Return of channels to DD Free Dish will bring fair play in market: Experts

Media experts believe move will lead to supply consolidation, compared to the current highly fragmented situation

e4m by Naziya Alvi Rahman
Published: Jun 5, 2020 9:14 AM  | 5 min read
Free Dish

With COVID-19 causing broadcaster revenues to hit an all-time low, the leading networks which collectively withdrew their channels from DD FreeDish last year in March are back on the platform after bidding for MPEG-2 slots on June 3, 2020. Last year, with the onset of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) new tariff regime, channels lik Zee Anmol, Sony Pal, Star Utsav, Colors Rishtey and a few more pulled out of the free dish.
Experts believe the coming back is likely to lead to supply consolidation, compared to the current highly fragmented situation. “The extent of impact on GRPs and reach of these new FTAs and other paid GECs will vary depending on how soon production resumes and original content is back. However, these FTA channels will cannibalise the paid GEC audiences and it will definitely impact some of the large existing FTA channels on DD Free Dish,” said a senior media planner who did not wish to be quoted.
However, most media experts believe it’s a win-win situation for viewers as well as broadcasters.
Hema Malik, Chief Operating Officer, Loderstar UM, believes the move will bring a fair play in the market and give viewers access to good content and more choices.  “There was an overall drop in FTA GRPs when the major broadcasters pulled their channels. With broadcasters coming back into the FTA space now, it becomes far more promising. The audience will have more options and quality content now,” said Malik. 
Malik also believes that with COVID-19, there is an economic pressure and monthly household income is expected to get impacted. “A lot of viewers may review their discretionary expenditure. With more channel options within FTA space, consumers will review the number of paid channels they subscribed to. It's good news, there is definitely a market and audience that was there. I don't think anyone will ever doubt the performance of the channels on the FTA platform..it's tried and tested. It is a comeback after an year which was missed and advertisers are not going to wait for trial to see how they perform now. It should revive immediately.”
Sujata Dwibedy, Group Trading Director, Amplifi India, called it a great move. “DD Free Dish has always helped the broadcasters get better numbers. Last year when they moved away from the platform, the channels witnessed a drop in numbers which they never got back. Hence, they had to come back now to get those numbers back.  It's a very good move by the networks. It's a proven fact that whatever is there on the DD Free Dish will garner better numbers,” she told e4m.
While the pulling out hit the viewership of big broadcasters, it came as a big boon for smaller networks that continued on FreeDish. The channel to gain maximum leverage out of the move was Dangal TV.
“Dangal did witness an exponential growth which is 100 per cent, but ultimately it will be the quality of content that is going to win. The unavailability of original content on FreeDish was the problem but with these channels going back, the best content will get the most eyeballs,” Diwibedy added.
Another expert also highlighted that given the impacted situation of payment collection for the cable industry post COVID, if cable operators decide to cut down the number of paid channels to reduce their financial burden, it could lead to a gain of audiences for these FTA channels.
From 80 channels in 2018, Free Dish grew to 104 in 2019, out of which 24 are operated by Prasar Bharti. As per the FICCI EY M&E report 2019, FreeDish ad revenue plummeted with the pulling out of popular GEC and film channels. It is estimated that approximately Rs 10 billion (Rs 1000 crore) of advertising was pulled out from FreeDish when leading broadcasters removed their catch-up television channels from it. 
“In 2017, these channels were enjoying a good amount of business as they were achieving some respectable GRPs which was driving their revenues. Post NTO, they lost almost half of the revenue because they were not getting appropriate GRPs and channel share was not as good as it was in 2017,” added a media planner who did not wish to be quoted.
He further explained that coming back will help them boost their revenues. “FMCG category operates on low CPRPs as compared to other categories and those clients like to take all the channels. At certain points if they are not adding any new channel, they will not get the particular reach. If they want to increase their incremental reach, they have to tap a new set of audience with new channels, and these channels were providing good reach with low CPRPs. And whatever rates channels were operating, they were almost sufficing the need of FMCG brands,” he added. He estimated that in the next 5-6 months these channels will start driving decent amounts of revenues.

With Inputs from Sonam Saini

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e4m-Samsung Ads CTV roundtable to be held in Gurugram today

At the exclusive roundtable, experts will share insights on the theme ‘How to Leverage the Power of Screen’

By e4m Staff | Sep 27, 2023 7:52 AM   |   2 min read

samsung

The exchange4media Group is excited to host the exclusive e4m-Samsung Ads CTV Roundtable in Gurugram today, September 27. In today's competitive marketplace, it is important for advertisers and marketers to understand how to maximize TV budgets and prepare for a larger addressable CTV universe. Marketers now have to consider how incremental reach can help capture viewers across OTT and CTV campaigns and level up their game to stand out from the rest.

At the roundtable, industry heads, digital marketing experts and top leaders from the advertising and marketing world will come together to share insights on the theme ‘How to Leverage the Power of Screen’. The experts will explore the evolving TV landscape, discuss the rise of ad-supported services, and explore how brands are leaning into the power of the screen to create deeper engagement with audiences.

The seasoned professionals will discuss the challenges that agencies and media owners are facing in their business, industry, and market at large. The roundtable will also include discussions on several key topics like what advertisers and marketers expect from CTV in the coming years, how to leverage the power of the screen to curate and tailor their strategies to resonate with the changing trends, measuring business impact in CTV, the challenges in investing more in CTV and more.

Our speakers include Anupam Tripathi, Media Head, Lenskart; Anusha Srinivasan, Digital Media Activations Manager, Reckitt Health, Reckitt India; Archana Aggarwal, VP – Media, Airtel; Bhawna Sikka, Category Head; Oral Health Care, Haleon; Kunal Dhrangadharia, Global Brand Lead, Royal Enfield; Monika Mishra, Director – Marketing, Mobikwik; Sahil Rawal, Vice President - Brand Product Platforms Marketing, Max Life Insurance; Samir Sethi, VP and Head of Brand Marketing, Policybazaar.com; Siya Wadhawan, Senior Brand Manager, boAt Lifestyle and Syed Sibtain Imam, Media Head, Honasa Consumer Ltd (Mamaearth). The discussion will be moderated by Prabhvir Sahmey, Senior Director, Samsung Ads while Abbhishek Chadha, Executive Vice President, North & East, Interactive Avenues will be the co-moderator.

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NDTV gets permission from MIB to launch 3 HD channels

The three high definition channels that received the nod are NDTV 24x7 HD, NDTV India HD and NDTV Profit HD

By e4m Staff | Sep 27, 2023 7:40 AM   |   1 min read

ndtv

New Delhi Television Ltd. (NDTV) has been granted permission from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to launch three high-definition (HD) channels.

According to the company's disclosure under Regulation 30 of the SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015, it said, "This is to inform you that in reference to the application filed by the Company before the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB), the Company has received a letter dated September 25, 2023 from MIB conveying its intention to grant permission to the Company to uplink and downlink three (3) news and current affairs channels in High Definition namely ‘NDTV 24x7 HD’, ‘NDTV India HD’ and ‘NDTV Profit HD.'

NDTV added that it will inform the stock exchanges of the launch of the said HD channels.

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ICC World Cup 2023: Disney Star onboards IndusInd & Emirates as sponsors on TV

According to sources, around 50-60 advertisers have signed up for the upcoming cricket tournament on TV

By Sonam Saini | Sep 26, 2023 1:22 PM   |   1 min read

Star

Disney Star, the official broadcaster of ICC Cricket World Cup for both TV and digital, has bagged two more sponsorships from IndusInd and Emirates for television.

Highly placed sources have confirmed the news to e4m. According to the sources, over 50 advertisers have signed up for the upcoming marquee tournament and the broadcaster is still in talks with other advertisers.

PhonePe, Mahindra Auto, Coke, MasterCard and Hindustan Unilever are the other big brands that have come on board as sponsors for the tournament.

As earlier reported by exchange4media, the broadcaster is seeking Rs 118-120 crore for co-presenting sponsorships and Rs 80-90 crore for the associate sponsorship. For co-presenting opportunities on Disney+ Hotstar, the broadcaster has set a price tag of Rs 150 crore. Brands eager to get high visibility as "Powered by" sponsors will need to invest Rs 75 crore, while those opting for associate sponsorship will have to allocate Rs 40 crore.

The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup kicks off on October 5 with a repeat of the 2019 final as England faces New Zealand in Ahmedabad. Across 10 world-class venues, 48 matches will be played in 46 days culminating in the Men’s Cricket World Cup Final on November 19.

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Zee Media to re-register for BARC data

In September 2022, the news broadcaster pulled out of the TV audience measurement system, citing landing page issues

By e4m Staff | Sep 26, 2023 8:39 AM   |   1 min read

Zee

News broadcaster Zee Media Corporation Limited (ZMCL) has decided to register back for BARC data, starting in the week of October 12, according to sources. 

Emphasizing the significance of this collaboration, Abhay Ojha, CEO of Zee Media Corporation Limited, said, "We, at ZMCL, have always valued the integrity and transparency of data. Our decision to rejoin forces with BARC reflects our firm belief in BARC's commitment towards robust data mechanisms and our anticipation of a productive partnership ahead. We remain committed to delivering trustworthy news and content to our viewers and advertisers."

e4m has reached out for an official confirmation but BARC CEO Nakul Chopra wasn’t available to comment on the development at the time of filing this story.

Earlier in September 2022, the news broadcaster pulled out of the TV audience measurement system, citing the landing page issue as a reason for taking such a drastic step.

ZMCL had then said that it had been consistently requesting BARC India to take corrective measures with regard to the landing page issue. The news broadcaster had said that the landing page data should not be included in the final viewership and the duration for counting viewership be increased to 2 minutes.  

ZMCL was the second TV news network after NDTV to pull out channels from BARC.

The media company owns and operates 14 TV news channels apart from 5 digital channels and 17 digital brands.

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Star Plus onboards 14 advertisers for Star Parivaar Awards 2023

Brands such as Dabur, ITC, Emami, Apple, Amazon, Berger Paints and Xiaomi have aligned themselves with the upcoming event

By e4m Staff | Sep 25, 2023 5:12 PM   |   1 min read

star plus

Star Parivaar Awards 2023 has onboarded advertisers like Dabur, ITC, Emami, Apple, Amazon, Berger Paints and Xiaomi.

The awards have attracted 14 advertisers spanning a wide array of categories, including FMCG, Banking, E-commerce, Technology, Mobile Handsets, Insurance, Paints, and Pharma.

“This presents an unparalleled opportunity for brands to connect with their target audience on linear TV and beyond. The event offers a diverse range of in-content integration opportunities, emphasizing its massive associative value," said an industry observer.

The award show is set to be telecast on 1st October, starting 7 PM, on Star Plus and Disney+ Hotstar.

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MIB makes registration mandatory for MSOs to provide own programming service

Applicants have been advised to refer to guidelines issued by MIB on November 30, 2022

By e4m Staff | Sep 25, 2023 2:53 PM   |   1 min read

MIB
The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has made it mandatory for Multi-System Operators (MSO), who intend to provide their own programming service, either directly to their own subscribers or through one or more Local Cable Operators, to take registration of platform services.

Applicants have been advised to refer to guidelines for platform services offered by Multi System Operators issued by MIB on November 30, 2022. They are required to apply for registration of their PS channel(s)

Following documents are required to be uploaded at the time of submission of online application:

a. Certificate of Channel Carrying Capacity (Statewise) (Sell'-Certification).
b. Details of PS Channels operated at State Level
c. Details of PS Channels operated at District Level.
d. Filled in MHA Security Clearance Pro-forma.
e. Challan copy of payment made on Bharat Kosh Portal for registration of PS Channels.

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BCCI media rights: Viacom18 gets dynamic injunction from Delhi HC

Viacom18 Media had approached the court seeking ad-interim dynamic injunction to protect its media rights against rogue and pirate websites as well as John Does

By e4m Staff | Sep 23, 2023 4:50 PM   |   2 min read

Viacom18

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.”

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