By IANS
New Delhi : The Indian entertainment industry has taken a quantum leap in the last 15 years in the global market, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said at an entertainment and media summit here Wednesday.
“Entertainment and media has taken centre stage in the world and it is getting international acceptance and recognition. It is a driver of economic growth and is creating job opportunities,” the minister said.
“The industry is a beneficiary of the telecom revolution brought in by (former prime minister) Rajiv Gandhi. Media and entertainment industry is on a different orbit today and we are ready to transcend borders, thanks to the industry status it got,” he added.
Patel was speaking at Focus 2007, a two-day global summit on media and entertainment organised in the capital by industry body Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham).
The minister appreciated Assocham’s endeavour, saying: “This endeavour of Assocham is a beginning of a series of events. Media business has a great future and this a great opportunity to bring (people) from all over the world to discuss and change the destiny of this industry.”
Sharmila Tagore, actress and chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification, India’s censor board, started the event by lighting a lamp.
Farokh Balsara of consulting services firm Ernst & Young released a report on entertainment and media, which gives media digitalisation a thumbs-up.
Industry figures like Ronnie Screwvala, chairman, UTV motion pictures; Ajay Vidyasagar, president, Star India; Vikram Kaushik, CEO, Tata Sky; Barun Das, CEO, ZEE News Ltd and B.K. Modi, chairman, Spice Corp presented their views on the industry’s present and future.
While Screwvala listed the five future growth triggers, Das pointed out the challenges to get Indian TV viewers to pay, when they are used to getting media free. He also spoke on the scope of growth of regional content.
Kaushik emphasised on unfavourable government policies for direct-to-home operators and Modi asked the people to invest in the booming industry.
Vidyasagar highlighted the domination of entertainment news saying that in 2007, news that got the maximum television rating included the wedding of Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt’s sentencing in the Mumbai blast case and India’s win in the 20-20 cricket world cup.
Although they presented different aspects of the entertainment and media industry, they unanimously agreed that the digitisation would play an important role in its growth.
The two chief guests – Information and Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi and Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan – were missing at the inaugural session.
While Shah Rukh is expected to attend the late afternoon session, Dasmunsi participated in the first panel discussion.