ITV

Tag: Dish

  • Al Jazeera condemns censorship, writes letter to Indian govt.

    Al Jazeera condemns censorship, writes letter to Indian govt.

    MUMBAI: Al Jazeera English has demanded talks with the Indian government after the government decided to take the channel off – air for five days.

     

    The ban, which came into effect from 22 April 2015, concerns maps of Pakistan shown on the channel which on occasions during 2013 and 2014 did not mark Pakistan-controlled Kashmir as separate territory. The maps produced by external software gave the same treatment to Indian-controlled Kashmir, though this was not subject to similar complaints.

     

    Once the issue was pointed out by the Indian authorities, the channel ensured from 22 September 2014 that all borders of Kashmir were marked with dotted lines and shaded differently.

     

    Al Jazeera English managing director Al Anstey said: “This ban is a disproportionate response to an issue that we fixed promptly after it was pointed out. It needlessly deprives Indian viewers of our global news and programmes. Unfortunately, this is the latest in a series of ongoing issues. Our journalists have not been granted visas for years now. We approach India like we do any other country – showing the world the positive and the negative, the humanity, and the diversity. This can be easily witnessed in the integrity and quality of the output that we have been allowed from India. We have though been severely hampered for too long by constraints placed upon us when trying to tell Indian stories to the world. This is why I’m writing to the information minister seeking talks that will help us move forward in a constructive way.”

     

    The ban is effective for viewers on Dish TV, Tata Sky, Reliance and Airtel Digital TV. Al Jazeera English is still available online.

  • US cable TV reduces subscriber losses in 2014

    US cable TV reduces subscriber losses in 2014

    MUMBAI: For fans of delivery of video services via cable TV, there’s some news to cheer about rom the US. Apparently, the top nine cable TV operators in the US shed 1.195 million net video subscribers in 2014. While that may seem like a high number, it is actually a drastic reduction over the loss of 1.695 million subscribers in 2013. 

    It seems as if cable TV has managed to hold its ground in 2014 as compared to 2013 as it still accounts for 49.3 million subscribers in 2014. In fact according to the Leichtman Research Group which put out these numbers, this has been the best year for cable TV since 2008.

    The net additions by other providers seem to be slowing down too. Telco TV service providers such as AT&T and Verizon added 1.05 million net video subscribers in 2014. As compared to that the gains in 2013 were 1.43 million in 2013.

     

    The Telcos account for 11.6 million video subscribers in 2014.  The satellite TV providers such as Direct TV and Dish added only 20,000 net video subscribers as compared to 170,000 net adds in 2013.

    Overall the pay TV sector saw more than 125,000 net video subscribers opting to cut the cord in 2014 as compared to 95,000 in 2013, the Leichtman Research Group said. Its study covered the top 13 pay TV operators which account for 95.2 million subscribers. 

    The fact that the existing video service providers have managed to stem their losses goes against the predictions of cable TV and pay TV service naysayers who have been stating that OTT services such as Netflix and Hulu will eat away at traditional modes of video delivery. The pay TV industry apparently will continue to be dominant provider of video to subscribers, says Leichtman.

    The study comes at a time when fears are running rife amongst Indian cable TV operators about how Reliance Jio’s launch will impact their business in the next few years.

  • FoodFood channel launched in the US

    FoodFood channel launched in the US

    NEW DELHI: The FoodFood television channel run by master chef Sanjeev Kapoor has been launched in the United States.

     
    The channel launch was hosted at Secaucus in New Jersey by the Varli group in an evening that included cooking demonstrations by Kapoor and Dhandu Ram, chef at Dhoom.

     
    Celebrity chefs, restaurateurs, and Sanjeev Kapoor fans from the tristate area gathered at Dhoom restaurant to celebrate the launch.

     
    The lifestyle channel was launched in India in January 2011, and is a joint venture between Astro All Asia Networks PLC (Astro), a Malaysian cross-media group, and Turmeric Vision (TVPL), the television company owned Kapoor.

     
    In the US, FoodFood is available on Dish channel 713 and DishWorld IPTV. The channel features Indian and global cuisines, fusion innovations and delicacies from across continents. Kapoor and his team will share popular shows like Sanjeev Kapoor’s Kitchen, Turban Tadka, Mummy Ka Magic and Health Mange More.

     
    Among attendees at the launch were Consul General of India in New York Dnyaneshwar Mulay, Fox anchor Kelly Wright and Secaucus Mayor Mike Gonnelli.

     

  • FoodFood travels to US

    FoodFood travels to US

    MUMBAI: Today, food is not just a necessity but has become a passion. Everyone wants to create a magic in their kitchens. However, not everyone is gifted and wants a “helping hand.”

     

    FoodFood, a specialty channel, wants to be that guiding light to help people cook food with passion and enjoy it too. And soon, the viewers of Dish and DishWorld IPTV in the US will be able to do just that.

     

    “After Canada, US was the next logical step. With the growing popularity of the Indian food, the channel is bound to attract a lot of audiences apart from the Indian residents there,” says channel promoter Sanjeev Kapoor. However, it wasn’t an easy task. Kapoor recalls that he had to travel to and fro many a times to finally sign the deal to include the channel in the Hindi mega pack.

     

    “It took us around two years to manage to crack the deal, but we are happy now that we will be available on Dish which has the largest selection of international programming among major pay-TV providers in the US,” he adds.

     

    The channel will be available on LCN No 713 on the network and will for now showcase Indian programmes.  But, if all goes well it will also air original content. “Yes, of course creation of original content is on the cards but first we have to build it and get more advertisers on board,” says Kapoor.

     

    The channel is already available outside India in Qatar, UAE and Canada and next on agenda is UK, Africa along with the south east Asian countries as well as Australia. “Internationally, people want specialised content and we will give them what they need. We plan to take the channel overseas and it doesn’t limit us to television alone,” points out Kapoor who believes that the world going digital is a boon for specialised content.

     

    “There is a reason why people are moving towards digital and consuming what they want, wherever they are,” he adds while emphasising on the fact that though Indian media houses are not recognising this, the scenario is quite the opposite worldwide. He believes that Indian broadcasters are very generic in their approach and that’s why one can see series of general entertainment channel launches every now and then.

     

    Another issue hindering the growth of niche channels which aren’t a part of large media houses, according to Kapoor is carriage fees. “Almost 25 per cent of our total cost goes into carriage fees and to top it further, cable and DTH operators increase the fee irrationally,” he says agitatedly and adds, “Distribution is still a monster.”

     

    He believes that the industry and the regulatory bodies need to come forth to provide viewers the content they want to watch and move beyond just one measurement currency. “There is no respect for expertise,” he says.

     

    When asked his views about ad cap, he says that it is a global phenomenon and will only help the channel to innovate. “Helios is doing a very good job and is taking the whole ad sales to another level,” points out Kapoor while adding that the concept has helped them innovate and integrate with brands beyond the 10 second slot. Talking of one of the innovation he says, “We integrated a brand of oil into our shows to help people understand about a healthy heart.”

     

    FoodFood is also focusing on its content. The channel launched a new campaign in April, this year, with a lineup of shows like K for kids, Pure Sin catering to various age groups. However, the biggest launch for the channel would be Kapoor’s travel culinary show shot in Australia for which the blueprint is ready.

     

    In June, the channel which strongly believes in the digital power launched an e-commerce section to bring a variety of selective quality products from kitchen appliances, kitchen accessories and lifestyle products all shown on the television shows.

     

    “Internet is already helping us when it comes to content consumption and through the e-commerce section we will be giving the community a dedicated shop,” he says.

     

    With an optimistic approach, the channel, which is a joint venture between Astro Overseas (Astro), Master Chef Sanjeev Kapoor and Sandeep Goyal owned Mogae Consultants, hopes to see better days ahead as the promoters are set to meet soon to decide their next step.

  • Dish to redeem $2.6 bn debt sold in May as Sprint Bid fails

    Dish to redeem $2.6 bn debt sold in May as Sprint Bid fails

    MUMBAI: Dish Network Corp (DISH), the satellite-TV company that abandoned its bid for Sprint Nextel Corp, will redeem $2.6 billion of bonds it issued last month to help fund the planned acquisition.

    The company will redeem on 24 June its $1.25 billion of five per cent bonds due May 2017 at 100 cents on the dollar and its $1.35 billion of 6.25 per cent notes due May 2023 at 101 cents on the dollar, plus accrued and unpaid interest, the Englewood, Colorado-based company said today in a regulatory filing.

    The company was required to redeem the securities if it failed in its bid for Sprint, based on terms of the bond sale completed on 15 May. Investors negotiated during the marketing period to increase the redemption price on the 10-year bonds to 101 cents from par during the first six months.

    The 2017 bonds were quoted as high as 100.5 cents on the dollar to yield 4.87 percent on May 28 before falling to 100 cents, yielding 5 percent, yesterday, according to prices compiled by Bloomberg.

    The 2023 securities were quoted as a low as 99.2 cents to yield 6.36 percent on June 6 before rising to a high of 100.8 cents, yielding 6.14 per cent, on June 19, Bloomberg prices show. They were quoted at 100.5 cents to yield 6.18 per cent yesterday.

  • Asianet switches from GlobeCast to Dish in US; adds a new channel to US bouquet

    Asianet switches from GlobeCast to Dish in US; adds a new channel to US bouquet

    BENGALURU: Dish, a leading pay-TV provider in the US announced the launch of Asianet, Asianet Plus, Asianet News and Asianet Movies to its lineup. Additionally, Dish‘s broadcast of Asianet Movies marks the US premiere of the Malayalam film channel. Earlier, three of Asianet‘s channels were available in the US on the France Telcom subsidiary GlobeCast.

    Industry sources reveal that Asianet‘s agreement with GlobeCast ends on June 30 and the association will be terminated. “Dish is a one stop shop for the Indian, no, Asian diaspora. Be it Vijay TV or the Star Network channels, or other bigwigs of Indian television broadcasting like the channels of Zee or Sony, all are on Dish, so it makes sense for Asianet to be on the Dish platform. It‘s a win-win situation for all,” explained the source about Asianet‘s shift.

    Asianet Communications MD K. Madhavan statement in a press release seems to endorse this fact, “When Asianet entered the US market in 2003, our overarching goal was to expand the presence of our special programming. Partnering with Dish to launch the Asianet channels allows us to realize this dream of providing yet another incredible addition to the lineup of Malayalam content in the United States”.

    “We are pleased to exclusively offer this programming on satellite and proud to debut Asianet Movies for the first time in the U.S. Dish has long offered an impressive South Asian channel lineup, and we are dedicated to the consistent pursuit of the best news and entertainment tailored to a variety of language groups,” said Dish director of international programming Sruta Vootukuru.

    As the US leader in international programming with more than 280 ethnic channels in 29 languages, Dish is the exclusive satellite pay-TV platform to offer this leading Malayalam-language content.

    The Malayalam Asianet programming package is now available to customers for $24.99 per month. Effective June 20, all Malayalam: Mega Pack or Surya a la carte customers will be eligible to subscribe to Asianet as an add-on package for a monthly price of $15.

  • Dish TV slips into net loss, adds 0.83 mn subs in Q3

    Dish TV slips into net loss, adds 0.83 mn subs in Q3

    MUMBAI: Dish TV, India‘s largest direct-to-home (DTH) operator, has again slipped into quarterly net loss and performed below market expectations despite showing remarkable growth in subscriber numbers.

    The company posted a net loss of Rs 448.8 million in the fiscal-third quarter, compared to a net profit of Rs 550.90 million in the trailing quarter, as content and other costs surged.

    Dish TV‘s operating profit for the three-month period ended 31 December declined 11.5 per cent to Rs 1.38 billion compared to Rs 1.5 billion in the previous quarter. Ebidta margin for the quarter stood at 24.7 per cent.

    "The content cost rose partly due to Media Pro which distributes the Star, Zee and Turner group of channels. The selling and distribution expenses also went up," said a media analyst.

    Dish TV‘s expenses jumped to Rs 5.9 billion from Rs 5.3 billion as programming/content and other costs rose to Rs 1.63 billion from Rs 1.42 billion in the preceding quarter. Cost of goods and services grew 11.2 per cent to Rs 2.8 billion from Rs 2.5 billion in the preceding quarter, amounting to 51 per cent of gross revenue. Advertising and promotional expenditure rose 6.8 per cent to Rs 237 million from Rs 222 million. Selling and distribution expenses rose 26.6 per cent to Rs 661 million from Rs 522 million.
    Operating revenue for the quarter stood at Rs 5.58 billion, recording a growth of 4.5 cent as compared to Rs 5.3 billion in the preceding quarter. Total income for the quarter increased to Rs 5.7 billion from Rs 5.4 billion in the previous quarter.

    Subscription revenues for the quarter were Rs 4.9 billion, up from Rs 4.72 billion .

    The company’s other income jumped 118.7 per cent to Rs 175 million from Rs 80 million in the previous quarter.

    Subscriber additions

    Dish TV added 829,000 new subscribers during the third quarter achieving a total of 14.7 million gross and 10.5 million net subscribers at the end of the period. In the previous quarter, the company had added 477,000 subscribers.

    "Dish is looking at adding 2.5 million subscribers this fiscal. It continues to have a strong subscriber growth and has added 1.8 million new customers so far in this fiscal," the analyst said.

    Subscriber acquisition cost falls

    Subscriber Acquisition Cost (SAC) during the quarter declined to Rs 2,201 compared to Rs 2,273 in the preceding quarter. "While the subscriber growth was much higher than the previous quarter, the marketing expense did not go up as much. This led to a fall in SAC," the analyst added.

    Dish TV MD Jawahar Goel said, “While the distribution industry remained on tenterhooks preparing for digitization, the third quarter saw the much debated compulsory switch off of analog television signals take place in key metro markets. Although lack of execution in Chennai and Kolkata was a dampener, festival demand coupled with mandatory conversion in Delhi and Mumbai brought the DTH industry back to the 1 million plus monthly run-rate. DTH garnered around 35 per cent share of incremental additions post the sunset date.”

    “In line with our expectation, we witnessed significant subscriber uptake around the sunset date of 31st October. Dish TV achieved the largest share of 28 per cent amongst DTH platforms in the digitization territories. ‘Dish+’, India’s first standard definition recorder, played its part in differentiating and attracting consumer interest in a crowded market,” he added.

    ARPU improves

    The company‘s Average Revenue Per User (Arpu) grew marginally by a rupee to Rs 160 due to a price hike in the third quarter, up from Rs 159 in the previous quarter.

    Goel said, “A larger base did create pressure on the average revenue per user which, primarily supported by price hike in the second quarter, increased marginally to Rs 160. In the third quarter, apart from the usual additional spends typically experienced due to the festive season, additionally this year the company’s investments to capitalize on the digitization opportunity are also reflected in higher costs during the quarter. A seasonally higher marketing expense was as per budget. Content cost for the year is expected to be within the guided range of 12 per cent increase over the previous fiscal.”

    Dish TV recently launched India’s first Standard Definition Recorder, ‘Dish+’, with unlimited recording facility. ‘Dish+’ comes equipped with a USB slot and is positioned at a competitive price compared to non recorder ready boxes. ‘Dish+’ was initially launched in the 42 cities covered under Phase I and Phase II of digitization and is now available across India as a value for money differentiator over other boxes in the market.

    In a first within the television distribution industry, Dish TV has launched recharge option through Interbank Mobile Payment Service (IMPS) through which the subscriber can recharge his Dish TV account securely and conveniently through an instant, interbank electronic fund transfer service that can be initiated only through mobile phones.

    Considering the deep penetration of cell phones in the country, money transfer through them is likely to emerge as a popular mode of transacting for daily services in the days ahead, the company said.

    Shares of Dish TV fell 4.96 per cent to close Tuesday at 73.7 on the BSE.

  • Dish CEO takes a dig at broadcasters, introduces upgraded DVR service

    Dish CEO takes a dig at broadcasters, introduces upgraded DVR service

    MUMBAI: Despite criticism from broadcasters, satellite television service provider Dish Network has gone ahead and upgraded its ad skipping Hopper DVR system.

    Unveiling the upgraded Hopper DVR System at the Consumer Electronics Show, Dish CEO Joe Clayton claimed that the new system includes a built-in Slingbox that will allow consumers to view content on mobile devices without any extra cost.

    The upgraded version of Hopper includes features such as Sling to compliment AutoHop. Dish subscribers can stream live and recorded shows across other platforms, both in and outside the home.

    Justifying the satcaster‘s ad-skipping DVR system which has come under fire from broadcasters, he said skipping television commercials doesn‘t amount to breaking a law as the broadcasters would like people to believe.

    "Broadcasters would have you all believe that American consumers are breaking the law," Clayton told reporters at a press meet.

    Further taking a jibe at broadcasters, he added, "If bypassing commercials is illegal, I guess we‘re all a nation of outlaws according to the major broadcast networks."

    Broadcasters had last year sued Dish for the AutoHop feature of its DVR. The suit is still pending. Notwithstanding the pressure from broadcasters, Clayton encouraged other service providers to follow Dish‘s lead of introducing ad-free service.

    He also pointed out that it was important for service providers to keep the programming costs under check as the consumers are still not ready to spend more for accessing video content.

    "While unsettling to our customers and employees, this is sometimes necessary to slow the spiraling programming costs," he said. "We, as an industry, are rapidly approaching a tipping point: how many consumers are going to spend $100 per month for video content? I don‘t know, but we‘ll soon see."

  • PayMate partners OnMobile to allow consumers to pay bills via mobile phones

    PayMate partners OnMobile to allow consumers to pay bills via mobile phones

    MUMBAI: In the era of digital services the mobile phone can well be referred as man’s best friend for the umpteen tasks it performs. Extending the benefits of this little gadget, mobile commerce solutions company PayMate has recently partnered with OnMobile, a value added services provider, to allow consumers to pay bills via mobile for services available on OnMobile powered voice portals and WAP sites such as Hutch, Airtel, Idea, Reliance, Tata, Fame Cinemas, Adlabs Multiplexes and the 505 platform.

    Paymate customers will be able to pay via mobile while shopping, gifting, movie ticketing, airline ticketing and making bill payments on OnMobile powered WAP sites or voice portals. A user selects a product and proceeds to the payment menu wherein PayMate is offered as a mode of payment. The user then has to enter his PayMate PIN and complete the payment process. The user receives an SMS confirming the successful purchase of the product, states an official release.

    “PayMate is extremely convenient, easy to use and compatible across all mobile handsets and operators. Most merchants have difficulty in accepting remote payments since customers are apprehensive about sharing credit/ debit card details online or over the phone. This makes PayMate an ideal solution for accepting payments online, over the phone or even at a counter since customers do not have to divulge any credit or debit card details at any time.” says PayMate founder & MD Ajay Adiseshann.

    “OnMobile has enabled Paymate to offer its innovative and secure payment service via OnMobile IVR and WAP products to more than 100 million telecom subscribers in India. We will continue to offer more payment options for telecom subscribers” says OnMobile head-mobile commerce Balachandran Unni.

    The company is also in the process of tying up with several offline merchants such as telco’s, utilities, insurance companies, cable and broadband services, tele-shopping etc and will be announcing its tie-ups in a phased manner, adds the release.

    PayMate is currently being offered to Citibank bank credit card and banking customers and will roll out services with other banks shortly. To use PayMate, Citibank customers need to sign up for this service free with the bank by simply sending “PayMate” as an SMS to 2484. The customer will then be called and registered for the service following which they can pay at any of PayMate’s accredited merchants via a single SMS.

    On receiving this SMS, the bank will verify the user’s mobile number with the account and on confirmation will debit the account accordingly. The merchant and the customer will receive a confirmation message from the bank approving the transaction. The entire transaction takes place at the cost of a single premium SMS.

    The company ensures a secure payment solution as no credit/debit card information is ever disclosed during the transaction process. The trust model is based on the recommendations by Ernst & Young; which provides the security measures for both the bank as well as the customer.

    PayMate is accepted at over 2500 online portals including travel, astrology, electronics, education, jobs, NGOs, apparels, matrimony, entertainment and healthcare etc. PayMate has also announced its tie-ups with Tele-brands, Big Tree (cinema ticketing), Mumbai Gold Cabs, Planet M, CRS Health, Seijo and the Soul Dish, VSNL, Future Bazaar among others.

  • Dish, Star DTH cases: SC declines interim order

    Dish, Star DTH cases: SC declines interim order

    NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court today refused to pass any interim order on petitions filed by Dish TV and Star India relating to a disputes tribunal directive on channel pricing for the DTH platform.

    The apex court admitted both the petitions, but is yet to decide on the next date of hearing.

    Dish TV, the country’s first pay DTH platform, had petitioned to get Star channels at a cheaper rate than what had been directed by TDSAT (Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal). On the other hand, Star’s contention was that the disputes tribunal had no jurisdiction over pricing issues and had accordingly sought a stay on TDSAT’s order.

    An executive of Dish TV said, “We’d have to wait for the court directive. But in the meantime, a deal with Star can be concluded at the prescribed rate of Rs 27 per subscriber.”

    Earlier, TDSAT had said that Star should make available its channels to Dish TV at half the rate at which they are available to cable ops presently. This worked out to RS 27 per subscriber.

    It was only yesterday that Star delivered to Dish TV the integrated receiver decoder boxes that would enable the DTH operator to access its channels for redistribution purposes.