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Tag: Den Networks

  • DEN Networks tops as most attractive Cable TV brand: TRA Research

    DEN Networks tops as most attractive Cable TV brand: TRA Research

    DEN Networks Ltd, one of the largest cable MSOs in India, is the top cable brand according to the “Most Attractive Brands 2017” report by Trust Research Advisory (TRA), a brands insight company. S.N. Sharma, CEO, DEN Networks said, “We are delighted to be recognised as the most attractive Cable TV brand in the country by TRA. This recognition reflects our enduring efforts to fulfill customer satisfaction and quality service. As a dynamic and technologically driven company, we have been the leading innovator in the digital cable TV industry in India. From being the first national MSO to launch its own OTT app – DEN TV+ to launching premium international gaming service “DEN Playin’ TV” on our network and introducing special HD Set-top box with accessories to enjoy audio and video streaming over internet on non-smart TVs, our initiatives have been aimed at delighting our customers, attuned to their changing preferences and lifestyle needs. We hope to cement our leadership position by continually redefining and improving the industry benchmarks in TV viewing experience.”

    ‘Most Attractive Brands’ is an annual study conducted by TRA. The rankings are based on a primary research conducted across 16 Indian cities among 2,456 consumers. The study generated nearly 5 million data points and 5,000 unique brands mentions of which 1000 brands are listed in the list. The research is based on TRA’s proprietary 36-attribute Attractiveness Matrix.

  • Nakul Chopra is new BARC chairman

    Nakul Chopra is new BARC chairman

    MUMBAI: Nakul Chopra, currently president of Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) and senior advisor of Publicis Communications, has been elected as the next chairman of BARC India. Chopra succeeds Viacom18 group CEO Sudhanshu Vats, who has completed his one-year tenure as chairman.

    Chopra will be the third chairman of BARC India. He joined the BARC India Board in September 2016 and since then has been an integral part of the various decisions taken by the Board.

    “BARC India has been very busy in the past one year, as it further consolidated its TV measurement business. 2017 has also been the year when groundwork was done for key future projects, and in the year ahead I am looking forward to oversee their implementation. Top on that list is the rollout of EKAM – our digital measurement products. Expansion of TV sample using Return Path Data will be the other big piece to watch out for. We are all thankful to Sudhanshu for his leadership over the past year and I very much look forward to working closely with Partho and his excellent team over the coming year,” said Nakul Chopra on being elected as BARC India Chairman.

    Under chairmanship of Vats, BARC India expanded its sample panel homes from 20,000 to 30,000. Under his tenure, BARC India also announced its partnership with multi-system operator DEN Networks for return path data and announced the digital measurement partner.

    “BARC is a bold, paradigm-changing initiative that has already started to redefine our industry. Since inception, BARC has tackled several challenges while several remain. Going forward, I would urge all stakeholders to continue to take cognizance of the pace of change in our sector and the urgent need for us to adapt. A few years out, the next generation of industry leaders needs to look back and admire our shared legacy. This means creating a future-ready, sustainable organization with each of us making some concessions for the greater good. I wish Nakul the very best as he takes on the reins of a hard-working, industry-critical operation in a fast-changing operating landscape,” said Vats.

    Vats has been on the board of BARC India since its inception and will continue in his capacity as a board member.

    Said BARC India CEO Partho Dasgupta, “I am thankful to Sudhanshu for his guidance and support to the team. Our focus now is to establish ourselves as an insights company. Nakul in his new role as BARC India chairman will be a great driving force in launching our digital-measurement products, expanding sample homes via RPD, and launching a suite of new products.”

  • Higher subscription & activation lead Den’s turnaround in Q2

    Higher subscription & activation lead Den’s turnaround in Q2

    BENGALURU: Indian multi system operator (MSO) Den Network (Den) reported growth in operating revenue, operating profit (EBIDTA) and profit after tax (PAT) for the quarter ended 30 September 2017 (Q2-18, current quarter) as compared to the corresponding year ago quarter. In Q2-17 (the corresponding year ago quarter), the company had reported a loss. The change to black from red in the current quarter was driven by a reported 22.3 percent increase in operating revenue and an operating profit for its cable distribution (cable) business. Den’s cable business performed well due to cost optimisation measures and the company accelerating its subscription collections. The company claims in its earnings release that its subscription collection efficiency in Q2-18 was 93 percent.

    Den’s operating revenue for Q2-18 was Rs 3,277.9 million, 20.3 percent more y-o-y as compared to Rs 2,724.4 million. Total income including other revenue grew 19.6 percent y-o-y to Rs 3,349 million from Rs 2,800.4 million. The company reported 2.84 times the EBIDTA for Q2-18 at Rs 815.5 million as compared to Rs 287.5 million for the corresponding year ago quarter. PAT for the current quarter was Rs 11.1 million as compared to a loss of Rs 439.6 million in Q2-17.

    Cable business revenue in Q2-18 was Rs 3,079.9 million as compared to Rs 2,517.4 million in Q2-17.Cable business operating profit in the current quarter was Rs 277.5 million as compared to a an operating loss of Rs 306.7 million in Q2-17. Cable business subscription revenue increased 24 percent y-o-y to Rs 164 million from Rs 132 million. Activation revenue increased more than 7 times (7.3 times) to Rs 37 million from Rs 5 million. Placement revenue increased 2 percent y-o-y to Rs 88 million from Rs 86 million. Broadband revenue declined 8 percent y-o-y to Rs 19 million from Rs 21 million. Broadband EBIDTA loss was lower at Rs 1 million in Q2-18 as compared to an operating loss of Rs 2 million in Q2-17.

    Den says that it has deployed 0.25 million digital set top boxes in Q2-18 and its digital subscriber base (including associates) stands at 11 million. Broadband subscriber base in the current quarter was 0.205 million as compared to 0.14 million in Q2-17. Broadband ARPU declined in Q2-18 to Rs 664 from Rs 775 in Q2-17.

    Total expenditure in Q2-18 was almost flat (increased 0.6 percent) y-o-y to Rs 3,261.2 million from Rs 3,240.3 million. The company has reduced employee costs in the current quarter by 17.1 percent to Rs 273.8 million from Rs 330.2 million. Placement fees expense in Q2-18 declined 22.5 percent y-o-y to Rs 107 million from Rs 138 million. Other expenses declined 3.7 percent y-o-y to Rs 756.9 million from Rs 786.2 million. Content costs in the current quarter increased 12 percent y-o-y to Rs 1,324.7 million from Rs 1,182.5 million.

  • BARC India and DEN Networks join hands for RPD; move to boost TV viewership measurement

    BARC India and DEN Networks join hands for RPD; move to boost TV viewership measurement

    MUMBAl: TV viewership measurement in India is set to get a boost. In a major development, BARC India has partnered with the cable distribution giant DEN Networks for measuring TV viewership using Return Path Data (RPD) via its digital set-top boxes (STBs).

    As part of this partnership, BARC India will fetch data from STBs of DEN Networks. DEN networks, will also use this data for subscriber management, packaging opportunities and to drive advertising revenue on their in-house channels.

    BARC India, will use a portion of DEN Networks subscriber base to augment its TV measurement service. The large pool of panel households will also help address the issue of panel home tampering.  

    BARC India had recently upped its panel home size to 30,000. These RPD partnerships will enable BARC India to capture viewership from an exponentially larger panel.

    “Collecting viewership data using RPD is a global practice. However, for BARC India it will be another global-first as we integrate this as part of the currency. Our partnership with DEN is the first step towards using RPD for TV viewership measurement,” said BARC India CBO Romil Ramgarhia.

    BARC India, which is looking at partnering with more Cable and DTH operators for RPD, believes that this approach will allow expansion of panel households to over 150,000 in the near future.

    “Currently, most cable / DTH operators in India do not have information on how their subscribers consume content. With more interactive services being launched, this will be a very valuable information for the platform owners. This partnership is a win-win for both and will benefit the larger ecosystem,” added Romil.

    DEN Networks CEO SN Sharma said, “Data gathering and analytics is becoming increasingly relevant in a vast and heterogeneous society like India.  With this partnership, we have taken the first steps towards world class data analytics of subscriber viewing patterns which will help us to serve our customers in a far more effective way and enabling us to offer personalised services.”

    Also Read:

    BARC India in talks with DTH ops, MSOs for RPD to boost robustness 

    BARC India to TRAI and MIB: Tweak legislation to make data tamper-proof

    BARC India to halt analogue measurement from July, up overall data collection

    Industry needs to understand on-ground changes in distribution, not question flux in data, says Partho Dasgupta

  • DEN Networks allots Rs 7.5 mn worth shares for eSOP

    MUMBAI: DEN Networks Limited has informed the corporate  relationship department of the National Stock Exchange of India and BSE Limited that it has allotted shares under DEN eSOP Plan B, 2014.

    In a communique signed by DEN company secretary Jatin Mahajan, it stated: This  is to inform you that the Securities  Committee, in its meeting dated 21 July, 2017, has issued  and allotted 7,50,000 equity shares of Rs. 10/- each at par to eligible employee(s) under DEN ESOP Plan.

    In a separate earlier report, Dish TV, Hathway & Den Networks were amongst the top 10 global Pay TV platforms, according to the Global Pay TV Operator Databook from Digital TV Research.

    Also, as reported earlier, three years after it announced its intention to get into TV home shopping, the Samir Manchanda-promoted  multi systems operator Den is exiting from it.  The company had launched a channel called DEN Snapdeal Home Shop in 2016   (in partnership with the ecommerce site) only to have its partner exit from it in March 2017.

    Also Read :

    Dish TV, Hathway & Den amongst top 10 global Pay TV platforms

    DEN Networks exits TV home shopping channel business

    DEN Networks ties up with Visiware, launches premium gaming service

     

     

  • DEN Networks exits TV home shopping channel business

    MUMBAI: It’s focusing on its core competence: cable TV distribution and broadband. Three years after it announced its intention to get into TV home shopping, the Samir Manchanda-promoted multi systems operator Den Networks Ltd is now exiting from it.

    The company had launched a channel called DEN Snapdeal Home Shop in 2016 (in partnership with the ecommerce site) only to have its partner exit from it in March 2017.

    DEN Networks has now signed a deal with Noida-based Vijender Singh promoted Pimex Broadcast under which the latter will be acquiring 100 per cent of Macro Commerce – the company which runs the home shopping channel. Singh is also one of the directors of Pantel Technologies which manufacture telephones, mobile handsets, and tablets and computers.

    Pimex will take over all the existing liabilities and dues of Macro and both together aspire to be one of the significant players in the TV shopping business, says the DEN Networks press statement to the Bombay stock exchange (BSE). The name of DEN and Snap deal will be dropped off from the branding.

    DEN has already made provisions for its investment in Macro in its books of accounts in the previous financial year and hence, there will not be any further impact in the profit and loss account, points out the company’s statement to the BSE.

  • DEN Networks ties up with Visiware, launches premium gaming service

    MUMBAI: DEN Networks, one of the largest cable TV service providers in India, has launched Playin’TV, a premium interactive gaming service that will usher in rich gaming experience for its subscribers.

    The company has partnered with France-based Visiware International, the world leader in interactive games for television to offer these services. This is Visiware International’s first association with a CATV company in India.

    – Partners with France-based Visiware International to launch Playin’TV

    – Offers Playin’TV to subscribers for free until 31 May

    Type of Games on Playin’TV

    – Arcade / Adventure – Carrot Mania or Zombie Market

    – Brain teasers – Incan-Tatris or Match 3 type of games;

    – Board and Cards – Solitaire Club

    – Sports – Bowling or Cricket and much moreThe company has partnered with France-based Visiware International, the world leader in interactive games for television to offer these services. This is Visiware International’s first association with a CATV company in India.

    Commenting on the launch of Playin’TV, DEN Networks CEO S.N. Sharma said, “We are excited to partner with Visiware International and launch Playin’ TV on our cable TV and broadband networks. Playin’ TV is an internationally-renowned interactive gaming channel and we always strive to provide world class entertainment to our customers.

    He further added, “The launch coincides with the arrival of Indian summers, a time when most people prefer indoor entertainment. Playin’ TV’s comprehensive suite of games ranging from board and card games to adventure and sports will provide the ideal indoor recreation to DEN subscribers across all ages.  With DEN Networks’ 13 million plus subscriber base spread across 400+ cities, Visiware International is set to gain a massive entry into the Indian market while our subscribers will enjoy premium games of international repute.”

    The company is offering these games to its cable TV subscribers for free until 31st May. Post that, it will provide membership subscription at a promotional price of Rs 35 per month till September 2017.  The launch of Playin’TV on DEN Boomband, the company’s broadband service is to follow soon.  

    Exclusive to DEN Cable subscribers, Playin’TV is accessible 24/7 on Channel No. 444. Subscribers need no other accessories other than their set top box and remote control to start playing on the TV. Some of the popular genres of games that will be available to Playin’TV subscribers include Adventure, Board & Cards, Brain Teasers, and Sports. DEN will offer 6 games at the launch in May, with 1 new game added every month until September 2017. Post that, the games will be refreshed each month with favorite games staying on air for longer duration.

    Visiware International COO Frederic Fellague said, “Visiware International being one of the pioneers and market leader is proud to partner with one of India’s largest cable distribution companies. We believe that gaming is one of the key to increase ARPU on cable. Partnering with DEN Networks will allow us to demonstrate in the future our capability to develop new forms of gaming interactions with the evolution of the set top box market.”

  • BARC India in talks with DTH ops, MSOs for RPD to boost robustness

    NEW DELHI: India’s incumbent audience measurement organization Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC) is in talks with DTH operators and MSOs for return path data (RPD) via their respective digital set-top boxes at customer premises to augment the robustness of viewership vital stats it dishes out.

    What does this mean?  It entails capturing passive data collection of household viewership from digital cable and DTH homes via existing set-top-boxes (STBs). This would therefore enable measurement based on a larger sample.

    Broadcast industry sources while confirming that talks are on between BARC India and various DTH operators for additional data that can be generated from non-BARC meters, added that the findings can help almost all stakeholders in the media to further fine-tune their strategies regarding consumer targeting. According to the buzz, talks are on with the likes of Airtel DTH, Sun DTH, Hathway, Tata Sky and DEN among others.

    The proposal on RPD is in addition to moves that BARC India has been making over the last six months to give more credibility and robustness to its data as also insulate itself from allegations of hacking and other malpractices. The organization, in this regard, is also proposing to revamp its Ethics Committee into a Disciplinary Committee that will have semi-judicial powers under a retired court judge.

    TV viewership in India is monitored and measured on the basis of 20,000 BARC India panel homes — that is, homes where it has its BAR-o-Meters installed. BARC is committed to raise that number every year by 10K to reach a total panel of 50,000 homes. However, Indian media industry sources also highlighted the issue whether Indian the eco-system can support an audience panel size larger than what has been planned for as any additional data generated via BARC India and non-BARC boxes would entail a financial cost, which would have to be borne, at the end of the day, by the industry players.

    RPD would substantially increase the sampled base for BARC India, helping further improve accuracy of its data. A larger sample will also minimize effect of any skews in sampling and make tampering difficult. Additional data would also help in reporting viewership of niche channels, apart from helping the measurement organization in reporting VoD, OTT, time shifted viewing and HD channels. Stats regarding smaller geographic regions and split beams of TV channels too would become possible.
    Such tie-ups will also help BARC India’s DTH/cable partners gain insights into TV viewing within their subscriber base in terms of linear TV, VoD and interactive services. Such data also likely to help them understand utilization of content packs and guide the pricing and packaging of services of platform operators.

    Meanwhile, RPD has been employed by data collectors in more developed and matured TV markets like the US, the UK, Australia and also in some parts of Asia for quite some time now. “The ubiquity of digital set-top boxes means that many cable and satellite operators can collect subscriber behaviours as a by-product of their subscriber management processes. Specifically, return path data can provide an economical way for the cable and satellite businesses to enhance the currency TV audience measurement in a manner dedicated to the needs of the multi-channel television industry,” Hong Kong-headquartered Asian media industry organization CASBAA had stated in one of its recent reports on multi-channel advertising in APAC.

    The FCC’s proposal to open cable set-top boxes to competition had thrust them into the spotlight. In 2016 when the Obama-government nominated FCC chief had proposed to throw open the STBs to competition and third-party manufacturers, Multichannel News had reported that “the role that STBs play not as content portals, but as providers of return-path data (RPD)” too is important.

    ALSO READ:

    Total TV universe up to 183 mn; rate of rural growth higher

    BARC separates urban and rural viewership data
     

     

  • DEN Digital Cable: Den Networks hikes stake to 88.57%

    MUMBAI: Den Networks recently entered into a pact with DEN Digital Cable Network (DDCN) for increasing equity stake of the company in DDCN.

    Cable television multi-system operator (MSO) Den Networks has bought an additional 37.57 per cent shares in its subsidiary DEN Digital Cable Network, eventually hiking its stake to 88.57 per cent.

    “Den Networks Ltd has entered into an agreement with DEN Digital Cable Network (DDCN) for increasing equity stake of the company in DDCN from 51 percent to 88.57 percent,” Den Networks said in a BSE filing.

    The company has purchased the stake from existing shareholders of DDCN, the company added in the filing. The price of additional share purchase is Rs 4.60 crore.

    DDCN carries its business of cable services in Gurgaon and the additional acquisition would help consolidate the cable business of the company in the state of Haryana.

    Two main segments currently contribute to Den’s revenue: Cable distribution network segment (Cable, Cable business) and Broadband internet segment (Boomband).

    Den Networks Ltd (Den) Cable business segment consolidated total revenue (pre-activation) increased 18 per cent in in the quarter ended 30 September 2016 (Q2-17, current quarter) to Rs 258 crore from Rs 231 crore in Q2-16. The company reported consolidated EBIDTA of Rs 34 crore in Q2-17 as compared to Rs 1 crore in the corresponding year ago quarter. Consolidated net loss in Q2-17 more than halved to Rs 48 crore as compared to a loss of Rs 99 crore in Q2-16.

    Cable subscription revenue increased 31 percent y-o-y to Rs140 crore in Q2-17 from Rs115 crore in Q2-16. Cable activation revenue increased 17 percent y-o-y to Rs 32 crore from Rs 27 crore. Placement revenue declined 13 per cent y-o-y to Rs86 crore from Rs98 crore.

    The company reported 101 lakh DAS subscribers, of which 51 lakh were from DAS phases III and IV for Q2-17. The company had 76 lakh digital subscribers in Q2-16.Den has a cable subscriber base of 1.3 crore.

  • DEN Networks launches DEN TV+, OTT services

    MUMBAI: DEN Networks, one of the largest cable MSO in India, has launched its user-friendly online / live streaming platform today- DEN TV+ where users can access / watch the content on the go. Exclusively for DEN Cable & Broadband subscribers, it is available for download on all the devices which are on Android and iOS platforms.

    Commenting on the launch, DEN Networks Pvt. Ltd. CEO SN Sharma said, “We are excited to launch DEN TV+, DEN’s very own mobile TV app, where our viewers can now watch TV on their mobiles & tablets. Being a leading distribution platform, the idea is to complement our CATV offering to consumers and make it available for our customers on the move anytime, anywhere. DEN TV+ provides live streaming of 130 TV channels, 2500+ movies and recorded videos including popular shows/serials, devotional content, lifestyle content and much more. The service is currently free of cost as an initial launch offer. We are always exploring newer ways to provide value for money to our viewers and today’s evolving technology helps us cater to their changing lifestyle needs.”

    On-demand entertainment services led by audio and video content are at the cusp of inflection point in India. In line with global trend, there is a marked shift in consumer preferences towards digital media consumption as compared to traditional forms of media which include TV, print press, and radio. Increasing internet penetration and mobile device proliferation and convenience of consuming the content anytime, anywhere are the key drivers for this trend.

    Key Features

    – Exciting content – 130 Live Channels, 2500 movies and 10,000 Hours of Video on Demand (including Movies, Popular Shows/Serials, Devotional Content, Lifestyle Content and much more) in Hindi, English and many regional languages 

    • Non-Stop News
    • Data Saving Feature
    • Best Video Recommendations
    • Multi-screen Viewing
    • Adaptive Bitrate
    • Easy Controls

    Equipped with data saving feature / mode, Den TV+ allows users to manage their data consumption while getting the best video recommendations for their viewing pleasure.

    Den TV+ is packed with functionalities ranging from multi-screen viewing, adaptive bitrate, easy controls and many more. In addition, users can view the entire TV guide for the upcoming week and set up reminders for their favorite TV shows. Further, users can browse the app without interrupting watching experience by minimizing the new video player. 

    The TV channels available on this mobile TV are across genres including movies, general entertainment, news and music in Hindi, English and many regional languages. Some of the channels on the platform are B4U, 9X Jalwa, India TV, Zoom, Aaj Tak, ABP News, BBC World News, ET Now, Times Now, India Today, News Nation, DD News, B4U Music, Mh1, 9XM Music, Aastha, Disha, Divya, Darshan24, Gurbani TV and Sadhna TV. Besides live TV channels, this mobile TV will offer movies like ‘Singham’, ‘Holiday’, ‘Ragini MMS 2’, ‘Hate Story’, ‘Raaz 3’ and many more. Additionally, it will offer special content like prank videos, Comedy TV, Kids TV, Prankbaaz, Yoga TV, original mobile series with Priyanka Chopra, and mobile talent discovery platform by Imtiaz Ali. 

    Den TV+ is the only mobile TV video app from India to offer instant access to Non-Stop News. It intends to add more movies, more music, recipes, jokes, games, fitness videos, DIY Videos, comedy shows, karaoke music, educational videos, sports videos / talk shows, plays, horoscopes, Bollywood news and vine in the coming months.

    To access the platform, DEN subscribers will need to enter just the VC card number of the Set Top Box (STB). Users will be able to access up to two devices under one unique VC number.

    Also Read :

    DEN to launch 4k, ‘open’ STBs, give a leg-up to HD, b’band service