ITV

Tag: Broadcast

  • NBF calls out BARC for ‘singling out’ news genre

    NBF calls out BARC for ‘singling out’ news genre

    NEW DELHI: The News Broadcasters Federation (NBF), India’s largest industry association  representing interests of news broadcasters from across the length and breadth of the country, has strongly objected to BARC’s decision to pause audience estimates (ratings) of news channels. It has stated that: 

    (1) BARC did not consult the NBF, before such a crucial decision, which impacts the entire news broadcasting industry, the single-largest genre within the television sector. BARC would not have taken any such crucial decision if it had involved any genre, without consulting GECs member channels.

    (2) BARC meters do not single-out the news genre in its audience measurement system. If BARC sincerely wants to review and augment its system, it should pause ratings for all genres including general entertainment channels (GEC), sports, Infotainment, movies, music, kids, youth and lifestyle.

    (3) Information has come out recently about a channel which has been found guilty of TRP manipulation and has been fined by the BARC disciplinary committee. NBF is shocked that a member of the same channel has been included on the board of BARC. It’s not just a conflict of interest and no reasonable decision-making process can happen with a person named in ratings manipulations. What has happened itself is shocking. Now the matter is in the public domain, this individual on the board of BARC should voluntarily remove the said executive from the his position for a period of at least one year.                 

    “The decision is unilateral, one-sided and undemocratic, impacting and targeting one single genre within the broadcasting ecosystem,” NBF general secretary R Jai Krishna said. “The decision will severely impact news broadcasters, who have seen a surge in ratings despite the challenges of a lower-than-expected economic growth that has impacted their revenues already. in addition to the financial impact created by the lockdown to prevent spread of Covid-19.”

    NBF counts Dighvijay, DY365 News, First India Rajasthan, Gulistan News, IBC24, India News, JK 24X7, Living India News, MH One News, News Live, News Nation, NewsX, North East Live, Odisha TV, Prag News, PuthiyaThalaimurai TV, Republic Bharat, Republic TV, S Newz, TV5, First News Kannada, India News Gujarat, India News MPCG, India News Rajasthan, India News UPUK, India News Punjab Himachal and Twenty Four News among its members.
     

  • WarnerMedia to cease transmission of HBO & WB in India from end 2020

    WarnerMedia to cease transmission of HBO & WB in India from end 2020

    MUMBAI: WarnerMedia International will be ceasing the HBO SD and HD linear movie channels in India and Pakistan, as well as the WB linear movie channel in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Maldives with effect from 15 December 2020.

    WarnerMedia International will continue to operate and invest more in the highly popular kids brands Cartoon Network and POGO in the south Asia region, including increasing local animation production in this region.

    “After 20 years of successes for the HBO linear movie channel in south Asia and more than a  decade with the WB linear movie channel, this was a difficult decision to make. The pay-TV industry landscape and the market dynamics have shifted dramatically, and the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the need for further change,” said WarnerMedia SVP and MD – south Asia Siddharth Jain.

    He added: “We would like to express our heartfelt appreciation to all our partners and fans who  have made HBO and WB household names. We also owe a debt of gratitude to all our employees  who have worked so passionately on these well-loved brands. WarnerMedia has a strong interest  in India and are committed to assessing optimal opportunities to serve valued customers here.”

    WarnerMedia will continue to have employees based in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore to manage its kids brands operations, sales and marketing as well as the distribution of CNN International.

  • Why Zee Bangla’s Samrat Ghosh is looking forward to Durga Puja

    Why Zee Bangla’s Samrat Ghosh is looking forward to Durga Puja

    MUMBAI: Zee Bangla and Zee Bangla Cinema cluster business head Samrat Ghosh is really looking forward to the next couple of months, like almost everyone in the industry. A large part of 2020 has been a bit of a washout for the channels that he runs, at least in terms of the topline. But with west Bengal gearing up for Durga Puja, he is hoping to get his charges back on track.

    “The sentiment is quite upbeat as viewership is definitely soaring and brand spends are beginning to pick up,” says he with an encouraging smile. “I am hopeful that during the festive season advertisers will start spending to encourage consumption. Apart from the usual categories which advertise, we will see lot of automobile, consumer durable brands also opening their wallets. The local retail brands are also reviving and have started advertising.”

    For west Bengal, Odisha, Assam, Tripura, Bihar and Jharkhand, Durga Puja is the time for denizens to do pooja in their homes, go on a spending spree buying new clothes, visit the pandals that pop up all over east India with kith and kin. Additionally it is also a time for gifting near and dear ones.

    Held over 10 days, it marks the victory of goddess Durga over the shape shifting asura, Mahishasura. Observers opine that Durga Puja has become a consumerist social carnival with brands going all out advertising as well as sponsoring local community events and pandals, as well spending big on television. A 2013 Assocham report estimated the Durga Puja festival pumps in close Rs 25,000 crore into the economy of the various states in which it is celebrated.

    Read more news on Zee Bangla

    Ghosh discloses that Bengali TV generate close to Rs 1,200 crore in ad spends annually; a large chunk of that comes during Durga Puja, especially for general entertainment channels (GECs).

    “If the advertiser wants to reach out to a consumer who is based out in Bengal, the local vernacular channels turn out to be much more effective in terms of reach,” he explains. “Hence, the GECs turn out to be reach builders in any of the media campaigns for the clients.”

    Thanks to the lockdown, the reach of GEC channels has further increased with male audiences also starting to spend more time in front of the television. Ghosh and team studied home bound viewers tastes and introduced content that kept them even more engaged with TV.

    “In the absence of original shows we came up with innovative content like comedy shows, and celebrity programs. We conducted various surveys to understand consumer sentiment and how their lives changed during pandemic. Later, we captured all those real-life stories and capsulated them in a show called Lockdown Diaries."

    However, with productions being allowed a couple of months ago, a fresh stream of content was churned out by production teams, who continue working in full swing with strict Covid2019 protocols in place, rolling out series that are keeping viewers glued to their TV sets.

    Pre-pandemic, he reveals, viewership was growing five to seven per cent in the state, whereas adex was swelling by 10-12 per cent. "I think it is a very healthy growth keeping in mind that many Bengali channels have been in existence for more than a decade," he states.

    Since the festivities are held with great pomp even in the neighbouring states of Bihar and Odisha, advertisers have been expressing keen their interest in reaching out to viewers in those markets too, he says.

    “What we have seen from the viewership perspective is that the spillover of Hindi in the states is not as high as it is Maharashtra,” adds Ghosh. Bengalis, according to him, love watching shows in their language and about their culture.

    The 14-day-long Pitru Paksh Shradh – a period when one pays obeisance to one’s dead relatives and ancestors – ended on 17 September with Mahalaya Amavasya. Unlike earlier years, when the gap between Mahalaya Amavasya and Maha Sasthi (the start of Durga puja) is hardly six days, this year the gap is about a month with the latter falling on 22 October. Bengalis are therefore really looking to celebrate Durga Puja, explains Ghosh. And the long gap has given brands a lot of time to prepare for the festival season, which could well be a good omen for him and the rest of the Bengali broadcasters.

  • News First stings on launch day, gets Karnataka assembly talking on second day

    News First stings on launch day, gets Karnataka assembly talking on second day

    News First, Karnataka’s much awaited Kannada News Channel, didn’t disappoint on launch day.

    The channel chose to live up to its tagline of Pratikshana Nimmondhege, Every Moment with You, with a sting operation that showed the
    rampant spread of drug usage amongst children and youth alike, in government and private schools.

    While most Kannada channels are going to town with an overdose of sandalwood linked drug stories, News First decided to go the societal benefit route.

    The hard hitting story showed the modus operandi of drug peddlers luring and addicting vulnerable children between class 5 and 12. 

    The opposition too saw reason and made sure it was a talking point in the monsoon session of the Karnataka assembly, which started a day after the channel’s launch.

    KPCC president DK Shivakumar applauded News First for starting off with a socially relevant story of dire importance. Senior Congress Leader Dr Parameshwar promised to make it a subject of discussion in the assembly.
    JDS Leader Basavaraj Horatti lived up to his on air promise of raking up the children drug abuse story in the assembly.

    Quoting News First, Horatti spoke at length about the story and need for the state government to act fast.

    The government took cognisance off the issue and promised to initiate work in the direction in two days. 

    News First seems to be making all the right noises from the word go.

    Trade too seems to be showing keen interest despite the trying times.
    For a news channel launched in a crowded market place, day 1 showed sufficient promise with a tidy line up of commercials. 

    The men behind the venture, Ravikumar and Maruthi – formers execs of TV9 Kannada, and their team have contributed to increased interest in the News First.

    Armed with an experienced team, sophisticated setup and quality focus, News First is keen to shake up the Kannada News TV market.

    By the looks of it, the channel’s campaign “The Team that built Karnataka’s No. 1 News Channel, takes fresh aim” appears to have hit target.

    Well begun, isn’t exactly a battle half won in this case.

    But everybody loves a good start, at the cost of a wake up call !

  • Star leads TV network sweepstakes

    Star leads TV network sweepstakes

    MUMBAI: Which is the ruling television network in India? Which of them has  raced ahead in the viewership stake post the opening up of the lockdowns? Which network’s content is resonating better with viewer cooped up in homes?

    Well, the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) has released data for four weeks from week 32 to week 35 for All India 2+ audiences to give us its take. And the winner, according to that is the Star network with a share of 22 per cent. Clearly, Uday Shankar, K. Madhavan, and team are doing something right.

    And very close behind it is the Zee network with its 21 per cent slice. Clearly, CEO Punit Goenka is living up to his commitment that he is going to put his best foot forward and help the network regain its leadership position.

     Network18, it looks, like has a lot of catching up to do with a 11 per cent piece.

    The Sun network, which was once ruling is at fourth position with its share of 11 per cent while Sony brings up the rear with a nine per cent piece.

    BARC has clarified that the Star network includes Star, Disney, Asianet, and NGC. Zee, Zee Media ancd Zee Akash have been considered as part of the  Zee network . Network18 includes Viacom18, AETN18, TV18, IBMN Lokmat.

  • Hindi GECs get back in business

    Hindi GECs get back in business

    MUMBAI: Ground zero of the entertainment industry, Mumbai, has been on standstill for over three months. Finally, the wheels have begun moving as production across film, TV and OTT have resumed. GECs, which had resorted to showing re-runs and movies during the lockdown, have begun reshooting their shows.

    &TV's Ek Mahanayak Dr BR Ambedkar and Santoshi Maa Sunaye Vrat Kathayein have also resumed shooting. Zee TV shows Kundali Bhagya and Kumkum Bhagya have restarted shoot with a limited crew. Star Plus popular daily soaps Ye Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, Kasauti Zindagii Ki, Yeh Rishte Hai Pyaar Ke and Ye Hai Chahatein have resumed shooting.

    Enterr10 Television Network’s Dangal TV has resumed shooting for Pyar Ki Luka Chuppi and Devi Adi Parashakti. The shooting is taking place at Naigaon and Umbergaon.

    Enterr10 Television Network head of marketing Arpit Machhar says, “While we are very excited about resuming shoots and enthusiasm levels are very high, we all have a responsible role to play. Safety and well being of all present on sets is extremely important. We are constantly communicating with our on-set production teams and have briefed and advised them on introducing additional necessary measures that might be required in addition to following the guidelines that have already been laid down. Our production teams are well equipped and will ensure that while the shoot has resumed, all guidelines and rules will be adhered to.”

    Dangal TV gained significant viewers and today, it is one of the most popular Hindi GECs. It emerged as the undisputed leader in the rural Hindi speaking market (HSM), while maintaining a decent hold in urban areas as well.

    Colors also started TV shoots for its show Shakti-Astitva Ke Ehsaas Ki, Choti Sarrdaarni and Barrister Babu in Palghar and Thane. Its tentpole show Khatron Ke Khiladi 10 also returns on the channel. New episodes have started airing from 27 June. KKK10 airs on Colors at 9 pm every Saturday and Sunday.  It aired the last episode on 29 March 2020, a few days after the nationwide lockdown was imposed.

    A source from Viacom18 told indiantelevision.com that though it aired some episodes in the first few days of the lockdown, upon realising that there is no fixed date when normalcy will return, the makers decided to halt the show. As all the episodes are pre-shot, the makers didn’t want it to get consumed before the last episode is ready. The final few episodes are likely to be shot by the end of July.

    KKK season 10 features contestants namely Karan Patel, Karishma Tanna, Shivin Narang, Dharmesh Yelande, Tejaswi Prakash, Adaa Khan, Balraj Syal while contestants who are evicted from the show are Amruta Khanvilkar, RJ Malishka and Rani Chatterjee.

    The channel announced the airing of new episodes with a video of contestant Dharmesh Yelande on social media.

    Last week Sony Pictures Network India (SPN) issued an official statement saying that the network has obtained all required government permissions to resume production.

    It read, “The network is working closely with its production partners to ensure shoots resume in a controlled environment with strict compliance to all necessary government rules, regulations and safety protocols. At SPN, health, hygiene and sanitisation are taken very seriously, and the network is doing all that it can to ensure the safety of its cast, crew and production partners. Other than cast and crew members, visitors will not be allowed on the sets.”  

    The network also informed that effective from July 2020 to December 2020, full payments of the cast and crew will be released within a 30-day time frame, unlike the usual 90-day period. The channel will also bear 100 per cent of the Covid2019 insurance cost for its cast and crew. It has also asked the producers working with Sony TV to strictly adhere to all government guidelines. 

    Barrister Bahu producer Shashi Mittal told news agency PTI, “All this is new to all of us. It is the new normal, but it is not normal. It was essential to make it a habit, so we trained our crew members for ten days before shooting began. There is a small team, so there is warmth. We will become more comfortable slowly. This is a difficult time, and everyone is being cautious.”

  • Gujarat High Court accepts plea against TRAI NTO 2.0 amendments

    Gujarat High Court accepts plea against TRAI NTO 2.0 amendments

    MUMBAI: The empire strikes back even as TRAI has been rubbishing news that NTO 2.0  is detrimental to the industry and will put the brakes on it. Despite repeated representations from different bodies, TRAI is sticking to its guns on imposing pricing regulations. Now the industry is fighting back.

    A spate of cases has been filled in different courts in a bid to turn TRAI and the government to its point of view. Earlier broadcasters have appealed at the Bombay and Madras High Courts and now they have filed a petition in the Gujarat High Court. Sources say that a few more petitions will be filed in different courts.

    The Gujarat High Court accepted a petition filed by broadcasters challenging the new tariff order for the broadcast sector by TRAI. Hearing the petition, Justice AY Kogje of the Ahmedabad bench of the Gujarat High Court issued notices to the Union of India and TRAI, asking them to file replies by 3 February, failing which the high court would grant interim relief to the petitioners.

    Petitioners named Somabhai Makwana, Nidhi Jani, Bharat Thakore, and Falguni Shah in their petition have stated that the tariff order issued by the regulatory body is beyond the powers under Section 11(2) of the TRAI Act and is conflicting with the provisions of Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995.

    On 1 January this year, TRAI had issued amendments to its tariff order for the broadcast sector, which received huge criticism from broadcasters and distribution operators alike.

    According to the petitioners, fixation of the network capacity fee (NCF) of Rs 130 per month per subscriber is not based on any intelligible material, and the criteria for determining the proposed amount lacks transparency.

    The case is ongoing in the Bombay High Court as well. In the previous hearing held on 14 January, the Bombay HC bench consisting of Justice SC Dharmadhikari and Justice RI Chagla had directed TRAI to file a reply in one week. They, in fact, had also refused to put a stay on the amendments pertaining to the new regulatory framework.

    Key amendments proposed by the broadcasters include the reduction of MRP cap to Rs 12, implementation of twin conditions on bouquet pricing, and other being the discount on channel bouquets to around 33 per cent.

    Earlier, Sun TV Network moved Madras High Court challenging the amendments to the new regulatory framework. The case  will be heard on 4 February. Hearing the matter, the division bench of Chief Justice Amreshwar Pratap Sahi and Justice Subramonium Prasad also issued notices to the Union of India and TRAI.

  • Gaana launches shows and podcasts in multiple languages

    Gaana launches shows and podcasts in multiple languages

    MUMBAI: India's largest music streaming app, Gaana has announced its first batch of the platform-exclusive line-up of podcasts and shows, including ‘Ummeed’ with Zakir Khan, ‘Confessions’ with Sunny Leone and ‘Life ki Ranneeti’ with Rannvijay Singha that will go live on Gaana in Nov-Dec’19. These are a part of the brand’s overarching vision to host the country’s widest and most diverse range of original audio content by the end of FY 2021. Unveils original shows with Zakir Khan, Sunny Leone & Rannvijay Singha among others. Set to produce and launch over 50 Shows & Podcast Originals  by the end of FY21

    Commissioned by Gaana, produced by the hosts & syndicated from networks, the shows & podcasts in multiple languages span categories like Comedy, Bollywood, Devotional, News, Kids, Motivational, Astrology, Business, Lifestyle &. Culture and Self Help among others. Gaana currently hosts over 3000 diverse shows & podcasts in multiple languages including ‘Cyrus Says’, ‘The Bhagavad Gita’, ‘Stories of Akbar Birbal’, KadhaiPodcast's PonniyinSelvan and ‘Paisa Vaisa’ among others.

    Gaana CEO Prashan Agarwal said, “Shows & Podcasts have the potential to be among the most popular mainstream non-music genres in our country owing to the diversity of our audience. At Gaana, we have been investing steadily in this space, and have now taken it up a notch with our Original Shows & Podcasts  that would engage our users with interesting content that will inform, entertain and enthral them in more ways than one.” 

  • ZMCL reports consolidated revenue of Rs 1,370.3 mn in Q2

    ZMCL reports consolidated revenue of Rs 1,370.3 mn in Q2

    MUMBAI: Zee Media Corporation Ltd (ZMCL) reported consolidated revenues of Rs 1,370.3 million for the second quarter of FY 20. The Network incurred an expenditure of Rs 1,000.1 million in the quarter and reported a consolidated net loss of Rs 1264.6 million for the second quarter ended September 30, 2019 on account of exceptional items.

    “During the quarter, the network expanded its footprint s into Southern India through the launch of Zee Hindustan in Tamil and Telugu languages. This is intended to make the network's content accessible to wider audience,” ZMCL said on a statement.

    Operating revenue of the network grew by 4.4 per cent to Rs. 3,376.9 million in the first half of FY20 from Rs. 3,233.5 million in the first half of FY19. However, it declined by 18.8 per cent to Rs 1,370.3 million in Q2FY20 from Rs 1,686.6 mn in Q2FY19 .

    Operating expenditure in Q2FY20 reduced by 21.7 per cent to Rs 1,000.1 million from Rs 1,277.9 million in Q2FY19, while reducing by 4.8 per cent to Rs 2,347.9 million in the first half of FY 20 from Rs 2,466 million in the first half of FY19.

    “EBITDA for HlFY20 improved by 34.1 per cent to Rs 1,029 million from Rs 767.5 million EBITDA for H1FY19, while the same declined by 9.4 per cent to Rs 370.2 million from Rs 408.7 million for the corresponding period last financial year. EBITDA Margin grew from 23.7 per cent in H1FY19 to 30.5 per cent in HlFY20, while growing from 24.2 per cent in Q2FY19 to 27 per cent in Q2FY20,” the company said in a statement.

  • Prasar Bharati board approves restructuring of Doordarshan to separate creative functions

    Prasar Bharati board approves restructuring of Doordarshan to separate creative functions

    MUMBAI: Prasar Bharati board has approved restructuring of Doordarshan to separate its creative functions into a dedicated vertical for handling content operations. The board has authorised the search and selection committee headed by Prasar Bharati chairman A Surya Prakash to select suitable professionals for the roles of chief content officer and channel heads on a contract basis.

    The board desired that suitable professionals may be identified with 15-20 years or more of experience in broadcasting with specialisation in news /culture /arts / entertainment/ Sports and other genres of relevance to public broadcasting having held leadership roles over the last five years, preferably at a large network with responsibility for one or more channels with a nationwide viewership footprint. The board also indicated that identified professionals must be tuned into the goals and responsibilities of the Public Broadcaster as mandated by parliament.

    While the chief content officer will be responsible for the content/ creative functions and operations across the Doordarshan network (National and regional channels) in line with the objectives of Prasar Bharati, the channel heads are expected to manage individual channels in line with the content and channel strategy. With this restructuring Prasar Bharati intends to induce professionalism into its content and creative functions in line with state of the art trends, production values and industry best practices.