ITV

Category: iWorld

  • OTT revenues to reach nearly $8 billion in 2017

    OTT revenues to reach nearly $8 billion in 2017

    MUMBAI: SNL Kagan’s Multimedia Research Group (MRG) is predicting the OTT SVOD market to record significant growth worldwide in the coming years, with North America leading the pack, followed by Western Europe.

    MRG predicts that revenues will reach nearly $8 billion on more than 120 million subscribers globally by 2017. North America, which has more than 25 OTT SVOD service providers as of 2013, is the most developed market. Subs are estimated to have increased by more than 50 per cent in 2012, reaching nearly 50 million.

    North America is followed by Western Europe. Last year, Western Europe accounted for 11 per cent of the worldwide market with 7 million subscriptions and annual revenue of $575 million. Asia, which has the largest internet population in the world, accounted for nearly five million OTT SVOD subs in 2012 and $255 million in revenue.

    Eastern Europe had seven per cent of the market in 2012 and more than four million subscribers and revenue of $253 million. The OTT SVOD service markets in Latin America, Asia and Eastern Europe collectively comprised 20 per cent of the worldwide subscribers in 2012. These regions are poised for immense growth in the next five years, according to MRG. The Middle East and Africa had a negligible share of the market last year. Though it is expected to grow in the coming years, its contribution will only increase to one percent by 2017.

  • BCCI launches groundbreaking #ThankYouSachin campaign on Twitter

    BCCI launches groundbreaking #ThankYouSachin campaign on Twitter

    MUMBAI: The BCCI today announced a new integration with Twitter, one which allows fans worldwide to connect and say thank you to Sachin Tendulkar, like never before.

    During the ongoing Test series between India and the West Indies, all Twitter users who send an appreciative message for Sachin to the @BCCI handle with the #ThankYouSachin hashtag will instantaneously receive a Tweet from @BCCI with a momentous picture of Sachin, including a personalised message and signature in his handwriting.

    Since @BCCI announced the integration in a series of Tweets this morning, thousands of fans have participated, including several cricketers like Yuvraj Singh and Gautam Gambhir, to receive their own personal picture of Sachin.

    @BCCI is encouraging its audiences to connect and tweet multiple times – via the web, TV and more – as there are many different images and messages that fans can avail of. The integration will be live, while the Kolkata and Mumbai Tests are being played. The service is supported by Twitter India and Digigraph.me. Twitter India applauded the service in a blog post this morning.

    BCCI Honorary Secretary Sanjay Patel said: “Twitter has changed the way our fans, here and everywhere, stay connected to our sport and its personalities. We at the BCCI have always believed and invested in the power of mobile, digital and social. On the occasion of Sachin Tendulkar’s retirement, we’re delighted to work with Twitter and Digigraph and offer our fans this opportunity to thank Sachin and take home a piece of history.”

    Twitter India market director Rishi Jaitly said: “Twitter is the world’s leading real-time information network where users follow, share and experience content that is live, public and conversational. In India, Twitter has brought cricket fans closer to the sport and to cricketers directly and in real time. We applaud the BCCI for harnessing the power of our platform and launching this #ThankYouSachin campaign with Digigraph.”

    Digigraph founder and CEO Barry Berkowitz said: “Digigraph.me is humbled and proud to help the BCCI and Twitter honour legendary Cricketer, Sachin Tendulkar, on the eve of his historic 200th Test for India. Cricket fans around the world can now celebrate this moment by requesting, claiming and sharing personalised, autographed, collectable digital photos from Sachin, instantly from their Twitter newsfeeds.”

  • Facebook says 48% of daily active users and 49% of ad revenue come from mobile

    Facebook says 48% of daily active users and 49% of ad revenue come from mobile

    NEW DELHI: Facebook has claimed that mobile ad revenues and usage will soon outperform desktop ad revenues and usage.

    In its third quarterly earnings press meet, Facebook co-founder and CEO Zuckerberg said 48 per cent of its daily active users only use mobile devices while 49 per cent of its total ad revenues come from mobile ads.

    Zuckerberg said Facebook ads raked in nearly $890 million in revenues during the third quarter through the company’s app install ads, mobile engagement ads, and so on.

    The announcement means the company is heading in the right direction to meet its Q2 prediction that mobile ad revenues will surpass desktop ad revenues by year-end.

    Facebook mobile MAUs gained 45 per cent more than last past year, from 604 million MAUs in Q2 2012 to 874 million MAUs in Q3 2013.

    Facebook mobile MAUs include Facebook users who only use mobile devices and mobile users who occasionally use desktop devices to access Facebook services.

    The 45 per cent statistic for mobile MAUs had more than twice as much growth as overall MAUs, up 18 per cent from $1.007 million in Q2 2013 to $1.189 million in Q3 2013.

     

    Facebook remarked that its statistical figures exclude usage from Instagram-only users, but Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg delivered figures on the length of time consumers spend on Facebook’s mobile platform if combined with the photo-based social network.

    Sandberg said Facebook and Instagram accounts for a combined 20 per cent of total time spent on mobile devices and 12.5 per cent of total time spent on desktop devices every month in the US.

    Sandberg noted that Facebook accounts for more mobile minutes in the US than the combined minutes of YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Snapchat, Pandora, Yahoo, Tumblr, and AOL, even though comScore research results suggest it may have included Instagram data.

    Facebook noted that MAUs only access the company’s services through mobile devices is at 254 million

    With a total of 1.19 billion Facebook MAUs, the company grew 2.3 per cent of MAUs that only use mobile devices to access it, from 19 per cent in Q2 2013 to 21.3 per cent in Q3 2013.

    According to the latest figures, Facebook mobile DAUs across the world are up by 38 million from Q2 2013, whereas MAUs are up by 55 million from the same period.

  • Digital Media Asia meet in Malaysia to explore new avenues of digitisation of media

    Digital Media Asia meet in Malaysia to explore new avenues of digitisation of media

    NEW DELHI: Online and social media, tablet and mobile publishing, and digital business innovations are among the main subjects coming up for discussion at the forthcoming Digital Media Asia in Kuala Lumpur this month.

    Participants include Business Blogging CEO Kiruba Shankar from India; Canada’s Globe and Mail Digital News Strategy director Anjali Kapoor; Google Strategic Partner Lead Parin Mehta; Singapore’s InmobiVP and GM of the Japan, Asia Pacific brand business Phagun Raju; and Berita Satu Media Holdings, IndonesiaCEOSachin Gopalan.

    The meet has been organised from 12 to 14 November by WAN-IFRA Asia Pacific which will be represented among others by its chief operating officer Thomas Jacob.

    The meet will also see an Inverted Media Workshop, Digital Media Asia Expo, a creative ad campaign contest, Opennews.hack Asia and the Digital Media Asia awards.

    About 300 media executives representing over 115 organisations from 31 countries are expected. Digital Media Asia is the largest conference on new media in Asia for news publishers. Thirty speakers from leading news publishing companies in Asia and worldwide – such as FT, Apple Daily, Metro, SPH, Wall Street Journal, Globe & Mail, The Economist, Mainichi Shimbun – as well as online pure players like Google, Senatus, Microsoft, Coconuts Media, Yahoo will share inspiring case studies and innovative ideas with the audience. 

     

    Topics covered at Digital Media Asia include paid content and the implementation of paywalls, online video monetisation, digital and mobile advertising, tablet publishing, big data, diversifying revenue streams, start-ups and publishers.

     

    Other speakers include The Economist Digital, UK, VP Advertising  Audra Martin; The Straits Times Editor Warren Fernandez; Head of Tablet Editions, Metro, UK,  James Cadman; The Wall Street Journal  Hong Kong Asia Digital Editor Adam Najberg;  Naoki Onodera, Head of Digital Publications, Mainichi Shimbun;  Alan Soon, Head of Audience and Managing Editor SEA, Yahoo!; Graham Hinchly, Engineering Manager, FT Lab, FT, UK; Christina Lo Man Ki, Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Apple Daily, HK; Sue Brooks, Director of Video Transformation, AP, UK; Geoff Tan, Senior VP, Head of Strategic Marketing, SPH; Dan Sloan, Editor in Chief, Nissan Global Media Centre, Japan; Todd Forest, Executive Producer APAC, Microsoft Online Media; JV Rufino, Director of Mobile, Philippine Daily Inquirer; and Eamonn Byrne, Business Director, The Byrne Partnership, UK.   

  • BCCI launches groundbreaking #ThankYouSachin campaign on Twitter

    BCCI launches groundbreaking #ThankYouSachin campaign on Twitter

    MUMBAI: The BCCI today announced a new integration with Twitter, one which allows fans worldwide to connect and say thank you to Sachin Tendulkar, like never before.

    During the ongoing Test series between India and the West Indies, all Twitter users who send an appreciative message for Sachin to the @BCCI handle with the #ThankYouSachin hashtag will instantaneously receive a Tweet from @BCCI with a momentous picture of Sachin, including a personalised message and signature in his handwriting.

    Since @BCCI announced the integration in a series of Tweets this morning, thousands of fans have participated, including several cricketers like Yuvraj Singh and Gautam Gambhir, to receive their own personal picture of Sachin.

    @BCCI is encouraging its audiences to connect and tweet multiple times – via the web, TV and more – as there are many different images and messages that fans can avail of. The integration will be live, while the Kolkata and Mumbai Tests are being played. The service is supported by Twitter India and Digigraph.me. Twitter India applauded the service in a blog post this morning.

    BCCI Honorary Secretary Sanjay Patel said: “Twitter has changed the way our fans, here and everywhere, stay connected to our sport and its personalities. We at the BCCI have always believed and invested in the power of mobile, digital and social. On the occasion of Sachin Tendulkar’s retirement, we’re delighted to work with Twitter and Digigraph and offer our fans this opportunity to thank Sachin and take home a piece of history.”

    Twitter India market director Rishi Jaitly said: “Twitter is the world’s leading real-time information network where users follow, share and experience content that is live, public and conversational. In India, Twitter has brought cricket fans closer to the sport and to cricketers directly and in real time. We applaud the BCCI for harnessing the power of our platform and launching this #ThankYouSachin campaign with Digigraph.”

    Digigraph founder and CEO Barry Berkowitz said: “Digigraph.me is humbled and proud to help the BCCI and Twitter honour legendary Cricketer, Sachin Tendulkar, on the eve of his historic 200th Test for India. Cricket fans around the world can now celebrate this moment by requesting, claiming and sharing personalised, autographed, collectable digital photos from Sachin, instantly from their Twitter newsfeeds.”

  • Google Chrome to prevent downloading of malware on computers

    Google Chrome to prevent downloading of malware on computers

    NEW DELHI: Google chrome has introduced a feature which automatically halts the malware to download on a computer.

    It happens all the time, undesired mal functions penetrate into computers when one clicks some link. The process of getting rid of such malwares can be irritating, but Google Chrome is about to introduce the application which will automatically not only identify the malware but also halt it from the installation.

    According to Google, “This is in addition to the 10,000 new websites we flag per day with Safe Browsing, which is used by Chrome and other browsers to keep more than one billion web users safe. Keeping you secure is a top priority, which is why we’re working on additional means to stop malicious software installs as well.”

    The update will soon be introduced to the masses making surfing more fun and yet secure for the users, according to More Magazine.

  • Mergers and acquisition policy being given final touches

    Mergers and acquisition policy being given final touches

    NEW DELHI: Though the Department of Telecom (DoT) is expected to drop the three-year mandatory lock-in period for promoters of telecom companies under the new mergers and acquisition rules expected this week, the recent reports of high reserve price for spectrum may prove to be counter-productive.

    Initially, the government had introduced the lock-in period to prevent speculative players from misusing the opportunity to sell spectrum at market price after acquiring spectrum from the government under the first-come-first-served policy.

    But since fresh spectrum allocation is being done only through auction and older players who had got spectrum under the earlier dispensation have completed more than three years, the government has decided that the lock-in period is not necessary.

    The draft of the M&A norms say that “Further lock-in condition may hamper the progress and roll out of capital intensive telecom projects as shareholders may not be able to invest further equity.”

    Industry sources feel that some of the players in each circle may want to leave because of poor financial returns and increasing debt.

    The proposed M&A policy may not allow such players to leave, and rules are clear on issues such as spectrum trading, and the draft also says the buyer will have to pay the government the market price for any spectrum the seller holds under the older dispensation of first-come-first-served.

    While the TRAI had initially proposed a flat fee, the DoT is keen to retain the existing slab system where operators with higher amount of spectrum have to pay a higher revenue share. 

  • Google Chrome to prevent downloading of malware on computers

    Google Chrome to prevent downloading of malware on computers

    NEW DELHI: Google chrome has introduced a feature which automatically halts the malware to download on a computer.

    It happens all the time, undesired mal functions penetrate into computers when one clicks some link. The process of getting rid of such malwares can be irritating, but Google Chrome is about to introduce the application which will automatically not only identify the malware but also halt it from the installation.

    According to Google, “This is in addition to the 10,000 new websites we flag per day with Safe Browsing, which is used by Chrome and other browsers to keep more than one billion web users safe. Keeping you secure is a top priority, which is why we’re working on additional means to stop malicious software installs as well.”

    The update will soon be introduced to the masses making surfing more fun and yet secure for the users, according to More Magazine.

  • ‘Made for TV, as seen on YouTube’ at Asia TV Awards

    ‘Made for TV, as seen on YouTube’ at Asia TV Awards

    NEW DELHI: The 18th Asian Television Awards (ATA) will work with YouTube in organising a seminar titled “Made-for-TV, As Seen on YouTube”.

    The seminar will be held on 5 December at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel, Singapore, as part of the annual ATA showcase, organised by Television Asia Plus, a publication of Contineo Media.

    “Made-for-TV, As Seen on YouTube”, one of the premium tracks for the Showcase, will feature representatives from the Asia Pacific YouTube team. Currently confirmed is YouTube APAC director of partnership and operations Gautam Anand, who will present a keynote and engage in panel-style discussions in the presence of conference attendees. Also presenting will be YouTube APAC manager of content partnerships Wiwi Goh.

    “With more people going online every day, including here in Asia, digital media is increasingly crucial for content creators. With a platform like YouTube, creators can find new ways of distributing their content to new audiences and build up fan communities around the world,” says Gautam Anand.

    The seminar will address how YouTube can empower content producers and content rights owners/ broadcasters to not only build audiences, but monetise both legacy and new content. Included in the seminar are case studies and panel discussions, with practical tips on how best to reach audiences via YouTube. Attendees will also be acquainted with YouTube’s Content ID tools that can help track, block and even monetise content, allowing one to best structure content creation strategies on the online platform.

    The “Made-for-TV, As Seen on YouTube” seminar is part of the ATA Showcase, a full-day conference of seven tracks opened to all trade members and aspiring media professionals. At the Showcase, each year’s award nominees; regional directors, producers and creative talents, will come together and engage in an intimate theatre-style dialogue. These industry professionals will share their experiences in content production, technical expertise, as well as post production. Attendees can choose from six other Showcase tracks – “Scripted Programming”, “Formats/ Reality”, “Sports Programming”, “Factual/ Documentary”, “Children/ Preschool” and “Technical & Creative”; which will collectively introduce a wide variety of nominated ATA projects that cover the entire broadcast spectrum from production, to performance, to post-production. Some of the speakers from the 2012 ATA Showcase included representatives from Beach House Pictures, The Moving Visuals Co., Most Wanted Pictures, The Group Entertainment, Ochre Pictures, Southern Star Entertainment, Media-Stable, Fuji Television Network, Inc., FOX International Channels, Turner Broadcasting System Asia-Pacific, YouTube, and Viki.

    “The ATA Showcase is our attempt to give producers and content creators a voice to articulate their experiences in producing their nominated works. We are confident that attendees will benefit tremendously from the rich experiences of these industry professionals,” said Contineo Media CEO Raymond Wong. “In addition, our collaboration with YouTube is a testament to our commitment to not only empower content creators, but also to arm them with knowledge and expertise to take their content from existing broadcast platforms to new and emerging digital ones that are truly the next drivers of industry growth.”

    Registration for the full-day ATA Showcase has already started.

  • Socialsamosa.com to host ‘Social Media Mentoring’ session for start-ups

    Socialsamosa.com to host ‘Social Media Mentoring’ session for start-ups

    MUMBAI: 15 experts over five days will give an insight to businesses on the new tool of communication: social media. Conducted by Socialsamosa.com starting 21 October, the social media mentoring session aims at aiding start-up companies with an opportunity to enjoy a private 30 minute session with a social media expert from within the industry.

    With social media transforming into serious business and a platform to engage and retain customers along with being cost effective, small business entrepreneurs are adopting it instantly. The social media mentoring session will help companies in finding answers to the ever changing and evolving platform.

    Speaking on the event Socialsamosa.com co-founder Aditya Gupta said, “Start-ups are often overwhelmed with the growing number of social platforms and fail to strategise and create power packed campaigns that can lead to fulfillment of crucial business goals. For instance, Myntra derives a good amount of its web traffic through social media and likewise e-commerce start-ups can boost their footprints too. To facilitate this process we have initiated private mentoring sessions which I believe can truly build social media marketing direction for any start-up brand.”

    Participating companies can choose slots between 11 am and 3 pm during the five days of the session. 45 start-ups can choose a slot and a speaker depending on the area of expertise and business strengths.  So for those interested in understanding how listening, monitoring or analysing social conversations can help their business, can book a slot with someone working with analytics tool/platform.

    Socialsamosa.com co-founder Ankita Gaba added, “We realise that there is a need within the start-up ecology to understand and acquire a thorough understanding of social platforms and hence we have organised this knowledge sharing activity through Social Samosa school, our sub-portal. The private hangout will ensure a healthy interaction through a two way knowledge sharing and building exercise. We did a twangout [combination of live Google hangout and tweets] with Harshil Karia on how startups can use social media. But that was one to many, one expert answering multiple questions of multiple start-ups. This time we have gone beyond the general sharing of knowledge and moved to business specific mentoring, ensuring a highly personalised brand experience.”