ITV

Tag: Kolkata

  • Trai issues additional QoS instructions

    Trai issues additional QoS instructions

    NEW DELHI: Indian broadcast regulator today came out with more details on quality of service (QoS) to be observed by MSOs and local cable operators in CAS-notified areas.

    The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has said the reporting (in the prescribed format) of QoS by approved MSOs and local cable ops shall be done on or before the expiry of 15 days from the end of the quarters and shall pertain to the quarters ending with 31 March, 30 June, 30 September and 31 December of each calendar year.

    Further, in the case of Chennai, the first reporting shall be for the quarter ending December 2006 and in case of notified areas of Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata, it shall be for the quarter ending 31 March, 2007.

    Trai had issued Regulation specifying standards of Quality of Service to be observed by the MSOs and cable operators in CAS notified areas of Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata on 23 August 2006.

    This regulation provided that Trai, for the purpose of monitoring, can prescribe formats and demand reports from service providers on observance of QoS standards.

    Further, in MSOs who are permitted to provide cable service in CAS notified areas under the Cable Amendment Rules of 2006 would be obliged to maintain quality of standards as may be determined by the regulator.

    A full text of the general directive is available on the regulator’s website.

  • BIG 92.7 FM promo budget Rs 400 mn; Bangalore station launch on 9 October

    BIG 92.7 FM promo budget Rs 400 mn; Bangalore station launch on 9 October

    BANGALORE: Adlabs Films (AF) will launch its Big 92.7 FM in Bangalore on 9 October. The city is the fourth station of the company’s proposed 45 (54 co-branded) FM radio stations; the other three being Chennai, Hyderabad and Delhi. Soon to follow are Kolkata and Mumbai.

    Big FM has earmarked about Rs 400 million towards its national promotional campaign. The company plans to kick off the Bangalore marketing and promotional initiatives with a city-wide campaign to get citizens to come together and work towards “Making Bangalore A Safer Place”. The campaign will be driven by brand ambassador Upendra.

    To create awareness among Bangaloreans, the station is exploring the outdoor space also in a big way. According to Big associate VP & station head Farida K. Print, about 40-45 locations have been covered with outdoor hoardings as per the strategy. Another novel initiative would be 92.7 FM only receivers in auto rickshaws. The plans also include various ground events and television commercials.

    Adlabs Films has roped in Kannada film actor Upendra as brand ambassador for Karnataka. The radio station has hired personalities from the Kannada film & television industries as RJ’s. According to Katial, the content would be mainly local with some Hindi and no English at all, which is generally different from the trends set by the other FM stations in Bangalore.

    Unveiling the brand, Big 92.7 FM COO Tarun Katial said, “With this launch, we aim to present innovative radio programming. Not only have we developed fresh and unique content but have also roped in personalities who will connect with the listeners and provide the glamour quotient. Our detailed research on the city’s psychographics will ensure that the station sounds refreshing and unique with a major focus on utilities and entertainment.”

    Rs 4 billion has been invested on transmission equipments, infrastructure and licensing, as per an official release. The IP protocol technology being utilised for Big 92.7 FM is from Axia, USA.

  • MSOs get CAS authorisation letters

    MSOs get CAS authorisation letters

    MUMBAI: The government’s CAS rollout plan continues apace. All the major MSOs today received “CAS authorisations” from the sector regulator, which clears the way for the public awareness campaigns to kick on the stipulated date of 15 October.

    According to IndusInd Media & Communications executive director Ashok Mansukhani, the letters issued by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) are dated 30 September and authorise an MSO to operate in the cities of Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai “in the areas notified under Section 4(a) of the Cable Act 1995 as per 11(2) of the cable rules 1992 as amended in 2006.”

    Says Mansukhani, “These letters clear the way for MSOs to seek authorisation from broadcasters to enter into revenue share agreements with broadcasters and operators in terms of the August 24 interconnect regulation and the August 31 tariff order issued by Trai. It also clears the way for us kick off the CAS awareness campaign by the mandated date of 15 October.”

    Executives in the Zee Group promoted WWIL (earlier Siticable) also confirmed receiving the CAS authorisation letters. 

    It was on 18 September that Trai issued a directive that the date for starting public awareness campaign by permitted MSOs in CAS notified areas will be not later than 15 October. This directive was further to its earlier order specifying standards of quality of service to be observed by the MSOs / cable operators in CAS notified areas.

    The CAS awareness campaign will last for a period of 30 days. The general directive also provides for filing of a compliance report immediately after the start as well as the end of the campaign.

    Trai had issued a regulation on 23 August specifying standards of quality of service to be observed by the MSOs/ Cable Operators in CAS notified areas of Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata. This regulation had stated that multi system operators permitted to provide cable services in CAS notified areas would be required to conduct a public awareness campaign from a date to be specified by Trai.

  • NDTV brings opt-out tech for Kolkata viewers during Durga Puja

    NDTV brings opt-out tech for Kolkata viewers during Durga Puja

    NEW DELHI: NDTV today announced the launch of the `opt-out’ technology in Kolkata starting with Durga Puja and the onset of the festival season.

    This initiative will enable the viewers of Kolkata to watch region-specific news and special programmes on NDTV 24×7. With this launch, Kolkata becomes the fourth location to have the opt-out technology, according to an official statement from NDTV.

    Earlier this year, NDTV had launched the opt-out technology for its viewers in the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka.

    The viewers of Kolkata will be able to watch the 30 minutes `opt-out’ programming at 10.30 pm everyday, which started on 25 September and will last till 2 October.

    The new technology will enable viewers in Kolkata to watch special programmes, catering to the taste of local viewership during this festive season.

    Opt-out works on a technology, which is an innovative step in the broadcasting system. The process involves automatic satellite transmission without any manual intervention.

    There are individual boxes that are programmed to receive and switch frequency at the desired time to opt-out of the regular feed and again switch back to the main feed when the opt-out is over, with a two second changeover interval between the switch.

    NDTV plans to expand its coverage for the `opt out’ service to other states also in the near future and this will be executed for all its three channels, NDTV 24X7, NDTV Profit and NDTV India.

  • SC dismisses anti-CAS petition

    SC dismisses anti-CAS petition

    NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court today dismissed on technical grounds a petition filed against implementation of CAS in the three metros of Kolkata, Delhi and Mumbai.

    The special leave petition (SLP) had been filed by United Cable Operators’ Welfare Association of India.

    After studying the petition, the Apex court today decided that the SLP did not merit a hearing on a number of grounds, according to information available with Indiantelevision.com.

    The petitioner, amongst several other reasons, had said that rollout of CAS would not be beneficial for consumers and should be deferred as DTH technology had already come in to the country.

    Interestingly, while it had argued in the court against the rollout of CAS, the petitioner has been party to almost all CAS-related meetings organised by the government since 2002.
    According to a Delhi High Court mandated arrangement, agreed upon by the government and the industry, CAS is slated to be rolled out in the south zones of Kolkata, Delhi and Mumbai from 1 January 2007.

    The sector regulator has already paved the way for the implementation of CAS by deciding on the prices of pay and free to air channels in a CAS regime.

  • ADAG’s Big FM radio to roll out its first phase in six metros

    ADAG’s Big FM radio to roll out its first phase in six metros

    MUMBAI: The Reliance ADA Group has finally officially announced today that it will soon launch its radio station under the brand Big FM, which will broadcast on the full powered common frequency of 92.7 across its 45 stations.

    According to an official statement, the first phase will cover the six metros of Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai, later spreading to the virgin territories like Jammu, Srinagar, Aligarh and Bikaner.

    In an attempt to offer a fresh new approach to the medium, the Big FM will indulge in high amount of interactivity on the station. Adlabs Radio COO Tarun Katial points out, “We will use it as a platform for consumers, taking on issues which are word of mouth and bring listener emotions to the fore.”

    Adopting a two-pronged launch strategy, Katial says, “While the metros are ideal to establish brand recognition and recall, the other virgin markets are completely new and fresh to explore, giving us an opportunity to provide an entertainment medium to the listeners.”

    “It is our endeavor to enthrall the local audiences and build a brand that connects at the grassroots. Credibility, maturity, relevance, entertainment and aspirational are our pegs for content as a product that reaches into every home and is of relevance to every listener.”

    By early next year, Big FM will be present across India from Srinagar to Trivandrum and Surat to Guwahati. This FM radio station will have its presence in 1000 towns and 50,000 villages across India – reaching 200 million listeners, informs the statement.

    The ADAG has geared up to tap the tremendous market share that is present. This leading corporate house known for its groundbreaking success in very business that it enters, will be positioning its stations in a unique and contemporary way that appeals to more mature audiences.

    The RJs that will give Big FM the voice and personality, have been selected via a careful and selective nationwide hunt. The station will present itself in a larger than life avatar and all morning slots will boast of highly acclaimed celebrity jockeys.
    With an investment of Rs 4 billion dedicated to transmission equipment, infrastructure and licensing, the proposed network for Adlabs Radio will be the largest ever, the release states.

    The overall manpower strength will stand at 1500 employees nationwide. The IP protocol technology being utilized for Big FM has been sourced from AXIA, USA making this station amongst the first to utilize such superior gear in Asia. Extensive research on consumer tastes and moods will ensure that the content aired complements the listeners’ tastes and provides them a dynamic, interactive platform.

  • Branded ‘Big’, ADAG’s FM venture targets 12 October launch

    Branded ‘Big’, ADAG’s FM venture targets 12 October launch

    MUMBAI: The Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG) is entering the final stages of preparation for its “Big” bang entry into the FM radio field.

    The Ambani brothers are known for doing everything on a big scale and it is certainly no different in this case as younger brother Anil’s ADAG gets set to launch its 92.7 FM stations across India. It is only fitting, therefore, that ADAG is launching ahead of the Diwali festive season under the brand name Big Radio.

    According to sources, the group is targeting 12 October for the launch of its radio station in cities where the common infrastructure network exists. This includes Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Jaipur and Surat.

    Big Radio is expected to be on air in Mumbai first, with a fast-paced rollout in the other cities where the common infrastructure exists. The teams for the radio stations are already in place with radio jockeys and other engineers hired and ready.

    Big Radio will be facing a phalanx of established players when it launches services in Mumbai. The group will have to compete with players such as the Times Group’s Radio Mirchi, Radio City, Red FM and Radio One (Formerly was known as Go FM), who have been in this game for over five years.

    One advantage Big Radio will be looking to leverage upon is the massive mobile phone user subscriber base that sister concern and telecom major Reliance Infocomm provides. Big Radio will be introducing a lot of interactive features with the specific aim of building a community of cell users hooked in to the station, industry sources have told Indiantelevision.com.

    Another “Big” advantage ADAG is banking on is that it has the ultimate brand icon in the “Big B” Amitabh Bachchan endorsing the station. If ever there was a case of the brand and the ambassador fitting to a T, it is this.

    ADAG originally secured its FM licence through Adlabs Films Ltd (AFL) in which it has a controlling stake. But post the demerger of the radio business, the company has transferred its FM operating units to Reliance Unicom Ltd.

    Big Radio will manage 45 FM stations. The frequencies were bought out for approximately Rs 1.60 billion. Initially, the company had bagged the licence for 57 frequencies but had to surrender the licence for 13 cities as per the norms, which do not allow one single company to hold more than 15 per cent of the total allotted frequencies.

  • Pay channels fixed at Rs 5 each in CAS regime

    Pay channels fixed at Rs 5 each in CAS regime

    MUMBAI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) today set a common price on all pay channels directing that under the conditional access system (CAS) regime they will cost Rs 5 per channel per subscriber per month (excluding taxes).

    The broadcast regulator has fixed the price of free-to-air (FTA) channels in the basic tier at Rs 77 (exclusive of taxes).
    The regulator, which oversees the broadcast and telecom sectors, has fixed the costing for pay channels whether new or existing at Rs 5 making it mandatory to offer all pay channels on a la carte basis.

    However, the broadcasters have been given the option to fix prices of individual pay channels, but within the prescribed ceiling. One of the salient features the regulator has highlighted is that the ‘minimum period of subscription of a pay channel has to be at least four months.

    This tariff will come into effect from 31 December 2006 in Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata.
    Pertaining to the FTA channels, the price charged will be Rs 77 (exclusive of taxes) per subscriber/ month for a minimum of 30 channels. Additional FTA channels, if provided, also have to be accommodated within the above maximum amount.

    Trai has ensured adequate commercial interoperability, which means that a consumer can easily exit the scheme whenever desired. The regulatory has drawn two schemes for supply of set top boxes by the MSO / cable operators to compulsorily provide as part of a standard tariff package:

    a monthly rental of Rs 30 per digital set top box plus a refundable deposit of Rs 999 per box (refund will be made after deducting Rs 12.50 per month for use of the STB).

    a monthly rental 45 per digital set top box (Rs 23 for analogue set top box) with a refundable deposit of Rs 250 per box (refund will be made after deducting Rs 3 per month for use of the STB).

    The operators can offer alternative tariff packages in addition to the mandated standard tariff package, without any separate charges for installation, activation or reactivation, smart card viewing card and repair and maintenance (for five years) allowed. This salient aspect comes into force from 15 October 2006.

  • Max kicks off Champions Trophy promotions with Gully Cricket

    Max kicks off Champions Trophy promotions with Gully Cricket

    MUMBAI: Movies and events channel Max is back with its flagship on-ground activity Gully Cricket. Launching on 7 September, the initiative will kick off the channel’s promotional activities around the big ticket cricket property ICC Champions Trophy.

    Max brand ambassadors Mandira Bedi, Sameer Khan and the mascot Tiger Deewana will visit the cities of Hyderabad, Nagpur, Kolkata, Mangalore, Visakhapatnam, Coimbatore, Amritsar, Ahmedabad and Lucknow between September 7 and September 30, 2006 to take the cricket fever from the lofty stadiums to the dingy bylanes.

    The fifth edition the Champions Trophy, which is being played in India for the first time, is scheduled for October 2006.

    Commenting on the return of the promotional initiative, Max business head Albert Almeida said, “Cricket is not only for the select few rolling their arms and swinging their bats in the parks and fields. It is our national passion and there’s no greater fun than playing the game on the streets. And with our Max icons for company, I am sure Gully Cricket will make everyone go deewana all over again.”

    Gully Cricket schedule

    Nagpur 7 September

    Kolkata 10 September

    Mangalore 15 September

    Visakhapatnam 17 September

    Coimbatore 20 September

    Amritsar 23 September

    Ahmedabad 26 September

    Hyderabad 28 September

    Lucknow 30 September

  • Hungama launches third Captains Hunt; to search for leaders of tomorrow

    Hungama launches third Captains Hunt; to search for leaders of tomorrow

    MUMBAI: Hungama TV has launched the third edition of its Captains Hunt, which will search for 10 of the smartest kids across the country, between the age group 8 – 14 years. These kids will be on the board of directors of Hungama TV and run the channel for the next one year.

    The channel has set aside a budget of Rs 10+ million for this year’s Captain’s Hunt. While in the initial phase the concentration will be on school contact programmes in 10 cities; the focus will shift to mass media during November – December, when the hunt will culminate.

    The hunt kickstarted on 15 August 2006 and will travel to Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Ludhiana, Lucknow, Indore and Baroda targeting more than 500,000 kids in 500 schools across these cities. These kids will offer regular inputs on programming, marketing, distribution and competition.

    This year the premise of the Captain’s Hunt has been changed. The aim is to find and shape the future leaders of India. The final 10 will be trained by industry leaders from various fields and will provide them with advice and direction to develop their potential and emerge as leaders of tomorrow. The kids will be judged on the basis of articulation, intelligence, confidence, ambition and talent.

    UTV senior vice president – marketing and communications Siddharth Roy Kapur said, “At Hungama TV, our Captains are always an integral part of decision making, be it programming, marketing initiatives or on-ground research. Hungama TV Captains have helped the channel reach the position it has today and we really value their inputs. This year we are looking for the best and brightest kids across the country to run the channel and benefit from personal mentoring by iconic leaders of today.”

    Once the entries are received from the 10 cities, 1000 kids will be shortlisted from each city in the second round. Thereafter, 50 kids will be chosen in the third round after which the number boils down to two kids from each city. Out of these 20 kids, 10 will then be chosen (one per city) to be the Captains.

    The last day for receiving entries is 30 September. The auditions will take place in November and the finale on 9 – 10 December.

    The 2007 captains will have many opportunities in store. A Captains Advisory Council (CAC), which will comprise leaders from various walks of life, will mentor these captains. The Captains will have exclusive access to the Council to seek advice and guidance on a regular basis. Also, Hungama TV will support a unique talent of every Captain by funding their coaching or training during their tenure.

    Origentest, the research and implementation arm of IMS Learning Resources Pvt. Ltd, has been roped in as the knowledge partner and will be responsible for developing the various tests of the hunt.

    This year’s hunt has Parle-G as the presenting sponsor and Boost Chocoblast as the co-presenting sponsor. The associate sponsors are Colgate, The Sugar & Spice, Reynolds, Kellogg’s Chocos, Dukes Big Bite and Boomer Mango Jelly.