ITV

Category: Software

  • Zoom TV launches responsive website Zoomtv.in

    Zoom TV launches responsive website Zoomtv.in

    MUMBAI: Bollywood channel Zoom has ramped up its internet presence with a new responsive website Zoomtv.in.


    Developed by Times Internet, the new website brings together the best of Bollywood entertainment content and technology to deliver it seamlessly across all devices and platform.


    A responsive website automatically adapts and resizes itself according to the resolution of a device. Hence a single site is displayed in different visual formats with flexible images and fluid grids. In today’s world of multi-screen experiences, like phones, tablets, and computers, responsive sites automatically adjust to give the best experience for each one.


    The content on the website has also undergone a strong refresh. Besides regular channel programming, the site will feature exclusive videos and unused footages from the channel to offer depth to its video content. Insider gossips, photos, blogs and articles by Zoom Star anchors and reporters will also form core content on the site. Movie trailers, promos, stills and first reports will offer variety to Bollywood fans.


    Zoom has put a major focus on reinvigorating its digital products to provide its users with readily accessible content which is relevant, fresh, multiple-format and available on all platforms.


    Times Internet CEO Satyan Gajwani said, “Times Internet prides itself in developing cutting edge digital platforms. This is our first responsive design product for the market, complemented with a very strong technology platform. As consumption becomes multi-screen, ZoOmTV.in is well positioned to serve content across devices.”


    Zoom TV CEO Avinash Kaul said, “We have been, and continue to be, very serious about the digital presence of zoOm and that’s what‘s made zoOm. The Worlds No. 1 Bollywood Destination”. We are revolutionising the way we cover and distribute Bollywood content across platforms in relevant ways that inform and entertain our users at all times.”

  • Siti consolidated Q3 loss widens 47% Q-on-Q to Rs 185.7 million

    Siti consolidated Q3 loss widens 47% Q-on-Q to Rs 185.7 million

    MUMBAI: Zee Group-promoted multi-system operator (MSO) Siti Cable continues to be in the red with the fiscal third quarter consolidated net loss widening 47 per cent to Rs 185.7 million from Rs 126.5 million a quarter earlier on rise in expenses due to digitisation.

    Siti Cable’s consolidated operating profit for the quarter, however, increased 7 per cent to Rs 202.5 million from Rs. 189.3 million a quarter earlier.

    The consolidated operating revenues for the third quarter rose 33 per cent to Rs 1.24 billion from Rs 935.3 million a quarter earlier.

    Operating revenue is primarily generated from subscriber related income, income from bandwidth charges, income from advertisements and set-top-box (STB) activation.

    Total consolidated operating expenses for the quarter stood at Rs 1.04 billion, a 23 per cent increase from Rs 850.6 million a quarter earlier.

    The company’s main operating expenses include cost of goods and services, employee costs and selling & distribution expenses.

    Major cost item was cost of goods & services recorded as Rs 768 million during the third quarter, representing 62 per cent of the total revenue. It increased 24 per cent from Rs 621.5 million a quarter earlier, when it was 60 per cent of the total revenue then.

    Siti Cable COO Anil Malhotra commented, “Siti gained further momentum in the third quarter of fiscal 2013. We were able to maintain our margins through operational efficiency improvements despite increased operating expenses.”

    Malhotra said that the company had seeded 1.5 million set top boxes (STBs) during Phase-1 of digitisation in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata and had added approximately 700,000 STBs during the third quarter.

    The STB seeding done by the company is under the paid scheme and the payments were realised on upfront basis, Malhotra said.

    “We are now in exciting phase of our journey as we strengthen our existing operations and expand our digital subscriber base in phase-2 cities as well. We believe that experiences gathered from Phase 1 will form the basis for phase-2 switch-over to digital, helping to speed up the exercise eventually,” he said.

  • Ortel files for Rs 1 bn IPO amid digitisation

    Ortel files for Rs 1 bn IPO amid digitisation

    MUMBAI: After tossing between a public float and a rights issue for nearly two years, Ortel Communications Ltd, Odisha‘s leading multi-system operator (MSO), is gearing up tap the market. And unlike last time, private equity fund New Silk Route will not totally exit the company.

    Ortel has filed a draft prospectus for an initial public offer (IPO) to raise Rs 1 billion to fund development and expansion of cable television, broadband and internet telephony services.

    The public offer also includes an offer for sale by NSR – PE Mauritius LLC to sell, a private equity fund, to sell half of its holding in the MSO. NSR holds 35.15 per cent stake (or 8.18 million shares) in Ortel and is offering for sale 4.09 million shares. As per the agreement with NSR, Ortel was to get listed on the exchanges by March 2012 but could not do so.

    The MSO and the private equity fund are considering a private placement of up to 3.5 million equity shares for about Rs 215 per share to raise Rs 750 million prior to the filing of the Red Herring prospectus. This pre-IPO private placement would set the benchmark for fixing the price band for the Ortel public issue to be conducted on a book building basis.
    If the private placement goes through, the MSO will reduce the offering – both fresh shares and offer for sale — in the IPO proportionately, while at the same time ensuring that the post-IPO equity share capital is held by the public (non-promoter).

    A preferential issue of 0.9 million shares was made to promoters last in April 2010 at Rs 79 per share and 16,650 shares to NSR at Rs 105 per share in August 2012.

    As of 30 September 2012, Ortel had outstanding debt of Rs 1.51 billion with respect to the secured facilities availed by it from certain banks and financial institutions.

    As of September 30, 2012, 87.81 per cent of Ortel’s customers are based in Odisha, and its revenues are primarily derived from the sale of cable television and broadband services in Odisha. It has expanded to the states of Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh over the last five years.

    “We plan to scale up and expand our business operations in these states. We also plan to expand our business beyond our current areas of operations. Our growth strategy may involve identification of potential high-growth areas, future strategic acquisitions and partnerships,” Ortel said.

    Ortel’s business model entails control over the ‘last mile’ which requires significant capital investment. The MSO said in fiscal years 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12 its loss after taxation was Rs 37.38 million, Rs 172.96 million and Rs 181.36 million, respectively. Its loss after taxation for the six months ended 30 September 2012 was Rs 128.77 million, which is 71 per cent of the loss in the whole of 2011-12. The company had a net negative cash flow of Rs 218.12 million in 2011-12.

    The company also operates a teleport at Bhubaneswar. It uplinks certain channels of Odisha Television Limited, one of the group companies of Ortel, from the teleport. Both Teleport and digital satellite news gathering (DSNG) services are ancillary to Ortel’s core business and accounted for 2.41 per cent of its total income, for the six month period ended 30 September 2012.

    Ortel’s revenue generating units (cable TV, broadband and internet telephony subscribers) have grown to 480,328 in September 2012 from 319,749 in April 2010.

    The MSOs total income has grown to Rs 1,211.07 million in 2011-12 from Rs 785.31 million in 2009-10 at a CAGR of 24.18 per cent, while its profit before depreciation, interest and tax has increased to Rs 374.75 million in 2011-12 from Rs 214.66 million in 2009-10, a CAGR of 32.13 per cent.

    Ortel said, “The focus of our growth strategy has been to acquire cable television subscribers of MSOs and LCOs. Since
    April 1, 2010 to September 30, 2012, we have acquired 161,285 cable television subscribers through acquisition of 259 MSOs/ LCOs.”

    Ortel also plans to further enhance its digital cable services by offering more value-added services such as pay-per view, digital recording devices, mosaic viewing, and interactive educational offerings.

    Also read:
    IPO gone sour, Ortel eyes rights issue & PE funding

  • New York Times launches app for Blackberry 10

    New York Times launches app for Blackberry 10

    MUMBAI: The New York Times has launched a news application for BlackBerry 10 designed and formatted for optimal reading for BlackBerry 10 smartphones. The NYTimes app is available on BlackBerry World.

    The new app introduces a refined interface that incorporates native BlackBerry 10 features, such as the intuitive BlackBerry flow as well as a compelling design and layout.

    The New York Times app includes more than 25 sections news, information and opinion, videos, slide shows, graphics and blogs.

    Notable features include offline reading, cross-platform article save, breaking news alerts and a full set of share options for articles and multimedia across social media, e-mail and the popular BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) app.

    The app offers in-app authentication for subscribers for a streamlined reading experience. Non-subscribers can access the Top News section for free and can purchase digital subscriptions within the app for full access.

    The New York Times Media Group SVP and Chief Advertising Officer & GM NYTimes.com Denise Warren said, “The native functionality of this new app makes it easy for BlackBerry 10 customers to uncover the layers of content available on NYTimes.com and share that content for a seamless and rich mobile experience.”

    “We’re very excited to have The New York Times bring their news app to the BlackBerry 10 platform at launch. The New York Times news app takes advantage of the unique developer conventions and frameworks in BlackBerry 10 to deliver a great app for information-hungry customers with quick and easy navigation and the ability to instantly share with any of your contacts," said Research In Motion VP of Global Alliances and Business Development Martyn Mallick.

  • BBC launches 3 pay channels in Cambodia on One TV

    BBC launches 3 pay channels in Cambodia on One TV

    MUMBAI: BBC Worldwide has inked a deal that will see the inaugural launch of three of BBC‘s pay TV channels in Cambodia– BBC World News, BBC Knowledge and BBC Lifestyle on Cambodia‘s newest digital pay TV platform, One TV.

    BBC World News is the BBC‘s commercially-funded international 24-hour news and information channel. BBC Knowledge showcases high-quality factual entertainment from the world‘s foremost producers of non-fiction and documentary programming; while BBC Lifestyle offers inspiration for home, family and life with programmes on home and design, food, fashion and style, to entertain, engage and inspire viewers.

    All three channels will officially launch on One TV, the first provider of digital TV services in Cambodia. With this launch, BBC World News, BBC Knowledge and BBC Lifestyle will now be potentially available to the 1.2 million households subscribing to the Cambodian DTT service.

    “We ended last year with introducing BBC World News, BBC Lifestyle and CBeebies in Burma for the first time; and we have kicked off 2013 with entry in another new market – Cambodia – where we are proud to be delivering our wide range of highly rated and award-winning programming to viewers. We are confident that this year, we will deliver our great content to even more new viewers in Asia,” commented BBC Worldwide Channels Asia SVP and GM Mark Whitehead.

    One TV CEO Samir Badzhadzh commented, “Viewers in Cambodia appreciate quality content. We are thus delighted to partner with inspirational broadcasting corporations like the BBC and BBC Worldwide to bring amazing viewing experiences to our subscribers.”

  • HD Playboy Asia Channel launches in APAC via AsiaSat 5

    HD Playboy Asia Channel launches in APAC via AsiaSat 5

    MUMBAI: Playboy Plus Entertainment, managed by Manwin Media, has launched encrypted HD Playboy Asia Channel on AsiaSat 5 in the Asia Pacific.

    Manwin is the leading international provider of high-quality adult entertainment, delivered through online, mobile and television media platforms.

    From AsiaSat Tai Po Earth Station in Hong Kong, the HD Playboy Asia Channel is uplinked to AsiaSat 5 (100.5 degrees East), through a C-band DVB-S2 MCPC platform for delivery to over 50 countries across Asia, the Middle East, Australasia and CIS.

    AsiaSat also provides encryption service to the channel from its teleport.

    AsiaSat President and CEO William Wade said, "We are pleased that Playboy Plus chose AsiaSat 5 for the launch of its first HD Playboy channel in the Asia Pacific. We are proud to meet the increased demand of international broadcasters who expect comprehensive and cost efficient transmission solutions while at the same time appreciate the benefit of AsiaSat 5‘s excellent access to Asian pay TV platforms."

    The HD linear channel offers Playboy branded series including Playmates!, The Truth about Sex and The Man, as well as upscale movies from studios including world-renown Digital Playground.

    Playboy Plus Entertainment GM-Asia Pacific Lanny Huang said, "We are proud to launch HD Playboy Asia, the first channel targeting the adult audience in Asia. The 24/7 linear HD channel will include a unique blend of content including Playboy originals and the addition of our highly-acclaimed Digital Playground movies, offering extreme cinematic experience to our viewers."

  • Dainik Bhaskar exits cable biz, Hathway takes full ownership of JV

    Dainik Bhaskar exits cable biz, Hathway takes full ownership of JV

    MUMBAI: Dainik Bhaskar Group has exited the cable TV business ahead of digitisation, selling its 49 per cent stake to joint venture partner Hathway Cable & Datacom.

    Hathway has taken complete ownership of the JV company, Hathway Bhaskar Multinet, which has cable TV distribution networks in Bhopal, Indore and Jaipur.

    "We have bought out Bhaskar‘s stake. Hathway Bhaskar Multinet now becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of our company," says Hathway Cable & Datacom managing director and chief executive Jagdish Kumar.

    Dainik Bhaskar Group‘s exit comes at a time when cable companies are required to make massive investments in digital set-top boxes (STBs). The government has mandated cable TV digitisation across the country in four phases by 31 December 2014.
    In 2008, the Bhaskar Group sold controlling stake in their cable TV company to Hathway.

    "There has been a fall in valuation since then as Hathway Bhaskar Multinet lost ground to rival multi-system operators Den and Digicable. Though the acquisition amount is not disclosed, it is certain that it has dipped," a source familiar with the development said.

    The enterprise value of Bhaskar Multinet in 2008 was around Rs 600 million, the source added.

    After taking full charge of Bhaskar Multinet, Hathway is planning to fortify its presence in these three cities.

  • Ditto TV adds Big RTL Thrill and Big Magic to its offering

    Ditto TV adds Big RTL Thrill and Big Magic to its offering

    MUMBAI: Ditto TV, India‘s first Over-The-Top (OTT) TV distribution platform, has added Reliance Broadcast Network (RBNL) channels Big RTL Thrill and Big Magic to its offering.

    This alliance, allows the channels to be able to engage viewers digitally on multiple platforms like mobile phones, tablets, laptops, desktops, entertainment boxes and connected TVs, in addition to the traditional television medium.

    RBNL Business Head – Language TV Sunil Kumaran said, “The immense penetration of the internet and the growing number of smart televisions and internet enabled mobile devices are stimulating demand and we believe this will transform into a very significant viewing platform in the time to come. Ditto TV is a promising new distribution tool and we are pleased to launch our channels through the platform. We are confident that it will help expand our channel offerings and reach.”

    Commenting on the alliance, Zeel Business Head – New Media Vishal Malhotra said, “This partnership with Reliance Broadcast Network spells a momentous occasion for Ditto TV ensuring that we continue to delight our customers across the world with rich, premium and quality content, anytime, anywhere.”

  • US marketers to spend more on social media ads: Nielsen

    US marketers to spend more on social media ads: Nielsen

    MUMBAI: Marketers in US are likely to ramp up their ad spends on social media as consumers increasingly spend more time online compared to traditional media, according to a recent survey commissioned by Vizu, a Nielsen company.

    According to the study, consumers spend 20 per cent of their online time and 30 per cent of their smartphone time on social media-accounting for a whopping 121 billion minutes each month.

    Around 89 per cent of the advertisers surveyed said they use free tools-such as pages, posts, likes and pins-75 percent say they currently invest in paid social media advertising, which includes tactics such as sponsored content, brand graphs and driving likes. In fact, 64 per cent plan to spend more on social in the future.

    Social media ad budgets are small-but growing: Paid social media advertising is still relatively new. The majority of advertisers and agencies surveyed said they‘d been using paid social media advertising for less than three years. One-fifth (20 per cent) said they‘d only started in the past year. Plus, the majority (70 per cent) indicated that they dedicated 10 per cent or less of their overall 2012 online advertising budget to paid social media.

    The ad mix will likely shift this year, however, as the majority of advertisers (64 per cent) plan to boost their paid social media advertising budgets. While the increases will likely be modest-primarily between 1 and 10 per cent-the growth is a positive sign for this young channel that hasn‘t traditionally had a dedicated budget. Currently, only 41 per cent of advertisers report having a dedicated paid social media ad budget. To fund the increase in paid social media advertising activity, the majority plan to pull budget from other channels-both on and offline.

  • Natpe looks to expand digital presence with advisory board

    Natpe looks to expand digital presence with advisory board

    MUMBAI: The National Association of Television Program Executives (Natpe) in the US is establishing a digital advisory board to be led by Ross Levinsohn who is Guggenheim Digital Media CEO.

    The advisory board will serve as a consultant to help expand the organisation‘s presence and direction in the digital world.

    Natpe Content First president, CEO Rod Perth said, “We are incredibly fortunate to have Ross agree to lead this effort as we develop plans to bring together the linear and digital content businesses, which are increasingly interdependent.”

    This new digital brain-trust will be made up of executives from all segments of digital content including creation and production, distribution, social media, advertising and technology. Its members will be announced over the next few weeks.

    “Natpe is dedicated to acting as a bridge between content creation and monetisation across all platforms. We believe that by bringing scale and efficiency to the content marketplace, we can connect the linear and digital ecosystem of the Hollywood, international, digital and advertising communities,” Perth added.