ITV

Category: Software

  • Disney UTV launches four freemium apps

    Disney UTV launches four freemium apps

    MUMBAI: Disney UTV Digital, the digital media arm of Disney UTV, has launched four freemium apps UTV, Disney, Comedy and Devotional, for Indian mobile subscribers. Nokia Asha series has pre-embedded the UTV App on more than 2.5 million devices.

    Content in the UTV app includes movie trailers, full length movies (Bollywood and Regional), Bollywood gossip and more. The Disney App includes short form content featuring Mickey and Friends, other Disney classics such as Big Bad Wolf and Santa‘s Workshop and celebrated Pixar short form animation such as Reds Dream and Adventures of Andre and Wally B.

    The Comedy App gives users access to humorous videos like MENtals, Baba Aur Baby, Chickipedia and more. The Devotional App includes stories of Indian deities like Maa Durga, Sai Baba, Sri Krishna, and it includes the mythological epic Ramayana as well.

    These apps, which feature the breadth and depth of Disney UTV‘s content across movies, television, Hollywood and English content along with aggregated content, have already crossed the 15 million download mark in their test phase itself. The apps provide a superior streaming experience for users, even on low-bandwidth GPRS networks.

    The apps support monetisation via both ads as well as paid subscriptions enabled through Digital Disney UTV‘s mobile operator billing platform. This allows regular mobile users to access both ad-supported content as well as premium content within the same app, through a seamless one-click transaction via their mobile operator.

    Disney UTV director, celebrity and video Sameer Pitalwalla said, “Feature phones are currently the dominant data consumption devices in India. While we have a robust smartphone strategy, we wanted to provide feature phone users with an excellent video experience. We combined our great catalogue with best in breed technology and have seen both download and engagement numbers catching fire. 15 million downloads, 1.5 million active users, terabytes in streaming and millions of ad impressions prove the power of our content and experience.”

    Nokia India director developer experience Gerard Rego said, “Engagement and innovation have emerged as one of the top deciding factors in the mobile phone industry with more and more youth accessing Apps that enhance their user experience. Our association with Disney UTV has been extremely successful and, together, we continue to add value to our consumers by offering superior on-the-go video streaming. The availability of Disney UTV Digital‘s new Freemium Apps is a great milestone as users can enjoy their favourite content through fast and seamless video streaming on their Nokia Asha devices.”

  • DD plans for multiplex transmitters at 630 locations for SDTV, HDTV, and mobile TV

    DD plans for multiplex transmitters at 630 locations for SDTV, HDTV, and mobile TV

    NEW DELHI: Doordarshan has drawn up a long term plan to have a ‘multiplex‘ of five transmitters each at 630 locations to provide a competitive platform.

    Each of these multiplex transmitters will have two for standard television, two for high definition TV, and one for mobile TV services.

    Stating this in an action-taken report to the Parliametary Standing Committee on Information and Technology, the information and broadcasting ministry has said it is in discussion with the department of telecom for release of more spectrum.

    The I&B Ministry has asked the telecom department to give spectrum for various broadcasting services in the UHF Band V since the frequency band 700 MHz – that is, 698 to 806 MHz – has been earmarked for international mobile telecom services by the World radio Conference 2007.

    As part of digitisation of its terrestrial networks, DD is planning to set up 630 digital transmitters which comprise 230 high power and 400 low power transmitters. Projects for establishment of forty digital transmitters (SDTV) and four high definition digital transmitters have already been taken up under the Eleventh Plan.

    It is felt that in view of its long-term plans, the total spectrum requirement of DD will be met in Band-IV (470-582 MHz) and eight channels in Band-V (582-646 MHz).

    DD also has frequency assignment in 700 MHz band in two carriers: (745 MHz and 795 MHz each with a bandwidth of 20 MHz for mobile video link and Channel 54 (734-742 MHz) for digital terrestrial transmitters (DTT) in the four metro cities.

    Furthermore, the Ministry says it is estimated that at least 96 MHz of spectrum will be required for four operators to start mobile TV services.

    The Ministry has also pointed out that under NFAP (National Frequency Allocation Plan) 2008, the frequency band 585-806 MHz is predominantly for broadcasting services including mobile TV.

    However according to the draft India Remarks for NFAP 2011, it was suggested that the UHF Band V be bifurcated with 585-698 MHz going to digital broadcasting and 698-806 MHz be given for IMT applications.

    Following the note by the I&B Ministry not to bifurcate this frequency, a committee has been set up with officials of the department of telecom and I&B Ministry.

    When it was revealed that the frequency band 625-675 MHz is being given to the defence ministry, it was pointed out by I&B Ministry that this disturbs the entire band and therefore the defence ministry be asked to relocate its frequency beyond 646 MHz so that the broadcasting spectrum remains contiguous.This matter is now with the Empowered Group of Ministers on vacation of spectrum.

  • Mobile streaming platform Zenga TV looks to double revenues

    Mobile streaming platform Zenga TV looks to double revenues

    MUMBAI: Zenga Media, the mobile and web streaming company, has set itself an ambitious target of doubling its revenues in the current financial year.

    Zenga Media, which owns the mobile and web streaming platform Zenga TV, is promoted by former Sony TV executive Shabir Momin and Vikramjiet Roy.

    Shabir Momin, the MD and CTO of Zenga TV, says that the company‘s total revenue in the last fiscal was in the region of $2-3 million.

    According to Momin, the company has turned RoI (Return on Investment) positive in the last two fiscals and is paying for its own expenses.

    “The promoters did not have to infuse funds in the company as it is RoI positive,” he adds.

    No equity divestment is planned either, rather the aim is to grow the company before exploring fund raising avenues.

    Zenga TV is an ad-supported mobile and web streaming platform. It claims to have 22-23 million active users every month. Zenga‘s biggest differentiator, according to Momin, is that it is compatible with even feature phones and the technology is in-house.

    The digital streaming platform has content partnerships with the NDTV group, Times Television Network, BAG Network, Reliance Broadcast Network, and Raj TV Network.

    However, the big three television networks Star India, Zee Network, and MSM are missing from the platform. The Viacom18 channels too are no longer available on the platform.

    “While we don‘t have Star, Zee and Sony, we do have a lot international channels in our offering. Over and above that, we also produce content in various genres for our platform,” he avers.

    The absence of these powerful networks from Zenga TV means that the platform‘s entertainment bouquet is a a bit of a non-starter.

    However, Zenga TV has strong news offering with the presence of NDTV, Times Now, CNBC TV18, Aaj Tak and Headlines Today amongst others.

    News is one of the most consumed genres on mobile after entertainment and movies, says Momin. After news, the sports genre has a lot of traction among mobile TV consumers.

    However, the cost of acquiring sports rights makes it an unviable proposition to monetise, reveals Momin. After flirting with IPL rights in 2009, Zenga gave it up as it discovered it could not recoup its investments.

    “It‘s better to be profitable rather than taking risks with cricket rights,” he asserts.

    Zenga TV generally does 50-50 revenue share deals with broadcasters which means that its content costs is zilch. However, monetising content through advertisement is still not that easy a task.

    Reason: The ad spends on mobile are still very low compared to the kind of reach that it delivers. However, Momin is optimistic. His optimism stems from the predictions that mobile ad spends are expected to grow to Rs 3 billion by 2015 up from the current Rs 1.5 billion.

    Zenga TV plans to play the volume game by being a free content platform. Going pay is not a good option as one has to be at the mercy of telecom operators, who dictate terms to platform owners on revenue share, points out Momin.

  • UK switchover almost complete with 98 per cent getting digital signals: Ofcom

    UK switchover almost complete with 98 per cent getting digital signals: Ofcom

    MUMBAI: A total of 25.1 million households in the United Kingdom were receiving digital TV across all platforms in the fourth quarter in 2012, marking an increase of almost five per cent from the year before.

    The Digital Television Update report by the British media watchdog Ofcom says digital TV is now received in 98 per cent of UK households following the completion of digital switchover last October.

    A total of 75 per cent households watched TV over digital terrestrial signals in the fourth quarter of 2012, an increase of 0.5 percentage points on the fourth quarter of 2011. In the fourth quarter of 2012, 54 per cent households subscribed to pay TV, up by two percentage points on the same period in 2011. A total of 37 per cent households subscribed to pay satellite in the fourth quarter of 2012, the same proportion in the corresponding period in 2011. A total of 13 per cent households subscribed to cable in fourth quarter of 2012, which was the same proportion in the corresponding period in 2011.

    In the fourth quarter of 2012, 3.4 per cent households had multi-channel platforms other than digital terrestrial, satellite and cable, up by 1.4 percentage points on the same period in 2011.

    There were an estimated 2.12 million free-to-view digital satellite households in the fourth quarter of 2012, up from 2.04 million in the fourth quarter of 2011, according to the survey data.

  • Twitter launches app for music lovers

    Twitter launches app for music lovers

    MUMBAI: Twitter users can now listen to the top songs by the artists and people they follow on the site. Twitter has launched its new app #music for the music lovers.

    The app will recommend popular songs and will bring artists music related activity on their twitter profile which can be seen by the followers.

    Twitter has tied up with three music service providers for this app- iTunes, Spotify or Rdio. The social networking site is also looking forward to associate with other music companies as well.

    #NowPlaying helps the followers to check what has been tweeted by the artists and people they follow on Twitter. By tapping the artist‘s “avatar” on the chart, fans can see their top songs and simultaneously they can hit the play button to listen the songs.

    Twitter #music is available on the App Store and Twitter is also starting its web version soon on music.twitter.com.

    The app has been only launched in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. Twitter is also planning to bring the service to Android as well, as to more countries.

  • Charlie Sheen invests in an OTT company

    Charlie Sheen invests in an OTT company

    MUMBAI: The Digital Development Group (DIDG) (DigiDev), a Hollywood-based Over the Top (OTT) TV, technology, content acquisition and distribution company, has announced that actor Charlie Sheen has invested in the company.

    The funds will be used to help the company expand its original programming and other content. This comes on the heels of Sheen‘s recent deal with DigiDev for the development and creation of the Charlie Sheen Cyber TV channel.

    DigiDev president Joe Q. Bretz said, “Charlie understands the power of this new TV technology and his fertile mind has already begun to shape his upcoming channel. Old fans and new fans will see the uncensored Charlie Sheen take on the role of the ‘outspoken‘ spokesperson for the new generation.”

    “Internet television is on fire with Bloomberg reporting that Netflix tops cable networks with 4-billion viewing hours in the past three months, and Mediapost.com forecasting that OTT (Internet TV) will hit $20 billion by 2015, which explains why in addition to Netflix, Google, and Apple, others are charging into this arena. DigiDev will continue to create new, cutting-edge programming, while increasing its channel count with an eclectic mix of compelling programming,” Bretz added.

    Sheen said, “Joe and his crew have built an amazing machine and I‘m looking forward to the launch of my channel. My investment in DigiDev is a vote of confidence, confidence in Joe and confidence in the industry”.

  • Hathway appoints Jagadesh Babu Botta as EVP- operations

    Hathway appoints Jagadesh Babu Botta as EVP- operations

    MUMBAI: : Viacom18‘s 24×7 English comedy channel Comedy Central has been getting some popular international properties to India like Suits and Anger Management. This time, the channel brings a local flavour to its programming by airing Comedy Central presents Ash Chandler and the Ministry of Schitick on 21 April at 9.00 pm.

    The title presenter of the show is Fiat.

    The half an hour long show will have two to three minute gags by Chandler and his troupe – Varun Thakur, Anuvab Pal, Raunaq Rajani, Rohit Shankar and Neville Shah.

    “When Ash came ot us with the concept, we thought it must be given a shot. We are very happy to be dishing out local content of this kind on Comedy Central and are very optimistic of this experiment,” said Viacom18 Media SVP and GM – English Entertainment Ferzad Palia.

     This is the first time that a local stand up comedy show has been shot in the studio and will be aired on television. Most recently, the channel aired the Sugar Sammy on ground shows in the weekend prime time slot.

  • Intelsat expected to raise $471.7 million from IPO

    Intelsat expected to raise $471.7 million from IPO

    MUMBAI: Intelsat, world‘s leading provider of satellite services, is expected to raise net proceeds of approximately $471.7 million after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses, from its initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange.

    This is well below the $1.75 billion target that the satellite operator had set for itself while filing for the IPO 11 months ago.

    Intelsat is offering 19.32 million common shares at a price of $18 per share and concurrent public offering of three million Series A mandatory convertible junior non-voting preferred shares at a price of $50 per share.

    Total net proceeds from the offering of common shares, after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses, is expected to be approximately $328.8 million.

    Total net proceeds from the offering of Series A preferred shares, after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions, is expected to be approximately $142.9 million.

    The Company intends to use substantially all of the net proceeds from the offerings to repay, redeem, retire or repurchase a portion of its outstanding indebtedness.

    Intelsat is the leading provider of satellite services worldwide. For over 45 years, Intelsat has been delivering information and entertainment for many of the world‘s leading media and network companies, multinational corporations, Internet Service Providers and governmental agencies.

    For the fiscal ended 31 December 2012, Intelsat had reported net loss of $146.6 million on revenues of $2.6 billion. The company had a contracted backlog of $10.7 billion.

  • Rajan Anandan takes over as new IAMAI chairman

    Rajan Anandan takes over as new IAMAI chairman

    MUMBAI: Google India MD Rajan Anandan has to take over as the new chairman of the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI). He replaces InfoEdge MD and CEO Hitesh Oberoi, who was at the helm of IAMAI‘s affairs since April 2011.

    Facebook director online operations and head of office India Kirthiga Reddy has replaced Yatra co-founder and CEO Dhruv Shringi as the vice-chairman replacing of the mobile and internet body.
     
    On his new role, Anandan said, “I am excited to take over this responsibility at a time, when the industry is going through an exciting transition. The digital industry has reached an inflection point and is growing steadily. IAMAI, which has been working persistently towards the growth of the medium, is also growing. We plan to engage and interact more closely with the government to ensure that the online industry registers a balanced growth in the years to come and the internet user base widens.”

  • RBNL expands reach in HSM with new carriage deals

    RBNL expands reach in HSM with new carriage deals

    MUMBAI: Reliance Broadcast Network Limited (RBNL) has expanded the reach of its multi-lingual international men‘s entertainment channel Big CBS Prime beyond the eight metros to 1 million+ towns across Hindi Speaking Markets (HSM).

    RBNL has inked deals with leading distribution platforms to extend its reach to 30 million households across the markets of Gujarat, Punjab, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and top 8 metros.

    BIG CBS Networks Business Head Anand Chakravarthy said, “With the launch of the Hindi language feed, BIG CBS PRIME now expands into 1mn+ HSMs in the country, expanding its audience base. The channel has seen very encouraging results over the last few weeks, since launch of the language feed in metros, and we expect to get an even better response in HSM‘s. We are sure that the channel will build a strong viewer base ensuring better ROI for marketers and advertisers.”

    The channel which is already available on all leading DTH platforms and national MSO‘s in metros has now inked deals with all the regional MSO‘s as well, making Big CBS Prime available to a larger cross-section of male audiences, showcasing the best international content in a dual feed.