Snubbed by Prasar Bharati, Smriti Irani now lashes out at DD for poor content

Smiriti Irani, the Information and Broadcasting Minister, seems to have piqued by the recent obdurate behaviour of Prasar Bharati over the appointments of top editors. She thinks it is a disregard of her ministry’s directives over appointments to the Prasar Bharati Board and in respect of senior editorial positions.

TRAI conducted Seminar on Big Data Analysis and Cyber Security

One of the important objectives of TRAI is tocreate awareness and safeguard consumer interests. Towards this objective, TRAI organizes consumer outreach programmes, regional workshops on capacity building of Consumer Advocacy Groups (CAGs) registered with TRAI and seminars on issues of consumer interest and protection. In this series, TRAI organized a Seminar on the topic "Big Data Analysis and Cyber Security” on 23rd February, 2018 at Fern Citadel Hotel, Bengaluru (Karnataka) through its Regional Office, Bengaluru.

Airtel to establish digital innovation lab in Bengaluru

To keep ahead in the latest technologies like IoT, 5G, AI, the leading telecom operator Airtel will soon set up an innovation lab in Bengaluru. The telco is also looking to collaborate with tech start-ups to share learnings from the lab and co-create solutions.

DB Corp’s FM radio brand MY FM to increasead rates from 1 April

MY FM, the DB Corp’s FM radio brand, will charge 20 per cent more for ads from April 1. According to MY FM business head Rahul Namjoshi, “The decision to hike rates is taken to maintain the listening experience, inventory levels are peaking across all radio channels.”

MEASAT partners with Blue Ant Media for channel distribution in Asia Pacific

Now the viewers in the APAC regions will be able to enjoy hundreds of hours of originally produced programming, top series and in-demand telecasts by Blue Ant Media, as it has partnered with MEASAT Satellite Systems.

Facebook overtakes YouTube in terms of mobile video consumption: Study

Video content is the most consumed content on all screen platforms. Facebook with its innovative engaging techniques is giving a tough fight to the king of all videos, YouTube. This was revealed by Openwave Mobility’s latest edition of Mobile Video Index (MVI).

Cinedigm partners with Amagi Cloudport

To bring its CONtv channel to the popular social video service Twitch, the leading independent content distributor Cinedigm has partnered with Amagi to use its cloud-based channel playout platform, Cloudport.

ZEEL-Hathway matter reaches TDSAT

As per media sources, ZEEL has issued a demand notice of Rs 50 crore against MSO Hathway. The dues are for a period of 4-5 months. On 20 February, broadcaster ZEEL has moved the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) to recover its dues.

Dailyhunt appoints Umang Bedi as president

The former Facebook India MD Umang Bedi has been appointed as president at Dailyhunt.

India’s top 80 digital news networks on YouTube touch 65 million viewers: Report

YouTube is the king of all video consumption platforms. As per video intelligence platform Vidooly report, country’s top 80 digital news networks had a lifetime subscriber base of 65 million viewers (December 2017). The report said these channels collectively generated 18 billion views.

SonyLIV starts thematic channels

Having a strategic partnership with the leading global media group SPI International (Filmbox), Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) has launched seven thematic channels from SPI’s worldwide TV portfolio on its video on demand (VoD) platform SonyLIV.

C&S Medianet partners with Discovery; places JEET on 3 DPOs

Incorporated in May 2016, C&S Medianet has started its operations. It has partnered with Hindi GEC Discovery Jeet and has prominently placed it on the three DOPs- Dish TV India, Videocon d2h and Siti Networks.

Network18 to invest INR 40-Cr in e-commerce & web services co. ‘Infibeam’

The e-commerce and web services company Infibeam has got a big investor; the leading media group Network18 has decided to invest Rs 40 crore through its subsidiary company TV18 Broadcast.

Star ropes in 11 IPL sponsors

The IPL has become a hot property with advertisers. Star India has bought global broadcasting and digital rights of IPL for a whopping Rs 16,437.5 crore for five years, Star India has managed to sign 11 sponsors, despite a steep hike in the advertising rates over last year.

Zee launches its digital entertainment platform ‘ZEE5’

The media group Zee has launched a new digital entertainment platform, ZEE5. It offers viewers both, on-demand and live content. It comes packed with 1,00,000 hours of on-demand content that includes originals, Indian and international movies and TV shows, plays, music, and health and lifestyle videos. All the 90 channels of ZEE Network will also be available on the app. Most importantly, viewers can watch content across genres in 12 languages.

MIB & Prasar Bharati not on the same page over director’s appointment

As per media sources, there is discontent in the relation of I&B Ministry and Prasar Bharati over the appointment of director. The MIB wants to appoint a serving IAS officer as Member (Personnel) of Prasar Bharati.

Whatsapp is customising UPI for its own benefit: Paytm Founder

As reported a few days back that the messaging giant Whatsapp has launched digital transaction services on its app, Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma is not happy with the move and said he will approach the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), which has developed the UPI system, and even higher authorities to highlight this issue.

AI security centre ‘C-DAC’ starts its first project

The newly launched Artificial Intelligence security centre the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) has started its first project. C-DAC is under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), and is currently working on a project to provide cyber forensic services to law-enforcing and other government and non-government agencies.

ATC files case against RCom to recover its dues

​The closed company Reliance communication may be in greater trouble as ATC too has   filed case against it to recover its dues. ACT said: “RCom’s responses to its demand to pay the dues were evasive/non-committal indicating mala-fide intent to avoid the payment.”

Siddharth Zarabi & Abhijit Majumder to get top edit jobs at Prasar Bharati

As the Prasar Bharati is overhauling the DD & AIR, it has also shortlisted two journalists for editorial leadership positions in Doordarshan News and Prasar Bharati News Service under All India Radio, as per media reports.

Vodafone to offer converged broadband solutions

The leading telco Vodafone will soon offer the converged broadband solutions in India. Its wholly-owned unit, YOU Broadband has over 3,000 km of optic fibre cable and 17,000 km of last-mile coaxial cables to homes across 18 key data consuming markets. The Telco is planning to leverage this with its telecom services.

Huawei, ZTE face troubles in US over potential security breach

The globally popular phone makers Huawei & ZTE are facing troubles in the US as the heads of CIA, FBI, NSA and the director of national intelligence expressed their concerns during a Senate Intelligence Committee over potential security breach.

Mallikarjun Das resigns from Starcom India

Mallikarjun Das (Malli), the Starcom India Group CEO, has resigned after serving the company for seven years.

ONE Broadband partners with Nokia to deploy GPON tech

The leading broadband company of the Hinduja Group, ONE Broadband has partnered with Nokia to deploy latter’s GPON technology to offer high speed broadband. It will leverage Nokia’s GPON technology along with its Broadband Network Gateway (BNG), Carrier Grade NAT (CGNAT) and Deep Packet Inspection (DPI), to provide 2 Gbps broadband connections to its customers.

Broadcaster bigwigs to address at APOS 2018 in Bali

Many industry bigwigs will address at this year’s APOS summit, hosted by Media Partners Asia in Bali, Indonesia from 24-26 April. The list of speakers from broadcasting sector includes Bob Bakish, President & CEO, Viacom,  Uday Shankar, President, 21st Century Fox Asia, JB Perrette, President & CEO, Discovery Networks International, Ricky Ow, President, Turner International Asia Pacific, Sudhanshu Vats, Group CEO, Viacom18 Media, Mahesh Samat, SVP & MD, The Walt Disney Company, South Asia, and Gina Brogi, President of Global Distribution, Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution, among others.

Hotstar, Voot partner with Supari Studios for original content

Original content is the key to the popularity of OTT platforms like Netflix and ALTBalaji. Recently, the digital content maker Supari Studios has partnered with two leading OTT platforms. Star India and Viacom18 have sought original content from the production house for their respective OTT platforms: Hotstar and Voot.

RJio may launch JioFiber broadband service soon

The much anticipated initiative of Reliance Jio, JioFiber is expected to be launched by March end, as per media sources. The telco may bundle its TV service with FTTH broadband to tap over 100 million TV households. Analysts say that Jio may cover 50 million households in the first phase of roll out.

Ashok Mansukhani becomes MD at Hinduja Ventures for two years

Ashok Mansukhani has been appointed as the managing director of Hinduja Ventures Ltd (HVL) for two years. He has completed his existing term as whole-time director on 29 April. The board of directors has approved the appointment.

Former Quick Call founder launches online radio station Radio Umang

A new online radio station ‘Radio Umang’ has been launched by the former Quick Call founder Neeraj Tyagi. The app is available on Google Play store and will be launched soon on App store.

Discovery Kids buys rights of ‘Bandbudh Aur Budbak’

The children who love to watch Bandbudh Aur Budbak’ will be able to enjoy the show on Discovery Kids, as Discovery Communications India has bought the rights of ZeeQ’s famous show. As a matter of fact, ZeeQ was discontinued by ZEEL on 1 February 2017.

Discovery Jeet becomes popular from day 1; reaches 140 million

Perfect planning, strong content, and targeted advertising and aggressive collaborations have propelled Discovery Communications India’s first Hindi GEC Discovery Jeet to greater heights from day one. The channel has reached of over 140 million on the launch day-12 February.

Video advertising to grow at 54% in India: GroupM Report

The fact that video watching is growing phenomenally in the country due to cheap smartphones and falling data rates has been luring more and more advertisers. According to GroupM’s annual ad forecast report “This Year Next Year’, video advertising growth is expected to be at 54%, followed by digital advertising, which is expected to grow at 30%.

Sky News to remain independent: Murdoch

The media baron Rupert Murdoch has clarified and pledged that Sky News will remain independent. He said he will not interfere in editorial decision-making at Sky News but added that he will not guarantee funding the service for more than five years.

Hotstar content now available on Airtel TV

As reported on 12 February, the country’s leading telecom operator Airtel has finally partnered with Star India’s OTT platform Hotstar. With this partnership, Hotstar’s content will now be available on Airtel TV, the telco’s mobile app.

Chandan Kumar resigns from Huawei; joins Nokia

Chandan Kumar,Huawei's marketing director, has resigned to join Nokia as the India head of Optics business. Kumar has been with Huawei for over 12 years across various functions, including the company's wireline business. Earlier, he worked at Nortel Networks for over two years, and HFCL for over 8 years.

TRAI conducts Consumer Outreach Programme to educate students

The telecom regulator TRAI organized a dedicated Consumer Outreach Programme (CoP) on 7 February, 2018 at National Law University (NLU), Dwarka in New Delhi to educate the student community about various initiatives taken by TRAI to safeguard consumer interests. Besides students and faculty of NLU, representatives of telecom service providers participated in the programme.

NBSA fines Zee News for talking rubbish about scientist & poet Gauhar Raza

Patriotism is good but sensational patriotism brings shame. Zee News has been fined the News Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA) which also asked it to issue the full screen apology for a programme it aired in 2016 where it referred to Gauhar Raza (scientist cum poet) and other poets as members of the ‘Afzal Premi Gang’.

Alibaba partners with Disney for its OTT platform

To offer the captivating content of the Disney on its OTT platform Youku, the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group has a reached a deal with the former. It is a multi-year licencing licensing agreement which will enable Youku to offer more than 1,000 episodes of Disney’s animated series.

Modi to launch DD Arun Prabha on 15 Feb

On 15 February, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be launching DD Arun Prabha, a channel exclusively for the viewers of the North-Eastern region. The channel will be launched from Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh. This year, the budget allocated Rs 55.7 crore for ‘Kisan’ and ‘Arun Prabha’ channels.

ACT to issue IPO to raise Rs 1500-2000-Cr

As per media reports, the leading high-speed Internet over fibre optic cables and high-definition television player Atria Convergence Technologies (ACT) may soon issue an IPO to raise Rs. 1500-2000 Crore.  It has also hired investment banks for the job.

Star TV Middle East extends content deal with OSN

The viewers in the Middle Eastern countries will continue to watching favourite shows by Star TV Middle East, as the broadcaster has renewed its content agreement with OSN, the Middle East and North Africa’s direct broadcast satellite provider.

Regional lures broadcasters & advertisers

For any product or service to sell, it should be in the language of the potential buyers. Tech giant like Google and social media behemoth Facebook had realised this sooner. With cheap smartphones and falling data rates, more and more people in rural India are using their phones to access content of their choice, and are no longer dependent on what TV shows them. To cash in the booming regional content markets, not only TV broadcasters but advertisers too are rushing to where the customers are.

TDSAT reserves its verdict in TRAI commercial subs matter

As reported earlier, the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF), Sony Pictures Networks India, ZEEL, and Viacom18 had sought a stay on the TRAI’s tariff orders dated 8 September 2015 for commercial subscribers in the tribunal. The Federations of Hotel and Restaurant Association of India (FHRAI), the apex body of hotels and restaurants in India, is also a party to the matter.

DPOs not on the same platform on having separate panel of auditors

Though the multi system operators (MSOs) are in favour of having a separate panel of auditors, the direct to home (DTH) operators feel it is undesirable. But the distribution platform operators (DPOs) are not on the same platform over the issue of whether or not to have a separate panel of auditors for conducting technical and subscription audits.

Ramdev launches show on his life on Discovery JEET

Baba Ramdev launched the much anticipated show on the newly launched GEC Discovery JEET with much fanfare. The channel was launched on 12 February. The event was attended by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and BJP president Amit Shah.

Airtel urges TRAI to issue a fresh paper on non-predatory tariffs

The telecom regulator TRAI had issued a consultation paper on regulatory principles related to tariff assessment in February 2017, seeking views on the constitution of a promotional offer and its features, and the attributes of a relevant market so that the contours of dominance could be defined.

News Corp CEO criticises Google & FB for creating dysfunctional online environment

The tech giant Google and social media behemoth Facebook got some severe slapping on the face by the News Corp CEO Robert Thomson. He accused them for fostering a "dysfunctional" and "debased" online environment which harms the news media and responsible journalism.

Viacom18 to scale up revenue to INR 10,000-Cr in five years; focus on digital & Tamil

Viacom18, which is going to launch a Tamil channel on 19 February, has some big aims in terms of revenue growth; it aims to scale up its revenue to INR 10000 crore by focusing on digital and Tamil.

Kalli Purie becomes vice-chairperson & MD at TV Today for 5 years

As expected, Kalli Purie, daughter of Aroon Purie, has been appointed as vice-chairperson and MD of TV Today for a period of five years. The board of directors has approved the unanimous decision.

Pogramme & advertising code violations grew in last four years: MIB

The information and broadcasting (I&B) minister Smriti Irani told the Lok Sabha that in the last four years, 54 TV channels have been found violating the Programme and Advertising codes.

Star favours tighter audit norms for DPOs

Replying to the TRAI’s consultation paper ‘Empanelment of Auditors for Digital Addressable Systems’, the broadcasters including Star India have said that the under-declaration of subscribers by the DPOs is the biggest area of concern for them. Therefore, a transparent audit process should be established.

ESL buys minority stake in Nazara

A minority stake in Nazara Technologies has been bought by Esports major ESL; ESL has also signed a license agreement with Esports gaming company Nodwin Gaming, which was recently acquired by Nazara Technologies.

Club FM 104.8 launches its sixth radio station in Kozhikode

The popular radio channel Club FM, which is part of Mathrubhumi Group, has launched its sixth radio station in Kozhikode. Available on frequency 104.8 FM, the new station will offer authentic and edited news and round-the-clock entertainment and musical hits. 

Colors Tamil to debut on 19 Feb

To capture the lucrative Tamil markets, Viacom18 will launch Colors Tamil on 19 February on all leading cable TV and direct to home (DTH) platforms. Tamil actor Arya has been hired as the brand ambassador of the channel.

Govt not to issue any policy to push cheap app based calling: Manoj Sinha

App based calling has irritated telcos as it is eroding their revenue. The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) had opposed OTT services on the ground that some of the services being offered by OTT players like messaging or instant messaging and Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) calls are substitutes for the services being offered by telecom service providers.

TRAI issues 2 Corrigendums - “Invitation of Expression of Interest (EOI) for Empanelment of Application Service Providers for providing various ICT based solutions to TRAI”

Corrigendum 1: To increase the participation of prospective Application Service Providers the EOI is now also being published on CPP Portal (Central Public Procurement Portal), accordingly revised date and time for the pre-bid meeting, last date for submission of bid and bid opening date is given below :-

WhatsApp launches UPI-Based Payment system in beta version

The digital transaction segment may get a big boost in near future, as the chatting giant WhatsApp is reportedly testing out its UPI-based payments feature in India. Currently, it is in beta version and hence is facing a few glitches.

Aircel case to be heard on March 12

The Aircel case will now be taken up for hearing at the Delhi High Court on 12 March 2018. The court will hear the issue to decide if GTL Infra’s plea that Aircel should deposit money in court is valid. ATC has gone the court against Aircel to recover dues worth Rs 224 crore outstanding for lease of towers, while GTL Infrastructure is seeking recovery of about Rs 912 crore for outstanding payments and penalty for premature rent termination.

Cabinet to take up IMG’s recommendations on net neutrality & spectrum

In recent past the telecom regulator suggested its views in matter of net neutrality. Now the Telecom Commission (TC) will on 21 February take up these recommendations and allocation of spectrum in two bands that would underpin 5G rollouts.

Turkey to allow its broadcasting regulator to regulate online content

Turkey is going to take a step which may be replicated by many more countries; it may soon permit its regulator RTUK to regulate online content. A draft law has been submitted to parliament on 8 February, though it is being opposed by the main opposition party said amounted to digital censorship.

Telcos want govt to postpone 5G spectrum auctions till 2020

While India is gearing for 5G rollout, leading telcos like Airtel, Vodafone, Idea want government to postpone 5G spectrum auctions till FY2020 to give time for a devices ecosystem to develop and allow the industry to overcome its financial stress and consolidate completely.

BSNL launches its first 4G services from Kerela

The state-owned telecom operator BSNL has launched its first 4G services from Kerala. In the beginning, the 4G service will be available at five locations in the high range Idukki district.

CBI draft on 2G found at Chidambaram's house

According to the Enforcement Directorate, its senior officials have found a “draft” of a CBI status report on the 2G case from Congress leader P Chidambaram’s New Delhi based house. The same has been delivered to the Supreme Court.

CBI may file an appeal challenging Raja’s acquittal in 2G case

As per media sources, the Central Bureau of Investigation may challenge the acquittal of former telecom minister A Raja and others in the 2G spectrum allocation scandal case soon. Some media also reported that the appeal is ready and CBI will file it in the Delhi High Court once law officers of the law ministry vet the grounds of the appeal.

DEN may have RIO agreement with ZEEL: TDSAT

Hearing the dispute between Zee and DEN over non-payment of dues, the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) has permitted the multi system operator (MSO) DEN Networks to have a reference interconnect offer (RIO) deal with broadcaster ZEEL from 1 February.

Vodafone launches VoLTE service in Mumbai, Delhi-NCR & Gujarat

The leading telecom operator Vodafone too has launched its VoLTE service in Mumbai, Delhi-NCR & Gujarat. Its customers in these regions can access Vodafone VoLTE services on all VoLTE enabled devices. Vodafone will soon launch the service in Karnataka and Kolkata and the rest of India.

TRAI releases Consultation Paper on "Method of allocation of spectrum for Public Mobile Radio Trunking Service (PMRTS), including auction, as a transparent mechanism"

On 8 February, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) released a Consultation Paper on "Method of allocation of spectrum for Public Mobile Radio Trunking Service (PMRTS), including auction, as a transparent mechanism".

CCI sends Rs 136 crore penalty notice to Google

The tech giant Google has received Rs. 136-Cr penalty notice from the Competition Commission on 7 February for unfair business practices in the Indian market for online search. The Google spokesperson said the company is "reviewing the narrow concerns identified by the Commission and will assess our next steps". The amount of penalty is 5 per cent of the company's average total revenue generated from India operations from its different business segments for the financial years 2013, 2014 and 2015.

ACT Fibernet becomes CSK’s internet partner

Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK) has appointed leading broadband player ACT Fibernet as its internet partner. ACT Fibernet will provide seamless internet broadband connectivity for the followers of the CSK team during the IPL matches. It includes providing wi-fi coverage to the entire Chennai stadium.

Sony to enter regional segment with Marathi Channel

Regional content is gaining momentum and to tap the vast markets, OTT platforms as well as broadcasters are offering content in different local languages. Sony too is going to enter the segment with a Marathi GEC. The Marathi GEC segment is dominated by Zee Marathi, Colors Marathi and Star Pravah.

Star India helps Fox to boost its global advertising revenue

With its competitive content and OTT platform, Star India has helped its parent company Twenty First Century Fox to boost its global advertising revenue. This is double digit growth. The global revenue increased 13% driven by rate and subscriber growth at both FNG International and STAR India. International advertising revenue increased 14% led by double-digit growth at STAR and continued growth at FNG International.

Broadcasters not in favour of auctioning TV channel licences

While urging the government to launch more satellites to fulfil the needs of the broadcasting sector, the broadcasters submitted their views on auctioning TV channel licences. They oppose the auction as it is technically not feasible and will lead to a bidding war for procuring licences which will increase the financial burden on TV broadcasters. Here are the views of some of the broadcasters.

MIB not to stop ads showing junk food; FSSAI to address the issue: Smriti Irani

Restaurants offering junk foods may relax as the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Minister Smriti Irani has told the Lok Sabha that the Ministry has no plan to ban such ads.

Sharp viewership jump in biz news channels during Budget 2018: BARC Ratings

The Budget 2018 caused a sharp jump in the English and Hindi business news channels in Week 5, as per the latest BARC ratings.

ACT to start FTA channel on its mobile app

To retain customers and win new ones, telecom operators, broadcasters, MSOs, DTH operators are adopting the new technologies and offering OTT content. ACT Fibernet, country’s largest fibre broadband internet service provider, too is now offering free-to-air (FTA) channels on its mobile app to all its customers across 12 cities.

ISRO sets up 473 Village Resource Centres for rural development through satellite technology

To demonstrate the potential of satellite technology for development of rural areas, ISRO established Village Resource Centres (VRCs) on a pilot scale, in association with selected NGOs, Trusts and State Government Departments.

MTNL & BSNL to go through revival: Telecom Minister

The telecom minister Manoj Sinha told the Lok Sabha  that three Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) have been asked to indicate their interest for undertaking a study and preparing a revival plan for the state-owned BSNL.

Largest ever spectrum auction of 3,000 Mhz to happen soon: Telecom Minister

The government will soon launch largest ever spectrum auction of 3,000 Mhz of radiowaves in the upcoming sale, Manoj Sinha, the telecom minister told the Parliament. He said: "Spectrum above 3000 MHz will be put up for auction for the first time in the forthcoming auction."

TRAI conducted Seminar on "Smart Phone Usage in Internet Age"

On 2 February, the telecom regulator TRAI organized a Seminar on the topic "Smart Phone Usage in Internet Age” in Lucknow through its regional office Bhopal.

Discovery gets approval from European Commission for its acquisition of Scripps

Discovery has got the green light from the European Commission for its proposed acquisition of Scripps. Discovery and Scripps provide basic pay-TV channels to TV distributors in the European Economic Area (EEA).

Sony to launch its pay TV channels in Russia; forms joint venture with NMG

Soon lovers of Indian content in Russia will be able to watch their favourite programmes offered by Sony Pictures Television; the broadcaster has formed a joint venture (JV) with Russian media holding company National Media Group (NMG) to launch pay television channels in Russia.

FICCI Frames Conference: int. contents market to run concurrently

This time an international contents market will run concurrently with the annual Frames conference by FICCI, scheduled from 5-7 March at the Grand Hyatt in Mumbai.

Clyde D’Souza to oversee 9XM also

Clyde D’Souza, the programming head of 9XO, has been given an additional charge of 9X Media; he will handle the programming. D’Souza joined 9XO when it was launched and contributed for the Channel such as 9XO Fan wars, 9XO Hook, Tweetdown, 9XO Social Screen, O Bot, and Insta Top 10.

Radio is a popular & trusted platform in metros & Tier II cities: Nielsen report

As per the latest report by Nielsen India titled ‘Power of Radio’ commissioned by Music Broadcast (Radio City), radio is the second most accessed medium across metros and non-metros.

TRAI chides RCom for not paying back unused pre-paid balances

The closed telecom company Reliance Communications has to face some harsh words from the telecom regulator TRAI Chairman R S Sharma who warned it of punitive action if it fails to obey TRAI’s orders.

Google to help NCERT in safety training at schools

While not charging any fee for the service, the tech giant Google will help the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) in safety trainings at schools. The safety awareness programme with Google will train teachers on latest development that takes place in internet space.

Govt to appoint a panel for AI; will compete with China

While presenting the Union Budget, FM Arun Jaitley said that the NITI Aayog will develop a national artificial intelligence (AI) programme. As the government wants to ensure the country is not behind China in AI, it has appointed a panel to look after the progress.

Writemen Media to launch Kannada movie channel Public Movies on 12 Feb

Writemen Media will launch Kannada movie channel Public Movies on 12 February. The media house is well known for its Kannada news channel Public TV. This is the first time the group is entering movie segment.

Discovery JEET crosses Q1 ad sales target

Discovery’s first Hindi GEC which will debut on 12 February has already crossed its Q1 ad sales target. Discovery India senior VP, GM South Asia Karan Bajaj said that Discovery has achieved pre-launch inventory sales targets from Discovery JEET.

Vikrant Mudaliar becomes CMO at Dream11

The former Yatra.com chief marketing officer (CMO) Vikrant Mudaliar has been appointed as CMO by sports gaming platform Dream11.

QYOU Media partners with iflix for content distribution

To reach new-age viewers, QYOU Media has partnered with the leading subscription video on demand (VoD) service iflix which will distribute its curated online video content in 25 global territories.

Fox Sports Asia buys broadcast rights of SFL’s mixed martial arts tournament

Fox Sports Asia has bought the one year broadcast and multi-media rights of mixed martial arts tournament by the Super Fight League (SFL). This is the second season of the mixed martial arts tournament, which is promoted by British businessman and sports enthusiast Bill Dosanjh and British professional boxer Amir Khan.

Zee launches WION in Qatar & UAE

WION’s Middle East has been launched by ZEE Media Corporation in Qatar and UAE. The English news channel World Is One News (WION) will use Etisalat to telecast its content in these two countries. The channel will also be available on Du &Ooredoo.

Dish TV-Videocon merger reaches final stage

The much anticipated mega merger in DTH sector (Dish TV-Videocon) is in the final stage. Post-merger, the entity (Dish TV Videocon) will be India's largest direct-to-home (DTH) company valued at around $2.4 billion. An announcement of the merger can be expected by February end.

Massive viewership of Republic Day parade showcases powers of TV

Though OTT and new media are winning the viewers, TV is still the front runner. As per the latest BARC data, 26th January saw 38 million people across the country watching the parade live. This is up from 22.2 million in 2017.

Budget 2018 says ‘cryptocurrencies will have to die in India’

The Union Budget 2018, presented by the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on 1 Feb, makes it clear that the government will find ways to end the menace of cryptocurrencies. The FM said that the government will do everything to discontinue the use of bitcoin and other virtual currencies in India.

Special CBI court permits CBI to arrest Indrani Mukerjea

Indrani Mukerjea of the INX media case may be arrested soon, as a special court of the Central Bureau of Investigation has allowed the agency.

Discovery to launch its first GEC on 12 Feb

The much anticipated first GEC by Discovery, Discovery JEET will be launched on 12 February. According to Discovery, the JEET will break the clutter in the Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) arena. Initially, there will be five hours of daily programmes, out of which three hours will be original programming.

Data speed testers must share certification methodologies: TRAI

On 5 February 2018, the telecom regulator TRAI released a “white paper on wireless data speed measurement”. It said that to maintain accuracy and transparency, data speed testers must share their methodologies.  The regulator added that accuracy in measuring broadband experience is crucial for consumers to make informed choices.

DSport buys rights of 2018 Badminton Asia Team Championships

The newly launched sports channel by Discovery Communications, DSport is very aggressive in termsof buying content. Recently, it has bought the exclusive India broadcast rights for the upcoming 2018 Badminton Asia Team Championships.

A special committee to evaluate CBS-Viacom merger

A special committee has been appointed by media giant Viacom to oversee its merger with CBS. The committee will have independent directors. If the merger gets finalized, the entity would have a market value of more than $37 billion. As per media sources, Viacom CEO Bakish is expected to have a senior role at the merged entity.

ITW Blitz starts digital content division; appoints Prachi N Thadhani

Prachi N Thadhani has been appointed by TW Playworx Media to lead the new vertical, a digital content division, launched by its talent management arm Entertainment ITW Blitz. The step was taken to cash in on OTT boom.

GTPL uses GPON FTTX tech to offer high-speed broadband in Ahmedabad

GPON FTTX technology is being used by the Cable TV and broadband service provider GTPL Hathway to offer high-speed broadband service in Ahmedabad. The same will be subsequently launched in other major cities of Gujarat. The GPON FTTH rollout has already started in approximately 100,000 home passes in Ahmedabad City.

IIMC audit reveals poor compliance of RTI Act norms by MIB

Recently the Indian Institute of Mass Communications (IIMC) has done an audit and reveled that there is poor compliance of RTI Act norms by the ministry of information and broadcasting’s (MIB).

Budget 2018: Overseas digital firms come under tax net

This is the first time that the Budget also mentioned about overseas digital companies having presence in India. The government wants to tax digital businesses by amending Section 9 of the Income Tax Act. Currently a digital firm is out of the tax net as it operates from another country but have significant online presence worldwide.

Budget 2018: Importers not happy with duty on circuit boards for chargers

The smartphone and electronic items importers have not liked the levies on circuit board for chargers. The government has levied duty on printed circuit boards for chargers.

Aajtak.in is the No. 1 in Hindi news segment on all kinds of digital platform

Aajtak.in the digital news platform by leading Hindi news channel Aaj Tak, continues to rule the chart as the most visited site for Hindi news. It broke all records and set an industry benchmark on election coverage in December 2017.

Travelxp HD partners with M7 Group for global distribution

Travelxp HD, the leading travel and lifestyle channel, has partnered with Europe’s leading pay-TV providers M7 Group to enter Europe. The channel is now available in Czech Republic, Slovakia, Netherlands and Belgium.

Twitter launches full tweet archive

The social media platform Twitter has launched the premium Search Tweets Application Programming Interface (API) offering historical access to Tweets with a new premium full-archive search endpoint. This is beta version.

Telecom Policy: TRAI firm on its stand on common regulator for ICT, broadcasting sectors

In its recommendations to the Department of Communication (DoT), the telecom regulator TRAI has reiterated that it should be entrusted the job of regulating the information communication technology (ICT) and the broadcasting sector as part of the National Telecom Policy (NTP) 2018.

The digitally literate population base reaches 1 Cr: Ravi Shankar Prasad

The Digital India mission and government’s emphasis on connecting the rural masses with internet is producing results, as per Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad. He said that one crore people now are digitally literate.

TRAI recommends DoT to review & rationalize both the levies in new telecom policy

The telecom regulator TRAI has suggested a review and rationalization of both the levies in the New National Telecom Policy (NTP). Due to layering of service providers in the value chain, infrastructure, networks, services, and applications, the regulator feels it is essential to review the positions to avoid cascading of levies.

John Hennessy replaces Eric Schmidt as Alphabet Chairman

The Executive Chairman of Google’s Alphabet, Eric Schmidt has been replaced by John Hennessy, a former Stanford University president and one of search engine company's first users.

Govt permits Microsoft to bring PSUs on cloud

The public sector firms will now have Cloud support provided by tech giant Microsoft, as the permission was granted to it by the government. Microsoft will use Azure cloud services under the government’s cloud computing initiative, GI Cloud (Meghraj).

Budget 2018: Telecom operators not happy due to no levy cut

The telecom sector is not happy as the Budget 2018 has no provision for any levy cut. Rajan Mathews, director general of Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), said the sector is saddened to see that telecom, which is the bedrock for moving the digital economy forward, continues to remain an orphan.

Budget 2018: Telecom sector gets 10000-Cr; sector to create 4 lakh new jobs in 5 yrs

The financially stressed sector Telecom has been allotted Rs 10000 Crore in this Budget. Apart from that there is a provision of Rs 4,500 crore for Network for Spectrum project, an alternate communication network being built by the state-run BSNL for defence services in lieu of spectrum given by Defence Ministry for commercial mobile services.

TDSAT asks TRAI to act against RJio for tariff reporting rule violations

Reliance Jio may be in trouble, as the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) has directed the telecom regulator TRAI to act against the telco for violation of tariff reporting rules.

Budget 2018: Rs 15 cr allotted for mobile phone tracking system

To bring down the number of fake and duplicate mobile handsets and to discourage theft, the Union Budget 2018 has allotted Rs 15 cr for mobile phone tracking system. The money will be used to set up the system - Central Equipment's Identity Register (CEIR)under the Department of Telecom (DoT). The centre will block all services on stolen or lost mobile phones on any network even if the SIM card is removed or IMEI number of the handset is changed.

Anurag Bedi also to handle Zing & Zee ETC Bollywood

Aurag Bedi, ZEEL SVP, cluster head niche channels & EVP, business head Zee Music Company, has been assigned additional charge of GEC Zing and music channel Zee ETC Bollywood. The step was taken to fill the gap created by the resignation of Vishnu Shankar who moved to &TV as business head.

LinkedIn survey predicts good future of automation, content marketing & video

In 2018, OTT, content marketing and automation will rule, as per a LinkedIn report titled ‘Marketing Team of Tomorrow’. This will influence advertisers. The report says that India has shown the highest growth in the planned marketing budget for the year compared  to other markets, and key investment areas include content marketing, marketing automation, and video content.

Budget 2018: I&B Ministry gets Rs 4,089-Cr

The budget allocation this time for the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’s (MIB) has come down 7.25% to Rs 4,089 crore. Last year, the Ministry got Rs 4,409 crore.

TRAI recommends allowing pvt sector to provide digital radio services

The telecom regulator TRAI, in its recommendations on ‘Issues related to Digital Radio Broadcasting in India’ (released on 1 Feb), stated that there is a definite need to facilitate digital radio broadcasting in India to effectively utilise spectrum in VHF-II band for Radio broadcasting, to provide diverse content and other value-added services to radio listeners.

TRAI to organize Consumer Outreach Programme in Firozabad

TRAI is organizing Consumer Outreach Programme in different parts of the country. These programmes are primarily intended to outreach to the customers, industries bodies, State Government various Government bodies, CAGs and TSPs. Details of venue, date for the programme to be organized in Firozabad (Uttar Pradesh) along with contact person and telephone number is as under:

TRAI conducts workshop on Capacity Building of Consumer Advocacy Groups & Consumer Education

On 1 February, 2018, the telecom regulator TRAI conducted a "Regional Workshop on Capacity Building of Consumer Advocacy Groups and Consumer Education" in Coimbatore.

TRAI may be evaluating a consultation process to regulate online video streaming platforms

For a long time, it has been demanded by the industry that the regulator TRAI should bring the new media like live streaming under the net of regulation. Now as per media sources, the telecom regulator is evaluating a consultation process to regulate online video streaming platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hotstar.