Month: August 2022

In a response to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’s request to relook at certain recommendations, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has reiterated its stance on “Reserve Price for Auction of FM Radio Channels” across 283 cities in the country under Phase 3 of FM expansion policy saying that the auction should be done by delinking the channels from technology.With regard to this recommendation, the Ministry had earlier informed TRAI that after conducting field experiments of ITU recommended Digital Radio Standards in VHF band II and III, Prasar Bharati had suggested to conduct a pilot project consisting of both DRM and HD Radio technologies to further evaluate them and also ascertain their acceptance by broadcasters and listeners including availability and speed of development of affordable receivers. In view of more experimental studies to be conducted, the recommendation may not be acceptable at present.Reiterating its position, TRAI said: “As far as the recommendation related auction of remaining channels of Phase-III should be done by delinking them from technology is concerned, for facilitating smooth transition from analog to digital radio broadcasting, radio broadcasters may be permitted to use any technology (analog or digital) for radio broadcasting on the frequency allocated to them through auction in the future, based on their business plan.”

“A service provider has the commercial interest and will be the best judge to decide on the most suitable technology. Any restrictions on the choice of technology will only impair the development. Broadcasters should be permitted to use any technology (analog or digital or both) for radio broadcasting on the frequency allocated to them through auction in future. In case radio broadcasters opt for digital technology, they should be permitted to broadcast more than one channel subject to technical feasibility on a single frequency allocated to them.”The Ministry had also asked how was the impact of Covid19 on radio industry likely to show in the bidding during the ensuing Batch III of FM Phase III auction.TRAI responded that it can only be gauged once the auctions are conducted by the Government.TRAI also observed that the FM Radio sector did see a dip in revenues during the Covid period, but it crossed the pre-pandemic level in December 2021. […]

GatesAir (“GatesAir”), a global leader in wireless, over-the-air content delivery solutions for radio and TV broadcasters, announced that Thomson Broadcast yesterday completed its acquisition of GatesAir from an affiliate of The Gores Group (“Gores”).“The acquisition of GatesAir is an excellent and significant step for Thomson Broadcast to further reinforce its worldwide leadership in the fast-evolving world of broadcast technology,” said Ylias Akbaraly, Chairman of Thomson Broadcast. “Today opens an exciting new era in the rich history of two companies and trusted brands that have each been delighting customers for more than 100 years. Today’s announcement is also exciting for our customers and employees. The combined force of these ideal strategic partners will support each other’s growth and the growth of the industry at large.”“Thanks to its global platform, significant resources, and commercial and innovation expertise, Thomson Broadcast is perfectly positioned to ensure the success of GatesAir’s operations over the long term,” said Akbaraly. “We are convinced that this great combination will create a very strong platform with improved reach and value-added solutions and services delivered to our customers.”

“Yesterday’s milestone marks the completion of a robust process that evaluated strategic options for GatesAir to accelerate our strong growth to date,” said Bruce D. Swail, CEO of GatesAir. “We are delighted with the final outcome of the acquisition process and look forward to working together with our new partners for this next chapter in our eventful story.”“The acquisition of GatesAir strengthens our position to deliver great products and services to our worldwide customers,” said Amine Oubid, CEO Thomson Broadcast, France. “Synergy between both companies will lead us to better customer acquisition and enhanced solutions for building the next broadcast infrastructure.” “GatesAir and Thomson Broadcast combine century-old dedication to the broadcast industry to innovate and bring cutting edge solutions to the market,” said Aby Alexander, President, Thomson Broadcast, US. “This acquisition will strengthen our presence globally to be the leader in the industry.”“We are pleased to have played an important role in GatesAir’s transformational growth, and we believe that Thomson Broadcast is well positioned to strengthen its position as a premier leader in broadcasting,” said Edward Johnson, Senior Managing Director at The Gores Group. “We thank Bruce and the GatesAir team for our successful partnership over the years and believe the company will continue to drive further growth with the support of Thomson Broadcast.” […]