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Tag: IndiaCast

  • IndiaCast to launch Colors on Africa’s DStv in October

    IndiaCast to launch Colors on Africa’s DStv in October

    MUMBAI: IndiaCast is all set to launch Viacom18’s Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) Colors in Africa through its partnership with MultiChoice. 

     

    Colors, which is present in more than 135 countries, will be available to DStv Indian customers in South Africa from 15 October, 2015. The channel will reach out to Indian viewers in 13 countries including South Africa, Bostwana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Namibia, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Angola, Lesotho, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Zanzibar.

     

    Colors CEO Raj Nayak said, “In the seven years since it first launched, Colors has been a game changer in the television industry with path-breaking content that has appealed to viewer sensibilities. As the channel launches on DStv in Africa, the channel’s global penetration in more than 135 markets, with shows syndicated in over 100 markets, further reinforces our belief in our offerings and ability to match viewing preferences of our audiences.”

     

    IndiaCast group CEO Anuj Gandhi added, “At IndiaCast, it is our endeavour to present South Asian viewers across the world with quality Hindi entertainment avenues bringing a taste of Indian culture and values to their fingertips. Our association with MultiChoice is a partnership which enables us to further expand our footprint within Africa and keep viewers entertained through our varied offerings. We are happy to be able to reach out to DStv customers with content from the Colors library and look forward to reaching out to more viewers in Africa as our relationship with the network strengthens.”

     

    IndiaCast Middle East & Africa business head Sachin Gokhale said, “We are very excited to grow our presence in Africa through our partnership with MultiChoice. Brand Colors is already known by all South Asian diaspora worldwide for its innovative content, clutter breaking marketing and local connect. We are well aware that DStv customers are a discerning lot, given that they are well exposed to the best of global content, and we now look forward to ensuring that Colors exceeds their expectations, delights them and becomes a meaningful part of their lives.”

  • Disney India terminates distribution agreement with IndiaCast

    Disney India terminates distribution agreement with IndiaCast

    MUMBAI: Disney India has terminated its agency contract with IndiaCast Media Distribution, and has set up an internal team to manage the distribution for all eight of its channels.

     

    The channels under the company are Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, Hungama TV, bindass, bindass PLAY, UTV Movies and UTV Action.

     

    All subscription and placement deals will now be done directly by its internal team with all platforms.

     

    “With the No.1 kids network, the No.1 youth network and one of the leading movie channel networks in the country, Disney India provides an exciting and diverse mix of high quality content for kids, youth and family audiences. Today’s dynamic distribution market and increasing pace of digitisation provides us with a huge opportunity for growth and scale. With a robust internal distribution team now in place, we believe we can drive significant value and further strengthen our already well-established relationships with MSOs, DTH Platforms and distribution partners,” said Disney India VP and head – revenues, media networks Nikhil Gandhi.

     

    It can be noted IndiaCast had filed a case against Disney India with The Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) for wrongful termination on 28 July, 2015. TDSAT, on the other hand disqualified the case and asked IndiaCast to withdraw the case in 24 hours or it would dismiss it on 29 July. IndiaCast asked for an extension of another 24 hours to discuss and today (31 July), the case has been dismissed as withdrawn.

  • MTV India hops on to Hong Kong’s now TV platform

    MTV India hops on to Hong Kong’s now TV platform

    MUMBAI: Starting June, youth entertainment channel MTV India has hopped on to now TV in Hong Kong. Now TV is one of the world’s largest commercial deployments of IPTV and Hong Kong’s largest pay TV provider. It offers a wide range of local and international content on its platform in Hong Kong.

     

    MTV India EVP and business head Aditya Swamy said, “It is extremely exciting for MTV India to enter Hong Kong with now TV. Being the universe of the young, we have never been boxed by geographical boundaries. Our service goes to over 35 countries, broadcasting a heady dose of our local pop culture.  The catchy Bollywood tunes, our original music productions and our super hit reality and drama series will entertain young people across varied cultural backgrounds bringing them together in their love for all things MTV.”

     

    IndiaCast group COO Gaurav Gandhi added, “With the launch of MTV India on now TV, we have further strengthened our relationship with the platform. Together, we look forward to providing the very best of South Asian Entertainment to the diaspora in Hong Kong. This launch increases MTV India’s international footprint to 50 countries as the channel continues to entertain global audiences through its unique offerings including original music programming, Bollywood music and successful fiction and non-fiction format shows targeted to the youth.”

     

    Pay TV PCCW’s executive vice Loke Kheng Tham said, “now TV is Hong Kong’s largest pay-TV provider, offering more than 190 top-class channels to our 1.2 million customers. Adding MTV India to our lineup further demonstrates now TV’s commitment to providing all customers with a wide range of program choices. Indians in Hong Kong can now watch their favorite shows exclusively on now TV as part of the Indian Pack.”

     

    Currently, MTV India is available in 49 countries including the US, Australia, New Zealand, UAE, Nigeria, Thailand, Trinidad & Tobago, Singapore among others.

  • Viacom 18 launches HD feed of Aapka Colors in US

    Viacom 18 launches HD feed of Aapka Colors in US

    MUMBAI: Viacom 18 has launched the high definition (HD) feed of its channel Aapka Colors in the US.

     

    The channel will be available to viewers from 3 June, 2015 on US pay-TV provider Dish and on Sling International.

     

    Currently, the channel’s SD feed is available to subscribers of multiple MVPDs including Dish, Sling TV, AT&T, RCN and Verizon Fios among others. The introduction of the HD feed offers Dish and Sling subscribers all current content of Aapka Colors with an even more immersive viewing experience – clearer picture and superior sound.

     

    IndiaCast group COO Gaurav Gandhi said, “With the launch the HD service of Aapka Colors on Dish and Sling, we further enhance our offering on those platforms. We at Viacom 18 and IndiaCast, strive to bring the best of Indian entertainment to the South Asian diaspora around the globe. The fact that US will be the first market after India where we will launch the HD service of the channel demonstrates our commitment and focus towards the market. Together with Dish and Sling, we look forward to offering a truly world class viewing experience to our audiences who have contributed phenomenally to the growth of our business in the US.”

     

    On the communication approach to promote the launch of the HD feed, IndiaCast US operations head Sameer Goswami added, “Aapka Colors enjoys high resonance with the South Asian diaspora in the US and the launch of the HD feed of the channel will further help the brand to get even more entrenched with the local viewers in the region. We will leverage the reach of popular mass media, social platforms, along with in-cinema and out-of-home promotions for the launch of Aapka Colors HD.”

     

    Dish and Sling SVP – international programming Chris Kuelling added, “We are proud to be the first pay-TV provider in the US to deliver Aapka Colors in HD, giving our customers an enhanced viewing experience and delivering on our ongoing commitment to provide high quality, affordable entertainment that connects viewers to their culture.  And with Sling, viewers will be able to access Aapka Colors in HD on almost any device including IOS, Android, Roku, Xbox, Amazon Fire and more.”

  • OTT, video apps can work progressively with cable & satellite platforms

    OTT, video apps can work progressively with cable & satellite platforms

    MUMBAI: The market for Over The Top (OTT) services has been rapidly growing in the United States. However, can the same model be adopted for the Indian market? That was the key question asked at a discussion at FICCI Frames 2015 on the topic – ‘Clash of the Walled Gardens: OTT and Video apps versus cable and satellite.’

     

    Joining the panel were Zenga TV founder and CEO Shabbir Momin, DGive director and CEO GD Singh, IndiaCast group COO Gaurav Gandhi, Videocon d2h CEO Anil Khera, Eros Digital COO Karan Bedi, Hungama.com CEO and Hungama Digital COO Siddhartha Roy and Hinduja Ventures whole time director Ashok Mansukhani. The session was moderated by Whats ON chief executive officer Atul Phadnis.

     

    Sharing some insights from the US market, Gracenote general manager – video Richard Cusick said that according to a study conducted by the company, nearly 50 per cent of the US broadband households used OTT video services. Young viewers were particularly driving the change as 18 to 24 year olds watched less than half as much traditional TV as 50 to 64 year olds. “Netflix for example has 57 million subscribers worldwide and is a top OTT service provider,” he said.

     

    Cusick said the study increasingly found that networks and studios were resorting to unbundling to single channels as well as live TV bundles. “In such a scenario, consumers benefit the most as great content is served to them,” he said.

     

    The question posed to panelists was whether the US implications were similar to that of India and if cable and DTH operators were changing the landscape? Gandhi felt that the implications were not similar to the Indian market because channel specific models like HBO were not available in India. “As a content broadcaster or distributor, the US markets are very clear that they will follow a proper pay model. Here it is still very disruptive,” he opined.

     

    Moving to the experience of launching an OTT in India, DGive’s Singh said that while they still struggled to generate the right revenues, they did in fact receive 25 million downloads. He said when his company approached someone from the US for guidance for the company’s growth charter in India, the executive told him, “If you’re buying content, you cannot give it for free to audiences.” That was a major learning from the US market.

     

    On the content front, Singh said that currently the company had 30 per cent of its content set under the pay wall, which was premium content. “We sell our service for $1 per month per subscriber. We have a million users paying us since we are screen, operator and consumer agnostic. We are looking at breaking even in the next seven to 10 months.”

     

    Sharing his experience, Momin said that Zenga TV had started in 2009 and he was happy with the response from users. “What was surprising in the initial stages was that we saw response patterns coming in from Tier II cities. We now have 20 to 22 million active users per month and have been profitable for the last three years,” he informed. The company also launched a show called India’s Digital Super Star on its platform, which sold sponsorship slots.

     

    Bedi opined that Eros Digital had 14 million active users, wherein the company followed a transactional as well free model that catered to Indian audiences as well as NRIs. “Some key points for our industry is that we will take a leap; a steroid growth will be seen. Two, revenue models like ad dependent, subscription based, free as well as paid will have to work in tandem,” he said.

     

    The true value of the customer in the coming years will move towards mobile screen consumption, informed Roy.

     

    Speaking from the perspective of a direct to home (DTH) operator, Khera was of the opinion that while OTT players may have a million plus subscribers, the content from OTT was for second screen consumption. Technology like 4K is only for television. On a lighter note, he added, “India gets entertained heads up and not heads down.”

     

    Mansukhani too had a similar opinion. According to him, being an old cable company didn’t mean being out of date. He said that they too provided pay channels on a pre-paid model. “Most Indian homes today use multiple screens. It doesn’t matter who wins. There is space for all as content is being consumed via tablets, mobiles as well as television.”

     

    Mansukhani went on to compliment Star India’s Hotstar app saying that it was a fantastic proposition.

     

    “As a businessman, I am interested in exploring various opportunities but I’m worried about providing free content as high content cost is not justified in providing the content without a price tag. I am against giving free content on OTT,” Khera opined. He also hinted at Videocon d2h entering the OTT space but refused to give any details.

     

    Speaking on the challenges of the OTT space, Roy said that for them to benefit from the digital advertising pie, the pie itself should grow in order for profits to trickle in.

     

    The notion that OTT platforms are for free should be broken. “OTT is about the bundle and there is no choice if one has to pay or not. Cable companies are our allies as they provide us pipes for distribution,” Bedi said.

     

    Having the last word, Mansukhani said that all stakeholders should come together and ask customers on the kind of content and pricing for platforms. The profits could then be shared, he suggested.

     

    In conclusion, the panelists agreed that the three key challenges were cash flow, content windowing and specific business models.

  • Colors syndicates ‘Farah Ki Daawat’ to Pakistan’s TV One

    Colors syndicates ‘Farah Ki Daawat’ to Pakistan’s TV One

    MUMBAI: IndiaCast and Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC), Colors have inked a syndication deal for Farah Ki Daawat to Pakistan’s GEC – TV One. With the syndication of this show, 12 Colors programs now air in Pakistan.

     

    Colors CEO Raj Nayak said that entertainment is at the very core of every initiative it undertakes. “The syndication of Farah Ki Daawat to Pakistan boosts our confidence in going beyond the norm to create differentiated content that appeals to viewers not only in India but across the world,” he added.

     

    IndiaCast COO Gaurav Gandhi said, “The content on Colors is a great proposition for international viewers, especially within the Indian sub-continent. It has been our constant endeavor to present the best of Indian entertainment to viewers across the world and this syndication deal with Pakistan’s TV One furthers this promise. We are pleased to present the audience in Pakistan with a unique concept like Farah Ki Daawat for their weekend viewing.”

     

    The show was launched in India on 22 February, 2015 with an episode featuring Abhishek Bachchan and guest Sargun Mehta. The show had received positive feedback from viewers across social media platforms.

     

    Khan said, “I am thrilled by the feedback that viewers have showered Farah Ki Daawat with. The show is gaining popularity and, across various social platforms, viewers are commenting about the ease with which they have been able to replicate the recipes in their own kitchens. Farah Ki Daawat’s syndication to Pakistan’s TV One, gives me the unique opportunity to reach out to Bollywood fans and food lovers across the border.”

  • Star’s RIO approach should form template for other broadcasters: MPA

    Star’s RIO approach should form template for other broadcasters: MPA

    MUMBAI: Leading broadcaster Star India’s move towards a more transparent and uniform template for distribution deals with cable multi-system operators (MSOs) should form a template for other major broadcast groups (i.e. Zee, Network 18 / IndiaCast, Discovery) to follow over 2015.

    According to a report released by Media Partners Asia (MPA), over the next few months, all eyes will be on the MSO’s readiness to rollout channel packages and related consumer acceptance of price increases as well as potential churn to DTH.
    Also critical will be the rollout of prepaid services for legitimate pass through of subscription revenues to MSOs and broadcasters. “If executed successfully, these new mechanisms will help bring in long-awaited addressability across the cable industry, reduce dependence on carriage fees while also drive ARPU growth to improve economics for all industry stakeholders,” the MPA reports says.

    Star’s decision of providing channels on Reference Interconnect Offer (RIO) came after the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) came up with its regulation to unbundle channel aggregators, which further raised the prospect of a level playing field between broadcasters and distributors.

    The unbundling of aggregators, according to MPA, exposed platforms favoured by vertically aligned broadcasters, thereby bringing to the fore the disparity of content costs amongst operators.

    In the midst of the dissolution of top channel aggregator MediaPro in April 2014, major MSO Hathway levied a charge of disparate pricing by MediaPro in DAS (Digital Addressable System) markets, offering favourable channel rates to Den, which had an effective 25 per cent stake in MediaPro, as well as Siti Cable, a sister concern of the Zee group. “Hathway, despite having more digital subscribers in DAS markets than both Den and Siti Cable was asked to pay a ~15 per cent higher cost per sub or CPS (at Rs 35 per sub per month) for MediaPro channels,” the report reveals.

    Hathway referred the matter to Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT), claiming a refund of Rs 700 million from MediaPro.

    It was In November that Hathway, which had been receiving channels from Zee on a RIO basis, settled with Zee and signed a CPS-based agreement.

    Star, however, to bridge the divide on disparate pricing for operators, subsequently filed an affidavit making all its channels (including sports channels) available only at RIO rates. And since 10 November, all Star channels have been available, on a RIO basis, for cable operators.

    Implications of Star’s distribution strategy for DAS markets

    According to MPA, Star’s filed RIO rates are steep and are not reflective of the actual fees collected from subscribers. As a result of this Star rolled out an incentive scheme (based on number of channels carried, logical channel number and channel penetration) for MSOs. “The existing DAS markets remain characterised by an absence of tiers and limited addressability to monetise on subscription income; therefore, MSO dependence on carriage in these markets remains high,” says the report.

    As per MPA, Star’s “RIO-only but incentivised distribution approach” is a bold step as it deprives cable operators of carriage fees. “In addition, we expect Star’s content cost for all MSOs to increase by at least 15-20 per cent, at a minimum. Therefore, in order to absorb the increase in net content costs and benefit from available price incentives, MSOs have been forced to introduce tiering and implement rate hikes in DAS markets,” highlights the report.

     

  • Viacom18 rings in the festive season with ‘Rishtey’ in US & Canada markets

    Viacom18 rings in the festive season with ‘Rishtey’ in US & Canada markets

    MUMBAI: After its successful launch in the UK and India, Viacom18 and IndiaCast announce the launch of the Hindi general entertainment channel ‘Rishtey’ in the US and Canada. Adding the festive fervor for viewers in the region, Rishtey is now available to the US audiences on Dish and Dishworld on channel 699 and to Canada viewers on Rogers Cable on channel 924. As Viacom18’s second general entertainment channel, Rishtey is geared to offer an engaging mix of exciting shows, movies and entertainment from a wide spectrum of genres.

     

    With seven channels already available in North America, IndiaCast currently has a comprehensive portfolio of brands in the region that covers a wide range of entertainment offerings. Rishtey is the eighth channel in the region and will be available on a paid subscription format. With the launch of the Rishtey on Dish and Dishworld, the channel will now be available to around 160K households in the US.

     

    Commenting on Rishtey’s foray into the US & Canada, Gaurav Gandhi – Group COO IndiaCast said, “US and Canada are the most important international markets for South Asian entertainment and we are delighted to launch our second Hindi entertainment channel, Rishtey, in this region.  Our flagship brand Aapka COLORS has seen unprecedented success in the region over the last 4 years. With the launch of Rishtey, we address the audience’s need for variety entertainment and Rishtey will be the classic ‘family channel’ with something for everyone in the South Asian household. Over the last two years, the Rishtey, in its different avatars, has developed a strong foothold in the UK and in India and we are extremely confident that the brand will be a huge success here as well”

     

    Rishtey, for the North America region, is a customized Pay TV service that promises to engage viewers with a plethora of content ranging from scripted dramas from the subcontinent (both India & Pakistan), Indian Kids content, Youth programming, Lifestyle as well as Bollywood content.  The channel is a true variety entertainment service with “something for everyone” in the family.

  • Rahul Mishra to join IndiaCast as associate director for marketing

    Rahul Mishra to join IndiaCast as associate director for marketing

    MUMBAI: IndiaCast that distributes TV18 and Viacom18’s channels in India and abroad has roped in Rahul Mishra as associate director for marketing.

     

    Confirming the news to indiantelevision.com, Mishra said that his role will encompass handling trade marketing for domestic channels and consumers as well as trade marketing for its international channels such as Colors, Rishtey and News18. He will join IndiaCast from November and is currently serving his notice period at BBC.

     

    Mishra joins IndiaCast from BBC World News where he had a successful stint of nearly eight years as Asia Pacific marketing manager. Prior to that, he was with WorldSpace India as manager for north and has worked for the sales and marketing teams of Hyatt and Le Meridien Hotels and Resorts.

  • IDOS 2014: Trust amongst stakeholders holds the key to increasing ARPUs

    IDOS 2014: Trust amongst stakeholders holds the key to increasing ARPUs

    GOA: The broadcasters, multi system operators (MSOs) and the local cable operators (LCOs) need to trust each other to solve most of the issues that affect the cable TV industry. While the dialogue between the trio has begun, there is still lack of trust and this has to change, is what the industry stalwarts expressed at the ongoing India Digital Operators Summit (IDOS) 2014, organised by Indian Television Dot Com and Media Partners Asia.

     

    “The current reality is that the players within the chain have at least started talking to each other, which was missing earlier. So with digitisation, this is one of the most positive moves that has happened,” says IndiaCast CEO Anuj Gandhi. He also emphasises on the need for the MSOs to resolve the jigsaw puzzle with the LCOs to ensure better Average Revenue Per User (ARPU). “The MSOs need to get the LCOs on table and understand their issues,” he says while adding that the last mile needs to be seen as partners in the cycle.

     

    Agreeing with him was Hathway Cable and Datacom MD and CEO Jagdish Kumar, who feels that the last mile needs to get returns on the services he provides. “But that will need collective work. We need to grow the ARPUs from the current Rs 180 to Rs 250-Rs 300,” he says.

     

    For Siti Cable CEO VD Wadhwa, the reason for lack of trust lies in the history of cable television ecosystem. “Historically, the understanding has been that the last mile retains a large part of revenue. Now with digitisation, underdeclaration is not possible and so the LCO is suffering from fear psychosis that he will lose his subscribers,” he says.

     

    The Siti Cable CEO also feels that there is a need for MSOs to give the LCOs access to the SMS so that they can feel a certain ownership towards their customers. “There is a need for a policy which is well documented, transparent and honoured,” he adds.  

     

    From the time government announced digitisation of cable TV homes, it is the regulations and the courts that have been driving the business. “Let’s not get the regulator involved in areas where we can resolve the issues. We need to put together a commercial document which is uniform across,” opines Star India president and general counsel Deepak Jacob.

     

    One of the biggest concerns for the stakeholders is increasing the currently low ARPU. “The DTH industry has done well on this front. While we started with Rs 150 in 2008, we have gone up to Rs 200-Rs 220 in phase III and phase IV markets, where the cable industry still has a ARPU of Rs 150,” informs Videocon d2h CEO Anil Khera. He also feels that the cable industry cannot have different rates for different markets.

     

    The DTH industry faces a huge threat from Freedish, which is becoming a great proposition in phase III and phase IV. “I see more threat from Freedish, if the platform gets the general entertainment channels onboard. According to me, all these channels should be made ‘pay’ on Freedish as well,” opines Khera.

     

    While talking of the threats the industry currently faces, Jacob also highlights the threat that comes from state governments playing a role in the content and distribution market. “The Tamil Nadu and Punjab markets are pretty much locked because of the monopoly of the state government in the region. The disease is growing, with more states looking at the same. We should ask the government to implement recommendations to curb this,” he says.

     

    Another point discussed during the session on ‘Unity and the way forward for the next five years’ was if the DTH operators have an opportunity in phase III and phase IV markets with the extension of digitisation dates.  Says Dish TV CEO RC Venkateish, “DTH in phase I and II continued doing what it did when it had started. But phase III and IV is a different kettle of fish and so we at Dish launched Zing. The delay means loss in momentum.”

     

    Hathway is looking beyond cable in the phase III and IV markets. “We are looking at broadband as the margins from here are far higher than cable,” informs Kumar who says that while broadband currently is at 20 per cent, it will increase significantly in the future.

     

    As for increasing ARPUs, Gandhi suggests that there is need to look at the basic packs. “We need to work on making the basic pack light, so that consumers see value in the higher packs,” he says. According to him, the MSOs like the DTH operators should start getting into a multi-year or five year deals with broadcasters, rather than the one year deal that they have currently. “This will help him sort his content cost and also give them more confidence, which they can then pass on to the LCOs,” opines Gandhi.

     

    The MSOs have taken a lot of debt for digitising phase I and phase II. “Now when we approach the investors, we will need to have a roadmap for them to invest,” informs Kumar.

    Can phase III and phase IV be underestimated, answers Jacob, “We shouldn’t underestimate these two phases. The households in phase III spend close to Rs 300-Rs 350 on telecom and VAS services, while phase IV spends some Rs 250 on it. And these households are trying to watch all the content on their phone. So this is the matrix the cable TV industry should follow.”