Category: Software

MUMBAI: In a bid to reach out to more international audiences in Africa, NDTV has extended its partnership with pay TV services provider MultiChoice Africa (MCA).

As a part of the new deal, English news channel NDTV 24X7 will now have a much wider reach. Earlier, the channel was available only on the Indian pack, reaching out to 70,000 homes. 
 
“We‘re pleased to have expanded our existing partnership with MCA, wherein NDTV 24×7 will now be available to viewers all across Sub-Saharan Africa. Our reach will grow tremendously to over 3.5 million homes than 70,000 homes at present,” NDTV head network distribution and affiliate sales Rahul Sood said.

“With the world having set its eyes upon Africa, we‘re proud to be the only news channel out of India reaching out to millions of viewers across the continent,” he added.
 
In South Africa, NDTV is available to all subscribers on DStv channel 407. In the rest of sub-Saharan Africa, it is available to DStv Premium, Compact, Family and Access subscribers (including all Asian packages) on DStv channel 407.

MultiChoice Africa president Collins Khumalo said, “We are pleased to be making this channel available across a wide range of our DStv products. News is an important television genre and we are committed to providing a diversified range of news programming for subscribers across the continent. MultiChoice is constantly driven to ensure that all subscribers are satisfied with the total offering and we are always looking to offer innovative and unique ways to deliver value to subscribers.”

MUMBAI: Continuing its expansion strategy in Asia, Food Network Asia has launched in Taiwan to DishHD customers.

This follows its launch in Singapore early this year. The channel includes the popular Food Network series from the United States, as well as new content catered to local market tastes in food programming.
 
“In launching Food Network Asia in Taiwan, we hope to satisfy the surging interest in both high-definition television and in lifestyle entertainment around the world,” said Greg Moyer, president of Scripps Networks International, global development arm of Scripps Networks Interactive.

DishHD is a new satellite pay-TV service that provides the widest variety of high-definition video channels in Taiwan in an all-digital format. 
 
Said DishHD COO Steve Skalski, “Food Network Asia is a perfect fit for DishHD. We are excited to be the first platform to bring this igh-definition channel to Taiwan.”

Food Network Asia offers a multiplatform experience on television, online and through an iPhone application.

Viewers will see highly-rated series from all over the world. From the popular U.S. production Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, to the culinary journeys of Chef Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam, to the adventurous Extreme Cuisine with Jeff Corwin, there is something to satisfy all food lovers. In addition, original commissioned programming such as Eat Like a Local, Home Cooking, and Food Fun At 3am feature stories shot throughout Southeast Asia. Hosts include Janet Hseih, Oli Pettigrew and Linda Black.

Scripps Networks International continues to execute expansion plans globally, and currently offers Food Network in the United Kingdom and throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

DishHD has the most HD channels in Taiwan; its channel lineup features news, sports, entertainment, education, and children’s, among other niche channels.
 

MUMBAI: Wire and Wireless (India) Ltd is targeting a revenue of Rs 3.4 billion and expects to be Ebitda positive for the full-fiscal, a source close to the company said.

Fuelling this over 20 growth will be the MSO‘s entry into new markets, a projected rise in carriage revenue and growth in subscription income.
  
WWIL is setting up a joint venture company, Siti Vision, with a group of people who have strong ground control to revive its presence in Hyderabad. “WWIL will hold 51 per cent stake. The content has been tied up with the broadcasters and the cable TV service will launch in September. The JV will also expand operations into other parts of Andhra Pradesh,” the source said.

The company has also firmed up plans to invest Rs 200 million towards acquisition this fiscal and is conducting due diligence on five cable networks. “The investment on acquisition could climb if good opportunities throw up,” the source added.

Carriage income is expected to make up 57 per cent of WWIL‘s total revenue in FY‘11. The MSO has a presence in 54 cities across the country and is eyeing acquisitions in the Tam markets (which influence TV ratings and fetch high carriage fees). 
 
WWIL has eight digital head-ends and is planning to add more during the fiscal. It has stopped its Headend-In-The-Sky (HITS) operations after taking a loss of Rs 1 billion. Zee Group chairman Subhash Chandra told shareholders at the AGM that launching HITS was a mistake as the regulatory system was not in place and “it was a launch ahead of its time.”

WWIL has reduced its debt from around Rs 3.50 billion in FY‘10 to Rs 3 billion.

For the three months ended June, WWIL posted an operating consolidated revenue of Rs 692.46 million, up from Rs 630.06 million in the year-ago period, and turned Ebitda positive with the operating profit standing at Rs 74 million from a Rs 10 million loss in the first quarter of FY‘10.

NEW DELHI: iVdopia said today that it had surpassed over one billion rich media and 100 million video monthly mobile advertising impressions.

With this milestone, iVdopia, which claims to be the largest video and media mobile advertising network, said it was now powering the most number of video ads across Smartphone devices. 
 
“Today, iVdopia is synonymous with video advertising on mobiles and we’re exceptionally pleased to have reached this landmark of over 100 million video ad impressions. In fact, advertisers for this summer’s blockbuster movie releases and fast-food launches reliy on iVdopia’s mobile video advertising solutions as critical parts of their overall advertising strategy, which resulted in highly successful campaigns and sales,” according to chief business officer Saurabh Bhatia.  
 
“Video has simply changed the game of advertising on mobiles! Smartphones are getting better at supporting audio and visuals that are attractive and interactive, and users love consuming video that takes over their mobile screens and literally ‘speaks’ to them,” added co-founder and COO Chhavi Upadhyay.

After launching Talk2Me social media advertisements in January this year, iVdopia introduced Pre-App and In-App advertising for iPhone and Android mobile devices followed by the first High Definition video ads on iPad. In May, it unveiled the Viper Ad featuring the new swipe effect with major movie blockbuster Repo Men and then Future5, the first HTML5 ad-authoring solution, and V5, the first HTML5 video platform to provide a unified video ad experience across all Smartphone devices.
 

MUMBAI: Cablemas, the Mexican cable-TV operator, is optimising its digitisation with the Conax content-security platform.

The new solution is aimed at improving quality and functionality by including redundancy, 24/7 and Evolution Digital STBs.

Cablemas provides voice, video and data (triple play) services for close to one million subscribers in Mexico. 
 
Through the new platform, customers will benefit from higher quality digital-TV service and a wide range of TV-package options. Digitisation of the cable-TV service will strengthen its complete “triple play” offering with the full advantages of a digital environment.

Meanwhile, Evolution Digital is supplying 200,000 SD and HD STBs, also known as digital terminal adapters (DTAs) to Cablemas.

Said Cablemas Telecomunicaciones MD Carlos Alvarez said, “We are very satisfied with our partnership with Conax, our content-security partner, for the deployment of the Cablemas digital platform. We are confident that our combined choice of Conax for security and Evolution Digital for DTAs, will give Cablemas the necessary added value to offer the optimal level of security, quality and functionality needed in such a competitive market as Mexico.”
  
The new solution features added-value improvements to the current analogue content packages for Cablemás customers.

“Adding Cablemas to our customer portfolio is a significant achievement for Conax in Mexico and the entire North American market,” said Conax VP for North America Rohit Mehra. “Conax offers the market an open platform with its Digital Video Broadcasting Conditional Access (DVB CA) solution, allowing operators to choose their STB providers from an extensive list, according to their platform needs.”

“Conax and Evolution provide a complete solution that includes the best Conditional Access and the very latest STB features, which meet Cablemas‘ stringent technical and commercial requirements,” added Evolution Digital president Brent Smith. “Both Conax and Evolution bring years of experience in customising solutions for operators on a standardised open platform.”

Meanwhile, in Mexico, Conax has joined forces with iexpertus, a business-development consulting group. With the support of iexpertus, Conax plans to open a sales and support office to provide streamlined service to the Mexican market.

MUMBAI: Reliance Big TV has added 13 channels to its offering, including Star Plus in high-definition (HD).
 
Among other channels that Big TV will now be offering are NGC Wild, NGC Adventure, NGC Music, UFX, HM TV, Mahaa TV, Day & Night News, ETV Bihar, Polimer TV, Saam TV, Chardikla Time and Nepal One.

The total number of channels on Big TV’s DTH service has now gone up to 245. 
 
Said Big TV SVP Umesh Rao, “We have added 13 new channels on the platform and going forward we plan to add significant momentum through relevant and differentiated content on Reliance Big TV.”

Meanwhile, the company has also launched a promotional offer for Maharashtra users, wherein during Ganesh Festival time, the Big TV set-top-box, along with two-months Silver Pack subscription is being given free with purchase of select Samsung LCD TVs.

Added Rao, “This is the perfect opportunity for a Samsung consumer upgrading or buying another LCD TV to experience true digital picture quality and sound. This is yet one of the many ways of greeting our consumers on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi.”

The offer is valid till 15 September.
 

MUMBAI: MSM Discovery, popularly known as TheOneAlliance, announced today that it has become the first distribution company in India to get an ISO 9001:2008 certificate.

TheOneAlliance has in its family channels like Sony, Max, Sab, Pix, AXN, Discovery, Discovery Travel and Living, Animal Planet, Aaj Tak, NDTV 24X7, NDTV India and NDTV Profit. Starting 1 September, it will also distribute Neo Sports and Neo Cricket.
 
Multi Screen Media CEO Man Jit Singh said, “We are very proud that MSM-D is the first distribution company to receive ISO certification. The certification is a world recognised affirmation of the MSM-D commitment to quality and to serving its stakeholders. We believe the consistency of service delivery underlying this certification will further enhance MSM-D success and reputation as the best company in the business.”

Added MSM COO NP Singh, “This is a major milestone for MSM-D which makes it the first distribution company to achieve a global quality management standard which is recognised and respected throughout the world. I am confident that this certification will lead MSM-D to even greater success.” 
 
Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific SVP and GM India Rahul Johri said, “This is a remarkable achievement. MSM Discovery has always worked towards establishing competency and has focused on delivering quality. It is therefore very heartening to be the first distribution company to get an ISO certification in India. A tremendous vote of confidence from one of the most reputed organization, this re-enforces our commitment to the viewers and affiliates.”

TheOneAlliance president Rajesh Kaul said, “The company has always upheld customer satisfaction as a No 1 priority and has invested in top-quality systems and practices to continually improve its customer service. It was but natural then for us to go ahead and get an ISO 9001: 2008 accreditation from an internationally recognised certification body. This is ratification indeed of the fact that not only are we the best Distribution company in terms of showcasing the “Best of Entertainment” in various genres, we also adhere to a high standard in business practices for servicing our customers, principals, business partners and regulatory authorities.”

MUMBAI: Ten Sports has filed a police complaint against a cable operator in Rewari, Haryana, alleging that the operator was pirating signals of the channel.

Ten Sports had switched off the signals due to non-payment for over five months.

The broadcaster had filed a FIR against MCN Cable Network, Rewari, claiming that the cable operator had pirated the signals illegally after the switch-off. 
 
“We had issued a public notice in the city newspapers, following which we disconnected the signals. However, the operator did not settle the dues and was demanding unreasonable discounts. He was also pirating our signals, so we lodged an FIR and police has seized the equipment,” a Ten Sports spokesperson told Indiantelevision.com.

However, Anil Gupta, one of the promoters of MCN Cable Network, said the broadcaster had threatened to switch-off the signals but never did so. “So there is no case of piracy. The broadcaster was also demanding Rs 20,000 per month for the channel, while we were paying Rs 5,000 per month. There is heavy competition among two cable operators here and it is not possible for us to pay Rs 20,000 for Ten Sports. We wanted a settlement but the channel is not ready,” Gupta elaborated.
 
When contacted by Indiantelevision.com, Rewari City Superintendent of Police K Venkatraman said, “We have registered a case and seized the box after a raid. But both the parties are claiming that they are not at fault. We are looking into the matter.”

MUMBAI: To celebrate touching the eight million subscriber mark, DTH service provider Dish TV has launched a service campaign – ‘Call me’ and ‘Home Pick’ service.

The company says that it will reach out to the customer instead of the customer calling the company.
 
With this service campaign, Dish TV strives to deliver an engaging and personalised experience to its subscribers.

With ‘Call Me service‘, a Dish TV subscriber can get all his queries answered by just sending an SMS. Dish TV subscribers can send an SMS ‘Call Me’ to 57575 from their registered mobile numbers (RMN) and the subscribers will get a call back from Dish TV within 15 minutes. The objective behind this service is to give timely response and call back time.

A subscriber located even in the remotest area will get a call back within 15 minutes. Through this service the customers will be relieved from frequent call drops and waiting time on the IVR.
 
Dish TV COO Salil Kapoor said, “Our service campaign – Khushiyan Har Pal, comes with unique services like Call Me and Pick Me’. Being launched for the first time in the service industry, these services will empower our subscribers and assure them the best of services at their doorstep. The Home Pick service has been designed keeping in mind those subscribers who find it difficult to recharge their Dish TV account due to busy schedules and for those customers who prefer to pay in the same manner as they were used to paying to their local cable operator.”

The company adds that the Home Pick facility is one of the most convenient modes of recharge available to a subscriber. As the name suggests, the amount of subscription recharge is picked up from a subscriber’s home. It empowers Dish TV subscribers to recharge their connections at their door step. To avail this facility the subscribers need to send an SMS ‘Home Pick’ to 57575 and an executive will personally visit the subscriber to collect the recharge amount.

MUMBAI: USA Today, America’s second most widely read newspaper, has revealed its plan for major organisational restructuring.

The reorganisation will de-emphasize the paper‘s print brand and focus more on digital content.
Like many other print media companies, USA Today has been struggling with declining circulation and dipping revenue in today‘s increasingly digitised world. It has lost over 200,000 daily readers last year.
 
USA Today had an average paid circulation of 1.83 million in the six months till March last. This means that the newspaper has taken a 14 per cent dip from the same period a year ago.
Moreover, decline in advertising revenue has also impacted the paper’s circulation. Last year, USA Today’s ad revenue came down by 29 per cent. In the last three years, USA Today lost almost 500,000 subscribers.

The shift to the digital platform will result in the reduction of approximately 130 full-time employees, that accounts to a cut of 9 per cent of its 1,500 workforce.
 
It is said that the paper will now focus on all platforms web, mobile, iPad and other digital formats. “This significant restructuring reflects USA Today‘s evolution from a newspaper company to a multi-platform media company,” said President and Publisher of USA Today David L. Hunke, in a statement.

Besides creating a new section in USA Today Sports, five new departments have been created with new executive management positions.