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Tag: Grant Investrade

  • Hinduja Ventures board okays amalgamation with Grant Investrade

    Hinduja Ventures board okays amalgamation with Grant Investrade

    MUMBAI: Hinduja Ventures Ltd’s (HVL) the board of directors  has approved the amalgamation of Grant Investrade Ltd (GIL), a wholly owned subsidiary, into the company. 

    The appointed date for the scheme of amalgamation is 1 October 2017.

    The approval has been granted subject to the approval of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) at Mumbai, the approval of the shareholders and other such approvals as may be required.

    HVL has business interests in media, real estate and treasury while GIL is in the business of running channels on cable TV and treasury.

    Earlier, GIL housed the headend in the sky (HITS) business of HVL. The HITS business has now been merged with the cable TV business under IndusInd Media and Communications Ltd (IMCL), which is also a subsidiary company.

    HVL’s revenue from operations in financial year 2017 was Rs 201.7 crore while the paid-up capital is Rs 20.55 crore. GIL, whose paid-up capital is Rs 6.78 crore, had earned revenue of Rs 22.7 crore during the year.

    Since the transaction falls within the related party transaction no shares will be issued to GIL.

    Also Read:

    HVL reports lower loss for fiscal ’17, media & communications segment revenue up

    HVL receives NCLT nod for GIL’s HITS to de-merge into Indusind Media

  • TDSAT directs MSO to pay Rs 2.45 crore as interim payment to Taj TV, sign agreement

    TDSAT directs MSO to pay Rs 2.45 crore as interim payment to Taj TV, sign agreement

    NEW DELHI: Grant lnvestrade Ltd has been directed by the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal to make an on-account payment of Rs 2.45 crore in two equal installments to Taj Television and execute an interconnect agreement on RIO terms effective from 21 June 2016.

    Chairman Justice Aftab Alam and member B B Srivastava said the payments in two equal installments will be first within four weeks of 14 June 2016 and the second .within six weeks from the date of the first payment.

    The interim payments and those under the RIO agreement will be without prejudice to the rights and contentions ofthe parties.

    Taj Television told the Tribunal that its dues in terms of the last interconnect agreement comes to Rs 2.15 crores as on30 April 2016. Adding to it the subscript1on up to 20 June 2016 @ of Rs 92 lakhs per month the dues according toMr. Bhatia, would come to Rs four crore.

    (Justice Aftab Alam has since completed his term at Chairperson of the Tribunal.)

  • TDSAT directs MSO to pay Rs 2.45 crore as interim payment to Taj TV, sign agreement

    TDSAT directs MSO to pay Rs 2.45 crore as interim payment to Taj TV, sign agreement

    NEW DELHI: Grant lnvestrade Ltd has been directed by the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal to make an on-account payment of Rs 2.45 crore in two equal installments to Taj Television and execute an interconnect agreement on RIO terms effective from 21 June 2016.

    Chairman Justice Aftab Alam and member B B Srivastava said the payments in two equal installments will be first within four weeks of 14 June 2016 and the second .within six weeks from the date of the first payment.

    The interim payments and those under the RIO agreement will be without prejudice to the rights and contentions ofthe parties.

    Taj Television told the Tribunal that its dues in terms of the last interconnect agreement comes to Rs 2.15 crores as on30 April 2016. Adding to it the subscript1on up to 20 June 2016 @ of Rs 92 lakhs per month the dues according toMr. Bhatia, would come to Rs four crore.

    (Justice Aftab Alam has since completed his term at Chairperson of the Tribunal.)

  • Taj TV to supply signals to Grant Investrade after signing ICA

    Taj TV to supply signals to Grant Investrade after signing ICA

    NEW DELHI: Grant Investrade, which operates the headend-in-the-sky (HITS) brand NXT Digital, and Taj Television have arrived at an agreement.

     

    Taj Television will provide its signals to Grant Investrade as soon as an inter-connect agreement is signed.

     

    Stating this, the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) noted however that the agreement will be “without prejudice to Grant’s rights and contentions with regard to those clauses.”

     

    Listing the case for 13 January, TDSAT chairman Justice Aftab Alam and members Kuldip Singh and B B Srivastava made this observation after counsel Salman Khurshid on behalf of Grant Investrade said his client had some reservations on two or three clauses of the agreement.

     

    Both counsels namely Pratibha Singh on behalf of Taj and Khurshid said there was broad agreement for supply of Zee channels as also for Turner channels and this would be signed this week.

     

    Singh accepted that the agreement would be signed “without prejudice to Grant’s rights and contentions with regard to those clauses.”

  • NAGRA powers Hinduja’s NXT Digital HITS platform in India

    NAGRA powers Hinduja’s NXT Digital HITS platform in India

    MUMBAI: Switzerland based Kudelski Group’s digital TV division NAGRA has powered the Hinduja Group’s new headend-in-the-sky (HITS) platform – NXT Digital in India.

     

    NAGRA’s anyCAST, OpenTV solutions and user interface are enabling NXT Digital. This makes it NAGRA’s first HITS platform in India, which is one of the fastest growing markets in pay-TV today, as the country continues the government-mandated digitisation process. According to a recent report by Media Partners Asia, the Indian pay-TV market is expected to grow by 11 per cent annually on average by 2018, with total pay-TV subscribers expected to grow from 65 million in 2013 to 165 million by 2018 and 180 million by 2023.

     

    NAGRA’s anyCAST content protection and OpenTV middleware solutions are enabling the HITS platform, which will provide backend operations to local and multi-system cable operators in India. NXT Digital offers a variety of packages and services including 500-plus MPEG 4-encrypted services featuring SD and HD channels along with value-added services like PVR and educational content.

     

    “Our new HITS platform gives regional cable operators access to an infrastructure that helps them deliver high-quality video services to a new generation of viewers. NAGRA has been a key partner in the process, providing the expertise and support expected of a pay-TV leader, as well as solutions that provide the right level of content protection, scale seamlessly and allow for flexible business models that are critical to our operators’ success as they kick off their new services,” said Hinduja Group subsidiary Grant Investrade managing director Tony D’Silva.

     

    “It is an honor to work with Grant Investrade and be a part of the digital TV transformation in India that is making access to digital TV services a reality for millions of people. This new platform makes it easy for local and regional cable operators to deploy new services without having to worry about the operational complexities that can come with installing their own system. And by leveraging NAGRA’s deployed, market-leading solutions, they are ensuring a high quality user experience that is not only highly secure but offers pay-as-you-grow models adapted to their strategy,” said NAGRA sales SVP Asia-Pacific Jean-Luc Jezouin.

     

    NAGRA’s anyCAST Security Services Platform, OpenTV middleware and user interface are ready-to-deploy solutions that enable of range of entry-level and advanced DTV services. They allow operators to leverage scalable, pay-as-you-grow business models with multiple set-top boxes and chipsets, and include an intuitive user interface adapted to India’s diverse population and languages.

  • NXT Digital to use Thomson Video Networks’ compression technology

    NXT Digital to use Thomson Video Networks’ compression technology

    MUMBAI: Hinduja Group’s headend in the sky (HITS) platform NXT Digital will use Thomson Video Networks’ compression technology.

     

    Thomson Video Networks has provided a wide range of equipment and solutions for the broadcast centre and master headend platform, including its Vibe SD and HD broadcast encoders and its multiplexing and network management system.

     

    “We designed our HITS system to deliver best-in-class picture quality with a robust architecture and the highest level of uptime. To make that design a reality, we needed a world-class digital delivery platform to reach the network operators across India from a centralised location, and Thomson met our requirements,” said Grant Investrade managing director Tony D’Silva.

     

    “NXT Digital is here to help the distribution community in analog markets make a smooth and timely transition to digital, and we are hopeful it will help write what could perhaps be the biggest chapter in the ‘Made in India’ story,” he added.  

     

    “Thomson Video Networks’ compression technology with advanced statmux features will give us pristine broadcast picture quality at lower bandwidth consumption. The solution is flexible and future-proof, and Thomson Video Networks has a strong local presence, which is an important requirement of the project,” said Castle Media executive director Vynsley Fernandes.

     

    NXT Digital is scheduled to roll out pan-India services in 2015, and tests of various components of the business are underway.

     

    “The Hinduja Group is one of the leading business houses in India and one with a global footprint. GIL’s selection of our compression chain will increase Thomson Video Networks’ market share in the satellite segment in India, push the company to among the top compression vendors in the region, and also boost overall market share substantially. This significant project will further strengthen our presence in Southeast Asia,” said Thomson Video Networks vice president, worldwide sales Eric Louvet.

  • Hinduja’s NXT Digital signs Hansen Technologies for billing solution

    Hinduja’s NXT Digital signs Hansen Technologies for billing solution

    MUMBAI: Hinduja Group’s new Headend in the Sky (HITS) platform NXT Digital will be using Hansen’s ICC billing solution.

     

    The Hinduja Group has signed a multi-year licence agreement for Hansen’s ICC Customer Care and Billing.

     

    “With a potential target market of more than 100 million subscribers, we needed the leverage of a globally recognised firm with the expertise to move us forward. The implementation of our HITS platform will allow local cable operators to provide high-quality digital TV services to customers within their specific regions,” said Grant Investrade managing director Tony D’silva.

     

    India is currently going through a government-mandated digitisation programme and it is expected that over 110 million TV homes will make the transition from analogue to digital over the next 17 months.

     

    Hansen ICC has the strength and flexibility to support HITS by giving control to the parent organisation while allowing the individual businesses to operate independently.

     

    “Businesses that run distributed models like HITS require the flexibility to balance the needs of the overall organisation with each of the independent operating units. The HITS business hierarchy requirements are highly complex; our Pay-TV solution enables NXT Digital to provide multi system operators (MSOs) and last mile owners (LMOs) a scalable solution from a single deployment,” added Hansen Technologies CEO Andrew Hansen. 

     

    The company was selected by GIL after a rigorous four-stage evaluation process conducted by Castle Media, which is also the technology programme manager for the HITS service, responsible for design to delivery of the $100 million project.

     

    “Hansen exhibited the functionality and features that are required for an extremely complex multi-tier operation. With its pedigree and experience in the global Pay-TV space, it is certainly the appropriate partner for such a high-value project,” said Castle Media executive director Vynsley Fernandes.

  • Hinduja Ventures’ HITS platform to launch in Jan 2015

    Hinduja Ventures’ HITS platform to launch in Jan 2015

    NEW DELHI: The Hinduja group is all set to launch its HITS platform by January 2015. The test signals will begin by November 2014. The news was confirmed by IMCL MD and group CEO Tony D’silva to indiantelevision.com.

     

    The new HITS entrant, which already runs a multi system operator (MSO) business InCable, received the licence on 6 March 2014 from the Information and Broadcasting Ministry and has also paid the fee for it.

     

    Grant Investrade, a 100 per cent subsidiary of Hinduja Ventures, is the company which is rolling out the HITS service. A discussion with the company chairman is around, to ensure everything is in place before January.

     

    It is looking at capturing 15 to 20 per cent of the 120 million households in phase III and IV markets of digitisation. It has already arranged for funding of Rs 500 crore for the project.

     

    The HITS model will have a complete different vertical, which will cater to all the content and video on demand (VOD) services requirements. “The services will be made available to all the LMOs along with IMCL,” concludes D’silva.

  • Hinduja Ventures’ Grant Investrade gets in principle approval for HITS

    Hinduja Ventures’ Grant Investrade gets in principle approval for HITS

    Updated: 01:00 PM

     

    MUMBAI: Grant Investrade, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hinduja Ventures, has received an in principle approval from the Information & Broadcasting Ministry for launch of head-end in the sky (HITS) services for cable TV operators.

     

    The company received the in principal approval on Wednesday. The company had applied for a HITS licence on 15 November, 2012.

     

    It has to pay a licence fee of Rs 10 crore before it gets the HITS licence, Hinduja Ventures’ Group CEO-Media and IndusInd Media and Communications’ MD & CEO, Tony D’silva, told Indiantelevision.com.

     

    Grant Investrade will also have to seek two more clearances – one from the Network Operation Coordination Centre for the satellite to be used for the HITS services and second from the Wireless Planning and Coordination wing of the Ministry of Communications.

     

    SATELLITE

     

    D’silva said Grant Investrade would need about 10 transponders and would be finalising a deal with a private satellite operator in the next 15-20 days. There is no transponder capacity available on Indian government’s satellites. The satellite ground station will either be located in Mumbai or in New Delhi.

     

    Grant Investrade will need about six months to launch its HITS service with 400 television channels. The company has already shortlisted suppliers for dishes and other equipment. Castle Media is providing it technology solutions and project management services.

     

    Grant Investrade’s entire business plan for HITS has been vetted by consulting firms KPMG and Deloitte.

     

    The company will be targeting cable operators in areas earmarked for digitisation of cable TV services in Phase III and Phase IV.

     

    D’silva says that the HITS business makes sense because of digitisation and pointed out that 50 per cent of US-based Comcast’s cable television services are provided through HITS.

     

    INVESTMENTS

     

    Grant Investrade will be investing another $100 million (about Rs 620 crore) to operationalise the HITS project. Hinduja Ventures had earlier invested $10 million in the technology required for the HITS venture.

     

    The company will start promotional campaigns after the satellite is finalised and other requirements are in place.

     

    Grant Investrade believes there is no other way than HITS to deal with phase III and IV. With HITS, the average cost of delivering data would fall to Rs 8 per customer from Rs 18 per customer through optic fibre. 

     

    D’silva had told Indiantelevision.com earlier, “If we are serious about digitisation, the government should have first cleared our HITS project. We are saying the LCOs can own the consumers and can do the packaging. We will help them seed boxes. It is different than JAINHITS. We have three to four different boxes and they get an option to choose.”

     

    JAINHITS is the first company to get HITS licence. JAINHITS provides digitised and encrypted satellite TV signals directly to cable network owners.