MUMBAI: The viewership of news channels have risen exponentially in week 8 (22-28 February) of Broadcast Audience Research Council India (BARC) as compared to week 7 (15-21 February). In the current week, English news channels' combined viewership has grown substantially by over 82 per cent, whereas the Hindi news channels' weekly impressions rose by over 42 per cent.

MUMBAI: Sports has become the top gainer in week 8 2020 of Chrome Data Analytics and Media data. The genre grew by 0.35 per cent. In this genre, DD Sports channel gained the highest OTS with 98.5 per cent in all India 1 lakh+ market. OTS is the actual census-based percentage connectivity of a channel spread across 81 million homes, as reported by Chrome DM, across analogue cable, digital cable, and DTH.

After ordering Malayalam news channels - MediaOne TV and Asianet News - to stop uplinking for 48 hours on any platform throughout India with effect from 19:30:00 hours on March 6, 2O2O till 19:30:00 hours on March 8, 2020, the Ministery of Information and Broadcasting has lifted the ban, according to media reports. Both the channels are back on the air. 

MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court has reserved its order in the broadcaster versus Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) matter since both sides have completed their arguments and counter-arguments.

The Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF), Star India, Sony, ZEEL, Viacom18, Disney India, The Film and Television Producers Guild of India, Asianet Star Communications, NGC Network India, and TV18 Broadcast have challenged the TRAI’s modifications to the new tariff order (NTO), which is now called NTO 2.0.

MUMBAI: The ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) has approved name change applications of several companies.

Star India has got the MIB approval to launch Star Sports 3 HD and Star Movies Select in place of Star Sports 1 Malayalam and Star World Premiere HD. While the Star Sports 1 Malayalam was not operationalised, the broadcaster is shutting down Star World Premiere HD. Star Movies Select was slated to launch on 1st February.

MUMBAI: Viacom18’s Hindi movie channel Colors Cineplex is strategically attracting eyeballs by offering cricket with road safety series and world television premieres of big movies of the year like Brahmastra and Dostana 2. The aim is to enter the top three movie channel list in 2020. 

The channel currently has a movie festival, Hindi movie premiere, south dubbed movies, movies review show with Atika Farooqui and now it has added a cricket league as an annual property.

Mumbai: Chrome Data Analytics and Media’s Optimal+ data has released the comparative study of the performance of various brands in week 7 against week 6. The report categorizes the performance of brands under three broad categories namely Most Watched ads, Most Aired ads and the Most Liked ads based on analysis of data involving 34000-panel homes across the country.

MUMBAI: Direct to home (DTH) operator Independent TV has moved Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) against encashment of its bank guarantee amounting to Rs 50 crore by the ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB).

The bank guarantee was encashed as the DTH operator had failed to pay licence fee. The DTH operator’s content is that it is not liable to pay licence fee as it has incurred losses.

MUMBAI: The ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) has granted 16 new TV channel licences in February. Eenadu Television has received 14 licences while IN10 Media has got two licences. All the 16 licences are in the non-news category and for uplinking and downlinking.

Eenadu Television‘s 14 licences are across multiple regional languages besides English and Hindi. The licences include ETV Bal Bharat English, ETV Bal Bharat SD, ETV Bal Bharat HD, ETV Bal Bharat Gujarathi, ETV Bal Bharat Hindi, ETV Bal Bharat Kannada, ETV Bal Bharat Marathi, ETV Bal Bharat Punjabi, ETV Bal Bharat Telugu, ETV Bal Bharat Malayalam, ETV Bal Bharat Tamil, ETV Bal Bharat Assamese, ETV Bal Bharat Bangla, and ETV Bal Bharat Odia.

The Prakash Javadekar-led Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has asked the Over-The-Top content players to set up an adjudicatory body and finalise a code of conduct in the next 100 days.

The OTT players are now under pressure to ensure some form of censorship for their content.