News Broadcasting
Film, cable industries deal to fight video piracy going nowhere
If it works, it could well be the coup of the decade for the Indian film industry. In all likelihood, however, the deal between the cable ops, MSOs and film producers to check cable piracy will turn out to be another non starter.
2001 saw several developments on the piracy issue. The National Cable and Telecommunication Association met I&B minister Sushma Swaraj to apprise her of the issue in August, following which a committee was set up to look into the issue and a commitment made in early December. An MoU was signed between the parties concerned on 24 December, with cable ops pledging not to telecast new films on cable networks with the permission of the copyright holder. IMPPA, the premier body of motion picture producers in India spearheaded the move behind the MoU,
Bigwig MSOs like In Cable, Win Cable and Siti Cable were party to the agreement. According to the terms of the agreement:
*No film should be aired without a licence from the copyright holder.
*MSOs or franchisees or cable operators would respect the producers’ wish that no film be shown on cable TV or a satellite channel for one year from the time of its release.
*Defaulting cable ops would not be allowed to migrate to another MSO.
*Film producers would create a secure website containing the names of films and relevant information about their copyright holders.
However, the fact that most new releases like Asoka, Abhay, Tere Liye and Gadar have already been shown on most of these networks proves that the agreement is mere lip service to the government. Unless penal action is taken, the menace that costs the film industry Rs 10,000 million annually is unlikely to be checked, industry sources aver.
The ball is now in the court of the police, who need to monitor and crack down hard on the offenders and check piracy.
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to air live counting day coverage for five state election results on May 4
The channel is rolling out its biggest election coverage machinery yet for results day on 4th May
NOIDA: The votes have been cast. Now comes the reckoning. CNN-News18 is pulling out all the stops for results day on 4th May, when counting begins across five battleground states — West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry — in what promises to be one of the most closely watched electoral verdicts in recent memory.
The channel’s coverage, titled Battle for the States: The Verdict, kicks off at 7am and runs through the day across linear TV, connected television and YouTube. It is the culmination of CNN-News18’s multi-format editorial initiative, Battle for the States, which has tracked the polls from the beginning under the theme Road to Power.
At the operational heart of the coverage will be the Live Results Hub, the channel’s central command centre built to collate, verify and process real-time data flowing in from reporters stationed at counting centres across constituencies. The hub combines newsroom intelligence, analytics and on-the-ground reporting to deliver what the channel promises will be the fastest and most accurate results coverage in English news.
Leading the on-air charge will be primetime anchors Rahul Shivshankar, Anand Narasimhan, Aman Sharma, Nabila Jamal and Shivani Gupta. They will be joined by a wide panel of commentators including author Chetan Bhagat; GVL Narasimha Rao, senior leader of the BJP; Smita Prakash, editor of ANI; activist Saira Shah Halim; political analyst Sumanth C Raman; Abhijit Iyer Mitra, senior fellow at IPCS; Amitabh Tiwari, founder of VoteVibe; columnist Abhijit Majumdar; Nalin Mehta, managing editor of MoneyControl; political analyst Tehseen Poonawalla; senior journalist Subir Bhaumik; and political analyst Manojit Mandal.
Shivshankar, who serves as editorial affairs director at CNN-News18, set out the stakes plainly. “Counting day is one of the most watched events in the electoral cycle, where speed and credibility are tested in real time,” he said. “Battle for the States: The Verdict is built on that promise, combining ground reporting, sharp analysis and cutting-edge election technology to give viewers the clearest and fastest route to the verdict. On May 4, CNN-News18 will once again be the nation’s most trusted channel to witness democracy in action.”
Smriti Mehra, chief executive of English and Business News at Network18, framed the coverage in broader terms. “Elections are defining national events, and audiences turn to brands they trust in moments that matter,” she said. “CNN-News18 has consistently led from the front in every election coverage, and this special programming reflects the scale of our ambition and editorial strength.”
The channel has form here. It claims to have been India’s most preferred English news destination for election results for the past 20 years, covering everything from the 2024 general elections to the Delhi, Maharashtra, Bihar and BMC polls on the back of what it calls an “Always First, Always Right” record. Five states, one day, and a nation waiting for answers. The clock starts at 7am on 4th May.
