News Broadcasting
Govt. seeks details of cable headend set-up costs
NEW DELHI: The government has asked the cable and broadcasting industry to come back with more details on the investments that are likely to be needed to be made in headends if conditional access system – facilitating addressability in Indian cable homes – is implemented. This would also form the basis for pricing of the minimum of 33 channels, which a cable operator would have to provide to subscribers as part of the basic-tier of service.
There are some differences between the government estimates on the finances involved and that arrived at by cable operators that hampered a consensus on pricing of the basic tier of service at a meeting of the costing committee on CAS held on Thursday.
For example, while the finance ministry, after collating data and doing mathematical calculation, feels that the cost of one channel for a headend servicing a 7 km radius would be approximately Rs 45,000, some cable operators, according to industry sources, told yesterday’s meeting that if all BIS standards are to be followed then the figure arrived at by the finance ministry would almost double per channel.
Additionally, while government estimates put cable penetration in the metros at almost 70 per cent of the total TV homes, the cable industry representatives say it does not exceed 58-60 per cent.
The costing committee meeting, chaired by joint secretary (broadcasting) in the I&B ministry, Rakesh Mohan, has asked the cable industry to provide it with more details on the actual finances involved to set up a headend if coaxial cable/fibre optics are laid.
These issues are important because they are related to the pricing of the basic tier of prices which, the government says, would be fixed by it.
The 33 free-to-air channels that are to be part of the basic tier also include three Doordarshan channels.
However, the genres of channels that should be included in the basic tier have not yet been specified. “Specifying the genres of channels would be difficult because it will depend on the availability of free-to-air channels in a specific genre,” a cable operator told indiantelevision.com.
For instance, it would be very difficult to include a sports channel in the basic tier of service at the moment because there are no free-to-air sports channel available. Even DD Sports is a pay channel, though Prasar Bharati is mulling making the channel free-to-air. “This move may have been necesisated so that at least DD Sports can be included in the basic tier of cable service, ” a media analyst, closely following developments related to CAS, said.
On the pricing front, while some independent cable operators have suggested charging Rs 3 per channel for the basic tier of service (Rs 99 per month for the package), some broadcasters have suggested a much lower price in the range of Rs 45 to Rs 50.
However, implementation of CAS in the immediate future looks bleak as the government may not hurry it through via an executive order (Ordinance) in between Parliament sessions.
Though the official reason being cited for this delay is that if the prices of pay channels hold, there is no immediate need for CAS, it seems that the government has realised that it would be difficult to convince the President of the country to promulgate an Ordinance at a time when the country has more pressing problems compared to CAS.
News Broadcasting
Mihir Bhatt appointed as chief content officer at News18 Studios
The media veteran brings two decades of experience across television, digital and radio to one of India’s biggest broadcast networks, Disney+ Hotstar, Discovery+
NEW DELHI: Network18 has a new strategist in the building. Mihir Bhatt, one of Indian media’s more versatile operators, has joined News18 Studios as chief content officer, stepping into a role that will see him shape content strategy, build multi-platform properties and drive brand partnerships across the network.
Bhatt brings more than two decades of experience spanning television, digital and radio, with a track record of doing something rare in Indian media: combining editorial ambition with hard commercial results. At Times Network, where he served as managing editor and chief business officer of Times Influence, he built one of the industry’s more respected content studios, launching marquee properties such as the India Economic Conclave, the Times Now Summit and Leaders of Tomorrow. He also pushed the network into premium OTT territory through tie-ups with Disney+ Hotstar and Discovery+.
His resume stretches well beyond the studio. Bhatt has led Global Investor Summits for multiple state governments, worked alongside the World Economic Forum and played a pivotal role in launching the Indian Pickleball League. Earlier, as editor of Zee Business, he pioneered investor education initiatives that are still cited as industry benchmarks.
At News18 Studios, Bhatt will report to chief executive S Shivakumar and will oversee the studios execution vertical alongside revenue verticals covering emerging markets and campaigns. Sidharth Saini, Hemanth Kumar and Nimar Sarkaria will work under him.
Rahul Joshi, managing director and editor-in-chief of Network18 Group, made the announcement in an internal communication. “Mihir’s ability to build enduring brands, foster strategic partnerships and navigate a rapidly evolving media landscape will be instrumental as we continue to strengthen our position and explore new avenues of growth in the Studios business,” Joshi said.
In a media industry lurching between disruption and reinvention, Network18 has bet on a man who has spent two decades thriving in exactly that chaos. Whether he can do it again, at greater scale, is the question worth watching.
