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  • Trai proposes tariff rate on STBs

    Trai proposes tariff rate on STBs

    MUMBAI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has proposed that cable TV service providers in conditional access system (CAS) areas to offer digital set-top boxes (STBs) on a monthly rental scheme of Rs 30 and a refundable security deposit of Rs 999.

    Subscribers will also have the other option to take the permanent rental scheme with no security deposit. But the monthly rent in this case would be higher. They also have the choice of subscribing to analogue boxes.

    Under the first scheme, the regulator has said that subscribers would own the box after five years and no monthly rentals would have to be paid after that.

    In case of a period before five years, the multi system operator (MSO) or cable operator shall be entitled to make deductions from the refundable security deposit at the rate of Rs 12.50 for every month or part of the month for which the subscriber has used a STB taken on rent or lease. The deductions will be made upon the submission of the STB in working condition.

    Under the standard tariff package (STP), subscribers will have the second option of not paying any security deposit but the monthly rental will be higher at Rs 45 per STB. For analogue boxes, the rent will be Rs 23 per month per STB.

    “In both options, there will be no payment for installation, activation charges, smart card/viewing card, repair and maintenance cost. Stakeholders are also free to suggest any other option as a STP,” Trai said today in a release.

    “Since the Indian standards do permit analogue STBs, an option for these boxes has also been provided under the second category,” the regulator added.

    Trai’s draft of the tariff proposals for STBs has invited comments of the stakeholders. Stakeholders may comment on these alternatives as well as suggest any other options for Trai to consider.

    “It has been proposed that each service provider should at least offer one STP in addition to any other alternate tariff package. The rationale behind this proposal is that every consumer should have the choice of choosing from amongst various alternatives of which at least one should be a package that is approved by Trai,” today’s release said.

    Trai’s proposed draft tariff order for STB schemes in CAS areas follows the government’s notification on 31 July that CAS would be implemented in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. Earlier, the division bench of the Delhi High Court had passed an order directing implementation of CAS with effect from 31 December in these three metros.

  • Easy Off Bang now in India

    Easy Off Bang now in India

    New Delhi- 10th Feburary 2006: After fantastic success across Europe, America and South Africa, Easy Off Bang is now available in India. Easy Off Bang is a multipurpose surface cleaner, which removes tough stains like hard-water build up, rust stains and ground-in dirt which ordinary surface cleaners/detergents/or phenyls cannot remove despite rigorous amount of rubbing and scrubbing.

     

    That’s why within two years of its launch in Europe, it is now present in 71 countries across the globe. In Tamil Nadu, where it was launched in June 2005 (TN was the test market), it is already a huge success with 15% market share.

     

    Easy Off Bang is available nationwide at Rs 65 for 400ml in a handy squirt bottle with an easy-use nozzle. It’s suitable for removing stains across various surfaces like tiles & floors, washbasin, taps & showers, window grills & panes, steel utensils, plastics and ceramics.

     

    Anne Engerant, Marketing Director, Reckitt Benckiser (India) Ltd said, “Until now there was no product available to clean “tough” stains like hard-water and rust in India. With the launch of Easy Off Bang, consumers will be delighted as it is an answer to a real need they encounter daily in their lives.” She further added, “We have tested this product in homes across 7 states of India and it’s heartening to see how Indian consumers have reacted so favorably to it.”

     

    Also commenting on the launch of Easy Off Bang, Mr. Chander Mohan Sethi, Chairman and Managing Director, Reckitt Benckiser India Ltd, said “Reckitt Benckiser is the market leader in surface cleaner category in India with excellent products like Harpic for toilet cleaning, Lizol for disinfected cleaning and Colin for glass cleaning. With the launch of Easy Off Bang, we bring yet another unique and innovative solution to the Indian Consumer.”

     

    To showcase Easy Off Bang’s properties of working right before the eyes, it has been launched with “demonstration” led advertising. In the commercial of 45 second duration, the anchor shows the effect of the product on tough stains across various surfaces right before the eyes of the consumer. Thereby demonstrating its proposition of “Bang… And the Dirt is Gone”!

     

    Easy Off Bang was first launched in Europe in 2004 and within two years of launch, it has 21% market share in countries like Hungary. It is one of the fastest launched brands by Reckitt Benckiser and has made the company a global leader in Multi-Purpose Cleaners.

     

    Easy Off Bang is manufactured by Reckitt Benckiser and is called Cillit Bang in Europe and Easy Off Bam in USA.

    Reckitt Benckiser (India), is market leader in Multipurpose Cleaner with strong brands like Lizol and Colin (59% market share)* and Harpic in the specialist toilet cleaner market (86% market share)*

     

    Reckitt Benckiser (India) Limited, formerly known as Reckitt & Colman of India Ltd has many brands in India, namely – Dettol, Harpic, Mortein, Lizol, Colin, Disprin, Veet, Cherry Blossom, Robin Blue, Brasso, Mansion and others. It has major presence in home and personal care, surface care, fabric care, pest control and medicine. The company is present in 140 countries all across the world and is No.1 in Household Cleaning Category. As seen across segments, Reckitt Benckiser brands are either number 1 or 2 in market share, in all the segments it is present in.

     

  • Interoperability wouldn’t support VAS, interactivity: Kaushik

    Interoperability wouldn’t support VAS, interactivity: Kaushik

    NEW DELHI: With the arrival of the second pay DTH player in the market, a buzz word would be interoperability, meaning whether consumers can switch from one service to another effortlessly.

    Though Indian government norms specify that all DTH systems need to be interoperable for consumer’s convenience, in reality it may not be so.

    Vikram Kaushik, MD and CEO of Tata Sky, which launched its commercial service on 8 August, hinted that interoperability may be limited.

    “Interoperability may not support interactive and value added services,” Kaushik admitted to a specific query on the issue today in Delhi.

    Tata Sky consumer marketing head Vikram Mehra explained that for seamless interoperability of all services, including interactive services, DTH service providers must have similar software.
    “In the absence of some (proprietary) software, value added services of a DTH platform may not get supported when a consumer changes the service provider. Yes, the TV channels would be available and that’s what government rules specify,” Mehra elaborated.

    What does this mean?

    If an existing Dish TV consumer, wants to switch over to Tata Sky service and hopes just a replacement of the smart card in the set-top box would give him all the features of Tata Sky, then he would have to think again.

    Features like interactive news and sports and some value added services like movie-on-demand of Tata Sky would not be available by just inserting a Tata Sky smart card in a set-top box bought/rented from Dish TV.

    For the records, Siebel will manage customer relationship management of Tata Sky, while Kenan will support the billing system, SAP will be responsible for enterprise resource planning and Sun Microsystems will provide technology infrastructure.

    The boxes would be sourced from Thomson and Korean company Humax.

    Both the companies will be manufacturing the set-top boxes in India, Kaushik said, which would help in keeping the price line under control.

    At present country’s first pay platform, Dish TV, boasts of 1.25 million subscribers, while pubcaster Doordarshan’s subscription-free DD Direct+ has a reported consumer base of 3.5 million.

  • ‘Galli Galli Sim Sim’ to launch on 15 August on Cartoon Network

    ‘Galli Galli Sim Sim’ to launch on 15 August on Cartoon Network

    MUMBAI: Turner International India Pvt. Ltd and Sesame Workshop will launch Galli Galli Sim Sim – the Indian version of Sesame Street – on 15 August. The preschool educational series will premiere on Cartoon Network at 1 pm.

    In the first season, the series comprising 65 episodes of 30 minutes each will be aired in Hindi, with usage of some English words.

    Galli Galli Sim Sim will address topics such as early literacy, creative thinking and reasoning, family and community life, healthy habits, and appreciating cultural plurality.

    With the launch of Galli Galli Sim Sim, Turner aims to create a new dimension in the realm of young kids’ programming by introducing the concept of using mass media to promote joyful, fun-filled learning through the theory – “Seekhne ka Mastana Andaaz.”

    Galli Galli Sim Sim aims to revolutionise kids’ programming in India with its well- researched content that will help in developing social, emotional and cognitive skills in children, and be the catalyst to encourage children to pursue educational goals.

    Turner International India Pvt. Ltd managing director Anshuman Misra said, “Having shaped kids’ television in India, with the launch of the leading kids’ channel, Cartoon Network, and subsequently the successful launch of Pogo, we, once again, aim to set a new benchmark in the industry with Galli Galli Sim Sim. As the leading kids’ entertainment player, we have consciously decided to focus on educational development as we realise our social responsibility towards shaping the future of our next generations. The social and emotional development of children is largely influenced by television today, and there is no doubt, that this is the best medium to communicate effectively with children.”

    “Harnessing the power of television, we aim to make Galli Galli Sim Sim an integral part of the lives of young children in India. Our aim is to reach out to almost every home, extending the reach of the series through the electronic medium and other multi-media initiatives. We are making a bold run at engaging millions of young children and we are confident that this unique series will change the face of kids’ education in India,” he added.

    Sesame Workshop executive vice president Daniel Victor said, “Sesame Workshop’s mission is to create innovative engaging content that maximises the educational power of media to help children reach their highest potential. We at Sesame Workshop are very excited about the launch of the Indian series. The series celebrates the vibrant cultural heritage of India with its uniquely adapted content, muppet characters, and a diverse human cast representing the commonalities and diversities of Indian society. We are optimistic that the Indian version of Sesame Street, Galli Galli Sim Sim will make a meaningful difference to the lives of children in the country.”

    Miditech president Niret Alva added, “We are delighted to have partnered with Turner and Sesame Workshop in producing this path breaking series that aims to create a new genre in TV programming for kids in India. It has been a very exciting and enriching experience for all of us at Miditech to produce this series that celebrates the cultural diversity of India. We have ensured that the portrayal of each of the characters and muppets is unique and meaningful as it is designed to create a long lasting impact on the lives of children.”

    Galli Galli Sim Sim, set in an “Indian Galli,” represents the reality of daily life for the widest possible range of Indian children and families. The series is targeted towards children between the age group of two to six years, transcends socio-economic barriers and will feature animated segments and live-action films, with music, stories, and art drawn from various elements of Indian culture and regions of the country.

    The Indian Muppet characters – Googly, Chamki, Aanchoo and Boombah have been specially created with Indian characteristics and elements. Along with them, a thought out human cast is also present.

    Taking the cause of spreading education and empowering children beyond the realm of television, Turner along with Sesame Workshop plan to undertake on-ground initiatives to reinforce the educational messages of the series and extend the project’s reach and impact.

    In keeping with this, Turner today flagged off a “Galli Galli Sim Sim Literacy Yatra” to reach out to more and more children in India. This Yatra from New Delhi, recreating the magic of the show, will travel to various cities such as Lucknow, Bhopal and Mumbai, distributing educational material to children. The yatra will finally culminate in Mumbai on 8 September, coinciding with World Literacy Day. Additional plans to continue outreach activities will be coordinated by Sesame Workshop India, NGO.

    Funding for the development phase of Galli Galli Sim Sim was provided through the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and ICICI Bank. Moving forward, the producers of the series will look to combine the strengths and resources of the public and private sectors for local development initiatives.

  • MTV International appoints Bhavneet Singh as dy GM emerging markets group

    MTV International appoints Bhavneet Singh as dy GM emerging markets group

    MUMBAI: In a move that reflects MTV Networks International (MTVNI) expanded portfolio of businesses in Europe, Bhavneet Singh has been promoted to deputy general manager of the fast expanding emerging markets group.

    In this role, Singh will manage almost 21 channels by the end of 2006, informs an official release.

    Singh will be responsible for all aspects of the business across the music channel MTV and the kids’ channel Nickelodeon and Comedy brands in central eastern Europe and Middle East with a specific focus on development and establishing brands across the emerging markets as well as new platforms, such as broadband (overdrive), mobile and the youth community website Neopets.

    Prior to his appointment, Singh previously served as international sales strategy director, for the corporate strategy group with in MTVNI working across all international markets.

    The new role will be based in London and he will report to MTV Networks International GM and VP emerging markets group Dean Possenniskie.

    Possenniskie commented; “Having, grown the EM business at a rapid rate, my energy, drive and focus continues with exciting plans for the emerging markets Group, with Bhavneet on board the further channel expansion in Eastern Europe, Middle East and Central Asia will be supported by him and his team. I’m confident that with his diverse business, commercial and strategy experience Bhavneet will be a huge success within emerging Markets”.

    MTV Networks Europe COO Simon Guild adds; “Bhavneet is a very talented individual and I am delighted to see him appointed to this important position where he will be able to drive growth in one of our fastest expanding businesses”

    Singh (32), whose promotion is effective immediately, has been with MTV Networks since 2004, has earlier worked for Manchester United PLC and has commercial experience working as director sales at IMG TWI in India, apart from being head of ad-sales at Discovery Channel in Asia. Bhavneet also holds an MBA from Manchester Business School.

  • It’s Gauri vs Saloni as Star Plus slots KAA for 9:30 pm; to launch on 29 August

    It’s Gauri vs Saloni as Star Plus slots KAA for 9:30 pm; to launch on 29 August

    MUMBAI: The stage is set for another interesting contest in the Hindi GEC battlefield. In a significant move, Star Plus has decided to wind up Kavyanjali and replace the soap with another Balaji Telefilms production Karam Apnaa Apnaa (KAA).

    Slotted for 9:30 pm, Monday to Thursday, KAA will lock horns with Zee TV’s driver show Saat Phere.

    Star Plus will launch KAA on 29 August. According to Star India senior creative director Shailja Kejriwal, the channel will use the soap, which will have as its principal characters Bengalis, to target Eastern India.

    “We have lots of soaps targeting Gujarat and Punjab, but nothing for the East. We are filling this void with KAA. The story has a Kolkata backdrop and the look and feel is very much Bengali. Then, we have many Bengali artists, including Roopa Ganguly and Jaya Bhattacharya, featuring in the serial,” says Kejriwal.

    Another strategy Star Plus is initiating with KAA is to reach out to the young audience during the launch phase itself. Accordingly, the marketing wing of Star India has devised various marketing activities and one of these is to hype up the lead character’s marriage.

    “We understand that the youth audience plays a significant role in the success of a television programme in India. Hence, we are making our best attempts to woo them during the first phase of our launch itself. We are trying to reach the youth in the age group of 20-28 through various activities woven around Gauri’s (the protagonist) wedding,” says Satya Raghavan of Star India Marketing.

    Explaining the strategies further, Raghavan adds, “Over the next three months, we will be constantly in touch with young people through various touch points. We will get in touch with them through various methods – all connected to the marriage process. These include wedding shopping, venue search and astrology. The activities will be conducted in a sustained manner, to make the most of the upcoming marriage season.”

    KAA will also see Balaji offering another debutant to Indian television. The new face Pallavi Subhash will don the title role of Gauri. The star cast also includes Apra Mehta, Salil Ankola, Delnaz Paul and Geetanjali Tikekar.

    KAA tells the story of Gauri who hails from a small hamlet of West Bengal. She is a very simple girl without any ambition, who has put the interests of her family before herself and has dedicated her life to make her father and her sister happy. The only dream she has is that after marriage, she should live a simple and happy life with her husband and her kids. Gauri is on the threshold of turning her dream into reality by getting married to her fiance, Shashank, but she could never have imagined that destiny has something different in store for her. And thereafter starts the journey of this simple girl, of the hardships she faces and how she strives to overcome them.

  • Viacom looking to acquire social networking site Bebo

    MUMBAI: In a bid to connect better with youth US media firms are looking to buy social networking sites. Last year, News Corp plonked down $580 million for MySpace.


    Now media reports indicate that Viacom is looking to acquire Bebo, a social networking site. In the UK, reports indicate that it has overtaken MySpace. In the US, though it has fewer users. It has 25 million users globally compared to around 90 million for MySpace.
     
    On Bebo, members can stay in touch with their college friends, connect with friends, share photos, discover new interests and just hang out. Reports indicate that it also provides video sharing (via VideoEgg widgets) and built-in Skype presence. While the designs may be more controlled than MySpace pages, most of Bebo’s success seems to arise from network effects – users join Bebo because everyone else is using the site.
     
    The founders of Bebo are said to be looking at upwards of a billion dollars. British Telecom‘s offer of around $400 million was reportedly turned down. For the week ending 5 August, Bebo was the most visited social network in the UK, and its market share of visits has grown 17 per cent in the past two weeks. 1 in every 135 UK visits goes to Bebo, which is now the 11th most visited site on the Internet. Viacom was also said to have been looking at one stage to acquire Facebook the second largest social networking site in the US.


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  • Discovery Networks (Asia) & Nokia select 10 Indians as semi-finalists for Mobile Filmakers 2006 Awards

    MUMBAI: Discovery Networks Asia -a division of real -world entertainment company Discovery Communications- coupled with the leading mobile communications company Nokia‘s initiative giving consumers the opportunity to try their hand at mobile filmmaking for the Mobile FilmMakers 2006 Awards sees ten Indians in the list of short-listed applicants as semi finalists.


    The 10 semi-finalists -J. Philip, Jeevan Konkar, Kayoom Mohd. Hanif Mistry, Koushik Choudhury, Kshitij Shankhdhar, Prasad Indap, Sajal Maiti, Samrat Sengupta, Sunil Babbar, and Tushar Joshi – have attended a special workshop on 5 August in New Delhi to learn the finer points of filmmaking and vie for a place in the finals.
     
    Organized by Discovery Networks Asia and Nokia, local filmmaker Saumya Sen was present at the workshop to offer insights and invaluable tips on mobile filmmaking. Similar workshops will also be conducted in other countries for semi-finalists from across the region.


    The workshops, conducted by experts in the industry, provide the semi-finalists with an opportunity to further hone their filmmaking skills. The semi-finalists will also learn about the many filmmaking functions and features of the Nokia N90, which they will be using to shoot a 30-second clip.


    A panel of judges comprising representatives from Discovery and Nokia will select the best two clips, and the two finalists will represent India at the regional workshop in Singapore. Finalists from all participating countries will be announced at a later date. The grand prize winner will take home USD$10,000 cash and will also win a three-month stint at Discovery‘s regional headquarters in Singapore.
     
    The Mobile FilmMakers 2006 Awards is the second collaboration between Discovery Networks Asia and Nokia, following the success of last year‘s initiative. This initiative empowers mobile phone users everywhere with the knowledge and technology of mobile filmmaking at their fingertips, and provides them with the opportunity to showcase their talent.


    Discovery Networks Asia senior VP of programming and creative services James Gibbons said, “We were very impressed by the quality of entries this year. We hope to uncover more new talent from India and other countries throughout the region. The number of entries received also shows that interest in the genre of mobile filmmaking is growing, and an increasing number of people are taking an interest not only in snapping photos with their mobile phones, but also in shooting their own mobifilms and expressing their creativity in a different medium. The Mobile FilmMakers initiative has clearly helped change the traditional concept of mobile phones, and has taken filmmaking in an exciting new direction.”


    Nokia business manager, imaging solutions, Shyam Sundar said, “The training that the semi-finalists and finalists of the Mobile FilmMakers 2006 Awards will receive during the workshops are invaluable. We hope the workshop participants will not only put their new-found skills to good use, but also teach others in their community to build the mobile filmmaking genre. With devices like the Nokia 90, and the soon to be released Nokia N93, both armed with Carl Zeiss optics, we hope to make mobile filmmaking a common and enjoyable activity amongst camera phone users.”


    To enter the contest, applicants were required to submit a brief written description of not more than 300 words with the theme:”My Discovery”. This was a chance for participants to explore the documentary filmmaker within themselves – share unique, insights, knowledge and experiences and bring to life a ‘discovery moment‘ as it is imagined on screen. The semi-finalists were selected based on the strength of their idea relating to the theme.


    Re-inventing the way people view filmmaking, the contest had kicked off on May 8 and more information is available at www.mobifilms.net, according to an official release.

  • iTunes in Europe sells over 200 million songs

    MUMBAI: Apple has announced that music fans have purchased and downloaded more than 200 million songs from its European iTunes music stores in just over two years.


    The iTunes music catalog now includes more than three million songs from major music companies and over 1,000 independent record labels.
     
    Launched in the UK, France and Germany in June 2004, the iTunes Music Store now operates in 17 European countries. All iTunes Music Stores offer features, breakthrough pricing and integration with iPod.


    Apple VP iTunes Eddy Cue says, “The number of songs downloaded and purchased from the iTunes Music Stores in Europe have tripled in the past year from 50 million to 200 million. We are thrilled that music fans in Europe have shown such enthusiasm for the artists and exclusive music content found only on iTunes and would like to thank them for making iTunes such a success.”


    With Apple saying that it has pioneered features such as integrated video and podcasting support, iMix playlist sharing, seamless integration with iPod and groundbreaking personal use rights, the iTunes Music Store is the best way for Mac and PC users to legally discover, purchase and download music and videos online. The iTunes Music Store features a selection of over 2,500 music videos, Pixar short films, and more than three million songs from the major music companies and over 1,000 independent labels.

  • Discovery Networks (Asia) & Nokia select 10 Indians as semi-finalists for Mobile Filmakers 2006 Awards

    Discovery Networks (Asia) & Nokia select 10 Indians as semi-finalists for Mobile Filmakers 2006 Awards

    MUMBAI: Discovery Networks Asia -a division of real -world entertainment company Discovery Communications- coupled with the leading mobile communications company Nokia’s initiative giving consumers the opportunity to try their hand at mobile filmmaking for the Mobile FilmMakers 2006 Awards sees ten Indians in the list of short-listed applicants as semi finalists.

    The 10 semi-finalists -J. Philip, Jeevan Konkar, Kayoom Mohd. Hanif Mistry, Koushik Choudhury, Kshitij Shankhdhar, Prasad Indap, Sajal Maiti, Samrat Sengupta, Sunil Babbar, and Tushar Joshi – have attended a special workshop on 5 August in New Delhi to learn the finer points of filmmaking and vie for a place in the finals.

    Organized by Discovery Networks Asia and Nokia, local filmmaker Saumya Sen was present at the workshop to offer insights and invaluable tips on mobile filmmaking. Similar workshops will also be conducted in other countries for semi-finalists from across the region.

    The workshops, conducted by experts in the industry, provide the semi-finalists with an opportunity to further hone their filmmaking skills. The semi-finalists will also learn about the many filmmaking functions and features of the Nokia N90, which they will be using to shoot a 30-second clip.

    A panel of judges comprising representatives from Discovery and Nokia will select the best two clips, and the two finalists will represent India at the regional workshop in Singapore. Finalists from all participating countries will be announced at a later date. The grand prize winner will take home USD$10,000 cash and will also win a three-month stint at Discovery’s regional headquarters in Singapore.

    The Mobile FilmMakers 2006 Awards is the second collaboration between Discovery Networks Asia and Nokia, following the success of last year’s initiative. This initiative empowers mobile phone users everywhere with the knowledge and technology of mobile filmmaking at their fingertips, and provides them with the opportunity to showcase their talent.

    Discovery Networks Asia senior VP of programming and creative services James Gibbons said, “We were very impressed by the quality of entries this year. We hope to uncover more new talent from India and other countries throughout the region. The number of entries received also shows that interest in the genre of mobile filmmaking is growing, and an increasing number of people are taking an interest not only in snapping photos with their mobile phones, but also in shooting their own mobifilms and expressing their creativity in a different medium. The Mobile FilmMakers initiative has clearly helped change the traditional concept of mobile phones, and has taken filmmaking in an exciting new direction.”

    Nokia business manager, imaging solutions, Shyam Sundar said, “The training that the semi-finalists and finalists of the Mobile FilmMakers 2006 Awards will receive during the workshops are invaluable. We hope the workshop participants will not only put their new-found skills to good use, but also teach others in their community to build the mobile filmmaking genre. With devices like the Nokia 90, and the soon to be released Nokia N93, both armed with Carl Zeiss optics, we hope to make mobile filmmaking a common and enjoyable activity amongst camera phone users.”

    To enter the contest, applicants were required to submit a brief written description of not more than 300 words with the theme:”My Discovery”. This was a chance for participants to explore the documentary filmmaker within themselves – share unique, insights, knowledge and experiences and bring to life a ‘discovery moment’ as it is imagined on screen. The semi-finalists were selected based on the strength of their idea relating to the theme.

    Re-inventing the way people view filmmaking, the contest had kicked off on May 8 and more information is available at www.mobifilms.net, according to an official release.