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  • Silver Lake and co-investors to invest additional Rs 4,546.80 crore in Jio Platforms

    Silver Lake and co-investors to invest additional Rs 4,546.80 crore in Jio Platforms

    Mumbai: Reliance Industries Limited and Jio Platforms Ltd has announced that Silver Lake and its co-investors will invest an additional Rs 4,546.80 crore in Jio Platforms, in addition to the Rs 5,655.75 crore of investment by Silver Lake announced on May 4, 2020. This brings the aggregate investment by Silver Lake and its co-investors to Rs 10,202.55 crore. Silver Lake’s investment values Jio Platforms at an equity value of Rs 4.91 lakh crore and an enterprise value of Rs 5.16 lakh crore, and will translate into a 2.08 per cent equity stake in Jio Platforms on a fully diluted basis. With this investment, Jio Platforms has raised Rs 92,202.15 crore from leading technology investors in less than six weeks.

    Jio Platforms, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries, is a next-generation technology platform focused on providing high-quality and affordable digital services across India, with more than 388 million subscribers. Jio Platforms has made significant investments across its digital ecosystem, powered by leading technologies spanning broadband connectivity, smart devices, cloud and edge computing, big data analytics, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, augmented and mixed reality and blockchain. Jio’s vision is to enable a Digital India for 1.3 billion people and businesses across the country, including small merchants, micro-businesses and farmers so that all of them can enjoy the fruits of inclusive growth.

    With approximately $40 billion in combined assets under management and committed capital and a singular focus on the world’s great tech and tech-enabled opportunities, Silver Lake is the global leader in large-scale technology investing. Its mission is to build and grow great companies by partnering with world-class management teams. Its investments have included Airbnb, Alibaba, Alphabet’s Verily and Waymo units, Dell Technologies, Twitter and numerous other global technology leaders.

    Reliance Industries Ltd chairman and managing director Mukesh Ambani said, “Silver Lake and its co-investors are valued partners as we continue to grow and transform the Indian digital ecosystem for the benefit of all Indians. We are pleased to have their confidence and support, as well as the benefit of their leadership in global technology investing and their valued network of relationships, as we drive the Indian digital society’s transformation. I would like to emphasise that Silver Lake’s additional investment in Jio Platforms, within a span of five weeks during the Covid2019 pandemic, is a strong endorsement of the intrinsic resilience of the Indian economy, which will surely grow bigger with comprehensive digital enablement.”

    Silver Lake co-CEO and managing partner Egon Durban said, “We are excited to increase our exposure and bring more of our co-investors into this opportunity, further supporting Jio Platforms in its mission to bring the power of high-quality and affordable digital services to a mass consumer and small businesses population. The investment momentum behind Jio validates a compelling business model and underscores our admiration for Mukesh Ambani, his team and their courageous vision in creating and building one of the world’s most remarkable technology companies.”

    The transaction is subject to regulatory and other customary approvals.

    Morgan Stanley acted as financial advisor to Reliance Industries and AZB & Partners and Davis Polk & Wardwell acted as legal counsels. Latham & Watkins LLP, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP acted as legal counsel to Silver Lake.

  • Mubadala to invest Rs 9,093.60 crore in Jio Platforms

    Mubadala to invest Rs 9,093.60 crore in Jio Platforms

    Mumbai: Reliance Industries Ltd and digital services platform Jio Platforms announced today that Abu Dhabi-based sovereign investor Mubadala Investment Company (Mubadala), will invest Rs 9,093.60 crore in Jio Platforms at an equity value of Rs 4.91 lakh crore and an enterprise value of Rs 5.16 lakh crore. 

    Mubadala’s investment will translate into a 1.85 per cent equity stake in Jio Platforms on a fully diluted basis.

    With this investment, Jio Platforms has raised Rs  87,655.35 crore from leading global technology and growth investors including Facebook, Silver Lake, Vista Equity Partners, General Atlantic, KKR and Mubadala in less than six weeks.

    Jio Platforms, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries, is a next-generation technology platform focused on providing high-quality and affordable digital services across India, with more than 388 million subscribers. Jio Platforms has made significant investments across its digital ecosystem, powered by leading technologies spanning broadband connectivity, smart devices, cloud and edge computing, big data analytics, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, augmented and mixed reality and blockchain.

    Jio’s vision is to enable a digital India for 1.3 billion people and businesses across the country, including small merchants, micro-businesses and farmers so that all of them can enjoy the fruits of inclusive growth.

    Reliance Industries chairman and managing director Mukesh Ambani said: “I am delighted that Mubadala, one of the most astute and transformational global growth investors, has decided to partner us in our journey to propel India’s digital growth towards becoming a leading digital nation in the world. Through my longstanding ties with Abu Dhabi, I have personally seen the impact of Mubadala’s work in diversifying and globally connecting the UAE’s knowledge-based economy. We look forward to benefitting from Mubadala’s experience and insights from supporting growth journeys across the world.”

    Mubadala Investment Company managing director and group CEO Khaldoon Al Mubarak said: "We are committed to investing in, and actively working with, high-growth companies which are pioneering technologies to address critical challenges and unlock new opportunities. We have seen how Jio has already transformed communications and connectivity in India, and as an investor and partner, we are committed to supporting India's digital growth journey. With Jio’s network of investors and partners, we believe that the platform company will further the development of the digital economy."

    Mubadala invests and partners to advance Abu Dhabi’s diversified, globally integrated economy across sectors that are driving global growth and addressing critical challenges. A significant aspect of this mandate is transformative information and communications technology investments which include cognitive computing, ICT infrastructure, telecoms, and satellite operations.

    To further its commitment to innovation and technology, Mubadala established its Ventures arm in 2017 to partner early with visionary founders and support innovative businesses. Mubadala’s Ventures business currently manages several venture funds in the US, Europe and Middle East.

    Today, Mubadala’s portfolio spans advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, metals & mining, pharmaceutical and medical technology, renewable energy and utilities, and the management of diverse financial holdings.

    The transaction is subject to regulatory and other customary approvals.

    Morgan Stanley acted as financial advisor to Reliance Industries and AZB & Partners, and Davis Polk & Wardwell acted as legal counsel.

  • Airtel ecstatic about home broadband opportunity; collab with local cable operators paying well

    Airtel ecstatic about home broadband opportunity; collab with local cable operators paying well

    MUMBAI: A recent report by Fitch which indicates a slow revenue growth in FY21 for telecom players might be bad news for Airtel, which is already losing market shares to Jio. But its home broadband business is gradually taking off. In the last quarter of FY 20, the telco operator added almost 60,000-65,000 net additions, one of the highest numbers it has seen in many quarters. Moreover, the lockdown has boosted the demand for home broadband.

    “We are excited about the home broadband opportunity. I think India is an underserved market and there is a very big opportunity to expand broadband on a structural basis. Having said that, I think what we have seen in the recent few weeks is a massive surge in latent demand and home broadband,” Bharti Airtel India and South Asia managing director and chief executive officer Gopal Vittal said in an earnings call.

    Vittal also spoke about an innovative model that it is experimenting with: collaborating with local cable operators to provide the last mile and using a digital model to access more cities and expand the scale of its broadband business. While the model has already been rolled out in 13 cities, he claims it has seen good traction reinforcing its trust on opportunities for broadband internal expansion.

    Talking about the strategy, Vittal added that they need to expand a lot more in top ten cities at first. Hence, there will be some step-up in capex directed to expanding Airtel’s broadband in these large cities. Airtel rolled out over 250,000 home parcels in the last quarter while total capex for the quarter stood at Rs 97 crore.

    “The second part is going beyond 10 cities or 50 cities. We got into smaller cities. For example, we have gone into Jammu, Dehradun, Bareilly, and Nasik. These are cities where we hadn't gone before and now have partnered with local cable operators and created an Uber-like model, which is entirely digital and gives them a share of revenue and this is actually working quite well,” Vittal said.

    “We are unleashing entrepreneurial energy of these cable operators, in managing the last mile for us, and at the same time, we have the Airtel brand, customer support, billing systems, technology and of course the purchase of routers and all of the other backend equipment coupled with the fact that we have fibre availability at the towers for which the backhaul is available. So I think we are using the best of both worlds to actually partner and expand,” he added further.

    According to TRAI data, the top five wired broadband service providers were BSNL (8.23 million), Bharti Airtel (2.43 million), Atria Convergence Technologies (1.54 million), Hathway Cable & Datacom (0.92 million) and Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd (0.84 million) as on 31 January, 2020.

    Bharti Airtel India and South Asia chief financial officer Badal Bagri said that affordability has been one of the key drivers which he terms war on waste. This ‘war on waste’ is not just about operating expenses but also about efficiency and capital expenditure. He also mentioned that Airtel’s cost of the rollout of home passes has substantially reduced over the last two-three years. Hence, he is of the view that the cost structures which it operates in are fairly affordable, enabling them for an aggressive bid in the sector.

  • GTPL Hathway increases CAPEX in upgrading network, 70% transmitted into GPON technology

    GTPL Hathway increases CAPEX in upgrading network, 70% transmitted into GPON technology

    MUMBAI: Traditional distributors like cable operators are feeling the heat of the competition from a number of easily accessible streaming services. But large multi-system operators are not sitting idle to watch the ruin of their long-built businesses. Hence, constantly upgrading has become the key to adapt in changing business environment. GTPL Hathway is one of them which is putting more CAPEX in upgrading the network and moving towards a hybrid model of business.

    The company is looking at Rs 250-260 crore CAPEX for FY 21 and around Rs 150 crore to Rs 160 crore will go into the cable business; the rest will go into the broadband business. But it will have to reevaluate it somewhere in quarter two to see what is the Covid2019 effect and how much longer the effect is going to be. 

    GTPL Hathway chairman and non-executive director Rajan Gupta explains in an investors call that a significant amount of CAPEX has been invested in upgrading the network. While the MSO was earlier relying on Metro Ethernet Network (MEN) technology,  most of that has been upgraded now to fiber-to-building (FTTB) and fiber-to-home (FTTH). 

    He adds that they have seen see a huge increase in network training also in the last few quarters or a few months. 

    “We have to divide it into two parts. One is something called an access network and second is the last mile consumer equipment. So access network is capable of handling anything. On the last mile, you put two consumer premises equipment, or you put a hybrid equipment. And as far as legal is concerned, cable and broadband have separate licenses, one is MIB and second is the DoT. So, in any case, combined bill, etc., is not possible because both have different licensing requirement. So we have to differentiate between the access network technology and the last mile which is the consumer home,” Gupta speaks about the required investment for upgradation.

    GTPL Hathway CATV business head and chief strategy officer Piyush Pankaj says that now almost 70 per cent network is transmitted into GPON technology i.e, FTTH or FTTX. He also adds that they are working on the hybrid box and the order has been given. While the launch of the hybrid boxes, the combined business of cable, broadband and OTT together was scheduled somewhere in July, it may be extended it by one quarter due to Covid2019 crisis. He notes that they want to take benefit of these opportunities of all latest technologies to serve their customers better. 

    Jio, the shareholder of GTPL Hathway, is also focusing on broadband business highly. But GTPL Hathway promoter and managing director Anirudhsinh Jadeja mentions that Jio is not launching any cable TV business, so it isn't posing any additional competition. “They are majorly into the broadband business. So, yes, it's a privilege that Jio is our partner and we have almost very good understanding and we have a lot of synergy in terms of the infrastructure sharing and content sharing. So, we are not seeing right now any competition from Jio. We are complementing each other,” he adds.

    “See, all the synergies (with Jio) and benefits we are getting as GTPL Hathway will continue as usual, such as, from all the vendor negotiations, lease line side, etc. Yes, GTPL Hathway is doing its own broadband business as we are mainly doing it in Gujarat. Jio is with us, it's our privilege and we are going to complement each other's business on the ground,” Pankaj adds.

    The MSO launched Giga HD last year where it started providing cable and broadband together but had to roll it back just because of the NTO which was getting implemented. Now, it is coming with the hybrid box where it will provide cable, broadband and OTT together to the customer. The endeavour is to get double, triple or quadruple customers to take up the stickiness much higher. The company also seems less bothered about competition as it says all the areas where GTPL is operating there is no other private player but BSNL being the primary competition. 

  • Zuckerberg promises better shopping experience through JioMart-WhatsApp

    Zuckerberg promises better shopping experience through JioMart-WhatsApp

    MUMBAI: It seems Facebook has great ambition for e-commerce and small business in India. While speculations have been rife on the scope of the social media giant’s investment in Mukesh Ambani’s Jio, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg keeps emphasising on small businesses and a better shopping experience.

    “One aspect of online commerce I want to mention is the partnership we just announced with Jio Platforms in India. The largest Facebook and WhatsApp communities in the world are in India, and we think there's an especially important opportunity to serve small businesses and enable commerce there over the long term. By bringing together JioMart, which is Jio's small business initiative to connect millions of shops across India, with WhatsApp, we think that we’re going to be able to create a much better shopping experience. There's a lot more we can do here and I'm looking forward to making progress with the team at Jio,” he commented in an earnings call after announcing q1 results.

    He also mentioned that there are millions of small businesses and shops across India and they want to try to help them get on a single network to communicate through Whatsapp and make online payment through WhatsApp. The Facebook CEO added that it is a great example of how they can wire up and help small businesses in the country where they have the largest WhatsApp community.

    “But certainly all the products and technology that we’re building to enable that partnership are going to be things we’re going to want to do around the world,” he added.

    Recently, Facebook made an investment of Rs 43,574 crore into Jio Platforms, translating into a 9.99 per cent equity stake in it on a fully diluted basis. Now, along with a strong local ally, it becomes one of the largest contenders in the e-commerce battle with Amazon and Flipkart. While Jio disrupted the telecom industry, it is unsure yet as to how the JioMart- Whatsapp force will unravel. 

  • Is FB-Jio deal just a great Indian e-commerce story?

    Is FB-Jio deal just a great Indian e-commerce story?

    MUMBAI: What has been hogging the limelight lately? The Rs-43,574-crore Facebook-Jio deal. When the entire country continues to be bogged down by the Covid2019 pandemic, when marketing sentiments were at their nether, the deal came as a big surprise, a refreshing break from all the gloom and doom. Indeed, it is worth the tom-tom, for, the world’s largest social media group has just invested in India’s largest telecom operator, Jio, run by the country’s richest man Mukesh Ambani. Irrefutably, it's a multifaceted deal, but more skewed towards e-commerce play. Even though Jio’s parent company Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) has a hold over the Indian media and entertainment ecosystem, there have been speculations about its impact on the sector but it's going to be a minor one for now.

    Because the two giants have been known to disrupt the ecosystems over and again, it's not easy to predict the direction this new association might take. But the e-commerce ambition is unquestionable and has become more evident with JioMart going live on WhatsApp in some areas of Mumbai. Announcing the deal, Jio said: “Our focus will be India’s 60 million micro, small and medium businesses, 120 million farmers, 30 million small merchants and millions of small and medium enterprises in the informal sector.”

    Will India get its own WeChat?

    SBICap Securities institutional equity research head Rajiv Sharma says WhatsApp Payments is in the process of getting launched and it took five years for Paytm to get all the vendors and merchants signed up. While Jio is doing this kirana commerce, it will be significantly faster for WhatsApp Payments to go to market thanks to the partnership. 

    “For Facebook, it is ‘get set go’ on the WhatsApp Payments and WhatsApp Business and if it can make it work here then not only it will improve the value but also the investment it has made, and it will create a new revenue stream. And that model can be replicated in other countries,” he adds.

    An analyst unwilling to be named says WhatsApp will turn out as WeChat of India as Facebook will use even Instagram and look at expanding the horizon by looking at other sectors like healthcare as well. According to him, Jio is going to create a market along with Facebook through this “thick partnership.” It will empower them to do multiple businesses. 

    “I'd always said India will be eventually a hybrid e-commerce market with neighbourhood kirana stores being an integral part of fulfilment strategy. JioMart and WhatsApp have the potential to significantly build on this model and change the rules of the e-commerce landscape in India. While on one side the ease of WhatsApp will make it convenient for consumers to transact, the reach and prowess of the JioMart engine will provide the necessary boost to WhatsApp to exponentially grow as a business platform. It will be interesting to see how Google Spot and Paytm Mall play out their strategies in this space,” PwC India media, entertainment and sports advisory, partner and leader Raman Kalra says.

    What Jio gets out of it?

    Ambani’s biggest bet for the future will also benefit from the deal. The first and foremost is Jio’s debt coming down as RIL may go soon with the former’s initial public offering (IPO). Moreover, the company had laid out a plan to become net debt-free. The deal also comes at a time when the market is significantly hit by the Covid2019 crisis, making business worse for many tycoons. And not to be forgotten, RIL’s oil business may face a huge headwind in the future, especially with the delay in its deal with Saudi Aramco too.

    Sharma explains that while Jio is focusing a lot on commerce, WhatsApp is a great brand to make it very easy for the kirana guys to relate to, if you have payments linked to your chat. Elara Capital VP – research analyst (media) Karan Taurani says that access to Facebook’s large user base across apps will help Jio’s e-commerce ambition, making it a large entity after Amazon and Flipkart. 

    “Across various platforms (Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram), FB enjoys significant time wallet share of Indian consumers and with Jio's reach across content and commerce, it creates an attractive value proposition and stickiness for existing consumers as well as the incremental net new consumers. This boost can fuel the digital adoption across multiple untapped segments of society across end consumers and small businesses. With Facebook's focus around groups and communities, the extended reach can provide an exponential boost across healthcare and education segments,” Kalra adds. 

    Will the media and entertainment sector see an immediate impact?

    Although e-commerce is the biggest narrative here, stakeholders and experts across the media and entertainment sector are also evaluating the deal. This is not unpredictable as RIL has built its own media empire by acquiring majority stakes in networks, content production studios, etc. While there is no short-term impact, the combined force can create another wave of disruption in the industry.

    Sharma says that both could share insights around consumers and subscribers, based on data that could allow them to understand consumer behaviour around digital content in a much better way. If Facebook shares some of the consumer insights on Indian users and Jio shares that of all its users, both the parties can have a huge understanding of how the larger part of India is consuming content.

    “From a media and entertainment perspective, the combined force will carry the potential. However, a lot would depend on the content creation and sharing strategies between the two. With extended reach into the hinterland and rural segments, Facebook will have the opportunity to provide extended services around short-form video creation like TikTok and end the monopoly in that segment. I do expect sports streaming to become a strategic focus for the combined force in times to come. All this leading to higher time share on FB platforms could also help them with a few incremental points gain in the digital advertising market share,” Kalra says.

    Data sharing concerns?

    With the massive extraordinary user base, both the parties have access to huge data which has created a concern in the ecosystem. One of the legal experts in the M&E sector says it's important to evaluate the conditions of data sharing, given Facebook’s tainted record, especially in the recent past with regard to data privacy and sharing. Considerably, India is yet to finalise a data protection law. He also adds that the unfair advantage of data sharing may throw more challenges to competitors. However, according to media reports, both the parties emphasised that there would be no data sharing. 

  • Colors Cineplex to premiere Road Safety World Series on 7 March

    Colors Cineplex to premiere Road Safety World Series on 7 March

    MUMBAI: Colors Cineplex and VOOT is all set to bring Unacademy Road Safety Word Series.  The matches will be played in T20 format between India, Australia, Sri Lanka, West Indies, and South Africa starting 7 March to 22 March 2020 in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Pune and will stream live on Colors Cineplex, VOOT and Jio.  

    Road Safety World Series is an initiative by Road Safety Cell of Maharashtra in association with Professional Management Group (PMG).
    To bring alive the essence of the sport and energize fans in the country, Colors Cineplex has designed engaging content and network-wide promotions that have seen a playout of 25000+ promos on air across  60 network and non-network channels including Hindi GEC, Hindi Movies, News, Music, Kids and Regional across India in 5 weeks. Bigg Boss grand finale episode saw a special integration featuring Mohammad Kaif and Harbhajan Singh wherein they interacted with host Salman Khan and the contestants inside the house. 

    A special integrated promo has been created with Nick India’s Brand Mascots – Motu Patlu to be aired across the channel. A Pan-India Outdoor campaign will be released during the period of the league at 300+ sites across Mumbai, greater Mumbai, Pune, ROM, and Delhi along with large format ads across key arterial roads of the country to maximise visibility. 

    The league’s core message will be taken to the cinema halls across 3200+ single and multiplex screens through promos with the release of Baaghi 3.  A partnership with Radio Mirchi has been forged to increase local engagement and conversations around the league across 75 cities in the country. It will include 50000 promos along with content integration like RJ mentions, score updates and player interviews. During the matches, the brand mascot Teetar Mausi will interact with fans on ground.

    On the digital front, the channel is utilising its Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages by putting across promos, engaging posts on all Viacom18 assets. Curated content will be designed for Tik Tok talking about the biggest cricket faceoff that Road Safety World Series will offer. The next phase of this will see an upsurge in moment marketing – capturing player moments and leveraging it across social media, thereby propelling the fan engagement. The key moments will include engaging with the players at their practice matches, interesting interactions at the dug-out area and dressing room etc. 

    A fantasy league is also being introduced on VOOT, Jio and Colors Cineplex website wherein Contestants can create their own league teams and bet on players to win prizes. Play Along in Jio will allow the fans to predict the consequence of each ball, over, no. of sixes and boundaries and scores. All the spectator coming to watch the match will stand a chance to capture the moment come and share the picture on their social media platforms.  Furthermore, the Colors Cineplex website is set to get a massive make over as the channel readies to host a cricket series for the first time with movies. With a view of engaging with the fans, the site will be populated with a lot of player information along with interesting contests, games and gratification.

    Viacom18 Hindi mass entertainment and kids TV network head Nina Elavia Jaipuria said, “Cricket as a sport binds people of our nation together and we are proud to bring Road Safety World Series ‘live’ for the audience on COLORS Cineplex, VOOT, and Jio. With this new annual property, we plan to add more depth to our HME portfolio and bring two of the country’s biggest obsessions; cricket and Bollywood together on one platform. The audience will get to not only watch their favorite cricket legends taking over the field once again but also experience wholesome entertainment through our special programming. We are also elated to celebrate the one-year milestone of COLORS Cineplex and delighted to take the message of road safety to millions of people through cricket.”

    Presenting a perfect blend of nostalgia and unlimited entertainment, the series will host a fulfilled pre and post-match show – Super Over that will keep fans abreast of the behind-the-scenes updates, match analysis, in-depth players’ performances and more. While there will be lots of action on field, the show will also keep the entertainment quotient high. Cyrus Broacha who is known for his exceptional comic timing will turn host for the show while the suave Television Presenter Karishma Kotak will anchor all the action on the field. The veteran cricketer and commentator, Sunil Gavaskar who is also taking on the role as the league’s commissioner will share his expertise and insights. The match predictions will get a comic twist with Suresh Menon impersonating different characters and performing gags.

    Viacom18 Colors Cineplex head Rohan Lavsi said, “The combination of cricket and Bollywood is undoubtedly a promising proposition. Along with getting a chance to watch the legends ‘Live’ on the field, we will take the game to the next level by adding the element of entertainment to it. A special pre and post-match show – Super Over will provide a detailed analysis of the match innings along with many entertaining acts.  The property opens new doors of opportunities for brand building and we are leaving no stone unturned to create an enhanced viewing experience for the fans. We have designed a marketing campaign with the core messaging Yeh Jung Hai Legendary that will resonate highly among committed cricket enthusiasts. Also, it will be a golden opportunity for youngsters, who have not seen these legends “Live” on the field, to come and experience their magic”

  • Internet to be disruptive force in video distribution to rural areas

    Internet to be disruptive force in video distribution to rural areas

    MUMBAI: Internet has become a new medium for delivering video to consumers. It has been reaching around 400 million consumers with a free to watch option on their mobiles. VBS 2019 organised by Indiantelevision.com created a platform for industry doyens to discuss the changing role of the internet in video distribution.

    A panel discussion of Video and Broadband Summit 2019 focused on the Internet's role in video distribution. It was moderated by digital strategy consultant Uday Sodhi with MediaKind APAC marketing head Chiranjeev Singh, Win Broadband Services MD and CEO K V Seshasayee, Jio advertising & strategy VP Mohit Kapoor and Google media and entertainment industry head Sandeep Ramesh as the panellists.

    They shared their views on the internet being a new medium of delivering content. They agreed that while the internet will impact video entertainment distribution, there is enough space in the Indian media industry for all stakeholders, from internet providers, OTT players to media networks, to co-exist and complement each other. The panellists also believe the internet has emerged as another prominent distributor in the broadcast industry.

    Google’s Ramesh briefed the audiences on how internet disrupts the videos delivered to the consumers today and how things will be going forward. He said, "From the consumer’s point of view, video on demand is a habit. Once the consumers move to video on demand, they will not come back. This will happen as it is a secular change. All entertainment will be available online, sooner or later, and consumers will have a desire to watch the content wherever they want. This change will have implications on the content makers and distributors, but from the advertising stand point, digital advertising will be benefitted."

    Jio’s Kapoor highlighted an important fact, which is the innovation of smartphones. He said that Jio introduced Jio phones which have feature phone segments and are smart phones, sold for a price between Rs 700 and Rs 1,500. Around 100 million phones have been sold and consumers are using feature phones, but not using internet for viewing content or videos. About broadband, he informed out of 250 million homes in India, 50 million homes is Jio’s target, which will be achieved. Compared to the US or any other country, India is ahead in content consumption. Currently, average consumption of internet is around 8.5 – 9 GB. Jio is offering more than 11 – 12 GBs monthly.

    Win Broadband’s Seshasayee said, “All content providers and aggregators are focusing on tier 1 and 2 cities and few are trying to reach tier 3 cities. As per the statistics, out of more than 400 million Indian viewers who do not have internet access, the ones who have the access are using 2G, which will be obsolete within two months. As per mobile consumption statistics, 60 per cent consumers are consuming videos on mobile. So, if there are places with no internet access, there are opportunities for the country providers to enter that market, make use of the available resources and find an alternate solution to the problem.”

    Sodhi said that there is a huge opportunity created by the internet, daily in the dark areas. For around 700-800 million users who do not get cable to DTH in their homes, internet may become a way for them to deliver content.

    MediaKind’s Singh said that internet has actually enabled content creators and owners to reach consumers directly, which is happening with OTT platforms. This is a challenge for linear TV. Consumers watch linear TV for live updates like breaking news. The lag between the live TV and the OTT platform for the same content is narrowing down, which is now around maximum five seconds. So, consumers are moving to OTT platforms. We need to make sure that the consumers get enough value for the services they are paying for.

    The panelists also agreed that internet is a great opportunity for LCOs as well. They can provide OTT and video service to consumers in rural areas. LCOs can also build a library of YouTube videos, but monetisation or cost should be nominal because ultimately the content is free for the consumers.

    Kapoor said that in a few years, all countries will have OTT apps. Countries will spend a huge amount of money on programming. There will be a competition but that will happen when fibre will reach homes and the app or video will show up on the screens.

    He further said that the first thing which will happen is that India will get real broadband. The starting speed will be 100 mbps and will go higher in gbps. Once broadband will be available, consumers will realise that what they are paying for. He gave an example by saying that he has not viewed cable in a while, and his TV runs on broadband. As per the statistics, there were 20 – 25 million consumers who were consuming 1 GB internet in a month, but now the number has increased to 400 million consumers using 1 GB internet in a day.

  • Jiocinema to bring Sun NXT’s South Indian blockbuster catalogue to Jio users

    Jiocinema to bring Sun NXT’s South Indian blockbuster catalogue to Jio users

    MUMBAI: JioCinema, the on-demand video platform yet again surprises millions of Jio users, especially the South Indian Movie Buffs!

    In association with Sun NXT, the online video streaming platform from Sun TV Network, JioCinema will present the best of south Indian movie catalogue to Jio users across the country.

    JioCinema will host all the movies available on the SUN NXT platform across 4 South Indian languages viz: Tamil, Telugu, Kannada & Malayalam.Fans will have access to an unbeatable catalogue of over 4,000 South Indian movies from Sun NXT’s library. South Indian movie buffs can explore this extra strong entertainment in a highly optimized and world-class video streaming experience offered by JioCinema.

    Jio users have exclusive access to JioCinema and can be a part of JioCinema’s “Super South Swag” with their favourite stars Thalaivar Rajnikanth, Ilayathalapathy Vijay, Allu Arjun, Thala Ajith Kumar, Mammootty, Mahesh Babu and many more.The unbeatable catalogue of South Stars from Tollywood, Kollywood, Sandalwood & Mollywood can be enjoyed on the mobile app or the website.

    JioCinema is known for its wide ranging and versatile on-demand video experiences, including exclusive original videos across genres and vernacular languages. Sun NXT is the top destination for the biggest blockbusters from south Indian studios and hosts the latest and most popular TV content from the southern region. The association between the two digital platforms will help deliver the best of south Indian video content to the south Indian movie fans on Jio.

    JioCinema already has the widest content including 10,000+ Movies, 1 Lakh+ TV Show Episodes & Originals. And now, with the movie catalogue of SunNXT, it becomes the first choice of the users to enjoy unlimited South Indian Blockbusters.

  • I&B Ministry to meet industry leaders to discuss online video content regulation

    I&B Ministry to meet industry leaders to discuss online video content regulation

    Amidst reports of government considering certification/censorship of online video content, the I &B Ministry will hold a second round of consultation next week with industry players, who are determined to oppose any pre-censorship on digital platform.

    The I&B Ministry has invited all  online curated content providers (OCCPs), including Netflix, Amazon and Hotstar, through industry association, the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) for consultation on the issue of regulation of online video content, as per a report in ET.

    The meeting, slated for next week in Chennai, comes close on the heels of a similar consultation in Mumbai last month.

    In October, PTI had quoted union minister for information and broadcasting Prakash Javadekar as saying that there should be some kind of regulation of OTT platforms on the lines of print and electronic media and films.

    “I have sought suggestions on how to deal with this because there are regular feature films coming on OTT — good, bad and ugly. So how to deal with this, who should monitor, who should regulate?. There is no certification body for OTT platforms and likewise news portals also,” Javadekar was quoted as saying.

    Earlier in September, Live mint has reported that I&B Ministry was looking to finalize a model for the certification of online video streaming content soon after Diwali.

    However, any government attempt to regulate content on OTT, is bound to face stiff opposition from the industry, who believe that the existant IT Act 2000 and a voluntary self-regulatory code signed by major OTT players in January this year, are sufficient in dealing with any untoward situation.

    Online vidoe streaming players like Netflix, Hotstar, Jio, Voot, Zee5, Arre, SonyLIV, ALT Balaji and Eros Now have signed a self-censorship code in January that prohibited these platforms from showing certain kinds of content and set up a redressal mechanism for customer complaints.

    The self-regulation code, bars video players from showing content that’s banned by Indian courts, disrespects the national emblem and flag, outrages religious sentiments, promotes terrorism or violence against State and shows children in sexual acts. Amazon, however, is not part of the self-regulatory code signed under the aegis of IAMAI.

    “We should publish a list of all the laws that apply to OCCP platforms so that there is no is perception that OCCPs are not regulated,” Gowree Gokhale, head of Telecom, Media and Technology practice at Nishith Desai Associates, which is part of the consultation process, was quoted as saying by ET.

    However, despite the presence of a self-regulatory code, there have been an array of PILs in court demanding regulation of online video content.

    In May, the Supreme Court had issued a notice to the Centre on an appeal to regulate content on online streaming platforms.