ITV

Category: Software

  • Official PGA Tour application available on Apple Store

    MUMBAI: The PGA Tour, through its partnership with US broadcaster Turner Sports, has announced the official PGA Tour App for iPhone and iPod touch on the App Store.


    The PGA Tour application will leverage PGATour.com’s live video streaming and live scoring to provide an enhanced experience to iPhone and iPod touch users for each of the four PGA Tour playoffs for the FedExCup tournaments



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    Turner Sports VP, GM of sports digital Matthew Hong says, “PGATOUR.com leads the field in its coverage of the PGA Tour and continues to provide innovative, inside-the-ropes access that allows fans to follow golf action no matter where they are. The launch of the official PGA TOUR App expands the site’s portfolio of live coverage 2 0 and the set of platforms on which our exclusive content around all aspects of the PGA Tour is optimised”.


    Following the Playoffs, the application will be available throughout the PGA Tour Fall Series and beyond providing fans instant access to every player and tournament.


    Presented by Nike Golf, the official PGA Tour application is the only golf application to offer fans access to PGATour.com’s exclusive content including custom live leaderboards, video highlights, play-by-play coverage, player stats and editorial franchises.Says PGATour.com VP, GM Lee Bushkell, “This new application is a natural extension of the PGA Tour’s desire to serve golf fans with the highest level of PGA Tour coverage wherever they are. We’re excited to introduce it in time for fans to follow the excitement throughout the PGA Tour Playoffs as the third FedExCup champion is crowned.”

  • Foxtel selects NDS tool for audience measurement system

    MUMBAI: NDS, which provides technology solutions for digital pay-TV, has announced that Australia’s pay-TV provider Foxtel has chosen its Dynamic Audience Measurement System, integrated with TNS Media Research’s RaPidView solution.









    Foxtel will be using the NDS system to track and analyse audience behaviour across its network and to enable the introduction of advanced advertising solutions.

     

    Part of the NDS Dynamic suite of advanced ad solutions, the NDS Dynamic Audience Measurement System will allow Foxtel to collect enhanced viewing information in homes that have agreed to participate on a measurement panel to assist with advertising and marketing decisions.


    Foxtel executive director of sales and product Patrick Delany says, “In a competitive market, we have to understand which services appeal to our subscribers, so we can provide a product that suits their viewing habits.


    “With NDS Dynamic, integrated with the TNS RaPiDView service, we will have access to valuable information that can be used to improve the way we package, promote and sell our services.”


    NDS Dynamic will track audience behaviour across live TV. But, additionally, it will monitor time-shifted digital video recorder (DVR) and on-demand viewing, and usage of the electronic programme guide (EPG) and interactive applications.


    Foxtel will use the information from a pre-defined panel of set-top boxes (STBs) recruited by TNS Media Research to learn more about the viewership for its services. Having a better understanding of viewer preferences will help to optimise services and marketing strategies.


    NDS Dynamic combines NDS’ expertise in STB data collection with TNS’ expertise in STB data processing and analysis, the company said in a release. TNS’ RaPiDView solution delivers information gained from the Return Path Data (RPD) stream from digital STBs, providing accurate tracking of the channels and ads viewers watch and the services they use.


    By monitoring advanced advertising applications, such as the interactive red button – increasingly regarded as synonymous with interactivity – and on-demand ads, Multi Channel Network (MCN), Foxtel’s air time sales house, will be able to make better informed ad placement decisions and expand its portfolio of advertising services.


    MCN CEO Anthony Fitzgerald says, “As we improve the level of accountability we offer media buyers, we will be able to offer a superior ad sales service and grow our multichannel TV ad sales. By acting on the information made available through NDS Dynamic, we will be able to make better ad placement decisions and, in the future, support new formats such as interactive advertising and addressable advertising.”


    NDS Dynamic is a suite of advanced advertising solutions including technologies that deliver audience measurement, addressable advertising and interactive advertising.


    Adds NDS Product Marketing Manager and advertising solutions Gideon Gilboa, “NDS Dynamic is a flexible and all-inclusive platform for delivering a wide array of addressable and interactive advertising applications. Reliable audience measurement is the basis for all of these advanced advertising applications. We are pleased to be able to help Foxtel to get the accurate data it needs for its decision-making and for more efficient and effective marketing.”

  • NEC Electronics introduces new SoCs for STBs

    MUMBAI: NEC Electronics has announced the availability of a new image-processing solution, the EMMA3TMSL/P system-on-chip (SoC) based on NEC Electronics’ enhanced multimedia architecture (EMMA) platform.


    EMMA3SL/P SoC is a set-top box (STB) device compliant with H.264 high definition (HD), the next-generation image-compression standard, as well as the multi-format video support used for the increasing number of worldwide internet-protocol television (IPTV) STBs such as DivX, VC-1, and WMV. The new SoC is also the first among the company’s EMMA products to support China’s audio/video standard (AVS).


    The EMMA3SL/P device is an image-processing SoC that integrates key functions needed to receive and decode digital broadcasts, including MPEG-2 HD audio/video decoders, transport-stream demultiplexers, as well as display controllers for enhanced display and graphics features.


    The new SoC includes features like multi-format video support for IPTV STBs, in addition to support for the H.264 HD standard and China’s AVS; integrated enhanced security features; and 20 percent reduction in the number of on-board pins compared to the company’s existing products, due to the high level of function integration.


    Digital audio/visual (AV) applications are a strategic business focus for NEC Electronics, and the company is actively promoting chips for this market segment. Having released the first digital broadcasting STB SoC in 1998 under the brand name “EMMA” the company has built a range of digital AV SoC devices since then covering three main areas – STBs, digital TVs and DVD recorders.


    With these devices, NEC Electronics reached a cumulative total shipment of 100 million as of April 2009. NEC Electronics introduced two EMMA devices in January 2009, the EMMA3SL/LP and EMMA3SL/L SoCs, to the wider H.264 STB market. Due to specific emerging demand for increased multi-format video especially in Europe, Asia, and Latin America, NEC Electronics announced an expansion of its STB device roadmap with advanced security features and cost efficiency, building on technology gained from previous products.

  • Hathway Cable & Datacom plans public float

    MUMBAI: The year 2009 could be historic for Indian cable TV companies as they plan to tap the capital market to fund their expansion into digitisation, move into corporate accountability, and create a wide pool of professional executives.


    After Digital Entertainment Networks (DEN), it is Hathway Cable & Datacom that is readying for an initial public offering (IPO). The largest multi-system operator (MSO) in terms of revenue is firming up details as it requires funding to seed more digital set-top boxes (STBs) and expand its broadband business.


    Hathway Cable & Datacom, industry sources say, is looking at a public float to raise around Rs 2.5 billion. “The MSO has already raised money from private equity and would not be requiring a larger sized IPO. It also wouldn‘t like to dilute too much,” sources add.


    Promoter Rajan Raheja owns around 58 per cent in Hathway Cable & Datacom while Star Group has 22 per cent and ChrysCapital 14 per cent. The regulation in India requires cable TV companies to cap their foreign holdings at 49 per cent.


    “The flexibility of diluting too much could also be constrained by the high presence of foreign holding in the company,” a source says.


    Hathway was also toying with the idea of merging Asianet Satellite Communications, the largest MSO in Kerala privately held by Raheja, with itself. After valuing Asianet and fixing the share-swap ratio, the consolidated entity would then have gone for a public float.


    Another option being explored is a listing through the reverse merger route. This was to be followed by a QIP (Qualified Institutional Placement) to raise funds.


    “The Hathway-Asianet merger is most likely not happening. And it looks almost certain that Hathway would go the IPO route,” the source says.


    The Hathway Cable & Datacom board is scheduled to meet in September.


    “Hathway will watch DEN‘s IPO and take a decisive call. The size of the IPO would also depend on market conditions and the valuation that Hathway gets,” the source says.

    DEN, the MSO jointly floated by IBN18 joint MD Sameer Manchanda and Network18 founder-promoter Raghav Bahl, is planning to raise $100 million through an IPO.


    Hathway has made several acquisitions over the last one year including two mid-sized cable TV companies, Bhaskar Multinet Ltd (the cable TV arm of Dainik Bhaskar Group) and Gujarat Telelinks.


    India has two big cable companies, Wire & Wireless (India) Ltd and IndusInd Media & Communications Ltd (housed under Hinduja Ventures Ltd), that are listed on the bourses.

  • 54 million FTA analogue mobile TV consumers in 2009

    MUMBAI: Telegent Systems, the television mobile manufacturer company, has provided further commentary on the In-Stat report that estimates a worldwide user base of 54 million ‘free-to-air‘ analog mobile TV consumers in 2009, signaling the long-awaited arrival of mobile TV in the global mass market.









    Telegent believes that the free-to-air mobile TV model, which has proven to be extremely popular with consumers in analog markets, can be successfully applied in both analog and digital TV markets particularly as handset models that address regional free-to-air digital terrestrial TV standards become available.

     

    According to In-Stat VP – research Frank Dickson, analogue mobile TV has two very fundamental and compelling advantages – cost and availability. “The infrastructure is already in place, there are no new standards that need to be enacted and the service is free to consumers – a very powerful combination.”


    The mobile TV industry has experimented with a number of different business models in recent years; however, analogue free-to-air is the first model to realise substantial and rapid global traction, extending the mobile TV success already realised in Japan and Korea to the global marketplace. In the space of just two years, free-to-air analog mobile TV has accelerated consumer adoption of mobile TV, transforming it into a mass market proposition.


    The analyst firm Forward Concepts estimates that free-to-air analogue mobile TV handsets will account for more than half of all broadcast TV handsets shipped in 2009, and In-Stat expects this market segment to reach 300 million users by 2013. Telegent‘s free-to-air mobile TV technology has played a significant role in driving this rapid consumer adoption globally.


    Telegent Systems president and CEO Weijie Yun says, “Despite the switchover from analog to digital in the US and Europe, 85 per cent of the world‘s population is still dependent on analogue TV signals. The success of free-to-air mobile TV technology in developing markets where the analog broadcast TV is prevalent demonstrates the potential for the free-to-air mobile TV business model on a global basis, including markets where analog to digital broadcast TV conversions have already occurred.”


    Telegent‘s single-chip mobile TV solutions provide operators and manufacturers with a cost-effective approach to mobile TV delivery. The free-to-air mobile TV feature takes advantage of the existing broadcast TV ecosystem, removing the need for capital investment from operators or broadcasters in infrastructure, spectrum or content. The feature can be implemented in a wide variety of handsets and price points.


    As a result, the free-to-air mobile TV model enables broad availability to consumers in all markets, and is not limited to the high-end phone segment.

  • Dish Network adds NFL RedZone to its platform

    MUMBAI: US-based pay-TV operator, Dish Network, has partnered with NFL Network for the new sports channel.









    As per the agreement, NFL RedZone, from NFL Network, will be available on Dish Network from 13 September.

     

    NFL RedZone will be available in both high-definition (HD) as well as standard-definition (SD) format on Dish Network‘s channel 155. The price for the channel has been set at $5.99 per month.


    “NFL RedZone is the most exciting thing to happen to football since high-definition. Dish Network is pleased to offer consumers an opportunity to catch every touchdown and the biggest plays as they happen,” said Dish Network CMO Ira Bahr.


    NFL Network COO Kim Williams added, “We are excited to announce this deal with Dish Network that provides fans with a new channel produced by NFL Network that complements the live broadcasts of NFL games.”


    NFL RedZone airs live action and real-time highlights up-to-date in real time, switching from game to game.

  • US Olympic Committee postpones plans for cable network







    MUMBAI: The US Olympic Committee (USOC) has deferred its plans for a dedicated US cable network in partnership with Comcast Corp.

     







    In July, Comcast and USOC had announced their intention to create a US Olympic Network (USON) that was to launch next year after the Vancouver Games.





     

    The channel had aimed to focus on American athletes as they worked to reach the Olympic Games covering championship competitions and trial events.

  • Online TV viewing may not be driven by faster broadband: Survey









    MUMBAI: The prospect of faster broadband connections will not be the catalyst for increase in TV viewing online, says a survey to be published by Deloitte/YouGov on behalf of the Media Guardian Edinburgh International Television Festival.


    The three-day festival is beginning tomorrow in the UK.

     

    Of the 2,123 viewers polled, 53 per cent said they would not watch more online video clips or TV programmes even with a faster and more reliable internet connection and 29 per cent felt there was little importance in being able to watch television using an online service.


    As many as 54 per cent of viewers surf the internet while watching television with 74 per cent of 18–24-year-olds multi-tasking compared with 40 per cent of 55+. Some 81 per cent of viewers use personal emails while watching TV.


    Younger audiences are more likely to watch TV online but a surprisingly high percentage (43 per cent) of 18-24-year-olds said that they would not watch more TV online with faster broadband speeds. Most viewers found online content too difficult to access or did not know how to. A large proportion (71 per cent) of those who sometimes watch television via the internet do so to catch up on programmes they have previously missed on television.


    When asked to list all of the genres of video clips viewers watched online, respondents voted news and comedy as most popular, each watched by 34 per cent, followed by music (30 per cent), documentaries/factual (23 per cent) and sports (23 per cent). The least popular clips are reality TV shows and factual entertainment, each watched by only seven per cent of the sample.


    Online video is now more synonymous with traditional broadcasters than with online pure-plays. Viewers‘ awareness (83 per cent) of broadcasters‘ on-demand sites (such as iPlayer, itv.com, 4OD) is now greater than that for either YouTube (76 per cent) or iTunes (64 per cent).

  • Govt fixes Rs 35 bn as base price for 3G auction

    MUMBAI: The government has fixed the base price of third generation (3G) spectrum at Rs 35 billion per slot.









    The decision, taken by the empowered group of ministers (e-GoM), also states that only five operators will be allowed in the first phase auction to offer the high-speed mobile services.



    This effectively means that only four new players will be given spectrum in the first phase, as state-run operator BSNLMTNL, is already offering 3G services in their respective circles.


     

    Additionally, the base price for pan-India WiMax (wireless Internet) spectrum has been fixed at Rs 17.5 billion. The number of licences in first phase is restricted to three by the e-GoM, which was headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee.



    Telecom Minister A Raja said that the auction will be complete within three months. “The government will complete the auction of 3G spectrum within three months and expects to raise Rs 250 billion,” Raja told reporters.



    Indiantelevision.com had earlier reported that BSNL and MTNL would have to match the price quoted by successful bidders in each circle.


    Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia were also part of the e-GOM.


    The much awaited 3G spectrum auction was getting delayed as the Department of Telecom (DoT) and the Finance Ministry were not agreeing on the base price. DoT had recommended Rs 20.20 billion as base price, whereas Finance Ministry wanted it to be higher at Rs 40.40 billion. However, the e-GoM, it seems, went for its own pricing.

  • Wasp3D to showcase WASPi Mimosa at IBC









    MUMBAI: Wasp3D, the interactive 3D broadcast graphics solution provider, would be showcasing its touch-screen based broadcast presentation tool, WASPi Mimosa and Wasp3D 2009 edition, at IBC Amsterdam.



    Wasp3D, which has recently started its operations in UK, has announced its participation at IBC Amsterdam 2009, the international forum for the electronic media industry. The exhibition is scheduled for 11-15 September.


     

    The company will showcase Wasp3D 2009 edition, which it claims is the futuristic on-air graphics solution equipped with interactive tools and features for enhanced presentation of television content.



    The solution has features such as touch-gesture based controls, menu groups for creating custom menu, inbuilt telestration tools. The module offers touch gestures based options (pan, zoom, rotate etc.) and advanced, inbuilt telestration tools for drawing arrows, ellipses, and highlighters on the touch panel.



    Also available on demo will be Wasp3D’s integration with newsroom control systems.


    Said Wasp3D director Tushar Kothari, “At the time when television broadcasters are reviewing their investment strategies, we are here to offer innovative technology that can help TV channels to increase their revenues. This IBC, we will show how easily TV stations can present their content in a much more interactive manner.”



    Wasp3D’s clients in Europe include Antena 1, Antena 3, Belgacom, CNBCe, Star Khaber, GSP TV, RTV, TRT, Turk TV and TV Vest.