ITV

Tag: DTH

  • Tata Sky to pump in Rs 20 billion, expects break even in 5-7 years

    Tata Sky to pump in Rs 20 billion, expects break even in 5-7 years

     MUMBAI: Tata Sky will take 5-7 years to break even and plans to further invest Rs 20 billion to ramp up its direct-to-home (DTH) business.

    “We have already invested close to Rs 10 billion. We will pump in a further Rs 20 billion,” says Tata Sky CEO and MD Vikram Kaushik.

    There is a hardware and content subsidy and it will take us 5-7 years to break even, he adds. Tata Sky charges Rs 3999 for hardware and installation cost while the subscription fee is Rs 300 per month.

    The DTH service provider has a subscriber base of half a million and expects to benefit largely from the ICC cricket World Cup with its free subscription promotional scheme for the next three months.

    It has roped in actor Hrithik Roshan for its new marketing campaign where select viewers would get to watch the World Cup final match with him.

    “We are on course to achieve our target of one million subscribers in our first year of operations. We have activated half a million boxes. The World Cup should give us a spurt as we have interesting value-added features. In the Cas (conditional access system) areas, we have also seen a rise in demand for our service,” says Kaushik.

    Tata Sky hopes to add on the Sun network channels soon. “There was a hearing in the court today. The final hearing will be before the first half of March,” says Kaushik.

  • TBN looks to boost coverage of its faith networks in Asia

    TBN looks to boost coverage of its faith networks in Asia

    MUMBAI: Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), which claims to be the world’s largest faith and family-friendly network group, has reached an agreement with Hong Kong-based Asia Broadcast Satellite (ABS) to air TBN’s group of faith-based networks throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

    TBN founder and president Dr. Paul Crouch says, “A major window of opportunity has been opened so that we will be able to broadcast our programming on ABS into the Asia-Pacific region. This golden opportunity will open up TBN’s broadcast services to more of that part of the world known as the “1040 Window” — so that billions more people can have the hope and joy that the good news of our programming can bring to their lives.”

    TBN’s networks will be distributed throughout the Asia-Pacific region extending from Mongolia to the south of Thailand and across Eastern Europe, Asia and Japan, reaching a potential audience of several billion viewers.
    The networks include:

    — TBN Flagship Network. Each day TBN offers inspirational programming that it says appeals to people in a wide variety of denominations. (www.tbn.org)

    — JCTV. This is a digital network geared for teens and young adults. JCTV features round-the-clock cutting edge Christian music videos, reality and game shows, relevant talk programs, comedy, extreme sports, and much more. (www.jctv.org)

    — The Church Channel. It features America’s most popular church services from a wide variety of Protestant and Catholic congregations – broadcast 24 hours a day. (www.thechurchchannel.org)

    — Smile of a Child TV. Thisd is TBN’s latest network addition. Smile of a Child TV features faith-based programming that parents can trust for their children. (www.smileofachildtv.org)

    ABS’ agreement with TBN will bring faith-based broadcasting to the most populated area of the world. ABS CEO Tom Choi says, “We look forward to partnering with TBN to expand the distribution of their channels across Asia, focusing on key markets such as Thailand and India through DTH and CATV distribution. We are very excited to include TBN in our growing neighborhood of free-to-air channels on our high-powered Ku-band platform.”

  • Isro being approached for more transponders for DD Direct

    Isro being approached for more transponders for DD Direct

    NEW DELHI: Doordarshan is expected to switch over to an Indian satellite Insat 4B by early May for its direct-to-home DD Direct service, but it is unlikely to get more than five transponders. The satellite is being launched 10 March from Kourou in French Guiana.

    Prasar Bharati sources tell indiantelevision.com that though the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) had been requested to give first priority to the public broadcaster in the matter of leasing transponders, it was learnt that the Sun Group owned by Kalanithi Maran may get six transponders for its Sun Direct DTH and one for digital satellite news gathering.

    The sources said Isro had been approached to clarify the air on the number of channels it could give to Doordarshan, particularly in view of the efforts by the public broadcaster to switch over to an Indian satellite and not spend money in foreign currency for the American-owned NSS-6 satellite.

    The switchover is expected to result in a saving of around $5 million and Prasar Bharati chief executive officer BS Lalli confirmed that he had turned down the reminder by the American satellite for a renewal of contract.

    (It is learnt that Isro agreed to the demand for Sun for transponders after the failure of the Insat-4C last year. However, Isro has given the option to Sun to take transponders on a foreign satellite with the help of the space agency, since Insat 4B was meant for DD Direct.)

    Switching over to the new satellite will mean rotating the dish antennas slightly from the existing 95 degrees to 93.5 degrees. Lalli does not think any re-programming of
    set-top boxes will be required but said that this could be done easily if needed.

    The Insat-4B, the second satellite in the Insat-4 series, will be carrying 12 Ku band and as many C band transponders for communication and broadcasting services. Airtel is understood to have booked transponders for its services.

  • SET Discovery targets Rs 4.5 billion in FY07 on back of World Cup

    SET Discovery targets Rs 4.5 billion in FY07 on back of World Cup

    MUMBAI: Riding high on the ICC cricket World Cup wave, SET Discovery expects to garner a revenue of Rs 4.5 billion in 2006-07. This would mean a growth of 40 per cent in a tight subscription market with cable operators resisting any big increase in payouts to broadcasters.

    “SET Discovery is targeting a total income of Rs 4.5 billion in 2006-07. This will include for the first time income from direct-to-home (DTH) which should be contributing eight per cent of the overall kitty,” says a source in the industry who is close to the company.

    SET Discovery signed a contract with DTH service provider Dish TV in June 2006 and subsequently with Tata Sky.
    When contacted, SET Discovery president Anuj Gandhi declined to talk on the financials of the company. “We had set an aggressive target this year and we are going to hit it,” he said.

    Despite a slide in Sony TV’s ratings, analysts say SET Discovery’s growth in the fiscal would be greatly helped by a rich lineup of cricketing properties that include ICC Champions Trophy and the ICC World Cup.

    SET Discovery’s revenue stayed flat in 2004-05 but rose 15 per cent to Rs 3.2 billion last fiscal as it added Ten Sports in its distribution bouquet. Sony signed a distribution deal with the sports channel which has key cricket properties that include the Pakistan, Sri Lanka and West Indies boards.

  • Most rapid DTH growth to come from Asia

    Most rapid DTH growth to come from Asia

    MUMBAI: Western Europe and North America continue to lead the digital satellite pay-TV market in subscribers and revenue.

    However the fastest growth over the next several years will come from other areas, especially Asia, reports market research firm In-Stat.

    Key satellite market trends include consolidation in established markets, interactivity, HD, launches, and bundling, the high-tech market research firm says.

    In-Stat analyst Michael Inouye says, “Most DTH platform launches in 2006 occurred in the less mature markets, including India and Eastern Europe. As DTH pay-TV platforms in many American and European countries have been in operation for a number of years, their subscriber growth has slowed. Total net new subscribers are growing each year, but only by single digit percentages.”

    Rsearch by In-Stat found the following:

    – Total DTH pay-TV subscribers are expected to reach over 117 million in 2010.

    – Global DTH-TV revenues will exceed $88 billion by 2010.

    – Consolidation occurred in 2006 with service providers like TPS and CanalSatellite and conditional access providers (Irdeto/ Cryptoworks).

  • Bollywood goes mobile with Barcelona launch

    Bollywood goes mobile with Barcelona launch

    MUMBAI: The world’s largest film industry joined forces with the global mobile communications world today in spectacular fashion – as Bollywood premiered its first feature films for mobile viewers at the 3GSM World Congress (February 12-15) in Barcelona.

    The Congress marks the start of the adaptation of thousands of vibrant Bollywood productions for the mobile screen – a development that could have a huge impact on the global mobile entertainment market, already worth some $US23 billion.

    The Bollywood Mobile Initiative is driven by Roamware, the global leader in roaming and mobile connectivity solutions; Hungama Mobile, the world’s largest aggregator, developer and publisher of Indian entertainment and Bollywood content; Sanjay Gupta, a leading Bollywood director; and the GSM Association (GSMA), the global trade association for mobile operators.

    Roamware’s Media Call technology is providing the capability to integrate the cinematic content into the everyday mobile experience for film fans.

    “Media Call redefines mobile communications from voice to visual media, enabling the sharing and promotion of film clips to accelerate the growth of the mobile movie market,” said Bobby Srinivasan, CEO of Roamware.

    Two Bollywood short films “Zahir” & “Matriomony” were premiered in Barcelona today. These films are a part of the feature film ‘Dus Kahaniyaan’ (10 Stories) produced by Sanjay Gupta of White Feather Films, starring more than 20 leading Bollywood stars including Dia Mirza, Suneil Shetty, Sanjay Dutt, Neha Mandira Bedi, Aftab Shivdasani and many others. Sanjay Gupta is one of Bollywood’s leading filmmakers who has produced and directed many hugely popular movies such as Kaante, Musafir and Zinda.

    The films demonstrate the viral potential for Bollywood movies on the ‘fourth screen’ –the mobile device. Set pieces with action and dialogue scenes interspersed with song and dance make the vibrant, fast moving movies a compelling entertainment experience for the mobile viewer.

    “Bollywood today is the world’s largest movie industry, producing more than a thousand movies a year with an audience of more than two billion viewers across 127 countries. Formatting that content for the mobile audience and ensuring simplicity of delivery and accessibility provides staggering reach and revenue possibilities,” said Bobby Srinivasan, CEO and Chairman, Roamware.

    “The GSMA is delighted to welcome the stars and directors from the Bollywood world to the world’s largest mobile event,” said Bill Gajda, Chief Marketing Officer of the GSMA. “We are excited by the tremendous potential for Bollywood entertainment on mobile phones, and delighted to support the efforts of Roamware and Hungama Mobile in their commitment to bringing a rich array of Indian film entertainment to the fourth screen for a global audience of millions.”

    “India is the fastest growing market in the mobile world, and the world’s fourth largest market. It has the potential to be the largest market globally by 2010. It is the most logical market from which to launch the mobile movie industry and present a brand new avenue of cinematic entertainment for mobile users everywhere. The potential is truly amazing. Hungama Mobile has already launched a Bollywood channel directly on operator decks around the world in nearly 30 countries, with over 70 operators. This channel contains music, imagery, video and games from Bollywood. Showcasing Bollywood movies on mobile is a natural extension both as a tremendous new marketing opportunity as also revenue for all the stakeholders,” said Neeraj Roy, Managing Director & CEO, Hungama Mobile.

    Hungama Mobile’s content assets and a two year foray in taking Bollywood to the mobile world, coupled with Roamware’s global reach, holds huge promise for the mobile market. The dramatic evolution of communications technology, from download speeds and battery life to compact form factors, screen sizes and resolution, as well as memory enhancements, means mobile devices are now capable of delivering a compelling, high quality and uniquely personal viewing experience.

    Bollywood is one of the fastest growing entertainment industry segments and has an appeal not only for the 150 million mobile phone users in India but for markets across all continents. Indian cinema is now dubbed in over 35 languages and accounts for as much as 16.5% of theatrical business in markets such as UK. Indian films have made it into the top 10 charts in markets such as USA, UK, Germany, Australia, Singapore and South Africa. More than 3.6 billion admission tickets are sold each year, across the world and now Hungama Mobile and Roamware will take this to some 2.5 billion mobile screens.

  • Sun ready, DTH play becoming hot chase for satellite space

    Sun ready, DTH play becoming hot chase for satellite space

    MUMBAI: Having finalised on Malaysia-based Astro as his 20 per cent equity partner, Sun network chairman and managing director Kalanithi Maran is preparing the ground to launch his direct-to-home (DTH) service. He has decided on Iredeto as the encryption system while the set-top boxes (STBs) will be from Coship Electronics in China and South Africa-based UEC Technologies, a source close to the company says.

    “He is also looking at more STB vendors. Besides the basic box which will be competitively priced, he will have graded STBs. Multiple vendors will ensure supply safety in case of a huge demand for his service,” adds the source.

    Maran will be using MPEG-4 technology that will allow him to compress more TV channels per transponder. While MPEG-2 can pack in around 12 channels, the advanced compression technology will be able to accommodate over 20 channels.

    Maran will have seven Ku-band transponders on Insat-4B, which launches on 10 March, while Prasar Bharati’s free-to-air (FTA) package DD Direct Plus will have five on the same satellite.

    He may consider himself lucky when the launch of Insat-4C satellite failed in July 2006 after the rocket carrying it veered off course and exploded. He had booked six Ku-band transponders (and one more for digital satellite news gathering) on it for Sun Direct’s DTH service.

    By being located on the same satellite, Sun’s subscribers will be able to access DD Direct’s channels without Maran having to separately put them on his transponders.

    Dish TV which was sharing the NSS-6 satellite with DD, will not be hit badly after the migration. Since NSS-6 is at 95 degree East, a minor realignment of antenna will be required for receiving the channels as Insat-4B shall be located at 93.5 degree East. Tata Sky, on the other hand, will have to recarry DD channels on their transponders.

    The DTH play in India is, indeed, turning out to be a hot chase for satellite space. If Tata Sky had to wait for the launch of Insat-4A as rival Dish TV aggressively went on mopping up customers, it is now the turn of Anil Ambani’s Bluemagic and Bharti Telemedia to plead with the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) to provide them with Ku-band transponders.

    In the sprint to start DTH before the market gets taken away, Bharti may be the clear loser. Unless, of course, it gets the approval from Isro to be on Measat-3, a foreign satellite launched from the Astro Group.

    “Measat has made their Ku-band transponders available for us and have supplied the data. We are studying it technically and are making an internal evaluation,” says Isro contract management and legal services director SB Iyer.

    The satellite has 49 dbW (decibel Watts) as compared to Insat’s 53. “We have indicated this problem and Measat has said that it would examine it and come up with a solution. Insat-4B has 53 dcW and offers a powerful beam across the country. We will have to ensure quality and also come into an agreement with Measat. Besides, the users will also have to express their interest in the satellite,” says Iyer.

    Measat-3 has 24 Ku-band transponders and has been designed to provide capability for data services and DTH applications in Malaysia, Indonesia and the Indian Subcontinent.

    If no clearance is given to Measat, Bharti will have to wait the longest with Insat-4G launching only by 2008-end. The DTH market could possibly have settled by then with the spoils being distributed among Dish TV, Tata Sky, Sun and Reliance’s Bluemagic.

    Anil Ambani will get a shot at the DTH market after Insat-4CR (replacement) launches in the quarter beginning July this year. Reliance has asked for eight Ku-band transponders and Isro is reserving the remaining four for other users like National Informatics Centre.

  • Taj Television, TNMG in interactive progamming, distribution agreement

    Taj Television, TNMG in interactive progamming, distribution agreement

    MUMBAI: The New Media Group (TNMG) and Taj Television, which owns sports channel Ten Sports, have formed a partnership.

    TNMG will distribute and market Taj Television’s assets to users in Japan and Korea.

    TNMG president Randy McGraw says, “We have been really impressed with the content that Ten Sports is producing, the company’s management, and its direction.

    “This strategic tie-up goes a long way toward our mission of establishing the preeminent IPTV and sports community management portal for the growing number of people that are under-serviced by legacy broadcasting, DTH and CATV systems in the markets where they live. We are happy to be working with Taj Television.”

    Under the agreement between companies, TNMG will distribute Ten Sports to a community of 200,000 South East Asian and Subcontinent community members living and working in Japan and Korea. Taking advantage of the regions broadband and 3G mobile infrastructure, TNMG will work with Taj Television Limited initially on TV offerings, and will eventually will develop offerings for consumption on TV, PC, and mobile phones.

    TNMG says that it will give its viewers the World On-Demand, and we are happy to have this solution. South Asians all over Asia will now be able to watch cricket, football, hockey, tennis, and see their favorite players and home teams doing it.

    The two companies will eventually collaborate on new, interactive offerings for consumers of Ten Sports’ content.

    The companies began services in Japan and other East Asian markets in December, 2006.

  • Ficci gears up for Frames convention

    Ficci gears up for Frames convention

    MUMBAI: Frames, the convention for the business of Indian entertainment organised by Ficci, will take place from 26 – 28 March in Mumbai.

    Business delegation from over 20 countries is expected for the event which is in its eight year. This year Italy is a partner country.

    The television track kicks off with a plenary session – Regulatory Framework for Entertainment Industry on the opening day.

    There has been a regular debate among various stakeholders on regulation. How much of regulation should be there? Should the content regulation be consistent across all delivery mediums such as TV, radio, films and print? Should there be a price regulation? Or the industry should be left to market forces to evolve on its own?

    With the boom of news channels, there will be a session on Changing face of News. In order to survive, news channels along with newsworthiness should have something different. Along with managing editorial content, the gatekeepers are also acting as brand managers.

    Viewers wanting a global perspective of television can attend Fresh TV around the World. This special session, now a regular item at the television trade events in Cannes, France Mip TV and Mipcom, presents the world’s freshest and most popular TV shows of the season, specially edited for Frames participants.

    This includes clips from the world’s most successful, innovative and most talked about TV shows. Based on the monthly The Wit Fresh TV Report which spots new shows launched in more than 30 markets worldwide, the presentation also covers the most creative trends in different programming genres.

    With Cas and DTH already introduced, Frames will have a Plenary Session on The Last Mile: Battle of reaching consumers. The challenge of retaining existing consumers is going to be tough. Are existing distributors well equipped to take up this challenge?

    Another plenary session examines the importance of content. Innovative marketing and promotional campaigns can be of little hope unless it is fuelled with winning content. Irrespective of platform, the key to success is high quality content. Can anybody afford to disagree?

    There will also be a focus on the Asian TV Market in a session. Asia has common cultural values thereby having huge potential of sharing content with countries like Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, and Singapore. How the trade of content can be further strengthened among these countries?

    The Film Track kicks off with the crucial topic of marketing and distribution. This has always been an integral part of the business plan for film producers. The success of a film no longer depends on just the content, storyline and the starcast, but also on how well the film is marketed. The successes of Krissh, Don and Dhoom 2 in India scenario are prime example.

    The session will discuss the new methods employed to get to the target audience especially in international markets. Another session looks at digital cinema. From Celluloid to digital …Indian multiplexes and stand alone theatres are adopting the digital technology. Earlier business models were driving the technological applications. The scenario is just the opposite now, it’s the technology driving the business of Indian Cinema. The digital technology is changing the way the movies are being watched…. What lies in the future?

    Another session examines whether remakes and sequels revisits the past or is it the result of intellectual bankruptcy. Indian films now have a lot of sequels and remixes. Sequels of Munnabhai, Krissh, Hera Pheri, Dhoom and remakes like Don and Umrao Jaan and their success has added a new dimension to the Indian film industry. Some see it as a case of intellectual bankruptcy. In the era of commercialisation does storytelling hold a chance?

    What makes popular cinema tick? Is there a magic formula for success at box office? Increasingly the taste and sensibilities of the Indian audiences are changing. This is reflected in the different genres of movies making box office history this year. Films like Dhoom 2, Krishh, Rang De Basanti and Munnabhai have generated mass hysteria. There is a radical change in the scripts, treatment and presentation. The changing trends of Hindi films will be looked at in a session.

  • Mumbai leads STB penetration, SEC A early adopters: Tam

    Mumbai leads STB penetration, SEC A early adopters: Tam

    MUMBAI: Of the three metros, Mumbai leads in Cas (conditional access system) adoption with a 25 per cent penetration in set-top boxes (STBs), according to a study by Tam.

    While Mumbai has 139000 subscribers buying STBs on a Cas home of 548000, Delhi has a 14 per cent penetration with 97000 out of 676000 homes opting for boxes.

    Kolkata is a clear laggard with a 10 per cent penetration, indicating significant differences in offtake across the three metros. Out of 409000 homes, 41000 subscribers have gone ahead and bought boxes.

    “Of the 1.63 million homes covered by the Cas footprint, 277000 homes had taken up a STB/DTH connection to access pay channels. Pay TV homes amounted to 17 per cent of the Cas-mandated area,” the study said.

    In the first week of January, Tam commissioned AC Nielsen to conduct a ‘Pay TV Homes’ estimation study in the Cas-mandated zones of Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata. The fieldwork periods were 12-16 January in Mumbai, 11-15 January in Delhi and 11-16 January in Kolkata. The fieldwork mid-point was 14 January, Tam said.

    Tam further divided the zones into 100 sampling nodes, ensuring “adequate geographical coverage.” It conducted face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire. The interviewee was the decision maker pertaining to cable subscription. The sample size was 2250 respondents (750 per city).

    According to the study, an additional 198000 homes claimed to have subscribed but are awaiting installation of ‘pay TV services.’The ‘under served’ segments included 109000 (20 per cent awaiting installations) in Mumbai, 43000 (6 per cent) in Delhi and 46000 (11 per cent) in Kolkata.

    “Cumulatively, 475000 homes had subscribed comprising 29 per cent of the Cas-mandated homes,” the study said.

    There are 7.96 million cable homes across the three metros with 1.63 million (approximately 21 per cent) falling under the Cas-mandated zones. Mumbai has 3.25 million cable homes while in Delhi it is 2.61 million and in Kolkata 2.1 million.

    The highest offtake for the boxes is in the SEC A strata of Mumbai. Interestingly, the response by Mumbai’s SEC C is nearly on par with those from SEC A residing in Delhi and Kolkata There is zero demand from SEC D/E in Kolkata. “The offtake levels vary significantly across markets even at a SEC level. The highest offtake is observed in the higher SEC and it declines as one comes down the SEC ladder. Owing to the pre-dominant non-responsive lower SEC, the offtakes seem to have got dampened significantly,” the study pointed out.

    Despite low offtake in Kolkata, consumer awareness appeared to be higher than in Delhi and Mumbai. Consumers residing in Delhi appeared to be the least aware.

    While consumer awareness has significant ground to cover, price remained the pre-dominant reason for subscribers preferring to decide in favour of free-to-air (FTA) channels.