ITV

Category: DTH

  • 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.

  • MagnaQuest bags billing contract for Hyperia’s IPTV in Nigeria

    MagnaQuest bags billing contract for Hyperia’s IPTV in Nigeria

    MUMBAI:Hyderabad-based MagnaQuest has bagged a contract to manage the broadband and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) billing services of Hyperia Ltd, Nigeria’s leading internet service provider.

    Hyperia has selected MagnaQuest’s convergent customer management and billing solution, MQSubscribe, for its triple play services. This will help support Hyperia’s increasing subscriber growth and value added offerings.

    MQSubscribe integration with network elements, mail server for provisioning and mediation of services will form part of the implementation. Hyperia offers a wide range of services like internet access, email, web hosting, wireless internet access and value added services.

    Says MagnaQuest managing director Vijay Debbad, “As we continue to increase our customer base across the world, and specifically in Africa, the choice of MQSubscribe by Hyperia is a testimony to the unique value proposition delivered by MagnaQuest. Hyperia is a premier name in the ISP services industry and we are proud to offer our CM&B solution to smoothen their operations.

    Adds Hyperia Ltd executive director Sandeep Jayaswal, “Rating and billing of multiple services involves a number of challenges. MagnaQuest’s experience in providing such sophisticated solution to similar business models will enable us to handle these challenges. These strengths of MagnaQuest have convinced us that they can provide a cost-effective and customized solution that will suite our existing and future business model.

    MagnaQuest Technologies provides customer care and billing solution for the video, data and content service providers. The company has a global presence with over 30 customer installations worldwide spanning Europe, Africa, South East Asia, Middle East and India.

  • Rajshri launches broadband entertainment portal, to release ‘Vivah’ for viewers at $9.90

    Rajshri launches broadband entertainment portal, to release ‘Vivah’ for viewers at $9.90

    NEW DELHI: Rajshri Group, one of the oldest production and distribution houses in the country, has launched a broadband entertainment portal, www.rajshri.com, that will offer streaming and downloading of various forms of content including movies, music videos, concerts, and documentaries.

    Rajshri’s latest movie, Vivah, will be premiered on the portal simultaneously along with its theatrical release on Friday. This is the first time in India that a film is being made available on the internet at the day of its release.

    The downloading of Vivah will be at a payment of $9.9 through an international credit card, said Rajshri Media (P) Ltd managing director Rajjat Barjatya. The copies do not run the risk of being pirated because of a special software that has been used, he added.

    Rajshri Media (P) Ltd will be the group’s digital media initiatives arm. This will cover streaming services which users don’t have to pay for. Among the broad gamut of content available is the historic midnight speech of late Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru on 15 August 1947. “We are also soon going to add humor, management-related content and spiritualism to our site,” said Barjatya.

    Describing the new initiative as an “historic moment,” Barjatya said the company had been working on this project for the past two years. The aim seems to be converting the ‘non-consumers into consumers’ while attempting to break the stranglehold of piracy.

    Barjatya is also targeting about 25 million Indians abroad, NRIs and Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) put together, who are “extremely keen to stay in touch with their roots and will pay for rich and origial Indian content as against the pirated one.”

    About 51 per cent Indians abroad spent time daily on the net, he revealed. Besides, Indian content was also becoming extremely popular among non-Indians across the world.

    So how will the box office takings of Vivah, for instance, be a hit because of online viewing? “We are getting into a four screen scenario, instead of a two-screen one. Cinema theatres were always there, and then came TV, the big screen and the small screen. Now there is the internet and the mobile,” said Barjatya.

    “Each of these screens are a different experience and one cannot replace any of the other. It is one thing to see a film on the Net alone, and quite another doing so with the family on a TV set, or watching it in a dark hall with a lot of people, so there is no cutting into turfs,” he added.

    The delivery of movies through the internet could also cut down piracy. “If there is a viewer in say Finland, I can now get to him before the pirates can,” Barjatya said.

    A key feature of the site is that the movies can’t be pirated. “We have used a software which ‘wraps around the programme’ and while it is being streamed, it cannot be copied, nor downloaded. Even while it is ‘sitting’ on the hard disk for 72 hours, it cannot be made into a CD or DVD,” he said.

    The portal is also aimed at the tech-savvy younger audience. “The site has a lot of features. You can actually saute the film, slice and dice it, rate it, send a link to a friend and read what others have to comment about it,” Barjatya said.

  • Qualcomm announces finalists for its wireless reach Brew application funding programme

    Qualcomm announces finalists for its wireless reach Brew application funding programme

    MUMBAI: Qualcomm a developer and innovator of code division multiple access (CDMA) and other advanced wireless technologies, has announced the selection of finalists for the company’s wireless reach Brew application funding programme.

    As part of Qualcomm’s wireless reach initiative, the USD $ one million fund is designed to increase the availability of useful wireless applications in countries around the world.

    Qualcomm’s wireless reach Brew application funding program has challenged companies to create the most innovative Brew public service application in one of five areas: healthcare; education; public safety; governance; and the environment.

    Qualcomm will award five grants in varying amounts for up to a total of USD $500,000 for the most innovative proposals for Brew applications. The remaining amount will be used to put one or more of the winning proposals into action through new or existing wireless reach projects.

    Finalists were selected based on a careful review of all applications and include 21 developers from 19 organisations in six countries (in alphabetical order):

    – Activepackets – Copiague , New York, U.S.A
    – Agrocom software technologies pvt.ltd IIT Bombay – Mumbai , India

    – Astute systems technology pvt ltd – Indore , India
    – Bandung institute of technology – Bandung , Indonesia
    – Beijing InfoQuick SinoVoice speech techology Corp. – Beijing
    – Beijing Justel technologies Co., ltd. – Beijing
    – BeWell mobile technology, Inc. – Walnut Creek , California, U.S.A
    – BookBox India pvt. ltd. – Pondicherry , India
    – Digital Ignite – Vienna , Va. , U.S.A
    – dotPhoto, Inc./DBA exclaim – West Trenton , New Jersey, U.S.A
    – MOBSYS informatica ltda – Sao Paolo, Brazil
    – MyFoodPhone – Quebec , Canada
    – Spiral Jungle, LLC – Carlsbad , California, U.S.A
    – SquareLoop, Inc. – Reston , Va. , U.S.A
    – Tata consultancy services – Thane , India
    – Tata consultancy services – Mumbai , India
    – UC Berkeley – Berkeley , California, U.S.A
    – UC Berkeley – Berkeley , California, U.S.A
    – UCLA center for international emergency medicine/project HOPE/Konami digital entertainment – Los Angeles
    – Zaxis technologies – San Diego
    – ZMQ software systems – New Delhi

    Qualcomm chief executive officer Paul E Jacobs said, “Qualcomm is proud to recognize these finalists on their dedication to creating Brew applications that will have a positive impact on people’s lives.”

    “We are committed to helping increase the availability of useful Brew applications worldwide and we’re pleased to note that the applications we received are creative, inspiring and show a true consideration for the challenges that underserved communities face today. Our goal is to have wireless reach Brew applications from one or more of the grant recipients in action by the summer of 2007,” he added.

    The 21 finalists have been contacted individually to submit a more in depth proposal by December 31 2006. From these proposals, Qualcomm will announce the recipients of the five individual grants by mid-February 2007.

    Qualcomm’s wireless reach initiative seeks to connect communities that have limited or no telecommunications access through the use of 3G technologies.

    Brew operators and their subscribers benefit from several offerings, which include: uiOne for fast access to high revenue services on wireless devices; deliveryOne for differentiated operator-managed support and delivery of advanced wireless data content and services; and marketOne for a quick-to-market, hosted, scalable content delivery service that includes media titles, flexible management and monetisation, content provider settlement and business intelligence services.

  • Microsoft’s XBox to digitally deliver TV shows, movies to gamers

    Microsoft’s XBox to digitally deliver TV shows, movies to gamers

    MUMBAI: Software major Microsoft has announced agreements with US broadcasters CBS, MTV, film studio Paramount Pictures, Turner Broadcasting System (TBS), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.

    The aim is to to bring an initial lineup of over 1,000 hours of hit TV shows and movies to Xbox 360 gamers in the US by the end of the year.

    Microsoft says that Xbox 360 will be the first gaming console to bring standard and high-definition TV shows and movies via digital distribution over the Internet directly to the American consumer. From 22 November 2006, which marks its first anniversary, Xbox 360 will be the first gaming console in history to provide high-definition TV shows and movies directly to gamers in their living rooms. Xbox 360 gamers will have access to the full-length TV shows as downloads to own and movies to rent via download from the Xbox Live® network, the worldwide leader in online distribution of high-definition gaming and entertainment content. This announcement also brings with it several additional ‘firsts’:

    • For the first time, consumers will get an integrated gaming and entertainment experience on a gaming console that includes downloadable high-definition TV shows and movies. This new full-length content adds to the ever-expanding number of choices gamers have on their Xbox 360, whether they want to play games or play a movie on a disc or as a download in high definition or standard definition.

    • CBS will deliver high-definition download-to-own TV shows including CSI, Jericho, Numb3rs and remastered Star Trek episodes. Gamers can buy them and watch them repeatedly.

    • For the first time on any platform, Nascar.com will deliver download-to-own condensed versions of select Nascar Nextel Cup Series races from Race Rewind.

    • The Ultimate Fighting Championship will make 50 of its most intense fights available for download as well as select episodes from the original season of The Ultimate Fighter reality series.

    Microsoft corporate VP interactive entertainment business Peter Moore says, “This groundbreaking announcement is a win for everyone. It connects our partners with one of the most coveted audiences in entertainment today, and provides even greater value to our Xbox Live community, allowing them to enjoy the games and entertainment they want, when they want it.”

  • ‘Kansai’ wins 2006 ABU CASBAA Unicef child rights award

    ‘Kansai’ wins 2006 ABU CASBAA Unicef child rights award

    MUMBAI: Kansai telecasting corporation of Japan has been named as the winner of the ABU CASBAA Unicef child rights award 2006 for its documentary entitled Conquering the Darkness – The fight against memories of abuse.

    The child rights award , is given each year in recognition of the best television programming on a child rights issue produced in the Asia-Pacific region.

    The documentary follows Aya, a 33-year-old mother, who suffered abuse as a child and subsequently abused her own children. It is the tale of a parent’s personal struggle to end the cycle of child abuse in the family.

    “We are often quick to point the finger at parents who abuse their children, but patterns of abuse so often begin in childhood, creating a chain that can continue over generations, ” said documentray producer Shinichi Sugimoto.

    This year, the child rights award received a total of 40 entries from countries such as Bangladesh, Bhutan, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Japan, Mongolia, Philippines, Republic of Korea and Singapore.

    Broadcasting union secretary-general Asia-Pacific David Astley said, “The child rights award is a significant platform that allows broadcasters in the Asia- Pacific to demonstrate their ability to produce quality programming on children’s issues. The ABU wants to encourage broadcasters to continue to invest in such programmes in the future.”

    CASBAA CEO Simon Twiston Davies said, “The continued participation of regional broadcasters in the child rights award is welcome and clearly underlines their resolve towards producing educational and entertaining programmes for and about children.”

    The panel of jurors included, Amar Keshar Simha, an independent producer from Pakistan; producer China central television (CCTV) Wang Yan; Mongolian radio and television director of Children’s Programme Ariunjargal Luvsantseren; Infocus Asia executive producer Francis Smith; Australia Network chief executive Ian Carroll and Discovery Networks Asia vice president programming James Gibbons.

    The top ten finalists in 2006 are:

    Winner

    – Conquering the Darkness – The Fight Against Memories of Abuse (Japan)

    Finalists

    – Dark Street Kids (Malaysia)- This documentary chronicles the hardship, as well as the stigma and discrimination of children who are born and live in dark alleys or brothels of Malaysia.

    – Korean Children – I am All Alone (Korea)- This documentary is about Minho is an 11-year-old boy neglected by his parents. His only friend is a TV set. A stark portrayal of how a child is deeply affected by the problems and negligence of his parents.

    – Tuesday Report: Pocket Money (Hong Kong) – This programme documents the life of three children who live in cramped flats and have to sell scrap paper and scrap metal for their pocket money.

    – Young People on Wheels (Bhutan) – The documentary follows a group of unemployed youths who are creating awareness of a campaign on HIV and AIDS in Bhutan.

    – The Orphans, Childless and Predators (Singapore) – The documentary looks at on how orphaned children coped with the devastating experienceof Tsunami. It also features a child trafficker who agreed to tell his side of story and tries to justify his actions.

    – Get Real Child Sex Tourism – Sold for Sex (Singapore) – The programme investigates the plight of child sex workers on the Indonesian Island of Batam.

    – Emergency – Junior Boxer (Philippines) – Residents of general santos city are very fond of boxing even children undergo intensive training to become professional boxers during which many sustain grave injuries that sometimes even result in death.

    – We Shall Overcome (Bangladesh) – This documentary chronicles the life of an eight-year-old girl who is deaf and mute and believes she can succeed in her dream to become a fine arts teacher.

    – School of the Highlands (Philippines) – The importance placed on education by indigenous communities in the Philippines is recounted in this documentary which looks at the challenges families face in schooling their children and promoting their rights.

  • Indiagames launches Games on Demand cyber cafe partnership program

    Indiagames launches Games on Demand cyber cafe partnership program

    MUMBAI: Indiagames has announced the launch of its Games on Demand partnership program for Cyber Cafes. This initiative from Indiagames will help over 100,000 private internet cafes in India compete with organised players in the market.

    Says Indiagames founder & CEO Vishal Gondal, “Besides broadband subscribers and home PC users, there is a large percentage of people in India who access the internet through internet cafes. With the launch of the Games on Demand Cyber Café Program, we hope to take a world class gaming experience to the masses.”

    When it comes to gaming in India, there are a host of issues like software piracy and the high prices of gaming software. Games on Demand is a unique offering that aims to successfully address all these issues. In addition to access to licensed original games, the Games on Demand service will prove to be a new source of income, as well as a great customer retention and loyalty tool for internet cafes, states an official release.

    Games-on-Demand is a unique service which enables a user to choose and play from a catalogue of over 300 games without ever needing to purchase or install them on the local PC. Games on Demand features popular international games like Age of Empires II, Brian Lara’s Cricket, IGI 2 Covert Strike and Toca Race Driver 2 amongst others. New games will be added every month thus offering consumers something to look forward to, the release adds.

    Games on Demand is currently available to home internet users via Indiagames’ partnership with leading broadband service providers like Airtel, MTNL, Tata VSNL, and You Telecom. The service will also be soon launched on BSNL which has India’s largest broadband subscriber base.

    The Games on Demand retail initiative from Indiagames will be supported by a host of advertising and publicity initiatives as well as on-ground events. The company is in the process of starting an online advertising campaign to support the initiative. Currently, the service has over 100 games on offer at just Rs 225 per month. These games will cost almost Rs100,000 at retail prices for legal software. Indiagames has tied up with leading publishers like Microsoft, Codemasters, Playfirst, Atari and Activision amongst others for this service, the release further adds.

  • Conexant’s satellite set-top box solution wins ‘leading product award’

    Conexant’s satellite set-top box solution wins ‘leading product award’

    MUMBAI: Conexant Systems Inc., a supplier of semiconductor solutions for broadband communications and the digital home, has announced that its CX2430X family of MPEG decoders for free-to-air satellite set-top boxes (STBs) has received the leading product award in the consumer electronics category in the EDN China innovation award 2006 competition.

    The system-on-chip (SoC) decoders were developed in Conexant’s Shanghai design center, which is focused on developing STB chips for worldwide applications.

    The award was presented to Conexant at a ceremony in Shenzhen. The 131 entries in the competition were judged by a panel of specialists that included representatives from academic and research institutions, universities, and Chinese original equipment manufacturers.

    Conexant’s broadband media processing business, executive vice president and general manager Lewis Brewster said, “We are honoured that our CX2430X MPEG decoders were chosen for this important award by a group of esteemed industry experts. We remain focused on delivering innovative solutions that will help Chinese manufacturers design and develop products for domestic and international markets.”

    The CX2430X family can be used for applications ranging from basic STB functionality to advanced STB applications. The devices include an integrated high-speed data port that easily interfaces to a variety of broadband front-ends, allowing the decoders to serve as a common back-end platform for satellite, terrestrial, and cable platforms, asserts an official release.

    In addition, the decoders can be used with our satellite tuners to form a complete front- and back-end system solution. This flexibility, along with the robust feature set, provides manufacturers with economies of scale as they can leverage a single device across multiple product offerings.