NEW DELHI: In a major break-through sending a strong message to organised pirates of content in the digital space, certain members of Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) have succeeded in their efforts to remove their channels from the recently launched android and iOS applications of Chitram TV on Google Play and Apple’s App Store.
Chitram TV is an IPTV/OTT service provider, which has been illegally broadcasting the signals of the Indian origin channels: MSM (Sony), Zee, Star, Viacom18 and certain other regional Indian television networks, which are members of IBF for quite some time. Recently, Chitram TV launched its mobile application on android and iOS devices in an attempt to widen its distribution and reach. The broadcasters took up the issue of Chitram’s illegal broadcast and Apple and Google have now removed the app from their iOS and Android platforms. This is a major victory for the members of IBF in their fight against online piracy, according to an IBF spokesperson.
Indian broadcasters, who have joined hands to collectively fight digital piracy, are considering initiating legal proceedings against Chitram TV and other pirate platforms in multiple jurisdictions outside. None of the members of IBF (viz. MSM (Sony), Zee, Star and Viacom18) has authorised Chitram TV to carry their channels on any media platform let alone digital.
IBF said it understands that Chitram TV continues to distribute the Indian channels via IPTV/OTT particularly outside India. IBF members have buckled up to fight the pirates like Chitram TV to preserve the integrity of their channels and content.
With the rapid advent of technology enabling the dissemination of content across digital platforms, there are enormous revenue opportunities for broadcasters and other content owners. The Indian channels, which are available in more than 100 countries around the world, are extremely popular amongst the South Asian diaspora.
All of these channels have launched their own digital platforms and mobile apps but piracy has been a major stumbling block in revenue monetisation. Isolated efforts of the broadcasters could have achieved little. Now that the Indian broadcasters stand united, their efforts will provide a greater impetus in the global effort to combat digital piracy.
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2014 was the year of the big change, with the Narendra Modi led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) sweeping the ‘election of the century’ and coming to power. In the new government, the mantle of Information and Broadcasting Ministry was given to Prakash Javadekar, who in his five months tenure made numerous public appearances, making major announcements. Before, the portfolio was passed on to Arun Jaitely in November, Javadekar had made some crucial changes, that of pushing the deadline for digitisation of phase III to December 2015 and of phase IV to December 2016. The move was done in order to help the indigenous set top box (STB) manufacturers’ boost their businesses as well as allow the MSOs and cable TV operators’ enough time to do it right.
In the cable TV sector, while the tiff between the last mile owners (LMOs) and MSOs over ownership of consumers, billing and revenue share continued like in 2013, some unity could be seen amongst the MSOs with regards to voluntary digitisation after the I&B decided to push digitisation to a later date. The LMOs on the other hand united in several parts of the country to form cooperatives in a bid to get some financial muscle to be able to digitise apart from strengthening their customer base. The year saw not only Hinduja’s headend in the sky (HITS) project taking strides, a new model of distribution: Cable Virtual Network Operator (CVNO) too came up in a few cities like Mumbai and Kolkata.
The 16th Lok Sabha elections were not only fought on the ground, but political parties laid siege to the airwaves as well. This general election was the first among many, where media was so extensively (and blatantly) used by political parties. Far from fighting shy of marketing themselves, the main players – Congress and BJP –spent nearly Rs 400 to Rs 500 crore each on publicity campaigns. An additional Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 crore was spent on related activities such as banners, hoardings, organisation of public meetings and transportation of key campaigners, among others. Not surprisingly, media agencies had estimated around 2 to 2.5 per cent of overall advertisement spends this year to come from elections.
The first half of the year went in covering what seems the country’s biggest election. From exit polls to election result day, one thing was clear that it was a battle of individuals and not parties. And one man leading it all was none other than, BJP’s Narendra Modi.
The television industry saw two major appointments – Uday Shankar taking over as president of Indian Broadcasting Federation (IBF) and NP Singh being elevated as Multi Screen Media (MSM) CEO. Then his predecessor Man Jit Singh was given a US posting and global responsibility in Sony’s home entertainment division.
The year saw India embracing a number of sports leagues apart from cricket, like football, tennis, kabaddi and basketball, that too in different formats. The Pro Kabaddi League, an initiative to revive India’s contact sports was a success and a surprise, not just on television but also at the stadiums, as Indian families cheered the country’s lost sport. Bud sadly enough, advertisers decided to play a wait and watch game and missed the bus. It was initiated by Mashal Sports and broadcaster Star Sports.
