iWorld
Convergence Bill likely to be tabled in Winter session
NEW DELHI: The Communication Convergence Bill, envisaging a super-regulatory authority for the IT, telecom and broadcasting sectors, is likely to be tabled in the Indian Parliament during the Winter session.
“The Bill is with the parliamentary Standing Committee on IT and Communication and it is expected to submit its report anytime,” IT, telecommunications and parliamentary affairs minister Pramod Mahajan told indiantelevision.com.
According to Mahajan, if the Standing Committee submits its report soon, then the Bill will be tabled in parliament during the next session.
However, when the minister was asked if the Communication Convergence Bill is likely to be in Parliament during the next session, what will be the fate of the proposed Ordinance on conditional access system, Mahajan refused to comment on the issue.
The Communication Convergence Bill, apart from being a super-regulatory authority for the three aforementioned sectors, will also be a unique piece of legislation, which takes into account the era of “convergence”.
Malaysia is the only other country that has a similar piece of legislation.
iWorld
Banijay Asia’s The 50 tops OTT charts with 8.1 million JioHotstar views
Reality competition becomes most watched show on JioHotstar in debut week.
MUMBAI: Fifty contestants walked into a palace, but millions of viewers showed up for the drama. Reality competition The 50, produced by Banijay Asia, has emerged as the most watched show on JioHotstar, clocking 8.1 million views in its debut week. The figure, reported by Ormax Media, places the show at the top of the OTT viewership charts and marks a strong opening for the digital reality format.
Adapted from a popular French format, The 50 brings together 50 personalities from television, digital platforms, music and reality shows inside a grand palace setting. Over the course of a 50 day competition, participants form alliances, compete in unpredictable tasks and navigate eliminations as the field steadily narrows.
Guiding the game is a mysterious figure known as The Lion, an unseen game master whose voice introduces twists, challenges and strategic turns throughout the show, adding an extra layer of suspense to the contest.
What distinguishes The 50 from typical reality competitions is its audience driven prize structure. Instead of the winner taking home the final reward, the prize is awarded to one of the winner’s registered followers through the show’s dedicated app. The mechanism effectively turns viewers into participants, allowing fans to have a direct stake in the outcome.
The contestant lineup features a mix of television actors, reality stars and digital creators, including Karan Patel, Urvashi Dholakia, Divya Agarwal, Mr Faisu and Dushyant Kukreja, each bringing their own fan following to the show.
With its blend of celebrity personalities, strategic gameplay and interactive viewer participation, The 50 has quickly carved out a strong foothold in India’s digital entertainment landscape. Its 8.1 million views in the opening week underline the growing appetite for large scale reality formats designed specifically for OTT audiences.
