NEW DELHI: Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Secretary Uday Kumar Varma feels that the Indian media industry needs to introspect on the current models of self-regulation while emphasising that the government had no intention of placing any controls on the freedom of the press.

Giving a keynote address at the News Television Summit organised by Indiantelevision.com, Varma stressed that India was the only country in the world without a statutory regulatory authority.

While stressing that the government had no intention of imposing any statutory regulation on the media, Varma stated that media must do some introspection on its own ?sooner than later?.

Referring to digitisation, he said, the introduction of digital addressable systems (Das) was the largest single initiative taken by the country for the past few years.

Das will bring transparency and will necessarily force a paradigm shift with television channels working on newer revenue models, apart from working out on new content for the consumers, Varma said.

He also claimed that in the first phase of Das, both Delhi and Mumbai had gone digital de jure and de facto, while Kolkata had gone digital de jure. In Chennai, complete digitisation eluded the government because of a stay order from the Madras High Court.

He was confident that the TV channels along with the consumer will see the benefits of digitisation in the near future, but said state governments will also have to play a role in helping multi-system operators.

News television channels, he was confident, will become more sustainable and purposeful with digitisation as it will help in developing new revenue.

On the phase II of DAS, he said that 28 of the thirty-eight cities had already achieved over 50 per cent digitisation and four were fully digitised.

He said another major game-changer will be the auction of 839 FM radio channels in Phase III, cleared by the Empowered Group of Ministers recently.

Answering a question about permitting news on community and FM Radio, Varma said that the government is only restricting political news because it was difficult to monitor the large number of radio channels in the country.

However, the government had already decided to permit the FM channels to take all India radio news bulletins and this may be extended to community radio as well.

"We are just being prudent at present, but we are not ruling out permitting news bulletins in the future," he said.

He also said that India was working towards becoming a digital teleport hub and the government was taking steps to facilitate this transformation.

Indiantelevision.com Group CEO and Editor-in-Chief Anil Wanvari in his opening note lauded the decision to go digital but said the industry is struggling against various odds. He also said that ad regulation by Trai will only add to the woes of the television industry which has not been witnessing robust growth in the last few years.

MUMBAI: A strong base in the digital markets of Mumbai and Delhi has helped Viacom18?s general entertainment channel (GEC) Colors rise to the number one position among Hindi GECs during three of the five weeks (C&S, HSM 4+ market) in November and December, according to Colors CEO Raj Nayak.

?Colors? content has historically resonated very strongly with viewers in Delhi and in Mumbai too viewers have shown a positive inclination towards our content. With thedigitisation completed in Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata (to a lesser extent though), these three markets put together contribute to a large proportion of the digital universe weightage. Hence, a strong base in the markets of Mumbai and Delhi helps,? Nayak tells Indiantelevision.com.

In the weeks from 47 to 51 of 2012, Colors was the number one GEC in digital markets (HSM, Digital 4+), according to TAM Media Research data. TAM would be releasing data for week 52 on Thursday.

Helios Media CEO Divya Radhakrishnan said ratings for Colors peaked in certain weeks due to programming initiatives on its highest-rated shows -- Shiv Anandi wedding in Ballika Vadhu, change in story track of Madhubala. Also Colors was the only GEC running 3 reality shows simultaneously -Bigg Boss, Sur Kshetra and India?s got talent vis a vis only Sa Re Ga Ma on Zee TV and KBC on Sony Entertainment Television (Set).

Maxus managing partner Kartik Sharma noted, ?If we observe GEC1 trends, some of the channels have a higher skew towards digital homes. This trend was observed even before the full-fledged digitisation and the recent data only validates the same.?

Colors has made its way to the top through its content on weekdays as well as on weekends, backed by big-ticket spikes like premieres and events, according to Nayak.

?We at Colors continue to constantly innovate on content to keep up with audience acceptability, sense and sensibilities. We believe in providing world class quality entertainment, throughout the year 365 days, 24x7. In the process, with audience liking, it helps us in being able to constantly interact and touch our viewers everyday of their lives, thus resulting in viewership in tune with this viewer preference as well for our content,? says Nayak.

Asked if Colors had greater acceptability in digital homes, Nayak says, ?That?s not entirely correct. In other markets too, the channel resonates well with the audience, otherwise we wouldn?t have been a strong contender for the No. 1 slot based on just two markets. And the fact that we have been No 1 in the last 3 out of 5 weeks in overall ratings speaks for itself.?

MUMBAI: After experiencing success with its local show ?What?s With Indian Men?, lifestyle channel Fox Traveller turns its attention to the fairer sex with ?What?s With Indian Women? from 9 December every Sunday at 10 pm.

Two Indian boys have taken up the task to be a part of the tell-all tale on Indian women. VJ Andy and comedian Sanjay Rajoura set out on a fun journey across the vast geography of India to figure out the opposite gender. Their adventures take them to destinations like Delhi, Mumbai, Goa, Dehradun, Pune, Jaipur, Vadodra, Shillong, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai, Lucknow and Chandigarh. They meet women from all walks of life be it models, actors, housewives, sports persons or activists- You name it! This show is all that a man needs to decode Indian women.

Fox International Channel VP marketing Debarpita Banerjee said, "After the phenomenal success of What?s With Indian Men last year, FOX Traveller is back with all the juicy revelations with What?s With Indian Women? Mystery decoders Andy & Sanjay Rajoura are set to task on this exciting series where they meet many beautiful Indian women to know what makes them tick?"

VJ Andy said,"Being a part of this show was like doing a crash course on Indian women! We travelled the Oval: IMPRESS THE LADY. HOLD THE DOOR OPEN FOR HER. Indian landscape, met interesting women and learnt about everything that makes them special! My partnership with Sanjay has been electric; the result is an exciting series that is high on humour, travel and some fantastic revelations".

Rajoura said, "Women are known to be these mysterious creatures, every man is trying to figure out! This show is the perfect guide for all men out there! Andy and I enjoyed every minute of the show, meeting various women from different parts of the country and understanding their quirks and perspectives.

In one episode in Delhi, Sanjay and Andy find themselves in the capital of the country where they try and figure out the contradictions that are Delhi women. Here they meet a sophisticated socialite known for her purchasing power who shows them what it is like to be the diva she is. They meet an opinionated reporter who turns the table on our boys and tests their journalistic abilities and a super biker who takes them on the ride of their life!

MUMBAI: ImagiNation Edutainment India, a joint venture between Singapore based Kidz Inc and Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan, will set up an indoor theme park in Mumbai in April 2013 under the KidZania brand.

The Mexican edutainment brand has given the India franchise rights to ImagiNation, a company in which the Bollywood superstar owns 26 per cent stake and KidZ Inc the remaining 74 per cent.

KidZania will soon open the first indoor theme park at R City Mall in the eastern suburbs of Mumbai.

KidZania is an edutainment concept that combines education and entertainment engaging kids between 4 to 14 years with environmental stewardship, career exploration and social consciousness activities. It is exclusively designed to help kids strengthen their ability to manage their world through key aspects of learning ranging from society functions, financial literacy, adult professions, team work, independence, real life skills and self-esteem.

The city for children is spread across 75,000 square feet, and will have buildings, paved streets, vehicles and recognizable destinations, offering kids more than 75 role-playing options in its 60 establishments.

Following Mumbai, KidZania will launch centers in the National Capital Region (NCR) and Bengaluru.

Speaking on his association, KidZania India co-promoter Shah Rukh Khan said, "I am proud to be part of the team bringing KidZania into India, as I know it will make a difference to the children here. As a parent, I realise that children are most receptive when they are having fun, so a platform like KidZania that brings entertainment and education together will add value to their lives. India is a young country and we need to focus on building a strong future - KidZania will in many ways provide that by building awareness amongst our children through an experience that is hands-on, engaging, educational, and most importantly, fun."

KidZania‘s revenue stream includes tickets, corporate events and CSR activities among others. The entry ticket for the kids will be in the range of Rs 700 for five hours.

Speaking on the India foray, KidZania Director and CEO Sanjeev Kumar said, "Brands are a key component of the experience as they make it authentic by linking it to the real world. We are looking at partnering with brands that are aligned to the KidZania philosophy of developing the future of children."

Headquartered in Mexico, KidZania was founded in 1996 by a young entrepreneur, Xavier Lopez, who dreamt of creating a place where kids could have fun while enjoying real life experiences. Till date, KidZania has a footprint in seven countries worldwide across 11 centers, with 12 more centers under development and to be launched by 2014.