ITV

Tag: Gujarati

  • Meesho to strengthen its presence in the regional markets

    Meesho to strengthen its presence in the regional markets

    Mumbai: The fastest growing internet commerce platform, Meesho, has announced the addition of eight new vernacular languages to its platform in line with its mission to democratise internet commerce for everyone.

    The move comes just ahead of the festive season, when millions of users from all corners of the country are expected to transact on the platform.

    These additional languages are Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, and Odia. Meesho customers can now select their preferred language for accessing account and product information, placing and tracking orders, and making payments on Android phones.

    To ensure an accurate and authentic experience in these new languages, Meesho derived key insights from user research and worked closely with expert linguists. The team chose commonly used words over full translation to mirror everyday language and make the shopping experience seamless. For example, the literal translation for the word “required” in Hindi is “anivarya,” but “zaroori” is more widely understood. In total, around 33,000 English words were translated into each of these eight languages.

    Last year, Meesho introduced Hindi as a language option on the platform, which has seen a high adoption rate of 20 per cent so far.

    The majority of Meesho customers come from tier 2+ cities like Ahmedabad, Vadodara, and Jamshedpur and non-Hindi-speaking states, where English or Hindi may not always be the language of choice. Hence, this latest initiative will boost Meesho’s adoption in these areas and further simplify the online shopping experience for millions of customers.

    Speaking on of the development, Meesho founder and CTO Sanjeev Barnwal said, “It is important to note that 50 per cent of our users are new to e-commerce and have probably never transacted on such platforms before. By introducing vernacular languages on the platform, Meesho aims to eliminate language barriers. This is a natural step in our journey to becoming the single shopping destination for the next billion users in India. Our teams have worked tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure that the platform is 100 per cent accurate and relevant in all these 8 vernacular languages.”

  • Snapchat localised into 4 Indian languages

    Snapchat localised into 4 Indian languages

    MUMBAI: Snapchat is happy to announce its localization into 4 Indian languages – Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati and Punjabi. Reinforcing its commitment to the Indian market, Snapchat launched Discover in India last year and is now localizing into regional languages to engage and excite Snapchatters to share content in their very own language.

    Recently, Snapchat released localized lenses, filters and stickers on Holi – India’s Festival of Colours, for IPL teams – Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals, Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings, and collaborated with Indian women artists from across India to develop creative tools on the occasion of International Women’s Day.

  • Pradesh18.com foresees growth in female audience share

    Pradesh18.com foresees growth in female audience share

    MUMBAI: Network18’s local news portal Pradesh18.com has seen a rapid growth in its user base. The digital destination claims to have more than 10 million unique users in last month and focuses on state-wise news in various regional languages such as Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Urdu. More languages are to be added such as Kannada, Tamil and Malayalam.

    The primary growth of Pradesh18.com has come from its Hindi language portal.

    As a changing trend, a lot of content is being consumed through mobile devices and that has added to the growth of the portal facilitating any content, anywhere. Complementary to major growth coming from mobile medium, 74 per cent of its audience are young readers below the age of 34 while 26 per cent are above the age of 40. Though the audience is fairly dominated by males but female share is growing and is at 17 per cent as per October numbers.

    Network18 Digital CEO Manish Maheshwari attributes the success of Pradesh18.com to the product’s unique & single minded proposition to cater to the news & happenings of reader’s locality, district, city and state. He said, “Pradesh18.com is a platform to provide news at district level to its readers & in the language in which one prefers. We aspire to cover India inch by inch. Digital growth will come from vernacular languages and through mobile medium and Pradesh18.com is uniquely poised to benefit from both these factors.”

    Pradesh18.com also contains high quality video news content and live TV content of popular ETV channels in respective states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Rajasthan and Haryana.

  • Pradesh18.com foresees growth in female audience share

    Pradesh18.com foresees growth in female audience share

    MUMBAI: Network18’s local news portal Pradesh18.com has seen a rapid growth in its user base. The digital destination claims to have more than 10 million unique users in last month and focuses on state-wise news in various regional languages such as Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Urdu. More languages are to be added such as Kannada, Tamil and Malayalam.

    The primary growth of Pradesh18.com has come from its Hindi language portal.

    As a changing trend, a lot of content is being consumed through mobile devices and that has added to the growth of the portal facilitating any content, anywhere. Complementary to major growth coming from mobile medium, 74 per cent of its audience are young readers below the age of 34 while 26 per cent are above the age of 40. Though the audience is fairly dominated by males but female share is growing and is at 17 per cent as per October numbers.

    Network18 Digital CEO Manish Maheshwari attributes the success of Pradesh18.com to the product’s unique & single minded proposition to cater to the news & happenings of reader’s locality, district, city and state. He said, “Pradesh18.com is a platform to provide news at district level to its readers & in the language in which one prefers. We aspire to cover India inch by inch. Digital growth will come from vernacular languages and through mobile medium and Pradesh18.com is uniquely poised to benefit from both these factors.”

    Pradesh18.com also contains high quality video news content and live TV content of popular ETV channels in respective states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Rajasthan and Haryana.

  • Culture machine acquires Telugu YouTube channel ‘Viva’

    Culture machine acquires Telugu YouTube channel ‘Viva’

    Mumbai: Culture machine is planning to strengthen the content creation space in SouthIindia by acquiring popular youth Telugu channel Viva. Viva’s content resonates with the youth of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and the expat community alike. Put Chutney is one of the humorous South Indian channels in the Tamil space of the multi-channel network Culture Machine.

    Culture Machine co-founder Sameer Pitalwala said – “We have always aimed to expand and reach out to as many markets. With the success of the Comedy Factory, Put Chutney and Aithe Ok, in the Gujarati, Tamil and Telugu audiences respectively, we now want to able to provide as much variety in entertainment for the Telugu speaking market with viva.”

    It has released the first video titled ‘Every Hyderabadi’ that encapsulates every aspect of being a true Hyderabadi. Cutting a slice of life observation from any localities’ life, this video depicts how most of the youth spend their time in the city. The video shows the life and habits of one Hyderabadi guy who goes about life greeting people, delaying, laughing, talking and enjoying life the way he likes. Moving through life with ease, life to a Hyderabad just happens along the way. One can identify with them from a distance from their unique style of walking, talking and going about life.

  • Culture machine acquires Telugu YouTube channel ‘Viva’

    Culture machine acquires Telugu YouTube channel ‘Viva’

    Mumbai: Culture machine is planning to strengthen the content creation space in SouthIindia by acquiring popular youth Telugu channel Viva. Viva’s content resonates with the youth of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and the expat community alike. Put Chutney is one of the humorous South Indian channels in the Tamil space of the multi-channel network Culture Machine.

    Culture Machine co-founder Sameer Pitalwala said – “We have always aimed to expand and reach out to as many markets. With the success of the Comedy Factory, Put Chutney and Aithe Ok, in the Gujarati, Tamil and Telugu audiences respectively, we now want to able to provide as much variety in entertainment for the Telugu speaking market with viva.”

    It has released the first video titled ‘Every Hyderabadi’ that encapsulates every aspect of being a true Hyderabadi. Cutting a slice of life observation from any localities’ life, this video depicts how most of the youth spend their time in the city. The video shows the life and habits of one Hyderabadi guy who goes about life greeting people, delaying, laughing, talking and enjoying life the way he likes. Moving through life with ease, life to a Hyderabad just happens along the way. One can identify with them from a distance from their unique style of walking, talking and going about life.

  • nexGTv on expansion spree; launches video News app

    nexGTv on expansion spree; launches video News app

    MUMBAI: While a majority of the broadcasters and media houses are coming up with their standard news applications, one player has taken an unusual path. After rolling a kids app followed by a comedy app, nexGTv, a subscription-led video entertainment app, has announced the launch of its exclusive news app.

    Breaking free from the traditional story telling perspective, the app will provide news coverage in audio/visual formats in major Indian languages that include Gujarati, Bengali, Kannada, Punjabi, Tamil, etc. The app is open to experiment with more languages.

    nexGTv says that the app will provide 360-degree coverage of the latest reports and happenings from across genres like politics, sports, movies, business, lifestyle etc. For starters, the app will curate and enable news content from more than 40 top regional, national and international channels. It will air real time popular shows like Nation at 10, Aaj Tak Live News, India Reports at 10 and News Now at 11, etc, as a part of its Live TV bouquet. The other news offerings such as interviews, Mann Ki Baat and the topical political cartoon humour — So Sorry can also be viewed through VoD.

    “We want to explore content which caters better to our consumers through news articles and videos. With creating this app a go-to-go platform for all Indian users across boundaries, we are just exploring news content that often gets buried under GEC news. The niche can relate to this app. We have our own data system in India so I don’t see bandwidth as a major constraint. ,” says nexGTv COO Abhesh Verma.

    Following a ‘freemium’ model, most of the news channels are available for free to the end users though there is some content behind the paywall. The news apps has been bundled with nexGTv’s other apps beyond the subscription screen at Rs 35 a week summing to a monthly payment fee of Rs 125.

    With timelines crunches, users are often unable to stay updated with the latest information about their areas of interest. To put an end to this, the app will aggregate and deliver video news content from leading TV news channels, revolutionizing through enhanced accessibility, the way news is currently consumed in the country.

    Treating people who like staying up-to-date with the latest news and developments from the national and global arena, the app will identify the niches which are undercover right now.

    Pointing out the difficulties faced by users in the extremely fragmented viewing experiment, Verma points out how viewers often sit through advertisements, weather reports and repetitive news programmes to consume news. He adds, “This gap in news content delivery and consumption is what we are trying to address with the nexGTv News app. Having been amongst the leading platforms for content aggregation in India, we are now looking to add greater diversity to our news content offerings by partnering with channels that help us cater to our viewers’ specific needs. This will not only boost the quality of our end-user offerings, but will also allow news channels to maximise their consumer outreach through our platform.”

    The VOD player is focussed on enabling a holistic and relevant digital news-viewing experience for the end-consumer and adding value through technology. It has integrated several innovative features that augment and enhance the viewer’s browsing experience. While on the one hand non-stop news will be showcased through news bulletins from leading TV news channels under a single tab, VoD news capsules will give users a brief rundown of the top news highlights of the day in just a few minutes.

    The resume feature allows viewers to pause live streaming and pick up where they left off, while nexGTv’s Advanced Search with Integrated Electronic Program Guide (EPG) helps browse through genre and language-specific news. Other features, such as Quicky, can find the best news content that fits the time available to users, while the Data Saving Mode assists them in managing their data consumption while streaming videos. This integration of technology results in great value addition for users and allows them to watch news content that suits their viewing preference in a convenient and hassle-free manner claims nexGTv.

    “The nexGTv News app leverages state-of-the-art technology to enable features such as VoD news capsules and on-the-go news content. This allows for the delivery of a seamless, on-the-go, and highly relevant 360-degree digital news-viewing experience to our users. With digital video consumption in the country growing in demand, we are confident that the launch of our News app can potentially disrupt the way video news content is viewed in the country,” adds Verma.

    Given that the target audience is mass, a smart marketing strategy has been planned to promote the app. While notifications will be sent to their already existing consumer base about the new addition, social media will be used extensively to make the app visible. It will also be promoted through traditional modes of communication.

    With more features such as interactive UI, minimised player window, reminders, TV guides and Social Connect on offer, the nexGTv news app is already available on Google Play Store. It has also submitted an application to iOS and is awaiting a confirmation in a couple of days. The player plans to unveil few more apps in the coming days.

  • nexGTv on expansion spree; launches video News app

    nexGTv on expansion spree; launches video News app

    MUMBAI: While a majority of the broadcasters and media houses are coming up with their standard news applications, one player has taken an unusual path. After rolling a kids app followed by a comedy app, nexGTv, a subscription-led video entertainment app, has announced the launch of its exclusive news app.

    Breaking free from the traditional story telling perspective, the app will provide news coverage in audio/visual formats in major Indian languages that include Gujarati, Bengali, Kannada, Punjabi, Tamil, etc. The app is open to experiment with more languages.

    nexGTv says that the app will provide 360-degree coverage of the latest reports and happenings from across genres like politics, sports, movies, business, lifestyle etc. For starters, the app will curate and enable news content from more than 40 top regional, national and international channels. It will air real time popular shows like Nation at 10, Aaj Tak Live News, India Reports at 10 and News Now at 11, etc, as a part of its Live TV bouquet. The other news offerings such as interviews, Mann Ki Baat and the topical political cartoon humour — So Sorry can also be viewed through VoD.

    “We want to explore content which caters better to our consumers through news articles and videos. With creating this app a go-to-go platform for all Indian users across boundaries, we are just exploring news content that often gets buried under GEC news. The niche can relate to this app. We have our own data system in India so I don’t see bandwidth as a major constraint. ,” says nexGTv COO Abhesh Verma.

    Following a ‘freemium’ model, most of the news channels are available for free to the end users though there is some content behind the paywall. The news apps has been bundled with nexGTv’s other apps beyond the subscription screen at Rs 35 a week summing to a monthly payment fee of Rs 125.

    With timelines crunches, users are often unable to stay updated with the latest information about their areas of interest. To put an end to this, the app will aggregate and deliver video news content from leading TV news channels, revolutionizing through enhanced accessibility, the way news is currently consumed in the country.

    Treating people who like staying up-to-date with the latest news and developments from the national and global arena, the app will identify the niches which are undercover right now.

    Pointing out the difficulties faced by users in the extremely fragmented viewing experiment, Verma points out how viewers often sit through advertisements, weather reports and repetitive news programmes to consume news. He adds, “This gap in news content delivery and consumption is what we are trying to address with the nexGTv News app. Having been amongst the leading platforms for content aggregation in India, we are now looking to add greater diversity to our news content offerings by partnering with channels that help us cater to our viewers’ specific needs. This will not only boost the quality of our end-user offerings, but will also allow news channels to maximise their consumer outreach through our platform.”

    The VOD player is focussed on enabling a holistic and relevant digital news-viewing experience for the end-consumer and adding value through technology. It has integrated several innovative features that augment and enhance the viewer’s browsing experience. While on the one hand non-stop news will be showcased through news bulletins from leading TV news channels under a single tab, VoD news capsules will give users a brief rundown of the top news highlights of the day in just a few minutes.

    The resume feature allows viewers to pause live streaming and pick up where they left off, while nexGTv’s Advanced Search with Integrated Electronic Program Guide (EPG) helps browse through genre and language-specific news. Other features, such as Quicky, can find the best news content that fits the time available to users, while the Data Saving Mode assists them in managing their data consumption while streaming videos. This integration of technology results in great value addition for users and allows them to watch news content that suits their viewing preference in a convenient and hassle-free manner claims nexGTv.

    “The nexGTv News app leverages state-of-the-art technology to enable features such as VoD news capsules and on-the-go news content. This allows for the delivery of a seamless, on-the-go, and highly relevant 360-degree digital news-viewing experience to our users. With digital video consumption in the country growing in demand, we are confident that the launch of our News app can potentially disrupt the way video news content is viewed in the country,” adds Verma.

    Given that the target audience is mass, a smart marketing strategy has been planned to promote the app. While notifications will be sent to their already existing consumer base about the new addition, social media will be used extensively to make the app visible. It will also be promoted through traditional modes of communication.

    With more features such as interactive UI, minimised player window, reminders, TV guides and Social Connect on offer, the nexGTv news app is already available on Google Play Store. It has also submitted an application to iOS and is awaiting a confirmation in a couple of days. The player plans to unveil few more apps in the coming days.

  • MIB sets up toll free call centre for seamless transition of DAS

    MIB sets up toll free call centre for seamless transition of DAS

    MUMBAI: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has set up a Toll Free Telephone Number 1-800-180-4343 to answer queries of stakeholders, including consumers, for seamless transition to digitisation. To begin with the queries can be answered in 8 Indian languages – Hindi, English, Bangla, Gujarati, Marathi, Telugu,Tamil & Kannada. 
     

    After the completion of first two phases of cable TV digitisation, which covered 4 metros (Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai) and 38 cities having populations of more than 10 lakh each, Phase III of digitisation is underway. It would cover all the remaining urban areas in the country and is to be completed by 31 Dec 2015. 

    The MIB has been facilitating the smooth switchover to digitisation. In this connection a list of urban areas to be covered in Phase III has been finalised in consultation with the state/Union Territory Governments. A Task Force has been constituted which is meeting every month to take stock of the progress. State and Union Territory Governments have nominated state level and district level nodal officers for coordination work. 10 workshops have been conducted by the Ministry of I&B at regional level to sensitise the nominated nodal officers about their role in the digitisation process.

     

    Twelve regional units have also been set up by the MIB for effective coordination. Secretary (I&B) has requested all the Chief Secretaries to set up monitoring committees to review preparedness for digitisation. Broadcasters as well as Multi System Operators (MSOs) have launched public awareness campaign. MIS software has been made operational for collection of seeding status of Set Top Boxes (STBs) online from registered MSOs, Direct To Home (DTH) and Headend In the Sky (HITS) operators. 

  • Tata Sky completes half of its MPEG-4 STB rollout

    Tata Sky completes half of its MPEG-4 STB rollout

    MUMBAI: It was a year ago that Tata Sky decided it would stop depending on the government for giving its additional transponder space and switched to the alternative method of compression that others in the industry had already begun.

     

    A huge order for six million MPEG-4 boxes were given to Broadcom that would mean Tata Sky spending close to Rs 1,000 crore to replace all the initial MPEG-2 boxes that it had seeded at peoples’ home with MPEG-4. A year later, the DTH operator has converted nearly half of its MPEG-2 subscriber base to MPEG-4.

     

    Speaking to indiantelevision.com Tata Sky MD and CEO Harit Nagpal says, “We have replaced close to three million boxes. Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali, Odia, English, Gujarati and Marathi language channels have already been compressed and boxes have been deployed in the respective areas.” Now, the large Hindi base of north India is left which it says it will soon complete.

     

    With this compression technique, the DTH operator has managed to fit three channels in the space of two in its existing transponder space. Nagpal adds that in the last one year, Tata Sky has added nearly 50 channels.

     

    The cost of this entire exercise is being borne by the operator. Tata Sky’s signals are being beamed off Insat 4A; but it had signed a contract to lease 12 transponders on ISRO’s GSAT-10 satellite around six years ago which have not been delivered to Tata Sky yet, even after the satellite launched in to space in September 2012.

     

    Emergency teams were also brought to seed the large amount of boxes. Tata Sky is continuing to add more channels to its regional packs, despite the fact that it hasn’t got any additional transponder capacity. However, a source from the company says that it has given up hope of having more space.