ITV

Tag: Open House Meeting

  • I&B slots MSOs & broadcasters’ open house meet on 20th of each month

    I&B slots MSOs & broadcasters’ open house meet on 20th of each month

    MUMBAI: The Information and Broadcasting Ministry (I&B) is taking all steps possible to ensure that the sector prospers and any issue, which hampers the growth is addressed well in time.

     

    The Ministry, over the past several months, has taken active measures to ensure that the various stakeholders of the ecosystem meet from time to time. The meeting is aimed at becoming a forum for the stakeholders to voice their concerns and come up with solutions.

     

    In its latest notice, the Ministry has informed both the broadcasters and MSOs, that the open house meetings, which were earlier held on the 5th of every month, will now take place on the 20th of every month. In case, of the day being a holiday, the meeting will be held on the next day.

     

    The meeting will be held from 11 am to 12 pm, in two different rooms of Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi involving broadcasters and MSOs.

     

    The notice clearly states that only regular employees of the company, well versed with the issue, would be allowed to participate in the open house meeting. “Therefore, the participant shall have to bring authorisation letter from the top executive of the company in his/her name to participate in the open house meeting, along with photo identity card issued by the employer company,” reads the notice.

     

    Companies, which desire to participate in the open house have been asked to send the request of participation detailing out the issues to be discussed latest by 10th of the month to director (BC) through email at dirbc-moib@nic.in

     

    However, for the meeting scheduled on 20 April, issues to be discussed may be sent latest by 13 April.

  • Stakeholders undivided on constitution of commercial subscriber

    Stakeholders undivided on constitution of commercial subscriber

    NEW DELHI: What constitutes commercial or non-commercial subscribers for broadcasting and cable TV services?

     

    This question remained largely unresolved in an open house discussion on tariff issues related to broadcasting and cable television services for commercial subscribers held later today.

     

    Broadcasters by and large were in agreement that anyone other than a domestic subscriber is a commercial subscriber.

     

    There was also division on who is responsible for the subscriber. While broadcasters feel they should know about the subscribers, the multi-service operators and cable operators said they are generally responsible for dealing with the subscriber and the broadcaster should not interfere.

     

    The Open House Discussion was called by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) as it has to submit a proper tariff chart to the Supreme Court by 16 July.

     

    The meet was attended by senior officials of TRAI, the broadcasting fraternity including the Indian Broadcasting Foundation, and other stakeholders, apart from consumer organisations.

     

    The whole controversy rose after an order of the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Arbitration Tribunal of 28 May 2010 was challenged in the Supreme Court, which had on 16 April this year said: “…However, we direct that for a period of three months, the impugned tariff, which is in force as on today, shall continue. Within the said period, TRAI shall look into the matter de novo, as directed in the impugned judgment, and shall re–determine the tariff after hearing the contentions of all the stake holders….”

     

     TRAI had issued a consultation paper in this connection, and also invited comments from stakeholders by June-end. Though several stakeholders have already responded in writing, they were today given a final opportunity to send in their written comments by 8 July.

     

     On behalf of TRAI, the meet was attended by member R K Arnold, Dr Vijayalakshmy K Gupta, principal advisor N Parameswaran and secretary Sudhir Gupta. Others among the approximately 100 stakeholders who attended were IBF’s Sailesh Shah, Sony’s Naresh Chahal, Star’s Pulak Bagchi, a representative of Siticable and Cable Operators Federation of India’s Roop Sharma.

     

    Cable operator and journalist K K Sharma said most cable operators charged the same fee from commercial or non-commercial subscribers.

     

    A representative of the hotel industry said that it did not differentiate between a commercial or non-commercial subscriber. 

     

    Broadcasters representatives insisted that a lot of the investment went into production of content and so advertising was important, but some stakeholders said that encrypted channels should not be allowed to take commercials.

     

    Among the questions that the TRAI had asked in the consultation paper was whether stakeholders agreed with the definitions of ‘commercial establishment, ‘shop’ and ‘commercial subscriber’ given by TRAI; whether there was a need to further categorise commercial subscribers; tariff for commercial subscribers and whether it should be the same as for ordinary subscribers.