I&B Ministry
MIB scheme evaluation: Revised tenders invited from 20
NEW DELHI: Nine more agencies have been added to the revised tender for the evaluation of its schemes to be continued beyond the 12th Plan by the ministry of information and broadcasting, taking the total number of short-listed agencies to 20.
Interestingly, development of community radio and anti-piracy programme in the film sector which were a part of the tender notice of 6 June have been taken off the new list of schemes to be covered. The number of schemes has also been reduced to seven and their sub-schemes against 12 in the earlier tender announcement.
Tenders have been invited by 24 July and will be opened on the morning of 27 July in the presence of authorised representatives of the bidders. The ministry has made it clear that it is not permissible for the addresses to transfer this invitation to any other institution.
A notice on the website of the ministry includes Terms of Reference (TOR) of the Schemes for Assignment, the standard form of certificates to be included in the proposal and the standard form of agreement. The evaluation of the proposals will be done by the Evaluation Committee.
A detailed proposal including the technical bid and the financial bid need to be submitted in two separate sealed covers. The reference number of the letter and the title of the assignment should be superscribed on the envelope containing the proposal.
The short-listed agencies are:
1. Academy of Management Studies,
2. AFC India Ltd.,
3. National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD),
4. MAPCON Limited,
5. Datamation Consultants Pvt. Ltd.,
6. Chrome Data Analytics & Media
7. Transnational Altemate Learning for Emancipation and Empowerment through Multimedia (TALEEM),
S. GFK Mode Pvt. Ltd.,
9. Development & Research Services Pvt. Ltd.,
10. Nielsen (India) hrt. Ltd.,
I l. Sigma Research and Consulting Pvt. Ltd.,
12. Ipsos Research Pvt. Limited.,
13. Sreejak Media Pvt. Ltd.,
14. IMRB Intemational,
15. Kadence Research lndia Pvt Ltd.
16. Mott McDonald Pvt. Ltd.,
17. Operations Research Group Pvt. Ltd.,
18. KPMG, Building No. 10,
19. McKinsey & Company,
20. Quality Council of India.
The schemes include:
Broadcasting Sector
Prasar Bharati
a) Grant in aid to Prasar Bharati
b) Grant in aid to Prasar Bharati for Kisan Channel
Film Sector
i) Infrastructure Development Programme relating to Film Sector
a) Upgradation, modernisation and expansion of CBFC and certification process
b) Upgradation ofSiri Fort Complex
c) Upgradation of building infrastructure of Films Division
d) Grant-in-Aid to FTII – U pgradation and Modernisation ofFTll
e) Infrastructure development in SRFTI
ii) Development Communication & Dissemination of Filmic Content a) Promotion of Indian cinema through film festivals and film markets in India and abroad
b) Production of films and documentaries in various Indian languages
c) Webcasting of Film Archives
d) Acquisition of archival films and film material
iii)National Film Heritage Mission
iv) Setting up a Centre of Excellence for Animation, Gaming and VFX (NCoE)
Information Sector
i) Media Infrastructure Development Programme
a) Revamping & Restructuring of DA VP
b) Modernisation of PIB
c) Opening up of New Regional Centers of IIMC
d) Revitalisation, upgradation and modernisation of Publications Division and Employment News
e) National Centre of Photography and Special Drive for North Eastern States
f) Strengthening of RNT Headquarters
ii) Development Communication & Information Dissemination
a) People’s Empowerment through Development Communication (Conception and Dissemination)
b) Media Outreach Programme and Publicity for Special Events
c) Direct Contact Programme by Directorate of Field Publicity
d) Live Arts and Culture
e) Social Media Platform
Also read:
MIB scheme evaluation: Tenders invited from Chrome DM, IMRB & Nielsen etc
Tenders invited for agency to evaluate MIB schemes in information, broadcasting and films
I&B Ministry
AIDCF moves TDSAT over Waves plan to stream linear TV channels
Industry body flags regulatory gap as OTT push sparks broadcast turf war
NEW DELHI: The battle between traditional television distributors and digital platforms has found its way to the courts, with the All India Digital Cable Federation (AIDCF) moving the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) against Prasar Bharati’s latest OTT play.
At the heart of the dispute is Waves, Prasar Bharati’s OTT platform, which has invited applications to onboard linear satellite TV channels. Aidcf, which represents multi-system operators (msos), argues that this move sidesteps existing broadcasting rules and risks tilting the playing field in favour of digital platforms.
The federation’s petition hinges on a key provision in the Uplinking and Downlinking Guidelines, 2022. Clause 11(3)(f) allows broadcasters to downlink channels only if they provide signal decoders to recognised distribution platforms such as MSOS, DTH operators, hits operators and iptv platforms. OTT platforms, aidcf points out, do not feature on that list.
In simple terms, AIDCF’s argument is this: if OTT platforms are not officially recognised distributors, they should not be receiving broadcast signals in the first place. By inviting channels onto Waves, the federation claims, Prasar Bharati is opening a backdoor that lets broadcasters bypass long-standing rules.
The concern goes beyond legal interpretation. Aidcf says OTT platforms currently operate without a clear regulatory framework, allowing them to expand into traditional broadcasting territory without the compliance burden that cable and satellite operators must carry. That, it argues, creates an uneven contest.
There is also a warning for broadcasters. If they provide signal decoders to an OTT platform like Waves, they could risk breaching the very conditions under which their downlinking permissions were granted.
For its part, Prasar Bharati’s Waves initiative is positioned as a step towards wider access and digital reach, bringing linear television into the streaming era. But critics say the move blurs the line between regulated broadcasting and largely unregulated streaming.
The matter is expected to come up before tdsat next week. The outcome could do more than settle a single dispute. It may help define how India regulates the fast-merging worlds of television and OTT, where the lines are getting fuzzier by the day and the stakes, sharper than ever.
