MxMIndia

Tag: I&B Ministry

  • Hope some common sense prevails, and trigger-happy authorities stay away from shooting at will, writes Shailesh Kapoor

    Shailesh Kapoor: Whose Ratings Are They, Anyway?

     

    By Shailesh Kapoor

     

    The last few weeks have seen eruption of a fresh debate around television ratings. Before the formation of BARC India, ratings-related controversies in the TAM era were frequent, and different broadcasters, at different times, expressed their discontentment privately and publically, with some like NDTV even taking the legal route. When the currency shifted to BARC India in 2015, these debates expectedly became less frequent. The key difference, of course, was that BARC India is an industry body, and not a private organisation like TAM.

     

    For the last five years, despite stray voices and uncalled-for government interference, there has been an overall sense of calm around TV ratings in India. But trust 2020 to challenge the status quo. One concern after the other, the ratings system has come under the scanner again in recent weeks.

     

    It started with BARC India’s decision to use an algorithm to remove the impact of landing pages on viewership. This evidently-controversial decision has not gone down well with several news broadcasters. Even as we await the unfolding of this contentious piece, the Peoplemeter-tampering controversy came to the fore, wherein the Mumbai police charged certain news channels, most noticeably the Republic TV network, of breach.

     

    In a large, pan-India panel that’s being managed manually at the last mile, some Peoplemeter homes being compromised is not such a surprising development. It’s bound to happen once in a while, and a swift and decisive response it all that such incidents needs, on behalf of BARC India.

     

    But such incidents bring the topic up in the media, and we know that questioning voices don’t worry much about facts and details anymore. By suspending channel-level ratings for the news genre, BARC India has, in effect, admitted there’s a need to get things in order. And that can, arguably, be called a constructive decision.

     

    t the events of the last two months have worked as a perfect trigger for the ever-eager I&B ministry and TRAI to step in. Last week, the ministry constituted a four-member committee to review the existing guidelines on television ratings agencies in India.

     

    The government’s interference in the television industry can be exasperating for any sane mind that has the industry’s best interest at heart. Under the excuse of protecting consumer interest, TRAI has interfered repeatedly by setting the price points and guidelines regarding pay TV subscription. Why TV industry even comes under TRAI is a larger question in the first place. But even if one ignores that by seeing TRAI and the I&B ministry or any other such body as a generic entity called the Government of India, the interference is a blatant violation of the principles on which a free market operates. Why are cinema and live event ticket prices not regulated? I hope I’m not giving them more ideas to widen their interference net, but the Government could have done well to stay away from areas it has no business of being a part of. But that ain’t happening anytime soon. In fact, the latest development, that online news portals and the OTT category will come under the I&B ministry, is a new cause of concern.

     

    The ratings committee has two months to put up its recommendations. Irrespective of how good a job they do of it, the direction in which this discourse is going is deeply problematic. It’s been a tough year for all industries, and television broadcasting is no exception. Hope some common sense prevails, and trigger-happy authorities stay away from shooting at will. Else, 2021 could spell some more trouble for the business. Trouble that, unlike the pandemic, is eminently avoidable.

     

     

  • Continuing with our lookback series, here's the annual information and broadcasting ministry's review

    Lookback 2016: The I&B Ministry’s Review

     

    Continuing with our lookback series, here’s the annual review from the Union Government’s information and broadcasting ministry:

    Minister for Information & Broadcasting Venkaiah Naidu announced various initiatives concerning different sectors at the concluding session of the 28th SIMCON which was organised by Ministry of I&B after a gap of seven years. Naidu announced a cash component of Rs 1 Crore in the Most Film Friendly State Award to promote India as a Filming destination. In a major push to Community Radio Movement in the country. The I&B Minister announced increased subsidy for setting up of Community Radio Stations from 50 to 90% in the North Eastern States and 75% in other States, subject to a maximum limit of Rs 7.5 lakh. He also mentioned that the Ministry would be formulating a National Information & Communication Policy in consultation with States.

     

    The Ministry of I&B organised a 2 day State Information Ministers Conference (SIMCON) in December, 2016 to promote the vision of One Nation & Cooperative Federalism. The spirit and philosophy of Cooperative Federalism entails every state as an equal partner and stakeholder in the Nation’s development process. The interactive forum involving States was revived after a gap of seven years, keeping in mind the importance of Communication in Governance. The theme of the conference was Reform, Perform and Transform: A New Dimension of Communication.

     

    The initiatives of Ministry in different sectors are mentioned below:

    Broadcast Sector

    • Simplification of Annual Renewal process for existing TV channels as part of “Ease of Doing Business” 

    o   Broadcasters who have been given the permission for Uplinking or Downlinking can continue their operations by simply paying the annual permission fee upto 60 days before the due date, which by itself will be treated as permission for continuation of the channel for a further period of one year.

    • A total of 170 channels have been given licences from Jun 2014 till Dec 2016. Of these, 25 licences are given to News channels and 145 licences have been to non-news channels.
    • Increased reach of FM Radio all over India– FM Phase 3 auctions first and second batch completed

    o   The auctions for the second batch were held recently for 266 channels in 92 cities.

    • Digitisation of Cable TV to bring the entire country under Digital Addressable System

    o   The deadline for implementation of Phase III of digitisation was 31st December, 2015 while for Phase IV it is by 31st December, 2016. Recently Ministry has extended the cutoff date for Phase IV to 31st March, 2017.

     

    • Akashvani Maitree:  An exclusive service for Bangladesh and Bengali diaspora launched by All India Radio. Baluchi Multimedia website and Mobile App for greater people to people contact was also launched

     

    • Boost to Community Radio movement in the Country: In a major push to Community Radio movement in the country, Ministry has increased the subsidy for setting up of Community Radio Stations from 50 % to 90% in the North Eastern States and 75% in other States, subject to a maximum limit of Rs. 7.5 lakhs.

     

    • Swachhta Samachar: Special 5 minutes Bulletin on Swachhta has been started on all weekdays. The Bulletin includes important news stories, people’s initiative and feature stories related to Swachh Bharat Abhiyan along with a Swachhta Tip.

     

    Film Sector

    • Film Promotion Fund

    o   To provide financial assistance for promotional activities to the films which would be selected in any competition section of an International Film Festival or being India’s official nomination to the Academy Awards under Foreign Film Category

     

    • Film Facilitation Office (FFO)

    o   Single window clearance to facilitate film shootings by foreign film makers in India.

    o   FFO units set up under NFDC premises in November 2015 at Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata. 66 foreign films given permissions in 2015-16

     

    • Swachh Bharat Short Film Festival organized by the NFDC on behalf of the Ministry, has received over 4000 entries from across the country in various Indian languages on the theme of the Swachh Bharat Mission. The key objective of the Festival was to generate awareness, inspire people and include them as stakeholders in the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. Top 20 films selected were felicitated.
    • The Ministry has utilised the platform of Film Festivals to promote India’s endeavour of being a Filming Destination and Soft Power. Various Country specific Film Festivals have been organised to promote the possibility of collaboration in the Films Sector. Film Festivals like the

    o   Iranian Film Festival – 14 films of the acclaimed and award winning film makers from Iran were screened.

    o   European Union Film Festival – A total of 23 movies from the European Union countries were showcased.

    o   The first ever BRICS Film Festival was held in Delhi – Twenty movies, four each from the five participating countries were selected for the screening competition.

    • On the domestic policy front the Ministry organised Swachh Bharat Short Film Festival, Children’s Film Festival and the Patriotic Film Festival with theme Azaadi 70 Saal, Yaad Karo Qurbani

     

    • Strengthening of the institutions to promote healthy development of cinema as a medium of communication through film festivals (Patriotic & Children Film Festivals) across the nation.

     

    •   The Shyam Benegal Committee constituted for holistic interpretation of the provisions of the Cinematograph Act/ Rules has submitted its recommendations to the Ministry which are expected to provide a holistic framework.
    • Ministry has also introduced a cash component of Rs 1 Crore in the Most Film Friendly State Award to promote India as a Filming destination.
    • National Film Heritage Mission (NFHM):  It is a new Plan Scheme to restore, digitize and archive films and filmic material through National Film Archive of India. National Film Archives of India in one of its rare discovery, NFAI acquired 20.43 minutes of the Indian Silent Film Bilwamangal (1919), thanks to the wonderful cooperation of the Cinematheque Francaise. It is after 21 years that a silent film has entered NFAI vaults.

     

    Information Sector

    • New Print Media Advertisement Policy for DAVP

    o   Objective is to promote transparency and accountability in issuing of Government advertisements in print media and weeding out ghost/irregular newspapers.

    o   Policy introduces a New Marking System and Circulation Verification Procedure for empanelment of Newspapers/Journals with DAVP

    • Three member committee to address the issues related to Content Regulation in Government Advertising constituted as per the directions of Hon’ble Supreme Court. The committee is chaired by B.B. Tandon, Former Chief Election Commissioner of India.

     

    • New Business Policy for Publication Division: The objective to streamline business practices in line with the contemporary trends prevailing in publications industry. The policy promotes online readership by pricing the digital version of the publication at 75% the price of printed version. It acknowledges the growing prospects of e-commerce and promotes sale of e- books of the division through online platforms.

     

    • 360 degree Multimedia Campaigns to give wide publicity to the schemes launched by the Government. The activities range from holding of Press conferences, telecast/broadcast of special programmes on DD and AIR with experts, Multimedia Exhibitions, social media campaigns using Infographics, animations, graphic plates, short videos, live streaming of events /conferences. Some of these initiatives include:

    o   International Yoga Day, Swachh Bharat , Make in India, Skill India, Digital India, Rashtriya Ekta Diwas

     

    • Peoples` participation in Government Advertising through Crowdsourcing: The advertisement for important events being designed on the crowd sourcing model. An online contest was also organised by Social Media Cell of the Ministry as a part of 67th Republic Day celebrations. 
    • Publications Division has released the E-version of the India/ Bharat-2016. Online payment and subscription services for popular journals and Employment News of Publications Division through Bharat Kosh Portal of Ministry of Finance.
    • Release of books on Rashtrapati Bhavan published by the Publications Division. Some of the books are “Around India’s First Table: Dining and Entertaining at Rashtrapati Bhavan”, “The Arts and Interiors of Rashtrapati Bhavan: Lutyens and Beyond”, “Discover the Magnificent World of Rashtrapati Bhavan”, “A Work of Beauty: The Architecture and Landscape of Rashtrapati Bhavan”, “First Garden of the Republic: Nature in the President’s Estate” among others.

     

    • A book on Courts of India- Past to Present published by the Publications Division under the guidance of the Hon’ble Supreme Court was also released.

     

    • Indian Institute of Mass Communication

    o   The Diploma course in Urdu Journalism upgraded to the level of PG Diploma in Urdu Journalism of nine months duration from the current academic session i.e. 2016-17.

     

    • Vartalap / Regional Editors Conference

    o   As a new initiative, PIB Regional Units are organizing “Vartalap” in various regions across the country with regional media to interact &create awareness about the new developmental initiatives/schemes of the government. Regional Editors Conferences were organized in Jaipur, Chennai & Chandigarh.

     

     

     

  • A new newspaper business model is emerging in which the mix between advertising and circulation revenue would be reverse to the current mix, writes Indrani Sen

    Indrani Sen: The Seismic Shift

    By Indrani Sen

     

    On January 22, 2016, an announcement by the I&B Ministry hit the news media announcing a new policy effective from December 31, 2015 to streamline the business practices of its Publication Division. The headlines in newspapers and websites happily screamed that Centre plans to promote online readership.  The official statement stated “One of the key highlights of the policy includes promoting online readership by pricing the digital version of the publication at 75 per cent of the price of printed version. This would ensure that 25 per cent discount is passed on to the readers”.

     

    It appears that the I&B Ministry is either blissfully unaware about the current market practices followed by most leading newspapers for promotion and retention of their print circulation or has chosen to turn a blind eye to the same. As readers are already enjoying more than 25% discount on the cover price against long-term subscription of copies in print, a 25% discount will be hardly any incentive for shifting to online subscription.

    As most Indian newspapers are currently offering their online edition free-of-cost, it would be an uphill marketing task to convert the free online readership to paid online readership. So far, the metered subscription model that allows a certain number of free visits before requiring users to pay for online newspaper has proved to be most successful in getting online subscription of newspapers globally.  This model is a far cry from offering a flat 25% discount on cover price of print editions.

     

    This attempt by I&B Ministry to promote online readership is perhaps a timely reminder to our newspaper industry that they need to review their policies related to combined print and online circulation revenue which was a hot topic in the last World News Media Congress. The annual World Press Trends Survey released on June 1, 2015 by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) showed that newspaper audience of print and digital combined are increasing globally. The study claimed that global newspaper circulation revenue had crossed global newspaper advertising revenue in 2014 (http://www.wan-ifra.org/wpt.). I have borrowed the title of this article from a statement made by Larry Kilman, Secretary General of WAN- IFRA at the World News Media Congress “This is a seismic shift from a strong business-to-business emphasis – publishers to advertisers – to a growing business-to-consumer emphasis, publishers to audiences”.

     

    In 2013, the New York Times was the first newspaper to report that its circulation revenue exceeded its advertising revenue following its initiative of two-year-old digital subscription program. A study on Newspapers by PEW Research Centre in 2013, stated “After years of an almost theological debate about whether digital content should be free, the newspaper industry may have reached a tipping point in 2012.” The study citied various examples of paid digital content subscription or pay wall plans adopted by newspapers and alerted about the titanic shift in the newspaper business revenues.

    The PwC Global Entertainment Media Outlook published in 2015, showed the global newspaper adverting revenue was marginally higher than global newspaper circulation revenue in 2014. However, PWC also predicted convergence of the two revenues over the next five years due to continuous decline of advertising revenue – “From 54.4% in 2010 and 52.6% in 2014, total newspaper advertising revenue will account for just 50.7% of total newspaper revenue in 2019.” (http://www.pwc.com/gx/en/global-entertainment-media-outlook/segment-insights/assets/PDF/newspaper-publishing-key-insights-at-a-glance.pdf). According to PwC, total newspaper circulation revenue would continue to grow despite the fall in circulation of print copies due to the increase in online subscription from a wave of subscription offerings.

     

    It is evident from the various studies and live examples that a new newspaper business model is emerging in which the mix between advertising and circulation revenue would be reverse to the current mix. In India 70% to 85% of the newspaper revenue still comes from advertising in print and the online editions’ subscriptions are yet to be monetized. PwC described India and China as the growth engines of the world newspaper industry and predicted that the two countries combined share in global average daily unit of print circulation will rise to 57.3% in 2019 from 57.3% in 2014. I suspect this growth may be partially due to the shift in circulation from print to online in developed countries.

     

    The writings on the wall are quite clear; the younger generations who have stopped reading newspaper in print can only be lured back through online offerings. Our newspaper industry needs to quickly revamp their online editions before promoting/monetising the online subscription. The seismic shift in newspaper business models can hardly be reversed in India where already half the country’s population is under 25 years of age and 60% of internet users access internet through their mobile phones.

     

     

    Indrani Sen is a veteran media agency and marketing services professional. She is currently an Independent Consultant and Adjunct Faculty, Media Management at Symbiosis Institute of Media & Communication, Pune. The views expressed here are her own.

     

  • Approved, then disapproved: Amitabh Bachchan's ad firm on DD Kisan's endorsement fee

    The Curious Case of Amitabh’s Kisan Channel endorsement fee

    By Vasudha Venugopal

     

    Ad agency Lowe Lintas on Tuesday said that it had been authorized by the DD Kisan channel to negotiate with Amitabh Bachchan for endorsing the channel and the actor’s office had originally approved the fee.

     

    Meanwhile, senior officials at the I&B ministry and Prasar Bharti said they had no knowledge about the contract between DD Kisan with Bachchan and that it was not approved by the the Prasar Bharti board. “DD Kisan had formally authorised us on 31.03.15 to negotiate on their behalf with Bachchan’s office. After much negotiation, Bachchan’s office on 12.05.15, sent communication to Lintas on the fee approval. Post receipt of this communication from-Bachchan’s office, we sent the necessary paperwork to DD Kisan who then went ahead with the processing and release of the payment to Lintas,” a Lintas spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

     

    The spokesperson said on July 20, the agency was informed by Bachchan’s office that after reviewing the ‘work-in-progress contract’, the actor had taken a decision that he would not charge any fee on issues involving social and those in the best interest of the nation. “ … In light of yesterday’s development, we have initiated the process of refund ( which will be concluded today ) to our client, DD Kisan,” said the spokesperson., adding that payment was pending to Bachchan.

     

    The proposed Rs 6.89 crore payment to Bachchan for appearing in a promotional campaign for the DD Kisan channel, which was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi two months ago to mark the first anniversary of his government had become controversial with the I&B ministry issuing a probe into the matter and the PMO also making enquiries. I&B officials and the Prasar Bharti board said the Bachchan deal was not approved by the board.

     

    Source:The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2015, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

    Licensed to republish

     

  • 2015 to see public broadcaster hosting new TV dramas from big production houses. One of the concerns though is private TV channels are Mumbai-headquartered and hence uplinking shows for Delhi-based DD is more expensive

    DD set to combat GECS with big-bang shows

    By Vasudha Venugopal

     

    Watch out private television broadcasters, in 2015 Doordarshan is entering the soap war.

     

    DD, the host of shows such as Buniyaad, Hum Log and Nukkad in prereforms India, had long lost the ratings and advertising game for serialised TV dramas to private channels.

     

    But under Modi Sarkar, it is firming up plans to commission and broadcast quality serials. And the process has begun in earnest with a recent meeting chaired by Arun Jaitley, who, apart from heading the finance ministry, also holds the information & broadcasting portfolio.

     

    The meeting presided over by Jaitley also had I&B junior minister Raghavendra Rathore, senior Doordarshan officials and senior executives of TV production houses in attendance. Among production companies represented in the meeting were Balaji Telefilms and Hats Off productions, outfits that have produced some of the longest running soaps on private channels.

     

    More such meetings are planned over the next few weeks, EThas learnt. Officials at the broadcaster hope new shows and a new look for DD’s entertainment section will be in place early 2015.

     

    Officials familiar with DD’s new plans spoke on the condition they not be identified.

     

    TV production executives are learnt to have assured Mr Jaitley that they will soon send pilot shows to DD. And I&B ministry and DD are learnt to have assured executives that complicated bureaucratic procedures DD is typically associated with will no longer apply.

     

    Crucially, officials said, the ministry and DD told production houses that the sarkari broadcaster will work on an “incentive model” that will reward shows that do well. It is also learnt that DD has accepted that its revenue sharing model will need to be changed to make doing business with the public broadcaster more profitable for producers. DD, it was said by officials, will be revising its guidelines and will seek producers’ inputs before issuing new rules.

     

    “We want to revive producers’ trust in DD,” one I&B official said. The meeting also discussed issues such as budget constraints, decision-making time, production timelines (producers complain DD offers shorter contracts than private channels) and revenue generation.

     

    TV show production houses were enthusiastic about DD’s new efforts. “Daily soaps are Indian TV’s main revenue earners. It is encouraging that DD is looking at shows but DD needs to be revived first,” said Sunjoy Waddhwa, CMD, Sphereorigins, which produced the hit show Balika Vadhu. Waddhwa said his team is ready to work with DD. “Udaan on DD was a memorable serial. We are in talks with our writers to come up with something that can reflect the aspirations of a new India.”

     

    JD Majethia of Hats Off Productions said the mood of the meeting was optimistic and that all production houses were invited to make suggestions on improving DD. “At least top officials are interested in reviving DD’s old glory,” he said but also pointed out what DD needs to do: “Better telecast technology, simple systems and better offers than others.” Another issue flagged during discussions was the Delhi-Mumbai problem — DD’s headquarters and bosses are all in Delhi while the talent hub for TV productions is Mumbai. Private TV channels are Mumbai-headquartered. Uplinking shows for Delhi-based DD is therefore more expensive.

     

    But I&B ministry and DD officials are optimistic all problems can be solved. Fuddy-duddy DD is serious about becoming the king of TV soaps again.

     

     

    Source:The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2015, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

    Licensed to republish

     

  • Pradyuman Maheshwari reacts to the many claims made by the MIB in a 'Bharat Nirman' series ad

    Time to call Minster’s bluff. 6.5/10 performance by UPA-run I&B ministry

     

    By Pradyuman Maheshwari

     

    It’s perhaps unfair to damn only Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari for his performance. Successive occupants of that office – under various regimes – have made a mess of things over the years. Right from the time of BV Keskar, the first mantri who banned Hindi film songs on Vividh Bharati to occupants such as LK Advani, IK Gujral and Sushma Swaraj who didn’t do much for the sector. Ministers like Priyaranjan Dasmunshi and Anand Sharma were on war with many broadcasters and Ambika Soni was by far the best of them all though the digitization execution process was messed up when she was at the helm.

     

    Earlier this week, as part of the Bharat Nirman series of ads, the DAVP inserted an ad making several claims under the headline “Empowering People Through A Liberal Information Order”.

     

    I think it’s important that someone were to call the minister and ministry’s bluff. The text in italics is my response to the points made in the ad.

    • Several policies issued and implemented for the liberalization of Print Media Sector in last 10 years

    Is it? Like? Save appeasing the sector with DAVP ad hikes, there’s precious little done 

    • Television industry grew from Rs 18,300 crore in 2006 to Rs 50,140 crore in 2014

    This would have happened any which way. No marks for the UPA 

    • Total number of TV channels increased from 130 in 2014 to 788 in 2014

    Again no credit to UPA for this. In fact, the government has been sitting on many applications and approvals over the last few months 

    • 3 Crore Set-Top Boxes installed in the first two phases of digitization

    Yes, Digitization is an achievement of the government. But look at what happened with it? Chennai is not fully digitized. Kolkata faced several hiccups. Phase 2 is nearly 90 percent, which is heartening 

    • New policy guidelines for Television Rating Agencies issued in 2014

    One is not very sure whether the government should be getting into policing television audience measurement. That should be left for the industry. Thankfully, the government hasn’t got into IRS or advising ad duration on radio and column centimetres/ad-edit ratio in print 

    • New policy guidelines issued for Headend in the Sky (HITS) Broadcasting Services and Internet Protocol Television (IPTV)

    It is fine to issue guidelines, but an IPTV, for instance, has been a non-starter. And HITS is just about a nice acronym 

    • Radio industry grew from Rs 600 crore in 2006 to Rs 1540 crore in 2014

    Would’ve grown more had news been allowed. Isn’t it ironic that all and sundry can start news channels – on satellite and cable – and our radio folks aren’t trusted? 

    • 245 FM channels in 85 cities since 2005. In the next phase 839 channels proposed in 294 cities

    Phase III? Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Phase III has become a joke. We’ve heard about it just so often. Even the Mumbai Metro would’ve started, but our government would be sitting on the papers. 

    • Community radio stations increased from 64 in 2009 to 163 in 2014

    For a country of a billion-plus people, 163 community radio stations is an apology. Not enough done to evangelise it.

    • Foreign Direct Investment for five segments of broadcasting sector revised in 2012

    And what about news? So FDI can be upped in critical segments like telecom, but not so in news. Just why?

     

    • Overhaul of the Cinematograph Act, 1952 by Justice Mudgal Committee

    Some welcome steps here? Implemented? 

    • National Media Centre with ultra modern facilities inaugurated

    No point having just one in Central Delhi. The Central Telegraph Offices in various cities which had press rooms should’ve been upgraded too. News journalists exist in other parts of the country too, Mr Minsiter! 

    • National Museum of Indian Cinema being set up in Mumbai

    Better late than never… but would’ve been nicer to coincide with 100 years of cinema.

     

    What the ad doesn’t tell us is the several things the government hasn’t been able to achieve. Make Doordarshan an independent and top quality pubcaster like the BBC, for instance. Some attempts to improve DD News were nullified by interference in newsroom operations.

     

    Ever since Manish Tewari has taken charge as the Minister, he has waxed eloquent on the paradoxes of the industry qua (his favourite word) exigencies of the business. He has even tried to police the cable trade on ownership issues since the networks in his home state of Punjab are managed by his political rivals.

     

    The government has tried its best to keep the issue of self-regulation issues alive by scaring the news media on and off. Under the pretext of protecting the interests of consumers, the 10+2 ad cap was introduced which saw much resistance from news broadcasters.

     

    The government hasn’t been able to do much on Paid News. Newspapers still carry paid content with or without disclaimers in fine print.

     

    So how would you rate the last 10 years of the UPA-run I&B Ministry? I would give it a 6 on 10. Okay, let’s make it 6.5, because it could’ve even gotten worse.

     

  • The programme aims at real-time engagement with citizens through social media

    MIB launches ‘MyIndia Initiative’, digital volunteer programme

    By A Correspondent

     

    The I&B Ministry is set to host the first Twitter conference on Community Radio today. In a major initiative to reach out to the people in the Social Media Space, the I&B Minister, Manish Tewari launched the ‘MyIndia Initiative – A Digital Volunteer Programme’. The initiative aims at disseminating the development messages across the social media platforms by registering citizens as volunteers in an effort to contribute positively towards nation building.

     

    Speaking on the occasion, Mr Tewari said that this initiative is a programme rooted in the principles of participative governance, leading to real-time engagement through social media tools. The minister called upon the youth to be part of the Digital Volunteer Family that would enable the government to have personalized interaction with the citizens. Registration for the programme is now open at Ministry’s Blog inbministry.blospot.in.

     

    MIB has also planned a live Twitter conference on the eve of the Third Community Radio Sammelan, on Friday, February 8 at 4 pm. This will be the first ever such conference by any ministry of the government of India.

     

    The topic for the Twitter conference is “Community Radio: Road Travelled & way forward”, and it will use the hashtag #ComRadio. The Twitter conference will continue for 30 minutes from 4pm to 4.30pm. At the conference, people can interact with ministry officials including the Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The Twitter account for the Ministry is @MIB_India. Tweeple can ask questions by mentioning #ComRadio and @MIB_India during the stipulated time, for which they will get answers from the ministry.

     

  • The I&B Ministry has sought the recommendations of the TRAI regarding transmission of local channels or ground based channels operated by LCOs and MSOs

    MIB seeks TRAI recommendations on local channels

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Ministry of I&B has sought the recommendations of TRAI regarding issues relating to transmission of local channels or ground based channels operated at the level of cable TV operator/MSOs. In its reference to TRAI, the ministry has sought to know whether there was a need to put in place a comprehensive set of provisions for local channels to cover issues related to registration mechanism, including eligibility requirements, fee, terms and conditions to be provided for such channels, including the definition of local or ground based channels and their area of operation.

     

    The ministry has also sought views on the issue of transmission of local channels at LCO level in the DAS regime. TRAI in its recommendations dated July 25 2008 had recommended that LCOs shall be permitted to transmit their ground based channels. However, in the current DAS regime only digital addressable signals can be carried out on the cable network, which is generated at the MSO head-end. MIB has also requested the TRAI to state whether there was a case for putting a cap on the total number of ground based channels operated by a single MSO/cable operator.

     

    The TRAI has also been asked to examine whether there is a need to prescribe separate eligibility criteria for cable operators transmitting local news and current affairs channels at their level. Specific recommendations have been sought with regard to eligibility criteria, terms and conditions including foreign investment levels, net-worth criteria and requirement of security clearance etc. for such channels.

     

    The need for putting in place a regulatory framework for local channels being operated at the level of cable TV operators, which has been engaging the attention of the MIB for some time, has assumed greater significance in view of the digitization of cable TV being implemented in the entire country in a phased time-bound manner. At present, cable TV operators/MSOs are transmitting local news, videos and other locally developed content as separate televisions channels in addition to broadcaster-owned satellite channels. These local channels are currently not subject to a regulatory framework unlike private satellite TV channels permitted under the uplinking/downlinking guidelines of the ministry. As a result, local channels continue to mushroom all over the country without having registration /license.

     

    Since the area/jurisdiction within which the programme generated at the level of the cable operators can be transmitted has not been defined in the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995, it is possible for LCOs and MSOs operating at the local levels to broadcast local channels over a larger geographical area, ie at Regional/State/National level, by transmitting the same content over their entire network. Instances have been brought to the notice of the ministry that some cable operators are also venturing into transmission of local channels over a wider geographical area which includes inter-state and intra state transmission by sharing the same content with others on their network. In such a scenario, local channels are basically operating as State/Regional/National channels like permitted private satellite TV channels, without getting any permission. The intent of allowing cable operators to generate and transmit local programmes is to keep the local people informed of relevant local issues. According to the MIB, this intent is not fulfilled when LCOs and MSOs start networking of the content to cover a larger geographical area. Given the present state of technological advancement, the tendency to network content in a larger geographical area has gained strength.

     

  • Ms Soni said that she always had issues with the number of boxes put up by TAM, as it (such a small number) was not enough to gauge the mood of a diverse nation like India

    Government concerned about TAM data: Ambika Soni

    By Vijaya Rathore

     

    The government has been concerned about the discrepancies in TAM Media Research’s TV viewership data for a while now, and has even questioned their methodology and transparency, Union information & broadcasting minister Ambika Soni said on Wednesday.

     

    In an exclusive interview to ET, Ms Soni said that she always had issues with the number of boxes put up by TAM, as it (such a small number) was not enough to gauge the mood of a diverse nation like India.  “I have asked questions about the methodology of TAM. I knew that they were not being transparent. When it came to the number of boxes, rural areas were not covered. Very populated states such as UP and Bihar were not covered.

     

    So, I felt that 7,000 boxes could hardly be indicative. How can you put boxes as conveniently as you want to and not cover more than half of the country?” the minister asked.

     

    Following NDTV’s lawsuit against Nielsen and Kantar Media – the co-owners of TAM Media Research – the I&B ministry has decided to support Prasar Bharati, the state broadcaster and the Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP), the government’s media buying arm, to take legal action against TAM. Ms Soni said that the ministry is also open to support the broadcasters “provided they lodge a formal complaint with the government against TAM.”

     

    NDTV has filed a lawsuit against the companies in a New York court alleging TAM fudged TV viewership data to favour a few broadcasters for a bribe. Both NDTV and TAM have refused to comment on the issue.

     

    Concerned by the developments, broadcasters and advertisers are now asking TAM to stop publishing its data, and have been meeting the government on the issue.

     

    “Today everybody is talking about TAM… why didn’t we talk about it all this while? The issue was raised by the ministry and me several times in the past. I am glad that this issue is now coming out in the open, as this clearly shows that there is need for competition,” Ms Soni said.

     

    According to the minister, lack of transparency in TAM’s system does not only concern broadcasters, advertisers and media agencies, but also Prasar Bharati that operates Doordarshan and All India Radio.

     

    “Prasar Bharati is collecting facts and the figures and finally even they decide to put up a lawyer. We will have to allocate resources for which permissions have to be taken. If Prasar Bharati and DAVP feel that they have to take a legal action (against TAM), they will do so in consultation with the I&B ministry and the law ministry,” she said. In 2011-12, DAVP’s advertising spend was Rs 618 crore.

     

    Ms Soni said that there is a need to have an alternative to TAM, which is why Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) is underway: “We have had several meetings with the Indian Broadcasting Federation on BARC. I have had four meetings (from 2010-12).”

     

    Asked if she thought a tighter regulatory mechanism needs to be evolved to check such discrepancies in future, the minister said, “There have been  suggestions for setting up regulatory bodies for content, and to censor realty shows, but the government is against any strong regulatory mechanism and we are for self-regulation.”

     

    Source: The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2012, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

     

  • MxMIndia gets you reactions from industry stakeholders on the government's decision to postpone the digitization deadline for Phase I to October 31, 2012

    Can we achieve the October 31 deadline?

     

    By Shruti Pushkarna

     

    Under mounting pressure from various stakeholders, the government announced an extension of four months for the first phase of digitization of cable television. Digital Addressable System (DAS) will now be effective from November 1 in the four metros, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai.

     

    A press release issued by the I&B Ministry read: “The Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Amendment Act, 2011 has made it mandatory for switchover of the existing analogue Cable TV networks to Digital Addressable System (DAS) by December 2014, in a phased manner. In respect of four metros of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai, the digital switchover is mandated to be completed by 30th June 2012.”

     

    But towards the end in the press note, the ministry acknowledged that keeping ground realities in mind, the MIB is compelled to set a new deadline. The statement reads, “…keeping in view public interest and after intensive and extensive consultations, as well as written commitments from all the stakeholders, for fully implementing the regulations of TRAI, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has decided to modify the 30th June deadline for a complete switch over to 31st October 2012 for all four Metro Cities i.e Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. All the TRAI regulations for DAS will come into effect from 1st November, 2012.”

     

    The extension was announced notwithstanding the pending matters before the Delhi and Bombay High Courts and the TDSAT. The Bombay High Court will hear the petition on June 21 and the Delhi High Court will hear the matter on June 25, which is also the date when TDSAT will hear a similar matter filed by LCOs and IndusInd Media & Communications Ltd.

     

    Soon after the announcement of the new sunset date, MxMIndia spoke to various stakeholders to get their reactions on the new timeline and to find out if October 31 is an achievable deadline. While some welcomed the government’s decision for postponement to November 1, others felt that the extension issued by the ministry is not enough for the humongous task at hand.

     

    MSOs welcome the govt’s decision, though some still unsure of achieving the deadline

    Ashok Mansukhani

    Ashok Mansukhani, Director, IndusInd Media & Communications Ltd said: “I think it’s a sensible development and it will help in smooth transition to digitization. The new date is completely achievable, it was fully discussed in the taskforce. I don’t know about Tamil Nadu since the government there is supposed to install the set top boxes but for the other three metros, certainly it will happen. It’s a welcome step and it was fully discussed in the taskforce and it’s a natural result of the taskforce deliberation.”

     

    JS Kohli, CEO, Digicable said: “We are happy with the postponement. Although it’s not a six month extension but yes we can deliver on the new date. We are satisfied with the extension.”

     

    JS Kohli

    Ravi Gupta, Independent MSO, Delhi said: “The new sunset date is good although it is two months less than what we were expecting. They should have given a six months extension, I still don’t think we can achieve the task by November 1. A lot of digital headends are under installation and integration is what takes time. I don’t think anyone from the ministry has done a detailed study of this process. No senior official from the ministry or from the TRAI has visited a digital headend. A minimum of six months extension should have come.”

     

    LCOs happy with the extension but feel four months not enough

    MR Srinivasan, General Secretary, Chennai Metro Cable TV Operators Association said: “It is good in a way because we are not yet ready because in Chennai only 2 lakh boxes are available. But now atleast we have some breathing time. Moreover, the government of Tamil Nadu is planning to start some MSO operation in Chennai, so it’s some relief and we have some time to plan ahead and be ready before the sunset date. Actually we expected an extension upto December but atleast we have got a slight relief, something is better than nothing.”

     

    Sanjay McGee, Local Cable Operator, East Delhi said: “Although it’s a good decision, in the last meeting between LCOs and I&B Ministry, Rajiv Takru agreed that four months extension was not enough. At first the ministry refused any extension, but when we urged on atleast three months extension, Rajiv Takru stated that if there has to be an extension then take atleast six months. But they have taken a middle path and decided on four months. They shouldn’t have announced the extension at this point, they should have waited till June 29. Now the consumer will not take the deadline seriously and the pace will slow down. If we keep working at the same pace as of today, then we might be able to achieve the new deadline.”

     

    Swapan Chowdhury, General Secretary, Cable & Broadband Operators’ Welfare Association, Kolkata said: “I am not satisfied because four months will not cover up the whole situation. Government might have given an extension but they have not considered any facts and figures. I say that because 70 per cent in Kolkata still don’t have set top boxes (STBs), so four months are not enough for deployment of such a huge number of STBs. It will not even happen on November 1. Maybe another 20 or 30 per cent seeding will be done up till the new date but what about the remaining numbers. In the June 8 meeting with the I&B Minister it was categorically mentioned that none of the government appointed nodal officers have checked the actual seeding position or the status of ordered material. Unless and until the government studies the ground situation deeply it will again fall back. The actual facts are different from what’s being presented on paper. They should have given an extension upto atleast Jan 1.”

     

    Broadcasters disappointed with the postponement, suggest on strict penalties for those who don’t adhere to the timelines

    Sunil Lulla

    Sunil Lulla, Managing Director & CEO, Times Television Network said: “It’s a complete disappointment. What is the guarantee that the new date will be held, when there is a date set by law, why should the date be changed? A lot of time, money and effort has gone by broadcasters in promoting and communicating the date and making sure consumers went along. The industry and the consumer suffers because there are some parts of the entire constituent which may not have adhered to these deadlines, may not have implemented the seeding of the boxes. This was announced on the net through a press release, the government hasn’t really notified us. I think it would have made sense for them to invite all stakeholders and agree on a new date if there was to be one and to a process by which these date wont slip.”

     

    Rahul Sood

    Rahul Sood, Head- Network Distribution & Affiliate Sales, NDTV said: “Basically LCOs were pushing for a Jan 1 timeline and broadcasters were saying that if you have to give an extension, it should be only for three months. So I guess they have taken a middle path by extending it upto October 31. The TRAI guidelines which came out on April 30 were such that within six months there has to be implementation of the same. I think that’s the loophole that MSOs and LCOs were quoting and asking for a minimum six months extension. So keeping all that in mind, I think ministry has taken this step. But if as an industry we have this discussion again on October 20, then it’s a real shame. There should be no excuses now, timelines have been extended, now there has to be a joint willingness to from all stakeholders to make sure this happens. While they have issued this date change, I think with that strict penalties and penalization code should be put in place as well for those who don’t adhere to the new timelines.”

     

    An independent commentator says new sunset date ill-conceived

    Dinyar Contractor

    Dinyar Contractor, Editor and Executive Publisher, Satellite and Cable TV Magazine said: “This is not going to work, this date is ill-conceived. There is no way that set top boxes can be procured and deployed in that timeframe even if the order is released today. As I’ve mentioned earlier, delivery time on set top boxes alone is around four months so this extension makes no sense except postponing one more extension. Any date prior to end of December is not realistic and is not going to resolve the problems or the issue, which is obtaining and deploying set top boxes. So I feel that the extension is inappropriate.”

     

  • The I&B ministry has announced the fresh date for digitization in the four metros as November 1

    Digitization in 4 metros put off to November 1

    By A Correspondent

     

    Given the varied and protracted deliberations with stakeholders, the Government of India has announced that the sunset date will be October 31, 2012 for the four metros with a complete switchover from November 1 in Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi.

     

    Here goes a prepared statement issued:

    The Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Amendment Act, 2011 has made it mandatory for switchover of the existing analogue Cable TV networks to Digital Addressable System (DAS) by December 2014, in a phased manner. In respect of four metros of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai, the digital switchover is mandated to be completed by 30th June 2012.

     

    The Task Force, comprising of all stakeholders, constituted by the Ministry in April, 2011, has been monitoring the progress made by various stakeholders towards digitisation. The task force has also undertaken field visits and interacted with local stakeholders. Discussions have been regularly held with Broadcasters, Multi System Operators (MSOs), Local Cable Operators (LCOs), while the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has been in regular contact with the concerned State Governments on this issue.

     

    Regulations on Tariff & Interconnection were issued by TRAI only on 30th April 2012 instead of being issued in January, 2012, as expected.  The Quality of Service Regulations and the Consumer Complaint Redressal Regulations were issued on 14th May, 2012 by TRAI. As per these Regulations, every Broadcaster and MSO was required to publish its Reference Interconnect Offers (RIOs) within 30 days of issue of the Regulation.  Another 30 days are required for negotiations between Broadcasters and MSOs.  Thereafter, the MSOs and LCOs arrive at agreements which enable the consumers to have a clear indication of the terms and conditions for installing Set Top Boxes and the prices of channels on an a-la-carte as well as on a bouquet basis.

     

    The second order of TRAI of 14th May, 2012, has mandated that every MSO or its linked Cable Operator has to put in place a Consumer Complaint Redressal System consisting of a complaint centre with toll free consumer care number, web based complaint monitoring system as well as appoint or designate one or more nodal officers and publish consumer’s charter for DAS.

     

    Both these orders of TRAI have not yet been substantially implemented.  As a result of this, the installation of Set Top Boxes has not picked up necessary pace for the completion of the process of digitalisation by 30th June, 2012.

     

    The assessment of these ground realities, compels the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting to set a new deadline.  It is, however, imperative that the modified target deadline is set with strict benchmarks to ensure that no complacency sets-in in the system and the new target date is achieved collectively by all the stakeholders.

     

    Therefore, keeping in view public interest and after intensive and extensive consultations, as well as written commitments from all the stakeholders, for fully implementing the regulations of TRAI, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has decided to modify the 30th June deadline for a complete switch over to 31st October 2012 for all four Metro Cities i.e Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata.

     

    All the TRAI regulations for DAS will come into effect from 01st November, 2012.

     

    The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting will closely monitor the process of digitalisation over the next four months.  The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting will issue warning letters to those going slow on their written commitments.  Needless to add that both, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and TRAI, will take action under the provisions of the Cable Act, wherever and whenever necessary.

     

  • June 30 is the sunset date for digitization in the four metros and there are question marks on the readiness. Dinyar Contractor lists the reasons why he thinks delivering before the deadline for the four metros is such a challenge

    The Anchor: Dinyar Contractor on 10 reasons why the digitization deadline is a mighty challenge

    By Dinyar Contractor

     

    1. At the FICCI- I&B ministry meet that was held a week ago in Mumbai, barely 40 days before the analogue sunset date, the I&B officials said that they had reviewed digitization in Mumbai the previous day so their report was immediate and current and they confirmed that 33 per cent of the homes in Mumbai already have set-top boxes. I would like to turn that around factually and say that 67 per cent of the homes did not have digital boxes even 40 days before the sunset. So it is pretty much an impossible task that 67 per cent will get it within 40 days.

     

    2. Let’s look at Chennai. Arasu Cable has confirmed that they don’t have set-top boxes. In fact, a day after the FICCI meet, Arasu had asked its cable operators to log in to the Arasu site and send in their estimates of how many boxes will be required. Arasu will then put together these estimates and float a tender which means they would then start asking for people to give prices for boxes. So for the boxes coming in is way over the horizon for Chennai.

     

    3. Incidentally, there is a lead time just for a component of a set-top box in the world market today of four months. That means if you order your box today and the manufacturer orders the component, it will be four months before the manufacturer gets the component. What that means is that the box will not be manufactured and it will definitely not reach you before five months. Therefore, if at all there is a postponement, it doesn’t make sense to have any postponement which is earlier than Jan 1, even six months is really cutting it fine.

     

    4. There is a major national level MSO who candidly admitted to me that their HD boxes have landed but they don’t have the funds to clear them. The government had promised 74 per cent FDI as part of the digitization effort but the government has not implemented this and therefore, MSOs have not been able to tap foreign investors. So without enabling funds, the government has put this clause out which does not make any sense.

     

    5. We are talking of a sunset date 30 days from now. So for instance, I as a cable operator go to somebody’s home and I say please take the set-top box. And they say, sure I’ll take it but what is it going to cost me? And I say I don’t know what it is going to cost you because the government hasn’t declared the rate. Now as a customer I would not accept the box.

     

    6. On May 28, the TRAI put up all the analog pay channel tariffs. There is a Supreme Court judgment which says that broadcasters cannot charge more than 42 per cent of the analog pay channel rates for digital. So 42 per cent is the ceiling, however that 42 per cent is completely irrelevant since broadcasters are providing pay channels to DTH platforms at something between 10 to 15 per cent. So from May 28, the ball has started rolling where negotiations have been opened between broadcasters and MSOs to work out some figure for their pay channels that will be somewhere between 10 and 42 per cent. So there is a huge spread in the rates between 10 and 42 per cent, these negotiations are obviously not going to quick and easy. I don’t see these negotiations culminating in three weeks or a month.

     

    7. There was a Parliamentary Committee report which was released and tabled in the Lok Sabha a few days ago where the Committee says that this entire thing should be delayed by at least six months. I see this as the first stone thrown by the government to ripple the waters and start talking of a delay.

     

    8. The TRAI suddenly declared that every digital headend must deliver 500 channels. Incidentally, a major portion of the set-top boxes already deployed are incapable of doing 500 channels. This is again a fact that is not adequately ventilated. They can typically do 350 channels, less than 400 channels. It means that they have to take out may be 2 million of the boxes that have already been seeded and throw them away. Where is the money going to come from? We are not even realistic about what is going on.

     

    9. In Kolkata, don’t forget there is Mamata Banerjee who might rake up the issue against digitization depending on the political capital it might have.

     

    10. Here you have a sunset clause where the government has not enabled anything, they have only been talking of a sunset but they have not done anything to facilitate and to enable the sunset. The delay has nothing to do with the MSOs or the cable industry, it is simply completely chaotic unplanned deputation of the law or total lack of enabling a systematic process in which digitization could have been introduced.

     

    Dinyar Contractor is Editor and Executive Publisher, Satellite and Cable TV Magazine (www.scatmag.com)