Category: Software

MUMBAI: Nielsen is creating a single-source measurement for both TV and online viewing of video content.

The rollout of the new service is expected to be complete by 31 August next year. 
 
The initiative, called ‘TVandPC‘, creates the industry‘s first single-source measure of viewing to both TV and online. The plan is to roll out internet measurement to National People Meter (NPM) households starting 23 December.  
 
Once the rollout is complete, Nielsen will be able to report online video viewing from 7,500 NPM homes, representing about 20,000 people and 12,000 computers.

Currently, Nielsen‘s Internet meter is installed in a small sample of 375 people-meter homes.
 

MUMBAI: THQ (Toy Head-Quarters) Inc. and DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. have reached a deal that gives THQ exclusive rights to create video games based on two upcoming films from DreamWorks, Kung Fu Panda: The Kaboom of Doom and Puss In Boots as well as the animated television show The Penguins of Madagascar.

The agreement covers all console and handheld systems.
 
Says THQ Executive VP of Kids, Family and Casual Games Doug Clemmer, “The three properties announced today, in addition to MegaMind, underscore our commitment to reinvigorating our portfolio of licensed games for kids and families with top global entertainment brands.”

While The Penguins of Madagascar will release in 2010, Puss in Boots and Kung-Fu Panda: The Kaboom of Doom will find its way to the silver screen in 2011.

“We are pleased to expand our relationship with THQ and continue to be impressed by their focus on the kids and family videogame business,” comments DreamWorks Animation head of Worldwide Consumer Products Kerry Phelan.  
 
“We look forward to extending the reach of our feature films and The Penguins of Madagascar TV series into a broad line of games and believe THQ will do a great job of maximizing our properties for family audiences.”

The previous Kung-Fu Panda game was published by Activision.

MUMBAI: Tata Teleservices has started offering mobile TV on high-speed broadband. With the launch of Photon TV, customers can access channels on desktops and laptops.

The service offers 40 channels via a Photon Plus data card that offers maximum speeds of 3.1 mbps, 20 times faster than what is available on a mobile covering news, sports, entertainment, children‘s entertainment and some key regional offerings.
 
In the coming three months, Tata Teleservices plans to increase the number of channels on offer to 90.

Photon TV will allow Tata Photon Plus post-paid users to view a near-live TV feed. Current Photon Plus subscribers will have to download an application to access the service.

Tata Teleservices has tied up with Apalya Technologies that aggregates content and provides it to the service provider. The company has entered into agreements with broadcasters on a revenue-share basis. 
 
Reliance Communications offers 34 channels on the CDMA platform, but they are on a 2G platform where speeds are limited to a maximum of 145 kbps.
Tata Teleservices‘ offer, however, does not come cheap. The unlimited offer leaves little capacity for data usage for normal internet access. In comparison, a new direct-to-home (DTH) connection at Rs 1,500 plus a six month package of channels free is still cheaper.

Tata Teleservices so far has half a million users of Photon broadband cards.

Says TataTeleservices chief marketing officer Lloyd Mathias, “We have 40 per cent market share in the data card segment and hope to encash our existing customers to use TV. Also it will enhance data usage.”

MUMBAI: Ortel Communications Ltd, the Orissa-based broadband and CATV service provider, has obtained a certification from Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Limited (Becil)

Becil is the certifying agency appointed by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai).
 
Ortel Communications MD Jagi Mangat Panda said, “The mission of the company is to provide value for money, quality of service and range of services to its customers across market segments including the price sensitive Indian middle class as well as demanding corporate and institutional customers. The company is committed to bring a revolution in broadband technology in India and in doing so with open adoption of upcoming innovative technologies.

“We are proud to be the first cable network in the country to have received this certification and this will help us in digitalization.” 
 
Ortel said that it is committed to provide quality cable TV services to its subscribers and it has installed digital head end along with authentic encryption systems including those of Irdeto to provide additional channels as per desire and wishes of the subscribers.

Ortel, an ISO 9001-2000 company, claims of over 10,000 kilometers of hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC) cable network, over 200 channels and 16 head ends with interactive and TV Plus services (like web, marketing and banking).

MUMBAI: NDS, the digital pay TV technology solutions provider, has appointed Surbhi Broadband, a cable TV equipment manufacturer and supplier, as its authorised reseller for the Indian market.

Surbhi Broadband will sell NDS’ payTV solutions, including the NDS VideoGuard conditional access (CA) system.
 
The partnership will allow NDS and its customers to take advantage of Surbhi’s understanding of the Indian cable and broadband markets and its local expertise in hardware and software systems integration, NDS said in a release.

The two companies will work together to offer digital cable TV solutions that are easy to implement and integrate, ensuring fast time to market while minimising operational costs.

Surbhi will promote and sell NDS’ VideoGuard CA, MediaHighway set top box software and Electronic Programme Guides (EPG) in India. Surbhi will also manage the headend integration for customers and supply NDS smartcards.

Surbhi Broadband GM sales Piyush Mishra said, “With this partnership we aim to offer solutions that are affordable, scalable and highly relevant to small and medium sized cable operators in India. We trust that our collaboration with NDS and the availability of cost effective solutions will help promote the growth of the Indian digital cable TV market.”  
 
Surbhi Broadband and NDS will work together to provide a one stop shop for cable operators planning to go digital. Indian operators will be able to pay for NDS products and services in the local currency instead of in US dollars, making their transactions simpler and more cost effective.

NDS claims that its VideoGuard currently protects over 111 million digital devices around the world. NDS MediaHighway set-top box software has been deployed in over 128 million devices worldwide.

NDS Asia Pacific SVP and GM Sue Taylor said, “With Surbhi Broadband and NDS, operators will get access to reliable, hardware and software solutions for digital cable TV platforms and services all under one roof. This will help our customers as it means that digital TV deployment becomes easier and more cost effective.”
 

MUMBAI: Global satellite operator SES and Astrium, a wholly-owned subsidiary of EADS, have announced that SES has ordered four multi-mission satellites from Astrium to provide replacement as well as incremental capacity for its SES Astra and SES World Skies divisions. 
 
The new satellites, to be designated Astra 2E, Astra 2F, Astra 2G and Astra 5B, will allow the release of the existing satellites at two orbital positions (28.2 and 31.5 degrees East) and add new capacity as well as fleet deployment flexibility for the SES group over the coming years.

The satellites are scheduled for launch in several steps between 2012 and 2014. The design life of each satellite is 15 years.

SES president and CEO Romain Bausch says, “This important investment in new satellite capacity will enhance the prominence of SES Astra’s 28.2 degrees East position, mainly for the UK and Irish markets, and improve coverage of Eastern Europe from 31.5 degrees East.

“It will also allow SES World Skies to extend its offer to the African and Middle Eastern markets. By adding significant flexibility and improved functionality, these new satellites will allow SES to further drive its DTH, DTT, enterprise and broadband businesses while consolidating space assets and strengthening the international reach of the group.”

The four new satellites will be built on a Eurostar E3000 platform, the latest version of Astrium’s Eurostar series which has proven to be highly reliable in commercial service. A total of 60 Eurostar satellites have been ordered to date. SES has already ordered three Eurostar E3000s: Astra 1M, which entered into service one year ago; Astra 3B, ready for launch early next year; and Astra 1N, which was ordered last year and is currently under construction. 
 
Astrium CEO François Auque says, “Astrium is extremely proud to have been selected by the world’s premier satellite operator, and I would like to profoundly thank SES for their confidence. Following a rigorous selection process among the world’s leading satellite manufacturers, Astrium demonstrated that it offered the best solutions for SES. The decision to order four satellites in a single contract increases Astrium’s long-term standing as a market leader in satellite production.”

Three of the new spacecraft, Astra 2E, Astra 2F and Astra 2G, will serve to deliver next generation broadcast, VSat and broadband services in Europe and Africa, and will carry Ku-and Ka-band payloads at 28.2 degrees East.

The Ku-band capacity will allow SES Astra to enhance and secure its existing offering to major Direct-to-Home (DTH) markets in the UK and Ireland. With a Ku-band payload specifically designed to meet the requirements of some of Europe’s largest DTH broadcasters, the satellites will have spot beam and pan-European beam switching capabilities to accommodate both pay-TV and free-to-air broadcasters, and to provide these customers with increased functionality.

SES Astra customers in this region include BSkyB, BBC, ITV, Freesat, Channel Four, UK TV, Virgin Media, Five, MTV and Discovery. The Ka-band payload will allow SES Astra to develop next generation broadband services in Europe, including its growing Astra2Connect product.

Astra 2E, Astra 2F and Astra 2G will also include replacement and new capacity for the SES World Skies division, serving the African and the Middle Eastern markets with Ku-and Ka-band capacity. The new capacity will provide continuity of service and expansion opportunities for customers that are today already using the Astra 2B steerable beam over West Africa, as well as for new customers.

Astra 5B will be deployed at the orbital position 31.5 degrees East, extending SES Astra’s transponder capacity and geographical reach over Eastern European and neighbouring markets for DTH, Direct-to-Cable (DTC) and contribution feeds to Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) networks.

SES’ orbital position 28.2 degrees East is currently served by the Astra 2A, 2B and 2D spacecraft. The 31.5 degrees East position is currently served by Astra 2C.

MUMBAI: Times Group‘s digital video arm TAN has launched live stream for Times Now, India TV and Zoom.

Starting today, web users can watch the television feed for these channels on Live.Indiatimes.com.

The webcast of the news feeds will be ad-supported, with in-video formats such as pre-rolls, rich media companion banner ads, overlays and player skin branding.
 
The live stream is powered using Microsoft Silverlight 3.0. In phase 1 of the launch, users will be able to watch the webcast with their facebook friends while getting real-time updates on the latest headlines from Times of India and Economic Times.

Times Internet Limited CEO Rishi Khiani said, “With this partnership between TAN and Microsoft, we continue to be at the bleeding edge of digital video. This offering opens up more innovative ad-formats for advertisers, with on-demand, mobile and now live video.” 
 
Microsoft India GM DPE Moorthy Uppaluri said, “We are delighted that Microsoft‘s technology will now bring users the access to live video steaming and webcasts of television feeds for their leading news channel on real-time basis. Powered by Silverlight 3.0, live.indiatimes.com will also be able to provide picture-in-picture overlays for ad support and provide interactive tools for web customers.”

MUMBAI: Mobile handset company Spice Mobiles has launched a new product Spice M-6060.
 
M-6060, an edutainment phone, has a multi- SIM option for dual connectivity and a two-fold capability of entertainment with education.

The product has ‘Spice Masterji‘, a customised pre-embedded application that helps students prepare for CAT, AIEEE, GMAT, CBSE Board examinations by practicing on test papers.

The education application comes with additional features to enhance general knowledge and vocabulary. It also contains sections on health and fitness, job search, inventions, woman‘s zone and Kids‘ zone. 
 
Spice M-6060 is further braced with a big screen, stereo bluetooth and boom speakers. It also has a 1.3 MP camera with flash. The company adds that the expandable memory makes it trouble-free to also store e-books, test papers, songs and videos.

MUMBAI: Internet has edged out television as the world’s favourite medium, according to a global study on media and advertising released by global market intelligence firm, Synovate.

Seven in 10 people across 11 markets cannot live without the internet or would miss it a great deal if it is not there.
 
 
Synovate global executive director – media Steve Garton said that the firm conducted the study determining where and when marketers can “engage potential customers.”

Should they join the social media zeitgeist or dabble around the edges in a wait-and-see stance? Is their brand best served by TV, print or radio? And what about the mobile platform?

“Of course the answer is all wrapped up with targeting and ROI, the same as it has always been. To do that well, you simply need to understand your audience… what they like and where their lives intersect with media and brands,” said Garton.

Synovate asked more than 8,600 people across 11 markets for their thoughts on media and advertising.

70 per cent of respondents across 11 markets say they either could not live without the internet or would miss it a great deal if it wasn’t there, while 69 per cent said the same for TV. 
 
UK-based Synovate director Philip Shaw said the internet is embedded in Brit’s lives. “It’s not just information and entertainment, it’s communication and networking. The internet’s multifaceted nature makes it more compelling. This is something that TV cannot match.”
Synovate also asked about the importance people attached to their mobile or cell phone. 70 per cent of Chinese respondents said they “can’t live without it” and this figure was also high in Hong Kong (59 per cent) and Taiwan (54 per cent).

In all but one of the countries surveyed, a clear majority said they either “could not live without” their phone or would “miss it a great deal”. Canada at 46 per cent was the only exception.

MUMBAI: Mobile markets across regions are intensely competitive and some of them have reached saturation in terms of penetration of addressable markets.

With tumbling voice tariffs contributing to declining Average Revenue Per User (Arpu) rates, mobile operators are actively pushing for growth of the non-voice value-added services (Vas) market. Despite the economic uncertainties, the mobile services market in South Asian and Middle East countries continues to sustain a growth path, especially in countries such as India.
 
The key trends in this market have been noted in analysis done by Frost and Sullivan. Presently, mobile voice revenues constitute the largest chunk of mobile operator‘s revenues, relegating mobile data revenues to a miniscule percentage. However, the mobile operators have realised that in order to curb depleting Arpus, they would need to widen their focus on increasing data revenues. In the case of Messaging, the popularity of Peer to Application (P2A) SMS, where mobile subscribers respond to an application such as voting through SMS for a TV programme, is on the rise.

In terms of the premium mobile entertainment content segment, it remains the most significant form of mobile Vas across the South Asia and Middle East geographies.

Frost & Sullivan industry analyst, ICT Practice, , South Asia and Middle East Lavanya Palani Batcha says, “With many markets almost reaching saturation point or having surpassed saturation in terms of mobile subscriptions penetration, telecom service providers are in need to bolster the ARPUs; and mobile VAS has the potential to alleviate this issue of declining ARPUs.”

The regional trend in different countries is equally interesting. India is the fastest growing mobile market in South Asia with good potential for growth amongst the rural population. The mobile VAS market is set to grow at a strong CAGR of 16.6 per cent from 2008 to 2015.

Saudi Arabian mobile market has a high mobile penetration. However, the country still witnesses steady year-on-year growth in this sector. Vas market is expected to exhibit CAGR of 10.6 per cent between 2008 and 2015.

Sri Lanka has a relatively moderate mobile user penetration of 42.4 per cent; hence there is good potential for growth. 3G services such as Video SMS, Dial and Watch TV have been introduced. 
 
The UAE has one of the highest mobile subscription penetrations in the South Asia and Middle East region. Both mobile operators, Etisalat and Du, increasing their focus on revenue streams from Vas and mobile TV and mobile internet, have strong potential.
The Egyptian mobile market still possesses a sizeable under-penetrated addressable market, thereby providing avenues for growth. Relatively strong CAGR of 14.1 per cent is estimated for the mobile Vas market in Egypt between 2008 and 2015.

Pakistan‘s mobile market is robust with intense price wars amongst the local and foreign mobile operators. Estimated mobile Vas market CAGR is 16.8 per cent between 2008 and 2015.

The mobile Vas market in South Asia and Middle East is anticipated to exhibit strong to moderate growth owing to untapped potential for Vas in these regions, 3G networks proliferation, and a saturation of revenues, and adoption of plain vanilla mobile voice services. The market is also expected to witness the emergence of stronger mobile VAS content providers/aggregators with the ability to grasp better revenue shares from the mobile operators.