2016. Airtel DTH and Videocon d2h added 6.19 lakh and 5.9 lakh subscribers respectively and each reported approximately 11 percent quarter-over-quarter (q-o-q) growth in operating profits in that quarter.It may be noted that TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority Regulatorreports for Q3-16 (quarter ended 31 December 2015) of the net active subscriber base included temporarily suspended subscribers that have been inactive for not more than 120 days – hence reflecting a huge 36 percent growth in active subscribers for that quarter.

    Besides Airtel DTH, Dish TV and Videocon d2h, there are three other private DTH players in India – Reliance, Sun Direct and Tata Sky, and the government’s FreeDish. Airtel DTH, Dish TV and Videocon d2h (the three players in this report) represent about 65 percent of the private DTH active subscriber universe in India. Please refer to Fig A below:

    public://image1.jpg

    FreeDish DTH service – the largest DTH player by far in terms of subscribers with an estimated 15 million or 1.5 crore subscribers in 2015 as per the KPMG-FICCI Indian Media and Entertainment Industry Report 2016 (KPMG-FICCI M&E Report 2016) titled The Future: Now streaming. It must however be noted that an exact number for registered or active subscribers is not available since this is a free DTH service. The proposed merger of Videocon d2h with Dish TV will create the largest private television carriage player in India and the second largest in the world, be it cable, internet television or DTH or any other.

    As per numbers released by TRAI for Q4-16 and the quarter ended 30 June 2016 (Q1-17), the growth of registered and active DTH subscribers has reduced from 4.5 percent and 4.6 percent in Q4-16 to 3.3 percent and 3.4 percent respectively in Q1-17. Overall, DTH active subscribers grew by 19.7 lakh or 8.06 percent q-o-q in Q1-17 to 605 lakh active subscribers (66 percent of registered subscribers) from 585.3 lakh (also 66 percent of registered subscribers) in Q4-16. The three players in this report contributed a combined 12.95 lakh or 65.74 percent in subscriber growth. Registered subscriber numbers were 915.3 lakh and 886.4 lakh in Q1-17 and Q4-16 respectively. In Q3-16, registered subscribers were 848 lakh.

    In Q1-17, 4.65 lakh (3.97 percent growth), 4 lakh (2.76 percent growth) and 4.3 lakh (3.6 percent growth) were added q-o-q by Airtel DTH, Dish TV and Videocon d2h respectively.

    Among the three, Airtel DTH added more net subscribers in absolute numbers in FY-16 than in FY-15, Dish TV added approximately the same number of net subscribers in both FY-15 and FY-16, while Videocon d2h saw slightly lower absolute net subscribers increment in FY-16 as compared to FY-15. Airtel DTH added 55.6 percent more subscribers in FY-16 – 16.52 lakh to reach net subscriber base of 117.52 lakh as compared to 10.62 lakh in FY-15; Dish TV added 15 lakh subscribers in FY-16 as well as in the previous year; Dish TV’s subscriber base was 145 lakh in FY-16; Videocon d2h added 16.8 lakh subscribers in FY-16 to reach a subscriber base of 118.6 lakh as compared to 17.4 lakh subscriber additions in FY-15. The above numbers are based on the financial results/investor presentations reported by the three DTH entities.

    Please refer to Fig B below.

    public://image2.jpg

    ARPU has been steadily increasing in the case of Airtel DTH and Videocon d2h, while it has was constant in the case of Dish TV at Rs 174 in Q4-16 as well as Q1-17. In Q2-17, however, Dish TV’s ARPU has dipped q-o-q by a huge Rs 12 to Rs 162.

    For the first time in Q1-17, despite having the largest subscriber base amongst the top three, Dish TV’s revenues have been the lowest. In Q2-17, Airtel DTH reported the highest revenue amongst the three followed by Dish TV, with Videocon d2h’s revenue lower by just a few crore rupees. This could be mainly because Dish TV is more of a value player, whilst the other two are premium players.  It may be noted Videocon d2h’s ARPU in Q2-17 has also dipped q-o-q by Rs 10 to Rs 209. Please refer to Fig C below for revenue and ARPU trends (Revenue numbers have been rounded off to the nearest Rs crore, ARPU numbers are in Indian Rupees, Rs)

    public://IMAGE3.jpg

    Let us see how the three have performed in Q1-17

    Airtel DTH

    Revenue from Airtel’s DTH segment in Q1-17 increased 22.2 per cent to Rs 836.9 crore as compared to Rs 684.8 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous year. Airtel’s DTH segment reported EBIT (Earnings before interest and tax) of Rs 121.9 crore (14.6 per cent operating margin) in Q1-17 as compared to EBIT of Rs 41.5 crore (6.1 percent operating margin) in Q1-16.

    Airtel DTH added 4.24 lakh net subscribers in Q1-17 to bring its subscriber base to 121.9 lakh from 117.25 lakh in the previous quarter. Average revenue per user (ARPU) increased to Rs 233 from Rs 229 in the immediate trailing quarter. Airtel DTH reported a monthly subscriber churn of 0.8 percent in Q1-17, same as the churn in Q1-16 and Q4-16.

    Dish TV

    Dish TV reported 6.7 percent higher y-o-y subscription revenue of Rs 728.2 crore for Q1-17, as compared to Rs 682.8 crore. Operating revenue in Q1-17 increased 5.7 percent y-o-y to Rs 778.6 crore from Rs 736.7 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous year.

    Dish TV says that:
    (1.1) For Q1-17, subscription revenue, on a like-to-like basis, was Rs 766.9 crore, a growth of 12.3 percent y-o-y.
    (1.2) For Q1-17 operating revenue, on a like-to-like basis, was Rs 817.2 crore, a growth of 10.9 percent y-o-y.

    Dish TV reported PAT of Rs. 40.9 crore in Q1-17, down 24.5 percent as compared to Rs 54.2 crore in Q1-16.

    EBIDTA in the Q1-17 increased 12.2 percent to Rs 264.6 crore from Rs 235.7 crore in Q1-16.

    The company reported addition of 4.02 lakh net subscribers for Q1-17. It closed the quarter with 149 lakh subscribers. Average revenue per user (ARPU) for Q1-17 remained the same year-over-year (y-o-y) and quarter-over-quarter (q-o-q) at Rs 174.

    Videocon d2h

    Videocon d2h is the second listed Indian DTH player to report a profit after tax (PAT), after the Essel group’s Dish TV that turned the numbers black last year. Videocon d2h reported PAT of Rs 2.7 crore for Q1-17. For the corresponding year ago quarter (Q1-17), the company had reported a loss of Rs 24.4 crore and for the immediate trailing quarter (Q4-16) reported loss was Rs 21.2 crore.

    Videocon d2h subscription and activation revenue in Q1-17 increased 23.9 percent y-o-y to Rs 752.3 crore from Rs 607.3 crore and increased 6.6 percent q-o-q from Rs 705.6 crore.

    The DTH major also reported 15.5 percent year-over-year (y-o-y) growth in net subscriber number growth at 122.9 lakh for Q1-17 as compared to 106.4 lakh and a 3.6 percent quarter-over-quarter (q-o-q) growth from118.6 lakh. Average revenue per user (ARPU) in Q1-17 increased to Rs 219 from Rs 205 in Q1-16 and from Rs 214 in the immediate trailing quarter.

    Subscriber monthly churn in the current quarter was 0.49 percent; in Q1-16 it was slightly lower at 0.46 percent, while in the immediate trailing quarter it was much higher at 0.58 percent.

    Comments

    There is not much of a change in the comments and conclusions drawn by us for FY-16 numbers. Overall, the pay DTH industry is turning profitable as is obvious from the results.

    DAS III and IV were/are sunshine periods for the television carriage industry. Activation revenues have been adding to the top lines and bottom lines of most of the players. Have they been able to optimise the opportunity that DAS has offered? Not fully! At present the focus of a majority of the players is more investor oriented, not viewer oriented. This has to change. DTH has the potential to grow even more than the predictions of the industry pundits, provided they get their act together in coming out with packaging – as has Dish TV to a limited extent. India is a price sensitive market, offer the viewers what they want at a reasonable price and the sheer volumes will bring in more and more moolah.And what happens to profits once the activation fee component goes down?

     

  • DEN, Hathway and InCable get interim relief on ent tax

    DEN, Hathway and InCable get interim relief on ent tax

    MUMBAI: The big four  of Indian cable TV – DEN Networks, Hathway Cable and Datacom, InCable and Siti Cable – heaved a sigh of relief as 21 January ended. The reason: the Delhi High Court – which was hearing their appeal seeking to restrain the state government’s entertainment tax authorities from taking any coercive action against them for not paying entertainment tax – gave them relief, if at least for some time. The  HC passed an interim order, forbidding the tax folks  from taking any steps  against  three of the MSOs – Den, Hathway and InCable.

     

    The cases that were heard in one day saw the appeals of  DEN and Hathway being joined  together while InCable and Siti Cable presented its case separately.  With the order coming into effect, MSOs have been relieved of the duty of collecting entertainment tax from the LCOs and submitting it to the government till the judgment on the case is passed. The next hearing will be on 13 March.

     

    The respondent (the entertainment tax collection authorities) have been given four weeks to file its reply to the case. In the meanwhile, its hands are tied. However, what was not clear at the time of writing whether  the onus is back on the LCOs to pay the tax to the government.

     

    Although the MSOs are receiving the tax from LCOs, they claim they aren’t getting the full amount. Hence, the balance amount normally has to be coughed up by the MSO whether it is paid the same or not by the LCO. This is pretty unfair, they have stated.

     

    The  MSOs approached the Delhi HC as  the inexplicable  pressure was being thrust on them to cough up taxes.

  • TRAI issues regulations for reducing security deposit and registration fees of telemarketers

    TRAI issues regulations for reducing security deposit and registration fees of telemarketers

    EW DELHI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) today issued regulations to encourage telemarketers to register by reducing the registration fees and the security deposit with the service provider.

    The Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference (Fourteenth Amendment) Regulations, 2013 says some of the major entities like banks and insurance agencies have requested the Authority to reduce the registration fees and also the security deposit with the service providers to remove the entry barrier for small dealers/ agents.

    Some of the major banks and insurance agencies have submitted that there are small dealers/ agents, in their business model, who do not have the means to afford the initial security deposit of   Rs 1,00,000 with service providers for taking telecom resources. Since the banks and insurance companies are compulsorily mandating their dealers/agents for registration as a telemarketer with TRAI, they have requested for reduction in the registration fee and the initial security deposit so as to motivate and provide opportunity for these small agents/dealers to register with TRAI as a telemarketer. 

    The Authority considered the issue and issued the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference (Fourteenth Amendment) Regulations, 2013 to address these issues. The salient features of the 14th Amendment to the TCCCPR are:

    · The registration period is extended from three to five years.  The existing registered telemarketers can renew their registration by paying a renewal fee of Rs 5000. 

    · The Registration Fee is reduced from Rs 10,000 (Rs 1,000 Registration Fee + Rs 9,000 Customer Education Fee) to Rs 5,000, which will be a common Registration Fee, without any separate Customer Education Fee. 

    · This initial security deposit with the service provider is reduced Rs 1,00,000 to Rs 50,000.

    · The revised provisions of the regulations will come into effect after 30 days.

  • NBA submits content code to MIB, keeps redressal under own “Authority”

    NBA submits content code to MIB, keeps redressal under own “Authority”

    NEW DELHI: The News Broadcasters Association (NBA) today sent to the MIB a set of two documents, a Code of Ethics and Broadcasting Standards and a proposed redressal mechanism regulation, under which will be set up an Authority by NBA itself.

    The Disputes Redressal Authority will have an eminent jurist as the chairperson and six other members nominated by the NBA board by a majority decision, with three editors from broadcasters, and three other experts from various fields.

    The Authority would be set up under a proposed “News Broadcasting Standards (Disputes Redressal) Regulations.”

    The Authority keeps for itself the right to censure, warn, propose to the government punitive actions, including cancellation of licenses, or impose fines up to Rs 100,000 on any broadcaster, as it may deem fit by a majority decision, if a complaint is upheld by it.

    However, the Association has made one key exception in those falling under the Authority: in defining a “broadcaster”, it keeps out of the purview of the word any person or organisation who / which is not a member of the NBA, or a channel that runs news as a part of its overall programming and is not a 24 / 7 news channel.

    People can complain to the Authority, provided they put in Rs 1,000 as fee per complaint, and also stand a chance of being imposed a cost of Rs 10,000, in his favour or against him, the latter normally done by a judicial or quasi judicial body if a complaint is found to be of malafide intention.

    However, the Authority will be above any complaint, as an important clause under the proposed regulation says: “No suit or other legal proceeding shall lie against the Authority, the Chairperson or any Member/s thereof or any person acting under the direction of the Authority in respect of anything which is done or intended to done in good faith under these Regulations.”

    The basic Code of Ethics and Broadcasting Standards has more or less echoed the issues that the government’s Code, now lying with the Delhi High Court, has raised: no overt violence, no crime against women or children, nothing that fuels communal passions or hurts national security concerns, etc.

    However, there is nothing on one of the government’s key concerns: repeated use of short footage over and over again in the same news clip, which most news broadcasters feel is needed to capture eyeballs.

    Like the government’s code, the NBA code too stresses on accuracy, not speed, protection of privacy, equality (though like the government code it says it is impossible to give absolutely equal time to all parties) and other essential hallmarks of quality journalism.

    One the issue of accuracy, NBA strongly says: “Accuracy is at the heart of the news television business. Viewers of 24-hour news channels expect speed, but it is the responsibility of TV news channels to keep accuracy, and balance, as precedence over speed.”

    On the issue of stings, the NBA code says: “As a guiding principle, sting and under cover operations should be a last resort of news channels in an attempt to give the viewer comprehensive coverage of any news story.

    “News channels will not allow sex and sleaze as a means to carry out sting operations, the use of narcotics and psychotropic substances or any act of violence, intimidation, or discrimination as a justifiable means in the recording of any sting operation.”

    These issues are a part of the licensing rules of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, and these were really not the bone of contention between the NBA and the government.

    The real issue has been who will run the redrressal mechanism and control the media, on which issue the NBA says that it will be a self-regulatory system with a jury of peers, as is the case in most countries where television news journalism had matured much before it arrived in India.

    The NBA’s logic is clear, as it sets that out in the preamble: “A media that is meant to expose the lapses in government and in public life cannot obviously be regulated by government – it would lack credibility.”

    The NBA says: “There are undoubtedly limitations in any model of self governance in which compliance is entirely voluntary. However this does not suggest that such models are ineffective.”

    It adds: “A censure emanating from a jury of its peers would indisputably affect the credibility of a channel. Besides, such a process is not without its legal ramifications.”

    So far as the redressal mechanism is concerned, which was the hot debate, NBA says that the Authority will be set up through an electoral process from within itself, and the chairperson will be an eminent jurist.

    The six members with the chairperson would meet at least once in two months.

    The NBA’s proposed regulation says that written complaints would be heard and disposed off within six months.