ITV

Category: Software

  • Stay continues in Bengaluru and Mysore as HC pushes hearing to 8 April

    Stay continues in Bengaluru and Mysore as HC pushes hearing to 8 April

    NEW DELHI/BENGALURU: Status quo remains in Bengaluru and Mysore as the hearing on extension of government mandated Digital Addressable System (DAS) has been pushed to 8 April by the Karnataka High Court.

    The HC was expected to hear petitions filed by Karnataka Cable TV Operators Association (KCTVOA) and Mysore Cable TV Operators Association (MCTVOA) seeking extension of digitisation in Bengaluru and Mysore respectively.

    However, the HC could not take up the case for hearing as an election related petition came up for hearing.
     
    KCTVOA counsel S Subramanya confirmed that both the cases will come up for hearing on 8 April.

    Both KCTVOA and MCTVOA had filed a petition in the HC for extending digitisation due to non-availibility of set-top boxes (STBs). One newly licensed MSO had stated in the last hearing on 1 April that he did not have enough time to acquire STBs and install them in subscriber homes.

    However, the MSOs who have been made party to the case are opposed to any extension of deadline. The MSOs comprising Hathway Cable & Datacom, InCable, Den Networks, Siti Cable and Atria Convergence Technologies will request the HC to dismiss the writ petition filed by KCTVOA when the case comes up for hearing.

    The sunset date for phase II of digitisation covering 38 cities including Bengaluru and Mysore was 31 March however the Information & Broadcasting ministry on 2 April allowed a 15 day grace period to the industry to allow smooth transition from analogue to digital cable.

  • Zee TV launches HD service in Canada with ECG

    Zee TV launches HD service in Canada with ECG

    MUMBAI: Zee TV in partnership with Ethnic Channels Group (ECG), Canada‘s largest distributor of third language television services, launches Zee TV Canada in HD.

    Zee TV HD is available on NEXTV along with Zee Cinema and Zing, the company said in a statement.

    Zee already has six channels in Canada catering to the diverse group of viewers: Zee TV, Alpha ETC Punjabi, Zing, Zee Salaam, Zee Tamizh and Zee Cinema.

    Zee Americas Director – Distribution Akhilesh Gupta said, “Zee TV HD was the first South Asian Network to go HD in the US last year and we are very pleased to now announce the launch of Zee TV Canada in HD.”

  • Ricoh Innovations launches mobile visual search platform

    Ricoh Innovations launches mobile visual search platform

    BENGALURU: Ricoh Innovations Corporation (RIC), a Silicon Valley-based subsidiary of Ricoh Company, has launched Ocutag mobile visual search platform. Ocutag is the first product from its newly formed Visual Services and Solutions Business Unit.

    “Mobile search will be a US$ 15 billion by 2017. How much of this will be through visual search is difficult to predict at present. The mission for our new Visual Services and Solutions Business Unit is to understand and interpret the world’s visual information to provide an enhanced human experience. High-performance, large-scale mobile visual search plays an important role in realizing that mission,” stated Ricoh Innovations president and CEO Dr. Nikhil Balram.

    The first implementation for this technology has been done with Disney UTV Digital’s new smartphone app in India says RIC. The augmented reality feature called Snap Search connects users to their favorite Bollywood stars and allows them to click a snap of a movie poster to provide easy access to customized content like movie trailers, behind the scenes videos, Tweets, pictures and more.

    RIC plans to leverage the shift in consumer entertainment consumption and cumbersomeness that one experiences using a mobile phone virtual keyboard and the limited usability of mobile voice interactivity. It says that its platform can be used to create applications by branders and marketers for smart as well as feature phones and is operating system agnostic. UTV created apps for Windows, iOS and Android phones.

  • Ditto TV strengthens regional bouquet with Raj TV alliance

    Ditto TV strengthens regional bouquet with Raj TV alliance

    MUMBAI: Zee New Media, the digital media arm of Zeel, is slowly and steadily building its over-the-top (OTT) platform Ditto TV. Close on the heels of adding ETV network channels, Ditto TV has strengthened its regional offering by inking a strategic alliance with Raj Television adding the latter‘s bouquet of channels to its regional pack.

    The alliance will now enable Ditto TV to stream live TV content from Raj TV Network to avid viewers of South Indian language channels on their mobiles, PCs and tablets. Raj TV Network‘s bouquet includes channels across genres like GECs, News and Music comprising channels like Raj TV, Raj Digital Plus, Raj Music, Raj Musix and Raj News 24X7.

    Commenting on the partnership, Zeel Business Head – New Media Vishal Malhotra said, “Our partnership with Raj TV is of strategic importance to Ditto TV as it will help us strengthen our foothold in the southern markets that we have already penetrated through the ETV range of channels. More importantly, with the enhanced channels offering on the Ditto TV platform, we are delighted to have reached out to the hearts of Indians from around the world, who yearn for such content.”

    Raj TV Distribution Director M. Rajrathinam said, “With the evolution of technology, we need to keep pace with the demands of our New Age Viewer, who prefers to view content not only at his convenience, but also at the place of his choosing. Our partnership with Ditto TV offers us the right choice for us to reach out to this viewer. The partnership will also help us accelerate our business beyond our audience base in southern India, to national and global markets.”

    The partnership with Raj TV is in addition to the associations Ditto TV already has in place with other leading content providers such as IndiaCast, Multi Screen Media (MSM), Sri Adhikari Brothers (SB), TV Today Network and BBC.

  • Times Internet forms strategic alliance with Business Insider

    Times Internet forms strategic alliance with Business Insider

    MUMBAI: Times Internet (TIL), the digital arm of the Times of India Group, has entered into a strategic partnership with America‘s most popular business news site to launch Business Insider India.

    The partnership will combine Business Insider‘s real-time, intensive approach to news with qualitative editorial expertise of TIL and deliver a strong portfolio of global and localized content for the Indian audience. Times Internet will be Business Insider‘s exclusive partner in India for content development, events, monetisation, and syndication.

    The unique alliance will help TIL give Indian users an access to international news covering a wide range of subjects ranging from business trends & strategy, career skills, digital trends, industry reports, white papers, advertising and much more. TIL intends to use The Times Group‘s multimedia resources to help develop and evangelise the brand locally.

    Times Local Partners (TLP) is a recently launched initiative by Times Internet to partner with global digital companies to launch, build, and grow meaningfully in India.

    Two months ago, TLP announced a partnership with Gawker Media to bring Gizmodo and Lifehacker to India. TLP intends to launch local versions of those sites in April 2013, with a similar hybrid model of local and global content, curated and tailored for the Indian market, which will leverage Times Internet‘s position as the largest Indian network by traffic.

    Discussing the partnership with Business Insider, TIL CEO Satyan Gajwani said, “Business Insider is one of the most successful digital-first news organizations in the world, with a pioneering combination of original reporting, aggregation, and dynamic social engagement tools. Their bold and direct editorial perspective grips readers, and already today attracts a strong loyal following within India. We can‘t wait to expose them to a larger audience and increase their relevance and prominence in India.”

    Business Insider is known for its distinct style of coverage of news from around the world, with 15 million monthly visitors worldwide. After its successful foray with an Australian version earlier this month, the Indian version will further help Business Insider expand its presence in the Asian sub continent. The site already has a wide user base and fetches a good traction in the country.

    Business Insider Founder & Editor-in-Chief Henry Blodget said, “We have many loyal readers in India, so making it the site of the latest international version of Business Insider makes a lot of sense for us. We‘re thrilled to be partnering with Times Internet – which has such a storied history, and breadth of editorial resources and acumen – and we look forward to working with them to engage readers in India with a Business Insider that‘s more tailored to them.”

  • Graphic India appoints Salil Bhargava as COO

    Graphic India appoints Salil Bhargava as COO

    MUMBAI: Graphic India, a character entertainment company, has appointed former Jump Games CEO Salil Bhargava as Chief Operating Officer (COO). The company is focused on creating leading characters, comics and stories for the Indian youth market through mobile and digital platforms.

    Bhargava, an veteran in the industry and brings more than twelve years of experience in media, entertainment and digital companies in India and overseas, will report to Sharad Devarajan, Co-Founder and CEO of Graphic India.

    CA Media, the Asian investment arm of The Chernin Group, had acquired an undisclosed large minority stake in Graphic India in January this year.

    Commenting on the new appointment, Graphic India Co-Founder & CEO Sharad Devarajan said, “Salil has been a leading force in pioneering India‘s mobile entertainment industry over the last decade and I am delighted to bring his experience to Graphic as we build a digital media company that transforms the Indian character entertainment industry with new heroes and stories to inspire the world.”

    Commenting on his appointment, Bhargava said, “I am thrilled to be joining Graphic India which is setting new boundaries in creativity for character entertainment in India. Sharad and his team bring an unparalleled level of experience in this space and there cannot be a more exciting company to work with as we pioneer digital initiatives to make Graphic‘s unique and ground breaking content available across every digital device in the country.”

    Salil has a Bachelors Degree in Commerce from Symbiosis College of Arts & Commerce, Pune. He has studied at Michigan State University in USA and holds an MBA degree from Eli Broad Graduate School of Management.

    Graphic India‘s stories include, Ramayan 3392A.D. and The Sadhu, both currently in development as Hollywood feature films; 18 Days, a reimagining of the great eastern epic, the Mahabharata, by acclaimed graphic novel creator, Grant Morrison; Chakra The Invincible, the first superhero for India from legendary creator Stan Lee; and numerous other heroes and stories.

  • Stage set for a court battle on DAS in Bengaluru

    Stage set for a court battle on DAS in Bengaluru

    MUMBAI: A battle royale is set to take place in the Karnataka High Court tomorrow. On the one hand are national and Karnataka‘s multi system operators (MSOs). And on the other side is the Karnataka Cable TV Operators Association (KCTVOA). The former are are all set to challenge the petition filed by the latter seeking extension of DAS (digital addressable system) in Bengaluru.

    Putting up a united front, the MSOs led by Hathway Cable & Datacom, InCable, Den Networks, Siti Cable and Atria Convergence Technologies will request the High Court to dismiss the writ petition filed by the KCTVOA.

    The MSOs have been made respondents to the petition filed by KCTVOA president V S Patrick Raju. The MSOs are expected to file their responses when the case comes up for hearing before the court tomorrow.

    Hathway Cable & Datacom MD and CEO Jagdish Kumar asserted that the MSOs will request the HC to strike down the KCTVOA‘s writ petition seeking extension of digitisation deadline.

    Kumar feels that there is no need for a stay on DAS in Bangalore as almost 75 per cent of the television households have already been seeded with STBs. The MSOs, he said, are equipped to seed STBs in the remaining 25 per cent homes.

    The Karnataka HC had had on 31 March extended DAS in Bengaluru till 5 April on a petition filed by Raju. The KCTVOA had requested the HC to postpone digitisation in Karnataka‘s capital city as there was no clarity on the set top boxes (STBs).

    Raju says that he had filed a RTI request with the nodal officer in Bengaluru 10 days ago, seeking information on the extent of set top box seeding in the city, but he had not got a response as yet. He says that the entire digitisation process will result in cable TV operators becoming a bill collector and the revenue share of 65:35 in favour of the MSO is not acceptable at all. “We have invested so much in our cable TV networks and by collecting Rs 1,400 for a set top box, the MSO will get our subscriber who is asking us for bills for the set top box, for warranty for mobility to other areas of the city,” he says. “Also the MSOs have not given us a rate card for the channels that they want us to carry.”

    The sunset date for phase II of digitisation covering 38 cities was 31 March however the Information & Broadcasting ministry on 2 April allowed a 15 day grace period to the industry to allow smooth transition from analogue to digital cable.

    The HC is also expected to hear tomorrow a petition filed by Mysore Cable TV Operators Association seeking extension in Mysore due to shortage of STBs.

  • Industry airs views on Phase II digitisation “grace period”

    Industry airs views on Phase II digitisation “grace period”

    MUMBAI: What does the industry think about the government‘s decision to allow a grace period of 15 days for the rollout of phase II digitisation in some cities? Well, we at indiantelevision.com decided to find out by speaking to a cross section of industry to find out.

    Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) president and Multi Screen Media (MSM) CEO Manjit Singh, who is in Kolkata for the first match of the IPL, is clear that “as a broadcaster I would have preferred the government not giving any grace period. But since the ministry is more aware of the ground situation, I will go with its decision.”

    Hinduja Ventures Ltd whole time director Ashok Mansukhani believes that “if the government wanted to give a grace period of 15 days, it should have been after consultation with the MSOs who have been entrusted with the task of majorly implementing digitisation. Where it has been substantially implemented, there was no need to give a grace period. Where deployment is below 20 per cent, discussion could have been held on a longer timeline than 15 days.”

    Mansukhani adds that he would like the digitisation numbers of Phase II which are being released to be revisited for some localities. “There is some dispute about the numbers,” he says.

    He highlights that the objective of digitisation is to end under-declaration by cable TV operators. “If DAS Phase II deployment is uneven then government could have taken a two step process where pay TV channels could have been switched off first and the free to air channels later to allow for a smooth transition,” he says.

    Hathway Cable & Datacom MD & CEO Jagdish Kumar is of the opinion that from his network‘s perspective he would have preferred not to have a grace period at all. “From our perspective, we are well prepared with the ability to deploy set top boxes to almost 90 per cent of our and our joint venture networks,” he says.

    He points out that the lack of initiative on the part broadcasters to sign “digital agreements for phase II towns has been disappointing. We are working with broadcasters to get them moving. Basically, the industry is toying with a fixed fee or cost per subscriber deals.”

    DEN Networks COO M.G. Azhar is of the view that it was good the government has given the grace period keeping the consumers in mind. “Where set top boxes (STBs) have not been deployed effectively, the consumer should not face an analogue blackout,” he says.

    Tata Sky MD & CEO Harit Nagpal has the final word. Speaking to Indiantelevision.com yesterday, he had said that there was “no need for a grace period as the DTH operators are more than equipped to meet the STB demand wherever there is a shortage.”

  • Media entrepreneurs to explore ways to create loyal audiences at Nab

    Media entrepreneurs to explore ways to create loyal audiences at Nab

    MUMBAI: A general session open to all attendees at the 2013 Nab Show will explore how today’s creative media entrepreneurs are finding new ways to produce quality online content and build loyal audiences. The session, “Broadcast Minds™ – Internet Content Creators Talk What’s Next Online” produced in partnership with NewTek, will take place on 10 April in Las Vegas.

    Moderated by Revision3 CEO Jim Louderback, the panel will feature FishBowl Worldwide Media co-founder, president and CEO Bruce Gersh, actor/comedian Tom Green; illusionist, comedian, author Penn Jillette and host and executive producer, “What’s Trending” Shira Lazar.

    NewTek executive VP marketing Carter Holland said, “We are thrilled to team up with the NAB this year and expose a larger audience to Broadcast Minds. Since we started Broadcast Minds in 2010, our goal has remained the same: Expose the world to movers and shakers who are redefining what it means to be a ’broadcaster’ through the use of technology, social media and the Internet. We look forward to the insights that this year’s all-star line-up will reveal about breaking down the boundaries between television content creation, content distribution, social participation and online consumption”.

    The on-going democratization of technology, social media and access to the Internet through mobile devices is reshaping the media and entertainment landscape. “Broadcast Minds” will study the way this trend is pushing content creators to think differently about how to develop, produce and distribute online video content. Panelists will also discuss the impact of consumers’ growing access to niche entertainment programming and their ability to influence the outcome of online TV shows through real-time social media participation. The session will be streamed live online at www.nabshow.com.

  • Aereo wins court fight against US channels

    Aereo wins court fight against US channels

    MUMBAI: In a setback to US television broadcasters, a Federal Appeals court has ruled that Aereo can continue to stream live TV through its site and app.

    The digital TV startup which is backed by Barry Diller will be able to continue operating and the dispute is expected to get a proper court hearing.

    Aereo streams TV channels without compensating them, but the broadcasters feel they will win eventually. But Aereo, which is only available in New York City, plans to offer its service in nearly 24 more cities this year.

    Channels like CBS, Disney and Fox complain that none of Aereo‘s $8 a month fee goes to the local TV stations. This is not the case when programming is carried over cable and satellite services, which have to pay the stations rebroadcast fees – fees the TV stations are increasingly depending on in a time when ad revenue is on the decline because of competition from Internet ad services.

    The broadcasters said in a statement: “This was a loss for the entire creative community. The court has ruled that it is okay to steal copyrighted material and re-transmit it without compensation. While we are disappointed with this decision, we have and are considering our options to protect our programming.”

    Aereo CEO Chet Kanojia said, “We may be a small start-up, but we have always believed in standing up and fighting for our consumers. We are grateful for the court’s thoughtful analysis and decision and we look forward to continuing to build a successful business that puts consumers first.”