Category: Software

MUMBAI: Stung by a foreign exchange loss of Rs 304 million, Dish TV has widened its second-quarter net loss to Rs 486 million.

Dish TV‘s net loss has been shrinking for the last six quarters and stood at Rs 183 million for the quarter ended June, holding promise that it was inching towards a net profit situation.

Said Dish TV managing director Jawahar Goel, “In line with our expectations, Dish TV moved closer to attaining bottom line profitability but for the loss due to foreign exchange fluctuation.”
 
The subscriber acquisition cost has climbed to Rs 2,232, up from Rs 2,058 in the trailing quarter.

Dish TV added 575,000 subscribers in the quarter, achieving a total of 11.7 million gross and 9.2 million net subscribers. The company has added 1.3 million subscribers in the first six months of the fiscal, marginally lagging behind its target of three million new customers in FY‘12.

Total revenue grew 4.78 per cent to Rs 4.82 billion. Subscription revenue accounted for Rs 4.12 billion.

Dish TV‘s ARPU (average revenue per user) has increased to Rs 152 (from Rs 150 in Q1 FY12), while the HD ARPU stood at Rs 454.
 
Dish TV has kept the expenses under control during the quarter, which stood at Rs 3.60 billion as against Rs 3.48 billion in the preceding quarter.

Ebitda rose to Rs 1.22 billion, from Rs 1.12 billion in the preceding quarter.

Said Goel, “Subscription revenue recorded sustained sequential increase while Ebitda maintained its upward trend registering an increase of 8.6 per cent compared to the immediately preceding quarter. Key operating metrics continued to be favourable, with ARPU registering encouraging improvement in a seasonally weak quarter. ARPU for HD subscribers was at a level of Rs 454, pointing to a window of opportunity to scale up overall ARPU‘s going forward.”

MUMBAI: Casbaa has revealed an enhanced speaker lineup for the Casbaa Convention 2011. Themed ‘TV365: Watch Closely!‘ the show will be staged in Hong Kong , from 31 October – 3 November 2011.

Casbaa CEO Simon Twiston Davies said, “The powerful line-up drawn from networks, governments, ad agencies and media, reflects the importance of Casbaa‘s role as the voice of multichannel TV in Asia. From industry leaders to key analysts, our annual Convention attracts the best of business through the exchange of essential information and innovative ideas.”

This year‘s top-tier line up of speakers includes NBC Universal International – Comcast and NBC Universal president Jeff Shell. He will talk about ‘A vision for Pay-TV‘. 
 
Shell is responsible for overseeing the operations of all NBC Universal International businesses including International TV Distribution, Global Television Networks and International Television Production and responsible for identifying and executing all international growth opportunities for both NBC Universal, and the Comcast Corporation.

CITVC president Liang Xiao Tao will talk on ‘China TV at Home and Abroad‘. Tao was successively appointed as the director of Advertisement and Economy Information Centre, the director of News Centre, and the director of Chief Editor Office of CCTV. He was promoted as CCTV vice chief editor in 2010 and has served as China International TV Corporation president since January.
 
Microsoft Corporate VP, Media and Entertainment Group Blair Westlake will shed light on ‘Talking TV‘. Westlake liaises for Microsoft with the media and entertainment industries, including Hollywood studios, global broadcasters, cable/satellite programmers and the music industry. He directs business development, policies and all content licensing for Microsoft services and products including Xbox, Zune, Windows PC and Windows Phones. 

MUMBAI: Global consumer products giant Reckitt Benckiser (RB), the parent of Clearasil, Durex, Dettol, Harpic, Lizol, Veet and Mortien, has announced the launch of a collection of online and mobile minigames called crazieRBrands.

These games are available on RB.com and players have the opportunity to win an exciting and unforgettable trip for two, worth nearly ?8,000, to one of eight destinations worldwide – India, New York, Cape Town, Bangkok, Barcelona , Switzerland, Iceland or Brazil.

The selection of eight mini games in the crazieRBrands suite includes fast action and memory games presented by some of RB‘s most famous Powerbrands. The Veet game lends an air of humour to the leg-waxing task and even cleaning a toilet bowl is rendered fun when playing the game.

Each of the crazieRBrands games rewards the player with the sense of achievement that comes with being at the top of their mental game – in addition to the potential to win a trip for two.

The online and mobile crazieRBrands games are designed to raise awareness of RB‘s corporate brand among students and graduates early in their career, by improving recall of the RB brand and tying it back to its iconic, innovative Powerbrands such as Dettol, Harpic, Veet, Lizol, Durex and Clearasil. The games aim at further increasing the recall with the RB Brand.

RB continues to enhance its online and mobile gaming platforms due to the games‘ success to-date as a fun and informal way to engage graduates and early-careerists with the RB corporate brand.

The crazieRBrands suite of games is available on iPhone and Android, putting RB squarely in the sweet-spot of its target demographic. Indeed, roughly 70 per cent of this young careerist demographic owns a smart phone, and 81 per cent of them play mobile games on a weekly basis.

The games are available on www.rb.com/crazierbrands and are supported by a social media seeding strategy which targets relevant gaming portals, news groups and communities. In order to start playing and enter to win the amazing global adventure, participants simply need to leave their score on the leaderboard and enter themselves into the prize draw.

Reckitt Benckiser (India)chairman, MD Chander Mohan Sethi said, “RB as a business is very fast paced and a very dynamic place to work at. We have a unique culture that‘s most suitable for young professionals who enjoy quick decision making, coupled with a fast-paced and agile environment. To continue our rapid growth we are always looking for innovative ways to make ourselves better known among the next generation of managers. These games are a great idea to help people make the connection with RB and the speed at which our business operates.”

The crazierBRands games and mobile app have been developed in partnership with The Workroom and social media agency Tamba.

MUMBAI: BloombergUTV, the business news channel, has launched a new alarm clock application for Blackberry Playbook tablets, developed by the channel‘s online partner yourmoneysite.com.

The application enables users to know the market outlook for the day by flashing a green or red light as the alarm rings. Beyond the user-defined settings, it sounds an alarm if the markets are behaving in a manner that needs the attention of the user.

These alarms can be triggered by general market events and the user‘s investment profile. The other obvious use of the application is to set morning alarms and other reminders through the day.

The app was launched by Bombay Stock Exchange MD and CEO Madhu Kanan and Prime Securities CEO N Jayakumar as its first users.

BloombergUTV business head Deepak Lamba said, “The alarm app is an affirmation of our commitment to simplifying, yet enriching life in present times, by building tools and utilities that create value and empower users. The application transcends well beyond its core function of being just another reminder and alert service and enters the realm of being a strategic lifestyle tool for anyone invested or interested in the markets. Custom triggers, markets dynamics trackers, analytics and other markets intelligence which empower investors will now be available on the go. With applications like the Alarm Clock, BloombergUTV is creating tools that will empower investors to remain in control despite their hectic lifestyles.”

The alarm application dedicated to the Blackberry Playbook platform will be available for download within a few days, the channel said.

NEW DELHI: The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion has given a thumbs up for uniform foreign direct investment (FDI) in broadcast carriage services sector, including cable TV and direct-to-home.

The DIPP, which functions under the Industry Ministry, has circulated a draft cabinet note which also includes raising overseas investments limits according to suggestions given by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai).

The note has been sent to different ministries, including Home Affairs, Information and Broadcasting, Law, Finance, and Department of Telecommunications. The note will have to be approved by these Ministries before it can be sent to the cabinet.

The draft note wants the FDI limits in the broadcast carriage services sector such as cable TV, DTH and Headend-In-The-Sky (HITS) to be made uniform.

This will meant a major increase in the FDI cap in the distribution platforms from 49 per cent to 74 per cent and also enforce a uniform FDI cap across various carriage platforms like DTH, IPTV, Mobile TV, HITS and cable companies. At present, 49 per cent FDI is allowed in cable TV and DTH, while it is 74 per cent in HITS.
 
In June last year, Trai had made suggestions to raise FDI for
broadcast carriage services like DTH to 74 per cent. The broadcast sector regulator had also recommended reducing the FDI cap for analogue cable firms from 49 per cent to 26 per cent, but the I&B Ministry did not agree.

Under the proposal, there is also provision for putting 49 per cent FDI (out of the proposed 74%) on automatic route.
 
The move is expected to help the media which has been clamouring for more foreign investment, and for several foreign investors including expatriate Indians.

At present the FDI norms for Mobile TV, HITS and IPTV are pegged at 74 per cent and for cable distribution companies at 49 per cent.

The country has about 106 million cable and satellite homes in India, of which 26 million are DTH while 80 million are cable homes. There are 706 TV channels in India.

MUMBAI: Darsh Digital, an independent cable operator in India, has selected an end-to-end suite of technologies from NDS to enable the launch of their digital pay-TV service.

Headquartered in Patna and with an existing base of analogue subscribers, the new service from Darsh Digital will provide enhanced functionality and value-added content for subscribers.

Enabled by NDS‘ MediaHighway (R) set-top box software, and secured by VideoGuard(R) conditional access (Cas), the new platform will incorporate an advanced electronic programme guide (EPG), designed by NDS, alongside interactive functionality such as games and services to compliment the content offering which will include more than 200 channels currently carried on the Darsh analogue platform.
 
Darsh Digital Network director Sushil Kumar said, “Launching a digital platform provides great opportunity for us to differentiate our offering with additional content, games and interactivity.” He added “With the future proof nature of our solution from NDS we are able to add new functionality and services to our platform as subscriber demand dictates.”

Added NDS India country head and general manager Jayant Changrani, “In a rapidly growing market, Darsh Digital is positioning itself with a solution that addresses the needs of its subscribers, both existing and new. We are proud to be Darsh Digital‘s provider of choice and look forward to supporting it through developments to its service.”

NDS will continue to work closely with Darsh Digital to deliver a raft of affordable, innovative solutions and services to its growing subscriber base.

Darsh Digital Network was established on 13 August 2008. It has strong arm in regional TV broadcasting with channels Such as Darsh Music, Darsh Entertainment, Darsh Cinema and Darsh News.

MUMBAI: Samsung has partnered with movie rental service BigFlix to launch a new app that offers its customers full length feature films and other content on the smart devices.

The video-on-demand (VoD) app – My Movies – allows users of Galaxy S, SII and Galaxy Tab 750 a personalised movie watching experience. It boasts of over 2000 hours of videos – movies, trailers, TV shows and music videos.

“By providing consumers with India relevant applications and rich content on our smart mobile devices like tablets and smartphones, we are seeking to make their experience with our devices more engaging and immersive,” said Samsung Mobile and IT country head Ranjit Yadav.

My Movies offers an entertainment catalogue “all with one touch” and allows the users to access movies, TV shows and even music videos at their convenience whenever needed with easy navigation, premium video content and access to movies across Samsung devices. This app turns the utility devices into entertainment powerhouse, the company said.

In the second phase, My Movies app will offer premium content to the users on subscription as well. The subscription service will allow the user to watch full length feature films and over 1000 movies with no interruption from ads. 

MUMBAI: BBC Worldwide Channels announced today the launch of its Spanish-language preschool channel, CBeebies, on US IPTV platform Verizon Fiox TV.

The BBC‘s educational children‘s channel will expand Fios TV‘s Spanish-language offerings, which currently include 45 channels.

CBeebies is now available in all Fios TV markets in the La Conexion and Spanish Language packages and will be in Fios TV‘s video-on-demand offering in November.

BBC Worldwide Channels Latin America/US Hispanic senior VP, GM Jessica Rodriguez said, “CBeebies‘ fills a need for high-quality, innovative and socially committed children‘s programming in Spanish and provides a valuable resource for parents and educators.”

Verizon VP content strategy and acquisition Terry Denson said, “As we continue expanding our FiOS TV channel lineup, we look to enhance our multicultural offering with channels that appeal to our customers. CBeebies provides a new interactive Spanish entertainment experience for our customers, who will certainly enjoy all that this new channel has to offer.”
 
CBeebies invites Spanish-speaking children in the US to “learn through play” encouraging their early development through content that emphasises reading, thinking, drawing, math and other basic skills, as well as programming that promotes self-confidence and stimulates their imagination.

The channel‘s content mixes animation, storytelling, puppets and live-action programming with a selection of animated titles, such as ‘El Jardin de los Suenos‘, ‘Dibujemos con Squiglet‘ and ‘Boogie Beebies‘ and series that include ‘El Closet de Cloe‘, ‘Zigby‘ and ‘Finley, El Camioncito de Bomberos‘. 
 
CBeebies joins Fiox TV‘s collection of programming, featuring more than 540 all-digital channels including BBC America and BBC World News, approximately 140 HD channels, as well as 30,000 monthly video-on-demand titles.

MUMBAI: New consumer research from Leichtman Research Group (LRG) found that 44 per cent of TV households in the US have at least one Digital Video Recorder (DVR), and one-third of DVR households have more than one DVR — representing 14 per cent of all households having multiple DVRs. In 2005, just eight per cent of all households had a DVR.

In addition, 73 per cent of all digital cable subscribers have ever used Video on-Demand (VOD), with 87 per cent of this group having watched an on-Demand programme or movie in the past month. Overall, about 62 per cent of digital cable subscribers used on-Demand in the past month — compared to 52 per cent last year.
 
Other related findings include:
– 80 per cent of DVR owners rate the service 8-10 (on a 1-10 scale with 10 being excellent) — compared to 80 per cent last year, and 77 per cent two years ago

– 62 per cent of cable VOD users rate the service 8-10 — compared to 60 per cent last year, and 55 per cent two years ago

– 74 per cent of premium on-Demand (POD) users rate VOD 8-10 — compared to 54 per cent of non-POD users

– 63 per cent of all Netflix subscribers rate the Watch Instantly feature 8-10 (on a 1-10 scale with 10 being an extremely important feature or benefit of the Netflix service) — compared to 48 per cent last year, and 37 per cent two years ago

– 20 per cent of Netflix subscribers use Watch Instantly daily, and 57 per cent weekly — last year 10 per cent used Watch Instantly daily, and 43 per cent weekly

– 78 per cent of Watch Instantly users use it to watch movies and TV shows on a TV set

– 86 per cent of Netflix households subscribe to a multi-channel video service, and 43 per cent with a multi-channel video service subscribe to a premium service — similar to all households in the sample, and similar to Netflix households last year 
 
These findings are based on a survey of over 1,300 households throughout the US, and are part of LRG’s study, On-Demand TV 2011: A Nationwide Study on VOD and DVRs. This is LRG’s tenth annual study on this topic.

Leichtman Research Group president, principal analyst Bruce Leichtman said, “On-Demand TV viewing in the forms of DVR and VOD, as well as Netflix streaming, have significantly increased in terms of usage and popularity over the past few years. Yet these on-Demand TV platforms remain largely complementary to traditional TV services and viewing, with about 90 per cent of all TV viewing in the US still being via live TV.”

NEW DELHI: Thousands of households in Pakistan, particularly in the Lahore area, are illegally buying subscriptions to various Indian direct-to-home platforms by illegally transferring money to India through ATMs in Bihar and adjoining areas.

The connections are bought through some operators in Pakistan who get the PIN numbers of the DTH connections from some Indian locals.

A report on the Pakistani website apnatime.com origin quotes analysts as saying that there is no proper way of restricting signals in the adjoining areas or countries as DTH has a wide area of reception. “From the service end, with so many means of transferring money, it has become even difficult to stop the gray channel; on the unofficial side, no company discourages it as it brings more revenue to the company”, the website says.
 
The equipment for these services is easily available in various parts of Pakistan including Hall Road in Lahore for a few thousand rupees. These are mostly purchased by cable operators who sell Indian channels to their customers as there is a huge demand for them in Pakistan, though some individuals have also bought these dishes.
With the rise of LCD and LED sale in Pakistan, the demand for high definition content has increased and people are no more finding the conventional cable very much according to their requirement. Therefore, demand for DTH equipment is rising. Since, there is no DTH operator in Pakistan working at the moment, therefore, people are jumping toward their favourite Indian alternatives.

The Indian newspaper “The Telegraph” had earlier reported that money is deposited into the bank accounts of the locals in the Bihar and its adjoining districts. The money is withdrawn through ATM cards and is used for purchasing the coupons of Direct-To-Home (DTH) services such as Tata Sky or Dish TV.

The PIN numbers of these coupons are then sent to some “Barde Sahib” who, according to the local police of Bihar, resides in Pakistan.
 
Indian police says these bank accounts are opened in the name of poor local residents of the district who get Rs 5,000 per month for letting brokers use their accounts and ATM cards.

According to the investigators, the PIN numbers of these coupons are sent to Pakistan and other neighbouring countries through SMS and Emails.

The Indian Police has arrested some local shopkeepers who sell DTH recharge coupons. One of the shopkeepers said he sold Rs 1.5 million worth of coupons. Another shopkeeper sold Rs 400,000 worth of recharge coupons in just 10 days.