ITV

Category: Software

  • Budget: Customs duty on imported STBs doubled

    Budget: Customs duty on imported STBs doubled

    NEW DELHI: The government has decided to double the customs duty on imported set-top boxes (STBs) to ten per cent, a move set to encourage domestic manufacturers but to have immediate consequences on prices and possibly hurt multi-system operators (MSOs) and DTH companies.

    The government feels that domestic production of STBs would get a stimulus even as implementation of digitisation spreads across the country.

    Finance Minister P Chidambaram said in his Budget speech for 2013-14 that the aim was also at value addition in the sector.

    With the first phase of digitisation having commenced in the metros (barring Chennai where it is held up by a court case) on 1 November last year and the second phase of switch-off of analogue signals scheduled for 31 March, the country is facing acute shortage of standardised STBs and has to depend on imported boxes.

    The Information and Broadcasting Ministry had last month urged the Finance Ministry to remove the anomaly between imported and indigenous STBs.

    Countdown had commenced in late November for the second phase covering 38 cities in 15 states.

    The Ministry had issued a notification on 11 November 2011 notifying Phase-wise digitisation of Analogue Cable Television Networks in India.

    The aim is to digitize the cable sector in the country by 31 December 2014. The target date for completely digitising cable sector in cities with population of more than one million is 30 March 2013, all urban areas by 30 September 2014, and the whole country by 31 December 2014.

    For the second phase, the 38 specific cities and areas which have been listed in the notification are – Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Pune, Surat, Kanpur, Jaipur, Lucknow, Nagpur, Patna, Indore, Bhopal, Thane, Ludhiana, Agra, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Nashik, Vadodara, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Rajkot, Meerut, Kalyan-Dombivali, Varanasi, amrtisar, Navi Mumbai, Aurangabad, Solapur, Allahabad, Jabalpur, Srinagar, Visakhapatnam, Ranchi, Howrah, Chandigarh, Coimbatore, Mysore and Jodhpur.

  • Tradus.com appoints Mudit Khosla as CEO

    Tradus.com appoints Mudit Khosla as CEO

    MUMBAI: ibiboGroup has appointed Mudit Khosla as CEO of Tradus.com, an ecommerce marketplace business in India.

    Khosla joins Tradus.com from ‘seventymm.com‘, wherein he was the CEO of the company.

    ibiboGroup & MIH India CEO Ashish Kashyap said, “Mudit joins us at a time when we are taking Tradus platform to a new level and further energising the same. Mudit has deep understanding of the e-commerce space backed by very strong execution. He has the right energy to lead large teams and create value. We are excited to get him on board.”

    Khosla said, “E-commerce industry has undergone a tremendous transformation over the past few years, and is uniquely poised for growth over the next decade. As a leading online marketplace, Tradus.com has amazing opportunities to tap this potential and I look forward to being a part of this growth story.”

    Khosla has spent over a decade in the E-commerce industry and has experience of building businesses from scratch and rapidly scaling them. At Seventymm, his mandate was to turn around its operations. He achieved the goals and pivoted seventymm into a B2C e-commerce player.

    Prior to ‘seventymm‘, he was a founding member of Yatra.com.

  • Media Pro, Manthan in dispute over commercial terms

    Media Pro, Manthan in dispute over commercial terms

    NEW DELHI: The Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (Tdsat) has directed Manthan Broadband Services Pvt Ltd to immediately pay a sum of Rs. 25 million to Media Pro Enterprise India Pvt Ltd within a period of one week and also pay an amount of Rs 27.5 million every month starting from 28 February pending further directions.

    Tdsat member P K Rastogi also directed that Media Pro will not give effect to its notices of 8 January and public notice issued on 11 January for disconnection of the signals of TV channels of Media Pro to the various networks of the Manthan Broadband, against which the petition had been filed by the latter.

    The dispute between the two parties relates to: reconciliation of accounts, request of the petitioner (Manthan) for downgradation of subscription fee in view of the migration of several operators, implementation of DAS in Kolkata and calculating the outstanding amount after accounting for the credit period.

    The notice had been issued under clause 6.1 of the Telecommunication (Broadcasting and Cable Services) Interconnection (Digital Addressable Cable Television Systems) Regulations 2012 and clause 4.1 of the Telecommunication (Broadcasting and Cable Services) Interconnection Regulations 2004.

    Listing the matter for directions on 21 March, Tdsat said the representatives of both the parties should meet to reconcile their accounts within two weeks. Media Pro may file its reply within 10 days along with ledger statements and rejoinder can be filed by Manthan within 10 days thereafter.

    Media Pro had issued notice on 4 January demanding an amount of Rs 34.71 million for Digital Addressable Systems and non-DAS areas of Kolkata and an amount of Rs 100.84 million from various non-DAS head end in East zone.

    But Manthan submitted that the account maintained by the Media Pro was always faulty and being made up for the purpose of putting pressure on the petitioner to pay over and above the agreed amount and re-negotiate the agreement to give growth to the respondent.

    It was also pointed out by Manthan that DAS has not been implemented in Kolkata due to law and order problems. However, Media Pro counsel contended that DAS commenced in Kolkata beginning 1 November 2012.

    According to a statement handed over by the counsel for Media Pro during hearing, an amount of Rs 121.4 million is to be paid by Manthan for subscription up to February 2013. If 60 days credit period is allowed in terms of the agreement, the subscription amount up to November 2012 becomes payable by 31 January which is Rs 122 million according to the statement by Media Pro.

    Manthan has paid an amount of Rs 62.7 million and Rs 35 million in December 2012 and February 2013 respectively. However, it is stated that the cheques for an amount of Rs 36.6 million were dishonoured. Tdsat noted that Manthan has to pay around Rs 60 million up to 31 January, if the statement by Media Pro is relied upon.

  • Virgin Media launches YouTube app in TV guide

    Virgin Media launches YouTube app in TV guide

    MUMBAI: Virgin Media has created a channel for YouTube in its Electronic Programme Guide (EPG), enabling Virgin Media TiVo customers to access the video community’s online content from listings that have until now been available only to traditional linear broadcast channels.

    YouTube is the first app to be included in a TV guide and is available to all Virgin Media TiVo customers.

    In addition, Virgin Media has integrated YouTube clips and channels more deeply in TiVo’s ‘My Shows’ and ‘Search and Browse’ areas, giving viewers the widest choice in how to access entertainment. The app is free to access and can be launched by scrolling through the channel listings and selecting number 198.

    Virgin Media Associate Director of content acquisition Peter Chapman said, “As the first and fastest growing next generation TV service, Virgin Media TiVo is transforming the way we watch television. The distinction between different types of entertainment – from channel schedules to On Demand TV, from linear broadcasts to online content – is blurring all the time. By giving YouTube a place in our channel listings we’re breaking the mould of the traditional EPG and giving our customers even more choice in how they can watch the great content on our platform.”

    YouTube Global Director Platform Partnerships Francisco Varela, “We’re always looking for new ways to bring the exciting content generated by our creator community to viewers and are delighted that the YouTube app now has a place in Virgin Media’s channel listings.”

    In addition to being available through Virgin Media’s TV guide, the YouTube app can be found within the ‘Apps and Games’, ‘My Shows’ and ‘Search & Browse’ areas on Virgin Media TiVo.

    YouTube search results are even instantly available on every programme information page as bonus features, allowing viewers to easily become immersed in bloopers, fandom content and more, all directly related to the show they’re interested in.

  • HBO to launch broadband streaming service in Hong Kong

    HBO to launch broadband streaming service in Hong Kong

    MUMBAI: HBO Asia has announced the Asia launch of HBO Go to now TV‘s HBO subscribers in Hong Kong.

    HBO Go, a new broadband streaming service, enables subscribers to enjoy over 1,000 hours of HBO Original content on multiple devices including PCs, MACs, tablets and mobile devices (iOS and Android) anywhere, anytime. The service includes new episodes of shows such as ‘Game of Thrones‘, ‘The Newsroom‘, ‘True Blood‘ and ‘Veep‘ 12 hours after being shown in the US.

    Winner of the Best On-Demand Solution at IBC 2012 in Amsterdam, HBO Go will make its Asian debut in Hong Kong on 28 February exclusively and free to now TV‘s HBO subscribers.

    HBO Asia CEO Jonathan Spink said, “HBO GO is a versatile service enabling subscribers to maximise their HBO entertainment across multiple devices, whether at home or on the move, and Hong Kong subscribers of our long-term exclusive partner, now TV, are the first to enjoy this brand new broadband streaming service. With over 1,000 hours of quality HBO Original content to choose from, HBO GO subscribers will be spoilt for choice and can also watch the latest HBO shows 12 hours after US telecast. This helps combat piracy and gives subscribers an opportunity to catch the newest episodes of their favourite shows earlier.”

    PCCW MD TV, new media Janice Lee said, “We are excited to be the first in Asia to offer HBO Go and our customers will soon be able to access HBO‘s great movies and TV series anytime and anywhere. HBO Go complements our hugely popular now Player and other mobile apps for enjoying on-the-go content. With more than 1.4 million downloads of our apps, users are able to enjoy more than 25 live channels and 80 on-demand programmes.

    HBO GO subscribers will have access to current HBO Original series as well as past series like ‘Band of Brothers‘, ‘Sex and the City‘, ‘The Sopranos‘ and ‘Rome‘ plus HBO movies, documentaries, comedies, family content, entertainment specials and more.

    “HBO Go is packed with features all giving maximum choice to the subscriber. We will continue to update HBO Go with new features, for example, in addition to streaming content on HBO GO, downloading of content will be made available in the third quarter of 2013,” added Spink.

  • Auction of 800 Mhz spectrum to commence on 11 March

    Auction of 800 Mhz spectrum to commence on 11 March

    NEW DELHI: Only one applicant – SSTL – registered for the auction of 800 MHz spectrum while no applicants registered for the auction of 1800 and 900 MHz spectrum at the time of close on the last date for receipt of applications, 25 February.

    In view of this, the Government today announced that it will commence the auction for 800 MHz on 11 March.

    Under the original announcement, auction for 1800 and 900 MHz bands was to begin simultaneously starting from 11 March and the 800 MHz band auction was to commence two days after the conclusion of the auction of 1800 and 900 MHz spectrum.

    The Department of Telecom also announced that the next steps in respect of the 1800 and 900 MHz spectrum will be decided shortly after placing the developments and issues arising therefrom before the Empowered Group of Ministers on auction of spectrum.

    A third auction (after the first auction in November 2012 and the second auction due to commence on 11 March) was already announced by the DoT on 20 February consequent to the Supreme Court directions of 15 February.

    This third auction was to cover only the 1800 MHz band to comply with the SC directive to put the entire spectrum surrendered (which was entirely either in the 1800 or 800 MHz bands) by holders of quashed licenses to auction immediately. This would, in any case, have necessitated auction in 20 of the 22 circles wherein the quantum of spectrum put to auction was less than what the apex court had directed on 15 February after the issue of the NIA for the March 2013 auction.

    In Delhi and Mumbai circles, the quantum of spectrum put to auction in March 2013 was already in accordance with the latest orders of the Court. This was also the case in respect of spectrum in the 800 MHz band both in the November 2012 auction and again in the March 2013 auction.

    In the light of these developments, DoT will review the need to include the remaining two circles – Delhi and Mumbai – for 1800 MHz bands in the next round of auctions as also the need for a re-auction in the three metro circles of the 900 MHz band. The quantum of spectrum, the reserve price and the timelines for this auction will be decided after necessary directions are obtained from the EGoM and where required, the cabinet, in this regard.

    DoT is also in the process of filing an affidavit of compliance in the Supreme Court regarding implementation of its orders of 15 February. Any further directions issued by the Court in the matter will be incorporated into the plan of action for the next round of auction to be held as soon as possible after the 11 March auction is completed.

    Separately, the DoT will also take action as directed by the Delhi High Court to dispose of the applications for extension of licenses received from licensees whose licenses are due to expire in November 2014. This action will be completed before the timeline fixed by the High Court of Delhi.

  • LG buys out HP’s mobile operating system WebOS

    LG buys out HP’s mobile operating system WebOS

    MUMBAI: Global consumer durables and electronics maker and marketer LG has acquired Hewlett-Packard‘s mobile operating system WebOS.

    As part of the acquisition, LG gets source code for WebOS, related documentation, engineering talent, related WebOS Web sites and HP licenses for use with its WebOS products along with the patents HP obtained from Palm.

    The financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

    LG said that it intends to use the operating system in its smart televisions and not mobile phones. LG is focused on Android as its mobile operating system of choice.

    WebOS is an operating system that showed promise but many feel that it was mismanaged by HP. It was supposed to be the feature that would save Palm who then sold it to HP. The operating system‘s luck seemed to flounder further when HP decided to pull the plug on its mobile initiatives in 2012.

    The deal isn‘t a complete surprise, with LG already reportedly looking at the platform for use in its products. In fact, the company had been eyeing WebOS for a while.

    A media report quoted LG Electronics, president and chief technology officer Skott Ahn saying that the deal “creates a new path for LG to offer an intuitive user experience and Internet services across a range of consumer electronics devices.”

    The report further said, “WebOS team will make up the heart and soul of the new LG Silicon Valley Lab, with its Sunnyvale, Calif., and San Francisco sites joining LG‘s global R&D locations in the Valley, alongside WebOS offices in San Jose and Chicago.”

  • Isro’s PSLV-C20 launches joint Indo-French satellite Saral

    Isro’s PSLV-C20 launches joint Indo-French satellite Saral

    BENGALURU: The Indian Space Research Organisation‘s (Isro) Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C20 Monday successfully launched the joint Indo-French satellite Saral, along with six other satellites in its 23rd flight from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota.

    Other satellites that launched with Saral include Unibrite (NLS 8.1) and Brite (NLS 8.2) from Austria, Sapphire and Neossat from Canada, Aaausat-3 (NLS 8.3) from Denmark and STRaND-1 from the United Kingdom.

    The satellite was launched in the presence of President of India Pranab Mukherjee along with the Governor of Andhra Pradesh, E. S. L. Narasimhan, Andhra Pradesh (AP) CM N Kiran Kumar Reddy, Minister of State (Prime Minister‘s Office) V Narayanasamy, and other dignitaries from the Government of AP.

    At the completion of the countdown, PSLV-C20 lifted off from the First Launch Pad at SDSC SHAR, at 1801 hrs (IST) with the ignition of the first stage of the launch vehicle. The important flight events, namely, stage ignitions, heat-shield separation, stage separations and satellite injections took place exactly as planned.

    After a flight of 17 minutes 55 seconds, the main payload, Saral, weighing 407 kg was injected to an orbit very close to the intended orbit. Following this, the six auxiliary satellites were also successfully injected.

  • Google remains India’s most trusted internet brand for 3rd time

    Google remains India’s most trusted internet brand for 3rd time

    MUMBAI: Google remains India‘s Most Trusted for the third year in a row but the gap with the second ranked Facebook is a miniscule 3 per cent, according to brand trust research agency Trust Research Advisory (TRA).

    An analysis of the All India Most Trusted ranks shows that Google (All India rank 44) fell 13 ranks and Facebook (All India rank 48) gained 17 ranks to bridge the gap, says TRA.

    Yahoo still stood as the third Most Trusted Internet brand despite its 62 rank fall in All India Brand Trust rank.

    Google‘s Orkut, steadied at 4th rank despite a significant fall in daily visitors from India. Ebay follows as India‘s fifth Most Trusted Internet brand with a very small difference in BTI from the previous. The top six of last year are repeated in the same order this year as well.

    TRA noted that the number of brands represented in the Internet category this year has gone up from just 14 in 2012 to 25 this year showing a direct increase in the trust internet based exchanges have begun to garner.

    The Brand Trust Report, India Study – 2013, is the third in its series researched and published by TRA. This year‘s research was conducted in 16 cities generating 19000 unique brands across 211 categories. Trust Research Advisory is a part of the Comniscient Group, a group of India‘s largest non-advertising based communication businesses.

    TRA CEO N. Chandramouli said, “Two reasons online brands rely significantly on trust more than any other. Firstly, the exchanges are without any physical interface, and secondly, the online world is cluttered with choices that make loyalty ephemeral. With most of the new brands entering the Most Trusted list this year being from Online Shopping or Internet Services, there will be no stopping this sub-category from seeing accelerated growth over the next 12 months.”

    The leaders in the various sub-categories are Naukri leading in Internet Services, Youtube in Online Sharing, Ebay in Online Shopping, Google in Internet Tools and Facebook in Social Networking.

    A study of the number of brands in each sub-categories shows that Internet Tools is represented by nine brands, Online Shopping by eight brands, Social Networking by four brands and Online sharing and Online Services by two brands each.

  • Opera Software launches ad platform arm

    Opera Software launches ad platform arm

    MUMBAI: Norwegian-based Opera Software has announced the launch of its fully-owned subsidiary, Opera Mediaworks.

    The subsidiary will focus on providing advertising, content distribution and monetisation services to the global mobile marketplace.

    Opera Mediaworks claims to service more than 80,000 mobile sites and mobile applications, managing more than 50 Billion ad impressions per month and enabling more than $400 million of publisher revenue in 2012.

    Making use of a variety of ad technology platforms and Opera’s mobile browsers, Opera Mediaworks is expanding Opera’s brand and presence, enabling a more open and efficient marketplace among mobile publishers and advertisers.

    Opera Mediaworks enables brands to reach their target audiences while making it possible for consumers to find, use and purchase the mobile content and services most relevant to their interests.

    Additionally, the company has also announced the launch of a new performance-based mobile advertising platform called Opera Mediaworks Performance, which provides advertisers with comprehensive tools to better reach their target audience and acquire new customers.

    Based on the idea that mobile advertising should entice consumers to connect directly with the advertiser, Opera Mediaworks Performance facilitates real-time targeting and reporting on mobile ad campaigns.

    Opera Mediaworks offers four service areas targeting advertisers, publishers, mobile operators and others that participate in the mobile economy. The services are- Ad mediation and Ad exchange services, Mobile ad agency and networks, Opera Mobile Store and Opera Payment Exchange (OPX).

    With AdMarvel and Opera Mediaworks Ad Exchange, the advertising ecosystem can easily harness ad-mediation, ad-serving and real-time-bidding (RTB) technologies that bring everyone in the mobile advertising value chain to one common marketplace and participate in a public or private exchange, with increased transparency and control of advertising placement, the company said in a press statement.

    According to Opera, Mobile Theory and 4th Screen Advertising are two of the leading premium mobile advertising networks spanning North America and Europe. Going beyond clicks and management offerings to advertisers, they enable some of the largest global brands to deliver rich media campaigns that engage and immerse mobile consumers.

    Opera Mobile Store is a multi-platform app store which is accessible from any web-enabled phone; it offers a highly flexible white-label app-store solution for mobile operators, as well as handset manufacturers and distributors.

    Meanwhile, OPX is a payment-enablement solution that reduces friction for mobile publishers, payment providers and mobile operators, while building trust towards consumers. OPX allows operators and storefronts to gain merchandising intelligence and lower costs and to monetise their offerings.

    Opera Mediaworks EVP for consumer mobile for Opera Software and CEO Mahi de Silva said, “Opera has worked hard and smart to bring together a stellar portfolio of products and solutions to service all the various players in the mobile ecosystem. We are proud to launch the Opera Mediaworks brand to simplify our offering as the world’s largest mobile ad platform.”