Feature
Race for eyeballs has led to shrillness in TV debates: Jaitley
New Delhi: The race for eyeballs has lead to television debates becoming shriller, Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley said on Thursday but noted that there exists enough scope for the viewer to get authentic information and news based on facts.
Addressing the inaugural session at the seminar on “Establishment of communication university” organized by the Indian Institute of Mass Communication here, he said a structured training programme was important in the country’s fast-evolving and expanding media landscape.
Noting that definition of news had undergone a change with the media playing a pro-active role and setting the agenda, Jaitley said influence of camera was evident in the prioritization of news across platforms and impact of technology on news dissemination was evident in view of instant and faster communication.
He, however, noted that the absence of a viable financial model, at times, created discrepancies leading to higher cost of distribution, race for eyeballs and quality of content being compromised.
“The emerging scenario led to debates becoming shriller. However, enough scope exists for the reader and viewer to get authentic information and news based on facts,” he said, adding that consumer was the king as he had the power to dissect the newsclosest to reality.
Jaitley said skill development was important to meet that challenges faced by journalists in responding to requirements of a varied target audience.
He said that discussion on establishing communication university would enable stakeholders to focus on emerging facets of media including technological changes.
Information and Broadcasting Secretary Bimal Julka said that an approach to establishing a communication university for India would have to be evolved after taking into consideration the best international models available vis-a-vis Indian media and entertainment sector and consultations will be held with various stakeholders for their views.
He also gave an overview of the media industry touching upon the convergence scenario in media space, the paradigm shifts in relation to the social media and the innovations in dissemination.
Broadcasting Content Complaints Council (BCCC) chairman Justice Mukul Mudgal, who was also present, said that the seminar would lead to deliberations to decide the feasibility of setting up a communication university.
The seminar is intended to analyse status of media and communication education in India, need for introducing new and advanced courses like digital marketing, social media, internet governance and cyber security and a roadmap for communication university.
The State Scores Extra High on Gaming-Friendly Industry Index
Meghalaya scored 92.85 out of 100 possible points in a Gaming Industry Index and proved to be India’s most gaming-friendly state following its recent profound legislation changes over the field allowing land-based and online gaming, including games of chance, under a licensing regime.
The index by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) uses a scale of 0 to 100 to measure the level of legalisation on gambling and betting achieved by a state based on the scores over a set of seven different games – lottery, horse racing, betting on sports, poker, rummy, casino and fantasy sports
Starting from February last year, Meghalaya became the third state in India’s northeast to legalise gambling and betting after Sikkim and Nagaland. After consultations with the UKIBC, the state proceeded with the adoption of the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act, 2021 and the nullification of the Meghalaya Prevention of Gambling Act, 1970. Subsequently in December, the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021 were notified and came into force.
All for the Tourists
The move to legalise and license various forms of offline and online betting and gambling in Meghalaya is aimed at boosting tourism and creating jobs, and altogether raising taxation revenues for the northeastern state. At the same time, the opportunities to bet and gamble legally will be reserved only for tourists and visitors.
“We came out with a Gaming Act and subsequently framed the Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021. The government will accordingly issue licenses to operate games of skill and chance, both online and offline,” said James P. K. Sangma, Meghalaya State Law and Taxation Minister speaking in the capital city of Shillong. “But the legalized gambling and gaming will only be for tourists and not residents of Meghalaya,” he continued.
To be allowed to play, tourists and people visiting the state for work or business purposes will have to prove their non-resident status by presenting appropriate documents, in a process similar to a bank KYC (Know Your Customer) procedure.
Meghalaya Reaches Out to a Vast Market
With 140 millions of people in India estimated to bet regularly on sports, and a total of 370 million desi bettors around prominent sporting events, as per data from one of the latest reports by Esse N Videri, Meghalaya is set to reach out and take a piece of a vast market.
Estimates on the financial value of India’s sports betting market, combined across all types of offline channels and online sports and cricket predictions and betting platforms, speak about amounts between $130 and $150 billion (roughly between ₹9.7 and ₹11.5 lakh crore).
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Delhi are shown to deliver the highest number of bettors and Meghalaya can count on substantial tourists flow from their betting circles. The sports betting communities of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are also not to be underestimated.
Among the sports, cricket is most popular, registering 68 percent of the total bet count analyzed by Esse N Videri. Football takes second position with 11 percent of the bets, followed by betting on FIFA at 7 percent and on eCricket at 5 percent. The last position in the Top 5 of popular sports for betting in India is taken by tennis with 3 percent of the bet count.
Local Citizens will Still have Their Teer Betting
Meghalaya residents will still be permitted to participate in teer betting over arrow-shooting results. Teer is a traditional method of gambling, somewhat similar to a lottery draw, and held under the rules of the Meghalaya Regulation of the Game of Arrow Shooting and the Sale of Teer Tickets Act, 2018.
Teer includes bettors wagering on the number of arrows that reach the target which is placed about 50 meters away from a team of 20 archers positioned in a semicircle.
The archers shoot volleys of arrows at the target for ten minutes, and players place their bets choosing a number between 0 and 99 trying to guess the last two digits of the number of arrows that successfully pierce the target.
If, for example, the number of hits is 256, anyone who has bet on 56 wins an amount eight times bigger than their wager.
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