ITV

Tag: cable television

  • HC postpones digitisation hearing by 4 weeks

    HC postpones digitisation hearing by 4 weeks

    MUMBAI: The Madras High Court on Thursday postponed hearing on a petition by Chennai Metro Cable Operators‘ Association (CMCOA) by another four weeks, keeping the cable TV industry guessing about the fate of government mandated digitisation process in Chennai.

    CMCOA had last week filed a fresh petition challenging the government notification of Cable Television Networks Rules, 2012 that paved the way for digitisation of the cable TV services.

    Earlier, the two-member bench of Justice Elipe Dharma Rao and Aruna Jagadeesan had adjourned the matter till Thursday following requests by petitioners as well respondents for more time.

    There are 18 respondents in the petition which include the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) and the Multi System Operators (MSOs) from Chennai.

    The CMCOA had earlier filed a petition seeking postponement of cable digitisation in Chennai by at least three months following which the DAS implementation was stayed by the Court.

    The cable operators argue that if digitisation is allowed to roll-out, it will create chaos since the MSOs don‘t have enough STBs. According to CMCOA, there are an estimated 4 million homes in Chennai metropolitan region.

    The deadline for the first phase of digitisation in the four metro cities was 1 November. Digitisation has taken effect in the other three metros of Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata. The Madras High Court had on 31 October stayed the digitisation in Chennai till 5 November. The Court again extended the deadline till 9 November following which it was put off till 19 November.

    According to the I&B Ministry, 63 per cent television households in Chennai have been digitized, a claim the local cable operators have disputed.

  • BBC World Service campaign in India connects with 73,000 people

    BBC World Service campaign in India connects with 73,000 people

    MUMBAI: BBC World Service has announced that BBC Hindi’s six-week Your World, Your Voice campaign in northern India, during November to December last year, connected with over 73,000 people.

    Your World, Your Voice toured 14 towns across the states of Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh, debating issues of importance to the local residents – from jobs, education, pollution and crime to water supply, land reform and naxalism.

    At least 45,000 people engaged with the BBC via audience-participation events including debates, quizzes and street theatre. The BBC also reached around 28,000 people with promotional activities in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttaranchal.

    The entire agenda for Your World, Your Voice was shaped up by a special BBC-commissioned research project which identified the main concerns of listeners in northern India. This was supplemented with questionnaires on the ground distributed during the events.

    BBC Hindi head Achala Sharma said, “Wherever we went, we were humbled by the level of engagement people showed us. While thousands came to each debate, nearly 11,000 local residents had their say via the questionnaires and around 13,500 people subscribed to our newsletter, BBC Hindi Samvad.

    “BBC Hindi is the most popular international broadcaster among our core audiences in India’s heartland, but the feedback Your World, Your Voice received shows we are much more than that. Those who came to meet with us appreciated the BBC’s engagement with the issues that affect their everyday lives.

    “They said that they felt ‘the BBC is not only concerned with news, it is also concerned about the people, that the BBC belongs to the people…’ or, as someone put it, ‘commoners became VIPs at the BBC events’. This is what BBC Hindi means to millions of our listeners – and we will keep it front of mind as we plan our future programming.”

    Through the questionnaires, the local residents expressed demand for increased air-time of BBC Hindi’s Hum Se Poochiye (Ask Us) and Career Kya Karoon (Career Advice). They also want more content on health, science and arts as well as entertainment.

    BBC Hindi programmes are produced from studios in London and New Delhi and are set in a rolling format, with news, current affairs and features. The interactive morning and evening programmes, Aaj Ke Din and Aaj Kal, bring the BBC Hindi listeners news, analysis and interviews on a range of issues, from current affairs and careers to showbiz and sports.

    BBC Hindi is available on short wave and medium wave radio and via cable television. Hindi-speakers across the world can access BBC Hindi programmes in text and in audio at the site bbchindi.com.

  • Delhi High Court issues injunction to cable operators on unauthorised telecast of India-South Africa cricket series

    Delhi High Court issues injunction to cable operators on unauthorised telecast of India-South Africa cricket series

    MUMBAI: The Delhi High Court has ruled in favour of ESPN Star Sports, the official broadcaster of the India-South Africa Series, in its suit for permanent injunction filed against 66 cable operators across the country against unauthorised broadcast of the India-South Africa Series, restraining all the cable operators from unauthorisedly showing India-South Africa Series through their cable networks.

    The channel has the exclusive right to broadcast the feeds of the international cricket matches being played by India against South Africa in South Africa by terrestrial television, cable television and / or satellite television in the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, asserts an official release.

    After this order anyone still showing India-South Africa series through any unauthorised means or any other channel will be held in contempt of court and liable for prosecution. The Delhi High Court has also permitted ESPN to take action against all other cable operators not parties to the suit who are found to be unauthorisedly utilising the feed of ESPN and Star Sport without license.

    Elaborating on this, ESPN Software India Pvt Ltd chief operating officer Vijay Rajput said, “Carriage, reception or distribution of the India-South Africa series by any MSO, cable operator, sub-operator without written authorisation from ESPN Star Sports is a violation of Copyright Act, 1957 and hence an illegal activity.”

    “Also, no other channel, whether pay, free to air or terrestrial is authorised to provide, show or distribute the India-South Africa series in the territory of India. Also strict and legal action will be taken against the operators who violate the court orders. Post the order; police raids have already been started,” he added.

    The 66 cable operators restrained from the unauthorised telecast are from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkand, Bihar, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Assam, Karnataka, Kerala, Chattisgarh, West Bengal, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab.

    ESPN Star Sports will be broadcasting the ODI series in both English as well as Hindi feed. ESPN will telecast the series in English with ESPN’s a Few Good Men, Sunil Gavaskar, Harsha Bhogle, Allan Wilkins, Ravi Shastri and Wasim Akram joined in by South African Pat Symcox.

    The Hindi programming for the series on Star Sports will be spearheaded by Indian TV artist, Shekhar Suman and supported by Syed Kirmani, Wasim Akram, Arun Lal, Maninder Singh and Zaheer Abbas. The sports broadcaster has introduced special production and programming initiatives Planet Cricket, Cricket Crazy and Full Toss for the Indian audiences for the telecast of the series, adds the release.