News Broadcasting
IBF member suggests separate panels for pay, FTA channels
NEW DELHI: Pay broadcasters who are members of Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) want that the organization should have separate panels for free to air channels and pay channels in order to avoid lack of consensus on controversial issues like conditional access and the proposed limitation of advertising time on pay channels
This is one of the compromise formulae that is being touted in the wake of differences in the business interests of pay and FTA channels. It is seen as a practical way to allow the IBF to be able to fairly represent the interests of both pay and FTA broadcasters. The matter came to the fore last year with a show cause notice being issued to a representative of an FTA channel for taking a stand different from that of the collective wisdom of the IBF.
A broadcaster-member of the IBF, which controls some of the most paying pay channels in India and has also been described as the biggest media company in India at various points of time, is understood to have written to the IBF secretariat on the need to have panels with separate agendas for various type of broadcasters operating in India.
It has been pointed out by a senior representative of this broadcasting organization that on some key issues, the viewpoint of pay and FTA channels are unlikely to match. Hence, there should be two panels or sub-committees in the IBF looking after the interest of these broadcasters separately.
It has also been suggested that when representations and submissions are made to the government and the sector regulator, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), these two separate panels would be useful in putting across the respective viewpoints more forcefully without attempting to seek an across the board consensus, which is seldom achieved or when achieved, the arguments get diluted.
However, it is not clear to indiantelevision.com at this point of time whether this issue is likely to be discussed in a board meeting of the IBF, slated to be held on 10 August, a day when the board of Prasar Bharati, too, is meeting to take up some important issues. Though not directly related, it may be worth noting that a finance panel of the Board of Control for Cricket in India will also be holding its own meeting on 10 August.
The member of the IBF that has mooted the proposal of having two separate sub-panels within the IBF has also argued that it is necessary to have such a set-up as, for example, it would be difficult to slot some of the members like Indian pubcaster Doordarshan. Is DD a pay broadcaster or a free to air one?
Questions like these have started haunting the IBF because of conflicting business interests of broadcasters.
News Broadcasting
News18 India to air Sabse Bada Dangal on 4 May counting day
Channel promises fastest results, live trends and analysis across five states.
MUMBAI: Ballots will do the talking and screens will do the shouting. As counting day approaches for high-stakes Assembly elections across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry, News18 India is gearing up for an all-day broadcast of its flagship election show, Sabse Bada Dangal, on 4 May from 6 am onwards. The Hindi news channel plans to deliver continuous, real-time updates as votes are tallied, combining live counting data with on-ground reporting and studio analysis. With political fortunes set to shift through the day, the coverage will track every swing, surge and surprise as trends turn into results.
The broadcast will feature a mix of senior political leaders, analysts and experts, offering instant reactions and decoding the evolving electoral picture. Expect heated debates, quick takes and detailed breakdowns as the numbers settle across all five states.
For News18 India, counting day has long been a high-visibility moment. The network is banking on its reporting reach, editorial bandwidth and technology-driven coverage to stay ahead in what is often a fiercely competitive news cycle.
With multiple battlegrounds and shifting narratives, the day promises both drama and data in equal measure. And if all goes to plan, Sabse Bada Dangal will once again turn the counting of votes into prime-time spectacle.
