ITV

Tag: Subhash Chandra

  • DD to demand carriage fee from broadcasters for DTH service

    DD to demand carriage fee from broadcasters for DTH service

    NEW DELHI: Prasar Bharati has decided that it would demand an annual carriage fee of Rs.10 million from private broadcasters to be on its DTH platform, DD Direct+.

    “We have written to some broadcasters on this and are awaiting their response,” Prasar Bharati CEO KS Sarma said today during an annual Press meet.
    According to him, after DD Direct+ increases its capacity to 51 television channels from May, a fee would be taken for being aboard the world’s first subscription-free DTH service, which on last count had approximately 1.1 million subscribers.

    Over 40 broadcasters, including some Indian and foreign religious channels, German pubcaster DeutcheWelle and the proposed AlJazeera International English news channel, are waiting in the queue to hop on to DD Direct+ seeing its obvious advantages.

    “We don’t anticipate any problems regarding drop-outs from the present lot as many channels are waiting with the requisite fee in hand for our nod,” Sarma said, adding some entertainment channels, including South Indian ones, too have evinced interest.
    However, charging a monthly subscription from the subscribers has been ruled out. “We want to remain free for some more time,” Sarma explained.

    To subscribe to DD Direct+ DTH service, a consumer has to buy the hardware for approximately Rs. 3,000, which can be considered as one time investment. No monthly subscription is charged from subscribers.

    Apart from DD Direct+, the other DTH player in the country is Subhash Chandra-controlled Dish TV. A Rupert Murdoch and Tata joint venture is proposing to launch Tata Sky DTH service later this year in market that might yield 15 per cent to DTH services over the next two-three years.

    Meanwhile, Prasar Bharati informed that a low-cost DTH set-top box has been launched in the market for radio channels.

    “We are quite excited by this and would strengthen our services to take advantage of this low-cost receiver,” All India Radio DG Brijeshwar Singh said.

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

    3 DD channels to be on 3G cell phones globally

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

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

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

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

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

    DD launches SMS & IVR-based services

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Murdoch mayhem hits India

    Murdoch mayhem hits India

    News Corp Chairman Rupert Murdoch seems to have made a lot out of his Mumbai visit. The media baron held a series of meetings in Mumbai. He touched base with his old friends, colleagues, to-be business partners, ex-partners, and important local political heavyweights.

    On Tuesday morning, he had a meeting with Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, wherein he reiterated his commitment to further his investments in Maharashtra, and also voiced his interest in taking part in the information technology revolution that the new NCP government is trying to bring into the state. The meeting was followed by an impromptu press conference.

    The previous day he had meetings with petrochemical and telecom baron Dhirubhai Ambani, his old partner turned rival Subhash Chandra, and the Baramati badshah and leader of the National Congress Party Sharad Pawar, apart from the Star TV staff.

    Reportedly, the meeting with Subhash Chandra was a courtesy call and no business was discussed. A large part of his day was spent at the Star TV office in Andheri. He is also seriously considering Sam Pitroda’s WorldTel venture of spreading cyber cafes all over the country at par with the STD booths.

    He is expected to meet Ratan Tata who recently announced his Infotech plans. Discussions could cover a Joint venture whereby Murdoch would provide content for Tata’s IT network. Murdoch’s agenda also includes meetings with Ashok Hinduja, Remi Hinduja and his old friend Nusli Wadia. The Hinduja-run cable network IN CableNet could do business with News Corp as IN Cablenet needs content and News Corp needs distribution. This can tackle the threat from the Zee group which owns SitiCable and which also has the content power.

    The media giant, earlier, was pretty impressed with Bangalore city. He had held preliminary talks with some portals and he is expected to fund a couple of ventures. One on the list includes a portal by the Pradip Kar owned Microland Group and the other is a Bangalore-centric portal Explocity.com. Murdoch also announced that Bangalore might be the second city to have a production studio apart from Mumbai.

    Murdoch will fly to Delhi from Mumbai and is slated to meet the Prime Minister, the Infotech Minister Pramod Mahajan apart from attending the “Janata Ki Adalat” bash in the capital.

    The shrewd businessman has made sure to make the most out of his India trip and he is expected to make big announcements within a few

  • Liberty eyeing investment in Indian cable company

    Liberty eyeing investment in Indian cable company

    MUMBAI: As the CAS story firms up, so too does the interest with which big international cable companies view the Indian scenario.

    The most active on this front appears to be John Malone’s Liberty Media Corp, which is eyeing an investment into the cable TV business in India. The company has initiated talks with Hinduja-owned IndusInd Media and Communications Ltd (IMCL) but no breakthrough has been reached thus far, sources say.

    Late last year, a senior team visited IMCL headquarters in Mumbai but talks have stalled after that. A preliminary agreement on the valuations couldn’t be reached, sources say.

    When contacted, Hinduja TMT Ltd MD K Thiagarajan said the cable business of the company was attracting a “lot of interest from strategic and financial investors.” But he refused to comment on whether the company was in talks with Liberty Media. “I can’t comment specifically on any investor,” he said. IMCL, which operates the cable business under Incablenet brand, is a subsidiary company of HTMT.

    Sources say HTMT was looking at a valuation of around $900 million for its cable TV business. Interestingly, Zee Telefilms Ltd chairman Subhash Chandra said, in an interview to a business channel, that the value of his cable assets ought to be in the region of $800-900 million.
    Liberty, however, is waiting to see how conditional access system (CAS) rolls out. Investors feel digital cable TV will help organise the industry and bring subscribers under the addressable system. Average revenue per users (ARPUs) would also go up.

    If Liberty does make an entry into India, then it will be Malone’s second big entry into the Asian market after Japan. According to the latest report by Hong Kong-based Media Partners Asia (MPA), Liberty-controlled J:COM, the most successful broadband cable TV operation in Asia and in Japan, will April 15 launch HDR services (High Definition Recorder capabilities with a High Spec Double Tuner Recorder), a new J:COM digital service available in all J:COM franchises, which pass 7.9 million homes.

    Zee Telefilms has already announced its plans to de-merge Siticable, a wholly owned subsidiary, into a separate company called Wire and Wireless (India) Limited (WWIL). This would bring specific focus into the cable business and be attractive to investors.

    Queried by Indiantelevision.com earlier as to whether he saw the demerged cable business (Siticable) and the direct consumer services business (Dish TV) as being the most likely to invite international interest for strategic and financial partnerships, Chandra had replied in the affirmative.

    HTMT is also planning to de-merge the company’s IT/BPO and media businesses into separate entities. “It couldn’t be done this year because of certain taxation issues. The programme is still alive and we hope to de-merge early next fiscal. A committee of directors are looking into the issue,” said Thiagarajan.

    When asked whether HTMT would de-merge after selling its stake in Hutchison Essar Ltd, Thiagarajan said he wouldn’t like to comment on the issue. HTMT, together with its wholly owned subsidiary InNetwork Entertainment Ltd, is holding 91.54 per cent of IndusInd Telecom Network Ltd (ITNL) corresponding to a 4.68 per cent effective stake in Hutch. HTMT plans to exit from the telecom business and sale out its entire stake before Hutchison Essar goes for an initial public offering (IPO).

    With Zee de-merging its cable subsidiary, foreign companies may now turn their eyes on WWIL. And with CAS rollout imminent, Liberty, Comcast and Time Warner Cable may seriously look at setting up a footprint in India.

  • Zee to buy out broadband services provider Pacenet

    Zee to buy out broadband services provider Pacenet

    MUMBAI: Zee Telefilms Ltd (ZTL) is buying out broadband services provider Broadband Pacenet, which is promoted by Jagjit Singh Kohli, Yogesh Shah and Yogesh Radhakrishnan.

    Kohli, who is the CEO of Siti cable, is an immediate beneficiary of the proposed demerger of India’s largest multi systems operator (in terms of size) and the cable related business of Zee Telefilms Ltd. He is being given a 2 per cent stake in the new company, Wire and Wireless (India) Ltd, which he will be heading.

    A detailed business plan is being prepared for Wire and Wireless which will venture into triple play services as well, Zee Telefilms chairman Subhash Chandra said, while addressing analysts here today.

    Pacenet will be merged with Wire and Wireless and Kohli’s partners will also be given shares in the new entity. “We have agreed to buy out Pacenet. The valuation is under progress. The existing shareholders of Pacenet will be given shares in Wire and Wireless,” Chandra said.

    Broadband Pacenet offers broadband services using the cable network infrastructure of its franchisees and claims to be servicing over 25,000 home subscribers apart from many corporates.

  • VC fund to support ‘Business Baazigar’ winner

    VC fund to support ‘Business Baazigar’ winner

    MUMBAI: A venture capital (VC) fund with a corpus of Rs 200 million will support the compelling business ideas from contestants of a reality show on Hindi general entertainment channel Zee TV.

    Business Baazigar, which will decide the fate of budding entrepreneurs through 24 episodes, will finance the business project of the winner of the show through the VC fund. The extent of funding will be decided by the jury comprising Zee Telefilms chairman Subhash Chandra, Passionfunds CEO Mahesh Murthy and Prof. Anil Gupta of Indian Institute of Management.

    “Subhash Chandra has tied up a VC fund, the size of which is Rs 200 million. It is floated by a consortium, but we can’t disclose the promoters. The fund will support the winner of Business Baazigar, the amount of which will be decided by the jury,” said 25 FPS managing director Alankar Jain, the producer of the show.

    Will the winner have the power to negotiate with the VCs on the amount of equity it wants to dilute and at what value? “Yes. This will also be shown on the final episode of Business Baazigar,” said Jain.

    Can the contestants negotiate with other VCS who will have access to the business ideas as the episodes progress? “There is a lock-in period during which period they can’t start approach other VCS,” Jain said.

    The VC fund may also extend seed funding to other contestants apart from the winner. “Based on the viability of the project, the fund may decided to finance some innovative ideas and support it at the seed level,” said Jain.

    Business Baazigar will have 50 finalists which will be further scaled down to 20 contestants. They will be put through grueling tasks that will test their business acumen and team spirit.

    Audiences will be allowed to SMS their preferences in the final episode so that they can predict the winner. “But there is no voting system and the winner will be decided by the jury,” said Jain.

    Business Baazigar debuts on 31 March, airing one-hour episodes on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm.

  • Zee to rejig; mulls Siti Cable hive-off

    Zee to rejig; mulls Siti Cable hive-off

    NEW DELHI: The Subhash Chandra-promoted Zee Telefilms, which is planning a restructuring of its businesses, is toying hiving off its distribution activities as a separate company.

    On being specifically asked whether Siti Cable, the distribution arm of the company and the country biggest MSO, would be hived off as a separate company, a senior executive of Zee Telefilms admitted, “There is a possibility.”

    However, the executive was quick to point out that such an initiaive would not be done overnight. “We’ll have to take the shareholders’ nod for any such restructuring,” he added.
    Yesterday, Zee Telefilms Ltd informed the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) that its board of directors would meet on 29 March 2006 to consider restructuring the company’s businesses.

    Few days back, Zee Telefilms finalised a deal for distribution of some family channels in Afghanistan where the flagship is now available on cable networks. Applications for landing rights in China too were made, but the chances are slim as China has stringent laws for non-Chinese broadcasting companies.

    According to information available with Indiantelevision.com, Zee Telefilms — India’s largest vertically integrated media company with its flagship Zee TV now inching back to the No. 2 position ahead of Sony — is toying a de-merger of its businesses.

    At the moment, all aspects of the broadcast business like content generation, marketing, distribution and syndication are carried out under the Zee Telefilms umbrella with different divisions.

    The DTH business of Subhash Chandra is carried out by another concern, ASC Enterprise, which has a content supply agreement with Zee Telefilms for country’s first private sector DTH service Dish TV.

    And, on Thursday Zee Telefilms announced at Ficci-Frames in Mumbai that the group’s digital media initiative will be carried out through a separate company called DMCL (Digital Media Convergence Ltd) that will facilitate the availability of digital content in India in association with Intel.

    In the past, Chandra has gone on record saying that the company would explore opportunities of unlocking shareholders’ value by hiving off Siti Cable as a separate company and possibly listing it also.

    Zee Telefilms subscription revenue (mainly garnered through distribution of TV channels; in India, Siti Cable is the vehicle) has been on the upswing with the company clocking Rs 1,751 million for the third quarter ended 31 Dec, 2005, signifying an increase of 7.8 per cent as compared to the corresponding period last fiscal.

    Out of the total subscription revenue, domestic subscription amounted to Rs 716 million for the Q3 2006.

    Meanwhile, the senior executive of Zee Telefilms talking to Indiantelevision.com said that the company in 2006-07 hoped to do better than the annual average advertising industry growth of 9-11 per cent.

    Buoyed by good ad revenue (Q3 revenue: Rs 1,698 million, an increase of 12.3 per cent YoY), Zee Telefilms is set to increase ad rates across all channels by 30-40 per cent from the next financial year starting 1 April 2006.

    In the last one month, shares of Zee Tele have been heading northward rising to over Rs. 250 during the intra-day trading on 23 March from being quoted at Rs 168.15 on 22 February on the BSE.

    On Thursday, the Zee Tele scrip closed at Rs 242.70 after opening the day at Rs. 238.50.

  • Ready for the future or face customer desertion: Chandra

    Ready for the future or face customer desertion: Chandra

    MUMBAI: “It’s the end of TV, the way we know it.” That was Zee group chairman Subhash Chandra introducing his keynote at the plenary session today – Digital Entertainment Living.

    The thrust of Chandra’s presentation could be said to be the common strand running through most of the sessions on Day 2 of Ficci Frames 2006, which is that the future was the consumption of content would be according to individual requirements and on the go as it were – how you want it, when you want it, where you want it.

    Chandra spoke of a five point agenda that his company had laid out as its course into the digital future.

    These included the need for segmentation of content; innovation in pricing; experimentating with new content ideas; seamless delivery across various platforms; and fourthly, essentially extending the preceding points, the absolute need to prepare for the future if loyalty of consumers was to be preserved.

    Said Chandra, “We have to segment our content. Segmentation will become very important. Content needs to be individualized, personalized.” He also pointed to the possibility that it would not just be programming that was customised but advertising as well. Advertising directed at individuals rather than a mass audience will become possible, the Zee head honcho averred.

    Expanding on the point of seamless delivery across platforms, Chandra made a strong case for the need to move towards opens standards rather than focusing on proprietary control.

    Chandra warned that it was essential that broadcasters “prepare for the future otherwise consumers will desert us.”

    Chandra said that the huge effort that was currently on to digitise Zee’s entire content library (1,500 movies, 50,000 hours of TV) in partnership with IBM was part of that effort. Chandra estimated that it would be another year before the process was complete.

    Another key initiative in that direction, announced earlier in the day in partnership with chip maker Intel, is a separate company Digital Media Convergence Ltd (DMCL) to be headed by Zee Telefilms president Abhijit Saxena, Chandra said. DMCL’s brief was to acquire, digitize and make available on various platforms, a wide variety of content, he pointed out.

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com on the sidelines of another session, Saxena said that DMCL would become fully functional only after Zee’s content offering had been completely digitised. The interim period (one year) would be spent in acquiring content from a variety of vendors across the globe, Saxena said.

  • ‘I never lose sight of topline, bottomline growth’ : Subhash Chandra – Zee Telefilms Chairman ( Gave the interview to Awaaz )

    ‘I never lose sight of topline, bottomline growth’ : Subhash Chandra – Zee Telefilms Chairman ( Gave the interview to Awaaz )

    It’s been a long haul back on the upward curve for Subhash Chandra’s Zee Telefilms but things are certainly moving north for his network (including the Zee scrip which is currently quoting at Rs 250). With flagship channel Zee TV firmly ensconced in the number two slot in the Hindi entertainment stakes, Chandra’s has a lot to say on the heightened action in the media and entertainment.

    Given below is an interview the media baron gave to Sanjay Pugalia, editor of CNBC TV 18’s Hindi news channel sibling Awaaz, which aired on 17 March. Indiantelevision.com has excerpted it with due permission:

    There is a perception about you that you start something and then forget about it. You move on and start a new project. Whatever you do is known for its novelty. There are reports that you are planning a mega entertainment city. We want to know more about that.
    Our newspaper friends broke the news before time. Still I will say that we are planning an entertainment, health and sports SEZ. Several SEZs have been planned in the country but none in the field of entertainment, health and sports. I clearly see an opportunity in these areas. As you know getting treatment is very costly abroad. Several insurance companies are thriving on this. I have heard insurance companies abroad asking its customers to go to India and get themselves treated. They are even willing pay for airline ticket. Such is the cost advantage in India.
    Similarly, so many people in Hollywood are interested in shooting their films in India. But the process is so complicated. They need 70-80 clearances to shoot their films here. With such SEZ in place, they can come and shoot their films without any hassle.

    How hopeful are you of getting clearance and tax concessions for such SEZ?
    We had applied for it when the SEZ policy was being formulated. We have been planning such a venture for almost five years now. This is not an overnight affair. I am not asking for any extra favour. We are hopeful of getting what is due.

    What is the kind of investment do you see and when do you expect to complete the project?
    What we will do is to build the infrastructure so that others can come and make use of that. We have some land and have asked for some more from the Maharashtra government.
    After such hard work, Zee Telefilms has finally become number number two. When you look back what do you think went wrong?
    Let me correct you. Zee Telefilms has always been number one. It is Zee TV that had slipped. Now Zee TV has reached number two position. However, with the kind of effort that has been put in now I am confident that it will soon regain number one position.

    Suddenly we see Zee stepping up its expenditure on marketing, new shows and new channels. What will be its impact on the revenue side of the company?
    Once you slip you need to put that extra bit to regain the top slot. We are doing exactly that. But this is an investment which will pay rich dividends. As far as new channels are concerned, I am of the opinion that entertainment space is going to expand further and you need to be present in all the segments. While existing players can afford that, it is going to be pretty tough for the new players.

    One of the criticisms against you has been that you spread yourself too thin. That you lose focus. That you are present everywhere even if that means some compromise on quality. Can you recall how many channels the group has at the moment?
    Yes I can. There are nearly 25 channels. I don’t need to personally focus on all the channels. There are good people in our group. Four of my brothers and five people from the next generation are involved with various projects. Then there are capable people who are almost like my family. They are capable enough to handle things on their own. At the level of perception, though, we are seen to be compromising with quality. But that is only at the level of perception. I am confident that this will also change soon.

    What are you focusing on currently? There’s the sports channel about which there is a view that it will take some time before making its presence felt as it didn’t get cricket telecast rights?
    Those who follow the beaten track think that sports channel cannot survive without cricket. I am not one of those. It is a different matter that we could have got a head start if we had cricket. But there are other areas to be explored. India is a cricketing nation. I want it to be a sporting nation. We have got telecast rights for football for ten years. In association with the Indian Football Federation we want to establish many football clubs across the country. I believe that in the next five years, football will be bigger than cricket in the country. As per my own focus, I look after the sports channel and with my colleagues I look after the launch of new channels in South India.

    As you said you are focusing on sports and regional channels. What are the other new initiatives?
    We are doing so many things in the existing ventures. As per new initiatives, we have just launched channels in Indonesia and Malaysia. What we are doing is dubbing Indian content in their local languages. Soon we are going to launch a similar channel in Afghanistan. Efforts are on to dub Indian content in four foreign languages. This will be over and above what we have been doing so far. Zee network is already present in 120-125 countries.

    There are reports that you are planning a channel with international content. Maybe a news channel?
    Now you are forcing me to say things. It is true that we are planning a channel for more than two years. The work on content has already begun and I can assure you that it will be quite unique. Now I will tell you why we slipped. As long as we tried out new and innovative ideas we had no competitor. We launched a show on extra-marital affair theme way back in 1994-95. The launch of Sa Ra Ga Ma was equally unique. We slipped because we started imitating others. Now this is going to change. We have started doing new things. We have realized that the spirit of entrepreneurship is quite strong among Indians. So many people want to do things on their own. To catch that spirit we have planned a new show called Business Bazigar. The contest is open to all. We invite ideas, scrutinize them and if they are worthwhile, arrange for funding.
    Maybe this programme is a reflection of your business journey. Will you please elaborate on this? How will it help people with ideas?
    We invite entries. So far we have received 1.2 lakh (120,000) entries. Our experts scrutinize those ideas. If they feel that ideas are good we invite people to explain their plan. When we realize that they have a sound plan to execute their ideas we make them go through difficult tasks like setting up office in four hours, surviving in Mumbai on a rupee and a glass of bottle for 24 hours. Once through this also, we arrange for funding those projects. It could be five lakhs or ten crore rupees (Rs 100 million). We arrange funds.
    From a shareholders’ perspective, when they see you going for so much investment they often wonder what will be the value of their investment?
    I never lose sight of topline, bottomline growth. As long as topline is growing bottomline will keep growing. So more investment means more topline growth.
    So many people would have asked you this question before. Do you think Indian television space is crowded? Will so many players survive? Is consolidation bound to happen?
    Consolidation has already begun. Your group has bought over Channel 7. Some more things are happening behind the scenes. So consolidation is bound to happen and it has already started. I believe that it will be tough for independent channels to survive.

    So you mean to say that groups with one, two or three channels will find it tough to survive?
    It will be difficult. But you never know. The country never fails to surprise us. I see so many newspapers coming out from so many towns and cities. I cannot figure out what is their source of revenue. But they are there. Maybe they have some other income.

     

    ‘I keep telling Mr Murdoch that India is not a soft state. It has certain laws which need to be followed‘

     

    Quite a strong view on other income of newspapers. What is your assessment of the journey of DNA so far?
    It started off with two lakh copies and the figure is growing everyday. The circulation has reached 2.3 lakhs. We expect that in the next 12 to 18 months it will be close to The Times of India.
    Planning new editions of DNA?
    Yes.
    I believe the next edition will be from Delhi.
    Not necessarily.
    Your group has presence in whole host of businesses.Will you please list out your businesses- from real estate to wireless radio- for people who are not so familiar with those aspects of your group?
    In real estate we are developing properties in Delhi and other cities in North India under the brand name Sun City. We have a partner in this venture. And our joint venture is doing quite well. In the business of wireless radio, we have 18 operating licenses and 80-85 per cent market share. We are thinking of expanding this business.
    In percentage terms what is the contribution of your different businesses to the entire group?
    In percentage terms, media and entertainment business contributes 20 per cent to the group’s revenue, rest 80 per cent comes from elsewhere. There is a group company called Essel Propack. It has 19 plants in 12 countries. It is truly a multinational company and number one in the world in its area of operation. It manufactures tubes for toothpaste and cosmetic items. It has 40 per cent market share in the world.

    Following the High Court order where do you see the implementation of CAS headed now and how will CAS and DTH impact each other?
    I don’t think CAS is an appropriate name. The name sounds a bit negative. CAS is bound to happen. The toss up is between analog and digital signal and I think it is in viewers’ interests to have digital signal. In this respect CAS is bound to happen. One broadcaster is opposing the implementation of CAS because it wants to roll out its DTH business. But I don’t think that is fair.
    How is your DTH business doing?
    We have got one million subscribers so far.

    DD has more?
    Yes, DD has more. It caters to a different segment. It doesn’t charge anything whereas our subscribers have to pay some amount every month.

    This has happened without Sony or Star?
    Yes. Now Sony, Discovery and some other channels are joining our platform. However, we have proved that one million customers can live without Saas Bahu.

    Now that Star too is gearing up to launch its DTH business what will be its impact on the DTH business? What about must carry clause?
    Must carry clause came into force in December 2004. However, Star group never bothered to comply with the clause. Star Group doesn’t seem to have any respect for the law of the land.

    With recent reorganization and all where do you see Star Group headed now?
    My best wishes for Mr Rupert Murdock. We do talk to each other sometimes. He was my partner earlier. I keep telling him that India is not a soft state. It has certain laws which need to be followed. You cannot keep flouting rules and regulations every now and then. Law of land will catch you in due course. But when you are successful you don’t listen to even sane voices.

    Do you think broadcasting sector should have a separate regulator?
    Definitely. Indian media houses representing print, radio and television businesses came together to form Indian Media Group. We have demanded that broadcasting sector should have an independent regulator.

    Given the favourable response of the present government towards globalisation do you see other media giants freely accessing Indian market, something you may not like?
    India already is the most open country in this respect. Each and every country worth its salt has some restriction in this sector. Almost everywhere preferential treatment is being given to local players. We don’t want preferential treatment. We want level playing field. All businesses that operate in this country have to pay taxes.

    One final question. Are you satisfied with the
    present rating system? Do you think it is authentic?
    Like all areas, competition should be there in the
    rating business also. It is not fair to judge people’s mood on the basis of 4 to 5 thousand meters. I think given India’s size, there should be at least 20,000 meters to gauge people’s perception.
  • Murdoch on India visit this weekend?

    Murdoch on India visit this weekend?

    Is global media baron Rupert Murdoch coming to town? If reports are to be believed a visit is being planned for the News Corp chief to visit Bangalore, Delhi and Mumbai, (if possible) over this weekend. Murdoch last visited India, if reports are to be believed in a hush-hush meeting with the then Congress (I) strongman, Sharad Pawar in 1996 at an army base in Pune.

    His earlier visit to India was in 1993-94 which was much hyped up when he was seen with various politicians, dignitaries and businessmen. He was feted wherever he went. Since 1996 he has been unable to fly into India because of a flimsy obscenity case that was pending against him for the airing of a bit of skin on Star Movies. The case apparently took an ugly turn when summons were sent to his residences/offices in Australia and the US, and an arrest warrant issued against him. The situation was so bad that he was not permitted to enter the country and declared a criminal because he did not attend court when he was summoned. He would have been arrested had he landed in the country. Since then, however, the case has been set aside and Murdoch can visit India.

    During his current visit – if it takes place over the weekend – he is expected to meet the Prime Minister, information technology minister, Pramod Mahajan. His focus is expected to be on the information technology sector, in which he has suddenly begun to see lots of promise. He is also expected to give a direction to Star TV India CEO Peter Mukerjea as to how much he is willing to commit to India and in which areas. And obviously, he is going to be tomtomming Star TV’s forays into the information technology and convergence sector.

    Currently, hectic preparations are on within Star TV and his once Indian partner in Star TV’s Indian DTH project Pramod Mittal who is trying to smoothen his visit out here. Obviously, a meeting with his old mate Zee Telefilms chairman Subhash Chandra is planned. For sure, he is going to thank him, Chandra has helped Murdoch make more money on his investment in Zee Telefilms than he has made through his entire Star TV operations in the past six years, thanks to an appreciation in Zee’s share price over the past six months.

    Meanwhile, the media can expect to have a rollicking time. Murdoch is eminently quotable as we have known him to be.