ITV

Tag: DD Direct

  • Big Ganga available on Tata Sky now

    Big Ganga available on Tata Sky now

    MUMBAI: Big Ganga has strengthened its distribution with DTH service provider Tata Sky.

    With Tata Sky, Big Ganga will now be available for discerning viewers across metros, semi urban and rural markets with enhanced reach. Big Ganga is available from 26 October 2016 on Tata Sky Channel No. 1116.

    This announcement enables Tata Sky to offer pure Bhojpuri entertainment to its viewers, uplifting and nurturing a sense of pride amongst the aspirational audience pool of the region. On Big Ganga, Tata Sky subscribers can enjoy watching over five hours of original programming content which taps into the insights of Religion (Devotion & Bhakti); Reality (Game Shows, Social), Family Movies and Fiction.

    A Big Ganga spokesperson said, “Availability on Tata Sky allows Big Ganga to expand its reach across the country. We are confident that our content will be thoroughly enjoyed by the new audience, further enhancing our reach and position. Strengthening our distribution is a strategic move which will not only widen our audience base and popularity but will also give better value to our advertisers.”

    With popular shows such as Big Memsaab, Hindustan Ka BIG Star, blockbuster movies every weekend, along with upcoming devotional shows Jai Chatti Mayi, reality show Birha Muqabla; BIG Ganga offers exquisite and dynamic content for family viewing which resonates well with the masses. With additional unique shows in the pipeline, BIG Ganga is poised to engage, enrich and entertain new audience across the country.

    Big Ganga is extensively distributed across all cable operators in the state of Bihar, Jharkhand and UP and spread across Den Networks, Darsh Digital, Manthan and Siti Maurya, amongst other DTH players, Ganga is available on DD Direct, Airtel, Dish TV, Videocon d2h, and Reliance Digital TV.

  • Big Ganga available on Tata Sky now

    Big Ganga available on Tata Sky now

    MUMBAI: Big Ganga has strengthened its distribution with DTH service provider Tata Sky.

    With Tata Sky, Big Ganga will now be available for discerning viewers across metros, semi urban and rural markets with enhanced reach. Big Ganga is available from 26 October 2016 on Tata Sky Channel No. 1116.

    This announcement enables Tata Sky to offer pure Bhojpuri entertainment to its viewers, uplifting and nurturing a sense of pride amongst the aspirational audience pool of the region. On Big Ganga, Tata Sky subscribers can enjoy watching over five hours of original programming content which taps into the insights of Religion (Devotion & Bhakti); Reality (Game Shows, Social), Family Movies and Fiction.

    A Big Ganga spokesperson said, “Availability on Tata Sky allows Big Ganga to expand its reach across the country. We are confident that our content will be thoroughly enjoyed by the new audience, further enhancing our reach and position. Strengthening our distribution is a strategic move which will not only widen our audience base and popularity but will also give better value to our advertisers.”

    With popular shows such as Big Memsaab, Hindustan Ka BIG Star, blockbuster movies every weekend, along with upcoming devotional shows Jai Chatti Mayi, reality show Birha Muqabla; BIG Ganga offers exquisite and dynamic content for family viewing which resonates well with the masses. With additional unique shows in the pipeline, BIG Ganga is poised to engage, enrich and entertain new audience across the country.

    Big Ganga is extensively distributed across all cable operators in the state of Bihar, Jharkhand and UP and spread across Den Networks, Darsh Digital, Manthan and Siti Maurya, amongst other DTH players, Ganga is available on DD Direct, Airtel, Dish TV, Videocon d2h, and Reliance Digital TV.

  • Big Ganga to air ‘Jai Jai Jai Bajrangbali’ in Bhojpuri

    Big Ganga to air ‘Jai Jai Jai Bajrangbali’ in Bhojpuri

    MUMBAI: Bihar and Jharkhand’s leading Bhojpuri channel Big Ganga plans to strengthen its mythological band with a new daily show ‘Jai Jai Jai Bajrangbali’. JJJB will air Monday to Friday at the 7.00pm time slot. The mythological show which takes viewers through the life of Bajrang Bali from his childhood to being a Shiva avatar is currently running on BIG Magic in Hindi as well.

    The story revolves around lesser-known mythological events surrounding the trials and tribulations of Hanuman, while he was combating the evil and malevolent forces espoused by characters such as Raavan.

    BIG Ganga is distributed across all cable operators across the states of Bihar, Jharkhand & UP and spread across the likes of DEN, Digicable, WWIL, Hathway, Darsh and Maurya amongst others and DTH players like Airtel, Dish, Reliance Digital, DD Direct and Videocon

  • Big Ganga to air ‘Jai Jai Jai Bajrangbali’ in Bhojpuri

    Big Ganga to air ‘Jai Jai Jai Bajrangbali’ in Bhojpuri

    MUMBAI: Bihar and Jharkhand’s leading Bhojpuri channel Big Ganga plans to strengthen its mythological band with a new daily show ‘Jai Jai Jai Bajrangbali’. JJJB will air Monday to Friday at the 7.00pm time slot. The mythological show which takes viewers through the life of Bajrang Bali from his childhood to being a Shiva avatar is currently running on BIG Magic in Hindi as well.

    The story revolves around lesser-known mythological events surrounding the trials and tribulations of Hanuman, while he was combating the evil and malevolent forces espoused by characters such as Raavan.

    BIG Ganga is distributed across all cable operators across the states of Bihar, Jharkhand & UP and spread across the likes of DEN, Digicable, WWIL, Hathway, Darsh and Maurya amongst others and DTH players like Airtel, Dish, Reliance Digital, DD Direct and Videocon

  • Freedish & FM-ization’s slow development will hurt Prasar Bharati’s growth: Parliamentary Committee

    Freedish & FM-ization’s slow development will hurt Prasar Bharati’s growth: Parliamentary Committee

    NEW DELHI: Noting that it had asked the Government to expedite the Freedish Project and make necessary efforts to complete all procedural formalities in this regard, a Parliamentary Committee has expressed concern that the implementation of Conditional Access System (CAS) has been held up due to the inordinate delay in firming up a vendor.

    For Doordarshan to realise the benefits of upgradation and expansion, Prasar Bharati had taken initiatives to enhance the subscriber base and publicity of DD Freedish DTH platform along with providing a dedicated customer service division and a 24×7 call/help centre.

    The Parliamentary Standing Committee for Information Technology, which reviews issues related to Information and Broadcasting Ministry said in a report laid in the Parliament that all these initiatives will not yield the desired benefit unless the DD Freedish initiative is expedited by fast tracking the implementation of CAS.

    As providing Freedish is crucial to enhance competitiveness of Doordarshan vis-a-vis the private TV channels, the Committee in its Action Taken Report said, “It is highly imperative that the procedural hurdles with regard to CAS need to be removed.”

    The Committee, therefore, stressed that Prasar Bharati needed to complete all the procedural formalities for expeditious execution of the Freedish project.

    Similarly, with regard to FM-ization, the Committee had recommended that Prasar Bharati formulate a comprehensive plan on FM-ization at the earliest for seeking Cabinet approval.

    But the Committee, which was suggesting a roadmap for revival of Prasar Bharati said it was “perturbed to note that no action has been initiated so far by the Prasar Bharati to prepare a comprehensive proposal. As FM-ization needs enhanced Plan allocation under the 12th Plan and the proposal can be approved at the time of revision of the 12th Plan before sending the final proposal for approval of CCEA, the Committee urged that Prasar Bharati take urgent steps for preparation of a comprehensive proposal for FM-ization without any further delay.”

    In its original report, the Committee had said, “The Committee recognises that the idea of providing Freedish and progressive FM-ization can play a vital role in shaping the future roadmap for the revival of Prasar Bharati. As part of its FreeDish endeavour, Doordarshan has upgraded the technical infrastructure of DD FreeDish DTH platform and is presently providing free to air 64 SDTV channels in MPEG-2DVB-S. The technical infrastructure of the remaining 48 SDTV channels has also been installed and tested. Once these channels are made CAS enabled in free-to-view mode, subscribers can view these channels with a onetime annual registration. Doordarshan is planning to commission these 48 SDTV channels in Freedish mode only after implementing the CAS Service, upgrading its platform to 112 channels. The Committee need hardly emphasize that popularization of Freedish may indeed prove to be one of the major keys which can turn around Doordarshan in a big way, especially when it is competing with private TV channels who are providing hundreds of channels to its viewers. Therefore, the Ministry should make efforts to complete all the procedural formalities so as to facilitate the expeditious execution of the Free Dish Project.”

    The Committee had also said that to bring Prasar Bharati on the revival track, it needs to move swiftly with its FM-ization initiative. On the issue of FM-ization, the Ministry has informed that it is for the Prasar Bharati to take a call on FM-ization. It had conveyed to Prasar Bharati that the issue can be addressed at the time of revision in the 12th Plan, which may be approved by the Prasar Bharati Board and the final scheme proposal may be forwarded to the Ministry for approval by CCEA. The Committee recommended that Prasar Bharati should accordingly go ahead and formulate a comprehensive proposal on FM-ization at the earliest for seeking Cabinet approval.”

    In response to its queries, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry in their Action Taken Note stated, “Prasar Bharati has informed that Upgradation/Expansion of DD Freedish platform from 59 channels to 112 channels has been partly completed by the Engineering Wing of DD. Upgradation involves introduction of CAS-enabled MPEG-4 channels in addition to the existing “unscrambled” MPEG-2 channels available to current subscribers. Four upgraded and bandwidth efficient MPEG-2 streams have already been enabled with 64 channels. Two MPEG-4 streams capable of carrying 48 SD channels are also being uplinked, but cannot be received by viewers due to non-implementation of CAS. Implementation of CAS has been held up due to inordinate delay in firming up a CAS vendor due to concerns raised with regard to the process adopted to identify a CAS vendor and one of the shortlisted entities, it has been decided to issue a fresh tender to identify the CAS vendor.

    Once implemented, the CAS enabled MPEG-4 streams will open new opportunities for offering Value Added Services (VAS) such as EPG, home channels, overlay of advertisements, and similar other consumer oriented and revenue-generating services. It will also enable DD arrive at a precise estimate of Free Dish subscriber base, on the basis of which it will be able to demand higher carriage fees on its platform. For DD to realize the benefits of Upgradation/Expansion, DD Free Dish has to be supported by an active publicity, sales and support wing, which will help expand the subscriber base and make it the most popular DTH platform. This has to be supported by a dedicated customer service division, along with a 24×7 call/help centre. Both these efforts have been initiated by Prasar Bharati.”

    The Ministry also noted that Prasar Bharati had further informed that Radio Iistenership has moved over to FM Radio because of superior stereo quality and variety of 10 programming. In addition, availability of FM Radio on mobile phones has further enhanced its popularity. AIR FM Radio presently covers only 45 per cent of population. Cost of ensuring FM across entire nation is Rs 3000 crore (approx). This would require enhanced Plan allocation, mid term 12th plan review and generation of new resources. The Ministry has already communicated to Prasar Bharati that any revisions in the approved Plan Scheme will have to be taken up with CCEA after such proposals for revisions are furnished to the Ministry with due approval of Prasar Bharati Board.

  • DD Direct+ freshens up as FREEDISH

    DD Direct+ freshens up as FREEDISH

    MUMBAI:  Direct to home TV (DTH) subscribers are in for a bonanza. And it’s coming courtesy the government-owned Doordarshan which has rechristened its free DTH service DD Direct+ as FREEDISH. Not just that. It is all set to get a makeover ? la its private sector DTH cousins and launch snazzy call centres. There’s more: a new package of 120 channels which will require activation of a new range of consumer set top boxes (STBs) is being introduced.

    DD sources say that the work contract for the same has already been finalised and the equipment is currently being shipped. “We currently have 17 million active subscribers and expect to add a million subscribers per month once we start the 120 channel STB service,” says a DD official.

    The pubcasters’ current 59 channel STBs cost Rs 1200, while the 120 channel STBs are expected to be priced at Rs 1400.  The 59 channels include 21 DD channels and 38 other channels offering a wide variety of entertainment, musical, devotional, educational, news, international channels.

    “We are now working towards offering 120 channels free of cost for a lifetime to DTH consumers,” he adds.

    So what happens to the old STBs? “Well, if the existing customers want to switch to 120 channel STB, they will have to buy the new one,” says the official.

    DD is also deviating from the past as subscribers to its FREEDISH 120 channel service will need activation of their STBs.

    As a consequence, the pubcaster hopes it will have a better handle on data relating to its subscribers. “We were unhappy with the way we were functioning. While earlier we were unorganised, the whole idea of introducing the service is to streamline the whole process,” says the official.

    Currently, seven international makers are supplying the STBs to DD and the plan is to bring in new ones into its fold.  “We have already received several bids from international and national players,” informs the DD official.  Local STB manufacturers will be authorised only after their products comply with BIS specifications.

    “Until now, customers could only buy the STBs through local shopkeepers. Now we are setting up call centres to interact with our customers. These call centres will be set up according to our guidelines, but at the STB manufacturer’s expense,” the interested parties can approach us for the same,” says the official.

    The DTH operator says the service will continue to beam off INSAT 4B as it has enough capacity for the additional channels it is offering.

    While the new name doesn’t feature on the website as yet, the trademark for the new name has already been registered.

    It is to be noted that DD had recently conducted an e-auction for placement of private channels on its DTH platform after the Prasar Bharati Board approved it.

    “The new system of e-auctioning, in which auctioning was done for 28 channel slots, has yielded positive results. In comparison to previous years e-auctioning, where the average price per channel for 28 channels auctioned was Rs 2.73 crore, in the present year the average price has risen sharply to Rs 3.7 crore, a growth of nearly Rs 1 crore per channel,” states a report sent by DD.

  • Breaking news, the French way

    Breaking news, the French way

    MUMBAI: The French public news channel France 24 has been available on cable TV since December 2010. However, it is only now that the channel is going all out to announce its arrival to Indian audiences.

    Earlier this month, France 24 inked deals with two DTH platforms, Dish TV and DD Direct+ to increase its reach to 38 million viewers from just 7 million on cable TV.

    And soon, a slew of advertisements will appear in newspapers and out-of-home (OOH) media, with French major Gedeon as the creative agency of choice.

    The channel, which aims to offer India a glimpse of the world essentially through French eyes, has kicked-off promotional campaigns with the tagline ‘World news made in France’ in leading newspapers and magazines, including The Times of India, Hindustan Times, India Today and Time Out. Apart from this, outdoor hoardings will be seen at the Delhi Airport and Metro junctions for three months.

    Says France Monde Group CEO and chairwoman Marie-Christine Saragosse: “In terms of distribution, India represents a substantial and strategic market for us. Over the years, India has become a major player on the international scene and now it’s time for France 24 to be available to the largest possible audience across the country. That’s the reason why our long-term objective is to establish the channel as a reference and make its presence durable to Indian viewers. But to do so, we need to reach more and more TV households, increase the channel’s profile and the visibility of its programs.”

    Distributed across the country by Catvision, the FTA channel has also launched India-centric programmes to air till the end of this month.

    “France 24 is an international news channel, therefore our reports and coverage depend on the international agenda but one thing is sure, we’ll be increasing our coverage of all major news in India and in its region,” says Saragosse, adding that India has been quoted over 250 times on the website, either in articles or TV reports, since the beginning of the year.

     

    Saragosse feels that Indians will know the way the French see and present news

    “Our India-based journalists in the region are permanently on alert and covering every event related to the country live in our news bulletins and reports,” she says, informing that two teams have been operating from Delhi and Mumbai since the channel’s worldwide launch in 2006.

    The French diaspora in India is pegged at approximately 10,000 while according to the International Organization of the Francophonie, there are around 2.6 French-speaking people in India.

    So is France 24 mainly catering to this segment? “It is obviously important for us to target the French speakers and the French expatriates. Nevertheless, the biggest potential in the region remains the English-speaking market. That’s why we want to address the English speakers with our English version in India. Anyone with a connection to France is a plus, but our French perspective on news is quite universal and it is today making the difference: with 41.7 million TV viewers each week, France 24 has found its rightful place in the global news international concert. It gives a French perspective to international current events through diversity of opinions, debate, contradiction and confrontation of viewpoints,” says Saragosse.

    A media planner however pointed out that the ad campaign, while showing France 24’s POV, doesn’t really connect with Indian audiences. “It will not be easy for them to garner a mass audience. At the same time, BBC is an established brand already for international news. They might also be doing the same: building the brand name in the country,” he says.

    Another planner though felt the deals would add value to the channel by making it more visible to viewers in the country.

    Right now, France 24 isn’t earning any revenue from advertising as it is a foreign channel and an FTA. It has also burnt a hole in its pocket in carriage and advertising fees. “Discussing everything; that’s undoubtedly part of the French way of life. And I am pretty sure you’ll like it,” Saragosse signs off.

  • France 24 readies itself for Indian audiences

    France 24 readies itself for Indian audiences

    MUMBAI: This week, France 24, the international English news channel has lined up a number of shows that are focused on India, as part of its campaign to boost viewership in the country.

     

     The channel launched on two DTH platforms earlier this month – DD Direct+ and Dish TV making it available to an additional 31 million households in the country. Seven million homes already receive it through cable.

     

    A cultural show depicting the Rajasthan International Folk Festival, 100 years of Indian cinema and Indian gastronomy along with three personalities speaking – fashion designer Ritu Beri, actress Nandita Das, Impresario restaurant CEO Gresham Fernandes – was telecasted yesterday with repeats throughout today.

     

    A debate on ‘at the heart of the next world power’ will see the likes of HRD minister Shashi Tharoor, BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitaraman, founder of Kali Urvashi Butalia and Sunstone Business school co-founder Rajul Garg on the show tonight. Interviews with Godrej group chairman Adi Godrej, screenwriter Anand Gandhi, JSW Steel chairman Sajjan Jindal and Future Group CEO Kishore Biyani will be shown this week.

     

    Reports on the rollout of the UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India) in the country and an online platform called Digital Green will also be a part of their upcoming FCP (Fixed Chart Point).

     

    The channel wants to make a space for itself in the heart of Indian audiences. The channel was officially launched in Delhi yesterday.

  • Its Raining Gold on Zee Anmol

    Its Raining Gold on Zee Anmol

    MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEE), India’s leading television, media & entertainment conglomerate’s recently launched free-to-air GEC ‘Zee Anmol’ is happy to announce its festive season bonanza for its valued viewers. The channel has plans of daily gifting its ‘anmol’ viewers ‘Ek tola sona’ amongst several other bumper prizes as the gratification of its 2-week contest called ‘Zee Anmol Dekho, Sona Jeeto’. Starting 25th October till 5th November, questions about the channel’s primetime shows will be posed to viewers in the course of their telecast between 6:30 and 10 PM daily. Viewers will be required to SMS ZA <Their Answer> <Their Name> <City Name> to 57575. One lucky winner will take home ‘1 tola sona’ every day and many more will walk away with other exciting prizes. What’s more … winners will be declared on the very next day!

    Positioned as ‘Dil Choo Jaaye’, ‘Zee Anmol’ is a channel that believes in touching people’s hearts through real, genuine emotions depicted through some of the best shows that Indian Television has ever seen. ‘Zee Anmol’ stands for the most invaluable things in life – Love, family, memories! Already available across major MSO’s, cable operators and key DTH platforms such as Dish TV, DD Direct, Tata Sky, Big TV, Siti Cable, Hathway, DEN, Digi Cable and WWIL, ‘Zee Anmol’ showcases some of the choicest, hand-picked content in the history of Indian television including the most unforgettable shows from ZEE’s repository. It features some of the current hot favorite fiction and non-fiction properties of Zee TV as well as entertaining movies and kids’ content. The current programming line-up of ‘Zee Anmol’ includes shows like ‘Pavitra Rishta’, ‘Choti Bahu’, ‘Saat Phere’, ‘Naagin’, ‘Maayka’, ‘Kasamh Se’, ‘Sindoor’, ‘Jhansi ki Rani’, ‘India’s Best Dramebaaz’, ‘Shabaash India’ and ‘Dance India Dance’ amongst others.

    Tune in to ‘Zee Anmol’ for entertainment that is bound to touch your hearts. It cant get better for the viewers to win gold every day.
     

  • France 24 to launch on DD DIRECT + and DISH TV to 31 million additional households in India

    France 24 to launch on DD DIRECT + and DISH TV to 31 million additional households in India

    FRANCE 24 has concluded a new distribution agreement in India and will be available on free-to-air Direct-To-Home service (DTH) DD DIRECT +. Owned by public broadcaster Prasar Bharati, the platform will begin broadcasting FRANCE 24 English version on November 1st.

    Thanks to this agreement, FRANCE 24 will also be available on DISH TV basic offer, the n°1 private satellite operator in the country.

    Thanks to this new agreement – which represents the most important deployment for the channel on the Asian market – FRANCE 24 will now be available 24/7 to 31 million additional households across the country. These will be in addition to the 7 million households that already receive the channel via cable.
    One in every four Indian televised households can now access FRANCE 24 and a special operation will take place in New Delhi in November to mark this major agreement.

    For more real time information on FRANCE 24’s distribution worldwide, go to: http://f24.my/ijOOim