iWorld
Canada-based Format Factory becomes first global studio to avail incentive scheme by MIB
Mumbai: Canada-based production company Format Factory is the first global studio to avail the incentive scheme for the audio-visual co-production & shooting of foreign films in India in record time. The scheme was announced by union minister of information and broadcasting Anurag Thakur in May 2022 during his visit at the 75th Cannes film festival.
As per the scheme, any foreign studio that takes up production work in India can avail a cash incentive of up to 30 per cent of the production cost, capped at Rs 2 crore or $250,000. An additional bonus of Rs 50 lakhs, or $62,527, is available if the production house employs 15 per cent or more of its workforce in India.
Format Factory worked with the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) and the Film Facilitation Office (FFO) to obtain permission, and will apply for the incentive scheme.
Raising fund
In October 2021, Format Factory raised $50 million in a funding round led by First Fund with plans to create high-end global content, focusing on South Asian originals. It will operate under a studio-model, where it will put up the initial investment to create content, mostly outside of India, and then look for buyers, mainly over-the-top (OTT) platforms.
The studio was not only eligible for the 30 per cent incentive scheme, but also for the five per cent bonus because it employs more than 15 per cent of its workforce in India. It will begin filming its first show on 21 July. It will be an improvised comedy series with popular comedian Suresh Menon.
Format Factory business head Subhadarshi Tripathy said, “It is fantastic how quickly the government worked to facilitate the process to avail the incentive scheme. I would like to thank the ministry of information and broadcasting and the government of India for their endeavour to create an enabling ecosystem for both domestic and international filmmakers. At Format Factory, we are completely focusing on South Asian content and distributing it globally. The content will be made in India with a global lens. There are so many stories in India that can be told.”
First Fund founder Samarth Chandola said, “I am really happy about the leaps Format Factory has taken from its inception last year to actually being on the floor now. India is an important market for us given the explosion in content demand that has happened recently. We are happy and thankful to the I&B ministry and the government for the encouragement and all the help through FFO. I am looking forward to a long and entertaining production in India.”
iWorld
Telcos push for unified rules as spam shifts to OTT platforms
Over 80 per cent fraud moves online, operators seek common framework.
MUMBAI: The spam may have left your phone network but it hasn’t left you alone. India’s telecom operators are once again dialling up the pressure for a unified regulatory framework, warning that fraud is rapidly migrating to internet-based platforms where oversight remains far looser. According to industry communication, a leading operator has written to multiple arms of the government including the Department of Telecommunications, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Ministry of Finance arguing that tighter controls on traditional telecom networks are inadvertently pushing bad actors towards over-the-top (OTT) communication platforms.
The concern is not new, but the framing has sharpened. What was once an industry grievance is now being positioned as a consumer protection issue. Operators say that tackling spam in silos no longer works, as fraudsters seamlessly shift across platforms, exploiting regulatory gaps. The result: a moving target that traditional safeguards struggle to contain.
Executives point to a clear shift in fraud patterns. OTT platforms are increasingly being used for phishing links, impersonation scams and bulk unsolicited messaging, with industry estimates suggesting that over 80 per cent of spam activity has now migrated online. In this environment, the lines between telecom networks, messaging apps and financial fraud are blurring fast.
At the heart of the industry’s demand is a call for a technology-neutral regulatory framework, one that applies consistently across telecom and internet-based communication services. Operators argue that the absence of uniform safeguards, such as sender verification systems, robust spam filters and clearly defined accountability mechanisms, has created enforcement blind spots that fraudsters are quick to exploit.
The proposal is straightforward but far-reaching. Telcos are pushing for baseline anti-fraud measures across all communication platforms, alongside faster response systems and deeper coordination between ministries. Given the interconnected nature of telecom networks, digital platforms and financial systems, they argue that fragmented oversight only weakens the overall defence.
The broader issue is regulatory arbitrage, the ability of bad actors to hop between platforms based on which is least regulated at any given time. Without harmonised rules, operators say, efforts to curb fraud risk becoming a game of whack-a-mole.
As digital communication continues to expand, the debate is shifting from who regulates what to how consistently it is regulated. For now, telecom operators are making their case clear: in a world where spam travels freely, regulation cannot afford to stay fragmented.
