ITV

Tag: Ahmedabad

  • Day 23: Ten cities in FM Phase III inching towards Rs 10 crore mark

    Day 23: Ten cities in FM Phase III inching towards Rs 10 crore mark

    NEW DELHI: Around ten cities that have so far got bids of Rs 6 crore or more are expected to raise the cumulative winnings, going by indications on the twenty-third day in the e-auction for the first batch of FM Phase III cities. The cumulative provisional winning price showed a marginal rise to Rs 1139.3 crore at the end of the 92nd round.

     

    The number of provisional winning channels and cities remained the same as yesterday: 94 channels in 56 cities, but the total bids surpassed the cumulative reserve price by Rs 680.5 crore or 148.3 per cent against the aggregate reserve price of about Rs 459 crore.

     

    The cumulative provisional winning price has thus risen over the total reserve price of the first batch of 135 FM channels in 69 existing cities – Rs 550.18 crore – by Rs 589.2 crore or 107.1 per cent. 

     

    As per Information and Broadcasting Ministry sources, the e-auction will continue as long as bids are received for any of the 135 channels, including the 13 cities for which no bids have come.

     

    The Auction Activity Requirement rose to 100 per cent after the 59th round on 14 August, after being 90 per cent after the 37th round on 7 August.

     

    The winning price has gone up by more than 100 per cent above their respective reserve prices: Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Aurangabad, Bengaluru, Bhubaneshwar, Chennai, Delhi, Guwahati, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kolhapur, Mumbai, Nasik, Patna, Pune, Rourkela and Varanasi, which got provisional winning bidders at prices more than double the respective reserve prices. 

     

    A single channel in Bhubaneshwar created a new record by getting the most competitive bidding increment-wise by going up nine times the reserve price.

     

    However, there were still no bids for thirteen cities namely Asansol, Gulbarga, Mangalore, Mysore, Puducherry, Rajahmundry, Siliguri, Tiruchy, Tirunveli, Tirupati, Tuticorin, Vijaywada and Warangal.

     

    The demand in most cities fell by up to three per cent and by four per cent below the excess demand at the price in the 92nd round in Hyderabad.

     

    The Percentage Price Increment applicable for the Next Clock Round rose to five each in Guwahati, Jodhpur and Varanasi but was just one in Shillong.

     

    Provisional winning price in the top three cities reflected no change: Delhi at Rs 169.16 crore (for just one channel); Mumbai at Rs 122.81 crore (for two channels); and Bengaluru at Rs 109.25 crore.

     

    Kohlapur, which appeared to be the next to enter the Rs 10-crore club remained static for the third day with Rs 9.44 crore though cities like Kanpur, Rajkot, Amritsar and Aurangabad do not seem to be far behind.

     

    Chennai at Rs 53.38 crore, Ahmedabad at Rs 42.68 crore, Pune at Rs 42.03 crore, Jaipur at Rs 28.34 crore, Chandigarh at Rs 19.04 crore, Hyderabad at Rs 18 crore, Patna at Rs 17.89 crore, Cochin at Rs 15.04 crore, Nasik at Rs 14.66 crore and Lucknow at Rs 14 crore remained static.

  • Mukta A2 cinemas makes its twin debut – Hyderabad and Sangli

    Mukta A2 cinemas makes its twin debut – Hyderabad and Sangli

    MUMBAI: MUKTA A2 CINEMAS, where movies come to life, made its debut in the multiplex entertainment in the year 2012 with its first screens in Ahmedabad and Baroda. Withover 8 cinemas and 23 screens in the last two years across cities in India, MUKTA A2 CINEMAS is all set to make its debut in Hyderabad and Sangli on July 25, 2014. The movie-goers of Hyderabad and Sangli will now have a landmark in their city to watch blockbuster hits with state of the art technology at affordable prices.

    One of India’s most reputed and esteemed film banners, Mukta Arts Limited has been giving its audiences the best of on-screen entertainment for decades. As the country’s leading production house with business interests across the entertainment spectrum, Mukta Arts has been the largest content provider in the country with over 500 screens with a library of over 35 hit films. Climbing up the ladder, the company has created its own brand of multiplex theaters MUKTA A2 CINEMAS to provide cinematic experience to movie-lovers.

     

    Each property under this banner is designed with state of the art acoustics, comfortable seating, soothing ambience, Dolby digital sound with varied F&B options, 2K digital projection and recliner seats givingmovie-lovers thebest quality and standards in the business. The primary goal of MUKTA A2 CINEMAS is to provide a multiplex experience in cities beyond the metros at affordable prices. Apart from showcasing latest Hindi movie releases, MUKTA A2 CINEMA also caters to the needs and preferences of its audience by bringing movies of local language.

     

    Commenting on MUKTA A2 CINEMAS launches Rahul Puri – Managing Director, Mukta Arts Ltd said, “The launch of our two new properties in Hyderabad and Sangli demonstrate the commitment Mukta Cinemas has to rapidly becoming a top 5 exhibitor domestically. These two very different properties show that the company is diversifying its product offerings to suits geography and demographics. Our patrons will be thrilled by the quality and service offerings and we expect to build a loyal customer base rapidly. Mukta Cinemas is committed to reaching its goal of 100 screens within the next year and post this launch 5 more properties will launch in 2014.

     

    MUKTA A2 CINEMAS is launching Hyderabad and Sangli properties on July 25, 2014, taking that forward, the companyis all geared to launch 5 more multiplexes – Maharashtra, Bhopal, Aurangabad in the coming months to give cine-goers a redefined movie watching experience.

  • Zee Business Unveils The most promising Budget Survey

    Zee Business Unveils The most promising Budget Survey

    NEW DELHI: Zee Business (part of India’s largest News Network, Zee Media Corporation Limited) India’s No. 1 Hindi business news channel has taken a lead further by digging deeper relating to news for its viewers spread in India as well as abroad. The business news channel has conducted a nation wide survey in nine cities (Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Patna, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Indore and Lucknow) comprising of industry experts as well as common man to capture mood of masses relating to the forthcoming Union Budget.

     

    A quantitative survey, using a structured questionnaire was administered to CXOs from top 500 companies and SMEs to sense and understand the kind of Budget do industry captains and top honchos expect.

     

    The telephonic survey was conducted with the best minds from India Inc., Indian and global markets, industry experts, economists, intelligentsia as well as chief wage earners (CWEs), housewives/ working women and students. Zee Business unravels the initial expectations of India’s economic future and its subsequent impact based on industry reactions, citizen demands, market implications and expert opinions.

     

    As the world is watching, expectations are running high for Prime Minister Narendra Modi for bringing the Indian economy back on track. It will be a litmus test for the new dispensation as they had promised to millions of Indians before getting the mandate of serving the largest democratic country of the world. Will Narendra Modi and Arun Jaitley stand tall with these expectations revealed? The world is watching!

     

    To know more, watch the ‘Big Story’ on 4th July, Friday where nation’s budget expectations will be unearthed by the Nation’s No.1 Hindi Business News Channel Zee Business.

  • Ticketplease.com offers customised solutions to users from Tier 2 & 3 cities

    Ticketplease.com offers customised solutions to users from Tier 2 & 3 cities

    MUMBAI: After partnering with biggest events and movies in 2013, TicketPlease.com, one of India’s largest entertainment ticketing portal has further re-inforced its market position with focus on Tier 2 & 3 cities of India. While Ticketplease team now offers movie tickets in 79 cities with its partner theatres and multiplex chains, it also has lined up events and discount deals that reach the heart of India i.e. the Semi urban and rural population

    From being the official ticketing partner for Yo Yo Honey Singh’s Concert which recently took place in Balewadi Stadium, Pune and bringingNikhil Chinappa’s EDM Fest to Baroda in February 2014, Ticketplease has been penetrating and targeting the smaller cities in the country with its line up of  India Fiesta Latina in Agra & Jaipur, Arijit Singh Live in Concert in Ahmedabad.

    Ticketplease.com has also partnered with various brands and created special offers exclusive to their customer base viz

    Speaking about how TicketPlease is expanding its operations, Mr Praful Baweja, Head – Business Development (Entertainment), Ticketplease says:  “We have had many key insights about Internet Users & thereby Entertainment consumers in Tier 2 & 3 cities through our Movies, Events & Offers.  Some of them include the growth of internet penetration in rural India being driven largely by the mobile phone; 70% of rural India’s active internet population access the web via mobile phones. This may have to do with the difficulty in accessing PCs.  Also forty-two percent of rural India’s internet users prefer using the internet in local languages. The high prevalence of content in English is a hurdle for much of rural India.

    We adapted this intelligence in current initiatives with communication being done in locally favoured language and seen encouraging response with higher conversion. Customised Solutions based on local language and local convenience would continue to be our key focus along with growth”

  • Cable TV digitisation: Parliamentary standing committee meets TV trade in Mumbai

    Cable TV digitisation: Parliamentary standing committee meets TV trade in Mumbai

    MUMBAI: There’s been a lot of press and media coverage about the process of cable TV digitisation over the past year or so. Most of it stated has been a mixed bag with opinions about its progress swinging from disastrous to a fabulous rollout. Hence, the political class decided to find out on their own what digitisation has meant for the industry.

     

    The parliamentary standing committee on information technology – headed by Rao Bhirendra Singh – has been making a whistle stop tour of different regions where digitisation has been implemented. 22 October 2013 saw it landing in Mumbai. Prior to this, it has had stopovers in Rajkot and Ahmedabad as well.

     

    The various constituents of the TV ecosystem were summoned to update the committee on the pace of digitisation and their individual specific concerns. “Phase I and II have been completed,” says a government representative. “The committee wanted to be apprised of the learnings from the first two phases by the various players and their preparedness for the next round of digitisation which is slated to be completed by December 2014.”

     

    Each of the players had meetings in camera with the committee and presented their positions. First, the last mile cable operators (LCOs) or last mile operators (LMOs). The Maharashtra Cable Operators Association (MCOF) and Cable Operators and Distributors Association (CODA) represented the LMOs and spoke about the issues faced by them.

     

    Among the concerns they raised were the fact that they had put in physical labour repeatedly during the process of delivering and installing set top boxes. They stated that it is the LCO which bears the brunt of the cable TV viewer’s ire when channels are switched off by the MSOs. But they were optimisitic about their role in phase III and phase IV.

     

    “Our representatives said that we want to be active players in these phases and we are happy to know that the government seems to be intent on having a clear way forward,” says a cable TV operator.

     

    The main bugbear raised by the national and local MSOs – Hathway, DEN, Siti Cable and InCable, apart from others – was the issue of entertainment tax. (Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh have the highest rates.) Their demand: that the LMOs should be made responsible for collecting and paying this levy. Earlier, in the analogue regime, it was the MSOs who had to carry the burden and it is crippling them.

     

    Says an executive from a leading MSO: “Once the billing system is in place in a digitised India, LCOs can collect the tax and pay it and give the remainder amount to MSOs.”

     

    However, an LMO says a better option would be “splitting of bills between MSO and LMO and LMO to subscriber to avoid double taxation for the TV subscriber.”

     

    Broadcasters and aggregators – represented by the  NBA (News Broadcasters Association), a representative from Sony Entertainment Television, Indiacast, MediaPro and TheOneAlliance. The aggregators strangely stayed mum, while broadcasters harped on the usual complaints of carriage fees, lack of subscription revenues and the heavy dependence on advertising. The conversation also drifted to talks about content on television and how channels need to be careful about their content. “This is a major issue as there is no clarity about how the viewer and broadcaster are going to get value out of digitisation. If there is no elbow room for channelising of money for broadcasters then how are they going to focus on better content,” says a broadcasting industry representative.

     

    More such meetings are being planned according to industry sources. “Finally, we will prepare a report and submit it to the parliament for review,” says a source close to the committee.

     

    Hopefully, their reports and inputs will make things easier for all concerned as India’s cable TV ecosystem gears up for its most challenging phase – that of rolling out almost 80 million boxes in small towns and rural India.
    (Inputs from Meghna Sharma and Seema Singh)

  • LCOs challenge TRAI DAS order in High Court By Seema Singh

    LCOs challenge TRAI DAS order in High Court By Seema Singh

    MUMBAI: The Gujarat Cable Operators Association (GCOA) has approached the High Court of Gujarat against the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the central government of India and state government against the ruling on digitisation.

     

    In the petition submitted to the HC, the petitioner has challenged the legality of Telecommunication (Broadcasting and Cable) Services Tariff and the Telecommunication (Broadcasting and Cable Services) Interconnection Regulations.

     

    In the current scenario, as defined by the regulator, the revenue share ratio between the MSOs and LCOs is 55:45 for free-to-air channels and 65:35 with respect to pay channels. The LCOs in Gujarat find it discriminatory and prejudicial to their interest.

     

    “We have challenged all the notifications passed by TRAI. This includes revenue share, consumer application forms (CAFs) and billing,” informs Gujarat Cable Operators Association president Pramod Pandya. The laws, according to Pandya are complicated and aim at completely removing the presence of LCOs from the cable industry. “We feel that every order passed till date with regards to digitisation is one-sided. All the laws have been drawn up against the LCOs,” he adds.

     

    The association on 2 September 2013 moved to the Supreme Court with the matter. The SC then ordered them to address the issue to the High Court first. “We then filed a petition to the Gujarat HC on 10 September,” he informs.

     

    The court during its 13 November hearing has asked the TRAI and government to declare the reasons for formulating the existing laws pertaining to tariff and interconnection in the next 15 days.

     

    “I don’t understand the basis of these laws. It is the LCOs who build the customer base and now all of a sudden we have been asked to transfer our rights to the MSOs,” says Pandya.

     

    The LCOs also feel that the issues relating to digitisation have never been discussed with the registered 60,000 cable operators.

     

    “None of the state cable operator associations were called before the process of digitisation was enforced.”

     

    The cable operators in Gujarat, say they are only asking for their rights. “If I don’t have a right, then why should I collect revenue or collect CAFs from consumers? We have built the customer base for all these years. The MSO give us the signal, for which we pay them a rent and then bill the customer. How can government all of a sudden ask us to not do the billing?” questions Pandya.

     

    According to the petition filed, of which indiantelevision.com has a copy of, the members of the petitioning association under the said provisions work under the MSOs as their revenue collecting agents while at the same time provide maintenance and services to the subscribers on behalf of the MSOs at their own cost since the entire cable network has been laid down by them over a number of years.

     

    The association has some 2500 cable operators as its members. “We are not targeting MSOs…they are only following what the TRAI has asked them to do.”

     

    The LCOs feel that their roles have been reduced to mere commission agents.

     

    “We are being forced to depend on the MSOs,” opines Pandya. Under digitisation, it is mandatory for the LCOs to collect and submit CAFs. “This is harsh and oppressive since it would compel the LCOs to share their subscriber’s base with the MSO’s making them more vulnerable,” says Pandya.

     

    He is clear that till there is no clarification on the notifications passed by TRAI, the cable operators in Gujarat will not even seed set top boxes. When asked if the operators will meet the CAF deadline he says, “It is a court case now. We have challenged every aspect of digitisation. So till this is resolved and the court passes an order on this, there will be no CAF collection or billing in Gujarat.”

     

    The association had in the beginning of DAS phase II approached the High Court, which had then given a stay order for 16 days for implementation of DAS. “The process of digitisation started only from 16 April in Gujarat. So far only four cities of Gujarat: Surat, Baroda, Ahmedabad and Rajkot have moved ahead on this,” he concludes.

  • POGOs School Contact Program wins Gold at EEMAX Awards for Chhota Bheem ka Fatafat Formula

    POGOs School Contact Program wins Gold at EEMAX Awards for Chhota Bheem ka Fatafat Formula

    MUMBAI: POGO, the leading kids’ entertainment channel, recently added another feather to its cap. Chhota Bheem ka Fatafat Formula, an innovative marketing School Contact Program (SCP) in 2012, won the Gold Prize in the category “Best School Contact Program” at the Event & Entertainment Management Association (EEMA) Awards 2013.

    This 2 months long SCP gave young school children a unique opportunity to learn basic self-defense techniques to protect themselves and those around them. POGO aimed to empower children and also impress upon them the importance of safety in day-to-day life by teaching them the power of ‘Mind over Might’.

    The SCP was conducted with 5 lakh students in over 550 schools across Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Chennai. Fountainhead Entertainment was the event agency behind conducting this successful event. In addition, special self-defense themed promos featuring Chhota Bheem were aired on POGO.

    Krishna Desai, Sr. Director & Network Head – Kids, South Asia, Turner International India Pvt. Ltd. said, “School Contact Programs of Cartoon Network and POGO have been a proud tradition at Turner. To be recognized and awarded by the industry for one of them is not only gratifying but also encouraging. Fountainhead Entertainment has been a long-standing partner on many successful and innovative initiatives.” 

    EEMA is the only unified voice of the event management and experiential marketing industry. EEMAX 2013 was the fifth edition of the awards which recognized exemplary work in the events and experiential marketing space. In the ‘Best School Contact Program’ category, the initiative competed against not only brands in kids/broadcast but the across the various brand categories in India.

  • Dish TV unveils two new and exciting Diwali bonanza offers

    Dish TV unveils two new and exciting Diwali bonanza offers

    NEW DELHI: As the country readies to celebrate Diwali, Asia’s largest direct-to-home network Dish TV has announced the launch of two special offers: the first on a Rs 1,500 cash back on purchase of a Dish TV set top box and a Ultimate Combo Offer that will encourage purchase of high definition boxes.

    This year, Dish TV will provide whopping a Rs 1,500 cash back on purchase of any Dish TV set top box. This offer is applicable on the purchase of either Standard Definition (SD) or High Definition (HD) boxes. In addition to this offer, Dish TV has also announced the Ultimate Combo Offer that will help consumers earn a free standard definition box with the purchase of every high definition box.

    The Ultimate Combo Offer will also give away a substantial discount on monthly recharge besides the free second set top box. Through this offer, we plan to address the needs of multi television household with this terrific cost effective solution. Customers can avail only one of these offers at a time.

    Consumer sentiments are buoyant during the festive season and they tend to splurge more. Keeping in the mind the festive fervor, Dish TV plans to cash in on this opportunity with attractive consumer promotion offer.

    On this occasion, Dish TV COO Salil Kapoor said, “Diwali is a very important festival and is celebrated with great fervor and enthusiasm in all parts of the country. Dish TV always strives to introduce innovative offers and schemes for its consumers. It is this customer centric approach that has made us the country’s largest DTH service operator. We, at Dish TV, wanted to further strengthen and reach the core of our Indian audience. We have launched these festive bonanza offers to engage with our customers and deepen our reach even further.”

    Both the Diwali bonanza offers will be effective from 18 October. Both these offers will be available in larger cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Madras. Agra, Ahmedabad, Allahabad, Amritsar, Aurangabad, Bangalore, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Coimbatore, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Howrah, Hyderabad, Indore, Jabalpur, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kalyan-Dombivli, Kanpur, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Meerut, Mysore, Nagpur, Nasik, Navi Mumbai, Patna, Pimpri- Chinchwad, Pune, Rajkot, Ranchi, Sholapur, Srinagar, Surat, Thane, Vadodara, Varanasi and Visakhapatnam.

  • Canon India to expand Office Imaging Solutions

    Canon India to expand Office Imaging Solutions

    BENGALURU: Canon India Office Imaging Solutions division (OIS) announced plans for deeper penetration in C, D and E towns and expansion of service location from 546 to 700+ locations currently to support developments in smaller cities.

     

    The division is aggressively tapping the SME market specially the manufacturing units in C, D and E class where the print volume is around one-two lakh a month. Canon is working with its channel partners in these cities who will be focusing on SMEs and PSU segments. Canon plans to enable the SME community by introducing cost effective workflow solutions and Managed Document Services offering.

     

    With this SMEs will get access to enterprise class technology which will help them streamline their printing infrastructure, save cost and be eco-friendly. The division is also targeting cities like Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Cochin, Patna and Bhubaneswar. The division is targeting revenues of Rs 25 crore from its Managed Document Services during the next fiscal.

     

    Canon’s OIS division uses select print publications that make their way to a CIO’s table and online digital for focused mass media communications. To that extent, it spends around Rs 1 to 2 crore per quarter revealed a company source. Dentsu and Percept manage creative and media buying duties for Canon India.

  • 9 days of non-stop fun with Radio Mirchi

    9 days of non-stop fun with Radio Mirchi

    MUMBAI: It is that time of the year, where people across India gear up for the biggest dance festival of the country.  Be it children or adults, everyone’s busy planning costumes, learning new dance moves and ascertaining latest gujarati and bollywood songs on the music list. To add to the festive fervor, Radio Mirchi, India’s leading radio station, is leaving no stones unturned to make sure, revelers have a gala time this Navratri. With their exciting navratri pandal and line-up of the best music list, the channel will entice the entire Gujarat to dance till they drop.

    This year Radio Mirchi gives its listeners access to the most celebrated navratri pandals across Surat, Rajkot, Baroda and Ahmedabad. While in Ahmedabad, the radio station is organizing a raas-garba at YMCA Club, in Surat it is at Grand Bhagwati and at Neel City Club in Rajkot. If this isn’t enough, then Radio Mirchi has tied up with World’s Biggest Garba pandal in Baroda. In association with United Way of Baroda, Radio Mirchi will give an opportunity to over lakhs of revelers to have the best navratri experience.

    But it doesn’t stop here, Radio Mirchi will ensure a musical treat for it’s on-air listeners. For those who like to continue enjoying the festivities even post midnight, Radio Mirchi promises its listeners non-stop fun with garba songs playing till 3 am in morning along with some interesting campaigns. These 9 days of the festival, the listeners will get to hear some of the peppiest songs. Beginning with Achko Machko  Bollywood, Radio Mirchi has exclusively lined-up singers like Sukhwinder Singh, Alka Yagnik, Yo Yo Honey Singh, Shaan. These musical genius’ will sing their favourite garba songs. To make it more interactive, listeners will also get to know about their Gujarati connect and experience. To tickle the fan’s funny bones, RJs across stations will have special like Rajnikant’s Navratri that will add a fun element to on air listening.

    How can any festivals be complete without goodies? To add on the festivities, Radio Mirchi’s RJs across Gujarat are all stocked-up with exciting giveaways ranging from Midnight Buffets Gift Vouchers to Spa Gift Hampers.

    Commenting on the celebrations, Sumit Aggarwal, VP – Cluster Head – Gujarat at Radio Mirchi says, “We are really excited about Navratri which is the biggest dance festival in the world and our on ground partnerships and radio content will be a delight for our sponsors and listeners alike. We have never before had integrations like Mirchi Pushpak – A helicopter ride during Navratri in Ahmedabad which will create a lot of excitement for the associated brands”
    Mr. Narendra Somani, CMD – The Grand Bhagwati says, “We are proud to be associated with Radio Mirchi, the biggest media vehicle in Gujarat for Navratri.  This event will be extremely vibrant, full of Entertainment with celebrity visits & renowned orchestras on all 9 days. The energy, vibrancy & festive feel will make you revisit us everytime you are in Gujarat during the festival.”

    Samarth Mehta, MD – Neel Club says, “We have some unqiue features in our Garba which makes it stand out from other routine garba events such as Rain Dandiya, exemplary blend of Orchestra and DJ, best lawn in Rajkot to play Garba, special Events everyday during the break and a pool side food court.

    We tie-up with Radio Mirchi was because it is the number one radio station in the city and we are the best Navratri in town. So, it is a partnership of equals.”