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Tag: Reliance

  • Reliance, Universal & eOne to distribute Fox-Amblin’s Spielberg movie ‘The Papers’

    Reliance, Universal & eOne to distribute Fox-Amblin’s Spielberg movie ‘The Papers’

    MUMBAI: Twentieth Century Fox and Amblin Entertainments’ riveting drama inspired by actual events, ‘The Papers’ began principal photography in New York recently.

    Internationally, the film will be distributed through Amblin’s deals with Universal Studios, Reliance Entertainment, eOne and other international distribution partnerships.

    Academy Award winning director Steven Spielberg helms a powerhouse cast including Oscar winners Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks in ‘The Papers’. In June 1971, The New York Times, the Washington Post and the nation’s major newspapers took a brave stand for freedom of speech and reported on the Pentagon Papers, the massive cover-up of government secrets that spanned four decades and four US Presidents.

    At the time, the Post’s Katherine Graham (Streep) was still finding her footing as the country’s first female newspaper publisher, and Ben Bradlee (Hanks), the paper’s volatile, driven editor, was trying to enhance the stature of the struggling, local paper. Together, the two formed an unlikely team, as they were forced to come together and make the bold decision to support The New York Times and fight the Nixon Administration’s unprecedented attempt to restrict the first amendment.

    ‘The Papers’ marks the first time Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg have collaborated on a project. In addition to directing, Spielberg will also produce along with Amy Pascal and Kristie Macosko Krieger. The script was written by Liz Hannah and Josh Singer and features an acclaimed ensemble cast including Alison Brie, Carrie Coon, David Cross, Bruce Greenwood, Tracy Letts, Bob Odenkirk, Sarah Paulson, Jesse Plemons, Matthew Rhys, Michael Stuhlbarg, Bradley Whitford and Zach Woods.

    An Amblin Entertainment production, ‘The Papers’ will be distributed domestically by Twentieth Century Fox and will be in select theaters 22 December, going wide 12 January, 2018.

  • Google, Microsoft and Reliance may help design rlys ad tech

    MUMBAI: Leading global companies such as Google, Microsoft and Reliance may be keen to take part in the Indian Railways project and help design platform screens advertising technology. Railways is putting together a strategy to launch two lakh screens across India, aiming at a revenue Rs 10,000 crore in 10 years, the Times of India reported, for which a tender could be awarded by May this year.

    Indiantelevision.com had earlier reported that content on demand on trains and at stations is a sizeable market. According to a report by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), the infotainment market to be around Rs 2,277 crore in three years’ time.

    The Railway Ministry, in a bid to revamp railways, may invite bids for Content on Demand (CoD) and railradio services in April. Services that would be included under the CoD initiative are — movies, TVserials, short videos, kids’ shows and devotional content. The CoD would also include streaming audio such as regional songs, movie songs, and devotional music; and providing electronic newspapers, gaming and educational content. Railways’ bids for app-based cab services will also be invited by May.

    The video, radio, digital music and digital gaming contracts will be for a period of 10 years. The railways is, through these initiatives, expecting revenue of Rs 16,000-20,000 crore in 10 years.

    As per the BCG report, to provide offline content, railways may have to shell out Rs 38,000 per coach. But, the online content will be expensive — for Rs 25 lakh each. Coaches are required to be well equipped to offer content streamed via the internet.

    Also Read :

    Govt may invite bids for railway TV content this month, market pegged at Rs 2.3k cr

     

  • Active DTH subscriber growth subdued in Oct-Dec’16 quarter

    BENGALURU: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) numbers for the quarter ended 31 December 2016 (current quarter, Q3-17) reveal that active DTH subscriber growth in India was lowest since the quarter ended June 2015 (Q2-16) at just 1.2 percent or just 7.5 lakh (0.75 million). In the previous quarter the platform had added 14 lakh (1.4 million) active DTH subscribers and 25.5 lakh active DTH subscribers in Q1-17.

    TRAI reports revealed that the active subscriber base in the country grew to 626.5 lakh (62.65 million) in Q3-17 from 619 lakh (61.9 million) in the immediate trailing quarter (Q2-17). Further, the industry has witnessed a higher growth of registered subscribers at 3 percent as compared to active subscribers in Q2-17 which was at 2.9 percent. In Q2-17 TRAI had reported 941.6 lakh or 94.16 million registered subscribers, which grew to 970.05 crore or 97.005 million in the current quarter.It may be noted that TRAI has been reporting the net active subscriber base including temporarily suspended subscribers that have been inactive for not more than 120 days since Q3-16 (quarter ended 31 December 2015).

    Of the six private players in the Indian DTH ecosystem, three are publically listed and their numbers are available in the public domain – They are in alphabetical order: Airtel Digital TV Services or Airtel DTH which is a small segment/division of Indian telecom major Bharti Airtel Limited; Dish TV, the largest DTH player in the country in terms of number of subscribers; and Videocon d2h.
    public://F1_3.jpg
    Airtel DTH, Dish TV and Videocon d2h have about two thirds (65 percent) of market share of the DTH universe by private players in India. Of the other three players, according to a TRAI report TataSky has a market share of 23 percent, while Sun Direct and Reliance have a market share or 10 percent and 2 percent respectively. It may be noted that at present probably the largest DTH player in India could be the government’s FreeDish, but since it is a free service, no subscriber data is available even with PrasarBharati. Please refer to the chart below:
    public://F2_2.jpg
    For Q3-17, the subscriber growth of the three major players – Airtel DTH, Dish TV and Videocon d2h was more than the industry growth– their combined subscriber base grew 1.6 percent quarter-over-quarter (q-o-q) by 6.33 lakh (0.633 million) to 406.58 lakh (40.658 million) from 400.25 lakh (40.025 million) in the immediate trailing quarter. This means that the major contribution to growth of overall active subscribers – 84.4 percent was by these three players.

    Among the three, Videocon d2h had the highest growth at 2 percent – its subscriber base grew 2.5 lakh (0.25 million) from 125.2 lakh (12.52 million) in Q2-17 to 127.7 lakh (12.77 million) in Q3-17. Airtel DTH subscriber base grew by 1.83 lakh (0.183 million) or 1.5 percent quarter-on-quarter (q-o-q) in Q3-17 to 125.88 lakh (12.588 million) from 124.05 lakh (12.405 million) in Q2-17. Dish TV, the largest private DTH player subscriber base grew by 2 lakh (0.2 million) or 1.3 percent q-o-q to 153 lakh (15.3 million) from 151 lakh (15.1 million).

    Let us see how these three players performed in Q3-17

    Airtel DTH

    Airtel’s Digital TV Services segment (DTH segment) reported 17.7 percent year-on-year (y-o-y) increase in operating revenues for the quarter ended 31 December 2016 (Q3-17, current quarter). Also, Operating Profit (Earnings Before interest and Tax – EBIT) of the DTH segment in the current quarter increased 27.1 percent year-over-year (y-o-y).
    Airtel DTH reported revenues of Rs 873.5 crore in Q3-17 and Rs 742.2 crore in Q3-16. EBIT for the corresponding periods was Rs 68.4 crore (7.8 percent margin of the segment’s operating revenue) and Rs 53.8 crore (7.2 percent margin of the segment’s operating revenue) respectively.
    EBIDTA in Q3-17 also increased y-o-y – by 22.3 percent to Rs 302.6 crore (34.6 percent margin of the segment’s operating revenue) in the current quarter from Rs 247.4 crore (33.3 percent margin of the segment’s operating revenue).
    Airtel’s DTH segment added 14.82 lakh subscribers between Q3-16 and Q3-17, or a 17.3 percent y-o-y increase. It had 125.88 lakh subscribers as on 31 December 2016. Q-o-q, the segment witnessed a 1.5 percent growth (1.83 lakh adds) in subscribers from 124.05 lakh in Q2-17.
    ARPU in Q3-17 increased to Rs 232 from Rs 229 in the corresponding year ago quarter, but remained flat q-o-q as compared to the immediate trailing quarter.

    Dish TV

    Subscription revenue in the current quarter increased 3.3 percent y-o-y to Rs 692.10 crore from Rs 669.90 crore. TIO declined 3 percent to Rs 747.98 crore from Rs 771.48 crore.

    Profit after tax (PAT) declined to almost a third (declined 61.0 Percent) y-o-y to Rs 26.68 crore (3.6 percent margin – of TIO) in Q3-17 from Rs 68.49 crore (8.9 percent margin) in Q3-16. EBIDTA in the current quarter declined 6 percent y-o-y to Rs 249.51 crore (33.4 percent margin) from Rs 265.45 crore (34.4 percent margin).

    Videocon d2h

    Videocon d2h computed subscription and activation revenue in the current quarter wasRs711.2 crore as compared to Rs 710.7 crore in the immediate trailing quarter.

    Continuing the trend is has set in the previous two quarters, Videocon d2h reported a profit after tax (PAT) for Q3-17. The DTH major reported PAT of Rs 21.77 crore (2.8 percent margin) for the current quarter. It had reported PAT of Rs 6.32 crore (0.8 percent margin) for Q2-17, and Rs 2.66 crore (0.3 percent margin) for Q1-16. For the corresponding year ago quarter (Q3-17), the company had reported a loss of Rs 22.05 crore.Adjusted EBIDTA grew 33.2 percent y-o-y to Rs267 crore (35.4 percent margin) in Q3-17.

    The DTH major also reported 13.3 percent y-o-y growth in net subscriber numbers at 127.7 lakh for Q3-17 as compared to 112.70 lakh and a 2 percent quarter-over-quarter (q-o-q) growth from125.2 lakh. Monthly Average revenue per user (ARPU) in the current quarter came in lower at Rs 205as compared to Rs 209 in the immediate trailing quarter.

    Demonetisation impacts DTH industry

    The Media and Entertainment industry has been hit by the recent demonetisation initiatives, and more so the carriage industry. The largest DTH player in terms on subscribers – Dish TV said in its earnings release Q3-17 that it’s could collect subscription revenue from just 30 percent of its subscribers post the demonetisation date of 8 November 2016. Demonetisation was also mentioned by Videocon d2h in its earnings papers. However, the players stepped forward to do their bit for the government’s demonetisation initiatives.

    Dish TV CMDJawaharGoel said,“Subscribers as well as trade partners were extended temporary credit facilities basis their pasttransactions pattern. Subscriber awareness drives to promote alternate methods of paymentwere run both on the ground and on screen in addition to various other initiatives. Looking at the brighter side of it, demonetisation does promise an eventual less-cash dependentpopulation that should use online payment interfaces over cash for DTH recharges. That’s goingto be a boon for the DTH business.”

    Goel is optimistic about the future. He said, “Though demonetisation has led to an initial distress, it also will result in certain structuralchanges that are going to benefit the economy in the long run. As far as our business isconcerned, the effect has already started coming in. As online payment transactions, creditcards and a less-cash society become buzz words today, we are happy to note an increase in ouronline transacting subscriber base from 30 percent to around 38 percent with around 22 digital wallets and thelike being integrated with the company. Every online recharge transaction vis-à-vis EPRS basedtransaction implies savings on recharge commissions paid by us.”

     

  • Spielberg-Reliance’s global hit ‘A Dog’s Purpose’ comes to India

    Spielberg-Reliance’s global hit ‘A Dog’s Purpose’ comes to India

    MUMBAI: Anil D. Ambani-led studio Reliance Entertainment, and Steven Spielberg’s partnership venture, Amblin Partners’ film “A Dog’sPurpose”, is set to release in India today. The movie is an American comedy-drama film directed by Lasse Hallström, based on the best selling 2010 novel of the same name by W. Bruce Cameron.

    The film is about a dog that looks to discover his purpose in life over the course of several lifetimes and owners. It turns out that human beings are not the only ones that have existential thoughts such as the meaning of life. Man’s best friend is also looking for purpose, hence the title A Dog’s Purpose. The caveat here is that these beloved canines are able to reincarnate into new bodies, sometimes switching breeds and genders.

    A Dog’s Purpose, which released earlier this year in the US and China, has been a runaway success globally. The film has already crossed US$ 175 million (Rs. 1,100 crore) at the global box office, with China alone already contributing over US$ 75 million (Rs. 500 crore).

    The movie is yet to release in several major international markets, such as UK, France, Spain, Portugal, Australia, Japan, Russia, etc.

    Speaking about the film, Dennis Quaid, the actor, said, “Its such a fantastic story; I just had to do it. For me, it reminded of my first pet, Gertrude — that classic boy-dog experience,” he shared, his voice breaking a bit. “I’m getting welled up again.”

    A Dog’s Purpose, besides being the first Hollywood film to release in India at the start of the summer, is a film for families and all ages, and will be enjoyed by parents and children alike.

  • Tarun Katial’s big magic with Big Ganga

    MUMBAI: A takeover is in progress. Yet, that is not getting in the way of television veteran Tarun Katial. For him, it is business as usual.

    The CEO of Reliance Broadcast Networks Ltd, who cut his teeth as a media professional in the early part of his career, is pleased as punch. The reason: RBNL’s lead channel Big Ganga continues to flow on its charted course — that of being the leader in the Bihar, Jaharkand region. It has the highest share of 37 per cent of the viewership in the region  (source: BARC. Period: wk02’17-wk05’17, Market: Bihar & Jharkhand).

    And what’s more — in a short span of six months, the channel has notched up a whopping growth of 19 per cent in viewership (August 2016 – Jan 2017).

    “We have created a unique proposition in Ganga which is a regional channel among the Hindi-speaking market which actually taps in to a very large segment of population that did not have enough to connect with,” says Katial. “Big Ganga is very differentiated channel,” he added.

    For starters, its prime time is different from other channels; as is the scheduling, reveals Katial. “Our biggest prime time is early morning. The biggest peg that works in that market is faith,” he points out. “We have devotional bands which are rated very well. Then, we have very big prime time on weekends where we have reality shows that connect with the audience. If you see the rating contribution that’s not how it works. Devotional contributes probably the best, weekend contributes next, and then we have (the traditional) prime time. Where the eyes are, that is the prime time.”

    And that’s shored up by numbers too. Nine out of the top 10 shows in regional viewership are from the Big Ganga portfolio. Shows such as Birha Dangal, Big Memsaab, Rasoi Ki Rani and Bhakti Samrat are its major audience pullers and are homegrown assets.

    “We have about 50 per cent of market share. And, every quarter, we have a  big reality show that fuels the aspiration of that region,” explains Katial.

    He is quick to point out that the channel has also been one of the big beneficiaries of the growing clout and geographical spread  of the state-owned FreeDish.  “The rural market is very deeply penetrated by DD FreeDish and you cannot deny that. I think when urban market was being measured, we were doing very well there, and when the rural market started getting measured we realised that there big element of FreeDish, we got that into our plan and included that into our distribution line-up.”

    That has helped the RBNL team to monetise the channel effectively, especially from the ad revenue front.

    “Our pricing has gone up significantly over the past year as we do offer 30-40 per cent of additional coverage than any other Hindi GEC in that market,” expresses Katial. “Bihar is one of the highest GDP growth markets in the country. So, the advertisers look at us as the unique standalone regional option to invest. There are two kinds advertisers  looking for additional reach in Bihar out of the HSM or looking only at Bihar because that’s their priority market.  My pitch to the fence sitter advertiser is: TV is deeply penetrated now and there are numbers which are comparable with print and the CPT looks far better and more efficient with TV.”

    Also Read

    Big Ganga shows now available on ZEEL’s OZee

    RBNL all set to relaunch Big Magic

  • Budget ’17: Media segments seek succour, digital direction from govt

    Budget ’17: Media segments seek succour, digital direction from govt

    NEW DELHI/MUMBAI: Despite government attempting to allay many fears of the various sectors of the Indian industry, the uncertainty prevailing after demonetisation continues and everybody is looking for the Union Budget 2017 to provide some indications, if not clear-cut answers, on various issues, including a high tax regime, incentivising digital uptake and, of course, the Goods and Services Tax (GST).

    Reliance Broadcast Networks Ltd (RBNL) feels as most radio broadcast players had been advocating for reduction in tax and custom duty on capital equipment, especially given the proposed launch of new frequencies, their expectation this year too remains the same as also the demand for granting infrastructure status to the broadcast industry.

    “Reduction in service tax would be a boon for the media and entertainment industry as a whole,” said Reliance Broadcast Network Limited COO Ashwin Padmanabhan.

    “The media and advertising industry in India is one of the fastest growing in the world. With the Union Budget 2017 expectation will rise for ‘Push for Digital India’ as India ranks second globally with 30 per cent Internet penetration, still to catch up with China (50 per cent) and USA (87 per cent). The implementation of GST is expected to benefit the industry bringing rationalisation of taxation policy by making the taxation process simple, transparent and easy to pay,”  Interspace Solutions CEO Praveen Vadhera.

    Shop CJ COO Dhruva Chandrie, while taking the bigger picture in account, opined if measures are taken to positively impact the overall consumer sentiment and propel their spending trends, it would definitely be good for the Indian economy. “While the government has set a goal of creating around 400 million jobs by 2020, one million people are entering the job market each year. In the given scenario, the government’s quick implementation of programs to create new jobs will give our economy the much needed boost,” he said.

    According to Mukta Arts MD Rahul Puri, the exhibition industry’s biggest hope for the Budget revolved around a formal announcement on the implementation of GST, which is not going to happen till July, but more details could emerge during the Budget speech. “Beside this, we hope that the government would continue to rationalise the corporate tax regime, which would be beneficial for the industry as a whole,” he added.

    Sphereorigins CMD Sunjoy Waddhwa felt that as times were changing for the media and entertainment industry, costs too are going up all round — from remunerations of artistes to costs of production of good programming. “However, I think GST would not have a lot of impact on our industry per se as long as the percentage is not too high,” he added.

    Echoing similar sentiments on rising cost of doing business, Pixel Pictures CEO Prashanti Malisetti said the entertainment industry players were under “heavy burden of multiple taxation and levies” such as license fee, service tax, VAT, etc. Buying props, for instance, currently attract high rates of VAT, depending on the State in question, she explained, adding, “In an ideal world, new technology adaptation should be viewed under a different category and new tax benefits should be applicable despite the age of the production house…(as) current import duties are high and can be a hindrance to smaller companies to make the jump.”

    While highlighting new format of shows in the non-fiction and game show category and arrival of VoD services have led to a host of new opportunities for production companies in the television industry, Malisetti also felt that the entertainment industry was particularly keen to get some clarification on GST.

    Demonetisation and, at times, the present BJP-led government’s unorthodox stand on various policies have been a common theme and, therefore, expectations from various quarters of the media and entertainment industry too have revolved around hoping to get clarifications from the government. Fractal Ink Design Studio CEO, co-founder and CCO Tanay Kumar highlighted that with demonetization “adding friction to our daily routines”, it would be interesting to witness steps taken towards “improving parallel transaction mechanisms”.

    Shop CJ Dhruva Chandrie, while taking the bigger picture in account, opined if measures are taken to positively impact the overall consumer sentiment and propel their spending trends, it would definitely be good for the Indian economy. “While the government has set a goal of creating around 400 million jobs by 2020, one million people are entering the job market each year. In the given scenario, the government’s quick implementation of programs to create new jobs will give our economy the much needed boost,” he said.

    According to Mukta Arts MD Rahul Puri, the exhibition industry’s biggest hope for the Budget revolved around a formal announcement on the implementation of GST, which is not going to happen till July, but more details could emerge during the Budget speech. “Beside this, we hope that the government would continue to rationalise the corporate tax regime, which would be beneficial for the industry as a whole,” he added.

    Sphereorigins CMD Sunjoy Waddhwa felt that as times were changing for the media and entertainment industry, costs too are going up all round — from remunerations of artistes to costs of production of good programming. “However, I think GST would not have a lot of impact on our industry per se as long as the percentage is not too high,” he added.

    Echoing similar sentiments on rising cost of doing business, Pixel Pictures CEO Prashanti Malisetti said the entertainment industry players were under “heavy burden of multiple taxation and levies” such as license fee, service tax, VAT, etc. Buying props, for instance, currently attract high rates of VAT, depending on the State in question, she explained, adding, “In an ideal world, new technology adaptation should be viewed under a different category and new tax benefits should be applicable despite the age of the production house…(as) current import duties are high and can be a hindrance to smaller companies to make the jump.”

    While highlighting new format of shows in the non-fiction and game show category and arrival of VoD services have led to a host of new opportunities for production companies in the television industry, Malisetti also felt that the entertainment industry was particularly keen to get some clarification on GST.

    Demonetisation and, at times, the present BJP-led government’s unorthodox stand on various policies have been a common theme and, therefore, expectations from various quarters of the media and entertainment industry too have revolved around hoping to get clarifications from the government. Fractal Ink Design Studio CEO, co-founder and CCO Tanay Kumar highlighted that with demonetization “adding friction to our daily routines”, it would be interesting to witness steps taken towards “improving parallel transaction mechanisms”.

    “As we see a lot of movement in the start-up world to take on the big pie of the digital world, we hope the Budget 2017 has some easing-down policies on regulatory aspects that will help them concentrate better on problem solving than running after compliance and taxation issues. With unique and easy payment methods like UPI and formation of payment banks, spending patterns and consumer behaviour is going to see a huge shift from being conservative to being more liberal and trusting. We, as a digital experience design agency, expect the Budget to be hugely in favour of creating digitally smart and enabled India in the coming times,” Kumar explained.
    TalentNext.com CEO Shekhar Purohit also felt that this year’s Budget could prove to be critical for the media and entertainment industry as major challenges remain with dual taxation (service tax and VAT), which unduly increases the cost of doing business.

    Pointing out that the media and entertainment industry continues to be a sunrise sector for India, Purohit said, “The implementation, application, and impact of GST on our industry must be addressed immediately and this year’s Budget should also support digitization to the fullest to foster digital empowerment.”

    Also Read:

    Budget 2017 Wish-list: MSOs demand industry status, rationalisation of entertainment & services taxes

    Broadcasters bat for parity with print medium under GST

  • Budget ’17: Media segments seek succour, digital direction from govt

    Budget ’17: Media segments seek succour, digital direction from govt

    NEW DELHI/MUMBAI: Despite government attempting to allay many fears of the various sectors of the Indian industry, the uncertainty prevailing after demonetisation continues and everybody is looking for the Union Budget 2017 to provide some indications, if not clear-cut answers, on various issues, including a high tax regime, incentivising digital uptake and, of course, the Goods and Services Tax (GST).

    Reliance Broadcast Networks Ltd (RBNL) feels as most radio broadcast players had been advocating for reduction in tax and custom duty on capital equipment, especially given the proposed launch of new frequencies, their expectation this year too remains the same as also the demand for granting infrastructure status to the broadcast industry.

    “Reduction in service tax would be a boon for the media and entertainment industry as a whole,” said Reliance Broadcast Network Limited COO Ashwin Padmanabhan.

    “The media and advertising industry in India is one of the fastest growing in the world. With the Union Budget 2017 expectation will rise for ‘Push for Digital India’ as India ranks second globally with 30 per cent Internet penetration, still to catch up with China (50 per cent) and USA (87 per cent). The implementation of GST is expected to benefit the industry bringing rationalisation of taxation policy by making the taxation process simple, transparent and easy to pay,”  Interspace Solutions CEO Praveen Vadhera.

    Shop CJ COO Dhruva Chandrie, while taking the bigger picture in account, opined if measures are taken to positively impact the overall consumer sentiment and propel their spending trends, it would definitely be good for the Indian economy. “While the government has set a goal of creating around 400 million jobs by 2020, one million people are entering the job market each year. In the given scenario, the government’s quick implementation of programs to create new jobs will give our economy the much needed boost,” he said.

    According to Mukta Arts MD Rahul Puri, the exhibition industry’s biggest hope for the Budget revolved around a formal announcement on the implementation of GST, which is not going to happen till July, but more details could emerge during the Budget speech. “Beside this, we hope that the government would continue to rationalise the corporate tax regime, which would be beneficial for the industry as a whole,” he added.

    Sphereorigins CMD Sunjoy Waddhwa felt that as times were changing for the media and entertainment industry, costs too are going up all round — from remunerations of artistes to costs of production of good programming. “However, I think GST would not have a lot of impact on our industry per se as long as the percentage is not too high,” he added.

    Echoing similar sentiments on rising cost of doing business, Pixel Pictures CEO Prashanti Malisetti said the entertainment industry players were under “heavy burden of multiple taxation and levies” such as license fee, service tax, VAT, etc. Buying props, for instance, currently attract high rates of VAT, depending on the State in question, she explained, adding, “In an ideal world, new technology adaptation should be viewed under a different category and new tax benefits should be applicable despite the age of the production house…(as) current import duties are high and can be a hindrance to smaller companies to make the jump.”

    While highlighting new format of shows in the non-fiction and game show category and arrival of VoD services have led to a host of new opportunities for production companies in the television industry, Malisetti also felt that the entertainment industry was particularly keen to get some clarification on GST.

    Demonetisation and, at times, the present BJP-led government’s unorthodox stand on various policies have been a common theme and, therefore, expectations from various quarters of the media and entertainment industry too have revolved around hoping to get clarifications from the government. Fractal Ink Design Studio CEO, co-founder and CCO Tanay Kumar highlighted that with demonetization “adding friction to our daily routines”, it would be interesting to witness steps taken towards “improving parallel transaction mechanisms”.

    Shop CJ Dhruva Chandrie, while taking the bigger picture in account, opined if measures are taken to positively impact the overall consumer sentiment and propel their spending trends, it would definitely be good for the Indian economy. “While the government has set a goal of creating around 400 million jobs by 2020, one million people are entering the job market each year. In the given scenario, the government’s quick implementation of programs to create new jobs will give our economy the much needed boost,” he said.

    According to Mukta Arts MD Rahul Puri, the exhibition industry’s biggest hope for the Budget revolved around a formal announcement on the implementation of GST, which is not going to happen till July, but more details could emerge during the Budget speech. “Beside this, we hope that the government would continue to rationalise the corporate tax regime, which would be beneficial for the industry as a whole,” he added.

    Sphereorigins CMD Sunjoy Waddhwa felt that as times were changing for the media and entertainment industry, costs too are going up all round — from remunerations of artistes to costs of production of good programming. “However, I think GST would not have a lot of impact on our industry per se as long as the percentage is not too high,” he added.

    Echoing similar sentiments on rising cost of doing business, Pixel Pictures CEO Prashanti Malisetti said the entertainment industry players were under “heavy burden of multiple taxation and levies” such as license fee, service tax, VAT, etc. Buying props, for instance, currently attract high rates of VAT, depending on the State in question, she explained, adding, “In an ideal world, new technology adaptation should be viewed under a different category and new tax benefits should be applicable despite the age of the production house…(as) current import duties are high and can be a hindrance to smaller companies to make the jump.”

    While highlighting new format of shows in the non-fiction and game show category and arrival of VoD services have led to a host of new opportunities for production companies in the television industry, Malisetti also felt that the entertainment industry was particularly keen to get some clarification on GST.

    Demonetisation and, at times, the present BJP-led government’s unorthodox stand on various policies have been a common theme and, therefore, expectations from various quarters of the media and entertainment industry too have revolved around hoping to get clarifications from the government. Fractal Ink Design Studio CEO, co-founder and CCO Tanay Kumar highlighted that with demonetization “adding friction to our daily routines”, it would be interesting to witness steps taken towards “improving parallel transaction mechanisms”.

    “As we see a lot of movement in the start-up world to take on the big pie of the digital world, we hope the Budget 2017 has some easing-down policies on regulatory aspects that will help them concentrate better on problem solving than running after compliance and taxation issues. With unique and easy payment methods like UPI and formation of payment banks, spending patterns and consumer behaviour is going to see a huge shift from being conservative to being more liberal and trusting. We, as a digital experience design agency, expect the Budget to be hugely in favour of creating digitally smart and enabled India in the coming times,” Kumar explained.
    TalentNext.com CEO Shekhar Purohit also felt that this year’s Budget could prove to be critical for the media and entertainment industry as major challenges remain with dual taxation (service tax and VAT), which unduly increases the cost of doing business.

    Pointing out that the media and entertainment industry continues to be a sunrise sector for India, Purohit said, “The implementation, application, and impact of GST on our industry must be addressed immediately and this year’s Budget should also support digitization to the fullest to foster digital empowerment.”

    Also Read:

    Budget 2017 Wish-list: MSOs demand industry status, rationalisation of entertainment & services taxes

    Broadcasters bat for parity with print medium under GST

  • Rs 30k cr to enhance Jio coverage; A-G clears DoT’s power to penalise telcos

    Rs 30k cr to enhance Jio coverage; A-G clears DoT’s power to penalise telcos

    MUMBAI: Even as India’s attorney-general cleared a Rs 3,050 crore penal action against the leading telcos, Reliance CMD Mukesh Ambani is planning to infuse Rs 30,000 crore in Reliance Jio telecom venture which has caused a major disruption in India’s fiercely-competitive mobile market.

    The attorney-general is understood to have opined that the Department of Telecom (DoT) has the power to impose penalty on grounds of poor quality of service of telecom operators Vodafone, Bharti Airtel and Idea Cellular, sources told PTI.

    Reliance Jio, which reportedly had a subscriber base of 72.4 million at 2016-end, plans to collect funds via a rights issue that was approved at a recent board meeting, the Times of India reported.

    In view of the unprecedented customer response and to address the anticipated growth in demand for digital services, Jio stated, additional investments were proposed to be made into the network to enhance its capacity and coverage. The new funds will come on top of the Rs 1.7 lakh crore that Reliance Jio has already invested.

    The rights issue has been planned to be for six billion nine per cent non-cumulative optionally convertible preference shares (OCPS) of Rs 10 each for cash, at a premium of Rs 40 per OCPS. The amount subscribed/paid on each OCPS will be either redeemed at Rs 50 or converted into five equity shares of Rs 10 each at any time at the option of the company, but not later than 10 years from the date of allotment.

    The new entrant Jio caused a considerable disruption in the space. In broadband services, with 35.94 million (3.594 crore), Jio had, in October 2016, joined the top five subscribers list. No matter it is working out to the benefit of the consumer and helping the industry expand albeit at a much lower cost to the end-user, well-entrenched rivals now are on a slippery wicket. Meanwhile, other telecom operators in the country are scrambling to catch up.

    Telecom tribunal TDSAT has ordered the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to take a stand on Reliance Jio’s free 4G offer in reasonable time. A tribunal bench heard arguments of both sides — TRAI and Airtel — and posted the matter for 1 February.

    Reliance Jio earlier chose not to respond to queries regarding its reply to TRAI in connection with questions raised against alleged violations in extending its free offer till 31 March 2017 much beyond its introductory offer. Airtel had filed a petition before TDSAT accusing TRAI of being ‘sleeping trustee’ and a ‘mute spectator’ to the violations carried out by Jio.

    Also Read:

    Darwin effect: 3-4 telcos may Jio after potential M&As

    Jio HNY: TDSAT raps TRAI as contest deepens

    Respond to Vodafone’s TRAI challenge in two weeks, govt directed

     

  • Rs 30k cr to enhance Jio coverage; A-G clears DoT’s power to penalise telcos

    Rs 30k cr to enhance Jio coverage; A-G clears DoT’s power to penalise telcos

    MUMBAI: Even as India’s attorney-general cleared a Rs 3,050 crore penal action against the leading telcos, Reliance CMD Mukesh Ambani is planning to infuse Rs 30,000 crore in Reliance Jio telecom venture which has caused a major disruption in India’s fiercely-competitive mobile market.

    The attorney-general is understood to have opined that the Department of Telecom (DoT) has the power to impose penalty on grounds of poor quality of service of telecom operators Vodafone, Bharti Airtel and Idea Cellular, sources told PTI.

    Reliance Jio, which reportedly had a subscriber base of 72.4 million at 2016-end, plans to collect funds via a rights issue that was approved at a recent board meeting, the Times of India reported.

    In view of the unprecedented customer response and to address the anticipated growth in demand for digital services, Jio stated, additional investments were proposed to be made into the network to enhance its capacity and coverage. The new funds will come on top of the Rs 1.7 lakh crore that Reliance Jio has already invested.

    The rights issue has been planned to be for six billion nine per cent non-cumulative optionally convertible preference shares (OCPS) of Rs 10 each for cash, at a premium of Rs 40 per OCPS. The amount subscribed/paid on each OCPS will be either redeemed at Rs 50 or converted into five equity shares of Rs 10 each at any time at the option of the company, but not later than 10 years from the date of allotment.

    The new entrant Jio caused a considerable disruption in the space. In broadband services, with 35.94 million (3.594 crore), Jio had, in October 2016, joined the top five subscribers list. No matter it is working out to the benefit of the consumer and helping the industry expand albeit at a much lower cost to the end-user, well-entrenched rivals now are on a slippery wicket. Meanwhile, other telecom operators in the country are scrambling to catch up.

    Telecom tribunal TDSAT has ordered the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to take a stand on Reliance Jio’s free 4G offer in reasonable time. A tribunal bench heard arguments of both sides — TRAI and Airtel — and posted the matter for 1 February.

    Reliance Jio earlier chose not to respond to queries regarding its reply to TRAI in connection with questions raised against alleged violations in extending its free offer till 31 March 2017 much beyond its introductory offer. Airtel had filed a petition before TDSAT accusing TRAI of being ‘sleeping trustee’ and a ‘mute spectator’ to the violations carried out by Jio.

    Also Read:

    Darwin effect: 3-4 telcos may Jio after potential M&As

    Jio HNY: TDSAT raps TRAI as contest deepens

    Respond to Vodafone’s TRAI challenge in two weeks, govt directed

     

  • Bebaq. Bekhauf set to change; TV18 to revamp IBN7 on 9 Nov

    Bebaq. Bekhauf set to change; TV18 to revamp IBN7 on 9 Nov

    MUMBAI: Owned by Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries, Network18 Media and Investments has a thorough makeover on the cards, again. After successfully revamping its English news channel CNN-IBN to CNN-News18 earlier this year, the network is in the middle of a rebranding and content-refreshing exercise for its Hindi news channel IBN 7.

    A company official has confirmed the news with indiantelevision.com that the new brand name and logo will be announced on 9 November. Currently, the media network is running several teasers on the channel about a big announcement.

    The channel’s new name will also adopt News18 element shedding its old IBN brand which stands for Indian Broadcasting Network. Its current tagline – Bebaq. Bekhauf – will also change.

    Besides the rebranding, the channel will also unveil its fresh programming.

    In an earlier interview with indiantelevision.com, IBN News Network chief executive officer Avinash Kaul had said, “You will see us relooking at the entire IBN7 proposition in 3-4 months. That is also on the cards but we are looking at one thing at a time.”

    http://www.indiantelevision.com/television/tv-channels/news-broadcasting/you-will-us-relooking-at-the-entire-ibn-7-proposition-in-3-4-months-avinash-kaul-160418

    Network18 Group is a media and entertainment group which, through its subsidiary, TV18, operates news channels such as CNBC-TV18, CNBC Awaaz, CNBC-TV18 Prime HD, CNN-News18, and IBN7.

    In the regional space, the group operates CNBC Bajar, IBN Lokmat and operates 13 regional news channels under the ETV umbrella and five regional entertainment channels under the Colors brand.

    The group also operates a 24-hour an Indian news channel in English – News18, targeting global audiences. TV18 and Viacom18 have formed a strategic joint venture called IndiaCast, a multi-platform ‘content asset monetization’ entity that drives domestic and international channel distribution, placement services and content syndication for the bouquet of channels from the group and third parties.