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Tag: I&B ministry

  • NBA seeks extension from I&B ministry to pay DD Free Dish carriage fee

    NBA seeks extension from I&B ministry to pay DD Free Dish carriage fee

    MUMBAI: With ad sales down and operation costs up, the News Broadcasters Association (NBA) has sought an extension from the ministry of information and broadcasting for payment of the carriage fee for slots on DD Free Dish.

    According to a report by The Hindu, sources have confirmed that Prasar Bharati has agreed to allow news channels to continue to air on DD Free Dish from 1 April without the payment. However, NBA and Prasar Bharati are working on an alternate model of payment that requires the news channels to pay an interest of 5.7 per cent per annum, which has miffed the association's broadcasters.

    NBA president Rajat Sharma, in a letter to I&B minister Prakash Javdekar, wrote, “Advertising inventory bookings are lower than 50 per cent even for the top-rated news channels — advertising is a single source of earning for news broadcasters and this will lead to a serious cash-flow problem.”

    With 26 slots reserved for Doordarshan-run channels, DD Free Dish has 80 slots in all, of which 54 are open for bidding by private channels. These DD Free Dish channels reach out to at least 30 million households, without paying a monthly subscription.

  • Continue uninterrupted services, I&B ministry tells broadcasters, cable ops

    Continue uninterrupted services, I&B ministry tells broadcasters, cable ops

    MUMBAI: The ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) has requested all the stakeholders such as broadcasters, DTH providers, MSOs and LCOs to continue to provide uninterrupted services to their respective subscribers and cooperate with other players within the distribution chain in the interest of the viewers and larger public safety in these difficult times of COVID-19 pandemic.

    Earlier, ministry of home affairs allowed broadcast and cable services to be operational as essential services during the period of containment of the COVID-I9 pandemic in the country. Last month, MIB also requested all states/UTs to ensure operational continuity of print and electronic media. Such constant flow of essential and authentic information through various media is aimed ensuring public order and safety in the current situation of an unprecedented pandemic, said a press release by MIB.

    “It will be appreciated by all concerned stakeholders that at this critical juncture, this steady flow of information and keeping the public engaged inside their homes with programmes on news, authentic information and entertainment is of paramount importance. All steps may, therefore, be taken to ensure that the people continue to uninterruptedly view the available channels,” informed the MIB.

  • I&B ministry urges state/UT govts to ensure uninterrupted cable services

    I&B ministry urges state/UT govts to ensure uninterrupted cable services

    MUMBAI: The ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) has requested the state and the union territories to make necessary arrangements for uninterrupted services of cable operation. Although cable services have been included under essential services, some cable operators are facing issues to run operations due to the ongoing lockdown.

    In a letter dated 1 April, the ministry mentioned that it has received complaints from some cable operators. The operators are facing issues in movement as they not being permitted by the local authorities in their operation.

    “As you are aware, the government of India and the state or UT governments are taking necessary steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19. During the country-wide lockdown, in order to ensure uninterrupted operation of basic services, the government of India has issued various guidelines which include the uninterrupted flow of information networks including cable TV network operations,” MIB stated in the letter.

    MIB also mentioned that cable service operators are mandated to show DD channels free of cost to all the subscribers. Since DD provides authentic government-related information, it is important that correct news should reach the public to check rumours and fake news.

  • Doordarshan brings back ‘Shaktimaan’

    Doordarshan brings back ‘Shaktimaan’

    MUMBAI: After Ramayana, Doordarshan is all set to re-telecast another popular TV series Shaktimaan to entertain the masses who remain indoors on account of the ongoing lock-down caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. According to reports, the one-hour-long series will be re-telecast every day from 1 pm on DD National beginning 1 April.

    The once-popular superman series, produced by Mukesh Khanna, who played the role of Shaktimaan, had entertained youngsters and old people alike. Khanna played the role of "Pandit Gangadhar Vidhyadhar Mayadhar Omkarnath Shastri", a newspaper photographer. Shaktimaan was portrayed as a human who achieved superhuman powers through meditation.

    The Hindi-language TV show was telecast on DD 1 from 13 September 1997 to 27 March 2005.

    Earlier, Prasar Bharati and the I&B ministry announced the re-telecasting of classics like Ramananda Sagar-directed Ramayana through the public broadcaster. When the epic TV serial was re-telecasted for the first time, people thronged the DD website to watch the streaming, causing it to crash due to the excessive traffic.

    Reports say that the public broadcaster is also planning to bring back Chanakya and Upanishad Ganga which will air on DD Bharti.

  • I&B ministry asks TV channels to publicise travel advisory for COVID-19 affected countries

    I&B ministry asks TV channels to publicise travel advisory for COVID-19 affected countries

    MUMBAI: The deadly corona virus with its epicentre in Wuhan, China has slowly crept into several parts of the world. Just this week, cases of Indians who have contracted this infectious disease came to light and put the government on alert. The health ministry has finally issued an advisory regarding Covid-19 and the ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) has requested the electronic media to help spread the message.

    “Electronic media has always been in the forefront to carry such message as it is a powerful tool to reach out to the people across the country. In order to make this effort successful, it has been felt that support, assistance and contribution of TV channels and FM radio channels will be of immense use,” the advisory reads.

    The following are the tickers TV channels are advised to carry:

    1. Indian citizens are advised to refrain from travel to China, Iran, Republic of Korea, Italy and Japan.

    2. Indian citizens are advised to avoid travel to other COVID-19 affected countries.

    3. Passengers coming from abroad to India need to furnish duly filled self-declaration form and travel history to health and immigration officials at all ports and airports.

    4. For any health-related query call at ministry of health and family welfare, GOI’s 24X7 control room number +91-11-23978046 or email at ncov2019@gmail.com.

    “Keeping in view the significance and meaningfulness of this cause, all private satellite news TV channels and their associations are requested to give adequate publicity to the revised travel advisory issued by the ministry of health and family welfare,” it adds. 

  • I&B ministry gets new secretary in Ravi Mittal

    I&B ministry gets new secretary in Ravi Mittal

    MUMBAI: There’s change at the top of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B). The appointments committee of the cabinet today approved the appointment of Ravi Mittal as the I&B secretary.  Mittal will replace outgoing secretary Amit Khare who has been shifted to the department of higher education as secretary.

    Mittal was earlier the special secretary in the department of financial services, Ministry of Finance. It was only in July this year that Mittal had been promoted from his post as additional secretary from the Ministry of Finance.

    He is a 1986 batch Indian Administrative Services officer of the Bihar cadre. Previously, he has worked as principal secretary (finance), Bihar.

    Khare had been appointed to the secretary’s post on 31 May 2018.

  • Network18 writes to I&B ministry over BARC’s data validation and outlier policy

    Network18 writes to I&B ministry over BARC’s data validation and outlier policy

    MUMBAI: News broadcasting network Network18 India has shot off a letter to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry (MIB) raising concerns over Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) of India’s data validation and outlier policy, Indiantelevision.com has learnt.

    According to those in the know, the network has brought to the ministry’s attention the subjective nature of BARC’s implementation of outlier policy and its impact on TV ratings of channels with a relatively smaller viewership base.

    On its part, BARC has consistently maintained that it cannot identify landing pages. Hence, reliance on manual intervention in weeding out outliers makes the process susceptible to bias is a view held by a section within the industry.

    Indiantelevision.com reached out to Network18 for a comment, the network, however, did not confirm this development.

    BARC’s treatment of landing pages has raised a furore among broadcasters over its approach post TDSAT’s order on landing pages.

    Reacting to stakeholder concerns, the BARC board gave its nod to form a two-member committee to carry out an independent review of BARC’s data validation and outlier policy.

    With opinion divided within the industry, some broadcasters have also written letters, highlighting the negative impact of landing pages, to TRAI and BARC’s technical committee.

    On 28 May 2019, TDSAT set aside TRAI’s 3 December 2018 direction to rule in favour of landing page placement of channels.

    Data for week 22, first since the landing page ruling, saw CNN News 18 upset the English news apple cart to top the chart, followed by Republic TV, Times Now, DD India and India Today Television.

    BARC switched back to its previous methodology from week 23 onward claiming it had received multiple representations from stakeholders and the mandate of its board.

    BARC’s flip-flop with its outlier policy implementation further fuelled the landing page row.

    With the two-member committee now reviewing the policy, industry hopes for a speedy and acceptable resolution.

  • MIB seeks all new MSO applications online

    MIB seeks all new MSO applications online

    NEW DELHI: Multi-system operators seeking registration for distribution of digital addressable signals to cable television networks can only do so online from 1 September 2017.

    In a directive, the information and broadcasting ministry has said that MSOs can apply on broadcastseva.gov.in and digitalindiamib.com. The directive says it had earlier on 1 May this year given the facility to apply both online and offline (physical submission) but had decided to stop taking offline applications.

    It noted that a number of applications had in fact been received online since then. The procedure for submission of applications online is available on these two websites.

    The total number of registered MSOs as on 31 July was 1455. Early this year, the government had said all provisional multi-system operators will be deemed as having regular licence.

    Faced with just less than one month to go before total switch-off of analogue signals, the government had on 6 March 2017 decided to treat all MSOs as permanent but with condition that the period of 10 years commences from the date they got registered as provisional MSOs.

    However, if the continuation of registration of any MSO is at any time found to be or considered detrimental to the security of the State then the registration so granted is liable to be cancelled/suspended, the order placed on the Ministry website specified. All other terms and conditions depicted in the provisional registration letters will continue to apply.

    Earlier, on 27 January 2017, it had been decided that all registered MSOs are free to operate in any part of the country, irrespective of registration for specified DAS notified areas granted by this Ministry.

    However, they have to submit the details of Headend, SMS, subscribers list and a self-certificate that they are carrying all the mandatory TV Channels, within six months from date of issuance of MSO registration, to the Ministry, failing which the MSO registration is liable to cancelled/suspended.

    Hence, all deemed regular registered MSOs also are required to submit the details to the Ministry within six months.

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    Including Arasu, total number of MSOs goes up to 1376, to ensure DAS implementation

     

  • Prasar Bharati finds transmitter tenders plaint unsubstantiated

    NEW DELHI: Pubcaster Prasar Bharati, after an investigation, found the allegations regarding the purchase of transmitters by All-India Radio are unsubstantiated, the Parliament has been told.

    Minister of state for information and broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore said the complaint was received in this ministry on 7 October 2015. It was sent to Prasar Bharati for further inquiry, he said.

    It is the endeavour of the government to ensure that the tendering process is conducted as per GFR, 2005/2017.

    The government is also implementing e-tendering process for procurement of various goods and services to obtain the most competitive and suitable bids.

    AlsO Read :

    Doordarshan & AIR’s combined news ops may be lead by a D-G

    Mann ki Baat ten-second ad rate is Rs 200,000

    TRAI for pvt players in DTT, suggests capping of transmitters

    After DTT, TRAI launches exercise on digital radio broadcasting

     

  • Govt formalising TV & radio complaints’ redressal mechanism

    NEW DELHI: The government is in the process of formalising the complaint redressal mechanism whereby viewers and listeners can file complaints against programmes they find offensive in television channels or radio stations, the Parliament has been told.

    This follows a judgment delivered on 12 January in the case of Common Cause Vs. UOI and Ors advising the government to formalize the complaint redressal mechanism, the information and broadcasting minister Smriti Zubin Irani said.

    However, she denied any increasing trend in filing of complaints against television channels or radio stations.

    The process of setting up a complaints redressal system includes the period of limitation within which a complaint can be filed and the concerned statutory authority which shall adjudicate upon the same including the appellate and other redressal mechanisms, leading to a final conclusive determination by suitably amending the Cable Television Networks Rules 1994 under the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act 1995.

    Also Read :

    Streamline media grievance redressal, SC asks govt

    ‘Inappropriate content’ on TV & radio to be regulated

    Govt takes video contest route to create consumer awareness