MUMBAI: Rajat Sharma helmed Hindi news channel India TV has done it again. The news channel has alleged that it has caught six international umpires from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka on camera who are willing to fix Twenty20 matches in exchange for bribes.

In a sting operation, the six umpires who were exposed called "Operation World Cup" are Nadeem Ghauri and Anees Siddiqui of Pakistan, Nadir Shah of Bangladesh, and Gamini Dissanayake, Maurice Winston and Sagara Gallage of Sri Lanka. The news broadcaster said the seventh umpire Sharfudoullah Shahid Saikat of Bangladesh refused to give any favour in lieu of money.

The entire sting operation was aired on Monday prime time on India TV.

Earlier, India TV had carried out a sting operation revealing how domestic players were willing to indulge in corrupt practices in lieu for money and other favours like getting a place in an IPL team. The sting led to a probe by Anti-Corruption unit of BCCI and the subsequent ban on five players.

The India TV sting operation revealed how umpires were willing to share information about match like pitch report, weather report, toss report and playing elevens in exchange for money.

The sting operation also alleged how newly created franchise leagues like the Sri Lanka Premier League and Bangladesh Premier League are susceptible to fixing. It must be noted that BPL is already facing allegations of match fixing by certain players.

Bangladesh‘s Nadir Shah, one of the umpires to be caught on camera, revealed that Pakistan‘s opening batsman Nasir Jamshed ‘fixed‘ several matches during the Bangladesh Premier League.

Sri Lankan umpire Sagara Gallage, who was the fourth umpire at the India-Pakistan T20 World Cup match on 17 September, had agreed to reveal the match pitch report, weather report, toss report, and even the playing elevens of both teams for a payment of Rs 50,000.

The channel alleged that he had promised to give decision against Pakistani batsman Imran Nazir in Sri Lanka Premier League. Galage also promised that he would get a decision in favour of India with the help of match referee.

Pakistan‘s Nadeem Ghauri was also willing to lend a helping hand to the Indian team through favourable decisions.

The International Cricket Council while asserting its zero tolerance towards corruption said none of the umpires shown on the sting were involved in ICC World Twenty20 games.

It also urged India TV to share information that would help ICC in its investigation.

"The ICC and its relevant members have been made aware of the allegations made by India TV this evening and calls on the station to turnover any information which can assist the ICC‘s urgent investigations into this matter," the ICC said in a statement.

"The ICC re-iterates its zero-tolerance towards corruption whether alleged against players or officials. The ICC confirms that none of the umpires named were involved in any of the official games of the ICC World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka."

Meanwhile, Pakistani umpire Nadeem Ghauri said there is no truth in the sting operation. He also said that he had not been in the international panel for the past two years.

MUMBAI: Reliance Broadcast Network (RBNL) has appointed Ashwin Sashital as vice president for Big RTL, Minal Sharma as sales head - West and South for Big CBS and Preeti Nayyar as national sales head impact and sales head South and West for Language TV.

Sashital‘s last stint was with Star Pravah as AVP. At Big RTL, he will oversee the business operations across the functions of marketing, revenue, creative and operations for the business. In his new role, he will be reporting to Language TV head Sunil Kumaran.

Sashital said, "Big RTL is in an exciting phase where it is set to grow in leaps and bounds and I would like to steer and accelerate it in the right direction and make it a part of the leading network of channels in India."

Sharma‘s new role entails revenue generation for the channels along with her team. She will report into Big CBS channels business head Anand Chakravarthy.

"With digitisation set to bring in transparency, improved quality of service and fair play, I am excited to be at the core of the revolution, as we offer marketers tremendous measurable value," Sharma said.

Nayyar‘s last stint was with Radio Mirchi where she witnessed the evolution of radio, while handling functions including retail and corporate sales. She will report to Language TV sales head Arjun Singgh Baran.

In her current profile, in addition to overseeing the sales function Nayyar will also make multi-media solutions for marketers, which see integration across television, radio, OOH, print and on ground.

Nayyar said, "The growth story for Indian Television lies in the regional space, and am glad to come on board RBNL in these exciting times. I look forward to working with the team, as we together offer marketers solutions that are tailored to reach their regional audiences, while delivering optimal RoI and minimal spill-over."

Prior to joining Big RTL, Sashital has also worked across companies like Star, Zee and Radio Mid Day.

Armed with over 12 years of work experience, Sharma has worked across media brands ranging UTV Bindaas(Disney), Zoom, Zee TV, India TV and India Today.

Nayyar too comes in with over 12 years of understanding of activation and sales. She has worked across the M&E industry spanning radio and print.

MUMBAI: In order to treat its viewers with the Ganpati-dedicated content, India TV is introducing a time-slot that will have stories related to one of the most prominent festivals of Maharashtra.

Starting 19 September, the dedicated time slot will run through the Ganpati festival till 29 September.

From the decorated Pandals of Mumbai to the historical temples and holy abode of lord Ganesha in other cities of Maharashtra to the Ganesha at various celebrity homes, the travelogue will be a complete package.

The initiative is being promoted heavily not only on the channel but also through outdoor and radio in various cities and towns of Maharashtra. Including Mumbai, the campaign will cover 12 cities across Maharashtra.

In the creative execution, the map outline of Maharashtra has been used as lord Ganesha?s caricature, the "Mangalmurti Maharashtra". Beyond the channel the same will be seen and heard across OOH platforms and radio in the key cities of Maharashtra.

India TV MD and CEO Ritu Dhawan said, "We thought of celebrating Ganpati in the true Maharashtrian spirit & want the entire country to witness the same. Becoming part of the celebrations is just a small gesture towards the people of this great state who have also made us the leading channel in the region. We hope that we are able to meet the viewer expectations."

NEW DELHI: In a judgement that can have grave consequences, the Delhi High Court has held that use of a few words from a song or a few lines from a lyric does not amount to infringement of copyright.

Justice Pradeep Nandrajog and Justice Manmohan Singh said this amounts to "fair use" and is at the same time "de minimus", which means very little usage compared to the whole programme.

The judgement was delivered in a case filed by Yash Raj Films alleging infringement of copyright by India TV. Five words of the song ‘Kajrare, mera chain vain sab ujhda‘, had been used in a promo for a consumer affairs programme telecast on India TV, and Vasundhara Das had sung a portion of the song ‘Salaam Namaste‘ in an hour-long programme ‘India Beats‘ on India TV, where the singer?s life sketch was being shown.

India TV MD and CEO Ritu Dhawan said, ?The ruling itself is a victory for the channel and media houses alike and places their right of "Fair Use at the forefront.?

Senior counsel Prathiba Singh who appeared for India TV said: "The court has protected the rights of artistes and creators on the one hand and news channels on the other. The court has held that if every form of usage of even small bits is infringement then creativity would be stultified."

In a similar development, the high courts in Mumbai and Delhi have held that performance royalty is not payable on a mere broadcast of original sound recordings by FM radio broadcasters. Following these judgements, Reliance Broadcast obtained a legal opinion which backs the judgements and accordingly, has stopped paying performance royalties.

The judgements were delivered by the Bombay High Court in the case of Indian performing Right Society (IPRS) v/s Music Broadcast Private Ltd and by the Delhi High Court in the case of IPRS v/s Aditya Pandey. IPRS is a representative body of owners of music ? the composers, lyricists and the publishers of music and has been collecting royalties for commercial usage of music.

Reliance Broadcast, in its first quarter results statement, said it has not provided for Rs 34.66 million of performance royalty for the year ended 31 March 2012. It has also written back royalties paid in earlier years amounting to Rs 211.31 million.

Reliance Broadcast has gone a step ahead and filed declaratory suits in the high courts of Mumbai and Delhi and also applications for refund of performance royalty before the Copyright Board from the respective rights holders/copyright societies.