Category: Software

MUMBAI: Soon after MSM Discovery terminated its distribution pact with Neo Sports Broadcast, the two companies have reworked a fresh deal that would reduce the payout to the sports broadcaster as it had lost the rights to telecast international cricket played in India.

Though the financials have not been disclosed, sources familiar with the development said the new agreement is effective only for a year with the option to renew it. The deal was signed last week and has come into effect from 4 January.

Indiantelevision.com had first reported that MSM Discovery (which operates under TheOneAlliance brand) had terminated its distribution deal with Neo Sports Broadcast on 3 January. Neo Sports Broadcast operates two channels, Neo Cricket and Neo Sports.

Sony Entertainment Television India (now called MSM) had agreed in mid-2010 to pay a minimum guarantee of Rs 2.7 billion net for the three-year distribution of Neo Cricket and Neo Sports.
“The need to thrash out a fresh deal was because Neo lost the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) rights. The value of the old deal obviously needed to be brought down. By doing a one-year deal in new commercial terms, TheOneAlliance gains as its payout drops and it also gets to distribute sports channels that still have Euro Cup and Asian Cup as valuable properties,” a source said.

Neo will telecast Asia Cup (March 1-12), UEFA Euro 2012 (June 8 to July 1), French Open (May 27 to June 10) and World Series Hockey (February 29- April 2).

“TheOneAlliance will be able to strengthen its third bouquet that had would been weak without the two sports channels. Their collections on the ground will improve,” said the head of a leading multisystem operator (MSO) who did not want his name to be revealed.

TheOneAlliance bouquet also has the Indian Premier League (IPL) content which will be broadcast exclusively on Max.
Said MSM Discovery president Rajesh Kaul, “The sports genre has always been a strong growth driver. We are happy to welcome back Neo to TheOneAlliance bouquet. The blockbuster lineup on Neo channels coupled with DLF IPL on Max will ensure the bouquet is poised for further growth.”

For Neo, the one-year distribution deal will give it breathing space to strengthen its distribution team or weigh its partner on new terms.

“Neo, which is somewhat crippled by the loss of BCCI rights, will have time to rebuild and strengthen its properties. It has a strong distributor in TheOneAlliance and can decide on its future course of action after a year,” a media analyst said.

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One Alliance terminates distribution deal with Neo Sports Broadcast

MUMBAI: Reliance Broadcast Network Ltd. has strengthened its distribution portfolio with the addition of business news channel Bloomberg UTV.

The bouquet currently has three Big CBS Channels – BIG CBS Prime, Love and Spark – and the regional channels Big Magic and Spark Punjabi.

Besides these, the addition of another channel which is expected to be launched through RNBL‘s joint venture with Germany‘s RTL Group will take the total number of channels in the mix to seven.

RBN CEO Tarun Katial said, “With the addition of BloombergUTV to the RBNL network, we now present one of the strongest television portfolios in the country. This consolidation of the network delivery platform allows us to enable marketers with a single consolidated outreach platform, while offering audiences the best possible television content.”

MUMBAI: Online social network Facebook India has filed its compliance report before the Delhi court which had ordered it and 21 other websites to remove objectionable content from their websites.

Google India has also told the court that it has removed certain web pages from the Internet on which objections were raised by the petitioners.

There are among 21 web firms, including Yahoo and Orkut, facing a civil suit in Delhi accusing them of hosting material that may cause communal unrest.

Meanwhile, Facebook, Yahoo and Microsoft told the court that they have no role to play in the case and there is no cause of action against them in the matter.

Additional Civil Judge Praveen Singh also posed a query to the counsel appearing for petitioner Mufti Aijaz Arshad Qasmi, as to whether the blog service-providing companies can be made a party to the case for any content posted by the users on the blogs.

The court had on 20 December 2011, in an ex-parte order, issued summons to 22 social networking websites asking them to remove “anti-religious” or “anti-social” content in the form of photographs, videos or text which might hurt religious sentiments.

The Delhi High Court had earlier asked Facebook and Google India to develop a mechanism to keep a check and remove offensive and objectionable material from their web pages or else it would block the sites like what is happening in China.

MUMBAI: In a bid to increase the brand’s outreach among the digitally savvy, constantly evolving, urban Indian consumer, beauty service provider Kaya Skin Clinic has donned a new digital avatar.

Digital marketing agency Webchutney is responsible for the brand’s digital initiatives to infuse greater interactivity and deeper engagement and making it more approachable on the web.

The beauty service provider desired to bring alive and inspire the ‘awe of transformation’ more effectively in its brand communication online.

Kaya Skin Clinic marketing head Suvodeep Das said, “Kaya has built a reputation as the ultimate expert that solves all skin problems. Our new identity is inspired by insights gained through research and consumer feedback. Revamping our website has been an important part of this repositioning exercise. There has been a 360 degree overhaul of our website that is in tandem with the new brand identity. The Webchutney team understands our brand and we have been very impressed with their creative ingenuity.”

The refurbished website includes a host of interactive elements and intuitive features such as an interest-based Compliment Cloud to push supplementary services, facility to book online appointments, interactive forms for campaign registrations, social plug-ins for Facebook and Twitter, clinic locator, loyalty promotions, e-coupons/codes and e-shop to purchase products conveniently.

Webchutney chief executive officer Sidharth Rao said, “We are delighted to have the opportunity to partner with Kaya Skin Clinic which strengthens our existing and long-standing relationship with Marico. We are confident that this initiative will achieve the desired positioning for Kaya as a brand and help establish an indispensible relationship with their core audience, online.”

Kaya Skin Clinic has 82 outlets in 26 cities across India, 19 clinics in the Middle East and two clinics in Bangladesh with a team of over 280 dermatologists and a customer base of over 600,000 men and women. In 2010, Kaya also acquired the leading aesthetics company DRx Clinic with three centers across Singapore and Malaysia.

MUMBAI: Asia’s broadcasting and media trade event event Broadcastasia2012 returns to Suntec Singapore .

It will once again showcase innovation, cutting edge technologies, ideas and insights from industry professionals. Come 19-22 June 2012, attendees can look forward to new technology displays and expanded technology zones.

The 17th edition of BroadcastAsia will continue to serve as a platform for product launches and industry networking to reinforce and build business partnerships.

Technologies that will be showcased include
• OTT (Over the Top Technology)
• File-based / Digital Media Asset Management
• DVB-T2
• Multi-screen Platform
• Cloud Broadcasting
• Digital Radio
• WiMAX Broadcasting

BroadcastAsia2012 International Conferences: The event serves as a one-stop platform aggregating the movers and shakers in the industry, bringing audiences up-to-date with technologies impacting the broadcast ecosystem. Expert speakers will provide in-depth insights and visionary perspectives on the emerging technology landscape, future market demands and key drivers of future business models.

There will be over 80 speakers and the topics and tracks include:

o Finding the synergy between Broadband and Broadcasting
o OTT and Multi-Screen Delivery
o Connected TV
o Cloud Broadcasting
o HDTV/ PayTV/ HbbTV
o Monetization of Multi-platform Content
o Video Streaming
o Digital Asset Management
o DVB-T2 Technologies
o 3DTV
o Digital Radio Broadcasting
 
The 2012 Creative Content Production Conference: Back for the third year, the conference takes a look at the creative editing process behind film and TV production.

Attendees will learn about the latest technologies in creating content for the big screens and small screens, what goes on behind the scenes of production and what makes content tick.

In a quantum leap propelled by technology advancement, content producers are moving swiftly towards producing content for multi-screen platforms to reach the digital generation audience. This conference will address the evolving developmental pace, the art of creating content in pre-production, production and post-production stages.

As the new media landscape emerges, speakers from the film and TV production industry will share their experiences and insights of how content can be creatively adapted for the multi-screen environment. Pivotal issues include:

Topics covered at the 2012 conference will include:
o Creating content for big and small screens
o Editing of content
o Filmmaking technologies and 3D productions: What is its
sustainability in the current market?
o Visual effects for content creation
o Producing content for new media and platforms
o Reviewing IP rights for content and music
o Case studies of the latest productions in Asia and beyond

MUMBAI: Internet giant Google has lost its senior executive to micro-blogging site Twitter.

Google MD (media & platforms) Asia Pacific operations Shailesh Rao has quit and will be joining Twitter as VP – international operations.

3 February was Rao‘s last day at Google. Google‘s spokesperson said, “We thank Shailesh for his fantastic contributions to Google and Google India, in particular and wish him the best in his future endeavours.”

Rao, 41, had moved to India in 2007 to head Google India. Prior to that he was with Google‘s California headquarter, serving as director, local search. He was instrumental in launching of Google Maps and Earth across Western Europe and parts of Asia and Latin America.

Rao has also worked with Yodlee and AOL amongst others and holds a BA from the University of Pennsylvania, a BS from the Wharton School, and an MBA from The Kellogg School of Management.

NEW DELHI: Barely a day after the Supreme Court directed cancellation of 122 telecom licences held by eight parties through 2G and allowed them to return via an e-auction, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) released a Pre-consultation Paper on “Allocation of Spectrum in 2G band in 22 Service Areas by auction” on Friday.

Trai has sought comments from stakeholders to the paper for comments of the stakeholders by 15 February. The regulator has said that ‘keeping in view the time bound nature of exercise, no extension of time will be given.‘

The court had directed Trai to make fresh recommendations for grant of licence and allocation of spectrum in 2G band in 22 Service Areas by auction, as was done for allocation of spectrum in 3G band.

On the issue of grant of licences, Trai in its recommendation on “Spectrum Management and Licensing Framework” on 11 May 2010 recommended that all future licences should be ‘Unified Licences‘ and that spectrum be delinked from the licence.

“Draft Guidelines for Unified Licensing Regime” were also placed on Trai website www.trai.gov.in on 16 January 2012 for comments of the stakeholders.

On the issue of “Allocation of spectrum in 2G band in 22 Service Areas by auction”, stakeholders have been requested to send their comments/suggestions on the issues involved.

NEW DELHI: Dish TV has launched high definition (HD) DVR set-top box (STB), Dish truHD+, that has unlimited storage as it makes efforts to lift its ARPUs (average revenue per user).

The direct-to-home (DTH) service provider has priced the STB at Rs 2690, cheaper than its rivals.

Dish truHD+ will have dual advantage of all HD and DVR features and the price of Rs 2690 that includes the new STB along with one month Dish truHD Royale Pack subscription.

Dish TV CEO RC Venkateish said that while most DTH operators charge a premium for DVR STBs, Dish TV’s idea was to expand the DVR market by making it accessible at the price of a normal HD box.

Dish TV COO Salil Kapoor said that the overall marketing budget is Rs 250 million on the new ‘Dish Sawaar Hai‘ campaign,” a considerable amount of which would be spent on the new HD DVR promotions. “The product is very good and is at half the price point. We are expecting to double the HD subscriber base with this.”

Dish TV‘s ARPU from the HD subscribers is in the range of Rs 450-550, Kapoor added.

There would be a free upgrade for those already having an HDTV box. Said Dish TV EVP marketing Anjali Malhotra, “Dish truHD+ will be the only HD box in the market that will offer a recording facility, at no extra cost, whilst HD features have become table stakes. If one were to compare this box with other DVR‘s in the market, the Dish truHD+ box would stand a huge price advantage at an unmatched price of Rs 2,690 against the usual cost Rs 5000 to Rs 6000, whilst it matches them feature for feature.”

At present, Tata Sky +HD is available for Rs 5,990 (standard installation, one month subscription) for new customers and Rs 4,159 for existing Tata Sky subscribers. Similar service from Airtel Digital TV costs Rs 4,990 onwards. Viddeocon D2H’s HD DVR comes at Rs 4,490 (Rs 500 installation charges extra), while Reliance Digital TV charges Rs 4,890 for the service.

Talking about the new innovations, Venkateish said the service allows viewers to use their own USB ports, pen drives, CDs, or mobiles to store whatever they want to from the telecasts.

The unique feature of Dish truHD+ is its compatibility with any USB device enabling consumers to simply plug and play an existing USB stick/ HDD, and build an entire library of their favourite programmes.

As a promotional offer, Dish TV is also providing a 4 GB USB drive free to get the user accustomed to the concept of plugging an external device to use the recording features. The DVR features include record, rewind, forward and pause live TV. It also has time and event-based recording on the box.

Dish truHD+ offers dual advantage of HD and DVR where consumers can enjoy picture quality of 1080i, 16:9 picture format with 5.1 surround sound and the latest MPEG4 technology. In addition to this, the same box is used as DVR as well by a simple “plug-n-play” through an external USB device. This enables all benefits of a traditional DVR like recording and playing back programmes, Pausing or Rewinding live TV, different play-back positions, event-based recording (EBR), time-based recording (TBR) and so on.

Dish TV MD Jawahar Goel said that the STBs are from Korea and they have adequate number of boxes.

Venkateish said there was also an exchange package available for those who had standard STBs.

He said only 2 per cent of Dish TV subscribers are presently on HD TV and he hoped this number would grow.

Answering a question, he said that the advertising is being handled by McCann Advertising and the annual advertising budget of Dish TV was Rs 1 billion.

Dish TV claims to have over 330 standard definition (SD) and over 40 HD television channels.

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court ordered revocation of 122 telecom licences held by eight operators issued under the 2G sale of January 2008.

However, this is likely to affect less than five per cent of a market which has over 15 players.

The Comptroller and Auditor General had assumed the presumptive loss of up to Rs 1.76 lakh crore. The 122 licences were given for over Rs 90 billion, while 3G auctions for a smaller number of licences had fetched the government a sum of Rs 690 billion.

The licences affected include those held by Unitech Wireless, a joint venture of Norway‘s state-backed Telenor and Indian real estate firm Unitech, which has been the most aggressive of the newer operators and had more than 36 million subscribers in the country in December.

Affected licence holders can operate for four months, during which regulators will come up with new market rules.

The Telenor joint venture, which operates under the Uninor brand, said in a statement: “We have been unfairly treated as we simply followed the government process. We are shocked to see that Uninor is being penalised for faults the court has found in the government process.” Shares in Telenor fell 3 perc ent in early trade.

Carriers whose licences were ordered to be revoked also include those of the local joint ventures of Abu Dhabi‘s Etisalat, Russia‘s Sistema Shyam, Loop Telecom, Sistema Shyam, S Tel, Videocon, Tatas and Idea.

“Once a copy of the decision is received, Etisalat will work closely with EDB’s management and legal counsel to understand the judgment, its ramifications on the operations of EDB, particularly its customers and employees as well as its right to a review of the Supreme Court’s decision,” Etisalat said in a statement issued from Abu Dhabi.

“The Supreme Court decision relates to events that occurred in January 2008, well before December 2008 when Etisalat invested in Swan. Etisalat has no knowledge of what occurred in the license application process for Swan, far less did it have any involvement. The license applications were entirely conducted by the promoters and their associates who subsequently marketed the Swan investment opportunity to Etisalat through a well known international investment bank,” the statement added.

Licenses had been issued by A Raja during his tenure as Telecom Minister. The verdict on cases filed by Dr Subramaniam Swamy and by the Centre for Public Interest Litigation and others were delivered by Justices G S Singhvi and A K Ganguly, who retires today.

The judgment written by Justice Singhvi said the licences granted to the private respondents on or after 10.1.2008 pursuant to two press releases issued on 10 January 2008 and subsequent allocation of spectrum to the licensees are declared illegal and are quashed, and the direction will become operative after four months.

The Court said that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) will make fresh recommendations for grant of licence and allocation of spectrum in 2G band in 22 Service Areas by auction, as was done for allocation of spectrum in 3G band, within two months.

It said the Central Government shall consider the recommendations of Trai and take appropriate decision within next one month and fresh licences may be granted by auction.

It said three of the parties including A Raja who were benefited by a wholly arbitrary and unconstitutional action taken by the Department of Telecommunications for grant of UAS Licences and allocation of spectrum in 2G band and who offloaded their stakes for many thousand millions more in the name of fresh infusion of equity or transfer of equity shall pay cost of Rs 50 million each. Three others were asked to pay cost of Rs 5 million each because they too had been benefited by the wholly arbitrary and unconstitutional exercise undertaken by the DoT for grant of UAS Licences and allocation of spectrum in 2G band.

The Court said 50 per cent of the cost shall be deposited with the Supreme Court Legal Services Committee for being used for providing legal aid to indigent litigants. The remaining 50 per cent cost shall be deposited in the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund. However, it said the observations and conclusions contained in the order ‘shall not, in any manner, affect the pending investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation, Directorate of Enforcement and others agencies or prejudice the defence of those who are facing prosecution in the cases registered by the CBI and the Special Judge, CBI shall decide the matter uninfluenced by this judgment.’

Police have charged six companies and 19 people, among them a billionaire owner of the Essar Group; top executives of Telenor‘s and Etisalat‘s India ventures and three from billionaire Anil Ambani‘s Reliance Group. Executives arrested in the telecoms case have been released on bail. Two ministers, including Raja, have resigned. Raja is in jail awaiting trial.

India is the second-largest cellular market in the world by subscribers, with 894 million at the end of December, although fierce competition means call rates are among the lowest.

MUMBAI: US non fiction media company Discovery Communications announced the formation of a new digital strategy and emerging businesses team charged with incubating and developing new digital businesses.

The team will be led by Gabe Vehovsky. As executive VP, digital strategy, emerging businesses, he will lead the newly formed team in identifying digital businesses that will satisfy Discovery‘s mission to delight audiences and increase viewer
engagement across platforms.

Part think tank and part product and partnership development, Vehovsky‘s unit will manage a carefully selected pipeline of new digital initiatives, working in conjunction with Discovery‘s leadership.

The digital strategy and emerging businesses team is specifically structured to foster an entrepreneurially minded approach to identifying and nurturing business opportunities worth investing in.

Discovery chief digital officer JB Perrette said, “Gabe is a true asset to Discovery, and I am delighted that he will be bringing his digital and business development expertise to this new role with the company”.

Discovery executive VP, GM, digital media, commerce Kelly Day said, “Under Gabe‘s leadership, and with the support of a talented team, Discovery will continue to deliver innovative experiences that super-serve our millions of fans online and beyond”.

In his previous position as executive VP, digital media strategy, client solutions, Vehovsky was responsible for the development and execution of ad opportunities designed to maximise revenue for Discovery‘s portfolio of websites, including HowStuffWorks.com and network sites such as Discovery.com and TLC.com.

Utilising research and analytics to measure audience behaviour and engagement, Gabe oversaw the team that creates custom programmes designed to provide a rich user experience that is designed and developed with key partner needs in mind.