Category: Software

MUMBAI: TA Associates, a leading global growth private equity firm, has completed a buyout of SpeedCast, a leading global network and satellite communications service provider, from Asia Satellite Telecommunications.

SpeedCast provides very small aperture terminal (VSAT) satellite-based broadband access services, managed networking solutions and value-added services in more than 30 countries primarily in Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

SpeedCast‘s customers include telecom carriers, Internet service providers, governments and non-governmental organisations, and other enterprises requiring communication services in locations where wire-based communication is not possible or practical, or where mobility is required.

Through its SeaCast offering, the company serves the broadband needs of the maritime and offshore oil and gas industries. The company utilises 16 teleports (satellite ground stations) across the globe and more than 20 VSAT hubs, and operates eight sales and support centers.

Founded in 1999, SpeedCast is headquartered in Hong Kong, with offices in Beijing, Singapore, Dubai and Kuala Lumpur.

MUMBAI/NEW DELHI: The multi-system operators (MSOs) are considering the option of pulling channels out of the analogue cable system genre-wise in phases, ahead of the digitisation deadline of 1 November in the four metros.

The meeting was held under the aegis of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry officials along with the broadcasters.

The ‘knock-out‘ channels would be available for consumers only through digital set-top boxes (STBs). The idea is to give digitisation a push and make consumers realise that they will have to buy digital STBs to view television programmes after 31 October in the metros of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai.

“We discussed about how to make digitisation a reality this time. One of the ideas discussed was removing channels genre-wise before 1 November,” a source said on condition of anonymity.

The government has mandated the shutting down of analogue cable TV by 31 October midnight in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai.

“The idea has been conceptually appreciated broadly by the broadcasters and the MSOs. The I&B officials were listening to the suggestions,” the source added.

What this means in effect is that a particular genre of channels will not be available on analogue cable in the four metros in different time periods before 1 November.

“This will push consumers to buy STBs. The start would be in some genre, followed by others in succession. This way the broadcaster will also not feel that it is being punished unfairly,” the source said.

The implementation of this will, however, not be easy. “Carrying this on the weaker genres may be easy, though it will require some convincing from the ‘victim‘ channels. The tougher genres will resist. Let us also not forget that we are approaching the festive season and there is a general slowdown in the market,” said a media analyst.

Meanwhile, the Government today reiterated that there would be no further extension of the sunset date for switching off analogue systems and asked broadcasters to spell out their strategies for going digital.

I&B Ministry officials today held a meeting with representatives of the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) and stressed that digital STBs must be in place in every cable home by 31 October.

The broadcasters were asked to get back to the Ministry on the exact situation on the STBs seeded by the MSOs they work with.

Apart from I&B Joint Secretary Supriya Sahu, Director (Broadcast Policy and Legislation) Rejji Mohan was also present on behalf of the Ministry.

The meeting was attended by Multi Screen Media CEO Man Jit Singh, Dish TV MD Jawahar Goel, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (Zeel) MD and CEO Puneet Goenka, Den Networks CEO S N Sharma and President (Legal & Regulatory) at Zee Network A Mohan.

NEW DELHI: Communications and Information Technology Minister Kapil Sibal today said there would be no restrictions whatsoever on the use of internet.

Addressing a curtain raiser ceremony of ‘India Internet Governance Conference (IIGC)‘ to be held next month here, he appealed to the stakeholders to help evolve a consensus so that a clear-cut roadmap could be developed for the sector. The curtain raiser was organised by FICCI in association with Ministry of Communications & IT and Internet Society.

Sibal described the internet as an indispensable tool for governance in a free democracy, a tool that could help deliver services to the people transparently and eliminate the go-betweens between the government and the people.

The theme of IIGC is ‘Internet for Social and Economic Development: Building the Future Together‘ which would provide a platform for an open and inclusive policy dialogue involving the government, business, civil society, technical community and academia. It will traverse a wide range of topics: from network neutrality, to global internet governance models; from effective management of the transition to IPv6, to making broadband access available to all; from the challenges the internet poses to traditional media, to the challenges hate speech online poses for all.

R Chandrashekhar, Secretary, Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications & information Technology, Government of India, stated that internet today impacts both the users and non-users. With the use of internet, public interest is at stake and all stakeholders need to reconcile the divergent issues and then take them up appropriately at the international forum.

N Ravi Shankar, Administrator, USOF and CEO, Bharat Broadband Project, said that under Sibal‘s guidance National Optical Fibre Network for Broadband Connectivity to Panchayats and National Telecom Policy 2012 have been rolled out to embrace the internet revolution in the country. The National Optical Fibre Network has been termed as a Public-Private-Panchayat partnership as the effort is to connect the village Panchayats with the rest of the country.

Anu Madgavkar, India Head and Senior Fellow, McKinsey Global Institute, remarked, “India ranks low when it comes to internet penetration and contributes directly 1.6 per cent of GDP which amounts to $30 billion. It could reach $100 billion by 2015 if we are able to connect the nation virtually.”

To achieve this target five things needed are: internet reaching the smaller towns, cities and villages; reduction in total cost of ownership; enabling large scale digital literacy; increase in the range of internet use in new areas and a favourable business environment.

FICCI Vice President Sidharth Birla pointed out the challenges that internet is posing today. With the increased penetration of internet, we need higher standards of governance to ensure cyber security. The stakeholders should aim to provide broadband accessibility at a reasonable price, he said.

Virat Bhatia, Chairman, Communications & Digital Economy Committee, FICCI, said, “The Government‘s initiative ‘Bharat Broadband‘ can only be successful if it goes out of Delhi and reaches the interiors of the country.”

FICCI, he said, had already initiated a drive under which multi-stakeholder meetings were being organised with respect to internet governance. He invited all stakeholders to participate and voice their opinions and concerns freely in the conference to be held in October.

BENGALURU : GSAT-10 satellite, ISRO’s 101st space mission, is ready to be launched from the Kourou launch base in French Guyana.

Weighing 3400 kg at the lift off, GSAT-10 is the heaviest that ISRO has built. GSAT-10 has been
integrated with the Ariane-5 launch vehicle along with co-passenger communication satellite ASTRA-2F awaiting the launch scheduled at 0248 hrs on 29 September (IST). Necessary arrangements are being done for live telecast of the launch from Kourou Launch Base through Doordarshan.

About 31 minutes after lift off, GSAT-10 would be injected in a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit with a perigee of 250 km and an apogee of about 36,000 km. From there, the satellite would be moved to Geostationary Orbit (circular 36,000 km above equator) by using the satellite propulsion system in a three step approach.

After this, the solar panels and antennas would be deployed. In the next few weeks, the payload would be turned on to perform a series of extensive In-orbit Tests. The satellite is expected to be operational by November 2012. GSAT-10 satellite will be positioned at 83 deg East orbital location along with INSAT-4A and GSAT-12. The nominal operational life of GSAT-10 is expected to be 15 years.

GSAT-10 satellite, carrying 30 communication transponders [12 Ku-band, 12 C-band and 6 Extended C-Band] would provide vital augmentation to INSAT/GSAT transponder capacity. Also, it has a Navigation payload “GAGAN” that would provide improved accuracy of GPS signals (better than 7 meters) to be used by the Airports Authority of India for Civil Aviation requirements. This is the second satellite in INSAT/GSAT constellation with GAGAN payload after GSAT-8, launched in May 2011.

GOA: A dual feed running on analogue and digital cable TV networks in the four metros of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai will not be easy this time after the deadline of 31 October is crossed due to three main reasons, according to two senior media executives.

Broadcasters will have the responsibility of shutting down analogue decoders in the four metros that fall under digitisation in the first phase. “This was not there in 2003 (when CAS, or conditional access system, was mandated) and broadcasters were not part of it,” explained Hathway Cable & Datacom CEO K Jayaraman.

Also, violation of the government order for digitisation will amount to criminal violence. “The police commissioner has been given the powers this time and violators can be arrested,” Jayaraman added.

The third hurdle is that the television ratings measurement of programmes and channels on analogue cable TV networks in the four metros will stop from 1 November. “TAM (the TV ratings agency) will stop reporting ratings from analogue cable in these four cities,” said NDTV Ltd. affiliate sales and network distribution head Rahul Sood.

The broadcasters and the multi-system operators (MSOs) are also genuinely interested in digitisation this time around. “They are talking of implementing it (digitisation) correctly and discussing ARPUs (average revenue per user). This is a starting point for the industry and not the end line. The ecosystem is also in place,” said Exponentia Capital principal Neeraj Bhatia.

The industry experts were also bullish about investors buying into cable and DTH companies. According to Hathway Cable & Datacom chief financial officer G Subramaniam, cross-media restrictions would not act as a hurdle to investments in the distribution sector.

“Once the first phase of DAS (digital addressable system) takes off on 1 November, investors will breathe easy and will eye the market. Capital will come as soon as DAS commences, and cross-media restrictions should not come in the way,” said Subramaniam.

Subramaniam felt wireline delivered better than wireless and, hence, cable was the way to go ahead.

Other speakers at a session on “Markets for Media” at the Indian Digital Operators Summit (IDOS) 2012 echoed the view that getting investors to invest would not be a problem after DAS actually gets implemented in the four metros from 1 November. IDOS is organised by indiantelevision.com in partnership with Media Partners Asia.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) was well aware of the potential of DAS for penetration of broadband throughout the country and, thus, it would do its utmost to make this a success.

Bhatia agreed and said the future of digital TV was bright. He, however, warned about problems of execution and that investors needed to be patient as this was an investment for the long run.

He felt that convergence will be the real winner in this march of technology so that people can switch from one option to another. This, he felt, will attract more capital. New players will emerge to look after billing and other related services.

Sood felt that a broadcaster could launch more niche and subscription-led channels as bandwidth opens up. “Broadcasters will pay one-time carriage as launch expenses and then build on good content so that viewers want to watch the channel,” he said.

Enam Asset Management Vice President – Research Rishi Maheshwari said investors felt better because there was a government regulation, but there will be slow penetration and investors should not look forward to early profitability. Investors tended to look for free cash flow and positive situations as they had to go back to shareholders.

MUMBAI: “How can you squander even one more day not taking advantage of the greatest shifts of our generation? How dare you settle for less when the world has made it so easy for you to be remarkable?” – Seth Godin

THE WAY SOCIAL MEDIA WORKS AFTER THE GENERATIONAL SHIFT
During the early 90‘s India froze with bated breath every Sunday for watching ‘The‘ Mahabharata. I just shudder to think the amount of online chatter, jokes and #hastags which would have been created if social media was then what it is today.

So two decades later after crossing some epic shows like Kyunki, KBC & Big Boss most of us know Social & Tv is a marrige made in heaven but are you getting the chemistry right?

Well I believe there is still a lot of untapped potential. Here‘s few suggestions to get it right:

1) REALISE SOCIAL MEDIA IS NO LONGER A GIMMICK IT‘S A WAY OF LIFE
The Indian television industry is also slowly agreeing to this culturally rich inter caste marriage. What they are realising is social media is no longer a gimmick. This is how we Indians want them to communicate with us and this is how we ‘are‘ communicating with each other about them. It started last year when MTV India was awarded the best social media TV program by Mashable.

2) INCREASE TRP WITH SOCIAL MEDIA
Social network activity certainly influences behaviour. Few months back when in Bade Acche Lagte Hai the lead pair Ram Kapoor and Sakshi Tanwar shared the famous/infamous lip-lock the twitterati went berserk. Hundreds of blogs were written overnight and it got more than 2 million views in youtube just in the official video uploaded by setindia. Was it good for the “TRP”? You bet!

3) UNDERSTAND THE ESSENCE OF #FOMO (FEAR OF MISSING OUT)
One can assume based on psychological studies this type of social commerce is driven by either #FOMO (fear of missing out) or social proof. Both very essential elements of Indian social media that marketers can tap well. Rewind a little and think when in your news feed you see a friend passionately commenting on Scrubs or a new show you haven‘t heard of doesn‘t this question strikes you once, ‘Am I missing something great that my peers are talking about‘? And more importantly, wouldn‘t you agree that single comment not done for you manages to intrique you enough to atleast once check it out? That‘s the power of #FOMO.

4) MAKE THE TV CHARACTERS ITSELF SOCIAL
In the Indian social media chapter people want to get more involved with the shows and the characters. If you look back you will find almost every popular charcter has a exclusive facebook page and a twitter handle. Social Media brings the tv characters to life. It‘s like parallely running a tv show after the show is aired. And the cherry on the cake, people always want to talk to their favourite characters.

We at Brandlogist while working on one of ZEE‘s prime time show Phir Subah Hogi (PSH) took this insight and took it to the next level. We created 7 individual facebook profiles of the main cast of the show who were conversing with the fans on a very real and personal level. The engagement was pleasantly surprising. In place of the usual one liners, fans were literally writing 20-25 lines of genuine heartfelt feedback. They were not talking to a “brand” they were talking to the characters of the show with such impressive belief and passion we realised how much they want to participate in a two way conversation & feel belonged.

5) TAP SOCIAL ACROSS OTHER PLATFORMS
Facebook is not the end of the world. Social & Mobile addes another dimension to your marketing reach and strategy. Your points of conatct increases and you are omnipresent everywhere your viewers are. Globally television check ins in smart phones & the concept of social TV is becoming a common phenomenon & by 2013 am sure even India would start embracing it. For PSH, we had created a BBM profile for the protagonist Sugni. It was a well thought experiment which worked in our favour, the fans now to talk to their favourite character no longer had to even had to log in Facebook. They excitedly pinged “Sugni” from their mobiles telling her to be strong and how they are with her in every step.

6) MAKE THE SHOW & IT‘S CHARACTER‘S TIMELESS
Another reason why this marriage of these two channels is important is because it extends a show beyond the television viewing occasion. Gone are the days where after the weekly show people talk about it the next time its aired. One of the best example is Big Boss. Don‘t you still randomly come across a Sunny Leone joke? Or you really think HIMYM or Friends today would have been what it is without its extensive presence in social media? From Facebook to Twitter, television talk is a daily occurrence. For making the show timeless all you need to do is let your audiences freely share their thoughts with you, be cool in taking a joke, be there to appreciate their selfless involvement with your show or brand. Remember the takeaway is to BE THERE where all is happening. Nokia often shares pictures of 9GAG which their fans. Those pictures I see keep coming back every year with a little tweak.

7) REALIZE THE EFFICACY OF REVERTING
For any popular show there are hundreds of fans talking about the show online. Just by connecting to them you can build and mutliply your reach not just to them but also their friends. Don‘t underestimate the impact of just monitoring and responding to already scattered thousands of opinions and comments about your show online via Fb, Twitter, blogs & forums. Just by tracking & talking to people who were mentioning PSH online we got hundreds of “love your show” from Nigeria to Nagaland. (And mind it we did no campaign for Zee. Imagine the efficacy of just ‘reverting‘)

8) UTILIZE THE EXCLUSIVE “FREE” REAL INSIGHTS WHICH A MARKETERER CAN KILL FOR!
One certain thing, digital chatter has infinite power to provide television executives with new insights into what viewers think about their programs. The instant audience feedback they can get, intended in the first place for other viewers, but also ‘available‘ to them & their content & research teams, in turn provides a potentially very rich stream of data revealing observed evidence of how viewers are ‘reacting‘ to their shows & concepts. This type of connectivity gives networks insight not only as to how people are watching and consuming media but also their degree of engagement, insights that were previously imprenetable.

We at Brandlogist are also exploring Online Focus Groups- making the feedback more real, effective & cost efficient with a wider demographic. We see this being the trend for the industry in the time to come.

9) UNLOCK THE SECRET BEHIND BUILDING A REVOLUTION AROUND A SHOW
Satyamev Jayate successfully used social media & received more than one million messages each week and had got more than 1.25 billion impressions online in two months. Was it possible to do this standalone in the television platform? Am sure you might recall the thousands of shared videos & pictures of SJ apart from the millions of tweets & status updates that happened right after the show. In social media things are in black and white. When you want to spread something either it‘s the Friends way where one can connect global fans together via different fun & funny campaigns or the SJ or #kony2012 way where you bring serious people together who are determined to bring a positive change in the world. The mechanism though remains the same & if done strategically knowing exactly where to tap, you need not to be a Aamir to create a revolution out of a television show.

10) BELIEVE IN THE SYNERGY OF THE DYNAMIC DUO
I had once read a quote which said, social networks aren‘t about Web sites. They‘re about experiences. And isn‘t television also not about shows but the impact they bring in our life creating a memorable experience? One word I have seen television experts use the most is how “dynamic” the medium is, how scripts & themes can change overnight according to viewer demand. Will you find a more “dynamic” medium than social media to understand those nitty gritties?

Believe in this arranged marriage it is destined to be a love story which people will look up to in the next decade.

(Abhik Choudhury, Brand Analyst BRANDLOGIST)

GOA: Broadband and value-added services, suppressed revenue streams so far, will get a major boost as India advances towards digitisation of cable TV.

A few multi-system operators (MSOs) like Hathway Cable & Datacom and Ortel in Orissa have already invested in broadband but on the cable front it has largely been tapped by local cable operators. All MSOs, however, have expressed interest in developing it as a second major revenue source after they move into the new digital regime where they will have more direct control over the last mile customer.

Cable TV networks realise that in broadband and value-added services (Vas) they have a distinct advantage over DTH. In a digital addressable era, broadband and Vas will become an important differentiated offering.

Said NDS Country Head and GM – India Jayant Changrani, “The convergence of technologies will come into play after the introduction of DAS and service providers could take advantage of this. The service providers have to ultimately go by what the consumer wants and provide him Vas to be able to monetise the medium to increase revenues.”
Changrani referred to the DVRs being made by NDS and hand-held boxes that could provide a gateway for gaming, Vas, chats and Wi-fi. He said the Hathway set-top boxes (STBs) already had the broadband advantage.

The Mosaic devices of NDS can help MSOs to configure some channels which he wants to push, he added. He was speaking at the first session on the second and concluding day of the Indian Digital Operators Summit (IDOS) 2012, organised by Indiantelevision.com in partnership with Media Partners Asia.

Management Technologies director Rajiv Dahhad said MSOs being in the best position to move ‘fat pipes’ could help use the DAS penetration to bring in broadband, VAS and other services. Pricing will work if new content and new channels are introduced. There will be need for “field agent management solutions”, he added. Broadcasters will benefit as they want less dependence on advertisement revenues and more inflow from subscriptions.

IBM India GM (Media and Entertainment) Vivek Prabhu said, “MSOs may also need to be trained in new fields such as Vas, billing and inventory as long as the costs were low. There was need for backhand infrastructure to study consumer habits.”

Dilip Singh of JainHITS said DAS had to come, and the passing of laws had only expedited the process, something which had not happened when cable TV or private TV came into the country — the law had followed the advent of these technologies. But the consumer will want much more than just TV signals or VAS, and digitisation will add value to lifestyles just as the mobiles had done.

Dolby Laboratories country manager Pankaj Kedia said television is ultimately an audio-visual and not just a visual unit and, therefore, sound plays a crucial role. Service providers often forget this aspect, but the customer cares for the sound quality.

Answering another aspect, he said pricing was a problem for the customers of LCOs, but those of DTH had already accepted this. He said customer awareness applications were needed if DAS had to be brought in.

Chrome Data Analytics and Media CEO Pankaj Krishna said broadcasters will gain by way of digital being able to carry more channels, but education has to be imparted to the viewer about DAS. This can either be by word of mouth or by branding, he added.

GOA: Cable TV networks need not focus on charging higher subscription rates from consumers in the early period of digitisation but revenue upswing during this period will come from the second and third TV sets, according to Den Networks CEO S N Sharma.

“There is sufficient scope to charge more from subscribers but we need to be patient. We are already burdening the consumer with a hardware (set-top box) price. For the first 6-9 months of digitisation, we (MSOs) will see additional income coming from the second and third TV sets (which is normally an income that the MSOs do not get in analogue cable). ARPUs (average revenue per user) have stagnated for over two decades and we don’t see any immediate change in this,” Sharma added.

The scramble for pushing all the channels on the basic package of cable networks will not help ARPUS move up. “How will they see any rise if the broadcasters want to place all their channels on the basic tier? ARPU is the most significant four-letter word and will have to move up,” said Media Network & Distribution (India) Ltd. managing director and CEO Yogesh Radhakrishnan.

ARPUs is in the hands of the MSOs. “Packaging is very, very key,” Radhakrishnan added.

Videocon d2h deputy CEO Rohit Jain believes that tiering of channel packages that are sold to subscribers would help lift ARPUs. “While DTH had these packages, cable never had them. With digitisation of cable TV, both will now have packages. Once that happens, we will see ARPUs change,” he said.

Broadcasters should also realise that they can’t have the same strategy towards advertising while insisting that subscription revenues should see substantial jump in a digitised distribution environment. “If they want to place most of their channels on the
basic tier because they want reach to protect their advertising interests, then ARPUs will never go up,” Jain explained.

According to IndiaCast Media Distribution Group CEO Anuj Gandhi, there is an anomaly in the existing system. “Let’s face it, the bulk of the revenues will still come from advertising. As a content aggregator, you segment your channels in some way. Mass channels will want to be on the basic tier. Some channels like kids and news will always be on the borderline; these will fight for either placing them on a base or on a lower pack. It will vary between deal to deal,” he said.
 
Agrees Media Pro Enterprise India COO Gurjeev Singh Kapoor. “The bulk of the strong channels will be on the basic tier,” he said.

The growth of HD channels will boost ARPUs, “We are getting ARPUs of $6-8 from these homes, double that of the SD channels. The break-even cycle for these is one and a half years. But it is just a 2012 phenomena and the base is very small to make any difference in the marketplace at this stage,” said Jain.

Hinduja Ventures president Tony D’Silva said that the battle at this stage shouldn’t be on upping ARPUs. “The success of digitisation will depend on what kind of content the consumer is getting and at what price. Let us roll out digitisation first. We shouldn’t start getting resistance from consumers on pricing issues at this stage,” he warned.

MUMBAI: After spending more than a decade in the media & entertainment sector, Rajesh Sawhney has launched GSF Accelerator, an initiative to give startups in the digital domain a push.

Set to launch next month, GSF Accelerator will provide 12 start-ups in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore with personalised mentoring, access to funding and business networks, and initial capital.

Sawhney, who was earlier the president of Reliance Entertainment, has founded GSF Superangels, a network of 30 digital founders and investors. The key advisors to GSF include global mobile platform InMobi CEO, founder Naveen Tewari, Venture fund Matrix Partners founder Avnish Bajaj, Index Ventures partner, co-founder of TAG and Seedcamp Saul Klein and Dave McClure, founder of 500 startups, a leading early stage investor in the Silicon Valley.

“GSF Accelerator program is built around three unique values: intensity of mentorship, deep collaboration with the ecosystem, and creation of a global springboard for the next generation of Indian start-ups. This program is designed to create the next wave of product-oriented technology start-ups in the areas of mobile, social, local and cloud. There is no reason that Indian entrepreneurs cannot create the next Instagram, or the next twitter, or the next InMobi,” explains Sawhney.

The veteran media executive said that 12 start-ups will receive initial funding from GSF this year to begin with. The 12 start-ups will also be showcased at the GSF 2012 (The Second Global Superangels Forum) on from 26-27 November, where 400 leading early stage investors from across the world will meet start-ups.

The programme will run simultaneously in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore during October-November, 2012, with each location hosting four start-ups. Coaching will be provided to each of the 12 GSF start-ups over seven weeks by a mentor pool of over 200 leading co-founders and digital masterminds from across the world. The GSF accelerator start-ups will attend 25 intensive and proprietary workshops conducted by global experts.

A total of 30 founders are funding GSF Superangels and GSF Accelerator. Indian funds such as Kae Capital and Blume Venture have also partnered with GSF Accelerator.

GSF has entered into key strategic partnerships to provide a global springboard for these start-ups. “GSF has tied up with 500 renowned start-ups by Dave McClure to provide access to its Silicon Valley networks. Similarly, the leading European accelerator and mentorship platform, Seedcamp will provide deep access to the GSF start-ups in Europe,” says Sawhney.

“Similarly, GSF is proud to announce its tie-up with Singapore-based fund Ruvento. This relationship with Ruvento will create a cross-border fertilisation of businesses and capital between India, Singapore and Russia.”

MUMBAI: UK pay TV service provider Sky and Warner Bros. have announced details of a film agreement that will see the two companies collaborate on the distribution of Warner Bros.‘ movies across platforms and aim to work more closely on the release and marketing of films in the UK and Ireland.

The new distribution agreements span the first subscription pay TV and pay-per-view windows, enabling Sky to exhibit Warner Bros.‘ titles on its Sky Movies channels and video-on-demand services, and on a pay-per-view basis via Sky Movies Box Office and Sky Store. This means that subscribers to Sky Movies, and customers of Now TV, the new internet TV service powered by Sky, will enjoy exclusive access to Warner Bros.‘ new releases around six months after they have ended their run in cinemas. Once on Sky Movies, these films will be available on the service exclusively for more than a year.

Under the terms of the new agreement, Sky Movies will be the first subscription service in the UK & Ireland to show current Warner Bros. movies such as the UK-produced pictures Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, The Dark Knight Rises, Dark Shadows and Wrath of the Titans, as well future releases such as Man of Steel, The Hangover Part III and The Great Gatsby.

Alongside these films, Sky Movies customers will also have access to classic titles from Warner Bros.‘ world-class back catalogue, including all Batman movies, The Matrix franchise, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, all Superman movies and Lethal Weapon 1, 2 and 3.

All of the movies will be available whenever and wherever Sky Movies customers want to watch, via 11 dedicated Sky Movies channels, Sky‘s comprehensive TV on-demand service and Sky Go, the award-winning multiplatform TV service. For Sky Movies customers, the movies will be provided in HD and 3D, device and title-permitting.

The full suite of Warner Bros. titles will also be available to NOW TV customers with the Sky Movies monthly pass. NOW TV offers easy and flexible access to Sky Movies across PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, YouView, Xbox and selected Android smart phones, with films available to stream instantly. Customers who subscribe to Sky Movies via Virgin Media, UPC and TalkTalk will also be able to enjoy the full range of subscription films from the Warner Bros.‘ collection.

In addition, prior to their availability on Sky‘s subscription services, Sky customers will be able to rent on a non-exclusive basis a wide range of Warner Bros. titles through Sky Movies Box Office, which is available to all Sky TV homes, Sky Store and NOW TV. Through these services, all Sky customers can rent Warner Bros.‘ titles – from the latest movies at the same time as they become available on DVD, through to an extensive library of classic films.

The two companies, meanwhile, have a long history of working together to market films innovatively, most notably on the premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows ? Part 2, which saw Sky host live 3D footage on air, and in regional cinemas across the country, as well as a produce a Premiere Special on Sky 1 and Sky Movies in the days that followed the record-breaking event in Trafalgar Square. This pact also signals an ambition to continue working inthis way in the future.

Sky Movies director Ian Lewis said, “We are delighted to be renewing our partnership with Warner Bros. This new deal will give Sky Movies customers exclusive access to the full range of Warner Bros.‘ films, including recent hits like The Dark Knight Rises and classic titles such as The Lord of the Rings trilogy, reflecting our focus on offering the biggest choice of the best films. By making the films available on demand and on our multiplatform service Sky Go, Sky is strengthening the customer experience, offering customers greater value and flexibility. The deal also sees us extend our reach by offering the films on NOW TV and Sky Store, giving more people new ways to enjoy our fantastic content.”

Warner Bros. UK, Ireland & Spain president, MD Josh Berger comments, “As the UK television and digital landscape continues to evolve, we‘re thrilled to be partnering with Sky to deliver our market-leading motion picture slate to millions of subscribers across multiple platforms. This innovative and ambitious deal presents consumers with myriad ways to enjoy our films, many of which will have been produced here in the UK, and we look forward to working with Sky as it continues to invest in great content.”

Warner Bros. International Television Distribution president Jeffrey R. Schlesinger said, “We are pleased to extend our association with Sky in the UK and Ireland. In an increasingly competitive environment for high quality features, we have once again selected Sky as the best home for our films in the first pay window. Sky Movies subscribers can look forward to seeing Warner Bros.‘ new films created by some of Hollywood‘s most talented directors and stars on Sky‘s platform in more compelling and convenient ways.”