Category: Press Release

Star India partners with Times Internet to distribute IPL on digital in India

MUMBAI: Star India has licensed the digital distribution rights for IPL 2014 from Times Internet, the digital arm of the Times of India Group. Star India will offer streaming and video on demand on starsports.com, the Star Sports app, and on mobile operator services powered by Star Sports. Times Internet will distribute IPL streaming and video on demand on its cricket destination on web and mobile, powered by a starsports.com video player. Both companies will market the joint proposition, and Star India will be solely responsible for monetisation, including advertising sales.

Last year, IPL online witnessed a 56 per cent growth in unique visitors, with over 200 million video views. This year, India’s largest media houses will co-distribute IPL, offering unparalleled reach and viewership.

The move deepens Star’s commitment to dramatically shape the sports experience on digital. Launched in June 2013, starsports.com has become the go-to destination for following the best of international sports. It has redefined the sports experience through a revolutionary video timeline that is a first of its kind in the world of sports, and allows the viewer to keep track of live sports as well as catch up on games with ease. The company has also built an advanced technology infrastructure that enables HD quality streaming across multiple devices.

“At a time when more and more fans are following sports across multiple screens, our aim is to deliver an experience for them that is even better than what is on television. This partnership signals our continuing efforts to transform sports and the digital experience, ”said Mr. Sanjay Gupta, Chief Operating Officer of Star India. “We want to make IPL the world’s largest sporting event on a digital platform this year.”

Satyan Gajwani, Chief Executive Officer of Times Internet, said, “We have been offering our users IPL for three years, and it continues to be a major driver in consumption and brand, recognized as one of the largest online video events worldwide with rapid growth. Our partnership with Star will enable an even larger reach for the property across digital devices.”

starsports.com is India’s first multi-sports digital service with availability across the web and mobile. Powered by live and video rights, it covers the best of world sports including major cricket tournaments, BPL, La Liga and Serie A in football, F1, hockey and tennis.

Times Internet is the largest Indian online media entity, with over 40 million monthly visitors across its numerous digital destinations. Its portfolio includes news, lifestyle content, entertainment, ecommerce, mobile VAS, music & movie streaming, and local services.

January 28, 2014
Da Vinci Learning partners with Airtel Digital TV, Siticable and Digicable

MUMBAI: Da Vinci Learning, the fun edutainment TV channel for the whole family, today announced their partnership with three of the biggest operators in Indian television- Airtel Digital TV- one of India’s leading Direct to Home operators; Siticable and Digicable who are leading MSOs. The partnership is aimed at developing the channels foothold in the Indian television industry prior to its launchlater this year, and to give Indian viewers an opportunity to sample Da Vinci Learning’s rich content portfolio.Da Vinci Learning, which is targeted at 4-14 year olds and their parents, is known for turning TV watching from passive observation into a meaningful and fun experience, helping children develop various skills early-on, encouraging older viewers to keep asking questions and inviting families to take their learning journeys together.

To showcase the channel’s extensive programming, which covers a wide array of topics ranging from physics and chemistry to history and nature, Da Vinci Learning has struck a Video on demand deal with Airtel Digital TV. As part of the deal, Da Vinci will provide 150 hours of content to Airtel Digital TV, which will be available in the kids section of their VODVOD service. With Siticable, the channel will receivea 6 month branded block while with DigiCable the channel will have a 12 month branded block. With Airtel Digital TV and Siti Cable, the channel will showcase programs like Kid Detectives and Lab Rats Challenge, while with Digicable the channel will present shows such as Logo Animation and Indent Kid amongst others.

Speaking on the occasion, Mohit Anand, Managing Director-India, Da Vinci Learning said “We are very excited to work with this prestigious group of partners as each of them is committed towards using new technologies to improve communications to and between kids. For us, this is a great platform to showcase the interesting and interactive programming that we have to offer to the Indian audience. We are positive that these associations will enable the Indian viewers to be part of a meaningful and fun learning experience focused on educational shows and documentaries from around the world.”

Saurabh Sinha, Chief Producer-Siti Cable said “As a channel partner getting a very good response from the branded block of Da Vinci Learning. The audience is conceiving it as ‘Education with entertainment’, programme like, Kid Detectives – (easily detailed about forensic science with entertainment), Little Einstein- (One can easily understand about Einstein theories) etc. Siti channel being channel partner with DaVinci’s has definitely helped us in garnering better audience base.”

Mr. Narinderpal Singh – Senior Vice President – Broadcaster Relations believes“Digicable, which has been at the forefront of introducing many new innovations in Digital cable Television, is now pleased to inform that we are ready to offer our discerning subscribers the Best of International Edutainment thru its association with the DaVinci Channel.”

January 28, 2014
AAP faces flak for Somnath Bharti’s midnight raids in Delhi:ABP News-Nielsen opinion poll

MUMBAI: Aam Admi Party’s image suffers a blow for the midnight raids at Khirki Extension led by party MLA and law minister Somnath Bharti in Delhi, suggests the opinion poll conducted by ABP News-Nielsen. Around 55% respondents surveyed in Delhi feel that recent incident involving Somanath Bharti will have a negative impact on the image of Aam Admi Party.

5o per cent believe Kejriwal’s dharna over Bharti row not right

According to the ABP News-Nielsen opinion poll, 50 per cent feel that Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal should not have staged dharna and protested against alleged non-cooperation by officers of the Delhi Police in the after math of the incident in Khirki extension. There is a split of opinion amongst total respondents with 48% saying otherwise.

Delhi CM Kejriwal’s performance above average in last one month

According to the opinion poll conducted by ABP News-Nielsen, majority of the respondents (55%) surveyed in Delhi rated overall performance of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal as ‘very good’ or ‘good’ with a mean score of 3.5 which implies an above average performance. Around 38 per cent rated his performance in the last month as chief minister as good. As per the survey, 12 per cent respondents rated the performance of chief minister as ‘poor’ and 4 per cent as ‘very poor’.

51% to vote for AAP if Lok Sabha polls were held tomorrow

As per the ABP News-Nielsen opinion poll, half of respondent surveyed (51%) said that they will vote for AAP if Lok Sabha elections were held tomorrow. Around 46 per cent said they will not vote for the party. as per the survey, there is a drop of 13% from the Vidhan Sabha voting.

Majority will vote for AAP if Delhi Vidhan Sabha elections were held tomorrow

As per the ABP News-Nielsen opinion poll, almost two thirds majority, 63% of respondents surveyed said that they will vote for AAP if Delhi Vidhan Sabha elections were held tomorrow.

50 per cent support Modi as prime minister in Delhi

Narendra Modi is the preference of half of the respondents surveyed in Delhi for the position of Prime Minister. It would appear that about 14% of those who said they would vote for AAP in Lok Sabha elections, would prefer someone other than Arvind Kejriwal as PM. Around 37 respondents voted for Arvind Kejriwal and 10 per cent for Rahul Gandhi as PM.

The opinion poll was conducted by ABP News-Nielsen between 25th and 26th January, 2014 with 1501 respondents.

January 28, 2014
Fremantlemedia international heads into natpe throughout latin america

MUMBAI: FremantleMedia International today announced that the company is continuing to bring world class entertainment to the Latin American market with a line-up of prominent programming sales throughout the region.

“FremantleMedia International continues to have a strong presence across Latin America as we head into this year’s NATPE market,” said Sheila Aguirre, Senior Vice President, Sales and Development Latin America, Caribbean and Hispanic USA, FremantleMedia International. “We continue to offer diverse content and formats that meet the needs of a wide range of broadcasters, and remain dedicated to building our business within the region.”

Welcoming every type of performer, the leadingFremantleMedia and Syco Television co-owned format,Got Talentcontinues to celebrate artistic spirits throughout the region. SonyPictures Television Networks in Latin America, as well as CNC-3 Trinidad, will continue taking America’s Got Talentwith Season9 premiering in 2014. In addition, the Got Talentformat has been re-commissioned for a localized versionwith TalentoChileno on Chilevision entering into its fifth season.

In additional format sales, the original music show phenomenon, Idols, co-owned by FremantleMedia and 19 Entertainment, will be adapted for the Colombian market for the first time. Idol Colombia is set to premiere on RCN in spring 2014 and will become the 47th local version of Idols to be produced worldwide.

Reality television will continue to be a focus with the sale of Seasons 1 and 2 of Tattoo Nightmares(34 x 30’). Highlighting real people with really bad tattoos, the show will be premiering onTruTVin 2014. In addition, hidden collectibles will be uncovered asthe modern-day treasure hunt,Storage WarsCanada (36 x 30’)heads to A&E Networks throughout the Latin American region. Also havingjust launched is Fractured Families – The Long Ride Home on Chilevision. Estranged parents and children are followed as they undertake a tough adventure to re-build their damaged relationships in this locally produced version.

Exploring the factual categorywith a sale to Discovery Networks Latin America, Dark Matters: Twisted But True(6 x 1 hour) presents unbelievable tales from the strange side of science.

In lifestyle programming, Martha Stewart’s Cooking School(26 x 30’) stars the famed business woman and explores her classic techniques for making everything in the home perfect. Seasons 1 and 2 of the show will be premiering on Chello Latin America. And the hilarious game show formatsThe Noiseand Face Itfrom Fuji TV, are being produced byTelefeand recently premiered in Argentina. The Noiseproves that silence really is golden as teams battle it out to perform tasks without a sound, while contestants useonly their faces to complete tasks in Face It.

Visit FremantleMedia at NATPE 2014 at Fontainebleau Resort in Miami, Tresor Tower, Suite 2-3003 from January 27 – 29.

January 27, 2014
Razorfish-Neev establishes Hybris Centre of Excellence in Bangalore

MUMBAI: Razorfish has launched a Centre of Excellence (COE) in Bangalore with strategic inputs from existing partners Hybris, the popular eCommerce platform.
Razorfish will be leveraging their expertise in Content Management Systems, Cloud-based Solutions and Rich User Experience to deliver Hybris-based solutions. They are working on integrating Hybris with Adobe CQ, a popular content management system, to deploy Hybris on Virtual Private Clouds of Amazon Web Services. This will enable Razorfish to take full advantage of cloud scalability and security of dedicated hosting.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Saurabh Chandra, CEO, Razorfish-Neev said, “Razorfish-Neev now has a dedicated Hybris Center of Excellence in Bangalore with a team of certified experts with a rich experience in Hybris commerce implementations. As part of our Hybris implementations, we have integrated Paypal payment gateways and have also created new Wizards for store administrators. This helps in creating rules in a live system and displays relevant content to the end users based on their activities with the store. Hybris is flexible, scalable and extremely reliable, and we are more than excited to take on new Hybris-based endeavors and enrich our competencies.”

Razorfish will also be integrating Hybris with AngularJS to build virtual online stores having rich user experience. They are also working to build a fully customized marketplace on the Hybris platform similar to eBay. They would also be creating Hybris based Omni-Channel Commerce solution, where the user has a seamless interactive brand experience, be it in-store, on mobile devices or on the web.

Kanika Mathur, Managing Director, Razorfish, India, said “Razorfish-Neev as an agency is deeply entrenched in creativity, technology and innovation. Our focus is to deliver solutions that solve real business problems for our clients. In this respect Hybris Centre of Excellence will be providing us with the right mechanism to be able to deliver refined state of the art web, ecommerce, mobile and social solutions.”

Razorfish is a Multi-Regional Gold partner of Hybris across APAC, the Americas, North America, South East Asia, Latin America, China and India. Built on Apache and Spring Source components, containers and servers, Hybris will provide a single technology stack solution that provides customizable eCommerce solutions along with product and web content management and order management modules.

Engineered for scaling, Hybris boasts of supporting multi-channel experiences across a variety of languages and currencies with operations across the globe. It will serve all domains including B2B, B2C, and telecommunications. The Hybris will also provide the required framework for data intensive, performance heavy applications and high traffic requirements. Hybris has also been rated among the top enterprise suites for ecommerce solutions by Gartner and Forrester.

January 27, 2014
Discovery channel magazine is “now in india” in association with india today group

MUMBAI: Discovery expands its portfolio in India beyond television with the launch of Discovery Channel Magazine in association with the India Today Group, who will be the publishers of the magazine in India.

Discovery Channel Magazine will deliver an original mix of content, spanning science, adventure, culture and oddities from around the globe. It will include a wide range of topics including nature, adventure, marvels, sci-tech, history, the universe, forensics, survival, psychology and the environment. From truly in-depth feature treatments, to research and fun facts; the magazine will feature world-class photography and info-graphics, brought together in a visually splendid mix that blends insight and humour.

A three-time winner at the globally acclaimed Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) Awards for Editorial Excellence, Discovery Channel magazine will cover a wide spectrum of engaging stories from India and around the world. The inaugural issue of the magazine celebrates India with an exhilarating cover feature on the Taj Mahal. It also offers an exclusive access to the next generation skylines, the new world of immersive gaming and emergence of megafoods that resist certain diseases longer than the regular food. The magazine has appointed Jamal Shaikh as the Editor. The editorial board for the magazine in India from Discovery includes Rahul Johri and Rajiv Bakshi.

Rahul Johri, SVP and General Manager – South Asia and Head of Revenue, Pan-Regional Ad Sales and Southeast Asia, Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific, said, “The launch of Discovery Channel Magazine is a natural extension of our strategy to inform and entertain consumers with compelling content across platforms. We are delighted to partner with the India Today Group and are confident that we will be able to combine our strengths to satisfy the aspirational consumers. An insightful read on a wide range of subjects, the magazine will stand out for its energetic and exciting layout, distinct content and mesmerizing photographs.”

Ashish Bagga, Group CEO, The India Today Group, added, “Discovery Channel Magazine will encompass the DNA of Discovery’s channels into a more in-depth look that only print medium can offer. Covering science, urban lifestyles, wildlife, technology and history, the magazine avatar of this iconic global brand will inform, intrigue and challenge the thinking of information-driven individuals into the direction of the future. It will also add a new dimension to the diverse portfolio of magazines already published by The India Today Group. The magazine will address a high quality audience and our readers can be assured that, like all other magazines from our stable, Discovery Channel Magazine India will also maintain the highest levels of editorial quality and rigour.”

A monthly magazine, it will be available for sale on newsstands and leading book stores around the country at a cover price of Rs. 150. The magazine will also be available via annual subscription. It will be published in English language.

Discovery Channel Magazine is available throughout Asia in countries including Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, the Philippines, Australia, Hong Kong, Macau and New Zealand.

January 27, 2014
Tata Sky brings the ithaas of Ramayana to you

MUMBAI: Tata Sky, India’s leading DTH service provider brings Ramayana, the popular and timeless Indian epic once again on to television with a twist. Starting this month, the Ramayana tales will a part of Tata Sky’s interactive platform – Actve Music every Sunday.

Tata Sky gives its subscribers an opportunity to relive a total of 1300 minutes of exhilarating audio entertainment of the Ramayana at convenient time slots throughout their Sundays with voice over’s from some of Indian cinemas most profound and famous personalities such as Anupam Kher, Naseeruddin Shah, Javed Jafri, Om Puri etc. The classic epic is divided into 120 episodes of 10 mins each which will be played on Bhakti Sagar channel every Sunday.

Commenting on this unique introduction, Vikram Mehra, Chief Commercial Officer at Tata Sky said, “In today’s day and age every parent seems to be struggling to ensure that their child in the 21st century, should be aware of Indian history and religious folks, one way or the other. This offering ensures that customers from all age groups to enjoy the offering, relaxed on a Sunday with their entire family in the comfort of their homes.”

Tata Sky’s Actve Music has time and again revamped itself, catering to the likes of its subscribers, this time by introducing music genres such as Classical, Kannada Devotional, Spiritual Music, Blues and Jazz, English Hits & Classics. Actve Music’s USP continues to be a 24×7 music platform with subscriber’s choice of music with no ad-breaks, no RJ or VJ interruption. Now with the Ramayana on Actve Music subscribers have an enduring epic as new offerings to enjoy.

January 27, 2014
Euroconsult presents premier report on India Satcom Value Chain & Markets

MUMBAI: According to Euroconsult’s newly released report, “India Satcom Markets 2014”, India’s satellite communication sector has experienced significant growth over the past five years driven by explosive demand from platforms and growing telecommunication needs in the country. The satcom value chain is strongly influenced by the Indian Space and Research Organization (ISRO) that is present all along the satcom value chain including for satellite manufacturing, launch, satellite operations, regulations and partially for services.

On the manufacturing level, roughly half of the country’s satellite manufacturing sector spending is currently dedicated to developing communications satellites. “While ISRO dominates the satcom manufacturing landscape, outsourcing to foreign and national companies will continue to provide growth opportunities for a number of players with hundreds of millions of dollars to be outsourced from 2013-2021,” said Deepu Krishnan, Senior Consultant at Euroconsult.

Satellite capacity demand from DTH broadcasting grew at a CAGR of over 7% from 2008-2013, now representing 32% of the country’s total commercial satellite capacity usage. TV distribution services to cable operators and VSAT enterprise networks have equally seen growing demand in recent years, leading to an increasing number of players now operating in the country’s teleport and VSAT service market. In particular the cellular backhaul market has begun to see strong take-up in India with the arrival of HTS systems such as IpStar, but also government backed networks connecting schools, remote villages, etc., are currently growing with increasing capacity needs. Alongside satellite services, the annual satellite ground equipment market has also seen growth, generating $40 million in equipment revenue in 2012, dominated by international ground terminal manufacturers.

While domestic operator ISRO/Antrix enjoys significant regulatory advantages in the market, only a proportion of the commercial demand for satellite capacity is being met by domestic capacity today, with the majority being provided by foreign satellite operators. Regulatory barriers and capacity supply constraints still challenge market growth.

“Changes in the country’s satcom policy, which is expected to be released in 2014, should bring positive changes and contribute to additional growth in satcom markets over the coming years, in particular for services using Ku-band capacity from foreign operators,” said Krishnan. In total, demand for regular C- and Ku-band capacity is expected to grow at 6% p.a. between 2013 and 2023 in addition to new demand for satcom services using HTS systems that should see strong take up towards the end of the decade.

January 27, 2014
ABP news Nielson opinion poll- Kaun Banega Pradhanmantri

MUMBAI: BJP set to emerge as the single-largest party with the highest-ever score of 210 seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls; Congress to hit the lowest-ever mark with 81 seats: ABP News-Nielsen National Opinion Poll.

BJP likely to emerge as the largest party with around 210 seats in General Elections in 2014, predicts the opinion poll conducted by ABP News-Nielsen across the nation. Congress likely to suffer a major setback with lowest-ever figure of 81 seats in the 543-seat House. Kejriwal’s AAP predicted to get around 11 seats.

According to the ABP News-Nielsen national opinion poll, NDA predicted to form the government at the Centre with an overall 226 seats.

Narendra Modi most preferred PM, widens lead over Rahul Gandhi with 53%

As per the ABP News-Nielsen national opinion poll, Narendra Modi seems to be the clear choice of people for the position of Prime Minister of India, with 53 per cent respondents voting for him. Rahul Gandhi is the choice of 15% respondents. Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal gets a nod from 5 per cent.

47% respondents do not think that snoopgate allegations against Modi are true

As per the ABP News-Nielsen national opinion poll, majority (47%) of respondents do not think that the allegations leveled against Narendra Modi regarding illegal surveillance of a young woman are true. 36 per cent respondents feel that the Central government’s decision to probe the snoopgate is not right.

61% do not want to give another chance to UPA government

According to the ABP News-Nielsen national opinion poll, there is an anti-incumbent mood with majority (61%) saying that the UPA government should not get another chance. As per the opinion poll conducted across the nation, 43% respondents have rated UPA government performance as ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’ with a mean score of 2.69.

According to the ABP News-Nielsen national opinion poll, at an overall level, half (52%) of the respondents feel that previous NDA government was better than the present UPA government at the Centre. As per the national opinion poll, 38% respondents have rated PM Manmohan Singh’s performance as ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’, and he has a mean score of 2.85.

BJP-led NDA will form the government at the Centre in 2014

As per the ABP News-Nielsen national opinion poll, if elections were held now, at an overall level, half (52%) respondents feel that BJP-led NDA will form the government at the Centre in 2014.

Price control main reason for voting in 2014 LS polls

According to the ABP News-Nielsen national opinion poll, BJP is more associated with an image of a party which can reduce Inflation.

AAP gets awareness but 49 per cent not to vote for the party

According to the ABP News-Nielsen national opinion poll, little less than two-third (63%) of respondents at an overall level are aware of Aam Aadmi Party. In Delhi almost all (99%) are aware of AAP as expected. But at the same time, 49% respondents saying that they will not vote for AAP. Majority of the respondents feel that it is good to replicate Gujarat development model to other States

Only 10% welcome RTI, RTE, RTF as right s in UPA tenure

According to the ABP News-Nielsen national opinion poll, only 10 per cent respondents welcomed the right to education, right to information, right to food has become rights, in UPA tenure. 33 per cent feel that these are political gimmicks to woo people.

According to the ABP News-Nielsen national opinion poll, 58% of the respondents in Gujarat feel that it is good to replicate Gujarat development model to other States.

In Maharashtra, as per the ABP News-Nielsen national opinion poll, 61% respondents feel that Raj Thackrey should get into an alliance with Shivsena and BJP.

In Uttar Pradesh, as per the ABP News-Nielsen national opinion poll, Majority (51%) has rated overall performance of Akhilesh Yadav as ‘slightly poor’/’very poor’, and his mean score is 2.43 which is below average. 42% respondents feel that BJP has benefitted the most from the Muzzarfarnagar riots.

In Bihar, as per the ABP News-Nielsen national opinion poll, according to 72 per cent respondents in Bihar feel that Nitish Kumar committed mistake by snapping ties with BJP.

In West Bengal, as per the ABP News-Nielsen national opinion poll, almost half (49%) of the respondents surveyed in the state feel that Narendra Modi’s image will help BJP to gain more votes in West Bengal in 2014 general elections.

The opinion poll was conducted by ABP News-Nielsen across the nation between 28th December, 2013 to 12th January, 2014 with 64,006 respondents. The confidence interval (margin of error) assumed for vote share prediction lies in the ranges of 5%.

January 27, 2014
Network18 launches India’s local news portal www.News18.com

MUMBAI: News from India goes deeply local in the latest online news website from Network18: News18.com. India’s first web, mobile and tablet service to focus on news at the state and city level, News18.com was launched on January 26.

Available on the web, on mobile phones and tablets, and as downloadable apps for iOS and Android devices, News18.com currently covers seven states: Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. It will expand to the remaining states of the country over the next 18 months.

News18.com draws on the unparallelled local news-gathering expertise of the ETV network of news channels, whose Hindi services cover these seven states. The deep reach of ETV News into every corner of these states generates a rich and unique stream of news, updated by the minute.

People can now follow all of these news reports, in the form of engaging video clips, instant updates, and snappy text stories, on News18.com. Local news will break fast – and first - on News18.com, and in-depth coverage of local developments and issues will keep users fully informed about their home state and city.

Highlighting the importance of local news, Lakshmi Narasimhan CEO, Web18 said, “News18 is a completely fresh approach to covering news online. With Internet penetration and smartphones users galloping in tier 2 & 3 towns, it is important to provide a convenient platform to consume news. This is the information century, with content consumption at an all time high. For somebody living in Bihar or Rajasthan it is no longer sufficient to simply know what is happening in Delhi. News18 brings you closer to your world and gets you news that truly matters to you.”

Arunava Sinha, Head, IBNLive.com & News18.com is confident that readers will enjoy the interactive user-experience of the site. “News18.com will give readers a totally fresh and unique content experience. Watching live TV on the mobile and on the dektop, keeping track of the latest developments through live tickers and smart app alerts, sharing the news of one’s choice with friends on Facebook and Twitter – users will be able to do it all.”

By taking local news beyond its borders and making it available everywhere, News18.com turns the local into the national and international. And with its availability of computers, tablets and mobiles – the first online news offering from India to be available on all three devices from day one – it brings local news within easy reach of people wherever they are.

The Network18 Group is a media and entertainment company with interests in television, Internet, films, e-commerce, magazines, mobile content and allied businesses. Through its subsidiary ‘TV18 Broadcast Ltd.’ [BSE: 532800, NSE: TV18BRDCST], the group operates news channels - CNBC-TV18, CNBC Awaaz, CNBC-TV18 Prime HD, CNN-IBN, IBN7 and IBN-Lokmat (a Marathi regional news channel in partnership with the Lokmat group). TV18 also operates a joint venture with Viacom, called Viacom18, which houses a portfolio of popular entertainment channels – Colors, Colors HD, MTV, Comedy Central, Vh1, Nick, Sonic, Nick Jr./Teen Nick and Viacom18 Motion Pictures, the group’s filmed entertainment business.

TV18 has also forayed into the Indian factual entertainment space through A+E Networks | TV18 (a joint venture between A+E Networks and TV18 Broadcast) and operates HistoryTV18. TV18 and Viacom18 have also formed a strategic joint venture called IndiaCast, a multi-platform ‘content asset monetization’ entity that drives domestic and international channel distribution, placement services and content syndication for the bouquet of channels from TV18, Viacom18 and other broadcasters. Through ‘Network18 Media & Investments Ltd.’ [BSE: 532798, NSE: Network18], the group operates its digital, publishing and e-commerce assets including moneycontrol.com, ibnlive.com, in.com and firstpost.com.

‘Network18’ also operates e-commerce properties like HomeShop18 and bookmyshow.com and publishes Forbes India, the nation’s first local edition of a foreign news magazine title, in collaboration with Forbes Media. In addition, through ‘Network18’, the group operates Network18 Publishing, a player in the special interest publishing space. ‘Network18’ has investments in Yatra, Stargaze and other Capital18 portfolio companies.

January 27, 2014