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Tag: NBA

  • NDTV to implement 10-40% salary cut

    NDTV to implement 10-40% salary cut

    MUMBAI: New Delhi Television (NDTV) has decided to implement a salary cut for employees from 1 April as a cost-cutting measure on the back of decreasing ad revenue due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Says the BSE filing of NDTV: “The management of NDTV Group has been forced to implement a salary cut, effective 1 April, of between 10-40 per cent based on income slabs for a period of three months across its employee base.”

    The group points out that it won’t implement a salary cut for those employees who earn Rs 50,000 per month or less than that. It also said that the salary deduction step for three months is subject to detailed review at the end of the period.

    NDTV, in its filing, says that this measure is the result of uncertainty surrounding the recovery of the global and Indian economy. And, the falling economic situation has forced the group to undertake certain cost-cutting measures with immediate effect.

    The nation-wide lockdown due to the COVID-19 situation has put all business plans on backtrack. The news channels, lately, have been facing the burden of high operating costs with no or fewer ad sales.

    The News Broadcasters Association, in this regard, has urged the government to either reduce, remove or bring the goods and services tax on advertisement in line with print media. Currently, the GST on advertisement in the broadcast industry is at 18 per cent, whereas in print media it is at five per cent.

  • NBA launches streaming service in association with Microsoft

    NBA launches streaming service in association with Microsoft

    MUMBAI: The National Basketball Association (NBA) has come up with a new branded streaming service in association with Microsoft. The NBA made the announcement on 16 April regarding a multi-year deal with Microsoft in this regard.

    The direct-to-consumer streaming video service, on the Microsfot Azure cloud platform, will provide consumers personalised TV broadcasts and game streaming with the help of machine learning and artificial intelligence.

    The yet-to-be-named streaming service will be co-managed by Microsoft and NBA Digital.  

    The alliance will transform the way fans experience the NBA.

    As part of this collaboration, Microsoft will become the official Artificial Intelligence (AI) partner and an official cloud and laptop partner for the NBA, Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), NBA G League, and USA Basketball beginning with the 2020-21 NBA season.

     “Microsoft and NBA Digital — co-managed by the NBA and Turner Sports — will create a new, a direct-to-consumer platform on Microsoft Azure that will use machine learning and AI to deliver next-generation, and personalised game broadcasts and other content offerings as well as integrate the NBA’s various products and services from across its business,” said an official statement.

    The platform will reimagine how fans engage with the NBA from their devices by customizing and localising experiences for the NBA’s global fanbase, which includes the 1.8 billion social media followers across all league, team and player accounts.

    Beyond delivering live and on-demand game broadcasts through Microsoft Azure, the NBA’s vast array of data sources and extensive historical video archive will be surfaced to fans through state-of-the-art machine learning, cognitive search, and advanced data analytics solutions, says the release.

    This will create a more personalised fan experience that tailors the content to the preferences of the fan, rewards participation and provides more insights and analysis than ever.

    Additionally, this platform will enable the NBA to uncover unique insights and add new dimensions to the game for fans, coaches and broadcasters. The companies will also explore additional ways technology can be used to enhance the NBA’s business and game operations.

    As part of the partnership, Microsoft will become the entitlement partner of the NBA Draft Combine beginning next season and an associate partner of future marquee events, including NBA All-Star, MGM Resorts NBA Summer League and WNBA All-Star.

    “We are thrilled to serve as the official AI partner of the NBA,” said Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. “Together, we’ll bring fans closer to the game and players they love with new personalised experiences powered by Microsoft Azure.”

    “This partnership with Microsoft will help us redefine the way our fans experience NBA basketball,” said NBA commissioner Adam Silver. “Our goal, with Microsoft, is to create customized content that allows fans, whether they are in an NBA arena or watching from anywhere around the world, to immerse themselves in all aspects of the game and engage directly with our teams and players.”

  • 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.

  • NBA deplores Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s suggestion to ban media ads

    NBA deplores Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s suggestion to ban media ads

    MUMBAI: The News Broadcasters Association (NBA) has strongly deplored the suggestion by Congress president Sonia Gandhi to "impose a complete ban on media advertisements – television, print and online – by the government and public sector undertakings (PSUs) for a period of two years".

    At a time when journalists, without fearing for their lives, are doing their national duty, by disseminating news on the pandemic, a statement like this from the Congress president is highly demoralising, said the association.

    On the one hand, there has been a slump in advertisement revenues of electronic media due to recession, on the other hand it is suffering from financial blows due to nationwide lockdown of all industries and businesses. Moreover, news channels are spending heavily on providing safety to their reporters and production staff. To suggest a "complete ban" on government and PSU advertisements is not only ill-timed, but highly arbitrary, said the association in a release.

    NBA has called upon the Congress  to withdraw her suggestion made to the prime minister about "complete ban" on media advertisements for two years in the interest of a healthy and free media.

  • NBA deplores abuses against anchors, reporters

    NBA deplores abuses against anchors, reporters

    MUMBAI: The News Broadcasters Association (NBA) has expressed grave concern over the tendency among certain sections of people to resort to abuses and threats against anchors and reporters working in news channels. 

    A NBA release said that particular trend has been noticed after the electronic media recently exposed the role of Tablighi Jamaat in spreading Coronavirus, resulting in a nationwide spurt in the number of positive cases and subsequent deaths. 

    Anchors and reporters working in news channels are being specifically targeted through social media platforms like WhatsApp, TikTok and Twitter. 

    There have been videos on social media in which some religious preachers can be seen naming some TV news anchors and threatening attacks on the reporters of those channels.

    The NBA strongly deplored this pernicious trend in a section of society and appealed to the government and law enforcing agencies to take immediate preventive action against such anti-social elements. 

    The association said that the electronic media has done exemplary work in reporting Coronavirus pandemic in India during the current lockdown and the overall tenor of reporting has been fair, accurate and balanced. All sections of society have been given fair representation on TV debates on Coronavirus pandemic.

    The association has called upon religious fundamentalists to desist from issuing open threats and making insinuations against news channels. Such activities violate the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression, as enshrined in our Constitution.

    “News channels are available to all sections of society including the fundamentalists. NBA would like these leaders to come forward and clear their stand on the role of Tablighi Jamaat in spreading the Coronavirus,” said NBA release signed by president Rajat Sharma.

  • NBSA advises news channels to use social media content after thorough verification

    NBSA advises news channels to use social media content after thorough verification

    MUMBAI: The News Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA) has advised member broadcasters of the News Broadcasters Association (NBA) to verify any content used from social media platforms in their news programmes at the highest editorial levels before being telecast in the wake of the recent supreme court order regarding news related to Covid19 coverage.

    “In particular, we expect the media (print, electronic or social) to maintain a strong sense of responsibility and ensure that unverified news capable of causing panic is not disseminated. A daily bulletin by the government of India through all media avenues including social media and forums to clear the doubts of people would be made active within a period of 24 hours as submitted by the solicitor general of India. We do not intend to interfere with the free discussion about the pandemic, but direct the media to refer to and publish the official version about the developments,” the apex court stated.  

    NBSA said under these circumstances member broadcasters could also consider telecasting the positives steps being taken by various individuals/ persons/ entities / governments and all medical personnel in order that objective, balanced, accurate and impartial news gets telecast.  

    It also added that the issue that the supreme court has touched upon relates to “fake news” whether intended or not, published either by electronic, print or social media which will  cause panic in the society. The court observed that the media should maintain a strong sense of responsibility and ensure that unverified news capable of causing panic is not disseminated.

    “News media plays a critical role during public health emergencies by providing reassurance, bringing calm, motivating people to overcome the crisis and in bringing their lives back to normal. Inaccurate information can lead to rumours and misinformation, resulting in panic and chaos,” the advisory highlighted.

  • Covid-19: NBA issues directives to news channels on social distancing

    Covid-19: NBA issues directives to news channels on social distancing

    MUMBAI: The Board of Directors of News Broadcasters Association (NBA) has requested all news broadcasters to take certain preventive measures immediately to ensure social distancing to deal with Coronavirus. NBA president Rajat Sharma stated in a press release that keeping in mind the fact that news broadcasting is an essential service, studios and broadcast offices cannot be shut down.

    The measures stipulated by the NBA are:

    1. Steps should be taken to minimize staff in the broadcast centres and all those employees who can work from home should be requested to work from their residence. 

    2. All reporters and camerapersons, who are out in the field among the public, shall not come to their offices but send their news feeds from the field.

    3. All reporters and camera persons should not to crowd around individuals to collect sound bites. They should maintain a distance of at least four feet from one another while holding their mikes in pursuance of the WHO guidelines.

    4. NBA has requested Delhi government to earmark a particular parking lot for parking DSNG vans so that these vehicles may not be required to return to office.

    5. NBA has asked all member news channels to telecast special programmes to create awareness among the public about precautions to be followed to counter the Coronavirus threat.

    Photo by Tyler Casey on Unsplash

  • Experts fear huge revenue loss in sports due to Covid19

    Experts fear huge revenue loss in sports due to Covid19

    MUMBAI: Be it domestic or international sports, the segment has been hit hard by the pandemic caused by the corona outbreak. Though experts predict a heavy revenue loss, it is difficult to predict and understand the extent of damage at this stage.

    With the World Health Organisation urging each nation to take this virus seriously, countries across the globe, as a very first step, have cancelled all those events, including sporting tournaments to stop the spread of the virus. As on March 20, 10,048 people across the world have succumbed to the virus infection.

    From minister to common man and sportsperson to coach, over 1.8 lakh cases have been detected positive across the globe. “Despite the pandemic, the mortality rate due to this virus is quite low; it’s 3.2 per cent as per WHO. People are scared the way it’s being spread and they have been over-cautious. Brands exist only if the people running the brand exist," says brand expert N Chandramouli.

    Since early last week, a majority of international sporting events are either being cancelled, postponed or changed to the shorter format. The latest tournament that was deferred by a year is UEFA’s Euro Cup 2020. The once-in-four-year soccer event was scheduled to happen from 12 June 2020. Now, all eyes are on another marquee event this year, Olympics 2020, scheduled between 24 July – 9 August.

    According to Forbes, “The NBA became the first major US sports league to suspend games ‘until further notice’. A loss of over $500 million is expected as it was on the verge of completion before getting suspended. The loss expected in only one-fifth of the total game.”

    Similarly, the World Economic Forum is of the view: “Postponed or cancelled events could lead to a decline in revenues for the event organisers as well as for media that broadcast them. Cable television companies are partly dependent upon advertising, meaning that any decline in revenue will impact profitability.”

    An industry source, who didn’t want to be named during this testing time, says: “Not just sports, every other sector has been massively hit by this pandemic. The world economy along with India is seeing new lows every other day. Next one-two weeks are important and at this moment we are unable to make any comment on the revenue loss, be it sports, media and entertainment or any other sector.”

    On the back of IPL and major cricketing tournaments, Indian sporting sponsorship industry saw a rise of 17 per cent to Rs 9000 crore in 2019, a report released by GroupM’s ESP Properties said. There is a sense that the growth story of Indian sports sponsorship this year may see a drastic fall, experts say.

  • NBA announces fanCode as league’s first live streaming partner in India

    NBA announces fanCode as league’s first live streaming partner in India

    MUMBAI: The National Basketball Association (NBA) and FanCode – a multi-sport aggregator platform offering a wide spectrum of content, commerce and community engagement – announced the league’s first partnership to livestream NBA games and programming to fans in India.

    NBA fans who subscribe to FanCode will have live and on-demand access to select games throughout the 2019-20 NBA season, including regular-season games, the Playoffs and The Finals. 

    “By offering NBA games on FanCode, we will further connect with millions of fans in India who enjoy NBA daily fantasy by offering them features like fantasy research, game recaps, news, live scores and much more,” said NBA India managing director Rajesh Sethi.  “As the demand for NBA programming and content continues to grow in India, we are committed to providing fans with new and personalized ways to connect with the NBA.”

    “We’re thrilled to partner with the NBA, one of the world’s premier sports brands,” said FanCode Co-Founder Yannick Colaco.  “Basketball fans will now have comprehensive coverage of the NBA on FanCode, including livestreams of all the biggest games, scores, features, news coverage and fantasy research.”

    FanCode, owned by Sporta Technologies which also owns Dream11, the NBA’s official Fantasy Gaming Partner in India, has over 10 million app installs.  Games streamed live on the platform will be the same that would be available for fantasy gaming on Dream11.

  • NBA writes to Andhra CM to withdraw controversial order on media

    NBA writes to Andhra CM to withdraw controversial order on media

    MUMBAI: Expressing concern over Andhra Pradesh government’s controversial order, delegating powers to secretaries of government departments to file complaints and defamation cases against ‘erring’ media organisations and personnel, the News Broadcasters Association (NBA) has written a letter to CM Jagan Mohan Reddy.

    Taking exception to GO, the letter says that the order can have a “chilling effect” on the media and will lead to the possibility of the news media  “targeted at every instance, to prevent it from reporting important news.”

    Andhra CM Jagan Reddy has on 30 October issued an order delegating powers to the secretaries of respective departments to lodge complaints and file appropriate legal cases through public prosecutor against false, baseless and defamatory news items published, telecast or posted in print, electronic and social media.    

    “If stipulations as have been prescribed by said Order become the norm,” says the letter, then, it “will affect the very survival and existence of the news media.”

    “Criminal intimidation of journalists and preventing them from performing their duties are violations of the freedoms enshrined in and guaranteed by the Constitution. Government intervention in news content without a transparent process is nothing short of censorship, and a threat to the freedom of the press,” the letter adds. 

    Further, NBA notes that it had set up the News Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA), headed by A. K. Sikri, former Supreme Court Judge, in 2008, which looks into complaints of its member broadcasters, adding that from MIB to ECI, various bodies have approached the body regarding complaints which have been resolved in timely manner.

    Asking CM Reddy to withdraw the said order to restore the confidence of the media, the letter says that a free and independent media is the cornerstone of Indian democracy, and it behoves an elected government to support and strengthen media independence rather than throttle it.

    NBA, an independent body of 29 leading national and regional news broadcasting companies, is currently headed by Mr. Rajat Sharma.