ITV

Tag: CII

  • India’s M&E industry to reach $55-70 bn by 2030: CII – BCG Big Picture 2021 Report

    India’s M&E industry to reach $55-70 bn by 2030: CII – BCG Big Picture 2021 Report

    Mumbai: Currently valued at around $27 bn, India’s media and entertainment industry is all set to grow at 10-12 per cent CAGR to become a $55-70Bn industry by 2030, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Boston Consulting Group (BCG) have projected in their new report, released on Thursday.

    Ending the year on an optimistic note, the report highlighted how the industry has already revived to pre-Covid levels and its next phase of growth will be led by OTT, gaming, VFX and animation.

    “Our industry has always been at the forefront of disruption and we will continue to innovate over the next decade. We will now need new answers and will need them fast, even on the most fundamental things like talent pool to run our companies and methodology for measuring the impact we are delivering to advertisers on our platforms. We will need to continue to embrace change going forward,” said CII National Committee on M&E – chairman and The Walt Disney Company India and Star India president K Madhavan.

    Robust growth for TV

    According to the report – ‘Blockbuster Script for the New Decade: Way Forward for Indian Media and Entertainment Industry’, TV as a medium is expected to remain robust given its function as a platform for family viewing, strong user base, and the evolution of content to meet everyone’s needs. Unlike global markets, India’s TV penetration has remained flat and ARPUs have also been steady, with both trends expected to continue in the medium term. Subscriptions will be driven by the strong performance of regional channels and cost advantage vis-à-vis OTT. Cord cutting is nascent and is expected to be limited in the medium term. TV ad volumes have bounced back to pre-Covid levels, and are expected to continue growing in the future, driven by an increase in advertising on regional channels & growth in new advertisers.

    OTT sector in the scaling stage

    The Indian OTT segment is currently in scaling stage with strong subscription growth and increased investments in premium & original content, stated the report. More affordable data has led to an increase in internet access and digital payments, thereby improving access to OTT platforms and digital videos. The industry is one of the most competitive amongst emerging markets with 40+ players representing all types of content providers. SVOD revenue has seen a remarkable surge over last few years and is expected to overtake AVOD in the coming years.

    “The share of traditional media is slowly declining with increased digital adoption but there is still high headroom for penetration with only 54 per cent of Indian households having a pay TV connection compared to more than 70 per cent in China. For many households, TV continues to be the center of the home and a significant part of family time,” said BCG India MD and partner Mandeep Kohli.

    Film industry’s road to recovery

    According to the report, the film industry has shown encouraging signs of recovery post a difficult 2020. There are a few growth factors for the future – continued growth in regional, direct to digital releases and the rise of “content films” and others. The Indian Postproduction, VFX and Animation industry accounts for <10 per cent share of the global market and has the potential to be a booming sector this decade on the back of several Central and State Government initiatives.

    “After a long period of shutdown, cinema halls are now back in business with a bang. A record number of big-ticket movies are lined up for release well into 2022. That augurs well for the sector but caps on occupancies, closures of cinemas and modified audience behaviour might impact the speed of recovery,” said CII National Committee on M&E co-chairman and founder & MD Roy Kapur Films Siddharth Roy Kapur. “On the other hand, streaming has provided new avenues for screening and broad-based the options available for producers, artistes and technicians. Along with the rise of regional cinema, this marks the start of a truly fantastic decade ahead for the Indian content business.”

    Way ahead for the industry

    According to Technicolor India country head Biren Ghose, who is also CII National Committee on Media and Entertainment vice chairman, the success of India’s media and entertainment will ultimately depend on the ability to scale world-class creative talent in order to capitalise on the global opportunity, especially in the gaming sector.

    The projections showed that the industry is at a critical juncture of transformation, offering rapid growth in some areas. “But, to realise this growth, companies must tweak their strategies to take advantage of the current market situation,” said BCG India MD and senior partner Kanchan Samtani. “In addition to investing in content and technology to improve user experience, companies should also leverage suitable distribution models to enhance reach, focus on providing integrated ad solutions and offer innovative marketing formats to enhance the value proposition to advertisers.”

    “This year’s report put together by BCG with the help of CII Media and Entertainment Committee, looks at the decade ahead, and will help businesses chart their growth path and aide the government in framing enabling measures to facilitate further expansion of the sector,” said CII director-general Chandrajit Banerjee.

  • Viewing on TV, digital doesn’t have to be either-or question

    Viewing on TV, digital doesn’t have to be either-or question

    MUMBAI: For decades, television has been the platform that’s commanded the attention of the maximum number of people in India. However, thanks to cheap mobile data costs and smartphones, there has been a surge in digital video consumption, and audiences are fast changing the way they view content.

    With viewers starting to divide their content consumption across TV and digital, it now makes sense for broadcasters to also spread their budgets across both mediums to reach more audiences.

    To address this change, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has organised the Big Picture Summit 2020, where it deliberated upon India’s multi-screen obsession and what it means for content owners. The panel comprised Shemaroo Entertainment COO Kranti Gada, ministry of information and broadcasting additional secretary (broadcasting) & CVO Neerja Sekhar, ABP news CEO Avinash Pandey, Discovery India MD Megha Tata, and Boston Consulting Group MD & partner Vikash Jain.

    Of late, and especially with the onset of Covid2019, broadcasters are pushing the digital agenda, realigning their content strategies, business models to cater to consumers’ interests; some fear this may be to the detriment of their traditional business, noted Gada. However, Tata, who has spent more than three decades in the media and entertainment industry, pointed out how every time a new platform emerges, talking heads pronounce the death of the previous one. Contrary to this perception, all mediums have stayed strong and grown – whether its print, radio, cinema, television, and now digital.

    “We don’t have to be an either-or world all the platforms can co-exist. It is absolutely not an easy decision to make but yes we need to think about where we are putting our money. These are very difficult questions where there is no rule book. Our approach is that both need to survive,” said Tata.

    She highlighted that unlike the west, where the death knell has been sounded on linear television, India has actually beaten the trend. This requires a fine balancing act on the part of broadcasters. Both the mediums are important – one is the business of today and the other is the business of tomorrow.

    “During pandemic, there has been a huge growth in television consumption but at the same time OTT growth has been stupendous. We launched Discovery+ in the middle of the lockdown. The question is how do you balance this act. You have to protect our linear business that is funding your digital business because there is still time for digital business to reach profitability and monetisation status and TV has to play a key role in that,” she explained.

    There’s no denying that streaming platforms have emerged as a major challenge to linear television, but the latter is a Rs 79,000 crore industry that has stood the test of time and is still going strong, claimed Sekhar. “We are seeing the convergence in infrastructure where wired broadband and wireless distribution are much in demand and both are giving better choices to consumers. We are seeing one content on different platforms with multiple screen options.”

    She went on to say that the pandemic threw up major changes in viewership pattern, where family viewership has taken over. But one factor that has remained consistent is content. There has been a huge uptick in demand for entertainment, followed by localised or regional content. She also shared that during the lockdown, OTT content was watched double that of linear programming. But linear television remains primary as far as the consumer is concerned. “With the number of OTT players rising we don’t know how self-sustaining OTT platforms are going to be. Market will change, technology will change but content will be of utmost importance.”

    The question that arises in a multiscreen world is how the business model changes. Television was largely advertising-driven whereas in digital, larger multinational companies take away 60 to 70 percent of the ad pie and then broadcasters grapple with what is remaining. There are other players also who are looking at the same ad pie. It is quite a challenging situation for broadcasters.

    Pandey explained that the whole ecosystem has changed: a content is created then there is a distributor cable operator which downlinks the signal and sends it to the consumer. Based on the business model, whether you are a free channel or a paid channel, you get the subscription money which is shared by the DPO operators. Then the carriage fee is accordingly paid to some other person. Broadcasters are in control of their audience through a third party – BARC, which tells you what the consumer is watching, and the price is determined on that basis. Things work differently on digital – streaming platforms that serve the consumer on pull medium, where the viewer looks for his choice of content and consumes that; the entire push system of that content is now controlled by two companies.

    “Streaming platforms decide what rate to sell and they give you the share. There is no value for the content that we are creating. If you look at two big content creators, they take your content and serve it to the consumers. They know the data and how to push their content and they will be the one who will take the share out of the advertising and give you some money,” he stated.  

    Behind all this lies the platforms’ algorithm, which pushes the content, but no one knows what makes it tick. In Pandey’s view, the government will have to step in and see to it that all parties are treated fairly. At the end of the day, content creators need to get their due.

    “Fortunately, we are seeing that in the European Union and Australia, creators are looking at getting good value for their content,” said Pandey, adding that he hopes that the day’s not far off for India, too.

  • Industry needs lighter touch on regulations to achieve its potential: K Madhavan, CII

    Industry needs lighter touch on regulations to achieve its potential: K Madhavan, CII

    NEW DELHI: The ninth edition of CII Big Picture Summit kickstarted today. The three day-long event will see several eminent industry leaders sharing their thoughts. These include BARC CEO Sunil Lulla, Roy Kapur Films MD Siddharth Roy Kapur, senior journalist and former advisor to the prime minister Pankaj Pachauri, Viacom18 Digital Ventures COO Gaurav Rakshit, Amazon Prime Video India country GM Gaurav Gandhi, and many others.

    There will be over 100 speakers, from both government and the industry. Some of the speakers are also joining the summit virtually from overseas. Sessions with state governments as well as with representatives of the regional entertainment industry will be hosted. The platform aims to give industry a chance to discuss what has worked, and what hasn’t – and how it can put India’s M&E sector on the global stage.

    A special curtain-raiser for the upcoming India International Film Festival in Goa in January 2021 will be presented by the ministry of information and broadcasting.

    The opening remarks for the event were delivered by CII national committee – media and entertainment chairman and MD Star & Disney India K Madhavan.

    He started by sharing his thoughts on how 2020 has taken a massive toll on the industry and how it is trying to fight back. “In my many years in the industry, disruption on this scale had never before been imagined. Content production was halted, live sports and events were cancelled, cinema halls and theatres were shut down. With a worldwide reduction in demand for services and major cuts in advertising spends – the pandemic enforced a long pause across the entire industry. However, the entire M&E industry came together to engage and entertain millions of viewers while they were homebound.”

    Madhavan stated how the entertainment consumption has surged across mediums such as television, gaming, and digital streaming platforms. TV and video streaming rose to a peak of 37 per cent higher than pre-lockdown levels.

    He also touched upon live sports making a stupendous comeback with the IPL 2020, lifting sentiments and the economy. “Not only was the IPL the biggest live cricketing tournament to be held during the pandemic, but it was also a beacon of hope and normalcy for the nation. The tournament broke all the previous records – with a 23 per cent increase in viewership over last year. The response from the fans and advertisers was heartening and it set a positive tone for the festive season. It acted as a game-changer for the sector and helped revive the media spends for the whole industry,” he added.

    He went on to talk about the film industry, and the innovations and breakthroughs it made to fight the crisis. “The film industry showed resilience and adapted to the ‘direct-to-digital’ model which helped launch new movies across digital streaming platforms. Cinema halls have taken longer to reopen, but I am confident that fans will soon be watching their favourite movies on the big screen, in safety.”

    The industry has what it takes to grow from the present $24 billion to $100 billion by 2030, but its potential is currently untapped in many ways, said Madhavan. “Pay TV is still at 120 million of the 300 million households in India, we only have 500 million smartphones in a country which has over 950 million mobile subscribers. The pandemic has driven customers to adopt technology as never before – as seen in the growth in e-commerce, online video, and digital gaming – and this can drive the sector to new heights.”

    To achieve this potential,  a lighter touch on regulation and a much simpler governance structure is needed in place, he stressed.

    “There are various kinds of restrictions that this sector is being subjected to although it has within it to make India truly atmanirbhar. We can increase our exports, increase the number of jobs being given to young talent, and most importantly, make India a global leader in content if policies are shaped as per the requirements of the industry,” Madhavan added.

    A CII report on the Big Picture Summit will also be released to present a panoramic view of the Indian media and entertainment industry – how it fared in 2020, what were the viewership trends, what was the impact of the pandemic on advertising, which medium got an edge, and going forward, what will be the role of Indian content in the global arena.

  • Transform by tackling moral dilemmas: Sudhanshu Vats

    Transform by tackling moral dilemmas: Sudhanshu Vats

    MUMBAI: Media companies can no longer ask ‘if’ changes are happening. They are, there’s no doubt about it. But now it’s a question of how to respond. Addressing the CII Big Picture 2018 in New Delhi, Viacom18 group CEO and MD Sudhanshu Vats spoke on the topic of ‘Changing M&E landscape – from convergence to transformation’.

    According to him, the industry is battling moral dilemmas. “If you step back and introspect about all that is happening with our industry across the world, you will agree that we are battling several changes – and most of them are a result of moral dilemmas and our response to them. If we can tackle these dilemmas successfully (and defining success is the hardest part), we can believe that we have transformed,” Vats commented.

    Another issue bothering the industry is about misusing its reach and credibility to influence electoral processes across the world. Equally troublesome is ensuring fairness in terms of availability of content to consumers and parity across distribution platforms, especially in the future when convergence is going to dial up vertical integration across value chains.

    As the content consumption on digital is increasing rapidly, the access of media companies to consumer data will also go up. He said, “As consumption moves online, our access to data will increase. In many ways, data will be a competitive advantage and drive advertising revenues and personalised user experiences – what processes do we put in place to ensure it is not misused – how and where do we draw the line differentiating personalization versus privacy?”

    Correctly treating their biggest asset, human resources, both on screen and off, is also necessary. “How do we react when their individual, personal behaviour questions the fabric of the society we want to create? Think of this especially in light of the recent issues around diversity and inclusion that we’ve experienced. It’s important for everyone, but especially so for our industry,” he said.

    He also added that the list of moral dilemmas is endless. Hence, everyone needs to be cognizant of these dilemmas as organisations, industry bodies, policymakers and governments as they look to scale up businesses.

    “I’ve always been an ardent supporter of data and its importance in driving decision making. In this address, I have not used a single data point – because I believe that the course we take over the next decade will be determined more by these fundamental issues of values and how we tackle moral dilemmas than just commercial considerations,” he said.

    “Driving consensus will be difficult yet more important than ever before. This is even more so given that India is today amongst the world’s largest ‘open’ media markets and home to a multitude of players from all over and of all sizes,” he added.

  • Media consumption in India growing @9% in last 6 years: CII-BCG report

    Media consumption in India growing @9% in last 6 years: CII-BCG report

    MUMBAI: The Indian media industry, experiencing disruptions, is witnessing an increase in consumption that has been facilitated by proliferation of broadband too and over the last six years has been growing at the rate of nine percent.

    According to a CII_BCG report released today at CII Big Picture Summit event in New Delhi, at 4.6 hours of consumption per capita per day, India is still behind China (6.4 hours) and US (11.8 hours), suggesting further headroom for growth.

    “Unlike in developed countries, in India this growth has been additive and not cannibalising traditional media, yet. For the next several years, we expect India to remain a multi-modal market where all forms of media, including traditional media like TV and digital will continue to co-exist," the report states.

    In 2012, total media consumption per capita per day was 2.7 hours which was further distributed into print (0.2 hours), radio (0.2 hours), TV (1.9 hours) and digital (0.4 hours). On the other hand, 4.6 hours consumption per capita per day has increased to print (0.3 hours), radio (0.3 hours), TV (2.7 hours) and digital (1.3 hours).

    Over the past 2-3 years, the number of broadband users has become 2X (~480 million broadband users across mobile and fixed) and the data consumption has become 10X (~10 GB per user per month).

    Indian media formats are primarily advertising driven and consumer costs are minimal. Unlike the US where the cost of a cable connection can be as high as $80 per month, India with $3 cost of cable per month doesn’t have the need for skinny bundles.

    India is undergoing a video explosion. Indian consumers are consuming ~190 minutes of video per day per user across platforms, which has been growing at ~8 per cent over the last five years. 30+ digital platforms have been added to the wide range of TV channels. While an average consumer consumes 10-15 channels per day and 2-3 apps in any given month, the overall spectrum of platforms from a content creators/curator’s perspective is massive.

    Global players are realising the importance of creating curated content, in line with viewer preferences. Players like Netflix invest aggressively to match 3X the investment made by top players like Amazon Prime and Hulu. Top 5 global players as per their annual content budget are Fox ($16.7 biilion), Comcast ($15 billion), Disney ($12.7 billion), Time Warner ($12.4 billion) and Netflix ($12 billion).

  • M&E to add 1 mn jobs in 5 years: Sudhanshu Vats

    M&E to add 1 mn jobs in 5 years: Sudhanshu Vats

    MUMBAI: The Indian media and entertainment (M&E) sector is likely to be worth $1.7 billion in terms of service exports. The figure was estimated by Viacom18 group CEO Sudhanshu Vats while speaking at a CII inauguration.

    India’s services exports were $163 billion which is likely to hit $320-330 billion in five years. The M&E sector is a $21 billion industry with eight per cent being exports. By 2022, the M&E sector will contribute $8.5 billion worth of export revenue. In the overall pie of service exports across industries, M&E makes up one per cent and is likely to hit three per cent by 2022.

    Vats went on to state what makes the M&E sector apt to become the next big thing after IT in the country. With job creation being a government priority, the M&E industry directly employs 1.1-1.2 million people and with indirect employment that will be 3.5-4 million jobs. India’s current total employment is about 480 million and 10-15 million being added every year. The M&E industry will easily add one million direct jobs in five years and though the number may be small, they will be quality jobs that will be future proof.

    For other sectors, added factors build onto export cost such as the cost of product development/customisation, packaging, logistics, maintaining overseas offices etc. But in M&E, this is negligible. The only costs will be QC, subtitling, bandwidth, etc. “ Overnight, I can’t start making a drama that will be loved by say the citizens of Papua New Guinea – but I can make good dramas for Indian audiences – that might resonate in Papua New Guinea as well! This has an important corollary – while it holds true for other industries as well, it holds even more true for our sector where every almost output is a tradeable item – any domestic public policy aimed at making us competitive in India, will make us competitive across the world,” he said.

    The sector has an ability of a multiplier effect on other industries such as tourism, travel, healthcare, etc., the effects of which cannot be ignored. “We have all that it takes to ensure that India takes her rightful place with the next industrial revolution – one that will make human capital, creativity and cognitive ability even more important. From one per cent of our services exports today to about three per cent by 2022 – and significant, disproportionate upside from the standpoint of India’s labour markets, social policy, economic growth and global standing – that is the promise we hold,” he concluded.

    Also Read :

    Sudhanshu Vats on Viacom18’s growth strategy and why data analytics is key

    We are becoming more platform and screen agnostic: Sudhanshu Vats

  • M&E industry to hit Rs8 trillion revenue by 2022: report

    M&E industry to hit Rs8 trillion revenue by 2022: report

    According to a report published by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), India’s media and entertainment (M&E) industry is expected to reach revenue of Rs7.5-8 trillion by 2022 from an estimated Rs4.5 trillion in 2017. Over the next five years, the industry is poised to grow at an annual growth rate of 11-12 per cent.

    The report highlighted that the M&E industry has the potential to generate four million jobs (direct and indirect) over the next four-five years, on the back of technology adoption, big data and analytics.

    By 2022, total employment across the industry is expected to be 6-6.5 million from the estimated 3.5-4 million in 2017. The report said that the structural changes across the industry and major shifts around adoption of technology, big data and analytics will lead to several new job roles and a massive reskilling of the current workforce.

    “The Indian M&E sector has huge room for growth and can create four-five million jobs without much spending from public infrastructure. Digital platforms are proliferating and there are tremendous opportunities that never existed before, especially for creators, storytellers and technology providers,’’ CII director general Chandrajit Banerjee said in the report.

    The report highlighted that M&E organisations need to rebuild their strategies to fit in the shifting digitally oriented landscape. “It’s the need of the hour for the industry to identify the creative, technological and analytical skills that will be required over the next five-seven years to restructure its business model for the upskilling exercise,” said Kanchan Samtani, partner and director at BCG, in the report.

    The report said that the M&E industry will require 140,000-160,000 trained/employable individuals entering the workforce every year for the next five years.

  • Viacom18 chief: Indian media sector can create 10 mn jobs over next decade

    NEW DELHI: Making a strong case for the Indian media and entertainment (M&E) sector as a major employment generator in the country and which can blunt job automation up to an extent, Viacom18 group CEO Sudhanshu Vats said that it, along with ancillary sectors, has the potential to “create at least 10 million” jobs over the next decade.

    “I say this because in other sectors also the skills needed in our sector will be the same ones needed to ensure that the workforce remains competitive. Therefore, in a future where jobs are going to get automated, our sector (M&E) is part of the (employment) solution,” Vats said while delivering a keynote address at the CII-organised Global Exhibition on Services 2017 at Greater Noida, on the outskirts of Delhi.

    Pointing out that in a future where jobs are going to get automated and India’s M&E sector can lend a helping hand, Vats exhorted on Tuesday policymakers present from India and abroad at the event that they must do everything in their power to “grow” the M&E sector over the next decade. “For my industry colleagues from different parts of the world, no matter which country or sub-sector of our industry you represent, I’m going to explain to you why the singular stereotype of ‘Indian content’ is a myth and why you need to help our industry shatter this myth as you take our message to the world,” he added.

    In an address, given in the presence of Indian and foreign dignitaries, including Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore, Vats went beyond clichés and said, “World over the economic narrative is moving from simply GDP growth and wealth-creation to ‘job creation’. And this is important, because as societies evolve, it is extremely important for the growth to be equitable and productive.”

    According to Vats, discussions in India have focused around the importance of India’s services sector in exports, job creation and GDP growth or the need for India to build the M&E sector as the next IT sector given the ‘creativity endowment’ or “slightly more nuanced” themes such as inter-linkages between manufacturing and services policy measures that can unleash the country’s true potential.

    “However, I am going to take a different two-pronged approach. An approach that is both critical and interesting. Most of you here will agree with me when I say that in the new world of media where OTT platforms have become mainstream and digital audiences are much sought after, it’s important to tailor-make messages that are relevant to the audience,” Vats said in an address that mixed practical economics with policy-making, adding he had two distinct messages for “two distinct sets of stakeholders” that have gathered at the GES 2017.

    “If you look at the pace at which jobs are changing, you’ll be surprised. If my 18-year-old daughter told me 10 years back that she wanted to be an ‘app designer’ I wouldn’t have understood what she meant. Ten years back the first I-phone was launched and Android came much later. India has a workforce that’s anywhere in the 460-480 million range and 10-15 million Indians are being added to the workforce each year. This is likely to continue for another 10 years at least,” Vats said highlighting the USP of India — growing workforce.

    And, then he went on to explain his theory why India’s M&E sector was an important clog in the country’s overall economic growth: “Automation won’t make all jobs across a sector or two redundant but certain ‘kinds of jobs’ (especially ‘routine ones’) across several sectors redundant. If you break down jobs performed by us in the M&E sector, a large bulk of them is actually non-routine. This is because of the importance of creativity in everything that we do and the need to create content that will appeal to human beings, making our sector a key creator of high-value-added jobs that will be relatively ‘automation-proof’ in the future.”

    Dwelling on the versatile content with universal appeal that India generates annually, which should be taken advantage of globally, Vats told the audience, “The versatility of our content is mind-boggling. We have created a mega-property out of a local sport; we have regional language content on a wide variety of themes (mythological, super natural, comedy, drama, action, mystery, animation, etc.); we have our own non-scripted formats; we have a wide variety of films in different languages – our spectrum of content is endless. All you need to do is to find the right partner and make the right effort in taking these stories to your part of the world.”

    Vats message to the audience and Indian policy-makers was simple, yet clear: over the next decade, India’s growth, coupled with the government’s measures, might be able to absorb some of the growing job-seekers, but closer to 2027, it is likely to find itself in a spot where even if the supply of jobs matched the demand, the skill sets needed might not match those available with job-seekers as a “robot can perform those jobs better”. Hence, M&E sector with its vast opportunities could be a savior.

  • Quick, crisp facts sans opinion: GoNews launch live-streamed from Global Exhibition on Services

    NEW DELHI: GoNews, an app-based news channel, was officially launched on Tuesday at CII’s Global Exhibition on Services. True to its adage of providing news on the go, the occasion was live-streamed to over 20,000 smartphone users who had downloaded the app, besides scores of followers on social media.

    Speaking on the occasion, GoNews founder and editor-in-chief Pankaj Pachauri said that creation of the app-based news channel was done on purpose so as to disseminate basic information and hard facts to viewers having no or little access to satellite TV.

    Pachauri, a former TV news journalist who had also done a stint as the former PM Manmohan Singh’s media advisor, said research and data convinced him that satellite TV news was losing its viewership as well as sheen because it had become “highly opinionated” and was increasingly becoming “hostage to advertising.”

    “We must deploy emerging technologies in media and save avoidable costs by constantly focusing on innovation and R&D. Unfortunately, this is not being done enough and it is hurting the bottomlines of all the news organisations,” he said while speaking at GES 2017.

    According to him, “There are more smart phones in India than TV sets now and viewers, particularly the youth, are fed up of news in the long format. They want their news without opinion or bias and they want it quickly. They hate it when the videos buffer. That is why the GoNews app is light on data size as well as data consumption. This is so because we are not force-fitting satellite content into a website and website content into an app. We are creating the content primarily for the app.”

    The app also puts the choices in the hands of viewers by allowing them to select the amount of content they want to watch on different subjects. “That is why we say ‘whenever you have time, that’s `prime time’,” Pachauri quipped.

    The CII’s Exhibition on Services is a three-day event in which 73 countries and nearly 600 exhibitors are participating. The exposition will continue until Thursday.

    Later, Pachauri told indiantelevision.com that the reception to the app based news channel made him believe that he and his team, probably, have made the correct decision to go mobile. “There were several queries on whether we were looking for additional funding and I had to tell those people that the venture is comfortable at this point of time. But the feedback from the audience was really encouraging,” he added.

    GoNews delivers personalised news to viewers on their smart phones and smart TVs at a time of their choosing. As per information made available by GoNews, news stories are citizen-centric and not consumer-centric, credible, co-creative and concise. The channel is collaborating with content generators in rural India to offer news and stories that often go unreported or are not available at other news outlets.

    In addition, GoNews provides live streaming of important news events from its studio and from the field, depending on the importance of the event.

    GoNews was founded and led by the veteran journalist Pachauri who has a wide experience of working with some of the top international and Indian broadcasters for over three decades. The team comprises senior journalists, drawn from the field of broadcasting, management and academia. GoNews is the first digital offering of Cloudburst Mediaworks Private Limited.

    ALSO READ:

    New digital player GoNews voluntarily submits to NBA self-regulations

  • MIB favours self-regulation, TRAI says some regulation mandatory

    MIB favours self-regulation, TRAI says some regulation mandatory

    NEW DELHI: Even as he favoured the idea of self-regulation in the media, Minister for Information and Broadcasting (MIB) M Venkaiah Naidu stressed that “regulation should not become strangulation” and added the government wants to be a facilitator for creating a good business environment for the media and entertainment (M&E) sector.

    Delivering the keynote address at the inaugural session of 5th edition of CII-organised `Big Picture Summit’ at New Delhi here yesterday Naidu said that digital and mobile tools have been leading to paradigm shifts in the M&E sector and the growth of varied platforms such as 4G, broadband, mobile technologies and digital media has enabled the sector to move towards “convergence across platforms and content”.

    According to the Minister, 500 million mobile phones were expected in India by 2020 and music streaming had grown from 49 per cent to 61 per cent in just one year with video on demand gaining popularity as number of internet connections had grown to 81 million of which 41 million used local languages. “The entertainment industry was today capable of creating five billion jobs a year,” he said.

    Referring to the broadcast segment, the MIB Minister said Indian television was very vibrant and exciting, which is exemplified in the over 800 TV channels licensed by the government.

    Dwelling on some initiatives taken by the government to boost the M&E sector, Naidu said that foreign direct investment norms had been liberalized further earlier in the year with an aim to help the industry grow. Similarly, the Minister said, the radio category too has shown impressive growth and the third Phase of auctions of Radio FM licenses was expected to bring in $390 million.

    While he was impressed with the growth achieved by cinema — India produced more films than any other country in the world — Naidu took note of a big problem of less number of screens in the country and that Indian cinema had a share of less than one per cent in world cinema.

    Expressing his concerns on the growth of the media, the Minister highlighted that there were some problems that had been inherited by this government and that those would take some time to be resolved as he plans to hold separate meetings with all stakeholders.

    TRAI Says Regulatory Framework Necessary For Big M&E Sector

    While MIB made a case for self-regulation, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Chairman R S Sharma said some regulatory framework was necessary for such a large media sector, but regulations should be non-discriminatory, transparent, ensure quality and empower the consumer.

    Speaking at the inaugural session, along with the Minister and industry representatives, Sharma said India was a very cost-effective market where the average mobile recharge was just Rs 10. As connectivity had to be cost-effective and price-sensitive, cable television can be used to provide broadband connectivity as well.

    Holding forth on audience measurement, Sharma said there was still scope for better audience measurement systems as it was important to let the consumer decide what he wanted.
    As TRAI has a recommendatory role in the broadcast sector, except the carriage part where its recommendations can be implemented by it, Sharma also highlighted that several set of recommendations by the regulator on a variety of issues were pending at the Ministry concerned.

    Viacom18 Group CEO Sudhanshu Vats’ On Disruption & Competition

    Amongst the pantheon of Indian gods and goddesses, the Trinity of  Brahma, Vishnu and Shiv hold a special place as they ensure the world, as we know it, goes through a cycle of creation, preservation and destruction to continue growing and surviving. Is this also true for a business sector? Yes!

    Dwelling on the theme of the two-day media conference, ‘Embracing Disruption to Stay Competitive’, Sudhanshu Vats, Chairman of National Committee on Media & Entertainment, CII and Group CEO, Viacom18, said if the cycle, as highlighted in the Indian Trinity or to some extent in economist Schumpeter’s theory of creative destruction, is not followed by businesses (including those in the M&E sector), it’d be disrupted

    “Our systems discourage destruction. In our minds we have this notion that the word ‘destruction’ itself is wrong. But if you look back, our belief system has always emphasised on the need to destroy. If we don’t destroy, then we will be disrupted,” Vats said setting the tone for the Big Picture Summit and emphasizing the need for a well-balanced mix of all three — creators, preservers and destroyers.

    Vats went on to give some examples of the Big Picture Summit’s theme of disruption or reinvention to stay relevant and competitive, which are as follows:

    –    It’s a theme that explains how the sport of cricket reinvented itself 8 years ago to create a completely new avatar (called the IPL) that is arguably it’s most lucrative and successful one till date.

    –    It’s a theme that explains how a new Hindi GEC called Colors launched in 2008 and became number 1 in just 9 months of launch.

    –    It’s a theme that probably explains how a government owned distribution platform known as DD FreeDish revolutionized the world of Indian television so much so that it is a topic of conversation in the boardroom of every M&E organization.

    –    It’s a theme that explains how a show idea rejected by MTV, led to the creation of one of India’s most iconic YouTube channels: The Viral Fever.

    –    It’s also a theme that explains why a telco called AT&T is expected to close a deal to acquire a media conglomerate called Time Warner in what is amongst this year’s biggest acquisitions.  “Of course, I’d like to see this as ‘convergence in action’,” explained Vats.

    Dwelling on some industry vital stats — based on knowledge partner Boston Consulting Group’s yearly report for the event — Vats said the M&E industry’s size had been pegged at approximately Rs. 13, 000,00 million, almost one per cent of the Indian GDP with a direct employment base of half a million.

    “If we look at indirect employment, the number will multiply several times over. If we look at employment in sectors in which we have a multiplier effect, say telecom, tourism, sports and so on, and we are looking at a much larger base. If we have to, say, double in size (and this is not impossible)… then there are three fundamental truths that we need to prepare for. Bear in mind, that none of these can be leveraged if we fear ‘destruction’. Each of these truths has significant implications for us,” Vats elucidated.

    Vats also dwelt on several issues ranging from the need to develop direct-to-consumer offerings, importance of listening to suggestions and ideas, benefits of discovering new talents and embracing technology and data as a friend and not foe, apart from several other issues, including the need to put aside squabbles amongst stakeholders in the M&E sector.

    However, not the one to every shy away from making a factual statement, even though it may sound contentious, Vats aptly said the M&E sector was amongst the biggest stars of the PM Modi’s  `Make in India’ programme. “In the last two years, India has seen 35 new smart-phone factories, with a production capacity of 18 million devices per month and employment to 37,000 Indians. While the focus here – at least in the popular context- is on telecom handset manufacturing, think what is the use of the smart-phone with a 5-inch screen if you don’t have video content? I have no qualms in stating that our industry will play the biggest role in the 4G revolution that this country is about to witness,” he concluded.