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Tag: Cricket World Cup 2015

  • Star India partners Accenture for Hotstar

    Star India partners Accenture for Hotstar

    MUMBAI: Intending to spark a billion imaginations, Star India roped in Accenture to help develop, launch and deliver its over-the-air programming through Hotstar. 

     

    The video on demand (VOD) platform, built on the Accenture Video Solution (AVS) software platform, is funded primarily through advertising, using the platform’s new digital advertising functions. Taking advantage of a fully cloud-based infrastructure, Hotstar is serving the entire country with a catalogue of more than 45,000 movies and television series.

     

    Accenture helped Star India develop and launch the online video service to establish an online entertainment destination by building on a “mobile first” strategy. Leveraging AVS, Star can deliver broadcast-quality content to consumers on a wide variety of devices over Wi-Fi, 4G, 3G and 2G networks, including those with limited bandwidth resources such as 2G feature phones.

     

    “With Hotstar, our ambition is nothing less than the establishment of a whole new model for on demand video consumption in the world,” said Star India COO Sanjay Gupta. 

     

    “We will drive dramatic innovation on this platform with benefits for both users and advertisers. Accenture has been a valuable partner in this effort. They are walking side by side with us in creating this compelling platform, bringing the best of their product and technology expertise to the table. Together, we will establish compelling new benchmarks in the Over the Top space,” he added.

     

    In addition to service delivery, Accenture is managing the Hotstar operations round the clock utilising the client’s on-site team in Hyderabad and Accenture’s Global Video Operations Center in the Philippines. The service supports more than 7,000 different digital devices with its mobile-friendly platform, which delivers video streaming and downloads in any of India’s urban and suburban areas. The powerful AVS analytics engine will also provide Star with the capability to predict and help drive user behaviors with personalized content recommendations.

     

    In February, Hotstar, along with starsports.com, its digital platform counterpart, served more than 25 million video views during an Indian-Pakistan cricket match to make it the most watched sports event online of all time.

     

    “By creating a digital video service available on multiple screens, Star has secured its status as India’s most advanced next-generation content provider,” said Accenture communications, media & technology managing director Ashish Khanna.

     

    “It is one of the first services globally to offer entertainment, movies and sports on a single platform for free while enabling new consumption models. This provides consumers access to a rich catalogue of content delivered online with interactive advertising formats that provide multiple opportunities for content monetization by Star’s advertisers and we’re excited to be Star’s delivery partner,” he added.

  • “If ban is lifted, secondary rights become available, BBC would like to air ‘India’s Daughter’ in India”: Jim Egan

    “If ban is lifted, secondary rights become available, BBC would like to air ‘India’s Daughter’ in India”: Jim Egan

    MUMBAI: The just concluded Cricket World Cup 2015, the infighting amongst Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) members and Deepika Padukone’s recently launched #Mychoice video has kept the Indian media busy for the past few days. And this, in a country, which has to deal with a number of bans, both of content and beef. But, what had once taken substantial screen space, is now dead.

     

    However, when BBC Global News chief executive officer Jim Egan visited India, the very first question, which popped in people’s mind was that of his take on the ban of the documentary India’s Daughter, a co-production between BBC and documentary filmmaker Leslee Udwin.

     

    “India’s Daughter fits the category of the documentary strand we have on BBC Global News calledStoryville Global. So, as and when the secondary rights become available and if the ban is lifted in India, then we would like to broadcast it here, but that would not be for many months,” Egan tells Indiantelevision.com.

     

    Internet has made banning of content difficult now. “Many people have already watched India’s Daughter on YouTube and so the one thing I believe in is that it’s harder to ban things now,” he said.

     

    BBC, according to Egan, is happy to produce a documentary like India’s Daughter, which touches upon a very sensitive topic. “It was a programme, which was made in a very careful and sensitive way. But of course it touches on some of the most delicate issues, not just in India, but around the world, and that’s why I think it’s a programme, which audiences should be able to watch,” added Egan.

     

    Egan hopes that in time people will have the opportunity to watch it. “Women’s rights and role in a society is one of the major issues across the world and I think, the programme has done a wonderful job in bringing that aspect out,” he opined.

     

    The channel, which reaches to approximately 400 million homes, recording a viewership of 76 million per week globally, is looking at a better traction from the country, which currently stands at around 10 per cent.

     

    BBC has been operating in India for more than 20 years. Talking about his relation with the regulator here, Egan said, “We have a very good relation with the regulatory authorities here, both at the level of the regulator and also at the Ministerial level. Being a global broadcaster, while it is quite a difficult process, being global broadcasters, since we have to comply with different regulatory regimes right across the world, but India is not the country, which is problematic to do business.”

     

    The curb on freedom of speech is becoming a major concern across the globe. “Although the world is becoming more connected and globalised, it is also becoming a bit of less tolerant.”

     

    On the future plans for India, Egan said that while they aren’t increasing the number of bureaus but they are investing in people on the digital multimedia side. “Delhi is BBC’s single biggest bureau, outside the UK, that signifies the importance we show to the country and the Indian news agenda. Our endeavour is to bring international news and events to Indian audiences while telling the story of India from political and social point of view to international audiences who are interested in knowing what’s going on here. India is an important market and so we are investing to continue to grow,” concluded Egan.

     

  • ESPNcricinfo launches ‘Insights’ to strengthen its content offering

    ESPNcricinfo launches ‘Insights’ to strengthen its content offering

    MUMBAI: ESPNcricinfo has launched Insights, the go-to destination for fans looking for all kinds of statistics and analysis around World Cup Cricket tournament. A first of its kind, Insights leverages the in-depth coverage and data analysis of cricket happenings across the globe and allows fans to interact with statistics and numbers in an easy and engaging manner.

     

    ESPNcricinfo Insights uses more than two decades worth of world cricketing data points and statistics, mapped at the data and analytics hub in Bangalore, to create a suite of products that aim to engage fans in this multi-screen era. ESPNcricinfo’s data operations, which tracks various data points around a cricket match, has built various levels of analytics suite  to interpret captured data  and add a qualitative perspective to the analytics thus providing an insightful cricketing analysis based on ‘Big Data.’

     

    The data operations map close to 25 variables for every ball bowled during a match that is put through an extensive analytics process that is supplemented by historical data as well as the resident cricketing intelligence of the global ESPNcricinfo editorial team. ESPNcricinfo has tied up with partners like Formcept India for some of these analytics.

     

    Fans will be able to play around with interesting cricket statistics like player versus player comparisons, across game formats and take into account factors like venue, opposition and results of matches for the previous and current Cricket World Cup.

     

    ESPN Digital Media India and ESPNcricinfo head Ramesh Kumar said, “At ESPNcricinfo, we endeavour to constantly innovate and provide cricket fans newer and exciting ways to consume content and engage with game action. We are delighted to announce the launch of ESPNcricinfo Insights, a flagship feature that is poised to deliver the best cricket insights based on cricket data of all cricket matches, the rigour and robustness of our global cricket data operations, decades of cricket analysis expertise and sound analytics offering built around them.  It is a pioneering initiative in the cricket coverage space and is sure to delight fans during the upcoming cricketing season. It will be of interest not just to cricket fans but also various other stakeholders in cricket like players, coaches, analysts.”

     

    ESPNcricinfo, Epson India senior general manager, brand & communication Tushad Talati added, “When it comes to the most comprehensive coverage of online cricket, ESPNcricinfo is the first choice for most Indians. This World Cup, more than any so far, promises to have a strong following online, given not just the increase in internet audiences but also that the timings are not exactly conducive to television viewing in India. The Insight’s center on ESPNcricinfo is expected to be the go-to place for all cricket buffs keen to get all the information and stats around the World Cup.  At Epson we felt that our presence on Cricinfo during this World Cup made imminent sense and would drive visibility for key products, especially our fantastic InkTank Printers and Home Theatre projectors.”

  • ‘Roy’ fails to grab eyeballs at the BO

    ‘Roy’ fails to grab eyeballs at the BO

    MUMBAI: Roy does not quite go well with the moviegoer; a confusing film moving at snail’s pace with nothing happening through its lengthy trudge, the film had fair collections on the opening day thanks to names of Ranbir Kapoor and Arjun Rampal in the cast.

     

    The film maintained about same figures on Saturday but suffered a huge drop of about 50 per cent on Sunday because of India Pakistan World Cup match. The film managed weekend collections of Rs 24.9 crore.

     

    Controversial film MSG: The Messenger fails at the box office.

     

    R Balki’s experiment of a ventriloquist played by Amitabh Bachchan landing his rich baritone to an aspiring mute actor, Dhanush, fails to catch the audience’s fancy. While Bachchan may still be a media star, casting him in such a film is tricky business, Dhanush has little to charm the Hindi audience. Shamitabh does not add much to its already deficient weekend, ending its first week with a figure of Rs 17.6 crore.

     

    Baby continues to make the most of a run of poor oppositions over last three weeks. The film adds a reasonable Rs 6.5 crore in its third week to take its three week total to Rs 75.3 crore.

     

    Khamoshiyan has collected Rs 75 lakh in its second week to take its two week total to Rs 6.5 crore. Forced horror film sans content don’t work. A disappointing outcome for the investor.

     

    PK has added Rs 20 lakh in its eighth week. The film has put together Rs 329.95 crore in eight weeks.

  • Rathore promises inquiry into AIR re-tweets on Indo-Pak match

    Rathore promises inquiry into AIR re-tweets on Indo-Pak match

    NEW DELHI: Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore has promised to look into the case of All India Radio’s (AIR) Twitter handle on Sunday re-tweeting obnoxious anti-Pakistan tweets by some of its followers after India beat Pakistan in their opening World Cup cricket match.

     

    In its response, the Twitter handle of News Service division of AIR has denied there was anything obnoxious in its re-tweets but said it is open to any inquiry.  

     

    AIR invited tweets wishing team India the best when the India-Pakistan World Cup match was under way in the Adelaide Oval on Sunday afternoon.

     

    “Give your best wishes to #TeamIndia for #CricketWorldCup using #WCFirSe. Best will get re-tweet from us,” said a tweet.

     

    “This is within the scope of Prasar Bharati. Whoever is handling the Twitter account must have done it in excitement. People tend to get excited, but a certain grace must be maintained,” Rathore said.

     

    “India’s explosive win over Pakistan at #AdelaideOval. Hindustan decides Pakistan’s #GharWapsi #WCFirSe,” a tweet originally in Hindi, which was re-tweeted by the AIR News’ verified account @airnewsalerts read. The handle is the “Official account of News Services Division, All India Radio.” 

  • Prasar Bharati moves SC against Delhi HC judgment on World Cup telecasts

    Prasar Bharati moves SC against Delhi HC judgment on World Cup telecasts

    NEW DELHI: Prasar Bharati today filed a special leave petition in the Supreme Court (SC) to appeal against the judgment of the Delhi High Court (HC) barring it from sharing signals of the ICC World Cup Cricket 2015 with cable operators.

     

    The leave petition presented by Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi is expected to come up for hearing on 10 February.

     

    In its judgment, the HC had refused to strike down the must carry clause under which cable operators have to carry signals of Doordarshan.

     

    A bench of Justices Badar Durrez Ahmed and Sanjeev Sachdeva passed the order on the plea of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), ESPN and Star who had contended that cable TV operators were getting live feeds through DD channels free of cost, resulting in loss of revenue for them.

     

    In its order, the Court refused to strike down a 2000 notification issued by Prasar Bharati, which made it mandatory for cable operators to carry DD National and DD News channels. Simultaneously, the court also rejected the additional prayers by ESPN Star to strike down Section 3 of the Sports Act, which makes it mandatory for them to share with Prasar Bharati the live feed of sporting events of national importance.

     

    DD officials said the Mandatory Sharing Act was clear that matches would have to be shared with DD on its terrestrial network and via its direct-to-home Freedish. An official said the directive by the Court appeared to be a precautionary measure aimed at warning cable operators who pirate the signals and not Doordarshan.

     

    In the order, the Court had said, “The appeal as well as writ petition (civil) 8458/2007 are allowed to the extent that the live broadcasting signal shared by ESPN/Star by virtue of the Sports Act with Prasar Bharati, shall not be carried in the designated Doordarshan channels under the must carry obligation cast by the Cable TV Network Act on cable operators. This shall operate prospectively.”

     

    In its directive, the Court had observed that while the advertisement revenue received by DD in respect of the shared content of the sports channels was to be shared in the ratio of not less than 75:25, “it still does not cater to the loss of subscription revenue” by ESPN and Star.

     

    BCCI, Nimbus Communications and the two sports channels (ESPN and Star) had challenged the high court’s single judge November 2007 order rejecting their pleas that no cable television network, Direct-to-Home (DTH) Network, multi-system network or local cable operator could broadcast such sports events without a licence from the content owners.

  • MSOs write to Govt. on WC telecast issue as Prasar Bharati gets ready to file appeal in SC

    MSOs write to Govt. on WC telecast issue as Prasar Bharati gets ready to file appeal in SC

    NEW DELHI: Even as Prasar Bharati sources confirmed that instructions had been issued to their legal representatives to file an appeal in the Supreme Court, multi-system operators (MSOs) have urged Information and Broadcasting Ministry secretary Bimal Julka that the Delhi High Court order relating to the World Cup telecast will have ‘grave consequences with millions of Cable TV homes in the country being forced to subscribe to the ESPN Star Sports channels.’

                                                                                         

    In a letter sent to Julka with copies to I&B Minister Arun Jaitley and officials of Prasar Bharati and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), Vikki Choudhary on behalf of the smaller MSOs and LCOs said, “The move will force cable TV customers to subscribe to all the Star Sports channels even under the Digital Access System (DAS) regime.”

     

    Describing the judgment as a ‘big shock’, Choudhary of Home Cable in his letter to the Ministry has described the court order as ‘vague’ on the re-transmission of Doordarshan feed of the Cricket World Cup 2015 matches. “We are under a mandatory ‘must carry’ clause of the DD Channels on our DAS cable distribution platform,” the letter read.  

     

    DD legal experts have on the other hand said that an appeal would be filed in the Supreme Court since the directive of the High Court militates against the must-carry clause and the Sports Broadcasting Signals (Mandatory Sharing with Prasar Bharati) Act 2007. Several multi-system operators in the capital also confirmed to indiantelevision.com that they were planning to either file an independent appeal or intervene in the appeal to be filed by Doordarshan or Prasar Bharati.

     

    A bench of Justices Badar Durrez Ahmed and Sanjeev Sachdeva passed the order on 4 February on the plea of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), ESPN and Star who had contended that cable TV operators were getting live feeds through DD channels free of cost, resulting in loss of revenue for them.

  • DTH players gear up ahead of the World Cup

    DTH players gear up ahead of the World Cup

    MUMBAI: The upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup is this year’s biggest sporting event that promises to not just entertain fans of the sport but also provide windfall gain to advertisers and sponsors. Not be left out are direct to home (DTH) players, who are planning to rake in some moolah through various initiatives. 

     

    DTH operator Tata Sky recently launched India’s first 4K set top box (STB) for its existing customers as well as to entice a new bunch of subscribers.

     

    When asked if the move will help increase its subscriber base, Tata Sky CEO Harit Nagpal says, “Those who have invested in 4K television will need a 4K set top box to watch the matches. So it will help the customers who already have 4K TV, to watch the 4K transmission with the help of the STB.”

     

    For Rs 6,400 subscribers can purchase the Tata Sky 4K STB while existing subscribers can buy it for Rs 5,900. Apart from relaying 4K content, the box can also showcase Standard Definition (SD) and High Definition (HD) channels. The STB has the capability of delivering Ultra High Definition picture quality and Dolby Digital Plus 7.1 surround sound. 4K at 8.3 megapixels (3840×2160) has approximately four times the pixels as that of 2K (1920×1080) – the current HD standard.

     

    Sun Direct managing director Mahesh Kumar too agrees that the World Cup will help increase its existing subscriber base. He reasons, “One, cricket is a religion in India and given that the first few days of the tournament starts off with an India Pakistan match – the fervour is going to be high from the start of the tournament. Two, even though the months of February and March are traditionally dull for DTH due to exam fever, we expect the cricket fever to take prominence and more new connections to come in during this period.  Post IPL the love of cricket has transcended countries with the foreign player participation in local leagues, hence viewer interest will be high not only in India playing matches but also in matches with other countries.”

     

    The DTH operator is offering the Star Sports bouquet on its bestselling Cinema + Sports packs. “This is indeed a big plus for our subscribers who can watch the world cup and best of sports during the World Cup and beyond with Sun Direct,” added Kumar.

     

    Sun Direct is offering its Cinema + Sports package at Rs 195 per month. It will be focusing mainly on this pack for the World Cup as it feels this covers most of the requirements of its customers. It will be coming out with high decibel campaigns on TV and print supported with BTL initiatives and digital media to give a 360 degree communication ahead of the World Cup, informs Kumar.

     

    Airtel Digital TV too has jumped on the World Cup bandwagon. For all customers buying Samsung Curve and UHD TV, it will offer HD DVR connection at the same cost as that of an HD connection. Customers will receive   discount coupons worth Rs 2650. Customers can enjoy watching the matches on an HD DVR by just paying Rs 2350. This box, which has an inbuilt hard disk of 500 GB can record content up to 750 hours enabling a customer  to record and watch the world cup matches at a convenient time. Also customers will get free subscription for up to 12 months through a scratch card offer. On other Samsung models, it is offering a discount coupon of Rs 660 on its HD+ variant. This comes along with an eight GB pen drive worth Rs 399, which is offered free. Additionally customers will get free subscription for up to 12 months through a scratch card offer.

     

    This edition of the World Cup will see the first global broadcast of cricket in 4K. Official broadcaster Star will telecast select matches, including India’s opening match against arch-rivals Pakistan, in the 4K format. Online shopping websites like Snapdeal, Amazon and Flipkart have priced the 4K TV’s between the range of Rs 60,000 (lower end) while the higher end categories are priced at an upwards of Rs one lakh.

     

    Videocon d2h too has launched 4K Ultra HD services. It has priced its STB at Rs 6590 for new customers while existing customers can upgrade to 4K DTH for Rs 5990. In addition to 4K channels and content, subscribers can use the STB to view Standard Definition (SD) and High Definition (HD) channels. While the website of Videocon d2h states that delivery of the STB will be made within two weeks from the date of booking, a call made to a customer care executive revealed that it would take around 48 hours.

     

    Dish TV chief operating officer Salil Kapoor expects the cricket World Cup to help further increase its existing customer base and therefore has tweaked its packaging. “Our packaging is very sports centric. Every tier of our packaging has the maximum number of sports channels. We have also kept in mind that HD will play a big role in the World Cup and therefore have maximum number of HD sports channels,” he says.

  • ICC launches official mobile App for World Cup

    ICC launches official mobile App for World Cup

    MUMBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC), in partnership with Reliance Communications, launched the official ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 app, which will be available for free download from the App Store and Google Play.

     

    The ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, 11th edition of cricket’s flagship event, gets underway on 14 February and will see 14 of the best teams in the world compete for cricket’s top prize.

     

    The app will have a number of unique features and has been designed to enhance the user experience and enjoyment of ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. It will keep fans thrilled with its innovative features and allow everyone to keep themselves up-to-date with all the latest news during the tournament – along with experiencing the best of ICC’s digital activations for the World Cup. So fans can play the Official ICC Cricket World Cup Fantasy League, pick their greatest all-time World Cup XI, play the official ICC Cricket World Cup quiz or look back over the 100 greatest World Cup moment countdown all on their smartphone or tablet.

     

    The app will provide access to the new ICC match centre that will keep fans abreast of the live action with the fastest source of live scores and ball-by-ball commentary. It will also contain video highlights and the most important moments of the match that will ensure that those who haven’t caught the action live on television will not miss out on anything. The video highlights will include all the dismissals, the magic moments, the big innings, the best dismissals and the post-match press conferences.

     

    When they choose their side, they will be notified of the latest news and updates surrounding their team throughout the tournament. In addition, the App will list all the relevant tournament statistics, so that scores, the top of the charts in run-scorers and wicket-takers, are all within easy reach.

     

    The App will also have details of all the fixtures and results. Viewers can read the reports that will be carried for every match and catch all the breaking news and any exclusive interviews that are conducted during the course of the tournament. There will also be interactive features of the app, where viewers can express their opinions through various polls that will sync with in-broadcast and get involved via the Social Hub section.

     

    The ICC will also have several former legends of the sport contribute exclusive columns that will offer their perspective on the spectacle that will be the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, all of which can be accessed through the App.

  • ICC announces associate and affiliate panel of umpires for 2015

    ICC announces associate and affiliate panel of umpires for 2015

    The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced the 11-member ICC Associate and Affiliate Panel of International Umpires for 2015, which follows the annual review and selection process.

    Scotland’s Allan Haggo has joined Sameer Bandekar, Kathy Cross, Mark Hawthorne, Wynand Louw, Nigel Morrison, David Odhiambo, Buddhi Pradhan, Sarika Siva Prasad, Ian Ramage and Courtney Young in the panel for 2015.

    The panel was named by the Associate and Affiliate Selection Committee, which comprises of Senior ICC Umpire and Referees Manager Vince Van Der Bijl; ICC Umpire and Referees Administration Manager Adrian Griffith; ICC Regional Match Referee David Jukes; and ICC Development Events Manager Edward Fitzgibbon.

    The 53-year-old Haggo recently officiated at Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 4 in Singapore 2014, including the final.

    Ireland umpire Richard Smith, who officiated during the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup in Australia in 2012, has stepped down from the panel, having moved from Ireland.  Smith joined the panel in 2011, and officiated in six ODIs and six T20Is, including the historic Bangladesh in Netherlands tri-series in 2012.

    The umpires on the ICC Associate and Affiliate Panel of International Umpires can be assigned to ODI and T20I matches involving Associate and Affiliate Members, ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers and ICC World Twenty20 Qualifiers, as well as ICC Intercontinental Cup matches, the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Championship and Divisions, and other Associate and Affiliate tournaments.