ITV

Tag: Hutchison Essar

  • President to inagurate INDIA TELECOM 2006 on14 Dec

    President to inagurate INDIA TELECOM 2006 on14 Dec

    MUMBAI: India Telecom 2006, the biggest showcase of the telecom industry, will be inaugurated by President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam on 14 December at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.

    Communications and information technology minister Dayanidhi Maran will deliver the keynote address at the inaugural session.

    Over 200 companies are participating is the international exhibition and conference. In the exhibition the Indian telecom industry will be represented by companies like Bharti Airtel Limited, BSNL, C-DOT, Hutchison Essar Mobile Services Ltd, COAI, Qualcomm India Pvt Ltd. Reliance Communication Ltd. Etc.Among the international participants there will be companies from Canada, China, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Italy while Taiwan, Korea and US companies will be seen in independent pavilions.

    A highlight of India Telecom 2006 will be the CEO’s Roundtable with Maran. It will be an interactive session of all the telecom CEO’s with the minister. Trai chairman Nripendra Misra and DoT secretary DS Mathur will also address the session. Among the participants at the Roundtable will be ADAG chairman Anil Ambani, Bharti Enterprises CMD Sunil Bharti Mittal, Infosys CEO Nandan Nilekani, Essar Group chairman Shashi Ruia, BSNL CMD AK Sinha, MTNL CMD RSP Sinha and IDEA Cellular MD Sanjeev Aga.

    Concurrent to the exhibition would be technical seminars and conferences. The objective of the summit is to discuss new growth drivers that are revolutionizing the telecom sector in India and around the world. It would also focus on showcasing the huge potential that India holds in this sector for inviting investments.

    The first session on 15 December would be on Regulatory and Policy Imperatives. Misra will chair the session, while the theme address would be delivered by Ambassador David A Gross, US Co-ordinator for international communication and information policy, US department of state. Global Mobile Suppliers Association president Alan Hadden will also address the session.

  • Chandrasekhar acquires Asianet; network to expand into Kannada, Tamil

    Chandrasekhar acquires Asianet; network to expand into Kannada, Tamil

    MUMBAI: Former BPL head honcho Rajiv Chandrasekhar has acquired a 51 per cent stake in Asianet Communications to become the chairman of the leading Malayalam television channel.

    Chandrasekhar’s acquisition, made through group company Jupiter Entertainment Ventures (JEV), is part of its expansion plans, which include new satellite channels in Tamil and Kannada, a press release issued in Thiruvananthapuram states.

    JEV also has plans to launch FM radio stations (under the Indigo brand name), the release says.
    The Kannada channel is expected to be launched early next year, and work is on in full force, the release adds.

    Once the statutory approvals are through, the remaining stake will be held between Raji Menon, the original promoter of the network, and Asianet managing director K Madhavan, with Zee Group holding a small 3% holding.

    Though Menon will no more have any direct operational role in the network, he will reportedly retain a 26 per cent stake in the network. Madhavan will, however, continue as MD overseeing the current management team.

    Asianet Communications operates three channels — Asianet, Asianet News and Asianet Plus for youth.

    Chandrasekhar, who unlocked over Rs 12 billion by selling the telecom business he had built up to Hutchison Essar, has more than adequate cash reserves to make current southern media kingpin Kalanidhi Maran sit up and take note.

  • Call to experiment with new platforms, technologies: CII seminar

    Call to experiment with new platforms, technologies: CII seminar

    MUMBAI: While new technologies have the risk of copyright violation it is important for the Indian entertainment industry to explore the possibilities offered by new delivery platforms whether it is IPTV, mobile, DTH.

    At the same time the rights situation particularly for the film industry needs to be made clearer.

    This was one of the points stressed at a panel discussion organised as part of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) Legal Workshop this morning. The speakers were Sony head – licensing and telephony Kaushal Modi, Hutchison Essar VP value added services S.P. Narayanan, UTV VP international Ashoka Holla and consultant Raj Tilak. The session was moderated by Tata Teleservices VP value added services Pankaj Sethi.

    Modi pointed out that with new distribution platforms emerging the rights situation for the older film titles is not clear. There is more clarity regarding the newer titles but there is more work to be done. Definitions need to be clear like Vod, Pay per view.

    Tilak says that the film industry needs to come together and form a common standard that will be adhered to by both buyers and sellers. A common body needs to be set up who will interpret the rights situation in a uniform manner. In the US for instance video on demand is not a right by itself. It is segmented in different platforms. Unfortunately among some Indian filmmakers there is a lack of understanding about the emerging technologies. So perhaps distributors of content need to sit down with content creators and explain to them the different ways in which content can be exploited for the mutual benefit of both parties.

    He also suggests a robust system of arbitration be put in place. So any dispute over revenue sharing or who has the rights can be brought before a panel whose word in the matter will be final.

    Holla said that content creators compound the situation by sometime abusing the rights of their own property. So sometimes the DVD release date is brought forward and is available before the film has had a decent run in theatres. For UTV which distributes its own films and those of other producers this poses a problem he says. Creators need to respect the different windows of release.

    Modi spoke about the need for content owners to experiment with new platforms and modes of distribution. He gave the example of music ringtones which have become very profitable despite the music industry’s fear of copyright issues in new media.

    The situation though requires planning on the part of the content creator and provider says Modi. It is not that there is a simply readymade new media platform that a content owner whether it is film or television can just put his offerings on and then start making money. The platform has to be grown and content has to be tailored. He says that Sony is experimenting with its own content rather than what is aggregated. When it acquires content like formats it is usually for all formats to avoid confusion later on.

    Sure some people try to use software to forward ringtones and wallpapers on the mobile but that is small compared to the opportunity that exists. Another area of new media is mobile. Here too there are grey areas. A case in point is SMS updates on cricket news scores. While cricket news is available if it is used by a mobile operator for commercial purposes then a case can be made that there is a copyright issue. Right now a lot of operators offer cricket scores and updates. However the BCCI is wisening up and is looking at the mobile as a huge opportunity.

    After all if news channels pay for news clips of cricket matches then why shouldn’t mobile firms pay for using scores to boost their SMS facility. There is a case going on in the Madras High Court regarding the use of SMS to offer cricket scores. The Formula One body got strict on use of SMS alerts on race status.

    Another new media arena that can be looked at as a friend rather than a foe are the community sites like myspace. There are videos uploaded some of which are copyrighted. At the same time content creators can use community sites which attract millions of users as a place to sell their product offerings in the form of paid downloads.

    Narayanan dwelt on how compression techynology has helped the mobile become a tool for value added offerings. Now one can download full music tracks. Java and bluetooth has taken mobile gaming to another level. The memory storage in handsets will grow. Therefore mobile games can afford to become more complex and content rich. data connections speeds have grown. So content can be relayde to diffeernt devices.

  • HTMT consolidates media subsidiaries, spins off IT/ITES biz

    HTMT consolidates media subsidiaries, spins off IT/ITES biz

    MUMBAI: Hinduja TMT Limited (HTMT) is unifying its media subsidiaries under one umbrella while spinning off its IT/ITES business into a separate entity. The demerger exercise is to bring independent focus to the two lines of activities, a senior company executive said.

    The residual HTMT (without IT/ITES) will house the media business and have a cash of $125 million. This will be used for new business initiatives, acquisitions and funding the expansion of the media and entertainment business.

    As part of the restructuring, In2Cable (subsidiary which is into broadband business) and InNetwork Entertainment (content) are being merged into IndusInd Media & Communications Ltd (cable TV distribution under Incablenet brand).

    “The parent company for the consolidated media business will be HTMT (an existing listed entity),” said HTMT global chief financial officer Yagnesh Sanghrajka. HTMT will have 60.5 per cent equity of the merged media and entertainment entity while Intel and Kudelski will hold 5 per cent.

    The demerged IT/ITES company, HTMT Technologies Ltd, is expected to list in February-March 2007. It will have a cash of $140 million. The funds will be used for acquisition opportunities overseas, particularly the US, as the company plans to add to its geographical reach and domain competencies.

    The IT/ITES business has a strong presence in Healthcare, Telecom, Consumer Electronics and BFSI segment. It is present in 5 different countries and has a successful track record in acquiring and integrating overseas ITES-BPO companies in the past two years. It is now looking for more such acquisitions in the USA-UK-Latin American markets to consolidate its position and expand inorganically as a leading global player in this industry.

    “Both the entities will have enough cash to pursue their independent expansion plans. The money is from the proceeds of the Hutchison Essar stake sale which fetched $450 million. Out of this, $150 million is for debt repayment while payout towards dividend will be around Rs 1.3 billion. The balance will remain with these two entities,” Sanghrajka said.

    Post restructuring, a shareholder of HTMT holding two equity shares of Rs 10 each would receive one equity share of Rs 10 in HTMT Technologies and one equity share of Rs 10 in HTMT.

    “The restructuring of the media business is from April. The demerger would be recorded from 1 October,” Sanghrajka said.

    The merger of media and entertainment is being done to converge video, voice and data services under one entity as a triple play provider. The merger will bring in operational efficiencies, provide sharper focus on the core business of media & entertainment, telecom and content distribution and ensure smooth implementation of conditional access system (CAS) across Indian cities, packaged with value added services, he added.

    The demerger of the IT/ITES business as well as the restructuring of the media and entertainment entities is subject to requisite statutory approvals and sanction of the Mumbai High Court.

    HTMT also announced a special dividend of Rs 20 per share on shares of Rs 10 each to the shareholders out of the proceeds of the Hutchison Essar sale.

  • Mobile phone entertainment is about making dead time alive: Sandip Das

    Mobile phone entertainment is about making dead time alive: Sandip Das

    MUMBAI: One of the special addresses on the final day of Frames – The convention for the business of entertainment was made by Hutchison Essar MD Sandip Das.

    He pointed out that the mobile is an effective entertainment tool as it makes dead time alive. It could be while one is travelling in a bus, car or sitting on a beach watching the waves.

    “The mobile does not compete nor threaten other media.

    It complements them. Its portability and unobtrusiveness provide opportunities for engagement. At the same time it cannot match the scale of Imax. Yet, one cannot carry an Imax or a movie theatre as one does a mobile.”

    He praised Ericsson’s 0,1,2,3 phase of developing the mobile. 0 means that no user manual is needed. It is self explanatory. One means one button to remove the complications of different controls. Two refers to the two seconds it takes for a screen to appear. Three refers to getting to an online destination within three clicks. “It is important that the mobile service providers think in this manner. The mobile is all about customised and personalised entertainment. The more mass it becomes the more important it is for mobile operators to provide distinctive services.”

    He said that for content providers looking to tap the mobile it is important to think of the mobile first and not see it as an appendage. “Unique content needs to be created for the mobile that does not involve merely shortening the length of a film. Mobisodes are a step in the right direction. The good news is that data is getting compressed into smaller formats.”

    He stressed that no other media had as much user capability as the mobile. Location based services will help make the mobile more timely. He quoted Bill Gates who once said that knowledge was more profound than information. The reason why some channels consistently get excellent viewership even though there are more choices available is because those few channels understand their viewers.

    He went on to state that the jury is out on the mobile entertainment eco system. There is land grabbing going on. For instance Apple is selling music, Sony has bought a bank, HP sells TVs. There are also challenges that the mobile entertainment industry is facing. “The first is that we need more data friendly mobile phones. There is no point in buying a Ferrari if you drive it on pot holed roads. More bandwith is necessary for the mobile. It is important for more spectrum to be freed up. There also needs to be a change in terms of how our filmmakers and television serial makers view the mobile. Their antennas go up when the word mobile is mentioned.

    “M Night Shyamalan for one has said that he would not like to make a film which can be viewed by someone in a toilet who has a mobile. I think that with our stories there is scope to make great content for the mobile.”

    He noted that open source software is enabling collaboration and content is increasingly being created by users in the form of blogs and communities. It is becoming less and less the privilege of technology geeks. He mentioned that revenue sharing is one area that needs to be sorted out. That is why Digital Video Broadcast Handheld (DVB-H) is facing a problem. It is not that the technology is not upto speed. He praised Nokia who through the N Series has revolutionised MP3 and e-mail among other functions.

    The consumer experience is key. If one develops services but does not allow the experience to be as good as it should, then one is doomed. In mobile as in other media, content is king. There are four sectors – video, imagery, gaming and music. While music has 70 per cent revenue share this will change in the coming years.

    “The challenge for providers of mobile entertainment will be to bridge the gap between the early adopters who saw the potential in the medium and the huge mainstream market that wants to enjoy its benefits but does not want to get caught up in the gory technological details.

    “Seamlessness in mobile technology will enable us to move seamlessly from one media to another. For instance, you watch a football match at home. In the middle of the match you have to leave for the office.

    When you leave home, the mobile picks up the signal and the match gets switched on the mobile. When you reach the office, the PC has the match on. I got a demonstration of this from Motorola yesterday.”