ITV

Tag: Broadcast

  • Times Network launches Unilist.in to rank colleges with real-time insights

    Times Network launches Unilist.in to rank colleges with real-time insights

    MUMBAI: When it comes to picking the right college, guesswork is no longer an option. Times Network, India’s leading broadcast and digital powerhouse, has launched Unilist.in, a one-stop platform providing data-driven insights into higher education institutions across India. Designed for students, parents, and corporate recruiters, this platform aims to redefine academic decision-making with credible, real-time information.

    Going beyond conventional ranking systems, Unilist.in leverages a live survey mechanism with inputs from over 150 B-schools, offering dynamic rankings and comprehensive institutional analysis. The platform is backed by five years of accumulated data, tracking year-over-year growth, faculty performance, placement records, infrastructure, and student sentiment.

    “Our goal is to bridge the information gap in higher education by offering transparency, deep data analytics, and expert-backed insights,” said a Times Network spokesperson. “With Unilist.in, students can make informed academic choices, and recruiters can identify the best talent with confidence.”

    Adding a multimedia edge, Unilist.in also features exclusive content from Times Network, including podcasts, expert interviews, reels, and discussions with leading academicians and industry professionals. For students mapping out their academic futures and recruiters scouting top talent, Unilist.in is set to become the ultimate report card of higher education where insights, not assumptions, shape success.

  • FICCI, IBDF oppose TRAI’s proposed framework for broadcasting under Telecom Act

    FICCI, IBDF oppose TRAI’s proposed framework for broadcasting under Telecom Act

    MUMBAI: Imagine walking a tightrope without a safety net, knowing that a single misstep could send you plummeting.

    That’s exactly the precarious position the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) finds itself in after daring to blur the lines of its statutory jurisdiction. Like a rebellious teenager ignoring well-meant advice, TRAI’s bold move to propose a framework for regulating broadcasting services under the Telecommunications Act, 2023, has sparked a firestorm of backlash. Industry heavyweights, including the Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation (IBDF) and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), are up in arms, accusing TRAI of overstepping its authority by attempting to shoehorn content regulation into licensing conditions. The result? A Pandora’s box of controversy that could reshape the broadcasting landscape.

    IBDF and FICCI argue that content regulation should remain under dedicated legislation, overseen by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB), and not be conflated with telecommunications services. TRAI’s role, they assert, should focus solely on carriage-related aspects such as signal transmission and spectrum allocation.

    IBDF’s submission criticised TRAI’s proposal as an overreach. “The framework attempts to regulate content, which is beyond TRAI’s jurisdiction as defined by the TRAI Act, 1997,” IBDF stated. The association emphasised that Section 11(1)(a) of the TRAI Act limits TRAI to recommending licensing terms and conditions, not fundamentally altering the regulatory structure of broadcasting.

    Similarly, FICCI highlighted the historical context, noting that broadcasting was placed under telecommunication services in 2004 as a stopgap measure to regulate distribution services. “Broadcasting is a distinct sector, and equating it with telecommunications disrupts industry operations and consumer satisfaction,” FICCI stated.

    The News Broadcasters and Digital Association (NBDA) also opposed the move, cautioning that the framework could impose restrictive telecommunications-style authorisations on broadcasting. “TRAI should collaborate with MIB to develop a coherent strategy that avoids overregulation and supports self-regulation mechanisms for content,” NBDA recommended.

    Both IBDF and FICCI called on TRAI to focus on carriage issues and exclude content from the proposed framework. FICCI further suggested strengthening self-regulation for content and maintaining the sector’s distinct regulatory framework under the MIB.

    TRAI has concluded the consultation process and will announce the date for an open house discussion with stakeholders to finalise the framework.

  • Amagi acquires OTT recommendation & automation specialist Argoid AI

    Amagi acquires OTT recommendation & automation specialist Argoid AI

    MUMBAI: This is an Indian tech company which has been winning rave views in every market in which it operates. In fact, in most places it is  mistaken for an American firm. Now, Amagi – one of the top companies globally in  cloud-based SaaS technology for broadcast and connected TVs (CTVs) – is  gearing up to add some more  trophies to its already well-stacked award gallery. The company has acquired Argoid AI – a company specialising in recommendation engines and programming automation for OTT platforms.

    Amagi believes the acquisition strengthens its mission to empower media companies with intelligent content planning, distribution, and monetisation solutions.

    Argoid AI has as developed innovative AI products that enhance content recommendations and enable real-time programming decisions. Its solutions have been pivotal in increasing viewer engagement and optimising channel operations for customers in the streaming media space. By integrating Argoid AI’s advanced algorithms into Amagi’s existing platform, the  acquisition will significantly boost the functionality of Amagi’s product suite, Amagi Now and Cloudport’s offerings, enabling media companies to make faster, smarter, and personalised content scheduling decisions at scale.

    It will also allow Amagi to deepen its AI-powered content programming, metadata enrichment, and recommendation engine services, which are crucial for transforming to personalised streaming as part of the  FAST 2.0 innovation.

    Argoid's founders

    “Amagi has been investing in AI/ML over the last couple of years. We strongly believe in AI/ML’s pivotal role in transforming the media and entertainment industry, creating efficiencies, enhanced monetisation, and a superlative viewer experience,” said Amagi co-founder & CEO  Baskar Subramanian. “With this acquisition, Amagi will integrate Argoid’s AI components into its award-winning cloud solutions, significantly enhancing value for our customers. The combined tech expertise of both companies will address key challenges in the streaming industry, such as content discoverability, viewer retention, and intelligent programming.”  

    Argoid’s founders, Gokul Muralidharan, Soundararajan Velu, and Chackaravarthy E will join the Amagi team, contributing to the future roadmap and further integrating AI into Amagi’s offerings. The three founders have one commonality: they all worked at the Walmart-owned Flipkart in Bengaluru around the same time.

    “We are thrilled to join forces with Amagi, a true leader in media technology,” said Gokul Muralidharan. “This partnership allows us to scale our AI-driven solutions, delivering even greater customer value. Together, we will revolutionise how content is programmed and distributed in the digital era.”

    Amagi provides a complete suite of channel creation, distribution, and monetisation solutions. The company’s clients include some of the world’s biggest names, including Hearst Networks UK, ABS-CBN, Astro, Cox Media Group, DAZN, Globo, Lionsgate Studio, NBCUniversal, Tastemade, and VIZIO.
     

  • Zeel reappoints Punit Goenka as MD & CEO, eyes future growth

    Zeel reappoints Punit Goenka as MD & CEO, eyes future growth

    MUMBAI: Abraham Lincoln once said, ‘Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.’ Embracing this ethos, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (Zeel) reappointed Punit Goenka as MD & chief executive officer, reaffirming its commitment to leadership stability and growth. 

    With more than 25 years in the media industry, Goenka is set to lead the company for another five years, from 1 January 2025, to 31 December 2029, focusing on content quality and profitability. The board of directors’ approval on 18 October 2024, marks a strategic move to ensure continuity and enhance shareholder value.

    The announcement comes amidst Zeel’s ongoing transformation, with Goenka leading initiatives aimed at optimising operations and driving content excellence. Under his stewardship, the company achieved significant growth, expanding its footprint to over 1.3 billion viewers across 190+ countries. Zeel has become a diversified entertainment powerhouse, with strong positions in broadcasting, digital streaming, films, and music.

    “We are confident that Punit’s vision and leadership will continue to drive Zee forward,” stated a company spokesperson. “His ability to identify growth opportunities and strengthen Zee’s market presence has been instrumental in our success.”

    Goenka’s reappointment comes as ZeeL pursues a strategic growth plan focusing on frugality, optimisation, and content quality. In recent years, the company streamlined its operations into four main segments: broadcast, digital, movies, and music. By realigning its organisational structure, Goenka aims to boost productivity, promote cross-functional collaboration, and enhance profitability.

    His emphasis on efficiency extends to resource utilisation, with recent measures leading to a significant improvement in the company’s EBITDA margins. In the first half of FY25, Zeel, reported a year-over-year increase of 330 basis points in its EBITDA margin, highlighting the impact of effective cost management and strategic content investments.

    Goenka’s leadership has also guided the company through multiple industry accolades, including the broadcaster of the year award and recognition for treasury transformation initiatives. He has been a proactive figure in the entertainment ecosystem, contributing to regulatory and industry bodies such as the Indian Broadcasting & Digital Foundation (IBDF) and the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC).

    Looking ahead, Goenka plans to deepen Zeel’s content creation capabilities, focusing on delivering top-tier entertainment that resonates with diverse audiences. 

    “We are committed to creating stories that not only entertain but also drive positive societal change,” he said. Goenka’s strategy also includes furthering the company’s Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) efforts, which have recently centred on sustainable development and social impact projects.

    Zeel has made strides in mapping its ESG footprint, implementing programs for women empowerment, heritage preservation, and rural development. Under Goenka’s guidance, the company aims to reduce its environmental impact while enhancing governance practices through stakeholder collaboration.

     

  • OSU secures broadcast rights for India Ultimate Beach Nationals 2024-25

    OSU secures broadcast rights for India Ultimate Beach Nationals 2024-25

    Mumbai: The India Ultimate Beach Nationals 2024-25, an Ultimate Frisbee tournament organized by India Ultimate, will be broadcast live on Off-Season Ultimate’s (OSU) YouTube channel. OSU, founded by Rishabh Kishore, Tahir Siddiqui, and Maksood Chaudhary, has played a key role in growing the sport through leagues and tournaments nationwide. This partnership supports OSU’s mission to expand the reach of Ultimate Frisbee in India and beyond.

    The tournament, held from 18 to 20 October at Bessy Beach, Chennai, has 17 registered teams so far. OSU, as the exclusive broadcaster, will air every match, bringing the competition and excitement to fans.

    This event marks a key milestone in OSU’s broader initiative to expand the visibility and impact of Ultimate Frisbee across India.

    “We are thrilled to bring the India Ultimate Beach Nationals to a larger audience through our YouTube platform,” said Off-Season Ultimate co-founder Rishabh Kishore. “This tournament is a reflection of how far Ultimate Frisbee has come in India, and being able to broadcast it live is a proud moment for us. With Sportscast on board, we’re confident this event will be a milestone in promoting the sport across the country, creating a platform for players to shine at a national level and elevating its visibility like never before.”

    Ultimate Frisbee, or Ultimate, is a fast-paced sport combining elements of football, American football, and basketball, played with a flying disc. Known for its ‘Spirit of the Game’, players self-officiate, emphasizing integrity in competition. Teams score by catching the disc in the opponent’s end zone, relying on agility, strategy, and teamwork. As the sport gains popularity in India and worldwide, tournaments like the India Ultimate Beach Nationals showcase its talent and sportsmanship.

  • Media & entertainment sector struggles with vice-like grip of layoffs

    Media & entertainment sector struggles with vice-like grip of layoffs

    Mumbai: Two months into 2024, and the bloodletting in the corporate world continues. A large media and entertainment conglomerate – which failed in its strategic partnership – is believed to be lopping off more than 10 per cent of its work orce in India and overseas. It has already laid off around five to six per cent and more job losses are around the corner.

    Another large broadcaster – which is a leader in its genre – has issued pink slips to again about 10 per cent of its staff.

    An international news broadcaster that had a run-in with the Indian government has bid ta-ta to the heads of its distribution and ad sales team. Indian news channels too have stricken off the names on their attendance rosters, as they struggle to gain profitability.

    “More companies are likely to follow suit as advertisers realign their spends around live sport – especially cricket, both women’s and men’s,” says a media observer. “But all the major players in live sport seem to be finding it tough with advertisers squeezing them for extra inventory, resulting in yields per spot becoming much lower than last year.”

    With poaching becoming rampant between broadcasters, more often than not, departees are not being replaced, leaving positions vacant, asking those who stay to double up their jobs for those being asked to go.

    The national elections seem to be the only other saving grace for the limping media and entertainment sector – especially news channels.” It is going to be a bonanza,” said a news channel CEO. “But what about after elections, it’s back to the slowdown again?” he questions.

    Production houses too have seen the writing on the wall, and have trimmed their rosters. Pointed out a media analyst: “TV and OTT shows budgets have shrunk and those that don’t work are not getting renewals for another season or are being put to the sword. Production houses work with a lot of freelancers – on creative, production, etc – who are hired for projects. Only core creative and production teams are retained. However, some of them have taken proactive steps and have laid off even the core teams and are focusing on show development.”  

    What’s also dragging down the media and entertainment sector, is the impact that the US writers and actors strike has had on India’s earlier buzzing with activity VFX and animation space. The six month halt has  sent the Indian animation and VFX sector into a tumble with projects being delayed and work slowing down. Most studios – in India and overseas – have streamlined their operations, laying off close to 15,000 professionals over the past few months.

    “Jobs are tough to come by,” said the CEO of an international job-reliant studio. “We hope to see some green shoots later this year and more work come our way. Until then, it is belt-tightening time.”

    Observers say the sector has not seen the last of the headcount cutting. More bloodshed is on the way.

    On the other hand, the layoffs are spurring professionals to start up new ventures – either individually or by roping in like-minded talent to do so. Yes, venture capitalists and private equity firms are not freely disbursing investments to all and sundry in the start up but those that are getting financing are putting their heads to the plough to make their initiatives successful.

  • Gaurav Dhawan is Times Network’s new CRO

    Gaurav Dhawan is Times Network’s new CRO

    Mumbai : Times Network has promoted Gaurav Dhawan as its chief revenue officer. Gaurav will be in charge of the network’s broadcast ad revenue operations as well as the monetisation strategy for the network’s bouquet of channels covering Hindi and English news, entertainment, and branded content.

    Times Network managing director & CEO MK Anand said, “Given Gaurav’s successful background leading go-to-market teams and his relentless focus that drives sustained growth, the decision to move him into the Chief Revenue Officer role was clear. He’s already proven to be a strong leader and I’m confident he will continue to drive our strong revenue growth strategy.”

    Dhawan is a Times Network stalwart who has played a pivotal role in shaping the brand’s market leadership and has been passionately involved in scaling revenue and new opportunities throughout his tenure with the network.

    Talking about his new role, Dhawan said, “I’m excited and honoured to helm this mandate. I have been associated with Times Network for over 17 years and it is heartening to see the Network’s commendable growth over the years, demonstrating market dominance in its respective genres. This is an exciting phase as we continue to build new opportunities for our Hindi news brands and optimize emerging revenue streams and strategic partnerships to propel the network’s growth.”

    Gaurav has over 26 years of experience in the media and entertainment industry, and has a proven track record of driving businesses to profitability, impacting solutions, and innovating to deliver aggressive revenue expectations and sustained growth for businesses in television, print, and web.

  • MIB orders central ministries, state governments to exit broadcast business

    MIB orders central ministries, state governments to exit broadcast business

    Mumbai: The ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) has issued an advisory which asks any ministry/department of the central and state/UT governments and entities related to them to exit the broadcasting business by 31 December 2023.

    If the ministries of the central government, state/UT governments, and entities related to them are already broadcasting their content, it must be done through Prasar Bharati, through appropriate agreements between Prasar Bharati and the concerned central, state, and union governments. The advisory will affect the Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh state governments, which operate in the content distribution space.

    The advisory will mean the withdrawal of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh state governments from the content distribution space. The Tamil Nadu government owns and operates a cable distribution company called Arasu Cable TV  while the Andhra Pradesh government runs the AP Fibernet service, which has a triple-play offering of IPTV, internet, and telephony. The Tamil Nadu government also operates an educational channel ‘Kalvi Tholaikkatchi’.

    The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) had made recommendations on “issues relating to the entry of certain entities into broadcasting and distribution activities” dated 12 November 2008, 28 December 2012, and 22 January 2015. Its recommendations dated 28 December 2012 have been accepted by the MIB and the ministry of law and justice.

  • YuppTV bags broadcasting rights for T20 World Cup 2022

    YuppTV bags broadcasting rights for T20 World Cup 2022

    Mumbai: YuppTV, an over-the-top (OTT) South Asian content provider, has acquired the broadcast rights for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022, scheduled to take place between 16 October and 13 November.

    YuppTV has bagged the exclusive broadcast rights for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Australia 2022 for 75 countries, including Continental Europe, Malaysia (non-exclusive), Japan, China, Hong Kong (non-exclusive), Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives, and Southeast Asia (except Singapore). The tournament will be telecast live over YuppTV’s platform.

    The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 is the 8th edition of the tournament and will be held across seven venues in Australia between 16 October and 13 November. The tournament features 16 teams competing for the world title of T20 champions. A total of 45 matches are scheduled to be played in the tournament.

    YuppTV CEO & founder Uday Reddy said, “Cricket is one of the biggest sports in the entire world, with more than one billion fans situated in different corners of the globe. T20 began as an exciting format, and in recent years, has become one of the most watched and loved forms of the game.”

    He adds, “The exciting match-up between international teams, nation versus nation, for world dominance is guaranteed to be an enthralling experience for viewers, who will be gearing up from the comfort of their homes to watch the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 to support their favourite teams and take them to victory. It brings us immense pleasure to bring the tournament to millions of people across Asia and Europe, and we look forward to having users tune in to the match on our platform to catch all the action live!”

    Fans from across the world await the most anticipated fixture, India vs Pakistan, which will take place on Sunday, 23 October in MCG, Australia. The final match of the tournament is scheduled on 13 November where the winning team will claim the ultimate prize in T20 cricket.

  • Trai extends date for stakeholder’s comments on proposed amendments to the telecommunication services interconnection regulations, 2022

    Trai extends date for stakeholder’s comments on proposed amendments to the telecommunication services interconnection regulations, 2022

    Mumbai: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has extended the date for stakeholders’ comments and counter comments on the Draft Telecommunication (Broadcasting and Cable) Services Interconnection (Addressable Systems) (Fourth Amendment) Regulations 2022, released on 9 September.

    Last month Trai released a consultation paper on proposed changes to the interconnection regulation 2017. The regulator has amended the regulation to include digital rights management (DRM) system requirements

    Also read : TRAI invites stakeholder’s comments on proposed amendments to the interconnection regulation 2017

    The last date for receiving written comments from the stakeholders was fixed as 7 October 2022, and counter comments, if any, by 21 October 2022.

    In view of this, it has been decided to extend the last date for submission of written comments up to 4 November 2022. Counter comments, if any, may also be submitted by 18 November, 2022. No further requests for extensions will be considered.

    The consultation paper (CP) was prepared in response to the report submitted by the Trai committee formed to investigate DRM system issues. The Trai formed a committee in response to numerous comments and suggestions from stakeholders on DRM System issues.

    Trai has proposed that IPTV service providers use a closed network to retransmit linear channels to subscriber-owned set-top boxes (STBs). It was expressly stated that IPTV would not include any electronic delivery for receipt and viewing via the internet/OTT. It also stated that IPTV linear services should not be made available over the Internet or public networks.

    The regulator also stated that IPTV transmission must be done in multicast mode only, just like cable TV transmission, and that unicast mode is not permitted. STBs with recording capabilities must have a copy protection system in place, and recorded content cannot be transferred to another device.