The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the proposal of the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion for Review of the policy on Foreign Investment (FI) in companies operating in the Broadcasting Sector.
Enhanced access to foreign investment is expected to expand the reach of broadcasting services, thereby improving accessibility of these services, and bring in international best practices. The proposal will make the foreign investment policy for the broadcasting sector consistent with that of the telecom sector, because of the convergence of technologies involved in these two sectors, and thereby bring in greater investments into quality infrastructure for the broadcasting carriage services.
The CCEA, after review, has liberalised the policy on foreign investment, for companies operating in the broadcasting sector, as below:
(i) Teleports (setting up up-linking HUBs/Teleports): Direct to Home (DTH); Cable Networks (Multi-System-Operators operating at National or State or District level and undertaking upgradation of networks towards digitalization and addressability):
Currently, foreign investment, up to 49 percent, is permitted in these activities. It has been decided to now increase the foreign investment limit from 49 percent to 74 percent, with the proviso that:
(a) Up to 49 percent be permitted under the automatic route and
(b) Beyond 49 percent and up to 74 percent be permitted under the Government route
(ii) Mobile TV:
There is no specific dispensation under FDI policy for mobile TV. It has now been decided to permit Foreign Investment (FI) up to 74 percent, with the proviso that:
(a) Up to 49 percent be permitted under the automatic route and
(b) Beyond 49 percent and up to 74 percent be permitted under the Government route
(iii) Headend-in-the Sky Broadcasting Service:
The existing limit of 74 percent foreign investment – automatic route up to 49 percent and Government route beyond 49 percent and up to 74 percent – would continue
(i) In respect of Cable Networks (Other Multi-System-Operators not undertaking up-gradation of networks towards digitalization and addressability and Local Cable Operators), the existing limit of 49% foreign investment, under the automatic route, would continue.
(ii) Similarly, for up-linking of ˜News & Current Affairs™ TV channels / FM Radio, the existing limit of 26 percentforeign investment, under the Government route, would continue and for up-linking of Non-˜News & Current Affairs™ TV Channels / Down-linking of TV Channels, the existing policy of 100 percent foreign investment, through the Government route, would continue.
Foreign investment, in companies engaged in all the aforestated services, will be subject to sectoral and securityconditionalities and guidelines, as may be specified from time to time, by the concerned Ministries.
In the case of companies operating in the telecom sector, the calculation of the direct foreign investment limit includes FDI, investment by Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs), Nonresident Indians (NRIs), Foreign Currency Convertible Bonds (FCCBs), American Depository Receipts (ADRs), Global Depository Receipts (GDRs) and convertible preference shares held by foreign entities. For companies operating in the broadcasting sector, however, the foreign investment (FI) limits for different activities include different components. It has been decided to rationalise the methodology of calculation of direct investment and the methodology, as applicable to the telecom sector, would also be made applicable across the l&B sector. Accordingly, as in the case of the telecommunications sector, the foreign investment limit in companies engaged in various activities of the I&B sector shall include, in addition to FDI, investment by Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs), Non Resident Indians (NRIs), Foreign Currency Convertible Bonds (FCCBs), American Depository Receipts (ADRs), Global Depository Receipts (GDRs) and convertible preference shares held by foreign entities.
The existing Foreign Investment (FI) limits in companies engaged in the activity of providing broadcasting services are not uniform. TRAI had earlier recommended different Foreign Investment (FI) limits for companies engaged in providing `carriage` and `content` services. It had also stressed the need for a holistic review of the extant Foreign Investment (FI)limits for companies operating in different segments of the broadcasting sector, in order to bring about consistency in the policy, as also to promote a level playing field between competing technologies, in view of the convergence of technologies across the telecommunication and broadcasting sectors.
At present, it is possible to provide broadcasting `carriage services” using either telecommunication networks or broadcasting networks. Keeping in view the convergence of technologies in the broadcasting and telecom sectors, uniformity has been proposed in respect of companies providing carriage services (except cable services). For the same reason, uniformity is necessary in the method of calculation of direct foreign investment, in companies operating in the telecom and broadcasting sectors.
hi!,I love your writing so so much! share we communicate more about your post on AOL?
I need a specialist on this house to solve my problem.
May be that is you! Looking ahead to peer you.
I’d like to thank you for the efforts you’ve put in writing this site. I’m hoping to see the same high-grade blog posts by you later on as well. In fact, your creative writing abilities has encouraged me to get my own, personal site now ;)
I’m really enjoying the design and layout of your
blog. It’s a very easy on the eyes which makes
it much more pleasant for me to come here and visit more often. Did you hire out a developer to create your theme?
Superb work!
Everything is very open with a clear explanation of the challenges.
It was definitely informative. Your site is very useful.
Thanks for sharing!
Attractive section of content. I just stumbled upon your website and
in accession capital to assert that I acquire in fact enjoyed account your blog posts.
Any way I will be subscribing to your feeds and even I achievement you access
consistently rapidly.
Good post. I learn something new and challenging on websites I stumbleupon on a daily basis. It will always be helpful to read content from other authors and practice something from their sites.
It’s fantastic that you are getting ideas from this
paragraph as well as from our argument made at this place.
Way cool! Some very valid points! I appreciate you writing this post and the rest of the site is also very good.
Good day! I could have sworn I’ve been to this site before but after
reading through some of the post I realized it’s new to me.
Anyways, I’m definitely glad I found it and I’ll
be bookmarking and checking back frequently!
Hi there! This is kind of off topic but I need some advice from
an established blog. Is it very difficult to
set up your own blog? I’m not very techincal but I can figure
things out pretty quick. I’m thinking about creating
my own but I’m not sure where to start. Do you have any ideas or suggestions?
Thank you
I’ve been surfing on-line more than 3 hours these days,
but I by no means discovered any attention-grabbing
article like yours. It’s beautiful value enough for me.
Personally, if all site owners and bloggers made good content as you
did, the internet will probably be much more useful than ever before.
Great post! We will be linking to this particularly great article on our site.
Keep up the great writing.
It’s very effortless to find out any topic on net as compared to
textbooks, as I found this piece of writing at this web page.
Важно убедиться, что вы используете способы оплаты, которые принимают ваши реальные деньги
(т.е. реальные деньги) через выбранное вами устройство.
Fantastic web site. Lots of helpful info here. I’m sending it to several buddies
ans additionally sharing in delicious. And certainly, thanks for your sweat!
This is very interesting, You’re a very skilled blogger.
I’ve joined your feed and look forward to seeking more of your excellent post.
Also, I’ve shared your site in my social networks!
Actually no matter if someone doesn’t be aware of
after that its up to other people that they will help, so here it occurs.
Hello there, I found your site via Google even as looking for a comparable subject, your web
site came up, it appears good. I have bookmarked it in my google bookmarks.
Hi there, just became alert to your weblog thru Google, and found that
it’s truly informative. I am going to watch out for
brussels. I’ll be grateful if you happen to continue this in future.
Lots of other people will be benefited out of your writing.
Cheers!
Amazing things here. I’m very satisfied to look your article.
Thanks a lot and I’m taking a look ahead to contact you.
Will you kindly drop me a e-mail?
Hello! This is my first visit to your blog! We are a team of volunteers and starting a
new project in a community in the same niche. Your blog provided us valuable information to work on.
You have done a wonderful job!
I’m impressed, I have to admit. Seldom do I come across a blog that’s both equally
educative and interesting, and let me tell you, you’ve hit the nail on the head.
The problem is an issue that too few people are speaking
intelligently about. Now i’m very happy that I found this during my search for something relating to this.
These are truly fantastic ideas in regarding blogging.
You have touched some pleasant factors here. Any way keep up wrinting.
We are a gaggle of volunteers and starting a new scheme in our community.
Your website provided us with useful info to work on. You’ve
performed an impressive task and our entire community will be grateful to you.
Excellent post. I used to be checking constantly this weblog
and I’m inspired! Extremely useful info particularly the closing phase
:) I deal with such information a lot. I was looking for this particular information for a long time.
Thanks and good luck.
I absolutely love your blog and find many of your post’s to be just
what I’m looking for. Would you offer guest writers to write content in your case?
I wouldn’t mind producing a post or elaborating on many
of the subjects you write related to here. Again, awesome website!
As the admin of this website is working, no uncertainty very quickly
it will be famous, due to its quality contents.
Wonderful beat ! I wish to apprentice whilst you amend
your site, how could i subscribe for a weblog website? The account aided me a
appropriate deal. I had been tiny bit familiar of this your broadcast offered vibrant transparent concept
Everyone loves what you guys are usually up too. This sort of
clever work and coverage! Keep up the amazing works guys I’ve
added you guys to our blogroll.
I’m not sure exactly why but this blog is loading
incredibly slow for me. Is anyone else having this problem or is
it a issue on my end? I’ll check back later on and see if
the problem still exists.