English Entertainment
India on a plate: celebrate world food day with Epic Channel
MUMBAI: 16th October 2019 marks the 74th anniversary of the inception of ‘The Food and Agriculture Organization’ of the UN. Since 1979 this historic event has been annually celebrated as World Food Day in over 150 countries. Joining the celebrations, EPIC Channel – India Ka Apna Infotainment – brings to you a delectable day for mind, body, and soul. Starting at 7:00 am to 12:00 midnight the channel has curated a savoury offering of 4 eclectic shows that celebrate the many gastronomical facets of India.
The platter will include EPIC Channel’s marquee food series ‘Raja Rasoi Aur Andaaz Anokha’. Celebrity chef Ranveer Brar demonstrates through the show, the little nuances that make for the several regional and royal cuisines of India. Adding that something extra to the herbs and spice is the show ‘Tyohaar Ki Thaali’. Hosted by renowned TV personality Sakshi Tanwar, the show illustrates the reverence that Indian culture has for food. It explores the significance of traditional dishes associated with the many festivals celebrated across the nation. Also part of EPIC Channel’s 4 course offering is a drizzle of nostalgia in the show ‘Lost Recipes’. Chef Aditya Bal takes you on a trip down memory lane as we rediscover the styles of cooking that have been forgotten over time. Garnishing this special line up is ‘Indipedia’ featuring Edward Sonnenblick. Join him on EPIC Channel as we take a journey across the length and breadth of our nation to unravel the many customs and traditions that make us who we are.
In true blue Indian flavour, adding the zing of tadka is an all-day ‘Food IQ’ contest. Hosted by IQ Challenge quizmaster Meiyang Chang, the hourly contest will have winners every 60 minutes, all day!
Sakshi Tanwar, host of the show Tyohaar Ki Thaali found the experience uplifting and had this to say “Food is the most important element of our lives. The reverence we have for it in our culture is completely justified. This show celebrates the diversity of our nation through its festivals, cultural nuances, traditions, and also brings to light the little known stories associated with them. Working on the show was a delicious experience for both my mind and my taste buds.”
Ranveer Brar, host of the show Raja Rasoi Aur Andaaz Anokha cherishes being part of the show and urges others to discover the joys of cooking. He says “Hidden in the flavours of every dish is a little bit of history. Through Raja Rasoi Aur Andaaz Anokha, I got the chance to deep dive into the same as well as uncover their unique techniques. Being part of the show has made me rediscover how much I enjoy cooking and feeding people. This world food day, I urge you to reach out to help eradicate hunger by feeding just one more person and feel the joy that I do when I do the same”
Aditya Bal, host of Lost Recipe Season 1 & 2 found his experience as the host of the show illuminating and exciting. He said "Indubitably India is a paradise of various kinds of cuisines. We are a foodie community where our cuisine is our pride. It is our responsibility to promote healthy eating habits and prevention of wastage. This World Food Day, educate each other about the history of your cuisine, preserve it for the generations to come and help ensure that they have the resources to taste the deliciousness that you have"
Akul Tripathi, Head – Content and Programming, EPIC Channel, said “Through these shows, we wish not only for people to discover recipes to satiate their cravings but also to rediscover their curiosity. This World Food Day let us vow to eradicate the hunger in our bellies, so that we can cultivate starvation for curiosity & creativity in our minds.”
UK: The aerial is losing its grip. As broadband becomes the default way Britons watch television, the UK is edging towards a decisive, and divisive, question: should Freeview be switched off by 2034? The issue, highlighted in reporting by The Guardian, has exposed deep fault lines over access, affordability and the future of public service broadcasting.
For nearly 25 years, Freeview has delivered free-to-air television from the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 to almost every corner of the country. Even now, it remains the UK’s largest TV platform, used in more than 16m homes and on around 10m main household sets. Yet the same broadcasters that built it are now pressing for its closure within eight years.
Their case rests on a structural shift in viewing. Smart TVs, superfast broadband and the Netflix-led streaming boom have pulled audiences online. Advertising economics have followed. By 2034, the number of homes using Freeview as their main TV set is forecast to fall from a peak of almost 12m in 2012 to fewer than 2m, making digital terrestrial television, or DTT, increasingly costly to sustain.
But critics say the rush to switch off risks abandoning those least able, or least willing, to move online.
“I don’t want to be choosing apps and making new accounts,” says Lynette, 80, from Kent. “It is time-consuming and irritating trying to work out where I want to be, to remember the sequence of clicks, with hieroglyphics instead of words. If I make a mistake I have to start again.”
Lynette is among nearly 100,000 people who have signed a “save Freeview” petition launched by campaign group Silver Voices. She fears the government is about to “take [Freeview] away from me and others who either don’t like, can’t afford, or can’t use online versions”.
Official figures underline the fault lines. A report commissioned by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport estimates that by 2035, 1.8m homes will still depend on Freeview. Ofcom’s analysis shows those households are more likely to be disabled, older, living alone, female, and based in the north of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Freeview is owned by the public service broadcasters through Everyone TV, which also operates Freesat and the newer streaming platform Freely. After two years of review, DCMS is expected to set out its position soon, drawing on three options proposed by Ofcom: a costly upgrade of Freeview’s ageing technology; maintaining a bare-bones service with only core PSB channels; or a full switch-off during the 2030s.
The broadcasters have rallied behind the third option. They argue that 2034 is the logical cut-off, when transmission contracts with network operator Arqiva expire. By then, they say, the cost of broadcasting to a dwindling audience will far outweigh the returns from TV advertising.
Ofcom agrees a crunch point is approaching. In July, the regulator warned of a “tipping point” within the next few years, after which it will no longer be commercially viable for broadcasters to carry the costs of DTT.
Others see risks beyond economics. Questions remain over whether internet TV can reliably deliver emergency broadcasts, such as the daily Covid updates, in the way that universally available DTT can. The UK radio industry has also warned that an internet-only future for TV could push up distribution costs and force some radio stations off air if PSBs no longer share Arqiva’s mast network.
“It is a political hot potato,” says Dennis Reed, founder of Silver Voices, who says he has “dissociated” his organisation from the government’s stakeholder forum, which he believes is “heavily biased” towards streaming.
The Future TV Taskforce, representing the PSBs, counters that moving online could “close the digital divide once and for all”. “We want to be able to plan to ensure that no one is left behind,” a spokesperson says, adding that rising DTT costs could otherwise mean cuts to programme budgets.
The numbers show the scale of the challenge. Of the 1.8m Freeview-dependent homes projected for 2035, around 1.1m are expected to have broadband but not use it for TV. The remaining 700,000 are forecast to lack a broadband connection altogether.
Veterans of the analogue switch-off, completed in 2012 after 76 years, recall similar fears of “TV blackout chaos”. Around 6 per cent of households were labelled “digital refuseniks”, yet a targeted help scheme and a national campaign, fronted by a robot called Digit Al voiced by Matt Lucas, delivered a largely smooth transition.
This time, the BBC is less keen to foot the bill. Tim Davie, the outgoing director general, has said the corporation should not fund a comparable support programme for a Freeview switch-off.
Research for Sky by Oliver & Ohlbaum suggests that with early awareness campaigns and digital inclusion measures, only about 330,000 households would ultimately need hands-on help ahead of a 2034 shutdown.
Meanwhile, viewing habits continue to fragment. Audience body Barb says 7 per cent of UK households no longer own a TV set, choosing to watch on other devices. In December, YouTube overtook the BBC’s combined channels in total UK viewing across TVs, smartphones and tablets, albeit measured at a minimum of three minutes.
That shift may accelerate. YouTube has recently blocked Barb and its partner Kantar from accessing viewing session data, limiting transparency just as online platforms consolidate power.
“When the government chose British Satellite Broadcasting as the ‘winner’ in satellite TV it was Rupert Murdoch’s Sky instead that came out on top,” says a senior TV executive quoted by The Guardian. “There already is such an outsider ready to be the winner in the transition to internet TV; it is YouTube.”
Freeview’s future now hangs on a familiar British dilemma: modernise fast and risk exclusion, or protect universality and pay the price. Either way, the aerial’s days as king of the living room look numbered.
