Entertainment
Questions on freedom of expression arise before elections: Irani
Mumbai, Dec 9 (IANS) Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani on Saturday maintained that questioning freedom of expression and its association with films are mostly PR stunts, and such topics are raised before elections.
Irani was on Saturday present at the ‘We The Women’ conference, where she was in conversation with filmmaker Karan Johar and producer Ekta Kapoor.
She was asked by a budding filmmaker about limiting the freedom of expression of filmmakers.
Responding, Irani said: “I think people start raising questions on freedom of expression on mainstream media before every election. What we do not pay attention to is whether we are becoming an element of the film’s publicity or not. I think we need to introspect that as well.”
“I am very proud of the current Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) chief Prasoon Joshi, who is a sensitive soul and creative person. I think people should understand that no matter which political ideology a person is coming from, once the person is serving the nation, he or she is there to follow the law which has nothing to do with any political party.
“For instance, one of the biggest films that released this year was on Arvind Kejriwal (Delhi Chief Minister). It did not happen during the Congress government. If the freedom of expression is restricted, this film would have never released,” she said.
She added: “The fact is that no one will talk about such things because it does not manufacture political outrage or any attention.”
Irani, who became a household name after starring in the popular daily soap “Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi”, said putting a film in controversy and questioning the freedom of expression is mostly a PR stunt.
“Being a member of the entertainment industry who is now in I & B Ministry can figure things out better. I think we all know when a PR movement plays out. The question is when PRs are doing things, are they questioning our intelligence?” asked Irani.
–IANS
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Entertainment
Casino Days Reveal Internal Data on Most Popular Smartphones
International online casino Casino Days has published a report sharing their internal data on what types and brands of devices are used to play on the platform by users from the South Asian region.
Such aggregate data analyses allow the operator to optimise their website for the brands and models of devices people are actually using.
The insights gained through the research also help Casino Days tailor their services based on the better understanding of their clients and their needs.
Desktops and Tablets Lose the Battle vs Mobile
The primary data samples analysed by Casino Days reveal that mobile connections dominate the market in South Asia and are responsible for a whopping 96.6% of gaming sessions, while computers and tablets have negligible shares of 2.9% and 0.5% respectively.
The authors of the study point out that historically, playing online casino was exclusively done on computers, and attribute thе major shift to mobile that has unfolded over time to the wide spread of cheaper smartphones and mobile data plans in South Asia.
“Some of the reasons behind this massive difference in device type are affordability, technical advantages, as well as cheaper and more obtainable internet plans for mobiles than those for computers,” the researchers comment.
Xiaomi and Vivo Outperform Samsung, Apple Way Down in Rankings
Chinese brands Xiaomi and Vivo were used by 21.9% and 20.79% of Casino Days players from South Asia respectively, and together with the positioned in third place with a 18.1% share South Korean brand Samsung dominate the market among real money gamers in the region.
Cupertino, California-based Apple is way down in seventh with a user share of just 2.29%, overshadowed by Chinese brands Realme (11.43%), OPPO (11.23%), and OnePlus (4.07%).
Huawei is at the very bottom of the chart with a tiny share just below the single percent mark, trailing behind mobile devices by Motorola, Google, and Infinix.
The data on actual phone usage provided by Casino Days, even though limited to the gaming parts of the population of South Asia, paints a different picture from global statistics on smartphone shipments by vendors.
Apple and Samsung have been sharing the worldwide lead for over a decade, while current regional leader Xiaomi secured their third position globally just a couple of years ago.
Striking Android Dominance among South Asian Real Money Gaming Communities
The shifted market share patterns of the world’s top smartphone brands in South Asia observed by the Casino Days research paper reveal a striking dominance of Android devices at the expense of iOS-powered phones.
On the global level, Android enjoys a comfortable lead with a sizable 68.79% share which grows to nearly 79% when we look at the whole continent of Asia. The data on South Asian real money gaming communities suggests that Android’s dominance grows even higher and is north of the 90% mark.
Among the major factors behind these figures, the authors of the study point to the relative affordability of and greater availability of Android devices in the region, especially when manufactured locally in countries like India and Vietnam.
“And, with influencers and tech reviews putting emphasis on Android devices, the choice of mobile phone brand and OS becomes easy; Android has a much wider range of products and caters to the Asian online casino market in ways that Apple can’t due to technical limitations,” the researchers add.
The far better integration achieved by Google Pay compared to its counterpart Apple Pay has also played a crucial role in shaping the existing smartphone market trends.
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