Best printers for Home

Best Mixer Grinder

Best wired Earphones

Best 43 Inch TV in India

Best Wi Fi Routers

Best Home Theatre in India

Smart Watch under 5000

Best Laptops for Education

Best Laptop for Students

Thiruvananthapuram, The <keyword id="6357505" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kerala-high-court">Kerala High Court</keyword> on Wednesday issued a notice to Indian cricket team captain <keyword id="6354486" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="virat-kohli">Virat Kohli</keyword>, actors Thammanna and Aju Vargheese on a petition seeking ban on <keyword id="3862940" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Online-rummy">online rummy</keyword> after victims alleged brand ambassadors play a significant role in getting youth addicted. Kohli, Thamanna and Varghese are brand ambassadors of online rummy and hence the notice. The high court has also issued notices to the state government and called for its response on the same. The petitioner had complained to the high court that several people have lost their lives in the country after losing huge amounts of money by playing the online game and that it should be banned. Vineeth, 27, had committed suicide at Kuttichal in Thiruvananthapuram a fortnight ago. He had lost Rs 21 lakh. Sajesh, 32, who had lost a huge amount playing online rummy told <keyword id="105681" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="IANS">IANS</keyword>: "The intervention of the honourable High court is welcome as I know that several people have lost huge amount of money playing this online game and I myself have lost more than Rs 6 lakh. "The brand ambassador's indeed play a big role in attracting the gullible youth in playing this game which soon turns into an addiction. I had to seek professional medical help to come out of this addiction and the court must ban this game in India."

Kerala HC notice issued a notice to Virat Kohli on a petition seeking ban on online rummy

New Delhi, Dec 12 () The Rummy Federation (TRF), which regulates the online rummy industry in India, on Thursday awarded its accreditation seal to four operators in the country, certifying the entities followed a strict code of conduct in running their businesses.
 The not-for-profit self-regulatory body presented its 'Dynamic Seal' to Ace2three, Junglee Rummy , Rummy Circle and Rummy Passion.
 TRF said the seals were given after the operators went through a rigorous audit procedure conducted by a renowned audit firm.
 "With the growing number of players and operators, the online rummy ecosystem has become quite robust, while also creating the need for regulation to safeguard the players and ensure responsible, secure and fair environment for them," TRF Chief Executive Officer Sameer Barde told reporters here.
 TRF seal symbolises compliance to the strict code of conduct set in place for operators to protect the players from any unwanted outcome and an assurance to players so they can put their minds at ease and enjoy the game, he added.
 The online rummy industry, which is estimated to be at around Rs 2,200 crore, has around 30 lakh regular users in the country currently.
 "It is growing at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 34 per cent and in the next two years expected to touch a turnover of around Rs 4,000 crore ," Barde said.
 Overall, there are around 18 companies in the online rummy space in the country, of which seven are part of TRF.
 These seven companies, however, control over 98 per cent of the revenues in the sector currently, Barde said. MSS HRS

Industry body TRF presents accreditation to four online rummy operators

<ul><li><keyword id="7500165" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Head-Digital-Works" source="Orion">Head Digital Works</keyword>, an online skill gaming company today announced that it has roped in Bollywood superstar <keyword id="1671" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="shah-rukh-khan" source="Orion">Shah Rukh Khan</keyword> as the Brand Ambassador for its online multi-gaming platform - A23. </li><li>He will feature in A23’s ‘Chalo Saath Khele’ campaign.</li></ul>Head Digital Works, an online skill gaming company, today announced that it has roped in Bollywood superstar <keyword id="4546" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="shah-rukh" source="Orion">Shah Rukh</keyword> Khan as the Brand Ambassador for its online multi-gaming platform - A23. Khan will feature in A23’s ‘Chalo Saath Khele’ campaign that would promote responsible gaming habits. It will also showcase various games of skill such as rummy, fantasy sports, carom and pool, with more to come. Welcoming Shah Rukh Khan as the brand ambassador of A23, Deepak Gullapalli, Founder &amp; CEO, Head Digital Works, said, “It is a privilege to have the nation's biggest superstar to be associated with A23. We truly believe that Shah Rukh Khan represents what our platform stands for both in terms of our brand and our players ― self-made champions who display a high degree of professionalism and skill in their game. As a global superstar, who has always connected well with all segments of the audience and society, we believe that Shah Rukh will help elevate our brand and win the hearts of millions of Indians who relate to using their skills to win. The Chalo Saath Khele campaign brings to life the narrative of various types of gamers on A23 through the magic of Shah Rukh Khan that promises to enthral fans of King Khan and make A23 a house-hold name in India.” As part of this campaign, A23 aims to take a stand in the industry to share the message of playing responsibly and indulging in safe <keyword id="6422069" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="online-gaming" source="Orion">online gaming</keyword> practices for users across all online gaming platforms. “I am delighted to represent a pioneering brand like A23 and also be a part of India’s first of its kind online gaming campaign that pro-actively initiates the messaging of responsible gaming. A23 has always aimed at providing a premium but inclusive platform for skill gaming enthusiasts. Just like any other form of entertainment, I would urge all online gamers to indulge at their leisure, but responsibly,” commented Shah Rukh Khan on his association with A23. A23 has recently built a multi-gaming platform and combined its existing online rummy platform of over 30 million users using state-of-the-art software created on a custom-built architecture. It further aims to provide its users with a skill-based gaming platform that can be enjoyed purely as a means for entertainment.

Shah Rukh Khan to be the face of online multi-gaming platform A23

<ul><li><keyword id="8484184" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Baazi-Games">Baazi Games</keyword>, the company responsible for gaming platforms like <keyword id="3809787" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Pokerbaazi">PokerBaazi</keyword>, <keyword id="11683311" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="rummybaazi-and-ballebaazi">RummyBaazi and BalleBaazi</keyword> has been witnessing 70% growth over the last few years. This year, it aims to grow its current user base of 10 million by 100%.</li><li>We speak to <keyword id="11683312" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="varun-ganjoo">Varun Ganjoo</keyword>, Co-Founder &amp; Marketing Director at Baazi Games who takes us behind the scenes and tells us all that has been happening at Baazi Games and how the platform is working towards achieving the growth it is aiming for.</li></ul>Fantasy gaming in India has been witnessing a surge in the last few years, thanks to better and cheaper internet connections and the increasing adoption of smartphones, even in smaller cities. While cricket still rules in terms of the number of users it attracts, there are other games and sports that are increasingly finding takers. For Baazi Games, that came into existence around 7 years back, it has been an interesting journey. The platform, started by poker lovers, was aimed at giving players a great experience, since poker hadn’t yet become very popular in India yet. From there, the platform has now diversified to other sports and come up with two more segments, RummyBaazi and BalleBaazi. That people are open to not just playing online games but also spending on gaming platforms is clear from the fact that Baazi Games has been witnessing a 70% growth in the last three years. The platform charges entry fees for leagues that it organizes on its platform and takes out around 3-4% of the entry fee pool as its commission. We recently spoke to Varun Ganjoo, Co-Founder &amp; Marketing Director at Baazi Games who took us behind the scenes and told us all that has been happening and how the platform is growing itself. Excerpts: Q) It’s been 7 years since the launch of Baazi Games. Can you walk us through your journey so far? The idea came to us back in 2013. The founding team comprised of people who loved poker and were really passionate about the game. Back then, there weren't any good platforms for online poker. It took us a year to finalize the structure, figure out the legalities and develop the software. We launched in October 2014 with PokerBaazi. As our experience grew, we thought of diversifying, and that's how we launched our fantasy vertical BalleBaazi in January 2018. In 2019, we launched our Rummy vertical, RummyBaazi. Over the years, apart from diversifying into these multiple, skill-based gaming platforms, we have also tried to change the perception of the audience around games like poker. People used to think poker or anything related to cards is gambling. However, the continuous efforts of the industry and a lot of initiatives we took over the years has helped in changing the perception at quite a fast pace. Also, we realized that since this is gaming where there is money involved, there could be an addiction factor. While there is no central regulation yet, we decided to self-regulate. Responsible gaming is very critical if we have to grow sustainably. So we were the first platform to have a proper, automated responsible gaming system in place which keeps a check on users and alarms them if they are showing signs of addiction. They can then restrict their gameplay or take a break from the platform entirely. But if we were to talk about important milestones, it would be the recently concluded National Poker Series, which is by far India's biggest poker online poker tournament in terms of volume. We saw participation of over 83,000 people across 15 days. Secondly, we are very proud of our new mobile application that we launched in May. We are a part of a product-heavy industry and since we work on own tech in-house entirely, we understand the importance tech plays and this new latest technology has really put us on a global map. Q) What impact has the pandemic had on the business? The last 1.5 years has been a roller coaster ride, there have been a lot of ups and downs. While there was a spike in terms of casual or card-based gaming segments, the fantasy industry which is closely related to live sporting events, was hit due to the shutting down of all sporting events across the world. For poker and rummy, we saw a 30% spike in user base in the initial periods of the lockdown. That was the time when people really got to experience the online version of gaming. We saw a huge jump in games like Ludo. It also came as a welcome distraction for people during these terrible times. And then, it was easier for them to just get onto their mobile phones and spend some time and have fun. Some research shows that the average playing time of users in India grew from about 2.5 hours to 4 hours post-Covid. So these are some of the changes that had a positive impact. But for fantasy sports, during the initial four months of the lockdown when no sport was happening, it was a zero revenue phase for BalleBaazi. But since we are a product-centric company, we utilized that time to make a lot of changes, implement product improvisations and introduce new formats in the game. We came up with a lot of interesting virtual gaming formats where there was no real money involved but it kept the users engaged. Overall, the industry has been growing. For us, the growth has been continuous over the past few years. We have grown at a CAGR of around 70% at a group level in the past three years and the lockdown was just an additional spike. Q) Out of the three verticals at Baazi Games, which has been growing the fastest? Are you also exploring other sports and verticals? BalleBaazi has games like football and kabaddi but cricket is still the biggest crowd pleaser and it makes for around 85-90% of the revenues. Out of our 10 million user base for our entire group, 7 million would be for BalleBaazi. But poker is the highest ticket ticket game. So, contribution wise, around 50% would be coming from PokerBaazi. However, poker is still at a very nascent stage in India. And we being at the top, it's our responsibility to grow the industry. So these numbers will also grow but right now we stand at around 2 million for PokerBaazi. Q) The last few years have seen a lot of fantasy gaming platforms come up, especially in the cricket segment. How are you driving differentiation? When we set up the platforms, our aim was to give our users a superior experience. But in the fantasy segment, there are some big brands that have been in the space for about 10-12 years now. So our focus was also on innovation. When we launched, we came up with some interesting formats that are still unique to us, like our batting and bowling fantasy format. That has helped us draw attention and attract users. Also, we were able to acquire some hardcore fantasy users pretty early on. We feel that our existing set of players will be able to fetch us more. So referral programs are at the centre of our expansion campaigns. We have one of the best referral programs in the market and we will keep improvising on that too. Q) Have you considered advertising on the platform to add to your revenue stream? That is always an opportunity but we have specifically chosen not to go on that route. And the reason for that is, the games we have on our platforms, while they are fun games, they aren’t exactly casual. So we want to give that wholesome experience to them and not disrupt that experience by adding ad streams, for now at least. Q) Since games like poker come with some stigma, how are you educating people? When we started, we were the first brand in the online, real money-gaming segment to get a celebrity on board. At that time, we had associated with Sunny Leone for a digital partnership because her digital presence was huge at that time. That helped us raise awareness about the game. And the content also focused on the skill aspect. Eventually, we hired a set of professionals who we called the PokerBaazi Team Pro, who did a lot of webinars that would talk about things like how probability is involved in the game or how it's a skill-based game. Apart from that, we also associated with a lot of top educational institutions. But this is a continuous effort. So in the next phase, you will see a lot of content creation happening around these games because this is also how we will raise awareness and get more people engaged. For poker, we have a live room in Goa where we have a tie up with a casino there to organize our big live tournaments. We have a proper streaming setup there where we generate a lot of live poker content which we advertise digitally. That also helps spread a lot of awareness. Q) Apart from these webinars and live events, how are you reaching out to your audience? What does your broader marketing plan looks like? While TV is an important medium, our strategy is not to jump onto it right now because for us, it makes sense to advertise where our audience is. Our audiences are digitally-savvy and there are a lot of channels like OTT, social media and influencer market that can help us engage with them. These channels will continue to play an important role in the future. Also, you get a lot of specific and in-depth targeting options on digital which helps us to specifically pick and choose campaigns that we wish to do and target the intended demographics. So going ahead, we would continue to focus on digital. Q) What targets have you set for yourself for this year? What kind of growth do you anticipate? We have been growing and we wish to continue growing at 70% CAGR. In terms of user base, if everything sets in well, we hope to see a 100% growth in the new user base at a group level in FY 2022. Q) What is your larger vision for Baazi Games? We want to be known as the biggest homegrown tech brand that specializes in gaming and also the one brand which is just a whistle away from its consumers. That is something that we have enjoyed so far in the industry, especially for poker, where people regard us as the best customer support and the customer experience organization. We understand the intricacies of minute things too. For a game like poker or rummy, where you would have to spend hours, even the color of the felt or the size of the number on the card matters. That is the kind of details we get into. It’s only possible to further improve that experience if we are closer to our audiences and that’s where we would want to be.

We want to be known as the biggest home-grown tech brand that specializes in gaming: Varun Ganjoo, Baazi Games

<ul><li>Celebrating the skill and passion of every online gaming enthusiast, the actor will feature in the new campaign #RahoEkKadamAage.</li><li>It will span across TV, digital and social media platforms.</li></ul><keyword id="8913431" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Games24x7" source="Orion">Games24x7</keyword> announced <keyword id="6354563" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="hrithik-roshan" source="Orion">Hrithik Roshan</keyword> as the brand ambassador for <keyword id="3555149" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="rummycircle" source="Orion">RummyCircle</keyword>. As part of the partnership, Hrithik will be seen in multimedia campaigns by RummyCircle, spanning across TV, digital and social media platforms. Announcing the association, <keyword id="4877162" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="bhavin-pandya" source="Orion">Bhavin Pandya</keyword>, Co-Founder and CEO of Games24x7 said, “We are very excited to partner with Hrithik, one of India’s biggest stars. Hrithik has had a remarkable career which is an epitome of versatility as he makes the right moves at the right time. His dynamism, talent and widespread appeal have made him really stand out. This resonates well with Games24x7 as we are constantly differentiating ourselves by providing awesome game playing experiences.” Speaking on his engagement, Hrithik Roshan said, “Rummy is a game of skill that requires intellectual acumen, patience, and tact. What I like is that these are the same skills that you need, to overcome the challenges at various points in life. So, in a way, the game is a fun way to build life skills. This campaign highlights that whenever one encounters unexpected difficulties in life, they can overcome it with the right approach. I am happy to be associated with RummyCircle and Games24x7 for this splendid campaign.” Initiating the association, the brand will be unveiling the new campaign #RahoEkKadamAage starring Hrithik via a high decibel television commercial starting 29th January. The campaign highlights real life scenarios where Hrithik Roshan demonstrates mental dexterity to find a way out of unforeseen situations. Since its launch in 2009, the online skill gaming platform has partnered with talented personalities to further strengthen its engagement with millions of players across the country. RummyCircle is India’s largest online skill gaming platform for playing the nation’s favourite card game: Rummy. With free to play tournaments as well as cash prizes on offer, RummyCircle provides an opportunity for players to test their skills and adroitness. Excellent UI/UX, customized player journeys and superior technology make RummyCircle an unparalleled destination for players seeking thrill, fun and entertainment.

Games24x7 ropes in Hrithik Roshan as the brand ambassador of RummyCircle

<ul><li>The <keyword id="1736801" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Paytm-app">Paytm app</keyword> has been removed from the Google Play Store for violating policies related to unregulated gambling apps.</li><li>This does not affect those who already have the app installed on their phones, but new downloads are not possible at this moment.</li><li>Other apps from the company, like Paytm Money, Paytm Mall and Paytm for Business are still available for download.</li><li>Google said it is in touch with the app’s developers to bring it back on the Play Store.</li></ul>The Paytm app has been removed from the Google Play Store. The reason reported for the removal of the app is that Google doesn’t allow ‘unregulated gambling apps that facilitate sports betting’. According to <a href="https://twitter.com/CNBCTV18Live/status/1306872648429785088">CNBC-TV18</a>, Google had notified developers about this a few days ago. It also said that it is working with Paytm to bring the app back on the Play Store. A search for the Paytm app on the Play Store confirmed the app’s removal. Other apps from the company like Paytm Money, Paytm Mall and Paytm for Business are still available for download. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="78187022" title="How to install the Paytm app on Xiaomi, Samsung and other phones" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> On September 18, Google released a <a href="https://india.googleblog.com/">statement</a> saying that it doesn’t allow online casinos or support any unregulated gambling apps that facilitate sports betting. “This includes if an app leads consumers to an external website that allows them to participate in paid tournaments to win real money or cash prizes, it is a violation of our policies.” "When an app violates these policies, we notify the developer of the violation and remove the app from Google Play until the developer brings the app into compliance. And in the case where there are repeated policy violations, we may take more serious action which may include terminating Google Play Developer accounts. Our policies are applied and enforced on all developers consistently," the blog post added. We have reached out to Google for a statement. Big blow to Paytm ahead of IPL starting tomorrow Paytm First Games – which recently onboarded Sachin Tendulkar as its brand ambassador – is the Indian digital payments’ leaders foray into the fantasy gaming segment. Google’s ban is a huge blow to the app as the IPL begins tomorrow and Paytm First Games was hoping to cash in on the cricketing event. Paytm First Games had an elaborate plan to establish its stronghold in the fantasy gaming market. The app aims to get over 100 million users during the upcoming Indian Premier League and has planned over 200 live events on the platform over the next six months. The other popular fantasy sports app Dream11 has never been available on the Playstore. Last year in June, the Bombay High Court had dismissed a PIL filed by an advocate and said that Dream11 is a game of skill and not of chance. The PIL had claimed that the online fantasy league game encourages gambling. Earlier, the Punjab and Haryana High Court too had declared the Dream11 format of fantasy sports as legal. The order said that the game requires considerable skill and judgment. This order was further ratified by the Supreme Court. BJP leader demands ban on online rummy games and apps In the ongoing Parliament session, BJP leader K C Ramamurthy in the Rajya Sabha demanded a ban on online rummy. “Sir, it is a misnomer that rummy is a game of skill. It is gambling and betting money through rummy in the greed of getting more is illegal as it ruins families financially and otherwise. It is unfortunate that many have become addicts, particularly in south India,” he said. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/paytm-says-your-money-is-safe-and-the-app-will-be-back-soon-on-play-store/articleshow/78185321.cms">Paytm says your money is safe and the app will be back soon on Play Store</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/how-to/how-to-install-the-paytm-app-when-its-not-available-on-google-play-store/articleshow/78187022.cms">How to install the Paytm app on Xiaomi, Samsung and other phones</a>

Paytm app removed from the Google Play Store – big blow to Paytm First Games ahead of the IPL starting tomorrow

Prior to the enactment of the <keyword id="441445" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Constitution-of-India">Constitution of India</keyword>, the Public <keyword id="6366684" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="gambling">Gambling</keyword> Act, 1867 (“Gambling Act”), was the central law governing gambling in India. However, under Entry 34 of List II of Schedule VII of the Constitution of India, the state legislatures are the competent legislatures to make laws governing “betting and gambling”. Since the Gambling Act, at the time of its enactment was enacted by the competent legislature, it continues to operate in the territories mentioned therein, having been saved under Article 372 of the Constitution. Since the states are now seized with the power to make laws on “betting and gambling,” the states having jurisdiction over such territories may amend/repeal the Gambling Act. Most states in India have, however, adopted the Gambling Act with certain amendments. Few states have enacted their own laws to regulate and govern gambling. The Gambling Act provides that its rigours do not apply to “games of mere skill,” and only seeks to punish gambling and betting as understood in the traditional sense. The term “mere skill” has not been defined in the Gambling Act. The <keyword id="303346" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Honourable-Supreme-Court">Honourable Supreme Court</keyword>, in the R.M.D. Chamarbaugwala case has held that a competition in order to avoid the stigma of gambling must depend to a substantial degree upon the exercise of skill. A competition where the success does not depend to a substantial degree upon the exercise of skill, is recognised to be of a gambling nature. It also observed that despite there being an element of chance, if a game is predominantly a game of skill it would nevertheless be a game of “mere skill.” In today’s technologically advanced world, the archaic Gambling Act was seen as inadequate to regulate and restrict the activities of betting and gambling being undertaken over online media. Several states have enacted laws particularly prohibiting/controlling online gaming (such as Assam, Odisha, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, <keyword id="50015" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="nagaland">Nagaland</keyword> and Sikkim). Tamil Nadu was the latest state to join the list. The Governor of Tamil Nadu has, by an ordinance amended the Tamil Nadu Gaming Act, 1930, the Chennai City Police Act, 1888 and the Tamil Nadu District Police Act, 1859, prohibiting and criminalising the hosting and playing of online games (“TN Ordinance”). The stated object of the TN Ordinance is to ensure that innocent people do not get cheated and indulge in self-harm. Illustratively, unlike Sikkim and Nagaland which control and regulate gaming activities under a licensing regime, Tamil Nadu has sought to prohibit gaming activities altogether. The TN Ordinance specifically prohibits betting and wagering “by playing rummy, poker or any other game”. Rummy, for instance, has been held by the <keyword id="6354977" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Supreme-Court">Supreme Court</keyword> in K. Satyanarayana case to be a game of skill because it requires a preponderant amount of skill in memorising the fall of cards, and in holding and discarding the cards. The TN Ordinance is therefore intended to apply to all games, whether or not they are skill based. Entry 34 of List II of Schedule VII of the Constitution enumerates “betting and gambling.” Betting and gambling though different in themselves, by definition necessarily involve activities, where the outcome of the event on which the wager or bet is placed, is not within the control of the parties to the wager or bet i.e. they are substantially dependent on chance probability. Where the person risking money or valuable things himself participates in the event, the result of which is subject to chance probability (eg. ludo, snakes and ladders), he is said to be gambling. Where the person risking money or valuable things, does so on the outcome of an event which is dependent on a third person’s skill (eg. horse racing, sports events), he is said to be wagering or betting. There has, however, been an increasing acceptance that the latter kind is in fact not in the nature of a wager or a bet, as it is a prediction based on substantial amounts of knowledge, training and skill. However, once an activity is determined to be a game of skill i.e. the element of chance, though present does not control the outcome of the game, does staking money for such an activity amount to gambling or betting? Gambling and betting involve activities that are substantially dependent on chance probability, as seen above. Since the chance probability in games of skill are minimal or absent, playing games of skill for money should not prima facie, in pith and substance, be covered within the ambit of betting and gambling under Entry 34 of List II of Schedule VII of the Constitution and therefore outside the purview of the state’s powers to make laws. Exploring the possibility of regulation of games of skill under a central legislative regime is the need of the hour to enable uniformity, eliminating uncertainty and keeping investors interested in the industry in India. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/netflix-co-founder-talks-about-pricing-experiments-in-india-and-partnership-with-jio/articleshow/82175848.cms">Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings says India is a 'speculative' investment – talks about pricing experiments and partnership with Jio</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/all-the-first-time-from-apple-announcements-from-its-spring-loaded-event/articleshow/82174522.cms">All the 'first-time from Apple' announcements from its Spring Loaded Event</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/cryptocurrency-firm-coinbase-hires-former-google-pay-exec-to-lead-india-operations/articleshow/82174729.cms">Coinbase hires former Google Pay exec to lead India ops, is hiring aggressively and looking for startup acquisitions</a>

OPINION: Regulation of games of skill under a central legislative regime is the need of the hour

<ul><li>Dream11 , Phone Pe, Amazon , Byju’s are the co-presenting sponsors, Polycab, USL, Coca Cola, ITC, Mondelez, Kamla Pasand, Rummy Circle, AMFI and P&amp;G its associate sponsors.</li><li>Both the number of advertisers and the amount of ad spends is higher than usual this year. </li><li>The network has witnessed heavy demand from brands, given the fact that <keyword id="9553440" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="dream11-ipl">Dream11 IPL</keyword> cuts across gender and ages.</li></ul> <keyword id="421566" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Star-Sports">Star Sports</keyword> announced that it has got 13 sponsors on board for Dream11 IPL. It also announced it has sold out 75% of its inventory. While <keyword id="4394544" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Dream-11">Dream 11</keyword> , Phone Pe, Amazon , Byju’s are the co-presenting sponsors, Polycab, USL, Coca Cola, ITC, Mondelez, Kamla Pasand, Rummy Circle, AMFI and P&amp;G its associate sponsors. Apart from the sponsors, the channel has over 60 advertisers for spot buys, PPL shows and features. Besides the traditional advertisers, key categories which are looking to leverage the Dream11 IPL in a big way are online shopping, Edutech , BFSI , Fantasy sports and Auto players. All the relevant FMCG advertisers including Coca Cola, ITC, Mondelez, P&amp;G, Nestle, Colgate, Britannia, GSK, Reckitt among others are participating in this edition of Dream11 IPL. Star Sports has increased its programming content for pre-shows, thus making more inventory available for this popular asset for brands which want to participate in Dream11 IPL during the <keyword id="36208" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="festive-season">festive season</keyword>. There has been an increased interest from BFSI advertisers, who are considering viewing this Dream11 IPL season as a unique combination of festive and a high impact opportunity to engage and influence consumers whose buying behaviours have been disrupted. Both the number of advertisers and the amount of ad spends is higher than usual this year. The network has witnessed heavy demand from brands, given the fact that Dream11 IPL cuts across gender and ages. Brands had allotted spends for IPL + Asia Cup + T20 World Cup, and now with Dream11 IPL being the only cricket property for 2020 plus festive season, it has become the obvious choice for brands to make. The IPL on the Star Sports network over the years has continued to set <keyword id="9882283" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="viewership-records">viewership records</keyword> across demographics. TV consumption at present is still higher over pre Covid-19 times (Source BARC) as people are restricted to their homes. Live sports has been sorely missed by fans. Early start at 7:30pm will increase audience availability by more than 20 % (Source BARC). Considering people are still working from home, the channel is anticipating record viewership this season. IPL 2019 had also seen some record-breaking numbers through women viewership. Close to 175 million women viewers aged 15 years and above watched Vivo IPL across India between March 23 and May 12, 2019.

Star Sports has sold out 75% of its inventory for Dream11 IPL 2020

<ul><li><keyword id="169310" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="digital-advertising">Digital advertising</keyword> is expected to outpace all other ad media by 2024 or 2025.</li><li>Online gaming was the fastest growing M&amp;E segment in 2020. The online gaming segment grew 18% in 2020 to reach INR 77 billion.</li></ul>The Indian Media and Entertainment (M&amp;E) sector has degrown by 24% to INR1.38 trillion (US$19 billion) in 2020, states the FICCI-EY report ‘Playing by new rules’ launched today. It is, however, expect to grow 25% in 2021 to reach INR1.73 trillion (US$23.7 billion). With its current trajectory, the M&amp;E sector in India is expected to reach INR2.23 trillion (US$30.6 billion) by 2023at a CAGR of 17%. In 2020 while television continued to remain the largest segment, digital media has overtaken print, and online gaming has overtaken a disrupted filmed entertainment segment. Digital media and online gaming were the only segments which grew in 2020 adding an aggregate of INR26 billion. Other segments have degrown by an aggregate of INR467 billion. While M&amp;E as a sector has usually grown and often outperformed India’s nominal GDP, the sector fell three times (3x) India’s nominal GDP fall of 8% due to the discretionary nature of the spend. Subscription revenues however proved their mettle by holding up better than advertising revenues. Sanjay Gupta, Chairman, FICCI Media &amp; Entertainment Committee, said, “Digital is fuelling an unprecedented growth in content creation and consumption in almost every Indian language, creating new economic opportunities for both the media and entertainment industry and creative professionals across the country. We need to capitalise on this and unlock the full potential of India’s creative ability to power India’s economic engine.” Ashish Pherwani, Partner and Media &amp; Entertainment Leader, EY India, stated, “The M&amp;E sector witnessed a shift in demand patterns as consumers actively sought alternatives and had the time to try new things. Consumption patterns shifted and increased across online news, gaming and entertainment. The supply side too transformed as companies took the opportunity to reinvent themselves. Every segment redefined itself across verticals by becoming medium agnostic and embedded video, audio, textual and experiential products to enhance their offerings. However, the compelling content created around news and escapism, and the passion to build some of India’s most powerful brands remained resolute.” Key findings <ul><li><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Television:" text="Television:">Television:</cmsannotation></li></ul>The TV industry declined 13% from INR787 billion to INR685 billion in 2020. The largest M&amp;E segment saw a 21.5% fall in advertising revenues in 2020 to INR251 billion on account of highly discounted advertising rates during the lockdown months. Subscription declined 7% to INR434 billion due to the continued growth of free television, reverse migration and a reduction in average revenue per user due to part implementation of NTO 2.0. Regional channels received 27% more ad volumes than national channels in 2020. Major sport leagues got postponed, but IPL provided a much-needed revival push in sports viewership. Smart TV sets crossed the five million mark and grew their base by around a million homes. With people spending more time indoors the overall time spent watching TV increased by 9% over 2019. Key insights – Television segment revenues are expected to grow at a CAGR of 7% to reach INR847 billion by 2023 driven by increased base of subscribers as households continue to get televised. Growth will be driven by connected TVs which could cross 40 million homes by 2025 and free television could cross 50 million homes by then, thereby making core television a more massified product. The smart television will usher in an era of connected viewing which will enable viewers to interact with each other, as well as the broadcaster, through the content. The importance of regional and sports programming will increase, driving up both ad rates as well as end-consumer package pricing, subject to regulatory action. <ul><li><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Digital media:" text="Digital media:">Digital media:</cmsannotation></li></ul>In 2020 digital media grew by 6.5% to reach INR235 billion and is expected to grow at 22% CAGR to reach INR425 billion by 2023. Digital subscription grew 49% in 2020 to reach INR43.5 billion as the pandemic and the consequent lockdown reduced fresh content on television, online sports went behind a paywall and the pandemic forced much of the population for longer periods indoors. Paid OTT subscriptions crossed 50 million for the first time in 2020. Digital advertising stayed stable on the back of increased allocation of ad spends by advertisers who accelerated their investments in digital sales channels. SME advertisers continued to increase their spends on digital advertising and experimented more with online e-commerce platforms. Key insights: Digital advertising is expected to outpace all other ad media by 2024 or 2025. The metrics that matter will change from monthly active users to daily active users, from audience numbers to engagement, loyalty and time spent, leading to platforms focusing on segmented audiences and community ownership. Newspaper digital products will increasingly go behind paywalls and it is expected to generate subscription revenues of INR4 billion by 2023. It is estimated that demand for original content will double by 2023 from 2019 levels to over 3,000 hours per year. The share of regional language consumption on OTT platforms will cross 50% of total time spent by 2025. <ul><li><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Print:" text="Print:">Print:</cmsannotation></li></ul>Print has degrown 36% in 2020 due to the impact of COVID-19. Print’s revenue declines were led by a 41% fall in advertising and a 24% fall in circulation revenues. English language and metro newspapers were hit harder and struggled to get back their circulation post the pandemic, while regional language newspapers recovered a larger portion of their lost circulation. Print companies implemented significant cost reduction measures to achieve between 25% and 40% efficiencies, a significant portion of which can continue in the years ahead. Many print companies started conducting digital versions of their popular IPs and entered the high-volume but lower value digital events business. Key insights –Transformation in the print segment is expected to be in the areas of product realignment, revenue transformation, cost intelligence and digital demarcation. Print will need to focus on growing reach in its existing markets through a combination of identifying new micro-markets which are underpenetrated as well as forging bundle deals with direct to consumer aggregators like television, e-commerce platforms, OTT platforms, etc. Significantly, more industry-level shared services initiatives are expected to ensure cost efficiencies. Publishers can also implement process automation for productivity improvement across key business processes. The focus will remain on strengthening the print segment’s core capability to building communities but with a wider scope of offerings to them apart from just news. <ul><li><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Online Gaming:" text="Online Gaming:">Online Gaming:</cmsannotation></li></ul>Online gaming was the fastest growing M&amp;E segment in 2020. The online gaming segment grew 18% in 2020 to reach INR77 billion aided by work from home, school from home and increased trial of online multi-player games during the lockdown. Online gamers grew 20% from 300 million in 2019 to 360 million in 2020. Transaction-based game revenues grew 21% on the back of fantasy sport, rummy and poker and casual gaming revenues grew 8%, led by in-app purchases. Key Insights: The segment is expected to reach INR155 billion by 2023 at a CAGR of 27% to become the third largest segment of the Indian M&amp;E sector. Gaming will become all pervasive and will proliferate across our lives. The segment will grow across all its verticals viz, esports, fantasy sport, casual gaming and other games of skill, but revenue growth will be led by mobile-based real-money gaming applications across these verticals. A nodal agency is required to bring clarity in regulations and well as implement responsible gaming guidelines and monitor areas like minor game play, security, data protection, content guidelines and training. <ul><li><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Mergers and Acquisitions in M&amp;E" text="Mergers and Acquisitions in M&amp;E">Mergers and Acquisitions in M&amp;E</cmsannotation></li></ul>The sector continued to witness moderate deal activity, despite major disruptions brought by the COVID-19 outbreak. Although the number of deals increased from 64 in 2019 to 77 in 2020, deal value reduced to INR68 billion in 2020 from INR101 billion in 2019. This was largely due to the absence of big-ticket deals with only two deals crossing the US$100 million threshold as compared to four such deals in 2019. In line with the trend of the past three years, new media contributed to majority of the deals in terms of volume. Its share increased in terms of deal value from 37% in 2019 to 92% in 2020.

Print and TV degrow by 13% and 36% respectively in 2020: FICCI - EY report

<ul><li>The online fantasy sports segment in India is growing by leaps and bounds.</li><li>One such player that has been witnessing good growth is BalleBaazi. With a current base of 40 lakh users, the platform has seen a 500% increase in CAGR in FY 19-20.</li><li>We speak to <keyword id="5742232" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Saurabh-Chopra">Saurabh Chopra</keyword>, CEO, <keyword id="8484186" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="BalleBaazi-com">BalleBaazi.com</keyword> who told us about the growth it the platform has seen in the last 12 months, the factors that contributed to its growth and the platform’s strategy to further expand its presence in the market.</li></ul>Online gaming in India has witnessed unprecedented growth in the last few years. While till a few years back there were a handful of players in the country, there were over 140 operators by the end of 2019. A recent report by <keyword id="9545140" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="the-federation-of-indian-fantasy-sports">the Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports</keyword> (FIFS) and KPMG titled ‘Business of Fantasy Sports’ stated that Online Fantasy Sports (OFS) operators’ gross revenues stood at Rs 2,400+ crore for the FY20 as compared to Rs 920+ crore in FY19 which was an increase of almost 3X over a period of 12 months. Even during the ongoing <keyword id="6354831" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="indian-premier-league">Indian Premier League</keyword>, many online gaming platforms have been battling each other to grab maximum eyeballs. One such player that has been witnessing good growth is BalleBaazi. With a current userbase of 40 Lakh users, the platform seen a 500% increase in CAGR in FY 19-20. We recently caught up with Saurabh Chopra, CEO, BalleBaazi.com who spoke to us about the growth it has seen in the last 12 months, the factors that contributed to its growth and the platform’s strategy to further expand its presence in the market. Excerpts: Q) The fantasy sports segment has seen a boom this year. How has BalleBaazi's year been so far? The Online Fantasy Sports (OFS) industry has witnessed an upsurge in the past few years, especially in 2019 when the market saw a spiraling ascent, sparking the onset of many new players in the industry. While the industry currently has 140+ operators, BalleBaazi.com has been one of the first and the highest grossing platforms. We can boast of an extremely loyal userbase of core fantasy gaming enthusiasts and we see BalleBaazi.com posting a D-30 retention of 40% for its newly acquired users, which is significantly higher than the industry standard. Even when live sporting events had come to a halt, we kept our fans engaged via Virtual Fantasy Leagues and quizzes which enhanced their knowledge and eventually their skill of their respective sports. We have seen a constant rise in our business as we posted an increase of 500% CAGR in FY 19-20. The next 24 months will also be an exciting time for us as we get set to witness the cricketing fiesta, which has 3 IPLs and 2 World Cups. We are well-equipped and have charted out a detailed plan to grow our business significantly in this period. We have utilized this sports break to further enhance our tech stack which is now capable of handling upwards of 1 million concurrent users on the app. Q)What kind of impact did the pandemic have on your platform? Did you witness a huge spike in terms of consumers coming on board, like a lot of other games have? While Baazi Games’ other platforms – PokerBaazi.com and <keyword id="10080501" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="rummybaazi-com">RummyBaazi.com</keyword> – saw a huge rise in participation, BalleBaazi.com, which is solely dependent on live sporting events witnessed a temporary dip in the traffic during this period. However, we kept our fans engaged by conducting Virtual Fantasy Leagues, Quizzes, and adding international sports like Baseball and Basketball. We kept our users enticed through our other gaming arms, resulting in a rise on our Rummy-based and Poker-based platforms. These applications aim at providing a favorable user experience and aim to expand their userbase in 2021 whilst adapting to the market rapidly. Q) What kind of potential does India present for the fantasy sports segment? What kind of growth has it been witnessing and what does the future hold? How are you contributing to that growth? India has a huge potential for Fantasy Sports as internet access has expanded according to a report published by the governing body of Fantasy Sports in India –The Federation of India Fantasy Sports (FIFS) – 2019 saw an overall turnover of Rs 920+ crore and due to work from home being adapted during the pandemic, it has even predicted the revenues to grow 3x as it may touch Rs 2,400+ crore in 2020. It also showed a rapid increase in the user base of Online Fantasy Platforms as the participants increased from 2 million in 2016 to 9 Million in 2019. The industry has also seen more players emerging as it increased from 10 operators in 2016 to 140+ operators by the end of 2019. With increasing number of users, the Contest Entry Amount (CEA) also shot up as it registered a total of Rs 16,500 crore in FY20 in comparison to Rs 6,000 crore in FY19. For a country which worships cricket and its players, BalleBaazi.com offers a safe and authentic platform for users to apply their understanding of a sport which they follow religiously and use their expertise to create a team, make suitable combinations and analyse each and every player’s performance basis their understanding, which makes for a well-informed decision eventually. These stats highlight the Indian market’s appetite for OFS platforms and the rise for BalleBaazi.com as well. While we have new OFS platforms emerging, it boils down to the platform which provides a credible experience and we have been appreciated for the same by our consumers. Q) How do players benefit from being on BalleBaazi? BalleBaazi.com offers users a chance to use their skill and knowledge of the game to win real cash and rewards. When you are victorious in a match, you get real cash. On the other hand, when you lose, you don’t really lose; you get BB Coins, which can be redeemed for vouchers and merchandise at our BB rewards store. This aforementioned module of ours is called the Reward Programme, which is a one-of-a-kind offering in the industry. Our gadget leagues and free-rolls are quite popular among fantasy fans, across the country. Other than that, we have partnered with many brands on a cross-value proposition to maximize our audience outreach and provide our users with many various offerings from this aspect. BalleBaazi.com has been providing state-of-the-art gaming experience through its mobile and web products, backed by formidable operations and a 24/7 customer support. Q) What is your USP? How are you different from other gaming apps? We started our operations in the market in 2018 with a singular mission of providing ‘The Best Fantasy Sports Experience’ in the field of Cricket. We designed our app and website keeping in mind the love and passion our nation shares for the game. Along with ensuring that no one leaves empty-handed when they make their teams on BalleBaazi with our Reward Programme, we also offer options of Batting and Bowling Fantasy, separately. Long story short, our versatility is our USP. After a successful start to the platform with Fantasy Cricket, we ventured into other sports as well, such as Football, Kabaddi, and even Basketball and Baseball, along with Quiz formats for our users to learn and enhance the skill of their respective sports. With #Playerfirst as our guiding principle, we make sure our users have the smoothest, fun &amp; safe gaming experience. There are various SSL protocols that enable BalleBaazi.com to become one the most secure sports platform as users' money is safely transacted through deposits and withdrawals. We are constantly on the lookout for new concepts in Fantasy Gaming and believe in contributing our best to the arena of skill &amp; knowledge gaming. Q)How do you plan to expand your presence? What is your growth strategy going to be, going ahead? How are you going about getting investments to fuel your growth? Baazi Games is on track to achieve the proposed expansion in userbase from 5 million to 50 million in the next 24-36 months. Additionally, we have expanded our product portfolio to cater to various customers. Besides this BalleBaazi.com caters to various sports apart, which will enhance the consumer’s outlook and widen their perspective in terms of sports and will help us achieve that target. Also, taking our community feedback into consideration, we are continuously working towards re-vamping the Machine Learning based AI for real-time matches, enhancing the UI UX to be gamified with a minimalistic design philosophy. Year after year, we’ve shown results to our investors. Even during the pandemic, we had managed to entertain our users by introducing new features on our platform. We wish to keep at it when it comes to innovation and proving our worth. Now would be the time to jump onto the bandwagon and reap huge profits by investing in the growing sector of fantasy sports and BalleBaazi.com that’s destined to become India’s go-to fantasy sports platform. Q) What is your vision for BalleBaazi? Do you have a target in place, in terms of revenue, user base? We have planned to add another 2 Million to our Baazigar community in the upcoming Indian Premier League as it’s one of the biggest revenue-generators and growth-drivers for fantasy gaming apps. We are all set to go all guns blazing for this season. Moreover, we are among the top 4 fantasy gaming apps in the country in terms of traffic and would want build on that. Q) A lot of Indian games are doing well globally too. Do you have any plans of testing international waters? Currently, our aim is to become the best in the gaming industry of our country. While we understand a lot of the industry-leaders are venturing into International waters, we feel it is important to ascertain our foothold in the Indian market first, before we expand to different markets. However, we can’t rule that out as BalleBaazi.com is a universal platform which has the potential to engage every sporting enthusiast.

We have seen a constant rise in our business as we posted an increase of 500% CAGR in FY 19-20: Saurabh Chopra, CEO, BalleBaazi.com

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>Oscar-winning documentarian Errol Morris spoke to Business Insider about his journey to get his new movie, "American Dharma," to theaters.</li><li>The movie is an interview with former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, and most in the industry didn't want any part of it. Morris said he was told the movie was "toxic." (Distribution company Utopia eventually bought it.)</li><li>Morris didn't hold back in describing how frustrating the process has been. He even thought of quitting filmmaking.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul>&#xa0;Errol Morris has had enough.Since the Oscar-winning documentarian received a standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival last September following the world premiere of his latest movie, "American Dharma" - in which he interviews former executive executive chairman of Breitbart News and White House chief strategist Steve Bannon - everything has gone downhill.Distributors refused to buy the movie because, according to Morris, they thought it was "toxic"; Morris' tactics as a filmmaker and motives for making the movie were questioned on social <keyword id="6354777" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Media">media</keyword>.Morris said he's run the gamut of emotions, from defiance (once planning to self distribute the movie) to submission (contemplating quitting filmmaking). Finally in August it was announced that newcomer Utopia would release the movie ("American Dharma" opens in select theaters starting Friday). But the whole experience has left Morris with a bad taste in his mouth about the industry and the country at large.Morris is known for his in-depth discussions with polarizing political figures.In 2013, he interviewed the former secretary of defense to President George W. Bush, Donald Rumsfeld, for the movie "The Unknown Known." And in 2003's "The Fog of War," he interviewed Robert McNamara, who was the secretary of defense through the Vietnam War. That movie earned Morris an Oscar - which is why Morris is so puzzled "American Dharma" has received such a venomous reaction. In this film, Morris has heated exchanges with Bannon on topics his critics want him to address, similar to his interviews with McNamara and Rumsfeld. But many felt Morris was more friendly toward Bannon than he was with his previous subjects.Morris has another theory why he's getting so much heat over the movie: "America has gone crazy."Business Insider spoke with Morris in New York City earlier this week about his struggle to get "American Dharma" in theaters, why he thinks it's his best movie yet, and how it's more relevant now than a year ago.This interview has been edited for length and clarity.Jason Guerrasio: Congrats on people finally being able to see the movie.&#xa0;Errol Morris: It shouldn't, if I may be so bold, be amazing. But it is amazing.&#xa0;Guerrasio: Does it still boggle your mind that here we are over a year from its Venice premiere and it's finally being seen?Morris: My mind comes pre-boggled, so maybe not. But that week at the Venice Film Festival had to be one of the weirdest most surreal weeks of my life. The movie received a standing ovation from a very crowded theater at the Venice Film Festival. A long standing ovation, it went through the entire credits. And then it was savaged by a whole number of critics who seemed not even to have looked at the movie. I found it weird.&#xa0;Guerrasio: And Bannon was there in Venice at the time, but was not at the premiere. Was it your call to not have him in the theater?Morris: I didn't want it to be my call one way or the other. I just did not want to be involved.&#xa0;Guerrasio: Meaning, you didn't invite him to come to Venice, he just came on his own?Morris: I believe that when we negotiated a deal with Bannon he was to be given tickets to the first public screening. I hope I remember this correctly. It didn't seem to be a big deal one way or the other. When the time rolled around for the premiere of the film I thought even if we're technically required to give him tickets to the screening I would rather remain out of it. But I'm not going to stand on the stage and share the applause. I'm not going to do interviews with him. What I didn't expect, and maybe I'm an idiot, was how angry people could get over this entire film. The whole thing is too bizarre, even for me and I'm a connoisseur of the bizarre.&#xa0;Guerrasio: In February you <a href="https://twitter.com/errolmorris/status/1100501881363800066?s=20">send out a tweet</a>, "F--k 'em. I'll distribute the movie myself." By that time literally every door had been shut in regards to getting the film distributed?<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div>Morris: Yes!&#xa0;Guerrasio: And what were the reasons given?Morris: There were many reasons given, and often in this case there were no reasons given.&#xa0;Guerrasio: But the last response I could imagine is, "We don't know how to market this movie," because it's pretty obvious how.&#xa0;Morris: "We don't know how to market this movie." "We don't want this movie." A word that kept coming up was "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deplatforming">deplatforming.</a>" And the word "toxic." "This movie is toxic." As if I am feeding the public poison. Literally. "This should not be shown."Guerrasio: Someone said that, "This should not be shown"?Morris: People have said everything to me in the last year. I even thought about giving up filmmaking.Guerrasio: It got to that point?Morris: It got to that point. Also, I think this is one of my best films. It's something that I believe is an advance in documentary. It's an extension of stuff I've been playing with and working on over all my films for a good number of decades now. So I found it disheartening. Instead of talking about the film I found myself in conversations on if this film should exist. I was at the Nieman Foundation talking to a number of fellows and one woman, before asking to have a selfie with me, said to me, "You know this is not the right way to interview Steve Bannon. You know this." [Pause.] No, I don't! I do now know this. Wrong!&#xa0;Guerrasio: Were you ever at a point where you gave the DIY route a serious thought.&#xa0;Morris: I did give it a serious thought, but all my movies have been theatrically distributed, why not this one? Look, America has gone crazy. It is a crazy a-- country.&#xa0;Guerrasio: Here's what I was thinking this past year while you were going through this: What if you made this movie five years from now? Is this a case where the wound was still too fresh? I feel this would have happened if you talked to Rumsfeld right after he left the Bush administration.&#xa0;Morris: I think yes. But does that mean I shouldn't have done it? No. The wound is too fresh and people couldn't believe what happened on election day in 2016. The election was driving everyone crazy. It's still producing such a culture shock in America. I saw myself as, stupid me, doing some good by looking at this. Examining it. Did I anticipate people calling it a "bromance"? No. And I still can't believe it.&#xa0;&#xa0;Guerrasio: And you thought timelines was key. You wanted this out during the midterm elections.&#xa0;Morris: I thought it could help. And I wanted to weigh in on the midterms and the 2020 election. I thought I could do something useful by making this movie.&#xa0;Guerrasio: Do you feel you have missed your window?Morris: No, he's right back in it. He's an advisor again. (Bannon is the <a href="https://warroom.org/">host of a daily online broadcast</a> in defense of Trump during the impeachment inquiry.)Guerrasio: Oh yeah, I think I read that.Morris: I'll forgive you, but that's another crazy set of questions I've had to deal with.&#xa0;Guerrasio: No, give it to me! I should read up more.&#xa0;Morris: When it was first shown in Venice it was, "How dare you make this!" Now people have said to me, "This movie is irrelevant because he's irrelevant." So, okay, all of you just go f--k yourselves.&#xa0;Guerrasio: [Laughs.] That's fair. Listen, you are in a no-win situation.&#xa0;Morris: I feel he and the issues are still relevant. You know I came to love McNamara even though I think he's a war criminal. And some people hated that movie because some thought I wasn't fair enough to him while others felt I was too fair to him. Rummy was hated, and people hated the movie because he didn't show any remorse.&#xa0;Guerrasio: The big difference between those two movies and this is the advent of social media.Morris: I think that's absolutely correct. Which is part of the story of "American Dharma." And Bannon was the first to figure out social media for political gain, which he's hated for but people should pay attention. Be on guard. You know, Peter Schweizer wrote a book called "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clinton_Cash">Clinton Cash,</a>" Bannon mentions it in the movie. It helped in Hillary Clinton losing the election. Schweizer <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Schweizer#Secret_Empires">wrote a book</a> after that on the Bidens and the Ukraine. So if you think this isn't still with us you're an idiot. You're an ostrich with your f---ing head in the ground.<div></div> <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/behind-scenes-fox-news-star-shepard-smith-donald-trump-politics-2017-12">Behind the scenes with Shepard Smith - the Fox News star who just announced his resignation from the network</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

Oscar winner Errol Morris says he considered quitting filmmaking after the reaction to his Steve Bannon documentary. A year later, it's finally being released.

You Searched For "Online rummy" and got 11 results

Kerala HC notice issued a notice to Virat Kohli on a petition seeking ban on online rummy

IANS

Industry body TRF presents accreditation to four online rummy operators

PTI

Shah Rukh Khan to be the face of online multi-gaming platform A23

BI India Partner

We want to be known as the biggest home-grown tech brand that specializes in gaming: Varun Ganjoo, Baazi Games

Samarpita Banerjee

Games24x7 ropes in Hrithik Roshan as the brand ambassador of RummyCircle

BI India Partner

Paytm app removed from the Google Play Store – big blow to Paytm First Games ahead of the IPL starting tomorrow

Rounak Jain

OPINION: Regulation of games of skill under a central legislative regime is the need of the hour

L. Badri Narayanan

Star Sports has sold out 75% of its inventory for Dream11 IPL 2020

BI India Partner

Print and TV degrow by 13% and 36% respectively in 2020: FICCI - EY report

BI India Partner

We have seen a constant rise in our business as we posted an increase of 500% CAGR in FY 19-20: Saurabh Chopra, CEO, BalleBaazi.com

Samarpita Banerjee

Oscar winner Errol Morris says he considered quitting filmmaking after the reaction to his Steve Bannon documentary. A year later, it's finally being released.

Jason Guerrasio

Popular Keywords

Buying Guides