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MUMBAI: The seventh edition of Frames the convention for the business
of entertainment kicked off in Mumbai this morning.
I&B Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunshi says that firms like Reliance’s
Adlabs, Zee have a set up across different media segments. They
have thus created a set up In India along the lines of global firms.
He dwelt on the importance of ending piracy on all fronts and said
that his ministry would study the draft on the Optical Disc Law
that was presented to him by Ficci.
He says that recommendations have come through for the film industry
courtesy a core group. The Indian industry needs to participate in
film festivals and markets abroad. This is important for showcasing
our cinema and for developing new markets. He says that amendments
to the Cinematograph Act 1952 are being considered and the draft formulation
wi;ll be ready in a short time. .He said that the government is working
on giving tax concessions to enable digital cinema halls to spread
across the country. A project scheme has been announced with a customs
duty rate of 7.5 per cent.
He asked the industry to cooperate with the government in order
to push India as a shooting location and also for other countries
to use out production and post production facilities. He notes that
the shooting guidelines in India are fairly simple apart from as
few sensitive locations.
Reliance Entertainment chairman Amit Khanna says that with the digital
age there will be a shift from multi service networks to multi network
services. “The consumer in the digital universe will be pulled
in two directions. The first one is where there is one on one customization
which till now has not been possible.Then there is mass customization
which comes through large scale events like the cricket World Cup.However
talent will always be at a premium. In 10 years India will be the
youngest country in the world. It is the young who consume media
the most and it is important that we have progressive regulation.
Commercial interests should not be sacrificed in the name of national
interest. Viewing cricket for instance is a choice and not a matter
of national interest. We must also be careful of over regulation.
Media owners while being stringent on IPR should not be resistant
to new platforms as that will pave the way for additional revenue
streams.”
I&B secretary S.K. Arora says that there are four principles
that guide the formulation of regulation.“The first one is
recognising that the consumer is king. He should be the centre stage
of all policies.The second is that investment should be encouraged
and induced to build businesses in media and entertainment. The
third is that the government should create a regulatory environment
that facilitates competition whether it is in Cas, DTH, IPTV. We
must enable the different players to on a level playing field reach
the masses. Finally the government must support the Indian media
efforts to go global.
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