Category: Software

The names floated are Finance Secretary Arun Ramanathan, Consumer Affairs Secretary Yashwant Bhave, former BSNL Director (Finance) SD Saxena and DoT member technology K Sridhar.

The panel headed by Cabinet Secretary KM Chandrasekhar met today to hold an interview to select a prospective chairman, who will replace member-Finance AK Sawhney, who has taken charge as interim chairman.

MUMBAI: NDS, which provides technology solutions for digital pay-TV and RaySat Broadcasting Corporation (RBC), has been chosen by RBC to enable the secure delivery of AT&T CruiseCast mobile TV service, a new source of entertainment for people on the road.

The AT&T CruiseCast service will provide 42 channels, 22 satellite TV

and 20 radio channels to the rear seat entertainment system.

The complete NDS solution for RBC includes VideoGuard conditional access technology, MediaHighway middleware and electronic programme guide (EPG). These solutions ensure that AT&T CruiseCast services are securely delivered to subscribers and enable RBC to expand services for its subscribers in the future. NDS will additionally provide end-to-end system integration services to RBC, and its EPG will be implemented in the in-car receiver.

The AT&T CruiseCast mobile TV service will include a variety of kids and family, documentary, music, comedy, news and sports programming at launch. The AT&T CruiseCast service will enable families, commuters and mobile professionals to watch the same type of television

in the rear seat entertainment systems of their vehicles.

The AT&T CruiseCast service was created through the collaboration of RBC and telecommunications company AT&T. RBC, a privately held US company, is working with the business development group at AT&T to introduce the new product to the marketplace. The service will be available this Spring.

NDS Americas VP, GM sales Jesper Knutsson says, “NDS provides content security and advanced applications for our customers around the world, and this collaboration means that we are able to extend that delivery from the living room to family vehicles.”

“NDS has demonstrated its clear expertise in the global digital TV solutions market, so selecting them as our partner was a natural choice. With the combination of RBC, NDS and AT&T, consumers will be able to enjoy a remarkable in-car live TV experience,” RBC COO Michael Grannan adds.

MUMBAI: Asian satellite operator Asiasat was again voted the Best Asian Satellite Carrier in the 2009 Telecom Asia Awards.

This is the third time in four years AsiaSat has been presented with this award as recognition of its performance in the Asia-Pacific telecommunications industry.

The winners were chosen by an independent judging panel of industry professionals, and supported by analysis from global IT and telecom consultancy firm Ovum. The criteria for selection were based on financial performance, market leadership, technology and innovation.

Chairman of the judging panel Robert Clark says, “Asiasat impressed judges with its strengths across-the-board – network depth and reliability, market leadership and sound financial performance in the fact of a deteriorating economy”.Asiasat CEO Peter Jackson says, “We are proud to receive this top recognition again from our industry peers. We would like to thank Telecom Asia and the judges for this honour, and our valued customers and partners, devoted staff for their support and dedication that have made Asiasat a well recognised market leader.”

MUMBAI: AXN Beyond and Sony Entertainment Television (Set) from the Sony Pictures Entertainment Networks Asia (Spena) stable will expand their reach in Hong Kong as both join AXN and Animax in a four-channel launch on the basic tier of Hong Kong pay-TV platform, TVB Pay Vision, on 1 .

The new carriage deal with TVB Pay Vision brings Spena‘s quartet of channels to a total of four pay-TV operators in Hong Kong. The others channels are PCCW‘s nowTV which also has all four linear channels, as well as cable TV and Hong Kong Broadband Network‘s bbTV, both of which have AXN and Animax.

AXN Beyond offers supernatural, fantasy, mystery and horror programmes, while Set serves up towards female-skewed entertainment.

Spena senior VP, GM Ricky Ow says, “The Spena portfolio offers four very different entertainment destinations. With the carriage of all four channels on TVB Pay Vision, Hong Kong viewers will be able to benefit not only in terms of a wider variety of content available, but also from the attractive packages offered.

MUMBAI: Digital Entertainment Networks, one of the leading multi-system operators jointly floated by IBN18 joint MD Sameer Manchanda and Network18 founder-promoter Raghav Bahl, is in talks with private equity investors to raise funds for expanding its digital cable TV business.

The MSO has already got an investment of $40 million from Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Limited (IL&FS), a source familiar with the development tells Indiantelevision.com.

DEN has a major presence in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, the two lucrative carriage revenue markets for cable networks from broadcasters, and is pushing for digital set-top boxes (STBs) for which is requires fresh infusion of capital.

“DEN has initiated serious talks with private equity investors. It has also kept open its other option of tapping the capital market with an initial public offering,” the source says.

MUMBAI : Revenues in the European cable industry jumped more than seven per cent last year to €18.2 billion.

Demand for digital television, internet broadband and telephony services grew sharply from 41 million subscriptions in 2007 to 51 million in 2008. Including the 43 million customers who watch analogue cable TV, the total number of subscriptions grew to 94 million, according to new figures published by Cable Europe.

The figures, compiled by Screen Digest, showed that total cable industry revenues in Europe rose to €18.2 billion in 2008, compared with €16.96 billion in the previous year and more than double the €8.2 billion total recorded at the start of the decade. Cable now accounts for 58 per cent of all pay-TV homes in Europe.

Cable Europe president Manuel Kohnstamm says, “Cable in Europe continues to grow at a healthy pace despite the economic slowdown. Technological innovation and improved customer experience are the main drivers of this ongoing trend.”

This progress comes as industry leaders including Disney Channels Worldwide president Rich Ross, Liberty Global president and CEO Mike Fries, Joost CEO Mike Volpi and Virgin Media CEO Neil Berkett prepare to debate new content deals, technology opportunities and pay-TV demand at the Cable Congress in Berlin later this month.

At the Congress, which will bring together over 700 delegates, the Executives are expected to renew a commitment to digital services, reflecting the continued transition from analogue to digital distribution.

Of Europe’s largest markets, particularly strong growth was reported in Germany, the Netherlands and the UK, matched by consistently healthy demand in central and eastern Europe. A more detailed overview of the Cable Industry’s 2008 data will be given at the Cable Congress.

NEW DELHI: In a bid to ease the pain of DTH operators over interconnection agreements with broadcasters, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has issued a consultation paper on issues relating to tariff regulation.

The sector regulator has also asked for views from stakeholders regarding value-added-services (such as movie-on-demand, pay-per-View), platform services (such as active learning, active stories) and carriage of radio channels on the direct-to-home platform.

The issues falling under the ambit of debate include carriage fee, tariff between broadcasters and DTH operators and their subscribers. Trai has raised questions such as: Is a cap on carriage fee needed? Should the fee be the same across the DTH operators? If the variation model is to be adopted, should it be based on the subscriber base?

The regulator wants stakeholders to comment on whether tariff regulation for DTH at wholesale level should be in terms of laying down relationship between the prices of channels/ bouquets for non-addressable platforms and the prices of such channels/ bouquets for DTH platform.

Further, the regulator has sought views from stakeholders on retail tariff regulation, along the lines imposed for cable services in Cas areas.

Stakeholders will have to submit their comments by 30 March, 2009.

MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Television International (SPTI) has announced that its youth series Sufei‘s Diary has generated over 15.3 million online interactions.

The series was produced by SPTI through its joint venture with China film group, Huaso Film/Television Digital Production Company Limited (Huaso).

The series debuted across China in mid-December 2008. The 40-episode multiplatform series follows the adventures of 18-year-old Sufei as she adjusts to her new life in Shanghai with her father and stepmother after moving there from Beijing to attend university.

According to SPTI, Sufei‘s Diary is viewed online daily via portals such as Sina.com, online video-sharing site Youku.com and nationwide university broadband network, Cernet.com. In addition to social-networking websites, Sufei‘s Diary is also shown on television screens in some of China‘s major airports and it will also play on screens in public buses and subway stations in Beijing and Shanghai (subway only).

Viewers are encouraged to interact with the show through weekly online polls to help guide Sufei in some of the difficult decisions she has to make. The choice with the most votes affect the storyline of the next episode. Besides the weekly online voting, viewers can also interact with the series and its main characters in a myriad of ways such as online comments, blogs and through updates on their mobile phones. So far, the show has already attracted over 15.3 million such interactions, SPTI claims.

SPTI VP, production Mary Chan says, “We believe the show is not only entertaining, but the level of interaction offered by the show towards our advertising partners‘ brands is something which cannot be replicated by traditional television programs. That is why we are already talking to advertisers at this early stage about innovative brand integrations for season two of the show”.

Sony Pictures Entertainment, China chief representative Jiande Chen adds, “We are very pleased that Huaso has been able to take a global format and successfully adapt it in China to create branded entertainment which appeals to both viewers and advertisers.”

The recommendations, which Trai issued on 6 August, 2008, will allow companies to offer mobile services without owning a network or spectrum. The foreign as well as Indian companies can set up MVNO in India which can roll out wireless telecom services by renting spectrum and networks from existing telecom companies.

The government said that the detailed guidelines for MVNO will be issued by Department of Telecom (DoT) after it receives response from Trai on some issues.

Trai has recommended a foreign holding cap of 74 per cent in MVNOs, in line with other telecom services. Meanwhile, Mobile operators would be free to lease spectrum to as many MVNOs as they want.

With the introduction of MVNO, the telecom sector will witness the removal of a strong entry barrier which may enable the entry of asset-light companies which would reduce call rates further.