Ronita Torcato's blog

 Speaking at FICCI FRAMES 2012  in Mumbai on Friday, Ashok Chawla, Chairman, CCI, urged entertainment and media enterprises and related trade associations to initiate competition compliance programs. Trade bodies could be used for price coordination or market allocation amongst member companies, he cautioned.A competition compliance programme would include imparting awareness and training to employees who may engage themselves or are exposed to anti competitive conducts. It not only reduces the risk of contraventions, but also facilitates timely detections and can be useful in mitigating penalties by suggesting disclosure of information at the first opportunity. To make the programme really effective, a continuous review is essential.The restriction of release of films other than theatres, he said, was an anti-competition practice, adding that “collective boycott in the market has no place in the competition lexicon.”CCI, Chawla said, can initiate penal action in cases of anti-trust and ant-competition practices and restrictions on freedom of trade.
 
Top names from the media and entertainment industry are attending the three-day global convention which was inaugurated by Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chauhan and Information and Broadcasting Secretary Uday Kumar Verma who  set the ball rolling with his 'Vision Statement for Information & Broadcasting Industry in India' speech while US Senator Chris Dodd, who is also chairman of the Motion Picture Association of America,delivered the keynote address.

The occasion, for which the partner country is Japan which deputed a large delegation,  also saw the release of the FICCI-KGPM Study on Indian Media & Entertainment for 2012. (Having clocked in a robust 12 percent growth during 2010-11, the Indian media industry is estimated be worth around $30 billion or Rs.145,000 crore).The conclave was attended by 2,000 delegates from India and abroad and  featured workshops,knowledge forums, interactive sessions, master classes and networking opportunities. This year, the master-class included sessions by award-winning editor Mark Goldblatt ("Terminator", "True Lies", "Return of the Planet of the Apes") and John Bashford, vice principal of  the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts.

Among the speakers from the Indian film industry listed for the conclave were Vidya Balan, Ekta Kapoor, Zoya Akhtar, Chetan Bhagat, Imtiaz Ali, Anurag Kashyap, and Leela Samson,head  of the Censor Board. International speakers included Mark Hollinger, president and CEO Discovery Networks International and Carolyn Everson, vice president, global marketing solutions Facebook.