ITV

Tag: Maharashtra

  • Zee Talkies is the No.1 channel of Maharashtra, marching ahead of all other channels

    Zee Talkies is the No.1 channel of Maharashtra, marching ahead of all other channels

    MUMBAI: After a string of successes in the last financial year, Zee Talkies becomes the highest reach channel of Maharashtra with over 2 crore viewers, ahead of all Marathi GEC’s.

     

    Not only that with the increasing popularity of Marathi Cinema over General Entertainment Zee Talkies has acquired the No.3 position in the genre, pacing ahead of a leading GEC in Maharashtra (Zee Talkies GTVT 48398, ETV Marathi GTVT 47890).

     

    The current skew of multiple initiatives on the channel and a fresh line-up ‘Majha Chakula’ and ‘Dhingana Unlimited’ coupled with robust programming – scheduling, has created a lot of affinity amongst the audience thus driving additional viewers to the channel. Even though Zee Talkies has always enjoyed the highest Time spent by audiences on any movie channel, consistently maintaining the highest reach for 7 weeks has been challenging task which has been successfully handled by the team.

     

    Bavesh Janavlekar, Business Head, Zee Talkies, says, “We want to position Zee Talkies as a FEC (Film Entertainment Channel). This implies that along with the best and latest Marathi movies the audience would also be exposed to the best of film entertainment whether it’s an event or a show. The current channel strategy has created a lot of affinity amongst the channel audience, thus making it the No.1 channel of Maharashtra. The channel reach numbers are a true indicator of the escalating popularity of Zee Talkies in Maharashtra. I would like to thank the viewers for their invariable support through which the channel has expanded to newer horizons.”

     

    “Going forward, Zee Talkies plans to roll out some key initiatives with the aim to scale the channel to newer heights and provide quality entertainment to the audiences of Maharashtra”; adds Bavesh

     

    With its promise of continuous innovation coupled with non-stop entertainment Zee Talkies brings to you ‘Naveen Duniyadaari’ on 27th April @ 12pm & 7pm with a twist in the story.

     

    The best is yet to come!

  • ETV Marathi celebrates channel success and Gudi Padwa

    ETV Marathi celebrates channel success and Gudi Padwa

    MUMBAI: ETV Marathi, a channel that mirrors the cultural ethos and spirit of Maharashtra has always prided itself in providing a range of differentiated content that redefines the family viewing experience.  The channel has always held an important place in the heart of every Maharashtrian and over the last year we have further strengthened this bond.

    ETV Marathi over the last year has had a glorious run. The journey towards success has been achieved on the back of powerful programming that has redefined Marathi television history.  The transformation that started on the back of the mega blockbuster Kon Hoeel Marathi Crorepati establishing new standards of scale and grandeur in Marathi Television history, continued with other engaging and revolutionising content. Shows like 1760 Saasubbai, Majhe Mann Tujhe Jhale, Sundar Majhe Ghar have created new benchmarks in reach and social messaging and taken the channel towards the next echelon of growth.   

    Speaking at the occasion of the Gudi Padwa celebrations held by ETV Marathi, Anuj Poddar, EVP Viacom18 & Business Head ETV Marathi said “ETV Marathi’s journey towards success has just started and the best phase is still ahead of us. Our story of the past year is akin to the common man. We resonated with the masses and elevated this common man to a pedestal. We are confident that with the support of the masses, we will continue to keep pace with the growth we have witnessed so far and emerge as the leading entertainment destination for all our viewers.”

    Numbers speak volumes and if numbers are to go by, ETV Marathi is emerging as the preferred destination of Marathi entertainment amongst its viewers. The below data clearly highlights the consistently increasing power of the platform.    

    Pioneers of the Marathi General Entertainment Genre, ETV Marathi, which was launched on 9th July 2000 has many firsts to its credit. The channel was the first to experiment with new homegrown non-fiction formats like Gaurav Maharashtracha, Dholkicha Taalavar, Superfast Comedy Express and Crime Diary that has revolutionised the Marathi Television space. On the fiction front too ETV Marathi has had a glorious run with landmark shows like Char Divas Sasuche that was a raging success.

    Today the channel continues to be powerhouse of content with the best in fiction and non-fiction bringing alive a heady concoction of traditional and contemporary content for its viewers. Resonating the channels primary agenda of being a mass entertainer with a soul, the channel boasts of a rich, diverse and engaging content palate across genres and continues to entertain and engage its viewers across the length and breadth of Maharashtra

     

  • Maxus and Tata Global Beverages release of 10 point Women’s Manifesto

    Maxus and Tata Global Beverages release of 10 point Women’s Manifesto

    MUMBAI: Ahead of the 2014 General Elections,Tata Global Beverages and the Tata group today released a 10-point ‘Voice of 49%’ women’s manifesto,aggregating issues raised by more than a million women from across India. The manifesto, an outcome of the ‘Power of 49’ campaign, aims at giving a voice to the women of India to be heard in the political discourse of our country. The key issues that have emerged in the manifesto are broadly around the themes of Violence, Safety, Health and Education. This entire campaign has been powered by Maxus, the country’s leading media investments firm, and most dominant media agency in India.

     

    The Power of 49 campaign was launched by Tata Global Beverages, through their social awakening platform Jaago Re, and the Tata group in August 2013 with the objective of creating a more awakened and informed female electorate who constitute 49% of the world’s largest democracy.The issues thathave emerged as a result of this campaign were studied and debated in depth by14 experts led by the editorial team of CNN-IBN and have put together this 10-point ‘Voice of 49%’ manifesto, to be presented and discussed with political parties, in an attempt for them to integrate it into their political agenda.

     

    Speaking on the campaign, Kartik Sharma, MD, Maxus South Asia said, “The Bahu Nahi Bahumat” campaign is the articulation of “Power of 49” campaign by Tata Tea and Tata Global Beverages. This is a revolution rather than a communications campaign. Along with the brand, we have managed to bring core issues that affect nearly half of the electoral votes in India to the forefront. With innovative content and a robust media outreach, we have made the Women’s Manifesto a topic of conversation that could show real measureable impact in the forthcoming elections.” He added, “It has been a great opportunity for the team at Maxus to work on such an important manifesto, taking the Tata Group’s social awaking vision forward.”

     

    Speaking at this milestone, Vikram Grover, Vice President, Marketing, India and South Asia, Tata Global Beverages said, “The objective of the campaign was to create a large number of educated women voters with a view that an informed female electorate would propel the political leaders to include their issues in the agenda in the forthcoming elections. Our study indicates that women are beginning to understand the role they play in forming a government and are more inclined towards voting now.   We are delighted by the overwhelming 1.4 million responses received through our Power of 49 initiative where women have expressed their specific issues.

     

    Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Mukund Rajan, Member – Group Executive Council and Brand Custodian, Tata Sons said, “The Tata group is proud to associate with Power of 49, which aims to create awareness among the women voters of India about the power they have to bring about change. The ‘Voice of 49%’ manifesto represents an opportunity for Indian women to cast informed votes for candidates who address their issues and at the same time gets political parties to see women as a determining factor in elections. We believe that women’s empowerment is an important subject for our nation’s progress, and the Power of 49 initiative is a step in that direction, seeking to give women their rightful place in the future of our country.”

     

    Since the launch of the campaign, more than 1.4 million responses have come from all over the country through multiple communication platforms. The highest participation has come from the states of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Bihar, respectively.

     

    Key highlights of the Voice of 49 manifesto

     

    • Politicians must lead by example by displaying zero tolerance for perpetrators of domestic abuse and dowry in political parties

     

    • Address the under representation of women in the parliament through increased representation in party ticket distribution as well as cabinet

     

    • Make gender sensitization for boys a compulsory part of the school curriculum from Std. V to XII in order to counter eve-teasing

     

    • Increase percentage of women police personnel from current 5% to at least 33%

     

    • Build a combined ‘front line army’ of government workers, NGOs, local health and sanitation workers with accredited social health activists

     

    • Build 1 crore women toilets within a year with privacy and 24/7 access to water

     

    • Provide mandatory cr?ches, women-friendly maternity policies that include long-term leave-  both rural and urban

     

    • Incentivise schooling for girls by providing financial saving schemes and free transportation

     

    • Install GPS on all buses, double the number of street lights and provide round the clock public transportation for women

     

    • Provide complete medical, legal and psychological support to victims of domestic violence by instituting special family counselling centers in government buildings and policy centres

     

    These issues were collated in a first-of–its-kind manifesto that represents the collective voice of the AamAurat. Our triumph lies in Tata Tea Jaago Re becoming a platform for national discourse for issues like the importance of voting and the ills of corruption. With the Power of 49, we have reached another milestone with respect to women and their role in the forthcoming elections and the future of our democracy,” he added.

     

    Power of 49 is being supported by the Tata group as it aligns closely with the group’s social agenda. The campaign saw Tata group companies and employees coming together in the spirit of volunteering to play their part in amplifying the impact of the campaign.

     

    The Power of 49 campaign comprises of three phases.

     

    • The first phase was focused on creating awareness amongst women to the Power of 49% and the power of their informed vote.

     

    • The second and the current phase is about encouraging women to voice out their issues that are critical to them, their family and locality through forging partnerships and communicating it through multiple platforms. With the impactful ‘KaalaTeeka’ television commercial, the ‘Push the Pin’ initiative and the endorsement of leading television soap protagonists through the BahuNahiBahumat platform, the initiative has encouraged women from across the country to raise their voice. Tata Global Beverages partnered with General Entertainment Channels (GECs), news channels, and an NGO to broaden its reach and create maximum impact resulting in the creation of the ‘Voice of 49%’ manifesto.

     

    • Through the creation of manifesto, the final phase of the campaign urges women to go and cast an informed vote for a candidate who is most likely to address their issues ahead of General Elections 2014.

     

    The ‘Voice of 49’ manifesto, voicing theissues and concerns of women from across India, if implemented by the political parties, could have a large positive impact on the country.The Power of 49 campaign will continue to leverage multiple communication platforms to create awareness amongst women to cast an informed vote for a candidate who will address their issues.

  • Jaipur LCOs to form cooperative, set up own headend

    Jaipur LCOs to form cooperative, set up own headend

    MUMBAI: Local cable operators (LCOs) feel threatened with compulsory digitisation of cable TV services. LCOs own the end subscribers, but do not have the bargaining power with broadcasters and also access to funding.

     

    This has led to an increasing trend towards LCO consolidation, if not through the mergers and acquisitions route then through formation of associations and unions, especially in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Kerala and Karnataka, states the FICCI-KPMG media and entertainment industry report 2014.

     

    Now, nearly 220 of the about 250 LCOs in Jaipur, Rajasthan have decided to come together to protect their business. The LCOs are looking at forming a cooperative and setting up their own headend.

     

    The move comes as many LCOs are unhappy with the monopoly of the multi-system operators with the progressing digitisation.

     

    “It is at a nascent stage, but we are tired of the MSO monopoly here in Jaipur and hence looking at setting up a cooperative and converting into an independent MSO,” says a cable operator from Jaipur who is currently taking feeds from Hathway Cable & Datacom.

     

    The cooperative has been set up under the banner Jaipur Cable Operators Welfare Society. The LCOs are meeting regularly to finalise details.

     

    While the initial investments will be made by the LCOs, they will also approach banks for loans to meet the investment demands. “We are unhappy with the way things are moving in the state. Neither the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India nor the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is ready to listen to us. And so we have decided to take this move,” says the LCO.

     

    As of now, four lakh set top boxes have been seeded in the state. “The Jaipur cable operators are in talks with us as they are looking at setting up a cooperative. We will be meeting in April in Mumbai to discuss further,” informs Maharashtra Cable Operators Federation (MCOF) president Arvind Prabhoo.

     

    It is not only in Jaipur that the LCOs are coming together to form cooperatives. While earlier such cooperatives were set up in Chennai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Kolkata, now LCOs are coming together in Mumbai, Jaipur, Jodhpur and parts of Madhya Pradesh to set up their own headends.

  • Star Pravah chalks out marketing strategy to promote new look

    Star Pravah chalks out marketing strategy to promote new look

    MUMBAI: The blue has given away to silver with a red streak and that is how Star Pravah aims to align itself with its parent network Star India. Starting 3 February, the channel came up with a fresh look with a new logo, tagline and a completely different philosophy.

     

    The new tagline ‘Swapnanna Pankh Nave’ (dreams have new wings) is to indicate that the focus is shifting towards a younger female audience. Three new shows launched are also promoting its new philosophy that of encouraging modern young Maharashtrian women to channelise their dreams. “The fiction shows we are coming up with talk about individualism of women. They aren’t regular saas bahu shows. Our story characters will support the tagline,” says Star Pravah creative head Jayesh Patil. The current shows are also going to have tweaks introduced soon to suit the younger CS 15+ SEC A B C audiences as opposed to the earlier universal audience.

     

    The three new shows are Be Dune Daha (produced by Dashmi creations), Lagori Maitri (Endemol India) and The Supriya Sachin show- Jodi Tujhi Majhi (produced by Sachin Pilgaonkar). More shows are slated for a mid April launch. Lagori Maitri has replaced Swapnanchya Palikadle at 8:00 pm while the latter has been shifted to 6:30 pm due to stagnant ratings. Be Dune Daha at 9:00pm has replaced Ambat God which has been taken off air. “We are looking to target a slightly more upscale audience. We have also altered the broadcast design by bringing in different visual grammar and stay away from the traditional way of storytelling,” says Star Pravah channel head Prem Kamath.

     

    Promotions of the new look have already begun in its marketing campaign and will run till mid next week. The focus of the campaign, created majorly by an in-house team, is outdoor and TV and not the usual print medium. Both BTL and ATL activities have been used across Mumbai, Pune, Nashik and Nagpur for which sources say Rs 5 crore has been spent. “Given the exposure on TV, print wasn’t bringing additional reach,” says Kamath.

     

    ATL activities involve promoting it predominantly on Star Pravah and network channels as well as some other Marathi news channels like IBN Lokmat, ABP Majha and TV9 Maharashtra. Outdoor promotion is focussed in metros and 1 million plus towns in Marathi localities tipping more towards using stations than hoardings. An OBD service has been created inviting people to sample their new shows by making telephonic calls to them which will have recorded voices of the protagonists.

     

    The BTL campaign specifically involves a Mentorship Programme that will begin by 1 March for women who have dreams to achieve something in various fields. Five women from various cities will be selected after a round of entries. They will be brought to Mumbai for a day and given training by mentors from the profession they want to enter. The TG for this outdoor activity is women in the age group 18 to 34 years, both single as well as married. The first edition of this month long activity will be telecast somewhere in April. The radio medium will be used to call out entries for this event.

     

    Although the channel was aiming to refresh itself some time ago, it only took complete shape now. Soon, old shows will be giving way to new, modern and younger shows. Seems like even the regional channels are looking to tap the youth quotient of the country.

  • BSNL, MTNL to get financial help on surrender of BWA Spectrum

    BSNL, MTNL to get financial help on surrender of BWA Spectrum

    NEW DELHI: Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) have got the approval for financial support from the Union Cabinet on surrender of Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) spectrum.

     

    Upfront charges paid for such spectrum would be refunded.

     

    The objective of this decision is to provide financial support to the extent of one-time upfront charges paid for BWA spectrum for six service areas of BSNL and both service areas of MTNL on surrender of the spectrum. The six licensed service areas of BSNL are Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kolkata.

     

    The amount to be refunded to BSNL is Rs 6724.51 crore and Rs 4533.97 crore for MTNL. The refund will be made to ensure support for the revival and revitalisation of BSNL and MTNL in the competitive telecom sector. It shall also help these PSUs to arrange finances to meet basic financial commitments such as operation and maintenance of their telecom network.

  • National MSOs to meet in Mumbai on gross billing issue

    National MSOs to meet in Mumbai on gross billing issue

    MUMBAI: The national multi-system operators (MSOs) are meeting on 3 January in Mumbai to discuss the smooth rollout of gross billing in Maharashtra. While the deadline set by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to achieve 100 per cent customer application forms (CAFs) for phase II cities and submitting compliance report for gross billing for phase I cities came to an end on 31 December 2013, the MSOs have been unable to start gross billing in Maharashtra. The meeting has been called to discuss on the matter and come up with ways to ensure that gross billing begins in the state.

    “Since the issue of entertainment tax, which is supposed to be included in the bills generated to the consumer, is in the Bombay High Court, we cannot start gross billing in the state. We will be meeting on Friday to discuss issues at hand,” informs a MSO who will be attending the meeting.

     The MSOs are claiming to have achieved 90-95 per cent CAF and also submitted the compliance report for Delhi and Kolkata to TRAI. “But, the situation is a little different in Maharashtra,” admits the MSO.

    While no independent MSO will be a part of the meeting, the national players operating in Maharashtra: Hathway Cable & Datacom, DEN Networks, SitiCable and InCable will meet tomorrow.

    But, the last mile operators (LMOs) have decided to not allow gross billing in Maharashtra. “The case is anyways in the Bombay High Court and so the MSOs cannot start gross billing in the state. Though Hathway has verbally agreed to give partial access to its subscriber management system (SMS) to the LMOs and said that while it will bill the LMOs, the latter can bill the subscriber, thus being the owner of its subscriber, there has been no response from DEN and IMCL on the same,” informs Maharashtra Cable Operators Federation (MCOF) president Arvind Prabhoo.

    “We will not allow gross billing to start in Maharashtra till all the issues are resolved,” adds Prabhoo.

  • Maharashtra’s LMOs get favorable Bombay HC interim order

    Maharashtra’s LMOs get favorable Bombay HC interim order

    MUMBAI: Maharashtra’s last mile cable TV operators  (LMOs) have got some relief. The Bombay High Court today gave them interim relief to the LMOs from filing joint affidavits along with the multi-system operators (MSOs).

    The Court has given an interim stay on the amended GR. We can continue depositing the entertainment tax to the court, says Arvind Prabhoo

    The Maharashtra Cable Operators Federation (MCOF) had on 13 December moved the Court challenging the Maharashtra state government’s amended gazette resolution (GR) regarding entertainment tax. According to the amended GR, it was mandatory for the LMOs to file a joint affidavit with the MSOs while paying entertainment tax.

    “The case was heard today and the court has given us an interim stay on the amended GR. We can continue depositing the entertainment tax with the court,” inform MCOF president Arvind Prabhoo.

    The case comes up for further hearing next Monday, that is, 23 December.

  • Maharashtra cable ops plan statewide entertainment tax protest

    Maharashtra cable ops plan statewide entertainment tax protest

    MUMBAI: Maharashtra is in for a major rally and cable TV blackout come 16 December if the state’s operators have their way. The reason for the strike: it is their way of protesting against the Rs 45 per subscriber entertainment tax that the state levies on them.

    The rumblings of the current agitation began in the city of Nagpur. On 9 December around 600 cable operators across 11 districts of the Vidarbha region got together at Patwardhan ground, Sitabuldi raising their ire against the “harsh government tax”.  Simultaneously, the cable ops switched off their signals to their subscribers in the region.

    “Approximately, 12-15 lakh STBs were switched off between 9 am to 7 pm. Our intention was not to deprive consumers of their entertainment, but to inform them about the tax regime,” says Nagpur District Cable TV Operators’ Association president Subhash Bante. “We had earlier asked the government to inform consumers about entertainment tax, which wasn’t done, so we have taken the baton in our hand.” 

    Even this did not get a revert from the Maharashtra government; hence they intensified their agitation with at least two cable TV operators going  on a  hunger strike from 10 December onwards. “We want to meet Maharashtra revenue minister Balasaheb Thorat and express our view point,” informs Bante.

    And even if this does not get them an audience, Bante says the protest will spread throughout the state with the rally that is being planned for next week. The exact date has not been fixed “but associations from across the state will participate in the rally. We are in talks with the Maharashtra Cable Operators’ Federation and others for the same. Also, there will be state level switch off on the day,” he reveals. 

    5000 cable operators are expected to participate in it along with 50 consumer associations. Supporting the cable operators are consumer associations like Maratha Seva Sang, Sambhaji Brigade and Mulnivasi Mukti Manch among others.

    So what are the LCOs demanding? For starters, the LCOs feel that the quantum of entertainment tax is too high, as compared to other states. “Then we want a centralised system for entertainment tax. Consumers should be made aware that they need to pay Rs 45 per TV as entertainment tax. Many are not aware that they have to pay it, and those who have become aware are unwilling to make the payments,” elaborates Bante. “Finally, the backlog of entertainment tax for the past 10 months should be waived off.” 

    Bante reveals that most cable TV operators have expressed that taxes on cable TV should be a central government prerogative which should be imposed uniformly nationally, and not be left to the states. He explains: “The central government can form a committee which includes cable operators from all over India. They can decide on an entertainment tax amount which is uniform for all states and that it collects just like it does with income tax. It can later re-distribute the amount to the states.”

    However, what is troubling the cable ops the most is the backlog of entertainment tax. “No revenue was generated from April-June 2013, since we were seeding STBs.”

    Also, according to the circular issued on 7 March by the state government, the multi-system operators (MSOs) were asked to pay the entertainment tax. This was seen by the LCOs as a move to deny them the ownership of their consumers. However, since it was the LCOs who had been paying the entertainment tax since the start, the move was resisted by the LCOs who then under the leadership of MCOF and Nashik District Cable Operators Federation moved to the Bombay High Court, seeking a stay on the circular. In the interim, the Maharashtra government in November again issued a circular asking the LCOs to pay entertainment tax directly to the district collector.  

    Nagpur’s cable TV ops have been striking since 10 December

    It was during this period that the LCOs did not collect any entertainment tax from the consumer. “Now, this has led to an outstanding amount running into crores over the past 10 months,” says Bante. His estimate is that the backlog for Nagpur alone is at Rs 22 crore. “If Nagpur city alone has such a huge outstanding, one can only imagine the amount of backlog for eight districts which includes: Nagpur, Thane, Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Nasik, Kalyan-Dombivali, Mumbai city and Solapur,” he says.

    Though the voices of the striking LCOs have not yet been heard, Bante is hopeful. “We are currently waking up the consumer. I am sure, the state government will surely lend its ear to us,” he opines.   

    “The winter session is on right now. Though the operators are on strike, no one seems to be bothered about them. I will be presenting their issues to the assembly session next week regarding the same,” Cable Operators Distributors Association president Anil Parab told indiantelevision.com when we contacted. Parab, a Sena activist, has in the past made unsuccessful attempts to get Maharashtra’s revenue minister to lower the amount levied as entertainment tax. 

    The key question, however is will the Nagpur cable ops, along with consumer organisations, and the MCOF be successful? Watch this space!  

  • It’s a SCaT man’s world!

    It’s a SCaT man’s world!

    MUMBAI: The SCaT (Satellite and Cable TV) trade show in its 22nd year took place at the World Trade Centre, Cuffe Parade here over the weekend between 25 and 27 October. The show received a great response with all the stalls sold out. The show was buzzing with energy and enthusiasm.

    “I feel like a kid in a candy shop, I am really spoilt for choice. I would love to check out all the new products and try out a few,” said one of the visitors.

    According to the organisers, they had to take additional hall space to cater to the higher demand from exhibitors. It was deliberately held over a weekend to make it convenient for outstation visitors and the number of registrations clearly out did the previous years on both days. Several operators from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh attended in groups and of course from all over India too.

    The show attracts visitors to review and purchase products from over 150 companies and brands, not only from India but worldwide. Over 40 international companies participated in the show this time around. The focus of SCaT 2013 was to showcase attractively priced digital headend products to meet the needs of smaller cable TV networks looking to migrate to digital cable TV within a year.

    In fact, the entire idea to hold the exhibition is to make work easier for the people in the industry, say the organisers, who also come out with a monthly magazine, SCaT. “We launched the magazine in 1993 and it was the first trade publication catering to the satellite and cable TV industry in the south-Asian region. Simultaneously, we also started organising the SCaT Trade show for which we got huge appreciation,” says SCaT Media & Consultancy publisher and MD Sudeep Malhotra.

    According to Malhotra, the entire idea was to cash in on the growing cable TV industry, which was at a nascent stage at that time. “There was a big barrier between the manufacturers of cable TV products and the cable operators who were the buyers. They could only connect through the shopkeepers, who at times were not really helpful. So, if an operator was looking for an amplifier, he would be supplied only those products that was available at the shops. He may not even be aware of the better products that are being manufactured,” says Sudeep, who with the magazine and the trade show wanted to bridge that gap.

    The organisers hosted the first show in February 1993 and had just nine companies on board. In the same year in October, the show had 30 companies participating which was a huge jump for the organisers. “Over the years, we have been growing at a rate of almost 20 to 30 per cent. Now, we have 156 companies on board, with participation of about 21 countries,” says Malhotra, also adding that they have special permissions from the government to get the products from other countries.

    The footfall has increased considerably too – from 300 people in the first show over three days to almost 18,000 in the present show. “We have visitors not just from India but from Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka etc as well. We also have cable associations visiting the show in groups of 100, 200 from various states in India,” says Malhotra.

    The exhibition was spread across two buildings and witnessed a great response in terms of visitors. The show had a great mix of companies varying from those providing headend equipments to those providing end to end solutions. There was also a prominent presence of news channels like Captain TV (Chennai) and Channel News Asia (Singapore).

    Satellite & Cable TV Magazine editor and executive publisher Dinyar Contractor expounded, “We hold this exhibition annually to let the industry get together under one roof and explore the new products that are available or will soon be available in the market. We at SCaT believe that the opportunities are manifold at this show and the industry can benefit at large.”

    With the DAS rollout and impending phase III and IV implementation, the focus was but naturally on affordable digital headends and STBs which are cost efficient for small networks of the smaller towns that are not MSO dominated. Like always, it was the Chinese, Taiwanese and Korean manufacturers who dominated. Interestingly, the key Indian hardware companies like Catvision, Channel Master, Saibaba Electronics among others had all tied up with international manufacturers and were offering complete end to end DAS solutions. 

    “While clearly the focus was on hardware, the middleware and software vendors offering value added services, SMS and billing integration were yet to see significant traction. Also on display was the sole HITS service provider JainHits offering complete services including content, having recently won his legal case against the aggregator/distributors,” said media analyst Sanjeev Hiremath.

    One of the products that caught everyone’s attention was the Android OTT IP-STBs – these are set top boxes that function on an Android 4.0 and can be easily synced with any device – which can enable internet surfing, listening to online music via WiFi or Ethernet interface. The STB also supports Live TV watching and VoD if the user has an account with the solution provider.

    Another attraction at the event was Gaian Solutions’ new product through which cable operators and DTH players can now customise the advertisements being aired not only within states, but also within the city limit. “The new technology helps you to air different ads at the same time. So if in south Mumbai, a consumer will see a Mercedes ad on TV during a programme, another consumer in other part of the city can watch a different ad, according to the need of the market,” informed Gaian Solutions director-operations Mrigesh Gaurav.

    The lobby of the Taj Vivanta President where most of the participants stayed was also a meeting place for networking and also became the hotspot for the trade party on the penultimate day.

    All in all, it was an exciting and eventful three days of knowledge enhancement, serious business and networking.