Category: Software

YRF films now available on Spuul

Mumbai: Spuul.com, the streaming service for Indian movies and TV shows online, has announced an agreement with Yash Raj Films (YRF), to make the studio‘s movies instantly available on Spuul.

Bollywood buffs worldwide can now watch YRF‘s movies like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Dil To Pagal Hai, Dhoom and Band Baaja Baaraat on their desktops and mobile devices with Spuul.

According to the company, the proliferation of the internet, together with the growing popularity of smartphones and tablets, has catalysed demand for Indian movies online. Spuul is harnessing these trends to offer netizens, especially the young tech savvy users, the convenience of anytime, anywhere access to their favorites movies.

Spuul South Asia head Prakash Ramchandani said, "It is great to partner with Yash Raj Films, a studio that has produced some of Indian cinema‘s finest and most memorable movies. From old classics like ‘Kabhi Kabhie‘ and ‘Silsila‘ to new-age smash-hits like ‘Ek Tha Tiger‘ and ‘Ishaqzade‘ we are delighted to offer our users such a robust collection of movies and will continue to work with our partners to regularly expand our offering."

Yash Raj Films general manager – digital and new media Anand Gurnani said, "In line with the evolving digital landscape, we endeavor to have our content present on all legitimate digital touch-points globally. A digital distribution platform like Spuul, provides us a window to connect with our viewers and also enable them to access our evergreen catalogue of films at their convenience."

Spuul has recently launched its app for Facebook, which allows users to watch full-length movies on Facebook while they chat, check feeds and notifications.

Spuul is also available as a free mobile app for iOS devices (iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch) and as a web service.

January 16, 2013
OTT opportunities emerge in South Asia as 2Mbps+ broadband subs set to double by 2017

MUMBAI: Apple finally opened its iTunes Store in India in December, joining services such as BigFlix, NyooTV, Eros Now, hungama and DittoTV from Zee New Media. In Malaysia, pay-TV provider Astro has launched Astro-on-the-Go to compete with TonTon, Maaduu, DETV and Fine TV.

But will flagging broadband speeds prove an insurmountable barrier for the development of OTT in the region? To answer this question, Farncombe undertook a study of the broadband markets in five key SEA developing countries: India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. Farncombe analysed fixed and mobile broadband service offers, technologies, nominal and actual bitrates and pricing plans.

The company is a professional services firm offering technical and strategic support across all digital media sectors, with a focus on TV. Farncombe‘s study shows that around 30 per cent of the existing fixed broadband residential subscriptions offer speeds that are equal to or higher than 2Mbps – the threshold required by many OTT service providers for delivering video content to connected devices, including TVs.

The company forecasts that this percentage will reach almost 50 per cent by the end of 2017 – with more than 25m fixed broadband connections ? 2Mbps across the six countries by then. India will lead, accounting for 28 per cent of the households in this segment, followed by Vietnam and Thailand.

Farncombe‘s research shows that ADSL technology will remain the dominant fixed broadband technology in the region, but its share will drop from 84 per cent in 2012 to 65 per cent in 2017.

Cable (especially in India) and FTTx will gradually increase their presence in the main cities and will increase with CAGR 2013-17 of 31 per cent and 36 per cent respectively. Wireless Broadband Access (mostly WiMax) and other technologies (e.g. Satellite, Ethernet, etc. ) will remain niche alternatives with limited market shares.

Malaysia emerges in top position in terms of FTTx connections across the six SEA territories, with the average download bitrates increasing at a CAGR of 25 per cent in the final three years to 2017. However, the average bitrates in India, Indonesia and Vietnam are increasing at a CAGR of less than 10 per cent , bringing the average regional speed up to just 1.5Mbps by the end of last year.

Most fixed broadband plans now include unlimited usage, unlike mobile packages, which are typically ‘capped‘ – an issue that still inhibits OTT usage over mobile broadband. Farncombe compared fixed and mobile broadband costs by looking at how much each charged ‘per Mbps‘, taking into account actual bitrates and mobile usage caps. The company found that on average mobile broadband users would have to cap their monthly use at 1-3Gb to obtain the same ‘per Mbps‘ price-performance as a fixed plan.

Similar results were derived across all six markets, demonstrating that despite the significant increase in mobile broadband users – which we expect to reach nearly 0.5 billion subscribers by 2017 with a CAGR of 37% across the six countries – fixed broadband remains a much more cost-effective choice for video use.

As competing two-way platforms will require substantial up-front investment, especially for countries with challenging landscapes like India, Indonesia and the Philippines, OTT platforms can offer significant opportunities for players in these regions to reach audiences and capture market share more cost-effectively and with tighter launch-schedules.

January 16, 2013
Amazon Instant Video available on Nintendo’s Wii Console
MUMBAI: Online retail major Amazon has announced the launch of its Instant Video app on Nintendo‘s Wii console, providing customers with access to the Amazon Instant Video library of more than 145,000 movies and TV episodes.

The app is already available on Nintendo‘s new Wii U console that launched on 18 November and is being enjoyed across the US. In addition, the app gives Amazon Prime members access to more than 33,000 movies and TV episodes to stream at no additional cost.

Amazon said that bringing the Amazon Instant Video app to the Wii console means that it is giving customers even more ways to easily and instantly watch the videos they want right at home.
The free Amazon Instant Video app can be found in the Wii Shop Channel for customers to easily download and install on the console. The Wii Remote Plus controller lets customers easily browse and search for titles.

Amazon.com VP of worldwide digital video Anthony Bay said, "We‘re focussed on providing our customers with many choices to make their entertainment experience enjoyable and as easy as possible – whether it‘s offering a wide selection of hit movies and popular TV shows, or a variety of ways to instantly stream all the content available in the Amazon Instant Video library.

"Today, bringing the Amazon Instant Video app to the Wii console means we‘re giving our customers even more ways to easily and instantly watch the videos they want right at home."

Nintendo US senior VP Network Business Duncan Orrell-Jones said, "Since it arrived in November of 2006, Wii has been a cultural phenomenon. With more than 40 million units purchased in the US alone, the addition of Amazon Instant Video means more choice across a significant portion of the American entertainment landscape."

The Amazon Instant Video app for Wii provides customers with a comprehensive Amazon Instant Video experience including:
- Instant streaming of more than 145,000 titles from the Amazon Instant Video library and more than 33,000 Prime Instant Video titles for Prime members
- Smart lists such as Recently Watched, Watchlist, Genre Recommendations and Your TV Shows that allow customers to easily manage their viewing choices
- Your Video Library gives customers access to purchases from Amazon Instant Video on the Wii or any of the hundreds of other devices enabled for Amazon Instant Video. For a list of compatible devices click here
- Parental Controls and Kid Zone features that allow parents to manage access to age appropriate content and also easily navigate specific categories to find family-friendly programming by age
- Whispersync lets customers seamlessly switch from one device to another. Start streaming a movie on Kindle Fire, then pick up right where you left off on your Wii console – avoid the frustration of having to find your spot
The Amazon Instant Video app for Wii offers more than 145,000 movies and TV episodes to browse, buy, rent and stream, including the latest new release movies like The Dark Knight Rises, Brave, The Amazing Spider-Man, Taken 2, The Bourne Legacy, Marvel‘s The Avengers, ParaNorman, and Frankenweenie, and popular TV shows like The Walking Dead, Sons of Anarchy, American Horror Story, Revolution, and Big Bang Theory. Most current TV shows can be purchased by individual episode or at a discount with a TV season pass.

In addition to receiving free two-day shipping on millions of items and access to thousands of books from the Kindle Owners‘ Lending Library, Prime members can instantly stream more than 33,000 TV episodes and movies, all for just $79 a year. The Prime Instant Video library includes popular TV shows such as Fringe, Parks and Recreation, Downton Abbey, Parenthood, Glee, and The West Wing, new release movies such as Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Hugo, Thor, The Adventures of Tintin, The Expendables and Rango, and popular kids TV including SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer, and Phineas and Ferb. Non-Prime members can start their free one-month trial.
January 16, 2013
DEN doubles borrowing cap to Rs 20 bn; Q3 consolidated up 10% QoQ

MUMBAI: With digitisation firm on the government‘s agenda, DEN Networks Ltd, a leading multi-system operator (MSO), has got the board approval to double its borrowing power from existing Rs 10 billion to Rs 20 billion.

The company also said on Tuesday that its consolidated net profit for the third quarter ended 31 December rose 10 per cent to Rs 171.7 million from Rs 155.9 million in the previous quarter, in line with revenue growth.

Incidentally, this quarter saw the rollout of the first phase of digitisation in the four metros. The government stuck to the deadline of 1 November, though digitisation got disrupted in Chennai due to a Madras High Court order.

DEN’s consolidated Ebidta for the three-month period beginning 1 September jumped 22 per cent to Rs 603.9 million from Rs 308.4 million in the trailing quarter.

The company’s consolidated net revenue grew 12 per cent to Rs 2.41 billion from Rs 2.16 billion in the previous quarter. Its expenditure during the quarter increased to Rs 1.81 billion from Rs 1.66 billion due to rise in operation expenses.

DEN’s net profit from cable business was up 19 per cent to Rs 159.5 million from Rs 133.9 million in the previous quarter. Its operating profit rose 26 per cent to Rs 585.3 million from Rs 463 million.

Its revenues from the cable business grew 13 per cent to Rs 2.29 billion from Rs 2.02 billion in the previous quarter.

DEN’s net profit from distribution business was Rs 12.4 million on income of Rs 123.3 million and expenditure of Rs 104.7 million.

On the first phase of digitisation, the MSO said it along with its affiliates seeded over 1.8 million set-top boxes (STBs) in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. About half of these STBs were deployed in the third quarter.

DEN has presence in 23 of the 38 cities where digitisation will happen in phase 2, including all the seven cities of Uttar Pradeh, five towns in Maharashtra, 3 in Gujarat, two each in Rajasthan and Karnataka, and 1 each in Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Haryana. Den said it has already seeded over 600,000 STBs in these markets.

The company said it was also gearing to build a high speed broadband internet service and offer bundled double play and triple play services to consumers in fully digitised markets over the next few quarters.

January 15, 2013
Netflix adds animated and live-action content for its kid’s bouquet

MUMBAI: Time Warner subsidiaries Turner Broadcasting System and The Warner Bros. Television Group (WBTVG) have inked licensing agreements with Netflix which will allow US Netflix members access to previous seasons of animated and live-action programming from Cartoon Network, Warner Bros. Animation and Adult Swim, as well as the TNT serialized drama Dallas (produced by Warner Horizon Television).

Beginning 30 March, complete past seasons of Cartoon Network shows as Adventure Time, Ben 10, Regular Show, Johnny Bravo, and Warner Bros. Animation‘s Green Lantern will become available on the popular "Just for Kids" section of the world‘s leading Internet TV subscription service.

At the same time, Adult Swim shows, such as Robot Chicken, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Sony Pictures Television‘s The Boondocks and the Emmy-winning Childrens Hospital from WBTVG‘s Studio 2.0, will be made available.

Coming exclusively to Netflix in January 2014 will be season one and two of the critically acclaimed Warner Horizon Television-produced TNT series Dallas.

"We are delighted that Netflix will become the exclusive over-the-top streaming subscription destination for past seasons of favorite Cartoon Network and Adult Swim titles. We‘re also thrilled to be able to offer the latest seasons of Dallas, one of the greatest all-time guilty pleasures," said Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos.

"The industry has evolved so that TV Everywhere and subscription video on-demand services can coexist with the appropriate windowing strategy, while allowing for more content flexibility to meet consumer demand in the changing digital landscape. We‘re happy to offer our popular programming to Netflix members, as SVOD services have become another way to grow audiences and can introduce new viewers to our programming," said Turner Broadcasting SVP of program acquisitions Deborah K. Bradley.

"We are thrilled to continue our great relationship with Netflix giving their subscribers access to more and more of our programming. This represents another evolutionary step in the TV ecosystem working with Netflix, on the SVOD platform, to improve the consumer experience while being respectful of existing business models," said Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution President Ken Werner.

January 15, 2013
Lionsgate, American Greetings Properties expand home entertainment distribution deal

MUMBAI: Global diversified entertainment company Lionsgate and American Greetings Properties (AGP), the intellectual property and outbound licensing division of American Greetings, have announced a home entertainment distribution agreement for the new CGI Animated TV series ‘Care Bears: Welcome to Care-a-Lot‘.

The agreement gives Lionsgate packaged and digital rights in both the US and UK to all 26 episodes of the series, which debuted on The Hub last year. In addition, the two companies are extending their existing contract, with Lionsgate retaining its rights to the two previous ‘Care Bears’ television series and five ‘Care Bears’ movies.

Under the new agreement, Lionsgate will also distribute three additional American Greetings properties in the US through packaged and digital media. The three series are the Weta produced show ‘The WotWots‘, ‘The Twisted Whiskers Show‘ and ‘Maryoku Yummy‘. Finally, Lionsgate will acquire US digital rights to three seasons of the classic Strawberry Shortcake series.

Lionsgate senior VP of marketing Michael Rathauser said, “We have enjoyed tremendous success over the years with the Care Bears franchise and are pleased to extend our relationship with the new ‘Care Bears: Welcome to Care-A-Lot‘ series. We look forward to helping the Brand grow to new heights with the combination of new entertainment content and American Greeting‘s new Care Bears toy launch in 2013. Furthermore we are excited to have the opportunity to not only expand the Care Bears digital home entertainment footprint, but to also bring some of American Greetings‘ other quality children‘s entertainment to digital retailers for the first time; creating both new business opportunities and more awareness for these great brands.”

American Greetings Properties VP of programme sales Gia DeLaney said, “We are extremely honored to continue our partnership with Lionsgate. The Care Bears‘ highly-anticipated return to U.S. television in June was a huge success and we are thrilled to continue bringing the series to fans through innovative avenues.”

January 15, 2013
US consumers embrace built-in features in HDTVs: CEA Study

MUMBAI: Consumers in the US are using the built-in features on their HDTV at a high rate, with an increasing number gaining access to Web-enabled content directly through their televisions.

More than one in five US adults owns a smart app-enabled HDTV and almost all (90 per cent) use the apps available on their displays in some capacity.

In addition, more than four in ten HDTV owners connect their primary displays to the Internet, with 76 per cent connecting at least one external device with smart app capabilities to their primary displays. Half of all HDTV owners connect a video game console or a DVD/Blu-ray player to their primary displays. Smart app users are most likely to stream video content from the Internet (61 per cent), browse the Internet (56 per cent) and view pictures (54 per cent) using smart apps on their televisions.

Consumers are also looking for displays with built-in Wi-Fi and Internet browsing when purchasing a new HDTV, which trail only high-quality audio and video as the most important purchase factors of HDTVs. Approximately one in three consumers plans to purchase a new HDTV within the next 12 months.

Another way many consumers are experiencing Web-enabled content for HDTV is through a second screen on a portable connected device. Social networking is the most common activity on the second screen. Among HDTV owners who also own a tablet, two-thirds (67 per cent) use their tablets for social networking while watching TV. Among HDTV owners who also own a smartphone, more than half (58 per cent) are using a social network on that device while watching TV.

CEA senior research analyst Kevin Tillmann said, “We are living in an app-dominated world, whether it’s on your smartphone, tablet or television. Consumers want access to their apps at all times and they will use whatever device, TVs included, that offer the best and most convenient user experience.”

As 3D becomes a more common feature on HDTVs sold in the US, consumers have not only become more aware of the technology, but, according to the study, they are also beginning to embrace it. Today, 21 per cent of US homes own at least one 3D-enabled television. CEA’s most recent U.S. Consumer Electronics Sales and Forecast shows that unit sales of 3D televisions will reach an estimated 5.6 million in 2012, representing 18 per cent of total TV sales, up from eight per cent of total TV sales in 2011.

Nearly half (42 per cent) of 3D-capable HDTV owners watch five or more hours of 3D content a week. By comparison, three-quarters (75 per cent) of 3DTV owners watch more than five hours of 2D content on their 3DTV a week. However, one in ten (nine per cent) report watching more than 15 hours of 3D content a week.

Movies are the most common content source for viewing 3D, with nearly half (48 per cent) of 3DTV owners having watched a 3D Blu-ray disc. Live programming (42 per cent) and video games (30 percent) are also popular sources of 3D content. Overall, two-thirds (68 percent) of 3DTV owners rate the visual experience of 3D programming as excellent or good.

“Consumer interest in 3DTVs and 3D content continues to grow as ownership rates increase. Continuing to expand and innovate with 3D content will be extremely important for future usage and will continue to drive sales,” said Tillmann.

January 15, 2013
DisneyUTV Digital bindass Facebook Jukebox

MUMBAI: The digital business of DisneyUTV launched ‘bindass Facebook Jukebox‘ which is a digital platform that allows users to choose their favourite music on world‘s most popular social networking website – Facebook and watch their interaction live on television on bindass.

With bindass Facebook Jukebox, users can rank music by voting for their favourite songs listed on the application. It does not only play music but allows the users to interact with each other. The Jukebox allows users to dedicate songs to their friends and loved ones and watch their dedication along with their profile images live on the bindass Jukebox show – Monday to Friday from 5-7 pm.

DisneyUTV director – video and celebrity Sameer Pitalwalla said, “Combining our music show on bindass with our Facebook audience and giving them the power to select songs and see themselves along with their comments and dedications on TV is not only a great reward for our fan-base but also a step forward in the direction of making TV more social. The bindass Facebook Jukebox is an innovative product which converges social media with television through music, which appeals to our audience. bindass on Facebook has the most engaged audience base for any youth channel on Facebook in India and we wanted to create something special for our audience.”

Understanding the symbiotic relationship between mobile phones and social media usage through them amongst the youth, the App will be soon available on smartphones too. The mobile version will allow users to vote for their favourite songs and dedicate songs through the Facebook App on their smartphones.

January 15, 2013
Vishwaroopam’s DTH premiere on 2 Feb, after theatrical release

MUMBAI: After buckling under pressure from theatre owners, Kamaal Haasan‘s spy thriller Vishwaroopam is all set to premiere on direct-to-home (DTH) platforms on 2 February, almost a week after the theatrical release.

The Hindi version of Vishwaroopam will be released on 1 February across India. The Tamil and Telugu versions of the film will be released on 25 January as announced by the actor earlier.

"While the original DTH premiere was on a Thursday (January 10) and hence inconvenient for most, I am now releasing it on a Saturday at the end of the first week of release (January 25) which will be on February 2," Haasan said in a statement.

The trilingual action film was earlier supposed to premiere on DTH on 10 January a day before the theatrical release on 11 January which met with fierce resistance from a section of theatre owners who saw the move as an attack on their livelihood.

The protest by cinema owners in Tamil Nadu, who had also urged the Tamil Nadu CM J Jayalalithaa to intervene, had Haasan change his mind.

The actor and film-maker had also moved the Competition Commission of India (CCI) against certain theatre associations for restricting the release of his film.

However, Haasan did not reveal the name of DTH operators who will telecast the movie. Haasan‘s production had earlier signed a deal with all the six DTH operators to air the film.

"I will announce the names of my DTH partners who will be involved in this endeavour soon," he said.

January 14, 2013
Govt serious on tracking down illegal channels, teleport ops to submit monthly reports to I&B

NEW DELHI: The Indian government is getting serious on tracking down illegal transmission of television channels. In an attempt to step up monitoring of the channels being downlinked to the viewers, all teleports operating in the country have been directed by the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry to submit every month the list of channels being uplinked by them.

The teleports have to report the details of the channels they uplink latest by the 15th of every month. The directive for all teleports comes into effect with immediate effect, and the first list of channels uplinked or downlinked has to be submitted by 15 January.

I&B Ministry sources told Indiantelevision.com that the monthly reporting to it will bring greater transparency and also help check uplinking of unlicensed or illegal channels.

A teleport or a telecommunications port is a satellite ground station connecting a satellite network with a terrestrial network.

According to the ministry directive, the teleports are to supply information about the name of the teleport operator, the STV licence number, the satellite being used, the names of all TV channels, names of the companies which own the TV channels, date of start of uplink, and current operational status.

The teleports were hitherto sending this information every month to the Network Operations Control Centre (NOCC) under the Communications ministry.

"It is less than a year that we started reporting to the NOCC. Now the I&B ministry also wants us to report to them. The government feels that this is a better way to filter out those unlicensed channels who get distributed in India. We have no problems providing such details," said a senior executive at Essel Shyam Communication, a leading teleport operator in India.

January 14, 2013