ITV

Category: Software

  • Tata Sky files petition against Dish TV’s offer of free STB

    MUMBAI: Direct-to-home (DTH) service provider Tata Sky has filed a petition with fair trade regulator Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission (MRTPC), alleging Dish TV’s free set-top box offer as being an “anti-competitive” and “deceptive” act.













    Admitting the petition of the Tata Sky, the MRTPC Bench headed by Justice O P Dwivedi issued notice to Dish TV and directed it to file its reply in two weeks, reports PTI.

     

    Tata Sky contended before the MRTPC that Dish TV was indulging in deceptive advertisements as the STBs being given out by Dish TV were not for free and was in violation with the MRTP Act, 1969.


    During the proceeding of the commission, the counsel appearing for Tata Sky alleged that Zee group-promoted Dish TV claimed in its advertisement campaign in print and electronic media that its STB were being given for free, which was not the case.

     
    Tata Sky also submitted that in some schemes, the company (Dish TV) was charging rentals for STBs through agreements.

    In terms of market share, Dish TV is the leading player in the DTH space with 3.2 million subscribers, while the rival Tata Sky recently crossed the two million subscriber mark.


    The DTH operator also submitted a STB before the Commission contending that it was not free as price was mentioned over the box.

  • Pharos to have a presence at BroadcastAsia

    Pharos will attend Broadcast Asia for the first time and showcase the latest in integrated content management, multi-channel automation and control. With over 10 years experience, Pharos is now the UK market leader in desktop content management and workflow for broadcasters and service providers in television, radio and new media platforms such as VoD, mobile and IPTV.


    Pharos Mediator is a high performance platform for media management and desktop workflow. Mediator offers greater efficiency in multi-channel, multi-platform and multi-site broadcast by unifying workflow and operations under a single enterprise with browse at every desktop. Mediator integrates library management, ingest, QC, compliance, post production and playout providing end-to-end web based desktop operations.


     
    Mediator offers a number of advantages for the complex distribution requirements in Asia. Diverse international target markets often require multi-language audio and subtitles and Mediator provides the most efficient end to end workflow for these environments.


    New: Enhanced Workflows for Promotions and Channel Branding Pharos Mediator now integrates a wider range of post production and graphics systems to provide a more efficient workflow for series and channel promotions production. Apple Final Cut Pro, Quantel and Avid can be combined using Mediator workflow, transcoding and transfer management. Mediator browse is used for shot selection from anywhere in the system including library, online and archive. This can be passed directly to post production for editing, enabling more promotions to be produced within existing post production infrastructures. Additional programming can be delivered more efficiently for new multi-language, HD, IPTV, VoD, interactive and mobile services. Mediator can manage promotions in parallel with compliance and multi-language operations to provide a very efficient approvals process. Mediator compliance and promotions workflows based around Final Cut Pro will used throughout the show.


    Pharos Mediator Compliance Workflows is a new option for Mediator and provides streamlined workflows to manage both technical and editorial compliance which is often a key requirement for broadcasters and service providers in Asian markets. Content can be assessed frame-accurately for technical QC and problem content can be passed for technical correction or referred to a media supervisor.


    Content likely to offend target audiences can be flagged with frame-accurate markers and comments using Mediator browse, and then passed directly for editing. Compliance decisions can now be made in conjunction with the advanced schedule, channel region or watershed restrictions for multichannel operations. Specific audience and channel watershed times can also be flagged in advance by Mediator to compliance operators by downloading the schedule into Mediator.


    Using Pharos Mediator Browse and metadata at the desktop for compliance operations offers significant time-saving over stand-alone NLE, tape or DVD based operations. Mediator can manage compliance and parallel promotions and multi-language operations to provide a very efficient workflow. Managing compliance within Mediator workflows reduces errors or mistakes which can result in delays and penalties for broadcasters and service providers working internationally. Mediator also provides a complete audit trail for all compliance editing so that recurring problems can be reviewed and changes to compliance procedures can be implemented in a controlled manner.


    Pharos Mediator now offers improved management of the transmission approval process. Mediator will inform producers and channel managers of new material such as edits and promos awaiting their approval. This is a significant requirement in Asian markets where international and multicultural content often needs approval by specific producers and channel managers who are familiar with the target language and styles; Mediator ensures that the right content is sent to the correct manager for approval.


     
    Channel managers can view, review and approve the new clips using Mediator browse or in high resolution. The workflow history of any new material is available during approval. Mediator offers an audit trail of approvals so that any errors or mistakes can be identified and rectified. A more efficient and secure desktop approvals process using Mediator helps scale up operations for channel expansion and handles the additional workload for IPTV and mobile services. Managing approvals within Mediator reduces errors or mistakes which can result in delays and penalties for broadcasters and service providers.


    Pharos delivers better workflow management to broadcasters and service providers in television, radio, IPTV and telecommunications. For 10 years Pharos has continually developed the unique Mediator, Playtime and Pilot desktop broadcast management solutions. Pharos workflow offers greater efficiency for library management, ingest, quality control, storage management, archival, transcoding, post production and playout.


    Pharos solutions offer a next-generation platform to better manage multiformat content and enable rapid expansion in playout, presentation and publishing. Pharos software architecture, integration and support services enable disparate broadcast and IT processes to be unified across the enterprise.

  • UTV’s subsidiary company completes IMPL buy

    MUMBAI: United New Media Ventures (UNMVL), a wholly owned subsidiary of the UTV Software Communications focussed on internet, new media and digital activities, has completed the acquisition of IMPL.











    Post completion of acquisition process, UTV‘s subsidiary company, will hold 80 per cent of IMPL.

     
    IMPL has technology-based consumer and trade focussed business model positioned as an `Online Technology Infomediary` in India. “This business model focuses on the target age group of 15-35 and the Company finds this highly synergistic to its business. The acquisition by UNVML of IT Nation was through a combination of acquisition of equity shares from the existing promoters of IT Nation and subscription to fresh equity shares of IT Nation,” said an official statement.
     

  • Dalet to Exhibit at Broadcast Asia 2008

    Dalet Digital Media Systems will showcase its range of media asset management (MAM) and broadcast solutions at Broadcast Asia 2008 which will be held in Singapore from 17-20 June 2008.
     
    Additionally Dalet has been selected by the show organisers to lead the Media Asset Management Workshop (Hall 8, stand 8N5-01) which is part of the widely Broadcast Asia HD Xperience programme.


    Dalet stand demonstrations will include:
    Dalet Enterprise Edition | Media Asset Management with Extensible Architecture


    An extensible media asset management platform, Dalet Enterprise Edition gives the ability for media organizations to capture, create, manage, distribute and store media using a centralized content catalogue fully integrated with a comprehensive set of customisable production tools. Dalet Enterprise Edition also provides a web services, SOA (Services Oriented Architecture) compliant, Application Programming Interface (API) that facilitates the integration of third-party systems and applications.


    Dalet News Suite | End-to-End Production and Playout for News and Sports


    Dalet News Suite is a robust digital newsroom solution with integrated media asset management. The entire news production workflow is integrated. Distributed, multi-channel feed ingest features advanced scheduling, loop record, router control and edit-while-record capabilities. Desktop FireWire transfers of Panasonic P2 and Sony XDCAM material expedite transfer from the field.


    Dalet Media Library | Turn Key Media Asset Management : This combines state-of-the-art video server management with exceptional file migration technology, leveraging the power and cost effectiveness of standard IT platforms. Dalet Media Library facilitates access rights, modifications and distribution of content across the production chain.
     
    Flexible metadata forms allow users to customise information with maximum details. Dalet Media Library is further complimented with user-friendly storyboarding tools so simple to use that people with minimal editing skills can easily make cuts, assemble media, record comments and package content.


    Broadcast Asia HD Xperience : The 2008 edition of the HD workshop will explain how the use of Dalet Media Asset Management (Mam) technology helps broadcasters redesign their workflows to reap the benefits of open standards based production and archiving. Designed as a tutorial in partnership with other leading broadcast manufacturers including DataDirect, Orad, and Panasonic, this second edition of the HD workshop will provide a comprehensive, end-to-end overview of how a Dalet Mam enabled workflow is the key to profitable broadcasting in a multi-platform, multi-format world.

  • Orange TV to offer triple play to French households

    MUMBAI: Orange TV is planning to strengthen its hold on the French market with its triple play offer (telephone, Internet, TV) from 3 July. Orange TV is expecting to reach 24 million French households (98.3 per cent of the mainland population).









    Orange TV has recently signed an agreement with Eutelsat to extend its offer. Up until now, broadband TV technology only enabled half of France‘s households to benefit from the offer.


    With the new combined ADSL-satellite technology, Orange TV programmes will be available to virtually all French households.

     

    At the MIPTV 2008 event in Cannes, Orange confirmed the selection of two orbital positions for Eutelsat Hot Bird and Atlantic Bird3 to handle the satellite broadcasting of the TV flow reception of its triple play offer, where this is not accessible via ADSL.


    Globecast will handle the encoding, encrypting and transmission of the Orange TV channels.

  • GlobeCast to bring Rede Record International TV to Asia

    MUMBAI: GlobeCast, the content management and delivery company, has signed a deal with Brazilian television giant Rede Record Internacional TV to launch its channels across the Asian continent via SatLink‘s AsiaSat 2 MCPC (multiple channels per carrier) platform.









    The international signal will be downlinked by SatLink for turnaround to its AsiaSat 2 MCPC platform. AsiaSat 2, located at 100.5 degree East, provides regional penetration, covering a total of 53 countries and regions in Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Africa.

     

    Rede Record Internacional, which is available in the United States, Canada, Europe and Africa, claims of producing wide range of programming aimed at Brazilian expatriates and those interested in Brazilian culture. The deal will make Rede Record Internacional‘s programmes available to audiences throughout the region‘s major markets including China, Japan and India.


    Since 2006 GlobeCast, a subsidiary of France Telecom, has provided Rede Record International TV with distribution across Europe. The companies have now extended Rede Record‘s reach in Asia by working with SatLink Communications Ltd.

  • Social networking going mobile in US & UK

    MUMBAI: A growing number of mobile phone subscribers worldwide are taking online social networking to the streets, research conducted by Nielsen reveals.













    The findings, released by Nielsen Mobile, a service of Nielsen show that the UK leads Europe in mobile social networking on a percentage basis — with the US boasting comparable numbers.

     

    In the UK, approximately 810,000 mobile subscribers, or 1.7 per cent of all mobile subscribers in the country, visited social networking websites on their mobile phones in the first quarter of 2008.


    That reach percentage was twice as high as it was in other major European markets – though similar to the US, where 1.6 percent of all mobile subscribers (4.1 million in all) accessed social networks via their phones in December 2007.

     

    In the US, MySpace.com, the leading social networking site among PC users, is also the most popular mobile Internet social networking site. The site logged 2.8 million unique mobile users in December 2007.


    Also in December, Facebook, which has the second largest audience among social networking sites, had 1.8 million unique mobile users. In contrast, Facebook led mobile social networking sites in the UK with 557,000 unique mobile users per month in Q1 2008, while MySpace followed with 211,000 unique mobile users.


    While Facebook and MySpace.com were also among the top social networking sites in other European countries during the first quarter of 2008, MSN‘s Windows Live Spaces led in Italy (154,000 unique mobile users per month) and France (106,000), and ranked second in Germany (45,000) behind MySpace, which boasted 52,000 unique mobile users per month.


    Nielsen Mobile VP mobile media Jeff Herrmann says, ” Social networking is already a global phenomenon, and going mobile is the next big thing. In the UK and the US especially, we already see millions of users of MySpace.com, Facebook and other social networks interacting with their virtual spaces while they‘re on the go. Consumer demand for mobile social networking may be a significant driver of mobile service pricing models as evidenced by Vodafone UK‘s recent move to offer unlimited Internet access as a standard feature of its new monthly mobile price plans.”

  • BSNL & IMImobile ring back tone services crosses 2 million subscribers

    MUMBAI: Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and IMImobile, the global provider of value-added services (Vas), have announced that their personalised ring back tone service (PRBT) has crossed 2 million users after launching a year ago.









    After the partnership in April 2007, 20,000 – 30,000 subscribers a month have been added through the PRBT service. In a time span of 52 days, one million users were achieved.


    IMImobile provides a regional-based content to BSNL in eight circles of North zone covering the states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, UP East, UP West and Uttarakhand.

     
    IMImobile CEO and founder AR Vishwanath said, “It’s a pleasure to partner BSNL and we are delighted to reach this milestone of 2 million subscribers in such a short span of time. We are delighted at the consumer response and the considerable growth of the BSNL subscriber base over the last one year. Our robust and scalable technology coupled with content management and promotions tailored specifically for Northern India are the driving factors behind this success.”

    BSNL CMD Kuldeep Goyal said, “BSNL is seriously looking at Vas as engine for future growth. PRBT, branded as BSNL tune, is one such service, which has not only added to customer delight but also increased Vas Arpu (average revenue per user) substantially. We chose IMImobile as our PRBT partner after a competitive evaluation process. IMImobile has not only provided us with rich content but also build a robust and scalable platform for this service. IMImobile has proved to be the right choice for these services as we reached 1 million subscribers in a record 52 days of launch and now we have 2 million subscribers using these services, and growing.”

  • Samsung expands Guru series with new launch

    MUMBAI: Samsung Telecommunications India (STI) has launched its latest mobile handset Samsung Guru200. In line with its brand positioning ‘Next is What?‘, Samsung Guru200 offers FM recording as the new feature in its mobile phone segment.













    Priced at Rs 2999, the dual band phone provides a multimedia experience to consumers with its stereo FM radio and recording feature. Users can not only record songs from the FM radio (max upto 5 mins) but also save them as alarm or ring tones.


    The new Samsung model will offer multimedia features like MP3 ring tones and Java Games (cricket and sudoku). Some of its other consumer friendly features include emergency sms, mobile tracker.

     

    The Indian calendar in the Guru200 displays local holidays. The Hinglish database enables users to communicate in a blend of Hindi and English . The call time limit feature allows users to personally set a talk time limit per month, in order to put a cap on their talk time.

     

    Samsung Telecommunications India country head Sunil Dutt says, “Our Guru200 offers a strong value proposition to consumers at the entry level mobile phone segment. True to our ‘Next is What‘ campaign, this Phone offers FM recording as the ‘next‘ key feature in its latest Guru series of handsets.”


    Earlier in February, Samsung had launched its first in the series, Guru100 handset in the Indian market.


    The compact bar shaped handset is pre-loaded with Bollywood ring tones and speaker phone.

  • Getty Images is ICC’s official photo agency for 4 years

    MUMBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced Getty Images, the digital media company, as its official photographic agency for the next four years.













    The deal, which will run up to April 2012, means that Getty Images will cover all ICC events in that time including the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, which will be held in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

     

    Other events included as part of the deal are the ICC World Twenty20, ICC Champions Trophy, ICC Women’s World Cup, ICC U/19 Cricket World Cup, ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier and the ICC World Cricket League.


    Getty Images will also be responsible for providing coverage of the annual ICC Awards ceremonies for the duration of the contract as well as various ICC corporate social responsibility activities and important ICC meetings and media conferences.


    The ICC will also have access to Getty Images’ extensive library of cricket images during the term agreed. There will also be a provision whereby ICC sponsors can use certain images shot by Getty Images during tournaments to promote their support of ICC events.

     
    By the terms of the agreement, Getty Images has also undertaken to provide a dedicated ICC-branded media manager support site enabling 24-hour access to images by the ICC and its commercial partners.

    Getty Images director of sports sales EMEA Marc Webbon commented, “We’re looking forward to strengthening our relationship with the ICC over the next four years. It’s a great opportunity for us to showcase our bespoke photo assignment service and some of our new digital products and services such as the digital asset management system we have built specifically for the ICC and its partners. We plan to deliver a high quality and efficient digital image service to the ICC and all its commercial partners.”


    ICC GM – commercial Campbell Jamieson said, “Getty Images is a world-class sports photo agency with which we have enjoyed a very good working relationship for more than 15 years. Through Getty Images we have been able to promote the game of cricket and our events all over the world. This deal will bring that promotion to a new level.


    “The commercial initiatives contained in this agreement have been introduced to assist the ICC to deliver an enhanced and effective sponsorship servicing function and will save valuable time and effort for all parties concerned. Through this deal the ICC and our Members will benefit from the expertise and artistry of Getty’s talented team of photographers”.