WTF!

A popular Hindi news channel [read: Star News] continuously relayed a message which read as, Duniya ka Dabangg aa Gaya, referring to the US President Barack Obamas arrival in India, as a part of his four-country Asian tour. Whats the need to create humour out of such a highly politicized event? In fact, does this Duniya ka dabanggs tour to India have any big-ticket mutually beneficial pact in works? Not really!

Moreover, Obamas Democratic Partys defeat in the US mid-term elections last week reflected expression of disapproval by the voters over his performance and promises And, now it remains to be seen whether the foremost black president of US can spell magic in the remaining two years of his term, as a case of turnaround. It is said that the worlds two biggest democracies have committed to a total of $15 billion worth of deals. But, more than political and strategic partnerships with India, Barack Obama certainly seems to have arrived here in search of a disguised mandate of creating jobs for the nearly 15 million people who are unemployed in the US. Surprisingly, the buzzing growth story of India constitutes to the extent of only 12th largest importer of the US products which has a lots more scope to improve in terms of satiating the ever-increasing demand from an emerging nation of 1.2 billion citizens. Thats how President Obamas prioritization of Business links over Politics, on his first ever to India visit, can be defined if one were to check the past records of job estimates which signifies that prevailing unemployment figures is nearly 4 million more than when Obama took office. How else can you describe President Obamas effort of spending most of his tour schedule in interaction with students and youths of the country and, not as much with the political bigwigs where the actual geopolitical power play stays? Early Sunday morning, the Mr Obama spent time with the teachers and students celebrating

the Diwali and cultural activities in Holy Name School in Colaba. He also made a brief visit to a museum devoted to Mahatma Gandhi before heading towards a meeting of the US-India Business Council. Further, on Sunday afternoon, the President spent 75-minute session with Indian students at St Xaviers College in Mumbai handling questions about Pakistan, Mahatma Gandhi and USIndia relationships. After shaking a leg or two with the school children in Mumbai, the US President spent 40minutes at Humayuns Tomb, a World Heritage site, in Delhi. In short, this trip can be best described as a business-cum-tourist trip than any other stuff.

What India expects from this trip?

1. Easing of tough policies of Obama towards outsourcing Definitely, not possible. unlikely to announce explicit support; though he might just express views on Indias growing power and role in the international system. 3. Relaxation in US export controls on India Partial expectations could be met. 2. US support for Indias claim to permanent seat in UN Security Council Obama

What US expects from India?

1. More Indian defense contracts at a time when Indias defense sector is overhauling of its military hardware It is estimated that over $30 billion for weapon procurement and modernization of Indias military could be at stake over the next 2-3 years. Thus, Mr. Obama might look at diverting some orders from India who mainly relied on Russian military hardware, until now to create jobs and revenues for the US manufacturers. 2. More co-operations revolving around the South Asia policy, especially in helping US to flex its arms with China over growing distrust and policy difference between USChina relationships. 3. Pitching for level playing field in Indias Foreign Investment regulations President Obama has termed Indian FDI regulations as opaque and urged for an atmosphere of genuine competition for its firms doing business in India. He has asked India to lift its restrictions on the FDI in multi-brand retail. Whether or not such policy changes will be adopted, only time will tell. One clearly gets a sense that nothing dramatic is likely to emerge from this visit. Related posts:

1.

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On the way to Financial Inclusion

Posted: 08 Nov 2010 02:46 AM PST Financial Inclusion is defined as delivering banking facilities/financial services to all the people in a transparent and equitable manner at affordable cost. The Committee on Financial Inclusion in India defined it as the process of ensuring access to financial services and timely and adequate credit where needed by vulnerable groups such as the weaker sections and low income groups at an affordable cost. The financial inclusion provides business opportunity for the financial institutions at the bottom of the pyramid to expand the volume of business. Profitability can be increased only by finding newer avenues for deployment of funds.

After nationalization of major banks in India in 1969, there was a significant expansion of branch network to unbanked areas and stepping up of lending to agriculture, small industry and business. The focus then shifted on establishing the basic right of every person to have access to affordable basic banking services. Soon it was realized that ensuring people have savings account was not enough & for achievement of the primary objective, lately the discussion on financial inclusion in policy and academic circles has shifted beyond the extension of institutional credit at the expense of providing savings as provision of only savings account does not imply financial inclusion (its usage by the account holder & Financial Literacy is more important). Financial Inclusion must aim at incorporating credit markets and plethora of banking services. The purview of Financial Inclusion should encompass not only delivery of banking, but also other financial services like insurance, pension, remittance, mutual funds, etc. delivered at affordable, though market driven costs. The process started with opening a no-frills account but there must be a continuous development to facilitate provision of banking and financial services. Usually the person would need a bank account, where he/she can save small amounts at regular intervals ideally with savings being collected at their place of work or a specified point of transaction (SPOT) in the locality; micro-credit for new business/ working capital to increase stock and business. Savings history and credibility checks to be used as a proxy for collateral, Insurance (life/Health) for minor illnesses and hospitalization, investment plan for childs education, pension and other investment avenues. Once the first step of safety of savings is achieved, the poor require access to schemes and products which allow their savings to grow at rates which provide them growth beyond mere inflation protection. The thrust of Financial Inclusion Framework lies in following critical

parameters: The initiatives taken by the government are reckoning however the execution and follow up is lacking. The government is harping on the Business Correspondent model to percolate to the lowest level. One organization which is constantly working towards this initiative is Financial Inclusion Network and Operations Ltd. (FINO) founded on 13th July, 2006, a company focused on the BC model being rolled out in the country to achieve financial inclusion. FINO specializes in building & providing technologies to enable financial institutions (FIs) to serve the under-served and the unbanked sector and also to service the technology requirements of entities engaged in servicing the bottom of pyramid customers. One of the biggest challenges in the micro banking industry is the huge amount of paperwork and human effort traditionally involved in supporting micro-transactions and credit scoring potential customers. Other hurdles include Information gap, accessibility and reach, infrastructure, illiterate populace & fool proof identity. The concept of FINO was germinated to overcome all the above mentioned hurdles and make financial services available to the unbanked. Recently it has added a money transfer feature to its Fino Tijori, a self-operated stand-alone machine that offers the functionality of account deposit, balance enquiry, mini statement, and request for loan options. FINO Tijori is a Biometric Smart Card based no frills saving account product designed specifically for the Banks / MFIs in the Microfinance space. The Card becomes a combination of passbook and ATM card, and provides features like Balance Inquiry, Deposit and withdrawal of Cash. FINO Tijori is the basic building block which the Bank / MFI can use to offer other financial products like loans, remittance, insurance etc. to their customers by issuing multi-application smart card. It is easy to access and is user friendly therefore meant for anyone and everyone. Fino Tijori offers ease of use & learnability to any user, who otherwise has no idea on how to make banking transactions. Saving and storing money is an ordeal for the migrant workers in metros who leave no stone unturned to save a penny to support their families back in villages. FINO has devised smart solution to this problem. Now, all that user (read labourer, worker etc.) does is walk up to the closest business correspondent (BC) transaction point, deposit money and even remit it to his family anywhere in India at any time of the day! So that every paisa saved to support his family reaches the destination without any hitches. The other not so viable options available to send money home once in two months are through friends or postal money order (which involves huge time & risk).

How Fino Tijori Works

Both the remitter and beneficiary are given individual bank accounts operated with a biometric card on Fino BC transaction points. The remitter can deposit money at any Fino

point, transfer the money to the beneficiary by instructing the BC agent to do so and the beneficiary can withdraw from any other Fino point using his/her secure biometric card. And if customers have registered their mobile numbers with Fino, an alert is also sent to both the remitter and beneficiary. The money, which is deposited in a bank account, even earns a 3.5 per cent interest, till it is remitted to the beneficiary.

Spreading the benefits all over..

Fino has plans to deploy these machines all over India in order to help people deposit such small sums of money throughout the day & has already tied up with Union Bank of India and ICICI Bank, and is in talks with other banks too. Currently, the remittance origination centres are in Delhi, Mumbai, and Surat, while destination points are in the eastern Uttar Pradesh region. So far 100 micro-deposit machines (MDMs) have been deployed in Delhi and Mumbai, and are being tested with respect to customer convenience/usage and acceptability. According to FINO, in the three months since its launch the company is handling about 3,500 transactions a day with an aggregate value of Rs 2 crore. With plans to scale up to 200 MDMs by March 2011, the company plans to offer the facilities from 11 origination cities and also add Gujarat and Bihar to its destination network. Related posts: 1. Indian Financial Services Sector continues to attract foreign players BMW to set up a NBFC BMW group, known for their luxury cars, have decided to enter the Indian Financial Services Business by setting up its... 2. Who likes credit cards anyway? Bankers hate it. Merchants hate it. Informed consumers hate it. Bankers hate it because it is not making any money.... 3. Mumbai and 7 other Indian cities figure in the top 65 financial centres of emerging economies It is double bonanza for Maharastra. Just a few weeks back, a study showed that Pune would be the 7th... 4. Move aside Financial Sector, FMCG is now the preferred Industry for campus placements The recession seems to have bought about a sea-change in the way Indian B-School students are looking at their future... 5. Nokia & Yes Bank bring innovative Mobile Money Services to Consumers ! Close to the heels of SBI announcing its Mobile Banking initiative for underprivileged, Nokia has now partnered with Yes Bank...

Indian TV Channels- market share Vs profit?

Posted: 07 Nov 2010 11:58 PM PST There is a race. A race with no real goal. A race where anyone can compete as they are fed with ample food to get started, and then they are asked to RUN! But there is no direction and no ultimate goal, do you think the race will do any good to anyone in longer run? Or, do you think that at the end of the day it will be a blood bath? Or, do you think someone else will come up with a different kind of race and will win-it-all? Sounds interesting?

Well, this is exactly what Indian TV Channels are facing right now! There is a race to get ahead of competitors without even knowing the real time response of consumers using it. Most of the channels are in losses including some big ones and every investor is betting on future! But the very term future in TV Industry is what which is very unpredictable! Future is NOT how much money Broadcasters will be able to pocket from advertisers but transformational technologies like Pay-per-view, Internet TV, Online Videos i.e. services like Hulu, Google/Apple TV, Miso etc. There are various genres in Television viz. GEC, Reality, Music, Business, News, Education, Kids, Sports, Comedy etc. Today one can see competition in every available genre (Music genre is no more since Indian music is constantly degrading in both quality and originality). In United States there are 3 major Television broadcasters ( ABC, CBS, and NBC) and several others including Fox, MyNetworkTV, ION and The CW and this is a stable market now! But in India we currently have Star, Zee, TV18, UTV, Sahara, NDTV, Times TV, Sun TV, Doordarshan, 9X Media etc. Also, we should not forget to mention Big TV which is going to launch 8 new channels in India very soon! What keeps these channels happy is the fact that there is an agency called TAM (Television Audience Measurement) which gives them a feeling that their shows are rocking among viewers and the fact that they can charge a premium on their ads based on reports from TAM. Very recently I read, that ET Now is now neck-in-neck with CNBC TV18 with an increased

market share of 31%, lagging behind CNBC with a mere 5%! Now thats some news to increase advertising costs per slot, isnt it? Im not doubting these Channels performance here, but the high reliability, a bet on future these Channels are making, based on some reports and not reality! Reality is that the consumers are always confused what to watch, when to watch and how much to watch of what to watch. Those ads which are shown on a Channel become the best excuse to switch over to a competitors channel. So on what basis they are charging a premier rate to advertisers? Another story which I was reading, talks about how WB movies has grown up 50% over last year? Their ad revenue has doubled up since last year (no numbers disclosed), and yea no discussion on the loss numbers off course! When we dig into the news we can see that their reasons for growth include features like single-break movie, movies with maximum 2 minutes of ad-break etc. Did you get the point? You need to engage users in order to charge a premium for your ads. Reports always tell viewer-ship numbers based on how many viewers are watching the show but doesnt (usually) include average time of show (i.e. total show time minus ads time) vs average time of watch (total viewed time divided by number of users watching the show). Indian TV media is really getting into an speculative mode! I dont know from where the investors are seeing money? If its based on an increase in RPU (Revenue per user) due to an increase in content revenue sharing, then its not correct! Because by the time Indians switch on to DTH and IPTV, forced content will be a thing of past, pay-per-view and content-ondemand are the future of Television. Dont you think so? Related posts: 1. IBM is the largest vendor for Indian IT services with a market share of 10.8% Aint that a real shocker? At least to me it is. I know that IBM was the first and foremost... 2. Media Monday: Radio channels with innovative content ideas! If you think its only Television Channels which come up with innovative ideas these days, read this- Radio Channels are... 3. Despite losses Anil eyes BIG in media business- To launch 20 new TV channels [Media Monday] Reliance Broadcast Network Ltd. (RBNL) recently raised Rs. 2.83 Billion via preferential allotment of 33.32 million equity shares at a... 4. 1 million subscribers and 15% market share for BigTV in 90 days Its only 3 months since BigTV was launched and it already has 1 million subscribers. From using a very good... 5. No more new TV Channels Thanks to lack of Spectrum availability There has been explosive growth in the number of TV channels that are beamed in

Indian Homes. In the earlier...

Weekly Wrap-up: Tablets, TRAI, iPhone 4, Teaser Loans, Retail FDI, Maruti, Harley & More..
Posted: 07 Nov 2010 08:36 PM PST I am sure you are still having a Diwali Hangover, atleast I am yet to get out of the festivities of last 3-4 days. As expected, last week we did not have normal frequency of our articles, but some of them were quite buzzing. Here is a quick weekly wrap-up of stories.

This decade has bought about a sea-change in our TV viewing habits, thanks to launch of 100s of channels and the trend seems to be only growing. Thats why, despite losses Anil Ambani eyes BIG in media business- To launch 20 new TV channels. The Most awaited Tablet The Samsung Galaxy Tab launched few days back. But pricing has come as a dampener (at 38k apiece). We carried out comparison Between Galaxy Tab vs Olivepad to see if Tab was worth that price. India has shifted gears, the economy is growing and stock markets are at their all time peak. Thats the reason why, Business Confidence of India Inc. is currently sky high. Mobile consumers can now hope to have a sigh of relief from the pesky spam calls which are now becoming a regularity. TRAI will soon be announcing strict regulations for spammy commercial Calls ! Infibeam has started selling iPhone 4 in India and they call it Officially Unlocked iPhone 4. I am not sure what to make of it. Most probably these iPhones are grey market phones which Infibeam has put up for salewhat do you think? Banks are going all out to entice consumers in picking up loans, which in most cases are teaser loans to start off with. Now, RBI teases Banks with Extra Load on Teaser Loans! This question has been asked many times earlier Will the regular Kirana stores (mom n pop shops) shut down due to proliferation of Super stores? I doubt, we still have a long way to go before we can see the end of personalized neighbourhood shops. Maruti has been know for its Value for Money vehicles, most of which are in A and B segments. But for the first time, Maruti is entering the luxury car arena with Maruti Kizashi.

Only time will tell whether they will see success in this Luxury D segment ! Its to rejoice for all the Harley Davidson fans These iconic Motorcycles are going to get cheaper in India as the parent company has decided to setup a local parts manufacturing shop that help reducing the cost of imports which are as high as 60 percent currently !

Obama visit means free ads for RI, says analyst

Rangga D. Fadillah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 11/12/2010 10:44 AM | Business A|A|A| Indonesia must utilize the recent massive exposure it received from internationally renowned US media during US President Barack Obamas two-day homecoming visit, to promote partnerships with US businesspeople, an analyst says. Danareksa Research Institute chief researcher Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa told The Jakarta Post on Thursday that among the most significant effects of Obamas visit to Indonesia was massive media coverage that meant free promotion for the country. US media exposure will promote Indonesia to professionals there. They will learn that the two countries have much in common, so businesspeople there will be interested in cooperating with us, he said. He added that Obamas positive statements on Indonesias robust economic performance, strong democracy and dynamic civil society would strongly reverberate in his country, which might improve Indonesias image among US businesspeople. Now, the situation depends on our efforts to materialize commitments made during his visit, he emphasized. Indonesia and the US have launched a comprehensive partnership framework covering broad fields from economic and cultural to security issues. During his visit, Obama expressed his intention to make his country Indonesias number one trading partner in the world. Purbaya said that the US was very important for Indonesia since the countrys exports to the US represented between 9 and 10 percent from its total exports value, while US exports to Indonesia only represented between 0.6 percent and 0.7 percent. In a bid to tighten the two countries economic ties, Jakarta and Washington have agreed to boost their trade volume from US$21 billion in 2008 to $35 billion over the several years ahead.

The partnership also aims to invite more US investments in sectors such as oil, gas, renewable energy and agriculture. According to the Coordinating Investment Board (BKPM), several US giant companies such as General Electric and Caterpillar have registered their commitment to set up businesses in Indonesia in the near future. Coordinating Economic Minister Hatta Rajasa indicated a serious commitment from the US to improve its economic bond with Indonesia. However, he admitted that President Obamas visit did not aim to sign any business agreement. President Obamas visit was not in the context to sign an agreement. He came here to strengthen the commitment between the two countries to boost cooperation in various fields, he told reporters at his office in Jakarta on Wednesday. Hatta said that to boost trade and investments between the two countries, both should work harder, but he added that the current trends had shown positive improvements. In order to attract more investors from the US, Purbaya said the government needed to solve several vital issues such as poor infrastructure and unclear regulations that might have contributed to potential investors backing down from their investment plans. Many investors across the globe have expressed their intention to invest in Indonesia. But, once they learn about the messy investment climate here, they cancel, he said. The government should therefore develop a serious program if it wants overseas investors to do business in the country, Purbaya said. (lnd)

ok lalasa : Nov 12, 2010 definitly it will make great impact in india niya varghese : Nov 12, 2010 Yes. I think that It will have a major impact as he provided India Super Nuclear Power and showed good behaviour towards Indian Subcontinent. Aditya Dipankar Sarangi : Nov 11, 2010 I think yes as he was impressed with the unity of India But India does not get any major advantage. Namit Sharda : Nov 11, 2010 yes LEELA DHAR MISHRA : Nov 11, 2010 USA can't help india. they are fully professional. sushil k : Nov 11, 2010 Ofcourse Mathen : Nov 10, 2010 Yes Obama's visit to India will have a major impact on India- US relations coz he's dynamic Sharlyn : Nov 09, 2010 obams's democratic tour is wisely for 2012 re election.. Uday : Nov 09, 2010 . Uday : Nov 09, 2010 i think ,it will have major impact on india-us relations coz obama has different mind then bush. sky : Nov 08, 2010 they dhould get the death penalty Emily Knight : Nov 08, 2010 Dinesh Chadha : Nov 07, 2010 Obama has come to capture Indian Market for its own country's gain Dr. Ratan Bhattacharjee : Nov 07, 2010 I am disturbed with the idea that a visitor should come to our country with freebies and gifts, as if we stand welcoming him with a begging bowl. Obama is welcomed. If he is interested in business we will do business with him. If he likes pleasantries, we can exchange pleasantries. We have come a long way to feel confident and self-sufficient than depending on charities of other countries. scsosho : Nov 05, 2010 He didn,t talk like an American President. Looked silly hemant : Nov 09, 2010 absoultely no... bcoz obama main think is stop our outsourcing with usa... so many employees will lose his jobs in our country.. obama visit not useful to our country.... dilipkumar.p : Nov 09, 2010 I don't think so B.Rambabu : Nov 07, 2010 Many U.S. Presidents have come and gone. What is the use? good relations with other countries is fine but no one will help us or can help us solve the thousands of problems our people are facing. that only we have to solve ourselves . Oishimaya Sen : Nov 07, 2010 no..before this many times america president has visit india....this visit also be the same as like them Navneet : Nov 09, 2010

US President is here just to balance the increasing influence of China in Infrsatructural Development at various strategic points llike Sri Lanka and Pakistan. So to counter it, US should support for the India's claim for a permanent seat at UNSC. Dr. Pushker : Nov 07, 2010 I hope obamas visit to india makes the relation between both the countries gud and brings changes in their economic front Nidhi : Nov 07, 2010 yes trivfi : Nov 06, 2010 May not be in short term. Sikkanthar Batsha : Nov 05, 2010

You may love or hate this fact, but he/she is your messenger. Yes we are talking about editors of newspapers and news channels that you read or watch for your daily dose of information. You surely have loads of compliments or scathing criticism to shower on him or her. Or, in general, there may be a number of things that you like or dont like about todays media. You may have never been able to send across these, but heres your chance to join the Big Media Debate on CNN-IBN and IBNLive.com. CNN-IBNs Senior Editor/Anchor, Dr Vidya Shankar Aiyar, kicks off this debate with a few questions. Write in with your feedback/suggestions/opinion and we will make sure you are heard. Also do not forget to watch the big debate on CNN-IBN at 2030 hours IST on Saturday, September 29, and 1200 hours IST on Sunday, September 30. ) Its perhaps the best and the worst of times for the media in India. Its lapping up the joy of the Indian cricket team winning the Twenty 20 world cup. Its not only informing and entertaining, its also making a lot of money. Everyones happy. No one is even complaining about the hype, except perhaps, the hockey team. Even so, the hockey teams ire is directed towards politicians and at least, not yet towards the media. Its the irony of Chak de India. Rewind to the recent past and there was outrage. How could the Supreme court sentence 4 journalists for contempt of court, without examining the truth claimed by the journalists as defence? It was seen as a body blow to fair and fearless journalism that involves the truth. Or for that matter, what of the tragic-comic affair of a TV sting that provoked less violence on

the streets when it was discovered to be fake, than when it was believed to be genuine? Are stings just sensationalism? Or what of the governments proposed Broadcast Bill that empowers it to pull the plug virtually on any TV channel or Broadcast Service Provider, at will? Worse, even the most optimistic reading of the Content Code associated with the bill leaves one with the inescapable conclusion; the watchdog would now just watch. Are these signs of the way people perceive the media today? Whatever happened to good old responsible, independent, free and fair journalism? Its time to act. The media must address some pressing questions and find solutions. Here are 5 questions for 25 top editors across the country. We will debate them with a live audience this weekend as well. If you have any good answers to the following questions, join the debate and write in to us. > Watching the Watchdog: Should the media regulate itself? > Once Stung, Twice Shy: Are sting operations over-rated? > Just to Ban? Is it right for the government to ban a TV channel? > Ethics vs Market: Is journalism selling out to profit margins and sensationalism? > Truth or Contempt: Who decides whats the truth? The government, the media or the courts?