Summary of Media Business News July 21,2023

By Pickle July 21, 2023

1. Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has released guidelines on ads for charitable institutions that will come into effect from August 1. It has prescribed that ads should not disrespect distressed victims (esp minors, children). Bringing transparency to the table the self regulatory body said platforms must also disclose donations collected for ads and service fees charged.

2. UK broadcaster British Broadcasting Corporation has picked Tata Consultancy Services to transform their finance, payroll and HR function for greater agility and resilience. In this multi-year partnership deal, TCS will leverage TCS Cognix, its AI-driven human-machine collaboration suite. This will also strengthen TCS’ business services to the media and entertainment industry.

3. Karnataka Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said 28% GST rate on the full face value of online real games is “justified”. Gowda said levying 28% GST on the gross online gaming revenue would eventually result in online gaming GST rate lower than essential food items. Karnataka has the largest number of registered gaming companies and startups in India.

4. Telecom regulator TRAI has recommended formation of an independent statutory authority, `Artificial Intelligence and Data Authority of India (AIDAI) to regulate responsible use of AI and deployment across business sectors

5. BBC Studios and Prime Video have launched BBC Player and BBC Kids on Amazon Prime streaming channels in India. Prime members in India can buy this service as an add-on subscription (BBC Player and BBC Kids) for an annual fee of Rs 599. The standalone BBC Kids subscription is priced at Rs 199.

6. Beginning today, streaming major Netflix will send out emails to its Indian subscribers who share their password to their friends or neighbours outside of their household. As Netflix has cut prices in subscription they are not offering extra member options to Indian subscribers. Netflix is estimated to have around 6 million subscribers in India.

7. Google is testing an AI tool codenamed “Genesis” to write news stories and are talking to global publishers. This tool can help generate news stories and serve as an assistant for journalists automating tasks and enhancing productivity.

8. The Information Ministry has blocked 635 Web Links including 10 websites and 5 apps since December 2021, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Singh Thakur informed Rajya Sabha. He was responding to a question raised under the relevant section of Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.