ITV

Tag: Prasar Bharati

  • 3 DD channels to be on 3G cell phones globally

    3 DD channels to be on 3G cell phones globally

    NEW DELHI: Media barons Rupert Murdoch and Subhash Chandra believe that the rules of television are changing as consumer demands change with the advent of digital media.

    So does Indian pubcaster Prasar Bharati, which manages the world’ biggest terrestrial network Doordarshan and its sibling All India Radio.

    Three Doordarshan channels would now be available on all 3G mobile phones globally from April-end, according to a senior executive of Prasar Bharati.

    “We have tied up with First Serve Entertainment (former Indian tennis star Vijay Amritraj’s US-based company) to make available DD National, DD Bharati and DD News on all 3G mobile handsets all over the world Prasar Bharati CEO KS Sarma said today.

    The agreement with FSE is non-exclusive, leaving Prasar Bharati to enter into similar deals with other companies. However, the revenue generated from this distribution pact would be shared equally between FSE and DD, Sarma added.

    DD launches SMS & IVR-based services

    DD has also joined hands with ACL Wireless Ltd to launch SMS (short text messages sent over cell phones) and IVR-based interactive services.

    The services will be available over the short code 676733 where the last two digits, 33, stand for DD.

    As part of this partnership, DD launched an SMS-based news service, adding to the other interactive services that it has via ACLs India6767 platform.

    ACL Wireless Ltd, a developer and provider of cutting-edge wireless solutions for consumers and enterprises, has won this contract from DD for a period of three years.

    Under the contract, ACL will design, install and manage the services, which, in turn, will be made available to more than 400 million viewers of DD across the country.

    ACL offers this service through a fully-hosted multi-modal platform, which is connected to all mobile operators in India. “The DD tie-up is significant as it further consolidates our presence in the wireless domain,” according to ACL Wireless president Atanu Mandal.

    DD has used ACLs services for a variety of programmes like contest during cricket matches and in shows like Super Hit Muqabla, Wheel Smart Shrimati, Gen Next and Total Health.

    According to DD, interactivity is being proposed to be extended to subjects like stock market alerts, board exam results, video clips of news headlines and SMS-based greetings service for DD News users.

  • Prasar Bharati revenues cross Rs 12 billion in FY06

    Prasar Bharati revenues cross Rs 12 billion in FY06

    NEW DELHI: “We have been doing quite well this financial year and expect to close our books in March 2006 with Rs 10 billion (Rs 1,000 crore) in total revenue.” This was what KS Sarma, the CEO of Indian pubcaster Prasar Bharati, said in an interview to Indiantelevision.com late last year.

    Well, the pubcaster has crossed that figure by a good distance. Prasar Bharati’s revenues for the fiscal 2005-2006 ended 31 March are Rs 12.38 billion, up a whopping 67 per cent from the Rs 8.31 billion it earned last year. Of this, national broadcaster Doordarshan accounted for Rs 9.6 billion (Rs 968 crore) riding heavily on cricket and Hindi movies. Most significant was the growth on the radio side though, with All India Radio (AIR) registering a 59.6 per cent jump in revenues at Rs 2.7 billion (Rs 270 crore).

    In the FY 2004-05 fiscal, Prasar Bharati mopped up revenues of Rs. 8.31 billion with DD contributing Rs 6.70 billion and AIR’s share being Rs 1.61 billion.

    In a true corporate style at a press conference organised at five-star hotel here today, Sarma grandly — and proudly— said, “We have managed to establish systems that will make it (revenue) happen.”

    Pointing out that the revenue target for 2006-07 is Rs 15 billion, Sarma said sustained initiatives on various front, including marketing and programming, has helped the organisation cross the magical Rs. 10 billion revenue mark.

    “This, in spite of lax implementation of regulatory framework relating to mandatory carriage of three DD channels on prime bands on all cable networks,” he added.

    Concurring with Sarma on programming front, DD director-general Navin Kumar said the organization took upon itself to “work on viewership of DD in C&S homes.”

    Hammering in a point, Kumar flaunted TAM figures (TG: CS 4+; HSM; Period: 2004 and 2005) that shows DD national has a market share of 57 per cent amongst all Hindi language general entertainment. The nearest rival was Star Plus, which had a share of 23 per cent.

    But what is surprising as per TAM data quoted by Kumar was that during the period under review, while DD National share rose marginally by one percent, the likes of Star Plus, Sony and Zee TV shed market share.

    “This makes it clear that in a scenario when others were slipping primarily due to market share being taken away by news channels, DD National actually registered a small growth in viewership,”Kumar said.

    FILMS, CRICKET MAJOR EARNERS

    How does some of the major segments stack up as far as their revenue share go?

    Though during 2005-06 the gain in viewership because of cricket on DD has been marginal — as per Kumar’s own admissions — the game contributed slightly over Rs 3 billion (Rs 300 crore) to the overall kitty.

    The government and other non-profit organisations like National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) contributed almost Rs 1.91 billion to Prasar Bharati kitty as part of the development communication division of share.

    Feature films, aired five days every week on different slots under a variety of themes, garnered revenues worth Rs 1.1 billion. “Even a dead slot like Sunday mid-day has started yielding revenue on films,” Prasar Bharati deputy director general Vijaylakshmi Chabbra said.

    Under the self-finance commissioned scheme introduced by DD middle of 2005 where the organisation markets programmes after paying outside producers their remuneration, DD managed to mop up about Rs 500 million.

    According to Chabbra, “DD is doing in-house marketing of programmes has had phenomenal affect on our revenues. We have successfully managed to arrest the trend of under selling of DD air time in the market by private producers.”

    POLICY INITIAIVES DURING 2005-06

    According to Sarma, the all-round improvement in performance of Prasar Bharati is the culmination of various policy initiatives taken over a period of time.

    Following are some of the major initiatives taken by Prasar Bharati:

        Increased focus on in-house marketing of properties.
        Successful execution of media campaigns on behalf of government departments.
        Rationalisation of rate card to suit the changing market conditions.
        A strategic shift from sponsored programmes to self-financing scheme.
        Leveraging AIR’s vast network and unprecedented reach.
        Improved billing and housekeeping efforts.

    Year
    AIR
    Doordarshan
    Prasar Bharati
    (AIR +Doordarshan)
    2001 -02
    966.9 mn
    6.15 bn
    7.12 bn
    2002 -03
    1.32 bn
    5.54 bn
    6.86 bn
    2003 -04
    1.41 bn
    5.33 bn
    6.74 bn
    2004 -05
    1.61 bn
    6.7 bn
    8.31 bn
    2005 -06
    2.68 bn*
    9 bn *
    12.4 bn*

     

    *Provisional figures

    (Rs 45=1US$)

  • FM players to lobby for tax sops, music rights fee

    FM players to lobby for tax sops, music rights fee

    NEW DELHI: The newly-formed Association of Radio Operators of India (AROI), a body of FM radio licencees, has decided to petition the government on tax sops and work towards rationalization of music rights fee.

    In a meeting held here today, AROI members, approximately 35 in number, including the big ones like Radio City, Radio Mirchi, the Sun TV group, Adlabs, expressed serious concern over high rates being demanded for music rights and also by Prasar Bharati for sharing its infrastructure with private players in some cities.

    In a recent interview with Indiantelevision.com Music Broadcast Private Limited CEO Apurva S Purohit had said, “It is a fairly high fee rate that we pay to the music bodies. And I think that’s where some rationalization needs to be brought about. It is calculated per hour per city. With a large of number of stations in the kitty, a consolidation in the amount has to be brought about. We are working with the industry to bring a rationale pricing. It is a big cost. It can range between five to seven per cent of the cost structure that goes to the music bodies, which is fairly high.

    “The members feel there should be an all round rationalization of rights fee and money demanded by Prasar Bharati for sharing infrastructure, which certainly is unjustified as it doesn’t take into consideration that in smaller cities the level of investments will be comparatively less,” AROI co-coordinator and BAG Infotainment chief executive Rajiv Mishra told Indiantelevision.com.

    Over 40 private sector companies, holding 287 FM radio licences across 91 Indian cities, are preparing to start operations.

    According to Mishra, Prasar Bharati has demanded money for infrastructure at the rate of Rs. 54 to Rs 55 per square feet, which would bring the annual cost to around between Rs. 400,000-Rs. 500,000.

    Such a cost will prove to be high for smaller operations in smaller towns, Mishra said, trying to explain the economics of setting up a radio station.

    Today’s meeting of AROI, attended by most members, also decided to form a panel to frame the constitution of the organization. Radio operators will again meet on 29 March to finalize the constitution.

    AROI will be a registered, non-profit, non-governmental society dedicated to protect the common and collective interests of FM Radio broadcasters.

    It will have a core executive council and will be supported by several committees on areas like legal & regulatory affairs, finance & commercial, technology and dispute settlement.

  • 15 August launch for Sahara Urdu news channel

    15 August launch for Sahara Urdu news channel

    MUMBAI: Sahara India Mass Communications, which manages a bouquet of news channels, is proposing to launch an Urdu news and information channel. The probable launch date: 15 August 2006, Indian Independence Day.

    The 24-hour Urdu news and information channel is targeted at the100 million plus Urdu-speaking denizens spread out in various states all over India. The channel will be headed by Dr Aziz Burny who is also the editor of the Sahara Urdu daily – Roznama Rashtriya Sahara.

    Says Burny: “The channel’s name has not been finalised as yet. As of now, we are toying with a name like Urdu Sahara. We are in the process of finalising the team. We hope to launch the channel by 15 August, once all the logistics are in place.”

    There is just one major player – the Hyderabad based Enadu TV – which runs a 24 hour Urdu channel – ETV Urdu. Last year, pubcaster — Prasar Bharati also announced that it would launch an Urdu TV service.

    Urdu Sahara will be entering a space which has been rough for players in the past. UTN and Falak TV are some of the Urdu news & infotainment channels which have ended up in the graveyard.