ITV

Category: DTH

  • Dish TV granted in-principle approval for 20-year DTH licence

    Dish TV granted in-principle approval for 20-year DTH licence

    KOLKATA: Popular direct-to-home (DTH) operator Dish TV has renewed its DTH license for 20 years, subject to completion of necessary formalities.

    Dish TV informed the stock exchange in a regulatory filing that it has received in-principle approval from the ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) for grant of provisional licence to provide DTH broadcasting service in India with effect from 1 April 2021.

    The DTH operator has to enter into an agreement with MIB, containing terms and conditions of the amended DTH guidelines, obtain and provide to the ministry other necessary clearances as envisaged under the guidelines, and provide the bank guarantee.

    Dish TV had first received DTH licence in October 2003.

    After resolving the long standing impasse on the DTH license policy, the government announced in December 2020 that DTH licences will now be issued for a period of 20 years. Under the new rules, licence fee will be collected quarterly instead of annually.

    Changes had been approved for 100 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) in the DTH sector which was limited to 49 per cent.

    According to the new guidelines, the licensee will need to pay an annual fee equivalent to eight per cent of its adjusted gross revenue, calculated by excluding GST from gross revenue (GR) as reflected in the audited accounts of the company for that particular financial. 

  • DD Free Dish now in 40 million households

    DD Free Dish now in 40 million households

    NEW DELHI: Public broadcaster Prasar Bharati's free-to-air DTH platform DD Free Dish has continued its strong growth trajectory and the service’s subscriber base has crossed an estimated 40 million, according to the EY FICCI Media Entertainment Report 2021.

    The growth has been attributed to less expensive television sets, economic issues, launch of the DD Retro Channel and return of big broadcasters to the Free Dish platform, said the ministry of information and broadcasting in a statement. DD Free Dish has also become a second set-top box within the home, used when there are no large events on television in some cases. Free Dish distributors have mentioned year-on-year growth in sales as well as the inability to keep up with demand due to a shortage of China-manufactured chipsets.

    The report also estimates that television households will continue to grow at over five per cent till 2025, driven by connected TVs which could cross 40 million by 2025 and DD Free Dish could cross 50 million.

    The multi-channel free-to-air Direct to Home (DTH) service of Prasar Bharati, presently hosts 161 TV channels including 91 Doordarshan channels (comprising 51 co-branded educational channels), 70 private channels and 48 radio channels. With effect from 1 April, DD Free Dish private TV channel bouquet would comprise of 10 Hindi GEC, 15 Hindi movies, six music, 20 news, eight Bhojpuri, three devotional and two foreign channels.

    It is presently under upgradation and is expected to add another few channels in its bouquet by May 2021. Recently, an online web app was released that aids consumers in finding DD Free Dish set-top box dealers based on their nearest location.

    The recent e-auctions for both MPEG2 and MPEG4 slots on DD Free Dish also saw robust bidding. Prasar Bharati earned nearly Rs 10 crore through the 53rd e-auction of MPEG-4 slots of DD Free Dish and 11 channels were successfully allocated MPEG-4 slots post the auction. "The new highs in individual bids breaching earlier levels in a sign of optimism in the broadcast sector overcoming Covid2019 shock," Prasar Bharti CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati had said, post the results.

  • Celebrate World Theatre Day with these plays available on Tata Sky Theatre

    Celebrate World Theatre Day with these plays available on Tata Sky Theatre

    NEW DELHI: Theatre has always been a significant place to present ideas and ideologies before the audience. Hence, people started celebrating World Theatre Day on 27 March to generate awareness about the importance of theatre arts. Commemorating the occasion, Tata Sky Theatre powered by Zee Theatre presents a week-long Carnival of renowned plays from 21 March to 27 March, that you can enjoy on your screens. Tata Sky Theatre, available on multiple screens across TV, laptop, desktop, and smartphones, allows you to indulge in exquisite plays anywhere, anytime. Listed below are some of the plays that are scheduled this week.  

    Wrong Turn – Featuring Varun Badola, Govin Namdev, Suneel Sinha, Lait Tiwari

    The play is inspired by the German story, Breakdown, which touches on various aspects of life through the protagonist, Arun Mehra. One rainy night, Arun walks into an old house and finds three retired lawyers amusing themselves with an unusual game that he agrees to join. The lawyers recreate a trial scene with one of them agreeing to prosecute Arun, while the other defends him. They promise him a fair trial, but if proven guilty, a severe fate awaits him.

    The Relationship Agreement – Featuring Sumona Chakravarti, Darius Shroff, Sajeel Parakh

    The play revolves around the couple who draws up a relationship contract to avoid the trials and errors of a relationship. Things get further complicated when their parents meet each other on social media and start dating. Will the young couple be able to stick to the agreement? A humorous take on modern relationships, the play is almost like a stand-up comedy; it keeps you amused all through.

    Doll’s House – Featuring Swastika Mukherjee, Subhrajyoti Barat, Joy Sengupta, Ratnabali Bhattacharya and Dibyendu Bhattacharya

    The story revolves around the married couple NORA and TORVALD. The husband considers his wife, a prized possession, like a doll, to be played with and for entertainment only. For him, Nora is weak, cannot take decisions, and does not consider her  an equal partner in marriage. The story will make you question if a woman is merely a subordinate to the husband in a hierarchy imposed by society, and what place does equality hold in a marriage?

    Hamidabai Ki Kothi – Featuring Rasika Duggal, Himani Shivpuri, Amruta Subhash, Ganesh Yadav

    Written by Anil Barve, the play goes back to 1978, where Hamidabai, a spirited artist of the dying Kotha tradition, is determined to not let the demands of the popular culture corrupt her establishment, despite societal and financial pressure. Her educated daughter Shabbo was forced to return to an empty and almost bankrupt business, much to Hamidabai’s dismay. It is up to Shabbo to fight for her ancestral Kotha pride or accede to her husband’s wish to turn it into a brothel.

    Jhaanjar Di Paanwan Chhankaar – Sarmad Khoosat, Samiya Mumtaz, Zain Afzal and Iman Shahid

    The play is based on a youthful, visually impaired man who chooses to live away from his over-protective mother. He forms a close friendship with his neighbour (an actor) who is set to essay an unusual role in a film. The play addresses how society responds to individuals with disabilities, be it physical or emotional, and regards them as pariahs.

    Sir Sir Sarla – Starring Makrand Deshpande, Aahana Kumra, Sanjay Dadhich, Faisal Rashid

    Sir Sir Sarla is the story of Professor Palekar and his student Sarla – the pretty, innocent young girl who seems to be enamoured by her mentor – and Phanidhar who shares a love-hate relationship with the professor. The play explores the bond between the students and their professor, which faces many ebbs and flaws. Secrets are revealed, accusations are thrown, and the three lives remain interwoven for many years to come.

    Ladies Sangeet – Starring Joy Sengupta, Loveleen Mishra, Nidhi Singh, Siddhant Karnick, Harsh Khurana

    This play tells the story of young Radha, who is to wed her beau Siddharth at her ancestral home in the hinterlands while her enthusiastic family members and their wedding planner are trying to make the wedding resemble the ones in Bollywood! The play uses wit, humour, music, and drama to bring out relevant challenges faced by families, and individuals, especially against the backdrop of a big, fat wedding.

    Tata Sky Theatre service is available for subscribers on  #316 and on the Tata Sky Mobile App under Live TV.

  • Kotwali Police Station in Ludhiana busts illegal STB racket

    Kotwali Police Station in Ludhiana busts illegal STB racket

    KOLKATA: A store in Ludhiana, PAL Electronics, was raided by Kotwali police station on 16 March, after Sony-appointed raiding agency Mediasoft Legal Solution’s service manager Harminder Singh complained that pay channels of Sony, Star, Zee and other major broadcasters were being sold via unauthorised set-top boxes (Pagaria Boxes) without the proper licence or any distribution agreements.

    The store was selling the illegal boxes at Rs 1,500 on the false pretence that the buyer can watch all the leading pay channels like SET, Sony SAB, Star Plus, Zee TV etc without any fee for a period of six months. Once the initial free subscription period would be over, the buyers could recharge it at Rs 200 for another six months, the store informed users.

    When the representative of Mediasoft Legal Solutions led by the Sony Pictures Networks Team, along with the Kotwali Police Station raided the store, the team recovered 11 pre-programmed Pagaria STB boxes, which are currently in police custody. The police is investigating the matter and will be filing the FIR today.

    These illegal boxes work with the help of an internet connection and receive pay channels. These Pagaria STBs are being sold to the subscribers with the aforementioned false promises. Of late, there has been a significant rise in piracy of TV channels causing much concern to broadcasters and large multi-system operators (MSOs).

    Naïve users fall prey to this false claim as authentic cable and DTH operators charge around Rs 300 to 350 per month for the popular pay channels. Now with many more such raids in the pipeline by all the leading broadcasters and local MSO’s, it is a matter of time before the TV screens of the users of such illegal STBs are going to go blank suddenly one fine day, with no one to approach for any complaints or servicing. Sony Pictures Networks team has scheduled many raids across Gujarat, Punjab and other states along with other broadcasters.

    TV piracy is becoming big business in India where the miscreants are giving access to multiple premium channels at lower costs with the help of emerging technologies. But with regulators now on the heels of this form of piracy, it is only a matter of time before stringent action is taken against all such players.

  • New DTH guidelines will make the sector competitive: Javadekar

    New DTH guidelines will make the sector competitive: Javadekar

    KOLKATA: At the end of last year, the ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) announced revised guidelines for direct-to-home (DTH) operators in India. The new DTH policy will make the sector competitive and will have a positive impact on consumers, I&B minister Prakash Javadekar informed the Rajya Sabha on Monday.

    The minister mentioned that the guidelines with enhanced period of license with provisions of renewal beyond the initial licence period will ensure continuity and a rationalised licence fee regime. Moreover, the rules will have a positive impact on qualitative and competitive services being extended to the consumers in the long term.

    “The changes will facilitate ease of doing business, offer employment opportunities, make the sector competitive with likelihood of new players coming forward to provide DTH services and also provide a rationalised licensing fee regime and enhanced period of licence,” he detailed.

    After resolving the long standing impasse on the DTH licence policy, the government announced DTH licences will now be issued for a period of 20 years. Under the new rules, licence fee will be collected quarterly instead of annually.

    Changes had been approved for 100 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) in the DTH sector which was earlier limited to 49 per cent. The decision had already been taken by the ministry of commerce and industry but the sector could not avail the benefits due to past MIB guidelines.

    The cabinet also approved the sharing of infrastructure between DTH operators. Distributors of TV channels will be permitted to share common hardware for their subscriber management system (SMS) and conditional access system (CAS) applications. Javadekar said at the time of announcement that the decision had been taken to create a level playing field.

  • DD Free Dish sees robust bidding for MPEG-4 e-auction, 11 channels allocated slots

    DD Free Dish sees robust bidding for MPEG-4 e-auction, 11 channels allocated slots

    KOLKATA: Prasar Bharati has earned nearly Rs 10 crore through the 53rd e-auction of MPEG-4 slots of DD Free Dish. 11 channels were successfully allocated MPEG-4 slots post the auction.

    The 53rd round of e-auctions was dominated by news channels, with 10 out of the 11 slot up for grabs being won by news outlets. The channels that earned the FTA tag this time are: Chardikla Time TV, I Love Pen Studios, India News, India News UP/UK, Jantantra TV, News 18 UP/UK, News 24 Think First, News India 24X7, News State UP/UK, Samay, Sudarshan News.

    The bid values of these channels were in the range of Rs 76 lakh and Rs 1.12 crore.

    “Thankful to all broadcasters who have reposed faith in DD Free Dish platform. The e-auctions for both MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 slots have seen robust bidding and new highs in individual bids breaching earlier levels in a sign of optimism in the broadcast sector overcoming Covid2019 shock,” Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati said.

    The pubcaster recently amended the policy guidelines for DD Free Dish slots. According to new guidelines, the reserve price for MPEG-4 slots have been fixed at Rs 50 lakh per annum. Earlier, the reserve price was Rs 5 lakh per annum.

    The amended rules termed ‘Policy guidelines for allotment of slots of DD Free Dish Direct-to-Home Platform to satellite TV channels (Third amendment) 2021’ came into force from 22 February.

    Under the old rules, the participation fee was at Rs 1.25 lakh which has been revised to Rs 10 lakh. The incremental amount in the auction bids of MPEG-4 slots stands at a minimum of Rs 2 lakh, compared to Rs 10,000 under the old guidelines.

  • Tata Sky leverages influencers’ clout for ‘Har Ghar Ki Khidki’

    Tata Sky leverages influencers’ clout for ‘Har Ghar Ki Khidki’

    KOLKATA: Tata Sky has launched its new social media campaign Har Ghar Ki Khidki, in tandem with the unveil of its new brand purpose statement — ‘Tata Sky exists to make tomorrow better than today for family and home.’

    The social media campaign designed and executed by its digital marketing agency Chimp&z Inc highlights the candid and unfiltered emotions of the viewers from the perspective of Tata Sky being the khidki, or window, of entertainment in every house. The campaign is aimed at creating awareness about the new TVC as well as to engage with the brand's young audience on social media.

    The campaign has been carried out leveraging the Reels feature on Instagram. Featuring popular internet sensations including Awez Darbar, Anushka Sen, Siddharth Nigam, Just Neel, Sameeksha Sud, Arsh, Tanzeel Khan and Funcho among others, saw participation pouring in from several followers. The average views on the influencers’ Reels has been over 7.83 million, resulting in engagement of 9.02 million on influencer videos and Tata Sky handles across social media. The essence of the campaign was brought alive with the help of the very melodious tune of the TVC and snippets of daily life that unfolds in a household captured by the influencers. Tata Sky will also collate the best entries to put together a Khidki Anthem.

    Tata Sky chief communications officer Anurag Kumar said, “The idea behind the Har Ghar Ki Khidki campaign was to capture the diverse unfiltered emotions of our audience while they are watching Tata Sky. This is a figurative portrayal of how an individual or family experiences varied emotions while they get informed, entertained or educated through the khidki that is Tata Sky.”

    Chimp&z Inc  co-founder & CEO Angad Singh Manchanda said, “Instagram Reels is where the internet audience is these days and we wanted to leverage this medium for Tata Sky’s Har Ghar Ki Khidki campaign. In order to build an emotional connect between the brand and the consumer, we thought of utilising the hummable tune of the film and make the entire activity interactive by capturing the daily life moments that people experience while watching TV. We are very happy with the engagement we’ve seen so far on this campaign.”

  • Relive ‘Malgudi Days’ on Tata Sky Classic Cinema

    Relive ‘Malgudi Days’ on Tata Sky Classic Cinema

    NEW DELHI: Get ready for a trip down memory lane as Tata Sky Classic Cinema is exclusively bringing back the timeless nostalgic series Malgudi Days on your television screen. Based on several heart-warming short stories by RK Narayan, the series is about a bunch of characters leading simple lives in a fictitious small town called Malgudi. The plots revolve around the trials and tribulations faced by the lead character Swami and his friends.

    Directed by Shankar Nag, the series features the then famous child actor Master Manjunath and other acclaimed actors including Girish Karnad, Vaishali Kasaravalli, Ananth Nag and Arundhati Nag. The stories of Malgudi Days evoke a feeling of nostalgia and have a strong resonance among audiences who enjoy simple and powerful storytelling.

    Shankar Nagarakatte, better known as Shankar Nag, was an Indian actor, screenwriter, director, and producer known for his work in Kannada-language films and television. He directed and acted in this television series, based on celebrated novelist RK Narayan's short stories.

    Rasipuram Krishnaswami Iyer Narayanaswami, commonly known as RK Narayan, was an Indian writer known for his work set in the fictional South Indian town of Malgudi. He was a leading author of early Indian literature in English. This collection of short series is based on the book Malgudi Days by him. In 1986, a few of the stories in the book were included in the Malgudi Days television series.

    Reminisce these vibrant and memorable short stories only on Tata Sky Classic Cinema. Tune in to channel 318 every Saturday and Sunday at 5 pm.

  • New DTH guidelines to have potential effect on top operators

    New DTH guidelines to have potential effect on top operators

    KOLKATA: The new DTH guidelines issued by the ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) can have far-reaching impact on the sector, such as increasing the potential liabilities of incumbents when renewing their licenses. The top four DTH operators are liable to pay Rs 7,700-8,000 crore, credit rating agency Crisil said. Their Ebitda for the current fiscal is estimated at Rs 7,000-7,500 crore.

    Few days after releasing the amended guidelines, the ministry said that the issue of fresh license to the existing licensees will be subject to their clearing all dues. “New licensing guidelines issued by the MIB on 30 December 2020, for providing direct-to-home (DTH) broadcasting service could significantly increase the potential liabilities of incumbents when renewing their licenses,” Crisil said.

    It also added the matter has been discussed at various legal fora over the past decade and continues to be sub judice. Clarity with respect to the final dues, timelines for payment and the debt-equity funding mix to pay up the liability will be crucial to ascertain the cash-flow impact on the DTH operators.

    “DTH operators supported by strong sponsors will be able to sustain their credit profiles notwithstanding the expected potential liability. Their credit profiles are also supported by healthy cash accrual, strong balance sheets and high financial flexibility,” the credit rating agency added.

    Crisil said it would continue to monitor the developments on this and take appropriate action as and when required.

  • ‘Scan to help’ feature now available on My DishTV app

    ‘Scan to help’ feature now available on My DishTV app

    KOLKATA: Dish TV India has introduced a new ‘scan to help’ feature for its subscribers for a more convenient television viewing experience. Executed and conceptualised by the first runner-up team of Dish-a-thon 2020 (which happens to be an in-house team- team DishTV), the ‘scan to help’ feature is available on My DishTV app, which is powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning and supports Hindi and English language for easy understanding. 

    With this feature, the company aims to empower all existing and new subscribers for self-help in case of any technical errors on the set-top Box. Furthermore, the new feature also helps to achieve higher C-SAT, reduction in calls to Dish TVs call centre, and an opportunity to cross-sell.

    Subscribers can seamlessly initiate the self-help journey by scanning the error plate and it will automatically share an update on the account status and current subscription. In case of bad weather conditions at the broadcasting center, it will take an update of the weather conditions in the subscriber’s locality and proceed with technical troubleshooting. The app will also provide an option to raise a service ticket within the journey itself.  

    Dish TV India executive director and group CEO Anil Dua said new features like ‘scan to help’ are set to redefine and shape up the future of the M&E/broadcasting industry.

    "In this digital era, technology-led solutions and offerings are paramount to achieving customer satisfaction and this new AI-enabled tech feature is a step in the same direction. What makes this feature extremely special is the fact that this idea was proposed by one of the top three winning teams of Dish-a-thon 2020. This was an in-house team – team DishTV – and they have taken the idea forward to its solutioning and complete execution,” he added.