ITV

Category: iWorld

  • Vu Tech launches TVs via Flipkart; eyes Rs 300 crore sale

    Vu Tech launches TVs via Flipkart; eyes Rs 300 crore sale

    MUMBAI: Vu Tech has joined hands with Flipkart to launch 15 new smart TVs in India. These will be exclusively available via the e-commerce website.

     

    The TVs are priced from Rs 9,000 to Rs 9,00,000. All the products will be available from March 2015, which incidentally will also see the knockout stage of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, which is currently being played in Australia and New Zealand.

     

    Covering almost all sizes, Vu’s range of TVs come between 19-inches and 85-inches. Televisions up to 55-inches will be sold exclusively via Flipkart, whereas larger panels will be sold directly through traditional retail outlets.

     

    Vu’s personal TV segment has five models- 19-inches, 24-inches, 28-inches 32-inches and 40-inches in the price range of Rs 9,000 to Rs 29,000. The 24-inches and 40-inches variants offer Full HD resolution while the rest offer 720p HD.

     

    The affordable luxury TV range has four size options – 42-inches, 50-inches, 55-inches and 65-inches and offer Full HD resolutions. These are in price bracket of Rs 32,000 to Rs 1,60,000. 

     

    Vu is also 4K technology at affordable prices. According to the company, it is providing a blend of curved, 4K, 3D and large screen panels at prices, which are 40 per cent less than competitors. The Hi-Fi 4K UHD TVs come in six sizes- 42-inches, 48-inches, 50-inches, 55-inches, 65-inches and 85-inches and are priced from Rs 42,000 to Rs 9 lakhs. The 42-inches and 48-inches version offer 4K resolution while the rest offer 4K 3D. The 65-inches version is curved TV.

     

    “Years ago, Vu entered the television market with a limited range of products available in stores. Today, Vu is launching vast range of television sizes and configurations to compete with the likes of Sony, Samsung and LG, and these new TVs are available to the public for purchase online,” said Vu Technologies CEO and design head Devita Saraf.

     

    “Electronics good today are playing a major role in driving the e-commerce industry. Consumers online are not just looking for high-tech features, they are also going by brand repute and innovation in technology. They want all these features at a good price point along with effective after sales service,” said Flipkart vice president – retail Amitesh Jha.

     

    The entire Hi-Fi 4K range is Android powered. The company expects to reach a revenue of Rs 300 crores by the next fiscal.

  • Young Indians prefer mobile for news & entertainment over TV, radio

    Young Indians prefer mobile for news & entertainment over TV, radio

    KOLKATA: Young Indian consumers do prefer mobile devices over traditional media like television and radio for information, current affairs as well as source of entertainment. Going forward this trend is poised to surge in the coming years, said telecom operator Tata Docomo.

     

    According to mobile service provider Tata Docomo, which recently conducted a research on mobility trends, the Internet represented the preferred mode for both news and entertainment accounting for around 40 per cent and 45 per cent of the space respectively.

     

    This is dominated by mobile access, however, with 33 per cent of millennials (new generation consumers) consulting mobile in the first instance for news (compared to just seven per cent through a fixed connection), and 36 per cent using the same platform to source entertainment and leisure information (just nine per cent for fixed connections).

     

    “This study reveals the declining relevance of traditional information platforms as primary information sources, particularly with respect to entertainment and leisure subjects where nearly a third of respondents turn directly to social media (Facebook, Twitter etc.) in the first instance,” said Tata Docomo digital business head Praveen Gupta.

     

    The study further said the shift towards mobile content is already underway in India.

     

    “Around 63 per cent of millennial mobile users are as comfortable with mobile advertising as they are with TV or online advertising; in fact only 3.1 per cent of Indian millennials consider brands that advertise on TV as being modern, compared to more than twice that number who associate smartphone advertisers with the same quality,” the study said.

  • Snapdeal acquires Exclusively to create India’s first online luxury mall

    Snapdeal acquires Exclusively to create India’s first online luxury mall

    NEW DELHI: Online marketplace, Snapdeal.com has acquired Exclusively.com (formerly Exclusively.in) – the online destination for premium and luxury fashion. With this acquisition, Snapdeal looks to further strengthen its fashion business and reaching $2 billion in GMV in the fashion category this year.

     

    Luxury products and services is a $14 billion market in India, growing at 30 per cent YoY, according to a recent KPMG-ASSOCHAM report. More than 70 per cent consumers want to shop for luxury products in India rather than abroad.

     

    Snapdeal co-founder and CEO Kunal Bahl said, “Snapdeal has always operated ahead of the curve in the e-commerce space, especially when it comes to category leadership. We have witnessed a surge in the demand from consumers across the country for premium and luxury products, however, given that access to luxury brands is severely limited in our country, we have brought Exclusively into our family to provide our 40 million+ users the access to widest range of aspirational, high end products and services.”

     

    Under this partnership, Exclusively will complement Snapdeal’s existing ecosystem and will provide a consolidated offering for the luxury and lifestyle shopper, making it India’s first online luxury mall.

     

    Luxury and premium fashion brands from across the world can now open stores in Exclusively’s online luxury mall. Exclusively will continue to function as an independent site and all aspects of Exclusively’s online shopping experience will remain intact, with new collection and service augmentations in the pipeline.

     

    With its nationwide reach, robust technology platform and deep consumer insights, Snapdeal will help Exclusively scale up and expand its current business and reach.

     

    Exclusively co-founder Sunjay Guleria and Mohini Boparai-Guleria said, “Exclusively has built and grown a cache of leading premium Indian designers, brands and boutiques. The partnership with Snapdeal comes at the right time. With increased awareness and growing disposable incomes, premium and luxury consumption in India is seeing a significant upward trend. With the geographical limitations of the brick-and-mortar model, we strongly believe that the luxury and premium segments can only be grown by sharing access with the consumer.  With Exclusively’s fashion experience and Snapdeal’s scale of operations, we look forward to not just servicing large metros, but also the aspirational demand in smaller towns across India.”

  • RCom and Twitter partner for Cricket World Cup 2015

    RCom and Twitter partner for Cricket World Cup 2015

    MUMBAI: Reliance Communications has partnered with Twitter to provide customers with the most comprehensive platform to follow the excitement and global commentary as the world’s 14 cricketing nations compete for the tag of the champion team.

     

    By allowing its users new ways to connect and engage on Twitter and follow the six week tournament, Reliance Communications will look to drive internet adoption and usage during this iconic event, and help drive greater recharges and create stickiness around data usage.

     

    Reliance Communications consumer business CEO Gurdeep Singh said, “We are delighted to partner with Twitter to offer this unique service to all cricket fans for a unique World Cup experience.”

     

    “Cricket is best enjoyed with friends and the fun doubles when you can share exchange with all friends instantly. It is with this thought that Reliance has made Twitter free and inclusive, so that our customers can get the most of this World Cup,” he added.

     

    One unique aspect of this service is that customers who do not have a Twitter account can also access cricket related Tweets by logging on towww.rcom.co.in/cricket on their mobile phones throughout the duration of this global event.  RCom customers can engage with players, commentators and celebrities, watch exclusive pictures and videos and of course remain updated with all the latest scores without incurring any data charges.

     

    On the other hand Twitter India and SE Asia director of business development Arvinder Gujral commented, “As a platform for live, public conversations, Twitter has changed the way people connect with sporting and global events including cricket tournaments. All the exciting action on and off the pitch as well as the roar of the Indian cricket fans from Jamagar to Itanagar, and Srinagar to Coimbatore, will be heard on Twitter. Through this partnership, Reliance Communications will enable millions of subscribers across the country to join this cricket party for free and in real-time via Twitter.”

     

    Customers will also be able to follow their favourite accounts and get updates without any data charges from Team India, BCCI and its players, including skipper MS Dhoni, or vice-captain Virat Kohli, the voice of Indian cricket Harsha Bhogle, as well as international legends like Vivian Richards  and Shane Warne, amongst many others. Reliance will also encourage users outside the Reliance network to participate in various interactive contests on Twitter on its account @RelianceMobile. Participants could win miniature bats as souvenirs.

     

    In addition to this, Reliance has launched an exclusive Cricket Portal wherein Reliance customers can download exciting content related to the event like match highlights, commentary, and behind the scenes images. All a customer has to do is go to ICCCWC2015.rcom.co.in.

     

    Reliance has also announced an exciting and fun recharge offer where customers who recharge with certain data packs will get free data depending on the runs scored by India during their games. So for a Rs 177 data recharge (Circle-specific MRP), each run India scores will give them an additional 2MB of extra data absolutely free. And if India wins the match, the free data will be doubled.

     

    Through its initiatives and offers, RCom will bring its customers right into the action as the greatest cricketing spectacle takes center stage.

  • The Viral Fever releases Arnub’s opinion on ‘Free Speech’

    The Viral Fever releases Arnub’s opinion on ‘Free Speech’

    MUMBAI: The Viral Fever (TVF) has released topical and impactful video – Arnub Vs. Free Speech: News-hour Qtiyapa 2.

     

    The video is next in line with TVF’s most popular Bollywood Aam Aadmi Party and follows the same format of a news debate. This time on popular demand the debate is based on the globally popular incident that happened a few days ago and world-wide people participated in the debate on the limits of freedom of speech, and where should one draw the line.

     

     The debate starts with TVF’s most popular character ‘Arnub’, establishing the whole context where a magazine named ‘Charles Hegde’ published a cartoon of Big Boss, now we all know that Big Boss is somebody who has never been seen. He is just a voice, who controls a clumsy house in Lonavala. Three ardent Big Boss fans entered their office in broad daylight, broke their pencils and snatched their tiffin boxes. The funny debate tries to rehash the takes of a celebrity, a religious leader, a political group and a social media activist on the topic of ‘Free Speech’ in a humorous way.

     

    The panel will have Vietnam Siddiqui representing the Big Boss Fan Club, Roadiebanyam Swamii from Chandigarh- an Ex Roadie and member of Roadie Swag Samiti, Motamir Khan – full time activist and part-time actor, and Miss LLaneous – editor-in-cheap of sharepoop dot com. The key aspect of the video is to look at every aspect of the world wide debate objectively and present different perspective in a hilarious fashion.

     

    TVF founder and chief creative officer Arunabh Kumar opined, “While everyone seemed to be participating in the verbal orgy on free speech, we decided to do what we know best, to try and present all sides of the topic through a funny and thought provoking video,  so that people could stop speaking for some time and start listening. Our intention with this sketch is that people begin exercising the right to ‘freedom to listen’ before making noise on freedom of speech.”

  • ESPNcricinfo launches ‘Insights’ to strengthen its content offering

    ESPNcricinfo launches ‘Insights’ to strengthen its content offering

    MUMBAI: ESPNcricinfo has launched Insights, the go-to destination for fans looking for all kinds of statistics and analysis around World Cup Cricket tournament. A first of its kind, Insights leverages the in-depth coverage and data analysis of cricket happenings across the globe and allows fans to interact with statistics and numbers in an easy and engaging manner.

     

    ESPNcricinfo Insights uses more than two decades worth of world cricketing data points and statistics, mapped at the data and analytics hub in Bangalore, to create a suite of products that aim to engage fans in this multi-screen era. ESPNcricinfo’s data operations, which tracks various data points around a cricket match, has built various levels of analytics suite  to interpret captured data  and add a qualitative perspective to the analytics thus providing an insightful cricketing analysis based on ‘Big Data.’

     

    The data operations map close to 25 variables for every ball bowled during a match that is put through an extensive analytics process that is supplemented by historical data as well as the resident cricketing intelligence of the global ESPNcricinfo editorial team. ESPNcricinfo has tied up with partners like Formcept India for some of these analytics.

     

    Fans will be able to play around with interesting cricket statistics like player versus player comparisons, across game formats and take into account factors like venue, opposition and results of matches for the previous and current Cricket World Cup.

     

    ESPN Digital Media India and ESPNcricinfo head Ramesh Kumar said, “At ESPNcricinfo, we endeavour to constantly innovate and provide cricket fans newer and exciting ways to consume content and engage with game action. We are delighted to announce the launch of ESPNcricinfo Insights, a flagship feature that is poised to deliver the best cricket insights based on cricket data of all cricket matches, the rigour and robustness of our global cricket data operations, decades of cricket analysis expertise and sound analytics offering built around them.  It is a pioneering initiative in the cricket coverage space and is sure to delight fans during the upcoming cricketing season. It will be of interest not just to cricket fans but also various other stakeholders in cricket like players, coaches, analysts.”

     

    ESPNcricinfo, Epson India senior general manager, brand & communication Tushad Talati added, “When it comes to the most comprehensive coverage of online cricket, ESPNcricinfo is the first choice for most Indians. This World Cup, more than any so far, promises to have a strong following online, given not just the increase in internet audiences but also that the timings are not exactly conducive to television viewing in India. The Insight’s center on ESPNcricinfo is expected to be the go-to place for all cricket buffs keen to get all the information and stats around the World Cup.  At Epson we felt that our presence on Cricinfo during this World Cup made imminent sense and would drive visibility for key products, especially our fantastic InkTank Printers and Home Theatre projectors.”

  • Social media: An alternate playground for World Cup 2015

    Social media: An alternate playground for World Cup 2015

     MUMBAI: While Australia and New Zealand are the epicentre of the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook too are planning to make the most of the event by not only introducing a host of innovations but also seeing a number of mentions on these platforms.

     

    Since sports is the ultimate real-time experience, fans on Twitter are getting live updates from their favourite teams, players, coaches, writers, celebrities and fellow fans.

     

    For these reasons, the micro blogging site has created a special Cricket World Cup 2015 timeline called as #CWC15 timeline. According to twitter the most followed players from each of the 14 countries are Mohammad Nabi of Afghanistan, Shakib Al Hasan of Bangladesh, Virat Kohli of India, Ross Taylor of New Zealand, Michael Clarke of Australia, Kyle Coetzer of Scotland and Stuart Broad of England. From team Ireland Kevin O’Brien is the most followed from the country and from team South Africa AB De Villiers is the most followed on twitter.

     

    Kumar Sangakara is the most followed cricketer from the island country while Shahid Afridi has made it to the list from neighbouring Pakistan. Chris Gayle is the most followed from West Indies while Brendan Taylor is the most followed from Zimbabwe. 

     

    The micro blogging site has also come up with a twitter dream team. This dream team is composed of the most-mentioned players on the site over the past 12 months, forming a first XI. Those who made to the coveted list are Ahmed Shehzad of Pakistan, Virat Kohli of India, Younis Khan of Pakistan, M S Dhoni from India, Mitchell Johnson from Australia, James Anderson and Stuart Broad from England, Shahid Afridi from Pakistan, Moeen Ali from England, Michael Clarke from Australia and Rohit Sharma from India.

     

    With the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Twitter partnering for the World Cup, the cricket body’s account provides access to the players, and it’s where they will be posting photos, videos and breaking news from inside the camp of the Men in Blue. 

     

    Speaking about the same, Twitter India and Southeast Asia market director Rishi Jaitly says, “In India, Twitter is focused on reaching every person with a mobile phone and this product is in service of that goal. We applaud the BCCI for taking the initiative to make it even more accessible for fans to stay in touch with the latest on Indian cricket.”

     

    Twitter has also introduced digital innovations for the coveted tournament. For instance it has come up with a daily recap video on the native video player. If one has missed any of the live action, ICC will send a native video tweet at the end of every match day. This is exclusive to people following the account and will have some of the best action from the game and expert views. The five minute show will go out each evening showcasing each key element of that day’s match.

     

    Meanwhile digital service provider  ‘TO THE NEW’ has come up with some trends it picked up during India’s clash against Pakistan, where the neighbouring country were thrashed bitterly by the Men in Blue. According to the report, the most number of tweets came from India (74.5 per cent), Pakistan ( 5.8 per cent ), Saudi Arabia (4.4 per cent), USA (4.3 per cent) and UK (2.8 per cent) while that of the other countries put together stood at 8.1 per cent.

     

    The report further states that 79 per cent of the tweets were by males while females made up for 21 per cent of the tweets during the match.

     

    According to Twitter India, there were a total of 118.3 million live tweet impressions during the clash of the titans. The top three tweets per minute were when India became victorious by 76 runs (9,987 tweets per minute ). Two, when Virat Kohli scored a top notch century (7,159 tweets per minute) and when Kohli was dismissed by 107 runs (6,916 tweets per minute).

     

    The report also states that the most mentioned players from India were Virat Kohli, M S Dhoni, and Suresh Raina. From Pakistan Misbah-ul-Haq, Shahid Afridi, and Sohail Khan made it to the list.

     

    Facebook too has become an alternate stadium for the World Cup. Globally nine million people had 25 million interactions about India’s victory over Pakistan. One can join the conversation by posting about the match one is watching by tapping the smiley icon before one shares a post, select the option “watching” and choose the specific match.

     

    Through a “Weekly Corner with Cricket Legends,” it has come up with a six part video Q&A series with some of the world’s leading cricketers. For this one will hav e to keep an eye on the ICC Cricket World Cup page each Monday to see interviews with Shane Warne, Yuvraj Singh, and more. Fans can also find in match highlights on the Star Sports’ Facebook page.

     

    The Facebook blog post can be accessed here: http://media.fb.com/2015/02/16/the-cricket-world-cup-on-facebook/ 

     

    Cricket on Facebook

    Indian Cricket Team

    Star Sports India

    ICC Cricket World Cup page

    ESPN Cricinfo

    Aaj Tak, Headlines Today, India Today

    CNN-IBN, IBN7

    SKY Sport NZ

    FOX Sports Australia

    Liv your fame

    Being Indian Channel

    BigFM Radio

  • MSOs, LCOs working towards increasing broadband reach: I&B

    MSOs, LCOs working towards increasing broadband reach: I&B

    NEW DELHI: Officials in the Information and Broadcasting Ministry said that several multi-system operators (MSOs) and local cable operators (LCOs) were already helping in increasing the reach of broadband throughout the country.

     

    However, these officials told Indiantelevision.com that they were unaware of any approach to the Ministry by the Department of Telecom (DoT) to seek the help of MSOs and LCOs for this purpose.

     

    They agreed that using LCOs would help as this segment had the last mile connectivity all over the country. In any case, it was felt that MSOs and LCOs – being private businesses – could be approached directly by the DoT.

     

    It was stated by LCO and MSO sources that several LCOs were already involved in the business of broadband penetration in addition to television. Furthermore some MSOs and LCOs already had licences for this purpose. One MSO said that the DoT had in fact already devised different categories of licensing for such purposes.

     

    The Broadband Policy 2004 had also suggested that cable TV network be used as a franchisee network of the service provider for provisioning broadband services, the official added.

     

    Some MSOs and LCOs have held a meeting with DoT in this connection, and sought certain facilities. 

     

    The government plans to provide broadband connectivity across the country and it has to work on many fronts, the official said adding that one is National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN), which will cover villages, and the other will be to ensure Internet connectivity in cities and small towns.

     

    The government plans to utilise Universal Service Obligation Fund to provide incentives to ensure coverage in such areas through viability gap funding, DoT officials said. 

  • IPTV to drive growth of global pay-TV market

    IPTV to drive growth of global pay-TV market

    MUMBAI: The worldwide pay-TV market is expected to have grown five per cent in 2014, surpassing 924.4 million subscribers. “IPTV is expected to grow a market leading 14 per cent in 2014, followed by satellite TV platform at seven per cent. The growth rates of cable and terrestrial TV platforms are expected to slow to around three per cent,” said ABI Research VP and practice director of core forecasting Jake Saunders.

     

    Global cable TV market growth is driven by the Asian-Pacific and Latin American markets. A combination of the two regions is likely to add over 13 million subscribers in 2014 while the cable TV market in North America is expected to decline approximately one per cent in 2014. In 3Q 2014, major cable TV operators in North America lost over 400,000 TV customers, although cable companies are doing well in broadband.

     

    Video streaming services such as Netflix and TiVo, which cost less than $10 in monthly fees are attractive alternatives for pay-TV customers. Traditional pay-TV operators are now trying to compete with these services by developing their own video-streaming products or by integrating these services in their existing services. Online video service Netflix has agreed to deals with some of the pay-TV operators in Europe to offer its streaming service to European broadband customers. Canadian companies such as Cogeco, Rogers Communications, and Shaw Communications also recently announced deals to offer Netflix’s video streaming service to their own broadband customers.

     

    Bundled packages help pay-TV operators try to reduce churn. In addition, HD channels, advanced PVR services and premium content such as sport content contribute to increased ARPU. “The worldwide HD subscriber base is growing on all pay-TV platforms. Approximately 57 per cent of total pay-TV subscribers will be HD subscribers by 2019. ABI Research forecasts the global pay-TV market will generate $324 billion in service revenues by 2019,” added industry analyst Khin Sandi Lynn.

  • Reliance launches mobile games for ICC Cricket World Cup 2015

    Reliance launches mobile games for ICC Cricket World Cup 2015

    MUMBAI: Reliance Games, the official global mobile gaming partner of the International Cricket Council (ICC) is launching four games for the ongoing cricket World Cup. 

     

    The games are: ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Mobile Cricket Quiz, ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Mobile Stick Cricket, ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Mobile Cricket Fantasy and ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Mobile Cricket Fever. These games deliver an intense and enthralling cricket gaming experience to millions of cricket fans worldwide.

     

    The games, which will be available for the iOS and Android devices, are packed with great content and exciting visuals.

     

    Reliance Entertainment Digital CEO Manish Agarwal said, “Reliance Games is proud to be International Cricket Council’s official gaming partner and this year we are launching four new mobile games catering to a wider audience. The games have been designed keeping in mind the varied interest of the gamers and we are confident that it will not only continue to engage the audiences but also keep them entertained with the spirit of sport all though the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015.”

     

    With state-of-the-art features that keep gamers coming back for more, the ICC Cricket World Cup games are some of the most exciting to come from the Reliance Games Studio.