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  • News channels urge government to keep Trai’s ad regulation in abeyance

    News channels urge government to keep Trai’s ad regulation in abeyance

    NEW DELHI: Fearing a huge impact on their revenue models, TV news broadcasters have urged the government not to implement the ad time regulation notified by the Telecom ReguIatory Authority of India (Trai) till digitisation is implemented across the country.

     

    News channels feel that high carriage fees and low subscription revenues due to constraint of bandwidth on analogue cable networks are issues that need to be sorted out first. Any current regulation that would harm their advertising revenue, which amounts to more than 90 per cent of their total income, can only be “ill-timed”. Advertising has been “slow” and the economic slowdown of 2008 “has not been corrected yet”.

     

    According to the Trai notification, news and current affairs channels will have to limit their commercial time to 12 minutes per clock hour.

        
    Expressing “deep shock” over the new notification, the News Broadcasters Association (NBA) today said it was “appalled that by way of advertisement regulations, the Trai has issued the most sweeping and intrusive controls, and not just regulations, in relation to advertising that may be carried on TV channels.”

     

    NBA urged the government to keep the notification in abeyance till such time digitisation is fully implemented in the country (with consequential benefits of no or low carriage fees and credible subscription revenue) and DAVP recommences advertising on news channels at rates which are fair and acceptable.

     

    Despite Phase-1 of digitisation being implemented from 1 November last year, the benefits have not yet accrued to broadcasters, particularly news broadcasters. Carriage fees continue to be high and most news broadcasters do not get subscription revenues. Over the last year or so, news organisations have not received any advertising from DAVP, which has cut rates to levels 75 per cent lower than they were even five years ago. All of these factors have ensured that most news channel companies face losses on an annual basis.

     

    The NBA said it believed that in the garb of “regulation of advertisements”, Trai has imposed severe restrictions which amount to “control of content” which is “anathema to our constitutional scheme”. The ad regulations are in violation of Article 19(1)(g) of the Constitution, which entitles a citizen to carry-on any trade or business, NBA stated.

     

    The NBA notes that the recent regulations reveal a clear lack of understanding of the actual problems on the ground and the environment that the industry operates in. “The regulations, if implemented, will force many news organisations to shut down, taking away our democratic right to inform and educate and to do it independent of Government. With the general elections looming ahead, it would appear that this is an attempt to muzzle the media by taking away its ability to operate independently,” NBA said.

  • TV ratings: NBA wants independent audit

    NEW DELHI: Though the Broadcast Audience Research Council (Barc) is expected to give out its first report by March 2014, the Government has been urged by the News Broadcasters Association (NBA) to set up a third party audit.

    Information and Broadcasting Ministry sources told indiantelevision.com that while it has been following up with Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) for constitution of a transparent and credible audience research mechanism, the NBA has written to the Government for setting up an independent third party audit by a reputed agency to evaluate and measure the TAM system.

    Meanwhile, the Ministry had asked the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) in December last year to make recommendations on comprehensive guidelines/accreditation mechanism for agencies studying television rating points to ensure fair competition, better standards and quality of services.

  • Trai issues notice to broadcasters to implement ad cap

    NEW DELHI: Even as it has sought clarity from the Information and Broadcasting Ministry on its powers in acting against violators, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has issued notices to broadcasters to adhere to the 10+2 ad cap fixed by it in May last year.

    And even as broadcasters are unsure of Trai’s powers in implementing these regulations, the Authority has asked all broadcasters to give reasons by 10 March for not implementing the ad cap limit.

    Trai had stated that no broadcaster shall carry advertisements exceeding 12 minutes in a clock hour in a programme. The clock hour commences at 00.00 of the hour and ends at 00.60. Any shortfall of advertisement duration in a clock hour shall not be carried over. Advertisements included not only the commercials, but also the channel’s own promotions for its shows or for the channel per se.

    Broadcaster bodies had at that time opposed the suggestions citing ground realties in implementing them and the fact that the duration and number of ad breaks should be decided by market forces and not by regulating authorities. It is also felt by the broadcasters that this will hit their annual balance sheets.

    Broadcasters bodies Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) and News Broadcasters Association (NBA) have been asked by the broadcasters to take a call on the issue as enforcement of the Trai rules may affect their viewership as well as their earnings, particularly in a scenario where the channels are still dependent more on commercial revenues than on subscriptions.

    A consultation paper in March 2012 had stated that there was a precedence of a Supreme Court ruling which had held that the restriction on advertising space in newspapers would lead to reduction in their revenues which was in violation of Article 19 (1)(a). The same rule should also apply to television.

    It was stated that the regulation also contradicts Trai’s own ruling of 2004, which had stated that there should be no regulation on advertisements – both on free to air and pay channels.

    Trai, upset over inaction on complaints against broadcasters, had asked the Ministry earlier this month to clarify if it is empowered to enforce rules on duration and format of TV advertisements if it wants to avoid possible “embarrassment” and litigation.

  • TAM to release news channels’ data from 9 January

    MUMBAI: Viewership data for individual news channels from 7 October 2012 will be available on 9 January when TAM Media Research, the television ratings service provider, begins releasing ratings data as it used to before digitisation in the four metros.

    The decision was made Monday as the industry bodies – Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI), the Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA) and the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) – came to an agreement on this. Earlier, as reported in Indiantelevision.com, the News Broadcasters Association (NBA) had agreed for a release of TAM data on viewership of their individual channels for the suspended period from 7 October on 9 January.

    Meanwhile, TAM today released data for weeks 41-50 but without individual ratings for news channels. The news genre viewership data was clubbed with the ‘Others‘ category, which includes genres like shopping and religious.

    TAM will release data for week 51 on 27 December and for week 52 on 3 January, again without ratings for individual news channels. The news genre will continue to come under the ‘Others‘ category till 9 October.

    TAM had suspended data release from 7 October as was agreed by IBF, AAAI and ISA, as digitisation was under way in the metros of Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkatta and Chennai.

    TAM had to delay release of ratings data for the suspended period on 19 December on a request from the Information and Broadcasting Ministry and the NBA, in concurrence with IBF, AAAI and ISA. NBA wanted temporary suppression of viewership data for individual news channels.

    The decision by TAM to release ratings for individual news channels on 9 January is in accordance with the decision of the News Broadcasters Association (NBA) on Friday.

    TAM said the suppression of ratings data on news channels “is purely a temporary request from the industry.” The retrospective data for the period (weeks 41-52), for all the news channels, will be de-suppressed and released normally (individually) on 9 January with the data release of week 1 of the year 2013.

    TAM has released data for weeks 41-52 for digital homes in the three cities of Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata, where digitisation has nearly happened. Chennai, which was the fourth city mandated to have gone digital from 1 November, is not included. Digitisation in Chennai, according to a TAM survey, is stuck at around 26 per cent, with the Madras High Court hearing a petition by cable operators against digitisation.

  • NBA agrees to release of ratings data only from 9 January

    MUMBAI: News broadcasters Association (NBA) has agreed to have resumption of TAM Media Research’s viewership ratings data of all news channels from 9 January, a deferment of three weeks from the 19 December release date fixed earlier.

    However, TAM, the only ratings provider in India, is yet to hear from the industry bodies including Association of Advertising Agencies of India (AAAI), Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA) and the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF).

    One of the industry body members told Indiantelevision.com that discussions are on and no final decision has been made yet.

    Earlier in the day, TAM said in a statement on its website that, “At the request of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and in concurrence with the ISA, AAAI and IBF, data of news channels is being withheld. From week 41 of 2012, data for news channels for all markets will be aggregated with ‘Others’.”

    Accordingly, TAM was to release the later on Friday but decided it would first want to have “quick” consent letters from individual news channels (including members of NBA) stating their agreement with their channel’s viewing being clubbed into the category of ‘others’. Others category includes lesser viewed channels like religious channels and shopping channels.

    In a later development, an official with NBA told Indiantelevision.com that the association has “agreed that TAM resume reporting of viewership data from 9 January, including for individual news channels and for the period since 7 October, no individual news channel data be reported.” NBA has a strong weightage with almost all major news networks as its members, but there are a large number of smaller news channels which are not its members.

    Indiantelevision.com has learnt that no conclusive decision seems to have been taken by the other industry bodies till the filing of this report. TAM has played it safe by asking individual news channels to give their consent.

    TAM had suspended ratings of all genres from 7 October after an agreement with AAAI, ISA and IBF. It was to release data for the nine-week period of suspension on 19 December, but was asked by the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry to not resume reporting television ratings on the prodding of NBA.

    Also Read:
    Why news broadcasters want TAM to defer ratings

    Govt pushes TAM to defer release of TV ratings data

  • NBA strengthens China focus with Panini Group deal

    MUMBAI: The National Basketball Association (NBA) and sports and entertainment collectibles company the Panini Group have announced an extension of their partnership through a new multi-year agreement.

    Under the terms of the new agreement, Panini will continue to be the exclusive trading card and sticker partner for the NBA globally, expanding its current development and distribution of trading cards and products worldwide, with a particular focus on China. The relationship will be managed by the Panini Group‘s U.S. subsidiary, Panini America.

    This renewal reinforces Panini‘ position as the only company in the world to manufacture official trading cards and stickers for the NBA, NFL, NFLPA, NHL, NHLPA, MLBPA, and FIFA World Cup. Panini‘s array of NBA products, which include “National Treasures” and “Prestige,” is designed to attract new and existing collectors, and to establish a high-end marketplace for NBA trading cards and related products domestically and internationally.

    NBA executive VP global merchandising group Sal LaRocca said, “Our companies share a collective interest in promoting our brands worldwide. Panini has continually demonstrated the ability and commitment to creating products that appeal to our fans on a global basis.”

    Panini America CEO Mark Warsop said, “The popularity of the NBA game globally is unmatched and, with new NBA superstars emerging, it‘s an exciting time to collect NBA trading cards, which are not only fun but highly sought after in the secondary trading card market. In the last three years, there has not been a more valuable modern-day trading card than our National Treasures NBA product that included a 1-of-1 Blake Griffin NBA Logoman Rookie card that sold on the secondary market for $38,000. This new long-term agreement with the NBA serves as the foundation to our future growth and our long-term commitment to the trading card category.”

    The Panini Group has relationships with players, including five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers. In May Panini Authentic, Panini‘s memorabilia division, signed the Dallas Mavericks as its first exclusive game-worn team partner. Panini also has relationships with USA Basketball, USA Baseball, the U.S. Soccer Women‘s National Team, the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Disney, Hello Kitty, Justin Bieber, One Direction and Michael Jackson and more than 600 global licenses with other sports and entertainment properties.

  • Narayana Rao re-elected NBA president

    Narayana Rao re-elected NBA president

    NEW DELHI: K V L Narayana Rao has been re-elected president of the News Broadcasters Association for 2012-13.

    Rao is Executive Vice Chairperson of NDTV Group – New Delhi Television Ltd.

    Barun Das, CEO of Zee News, is the Vice-President. Ashok Venkataramani, who is ABP News CEO, is the honorary treasurer.

    The other members on the NBA Board are :
    1. Rajat Sharma, Chairman – Independent News Services Pvt. Ltd.
    2. Sunil Lulla, Managing Director & CEO – Times Global Broadcasting Company Ltd.
    3. Saikumar Balasubramanian – Group CEO (Network 18) – IBN 18 Broadcast Ltd.
    4. Anil Mehra, Director – TV Today Network Ltd.
    5. Anurradha Prasad, Chairperson-cum-Managing Director, News24 Broadcast India Ltd.

  • London Olympics draws record viewership

    MUMBAI: London Olympics started with an exceptional performance especially in the United Kingdom with 23.5 million viewers tuning in for the opening ceremony on BBC1 for an 82.3 per cent market share, making it the top of the year so far, according to Eurodata TV Worldwide trends.

    Viewing figures were also high across the World for the spectacular opening ceremony. In France the event gathered great audiences on TF1 with 8.7 million viewers and a 56.9 per cent market share, that is to say a better score compared to Beijing 2008 (5 million viewers on France 2).

    Over in Germany on ZDF, 7.6 million sports fans watched the event for a 43.5 per cent market share. Although this matched results for Beijing, it nonetheless represents a drop compared to Athens 2004, partly due to the length of the ceremony added to the time difference.

    Among Spanish audiences on La 1, the event gathered 5.6 million viewers with 46.1 per cent market share, more than doubling the results of Athens 2004. This huge rise demonstrates that the Spanish are more and more enthusiastic for sports in general, thanks to the incredible success of local athletes and teams.

    Italians also appreciated the Opening Ceremony with more than 5.5 million people tuning in on Rai 1 with a market share of 42.6 per cent, in line with previous Games.

    In China, despite a big time difference, CCTV1, CCTV5 and CCTV News realised good figures (all three channels combined) with 22.2 million viewers and a 49 per cent market share. It is the proof that the previous Olympics created a keen interest.

    The data used is from multiple sources to capture the viewership of the various countries. These are: Eurodata TV Worldwide; Médiamétrie (France); Nielsen (USA); Auditel (Italy); BARB (UK); AGF,GfK Fernsehforschung (Germany); CSM Media Research (China); Kantar Media (Spain).

    The women’s football competition started with a big match between two favourites for the gold medal: France and the USA. This game, the remake of the 2011 FIFA World Cup semi-final, achieved great audience in France with 1 million viewers and a 8.8 per cent market share on France 4, compared to a 2.2 per cent channel average market share over the first semester of 2012.

    In the UK, BBC1 gathered 1.8 million viewers and a 18.3 per cent market share for the game between Great Britain and New Zealand. These results demonstrate the increasing support for women’s football, as it commands increasingly impressive TV audiences.

    Men’s basketball started with big expectations on Sunday. The new US Dream Team was up against France, one of the strongest challengers. On France 3, the game was followed by 3.9 million viewers and a market share of 33.3 per cent. The match was a huge success both for the spectacular game and the impressive TV audience figures taking into account the usual little regular exposure of basketball.

    Road cycling, one of the most popular competitions, took place on 28 Saturday. Reason: Bradley Wiggins won the Tour de France in July, his appearance at the Opening Ceremony once again, stoking British enthusiasm for the sport.

    In the UK, BBC3 averaged 788,100 viewers with a 7.7 per cent market share for the race and peaked at 2 million viewers (18.5 per cent market share) just before the last hope for a British medal disappeared in this race.

    Eurodata TV Worldwide vice-president Jacques Braun said, “The United Kingdom is known worldwide as a country of sports tradition, so this event could be seen as a symbolic return to their roots. Furthermore, the Euro 2012, the NBA Finals, the Tour de France and Wimbledon were great boosters for this amazing sports summer with the performances of Bradley Wiggins and Andy Murray. The performance of cycling in this Olympics demonstrates again the ingredients of TV ratings success: a whole country or city getting behind their hero with medals at stake.”

  • ‘World Series Hockey will change the face of hockey as we know it’ : Wizcraft International director Sabbas Joseph

    ‘World Series Hockey will change the face of hockey as we know it’ : Wizcraft International director Sabbas Joseph

     

    In order to expand its presence in the sports world Wizcraft International has come on-board the World Series Hockey (WSH) as a franchisee. The franchise-based league initiative from Nimbus will be played across eight cities and kicks off on 17 December 2011.

     

    Wizcraft International bought the Delhi franchise and has called it Delhi Wizards.

     

    Indiantelevision.com‘s Ashwin pinto caught up with Wizcraft International director Sabbas Joseph to find out more on the company‘s plans and how he sees the league benefitting the sport.

     

    Excerpts:

    How did Wizcraft get involved with World Series Hockey?
    We have always been involved in Sport, be it the ceremonies of the Commonwealth Games or the Cricket World Cup and were very eager to get involved in a big way with Hockey.

     

    Wizcraft sees the WSH as an opportunity towards community building, giving our national sport a pedestal equivalent or maybe even bigger than other sports. We are keen on developing the sport and bringing it back in a big way.

    How does this broaden your presence and offerings as a company?
    We‘ve always tried to push the boundaries with everything we do and we are constantly looking to challenge ourselves with new endeavors.

     

    As a company, we have the resources and the determination to do this and we feel that World Series Hockey will establish Wizcraft as a player in the sports arena as well as entertainment. In fact we would work actively to combine entertainment and sport to create a success.

    What are your short term and long-term expectations from the league?
    We‘ve only just started and it will definitely be a challenge but we‘re sure that it will be a great success.

     

    Both our short term and long term expectations from the league are “Whatever is best for Indian hockey and sport”. We are confident that WSH will make a huge difference.

    From a commercial, viewership and player point of view what impact do you see the league having?
    From a commercial point of view I think it will change the face of Indian hockey as we know it. This initiative will make hockey ‘cool‘ and ‘exciting‘ again and it will revamp the image of our national sport.

     

    It will be a great opportunity for the players to get international training and exposure and develop their skills and really show their talent. And I think it will rouse the interest of the public as well. People will begin to get excited about hockey just as they do for cricket.
    ‘It will certainly be a challenge to get sponsors in such a short amount of time, but we love a challenge‘

    Could you talk about the management team that has been put in place to look after the franchise?
    As of now, Wizcraft has the in-house expertise with a number of people working around the clock to manage the franchise and build the ‘Delhi Wizards‘ brand from the ground up, making it the national capital‘s pride.

     

    Additionally we have the world‘s best hockey coach, Roelant Oltmas and the captain Lucas Villa.

    Will Delhi Wizards be incorporated as a separate company?
    We are at a very nascent stage now. We are yet to decide the corporate structuring of the ‘Delhi Wizards‘. We will do all that is needed to give it impetus and independence.

    What is the overall investment being made by Wizcraft in the franchise and will this go up year on year?
    At the present moment we are committed to do all that it takes to make Delhi Wizards succeed. Expectedly our commitments will only increase year on year.

    By when do you expect to breakeven and what sort of a split do you see between central and local revenue?
    It is early. But we hope that we can break even within five years at least. The split between central and local revenue is projected to be equal.

    Why did you choose Delhi as the franchise base?
    We have already got a fantastic team in Delhi and we have our leisure and entertainment destination ‘The Kingdom of Dreams‘ there as well.

     

    We have also got a media and entertainment institute coming up in Delhi shortly and we felt that all of these factors would give us a bit of an edge.

    How did the name Delhi Wizards come about and what are the brand attributes of the team?
    Well, at Wizcraft we consider ourselves to be Wizzes and believe the hockey team should be an extension of this belief.

     

    They are another addition to the Wizcraft family which is why we call them the Wizards. It‘s also a tribute to Dhyan Chand, the wizard of hockey. Incidentally, our home ground too is named after Dhyan Chand.

    Has research been done by Wizcraft to show how the national sport is perceived?
    Yes, but I think it‘s pretty clear that our national sport doesn‘t get the recognition it deserves.

     

    It is riddled by politics and doesn‘t get the encouragement and distinction or reward that is needed. This is very sad and it is exactly the kind of perception that we would persevere to change.

    There are just a few weeks between the announcement of your franchise and the league starting. What challenges does this pose for you in terms of getting sponsors, getting the players to gel as a team?
    It will certainly be a challenge to get sponsors in such a short amount of time, but we love a challenge at Wizcraft and we‘re certain we will rise to the occasion.

     

    With regard to the team, we‘ve got the pick of the coaches in Roelant Oltmans, who is unarguably the world‘s best coach today and he‘s committed to working hard to get the team on the fast track and ready for the league. We‘ve also got some excellent players – a combination of international and local, experienced and really young – and we are very certain and the team will be more than ready by the time the league starts.

    Could you talk about your strategy during the players draft?
    We‘ve tried to pick a fairly balanced mix of players. We want to combine expertise with the eagerness of youth and create an environment that is conducive to learning and development.

     

    We‘ve also picked many talented players that can play in different positions making it easy to build a good team.

    Is it fair to say that a draft system is more cost effective compared to a player auction?
    Yes! It is very cost effective and it is also fair as there is an even distribution of quality players. Consequently, the picking of players is purely based on strategy. The draft system has been used very successfully in the US for the NBA. I think it works splendidly for us, as well.

    This year the NBA had a dispute with the players. Are there safeguards in place for WSH to ensure that this problem does not arise?
    The disputes between the NBA and the players arose solely due to the fact that the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) entered into between the NBPA (player union) and the league had expired.

     

    Both parties had failed to agree the terms on the renewal of the CBA which resulted in a lockout. Given that the players in World Series Hockey are currently working collectively as stakeholders for the league the need for a CBA does not currently arise, making the possibility of aforementioned NBA type dispute not possible.

    We are in the midst of an economic slowdown. In this situation how tough will it be to get sponsors?
    It is not easy but we‘ve seen a tremendous response to hockey by many corporations. Things are looking up for our national sport.

     

    We see corporates willing to go the extra mile to reclaim the country‘s pride in our national sport. In the case of hockey it is more CSR than sponsorship!

    If you want to succeed then the franchise must be in the public‘s eye for the major part of a year and not just for a couple of months. How do you plan to do this?
    We plan to undertake community engagement programmes to ensure that the franchise engages with its most important stakeholders: the people. Coaching programmes, club tournaments and school engagement will be the key to connecting with our fan base through the year.
    Will the franchise have an active digital presence?
    The franchise already has an active digital presence. We have a strong digital team working on it and the website will soon be up and running.

    Would you look at grassroots level activities to identify new talent?
    Yes, definitely. We plan to develop the sport and create an interest in hockey. Our stakeholders will see us as a brand new light in the area of sports.

     

    As said earlier, we would have coaching camps,tournaments, a search for hockey talent that would commence in the months after the tournament.

    What other sports is Wizcraft looking at being involved with?
    For now we want to focus on hockey and really do our best with developing the sport and getting more people involved. In the future we would like to translate this success across other sports.

     

    You have won awards for events like the opening ceremony of the cricket World Cup. How important is innovation in experiential marketing?
    Innovation is very important. In fact, sometimes it is the thing that makes the difference between a run-of-the-mill engagement and something that will be memorable. It keeps the event alive and fresh.

    You have won awards for events like the How important is innovation in experiential marketing?
    Innovation is very important. In fact, sometimes it is the thing that makes the difference between a run-of-the-mill engagement and something that will be memorable. It keeps the event alive and fresh.

     

    As said earlier, we would have coaching camps,tournaments, a search for hockey talent that would commence in the months after the tournament.
     

    What other sports is Wizcraft looking at being involved with?
    For now we want to focus on hockey and really do our best with developing the sport and getting more people involved. In the future we would like to translate this success across other sports.

     
    You have won awards for events like the ricket World Cup. How important is innovation in experiential marketing?
    Innovation is very important. In fact, sometimes it is the thing that makes the difference between a run-of-the-mill engagement and something that will be memorable. It keeps the event alive and fresh.
  • IBF, NBA react strongly to SC’s refusal to stay Bombay High Court order imposing high penalty on Times Now

    IBF, NBA react strongly to SC’s refusal to stay Bombay High Court order imposing high penalty on Times Now

    NEW DELHI: The Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) and the News Broadcasters Association today reacted strongly over the impact of the recent dismissal by Supreme Court of the Special Leave Petition filed by Times Now.

    The English news channel had sought relief against a Bombay High Court order directing it to deposit Rs 200 million and furnish bank guarantee for Rs 800 million to hear an appeal in a defamation case.

    Earlier, a district court in Pune had asked the channel to cough up Rs 1 billion as damages in favour of Justice (Retd) PB Sawant for alleged defamation. The channel had published the photograph of Justice Sawant in place of another Judge whose name was phonetically similar to that of Justice Sawant in connection with the Ghaziabad Provident Fund scam. 
       
    The channel had appealed to the High Court which had said that operation of the Rs 1 billion decree will be stayed only if Times Now deposits Rs 200 million in Court and secures the remaining Rs 800 million by a bank guarantee.

    Expressing “great surprise and concern”, the IBF said “We have been informed that conditions involving quantum of damages of this kind are unheard of in the history of defamation laws and effectively cripples the media‘s right to seek redressal by way of appeal. In a legal environment where awarding of exemplary and punitive damages are rarely seen, the trial court‘s decision definitely raises serious concerns as regards the media‘s freedom of speech and expression. This case is an example of how an unintentional and inadvertent error on the part of the media can result in onerous economical burden for itself, despite a public apology being tendered by Times Now.”

    Expressing its “sadness” at the Supreme Court decision, the NBA in a separate statement expressed its approval of the views expressed recently in the media on the Justice Sawant – Times Now suit, whereby eminent members of Society, including jurists of high attainment have said that in the larger interest of the constitutional guarantee of free speech, the decision should be revisited and reconsidered.

    The IBF added that the Media plays a very important role in protecting the fundamental rights of citizens and is often termed as the Fourth Pillar of Democracy. An independent, fearless and competitive media is an essential ingredient of a true democracy. Any curb on media independence is a threat to the democratic process and must be challenged. If stipulations such as these become the norm, news channels would be targeted at every instance, thereby affecting the survival and existence of this news industry. It also would challenge the democratic environment and the citizens‘ right to seek information.

    The IBF also agreed with the recent views that have appeared in the media on this case, that such decisions should be reviewed and reconsidered. If media is compelled to pay up damages of such quantum, especially when a public apology has been issued for ‘an inadvertent error‘, it would effectively cripple the functioning of the media and an economic burden of such nature would completely jeopardize media business as it directly impacts media freedom, independence and survival, the very essentials of a democratic set up in any country.

    The NBA said “if innocent errors committed by media are visited with such dire legal consequences and if media companies are compelled to pay such disproportionately exorbitant damages despite the issuance of a public apology, it would effectively cripple the functioning of the media. Economic burden of such gargantuan amounts would completely jeopardize media businesses and will directly impact media freedom, independence and survival, which are essential for a vibrant democratic set up in any country.”

    Thereafter, to impose a condition of pre-depositing or securing such huge quantum of damages – without which the broadcaster may face imminent attachment of its assets – effectively cripples the broadcaster‘s right to even seek redressal by way of appeal.
    The NBA added that the media plays a very important role in protecting the fundamental rights of the people, including the public‘s right to know and is often termed as “the fourth pillar” of democracy. An independent, fearless and dynamic media is a critical ingredient of a true democracy. Any curb on media independence whether direct or indirect, is a serious threat to the democratic process itself and must not be countenanced. If stipulations such as these become the norm, news media will be targeted at every instance, thereby affecting the very survival and existence of the news industry as a whole.