I&B Ministry
AIR ad rates to be revised
The private FM players may be getting all the publicity at the moment but good old All India Radio is not going to be left behind.
At today’s meeting of the board of Pubcaster Prasar Bharati, which manages both AIR and national broadcaster Doordarshan, it was decided that AIR’s ad rates were to be revised.
The decision follows a good performance last year by AIR. In a year that has been acknowledged as a bad year for business, AIR raked in revenues of Rs 970 million, the highest in the last 10 years, deputy director general, AIR, MS Rukmini has been quoted as saying.
And Rukmini shows no worries that there will be any drop in revenues what with the plethora new FM channels coming up, because of one fundamental reason. These channels are essentially city-centric, while AIR is still an effective media in the rural sector. Towards this end AIR has been effecting drastic changes in its programmes.
This is certainly an area where private operators are unlikely to take an active interest and so if managed well, there is no reason why AIR shouldn’t continue to do well.
I&B Ministry
Government proposes scrapping film certification fast-track scheme
Priority route may be dropped to end queue-jumping and restore fairness
NEW DELHI: The government is set to press pause on the fast lane for film certification. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has proposed scrapping the Priority Scheme under the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, 2024, a move that could end the practice of paying extra to move a film ahead in the queue.
In a public notice issued on 16 February, the ministry invited stakeholder comments on the proposal, with the consultation window open until 17 March.
The Priority Scheme, introduced in 2024, allowed filmmakers to request expedited certification by paying three times the standard examination fee. Under the rules, priority applications could be slotted ahead of regular submissions, effectively reshuffling the order of scrutiny.
What began as a provision for exceptional urgency, the ministry says, has gradually become business as usual. The result has been longer waits for films in the regular queue and concerns about fairness in what is meant to be a statutory, rule-based process.
Officials have flagged the risk of a two-tier system, where producers with deeper pockets could buy speed while smaller or independent filmmakers were left waiting their turn. The proposed amendment aims to remove that imbalance by restoring a single, orderly queue for all applicants.
If approved, the changes would remove the rule that permits priority screening upon payment of higher fees, as well as the provision that allows regional officers to alter the order of examination based on such requests. In effect, every film would move through certification strictly according to its place in line, unless a separate exceptional mechanism is introduced later.
For big-budget producers, the shift may mean factoring in longer lead times before release. Marketing campaigns, festival slots and box office calendars that once relied on a quick certification turnaround may need more careful planning.
Independent filmmakers, on the other hand, could find the playing field a little more level. Without a pay-to-fast-forward option, the queue may become slower for some, but fairer for all.
The government says the move is meant to restore equity, improve predictability and strengthen the integrity of the certification process. Whether removing the fast-track option reduces bottlenecks or simply redistributes the delays will depend on how efficiently the regular pipeline is managed in the months ahead.
