ITV

Tag: Colors HD

  • Dish TV bets on Bigg Boss to flog its all-in-one smart television

    Dish TV bets on Bigg Boss to flog its all-in-one smart television

    MUMBAI: Dish TV is gambling that Indians will pay for convenience. The satellite broadcaster’s new VZY smart television—which bundles DTH and streaming services into one device—has signed on as sponsor of Bigg Boss in both Hindi and Kannada, hitching itself to two of the country’s most-watched reality franchises.

    The move, announced on October 1st, positions VZY as co-powered sponsor for Bigg Boss Hindi on Colors SD and HD, and co-presenting sponsor for Bigg Boss Kannada on Colors Kannada and JioHotstar. It is a calculated play: Bigg Boss commands fanatical viewership across demographics, making it prime real estate for a brand trying to crack both urban and regional markets.

    VZY’s pitch is straightforward. Rather than juggling a set-top box, streaming stick and multiple subscriptions, buyers get everything bundled into the television itself. The company also offers integrated set-top box models for those who prefer that route. It is, Dish TV claims, “India’s first truly integrated smart TV.”

    “Bigg Boss, both in Hindi and Kannada, is a show that unites audiences across regions and languages,” says Dish TV India chief revenue officer Sukhpreet Singh. The association, he argues, positions VZY as the television of choice for “entertainment-first consumers”.

    A JioStar spokesperson described Bigg Boss as “India’s most-watched and talked-about reality series” and welcomed VZY’s “smart TV proposition” as complementing the show’s immersive experience. The language suggests both parties see this as more than a typical sponsorship—it is a bet on convergence.

    Whether Indian consumers will embrace an all-in-one television remains uncertain. The market is crowded with smart TV brands, streaming devices and DTH providers, each vying for living-room dominance. Dish TV is wagering that eliminating complexity—and piggybacking on Bigg Boss’s massive audience—will give VZY an edge. The show’s millions of viewers will soon discover if the pitch holds up.

  • Indian police crack cross-border TV piracy ring run via WhatsApp

    Indian police crack cross-border TV piracy ring run via WhatsApp

    MUMBAI: Indian authorities have dismantled an international television piracy network that streamed over 10,000 channels—including banned Pakistani networks—to customers via WhatsApp groups, in what investigators describe as the first fully exposed cross-border content theft operation.

    Police in Ghaziabad registered a case against a 35-year-old businessman accused of running the illicit internet protocol television (IPTV) service in collaboration with handlers across the border, according to StoryBoard18, which first reported the investigation.

    The probe began when officers from Tilamod Police Station traced a suspicious WhatsApp group facilitating illegal access to premium television channels. The investigation led to the blocking of 53 domains distributing pirated content under the “IPTV World” brand name.

    According to the First Information Report filed on 27 July, the accused illegally streamed copyrighted content from JioStar India Pvt Ltd and its OTT platform JioHotstar without authorisation. The pirated catalogue included popular Indian channels such as Star Plus HD, Star Bharat HD and Colors HD, alongside Pakistani networks Hadi TV and Noor TV—the latter raising national security concerns.

    Investigators discovered the accused coordinated with a Pakistan-based pirate, paying in cryptocurrency to obtain copyrighted material. The service reached customers primarily through WhatsApp groups, with payments processed via UPI accounts.

    “The modus operandi of the accused was to provide services through WhatsApp groups, which became the key lead in our investigation,” said a senior officer involved in the probe.

    The complaint filed by JioStar accused IPTV World of bypassing technical protection measures and hosting pirated content on servers linked to providers including Hostinger and GoDaddy, violating copyright, information technology and criminal laws.

    The case represents a breakthrough in understanding digital piracy’s mechanics. JioStar’s John Doe lawsuit before the Delhi high court led to the voluntary appearance of the service provider’s owner, who agreed to a permanent injunction and disclosed the network’s complete operations, including business associates, 300 infringing URLs, and distribution platforms.

    These disclosures revealed coordinated cross-border collaboration, cryptocurrency payments, and systematic circumvention of content protection measures. The entire operation—from content sourcing to distribution via WhatsApp and Facebook—was organised from Pakistan.

    The investigation marks the first time authorities have fully mapped premium content piracy’s complete lifecycle, from origin to delivery. It exposes how digital platforms initially designed for communication have become conduits for large-scale intellectual property theft.

    The case highlights broader challenges facing India’s digital entertainment industry as streaming services proliferate. Content owners face sophisticated piracy networks that exploit encrypted messaging platforms and cryptocurrency payments to evade traditional enforcement mechanisms.

    In a related development, police in Rajasthan have registered a separate case against cable operator Hazi Ali for allegedly broadcasting JioStar channels without proper licensing. The ministry of information and broadcasting had cancelled his broadcasting licence in 2024 for regulatory violations, yet he reportedly continued transmitting copyrighted content.

    The crackdown reflects heightened enforcement efforts as India’s entertainment industry pushes authorities to tackle digital piracy more aggressively. With streaming revenues at stake and national security concerns over unauthorised Pakistani content, expect more coordinated action against cross-border piracy networks.

    Whether these enforcement successes can meaningfully dent the broader piracy ecosystem remains uncertain. As investigators shut down established networks, new operators typically emerge using evolved techniques to evade detection.

    The cat-and-mouse game between content owners and pirates continues, now with WhatsApp groups as the unlikely battlefield.

  • BT Media distributing Colors HD to Sky UK subs

    MUMBAI: BT Media & Broadcast, the global media services business of BT last Friday evening announced its association with Viacom18, one of India’s fastest growing entertainment network, to bring its flagship Hindi general entertainment channel, Colors, to Sky TV subscribers in the UK in High Definition (HD) format starting 14 February 2017. 

    BT will manage the channel’s distribution into London’s BT Tower via its dedicated, high capacity Global Media Network (GMN), and fully manage the uplink and downlink of the signal to and from the satellite which will beam the channel into people’s homes.

    Colors is renowned in India and other markets around the globe for its Indian adaptations of popular UK entertainment formats like Big Brother and Dancing with the Stars. Its availability in HD starting this week, marks the first time that Viacom18 has brought HD content to the UK market. This move is expected to not only attract new viewers but also enhance the overall viewing experience for its existing UK audience. Viacom18 broadcasts more than 36 channels in India, including some of the top performing channels such as Colors, MTV, Rishtey, etc.

    Commenting on the HD feed, Viacom18 Group CEO Sudhanshu Vats said, “Over the past few quarters we have been focused on accelerating the expansion of our global footprint. Our maiden association with British Telecom will take our flagship channel Colors HD into the homes of Sky TV subscribers, providing them with access to not only the best of Indian content but also an enhanced viewing experience.”

    Adding further, Viacom18 CEO – Hindi Mass Entertainment, Raj Nayak said, “The quality of the viewing experience is so much better in HD, offering customers a more compelling and higher quality viewing experience. With Colors introducing HD feed in the UK market, we are looking forward to a deeper connect with not only the viewers in the region but also the advertisers.”

    Commenting on the launch of the HD feed, IndiaCast Group CEO Anuj Gandhi said, “Colors UK has been providing quality content options to the audience in the UK for over seven years. Our partnership with Sky and BT for the launch of the HD feed is testimony to our commitment towards showcasing top-notch video quality to viewers, making Colors UK HD the top-of-mind entertainment destination for viewers.”

    BT Media and Broadcast VP Mark Wilson-Dunn said, “Today’s deal with Viacom18 is a significant one for our growing Asian business. Viacom18 is one of India’s biggest and most recognized entertainment brands and we’re really excited to be helping it to capture larger UK viewing audiences by supporting its new HD offering. Culturally, TV plays a major part in keeping people of Asian origin living in Europe and other parts of the world connected with their families and heritage. Our role in helping to do that is something we are very proud of.”

    “Our Global Media Network helps broadcasters and entertainment companies from all over the world to expand and succeed in new markets. Any by providing a future-proof path to upgrade to HD and UHD content distribution services, industry leading levels of reliability and 24/7 performance monitoring, there’s no better choice of partner than BT.”

    BT Media and Broadcast is active in the Asia-Pac region, where the bulk of its business involves carrying local TV channels across it GMN for distribution to people of Asian origin in UK, Europe, USA and Canada, where they are broadcast to air by companies such as SKY, Comcast, DirecTV, Dish and Rogers Cable. Currently, BT Media and Broadcast carries more than 100 TV channels from India for this purpose alone.

    BT’s GMN is a purpose built network designed to meet the needs of media and broadcast companies and is capable of delivering fast, reliable and secure LIVE TV and media files to major locations across the globe. It is a proven, high-capacity IP based network that has already successfully delivered live international transmissions of 4k UHD events. Using the latest MPLS and IP technologies, it delivers LIVE, high quality, uninterrupted video content to over 40 major media gateways worldwide.

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    Free Colors HD on Sky in UK from 14 Feb

     

     

  • Free Colors HD on Sky in UK from 14 Feb

    MUMBAI: IndiaCast, a joint venture of Viacom18 and TV18, announced the launch of the high-definition (HD) feed for Colors UK on leading DTH platform, Sky. Available on the same EPG number as the SD feed (No. 786), Colors UK HD will adapt to the HD set top box and will be available to viewers starting 14 February 2017.

    Launched in the UK in January 2010, Colors UK SD feed offers variety content from the Colors bouquet of offerings. Its HD feed, to be available to Sky subscribers across Europe, will feature shows including Devanshi, Dil Se Dil Tak, Ek Shringaar…Swabhimaan, Shakti…Astitva Ke Ehsaas Kii, Udann, Karmphal Data Shani, and many more. The channel will also feature well-appreciated weekend content including Naagin 2, Rising Star, upcoming proposition Chhote Miyan, and blockbuster films.

    Commenting on launch, Viacom18 Group CEO Sudhanshu Vats said, “We started out by increasing the footprint of our content offering, across general entertainment and Indian movies, through our channels in the UK. We now want to dial up the experience for our discerning viewers and the launch of Colors HD is a step in that direction.”

    Speaking about this development, Viacom18 CEO – Hindi entertainment Raj Nayak said, “Colors has been the leading entertainment provider to the audience not only in India, but also in international markets. We continue to push the envelope as far as our offering to the South Asian diaspora is concerned. The announcement of the launch of the HD feed for Colors UK will go a long way in enhancing the viewing experience, bringing the audience a slice of home, with better visual clarity, in the comforts of their living rooms.”

    Commenting on the launch, IndiaCast Group CEO Anuj Gandhi said, “Colors UK has been an unprecedented audience entertainer which has provided diverse options for the South Asian audience for over seven years. We are committed towards showcasing top-notch content on our channels and are glad to join hands with Sky to bring HD quality content to viewers in the region, thereby making Colors UK HD the preferred entertainment destination for the audience. We are also in talks with other service providers and distributors in Europe to launch our HD service.”

    Adding further, IndiaCast SVP & business head – UK Govind Shahi said, “As one of the top entertainment brand for the South Asian diaspora, Colors is constantly innovating and this free offering of Colors HD on Sky works on the smart swap technology which enables the HD feed to be available on the same EPG as before. To ensure that no viewer is left out, we continue to provide the SD feed as well. This launch of Colors in HD coincides with the launch of all-new exciting shows as well as the new 9-10pm slot.

    To promote the Colors UK HD feed, IndiaCast has devised a high-intensity marketing campaign with “We are coming closer to you” as its core messaging. The campaign will be delivered via cross-network promotions on Rishtey Cineplex and Rishtey Europe as well as spots across radio stations. In terms of off-air promotions, Colors UK HD communique will be highlighted through innovative print and outdoor mediums.

  • UCN to offer Dolby Digital Plus on its HD STBs

    UCN to offer Dolby Digital Plus on its HD STBs

    MUMBAI: Dolby Laboratories has announced that UCN, one of Maharashtra’s leading multi-system operators (MSOs), has selected Dolby Digital Plus as the audio codec for its HD set-top boxes. With Dolby Digital Plus, UCN HD subscribers will experience the capability of up to 7.1 channels of surround sound, designed to transform the way people experience their favorite sports, movies, and television programs.

    “With the onset of the digitization in India, the broadcast industry is evolving with a promise to deliver enhanced quality services to the end consumer. This association with Dolby is an excellent opportunity for us to combine a great HD picture with superior Dolby surround sound. We have always aimed to deliver the best cinematic entertainment experiences for our subscribers,” said UCN director Ajay Khamankar.

    With UCN’s HD set-top boxes featuring Dolby Digital Plus, consumers will be able to enjoy Dolby surround sound by connecting their home theater to their HD set-top box and the HDTV, giving them the best TV viewing experience at home. UCN will offer a complete entertainment experience across a bouquet of channels including the Star HD network, Colors HD, Movies Now HD, Discovery HD, NGC HD, and many more.

    “Our collaboration with UCN marks an important milestone in the adoption of Dolby Digital Plus in India’s Cable TV services, which is undergoing a massive transformation with the ongoing digitization. At Dolby, we strive to bring to life superior entertainment experiences for audiences using innovative technology. With Dolby Digital Plus, UCN will bring an exceptional entertainment experience to their consumers —from sports, drama, reality TV, and movies—right into their living rooms,” said Dolby Laboratories India country manager Pankaj Kedia.

  • Network18 Q2 FY-14 EBITDA is back to black

    Network18 Q2 FY-14 EBITDA is back to black

    BENGALURU: Investors in TV18 Broadcast Limited (TV18) have a reason to smile and cheer, though the stock market has not reacted positively to the Q2-2013 results post the financial announcement. The stock’s price had taken a shallow dive (down by about 1.75 per cent) at the time of writing this report.

     

    Though the company has been showing improved performance over the past few quarters, it has returned a profit of Rs 10.1 crore for the current quarter Q2-2014. “While the general news and niche genres witnessed continued softness, our advertising revenues from entertainment led by Colors grew strongly,” says the company.

     

     TV18 Broadcast, a subsidiary of Network 18 that operates news channels, also operates a joint venture with Viacom, called Viacom18, which houses a portfolio of popular entertainment channels – Colors and Colors HD amongst others.

     

     Let us look at some of the Q2-2014 figures reported by TV18

     

    A consolidated summary shows that TV18’s revenue at Rs 483.2 crore for Q2-2014 has grown by almost a third (32.3 per cent) as compared to the Rs 365.1 crore for Q2-2013 and by 22 per cent as compared to the Rs 396.2 crore for Q1-2014.

     

    Revenue from news and infotaiment at Rs 119.7 crore in Q2-2014 has shrunk by 1.2 per cent as compared to the Rs 121.1 crore in Q2-2013 and is almost flat (grown by 0.6 per cent) as compared to the Rs 119 crore for Q1-2014. Though y-o-y operating profit for Q2-2014 from news and infotainment at Rs 8.4 crore is more than double (2.1 times more) than the Rs 4 crore for Q2-2013, it is almost half (57 per cent) of the Rs 14.7 crore the segment had returned for Q1-2014 (q-o-q).

     

     It is general news that has bled news and infotaiment profit that has accrued through business news.  General news with revenue of Rs 49 crore in Q2-2014 has taken a 19 per cent fall as compared to the Rs 60.3 crore in Q2-2013 and a 11.2 per cent drop to Rs 55.2 crore in Q1-2014. Operating loss from general news at Rs (-8.2) crore more than doubled (operating loss increased by 248 per cent) the Rs (-3.3 crore) reported for Q2-2013 and was almost six times the Rs (-1.4) crore operating loss for Q1-2014. Maybe the group needs to consider a massive revamp of its general news programming and presenters’ offerings?

     

    Business news with revenue of Rs 65.2 crore saw a more than healthy growth of 26 per cent as compared to the Rs 51.9 crore in Q2-2013 and 14 per cent growth as compared to the Rs 57.3 crore for Q1-2014. Business news returned an operating profit of Rs 18.3 crore, 8.3 per cent higher than the Rs 16.9 crore for Q2-2013 and 4.6 per cent higher than the Rs 17.5 crore in Q1-2014.

     

    Revenue from entertainment – television (Colors and other channels) in Q2-2014 at Rs 174.5 crore has gone up by a whopping 36 per cent as compared to the Rs 128.5 crore for Q2-2013 and is more by 15 per cent when compared to the Rs 151.8 crore for Q1-2014. TV18’s operating profit from entertainment – television segment at Rs 24.7 crore is 80 per cent more than Rs 13.7 crore for Q2-2013 and 62.5 per cent more than the Rs 15.2 crore in Q1-2014.

     

     TV18’s entertainment-Motion Pictures segment revenue of Rs 62 crore for Q2-2014 was about 2.8 times more than the Rs 22.1 crore for Q2-2013 and 2.3 times more than the Rs 18.8 crore for Q1-2014. This segment also has returned an operating profit of Rs 3.7 crore in Q2-2014 as compared to losses of Rs (-7.4) crore and Rs (-8.4) crore in Q2-2013 and Q1-2014 respectively.

     

    Though revenue from IndiaCast has almost doubled to Rs 182.5 crore as compared to the Rs 95 crore in Q2-2013, operating profit of Rs 1 crore from this stream is almost a fourth of the Rs 3.9 crore for Q2-2013 and less than half the Rs 2.3 crore for Q1-2014.

     

     Inter-segmental eliminations have wiped off a massive Rs 55.1 crore from TV18’s consolidated revenue, but have had a net gain of Rs 1.8 crore to the overall results.

     

     Note: IndiaCast is a 50:50 joint venture between TV18 and Viacom18 and has been consolidated as such. IndiaCast commenced operations on 1 July 2012 and as such, is consolidated only from Q2 FY13. For the previous year it was consolidated as a 100 per cent subsidiary. TV18 moved to the net distribution income methodology of accounting for carriage and subscription from Q2-2013. Q1-2013 results had been regrouped to ensure comparability. For Q1-2013, gross subscription and carriage numbers are included in the audited results of FY2013. From the current year (FY-2014); TV18 says that it has stopped reporting new operations separately given their vintage and that segmental numbers are based on management accounts and are not audited.

     

    Viacom 18 numbers

     

    Q2-2014 revenue for Viacom 18 stood at Rs 546.7 crore, a growth of 34 per cent over the previous quarter. Operating profits grew strongly to Rs 57.5 crore as against Rs 12.6 crore in Q2-2013.

     

    Television broadcasting revenue for the current quarter (Q2-2014) was Rs 349.1 crore as against Rs 257 crore in the previous year. Operating profit from TV18’s television business stood at Rs 49.4 crore and grew by 80 per cent over previous year. The growth was driven by both strong advertising and distribution revenues, says the company.

     

    Viacom18 Motion Pictures released five movies during the quarter under review (Q2-2014). The slate had three Hindi titles Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Luv U Soniyo and Madras Café and two Marathi titles – 72 miles and Kumari Gangubai Non Matric. Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and Madras Café were critically acclaimed and runaway hits. Operating profits from the business stood at Rs 7.5 crore for the quarter (Q2-2014).

     

    Network18 managing director Raghav Bahl says, “Even though the macroeconomic environment continued to be uncertain, the media and entertainment industry is well poised to deliver robust growth. At TV18, we are confident of maintaining our growth trajectory to create value for our stakeholders. During the current quarter our broadcasting operations turned in strong operating profits. We are particularly heartened by the doubling of operating profits in the first half of the current financial year as compared to previous year.”

     

     Group CEO B. Saikumar said, “During the current quarter, we turned in robust operating profits for both our broadcasting and motion pictures businesses. We embarked on an operational restructuring programme to realise synergies across the news network which will be instrumental in creating sustained value. Our entertainment business turned in an excellent quarter and IndiaCast continued on its growth trajectory. The advertising environment continues to be lackadaisical especially for news and other niche genres but we remain confident of delivering a strong year ahead.”