Category: Software

  • HBO,  Eros  debut ad-free movie channels on Dish TV and Airtel digital TV

    HBO, Eros debut ad-free movie channels on Dish TV and Airtel digital TV

    MUMBAI: HBO Defined and HBO Hits, the two premium ad-free movie channels, have launched on Dish TV and Airtel Digital TV.

    These carriage deals come shortly after the signing of a strategic tie-up between HBO Asia and Eros International media to launch two new premium advertising-free movie channels in India.

    The channels are currently on air and will be available for a free preview in the initial phase of the launch.

    HBO Defined and HBO Hits will showcase the best of Hollywood and Bollywood content through HD and SD feeds on Dish TV (channels 24 and 25 on HD and 414 and 415 on SD boxes respectively) and SD feed on Airtel Digital TV (channels 199 and 200 respectively).

    Dish SD feed will go on air 28 February onwards.

    The two channels will be offered at a special introductory price of Rs 49 and Rs 69 for SD and HD services respectively.

    HBO Asia CEO Jonathan Spink says that the promotional offer is only for three months. The normal price for SD channels is Rs 99 while the HD channel pack is priced at Rs 129.

    Asked about expansion plans into digital cable given that the second phase of digitisation is happening.

    “Our distributor Turner India is talking to various Digital cable and DTH operators. The goal is to ultimately reach all addressable digital systems,” said Spink.

    A high impact multi-media marketing campaign will be launched to promote the two new channels across platforms. The campaign will commence mid March.

    Eros International Media Executive Director Jyoti Deshpande said, “We are excited about the quick response from the DTH operators to offer our premium channels to their customer base and are thankful to Dish and Airtel for partnering with us. We are confident that our compelling and unique content offering of Bollywood and Hollywood plus an advertising-free viewing experience will make this an instant hit with subscribers.”

    Catering to all movie lovers and each having a distinct identity, HBO Defined is the home of latest Hollywood and Bollywood blockbusters and award-winning HBO Originals, while HBO Hits is a channel that indulges viewers with genre driven anchors and iconic HBO Original series.

    Over the next few months viewers can expect an overwhelming line-up of “first time in India” Hollywood blockbuster premieres such as Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Bollywood premi?res of titles such as Chakravyuh, Award winning titles such as The Iron Lady and exclusive and award-winning HBO Original programmes such as Veep, Game of Thrones, True Blood and Boardwalk Empire as they premiere close to U.S. airdates.

    In addition, dual language options of either English or Hindi are available for selected Hollywood blockbusters. Some of the upcoming titles in dual language are Captain America: The First Avenger, Thor, Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Kung Fu Panda 2 and Journey 2 Mysterious Island.

  • Sky Sports News HD makes intl debut via Viasat

    Sky Sports News HD makes intl debut via Viasat

    MUMBAI: As part of its international channels activity, UK pay TV service provider BSkyB (Sky) has entered into a multi-year agreement with Modern Times Group (MTG), parent company of European pay TV operator Viasat.

    This will see Sky Sports News HD and a selection of support programming and features distributed exclusively to sports fans in the Nordic and Baltic regions.

    From the end of this month, MTG will distribute Sky Sports News HD in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland through its Viasat pay TV platform, as well as through its channel packages on third party cable TV platforms and IPTV networks, including MTG‘s online service Viaplay. MTG will also add Sky Sports News HD to its Baltic platforms later in the year.

    Covering a range of sports – including the Premier League, Football League, Uefa Champions League, Formula 1, golf and rugby union – Sky Sports News HD offers fans a news service. From its breaking news around football transfers to its ‘Special Reports‘ series, the channel provides news, analysis and insight from across the sporting world.

    This agreement builds on Sky‘s growing international channels business that already sees Sky News reach millions of viewers across Europe, North America, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. The syndication and distribution of channels internationally is a growing part of Sky‘s business as the company seeks to leverage the quality of its brands and content by making programming available to new audiences.

    Sky Sports News HD already syndicates selected programming to other international broadcasters such as Fox Soccer in the USA, but this new agreement marks the first time that the entire Sky Sports News HD channel will be available on an international pay TV platform. On top of carrying Sky Sports News HD as a standalone channel on its Viasat platform, MTG will also have the option to insert Sky Sport News HD content, including Formula 1TM pre-race programming, into its own wholly owned sports channels for up to three hours each day.

    In addition, the agreement also enables MTG to exclusively broadcast a range of other premium Sky Sports content, including support programming and features such as Soccer AM and The F1 TM Show.

    BSkyB commercial group director Rob Webster said, “The demand for high quality sports news has never been greater and we‘re delighted to be working with MTG to bring the full Sky Sports News channel to an international audience for the first time. For sports fans, there‘s no better place for around-the-clock breaking news, expert commentary and interviews than Sky Sports News. We‘re thrilled to be developing the channel‘s distribution in Europe and are looking forward to sharing all of the action with MTG‘s customers.”

    MTG president, CEO J?rgen Madsen Lindemann said, “This is fantastic news for sports fans who already enjoy our world class and market leading offering of local and international sports coverage. Subscribers to our platforms and channels will now have access to even more of the latest breaking news and expert views from the best known sports stars, personalities and commentators. Sports news is a global headline grabbing phenomenon, and Sky Sports is a strong brand that consistently delivers high quality content. It is great that our viewers will now have access in and out of their homes to even more of the very best sports entertainment.”

  • Digitisation: Trai directs MSOs and LCOs to comply with QoS in DAS areas

    Digitisation: Trai directs MSOs and LCOs to comply with QoS in DAS areas

    NEW DELHI: For the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), it is time to take audit of the first phase of implementation of digital addressable system (DAS) by cable TV networks. Though satisfied with the deployment of set-top boxes (STBs), the broadcast sector regulator now seems to be wanting faster progress made on packaging of channels and billing so that cable TV subscribers can select their channels according to their budgets.

    In a toughening of stance, Trai has directed multi-system operators (MSOs) and the local cable operators (LCOs) to make their subscriber management system (SMS) fully operational in DAS areas. The systems are provided for under Regulation 20 of the Standards of Quality of Service (QoS) Regulations.

    Trai has asked the MSOs and the LCOs to file a compliance report of the QoS within seven days from the date of issue of this directive. The sector regulator had sent the directive on 22 February.

    “It has come to the notice of the Trai that this feature has not been implemented effectively by many MSOs. Also, in many of the cases the LCOs have not provided the completed subscriber application forms to their linked MSOs,” Trai said.
    The compliance report to be given to the Authority will contain total number of STBs received from the linked MSO, total number of STBs seeded and operationalised, total number of consumer application forms duly filled and complete in all respects (all the relevant consumer details and his choice of channels/ bouquets) and submitted to the linked MSO.

    An addressable system “enables the subscribers to exercise their choice of services and budget their bills accordingly”. It also “facilitates the MSOs to effectively manage their accounting and billing of the services rendered”.

    Though the process of SMS had started, senior executives of several MSOs said on condition of anonymity that the entire system would take some time. They also admitted that they faced resistance from some LCOs, following which there was delay in selling channel packages to their subscribers and implementing a proper billing system. Meanwhile, some LCOs have carried out protests to express their dissatisfaction over Trai‘s prescribed revenue share with the MSOs in DAS markets.

  • Yahoo! India MD Arun Tadanki calls it quits

    Yahoo! India MD Arun Tadanki calls it quits

    MUMBAI: Yahoo! India and Southeast Asia MD Arun Tadanki resigned from his post.

    Serving his notice period, Tadanki will continue to be with the company till June.

    Tadanki was with Yahoo! for the last three years and has been credited for driving a sixfold growth of Yahoo! mobile-users in India. He has worked for 11 years in CEO roles for APAC/ Emerging Markets regions at multinational Internet companies.
     
    He had joined Yahoo! in 2009 where, as Managing Director, Yahoo! India and Southeast Asia (Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia & Thailand), he had the mandate to expand and consolidate business, building on Yahoo!’s leading market position in this region.

    Prior to joining Yahoo!, he had worked for seven years at Monster.com where he was president (Asia-Pacific & Middle East).

  • MTV, Lenovo launch integrated social platform

    MTV, Lenovo launch integrated social platform

    MUMBAI: Lenovo has collaborated with MTV to launch Lenovo-MTV CO:LAB, an integrated social platform that will enable talented youths from seven countries – India, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand – to share stories about their communities through music.

    Winning participants will connect and collaborate using their different skill sets in order to showcase their talents through an original MTV music video production relating to the theme of the ‘Pulse of the World”.

    Leveraging the resources provided by Lenovo and MTV, the concept of the six-month platform is to enable Gen-Y in the seven countries to connect with like-minded individuals with different artistic skills across DJs, Vocalists/Instrumentalists, Film Makers or Motion Graphic Artists, where the winning talents across these four categories are determined by public votes through the Lenovo-MTV CO:LAB website and regional mentors.

    The platform that will go across TV and online will be run simultaneously across the seven countries.
    Building on Lenovo’s “For Those Who Do” brand campaign, and MTV’s deep knowledge of music, lifestyle and the Millennial generation, Lenovo-MTV CO:LAB will inspire and encourage audiences to take action, connect, collaborate and create music using technology.

    To help support participants, Lenovo and MTV have assembled a panel of local and regional mentors, each of whom are established leading individuals in their respective areas of expertise. Mentors will play an important role throughout the entire campaign, sharing their valuable experience and knowledge in order to guide and inspire country and regional winners.

    Acclaimed contemporary design and art collective, PHUNK and renowned international DJs, Brendon P (The DJ Dispensary) and Matty Wainwright (The DJ Dispensary) will act as regional mentors throughout the campaign, as the public vote for their favourite talent.

    “Lenovo-MTV CO:LAB aims to inspire Millennials to take action and turn their dreams to reality,” said Lenovo Asia Pacific & Latin America VP Marketing and Communications Howie Lau. “Both Lenovo and MTV are innovative companies, with dynamic brand personalities, that are focused on the Millennial generation who don’t just dream about achieving, but go out there and do. We chose to collaborate with MTV because it is the iconic destination for global Millennials and represents the sweet spot for music and entertainment for this unique target audience.”

    “We take pride in making the right connections as we engage with the Millennials, the youth today. The collaboration with Lenovo on Lenovo-MTV CO:LAB, reflects a clear brand synergy between us as we continue to promote and reflect local cultural tastes and music talents. MTV’s wealth of research has shown that technology is an enabler for our audience. Technology doesn’t make Millennials who they are, but it lets them be who they are. Lenovo-MTV CO:LAB is a great initiative that shows how we make that happen as we bring together technology and creative, talented young people,” said Viacom International Media Networks Asia VP of MTV & Comedy Central Brands Tan Sian Ju.

    In order to engage and excite audiences across the seven countries, a full-scale promotional campaign will be run by Lenovo and MTV throughout this collaboration. This will culminate in MTV airing the final music video as a showcase of the winners’ talents for a period of eight weeks over the participating countries. In addition to having access to mentors, attending a five-day workshop and being part of a regional promotional campaign, regional finalists will also have the opportunity to be profiled in local and regional media.

  • Mozilla to launch Firefox OS for mobile

    Mozilla to launch Firefox OS for mobile

    MUMBAI: Internet browser Mozilla previewed the first commercial build of its Firefox OS open mobile ecosystem and announced new operator rollout plans.

    The first wave of Firefox OS devices will be available to consumers in Brazil, Colombia, Hungary, Mexico, Montenegro, Poland, Serbia, Spain and Venezuela. Additional markets will be announced soon.

    Mozilla CEO Gary Kovacs said, “Firefox OS brings the freedom and unbounded innovation of the open Web to mobile users everywhere. With the support of our vibrant community and dedicated partners, our goal is to level the playing field and usher in an explosion of content and services that will meet the diverse needs of the next two billion people online.”

    Firefox OS smartphones are the first to be built entirely to open Web standards, enabling every feature to be developed as an HTML5 application. Web apps access every underlying capability of the device, bypassing the typical hindrances of HTML5 on mobile to deliver substantial performance. The platform’s flexibility allows carriers to easily tailor the interface and develop localised services that match the unique needs of their customer base.

    Mozilla is working with manufacturers Alcatel (TCL), LG and ZTE to build the first Firefox OS devices, with Huawei to follow later in the year, all powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon™ mobile processors. In addition, Mozilla has signed strategic relationships with key content and service partners. Consumers will get a dynamic, rich and open smartphone experience that provides easy access to everything they love on the Web, including Facebook and Twitter integration, with a simple, fast interface and built-in cost controls.

    Seventeen operators spanning across the globe have committed to the open web device initiative. These include América Móvil, China Unicom, Deutsche Telekom, Etisalat, Hutchison Three Group, KDDI, KT, MegaFon, Qtel, SingTel, Smart, Sprint, Telecom Italia Group, Telefónica, Telenor, TMN and VimpelCom. Telstra is welcoming the Mozilla initiative as an opportunity to deliver an innovative mobile Web experience to their customers.

  • BoxTV partners Sony Pictures & Disney UTV for content

    BoxTV partners Sony Pictures & Disney UTV for content

    MUMBAI: Times Internet Ltd‘s BoxTV has entered into content agreement deals with Sony Pictures Television and Disney UTV in order to provide premium titles on its video streaming service.

    Other content providers that the online video/content streaming platform has associations with include UTV Motion Pictures, Shemaroo Entertainment, Rajshri Entertainment and Everymedia Technologies for Bollywood and regional content in addition to international studios like Celestial Entertainment – for Hollywood content.

    Times Internet CEO Satyan Gajwani said, “With these partnerships, we provide our users access to a vast content library of popular choices to watch.”

    BoxTV is a provider of premium video service that offers a large bouquet of entertainment, including blockbuster movies, TV shows, short films, documentaries and more, which users can watch on a regular web browser or through the device of their choice.

    Sony Pictures Television Asia Pacific executive vice president distribution Angel Orengo said, “The Indian digital media industry has grown rapidly in the last few years and we support BoxTV‘s efforts to launch this service and another exciting medium for content consumption in this evolving digital landscape.”

    Disney UTV Studios executive director – syndication, international distribution and Disney UTV Media distribution Amrita Pandey added, “We are excited to offer some of our best content from ABC Studios, Disney Pixar, Disney UTV and Disney UTV Studios to the consumer at one destination. We believe that BoxTV will be a great platform for us to showcase our wide breadth of entertaining and world class content.”

    BoxTV has developed an India-centric media experience, which includes bandwidth meters, dynamic streaming and video chapters, along with metadata and search. The portal allows users to access BoxTV via a wide range of apps on the platform of their choice. It will be available across iPhone, iPad, Android phones and tablets; Kindle Fire, EvoTV, Woxi Pod and Roku. Apps for Windows 8, J2ME and Blackberry platforms are currently in the pipeline.

  • Digitisation: Cisco ships 1.3 mn STBs to India in Q4

    Digitisation: Cisco ships 1.3 mn STBs to India in Q4

    MUMBAI: Cisco, which acquired NDS, has won a significant standard definition (SD) set-top box business in India for the quarter ending January, benefitting from India‘s move towards mandatory digitisation.

    Cisco shipped 1.3 million boxes in the fourth quarter compared with 850,000 in the trailing three-month period, with a large portion of the increase coming from India.

    Cisco CEO John Chambers remarked that the company has “been more selective in the business we are taking in terms of set-top boxes and the lowest margin set-top box business in particular.”

    “Cisco has been able to retain attractive margins delivering set-top boxes in India because the engagements are based on end-to-end services. These engagements include Cisco headend equipment (notably, cable modem terminations or CMTS), middle ware, and conditional access systems in addition to the set-top boxes,” comments Sam Rosen, practice director at ABI Research.

    ABI Research‘s Set-Top Box Database has provided further details.

    Chinese set-top box manufacturers ChangHong and Jiuzhou surged in unit shipments in the third quarter of 2012 and together grew 66 per cent sequentially to nearly 5 million units from 3 million in the prior quarter. The tracked market grew approximately 10 per cent worldwide.

    ChangHong serves primarily the Asian markets, while Jiuzhou has more of a mix of domestic and international business.

    “Asian market strength within the set-top box sector is no surprise. North American and Western European markets are largely flat as Asian markets grow and African markets are expected to open up in the next few years,” continues Rosen.

    “Western manufacturers are using end-to-end strategies, as shown by Cisco, while Asian manufacturers are operating at lower margins and aiming to compete on price within low-ARPU Asian markets.”

  • FT in content deal with HTC for news aggregation service

    FT in content deal with HTC for news aggregation service

    MUMBAI: The Financial Times has partnered with HTC for the launch of HTC BlinkFeed, a news aggregator available on the new HTC One smartphones devices, offering select FT content for free.

    HTC BlinkFeed brings content to the device’s home screen, enabling users to see content that is most interesting to them without having to open a series of apps. It offers instant access to a continuous feed of aggregated content, including daily blog posts and videos from the Financial Times.

    A limited amount of FT content is free, but readers will have to register and subscribe if they wish to read further articles.
    FT.com MD Rob Grimshaw said, “This move supports the FT’s successful channel neutral strategy, offering our readers flexibility and freedom of choice in how they choose to receive our content. As well as being on HTC BlinkFeed, FT content is available on News Republic, the multi-platform news aggregator app from personal mobile media company, Mobiles Republic. Mobile is an important channel for the Financial Times, driving around a third of traffic to FT.com and 15% of subscriptions.”

    The FT web app, launched in June 2011, now has more than 3.5 million users. The FT Windows 8 app launched in August 2011 and extended the FT’s mobile footprint across all three major tablet platforms (Windows, Apple and Android), giving readers more flexibility in accessing FT content.

  • IndiaCast-Disney distribution JV gets CCI nod

    IndiaCast-Disney distribution JV gets CCI nod

    MUMBAI: The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has green lighted the channel distribution joint venture between IndiaCast Group and The Walt Disney Company India as it feels that the combined might will not adversely harm competition in the marketplace.

    The decision is not surprising as the cobbling together of TV18 Group and Disney channels for distribution across analogue and digital platforms is not the biggest consolidation the industry has seen. Media Pro Enterprise India, the joint venture between Zee Turner and Star Den, is by far the largest in size with a bouqet of 78 television channels housed under one roof.

    “We did not expect the IndiaCast-Disney deal to get roadblocked by CCI. The Zee-Star merger is far bigger and combines the two leading media houses in India,”a media analyst said.

    In its order, CCI said the transaction is “not likely to have an appreciable adverse effect on competition in India”.
    The CCI has cited a reason for this. “After the combination, IndiaCast would discontinue its aggregation tie-up with Sun Distribution Services and accordingly the market share of channels which would be aggregated by IC would be less than that of IndiaCast,” the order said.

    UTV Global Broadcasting, a Walt Disney subsidiary that broadcasts nine TV channels in India, had filed a notice seeking approval for the 26 per cent stake buy in IC Media with CCI on 24 January.

    The deal would see UTV Global Broadcasting, part of The Walt Disney Company India, acquiring a 26 per cent stake in IC Media Distribution Services, a part of Network18 Group, which is a distribution JV between Network18 and TV18.

    The yet-to-be-named JV will distribute 35 channels from the TV18, Viacom18, Disney UTV and A+E Networks, making it the second largest distribution company in terms of bouquet of channels after Media Pro Enterprise India.

    IC Media is a wholly-owned subsidiary of IndiaCast Media Distribution, which is into the business of aggregation of television channels broadcast by TV18 Broadcast, Viacom18 Media and certain other broadcasters.

    “It has been stated in the notice that the Disney Group and the IndiaCast Group shall grant exclusive licence to IC to distribute their television channels,” the CCI order said.

    “It has also been stated in the notice that post-combination, UTV Global Broadcasting and IndiaCast would cease their aggregation business in India as they now propose to carry out the business of providing the service of aggregation in India through IC (Media) by way of the proposed combination,” the order added.