ITV

Tag: Dish

  • Finally, US court orders south Asian pirate Jadoo TV to shut down

    Finally, US court orders south Asian pirate Jadoo TV to shut down

    MUMBAI; While Jadoo is  a character we all recall very fondly from the Hrithik Roshan film Koi Mil gaya, the service called Jadoo has been one of the most hated in the world of pay TV. Especially by south Asian broadcasters and platforms in the US. 

    Jadoo TV was one of the most popular providers of pirated south Asian content to global audiences and it distributed its service through Jadoo set-top boxes and its mobile application  way back in the previous decade. Many had tried to have it shuttered, but most had failed. 

    However, yesterday, the International Broadcaster Coalition Against Piracy (IBCAP) announced  that a long-running lawsuit against Jadoo TV. and its US-based CEO, Sajid Sohail, has resulted in a final judgment of $24,969,911 and a permanent injunction against Jadoo TV and Sohail individually. Jadoo TV also agreed to permanently cease all operations worldwide by 22 December  2024.  
     
    Earlier in the case, the court granted summary judgment on all claims against Jadoo TV and Sohail, finding them liable for direct, contributory and vicarious copyright infringement. In that ruling, the court determined that. Sohail was personally liable as the guiding spirit behind the infringement of IBCAP member works.
    The court’s s announcement yesterday  follows years of protracted litigation dating back to November 2018, when IBCAP member Dish  Network initially filed the case. 

    The final judgment entered against Jadoo TV and  Sohail is unique in that it not only recognizes significant statutory damages for registered works ($14,550,000), but also a significant monetary award for unregistered works ($10,419,911). Notably, as part of a separate settlement agreement, Jadoo TV and  Sohail agreed to transfer all Jadoo TV customer lists to Dish, transfer all Jadoo TV trademarks and domain names to Dish , and pay Dish $1,500,000 by 25 February 2025.

    “This final judgment and settlement marks the culmination of a six-year legal battle against one of the most popular South Asian services offering pirated content, Jadoo TV, and its CEO, who was found personally liable for the damages caused by his and his company’s copyright infringement,” said IBCAP executive director  Chris Kuelling, “Today’s announcement sends a strong message that the end of the road for a pirate IPTV service is a significant monetary payment and loss of your entire business.”

    Dish had filed the case in in 2018 when Jadoo set-top boxes were widely available online and in retail stores throughout South Asian communities worldwide, including the US  and Canada.

    The case was coordinated by IBCAP and brought by IBCAP member Dish Network only after Dish and  IBCAP sent numerous notices of copyright infringement. 

    The lawsuit included claims for direct, contributory and vicarious infringement against Jadoo TV and  Sohail for airing certain IBCAP member content to which it did not have rights. Evidence for the case was obtained and provided by the IBCAP lab. Prosecution of the case and settlement negotiations were executed by Dish’s outside litigation counsel, Hagan Noll & Boyle, LLC.

  • DirecTV drops Dish acquisition deal

    DirecTV drops Dish acquisition deal

    MUMBAI: Pay TV is going through its travails. A second attempt to create one of the largest pay TV operators in the US  fizzled out on Thursday with DirecTV terminating its plan to acquire rival Dish Network. Bondholders rejected the debt swap proposal that Direct TV made as part of the buyout. 

    The deal construct required DirecTV to pay a nominal $1 for equity and Dish’s bondholders to swap $9.75 billion of existing debt into roughly $8 billion of new bonds, thus asking the latter to take a 20 per cent discount.

    The offer was sweetened by reducing the loss to Dish by around $70 million, which was also rejected. DirecTV then gave Dish the ultimatum to accept the deal by 22 November, following which they would walk out of the door. Which it did when Echostar (the owner of Dish) did not come to an agreement.

    DirecTV CEO Bill Morrow said that the decision was taken to terminate the transaction “because the proposed exchange terms were necessary to protect DIRECTV’s balance sheet and our operational flexibility. We will advance our mission to aggregate, curate, and distribute content tailored to customers’ interests by pursuing innovative products and providing customers with additional choice, flexibility, and control. We are well positioned for the future with a strong balance sheet and support from our long-term partner TPG.”

    With this failed merger, the two will continue to battle with each for other for subscribers in an already shrinking pay TV market place. Both Dish and DirecTV have lost more than half their subscribers since 2013 when pay TV was at its peak. 
     

  • Dish TV India’s consolidated net profit declines 64.47% in Q1 FY23

    Dish TV India’s consolidated net profit declines 64.47% in Q1 FY23

    Mumbai: Dish TV India on Wednesday announced their financial results for the first quarter of the financial year 2022–2023. The company’s reported net profit declined 64.47 per cent to Rs 17.85 crore in the quarter ended June 2022 as against Rs 50.24 crore during the previous quarter ended June 2021.

    Operating revenues for the quarter stood at Rs 608.6 crore. For the same period, the earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (Ebitda) was Rs 323.8 crore with a margin of 53.2 percent and profit after tax was Rs 17.8 crore.

    In the quarter ended June 2022, sales fell 16.74 per cent to Rs 608.63 crore, compared to Rs 730.97 crore in the previous quarter ended June 2021.

    The company paid-off Rs 90.3 crore of debt during the quarter, thus reducing its overall debt to Rs 285.3 crore at the end of the first quarter of 2023 as compared to Rs 375.6 crore at the close of fiscal 2022.

    The first quarter of the current fiscal, to some extent, was an extension of the fourth quarter of the previous fiscal. Not only did inflation-linked cautiousness in viewers remain intact, the changing landscape of the entertainment industry continued to influence subscriber retention and growth.

    Dish TV chose the middle path and maintained a moderate pace of capital expenditure while prioritising debt repayment over new acquisitions.

    External factors dominated and impacted the recharge behaviour of DTH subscribers, with top-end consumers swapping between DTH and streaming content and bottom-end subscribers alternating between free-to-air and pay DTH, thus affecting revenues and net base.

    With a growing number of subscribers having access to OTT subscriptions, India’s streaming video market is expected to garner a revenue of Rs. 490 billion by 2027, up from Rs. 210 billion in 2022, according to the latest industry report.

    Speaking about the results, Dish TV India Group CEO Anil Dua said, “In the changing industry landscape, Dish TV is committed to exploring and embracing new possibilities that would enable it to offer a more contemporary and bespoke service bouquet. As an entertainment distribution company, we would want to be a one-stop destination for viewers seeking video content and continue working towards that objective.”

    Dish TV India chairman Jawahar Goel commented, “The company has been actively pursuing relevant technological developments in the business space and looks forward to aligning with those that will help it achieve its strategic and commercial goals.”

    “As an industry, we also continue to seek and hope for a level playing field in the distribution space, by way of uniform application of licence fees to either all players or to none of them, as Free DTH, Headend in the Sky (HITS), OTT and cable TV still remain outside the ambit of licence fees,” added Goel.

  • Jason Roy, Reece Topley and Laurie Evan Shares Views On Their Teammates

    Jason Roy, Reece Topley and Laurie Evan Shares Views On Their Teammates

    In a recent interview, Jason Roy, Reece Topley, and Laurie Evans dish the dirt on their England colleagues.

    When asked, “who has helped you most in your game?”

    Hashim Amla, a former South African batsman, was named by Laurie Evans. He went on to say that the South African brought a sense of tranquility to the team’s locker room.

    Meanwhile, Jason Roy said that “he had complete mental support from his squad”. Kumar Sangakkara, Kevin Pietersen, Hashim Amla, Ricky Ponting, and Graeme Smith were among the cricket superstars he listed as having played for Surrey.

    If your life depended on catching a fish, who would you give the catch to?

    It didn’t take long for Jason Roy to identify his English colleague Chris Jordan. Jason Roy was then told by Laurie Evans that he, too, is a competent fielder. And humble Jason said that all he did was take a catch and perform his job.

    Next, they wanted to know, “Who does the Bleep Test the best?”

    When it comes to this, Arun Harinath was the one who Jason Roy identified. He continued by saying that he was incredible. He said, “Joe root as well may run for absolute days.”

    Which player usually leaves the pitch last?

    Even quicker than that, Laurie Evans identified Ben Foakes, the English wicketkeeper-batsman. Likewise, Reece Topley added, “Foaksey one hundred per cent. He often returns for a second or third blow. As the last player to emerge from the nets, Topley also singled out Ollie Pope. The squad has to wait for Ben Foakes and Ollie Pope to finish up whenever they are on the road, he said.

    Who are the best footballers in the team?

    I’m a horrible player and a terrible mover, Jason Roy interjected before Laurie Evans could finish his sentence. Following Roy’s declaration, Reece Topley agreed that Ben Foakes was the finest player by noting that Foakes had the left foot of Robin Van Persie.

    Who has the craziest outfit?

    They all rock their clothes, and there’s a wide range to choose from, as all three participants attested. However, Laurie Evans then clarified that Reece also wants to join the list. Laurie Evans said that Reece Topley dislikes spending money and cited Ben Foakes. Jason Roy further, says that Ben Foakes irritates him because of his nice looks and the fact that he often chooses to play in equipment that does not complement his physique.

    Who is the most untidy roommate? was the last question made!

    When asked about his experience living with Ollie Pope, Jason Roy said it was challenging to share a room with him. And he called him a “messy dog,” he said. The English wicketkeeper-batsman Sam Billings is one of the messiest persons Laurie Evans knows, he said.

  • ABP Sanjha launches in US on Dish & Sling platforms

    ABP Sanjha launches in US on Dish & Sling platforms

    Mumbai: 24-hour Punjabi news channel ABP Sanjha has launched on American television provider Dish and American streaming service Sling in US.

    Until now, only ABP News was available on several US-based platforms, barring Dish and Sling. ABP Network has partnered with leading South Asian content provider and distributor in North America FYI Media Group for its launch on Dish & Sling platforms in the US.

    With this launch, ABP Sanjha is all set to keep its Punjabi international viewers apprised about every development taking place in Punjab and at large India.

    “The launch will be a monumental booster for the Punjabi communities living in the US to obtain nuanced reports about the current events of Punjab and India in their regional language. ABP Network is fully committed to helping the Indian communities stay connected to their roots by providing detailed information on relevant stories of their hometown making them accessible in the areas where they live,” said a spokesperson from ABP Network.

    Based on estimates, Dish has approximately 13 million subscribers while Sling Television is estimated to have about two million subscribers in the US.

  • Over 4 million global TV subs added in Q4

    Over 4 million global TV subs added in Q4

    MUMBAI: The informitv Multiscreen Index’s top 100 TV services added a total of 4.33 million pay-TV subscribers in the last quarter of 2017 as compared with 3.70 million in the previous quarter and 4.03 million in the last quarter of 2016. India lead the top 10 services in the Asia Pacific region, which cumulatively added a total of 1.65 million. Dish TV and Videocon d2h, which have since merged, added 360,000 subscribers between them.

    The Multiscreen Index is based on a quarterly survey of 100 leading television services worldwide. Over half of them reported subscriber gains in the last quarter of 2017, but these were largely offset by subscriber losses elsewhere.

    The majority of the gains were once again in the Asia Pacific region, which added 2.35 million subscribers, which is fewer than in the preceding two quarters but about the same number as in the comparable quarter a year previously.

    Satellite services led the worldwide overall gains, adding 1.87 million subscribers worldwide. That is despite DIRECTV losing 147,000 satellite subscribers, which was the largest loss among services in the index.

    “Although there is a popular perception that pay television subscriber numbers are falling, they are continuing to grow worldwide at a rate of around 1 per cent a quarter,” said Dr William Cooper, the editor of the informitv Multiscreen Index. “Much of the growth is in developing economies. Although average revenues are lower, there is still significant potential, with worldwide gains of around 10 per cent forecast over the next five years.”

    “Among the 100 services in the Multiscreen Index, there are almost as many subscribers in the Asia Pacific region as the Americas,” noted informitv analyst Dr Sue Farrell. “The merged Dish TV and Videocon d2h in India now has 29.51 million satellite subscribers, which is more than AT&T has with DirecTV, U-verse and DirecTV NOW combined.”

    The Multiscreen Index comprises 100 multichannel television and video services that collectively account for around 440 million subscribing homes worldwide. The index provides an industry benchmark of the relative performance of television service providers against which customer gains or losses can be measured.

    Also Read :

    Oct-Dec quarter sees highest pay TV DTH subscriber growth in 2017

    MPA forecasts India to lead APAC in ad spend growth

     

  • Guest Column: The comeback of full-service agencies in India

    Guest Column: The comeback of full-service agencies in India

    By 2020, we will be close to a billion digitised screens. With the advent of cheaper data and smartphones and by virtue of tech giants such as Google, Facebook and Amazon entering the grassroots of India, digitisation has become inevitable. And it’s going to be mobile plus digitised television (OTT) that’s going to drive most of the scale.

    If digital is where maximum content is going to be consumed, surpassing Dish/Cable TV in most geographies, then brands will slowly and steadily move towards exploring digital in a much-evolved fashion and at a large scale. This means media and creative agencies will have to rethink their game plan, which has not changed much in the past two to three decades. Many questions arise, such as will mainline agencies reverse integrate their creative and media thinking to digital? Will digital agencies be able to manage the scale and responsibilities of managing multi-million-dollar campaigns? Will there be a need of creative and media standardisation? How many agencies will a client want to deal with to achieve the end objective? Who will win the rat race? And the list goes on, as we start thinking about how agency life will be when digitisation takes over completely.

    In my view, consolidation to make a full-service agency that gives solutions across screens plus creative and media is going to be the future. To date, most agencies are not fully prepared to manage this new world of ‘non-line,’ that is not just online or only offline but both together, as the lines are starting to fade. Mainline and digital agencies are poles apart in creative as well as media thinking but both are eventually chasing one goal. And that’s where the need of a full-service agency is, which creates and advertises one campaign with one objective across multiple platforms and formats. Not to ignore the fact that advertising bodies will also play an equal role in the entire standardisation process. And, sooner or later, it’s a self-evolving cycle that we will all get into, like the one mentioned below-

    1)  Consumers will become more and more digitised; thus, brands will want to get them through digital mediums across mobiles, TVs, PCs, tablets, and even hoardings

    2)   One master creative created in various sizes and formats will start to be the new norm with a fair bit of shoulder content for digital

    3)   And then planning will get more standardised across various mediums and consolidate into one form

    4)   KPIs will become more standardised as well to judge campaign effectiveness against various brand objectives

    5)   Possibly, there will be one tool that agency networks will create and connect to plan and buy across in a truly ‘non-line’ fashion

    This model of a full-service agency exists in mature markets such as the US, Japan, Singapore and will soon be a reality in India as well. Such a model increases planning and operational efficiencies and also ensures standardisation, right from planning to execution to industry benchmarking.

    It’s about time large agency networks wake up to the reality of a full-service model or soon a challenger start-up that is nimble to take such decisions will start changing the name of the game!

    The author is VP operations & media – West & South, WATConsult. The views expressed are personal and Indiantelevision.com may not subscribe to them.

  • DISH buys EchoStar’s DBS & OTT assets; gives control over Sling TV customer experience

    DISH buys EchoStar’s DBS & OTT assets; gives control over Sling TV customer experience

    MUMBAI: DISH Network Corporation and EchoStar Corporation today announced they have executed an agreement that will transfer certain EchoStar assets and operations, including its EchoStar Technologies hardware and software development group, its national and regional uplink business, its managed fiber backhaul network serving all U.S. DMAs and its OTT development group to DISH in exchange for DISH’s 80 per cent economic interest in Hughes Retail Group held in the form of a tracking stock.

    This transaction also transfers to DISH the 10 per cent stake in Sling TV held by EchoStar, wireless spectrum licenses covering four markets in the 28 GHz band and certain real estate properties.

    DISH will continue to market satellite broadband under the brand dishNET to rural customers.

    “With this transaction we will vertically integrate all the elements that define our customer experience – one team will deliver the full DISH and Sling TV experience end to end,” said DISH president Erik Carlson. “Not only do we gain full control of product development roadmap for DBS and Sling TV but we also anticipate achieving operational efficiencies.”

    The transaction is structured in a manner to be a tax-free exchange and is expected to close in the first quarter of 2017, subject to satisfaction or waiver of closing conditions.

  • DISH buys EchoStar’s DBS & OTT assets; gives control over Sling TV customer experience

    DISH buys EchoStar’s DBS & OTT assets; gives control over Sling TV customer experience

    MUMBAI: DISH Network Corporation and EchoStar Corporation today announced they have executed an agreement that will transfer certain EchoStar assets and operations, including its EchoStar Technologies hardware and software development group, its national and regional uplink business, its managed fiber backhaul network serving all U.S. DMAs and its OTT development group to DISH in exchange for DISH’s 80 per cent economic interest in Hughes Retail Group held in the form of a tracking stock.

    This transaction also transfers to DISH the 10 per cent stake in Sling TV held by EchoStar, wireless spectrum licenses covering four markets in the 28 GHz band and certain real estate properties.

    DISH will continue to market satellite broadband under the brand dishNET to rural customers.

    “With this transaction we will vertically integrate all the elements that define our customer experience – one team will deliver the full DISH and Sling TV experience end to end,” said DISH president Erik Carlson. “Not only do we gain full control of product development roadmap for DBS and Sling TV but we also anticipate achieving operational efficiencies.”

    The transaction is structured in a manner to be a tax-free exchange and is expected to close in the first quarter of 2017, subject to satisfaction or waiver of closing conditions.

  • ABS partners PT Sarana Media to launch Indonesian DTH FreeViews platform

    ABS partners PT Sarana Media to launch Indonesian DTH FreeViews platform

    MACAU: Leading satellite operator ABS has announced today that it will partner with PT Sarana Media Vision (SMV), using SMV’s DTH license to launch a consumer FreeView satellite service – FreeViewSat – across Indonesia in January 2017. The service will be called SMV FreeViewSat and will initially broadcast over 60 television channels via the ABS-2, ABS-2A and ABS-6 satellites in both Ku and C-band.

    For the first time in Indonesia, a free-to-view platform will be available throughout the entire country, allowing advertisers the opportunity to reach the full potential of the Indonesian audience.

    The FreeViewSat model will promote maximum distribution and the cost of the STB & dish will be less than US$35. Customers will only need to make this one-time purchase to enjoy all the TV channels on the platform (with no monthly recurring subscription fees).

    Tom Choi, CEO of ABS commented that “SMV’s FreeViewSat will be very attractive for Indonesia by providing great quality international and unique domestic programming to the entire country. The goal is to deliver high quality entertainment and educational content affordably to all – For the first time, everybody, not only the affluent or those in the urban areas, will be able to receive high quality programming for free, with just a one-time purchase of a set-top box and dish. FreeViewSat will also give advertisers the first real opportunity to reach the whole population of Indonesia, even in rural areas. ABS is delighted to be partnering and supporting this highly worthwhile venture.’’

    At launch in January, FreeViewSat will carry at least 30 local Free-to-Air channels and more than 30 high quality international channels. The number of channels will continue to grow to over 100 channels in the first 6 to 12 months as new and interesting content is added.

    FreeViewSat will be available via 75cm Ku band dishes from 75E on ABS-2 and ABS-2A, and via 1.6m C-band antennas from 156E on ABS-6 simultaneously, so that consumers have the choice of small dishes, or larger ones with better rain protection. Since Indonesia already has over 10 million C-band antennas installed, the adoption rate is expected to be rapid.

    ABS has selected the ABV conditional access and middleware system, along with Ali chips for its Set-Top Boxes.

    Confirmed channels for launch include:

    TV9 Nusantara, TVRI Nasional, DAAI TV, TV One, ANTV, Metro TV, Trans 7, Trans TV, SCTV, Indosair, Kompas TV, Net TV, Bali TV H2, Bloomberg TV, France 24, Fix & Foxi, Action Hollywood Movies, Pulse TV, Al Jazeera English, CCTV-News, CCTV-4, CCTV-9, Russia Today, MediaCorp Channel, Landscape HD, TRACE Urban and TRACE Sport Stars, B4U Music, B4U Movies, NDTV 24/7 and NDTV Good Times, and many more