Category: Software

MUMBAI: Sameer Manchanda-promoted Den Networks has a cash balance of Rs 2.5 billion and plans to invest Rs 900 million towards digitisation this fiscal, according to a senior executive of the company.

The multi-system operator (MSO), which had raised Rs 3.7 billion via an initial public offering (IPO) in November 2009, has chalked out an investment plan of Rs 1.5 billion in FY’11.
 
“We have a cash balance of Rs 2.5 billion and plan to invest Rs 1.5 billion this fiscal. Digitisation should take away 60 per cent of this,” says Den Networks president – strategy and business development M G Azhar.

Will the company be aggressive in acquisitions this year? “We have done acquisitions in the past and grown in size. Some of these acquisitions require to be completed. We will be doing that this fiscal,” says Azhar. 
 
Den is in course to reach its revenue target of Rs 11.50 billion this fiscal as it consolidates its subsidiaries, thus posting a 25 per cent jump over the earlier year.

Den has passed an enabling resolution to raise fresh capital up to Rs 7.5 billion, via a mix of quasi equity/debt instrument, as it expects digitisation to drive consolidation in the cable TV sector.

MUMBAI: A bipartisan group of Senators in the US this week introduced legislation to address the growing problem of online piracy and counterfeiting.
 
The legislation will allow the federal government to quickly block websites anywhere in the world if they are dedicated to sharing copyrighted music or other protected content. Authorities will have more tools to crack down on websites engaged in piracy of movies, television shows and music.

The Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act will empower the US Department of Justice to shut down, or block access to, websites found to be dedicated to infringing activities. Sites that use domain names registered by a US-based company, or a top-level-domain administered by a US-based company, would find their internet addresses frozen. 
 
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy and senior Republican member Orrin Hatch introduced the Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act. The legislation is cosponsored by Committee members Herb Kohl, Arlen Specter, Chuck Schumer, Dick Durbin, Sheldon Whitehouse and Amy Klobuchar. Senators Evan Bayh and George Voinovich are also cosponsors of the legislation.

Leahy says, “Each year, online piracy and the sale of counterfeit goods cost American businesses billions of dollars, and result in hundreds of thousands of lost jobs. The Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act will protect the investment American companies make in developing brands and creating content and will protect the jobs associated with those investments. Protecting intellectual property is not uniquely a Democratic or Republican priority – it is a bipartisan priority.”

Hatch said, “In today‘s global economy the Internet has become the glue of international commerce – connecting consumers with a wide-array of products and services worldwide. But it‘s also become a tool for online thieves to sell counterfeit and pirated goods, making hundreds of millions of dollars off of stolen American intellectual property”.

Kohl said, “This legislation is critical to our continued fight against online piracy and counterfeiting. By coordinating our efforts with industry stakeholders and law enforcement officials, we‘ll be better able to target those who are profiting from illegal activity. This much needed bill will help law enforcement keep pace in shutting down websites that illegally sell copyrighted goods. That way we protect legitimate businesses from losing sales and consumers from being duped into purchasing counterfeit and unauthorized goods.

“By cracking down on online piracy of television shows and movies, we hope this bill will encourage copyright owners to develop innovative and competitive new choices for consumers to watch video over the internet.”

NEW DELHI: Yahoo! India is to present the Big Idea Chair 2010 for creative and media agencies across India later this year.

The award ceremony will be held on 1 December 2010 in Mumbai. 
 
Big Idea Chair, a global initiative by Yahoo!, celebrates digital innovation across the world. The awards recognize some of the best work by the online community and also call out those creative inputs and integrated strategies that enable marketing excellence in digital advertising.
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There are 6 awards across 3 categories: Integrated awards (Yahoo! Big Idea Chair, Best Digital Brand Solution); Display Awards (Best Rich Media Ad, Best Engagement Ad, Best Mobile Solution); and Search Awards (Best Creative Search Awards).

The awards span areas that define creative excellence in advertising across the digital medium. They are not restricted to just rich ads but also digital solutions and innovations. In other words, the ‘Big Idea‘ that eventually clicked. 
 
Yahoo! India managing director Arun Tadanki said, “The Yahoo! Big Idea Chair re-enforces our vision to promote the best talent in the advertising industry. Digital advertising offers immense scope for innovation and provides an opportunity for brand marketers to unleash cutting edge ideas. These awards will further encourage brands and agencies to paint the digital canvas with unbridled creativity and take digital advertising to the next level.”

To generate excitement and encourage agency participation “Yahoo!‘s Travelling Big Idea Chair” would traverse 20 top agencies across Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore where it will stay for two days in each agency.

A jury of eminent members from advertising, creative and media fraternity will judge the entries. The panel of jury includes Rajaram Narayanan, VP Lakme and Haircare – Unilever, Kunal Jeswani Country Head – Ogilvy One; Alok Bharadwaj Senior VP – Canon India; Anil Nair, Managing Partner – Digital Law and Kenneth, Karl Gomes – Digital Strategist & Marketing Consultant; Tadanki and Nitin Mathur, Senior Director Marketing, Yahoo! India.
 

MUMBAI: Agra-based multi-system operator (MSO) Sea TV Network has fixed the price band of its proposed Rs 502 million IPO between Rs 90 and 100 per equity share.

The issue will open on 27 September and close on 29 September.

ICRA Limited has assigned IPO Grade 1 to the Issue. Chartered Capital and Investment Limited is the sole book running lead manager while Link Intime India is the registrar to the Issue. The equity shares will be listed on BSE.
 
Sea TV, which runs two cable channels Jinvani and Sea News, has applied to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry for news and current affairs channels in the name of Real News, Ocean TV and Your TV. The company is awaiting approval for these three channels. 
 
Sea TV has also proposed to adopt IPTV technology for providing TV channels to its viewers. It has a network of about 150 franchisees throughout Agra city.

Sea TV’s total income for the year ended 31 March 2010 was Rs 94.62 million while net profit stood at Rs 15.05 million.

NEW DELHI: Tata Sky has teamed up with Hungama Digital Media to launch its interactive gaming service Actve Games, which will have over 50 new games.

The launch was announced by cricketer Yuvraj Singh here today.

The new service is priced at Rs 40 per month, while to promote it initially, the company is offerring a 15-day free trial period.

Tata Sky chief marketing officer Vikram Mehra said that with the games costing just Rs 40 per month, it works out cheaper than the gaming console, which generally cost Rs 10,000. Even the total monthly package works out to Rs 999.
  
“These (interactive) services are no longer just value-added services; they are fast becoming the core business, which is why Tata Sky continues to innovate and build on its core offering of interactivity. Gaming could be the next big step after education,” Mehra said.

The service offers games across a wide variety of genres like sports, action, adventure, arcade, cards, and racing. Hungama Game Studio has created the games.

“At present, the games offered on most DTH platforms are quite basic. As a leader in offering superior technology, Tata Sky is introducing a completely new breed of TV gaming on Actve Games platform. This opens up a large market, not only in the larger cities, but also in the tier II, tier III cities and smaller towns.” added Mr. Mehra.

The biggest attraction, as claimed by the company, is the Yuvraj Singh Cricket Championship, which is conceptualised and developed by Hungama Game Studio and Yuvraj Singh himself. In this game, the players get an opportunity to step into the shoes of the cricketer, and are exposed to various challenges, which are derived from real situations in Yuvraj Singh’s cricketing career. 
 
Hungama Digital Media MD and CEO Neeraj Roy said Tata Sky had established the first suite in the world for online games.

“Since the launch, the Actve Games pack has been getting an overwhelming response and with the availability of fresh content every week we at Hungama Game Studio hope to provide them with the ultimate gaming experience in the comfort of their own home,” Roy added.

The service aims at providing a total of over 50 different games which will be available throughout the year on Tata Sky Actve platform, with at least six of them for the subscribers to enjoy daily.

Yuvraj Singh told newspersons that he had always had a passion for online games but increasingly failed to find time with his cricketing assignments. However, he found the concept of cricket on Tata Sky very alluring and so helped to create the game.

MUMBAI: Star, a wholly-owned subsidiary of News Corporation, has partnered with Verizon Communications to launch its flagship Hindi entertainment channel Star Plus on Verizon FiOS TV.

Verizon Communications, headquartered in New York, specialises in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers. 
 
Thus with this partnership, Star Plus joins FiOS TV’s extensive channel lineup, which includes nearly 40 other international channels covering over 20 languages. The channel began launching on FiOS TV this week and will be in all markets by 27 September.

Said Verizon VP – content strategy and acquisition Terry Denson, “The addition of Star Plus to the FiOS TV channel lineup further enhances our overall multicultural offering with new content that includes favorite dramas, game shows and more. Bringing new content and sponsorship support to South Asian communities has been a priority for Verizon, and we look forward to more opportunities in the future.” 
 
Added Star SVP distribution, sales and marketing and head of Star North American office David Wisnia, “We are absolutely thrilled to be making Star Plus available to FiOS TV subscribers. Viewers will be entertained like never before with our exciting array of dramas, reality shows and bollywood blockbusters. We look forward to growing our relationship with Verizon FiOS and to sharing more of Star’s top-rated networks in the near future.”

Star Plus is part of FiOS TV’s South Asian (Hindi) package – which already includes Zee TV, TV Asia and SET Asia – for $34.99 per month. Verizon also offers another South Asian channel in Punjab called Jus Punjabi for $9.99 per month.

The new channel joins Verizon FiOS TV’s broad collection of programming that includes more than 520 all-digital channels with up to 140 HD channels and 18,000 monthly video-on-demand titles. FiOS also provides next-generation interactive services including an advanced interactive media guide; social networking, news and entertainment widgets; remote DVR management via broadband or cell phone.

MUMBAI: Viacom18 has launched its flagship Hindi general entertainment channel Colors on the Pehla satellite packages across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, while firming up plans for other international markets.

The channel has partnered with Arab Digital Distribution Company (ADD), which is the leading DTH player in the region. As per the deal, ADD will also distribute the channel on cable and IPTV in the UAE through e-Pehla packages on E-Vision and on Du, and in Qatar through Q-Tel.

Colors will be available on all three Asian packages offered by Pehla – Pehla Basic, Pehla Silver and Pehla Gold.
 
 
The MENA region launch follows Colors‘ roll out in the UK, US (as Aapka Colors) and Australia-New Zealand.

Colors‘ next launch will be in East Africa, followed by South East Asia, North America, Canada and Caribbean region.

“We are looking at spreading our footprint across the globe. We are identifying the hubs where there is a strong Indian population and our launches will be in this belt first,” Viacom18 chief commercial officer and international business head Gaurav Gandhi told Indiantelevision.com.

Colors has already launched in US, UK, Australia-New Zealand and Fiji. “We will very soon launch on cable in East Africa,” Gandhi added.

In the MENA region, ADD will not only distribute but also take care of the channel‘s advertising sales.

“We have signed a multi-year deal with ADD, wherein it will distribute and market the channel,” Gandhi said, without divulging the details of the deal.

ADD packages reach out to more than 1.2 million subscribers across the region on three different bouquets, offering over 60 channels covering different genres of entertainment and infotainment. Pehla, which caters to the Asian diaspora, is one the fastest growing pay television bouquets in the Middle East.

Commenting on the launch of the channel, Viacom18 Group COO and Colors CEO Rajesh Kamat said, “The launch is part of Viacom18’s aggressive growth plans to extend its flagship brand outside India.”
 
 
Arab Media Corp (ADD‘s parent company) CFO Abdel Ghani Ali said, “Pehla has continued to maintain a robust year-on-year growth despite the prevailing recessionary conditions, with subscription and advertising revenues clocking $55 million in 2009, riding on premium cricket and the diverse content offering. We expect a further boost for 2010 with Colors and new channel additions likely to drive the growth in subscription and advertising revenues.”

Colors will air its most popular fiction shows including Balika Vadhu, Uttaran, Laagi Tujhse Lagan and Naa Aana Iss Des Laado on the same day of the India telecast. Viewers will also get to see the big ticket reality shows including Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi x 3, hosted by Priyanka Chopra and soon to be launched Bigg Boss Season 4 featuring Salman Khan on the channel.

MUMBAI: Telecom solution and service provider Ericsson has deployed its broadband technology Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) at the Commonwealth Games Village 2010 (CWGV) using Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON) solution.

Fixed broadband infrastructure Radius Infratel is Ericsson’s partner for this project and has been entrusted with the responsibility for onsite deployment of the Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPon) solution.
 
During the Commonwealth Games, Ericsson will be managing the network 24×7, supporting the communication needs of 8000 dignitaries, athletes and team officials staying in the village spread over an area of 63.5 hectare (158.4 acre) with 14 blocks, 34 towers, and 1,168 flats.

The FTTH platform, supplied and built by Ericsson and Radius will benefit the residents of the Village by providing carrier class data, TV and communications (triple-play services), for distribution of 36 Games specific channel (HD Format), video-on-demand and other advanced entertainment services.

It will enable them to download data content at 100Mbps and access Wi-Fi in the village campus and in training centre adjacent to the village. Automated lighting and security services are also being made possible with Ericsson’s high-speed fiber access solution. Ericsson’s Gpon solution has been used as an open access solution enabling the players and game officials to select services from an internet service provider of their choice. 
 
Radius Infratel MD HS Singh said, “This is a great achievement and a significant development for us to provide services during the prestigious gaming event – Commonwealth Games. This project would not have been possible without Ericsson’s platform expertise and solution driven approach. Ericsson’s solution enabled us to cost-effectively offer residents a superior communication experience.”
Ericsson India head of region Gowton Achaibar said, “Demand for broadband services is gaining momentum in India’s dynamic market. Ericsson is proud to be associated with the Commonwealth Games, a globally acclaimed, multinational, multi-sport platform with extensive visibility across six continents.”
 

MUMBAI: Travel portal Arzoo.com has launched a site for the convenience of the tourists/visitors of commonwealth games in Delhi, which will sense them as a ready reckoner giving out information related to the games and everything tourists need to know about India, its tourists attractions and essential services. 
 
commonwealthgamestravel.net will provide various types of information to the visitors which will include information on hospitals, hotels, cafés, shopping destinations, chemist, etc in Delhi.

Arzoo.com head India Amal Purandare says, “Overall sentiments of the travel and hospitality industry are high and they are looking forward to the huge surge in demand for rooms and travel. I am very glad that Arzoo is helping in promoting the Common Wealth Games as well as tourism in India.” 
 
Arzoo.com has a network of over 10,000 Preferred sales agents and over 100 franchises. Arzoo.com provides travel solutions, personalised services and dedicated support to several corporate houses as well individual customers.
 

MUMBAI: Celestial Pictures has announced a multi-year renewal of the exclusive carriage agreement on Celestial Movies Asia (CMA), a channel featuring blockbuster movies from across Asia.

The renewal ensures that not only will now TV customers in Hong Kong continue to enjoy Asian movies on CMA, but they may also watch a much bigger exclusive selection of first-run Hong Kong blockbuster movies. 
 
Since its launch in 2008 in Hong Kong on now TV, CMA has won a loyal fan base with a diverse selection of hit Asian movies broadcast in their original language with English and Chinese subtitles. Catering to Hong Kong audience’s passion for Japanese and Korean stars and movies, CMA exclusively premieres blockbusters from Japan and Korea such as Oppai Volleyball, Scandal Makers and the upcoming Nodame Cantabile.

In addition, CMA also features many Hong Kong hits, past and present, such as Stephen Chow’s CJ7 as well as Chinese titles such as The Founding of a Republic.

With the carriage renewal, CMA will now add more first-run exclusive titles from Hong Kong to its programming. One of the titles already confirmed is the recently released mega-budgeted action movie, City Under Siege, featuring an all-star cast including Aaron Kwok, Shu Qi, Wu Jing and Zhang Jingchu, and directed by Benny Chan. 
 
Furthermore, as a new feature under the enhanced cooperation between Celestial Pictures and now TV, a selection of CMA’s movie titles will be made available on now Select video-on-demand service from the first quarter of 2011.

Celestial Pictures CEO Ross Pollack says, “From the increase in first-run Hong Kong blockbusters on the channel to the availability of our movies through now Select video-on-demand service, we