Category: Software

MUMBAI: World Sport Group (WSG), which produces, distributes and supplies sports programming in Asia, have appointed Masstech to provide digital archiving for all their media content.

Masstech, which provides streamlined media asset management (MAM) solutions, penetrates the sports content arena with these new global installations.

Masstech will implement the Emerald v7.5LE solution at World Sport Group’s Singapore facility. Emerald will archive more than 10 years of Asian football and golf footage, and magazine shows, which is conservatively estimated at more than 10,000 hours of programming.

The company features almost 600 sport event days and more than 5000 hours of sports programming annually, across more than 30 countries in the region. Its television division manages the live on-ground production of some of the region’s top sporting events and ratings leaders including the AFC Asian Cup, AFC Champions League, 2014 Fifa World Cup Brazil – Asian Qualifying Rounds, Fifa Club World Cup, Barclays Singapore Open and Emirates Australian Open – for its global network of broadcast, broadband and mobile partners.

The Emerald v7.5LE solution is an upgrade of a digital linear tape (DLT) based solution. Content that comes in via tape or satellite is ingested into XSAN via FCP/MR in Apple ProRes 422. The ingested clip will remain in XSAN for edits. Once the edits are completed and no more repurposing is required for the clips, they will be purged and archived by Emerald. The production department can search for content, preview a proxy and restore or partial file restore back to XSAN.

WSG head of digital media James Leow said, “With Emerald we can achieve so much more. Masstech’s Emerald provides cost-effective digital archiving and automates content archiving from our FCP editing systems as well as central storage. LTO technology enables us to archive more content with less media. This upgrade allows us to store our sports content cost-effectively as we continue to produce thousands of hours of sports programming.”

Having built-in features offering mini mam capabilities for LTO tape archiving, high quality speed (HQS) transcoding and content management on one common platform. Supporting up to two LTO-5 tape drives with any size robotic tape library from a wide range of manufacturers like Spectra, and IBM and others. In addition Emerald has fee-free unlimited disk and tape storage with an unlimited number of offline externalized LTO cartridges, effectively providing an infinite archive capacity. And as World Sport Group’s storage requirements grow, Emerald can be easily upgraded to Masstech’s Topaz system for multi-server scalability and streamlined mam.

MUMBAI: Pune-based 2D animation production company SideFX Entertainment has raised an undisclosed sum from US-based Das Star Ventures. Candle Acendo were the exclusive financial advisors to the transaction.

While the investment amount was not revealed by SideFX or Das Star Ventures, the figure floating around is Rs 55 million.

With this new investment backing, SideFX plans to augment its hi-tech, 2D animation production capacity, targeting lucrative markets worldwide for animated TV and Film content.

SideFX Entertainment Founder and CEO Amit Rathor said, “We are delighted to receive investments from Das Star Ventures. With our world-class competency and expertise in the 2D animation category, the investment from Das Star Ventures will further strengthen our global footprint and provide top-notch service to the client.”

He added, “This transaction is unique for it being the only VC investment in the organized 2D animation sector in recent years.

Das Star Ventures Founder and CEO Durga Das said, “We at Das Star Ventures are very specific in selecting our portfolio companies, partnering only with those who show the highest standards of excellence and potential. SideFX is without a doubt among our most promising ventures. We are very excited to work with such talented people in the exploding 2D animation industry.”

MUMBAI: Nirvana Digital, creator and distributor of audio and video content across Internet and mobile platforms, has launched a “YouTube Content Creators Network” that will start the creation of original content as well as the distribution of produced video content from the Indian market across YouTube channels.

Nirvana Digital’s new YouTube Content Creators Network aims to provide an opportunity to content creators in India, ranging from individuals to large organisations. The network will enable them to upload content for immediate distribution, monetisation and direction of traffic.

Nirvana Digital Founder Pinakin Thakkar said, “The digital platform is large enough globally for video creators to still have their fame and recognition, and we are here to help creators and content owners push content to a global audience while earning immediate revenue from their videos.”

As the demand for quality digital content grows across the world, Nirvana Digital is keen to create brands out of video creators in India, monetise them and drive traffic to them from its existing network.

The model brings together different individuals, gives them support and infrastructure to collaborate and build audiences around their content across various distribution channels.

Nirvana Digital claims to have its own specialised web video studio at Peddar road in South Mumbai apart from a dedicated team who to help with the technical aspect of encoding, uploading and promoting videos, as well as animators for videos that may benefit with CGI.

The company has exclusive rights to films including Hyderabad Blues and Hyderabad Blues 2 and over 300 animated children’s education clips making the total number of videos it distributes to exceed 20,000 and total number of audio titles to exceed 10,000.

MUMBAI: Den Networks has posted net profit of Rs 114.3 million from its cable TV business in the three months through June, up 13 times from the year-ago quarter profit of Rs 8.7 million.

Income from operations was up 23 per cent to Rs 1.84 billion from Rs 1.49 billion a year earlier.

Revenue climbed 21 per cent to Rs 1.90 billion while expenditure was 9 per cent higher at Rs 1.43 billion.

The Sameer Manchanda-promoted cable TV services company said its operating profit before forex losses of Rs 23.7 million in the first quarter ended June 30 2012 was Rs 461.9 million, up 77 per cent from Rs 261.2 million. The company’s Ebidta margin stood at 24.3 per cent in the first quarter against 16.6 per cent a year earlier.

Den Networks CEO S N Sharma said, “The quarter gone by has been very satisfactory for Den and we have (also) made rapid progress in digitisation. We expect the business to continue to exhibit strong growth momentum in the coming quarters and we are looking forward to the 31 October deadline for Phase 1 of digitisation.”

The company’s consolidated first quarter net profit rose to Rs 122.2 million from Rs 18.3 million a year earlier. The sharp rise in the net profit is because of the lower base in the first quarter of 2011-12.

The company’s consolidated Ebidta (before forex losses of Rs 23.7 million) was Rs 474.3 million, up 72 per cent from Rs 276.3 million a year earlier. The company’s Ebidta margin was 23.7 per cent.

Den’s consolidated net revenue for first quarter was Rs 2 billion against Rs 2.83 billion a year earlier. Expenses during the quarter decreased 44.76 per cent to Rs 1.53 billion from Rs 2.77 billion in the year ago period.

The company, however, clarified that the consolidated revenue figures were not comparable as MediaPro, a joint venture company of Star Den and Zee Turner, has changed its financial reporting to net revenue from gross revenue (Net revenues = Gross Revenues less Cost of Distribution Rights paid to Broadcasters). Star Den is an equal joint venture of Star and Den.

The change has had no impact on the profit figures of the company, Den said.

Den said it is rapidly digitising its subscriber base in the Phase 1 cities of Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata with a major chunk of its subscriber base in Delhi already having been converted to digital.

The operator also stated that supplies for the estimated number of set top boxes required for digitising all Phase 1 markets have been secured to ensure timely seeding and no disruption in television services for consumers in its service areas. Den has partnered Cisco as one of its set top box suppliers.

Den has secured funds for investments in its digital infrastructure and set top boxes required for digitising its subscribers.

Den said it has built a sales team which is undertaking direct selling activities through DSAs (direct selling agents) in association with the Local Cable Operators (LCOs).

The MSO has also tied up with Resident Welfare Associations in its service areas to organise digitisation-centric events.

The company asserted that it continues to consolidate its presence in existing towns and strengthen its position as the leading cable service provider in India by entering strategic markets like West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand.

MUMBAI: Going by the great response that Reliance Entertainment‘s animation film Krishna Aur Kans has been garnering, developer and publisher of mobile games Jumps Games has collaborated with Reliance Animation to launch the official mobile game based on the film. It releases on the auspices day of Janmashtami on Friday.

“I‘m sure this Janmashtami, casual gamers of all ages across India will enjoy enacting Krishna via the mobile game,” Reliance Animation CEO Ashish Kulkarni, said in a statement.

“Krishna Aur Kans revisits one of the greatest stories ever told – the story of Krishna, the naughty prankster who emerges as the greatest saviour. While developing the movie and the game, we have given special attention to adhere to Indian sensibilities towards our heritage characters,” he added.

The launch of the game was deliberately planned around Janmashtami, says Chaitanya Prabhu, Jump Games, India‘s business head. We wanted to participate in the celebration of Janmashtami by creating a game based on Krishna, and this movie gives us a perfect platform to engage with the casual gamers across markets,” he added.

The Krishna Aur Kans game will be available on all leading mobile platforms like Android, Blackberry and Symbian, across all the leading mobile operators.

MUMBAI: Star India‘s Tamil channel Vijay TV has launched on Freebox TV, the IPTV platform of French telecom operator Free.

This launch makes it Vijay TV‘s first IPTV carriage deal in France and also strengthens Free‘s current offering of Indian content.

Vijay TV is available on free view from end of July till 15 August and viewers can catch a special line-up of programmes for the Indian Independence Day on 15 August.

Star UK & Europe Vice President Yeshpal Sharma said, “We are very proud to be at the forefront of the Asian television entertainment offering and delighted to partner with Free to launch our leading Tamil entertainment channel in France.”

Free users can subscribe to the Star Pack including Star Plus, Star Gold, Star Life OK, and ABP News for 15.99 Euros a month.

MUMBAI: Airtel Digital TV, the direct-to-home (DTH) business of telecom major Bharti Airtel, has slipped into operating loss for the three months through June, after four straight quarters of profit.

The DTH operator‘s operating loss for the fiscal-first quarter was Rs 23 million compared to operating profit of Rs 209 million in the trailing quarter. In the three successive quarters beginning April-June 2011, the company had reported operating profits of Rs 50 million, Rs 116 million and Rs 90 million.

The company has apparently changed the procedure for how it accounts for the content cost.

Airtel Digital TV added 172,000 net subscribers during the quarter ended 30 June 2012, representing 8 per cent growth from the trailing quarter, but monthly churn climbed to 1.7 per cent, from 1.2 per cent.

The company‘s customer base stood at 7.4 net million customers. Market leader Dish TV, the first to launch DTH services in India, has 9.8 million net subscribers while its churn is 1 per cent for the fiscal first quarter (from 1.1 per cent in exit quarter of FY‘12).

Airtel Digital TV‘s ARPU (average revenue per user) stayed flat at Rs 166, higher than Dish TV‘s Rs 156 (despite rising from Rs 151 in trailing quarter).

The company‘s loss before interest and tax jumped 16.49 per cent to Rs 2.26 billion for the first quarter ended 30 June compared to a loss of Rs 1.94 billion in the preceding quarter.

Airtel Digital TV‘s revenue during the quarter remained flat at Rs 3.65 billion, representing a change of 2.56 per cent from the earlier quarter. Revenue for the year-ago period was Rs 2.93 billion.

During the quarter, the company incurred a capital expenditure of Rs 3.24 billion in digital TV services, up from Rs 981 million in the preceding quarter. In the previous fiscal, the capex stood at Rs 3.01 billion.

As of 30 June 2012, Airtel‘s cumulative investment on the digital TV services stood at Rs 35.40 billion, up from Rs 32.98 billion in the preceding quarter. In the corresponding fiscal, the cumulative investments was Rs 29.29 billion.

During the quarter, the company expanded its footprint to 616 districts, up from 609 districts in the earlier quarter, covering 96 per cent of the populace.

MUMBAI: While the mobile Value Added Service (mVas) market is expected to grow to Rs. 671 billion by 2015 which would account for 30 per cent of mobile revenue, there are challenges. One challenge is the lack of consumer trust in data services. The focus of operators should rest on building relevance of services to the consumer.

This point was made at the Mobile Innovation Conference organised by IAMAI. Idea Cellular MD Himanshu Kapania spoke on ‘Services Beyond Voice and SMS‘. He noted that handset users have to be made aware of the benefits of accessing the net. For Vas revenues to grow, technology, big ideas and platforms are needed to help the process but consumers also have to believe in the value. “For mobile data to grow in terms of revenue you need a great network. At the same time you cannot leapfrog technology.”

He disagreed with the view held in some circles that 4G would bypass 3G. “2G users will upgrade to affordable 3G handsets which costs $70. This price will go down to $35-$50. This is where the takeoff will happen. What is happening today in China will happen in India in the coming four years.”

“The mobile data business has to move from push to pull. Operators cannot force feed applications on to consumers. Consumers have to demand services, which is why AT&T is doing so well in the US. Consumers have to be at the centre of what is being done. Mobile operators need to spend time on understanding consumers and why they aren‘t happy.”

He also stressed the fact that mobile operators and Mvas companies need to work in a partnership and there should be a long term plan. Also the government should be seen as a friend and not as an adversary. “People should have choice, ease of access and the ability to discover services in the manner that they want to.”

NEW DELHI: The Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (Tdsat) is to hear on 24 August petitions by multi-system operator (MSO) Digicable Network (India) Pvt. Ltd, Delhi Distribution Company, and United Cable Operator’s Welfare Association challenging the digital tariff order of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai).

Although Tdsat had issued notice to Trai and the Union of India in this connection on 2 July, it was informed Tuesday that the regulator had filed its reply late last week and the petitioners wanted time to file their rejoinders.

Chaiperson Justice S B Sinha and member P K Rastogi accordingly listed the matter for 24 August.

Tdsat had earlier listed for 25 August a petition by IndusInd Media and Communications Ltd (IMCL) in this regard, even as it permitted news broadcasters NDTV, Time Global (holding company of Times Now), India TV, TV Today, Total TV, and News Broadcaster‘s Association (NBA), Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF), and other broadcasters to be a party to it. However, it said the broadcasters‘ impleadment would be subject to the objections raised by IMCL.

Digicable has approached the broadcast tribunal opposing the sector regulator’s new revenue sharing mechanism. In its petition, Digicable said Trai’s tariff order is “unjust, unfair, unreasonable, arbitrary, irrational, and discriminatory” and is tilted towards the broadcasters. According to the Trai tariff order, charges collected from the subscription of paid channels or bouquet of paid channels shall be shared in the ratio of 65:35 between MSO and the local cable operator respectively.

Earlier, local cable operators (LCOs) opposed the Trai tariff order. United Cable Operator’s Welfare Association had approached the Tdsat seeking better revenue share from the MSOs and an extension in date for digitisation.

Meanwhile, the deadline for the first phase of digitisation in the four metros has already been postponed by four months to 1 November.

MUMBAI: Sky Movies is dedicating an entire channel – Sky Movies 007 HD – to the full James Bond film catalogue from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios throughout October. The Sky Movies 007 HD channel will launch on 5 October.

UK pay TV service provider Sky said that all 22 James Bond films will be available in HD, without commercial breaks and in one place – Sky Movies HD.

And as an added bonus they will be joined by two non-Eon titles 1967 ‘Casino Royale‘ and ‘Never Say Never Again‘.

Bond fans will have the films at their fingertips via Sky Movies’ comprehensive TV on-demand service Sky Anytime+, with all of the films also available on demand and on the move via Sky Go, Sky’s award-winning multiplatform TV service available across PC, Mac, laptop, iPhone, iPad and Android phones.

In addition, customers who subscribe to Sky Movies via NOW TV, the brand new internet TV service from Sky, will also be able to enjoy entire the Bond catalogue.

The 23rd film in the franchise, Skyfall, will be available to rent through Sky Store and on Sky Movies next year.

The films arrive on Sky Movies to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the franchise, with the first film, Dr No, released on 5 October 1962.

Sky Movies director Ian Lewis said, “The Bond movies are a very special franchise and we want to ensure that our customers to be able to experience it in a way they’ve never been able to before, and so we’re going to create a dedicated channel Sky Movies 007 HD devoted entirely to James Bond showing the entire catalogue of films and loads of extra material.