Ficci Frames to be held from March 12-14

The 14th edition of Asia's largest media and entertainment (M&E) jamboree, Ficci Frames, will be held from March 12-14 here, committee chairman and Star India head Uday Shankar said here today. In the run-up to the Budget, the Ficci Frames organizers also called for conducive tax and regulatory environment so that the M&E industry can be a catalyst for faster economic development. Stating that the industry is not seeking any doles from the government, Shankar said the government can at the same time bring in some enabling tax provisions like slashing the high import duty on set-top boxes and trim entertainment tax. Announcing the annual gathering of the domestic and M&E fraternity, Shankar, and his deputy at Ficci Frames Karan Johar, said this year's event is themed 'A tryst with destiny: Engaging a billion consumers'. "While the domestic M&E industry has made spectacular progress in the past 20 years in increasing the intensity of engagement with consumers through superior content, there is still a gap in our ability to monetize the engagement and use the resources generated to advance both access and content," Shankar said. Johar said 2013 will be a milestone for the M&E industry and Frames will offer an opportunity to put these developments into perspective, look at the larger picture and engage on such a bold and important theme. The filmmaker also said the M&E sector has an enormous potential for making considerable contributions not only to GDP, but also as a harbinger of social change. (MORE)