ITV

Tag: Goa

  • Rocky Handsome: John’s Action Show Reel

    Rocky Handsome: John’s Action Show Reel

    MUMBAI: Self-aggrandizement is what John Abraham’s Rocky Handsome is all about. From the title to all that John attempts on screen reads like a screen test video of an aspiring action hero. But, then, he is the producer of this film. The story of this remake of the South Korean film,The Man From Nowhere, has a cause that has been tried and tested since the birth of the revenge formula;. And sadly, it has also been done to death over many decades. That the hero is well capable of and trained in combat is a concept that has been worn down to shreds. American vigilante films, Sylvester Stallone films and numerous others have left no novelty value in the theme. Closer home, we have had many films like Vipul Shah’s Commando: A One Man Army (2013) in which actor Vidyut Jamwal in the lead as an ex-army man taking on a local mafia somewhere in North India is so similar.

    John Abraham is the man from nowhere who has landed up in Goa where he runs a pawnshop. Goa being a combination of backpacking tourists and drugs, a pawnshop is a lucrative business to run, because it is not long before these tourists go broke and feed their needs by pawning their ware.

    A victim of the drug mafia is John’s neighbor, a woman who is always high, and pays scant attention to her daughter, Baby Divya. Here, the script and direction start their blundering ways. As if Goa was a one lane township, the whole of Goa, her school and neighbors shun this girl. Why? Because she is a drug addict’s daughter and indulges in small time thefts to cater to her needs. However, she gets along well with John who, despite not showing any outwardly emotions towards her, is fond of her.

    John keeps visiting his past in flashbacks, after all, that is his purpose to propel this film. It seems he was once in love with Shruti Haasan. They honeymoon in Seychelles and, not surprisingly, she comes back pregnant, much to the delight of the duo. John enters a hospital to collect reports when an out of control truck rams into the car in which Shruti waits for him. The killers are, of course, the criminal mafia. But, why? John has had nothing to do with them so far. Are they inviting him to annihilate them?

    John arrives in Goa but shows no indication that he is seeking revenge in this revenge saga. He carries on with his pawnshop with a deadpan expression which is rather convenient for him since his repertoire of expressions is very limited. Doing an expressionless Robert Mitchum helps in such cases.

    Finally, after wasting half an hour, the villains get bored of John’s lethargy and come visiting him. They kidnap both, Divya and her mother. This is an invitation for John to become the mean killing machine that he has been trained as, trained to kill like Stallone was in First Blood! He is an ex CIA or whatever, you are never sure, because the makers are not sure either!

    John the producer and the scriptwriter of this film if it has one, and the director Nishikant Kamath, borrow a scene or a sequence from all the action films ever made so far. In the process, they get grossly mixed up and mess up the final product.

    John, what you are doing in this film is long passé! It can’t be sold with such a poor script and poorer direction! What is even worse is that the director, Kamath, uses this venture to launch his acting career as the villain in chief! Towards this end, he casts all musclemen around him, but looks like a pygmy himself. Now, what kind of villain would he make? John wants to re-launch his career, while Kamat wants to hike a ride.

    All in all, what accounts for Rocky Handsome is poor script, poor to the hilt direction and casting. And what was the reason to make all villains into wannabe comedians, lunatics? Watched too much of Superhero film villains? This is the saddest film about everything in wrong hands. The cast is full of unknown Marathi stage TV actors. They act like zombies.

    With just about every aspect of the film being poor, mindless, the film closes an avenue that was open to John, that of turning producer now that the acting film assignments are not forthcoming anymore.

    Rocky Handsome has scant appeal for family and the high end multiplex audience. Today being a public holiday,it may benefit a bit at B rung plexes and single screens but is poor viewing on the whole.

    Producer: John Abraham, Sunir Khetarpal.
    Director: Nishikant Kamat.
    Cast: John Abraham, Shruti Haasan, Nishikant Kamat, Sharad Kelkar, Nathalia Kaur, Baby Diya Chalwad.

  • Rocky Handsome: John’s Action Show Reel

    Rocky Handsome: John’s Action Show Reel

    MUMBAI: Self-aggrandizement is what John Abraham’s Rocky Handsome is all about. From the title to all that John attempts on screen reads like a screen test video of an aspiring action hero. But, then, he is the producer of this film. The story of this remake of the South Korean film,The Man From Nowhere, has a cause that has been tried and tested since the birth of the revenge formula;. And sadly, it has also been done to death over many decades. That the hero is well capable of and trained in combat is a concept that has been worn down to shreds. American vigilante films, Sylvester Stallone films and numerous others have left no novelty value in the theme. Closer home, we have had many films like Vipul Shah’s Commando: A One Man Army (2013) in which actor Vidyut Jamwal in the lead as an ex-army man taking on a local mafia somewhere in North India is so similar.

    John Abraham is the man from nowhere who has landed up in Goa where he runs a pawnshop. Goa being a combination of backpacking tourists and drugs, a pawnshop is a lucrative business to run, because it is not long before these tourists go broke and feed their needs by pawning their ware.

    A victim of the drug mafia is John’s neighbor, a woman who is always high, and pays scant attention to her daughter, Baby Divya. Here, the script and direction start their blundering ways. As if Goa was a one lane township, the whole of Goa, her school and neighbors shun this girl. Why? Because she is a drug addict’s daughter and indulges in small time thefts to cater to her needs. However, she gets along well with John who, despite not showing any outwardly emotions towards her, is fond of her.

    John keeps visiting his past in flashbacks, after all, that is his purpose to propel this film. It seems he was once in love with Shruti Haasan. They honeymoon in Seychelles and, not surprisingly, she comes back pregnant, much to the delight of the duo. John enters a hospital to collect reports when an out of control truck rams into the car in which Shruti waits for him. The killers are, of course, the criminal mafia. But, why? John has had nothing to do with them so far. Are they inviting him to annihilate them?

    John arrives in Goa but shows no indication that he is seeking revenge in this revenge saga. He carries on with his pawnshop with a deadpan expression which is rather convenient for him since his repertoire of expressions is very limited. Doing an expressionless Robert Mitchum helps in such cases.

    Finally, after wasting half an hour, the villains get bored of John’s lethargy and come visiting him. They kidnap both, Divya and her mother. This is an invitation for John to become the mean killing machine that he has been trained as, trained to kill like Stallone was in First Blood! He is an ex CIA or whatever, you are never sure, because the makers are not sure either!

    John the producer and the scriptwriter of this film if it has one, and the director Nishikant Kamath, borrow a scene or a sequence from all the action films ever made so far. In the process, they get grossly mixed up and mess up the final product.

    John, what you are doing in this film is long passé! It can’t be sold with such a poor script and poorer direction! What is even worse is that the director, Kamath, uses this venture to launch his acting career as the villain in chief! Towards this end, he casts all musclemen around him, but looks like a pygmy himself. Now, what kind of villain would he make? John wants to re-launch his career, while Kamat wants to hike a ride.

    All in all, what accounts for Rocky Handsome is poor script, poor to the hilt direction and casting. And what was the reason to make all villains into wannabe comedians, lunatics? Watched too much of Superhero film villains? This is the saddest film about everything in wrong hands. The cast is full of unknown Marathi stage TV actors. They act like zombies.

    With just about every aspect of the film being poor, mindless, the film closes an avenue that was open to John, that of turning producer now that the acting film assignments are not forthcoming anymore.

    Rocky Handsome has scant appeal for family and the high end multiplex audience. Today being a public holiday,it may benefit a bit at B rung plexes and single screens but is poor viewing on the whole.

    Producer: John Abraham, Sunir Khetarpal.
    Director: Nishikant Kamat.
    Cast: John Abraham, Shruti Haasan, Nishikant Kamat, Sharad Kelkar, Nathalia Kaur, Baby Diya Chalwad.

  • Idea expands 4G service across 39 Karnataka towns

    Idea expands 4G service across 39 Karnataka towns

    MUMBAI: Idea Cellular has expanded its high speed 4G LTE services across 39 towns in Karnataka.

     

    What’s more, by March 2016, the company will extend its services to three more key markets namely, Maharashtra & Goa, North East and Orissa, and by June 2016, Idea’s 4G footprints will cover 750 cities across 10 telecom circles.

     

    Within a month, the company has expanded its 4G LTE service footprint to 24 districts, including major towns of Bangalore, Mysore, Madikeri, Karwar, Chikmagalur, Belgaum and Chitradurga; covering 20 per cent of the state’s total population.

     

    In addition to Bangalore metro, Idea has launched its 4G services in other towns of Channarayapatna, Udyavara (CT), Harihar, Kunigal, Mulbagal, and Toranagal. Additionally, Idea is planning to launch its 4G services in Mangalore, Udupi-Manipal, Bijapur, Bellary and 18 more towns by end of this financial year, taking the total tally to 61.

     

    It can be recalled that last year in December, Idea Cellular had launched 4G LTE services in all four telecom circles (five states) of South India, namely Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh & Telangana, and Karnataka. Earlier this month, the company launched services across three more circles (four Indian states) – Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Punjab, expanding its 4G LTE service footprint to 7 telecom service areas.

     

    Idea Cellular deputy managing director Ambrish Jain said, “Since last week of December 2015, Idea has rapidly rolled out its high-speed 4G LTE network to cover seven major markets in India.”

     

    Idea Cellular currently holds 1800 MHz 4G spectrum in these 10 telecom circles, which cover 50 per cent of telecom market but over 60 per cent of Idea’s gross revenue. Additionally, Idea has recently signed an agreement with Videocon Telecommunications for acquiring ‘Right to Use’ 1800 MHz spectrum under Spectrum Trading Agreement in two of its key telecom leadership markets of Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh (West). Post completion of this transaction, 4G services will be extended to 12 service areas, covering 75 per cent of Idea’s revenue base in the country.

     

    Idea Cellular chief marketing officer Sashi Shankar added, “Idea customers with 4G devices in these 183 towns can now start experiencing super fast speeds by simply upgrading their existing SIM cards to new 4G SIM cards. The company is also offering attractive subscription plans to digital content including a wide range of the latest music, movies and games. Idea has also partnered with leading handset manufacturers and e-commerce retailers for special data bundling offers on new 4G smartphones.”

     
    Idea’s 4G Prepaid & Postpaid tariff plans are priced at par with existing 3G plans. The company is also offering ‘4G Packs’ starting as low as Rs 21.

     

    Digital Content for 4G consumers 

     

    Idea, marking its first foray in the digital space, is launching an assortment of digital content in partnership with content aggregators.

     

    For music, it has tied-up with Hungama Digital, wherein it will offer content at a monthly subscription price of Rs 99 for all its consumers. For movies and videos, Idea has partnered with Eros International, wherein content will be offered at a monthly subscription price of Rs 49 for all its consumers. Idea will also be launching ‘Idea Games Club’ powered by Opera for all its consumers from 1 February, 2016, at a monthly subscription price of Rs 150. However, as an incentive for new 4G customers, a special offer for subscription at just Rs 29 per month till 31 March, 2016 is available for these packs.

     

    Idea will also unveil ‘Ultimate Plans,’ which provide a Bundleof 4G Data, Unlimited Voice calls and Content subscription, which is powered by Hungama.

     

    Wide Portfolio of 4G Smartphones & Devices

    Currently, 2.7 million 4G devices across these seven circles are registered on Idea’s network and growing at an exponential rate. To facilitate 4G device upgrade, Idea has launched branded 4G devices namely Idea 4G Dongles, 4G Mi-Fi (connects 10 users) and Home Wi-Fi (connects 32 users), which are now available at Rs 2,599 onwards with 4G Data offers.

     

    Idea has partnered with Samsung for special offers on its 4G Smartphones, wherein the two companies will launch a variety of programmes to offer differentiated and significant value to customers.

     

    The TSP has also tied up with smartphone manufacturers including Intex Technologies, Lava, Lenovo and Xolo to offer bundled 4G data plans on smartphones.

     

    A tie up is also in place with e-commerce retailer Snapdeal for providing bundled data offers on 4G devices.

     

    Launch of 4G website

    The company has also launched its responsive 4G website -www.ideacellular.com/4G, wherein consumers can log on to get more information about 4G services, tariff plans and recharges, locate the nearest Idea stores offering 4G SIMs and much more. Idea is also rolling out a smartphone e-store on its website. Consumers can now buy 4G smartphone brands, Mi-Fi and Dongles. 

     

    The company has also rolled out its FDD platform enabled 4G LTE services on the 1800 MHz frequency band, which is the most preferred spectrum band for deployment of 4G services globally, and is supported by the majority of 4G handsets available in the market.

     

    Idea Cellular’s 4G LTE Network will be equipped with the enhanced ‘Fast Return’ feature enabling seamless and quick toggle for consumers across Idea’s 4G, 3G and 2G networks, offering superior experience for both mobile data and voice services. While the company possesses the capability to introduce VoLTE feature, existing customers’ current 4G devices do not support this feature. Accordingly, the deployment of VoLTE will be evaluated at a later stage.

     

    Idea is deploying state-of-the-art, ‘Single RAN’ equipment, which supports multiple technologies in a given frequency band. For every 4G site on 1800 MHz, this equipment also provides additional 2G voice capacity on GSM spectrum.

     

    For FY16, Idea Cellular’s capex guidance is Rs 6,500 crore, significantly higher than earlier years’ annual capex spends. In this fiscal year, Idea plans to add 40,000 – 45,000 sites on 2G, 3G and 4G technology platforms, complete a cumulative roll out of 111,000 kms of Fibre, and add an incremental 175-200 million population to the mobile broadband (3G & 4G) population coverage. The 4G launch in Southern India is part of the capex guidance by Idea.

     

    The roll out of Idea’s 4G services will be financed through internal accruals. The company recorded an EBITDA of Rs 5,739 crore in H1-FY16, a growth of 27.6 per cent  over H1-FY15 and cash profits of Rs 5,085 crore, a robust growth of 32.5 per cent over H1FY15.

  • Idea expands 4G service across 39 Karnataka towns

    Idea expands 4G service across 39 Karnataka towns

    MUMBAI: Idea Cellular has expanded its high speed 4G LTE services across 39 towns in Karnataka.

     

    What’s more, by March 2016, the company will extend its services to three more key markets namely, Maharashtra & Goa, North East and Orissa, and by June 2016, Idea’s 4G footprints will cover 750 cities across 10 telecom circles.

     

    Within a month, the company has expanded its 4G LTE service footprint to 24 districts, including major towns of Bangalore, Mysore, Madikeri, Karwar, Chikmagalur, Belgaum and Chitradurga; covering 20 per cent of the state’s total population.

     

    In addition to Bangalore metro, Idea has launched its 4G services in other towns of Channarayapatna, Udyavara (CT), Harihar, Kunigal, Mulbagal, and Toranagal. Additionally, Idea is planning to launch its 4G services in Mangalore, Udupi-Manipal, Bijapur, Bellary and 18 more towns by end of this financial year, taking the total tally to 61.

     

    It can be recalled that last year in December, Idea Cellular had launched 4G LTE services in all four telecom circles (five states) of South India, namely Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh & Telangana, and Karnataka. Earlier this month, the company launched services across three more circles (four Indian states) – Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Punjab, expanding its 4G LTE service footprint to 7 telecom service areas.

     

    Idea Cellular deputy managing director Ambrish Jain said, “Since last week of December 2015, Idea has rapidly rolled out its high-speed 4G LTE network to cover seven major markets in India.”

     

    Idea Cellular currently holds 1800 MHz 4G spectrum in these 10 telecom circles, which cover 50 per cent of telecom market but over 60 per cent of Idea’s gross revenue. Additionally, Idea has recently signed an agreement with Videocon Telecommunications for acquiring ‘Right to Use’ 1800 MHz spectrum under Spectrum Trading Agreement in two of its key telecom leadership markets of Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh (West). Post completion of this transaction, 4G services will be extended to 12 service areas, covering 75 per cent of Idea’s revenue base in the country.

     

    Idea Cellular chief marketing officer Sashi Shankar added, “Idea customers with 4G devices in these 183 towns can now start experiencing super fast speeds by simply upgrading their existing SIM cards to new 4G SIM cards. The company is also offering attractive subscription plans to digital content including a wide range of the latest music, movies and games. Idea has also partnered with leading handset manufacturers and e-commerce retailers for special data bundling offers on new 4G smartphones.”

     
    Idea’s 4G Prepaid & Postpaid tariff plans are priced at par with existing 3G plans. The company is also offering ‘4G Packs’ starting as low as Rs 21.

     

    Digital Content for 4G consumers 

     

    Idea, marking its first foray in the digital space, is launching an assortment of digital content in partnership with content aggregators.

     

    For music, it has tied-up with Hungama Digital, wherein it will offer content at a monthly subscription price of Rs 99 for all its consumers. For movies and videos, Idea has partnered with Eros International, wherein content will be offered at a monthly subscription price of Rs 49 for all its consumers. Idea will also be launching ‘Idea Games Club’ powered by Opera for all its consumers from 1 February, 2016, at a monthly subscription price of Rs 150. However, as an incentive for new 4G customers, a special offer for subscription at just Rs 29 per month till 31 March, 2016 is available for these packs.

     

    Idea will also unveil ‘Ultimate Plans,’ which provide a Bundleof 4G Data, Unlimited Voice calls and Content subscription, which is powered by Hungama.

     

    Wide Portfolio of 4G Smartphones & Devices

    Currently, 2.7 million 4G devices across these seven circles are registered on Idea’s network and growing at an exponential rate. To facilitate 4G device upgrade, Idea has launched branded 4G devices namely Idea 4G Dongles, 4G Mi-Fi (connects 10 users) and Home Wi-Fi (connects 32 users), which are now available at Rs 2,599 onwards with 4G Data offers.

     

    Idea has partnered with Samsung for special offers on its 4G Smartphones, wherein the two companies will launch a variety of programmes to offer differentiated and significant value to customers.

     

    The TSP has also tied up with smartphone manufacturers including Intex Technologies, Lava, Lenovo and Xolo to offer bundled 4G data plans on smartphones.

     

    A tie up is also in place with e-commerce retailer Snapdeal for providing bundled data offers on 4G devices.

     

    Launch of 4G website

    The company has also launched its responsive 4G website -www.ideacellular.com/4G, wherein consumers can log on to get more information about 4G services, tariff plans and recharges, locate the nearest Idea stores offering 4G SIMs and much more. Idea is also rolling out a smartphone e-store on its website. Consumers can now buy 4G smartphone brands, Mi-Fi and Dongles. 

     

    The company has also rolled out its FDD platform enabled 4G LTE services on the 1800 MHz frequency band, which is the most preferred spectrum band for deployment of 4G services globally, and is supported by the majority of 4G handsets available in the market.

     

    Idea Cellular’s 4G LTE Network will be equipped with the enhanced ‘Fast Return’ feature enabling seamless and quick toggle for consumers across Idea’s 4G, 3G and 2G networks, offering superior experience for both mobile data and voice services. While the company possesses the capability to introduce VoLTE feature, existing customers’ current 4G devices do not support this feature. Accordingly, the deployment of VoLTE will be evaluated at a later stage.

     

    Idea is deploying state-of-the-art, ‘Single RAN’ equipment, which supports multiple technologies in a given frequency band. For every 4G site on 1800 MHz, this equipment also provides additional 2G voice capacity on GSM spectrum.

     

    For FY16, Idea Cellular’s capex guidance is Rs 6,500 crore, significantly higher than earlier years’ annual capex spends. In this fiscal year, Idea plans to add 40,000 – 45,000 sites on 2G, 3G and 4G technology platforms, complete a cumulative roll out of 111,000 kms of Fibre, and add an incremental 175-200 million population to the mobile broadband (3G & 4G) population coverage. The 4G launch in Southern India is part of the capex guidance by Idea.

     

    The roll out of Idea’s 4G services will be financed through internal accruals. The company recorded an EBITDA of Rs 5,739 crore in H1-FY16, a growth of 27.6 per cent  over H1-FY15 and cash profits of Rs 5,085 crore, a robust growth of 32.5 per cent over H1FY15.

  • Modified list of DAS areas in Goa, Meghalaya, Sikkim sees 61 changes

    Modified list of DAS areas in Goa, Meghalaya, Sikkim sees 61 changes

    NEW DELHI: In an updated list issued today, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry has made deletions and changes in the areas to be brought under Phase III of Digital Addressable System (DAS) in Goa, Meghalaya and Sikkim by the end of the month.

     

    These include a total of 6q changed including 57 areas deleted from the list of Goa, two deleted in Sikkim, and two changed in Meghalaya.

     

    The Government had first notified the list of areas under Phase III on 30 April and later modified the lists for 16 States/UTs and another eight States/UTs on 16 October and 2 November respectively.

     

    The changes made in Goa, Meghalaya and Sikkim are based on comments/data received from the State/UT Governments.

     

  • Channel V’s V Fest now set to treat audiences twice a year

    Channel V’s V Fest now set to treat audiences twice a year

    GOA: Channel V’s flagship live event property “India Fest” is all set to be held twice a year henceforth. Speaking at the event that was held at the Baga Grounds on 13 and 14 February, an official channel spokesperson says, “In the first six months of the year, we will have the live mega event in Goa while during the other six months we will conduct V Fest Tours across the country where winners from the fest in Goa will be taken for the shows that we hope will ignite the rock and pop culture.”

     

    Speaking about how live events will enhance the channel’s offering, the spokesperson adds, “Today’s youth are no longer stuck to the television. Events are an essential part of college life, which no one forgets. As a corporate we decided to offer that to them on a large scale where they could fast track their passion into a career. This helps them focus and believe in what our channel has to offer them.”

     

    Day one of the fest had performances by DJ Suketu, the band Underground Authority as well as singer turned Bollywood actor Ayushmann Khurrana. On the second day Shilpa Rao, Mika Singh and Varun Dhawan entertained audiences. Channel sources placed the day one turnout during the day at 13,000 people turning up while 21,000 turned out at night. Day two had almost double the crowd number, the source claimed.

     

    When queried on the innovations that the channel introduced this year, the official spokesperson informs that, firstly it integrated the fest with television channel. “The channel has created a weekend property, which is a eight episode series called the V Fest Show. The shows include various performances, contests and on ground activity that the fest managed to put up. Two of the episodes have already been aired. The eight episode series will also include a finale show of two and a half hour,” the spokesperson informs.

     

    Secondly, the hosts and anchors for this edition of the fest were all popular faces from the channel’s various shows. This was done to resonate its programming with the crowd. Thirdly it decided to rebrand the name India Fest as V Fest from this edition for better brand recall of the channel. The spokesperson also adds that the channel brought in a big name like Varun Dhawan because they felt he embodies the youth of today quite well.

     

    This edition of the fest had Microsoft as the title sponsor, while the other sponsors on board included Ponds Men and Parle. Maybelline was the grooming partner, while Mufti was the style partner. The event was supported by Star India with Red 93.5 FM as the radio partner. The channel took close to six months to plan for the fest. Brainstorming for next year’s edition will commence by March this year.

     

    On the marketing front, the channel roped in 1000 college ambassadors for the fest in various colleges in India to help build buzz. Besides initiatives in various metros like Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore, Channel V also undertook zonal marketing programs in cities like Pune where close to 10,000 people turned out for the contests versus a crowd of only 700 to 800 people it managed to garner in previous season. The channel also brandished the fest at airports besides hoardings in metros.

     

    A media planning and buying expert placed the marketing expenses of the channel between the range of Rs 5 – 6 crore across markets. The channel spokesperson claimed it had reduced spending on the marketing front this year by close to five per cent as compared to last year.

     

    When quizzed as to why Channel V decided to convert the fest into a bi-annual event, the official spokesperson says, “We have received 10 million unique impressions on our digital platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram. We do not want to lose this traction. We want to offer them something about the fest for the rest of the year through the tours and help maintain the brands offering in colleges from where the target audience of the fest comes in.”

     

    Goa will now be a permanent venue for the V Fest.

  • Goafest 2015 to be held from 9-11 April

    Goafest 2015 to be held from 9-11 April

    MUMBAI: The organising committee of Goafest 2015 has announced the dates of the event.

     

    Goafest 2015 will be held from 9-11 April at Grand Hyatt and the event will be open for all the delegates on all the three days. The ABBYs will also be held on all the three days.

     

    The committee has announced that Publicis south Asia CEO and the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) vice president Nakul Chopra will be the chairman of Goafest 2015 and The Advertising Club president Pratap Bose will be the chairman of the Awards Governing Council.

     

    Goafest 2015 will be in its 10th edition and this is the eighth year that AAAI and The Advertising Club will come together to deliver ABBYs, India’s definitive awards that celebrate creativity. 

  • IDOS 2014: Are STBs high on QC?

    IDOS 2014: Are STBs high on QC?

    GOA: As high as 38 million set top boxes (STBs) have been rolled out in phase I and II of digitisation, but as for the quality, a lot of these boxes were described as ‘dabbas’. Of the total number of boxes, a tiny percentage was high definition boxes and even of those, several were found faulty. The session on ‘Technology Shifts in Indian Pay TV’ during the recently concluded India Digital Operators’ Summit (IDOS) 2014 at Goa, started with these crucial facts.

     

    The government has decided to push digitisation of phase III and phase IV to December 2015 and December 2016 respectively, citing indigenous manufacturing of boxes as the main reason for the extension. The big question now is, ‘Are the Indian manufactures ready for the 100 million boxes needed in the next 24-30 months?’

     

    “Contrary to the expectations of many, yes, we are ready,” said Mybox executive director Amit Kharbanda.

     

    With the ‘Make in India’ concept, the government is not just promoting the Indian manufactures, but is asking the international manufacturers to come to India and create hardware here. “When you talk of manufacturing of STBs, the basic requirement, after the components, is the capacity for big production. According to our calculation, if there is a requirement for 100 million boxes, and we break it to 40-45 million boxes per year, the SMT capacity required is 26 machines, and if we remove all the big international manufactures, India will still have SMT capacity with an availability of 46 machines,” informed Kharbanda.

     

    The next question which many have been asking is how has the extension benefited the STB manufacturers? “We have been growing from the time we entered the manufacturing space. After digitisation, we knew we had to supplement the market and so we increased our capacity by about 30-40 per cent. Right now we have the capacity of 5 million boxes per annum, of which 60 per cent is utilised by our captive customers and 40 per cent is for other consumers. But considering the experience we have, we can easily expand our capacity,” said Videocon Group head trend electronics Jagdish Bangad.

     

    The question, according to Kharbanda is not about if we can manufacture 45 million STBs in one year, the question is, considering there are 300 components in a STB, “will we have those many Broadcom or other chips makers in India, and this, keeping in mind that we are not the only country buying it?” Kharbanda questioned.   

     

    For Broadcom MD Rajiv Kapur, the chip output is extremely high. “We produce more than two billion chips annually. The issue is not production of chips, neither is capacity an issue. The main thing now is that we should be a little careful about our expectations. One doesn’t want to go down the path of over preparing and over- producing and compromising on the maturity which is needed to develop quality in a supply chain,” said Kapur.

     

    He also cautioned the industry, that in order to achieve the target of the 100 million boxes in the given time frame, one should not start cutting the corners on quality.  

     

    Cisco, which works closely with a number of multisystem operators (MSOs) in the country and also the STB manufacturers, is agnostic to whether the boxes are made in India, China or Korea. “We welcome the move that the Indian government is keen to promote manufacturing locally,” said Cisco director John McCorkindale adding that they haven’t changed their strategy for the country with delayed digitisation.  

     

     According to Logic Eastern CTO Vineet Wadhwa, one needs to keep the backend support ready. “One of the key points is that most of us are just concentrating on the manufacturing skills or strengths. But, this is just a part. More thoughts need to go when one plans on scaling,” he said adding that the industry needs funding.

     

    “We are dealing with tier II and tier III markets. The amount of support needed for tier II and III markets don’t help me when I go to tier IV MSOs. For every three or four tier III MSOs, one needs at least one or two support personnel and for every five support personnel, you need one support manager,” informed Wadhwa.

     

    He also highlighted that with the different types of CAS, boxes, networks etc, the complexity of managing a network 500-2000 km away over mobile phone is difficult. This means that the manufacturers will also need to set up a support team. “They will have to have deep pockets,” he added.

     

    A very crucial point that came out during the session moderated by Castle Media director Vynsley Fernandes was that while the capability and technology exists in India, the fundamental challenge is that tier III and IV markets have huge pricing issues. One needs to understand from the LMOs, how much their subscribers will be ready to pay.

     

    Kharbanda pointed out that the industry which has a target of manufacturing 100 million boxes, if it could even produce 50-60 million boxes, will start a cycle that will help them in the long run. “The fact is that we have to come together as an industry and we need support from the MSOs as well,” said he.

     

    According to McCorkindale tier III and IV MSOs want to control everything on their own. “They want good quality and want more power to increase their ARPU,” he said.

     

    For Kapur, delayed digitisiation is actually good. “I feel we were going too fast. The benefit of this delay is that now we can look at the experience of the first 20-30 million boxes which have been deployed. The common approach from vendors in the first two phases was of cutting corners, while only thinking of price and compromising on the quality,” he said.

     

    MSOs, according to Kapur, have learnt a lot from the first two phases and are now upping their specs. “The difference in pricing of high quality and low quality boxes is not a very big dollar amount. One only needs to know what specs are needed for its STBs,” he added.  

     

    Another point which was highlighted during the session was that in the rush to seed boxes, no field trials were done in the first two phases. “This led to bad quality boxes being rolled out. Now we have the time to do all this and control the quality,” opined Kharbanda.

     

    A very important component of the STB cost is the warranty and the support charge per hour from the box company, CAS company and SMS company etc. “And my belief is that the MSOs of tier II and tier III will not compromise on the quality of the box. But they might not be able to afford the dollar per hour charges for support,” said Wadhwa.

     

    Kapur, is a firm believer that the STBs should have a long lifecycle. “India is a nation where TV moves from house to house but is never thrown, so we can’t be producing 100 million boxes, which are bad quality ones, with no support and element of future proof for different markets,” he said.

    The session concluded with the remark: It is time we move away from speed and cost. 

  • Goa to be permanent venue of International Film Festival of India

    Goa to be permanent venue of International Film Festival of India

    NEW DELHI: Although Goa has been the venue of the International Film Festival of India since 2004, there has been discussion year after year on whether it should continue to remain so, with a large section of the film industry particularly from eastern and north east India opposing this move.

     

    However, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar has reiterated that Goa will be formally made the permanent venue for the festival.

     

    The Minister made this statement after the signing of the ritual annual Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry and the state government at the State Secretariat in Panaji in the presence of Javadekar and Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar. The MoU was signed by Ministry secretary Bimal Julka and Goa Chief Secretary B Vijayan.

     

    The 45th edition of the festival will be held from 20 to 30 November.

     

     “With the signing of the MoU, Goa will now be designing permanent facilities and world-class infrastructure for the festival at Goa, which has matured as a venue for IFFI,” declared Javadekar. This year will be the State’s 11th time hosting the IFFI.

     

    With its peculiar culture and hospitable atmosphere, Goa would soon catch up with renowned international film festivals like Cannes, Javadekar added.

     

    With a few days to go, Javadekar expressed confidence in the facelift planned for the festival, which is being organised by a steering committee comprising representatives of the Directorate of Film Festivals, the State and reputed film industry stakeholders.

  • Reporting news the ‘Prudent’ way!

    Reporting news the ‘Prudent’ way!

    MUMBAI: Think Goa and what comes to mind is idyllic surroundings but never the frenzied pace of a news channel. However, the reality is that there are not one but five news channels in the tiny state whose area measures just 3,702 km.

     
    Of the five, only one manages to call the shots i.e. Prudent Media, which is based out of Panjim and owned by powerful business conglomerate, Fomento. Having started operations in 2007, the news channel has already made it to being the market leader, according to media planners.  

     
    Prudent Media has an experienced editor in Pramod Acharya, who has been with the group for five years. In his 11 years of journalism, Acharya has worked with India’s premier news channel CNN-IBN, prior to which he was with local dailies Sunaparant and Rastramath. Other anchors include Suyash Gavnekar and Priyanka Prabhu Chodnekar who host news bulletins in English and Konkani.

     

    The channel has a 60-strong team including 10 journalists based outside Goa who are stringers. Many of the journalists double as video journalists. Six news bulletins are telecast every day and the channel uses Panasonic 102 and PD 170 cameras to capture news imagery for the same. Some of Prudent Media’s signature shows are Head On and The Debate. In Head On, the host takes on the guest, usually a local politician, with some hard questions. The Debate, as suggested by the name, is in a debate format. Among other shows are Sattagraha, Gajali, Hello Career, Simply Sport, Lokshay Hai Hai, Just Imagine and Counter Point.

     

    Through a barter system with CNN IBN, Prudent Media gets footage of national and international issues from the former in return for local news feeds. Currently, the channel is available on two multi system operators (MSOs) – Future Digital Infotainment and Indusind Media and Communications Limited as well as eight to 10 smaller cable operators. The state has an interesting phenomenon of duopoly system, where viewers subscribe to both DTH and local cable operators. In the beach belt where tourism flourishes, hoteliers mostly subscribe to DTH.

    While Goa has a population of 14-15 lakh, according to Prudent Media editor Pramod Acharya, the channel has a viewership of 7-9 lakh. “This is based on half yearly surveys our channel conducts,” he says. In terms of advertisers, both local and national brands are on-board the channel in a ratio of around 70:30, respectively. Among national brands, Amul is a recent entrant. According to highly placed industry sources, the ad rates for a 10 second slot could vary from anything between to Rs 300 to Rs 800.

     

    In terms of digital presence, Prudent Media has an Android app which when launched on 15 August last year witnessed over 1,000 downloads in 48 hours. As of now, the channel’s Facebook page has 16,036 likes, while it has 2,303 followers on Twitter. The channel website offers live streaming of shows to audiences in India and abroad.

     

    While Prudent Media in particular and the news industry in Goa in general are still far from their regional counterparts, once digitisation kicks in, this nascent industry may well start getting its due recognition.