The entire carriage aspect is being transformed by the convergence phenomenon. While guidelines for DTH platforms have been is sued by the Government already, we are in the process of examining the digital terrestrial telecast possibility for India. DTH exploitation may not be limited only to Broadcasting. All such technology driven advances impact on each and every aspect of the entertainment sector. Digital cinema, for example, makes making of films much cheaper, it encourages a lot more younger directors to dabble in films, it even opens the possibility of pilot films being made for showing to financial institutions based on which larger amounts of funds can be committed by the said institutions.
Government is aware of the exciting possibilities which the new technologies are offering.
While the industry has to find new and innovative ways of harnessing the technology, and this is also mandated by the competitive environment, the Government has also to be constantly on its toes to ensure that the policy, legislative and regulatory environment is technology friendly and pragmatic. As you are aware, the Government is responding to the needs of the time and it is your prerogative, my dear friends, to keep us on our toes. While going through the proceedings of the last Conference, I noted number of impediments towards Entertainment Sector growth, which have been identified. In so far as insurance and finance are concerned, the Government certainly has taken positive steps. However, IDBI will need to frame policies where even the small filmmaker can get finance.