Category: Software

NEW DELHI: The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci) has recommended that there should be a uniform VAT rate applicable across the country to mobile handsets, at a uniform rate of four per cent in the upcoming goods and services tax (GST) regime.

Following a study by Ernst and Young for Ficci, the industry body has also said that service delivery platforms need to be standardised for the effective development and delivery of value added services (Vas). Operators, handset players and Vas players should work together on open standards. Given the importance of the multilingual diversity of the country, the different players need to be subsidized for offering vernacular content.

The report on the mobile handset sector recommends key measures in overcoming the various challenges faced by the sector and outlines a roadmap for future growth. The report ‘Mobile handsets: providing mobility to every Indian‘ is a comprehensive and detailed manifestation of inputs concerning the mobile handset sector in the formulation of the National Telecom Policy 2011.

The report was released by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) chairman JS Sarma during an interactive session organised by Ficci Communications and Digital Economy Committee, in the presence of eminent industry personnel.
 
India is the world‘s second-largest telecom market after China, with the total wireless subscriber base crossing 850 million at the end of June 2011. By 2020, the handset demand is projected to reach 350 million a year by 2020, with 505 million handsets estimated to be manufactured in India, during the same year. The average selling price of handsets in the country is estimated to increase to Rs 2,950 by 2020 as compared to Rs 2,300 in 2010. The affordability of feature-rich handsets is also expected to be a key enabler of handset adoption. In addition to feature phones, smart phones are expected to lead the handset growth story in India.

One of the primary drivers of the sector is an increase in average household communication expenditure. The untapped rural market is expected to provide handset players the next phase of growth. The number of 3G subscribers expected to cross 300 million by 2020, fueling the growth of 3G-enabled handsets. A favourable policy and regulatory initiative conducive for handset manufacturing in India is expected to drive sustainable growth in this segment.
 
Commenting on these findings, Ernst and Young telecom industry leader Prashant Singhal said, “Telecommunications is one of the main architects of accelerated growth and progress of different segments of the economy. Removing barriers to information dissemination are prerequisites for promoting equitable and sustainable development as well as political and social cohesion.”

“The enhanced access to wireless services is the outcome of positive regulatory changes, intense competition among multiple operators, low-priced handsets, low tariffs and significant investments in telecom infrastructure and networks. Still, there is a need of strong policy intervention to overcome the barriers and enable India in becoming the largest telecom market in the world, ahead of China,” he added.

Ficci Communications and Digital Economy Committee chairman Virat Bhatia said, “The mobile handset‘s reach and simplicity of usage would help overcome barriers of illiteracy and communication in India. Today, mobile handset is already being used for banking transactions, making payments, acting as an educational and multi-media tool, spreading governance, and information dissipation platform across verticals such as agriculture and healthcare.”

NEW DELHI: Though it has refrained from listing the sunset dates for digitisation, the Government has promulgated an ordinance aimed at ensuring that all cable operators carry encrypted signals only through digital set-top-boxes in accordance with the deadlines that have been notified.

The Cable TV Networks (Regulation) Amendment Ordinance 2011, which is an amendment of the Cable TV Networks (Regulation) Act 1995, is aimed at putting in place the infrastructure to meet the deadlines set by the Government for digitisation of cable TV networks.

The original Act was passed after the Supreme Court in February 1995 ruled that airwaves were public property and an independent body should be set up to regulate their use.

It says that a period of at least six months will be given to the cable TV operators to enable them to install the necessary equipment for transmitting encrypted channels through a digital addressable system, in keeping with the deadlines set for this purpose for various states and cities.

At the same time, the Government reserves the right to direct addition of one or more free-to-air channels in the basic service tier packages being offered by the cable TV operators to ensure a mix of entertainment, information and education.

The Government can, by Gazette notification, lay down the number of channels of Doordarshan or Parliament that will be mandatory. However, in areas where the digital addressable systems have not been introduced, it will be mandatory to carry two Doordarshan terrestrial channels and one Doordarshan regional language channel. Any notifications issued by Prasar Bharati will remain in force till they are rescinded, irrespective of the conditions laid down in the Ordinance.

For the first time, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has been listed as the appropriate authority dealing with cable TV operators. However, it also makes reference to any public authority that may be set up under the Constitution by the centre or state governments or any non-governmental body supported by the Government.

The Ordinance also gives right of way to cable TV operators, but specifying that they can use poles, towers or any ‘above ground contrivance‘ to carry any network infrastructure activity. It says that the operators can lay and establish cable and posts under, over, along and across any immovable property vested in or under control of management of a public authority. This will be subject to reinstatement or restoration of the property or payment of any charges in this connection. 
 
If any authority wants these cables or posts to be removed, the cable TV operators will do so at their own expense. Furthermore, the Government can lay down appropriate guidelines to enable state government to lay down the mechanisms for this purpose.

The Government has already announced a timetable for complete digitisation of cable television in the four metros by 31 March, 2012. The target date for completely digitising cable sector in cities with population of more than 1 million is September 2014, while the whole country will be fully digitised by December 2014. This will also mean an end to the analogue era and customers of cable networks must have a digital addressable set-top-box irrespective of whether they wish to receive free-to-air or encrypted (pay) channels.

Laying down rules for registering cable operators, the Ordinance says new registration will not be given to any cable operator who fails to transmit or retransmit encrypted TV signals through a digital addressable system from the date notified for the purpose for the area in which he is operating.

The Government has also reserved the right to impose additional conditions for registration keeping in view the sovereignty of the country, its relations with other countries, public order, decency and morality, contempt of court or defamation.

As long as the subscribers have a digital system, the cable TV operator will not have the right to insist of any particular brand.

The Government has also reserved the right to carry out inspections of cable TV operations in any area. The Ordinance also lays down other specifications relating to equipment and miscellaneous directives.

MUMBAI: Communicate 2 has appointed Ronny Raichura as the head of its paid search division (Pay Per Click). He joins Communicate 2 from Kenshoo UK where he was director. He comes with over six years of experience in the enterprise level search in the UK market.

At Communicate 2, Raichura will oversee key strategic accounts such as ClearTrip, ICICI Lombard, HDFC Bank, Remit2india, DSP BlackRock amongst others. He will be providing Communicate 2 with automated real time technology integration.

Communicate 2 MD Vivek Bhargava said, “The Paid Search has evolved in the past decade in India and technology is going to be the spinal cord of PPC over the next five years. I‘m delighted that Ronny is joining us as the Head of PPC. As real time changes to landing pages, ad copy and bids based on conversion can bring tremendous efficiencies to enterprise search campaigns. Hiring Ronny is a key step for us to maintain our leadership in the space.”
 
Prior to Kenshoo, Raichura has worked with Universal Mccann, Mediacom and Marin SoMware, where he worked with clients such as Royal Bank of Scotland, Bose, MicrosoM, Virgin Group and MoreThan.

Raichura added, “Most of the PPC technologies are similar to each other, however the key differentiation is the expertise required to custom develop a solution to best leverage the technologies. My expertise of working with the technology-based companies in custom developing technologies as per the needs of the enterprises shall help in increasing the ROI enterprises receive from their paid search endeavors.”

Communicate 2 head of strategy Benedict Hayes said, “Globally almost 40 per cent of paid search budgets are spent on retail, currently in India it may be less than five per cent. The e-commerce is reaching tipping point in India as evident in the last 12 months. Ronny shall be able to help the large e-commerce sites automate parts of their campaigns to leverage the long tail of keywords and exponentially increase efficiencies of their paid search endeavors.”

MUMBAI: Consumer electronics firm Sony is gearing up to launch TecXpo 2011, the company‘s annual exhibition and conference for the broadcast and production industries, across five cities in India.

The expo will begin on 4 November in Trivandrum. Other cities to follow are Chennai (8 November), Hyderabad (11 November), Delhi (18 November) and Kolkata (23 November).

Sony will showcase its XDCAM solutions, the next generation of file-based workflow for the broadcast and film industry during the expo.
 
Sony said that the full range of XDCAM products and solutions are now available in India.

Last month, the company extended its OLED range, with the launch of the BVM-F series which will be available in India from November this year.

Sony India GM of Professional Solutions Murakami Koichi said, “Sony recognised the need to diversify its offering in addition to LCD, to provide a range of OLED monitors suitable for the varied demands of India‘s content creation market. The introduction of the new series will open up the possibility of OLED technology to a wider range of applications especially dedicated master monitoring and post-production in the broadcast industry.”

Additionally, Sony will also unveil new 4K products like CineAlta. At the heart of the F65 camera is Sony‘s newly developed 8K sensor, which delivers HD, 2K, and true 4K resolution today – and will go far beyond 4K in the future, as the industry needs evolve, the company said.

“This will help the industry move rapidly to embrace the improvement in quality that digital cinema can offer,” adds Koichi.

NEW DELHI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), which had last week relaxed the rule for registered telemarketers by permitting them to send more than 100 text messages a day on each SIM, on condition of paying an additional five paise per message to network operators, has now raised the limit of SMS for consumers to 200 a day.

The change has been made the relaxation on representations from some of the service providers and consumers.

Trai had also lifted the cap on banks and insurers providing information to customers, and companies communicating with employees about the delivery of goods and services. 
 
“The limit of 100 SMS per day per SIM shall not apply to a telemarketer or entity sending transactional messages,” Trai said in “The Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference (Seventh Amendment) Regulations, 2011”.

A charge on telemarketers would increase network operators‘ revenues from 0.5-1 paise per SMS to 5.5-6 paise, according to the Cellular Operators‘ Association of India (COAI). But the charge would not affect contracts agreed previously between operators and agencies sending commercial messages.

Trai had issued “The Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations, 2010” on 1 December 2010. All the provisions of these regulations came into force from 27 September 2011.

MUMBAI: Consumers in Singapore can look forward to pay TV contracts offering greater consumer protection when the Media Development Authority (MDA) effects guidelines to its Media Market Conduct Code (MMCC) from 1 March 2012.

This move comes on the back of a growing and more competitive pay TV market which has seen the number of subscribers increase from 490,000 in Dec 2006 to more than 857,000 today. There are also more pay TV retailers today, offering content choices of 345 channels, representing a 150 per cent growth in channels over the last four years.

The pay TV market has become more vibrant benefitting consumers with greater choice while creating more switching opportunities as well. Against this backdrop, the guidelines will enable consumers to switch pay TV retailers more easily, while protecting their interest especially with regard to reasonable early termination charges (ETCs) should they wish to end their contracts prematurely.
 
These new guidelines come after a public consultation spanning five weeks between April to May 2011, drawing feedback from pay TV retailers and the Consumer Association of Singapore. To give pay TV retailers sufficient time to prepare for implementation, these guidelines will apply to new residential pay TV contracts signed or renewed from 1 March 2012.

Maximum contract period of two years: Under the new guidelines, pay TV retailers may implement a maximum subscription contract length of two years. This is consistent with the current industry norm where most pay TV contracts do not exceed two years. By capping the maximum term, consumers are not locked-in to excessively long contracts. As such, they have greater freedom to switch between operators and take advantage of new services and applications that are offered in a vibrant market environment.

Graduated early termination charges for contracts that are longer than three months: Consumers who wish to terminate their contracts before the stipulated period should not have to pay excessive charges. Consumers need only pay early termination charges or ETC that is commensurate with the remaining length of the unfulfilled contract. The ETC should be pegged to the agreed terms and conditions of the contract. For instance, if the contract was offered on a discounted rate, the consumer will pay his or her ETC based on the discounted rate. The ETC should also not include avoidable costs.
 
To ensure that consumers are more aware of their ETC obligations, pay TV retailers will also have to inform consumers of the ETCs payable at varying points of the contract, so subscribers know what to expect. This has to be conveyed at point-of-sale and upon contract renewal.

MDA highlights that consumer rights are protected under the MMCC, while the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act also enables consumers to seek redress through the courts if they have suffered from specific unfair practices.

MUMBAI: Netflix and Disney-ABC Television Group have extended their existing licensing agreement.

The extension allows Netflix to continue to stream hundreds of library episodes from ABC Studios, Disney Channel and ABC Family over the Internet. As part of the deal, Netflix is also adding new content to its lineup of Disney-ABC series and TV movies.

The agreement adds to the selection of content that can be streamed from Netflix in the US. Episodes from new seasons of current Disney-ABC series will be made available to Netflix, 30-days after the last episode of each season airs.
 
 
Among the series and TV movies extended as part of the deal include prior season episodes of ABC‘s series ‘Grey‘s Anatomy‘, ‘Desperate Housewives‘ and ‘Private Practice‘.

Additionally, all episodes of ‘Lost‘, ‘Brothers and Sisters‘ and ‘Ugly Betty‘, prior season episodes of ‘Army Wives‘ from ABC Studios, series from ABC Family including ‘The Secret Life of the American Teenager‘, ‘Melissa And Joey‘ and ‘Make It or Break It‘, a range of content from Disney Channel including series ‘Phineas and Ferb‘, ‘Good Luck Charlie‘, ‘The Suite Life on Deck‘ and ‘Hannah Montana‘ are also part of the deal.

Among the new content from Disney-ABC that will be added to the service include ABC Family‘s series ‘Switched at Birth‘, prior season episodes of Disney Channel‘s animated series ‘Kick Buttowski‘, and all episodes of the ABC thriller ‘Alias‘.

Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos said, “Disney and ABC have been and continue to be an innovative and supportive partner for Netflix. The diverse programming from the different channels and networks are favourites of our members and we are thrilled to broaden the scope and extend the terms or our relationship.”

MUMBAI: The Supreme Court has dismissed the interlocutory application filed by Asianet Satellite Communications (Asianet) against ESPN Software India.

Asianet is seeking early hearing of their appeal against the Tdsat order denying the company discounted services from ESPN.

ESPN said in a statement that Asianet wanted services of its channels – ESPN, Star Sports and Star Cricket channels at a huge discount from the prevailing rate. “The monthly subscription fee offered by Asianet was much lower than the interim arrangement between the parties which expired in May, 2011, and was entered into when Asianet first filed the appeal in the Supreme Court in 2010,” the company said.
 
The interim arrangement, ESPN said, was arrived post extended negotiations and was accepted by top officials of Asianet. “Post May‘11, without any fresh facts Asianet sought further reduction in the subscription fee claiming a lesser market share of 25 per cent in Kerala and seeking parity on that basis. Such unsubstantiated claims were the reason the Tdsat passed an adverse order against Asianet initial petition on 28 May, 2010,” ESPN said.

It is against this order that Asianet had filed the appeal on the same grounds and filed an interlocutory application for early hearing during pendency of the appeal.

The Apex Court considered the matter and initially directed the parties to explore a negotiated settlement. However, ESPN said that further talks ended in stalemate since Asianet made “unrealistic offers”.

The Supreme Court, after hearing both parties, dismissed Asianet‘s application. The matter will now proceed ordinarily as and when it is listed in due course.

MUMBAI: Casbaa‘s fourth quarter update on trends in multichannel TV distribution, audience data and viewership notes that piracy in Asia remains a heavy concern, with signal theft estimated at over $2.1 billion by the end of 2011.

While some markets have seen tangible progress in the fight against piracy, the worst offenders continue to be saddled with year-on-year increases in losses.

Casbaa‘s estimates for 2011 see India experiencing nearly $1.4 billion in losses to piracy of all kinds. Meanwhile the smaller markets of Thailand ($261 million), Taiwan ($136 million) and Pakistan ($125 million) are also being held back by a lack of market transparency and a tolerance of line-tapping and individual homes illegally connecting to cable system.

However, on a positive note, the data also shows a 12 per cent industry growth in the past 12 months in terms of connected homes and an increase in dual subscription homes as channel choices increase.
 
The economic impact of the growing power of TV is also reflected in double digit annual revenue growth in TV advertising in India, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines and Thailand.

In 2010 India, Japan and China were the leading Asian multichannel TV advertising markets, accounting for nearly 80 per cent of the region‘s total.

Casbaa CEO Simon Twiston Davies said, “As we head towards the close of the year it‘s heartening to see multichannel TV in Asia experiencing impressive growth across so many fronts. And while the new data reflects traditional multichannel TV distribution, the industry is also benefiting from new (and legitimate) distribution via broadband, mobile, internet and wireless services.”

With more than 420 million non-terrestrial TV connections across the Asia Pacific – multichannel TV is now found in 53 per cent of TV homes in Asia – there are more multichannel TV connections in the region than the rest of the world combined.

As technology evolves, most recent reports show pay TV in all its forms embracing social media while building strong online communities and expanding its reach via new devices and channels as it delivers an intensity of experience and reach that other media struggle to match.

MUMBAI: TV Everywhere and Over the Top Television (OTT) via the internet created some sharp debate during the first day of the Casbaa Convention 2011 in Hong Kong. The onset of new and global internet-delivered TV services such as Hulu, Netflix and the BBC I-player as extensions of traditional cable, satellite and IPTV systems was declared as “inevitable” by many speakers and delegates drawn from Asia and the rest of the world.

Hulu senior VP International Johannes Larcher said, “You can‘t stop the OTT revolution. There are many incremental revenues to be made from OTT.”

Yet the question remains “Who will pay?” and how will content and multichannel TV platform operators monetise and retain revenues while engaging with “authorised” customers?

In the opening session of the day on the changing world of TV, Microsoft corporate VP, Media and Entertainment Group Blair Westlake shared his anticipation that the evolution of the smart, digitally “Connected TV” could soon match the speed of collaborative innovation witnessed in the past three years. He added that tablets and smartphones and “smart glass” have fast become the focus of the entertainment experience.
 
Even so, BBC Worldwide president, worldwide networks and Global iPlayer Jana Bennett noted that audiences still want a mass experience. Yet part of the future growth for content will come from mining niches and catering to passions.

Facebook director North Asia Jayne Leung later highlighted the multiplier effect of new audience engagements. Fans recommending TV content to friends present an immense opportunity to content owners and marketers to establish life-long connectivity, she said. Google AP director, strategic business development Michelle Guthrie reinforced that collaboration is key to the future innovation of the industry and ecosystems should underpin this collaboration.

Meanwhile, in his welcoming remarks Financial Secretary of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (Hong Kong SAR) John C Tsang highlighted the benefits to the multichannel television industry of Hong Kong‘s level playing field for business and the free flow of information, including a free and unfettered media.

“We pursue market-driven, technology-neutral broadcasting policies, and regulate the broadcasting industry with the lightest touch,” he said. “I am pleased that Casbaa rates Hong Kong as one of the most favourable and competitive environments for the pay TV industry. This tells us that we must be doing something right.”

Rapid media convergence has made the traditional boundaries between telecommunications and broadcasting increasingly blurred, Tsang said. To sustain a regulatory environment that will help Hong Kong capture new opportunities and meet new challenges, a unified regulatory authority called The Communications Authority will be established in April next year.

Casbaa CEO Simon Twiston Davies added, “What we have seen at the Convention 2011 is that our industry‘s first 20 years is a journey that has only just begun. Even with more than 420 million non-terrestrial TV connections across the Asia Pacific, there is phenomenal opportunity for even more expansion and growth in the region.”

The Casbaa Convention 2011 is being supported by Fox International Channels, Turner Broadcasting, Eurosport, Dolby, Getty Images, ABS, Al Jazeera, APT, Asiasat, Bloomberg Television, CNBC Asia Pacific, Conax, Deutsche Welle, Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific, Disney Channels Worldwide, ESPN Star Sports, Fashion One, Fashiontv, Food Network Asia, France 24, GE Satellite, Globecast, HBO Asia, Intelsat, Invest Hong Kong, Irdeto, ITV Granada, Life Inspired, Measat, MGM Channel, now TV, Paul, Weiss, Playboy TV International, PwC, RRsat, SES, Sundance Channel/WE tv, Synovate, Time Warner, Trace, TrueVisions, TV5 Monde, Universal Networks International, Viacom, WarnerTV and YouTube.