ITV

Tag: Airtel Digital TV

  • FoodFood launches new campaign with a fresh new lineup

    FoodFood launches new campaign with a fresh new lineup

    MUMBAI: India’s food lifestyle channel, FOODFOOD, a single channel entity, reaches across 35 mn households in India. In addition to key MSOs across the country, the channel is available on all major DTH platforms – Videocon d2h, Airtel Digital TV and Tata Sky and digital platforms pan India. The brand today is one of the most popular and talked about channels, in its genre, across the country.

     

    The channel is all set to  break its new campaign, on April 14th ,with a lineup of shows–an ode to home makers, concentrating on driving excitement and reinforcing the new positioning and statement that the  channel is clearly differentiating itself from the plethora of ‘me too’ channels.

    The campaign breaks with an array of fresh programming– India Unlimited, Pure Sin, K for Kids, Cook Smart, Oriental food among others. It is complementing the channel’s stand of being a food lifestyle channel, with innovative content, creating a “wow” factor through the new line up. India Unlimited is food from various parts of India, in one platter; Pure Sin, a celebration of making desserts, which has been a part of our culture & traditions from time immemorial. From healthy deserts to desserts for occasions to all time favorite, this food genre is something exclusive for the viewers; K for Kids, is filled with adventure, fun and sparks from enthusiastic kiddy chefs on the show, churning out winning recipes; Cook Smart another master stroke from the Master Chef Sanjeev Kapoor; and introducing sumptuous mouth watering oriental dishes, the all time favorite with Indians.

    Explaining the reason behind the campaign burst SK Barua of FOODFOOD channel said, “With the new campaign we are redefining the philosophy, positioning and the tagline that speaks volumes about the specially targeted content, across food genre. Our efforts are to reiterate our authority on food   and reach out to our target audiences. This is the first campaign and going forward we want to continue to give best of food to our viewers.”

    The campaign will address the youth and the matured viewers, and not to forget our die hard loyal viewers. Though Young in its looks, it can entice a whole generation with its mantra to learn easy-to-make food and enjoy food.

    The 45 days campaign burst in Mumbai & Delhi, from April 14, will be across various media—outdoor, radio, digital, print, MSOs, social media…. With the new campaign the channel promises to attract, allure and engage the viewers – through social media, on-ground activities, on radio and television.

  • Times Now ties up with News Live for poll coverage

    Times Now ties up with News Live for poll coverage

    KOLKATA: National news channel, Times Now, has tied up with Guwahati-based News Live, a 24×7 satellite news channel from the house of Pride East Entertainments, for election poll coverage.

     

     
    As per the agreement between the two channels, with polling starting from the North East, Times Now will telecast the news and feeds covered by News Live, starting Monday. Feeds on election coverage at different constituencies at the later stage will also be shared on 12 and 14 April.

     

     
    Apart from this, both the channels will share expert views and participate in discussions aired on each channel, informs a senior editor from News Live.
     

     

    “To cover the polling, News Live has deployed 17 OB (outside broadcasting) vans and 17 journalists”, says Pride East Entertainments CEO Caushiq Bezboruah

     

     
    “Mainstream media, especially TV, has always ignored the North East. In fact, clubbing all stories under the ‘North East’ is an easy way out for them which is unfair to the people of the region. It is good to know that a leading TV channel has tied up with an Assam-based network. We can hope to see substantial increase in coverage from the different states during this election season,” says television expert Pranab Ganguly.

     

    Similarly, a business consultant and White Canvas Services founder Samaresh Shah adds: “This was extremely needed. North East is an integral part of India’s economy and deserves as much attention as the rest of the country.  This is a welcome step. I hope that the same will lead to some interesting feeds for the audience.”
     

     

    Talking about the channel, News Live, which was launched in January 2008, Bezboruah says, “The channel has become one of the favourite among the viewers in North East market. The TRP of the channel last week was 190.8.”

     

     
    He adds that the channel is available in all cable homes of the North Eastern states including Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and in parts of New Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, North Bengal belt and Bhutan. “It is the only channel of the region which finds space on Freedish as well. It is also available on Dish TV, Sun Direct, Tata Sky, Airtel Digital TV, Reliance Big TV and Videocon d2h.”
     

     

    While the channel had tied-up with Times Now earlier as well, it will get its due ‘credit’ this time.
     

     

    Pride East Entertainments employs around 350 people including journalists and technicians.

  • Focus Bangla in talks with Tata Sky, Dish TV to increase penetration

    Focus Bangla in talks with Tata Sky, Dish TV to increase penetration

    KOLKATA: The erstwhile Northeast Bangla (NE Bangla), recently rechristened Focus Bangla, is in talks with direct-to-home (DTH) players like Tata Sky and Dish TV to increase penetration. At present, only cable TV subscribers and Airtel Digital TV customers can view the channel.

     

    The 24×7 Bengali news channel also plans to put up 200 hoardings across the state of West Bengal from mid-April to send out the message that the channel is neutral and believes in airing unbiased news. It has even changed its logo to suggest that it will be more ‘focussed’ in presenting news from all angles.

     

    “We are in talks with Tata Sky and Dish TV though nothing has been finalised. We aim to reach 95 per cent TV homes in the state sooner,” Focus Bangla editor-in-chief Biswa Majumdar told indiantelevision.com.

     

    He also said that last week, the viewership of the new channel increased by around 22 per cent as compared to the week before. “Focus TV is in focus now. Focus Bangla is a news broadcasting and entertainment network,” he said and added that the channel would focus on political news with the impending elections and would interview most of the big names in the polls.

     

    Focus Bangla has more than 150 employees on board and is further recruiting people to cover all aspects of news, current affairs and especially, the Lok Sabha elections, to make a mark all over again on the Bengali audience.

     

    “For elections, we have 14 special programmes. Celebrities will go to places and interact with people,” Majumdar said.

     

    Apart from the ‘Khabar Aajke’ section, the channel has a separate Bollywood entertainment section.

     

    According to sources, Matang Sinh, a former minister of state for parliamentary affairs in the PV Narsimharao government owned Focus TV and NE Bangla. Last year however, Naveen Jindal, chairman of Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL) bought a stake in the channel through his family and associates. “Jindal had taken over Focus TV in Delhi last year,” said one of the sources.

  • Watch your TV on the go with Airtel Digital TV’s Pocket TV

    Watch your TV on the go with Airtel Digital TV’s Pocket TV

    MUMBAI: Airtel Digital TV, the DTH service arm of the leading telecom operator Bharti Airtel, today announced the launch of Airtel ‘Pocket TV’ – a mobile app which will enable customers to watch their favorite TV programs while on the move.

     

    Loaded with over 150 Live TV channels and more than 10,000 hours of video content and over 13 channels on anytime TV available at an introductory pricing of just Rs. 60/- per month, Pocket TV now promises a never before library of video content which is available at an affordable price.

     

    The Airtel Digital TV app is available for download on the Android play store and is accessible to all smartphones and tablets with Android version 2.1 onwards. Within 1 month, the app will also be available on the iOS platform soon followed by other platforms. After installation of the app, customers have to activate the service by sending the SMS <ADD TV> to 54325 from their registered mobile number.

     

    The app is a convergence of the TV & mobile phone and its launch follows the success of Airtel Digital TV’s innovative offering of Twitter on TV which was the first ever global convergence of Twitter and TV. 

     

    For more details, please log on to: http://www.airtel.in/pocketTV

  • DTH operators wooing subscribers into HD

    DTH operators wooing subscribers into HD

    MUMBAI: A recent study in the US revealed that nearly 60 per cent of homes in the country have one or more high-definition (HD) TV sets; a significant rise from just 35 per cent five years ago.

     

    In India too, HD TV viewing is on the upswing – though not as big as in the US yet – with two DTH operators having recently added a slew of HD channels to their bouquet to take the total tally of HD channels to over 25. So much so, DTH operators are confident that the demand for HD TV will only grow from here onward.

     

    “More than 50 per cent of new customers are buying HD TVs and the other 50 per cent, who are buying SD boxes, will after a while come and say that they have upgraded to HD TV sets. Would you have thought of this scenario two years ago?” says Tata Sky CEO Harit Nagpal.

     

    Videocon d2h CEO Anil Khera echoes similar thoughts. “Close to 8 per cent of our subscribers have taken HD packs. Interestingly, almost double of these have taken our HD boxes in anticipation of their future transition to HD services,” he says.

     

    Not so long ago, Videocon had declared it crossed 10 million subscribers.

     

    To leverage the growing interest in HD, DTH operators have come up with innovative techniques including advertisements, pricing and packaging of HD channels to make customers opt for their HD service packs

     

    For instance, Dish TV ensures it does not have floating subscribers, so only if a customer opts for an HD pack will he/she be provided with an HD set top box (STB). Customers are not allowed to jump between SD and HD packs.

     

    On the other hand, Tata Sky subscribers have to pay just Rs 125 above the pack price to avail both SD channels and the channels in the pack which have an HD version. From 1 November, 2013, Tata Sky has stopped ordering SD boxes and is offering HD boxes at the same price as SD boxes at Rs 2,000 per piece. Currently, it has about 2 million subscribers with an HD connection.

     

    Like Tata Sky, Videocon d2h too is offering SD and HD boxes at almost the same price. While an SD box costs Rs 1,990 with a one month free view, the HD box costs Rs 2,000 without a free view. “Subscribers are taking to HD viewing very well. They are increasingly opting for bigger screens at home and HD feeds for a better viewing experience. We expect that in the next few years, HD viewing will account for almost 20 per cent of the total viewership,” says Khera.

     

    For Airtel Digital TV, it is about striking a balance between the HD and SD consumers. 

     

    More importantly, HD subscribers imply more revenue. “Revenue from an HD subscriber today is almost 10 per cent. However, this has potential to grow up to 35 to 40 per cent of our revenue base in a few years’ time,” says Khera.

     

    According to Nagpal, as and when regional channels start broadcasting in HD, the subscriber base may go up. “HD packs increase as channels get added. Initially, only knowledge and sports channels were available in HD. The next level will be with regional channels. Sun Network has already taken the initiative,” he says.

     

    With Dish TV, currently, 7 per cent of its revenues come from HD subscribers. However, Dish TV CEO RC Venkateish feels that the price of an HD TV set, which is nearly three times that of an SD TV set, could be a deterrent.

     

    While it’s a long road ahead, DTH operators anticipate that the future will see HD TV viewing increase by a substantial amount, thus also increasing Average Revenue per User (ARPU). Khera feels it is possible that in a few years from now, Videocon (like Tata Sky) may stop selling SD boxes altogether.

  • Q3: Digitisation pushes up MSOs’ subscription revenue

    Q3: Digitisation pushes up MSOs’ subscription revenue

    MUMBAI: Transparency in subscriber numbers with the digitisation of cable TV services in 42 cities is translating into higher subscription revenues for multi-system operators.

     

    The benefit of digitisation is still to fully reflect in revenues of MSOs as billing to cable TV subscribers is still to be completed in the 38 cities that were digitised in Phase II.

     

    Digitisation has had an added impact on the MSOs financials. Their carriage or placement revenue earned from broadcasters is decreasing.

    MSOs expect carriage revenue to rise as new channels get launched.

     

    Carriage Revenue

    Hathway Cable & Datacom’s income from placement of channels fell 14 per cent to Rs 73.6 crore in the third quarter ended 31 December, 2014. The share of placement revenue in Hathway Cable’s total revenues fell to 31 per cent in the third quarter from 41 per cent a year ago.

     

    Den Networks too saw softening of its placement revenues to Rs 117.8 crore, down nearly 2 per cent from Rs 119.90 crore a quarter earlier. Den Network’s placement revenues a year ago are not available.

     

    Subscription Revenues

    Digitisation gains led Den Networks revenues to rise to Rs 105 crore in the third quarter, up 6 per cent from Rs 99.11 crore a quarter earlier.

     

    The quarter-on-quarter increase in subscription revenues for Hathway Cable was sharper. Its subscription revenues rose to 74 per cent to Rs 119.1 crore in the third quarter from Rs 68.5 crore a quarter earlier.

     

    Hathway Cable’s subscription revenues rose as it completed billing for a substantial percentage of its cable TV customers in the cities covered under the Phase II of digitisation. As a result, its average revenue per month per subscriber too has increased substantially, an analyst said.

     

    Hathway Cable says with its focus on collections, the company has witnessed continued traction in the pace of subscription collections into January 2014.

     

    SITI Cable Network saw its total revenues in the third quarter rise 42 per cent to Rs 177.3 crore from Rs 124.7 crore a year ago.

    SITI Cable CEO V D Wadhwa says, “We gained further momentum in the third quarter of fiscal 2014.”

     

    Direct-To-Home TV

    Dish TV’s revenues rose 3% quarter on quarter to Rs 6,128 mn in the third quarter but its EBITDA fell 1.6% quarter on quarter to Rs 135.50 crore. The company’s operating profit was down as its content cost rose and selling, general and administrative expenses increased as it tapped benefits flowing from digitisation.

    Dish TV added net 2,20,000 households in the third quarter taking its subscriber base to 11.2 million.

    Analysts expect Dish TV to reap higher benefits of digitisation in Phase III and IV starting 1 October, 2014.

     

    In the case of Bharti Airtel’s DTH business, the multiplier impact of increased customer additions and higher realisations during the quarter, pushed up revenues by 25.8 per cent to Rs 538.4 crore from Rs 428 crore a quarter earlier.

     

    Leveraging economies of scale, EBITDA for the quarter increased to Rs 97 crore from Rs 14.7 crore a year earlier. Consequently, Airtel Digital TV’s EBIDTA margin improved significantly to 18.0 per cent in the third quarter from 3.4 per cent a year earlier.

     

    During the current quarter, the company incurred a capital expenditure of Rs 110.90 crore in DTH services. The cash burn during the quarter at Rs 13.9 million was significantly lower Rs 120.40 crore a year ago.

     

    Airtel DTH added 2,35,000 net subscribers in the third quarter to take its total subscriber base to 88,07,000. Its average revenue per user in the third quarter was Rs 207. 

  • Da Vinci Learning partners with Airtel Digital TV, Siticable and Digicable

    Da Vinci Learning partners with Airtel Digital TV, Siticable and Digicable

    MUMBAI: Da Vinci Learning, the fun edutainment TV channel for the whole family, today announced their partnership with three of the biggest operators in Indian television- Airtel Digital TV- one of India’s leading Direct to Home operators; Siticable and Digicable who are leading MSOs. The partnership is aimed at developing the channels foothold in the Indian television industry prior to its launchlater this year, and to give Indian viewers an opportunity to sample Da Vinci Learning’s rich content portfolio.Da Vinci Learning, which is targeted at 4-14 year olds and their parents, is known for turning TV watching from passive observation into a meaningful and fun experience, helping children develop various skills early-on, encouraging older viewers to keep asking questions and inviting families to take their learning journeys together.

    To showcase the channel’s extensive programming, which covers a wide array of topics ranging from physics and chemistry to history and nature, Da Vinci Learning has struck a Video on demand deal with Airtel Digital TV. As part of the deal, Da Vinci will provide 150 hours of content to Airtel Digital TV, which will be available in the kids section of their VODVOD service. With Siticable, the channel will receivea 6 month branded block while with DigiCable the channel will have a 12 month branded block. With Airtel Digital TV and Siti Cable, the channel will showcase programs like Kid Detectives and Lab Rats Challenge, while with Digicable the channel will present shows such as Logo Animation and Indent Kid amongst others.

    Speaking on the occasion, Mohit Anand, Managing Director-India, Da Vinci Learning said “We are very excited to work with this prestigious group of partners as each of them is committed towards using new technologies to improve communications to and between kids. For us, this is a great platform to showcase the interesting and interactive programming that we have to offer to the Indian audience. We are positive that these associations will enable the Indian viewers to be part of a meaningful and fun learning experience focused on educational shows and documentaries from around the world.”

    Saurabh Sinha, Chief Producer-Siti Cable said “As a channel partner getting a very good response from the branded block of Da Vinci Learning. The audience is conceiving it as ‘Education with entertainment’, programme like, Kid Detectives – (easily detailed about forensic science with entertainment), Little Einstein- (One can easily understand about Einstein theories) etc. Siti channel being channel partner with DaVinci’s has definitely helped us in garnering better audience base.”

    Mr. Narinderpal Singh – Senior Vice President – Broadcaster Relations believes“Digicable, which has been at the forefront of introducing many new innovations in Digital cable Television, is now pleased to inform that we are ready to offer our discerning subscribers the Best of International Edutainment thru its association with the DaVinci Channel.”

     

  • Airtel DTH becomes first player to release a feature film on digital TV

    Airtel DTH becomes first player to release a feature film on digital TV

    MUMBAI: Airtel Digital TV consumers have reasons to rejoice now. The direct to home (DTH) player has become the first operator in the country to release a feature film on its digital platform on the same day of the film’s theatrical release. Telugu movie titled Minukumanna Minugurulu (The Fire Flies) will release on both DTH and theatres using the pay per view (PPV) platform. The move will help Airtel Digital TV consumers experience an innovative opportunity packed with convenience.
     

    Releasing on 24 January, 2014 on Airtel Digital TV at 00.30 hours, the movie will be available to customers for five days until 28 January on channel number 157 enabling them to enjoy the movie with an exceptional viewing experience with an unmatched picture quality and sound on MPEG4 DVB-S2 technology in the comfort of their home along with family and friends.

     

    Customers can book the movie by sending the SMS <BOOK 157> to 54325 from their registered mobile number for just Rs 100 per day and can watch any or all the eight shows of the movie airing on the particular day. 

     

    Directed by Ayodhyakumar Krishnamsetty, the film’s cast includes national award winning actors Ashish Vidyarthi and Suhasini Maniratnam along with internationally acclaimed actor Raghubir Yadav. The movie portrays the lives of 40 visually impaired and orphaned children and seeks to inspire people to contribute to improving the lives of the visually impaired. The movie was showcased at the 18th International Children’s Film Festival India (ICFFI) held in the country in November, 2013 and received a great response from the audience. It has also been selected for six other international film festivals. 

  • Ten Golf changes course

    Ten Golf changes course

    MUMBAI: It is teeing once again and it surely is good news for golf lovers and players. 24 hour Zeel group golf channel Ten Golf, will now be available in India on both DTH and cable TV as part of  high end packages. It is close to announcing deals with three DTH players and some MSOs. The channel which is available at an a la carte subscription fee of Rs 200 per month for subscribers will now see a significant shift in pricing on both DTH and cable TV.

    The first among the three DTH operators is Airtel Digital TV which now has Ten Golf as part of its Ultra pack. “We are now a part of a package for which the DTH platform charges anywhere between Rs 400- Rs 500 a month,” says Ten Sports CEO Rajesh Sethi. Close to half a million viewers on Airtel Digital have signed on to the service, he says.

    There’s a shift in pricing strategy on the anvil he reveals. “On 1 September we have made a filing with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) for price revision. We are looking at a reduction in rates to both promote golf and make it available to larger viewership base,” says Sethi. “I am looking at reaching out to 1.4 million subscribers once we get on the high end offerings like magnum, platinum packs etc on the other two DTH platforms. This should happen by October,” informs Sethi.

    Ten Golf was initially targeted at avid golf players, and hopes to address  aspirational golfers with its expansion in distribution and price lowering. “Aspirational golf players are mostly corporate executives and they are huge in number. Also Ten Golf today is seen as a lifestyle channel. People not only watch the channel for the sport, but also for the beautiful landscape it offers. All this called for a bigger reach and lower subscription fee,” he adds.

    Sethi is also hopeful to get advertisers to use the channel as an advertising platform.   “The positioning will help us with more advertisers. The channel has its own unique niche value and there are partners and corporates who want to advertise.”

    Ten Golf will in the next six to eight weeks be also clubbed together in high end packages offered by major MSOs like DEN, Hathway and Siticable, reveal industry sources.  “The subscription fee for the channel on the package provided by the MSOs will be much lower as compared to the DTH players. All this will take traction in next six to eight weeks,” informs Sethi.

    Shall we say fore?

  • All Time Bollywood Hits Channel – 9X Jalwa and India’s first Marathi Music Channel – 9X Jhakaas, are now available on Airtel digital TV

    All Time Bollywood Hits Channel – 9X Jalwa and India’s first Marathi Music Channel – 9X Jhakaas, are now available on Airtel digital TV

    MUMBAI: 9X Media’s all time Bollywood Hits channel 9X Jalwa and Marathi music channel 9X Jhakaas will now be available on Airtel digital TV on channel number 389 and 547 respectively. Customers can easily subscribe to the channels by sending an SMS <ADD 389> and <ADD 547> to 54325 from their registered telephone number (RTN).

    Launched on 25th February 2012, 9X Jalwa is the most preferred destination for all time Bollywood Hits. The Channel is widely available across cable and satellite homes and is also streamed LIVE across digital platforms including the Channel’s website – www.9xjalwa.in. 9X Jalwa promises the best of music, maximum nostalgia and maximum humor.

    9X Jhakaas is India’s First Marathi Music Channel airing the best of Marathi film and non-film songs. The Channel is streamed LIVE across digital platforms including the Channel’s website – www.9xjhakaas.in and on the Mobile platform; besides being available across the cable and satellite homes.