Category: Software

MUMBAI: With the big three TV manufacturers (Sony, Panasonic, and Sharp) reporting billions in losses in FY 2011, TV manufacturers need a lifeline if they‘re going to stay in business. Smart TVs and connected services may provide such a rescue.

The global market of services on connected TVs will reach $3.23 billion in 2016. This market will represent 16.8% of the OTT video market and about one per cent of the global fixed video services market. These figures correspond to overall analysis of the deployment of connected TV services, which concluded that the right conditions for rolling out new services were not yet entirely there in early 2012, so researchers do not expect to see the market really take off until 2015.

New market research by Global Information, Inc, a markets research portal, anticipates that paid services will play a leading role in the development of connected TV services. Worldwide paid services will represent 59% of the market for video services on connected TV.

World Television Market: The television sector is facing a profound restructuring, as players from formerly disparate sectors, such as TV, Internet and equipment vendors converge on the market. We are indeed currently nearing the end of a double phenomenon known as cordcutting (in which consumers will combine free access to linear television via digital terrestrial and satellite with a fee-consumption via OTT services) and cord-shaving (in which consumers will scrap their paid cable and IPTV plans for low cost OTT offers or a limited consumption of VOD services). Given the pioneer position of the US with respect to attractive OTT service offerings, IDate believes that they will remain the largest market for connected TV services, harboring up to 61 per cent of the total market.

The global FPD (Flat Panel Display) TV industry is to concentrate on promotional sales toward year-end 2012. With growth in major regional markets slowing down and 3D TV fad diminishing, branded vendors are eyeing on smart TV products in 2012 to sustain prices of end-market products through software applications and services amid the fixed hardware costs. This report provides an insight into the global and Taiwanese smart TV market and product developments in 2012 and beyond and examines product strategies of major smart TV branded vendors.

MUMBAI: NDS, now part of Cisco, is providing a suite of video technologies to enable multi system operator (MSO) Atria Convergence Technologies (ACT) to digitise and expand its cable TV service in Southern and Western India.

ACT currently has over one million analogue cable TV, digital TV, IPTV and broadband subscribers. With the launch of improved digital cable packages, the company aims to expand its digital customer base across its operations.

To enable the launch, NDS is providing ACT with industry-leading solutions that will help secure revenues and provide enhanced functionality for subscribers, including VideoGuard conditional access (CA), MediaHighway set-top box software, and a bespoke branded electronic programme guide (EPG); the new digital service will also support interactive features such as games and TV apps.

¨ NDS‘ technologies will enable ACT to rapidly scale its offering to meet demand and deploy innovative new services including High Definition channels.

¨ In addition to attracting new customers with more compelling TV packages, supporting more channels with higher quality, ACT will also be able to take advantage of new monetisation opportunities within the new EPG. The NDS Dynamic Advanced Advertising solution will allow ACT to integrate localised advertising inventory into the EPG home page and incorporate banner advertising.

Atria Convergence Technologies MD Sunder Raju said, “This is a fantastic opportunity for us to broaden our subscriber base in our core market and extend into new territories. NDS was clearly the right technology partner for us, offering proven technology and an understanding of our market with a particularly strong delivery and support team.”

NDS India country head, GM Jayant Changrani said, “Competition is increasing in India as cable TV operators work aggressively to acquire more and more subscribers before the switchover from analogue. Cost, innovation and time to market are all prime considerations and our work with ACT demonstrates once again how we can give customers the edge they need to stand out.”

MUMBAI: Reliance Broadcast Network‘s (RBNL) hybrid channel, specifically created for the international market, is ready to tap the big American market where several Indian broadcasters have already made their entry.

After testing the global waters in Canada this June, Big Magic International has launched in the United States hoping to find appeal from its mix of entertainment, infotainment and business Indian fare.

RBNL has signed with Dish Network and will be available both on DTH and IPTV. For Dish Network‘s direct-to-home (DTH) subscribers, it will be part of the Hindi Mega Pack. It has also worked out a deal to reach out to Dish Network‘s IPTV offerings.

“We will be available on Dish‘s base pack for South Asian audiences. We have a revenue share arrangement with them. They are also working out IPTV offerings,” said a RBNL spokesperson.

Big Magic International will also be available as an a la carte channel by optimising Reliance Group synergies with Big Flix Video on Demand – which has a library of more than 2000 movies, including a regional movie catalogue, catering to the South Asian language groups, offering a combo service.

“The combo pack on Big Flix is priced at $5,” the spokesperson added.

Big Magic International takes content from Reliance ADAG‘s television channel, its international properties and business news channel Bloomberg TV for the Indian market.

RBNL is looking at getting both subscription and advertisement sales in the US market. Big Magic International has appointed Mediamorphosis LLC as its “exclusive” advertising agency in the US.

RBNL CEO Tarun Katial said, “Backed by the success that Big Magic International has seen in Canada, we are excited to be entering the key market of United States. We have strategically activated all levers ranging the product content, distribution partners and ad sales agency, after mapping the market to understand what it can deliver for us. We are confident of the channel resonating well with audiences, while offering an effective platform to marketers. We are progressing as planned, with our international expansion and growth strategy and look forward to continuing to deliver value to all our stakeholders.”

The programming on Big Magic International will be a mix of daily sitcoms, socio-mytho programs, crime shows, dramas, and religious shows hand-picked from Big Magic India. It will also showcase televised award shows created by the RBNL‘s intellectual property vertical.

MUMBAI: Consulting and outsourcing group Accenture said it has acquired the software and skills of Nokia Siemens Networks Internet Protocol television (IPTV) business. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

The newly-acquired IPTV software, assets and capabilities will be integrated with the Accenture Video Solution – a software product and a suite of services that enables companies to launch new over-the-top TV and services quickly and economically while reducing the initial costs of IT and infrastructure set-up – to create the industry’s most comprehensive, feature-rich video software and services platform currently available for video service providers and their subscribers.

The acquisition adds key IPTV skills and experience to Accenture’s existing over-the-top video capabilities, enabling Accenture to provide end-to-end technology integration services to any vendor for any video platform. Accenture will be able to help clients provide end users with a dynamic and interactive video experience with virtually any video content, in any format, across every network, on any device – from smart phones and tablets to personal computers and television sets.

Additionally, Accenture’s enhanced broadband video services – with a platform that manages seamless integration of devices – will give end users the ability to control their viewing experience, such as accessing content through a tablet, pausing whatever they may be watching and continuing to view that content at a later time – at home on a TV, a laptop computer, smart phone, or tablet.

“The combination of Nokia Siemens Networks’ IPTV assets with Accenture’s over-the-top TV software and capabilities, will deliver an exciting new combination of services to the global video industry,” said Accenture’s Media & Entertainment industry group MD Marco Vernocchi. “The scalable and flexible end solution we are creating will help video service providers dramatically change the way they approach content distribution while balancing costs.”

“Consumers want to control the content they view, but they also want to manage where and when they view that content,” said Vernocchi. “They also want to be able to choose the device on which the content is delivered. Consumers also want the flexibility to watch a video while posting comments on social media sites or chatting with their friends about the content they are viewing. Access to content in a personalized way is here to stay, and we can expect to see even more features that allow users to make viewing a personal, mobile, dynamic video experience.”

MUMBAI: Cable TV digitisation in two of the four metros singled out for rollout by 31 October could face stormy political opposition. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, recently withdrawing support from the Congress-led UPA government, has begun to roar against forcible introduction of digital set-top boxes (STBs) for any kind of TV viewing which she believes will hurt the poor.

Speaking at a rally in New Delhi, Banerjee said: “Our poor people will be ruined. They should have evolved some mechanism for this. What was the need for this decision for making mandatory the use of STBs?”

Banerjee was holding her first public rally in the national capital opposing the government‘s policies, including FDI (foreign direct investment) in retail.

Poor cable operators will be ruined. They will lose business. It will hurt the common man. How he will pay for STBs? Don‘t they (government) want the poor people to watch cable TV and have some entertainment?” she questioned.
Making a veiled reference to the recent hike in FDI in the media sector, Banerjee also said that the government was favouring private media companies.

“They have looted the country in seven days. If they are allowed, they will give information and broadcasting also to one private party,” Banerjee said.

Ironically, Trinamool leader CM Jatua was a Minister of State in the Information and Broadcasting Ministry before the party withdraw its support from the UPA government.

The West Bengal CM could find a supporter in Jayalalithaa, the CM of Tamil Nadu. The state-owned Arasu Cable is not yet prepared to implement digital cable in Chennai by 31 October.

However, Minister for Information & Broadcasting Ambika Soni has ruled out extension of the sunset date for switching off analogue for cable television beyond 31 October.

According to MIB, the digitisation percentage in four metro cities has gone up to 73 per cent from 68 per cent. A claim that has been disputed by cable operators from Kolkata and Chennai who believe that the percentage is lower than what the government claims.

NEW DELHI: The Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (Tdsat) has directed public broadcaster Prasar Bharati to submit a bank guarantee to sports broadcaster ESPN Software over a payment dispute with regards to live broadcast of nationally important cricket matches on Doordarshan.

In its interim order, Tdsat has, however, prevented ESPN from encashing the guarantee without the its permission.

Prasar Bharati has contested a demand by ESPN for payment of its share of advertisement revenue for matches carried live simultaneously on Doordarshan on grounds of violations of the provisions of the Sports Broadcasting Signals (Mandatory Sharing with Prasar Bharati) Act, 2007.

The sports broadcaster, which runs ESPN, Star Sports and Star Cricket channels, has challenged Prasar Bharati‘s refusal to share the revenue, based on which the Tdsat has asked Prasar Bharati to provide a bank guarantee.
Prasar Bharati is required to share 75 per cent of the advertisement revenue from live cricket matches telecast by it and the rights for which are held by another broadcaster under the Act.

Tdsat chairman S B Sinha and member P K Rastogi have also decided to hear the ESPN-Prasar Bharati case on a expeditious basis.

The tribunal said: “Indisputably in terms of the provisions of the Act and the Rules, the respondent in the fact of the present case (Prasar Bharati) is to share 75 per cent of its bid amount, which amounts to Rs 200 million, with the petitioner ESPN, wherefore it has to furnish a bank guarantee.”

The Tdsat order is, however, not clear on the tournament or matches for which Prasar Bharati has declined to share its advertising revenue with ESPN.

K Parasaran, Additional Solicitor General appearing for Prasar Bharati, told Tdsat that the petitioner (ESPN) and/or the International Cricket Council (ICC) have violated the spirit of the provisions of the Act and the Rules framed there-under in so far as ICC continues to give its advertisements and its logo which is violative of the underlying spirit of the Act. He pointed out that Rule 3 was clear that “the revenue would not be shared for the revenues that the rights holders – in this case ESPN or ICC – make out of.”

The Section 3 of the Act provides that no content rights owner or holder and no television or radio broadcasting service provider shall carry a live television broadcast on any cable or direct-to-home (DTH) network or radio commentary broadcast in India of sporting events of national importance, unless it simultaneously shares the live broadcasting signal, without its ads, with Prasar Bharati to enable them to re-transmit the same on its terrestrial and DTH networks in such manner and on such terms and conditions as may be specified.

Prasar Bharati has objected to ICC continuing to give its advertisements and its logo in the live feed passed on to Doordarshan for re-transmission, which the public broadcaster says is in violation of the provision of of the act. The act requires that the content rights owner or holder should provide advertisement-free broadcasting signal to the public broadcaster but the provision has been violated with the delivery of ICC advertisements and logo along with the feed for the live cricketing event.

The section also provides that the advertisement revenue sharing between the content rights owner or holder and Prasar Bharati shall be in the ratio of not less than 75: 25 in case of television coverage and 50: 50 in case of radio coverage.

Rule 4 of the rules framed under the act provide that the party getting the marketing rights shall give a bank guarantee to the other party for an amount equal to the other party’s share of guaranteed revenue which shall be valid for a period of six months from the first day of the month succeeding the month in which the sporting event comes to an end.

MUMBAI: Hungama.com has launched their on demand Bollywood movies service, Hungama Movies, in UAE and the Middle East.

Hungama Movies will be officially launched in the Middle East at the Intel booth at the Gitex Technology Week 2012. It has a library of Bollywood and Indian movies, available in both HD and SD formats.

Hungama consumer business and allied services COO Siddhartha Roy said, “There is a very large South Asian community in UAE and the Middle East, who demands a quality service that caters to their need to consume Bollywood and Indian content, and with Hungama.com we hope to satiate this need- for both Music and Movies.”

“In addition to the United Arab Emirates, we also plan to enter Singapore market in 3 weeks,” he added.

Hungama Movies’ entry into the international arena will offer a catalogue of over 5,000 Bollywood and Indian regional cinema to the NRI and South Asian community in UAE and the rest of the Middle East.

The movies-on-demand storefront will offer premium HD and SD movies for a monthly subscription starting at AED 6.99.

As an introductory offer, the Hungama Movies service will be offered free for one month to all consumers who buy the Notebook or Ultrabook powered by the 2nd Generation Intel Core Processor and 3rd Generation Intel Core Processor at the Intel booth at Gitex Technology Week 2012.

MUMBAI: Leading satellite operator SES has said its new Astra 2F satellite has been successfully launched on 28 September, on board an Ariane 5 rocket from Kourou, French Guiana. This is SES‘ 36th successful launch on Ariane.

Astra 2F was built by Astrium in Toulouse using a Eurostar E3000 platform and carries Ku- and Ka-band payloads for the delivery of high-performance Direct-to-Home (DTH) and next generation broadband services. It is the first of a three satellite investment programme (Astra 2E, 2F and 2G), that provides replacement and growth capacity for the UK and Ireland at the 28.2/28.5 degrees East neighbourhood.

The new satellites in this neighbourhood will, as of October 2013, also use additional frequency spectrum for which the right of use was granted to SES by Media Broadcast pursuant to an agreement entered into in 2005. The new Astra 2F spacecraft also provides Ku-band capacity for pan-European services and for Sub-Saharan Africa. Its Ka-band payload will allow SES Broadband Services to support download speeds of up to 20 Mps.

“The successful launch of Astra 2F is part of our fleet replacement and expansion programme,” said SES CEO Romain Bausch. “Astra 2F will provide seamless replacement capacity for our UK customers like BSkyB, the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5, and will allow us to operate additional capacity at 28.2/28.5 degrees East on SES satellites. This orbital neighbourhood today serves close to 13 million DTH homes in the UK and Ireland. We would like to thank our long-standing partners Astrium and Arianespace for this mission success.”

Astra 2F had a launch mass of 6 tons, generates 13 kW of power, and has a design life of 15 years. It is the fifth Eurostar satellite in the SES fleet. The new spacecraft will be brought into commercial service in the next few weeks following the completion of the extensive in-orbit testing programme.

MUMBAI: TV search and EPG company What‘s-On-India has expanded its operations by venturing in the Middle East market with the launch of subsidiary company What‘s-On-Arabia.

To be based in Amman (Jordan), the company was formed through the acquisition of a local EPG company. It also plans to set up another office in Dubai, UAE.

What‘s-On-Arabia, which already has four Middle East contracts under its belt, will be headed by country manager Hiba Dajani.

The Middle East TV industry has seen a rapid movement into digitalization, paving the way for increase in channels and content as well as proliferation of digital TV technologies.

What‘s-On-India CFO Ajit Joshi said, “These factors are ideal catalysts for a very specialist TV Search offering that What‘s-On-India can bring in given its expertise in this arena.”

Through this expansion What‘s-On-India now offers EPGs for India, Sri Lanka and the Middle East for more than a thousand TV channels.

The localization of that TV Search is also undergoing an expansion with a multi-lingual offering of English as the base language but translated EPGs for Hindi, Arabic, Tamil, Telugu and Marathi.

MUMBAI: GETIT Infoservices, India‘s leading digital marketing company has entered into an association with Google India as a Premier SME partner. As part of this partnership GETIT will cater to the strong demand for digital advertising from small and medium sized businesses and market Google AdWords product; it will develop, launch and manage digital campaigns for small and medium businesses.

The Google – GETIT partnership entails the latter providing end-to-end sales and marketing solutions, as well complete implementation of digital campaigns. GETIT‘s key contribution in this business partnership is to provide extensive pan-India reach with its strong field force of more than 1,000 people across the country. The association will enable Google to attract more Indian SMEs online and help promote their businesses and provide them leads through Google‘s AdWords product.

Commenting on the association, GETIT Infoservices CEO Sidharth Gupta said, “For Getit, the last few years have been really exciting as we have transformed ourselves to a digital company, and this partnership with Google comes at a relevant time. We have 1,000s of SME customers across India, and we will bring to them the advantages of Google‘s products. In the Indian context SMEs prefer being served face-to-face, and we work closely with SMEs to bring them the best benefits of Google AdWords products, in addition to other GETIT bundles.”
 
Speaking on the occasion, Google India Head – Channel Sales Kartik Taneja said, “We‘re pleased to announce GETIT as our Premier SME partner in India. With GETIT reach in 80 cities and strong presence in the SME space, we‘re confident that together we will be able to offer our services to SMEs and help them gain from the benefits of Internet advertising.”

As per SME Chambers of India, SMEs in India contribute 45 per cent to the industrial output and 40 per cent to exports. They also employ 60 million people and create 1.3 million jobs every year. Clearly they form the backbone of the boom in Indian economy.