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Tag: producers

  • RBI invites producers to make series about itself

    RBI invites producers to make series about itself

    Mumbai: We don’t see this happening very often. The Reserve Bank of India has placed a tender notice through which it is inviting producers, OTT platforms, TV channels to produce a series about itself. The series is expected to highlight the central bank’s journey as it enters its ninetieth year.

    The notice has invited interested parties to take part in the process through a two-bid system (technical and financial). A budget of Rs 70 million ($836,000-odd) has been kept aside for the production. Bidders have to submit an earnest money deposit of Rs 1.4 million through a bank guarantee.

    The Rs 70 million is expected to cover the cost of production and distribution with the former accounting for a minimum of 70 per cent of the overall expenses.

    The details of the tender are available by clicking on the link below.

    https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/BS_ViewTenders.aspx?Id=10499

  • Merzigo has reached the leading position in Turkey with a 40% market share, says Yigit Dogan Celik

    Merzigo has reached the leading position in Turkey with a 40% market share, says Yigit Dogan Celik

    Mumbai: Merzigo, a leading Turkey-based technology company that offers video monetisation and channel management solutions for producers, broadcasters, and distributors in the global advertising-based video on demand (AVoD) market, has been a key player in presenting riveting content across the globe. The man behind the success story of the firm is Merzigo’s chairman and founder Yigit Dogan Celik.

    Born in 1988 and a graduate of MEF International School (in Istanbul, in the year 2007), Celik studied law at the University of East Anglia and business administration at Regent’s University (in the UK, in the year 2012). He kicked off his career in 2014 as a country representative at Havelsan, a prominent software and development company.

    In 2015, he went on to establish his own business and serve as the co-founder and head of sales at Merzigo. He became the chairman of the board of directors in 2019 at the content syndication company.

    Celik also continues to draw attention in Turkey and Europe with Key Networks Group’s continued investments in the OTT industry, production, and distribution. PowerHouse, an incubation centre under Key Networks Group, regularly invests in different technology and AI projects.

    He took important and strategic steps that contributed to the level of success that Merzigo has achieved today. His decisions led the organisation towards leadership in the digital marketing sector, both domestically and globally.

    In an interview with Indiantelevision.com, Celik discusses Turkey’s content market, Merzigo’s presence at Mipcom 2022, his interest in Indian content, and much more.

    Excerpts:

    On the objective behind such a big presence of Merzigo at Mipcom 2022

    Merzigo is a video monetisation and digital solution company for content rights owners, production houses, and broadcasters across the globe. We are already doing business with clients in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and Asia through our offices in Istanbul, Mumbai, and London.

    At Mipcom 2022, our main goal is to focus on initiating new partnerships with potential clients and strengthening our position in the markets we are already active in. Our aim is to reach out to the ever-increasing base of partners and showcase our strong content offering. We expect to increase our already strong footprint globally and create stronger and more meaningful partnerships with our existing clients and newer prospects. We aim to further expand our global clientele so that Merzigo can become the leader in the AVoD market.

    On achieving the success you have at 34, about your journey pre-Merzigo and after setting it up

    Merzigo was founded in 2015 as a response to the market’s video monetisation needs. Our technological approach, expertise, and our own solutions helped us rapidly increase our market share and provide our domestic and international clientele with the best services available. As per our strategies, we have reached the leading position in Turkey’s market with a 40 per cent market share.

    Also, in line with our global vision, we continue to increase our market share to strengthen our position. As of 2022, Merzigo continues its activities under the newly restructured Key Networks Group, reaching a total of 400 employees. Merzigo’s leadership and knowledge in the digital sector’s monetisation and knowledge are elevated to a new level by these global strategies.

    On the Turkish adex market – whether it’s small or large, how advertising has evolved over time, especially in terms of digital video and AVoD, and how it is growing today

    Merzigo has a global presence. You can say that we are present wherever YouTube is present. We have been in the AVoD business since our establishment, and we have witnessed the market’s growth towards a more positive stance towards the AVoD model. We believe this shift will only accelerate due to the global landscape and the growing importance of accessibility. As you know, even major subscription video on demand (SVoD) platforms are considering AVoD plans that include advertisements. Hence, we believe we are on the right track. 

    On witnessing a tapering off of CPMs post opening up after the lockdowns

    Cost per mile (CPM) is a good indicator of how valuable advertisers find your videos and audience for achieving their own business goals. Your revenue will not be equal to your CPM times your views because CPM reflects what advertisers pay, not what you earn. Advertisers can control which geographies they’d like to reach with their ads. Different locations will have different levels of competition in the ad market, so CPMs will vary by geography.

    If there’s a shift in where most of your views are coming from, you may see a shift in the CPM. For instance, if you previously had views from a geography with higher CPMs but are now getting more views from geographies with lower CPMs, you may see a decrease in your CPM.

    On partners’ asset monetisation that you are managing on Turkish digital video platforms, which ones have managed to generate maximum revenue and why, and why have the others failed

    Survivor Turkey, The Voice Turkey, Turkey Got Talent, Fox TV in Turkey, and globally published Turkish series such as El Sultan (Magnificent Century), El Poder del Amor, and various international series channels launched in India, and from Spain, we signed a deal to monetize RTVE series are among our top channels.

    We also took over the management of some of Turkey’s leading free TV channels, multiplying their revenues per year by 10-fold during our first year. We are providing content in the following languages: Turkish, Spanish, Arabic, Romanian, Portuguese, English, French, Serbian, Italian, Urdu, Hindi, German, and Polish. Our content offerings are a perfect blend of emotion, drama, and variety, which are synonymous with almost all cultures in the world.

    On explaining your interest in international content – especially Indian

    Gripping stories, powerful characters, and edge-of-the-seat entertainment will ensure the viewers’ loyalty and stickiness. We aim to push the boundaries of entertainment by presenting new concepts and engaging content across genres to our audience. We pick up topics that are relatable to almost all cultures in the world and present gripping stories that are a perfect blend of emotion, drama, and variety. We bank on stories, which at their very core are stories about humans – their emotions, challenges, love, relationships, victories, defeats, and courage.

    Our strategy is to strike a good balance of content that works well with our audience and experiment with new and disruptive ideas constantly. And India being one of the world’s oldest and most diverse cultures, its series are a perfect blend of emotion, drama, and variety, which are synonymous with almost all cultures in the world. We believe there is tremendous headroom for growth for international content – and particularly India content – and hence we look at this as one of the key priorities for our content distribution.

    On your app being currently gestated: how will it be different from others, and what is the competition like

    ‘Baslat’ (meaning “start”) is our own OTT AVoD platform, which will be launching in Turkey in January 2023 on all platforms such as the web, phones, and smart TVs. Baslat will have an entirely different vision and intend to stand out in the AVoD market, offering an innovative and unique viewing experience for audiences in Turkey, as the viewers will be able to access premium content & original production for free. SVoD platforms in Turkey are increasing with new players entering the market, increasing the production budget and cost.

    Today, there are more places than ever to consume content. There’s a huge demand for variety in content, and audiences are more interested in the type of content and stories they can relate to. With the rise of OTT players, our focus is on how we can meet the needs of our viewers and focus on delivering different concepts and good stories to cater to the needs of both live and on-demand videos across different devices.

    On the target audience, and how will you monetise it

    We have always adapted to market demands and expectations, maintaining the standards that we have established over time and delivering high-quality content to audiences.

    The series dubbed in Turkish is a perfect blend of emotion, romance, family, and socially relevant issues that will immediately resonate with mainstream audiences. We will ensure content for all age groups.

    The most important issues are viewers’ habits when it comes to video consumption as well as piracy. We will be encouraging people to watch the content they wish to watch on a legal yet free platform. Our revenue model for Baslat will be through advertising sales.

  • Producers Guild of India elects Shibasish Sarkar as president

    Producers Guild of India elects Shibasish Sarkar as president

    Mumbai: Shibasish Sarkar was unanimously elected as president of the Producers Guild of India at the first meeting of its newly constituted Guild Council of Management, which was held immediately after the 68th annual general meeting on 21 September.

    Shibasish is currently the chairman and CEO of International Media Acquisition. His most recent position was as group CEO of Reliance Entertainment, which is part of the Reliance ADA group.

    President-elect Shibasish Sarkar said, “In his six years as guild president, Siddharth has been a tireless, passionate, and committed champion for our industry at a time of unprecedented challenges. I look forward to building on what he has accomplished and working alongside my colleagues to help address the challenges and build on the opportunities we have before us as an industry.”

    Shibasish Sarkar is a media and entertainment industry professional with over 29 years of corporate experience in multiple verticals such as films, television, animation, gaming content, and digital & new media platform operations.

    Welcoming the president-elect, the incumbent president Siddharth Roy Kapur said, “It has been a pleasure and an honour to serve the production fraternity and I am delighted to pass the baton on to the able hands of Shibasish. I am sure he will do a stellar job and add further lustre to the Guild’s reputation for spearheading the industry’s interests.”

    Shibasish was a member of the senior leadership team and served as a director and member of the board of several group companies.

    He has held senior positions at Viacom 18, UTV Disney, and Godrej Sara Lee prior to joining Reliance, with a focus on establishing a new business, scaling up operations, and driving sustainable growth through key alliances, managing stakeholders, talent partners, and cross-functional teams.

    His academic credentials include being a certified chartered accountant, a cost accountant, a company secretary, and an MBA with a marketing specialisation.

  • Cyclone Tauktae damages TV shooting floors, adds to producers’ woes

    Cyclone Tauktae damages TV shooting floors, adds to producers’ woes

    Mumbai: As cyclone Tauktae wreaked havoc all along the western coast of India, along with it mauled Mumbai’s famed television industry. Gale-like winds and incessant rain battered not only homes and offices all through Sunday night and Monday, they also tore through TV production sets in different locations in Mumbai and its outskirts.

    According to an estimate, at least 20-30 shooting floors were severely damaged when water seeped into them, which could lead to losses running into crores of rupees.

    Said Indian Film & TV Producers Council (IFTPC) chairman JD Majethia: “Almost all sets, whether outdoors or indoors, were impacted and reported some damage at least. On the sets of my production house, a tree fall occurred and a boundary wall was also damaged. Besides this, water is seeping in through sections of the roof. It is really a daunting time for us.”

    Added IFTPC CEO Suresh Amin: “It is akin to rubbing salt upon one’s wounds. Television producers were already reeling under the Coronavirus pandemic. Shooting for several (popular) shows then got stalled due to the restrictions imposed. Now this cyclone has devastated at least 30 shoot-ready sets. It will cost Rs. 20 lakhs per film set for rebuilding the damaged sections. It is really a back-breaking predicament for producers and production houses.”

    Although forewarning cyclone advisories issued a week ago by weather department officials had sounded the alert, TV production units could not gear up sufficiently well during this time with preventive measures in place. The reason: under pressure to deliver daily episodes for the telecast, most of them shifted their shoots to other states after Maharashtra imposed a suspension of both indoor shootings as well as outdoor filming schedules. 

    According to Majethia, “challenges for the TV production community are increasing day by day. Usually around the middle of the month of May is the time, when producers focus on aspects of monsoon preparedness before rains are scheduled to arrive in the month of June. Unfortunately, the cyclone hit Mumbai now.”

    But he says no one from the production trade is willing to get beaten down by the continuous hammering their businesses have been getting over the past year, on account of the pandemic and then by nature’s fury. “We will immediately undertake repair efforts and rebuild our sets so that work may be restarted in right earnest once again. We accord high priority to safety over everything else,” revealed Majethia.

    The IFTPC chief also expressed hope that the Maharashtra government led by Udhav Thackeray would go-ahead green signal film and television shootings in the state given that the peak of the second wave appears to be ebbing and a decline in growing infections is being actively reported.

  • Get crew members tested for Covid, IFTPC urges TV producers

    Get crew members tested for Covid, IFTPC urges TV producers

    MUMBAI: With no slowdown in sight in the number of Covid2019 cases in Maharashtra, the Indian Films and Television Producers Council (IFTPC) has urged all television producers to conduct RT-PCR/antigen tests of crew members working on ongoing projects. The statement comes at a time when the state government is mulling a complete lockdown for two weeks to combat the second wave of infections.

    Maharashtra is battling an unprecedented surge of Covid2019 cases, with nearly 60,000 cases being reported daily for the past few days. As many as 394 people lost their lives in the past 24 hours taking the death toll to 57,987.The state worst hit by the ongoing pandemic was forced to enforce a night curfew and a weekend lockdown last week. Except for essential services, it announced the closure of all other businesses, including theatres, cinema halls, and multiplexes till 30 April. However, the film and television shoots were permitted to continue amid restrictions.

    In a statement, the IFTPC said that it has asked the producers of 90 TV shows to conduct Covid2019 tests of their entire crew and submit a report. It has already received confirmation of as many as 9,000 tests, it stated further. The tests will be repeated after 15 days as per the ‘Break the Chain’ guidelines. The association has, however, mandated that antigen tests be done every week for additional safety.

    IFTPC chairman TV & web wing JD Majethia mentioned that broadcasters have borne the cost of the tests. "All the necessary guidelines are being followed scrupulously. We have also urged the producers to create a bio-bubble of the sets and post-production facilities for total safety,” he said, adding that the work on bio-bubble has already commenced and will fructify in a couple of days.

    Several on-ground productions including Ram Setu, Gangubai Kathiawadi, and Dharma Productions-backed Mr. Lele were impacted after actors, as well as other members on the sets, tested positive for the novel Coronavirus. Filming of Wagle Ki Duniya and Anupamaa was also halted after some members on the sets tested positive. Mumbai itself has recorded nearly 10,000 positive cases in the past 24 hours and recorded 79 deaths. Other cities like Aurangabad, Pune, Nashik, Thane also remain badly affected.

    Majethia said the television industry has been continuously producing entertaining shows which help the people to stay at home and bring relief to their stressful life. “We hope the government will treat the industry as an essential service and its workers as frontline workers,” he stated.

    On Sunday, chief minister Udhhav Thackeray held a meeting with the Covid2019 task force to discuss the current situation and the duration of a state-wide lockdown and its potential economic fallout. Thackeray had earlier warned that a lockdown is imminent if there is no let-up in cases. Talking to reporters post the meeting, state health minister Rajesh Tope said most of those present at the discussion were of the view that a lockdown should be imposed in the state for at least two weeks. However, he added that a final decision regarding imposing a lockdown in Maharashtra will be taken after 14 April.

    The state has administered Covid2019 vaccines to over a crore people so far.

    The second wave of Covid2019 and another lockdown could land a serious blow to the entertainment industry, which is still recuperating from the damages incurred last year due to an extended shutdown. Apart from the loss of revenue and the impact on the workforce, the restrictions have also put a question mark over the revival of the film exhibition business.

    What the second Covid2019 wave means for Maharashtra

    The IFTPC had earlier cautioned the producers about a potential "September-2020" like situation developing again and urged them to avoid outdoor shoots with immediate effect. Meanwhile, the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) formed a monitoring team to ensure that all Covid2019 shooting guidelines, including safety precautions on the set, avoiding filming of crowd sequences are strictly followed.

  • IFTPC thanks Maharashtra govt, producers in fast-racking resumption of shoots

    IFTPC thanks Maharashtra govt, producers in fast-racking resumption of shoots

    MUMBAI: In a major relief for all daily soap viewers, TV broadcasters will roll out fresh content from 13 July.

    Indian Film and Television Producers Council (IFTPC), in its press release today, thanked all the TV producers, Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, MLA Amit Deshmukh and government of Maharashtra for their constant effort in restarting film and television production. The association also thanked the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE), Cine and TV Artistes' Association (CINTAA), broadcasters and all the other vendors for their cooperation. It also expressed gratitude to Dr Sanjay Mukherjee, Marathi producer Aadesh Bandekar, Dr Shashank Joshi from Covid2019 task force Maharashtra and district collectors for their assistance.

    IFTPC in its release mentioned that due to the lockdown studios were shut. The release read, “Lakhs of daily wage workers and the workers from ancillary industries lost their jobs. The fear of starvation loomed large on the industry workers. Fortunately, with Unlock 1.0 shooting was allowed.”

    The Maharashtra government under its ‘mission begins’ initiative allowed shooting from 30 July 2020 with stringent SOP measures and protocols. In order to resume shooting swiftly, Hindi and Marathi producers introduced additional safeguard measures like arranging transportation, lodging and boarding facilities for their cast and crew. The production houses, in fact, bore the additional cost of maintaining safety and hygiene.

    The release said, “From today there will be more laughter and fun in every home battered by more than 100 days of lockdown. At a time when there was possibility of mental illness such as hypertension and depression was to affect many citizens, the re-entry of television is a big relief. Now the new stories full of drama, suspense fun and education will unfold and relieve the anxiety of Covid2019.”

    The television industry was forced to stop telecasting due to the countrywide lockdown from 22 March 2020. The entire shooting for films, television and advertisement was dispensed post government guidelines to ensure social distancing and to stop the mitigation of the SarsCoV2.

    In the meantime, more than 60 shows are being shot across Mumbai and Thane.

  • Shooting amidst a pandemic causing anxiety: Binaifer Kohli

    Shooting amidst a pandemic causing anxiety: Binaifer Kohli

    MUMBAI: Television shoots which were halted due to Covid2019 pandemic have now resumed shooting after adhering to myriad instructions. Producers are taking all necessary precautions to ensure safety and security of cast and crew. On 29 June &TV’s popular sitcom Bhabhiji Ghar Par Hain too resumed shooting.

    Producer of Bhabhiji Ghar Par Hain and Edit II Productions co-founder Binaifer Kohli tells indiantelevision.com that she is excited to begin shooting but at the same time the extra work and responsibility has caused a sense of anxiety. 

    “Shoots are happening late as we are taking effort to follow all the SOPs. More than the shooting, our major concern is on sanitisation and other guidelines as people’s lives are more important. There is no second chance here," she explains.

    Makeup artists, hairdressers and dress men are using PPE kits and artists have been provided separate makeup kits and rooms. Kohli also stresses on using good quality sanitation solutions to avoid any harm. If it is adulterated, then it will not do the work, if used more than the required it could turn acidic. Kohli uses special sanitisation cans to spray on clothes which are relatively more expensive than the usual sanitisers. As there is a lot of heat and halogen lights on the set it could negatively react with the solution and catch fire.

    Every 15 days, the shooting premise is sanitised by a government-approved vendor. They have mostly German dealers who are supplying sanitisation cans and other necessary equipment. There are also vitamin tablets, homeopathic pills and immunity boosting kadhas at the entrance for people to consume.

    According to her, it is very difficult to re-imagine and re-design production protocols and other guidelines. She also highlights that it is difficult to match deadlines now. She says, “We are allowed to shoot with only 33 per cent of the staff and lighting arrangements are done keeping this in mind. Once the camera is set, actors enter the scene and the light-men, along with other crew members, come out of the scene.   Things are going a little slow as compared to before. People on the set have decreased but the lights and cameras used for one shot remain the same. It affects the output of the show.”

    There will be no major changes in the scripts. Grand wedding scenes will now be replaced by court marriage. Funerals and other events will be shown with fewer people.

    Apart from the actors who are travelling daily through their private vehicles, the rest of the crew members are staying on the set. The 12-hour shift timings remain the same for actors and other staff. “We try to wrap up the work in the 12-hour time frame. We have also introduced shift systems so that there is no extra burden on one particular actor.”

    The production house has taken an overall insurance plan along with the Covid2019 insurance cover. As curfew is imposed in Mumbai, Kohli makes sure that shoot ends before 9 pm and people can reach their home in time.

    According to Kohli, it is important for broadcasters and producers to sail together in the same ship in order to survive.

    “Broadcasters are trusting us with our work. We all are supportive towards each other. I have taken a price cut; in the channel itself people have taken 40 per cent cuts. Broadcasters are also facing a lot of difficulty. They are sailing in troubled waters too. The main concern is that there is advertisement happening on television. Brands have nothing to sell and some of them have shut. Whatever products they have they will sell on merit and demand. When there is excess supply then brands have the option of competing. In this scenario, how will broadcasters survive?" she says.

    Kohli’s husband Sanjay Kohli, who is also the creative producer, oversees all the pre-production and post-production work. He checks the scripts before it goes for shooting and episodes before it goes to the channel. Edit and other post- production work is done from her office that is situated in Bandra. They are using technologies like iCloud to save data.

    The house has two shows Bhabhiji Ghar Par Hain and Happu Ki Ultan Paltan on & TV. The popular sitcom May I Come In Madam’s second season is also set to go on the floors very soon, which got postponed owing to the pandemic.

  • CINTAA, FWICE seek clarity from broadcasters, producers on payment, working conditions

    CINTAA, FWICE seek clarity from broadcasters, producers on payment, working conditions

    MUMBAI: The Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) and Cine & TV Artistes’ Association (CINTAA) together have raised several concerns with broadcasters and producers but their appeals haven't been responded to, yet.

    They had submitted several grievances on working conditions, payments and duty hours to the producers association through series of joint meetings and communications but did not get any positive answers from them. There is still uncertainty looming large.

    "Though we have always assured our best support to them they have not taken our concurrence on many issues resulting in lack of clarity and confusions. Many producers are taking unilateral steps of calling our members for shoot, this has only created a feeling of unrest and misguidance amongst the members, even before resumptions of shoot," said the two bodies in a release.

    FWICE and CINTAA which has scores of members enrolled in the cadres of actors, technicians and workers need immediate changes implemented in the working system/payment terms before any resumption of shoots.

    Many producers are taking unilateral steps of calling members for shoot and this has only created a feeling of unrest and misguidance amongst the members, even before resumptions of shoot.

    Post Covid2019 the working system would change for all with probable health challenges and drop in immunity levels hence it is all the more important that all the concerns are suitably addressed, the release added.

    Speaking to indiantelevision.com CINTAA senior joint secretary Amit Behl said, “There has been radio silence from broadcasters and producers for almost one week and that is the reason we have to issue this press release. Our people are hounding us as to what we must do."

    "We were supposed to get a response from the producer's association and broadcasters as to what is the final decision they have taken in terms of insurance cover, payment, earlier defaults, SOP measures, studios and other important things. As a counterpart we issued this release,” he further added.

    According to Behl, CINTAA and the board understands that broadcasters are facing trouble in terms of advertising but there must be a clarity around budget cuts. The association is answerable to 10,000 members while the federation to five lakh people. He adds that people with bare minimum salary cannot afford to have 30 percent deduction, which is the cut that has been intimated to them.

    IFTPC chairman TV wing JD Majethia acknowledged the release sent. "We have been in constant touch with the association. Slowly and gradually we are trying to resolve each and every issue," he said.

    He also added that the producer's association and broadcasters will have to give a response as they cannot work without cast and crew.

    The association's demand includes:

    .  Shift hours strictly to be eight hours per day

    .  Payments to daily paid actors/ technicians/ workers has to be settled by the end of the day

    .  All contractual employees have to be paid in 30 days

    .  Conveyance has to be settled end of the day

    .  Mandatory weekly holiday

    .  Adherence to stringent health and safety protocols as per directives of the government

    . Insurance: health and life insurance with Covid2019 specific coverage. We demand a Rs 50 lakh cover for actors / workers /technicians who succumb to death.

    .  No pay cuts/discounts will be agreed by actors/ workers /technicians post resuming to work.

    .  No actor/ technicians/ workers would be replaced for refusing giving discounts on their emolument

    .  Deployment of a well-equipped ambulance along with a paramedical staff (nurse) and a doctor at the location

    It says that all the above-mentioned issues have to be resolved first so that there is complete clarity to all, be it actors/ workers or technicians. "No one can risk the lives of human resources and for us at FWICE AND CINTAA certainly not," it adds.

    It adds that even after strict directives issued by the I&B ministry to all the producers to clear the outstanding dues of the actors, workers and technicians pending prior to the announcement of the lockdown by the government amidst the Covid2019 pandemic, the producers have still not cleared the outstanding dues of the members. The association demands that all the outstanding dues of  members should be cleared prior to the resumption of the shooting.

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  • Clear payments to workers till March, I&B ministry tells broadcasters, producers

    Clear payments to workers till March, I&B ministry tells broadcasters, producers

    MUMBAI: The ministry of information and broadcasting has urged the broadcasters and producers of TV serials to take a compassionate view of workers who have been hit by the Covid2019 pandemic. The ministry has urged them to ensure that all payments due to them up to March 2020 are cleared at the earliest, because this “will be of immense relief to them and their families.”

    The ministry has informed that the bureau of outreach and communication (BOC) is working on a war footing for liquidating the pendency of advertisement bills due to the media industry so as to help the broadcasting sector that has been reeling under the Covid2019 pandemic, said a ministry notification.  

    According to a ministry notification, the pandemic has led to financial downturn for a large number of sectors of the economy, including the broadcasting industry. The information and broadcasting minister recently discussed the problems of the broadcasting sector with the major stakeholders. And the BOC is trying to clear the pendency of advertisement bills.

    “However, equally important is the livelihoods of the employees (and their families) who are working in this sector, including a large number of modestly paid TV artists engaged for production of various TV serials. While services of such persons were taken, some of them may not have received their remuneration. While appreciating concerns of the broadcasting sector, the imminent need to give remuneration to them cannot be lost sight of,” said the notification.

    Copies of the notification have been sent to various industry associations such as the News Broadcasters Association, the Indian Broadcasting Foundation, Association of Regional Television Broadcasters of India, and Producers Guild of India.

  • Producers’ association appeals to pay dues to workers, artists

    Producers’ association appeals to pay dues to workers, artists

    MUMBAI: Indian Motion Picture Producers’ Association (IMPPA) has requested its members to pay the dues to their employees, workers, artists and technicians as soon as possible to enable them to survive in these difficult times. 

    The association reminded all its members of the situation of the workers, technicians and artists who have not yet been paid the dues. Their condition has become very serious due to further extension of the lockdown by the government, said an IMPPA statement.

    “We are aware that our members are also having liquidity crunch and are facing difficulties, but on humanitarian ground we request all our members who have taken work from any of their employees, workers, artists and technicians for any of their productions to clear their dues,” said the statement.

    The association said that the unpaid workers are more vulnerable in these trying times and that paying the dues will ensure that they get enough money to fulfill their daily needs.