ITV

Tag: Cross Media

  • TRAI to hold open house on Cross Media Ownership this month

    TRAI to hold open house on Cross Media Ownership this month

    NEW DELHI: After having received forty responses and counter-responses, the telecom regulatory authority of India (Trai) has decided to hold an open house to take views of stakeholders on media ownership.

    The open house has been slated for 18 May in Delhi. It had earlier been slated for 11 May but was postponed by a week.

    Interestingly one of the counter-responses is from the administrative staff college of India, which had triggered the second consultation paper by Trai on the issue.

    Trai had set 29 April as the last date for stakeholders to offer their cross-comments. The paper had been issued on 15 February but the final date had been extended in view of the ‘complexity of the issue‘.

    The paper among other issues has sought comments on devising ownership rules for vertical integration between broadcasting and distribution entities.

    The paper will also devise rules/restrictions in case of mergers and acquisitions in the media sector, and media ownership rules within and across media segments.

    Methodology to measure ownership or control of an entity over a media outlet, identification of genres to be considered while framing media ownership rules and prescribing norms for mandatory disclosures by media entities are some other issues.

    Trai has also discussed in its paper issues relating to identification of media segments wherein media ownership rules are to be prescribed, and identification of relevant markets for evaluating various parameters to be used for devising ownership rules and the methodology for measuring these parameters.

    At the outset, TRAI said the paper had been issued at the request of the information and broadcasting ministry earlier last year following a report of the administrative staff college of India, in Hyderabad.

    Trai said that it was felt that reasonable restrictions may need to be put in place on ownership in the media sector, to ensure media pluralism and to counter the ills of monopolies. It pointed out that such restrictions do exist in many international markets.

  • American Swan raises Rs 400 mn from Four Cross Media

    American Swan raises Rs 400 mn from Four Cross Media

    MUMBAI: American Swan Lifestyle Company, a fashion and apparel-led lifestyle company, has got an investment of Rs 400 million for its Indian business, from global digital media conglomerate Four Cross Media.

    American Swan has opened its doors to the e-tailing market with its online shopping site – AmericanSwan.com.

    The brand’s new shopping portal will offer customers a range of products spanning categories such as Men’s and Women’s apparel, footwear, accessories, beauty, home and living products.

    The American Swan Lifestyle Company (TASLC) director and CEO Anurag Rajpal said, “As consumers in India look for global designs and standards with affordable pricing and the convenience of a click, American Swan expects to garner a significant share of the apparel and lifestyle market.”

    "The American Swan brand has been conceived and developed to be aspirational, accessible and affordable. We aim for a differentiation through our brand proposition and positioning to offer affordable luxury to an aspiration-led audience that seeks international quality and fashion. Our product detailing, packaging and fulfillment is at par with the international standards,” Rajpal added.

    The Fashion and Lifestyle segment in India, estimated at 17 per cent of the total retail market, is worth over $60 billion reported in a PwC research. Growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15 per cent to 20 per cent, this is estimated to grow to over $90 billion in 2015.

    According to the company, the Indian urban consumer is actively seeking and purchasing branded merchandise in categories like Apparels, Cosmetics, Shoes, Watches and Jewellery. Similar growth is visible in e-tailing and American Swan will be pioneering an active mix of the brick-n-click formats by opening itself to both online and retail distribution networks.

    Four Cross Media co-founder and managing director Asia Puneet Johar said, “With American Swan we are focused towards building an aspirational lifestyle brand. Our focus is to build compelling consumer engagement using digital media as that is a space we understand and are confident about.”