ITV

Category: DTH Operator

  • Samsung joins ‘DVD6C’ in licensing DVD patents

    Samsung joins ‘DVD6C’ in licensing DVD patents

    MUMBAI: The DVD6C licensing group (DVD6C), has announced that Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd has joined its worldwide joint licensing program which provides manufacturers of DVD products the ability to license essential DVD patents owned by the group’s members.

    DVD6C has licensed DVD patents owned by its member companies since June 1999 (adding licensing for DVD-recorders, DVD-audio players, DVD-R, -RW and -RAM drives, DVD-audio, -R, -RW, -and -RAM discs and cases in September 2003). DVD6C’s licenses cover patents owned by the 6C member companies that are essential for products that comply with the DVD-format specifications defined by the DVD forum, asserts an official release.

    The company claims that membership of Samsung in the joint licensing program will benefit existing and future licensees of DVD6C, who will obtain a license to additional essential patents for the DVD products at no additional charge.

    Interested parties will remain free to negotiate individual license agreements with DVD6C’s member companies, rather than taking licenses from DVD6C. The member companies have committed to provide such licenses under fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms and conditions, adds the release.

    The existing list of DVD6C members include eight developers of DVD technology and formats — Hitachi Ltd., Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (Panasonic), Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd., Sharp Corporation, Toshiba Corporation, Victor Company of Japan, Ltd. (JVC) and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc.

  • TDSAT asks Tata-Sky, Sun TV Group to settle differences

    TDSAT asks Tata-Sky, Sun TV Group to settle differences

    MUMBAI: The Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) has proposed to direct-to-home (DTH) player Tata-Sky and Chennai-based broadcaster Sun TV Group that they resolve their dispute between themselves.

    According to a tribunal official, the two parties are set to negotiate a potential settlement at a meeting in Chennai that is likely to take place by the end of week.

    Nonetheless, the tribunal dispute forum has also drawn up the date for next hearing before adjourning the case to 29 November if the attempts to achieve a “lucid response” through the discussion fails.

    Tata-Sky had moved the tribunal accusing the broadcaster of refusing supply of its bouquet of channels. The DTH player approached the disputes forum after repeated requests to provide the signals of the channels of Sun’s bouquet of channels on “non-discriminatory terms” proved futile.

    According to the norms laid down by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), all content should be made available to all delivery platforms on a nondiscriminatory basis.

    Sun TV promoter Kalanithi Maran has set forth plans to enter the DTH space through the still to launch commercially Sun Direct TV. He runs a string of successful channels, which include SunTV, GeminiTV, SuryaTV, UdayaTV, KTV, TejaTV, UsheTV, KiranTV, AdithyaTV, Sun News, KiranTV, GeminiTV, TejaTV, Teja News, Udaya2 and Udaya News.

  • Info Edge debuts with 62% premium on BSE

    Info Edge debuts with 62% premium on BSE

    MUMBAI: DotCom days are here again. Info Edge (India), a provider of online recruitment, matrimonial classifieds and related services in India (through its Websites naukri.com, jeevansathi.com etc) made a very impressive debut with a 62.5 per cent premium at Rs 520 on BSE today against the offer price of Rs 320 per share of Rs 10 each.

    The price shot up to Rs 623.80 intraday before closing for the day at Rs 593.20, a hefty premium of 85 per cent with a volume of 7.8 million equity shares on BSE.

    The volume on NSE was higher at 11.6 million equity shares, taking the total volume on both the exchanges to 19.4 million equity shares on the very first day.

    The company would use issue proceeds to purchase or lease real estate for their office, to acquire companies and use alternative delivery models such as messages through mobiles, etc. ICICI Securities and Citigroup Global Markets India were the book running lead managers to the issue.

    The company entered the capital market on 30 October with an IPO of 5.32 million equity shares in the price band of Rs 290 to Rs 320 per equity share. The issue closed on 2 November. The issue constitutes 19.5 per cent of the fully diluted post issue paid-up equity capital of the company.

    Info Edge wants to maintain its position as the leading provider of online recruitment solutions in India and further enhance its position as one of the leading providers of internet based matrimonial services. In addition, it seeks to diversify into and establish a position of leadership in the diverse spectrum of the online classified market and also to create such markets in those segments, which are currently catered to by the print media only.

    In order to achieve these objectives, it will continue emphasis on innovation and customization of its products and services, enhance and diversify its advertising revenue streams, leverage offline relationships and diversify into providing online classified services in new market segments.

    Presently its business activities are limited to primarily providing information exchange services in the recruitment, matrimonial and real estate markets; and the activities are concentrated in India.

    Now the Company proposes to diversify into other segments of the online classifieds market such as automobile products, educational products and industrial products and expand its present business to the countries in the Middle East and in South Asia. It also intends to start several initiatives to enhance the features and qualities of its currently existing products and services.

  • IOL Broadband to hike share capital

    IOL Broadband to hike share capital

    MUMBAI: IOL Broadband has decided to increase the authorised share capital of the company from Rs 500 million divided into 50 million equity shares of Rs 10 each to Rs 700 million divided into 70 million equity shares of Rs 10 each.

    The board has agreed to issue and allot, on a preferential basis, upto 7 million equity share warrants (warrants), carrying an entitlement to subscribe to an equivalent number of equity shares of Rs 10 each at Rs 95 to Maula Trading Company, asserts an official release.

    The members will increase the investment limit for Foreign Institutional Investors upto 49 per cent, including their sub- accounts (FIIs), in the shares or bonds convertible into shares of the company, by purchase or acquisition from the market under the portfolio investment scheme under FEMA, subject to necessary provisions and approvals.

    An extra ordinary general meeting (EGM) of the members of the company will be held on 11 December to discuss the aforesaid matters, adds the release.

  • AnyTime clinches VoD deal with IOL

    AnyTime clinches VoD deal with IOL

    aMUMBAI: AnyTime, Asia Pacific’s video-on-demand channel (VoD), has signed a five-year distribution agreement with India’s broadband provider, India On Line Broadband Ltd (IOL).

    Four million homes in Mumbai and Delhi will have access to AnyTime VoD movie channel and interactive games channels by March 2007, asserts an official release.

    The AnyTime VoD movie channel will be the exclusive provider of Hollywood VoD programs and will form the cornerstone of the MTNL-IOL and BSNL-IOL IPTV platforms, supported by BSNL respectively.

    The AnyTime channel is expected to go live in December, making a wide range of Hollywood movies-both new releases and library titles. Besides that interactive games would be available on-demand which will introduce a new level of choice and control in entertainment in India, adds the release.

    AnyTime CEO Craig Zimbulis said, “This is an unprecedented deal for IPTV in the region. On-demand delivery of video content is set to boom in India, this is a country that clearly has a huge appetite for next generation services. IOL, MTNL, BSNL and AnyTime by working together will be able to offer Indian viewers an entirely new way to enjoy and consume Hollywood entertainment.”

    “Singapore’s transparent media regulatory framework and its abundant supply of skilled industry professionals have given AnyTime a great home and assisted AnyTime in realising our Asia Pacific growth plans and ambitions,” he added.

  • Digital TV conversion impacting TV market

    Digital TV conversion impacting TV market

    MUMBAI : The international migration from analog broadcasting to digital terrestrial television (DTT) marches on with a significant impact on the television set market, reports market research firm In-Stat.

    Many nations have announced an analog broadcast shutoff date, but how they implement this change varies, In-Stat says. Some countries are allocating spectrum so they can transmit analog and digital broadcasts concurrently for a number of years. Other countries are rolling out DTT regionally and shutting down analog service as the rollout is completed.

    “There are now four main standards for digital television (DTV) broadcasting, with some similarities between these standards in audio and video compression, but the demodulation schemes are all different,” says Chris Kissel, In-Stat analyst. “Consumers that wish to receive free, over-the-air broadcasts must buy either a digital television with a digital tuner, or must have a set top box or converter box to receive the signal.”

    Among the findings in the study are:

    *DTV tuner integration is happening faster in North America and Japan than it is in Europe or other parts of Asia.

    *In-Stat anticipates that flat-panel displays will overtake CRTs by 2007.

    *11.6% of all respondents to an In-Stat US consumer survey plan to buy a new DTV set within the next six months.

  • Discovery launches HD service in Europe via Intelsat

    Discovery launches HD service in Europe via Intelsat

    MUMBAI: Satellite services firm Intelsat has announced that Discovery will use its Pas-12 satellite to provide Discovery HD, the company’s international high-definition network, in Europe.

    The signing of Discovery as an anchor tenant on Pas-12 marks the start of a high-powered distribution alternative to new channels looking to deliver HD programming across Europe says Intelsat.

    Using capacity on Pas-12, Discovery will provide distribution of Discovery HD, which will originate at its European headquarters in London, to Europe. GlobeCast Europe will uplink the content at its Brookman’s Park teleport in the UK. The signing of the new agreement with Intelsat marks the significant expansion of an already successful relationship, as Intelsat currently provides distribution capacity for Discovery to reach its nearly 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers worldwide.

    Discovery executive VP media, technology and operations John Honeycutt says, “High-definition in Europe is fast growing and as the leader in HD programming, Discovery will continue to play a large role in the development and distribution of content and services utilizing this technology.

    “We have long relied on Intelsat’s global system to support the implementation of our global distribution strategy.”

    Intelsat senior VP, Americas Sales Kurt Riegelman says, “A programmer the caliber of Discovery Communications committing to anchor our new HD neighborhood speaks volumes about the confidence it has in our company and in our system.

    “Intelsat has played a significant role in the distribution of HD programming worldwide and is exceedingly dedicated to furthering the advancement of HD in Europe. We believe that Discovery’s desire to distribute HD across the continent signifies a healthy and growing demand which we’re committed to facilitating.”

    Intelsat currently operates an HD neighborhood in the US on its Galaxy 13 satellite. The establishment of a new HD satellite for Europe is the company’s first step at expanding full-time HD distribution to other areas of the world.

  • IndusInd Media appoints Samson Jesudas as chief marketing & distribution officer

    IndusInd Media appoints Samson Jesudas as chief marketing & distribution officer

    MUMBAI : IndusInd Media and Communications Ltd (IMCL), which runs the media business of Hinduja TMT including Incablenet, has appointed Samson Jesudas as its chief marketing and distribution officer, ahead of CAS (conditional access system). Jesudas moves in from Zee Turner where he was serving as assistant vice-president, looking after the western region.

    In IMCL, Jesudas will be in charge of marketing and distribution of all products and service offerings of IMCL. This will include digital set-top boxes (STBs) in CAS areas and expansion of internet business to new cities. He will also evolve and execute different marketing schemes for all products and services.

    IMCL is planning to add new channels through its STBs. Jesudas will look after media content and also liasion with ground distribution, broadcasters and content providers. He will also provide market intelligence support to identify and exploit growth opportunities while coordinating with finance, technical and customer care divisions.

    Before joining Zee Turner, Jesudas was working in Pehla in the Middle East and in Star India’s distribution team.

  • Robin Main is senior VP application software development at Tanderberg Television

    Robin Main is senior VP application software development at Tanderberg Television

    MUMBAI: Tanderberg Television has announced the appointment of Robin Main as senior vice president of application software development.

    Earlier Main served as senior vice president of engineering at Movaz Networks and prior to that he was vice president of software engineering at Scientific-Atlanta, asserts an official release.

    Main will lead the research and development of software technologies for Tanderberg Television’s global customer base, adds the release.

    Tanderberg Television CEO Eric Cooney said, “Robin is a seasoned executive with a proven track record of successful product development and tremendous experience working with major network operators and service providers around the world. He brings a wealth of experience and technical expertise to our organisation as we strive to be at the forefront of technology innovation that is changing the television industry.”

    “Tanderberg Television is a worldwide leader in advanced compression, on-demand and interactive television technologies with a diverse array of innovative products for this market.I am thrilled to be a part of such a talented team and contribute to the development of next-generation technologies for this industry,” added Main.

  • Non-supply of channels: Tata Sky moves TDSAT against Sun TV

    Non-supply of channels: Tata Sky moves TDSAT against Sun TV

    MUMBAI: Tata Sky has moved the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) against the south Indian media major Sun TV Group’s reluctance to make available channels to its direct-to-home platform.

    The petition, filed today before the tribunal, alleges that the Sun TV Group has refused to supply its bouquet of channels to the DTH player. The case is scheduled for the first hearing tomorrow (15 November).

    Tata Sky approached the disputes forum after repeated requests to provide the signals of the channels of Sun’s bouquet of channels on “non-discriminatory terms” proved futile.

    Tata Sky has sought an appropriate direction in the matter from TDSAT, alleging that Sun TV has quoted unreasonable terms for supplying its signals.

    When contacted by Indiantelevision.com, Tata Sky managing director and CEO Vikram Kaushik today refrained from commenting on the development.

    Earlier speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Kaushik mentioned, “We are in talks with Sun TV, the most popular network in the southern states, but no commercial agreement is expected soon. We gave them a proposal and are in negotiations with them. But a deal is still far away.”

    A point of note is that Tata-Sky is simultaneously also battling for Zee-Turner channels. Although the tribunal has directed Zee Turner Ltd, distributors of Zee and other channels, to provide its signals to Tata Sky, the issues of pricing, capacity and other related issues have yet to be sorted out.

    According to the norms laid down by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), all content should be made available to all delivery platforms on a nondiscriminatory basis.

    Interestingly, Sun TV promoter Kalanithi Maran has set forth plans to enter the DTH space through the still to launch commercially Sun Direct TV. He runs a string of successful channels, which include SunTV, GeminiTV, SuryaTV, UdayaTV, KTV, TejaTV, UsheTV, KiranTV, AdithyaTV, Sun News, KiranTV, GeminiTV, TejaTV, Teja News, Udaya2 and Udaya News.