MUMBAI: Tata Sky Ltd, the joint venture between the Tata Group and Star, has inked a partnership with Humax to support the launch of its Direct-to-Home (DTH) service in mid 2006. Humax, a provider of digital satellite set-top boxes (STBs), will manufacture set-top boxes in India and also provide after-sales service and support network for Tata Sky customers. |
Tata Sky LTD CEO Vikram Kaushik said, “We are committed to building a state-of-the-art DTH operation in India and offer customers with the best satellite TV services available. Our DTH service will completely redefine the television viewing experience in India and our agreement with Humax takes us a step closer to our goal.” |
“We are excited to be a part of one of the largest DTH businesses in India. Our worldwide set-top box experience and expertise in the development of the most advanced digital television solutions will play a pivotal role in Tata Sky‘s new business growth,” said Humax head of digital media business unit Dr. J U Kim. Also read: Tata Sky ties-up with NDS Systems to create interactive service |
Category: Applications
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Tata Sky ties-up with Humax for set-top-boxes
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TiVo in deal with Brightcove to offer Web TV
MUMBAI: Digital video recording (DVR) pioneer TiVo Inc. is joining hands with online video service provider Brightcove to deliver web-based programming to TiVo‘s broadband television boxes. This will enable TiVo users to record internet-based videos from Brightcove‘s content partners.
Initially, all content will be offered for free to TiVo subscribers and advertising will be carried within the content.
Brightcove‘s technology gives producers the solution to create online videos and then syndicate them through Brightcove‘s distribution channels, of which TiVo has become the latest.
Brightcove also has a deal with Time Warner Inc. to start distributing videos this summer on AOL‘s Web portal.
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BSkyB to share EPL TV rights with Setanta; total bids hit ? 1.7 billion
MUMBAI: A move that was forced by a tough European competition commissioner has ultimately yielded a veritable bonanza for Britain‘s top soccer clubs. And broken the monopoly Rupert Murdock‘s DTH operator BSkyB enjoyed over English Premier Leagus (EPL), home to such clubs as Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool.
BSkyB has won the telecast rights to four of the six EPL packaged that were up for grabs for three years starting from 2007. But it has had to cough up a staggering ? 1.314 billion for the privelege. The six broadcast packages generated ? 1.706 billion ($3.16 billion) in total, with Irish pay-TV operator Setanta‘s ? 392 million bid winning it the rights to the two remaining packages. The bidding was for 138 games in all.
BSkyB will be paying nearly twice as much per game (?4.8 million as against ?2.5 million) and losing the 14-year stranglehold it has had on top flight soccer in the UK in the bargain.
The upside for Sky is that it has been able to cherry pick the best four of the six packages on offer. It has won the coveted “A” package of matches, which are played late on Sunday afternoons. It also has the rights for early afternoon Saturday and Sunday matches, as well as a group to be played midweek and on bank holidays. Additionally, with Setanta a broadcaster that is already available on its platform, it will still be able to offer its subscribers the “total football” promise that has been the underpinning of its success.
As far as Britain‘s soccer bosses are concerned, there is more to come from its EPL property since the rights it has auctioned were for just the UK territory. According to media reports, the sale of remaining rights – overseas, near-live, highlights, mobile – could swell the final figure to as high as ? 2.5 billion.
The biggest loser from all this, however, could well be the viewer, which would negate the logic that was behind the European competition commissioner‘s insistence that the Premier League end Sky‘s monopoly on live television rights in the first place – introduce more choice for viewers. The ?1.7 billion tab that Sky and Setanta have toted up between them will ultimately mean that fans will ultimately pay more to watch matches in the UK.
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Sky bags English Premier League rights -
BSkyB 3Q net up by 8 per cent to $277.5 million
MUMBAI: British Sky Broadcasting Group (BSkyB) has reported an 8 per cent increase in the third quarter net profit. The company said net profit for the three months ended 31 March rose to 151 million pounds ($277.5 million), from 140 million pounds a year ago.
BSkyB revenue went up by 11 per cent to 1.06 billion pounds ($1.9 billion). The company also revealed a steep drop in subscriber growth ahead of the launch of new products later this year.
The company said it recorded net subscriber growth of 40,000 in the quarter, significantly less that the 95,000 increase in “direct-to-home” customers in the first quarter of 2005. Analysts had predicted growth of 30,000 to 50,000 new subscribers.
The broadcaster now has 8.1 million subscribers, it has a target of 10 million by 2010, and forecasts adding 600,000 in the final quarter of this year following the rollout of new products.
BSkyB chief executive James Murdoch said, “The business is performing well and is delivering on the plan we laid out for 2006. Our focus during the quarter was to successfully implement our new customer management systems, complete the final preparations for the launch of Sky HD, and continue to ready the business for the launch of residential broadband services in the summer. Operational achievements in the quarter were outstanding. We achieved our goals, continued to grow our customer base and increased the number of products they choose to take from us.”