ITV

Category: iWorld

  • Snapdeal and Truecaller partner for shopping experience

    MUMBAI: Snapdeal, India’s largest online marketplace, has partnered with Truecaller, one of the leading communication apps in the world to enhance consumer experience by integrating Truecaller Priority in the company’s IVR and order confirmation numbers. Customers with Truecaller app installed on their mobiles will be able to easily identify and filter IVR or delivery verification calls when shopping on Snapdeal.

    Any calls received by users who have placed an order on Snapdeal, while be clearly marked as ‘Snapdeal Order Team’ or ‘Snapdeal Delivery Team’, and color coded in purple; thus, assuring the users that the call is important and from a reliable source, not spam.

    Snapdeal chief customer experience officer Jayant Sood said, “Truecaller Priority feature will help reduce a key friction point in the delivery process; ensuring that our customers don’t miss out on any important calls from Snapdeal, and also increase the daily rate of deliveries for us by increasing the call completion rate.”

    Besides boosting customer satisfaction and ensuring that customers are always in the know about the status of their product, this feature will also reduce the rate of “no response” calls for Snapdeal.

    “We constantly strive to enhance the user experience through safe and efficient products. With Truecaller Priority, Snapdeal ensures enhanced efficiency in its user communications while users get to know that call is critical and for relevant reasons. We are confident that such seamless experience will add immense value to both sides,” said Truecaller director – strategic partnerships – Arun Krishnan.

  • ALT Balaji working with OTT specialists Diagnal and Xstream

    MUMBAI: ALTBalaji, the digital platform from Balalji Telefilms, marks its entry into the world of global OTT entertainment space. Launched with the aim to reach out to individual audiences directly, ALTBalaji provides differentiated content with original shows spanning some 300 hours in the first year itself. This subscription based platform will be commercially available from mid-April 2017.

    ALTBalaji is developed, designed, and integrated by OTT specialists – Diagnal; the platform is powered by Xstream’s cloud based video management system, Xstream MediaMaker™. The multiscreen platform is available on iOS, Android, Windows, Roku, AppleTV, and many more operating systems.

    Created to provide an alternative to mainstream Indian entertainment & TV content, ALTBalaji brings fresh & interesting stories to audience. Offering unparalleled high quality shows featuring popular artists, acclaimed writers, and award winning directors, the platform fills in the existing void in the entertainment space and provide a real, exciting alternative to regular television based options.

    Unlike similar premium Subscription Video on Demand OTT service providers in the market, ALTBalaji allows users to watch select content and previews without requiring an active subscription. Content accessibility provides users with the opportunity to explore service features before choosing a subscription package that suits their content needs and budget. Premium subscribers to the service will have full-access to content and features like parental control and download to watch offline.

    Commenting on this association ALT Digital Media Entertainment CEO Nachiket Pantvaidya said, “Consumers across the world are evolving aided by growing mobile reach; their requirements are becoming niche, rather than one formula fits all and this is where ALTBalaji belongs. We are excited to be associated with Diagnal and Xstream to bring in the best of technology and scalability together. ALTBalaji will offer extensive range of languages and genres to all age group and regions, both in India and abroad.”

    ALTBalaji is fully cloud based, using Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure to deliver incomparable performance and durability, ensuring high performance video delivery to all subscribers. ALTBalaji’s highlights include:

    ● A subscription based Video-on-Demand service with original and exclusive premium content at competitive prices to customers
    ● Pre-subscription access to selective content and previews
    ● Service across multiply connected devices with a seamless cross device user experience
    ● Parental control allowing kids to watch kids content while preventing them full access to all content
    ● Full scale analytics backbone with an inference engine and knowledge data store

  • Barjatya’s ‘Piyaa Albela’ on ZeeTV streaming live on dittoTV

    MUMABI: ZeeTV, well known for its ever-popular line up of TV shows is all set to launch the much-awaited romantic drama, ‘Piyaa Albela’, which can also be watched live on dittoTV. The show, produced by Sooraj Barjatya under the banner of Rajshri Productions, will launch on 6 March at 8.30 pm.

    ‘Piyaa Albela’ brings to viewers a perfect mix of romance, drama and comedy, with a touch of spirituality added in. Piyaa Albela will further strengthen the wide bouquet of Live TV shows across the range of 90+ channels that dittoTV offers to its subscribers.

    While Sooraj Barjatya is well known for working with the biggest stars in Bollywood and television, however, for this daily soap he chose to cast newcomers, Akshay Mhatre and Sheen Dass, as the main leads. Commenting on this, Sooraj explains, “The concept of a sage in meditation and a temptress attempting to break his penance is a very limited view of the Vishwamitra Menaka story. Very few people know of the love story that goes beyond the superficial layer of mere seduction. Our story is not mythological – it is set in contemporary times with real, relatable characters. It has elements, however, that can be compared to the classic. Our protagonist Pooja is approached by Naren’s parents – not to seduce their son but to ignite a spark for the real world within him. But how the two react to each other at the outset and then gradually come closer in the course of their interactions forms the crux of Piyaa Albela. We are pleased to have found the ideal Naren and Pooja in Akshay and Sheen, both making their fiction debuts as leads. Akshay’s eyes exude the brooding intensity required of Naren while Sheen has the verve, grace and positivity that Pooja needs to embody. The show is set in Dehradun and Rishikesh. We look forward to a great response.” The mysterious and suspense-filled storyline of Piyaa Albela is sure to resonate with the Indian youth, who form an important part of dittoTV’s subscriber base.

    Commenting on the launch of this new show, Z5 Business head of digital Archana Anand says, “dittoTV enables its subscribers to stay updated with all the diverse and gripping content that ZeeTV has to offer. We are extremely excited to bring Sooraj Barjatya’s romantic drama, Piyaa Albela, to viewers on our platform, dittoTV which allows viewers to catch their favourite programs live and on-the-go on their smartphones and internet connected devices, offering them the convenience of watching their favourite shows when they do not have easy access to a television set. With viewers increasingly becoming more selective about what they watch, it is highly essential to introduce differentiated and innovative content, which resonates well with the audience.”

    dittoTV subscribers can catch this new daily soap every day from Monday to Friday at 8.30 PM on their Android and iOS phones or any other internet connected device. The monthly subscription charge for the platform is INR 20 per month.

  • Shemaroo, FB tie up to launch live music-based web show

    MUMBAI: Shemaroo Entertainment, one of the leading content houses in India, joins hands with Facebook to launch a Live Music based Web Show – #KuchKisseKuchKahaniyan. The show will be hosted by the one of the most popular RJs of the country – RJ Anmol.

    FilmiGaane #KuchKisseKuchKahaniyan is slated to air every Thursday at 12 PM on facebook.com/Filmigaane. In every episode RJ Anmol will share interesting stories about Bollywood artists and musicians, their journey, popular dialogues, full length audio-video songs and a lot more about the retro era. To add to it, he will also be interacting with his audience through live comments. #KuchKisseKuchKahaniyanis first of its kind, power packed show that offers a complete new experience to the users.

    Shemaroo director Hiren Gada commented, “As team Shemaroo, we always try to think out of box and offer our audience an unparalleled experience. Kuch Kisse Kuch Kahaniyan is a step in the direction.There is a perception that today’s generation has limited connect with Retro music, however our experience is that they love it! We just need to bring in innovation in our offerings aided by new age technologies.”

    He added “We are excited to partner with Facebook to bring the retro revolution on a youth platform. RJ Anmol is the perfect face for the show and we are glad to have him on board.”

    RJ Anmol shared his thoughts on the occasion, “It is always amazing to do something different and Kuch Kisse Kuch Kahaniyan with its interesting format of a retro Bollywood chat show on a new-age digital medium offers exactly the same. This is our attempt to get retro fans across the globe on one platform.” He added, “It feels great to be a part of this monumental show with Shemaroo who are one of the flag bearers of Bollywood Classics; and now with Facebook joining hands with them, we can surely say that Kuch Kisse Kuch Kahaniyan will reach greater heights.”

  • Most Jio subs to get Prime benefits

    MUMBAI: Reliance Jio has enrolled customers to its Jio Prime membership plan, at Rs 99. The plan is an extension of the company’s ‘Happy New Year’ offer and Jio customers could enroll to Jio Prime before 31 March.

    Jio has launched paid prime and non-prime offers. Under the Prime offer, Jio customers get a one-year extension of existing unlimited data benefits, which under Happy New Year offer. The Prime subscription may be availed by both, existing Jio users and those who subscribe to Jio’s services till 31 March, 2017.

    The new plans could be seen here: https://www.jio.com/en-in/4g-plans

    For prepaid users, the plans offered starts from Rs. 19 which is valid for one day, and offers 200 MB 4G data for Prime customers whereas 100 MB for non-Prime subscribers.

    Rs. 49 (with three-day validity) offers 600 MB for Prime and 300 MB for non-Prime users. Other plans are of Rs. 96 (seven-day validity), Rs. 149 (28 days), Rs. 303 (28 days), Rs. 499 (28 days), Rs. 999 (30 days), Rs. 1,999 (90 days), Rs. 4,999 (180 days) and Rs. 9,999 (360 days) offering different data packs depending on the recharge.   

    For postpaid users, the plans are of Rs. 303 (28 GB 4G data for a month with 1 GB daily data limit), Rs. 499 (58 GB data with 2 GB data limit per day), and Rs. 999 (60 GB data for a month).

    All Jio Prime plans offer unlimited voice calls to all operators as well as free roaming. Booster packs are also there for users if they exceed the data limit of the plan. Rs. 51 booster pack offers 1 GB 4G data. Others include Rs. 91 (2 GB data), Rs. 201 (5 GB data), and Rs. 301 (10 GB data).

    A recharge of Rs. 99 would have to be done before 31 March, 2017 from MyJio, JioMoney, Jio.com or a retailer. The Jio Prime plans come into effect from 1 April, 2017, the day the existing Jio Happy New Year Offer expires.

    Similar to the previous HNY offer, the Prime membership too will provide users with an FUP limit of 1GB data for each day. Effectively it translates to 30GB data for a month, meaning Rs 10 per day. A customer who still does not have a Jio connection can get on the network on or before 31 March in order to avail the Prime membership offer.

    Also Read :

    Jio data offer unsustainable, acknowledges Airtel

    Q3-17: Reliance: Jio busts records, organized retail op profit grows 55 percent

  • YouTube TV announced for US markets, Asia next?

    MUMBAI: From user generated content on YouTube in the beginning to original content on YouTube Red to live streaming of more than 40 channels in the US on YouTubeTV – that’s the direction the world’s largest media company Google is taking. Earlier this week Google announced the launch of the service at a monthly sticker price of $35 for six user accounts per home. Each account comes with its own viewer profile which tracks what you watch to enable recommendation and separate cloud based DVRs with unlimited storage.

    No launch date for the service has been announced, but YouTube is asking interested users to sign up for it to get updates on it. Additionally, it will be introduced in select premium markets in the US before being rolled out nationally.

    Google had earlier this year signed on CBS to deliver its content live on YouTube TV and has added other major broadcast networks such as ABC, Fox, and NBC and cable channels such as ESPN, FX, USA, E!, Bravo, CNBC, Fox News, MSNBC to that roster. Subscribers can also watch premium cable TV channels such as Showtime and Fox Soccer Plus by anteing up some extra dollars. YouTube TV is also working with local TV stations and regional sports networks across the US to provide users with local TV news, weather, and sports.

    With YouTube TV’s announcement, Google is seeking to offer younger video viewers an alternative to expensive cable TV and it is also running head to head in competition with services such as Dish’s Sling TV, Sony’s Playstation Vue, AT&T’s DirecTV Now, and Hulu which is slated to launch a live streaming app in the near future.

    Media watchers are speculating whether YouTube TV will be launched in Asia soon. You Tube chief business officer Robert Kyncl is expected to be in Asia next month for a major video distribution conference.

    Watch this space for more news!

  • Cisco & Jio to build world’s largest all-IP 5G-ready platform

    MUMBAI: Reliance Jio is collaborating with Cisco to further expand Jio’s existing multi-terabit capacity, first all-IP converged network.

    With this network, Jio offers a unique combination of high-speed data, mobile video, VoLTE, digital commerce, media, cloud, and payment services. It is the first network of its kind globally with the fastest growth to 100 million broadband and VoLTE customers, reaching the milestone within six months of launch. With the Cisco All-IP network, Jio will help deliver the vision of Digital India and transform the delivery of citizen services from transportation, utilities and financial inclusion to entertainment, agriculture, education, and healthcare in the country.

    Cisco forecasts that mobile data traffic will grow 7-fold from 2016 to 20211. Technology has become the biggest driver of economic development in India. Jio network has exceeded consumption of more than 1 exabyte of data per month, establishing its clear leadership as the dominant data network.

    The Jio All-IP digital platform is a result of co-innovation around product and services between the two companies. It is built on Cisco’s Open Network Architecture and Cloud Scale Networking technologies featuring IP/MPLS, spanning areas including Data Center, Wi-Fi, Security and Contact Center solutions.

    The All-IP network is built for the ever-increasing volumes of data, and its promise to shape the future of India, with end-to-end digital solutions and broadband for all. Jio has more than 185,000 miles (or 300,000 KM) of fiber, and built India’s largest cloud data center to build platforms for applications and vertical solutions. Since its launch, Jio has accelerated India’s monthly user data consumption 40 times, the highest in the world. With the advanced All-IP network, Jio offers a premium broadband service at U.S. $0.15/GB, making it the most affordable in the world.

    Jio’s infrastructure and CDN extends beyond geographical boundaries of India into Singapore, France, London, New York, Los Angeles, Amsterdam, and Frankfurt. With this Jio has direct interconnect with global carriers and content providers enabling low-latency and high-quality experience for users in India.
    “We at Jio have been able to fundamentally impact how people leverage technology in their everyday lives by delivering inclusive and affordable broadband across India,” said Reliance Jio president Mathew Oommen.

    “As part of our journey in fulfilling the aspirations of the nation to be a key transformational agent in Digital Adoption and Leadership, Cisco has been a great partner for in building this highly scalable cloud centric All-IP Digital Services Network Platform meeting unprecedented data growth.”

    “We share the vision with Reliance Jio for an open, programmable infrastructure to simplify, automate and virtualize core network functions in order to digitize faster,” said Cisco senior vice president & general manager – service provider business Yvette Kanouff. “This network marks a milestone, transforming the mobility business in India by delivering a broad range of mobile apps and services from one common platform.”

    Cisco is building the simplified, automated and virtualized network platform of the future based on industry-leading software, systems, silicon and services. This enables service providers, media and web companies worldwide to reduce costs, speed time-to-market, secure their networks and sustain profitable growth.

    Also Read :

    http://www.indiantelevision.com/iworld/enews/convergence-17-planetcast-plans-virtualised-broadcast-cyient-lauds-jam-170210

    http://www.indiantelevision.com/dth/dth-operator/videocon-d2h-enhances-video-expereince-with-cisco-virtual-dcm-160902

  • Jio data offer unsustainable, acknowledges Airtel

    MUMBAI: Bharti Airtel, India’s largest mobile operator, has opined that the new tariff announced by Reliance Jio was very aggressive and unsustainable, and the industry would respond to it with additional data offerings and more competitive plans.

    Yesterday Airtel anounced waiving of roaming charges to compete with free roaming and voice calls offered by Jio. The Mukesh Ambani-led Jio has not only promised to match the best mobile data usage plan in the market but add 20 per cent to it.

    Tariffs that they (Jio) announced were still very aggressive, which meant they got to respond. They all got to do more packages… they had to throw in more data. All those things need to be done, PTI reported Bharti Airtel chairman Sunil Mittal telling the press.

    Jio, which has invested USD 25 billion on its 4G wireless data network, will terminate free data plans from 1 April, but has offered consumers the option of signing up for a Jio Prime membership for Rs 99 to continue using unlimited services for a year by paying Rs 303 every month.

    Acknowledging that Jio’s plan to start charging customers was “good news” for operators, he said it however, would not signal the end to tariff war. Good news was that eventually they announced that they would. But yes, it was the pricing which was unsustainable.

    Mittal, who is also the chairman of global industry body GSMA, recommended consolidation for the Indian telecom industry to “get the economic case back”, pitched for affordability in spectrum pricing that has gone “out of control” in the last few years, and said the spectrum surplus industry would not need an airwave auction, at least in 2017-18.

  • Digital India: Jio & Samsung shift LTE mobile landscape

    MUMBAI: Samsung has announced its innovative “I&G (Infill & Growth) Project” for Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd in India. This joint project was established to upgrade current LTE mobile communication services across India by expanding both the current network capacity as well as network coverage.

    Jio has built a world-class all-IP data strong future proof network with latest 4G LTE technology. It is the only network conceived and born as a Mobile Video Network from the ground up and supporting Voice over LTE technology. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies.

    The new project sets a high benchmark for LTE services in India through wider coverage, inbuilding penetration and the highest speeds, regardless of the user’s location. Utilizing spectrum in the 850, 1800 and 2300MHz bands, it will enable seamless indoor and outdoor coverage in dense urban areas. The project will also extend Jio’s superiority in rural areas by expanding its reach to over 90 per cent of the population.

    Previously, Samsung provided the LTE core, base stations and solutions required for VoLTE services, as well as massive deployment services for establishing a nationwide network for Jio. The two companies have successfully established the world’s largest greenfield LTE network.

    Reliance Jio Infocomm president Jyotindra Thacker said, “Samsung and Jio successfully achieved 100 million subscribers in 170 days, making us the fastest-growing company in the world, and the numbers continue to rapidly grow. It was possible because we introduced a truly effective LTE service, Pan-India. We are committed to bringing game-changing digital experiences to India with superior ecosystems,mobile content, all-IP networks and ongoing process innovations.”

    “As Jio’s end-to-end LTE solutions partner, it is a great pleasure for Samsung to contribute to Jio’s tremendous success,” said Samsung Electronics president and head of networks business Youngky Kim. “The massive deployment of over a million cells across India is especially remarkable. We will strive to create new paradigms for LTE-Advanced Pro and 5G by closely cooperating with Jio as a unified workforce.”

    Jio stands as an innovator which transformed the telecommunications sector in India last year. The company has already established itself as the leading data service provider in the country within a few months of commencing operations. It was also India’s first operator to introduce free-of-charge High Definition calls (VoLTE). This is especially notable, as this
    approach is now becoming a new market rule in India.

    Samsung, as Jio’s strategic partner, has established a foundation for Indians to enjoy exclusive services, including voice calls, with data as their engine. It has also gone a step further, enabling Jio to offer a superior service to its users by providing professional solutions such as Samsung VoLTE, Quality Monitoring and Analysis (VoMA) and Cognitive Traffic
    Monitoring and Optimizer for a superior user experience. Further, it was through Samsung’s VoMA that the steady management of high traffic in data-dense environments was enabled.

    The tools monitor and optimize mobile data services, and have successfully contributed to enabling Jio to provide its subscribers with a stable and improved user experience. The relationship between Jio and Samsung goes back to 2012, when the two companies signed a turn-key agreement covering the entire scope of network, ranging from equipment to establishment and maintenance services.

  • Actors Apply associates with Vijayta & Lakhia for projects

    MUMBAI: ActorsApply.com is helping cast key characters for Apoorva Lakhia’s next, a romantic-thriller web series to be shot partially in India and London. The online system is also on the lookout for a debutante to star in Vijayta Films’ next, a much-anticipated venture starring Sunny Deol’s son, Karan Deol.

    From helping to find for actors for Ajay Devgn’s ‘Shivaay’ in New York, to helping discover actors for casting director Bharat Jha for ‘Housefull 3’ to further assisting Parag Mehta find talented actors for his biopic venture ‘Sarabjit’ and upcoming Bollywood film. The company has also helped search for talented actors for Dev Patel starrer ‘Hotel Mumbai’, an American-Australian thriller film.

    ActorsApply.com guarantees a seamless and secure screening process for actors as well as casting directors and filmmakers. While the latter have the option to release castings to actors and receive preferential submissions directly from them, actors can use the platform to gain industry insights on casting, auditioning techniques, tutorials and other useful information that can help them kick-start their careers.

    The ActorsApply app is further made available on IOS and Android.

    ActorsApply.com director Kartikaye Jhalani said, “It is an honor to work for the prestigious Vijayta Films as well as to associate with Apoorva Lakhia for his web series venture.”

    About his experience, Ajay Devgn said, “We were searching for a child actor for the character of Gaura for Shivaay and I was amazed at how quickly they turned our enquiry into auditions.”

    Lakhia said, “I cast supporting characters for my upcoming feature with their help and now I am hunting for over 100 characters for my web series ‘Kab Ke Bichde’.”