ITV

Tag: Media sector

  • I&B Ministry asks TRAI and PCI to accelerate views on the proposed FDI limits

    I&B Ministry asks TRAI and PCI to accelerate views on the proposed FDI limits

    NEW DELHI: In the light of the current scenario of demands for growth in the media sector escalating, Information and Broadcasting Ministry has asked the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India to speed up its comments on the reference made earlier regarding foreign investment limits in the broadcasting sector.

    In its communication to TRAI, the Ministry has sought comments regarding the paper prepared by the Finance Ministry relating to revision in existing FDI caps in the broadcasting sector. The paper had been forwarded to TRAI seeking its recommendations under Section 11(1)(a)(ii) and (iv) of the TRAI Act, 1997, which pertains to the terms and conditions of license to a service provider and measures to facilitate competition and promote efficiency in the operation of telecommunication services to facilitate growth in such services.

    In a similar separate communication, the ministry has requested the Press Council of India (PCI) to further its advice on the existing sectoral caps of FDI in print media under Section 13 of PCI Act 1978. The advice has been sought in view of the communication received from the Finance Ministry which aims to review policy of sectoral caps of FDI in print media. Section 13 authorises PCI to express its opinion in regard to any matter referred to it by the Central Government.

    The paper proposes to raise the existing FDI cap of 26 per cent which is through FIPB route to 49 per cent through automatic route in the news sector. In the non-news sector, the existing FDI cap is 100 per cent through FIPB route which has been proposed to be 100 per cent through automatic route without the requirement of FIPB’s approval.

    In a consultation paper issued in July following the ministry’s note of the same month, TRAI had reiterated its earlier proposal for increasing the foreign direct investment for FM Radio to 49 per cent, and said the FDI for teleports, DTH, HITS, mobile and cable television networks must be raised to 100 per cent.

    TRAI also conceded a long-standing demand of news and current affairs television channels by recommending that they should be permitted 49 per cent FDI.

    However, TRAI had said that in the cases of both FM Radio and news channels where the existing limit is 26 per cent, the clearance would be through the Foreign Investments Promotion Board.

    In the case of teleports, DTH, HITS, mobile and cable television networks where the limit was 74 per cent, TRAI said that it can be raised to 100 per cent of which 49 per cent would be automatic and the rest would be through FIPB.

    No change had been recommended in the case of downlinking of TV Channels and uplinking of general entertainment (non-news) channels where the upper limit is 100 per cent through FIPB.
    TRAI had earlier given recommendations on the same subject in April 2008 and again on 30 June last year following ministerial references, on the basis of which changes had been carried out. The last such change was on 20 September 2012.

  • TV viewing experience being enriched by social media: Study

    TV viewing experience being enriched by social media: Study

    MUMBAI: Contrary to predictions that the digital age would drag people away from television, people are watching more TV than ever and people‘s viewing experience is being enriched rather than eroded by social networks and dedicated social TV apps like Zeebox. Increasingly, the assumption that a laptop, and a tablet or mobile are the "second" and "third" screens will be eroded.

    It will not be enough to simply broadcast a hashtag and flag a few tweets on the television screen. Telling stories through multiple screens (and elsewhere) will begin to supplant the notion of broadcasting something on the first screen and people reacting and responding to it on disconnected supplementary screens. What does this mean for brand owners?

    Millward Brown, a global research agency, has released its annual top 10 digital and media predictions, highlighting growing trends in the media sector.

    Among other trends, Millward Brown‘s Futures Group believes that the emergence of "mobile as remote" will make it a central pillar of smart communication plans; that omnichannel marketing will help brands build on meaningful moments of engagement; and that social TV will grow up and become part of the narrative rather than a conversation about the narrative.

    Duncan Southgate, Global Brand Director for Digital at Millward Brown, commented, "We expect 2013 to be another dynamic year for online display, mobile and social media.

    onsumers have ever higher expectations of intelligent digital advertising approaches, and marketers will need to deliver more sophisticated campaigns to keep pace with what works."

    The emergence of ‘mobile remote‘: With increased power and capabilities, mobile devices become the remote controls of our lives allowing not only active control of electronics, but seamless integration of the world around us. The new functionality of our mobile "remotes" utilizes advanced technology to simplify lives. Anything that needs a processor to operate can use a smartphone as the "brains."

    Brands need to start developing communication plans that adapt to this world. With mobile as the hub, information gathering becomes more centralised as consumers trade personal information for convenience and access to events, offers and premium content.

    Omnichannel marketing and brand building : Omnichannel marketing is about being present or available across the consumer‘s behavioral path: each potential contact point integrated with all others. The digital arena will represent the first stage of more brands adopting an omnichannel mindset as social and mobile data sources are blended with offline brand experiences.

    In 2013 the green shoots of omnichannel strategies will involve companies turning existing datasets into active targeting engines. As mobile ad-serving platforms mature, this will transition from social apps into ads running across any mobile content. As well as receiving location data, mobiles have the potential to inform nearby digital screens – Minority Report-style tailored out of home ad content may not be so far away.

    So what is the implication for marketers? Start building the infrastructure to deliver an integrated experience in the omnichannel world or face being left behind.

    Other predictions include:

    •  Real-time planning will become an essential feature of digital campaign delivery and evaluation
    • Better alignment of online display formats with objectives
    • Wider availability of high impact Facebook advertising will provide richer opportunities for brands
    • More paywalls on premium sites will lead to a scarcity of ‘premium eyeballs‘
    • In-app advertising spend will be driven by greater use of rich media
    • In Africa, brands will take advantage of huge mobile marketing opportunities
    • Social media listening will evolve from monitoring to insight generation as brands give more weight to social data in business decisions