ITV

Category: Technology

  • Amazon adds TNT drama series to its Prime Instant Video catalogue

    Amazon adds TNT drama series to its Prime Instant Video catalogue

    MUMBAI: Amazon.com has signed an exclusive content licensing agreement with Turner Broadcasting System and Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution.

    The deal will add the epic TNT drama series ‘Falling Skie‘s and the Warner Bros. Television-produced TNT series ‘The Closer‘ to Amazon.com‘s Prime Instant Video catalog, giving Prime members instant access to these titles at no additional cost.

    Fans will be able to enjoy all seven seasons of ‘The Closer‘ and the current as well as future seasons of ‘Falling Skies‘ on Prime Instant Video.

    Prime Instant Video now features more than 30,000 movies and TV episodes for Amazon Prime members to stream instantly on Kindle Fire HD or any of the hundreds of compatible Amazon Instant Video devices, including iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Roku, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and the Wii U.

    “Today’s agreements with TNT and Warner Bros. Domestic TV add two great TV series to Prime Instant Video. Falling Skies and The Closer are some of Turner’s most-watched and highly talked about series and we’re happy to offer them exclusively for Prime members to enjoy,” said Amazon Director of Digital Video Content Acquisition Brad Beale.

  • Gogo signs capacity deal with SES

    Gogo signs capacity deal with SES

    MUMBAI: Gogo, a leader in in-flight connectivity, has signed major capacity deal with global satellite operator SES to deliver Gogo broadband services aboard commercial airliners.

    Coverage includes commercial aircraft flying over the North Atlantic Ocean Region, Europe and the United States.

    As part of the long-term deal covering more than six transponders of Ku-band capacity, three SES satellites will enable Gogo to expand its broadband offering in the sky to aircraft flying busy transatlantic routes.

    The SES-1 spacecraft will cover the continental US, while NSS-703 and its three powerful spot beams will reach across the North Atlantic and SES-4 will serve Europe.

    Gogo services aboard the NSS-703 satellite and will be transitioned seamlessly by mid 2014 to the new SES-6 satellite, slated for launch next year.

    Gogo has also contracted for teleport services delivered through three SES facilities in the U.S. and Europe. Two-way internet access will be delivered to Gogo customers via SES ground facilities in Woodbine, Maryland; Manassas, Virginia and Betzdorf, Luxembourg.

    “Gogo is entering the all-important international air travel market and expanding our North American offering with SES,” said Gogo President and CEO Michael Small. “A trio of SES satellites will enable Gogo to provide reliable and seamless satellite coverage for our current airline partners on their international fleets,” he added.

    Gogo is set to initiate its international internet services on Delta Air Lines in the first quarter of 2013.

  • Sony’s Bade Achche Lagte Hain most watched TV show on YouTube

    Sony’s Bade Achche Lagte Hain most watched TV show on YouTube

    MUMBAI: Sony Entertainment Channel‘s Bade Acche Lagte Hai was the most watched soap on YouTube in India followed by Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, which airs on Sab.

    T-Series followed by SetIndia were the most susbcribed channels on YouTube this year. The top channels were selected based on their subscriber growth this year besides account views, reach, and engagement.

    Korean pop music album Gangnam Style might have been the most watched video of all-time on YouTube, but back home it‘s YoYo Honey Singh‘s Brown Rang song that has emerged as the most trending video of the year in India in 2012.

    Bollywood continued to rule the charts, with most watched songs and movie trailers on YouTube. Shah Rukh Khan starrer Jab Tak Hai Jaan emerged as the trailer overtaking Salman Khan blockbuster movie Dabangg.
    2012‘s top trending videos and the most subscribed channels from India, shows that YouTube has truly gone mainstream in India with millions of users watching songs, their favorite TV shows and subscribing to channels to catch their favorite content.

    Sports and language content also made their way to the top most subscribed channels.

    This year, YouTube also looked at shares, searches, likes and responses to identify the 10 videos that everybody was talking about in 2012.

    Globally, users saw over 4 billion hours of video a month. Millions of creators world over are using YouTube channels to experiment with innovative forms of entertainment, explore their passions and interests, take creativity and pop culture to new levels.

    Top trending YouTube videos in India (playlist) – 2012
    1 Brown Rang Full Song HD- International Villager YoYo Honey Singh
    2 PSY – GANGNAM STYLE
    3 Mashallah – Song – EkTha Tiger – Salman Khan & Katrina Kaif
    4 HIGH HEELS OFFICIAL VIDEO – JAZ DHAMI FT YO YO HONEY SINGH
    5 Tumhi Ho Bandhu – Song Promo – Cocktail [Exclusive]
    6 Jab Tak Hai Jaan – Trailer – Film releasing November 13
    7 Jism 2 YehJism Song | Sunny Leone, Arunnoday Singh, RandeepHooda |
    8 Saans – Song – Jab TakHaiJaan
    9 DaaruDesi – Song Promo – Cocktail (Exclusive)
    10 Chinta Ta Ta Chita Chita – Rowdy Rathore Official Full Song Video Akshay Kumar, SonakshiSinha, Mika

    Most subscribed channels (2012):
    1 TSeries
    2 SetIndia
    3 Yrf
    4 Erosentertainment
    5 Rajshri
    6 Teluguone
    7 SonymusicindiaSME
    8 Mtvroadies
    9 Olympic
    10 Maatv

    Most watched songs (2012):
    1 Brown Rang Full Song HD- International Villager YoYo Honey Singh
    2 PSY – GANGNAM STYLE
    3 Mashallah – Song – EkTha Tiger – Salman Khan & Katrina Kaif
    4 HIGH HEELS OFFICIAL VIDEO – JAZ DHAMI FT YO YO HONEY SINGH
    5 Jism 2 Yeh Jism Song | Sunny Leone, Arunnoday Singh, Randeep Hooda | Exclusive
    6 Saans – Song – Jab TakHaiJaan
    7 Chinta Ta Ta Chita Chita – Rowdy Rathore Official Full Song Video Akshay Kumar, Sonakshi Sinha, Mika
    8 "Abhi Abhi Jism 2" Official Song | Sunny Leone, Arunnoday Singh, Randeep Hooda
    9 Ishq Wala Love – Student Of The Year – The Official Song | HQ
    10 Challa – Song – Jab Tak Hai Jaan

    Most watched TV Shows (2012):
    1 Bade Acche Lagte Hai
    2 Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah
    3 Kahani Comedy Circus Ki
    4 Crime Patrol
    5 Devon Ke Dev… Mahadev
    6 CID
    7 Movie Night
    8 Totally Sketch Originals
    9 Adaalat
    10 FIR

    Most watched movie trailers (2012):
    1 Jab Tak Hai Jaan – Trailer – Film releasing November 13
    2 EK THA TIGER – Teaser Trailer – Salman Khan – Releasing 15th August 2012
    3 Heroine – Official Trailer – KareenaKapoor | ArjunRampal | RandeepHooda
    4 Cocktail – Theatrical Trailer (Exclusive)
    5 Talaash Theatrical Trailer – Official – Starring Aamir Khan, KareenaKapoor, Rani Mukerji
    6 Khiladi 786 – Official Teaser Trailer [Exclusive]
    7 Son Of Sardaar | Official Theatrical Trailer
    8 Rowdy Rathore | Official Trailer | Akshay Kumar – SonakshiSinha
    9 Hate Story Uncensored Theatrical Trailer (Official) 2012
    10 Raaz 3 Official Trailer

  • Seagate announces new drive for DVRs

    Seagate announces new drive for DVRs

    MUMBAI: Seagate Technology which offers hard drives and storage solutions has announced the Seagate Video 2.5 HDD, a 2.5-inch drive specifically engineered for use in 24/7 video applications like digital video recorders (DVRs), set-top boxes (STBs), and surveillance applications.

    The company says that the product focuses on three areas of importance to manufacturers – high reliability, acoustics, and energy efficiency. Featuring reliability, the drive has an annual failure rate of approximately 0.55, based on current configurations, enabling it to keep product in the field longer while reducing the cost of field deployment and maintaining customer retention. It also boasts 24/7 operation capabilities in extended temperature ranges and enhanced acoustics for near silent operation – features crucial for consumer electronics and video applications.

    The Video 2.5 HDD provides home entertainment manufacturers one and two disk, cost-optimized solutions for today‘s high-definition (HD) video recording applications. Featuring capacities up to 500 GB, manufacturers can benefit from its lower-power performance and slim form factor without sacrificing the streaming capabilities or reliability of Seagate‘s 3.5-inch video drive. Its low power consumption, 24×7 operation, and support of up to 12 streams of simultaneous HD content also make it ideal for surveillance DVR applications.

    Seagate VP marketing Scott Horn said, "We pioneered the HDD video market more than a decade ago and as such are leveraging our vast knowledge of this technology to bring consumers the most reliable video drive in the world. The CE industry has extremely specific criteria and needs when it comes to storage and the Video 2.5 HDD is built to meet and exceed their rigorous demands."

    The living-room environment requires superior acoustic management to limit audible distractions during operation of DVRs and STBs and the Video 2.5 HDD enables designers to build the quietest home entertainment systems possible. Operating below the range of audible sound for the human ear at just 22db, the drive provides optimized acoustics for home entertainment components.

    Maintaining Seagate‘s goal of delivering sustainable products, the drive reduces packaging materials by 53 percent and overall freight up to 30 percent, over previous 3.5-inch offerings, by efficiently packing and shipping more units with fewer materials than larger drives. It also contributes to sustainable energy initiatives by achieving a 55 percent improvement in power savings over comparable 3.5-inch offerings, enabling system integrators to meet aggressive new energy requirements. The Seagate Video 2.5 HDD is built without the use of harmful chemicals like the fire retardant bromide and is PVC free.

  • Videocon’s DTH arm plans to raise Rs 7 bn via IPO

    Videocon’s DTH arm plans to raise Rs 7 bn via IPO

    MUMBAI: Videocon has taken the leap to list its direct-to-home (DTH) arm, Bharat Business Channel Ltd, to cash in on the digitisation wave.

    Bharat Business Channel Ltd, which operates its DTH business under the Videocon d2H brand, is planning to raise Rs 7 billion through an initial public offering (IPO). The company has filed its documents with market regulator Securities and Exchange Board (Sebi).

    The company is also looking at raising Rs 500 million through a pre-IPO placement of its shares to institutional investors.

    The promoters (the Dhoot family) had earlier issued rights issue at Rs 50 a share. A similar IPO pricing would lead to a 36 per cent dilution, pegging the value of the company at Rs 19 billion. But the promoters, it is understood, are looking at a higher valuation as they tap the capital.

    Starting operations in July 2009, Bharat Business Channel has a gross subscriber base of 6.62 million as of 30 September 2012.

    The company has a negative net worth of Rs 5.90 billion as of 30 September 2012, reporting net loss of Rs 11.40 billion in the last three fiscals. In the first half of this fiscal, it had a net loss of Rs 2.70 billion on revenue of Rs 4.93 billion.

    The government has mandated digitisation across the country by 31 December 2014, leading to a huge funding requirement among cable TV operators and DTH companies.

  • Govt expects smooth digitisation in 38 cities in Phase II

    Govt expects smooth digitisation in 38 cities in Phase II

    MUMBAI: The government expects a smooth transition to digital delivery of cable television in 38 cities by 31 March in the second phase, after achieving near total digitisation in the metros of Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata.

    Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Minister Manish Tewari informed Parliament that he did not anticipate any hurdles in the implementation of digital addressable system in phase II where 38 cities having more than one million population will switchover from analogue transmission from 31 March 2013.

    Digitisation in the southern metro of Chennai, where cable television was to switch over to digital from1 November along with the other three metros, has hit a hurdle as cable operators have sought more time.

    Tewari said the matter was sub-judice in the case of Chennai, where a petition challenging digitisation is pending in the Madras High Court.

    He said the ministry was in constant touch with the multi-system operators (MSOs) to assess and monitor the availability and seeding of set-top boxes (STBs), which were required for delivery of digital signals on to television sets.

    He clarified that the entire cost of digitisation would be borne by the industry. According to an estimate by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) in June 2010, the fund requirement for DAS at all India level was of the order of Rs 200 to Rs 500 billion.

    There is no scheme for providing any economic relief to consumers in the implementation of DAS, he added.

    On the phase I of digitisation, Tewari said a total of 8.10 million set-top boxes (STBs) were installed in the four metros as on 4 December.

  • Star Gold now available on Virgin Media

    Star Gold now available on Virgin Media

    MUMBAI: Star Network has announced the launch of Star Gold on the British pay-TV and broadband provider Virgin Media as part of their ‘Asian Mela‘ offering.

    Star Network channels available on Virgin Media‘s ‘Asian Mela‘ bundle now include Star Plus, Star Life Ok and Star Gold.

    Star UK and Europe SVP Yeshpal Sharma stated, "With the launch of Star Gold on Virgin Media – the UK‘s largest cable platform, the Star Network has further strengthened its offering to its loyal and growing UK viewers."

    Virgin Media director of content acquisition Emma Jones said, "Star Gold is a fantastic addition to our Asian Mela bundle. This is great news for customers with access to even more Bollywood entertainment; Virgin Media is the TV destination to enjoy the best movies around."

    Virgin Media‘s Asian Mela bundle now provides access to 13 South Asian channels for ?12 a month.

    Star Gold is available on Virgin Media on EPG channel number 801.

  • TV viewing experience being enriched by social media: Study

    TV viewing experience being enriched by social media: Study

    MUMBAI: Contrary to predictions that the digital age would drag people away from television, people are watching more TV than ever and people‘s viewing experience is being enriched rather than eroded by social networks and dedicated social TV apps like Zeebox. Increasingly, the assumption that a laptop, and a tablet or mobile are the "second" and "third" screens will be eroded.

    It will not be enough to simply broadcast a hashtag and flag a few tweets on the television screen. Telling stories through multiple screens (and elsewhere) will begin to supplant the notion of broadcasting something on the first screen and people reacting and responding to it on disconnected supplementary screens. What does this mean for brand owners?

    Millward Brown, a global research agency, has released its annual top 10 digital and media predictions, highlighting growing trends in the media sector.

    Among other trends, Millward Brown‘s Futures Group believes that the emergence of "mobile as remote" will make it a central pillar of smart communication plans; that omnichannel marketing will help brands build on meaningful moments of engagement; and that social TV will grow up and become part of the narrative rather than a conversation about the narrative.

    Duncan Southgate, Global Brand Director for Digital at Millward Brown, commented, "We expect 2013 to be another dynamic year for online display, mobile and social media.

    onsumers have ever higher expectations of intelligent digital advertising approaches, and marketers will need to deliver more sophisticated campaigns to keep pace with what works."

    The emergence of ‘mobile remote‘: With increased power and capabilities, mobile devices become the remote controls of our lives allowing not only active control of electronics, but seamless integration of the world around us. The new functionality of our mobile "remotes" utilizes advanced technology to simplify lives. Anything that needs a processor to operate can use a smartphone as the "brains."

    Brands need to start developing communication plans that adapt to this world. With mobile as the hub, information gathering becomes more centralised as consumers trade personal information for convenience and access to events, offers and premium content.

    Omnichannel marketing and brand building : Omnichannel marketing is about being present or available across the consumer‘s behavioral path: each potential contact point integrated with all others. The digital arena will represent the first stage of more brands adopting an omnichannel mindset as social and mobile data sources are blended with offline brand experiences.

    In 2013 the green shoots of omnichannel strategies will involve companies turning existing datasets into active targeting engines. As mobile ad-serving platforms mature, this will transition from social apps into ads running across any mobile content. As well as receiving location data, mobiles have the potential to inform nearby digital screens – Minority Report-style tailored out of home ad content may not be so far away.

    So what is the implication for marketers? Start building the infrastructure to deliver an integrated experience in the omnichannel world or face being left behind.

    Other predictions include:

    •  Real-time planning will become an essential feature of digital campaign delivery and evaluation
    • Better alignment of online display formats with objectives
    • Wider availability of high impact Facebook advertising will provide richer opportunities for brands
    • More paywalls on premium sites will lead to a scarcity of ‘premium eyeballs‘
    • In-app advertising spend will be driven by greater use of rich media
    • In Africa, brands will take advantage of huge mobile marketing opportunities
    • Social media listening will evolve from monitoring to insight generation as brands give more weight to social data in business decisions
  • Content monetisation opportunities for MSOs in digital era

    Content monetisation opportunities for MSOs in digital era

    MUMBAI: Multi-system operators (MSOs) can line up several content monetisation avenues in a digitised cable TV environment.

    The probability of commercial exploitation is more in the areas of niche, idle and local content.

    According to IndusInd Media and Communications Ltd (IMCL) SVP Subhashish Mazumdar, the taps can be opened immediately with MSOs sourcing archival content from broadcasters and movies that do not find their way to release on theatres. MSOs can also launch server-based channels.

    Cable operators will also gain more revenue from a digital economy by augmenting their channel carriage capacity. Citing HBO‘s decision to launch two ad free channels as a good model, Mazumdar said this is what is needed. "This is good for the pay TV market. You monetise the audience in a segmented manner."

    Mazumdar also spoke of broadband as being a further step to unlock revenue. "The operator will be in a position to charge more for advanced technology. Cable operators and MSOs can generate revenue in a step wise manner," he said.

    The other revenue streams are video-on-demand, gaming and e-learning VOIP is a revenue stream that MSOs needed to open up, though there is a limited possibility now as regulations do not allow for a national level voice communication, Mazumdar added.

    MSOs will have to focus on branding as the digitisation wave deepens. "There is low level branding now," admits Mazumdar.. "But top-of-the-mind branding will be needed at some stage," he added.

    HSBC Securities and Capital Markets associate director telecom and media Rajiv Sharma emphasised on the need of the MSOs to convince their local cable operators (LCOs) to push for broadband so that they can make money beyond just television. "MSOs will have to invest in network infrastructure. Broadband, no doubt, will require capex investments but the margins can be higher than the video services," he said.

    Consumer-facing two-way cable networks will have a better ability to raise funds, Sharma added. Strategic and private equity investors will also look at scalable models.

    Speaking at the Broadcast Digitisation Summit organised by Telecom Lead, Assocham national council chairperson on media and entertainment Sujata Dev stressed on the need to develop digital content. "Producing content in digital will grow. Rural india will also lead the digital push," she said.

    Dev noted that for money earners in the family and for the youth, the television set is just one device to consume content. Which is why broadcasters are trying to see how their content can travel across devices.

    "That is why producing content in digital is important. It is also important to note that the consumer expectations will rise and they will be demanding as they pay for the channels they subscribe to watch," Dev said.

  • Jayalalithaa steps in as Arasu fails to get licence

    Jayalalithaa steps in as Arasu fails to get licence

    MUMBAI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalitha has urged Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to expedite the matter of giving Digital Addressable System (DAS) licence to Tamil Nadu government-owned Arasu Cable TV Corporation for operating in the Chennai metropolitan region.

    In the letter dated 16 December, Jayalalitha said that the issue of DAS licence to Arasu Cable has been hanging fire for than five months now despite taking up the issue with Information & Broadcasting ministry several times.

    AIADMK MPs had called on the PM on 29 November to look into the matter. However Arasu is yet to receive a DAS licence even as the Madras High Court has refused to grant further extension on digitisation deadline.

    Arasu, which is Tamil Nadu’s biggest multi system operator (MSO), had applied for DAS licence on 5 July. The government has so far given licence to nine MSOs in Chennai.

    “The Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable TV Corporation Ltd. had applied for the Digital Addressable System licence to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on 5.7.2012. The issue of the licence is still pending,” Jayalalitha said in her letter to the PM.

    “It is learnt that the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has issued the Digital Addressable System licence to nine other multi system operators in Tamil Nadu, including those who applied after the Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable TV Corporation Ltd.”

    Jayalalitha said that a delegation led by her party MP Dr M. Thambidurai had taken up the issue with former I&B minister Ambika Soni and her successor Manish Tewari but Arasu failed to get a DAS licence despite assurances.

    “A delegation led by Dr. M. Thambidurai, M.P., met Smt. Ambika Soni, the then Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting on 26.10.2012, who promised to issue the licence immediately. Afterwards, senior officials of the Government of Tamil Nadu also met the Secretary to the Government of India, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, several times,” she alleged.

    “As the issue of licence was further delayed, on my direction a delegation led by Dr. M. Thambidurai, M.P. met Shri. Manish Tewari, Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, on 27.11.2012, and requested him to expeditiously issue the Digital Addressable System licence as digitalization has to be completed within a time frame.”

    She said that the Corporation has placed orders for the supply of Set Top Boxes, Conditional Access System and Subscriber Management System and erection of Head End at a cost of about Rs 500 million.

    “Hence, I urge you to intervene in the matter and direct the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to issue the Digital Addressable System licence to the Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable TV Corporation Ltd immediately,” Jayalalitha averred.

    The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court, she said, had passed orders on 6 December that “the process of issue of licence to Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable TV Corporation may go on and the licence may also be issued."

    The Arasu, which was lying defunct under the DMK regime, was revived by AIADMK government after it stormed to power in April last year.

    It commenced cable TV services in all the 31 Districts of Tamil Nadu on 2 September, 2011 barring Chennai, which was a conditional access system area.

    Arasu Cable is providing 100 channels to the subscribers at a cost of Rs 70 per month per subscriber. It has 23,000 local cable operators with a subscriber base of six million availing of the services of this corporation.