Regulatory certainty is a must for any content producer: K Madhavan
In his first interview as IBF chief, Madhavan spoke to Naziya Alvi Rahman, Editor, exchange4media, about a stable regulatory system for the industry, BARC, ad cap controversy & his plans for IBF
If one were to scan through the last few decades, broadcasting industry faced back to back disruptions like never before in last four years. Starting from demonetization in 2016 to GST in 2017 followed by a long legal battle against the first tariff order.
And when the sector finally made peace with the first order called NTO 1 and decided to implement it, in comes NTO 2.0 followed by COVID 19. With so much to tackle while keeping the pace and the morale of the industry going, Star & Disney India’s managing director K Madhavan took charge as the new president of Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) on September 25, 2020.
In his first interview in his new role, Madhavan spoke to Naziya Alvi Rahman, Editor, exchnage4media, about the necessity for a stable regulatory system in the industry. He also spoke about the need for having a separate regulator for telecom and media industry, his belief in BARC’s efficiency, his views on ad cap controversy, the impact of the growth of OTTs on the television industry, deteriorating quality of content on TV and his other plans as IBF president. Below are edited excerpts.
Q: With Covid hitting the industry growth, what are some of the key steps that IBF can take to help put growth back on track?
Despite the many hurdles, the broadcasting sector rose to the occasion to engage and entertain millions of viewers while they were homebound. Notably, the sector performed the important role of keeping the audiences engaged while they remained indoors due to Covid-19, despite a sharp fall in revenue from advertisements and the challenges around the production of content.
The Indian Broadcasting Foundation also supported the cine-artists and workers during these testing times when production was put on hold. Importantly, the emotional and mental effect of this pandemic tends to be underappreciated as does the role that television content played in alleviating it.
On the other side, the industry faces a challenging regulatory environment that has handicapped us to create sustained value for all stakeholders involved. The regulatory framework is also constantly changing with the introduction of NTO 2.0 even before the issues with NTO 1.0 had been resolved.
Regulatory certainty is a must for any content producer or creator to feel comfortable with investing in the content ecosystem. Absent certainty, let alone basis, investment in content and therefore its quality/ quantity stand impacted with constant tweaking. The broadcast industry expects IBF to take up the issues facing the sector with both the policymakers and regulators and create a roadmap for the sector's growth and act as a bridge for the stakeholders. We will do our best to bring the industry back on a growth trajectory.
Q: IBF has always raised questions about TRAI regulating broadcasters. If not TRAI, what kind of body (structure/components) do you suggest should regulate broadcasters?
Both telecom and broadcasting sectors are fundamentally different industry sectors, requiring separate expertise and lens to create the required sector-specific distinct frameworks. Media and its guaranteed freedom are at the core of the broadcast sector, a factor not directly relevant in telecom.
Therefore, having a separate regulator for both who can work closely with the respective sectors to enable a conducive environment for all the stakeholders is the need of the hour. We need regulations to be stable and light-touch to grow the sector sustainably and attract investment for the creation and dissemination of quality content.
We have been in regular touch with the regulator before, during and even after the process of framing of regulations. However, unfortunately, the outcome of such engagements on some important issues for the broadcasting sector has not produced the desired result. As an industry body, we will continue to engage with both the regulator and the Ministry to address broadcasters' concerns and suggestions.
Q: Is IBF holding any kind of dialogue with the MIB to seek intervention on setting up a new regulatory body for broadcasters?
IBF acts as a bridge between the government and the broadcasting sector that it represents. We are continually working towards finding ways to strengthen our relationship with the regulator and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. I’m confident that our efforts will bring the desired results to help the sector regain its growth trajectory.
Q: It has been recommended time and again that BARC needs to upgrade its infrastructure for more accurate ratings. In these competitive times, ratings have become all the more important but so has cost-cutting. What is your take on this issue? How should one handle this?
BARC ratings play a crucial role, both for large and small broadcasters as well as for advertisers. We continue to support BARC in their endeavour to enhance their systems.
In a country with 200 million C&S households, increasing the sample size for the BARC TV panel would always be helpful.
Q: What are some of the other initiatives that as IBF president you would want to initiate during your term?
I am keen for IBF to proactively work and collaborate with MIB, TRAI and nodal authorities to tackle issues facing the Indian broadcasting sector with a view to unlock its real potential and create a framework that is focussed on growth.
Our pursuit is to also follow through on our long-standing request for granting infrastructure status to broadcasting. Lastly, we continue to work closely with the Ministry to implement the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s core principle of ‘Ease of Doing Business’ in the broadcasting sector by creating a conducive environment.
Q: Has there been any change in IBF stand on NTO 2.0's implementation?
While current issues are the subject matter of active judicial scrutiny, our attempt will always remain to engage with the regulator in a collaborative manner.
IBF as well as several other constituents of the broadcasting ecosystem have challenged the NTO framework. The hearing before the Hon’ble Bombay High Court has concluded recently and judgment is awaited.
Q: The ad cap issue is back into the limelight with a final verdict on it expected soon. As IBF chief, what is your take on the entire ad cap issue? Do you think a 12-minute cap on advertising will be a healthy practice?
This issue is also sub-judice currently. That said, there’s no denying the fact that advertising remains the mainstay of revenue for broadcasters who are already in distress from several extrinsic challenges including the current economic slowdown.
Academically speaking, it seems difficult to be able to draw a universal guideline across different genres on what the limit should be e.g. the natural breaks in a sports broadcast will differ from news and so and so forth.
Fundamentally speaking, any consumer subjected to excess advertising is likely to make an informed choice – therefore a natural tension already exists which acts as a check and balance.
Q: There is a lot of debate on the regulation on the ‘kind of content’ being shown on television sets. Do you think there should be any kind of regulation on the content?
The IBF is a firm believer in the freedom of speech and expression exercised responsibly with due regard to constitutional limitations. Yet again, assuming that the quality of content has deteriorated over time, it must be borne in mind that the more content creators are forced to depend on advertising revenues, the more the business model is naturally incentivised to seek out the lowest common denominator.
As a consequence, there is no incentive for creating educational, socially relevant content. That said, with the establishment of Broadcasting Content Complaints Council (BCCC) in 2011, the body has established itself as a credible institution vis-à-vis content shown on non-news and current affairs channels. This has been acknowledged by the executive, judiciary and the larger television viewing audience.
As the real stakeholders are involved in resolving complaints it provides a balanced safeguard against impinging on creative freedom. The BCCC guidelines encourage creativity in line with the evolving social milieu and standards. We are hoping to further strengthen the self-regulatory mechanism and to make it more robust, by encouraging the Ministry to give statutory recognition to the self-regulatory guidelines of BCCC as part of the ‘Programme Code’ in the Cable TV rules, in a similar manner as has been done in the case of ASCI’s Advertising Code.
Q: With OTT taking over a significant pie of viewers in the last few years, do you think broadcasters need to re-strategize their programming and content plans?
Globally, countries have seen a shift from television to OTT, but those markets had already a very high television penetration, and the economics encouraged customers to shift. It was a case of television “OR” OTT.
India, however, has been proving to be an “AND” market – where television still has plenty of room to grow, and many households are subscribing to both. I believe that in the end, the quality of the content will matter, regardless of the platform it is on.
Powerful and entertaining stories will continue to engage viewers. As television is still a mass medium, I would urge both the MIB and regulator (TRAI) to ease licensing and regulatory burden on the broadcasting sector so they compete with digital platforms and thus giving most optimum choice to the end consumers. This will be a win-win situation for all the stakeholders.
Q: The ongoing BARC rating racket has taken the industry by a storm. There are speculations of several brands pulling off from channels involved in the controversy. What is your view on the controversy as IBF President?
There are a lot of developing elements in this story, so commenting on this might not be right at this time. However – BARC continues to evolve and enhance their rating system, which we continue to support.
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WION to launch on UK’s DTT platform Freeview
The channel will be available from March 22, 2023
By exchange4media Staff | Mar 21, 2023 3:56 PM | 2 min read
WION, World Is One will launch on the UK’s leading platform – Freeview via IP and using the most innovative FAST SSAI on 22nd March 2023. The channel expanded its global footprint and increased its reach by 15 mn Freeview Connect households in the UK. Viewers in the UK can tune in to the channel on Channel #287 via Freeview, starting March 22, 2023.
Emphasising the global partnership and outreach, Madhu Soman, Chief Business Officer of WION, said, “WION has always been open to exploring new platforms. Taking into consideration the fact that Freeview replaced the old analogue TV service accessibility to a widespread audience in the UK, it is a great opportunity for the channel to present global stories from an Indian perspective. This global move also encourages us to further boost timely and fast-paced news reportage with gripping visuals and strong content, backed by research and investigation.”
Anindya Khare, Marketing Head of Zee Media Corporation Limited, further added, “The United Kingdom television viewing market is expected to flourish because of some major factors like emerging economies' rapid economic development, demand for smart televisions, the growing over-the-top platform market etc. We strongly believe that the UK market has a lot of potential for the channel to introduce new customised programme packaging to the audience, engage stakeholders through strategised communication and build on a high preference ratio.
Through a strategised approach, we also look forward to being consistent in launching interesting programmes on WION in markets like US, India, UK etc. This allows our glocalised viewers and readers to understand the impact of major global events from a uniquely Indian perspective.”
“We are thrilled to launch WION via Freeview Connect and expand Freeview news offering with the leading news channel from India and also being able to monetise it using the Synapse FAST SSAI”, said Tanya Kronfli, Managing Director of Global Distribution Services, specialising on delivery and digital Monetisation of TV content via Freeview Connect.
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Gauranga Das Prabhu to be part of enba jury panel
Prabhu is an author, spiritual leader, inspirational speaker and member of ISKCON’s Governing Body Commission
By exchange4media Staff | Mar 21, 2023 8:57 AM | 2 min read
Gauranga Das Prabhu, an author, spiritual leader & inspirational speaker, has joined the exchange4media News Broadcasting Awards (enba) jury panel. Das, a graduate from IIT Bombay, is a member of ISKCON’s Governing Body Commission. He is actively involved in enhancing leadership effectiveness and governance of temples and communities globally.
Owing to his expertise in presenting vedic knowledge in a contemporary and enticing way, he has been a part of TEDx events and corporates like Intel, Salesforce, Google etc. He is the director of ISKCON’s Govardhan Ecovillage (GEV), founded by Radhanath Swami Maharaj. The GEV has won several awards, including United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Award in 2017.
He has enabled GEV’s accreditation with multiple United Nation bodies like UNEP, UNCCD, ECOSOC and CBD. On behalf of ISKCON, he is UNEP’s Faith for Earth Counsellor.
enba was formulated by the exchange4media group in 2008 with the objective of recognizing the best in television news. The awards recognise and honour industry leaders who are responsible for shaping the future of television broadcasting in India. This year, enba is in its 15th edition. The jury will be led by Sunil Arora, a senior bureaucrat and former Election Commissioner of India.
In the last editions, the enba jury was led by Harivansh Narayan Singh – Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha, Dr Kiran Karnik – Former President – Nasscom, Dr Nasim Zaidi - Former Chief Election Commissioner of India, SY Quraishi – Former Chief Election Commissioner of India, N Ram – Chairman, Kasturi & Sons Ltd., Former Editor–in-chief The Hindu and Group Newspapers, Sanjay Gupta – Managing Director – Star India.
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Longest-ever DD Free Dish auction gives Prasar Bharati Rs 1069 crore
The average price per slot stands at Rs 16.5 crore
By Sonam Saini | Mar 21, 2023 8:49 AM | 3 min read
Public broadcaster Prasar Bharati has mopped up Rs 1069.60 crore from the e-auction of 65 MPEG-2 slots on DD Free Dish. The broadcaster's total revenue has seen a 66 per cent jump compared to last year's auction.
On the last day of the auction on Monday, seven slots were sold, with the highest bid of Rs 18.7 crore coming from Bflix. Other channels that secured the slots on the last day were Enterr10 (Rs 17 crore), GNT (Rs 17.9 crore), India TV (Rs 18.65 crore), Bharat 24 (Rs 17.15 crore), ABZY Cool (Rs 16 crore) and Sun Marathi (Rs 18.5 crore).
This is the first time in the history of DD Free Dish auction that the process went on for eight days. The auction was conducted over the weekend as well.
The auction saw participation of broadcasters from different genres. However, the big four networks' Hindi general entertainment channels Star Utsav, Zee Anmol, Sony Pal and Colors Rishtey stayed out of the auction.
"The revenue could have gone up if these four channels had participated," said industry sources.
The average price per slot this year stands at Rs 16.5 crore.
In the Bucket A+ category, which comprises Hindi GECs, 11 slots were sold for Rs 189.65 crore.
Last year, there were six slots in this category which were sold for Rs 91.1 crore. The highest bid in this genre was made by The Q India for Rs 17.9 crore. Other channels that bagged the slots were Dangal, Shemaroo TV, Manoranjan Grand, Manoranjan TV, Big Magic, Shemaroo Umang, Nazara, Dangal 2, Ishara TV and Shemaroo Ashirwad. The base price for this category last year was Rs 15 crore.
Under the Bucket A (movie channels), 19 slots were sold for Rs 329.55 crore this year. The highest bid in this category was made by Zee Anmol Cinema for Rs 24.05 crore. In fact this was the highest price ever paid for a movie channel slot in the history of DD Free Dish auction. Last year, 16 slots were sold for a total of Rs 166.55 crore in this category.
Under Bucket B, which comprises (music Hindi channels, sports, and all channels of Bhojpuri languages), 12 channels were sold for Rs 206.85 crore. The highest bid in this category was by Zee Biskope for Rs 22.1 crore. The lowest bid in the music genre was made by 9XM for Rs 15.2 crore.
Sources said, “The best bid came from 9XM, a music channel. They strategically waited for their turn and took a slot at Rs 15.2 crore, which is well below the average price paid for the other six music channel slots.”
Under Bucket C (Hindi news channels), 12 channels secured slots for Rs 199.1 crore in this year's auction. News18 India paid the highest price for the first slot at Rs 19.85 crore. Other channels that secured slots were Aaj Tak, TV9 Bharatvarsh, R Bharat, Zee News, ABP News, NDTV India, News Nation, Times Now Navbharat, Bharat 24, India TV and GNT.
In the 2022 e-auction, the pubcaster earned Rs 120 crore from the sale of 14 slots in this category.
Under Bucket D (all other remaining genre of Hindi, devotional channels, all genre of marathi, Punjabi and Urdu channels and news english channels), 10 slots sold out for Rs 144.45 crore. At Rs 18.5 crore, the top bidder in this category was Sun Marathi. Under Bucket R1 only one channel, Popular TV, bagged the slot for Rs 3.05 crore.
Compared to 2023, in 2022, the pubcaster earned Rs 645 crore from the allotment of 59 MPEG-2 slots.
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FreeDish e-auction ends, Prasar Bharati earns Rs 1073 crore from 65 slots
On the last day on Monday, seven slots were auctioned. The highest bid came from Bflix
By exchange4media Staff | Mar 20, 2023 6:43 PM | 1 min read
Public broadcaster Prasar Bharati has mopped up Rs 1073 crore from the e-auction of 65 MPEG-2 slots on DD Free Dish.
On the last day of the auction on Monday, seven slots were sold, with the highest bid of Rs 18.7 crore coming from Bflix. Other channels that secured the slots on the last day were Enterr10 (Rs 17 crore), GNT (Rs 17.9 crore), India TV (Rs 18.65 crore), Bharat 24 (Rs 17.15 crore), ABZY Cool (Rs 16 crore) and Sun Marathi (Rs 18.5 crore).
This is the first time in the history of DD Free Dish auction that the process went on for eight days. In fact, the auction was conducted over the weekend as well.
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enba: Prasanth Kumar joins jury panel
Kumar is the CEO of GroupM-South Asia
By exchange4media Staff | Mar 20, 2023 8:19 AM | 1 min read
Prasanth Kumar, CEO - GroupM South Asia, has joined the exchange4media News Broadcasting Awards (ENBA) jury panel. Kumar, popularly known as PK, has over 25 years of industry experience.
Before joining GroupM, Kumar was associated with companies like Pepsi, The Hindu, The Media Edge & McCann Erickson.
Kumar is currently President of AAAI for the 2022-23 term.
The exchange4media Group formulated enba in 2008 with the sole objective of recognizing the best in television news. The awards recognise and acknowledge industry leaders who are responsible for shaping the future of television broadcasting in India. This year, ENBA is in its 15th edition. The grand jury this year will be led by Sunil Arora, a senior bureaucrat and former Election Commissioner of India.
In the previous editions, the enba jury was led by Harivansh Narayan Singh – Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha, Dr Kiran Karnik – Former President – Nasscom, Dr Nasim Zaidi - Former Chief Election Commissioner of India, SY Quraishi – Former Chief Election Commissioner of India, N Ram – Chairman, Kasturi & Sons Ltd., Former Editor–in-Chief The Hindu and Group Newspapers, Sanjay Gupta – Managing Director – Star India.
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Free Dish e-auction: 25 channels pick up slots in rounds 2 & 3
According to sources, the pubcaster has mopped up approximately Rs 409 crore in these two rounds; bidding for remaining rounds to continue on March 20
By Sonam Saini | Mar 20, 2023 8:01 AM | 2 min read
Prasar Bharati continued the e-auction for vacant MPEG-2 slots on DD Free Dish on the weekend with 25 channels picking up slots in rounds 2 and 3.
The starting receive prices for each round were Rs 16 crore and Rs 13 crore, respectively.
While the buckets eligible for bidding in round 2 were A+, A, B, C, D and R1, round 3 saw bidding for buckets A, B, C, D and R1.
According to industry sources, the pubcaster has mopped up approximately Rs 409 crore in these two rounds.
The channels that secured slots in round 2 were Sony Wah (Rs 20.25 crore), Star Gold Thrill (Rs 17.85 crore), Colors Cineplex Bollywood (Rs 17.5 crore), Shemaroo Ashirwad (Rs 17 crore), Dangal 2 (Rs 16.8 crore), Shemaroo Umang (Rs 16.65 crore), Nazara (Rs 16.6 crore), Manoranjan Prime (Rs 16.7 crore), Goldmine Bollywood (Rs 16.7 crore), Ishara (Rs 16.75 crore), Goldmines (Rs 16.9 crore) and B4U Music (Rs 17.05 crore).
The channels that picked up slots in round 3 were Showbox (Rs 17.05 crore), Dil Se (Rs 17.05 crore), Filmachi (Rs 16.7 crore), Goldmines (Rs 15 crore), Aastha Channel (Rs 15.05 crore), Times Navbharat (Rs 15.15 crore), another slot by Goldmines (Rs 15.35 crore), B4U Bhojpuri (Rs 15.05 crore), Bhojpuri Cinema (Rs 15.1 crore), News Nation (Rs 15.05 crore), Aaj Tak (Rs 15.1 crore), 9XM (Rs 15.2 crore) and Movie Plus (Rs 15.2 crore).
In round 1, 33 channels bought slots for over Rs 538 crore.
The pubcaster has so far earned around Rs 947 crore from the e-auction. The remaining rounds (i.e. rounds 4, 5, 6 and 7) will go up for bidding on March 20.
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Madan Bahal joins enba jury panel
Bahal is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Adfactors PR
By exchange4media Staff | Mar 18, 2023 8:30 AM | 1 min read
Madan Bahal, Co-Founder and Managing Director of public relations firm - Adfactors PR, has joined the exchange4media News Broadcasting Awards (ENBA) jury panel. Over the past 25 years, Bahal has served as a lead communication counsel in many of the milestone events of Corporate India, including fundraises, M&As, disputes, litigations, issues, and crises.
Bahal is known for providing leadership to the Indian PR industry during major events such as the global financial meltdown in 2008, and the two years of the Covid-19 pandemic. He is also a member of the governing council of The Yoga Institute, Mumbai – the world's oldest body of organised yoga teaching.
In September 2022, the Arthur W. Page Society inducted Bahal into its Hall of Fame. In October 2020, PRovoke recognised his firm Adfactors PR as one of the seven global agencies of the decade.
enba was formulated by the exchange4media Group in 2008 with the objective of recognizing the best in television news, and for rewarding industry leaders who have shaped the future of television broadcasting in India. This year, enba is in its 15th edition, and the jury will be led by Sunil Arora, a senior bureaucrat and former Election Commissioner of India.
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