News Broadcasting
Broadcasters spending billions archiving content: BTBS
HONG KONG: Media companies are estimated to be hoarding 6,700 years worth of TV, film and music content, costing them billions of pounds a year.
A recent report commissioned by BT Broadcast Services (BTBS) and compiled by Datamonitor, finds that this investment is also a sunk cost as most of the archived material is never used again, although the research suggests that digitising the archives and making them available online could finance the costs of today’s lost footage.
The white paper, ‘Digital Content Management and the True Cost – Staying Analogue’, highlights the spiralling costs and ignorance that surrounds archived content. Data for the report was collected over two years through interviews with senior executives from the TV, film and music industries.
Over the course of the research, Datamonitor was unable to find a single company that could accurately estimate the cost of keeping and distributing archived material. The research found that the average cost per hour of traditional archived content is 38, which includes: labour costs, physical storage, re-formatting and renewal. It cost an additional 75 to find, re-edit and distribute this content for re-use.
Despite these costs and the burgeoning use of digital technology, nearly all content is stored in analogue format, the report finds that digital storage would save 16 per hour on re-formatting costs alone. The average cost of delivering analogue content is estimated to be 75. The paper predicts that by 2004, 44 per cent of all new TV content will be digital.
Head of content services at BTBS David Jamieson said, “It’s not surprising that media owners are afraid of the digital revolution, after all most technological changes cost money and are complex and disrupting processes. But the true cost of doing nothing is astronomical and not an option anymore – particularly when you consider the huge, untapped revenue streams that a well publicised, digital archive represents.”
News Broadcasting
Rising Bharat Summit 2026 spotlights India’s global ascent
PM Modi keynotes two-day event with ministers, diplomats and icons in New Delhi.
MUMBAI: India didn’t just host a summit, it threw a coming-out party for a nation ready to own the global stage. The News18 Rising Bharat Summit 2026, held on 27–28 February in New Delhi, emerged as a high-octane platform for ideas, vision and strategic dialogue, uniting national leadership, global policymakers, industry titans, defence strategists and cultural icons under the theme “Strength Within”.
Prime minister Narendra Modi set the tone with a keynote that framed India’s resurgence as a reclaiming of lost potential built over generations. “In previous industrial revolutions, India and the Global South were merely followers,” he said. “But in the era of Artificial Intelligence, India is a partner in decisions and shaping them.” He highlighted the country’s thriving AI startup ecosystem and the recent AI Impact Summit attended by over 100 nations.
Union minister Piyush Goyal (Commerce & Industry) stressed India’s readiness to scale exports and deepen manufacturing, while Ashwini Vaishnaw (Railways, I&B, Electronics & IT) positioned technology and infrastructure as twin engines of growth, especially in AI and digital trust. Jyotiraditya Scindia (Communications & North East Development) revealed India’s ambition to lead in 6G through the Bharat 6G Alliance and partnerships with over 30 countries.
Global voices added depth: former Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo called India’s development “self-sustaining” and strategically vital; ex-UK Chief of Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter asserted India deserves a seat at the great powers’ table; and former US Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez joined ambassadors from Norway, Germany and Sweden in discussions on geopolitical realignment, sustainability and defence preparedness.
Other speakers included veteran investor Ramesh Damani, World Gold Council CEO David Tait, Vianai Systems founder Dr Vishal Sikka, DeepTech Bharat Foundation co-founder Shashi Shekhar Vempati, defence experts Rajesh Kumar Singh, Sunil Ambekar, Patrick McGee, Tom Cooper and Adrian Fontanellaz, plus cultural and sporting icons Kangana Ranaut, Saina Nehwal, PR Sreejesh, Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mithali Raj, Anil Kapoor and Yami Gautam.
The summit was supported by Jio Financial Services (Presenting Partner), Phonepe and DS Group (Co-Presenting Partners), Pernod Ricard India and Kia Seltos (Powered By & Driven By), state governments of Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand (State Partners), and associate partners including NSE, M3M Foundation and Reliance Industries.
Broadcast live across News18 Network, CNBC-TV18 and CNBC Awaaz, the event reinforced India’s image as a confident democracy and emerging global power proving that when strength comes from within, the world can’t help but watch.
