Tag: India

Doordarshan & China’s CCTV ink MoU for co-production

MUMBAI: Indian pubcaster Doordarshan has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with China Central Television (CCTV). The agreement between the two is for exchange of television programmes, promotion of co-production on themes of mutual interest and training production and technical staff.

The MoU aims to help develop greater understanding between the two broadcasters and strengthen cooperation in the field of television and broadcasting.

The agreement was signed by Prasar Bharati CEO Jawahar Sircar and CCTV president Nie Chen Xi. The move came after Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and Chinese premier Li Keqiang expanded the cooperation between the two countries from films to television co-productions.

Sircar said that the agreement between CCTV and Doordarshan will foster better people to people understanding between the two countries.

According to Sircar, the agreement will enable Doordarshan and CCTV to share programmes free of cost. The two will share programmes relating to art, culture, education, science, agriculture, entertainment, tourism, sports, news and current affairs along with human interest, development and success stories.

DD and CCTV will jointly produce TV programmes on areas of mutual interest, which include documentaries on the travels of Fa Xian and Hieun Tsang to India.

The MoU also envisages mechanisms to promote training for programme and technical staff of the two broadcasters through exchange and bilateral visits of DD and CCTV personnels.

The programmes exchange between the two channels will begin by the end of this year.

May 16, 2015
India, South Korea to ink audio-visual co-production agreement

NEW DELHI: India and South Korea will be inking an audio-visual co-production agreement, which was accorded by the Union Cabinet. The agreement will include cooperation between the film industries of the two countries to promote export of Indian films and act as a catalyst towards creating awareness about India and its culture.

This will help in increasing bilateral trade between both countries.

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved completion of internal ratification procedure, to enable the agreement to come into force.

The Agreement will be signed during the forthcoming visit of the Prime Minister to South Korea.

The agreement will mean that producers from both countries would get an opportunity to pool their creative, artistic, technical, financial and marketing resources to co-produce films.

This will lead to exchange of art and culture between the two countries, and co-productions would provide an opportunity to create and showcase the ‘soft power’ of India.

The deal is also likely to generate employment among artistic, technical as well as non-technical personnel engaged in the arena of film production including post-production and marketing, thus adding to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The utilization of Indian locales for shooting raises the visibility / prospects of India as a preferred film shooting destination across the globe would be promoted and this will lead to inflow of foreign exchange into the country.

This will also lead to transparent funding of film production.

An audiovisual co-production agreement between India and South Korea is expected to open doors for wide ranging collaboration and lead to strengthening of India’s cultural presence in an important part of the world as well as open up new frontiers for the film industries of both countries.

May 14, 2015
Colors celebrates new age talent in ‘India’s Got Talent 6’

MUMBAI: With a number of adrenalin pumping performances, Colors is back with sixth season of its reality show – India’s Got Talent.

This season, India’s Got Talent will celebrate new age talent like never before and revel in highlighting the quirkiest hunarzaades that reside in the country.

Slated to go on air from 18 April, the show will be aired over the weekend at 9 pm. Talent gurus Karan Johar, Kirron Kher and Malaika Arora Khan will return for the third consecutive season together. Produced by FremantleMedia, the show will be hosted by Nakuul Mehta and Bharti Singh. The channel believes that talent resides in every individual; it is the multiplier for energy, determination and hard work and Colors provides a platform for people to flaunt their hidden flair.

The channel has roped in a volley of sponsors including Maruti Suzuki as the presenting sponsor, OLX as the powered by sponsor, whereas Amul Macho, Layyer Wottagirl and Ultratech Cement have come on board as the associate sponsors.

With the Golden Buzzer up for grabs gifting the hunarzaade’s a direct entry into the semi-finals, talent will go beyond the four walls of the studio and explore the outer landscape to showcase newer elements including an ‘underwater’ act, a rustic ‘mela’ setup amongst others to bring out the vivid and vibrant colors of life and create the perfect backdrop for oodles of drama touching unparalleled peaks of entertainment.

Colors programming head Manisha Sharma said, “Our focus, this season, is to highlight the hunarzaades – whose talent have the ability to enthral viewers but who have been largely unacknowledged in their growing years. The talent we have seen are those, which have had the courage to follow their heart and vie for success. Karan Johar, Kirron Kher and Malaika Arora Khan are the three jewels in the India’s Got Talent crown, which have sieved out the best of the best talent over the years, and we are pleased to see them raise the bar this year as well. Be it the Golden Buzzer or just leaving the judges spellbound, this edition of India’s Got Talent will feature new-age and techno talent that will leave viewers awe-struck.”

Judging gets tougher, as talent speaks volumes about itself through acts that go beyond convention as they raise the degree of difficulty to create mind-boggling moments.

Touted as the tough-to-please judge, Johar said, “Talent needs to inspire while creating a certain level of thrill in the mind of the viewer. And of course, any good talent needs to entertain. As a judge, I choose to utilize the India’s Got Talent platform to give performers a creative opinion about the degree of complexity they add to their performances. This is my third year judging this show and I am looking forward to seeing how the participants this year surpass the benchmarks set by those who have rocked the stage in the past. They say talent speaks for itself and I am waiting eagerly to see what the talent has to say this year.”

Kher, who has been the part of the show since its inception six years back, added, “It feels wonderful for having been associated with India’s Got Talent for its entire tenure because there are so many new and exciting elements, which ensure that there is never a dull moment on the sets. It feels like home to me. India’s Got Talent is known to encourage new kinds of talent every time. For me, it is an opportunity to truly understand the real and aspirational India through this show. It is the first-hand connect with the viewers that I enjoy the most about this show. It is going to be yet another exciting season and I am really happy to be back.”

Khan opined, “India’s Got Talent is such a larger than life show that it is a challenge for us as judges because inevitably we are caught in moments where one participant is better than the other. We get to see exceptional performances every year. This season, too, I am looking forward to having some fun with many more such mind blowing acts. Bring it on, India.”

As new age talent takes the forefront, the look of the show will adopt a similar flavor. The techno and grunge feel of the sets will highlight the raw appeal of the hunarzaade adding to the overall viewing proposition. Adding a personal touch to the show, home videos of the contestants showcasing their journey of talent discovery will also be aired. Colors will also have a ‘Khulasa’ segment, which will reveal some personal quirks of the judges.

FremantleMedia MD Anupama Mandloi said, “India’s Got Talent has evolved over the years to become a show that defines talent in its true form. This year, our approach is to focus on talent and their ability to transcend thought boundaries to present the unexpected. With talent and an element of challenge being the spotlight, we are looking forward to defying traditions and welcoming a new wave of talent that will be India’s answer to the world.”

Marketing push

To enhance engagement and involve viewers at every stage of the show, an integrated marketing and digital campaign has been chalked out incorporating multiple mediums including television, mobile and cinema amongst others.

The digital campaign will have a fun-filled ‘Challenge Pappu Campaign’ wherein the character of Pappu will throw challenges at the viewers and in the process bring out some of the most outstanding talents to the fore on social media.

With extensive mobile penetration in smaller towns, the promos of the show will be pushed via MMS across key markets along with YouTube. The show will also be promoted during the Indian Premier League (IPL) through Starsports.com and Hotstar.

April 16, 2015
ICC confirms resignation of Mustafa Kamal as president

MUMBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has confirmed that Mustafa Kamal has tendered his resignation as the cricket body’s president with immediate effect.

In his resignation letter to ICC chief executive David Richardson, Kamal said he was stepping down on personal grounds and offered his apologies to all associated with the ICC, while adding that he had no complaints to make against anyone.

“Let the game of cricket under the leadership of ICC touch the hearts and minds of every cricket lover,” he wrote in his letter.

The ICC Board will now consider the vacant position of the ICC president at its forthcoming meeting in Dubai on 15 and 16 April.

April 1, 2015
“If ban is lifted, secondary rights become available, BBC would like to air ‘India’s Daughter’ in India”: Jim Egan

MUMBAI: The just concluded Cricket World Cup 2015, the infighting amongst Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) members and Deepika Padukone’s recently launched #Mychoice video has kept the Indian media busy for the past few days. And this, in a country, which has to deal with a number of bans, both of content and beef. But, what had once taken substantial screen space, is now dead.

However, when BBC Global News chief executive officer Jim Egan visited India, the very first question, which popped in people’s mind was that of his take on the ban of the documentary India’s Daughter, a co-production between BBC and documentary filmmaker Leslee Udwin.

“India’s Daughter fits the category of the documentary strand we have on BBC Global News calledStoryville Global. So, as and when the secondary rights become available and if the ban is lifted in India, then we would like to broadcast it here, but that would not be for many months,” Egan tells Indiantelevision.com.

Internet has made banning of content difficult now. “Many people have already watched India’s Daughter on YouTube and so the one thing I believe in is that it’s harder to ban things now,” he said.

BBC, according to Egan, is happy to produce a documentary like India’s Daughter, which touches upon a very sensitive topic. “It was a programme, which was made in a very careful and sensitive way. But of course it touches on some of the most delicate issues, not just in India, but around the world, and that’s why I think it’s a programme, which audiences should be able to watch,” added Egan.

Egan hopes that in time people will have the opportunity to watch it. “Women’s rights and role in a society is one of the major issues across the world and I think, the programme has done a wonderful job in bringing that aspect out,” he opined.

The channel, which reaches to approximately 400 million homes, recording a viewership of 76 million per week globally, is looking at a better traction from the country, which currently stands at around 10 per cent.

BBC has been operating in India for more than 20 years. Talking about his relation with the regulator here, Egan said, “We have a very good relation with the regulatory authorities here, both at the level of the regulator and also at the Ministerial level. Being a global broadcaster, while it is quite a difficult process, being global broadcasters, since we have to comply with different regulatory regimes right across the world, but India is not the country, which is problematic to do business.”

The curb on freedom of speech is becoming a major concern across the globe. “Although the world is becoming more connected and globalised, it is also becoming a bit of less tolerant.”

On the future plans for India, Egan said that while they aren’t increasing the number of bureaus but they are investing in people on the digital multimedia side. “Delhi is BBC’s single biggest bureau, outside the UK, that signifies the importance we show to the country and the Indian news agenda. Our endeavour is to bring international news and events to Indian audiences while telling the story of India from political and social point of view to international audiences who are interested in knowing what’s going on here. India is an important market and so we are investing to continue to grow,” concluded Egan.

March 31, 2015
Bomanbridge Media continues Asia expansion; opens India office

MUMBAI: Singapore-based content distribution agency Bomanbridge Media as part of its Asia expansion has opened an office in Mumbai. It will be headed by TV veteran Arpit Agarwal as Bomanbridge Media director of sales for South Asia.

India is the fourth country in Asia where the company will have a base, after recently launching offices in Korea and Mongolia, in addition to its headquarters in Singapore. The further expansion follows recent investment by Hera Capital, which is also funding the company’s international lifestyle and cooking show Haute & Saucy with Kelly Randall Sia.

Agarwal, who has worked in various capacities at Fremantle India, Balaji Telefilms, Bang Singapore and Sahara One, comes with over 18 years of experience in creating and managing both mass and niche television content in India and in Singapore. He also headed business development at Starcut Asia Pacific – a Nokia subsidiary and is credited for creating Singapore’s first made-for-mobile series Kumarsutra. Agarwal began his career as a reporter, producer and host at NDTV in New Delhi, India.

“This entrance into South Asia, and especially India, is the beginning of very exciting times for us at Bomanbridge. With assured improvements in TV measurement, and decreasing carriage costs, we are witnessing not only a surge in demand for niche content but also the need for product differentiation through innovation amongst the major GEC players. India has always been one of our stronger territories in the region and we look forward to enhancing our presence there to better serve our partners. Arpit brings extensive television experience and we look to him to bring us to the next level. Our team is now stronger than ever, ready to serve the entire Asian region with the best programming, and with people on the ground in several countries,” said Bomanbridge Media CEO Sonia Fleck.

Agarwal added, “I am very pleased to join Bomanbridge Media, a company that is respected across the broadcasting fraternity of Asia as exclusive representatives of renowned content from around the world. Sonia and her team have a firm handle on the territory and I look forward to adding value and growing the business further in India and the region.”

March 23, 2015
‘India’s Daughter’ ban extended till 15 April, HC seeks MIB advisory

NEW DELHI: The ban on the telecast of the controversial BBC documentary India’s Daughter by Leslee Udwin about the 16 December, 2012 Nirbhaya gang rape will continue till 15 April, though the film continues to be available on the Internet.

The Delhi High Court today (18 March) asked the central government to place before the court the advisory issued by it on 3 March prohibiting exhibition of the documentary.

A division bench of Chief Justice G. Rohini and Justice R.S. Endlaw posted for 15 April the two public interest litigations (PILs) before it for revocation of the ban on the documentary’s telecast.

A different bench had yesterday declined to immediately revoke the ban on the telecast of the documentary. It said it has “no problem” about airing the documentary but the case (appeals of the convicts against death sentence) was pending before the Supreme Court.

It also observed that media trials tend to influence judges by subconsciously creating pressure.

The documentary is about the gang rape of a 23-year-old trainee physiotherapist, who was brutally assaulted in a moving bus in Delhi. The film kicked up a storm after one of the convicts Mukesh Singh justified the action.

The documentary also has comments from the convicts’ counsel A.P. Singh and M.L. Sharma, who allegedly made derogatory remarks against women and who have alreadybeen issued notices by the Bar Council of India.

The PILs said that the ban on the documentary was in clear violation of fundamental rights under Article 19 of the constitution.

They sought direction to declare as illegal the act of banning the documentary by the Home and Information and Broadcasting Ministries, and the Delhi Police commissioner.

The Centre on 3 March issued an advisory to ban the broadcast of the documentary and the trial court had banned it on 4 March until further orders.

The pleas also sought direction for the Supreme Court registry to constitute a three-judge special bench to hear the appeals of the four death row convicts, pending since 25 August, 2014.

The Supreme Court, in July, put on hold the execution of the four convicts in the case. Going by the chatter on social media, the public at large wanted to see the documentary, as within a day of it being put up on YouTube, it was viewed by more 2.86 lakh people, the pleas said.

March 18, 2015
ICC World Cup: Star likely to hike ad rates by 15-20% in knockout stage

MUMBAI: As the ICC Cricket World Cup moves into the knockout stage, interest levels in the tourney, which is being played Down Under, are rising. And cashing in on this opportunity, Star Sports is looking at escalating its ad rates to rake in more moolah.

Sources in media planning and buying fraternity told Indiantelevision.com that the broadcaster was looking at a hike of at least seven – ten per cent in the ad rates for the knockout stages. Star, however, is claiming a hike of 15 to 20 per cent compared to the rate of the league stages.

A source in Star Sports further revealed, “From the semi final stages, we will have a number of fresh sponsors and advertisers coming in as numerous deals at the earlier stages were signed only till the quarter final stage. Interest of the matches will decide the ad rates and if India qualifies for the semi finals, the rates will certainly see a substantial hike.”

Speaking on the commercial growth of the tournament so far, Helios Media managing director Divya Radhakrishnan says, “India has played well so far and will face Bangladesh in the Quarters, which adds the possibilities of a semi-final berth and hence the demand of the tournament is way higher when compared to the league stages. The advertisers, who gambled to participate in the early stages, got the best price because now the ad rate is sky high.”

GroupM national director entertainment, sports & live events Vineet Karnik asserts, “India’s performance in the triangular series Down Under was below par, which resulted in a slow beginning to the World Cup in terms of advertiser participation. However, as India started playing well, the tournament gained momentum. Now in the knockout stages, the demand is high and naturally Star will increase the ad rate substantially.”

As the ICC World Cup entered the business end of the tournament, 14 teams tried with only eight succeeding to reach the knockout stages. Despite having a below par start, Pakistan securing a berth in the quarters, was a key highlight in the tourney. Lower run rate led to Ireland’s disqualification in the knockout stage as it tied with West Indies, which also managed six points from the league stages. However, the eyebrow raiser of the tournament was Bangladesh, who stunned England to book a berth in the quarters.

Earlier today (18 March), South Africa stormed through to the semis after brutally thrashing Sri Lanka by nine wickets. Bangladesh will play India tomorrow (19 March), who is undisputed so far in the tourney and has decimated each and every batting attack. If India wins the quarter final match, it will face the winner of the Australia vs Pakistan match. This in turn can lead to a probable Indo-Pak bout. India Vs Pakistan match is always an intense battle on and off the field.

While the two teams sweat out to win the match, advertisers exert themselves to create an exquisite presentation in order to grab more eyeballs. Alongside, Star India will prepare its business strategy to generate as much revenue as possible. The ad rates will see a substantial hike and last moment contributors will definitely need to have deep pockets indeed.

March 18, 2015
Media should reflect on whether airing gang rape film is justified: Jaitley

NEW DELHI: Even as the Delhi High Court is still to decide finally on the ban on India’s Daughter by Leslee Udwin, Information and Broadcasting Minister (I&B) Arun Jaitley said, over the weekend, that the media worldwide should reflect on issues surrounding the film made by BBC and specifically on whether a media organisation should allow its platform to be used by a rapist to justify his innocence.

Asked by reporters in London to give his view on the ban, Jaitley who, is a also lawyer, said the matter was in court.

“The Home Ministry and Parliament had a certain view, which was expressed. Without getting into the issue because it has been challenged in the court and let the court decide this; I will only mention two points to be borne in mind by anyone who wants to produce any film on these causes,” he said.

Jaitley pointed out to a provision under Section 228A of the Indian Penal Code, which came into force following the Justice Verma Committee report, to prohibit the naming and showing any photograph of the rape victim.

“Secondly, it is a question for the media itself to debate whether during the pendency of the appeal, a media organisation should allow its platform to be used by a rapist to justify why he is not guilty,” he added.

“My understanding of the English law is that on both these counts in a sub-judice matter wit the appeal pending, a media forum may not have been made available to the accused to justify his innocence,” Jaitley said.

He made a direct link with the comments of one of the rapists, Mukesh Singh, who had claimed he was at the wheel and hence “not part of the act.”

“These are the two crucial issues on which I would like the media itself to reflect on,” the Minister said.

March 16, 2015
Early hearing on ‘India’s Daughter’ ban refused; HC to hear case on 11 March

NEW DELHI: Even as the film continues to be available on internet, the Delhi High Court refused to give urgent hearing to a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking lifting of the ban on telecast of a controversial documentary India’s Daughter featuring an interview of one of the four convicts in the 16 December gang rape case.

A bench of justices B.D. Ahmed and Vibhu Bakhru said there is no such urgency in the matter and it will be heard on Wednesday (11 March).

The court’s response came after two law students — Arun Menon and Kritika Padode — sought urgent hearing in their PIL, saying the ban on the documentary is a clear violation of their fundamental rights under Article 19 of the Indian Constitution.

The Information and Broadcasting Ministry also issued an advisory to all television channels to not broadcast the documentary.

The government has sought an explanation from Tihar jail authorities over how the convict was interviewed while being in judicial custody.

A similar petition was filed last week, by a law student, who sought lifting of the ban on the ground that it is “nothing but an honest look at the mind and mindset of one of the convicted rapists of the young woman.”

Today’s plea also sought direction to the Bar Council of India to expedite action against the two lawyer — advocate A.P. Singh and M.L. Sharma — who had allegedly made derogatory anti-women remarks in the documentary.

The plea also said that a direction be issued to the Supreme Court registry to constitute a three judge special bench to hear the appeals of the four death row convicts, which is pending since 25 August, 2014. The apex court in July had stayed the execution of the four convicts in the gang-rape and murder case.

The other petition prepared by Vibhor Anand said that the public at large wanted to see the documentary as within 24 hours of its being put up on YouTube, it was viewed by more 2.86 lakh people.

Meanwhile, another bench of the High Court hearing another case relating to rape pulled up the Central and Delhi government for failing to make even a single documentary or use the visual medium in any manner to educate people about the nature of sexual offences and the stringent punishments involved.

It also noted the ‘disgusting’ trend of people in high positions to make ‘vile’ statements while voicing their tasteless anti-women opinions. “What is in bad taste are the irresponsible and vile statements made very often by erudite people who hold reputable positions and place in diverse fields, and show no signs of shame while voicing their warped and misogynistic ideals,” said the court.

“We express our disgust and displeasure at the apathy and insensitivity of the Union of India and Delhi Government for having failed to take steps to produce even a single documentary or for that matter take the help of any other visual media to educate the people of Delhi, about the nature of sexual offences concerning women and child and create awareness amongst them about the existing laws and stringent punishments provided against such offences despite several directions having been given by this Court,” observed the division bench consisting of Justice Kailash Gambhir and Sunita Gupta, while also comparing this apathy to the efforts of a foreigner.

“In contrast, one individual, a British filmmaker, could make a documentary film on the brutal gang rape that has managed to kick up a storm and trigger a furore in India,” said the court while hearing an appeal against a judgement sentencing a rape accused.

The court further noted that the freedom of expression guaranteed under the Constitution was not absolute. “Clause (2) of Article 19 of the Indian Constitution enables the legislature to impose certain restrictions on free speech. And, these reasonable restrictions should be kept in mind by one and all before giving vent to their opinions and views.”

Meanwhile, the news channel NDTV on International Women’s Day (8 March) showed a blank screen at the time slated for the telecast with only a visual of a lamp, the words ‘India’s Daughters’ and a scroll running beneath it putting out statements issued by the Editors Guild of India and others.

The Guild slammed the government’s move to ban the film, calling the ban wholly unwarranted and based on misunderstanding of the power and the message behind the film.

March 10, 2015