ITV

Category: Technology

  • Web18 appoints CEOs for Moneycontrol and ibnlive

    Web18 appoints CEOs for Moneycontrol and ibnlive

    MUMABI: Web18, the digital content arm of Network18, has decentralised its operating structure built around key strategic business units by assigning new responsibilities to Joyson Thomas and Rajan Srinivasan.

    Thomas, who was earlier the COO at Web18, has now been entrusted the charge of leading Moneycontrol.com as CEO, while Srinivasan, who was serving as the sales and marketing head at Web18, will now take over the CEO of ibnlive.com.

    Web18 CEO Lakshmi Narasimhan said “At Web18, we have built some world-class digital brands which enjoy deep engagement across communities and stakeholders. We are now well-positioned to scale-up our leadership and this move is essential to achieving that objective. Moneycontrol has been central to our growth story and Joyson has been a force behind it since the beginning. His expertise will be critical in taking it to yet another benchmark in the financial space. Rajan has ably led our monetization and brand building effort and we‘re confident that he will now steer the ibnlive and digital news operations based in Delhi onto new successes”

    On his new role Thomas said “It‘s been a momentous journey so far and my experience with Moneycontrol has been intense and enriching over the years. I hope to bring it to bear as we thrust ahead and further strengthen its leadership. I look forward to working with the team to ensure we add new dimensions to Moneycontrol‘s growth path”

    “ibnlive has led from the front as general news has rapidly evolved in the context of social media and mobile growth. The brand is at a very exciting juncture in its journey and I look forward to working with the team to ensure we succeed on all fronts,” Srinivas added.

    Thomas has over two decades of experience in the financial media and advisory space. He was one of the founding members of the Moneycontrol team and has managed a variety of product and technology mandates at Web18 since 1999.

    Meanwhile, Srinivasan has eighteen years of experience in the media industry, including nine in the digital space. Prior to joining Network18 in 2003, he had stints with the Indian Express, Sony Entertainment Television and BBC World.

  • Indian DTH industry to benefit from digitisation, says MPA

    Indian DTH industry to benefit from digitisation, says MPA

    MUMBAI: India‘s move to digitise its fragmented and unorganised cable TV sector is going to give a fillip to the seven odd Indian DTH operators, according to Singapore based pay TV research firm Media Partners Asia (MPA).

    This is totally contrary to the behavior observed on the ground in the first two phases of digitisation wherein cable TV has held its ground and consumers have not really rushed out to buy DTH boxes even though analogue signals have been switched off.

    The MPA report says that revenues for DTH operators are expected to treble to over $5 billion by 2020 as mandatory cable TV digitisation would help the DTH players expand their subscriber base.

    It adds that DTH industry revenues will reach $3.9 billion by 2017 and $5.3 billion by 2020 on the back of a growth in subscriber numbers. Estimates are that the India™s DTH players raked in $1.5 billion last year.

    MPA says that active DTH subscribers will grow from 32.4 million in 2012 to 63.8 million by 2017 and 76.6 million by 2020. The figure for 2011 was at 28.7 million. The increase in active subscribers in 2012 over 2011 was a mere 3.7 million which is alarming, it says.

    The report points out that the content deals between operators and content aggregators such as IndiaCast, MediaPro and TheOneAlliance are likely to be on a cost per subscriber basis rather than a fixed rate as was the practice earlier.

    As it is DTH operators have been making efforts to improve their per subscriber economics over the past year by increasing the number of packages and entry level pricing. They have also tried to reduce churn levels by reducing trade margins and the window of free viewing by new subscribers, revealed MPA.

    The report warns that marketing and staff expenses will remain high with DTH operators as the rollout of digitisation makes further inroads into the remaining parts of India.

    MPA has also given the pecking order of the leading DTH players. Dish TV continues to lead with a market share of 27 per cent in terms of gross additions, while Videocon d2h leads in terms of incremental additions in 2012.

    Tata Sky and Airtel Digital TV have 19 and 18 per cent market share, respectively. These four players together accounted for 88 per cent of total gross additions last year, says MPA.

  • DAS stayed in Madhya Pradesh till 8 May

    DAS stayed in Madhya Pradesh till 8 May

    NEW DELHI: After Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Karnataka it‘s Madhya Pradesh‘s turn. The Madhya Pradesh High Court today stayed the switch-off of analogue signals till 8 May in the cities of Indore, Bhopal and Jabalpur covered in Phase II of digitisation.

    The stay order came on two petitions – including public interest litigation by one LCO including Rashmi Dubey, and one by an MSO run by Nilesh Rawal linked to Digicable – citing shortage of set top boxes, billing issues and some other problems linked to digital addressable system.

    The High Court also issued notice to the Union of India and the Information & Broadcasting ministry, according to Rawal‘s counsel Abhijit Awasthi.

    As on 3 April, the status of seeding in Madhya Pradesh was 65.34 per cent in Bhopal, 75.79 per cent in Indore, and 37.69 per cent in Jabalpur.

    Meanwhile the Karnataka High Court is expected to pronounce judgment tomorrow with regard to two petitions by local cable operators and multi-system operators from Bengaluru and Mysore.

    Meanwhile, the stay on DAS in Hyderabad, and Visakhapatnam will continue for another day as the matter did not come up for hearing in the Andhra Pradesh High Court today.

    The hearing in DAS extension cases will resume tomorrow in Karnataka and Gujarat. Infact, the Karnataka HC had reserved its verdict for 16 April after hearing all the parties involved in the case.

  • Disney Junior expands digital offerings in the US

    Disney Junior expands digital offerings in the US

    MUMBAI: Disney Junior is boosting its presence on the digital front in the US. The Disney Junior Appisodes app for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch has been announced following the ‘Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Road Rally Appisode‘.

    Now the broadcaster has said that the Disney Junior Appisodes app is the first TV appisode app for kids that combine viewing and interaction with the TV characters and stories they love. It can be found now in the App Store at: appstore.com/disneyjuniorappisodes.

    Developed by Disney/ABC Television Group‘s Digital Media team, the new app offers true interactive viewing, allowing fans 2-7 to touch, tap, swipe, tilt, shake and talk their way through various fun-filled activities embedded into episodes of some of their favorite Disney Junior shows.

    The all-new “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse – Mickey and Donald Have a Farm Appisode” and the “Jake and the Never Land Pirates Appisode,” which features “Hide the Hideout” and “Captain Hook‘s Hooks,” are available for $4.99. A free download of the original “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Road Rally Appisode” is included. In the coming months, episodes of shows ‘Doc Mc Stuffins,‘‘Sofia the First‘and more ‘Jake and the Never Land Pirates‘will also be available for download as appisodes.

    Disney Channels Worldwide VP digital media Lauren DeVillier said, “The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse appisode has been successful because it‘s a natural extension of what kids are already doing in their daily lives. Over 70 per cent of households with kids have app-enabled devices in their homes. Touching, tapping and swiping are second nature to them.

    “We are allowing kids to move the narrative of their favourite show forward by interacting with the characters, giving them the opportunity to take an active role in the story. Being able to do that with one of their favorite TV shows is really exciting for them. And from a content perspective, it gives our shows a whole new life on another platform.”

  • US broadcasters could go to Congress in Aereo dispute

    US broadcasters could go to Congress in Aereo dispute

    MUMBAI: The fight between the US broadcasters like Fox and Barry Diller-backed Aereo is likely to get hotter. There is possibility of the broadcasters could appeal to the US Congress.

    Aereo CEO Chet Kanojia has been quoted in reports saying that in the past broadcasters have gone to Congress. Earlier a US court of appeals had dismissed a plea by broadcasters against Aereo.

    Aereo uses tiny antennas to pick up free over-the-air broadcast television signals and then transmits the video to its customers over the Internet. News Corp COO Chase Carey has threatened to make Fox pay on cable.

    Right now Aereo is only in New York but the plan is to expand to several more cities. Aereo‘s premium subscription plan costs $12 a month.

    The broadcasters want Aereo to pay to rebroadcast their signals, just like cable and satellite providers already do. Broadcast transmission fees are now a multi-billion dollar business. If Aereo can access content for free then cable companies that also retransmit signals might ask for the fee to be removed or reduced.

    Of course Aereo is another case of the disruptive influence of the Internet and the impact it is having on business models and revenue streams.

  • Star expands presence in Netherlands with UPC deal

    Star expands presence in Netherlands with UPC deal

    MUMBAI: UPC, the second largest cable operator in Netherlands, has further consolidated its Asian digital television entertainment offering to the South Asian diaspora by adding Star Gold and Star Life OK.

    With the addition of Star Gold and Star Life OK, UPC now carries three Star network channels on its platform which also includes Star Plus.

    On UPC Nederland, all the Star Network channels offer 24-hour Hindi language entertainment subtitled in English. The new channels will be available for a one-month free view from 15 April in the Hindi pack.

    Star UK and Europe SVP Yeshpal Sharma stated, “The Netherlands is home to the second largest Hindi speaking population after the UK and we are delighted to partner with UPC to offer additional Star channels in this significant market.”

    From 15 April, subscribers can watch Star Plus, Star Gold, Star Life OK, Zee TV, Zee Cinema and Zing as part of the new Hindi Pack for €15.25 per month, says UPC.

    UPC Nederland VP marketing and service Hans Blom said, “Due to the large Hindi speaking population amongst our customers, the Hindi Pack is our leading ethnic premium pack. Our Hindi speaking customers requested us to bundle our Hindi offering and expand the number of channels. In collaboration with Star TV we did. We are happy we can now announce an interesting and entertaining bundle of Hindi channels for a competitive price.”

  • Ticketek appointed ticketing provider for ICC CWC 2015

    Ticketek appointed ticketing provider for ICC CWC 2015

    MUMBAI: ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 organisers have appointed Ticketek as the ticketing provider for the International Cricket Council‘s flagship tournament, to be jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand in February and March 2015.

    The ICC Cricket World Cup will be the biggest sporting event in the world in 2015.

    ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Chief Executive John Harnden said the Ticketek partnership was an important step in creating a fan-friendly tournament.

    “Ticketek will enable us to give fans a seamless solution across the two countries and worldwide,” said Harnden.

    Ticketek CEO Geoff Jones said the company was proud to provide ticketing services for such a prestigious international tournament.

    “Ticketek is the leading ticketing provider in Australia and New Zealand for major events and sports. We will be using the latest innovations for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 to ensure fans in both countries – and around the world – have the very best experience,” said Jones.

    Australia and New Zealand last jointly hosted the ICC Cricket World Cup in 1992. The pools, venues and schedule for the tournament are expected to be announced later this year.

    Ticket pricing and sale dates will be released in due course.

  • LinkedIn acquires Pulse for $90 million

    LinkedIn acquires Pulse for $90 million

    MUMBAI: LinkedIn, the world‘s largest professional network, has agreed to acquire Pulse, a leading news reader and mobile content distribution platform, for $90 million as it seeks to expand its ecosystem of content offerings.

    The transaction is a combination of 90 percent stock and approximately 10 percent cash, and the stock being issued in the transaction will be done so in a private placement. The acquisition is expected to close during the second quarter of 2013.

    Pulse was founded in 2010 by Akshay Kothari and Ankit Gupta while they were students at Stanford University. It quickly grew to become one of the most widely used platforms for content consumption on the Internet.

    Pulse currently has more than 30 million users who have activated its iOS and Android-based news reader apps in more than 190 countries. Pulse is available in nine languages, and approximately 40 per cent of users are outside the United States. More than 750 of the world‘s leading publishers distribute their content through Pulse.

    “We are thrilled to be able to add Pulse‘s considerable talent, technology, and products to our growing ecosystem of content offerings, and we believe that they will help us accelerate our ability to deliver to our members the insights they need to be better at what they do, on any device,” said LinkedIn SVP of Products and User Experience Deep Nishar.

    “To continue to deliver that value to our members, our vision for content is that LinkedIn will be the definitive professional publishing platform, and Pulse is a perfect complement to this vision.”

    “News-the people, the places, the stories-is part of our daily conversation. Over the past three years, Pulse has established itself as a key part of that conversation; it has grown from a small project, to a platform for millions of readers to access their favorite content,” said Kothari.

    Gupta added, “Now that our team is part of LinkedIn, we‘ll work together to expand the possibilities for content discovery, helping readers engage in conversations with colleagues, mentors, industry leaders, and beyond.”

    Following closing, members of the Pulse team, including those from Engineering, Product and Design, will join LinkedIn at the company‘s Mountain View, Calif., headquarters. The existing Pulse apps will continue to be supported as the integrated Pulse and LinkedIn teams work to build future generations of professional content consumption products.

  • Twitter buys out We Are Hunted; sparks talk of music

    Twitter buys out We Are Hunted; sparks talk of music

    MUMBAI: Micro blogging site Twitter has acquired music search company We Are Hunted sparking off speculations that it will be launching its music service soon.

    While the financial details of the deal remain elusive to the public, We Are Hunted announced the acquisition on its home page saying, “We Are Hunted has joined Twitter… While we are shutting down wearehunted.com, we will continue to create services that will delight you, as part of the Twitter team…There‘s no question that Twitter and music go well together… We can‘t wait to share what we‘ve been working on at Twitter.”

    Set up in 2007 in Brisbane, Australia by Stephen Phillips, Richard Slatter and Michael Doherty, We Are Hunted recently shifted base to San Fransisco. The company developed proprietary search technology which continuously scanned the Internet to identify the hottest new music in the world.

    Twitter has become an engagement platform for music celebrities with them ‘tweeting‘ about things ranging from gratitude to concert experiences to random everyday incidents.

  • Netflix expands partnership with Hasbro

    Netflix expands partnership with Hasbro

    MUMBAI: Netflix and Hasbro have signed an expanded agreement making two new Hasbro Studios shows, Littlest Pet Shop and Kaijudo: Rise of the Duel Masters, available to Netflix members in the US. Kaijudo is available now and Littlest Pet Shop will be available summer 2013.

    Through this agreement, Netflix becomes the exclusive over the top streaming subscription destination in the US for five of Hasbro Studios most popular shows – My Little Pony Friendship is Magic, Transformers Prime, Transformers Rescue Bots, Kaijudo: Rise of the Duel Masters, and Littlest Pet Shop. New seasons of each of the shows will be available for members to watch instantly one month after their finale airs on The Hub Network.

    Popular Hasbro titles are now available to Canadian members for the first time, including My Little Pony Friendship is Magic, Transformers Prime, Pound Puppies and The Adventures of Chuck & Friends. Additional shows will become available in Canada throughout 2013 including Transformers Rescue Bots, Kaijudo: Rise of the Duel Masters and Littlest Pet Shop.

    “The success of Hasbro Studios content on Netflix has been remarkable and we are proud to add more shows and extend our relationship throughout North America,” said Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos. “In a very competitive field, Hasbro Studios has risen to become a major content player with shows that kids watch and families trust.”

    “Through our Littlest Pet Shop and Kaijudo expanded relationship with Netflix we look to bring even more Hasbro Studios shows to additional geographies reaching an expanded audience,” said Hasbro Studios President Stephen Davis.

    In 2012, Netflix members streamed more than 2 billion hours of kids content.