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  • Unlocking Indias potential to build a more sustainable tomorrow

    Unlocking Indias potential to build a more sustainable tomorrow

    The CII-ITC’s 8th Sustainability Summit held in New Delhi saw the release of a new report on ‘How India Innovates: The promise of sustainable and inclusive innovation.’ As economic growth rates go down and global climate temperatures go up, innovation has become nothing short of a necessity. India, too, has declared 2010-2020 as the Decade of Innovation.

    Under the framework of Indo-German bilateral cooperation the Umbrella Programme for the Promotion of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) funded by the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), GIZ India has partnered with CII-ITC-CESD to strengthen sustainable and inclusive innovations and to support the dissemination of knowledge and the scaling up of successful SI2.

    As part of this partnership GIZ and CII-ITC-CESD have conducted this study with the objective to provide the innovation eco-system with information on how business in India innovates and the promise it sees in Sustainable & Inclusive Innovation.

    According to the report, 79% companies in India innovate with radical solutions while 71% innovate with incremental or radical solutions. Companies have also identified exploiting green growth opportunities and reducing environmental impacts as other important factors to innovate. However, the bottom-of-pyramid market is still not an important driver for companies to innovate.

    According to Ms. Seema Arora, Executive Director, CII-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development, awareness on sustainability issues has come a long way in the 30 years since the Brundtland Commission, with leading companies taking proactive steps towards building a more secure, sustainable and equitable future. She adds, “Regardless of whether it is called climate change, responsible business or CSR; the message today is clear – sustainable business is here to stay and industry must change the way it operates.”

    Sharing her thoughts on the event, Ms Arora, states, “The Centre is pivotal in spearheading the sustainability agenda in the country in that it was created by the industry itself. And the Summit is the realisation of the fact that by bringing civil society, government and industry together on one platform, we can truly succeed in co-creating a more sustainable India.”

    The Prime Minister’s Office set up the National Innovation Council with a mandate to substantially enhance the innovation ecosystem in India. The Council has developed a roadmap that would, among other things, create State Innovation Councils and innovation clusters. CII is a member of the National Innovation Council and is helping set up innovation clusters in a couple of sectors.

  • Digital media pips news channels at the post

    Digital media pips news channels at the post

    NNES: News is a hard business and it’s only set to get tougher with the proliferation of digital and social media.

    Till recently, the 250 news channels across the globe were faced with the task of offering factual news and engaging with their audiences. As if that wasn’t enough, they have to now contend with stiff competition from digital players as well. 

    So the big question confronting them is: “How to innovate in order to keep both television and online audiences?”

    Day two of Mipcom saw a session titled ‘Programming and engaging in the digital age’ where speakers threw light on new methods and tools of audience engagement. 

    The session was moderated by the Association for International Broadcasting chief executive Simon Spanswick with speakers including BuzzFeed president and COO Jon Steinberg; CNN International VP and general manager, digital Peter Bale; Facebook director of partnerships Andrew Mitchell; Al Jazeera Media Network, new media department manager Moeed Ahmad; and Winther Productions creator and producer of Dining with the Enemy Gry Winther.

    Spanswick kicked off the session saying: “Almost a third of all UK adults use the internet for news, and similar statistics are coming out from other territories.” 

    Mitchell stressed the importance of Facebook and Instagram as platforms to share content produced by broadcasters. “We introduced API here in Mipcom. This will allow more meaningful content and facilitate communication. Facebook is a great tool for growth, allowing people to connect and share content. Facebook has more hard news than soft news. We tend to remember the funny stuff, but it’s the more meaningful stuff that sticks with you,” he said.

    Forty per cent of BuzzFeed’s traffic comes from Facebook, said Steinberg, adding: “In all, 70 per cent of people come to us through various social networking sites. We have 120 full-time writers, doing original content.” Speaking of BuzzFeed’s partnership with CNN, Steinberg said: “The channel gives us video footage which is then remixed and re-cut in shorter, shareable format for YouTube and a younger audience.”

    Steinberg opined that social platforms have made things easier for international news organisations. “The stories spread fast as well as powerfully on social networks,” he said.
    While Ahmad echoed Mitchell’s sentiments saying hard news was being shared more than soft news. “The lack of sharing for particular verticals is not because of that vertical, it’s because of poor journalism,” he said.

    Speaking of Al Jazeera’s online news channel AJ+, he said: “Even today, YouTube has more entertainment than news content. However, AJ+ is an independent destination. We are building teams at a number of locations including New Delhi and Doha among others. The new channel aims at providing clarity through content.”

    As for CNN’s digital strategy, Bale said: “The channel will give the background for breaking news rather than simply breaking the information. You will hear the story from the real people.”

    A common observation was that no one wanted to read an old story on social media which is why something new and catchy had to be written. Mitchell said: “Channels will also have to think, ‘Why will someone share content?’. Consumers will not share old and boring news. They will share what is heartwarming, new and fresh content or something which they feel is important for friends.” He informed that Facebook was now crunching data to spot linkbait and ensure that they don’t appear in people’s news feeds. “We are now tracking how quickly people return to Facebook after clicking on the news link. We are also trying to cut down on spammers,” he said.

  • Aircel and Micromax join hands to share channel and retail network

    Aircel and Micromax join hands to share channel and retail network

    BENGALURU:  Telecom player Aircel and Indian handset supplier Micromax announced a strategic partnership with the aim to drive data growth. Under this new partnership, Aircel and Micromax will share their channel and retail networks, sales resources and run an integrated device sales activation program. The announcement was made simultaneously in four cities in India – New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai today. 

    Also, the duo introduced reverse bundling handset offers worth Rs 12,000 per month for every new Aircel customer. Aircel’s focus on data innovation and its expertise in mobile network, along-with Micromax’s expertise in device marketing will redefine the user experience and take data penetration to the next level claim the companies. 

    In Bengaluru, Aircel Circle Business Head, Karnataka, Kadhiravan K, said, “India is at the cusp of a data revolution and device tie-ups will strengthen the telecom ecosystem in the country, which is critical to drive data penetration.  According to a recent study, by the year 2020, mobile internet users are set to grow four – five times and smartphone penetration is set to increase five times to 50 per cent in India. Affordability in devices will give a rise to data proliferation which will be the main revenue generator for both telecom operators as well as handset manufacturers in the near future.” 

    “Aircel recognises the importance of smartphone devices to drive data usage. In line with that, it is our focus to get into partnerships with leading smartphone device manufacturers in an endeavor to bring to our customers exciting bundled products. In this exclusive partnership with Micromax, we will share their robust channel and retail network to deliver innovative and best value for money products and services,” added Kadhivaran. 

    At present, mass media communications will be limited to print media by Aircel and Mircomax individually, where each company will mention the other in their advertisements. Since the festive season is not very far off, a joint multimedia ATL and BTL campaign will be launched before the Durga Pooja/Duhessara and Diwali festivals revealed a source.

  • Lex Witness Presents The 2nd Annual Edition of Media, Advertising & Entertainment Legal Summit

    Lex Witness Presents The 2nd Annual Edition of Media, Advertising & Entertainment Legal Summit

    Lex Witness- India’s 1st Magazine on Legal and Corporate Affairs today hosted a well-conceptualized The 2nd Annual Edition of Media, Advertising & Entertainment Legal Summit (MAELS) 2013 at Hotel Le Mridien in New Delhi. The daylong summit saw over a 100 proficient industry veterans including media professionals, Law Firm partners and teams, In House Counsels and stakeholders engaging in an interactive discussion on increasing business complexities being faced by the Media, Advertising and Entertainment sectors rising due to changes in and regulations.

     

    In an official message sent for the initiative;

     

    Kapil Sibal, Honble Minister of Law and Justice, shared that the Indian Media, Advertising and Entertainment industry plays a pivotal role in India’s economic growth through its magnificent channel of reach. However, the industry has been subject to various strides of regulations which affect the businesses and require discussions and debates to understand their impact. Further Mr. Kapil Sibal conveyed his greetings and best wishes for the success of the Summit.

     

    With all the media and legal professionals under one roof, Mr. Amarjit Singh Chandhiok, Additional Solicitor General of India felicitated Dr. Lalit Bhasin, President, SILF; for his outstanding contributions to the legal industry of India. Mr. Bhasin is one of the most respected authorities on legal matters in India and has recently completed 50 years as a successful personality in the fraternity.

     

    Over the past few years, the alignment of entertainment, information and telecommunication have increasingly affected India’s Media, Advertising and Entertainment business. According to the latest CII-PwC Industry report, release on 13th Sept 2013, India’s Entertainment & Media sector is expected to exceed INR 224,500 Cr growing at a CAGR of 18% from 2012 to 2017. However, despite of the growth patterns the M&E fraternity is witnessing various regulations and grey areas in the law revealing a different set of challenges to its members.

     

    Lack of clarity on the practical and commercial implications of the amended Copyright Act 2012, absence of direction on the issue related to royalty, its payment and distribution has left all the industry in a state of perplexity. Also, the regulatory changes have made it difficult for the existing business ecosystems to sustain with Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) ad cap mandate, high carriage fees and below par subscription revenues. Furthermore, the process of regulation regarding content and over objectionable advertisement for TV, Radio and Internet too falls under grey area and has no apex body to monitor or dictate guidelines.

     

    Speaking on the occasion, PBA Srinivasan, Editor-in-Chief, Lex Witness said, Though the Indian media and entertainment industry is eyeing robust growth, yet there are legal challenges affecting the big business. Areas like contract management and arbitration in media fraternity, Technological and IPR issues associated with entertainment and advertising sectors require special attention.

     

    The summit gave a stage to all the panelists to share their expert viewpoints on implications of The Copyright Amendment Act 2012, its impact on business due to Royalty Payments, Change in Tax Laws, Business and Legal solutions for Performers, Authors, Producers, Broadcasters and Content Aggregators, Regulation of content and Advertisement Perspective and views from Regulators, Current challenges and issues, Proposed amendments to Cinematograph Act and impact, Carriage and Distribution Regulation Revenue squeeze with ad caps, Resolution on current differences between LCO, MSO & Broadcasters, Competition Act Implication for Media and Entertainment Industry, Contracts and Dispute Resolution, Arbitration Clauses and Industry Practices and other regulations passed.

     

    The expert speaker’s panel at MAELS 2013 included, Vir Sanghvi, Member, BCCC Shailesh Shah, Secretary General, IBF Nishith Desai, Founder & Managing Partner, Nishith Desai Associates Amarjit Singh Chandhiok, Additional Solicitor General of India, Supreme Court of India Vineet Magan, Regional Tax Manager, BBC Gowree Gokhale, Partner, Nishith Desai Associates Abhishek Malhotra, Partner, TMT Law Practice Avnindra Mohan, President (Legal & Regulatory), Zee Network Ajay Thomas, Registrar, LCIA India Amit Arora, Executive Vice President, IndiaCast Media Distribution Private Limited Narayan Ranjan, Chief Financial Officer, Viacom 18 Anil Lale, Associate Vice President Legal, Viacom 18 Lalit Bhasin, President, SILF Preet Dhupar, CEO, BBC Zameer Nathani, Head Legal, Balaji Telefilms Limited and Balaji Motion Pictures Limited Ayan Roy Chowdhury, Senior Manager Legal, Sony Entertainment Television Rajesh Simhan, Head International Tax Practice, Nishith Desai Associates Ashish Chandra, Head Media & Technology, Reliance Industries Rajiv Khattar, President Projects, Dish TV M.M. Sharma, Head-Competition Law and Policy, Vaish Associates Advocates Kunal Rajpal, AVP Legal & Secretarial, Viacom 18 Kaushik Moitra, Partner, TMT Law Practice

     

    Commenting on the significance of the Summit, Shyam Grover, Group Editor & CEO, Lex Witness said, The Indian Media & Entertainment industry is essentially being driven by augmented digitization, growth of regional media and emergence of new media for content virality. But at each stage, the industry is facing challenges affecting their future growth. MAELS 2013 is our attempt to bring the thought leaders together to interact and confer on these issues and develop their legal and business response strategies.

     

    The 2nd Annual MAELS 2013 initiative was supported by IBF as Principal Partner, SEPC as Official Summit Council, TMT Law Practice as Gold Partner, Nishith Desai Associates as Legal Partner, Vaish Associates Advocates as Associate Partner, Deepak Sabharwal & Associates as Kit Sponsor, Blackpen LCC as Litcom Partner DMAI, SILF, LCIA India, ICCA as Fraternity Partners, Ad Gully as digital Partner, Lawyers Club India as Online Media Partner and Indian Law Journal, Indian National Bar Association, NAI Press, IOD as Supporting Partners.

  • The Citizen Journalist Show: No Country for Children

    The Citizen Journalist Show: No Country for Children

    MUMBAI: This week, the Citizen Journalist Show continues its No Country for Children initiative. In this episode, a Class IV student of an MCD school turns CJ to expose the deplorable and unhygienic conditions in which she and her classmates are made to study; CJ Rukhsana fights for the right to education for her daughter, who suffers from cerebral palsy; and CJ Fatima Bi, who lost her three-month-old son because of a hospital’s negligence, fights for justice.

    To know more, tune into ‘The Citizen Journalist Show’

    September 15th, Sun @ 5:30 PM

    Only on IBN7

  • King Khan shares the magic of fresh ‘n’ juicy mangoes with his die-hard fans

    King Khan shares the magic of fresh ‘n’ juicy mangoes with his die-hard fans

    MUMBAI: India’s most cherished mango drink- Frooti, announced winners of the ‘Share a Frooti with SRK’ contest. As a part of the contest, only ten blessed fans amongst the billion others in the country earned the chance to share a Frooti with none other than the King Khan.

    The brand invited participation from Frooti enthusiasts and SRK loyalists, asking them to creatively describe their love for both through voice messages. All they had to do was dial-in on number specified on Frooti packs or online channels and narrate short stories, >mimic Shahrukh Khan’s dialogues, use Frooti’s iconic jingle tone etc alongwith describing their passion for Frooti and SRK. This nationwide contest ran for a duration of 4 months (April 10, 2013 – August 10, 2013) and ten best answers were selected. The winners came from across the country- New Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan including Maharashtra to spend a special evening with SRK.

    Talking about his experience, Frooti’s brand ambassador Shahrukh Khan said, I would like to thank everyone who participated in the Frooti contest. I really enjoyed the time I spent with the winners who expressed their love for me so sweetly. Cheers to Frooti for organizing this amazing evening and good luck to all the participants.”

    That is not all, the entire journey of fans coming from various parts of India is documented through webisodes that will be uploaded on Frooti’s official channel. It will capture everything starting from the time they leave their home, to them taking a flight, reaching Mumbai and finally meeting SRK.

     ‘Share a Frooti with SRK’ contest was conceptualized to create excitement around the association of number one superstar of the country with the number one mango drink and has received unprecedented success. The contest built strong engagement with the audience through telephonic calls and social platforms like Facebook and Twitter.

  • Dutch brand consultancy Brand Dialogue forays into Indian Market

    Dutch brand consultancy Brand Dialogue forays into Indian Market

    New Delhi : Brand Dialogue, a European brand communications company headquartered in Amsterdam has announced its entry into the Indian Market.

    The Dutch company under its umbrella has a group of specialist agencies namely Fabrique, Globrands, THEY and Yellow Dress Retail. Being a multi-disciplinary, working with leading Dutch design firms Brand Dialogue thereby offers collective strength in – visual branding, internet and digital, advertising, naming, retail, packaging, product design, brand strategy and project management.

    Announcing this, Willem Woudenberg, CEO Brand Dialogue said that, "For a small country like the Netherlands India is an important international market. As a brand communications and design consultancy, we see huge potential in India in this space. Considering the country's richness and diversity of culture, we can assist brands in simplifying complexity; thereby, moving with the theme 'Simple Solutions, Bright Design'. Entering India with the steadfast support of The Netherlands Consulate in Mumbai and the Netherlands Embassy in Delhi, we are encouraged towards strengthening the ties between India and The Netherlands in the space of design and brand communications."

    Commencing operations with Mumbai, Brand Dialogue next eyes New Delhi and the 'Silicon Valley of India', Bangalore. The company is also open to the idea of having a tie-up with creative agencies based in India looking for global partnerships to widen their stance.

    "At Brand Dialogue, our mission is to help our clients in strengthening their positioning, identity and communication, so as to present a more positive picture to their target audience and in due course improve their results. We do this in various ways, depending on what is required. It always involves a robust analysis and focused advice, which we like to carry through creatively, in concrete project plans" added Willem.

    Swearing by Brand Dialogue's credibility, some of its long term list of clients includes prominent brands like Metro India (retail/packaging), Delhi Airport (positioning, branding), Heineken International (corporate branding), Rabobank (branding) City of Amsterdam (city branding), Philips (naming/labeling, annual report), Rijksmuseum (recent website), Business World India (branding, advertising), among others.

  • Tewari reaffirms his support for extension of ad cap implementation

    Tewari reaffirms his support for extension of ad cap implementation

    NEW DELHI: The news channels have found a big supporter to push their demand for an extension in the implementation of ad cap. And this comes from none other than Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari himself. In a statement made today, the minister has reinstated his support for the news channels and asked the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to extend the time frame for news channels to implement the 12 minute ad-cap.

     

    “TRAI can give the news channels an extension at least till the final phase of digitisation is complete,” said Tewari who was addressing a symposium on News Media Education in India organised by CMS Academy at the India International Centre in New Delhi.

     

    “The regulator can seriously look into some of the issues which the news channels have raised and see if they can give them a road map which is synchronous with digitisation, so that we can have a seamless implementation of both digitisation and the statutory remit.”

    Tewari questions if we have freedom of the press or freedom of the owner of the press

     

    Tewari commented that apart from protecting consumer interest, TRAI should also look at the industry situation so that downsizing does not become the rule rather than the exception. He said manufacturing Set Top Boxes (STBs) “is not rocket science” and digitisation has been a “huge missed opportunity” for the medium and small scale industry. He said Indian industry should utilise the opportunity of providing STBs for third and fourth phase of digitisation.

     

    The minister in his address not only spoke in the favour of the news channels but also took a dig at the current media scenario. Commenting on last week’s lay off by a television news channel and the legal recourse against the Wage Board recommendations for the print media by one of the promoters he said, “Media is a business today.”

     

    Tewari also said that there was a need to reflect on whether it is a business as defined under the Indian constitution or any other activity – a “question germane to the media.” He was referring to over 300 job cuts that include some of the well known names, in a news channel last week.

     

    The minister said the rights of the citizens and the rights of the media barons “fall in different tracks with the twain not destined to meet.”

     

    Describing the question as a classic chicken and egg situation, Tewari commented that the “Conundrum bedevilling the media landscape today in India is – Do we have freedom of the press or freedom of the owner of the press?” He hoped media professionals would “introspect” on the issue.

     

    Commenting on the challenges faced by the print, broadcasting and new media (internet) he said, “The challenges are unique, distinct and require different treatment.” He further stated that it was time for the print media, which has more or less tried to keep rates low over the years, to “reflect and rationalise tariffs.”

     

    He said the heavily advertisement-dependent model of newspapers was “not the way forward” and called for “serious introspection” in the print media on how far the advertisement model can sustain them.

     

    On the broadcasting sector, he said of the 798-odd channels, 415 are news channels, and they too are “hugely” dependant on advertisements for revenue. “This has led to addiction of sensationalism, manufactured anger and media trials,” the minister added. The situation leads to violation of privacy and that the issue needs to be addressed.

     

    Tewari also said his ministry had sent a proposal to the law ministry to incorporate provisions against paid news in the Press and Registration of Books (PRB) Act, providing for penal provisions. He said it was proposed that paid news would be made an offence which would have provisions of penalty and suspension of license.

     

    He said the media industry should consider holding a common exam for journalists, on the lines of that conducted by the Bar Council, after which they could be given licence to pursue the profession.

     

    “A good starting point would be that rather than prescribing a curriculum which is then standardised across institutions, possibly the media industry could think about at least having a common exam.”

     

    Tewari said there were good institutions to train journalists, but there were also “fly-by-night” operators in the media education sector “Professionals from diverse fields would not resent the idea of a common exam.”

     

    Press Council of India Chairperson Justice (Retd) Markandey Katju had earlier raised the demand for minimum qualifications for journalists.

  • TRAI releases consultation paper on “Valuation and Reserve Price of Spectrum”

    TRAI releases consultation paper on “Valuation and Reserve Price of Spectrum”

    NEW DELHI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on 23 July released a consultation paper on “Valuation and Reserve Price of Spectrum”.

    On 10 July 2013 the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) sought the TRAI’s recommendations on the applicable reserve price for the auction of spectrum in 800 MHz, 900 MHz and 1800 MHz bands. In this context, TRAI has issued this consultation paper raising specific issues for consideration of stakeholders. The key issues raised in the consultation paper are quantum of spectrum to be auctioned, eligibility for participation, roll-out obligations, methods to be used for valuation and estimation of reserve price of spectrum, review of spectrum usage charges and spectrum trading.

    Written comments on the issues raised in the consultation paper are invited from the stakeholders by 14 August 2013 and counter-comments by 21 August 2013 by the regulator. 

    Stakeholders have been requested to send their comments by the due dates as there is an urgency to complete the consultation process. In its reference, the DoT has stated that, in light of the Honourable Supreme Courts’s directive, TRAI may consider an expedited process; hence there will be no further extension of timelines.

    This is also an advance notice that open house discussion on the consultation paper will be held on 26 August 2013 in New Delhi.

  • Sixth NT Awards celebrate the best in news business

    Sixth NT Awards celebrate the best in news business

    New Delhi: The news television industry came out in droves to celebrate success on 25 March evening at New Delhi’s Taj Palace Hotel. Representative of TV news channels reporting in Marathi, Hindi, English and Telugu all came together under one roof, forgetting rivalries, news breaks and to hold themselves under the spotlight at the Indiantelevision.com’s Sixth News Television Awards.

     

    Presented by LR Active Oil, with the support of many other industry partners, the NT Awards had a packed house as 116 awards in various categories were given away by dignitaries from politics, sport, society and culture.

     

    The chief guest for the evening was Information and Broadcasting Minister of State (independent charge) Manish Tewari. “While the government is all for taking self regulation forward, there is need to decide where freedom of press ends and reasonable restrictions begin,” he said.

     

    He also congratulated the winners and the organisers for celebrating the vibrancy and robustness of the television industry and presented a host of awards to winners.

     

    “We received more than 1000 entries from the various news channels and had lots of help from those in public life and from journalists in Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad to short list the winners. Ernst and Young helped us in tabulating the peer judging process,” says Anil Wanvari, CEO and Founder of Indiantelevision.com, “The awards are growing in strength and I thank the industry for all the support it has been giving our initiative.”

        
    The event was anchored by Cyrus Broacha and dashing Kavita Kaushik whose quips had news professionals in splits throughout the evening.

     

    Awards were given for the best in categories like crime shows, sports shows, technology, documentaries with limited episode, TV news presenter, TV news anchor, investigative feature, investigative news report, entertainment news show et al.

     

    Special awards were given to Contribution to News Television, Innovation and Leadership in App Development, Most Extensive Social Media TV News Brand, Best News Channel Website, and for News Cinematographer.

     

    Aroon Purie, founder-publisher and Editor-in-Chief of India Today and the Chief Executive of the India Today Group stated that contrary to the general view, self regulation has made great strides in Indian television. He added that the News Broadcasters’ Association is taking a pro-active stance to raise standards of content. “The verdicts are being accepted by the channels and apologies made whenever required,” he pointed out.

     

    Rajdeep Sardesai, Editor-in-Chief of IBN18 Network, praised the strides by regional channels and expressed the hope that Hindi news channels would mend their “moral compass” by taking up serious issues.

     

    The awards function came at the end of a news summit on “Getting out of the Squeeze – Learning to live in a digitising India” which saw I&B secretary Uday Kumar Varma, I&B joint secretary Supriya Sahu and representatives of leading news channels, MSOs, technology providers and others in the television news industry taking part in different sessions.