ITV

Tag: Hathway

  • Hathway’s HD rush; launches Fox International Channels in Bengaluru

    Hathway’s HD rush; launches Fox International Channels in Bengaluru

    MUMBAI: It‘s getting hot on HD. One of India‘s leading MSOs Hathway Cable & Datacom is looking at taking its HD subscriber base to 200,000 in a year‘s time and has just signed a deal to roll out Fox International Channels (FIC) HD channels into its HD packages.

    The service provider has currently launched the FIC channel HD bouquet only in Bangalore initially but will be extended to Hyderabad soon and then to the rest of the country by end of the year.

    Hathway currently caters to a modest HD subscriber base of approximately 25,000 nationwide (out of which most number of subscribers reside in metros).

    Says Hathway CEO Jagdeesh Kumar: “We have currently launched the HD zapper box only in Bengaluru because we are using the city as a test case to gauge response. But we will soon unveil the DVR box as well in the next six to eight months.”

    The HD service costs Rs 4,500 and comes with a set top box (STB) with a package of 20 HD channels that excludes the recently acquired Fox International Channel (The set includes: National Geographic Channel (NGC), FOX Traveller, Nat Geo Wild, Nat Geo Adventure, Nat Geo Music and Baby TV in HD.)

    “We have plans to carry 35 HD channels,” adds Kumar. “We aim to get in a bulk of the DTH subscribed audience back to cable in time to come, and we are confident of doing so as we have more bandwidth at our disposal hence giving a better picture to our subscribers. We can deliver consistent and better quality pictures and our viewers would not have to worry about interruptions in signals during torrential rains.”

    For Bengaluru, Kumar is pushing a promotional campaign to sign up HD subscribers early. Says he, “We are trying to keep very competitive prices and offer a good discount for early bookings. We are confident that with our superior quality and better clarity, we would be able to deliver the best for our viewers.”

    All the content available with FIC is being shot in HD and Ultra HD and the channel currently has close to 100 hours of content to showcase. The group banks on its prime property NGC, being the oldest channel in the cluster, to get in the viewers and to build a loyal fan base.

    “We are delighted to partner with Hathway in offering a better viewing experience to our audience; our channels would be available in enhanced picture quality across Hathway‘s extensive network,” says NGC Network India and Fox International Channels MD Keertan Adyanthaya. “We are currently looking at activation plans and thus do not have many advertisers on board to boast of, but we are sure that once we start getting an audience, the advertisers will follow.”

  • TRAI gets tough on MSOs on DAS customer forms

    TRAI gets tough on MSOs on DAS customer forms

    MUMBAI: That TRAI boss Rahul Khullar means business; that he does not mince any words; that he can make you squirm when he wants to is something all – who have been at the receiving end at one time or the other – know. But the heads of India‘s leading MSOs got another taste of that just yesterday, if sources are to be believed.

    Khullar had summoned the heads of Siti Cable, Incable, Hathway, DEN and Digicable to the TRAI headquarter in Delhi. Four of them landed up; Digicable‘s Jagjit Singh Kohli requested to be excused. Hathway‘s Jagdeesh Kumar; Incable‘s Ravi Mansukhani; Siticable‘s Wadhwa and Anil Malhotra, and DEN‘s SN Sharma Sameer and Manchanda landed up in his chamber. They had earlier been pulled up similarly in end-March and had been warned that strict action against them would be taken under the TRAI act.

    But this time it seemed as if Khullar had apparently reached the end of his patience. He did not let them get a word in – even edgewise.

    “I have only 10-15 minutes to talk to you,” he thundered. “Where is the cable TV customer data that I have been demanding from you? It‘s been months since I should have got it; your deadline has long past. Now let me make it very clear to you: I will prosecute each one of you if I don‘t get it.”

    Khullar went on to blast the MSOs further and set the deadline for collection of the DAS Phase I customer forms for Mumbai and Delhi. “You have till 30 June to submit those forms; failing which you can be sure you will be prosecuted under the required laws. DAS and SMS billing have to move ahead,” he urged.

    Khullar apparently has also permitted the MSOs to disconnect local cable TV operators and subscribers who are continuing to play truant in the submission of the KYC (know your customer) forms.

    The government mandated phase I of cable TV digitisation – with the switch-off of analogue TV signals and installation of set top boxes – which covered the cities of Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata was to be completed by 31 October. As part of that process MSOs and cable TV operators were instructed to collect information from their customers and submit the forms to the authorities.

    However, sources indicate that MSOs have been rather tardy in the submission of these forms as local cable TV operators have not been complying with their continuous and repeated requests.

  • Hathway appoints Jagadesh Babu Botta as EVP- operations

    Hathway appoints Jagadesh Babu Botta as EVP- operations

    MUMBAI: : Viacom18‘s 24×7 English comedy channel Comedy Central has been getting some popular international properties to India like Suits and Anger Management. This time, the channel brings a local flavour to its programming by airing Comedy Central presents Ash Chandler and the Ministry of Schitick on 21 April at 9.00 pm.

    The title presenter of the show is Fiat.

    The half an hour long show will have two to three minute gags by Chandler and his troupe – Varun Thakur, Anuvab Pal, Raunaq Rajani, Rohit Shankar and Neville Shah.

    “When Ash came ot us with the concept, we thought it must be given a shot. We are very happy to be dishing out local content of this kind on Comedy Central and are very optimistic of this experiment,” said Viacom18 Media SVP and GM – English Entertainment Ferzad Palia.

     This is the first time that a local stand up comedy show has been shot in the studio and will be aired on television. Most recently, the channel aired the Sugar Sammy on ground shows in the weekend prime time slot.

  • Big Thrill expands into Mumbai and Delhi with new carriage deals

    Big Thrill expands into Mumbai and Delhi with new carriage deals

    MUMBAI: Big RTL Thrill, the action entertainment channel targeted at male audiences, has launched on digital distribution platforms in Mumbai and Delhi.

    In Mumbai and Delhi, the channel has signed deals with In Digital, Hathway, Digicable, 7 Star, JPR Spacevision, ABS, Siti Cable, Home Cable and Star Broadband enabling it to expand its coverage to reach out to over 6.5 million households across both cities.

    This move is in line with its business plan of reaching out to audiences across one million+ towns in the Hindi-speaking markets (HSMs) in a phased manner, Reliance Broadcast Network Limited (RBNL) said.

    Big RTL Thrill is already available on Reliance Digital TV and other local platforms in Uttar Pradesh including Den, Digicable, Siti Cable, InCable, Siti Cable, Moon Cable and Sea TV.

    The joint venture channel between Reliance Broadcast Network and Europe‘s RTL Group that goes with the tag line Action ka Baap showcases the best internationally acquired content dubbed in Hindi.

    Targeted at male audiences (15-44 years), Big RTL Thrill promises to offer edge of the seat entertainment with content that ranges reality shows, action series, wrestling, extreme sports, game shows and action movies.

    RBNL CEO Tarun Katial said, “Big RTL Thrill has performed excellently in the regional market of Uttar Pradesh, consistently delivering strong numbers. The Channel, with its distinctive international dubbed content has already outperformed other regional male targeted channels and now makes its entry into the metros of Mumbai and Delhi.”

    The channel is positioned to create a new genre of entertainment for male audiences across the Hindi speaking markets.

    Until now, male skewed entertainment has been sporadically available across channels but there is no channel that caters exclusively and comprehensively to male audiences and their entertainment needs.

  • Dainik Bhaskar exits cable biz, Hathway takes full ownership of JV

    Dainik Bhaskar exits cable biz, Hathway takes full ownership of JV

    MUMBAI: Dainik Bhaskar Group has exited the cable TV business ahead of digitisation, selling its 49 per cent stake to joint venture partner Hathway Cable & Datacom.

    Hathway has taken complete ownership of the JV company, Hathway Bhaskar Multinet, which has cable TV distribution networks in Bhopal, Indore and Jaipur.

    "We have bought out Bhaskar‘s stake. Hathway Bhaskar Multinet now becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of our company," says Hathway Cable & Datacom managing director and chief executive Jagdish Kumar.

    Dainik Bhaskar Group‘s exit comes at a time when cable companies are required to make massive investments in digital set-top boxes (STBs). The government has mandated cable TV digitisation across the country in four phases by 31 December 2014.
    In 2008, the Bhaskar Group sold controlling stake in their cable TV company to Hathway.

    "There has been a fall in valuation since then as Hathway Bhaskar Multinet lost ground to rival multi-system operators Den and Digicable. Though the acquisition amount is not disclosed, it is certain that it has dipped," a source familiar with the development said.

    The enterprise value of Bhaskar Multinet in 2008 was around Rs 600 million, the source added.

    After taking full charge of Bhaskar Multinet, Hathway is planning to fortify its presence in these three cities.

  • Digitisation: Hathway needs Rs 3 bn in 2nd phase; no plans to dilute equity

    Digitisation: Hathway needs Rs 3 bn in 2nd phase; no plans to dilute equity

    MUMBAI: Hathway Cable & Datacom plans to invest Rs 3 billion for the second phase of digitisation as it details a requirement of around 3.5 million set-top boxes (STBs) to place in consumer homes across the cities where its cable TV service is available.

    Hathway will not need to raise equity financing and will fund the second phase through a mix of debt and vendor financing.

    “We are under no pressure to raise equity financing and have adequate headroom for getting additional debt. We also have vendor financing facilities. Of the total investments that we make, 70 per cent will be through vendor financing,” Hathway Cable & Datacom managing director and CEO K Jayaraman tells Indiantelevision.com.

    Hathway’s net debt stands at Rs 4.60 billion, including Rs 1 billion of vendor credit.

    The multi-system operator (MSO) has already seeded 1.5 million STBs in the 22 cities that fall under the next round of digitisation. The government has mandated 31 March 2013 as the deadline for digitisation in 38 cities, but industry experts feel an extension would be granted for a limited period.

    “Our preliminary estimate is that we would have a demand for five million STBs. We have already deployed 1.5 million boxes,” says Jayaraman.
    Hathway expects to deploy 2.5 million STBS in the first phase of digitisation where it operates in three of the four metros. While in Mumbai and Delhi it operates directly, in Kolkata it has a presence through its joint venture company Gujarat Telelinks Pvt Ltd (GTPL). GTPL, in which Hathway has 50 per cent stake, acquired majority stake in Kolkata Cable and Broadband Pariseva.

    “We have already seeded 1.7 million STBs in the three metros. We have set an internal target of 2-2.5 million boxes as we see a rising demand,” elaborates Jayaraman.

    Hathway spent Rs 1.20 billon on capital expenditure in the first half of this fiscal. For the three-month period ended 30 September, Hathway narrowed its net loss to Rs 17.84 million against Rs 158.71 in the trailing quarter. Revenue fell three per cent to 1.32 billion from Rs 1.36 billion in the first quarter.

  • CAS: Government to revert to Delhi HC next week

    CAS: Government to revert to Delhi HC next week

    NEW DELHI: The government is likely to revert to the Delhi High Court with a status report on CAS’ rollout early next week even as the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) has raised several queries on addressability’s efficacy.

    “A senior official of the information and broadcasting ministry admitted that it has to go back to the court with a feedback on CAS, but said it’s timing is still not clear.

    “One month for us would be calculated from the day we received a certified copy of the court order. As on 10 March, a verbal order was passed,” the official said.
    Still, the official also added that the court would have to be apprised of
    the progress on CAS front and “it would be done.” With diverse signals emanating from the industry stakeholders, the government is slightly confused, the official said.

    However, the deluge of facts and figures relating to CAS and various time lines proposed by stakeholders also gives the government some breathing space.

    On 10 March, the Delhi High Court directed the government to implement CAS in Kolkata, Delhi and Mumbai within a month’s time. The judgment came on a petition filed by some MSOs, including INCablenet and Hathway.

    While a large section of the cable fraternity has been pushing for quick
    implementation of CAS, a section of broadcasters and consumer organisations want a certain comfort level before CAS is rolled out.

    IBF AGAINST PRICE CONTROL UNDER CAS

    Meanwhile, the IBF in a submission to the government has said that there should not be any price control in a CAS-enabled regime and the issue of piracy should be addressed as a priority.

    “Under the Trai (sector regulator) recommendations to government for CAS implementation, presented on 1 October, 2004, it was recommended that there should be no price control in addressable markets. In view of this, we believe that for CAS notified areas, there should be no price fixation,” the IBF letter states setting the cat amongst the pigeons (read the cable operators).

    The letter, a copy of which is available with Indiantelevision.com, drops broad hints that pay broadcasters would not give a la carte price for consumers — something that has been in demand for over a year now during confabulations on CAS.

    “Broadcasters are whole sellers to cable operators as the consumer price for cable TV is fixed by the operators,” IBF has said, adding all pending litigations and outstanding dues involving the cable industry must be resolved before CAS is rolled out.

    Hinting that the claims of MSOs and cable ops on availability of set-top boxes might be exaggerated, the IBF goes on to state that effective steps should be taken to ensure that in the notified areas, adequate number of boxes is available with MSOs and last mile operators to cater to the demand.

    “There should be no instance that consumers want to install STBs and
    MSOs/LCOs are unable to provide them. MSOs/LCOs would also need to ensure that there is proper coordination between them and their LCOs. The MSOs/LCOs should provide a detailed STB implementation plan,” the IBF letter says.

    The broadcasters have also urged the government to ban carriage fee, which is demanded by cable operators and also given by most major broadcasters whether free to air or pay.

    “The IBF members are of the view that the government should make sure that cable operators not demand carriage fee from the broadcasters… in view of the fact that they collect subscription revenue from the subscribers,” the letter states.

    Another point raised by the IBF is that since CAS is being mandated by the government, unlike in other countries where market forces bring about its rollout, other addressable systems like DTH, IPTV and broadband should also be similarly mandated to create “a level playing field” for those platforms.

  • Star signs first CAS agreement in Delhi

    Star signs first CAS agreement in Delhi

    NEW DELHI: Star India looks like being the first major broadcaster to sign on to the CAS bandwagon.

    In a clear statement of intent directed at its detractors who have been claiming that India’s leading broadcast network is only paying lip service to the government mandated rollout of addressability, Star has signed up with one of South Delhi’s biggest independent cable TV networks, Home Cable, for CAS-enabled services.

    This agreement between a broadcaster and a cable network also heralds that the “CAS dawn” is around the corner.

    Says Star India president – advertising sales and distribution Paritosh Joshi, “We have sent out CAS agreements to all the cable networks operating in the CAS notified areas of Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata. We expect to have signed contracts in place well within the government-stipulated deadlines.”

    “Other than Home Cable, we expect to sign up the other networks in Delhi like SitiCable (now called WWIL), INCablenet and Hathway (26 per cent owned by Star) by tomorrow evening. In Kolkata there are seven or eight networks while in south Mumbai the main ones are Hatway and INCablenet,” Joshi pointed out.

    Addressability is an issue that has been buffeted by various forces, including political ones wherein the underlying theme had been to stall it as long as possible.
    Home Cable is owned by Vikki Chowdhry and services a sizable number of households in the posh Maharani Bagh and New Friends Colony areas of South Delhi where CAS is scheduled to be rolled out from 1 January 2007.

    According to Chowdhry, “The court mandated CAS has to be rolled out and since my network was one of those that has registered with the government, it is better I finish signing up the various agreements with broadcasters as soon as possible.”

    Those cable networks and MSOs who have applied for government clearance for CAS rollout in Delhi include WWIL, the Hindujas-controlled INCablenet, Hathway and few other independent operators who have big networks servicing a large area.

    CAS is scheduled to be rolled out in south zones of Mumbai, Kolkata and Delhi from the midnight of 31 December 2006 wherein all pay channels would have to pass through a set-top box on a mandatory basis.

  • Hathway launches cable TV services in Jhansi

    Hathway launches cable TV services in Jhansi

    MUMBAI:The Rajan Raheja promoted Hathway Cable & Datacom has teamed up with the dominant cable operator in Jhansi and launched services under the name Hathway JMD SR Cable & Datacom Pvt. Ltd.

    SR Network started its operations in December 2004 and it provides cable TV services to the entire city of Jhansi.

    Hathway will provide over 90 analogue television channels to its subscribers. The cable service company will soon be launching ‘voice over cable’ services, which will enable the MSO to be a true ‘triple player’ with digital, high speed internet and voice services, according to an official statement.

    The deal Hathway has struck with SR Network is similar to the one it entered into in Kanpur in April where it operates as a joint venture with Jai Mata Di Sherawali (Sanjeev Dikshit promoter) under the brand name Hathway Jai Mata Di Sherawali Cable & Datacom Pvt. Ltd. Hathway JMD has subsequently started operations in Farukhabad and Unnav.

    Starting with Kanpur, Hathway plans to take the digital revolution forward gradually in other cities in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Kanpur will be the first city in UP which will provide Digital Cable TV transmission from December 2006.

    Hathway’s Digital Cable TV services are presently available in Chennai, Mumbai, New Delhi, Pune, Bangalore , Hyderabad, Chandigarh and Jalandhar.

    The digital services are offered through a remote controlled digital device called the Set Top Box. The digital device is feature packed and it changes the entire TV viewing experience for the subscriber. The key features include DVD picture quality, stereophonic sound, a capacity to receive more than 1000 channels, an EPG (Electronic Programme Guide) which enables programme reservations & reminders, positioning of favourite channels, parental control, information banner and selection of channels by genre etc.

    The other value added services such as video-on-Demand, interactive gamming etc. are also available with Hathway’s digital set top box.

    Apart from Analogue Cable TV and Digital Cable TV services, Hathway provides Cable Broadband services with high – speed connectivity from 256 Kbps onwards through the high bandwidth capability of cable. Hathway’s Broadband Internet is presently available in the cities of New Delhi, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Mysore and Chandigarh.

    Hathway also has under its umbrella Cine Channel (CCC), a movie based entertainment channel and I-TV a dial – up interactive music channel that operates like a juke box and local channels like Win Cable & Win Movies.

  • TDSAT declines stay as SET, ESPN and ESS move against CAS pricing

    TDSAT declines stay as SET, ESPN and ESS move against CAS pricing

    MUMBAI: Acting on expected lines, broadcasters have finally taken legal recourse against the Rs 5 tariff that the sector regulator had set as the price for accessing pay channels in a CAS regime.

    Three separate petitions filed against the order of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) by Set Discovery Ltd, ESPN Star Sports (ESS) and ESPN Software India came up for hearing this morning before the apeals tribunal.
    However, the Telecom Disputes Settlement & Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT), which heard the case today, issued no directive to stay Trai’s order.

    A point of note is that of the three petitions that came up for hearing today, two of them were moved commonly by ESS and ESPN Software.

    TDSAT has set the matter for further argument and a possible order on 13 November. The pay broadcasters have challenged the two Trai notifications dated 24 August (on carriage fee) and 31 August (channel pricing).

    The channels have also challenged the revenue sharing model designed for industry stakeholders by Trai. The sector regulator had specified in the notification that the revenue generated from pay channels leaves the broadcaster with 45 per cent, while the multi system operators (MSOs) stays on with 30 per cent and the cable operators get 25 per cent.

    Interestingly, the two major MSOs; Hathway and Hinduja-owned IndusInd Media and Communications have intervened in the appeal in support of Trai’s decision on the CAS pricing.

    For the record, the 24 August notification had mentioned that the carriage fee is to be retained fully by MSOs and can operate throughout a CAS area without any restriction on area of operation.

    Subsequently, SitiCable Networks Ltd (now renamed WWIL) has also filed a petition at the tribunal appealing that the MSO must have a share in the basic tier services fee, which according to Trai notification must be retained fully by local cable operators.

    Earlier this year, a division bench of the Delhi High Court had passed an order directing the implementation of CAS with effect from 31 December in the south zones of the three metros; Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata.