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Tag: LCOs

  • TRAI seeks views on penalties for non-compliant MSOs and LCOs in DAS areas

    TRAI seeks views on penalties for non-compliant MSOs and LCOs in DAS areas

    MUMBAI: Days after the news of new deadlines being set for phase III and IV of digital addressable system (DAS) was known, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has decided to straighten up the multi system operators (MSO) and local cable operators (LCOs) who are turning up their noses regarding billing in the first two phases.

     

    TRAI has come out with a notice inviting stakeholders to give their inputs regarding penalties to be imposed on non-compliant MSOs and LCOs. It says that it has received several complaints from DAS subscribers that they weren’t getting either the bill or the receipt of payment for their TV subscription services.

     

    Therefore, in order to protect the interest of consumers, ensure transparent business practices and promote efficiency, it is proposing to amend the regulation to incorporate provisions of levying financial disincentives on such MSOs and LCOs. TRAI is also seeking to amend the Standards of Quality and Service (digital addressable cable TV systems) Regulations 2012 (12 of  2012) dated 14 May 2012.

     

    The regulation lays down quality of service norms to be adhered to by the service providers, providing cable TV services through DAS.

     

    TRAI seeks comments from stakeholders on the draft regulation by 8 September to sksinghal@trai.gov.in.

  • MSOs, LCOs asked to take DD channels only from C-Band

    MSOs, LCOs asked to take DD channels only from C-Band

    NEW DELHI: Sticking to its promise of ensuring that Doordarshan channels are made available across all cable and DTH platforms, Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Minister Prakash Javadekar has taken the positive step.

     

    Reiterating that it is mandatory to carry 24 channels of Doordarshan in digital addressable system areas and eight channels in non-DAS areas, the Government today also stressed that it was necessary that all multi-system operators (MSOs) and cable operators to take only C-band signals of Doordarshan channels.  

     

    In the advisory, the I&B Ministry said that the mandatory carriage had been notified in September 2013.

     

    However, some MSOs were taking the DD beam from the Ku-band of DD’s DTH service, resulting in inferior quality of transmission of DD channels. Furthermore, some MSOs were not even carrying the mandatory channels, according to Prasar Bharati.

     

    In this context, the Ministry said Para 3 of the 5 September 2013 notification was clear that only C-band signals had to be taken ‘for retransmission by dish antenna/television Receive of not less than 12 feet diameter, and Yagi antenna, to ensure good quality reception’. 

  • Business models, regulations and technology adoption need to evolve: Frost & Sullivan

    Business models, regulations and technology adoption need to evolve: Frost & Sullivan

    MUMBAI: Frost & Sullivan hosted the third edition of its ‘Digital Media India Summit’ on June 24 at the Le Meridien, Delhi. The summit included over 100 participants from broadcasters, cable, DTH, and telco operators as well as industry bodies and government representatives. The summit addressed key industry trends and issues such as regulatory challenges in the video ecosystem, big picture for Indian television business, benefits and challenges of TV-everywhere, collaborative workflows in multimedia video; and preparing for Phase 3 and Phase 4 of Digitization.

     

    At the summit, Mukul Krishna, Senior Director, Global Digital Media Practice, Frost & Sullivan, presented the key trends influencing the video broadcast and services industry globally and in India. He also talked about the important factors that can drive growth in the multiscreen video market, alleviate churn for service providers and the key technologies that a stakeholder requires to adopt in the current industry environment. He said, “India requires a collective movement from all stakeholders to catalyze short term as well as long term growth. The industry should be working towards not just survival or sustenance but thriving growth.”

     

    The panel on regulatory challenges in video included Satya Gupta, SAAM Corpadvisors Pvt. Ltd. (ex TRAI); SK Singhal, Advisor (broadcasting and Cable Services), TRAI; Sisir Pillai, Chief Strategy Officer, Digicable; Roop Sharma, President, Cable Operators Federation of India, and Avnindra Mohan, President (Legal & Regulatory), Zee Network. The panelists discussed revenue sharing models among broadcasters, MSOs and LCOs gross billing, and the role of TRAI in regulating the same for all stakeholders. They also discussed the apparent lack of transparency and standardization in regulatory guidance on revenue sharing, the digital acquisition forms for subscribers and disparate pricing across different states. In response to his co-panelists, TRAI Advisor, S.K. Singhal emphasized that the rules by the regulatory body are guidelines and not rigid as they are interpreted to be. He pointed out the potential of the industry to grow driven by opportunities in multimedia distribution. He also alluded to the telecom industry’s growth riding on the back of value-added services and encouraged the broadcast and service provider industry to innovate their services.

     

    In a presentation on the big picture of the TV business in India, Vanita Kohli Khadekar, Columnist and Author (The Indian Media Business), talked about a few interesting trends in the Indian TV industry, which included – digitization of content, consolidation and growth of online video. These trends are shaping the Indian TV industry like never before and are bringing in a multitude of changes across all segments. She said, “India is looked as a market of huge volumes in terms of opportunity; however one doesn’t realize that India is not one market, but several.” She highlighted that India is highly fragmented in viewership by state and language and hence it requires customization in programming as well as business models.

     

    During another discussion on ‘Is TV everywhere good for video business’, the panel discussed trends in the video content ecosystem, distribution, and the necessity to create compelling content for multiple media. The major challenges faced are multiple taxation levied on the broadcast industry and piracy. The panelists concluded that the way forward is content availability over IP, monetization of content and control of piracy. The panelists concurred that personalization, localization and more importantly, ‘searchability’ with the right metadata is critical for the success of TV-everywhere. Frost & Sullivan’s Vidya S. Nath, Director, Digital Media, Global Innovation Center chaired this panel which had Subhashish Mazumdar, Senior VP, North & East, Hinduja Group (Media); Sisir Pillai, Chief Strategy Officer, Digicable; Rajiv Khattar, President – Projects, Dish TV India, as panelists.

     

    The panel on collaborative workflows in multimedia video distribution discussed the essential requirements of a media company today. The panelists conveyed that every company requires to evolve out of departmental and functional siloes and create a cohesive platform that leverages a central repository of content. Standards are very important to ensure interoperability across applications and devices. The panelists in this session included Ujwal Nirgudkar, Chairman, SMPTE-India Section; Sameer Kanse, Head, Media Services, Tata Communications; and Irfan Khan, Marketing & Strategic Alliances, Tangerine Digital, and was chaired by Avni Rambhia, Principal Analyst, Frost & Sullivan.

     

    On the occasion, Vidya S. Nath noted in her address that consumer-viewing habits have evolved dramatically with the availability of multiple screens, and hence business models, regulation and technology adoption have to change side-by-side to abet industry growth.

     

    The final panel discussion on preparation for phase 3 and 4 in digitization brought forth the various mistakes committed in the first and second phases such as short deadlines to complete the digitization in cable TV, which left cable operators clueless and grappling to meet expectations and deadlines. The key aspect that was highlighted was the need for chalking out a roadmap for digitization with a clear agenda for the stakeholders and participants. The importance of standardization was also put forth by the panelists. Vynsley Fernandes, Director, Castle Media, moderated this discussion that saw participation by Arvind Prabhoo, Founder, Maharashtra Cables Operators’ Federation and Tony D’Silva, CEO, Hinduja Group (Media).

     

    The innovative and exclusive growth workshops hosted during this summit for CXOs on disruption to transformation and new age business models for pay TV and video brought out many interesting trends and aspects of the digital media industry. The summit also touched upon transforming media workflows for effective ROI and coping with growing fragmentation of media in the digitized world, which were presented by Sameer Kanse and Rajendra Khare, Co-Founder and CMD, SureWaves MediaTech, respectively.

     

    The event partners for this summit were SureWaves, Tangerine, and Tata Communications, while the media partners were Broadcast & CableSat, Cablequest, Convergence Plus, Digital Studio, Indian Television and Light Reading India.

  • Cable bills in Kolkata to see a 15 per cent hike from 1 August

    Cable bills in Kolkata to see a 15 per cent hike from 1 August

    KOLKATA: Cable TV viewers in the Kolkata Municipal Area (KMA) will have to face another price hike in their cable TV bills, starting 1 August. This, after the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) hiked the tariff ceiling by 15 per cent for broadcasters.

     

    While consumers in the region have still been coping with the price hike after TRAI made gross billing mandatory, multi system operators (MSOs) are now all set to increase the channel package rates by 15 per cent.  

     

    That apart, more than 31 lakh cable TV homes in Kolkata may witness both channel addition and deletion. A few favourite channels can also be included in the new package with additional charges. However, MSOs have assured that the rentals for the Janata Pack will remain unchanged.

     

    Most MSOs linked the price rise to the TRAI regulation on tariff hike.

     

    Siticable Kolkata director Suresh Sethiya said, “After the price defreeze proposed by the regulator, that is 15 per cent, April onward, when MSOs now sit with broadcasters for renewal of channel contracts, they will have to shell out more money compared to the previous contracts. We can’t take the pinch on ourselves as we don’t have enough resource to fall back upon. Therefore cable rents are bound to go up in the range of 15-20 per cent from 1 August.”
     

    “We have no other option but to increase the channel package rates as the broadcasters have started bargaining a lot,” said a small MSO operating in Kolkata.  

     

    An official from KCBPL-GTPL, referring to the directive of Train on Subscriber Management System (SMS) and online up gradation said, “We are bound to increase the price as we have to show the bill and pay tax on that. Secondly, to follow the new bill delivery system of TRAI, we will incur additional costs in terms of software development and manpower.”

     

    Since DAS has yet not been implemented on ground in any area, subscribers are suffering. “LCOs have started taking full package charge from subscribers in the name of TRAI. But, sadly the same is not being passed on to us. While the LCOs are making good profit and broadcasters are earning more and more, MSOs are still suffering from the financial crunch. In the past few months, our financial health has gone from bad to worse. Questions are now being raised on our existence in the future,” concluded another MSO operating in the region.

  • “A holistic viewing experience with VAS will enlist consumer loyalty, moving forward”

    “A holistic viewing experience with VAS will enlist consumer loyalty, moving forward”

    MUMBAI: Having spent nearly 25 years in this industry, if there is one thing that has been constant over these years is the fact that there has never been a single dull moment! It’s a memorable journey which I live, learn and grow with every passing day.

     

    Whilst I have actively represented many genres in entertainment what comes naturally to me is movies, and so to be part of an iconic brand like HBO, is not only an honour but a dream come true! The path-breaking work HBO has done globally is truly a benchmark we aspire to match and go beyond in this part of the world as well.

     

    With growing fragmentation of this genre in India coupled with the tall challenge of not having much content differentiation between one channel and the other, it clearly calls out the need to bring something different to the consumer. In fact, the harsh reality of the day is that if one were to put their hand on the logo of a movie channel, one would never know which channel they were watching! Hence, I strongly believe that in the current context where lines of consumer loyalty are blurring, offering a holistic viewing experience with value added services would most certainly enlist consumer loyalty, moving forward. And this is exactly what we at HBO are currently doing and possibly paving a way for others to follow as well.

     

    Over the years, HBO has graduated from being a leading ‘Hollywood channel’ to one of the most celebrated ‘Premium Entertainment Experiences’. HBO has redefined television viewing in India through its latest offering of two 100% ad-free Premium Channels- HBO Defined and HBO Hits. Our vision is to create a cinema-like experience in the comfort of your home. In terms of content, we at HBO aim to strike a fine balance between blockbuster titles that rate year after year and our “differentiators” – critically acclaimed ‘HBO Original’ shows and movies.  Now with innovative services like ‘HBO on demand’, the subscription video on demand (SVOD) service offered for free exclusively to subscribers of the HBO Premium Channels- HBO Defined and HBO Hits- on Tata Sky, we are taking the premium experience a step further. ‘HBO on demand’ provides flexibility, choice, and convenience to subscribers, putting them in complete control of what they watch, when they watch, and how they watch. ‘HBO on demand’ will give HBO Premium Subscribers access to a wide selection of HBO original content with the convenience to watch what they like, when they like. Indian audiences no longer want to be limited to viewing content at specific times and want great flexibility and choice. The HBO Premium offering is aiming to fill that need.

     

    Having said that, we have to also admit that unfortunately, it’s not such a walk in the park and in hindsight, I guess it was never meant to be! Whilst digitisation has paved the way for players like us to come out with new revenue models, the on-ground reality with the cable fraternity leaves much to be desired. Until the marriage of MSOs and LCOs doesn’t get sorted in an amicable way, it would be testing our strengths for making these revenue models work. The need of the hour is for digital cable platforms to adopt learnings from DTH platforms and apply the same to fix some of the on-ground challenges. There definitely exists an opportunity for all platforms to address their growth against the backdrop of the ARPU challenge and I think, we all believe revenue-sharing models can be one of the ways forward. However, to make that happen, we need some tangible steps taken on the ground.

     

    Being an eternal optimist and seeing the glass always half full, I sincerely hope that these problems will fade away soon and I do see some baby steps being taken in that direction which will surely pave the way forward.

     

    If I had a genie asking me two wishes; firstly, I would ask for DTH platforms to have more bandwidth and secondly, I would ask for digital cable platforms to be more technology-ready and have a stronger customer value proposition.

     

    Some may argue that genies don’t exist so these wishes may not come true, but I believe the bottle has been opened and it’s just a matter of time before he comes out and grants me these wishes!

     

    (Monica Tata, managing director of HBO South Asia, was the Guest Editor Of the Day at Indiantelevision.com and the views expressed are her own.)

  • I&B in talks with ISRO to resolve transponder issue: Bimal Julka

    I&B in talks with ISRO to resolve transponder issue: Bimal Julka

    MUMBAI: Day one of FICCI FRAMES 2014, the 15th chapter of the annual convention, witnessed a couple of significant announcements by Information & Broadcasting Secretary Bimal Julka.

     

    “DTH operators have complained that the limited transponder capacity has led them to completely depend on the Ku band. We are engaged in discussions with ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) and the Department of Space to ensure this problem is resolved at the earliest,” said Julka in an assurance that the I&B Ministry was seriously looking at DTH operators’ demand for more transponders.

     

    With taxes levied on DTH platforms currently including an average of 10 per cent of entertainment tax, licence fees, additional customs duty on set top boxes (STBs), service tax and spectrum charges, Julka touched upon DTH players’ demand for rationalizing taxes so as to help them boost investment in infrastructure development and customers’ activation. “We are in talks with the Ministry of Finance and a consultation on this is on its way. We should be able to resolve the issue soon,” he said.

     

    On the subject of applications for launching new channels pending with the Ministry, Julka said, “An inter-ministerial committee has been set up under the I&B Ministry to look at granting permissions. There are around 800-odd channels currently, while 245 applications are pending for grant of permission. On one side, we get complaints that there are not enough revenues for broadcasters, while on the other side, we are flooded with applications for grant of permission for channels.” He said that in times to come, there would be a large number of mergers and acquisitions among broadcasters. The I&B Ministry is also in talks with the Ministries of Home Affairs, Corporate Affairs and External Affairs to ensure a more smooth process for granting permissions. “At least now, the Ministry of Home Affairs has granted permission and security clearance for channels-to-be for a period of 10 years,” he said.

     

    During his speech, Julka highlighted the strong partnership the Ministry shares with various stakeholders. “We have come out with policies that bring in a paradigm shift in the Media and Entertainment (M&E) industry. We are at the cusp of a major change with digitization, and this will help India put its best foot forward. The change has to be supported by liberal progressive policies that will encourage investment and ensure sustainable business models, promote entrepreneurship and create innovations,” he said. India has 77 million cable TV homes, of which 29 per cent are serviced by DTH operators while Doordarshan’s Free Dish reaches out to nearly 9 million homes. There are roughly 396 non-news channels and 60,000 cable TV operators, 6000 multi system operators (MSOs) and approximately 360 broadcasters; he informed, pointing out that the first two phases of cable TV digitization had been completed in about 42 cities with over 30 million STBs installed. “This was a mammoth task which has been undertaken with the coordination of all stakeholders,” Julka said. “About 110 million STBs are required to be installed in phases III and IV of DAS. Unless these phases are completed, we will not be able to fully harness the fruits of digitization. This is an excellent industry for employment generation.” Lavishing praise on digitization, he said, “It will change the way television is consumed. It will put India in the league of advanced countries.”

     

    On entertainment tax, he informed that preliminary data from state governments reveals a two to three-fold increase in collection of entertainment tax. “The data from news broadcasters shows approximately 30 per cent reduction in carriage fees in phase I cities and data from MSOs shows increase in subscription fees of about 35 per cent to broadcasters,” he said. Stressing on the need to fill in consumer application forms (CAFs), he said, “This is an ongoing exercise. I hope that the MSOs and LCOs are engaged in this exercise and will soon finish it.”

     

    While digitization would bring in transparency which in turn would bring in foreign direct investment (FDI) in broadcasting, Julka didn’t shy away from acknowledging the challenges. “Filling of CAFs, choice of a la carte channels, computerized billing to consumers, and the revenue sharing module between MSOs, LCOs and broadcasters is taking some time, but I am sure it will be resolved soon,” he assured, adding that the government would step in at any time it deems fit. On the ongoing issue of credible ratings, he said, “We are glad that the BARC has been set up. I will request BARC to speed up its process so that we can generate ratings without any delay.”

    Julka stressed the importance of digitization. “We need to see complete digitization throughout the country. Also, there are issues of registration of MSOs, monopoly restriction on MSOs and LCOs, and content monitoring. While vertical monopoly and cross media holding is a big issue, it is also engaging the MIB. We will consult the stakeholders before taking a decision on this,” he said on a concluding note.

  • CTMA’s Cable TV Show 2014 to begin in Kolkata tomorrow

    CTMA’s Cable TV Show 2014 to begin in Kolkata tomorrow

    KOLKATA: India is on the path of digitisation and if all goes well then by the end of this year the entire country will go digital. In that case, isn’t a cable TV show a good idea to make the industry aware of the new technology? Cable TV Equipments Traders & Manufacturers Association (CTMA) is organising its three-day annual satellite and cable television show 2014 from 12 to 14 March at the Netaji Indoor Stadium which will see the participation of nearly 10,000 parties. It will include cable operators, traders, manufacturers, channel partners, distributors, broadcasters from across the country as well as from Bhutan, Nepal, China and Bangladesh are expected to attend the show.

     

    “Cable TV Show 2014 would showcase and promote latest products, technology, emerging trends and value added services in the cable television (CATV) sector,” said the exhibition chairman Pawan Jajodia.

     

    This year more than 400 local cable operators (LCO) from Bangladesh are likely to participate in this show. All the major national multi-system operators (MSOs) along with the regional MSOs may also put up stalls at the show to make the public aware about their service potential and new services, said SitiCable Kolkata director Suresh Sethia.

     

    “Eastern India, the hinterland being services by CTMA is having a TV base of more than 25 million TV homes beside another five million TV homes in the neighbouring countries of SAARC Region,” added Jajodia, who thinks that with the convergence of digital market of CATV, this platform has become versatile and potential.

     

    The show will bring together all the existing and prospective manufacturers and vendors and the CATV service providers like MSOs, LCOs, broadcasters and traders and help them to expand their market. The Kolkata region itself has approximately 30 lakh digitised cable TV households.

  • Gujarat HC to hear LCOs petition against TRAI, govt, MSOs next week

    Gujarat HC to hear LCOs petition against TRAI, govt, MSOs next week

    MUMBAI: The Gujarat Cable Operators Association (GCOA) has all the reasons to rejoice. The Gujarat High Court on 30 January had given a final notice to the Union Government, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and Multi System Operators (MSOs) in the state to respond to the petition filed by the GCOA, but all the three respondents did not file their responses in the court with the deadline ending today.

     

    “Today was the last day for the government, the TRAI and the MSOs to respond to the court’s notice, but none of them responded,” informs Gujarat Cable Operators Association president Pramod Pandya.

     

    Pandya the court will being hearings in the case next week.

     

    GCOA had filed a petition in the high court in September, challenging the legality of the Telecommunication (Broadcasting and Cable) Services Tariff and the Telecommunication (Broadcasting and Cable Services) Interconnection Regulations. The court had asked the three respondents to file reasons for formulating the tariff and interconnection regulations.

     

    “We have been fighting for our fundamental rights. It is a one-sided regulation. Why is everything being taken away from me and being given to the MSO? We are not against DAS. It is a fight for our right and our ownership of the consumers. We now wait for the case to go up for hearing the next week,” concludes Pandya. 

  • ‘North East Live’ to expand in 7 north-eastern states

    ‘North East Live’ to expand in 7 north-eastern states

    KOLKATA: ‘North East Live’, a 24×7 satellite news channel from the house of Pride East Entertainments that was launched in Arunachal Pradesh last year is on an expansion spree. In the next six-seven months, the channel plans cover all the seven north-eastern states of India. As a part of that, the channel will be hiring 100 employees including journalists and technical staffs.

     

    However, the channel, which was in talks with various multiple system operators (MSOs) and direct-to-home (DTH) players, had to bear the brunt of high distribution charges because of which it has even given up the plans of all India distribution for the time-being. “The high carriage fee demanded by them makes it difficult for us to subscribe,” said Pride East Entertainments CEO Caushiq Bezboruah.

     

    Still North East Live can be watched at some places including Kolkata, few parts of Madhya Pradesh among others. “We have tied up with Siticable in Kolkata,” he said.

     

    However, the company has opted for an AOS application that would increase its penetration and has even seen considerable downloads in the north eastern market. “Apart from the AOS application, our website also provides all the audio-visuals of the news,” said Bezboruah.

     

    The Guwahati-based Pride East Entertainment also runs three other channels – Newslive, a news channel; and general entertainment channels (GEC) channels Rang and Ramdhenu. The company has around 350 employs working for it, of which, a team of 50 work for North East Live. “We have set up a studio at Arunachal Pradesh and for the Guwahati reporting, the infrastructure and manpower of ‘Newslive’ are used,” said Bezboruah.

     

    The feed for North East Live is uplinked from Guwahati presently and the company will continue to do so in future as well, informs Bezboruah.

  • TRAI says 44% of DTH subscribers inactive

    TRAI says 44% of DTH subscribers inactive

    MUMBAI: Direct-to-home television service providers appear to be having a tough time retaining their subscribers. A large portion of their registered subscribers are inactive.

     

    Of the total registered subscriber base of 60.71 million of the six DTH companies as on 30 September, 2013, the number of active subscribers was just 34.26 million (or 56 per cent), according to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s quarterly report titled ‘The Indian Telecom Services Performance Indicators’.

     

    The DTH subscriber base as on 30 September 2013 was three per cent more than a quarter ago.

     

    The report said the number of internet subscribers (excluding internet access by mobile devices) has increased 1.38 per cent  from 21.89 million at the end of June 2013 to 22.19 million at the end of September 2013.

     

    The number of broadband subscribers has also risen. The figure went up from 15.20 million in June to 15.35 million in September, thus registering a quarterly growth of 0.99 per cent and year-on-year (y-o-y) growth of 4.52 per cent. That apart, the number of narrowband subscribers (except internet access by mobile devices) increased from 6.69 million to 6.84 million, registering a quarterly growth of 2.25 per cent from a quarter ago.

     

    The report also mentions that the number of private satellite TV channels as permitted by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry is 784, of which 187 are pay channels. The maximum number of TV channels (Pay, FTA and Local) being carried by any of the reported Multi System Operators (MSOs) is 218 whereas in the conventional analogue form, maximum number of channels being carried by any of the reported MSOs is 100 channels.

     

    As per the report, the number of telephone subscribers has decreased from 903.09 million at the end of June 2013 to 899.86 million at the end of September 2013, thus registering a negative growth of 0.36 per cent over the previous quarter. “This reflects y-o-y negative growth of 4.03 per cent over the same quarter last year,” states the TRAI report.

     

    The report also highlights a net decline of 2.78 million telephone subscribers during the quarter. “The total wireless (GSM + CDMA) subscriber base has decreased from 873.36 million to 870.58 million, registering a negative growth rate of 0.32 per cent over the previous quarter. The y-o-y negative growth rate of wireless subscribers for September is 3.97 per cent,” says the report.

     

     The number of subscribers who accessed internet using a mobile device is 188.20 million during the quarter ending September 2013.