New subscription charges for cable TV

TRAI informed the Supreme Court it planned to cap the monthly subscription charges for cable TV services at Rs 250 across the country, except for pockets where the conditional access system is implemented. The charges would entail the subscriber to a basic package with over 20 pay channels. In an affidavit filed before the apex court, the broadcast regulator further said that the monthly bill for the basic package, which includes all Doordarshan channels and up to 20 pay  channels, had been set at Rs 200.

Another one would have a monthly charge of Rs 100 for a minimum of 30 free-to-air (FTA) channels, including the mandatory Doordarshan channels. The  authority is of the view that the retail price cap for pay cable service should be fixed at Rs 250 per connection per month with the actual monthly bill being left to the business model of the individual operator — subject to the ceiling,” said TRAI in the affidavit filed through its counsel, Sanjay Kapur.

Earlier, there were no limits on the number of FTA channels, but the monthly charge was fixed at Rs 83, while a maximum of Rs 260 was fixed for a basic package plus pay channels. In CAS areas, including South Delhi and parts of Chennai, Mumbai and Kolkata, pay channels have been charged at Rs 7 per month. As per industry estimates, there are 300 FTAs and 125 pay channels in the country at present.

Rates of pay Channels

Moreover, TRAI also said it was not in favour of allowing market forces to determine the rates of pay channels. “The principal risk of allowing forbearance (market  determined pricing) is that it could lead to an increase in price, especially for dominant/driver channels in the short run,” said TRAI, adding that it “was premature to  allow forbearance”. The regulator further said: “… A retail price ceiling — at a reasonable level — that balances the consumers’ interest with the growth potential of the industry is warranted in the case of cable TV services in non-CAS markets.”

TRAI’s affidavit has come after the Apex Court had directed it to formulate a comprehensive pricing mechanism after consulting various stakeholders. The regulator has also filed a draft copy of the proposed Broadcasting and Cable Services Tariff Order, 2010, which would be notified after the Apex Court gives its nod. Upholding the orders of sectoral tribunal TDSAT, the Supreme Court had on May 13, 2009, directed the regulator to study afresh and issue a comprehensive order on the pricing issue in non-CAS areas of the country. Later, on the request of the TRAI, the Apex Court had granted 6 months extra time in January and directed it to file its report by June 30, 2010.

No Cap on Carriage and placement fees

As far as the carriage fees charged by MSOs and area/ local cable operators from broadcasters for putting their channels on their network, TRAI said it is not feasible to place any cap on the amount of carriage and placement fee and it should be left to the players to decide among themselves. “The authority is of the view that all carriage and placement fee transactions should be part of the interconnection agreement between the broadcasters and MSOs/LCOs,” said TRAI,  adding that all such agreements between broadcasters and MSOs/LCOs should be filed before it.

TRAI further said, “Such filings of carriage and placement fees will enable the authority to monitor carriage and placement fees regularly and regulate the same  through intervention where considered necessary.” Providing some relief to the broadcasters, TRAI allowed them to raise the price of their channels and existing bouquets by nine per cent due to price inflation on the basis of the wholesale price index (WPI). “Keeping in mind all these factors and the interests of consumers, the authority is of the view that it would be appropriate to allow an increase of 9% over the existing price of the channels/ bouquets,” said TRAI in its 273-page affidavit filed before the court.

Ala carte channel price

TRAI has capped the a la carte pricing of channels for addressable systems at 35% the cost in non-Cas areas, a step that will bring down the content cost for DTH, digital cable and IPTV operators.

The earlier rate for DTH operators was fixed at 50% of pricing in non-Cas areas. The broadcast sector regulator said that the charges payable by a cable operator to a multi system operator (MSO) or to a HITS (Headend-In-The-Sky) service provider, as the case may be, shall be as determined by mutual agreement.

Addressable system

TRAI said that every service provider providing broadcasting services or cable services to its subscribers using an addressable system shall, from the date of coming into force of the order, offer all pay channels offered by it to its subscribers on a la carte basis and shall specify the maximum retail price for each pay channel. DTH players, who might be unable to offer all pay channels to subscribers on a la carte basis due to any technical reason, will have to do so by 1 January 2011.

To protect the subscribers, TRAI has also said that no service provider, who provides broadcasting services or cable services using an addressable system, can increase the charges for a subscription package for a minimum period of six months from the date of enrolment of the subscriber. However, it does not prevent any service provider from reducing the price of the subscription package within the period of six months. TRAI refrained from fixing the retail tariff for the pay channels. It said that as the market forces are operating effectively, the authority is of the view that there is no need for regulatory intervention in the matter of retail tariff fixation at present.

Also, the broadcaster will have to specify a minimum subscription period not exceeding three months for a subscriber. TRAI also said that every broadcaster shall  report to the authority, the a la carte rates for its pay channels fixed by it. They will have to publish such rates on their web site. Any changes will have to be reported 30 days prior to the change. Also, any broadcaster of a free to air channel intending to convert the channel into a pay channel or viceversa will have to inform TRAI, give public notice about the intended conversion and run a scroll at periodic intervals on the channel proposed to be converted.

Every broadcaster will have to publish full details about the channels provided by it, the nature of each channel, i.e., whether it is a free to air or pay channel, the a la carte rate of each pay channel and the bouquet rates for bouquets of channels, if any, for distribution through addressable platforms – at least once in three months, in at least two national newspapers. MSOs are still trying to figure out what they have to gain from the new tariff order. Though they have to pay 35% wherever they introduce addressable systems, the technicality of it is under question in non-Cas areas.

No cap on downlinking or uplinking

TRAI also said that no cap be placed on the number of satellite channels permitted to be downlinked for viewing or uplinked from India. The TRAI also recommended that the total networth requirement should be Rs 25 crore for the first channel, and enhanced by Rs 10 crore for each additional channel for uplinking of non-news channels.

For news channels, the total networth requirement should be Rs 100 crore for first channel, and enhanced by Rs 25 crore for each additional channel. In case of kids, scientific and educational channels, the networth requirement should be Rs five crore, while the authority recommended that for recognised universities who may come up with educational channels, there should not be any networth requirement.

Favouring a single-window clearance system for uplinking or downlinking of channels, the TRAI proposed that the applications should be processed quickly and the decision on the application should be finalised within three months from the date of submission of the application. The broadcast regulator said that the eligibility criteria for registration of a TV channel should be revised to include experience in media sector and the period of permission for uplinking or downlinking to be made uniform for 10 years.

It suggested that at the time of considering the renewal of permission of the existing permission holders, the eligibility criteria of networth of the company and experience of the top management will not apply. However, other terms and conditions like period of permission, annual permission fee, revocation of permission, renewal of permission and transfer of permission would be applicable. The TRAI further suggested that the channels, being uplinked from India but not downlinked in India, should not attract the programme code and the advertisement code of India.

Responsibility of content should be left to the broadcasters who have to take care of the rules and regulations of the target country for which content is being produced and uplinked. However, the uplinked content should not contain anything which is against the sovereignty, integrity and national security of India as well as its friendly countries. For the monitoring purpose, these channels should be required to preserve the recordings of the proceedings for at least six months.The recommendations on uplinking and downlinking had been sought by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry in view of the increasing number of TV channels.

TRAI upsets broadcasters with new tariff order

Broadcasters and cable TV operators have been upset over the sector regulator’s new tariff order for addressable systems while the loss-making DTH service providers have found something to cheer about at last.Broadcasters are engaged in meetings and are preparing to move the court in a couple of days as they feel the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s pricing system for addressable digital systems will shrink their pay-TV revenues. They are particularly distressed over TRAI’s fixation, for DTH, IPTV and addressable cable, of their individual channel rates at 35% of the corresponding price for analogue cable. “No other stakeholder has got any kind of relevant order except the DTH players. We are in discussions with other broadcasters to decide on what course of action we need to take,” says Star Den CEO Gurjeev Singh.

Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) is canvassing other broadcasters to move the court but no conclusive decision has been taken so far. IBF president and  Dish TV MD Jawahar Goel said “We will talk in court now.”Already drained by hefty carriage fees from cable TV operators, broadcasters feel their subscription incomes could take a hit through an a la carte pricing order and a 35% cost structure which would come into effect from 1 September. Earlier, regulation provided DTH operators to pay broadcasters at 50% of their channel rates for analogue cable.”What is this tariff order focusing on? It doesn’t help any MSO or broadcaster.

Nor does it help a customer. It is tilted heavily in favour of DTH operators,” said the head of a broadcasting company.Broadcasters said the new tariff order, if implemented, would force new contracts with DTH players. “We had signed long term contracts. Now those calculations will go for a toss. If DTH is facing intense competition at the retail level, so are we. There are 503 channels beaming into the country, out of which 147 are pay. It is already a highly litigant industry. We are not doing anything to change that,” said a senior executive of a leading channel who did not want his name to be revealed.DTH operators are not going overboard to welcome TRAI’s tariff order but see several positives emerging from it.Said Bharti Airtel director and CEO – Airtel Digital TV Ajai Puri: “It is a small step in the right direction. This will marginally bridge the gap between DTH and cable. We had expected the tariff to be brought down to 20% from the analogue price. HD content also should have been part of the review.”

For DTH operators, the content cost is set to fall marginally. “We were already operating at the 35% levels while the tariff order had then put a cap on 50%. The fixed rate deals with the broadcasters were by and large in that corridor. For those channels that didn’t fall under this system, the costs were at 50%. They will have to come down now,” said the head of a DTH operator who did not want his name to be revealed.Added Videocon Group director Saurabh Dhoot: “We had asked TRAI for a 15% cap. We are a bit disappointed as we hoped TRAI would go with a 20% ceiling.” Videocon operates its DTH service under the d2h brand. Broadcasters, however, do not agree that the content cost would not fall overall. “DTH players will now start benchmarking deals with a sight on 35%.

And while TRAI has fixed our channel pricing system, there is no cap on what the DTH operators can price a la carte channels to their subscribers,” said a TV  broadcast executive.The cable TV sector is not particularly enthused. Said Digicable MD and CEO Jagjit Singh Kohli, “We were expecting a la carte pricing of channels for analogue cable. And there is nothing for digitisation in non-Cas areas. Though there is a 35% cap on a la carte content for addressable cable networks, this is somewhat neutralised by a 9% inflation allowed for broadcasters.”Hathway Cable & Datacom MD & CEO K Jayaraman, however, believes there are several positive takeaways and the stage is being set for digitization in the country. “We now have a common tariff order for all addressable platforms. There is no price cap at the retail level for us. Besides, the regulator has provided for a la carte channels but given us a protection by stating that subscribers of a la carte channels will have to pay a minimum monthly subscription of Rs 150. That provides some support to our ARPUs when we talk of addressable systems.”

Commenting on the tie-up, Man Jit Singh, CEO, Sony Entertainment Network said : “We are delighted to welcome NEO Sports and NEO Cricket to TheOneAlliance family. Having NEO with its coverage of BCCI cricket complements the strength the bouquet draws from IPL and gives our bouquet the two largest cricket properties and a year round sports presence. TheOneAlliance has a significant presence in every genre and is the strongest distribution bouquet in India.”

Speaking on the partnership Harish Thawani, Chairman, NEO Sports Broadcast Pvt. Ltd. said, “ TheOneAlliance and NEO Sports Broadcast Pvt. Ltd. distribution deal is a strategically sound arrangement. The OneAlliance has proven track record of quality distribution and NEO Sports Broadcast Pvt. Ltd. has key properties on NEO Cricket and NEO Sports. This deal will provide an extremely robust platform for higher reach and empower the viewers to consume quality sports properties”.

N P Singh, COO, Sony Entertainment Network added, “TheOneAlliance has established itself as a very strong distribution bouquet by offering the best in class channels in every genre and the addition of NEO Sports and NEO Cricket further strengthens this positioning. We are extremely pleased to have these channels in TheOneAlliance family.” Rahul Johri, SVP & General Manager – India, Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific said, “Inclusion of NEO Sports to our portfolio reinforces the strength and potential of MSM Discovery. We are a strong brand with an extensive distribution network and provide a compelling platform to our partners, giving them a distinctive competitive advantage. This alliance only reaffirms our strong positioning and commitment to offer the best”.

Prasana Krishnan, COO, NEO Sports Broadcast Pvt. Ltd. added, “TheOneAlliance leadership and capabilities in the distribution markets is well acknowledged and we are glad to be part of this leading network. We expect the NEO Sports and NEO Cricket to enjoy even higher reach and gain further strength through this strategic partnership”.

Rajesh Kaul, President, TheOneAlliance is optimistic about an explosive growth for the company. He said: “With the addition of the NEO channels, TheOneAlliance has further consolidated its leadership position in the industry. It is now uniquely positioned as the only distribution platform with quality channels in every genre – be it GEC, Factual entertainment, News, Movies, Action and Sports. “

NEO Cricket became the No. 1 sports channel for the year 2008 and 2009 (as per TAM data) and over the next few months will showcase more India international and domestic cricket than ever before shown on any sports channel including India v Australia, India v New Zealand, Challenger Series; Irani Trophy; Ranji Trophy Premier Cup for Vijay Hazare Trophy and All Star Series for the Deodhar Trophy. NEO Sports will showcase top drawer football- Bundesliga, premium tennis -WTA Tour, Davis Cup, Fed Cup, the very best golf – US PGA Tour, the world’s No. 1 motorsport series – NASCAR & the most elite badminton -Thomas & Uber Cup, BWF Super Series.

Kaun Banega Crorepati 4

Season four of Kaun Banega Crorepati is going to be much snappier that the earlier editions with several changes set to be incorporated into the format. Even the way the show’s superstar-anchor Amitabh Bachchan conducts himself will be zara hat ke. Confirms a very reliable source from the KBC crew, “KBC has been tweaked quite a lot. It’s going to be faster. The number of questions has been reduced to 12 from 15. And now there is a timer for the first 7 – 30 seconds to answer or the clock stops you. There are some innovative options for phoning a friend for help. There will be three experts from various fields on call and you can talk to them as options for an answer. They will appear on TV live as opposed to a voice.”

Saregamapa 2010

Saregamapa 2010 is going to start on 14th August. The auditions have already started. Zee Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, is said to produce better singers than its rival Indian Idol. Unlike Indian Idol auditions, there is no pre-registration required through SMS or IVRS. Interested candidates can directly walk in to the venue to get the application forms. Note that the entry to the venue will be on a first come first serve basis limited to only 1000 per each venue. Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, formerly known as Sa Re Ga Ma is a musical contest shown on Zee TV. It was last hosted by Aditya Narayan and directed by Gajendra Singh. The contest is named for the first few notes of the standard octave in Indian classical music.The first episode aired on May 1, 1995 and was hosted by Sonu Nigam; the show was extremely popular at that time. From 1999 till 2001, the show was hosted by the brothersAmaan Ali Khan and Ayaan Ali Khan, sons of legendarysarod-player Amjad Ali Khan.After that, Shaan started hosting the show. Later, the name “Sa Re Ga Ma Pa” became known as the “brand name” of the series and completely changed the concept of the show to include public interaction through voting.

Vh1 Dance 101

Vh1 Dance 101 provides an opportunity for all dance music lovers to get together and celebrate dance music to its fullest. Never seen before rare and exclusive videos and remixes from the best in the world of Dance music all only on Vh1. Paul Oakenfold, John Digweed, Moby, Bob Sinclair are a some among the wide gamut of skilled Djs whose best work is showcased under this category.The series has already aired every Saturday at 11:00 pm.

India’s got talent Khoj 2

Get ready to be WOWed with some amazing, some unseen and some all time favourite entertaining acts on India’s biggest talent show, India’s Got Talent Khoj 2 premiering July 30th; Fridays and Saturdays at 9 pm on COLORS. After enthralling the nation with breathtaking acts and spellbinding entertainment in its first season, India’s Got Talent has returned in a grander avatar. Aptly titled ‘Khoj 2’, the search for ordinary people with astonishingly extraordinary talent has already started, presided over by the eminent jury comprising of Kirron Kher, Sonali Bendre and Sajid Khan. After multiple auditions from every nook and corner of the country, the jury has hand-picked the best-of-the-best acts for you to enjoy and choose the ultimate winner.

What you got to see in the last season could be merely the tip of the ice berg. With Khoj 2, be prepared to see performances ranging from bizarre to outstanding. From an African tribal dance to communicating through facial expressions; from beat boxing and stumping to acrobats; from sand art to traditional martial arts and folk dances, and much more… India’s Got Talent is bigger, better and more exciting this season.

Chhote Ustaad

Chhote Ustaad – Do Deshon Ki Ek Awaaz is a unique singing show for young children. The show started from 24th July, 2010. Kids between the age group of 8 to 14 from India and Pakistan are going to participate in this show. The show will consist of total 20 participants , 10 participants from each country. The contest of singing would be between 10 teams, each team comprising of one singer from India and one from Pakistan.. Every week one singer is going to win the title of Chhote Ustad.

The judges of this show are famous singers Sonu Nigam and Rahet Fatheh Ali Khan-. Both the singers are permanent judge of the show , the third judge will change every week. The show would be hosted by Omi Vaidya and Famous South Indian Singer Chinmayi.

The Match

Mahuaa Bangla has commissioned Endemol India Pvt Ltd to produce, what it calls, the biggest football reality show on Indian television, called ‘The Match’. It has already started from 20th July; the show will look for 11 talented football players in the 16-19 age group from across India and train them to play one single match under the guidance of famed Indian and international football legends like Romario and Branco from Brazil and Subhash Bhowmick from India. This challenger team will play against a well-known football club.

Airtel Super Singer Season 3

Star’s Tamil offering Vijay TV has started the third edition of Super Singer titled Airtel Super Singer Season 3. The reality show is air on Monday to Thursday at 9 pm. The ground level auditions took place at Chennai where a Vijay TV release claims that thousands of interested and aspiring young singers took part. Those interested could also send their voice recorded on a CD / cassette or could attend the ground audition that is set to take place in the coming weeks at Tiruchy and Coimbatore. An eight member jury comprising Suvi Suresh, Dr. Lavanya, J.K.V.Roshni, Krishna Iyer, Anitha, Sowmya, Ajeesh and Ravi judged the ground auditions. Vijay TV promises to make the musical reality show bigger than its predecessors. The initial episodes of Super Singer will feature the auditions phase of various zones. Unique themes like melody, folk, western, duet, one-on-one, unplugged, and many more would be the challenges thrown at the participants.

Roomies

After playing on the 777 formula, where Channel [v] launched seven new shows on seven consecutive days at 7 pm, the channel is now foraying into the fiction space by launching a new show called ‘Roomies’. ‘Roomies’ is the story about five college friends staying together in one house and their lives. The weekly show will a sitcom format, where the characters stay the same but the plot changes with each episode. Initially, the show is slated to run for 13 weeks and depending on the response, it can be extended up to 26 weeks. The show will be aired on Saturdays at 7 pm and will have multiple repeats over the weekdays and is expected to go on air in a month’s time. ‘Roomies’ will be supported by an extensive marketing campaign that has been conceptualized by Channel [v]’s creative agency JWT, along with an in-house team. Apart from the usual print, radio and television campaigns, the channel is undertaking an interesting BTL activity, wherein it is getting people to throw house parties, which would be sponsored by the channel. Channel [v] will sponsor around 100-150 such parties in various cities. Meanwhile, the channel is also trying to expand its audience base by including male contestants in one of its flagship shows, ‘Get Gorgeous’.

Mera Naam Karegi Roshan

Mera Naam Karegi Roshan has already started from 12^th July, 10:30 PM. Zee TV in its newest venture tries to sketch the life of a young woman and her crusade against injustice and inequality. What do you think of a man on his death-bed who asks his daughter to light his funeral pyre inspite of having 2 young sons? More importantly, what do you think of this daughter whose father chooses her over her 2 brothers to perform his final rites? ‘Reet’ is a woman who will defy all age old traditions and take a step which will have the entire society turn against her. Will she fight all the odds and give her father a reason to smile from the heavens above? Stayfree presents ‘Mera Naam karegi Roshan’, a poignant saga of a daughter entrusted with a responsibility no woman has ever been accorded before!

Pink Panther

Pogo, the kid’s entertainment channel from the Turner stable, is set to launch the new series – Pink Panther And Pals on 12 July. It has aired at 5.30 pm, the Monday to Thursday show is continue with the hilarious adventures of the quirky and funny Pink Panther, albeit as a teenager. The series will feature the Pink Panther as a rambunctious teenager who along with his friends gets into all sorts of mischievous capers and hilarious escapades. Pink Panther will also feature characters from the original series, including Ant and Aardvark, as well as new characters. Each show contains two episodes of a teenage Panther and his buddies, and one episode featuring the Ant and the Aardvark characters.

Wagle Ki Duniya on

Anjan Srivastav may not be that well known to the current lot of TV viewers who are so fond of Anandi, Akshara, and the Ragini of the world. However, back in 1988, Anjan Srivastav became a household name with ‘Wagle Ki Duniya’ – the beautiful tale of a middle class Indian man. The show was based on the characters created by the legendary writer/cartoonist R.K. Laxman had scripted this beautiful serial. 22 years later, Mr.Wagle (Anjan Srivastav) will be back on your screens once again, though in a new avatar. The show has been rechristened as ‘ Detective Wagle’. Bharti Achrekar, who played Radhika Wagle is not a part of the show. She’s been replaced by the seasoned actress Sulbha Arya. Though it’s called ‘Detective Wagle’, Srivastav will not be playing a professional detective in it. He’s there to merely solve societal issues and take up the cudgels on their behalf.

“SOAPS & SERIALS KA TADKA– Must watch of the month” will be a regular in our every issue. In this, we attempt to list down upcoming new shows that are worth your watch for the benefit of our readers. To facilitate this, all channels are requested to send in the details of new  programmes that are awaiting launches in the future so that we can showcase them through our feature.

Bollywood diva Bipasha Basu has been appointed as the brand ambassador for this new channel. The actor expressed happiness on being associated with the channel. She said it’s like returning the home because originally I belong to Kolkata.

According to Aradhna Tiwari (Director-Operations, Mahua Media Pvt. Ltd.), “After to the success of Mahua in Bhojpuri, the channel has stepped into Bangla entertainment space. The channel will achieve the same heights of success following its senior entity.”

Tapas Kumar (COO, Mahua Media Pvt. Ltd) told that ‘Jomiye din sharadin’ is the tag line Mahua Bangla. The channel will strengthen the culture and heritage of Bengal and will make a distinguished place in the hearts of Bengali people with its diverse programming. It is notable that in Bangla entertainment space players like Star, Zee and ETV are already there. Mahua will have to compete hard with these existing players. The launch in Kolkata, Tewari said, “With the language and cultural sync between Bhojpuri and Bengali, entering Bengal was the obvious next step to expand the horizon. Bengal has produced many great leaders and Mahuaa Bangla will work towards reviving the traditions, teachings and values to the viewers along with providing them wholesome family entertainment.”

Tapas Kumar added, “Mahuaa Bangla aims to adopt a comprehensive 360 degree approach with complete involvement of the viewers to create recall value and  touch the heart of Bengal through the revival of its rich heritage and glory.”

As part of its programming strategy, Mahuaa Bangla has commissioned Endemol India Pvt Ltd to produce, what it calls, the biggest football reality show on Indian television, called ‘The Match’. The show will look for 11 talented football players in the 16-19 age group from across India and train them to play one single match under the guidance of famed Indian and international football legends like Romario and Branco from Brazil and Subhash Bhowmick from India. This challenger team will play against a well-known football club.

Mahuaa Bangla also aims to revive the various facets of Bangla culture through a series of numerous profiles, besides reserving a lot of time for chat shows with youngsters revolving around the problems faced by the teens of today.

Zee TV was founded by Subhash Chandra and was launched in India in October 1992, becoming the first Hindi satellite channel. Zee formerly had a partnership  with STAR TV. However, STAR ended their partnership with ZEE TV when Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation acquired STAR TV. Zee TV was launched in the UK in 1995, which acquired TV Asia, the first Asian Channel to be launched in the UK and Europe. Zee TV was launched in the USA in 1998. In the USA, some programmes of Zee TV are subtitled in English, and some commercials are in English.

Zee TV’s scores

Zee TV has scores 265 GRPs, riding on a 37 GRP gain in 1^st week of July, while Colors weakened marginally with a dip in weekend movie ratings. Zee managed to surpass Colors (255 GRPs), which shed 14 GRPs during the week, while Star Plus (342 GRPs) still managed to enjoy the lead with a substantial gap even as it shed an additional 20 GRPs over the previous week. For Zee TV, the win was primarily led by its fiction properties and weekend event. The channel pocketed 21 GRPs from Gold Awards, which clocked a TVR of 3.2.

“I am happy that we are number two again and all credit goes to the programming. Without any gimick or huge marketing push, all our shows are getting good response,” says Zeel COO national channels and Zee TV business head Nitin Vaidya. As per Tam data, Pavitra Rishta at 9 pm continued to lead the charts with an average of 6.1 TVR (the only show averaging at over 6 TVR). The show’s average was 5.2 TVR. Additionally, Jhansi Ki Rani’s average too jumped from 3.7 TVR. Meanwhile, all other dailies- Chhoti Bahu, Yahan Main Ghar Ghar Kheli, Agle Janam…, Karol Bagh and Do Saheliyan added 0.2 TVR. “Our focus is only on doing our core programming properly. I am confident that the new show, Mera Naam Karegi Roshan, and upcoming properties, will further grow the channel,” Vaidya adds.

Prior to this, Zee TV had reached number two spot in week 5 (week ended 30 January) and week 17 (week ended 24 April) on the back of Hindi movie All The Best and Dance India Dance 2 finale. However, as the spikes ended, Zee TV retreated from its new position. Talking about Star Plus, the channel’s newly launched 10 pm show Tere Liye saw a drop in average ratings by 0.4 TVR while Bidaai’s average fell from 5.3 TVR to 4.4 TVR. The one- hour special of Sasural Genda Phool clocked 3.7 TVR on 10 July. Colors, on the other hand, did not see any major rise or fall in its weekday programming. The slump came from weekend movies that clocked just 17 GRPs as against 37 GRPs in the previous week. The New Talent Awards, aired on Colors, clocked a TVR of 1.8. “The challenge for Zee TV will be to maintain the second position. It shouldn’t let this opportunity lapse like it did on the earlier two occasions this year,” says a media analyst.

Help of viewers

After filmmakers Karan Johar and Sudhir Mishra, television channel Zee TV is taking the help of viewers to finalize a title for their new show and decide on a hoarding for the outdoor marketing campaign. “This is just the beginning of an endeavour on our part to involve our viewers in shaping the contours of the entertainment we bring them,” said Akash Chawla, head (marketing), Zee TV. “When people spend their creative energies towards naming a show and selecting  the promotional hoardings, there will be an instant sense of belonging that will be instilled in their minds,” Chawla said in a press statement.

The romantic show will feature Iqbal Khan of Kaisa Ye Pyaar Hai in the male lead and it will be a launch pad for Binny Sharma, one of the finalists on dance reality show Dance India Dance 2. The story will revolve around Rudra, a man with everything in life but love, and Gauri, a girl who has no place for love in her life. Together they complete each other. The channel has declared this basic plot of the show to the audience on radio and its official website and has called for suggestions for the title. Viewers, who wish to participate in the naming of the new show may either e-mail their suggestions to response@zeenetwork.com or SMS ZEETV “your suggestion” to 57575. Once the name is finalised, the viewers will select the hoarding for the show.

Q1 net up 64% to Rs 150 cr

Media major Zee Entertainment Enterprises (ZEE) said net profit jumped 64.36% to Rs 150.1 crore in the quarter ended June 30, 2010, on account of higher advertising revenue. This is against a net profit of Rs 91.32 crore for the same period last year, ZEE said in a filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange. ZEE posted an increase of 42.24% in revenue to Rs 676.99 crore in Q1, FY2010-11, from Rs 475.93 crore in the corresponding period of the previous year. The numbers include the financials of Taj TV and ETC Networks. They also include the results of the regional general entertainment channels that it acquired from Zee News. The company’s advertising revenue grew 90.39% to Rs 376.91 crore in the June quarter, while subscription revenue increased 8.48% to Rs 261.42 crore, it said. “The Indian economy continues to grow at a healthy pace and we look forward to robust growth in all sectors. The revival in advertising spends in the country is a clear sign of buoyancy,” ZEE Chairman Subhash Chandra said.

Geodesic & Zee Form JV

The Zee Group and Geodesic Ltd, a digital solutions company, have formed a new company called ITM Digital Private Ltd to offer applications for delivery of content to mobile and Internet devices. The joint venture, which has been inked between Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) and Geodesic, will be headquartered in Mumbai. So what should be expect from this partnership ?

• On Demand content: IITM Digital will launch Internet TV on the mobile, desktop and the web, streaming 20 live platforms and several on-demand video channels. The application will allow consumers to discover, and schedule content.
• ZEEL has rights to over 3000 movie titles, and over 80,000 hours of TV content. Remember that Zee has tried to do both technology and content by itself in the past, and the initiative just didn’t take off: DMCL launched a mobile content service with BSNL called ISEE, which just didn’t off. Last we checked, around a year ago, DMCL was restructuring and looking to raise funds. Zee also has an Internet focused partnership with Mail.com for an Internet focused venture, with Arvindra Kanwal at the helm. Geodesic already has the tools for streaming and discovery of content – they’ve been piloting Mundu.tv for a while now (there’s a free download here). They also have an IMDB-like service called FilmOrbit, which has been in alpha for 10 months now. FilmOrbit has extensive tagging and categorization of content, and is likely to be used to enable discovery of content. The partnership is  clearly about Zee’s content (the biggest recurring cost for a platform service provider) and Geodesic’s technology. ITM will also look to also partner with  other properties within the Zee group, which should be a cinch. To be honest, we’re quite surprised by this deal for two reasons:

1. Content deals are often on a revenue share basis: whether online or mobile streaming, content owners have realized that minimum guarantees usually lead to unsustainable business – example: Tinselvision, JumpTV. So Geodesic could have looked to strike similar deals with companies.

2. Platforms with vested media interests (Geodesic-Zee) might find it difficult to partner with other media companies.

“Zee has applied to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry for a host of channels including a cricket and a golf channel. We believe there is a market for specialised sports offerings. We also realise that cricket drives sports revenues,” a source familiar with the development said. Ten Sports will continue to be a multi-products channel, filled with properties such as WWE, tennis and motor racing among others. “The channel will also show cricket content. There will be several live events where there will be a need to simulcast. WWE is also a very strong daily content. Ten will continue to be a flagship brand,” the source said.

Earlier this year, Zeel hiked its stake to 95% in Taj TV Limited Mauritius and 100% in Taj Television (India). For the increase in stake, Zee paid the Bukhatir Group a total consideration of $44.145 million.The acquisition gave Zeel access to telecast rights for over 100 days of international cricket from the Pakistan Cricket Board, Sri Lanka Cricket Board, West Indies Cricket Board, South Africa Cricket Board and Zimbabwe Cricket Board. Ten also holds rights to the UEFA  Champions League Soccer.

”By launching a cricket channel, Zee will have the freedom to price its channel to the pay-TV subscribers. The existing channels are under a price restriction by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai). The subscription revenues can grow with the launch of the new channels,” the source said. As part of the growth strategy, Zee Sports will be positioned primarily as a soccer-driven channel.

With the introduction of these norms, and its adherence by all members of the IBF, the vast majority of all channels licensed by the Government will comply. This will include general entertainment, children and special interest channels. The News Broadcasters Association has already implemented a similar code relating to news channels and also have an appellate authority.

The announcement was made at a joint meeting addressed by IBF President Jawahar Goel, Zeel Managing Director Punit Goenka, Star India CEO Uday Shankar, Times Television Network managing director Sunil Lulla, Star CJ CEO Paritosh Joshi, and Network18 Group CEO Haresh Chawla.

Goenka said the redressal mechanism will be a three tier process: to first complain at the Broadcaster/Channel level; a seven-member Broadcasting Content Complaints Council (BCCC) at the industry (IBF) level; and finally a Content Appellate Board (CAB) of three distinguished members chaired by a jurist including a retired judge of the Supreme Court or High Courts.

Asked about the government’s view that self-regulation was not enough and its proposal to bring forward a Broadcast Regulatory Authority of India, Goel said this Authority would deal with other subjects like licensing and related issues. But he did not answer a question as to whether the IBF had held consultations with the Government before making this announcement. Noting that the Government had not notified the Content Code placed on the website of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, he said this Code had been studied while finalizing the IBF’s Self Regulatory Guidelines.

A delegation of IBF members will shortly meet Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni to inform her of the introduction of Self Regulatory Guidelines and Compliance Redressal Mechanism and seek her Ministry’s support. Sunil Lulla said that the Appellate body headed by a retired judge set up by the NBA had received just 19 complaints. Shankar added that the avenue of going to Courts was still open but would take more time. Referring to punitive measures, Goel said the licensing body could be sent a complaint in case a channel continued violations of the Code.

However, the IBF noted with great concern that the proliferation of unregulated content provided by local cable operators masquerading as channels showing  movies and other programmes will not be regulated by these Guidelines. In most cases, the movies shown are pirated and uncensored. These operators also put their scrolls on their channel and run their own advertisements. Since the content of such channels cannot be monitored by the IBF, the Government must immediately institute a licensing system for continued operation of these channels to avoid any viewer complaints to the IBF in this regard.

The Guidelines will usher in an efficient, transparent and independent self regulatory mechanism that will provide the channels with certain guiding principles for content programming, usher in a redressal mechanism for bona fide complaints from viewers, while at the same time enabling programming creativity to flourish without ad hoc intervention from various statutory authorities, and pressure groups, Goel said.

The Guidelines aim at encouraging creativity keeping in mind the evolving social milieu in which the channels operate and generally applicable community standards. Content will be classified under certain parameters considering the impact of television on young children. The IBF’s Board took the decision to implement the Self Regulatory Guidelines in view of the pendency of disposal of the public interest litigation in the Supreme Court and the Delhi High Court and the ad hoc arbitrary notices being issued to channels under the Programming Code.

The IBF recommended that the Self-regulatory Content Guidelines be notified immediately for all Non-News channels under the Cable Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995, replacing the present Programme Code which had been drawn up for Prasar Bharati and then extended to other channels.The notification of Self-regulatory Content Code should be delinked from the Broadcast Bill, in the interest of all the stakeholders of the Broadcasting Sector especially the viewer. 3-tier redressal mechanism includes complaint at channel level, a 7-member content complaints council & finally a content appellate board.

“As we get the biggest chunk of financial allocation for the social sector initiatives, we would like to disseminate information about the flagship programmes for ensuring better implementation and accountability,” said a rural development official. According to sources in the I&B ministry, the government may transform one of the existing Doordarshan channels for this purpose.

Doordarshan currently operates 17 channels including DD National, DD News, DD India, DD Sports and DD Bharti and has been actively looking at reshaping the programming of several of the key channels. However, a dedicated channel for this purpose is likely as the rural development gets a budgetary allocation of more than Rs 80,000 crore for running mega programme including Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MHNREGA), Swarnjayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana, Indira Awaas Yojana.

“A portion of this budget could be used for developing the communication strategy for the social section initiatives,” the official said. The rural development ministry is expected to allocate financial resources after discussing with the information and broadcasting ministry.

According to estimates, there will be requirement of Rs 25- 30 crore initially for the proposed launch of such a channel. On the commercial viability of the tv channel, the rural development ministry official said that with more than 65% of country’s population living in the rural areas, the programme would focus on rural issues which would naturally attracts advertisers such as consumer goods and FMCG companies.

This is significant because recently Doordarshan celebrated the success of its flagship agriculturebased show ‘Krishi Darshan’. According to Doordarshan officials, ‘Krishi Darshan’ manages to rake in Rs 100 crore every year in revenues. The proposed channel may model a number of its own television content on Krishi Darshan, sources said. “We need to develop enough creating programmes for the rural masses,” Ambika Soni, information and broadcasting minister said.

The ISRO has made the country proud,” Ahluwalia said, congratulating the scientists after the perfect take off. The PSLV launch assumes significance as it comes about three months after ISRO suffered a major setback on April 15 when the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-D3), which was launched using an Indian-designed and built cryogenic engine for the first time, failed and fell into the Bay of Bengal. Cartosat-2B is an advanced remote sensing satellite built by ISRO. This is the latest in the Indian remote sensing satellite series and the 17th in this series.

Cartosat-2B is mainly intended to augment remote sensing data services to the users of multiple spot scene imagery with 0.8 metre spatial resolution and 9.6 km  swath in the panchromatic. Cartosat-2 and 2A, two Indian remote sensing satellites in orbit, are currently providing such services.

Cartosat-2B carries a panchromatic camera similar to that of its predecessors – Cartosat-2 and 2A and was capable of imaging a swath (geographical strip of land) of 9.6 km with a resolution of 0.8 metre. The multiple spot scene imagery sent by Cartosat-2B camera would also be useful for village/ cadastral level resource assessment and mapping, detailed urban and infrastructure planning and development, transportation system planning, preparation of largescale cartographic maps, preparation of micro watershed development plans and monitoring of evelopment works of village.

An unmanned test crew module will be put into orbit by ISRO in 2013 as a prelude to the country’s maiden manned mission to send two Indians into space. ISRO also said that a third launch pad, at a cost of Rs 1,000 crore, is proposed to be built at Sriharikota, where the rocket that will take the Indian astronauts into space will be assembled and blast off. Dr K Radhakrishnan said the space agency plans to launch the first test unmanned mission with an unmanned capsule on PSLV, which will be put into orbit and recovered soon after the mission. ISRO has prepared a road map with an initial plan to put two humans in orbit around Earth, keep them there for seven days and bring them back safely, Dr Radhakrishnan said. He said all new elements for the unmanned launch have been designed.

However, this phenomenal growth in the mobile connections will not salvage the fall in revenues. “Expect a dramatic decline in growth of voice revenue from 2010 until the end 2014. While the mobile connections are growing at a CAGR of 11%, voice revenues are experiencing a meager growth of 3%,” she added.  “Increased data adoption will bring some relief to the declining revenues, however, this would not offset the fall,” she explained.

Also the launch of 3G and mobile broadband services later this year, the mobile value added services (VAS) industry is expected to ring in a turnover of Rs 100,000 crore by 2020. According to industry experts, the VAS industry is expected to touch Rs 100,000 crores by 2020 from Rs 15,000 crore now. The mobile marketing companies attending a conference on VAS agreed that the sector will log a higher growth post the launch of 3G and BWA services. Over 2.5 lakh villages would be connected to wireless broadband and 3G by 2012, enabling them to access the whole range of value added services, Telecom Secretary P J Thomas said at the conference. OnMobile Chairman and CEO Arvind Rao said VAS would be a larger industry than advertising or media. “India has a real chance to be the world’s largest VAS innovator due to its 1.2 billion population and its diversity but government has to promote this by providing support like tax benefit,” Rao said.

The telecom sector is likely to experience consolidation over the next 18 months, as the launch of 3G services enables service providers to distinguish themselves on services offered rather just on prices. “The increase in competition in the Indian mobile market has led to price wars, which have, in turn, led to a decline in  voice average revenue per user (ARPU), and we expect this trend to continue as service providers increasingly shift their focus to rural areas,” media person said. Further, the mobile services revenue is expected to exceed $23 billion and India is expected to remain the world’s second largest wireless market after China in terms of mobile connections, Gartner media research said.

Trai mulls new rules-Telecom ministry says not duty bound

The telecom ministry is not duty-bound to follow the industry regulator’s advice on policy issues, the solicitor general has said, fuelling concerns that roles of regulators are increasingly getting diluted under this government. Solicitor general Gopal Subramanium has said the ministry can change the terms and conditions of existing licences and the TRAI recommendations are not binding on the government. The opinion comes after the department of telecommunications sought a legal view following the regulator’s letter that it must be consulted on uniform licence fee.

“Unless the legislature expressly confers on the authority the power to make recommendations for modifications of the terms and conditions of the existing licence,  no such power cannot be presumed or assumed,” Mr Subramanium said in a three-page communication to DoT. “Therefore, I am of the opinion that it is not mandatory for the government to seek recommendations of the authority before the modification of any terms and conditions to the existing licence.” Telecom minister A Raja and the regulator have been sparring over many issues in the past several months that has split the industry down the middle. The differences range from views on mergers & acquisitions, raising spectrum usage charges and the extension of licences of companies. Trai chairman JS Sarma had recommended linking the price of 2G wireless spectrum to 3G prices after bids surpassed expectations.

Mobile phone operators on the GSM technology platform oppose the Trai suggestion on linking 2G to 3G prices, while those operating the Code Division Multiple Access, or CDMA, technology have said it would bring the much-needed level playing field.The solicitor general’s opinion may lead to enormous power with the ministry which faces charges of corruption and accusations of manipulating license process.

The opinion is wrong as it would give draconian powers to bureaucrats and the telecom minister to interpret licensing conditions, while hurting consumer and the industry, said BK Syngal, senior principal at Dua Consulting, and former chairman of state-run Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd, now Tata Communications.

Trai is reviewing its two key recommendations — linking the price of 2G wireless spectrum to 3G and plans to take back spectrum in the 900 MHz band and substitute it with 1800 MHz band when licences are renewed — but since these relate to existing licences, DoT will have ultimate powers over these issues as per the legal opinion,” said Mr Syngal.

If the telecom ministry ignores the industry regulator, it may become the second instance in less than a month where the government assumes superregulator rule. The finance ministry recently brushed aside concerns of the Reserve Bank of India that its autonomy may be clipped with a planned bill that creates a panel under the minister with ultimate power to settle disputes between regulators on hybrid products.

But the ministry needs to consult the regulator regarding new technologies and fresh licences, which may be a long way off. “I opined that the central government must seek the recommendation of the authority…as and when a new licence is granted, whether in respect of the same provider, or a new service provider, or a new person, or when a fresh licence is granted with respect of another service,” Mr Subramanium’s reply said.

The government plans to cap the number of telecom companies. Besides, licences for new services like 3G and wireless broadband services have already been issued. Again, new technologies such as 4G are some distance away, thereby sidelining the role of the regulator. This may be a blow to Trai which sought more powers to enforce norms and keep erring operators in check. Its demand included spectrum management, the radio frequencies on which mobile services operate, for transparency

Pesky calls

There seems to be no end to the sufferings of cellphone subscribers. The initiative taken by the government two years back to bring in effective regulations to end unsolicited calls and text messages (SMS) to phone subscribers is yet to yield the desired results, leaving subscribers a frustrated lot. Tele-marketers who make pesky calls and send bulk text messages through telecom operators continue to flout norms as neither the operators nor the watchdog, Telecom Trai, have seriously initiated action against tele-marketers to check the menace which not only intrudes into subscribers’ privacy but also make them pay for these pesky calls and text messages. Operators are in fact paid hefty money by telemarketers to run their services.

The present regulations permit the tele-marketers to make calls to all subscribers who have not registered their number with the National Do-Not-Call (NDNC) Registry for not receiving unsolicited calls or text messages. But currently, subscribers who have registered for the NDNC Registry also get unsolicited calls. When asked, Trai chairman J. S. Sarma said an effective regulation to curb tele-marketers making pesky calls and text messages will soon be put in place.

“The attempt will be made to drastically reduce pesky calls and text messages. You cannot break it altogether but definitely by the end of August, customers will get relief from such unwanted calls reaching them. We cannot allow tele-marketers to continue flouting the norms,” Sarma told. “We are also trying to convince operators for the NDNC. They have not agreed on this (however, state-run operators MTNL and BSNL have no problem). There has been renewed interest from operators on this issue. We are meeting shortly with the industry and this would also be discussed,” Sarma said. If the NDNC is implemented effectively, tele- marketers will be able to make calls and send text messages to only those who opt for it.

Mobile users complain that they keep getting pesky calls and text messages while on roaming, both in India and abroad. “I was in Tokyo and received over 60 SMSes. This cost me over Rs 600. I also kept getting lot many calls from tele-marketers. I picked up the calls only to find that these were mostly from telemarketers. I get such calls despite having registered my number with NDNC,” said Ajay Prakash, a Delhi-based exporter.

When Prakash approached his service operator, the latter expressed its helplessness in the matter. “Why should I pay for any unsolicited bulk message or calls from tele-marketers which I get on my mobile while I am roaming or abroad? Instead the operator should pay for it,” Prakash argued. Although there are provisions to make the tele-marketer pay ‘500 to the service provider for every first unsolicited call and ‘1,000 for subsequent calls, neither the operator nor Trai seem to be doing anything to curb the menace.

Till March 2010, around 27,292 tele-marketers had been registered with the department of telecommunications (DoT), which shows that the intent and commitment on the part of the operators and also large tele-marketing companies to make these pesky calls and send the text messages. The stakes are so high that leading telecom operators like Vodafone, Reliance Communications and Tata Teleservices refused to reply to e-mailed queries sent to them.

Sanjay Kapoor, CEO (India and South Asia), Bharti Airtel, said, “As service providers, all responsible telecom companies are keen that the existing process of NDNC be successfully implemented. The business case for this is too small compared to the customer inconvenience that it brings forth. We take a very strict view on non-compliance – almost 11,000 defaulter users have been disconnected by us.” However, the spokesperson for Idea Cellular claimed it has no dealings with tele-marketers.

Industry expert Pawan Duggal disagrees that tele-marketers will give up making pesky calls to phone subscribers. “The IT Amendment Act 2008 has to be fine-tuned. It does not have provisions to deal with tele-callers. Tele-calling and self regulation cannot go together,” he said.