ITV

Category: Cable TV

  • Hathway’s Panesar succeeds Wadhwa as AIDCF head

    Hathway’s Panesar succeeds Wadhwa as AIDCF head

    MUMBAI/NEW DELHI: Hathway Cable & Datacom’s Video Business CEO T S Panesar has taken over as the new president of the All-India Digital Cable Federation (AIDCF), the apex body of digital cable television players.

    Panesar was unanimously elected at AIDCF’s 11th governing council meeting held in New Delhi. He succeeds SITI Networks ED and CEO V D Wadhwa who completed his two-year term as the founder-president of the Federation.

    Panesar has over 20 years of experience in media and entertainment industry, both on the broadcasting and distribution side.
    The governing council also appointed SITI Networks COO Anil Malhotra as he vice-president and Fastway Transmissions Private Ltd CEO Peeush Mahajan as the treasurer of the Federation.

    AIDCF placed on record its appreciation for the immense contribution made by Wadhwa as the founder and first president of the Federation over two years ago. Under his aegis, the federation earned its stripes with MIB, TRAI, DoT, Ministry of Finance and all the other industry bodies i.e. IBF, DTH Federation, CII, FICCI, ASSOCHAM etc in the media & entertainment Sector.

    The Federation has played key role in bringing all the major players of the industry controlling over 70 per cent of the business under one umbrella and have taken up the issues concerning the cable industry by liaising with the concerned government department/ministry as well as with the other industry bodies of the broadcasters and DTH operators besides playing key role in resolving the deadlock in implementation of phase III of digitization.

    On giving over the baton to Panesar, Wadhwa said, “A solid foundation has been laid for addressing all the concerns of the industry and I am confident that under the leadership of Panesar and active participation by all the members, the federation would further gain strength and shall be able to create an environment for the profitable growth of the cable industry.”

    Commenting on his appointment as the AIDCF president, Panesar said, “I am deeply honored and privileged to be appointed to lead the federation. It’s a big challenge and responsibility entrusted upon me and I look forward to working closely with all members to bring further changes in the environment. Having seen the evolution of the cable & broadcasting industry from the analogue to the digital regime, we are now at the cusp of a another major shift in light of the new regulation which is aimed at improving transparency, empowering customers to exercise choice and ensuring orderly growth of all stakeholders in the eco-system. We strongly believe that technology should be leveraged to address the changing needs of the industry. Together, we will strive towards strengthening our bond with all stakeholders to deliver a world class service to the consumers and improve customer satisfaction levels.”

    AIDCF secretary -general Saharsh Damani said, “With digitisation entering into last phase and focus on wired broadband gaining traction for all the members, I am sure that, under Panesar’s leadership, the digital cable industry will enter into the next orbit of momentum and growth.”

  • Hathway’s Panesar succeeds Wadhwa as AIDCF head

    Hathway’s Panesar succeeds Wadhwa as AIDCF head

    MUMBAI/NEW DELHI: Hathway Cable & Datacom’s Video Business CEO T S Panesar has taken over as the new president of the All-India Digital Cable Federation (AIDCF), the apex body of digital cable television players.

    Panesar was unanimously elected at AIDCF’s 11th governing council meeting held in New Delhi. He succeeds SITI Networks ED and CEO V D Wadhwa who completed his two-year term as the founder-president of the Federation.

    Panesar has over 20 years of experience in media and entertainment industry, both on the broadcasting and distribution side.
    The governing council also appointed SITI Networks COO Anil Malhotra as he vice-president and Fastway Transmissions Private Ltd CEO Peeush Mahajan as the treasurer of the Federation.

    AIDCF placed on record its appreciation for the immense contribution made by Wadhwa as the founder and first president of the Federation over two years ago. Under his aegis, the federation earned its stripes with MIB, TRAI, DoT, Ministry of Finance and all the other industry bodies i.e. IBF, DTH Federation, CII, FICCI, ASSOCHAM etc in the media & entertainment Sector.

    The Federation has played key role in bringing all the major players of the industry controlling over 70 per cent of the business under one umbrella and have taken up the issues concerning the cable industry by liaising with the concerned government department/ministry as well as with the other industry bodies of the broadcasters and DTH operators besides playing key role in resolving the deadlock in implementation of phase III of digitization.

    On giving over the baton to Panesar, Wadhwa said, “A solid foundation has been laid for addressing all the concerns of the industry and I am confident that under the leadership of Panesar and active participation by all the members, the federation would further gain strength and shall be able to create an environment for the profitable growth of the cable industry.”

    Commenting on his appointment as the AIDCF president, Panesar said, “I am deeply honored and privileged to be appointed to lead the federation. It’s a big challenge and responsibility entrusted upon me and I look forward to working closely with all members to bring further changes in the environment. Having seen the evolution of the cable & broadcasting industry from the analogue to the digital regime, we are now at the cusp of a another major shift in light of the new regulation which is aimed at improving transparency, empowering customers to exercise choice and ensuring orderly growth of all stakeholders in the eco-system. We strongly believe that technology should be leveraged to address the changing needs of the industry. Together, we will strive towards strengthening our bond with all stakeholders to deliver a world class service to the consumers and improve customer satisfaction levels.”

    AIDCF secretary -general Saharsh Damani said, “With digitisation entering into last phase and focus on wired broadband gaining traction for all the members, I am sure that, under Panesar’s leadership, the digital cable industry will enter into the next orbit of momentum and growth.”

  • DAS III extension leads to payment tiff; MSO blacks out Star channels in WB

    DAS III extension leads to payment tiff; MSO blacks out Star channels in WB

    MUMBAI: The multi-system operator in West Bengal Manthan continues to black out Star TV channels over a payment dispute since last Friday. Over five and a half lakh reported Manthan subscribers in Kolkata did not have access to over 45 channels such as Star Plus, National Geographic, Star Jalsha, and Star Sports.

    The Phase III extension of cable network, earlier set for completion by 31 December 2015, postponed by 13 months. The current blackout is the fourth one on Manthan since June 2016.

    With a number of interesting sporting events scheduled this week, the deprivation could seriously hit subscribers who felt cheated. On 15 January, Virat Kohli’s team is scheduled to face England in ODI match. Reportedly, neither Manthan nor Star India on Monday took an initiative although talks were due, and subscribers continued to be deprived of the channels for more days.

    Manthan executive Sudip Ghosh told Times that though they would like to have the channels back soon, there were issues between them to be resolved. He said they already paid 13 months’ subscription for Phase III extension of cable network in advance. But, the government deferred the extension till 31January, which meant they paid in excess. If that money was adjusted against their dues, there would be no arrears on their part. Star India however claimed an immediate payment of subscription dues from the MSO.

    Also Read:

    TV industry gives mixed reaction to MIB’s DAS III & IV extension

    DAS 4 deadline extended to 31 Mar

    Extend DAS deadline to Dec ’17 for fiber expansion, Andhra CM writes to MIB

  • DAS III extension leads to payment tiff; MSO blacks out Star channels in WB

    DAS III extension leads to payment tiff; MSO blacks out Star channels in WB

    MUMBAI: The multi-system operator in West Bengal Manthan continues to black out Star TV channels over a payment dispute since last Friday. Over five and a half lakh reported Manthan subscribers in Kolkata did not have access to over 45 channels such as Star Plus, National Geographic, Star Jalsha, and Star Sports.

    The Phase III extension of cable network, earlier set for completion by 31 December 2015, postponed by 13 months. The current blackout is the fourth one on Manthan since June 2016.

    With a number of interesting sporting events scheduled this week, the deprivation could seriously hit subscribers who felt cheated. On 15 January, Virat Kohli’s team is scheduled to face England in ODI match. Reportedly, neither Manthan nor Star India on Monday took an initiative although talks were due, and subscribers continued to be deprived of the channels for more days.

    Manthan executive Sudip Ghosh told Times that though they would like to have the channels back soon, there were issues between them to be resolved. He said they already paid 13 months’ subscription for Phase III extension of cable network in advance. But, the government deferred the extension till 31January, which meant they paid in excess. If that money was adjusted against their dues, there would be no arrears on their part. Star India however claimed an immediate payment of subscription dues from the MSO.

    Also Read:

    TV industry gives mixed reaction to MIB’s DAS III & IV extension

    DAS 4 deadline extended to 31 Mar

    Extend DAS deadline to Dec ’17 for fiber expansion, Andhra CM writes to MIB

  • MSO registrations remain slow even as DAS deadlines approach

    MSO registrations remain slow even as DAS deadlines approach

    NEW DELHI: The registration of multi-system operators (MSOs) remained slow with 71 provisional clearances in December 2016 and up to 4 January 2017 taking the total to 1130 despite the fact that less than a month is left for Phase III analogue switch-off and two months before the final phase of digital addressable system DAS deadline gets over.

    The number of permanent MSOs (with 10-year licences) remained static at 229, while the number of cancellations remained at 44 as intimated on 30 November 2016. Of the 71 entrants, 21 were registered in the first four days of January 2017.

    The total number of MSOs is miniscule when compared to the information and broadcasting ministry’s own estimate that there are an estimated 6000 MSOs in the country. A ministry official however said that many of these unregistered MSOs were in effect local cable operators who retransmitted signals to other LCOs.

    With the home ministry directive about doing away with security clearances for MSOs not communicated in writing to the MIB, confusion prevailed over slowing down of the registration processes of MSOs for delivering services in DAS areas. The Government already deferred to 31 January 2017 the sunset date for Phase III (from 31 December 2015) and 31 March 2917 for Phase IV (from 31 December 2016).

    Minister of state Rajyavardhan Rathore had attributed the delay in response to a question in the last session of the Parliament to legal cases, filed mostly by cable operators relating to some phases of digital rollout.

    An MIB official pointed out after the DAS Task Force Meeting in November 2016 that cash crunch due to demonetisation of high-value currency notes has only added to the problem on the ground slowing down the rollout.

    The cancellations exclude four cases – Kal Cables of Chennai, Godfather Communication Pvt. Ltd of Amritsar, Digi Cable Network (India) Pvt Ltd of Mumbai, and Intermedia Cable Communication Pvt. Ltd of Delhi — in which provisional or permanent registrations were issued after High Courts stayed the cancellation orders in petitions filed by these MSOs. Most of the other cases in the list of cancelled registrations had failed to get security clearance from the MHA. However, there are cases of many MSOs holding provisional licences not completing certain formalities relating to shareholders and other details.

    According to the latest list, the areas of operation of one MSO in the provisional list has been revised after 30 November 2016.

    Of the new licensees, eight have got pan-India licences. These are Rajesh Fun Square, and  Aeon Communication Pvt. Ltd.of Mumbai; Superhits Digital Technologies Limited of NOIDA; Ozone Media.Comm Private Limited of Delhi; Hathway Datacom Central Private Limited of Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, and three MSOs in Uttar Pradesh: Juber Cable Network in Gonnaur, Nucast Media Private Limited in Mathura; and Garvit Digital Services Private Limited in Agra.

    The other new registrations after November 2016 include state-wide licences or for specific districts in Bihar, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Telengana, Andhra Pradesh, Manipur, Odisha, Punjab, Delhi and West Bengal.

    ALSO READ:

    Slow pace of court cases, MSO registration may delay DAS deadline

    DAS 4 deadline extended to 31 Mar

  • MSO registrations remain slow even as DAS deadlines approach

    MSO registrations remain slow even as DAS deadlines approach

    NEW DELHI: The registration of multi-system operators (MSOs) remained slow with 71 provisional clearances in December 2016 and up to 4 January 2017 taking the total to 1130 despite the fact that less than a month is left for Phase III analogue switch-off and two months before the final phase of digital addressable system DAS deadline gets over.

    The number of permanent MSOs (with 10-year licences) remained static at 229, while the number of cancellations remained at 44 as intimated on 30 November 2016. Of the 71 entrants, 21 were registered in the first four days of January 2017.

    The total number of MSOs is miniscule when compared to the information and broadcasting ministry’s own estimate that there are an estimated 6000 MSOs in the country. A ministry official however said that many of these unregistered MSOs were in effect local cable operators who retransmitted signals to other LCOs.

    With the home ministry directive about doing away with security clearances for MSOs not communicated in writing to the MIB, confusion prevailed over slowing down of the registration processes of MSOs for delivering services in DAS areas. The Government already deferred to 31 January 2017 the sunset date for Phase III (from 31 December 2015) and 31 March 2917 for Phase IV (from 31 December 2016).

    Minister of state Rajyavardhan Rathore had attributed the delay in response to a question in the last session of the Parliament to legal cases, filed mostly by cable operators relating to some phases of digital rollout.

    An MIB official pointed out after the DAS Task Force Meeting in November 2016 that cash crunch due to demonetisation of high-value currency notes has only added to the problem on the ground slowing down the rollout.

    The cancellations exclude four cases – Kal Cables of Chennai, Godfather Communication Pvt. Ltd of Amritsar, Digi Cable Network (India) Pvt Ltd of Mumbai, and Intermedia Cable Communication Pvt. Ltd of Delhi — in which provisional or permanent registrations were issued after High Courts stayed the cancellation orders in petitions filed by these MSOs. Most of the other cases in the list of cancelled registrations had failed to get security clearance from the MHA. However, there are cases of many MSOs holding provisional licences not completing certain formalities relating to shareholders and other details.

    According to the latest list, the areas of operation of one MSO in the provisional list has been revised after 30 November 2016.

    Of the new licensees, eight have got pan-India licences. These are Rajesh Fun Square, and  Aeon Communication Pvt. Ltd.of Mumbai; Superhits Digital Technologies Limited of NOIDA; Ozone Media.Comm Private Limited of Delhi; Hathway Datacom Central Private Limited of Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, and three MSOs in Uttar Pradesh: Juber Cable Network in Gonnaur, Nucast Media Private Limited in Mathura; and Garvit Digital Services Private Limited in Agra.

    The other new registrations after November 2016 include state-wide licences or for specific districts in Bihar, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Telengana, Andhra Pradesh, Manipur, Odisha, Punjab, Delhi and West Bengal.

    ALSO READ:

    Slow pace of court cases, MSO registration may delay DAS deadline

    DAS 4 deadline extended to 31 Mar

  • MSO flat fee a hurdle, says CTMA while backing TRAI & WB’s underground cable

    MSO flat fee a hurdle, says CTMA while backing TRAI & WB’s underground cable

    MUMBAI: The West Bengal government is preparing to build an underground network of cable TV lines in an attempt to keep the city clean, a state minister has said. Urban development minister Firhad Hakim said, in New Town, they had done it and would start soon in Bidhannagar. In Kolkata, they would as early as possible start a pilot project for underground laying of cable TV lines.

    It was part of a plan by the chief minister Mamata Banerjee who wants the city to look more beautiful without wires, Hakim said while inaugurating a three-day Cable TV Show 2017 from 4 January 4 — the 20th annual show arranged by the Kolkata-based Cable TV Equipment Traders & Manufacturers Association (CTMA).

    Over 10,000 cable operators, manufacturers, traders, channel partners, broadcasters, distributors, and multi-system operators (MSOs) from India and abroad are participating in the show.

    CTMA secretary K K Binani said the plan would minimise possibilities of outside disturbances in connectivity as sometimes wires get damaged during calamities. The industry body said that flat licence fees for multi-system operators had become an entry barrier for small entrepreneurs.

    Cable TV Show 2017 Kolkata, one of the biggest shows on satellite and cable television & broadband in India, was flagged off at the Netaji Indoor Stadium. Hakim inaugurated the event in the presence of minister-in-charge, housing & youth affairs, West Bengal, Aroop Biswas. There are 20 pavilions and 70 stalls erected this year for showcasing a wide range of state-of-the-art products and services related to the cable industry.

    CTMA treasurer & chairman -exhibition Pawan Jajodia said, with the steady digitization of cable television sector and the Digital India campaign, the scope and importance of Cable Television (CATV) had increased manifold. The CATV sector had come a long way to become an organised sector and one that was an important player in promoting digitalisation through the spread of broadband Internet services.

    This event has been sponsored by Darkhorse, and Euro Digital is the co-sponsor. Aishwarya Technologies, Inno Instrument, Globetek Infoway, RailTel, Meghbala, Cloudsky Broadband are associate sponsors.

    Binani said that digitisation of delivery of Cable TV service through set-top box was now in its final and crucial lap as the whole of India would be covered in Phase IV by 31 March 2017. The digital-delivery-enabled networks were now ready to be taken to the next level of delivering value-added services such as broadband internet service, movies on demand, games, pay per view channels, and education etc.

    Binani added that cable TV sector was ready for some sweeping transformation under regulatory intervention. The draft tariff order under consultation by TRAI would bring the addressable services from all delivery platforms such as HITS, MSO, DTH and IPTV under common regulation. The viewer might pay for only the channels that he wished to view/subscribe. Pay channel broadcasters would have to announce a genre and MRP for each of the channels. They must provide channels on terms universal to all delivery platforms. This would make the entry of new entrants feasible. Carriage fee was also proposed to be regulated, Binani said.

    CTMA president Rajesh Doshi said that digitisation has been a game-changer that has transformed the cable sector. The number of licenses issued for downlinking satellite channels into the country crossed 850 channels and the viewer was spoiled for choice with most of the MSOs providing 400 plus channels covering a wide genre and languages. The Cable TV networks in India were ready to play a significant role in helping Internet penetration across India, Doshi added.

  • MSO flat fee a hurdle, says CTMA while backing TRAI & WB’s underground cable

    MSO flat fee a hurdle, says CTMA while backing TRAI & WB’s underground cable

    MUMBAI: The West Bengal government is preparing to build an underground network of cable TV lines in an attempt to keep the city clean, a state minister has said. Urban development minister Firhad Hakim said, in New Town, they had done it and would start soon in Bidhannagar. In Kolkata, they would as early as possible start a pilot project for underground laying of cable TV lines.

    It was part of a plan by the chief minister Mamata Banerjee who wants the city to look more beautiful without wires, Hakim said while inaugurating a three-day Cable TV Show 2017 from 4 January 4 — the 20th annual show arranged by the Kolkata-based Cable TV Equipment Traders & Manufacturers Association (CTMA).

    Over 10,000 cable operators, manufacturers, traders, channel partners, broadcasters, distributors, and multi-system operators (MSOs) from India and abroad are participating in the show.

    CTMA secretary K K Binani said the plan would minimise possibilities of outside disturbances in connectivity as sometimes wires get damaged during calamities. The industry body said that flat licence fees for multi-system operators had become an entry barrier for small entrepreneurs.

    Cable TV Show 2017 Kolkata, one of the biggest shows on satellite and cable television & broadband in India, was flagged off at the Netaji Indoor Stadium. Hakim inaugurated the event in the presence of minister-in-charge, housing & youth affairs, West Bengal, Aroop Biswas. There are 20 pavilions and 70 stalls erected this year for showcasing a wide range of state-of-the-art products and services related to the cable industry.

    CTMA treasurer & chairman -exhibition Pawan Jajodia said, with the steady digitization of cable television sector and the Digital India campaign, the scope and importance of Cable Television (CATV) had increased manifold. The CATV sector had come a long way to become an organised sector and one that was an important player in promoting digitalisation through the spread of broadband Internet services.

    This event has been sponsored by Darkhorse, and Euro Digital is the co-sponsor. Aishwarya Technologies, Inno Instrument, Globetek Infoway, RailTel, Meghbala, Cloudsky Broadband are associate sponsors.

    Binani said that digitisation of delivery of Cable TV service through set-top box was now in its final and crucial lap as the whole of India would be covered in Phase IV by 31 March 2017. The digital-delivery-enabled networks were now ready to be taken to the next level of delivering value-added services such as broadband internet service, movies on demand, games, pay per view channels, and education etc.

    Binani added that cable TV sector was ready for some sweeping transformation under regulatory intervention. The draft tariff order under consultation by TRAI would bring the addressable services from all delivery platforms such as HITS, MSO, DTH and IPTV under common regulation. The viewer might pay for only the channels that he wished to view/subscribe. Pay channel broadcasters would have to announce a genre and MRP for each of the channels. They must provide channels on terms universal to all delivery platforms. This would make the entry of new entrants feasible. Carriage fee was also proposed to be regulated, Binani said.

    CTMA president Rajesh Doshi said that digitisation has been a game-changer that has transformed the cable sector. The number of licenses issued for downlinking satellite channels into the country crossed 850 channels and the viewer was spoiled for choice with most of the MSOs providing 400 plus channels covering a wide genre and languages. The Cable TV networks in India were ready to play a significant role in helping Internet penetration across India, Doshi added.

  • MSO Ortel strengthens digital payment services

    MSO Ortel strengthens digital payment services

    MUMBAI: Multi-system operator Ortel Communications Limited (Ortel) has launched its new digital bill payment option using Paytm.

    Ortel has made several efforts to bring in an easy way of paying bills for its customers. Apart from debit cards, credit cards, and net banking, customers of Ortel Communications can now pay their bills through mobile wallet, Paytm, without using cash. It further strengthens its digital payment options to reduce cash transactions for its customers offering more simplicity in their bill payment systems.

    Commenting on the development, Ortel CEO and president Bibhu Prasad Rath, “We had already adopted online payment facilities in 2010 with an endeavor to provide our customers with multiple payment options. In addition to our online payment gateways, we will continue to provide more digital options to our customers as per their choice and convenience.”

    Ortel services providers focused in the Indian states of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Telengana, Madhya Pradesh, and West Bengal.

  • MSO Ortel strengthens digital payment services

    MSO Ortel strengthens digital payment services

    MUMBAI: Multi-system operator Ortel Communications Limited (Ortel) has launched its new digital bill payment option using Paytm.

    Ortel has made several efforts to bring in an easy way of paying bills for its customers. Apart from debit cards, credit cards, and net banking, customers of Ortel Communications can now pay their bills through mobile wallet, Paytm, without using cash. It further strengthens its digital payment options to reduce cash transactions for its customers offering more simplicity in their bill payment systems.

    Commenting on the development, Ortel CEO and president Bibhu Prasad Rath, “We had already adopted online payment facilities in 2010 with an endeavor to provide our customers with multiple payment options. In addition to our online payment gateways, we will continue to provide more digital options to our customers as per their choice and convenience.”

    Ortel services providers focused in the Indian states of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Telengana, Madhya Pradesh, and West Bengal.