Vanita Kohli-Khandekar - The Indian Media Business

The Indian
Media Business

The Indian
Media Business

Fourth Edition

Vanita Kohli-Khandekar

Copyright Vanita Kohli-Khandekar, 2013
Copyright Vanita Kohli-Khandekar, 2010
Copyright Vanita Kohli-Khandekar, 2006
Copyright Vanita Kohli, 2003

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilised in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

First published in 2003
This revised fourth edition published in 2013 by

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Published by Vivek Mehra for SAGE Publications India Pvt Ltd, typeset in 11/13pt Minion Pro by Diligent Typesetter, Delhi and printed at Saurabh Printers Pvt Ltd, New Delhi.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Kohli, Vanita.

The Indian Media Business / Vanita Kohli-Khandekar. Fourth Edition.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

1. Mass mediaIndia. I. Title.

P92.I7K64 302.230954dc23 2013 2013031350

ISBN: 978-81-321-1356-0 (PB)

The SAGE Team: Sachin Sharma, Shreya Lall, Nand Kumar Jha and Rajinder Kaur

To Suman Kohli and Kedar Khandekar

Vivek Mehra, Managing Director and CEO,
SAGE Publications India Pvt Ltd, New Delhi

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Contents

Illustrations

Figures

Tables

Cases

Case study

Cross media or across mediaThe sad story of regulation in media

Caselets

Foreword

For most of us in the media and entertainment industry, we chose this profession because we were excited by the possibility of telling a great story that has not been told before, of putting the spotlight on consequential moments, of inspiring the imaginations of millions. We were acutely aware of the important role of the media in influencing minds and shaping narratives. We knew too that we could help shape the story of an old civilisation and a young country engaging with each other to craft an exciting new India.

The reasons to be a part of this industry continue to stay true and continue to be compelling. Without question, these are exciting times for us. The audience for our stories is growing. Our ability to attract exciting talent into the industry continues. Our interest in the world, and the worlds interest in us, is translating to compelling new relationships and alliances. And our collective appetite to experiment and take risks is enormous. All of these have translated to robust growth in each sector of this industry.

It is, therefore, important to step back and reflect on what is truly important and consequential. And, in my mind, there are two important changes that are currently underway in the industry that have an enormous impact on its health and direction.

The industry is in the midst of a massive buildout of a modern infrastructure that will allow its story tellers to engage new audiences across the country in formats that are old and new. This buildout is happening across a diverse set of distribution platforms including cable and satellite, fixed and mobile telecommunication networks, and digital and analogue theatre systems. The changes will create new consumption habits and behaviours; make some devices obsolete even as new ones find their place; and facilitate the emergence of new winners. Through all this, the power will continue to lie in the ability to tell a great story.

But, what is consequential is that these changes also offer all of us an opportunity to get rid of many old habits that are destructive. From not being aware of our consumers to not knowing how much they are charged, from disrespecting intellectual property rights to undervaluing our content, many unhealthy habits were also the result of an antiquated distribution system. The dramatic changes currently underway offer us an opportunity to create new practices that reward participants in the value chain in a fair and transparent manner, directly proportional to the value they bring in shaping consumers experiences.

An even more consequential issue is the one on freedom of speech. This perhaps is the only major democracy in the world where, after over 60 years of independence, there continues to be a debate on how much freedom can be given to the media. It is shocking that there are still groups and interests who continue to debate on the right amount of freedom that can be granted to media; as if this is something to be granted and as if this is even negotiable.

There is a strong relationship between creativity and the space for free expression. So, what is troubling is that in a very competitive world, we are questioning the scope of free speechone of the few real sources of advantage for us. China and Russia are way ahead of us in most areas of business and industry. But we, as a democracy, should be unquestioningly leveraging the democratic advantage that we have over them and many other competitors to become a global media and entertainment giant.

All of us agree that the role of media is to question the status quo. But with the right to question must come the right to provoke and the right to offend. In the absence of these, there is no debate and without debate there is no clarity. It is time for us to recognise that free speech is what is sacrosanct, not the right to be offended.

Clearly, these are consequential times for the Indian media and entertainment industry. Through her articles and columns, Vanita has played an important role in putting the spotlight on the industry with incisive research and thoughtful analysis. Her book is a valuable effort to use data and research to explain how the industry works, and the many changes that are underway.

Uday Shankar
CEO, Star India Limited

Preface

The book you are holding is now in its tenth year. When I started writing the first edition of The Indian Media Business, the coverage of media and entertainment was patchy. Not too many people saw it as seriously as IT or telecom. By the time the first edition hit the market, in 2003, we were on the cusp of a boom in news channels, there was a lot of excitement about the film industry, and television was a big, fat profitable market. By the time the third edition came out in 2010, every major foreign investor was here. The Media and Entertainment (M&E) business brought just under one per cent of GDP and created millions of jobs. There was no doubt that this was a serious business, way beyond the song and dance or tear-jerkers that symbolised it.