Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shri Prakash Javadekar today addressed the CII Big Picture Summit. In a message to the audience, the Minister complimented CII for organizing the Big Picture Summit. He added that “we are a country where growth of communication technology is phenomenal. This presents a tremendous scope for entertainment and media industry”. The Minister remarked “Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comic (AVGC) is a sunrise sector and our experts are providing backend support to top filmmakers of the world”. He added that it was time that these professionals started doing more of this for our own films so that the use of animation and graphics in Indian films grows manifolds.

Shri Javadekar announced that the Government is forming a Center of Excellence in cooperation with Indian Institute of Bombay where courses in AVGC will be provided. Moreover, he said, the Center will undertake initiatives to promote entrepreneurship and encourage start-ups in the sector.

The Minister invited the attendees to participate in the 51^st IFFI in Goa in January 2021. The Minister announced that India will set up a special pavilion at Cannes in 2022 as Cannes Film Festival celebrates 75 years. He also announced that India will host a Global Media and Film Summit next year.

Speaking on the occasion, Secretary, Ministry of I&B, Shri Amit Khare opened his remarks by referring to amendment in Allocation of Business rules in November saying the idea behind the change, was to bring content at one place i.e. Min of I&B while keeping platforms at another place i.e. Min of Electronics and IT. Speaking on the role played by Min of I&B, Sh Khare said the role of Government in this sector is that of a facilitator. He remarked that the Ministry of I&B has the largest influence among all Ministries and that influence comes only through the private sector, adding that almost all the film making in the country was done by private sector, all the channels except Prasar Bharti were private and the OTT sector was entirely private.

Shri Khare also said that the Media and Entertainment industry has grown and we must facilitate the industry. This pandemic, he said, has opened new avenues like educational technologies and Indian gaming which also have an export potential.

With the year 2022 being the 75^th year of India’s independence, celebrations of which will take place within the country and outside, the Secretary invited the industry to help project India’s soft power through media and entertainment. Shri Khare also cordially invited the participants of the Summit to 51^st IFFI which will be celebrated in a hybrid mode.

CEO, Prasar Bharti, Shri Shashi Shekhar Vempati speaking on the occasion, said various channels under the public broadcaster created content to generate mass awareness during the COVID pandemic. The efforts reflected in Doordarshan’s standing among the top social advertisers during the period. Through the airing of serials like Ramayan and Mahabharat, Doordarshan has highlighted that there is still an audience for wholesome family content. Shri Vempati remarked that efforts like DD Free Dish are trendsetting initiatives across the world. On the same note, emerging technologies like 5G provide an opportunity to take broadcasting to smartphones and this opportunity is being tapped by startups in India.

Background:
 

The Big Picture Summit is the flagship Summit and leadership forum of M&E Industry and brings together M&E stakeholders from the Indian Government, Industry as well as Internationally renowned experts on a single platform to navigate a successful growth path at a time when digital transformation, convergence of technology and Artificial Intelligence are changing the rules of the game.

 CII is organising the CII Big Picture Summit from 16 – 18 December 2020 over Digital Platform with a range of sessions that will include participation from content creators, broadcasters, buyers, studios, production companies, publishers, distributors and developers across the gamut of the Media & Entertainment landscape.

Saurabh Singh