ITV

Category: iWorld

  • Sony’s Crackle inks exclusive content deal with NBCUniversal

    Sony’s Crackle inks exclusive content deal with NBCUniversal

    MUMBAI: Crackle – the free video streaming platform – backed by Sony Pictures Entertainment is strengthening its content library. It has now signed a deal with NBCUniversal for the exclusive rights to more than 140 movies over the next three years.

     

    The agreement will see movies such as Ray, Jarhead and the remake of King Kong that will be will be exclusively available on the service but won’t appear on other ad-supported distributors including television channels.

     

    This certainly cements the fact that Sony is much focused on improving its video streaming service, even after Crackle shut shop in UK beginning 1 April. This also shows its willingness to go against the grain of other streaming sites like Netflix and Hulu, which work primarily on subscription models.

     

    This move makes Crackle something of a hybrid, operating as a streaming service but making deals like a television channel. The acquisition of exclusive rights provides the service with what it hopes will be content that draws viewers.

     

    Since it is entirely supported by ads, Crackle’s strategy is to appear on as many platforms as possible. The streaming channel is currently on 27 different devices including gaming consoles, streaming set-top boxes and connected televisions.

     

    Crackle was formerly known as Grouper, which Sony bought in 2006 for $65 million. Its original iteration placed it in competition with YouTube more than streamers like Netflix. Sony decided to rebrand it as Crackle in 2007 as a streaming and movie TV library.

     

    Sony has struggled more broadly, spinning off its TV business and selling its computer division.

  • Times Internet partners with Amazon Appstore for Android

    Times Internet partners with Amazon Appstore for Android

    MUMBAI: Times Internet Limited, India’s largest online network, has joined hands with the Amazon Appstore, a mobile application store for the Android operating system.  Apps like Gaana, ZigWheels, Economic Times, Speaking Tree, BoxTV and The Times of India by Times Internet (TIL) are now available on the Amazon Appstore. The apps that are downloadable on all Android devices including Kindle can be accessed from www.amazon.in/appstore.

     

    The Android OS is available in over 200 countries and accessible to over 240 million Amazon customers. It offers a great selection of localized content for customers on news, automotive, spirituality and entertainment.

     

    Speaking on the occasion, Pratik Mazumder,Vice President & Head Marketing, Times Internet, said, “We are delighted to announce our new tie up with the Amazon Appstore. TIL has always been striving to innovate and implement ways to make the customer experience better. This is another endeavour by TIL that has set a new industry standard. We are confident that this partnership will benefit our users in a large way. This association will make searching and buying of various apps from the TIL stable easier and more convenient.”

     

    “We are extremely happy that TIL has chosen to partner with us for apps. As the Amazon Appstore celebrates its 3rd anniversary, we continue to add strong partnerships to bring locally relevant content to our users in nearly 200 countries worldwide. Now our users can download news, entertainment and other content from TIL directly to their Android phones and tablets, as well as Kindle Fire tablets. This is a win-win situation,” says Mr. Parag Gupta, Country Head, Amazon Appstore.

     

    The Times of India app brings you breaking news and unrivalled coverage of national, international, city, sports, entertainment, lifestyle, business, health, science and technology topics from India’s most-read and most-trusted newspaper.

     

    Apps Selection available on the Amazon Appstore: Gaana,  ZigWheels , The Economic Times,   The Times of India,  Speaking Tree, BoxTV ,TimesCity

     

    Gaana App offers an endless collection of songs from Bollywood, International music and varied languages like Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Kannada, Punjabi, Bengali and many more Indian regional languages. ( International content For Indian geography only)

    ZigWheels App offers an ultimate source of information on automobiles. This app not only lets you research new cars, used cars, and bikes in the market but also brings you latest news, reviews, comparisons, photos, and videos of your favorite cars and bikes.

    Economic Times  app helps customers track latest business & economy news as it happens. The app gives a comprehensive and real time updates across markets, business, and industry to help consumers stay updated with an unrivalled coverage. The build in Portfolio tracker helps the consumers to simply track and manage their wealth on the go.

    Times of India App offers complete and up-to-date coverage of everything that is relevant and interesting — anytime, anywhere, bringing breaking news and unrivalled coverage of national, international, city, sports, entertainment, lifestyle, business, health, science and technology topics from India’s most-read and most-trusted newspaper.

    TimesCity   App is your comprehensive discovery destination which lets you to explore recommended restaurants, movies, bars, events etc. In your city.

     
    Speakingtree.in is India’s first spiritual social network online where spiritual enthusiasts discuss spirituality under the guidance of world renowned spiritual masters like Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Deepak Chopra, SadhguruJaggiVasudev, Andrew Cohen, MaulanaWahiduddin and many others.

    BoxTV is India’s premium online video streaming service for watching Hollywood, Bollywood and regional movies &TV shows on your kindle. It delivers premium movie watching experience with high quality streaming offering content across 9+ languages and 20+ genres.

     

  • Ban on YouTube in Pakistan may be lifted in two months

    Ban on YouTube in Pakistan may be lifted in two months

    NEW DELHI: The Pakistan National Assembly is expected to take a final decision on 8 April to ask the government to re-open YouTube in the country in matter of two months with necessary safeguards. 

     

    This follows a sizable number of members having moved resolutions for lifting the 18-month ban.

     

    However, the matter has been put off to 8 April in view of the pending case on reopening of YouTube in Lahore High Court.

     

    A resolution was moved by Pakistan People’s Party member Shazia Marri that asked the government for re-opening of YouTube immediately, particularly since the objectionable video ‘Innocence of Muslims’ had been removed.

     

    Later Awab Alvi from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf also advocated the opening of YouTube, according to the Pakistani web portal MoreMagazine.

     

    An amendment moved by Awais Leghari of the PML-N deleted the word “immediate” and gave the government up to two months to remove the ban “with adequate safeguards”.

     

    With the ban on Youtube, famous singer Ali Gul Pir has released a song Kholo BC to mock government for its inability to lift the ban on such a useful online platform. With main focus on YouTube Ban, Ali and his fellow artiste Adil Omer has touched upon various issues related to Pakistani society, its Youth and the dichotomy present in the behavior of its ruling elite.

     

    Interestingly, this resolution comes at a time when an international survey has revealed that just around 22 per cent of Pakistanis want a free internet. 

  • Website, reference handbook launched on general elections 2014

    Website, reference handbook launched on general elections 2014

    NEW DELHI: ‘General Elections 2014: Reference Handbook’ , a compendium on past elections and the latest provisions relating to the general elections, was released on 3 April to  disseminate information about the mammoth exercise to elect the sixteenth Lok Sabha. 
     

    The Press Information Bureau has made the book made available in English, Hindi and 11 regional languages, namely, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu. 

     

    The Bureau has also launched a web-portal, dedicated for the general elections 2014:  pib.nic.in/elections2014. This will be used for dissemination of important instructions, orders and press notes of the ECI. The Reference Handbook also will be made available on this portal. On Counting-Day, i.e. 16 May, this portal shall also be used to disseminate official trends and results, based on real-time data made available by the Election Commission of India. These trends and results will also be shared on social media, and through SMS. 
     

    A number of factsheets, backgrounders and features have already been issued on various aspects of the general elections. The backgrounders cover detailed and in-depth analysis of various aspects of past elections, with special focus on the fifteenth Lok Sabha elections (2009 general elections). State-wise fact-sheets impart information on various states pertaining to electorate, Parliamentary Constituencies, past elections etc. 

    Many of the features have been contributed by senior officers of the Election Commission of India. The features range from the topics like ‘Evolution of Election System in India’, ‘Electoral Laws in India’, ‘Salient Features of Representation of the People Act 1952’, ‘SVEEP- Tool for Voters Awareness’. New developments like NOTA and VVPAT also figure in the topic-list and Guidelines for media, Paid News, Opinion Polls & Exit Polls have also been covered under features. 

    Once the results have been declared, this office will analyse the data of the sixteenth general elections in detail, and a compiled version thereof will be released. 

     

  • INS launches Spotlight and web show with Rannvijay

    INS launches Spotlight and web show with Rannvijay

    MUMBAI: Integrated Network Solutions (INS), a division of Viacom18 Pvt. Ltd, launches its third vertical – SPOTLIGHT, with an idea of creating an ‘INStant Connect’ for brands, celebrities and audiences. With an array of 30 plus celebrities on board; brands will now have an opportunity to leverage the glamour quotient, to seed customized branded content. After launching LIVE Viacom18 and BE Viacom18 last year, INS now completes the circle of offering brands a 3600 multi-dimensional marketing solution with SPOTLIGHT creating endless opportunities for brands to connect with millions of consumers.

     

    SPOTLIGHT has already a strong roaster of more than 30 celebrities (like Raghu Ram, Amrita Rao, Sherlyn Chopra, Diana Hayden, Manoj Bajpayee to name a few)

     

    SPOTLIGHT, in collaboration with Colosceum Media & One Digital Entertainment, has announced an interesting concept in the form of a 16 part web series called ‘JACK&JONES HITCHED’. A first of its kind show, it will give audiences an opportunity to be a part of the celebrations as MTV VJ Rannvijay gears up for his big fat Punjabi wedding.

     

    Commenting on this power-packed concept, Mr. Jaideep Singh, Sr. Vice President and Business Head – INS, Viacom18 Pvt. Ltd. said, “We’re living in a digital era, and to stay relevant to a constantly evolving audience it is essential for brands to innovate how they communicate and reach out to their consumers. Paying attention to this urgent need, the time was right for us to launch SPOTLIGHT. SPOTLIGHT provides that platform for brands to harness the power of the glamour world through celebrity associations and takes their message further to the audience in a much more engaging manner. Our first property under SPOTLIGHT, JACK&JONES HTCHED will set the tone for more such innovations to come in the future.”

     

    Speaking on the association Mr. Vineet Gautam, Country Head JACK&JONES said “JACK&JONES has always positioned itself in youth space and believed in clutter breaking ideas. It is our constant endeavour to find innovative ways of reaching out to them. JACK&JONES HITCHED is the first of its kind online reality show which will be aired on digital platforms only. The youth today, especially men are spending more time on digital mediums and it’s growing as we speak and this association seems to be a great and innovative way to engage and interact with them. Rannvijay is a youth icon who has dared to be different and inspired many. And that is exactly the brand philosophy of JACK&JONES to be daring, innovative and adventurous but in style. At JACK&JONES we always believe in experimenting and hence this association is a perfect sync at both ends.”

     

    Commenting on the strategic partnership, Mr. Gurpreet Singh, COO of OneDigital Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. said “Being the largest MCN for YouTube in India operating in the original content space for more than a year now, we have developed the skills and capability to understand the digital engagement and user needs. We know the pulse of the user to a large extent and also realize that the viewership behavior is shifting and changing fast. Our promise is to create, innovate and engage users and brands and bring value for both the sides. Colosceum is the market leader in creative content and we feel we have struck a great partnership with them and Viacom 18 for this initiative.”

     

    Speaking on the collaboration, Mr. Rajiv Lakshman, Chief Creative Officer – Colosceum Media said “Colosceum Media is a creative powerhouse, having been key contributors in the creation of many successful & long running television franchises. We’re always looking to pioneer new frontiers of creative expression. We consider digital content as the future, and wanted to leverage the intimacy & engagement value of this platform. Colosceum has a long association with Rannvijay, and are proud to partner with him to create this first-of-its’-kind innovation that gives Rannvijay’s multitude of fans an inside peek into his life as he navigates through this transition. As a friend, I find Rannvijay’s life fascinating, and am excited to be part of a team that gives his fans an access into the method & the madness that is his life.”

     

    The webisodes will start airing from Monday, 31st March, 2014, exclusively on Rannvijay’s YouTube channel, which is managed by SPOTLIGHT. So log on to watch heartthrob Rannvijay live the last of his bachelor days as marries the woman of his dreams on a first of its kind show which can be viewed on PC, Tab and Mobile on www.youtube.com/rannvijayofficial , www.zengatv.com/rannvijay and other digital platforms.

  • Asianet Selects Cisco Technology to Deliver Next Generation Broadband

    Asianet Selects Cisco Technology to Deliver Next Generation Broadband

    MUMBAI: Asianet today announced that it has selected Cisco to deploy DOCSIS 3.0, a next-generation cable broadband network which is a key component of the Cisco IP NGN architecture. This technology increases upstream and downstream speeds to Asianet broadband customers by offering speeds of up to 300 Mbps per subscriber. DOCSIS 3.0 will help Asianet to achieve ultra-high speeds and will help enable the multi-service operator (MSO) to deliver more content over existing networks. The deployment of DOCSIS 3.0 will also allow Asianet to offer broadband services with bandwidth far superior to that of mobile Internet service providers.

     

    In today’s video-led Internet community, a superior HD video experience on cable TV as well as on broadband has become absolutely imperative. Asianet and Cisco are working together to offer this enhanced video experience to the end consumer. The introduction of DOCSIS 3.0 is also expected to change the business dynamics for Asianet in Kerala, as the state observes Phase III of cable digitalisation. With the deployment of this technology, Asianet will be uniquely positioned to offer an immersive video experience on the same coaxial cable that delivers its high-quality digital video.

     

    DOCSIS 3.0 technology will help enable Asianet to offer fiber-equivalent speeds on its HFC (Hybrid Fiber Coaxial) networks at an economical price. While GPON (Gigabit Passive Optical Network) is capable of providing 100 Mbps to each home, the cost of building and maintaining a GPON-based fiber network is much more expensive and skilled than with an HFC network. DOCSIS technology allows cable operators to reuse their existing cable plants to offer broadband services by upgrading them to two-way networks.

     

    As the largest cable TV and Internet service provider in Kerala, India, Asianet has plans to fast-track the deployment of DOCSIS 3.0 modems to deliver an impressive Internet surfing experience to its 200,000 subscribers. The company is one of the early adopters of DOCSIS 3.0 and is offering its cable TV consumers an unrivalled broadband experience and revolutionary consumer entertainment.

     

    Supporting Quotes: Mr. G. Sankaranarayana, President and Chief Operating Officer, Asianet Satellite Communications Ltd: “Today’s consumers are evolving and demanding more from their cable service providers. We decided to renew our strategies and offerings with a focus on delivering compelling customer services. We are already seeing a lot of appetite for our new offerings in the market and will be the first MSO to offer speeds of up to 50 Mbps per subscriber in the state, in the first phase, followed by 100 Mbps service in phase 2. We needed a technology that could help us deliver superior customer experiences and help us in being a class apart from the competition. And Cisco was our obvious choice, given the depth of understanding it has of the pay-TV and broadband infrastructure business.”

     

    Mr. Sandeep Arora, Regional Manager, Service Provider, Cisco India & SAARC: “Our engagement with Asianet has the potential to transform the cable and broadband industry in Kerala. Asianet will be delivering a differentiated experience to its subscriber homes by enabling high-speed broadband beyond 100 Mbps on the same cable as digital broadcast channels. Considering the highly competitive and fragmented broadband market, this deal propels Asianet to the pinnacle of the industry in the region. Our IP Next-Generation Network (IP NGN) architecture helps enable convergence of networks and services, providing an immersive experience to cable subscribers. Asianet is getting ready to deliver the connected life to consumers, addressing their immediate needs while laying the foundation for rapid deployment of next-generation services.”

  • Telecom stakeholders’ views sort over MWA and MWB spectrum allocation and pricing

    Telecom stakeholders’ views sort over MWA and MWB spectrum allocation and pricing

    NEW DELHI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on 28 March asked stakeholders in the telecom sector to give their views on whether excess spectrum should be withdrawn from existing telecom service providers and whether what should be the criteria for determining this excess usage.

     

    Following a reference from the Department of Telecom (DoT), the regulator issued a consultation paper on the issue of Microwave Access and Backbone (MWA/MWB), and has sought the views by 21 April with counter-comments by 28 April.

     

    TRAI has sought to know the number of Microwave Access and Backbone (MWA/MWB) carriers that should be assigned to a TSP deploying 2G technology only, 3G technology only, BWA technology only, both 2G and 3G technologies, 2G and BWA technologies and 2G, 3G and BWA technologies.

     

    The charging of MWA and MWB carriers is regulated by the AGR based annual spectrum usage charges notified in the DoT’s orders of 3 November 2006, its amendments dated 10 November 2008 and 19 February 2009. However, these orders were set aside by a judgment of the Telecom Disputes Settlement Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) of 22 April 2012 and are now sub-judice in view of an appeal by the government before the Supreme Court. As an interim arrangement, the DoT has issued guidelines in respect of allotment of MWA carriers for BWA services through its order of 16 March 2012. TRAI had been asked to give its recommendations on certain issues in a letter sent by the DoT on 26 November 2012.

     

    According to TRAI, Microwave transmission refers to the technology of transmitting information using radio waves. Microwave technology is widely deployed in mobile communications to provide point-to-point (PTP) Radio Frequency (R.F.) links in mobile backhaul as well as in the backbone network. Mobile backhaul is that portion of the network infrastructure that provides interconnectivity between the access and core networks. The backbone network is used to interconnect different nodes situated at different geographical locations.

     

    For PTP links, microwave frequencies are generally assigned in blocks of 2×28 MHz, known as microwave carriers. There are two types of microwave carriers viz. Microwave Access (MWA) Carriers and Microwave Backbone (MWB) Carriers. 

     

    TRAI wants to know from stakeholders the number of MWA/MWB carriers that should be assigned to TSPs in case of 2G, 3G and BWA at the start of their services [at beginning of rolling of services].

     

    Some of the other questions to which views have been sought are:

     

    1.      What should be the preferred basis of assignment of MWA/MWB carriers to the TSPs i.e. ‘exclusive basis assignment’ or ‘link-to-link based assignment’?
     

    2.      In case ‘exclusive basis’ assignment is preferred, whether MWA and MWB carriers should be assigned administratively or through auction.
     

    3. In case ‘link-to-link basis’ assignment is preferred, how the carrier assignment for different links should be carried out, particularly in nearby locations?
     

    4. Considering the fact that different TSPs may require additional carriers at different point of time, what should be the assignment criteria for allocation of additional carriers for MWA and MWB?

     

    5. How can it be ensured that spectrum carriers assigned are used optimally and the TSPs are encouraged to move towards the OFC?

     

    6. Should an upfront charge be levied on the assignment of MWA or MWB carriers, apart from the annual spectrum charges?

     

    7. What should be the pricing mechanism for MWA and MWB carriers? Should the annual spectrum charges be levied as a percentage of AGR or on link-by-link basis or a combination of the two?

     

    8. In case of percentage AGR based pricing, is there any need to change the existing slabs prescribed by the DoT in 2006 and 2008?

     

    9. In case link-by-link based charging mechanism is adopted then:

    (a) Should the spectrum be priced differently for different MW spectrum bands (6GHz/7GHz/13GHz/15GHz/18GHz/21 GHz/26GHz/28GHz/32GHz/42 GHz etc) and the formula for such charges

    (b) What are the factors that should appear in the formula?

     

    10. Should the option of assignment of MWA carriers in all the spectrum bands in 6-42 GHz range be explored in line with other countries? What are the likely issues in its assignment MWA carriers in these additional spectrum bands?

     

    11. In your opinion, what is the appropriate time for considering assignment of MWA carriers in higher frequency bands viz. E-band and V-band?

     

    12. Should E-band be fully regulated or there should be light touch regulations?

     

    13. What charging/pricing mechanism would be appropriate for these bands?

  • UTStarcom enters into contract with BSNL to help new generation networks

    UTStarcom enters into contract with BSNL to help new generation networks

    NEW DELHI: UTStarcom has announced a $24 million contract with Indian telecoms BSNL to supply multi-service access network (MSAN) equipment and support design, engineering and installation.

     

    The public-sector company, BSNL is upgrading its network to offer next generation multi-media services to its customers and this entails migrating existing PSTN/ISDN customers to next generation network (NGN) to enable supplementary services using Internet Protocol (IP) along with basic telephony.

     

    The upgrade will cover broadband lines for a wide swath of residential and enterprise customers across western and northern regions of India that include large urban centers such as Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakand and Chattisgargh.

     

    Recently, the Chinese telecom network vendor Huawei announced its NGN switch deal with BSNL to migrate its traditional telephone exchanges to IP based NGN. The IP transition will be in phases and will cover all major telecom circles of BSNL.

    As part of the NGN deal, BSNL will migrate four million existing PSTN subscribers to IMS platform and offer next generation services besides voice, such as video, IPTV, IP-Centrex and MMVC. One million lines will be replaced in Phase-1 and 3 million lines in Phase-2 to migrate existing four million PSTN subscribers to IMS (IP Multi-media Subsystem) platform.

     

    UTStarcom is working with Indian government-owned telecom equipment vendor ITI for the BSNL network upgrade.

    BSNL chairman and MD R K Upadhyay said: “UTStarcom has been a reliable partner in the past, and we have deployed a large number of their broadband access products on our network.”

    UTStarcom India claims that it already holds 35 percent share for broadband Internet network equipment.”

     

    There are approximately 15 million wireline broadband customers in India, of which UTStarcom has supplied more than six million DSL ports.

     

    UTStarcom’s customers in India include telecom service providers, such as Bharti Airtel and Tata Communications.

    Recently, UTStarcom launched a major sales and marketing initiative to promote its latest broadband products to carriers in the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific.

  • FameBox crowns Madhushree Rao as India’s first-ever WebChef!

    FameBox crowns Madhushree Rao as India’s first-ever WebChef!

    FameBox WebChef, the first of its kind online reality show for amateur cooks, has created a stir among foodies online, bringing to them a delectable mix of appetizing recipes and inspiring stories of men and women who raised the bar to showcase their passion for food.
     

    The FameBox WebChef finale saw Madhushree Rao, final year student at Mount Carmel College, Bangalore, win the maiden title of India’s first ever ‘FameBox WebChef’. The 22-year-old beat off competition from four other finalists and wowed celebrity judge Vir Sanghvi with her creativity and poise while impressing the head chefs at ITC Chola with her skill and technical expertise. Emerging as India’s maiden WebChef, Madhushree will take home Rs. 1 lakh of prize money along with an opportunity to create her own channel dedicated to food on the Famebox network.

     

    Madhushree, whose interest in cooking developed by keenly watching her mother and grandmother cook, chose to participate in FameBox to challenge her culinary skills.

     

    The finale kicked off on Youtube earlier this week on March 24, 2014, with a 90 minute challenge to prepare and present a three course meal and a welcome drink. The next grueling challenge that the contestants then faced was “Fast and Foodious,” during which they had to create their choice of fast food.  This also saw the elimination of Sneha Dutta, journalism major. In the next task, “Key Ingredients”the semi-finalists had to prepare dishes using the key ingredients couscous and byadagi chilli.  After this round, Samina Patel, a management student, was eliminated. The Grand Finale now was between the top 3 contestants – businessman, Yuvraj Jadhav, working professional, Sandeep Sreedharan and Madhushree – being challenged by the Head Chefs at ITC Chola to recreate their signature dishes.  Each of the 3 were given a dish created by one of the chefs.

    The participants then had to recreate the dish. This was the final and deciding challenge.

     

    On bagging the WebChef title, Madhushree said, “Initially creating videos for the reality show came across as a challenge where my mom and dad were extremely supportive and helped me in the process. I believe an opportunity to set up my own channel will help me in converting my hobby into a profession. Overall, it has been a great journey with the fellow contestants and Mr. Vir Sanghvi who has been a great mentor. This has been one of the most challenging and exciting experiences of my life.”

     

    FameBox WebChef kick-started in October 2013, as a platform to acknowledge and encourage the skills of passionate cooks and groom them to become Web Stars. The FameBox WebChef channel crossed 1 million watch minutes, 1700 likes and 2400 comments on YouTube even before the finale was fully uploaded.

     

    Vir Sanghvi, well known talk show host and judge for FameBox WebChef said “This was a competition where we did not set out to make things difficult for the contestants; instead we gave them an opportunity to display their strengths. We were extremely happy to mentor the five finalists who have been extremely enthusiastic and made FameBox WebChef a success! ”

     

    “This is the opening season of Famebox Webchef, India’s first online cooking reality show and we are thrilled to see the response that it has received from home cooks, viewers and advertisers alike. We continue to grow our food related web content and hope to develop and promote many more talented cooks in the process. We have already started planning for WebChef season 2.”said Mr. Dhruvank Vaidya, Business Head, FameBox.

     
    Chef Ajit Bangera, Senior Executive Chef – ITC Grand Chola said “ITC Grand Chola is proud to have hosted the first ever FameBox WebChef challenge and we are delighted that the contestants were able to garner a brief exposure of ITC Hotels’ rich culinary heritage. We hope that during the course of the competition, they were able to learn what it takes to “perform live” in a professional show kitchen, much like our chefs do at Pan Asian and Ottimo – CucinaItaliana”.

  • ISPs in Europe authorised to stop illegal and pirated movie sites

    ISPs in Europe authorised to stop illegal and pirated movie sites

    NEW DELHI: In a judgment that may serve as a precursor to similar action around the globe, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has said that the Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in Europe can legally block piracy sites that illegally distribute copyright-protected material.

                          

    The Motion Picture Association’s European branch welcomed the decision as a “proportionate and valid measure” in fighting copyright infringement and “an important milestone in the creative industries’ ongoing efforts to curb online piracy.”

     

    The verdict sets a clear legal framework across the European Union territories and confirms national court rulings in several territories. The ruling also sends a strong signal to ISPs that website blocking is an effective measure to reduce overall infringement, the MPA said, and that ISP is typically the best-place to tackle copyright infringement.

     

    The European court ruled on a case filed on 15 June 2012 before the Austrian Supreme Court. Distributors Constantin Film and Wega took action against Austrian ISP UPC Telekabel Wien for not blocking access to kino.to, the largest piracy site in German-speaking Europe with a top 40 ranking on Alexa.com and up to four million visitors per day. The case went all the way to Europe’s Supreme Court, with the CJEU asking to clarify the legality of site blocking, which Internet freedom advocates have compared to censorship.

     

    MPA EMEA president and MD Chris Marcich said the verdict means that rights holders “will continue to have the ability to secure balanced website blocking orders from national courts across the EU to address infringing sites.”

     

    Marcich said: “I am particularly encouraged by the strong stance the CJEU has taken in relation to the responsibility of intermediaries to address copyright infringement. A sustainable internet that benefits all must operate fairly, with proportionate and balanced rules. We must all play a constructive role in this aim, including search engines who continue to lead consumers to illegal money-making sites.”

     

    He cited the hard work the movie industry across Europe is carrying out to “develop new, innovative and consumer-friendly platforms delivering the shows and movies that audiences want to see — whilst ensuring that the creators and makers get compensated for their hard work.”

     

    According to MPA figures, citizens in Europe have access to over 3,000 legal on-demand video services.