ITV

Tag: MSOs

  • MSOs report healthy collection of CAFs as deadline nears

    MSOs report healthy collection of CAFs as deadline nears

    MUMBAI: 10 July and all the heads of India’s cable TV MSOs are going to be at the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) office. Reason: that’s the deadline for them to give the TRAI an update about how far they have progressed with the consumer application forms (CAFs) in DAS areas.

    The TRAI had over the past few months been egging on the national MSOs to ensure that they collect every bit of information about their subscribers so that they could move over to transparent subscription management systems and retail billing. But resistance from local cable TV operators and customers who had been lethargic on this front had made the regulator crack the whip. In early June this year, MSOs had been warned to collect CAFs from their customers by 25 June, but were given an extension till 10 July when they updated the regulator about the slow progress.

    The biggest worry area was New Delhi where apparently the level of CAF collection was below 50 per cent.

    When Indiantelevision.com contacted some MSOs to get an update about the status of CAF collections today, they said that they had made some more progress.

    “70 per cent in Mumbai,” says Hathway Cable CEO Jagdish Kumar. “75 per cent in Delhi. We have reached higher levels on our own network subscribers at about 90 per cent but we expect things to speed up at our joint ventures by end of this week.”

    DEN CEO SN Sharma says that the network has managed to get to about 80-85 per cent in terms of CAF collections in Delhi. “Our focus is on Delhi as it was a major worry,” he says. “This will then be followed up by Mumbai and Kolkata. We are clear we will start switching off those who are still not submitting.”

    InCable managing director Ravi Mansukhani says that almost all of the MSOs have got CAF collections between 70 and 90 per cent in the two cities.

    Kumar says the collections should surge in the last two or three days as the deadline nears.

    But a source reveals that while the deadline has been set for 10 July, it is quite likely that TRAI will give a final extension till 15 July before ordering the MSOs to switch off signals to errant customers.

  • Tata Elxsi unveils RDK system integration program

    Tata Elxsi unveils RDK system integration program

    BENGALURU: Leveraging its extensive and global experience from engagements with leading MSOs, OEMs and SoC vendors, Tata Elxsi has unveiled its latest system integration program for the deployment of the RDK (reference design kit) platform from Comcast.

    As an RDK System Integrator, Tata Elxsi will assist operators in determining specific requirements, integration, application development, pre/post testing and deployment in an efficient and cost effective manner.

    RDK is a pre-integrated software bundle that creates a common framework for powering tru2way, IP or hybrid set-top boxes and gateway devices and accelerates the development and deployment of next-generation video services. Comcast licenses the RDK to OEMs, SIs, SOCs, software vendors as well as MVPDs to create a community of innovators focused on bringing rich, multi-screen TV home entertainment experiences to consumers faster.

    The RDK offers a cloud-based platform for application development and requires neither platform specific implementation nor download. Thus it enables operators to easily deploy & upgrade applications in their network and ensure a consistent user experience in contrast to traditional middleware.

    As an open platform, the RDK allows application developers to benefit from the vast expertise of the open source community, facilitating easier implementation and faster turnaround.

    “As an RDK licensee, Tata Elxsi is pleased and excited to be an active promoter of the RDK and provides a comprehensive set of services to SoC Vendors, OEMs and MSOs help adopt and implement RDK based devices and services,” said Tata Elxsi EVP Manoj Raghavan.

  • Indian HD TV channels: attracting brands, and media agencies

    Indian HD TV channels: attracting brands, and media agencies

    MUMBAI: There was a time not so long ago when Sony Entertainment Television‘s Six HD channel was getting almost no TV commercials. It was the place where you got to watch sports almost uninterrupted.

    No more.

    With the Sony Entertainment Network and other TV networks focusing on increasing their respective HD TV channels‘ reach, and MSOs and cable TV operators and DTH operators beginning to offer and attracting subscribers for the clearer HD TV channel services, it is no surprise to see TVCs on the trot on HD channels.

    Says Sony Six and Max executive vice president and business head Neeraj Vyas: “Advertising has started in HD and it will eventually catch on, after all everyone is looking to do business. You can’t be running a channel which is free of advertising. Once subscriptions settle down post digitisation, we will witness an even greater rise in the number of ad spots on HD TV channels as well.”

    Among the brands which have started advertising on Sony Six HD during the ongoing Pepsi IPL6 include: Pepsi, Parle Krackjack, Raymond, Matrix, Renault Duster, LG, Samsung Galaxy Note 4, Vicco, Frooti, Godrej Good Knight and Coke.

    Media industry sources reveal that advertising on HD entails a fraction of the cost that is usually spent for TV spots on regular standard definition channels. Says a media agency CEO: “If a media buyer wants to buy ad spots for all the 76 matches on Max for IPL6, the rates will be approximately Rs 4,25,000 for 10 seconds and for Sony Six HD the rates will be Rs 50,000 for 10 seconds.”

    Vyas agrees that TV commercials rates today are far lower on HD transmission than standard definition television ad rates, but that is because of low HD TV penetration rates in India. “My estimate is that there are about 1.2 to 1.4 million HD TV subscribers in India,” he says. “But it is, however, a step in the right direction because everything globally is moving towards HD.”

    “The fact of the matter is that advertisers and agencies should look at using HD channels more to air their TV commercials,” says a media observer. “For certain brands and categories, they are ideal vehicles to reach out to selected targeted audiences.

    HD subscribers are normally well-heeled, have travelled, have large disposable incomes, are looking for better things out of life, and are willing to pay for them. Hence, automobiles, expensive phones, travel services, airlines, computers and tablets, high end fashion brands would do well to use HD channels to advertise.”

    Estimates are that HD TV channel advertising accounts for barely a quarter per cent of ad spends on TV in India. But the increasing uptake of HD TVs and channels by consumers indicates that it is a medium that is going to engage media agencies and advertisers.

  • DAS Phase II commences as analogue TV switched off

    DAS Phase II commences as analogue TV switched off

    NEW DELHI: The second phase of Digital Addressable System (DAS) in India marched on even as the month of March 2013 came to and end as envisioned by the Information & Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry. Analogue television signals in 36 cities all over India were clipped even as stay orders were imposed by high courts in Ahmedabad and Bengaluru.

    However, I&B Ministry sources told Indiantelevision.com that the level of digitisation achieved as on 30 March was 70 per cent in phase II towns, and admitted there was a likelihood of viewers facing blank TV screens in some places.

    The sources said that these problems primarily existed in Srinagar which has just 4,300 set top boxes (STBs) installed. The situation in Coimbatore and Vishakapatnam was more serious with almost zero STB deployment on 20 March.

    They also added that the estimates had been made based on information received from multi-system operators (MSOs) and making a provision of 20 per cent for multiple TVs in households and TVs in offices/showrooms.

    While the seeding of STBs and switch-off of analogue was being overseen by nodal officers in all the cities, the sources said teams would be dispatched to all these cities in the coming days to study the impact and ensure implementation. They insisted that there were ample digital STBs available.

    However, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav in a letter to I&B Minister Manish Tewari over the weekend requested for an extension of six months in the seven cities in the state that were to switch over to digital addressable system from today: Agra, Allahabad, Ghaziabad, Kanpur, Lucknow, Meerut, and Varanasi.

    While the Gujarat High Court in Ahmedabad stayed the introduction of DAS till 9 April in Ahmedabad, the Karnataka High Court issued the stay till 1 April in Bengaluru. The Karnataka High Court will hear cases relating to both Bengaluru and Mysore on 1 April.

    Ministry sources confirmed that both High Courts had issued notices to the Union government and the I&B Ministry.

    In both case, the petitioners Cable Operators Association of Gujarat through its president Pramod Pandya andKarnataka Cable TV Operators Association president V S Patrick Raju, have said there is confusion about availability of STBs and MSOs are also helpless. Raju has also raised the issue of who owns the STB that is installed at the home of a subscriber – the customer or the LCO.

    For the second phase, the 38 specific cities and towns in fourteen states and one union territory which have been listed in the notification are – Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Pune, Surat, Kanpur, Jaipur, Lucknow, Nagpur, Patna, Indore, Bhopal, Thane, Ludhiana, Agra, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Nashik, Vadodara, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Rajkot, Meerut, Kalyan-Dombivali, Varanasi, Amritsar, Navi Mumbai, Aurangabad, Solapur, Allahabad, Jabalpur, Srinagar, Visakhapatnam, Ranchi, Howrah, Chandigarh, Coimbatore, Mysore and Jodhpur.

    A high-level Monitoring Committee has also been set up to oversee the digitisation process in the entire country, which is expected to be achieved by the end of next year.

    In order to facilitate digitization, the Ministry has already issued provisional registration to 30 Independent MSOs to operate in Phase II cities. This would enable these MSOs to operate in their respective cities to provide digital cable TV services.

    The Ministry has set up a Task Force exclusively for Phase II cities to oversee and monitor the digitization process. A public awareness Committee has also been constituted in the Ministry for spearheading awareness campaign and all TV channels ran a scroll informing consumers about the deadline for cable TV digitization, as well as an animated commercial.

    All India Radio has also started broadcasting radio jingles on its national and regional networks to get the DAS message across. Several other initiatives like an SMS campaign, video spots and prints are on the anvil. The state governments/UTs have already nominated nodal officers in 38 cities of Phase II. The Ministry had recently conducted a workshop for them.

    Workshops have been held at some places to take stock of preparedness in Phase II cities and sensitize local MSOs, cable operators and other stakeholders.

    The Ministry had set up a Control Room during Phase I, which has continued to function to address the queries of consumers, cable operators and others. The Control Room which also has a toll free number has been receiving a number of calls from consumers of Phase II cities.

  • ‘Burgeoning distribution costs eating into money that should have been spent on content’

    ‘Burgeoning distribution costs eating into money that should have been spent on content’

    Much has happened this year and yet not a lot has happened.

    For India TV it has been a good year. Two years ago we were number six or seven in the news channel category, with a 5 to 6 per cent share; today we are number three with a 17-18 per cent share.

    The broadcasting industry has seen a huge amount of debate and discussion on the proposed Broadcast Bill and the Content Code. It perhaps looks to an observer like there is much heat and no movement, but I do believe such debate and discussion is essential.

    This is not something that can be done in a hurry. It has very wide implications in a country as free as India, where the media are genuinely free.

    And while the arguments for and against regulation are many, the fundamental thing is that any attempt to legislate a free media has to be done with a great deal of care. It is at the heart of Indian democracy. And as the world acknowledges, we may have a myriad problems but we are a robust democracy despite all odds: it is too valuable to risk.

    On the Content Code there has been a discussion for well over a year, and the government has been open to dialogue, which is excellent. The broadcasters have offered to create their own Code for self-regulation.

    The government has welcomed the offer of the industry to develop its own Code, as it has accepted and notified the ASCI Code for advertising. ASCI is a voluntary body, so the government has encouraged self-regulation, which is great.

    The single biggest problem in the industry today is distribution. It is getting more and more competitive, as more and more channels come into business. The cost is enormous and growing wildly, and it is hurting every broadcaster from the biggest to the smallest, FTA or pay.

    In this battle MSOs and LCOs point fingers at each other, but either way it is costing the broadcaster. And money that could and should have been spent on content is getting spent on distribution instead, and it weakens the industry.

    And as that burgeoning cost is eating into money that could and should have been spent on content, in the end it is affecting the viewer, with no medium term solution in sight.

    Digitisation is the only real answer. Digitisation is slowly coming in the non-CAS areas, but the operative word is ‘slowly’. Anything that the government can do to accelerate digitisation will be for the good of all, mostly for the good of the consumer.

    The other important thing with growing competition is the issue of audience measurement. Periodically there is heated debate, and everyone has an expert opinion on the subject. But listen to what each broadcaster says, and you know how good their ratings are: why else are yesterday’s critics silent today and why were today’s critics silent yesterday, when the system has been the same for years?

    And even as broadcasters and agencies criticize the measurement system they continue to use the data to help in buying and selling Rs 5-6,000 crore worth of advertising, on the nonsensical plea that some data is better than no data.

    There have been impassioned complaints about how the broadcasters and production houses are victims of the rating system, how every Friday when those wretched numbers come in they have to slog overnight to fix the content according to what the numbers tell them.

    It’s Aamir the actor who acts for a living versus Aamir the brand whose equity must be protected, grown and leveraged
    _____****_____

    That’s like a hypochondriac taking his temperature and blaming the thermometer. No one is forcing anyone to use the data, much less what to do about it. If you choose to be tyrannised by it, that’s your choice.

    That is not to say the current system is perfect. That it needs upgrading is beyond doubt. The industry has taken the initiative in that, with the formation of the Broadcast Audience Research Council.

    Whatever the outcome, it can only lead to a better, more robust measurement system.

    The best thing that has happened this year?

    It may sound like a strange thing to say, but to my mind the best thing that has happened is the ongoing debate about the Broadcast Bill and the Content Code. It brings many issues to the fore, many things that we need to be more aware of and many that we need to engage with the government about.

  • ‘Burgeoning distribution costs eating into money that should have been spent on content’

    ‘Burgeoning distribution costs eating into money that should have been spent on content’

    Much has happened this year and yet not a lot has happened.

    For India TV it has been a good year. Two years ago we were number six or seven in the news channel category, with a 5 to 6 per cent share; today we are number three with a 17-18 per cent share.

    The broadcasting industry has seen a huge amount of debate and discussion on the proposed Broadcast Bill and the Content Code. It perhaps looks to an observer like there is much heat and no movement, but I do believe such debate and discussion is essential.

    This is not something that can be done in a hurry. It has very wide implications in a country as free as India, where the media are genuinely free.

    And while the arguments for and against regulation are many, the fundamental thing is that any attempt to legislate a free media has to be done with a great deal of care. It is at the heart of Indian democracy. And as the world acknowledges, we may have a myriad problems but we are a robust democracy despite all odds: it is too valuable to risk.

    On the Content Code there has been a discussion for well over a year, and the government has been open to dialogue, which is excellent. The broadcasters have offered to create their own Code for self-regulation.

    The government has welcomed the offer of the industry to develop its own Code, as it has accepted and notified the ASCI Code for advertising. ASCI is a voluntary body, so the government has encouraged self-regulation, which is great.

    The single biggest problem in the industry today is distribution. It is getting more and more competitive, as more and more channels come into business. The cost is enormous and growing wildly, and it is hurting every broadcaster from the biggest to the smallest, FTA or pay.

    In this battle MSOs and LCOs point fingers at each other, but either way it is costing the broadcaster. And money that could and should have been spent on content is getting spent on distribution instead, and it weakens the industry.

    And as that burgeoning cost is eating into money that could and should have been spent on content, in the end it is affecting the viewer, with no medium term solution in sight.

    Digitisation is the only real answer. Digitisation is slowly coming in the non-CAS areas, but the operative word is ‘slowly’. Anything that the government can do to accelerate digitisation will be for the good of all, mostly for the good of the consumer.

    The other important thing with growing competition is the issue of audience measurement. Periodically there is heated debate, and everyone has an expert opinion on the subject. But listen to what each broadcaster says, and you know how good their ratings are: why else are yesterday’s critics silent today and why were today’s critics silent yesterday, when the system has been the same for years?

    And even as broadcasters and agencies criticize the measurement system they continue to use the data to help in buying and selling Rs 5-6,000 crore worth of advertising, on the nonsensical plea that some data is better than no data.

    There have been impassioned complaints about how the broadcasters and production houses are victims of the rating system, how every Friday when those wretched numbers come in they have to slog overnight to fix the content according to what the numbers tell them.

    That’s like a hypochondriac taking his temperature and blaming the thermometer. No one is forcing anyone to use the data, much less what to do about it. If you choose to be tyrannised by it, that’s your choice.

    That is not to say the current system is perfect. That it needs upgrading is beyond doubt. The industry has taken the initiative in that, with the formation of the Broadcast Audience Research Council.

    Whatever the outcome, it can only lead to a better, more robust measurement system.

    The best thing that has happened this year?

    It may sound like a strange thing to say, but to my mind the best thing that has happened is the ongoing debate about the Broadcast Bill and the Content Code. It brings many issues to the fore, many things that we need to be more aware of and many that we need to engage with the government about.

  • ‘Burgeoning distribution costs eating into money that should have been spent on content’

    ‘Burgeoning distribution costs eating into money that should have been spent on content’

    Marvel Entertainment is tapping the comics business in India. Holding the rights to iconic characters like Spiderman, X-Men and Hulk, it has appointed Kids Media India (KMI) as a subsidiary of Spacetoon Media to represent its licensing, merchandising, publishing and promotional rights in the country.

    Marvel superheroes will be immediately available for licensing on a wide range of consumer products including apparel, stationery, publications, toys and games, party goods and accessories.

    In an interview with Indiantelevision.com’s Ashwin Pinto, Marvel Entertainment International president Simon Phillips talks about the company’s plans for India.

    Excerpts:

    And while the arguments for and against regulation are many, the fundamental thing is that any attempt to legislate a free media has to be done with a great deal of care. It is at the heart of Indian democracy. And as the world acknowledges, we may have a myriad problems but we are a robust democracy despite all odds: it is too valuable to risk.

    On the Content Code there has been a discussion for well over a year, and the government has been open to dialogue, which is excellent. The broadcasters have offered to create their own Code for self-regulation.

    The government has welcomed the offer of the industry to develop its own Code, as it has accepted and notified the ASCI Code for advertising. ASCI is a voluntary body, so the government has encouraged self-regulation, which is great.

    The single biggest problem in the industry today is distribution. It is getting more and more competitive, as more and more channels come into business. The cost is enormous and growing wildly, and it is hurting every broadcaster from the biggest to the smallest, FTA or pay.

    In this battle MSOs and LCOs point fingers at each other, but either way it is costing the broadcaster. And money that could and should have been spent on content is getting spent on distribution instead, and it weakens the industry.

    And as that burgeoning cost is eating into money that could and should have been spent on content, in the end it is affecting the viewer, with no medium term solution in sight.

    Digitisation is the only real answer. Digitisation is slowly coming in the non-CAS areas, but the operative word is ‘slowly’. Anything that the government can do to accelerate digitisation will be for the good of all, mostly for the good of the consumer.

    The other important thing with growing competition is the issue of audience measurement. Periodically there is heated debate, and everyone has an expert opinion on the subject. But listen to what each broadcaster says, and you know how good their ratings are: why else are yesterday’s critics silent today and why were today’s critics silent yesterday, when the system has been the same for years?

    And even as broadcasters and agencies criticize the measurement system they continue to use the data to help in buying and selling Rs 5-6,000 crore worth of advertising, on the nonsensical plea that some data is better than no data.

    There have been impassioned complaints about how the broadcasters and production houses are victims of the rating system, how every Friday when those wretched numbers come in they have to slog overnight to fix the content according to what the numbers tell them.

    That’s like a hypochondriac taking his temperature and blaming the thermometer. No one is forcing anyone to use the data, much less what to do about it. If you choose to be tyrannised by it, that’s your choice.

    That is not to say the current system is perfect. That it needs upgrading is beyond doubt. The industry has taken the initiative in that, with the formation of the Broadcast Audience Research Council.

    Whatever the outcome, it can only lead to a better, more robust measurement system.

    The best thing that has happened this year?

    It may sound like a strange thing to say, but to my mind the best thing that has happened is the ongoing debate about the Broadcast Bill and the Content Code. It brings many issues to the fore, many things that we need to be more aware of and many that we need to engage with the government about.

  • ‘A revolutionary year that was also one of the government’s total failure to control the broadcasters’

    ‘A revolutionary year that was also one of the government’s total failure to control the broadcasters’

    After working for decades on the analogue system, 2007 was a huge learning year. Whether from the regulator or from the ministry’s side, or from the Prime Minister’s Office, this was a revolutionary year.

    The major thing, of course, was the implementation of CAS, though implementation was partial, but this implementation was a slap on the face of people who put in all their efforts to derail it. More than anyone else, even more than the broadcasters, the ones who tried their level best to stop CAS were the distributors of the MSOs.

    Broadcasters and distributors both lose out if CAS comes in, and the broadcasters are hit because they are earning both from subscription as well as advertisement, and now SMS revenue stream.

    One of the ugliest efforts for derailing CAS this year was the press conference and the false survey report shown by a section of the NGO called VOICE. They said 70 per cent of the CAS subscribers wanted to go back to the old ways, but now it is clear that the so-called survey had been sponsored by a broadcaster and everyone knows who that is.

    It is the advertisers who would have gained because as of now they do not know where their money is going and where they should actually put that in, and SMS in CAS regime would tell the real story. This is why various advertiser groups have come in support of Cas.

    From the content side, again this was a very important year. The viewers were very unhappy with news content and the government tried to do something but eventually failed.

    All these news broadcasters are launching channels every day not to inform the people but to have more and more power, sometimes using that power to blackmail politicians and officials. There is an attempt to capture the media and have clout. If they were serious news people, then one broadcaster would not launch two or three news channels. They are also now launching regional news channels because they want to capture power area-wise and rule there. Apart from earning money, they want to control the mindset of the people.

    The government’s attempts to control these news channels failed miserably because the channels formed a strong lobby against the Content Code suggested by the government. This shows that the government is able to control only the farmer or the last mile operator, the cablewallah. Because as per the Cable Act, only the LMO will be targeted, whether it is for programming content that is unacceptable or the advertisements shown, over which last mile has no control.

    The LMOs do not have too much money, so they lose out in courts because they cannot hire top lawyers, and they cannot lobby with the government because they are not always qualified people or have a political clout. That is why they are the least heard, but this year, that is one big thing that has happened: the government, whether in the ministry or Telecom Regulatory Authority have at least started hearing us. I will tell you how.

    One of the most dangerous things that happened in this year is the total vertical integration of companies who have a finger in all the pies, being broadcasters, running MSOs, getting into DTH, IPTV and mobile TV. The government has failed to take steps against this monopolisation. Their officers are trying but the politicians are not allowing this.

    But two very important positives things happened this year, and if we have not started running, we have taken a few right steps. We are trying to control the broadcasters through some NGOs, and the government has started listening to us. They may not be doing much, but they are surely listening.

    One is the Content Code, and the second is digitalisation, which will help people watch more and more channels. The PMO has formed a committee on digitalisation. The other good thing is that the I&B ministry is trying its best to bring down the duties on the equipment, though finance ministry is not in a mood to listen.

  • Govt directs cable ops to furnish TV channel details

    Govt directs cable ops to furnish TV channel details

    NEW DELHI: With an eye on future media regulations, the government has asked MSOs and cable operators to furnish the details of TV channels they re-transmit on their networks, including local cable-delivered video channels.

    In a letter to MSOs and to Cable Operators’ Federation of India, dated 26 June 2006, the information and broadcasting ministry has said that the government is developing a centralised data bank of all TV channels, including video channels, for monitoring purpose and, hence details would be needed for the same.

    This step has been taken, explained a ministry official, to effectively monitor even local video channels run by cable operators where news, along with entertainment, form part of the programming line up.

    The detail sought by the government is over and above the registration process of TV channels initiated under the downlinking guidelines where all satellite channels would have to obtain landing rights from designated authorities.

    On last count, 65-odd TV channels had applied for landing rights in a country that boasted of over 300 channels being accessible to subscribers of cable TV and DTH.

    Some cable operators, however, feel that the latest initiative would increase paperwork and is an attempt by the government to crack down on local video channels, which also air music videos some of that have run into problems with the authorities when aired on music channels.

    The government official played down the directive to MSOs and cable ops, saying it was a “routine matter.”

    In a draft broadcast bill, the government has proposed that all cable operators would have to register themselves with the government and/or the regulatory body to run cable networks and adhere to certain other criteria.

    Presently, a person just needs to register with the local post office to start a cable network after paying a nominal amount of money wherein things like quality of service and after sales service to subscribers are not given much importance.