Category: Technology

MUMBAI: US media entertainment company‘s Syfy‘s business development and new enterprise unit, Syfy Ventures, and branded play company Hasbro have announced they will develop the first ever online social game based on the G.I. Joe brand.

This marks the latest addition to Syfy Games‘ action-packed entertainment slate targeting male core gamers on social network platforms.

The game, G.I. Joe: Special Ops, will launch in June on Facebook and Syfy Games.com (www.syfy.com/gijoe), among other platforms worldwide.

In the arena-based combat game, players can join either the G.I JOE team or the villainous Cobra organisation, accessing a huge catalogue of iconic heroes and villains along with spectacular weapons and vehicles.

G.I. Joe: Special Ops will be released under the Syfy Games banner, which is the umbrella brand for Syfy‘s gaming projects, including the partnerships with Trion Worlds (Defiance and Rift) and Bigpoint (Battlestar Galatica Online).

As part of the agreement granting exclusive worldwide licensing rights on online social media platforms for a fresh take on the classic G.I. JOE brand, Syfy Games will serve as publisher. Artplant, creator of the award-winning Battlestar Galactica Online, will develop the game, which will be free-to-play.

Syfy president Dave Howe said, “The G.I. JOE brand holds a special place in fans‘ hearts, and we‘re delighted to offer both those long-time fans and new players an action-packed gaming experience in a fresh and exciting way. Since we launched our social game platform, nearly 90% of our players are male, compared to the typical social game audience which skews female. With G.I. Joe: Special Ops, we will build upon this early momentum and significantly expand our audience to reach that underserved male social gamer and deliver them the best social games around.”

Hasbro senior VP of digital marketing Mark Blecher said, “As a global leader in branded play and gaming, Hasbro is thrilled to be working with Syfy Games to deliver the G.I. Joe: Special Ops social game for Facebook The epic G.I. Joe vs. Cobra saga is a perfect fit for this gaming platform and we‘re excited to deliver our classic characters such as Snake Eyes and Cobra Commander to fans in this new format.”

In addition to G.I. Joe: Special Ops, Syfy Ventures also announced its initial slate of social games, published under the Syfy Games banner. This platform consists of an expanding suite of social games embracing the sci-fi, fantasy, paranormal, action/adventure and superhero genres, ranging from original content to games based upon Syfy programming. Syfy Games will use the platform to grow Syfy and third-party published games targeting genre fans and the core gamer. Syfy Monster Island (Developer – Sneaky Games).

Inspired by Syfy‘s Saturday Original Movies (Sharktopus, Mega Python Vs Gatoroid), players hunt down and capture a cadre of bizarre monsters to discover the dark secrets of their origins.

Stardrift Empires (Developer – Blue Frog Gaming)

Players colourise planets, build massive fleets of warships and form alliances as they build their own intergalactic empire.

Rise of Villains (Developer – Eruptive Games) will launch in late Spring. Fans suit up as a super villain with an array of amazing powers and weapons to overthrow governments and take over cities in the ultimate fight for world domination.

MUMBAI: TrueVisions, Thailand‘s nationwide pay TV operator, has selected Irdeto to deploy Irdeto Customer Central, a fully-integrated customer care and billing solution designed to help pay TV operators effectively manage multi-play services.

Irdeto Customer Central will enable TrueVisions to consolidate its cable and satellite subscribers into one database, providing the pay TV operator with a system that is more cost-effective and easier to deploy.

“Irdeto has been a trusted business partner for a long time and has been instrumental to growing our pay TV business in Thailand. Irdeto‘s deep knowledge of the pay media industry and solid track-record in providing innovative solutions specifically designed for pay TV services made them a natural choice for our customer care and billing needs,” said TrueVisions director of information systems Ratchanee Ajchariyawongkul.

TrueVisions is part of True Corp, a brand in Thailand backed by Asia‘s largest agro-conglomerate, the Charoen Pokphand Group.

At present, pay TV penetration in Thailand is one of the highest in Southeast Asia at 50 per cent. According to the Satellite Television Association in Thailand, the penetration of cable and satellite television is expected to reach 80 per cent of the country‘s 20 million households as Asia Pacific is undergoing a digital TV boom that will see penetration increase from 29 per cent in 2012 to 73 per cent in 2016.

MUMBAI: Al Jazeera English, the news and current affairs channel, has announced its launch on Tata Sky. The channel, which is already available on the leading direct-to-home operator Dish TV, will now also be available at Tata Sky channel No. 543.

The launch on Tata Sky will add 9 million Indian households to channel‘s reach. Globally, Al Jazeera English is available in over 260 million households across 130 different countries.

“We are delighted to be launching on Tata Sky today, and I would like to take this opportunity to welcome all our new viewers in India to Al Jazeera English,” said Al Jazeera English MD Al Anstey. “India is a really important country for Al Jazeera, with an outward looking, intelligent audience who are interested in what is going on in their world. We are committed to providing the highest quality coverage of India, from the region, and from our bureaux in all corners of the globe. We look forward to continue providing unique, comprehensive and compelling content to all of our viewers across the country.”

Tata Sky chief content and business development officer Nicola Bamford added, “A strong advocate of offering a wide range in every genre, Tata Sky is happy to offer its subscribers the award-winning Al Jazeera English channel on its platform. With a significant mix of both international and India-specific news, we are certain that our subscribers will continue to enjoy our latest addition to the news genre.”

MUMBAI: NDS has announced that its technology is enabling Indonesian pay-TV and DTH operator Indovision to kick-start a progressive migration of its more than one million subscribers from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 set-top boxes for enhanced TV services including interactivity.

Supported by a suite of end-to-end NDS solutions including VideoGuard® conditional access and MediaHighway® set-top box software, Indovision is in the process of deploying MPEG-4 set-top boxes to its entire subscriber base, enabling the launch of both high-quality standard (SD) and high definition (HD) services in a cost-effective manner.

In addition to providing high-quality linear TV services, both the SD and HD set-top boxes will allow users to access an interactive portal using their remote control, with games including Aquatika and Monkey Medallion and educational applications such as Spelling Whizz and Painter Puzzle.

In addition, the NDS MediaHighway Development Kit will enable Indovision to independently develop and add additional games to the platform. This is the first deployment of its type in the Indonesian pay-TV market.

Indovision launched its first MPEG-4 SD set-top box in March 2011, with an already extensive rollout. The operator subsequently announced the launch of its MPEG-4 HD service in February this year with an initial line-up of five HD channels, with plans to expand its offering in the near future.

MNC SkyVision VP director Handhi S. Kentjono said: “NDS’ global expertise in end-to-end solutions has been instrumental in our growth and will allow us to continue to deliver a superior TV-viewing experience as we make the full transition to MPEG-4.” He continued “With the addition of interactive games and the framework to expand our portfolio, we hope to provide an evolving, engaging service for our subscribers.”

NDS senior VP, GM Asia Pacific Sue Taylor commented, “As one of our longest-standing customers in the Asia Pacific region and the leading pay-TV operator in Indonesia, this move testifies that Indovision is a driving force behind the introduction of innovative, interactive TV experiences to the market. We look forward to continuing our support for Indovision as it migrates fully to MPEG-4.”

MUMBAI: Telekom Malaysia‘s pay- television service HyppTV has inked a carriage deal with French international news channel France 24 which will see the channel being aired via TM‘s high-speed broadband service, UniFi.

HyyppTV executive vice president new media Jeremy Kung said the company expected to attract about 2,000 expatriates within two years and about 20,000 university and college students going forward. “France 24 will complement other international and local news channels that are available on HyyppTV, which offers 87 channels consisting of 19 free channels, 33 premium channels, 17 video-on-demand genres and 18 interactive channels,” he told reporters after the launch of the channel.

Kung said the targeted audience-cum-UniFi subscribers would be French expatriates, Malaysian public, particularly the French-speaking group, as well as French-speaking tourists such as from Belgium.

France 24 Asia-Pacific distribution director Brice Bertrand added, “Our first-tier target is French expatriates in Malaysia. There are some 4,000 French people living in Malaysia currently. Second-tier target market would be the Malaysian public and lastly tourism but not limited to French but also Canadian, Belgians and Swiss.”

France 24 is broadcast in French, English and Arabic. It has reached 245 million households worldwide and attracted 45 million TV viewers each week.

MUMBAI: BBC Worldwide Digital Entertainment and Games and 6waves, a global social and mobile game publisher, are joining forces to bring a multitude of new interactive games to Facebook through the 6waves publishing platform, some of which will be based on the BBC’s biggest brands.

One of the first games to launch, Top Gear: Speed World, marks the first ever Top Gear social game and will allow fans of the world’s biggest motoring entertainment show to compete in stunt-filled races and take on challenges. Aficionados of the UK Top Gear will recognize some of the most memorable vehicles and stunts from the show’s history
as they customise and collect cars, build their own tracks, , and challenge friends to beat their track times.

BBC Worldwide Digital Entertainment and Games executive VP Robert Nashak said, “With Facebook’s global platform and user reach, it’s a natural fit to extend BBC’s IP to social games that can enrich experiences and connections for our fans and their friends. 6waves was an obvious partner because of the company‘s track record of driving success for the developers and brands it works with.”

6waves senior VP of platform Jim Ying said, “BBC Worldwide has made tremendous strides in expanding its brands to consumers through interactive channels. Social games are a successful way to connect consumers directly with brands they love, we couldn’t be happier to be partnered with BBC in this step in their digital strategy.”

In addition to Top Gear: Speed World, Jane Austen’s Rogues and Romance will launch under this partnership. Set to arrive in spring 2012 and developed in partnership with Legacy Interactive, Jane Austen’s Rogues & Romance will re-create the world of her novels and allow players to take part in an imaginative adventure that follows the path of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy after they are married.

Additional game announcements under the partnership will be made throughout the year.

MUMBAI: Smartphones and media tablets continue to capture headlines while consumer electronic devices report healthy interest from consumers.

According to ABI Research’s Technology Barometer survey, 25 per cent of US respondents said they intend to purchase a smartphone during the first half of 2012 – a percentage equaled by HDTVs.

Additionally, more respondents intend to purchase Blu-ray players (17 per cent) and game consoles (18 per cent), rather than media tablets (16 per cent).

ABI Research senior analyst Michael Inouye said, “Mobile devices have clearly captured the attention of many consumers and companies within the content value chain, but consumer electronics devices like TVs, Blu-ray players, and game consoles remain at the heart of the digital living room. Connectivity continues to present new opportunities for all members within the value chain to enrich the user experience and mobile devices will increasingly be an additive part of the equation.”

Second screen applications and social TV applications like GetGlue, Miso, zeebox, Disney Second Screen, and Shazam are prime examples where mobile devices are accentuating the viewing experience in the living room. Programming the DVR and multiscreen services are also gaining a great deal of attention from pay-TV operators and consumers alike, but this is still a nascent facet of the market.

“There will always be value in viewing content on the large screen, so we do not see these mobile applications as subtractive or competitive to the connected CE space. Respondents, for instance, continue to favour connected CE devices for viewing Internet video content on the main screen over alternatives like smartphones or tablets. While connecting a mobile device to the TV screen or wirelessly mirroring the screen may be foreign to many consumers, this practice will occur more frequently as the market and consumer behavior evolves, but given the portable nature of these devices and social nature of TV viewing fixed devices will continue to have a strong role to play in the digital living room,” said Inouye.

MUMBAI: Global consulting, outsourcing and technology leader Infosys and Fabric, a part of global communications service group WPP, have tied up to launch Infosys BrandEdge.

The platform was launched by Infosys CEO and MD S D Shibulal and WPP CEO Martin Sorrell at the Infosys Experience Center in London.Three leading Global 200 companies are leveraging the platform to accelerate digital engagement.

BrandEgde is a comprehensive cloud-based offering that simplifies digital marketing by bringing together integrated marketing and technology expertise on a single unified platform. Its functions include full spectrum of digital marketing activities like creation and management of digital properties, data management, coordination with multiple partners, and campaign execution.

Offered in the Cloud, the platform is available in a subscription-based, pay-per-use model. This will enable marketers to convert their capital expenditure into variable operational expenditure while embracing the latest advances in technology and marketing.

Shibulal said, “As organizations work towards building tomorrow‘s enterprise, they must deliver personalized products and services to an informed and discerning digital generation. Infosys BrandEdge provides the agility needed to tap the true potential of digital marketing, accelerate consumer engagement and drive growth. With our deep industry experience, drawn from working with over 600 clients across domains, and proven cutting-edge technology leadership, we are uniquely positioned to develop offerings such as Infosys BrandEdge and drive innovation-led growth for our clients.”

Sorrell said, “It seems to us that clients are seeking simpler solutions in an increasing complex marketing world. The application of technology and data analytics to accelerate effectiveness and efficiency is well established. However, the traditional approaches of technology and marketing rarely speak the same language. Infosys BrandEdge provides a comprehensive solution to bridge this divide and help our clients create unique personal experiences for consumers.”

The platform is powered by an underlying BLUE framework, and comprises four modules that enable marketers to efficiently build digital assets, effectively listen to and understand target segments and easily engage consumers across a wide array of digital channels.

It will help marketers create, manage and reuse digital properties efficiently and brings together internal and external stakeholders on a single platform to collaborate seamlessly, reducing time-to-market by up to 40 per cent and costs by up to 30 per cent.

BrandEdge will also help integrate owned and earned digital asset data, with CRM data and other third-party data sources to allow organisations to set measurement, privacy and security standards and control this data. This unified view of the consumer can be made available in real-time across the organisation and can be shared with other toolsets or services such as media buying or advertisement serving technologies.

In addition, it will also provide advanced intelligence to analyse consumer behaviour across multiple digital channels. The fine-grained, interactive and consumer-centric reports enable marketers to improve targeting of existing consumers. The real-time and bespoke analytics help identify new segments faster.

Lastly, it will help marketers maintain homogeneity in communication across digital channels. It provides a common gateway to a catalogue of pre-integrated marketing tools to connect with consumers across a range of digital channels, such as email, social media and advertisement gateways.

MUMBAI: NimbleTV, the cloud-based subscription-based TV platform that seeks to provide customers to access television content from anywhere on any device, has launched its beta service.

The company will announce exact pricing when it launches the product to the public in the next few months.

The service is a global platform beginning with TV offerings from the US and India, and will subsequently roll out to other countries.

NimbleTV CEO Anand Subramanian, “NimbleTV is based on the simplest idea: customers should be able to access the TV they pay for wherever they happen to be. Today, the groundbreaking technology behind our service makes ‘TV everywhere‘ a reality – with more options, high-quality viewing on any device, watchable from anywhere. Our model is predicated on the belief that providers and content producers should be paid. NimbleTV is a solution that‘s both consumer friendly and industry friendly.”

NimbleTV sets customers up with their own subscription agreements with TV providers that NimbleTV supports. Customers make payments directly to their providers with NimbleTV acting as a payment service.

In addition to local coverage, NimbleTV includes all cable channels, depending on which package a customer selects. The service has more than 10,000 hours of digital recording. There is no box to buy or equipment to set up. NimbleTV has built-in social features that enable customers to easily follow and record what their friends like to watch on TV.

Beta users will have access to a TV subscription package with more than two dozen channels, with more added during the beta period. The NimbleTV price will include the provider subscription at cost, plus a small fee for services such as subscription set up and management, the advanced functionality of portability and industry leading DVR capabilities.

NEW DELHI: Datawind, producers of Aakaash tablet series, will bring the latest news and analysis on the go on the tablets, thanks to a tie-up with Indian Express.

Aakash 2 tablets will soon be launched by the Human Resource Development Ministry for students in India, making available two models for commercial use in Delhi from tomorrow. As part of the venture both models – the Ubislate 7+ priced at Rs 2,999 and the high-end Ubislate 7C priced at Rs. 3,999 – will come preloaded with the Indian Express news application that will keep readers up to date with latest news, intelligent analysis and opinions from some of the country‘s finest columnists.

As a complementary offer, the purchase of the Ubislate 7+ or the 7C will also come with a 50 per cent discount on annual subscription for The Indian Express and The Financial Express. Datawind is currently making the Ubislate series of Tablet PCs.

Datawind CEO Suneet Singh Tuli said, “Indian Express with its great news coverage will be a valuable asset to have as part of the Ubislate tablet platform. We are excited to partner with The Indian Express
team to bring this quality content via a mobile app to all our customers to give them anytime anywhere access to latest news and analysis.”

Express Group business head – online Sanjeev Gera said, “The low-cost tablet is going to be an effective mode of communication and education in the future. Ubislate series and Aakash, we hope, will play a key role in bridging the gap of the digital divide of our country. Express Group would be able to reach out to more readers through these tablets.”