ITV

Tag: Incablenet

  • MSO Alliance launches ad campaign on monthly billing

    MSO Alliance launches ad campaign on monthly billing

    MUMBAI: Soon consumers will find bills coming to them for using cable TV service. And the message will be reaching them loud and clear through a print campaign that was launched today in the New Delhi edition of The Times of India and Navbharat Times. The print campaign which aims at educating consumers of monthly billing reads: “Attention Digital Cable TV subscribers- Now pay as per your selected channel pack. Get a cable TV bill from your MSO every month starting December 2013.”

    The campaign is an initiative of the multi-system operator (MSO) Alliance that comprises national players: DEN Networks, Hathway Cable & Datacom, Siti Digital Cable Television and InCableNet. The MSO Alliance also has announced that the subscribers who have got a set top box (STB), submitted the ‘Know-Your-Client’ details and channel package selection, will get a bill for their cable TV service every month. The first bill will be generated for the month of November. The new facility has been introduced in keeping with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) regulation on starting gross billing from December.    

    “This move is important as it will ensure that there are no additional or random charges levied on the subscribers. Our viewers will thus pay only for what they watch and they must insist on a bill from their local cable operator or MSO at the time of monthly payment,” said MSO Alliance secretary and DEN Networks CEO S.N Sharma. 

    As per the TRAI regulations, subscribers will get 15 days from the date of the bill to make their payment. In case the subscriber fails to make the payment after the expiry of the due date of payment, the MSO or the affiliate LCO has the right to charge interest on the outstanding amount.

    The Union Government and the TRAI had rolled out a four-phased plan for digitisation of cable TV across India early last year. Phases I & II of this process covering Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and 38 other major cities have already been completed. According to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, over 26 million STBs were installed in these cities, over 70 per cent of which were by digital cable companies.

  • MSO InCableNet gets Rs 300 crore cash infusion

    MSO InCableNet gets Rs 300 crore cash infusion

    MUMBAI: The folks at the Hinduja group-owned cable TV MSO InCableNet and InDigital must be a happy bunch. The reason:  Grant Investrade Limited (GIL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Hinduja Ventures, has decided to invest Rs 300 crore in the cable distribution business managed by InCableNet and InDigital in India.

    The capital infusion, according to a press note released by the company, is happening to take advantage of opportunities government mandated digitisation of cable TV.

    “Phase I and phase II of the Digital Addressable System (DAS) have already been completed and several consolidation opportunities are coming up. The capital will be used to expand the digital base of IMCL and to improve customer services,” said the release.

    Hinduja Ventures director Ashok Mansukhani when contacted said, “The purpose of promoter infusion through GIL is to help IMCL stabilise phase I and II which has completed set top box installations. It is up to IMCL management to also grow in new geographies for phase III and IV which are due to be digitalised by 31 December, 2014 either organically or inorganically.”

    The investment has come in at a time when there is a lot of buzz on whether the MSO is in the running to acquire or partner the Kolkata-based MSO Manthan Broadband. Unwilling to confirm or deny anything Mansukhani said, “There are of course plans to expand our geographical presence. Kolkata is an interesting city to venture into, but nothing as of now has materialised.”

    He further added, “We already have 22 joint ventures and would obviously like to expand. These things keep happening in the cable TV business.”

    The infusion of cash couldn’t have been more timely. Industry observers have been watching closely waiting for the MSO to get active.

  • InCablenet to deploy Entropic’s STB SoC technology

    InCablenet to deploy Entropic’s STB SoC technology

    MUMBAI: India‘s leading cable multi-system operator (MSO) InCablenet has deployed Entropic‘s set top box (STB) system-on-a-chip (SoC) technology, the CX2448x.

    The deployment of Entropic‘s STB SoC will enable advanced digital broadcast and broadband services to the 8.5 million cable-connected TV homes InCablenet serves across India.

    The partnership with Entropic will allow InCablenet to gain access to a state-of-the-art solution with advanced features such as DVR capability that will give them a competitive edge throughout the digitization transition.

    "India‘s cable TV market is poised for a broad network upgrade to provide compelling, interactive and affordable digital services to more than 130 million subscribers," said IMCL MD Ravi Mansukhani.

    "This opportunity has led us to strategic partners like Entropic, who have a reputable local presence with Standard-Definition SoCs, can minimize new product time-to-market with pre-established Conditional Access relationships, and can help us increase revenue by enabling value-added digitization services."

    "Given the ‘analog sunset‘ timeframe and the number of potential set-top boxes to be deployed, we worked closely with Entropic to customize a silicon solution for InCablenet‘s client devices," said Novabase Digital TV MD Michael Pauli.

    "Our set-top boxes leverage Entropic‘s advanced silicon and software, which allowed us to focus on delivering a product-to-market quickly while ensuring flexibility, functionality, and cost optimization all remained high priorities."

    The Entropic SoC had several security features including advanced Conditional Access (CA) integration with Nagra for protection against piracy; an advanced one-time-programmable (OTP) memory technology to personalize individual STBs with unique serial numbers and encryption keys; and uses embedded cryptographic technology for secure authentication of any STB system software loaded into the Flash memory.

  • ET Now launches on 22 June

    ET Now launches on 22 June

    MUMBAI: ET Now, the English business news channel from Times Global Broadcasting Pvt ltd (TGBPL), will officially launch on 22 June.

    The channel, which witnessed soft launch on 17 June, has already signed up with major multi-system operators (MSOs) for distribution on their cable networks.

    TGBPL CEO Chintamani Rao confirmed the news to Indiantelevision.com and said that the distribution is in place. However, he refused to divulge more details ahead of the launch.

    ET Now will be pumping in Rs 400-500 million as carriage fee, according to multiple sources in the cable industry. The channel has signed up with MSOs such as Hathway Cable & Datacom, Incablenet and Den.

    “In networks where Times Now is negotiating for renewals, ET Now is yet to sign carriage deals. In Mumbai and Delhi, ET Now is looking for a place close to rival channel CNBC-TV18,” the CEO of a leading MSO told Indiantelevision.com.

    Another industry source said that ET Now would be spending for carriage on DTH unlike most of the other news channels who had launched earlier. “Leading DTH operators Tata Sky and Dish TV are asking for carriage,” he added.

    Indiantelevision.com had reported first that ET Now would be launching in the June 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.

  • Trai not for mandated Cas in rest of India

    Trai not for mandated Cas in rest of India

     MUMBAI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) feels Cas (conditional access system) should roll out voluntarily rather than be mandated in other parts of the country.

    “We may think of mandatory Cas for the larger metros but in other parts of the country it may not be the best way forward. We haven’t, though, made up our mind on this. We have constituted a small group representing all the stakeholders to suggest on how to take voluntary Cas forward. We realise that Cas has gained momentum and wouldn’t like to miss on that opportunity,” said Trai advisor M C Chaube while speaking at a workshop on “Cas and Digital CATV,” organised by Satellite & Cable TV (SCaT) magazine in Mumbai.

    With some cable operators continuing to transmit unencrypted signals in the Cas areas, the broadcast and cable sector regulator intends to come down heavily on them.

    “We are aware that there are still slippages and there are complaints that encryption have not taken place in some areas. We are going to take action against this as it is at the core of Cas,” said Chaube.

    Reacting to a suggestion from the three multi-system operators (Wire & Wireless India Ltd, Hathway Cable & Datacom and Incablenet) that Cas should be opened up to the other areas of Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata by April, Chaube said the process needed a certain run-up time. “Cas is not just about three MSOs. The smaller MSOs should be given time to prepare for laying out the digital infrastructure. Consolidation is bound to happen as digitalisation requires deep pockets, but as a regulator we shouldn’t have such a time frame in mind that makes it difficult for the smaller MSOs,” he added.

    Trai would relook at such areas like pricing and a la carte issues in the middle of this year. “We are going to revisit at some of these decisions and take a call whether appropriate adjustments are needed. We would be examining such issues as similar pricing for all genres of channels, a la carte offerings and Rs 77 on free-to-air (FTA) channels,” Chaube said.

    The seeding of set-top boxes (STBs) would touch 500000 in a week’s time out of an estimated cable and satellite home of 1.2 million in the Cas belt. “The average penetration would be 40 per cent. Kolkata is seeing slow offtake because regional channels are popular and they are in FTA mode. Our aim is not to see that boxes are sold but to offer consumers choice through Cas,” Chaube clarified. The penetration percentage though will be clearer when figures are available on the number of homes that have more than one TV sets.

    The next stage of progress would be when consumer forms return to the MSOs and they are fed into the subscriber management system (SMS).

    In case of voluntary Cas, the crucial element was for the broadcasters and MSOs to enter into commercial agreements, he added.

    In a panel discussion, WWIL MD Jagjit Kohli pointed out that Trai should come out with some regulatory framework to facilitate voluntary Cas and Headend-In-The-Sky (HITS). “Broadcasters may not support voluntary Cas. So it would be essential for Trai to define some rules as the momentum for digitalisation should not be lost,” he added.

    Hathway Cable & Datacom MD and CEO K Jayaraman pointed out that cable operators in non Cas areas should be ready to adopt digitalisation which has grown much faster in India than what was being initially preicted.

    Incablenet head Ravi Mansukhani said the seeding process has been successful and the next step for MSOs would be to stop free access of pay channels in phases.

  • Incablenet announces Rs 1500 STB scheme with free subscription for six months

    Incablenet announces Rs 1500 STB scheme with free subscription for six months

    MUMBAI: The price war is on. Hinduja-owned Incablenet announced its bouquet options to subscribers in the Cas (conditional access system) areas of Mumbai and Delhi, retaliating against rival offers from direct-to-home (DTH) service providers and other multi-system operators (MSOs).

    Subscribers can own their digital set-top box (STB) at Rs 1500 (plus taxes) and will be provided free cable TV subscription for six months on three bouquet packages. Incidentally, DTH operator Tata Sky has come out with an offer in Cas areas of free subscription for six months if customers book during the period 28 December-10 January.

    For those who want Incablenet’s Sitara (Star) package, 18 pay channels will be available including all the 12 Star India distributed channels. Besides CNBC TV18, CNBC Awaaz, CNN-IBN and BBC, customers will have the liberty to choose a single channel each from the Zee-Turner and SET-Discovery bouquets.

    In the Sona (Gold) package, Incablenet is offering 20 channels. This includes 13 Sony channels, CNN-IBN, CNBC TV18, CNBC Awaaz and two channels each from the Zee-Turner and Star bouquets.

    The Zabardast scheme has on offer 35 channels which include 33 Zee channels. Sunscribers can also choose a single channel each from the Sony and Star bouquets.

    Neither of the three packages have sports channels included in them. “We are offering consumers total choice from all the three distribution platorms. They can select a Star-loaded or Sony or Zee package. We have covered all the categories and consumers can plan their monthly cable bills,” said IndusInd Media and Communications Ltd director-in-charge Ravi Mansukhani.

    Wire & Wireless Ltd (WWIL) has on offer outright purchase of STBs for Rs 1800 inclusive of a one-year subscription for 33 channels. These include a load of Zee-Turner and SET-Discovery distributed channels like Zee TV, Zee Cinema, Zee Smile, Zee News, Zee Trendz, Zee Jagran, Sony, Discovery, Animal Planet, Animax, Pix, Sab and MTV. Only Star Plus from the Star bouquet is being offered. BBC, CNBC TV18, CNBC Awaaz and Cartoon Network are also available in this package.

    “We have a complete package including the regional channels. In Mumbai we are offering Zee Marathi while in Delhi it is Zee Punjabi and in Kolkata Zee Bangla. ETV Urdu and ETV Telugu are also available while consumers have a choice to take any other ETV channel of their choice. For Mumbai, ETV Marathi is free,” said WWIL CEO Jagjit Kohli.

    Under the STB rental scheme, Incablenet is offering the Optimiser package at Rs 120 which will have the Star and Sony bouquets. For the second TV set, the subscription is Rs 55.

    In the Super Saver scheme, the Star, Sony and Zee bouquets are available at a price of Rs 190. The second TV set will be priced at Rs 100.

    Subscribers do not have to pay a deposit amount on the Rs 45 rental scheme, Mansukhani said.

    Hathway Cable & Datacom has not come out with an outright purchase scheme for the STBs. Neither has the MSO included the Zee-Turner channels in its packages. “We haven’t decided yet on the STB purchase scheme. As for the Zee channels, once we arrive at a settlement with them, we will be creating a new package,” said Hathway Cable & Datacom MD and CEO K Jayaraman.

  • 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.

  • Zee Sports-MSO tussle to deny cricket to Mumbaikars

    Zee Sports-MSO tussle to deny cricket to Mumbaikars

    MUMBAI: Looks like cricket fans in Mumbai will be unable to watch the India-Australia match on Saturday with Zee Sports and the major Mumbai multi-system operators (MSOs) continuing to take a hard stance.

    Even Incablenet’s plea filed in the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) for restoration of signals was rejected today.

    “Since Incablenet was unwilling to sign the subscription agreement, TDSAT rejected the operator’s plea for interim relief. The next hearing of the case is scheduled for 19 September by which time if an agreement has not been reached between the two parties, then the court will take a decision,” Zee Turner said in a release.

    Incablenet’s argument was that Zee Sports had not served a 21-day notice before blacking out the signals, as required by a regulation prescribed by the Telecom regulatory Authority of India (Trai). The MSO also wanted restoration of the signals as the disconnection was patently illegal.

    “Zee Turner also offered a bulk discount to Incablenet but this was also rejected by the MSO,” the company said.

    The TDSAT has asked Zee Turner to file its reply on Monday following which the next hearing of the case would be on Tuesday.

    “We cannot allow our signals on any of the networks that have not signed the subscription agreement with us, especially since a majority of the country has already signed and is watching the tri-series. Zee Sports has been a pay channel since June 2005 and we have spent a substantial amount of money in acquiring the rights of the DLF Cup tri-series. We have the right to demand subscription fees,” says Zee Turner CEO Arun Poddar.

    “The operators that have already signed the agreement will continue to get the signals for Zee Sports,” Poddar adds. The sports channel, for instance, is on Seven Star, which operates in the western suburbs of Mumbai.

    Zee Sports was made available to viewers in Mumbai for the India-West Indies cricket match yesterday but was once again blacked out from the major cable networks in the evening.

    Sources say the cable operators were willing to sign up for a 10 per cent declaration of Zee Turner’s first bouquet. But this was not acceptable to Zee Turner, the company which distributes a bouquet of channels including Zee Sports.

    Zee Sports has the exclusive telecast rights for the DLF Cup between India, Australia and West Indies. The tri-series will last till 24 September.

  • Zee Sports yet to sign up with Mumbai’s major MSOs

    Zee Sports yet to sign up with Mumbai’s major MSOs

    MUMBAI: Zee Sports, which was available to viewers in Mumbai for the India-West Indies cricket match, is once again blacked out from the major cable networks in Mumbai today evening.

    “Major operators in Mumbai have still not reached an agreement for continuation of signals for the sports channel. Since the operators are being stubborn and are not agreeing to sign the agreement, we are being compelled to switch off the channel on defaulting networks,” says Zee Turner CEO Arun Poddar.

    Counters Cable Operators and Distributors Association (CODA) vice-president Ravi Singh, “If we have not signed the agreement, how can we be turned as defaulters? Zee Sports is asking us to pay for an unreasonable subscriber base.”

    Zee Turner had restored the signals of Zee Sports channel early in the day on assurance from MSOs like Hathway Cable & Datacom and Incablenet that they would be signing the pay channel agreement in Mumbai.

    In a meeting with major operators held in Mumbai, the operators had to discuss and sign the pay channel subscription agreement and had requested Zee Turner to allow the signals for today’s India-West Indies match. Considering the request from cable operators, Zee Turner had allowed the signals of Zee Sports to these networks in Mumbai, says Poddar. “The operators that have already signed the agreement will continue to get the signals for rest of the matches on Zee Sports,” he adds.

    CODA had an internal meeting in the afternoon but could not agree to Zee Sports demand. “The channel does not have telecast rights to any major event after this. If we can withstand the pressure over the next few days, we needn’t yield to their demands,” says a CODA member. The DLF tri-series will last till 24 September.

    Zee Sports, which has bought the telecast rights from BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) for cricket matches to be played by India in non cricket playing countries over the next five years, will be showing the India-Australia match on Saturday.

    The channel, however, is back on cable networks in Pune after the Pune District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum directed Zee Sports to restore the signals till further hearings on 21 September. “We have restored the signals in Pune following the order. The next hearing comes up on 21 September,” a Zee Turner spokesperson confirms.

    Zee Sports is also available in Chennai as SCV signed a commercial agreement with the channel for the conditional access system (CAS) market. The channel, however, is blacked out in other parts of Tamil Nadu where SCV has not signed up.