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Tag: RS Prasad

  • Pak may beam Indian channels again

    Pak may beam Indian channels again

    MUMBAI: Two weeks after I&B minister RS Prasad exhorted Pakistan to allow the return of Indian satellite channels into its airwaves, come reports that the country is poised to lift the ban on Indian TV channels.

    Citing the improving diplomatic relations between the two nations as the driving force for the change of heart, Pakistan’s Daily Times quotes the Cable Operators Association of Pakistan as saying that a formal announcement was awaited shortly. “However, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) has still not told us when it was going to lift the ban,” the report quotes association vice president Tahir Khan as saying. Indian satellite channels have been officially banned in Pakistan since December 2001, after the attack on the Indian Parliament prompted both countries to suspend pleasantries.

    While the demand for these channels, particularly general entertainment channels like Star Plus, Sony and Zee, is huge, the Pakistan government’s strictures had prevented the cable ops from openly airing them, prompting cable ops to say that they had been incurring huge losses. The Daily Times now indicates that Islamabad has no objection to lifting the ban on channels dedicated to family entertainment. News channels would also be allowed in, in a phased manner, the report indicates.

    “Indian entertainment channels are popular with Pakistanis and can help the cable operators continue their business,” the newspaper quotes Khan as saying, pointing out that subscriptions to cable TV were falling rapidly for lack of Indian channels. In 2003, many cable ops in Pakistan switched off five news channels – CNN, BBC, ARY, Geo and Indus News – in protest against the government’s continuing ban on Indian channels.

    At at the 10th international conference of the Broadcast Engineering Society in New Delhi this month, Prasad had hinted that the Pakistani government should lift the ban on Indian TV channels and help in the free flow of information, helping the confidence building process between the two countries.

    Incidentally, Sardar Irfan Ashraf and Shahzad Munawar Khan, general manager and assistant general manager, respectively, of Pemra, are scheduled to be in Kolkata this week for the annual cable TV show, being organised by the Cable Television Equipment Traders & Manufacturers Association (Cetma).

  • MSOs meet RS Prasad to discuss CAS today

    MSOs meet RS Prasad to discuss CAS today

    NEW DELHI: Multi-system operators (MSOs) are meeting the information and broadcasting (I&B) minister Ravi Shankar Prasad around 3.30 pm today on conditional access system (CAS).

    One of the demands of the MSOs, according to Zee Telefilms vice chairman and head of Siti Cable, Jawahar Goel, is to extend the duty exemption granted on imports of set-top boxes (STBs).

    The second extension of duty exemption on STB imports from the government’s side, with an aim to give a fillip to rollout of CAS, expires on 30 September.

    It is not yet known officially what would be the stand of the
    government on the STBs’ imports considering the implementation of CAS in all the cities, except Chennai, has got bogged down in political and bureaucratic tangles.

    Bowing to political pressures from certain quarters of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, the federal government had to denotify Delhi from the CAS rollout road map last month

    Following this, Shiv Sena in Mumbai and the West Bengal government too asked for a postponement of CAS in Kolkata and Mumbai. Though, officially CAS is supposed to be in force both in Kolkata and Mumbai as they haven’t been denotified.

    It would be known later today, if the government would extend the tax sops on STB imports. Meanwhile, the government is yet to file a reply on a clutch of cases on CAS pending in the Delhi high court. The next hearing is tomorrow.
    Go

  • Prasad’s obstinacy incomprehensible: Nirupam

    Prasad’s obstinacy incomprehensible: Nirupam

    MUMBAI: Shiv Sena member of parliament Sanjay Nirupam is of the view that the I&B ministry is under some sort of a compulsion to go-ahead with the implementation of the conditional access system (CAS) in the country.

    But when queried about the nature of the pressure, Nirupam retorted: “Please ask the I&B minister (RS Prasad) about these pressures and compulsions.”

    Nirupam was speaking to indiantelevision.com at Mumbai Rang Sharda auditorium in Bandra where the CODA (Cable Operators and Distributors Association) had organised a meeting of the cable trade with top Sena leaders, including Shiv Sena working president Uddhav Thackeray, present.

    Earlier, while addressing the cable operators (a packed house), Nirupam mentioned that this was a historic summit because there were thousands of cable operators listening in two packed auditoriums with others waiting outside for a glimpse of their leaders.

    Taking a dig at the discomfiture of the I&B minister, Nirupam said: “Just before the 1 September deadline, the honourable minister invited me for a cup of coffee. He literally started pleading with me to allow CAS rollout in Mumbai for a period of one month. He asked me to convince Balasaheb Thackeray to do so. But, I told him that until Balasaheb’s concerns were addressed, CAS will not be allowed in Mumbai. I also added that Balasaheb was not against CAS as a new technology but against the way in which it was being implemented in Mumbai.”

    “I also questioned the honourable minister as to why he was so adamant about going ahead with CAS despite opposition from all quarters. He had no answer and was evasive,” Nirupam said, referring to his a recent meeting with Prasad.

    Nirupam was emphatic when he claimed that the only beneficiaries of CAS were a select group of multi-system operators (MSOs) and pay TV broadcasters who had formed a cartel. “Although the ministry had postponed CAS in Delhi due to elections, CAS is not linked to politics. It has a strong connection to economics and to hunger. After all, cable operators have started this industry from scratch without any backing from these people who are dominating the industry today. Many of the cable operators are sons of mill workers who lost their jobs due to strikes in the 1980s.”

    Claiming to be the first (in Parliament) to have raised the issue of frequent rises in pay TV charges, Nirupam said: “At that time, the then I&B minister Sushmaji Swaraj had given me an assurance that she would look into the matter. She said that she was bringing in CAS to sort out these problems. At that time, we supported CAS in both the houses of parliament. But the way in which the implementation process was carried out has made us oppose the same.”

    “The prime question is – why is the ministry hesitating to regulate the pay TV channels and concentrating on the free to air channels and cable trade? The FTA channels were already regulated before CAS,” added Nirupam.

    Referring to the issue of set top boxes (STBs) Nirupam reiterated the arguments made by him during his much acclaimed (at least amongst the cable operators) speech in the Rajya Sabha (upper house of Parliament) on 6 August 2003. “MSOs are importing boxes from abroad rather than giving a fillip to the indigenous industry. There is huge opportunity if you consider that STBs will be needed for 7 lakh (700,000) cable consumers in the four metros. By reducing the duties by nearly 50 per cent (from 55 per cent to 5 per cent), the government will stand to lose anything between Rs 1,800 -Rs 2,400 crores (Rs 18-24 billion) by way of duties. Moreover, there is a security issue as the intelligence departments of the government will not have access to these proprietary source code STBs imported from abroad. I have information that several companies, including those that are part of IIT colleges, manufacture STBs with open code. Why are they being ignored?” Nirupam questioned during his speech today.

    Nirupam also urged the ministry to examine tha larger issues such as pay channels gaining from subscription as well as advertising revenues in India. “Abroad, channels can obtain revenues either from subscription or from advertising. Here, pay channels are getting double revenues and are cribbing inspite of this,” said Nirupam, while pointing this out to Sena working president Uddhav Thackeray and CODA committee members.

    Praising the efforts of CODA president and Shiv Sena Vibhag Pramukh Anil Parab, Nirupam said: “Parab has played a stellar role in getting the cable operators to rise above individual aspirations; and unite as part of a larger community of cable operators. We have to unite and oppose CAS in its present form.”

  • Regulator must: industry to I&B minister RS Prasad

    NEW DELHI: The reason of an existing `great divide’ amongst stakeholders of the broadcast and cable industry – that the government uses to continue playing the role of an arbiter and wield control – came to the fore today at a seminar here. And, predictably, the Indian government used the same excuse again to justify that market forces alone cannot be left to take care of the needs of a sector that is exploding with possibilities.
    Stressing the need for having an independent regulator for the broadcasting sector, information and broadcasting (I&B) minister Ravi Shankar Prasad today gave it back to the industry, which harped on market forces taking care of things, by saying, “To say that market forces would take care of everything is too simplistic.”
    Speaking at a roundtable on “The need and role of an independent regulator for the TV broadcasting sector”, organised here today by Ficci under Frames-2004 Knowledge Series, the minister justified government interference, saying that the government can’t sit back when the “consumer interests are (getting) impinged.”
    Prasad also took a dig at fellow politicians when he remarked that the need for a regulatory body has been stressed by the fast changing technology, which is overtaking “reactive policies” and there is case for visualising the broadcasting scene 10 years hence.
    Those present at today’s roundtable included The India Today group’s Aroon Purie; TV Today Network CEO G. Krishnan; Nimbus CEO Akash Khurana; Sahara TV president Mahesh Prasad; Discovery India MD Deepak Shourie; Moving Pictures’ Ramesh Sharma; Turner International India country head Anshuman Misra; cable operators Roop Sharma, Rakesh Dutta and Vickky Chowdhry; BBC World’s resident director in India Vinod Bakshi; Reliance Entertainment chairman Amit Khanna; law firm Amarchand Mangaldas’ managing partner Shardul Shroff; I&B ministry secretary Pawan Chopra; DD officials and Ficci representatives, amongst others.
    Surprisingly, the big three pay broadcasters – Star, Sony and Zee – went unrepresented at the roundtable or nobody senior had been sent from these organisations, it seems. Also missing were some of the south Indian channels like Sun TV and Eenadu.
    Meanwhile, Prasad pointed out the “great divide among the various stakeholders like broadcasters, multi-system operators (MSOs) and the cable operators” was brought out clearly by the conditional access system (CAS) experience and such instances further strengthen the case for a regulator.
    Another reason for a regulator, Prasad said is necessitated by the type of content put out by private TV channels about which various sections of the society, including members of Parliament and the National Women’s Commission, have complained.
    “The portrayal of women on our channels has been severely criticised. Now, when people come to me with complaints, what do I do?” Prasad shot back, adding that his continued appeal for self-regulation has fallen on deaf ears.
    Offending and surrogate ads on television, the minister said, keep popping up on other channels every time the government cracks the whip on a particular channel. “Now, is it the government’s duty to sit and continue monitoring such ads that have been served notice once? My plea for self-regulation has not had the desired effect,” Prasad regretted.
    However, Prasad refrained from making any commitments on a regulatory body and said the government would come to a conclusion in this regard after considering all aspects, including the relevance of the Communications Convergence Bill in the wake of CAS (conditional access system), DTH (Direct to Home) and uplinking experiences and also international practices.
    BROAD CONSENSUS ON A REGULATOR
    In whatever form one can call it, a regulator or a commission, the overall consensus at the roundtable was on the immediate need for an independent regulatory body that would take care of the issues specifically related to the broadcasting sector.
    Of all the people who spoke during the interactive session TV Today’s Krishnan made some valid points when he said that content should not be regulated in any form, even by the proposed regulatory authority which, he indicated, would be better off if named a `commission’.
    “Let the consumer decide what he wants to watch or not. If he wants to watch adult fare, let him watch it as a pay channel and pay for it,” Krishnan said, adding the role of a regulatory body should be compliance of rules and not over-policing.
    Making a case for a level playing field for domestic media companies too, Krishnan suggested that if the government wants foreign-owned channels or those uplinking from outside India to adhere to local laws, then it should have a downlinking licence fee too.
    Cable Network Association’s Rakesh Dutta made a case for the cable operators getting arm-twisted by broadcasters in an act that clearly brought out the fact that various stakeholders of the industry were divided and seldom can agree on any issue.
    According to Discovery’s Shourie, various intra-industry relationships and agreements, like that between an MSO and the broadcaster and MSO and a cable op, for example, should be left to the market forces and cannot have a standardised format because of the dynamics of the industry.
    Purie felt that distribution margins, for instance, couldn’t be calculated on a cost plus basis, as somebody had suggested, because different genres of programming tote up different costs.
    Film and TV producer Ramesh Sharma felt that Prasar Bharati should also be brought under the ambit of the proposed regulatory authority.
    Earlier, Shardull Shroff made a presentation on the need for a broadcast regulator in India outlining the industry perspectives and international practices.
    According to Shroff, the industry perspective was to expedite establishment of the Convergence Commission and any interim regulator would only be a patchwork solution.
    Dwelling on the internationally recognised functions of a broadcast regulator, Shroff said in his presentation that these should include frequency allocation, issue and renewal of broadcast licence, dispute resolution and determination of the licence conditions.

  • RS Prasad chief guest at CII organised India Evening at Cannes

    MUMBAI: Minister of state for information and broadcasting Ravi Shankar Prasad will be the chief guest at the first ever CII organised India Evening at Cannes scheduled for 19 May 2003. The Hinduja group and the Zee group are amongst the Indian companies who will be participating in the India pavilion.
    A CII statement claims that a strong Indian contingent will hardsell India’s entertainment industry at this year’s Cannes Film Festival 2003 from 14 May to 24 May. The first-ever India Evening on the lines of the India Evening at Davos is being held at the Carlton beach in Cannes. Also, like last year, there will an Indian Pavilion showcasing 40 world-class Indian films.
    Priya Dutt (daughter of Nargis and Sunil Dutt) will introduce the India Evening. Ambassador of India to France Savitri Kunadi, CII president Anand Mahindra, India Cannes Film Festival 2003 chairman Shekhar Kapur will be the co-hosts. Bollywood heart-throb Aishwarya Rai will be there as she is the first Indian to be included in the nine-member Cannes jury.
    At the India evening, each decade will be epitomized by a live song chronicling a particular era, says the CII statement. The 60s, the era of the “simple” woman, will feature films like Guide and Sahib Biwi aur Ghulam. The 70s will bring back the decade of the Dum Maro Dum rebels. The 80s, the beginning of the “assertive Indian woman” will cast Tezaab. The 90s, the era of the “aggressive Indian woman, will showcase Baazigar. Finally, the new millennium will show the “new Indian woman” – through crossover films such as Bend it Like Beckham and Monsoon Wedding. Shilpa Shetty will portray the role of Indian women in each of the decades.
    The CII also claims that the evening will be extensively publicised through local public relations agencies in Cannes and through television in India.
    At Cannes 2003, CII’s aim will be to project a comprehensive image of India and its film industry. The idea will also be to paint a larger picture of India as a favoured destination- not just for the cinematic experience but also for investment, for leisure, for trade and for education.
    CII has booked 130 sq m space inside the Palais. Companies participating in the India pavilion include Verma Corporation, Ramoji Film City, the Hinduja Group, Popcorn Entertainment, Reel Entertainment, Reel Express, Crossover Films, State of Goa and CA Films.
    Other Indian companies present at Cannes include various exporters: the Eros group, National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), the Zee group, WEG India and many others.
    The Cannes Film Market brings together over 7,000 participants from 70 countries, including 1,600 buyers. 1,400 screenings of 700 different films, a majority of which are world premieres, are organised in the 30 venues.
    The market serves as an excellent platform to interface with international filmmaking community and will help the Indian film industry understand the international production, distribution and exhibition market scenarios better.

  • Several new news channels await clearance: I&B minister RS Prasad

    Several new news channels await clearance: I&B minister RS Prasad

    NEW DELHI: India’s information and broadcasting minister Ravi Shankar Prasad today said that there are several new proposals for news channels that are pending the government’s clearance.

     
    “I still have some seven to eight files regarding news channels to clear,”Prasad said, adding that of these some are old cases.

    The minister, who was speaking at a session on media and entertainment at the annual session of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) here, however, refused to give any further details or to name the companies that have sought government permission to start news channels.

    On the sidelines of the session, Prasad also said that the government has not taken any stand on the formation of a task force to look into evolving an industry-friendly policy framework for the FM radio segment as had been suggested by the Radio Group, which had met the minister some days back.

    “The proposal is still under consideration,” Prasad said. According to the minister, the government has decided to rework the visa manual in order to provide a single window clearance to foreign film producers coming to shoot on Indian locales.

    Prasad said that a suggestion has been made by him to the external affairs minister to make films as a part of diplomacy as the films are the best ambassadors of the country.

    Dwelling on the simplification of norms for film shooting in India, Prasad said this would enable foreign producers to come to India with a script and leave with the complete films in cans. For this, a whole lot of post-production facilities, studio and other infrastructure facilities, including the hotel and transport arrangements, would have to be toned up.

    Prasad felt that these steps would help in making India a low cost film production hub in the region. In this direction, the English language speaking experts and technicians and IT expertise, especially in animation film production are the major inputs.

    Prasad also mentioned about the special animation courses that are being started at Film and Television Institute, Pune and Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute, Kolkata.

    The minister said that Indian films have enormous potential of exploring to foreign markets but the industry has to work seriously in this direction. The government on its part is playing a proactive role, which is reflected in its initiative at larger participation at Cannes Film Festival and also holding Film Bazaar at the International Film Festival in Delhi last year. He said, the ministry has decided to participate in all the major film festivals of the world.

    Earlier during the session, Mukta Arts chairman Subhash Ghai, and actor-director Shashi Kapoor highlighted the problems of the film industry and invited government intervention in encouraging low-cost films by giving subsidies, providing infrastructure at beautiful locations in India, and allotting IT status to the film industry.

  • FM players plead for lower entry fee

    FM players plead for lower entry fee

    NEW DELHI: The radio group, the umbrella body of Indian FM companies, made a presentation today to the I&B minister RS Prasad seeking a five per cent revenue share, lower entry fee and a migration package for existing FM players.

    They have also requested to set up a task foce with representation from the industry and the government which looks into the framing of industry friendly policy guidelines for the FM radio segment.

    According to industry sources, Prasad is understood to have allayed the industry’s fears and reportedly conveyed to members of the radio group that he would consult the law ministry in this regard.

    Speaking earlier in the day on the sidelines of a media briefing announcing the launch of Radio City in the capital, Star India’s radio division COO Sumantra Dutta had told indiantelevision.com the industry was hoping the government would evolve more industry-friendly guidelines.

    “I am sure the government will understand our plight and evolve a mechanism like revenue sharing or a flat fee in the near future, even while coming up with a migration package for the existing FM radio players, like that done in the telecom sector,” Dutta had said.

    Though Dutta refused to hold forth on the financial details, but according to government data, submitted by the private FM players, the combined loss of the players in the last financial year was to the tune of Rs 1.2 billion. Where Radio City is concerned, it’s losses amounted to approximately Rs 360 million with the revenue generated last year being around Rs 190 million. But it is also true that a major part of this loss, about Rs 240 million, was in the form of high license fee that MBPL paid as the first round of licences were given two years back through an open auction.