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The standoff between broadcasters and local cable/multi-system operators over the New Tariff Order (NTO) has ended and connection of channels to nearly 4.5 million homes was restored on Friday after the latter decided to sign fresh agreements, said industry sources. Members of All India Digital Cable Federation (AIDCF) has decided to sign the fresh Reference Interconnection Offer (RIO) "without any prejudice" to their challenge to Trai regulation and new tariff order, he added. Local cable/multi-system operators have already challenged the Trai regulation before the Kerala High Court. Earlier, three leading broadcasters, Disney Star, Zee Entertainment Enterprises and Sony Pictures Networks India Ltd, had already stopped providing feed to cable operators which have not signed fresh agreements with increased prices under the New Tariff Order (NTO) 3.0. The NTO had come into force in February 2023. Earlier, the broadcasters had issued notices on February 15 to cable operators/ multi
The public broadcasters of India and Egypt on Wednesday inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to facilitate sharing of content, co-production and training of officials in latest technologies. The MoU was signed by Information and Broadcasting Anurag Singh Thakur and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Hassan Shoukry in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, who will be the chief guest at the Republic Day Parade. Under the MoU, Prasar Bharati, the public broadcaster of India, and the National Media Authority (NMA) of Egypt agreed to exchange programmes for television and radio. "The MoU is a general statement of intent, the specifics on content sharing will get worked out at a later date mutually," Prasar Bharati Chief Executive Officer Gaurav Dwivedi said when asked about programmes that India would share with Egypt as part of the pact. "The MoU is part of the efforts by Prasar Bharati to expand the reach of DD India Channel to ...
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the Broadcasting Infrastructure and Network Development (BIND) scheme will augment the broadcasting infrastructure, particularly in the remote areas. This will also help in diverse sectors like health, education and entertainment, he tweeted. In a bid to upgrade Prasar Bharati's broadcast infrastructure and network, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Wednesday approved the scheme worth more than Rs 2,500 crore for Doordarshan and All India Radio. Lauding the National Green Hydrogen Mission, which the Cabinet also approved, Modi said it is a landmark step towards sustainable development and creating investment opportunities for our youth. The government approved a Rs 19,744 crore incentive plan to promote the manufacturing of green hydrogen in the country in a bid to cut emissions.
The Centre has issued an advisory asking Union ministries, state governments and union territory administrations not to enter into any broadcasting or distribution of broadcasting activities directly. In the advisory, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting asked those broadcasting their content to route it through Prasar Bharati. It also asked entities distributing the broadcasting content to "extract themselves" from it by December 31, 2023. The advisory is likely to impact Kalvi TV, an educational channel launched by the Tamil Nadu government which is available on some DTH platforms, and IPTV, launched by the Andhra Pradesh government. "No Ministry/Department of the Central Government and State/UT Governments and entities related to them shall enter into broadcasting/distribution of broadcasting activities in future," said the advisory issued on Friday. "ln case Ministries of Central Government, State/UT Government and entities related to them are already broadcasting their
Fox plans to avoid coverage of Qatar's controversial treatment of migrant workers during World Cup broadcasts, much as it didn't address criticism of Russia's government during the 2018 tournament. "Our stance is if it affects what happens on the field of play, we will cover it and cover it fully," David Neal, executive producer of Fox's World Cup coverage, said Thursday. "But if it does not, if it is ancillary to the story of the tournament, there are plenty of other entities and outlets out there that are going to cover that. We firmly believe the viewers come to us to see what happens on the field, on the pitch." Neal spoke at an event to debut images of the network's set in Doha made of LED screens, the hub of its coverage of a tournament that runs from Nov. 20 to Dec. 18. "This set, in typical subtle Fox fashion," he said, "I think it will be visible from Mars." Qatar has been criticized over its treatment of the workers who built the World Cup venues. Paris' city government