Category: Software

MUMBAI: Multi-screen video solutions company SeaChange International has announced an agenda of multi-screen solutions demonstrations and other conference activities for SCTE‘s Cable-Tec Expo.

The expo takes place from 15-17 November 2011 in Atlanta. These solutions comprise the company‘s intelligent video platform, which is designed to help operators centralise and optimise their video operations.

Demonstrating open video solutions from the cloud (booth 854) using SCTE 130 and IAB VAST and inserting on iPad and Android devices, SeaChange will show how its infusion advanced advertising solution for linear and on-demand advertising is designed to help service providers manage centralized operations and scale to 150,000 insertable channels and millions of assets managed from increasingly web-centric and virtualized datacenters.

SeaChange‘s nitro subscriber experience software, leveraging HTML5, will show how operators can offer subscribers control over linear and on-demand content across mobile, PC, tablet and TV screens.

SeaChange‘s in-home gateway software, using DLNA specifications, enables whole home DVR as well as viewing and sharing of OTT and television content, images and music throughout the home. Gateway demonstrations will show support for multiple clients including a game console, IP set-tops and tablets.
 
Demonstrating how operators can optimise on-demand library use, SeaChange‘s Affinity social media application integrates multi-screen video with popular sites including Facebook and Twitter, allowing subscribers to recommend favorite movies and programs and share viewing experiences.

All of SeaChange‘s open multi-screen video solutions are supported by Adrenalin, the unified video back office built using an open service oriented architecture to deliver a consistent video experience that avails millions of video assets to millions of devices across multiple networks. Adrenalin demonstrations will feature the SeaChange business management suite for extensive cross-platform content merchandising.

Also in the SeaChange booth, solution partner Civolution will demonstrate its NexGuard forensic watermarking integrated with Adrenalin to support premium VOD services.

MUMBAI: Hearst Magazines in the US is bringing two new channels to YouTube as part of the online video social network‘s new original channel‘s initiative.

The programming is being created in conjunction with the experts from Car and Driver, Road and Track, and Popular Mechanics for the Automotive channel and Cosmopolitan, Harper‘s Bazaar, Marie Claire, Seventeen, and Realbeauty.com for the Fashion and Beauty channel. Both channels will launch next year.

Hearst Magazines EVP, GM John Loughlin said, “This new relationship with YouTube provides a great opportunity for us to expose our brands in video form to an exponentially larger audience. We‘ve been creating hundreds of hours of content each year, which will be included as part of these channels and allows us to achieve larger scale, better monetization and the potential to launch new brands out of this exciting platform.”

Hearst adds that it has a wealth of production capabilities, including a digital video studio and production facility; a stake in Mark Burnett Productions; and relationships with other production companies. 
 
The company‘s in-house video team has produced a library of over 12,000 videos across its brands and nearly 200 hours of monthly video programming that is used on the company‘s websites and tablet applications. Hearst will develop original content specifically for this platform, as well as use some of its existing video.

Car and Driver Television: Driven to Extremes will feature programming that includes automotive-related competitions, car makeovers and a show that mixes the week‘s biggest car news with a dose of humor.

The shows on Fashion & Beauty: Style on Location will focus on global street style, the best in beauty and an irreverent look at the latest fashion headlines.

MUMBAI: TV Studios Global Entertainment has announced new carriage deals for its entertainment channel ITV Granada, with pay TV platforms in India, the Middle East and South Korea adding the channel.

It has done a deal with Bharti Airtel‘s DTH platform Airtel Digital TV and will join it later this year. The channel will launch in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal and Bhutan.

The agreements also include the launch of ITV Granada in the Middle East via the OSN DTH network. The channel will make its debut later this year to subscribers throughout the region, reaching territories such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Cyprus, Turkey, Egypt and the UAE.

Finally, South Korea‘s cable operator CJ HelloVision has signed to broadcast ITV Granada via its “CJ Tving” service which provides 140 channels viewable on PCs, smartphones, tablets and smart TVs.
 
ITV Studios Global Entertainment senior VP Sales Asia Pacific Augustus Dulgarot commented, “The high-quality line-up of UK-produced programming available on ITV Granada is attracting huge interest in Asia and the Middle East. Since its launch the channel‘s reach has rapidly increased throughout the region and we are delighted to sign these new agreements which will bring ITV Granada to a range of key territories. It is an exciting time in the channel‘s development and we welcome OSN, Bharti Airtel and CJ HelloVision to our suite of affiliates.”

ITV Granada is home to entertainment, drama, comedy, reality and talk shows from the UK. Content includes ‘Coronation Street‘, drama ‘Emmerdale‘ and entertainment shows such as ‘I‘m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here!‘, ‘Popstar to Operastar‘ and ‘Dancing on Ice‘.

Carried on platforms throughout Asia including MioTV Singapore, Astro Malaysia, Now TV Hong Kong and Star Hub Singapore, the channel now reaches more than 5.5 million households in more than 15 countries.

MUMBAI: US business newspaper The Wall Street Journal has announced several new distribution channels for WSJ Live, the interactive video service for iPad, Internet-connected televisions and set-top boxes that launched in September.

The WSJ Live app is now available via Apple TV, Google TV and Roku, adding significant reach across a variety of platforms for live and on-demand programming from The Wall Street Journal Digital Network. On-demand video from WSJ Live is also now available on Daily Motion.

Previously, the company announced distribution agreements with Boxee, Etisalat, Panasonic‘s VIERA ConnectTM -enabled HDTVs, Samsung 2011 Smart TVs, Sony Internet TV, VIZIO Internet Apps HDTVs, and the Yahoo!® Connected TV platform. The WSJ Live app for iPad has been downloaded more than 125,000 times since launch.
 
The Wall Street Journal Digital Network GM Alisa Bowen said, “We‘re continuing to rapidly expand the distribution of WSJ Live and users are responding with high downloads and streams. Adoption rates have far surpassed our original goal, and the demand for additional programming – as well as interest from advertisers – continues unabated. This is really just the beginning.”

In addition, The Wall Street Journal will be among the partners creating exclusive content for YouTube‘s new original channels. The Journal‘s lifestyle channel will feature a daily show based on Off Duty, covering design, fashion, travel, wine, food, and tech.

Leveraging Dow Jones‘ 2,000 journalists worldwide, WSJ Live currently offers up to four total hours of live programming each business day – including the News Hub, Lunch Break, Digits, Opinion Journal and more – and more than 2,000 on-demand videos from across the company‘s network of sites.

The WSJ Live App is available for free from the App Store on iPad and now includes AirPlay compatibility, allowing users to watch WSJ Live on their Apple TV, and sharing functionality, enabling users to seamlessly share videos through email, Twitter and Facebook.

NEW DELHI: Media Pro Enterprises, the joint venture for television channels distribution formed between Zee Turner and Star Den, has come under the scrutiny of the Competition Commission of India, which feels this would account for 70 per cent of the total TV distribution market and thus kill competition.

Investigation has commenced under Section 3 of the Competition Act 2002 and CCI is reported to have issued notices to all parties involved in Media Pro Enterprises under Section 36(2) and Section 41(2) of the Competition Act, 2002.
 
The JV with equal shares of both parties was formed in May between Zee Turner and Star Den to distribute a bouquet of 68 TV channels. Cable TV operators are reportedly concerned that Media Pro will dictate prices for Star and Zee channels.

Zee and Star India had at the time of the joint venture said the new company will create distribution efficiencies and also act as an incentive to cable digitisation; ultimately addressing signal piracy issues.

MUMBAI: While technology and content innovation held the stage during the second day of the Casbaa Convention 2011, the growth prospects for Japan and digital developments in India hallmarked the day‘s debates.

Even though development of the multichannel advertising revenue stream remains a key challenge for international players in Japan, the vice minister of Policy Coordination, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Tetsuo Yamakawa, along with the industry leadership from dominant cable operator J:COM, DTH operator SKY Perfect JSAT and premium movie channel WOWOW made the case for a step change in the prospects for the pay-TV industry in the world‘s third largest economy.

The opportunities created by the potential for digital deployments in India‘s vast cable, satellite and content markets sparked lively discussion, with Jawahar Goel MD of Indian DTH provider Dish TV and Ravi Mansukhani MD of leading cable operator IMCL anticipating a huge increase in localized and value added content. However, each of the Indian speakers recognized that enacting a recent government ordinance on digitisation is just one step in a process.
 
Envisaging the future for the communications sector technical services provider Globecast Worldwide chairman and CEO Olivier Barberot in Paris, projected a key to success for TV services is to master multiple screens as part of a single experience.

Casbaa CEO Simon Twiston Davies said, “Our industry is at a tipping point at a truly remarkable time in its history. The thirst for content is unanimous across Asia and the challenge of managing innovations in technology and networks to meet this demand is inspiring.”

In the concluding stages of the Convention 2011, Casbaa chairman Marcel Fenez announced that Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific president, MD Tom Keaveny had been awarded the prestigious CASBAA Chairman‘s Award for his contributions to the development of Pay-TV in the region and his tireless work explaining the overall value of Pay TV to advertisers.

The Asia-Pacific Child Rights Award from CASBAA, ABU and UNICEF was awarded to Shizuoka Telecasting of Japan for its documentary “Iori and Ibuki ~ Why We Were Born”, as the best television programme produced in the Asia-Pacific region with a focus on children‘s rights.

Finally, closing the Casbaa Convention 2011, Richard Li Tzar Kai was awarded Casbaa‘s Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition for his outstanding contributions to the Asian pay-TV and broadcasting industry, with the founding of STAR TV in 1991 and the 2003 launch of the pioneer IPTV service, now TV, in Hong Kong.

MUMBAI: Café Coffee Day (CCD) has got one million fans on Facebook. The café chain claims that it has achieved this landmark figure within a year of going social.

It commemorates the occasion with a unique nationwide celebration for all its community members online as well as offline.

CCD outlets across the country, along with groups of loyal customers and employees, will cut a cake on Saturday 5 November at 5pm to celebrate the milestone.

Apart from this, CCD has also planned a surprise for all its online community members. It will give away a million worth of sweepstakes to all its FB fans ranging from a stay at the company‘s exotic resorts to phones to free coffees at cafes.

CCD will launch a new application – ‘Wheel of fortune‘ – on Tuesday, 8 November asking fans to play the game and get an assured exciting reward.

CCD president marketing K Ramakrishnan said, “We are a family of over one million members now on Facebook, which is a huge landmark and we are very excited about it. We have been able to reach this goal by listening to our fans and engaging them with unique and interesting activities on our FB page. A warm thanks to all CCD fans for their continuous love and support and for helping us reach this milestone.”

From the existing 1100 plus cafes, CCD plans to add another 900 more outlets by 2014.

MUMBAI: Neo Broadcast America, a group company of Nimbus Communications, has entered into an agreement with Time Warner Cable, the second-largest cable operator in US, to launch the 24-hour sports channel, Neo Cricket in New York City.

Time Warner Cable customers can order Neo Cricket for $9.95 per month or receive it through the company‘s Hindi programming packages: Hindi Passport, which is priced at $29.99 per month and Hindi Pass Plus, which sells for $39.99 per month.

Neo Cricket will be available on channel 571 and will feature live coverage of all international and domestic cricket matches played in India, as well as, other premium events like the IPL, Asia Cup and other original productions.
 
“Neo Cricket is the world‘s first channel dedicated solely to high quality cricket programming. We have the exclusive rights for all international and domestic cricket games played in India, and we are excited to share these matches with cricket fans in the US” said Neo Broadcast America president S Venkatasubramanian. “Now in over 30 countries, we continue to bring Neo Cricket to fans around the world.”

Neo Sports Broadcast COO Prasana Krishnan said, “Neo Cricket continues to aggressively expand its global footprint by further fortifying its presence in the US. Launching on the Time Warner cable platform is a significant development and we will shortly announce many more launches to emerge as a popular global destination for India cricket.”

Mumbai: BBC.com, the international news website of the UK pubcaster The BBC, has launched three new editions – for India, Asia and Australia/New Zealand.

Each of the new editions will provide a more localised BBC.com experience and more bespoke news coverage.

Also, there will be an expansion of the news, sport and travel sections, more localised weather updates and increased features and video content, the BBC said. 
 
These will be supported by BBC.com‘s commercial launch partners Finnair, UPS and Prudential Corporation Asia.

BBC.com acting MD Chris Davies said, “At present BBC.com is the leading international news website in Asia-Pacific with 11.1 million unique users per month. These editions are the response to overwhelming audience feedback and testing and will ensure even greater engagement from new and existing users.”

BBC Global News controller of digital James Montgomery added, “These three new editions reflect the BBC‘s commitment to accurate, high-quality and independent news across digital platforms. BBC.com commands levels of trust and relevance unmatched among international news providers – based on expert journalistic analysis around the globe and rooted in a deep understanding of our audiences. The launch of these dedicated editions across Asia Pacific will strengthen that offer still further.”

BBC.com has built a new team in Asia-Pacific with reporters based in Singapore working alongside journalists from the BBC‘s international news service including Soutik Biswas, and Damian Grammaticas, who are already based within the region.

The new editions will have five Specially Commissioned Reports- created from a mix of video, text and pictures. 

MUMBAI: Discovery Networks International (DNI) has announced new launches in the ongoing rollout of lifestyle channel TLC in Africa, Denmark, Finland, Latin America and Portugal. With these key launches, the network claims that it will reach more than 100 million households as of 2 November, 2011.

DNI president, CEO Mark Hollinger said, “On the heels of TLC‘s successful launches across Europe, Africa and Asia-Pacific, the upcoming debut of TLC in Latin America, Finland, and Portugal, the network now reaches 170 markets and more than 100 million households internationally, and 200 million worldwide.

“TLC‘s brand strength and programming diversity has become a powerful complement to the Discovery Channel brand-and the strong ratings generated by both TLC programming from the United States and original series created by DNI‘s production team are already attracting loyal audiences in multiple markets around the world.”
 
TLC launched in Finland on 1 November and in Portugal on 2 November 2011.

In Latin America, Discovery Travel and Living underwent a brand enhancement to become Travel and Living Channel (TLC) beginning 1 November, available to viewers in 38 countries across the region.

On 14 October 2011, TLC had launched in 46 countries across Africa through Discovery‘s distribution partner, Multichoice. The biggest pay-TV operator in sub-Saharan Africa, Multichoice will air TLC on Africa‘s digital DStv service, which has 3.5 million subscribers across the continent. TLC is also available in South Africa on Top TV.

TLC also launched on 6 October 2011 in Denmark to one million households across the country. In its first day on air, TLC succeeded in lifting primetime viewership by 94 per cent, due to strong showings by popular programs including ‘What Not To Wear‘ and ‘On The Case With Paula Zahn‘.