ITV

Category: Software

  • Times Internet acquires MensXP

    Times Internet acquires MensXP

    MUMBAI: Times Internet has announced the acquisition of mens‘ lifestyle portal MensXP.

    Launched by Angad Bhatia and his team three years ago, MensXP has built a site which people have visited to learn about things that matter to them.

    The company has also worked with advertisers like Burberry, LG and Samsung to help them reach the economically rising, urban Indian male looking for a cosmopolitan lifestyle, the company statement read.

    According to Times Internet, their goal is to make this content even better and expose it to a bigger audience. "MensXP already has a loyal following, and our goal is to let them keep doing what they‘re doing to reach larger audiences," it said.

    Times Internet CEO Satyan Gajwani said, "This is really exciting for us because not only are we bringing in a strong platform, but we are bringing onboard an awesome, entreprenurial team that has a huge vision for their business. Times Internet is focused on bringing on great entrepreneurs that can take their businesses to the next level with our support."

    "We are extremely excited to work with TIL, especially at a phase that is witnessing the organisation undergo a paradigm shift in the way it does business. The acquisition will help MensXP further its vision to be the defacto lifestyle platform for Indian consumers. I am happy that Satyan believes in our vision and together we will aim build something great," MensXP.com founder and business head Angad Bhatia said.

  • nexGTv launches English music channel ‘nexGTv Music’

    nexGTv launches English music channel ‘nexGTv Music’

    MUMBAI: Mobile TV service provider nexGTv has unveiled its new English music channel called nexGTv Music. The channel has a library of over 300 English songs at the time of launch and is looking at expanding it in the future.

    The launch of the channel is a step towards bringing good content on nexGTv platform and is driven by consumer demand for English music channel. Along with over 100 live channels, 100 short movies and 1000 full length movies this will further enhance six million users‘ experience.

    DigiVive director G D Singh said "We are very enthusiastic with this launch and this is for the first time that a mobile TV has launched it‘s own channel. Our constant endeavour is to offer an enhanced user experience to nexGTv users and this launch is part of it."
    nexGTv offers the Adaptive Streaming technology which enables users to enjoy viewing uninterrupted music video and non-stop playing of the song regardless of the network bandwidth they are using.

    nexGTv offers features like replay TV, best-in-class user interface and 24×7 customer care support call centre. It also offers channels ranging from national to regional in the category of entertainment, movies, news, and much more. It has content from channels like the Sony bouquet, Star bouquet, Aaj Tak, Asianet and Raj Channels. One of its unique features is adaptive streaming which enables seamless live streaming even on 2G network.

  • Bigflix dons new look

    Bigflix dons new look

    Mumbai: Reliance Entertainment Digital has unveiled a new user interface for its movies on demand service, Bigflix.com.


    The enhanced user interface provides optimised browsing options with an easy navigation.


    With this, users can easily discover the movie of their choice. With language as key navigation on the site, one can easily jump to his favorite language, use the large filters to select favorite genre or take a look at the new additions to catalogue in ‘Now Available‘ section. The discovery is further aided by using the newly launched ‘Collections‘. Various collections like ‘BIG B Special‘, ‘Rajni the Boss‘, Deadly Devgan‘, ‘National Award Winners‘, ‘Old is Gold‘, ‘Best of Bengal‘, ‘Malyalam Megastars‘, ‘Vintage Kollywood‘, ‘Best of Mollywood‘ and ‘Telugu Talkies‘ have been added to start with.


    For the subscribers, the new design of the portal offers the advanced ‘Queue‘ feature that allows one to line-up all the movies that they wish to watch. ‘Queue‘ once created can also be accessed from other devices like smartphones and tablets. Also, with ‘Continue Watching‘ feature one can resume the movie from the place where he left it last, irrespective of the device he is watching it on, saving a lot of time.
     
    Big Flicks business head Shreyash Sigtia said, “We firmly believe that this change of UI shall help our subscribers to discover the movies that they want much faster and get engaged with our service. Every change brought about has been designed keeping in mind the consumer‘s needs and ease. We have user‘s who are ardent fans of a genre or actor. We thought of making a dedicated section for them and hence gave rise to ‘Collections‘ making it easy for them to browse through the catalogue.”

  • Tdsat directs ESS against switching off channels to Dish TV

    Tdsat directs ESS against switching off channels to Dish TV

    MUMBAI: The Tdsat has granted interim relief to Dish TV in its dispute with ESPN Software India directing the sports broadcaster to keep giving signals to the direct-to-home (DTH) operator.

    ESPN Software India, a subsidiary of pan-Asian sports broadcaster ESPN Star Sports (ESS), runs five channels namely ESPN, Star Sports, Star Cricket, ESPN HD and Star Cricket HD.

    Dish TV had filed a petition with the broadcast tribunal against the public notices issued by the ESS on 5 and 12 November for disconnection of signals to its subscribers.

    The notice was issued on the grounds of non-signing of the agreement, breach of regulations including reporting requirements and non-payment of subscriptions fees.

    The Tdsat member P.K. Rastogi ruled that ESS will not give effect to its public notices till further hearing in the matter.
    The tribunal also directed Dish TV to allow ESS to conduct audit in terms which the latter should complete in two weeks by providing full co-operation.

    It also told Dish TV to produce all the relevant records before the representatives of ESS in conducting the audit including the manner in which it is maintaining ‘India Cricket Pack‘.

    "Based on the audit report, both the parties will meet and reconcile their accounts," Rastogi stated in his order.

    Dish TV‘s senior counsel Maninder Singh contended that ESS did not issue notice under clause 4.1 of the inter-connect agreement which is necessary to give effect to the public notice, a fact that was not disputed by the broadcaster.

    However, Mukul Rohatgi appearing on behalf of ESS contested the argument by saying that it was not necessary to issue notice 4.1 before disconnection.

    The tribunal, however, held that a notice under 4.1 is essential in this matter since there was a written agreement in place which expired due to efflux of time.

    Tdsat had passed an order on 10 April directing the two parties to reconcile the amount that ESS needs to refund on the basis of SMS reports.

    However, Dish TV based on its own record determined that ESS was required to refund Rs 196.8 million till September and started adjusting the same from subscription fee payable to ESS.

    The broadcaster contended that unless it was allowed to audit the SMS system of the DTH operator it would be difficult to determine the exact amount to be refunded.

    Another bone of contention between the parties is the India Cricket Pack introduced by Dish TV which according to ESS is causing revenue loss since the subscriber numbers cannot be recorded as these packs are available only when India cricket is available on the channel and gets disconnected after the event ends.

    To this, Singh said that the pack is available on a monthly basis and not only for days when India was playing cricket as alleged by the respondent.

    While stating that it was ready to sign a deal based on RIO, Dish TV said it can‘t share the names of subscriber as the regulation doesn‘t mandate it and is against its commercial interest. It has also agreed to provide audit of its SMS system.

  • Star Network expands UK channel offering on Sky

    Star Network expands UK channel offering on Sky

    MUMBAI: Star Network will now have an expanded range of its channels available for UK audience with a new multi-year carriage deal with Sky.

    According to the official communiqué, Star Network‘s portfolio of channels respond to the growing demand for high-quality Hindi and Bengali language programming.

    In addition to a channel carriage renewal for its existing channels, Star TV will also launch HD and on demand services as well as new channel Star Jalsha for the customers.

    The agreement sees Sky renew its distribution partnership for Star Network‘s range of Hindi-language entertainment and Bollywood film channels, including Star Plus, Star Life OK, and Star Gold. This follows the recent launch of Star Plus HD – the UK‘s first Asian TV channel in full high definition.

    The partnership between the broadcasters includes distribution rights that will see Sky offer access to Star Network‘s programmes through its catch-up platforms, including Sky‘s On Demand service.

    Star Networks SVP UK and Europe Yeshpal Sharma said, "It has been a fantastic journey with Sky so far and we are glad that with the multi-year deal Sky has recognised our commitment as the UK‘s No. 1 Asian television network offering top quality content to a growing Asian audience. We have built a firm foundation and are committed to taking it to new heights."

    Sky director of partner channels Adrian Pilkington said, "We‘re pleased to be extending our partnership with Star TV as viewing amongst the UK‘s Asian audience continues to grow strongly. At Sky, we‘re delighted to help Star‘s programming reach more than 10m homes, and to give viewers more choice, control and flexibility by making Star‘s content available in high-definition and on-demand."

  • Video ad insertion firm This Technology raises $7.5 mn

    Video ad insertion firm This Technology raises $7.5 mn

    MUMBAI: This Technology, a provider of software solutions for dynamic video advertising insertion (DAI), said it has received $7.5 million Series A financing round led by General Catalyst Partners.

    The financing follows the company‘s success in developing a market-defining product portfolio and demonstrating continued profitability based on an expanding customer base, which includes Comcast, Verizon, NBCUniversal and ABC.

    In parallel with the financing, General Catalyst Partners‘ Neil Sequeira has joined the company‘s board of directors. This Technology will use proceeds from the round for general corporate purposes, including expansion of the company‘s market leading development and support resources.

    "As a self-funded startup, This Technology brought a smart mix of products to market, proving itself viable to an extremely discerning customer base and achieving profitability," said Sequeira. "This is exactly the kind of entrepreneurship and track record we look for when making a growth equity investment and we‘re confident that additional resources will enable This Technology to continue delivering innovative solutions that will dominate the market."

    This Technology‘s products seamlessly connect video operations and advertising architectures so service providers and programming networks can communicate in real-time about content and advertising availability. This streamlines the process of serving both local and national content and ads to consumers on any device.

    Founded in 2006, This Technology recognised early the challenges that would plague ad delivery for time-shifted, IP-based and multi-screen video services. From the beginning, the company has helped solve these challenges through open, non-proprietary solutions that can be easily deployed in any standards-based ad architecture.

    This funding round builds upon the company‘s strong momentum, including the recent opening of an office in Denver and addition of new executives to its growing team.

    "This Technology has its customers to thank for creating an environment where a bootstrapped company like ours could learn, grow and thrive based on having the right ideas and a solid execution strategy," said This Technology CEO Jeffrey Sherwin. "General Catalyst Partners has a long history of successful investments in video-related technologies and the important industry expertise that makes them an ideal partner for This Technology as we continue to grow the company."

  • Dish TV gets shareholder nod to raise $200 mn

    Dish TV gets shareholder nod to raise $200 mn

    MUMBAI: Subhash Chandra-owned Dish TV, the leading direct-to-home (DTH) television services provider, has received approval of its shareholders to raise $200 million through issue of equity to fund expansion and growth of the highly capital intensive business.

    Dish TV will consider raising the amount through issue of equity or convertible bonds in the domestic or overseas market. If it decides to raise the money through a qualified institutional placement (QIP), the company may consider offering a discount of up to 5 per cent of the price to QIP investors.

    The requirement for capital investments is also high now considering the shift to digital delivery of television channels across the country by December 2014. The government has implemented the first phase of digitisation effective 1 November in Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata and in Chennai, a decision is expected soon by the Madras High Court. The second phase of digitisation covering 38 cities is effective 31 March.

    Dish TV, in the notice to the shareholders, said DTH business is highly capital intensive, requiring huge financial resources from time to time. The company has been meeting these requirements through borrowings from banks, financial institutions, rights issue proceeds, issue of global depositary receipts (GDRs) and requisite funding from the promoter group from time to time.

    The equity or convertible issue has been proposed considering the funding requirements and current market conditions, the company has said.

    The consent of the shareholders was obtained through a postal ballot.

    For the purpose of raising further equity, Dish TV has also obtained the approval of the shareholders to increase the company‘s authorised equity capital to Rs 1.5 billion from Rs 1.35 billion.

    The promoter holding in Dish TV stands at 64.7 per cent. In 2009, US-based private equity firm Apollo Management had bought an 11 per cent stake in the company for $100 million.

  • Times Internet to shut its email service by 18 February

    Times Internet to shut its email service by 18 February

    MUMBAI: Times Internet, the new media business arm of Times Group, has decided to close down its email service on Indiatimes.com effective 18 February 2013 due to unviability of the business.

    The company said it has stopped accepting new users from 19 November.

    The meteoric rise of Gmail has prompted Indiatimes.com to do a rethink on its email service. Gmail has lion‘s share of email traffic in India beating even traditional service providers like Yahoo and Hotmail.

    "The Indiatimes.com Email Service will be discontinued and shall be permanently shut down with effect from 18th February, 2013 at 12 PM (Indian Standard Time).

    ndiatimes.com Email Service will stop accepting new users from 19th November, 2012," the company informed its existing users.

    "You will no longer be able to send or receive mails or access your account for the purpose of reading mail and/or transfer any data (i.e. emails, tasks, documents, folders, appointments, and/or contacts) currently saved in your account post 18th February, 2013 – 12 PM (Indian Standard Time)," it added.

    Indiatimes.com advised all email users to download emails/contacts/data from their Indiatimes mailbox via IMAP. It also said that users can continue to log in to all Times Internet Limited network sites using Indiatimes.com email address.

  • IMCL in talks with PE firms to raise $75 mn

    IMCL in talks with PE firms to raise $75 mn

    MUMBAI: Hinduja-owned IndusInd Media and Communications (IMCL) is in talks with private equity investors to raise $75 million to fund the second phase of cable TV digitisation.

    IMCL has mandated Ernst & Young to find an investor for its funding requirement. "With India mandating digitisation, there is a huge appetite to invest in cable TV companies. We are looking at raising $75 million. E&Y has been given the mandate for this purpose," IndusInd Media & Communications chief executive officer Nagesh Chhabria tells Indiantelevision.com.

    IMCL, which operates its cable TV business under the Incablenet brand, will need Rs 6 billion as it is targeting four million set-top boxes (STBs). "We have existing lines of credit from banks for $15 million. We can raise $10 million of new debt," says Chhabria.

    IMCL has a debt of Rs 3 billion

    The multi-system operator (MSO) operates in 15 out of the 38 cities that fall under digitisation in the second phase. The plan is to also enter into 14 more markets. "We would require two million STBs from our existing cities. We anticipate another two million boxes from the new operations," says Chhabria.

    Will IMCL look at acquiring cable networks for entering these markets? "There are many operators who will find it difficult to fund digitisation. We are in talks with independent operators. We can also enter on our own," says Chhabria.

    IMCL has deployed 1.3 million boxes across three cities in the first phase. "Our target is 1.5 million STBs," Chhabria says.

    The government has mandated digitisation in 38 more cities by 31 March 2013, after switching to digital delivery of cable TV in Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata from 1 November. The revised deadline for switchover to digital delivery in Chennai is likely to be decided by the Madras High Court.

  • ITV ownership rules not to change: Ofcom

    ITV ownership rules not to change: Ofcom

    MUMBAI: There will be no changes in the ownership rules affecting UK’s principal independent broadcaster ITV, UK broadcast sector regulator Ofcom said.

    According to the prevalent rules a newspaper group with more than a fifth of national newspaper share cannot hold a Channel 3 licence or a stake in a Channel 3 licensee that is greater than 2 per cent. Also, certain persons are disqualified from holding broadcast licences generally while certain others are not allowed to hold certain kinds of broadcast licences. The rules also say that some persons may hold broadcast licences only if Ofcom has determined that it is appropriate for them to do so.

    It is Ofcom’s resposibilty to ensure that regional Channel 3 licensees broadcast news programmes nationally which are able to compete effectively with other national television news, by requiring them to appoint a single news provider between them. Persons who would be disqualified from holding a Channel 3 licence are also disqualified from being the Channel 3 appointed news provider.

    Ofcom also has a statutory duty to review the media ownership rules regularly and counsel for any change to the UK Secretary of State.
    Ofcom said that the wider public policy debate about media ownership is ongoing and believes that any recommendations it makes will need to be considered in light of any changes to the legislative and policy framework. According to the regulatory body, it has neither observed any Parliamentary policy rationale nor any shift in the market context in which they operate for existing rules to be changed.

    In a statement, the regulator said, “Our advice on measuring media plurality set out that it is for Parliament to decide if and when this rule should be modified or removed and that the conclusion of the first periodic review of plurality is likely to provide greater certainty than is currently available. As such, we do not recommend any changes to this rule in this review.”