ITV

Category: iWorld

  • www.goibibo.com becomes the first Indian OTA to partner with Google Flight Search

    www.goibibo.com becomes the first Indian OTA to partner with Google Flight Search

    MUMBAI: www.goibibo.com, one of India’s top three online travel aggregators has become the first Indian portal to partner with Google for its Flight Search feature. The association reinforces Goibibo’s core value proposition of offering the FASTEST and most TRUSTED booking experience and will enable the portal to reach out with its services to a wider base of users.

     

    “Goibibo.com is the first OTA in India to partner with Google for Flight Search .This is in line with our philosophy and core differentiation of delivering the fastest booking experience to our travellers”, said Ashish Kashyap, Founder & CEO of ibiboGroup (ibibo owns Goibibo.com and redbus.in).

     

    Venkat Chandramoleshwar, Partnerships Manager, Travel, said: “Goibibo has grown in the past five years to become a leading online travel aggregator in India, and we are delighted they are joining the Google Flight Search family. Travellers can now easily find and compare the best flights on Flight Search and can book their flights on Goibibo, one of the blue partner book buttons featured on Google.“

     

    On using Google Flight Search in India, travellers are offered the option to book the best flights available directly on the airline site or via Goibibo.com. The association, therefore, benefits the customers by allowing them to quickly find, compare and book flights from their mobile device, tablet or desktop in the most seamless way.

     

    It is also a shot in the arm for Goibibo because not only does this validate its position as the quickest way to make travel bookings but also allows for greater penetration into the Indian online travel market, further bolstering its leadership position. Being the first Indian OTA to partner with Google Flight Search demonstrates the company’s commitment to enhancing the convenience of its customers through continued technological innovations and collaborations with other industry leaders. 

  • Vuclip to offer video-on-demand service to Indonesia

    Vuclip to offer video-on-demand service to Indonesia

    NEW DELHI: The mobile video on demand (VoD) service for emerging markets Vuclip has announced its strategic partnership with Indosat, one of the largest telecommunication networks and service providers in Indonesia with over 54 million subscribers.
     
    Indosat and Vuclip will provide premium mobile VoD service for an attractive market launch price of just 1000 Rupiah per day. This offer is alongside the affordable data plans that Indosat provides in the Indonesian market.
     
    The offering will showcase mobile content from partners such as MNC Group, Viva, Kompas TV, Kapanlagi, Malesbanget.com and Masak TV.
     
    Until recently, premium mobile content, such as music videos, reality television series and quality religious programmes, was only available through the television with limited access on mobile phones. With this new initiative, Vuclip’s Dynamic Adaptive Transcoding Technology will empower Indosat subscribers to watch unbuffered videos, optimized for network variability, across all mobile devices.
     
    “Vuclip’s approach to inspiring consumers to consume mobile video is in line with Indosat’s strategy to lead the market with differentiated quality offerings at affordable prices for subscribers. It’s Vuclip’s combination of a smooth viewing experience and compelling content riding on our best in class network rollouts that is really exciting,” Group head of data & VAS, Indosat Kevin Henry said. “This unique subscription approach is a very attractive one that should delight our customers. They can see that they are getting a fantastic value and this allows them to explore and discover interesting content with no limits imposed.”
     
    “We admire Indosat’s mission to deliver a superior experience to its mobile subscribers. We are happy to partner with Indosat to turn that mission into a reality by providing a high quality premium video on demand service to the consumers in Indonesia,” said Vuclip COO Arun Prakash. “A wide selection of premium local and global content, an amazing unbuffered viewing experience, convenience to watch any video any time at an affordable price point is what makes our service very popular amongst millions of paying subscribers In Southeast Asia. This partnership reiterates our strategic focus and commitment to millions of subscribers in the Indonesian market.”
     
    In addition to Indonesian consumers, Vuclip offers its highly popular premium video on demand services in UAE, Malaysia, India, Thailand and Egypt via partnerships with leading carriers in each of these countries.

     

  • #fame launches India’s first video fashion mag with KJo, Lakme ‘School of Style’

    #fame launches India’s first video fashion mag with KJo, Lakme ‘School of Style’

    MUMBAI: #fame, India’s leading talent led digital network, has pioneered another content coup by launching Lakmé ‘School of Style’. The show will not only give India its first ever video fashion magazine but, will also script film maker and fashion icon Karan Johar’s digital debut.

     

    Lakmé School of Style is a first of its kind show that will not only bring the newest trends and happenings from the fashion world but in the process will also create new age fashionistas and idols. Lakmé is a pioneer in beauty and fashion and through this association the brand will lend its expertise and industry knowledge to Lakmé School of Style. A fashion brigade led by Karan Johar himself will bring the fashion news, views and events from all over the world to the internet screen. The debut season of Lakmé School of Style will span over six months and content will be served through digital videos on a daily basis. The channel will be hosted across the #fame network which is available on all leading digital and social platforms including YouTube (youtube.com/fameschoolofstyle), facebook (facebook.com/famesos), Dailymotion, WeChat, and leading content publishers.

     

    Speaking on the occasion of opening the lines for entry, Saket Saurabh, CEO, #fame said, “At #fame, we are committed to discovering and promoting the best emerging talent on the digital video platform. ‘Lakmé School of Style’ will achieve this objective, by giving talented fashionistas a once-in-a lifetime opportunity to shape the dialogue on style and trends. As India’s first fashion video magazine, ‘Lakmé School of Style’ will be the definitive destination for fashion in the country.”

     

    Speaking on this association Shashwat Sharma, Head, Lakme and Beauty shared, “Lakmé epitomizes beauty and fashion.  Digital is increasingly becoming the first port of call for the youth to discover and decode the latest trends. Therefore, we believe that School of Style provides us with the right platform to actively engage with this audience. Inspired by backstage fashion, Indian beauty expert Lakmé continuously innovates to offer a wide range of high performance and world class color cosmetics, skincare products, and beauty salons.

     

    Interested and active fashion vloggers can send their entries to karanjohar@livfame.com or log on to www.livfame.com/schoolofstyle. Karan Johar, excited to make his digital debut with Lakmé School of Style said, “Iam excited about the power of digital and the new wave of promising young talent that’s coming to the fore through it. #fame’s unique initiative, Lakme School of Style, is the perfect opportunity for us to discover top fashion talent and I look forward to making my digital debut with this show.”

     

  • Is Star’s VoD ‘hot’ enough?

    Is Star’s VoD ‘hot’ enough?

    MUMBAI: “At Star, we have always focused on dramatically enhancing the overall consumer experience. Smart technology, combined with powerful content, can be disruptive…,” had said Star India CEO Uday Shankar when the network launched its online sports platform starsports.com.

     

    Two years have passed since then and keeping up with the changing times, the giant network is back with a new platform. Christened hotStar, the video on demand (VoD) portal, currently running in beta version, will change the way people view content on television or digitally.

     

    With everything found under one roof, the platform has all the genres the network dabbles in. From popular dailies to live sporting events, a click will please many.

     

    The network labels the platforms as the “most compelling catalogue ever offered over-the-top on mobile and the web, making it the most the most complete video destination for consumers.”

     

    With around 20,000 hours content spread across seven languages, which includes 120+ full length TV shows, 500+ movies and live screening of popular sports like cricket, football, tennis and kabbadi, hotStar caters to a very large and diverse audience.

     

    Available across devices, the VoD is not the first such platform launched by a television network in the country; Ditto TV was launched by Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) in 2012. There are many other such platforms like Biscoot and Zenga also available today.

     

    Believes Shotformats Digital Productions CEO and managing director Niyati Shah that though the platform looks nice but the concept of launching the same isn’t clear. “On television there is appointment viewing and in the digital world it is all about snacking. And with only Star content available on the platform, I don’t know what will be the scalability.”

     

    The free to view platform has a simple and easy user interface. However, what stands out is the logo which though is a star but is quite different from that of the networks logo. The tilted star has bright neon green and yellow colours. Its name is another feature that stands out.

     

    “It does sound like a talent show,” says FCB Ulka Digital creative head Sudarshan Sudevan but quickly adds, “But for a site of this sort, it’s not the name that’s critical, it’s the content. And the users will get a hang of it in due course of time.”

     

    Sudevan is excited that Star India is finally into video on demand. “With a good mix of TV shows, movies and sports … I am sure the video friendly population of today is going to have a treat. The network’s idea to enter the space that has been dominated by international players like Netflix and Amazon will be of a pleasure for fans here,” he adds.

     

    Agrees L&K Saatchi & Saatchi India CEO and managing partner Anil Nair that today people want to view content on the move.

     

    However, Shah isn’t convinced. “If I’m a Star TV viewer and miss something, maybe then I would come on the portal. Otherwise I have doubts who would log on,” she states while emphasisng on the fact that through the networks’ strength, the platform might get marketed well but the future will tell the true story.

     

    Nair too points out that today when there are aggregators like Youtube and Apple TV, the lack of genres available on Star’s new platform might become a hurdle. “Hopefully, in the future, the app will add more genres to its bouquet otherwise this can become a reservation for a viewer.”

     

    Highlighting that digitisation will change the mediums in the country, the experts are optimist that with many leaps to take, service providers have a lot to offer.

     

    The network has already started the ground work and a click on any of its current websites (apart from StarSports.com) directly takes the viewer to the new platform. The soft launch has successfully been able to create the buzz and now one just has to wait for the big band launch.

  • Raghav Bahl launches The Quint

    Raghav Bahl launches The Quint

    MUMBAI: “It’s actually a no brainer. If you have to reinvent, you have to simply start from scratch,” said Raghav Bahl as he introduced the team behind his latest venture- The Quint. 

     

    The man is gearing for his newest venture. After their stint with television, Bahl along with Ritu Kapur has, co founded their digital company called Quintillion Media. The name has been derived from the Quintillion (Kwin-til-yuh-n), which means the numerical one followed by 18 zeroes. 

     

    The company was registered on 23 August, last year, bearing the registration number 270795 with an authorised capital of Rs 130 crore. It invested in a start up called Quintype, based in the San Francisco Bay Area with entrepreneur Amit Rathore as CEO and chief product officer. At Quintype, Bahl is the chief strategist and board member while Kapur is the chief customer looking after the product and also a board member.

     

    In a video released on Facebook, the media mogul is seen introducing Quintillion’s first digital baby, which will be a mobile-first, algorithmic digital hand held news service named www.thequint.com. 

     

    The office is based at Noida’s Film City just a few buildings away from that of Network18.  

     

    Going by Indian tradition, not surprisingly an auspicious ‘pooja’ was performed in November, last year, as the startup is gearing to soar high. The content will be high on visual and imagery and crisper with the text. It will not be limited to news but also cover genres like technology, health among others. The aim of the platform is to ‘be the signal over the noise’. The current logo is that of the alphabet ‘Q’ in white and purple over a canary yellow background. On Facebook, it currently has 579 likes since its launch on 9 January.

     

    Giving his views on social media, Bahl wrote on Facebook, “Social media, especially Google and Facebook, are an independent journalist’s best friends, giving his piece a viral velocity impossible within the linear confines of newspapers and TV”

     

    All in all, it remains to be seen how this reinvention takes form as it gears to take over competitors like Scroll, Buzzfeed and The Huffington Post India.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • India SatCom-2015: Ushering in a new era

    India SatCom-2015: Ushering in a new era

    MUMBAI: Accounting for approximately 17 per cent of the global population and with a growing middle class and a large population still living in rural & remote areas, India presents large market opportunities for satellite communication services. With the government’s focus on ‘Digital India’, one of the significant market enablers for broadband penetration shall be over satellite, as a large share of the population still remain beyond the reach of the terrestrial broadband network including fiber and cable.

    To shake off  the inertia and cynicism and bring about an awakening call to the policy makers for the need to refocus on satellite communication policy and to realise the dream and vision of our Hon’ble Prime Minister – Narendra Modi to make  “ Digital India “ –India’s road map for providing inclusive growth & development for its entire population of 1.3 billion, we are organising a unique day long seminar about Satellite Communication and how we can use this technology to transform  the lives of the people of India. On behalf of Broadband India Forum ( BIF ), we are pleased to invite you to attend this gala event to be held on 16 January 2015 at  Hotel Le Meridien , Janpath, New Delhi  from 10am.  The theme of the conference is India Satcom-2015: Ushering in a new era.

    The chief architect of the ‘Digital India’ program- Hon’ble Minister of Communications & IT-Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad ji has been invited to grace the occasion by inaugurating the conference and delivering the inaugural address.

    The dignitaries who have been extended the invitation to be a part of the conference are Rahul Khullar, Chairperson- TRAI, Rita Teotia, Special Secretary- Dept. of Telecom and Kiran Karnik prominent Indian administrator chiefly known for his work in the broadcasting and outsourcing industries, RK Arnold, Member TRAI besides leading industry veterans viz. Vern Fotheringham-CEO & MD, Kymeta Corp, USA who shall be delivering the keynote address & David Hartshorn-Secretary General, Global VSAT Forum ( GVF ) who shall be bringing an international perspective  to the discussions.

    The occasion will also see the release of the White Paper on Satellite Vision – 2020 besides the launch of the India SatCom Forum under the aegis of Broadband India Forum. This will be entrusted to take the recommendations of the conference forward and work diligently to provide industry inputs in the New Satcom Policy-2015.

    The conference is expected to be attended by eminent visionaries, technocrats, industry specialists and bureaucrats from Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Doordarshan, Prasar Bharati, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited, Department of Telecommunications, Government of India, Telecom Engineering Center, Indian Space research Organization / ANTRIX,WPC (Wireless Planning & Coordination Wing) and from the Broadcasters, Satellite Service Providers,Satellite Operators, Telecom Service Providers, Broadband Service Providers / Internet service Providers, DTH Operators , VSAT Service Providers, System Integrators, Technology Providers  and Users.

    The conference has been supported by two large international organisations- the Global VSAT Forum (GVF)  and the Cable & Satellite Broadcasters Association (CASBAA).

     

  • Broadband users rise to 82.22 million in November

    Broadband users rise to 82.22 million in November

    NEW DELHI: Showing an appreciable increase owing to mobile subscribers, the number of broadband subscribers increased from 79.21 million at the end of October 2014 to 82.22 million at the end of November 2014 showing a monthly growth rate of 3.79 per cent.

    The top five service providers constituted 86.97 per cent market share of total broadband subscribers at the end of November 2014. These service providers were BSNL (18.70 million), Bharti Airtel (18.17 million), Vodafone (15.61 million), Idea Cellular (12.26 million) and Reliance Communications Group (6.77 million).

    Wireless subscribers with less than 1MB data usage in a month have not been considered as internet/broadband subscribers by Reliance Communication Group and Idea Cellular.

    As on 30 November 2014, the top five Wired Broadband Service providers were BSNL (9.98 million), Bharti Airtel (1.40 million), MTNL (1.13 million), Beam Telecom (0.44 million) and YOU Broadband (0.42 million).

    The top five Wireless Broadband Service providers were Bharti Airtel (16.77 million), Vodafone (15.60 million), Idea Cellular (12.25 million), BSNL (8.72 million) and Reliance Communications Group (6.67 million).

    Segment-wise, the largest growth of 4.57 per cent in Mobile devices users (Phones and dongles) from 63.65 million subscribers to 66.56 million, followed by a growth of 3.52 per cent from 420,000 to 430,000 broadband subscribers, and 530,000 in wired subscribers from 15.15 million to 15.23 million between October end and November end.                                                                                                        

     

  • Gizmobaba ventures into offline retail

    Gizmobaba ventures into offline retail

    MUMBAI: Gizmobaba.com, a portal for all wacky gizmos recently launched their first physical store in Mumbai in reaction to customers seeking for physical demo of products.

    Gizmobaba founder Alok Chawla stated, “This is the first step into offline retail; we will further expand after evaluating the customers’ response.” He further added, “We believe, in India, people love to go to the store and get a feel of the product, see how it functions and if it really does look good. Additionally, a physical store allows greater reach especially among people who are not comfortable with an online payment or return options. ”

    Talking about the further expansions of the offline stores, Chawla said, “We are soon coming up with SIS retail formats and we are targeting multi-brand gadgets stores / departmental stores inside which we can set up Gizmobaba’s mini stores. We see a huge potential in hybrid model of business. On one hand online dimension of the business helps us reach out to infinite customers however offline will complement the online as it enforces the value of the brand in the minds of our customers, and buyers will trust the brand more if they see it offline as well as online. Therefore, we look for franchise out the offline stores as well.”

    The company plans to roll out five to eight more outlets in 2015. Also, they expect to have an equal number of franchises ‘Shop in Shop’ outlets across the nation.  Gizmobaba ensures a perfect customer experience at their offline store. Before a customer buys any product they witness a complete demonstration of the product given by the tech experts available at the store. They have installed a screen showing videos and demos of their product.

  • ACT to focus on broadband, cable ops acquisition

    ACT to focus on broadband, cable ops acquisition

    BENGALURU: Atria Convergent Technologies (ACT), one of the largest broadband players in India after the public sector BSNL, MTNL and the private sector Airtel will focus primarily on broadband, reveal company sources. ACT withdrew its application for permanent registration as an MSO in September 2014 according to the MIB ‘List as on 05.01.2015 of MSOs whose Registration by Ministry of Information & Broadcasting to operate in digital addressable system (DAS) has been cancelled or cases closed’.

     

    “Our focus for our mother brand ACT will be broadband. We have MSO licenses in the states that we operate in under individual names. We will expand our cable footprint by acquiring only the operators that have permanent licenses,” revealed ACT CEO Bala Maladi to indiantelevision.com.

     

    MSOs under the ACT umbrella operate in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh (AP) through Kable First India in Bangalore, Kable First Davangere in Davangere,  Mandapeta Digital Entertainment (Mandapeta, AP), Venkateshwara Digital Home Entertainment (Kutukuluru and  Nakapalli in AP) and ACT Digital Home Entertainment (AP and Telangana), Raja Rajeshwari Entertainment (Notified areas of Nellore, AP), Sree Digital Home Entertainment (East Godavari District in the state of AP). Earlier, ACT was present in Indore (Madhya Pradesh) through SR Cable TV. In Tamil Nadu (TN), it provides broadband internet services.

     

    ACT is a triple play service provider offering an ensemble of information, communication and entertainment through Fibernet, Digital TV, Analog TV and IPTV. Headquartered in Bengaluru, ACT is spread across the towns and cities of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh (AP) and Tamil Nadu (TN). ACT says that it presently has 10 lakh (1 million) plus cable and broadband subscribers. ACT has been funded by IVFA (India Value Fund Advisor). Industry sources say that the company has crossed turnover of Rs 700 crore (Rs 7 billion).

  • Broadcom India eyes huge growth potential in cable broadband & OTT services

    Broadcom India eyes huge growth potential in cable broadband & OTT services

    KOLKATA: With digital television (DTV) and digitisation, household penetration is increasing in the country. “There exists tremendous opportunities for cable broadband and over-the-top (OTT) services”, opines Broadcom India managing director Rajiv Kapur.
     
     “The over-the-top television market may still be in its infancy in India, but it holds much promise for the future. The demand for OTT is going up. There are progressive operators who have been talking about value-added services. Internet entertainment on TV is on the rise,” says Kapur.
     
    Looking ahead, “one can see existing television sets transformed into smart TVs, enabling internet applications everywhere in the home,” adds Kapur. “We are expanding the options for entertainment in the home.  We are revolutionizing television by providing a full-range of platform solutions for content-sharing and video streaming throughout the home,” he further informs.
     
    Broadcom’s video and broadband solutions enables service providers offer a high-quality, TV-watching experience to its subscribers along with high-speed internet browsing.
     
    He went on to explain Broadcom’s role in OTT and broadband services through Set Top Boxes (STBs). Kapur says that the company constantly educates and trains various operators on the OTT services.
     
    India is currently witnessing the digitisation of analog cable TV signals as mandated by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B). With digitisation, analog cable subscribers have been also migrating largely to digital cable, which has gained about 10 million subscribers in 2013, while net DTH subscribers increased by approximately three million.
     
    Post digitisation, while the viewing experience and expectations of the subscribers are soaring, it has also increased the demand for high-speed broadband.
     
    As per the Cisco Visual Networking Index 2014, in India, mobile data traffic will grow by a colossal 24-fold from 2013 to 2018, a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 88 per cent and Internet-Video-to-TV traffic will increase 8-fold between 2013 and 2018 (50.9 per cent CAGR).
     
    “Consumers are now more acutely aware about the content on their portable devices and the TV”, he further adds.
     
    As the users evolve with digital content streamed to them, the demand for OTT services increases.
     
    It should also be noted that in a report borne out by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) survey, it forecasts 176 million OTT viewers by 2015 generating revenues of $552 million.

     

    Moreover, Morgan Stanley, a multinational financial services company, projects in its report that mobile data subscribers in India are likely to grow on an average by 25 per cent every year to reach 519 million by fiscal 2018, driven by falling handset prices and rise in smart phone usage and penetration.

     

    ‘With Wi-Fi internet access, end-users are looking for enhanced ways to communicate with large format screens too,” S Rajagopalan, a media analyst opines.

     

    “With this, users can also use Smart TV, though the interface is not user-friendly. The manufacturer, therefore, has to innovate with the interface, such as Flex Smartphone or Bluetooth / Wi-Fi-enabled keyboard to be integrated, which will grab the attention of the end-user. Maybe over a period of time, Smart TV will be preferred by the end-user to laptops, which will lead to more speed and bandwidth in the broadband segment,” concludes Rajagopalan.