ITV

Category: iWorld

  • India’s average internet speed increased in fourth quarter of CY-16

    BENGALURU: India lags behind Sri Lanka with a global rank of 97 versus the latter’s rank of 73 in terms of Average Connection Speed (IPv4) by APAC Country/Region as per Akamai’s State of Internet report for the fourth quarter of calendar year 2016 (Q4-16). However, the average internet speed in India in Q4-16 at 5.6 Mbps has improved 36 percent as compared to the speed of 4.1 Mbps mentioned in Akamai’s State of Internet report for Q3-16. Year-on-year (y-o-y), India’s average internet speed has almost doubled, it has grown by 99 percent.

    India was ranked 105 globally as compared to Sri Lanka’s rank of 75 in Q3-16. Sri Lanka’s average speed in the Q4-16 report was 7.3 Mbps, 21 percent more than the 6 Mbps average speed in Q3-16.

    About 38 percent of the internet connections in India have peak connection speeds in excess of 4 Mbps, a low number when compared to the 97 percent that South Korea which is the world leader with average internet speeds of 26.1 Mbps. The overall y-o-y change in the percentage of connections for internet speeds above 4Mbps was 123 percent in the case of India. In the case of an internet mature nation like Korea, the y-o-y change was 0.6 percent while the quarter-on-quarter (q-o-q) change was 0.7 percent.

    In the Asia-Pacific region, Vietnam and India were the only two countries/regions to enjoy double-digit growth, as they saw 4 Mbps Broadband adoption rates increase 18 percent and 28 percent, respectively.

    The report speaks of positive developments in India, specifically mentioning Bharti Airtel’s launch of V-Fiber broadband service in the fourth quarter, offering 100 Mbps fixed broadband access. Initially rolling out in Chennai, Bharti’s service is slated to become available to 87 cities in India within a few weeks. Now if only TRAI could reclassify connections with speeds in excess of 2 Mbps as broadband as it had earlier. TRAI later backtracked then reduced the broadband classification speeds to more than a measly 512 Kpbs.

  • RCOM gets SEBI approval for demerger of wireless biz into Aircel

    MUMBAI: Reliance Communications has received approval of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), BSE Limited (BSE) and the National Stock Exchange of India Limited (NSE) for the proposed scheme of arrangement for demerger of the wireless division of the company into Aircel Limited and Dishnet Wireless Limited (the Scheme).

    Pursuant to the same, Reliance Communications has filed an application with National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), Mumbai Bench, for approval of the said scheme. The proposed transaction is subject to other necessary approvals.

    Post closing, the company and the present shareholders of Aircel Limited will hold 50 per cent each in Aircel Limited.

  • Facebook & TLabs tie up to fortify mobile-based start-ups’ analytics & monetisation

    MUMBAI: Facebook and TLabs accelerator have partnered to strengthen the mobile startup ecosystem in India. Both Facebook and TLabs have a strong focus and expertise on Internet and Mobile businesses, and will build on the knowledge and learnings of in-house senior mentors to engage and educate budding entrepreneurs.

    As part of this partnership, they will co-host multiple events for solving startups’ issues around user experience, analytics, app installs, monetisation and more.

    Facebook will also provide FbStart referral codes to TLabs for use by TLabs’s mobile portfolio companies. FbStart is a global program designed to help mobile startups build and grow their apps. Startups with a live mobile app on Google Play/iOS stores or a working Messenger bot can apply for the FbStart Program and membership is awarded to selected start-ups, post a review from the Facebook team.

    These startups will receive ad credits from Facebook and benefits from more than 30 partners, including AWS, Dropbox, SalesForce and MailChimp. Along with these benefits, startups in the FbStart program will also get support and mentorship from Facebook’s product experts and join an exclusive community of global start-ups.

    TLabs COO Abhishek Gupta said, “It’s an incredible step by Facebook for the mobile ecosystem, and start-ups would be highly benefited from being a part of the Facebook global community.”

    Facebook India head – product partnerships Satyajeet Singh commented that partnering with TLabs was a progressive decision towards creating an empowered start-up ecosystem in the country.

  • iFLix hires Netflix’s Sean Carey as CCO

    MUMBAI: Malaysian video streaming service iflix has appointed former Netflix executive Sean Carey as its new chief content officer. Carey served Netflix as the vice-president of global television.

    iFLix’s chief content officer James Bridges will move to a new role as global acquisitions director, leading the service’s content acquisition strategy.

    Two-year old iflix claims to have 4.5 million customers and hopes to be what Netflix is in the United States to viewers in emerging markets.

    The streaming video provider, which has deals with more than 170 studios and distributors such as Viacom Inc’s Paramount and MGM, is currently in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Philippines and is planning to enter the Middle East and Africa over the next few months.

    Liberty Global, the international telecommunications company controlled by American tycoon John Malone, and Zain, a Kuwait-based telecommunications operator, are investing in iflix, the companies announced last week.

    Liberty and Zain, along with existing shareholders Sky PLC, venture capital firm Catcha Group and Los Angeles-based merchant bank Evolution Media Capital, invested $90 million in iflix, the companies said.

  • Fox launches video streaming service in Asia

    MUMBAI: After Hooq, iflix, and Netflix, Fox Networks Group Asia has entered the digital space with the launch of its video streaming service Fox+.

    The streaming service app features TV series, first-run Hollywood blockbusters, hit Chinese series and movies, live sports and thrilling documentaries, all in one place, accessible from any device (on televisions, computers, tablet, smart phones) in high definition.

    The app was launched on 7 March at Makati City in the Phillipines by Fox Networks Group Asia president Zubin Gandevia. Its launch in seven more countries in the Asia Pacific is slated to follow suit within the year.

    The app showcase the latest TV series shown on the same day as the US, the latest movies shortly after theatrical release, both often one full year before other subscription services. It will have live sports via Fox Sports, amounting to more than 10,000 hours of content.

    Fox is not just a robust content creator with movies such as Deadpool, Logan, etc, but it also claims to be the biggest content-buyer in the region. Several studios like Walt Disney will also be making available their content on the service.

    The entry of Fox+ makes it the fourth streaming service in the country. A Fox+ subscription costs around approx Rs 512/month (P390) whereas its competitor Netflix starts at Rs 486/month (P370) for the basic tier while Hooq charges Rs 261(P199) and iflix Rs 169 (P129)

    Fox+ will be available for subscribers of Cignal and PLDT/SMART broadband subscribers for a discounted price as the company wants to preserve the loyalty of their fans.

  • Netflix is home to ‘Godzilla’ & s2 of ‘A Series of Unfortunate Events’

    MUMBAI: Animated movie Godzilla is heading to Netflix. The movie from Japanese anime studio Polygon Pictures will debut on Netflix worldwide later this year following a Toho theatrical release in Japan.

    The anime promises to offer an epic re-imagining of the Godzilla world of the future.

    Kobun Shizuno (Knights of Sidonia) and Hiroyuki Seshita (AJIN: Demi-Human) are directing the movie from a screenplay by acclaimed anime writer Gen Urobuchi (Psycho-Pass). Some of the film’s voice cast includes Yuki Kaji (Attack on Titan), Tomokazu Sugita (Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker), and Kana Hanazawa (Psycho-Pass).

    Netflix is also bringing the second season of A Series of Unfortunate Events.

    The maiden season covered the first four novels in Daniel Handler’s 13-part YA series. Netflix confirmed this with an announcement trailer playing off of the coded messages used by the secret organisation VFD in the show.

  • Dekkho: Integration ease aids Brightcove power OTT service

    MUMBAI: Brightcove, a leading provider of cloud services for video, announced today that Dekkho, a streaming video service specializing in delivering premium content from India’s top content creators, has selected Brightcove to power its OTT service. The service, which debuted in February 2017, was built on Brightcove Video Cloud, enabling Dekkho to leverage an industry-leading online video platform to offer consumers VOD access to 12,000 hours of programming across desktop and mobile applications.

    Dekkho provides its customers with a curated, high-quality video experience with video content ranging from three to 45 minutes. It partners with leading content producers such as Sony Music, Zee Music, Culture Machine, Times Group, and OML.

    “Brightcove constantly remains ahead of the curve, rapidly innovating to incorporate and leverage the constant changes in the online video industry,” said Dekkho co-founder Vinay Pillai.

    “Scalability was most critical for us. We need to deliver our content across a broad range of customers, from those with low-end phones and slow internet connections to people with high-end mobile devices and larger screens. Not only has Brightcove enabled us to do that technically, but their service has been outstanding. We were promised Tier-1 support and Brightcove has delivered.”

    Improving the viewing experience is one of the top challenges facing media organizations in 2017, and Dekkho required a platform with robust APIs that was easy for their application development team to leverage; in particular, the publisher was eager to integrate the video platform with its CMS for simpler ingestion of its videos. The scalability of the Brightcove platform, along with integrations with the majority of the content management systems (CMS), ad networks, and CDNs differentiated Brightcove from other providers.

    “Dekkho is yet another great example of the rise of OTT in India. They’ve managed to quickly launch an intuitive and unique experience, and we’re looking forward to being part of their success,” said Brightcove Asia VP Tomer Azenkot. “Brightcove is excited to be working with this innovative service and helping the company as online video consumption in India evolves.”

  • VoD, OTT music & gaming to overtake Indian traditional media by ’22: EY

    MUMBAI: Digital media may take over traditional by 2021-22, when broadband and smartphone penetration increases in India, according to EY India. The second factor is when broadband is equal to one-third of the smart phone penetration, which in India’s case will happen only by 2021-22, according to EY estimate. EY India media and entertainment advisory leader Ashish Pherwani said that the third factor was parity between cost of the two services.

    Market research firm e-Marketer has estimated that Indians spend around two-and-a-half hours a day on traditional media — radio, television, newspapers, and magazines, compared to an hour they spend on digital media on an average, PTI reported. Pherwani pointed out that the cost of a cable pack in the U.S. is US$ 80-90 a month and that of broadband is $25-30, while in India, it is the other way round, with cable costing Rs 250 and broadband at Rs 500-1000.

    That equation would change by 2020-2021. Therefore, one would see a big uptick in digital and a downfall of traditional media. In traditional media, English (print) was likely to get affected first because that shift was already pretty strong, he said. With the hike in regional media print circulation, Pherwani said that it had scope to grow.

    From Rs 8,490 crore at present, India’s digital sector market is projected to cross Rs 20,000 crore in the next three years. The industry includes the four key areas of digital revenues — OTT and digital advertising, music OTT subscription, video OTT subscription, and gaming (in app and paid).

    EY estimated that the smart phone penetration was expected to be up to 59 per cent by 2020, from 31 per cent in 2015, and digital ad-spend is slated to be Rs 18,500 crore by 2020, constituting a larger pie of the overall media spend. The real uptick, where the Rs 20,000 crore becomes Rs 30,000 crore, might happen between 2020 and 2022, Pherwani added.

  • Netflix & Amazon investing in high-resolution tech, TV drama budgets comparable to films

    MUMBAI: Amazon and Netflix are not only acquiring documentaries and films, but are also heavily involved in producing their own content using UHD technologies, according to a white paper released by IHS Markit , a world leader in critical information, analytics and solutions, ahead of Cable Congress 2017.

    Subscription Video on Demand (SVoD) services have among the lowest revenue per hour of content viewed and of paid content services, making premium content a greater investment. While films comprise the largest number of UHD titles, TV series offer a better return on hours of content viewed per dollar invested, the IHS Markit white paper said.

    In the UK, Netflix offers 63 UHD titles. Amazon Prime and Amazon Instant have 28 and Sky has 26. “Online video producers generally offer a broader range of UHD genres than traditional pay TV platforms,” said IHS Markit senior home entertainment analyst Jonathan Broughton.

    “To compete, the budgets have grown dramatically to fulfill their ‘blockbuster’ needs. We are now seeing TV drama budgets around the same levels as major theatrical releases. This means that more expensive production methods involved in UHD make up a smaller proportion of the total budget.”

    IHS Markit delivers next-generation information, analytics and solutions to customers in business, finance and government, improving their operational efficiency and providing deep insights that lead to well-informed, confident decisions. It has over 50,000 key business and government customers, including 85 per cent of the Fortune Global 500 and the world’s leading financial institutions.

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  • How to create effective social influence?

    MUMBAI: Today, a social media user’s newsfeed comprises brands, influencers & publishers, all battling to create what marketers hope are ‘like-worthy’ pieces of content. And, to stand out, several brands have recently taken the influencer-marketing route, but Dentsu Webchutney is of the opinion that even this is slowly hitting a saturation point.

    Influencer marketing itself is riddled with disorganized logistics, confusing operations, lack of clarity about success metrics amongst other issues. Webchutney Influence aims to solve these problems for both brands and content creators.

    “Over the last year or so, we’ve noticed a pattern of brands across categories working with an extremely limited circle of content-creators: mostly the top tier publishers and creators. Unless these circles expand, the nature of content created, will not either. Webchutney Influence has been making inroads into doing just that… by working with Instagram creators who are known more for the quality of their work, with a smaller but focused loyal fan base, and other smaller publishers on Facebook to co-create and distribute content effectively. And we aim to economize this model to scale”, says Dentsu Webchutney creative director PG Aditya.

    “We realized that while brands had warmed up to collaborating with these ‘micro-influencers’ in spirit, it was usually way more convenient for them to partner with larger names, unfortunately at the content’s expense. Which is why the team at Webchutney Influence also works as a quasi-talent management hub. It is important for influencers to not feel that their content quality was being compromised, while you, the brand can reap the benefits of a user’s undivided attention,” says Dentsu Webchutney CEO Sidharth Rao.

    But how does a brand ensure that the influencers and publishers recommended is the right fit for them? Dentsu Webchutney senior vice president Gautam Reghunath clarifies: “Webchutney Influence has spent quality time handpicking publishers & content creators who command a high resonance with their audiences, and mapping their audience demographics to that of our brands before we actually recommend a collaboration. Plus, we’re a creative agency at heart. Understanding a ‘brand fit’ is something built into the team’s DNA.”

    Reghunath also touches upon the changing culture of the agency itself. “It is the new normal at Dentsu Webchutney to see a social influencer and our own creative & influence teams brainstorming on how the next series of brand creatives should be. To be honest, we’re just keeping up with the way social media is evolving – right from tweaking the way we brief our creative partners to re-imagining who these creative partners are. Webchutney Influence is as much about reach as it is about creativity,” he adds.

    Webchutney Influence has already executed campaigns with brands such as Flipkart, Mach City, Quikr, Canon India, Rentomojo and Reliance AJIO across Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.