ITV

Tag: Hathway

  • Its Raining Gold on Zee Anmol

    Its Raining Gold on Zee Anmol

    MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEE), India’s leading television, media & entertainment conglomerate’s recently launched free-to-air GEC ‘Zee Anmol’ is happy to announce its festive season bonanza for its valued viewers. The channel has plans of daily gifting its ‘anmol’ viewers ‘Ek tola sona’ amongst several other bumper prizes as the gratification of its 2-week contest called ‘Zee Anmol Dekho, Sona Jeeto’. Starting 25th October till 5th November, questions about the channel’s primetime shows will be posed to viewers in the course of their telecast between 6:30 and 10 PM daily. Viewers will be required to SMS ZA <Their Answer> <Their Name> <City Name> to 57575. One lucky winner will take home ‘1 tola sona’ every day and many more will walk away with other exciting prizes. What’s more … winners will be declared on the very next day!

    Positioned as ‘Dil Choo Jaaye’, ‘Zee Anmol’ is a channel that believes in touching people’s hearts through real, genuine emotions depicted through some of the best shows that Indian Television has ever seen. ‘Zee Anmol’ stands for the most invaluable things in life – Love, family, memories! Already available across major MSO’s, cable operators and key DTH platforms such as Dish TV, DD Direct, Tata Sky, Big TV, Siti Cable, Hathway, DEN, Digi Cable and WWIL, ‘Zee Anmol’ showcases some of the choicest, hand-picked content in the history of Indian television including the most unforgettable shows from ZEE’s repository. It features some of the current hot favorite fiction and non-fiction properties of Zee TV as well as entertaining movies and kids’ content. The current programming line-up of ‘Zee Anmol’ includes shows like ‘Pavitra Rishta’, ‘Choti Bahu’, ‘Saat Phere’, ‘Naagin’, ‘Maayka’, ‘Kasamh Se’, ‘Sindoor’, ‘Jhansi ki Rani’, ‘India’s Best Dramebaaz’, ‘Shabaash India’ and ‘Dance India Dance’ amongst others.

    Tune in to ‘Zee Anmol’ for entertainment that is bound to touch your hearts. It cant get better for the viewers to win gold every day.
     

  • Broadband base up in July, with monthly growth at rate of 0.33%

    Broadband base up in July, with monthly growth at rate of 0.33%

    NEW DELHI: The total Broadband subscriber base in the country has increased from 15.19 million at the end of June 2013 to 15.24 million at the end of July 2013. This is a monthly growth of 0.33 per cent. The yearly growth in broadband subscribers is 3.79 per cent during the last one year (July 2012 to July 2013).

    The top five internet service providers in terms of market share (based on subscriber base) are: BSNL (9.97 million), Bharti Airtel (1.43 million), MTNL (1.10 million), Hathway (0.37 million) and You Broadband (0.32 million).

    According to the latest telecom subscription data as on 31 July 2013 released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, there are 161 internet service providers (ISPs) which are providing broadband services in the country. Out of these, 121 ISPs (having 98.48 per cent market share) have provided broadband subscription data for the month of July 2013, for the rest of the ISPs data from previous month has been retained.

    Meanwhile, Indian rural telecom has faced downturn – despite service providers’ special packages – as mobile user base declined by two million in July 2013. TRAI said net mobile additions declined 0.57 per cent or by 2 million to 349.09 million from 351.10 million in June.

    In July – according to TRAI data – Indian urban mobile user base increased by 3.52 million or 0.67 per cent to 525.78 million from 522.27 million in June.

    The share of urban wireless subscribers has increased from 59.80 per cent to 60.10 per cent whereas share of rural wireless subscribers has decreased from 40.20 per cent to 39.90 per cent.

    TRAI statistics says total wireless subscriber base increased from 873.36 million in June to 874.88 million in July 2013, registering a monthly growth of 0.17 per cent. The overall wireless Teledensity in India has reached 71.13 per cent in July from 71.08 per cent of previous month. Wireless subscription in urban areas increased to 525.78 million in July.

    The urban wireless teledensity has increased from 139.16 to 139.87 whereas rural teledensity has decreased from 41.14 per cent to 40.88 per cent.

    Wireline subscriber base declined from 29.73 million in June 2013 to 29.58 million in July. The net reduction in wireline subscriber base was 0.15 million at the rate of 0.50 per cent.

    The share of urban subscribers has decreased from 78.11 per cent to 78.0 per cent whereas share of rural subscribers has increased from 21.89 per cent to 22.0 per cent. The overall wireline Teledensity has decreased from 2.42 per cent in June 2013 to 2.40 per cent in July 2013, with urban and rural Teledensity being 6.14 per cent and 0.76 per cent respectively.

    BSNL and MTNL, the two PSU operators hold 78.65 per cent of the Wireline market share.

  • Trace Sports Stars to take on Indian Stars

    Trace Sports Stars to take on Indian Stars

    MUMBAI: Launched in June 2011, you could call it a niche-within-niche channel however Trace Sports, from the French media group Trace TV – a channel which focuses on sports celebrities – is now repositioning itself, starting with a recent name change to Trace Sports Stars.   

    As part of the spruce-up, from being a not-so-popular channel, Trace Sports Stars, distributed in the country by NDTV, now claims to have 10 million subscribers. “Having now got a substantial distribution for a channel catering to an entirely new segment of audience, we are looking at creating the eco-system of long term sustainability,” says NDTV Associate vice president Network Distribution and Affiliate Sales Rohit Jaiswal.

    More than 50 networks including Hathway, GTPL, Manthan, ICNCL, Ortel, Fastway and Airtel provide Trace Sports Stars as a pay HD only channel for Rs 30 (analogue). Plans are afoot to double the number of subscribers in coming months.

    As of now, the channel boasts shows such as Up Close With where sports celebs share their private lives, Just Fan where fans speak about their favourite celebs, Fighting Spirit where celebs reveal tricks of the trade, Body and Soul where celebs talk about their diet and fitness regime, Free Sports with prestigious events from extreme sports, Entourage where fans get to meet the celebs’ near and dear ones and Music Match which brings together a sports celeb and a famous artist for a day.

    However, Trace Sports Stars is yet to add some local flavour to interest Indian audiences. “We plan to introduce localisation based on some of the global formats, once we get a critical reach,” says Jaiswal. It would be interesting to see Indian sports celebs like Sachin Tendulkar (who recently announced his exit from Cricket), Kapil Dev, Vishwanathan Anand, Saina Nehwal, Baichung Bhutia, Dhanraj Pillai and Leander Paes among many others talking about their lives on screen.
    A channel like this will always be driven by a certain percentage of the audience and not necessarily mass market believes Jaiswal

    With the distribution part taken care of, the channel plans to focus on touch points to increase awareness among its audience. “A channel like this will always be driven by a certain percentage of the audience and not necessarily mass market,” says Jaiswal, adding, “Think of it as a sports channel one can watch with his girlfriend/wife and an entertainment channel one can watch with her boyfriend/husband.”

    How confident is the channel about its rather niche content? “There is a proliferation of sporting events now being broadcast which helps translate into more awareness and a diverse fan following across all these sporting events and like all fans, sporting fans also like to know more about their icons/idols outside their professional space,” says Jaiswal.

    Recently, Trace Sports Stars signed a deal with Remedy Productions on a commission basis to produce more than 100 hours of entertainment programming. Battle of the Bling will compare the biggies in the world of sport such as Christiano Ronaldo and Mike Tyson to their film and music counterparts.

    While the channel claims to cater to the age group of 15 to 35 years, it remains to be seen whether sports lovers in the country will want to know what made say a Saurav Ganguly rip his shirt after a win more than him as a player on the field.

  • Hathway Broadband launches Docsis 3.0 Ultra High speed network

    Hathway Broadband launches Docsis 3.0 Ultra High speed network

    MUMBAI: Hathway Cable and Datacom, the largest cable broadband company in India, has launched the Docsis 3.0 ultra High speed network. Docsis 3.0 is a widely deployed technology and is the dominant technology powering leading Broadband markets like USA, Korea and Europe. Docsis 3.0 is capable of delivering speeds upto 1 Gigabit.

    We are the first Company to launch a Docsis 3.0 network in the country,” said Hathway Cable & Datacom MD & CEO Jagdish Kumar. “With our Docsis 3.0 network supplied by Cisco we are ready to deliver Ultra High Speed Broadband upto 50 Mbps to every retail customer in South Mumbai. We see Broadband as a key part of our business portfolio and we will soon be launching the Docsis 3.0 networks in other parts of the country. We are enabling our network for delivering a superior HD video experience on our Cable TV as well as on Broadband.”

    Hathway Broadband business head Kunal Ramteke added, “True High speed retail Broadband delivered on Docsis 3.0 will be a game changer in the market. In today’s video led internet consumption these speeds are absolutely vital for a superior consumer experience. The south Mumbai customers will be able to enjoy YouTube in HD and lightning fast responses in internet gaming. TV is also being consumed across multiple screens. With our new Docsis 3.0 plans starting at Rs 599 you will not break the bank to start enjoying these benefits.”

    Cisco service provider software solutions VP – sales Sue Taylor said, “Cisco is excited to be playing a crucial role in shaping this industry and leading it to a transformative stage with technology. Hathway has been a pioneer in its willingness to adopt technology that benefits its subscribers and we congratulate them on this important milestone.”

    To cater to this demanding high speed segment, Hathway will also be launching a dedicated Service Desk exclusively for the Docsis 3.0 customers. These desks will have fully trained staff to handle any service requirements pertaining to High speed internet access through multiple devices. Hathway is also geared to deliver 99.9 per cent network availability and service issue resolution within 24 hours recognising the criticality of a high speed connection in the connected world of today.

    Hathway Docsis 3.0 plans start from monthly Rs 599 and go upto Rs 1499 for the 50 Mbps plan which offers 50 GB of download data.
    The network is initially being deployed in south Mumbai and has been extensively tested. All existing and new customers of Hathway Broadband in south Mumbai can upgrade to the Docsis 3.0 plans. The customers will be provided a Docsis 3.0 Modem by Hathway which will be capable of supporting the Ultra High Speed Plans.

  • Big Magic strengthens distribution network, hops on board Videocon d2h

    Big Magic strengthens distribution network, hops on board Videocon d2h

    MUMBAI: Big Magic, the flagship GEC from the Reliance Broadcast Network stable amplifies its reach with the announcement of a distribution deal with Videocon d2h. After meeting with a great success in the heartland of India, it is Big Magic’s endeavor to extend its assorted entertainment offering across the Hindi Speaking markets and this alliance takes it to an additional 8mn subscriber base.

    The alliance allows Videocon d2h to offer its viewers an excellent television viewing experience, while the GEC reaches its content to a relevant audience base across relevant markets. Its programming mix which ranges from family dramas, crime shows, reality shows, cookery shows, game shows to weekend movies promise to offer a stimulating and refreshing entertainment experience. The Channel, which launched in April 2011, is in the process of strengthening its reach, offering audiences a programming offering that is backed by their very own predilections.

    Speaking on the occasion, Big Magic business head Sunil Kumaran said: “We are happy to announce our alliance with Videocon d2h, which allows Big Magic to immediately grow reach by an additional eight million subscriber base. We are confident of our product, which has been designed as per audience penchants and want to strengthen our reach. We look forward to reaching a matchless entertainment offering to maximum audiences of India.”

    Videocon d2h CEO Anil Khera added: “Big Magic has performed well since its launch. We are extremely happy to provide this channel on our platform as it promises content across various genres. We are certain that our audience will enjoy and appreciate the addition of this channel on our platform.”

    Big Magic is already available across key DTH players ranging Airtel, DD Direct, Dish TV, Reliance Digital TV along with Hathway, Incable, Digicable, DEN, 7 Star, ABS, Siticable, Star Broadband and GTPL amongst others.

  • InSync appoints Aidem Ventures as media sales partner

    InSync appoints Aidem Ventures as media sales partner

    MUMBAI: InSync, the country‘s first heritage music channel which was launched on 15 August, has assigned the mandate of advertising sales representation to the independent advertising sales and media consulting company, Aidem Ventures.

    The channel is a brainchild of renowned violinist and MD of Perfect Octave Media, Ratish Tagde and covers an array of music genres from Indian classical music to Sufi, Ghazals, Folk, Fusion and many more. The opening programming line-up also includes interviews, talk shows, documentaries, genre based reality shows and youth-based fusion shows.

    Aidem Ventures director Vikas Khanchandani

    Speaking of the association, Aidem Ventures director Vikas Khanchandani said, “InSync has the potential to set the standard for excellence and innovation in the Indian Television industry while forging deep connections with diverse and passionate audiences. We‘re looking forward to working together with the InSync team to represent and deliver legendary musical experiences that endure for generations.”

    Ratish and the Perfect Octave team have been in the musical events management business for over a decade. As a part of the launch marketing strategy, the channel plans to connect to and to build awareness amongst its local targeted audience by organising 40 to 50 musical concerts across India over the next one year while simultaneously covering them on the channel.

    Also a part of the launch strategy is the show ‘I Can‘. This flagship property that will predominantly focus on discovering and nurturing young talent from across India and for this InSync will reach out to various parts of India. The talent thus discovered, will be promoted on the show and will be offered concerts in India and overseas. If need be, maestros will train the talent to reach expertise.

    Perfect Octave Media MD Ratish Tagde

    The channel has roped in Manish Rach to take responsibility of the distribution of the channel. “InSync is a pay channel already available on major MSOs including Hathway, InCable, DEN, GTPL, Fastway, Star and DIGI Cable. Talks are currently on with the major DTH platforms in India and a few international distribution players as well,” said Manish.

    “As the only heritage music channel available, InSync has the first-mover advantage. It has been gaining tremendous response from the market. The channel offers a much higher level of engagement with a range of branding opportunities beyond just FCT therefore attracting cross-industry advertisers. Currently, there are a host of events in the pipeline. We are also going to be offering customisable, branded event solutions to keen advertisers,” added business head, Hindi entertainment & niche channels Nikhil Sheth

    “We have music maestros like Pt. Shivkumar Sharma, Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, Ustad Rashid Khan, Shankar Mahadevan, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Sivamani and Hariharan contributing to the channel‘s content. We already possess 300 hours of original, HD quality, video content. By the end of the year, we will have 700 hours more. We consider it our responsibility to help nurture and encourage India‘s interest in classical music. While we continue doing so, we‘re certain that Team Aidem will help achieve the channel‘s optimal revenue potential,” said Ratish Tagde.

  • One Alliance vs Hathway: Viewers are at loss

    One Alliance vs Hathway: Viewers are at loss

    MUMBAI: From the past couple of weeks, the One Alliance channels are not being aired on Hathway.

     

    The channels – Sony, Sab, Max, Six, Mix, AXN, Pix, TLC, Discovery Channel, Discovery Turbo, Animal Planet, Discovery kids, Sony Aath, Aaj Tak, Tez, Headlines Today, Max HD, Discovery HD world, Sony Six HD – are not being televised.

     

    The reason given as per the ticker scrolling on Sony channel which is playing on a higher LCN (Logical Channel Number) is non-payment of dues and failure of renewal of agreement.

     

    When indiantelevision.com approached the cable network as well as the aggregator, both seemed reluctant in solving the matter and discarding the issue by saying, “It happens every now and then. So, hence, is no big deal.”

     

    The two might not be affected by the conflict, but the viewers are of course the victims in this.

     

    A resident from Kandivali (West) says, “Every evening, once I am back from office, I like to watch the debate on Times Now. But now without any prior notice, the channel has been taken off. Why should we suffer when we pay our cable bills on time?”

     

    On the similar line, another Hathway customer angrily says, “Even after calling the local cable guy a hundred times, I did not get the answer why did it happen and when will the channels be back. I was just informed that one channel (Sony) has been shifted to another channel number.”

     

    A lot of viewers complained about such occurrences time and now and wondered if shifting to a DTH or another cable was better.

     

    All we can say is that in someone’s loss, would be someone else’s gain. Are the DTH operators listening?

  • TRAI adamant on 23 August deadline in Kolkata, blackout to follow

    TRAI adamant on 23 August deadline in Kolkata, blackout to follow

    KOLKATA: With the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) strictly adhering to the 23 August deadline for collection of the customer application forms (CAFs) to help in the implementation of Digital Addressable Cable TV Systems (DAS), 50 per cent of the 30 lakh cable television consumers of the Kolkata metropolis area, might see their television sets going blank.

    Till 3:00 pm on Friday, CAFs for around 45 per cent of the cable consumers had been completed, a TRAI official told indiantelevisioin.com. “By midnight we expect the details of around 50 per cent consumers,” the official added.

    However top placed industry sources said that a 14 member team from the TRAI office is likely to come to Kolkata on 26 August (Monday), to decide the fate of the customers who have not yet filled the forms with required details. “This simply proves that MSOs will not be asked to disconnect the TV subscribers,” he said.

    It should be noted that the broadcasting regulator had set a deadline of 23 August for cable TV viewers here for filling up the CAFs including choice of channels in the subscriber management system some 40 days ago and failing which services would be stopped, it notified not once but many a times, added the TRAI official. “In fact we had two meetings with MSOs in the last one month,” he further stated.

    “In this weekend the MSOs and operators will work harder and try to feed in as much details as they can,” said people associated with the cable industry.

    Manthan Broadband Services which has more than 6.5 lakh to seven lakh subscribers has managed to collect around 35 per cent of its CAFs. “We will abide by the law. South Kolkata has done well as compared to North and Central Kolkata in terms of form submission,” said Manthan Broadband Services director Sudip Ghosh.

    “However, we expect to receive more such details on coming Saturday and Sunday,” added Ghosh.
    While SitiCable which has set up around 11.5 lakh digital addressable systems here has achived 60 per cent collection of forms and is optimistic of reaching the 70 per cent mark by midnight.

    SitiCable director (Kolkata) Suresh Sethia informed that the MSOs have received a new format from TRAI and the MSOs have been asked to send the details to the regulator on an everyday basis. “Details like number of boxes switched off, number of boxes reactivated and CAFs received,” should be filed everyday said Sethia.

    While a Hathway Cable and Datacom official stated till 3:00 pm, they had received details of more than 57 per cent customers and will be looking at 80 per cent by tonight. “We will act as per the instruction of TRAI,” he said.

    TRAI member R K Arnold who was in Kolkata recently said: “We are not going to extend the deadline beyond 23 August. In this if subscriber details including channel preference is not done, his connection is liable to be disconnected.”

    Kolkata remains to be the last metro where DAS is yet to be implemented.

    Will TRAI ask the MSOs in Kolkata to disconnect the non complying subscribers from 24 August, if the subscriber data is not updated?

    If TRAI wanted the MSOs to switch off the TV connections, it would have informed the players by now but it seems that people will get some breathing space for some hours to complete the mandate, said an analyst.

    Even if the TV screens go blank, it can be connected in two hours to three hours, after the customers send all the details via their cable operators, concluded a MSO.

  • Turner launches HBO Defined & HBO Hits on Hathway & GTPL

    Turner launches HBO Defined & HBO Hits on Hathway & GTPL

    MUMBAI: Turner International India has announced the launch of HBO Defined and HBO Hits on two of the country’s leading digital cable platforms, Hathway and GTPL. With this HBO’s two premium advertising-free movie channels will be available to digital cable subscribers for the first time.

    The channels are available for a free preview in the initial phase of the launch. Turner International, the distributor for HBO Defined and HBO Hits will soon have the channels available on other digital cable platforms as well.

    “With the successful on-going digitisation of the Indian television industry, Turner is committed to continue bringing compelling content inside homes of consumers in India and on any device they own. HBO Defined and HBO Hits signify a new era of television viewing for the Indian consumer. We have received a very enthusiastic response from all platforms and are happy to have, Hathway and GTPL, two of the leading cable platforms partner with us,” said Turner International India MD Siddharth Jain.

    “The launch of HBO Hits and HBO Defined on our digital platforms is a reinforcement of our belief in the power of compelling content which can drive customer value and realisations. Hathway and GTPL have a foot-print of more than seven million addressable customers. We are delighted to partner with Turner in our on-going endeavour of delivering premium services to our discerning customers” said Hathway Cable and Datacom CEO & MD Jagdish Kumar.

  • AFs: Mumbai switch offs begin; Kolkata quo vadis?

    AFs: Mumbai switch offs begin; Kolkata quo vadis?

    MUMBAI: With Delhi under control now, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is focusing increasingly on the other two metros to ensure that all the consumer application forms (CAFs) come in to the MSOs.

    Following a meeting held on 2 August with MSOs operating in Mumbai and Kolkata, a decision has been taken that the time for carrots is over, now one needs to use the stick to get customers to get moving on their CAFs. And that stick is like Delhi is switching off their cable TV service, if the CAF is not yet in.

    “There will be no further extensions like in the past,” says a senior TRAI official. “In fact, the switch offs have already begun from 3 August. The process for switching off the set top boxes will take at least four to five days because we are talking about a huge number.”

    Hathway Cable & Datacom MD and CEO Jagdish Kumar agrees that his network has started switching off subscribers who are being tardy from 3 August. “But the process will be tedious,” he says. “So far, we have managed to collect 80 per cent of the forms duly filled.”

    Indiantelevision.com spoke to another three MSOs operating in the financial capital and all of them stated that CAF collection was between 70 and 80 per cent. Going by that yardstick, it appears as if cable TV subscribers don’t seem to be too disturbed about the stick, as the numbers mentioned by MSOs to indiantelevision.com even a month ago were in that range. Could they be opting for a DTH connection? We do not know, but a media observer, says that it could be a possibility.

    The TRAI official says that Kolkata should not expect to be treated with kid’s gloves. “When Delhi can meet the deadline why not Kolkata?” he questions. “We are sure that Kolkata will be able to meet the 23 August deadline as it does not have any other option.”

    Well cable TV operators and subscribers in Kolkata, that’s as ominous a warning as you can get!