GECs
Key issues relating to broadcasting sector ignored in budget, says IBF
NEW DELHI: The Indian Broadcasting Foundation today expressed regret that the Union Budget 2016-17 had failed to look into key issues such as ‘carry forward of losses, in case of amalgamation or merger for service industry under the industrial undertaking under Section 72 A of the Income Tax Act 1961.’
Foundation Secretary General Girish Srivastava said in a statement that it was also ‘unfortunate that c industry, which has been playing a critical role in the digital initiative of the government, is being denied this benefit whereas other service sectors like Software, Telecom etc are availing these benefits.’
However, he thanked the Minister Arun Jaitley for addressing some of the concerns of the industry.
Describing it as an “inclusive and well-rounded budget which will not only help the Indian economy at large but also provide an opportunity to all in becoming part of the overall growth process”, Srivastava said, “Another point that broadcasters had raised in their pre-budget memorandum was on the tax withholding of transponder hire charges in which the sector had appealed for the alignment of the definition of royalty in DTAAs in line with the amended Finance Act 2012.
In the current Economic Survey, having acknowledged the significance of the ongoing digitization efforts and in turn Media and Entertainment Industry generating large scale revenue and employment, it seems that the budget inadvertently omitted the long- term pending demand of grant of infrastructure status to the sector, he said.
During the budget speech, Jaitley had stated that most of the recommendations made by Justice Easwar Committee on simplification of procedures and related issues shall be accepted in due course. “IBF will take up the issues as above with the Finance Ministry in its post budget consultations,” Srivastava added in parting.
GECs
EPIC Company unifies all brands under single EPIC identity
IN10 Media rebrand aligns TV, digital and films into one ecosystem
MUMBAI: The EPIC Company, formerly known as IN10 Media Network, has announced a sweeping brand consolidation, bringing its television channels, digital platforms and content IPs under a single identity, EPIC.
The move is aimed at simplifying the company’s structure while creating a more connected content ecosystem spanning television, digital and films. By aligning multiple verticals under one umbrella, the company is looking to present a sharper, more cohesive face to both audiences and partners.
As part of the transition, several channels have been rebranded to align with the EPIC identity. EPIC will now operate as EPIC TV, while Nazara becomes EPIC Bharat, Filamchi is now EPIC Bhojpuri, Gubbare transitions to EPIC Kids, and ShowBox is reintroduced as EPIC Music. Ishara will continue under the identity EPIC Parivaar, maintaining its core positioning.
The company has also refreshed EPICON, its streaming platform, to reflect a more unified and modern brand experience. The overhaul is designed to improve content discovery and create a seamless experience across platforms.
This consolidation follows the recent launch of EPIC Studio, a unified production arm that brings together Juggernaut Productions and MovieVerse Studio, as the company expands its footprint across films, OTT and television.
The EPIC Company managing director Aditya Pittie said, “As our scale has grown, it has become important to simplify how we operate and how we present ourselves to the ecosystem. This consolidation gives us a clearer, more future-ready structure to partner, invest, and build at scale, while ensuring that for viewers, the experience is more seamless and intuitive.”
With the rebrand, The EPIC Company is positioning itself as a platform-agnostic content network, focused on scale, simplicity and integrated storytelling. By bringing everything under one banner, it is aiming to make its content universe easier to navigate and harder to ignore.
