A Wish List For New I&B Minister Ambika Soni: The CEO’s Agenda
The ministry of information and broadcasting has a new boss in Ambika Soni. For the next five years–a crucial period when the country’s Rs50,000 crore media and entertainment industry is poised to take a quantum leap–Soni will be at the helm of critical policy decision making that can make or mar the prospects of a sector that has enjoyed spectacular growth in the post-liberalization era.
We asked several prominent industry CEOs to make a wishlist for the new minister–a five-point agenda that they think are critical to their sector, businesses, and the wholesome growth of Indian media. Here is the CEO’s agenda, in no particular order. Feel free to add your own wish list in the comments field.
Broadcasting:
Jawahar Goel, managing director, Dish TV India Ltd:
- Multiple taxation in the broadcasting industry should be done away with. Currently, there is service tax, entertainment tax, value added tax, fringe benefit tax and more. In DTH, the effective tax rate is 45%. As a result of this, in this country, only may be ten channels are profitable on a standalone basis. Print has no service tax component and gets other waivers. The government should encourage the growth of the industry that is suffocating from multiple taxation.
- The content code should be notified. The film industry has been producing films with adults only certification for decades but there is no digital outlet for these films now. When we have mechanism like parental locks, there is no reason why these films should not be distributed digitally. There are provisions for this in the content code and it has been awaiting notification for a long time now.
- Pay channel pricing has been frozen for five years now. It was frozen when the conditional access system was being implemented and at that time the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India said it was a temporary arrangement. For five years now, it has remained a temporary arrangement.
- The ministry needs to streamline its own operations. The Foreign Investment Promotion Board is a good example to follow. So many applications for down-linking permissions are pending with the ministry and there is no clarity on the timeframe within which permission will be given or denied. If the ministry
Interesting views. Somewhat predictable.Focused entirely on content creators.The distribution sector has very different agendas for Government and Trai. Suffice to say they are not middlemen but the information infrastructure highway on which the entire content gravy train travels.We look for a level playing field to be incentivised for digital growth.Yes we want CAS but over a specified period of time say a staggered rollout.Most important is that the customer rupee needs to be equitably shared and customer kept enabled to pick and choose bouquets and packages of his choice.On content regulation we need it but self regulation will not work as long as TRPs rule.All service provider alliances like IBF/MSO Alliance/COFI etc need to talk out common points of agreement and talk Trai into a light feather touch regulation mode.Will it happen? Someday I hope.
Thanks for your inputs Ashok, you raise an important issue. I don't see an easy reconciliation between content creators and distributors so long as both sides are fighting for more of the same pie. Ideally, the two should be working together to increase the size of the pie, and be willing to make short term sacrifices for it, but well, easier said than done.
For the benefit of our readers, Ashok Mansukhani, the commentor above, is the chairman of the MSO alliance, a body of multi system operators (the big cable guys) and a tireless advocate for that industry.
Interesting point of views from different respectable people in Media industry. Hopefully, their insights will have a positive result someday.