News Broadcasting
Miffed cable operators issue memo against broadcaster to the I&B minister
NEW DELHI: The cable operators are at it once again and this time the allegations are more precise and mince no words. From conditional access to DTH to the previous government to the latest ‘trap’ being discussed by the sector regulator, all have been painted almost black with one brush — broadcasters.
“It is indeed shocking to observe that India remains the only country in the world, which has no law whatsoever to regulate satellite broadcasting,” a memorandum, submitted by three cable organisations to the Prime Minister, infobroad minister Jaipal Reddy and Telecom Regulatory Authority of India chief Pradip Baijal, states. The text of the memorandum was released to the media here today.
It further states: “Taking full advantage of the complete lawless state of affairs, the satellite broadcasters have unleashed a spate of unfair, unjustified and monopolistic practices over the hapless consumers and cable operators in order to fulfill their devious objectives.”
The signatories to the memorandum have pointed that broadcasters, especially the two big ones, “abused their position” to reverse government and court orders on conditional access system (CAS) “in spite of the fact that implementation of CAS was in the public interest and that Rs 8000 million had already been invested in setting up the infrastructure” for addressability. The signatories to the memorandum, which attempts at reverting attention on the broadcast and cable sector, include Cable Operators Federation of India, Cable Networks Association of India and National Cable & Telecom Association.
On monopolistic tendencies prevalent in the sector, the memorandum says that most broadcasters are selling their channels as bundles/ bouquets without giving the right to the consumers to choose individual channels of choice. “To make matters worse, pay channel pricing has been used as a predatory tool to eliminate competition on the ground,” the memo states.
DTH too has come under the cable operators’ scanner and it has been alleged that, while all forms of competition are welcome, the cable operators fear that the broadcasters will deny a level playing field by initially subsidizing the content on DTH and making it more expensive on cable, leading to wholesale destruction of the cable TV industry which could lead to an unemployment problem in the country.
Making all the right political noises, the petitioners have said that 70,000 cable operators of India provided employment to 1,500,000 individuals and the government should ensure that they are “not driven out of their occupation by coercive tactics of foreign broadcasters.”
The ‘trap’ system or poor man’s set-top box for addressability too hasn’t been spared. Nor the Trai, which has been accused of playing favourite.
Pointing out that the ‘trap’ is an “obsolete technology, rejected the world over two decades ago, “Trai has been criticised for pushing this obsolete technology with the objective of “putting the cable industry at a technological disadvantage as compared to DTH and broadband.”
After all this, the demands: immediate enactment of a broadcasting legislation on the lines of the Draft Broadcast Bill of 1997; implementation of CAS; ensuring pay channels are not sold as bouquets; guidelines on restricting advertisement time on pay channels and increasing the basic cable service charges from Rs 72 (excluding taxes) to Rs 180 (excluding local taxes).
Doesn’t all this sound a bit too familiar?
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.
