Discussion Sony officially announces termination of Zee merger

[Ashok Varma]

1stly restriction of Rs. 19 on A La Carte channel pricing applies only to channels which r to be made available as part of Broadcaster Bouquets too otherwise there is no such price limit.

About other things i have already answered all these questions earlier in various threads so please refer to it, buddy u were also part of many of such discussions still instead of understanding what i said u keep asking same questions .

Also subscription revenue has grown and so has ad revenue for most broadcasters, some dip in subscriber base or ad revenue in few cases is bcoz of various other factors and not NTO.

Also in Pre NTO era there were many issues including that of transparency + fairness towards all operators and in Post NTO era both broadcasters and operators stand to gain if right policies r adopted / correct decisions r taken + above all customers get choice to opt for their favorite channels but sadly flawed pricing/packaging of channels by broadcasters has lead to issues.

TRAI should remove price restriction on channels to compete with OTTs and reduce channel subscription margin from 20% to 5% for service providers/DTH to compensate price increase to customer.

 

[peter9]

Why are you guys discussing that is not at all related to this thread??

 

[Ashok Varma]

Why are you guys discussing that is not at all related to this thread??

Related to Sony-Zee merger and fall out of broadcasters

 

[StoriesWithPK]

Absolutely wrong to blame TRAI.... I have discussed in detail as to why there has been a shift in subscribers from Pay TV to OTT / DD Free Dish and why broadcasters r interested in merging......1st thing can partly be attributed to wrong method employed by broadcasters in pricing + packaging their channels in bouquets + lack of innovation to attract customers and ofcourse changing broadcast / media landscape with affordable Internet/Broadband + OTT plans leading to transition of viewers from Linear TV to OTT .......now the 2nd thing of why broadcasters r showing inclination towards merging / consolation, well itbis not India Specific phenomenon but worldover same can be seen as broadcasters/companies operating in both Linear TV + OTT + other sectors r looking towards finding ways to grow their businesses by collaborating and leveraging combined resources in best possible manner as in a world where now multiple avenues have opened up to draw in customers in same business hence it is impossible to invest large amount in each of these as same would be loss making strategy.


So First Factor which is partly fault of broadcasters has accelerated the shift+consolidation in the broadcast industry in India.

Also there are other things adding to it like Disney needed an Indian Partner to better manage its TV + OTT business and incase of Zee there r several issues which it has been facing at various levels thus need a partner to ease of the load as same would bring in much needed capital infusion + scale up business across various things in more efficient manner....i even expect similar merger or even acquisition happening in their DTH business Dish d2h soon

Circle back to your comments 12 or 14 months ago.

When I said linear audience will decline due to OTT and cheap wired broadband, you just wouldn't agree to it.

Look where it has brought the Indian media companies.

Most of the executives are clueless like you.

The real problem rises when ad agencies pull their majority of ad slots from linear to digital.

 

[Bittoo]

No retalks with Sony regarding merger...All news are speculations... confirmed by zee today

 

[kamathur]

Circle back to your comments 12 or 14 months ago.

When I said linear audience will decline due to OTT and cheap wired broadband, you just wouldn't agree to it.

Look where it has brought the Indian media companies.

Most of the executives are clueless like you.

The real problem rises when ad agencies pull their majority of ad slots from linear to digital.

Well this is very wrong argument. If the issue is pricing then there are alternative strategies available - to grab eyeballs. And compensate the subscription money by advertisers. And the decline of linear is worldwide phenomenon and not just Indian market issue. World over the corporations are struggling to keep up with demands of customers and the impact of technology in broadcasting business.

so the buzz is innovation and engaging people in much wider way in comparison to traditional way - they have been operating for so long. And also let's not paint someone as villian i.e. TRAI. The pricing control is necessary - as channels were charging exuberant amounts - and was serving garbage to customers. And they doing the same - only the cost is restricted.

Having multiple channels - to hide actual viewership - was being used by discounting the high cost channels - in bouquets.

Having said that - smaller channels like Goldmines etc. are doing a very decent job on this. While the bigwigs are struggling - something to be learnt here.

 

[Ashok Varma]

Well this is very wrong argument. If the issue is pricing then there are alternative strategies available - to grab eyeballs. And compensate the subscription money by advertisers. And the decline of linear is worldwide phenomenon and not just Indian market issue. World over the corporations are struggling to keep up with demands of customers and the impact of technology in broadcasting business.

so the buzz is innovation and engaging people in much wider way in comparison to traditional way - they have been operating for so long. And also let's not paint someone as villian i.e. TRAI. The pricing control is necessary - as channels were charging exuberant amounts - and was serving garbage to customers. And they doing the same - only the cost is restricted.

Having multiple channels - to hide actual viewership - was being used by discounting the high cost channels - in bouquets.

Having said that - smaller channels like Goldmines etc. are doing a very decent job on this. While the bigwigs are struggling - something to be learnt here.

Here Goldmines tv is available in free platform, no NCF of Rs 150, Pvt DTH/cable users have limited choice after paying NCF. Few users are paying TV bills over Rs 300 and others are willing to pay for broadband Innovation is implemented on OTT/Internet, as broadcasters are fear to get revenue from TV

 

[Bittoo]

I think NTO is good for customers but not good for broadcasters and dth companies...Before NTO came into effect we have to subscribe Dth pack which consist of mostly unwanted channels that we never watched..I remember in 2015 I had a primary and a secondary connection of airtel and I use to pay around 450 for primary and 250 for secondary ..total around 700 a month..Today I have 1 primary and 2 multi connections and my cost of all is nearly 500 as I have added only channels those I use to watch.

 

[stiwari]

No retalks with Sony regarding merger...All news are speculations... confirmed by zee today

‘Factually incorrect’: Zee Ent denies reports on reviving Sony-Zee merger talks

In a regulatory filing to the stock exchanges, Zee Entertainment has stated that the company is not involved in any negotiations on the Sony merger deal and that reports suggesting a revival of talks are ‘factually incorrect’.

www.livemint.com

 

[ab666]

‘Factually incorrect’: Zee Ent denies reports on reviving Sony-Zee merger talks

In a regulatory filing to the stock exchanges, Zee Entertainment has stated that the company is not involved in any negotiations on the Sony merger deal and that reports suggesting a revival of talks are ‘factually incorrect’.

www.livemint.com

This means either sony didn't agree to their terms or zee spread this news to earn quick money from stocks