MUMBAI: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has informed that the issue of pending applications for MSO registration is under consideration.
MIB informed that that the 50th Open House Meeting for the month of July 2019 was held on 22 July with the representatives of the MSO applicants. Representatives of the five MSO applicants participated in the meeting to ascertain the status of their application for grant of registration.
The list of the applicants present in the meeting:
MUMBAI: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has sought affidavits from both existing MSOs as well as fresh applicants that they are carrying all 24 DD channels, besides Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha TV channels, on their TV network.
The ministry has mentioned in the notice that in view of the contribution of Doordarshan towards dissemination of accurate information about policies and programmes of government, acceleration of socio-economic change, promotion of national integration and stimulation of scientific temper, it is mandated that all cable TV networks should carry DD channels.
The ministry has noticed that the mandate is not being followed by several cable operators in contravention of existing rules. The ministry has also asked to submit the affidavit within one month of the issue of notice.
Section 8 of The Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995 states that cable operators will have to compulsorily include Doordarshan channels notified by the central government in the Official Gazette. The MIB also listed DD Arunprabha as a mandatory DD channel recently.
MUMBAI: Public broadcaster Prasar Bharati is waking up from its slumber. With technology redesigning the media industry, the pubcaster has to quickly adapt to upgradations like ultra-high definition (UHD) along with focusing on over-the-top reach and tapping the huge digital base.
Several recommendations to boost DD were discussed in the first ever India International Broadcast Conclave 2019 held at Hyderabad in March under the aegis of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB). Experts across the media value chain shared their insights for further growth of DD and the industry.
One of the important recommendations was the participation of DD and AIR in international forums like MIPCOM and other international festivals. While PB has a huge repository of archival content, monetisation of this asset is the need of the hour. Along with helping in revenue augmentation, it would also ensure a wider reach of rich content to enthusiasts.
DD also needs to quickly adopt HD and UHD technologies for better picture quality. It has also been suggested that DD should prepare a roadmap for moving towards HD completely. On the other hand, DD needs to tap the huge digital base of consumers nationally as well as globally and take necessary steps for digitising of content and infrastructure. While all the traditional broadcasters are taking the over-the-top (OTT) road, DD can either create its own platform or collaborate with third parties in a revenue sharing agreement.
Technology is not only important for distribution but also needs to be implemented as a part of overall programming such as augmented reality and virtual reality (AR and VR) in order to innovate and present content tactically. The need to have a separate cell in DD for data analytics for better insights on content has been allowed.
“DD needs to adopt a professional outsourcing model for content development and acquisition in view of a large number of vacancies of production staff and ageing manpower. DD needs to revamp its tariff rates, put in place a robust sales and marketing teams and monetisation of content to stay ahead in the competition,” the report read.
To make the changes smoother, there should be a focus also on capacity-building initiatives. At the time of rapid changes, a well-designed skill upgradation programme is the need of the hour. Moreover, collaboration with private agencies to provide training on contemporary skills in areas covering the entire value chain has been suggested.
“Commercial activity of broadcast to be efficient to pay for the public service activity. Onus is to be self-sustaining so that it can sustain the organisation. DD Freedish is a good example of public service mandate and achieving commercial sustainability,” PB CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati highlighted in his ‘Master Class’.
MUMBAI: Of late, there have been several speculations on the impact of the TRAI tariff order on consumers including hike in monthly cable bill and migration to OTT platforms.
The research agency YouGov conducted a study to find its impact among 1,020 respondents. As per the study, 92 per cent are aware of the new TRAI tariff order while 76 per cent have already made alterations to their DTH subscription as per the new guidelines.
“In general, 3 in 5 (62 per cent) of North India residents look at the new TRAI framework favourably. On the other hand, a third of residents from South India (32 per cent) are not so optimistic about the new regulation and more than half (54 per cent) feel they may have to spend more on their subscription going forward,” the report says.
However, despite TRAI’s onstant claim that the new order will bring down cable bill, 54 per cent of those who have made modifications to their channel subscription said they pay more than what they paid earlier. On the other hand, 32 per cent feel they pay lesser than what they paid earlier. Only 14 per cent feel there has been no change as they pay the same amount as before.
Interestingly, 59 per cent of the customers who have already switched to new plans think this rule is going to be favourable for end customers like them. Even among those who haven’t yet upgraded their subscription, 58 per cent look at this change favourably.
The research also shows that 49 per cent of the respondents feel that the new regulatory framework will increase the amount of time they spend watching original content on OTT. In addition to that, two out of five people feel this move will increase the amount of time they spend online watching TV content.
“The countrywide implementation of the new regulation is bound to have an impact on viewership and advertisers need to revisit their media plans in accordance with the changing consumer behaviour. Although TV viewing may not change drastically, we see the likelihood of people moving online. Advertisers thus need to carefully align and study how they can reallocate their budgets,” YouGov India general manager Deepa Bhatia commented.
MUMBAI: With the new TRAI tariff order coming into force from 1 February, the consumption pattern of TV viewership is expected to vary significantly following the impact on the distribution value chain. Considering the challenges during this transition period, the Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA) executive council has advised its members against using the BARC viewership data for media planning, evaluation and buying perspective.
ISA is of the opinion that it would take a minimum of six weeks to assess the stability of the viewership numbers post the tariff order implementation. The national body of advertisers also believes that the impact will be significantly different in each region of the country given the varied distribution and broadcast landscape .
To drive home the point, the ISA has drawn a parallel to the implementation of GST that involved India moving to a new tax regime.
ISA is also of the view that variance in pre and post evaluations will be higher than the usual and will be highly unpredictable.
The advertisers’ body also reassured its members that it would work closely with BARC to ascertain the time period when data becomes stable and usable for planning and buying.
The ISA Executive Council and the ISA Core Media Committee have been in active engagement with BARC Board, Technical Committee and NTO task force over the past few months to arrive at the way forward during this transition period.
GOA: He’s known as the risk taker who has never been afraid to experiment. After thirty years in the media industry out of which a whopping 26 years have been dedicated to the TV broadcast sector, exiting Viacom18 COO Raj Nayak is grateful to the media business for where he finds himself in life at the moment. Speaking at Indiantelevision.com’s Video and Broadband Summit 2018 in a freewheeling chat, Nayak revisited key chapters of his journey, his best memories at Viacom18, and commented on the nature of today’s media industry and its future.
In a fireside chat with Indiantelevision.com founder, CEO and editor-in-chief Anil Wanvari, Nayak in his usual witty and cheerful demeanour captivated the audience with insights and learning from his stellar career. The media maven described his rollercoaster ride from Star TV to NDTV and then the shift into entrepreneurship to finally settling into the corporate world of Viacom18 as exciting.
Answering Wanvari’s question about his evolution as a professional, Nayak shared how exciting it was to join satellite television from print media back in the 90s. He considers himself lucky to be at the right place at the right time. However, joining the TV industry then was considered a wasted opportunity until the satellite boom, he added.
He further went on to say that the future will belong to those who can create content that is compelling because the challenge on the distribution front will eventually disappear. So, everybody will find a way to get their product out but there will be a taker at the end of the pipe only if it is compelling.
The experienced professional said broadcasters got so used to making same patterned shows at Rs 8-10 lakh budget that it took Amazon and Netflix to come to change that habit. The quality of content has to go up now, he feels.
According to him, linear TV has to change its style of narration and content. He cited the example of how ratings and viewership for individual shows are going witnessing a decline despite the increase in overall viewership. However, he is quick to add that the change is happening faster.
“Content cost is going up, it’s not going down, it’s going up across broadcasters. I know of a broadcaster who tried to change that by restricting producers’ budgets but they lasted for not more than six months and now they are spending money more than ever,” Nayak said.
The admirer of “Subhash ji” (Essel Group chairman Subhash Chandra) while talking about distribution repeats what Chandra said 20 years ago that if the content is king then distribution is God.
While his seven and a half years at Viacom18 comprised of several landmark moments, he shared the ones closest to his heart with the audience. Nayak spoke about 24 which was a trendsetting show, Naagin and changing the time slot of Bigg Boss to 10.30 pm as defining moments of his tenure.
“One of the things I was very happy to do and had the freedom and opportunity to do is a variety of content. We are the only channel in India who did so, where nobody expected to do we did the recordings of Yuvraj Singh when he was in cancer and Zindagi Abhi Baaki Hai,” he added.
“Whatever I have achieved is because of this industry. If you don’t give back to the industry that has given you so much, I think you are doing a disservice,” the passionate veteran commented. He also named Star’s Uday Shankar and ZEEL’s Punit Goenka as leaders who he admires.
Nayak says he draws motivation from the media industry and how it has evolved, given birth to so many entrepreneurs, created millions of jobs and helped individuals build glorious careers. The entry of Facebook and YouTube has made the system more democratic creating more opportunities, Nayak believes. Although, the absence of a common industry voice upsets him.
“I can guarantee no one of you has watched more than three per cent of Netflix content yet you subscribe. House of Cards changed the trajectory of the game for the streaming service. Sacred Games increased the subscribers. All you need is 2-3 golden nuggets and that’s enough to change the whole dynamics of your business,” Nayak said.
Sharing his vision for the industry in the next five years, he is certain that OTT will go big. But he also adds that from an ad sales model, monetisation will be a challenge so companies need to promote the SVoD model. Nayak also feels that TV will also continue to grow as big screen experience is never going to lose its charm. TV will turn into a box with Facebook, Google and everything available on it, Nayak predicted.
MUMBAI: To fix the agenda to be taken up in next calendar year, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is expected to meet telecom industry players next month. The discussion, which is now an annual feature, is likely to involve a wider set of players in the telecom sector this time including operators, infrastructure providers and others.
“The meeting will take place next month. We will talk to them and ask them about the items they think should be taken up in the next calendar year,” TRAI chairman RS Sharma said on Monday on the sidelines of an interactive session on ‘New Regulatory Framework for Broadcasting and Cable Services’, according to a PTI report.
As Sharma noted, this time it would not be limited to telecom service providers alone but a broader consultation to figure out the new areas to be deliberated next year.
While the regulatory body launched a consultation to explore the regulatory framework for OTT apps like WhatsApp, Facebook and Google Duo that provide calling and messaging services similar to that by telcos, he also added that TRAI will be able to finalise its views on the issue of a regulatory framework for OTT players in the coming 5-6 months.
Supreme Court recently dismissed a petition challenging TRAI’s March 2017 regulations and tariff order paving the way for implementation of the order for the broadcast sector. Sharma while addressing the interactive session said the new comprehensive framework for the sector entailing tariffs, service quality and interconnect aspects, is aimed at “growth”.
“It is not aimed at hurting players but ensuring growth of the sector in an orderly manner and keeps the interest of stakeholders in mind,” Sharma said.
Local cable operators and multi system operators raised concerns on issues ranging from operationalising the new norms to ‘a la carte rates’. He urged players to give the new framework a fighting chance along with cautioning that technological changes, which improve service quality and enhance capacity, can also be disruptive.
MUMBAI: The Supreme Court has deferred the hearing of Star India’s petition against TRAI tariff and inter-connect order to 13 September 2018 due to insufficient time. This is the third time in this month that the hearing has been deferred. Despite the impeding ruling, several broadcasters have already published their RIOs.
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) was first out of the blocks in publishing the RIO, declaring the MRP and nature of channels in connection with its tariff order, which had a 31 August deadline. The Punit Goenka-led company was followed by TV18 Broadcast Limited ( TV18), Sony Pictures Networks India Private Limited (SPNI), who adhered to the regulator’s directive on September 4. Later, Disney India, Turner India International, Sun TV Networks have also published their RIOs in compliance with the order.
All the broadcaster have stuck to a maximum 15 per cent MRP discount to distributors. Earlier, Madras High Court chief justice did not uphold TRAI’s proposal of allowing highest 15 per cent cap on discounts despite giving the go-ahead to all other proposals. As any clarification did not come from TRAI, all the broadcasters are adhering to the order to avoid any further confusion.
The TRAI tariff orders, first contested in Madras High Court by the petitioners, were cleared by the Chennai court with certain riders after hearings that continued almost over 16 months in front of two benches of the court.
Though the petitioners were unable for comments, a legal eagle explained that the very fact the Supreme Court has allotted a day for hearing the petition of Star India and Vijay TV, which basically revolves around copyright and why the regulator doesn’t have jurisdiction over such issues, highlights the fact that the judge doesn’t want to take a decision in a hurry.
After the Madras HC had given a thumb up to TRAI tariff order, and both the petitioners and the defendant (TRAI) had filed caveats in the Supreme Court, the regulator had bowled a googly saying that its tariff order would come into effect from 3 July 2018 as all judicial compliances had been completed.
“Having complied with the judicial mandates in the matter, the Telecommunication (Broadcasting and Cable) Services (Eighth) (Addressable Systems) Tariff Order, 2017 and the Telecommunication (Broadcasting and Cable) Interconnection (Addressable Systems) Regulations, 2017 as upheld by the Hon’ble Madras High Court and the Telecommunication (Broadcasting and Cable) Services Standards of Quality of Service and Consumer Protection (Addressable Systems) Regulations, 2017 come into effect from 3rd July 2018,” the regulator had said in a statement pointing out that all timelines mentioned in the original order should be adhered to immediately.
According to TRAI, implementation of the new regulatory framework will “bring in transparency”, enable provisioning of affordable broadcasting and cable TV services for the consumer and, at the same time, “would lead to an orderly growth of the sector”
MUMBAI: The Supreme Court has deferred the hearing of Star India’s petition against TRAI tariff and inter-connect order to 12 September 2018 due to unavailability of time. Last week also, the hearing was deferred to 11 September for the same reason.
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) was first out of the blocks in publishing the RIO, declaring the MRP and nature of channels in connection with its tariff order, which had a 31 August deadline. The Punit Goenka-led company was followed by TV18 Broadcast Limited ( TV18), Sony Pictures Networks India Private Limited (SPNI), who adhered to the regulator’s directive on September 4. Later, Disney India, Turner International India, Sun TV Networks have also published their RIOs in compliance with the order.
All the broadcaster have stuck to a maximum 15 per cent MRP discount to distributors. Earlier, Madras High Court chief justice did not uphold TRAI’s proposal of allowing highest 15 per cent cap on discounts despite giving the go-ahead to all other proposals. As any clarification did not come from TRAI, all the broadcasters are adhering to the order to avoid any further confusion.
The TRAI tariff orders, first contested in Madras High Court by the petitioners, were cleared by the Chennai court with certain riders after hearings that continued almost over 16 months in front of two benches of the court.
Though the petitioners were unable for comments, a legal eagle explained that the very fact the Supreme Court has allotted a day for hearing the petition of Star India and Vijay TV, which basically revolves around copyright and why the regulator doesn’t have jurisdiction over such issues, highlights the fact that the judge doesn’t want to take a decision in a hurry.
After the Madras HC had given a thumb up to TRAI tariff order, and both the petitioners and the defendant (TRAI) had filed caveats in the Supreme Court, the regulator had bowled a googly saying that its tariff order would come into effect from 3 July 2018 as all judicial compliances had been completed.
“Having complied with the judicial mandates in the matter, the Telecommunication (Broadcasting and Cable) Services (Eighth) (Addressable Systems) Tariff Order, 2017 and the Telecommunication (Broadcasting and Cable) Interconnection (Addressable Systems) Regulations, 2017 as upheld by the Hon’ble Madras High Court and the Telecommunication (Broadcasting and Cable) Services Standards of Quality of Service and Consumer Protection (Addressable Systems) Regulations, 2017 come into effect from 3rd July 2018,” the regulator had said in a statement pointing out that all timelines mentioned in the original order should be adhered to immediately.
According to TRAI, implementation of the new regulatory framework will “bring in transparency”, enable provisioning of affordable broadcasting and cable TV services for the consumer and, at the same time, “would lead to an orderly growth of the sector”.
MUMBAI: The Supreme Court has deferred the hearing of Star India’s petition against TRAI tariff and inter-connect order to 11 September 2018.
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) was first out of the blocks in publishing the RIO, declaring the MRP and nature of channels in connection with its tariff order, which had a 31 August deadline. The Punit Goenka-led company was followed by TV18 Broadcast Limited ( TV18), Sony Pictures Networks India Private Limited (SPNI), who adhered to the regulator’s directive on September 4.
The TRAI tariff orders, first contested in Madras High Court by the petitioners, were cleared by the Chennai court with certain riders after hearings that continued almost over 16 months in front of two benches of the court.
After the Madras HC had given a thumb up to TRAI tariff order, and both the petitioners and the defendant (TRAI) had filed caveats in the Supreme Court, the regulator had bowled a googly saying that its tariff order would come into effect from 3 July 2018 as all judicial compliances had been completed.
“Having complied with the judicial mandates in the matter, the Telecommunication (Broadcasting and Cable) Services (Eighth) (Addressable Systems) Tariff Order, 2017 and the Telecommunication (Broadcasting and Cable) Interconnection (Addressable Systems) Regulations, 2017 as upheld by the Hon’ble Madras High Court and the Telecommunication (Broadcasting and Cable) Services Standards of Quality of Service and Consumer Protection (Addressable Systems) Regulations, 2017 come into effect from 3rd July 2018,” the regulator had said in a statement pointing out that all timelines mentioned in the original order should be adhered to immediately.
According to TRAI, implementation of the new regulatory framework will “bring in transparency”, enable provisioning of affordable broadcasting and cable TV services for the consumer and, at the same time, “would lead to an orderly growth of the sector”.