ITV

Tag: Arun Poddar

  • Tata Sky starts receiving Zee-Turner channels

    Tata Sky starts receiving Zee-Turner channels

    MUMBAI: It took a rap on the knuckles today by the sector tribunal, but finally, DTH service provider Tata Sky can now claim to have a “complete” channel offering. Zee-Turner this evening provided the signals for its channels after an order issued earlier in the day by the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT).

    “Now they (the Zee-Turner channels) are on,” Tata Sky MD & CEO Vikram Kaushik told Indiantelevision.com. “The channels were delayed by Zee-Turner and the tribunal directed them to provide the signals,” he added.

    Coming down heavily on the distribution network, TDSAT chairman Justice Arun Kumar was quoted by Press trust of India news service as saying, “tricks would not work … at least I did not expect this from you … you are more interested in earning money rather than implementation of the order.”

    During the proceedings Zee-Turner, a 74:26 joint venture between Zee Telefilms and Turner International India, a sister concern of Time Warner, contended that Tata Sky was yet to address issues “regarding territory and piracy” mentioned in their terms and condition, the PTI report said. In its response, Tata Sky accused Zee-Turner of unilaterally deciding the terms and conditions under which they would provide signals.

    Zee Turrner had given an undertaking last Wednesday (20 September) to TDSAT that it would provide all the 32 channels in its bouquet at an interim pricing of Rs 75. Tata Sky is already offering 75 channels at an introductory price offer of Rs 200.

    Zee Turner claims had then told Indiantelevision.com that it had got what it wanted. “We wanted our entire bundle of channels to be taken and at that price. This falls in line with the latest TDSAT directive,” Zee Turner CEO Arun Poddar had said.

    The final hearing will be on 18 October where the issues of pricing, capacity and other related issues will be decided.

    It may be recalled that Zee Turner was willing to provide all its channels at a price of Rs 75 while Tata Sky wanted to select the channels it wants at half the price of cable TV rates.

  • Zee Sports-MSO tussle to deny cricket to Mumbaikars

    Zee Sports-MSO tussle to deny cricket to Mumbaikars

    MUMBAI: Looks like cricket fans in Mumbai will be unable to watch the India-Australia match on Saturday with Zee Sports and the major Mumbai multi-system operators (MSOs) continuing to take a hard stance.

    Even Incablenet’s plea filed in the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) for restoration of signals was rejected today.

    “Since Incablenet was unwilling to sign the subscription agreement, TDSAT rejected the operator’s plea for interim relief. The next hearing of the case is scheduled for 19 September by which time if an agreement has not been reached between the two parties, then the court will take a decision,” Zee Turner said in a release.

    Incablenet’s argument was that Zee Sports had not served a 21-day notice before blacking out the signals, as required by a regulation prescribed by the Telecom regulatory Authority of India (Trai). The MSO also wanted restoration of the signals as the disconnection was patently illegal.

    “Zee Turner also offered a bulk discount to Incablenet but this was also rejected by the MSO,” the company said.

    The TDSAT has asked Zee Turner to file its reply on Monday following which the next hearing of the case would be on Tuesday.

    “We cannot allow our signals on any of the networks that have not signed the subscription agreement with us, especially since a majority of the country has already signed and is watching the tri-series. Zee Sports has been a pay channel since June 2005 and we have spent a substantial amount of money in acquiring the rights of the DLF Cup tri-series. We have the right to demand subscription fees,” says Zee Turner CEO Arun Poddar.

    “The operators that have already signed the agreement will continue to get the signals for Zee Sports,” Poddar adds. The sports channel, for instance, is on Seven Star, which operates in the western suburbs of Mumbai.

    Zee Sports was made available to viewers in Mumbai for the India-West Indies cricket match yesterday but was once again blacked out from the major cable networks in the evening.

    Sources say the cable operators were willing to sign up for a 10 per cent declaration of Zee Turner’s first bouquet. But this was not acceptable to Zee Turner, the company which distributes a bouquet of channels including Zee Sports.

    Zee Sports has the exclusive telecast rights for the DLF Cup between India, Australia and West Indies. The tri-series will last till 24 September.

  • Zee Sports yet to sign up with Mumbai’s major MSOs

    Zee Sports yet to sign up with Mumbai’s major MSOs

    MUMBAI: Zee Sports, which was available to viewers in Mumbai for the India-West Indies cricket match, is once again blacked out from the major cable networks in Mumbai today evening.

    “Major operators in Mumbai have still not reached an agreement for continuation of signals for the sports channel. Since the operators are being stubborn and are not agreeing to sign the agreement, we are being compelled to switch off the channel on defaulting networks,” says Zee Turner CEO Arun Poddar.

    Counters Cable Operators and Distributors Association (CODA) vice-president Ravi Singh, “If we have not signed the agreement, how can we be turned as defaulters? Zee Sports is asking us to pay for an unreasonable subscriber base.”

    Zee Turner had restored the signals of Zee Sports channel early in the day on assurance from MSOs like Hathway Cable & Datacom and Incablenet that they would be signing the pay channel agreement in Mumbai.

    In a meeting with major operators held in Mumbai, the operators had to discuss and sign the pay channel subscription agreement and had requested Zee Turner to allow the signals for today’s India-West Indies match. Considering the request from cable operators, Zee Turner had allowed the signals of Zee Sports to these networks in Mumbai, says Poddar. “The operators that have already signed the agreement will continue to get the signals for rest of the matches on Zee Sports,” he adds.

    CODA had an internal meeting in the afternoon but could not agree to Zee Sports demand. “The channel does not have telecast rights to any major event after this. If we can withstand the pressure over the next few days, we needn’t yield to their demands,” says a CODA member. The DLF tri-series will last till 24 September.

    Zee Sports, which has bought the telecast rights from BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) for cricket matches to be played by India in non cricket playing countries over the next five years, will be showing the India-Australia match on Saturday.

    The channel, however, is back on cable networks in Pune after the Pune District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum directed Zee Sports to restore the signals till further hearings on 21 September. “We have restored the signals in Pune following the order. The next hearing comes up on 21 September,” a Zee Turner spokesperson confirms.

    Zee Sports is also available in Chennai as SCV signed a commercial agreement with the channel for the conditional access system (CAS) market. The channel, however, is blacked out in other parts of Tamil Nadu where SCV has not signed up.

  • ‘In some areas, we have done better than One Alliance, while in some areas we have done as well as Star. But no denying that at a national level Star bouquet is way ahead of others’ : Arun Poddar – Zee-Turner CEO

    ‘In some areas, we have done better than One Alliance, while in some areas we have done as well as Star. But no denying that at a national level Star bouquet is way ahead of others’ : Arun Poddar – Zee-Turner CEO

    Arun Poddar is an industry veteran with an enriched experience and excellent track record of over 23 years in sales and distribution. He brings with him vast experience in media and broadcasting industry and proven ability in the FMCG sector. A business management graduate, Poddar started his career with Maxwell Industry. During his tenure of seven years with Maxwell, he successfully established a robust distribution network in the eastern region of the country.
    One of the many important tasks that Poddar undertook during a stint at ESPN was seamless transition of ESPN from Modi Entertainment Network, which used to be responsible for ESPN’s distribution. After working with ESPN Star Sports for seven years, Poddar joined Ten Sports as vice-president, distribution and marketing. Utilizing his expertise in sales and distribution, garnered over 21 years, he successfully structured and developed an in-house distribution team. At Ten Sports, he also established a working and monitoring format to create a direct relation between company and trade.
    After spending two years at Ten Sports, Poddar joined Zee Turner as its chief executive. A person who loves to read, paint and listen to music, Poddar in this interview with     Indiantelevision.com Anjan Mitra holds forth on various aspects of the broadcast industry.

    Excerpts:

    What is your overview of the present scenario of the broadcast industry?
    If you really see the broadcast industry in the last 10 years, then it has evolved a lot from being totally fragmented to a situation where big corporate bodies have come in and are trying to evolve a corporate structure. The distribution segment too has seen this happening with big MSOs coming in and trying to bring a semblance of order in the business.

    At one point when big corporate entities started coming into the industry’s various segments it was felt that the industry as a whole would shape up faster having well defined corporate identities and professionally managed businesses as in other sectors. Unfortunately, that did not happen.

    From a broadcaster’s point of view under-declaration of the subscriber base had always been an issue, which slowly became an accepted norm. The whole flip-flop on CAS since 2003 has added to the confusion in the market. However, CAS in its second inning now seems to be more of a reality than just talking about bringing in new technologies.

    With the arrival of DTH and CAS, the choice of a consumer gets widened. It gives broadcasters a competitive edge as good content and a strong channel would be a winner. From cable operators’ point of view, new technologies not only bring in transparency in the whole system, but also some orderliness.

    Don’t you think that intra-industry differences and constant appealing to the umpire (the government or the regulator) has impeded industry’s growth?
    Fundamentally, everybody had their own agenda. There has always this issue of declaration or under-declaration between the cable fraternity and broadcasters. Most industry disputes emerged from this basic issue of want of more declaration of the subscriber base or a resistance to it.

    Now this basic issue gave rise to subsidiary areas of dispute. I’d say that want of more subscriber base, price hike and introduction of new channels on limited bandwidth are at the core of ills afflicting the industry. These always created an environment that was not very conducive for business on either side.

    The regulator’s efforts to address industry issues cannot be negated. At the end of the day, any industry difference would affect the subscriber. It’s always beneficial to have a neutral agency to oversee an industry as it helps the industry too to go to such a body and bounce off ideas.
    Over the last 18 months or so every issue, major or otherwise, seems to be going to disputes tribunal, which results in loss of time and inconvenience to subscribers. What do you have to say about this trend?
    This was bound to happen. When (industry) grievances are kept captive for long one glimmer of hope in a tribunal makes stakeholders run to it. Had there been a regulator or a disputes tribunal from the start or even earlier, the rush of cases in TDSAT would not have been there. It’s like giving vent to accumulated fury.

    As part of the broadcast industry, are you, unlike some others, in favour of a regulator?
    I am definitely in favour of a regulatory body.

    Even if the regulatory body may end up over-regulating the industry?
    A regulation is a regulation. At least in India you have the freedom to stand up and ask the reasons for a particular regulation and what led to its formulation. Ideally, a regulatory body should take care of the interest of all stakeholders, including consumers. It’s foolish to think that broadcasters should grow and the MSOs shouldn’t. If a particular segment is not growing, then the whole industry suffers.

    It’s easy to put the blame for all industry ills on one particular segment, but that’s not the case and a regulator should see it turns out to be a win-win situation for all.

    What do you think of the revenue share formula that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has mandated?
    At this point of time, I feel there is scope to better it (from a broadcaster’s point of view). Also, at this juncture we could put across our views to the regulatory body, which would be done in all probability.

    If you ask me, what should have been the broadcasters’ share of revenue accruing from pay channels, I’d say 50 per cent, instead of 45 per cent. The remaining could have been divided in the ratio of 20:30 between the MSOs and local cable operators.

    I am giving the LCOs more share as they are the retailers, while MSOs are whole sellers. In marketing practices, retailers always have the bigger margin.

    Why do you think broadcasters’ share of the revenue gravy should be more?
    Simply because broadcasters are making investments in programming. If cable TV subscribers and viewers in general want high quality programming, then broadcasters need to invest in such shows. Quality production can only come through higher investments and costs cannot be limited or capped.

    How would broadcasters bring quality stuff if their margins are clipped? Every business runs on the formula that the return on investment is balanced. Low investments could also mean low quality production values. Would Indian viewers settle for shoddy programmes and production values?

    What’s your opinion on Trai’s move to legitimize carriage fee charged by MSOs, a reality that was never discussed openly or accepted?
    I don’t think carriage or a fee paid for carriage on cable networks’ prime band would be an issue in a digital era towards which everybody is working. A digital system will take care of not only quality of broadcasting, but also the shortage of space that’s plaguing cable networks.

    Do you feel that ratings of various TV channels will get affected during initial phase of CAS, scheduled to be rolled out from 1 January 2007?
    Any change will have its rub-off effect on all stakeholders, including customers. A transition phase always throws up some doubts, which would get ironed out over a period of time.
    'Ideally, a regulator should take care of the interest of all stakeholders.
    It’s foolish to think that b'casters should grow & MSOs shouldn’t'

    Is there a chance of some pay TV channels going free in CAS areas to safeguard their reach, which is important vis-?-vis advertising revenue?
    I really don’t think so. If the content is powerful, consumers will pay for a channel. It can happen that broadcasters introduce new free to air channels. I don’t foresee a scenario where existing pay channels turn free to air.

    Do you foresee a scenario where a consumer picks and chooses channels in a CAS regime depending on events for a short period of time?
    It is a possibility and will revolve around marketing initiatives. For example, a pay channel can be made available to a consumer for a year at X price. Now if that consumer wants the channel for just six months, then the cost would X plus a certain percentage. Shorter the period, higher would be the premium.

    This trend could be a big concern for sports broadcasters as actual pay-per-view comes into vogue. These are advanced technologies, which will follow when digitalization, DTH and CAS set in properly.

    Will CAS turn out to be beneficial from a distribution point of view?
    Certainly. Apart from bringing about some transparency in the whole system, CAS would make the environment competitive, while giving more choice to a consumer. Distribution will have a bigger role to play in such a scenario.

    With the introduction of CAS and expansion of DTH services, the focus of distribution will be more on consumer rather than just a broadcaster’s client, which is the MSO. As a distribution person, I’ll also have to keep in mind the interest of my client’s clients (consumers). Therefore, there would be a lot of play while servicing clients.

    To facilitate a loyal customer base for a cable operator, it will be very important for me to also go and directly talk to the consumer about a broadcasting product.

    What will Zee Turner do to dial the customer directly?
    The primary objective should be the content and then creating awareness about it. As a company we would try to create a communication channel with the consumer/viewer to keep him in the loop about my product in its entirety.

    The approach would have to be 360 degree in the sense that we get feedback from consumers, hitherto not permitted by cable operators to approach directly, and then create products or upgrade existing channels depending on the feedback.

    In a small way, Zee Turner has started hooking up with the consumer. But it’ll take more time for this exercise to bloom fully as some doubts still persist. Those uncertainties have to be removed before a full-fledged consumer relationship exercise can be rolled out.

    What are the future plans for Zee Turner?
    With consumer becoming the king as options for him open up, thanks to new technologies, I need to be more close to him. Most company activities will be revolving around this theme of getting up close to the consumer, apart from satisfying my direct customers, the MSOs.

    For this to happen, activities like events have to be organized either via TV channels or on the ground. As a bouquet, Zee Turner has the largest number of channels (32) across most possible genres of programming. The task before us is to pick up our positives and pass it on to the consumer in a way that is understood by him.
    'In some areas, we have done better than One Alliance, while in some areas we have done as well as Star. But no denying that at a national level Star bouquet is way ahead of others'
    Do you think the regulator is doing a fair job on the pricing front? (The question was asked before Trai mandated all pay channels will be priced at Rs 5.)
    I think the regulator is trying to do a fair job.

    Has a deal with Tata Sky been concluded?
    We are talking to each other. We had suggested a price for Zee Turner bouquet of channels based on the formula mandated by a disputes tribunal in case of Dish TV and Star India. Tata Sky is not comfortable with the suggested price.

    What are the issues bogging down an agreement to be concluded?
    Tata Sky wants to be selective in terms of channels (from the Zee Turner bouquet), which we are not agreeable to; especially when such a criteria has not been adopted for other bouquets.
    Has Tata Sky given any reason for being selective with Zee Turner channels?
    The reason is quite obvious: lack of transponder space to accommodate all channels. But we also feel this reason is not true. We are keen on giving our channels to Tata Sky, but one cannot have different set of conditions for different broadcasters. Moreover, we are guided by an order from TDSAT.

    What are the revenue targets for Zee Turner this financial year?
    Zee Turner with a subscriber base of 4 million for bouquet 1 and 3.7 million for bouquet 2 is targeting a turnover of Rs 4000 million by the end of this financial year in March 2007. This should translate into 30-35 per cent growth in revenue compared to last year. I am not taking into account bouquet 3 as the subscriber base and revenue is negligible at this point of time.

    I can say with pride that we have been improving our performance. In some areas, we have done better than One Alliance (Discovery-Sony distribution joint venture), while in some areas we have done as well as Star. But there is no denying that at a national level, the Star bouquet is way ahead of others.
  • Zee Sports to move to Zee Turner 2nd bouquet

    Zee Sports to move to Zee Turner 2nd bouquet

    MUMBAI: Zee Sports, which till now has been sold as an a la carte pay channel, is being bundled as part of Zee Turner’s second bouquet of channels. The bouquet comprises five channels – HBO, Pogo, Zee Business, Vh1 and Awaaz.

    The price of the second package will increase from Rs 25 to Rs 30 per subscriber a month with effect from 1 August. Zee Sports as a standalone channel was priced at Rs 10. “The second bouquet will now include Zee Sports and the price will increase by Rs 5 per subscriber,” Zee Turner CEO Arun Poddar says.

    Zee Turner’s first bundle consists of channels like Zee TV, Zee Cinema, Zee News, Cartoon Network and CNBC. The regional channels of Zee are also in this pack. The bouquet is priced at Rs 58.85 a month per subscriber. The combined rate of the two bouquets after the inclusion of Zee Sports will now be Rs 88.85.

    The strength of Zee Turner’s second bouquet is led by the two Turner channels, HBO and Pogo. With Zee Sports lacking driver content, the bundling is expected to give the sports channel a boost in connectivity while allowing a rate increase for the second bouquet. Though Zee Sports was priced at Rs 10 and sold in Zee-Turner’s third bouquet, cable operators in effect were asking for a carriage fee to distribute the channel.

  • Ten Sports’ Arun Poddar appointed Zee Turner CEO

    Ten Sports’ Arun Poddar appointed Zee Turner CEO

    MUMBAI: It’s all happening at Subhash Chandra’s Zee Group as the network aims to move up a gear on all fronts. Even as Zee Telefilms moves to split its broadcasting business into three entities — news operations, broadcast and content creation, and Siti Cable — there is also action on corporate hierarchy front.

    The Zee Turner distribution bouquet has appointed a new CEO in Arun Poddar, currently vice-president (distribution), Ten Sports. Poddar, who has already put in his papers at the Dubai-based sports channel, is expected to take up his new assignment by the second week of April.

    Poddar’s move to Zee was confirmed to Indiantelevision.com by a senior executive in the company who said, “Arun Poddar is a fine professional and we expect that he will take Zee Turner to greater heights.”

    As regards the present Zee Turner CEO Siddharth Jain, it is not clear at this juncture but the expectation is that he will likely be reassigned to a different position within the group.
    Poddar cut his teeth in the distribution business with ESPN Star Sports. From there he moved on to news channel India TV as vice-president (distribution). He joined Ten Sports as head of distribution in April 2005.