ITV

Category: iWorld

  • Offline first & good on slow Net: YouTube Go beta launched

    MUMBAI: In last September’s Google for India event, YouTube Go was announced. YouTube app has been reimagined for the next generation of YouTube users. 

    Today, after months of expanded testing and refinement, Google is happy to announce that it’s making the beta version of YouTube Go available for download on the Google Play Store in India.

    Every aspect of YouTube Go was designed from the ground up, with four main principles in mind: It’s relatable, with fresh and relevant video recommendations tailored to your preferences; the app is designed to be offline first and improve the experience of watching videos on a slower network; it gives you more control over data usage, by providing choice and transparency into the amount of data spent on streaming or saving videos. And finally, it’s social, allowing you to share videos quickly and easily with friends nearby.

    Key features of YouTube Go include:

    ●        A home built for you: YouTube Go home screen features trending and popular videos in your area, so that you can find and discover videos that you and your community care about.

    ●        Preview videos before you save or watch: On YouTube Go we’ll show you a preview of the video when you tap on a thumbnail, giving you a better sense of what the video is about before you decide if you want to watch it.

    ●        Choose your resolution when saving or streaming videos: You can choose to save a video for offline viewing later or stream it now. And we also allow you to choose the amount of data you’d like to spend on that video.

    ●        Share videos with friends nearby: Share videos with friends and family nearby without using any data. You can send and receive videos instantly and offline with others using the YouTube Go app.

    To get us to this point, Google has worked hard on refining the features that you’ve inspired us to build, gaining new insights along the way. 

    Some things learned in the run-up to this beta release include making the home screen fresher and more relevant for users, so they can find amazing videos easily. Google has also worked hard behind the scenes to make sharing videos with nearby friends an even more seamless experience, and ensuring that the app works well across a wide range of phones and connectivity. 

    While the app is in its beta release, Google will welcome consumer feedback and improve the app before launching more broadly. We’ll also be holding several activities in Udaipur over the upcoming weeks to glean more insights from users on the ground. If you’re in India, Google hopes one downloads the beta from the Google Play store.
    With the rapid transformation sweeping India’s mobile internet landscape, Google is aware there will be an even greater demand for a fast and accessible video app. 


     

  • Amazon Prime subs can watch NFL live, 10-game deal signed

    MUMBAI: As a growing number are switching to mobile entertainment, Amazon Prime has decided to stream US National Football League games live.

    A company spokesperson said that Amazon will live-stream 10 games exclusively for Prime members. Yahoo streamed the first NFL game in 2015.

    Before the deal was announced, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube were also in the running. It was learnt that Amazon marched ahead of all for the digital distribution rights. Although Amazon declined to comment on the deal value, it is understood to be around US$ 50m for ten games in a year. Amazon plans to recover its investments by running ads during the games.

    Amazon has over 60 million Prime subscribers worldwide, according to analyst reports.

    Also Read:

    Amazon Prime brings Fugay & Autograph on Gudi Padwa

    Amazon Prime expands reach, available to Voda subs

     

     

  • Tele-war: 10GB per day BSNL data at Rs 249 a month & unlimited night calling

    MUMBAI: Enjoying internet services may not get cheaper than this. The telecom tug-of-war is under way. Jio is proving to be undefeatable, but BSNL 4G has made a strong new pitch.

    In an attempt to give a fillip to broadband, adoption BSNL has announced a new “unlimited” wired broadband plan which also offers voice-based telephony packs.

    BSNL announced the new wired broadband plan on:

    https://twitter.com/hashtag/BSNL?src=hash

    BSNL customers will get 10GB of data daily at 2Mbps connectivity speed only for Rs 249 a month. The new plan also offers unlimited voice calling on Sunday and unlimited night calling between 9pm and 7am – not only on BSNL network but on others as well.

    Jio may have extended free services for three months. But, BSNL is giving tough competition. The only thing that remains to be seen is the Internet speed

    Also Read :

    Jio extends Prime deadline, freebies period

    BSNL launches FMT & Ditto TV; 4G planned this year

  • Hotstar brings back comedy show Sarabhai vs Sarabhai

    MUMBAI: India’s leading video-on-demand platform, Hotstar, today announced the return of cult comedy show Sarabhai vs Sarabhai, for its viewers this May. A show that still enjoys active fandom several years after it went off air, and one that’s often been hailed as being well ahead of its time, Sarabhai vs Sarabhai will return exclusively on Hotstar as a part of the Hotstar Originals bouquet.

    The show will take a seven-year leap and will return with the entire well-loved cast, featuring Satish Shah, Ratna Pathak Shah, Sumeet Raghavan, Rupali Ganguly, Deven Bhojani and Rajesh Kumar, as well as a slew of new characters. Produced by Hats Off Productions’ Jamnadas (JD) Majethia and Aatish Kapadia, the 10-part series will further expand Hotstar’s signature content bouquet, called Hotstar Originals.

    “From Maya’s haughty retorts to Rosesh’s epic poetry, every component that made Sarabhai vs Sarabhai timeless, will very much remain the hallmark of this series. That said, there’s much more hilarity and some brand new characters to look forward to. The wisecracky, intelligent soul of the show, will return exactly as our fans remember it, with more laughs and new stories,” says Hats Off Productions founder JD Majethia.

    “With Hotstar Originals, our intent is to bring to audiences, inspired content that goes on to define its specific genre, be it On Air with AIB, Tanhaiyaan or Cineplay”, added Hotstar CEO Ajit Mohan. “Sarabhai vs Sarabhai did exactly that some years ago, bringing Indian audiences a kind of sharp, witty and contemporary comedy that they had never seen before. The buzz and love around the show was so strong that we had to bring it back.”

    Sarabhai vs Sarabhai is based on the life of a hilarious Gujarati family living in Mumbai. “Each character in the family is replete with their own distinct quirks, and trust me when I say that each of these characters is based on real people in my extended family. I play around with them in my head and then write the episodes, and if I feel like I’m having a blast, then I feel sure that the viewers will too,” shares Aatish Kapadia, the writer and creator of the show.

    The show’s originality and humour have earned it a spot amongst the best of Indian television, with millions of fans eagerly anticipating its return.

  • SeaChange powers Quickline multiplatform video with time-shifting & catch-up TV

    MUMBAI: Swiss cable network operator The Quickline Group has raised the bar on personal television excellence with its introduction of Quickline TV, based on an end-to-end suite of integrated software and services from SeaChange International spanning multiplatform content management and delivery, monetization and subscriber experience, including RDK-V-based set-top box software.

    The Quickline Group is one of the leading full-service providers of entertainment and communication in Switzerland. With its scalable and open SeaChange platform, Quickline maintains an optimally efficient, centralized video operation that supports 25 independent regional cable television operators representing approximately 400,000 Swiss households. Quickline is the country’s third-largest TV provider and fourth-largest Internet and telephony provider.

    SeaChange Adrenalin multiscreen television software, integrated with SeaChange’s RDK-based Nucleus set-top software, drives Quickline TV from the back office operation through to TVs, PCs and mobile devices at home and on the go. Quickline TV achieves the pinnacle of truly differentiated personalized TV services with its innovative subscriber profiles, which give multiple viewers on a single household cable subscription the ability to enjoy uniquely curated experiences across devices, presenting thousands of hours of on-demand video, recommendations and time-shifted TV programming to suit an individual’s own content tastes and viewing preferences.

    SeaChange also delivered Quickline TV’s OTT device apps for Android and iOS enjoyment, in addition to leading end-to-end integration of third-party technology providers for content delivery network, video encoding, content security and advanced set-tops, among other components.

    “Quickline is on a mission to produce meaningful innovation that results in Switzerland’s best entertainment and communication experience,” said Quickline Residential MD Yann Steulet. “Quickline TV is the latest success to embody our desire to win and inspire consumers with unsurpassed value every day. Through its meticulous focus on monetising high-quality video everywhere, SeaChange has been instrumental in helping us to elevate multiplatform entertainment to a new level in the Swiss market and for the world at large.”

    “SeaChange is accustomed to collaborating with many customers to define the forefront of innovative entertainment,” said SeaChange CEO Ed Terino. “With Quickline’s groundbreaking achievements in personalisation, ease of enjoyment and RDK implementation, we believe the eyes of the media world will be on Quickline TV as a new ideal for video service provider evolution.”

    SeaChange develops open software solutions that perfect mission-critical performance in multiplatform content management, video back office, advertising and user experience. SeaChange offers proven interfaces to empower service providers and content owners with flexibility to innovate with the widest range of third-party technologies to stay ahead in the rapidly evolving market for video entertainment. SeaChange is deployed across a variety of clients and devices, including solutions developed organically by service providers themselves, best-of-breed client/device solutions, and now with the option of also leveraging a rich set of extensively customizable clients, which provide the front-end for Quickline TV.

  • Sanjeev Kapoor launches mobile app with EscapeX

    MUMBAI: Celebrity chef, entrepreneur writer and television personality, Sanjeev Kapoor, announced the release of his new mobile app in collaboration with New York-based tech firm EscapeX. The new app will enable fans to access the Chef’s social handles (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) and directly interact with him through the in-app social feed.

    This provides an unparalleled experience for his large fan base, who will enjoy unique & exclusive content from Sanjeev Kapoor and a personal view of his life.

    The app will provide unique features like push notifications, Featured Videos, Superstar posts, contests, Superfan badges, a subscription service, live Broadcast of cookouts, and live chat between Kapoor and his fans. Sanjeev Kapoor has been a pioneer in the Indian culinary field and has been awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award in India.

    “We are glad to be a part of Sanjeev’s next level of engagement with his fans & followers,” said EscapeX CEO Sephi Shapira.

    An exciting, patented feature will transform how fans interact with Kapoor by giving them the option to boost their or their peers’ comments to increase visibility and actually be seen by the star himself. By turning recognition into virtual currency, the entire fan base can trade their earned or purchased in-app currency to promote themselves and others to the top of the comments feed and become Top Fans. This one of a kind tool also increases fan-2-fan engagement, while giving users a true sense of community.

    Being completely free for fans, the app will display the same targeted advertising content users see on Facebook, Twitter and Google, with revenue going to the person who produces the content that drives people to these apps and websites in the first place.

    An artist-owned app garners the star a greater slice of ad revenue, while also scooping up data on the content fans like most and enables the direct sale of all sorts of merchandise. By creating his own branded app, Sanjeev Kapoor hopes to provide his massive fan base with a better social experience and a very interactive experience.

    “It is my responsibility to make sure that my fans and users live a healthy tasty life. Through this App I can engage with them and understand their needs better to help them live a fitter life,” says Kapoor.

  • Child Rights Award ’17: A call to broadcasters

    MUMBAI: ABU, CASBAA and UNICEF are calling for entries for the 17th Asia-Pacific Child Rights Award from broadcasters and producers in the region.

    Programmes both for children and about children are eligible and can cover any children’s rights issue. Entries can include documentaries that detail the plight of children, dramas that help break down stereotypes and discrimination, or animation that teaches and entertains.

    Entries must have been broadcast between June 2016 and June 2017 and must be received by 30 June 2017. The Award will be presented during the CASBAA Convention in Macau in early November 2017.

    Eligible countries/territories: Afghanistan, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Republic of Korea, DPR Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Lao PDR, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nauru, Nepal, New Zealand, Niue, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand , Timor-Leste, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu and Vietnam.

    This competition is open to all ABU and CASBAA members in the Asia-Pacific region. A full list of countries can be found on the website.

    To join the competition, please submit your entries) online at https://goo.gl/vKWqd5

    ABU is a non-profit, non-government, professional association of broadcasting organizations, to facilitate the development of broadcasting in the Asia–Pacific region. CASBAA is the association for the multichannel audiovisual content creation and distribution industry across Asia. UNICEF works in 190 countries and territories to protect the rights of every child.

  • Jio extends Prime deadline, freebies period

    MUMBAI: Reliance Jio Infocomm has announced that, in a month, over 72 million Jio customers have signed up for Jio Prime.

    This is the largest migration from free to paid services in history in such a short period of time.Considering the demand for enrolling to Jio Prime and doing the first recharge, Jio has extended the deadline for purchasing Jio’s Rs 303 (and other) plans till 15th April. This extension will provide the necessary breathing room for users to avoid service disruption during the transition from free to paid services.

    Customers who could not enrol for Jio Prime by 31 March for whatever reason can still do so by paying Rs 99 along with their first purchase of Jio’s Rs 303 and other plans till 15 April.

    Jio also announced the Jio Summer Surprise for its Jio Prime members. Every Jio Prime member, when they make their first paid recharge prior to 15 April using Jio’s Rs 303 plan (or any higher value plan), will get services for the initial three months on a complimentary basis. The paid tariff plan will be applied only in July, after the expiry of the complimentary service.The Jio Summer Surprise is the first of many surprises for Jio Prime members.

    Mobile Number Portability (MNP), which allows customers to retain their existing mobile number when they switch to Jio, is available across the country for all customers. For international travellers, Jio’s International roaming service is available.

    Reliance CMD Mukesh D. Ambani told Jio customers, “I want to personally thank you for choosing Jio, and for being a founding member of the
    Jio movement. A movement to transform India. A movement to empower and enrich each one of you with the revolutionary power and possibilities of Digital Life.”

    “I am conscious that this is the largest migration from free to paid services in history. We are committed to doing this gradually, so that both Jio and Jio customers have the time to adjust, fine tune and perfect this transition. I want to assure you that Jio will walk alongside you all through this transition to paid services,” he said.

    “Jio,” he said, “has created the world’s largest greenfield 4G LTE wireless broadband network, with over 100,000 mobile towers. And we will add another 100,000 towers to our network in the coming months. This greenfield investment – of over Rs 200,000 crore – is the largest in the world.” He added, “I commit that Jio will always strive to provide you the highest quality – and the world’s most affordable – data and voice services.”

  • Integrated video platform: Ooyala to showcase solutions at NAB

    MUMBAI: Ooyala, a global provider of video monetisation technology and services, will showcase the full breadth of its video solutions for media and entertainment companies at the NAB Show 2017 in Las Vegas in April.

    With its full set of offerings, Ooyala is leading the way towards delivering a fully Integrated Video Platform (IVP) specifically to meet the needs of today’s modern media content owners and production companies. With a common data set to drive insights and inform strategies, IVP is the next generation of OVP, evolving well beyond online video platform capabilities to deliver sophisticated solutions to understand the costs and return-on-investment of video content.

    “Publishing video online today is a rather mundane task, but building a sustainable business model around online video is a totally different animal,” said Frost and Sullivan senior director, Mukul Krishna. “IVPs, or Integrated Video Platforms, better reflect the new demands placed on the traditional OVP. An Integrated Video Platform extends traditional OVPs capabilities to include functionality to meet challenges spanning production, distribution and monetisation.”

    Ooyala Flex, the company’s versatile and customizable solution for video production and distribution workflows is designed to get content to market faster. It is a cornerstone in Ooyala’s transformation into an IVP, complementing its full set of product offerings across ad tech, analytics and video platform solutions.

    With Ooyala Flex’s tight integration with the Ooyala video platform, the solutions can streamline the entire process from creation to syndication and ultimately distribution across devices. Content owners have complete control over their operations, as well as insights into video performance and audience engagement. By combining Ooyala solutions customers are able to:

    * Sync metadata across Ooyala Flex and Ooyala’s video platform, simplifying asset search and management

    * Transform assets into any format in Ooyala Flex for distribution to any device with Ooyala’s video platform

    * Automate transcoding, packaging and syndication using Ooyala Flex to get content in front of audiences faster

    * Leverage metadata from Ooyala Flex for more personalised content recommendations with Ooyala Discovery, driving higher audience engagement and monetization

    * Understand video performance across properties with Ooyala IQ to inform future content production decisions and distribution strategies

    * Benefit from a single provider, versus many, supplying all solutions with aligned roadmaps and integrations

    “Ooyala Flex customers see significant time savings throughout their media operations, with some reducing project delivery times by more than 75%. Customers are realizing the return as Ooyala Flex connects silos and integrates systems, teams and processes, providing greater efficiencies and visibility into bottlenecks that are costing time and money,” said Ooyala co-founder and SVP of products and solutions Belsasar Lepe.

    He added, “Using simple APIs, Ooyala Flex acts as an integration layer connecting nearly any existing production system or software together, whether on-premise or cloud-based. This includes integrations with Adobe for editorial needs, Microsoft Azure for storage, and tailored integrations with Pebble Beach Systems for broadcast playout, along with a host of other commonly used solutions.”

    In addition to Ooyala Flex, Ooyala will provide demos at NAB 2017, including:

    Ooyala Pulse – Ooyala’s holistic sell-side video advertising platform, combining the ad server and programmatic trading platforms, designed exclusively for media companies and publishers to make smarter, more lucrative ad decisions. Plus, Ooyala Pulse Unlock, its client-side ad-reinsertion technology. With rich data and analytics, Ooyala Pulse provides unique, real-time insights through customizable reports to improve forecasting and decision-making, while enabling clients to pivot in real-time as a campaign runs.

    Ooyala Video Platform – Ooyala’s full set of video technology includes live streaming; live server-side ad insertion (Live SSAI) for seamless TV-like playback and ad-block prevention; its award-winning analytics product, Ooyala IQ; customizable HTML5 player; Ooyala AppStudio for getting OTT apps to market quickly; as well as Ooyala’s full back-end management system and services. At the heart of Ooyala’s video solutions is big data, empowering customers with a complete view of video performance and audience behavior to help strategically distribute video content and maximize ROI.

  • Offline content delivery: Intertrust acquires Bangalore-based Kiora Media assets

    MUMBAI: Intertrust Technologies Corporation has acquired the assets of Bangalore-based Kiora Media to expand the reach of its media distribution products. Founded in 2010, Kiora Media built a unique content distribution platform that allows service providers to reliably distribute media content in places with limited broadband infrastructure; this includes geographies with poor connectivity, on airplanes, trains, automobiles and remote retail applications.

    Intertrust provides trusted computing products and services to leading global corporations – from mobile and CE manufacturers and service providers to enterprise software platform companies. These products include the world’s leading digital rights management, software tamper resistance and privacy-driven data platforms for AdTech, DNA storage, and IoT.

    “Kiora’s technology is an outstanding force extender for our media products suite,” said Intertrust CEO Talal Shamoon. “By using Kiora-based products, our customers can blanket the entire planet with exciting media offerings regardless of Internet coverage in a given location.”

    Kiora’s secure content distribution solution includes a ready-to-deploy content appliance and publishing backend. Kiora’s content hotspot distribution platform is studio-approved and provides a seamless entertainment experience that avoids using 3G/4G bandwidth. Kiora’s micro cloud architecture instantly converts a telco’s WiFi zone into a content zone where users can acquire content without having to pay for expensive data plans.

    The Kiora platform allows service providers, operators, system integrators and other stakeholders to quickly build a content delivery network (CDN) by deploying content hotspots. Once built, the network is fully capable of providing high-quality VOD and other value-added (VAS) services to the viewers without needing broadband bandwidth.