Mumbai:

Casbaa in association with FICCI Frames will host a prime session on ''India Today & Tomorrow — A Business Proposition with 40 million Customers'' on 29 October. FICCI Frames will be represented by Kunal Dasgupta, co-chairman, FICCI Entertainment Committee and CEO, Sony Entertainment Television; Amit Khanna, chairman, E-Entertainment Alliance (FICCI-Nasscom-TiE alliance), and chairman, Reliance Entertainment; L V Krishnan, CEO, TAM Media Research; and Sunil Khanna, CEO, Zee Turner.

Welcoming the joint initiative, Simon Twiston Davies, CEO, Casbaa said: "The corporatisation (and digitisation) of the India pay-TV market is the most important opportunity for the entire $14-billion-a-year Asia Pacific C&S TV industry. This is far more than a matter for multinationals; it''s about developing a new communications growth engine for India itself. Casbaa and the group of international executives joining FICCI-Frames 2004 will be discussing the issues of growth, technology upgrade, pay-TV advertising and pay-TV content provision in a highly interactive environment. We look forward to working further with FICCI-Frames with great enthusiasm."

Responding to the invite from Casbaa, Yash Chopra, chairman, FICCI Entertainment Committee, says: "Casbaa inviting FICCI Frames to join hands for this convention is a clear indication of the fact that its efforts towards the media and entertainment industry have started attracting not only domestic attention but also international accolades."

Says Kunal Dasgupta: "The Indian television industry is one of the most dynamic markets in the Asia Pacific region. All major global players have a presence in India. This initiative of FICCI Frames while providing an in-depth understanding of the television market in India to the delegates at Casbaa will also enhance the possibilities of forming business alliances in the Asian region."

Says Amit Khanna: "The C&S industry in India is a huge market that is yet to be realised to its full potential. Casbaa is the premier organisation of the C&S industry in Asia and the annual Casbaa convention is a great opportunity to network and understand the ground situation in the evolving global digital entertainment space."

This prime session will deliberate on the potential that India has in the television sector and explore the opportunities and linkages between India and Asia. Such regional initiatives by FICCI Frames have and will continue to facilitate the inflow of foreign investments into the country in the media and entertainment sector.

In addition, this hub for the Indian media and entertainment industry has provided major impetus to country exports and entertainment software. Ever since Frames started with its initiatives back in 2001, more and more global organisations have been picking up the distribution rights of the Indian content.

As a reciprocal gesture, Casbaa will visit FICCI Frames 2004 in Mumbai with a high-end C&S industry delegation from the Asia region. Simon Twiston Davis was a distinguished speaker at Frames 2003.

Says L V Krishnan: "The Indian TV segment is moving into an explosive growth road. It is slowly realising its true potential. In the coming future the pace of change in this dynamic market will be set by the passion with which the market players try to woo the huge, ever-hungry home TV viewing segment. The coming FICCI- Casbaa tie-up is a truly innovative step to tap into this huge Indian market potential."

Apart from initiatives like these, FICCI Frames is working for this industry at various levels across the entire bandwidth. For the forthcoming Frames 2004 convention in March next year, FICCI has already started getting participation queries from across the world. These include chiefs of world''s largest consulting firms, production houses, world acclaimed filmmakers and many more.