ITV

Category: DTH Operator

  • Tata Sky offers Reliance DTH consumers migration deal, Dish TV too in play

    Tata Sky offers Reliance DTH consumers migration deal, Dish TV too in play

    MUMBAI: Tata Sky reportedly is offering consumers of Reliance Digital TV a limited time offer till middle of November 2017 to migrate to its platform at no extra cost. Reason: Reliance is not renewing its DTH licence that expires in November 2017.

    Though no official confirmations are forthcoming from any of the companies involved, a message being flashed on TV sets of consumers of Reliance Digital TV informs people to call a designated number or give a missed-call after which the consumer receives a call back from its new DTH service provider.

    The message mentions a number 9237092370 that has to be called. When the number was called by this reporter, a recorded message said, “Thank you for showing interest in Tata Sky. We will get in touch with you within 72 hours.”

    According to a possible deal hammered out between the two companies, Tata Sky will offer to Reliance consumers a mechanism involving installation of free STBs and dish antennas for a painless migration in an offer that is valid till 18 November 2017.

    Tata Sky is also promising the approximately one million Reliance Digital TV consumers — mostly pre-paid — their Reliance credit money will be transferred to the new Tata Sky accounts.

    However, industry sources indicated that India’s first private sector DTH operator Dish TV too has, reportedly, told its distributors that any Reliance Digital TV consumer who has not migrated to a competitor’s platform should be targeted for acquisition after paying that consumer a one-time fee of approximately Rs. 1,000. Dish TV is in the process of amalgamating the ops of Videocon d2h DTH with itself pending some regulatory clearances.

    Few days back Reliance Communications, parent of Reliance Digital TV, had informed Bombay Stock Exchange: “DTH operation is a non-core business of the company provided through Reliance BigTV Limited (RBTV), a subsidiary of the Company. RBTV’s DTH license is expiring by end of November 2017and the company is currently working with three leading DTH operators for seamless migration of customers to enjoy uninterrupted services”.

    Whether some regulatory clearances by other satellite TV operators in India need to be taken for customer acquisition of soon-to-be-shuttered DTH ops of Reliance is not yet clear. 

    When indiantelevision.com had got in touch with regulator TRAI and Ministry of Information and Broadcasting last week, officials at both the organizations said they were unaware of Reliance Digital TV’s future plans and also the reason as to why it was not renewing its DTH licence as no official communications had been received by them till then.

    (With additional inputs from BB Nagpal in New Delhi)

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  • Airtel Digital and LG tie up, redefine home entertainment

    Airtel Digital and LG tie up, redefine home entertainment

    MUMBAI: Popular brands are coming together to share a symbiotic relationship.

    Airtel Digital TV, the DTH arm of Bharti Airtel, and LG Electronics India have announced an exclusive partnership to redefine home entertainment experience by bringing the best of online and satellite TV content to customers.

    Valid till 31 October, 2017 in select cities, on purchase of a new Internet TV along with the LG panel TV, customers can enjoy benefits of up to 25 per cent.

    Customers purchasing 43-inch and above LG UHD or OLED panel TV, will now be able to add to their ultra high-definition TV experience with Airtel Internet TV – India’s first 4K hybrid STB that offers online content plus over 500 TV channels.

    Airtel ‘Internet TV’ comes with inbuilt-Wi-Fi receiver, Bluetooth based remote control and is integrated with Google voice search feature. Customers can discover their favourite content by simply speaking into the remote and choose from a variety of content sources.

    Airtel ‘Internet TV’ STB enables live TV shows to be paused, recorded or even rewind on connected USB-drive (external HDD). Internet TV supports many digital output ports for consumers to enjoy Dolby ATMOS experience. Inbuilt Bluetooth allows users to connect their speakers or Bluetooth headsets for best-in-class experience.

    Airtel Internet TV requires a broadband or a 4G hotspot connection with a minimum recommended speed of 4 Mbps. Airtel Internet TV customers can also get additional 25GB with their Airtel Broadband plans via MyAirtel App.

  • Videocon d2h offers interactive ad solution, launches Skoda microsite

    Videocon d2h offers interactive ad solution, launches Skoda microsite

    MUMBAI: DTH is not just about distribution of entertaining content. It has the potential to provide innovative solutions to advertisers — to reach targeted clientele. Videocon has proved it.

    DTH player Videocon d2h has announced its partnership with Skoda to offer its subscribers a chance to have a detailed view of the new Skoda Monte Carlo and Kodiaq through its HD set-top box (STB).

    Using the maximum potential of technology, Videocon d2h is the first DTH player to launch a microsite on DTH Platform through a unique yellow button application that is available for the premium customers.

    On pressing the button on the remote, a microsite opens up which showcases exterior and interior pictures of Skoda Kodiaq along with other features.

    To enhance Skoda’s consumer experience, PHD India and Videocon d2h came together and created a virtual experience for viewing on the television sets. This innovation enables Skoda’s potential buyers to effortlessly view important features and aspects at their own convenience. The virtual experience was first tested with Skoda’s Monte Carlo, and has since been implemented during the launch of Kodiaq.

    Videocon d2h executive chairman Saurabh Dhoot said: “Our platform provides excellent advertising opportunities to marketers and advertisers. I am delighted at this partnership to provide an innovative and engaging advertising solution.”

    Videocon d2h CEO Anil Khera said: “This interactive advertising service shows our capability to innovate using technology and deliver returns. We look forward to provide more of such innovative advertising solutions on our platform to other advertisers.’’

    Skoda HOD – marketing Tarun Jha said, “Škoda tries to bring new technology experiences continuously. This is another attempt to bring the car to the customer at his convenience.”

    PHD Media GM – planning Dipesh Dadhich said, “This work is another example of PHD’s mission to find a better way for our clients, delivering outstanding results and industry-leading innovation in the process.”

  • 10 FreeDish slots may fall vacant by Oct-end as renewals hang fire

    10 FreeDish slots may fall vacant by Oct-end as renewals hang fire

    MUMBAI: The ministry of information and broadcasting has reportedly asked Doordarshan to suspend until further notice e-auctioning of slots, which were picked up by private broadcasters on its free-to-air direct-to-home (DTH) platform FreeDish.

    FreeDish, at present, carries 80 TV channels, including Sony Pal, Star Utsav, Zee Anmol, Rishtey and news channels like AajTak, Zee News, ABP News, News 24 etc. FreeDish has two vacant slots but the number could go up to 10 by October-end if no decision is taken by MIB, the Tribune reported.

    The slots are getting vacant and private broadcasters have been unable to renew those. Prasar Bharati has reportedly been refusing renewal since August.

    The e-auction had taken place in July, in which FreeDish had earned Rs 851 million as 11 private broadcasters bagged. Another auction planned for August was cancelled by the broadcaster, citing “administrative reasons” as per the notice dated 18 August, 2017. Doordarshan, for the year 2016-17, earned more than 30 per cent of its revenue from FreeDish at Rs 2641 million — its highest-ever, Mint reported.

    Private broadcasters, reports said, paying an average of around Rs 60-80 million per annum to FreeDish were getting advertising revenue in the range of Rs 5–7 billion per channel owing to the high reach obtained via DD-Direct while Doordarshan was losing millions.

    FreeDish, it is estimated, increased its reach to around 25 million households which is faster than the average growth of the DTH industry in the last few years.

    The top rated 15 channels on FreeDish had ratings which ranged from 50-80 and almost all of them were private TV channels. DD channels got ratings of zero to three, meaning those were going unwatched.

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  • Tata Sky offers critically-acclaimed films in six languages for free

    Tata Sky offers critically-acclaimed films in six languages for free

    MUMBAI: Tata Sky, a content distribution platform, kickstarted the festive season with its Tata Sky Mumbai Film Festival.

    It has all – screening films from both, the remotest corners of India and countries across the globe, award-winning, critically-acclaimed masterpieces, spread over two months.

    The films are exclusive and curated films in association with Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival.

    Close to 30 films will run for a duration of two months starting from 1 October to 30 November 2017 in languages such as Hindi, English, Punjabi, Marathi, Assamese, Manipuri, International (with subtitles) available on channel number 302 in HD and 303 in SD.

    After a successful 2016 Tata Sky Mumbai Film Festival Service, wherein 20+ films were available to subscribers at no additional charge, the company announced a bigger and better festival catering to connoisseurs on 4 October 2017.

    Tata Sky chief content officer Arun Unni said, “The response last year indicated that there is a sizeable audience for high-quality and critically-acclaimed cinema, encouraging us to further explore and bring forward these hidden gems. Our scale allows us to support great art and good talent an all-India platform, especially to regions outside the major cultural centres, where access to film festivals is difficult.”

    MAMI festival director Anupama Chopra said, “There are so many wonderful filmmakers who narrate compelling stories. This unique platform enables these to reach new and varied audience. The festival serves both, story-tellers and movie-lovers.”

    Let the celebration of cinema begin!

  • Tata Sky customises sports-viewing with Star alliance, in talks with Sony

    Tata Sky customises sports-viewing with Star alliance, in talks with Sony

    MUMBAI: Pushing the boundaries of innovation in sports viewing this sports season, Tata Sky and Star Sports launched the ‘Star Sports Select Experience’with the Premier League.

    This kind of service, which has been prevalent in the UK, US and Europe, promises to take the fans straight to the heart of their favourite sport in a fully-immersive experience, offering more live matches and the option of multi-camera and stadium view. This service can be accessed via the red button on the Tata Sky remote which will be visible on Star Sports Select 1 and Star Sports Select 1HD, Star Sports 1 (SD & HD), Star Sports 1 Hindi (SD & HD).

    Tata Sky has introduced the add-on service, experimenting with Roland Garros – The French Open, followed by Wimbledon. Also exclusive to all Tata Sky subscribers are the options of watching Wimbledon highlights and an “Inside Wimbledon” experience with expert analysis and player interviews. The service has taken the consumer experience to a different level.

    The official channel of Wimbledon came to India for the first time through this add-on service.

    Talking to Indiantelevision.com, Tata Sky chief content officer Arun Unni said, “The service is customised for each sports differently and improvement is done based on the feedbacks we got from our viewers. The innovation requires a close partnership between the platform and the broadcaster. We have approached Sony (Pictures Network India) as well for the same service.”

    For the cricket fans, Tata Sky has introduced its add-on service for India versus Australia matches which started on 17 September, 2017. Beyond viewing the main match, the consumer has two additional choices.

    Sports fans in India largely follow the game closely and observe the additional information constantly. Unni stated, “The service is free; the main idea behind launching it was to enhance the consumer experience. We started experimenting with tennis, and the objective was to go to a high viewership sports such as cricket. We believe that the enhancement and the experience can be maximised for the consumer, and ‘sports’ made sense.”

    “Tata Sky believes in going beyond the conventional entertainment platform. At no additional cost to Tata Sky subscribers, the feature gives its sports fans wider choices on camera angles, highlights and in-depth information on the sport at their convenience. Tata Sky, in partnership with Star Sports, has been able to empower subscribers by giving them freedom of watching multiple live simulcast matches,” Unni added.

    With the new complimentary viewing extravaganza, Tata Sky is surely wowing its Star fans!

    Watch video here :

  • Dish TV presses HD button; introduces new cardless set top box

    Dish TV presses HD button; introduces new cardless set top box

    NEW DELHI: HD ahoy! That’s the flag that India’s leading DTH operator the Essel group owned DishTV has been waving for quite some time. And now it is doing it again. In a move to encourage wary Indian TV viewers to switch from a standard definition (SD) to high definition (HD) connection, it has announced a campaign, which it has labeled “HD for all initiative.” Under this, it says it will stop providing SD boxes, and will now only ship HD ones to subscribers.

    “The HD space has been fast evolving, making significant in-roads into Indian households,” says Dish TV CEO Anil Dua. “With a sharp focus on HD, this move aims at bridging the gap between the SD and HD subscribers and taking away the inhibitions involved in switching from SD to HD. Our endeavor is to increase affinity with our audiences by providing them HD viewing experience.”

    Currently, India has around 12.8 million HD households; Dish TV hopes this push will more than double this subscriber base to 25-30 million s in the next five to six years.

    The company has also launched a new cardless HD set top box (STB) branded Dish NXT HD which has a starting price of Rs 1,500 with primary SD packs. It claims that the new box gives five times better picture quality, 5.1 suroound sound, and a whole new user Interface and graphics and multilingual support. Additionally, it comes equipped with an integrated smart chip technology to enable users to interact and tune-in to their television in a smarter way. A universal remote and a recorder come included with the box. The cardless feature eliminates the need of a separate viewing card for clutter free experience and faster performance.

    Points out Dua: “The new DishNXT HD STB will lead to a rapid rise in HD consumption. It will also encourage subsequent upgradation to full HD experience, thereby expanding overall HD viewership and boosting our revenues.”

    “As part of our festive offering, this latest innovation has been designed keeping in mind the evolving needs of our discerning customers and to enable an end to end entertainment experience,” adds Dish TV senior vice president marketing Sukhpreet Singh.” With the new clean, intuitive user Interface, fast navigation and ease of controls, DishNXT HD is a game changer in DTH entertainment, offering unmatched HD TV viewing experience.”

    Apart from this STB, it is also flogging its DishNXT HD Premium box which has a starting price of Rs 1,750 and can offer all 66 HD channels.

    Recently, the satellite provider had launched a Mera Apna Pack that allowed customers to choose their HD channels at a sticker price of Rs 17 plus GST as part of its popular packs. The company says this is partially in keeping with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)’s tariff order as it empowers consumers and provides content as per customer choice.

    Amongst the packs it is offering currently include:

    * Priced at Rs 169, Swagat offers 210 channels.

    *The Super Family Pack offers 337 channels at Rs 250 per month.

    *The Maxi Sports Pack offers 342 channels at Rs 290 per month.

    *The All Sports Pack offers 387 channels at a sticker price of Rs 330 per month.

    *The World Pack has a bouquet of 400 plus channels and is priced at Rs 380 per month.

    * The Platinum Pack has a bouquet of 418 channels at Rs 475 channels per month.

    All these packs have a freebie offer going on currently: seven HD channels are being offered at no cost to customers. The free HD channels include: Zee TV HD, Colors HD, &TV HD, Zee Cineam HD, &Picture HD, Cineplex HD and MTV Beats HD.

  • Dish TV redefines its pay-TV services with Verimatrix security

    Dish TV redefines its pay-TV services with Verimatrix security

    MUMBAI: Verimatrix, a specialist in securing and enhancing revenue for network-connected devices, has announced that it has been selected by Dish TV India Limited to provide cardless security for its direct-to-home (DTH) service offerings. The former will illustrate how security solutions are at the core of all key monetisation strategies for the pay-TV and internet video service at IBC 2017.

    DishTV is Asia’s largest DTH video service provider and is the only DTH operator to operate through three satellites in space. The Verimatrix Video Content Authority System (VCAS™) for DVB was selected as one of its critical CAS partners for its future-proof approach to revenue security that can scale with the company as it continues to evolve business models and maintains its position as a market leader.

    “Our infrastructural and technological edge allows us to continually develop new innovations and revolutionize our service offerings, so it has become crucial that our revenue security measures are robust yet flexible enough to keep pace,” said DishTV COO V K Gupta.

    Based on a single content authority approach, VCAS for DVB offers a modern approach to multi-device streaming as video service providers like DishTV redefine their pay-TV services. The solution is completely compliant to applicable DVB standards and pre-integrated with a broad range of partner headend and software systems. Additionally, its cardless set-top box client technology provides new, essential levels of security that would be virtually impossible to achieve with legacy systems.

    “The Asia’s largest DTH provider continues to enhance its offerings and maintains its stance apart from competition in the region,” said Verimatrix president Steve Oetegenn.

    “Dish TV has long-established itself as the pioneer in the Indian DTH broadcast industry, and VCAS for DVB is optimally designed to adapt to any scenario it may face as the Indian pay-TV industry continues to undergo rapid transformation. In essence, the security framework will never become obsolete.”

    Verimatrix specializes in securing and enhancing revenue for multi-network, multi-screen digital TV services and is recognized in revenue security for connected video devices.

  • 4K UHD content protection: Irdeto’s solution completes Cartesian review

    4K UHD content protection: Irdeto’s solution completes Cartesian review

    MUMBAI: Irdeto, a leader in digital platform security, has announced that its Cloaked CA solution has completed a review by Cartesian against the usage rules for 4K UHD premium content included in the Farncombe Security Audit.

    The audit focuses on content security requirements, aligned with MovieLabs’ Enhanced Content Protection (ECP) requirements and industry best practices. The Farncombe Security Audit is recognized by studios and sports right holders worldwide as a measure of a solution’s suitability to protect premium content.

    Irdeto Cloaked CA is anchored by a secure chipset and complemented with Irdeto’s software obfuscation and whitebox cryptography. Together, these features provide a secure, diversified and easily renewable CA solution. It is a key solution offered in the Irdeto 360 Security suite, which is designed to ensure future-proof end-to-end security that can quickly and easily react to changes in the market in a cost-effective fashion. The Farncombe Security Audit covers solution areas including end-to-end system design, messaging security and client content path security.

    “For pay media operators and content rights holders, premium content such as live sports, early release movies and other 4K UHD content is a substantial and precious investment which needs the best possible protection,” said Irdeto SVP – content protection Andrew Bunten.

    “Premium security today means 360-degree protection trusted by content owners, everything from protecting broadcast and OTT services to end-to-end piracy control. By completing the Cartesian review of the Irdeto Cloaked CA, we are demonstrating our commitment to robust security,” Bunten said.

    Cartesian, an independent consultancy company for the communications and digital media industries, has been carrying out security reviews for over 15 years. The Farncombe Security Audit™ Mark was launched in 2016 to provide a publicly recognizable indication that a security audit has taken place, and that a report is available from the solution vendor.

  • Adi, your DishTV virtual tech-assistant, joins today

    Adi, your DishTV virtual tech-assistant, joins today

    NEW DELHI: Zee Group’s Dish TV, which has sprung into action over the past few weeks to protect its status as Asia’s largest direct-to-home platform, has now launched an Advanced DishTV interface’ (ADI). ADI world’s first AI-enabled pay-tv chatbot to enhance customer experience and offer a user-friendly interface.

    The move comes even as the ministry of information and broadcasting is insisting on complaint redressal system following a Supreme Court judgment earlier this year.

    Built for redressal and service lifecycle management, ADI provides a virtual interface that acts as a one stop solution window to subscribers, and guides them instantly to address their queries. It is an Omni-channel interface with customer experience as a core tenet, strengthening DishTV’s position as an innovator in the DTH space. It can enable quick recharges and answer millions of customer queries across multiple channels instantly.

    It is designed to process user requests, powered by deep analytics and its artificial intelligence engine. It enhances customer service through personalized and immediate answers that are available 24×7 and are constantly evolving to become more relevant and accurate for the users. Users converse with ADI in a personal setting, just like they would with family/friends.

    According to Dish TV, it provides a landscape to move from personalization to individualization at massive scale, harnessing the power of big data.

    Dish TV group CEO Anil Dua said, “Relevance in the digital age requires connecting with customers across multiple channels while maintaining the information accuracy along with ease of interaction. With the launch of ‘ADI’, customers can get information on our products and services instantaneously and will be able to recharge, troubleshoot or order a connection on the go. ADI will also encourage those customers who may not be very comfortable navigating the traditional web space. With digital platforms gaining popularity across industries, ADI will enable us to reach out to a wide spectrum of customers, and serve them better with both speed and accuracy.”

    ADI appears as a pop-up feature on the website and introduces itself as “Adi, your DishTV virtual assistant.” One can initiate a conversation by simply entering a message that transforms into rich personalized experience, delivering real-time responses, timely and pertinent to one’s DishTV account. It gives solutions to problems concerning recharge offers, current balance, add-on service upgrades, or any other glitches like unsubscribed channel or lost signals or Smart Card related issues. All the subscriber needs is an 11-digit VC number or one’s registered mobile number, and the rest will be taken care of.”

    ADI is available on desktop and mobile platforms currently and would soon be available on other platforms like Facebook and Twitter. It is a step towards true engagement with customers that goes beyond mere “clicks”, and helps them cut through the clutter to view offerings relevant to them. It also relieves the customers from the effort of calling the customer care or visiting the dealer stores for recharges.