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Tag: Sarma

  • Bulk of ad time for Indo-Pak series already sold: Sarma

    NEW DELHI / MUMBAI: Cocking a snook at the BCCI’s assertion that it was for the Indian cricket board to decide who would manage air time sales and marketing for the upcoming India-Pakistan cricketing clash, national broadcaster Doordarshan has gone ahead and booked the bulk of advertising time for the blockbuster series.

    Speaking to indiantelevision.com late this evening, Prasar Bharati CEO KS Sarma said, “The empowering committee of Prasar Bharati met today to review the cricket situation and will do so again tomorrow. Sarma confirmed that Doordarshan has “already sold a major part of its air time inventory to advertisers”. Said Sarma, “We have conveyed to BCCI that our understanding of the Madras High Court order is that we can sell air time on our terrestrial network.”

    Sarma explained that this interpretation was based on the fact that the Supreme Court through its interim order delivered last October had allowed Doordarshan to do the marketing for the Australia and South Africa series.
     

    Ironically Sarma’s comments came just a few hours after the BCCI working committee, which met in the capital today to decide on various subjects, had stated that it did not accept Prasar Bharati’s interpretation of the Madras High Court order.

    “It was decided that the president (of) BCCI be authorised to discuss the matter further with Prasar Bharati with the assistance of the Board’s lawyer,” a statement from the BCCI had said.

    A statement from the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) this afternoon said that after evaluating offers received for TV productions, it was unanimously decided to grant it to TWI, which had earlier handled such production work from 1993 to 1999.

    Another area where a “climbdown” appears to have been forced on the board is on the issue of cable and satellite rights for the Indian territory. After earlier indicating (without publicly coming out and stating it) that domestic satellite rights were on offer, the statement issued by the board this afternoon was ambivalent on that point.

    All the the BCCI statement said was, laying rest to speculation in the media, “The president (of) BCCI was authorised to decide upon the satellite overseas rights of the series on the basis of the received offers.”

    Since the BCCI statement was mum on domestic satellite rights, what it appears to indicate is that the telecast rights for the Indian territory are NOT being split into terrestrial and satellite. If that is the case, the ONLY TELECAST rights that remain to be hawked are the overseas satellite rights. This certainly flies in the face of what BCCI officials have been telling indiantelevision.com and Sony Entertainment Television India’s bid for the satellite rights for the Indian territory.

    According to industry sources, however, what could have brought about this “change of stance” was that Zee telefilms (which along with ESPN Star Sports is barred from participating in any deals for the upcoming series) had sent the BCCI a legal notice to the effect that if it goes ahead and hawks the Indian satellite rights to any broadcaster other than the national broadcaster it would move the Supreme Court.
     
     

    As things stand currently, even as Trans World International has been granted the television production duties for the upcoming India-Pakistan cricket series for a fee of $1.5 million, the attention now is on who will get the international telecast rights.

    A BCCI official tells indiantelevision that the board expects the overseas rights would fetch between Rs 1 billion to Rs 1.2 billion. How it hopes to realise that kind of revenues remains a mystery though if one considers that the international rights for the two fixtures held last October-November involving Australia and South Africa had gone to Sony for Rs 300 million. As regards the present blockbuster series, Sony has stated it was willing to bid $ 10 million (Rs 450 million) compared to Nimbus Sports’ valuation of the property at Rs 352 million.

    The international rights look like being the only area where the “rules of engagement” will follow the normal processes involved in the sports telecast rights tenders. And the frontrunner for these rights appear to be Sony at the moment.

    But the million dollar question is really whether the pubcaster, which has publicly declared that it would have to pay nothing to the Indian cricket board for the telecast of matches, will be able to go through with its plan or a last-minute legal challenge can still be thrown up on the grounds of irreparable financial losses to the BCCI.

  • DD getting Indo-Pak telecast rights for free: Sarma

    DD getting Indo-Pak telecast rights for free: Sarma

    NEW DELHI / MUMBAI: Indian pubcaster Prasar Bharati believes it has got the telecast rights for the upcoming “blockbuster” cricket series between Indian and Pakistan for free? That is the way Parsar Bharati CEO K Sarma has read the Madras High Court’s observation in the cricket telecast case.

    According to Sarma,As per the court directives, all the money that is generated in the form of advertising would have to be deposited by the board.Sarma pointed out that in effect Doordarshan was getting the matches absolutely free under the present circumstances. He said that the court will decide in what proportion the revenue generated is to be split amongst the various parties concerned.
     
    Doordarshan would be showing the matches on DDs National terrestrial network and DD Sports, which is a satellite channel.

    Sarma emphasizes that as per their understanding of the court order DD has exclusive rights for the Indian terrority.

    Which raises the pertinent question. The BCCI, by its own admission, has stated that it lost out on revenues to the tune of Rs 1.5 billion due to the telecast of the the previous three fixtures that were held last October-November involving Australia, South Africa and Pakistan (BCCI silver Jubilee ODI) on national broadcaster Doordarshan.

    The value that was attached to this particular series was Rs 1.93 billion.If, as Sarma says, there is a zero payout being made to the BCCI, then the total in lost revenues that the BCCI will be suffering as a fallout from the cricket rights mess till date is a whopping Rs 3.43 billion.

    A case of lost opportunity if ever there was one

  • DD getting Indo-Pak telecast rights for free: Sarma

    DD getting Indo-Pak telecast rights for free: Sarma

    NEW DELHI / MUMBAI: Indian pubcaster Prasar Bharati believes it has got the telecast rights for the upcoming “blockbuster” cricket series between Indian and Pakistan for free? That is the way Parsar Bharati CEO K Sarma has read the Madras High Court’s observation in the cricket telecast case.

    According to Sarma,As per the court directives, all the money that is generated in the form of advertising would have to be deposited by the board.Sarma pointed out that in effect Doordarshan was getting the matches absolutely free under the present circumstances. He said that the court will decide in what proportion the revenue generated is to be split amongst the various parties concerned.
     
    Doordarshan would be showing the matches on DDs National terrestrial network and DD Sports, which is a satellite channel.

    Sarma emphasizes that as per their understanding of the court order DD has exclusive rights for the Indian terrority.

    Which raises the pertinent question. The BCCI, by its own admission, has stated that it lost out on revenues to the tune of Rs 1.5 billion due to the telecast of the the previous three fixtures that were held last October-November involving Australia, South Africa and Pakistan (BCCI silver Jubilee ODI) on national broadcaster Doordarshan.

    The value that was attached to this particular series was Rs 1.93 billion.If, as Sarma says, there is a zero payout being made to the BCCI, then the total in lost revenues that the BCCI will be suffering as a fallout from the cricket rights mess till date is a whopping Rs 3.43 billion.

    A case of lost opportunity if ever there was one

  • DD seeks I&B, IOA intervention in C’wealth Games telecast rights

    DD seeks I&B, IOA intervention in C’wealth Games telecast rights

    NEW DELHI: Fazed by high cost of acquisition, the Indian pubcaster Doordarshan has written to the government and the Indian Olympics Association (IOA) seeking intervention, if needed, in a case relating to the telecast rights of the Commonwealth Games, 2006.

    Confirming the development to Indiantelevision.com today, Prasar Bharati CEO KS Sarma said, “We have written to the sports and the information and broadcasting ministries and the IOA last week hoping some help would be forthcoming in the issue of Games telecast for which, too high a figure has been quoted.”

    According to Sarma, though Prasar Bharati, which manages DD, is negotiating through the Asian Broadcasting Union (ABU), the management committee of the Commonwealth Games 2006, to be held in Australia, is “continuing to play tough.”

    The issue also came up during a Board meeting of Prasar Bharati earlier this week where no solution could be offered.

    The organisers of the 2006 C’wealth Games feel that since Delhi is hosting the Games in 2010, DD would fall in line. “It is this attitude of the Games’ organising committee that is irksome and we have refused to negotiate with an agent for this,” Sarma added.

    Sarma is not only the chief executive of Prasar Bharati and the president of the Indian Broadcasting Foundation, but is also an important office-bearer of the multi-country apex body ABU, a powerful organisation of Asian broadcasters who wield considerable influence through their respective governments and fears of a blackout of the Commonwealth Games in Asia has been haunting the Games’ managers with ABU not willing to accept certain monetary terms.

    It has been pointed out by Sarma that a financially beleaguered Prasar Bharati would find it difficult to cough up the demanded price – over $ 5,5000 – from the organisers of Melbourne 2006. Last time round, DD had paid $ 200,000 for the rights.

    “We are a public service broadcaster, but on the other hand the government is threatening to slash financial aid too. Under such circumstances, we would need help from the government if we are to acquire the Games telecast rights for the Indian region,” Sarma counter-punched at criticism that DD ought to acquire the rights for the benefit of millions of Indians.

    Sarma also feels that the potential of netting high advertising revenue seems remote in events like Commonwealth Games.

    DD is the biggest broadcaster in India in terms of reach, covering over 90 per cent of the population through terrestrial and KU-band transmission, compared to 40-odd million of cable homes in the country.

    TV viewership in rural areas, according to latest figures collated by DD’s in-house audience research, indicates was 69.9 per cent, while in urban areas it was 59 per cent. Amongst all TV channels in rural areas, the highest viewership was for DD National (44.1 per cent), followed by its regional services.

    The Commonwealth Games has over a period of time unveiled new sponsors even as it confronts threats of a television blackout in Asia leading to a fall in revenue.

    Games chairman Ron Walker has been quoted by international media as not being too concerned by suggestions that TV rights have shot up as much as 700 per cent than what was charged for the Manchester 2002 Games and which, could result in Indian and Asian broadcasters boycotting Melbourne 2006.

    According to Walker, there was no rush to finalise negotiations. “We have put out a price and they’re all considering it, so they haven’t said no to us, they haven’t said yes to us,” ABC Radio in December had quoted Walker, who added, “Bear in mind that Delhi in India is hosting the 2010 Commonwealth Games and the transmission is vital to them.”

    Melbourne 2006 has said that it would have no trouble selling broadcasting rights to Asia despite claims that the asking price was too high. Broadcasting rights have been negotiated so far with the Nine Network in Australia, and with companies in Canada and New Zealand.

    The sponsors and partners that Melbourne 2006 has managed to rope in Include Telstra (Official Telecommunications Partner), Nestle Peters, national Visa, Australian airline Qantas, Konica Minolta, Hudson and Coates Hire.

  • Prasar Bharati’s Sarma elected IBF president

    Prasar Bharati’s Sarma elected IBF president

    NEW DELHI: Prasar Bharati CEO KS Sarma was today re-elected as the president of the Indian Broadcasting Foundation.
     
     
    Zee Telefilms’ Jawahar Goel has been elected as the vice-president, while I Venkat of Eenadu has been chosen for the treasurer’s post.

    IBF is an apex body of broadcasting companies operating in India.

  • DD-DW co-production ‘Mumbai’ takes close look at India’s city of gold

    MUMBAI: A documentary on the city of Mumbai co-produced by pubcaster Prasar Bharati and German television channel Deutsche Welle (DW) is soon to be telecast on national broadcaster Doordarshan.

    The documentary titled (no prizes for guessing) Mumbai, which was co-produced for DW’s Transtel series Connecting Cultures, was presented to the media today at Mumbai’s Doorshan Kendra at an official screening precided over by Prasar Bharati CEO KS Sarma.

    Mumbai was shot entirely in India’s commercial capital. The production of the documentary was jointly managed by Dr Stephan Kaemph of DW and Mumbai Doordarshan Kendra director Mukesh Sharma. Post production was completed at DW’s studios in Berlin.

    DW will be dubbing the documentary in German, Arabic, English, Russian and some other languages. Prasar Bharati will be telecasting the documentary in English and Hindi and dubbing it into other regional languages as well.

    Speaking about his experiences in making the hour-long film, Sharma said, “The USP of the documentary is that the world over broadcasting is getting very expensive and for a pubic broadcaster, it is not commercially feasible unless there is secured funding. I thought it was a good idea to capitalise on a co-production with the public broadcaster in Germany. Also, it is a very good way of showcasing Mumbai on a global platform. One also had to be very careful not to dwell on the not so attractive side of Mumbai. Although we have managed to weave in the uniqueness and the culture of Mumbai and also encompasses the city in a snapshot. For me, personally it was an excellent way of interacting with another culture and truly a learning experience.”

    The shooting of the documentary took place in Mumbai, while the post production took place in Germany.

    The MoU to co-produce the show was signed by DW Television MD Cristoph Lanz and Sarma last year.

    Sharma said another co-production that was under consideration was to showcase Einstein’s theory of relativity as in 2005 the theory completes 100 years. Here, the show will be shot in Germany and post produced in Mumbai. An excellent way of collaborating crossover resources. Tentatively, the show will be funded by the Planetary Society of India. The format is still unclear and in the process of discussion.

  • Sarma calls for a ‘level-playing field’ in broadcasting sector

    Sarma calls for a ‘level-playing field’ in broadcasting sector

    NEW DELHI: Terming the broadcasting scenario in India as “hazy”, Prasar Bharati Corp chief executive officer K S Sarma has called for a ‘level-playing field’ through a fair regulatory framework in the country.

    The chairperson and keynote speaker in the “Broadcasting Technologies” session at the 12th Convergence India conference and exhibition, held here on Friday, Sarma said, “At the moment its free-for-all. We as public broadcaster find ourselves at wits end. Currently, broadcasting in India is mere profit-driven or commercial consideration. I am not passing any value judgment but this market seems to be the case of being of a democratic nation with no regulation.”

    He further said, “The need of the hour is law. Yes, recently regulator has been appointed but it seems to be groping a lot even though telecom is a closely connected sector to broadcasting. There is a need for a very strong political will, manifested to support a public broadcaster.”

    Sarma said there is a comparison with private broadcasters, which are “seemingly flourishing on paper”, but there seems to be ignorance about the fact programming and advertising codes in public broadcaster are completely different.

    “The cable operators, which is again a professional for profit considerations, need improvement in skills. The main challenge is to make the cable operators more professional. I would say the cable operator is the king, rather than consumer. It should be the other way round, unfortunately that is not the case,” said Sarma.

    While Sarma reiterated the limitation of public broadcaster on technological/market levels and left soon after his presentation, the other speakers spoke about technologies and trends.

    Harmonic Inc’s president – Convergent Systems division, Yaron Simler shared his views on key enablers and drivers of change in the broadcasting cable fraternity.

    “The key enablers are conversion from analog to digital video, ubiquitous content, head-end consolidation, IP transport and distribution, intelligent end device and bigger TV screens, where quality becomes more important and drives consumer demand. The drivers of change are sociological (Internet and cell phones), consumer experience such as video-on-demand, technology – satellite vs cable vs telcom companies, competition and global economy,” said Simler.

    Simler said that the video technology blocks are digital video, conditional access and set-top box. “In case of digital video, it is MPEG-2 today, but it can be MPEG4 or VC-9 tomorrow,” he added.

    Viaccess S. A. India sales manager M Stephane Pradinaud spoke about new video services such as VOD and digital/personal video recorders.

    “The benefits of VOD to operators include churn reduction and average revenue per user rises, depending upon pricing strategy,” said Pradinaud.

  • DD News does the big poach on Aaj Tak

    DD News does the big poach on Aaj Tak

    NEW DELHI: India’s pubcaster Doordarshan is poaching and doing so with gay abandon.
    As part of phase one of expansion and restructuring of its recently launched news channel, DD News, around eight more people from the “subse tez” news channel Aaj Tak have been grabbed by DD, apart from some more who have worked in other private television channels.
    “More people are joining DD News and some of them are from Aaj Tak also,” Prasar Bharati CEO KS Sarma said today, adding that a request has been made to the government to send on deputation some Indian Information Service (IIS) officers to strengthen the functioning of DD News.
    The people from private channels, including Aaj Tak, who are slated to join DD News later this month have been drawn from all sections, including copywriters and reporters-cum-anchors. But most of them, except one lady who had worked with NDTV at one time, are coming at a salary package ranging between Rs 22,000 and Rs 30,000, Sarma said.
    The onslaught on Aaj Tak, seemingly the nursery for TV journalists, began anew recently when around Diwali time last year, DD snapped up its political editor Deepak Chaurasia as a consulting editor to DD News. Soon after some people followed Chaurasia and now more are leaving the leader, especially at a time when the company managing Aaj Tak and Headlines Today is to debut on the stock markets this month. There are even rumours of TV Today Network’s news director Uday Shankar leaving for Star News.
    According to Sarma, DD News, which has been performing well amongst the news channels, would undergo some restructuring on the lines of private channels.
    For starters, to bring in greater sense of professionalism, input, output and assignment desks would be created. This would also be followed up by bringing in some more style as the former NDTV person, hired at a monthly remuneration of Rs 70,000, would also function as a style consultant.
    Sarma also said that the hunt for a permanent head for DD News is currently on. “I have been meeting up with people for this post and soon it would be filled up,” he added.
    At the moment, Sanjiv Dutta, functions as the additional director general of news after his predecessor Swagat Ghosh was removed from DD News and banished to a low-profile I&B ministry organization recently.

  • I&B ministry mulls carrying DD India on BSkyB

    NEW DELHI: Indian pubcaster Prasar Bharati is examining a proposal to have Doordarshan’s international channel, DD India, distributed in the United Kingdom through the Rupert Murdoch-controlled British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB) pay platform.
    In a written reply to the Parliament at the Lok Sabha (Lower House) today, information and broadcasting (I&B) minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said: “Prasar Bharati has informed that DD is currently examining the possibility of distributing DD India signals in the UK using the BSkyB platform.”
    Prasar Bharati is an autonomous body that manages the affairs of DD and All India Radio (AIR).
    According to Prasad, the distribution deal in the UK is being sought to be negotiated in order to “reach its programmes to persons of Indian origin and non-resident Indians” living in the UK.
    The deal may move a step forward towards its logical conclusion when Prasar Bharati CEO K S Sarma and additional secretary (broadcasting) in the I&B ministry Vijay Singh go on an official tour to the UK next week.
    According to government sources, both Sarma and Singh are expected to visit the BSkyB platform and, probably, meet up with the newly-appointed CEO of BSkyB James Murdoch.
    As for today, the House was adjourned for the day (soon after the questions related to the I&B ministry were deemed to have been laid on the table) to allow the parliamentarians to keep track of the outcome of the assembly elections.
    DD News launched to satisfy ‘News hunger’
    In a written reply to another question in the Lok Sabha today, Prasad said the entertainment channel DD Metro was converted into DD News to fulfill a hunger for news and current affairs programming.
    “Prasar Bharati has informed that the decision (of the relaunch of DD News) has been taken to fulfill a growing desire for news among the viewers, particularly among those without cable connections,” the minister stated.
    The minister also denied that there is a proposal to restore telecast of DD Metro, particularly in the semi-urban and rural areas, on a free-to-air mode.
    According to data made available to the parliamentarians, DD Metro’s annual revenue collection had been dropping over the years. Starting off with 1999-2000 – when DD Metro mopped up Rs 460 million – the highpoint came in 2000-2001 when the revenues went over Rs 870 million. However, in 2003-2004, till 31 October 2003, DD Metro had managed to collect slightly over Rs 100 million.

  • Sarma takes on critics on eve of DD News relaunch

    NEW DELHI: With a bit of brashness, if one can term it that, and taking a swipe at critics, India’s pubcaster Prasar Bharati today formally announced that Doordarshan News will relaunch on Monday.
    Quoting Woody Allen’s famous lines – “In Beverly Hills they don’t throw out their garbage, but turn them into TV programmes” – Prasar Bharati CEO KS Sarma said, “We’d 
    make garbage out of others,” referring to the second inning of DD News.
    On cue, Prasar Bharati chairman and veteran journalist MV Kamath justified DD and All India Radio (AIR)’s late reaction to events in the past – (like the assassination of former PM Indira Gandhi, which was put out on AIR and DD almost eight hours after the incident had happened) – and said, “Prasar Bharati and DD are responsible organisations. No one needs to tell us or remind us of our responsibilities.”
    Kamath also criticised the coverage of Gujarat riots by some private satellite channels, stating that sensationalism should not be made more important than protecting the sensibilities of people.
    Signifying that Prasar Bharati is doing everything to make its news channel work this time, Sarma said that part of the additional financial assistance of about Rs 200 million, granted by the government, would be used to “poach known faces and talents” from private satellite channels. The government has granted the amount to DD News for the remaining period the current financial year.
    Though Sarma side-stepped a query on the exact nature of poaching being done – saying there would be people like Rajat Sharma and Nalini Singh on the channel – TV industry sources indicate that some people from Aaj Tak have already shown interest in joining the channel.
    DD News has already got Deepak Chaurasia of Aaj Tak as its consulting editor.
    Hammering in the point that DD News’ reach would be increased rapidly not only through “good content”, but also with the help of technology, Sarma said that 12 more high-powered transmitters would be pressed into service over 
    the next six months to increase the terrestrial coverage of the channel by 50 per cent.
    If that was not enough, Sarma demonstrated rare aggressiveness when questioned by a cable operator – who is also editor and publisher of a cable magazine – whether it was correct to thrust DD News down cable operators’ throats, with the help of notifications.
    “The law has given me the power and why shouldn’t I use it?” Sarma retorted, adding that even the notification is not enough.
    Quoting a report on BBC 4, the BBC’s domestic news and current affairs channel, Sarma said that a news channel is the very essence of an existence of a broadcaster, especially public service broadcaster. “This new venture 
    (DD News) would be a flagship of DD,” Sarma said, adding, “We are starting this with some preparation.”
    The career bureaucrat, who is really enjoying his stint at Prasar Bharati, also pointed out that as per the latest TAM data, news on DD has 37 per cent reach in cable and satellite homes, as against 9.7 per cent of Zee News and NDTV.
    Aside from the hype, does Prasar Bharati have a business plan for DD News or will taxpayers’ money go up in smoke again, while some experimentation is done?
    According to Sarma, the government has agreed to give an assistance of Rs 540 million per year for the news channel and “it would be be DD’s endeavour to generate at least 50 per cent of that in revenues for the year 2004-05”. He added, “For the year 2005-06, we’d like to raise the amount (Rs 540 million) on our own.”
    For this, Prasar Bharati’s gameplan includes attractive commercial terms for spot buys and sponsorships, good content from the likes of Rajat Sharma, Nalini Singh, 
    Rajiv Mehrotra, Deepak Chaurasia’s team and sundry editors of newspapers and aggressive distribution.
    Thirty minutes at non-prime time can be had for Rs 5,000, while during prime time the amount would double. For advertisers committing Rs five million on the news channel, various sops will be offered like co-sponsorship of evening 
    news/samachar and two DD in-house produced programmes for three months, among others, Prasar Bharati sources said.

    Also Read:
    Notification issued that DD News be put in prime band

    EC okays DD News relaunch in November