Viacom18 has secured a broad dynamic injunction from the Delhi High Court for the Indian cricket team’s bilateral matches.

Recently, Viacom18 bagged the BCCI linear and digital rights. As a result, for the next five years i.e., from September 2023 till March 2028, all bilateral games involving the Indian cricket team that will be played in India along with domestic cricket, shall now be broadcasted/streamed by Viacom18 on its television and OTT properties.

Viacom18 Media Private Limited had approached the Delhi High Court seeking an ad-interim dynamic injunction to protect its Media Rights in relation to the BCCI Events against various rogue and pirate websites as well as John Does/Ashok Kumars/Unknown Defendants.

The court while expressing its concerns regarding the unending menace of piracy noted that the courts have become inundated with suits pertaining to such issues and suggested the importance of a robust anti-piracy policy to curb the issues. The court observed that a prima facie case for interim injunction was made out and further held that the grant of an injunction would be necessary to avoid irreparable loss/injury from being caused to Viacom18.

The court further ordered that Viacom18 shall not be bound to initiate any fresh proceedings in relation to any new alphanumeric/redirect/mirror websites that are expected to mushroom during the course of the BCCI events. Access to such websites shall be blocked by the Internet Service Providers (IPSs) upon being informed about the same by Viacom18 on an affidavit. This, dynamic injunction provides Viacom18 to swiftly act against pirates and rogue websites infringing and making available the BCCI matches without due permissions.

Anil Lale (General Counsel, Viacom18 Media Pvt. Ltd.) said: “We at Viacom18 are proud to be the exclusive digital and television broadcaster for Indian cricket. Viacom18 has always been at the forefront in the fight against piracy. I am sure this is a welcome step for all the cricket fans as also for bona fide broadcasters like us who spend huge sums to get these rights. While we are proud to say that we have won several battles against these pirate websites, we understand that the war against piracy is a continuing one and we are committed towards winning it.”

With Sony Sports Network launching its grand campaign for Asian Games 2023, which begins today (September 23), exchange4media caught up with Neville Bastawalla, Head Marketing & On-Air Promotions, Sony Sports Network, SPNI (Culver Max).

Sharing the inspiration and idea behind the campaign ‘Iss baar Sau Paar Phir Se, Hum Hongey Kamyab’ Bastawalla said that in order to ensure that this message resonated across every corner of India, Sony Sports Network garnered support from a line-up of influential and iconic figures.

Union Minister of Sports, Anurag Thakur, Chief of Defence Staff, Lt Gen Anil Chauhan along with Chiefs of tri-services Gen Manoj Pandey, Admiral Radhakrishnan Hari Kumar and Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari, Bollywood icons, sports icons and sports journalists have come onboard to back the athletes from India in the Asian Games to be held in Hangzhou, China.

Excerpts from the conversation:

Tell us about your campaign ‘Iss Baar Sau Paar, Phir se, Hum Hongey Kamyab’. What was the idea behind it and what are the expectations from it?

This goes back to Olympics Tokyo 2020 which took place in 2021 when we launched the campaign ‘Hum Hongey Kaamyab’. India has always taken these multi-sporting events like the ones that will fetch only 1-2 medals and athletes are not as popular as cricketers in this country. Most people don’t know the names of athletes. So that time we came up with the anthem of ‘Hum Hongey Kamyab’ which means ‘we shall overcome’. The idea was to make these athletes a household name in India and let the heroes of the nation support these athletes. This campaign was a huge success. When the athletes came back from Tokyo they said that for the first time, they felt that the nation was backing them. Many advertisers said that Sony Sports Network was making multi-sporting events, like the Olympics and Commonwealth Games, appointment viewing.

So, from this, we moved to the Asian Games to launch the campaign ‘Iss Baar Hum Firsey Hongey Kaamyab’. We also thought that since the last medal tally was 69, why not set an aspiration to get 100 medals or more? Even if we don’t get it, it will at least motivate them to break the record.

What was the budget for this campaign and how was it different from last year?

Budgets or no budgets, an idea should be that money can’t buy. Even if you had money, would you get access to a navy submarine or an Indian Navy warship? Will the Chief of the Indian Air Force do a sortie for you in the latest aircraft? The idea is so powerful and that is what we thrived on. It broke the challenges of a budget. The films we have made are so solid that organically even the armed forces have come on board.

The budget is not as significant as the World Cup but the whole power of the campaign is organic and that goes beyond money.

Apart from Bollywood icons, the campaign features iconic figures from the country, including the Minister of Sports Anurag Thakur, and a huge support of Indian Defence forces -Indian Army, Navy and Air Force. How did you think of getting so many iconic figures, especially from the defence this time?

While deciding whom to get on board the campaign, we asked ourselves who are the real heroes of the nation. The real heroes of our nation are the ones who are guarding us. So the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) came to our mind. Another hero who came to our mind was the ISRO chief. We couldn’t manage to convert that but we got the other heroes and icons of the nation. The objective is to reach out to the 140 crore people in our country through the heroes of our nation. When we reached out to the Indian Navy Chief, we didn’t want to show just him speaking but we wanted to showcase the whole rainbow of the Indian Navy. The film has the submarine commander and crew saluting. Similarly, we got onboard the Indian Army and Air Force. In my entire career, I have never done such a huge campaign.

We galvanized 15 pan-India journalists across radio, TV, digital and print and made a beautiful film with them. Defence forces, SPNI CEO NP Singh, Sudha Murthy, Hema Malini, Madhuri Dixit, Aamir Khan. Khan was so charged about it. No money is involved in this. Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur is also there.

How many sponsors have come on board this time? Is it better than last time?

This is the first time ever that the Indian cricket team, men and women, will be participating in Asian Games. The sponsor support this time is terrific. We have Hyundai, JSW, Limca Sportz, Paisabazaar, LIC of India, Amul, State Bank of India, Ultratech Cement, Panasonic etc. This kind of support has never been before for the Asian Games. It is a lot better than last time. Three times the scale this time.

How many films are you coming up with for the Asian Games?

There are 20-25 films this time. The buzz is we will cross 100 films.

What will be the marketing strategy and media mix?

We are not going out. We believe in the power of the films and digital shareability. We have a very robust plan for the films. All leading portals on social media will be used. The focus will be on video content viewing. Our team will be working 24x7 through the Asian Games wherein every time India wins a medal or critical moments, clips will be cut out and put out on digital. We will be creating such content for digital. There will be real-time content. Apart from this campaign, there will be live medal updates.

Paramount Global has reported a 2% drop in its total revenue in the second quarter of calendar year 2023 at $7.6 billion but has realised a gain of $168 million from dilution of its stake in Viacom18 from 49% to 13%.

The amount of $168 million mentioned in the financial statement “reflects a gain recognized on our retained interest in Viacom18 following the discontinuance of equity method accounting resulting from the dilution of our interest from 49% to 13%”, the company said.

In April 2023, Paramount’s stake in Viacom18 reduced to 13% from 49% after the latter received investment from Reliance Industries Ltd and Bodhi Tree Systems.

According to its financial report for the quarter ending June 30, 2023, Paramount Global recorded an adjusted OIBDA (operating income before depreciation and amortization) of $606 million.

Paramount+, SVOD service of Paramount Global, reported a revenue growth of 47% while its total DTC ad revenue increased by 21%, and global viewing hours on Paramount+ and Pluto TV, ad-supported streaming service, were up 35% year-over-year, the report said.

“Despite the environment, TV media continued to contribute significant earnings. As we look forward, we will continue to be guided by our content-first approach and seek to maximize its value across platforms and revenue streams, while also operating with the utmost efficiency through this year of peak streaming investment,” said Bob Bakish, President and CEO, Paramount Global, in the statement.

Paramount Global also reached an agreement to sell book publisher Simon & Schuster to private equity firm KKR for $1.62 billion. The company expects to use the proceeds from the sale to pay down the debt.

It said that this transaction will yield approximately $1.3 billion in net proceeds, resulting in a roughly 0.5x improvement in net leverage when the deal closes following regulatory review.

The company said that its affiliate and subscription revenue grew a strong 12% in Q2, “demonstrating once again that the combination of traditional and streaming yield a net growth for our business.”

It said that Paramount delivered strong D2C subscription revenue growth of 47%, largely driven by Paramount+ where it benefited from subscriber additions, improvements in ARPU and reductions in churn.

The company reported TV Media revenue of $ 5,157 million, which is 2% down from the corresponding quarter last year.

It also reported a drop in revenue from filmed entertainment at $831 million compared to $1,363 million last year.

“The year-over-year change in TV media advertising was similar to Q1. In the national domestic market, we are seeing strength in key categories, including pharma, retail, movies and travel. That said, we see linear advertising recovering more slowly than digital, and we expect the Q3 rate of change for TV media advertising will be relatively similar to Q2 with improvement in Q4,” said Naveen K. Chopra - Paramount Global - Executive VP & CFO.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Thursday issued an advisory to television channels, asking them to refrain from providing any platform to persons who are charged with serious crimes including terrorism or belonging to organizations proscribed by law.

“The advisory has been issued in light of a recent discussion on a television channel of a person in a foreign country against whom there are serious cases of crime including terrorism, belonging to an organization which has been proscribed by law in India. During the discussion the person had made several comments which are detrimental to the sovereignty/integrity of the country, security of India, friendly relations of India with a foreign state and also have the potential of disturbing public order in the country,” the MIB stated. 

The Ministry categorically stated that the Government upholds media freedom and respects its rights under theConstitution, but at the same time, the content telecast by TV channels must adhere to the provisions of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995 including sub section (2) of Section 20.

Media mogul Rupert Murdoch, at the age of 92, is set to step down from his role as chairman of the board at both Fox Corp and News Corp effective in November. He will assume the honorary position of chairman emeritus at each company. In this transition, his son, Lachlan Murdoch, will become the sole chairman of News Corp., while continuing his role as Fox Corp.'s executive chair and CEO.

Rupert Murdoch, in a message to employees, assured that both companies are in robust health, and he himself remains in good shape. He expressed optimism about the future, emphasizing the ongoing battle for freedom of speech and thought.

Murdoch's departure coincides with the upcoming US presidential elections, a year ahead of schedule. News Corp. owns prominent newspapers such as The Wall Street Journal and New York Post, while Fox Corp. encompasses right-leaning TV networks Fox News and Fox Business.

Rupert Murdoch's career spans nearly seven decades, starting in 1954 when he assumed control of News Limited, which owned Adelaide's No. 2 newspaper. He expanded his media empire, including the acquisition of British tabloids and ventures in the U.S. television industry. Notably, the launch of Fox News Channel in 1996 under his leadership became a top-rated cable network.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has issued a pre-consultation paper asking inputs for formulation of "National Broadcasting Policy". 

TRAI has shared that in line with the existing National Digital Communications Policy – 2018, the possible structure of ‘National Broadcasting Policy’ may be as follows- Preamble, Vision, Mission and Objectives. The authority said that against each objective, possible goals and the probable strategies for achieving those goals needs to be identified. 

According to TRAI, the policy is required to address the broadcasting sector in a comprehensive manner. It should deal with all the aspects related to content certation, content delivery/ distribution, assimilation, introduction of new technologies and role of different institutions for the growth of the sector. It has to appropriately look into aspects of capacity building, skilling, future institutional framework etc. An analysis of global best practices may also help in defining various aspects of the policy. 

TRAI also mentioned that at this stage, it is important to identify the broad issues for consideration/ comments. While a comprehensive list of issues will be worked out after receipt of comments and stakeholder interactions, following broad contours may require to be inter-alia included/ addressed in the proposed policy: 

Objectives

1. Ensuring affordable and universal reach of Broadcasting
2. Establishing India as a global Content Hub: a. Creation of global content in India b. Promoting Indian content globally c. Establishing/ enhancing institutional capacity for content creation or processing.
3. Developing state-of-the-art R&D infrastructure for broadcasting sector in India. Enabling Next Generation Technologies and Services through Investments, Innovation, Indigenous Manufacturing. Leveraging Artificial Intelligence, Big Data and cloud services technologies. Separate fund for R&D and establishment of Centre for Excellence for Broadcasting sector.
4. Capacity Building and Promoting Skill Development for broadcasting Sector in India. Training/ Re-skilling human resources for building New Age Skill. Promoting IndustryAcademia-Government partnerships to develop capacity and skills in line with future technological needs.

Broad Issues for Consideration

1. Public Service Broadcasting in India
   a) Requirement, Relevance and Review b) Support and Validation c) Content Priority d) Mandatory Sharing of television programmes e) Enhance global reach 

2. Policy and Regulation

Simplifying policy & regulatory framework and adopt coherent and modernized approach for different types of Broadcasting services: o Satellite Broadcasting o Terrestrial television Broadcasting o Radio Broadcasting o Print media o Digital Media • An intermediary • Publisher of online curated content

3.  Other Specific Issues for comments / suggestions: 

a) Promotion of Local Content: Enhancing and incentivizing demonstration of India’s rich and diverse cultural heritage through television programmes including festivals, music, dance, art, literature, food, education, sports and more for cultural preservation and expansion. 

b)Piracy and Content Security: Putting in place framework for systematic and legal redressal for piracy and copyright. To devise a multi-layer framework of security to address cyber attacks, hacking by vested interests and other security issues. To enable measures for location-free access and transmission of programmes for broadcasting sector using cloud storage.

c). Technology Innovation & Standardization: To promote conducive environment for experimentation and innovations in the space of broadcasting technology. Establishing a broadcasting Standard Development Organization as an autonomous body with effective participation of the government, industry, R&D centres, service providers, and academia to drive consensus regarding standards to meet national requirements including security needs and interoperability to avoid ewaste. 

d) Separate Regulatory Authority for Broadcasting: Currently Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) regulates the Television Broadcasting Sector. TRAI regulates both the Telecommunications and the Broadcasting sector. It is understood that stakeholders have made submissions for having a specific regulator for Broadcasting sector. Accordingly, it is to explore the need for a separate regulator for broadcasting services and if yes, the suggested statutory and organisational structure of such regulator.

e)Robust grievance redressal mechanism: Ensuring adherence to Program Code and Advertisement Code. Establishing effective institutional mechanisms to protect consumers’ interests including Ombudsman and centralized web-based complaint redressal system. 

f) Role of Broadcasting during Disaster: Framing and enforcing standard operating procedures to be followed during disasters and natural calamities, including sectoral guidelines for disaster response and recovery. Broadcasting to be used as rapid dissemination of early warning disaster notifications. viii. Audience Measurement System: Essential to ensure transparent and credible audience measurement system. Framing of guiding principles for viewership rating framework in India.

Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics (AVGC) segment: Develop, support and unleash the scope and reach of AVGC sector in India to become a torch bearer of “Create in India” and “Brand India”.

In a letter dated July 13, 2023, MIB has requested TRAI to give its considered inputs under Section 11 of the TRAI Act, 1997 for formulation of the National Broadcasting Policy. In its letter, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has mentioned that the broadcast policy needs to identify the vision of a functional, vibrant and resilient broadcasting sector which can project India's diverse culture and rich heritage and help India's transition to a digital and empowered economy. 

“In the light of the potentialities and intersection with national goals, a National Broadcasting Policy stipulating the vision, mission, strategies and the action points could set the tone for a planned development and growth of the Broadcasting sector in the country in the era of new and emerging technologies,” said MIB. 

TRAI said that with this background, a pre-consultation is being done with all the stakeholders to elicit the issues which are required to be considered for formulation of "National Broadcasting Policy". TRAI said that written comments on the pre-consultation paper are invited from the stakeholders by October 10, 2023.