ITV

Tag: MHA

  • Sun TV security clearance review sought; two channels’ cancellation stayed

    Sun TV security clearance review sought; two channels’ cancellation stayed

    NEW DELHI: A review has been sought by the information and broadcasting ministry from the home ministry about security clearance to Sun TV Network Ltd in view of the amended guidelines of that ministry. Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu told the Parliament yesterday that no reply had been received so far from the home ministry.

    However, he said renewal of permission has been granted to the channels which have been given security clearance. Of the 33 TV channels of M/s Sun TV Network Ltd., four TV channels are due for renewal of permission after 10 years. To a question, he said no case was pending in any court against any of the 33 channels.

    Naidu said in reply to a question that the Ministry had issued show-cause notices to nine companies having 26 TV channels after denial of security clearance by MHA.

    These include six channels of Positive TV Private Ltd, five channels of Mahua Media Pvt Ltd, four channels of Maa Television,four channels of STV Enterprises Ltd; two channels of Lemon Entertainment Ltd, Permission was cancelled in all these cases. One channel each of Indira TV Ltd, Madhyamam Broadcasting Ltd, and Lamhas Entertainment Ltd were refused permission but the ministry is considering their replies.

    Meanwhile, the cancellation of two channels of Entertainment Television Network Pvt. Ltd was challenged in court of law, and has been stayed.

    The Minister said in reply to another question that the Ministry was not aware of any such other seven similarly placed companies having 23 TV channels.

  • Sun TV security clearance review sought; two channels’ cancellation stayed

    Sun TV security clearance review sought; two channels’ cancellation stayed

    NEW DELHI: A review has been sought by the information and broadcasting ministry from the home ministry about security clearance to Sun TV Network Ltd in view of the amended guidelines of that ministry. Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu told the Parliament yesterday that no reply had been received so far from the home ministry.

    However, he said renewal of permission has been granted to the channels which have been given security clearance. Of the 33 TV channels of M/s Sun TV Network Ltd., four TV channels are due for renewal of permission after 10 years. To a question, he said no case was pending in any court against any of the 33 channels.

    Naidu said in reply to a question that the Ministry had issued show-cause notices to nine companies having 26 TV channels after denial of security clearance by MHA.

    These include six channels of Positive TV Private Ltd, five channels of Mahua Media Pvt Ltd, four channels of Maa Television,four channels of STV Enterprises Ltd; two channels of Lemon Entertainment Ltd, Permission was cancelled in all these cases. One channel each of Indira TV Ltd, Madhyamam Broadcasting Ltd, and Lamhas Entertainment Ltd were refused permission but the ministry is considering their replies.

    Meanwhile, the cancellation of two channels of Entertainment Television Network Pvt. Ltd was challenged in court of law, and has been stayed.

    The Minister said in reply to another question that the Ministry was not aware of any such other seven similarly placed companies having 23 TV channels.

  • Slow pace of court cases, MSO registration may delay DAS deadline

    Slow pace of court cases, MSO registration may delay DAS deadline

    NEW DELHI: Between the analog sunset and a digital morning are court cases and cumbersome and slow MSO registration processes. And, the deadline of 31 December 2016 appears to be becoming a distant possibility despite assertions to the contrary in the stakeholder-government meetings.

    A mere 26 MSOs got provisional registration in November 2016, taking the total to 1,059 and the number of permanent MSOs (with ten-year licences) remaining static at 229.

    With the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) directive about doing away with security clearances for MSOs not being communicated in writing to the MIB, confusion prevails slowing down the registration processes of MSOs for delivering services in DAS areas.

    Junior minister in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) Rajyavardhan Rathore had admitted in response to a question in Parliament recently that legal cases, filed mostly by cable operators relating to some phases of digital rollout, may delay the year-end sunset date for analog services in the country.

    Though MIB officials and regulator TRAI in public insist that final digitisation deadline won’t be extended, in private government officials do admit that in Phase IV areas, comprising approximately 100,000 villages, small towns and hamlets, seeding of STBs is far from the desired level. An MIB official pointed out after the last DAS Task Force Meeting late last month that cash crunch due to demonetisation of high-value currency notes has only added to the problem on the ground slowing down the entire digital rollout process.

    Further impeding STB seeding is the slowing registration of MSOs who’d actually do the work on the ground.

    MIB List of Cancelled Registrations

    Meanwhile, MIB yesterday released a list of 44 MSOs whose registrations have been cancelled or their proposal for licences closed – as against 42 in October and 29 at the end of September 2016.These cancellations exclude four cases – Kal Cables of Chennai, Godfather Communication Pvt. Ltd of Amritsar, Digi Cable Network (India) Pvt Ltd of Mumbai, and Intermedia Cable Communication Pvt. Ltd of Delhi — in which provisional or permanent registrations were issued after high courts stayed the cancellation orders in petitions filed by these MSOs.

    Most of the other cases in the list of cancelled registrations had failed to get security clearance from the MHA. However, there are cases of many MSOs holding provisional licences not completing certain formalities relating to shareholders and so on.

    According to the latest list up to 30 November 2016, the areas of operation of two MSOs (one each in the permanent and provisional lists) have been revised or corrected after 31 October 2016.Of the new licensees, three (UCS Broadband Private Limited of Lucknow, Elxire IT Services Pvt. Ltd of Haryana and Microsense Wireless Pvt. Ltd of Chennai) have got pan-India licences. Maury Diginet Pvt. Ltd of Bihar has got pan-India licence for Phase II, III and IV.

    The other new registrations after October 2016 include state-wide licences or for specific districts in Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Rajasthan, Telengana, Andhra Pradesh, Manipur, Odisha, Punjab, Delhi and Tripura.In one of the meetings of stakeholders at MIB it was revealed that though there were a reported 6,000 MSOs in the country, but only a handful of them had come forward to register.

    ALSO READ:
    MIB’s digital deadline dilemma: to relax or not

    30 MSOs got provisional licences in Oct, taking total to 1033

     

  • Slow pace of court cases, MSO registration may delay DAS deadline

    Slow pace of court cases, MSO registration may delay DAS deadline

    NEW DELHI: Between the analog sunset and a digital morning are court cases and cumbersome and slow MSO registration processes. And, the deadline of 31 December 2016 appears to be becoming a distant possibility despite assertions to the contrary in the stakeholder-government meetings.

    A mere 26 MSOs got provisional registration in November 2016, taking the total to 1,059 and the number of permanent MSOs (with ten-year licences) remaining static at 229.

    With the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) directive about doing away with security clearances for MSOs not being communicated in writing to the MIB, confusion prevails slowing down the registration processes of MSOs for delivering services in DAS areas.

    Junior minister in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) Rajyavardhan Rathore had admitted in response to a question in Parliament recently that legal cases, filed mostly by cable operators relating to some phases of digital rollout, may delay the year-end sunset date for analog services in the country.

    Though MIB officials and regulator TRAI in public insist that final digitisation deadline won’t be extended, in private government officials do admit that in Phase IV areas, comprising approximately 100,000 villages, small towns and hamlets, seeding of STBs is far from the desired level. An MIB official pointed out after the last DAS Task Force Meeting late last month that cash crunch due to demonetisation of high-value currency notes has only added to the problem on the ground slowing down the entire digital rollout process.

    Further impeding STB seeding is the slowing registration of MSOs who’d actually do the work on the ground.

    MIB List of Cancelled Registrations

    Meanwhile, MIB yesterday released a list of 44 MSOs whose registrations have been cancelled or their proposal for licences closed – as against 42 in October and 29 at the end of September 2016.These cancellations exclude four cases – Kal Cables of Chennai, Godfather Communication Pvt. Ltd of Amritsar, Digi Cable Network (India) Pvt Ltd of Mumbai, and Intermedia Cable Communication Pvt. Ltd of Delhi — in which provisional or permanent registrations were issued after high courts stayed the cancellation orders in petitions filed by these MSOs.

    Most of the other cases in the list of cancelled registrations had failed to get security clearance from the MHA. However, there are cases of many MSOs holding provisional licences not completing certain formalities relating to shareholders and so on.

    According to the latest list up to 30 November 2016, the areas of operation of two MSOs (one each in the permanent and provisional lists) have been revised or corrected after 31 October 2016.Of the new licensees, three (UCS Broadband Private Limited of Lucknow, Elxire IT Services Pvt. Ltd of Haryana and Microsense Wireless Pvt. Ltd of Chennai) have got pan-India licences. Maury Diginet Pvt. Ltd of Bihar has got pan-India licence for Phase II, III and IV.

    The other new registrations after October 2016 include state-wide licences or for specific districts in Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Rajasthan, Telengana, Andhra Pradesh, Manipur, Odisha, Punjab, Delhi and Tripura.In one of the meetings of stakeholders at MIB it was revealed that though there were a reported 6,000 MSOs in the country, but only a handful of them had come forward to register.

    ALSO READ:
    MIB’s digital deadline dilemma: to relax or not

    30 MSOs got provisional licences in Oct, taking total to 1033

     

  • MHA holds up 56 TV channels’ applications for lack of security clearance

    MHA holds up 56 TV channels’ applications for lack of security clearance

    NEW DELHI: The Parliament has been informed that eight permission holder companies have been refused to set up television channels because the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) declined security clearances to them.

     

    These include Mahuaa Media (earlier known as Pearls Media), which has applied for five channels; Sai Prakash Telecommunication for one channel; Positive Television, which applied for six channels and two teleports; Maa TV Network for four channels; STV Enterprises Ltd for four channels and one teleport; Indira Television for one channel and one teleport; and Lemon Entertainment for two channels.

     

    In addition, the case of Sun TV Network for 33 channels and two teleports is held up as the matter is sub judice. The company also owns FM radio channels.

     

    Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore told the Parliament that four of these have been served show-cause notices and the matter is under process.

     

    The Ministry will decide on these cases on the basis of their reply in consultation with Home Ministry. 

     

    Permission and renewal of permission of satellite TV channels whose security clearance is denied by MHA are not granted. Such permission holder companies are issued Show Cause Notice (SCN) on the basis of legal advice obtained recently that gives them an opportunity to make their representation.

     

    After consideration of the same, their permission is cancelled with the approval of competent authority on merits.

  • Fewer new MSO applicants held up for lack of security clearance by MHA

    Fewer new MSO applicants held up for lack of security clearance by MHA

    NEW DELHI: Imparting a pace of urgency in view of the approaching deadline for implementation of digital addressable system (DAS), the last three Open House meetings between the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) and multi system operators (MSOs) showed greater positivity with most applicants being told their applications had been processed.

     

    This is contrary to the practice a few months earlier when MSOs were told in most meetings that the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had not yet given security clearance to them.

     

    While there were some cases where such clearance is awaited, MSOs like DEN Discovery, DEN Premium, DEN Ambey, Den Enjoy, Mahvir DEN, GTPL and Good Media News were given other reasons for delay but were generally given an optimistic message.

     

    The MHA had some months earlier streamlined and relaxed national security clearance norms for certain sensitive sectors including the media sector.

     

    The Parliament had been informed by the Home Ministry that its new policy guidelines included doing away with national security clearance for MSOs in the media sector. 

     

    The guidelines are aimed at bringing about a healthy balance between meeting the imperatives of national security and facilitating the ease of doing business and promoting investment in the country.

     

    However MIB sources told Indiantelevision.com that the Ministry had still not received any note from the Home Ministry in this regard.

     

    Sources also said that a majority of the 203 MSOs who had been given provisional licences by 20 October are awaiting security clearance from the Home Ministry. 
  • Sun TV woes continue as MHA disagrees with AG, denies security clearance

    Sun TV woes continue as MHA disagrees with AG, denies security clearance

    MUMBAI: Even after Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi said that denying security clearance to Sun TV Network was wrong, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has said that it does not agree with Attorney General’s opinion on the issue.

     

    According to MHA officials, their investigation shows serious charges of money laundering against Kalanithi Maran, the owner of Sun TV Network. In the light of this, MHA took the decision to deny it security clearance after high-level consultations. The MHA has now asked the Information and Broadcasting Ministry (I&B) to give its decision, post which; it will further take a final call.  

     

    It can be noted that Rohatgi had said that the MHA denying security clearance to Sun TV on basis of corruption charges was wrong, as neither the owner nor the Network was a threat to the nation’s security. The opinion was given after the I&B Ministry had sought for the Attorney General’s opinion on the matter.

     

    Typically, when views of two ministries differ on a subject matter, the Attorney General’s opinion is sought. However, his judgment is not binding.

     

    As per media reports, while the I&B Ministry is assessing Rohatgi’s opinion, in case there is still disagreement between the two ministries, one could well see Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervening into the matter.

  • Sun TV denies receiving official memo from MHA; shares crash on bourses

    Sun TV denies receiving official memo from MHA; shares crash on bourses

    NEW DELHI: Kalanithi Maran owned Sun TV Network Limited (Sun TV) today said that it had not received any information from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) or the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) about rejection of security clearance to its television channels.

     

    Shares of Sun TV crashed over 25 per cent on Monday, 8 June, 2015, as compared to the previous closing price on Friday, amid reports that the network’s 33 television channels may be taken off air by the MHA over security clearance.

     

    When contacted by Indiantelevision.com, a Sun TV spokesperson declined to comment on the rejection of security clearance as the network was still waiting for an official report.

     

    Reacting to the reports, Sun TV clarified on the bourses stating, “We wish to state that no communication has been received by the Company in this regard from any Ministry and all our Channels continue to be on air.”

     

    On the other hand, an MIB official confirmed to this website that the Home Ministry had indeed denied security clearance to Sun TV Network as a whole and that the decision would be conveyed to the network by the MIB and not the MHA.

     

    The MIB official also confirmed that this will affect all 33 television channels of the Kalanithi Maran-promoted Sun TV Network. This may mean cancellation of the broadcasting licence. However, the Ministry official said that no decision would be taken in haste.

     

    Sun TV had applied to the MIB for renewing its broadcasting licence for 10 years, which also entails getting the required security clearance from the Home Ministry. 

     

    The Home Ministry is said to have taken this decision in the backdrop of the three pending criminal cases being looked into by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), against Maran and his brother and former Union Minister Dayanidhi Maran.

     

    Home Ministry sources denied that the decision was based on political considerations.

     

    Sun TV Network may approach the courts to get interim relief. However, no reply has been received from the Home Ministry so far.

     

    This is the second big blow for the Maran led company this year. It may be recalled that earlier in April, MIB minister Arun Jaitley had written to Home Minister Rajnath Singh to reconsider the denial of security clearance to 40 FM radio stations run by the Sun Network. 

     

    Sun TV shares (face value of Rs 5 each) opened lower today on the BSE at Rs 320.75 each as compared to the closing price of Rs 356.35 each and opened on the NSE today at Rs 320.80 each as compared to the closing rate of Rs 356.40 each. At the close of trading today, Sun TV shares closed at Rs 279.60 (down 76.75, -21.54 per cent) on the BSE and at Rs 278.65 (down Rs 77.75, -21.83 per cent) on the NSE. 

     

    On the BSE, Monday’s Low was Rs 258, whereas the High was recorded at Rs 320.75. On the NSE, Sun TV’s Low stood at Rs 257.45, where the scrip touched a High of Rs 320.80. The stock price breached the previous 52 week low on both the BSE and the NSE, also breached the lower circuit price of Rs 302.90 on both the bourses.

     

    The Sun TV Network is one of India’s largest media groups whose TV channels reach more than 95 million households across the country.