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Tag: IndusInd Media and Communications Ltd

  • IMCL’s business continuity plan to ensure LCO safety during COVID-19 crisis

    IMCL’s business continuity plan to ensure LCO safety during COVID-19 crisis

    MUMBAI: Organisations across the globe and across sectors are re-orienting work procedures amid the COVID-19 pandemic as the crisis continues to escalate. While remote work is easier for a few organisations, the industries which demand on-ground work are facing tougher challenges; distributor platform operators (DPOs) come under this segment. IndusInd Media and Communications Ltd (IMCL), one of the major multi-system operators (MSO) in India, is stepping up its efforts through ‘Business Continuity Plan’ (BCP) to ensure the safety of the staff alongside smooth operation.

    IMCL CEO Vynsley Fernandes spoke about the BCP which was in place way before the pandemic kicked in. The plan applies to all the functions including sales, technical across regions and layered in three levels. Under L1, basic precautions would be taken and employees work under three shifts, each of eight hours. The L2 kicks in under a lockdown when certain functions are not able to perform; the operation then takes place in two shifts of 12 hours and employees coming to office get reduced to 33 per cent. In the extremely critical situation, L3 gets effective under which only very critical 2-3 per cent staff come to office and stay at the workplace for 24 hours; rest work from home. Moreover, the company puts into action all the digital mechanisms for collections from the cable operators at this level. IMCL is currently operating under L3.

    “LCOs have a concern that they don't want to allow the subscriber to make the payment transfer directly to us. And so, what we did was we tied up with EASEBUZZ and we got the LCOs to get money transferred from their subscribers to their accounts. The Central Action Team (CAT) gets on a video conference call in the morning at nine o'clock and in the evening at five o'clock every day. Every day, we talk to take stock of the situation, what action to take, how to keep our staff safe, and what procedures to put in place,” Fernandes added.

    How the business is running under current situation

    Fernandes said this plan is helping them keep the businesses ongoing in terms of renewal, subscription, collection and packages. LCOs are easily collecting money from customers. Moreover, IMCL has also circulated a number of materials to LCOs on how they can stay safe and keep customers safe. He added that they did the entire communication in 11 languages. He mentioned that when the crisis started about three weeks ago, they circulated the health guide at that time itself.

    “We shared with all our LCOs and we also asked them to share with their customers, because we wanted to make sure the safety as it is not just a business, it's also a moral duty. We made sure that we spread a lot of communication on how to stay safe,” he added.

    How is IMCL effectively communicating?

    As Fernandes said, it is communicating to the LCOs on WhatsApp because they are all connected to the IMCL team through this messaging app. IMCL also sent out letters and posters to the LCOs. Moreover, they are also connecting to the subscribers on TV itself. If a NXTDigital subscriber switches on the TV, he will get to see a lot of communications from the MSO on what precautions to take, what call centres to call up along with other details.

    “We've been very proactive on this, because we are dealing with the LCOs. We made sure that we got everything sorted out in the difficult time but also looked at how we can help our staff and LCOs as much as possible. We took whatever action we had to take that way,” he concluded. 

  • Hinduja Group media head Mansukhani spells out priorities

    Hinduja Group media head Mansukhani spells out priorities

    NEW DELHI: The new CEO  & MD of Hinduja Media Group Ashok Mansukhani, a veteran of Indian media industry, has already got his priorities etched out and expressed willingness to work along with all stakeholders of the sector for the overall growth and mutual benefits.

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, the bureaucrat-turned-corporate-executive Mansukhani said priorities included getting digital rollout of Indian TV services “back on track”, push for promotion of digitisation and increased education of consumers, explore how some of his cable segment colleagues could benefit from digitisation and last, but not the least, to work towards bringing other segments of the media and entertainment sector, including regulators and policy-makers, together so a conducive environment for a mature dialogue could be created.

    Indirectly admitting that digitisation had hit roadblocks in the last 12-18 months owing to several reasons, Mansukhani said while the third phase of digitisation is coming to an end, edges in the fourth and last phase need to be ironed out. “At the end of the day, it’s a matter of 73 million homes in small towns and hamlets in the last phase of digitisation and we cannot take the task lightly,” he explained.

    Mansukhani, a former Indian Revenue Service government official, has seen the Indian media industry (specifically the electronic medium) grow from staid Doordarshan days to the present vibrant — and possibly a bit chaotic — stage of evolution when the country has over 800 private sector licensed TV channels, several distribution platforms and approximately 50,000 cable operators. His stints at the pubcaster’s headquarters in New Delhi’s Mandi House area, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) and later in the private sector with the Hinduja Group, puts him in a unique position.

    According to Mansukhani, who now will be heading the media assets of the multi-billion dollar Hinduja Group, including MSO company IndusInd Media and Communications Ltd (IMCL) and the HITS venture, the Indian media and TV industry is at a critical stage of development and hinted increased litigation and face-off with the regulator and policy-makers could be detrimental  for the industry, which needs to come together to voice the genuine and common concerns of the industry.

    “I would also like to see and explore how we can help cable operator colleagues and others benefit from digitisation,” Mansukhani said, adding that a more concerted effort needs to be put in by stakeholders, including broadcasters, distribution platforms and the regulator, to educate consumers, especially those in small towns, about the long term benefit of digitisation despite the monthly outflow in subscription fee increasing a bit.

    “Consumer education is very important in general and especially for the fourth phase (of digitisation) homes. All of us need to support this education process as it would be beneficial for all stakeholders,” he said.

    Mansukhani comes in place of Tony D’Silva, who joined the Hinduja Group on 1 August 2012 as the president of Hinduja Ventures Limited and strategised the group’s media businesses. D’Silva had expressed a desire to demit office after completion of his contract on 31 January 2017 to pursue “other interests and spend more time with his family,” according to an official statement from the Hinduja Group.

    However, it needs to be seen how Mansukhani grows the comparatively new HITS business carried out under a separate group company, apart from tackling the challenges of IMCL, an MSO.

    ALSO READ:

    Ashok Mansukhani takes over as IMCL CEO & MD

    Distribution vet Tony D’silva departs from IMCL

  • Hinduja Group media head Mansukhani spells out priorities

    Hinduja Group media head Mansukhani spells out priorities

    NEW DELHI: The new CEO  & MD of Hinduja Media Group Ashok Mansukhani, a veteran of Indian media industry, has already got his priorities etched out and expressed willingness to work along with all stakeholders of the sector for the overall growth and mutual benefits.

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, the bureaucrat-turned-corporate-executive Mansukhani said priorities included getting digital rollout of Indian TV services “back on track”, push for promotion of digitisation and increased education of consumers, explore how some of his cable segment colleagues could benefit from digitisation and last, but not the least, to work towards bringing other segments of the media and entertainment sector, including regulators and policy-makers, together so a conducive environment for a mature dialogue could be created.

    Indirectly admitting that digitisation had hit roadblocks in the last 12-18 months owing to several reasons, Mansukhani said while the third phase of digitisation is coming to an end, edges in the fourth and last phase need to be ironed out. “At the end of the day, it’s a matter of 73 million homes in small towns and hamlets in the last phase of digitisation and we cannot take the task lightly,” he explained.

    Mansukhani, a former Indian Revenue Service government official, has seen the Indian media industry (specifically the electronic medium) grow from staid Doordarshan days to the present vibrant — and possibly a bit chaotic — stage of evolution when the country has over 800 private sector licensed TV channels, several distribution platforms and approximately 50,000 cable operators. His stints at the pubcaster’s headquarters in New Delhi’s Mandi House area, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) and later in the private sector with the Hinduja Group, puts him in a unique position.

    According to Mansukhani, who now will be heading the media assets of the multi-billion dollar Hinduja Group, including MSO company IndusInd Media and Communications Ltd (IMCL) and the HITS venture, the Indian media and TV industry is at a critical stage of development and hinted increased litigation and face-off with the regulator and policy-makers could be detrimental  for the industry, which needs to come together to voice the genuine and common concerns of the industry.

    “I would also like to see and explore how we can help cable operator colleagues and others benefit from digitisation,” Mansukhani said, adding that a more concerted effort needs to be put in by stakeholders, including broadcasters, distribution platforms and the regulator, to educate consumers, especially those in small towns, about the long term benefit of digitisation despite the monthly outflow in subscription fee increasing a bit.

    “Consumer education is very important in general and especially for the fourth phase (of digitisation) homes. All of us need to support this education process as it would be beneficial for all stakeholders,” he said.

    Mansukhani comes in place of Tony D’Silva, who joined the Hinduja Group on 1 August 2012 as the president of Hinduja Ventures Limited and strategised the group’s media businesses. D’Silva had expressed a desire to demit office after completion of his contract on 31 January 2017 to pursue “other interests and spend more time with his family,” according to an official statement from the Hinduja Group.

    However, it needs to be seen how Mansukhani grows the comparatively new HITS business carried out under a separate group company, apart from tackling the challenges of IMCL, an MSO.

    ALSO READ:

    Ashok Mansukhani takes over as IMCL CEO & MD

    Distribution vet Tony D’silva departs from IMCL

  • HTMT to prefer strategic investor in demerged media firm

    HTMT to prefer strategic investor in demerged media firm

    MUMBAI: Hinduja TMT has initiated talks and would prefer inducting a strategic rather than a private equity investor into its demerged media company.

    The possibility of roping in an investor would be only after the listing of the two entities. The demerger process is underway and a listing is expected by February-end after the restructuring process gets the necessary regulatory approvals.

    “We would prefer to go with a strategic rather than a private equity investor. We feel inputs from a strategic partner would give us a competitive edge,” said IndusInd Media and Communications Ltd (IMCL) director-in-charge Ravi Mansukhani.

    On being queried as to whether global major Liberty was in talks, Mansukhani said “there were a bunch of them” who were interested in India’s cable story. “All investors are waiting for conditional access system (Cas) to roll out before they come with definite valuations,” he added.

    Unlike Zee’s Wire & Wireless Ltd (WWIL) which is keen to acquire 51 per cent in cable networks, IndusInd Media and Communications Ltd (IMCL) is adopting a different business plan where it wants to partner rather than buy out operators.

    The Hinduja Group, which operates its cable TV business under Incablenet brand, is planning to offer cable TV operators a share in the demerged media company based on the subscribers they declare. No decision has been taken as to the exact ratio that would be on offer.

    “Our expansion plan includes offering shares in HTMT (after demerger) to operators as they form an integral part of our distribution chain. Our idea is to partner with the local cable operators rather than buy them out,” said Mansukhani.

    HTMT is unifying its media subsidiaries under one umbrella while spinning off its IT/ITES business into a separate entity. As part of the restructuring, In2Cable (subsidiary which is into broadband business) and InNetwork Entertainment (content) are being merged into IMCL (cable TV distribution under Incablenet brand). The parent company for the consolidated media business will be HTMT (an existing listed entity). The demerged IT/ITES entity will be listed under HTMT Technologies.