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Hari Sharan Subedi is the Managing Director of A.D Release, one of Nepal's leading media buying agencies. With over 20 years of experience in the Nepali media and advertising industry, Subedi has played a pivotal role to introduce pioneering program concepts into the Nepali television industry that include reality TV shows such as Nepal Idol, The Voice and SaReGaMaPa Li’l Champs Nepal along with full production and marketing of the Super Dancer Nepal. Subedi and his team have also introduced Nepal’s local reality shows such as Comedy Champion and the popular comic series Sakkigoni. Subedi has been at the forefront of changing the television media sales landscape via innovative advertising segments including on-screen advertising and sponsored segments across news and programs. He is currently the Executive Member of the Advertising Association of Nepal (AAN) and a member of the Information and Communication Technology Development Sub-Committee of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI). The Annapurna Express caught up with Subedi to talk about media buying and the Nepali television industry, Excerpts: Your agency has consistently been at the forefront of television advertising in Nepal. How would you introduce your business and the industry you are in? We are a team of think-alike people, and it has been a collective achievement so far. The Nepali television industry has come a long way as the industry grew manifold, thanks to investment in news and programming as well as technology. Today, the television industry employs over 3,000 people, ranging from journalists to production, engineering, administrative and marketing professionals. The main source of revenue is advertisements. And, the whole advertisement segment has also evolved remarkably in these years. We have seen the whole transition, from VHF tapes to DV tapes and now to transferring audiovisuals digitally across various TV stations from your own office. As a media buying agency, we take pride that we also contributed to this transition positively which helped the overall industry to expand. Of late, with the growing number of TV channels, there is also the issue of sustainability that is being increasingly discussed within the TV industry. As TV channels fight for advertising revenue that has not grown, do you think these channels will survive?  We have seen flooding of TV stations, from satellite TV stations to regional TVs and those promoted by TV channel distributors in recent times. Around 200 satellite TV stations have taken licenses, of which over 60 are currently in operation. Even when operated in a very minimalistic manner, the combined operating cost of these channels would be approximately Rs 3 billion. However, the size of the advertising market has fallen post-Covid, and even further due to the current economic slowdown to around Rs 2 billion. How can advertising sustain the television industry in this scenario? On the other hand, there is a lack of investment in content and broadcast quality. For any TV to have a huge following, one needs to have programs that are attractive, and intriguing for the viewers. Instead, what we see is that most TV stations have the same kind of programming. And, there is also a serious dearth of specialization. Internationally, sports channels are the most expensive to subscribe to. The world has realized that live sports generate the highest viewership. Unfortunately, we are going one step further in Nepal, killing the exclusivity of TV broadcasts by coupling it with the concurrent digital broadcast. Reality shows, series, sports, and everything are available on YouTube, and this is the main reason behind the falling TV subscriptions. And to add to this is the Clean Feed debacle. International channels were supposed to be free of advertisement, but we have to see the same irritating promotional spot repeatedly. TV watching has become unpleasant with average content, subscriptions have fallen, and with the economic slowdown, it is natural that advertising revenues have also declined. What are the pressing issues plaguing the TV industry? Why is the Nepali advertisement market not able to sustain the growing number of TV stations? Despite the economic slowdown, the number of new media outlets is growing. The situation is such, every advertiser faces a huge dilemma today. While the advertiser's advertising budget has not grown, they are getting increased follow-up from the media marketers. Rather than advertising on the media platform that suits their target group, advertisers are literally forced to balance the media, particularly the smaller media outlets that resort to unfair practices. I am personally aware of some larger advertisers forced to distribute ads proportionately across larger to smaller media. Everyone wants to run a news channel – every TV, every online portal, and every YouTuber. And then there is an absence of television and media rating mechanisms. In India, the TRAI, the government body, rates media by their reach and popularity or following. There is no such mechanism in place in Nepal. The economic downturn has impacted all businesses across Nepal. But you say that a 'lack of regulation' is hurting television media. Are you hinting that there is a lack of regulation across the media sector of Nepal? Yes. If we look at the huge investments made by satellite TV stations in broadcast equipment, satellite and carriage charges, generating employment, licensing fees, royalties, and taxes, how is it fair for them to compete for viewership with one individual flashing a Go-Pro or cell phones and broadcasting live news on YouTube? Globally, TV is still considered the most credible or trusted source of information. Major TV stations ensure the source or accuracy of news before broadcasting, or otherwise, they have to face complaints and a hit to their credibility. While the developed world is out there battling fake news and taking Facebook and Twitter to court, we in Nepal, are allowing 'one-man armies' to broadcast news unabashedly. It is only fair that the government regulates online and social media before too much damage is done. If the TV industry falls, thousands of jobs, huge investments, and families will suffer. Media owners also need to do their bit. They must lobby with the government to ensure appropriate regulation, and maintain the exclusivity of their content. They must stop immediate or concurrent digital broadcasts. Look at international practice—one may be able to enjoy a short clip of a program on digital platforms only after one to four weeks, but you will not find the entire program on YouTube. Similarly, TV stations should not be marketing themselves based on YouTube or Facebook views, and content makers should stop developing content solely for digital platforms. Don't you think TV stations also need to upgrade their content and broadcast quality? Not all TV stations are of low quality. TV stations such as Nepal TV, Kantipur HD, Himalaya HD, AP1 HD, and Galaxy 4K have spent millions on quality equipment, and are investing big in programs and reality shows. Many TV channels have staff or stringers throughout the country. But not all TV stations have invested in broadcast equipment, human capital, and content quality. We could introduce some strong provisions to open a TV station, such as increasing the license fee and setting criteria for infrastructures. Let there also be regulation for existing channels to ensure the quality of their broadcast standard. TV viewing would become more pleasant with better broadcast quality. And, it is also the responsibility of TV channels to make people watch TV. There are sufficient examples in India, of how they dramatize series, news, and reality shows, adding intrigue to their presentation to ensure viewership. This was possible due to their separation of production and broadcasting. They outsource content production, while still retaining creative control. The very existence of production companies depends on the quality of their output. Don't you think there is also a lack of regulation on digital advertising in Nepal as well?  I am confident that the central bank has no data on the size of digital marketing in Nepal. At the outset, it would seem that advertisers are spending only some of their budget on digital advertising. But, a large number of small budgets adds up to a large outflow of forex. And does the country benefit from that spending? Traditional media would pay taxes on their earnings to the government. Does Google or Facebook pay taxes to the Nepal Government? In addition to this, there is an issue with clean feed. Nepali TV channels are not supposed to play foreign or dubbed advertisements. But these very advertisements can be played on digital and outdoor media platforms. How is it fair? Why would advertisers then develop localized advertisements if they can do it on digital and outdoor media? They would simply change the medium of advertising, replacing TV with digital media. And then TV advertisements must be censored to ensure no misinformation. Digital platforms go uncensored, untaxed, and unregulated. It is high time the government took these matters seriously. Not doing anything means bidding farewell to the Nepali TV industry. If the advertisement market cannot sustain the growing number of TV stations, how can we expect them to invest further in content and broadcast quality? Under current circumstances, the market cannot sustain the growing number of TV stations. Look at the international practice where TV stations earn almost equally through advertising and subscriptions. Nepali households pay handsomely to watch foreign channels but want to watch Nepali channels for free, and then complain about content and broadcast quality, comparing them with Indian shows. Isn’t that hollow nationalism? If Nepali TV channels give strong content backed by the international-level production quality, why would people need to watch foreign channels? But, for this to happen, Nepal must embrace the subscription model. This is not a new concept though, the industry has discussed this for over a decade, but has been unable to implement it due to differences between TV owners themselves and TV distribution companies. Should they embrace it, subscription revenue would pave the way for further investment in content quality, and the competition between TV stations would automatically filter out stations that don’t invest in quality and content. TV channels can price themselves based on demand, viewers are able to pick and choose the channels they are willing to pay for, and advertisers have a strong basis to select where to advertise.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) plunged by 16. 40 points to close at 2,105.46 points on Tuesday. Similarly, the sensitive index dropped by 2. 74 points to close at 401. 69 points. A total of 4,685,809 unit shares of 255 companies were traded for Rs 1. 78 billion. Meanwhile, Unilever Nepal Limited was the top gainer today with its price surging by 6. 12 percent. Likewise, Barahi Hydropower Public Limited was the top loser with its price dropped by 5. 07 percent. At the end of the day, the total market capitalization stood at Rs 3. 03 trillion.

Nepal is preparing to table a proposal for a long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) between Nepal and India in the upcoming secretary-level Joint Steering Committee (JSC) meeting scheduled for Feb 17-18 in New Delhi. Currently, the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) is selling electricity in the day-ahead market of the Indian Energy Exchange. India's approval is required to sell electricity in the Indian market. As of now, bidding is required to sell power on a daily basis. According to officials at the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation (MoEWRI), it is not possible to sell through daily competition. "We cannot always rely on the model through which we are exporting electricity to India," said a senior official at the ministry. "Now we will propose with India to sell electricity for a longer period." According to MoEWRI officials, India has not approved the proposal from Nepal to sell 700 MW of electricity from Nepal. This has created uncertainty about India as the market for Nepali electricity. The proposal for long-term PPA, according to ministry officials, is to seek the certainty of the market. Nepali officials say it has become necessary to export more electricity in the upcoming days to prevent the wastage of surplus power during the wet season. India has allowed Nepal to sell 452.6MW of power generated by eight hydropower projects in India’s energy market. NEA exported electricity worth Rs 11.16bn to India beginning June last year until it stopped the exports in the third week of December last year owing to falling production. Apart from long-term PPA, MoEWRI officials are planning to discuss the construction of two new high-capacity cross-border transmission lines during the meeting. Currently, the 400KV Dhalkebar-Muzaffarpur Cross-border transmission line is the only high-capacity power line for power trade between the two countries which can transmit around 1,000MW of electricity at a time. Nepal and India have already moved ahead to develop the New Butwal-Gorakhpur Transmission Line which will have a capacity of transporting power as much as 3,500MW. Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) and Indian Power Grid Corporation have established a joint venture company in India to construct this transmission line in the Indian territory. According to the MoEWRI official, Nepal will propose the construction of two additional 400 KV cross-border transmission lines—Inaruwa-Purnia and New Lamki-Bareli, in the upcoming meeting. With more power coming to the national grid in the current fiscal year and next fiscal year, there is an urgent need to initiate the construction of more cross-border transmission lines between the two countries to enable more power export from Nepal to India. “As Nepal will have more power to sell to India during the wet season, reliable infrastructure for cross-border transmission of power has become necessary,” said the official. According to NEA, over 700MW is expected to be added to the national grid in the current fiscal 2022/23 while over 550MW is expected to be added in the next fiscal year 2023/24. Officials say it will become necessary to export more power in the upcoming days to prevent spillage. Apart from this, India will also be requested to facilitate the Nepal-Bangladesh power trade during the meeting. In August 2022, Nepal and Bangladesh decided to request India to allow the export of 40-50MW of electricity from Nepal to Bangladesh in the initial phase by utilizing the Baharampur-Bheramara cross-border power transmission line. As per the understanding reached by the secretary-level JSC formed for energy cooperation between Nepal and Bangladesh, Nepal had notified India of the understanding it reached with Bangladesh in October. Nepali officials were hopeful that energy export to Bangladesh would happen as there had been a request from the highest political level of Bangladesh to India. Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during her visit to India in September this year had requested her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi for a power transmission corridor to import electricity generated in Nepal. But, government officials and private sector representatives, who interacted with Indian officials during the conference on grid connectivity in the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) in New Delhi on 16 Dec 2022, said Indian officials notified the Nepali delegation that currently it is not possible to export electricity through the Baharampur-Bheramara transmission line.

Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) Parshuram Sharma and US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Afreen Akhtar held a meeting at the Nepal Army headquarters in Bhadrakali on Tuesday. During the meeting, the duo discussed mutual interests and bilateral cooperation, the NA Directorate of Public Relations and Information said. CoAS said that this kind of meeting will further strengthen the relationship between the two countries. Akhtar will hold meetings with government and Nepal Army officials during her stay in Nepal, the US Embassy said. She is also scheduled to hold discussions with the Nepali partners ICIMOD and Energy Nepal. “Issues of climate change, clean energy, humanitarian assistance and disaster response, democracy and human rights will be discussed,” the Embassy said.    

National Pride Projects have been accorded high priority, have strategic importance for the country and the government has always guaranteed resources for the development of the projects. Yet the progress of national pride projects is far from satisfactory. This fiscal year is also no different. The latest report of the Ministry of Finance (MoF) shows only 15.16 percent of the budget allocated for these projects in the federal budget has been spent so far. Rs 98.97 billion was allocated for national pride projects, but only Rs 15.8 billion was spent in the first six months of the current fiscal year. Among the 21 national pride projects, Sunkoshi Marine Diversion Project has an edge over others when it comes to budget utilization. The project has spent 88 percent of the allocated amount in the first half of this fiscal. Of the total allocation of Rs 2.71 billion, the project has used Rs 2.39 billion till mid-January. Similarly, the power transmission project of the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) Nepal has the least progress. Only 3.66 percent of physical progress has been made till mid-January in this project. MCA Nepal has undertaken works related to the acquisition of land, design, study, and survey of the project for the current fiscal year. The MoF, in the mid-term review of the budget, has said 18 percent of the allocated budget has been spent on Pushpalal Highway, 42.60 percent on Postal Highway, 39 percent on Kosi Corridor, and 22.71 percent on Kali Gandaki Corridor in the first half of this fiscal year. The budget spending in Karnali Corridor is 9 percent, while Metro Rail and Monorail Development Project has utilized 22 percent. The much talked about Kathmandu-Terai Expressway is yet to expedite its works as only 9.11 percent has been spent in this fiscal. Meanwhile, Budhi Gandaki Reservoir Project has spent only 15.86 percent of the allocated budget. The MoF report shows none of the four irrigation projects, namely Babai, Mahakali, Sikta, and Ranijamara, have budget utilization above 50 percent in the first half of this fiscal. These 21 projects were given the status of 'national pride' with a belief that their construction will help the economic and social transformation of the country. As of now, the government has identified four irrigation projects, three hydropower projects, three international airports, six road projects, an electric railway project, a drinking water project, two projects aimed at promoting the holy sites of Pashupati and Lumbini, and an environmental conservation project as national pride project. But the start of the construction of many of these projects is yet to see the light of day. The construction of the Upper Tamakoshi Hydropower Project and Gautam Budh International Airport was completed in the last fiscal year while that of Pokhara Regional International Airport was completed in the current fiscal year. According to MoF, the project implementation has not been effective due to the absence of separate legal provisions and standards regarding project selection and implementation. No clear standards have been prepared to maintain operational coordination with the provincial and local levels in terms of implementing projects of national pride. The concept of the ‘national pride project’ was first introduced in 2012. Yet, the government still has not framed any clear-cut criteria for the selection of national pride projects. As a result, the label of ‘national pride’ is put on projects through Cabinet decisions, which many say, is an ad-hoc process. MoF officials say the execution of national pride projects have been suffered due to delays in land acquisition, disputes between project officials and locals over compensation proposed by the government for land that needs to be acquired, unclear relocation and resettlement strategies, and lack of coordination among authorities concerned. Economists and development experts say a clear legal arrangement should be created and a separate law should be formulated to bring effectiveness in the selection and implementation of national pride and large projects of strategic importance. MoF is said to be working to create criteria for national pride projects. Under this, a project will be announced as the 'project of national pride' only after the finalization of the detailed project report, geological study, and regional balance analysis.  

Korean smartphone brand Samsung has launched its latest flagship smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S23, in Nepal on Thursday. The Galaxy S23 series namely the Galaxy S23, the Galaxy S23+, and the Galaxy S23 Ultra were unveiled by Sung June Park, Vice President of Samsung, Pranaya Ratna Sthapit, Director of Samsung Nepal, movie star Anmol KC and Miss Nepal 2022 Priyanka Rani Joshi amid an event held in Kathmandu. "The Galaxy S23 smartphones have been designed to re-invent premium experiences like never before," said the company in a press statement. The company claimed the Galaxy S23 series comes with groundbreaking camera capabilities that allow consumers to capture photos and videos in any lighting condition using both rear and front cameras. Samsung has termed S23 a 'future-ready device' for mobile gaming experience and a 'planet-friendly device' that has been manufactured using twice the recycled materials than before. “The Galaxy S23 series has the power of our most advanced mobile technology to bring your world into sharper focus with the all-new 200-million-pixel camera in the Galaxy S23 Ultra, making every photo epic," said Sthapit. "With the most powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for the galaxy, the gaming performance in these devices are unbeatable. We are excited to launch the Galaxy S23 series in Nepal which is the ultimate premium smartphone—designed for today and beyond to help people take their passions further.” The phone's camera gives users more freedom to explore their creativity, like capturing truly cinematic 'nightography' videos with transformative AI. In a Samsung Galaxy-first, Galaxy S23 Ultra boasts a massively upgraded Adaptive Pixel 200-million-pixel sensor that captures epic moments with incredible precision. It uses pixel binning to support multiple levels of high-resolution processing at once. And because selfie cameras are more important than ever to how we communicate today, Galaxy S23 Ultra, Galaxy S23+, and Galaxy S23 introduce fast autofocus and the first Galaxy Super HDR selfie camera, jumping from 30fps to 60fps, for noticeably sharper front-facing images and videos. Galaxy S23 Ultra’s S Pen makes it easy to take group photos without setting a timer. According to Samsung, the S23 Series is equipped with the most powerful chipset in any Galaxy device. With close collaboration with Qualcomm, it offers the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy which unleashes a future-ready mobile gaming experience and powerfully sustained gameplay. The GPU also enables a ray tracing module that makes the gaming experience immersive making PC like experience. The Galaxy S23 Ultra’s expansive display is the best and brightest visual experience on a Galaxy smartphone. The Galaxy’s unique Enhanced comfort lets you enable softer settings to help the screen go easy on your eyes in dim light as the Galaxy S23 series’ contrast ratios are designed to reduce eye strain. For the best viewing experience, Galaxy S23’s display is brighter than ever. Its peak has increased to 1,750 nits (from 1,300 nits). With a vision booster, our intelligent display adapts to the lighting of the environment with 3 levels of brightness and color adjustments. According to Samsung, the S23 series phones are UL ECOLOGO certified which implies that the product has been certified for reduced environmental impact. "To eliminate single-use plastics, the Galaxy S23 series comes in a redesigned box made with paper that is 100 percent recycled as sustainably sourced," informed the company. The Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23+ now have bigger batteries increased by 200mAh each while maintaining the sleek design.  According to the company, the Galaxy S23 Ultra powers a 5,000 mAh battery which lets users stream, game, scroll, film and multitask effortlessly. Price

The price of gold has dropped by Rs 200 per tola in the domestic market on Tuesday. According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the yellow bullion is being traded at Rs 103, 800 per tola today. The yellow metal was traded at Rs 104, 000 per tola on Monday. Meanwhile, tejabi gold is being traded at Rs 103, 300 per tola. It was traded at Rs 103, 500. Similarly, the silver is being traded at Rs 1,295 per tola today.

Jang Sung-min, political advisor of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Tuesday. During the meeting held at the Prime Minister’s official residence in Baluwatar today, they discussed matters of mutual interests and bilateral cooperation, according to the Prime Minister's Secretariat. On the occasion, they also held a discussion on the issues of further strengthening bilateral relations, exchanging financial assistance and celebrating the 50th anniversary of establishment of Nepal-Korea diplomatic relations in a grand manner next year, it has been learnt. Issues including recruiting more workers in Korea through EPS, and increasing assistance provided to Nepal by South Korea were also discussed in the meeting.