ITV

Tag: Dish TV

  • Dish TV appoints Arun Kapoor as CEO

    Dish TV appoints Arun Kapoor as CEO

    MUMBAI: ASC Enterprises has appointed Hutchison Essar South Ltd Arun Kumar Kapoor as Dish TV CEO.

    Kapoor fills in the post that had been left vacant after the departure of Sunil Khanna. Kapoor will be taking charge from 1 November and would be based out of company’s head quarters in Noida, according to an official release.

    Kapoor comes from Hutchison Essar South Limited, where he was functioning in the role of CEO for the Punjab Circle.

    He brings along with him a vast experience of 23 years in various spheres of business across leading organizations in the country. A management graduate from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute, Mumbai, he has been instrumental in setting up and managing operations for Bharti Group/Spice Cell ltd. and lately for Hutch for the Punjab circle, informs the release.

    He was associated with companies like UB Group, Gillette, Pepsi, Spice Cell, Airtel, IBM Daksh and Hutch.

    Announcing Kapoor’s appointment Dish TV business head Jawahar Goel said, “We are glad to have Arun with us. We are confident that his leadership experience will surely provide great impetus to the growth plans of Dish TV.”

  • Disney’s ABC News Now to be available via Dish TV

    Disney’s ABC News Now to be available via Dish TV

    MUMBAI: Disney-ABC Television Group’s ABC News Now channel will soon launch on Dish TV, the direct-to-home platform.

    This is the first deal outside of United States that the Walt Disney Company’s Buena Vista International Television-Asia Pacific (BVITV-AP) has entered into.

    The 24-hour ABC News Now channel is likely to launch on Dish TV later this year – subject to downlinking approval by the information and broadcasting ministry, according to an official statement.

    ABC News Now is a 24/7 international news channel that provides live breaking news coverage, complete shows, exclusives, news specials, in-depth coverage and more. The channel also offers viewers exclusive uncut interviews from award-winning ABC news programming such as 20/20, Primetime and World News with Charles Gibson as well as insightful, original programs with the latest on health, money and Hollywood.

    “We are delighted to have signed this agreement with Dish TV for the ABC News Now channel, and look forward to working closely with them to bring ABC’s first class news service to the Indian audience,” commented BVITV-AP senior vice president and managing director Steve Macallister. “India is a key strategic market for our company so this deal marks a particularly significant achievement.”

    “This is a major step forward for ABC News Now,” said ABC News president David Westin. “As ABC News strives to reach news audiences anytime and anywhere around the globe, we are delighted that one of the largest English-speaking countries in the world should be our first step.”

    “As technology rapidly evolves in the Indian media landscape, a new generation of consumer is embracing all it has to offer. With Dish TV, the Walt Disney Company would be able to provide top-of-the-class global news coverage to a savvy and discerning Indian audience,” said The Walt Disney Company India MD Rajat Jain.

    “In the last year, Dish TV has emerged as one of the fastest growing digital platforms in Asia. Our association with ABC News Now is in line with our commitment to provide the best of infotainment, available in India or abroad, to our subscribers. We are sure that Dish TV subscribers would be happy to access ABC News Now in India shortly,” mentioned Dish TV business head Jawahar Goel.

  • BBC World to be available on Dish TV

    BBC World to be available on Dish TV

    MUMBAI: BBC World has inked a deal with the first private direct-to-home operator Dish TV. The BBC’s 24-hour international news and information channel will be part of the Dish Welcome package.

    BBC World, recently shifted to from a free-to-air channel to a subscription model. The channel claims to reach around 15 million homes across India via cable TV. And with the deal with Dish TV, the channel’s total distribution will touch 16.5 million Indian homes.

    BBC World attracts a high-profile audience who are modern-minded, educated and like to keep up to date with what’s going on in the world.

    “India is a fast-growing market for multi-channel television and a key market for BBC World. We are delighted to be part of this Dish TV offer as it brings BBC World to a new and dynamic audience,” says BBC World South Asia head of distribution and business development Amit Upadhyay. “The channel is highly regarded in India and has a loyal following. We are pleased to be providing new viewers with our award-winning journalism and news reporting.”

    “In the last year and a half, Dish TV has emerged as one of the fastest growing digital platforms in the country. Our association with BCC World is in line with our commitment to provide the best of infotainment news and information programming available, in India or abroad, to our subscribers. We are sure that Dish TV subscribers would be happy to access BCC World in India shortly, mentioned Dish TV business head Jawahar Goel.

  • BBC World launches on Dish TV

    BBC World launches on Dish TV

    MUMBAI: BBC World has been launched on DTH platform Dish TV. The channel is now available to all of Dish TV’s 1.5 million subscribers and is available on the ‘Dish Welcome’ package.

    BBC World claims to reach around 15 million homes across India via cable TV and this new deal brings the channel’s total distribution to 16.5 million Indian homes.

    BBC World, South Asia head of distribution and business development Amit Upadhyay says, “India is a fast-growing market for multi-channel television and a key market for BBC World. We are delighted to be part of this Dish TV offer as it brings BBC World to a new and dynamic audience.

    “The channel is highly regarded in India and has a loyal following. We are pleased to be providing new viewers with our award-winning journalism and news reporting.”

    Dish TV business head Jawahar Goel says, “In the last year and a half, Dish TV has emerged as one of the fastest growing digital platforms in the country. Our association with BCC World is in line with our commitment to provide the best of infotainmentnews and information programming available, in India or abroad, to our subscribers. We are sure that Dish TV subscribers would be happy to access BCC World in India shortly”.

  • Max goes the Extraaa mile for Champions Trophy

    Max goes the Extraaa mile for Champions Trophy

    MUMBAI: Cricket weds entertainment! With the Champions trophy in cricket kicking off in less than a month’s time on 7 October 2006, Max is adding more muscle to its wrap around show Extraaa Innings.

    Max executive VP and business head Albert Almeida notes that Max turned cricket into an entertainment property. This way it was able to hook in women and kids as well. This time he says that the Extraaa Innings content has been beefed up. For starters, in addition to the hosts Mandira Bedi and Charu Sharma, whom Max calls the first couple of cricket it has roped in television stars Rohit Roy and Shonali Nagrani as well. Roy will co-present various segments of Extraaa Innings. Nagrani will be the roving reporter. “Having said that Extraaa Innings will continue to be a judicious mix of serious cricketing action for the hardcore cricket buff and wholesome entertainment for the family,” Almeida adds.

    They will be joined by many experts on the game including former English opening batsman Geoffrey Boycott, former Indian cricket coach John Wright who will provide an insider’s touch, Navjot Singh Sidhu, who should add spice to the show, Barry Richards and Ian Chappell. On each match day Eztraaa Innings starts at 12:30 PM There will be a two-hour pre show, a show during the lunch break and a one-hour post show.

    A dual feed: Sony COO NP Singh says that this time around there will also be a Hindi feed on Sab. Three India matches, the semi finals and final will be aired on Sab. Maninder Singh, Atul Wassan and Saba Karim are among the commentators for this feed. The aim is to reach out better to places in the North like UP.

    Almeida says that Extraaa Innings haws been beefed keeping in mind factors like Indians increasingly becoming technologically savvy, they see cricketers as celebrities who do other things (like Sachin has his own restaurant).

    Max will organise a talent hunt using Extraaa Innings to promote it. The hunt looks for a roving reporter who will join the team to cover World Cup in the West Indies next year. There is also an interactive game Predict 2 Win, which allows fans to win prizes. The Gully Cricket initiative has been turned into a mobile game, which can be played by visiting the mobile portal 2525. Then the mascot of Max the tiger Deewana will now be a part of Extraaa Innings. There will be Deewana’s countdown of her game, his ratings of the game, players etc. Then there is also a Max Makeover.

    Here one will see fashion experts comment on the style quotient of the players.

    Of course features that were there before will return.
    These include Q&A. Here fans get to ask questions to the panel through SMS. Then there is Voice of India.

    Here Max’s expert panel will ask the audience to voice their opinion on issues. Answers can be sent through SMS or the internet. Message Board is a platform where viewers can send in goodwill messages to the Indian team through SMS. Another section India On tour offers a sneak peak into the daily routine of the Indian team. This will take them behind the scenes to the nets, practice matches etc.

    The DTH Plan: Sony CEO Kunal Dasgupta says that Max is talking to both DTH platforms Tata Sky and Dish TV regarding putting in interactive features. One feature will allow viewers the option to choose one of four angles to watch the match. Max also plans to offer highlight packages.

  • Zee News goes interactive on Dish TV, sports to follow

    Zee News goes interactive on Dish TV, sports to follow

    NEW DELHI: Dish TV, India’s first DTH platform, announced that Zee News channel has gone interactive and Zee Sports is to follow suit from mid-September.

    Talking to indiantelevision.com on the issue, Dish TV business head Jawahar Goel added that apart from interactivity, Dish TV subscribers can also enjoy all Star channels at no extra cost till 30 September.

    “Interactivity is something that we had promised our subscribers as part of value-added services and over a period of time we have readied ourselves with the right technology,” Goel said.
    Dish TV interactive services also consists of a gaming channel and electronic programming guide.

    An interactive Zee News will enable a viewer to watch a live programming, while simultaneously giving him or her option to access information on a variety of other topics via eight windows.

    Information can be had in the areas of business, entertainment, crime, sports, top 10 news stories and weather report of 100 Indian cities, apart from the live news bulletin or programme being aired at the moment.

    How does this work? A subscriber of Dish TV wants to see whether Indian tennis sensation Sania Mirza has won her latest match in the on going US Opens or not and cannot wait for the sports segments to come in the news bulletin.

    So, while a news bulletin is on on Zee News, a few presses of the buttons can take the viewer straight to the sports section for the Sania news story even as the main news bulletin continues.

    To facilitate interactivity on the Dish TV platform, the company has tied up with the US-based Open TV, a company specializing in such activities and features.

    Apart from news, Dish TV is also planning to go interactive with sports, starting with Zee Sports. Sports interactivity will involve freezing of shots from a particular angle, getting player details immediately without having to wait for the sports channel providing it and statistics about the game in progress and sports in general.

    The interactive Zee Sports will start on Dish TV with the tri-nation cricket series involving India, Australia and another country at a neutral ground from mid-September for which Zee has the telecast rights.

    India began commercial DTH operations in October 2003 and by December 2004 reported over three million subscribers.

    Hong Kong-based market research firm Media Partners Asia (MPA) has said India is poised to become Asia’s leading cable market by 2010, the largest satellite market by 2008 and the most lucrative pay TV market by 2015.

    Presently, apart from Dish TV (over 1.25 million subscribers), other DTH players active in India are Tata Sky and pubcaster Doordarshan, which provides a subscription-free service of free to air channels through DD Direct+ that has over 1.1 million subscribers.

  • Times Now and Zoom hop on to Dish TV

    Times Now and Zoom hop on to Dish TV

    MUMBAI: The direct-to-home (DTH) platform Dish TV will now be offering two more channels, both from the Bennett Coleman stable — the lifestyle television channel Zoom and the English news and current affairs channel Times Now.

    The DTH opportunity will help spur higher penetration and create even more attractive business prospects for the two channels in the television market, an official release states.

    Essel Group additional vice-chairman Jawahar Goel says, “The availability of the hugely popular news channel from the Times Group, namely, Times Now and the lifestyle channel Zoom on Dish TV beefs up our already robust news content and lifestyle offering. We expect significant consumer response and growth in the subscriber base for Dish TV and for the DTH market in India due to this tie-up.”

    According to Times Now CEO Sunil Lulla, “The partnership with Dish TV will further augment the growing popularity of Times Now and will enhance the news viewing experience of the users.”

    Talking specifically about the synergies between viewers of Dish TV and Zoom, its CEO Suresh Bala adds, “Dish TV provides us the ideal platform for reaching a larger base of upscale consumers with interest in the lifestyle genre. Zoom prides itself in bringing the latest in trends and lifestyle to our consumers and we believe strongly that our availability on the latest technology Dish TV platform enhances our positioning.”

    At present, Dish TV, an Essel Group company with 1.3 million subscribers across the country, carries more than 160 channels, including all the popular cable channels and some exclusive channels.

  • Dish TV CEO Sunil Khanna quits

    Dish TV CEO Sunil Khanna quits

    MUMBAI: ASC Enterprises has announced that Dish TV CEO Sunil Khanna has decided to move out of the company on completion of his two-year contract at the KU-band direct-to-home platform, promoted by Subhash Chandra.

    According to an official release issued, the Dish TV board had offered Khanna a renewed contract but he has decided to pursue other interests.

    Information available with Indiantelevision.com indicates that while Khanna will be “remaining in the broadcast sector, he will be taking up a new challenge”.

    Khanna has been with the Zee Group since its inception. He started his career with the group while driving the distribution venture Siticable. He subsequently spearheaded the pay TV business and lead Zee Turner. Before joining Dish TV as CEO, he also had a stint as president of Zee Telefilms.

    At Dish TV, his contribution has been in developing and building the first addressable digital platform. During the last 15 months, Dish TV accelerated the process of subscriber acquisition and now is established as the leading digital brand with 1.3 million subscribers.

    Dish TV, today offers 160 satellite channels along with other value added services and has string network of 8,000 distributors/dealers.

  • Cable, DTH locked in ad war

    Cable, DTH locked in ad war

    MUMBAI: The ad war between direct-to-home (DTH) service providers and cable TV operators has started. Soon after Dish TV ran a full page campaign on print asking viewers to stop watching cable TV, operators have retaliated with the tagline “Cable TV – Service at your doorstep.”

    The most obvious attack is on pricing. Dish TV, the ad says, offers all channels without the Star bouquet at Rs 300 per month. After adding up the 10 per cent licence fee and taxes (entertainment and service), the monthly bill in Mumbai will work out to Rs 412. Then there is the hardware and rental cost for the set-top boxes (STBs) which have to be paid in advance. Besides, there are no discounts for multi-TV homes, the ad states.

    Cable prices in the conditional access system (CAS) areas, on the other hand, will begin from Rs 77 per month for the free-to-air (FTA) channels. The pricing for the pay channels is yet to be decided as broadcasters have to fix the rates. As for the set-top boxes, the early bird offer is Rs 2000. “With judicial intervention and government regulation now being brought in place, you too will reap benefits of CAS once it takes off from 1 January,” the ad says.

    Regarding service, cable TV has run even on days of calamities. Most of the consumer complaints are pricing related issues which are linked to pay channel hikes. “Cable networks also provide internet service. How come you never faced price related issues when dealing with the same cable network,” the ad states.

    The cable TV industry is “geared to usher in a new digital cable revolution with over 140 channels, radio services, games and on screen electronic programme guides.”

    The cablewallah may have finally woken up to the competition from alternate digital distribution platforms. The battle, as they say, is just beginning.

  • Dish TV set to create niche channels to beat the competition

    Dish TV set to create niche channels to beat the competition

    NEW DELHI: With a second player in the DTH arena round the corner in the form of Tata Sky, Dish TV is finalizing creation of new channels for its subscribers.

    According to Dish TV CEO Sunil Khanna, work has started on new niche channels to be introduced on the DTH platform over the next 12-24 months.

    Pointing out that the target is to have a between 190-200 channels on Dish TV, Khanna said, “Some of the new channels would be created within the Zee group, while few may be brought in as part of third party distribution.”

    The reason behind creating niche channels instead of importing products from outside India is that not all niche channels available are suited for Indian viewers.

    For example, Khanna said, if Dish wants to introduce a premium gardening channel, there was no use getting one from outside as the weather conditions and local environment is different in India.

    “To give an instance, if we have a gardening channel, then it’s best to create it in India and in-house. This way we would also be able to study the feasibility of such niche channels, which may have limited, but loyal viewership that would be ready to pay even a premium,” Khanna said.

    Dish TV, country’s first pay TV platform, is managed by the Subhash Chandra-controlled ASC Enterprises that is the DTH licence holder. Another Chandra company, Zee Network, has a programme supply agreement with ASC.

    Dish TV, which is pumping up the noise around the usefulness of subscribing to a DTH service, is also increasing its investment in the project.

    “We have spent around Rs 3.5 billion in the DTH project till now, out of which a major part has been spent on customer acquisition,” Khanna said.

    He added that investment would be upped “as needed from time to time to expand operations and offerings.”