ITV

Tag: News Broadcasters Association

  • NDTV gets additional time in SEBI case

    NDTV gets additional time in SEBI case

    MUMBAI: Prannoy Roy and family-controlled NDTV India can heave a sigh of relief. The channel had got a notice by the market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) in June 2016 for alleged violation of takeover norms with respect to timely disclosure of some share transactions of its promoters.

    With regards to their petition to the Delhi High Court, the date of the hearing which was 29 November 2016 has been adjourned to 17 January 2017. The change in date was announced on the BSE today.

    “The company and its promoters have, on 13 June 2016, received Show Cause Notices (SCNs) issued by Sebi with regard to certain non-compliance related to delay/non-filing of disclosures in the previous years under Sebi Takeover Regulations,” NDTV said in a regulatory filing to BSE.

    The company further said it is “of the opinion that the alleged non-compliance referred in SCN are technical/ procedural in nature,” and it is seeking legal advice to take appropriate action in the said matter.

    NDTV was recently directed by the government to go off air for 24 hours from 9 November 2016 as a penalty for breaching telecast norms related to security issues. The channel was accused of airing images and revealing information regarding defence locations while covering the Pathankot terrorist attack a few months back.

    In an another development, the News Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA), the self-regulatory body of news channels under the News Broadcasters’ Association ( NBA) late last month asked NDTV, the English news channel, to air an apology for showing an incorrect map of India. The letter from NBA to NDTV stated the complaint was studied and the channel was directed to run an apology (full screen) prior to 9 pm on 5 November.

  • India Today’s Ashish Bagga is new NBA president

    India Today’s Ashish Bagga is new NBA president

    MUMBAI: News Broadcasters Association (NBA) has elected India Today Group chief executive officer (CEO) Ashish Bagga as the president. The news was announced at a board meeting held earlier this week.

    Bagga replaces former ABP News Network CEO Ashok Venkatramani following his exit from the channel on 4 November. Venkatramani was appointed as the president of NBA in September 2016 at the ninth annual general meeting where Bagga was elected as the vice-president.

    Times Network MD and CEO M.K. Anand will replace the Bagga’s role as the vice-president, while newly elevated New Delhi Television Ltd (NDTV) group CEO and executive vice chairperson K.V.L. Narayan Rao has been elected as the honorary treasurer.

    Bagga, Anand and Rao also serve as the board members of NBA.

    Other board members of NBA are — TV18 Broadcast chief executive, news, and group editor-in-chief Rahul Joshi, India TV chairman and editor-in-chief Rajat Sharma, Zee Media group CEO Bhaskar Das, News24 Broadcast India chairperson and managing director Anurradha Prasad and Mathrubhumi Printing & Publishing whole-time director M.V. Shreyams Kumar.

    Currently, NBA has 23 news and current affairs broadcasters (59 news and current affairs channels) as its members.

  • India Today’s Ashish Bagga is new NBA president

    India Today’s Ashish Bagga is new NBA president

    MUMBAI: News Broadcasters Association (NBA) has elected India Today Group chief executive officer (CEO) Ashish Bagga as the president. The news was announced at a board meeting held earlier this week.

    Bagga replaces former ABP News Network CEO Ashok Venkatramani following his exit from the channel on 4 November. Venkatramani was appointed as the president of NBA in September 2016 at the ninth annual general meeting where Bagga was elected as the vice-president.

    Times Network MD and CEO M.K. Anand will replace the Bagga’s role as the vice-president, while newly elevated New Delhi Television Ltd (NDTV) group CEO and executive vice chairperson K.V.L. Narayan Rao has been elected as the honorary treasurer.

    Bagga, Anand and Rao also serve as the board members of NBA.

    Other board members of NBA are — TV18 Broadcast chief executive, news, and group editor-in-chief Rahul Joshi, India TV chairman and editor-in-chief Rajat Sharma, Zee Media group CEO Bhaskar Das, News24 Broadcast India chairperson and managing director Anurradha Prasad and Mathrubhumi Printing & Publishing whole-time director M.V. Shreyams Kumar.

    Currently, NBA has 23 news and current affairs broadcasters (59 news and current affairs channels) as its members.

  • Venkatramani new NBA president

    Venkatramani new NBA president

    MUMBAI: ABP News Network CEO Ashok Venkatramani has been elected as the new president of News Broadcasters Association (NBA). Venkatramani was earlier the vice president and director on the board of NBA India.

    Venkatramani has replaced India TV chairman and editor-in-chief Rajat Sharma. Sharma will however continue to be a board member. Venkatramanialso chairs the sales and HR committee of NBA and has been with ABP since 2008. Prior to that, he was the vice president and business head for the consumer goods firm Unilever in India for 18 years.

    The board has also elected India Today Group CEO Ashish Bagga as the vice president and Times Network MD and CEO M. K. Anand as the honorary treasurer.

    Other board members include New Delhi Television Ltd (NDTV) executive vice chairperson K. V. L. Narayan Rao, TV18 chief executive, news, and group editor-in-chief Rahul Joshi, Zee Media group CEO Bhaskar Das, News24 chairperson and MD Anurradha Prasad and Mathrubhumi Printing & Publishing whole time director M.V. Shreyams Kumar.

  • Venkatramani new NBA president

    Venkatramani new NBA president

    MUMBAI: ABP News Network CEO Ashok Venkatramani has been elected as the new president of News Broadcasters Association (NBA). Venkatramani was earlier the vice president and director on the board of NBA India.

    Venkatramani has replaced India TV chairman and editor-in-chief Rajat Sharma. Sharma will however continue to be a board member. Venkatramanialso chairs the sales and HR committee of NBA and has been with ABP since 2008. Prior to that, he was the vice president and business head for the consumer goods firm Unilever in India for 18 years.

    The board has also elected India Today Group CEO Ashish Bagga as the vice president and Times Network MD and CEO M. K. Anand as the honorary treasurer.

    Other board members include New Delhi Television Ltd (NDTV) executive vice chairperson K. V. L. Narayan Rao, TV18 chief executive, news, and group editor-in-chief Rahul Joshi, Zee Media group CEO Bhaskar Das, News24 chairperson and MD Anurradha Prasad and Mathrubhumi Printing & Publishing whole time director M.V. Shreyams Kumar.

  • MIB to TV: Use same language captions & audio descriptions for differently-abled

    MIB to TV: Use same language captions & audio descriptions for differently-abled

    NEW DELHI: All news and other television channels have been requested to carry the same language captions and audio descriptions along with the programmes and news reports for persons with disabilities.

    In a notice out on its website yesterday, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry said this was in compliance with concerns raised by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DoEPwD) regarding formulation of Accessible India Campaign (Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan) for achieving universal accessibility for persons with disabilities (PwDs).

    The note was addressed to all channels and also to the News Broadcasters Association (NBA), the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (lBF), and the Association of Regional Television Broadcasters.

    The DoEPwD had stressed that access to TV programmes for many persons with disabilities is denied due to lack of assistive technology. During discussion with various NGOs, a need was felt to prepare guidelines that include that broadcasting partners should develop and telecast a certain percentage of programmes with audio description and captioning as an experiment to the benefit of the target persons with disabilities.

    The note said the media has always been in the forefront of taking up important issues and causes including those for the welfare of the disadvantaged sections of society. In the recent past, Republic Day Parade commentary and Independence Day ceremony was carried with sign language interpretation for the benefit of differently abled people.

  • MIB to TV: Use same language captions & audio descriptions for differently-abled

    MIB to TV: Use same language captions & audio descriptions for differently-abled

    NEW DELHI: All news and other television channels have been requested to carry the same language captions and audio descriptions along with the programmes and news reports for persons with disabilities.

    In a notice out on its website yesterday, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry said this was in compliance with concerns raised by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DoEPwD) regarding formulation of Accessible India Campaign (Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan) for achieving universal accessibility for persons with disabilities (PwDs).

    The note was addressed to all channels and also to the News Broadcasters Association (NBA), the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (lBF), and the Association of Regional Television Broadcasters.

    The DoEPwD had stressed that access to TV programmes for many persons with disabilities is denied due to lack of assistive technology. During discussion with various NGOs, a need was felt to prepare guidelines that include that broadcasting partners should develop and telecast a certain percentage of programmes with audio description and captioning as an experiment to the benefit of the target persons with disabilities.

    The note said the media has always been in the forefront of taking up important issues and causes including those for the welfare of the disadvantaged sections of society. In the recent past, Republic Day Parade commentary and Independence Day ceremony was carried with sign language interpretation for the benefit of differently abled people.

  • Ad cap case put off to 1 August, court to hear plea challenging stay order

    Ad cap case put off to 1 August, court to hear plea challenging stay order

    NEW DELHI: There is clearly no indication to an early resolution to the controversial issue of adcaps on television channels, with yet one more adjournment of the petitions pending before the Delhi High Court, this time to 1 August.

    The matter was put off by chief justice G Rohini and justice Jayant Nath as they did not have time to hear the matter in view of urgent cases.

    When the case comes up next, it is expected to take up an application by intervenor Home Cable Network Pvt Ltd seeking vacation of the order staying action against violating television channels.

    In the hearing on 29 March, a plea was made on behalf of the Information and Broadcasting ministry that a proposal was being contemplated to amend the relevant provision relating to limiting ads to 12 minutes an hour.

    However counsel Vivek Sarin of Home Cable counsel pressed for early hearing of his application for vacation of stay. Thereupon, counsel for Discovery Communications said it wanted to press its application to come in as intervenor. The court had on 11 February agreed to take up the application by Discovery Communications to intervene on the matter.

    Earlier on 27 November last year, the court chaired by the chief justice had said the matter had been pending for some time and therefore it would hear and conclude the case in the next hearing. On that day, the I and B Ministry had informed the Court that it was in talks with the News Broadcasters Association and other stakeholders on the issue of the advertising cap of 12 minutes per hour. This was the first time that the ministry had put in an appearance in the petition filed by the News Broadcasters and others against the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India and others.

    Home Cable Network Pvt. Ltd had been permitted to intervene on 5 January and the Court had agreed to consider contentions on whether pay channels should be permitted to carry commercials in view of subscription fee charged by them. Home Cable Counsel Vivek Sarin had told the court that the petitioners had not disclosed that broadcasters had given their consent to observe the 10+2 ad cap rule under the Cable Television Network Regulation Rules 1994 and the Act that followed a year later and also under the Uplink and Downlink Guidelines. He also said pay TV broadcasters should not be allowed to take ads as they charged subscription fee.

    The case, filed by News Broadcasters Association and others against the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India and the Union Government, has so far been adjourned from time to time on the plea that the government and the broadcasters are in talks on this issue.

    The court has already directed that the order that TRAI would not take any action against any channel pending the petition would continue. In an earlier hearing, the court had, at the regulator’s instance, directed that all channels keep a record of the advertisements run by them.

    The NBA had challenged the ad cap rule, contending that TRAI does not have jurisdiction to regulate commercial airtime on television channels. Apart from the NBA, the petitions have been filed by Sarthak Entertainment, Pioneer Channel Factory, E24 Glamoru, Sun TV Network, TV Vision, B4U Broadband, 9X Media, Kalaignar, Celebrities Management, Eanadu Television and Raj Television.

    Meanwhille, complaints against fifteen broadcasters by TRAI on the ad cap issue are also pending with the chief metropolitan magistrate in Delhi.

  • Ad cap case put off to 1 August, court to hear plea challenging stay order

    Ad cap case put off to 1 August, court to hear plea challenging stay order

    NEW DELHI: There is clearly no indication to an early resolution to the controversial issue of adcaps on television channels, with yet one more adjournment of the petitions pending before the Delhi High Court, this time to 1 August.

    The matter was put off by chief justice G Rohini and justice Jayant Nath as they did not have time to hear the matter in view of urgent cases.

    When the case comes up next, it is expected to take up an application by intervenor Home Cable Network Pvt Ltd seeking vacation of the order staying action against violating television channels.

    In the hearing on 29 March, a plea was made on behalf of the Information and Broadcasting ministry that a proposal was being contemplated to amend the relevant provision relating to limiting ads to 12 minutes an hour.

    However counsel Vivek Sarin of Home Cable counsel pressed for early hearing of his application for vacation of stay. Thereupon, counsel for Discovery Communications said it wanted to press its application to come in as intervenor. The court had on 11 February agreed to take up the application by Discovery Communications to intervene on the matter.

    Earlier on 27 November last year, the court chaired by the chief justice had said the matter had been pending for some time and therefore it would hear and conclude the case in the next hearing. On that day, the I and B Ministry had informed the Court that it was in talks with the News Broadcasters Association and other stakeholders on the issue of the advertising cap of 12 minutes per hour. This was the first time that the ministry had put in an appearance in the petition filed by the News Broadcasters and others against the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India and others.

    Home Cable Network Pvt. Ltd had been permitted to intervene on 5 January and the Court had agreed to consider contentions on whether pay channels should be permitted to carry commercials in view of subscription fee charged by them. Home Cable Counsel Vivek Sarin had told the court that the petitioners had not disclosed that broadcasters had given their consent to observe the 10+2 ad cap rule under the Cable Television Network Regulation Rules 1994 and the Act that followed a year later and also under the Uplink and Downlink Guidelines. He also said pay TV broadcasters should not be allowed to take ads as they charged subscription fee.

    The case, filed by News Broadcasters Association and others against the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India and the Union Government, has so far been adjourned from time to time on the plea that the government and the broadcasters are in talks on this issue.

    The court has already directed that the order that TRAI would not take any action against any channel pending the petition would continue. In an earlier hearing, the court had, at the regulator’s instance, directed that all channels keep a record of the advertisements run by them.

    The NBA had challenged the ad cap rule, contending that TRAI does not have jurisdiction to regulate commercial airtime on television channels. Apart from the NBA, the petitions have been filed by Sarthak Entertainment, Pioneer Channel Factory, E24 Glamoru, Sun TV Network, TV Vision, B4U Broadband, 9X Media, Kalaignar, Celebrities Management, Eanadu Television and Raj Television.

    Meanwhille, complaints against fifteen broadcasters by TRAI on the ad cap issue are also pending with the chief metropolitan magistrate in Delhi.

  • SC: States expected to set up bodies to monitor govt. ads, raps Delhi govt.

    SC: States expected to set up bodies to monitor govt. ads, raps Delhi govt.

    NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has said it expected all government “functionaries to rise to the occasion” and to act in the matter of publication of Government advertisements with “utmost responsibility to ensure that such advertisements carry the right message to the citizens and do not glorify and/or personify any particular individual presently in the helm of affairs of the Union or the State.”

    Dismissing a contempt petition by the Centre for Public Interest Litigation, the court said the impact and importance of a government advertisement cannot be lost on the functionaries of the Union as well as the State.

    The court expressed confidence that in future advertisements of states, union territories or the Union of India, the “purpose” of government advertisements as dealt with in its judgment “shall be kept in mind and the advertisements will be published in the true spirit in which they are required to be so published.”

    Justice Ranjan Gogoi and justice P C Ghosh said in their recent judgment that the “spirit” of the judgment of 13 May 2015 relating to government advertising “would require the states to also constitute their respective committees which shall now be done.”

    The court added: “If the states so desire the committee constituted at the central level referred to in the affidavit of the Union of India may be entrusted with the task of overseeing the publication of advertisements in the states”.

    The judges said the judgment had “clearly laid down that the committee constituted would be responsible for ironing out the creases that may show from time to time in the implementation of the directions of the court and also to oversee such implementation. In the event it becomes so necessary and the committee, for any reasons, is unable to render effective and meaningful service it is always open for an aggrieved party or a conscious citizen to approach this court once again.”

    Noting that “we do not think it necessary to do so at this stage”, the judges rejected the argument by counsel Prashant Bhushan that the committee suggested by the court should be armed with further powers.

    The Court also noted that the government affidavit showed that the three-member committee has been constituted consisting of the persons mentioned in the body of the affidavit. In fact, the first meeting of the committee has been held on 18 April 2016.

    (A three-member committee headed by former chief election commissioner B B Tandon was set up on 6 April. The other members are News Broadcasters Association president and editor-in-chief of India TV Rajat Sharma, and Ogilvy & Mather executive chairman and creative director for South Asia Piyush Pandey)

    Referring to the allegations about the publication of advertisements by Tamil Nadu, the court said that the affidavit of the chief secretary to the state government showed that the advertisements published by the state do not carry the photograph of the chief minister and the advertisements which do carry the photograph of the chief minister were so published by the Indian Express, New Delhi Edition and funded by the said group and not by the state. Therefore, the judges said “we do not consider it necessary to pursue the matter any further”.

    As far as allegations about advertisements of Delhi government belittling other political parties went, the court said “a reading of the advertisements in question published by the government of NCT of Delhi would go to show that some portions of the same have been somewhat inarticulately drafted and there is room for improvement.”