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If you are a considerate subscriber and give your Netflix password to a friend or co-worker, the cost of your subscription is set to go up. In an effort to make more rogue subscribers pay up, the streaming giant will begin charging customers for password sharing from next year. In a letter to investors, Netflix stated that “additional member” subaccounts would be made available by the start of 2023. “We’ve landed on a thoughtful approach to monetizing account sharing, and we’ll begin rolling this out more broadly starting in early 2023. After listening to consumer feedback, we are going to offer the ability for borrowers to transfer their Netflix profile into their account, and for sharers to manage their devices more easily and to create sub-accounts (“extra members”) if they want to pay for family or friends,” the the company announced in the letter. The OTT platform added, “In countries with our lower-priced ad-supported plan, we expect the profile transfer option for borrowers to be especially popular.” The company didn’t reveal the cost of these new additional account fees when it confirmed the proposal on Tuesday. The premium for each extra member under this option, which is presently being tested in a few Latin American countries, is equal to around one-quarter of the price of a “regular” Netflix subscription. Netflix has previously experimented with a crackdown on password sharing. The company reportedly tested with an account verification tool to prevent unauthorised users from using other people’s accounts last year, according to The Verge. In an effort to kickstart its development, Netflix stated last week that a membership option supported by advertisements will launch in a dozen countries in November. According to Netflix COO Greg Peters, a basic subscription with ads will cost $6.99 in the US, which is $3 less than the basic subscription without ads. The time is ideal because the entertainment business is at a turning point in its development, according to Peters. In the United States, streaming has presently exceeded both broadcast and cable for total TV time. An industry first for Netflix, the ad-discounted tier will launch in the following countries: Australia, Brazil, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Spain, and the United States. The Netflix catalogue will be almost completely accessible, with certain content being withheld while new licencing agreements are being worked out. The length of each video ad will be between 15 and 30 seconds.

Roger Binny, a former star of the Indian cricket team and a part of the 1983 World Cup-winning team, was appointed as the 36th president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on October 18. The appointment of Binny, who will take over for former India captain Sourav Ganguly, was made public at the BCCI AGM in Mumbai. The 67-year-old former star of the Indian cricket team was the sole person to submit a nomination for the position of BCCI president. All of the upcoming office-bearers are expected to be elected without opposition, thus aside from Binny, the polls were merely a formality. According to a BCCI statement, the following individuals were chosen to serve as the organization’s new office bearers: (a) President: Mr. Roger Binny (b) Vice President: Mr. Rajeev Shukla (c) Secretary: Mr. Jay Shah (d) Joint Secretary: Mr. Devajit Saikia (e) Treasurer: Mr. Ashish Shelar. Binny said, “One representative of the General Body was elected in the Apex Council of the BCCI: (a) Mr. MKJ Majumdar. Two representatives in the Indian Premier League Governing Council were elected: (a) Mr. Arun Singh Dhumal; and (b) Mr. Avishek Dalmiya, ” Binny served as the president of the Karnataka State Cricket Association during his latest stint, and he had previously been a senior selection committee member while Sandeep Patil was the chairman.

Adani Data Network is now permitted to offer all telecom services in the nation due to the granting of a unified licence for access services. After buying spectrum in a recent auction, Adani Group entered the telecom industry. An official source reported that “Adani Data Networks has been granted UL (AS).” In the most recent 5G spectrum auction, Adani Data Networks Ltd (ADNL), a division of Adani Enterprises Ltd, obtained the right to use 400MHz of spectrum in the 26GHz millimetre wave band for Rs 212 crore over a period of 20 years. The Adani Group has previously stated that it intended to use the airwaves for both its data centres and the super app it is developing to help industries ranging from gas retail to ports and electricity distribution to airports. According to a statement from the company, “The newly-acquired 5G spectrum is expected to help create a unified digital platform that will accelerate the pace and scale of the Adani group’s digitisation of its core infrastructure, primary industry and B2C business portfolio.”

 A $2 billion deal to launch the 4G network of the state-run telecom will soon be finalised between Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL). The projected rollout of BSNL’s 4G services includes 100,000 towers or sites. It is anticipated that the network equipment for BSNL will be produced locally by Tejas Networks, a division of Tata Sons, the organisation that houses TCS. The consortium led by the Tata group will become India’s first in-country provider of telecom network solutions as a result of this deal. The Union Cabinet approved a Rs 1.64 lakh crore revival package for BSNL in late July, consisting of Rs 43,964 crore in cash support and Rs 1.20 lakh crore in non-financial support. The package includes three main components: improving BSNL services, reducing financial stress, and extending the reach of fibre through a merger with Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL). According to the telecom ministry, “To improve existing services and provide 4G services, BSNL will be allotted spectrum in 900/1800 MHz band administratively at the cost of Rs 44,993 crore through equity infusion. With this spectrum, BSNL will be able to compete in the market and provide high speed data using their vast network including in rural areas.”

The 5G telecom services will be launched in India by Prime Minister Narendra Modi today, October 1. An official statement states that the Prime Minister would officially launch 5G on Saturday in a few cities before gradually expanding across the whole nation over the following few years. The 5G services will be unveiled at an event held at Pragati Maidan in the nation’s capital on Saturday at 10 a.m., according to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). The fifth generation, or 5G service, is anticipated to unleash new economic prospects and societal advantages, acting as a transformative force for Indian society and being capable of supporting ultra-high speed internet. Ashwini Vaishnaw, the minister of communications, had earlier stated that PM Modi’s ambition was to create 5G in parallel with global standards and to pioneer 6G technology. By 2035, India’s overall economic impact from 5G is anticipated to be worth USD 450 billion. The Ministry of Communications states that years of careful planning have culminated in the launch of 5G services. A successful 5G spectrum auction was recently held, and telecom service providers were given 51,236 MHz with a gross revenue of 1,50,173 crore. The auction brought together the desire for a strong 5G ecosystem capable of supporting its use cases like IoT, M2M, AI, edge computing, robotics, etc. In addition to the announcement of 5G, PM Modi will open the sixth edition of the India Mobile Congress 2022 (IMC-2022), which will take place from October 1–4 at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi.

In response to the information and broadcasting ministry withdrawing its approval for the news broadcaster to uplink 10 TV channels in the Ku-band (a type of satellite frequency) on the GSAT-15 satellite, Zee Media Corporation Ltd. (ZMCL) has filed a petition with the Delhi High Court. This uplinking gave the media company an unfair advantage over its rivals by making these channels available on DD Free Dish. An order from the ministry last week stated that ten regional news channels, including Zee Hindustan, Zee Rajasthan, Zee Punjab Haryana Himachal, Zee Bihar Jharkhand, Zee Madhya Pradesh Chhattisgarh, Zee Uttar Pradesh Uttarakhand, Zee Salam, Zee 24 Kalak, Zee 24 Taas, and Zee Odisha (now Zee Delhi NCR Haryana), were allowed to operate on C-Band, another form of satellite However, it later discovered that same channels were also accessible via FreeDish, Doordarshan’s direct-to-home service. This occurred due to the proximity, co-location, and lack of signal encryption by both DD FreeDish and Dish TV transponders on the same GSAT 15 satellite. ZMCL responded to I&B’s show cause notice by asserting that the co-location of DD FreeDish and Dish TV on the same satellite and Prasar Bharti’s non-encryption of the signals, which is against DTH regulations, are to blame for the issue. “The order..is perverse as it has been passed in violation of the principles of natural justice. The very complaints on the basis of which the impugned order has been passed have not been shared till date with the Petitioners. Without access to these key documents, the Petitioners have been put at a grave disadvantage and are unable to exercise their right to a free and fair hearing,” ZMCL referred to the order as draconian in its writ petition. The company has underlined that the aforementioned instructions are of a very serious nature, very detrimental to its operations, and have far-reaching effects. Additionally, the media company has said that it hasn’t been given any time to pursue its legal remedies. “It is clear therefore, that the impugned order has been actuated by malice and is aimed to causing unlawful loss to the petitioner and unlawful gains to its competitors,” it has said.

According to an official, the information and broadcasting ministry is developing a model theatre policy in collaboration with all state governments in order to implement a pan-India single-window clearance system and aid with the recovery of the industry, which has been devastated by the covid-led disruptions. Government data shows that the number of screens has decreased from 12,000 to 8,000 since 2017. The two years of the pandemic saw a more pronounced downward trend. Comparatively, China’s number of cinema screens increased from 10,000 to about 70,000 during that time. “In the past five to six years, the number of theatres is on a decline. We must reverse this trend. The ministry has asked the Film Facilitation Office to work with Invest India to come up with a single-window portal for opening theatres, so that more and more theatres can be opened and the public gets to watch the magic of films in theatres. The Centre will also work with the states to create a model theatre policy to ensure states can adopt and work on the same,” Apurva Chandra, the union secretary for information and broadcasting, addressed a gathering on Tuesday at FICCI Frames Fast Track 2022 in Mumbai. According to Chandra, the government is looking at various models, such as the multiscreen movie theatres with a food court, sports arena, and other amenities that are already becoming common in some parts of India. To encourage and enable foreign filmmakers shooting in India, the ministry established the Film Facilitation Office as a part of the National Film Development Corp. (NFDC). It provides filmmakers with a single-window clearance mechanism. Invest India is an organisation that assists foreign investors in finding opportunities and choices in India. Since more and more viewers chose the comfort and convenience of video streaming platforms during the pandemic years, 1,500–2,000 theatres, the majority of which had single screens, have closed their doors, and several more are considering doing the same. In order to reach an agreement on the key provisions of the Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2021, Chandra met with a number of members of the industry, including Shibasish Sarkar, president of the Producers Guild of India, Dinesh Vijan, founder of Maddock Films, Apoorva Mehta, CEO of Dharma Productions, R. Balki, Ayan Mukerji, and Gaurav Gandhi. Piracy and the U/A (unrestricted with caution or parental guidance required for audiences under 12 years) subcategory for film certification are among the problems. There was unanimously positive feedback from the industry participants.

Chhello Show (‘Last Film Show’), a small-budget Gujarati drama, was chosen as India’s official entry to the Academy Awards for the international film category on Tuesday, putting all rumours to rest and defeating prominent Hindi and southern language films. A big screen release for the Pan Nalin-directed movie, which stars Bhavin Rabari, Bhavesh Shrimali, Richa Meena, Dipen Raval, and Paresh Mehta in the lead roles, is planned for late 2022. It managed to beat SS Rajamouli’s historical drama RRR and political drama The Kashmir Files. The film Chhello Show, about a young child in a Gujarati village who pays a projectionist to watch movies at his theatre, had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2021. The movie comes after the Malayalam thriller Jallikattu and the Tamil drama Koozhangal, both of which were chosen to represent India at the Oscars the previous two years but failed to receive any nominations. The year before, the winning entry was the musical drama Gully Boy by Zoya Akhtar. After Gyan Correa’s The Good Road in 2013, Chhello Show is the second Gujarati movie in the last ten years to be chosen for the award. However, only three Indian movies—Mother India (1957), Salaam Bombay! (1988), and Lagaan (2001)—have ever been nominated for an Academy Award. The 95th Academy Awards will take place in the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on March 12, 2023. Filmmaker Nalin has received recognition for a number of critically acclaimed works. His Hindi and Japanese-language motion picture Valley of Flowers won the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles’ best picture award in 2006, while Faith Connections, an official selection at the Toronto Film Festival in 2013 and winner of the festival’s audience choice prize in 2014, was also produced by him. In addition to being nominated for the 2016 All Lights India International Film Festival, Nalin’s feminist story Angry Indian Goddesses, which received the crowd award at the Rome Film Festival and the audience choice award at the Toronto International Film Festival, is well-known to Hindi-speaking viewers. The United States Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences bestows its annual award for best international film feature on a full-length movie made outside of the US and with a majority of dialogue in languages other than English. The Film Federation of India, the country’s top organisation of producers, distributors, exhibitors, and studio owners, makes the final decision regarding the official selection. Critics and movie enthusiasts were hoping for either SS Rajamouli’s RRR or Vivek Agnihotri’s The Kashmir Files to be submitted as the official entry, therefore Chhello Show’s selection came as a surprise. The former, a high-budget action spectacular, has already conducted a significant promotional campaign in the US and tells the story of two fictional Indian revolutionaries. The latter, which has gained considerable support and admiration from the political machinery, is focused on the exodus of Kashmiri Hindus from the state.

Brahmastra Part One: Shiva, starring Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor has become a box office sensation. The Ayan Mukerji-directed Karan Johar production made over Rs 200 crores at the global box office in its first four days of release. The fantasy trilogy’s upcoming sequels have sparked a flurry of fan theories and speculative posts on social media. The movie’s OTT platform release is keenly anticipated by fans. In the past, major platforms paid astonishing sums for the digital rights to high-budget films. The staggering sum of Rs 350 crore was paid for the digital streaming rights to SS Rajamouli’s massively successful movie RRR. KGF: Chapter 2, the successful follow-up to Yash, not far behind, sold its OTT rights for a whopping Rs 320 crore. For more than Rs 100 crores, Akshay Kumar also sold his direct-to-OTT movie Laxmmi Bomb to Disney+ Hotstar. According to numerous sources, OTT giant Disney+ Hotstar has already purchased the rights to Brahmastra. According to reports, the digital platform paid Rs 80 crore for the rights to the Ranbir-Alia movie.  Within five days of its release, the movie—which also stars Nagarjuna, Mouni Roy, and Shah Rukh Khan—passed the Rs 150 crore milestone at the Indian box office. Brahmastra Part 2: Dev, the movie’s second season, is expected to be completed by the beginning of the next year, according to director Ayan Mukerji. By December 2025, the director hopes to have the movie in theatres. Who will play the lead part in Brahmastra 2 is a subject of much speculation. According to reports, Deepika Padukone will play Amrita, the mother of Ranbir Kapoor’s Shiva, in the sequel. For the role of Dev, the male lead in part two, a variety of possibilities have surfaced, ranging from Ranveer Singh to Hrithik Roshan.