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Tag: Orissa

  • TRAI releases recommendation on auction of spectrum

    TRAI releases recommendation on auction of spectrum

    MUMBAI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on 1 August released the recommendations for  “Auction of Spectrum in 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz,  2300 MHz, 2500 MHz, 3300-3400 MHz and 3400-3600 MHz Bands”.

    The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) through its letter dated 19 April 2017 requested TRAI to provide applicable reserve price, quantum of spectrum to be auctioned and associated conditions for auction of spectrum in all the bands mentioned above, for all the LSAs under the terms of clause 11 (1) (a) of TRAI Act, 1997 (as amended).

    TRAI sought additional information/ clarifications on some of the issues from DoT. However, to speed up the process, based on the available information, TRAI issued the consultation paper (CP) on 28 August 2017 after which an open house discussion (OHD) was conducted. 

    The salient features of the recommendations are given below:

    • Entire available spectrum should be put to auction in the forthcoming auction.

    • Barring the specific locations or districts where ISRO is using the 25 MHz (3400 MHz-3425 MHz) of spectrum, the entire spectrum from 3300 MHz to 3600 MHz should be made available for access services and should be included in the forthcoming auction.

    • 3300-3600 MHz should be auctioned as a single band and TDD based frequency arrangement should be adopted for this band.

    • Spectrum in 3300-3600 MHz band should be put to auction in the block size of 20 MHz. To avoid monopolisation of this band, there should be limit of 100 MHz per bidder. Since the TSPs are allowed to trade their partial or complete spectrum holding to another TSP, the limit of 100

    MHz spectrum in 3300-3600 MHz band, shall also apply for spectrum trading.  In case a TSP acquires more than one block, the entire spectrum should be assigned to it in contiguous form.

    • No roll out obligations should be mandated for spectrum in 3300-3600 MHz band. However, to avoid any misuse of not mandating any roll-out obligations, the lock-in period for spectrum in this band for becoming eligible for spectrum trading should be five years instead of two years.

    • The revised provisions of spectrum cap (i.e.  35 per cent overall cap and a cap of 50 per cent on the combined spectrum holding in the sub-1 GHz bands) should be extended to 3300-3600 MHz band also. Additionally, in 3300-3600 MHz band, there should be a spectrum holding cap of 100 MHz per licensee

    • There is an urgent need of audit for all allocated spectrum both commercial as well as spectrum allocated to various PSUs/ Government organisations. This should be done by an independent agency on a regular basis.

    • Recommended reserve price for various spectrum bands is as per table given below:

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  • Idea expands 4G service across 39 Karnataka towns

    Idea expands 4G service across 39 Karnataka towns

    MUMBAI: Idea Cellular has expanded its high speed 4G LTE services across 39 towns in Karnataka.

     

    What’s more, by March 2016, the company will extend its services to three more key markets namely, Maharashtra & Goa, North East and Orissa, and by June 2016, Idea’s 4G footprints will cover 750 cities across 10 telecom circles.

     

    Within a month, the company has expanded its 4G LTE service footprint to 24 districts, including major towns of Bangalore, Mysore, Madikeri, Karwar, Chikmagalur, Belgaum and Chitradurga; covering 20 per cent of the state’s total population.

     

    In addition to Bangalore metro, Idea has launched its 4G services in other towns of Channarayapatna, Udyavara (CT), Harihar, Kunigal, Mulbagal, and Toranagal. Additionally, Idea is planning to launch its 4G services in Mangalore, Udupi-Manipal, Bijapur, Bellary and 18 more towns by end of this financial year, taking the total tally to 61.

     

    It can be recalled that last year in December, Idea Cellular had launched 4G LTE services in all four telecom circles (five states) of South India, namely Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh & Telangana, and Karnataka. Earlier this month, the company launched services across three more circles (four Indian states) – Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Punjab, expanding its 4G LTE service footprint to 7 telecom service areas.

     

    Idea Cellular deputy managing director Ambrish Jain said, “Since last week of December 2015, Idea has rapidly rolled out its high-speed 4G LTE network to cover seven major markets in India.”

     

    Idea Cellular currently holds 1800 MHz 4G spectrum in these 10 telecom circles, which cover 50 per cent of telecom market but over 60 per cent of Idea’s gross revenue. Additionally, Idea has recently signed an agreement with Videocon Telecommunications for acquiring ‘Right to Use’ 1800 MHz spectrum under Spectrum Trading Agreement in two of its key telecom leadership markets of Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh (West). Post completion of this transaction, 4G services will be extended to 12 service areas, covering 75 per cent of Idea’s revenue base in the country.

     

    Idea Cellular chief marketing officer Sashi Shankar added, “Idea customers with 4G devices in these 183 towns can now start experiencing super fast speeds by simply upgrading their existing SIM cards to new 4G SIM cards. The company is also offering attractive subscription plans to digital content including a wide range of the latest music, movies and games. Idea has also partnered with leading handset manufacturers and e-commerce retailers for special data bundling offers on new 4G smartphones.”

     
    Idea’s 4G Prepaid & Postpaid tariff plans are priced at par with existing 3G plans. The company is also offering ‘4G Packs’ starting as low as Rs 21.

     

    Digital Content for 4G consumers 

     

    Idea, marking its first foray in the digital space, is launching an assortment of digital content in partnership with content aggregators.

     

    For music, it has tied-up with Hungama Digital, wherein it will offer content at a monthly subscription price of Rs 99 for all its consumers. For movies and videos, Idea has partnered with Eros International, wherein content will be offered at a monthly subscription price of Rs 49 for all its consumers. Idea will also be launching ‘Idea Games Club’ powered by Opera for all its consumers from 1 February, 2016, at a monthly subscription price of Rs 150. However, as an incentive for new 4G customers, a special offer for subscription at just Rs 29 per month till 31 March, 2016 is available for these packs.

     

    Idea will also unveil ‘Ultimate Plans,’ which provide a Bundleof 4G Data, Unlimited Voice calls and Content subscription, which is powered by Hungama.

     

    Wide Portfolio of 4G Smartphones & Devices

    Currently, 2.7 million 4G devices across these seven circles are registered on Idea’s network and growing at an exponential rate. To facilitate 4G device upgrade, Idea has launched branded 4G devices namely Idea 4G Dongles, 4G Mi-Fi (connects 10 users) and Home Wi-Fi (connects 32 users), which are now available at Rs 2,599 onwards with 4G Data offers.

     

    Idea has partnered with Samsung for special offers on its 4G Smartphones, wherein the two companies will launch a variety of programmes to offer differentiated and significant value to customers.

     

    The TSP has also tied up with smartphone manufacturers including Intex Technologies, Lava, Lenovo and Xolo to offer bundled 4G data plans on smartphones.

     

    A tie up is also in place with e-commerce retailer Snapdeal for providing bundled data offers on 4G devices.

     

    Launch of 4G website

    The company has also launched its responsive 4G website -www.ideacellular.com/4G, wherein consumers can log on to get more information about 4G services, tariff plans and recharges, locate the nearest Idea stores offering 4G SIMs and much more. Idea is also rolling out a smartphone e-store on its website. Consumers can now buy 4G smartphone brands, Mi-Fi and Dongles. 

     

    The company has also rolled out its FDD platform enabled 4G LTE services on the 1800 MHz frequency band, which is the most preferred spectrum band for deployment of 4G services globally, and is supported by the majority of 4G handsets available in the market.

     

    Idea Cellular’s 4G LTE Network will be equipped with the enhanced ‘Fast Return’ feature enabling seamless and quick toggle for consumers across Idea’s 4G, 3G and 2G networks, offering superior experience for both mobile data and voice services. While the company possesses the capability to introduce VoLTE feature, existing customers’ current 4G devices do not support this feature. Accordingly, the deployment of VoLTE will be evaluated at a later stage.

     

    Idea is deploying state-of-the-art, ‘Single RAN’ equipment, which supports multiple technologies in a given frequency band. For every 4G site on 1800 MHz, this equipment also provides additional 2G voice capacity on GSM spectrum.

     

    For FY16, Idea Cellular’s capex guidance is Rs 6,500 crore, significantly higher than earlier years’ annual capex spends. In this fiscal year, Idea plans to add 40,000 – 45,000 sites on 2G, 3G and 4G technology platforms, complete a cumulative roll out of 111,000 kms of Fibre, and add an incremental 175-200 million population to the mobile broadband (3G & 4G) population coverage. The 4G launch in Southern India is part of the capex guidance by Idea.

     

    The roll out of Idea’s 4G services will be financed through internal accruals. The company recorded an EBITDA of Rs 5,739 crore in H1-FY16, a growth of 27.6 per cent  over H1-FY15 and cash profits of Rs 5,085 crore, a robust growth of 32.5 per cent over H1FY15.

  • Idea expands 4G service across 39 Karnataka towns

    Idea expands 4G service across 39 Karnataka towns

    MUMBAI: Idea Cellular has expanded its high speed 4G LTE services across 39 towns in Karnataka.

     

    What’s more, by March 2016, the company will extend its services to three more key markets namely, Maharashtra & Goa, North East and Orissa, and by June 2016, Idea’s 4G footprints will cover 750 cities across 10 telecom circles.

     

    Within a month, the company has expanded its 4G LTE service footprint to 24 districts, including major towns of Bangalore, Mysore, Madikeri, Karwar, Chikmagalur, Belgaum and Chitradurga; covering 20 per cent of the state’s total population.

     

    In addition to Bangalore metro, Idea has launched its 4G services in other towns of Channarayapatna, Udyavara (CT), Harihar, Kunigal, Mulbagal, and Toranagal. Additionally, Idea is planning to launch its 4G services in Mangalore, Udupi-Manipal, Bijapur, Bellary and 18 more towns by end of this financial year, taking the total tally to 61.

     

    It can be recalled that last year in December, Idea Cellular had launched 4G LTE services in all four telecom circles (five states) of South India, namely Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh & Telangana, and Karnataka. Earlier this month, the company launched services across three more circles (four Indian states) – Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Punjab, expanding its 4G LTE service footprint to 7 telecom service areas.

     

    Idea Cellular deputy managing director Ambrish Jain said, “Since last week of December 2015, Idea has rapidly rolled out its high-speed 4G LTE network to cover seven major markets in India.”

     

    Idea Cellular currently holds 1800 MHz 4G spectrum in these 10 telecom circles, which cover 50 per cent of telecom market but over 60 per cent of Idea’s gross revenue. Additionally, Idea has recently signed an agreement with Videocon Telecommunications for acquiring ‘Right to Use’ 1800 MHz spectrum under Spectrum Trading Agreement in two of its key telecom leadership markets of Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh (West). Post completion of this transaction, 4G services will be extended to 12 service areas, covering 75 per cent of Idea’s revenue base in the country.

     

    Idea Cellular chief marketing officer Sashi Shankar added, “Idea customers with 4G devices in these 183 towns can now start experiencing super fast speeds by simply upgrading their existing SIM cards to new 4G SIM cards. The company is also offering attractive subscription plans to digital content including a wide range of the latest music, movies and games. Idea has also partnered with leading handset manufacturers and e-commerce retailers for special data bundling offers on new 4G smartphones.”

     
    Idea’s 4G Prepaid & Postpaid tariff plans are priced at par with existing 3G plans. The company is also offering ‘4G Packs’ starting as low as Rs 21.

     

    Digital Content for 4G consumers 

     

    Idea, marking its first foray in the digital space, is launching an assortment of digital content in partnership with content aggregators.

     

    For music, it has tied-up with Hungama Digital, wherein it will offer content at a monthly subscription price of Rs 99 for all its consumers. For movies and videos, Idea has partnered with Eros International, wherein content will be offered at a monthly subscription price of Rs 49 for all its consumers. Idea will also be launching ‘Idea Games Club’ powered by Opera for all its consumers from 1 February, 2016, at a monthly subscription price of Rs 150. However, as an incentive for new 4G customers, a special offer for subscription at just Rs 29 per month till 31 March, 2016 is available for these packs.

     

    Idea will also unveil ‘Ultimate Plans,’ which provide a Bundleof 4G Data, Unlimited Voice calls and Content subscription, which is powered by Hungama.

     

    Wide Portfolio of 4G Smartphones & Devices

    Currently, 2.7 million 4G devices across these seven circles are registered on Idea’s network and growing at an exponential rate. To facilitate 4G device upgrade, Idea has launched branded 4G devices namely Idea 4G Dongles, 4G Mi-Fi (connects 10 users) and Home Wi-Fi (connects 32 users), which are now available at Rs 2,599 onwards with 4G Data offers.

     

    Idea has partnered with Samsung for special offers on its 4G Smartphones, wherein the two companies will launch a variety of programmes to offer differentiated and significant value to customers.

     

    The TSP has also tied up with smartphone manufacturers including Intex Technologies, Lava, Lenovo and Xolo to offer bundled 4G data plans on smartphones.

     

    A tie up is also in place with e-commerce retailer Snapdeal for providing bundled data offers on 4G devices.

     

    Launch of 4G website

    The company has also launched its responsive 4G website -www.ideacellular.com/4G, wherein consumers can log on to get more information about 4G services, tariff plans and recharges, locate the nearest Idea stores offering 4G SIMs and much more. Idea is also rolling out a smartphone e-store on its website. Consumers can now buy 4G smartphone brands, Mi-Fi and Dongles. 

     

    The company has also rolled out its FDD platform enabled 4G LTE services on the 1800 MHz frequency band, which is the most preferred spectrum band for deployment of 4G services globally, and is supported by the majority of 4G handsets available in the market.

     

    Idea Cellular’s 4G LTE Network will be equipped with the enhanced ‘Fast Return’ feature enabling seamless and quick toggle for consumers across Idea’s 4G, 3G and 2G networks, offering superior experience for both mobile data and voice services. While the company possesses the capability to introduce VoLTE feature, existing customers’ current 4G devices do not support this feature. Accordingly, the deployment of VoLTE will be evaluated at a later stage.

     

    Idea is deploying state-of-the-art, ‘Single RAN’ equipment, which supports multiple technologies in a given frequency band. For every 4G site on 1800 MHz, this equipment also provides additional 2G voice capacity on GSM spectrum.

     

    For FY16, Idea Cellular’s capex guidance is Rs 6,500 crore, significantly higher than earlier years’ annual capex spends. In this fiscal year, Idea plans to add 40,000 – 45,000 sites on 2G, 3G and 4G technology platforms, complete a cumulative roll out of 111,000 kms of Fibre, and add an incremental 175-200 million population to the mobile broadband (3G & 4G) population coverage. The 4G launch in Southern India is part of the capex guidance by Idea.

     

    The roll out of Idea’s 4G services will be financed through internal accruals. The company recorded an EBITDA of Rs 5,739 crore in H1-FY16, a growth of 27.6 per cent  over H1-FY15 and cash profits of Rs 5,085 crore, a robust growth of 32.5 per cent over H1FY15.

  • MIB burning midnight oil to find ways to counter battery of High Court orders staying DAS

    MIB burning midnight oil to find ways to counter battery of High Court orders staying DAS

    NEW DELHI: Considering the odds it is facing from various High Courts all over the country for extending the deadline for implementing Phase III of Digital Addressable System (DAS), the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has to find a way to get even justice for the ultimate stakeholder — the consumer.

     

    Perhaps because of that, the last few days have been very busy in the corridors of fifth and sixth floors of Shastri Bhavan in the capital, which houses the MIB, with officials holding several meetings to find a way to stop the snowballing of the orders that commenced from Hyderabad and found a boost in the arguments in the Bombay High Court based on the Kusum Ingots case of 2004, which encouraged multi system operators (MSOs) and local cable operators (LCOs) in other states.

     

    At present, the implementation remains stayed for varying periods in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Maharashtra, Orissa, Sikkim, and Telangana, apart from Tamil Nadu where prolonged legal cases have been pending since Phase I. A petition has already been filed in the Karnataka High Court and is listed for 8 January.

     

    Ministry sources confirmed to Indiantelevision.com that meetings had been held with legal experts and particularly with Government counsel.

     

    There was also general consensus on filing a petition by the Government in the Supreme Court, particularly as the apex court had on an earlier occasion relating to the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act 1995 and orders issued thereunder that High Courts have to be cautious when giving orders on matters relating to policy.  

     

    Government legal experts advised that an appeal could be filed against any of the High Court orders in the Supreme Court and the apex court could be asked to transfer all linked matters to Delhi to be heard together.

     

    However, it needs to be seen whether this will be in the form of a writ petition or an appeal against the various High Courts – a decision left to a battery of legal experts.

     

    MSOs said, however, that this would impose a lot of financial burden on them as they could ill-afford to hire counsel in the Supreme Court. 

     

    Even as the Ministry would obey the directives of the various High Courts, which had extended the DAS deadline by various periods ranging between eight to 12 weeks, it would prepare to oppose the decisions.

     

    A senior Ministry official said that even as the Ministry was waiting to see all the High Court orders, it was working on how plans to thwart the implementation of Phase III could be prevented – if necessary through legislative processes.

     

    The official also expressed the view that the cases would in fact benefit the direct to home (DTH) and Headend In The Sky (HITS) players and would affect the last mile operator (LMO).

     

    The sources said they had evidence to show seeding of set top boxes (STBs) to the extent of 76 per cent as revealed in the 13th Task Force meeting on 30 December. 

     

    Meanwhile, legal opinion is divided on whether the Kusum Ingots case, which was referred to in the Bombay High Court could be used by a High Court to direct a pan-India stay.

     

    The broadcasters and channel distributors are united on one view: the government should not give any extension on its own, as that would lead to a further delay in not just the Phase III and Phase IV (slated for December 2016) but also pockets of Phase I and Phase II, which have still not implemented digital addressable systems.

     

    It is also learnt that both broadcasters on the one hand and the channel distributors and major MSOs on the other, are pressing the government to move the apex court to get a single ruling instead of different High Court orders.

     

    However, it was admitted by the stakeholders that there was very little progress as far as indigenous STBs are concerned with just one or two players making local boxes despite the ‘Make in India’ campaign, and the government had to be proactive in this regard.

     

    The attempt would be to prevent the High Courts from staying implementation of Phase III under which analogue signals were to be switched off after midnight on 31 December, 2015.

     

    One representative of a broadcaster said switching back to analogue on getting a High Court stay did not cause any technical difficulty, but it raised problems relating to accounts and agreements already agreed upon.

     

    Be that as it may, the consumer who has already spent money on acquiring STBs hopes his efforts will not go waste in haste.

  • ‘All parties need to come together to take home grown leagues to another level’

    ‘All parties need to come together to take home grown leagues to another level’

    Star Sports presented a unique series of Knowledge Sessions – the India Pro Leagues Forum 2013 in New Delhi. STAR India President – Sports Nitin Kukreja delivered an engaging and insightful keynote address at the inaugural session of the summit, elaborating on the growing appetite of the Indian sports fans and the enormous growth potential of sports in the country.

    Does ‘sport’ in India really begin and end with ‘Big Boys’ Cricket’? Or do we just see it that way? Across the length and breadth of India, there are strong communities and pockets of interest where people are passionately engaged with local sports and local players – football in Bengal, hockey in Punjab and Orissa, badminton in Hyderabad, basketball played in schools and table tennis played in clubs, colleges and offices across the country.

    But if a tourist landed in India and turned on the television or turned to the sports page of a newspaper, we could forgive him for thinking that India cares only about international cricket when Team India is playing.

    Why then, has this rich diversity of interest and talent not been harnessed? Why is it that in the media, on television and in the public mind-space, sport equals international cricket? How is it that the English Premier League enjoys such a phenomenal following within the UK when the English national football team has not won an international competition since 1966! Why is it that an average 18-year-old in South Delhi or Bandra is more emotionally connected to the fortunes of Manchester United or Chelsea than say the Mumbai Ranji side (40-time winner of Ranji trophy) or the Indian National Kabaddi team (winner of all 4 World Cups played so far)? You may argue that not many nations play Kabaddi other than India and Pakistan; well – you could say the same about Baseball! The US is the best example of a country that thrives on local sports and leagues – some of their sports are played in no other country – yet they call it “World Series Baseball” and Babe Ruth is an American hero and legend.
    When you watch a badminton match live, it is astounding to see the speed of the game and the agility of the players

    Americans follow their city and college teams with a passion – across baseball, American football, basketball and ice hockey; Italy, Spain, Turkey – all follow their local soccer teams with a fanaticism; tourists visiting Galatasaray are advised not to wear rival team colours while visiting! And note that all these nations consume their sport in their own respective languages.

    In the last 15 years in India, entertainment and movie channels have gone local with a vengeance; the number of regional channels has gone up from just a handful pre-2000 to over 300 today; while Hindi accounts for 55 per cent of TV viewership; regional language content accounts for 30 per cent of viewership share; and it’s not just about language; a Bengali, Marathi or Tamil show is rooted in the local culture and ethos with participation from the local creative fraternity.

    It is only the Sports genre in India that has remained aloof from localisation – until 2008 there was no IPL, and until 2012, telecast of cricket was limited to English, a language spoken by less than 10 per cent of India.

    In India then, how can we take local sports and leagues to the next level? Broadcasters have a big role to play in this but more importantly the entire ecosystem – the sports federations, the government and the news media and advertisers need to come together to ensure that our home grown leagues get the money, resources, infrastructure and coverage that they deserve.

    Look at the quality of television coverage for International Cricket over the years – the evolution has been amazing – the production quality, the camera work, the graphics, the slow-motion replays and the immensely talented people who narrate the action – all these elements really take the television viewer closer to the game; it is immersive, engaging and a pleasurable experience even for casual viewers who are not dyed-in-the-wool fans; television coverage has played a huge role in growing the fan base and support for Cricket; this is despite the fact that for all these years, all coverage was in English.

    But even in Cricket – the more local forms of the game – be it Ranji trophy, Irani Cup or university cricket have so far been treated as the poorer cousin – the benchmark for coverage that has been set for international cricket needs to be duplicated in the local forms of the game. The fact remains all the international heavy weights – from Tendulkar to Yuvraj Singh to Kohli – have cut their teeth on and emerged from these local level tournaments.

    The task is even greater for other sports – where even the national level game has not got the coverage it deserves. Consider the coverage that an average Hockey or Football match gets – you see some indifferently placed cameras and a disinterested narrative; there has been no attempt to make the viewer experience the thrills, the speed or the skill involved; when you watch a badminton match live, it is astounding to see the speed of the game and the agility of the players. The current standard of television coverage does not even begin to capture that excitement and skill.

    In a pre-digitised world with limited bandwidth, TV broadcasters were forced to follow a one-size-fits-all approach and therefore focused on only saleable national-level content at the expense of local content and language; but in a digital world the consumer has ability to access a variety of content in multiple languages and on multiple platforms; broadcasters would be doing a great disservice if they continued to use a cookie-cutter approach and did not use this opportunity to go deeper and serve the interest of all pockets of interests whether by sport, region or language.

    Great production values are not enough, the on-ground event also needs to be organised and mounted like a spectacle – this is where the sports federations have a key role to play. They must enable and nurture talent, and promote and market the game at least in the locales of affinity if not in the whole country. They must do their part to ensure that the Sports pagecarries interesting stories and coverage of the game and the players– and not only controversies! But most important, they need to partner with the other stakeholders in the ecosystem with the long term vision of growing the sport – without the spirit of partnership and the vision; the league or the sport will not grow.

    The government has a huge role to play – by allocating adequate monies, developing stadiums and infrastructure and putting in enabling policies in place. The government allocates around Rs 1000 crore to Sports (and Youth Affairs) which is the budget for the current year. That number is less than what we will be paying only for one tournament -the ICC T20 world cup – that number is less than the number that Star invests in sports each year. It means that Star is a bigger investor in sports in India than the government of India itself!
    It can be argued that Kabbadi is not popular because only few nations play the sport but the same can be said for Baseball as well

    The scale of magnitude of the government’s investment should be at least 10x of that number! Why do you ask? More than half of India’s population is below the age of 25 and 65 per cent below 35; Sports has a crucial role to play in youth development and can even be a huge generator of employment. IPL has opened up career options for 120 players; not just 15. Hockey players can now make up to 60 lakhs for one month of play in the HIL; Badminton players can make 50 lakhs for 3 weeks of work; not to mention the production, support and service staff that works on these leagues. When the hockey union went on strike in Canada a while ago, the prime minister of the country got involved because his fear was that a prolonged strike would have an adverse impact on the GDP of Canada! More than anything, it showed the power of sports and its ability to be a huge economic growth engine.

    Forget about investment, even simple hygiene factors such as easing procedures can go a long way – it cannot take 38 different permissions just to host a hockey match in a certain venue; increase venues and the number of permissions multiplies!

    It’s a vicious circle, since there is no investment, there is no growth and no popularity for local leagues and sports – therefore they attract no money! The common man (or woman) in India does not view “sport” as a viable career option or life choice; it remains a “hobby” to be pursued in free time;

    Star has thrown its weight behind building an enduring viewer proposition around local leagues and sports– and in the language of the people. Our tryst with these local sporting leagues has thrown up some interesting results: We partnered with Calcutta Football League, one of the oldest leagues in Asia and in the world with 157 Kolkata based clubs and units to air their league matches on our Bengali movie channel. In the core national male audience, the TV viewership is 4-5 times higher than your average EPL match! Even with the current quality of football and coverage, an East Bengal-Mohan Bagan match attracts crowds up to 70000 in the stadium!

    We also partnered with Hockey India League the first edition of which was held in January 2013. The excitement on grounds was to be seen to be believed. For e.g. grounds in Ranchi were completely packed to support their Ranchi Rhinos team which went on to win the league; there was a lathi-charge two days before the match when demand for tickets got out of hand and in fact when the match was on – even the neighbouring stadium that simply had a big screen projecting the match – was full! The excitement rivalled that seen in Wankhede stadium or Eden gardens during high-octane international cricket.

    University cricket is another great example – during the Jamia vs Bangalore’s Jain university match, stadium was so packed that it took 40 mins to enter; and the crowd was chanting – not “Sachin Sachin”, not “India India” but “Jamia Jamia”! The pockets of passion exist; it is on us collectively to harness and magnify them.
    There has been no attempt to make the viewer experience the thrills, the speed or the skill involved when you watch a Hockey match

    The IPL has shown the way in how to mount a successful local league; granted that it was built on an already popular sport – but all the stakeholders have done a great job in coming together to mount it like a spectacle – it is no longer a game but entertainment and a serious alternate to any other movie or television show. Clearly, a “manoranjan ka baap”.

    There is a lot more to be done and many challenges to overcome. It will take a spirit of partnership with federations and people with vision to get there – for the benefit of sports, for the benefit of the country and for a healthier and fitter society! I’ll leave you with a small snapshot of the passion of local sports; as I mentioned before, it is for us to build upon them.
     
  • Simba enters Tier 2 cities with 100 stores by 2014 in India

    Simba enters Tier 2 cities with 100 stores by 2014 in India

    MUMBAI: SimbaToys, one of the largest toy manufacturers in the worldand slated to be the largest toy chain in India is all set to expand its reach to Tier 2 cities. Following the opening of existing stores across Mumbai,Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai the company is now ready to extend its reach to Orissa, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh over next few months.

    Commenting on the expansion Shree Narayan Sabharwal, Business Head, Simba Toys India stated “In India, almost 70% of the toy market is unorganized. Simba Toys mission is to let kids play with better quality and safer toys. The idea behind SIMBA stores in India is to establish them as your neighborhood toy store. Through which good quality products come closer to mass consumer across all cities in India, as it’s difficult to have easy access to such toys in India.”

    “We are planning to open 50 outlets across the country by the end of this year”, he further added. German – based toy brand, Simba Toys entered the Indian market through an exclusive franchise arrangement in 2010. Simba Toys opened its first Simba store in 2012 in Mumbai, the financial capital of India.

    Eighteen stores of SIMBA are already operational in diversified locations across the country which includes Delhi-NCR, Madhya Pradesh, Bangalore Mumbai, Gujarat, Uttarakhand and Chennai. The product range includes Back to School range, Steffi, Majorette, Art and Craft, Music.

  • Indian Telly Awards tops ratings on Sony with 3.54 TVR

    Indian Telly Awards tops ratings on Sony with 3.54 TVR

    MUMBAI: The Indian Telly Awards has hit the sweet spot yet again on the ratings front for Sony.

    The three-hour awards show had a 3.54 TVR (CS 4+, HSM), making it the number one show on the channel for the week 3 to 9 December, well ahead of the other two Sony shows in the Top 100 – CID and kids dance talent show Boogie Woogie.

    The top three markets for the awards show were Orissa with a TVR of 6.44, Gujarat (4.63) and Mumbai (4.46) respectively.

    The Sixth Indian Telly Awards presented by Sony Entertainment Television, which was held on 24 November, was telecast on 3 December from 8 pm to 11 pm. It ranked 63rd in the Top 100 charts for shows across all channels. The chart topper for the week was Star Plus’ Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki with a TVR of 12.45 , followed by Kyuunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi with a TVR of 12.06 (both on 6 December). The top rated Zee TV show was Saath Phere with a TVR of 5.75 on 8 December.

    The evening was marked by dance performances by TV stars including Sangeeta Ghosh, Eijaz Khan and Akaashdeep Saigal, Mona Singh, the Left Right Left cast (Arjun Bijlani – Alekh), Gazal Rai (Pooja), Vikas Manattala (Huda), Priyanka Bhassin (Naina), Harshad Chopra (Ali), Kunal Kapoor (Yudi).

    A stand-up comic act from Great Indian Laughter Challenge runner up Naveen Prabhakar brought down the house. Another performance by debutantes of last year and this year – Barkha Bisht, Sanjeeda, Daljit Kaur – and by television couples – Surveen Chawla and Manish Goel (together on a Sony show), Mouni Roy and Pulkit Samrat (the hot new couple of Kyunkii’s new generation), Divyanka Tripathi and Sharad Malhotra (the couple from Dulhan on Zee TV).

    A special award was presented to Sun Network chairman Kalanithi Maran for his contribution to Television by Sony Entertainment Television CEO Kunal Dasgupta.

    The award was an acknowledgement of his effort in enabling the growth of cable and satellite television market in south India through his Sun Network, television broadcasting group.

    Balaji Telefilms creative head Ekta Kapoor, the creative brain behind the runaway success that is Balaji Telefilms, was inducted into the Hall of Fame, a category for young professionals in television for their contribution to the industry.

    The function was hosted by popular faces of television – Kiran Karmakar, Juhi Parmar, Anuj Saxena, Mona Singh and Manav Gohil, Shweta Kawatra, Ayub Khan, Renuka Shahane and Gaurav Chopra.

    Billed as the Indian equivalent of the Emmys, the Indian Telly Awards is the brainchild of founder Anil Wanvari, who is also a board member of the International Emmy Academy in New York. One of the few Indians to have achieved that status. Says Wanvari, “Television is evolving and so will the awards. Our sincere effort is to make The Indian Telly Awards the industry’s benchmark because the awards have been created for the industry to recognize the excellence in the creative, business and technical spheres.”

    The ground partners for the event were CNN IBN, IBN7, Zee Cinema and Times Now; the Radio partner Radio City 91.Fm; Outdoor Partner Bright Advertising; Multiplex Partner Fun Cinema; Print Partner Rajasthan Patrika and Mid-Day; Party Venue Partner Some Place Else; and PR Partner CMCG.