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Category: News Headline

  • Prasar Bharati financial rejig near completion

    Prasar Bharati financial rejig near completion

    NEW DELHI: The Indian government is close to taking a final decision on the financial restructuring of pubcaster Prasar Bharati, which manages Doordarshan and All India Radio.

    A group of ministers (GoM) set up to look into the issue has finalised its report, which now will be vetted by the information and broadcast ministry before being put up at a cabinet meeting.

    A government official, while confirming that the restructuring report is complete, said, “The GoM and I&B ministry will have to finalise the format in which it will be put up before the Cabinet as the broad contours have been thrashed out.”

    Though the matter is likely to go to the Cabinet after the present session of Parliament gets over in a couple of weeks’ time, the official refrained from giving a time frame for a formal announcement in this regard.

    One of the options mentioned in the report, according to sources, is the government holding an equity stake in Prasar Bharati Corporation in lieu of the assets (including real estate and infrastructure), which would be transferred from government books to the Corporation.

    However, the GoM has attempted to tread carefully on the issue of the sensitive status of employees of Prasar Bharati.

    Almost 99 per cent of the over 45,000 employee base of Prasar Bharati is treated as part of the government and enjoy various perks as government servants.

    Transferring the employees to Prasar Bharati, an autonomous body created under an Act of Parliament, will make them lose some of the privileges like low-cost housing facility.

    The government official said the cabinet will have to take a final view on such matters.

    Employee status has been a ticklish issue within and outside Prasar Bharati with various employees’ unions of the Corporation opposing any change in their status, least of all being categorized as private sector employees.

    The workers’ unions had even petitioned Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last year to scrap the Prasar Bharati Act and revert DD and AIR to full government control.

    A committee, headed by I&B secretary SK Arora, was appointed by the government on 30 March, 2005 with the mandate to suggest a viable capital and financial structure for the cash-strapped Prasar Bharati to facilitate the strengthening of its functioning.

    The terms of reference of the panel was to propose a viable capital and financial structure for Prasar Bharati, while taking into account the broadcaster’s role as a pubcaster and the need to maximise revenue-earning potential through commercial operations.

    This panel was to submit its report to a GoM that was to add its own perspective.

    Though Prasar Bharati closed the last financial year ended 31 March 2006 with a record revenue mop up of Rs 12.47 billion, the gap between expenditure and income is still huge.

    For FY07, Prasar Bharati has set itself a revenue target of Rs 15 billion.

  • Broadband applications in the US put networked homes on a strong growth trajectory

    Broadband applications in the US put networked homes on a strong growth trajectory

    MUMBAI: As the networked home market in the US reaches the mass-market adoption stage, multimedia and entertainment-centric networking solutions are likely to drive the demand for home networking and become strong revenue generators.

    Moreover, increasing broadband penetration and expanding range of applications and services are ushering in new growth opportunities for all stakeholders in this nascent market.

    Research firm Frost and Sullivan finds that spurred by the increase in multiple PC households, falling hardware prices, increasing number of IP applications and rise in broadband adoption; the number of networked homes in North America is likely to increase from 22.5 million in 2005 to 63.8 million in 2012.

    Frost & Sullivan industry analyst Piyush Arora notes, “Entertainment-based home networks and emerging broadband services and applications such as IPTV and personal video recording are likely to be key contributors to future growth of home networking. The growth in network-enabled consumer electronic devices and the burgeoning online and offline digital content, will also fuel this trend.”

    Last year only five per cent of total networked homes had a multimedia network with at least one non-PC networked device such as a television, DVD player or set-top box. However, by 2012, multimedia networks are likely to post a stronger growth and increase their share to 25 per cent of total networked homes.

    The increasing penetration of broadband is also expanding the range of potential applications of home networks — from sharing broadband access between computers to streaming multimedia content between networked consumer electronic devices. Networked storage, home automation and home security are also likely to become strong contributors to home networking growth.

    Furthermore, networked homes will be ideal for service providers to deliver triple-play services and other service bundles to attract new customers. In fact, service providers are becoming an important component of the distribution channel for networking products and solutions.

    Last year, around 15 per cent of total home networking equipment revenues in North America came from the service provider channel. This share is likely to increase to 37 per cent by 2012 as service providers — including cable companies, telcos, and other broadband ISPs — increase their service bundling initiatives and start playing a more active role in offering home networking solutions.

    In the long term, it is essential for service providers, networking equipment vendors, and other stakeholders to forge more effective partnerships and develop networking solutions that provide a simpler set-up experience for consumers and reduce ongoing maintenance issues.

    “Given the complexity of setup, installation, and troubleshooting, developing a more lucid support management framework and new customer support tools are crucial for the widespread adoption of home networks,” concludes Arora.

  • Cartoon Network’s Beyblade Championship in Mumbai sees more than 1500 kids participate

    Cartoon Network’s Beyblade Championship in Mumbai sees more than 1500 kids participate

    MUMBAI: Cartoon Network’s Hojaye Shuru Beyblade Championship that was held in Mumbai on 14 May saw a participation from more than 1500 kids.

    Tarun Shenoy from Podar International School, Santacruz won the title of the Mumbai champion, while Prathamesh Mistry of St. Thomas School, Goregaon was the runner up of the championship.

    Tarun took home a Beybalde medal along with a digital camera and Prathamesh received a BMX cycle. Besides Tarun and Prathamesh, Kartikeya Upasane and Manas Pawar were the lucky ones to reach the final four to win Magnadomes.

    The final four were judged on their ability to spin the Beyblade and assemble the same. Beyblade goodies were distributed amongst all those who participated.

    Tarun will be flown to New Delhi on 21 May to compete with the Delhi champion for the title of National Beyblade Champion. The final winner will receive a Beyblade trophy and a personal computer, while the runner up will take home a Sony Play Station2.

  • US IPTV company Kasenna appoints Kumar Shah as CEO

    US IPTV company Kasenna appoints Kumar Shah as CEO

    MUMBAI: The California-based IPTV firm Kasenna has appointed Kumar Shah as CEO. Shah succeeds Mark Gray, who will continue to serve on the Kasenna Board as its Chairman and also continue to drive strategic partnerships across the globe.

    Kasenna provides video-on-demand (VOD) content and MPEG-4 ready IPTV applications for Triple Play services over broadband networks.

    “With our rock-solid and battle-tested VOD Server, innovative LivingRoom Middleware Platform, and industry leading ViewNow Content Aggregation and Management business, Kasenna has clearly established a demonstrable technology and product leadership in the IPTV market,” said Kumar. “I am excited about joining Kasenna at this crucial inflection point for Kasenna and for the IPTV market. I am looking forward to leveraging our product and technology leadership into a global leadership position in the IPTV market.”

    An industry veteran with more than 20 years of business, marketing, and sales management experience, Shah was recruited by the Kasenna board members from US Venture Partners, where he was an Entrepreneur-In-Residence (EIR).

    Prior to that, Shah was involved with a number of venture capital funded start-up companies, most recently as President & CEO of Occam Networks (OTC: OCNW) and prior to that as Chief Marketing Officer of AccessLan Communications, which was acquired by Advanced Fibre Communications, which in turn was acquired recently by Tellabs.

  • Chandra to pump in Rs 7.5 billion into WWIL, Dish

    Chandra to pump in Rs 7.5 billion into WWIL, Dish

    MUMBAI: Subhash Chandra has big investment plans for the two de-merged entities of Zee Telefilms Ltd (ZTL). Wire and Wireless (India) Ltd. and Dish TV, engaged in the cable TV and direct-to-home (DTH) businesses respectively, will together be pumping in Rs 7.5 billion to fund their expansion plans.

    WWIL will have an investment requirement of Rs 5 billion over the next three years to give a big push to digitisation of cable TV, broadband and voice services. The cable company also expects to rope in an investor. “WWIL has a business plan which would take in an investment of Rs 5 billion over three years. The strategic thrust will be on rollout of digital cable. We are also looking at triple play offerings. We have a network which can be made available to telecom operators for voice,” Essel Group chief executive officer of corporate strategy and finance Rajiv Garg tells indiantelevision.com.

    WWIL is looking at a debt-equity ratio of 1:1. “The net worth of the company currently is not that strong to support that sort of debt. We would like a 1:1 debt-equity ratio,” Garg says.

    Operating revenues from ZTL’s cable line of business stood at Rs 1.5 billion for the fiscal ended 31 March 2006 while net profit was at Rs 7 million.

    For Dish TV, the DTH outfit, there is a Rs 2.5 billion investmen plan over the next two years. The net expenses for DTH operations thus far is Rs 3.8 billion, says Garg. “We project a gross revenue of Rs 3.2 billion from our DTH business in FY07. We aim to have 2.4 million DTH subscribers in the fiscal while the average revenue per user (ARPU) should go up from Rs 190 to Rs 250 a month because of the launch of value-added services,” he adds.

    The operating revenues for the DTH business stood at Rs 818 million in FY06. On the back of subsidies and marketing expenses, the DTH operations incurred a loss of Rs 790 million during this period.

    The de-merged DTH and cable companies are likely to opt for an initial dilution of up to 26 per cent to investors. They are open to both private equity and strategic investors.

  • BBC. HBO to collaborate on ‘Tsunami’ drama

    BBC. HBO to collaborate on ‘Tsunami’ drama

    MUMBAI: Following the success of Rome, the BBC and HBO will collaborate on a two part drama that deals with the tsunami tragedy and the events that followed.

    Tim Roth, Toni Collette, Sophie Okonedo are among the actors that will star. The drama will focus on the aftermath of the cataclysmic natural disaster.

    Developed and written by Abi Morgan, Tsunami is a Kudos production for BBC Two and HBO Films and will air later this year.

    A tale of personal loss, Tsunami follows a group of fictitious characters whose lives are irrevocably transformed by the natural disaster. Based on extensive research and interviews, the drama explores how governments, the media and aid agencies respond, when without warning, they are tested by a natural disaster of this scale.

    The drama will also tackle the relationship between mankind and nature.

    Kudos has been collaborating with local communities and the piece will feature a variety of locations and landmarks affected by the tsunami. Filming on location in Phuket and Khao Lak has commenced.

    BBC controller of drama commissioning Jane Tranter says, “A thought provoking drama of loss, survival and hope, Tsunami is another example of BBC Drama’s commitment to deliver ambitious and distinctive projects that reflect the world in which we live by delving into the headlines and revealing the stories behind them.”

    Kudos executive producer and joint MD Jane Featherstone says, “The catastrophic events of Boxing day 2004 had a profound and lasting effect on people across the globe. Through meticulously researching real life events, real people and working closely with the survivor groups Abi has written a wonderful, powerful drama that purposely asks what mankind can learn from the event, as well as reflecting on the far reaching emotional and political repercussions of that fateful day.”

    BBC Two controller Roly Keating says, “It is a tribute to the power of Abi’s writing that such an extraordinary cast has come together for this important TV event.”

  • Weume Infosys bags mobile rights for Fifa World Cup

    Weume Infosys bags mobile rights for Fifa World Cup

    MUMBAI: Swiss sports event marketing major Infront Sports & Media AG has sold the India territory mobile broadcast rights for this year’s Fifa World Cup to Weume Infosys Private Limited, a Chennai-headquartered provider of mobile content and Internet services.

    Infront made the announcement as part of four agreements it has signed for its World Cup new media rights package; the other three territories being France, Canada and Sweden.

    The agreements enable the licensees to transmit up to four minutes of key match footage for “near-live” and/or delayed coverage over the Internet and/or via mobile networks to mobile phones, geo-blocked for user access only within each territory.

    The exclusive mobile broadcast rights Weume Infosys has acquired, covers English and Hindi languages and applies also to archive video material of the 2002 event, which took place in Korea and Japan.

    Weume (pronounced as We-U-Me) will distribute the content through Weume’s portal as well as mobile networks and mobile portals within the territory. The company’s target is to reach approximately 85 million subscribers, the announcement states.

    Meanwhile, telecommunications operator France Telecom has secured the non-exclusive French-language rights for Internet highlight coverage of all World Cup matches for the territory of France. France Telecom will offer the match footage via its Internet platform.

    In Canada is Rogers Communications Ltd, a diversified Canadian communications and media company, that is exclusively licensing the English-language Internet and mobile telephony rights in Canada to all 64 matches of the World Cup as well as archive material from the 2002 edition of the tournament. Rogers will leverage the rights acquired on its multiple platforms including Rogers Wireless, Rogers Cable and Rogers Yahoo! Hi-Speed Internet. Rogers Sportsnet, a subsidiary of Rogers Communications, is already a World Cup television rights holder.

    Swedish territory rights have gone to the Scandinavian nation’s largest commercial television broadcaster TV4 AB, which has acquired the Internet and mobile telephony rights to all 64 matches and archive access to 2002 tournament’s matches in Swedish and English languages. TV4 is already a television rights holder.

    Infront has so far concluded new media agreements for almost 100 countries worldwide. With more such deals in the pipeline, Infront asserts that the 2006 Fifa World Cup will be the most diversified of any international sports event to date.

  • ‘Dance Revolution’ to debut on CBS in September

    ‘Dance Revolution’ to debut on CBS in September

    MUMBAI: CBS and DIC Entertainment (DIC), in collaboration with Konami Digital Entertainment Inc., are set to produce a new dance competition series, Dance Revolution, to debut on 16 September 2006 on CBS’s Saturday Morning Secret Slumber Party branded programming block.

    Dance Revolution (previously titled Dance, Dance, Dance!), a live-action television series inspired by Konami’s hit video game franchise Dance Dance Revolution (DDR), will join the new schedule of programming on CBS’s Saturday Morning Secret Slumber Party.

    The series will encourage physical activity. Dance Revolution complements the programming block’s overall theme of promoting healthy, balanced active lifestyles.

    The line-up of previously announced programming to debut on CBS’s Saturday Morning Secret Slumber Party includes Cake, Horseland, Kooky Kitchen, Sabrina: The Animated Series, Trollz and Madeline, informs an official release.

    In Dance Revolution, ‘tweens’ and teens bring their freshest moves to this sensational new dance competition where teams of dancers display their innovative routines.

    “We are thrilled to partner with Konami to create a program that will entertain kids of all ages, and get them motivated, active and off the couch,” comments DIC Entertainment chairman & CEO Andy Heyward.

    “We are focused on using CBS’s Saturday Morning Secret Slumber Party as a vehicle to address the national concern of obesity and inactivity among children by providing motivating and innovative entertainment.”

    He adds, “We are excited to add this unique series to our schedule and to the international markets.”

  • Discovery cracks the Da Vinci Code this month

    Discovery cracks the Da Vinci Code this month

    MUMBAI: With the highly anticipated movie The Da Vinci Code starring Tom Hanks scheduled for release on 19 May across India, Discovery will air a special Da Vinci Declassified on 14 May at 8 pm.
    This special will present facts, information and a new look into the controversy that has captivated millions across the world. Dan Brown’s bestseller upon which the film is based explores the theory that Jesus had an affair with Mary Magdelene and had children by her.

    The special takes a fresh look at The Priory Of Sion. Is it real? If so, who’s behind it and what are its actual goals? Ultimately, whose destinies are they out to control? Discovery will take viewers on a journey through two thousand years of European history and art, going on location throughout Europe to unravel intricate clues about the Priory.

    Drawing on the expertise of historians, art specialists, scientists, mathematicians and actual representatives of the novel’s other famous secret society, Opus Dei, the special goes to great lengths to separate truth from fiction. From building an actual Cryptex (a device used in the book to hide and potentially destroy secret documents) to unraveling hidden messages allegedly encoded into famous works of art by Da Vinci and possibly even more controversial, Jean Cocteau.

  • I&B minister to take CAS review meeting

    I&B minister to take CAS review meeting

    NEW DELHI: Information and broadcasting minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi will review developments on CAS vis-a-vis court cases.

    The meeting was scheduled to happen either today or early next week. Pointing out that the government is committed to implementing CAS, Dasmunsi told indiantelevision.com on Friday, “I’ll review CAS in a meeting and try to understand the issues that have beset it.”

    The minister however, refused to spell out in detail his agenda on CAS. “The ministry’s broad stand on CAS has been conveyed to the (Delhi) high court.”

    In a reply filed before the Delhi HC some days back, the government sought eight to nine months’ time to implement the court’s order on rolling out addressability in Indian cable homes in select cities.

    Dasmunsi also hinted that a big roadblock in the way of smooth implementation of CAS are the different voices in which the various industry stakeholders are speaking.

    “There hardly seems to be a consensus amongst them,” the minister said on the sidelines of a book release function in the capital.

    On 10 March 2006, the Delhi HC had directed the government to roll out CAS in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata within 30 days time.

    The directive came on a petition filed by a bunch of MSOs, including Hathway and INCablenet, alleging that a delay in implementing CAS since 2004 has resulted in huge financial losses to them.

    The I&B ministry held a series of meeting with the industry, NGOs and consumer bodies soon after the court order, but said in view of inconsistency in the approach of the stakeholders, more time would be needed to iron the differences.

    The next date of hearing of the CAS case is 24 May.