ITV

Category: Software

  • Pay-TV revenue surpasses FTA TV turnover in Spain

    Pay-TV revenue surpasses FTA TV turnover in Spain

    MUMBAI: Spanish pay-TV revenues outrun free-to-air (FTA) TV services in terms of revenues in 2012. Pay-TV turnover amounted to €1.7 billion in 2012, surpassing for the first time in its history, FTA TV revenues which amounted to €1.6 billion, advanced television reports, citing data released by Spanish telecoms regulator CMT. Pay-TV revenues grew by 2.5 per cent year-on-year, while FTA TV services dropped 17.9 per cent in 2012.

    Satellite pay-TV revenues climbed 8.4 per cent year-on-year to €1.06 billion in 2012. Mobile TV and IPTV revenues increased by 14.6 per cent and 11.6 per cent respectively; whereas cable and pay-DTT sales fell 11.6 and 19.3 per cent respectively.

    Spain‘s pay-TV user base dropped by 351,636 subscribers or 7.5 per cent in the period. Spain ended 2012 with 4.3 million pay-TV users, with satellite technology accounting for 41.3 per cent, followed by cable with 32.7 per cent, IPTV with 18.8 per cent and pay DTT with seven percent. The IPTV user base saw the most dramatic decline, shedding 126,566 subscribers in the period, followed by cable with 97,665 and pay-DTT with 93,157.

  • TaxiForSure.com launches iOS & Android apps in Bengaluru

    TaxiForSure.com launches iOS & Android apps in Bengaluru

    MUMBAI: TaxiForSure.com, the Uber and Hailo equivalent of India has announced the launch of its mobile application on iOS & Android platforms. With the mobile app, TaxiForSure lets consumers book taxis in just 15 seconds and customers can just place a request for a taxi. The new mobile apps are now available for download on itunes & Google play stores.

    With this launch, TaxiForSure.com ensures that consumers get ready access to a large network of taxis in the city. With just two taps, customers can place a request with all free taxis in their immediate vicinity. Interested drivers accept the request and customers can track the assigned taxi right to their doorstep. The app also closes the trip with the exact fare information to be paid and a copy of the bill is automatically emailed to the customer.

    Commenting on the launch, Co-Founder and Director Raghunandan G added, “We use technology to efficiently map a customer to the nearest possible driver and vice versa. With the mobile app, we aim to revolutionise commute in India. We plan to equip every city and every person in India with the ability to get an economical taxi ride at their fingertips.”

    The application is currently available in Bangalore and will be launched in Delhi and NCR region soon.

    TaxiForSure.com was founded by IIM Ahmedabad graduates Raghunandan G and Aprameya Radhakrishna in June 2011 in Bangalore. Within a time span of two years the company launched its services in Delhi and NCR region and is looking at presence in 15 cities by the year 2015.

  • TRAI to hold open house in Bengaluru on monopoly/market dominance in cable TV services

    TRAI to hold open house in Bengaluru on monopoly/market dominance in cable TV services

    NEW DELHI: Stakeholders in the cable TV services have a platform to voice their opinion. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has announced an open house to be held in Bengaluru on issues relating to monopoly and market dominance in cable TV services. 

    TRAI sources told indiantelevision.com that only one open house is planned on the subject, based on the responses received. 

    Earlier, stakeholders had been given a final opportunity to give their comments by 1 July to its consultation paper on the subject issued on 3 June, and counter-comments by 8 July. The open house will be on 16 July.

    The paper was aimed at wanting to know if stakeholders agreed that the state should be the relevant market for measuring market power in the cable TV sector or suggest alternatives. 

    In the first place, TRAI which said it had issued the paper at the instance of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, wanted to know if stakeholders agreed that there is a need to address the issue of monopoly or market dominance in cable TV distribution and how its ill effects can be addressed.

    The paper contained a series of fifteen questions touching various aspects. TRAI has sought to know whether curbing market dominance and monopolistic trends as well as restrictions in the relevant cable TV market should be based on area of operation or based on market share.

    Those who support the area of operation option need to specify how the area of relevant market ought to be divided amongst MSOs for providing cable TV service. While those who feel that the monopolistic trends should be based on market share, should specify the threshold value of market share beyond which an MSO cannot be allowed to build market share on its own. The open house will also concentrate on devising ways of achieving this in a market where a MSO already possess market share beyond the threshold value. Furthermore, TRAI also wants comments on the suitability of the rules defined in the paper in this connection. 

    Stakeholders had to give their views about the threshold value increase indicated by the regulator, or suggest defining restrictions.

    TRAI also wanted to know if ‘control‘ of an entity over other MSOs/LCOs be decided according to the conditions mentioned in the paper or suggestion on alternatives. Stakeholders wanting different restrictions to curb market dominance have been asked to suggest these. 

    TRAI has apart from this, sought to know whether the parameters listed by it in the paper are adequate with respect to mandatory disclosures for effective monitoring and compliance of restrictions on market dominance in Cable TV sector, and the periodicity of such disclosures. 

    The regulator wanted to know of any amendments to be made in the statutory rules/ executive orders for implementing the restrictions.

  • Viacom18 & Tata Comm go cloud surfing

    Viacom18 & Tata Comm go cloud surfing

    MUMBAI: In the earlier days when telephones, internet and aeroplanes did not exist, messages were sent manually across countries through messengers. Today we watch the telecast of live matches at the same time globally. But somehow, broadcasters were caught in a time warp when it came to delivering the content syndicated to TV or VOD or online clients worldwide. The norm was to either send a tape to the broadcast customer whichever part of the world it was located or send out the show‘s episodes on a hard disk or via web-based ftp transfers online.

    No more. Telco services provider Tata Communications in partnership with Harmonics has developed what is being claimed as the world’s first cloud based broadcast quality video transcoding and delivery network. Viewers now have the choice to watch their favourite programs from other countries at the same time or a few minutes after the original playback without having to resort to piracy. What gets better for them is that they get broadcast quality videos, close enough to HD (high definition) quality rather than low resolution ones across a variety of platforms. This service is not restricted to just broadcasters but also production houses.

    How does it happen?

    Customers can upload their content to Tata Comm‘s portal while mentioning the device (iphones, tablets etc) for which they want it to be transcoded. The service picks it up and takes it to the cloud where the transcoding takes place after which it is either pushed back to the client or to wherever it has been asked to be sent to. A secure file acceleration method ensures safe delivery over the internet, says Tata Communications.

    Where huge amounts of data have to be archived, Tata Communications, is open to doing the job for clients after receiving a detailed document, along with the hard disk containing the data. A client may only be able to do one transcode at a time but Tata Communications can have multiple transcoding devices for speedy delivery with its 1gbps port.

    Tata Communications business
    head Sameer Kanse 
    says that the transcoded video
    is comparable to near HD quality

    Tata Communications says its cloud service helps reduce piracy. Viewers resort to piracy as the content is not available at the time they want to consume it legally and because the content is transported manually.

    With the Tata Communications service, shows can be simulcast or near simulcast because of quick delivery via the cloud and in the process this tends to reduce piracy, says Tata Communications business head Sameer Kanse. In this way the brand is protected, the copy is of good quality and the owners can get advertising as well as increased revenue.

    “They (clients) can either spend a lot of time protecting their content. Or they can actually make their content available before the pirates,” adds Kanse.

    On whether the system can be hacked , he says that it is much more difficult to pry open a secure network than steal a hard disk.

    He maintains that the transcoded video needn‘t be of the exact same quality as it was shot but it is comparable to near HD quality. “The service can effectively convert from any video format to any other video format – including between all common SD (standard definition) and HD formats, although its unique strength lies in its ability to handle professional grade broadcast video standards,” he says.

    What about time?

    By opting for this service broadcasters don’t have to undergo the Herculean task of setting up the hardware, maintaining and upgrading it as well as appoint people to handle it. This can be outsourced thus reducing time losses.

    IndiaCast, a joint venture between Viacom 18 and TV18 for distribution of its channels and content, has already started using the service for simulcast of its shows such as Bani, Sasural Simar ka and Na Bole Tum from Colors in Pakistan. IndiaCast COO Gaurav Gandhi says that this has cut down the time needed for this from three hours to an hour apart from that needed for file conversion to the requisite format, thanks to Tata Communications.

    With the rapid evolution of the internet it has become necessary to make content ready in multiple formats in a quick span of time. This service will take off a big burden from broadcasters‘ shoulders. “We are saying you (broadcasters) focus on creativity and we will focus on our work,” reiterates Kanse.
    IndiaCast COO Gaurav Gandhi is
    looking at using cloud based services 
    for simultaneous broadcast in other
    markets as well

    Tata Communications also provides a ‘live’ service to its customers, if asked for, which would allow seamless transmission of live content across different countries and operators. Without naming the broadcaster Kanse says that one of the ‘key’ broadcasters that recently launched on its own is taking its live service from them.

    Customers opting for the service normally ‘pay as they go’ wherein a higher commitment is priced higher and vice versa. Another aspect of pricing is the format of content in which it is received. Cost for converting tapes is higher than hard disks.

    Curbing Piracy

    Piracy of Colors by cable operators in other territories was one of the main reasons why Viacom18 chose to use this cloud based service. “We are looking to use the cloud based service actively for certain kind of programming of ours that has appeal/demand for simultaneous broadcast in other markets as well,” points out Gaurav Gandhi.

    The transcoding is currently taking place in Tata Communications Mumbai and London centres and can be sent across the globe. As far as numbers are concerned, Kanse says that he couldn’t share numbers but the increase in revenue would be ‘significant’ as there isn’t any other company providing similar services which is the need of the hour.

    Kanse was wary of revealing any client names apart from Viacom18, but apparently quite a few producers and broadcasters have taken a shine to the Tata Communications cloud based service.

    Clearly, that should put him up in the clouds.

  • Australia’s Ten unveils Xbox app

    Australia’s Ten unveils Xbox app

    MUMBAI: Through a new agreement with Microsoft, Network Ten is launching the Network Ten Xbox app, which is the first commercial free-to-air (FTA) channel VOD application available in Australia.

    The app gives Xbox Gold Live users instant access to a library of more than 25 programs, among them Offspring, The Graham Norton Show, Bondi Rescue and Totally Wild. It will also update with the latest news from Ten News At Five and Ten Late News as it breaks.

    Network Ten chief digital officer Rebekah Horne said: “We are delighted to be the first Australian commercial free-to-air network to join forces with Xbox to provide its consumers with new entertainment, comedy, reality and news content.”

    “This is the first product release in Ten‘s TV anywhere strategy. Our goal is to deliver a TV experience anywhere that consumers are engaging with video content. Ten‘s TV anywhere strategy will be realised over time by a number of product releases across different platforms and devices,” she added.

    Microsoft Australia interactive entertainment business lead Jeremy Hinton said: “We are thrilled to be adding Network Ten content to the Xbox platform and our content library.”

    “Our aim is to provide Australian Xbox Live members with the best and most popular television content, alongside movies, music and games, and now they will be able to access some of Australia‘s highest rated local and international shows,” he added.

  • Mumbai’s cable TV operators battle on Maharashtra entertainment tax

    Mumbai’s cable TV operators battle on Maharashtra entertainment tax

    MUMBAI: There’s a battle royale brewing in India’s entertainment and commercial capital Mumbai. On one side is the Cable Operators’ & Distributors Association (CODA) led by its president Anil Parab. On the other side is the Maharashtra government.

    Parab has threatened to switch off all news channels – including Marathi, English and Hindi – when the Maharashtra assembly convenes for its Monsoon session starting 15 July. What’s bugging cable operators is the entertainment tax that is levied by the Maharashtra government.

    “At Rs 45 per subscriber, it is too high,” says InCable managing director Ravi Mansukhani.

    Parab says that this should be brought down to Rs 15 per set top box or subscriber. “We had agreed to the government’s demand to take it up to Rs 45 from Rs 30 per subscriber earlier because they said cable TV subscriber connectivity declaration was at 30 per cent at that time. Now with digitisation coming in and declarations going up to 100 per cent we believe the tax should go down. Not only will the government’s entertainment tax collections go up, it will also be fair to the cable TV community.”

    Entertainment tax in Delhi is Rs 20, while in others it is zero and yet others keep it in the five per cent to six per cent range. Estimates are that the government has collected around Rs 3.34 crore in entertainment tax from the cable TV operators this year.

    Parab, a legislator and lawyer himself, says he had even met up with deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar on the same earlier, and has asked for a meeting with Maharashtra revenue minister Balasaheb Thorat this week. “I hope to get a positive response. If we don’t then the news channel blackout will spread to the rest of Maharashtra too as I have been getting calls from those in the interiors too expressing their support.”

    Parab is quite clear none of the channels will be spared, not even Doordarshan. “We will go all the way,” says he.

    Indeed. Are those in the corridors of power in Maharashtra listening?

  • MSOs report healthy collection of CAFs as deadline nears

    MSOs report healthy collection of CAFs as deadline nears

    MUMBAI: 10 July and all the heads of India’s cable TV MSOs are going to be at the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) office. Reason: that’s the deadline for them to give the TRAI an update about how far they have progressed with the consumer application forms (CAFs) in DAS areas.

    The TRAI had over the past few months been egging on the national MSOs to ensure that they collect every bit of information about their subscribers so that they could move over to transparent subscription management systems and retail billing. But resistance from local cable TV operators and customers who had been lethargic on this front had made the regulator crack the whip. In early June this year, MSOs had been warned to collect CAFs from their customers by 25 June, but were given an extension till 10 July when they updated the regulator about the slow progress.

    The biggest worry area was New Delhi where apparently the level of CAF collection was below 50 per cent.

    When Indiantelevision.com contacted some MSOs to get an update about the status of CAF collections today, they said that they had made some more progress.

    “70 per cent in Mumbai,” says Hathway Cable CEO Jagdish Kumar. “75 per cent in Delhi. We have reached higher levels on our own network subscribers at about 90 per cent but we expect things to speed up at our joint ventures by end of this week.”

    DEN CEO SN Sharma says that the network has managed to get to about 80-85 per cent in terms of CAF collections in Delhi. “Our focus is on Delhi as it was a major worry,” he says. “This will then be followed up by Mumbai and Kolkata. We are clear we will start switching off those who are still not submitting.”

    InCable managing director Ravi Mansukhani says that almost all of the MSOs have got CAF collections between 70 and 90 per cent in the two cities.

    Kumar says the collections should surge in the last two or three days as the deadline nears.

    But a source reveals that while the deadline has been set for 10 July, it is quite likely that TRAI will give a final extension till 15 July before ordering the MSOs to switch off signals to errant customers.

  • worldoo.com partners with Universal Picture International for Despicable Me 2

    worldoo.com partners with Universal Picture International for Despicable Me 2

    MUMBAI: This monsoon, Gru‘s faithful Minions will land themselves in another sticky situation and this time not only with the super-villain. worldoo.com has announced their partnership with Universal Picture International to create Despicable Me 2 inspired themes and avataars in the first of its kind ever-evolving online ecosystem for kids featuring the unpredictably hilarious Minions.

    The users of worldoo.com can watch the trailer of Despicable Me 2 in the DOO TV, users can choose Despicable Me 2 avatars and design their homes with specially designed themes based on the animation flick on the Doo Store.

    “We‘re excited to introduce Despicable Me 2 avatars, themes and contest on worldoo.com as it will add a bit of playful flair to any home. As audiences gear up for the release on July 5th, new Despicable Me 2 avatars and themes will make it easy and fun for fans everywhere to use their creativity. It also gives consumers a simple, convenient way to access and enjoy the trailor of the film through India‘s first online ecosystem for Kids,” said worldoo.com head experience & brand Harsh Wardhan Dave.

    Commenting on this partnership, Universal Picture International marketing head Jacinto Fernandes said, “India is a priority market for us so our partnership is a win-win for both Universal and worldoo.com. The alliance expands the distribution of the movie and this association will leverage worldoo.com‘s enviable network of promotional channels of the movie. I am sure that we will enjoy some of the highest game-plays and web traffic in the region coming from India through worldoo.com and we look forward to welcoming even more players to meet the characters of Despicable Me 2 on the worldoo.com which is the innovative way to reach out to kids.”

    worldoo.com got a tremendous response from kids on the digital platform, within the launch of two months the website attracted 19,500 plus kids. worldoo.com has got around 113,000 unique visitors and over 2.5 million page views till now. Kids are loving worldoo.com – as a result, average time spent is close to nine minutes and 11 page views are happening per visit, which is very encouraging for the platform.

  • Malone to steal spotlight at Sun Valley conference

    Malone to steal spotlight at Sun Valley conference

    MUMBAI: Liberty Media Corp chairman John Malone, the 72 year old ‘King of Cable‘ will be the most popular billionaire roaming in the Sun Valley Resort which is a host of the annual gathering of media and tech moguls. He is one of the 300 executives expected to attend the conference that runs Tuesday through Friday in Idaho.

    The gathering has been hosted by Allen & Co, a New York-based investment bank and has a history of launching landmark media deals such as Comcast‘s acquisition of NBC Universal in 2009, but has been quieter in recent years.

    The guests, who shed their suits for khakis and fleece vests for the week in Sun Valley will attend lectures on politics, business and other subjects of media.

    Walt Disney Co CEO Bob Iger, CBS Corp CEO Les Moonves, and Twenty-First Century Fox Rupert Murdoch, will also be seen hiking or playing golf with their fellow moguls. The annual gathering will also be attended by IAC/InterActive Corp chairman Barry Diller and his wife Diane von Furstenberg.

    On the tech side, guests will include Facebook Inc founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos, Google Inc‘s Sergey Brin, Eric Schmidt and Larry Page and Netflix CEO Reed Hastings.

    Venture capitalists and private equity chiefs expected to attend include Andreessen Horowitz LLC‘s Marc Andreessen and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co‘s Henry Kravis.

    “The deal making pace could pick up now that the U.S. economy is finding its footing. I see more strategic transactions across cable and the traditional media sector,” said New York-based partner in the investment bank Centerview Partners Todd Davison.
    “Media executives are feeling increased confidence to enhance their business prospects through actions other than purely internal operations,” he added.

    NEXT: CABLE CONSOLIDATION

    Since cable pioneer Malone jumped back into the U.S. cable market with Liberty Media‘s investment in a 28 per cent stake in Charter Communications earlier this year, analysts have predicted a wave of cable consolidation. The U.S. cable TV market is mature and faces rising programming costs as well as technology threats from upstarts.

    “Consolidation in cable is going to happen. The question is, who leads it? Malone has the credibility,” said Wunderlich Securities analyst in Denver Matthew Harrigan.

    On the guest list, Malone is listed one spot alphabetically above Time Warner Cable Inc chief operating officer Robert Marcus, who is being considered to be the CEO-in-waiting behind Glenn Britt, who is also attending the conference.

    Malone is interested in buying Time Warner Cable. He has made an offer for the company, which was rejected because it was not beneficial to Time Warner Cable shareholders, according to a source familiar with the matter.

    Another cable giant in attendance will be Comcast‘s CEO Brian Roberts.

    thers on the list include DirecTV CEO Michael White, whose company is considering a billion dollar bid for online video service Hulu and whose satellite company is often mentioned as a potential merger candidate with Dish Network.

    Likely Hulu bidder Peter Chernin, who in the last two years has bought stakes in an Indian media company and online companies, is also on the guest list.

    Malone, however, is likely to be the center of attention. A year ago, Malone was vocal at the Sun Valley conference about his plans to gain control of Sirius XM without paying any premium.

    This time, Malone will be talking up cable TV. Charter‘s stock is up 27 per cent since Malone took the stake in Charter while Time Warner Cable‘s stock is also up about 20 per cent in the same time span.

    “Malone has created a currency in Charter and wants to use it to consolidate,” said Brean Capital analyst in New York Todd Mitchell. “We believe Time Warner Cable is the prize on Malone‘s mind.”

    Analysts say that Malone‘s ambitions in the United States mirror his European expansion plans. Malone has been on a decade-long acquisition spree in Europe.

    Through his Liberty Global Inc unit, Malone struck a deal in February for about USD15.75 billion to acquire Virgin Media Inc, the cable group in which fellow billionaire Sir Richard Branson holds a three per cent stake. Liberty Global is the largest cable operator in Europe, spanning 11 countries.

    Liberty Global CEO Mike Fries will also be seen in Sun Valley. Malone has about 40 per cent of the voting control in that company despite owning only a roughly four per cent stake. Liberty Global recently was outmaneuvered by Vodafone in competing bids for German operator Kabel Deutschland.

  • Catch the Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa action on-the-move

    Catch the Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa action on-the-move

    MUMBAI: After the roaring success of Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa mobile application last season, Colors has now introduced its version 2.0, a user friendly and interactive app for fans. The app will help audiences relive the on-screen fun and excitement on the cell phone every single day.

    The Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa mobile app has been specially designed for Jhalak fans who do not want to miss the action of their favourite contestants and engage with them even when on-the go! The app will be available on iOS and Android platforms globally.

    This interactive app has a new tap dance game that tests the speed and skill to earn top points on the leader board. Adding onto the excitement of dance are the dance tutorials with the shows celebrity choreographers. Audiences can now learn new dance forms like jazz, locking and popping and contemporary among others on the click of your fingertips.

    Users can also follow the jury Madhuri Dixit, Karan Johar or the celebrity contestants’ real time on the JDJ twitter feed, vote for favourite dancing couples, peek into exclusive behind the scenes videos and episodes along with testing your knowledge with the Dance IQ feature. The application has been developed in association with Mobilox, a mobile technology company.

    Commenting on the launch of the application, Colors digital head Vivek Srivastava said, “With this new season of Jhalak we have not only re-defined dance but all the experiences associated with it. The JDJ mobile app was such a hit last year that we have launched the application again this season with more interactive and unique features. With this app we are not only reaching out to the technology savvy and active users but also the dance fans in the real sense. Even though the show is a weekend property the application is aimed at driving engagement with the brand through the week. Keeping this in mind, we have introduced the Tap Dance Game and dance tutorials to further this experience.”

    With this app, the JDJ fans can update themselves on the show and also follow the action in real time. Blockbuster director Karan Johar, who is one of the judges on the show also said, “I am quite excited about the new Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa mobile app. It’s a great way to catch up on all the behind the scenes action or missed performances. The best feature of the app is the dance tutorials where one can learn their favourite dance forms. I think all Jhalak fans can now update themselves and follow all the action real time.”

    Very soon the application will also be available on Symbian and Java platforms. The app can be downloaded by sending a SMS- APP to 56882.

    On partnering with Colors to develop this app, Mobilox Abhijit Saxena said, “We are really happy to partner with India’s popular celebrity dance reality show on Colors. The JDJ app is a simple and very user friendly app and will be a delight for all Jhalak fans. Mobilox has ensured that audiences apart from getting entertained on television channel also interact with JDJ on their mobile phone on a daily basis. The tap dance feature is extremely addictive.”

    Apart from the app, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa has partnered with Dancewithmadhuri.com, Madhuri’s online dance academy to run a special online contest that allows fans to learn dance and upload their videos, and win IPads. Not just that, Madhuri Dixit will herself select one lucky winner who will get a chance to dance with the diva herself.

    Jhalak Dikhhhla Jaa, the local adaptation of the BBC Worldwide format Strictly Come Dancing, is produced in over 30 countries worldwide including India.