ITV

Tag: OTT

  • YuppTV diversifies into streaming and news reporting tech solutions

    MUMBAI: Yupp TV is known for its OTT SVOD service which delivers a rafter of Indian live channels, 5,000 movies and original programming to 25 million overseas people of Indian origin. CEO Uday Reddy has been doggedly bent on spreading the app’s reach over the past decade when he conceived it.

    Now Reddy — who roped in the Rajesh Kamat, Paul Aielio-headed Emerald Media to pump in $50 million to take the company to the next level last year — is steering it into the tech solutions space. For starters, he is all geared up to offer the tech that powers his OTT service to other content owners, TV producers, broadcasters or corporations wanting to set up their own SVOD service without having to run from pillar to post.

    “We are offering a white label solution to companies wanting to enter the online streaming space,” says Reddy. “We have built a robust platform serving almost 300 devices and working on Android, iOs, smart TVs, tablets and what have you. We have worked more than 10 years on the tech and finetuned it like a violin. Whether it is the payment gateway, the search, the recommendation, upscaling when the subscriber base grows – our clients will get the entire solution.”

    Reddy points out that the integrated service he is offering is in the realms of the solutions companies such as Accenture and Cisco offer. “Others such as Ooyala, Kaltura, Brightcove – give you SDKs which you have to build around,” he says. “Our advantage is that we are offering the entire solution.”

    He points out that his white label solution has already received interest from some clients internationally. “We hope to have completed 10-15 installations by end 2017,” he reveals. In addition to this, he is quite kicked up about an in-house developed live video streaming device Freedocast which is in its second generation and has been labelled Freedocast Pro. “ It helps in connecting the camera to the HDMI port and directly go live through it to any social media platform such as Facebook, Youtube and Twitter which can be controlled by the phone,” says Reddy.

    “Any celebrity can use it to reach his audience live, any reporter, any one. It is a very simple device.”

    Freedocast, Reddy points out, will support both 3G and 4G and 1080p and 720p streams in the first phase, and the upgraded version will support 4K streams as well. The device has been priced at $249 and a commercial launch is expected in June.

    Currently, he and his team are focused on a global rollout of the product. Distribution is going to be through resellers, distributors and video equipment seller channels in India. B&H photo is the main partner in US.

    Reddy demoed the product at the recently completed APOS in Bali (Indonesia) and is expected to make some major announcements about it at Broadcast Asia in Singapore as well.

    He points out that Freedocast Pro is going to come as a shot in the arm for Indian news broadcasters, which number more than 300 in India. “They are significantly cheaper than DSNG trucks and vans and backpacks which have sticker prices running into multiples of ten thousand dollars,” he points out. “With Freedocast Pro any news reporter can, over 4G or wifi, deliver the news to the TV station with the portable device.”

    Reddy reveals that YuppTV is working on the next generation of the product which will enhance the entire editing and also allow for multicamera options. “Freedocast Pro is being manufactured in China but the entire design, chip set, hardware, software have been done in-house.”

    A news channel tech head points out that Freedocast has limitations in that it requires 4G or wifi to be effective as compared to the DSNGs which use satellite transmission from anywhere. “What if there is no wifi or 4G connectivity? Anyway the 4G connectivity is patchy even in the metros,” he says. “This could be a challenge. We will not give up our DSNG vans. But, may be, we will try some of them for our news reporters.”

    Amongst the news channels which have placed orders and are trying out Freedocast Pro figure ETV and TV5 in Hyderabad.

    “4G connectivity is only going to improve and the way broadband is being deployed, I don’t see this as a limitation,” says Reddy. “We have perfected our adaptive bitrate streaming technology to work at even 72 kbps connectivity in villages and smaller towns. YuppTV works perfectly well there too.”

    He points out that both the white label solution and Freedocast will help the company break even by end-2017.

  • Managed Broadcast Services embraces Amagi’s Skylight Cloud Platform

    MUMBAI: Amagi, the leader in cloud broadcast infrastructure and targeted advertising for TV and OTT, today announced the launch of Skylight, the first-of-its-kind, cloud-managed broadcast services platform positioned to redefine the managed playout services industry. Skylight offers TV networks cloud-led, end-to-end services encompassing content preparation, channel playout, content delivery, and monetisation for both linear TV and OTT for maximum efficiency. The Skylight services platform embodies a philosophy of simplicity, transparency, and automation.

    “Traditional managed service providers have archaic systems and their lack of innovation is limiting the possibilities for TV networks. They are labor-intensive, large physical operations, and from the perspective of TV networks, opaque in many ways,” said K.A. Srinivasan, co-founder, Amagi. “We’re breaking new ground by adopting future-ready cloud technologies that add advanced automation to accelerate broadcast workflows, provide complete transparency through a web-based UI, and make it absolutely simple for broadcasters to operate channels.”

    Unlike traditional managed service providers, Amagi Skylight uses public cloud infrastructure to push broadcasters’ content to the cloud and then centrally manages the entire broadcast workflow. Skylight packs in cognitive capabilities and machine learning techniques to reduce human intervention wherever possible. These aspects drive scalability and increase broadcast efficiencies.

    Amagi’s Skylight uses a differentiated partner-centric approach to help TV networks get better choice and cost effectiveness – be it for creative services including subtitling, voice over, and post-production or delivery services over fiber and satellite. By giving a wide swathe of choice of partners and on-demand infrastructure, Amagi provides better cost efficiency and agility to its customers.

    “What makes Skylight truly an end-to-end service is our extensive expertise in monetizing content through targeted advertising on TV and dynamic, personalized ad insertion on OTT. This makes Skylight an attractive proposition for TV networks, not just for operational efficiencies but also for revenue generation,” added Srinivasan.

  • WATInsights launched under Recogn

    MUMBAI: WATConsult, a leading and most awarded digital and social media agency, part of the Dentsu Aegis Network, has launched a new property called WATInsights, under its market research division, Recogn.

    WATInsights will offer periodic reports which provide powerful insights and trends on the Indian digital landscape. Through these reports, WATConsult aims to help marketers understand the digital consumer better and translate the insights into actionable strategies.

    The first report released is based on the usage of brand apps and their impact on brand consideration. Below are the key findings of the study:

    · 81% of respondents are currently using or have used brand app(s), while 19% have never used them
    · Majority of the respondents use news related brand apps followed by over-the-top (OTT) apps and business / finance apps
    · 76% of respondents discovered brand apps through their friends and family and 66% were influenced by them to install
    o 46% discovered via ads featured on traditional media platforms (TV, radio, newspapers) and 48% were influenced by them
    o 58% discovered brand apps via in-built app stores and 40% were influenced. Surprisingly, 20% discovered brand apps at the point of purchase and installed them straightaway
    · Relevance, Usability and Entertainment are the factors essential for improving the satisfaction levels of brand app users
    · A large majority of users are more likely to purchase a brand product / service after using the brand app than watching the brand’s add on media

    WATConsult CEO Rajiv Dingra said, “The changing demographics and technologies have brought about a shift in the way consumers engage with brands, products and services. The customers’ purchase and consumption behaviour is in a state of constant flux and marketers need to keep pace with this to stay relevant. Keeping this is mind, we have launched WATInsights, which will showcase industry insights and help marketers take better decisions in creating campaigns.”

    The entire report can be viewed on – http://recogn.in/watinsights.php

  • Viu’s unique Asian content attracts six million active users, claims 50% growth in four months

    MUMBAI: Viu, a leading pan-regional OTT video service by PCCW Media, hit six million monthly active users (MAU) across its markets in March this year, representing a 50% growth from four million as of November 2016. 

    Since launch in October 2015, Viu has been made available in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Oman, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Kuwait, Egypt and Bahrain.

    PCCW Media MD Janice Lee said, “It is indeed very encouraging to see the high engagement with our users who spend almost 100 minutes a day viewing their favourite content on Viu. This stickiness helps propel the business of our telco partners, benefits content providers, drives subscriptions and boosts the consumption of online advertisements for advertisers who leverage Viu’s regional platform to reach the Millennials who are more receptive to digital advertisements.”

    Viu operates on a dual model of an ad-supported tier and a premium subscription tier of service. Renowned industry research company, Statista, recently published a study on revenue estimates of video subscription and online video advertising which showed strong CAGR of subscription and online video advertising revenue, reaffirming the merits of Viu’s two pronged monetisation strategy.

    Lee added, “Benefiting from the overall market growth of online video consumption and based on a strong product and content proposition, Viu’s subscription and advertising revenue growth has exceeded the industry’s estimate of market growth.”

    Viu Originals’ exclusive content 

    As part of its ongoing quest to be the preferred OTT video entertainment platform in Asia, Viu is introducing Viu Originals as a creative initiative to further enhance user engagement, adding value for both telcos and advertisers.

    Riding on PCCW Media’s extensive production expertise and experience, Viu offers viewers high quality Asian content with Viu Originals comprising Korean, Chinese, Indian and Indonesian productions.

    In addition to compelling Korean programs which are popular with Asian audience, Viu Originals will feature vibrant, exclusive content including among others, Chinese drama and variety shows from ViuTV, Indian content, with recent releases of  thrillers, dramas and comedies produced in collaboration with renowned Indian directors and premium Southeast Asian content for markets such as Indonesia.

    “This collection of exciting original content will widen Viu’s appeal to users, enhancing the loyalty of viewers to subscriptions and engaging consumers for advertisers,” Ms Lee said.

    Viu has entered into an agreement with SYS Productions in relation to the parties’ collaboration in producing a program under the Viu Originals initiative entitled “Song Ji Hyo’s Beauty Views”, which is to be hosted by a celebrity from a popular Korea variety show, Running Man. The program is set to attract millions of viewers who are already big fans of Korean shows.

    This show marks a rare occasion that a famous Korean celebrity with mass appeal across Asia works with a regional OTT video platform in a production to share the latest fashion and lifestyle tips in Korea. With “Hallyu” Korean wave sweeping over Asia, this Viu Originals production is primed to be a runaway success.

    Song Ji Hyo’s Beauty Views will provide a refreshing approach, offering viewers an immersive experience and insights into Korean beauty and lifestyle trends. The show is expected to be popular with viewers and may feature episodes in which Song will travel overseas with Viu, interact with fans and share her experience of the products along with insightful advice on the latest fashion and style trends in Korea.

    public://table.jpg

  • Convenience & personalised content prompts 78% India’s TV viewers’ shift to OTT

    MUMBAI: There has been a steep decline over the past year in the percentage of India’s consumers who prefer to view TV shows on TV sets. That percentage dropped 78 per cent, from 47 per cent to 10 per cent. In the United States, the number fell 57 per cent (from 59 per cent to 25 per cent), and the U.K. it dropped 55 per cent (from 56 per cent to 25 per cent).

    Signaling an accelerating shift in the digital video market consumer behavior, the percentage of consumers who prefer watching TV shows on television sets plummeted by 55 per cent over the past year, from 52 per cent to 23 per cent, according to findings from the Accenture 2017 Digital Consumer Survey.

    “The massive and accelerating push by communications and media companies to provide ubiquitous content – TV everywhere including over-the-top – has empowered consumers to access high-quality content across multiple devices.”

    The global online survey of 26,000 consumers in 26 countries* reveals that consumers increasingly prefer to watch TV shows on (over the top or OTT) devices such as laptop and desktop personal computers and smartphones. More than four in 10 consumers (42 per cent) said they would rather view TV shows on a laptop or desktop, up from 32 per cent in last year’s survey. Thirteen per cent said they prefer watching TV shows on their smartphones, compared with 10 per cent last year.

    The decline in TV viewing over the past year tracks with a four-year trend. As recently as 2014, the survey revealed that nearly two-thirds (65 per cent) of consumers preferred the TV set for viewing TV shows.

    The most-recent findings, summarised in a new Accenture report titled Winning Experiences in the New Video World, show that only one in five consumers (19 per cent) now prefer to watch sports games on their TVs, down from 38 per cent in the prior-year survey.

    “The dominance of the TV set as the undisputed go-to entertainment device is ending,” said Accenture’s broadcast business global managing director Gavin Mann. “While a great number of people still watch plenty of TV shows on TV sets, our research uncovers a rapid acceleration in their preference for viewing on other digital devices — especially laptops, desktops and smartphones.”

    “Driving this rapid shift in consumer preferences is the growing convenience, availability and quality of more personalised and compelling content on laptop and desktop personal computers and smartphones,” Mann added. “The massive and accelerating push by communications and media companies to provide ubiquitous content – TV everywhere including over-the-top – has empowered consumers to access high-quality content across multiple devices.”

    While consumers increasingly prefer to watch TV shows on laptops and desktops, the smartphone is becoming the preferred device for watching short video clips. In the most-recent survey, more than one-third (41 per cent) of consumers said they would rather view these clips on their mobile handsets, a substantial increase from 28 per cent last year. In contrast, the number of consumers who said they would rather watch video clips on their laptops and desktops dropped slightly, from 47 per cent to 44 per cent over the last year, while the number who said they prefer to view these clips on their TV sets dropped even more, from 16 per cent to only five per cent.

    The report makes several recommendations for how media companies should respond to the shift in consumers’ video consumption habits from TV sets to other devices.

    These include:

    Identifying new ways to engage consumers with more-personalized video content across more types of screens; using more granular consumer data, segments and predictive analytics to help anticipate consumer preferences and find content they desire; and focusing more on their target audiences to identify exactly what content their viewers want to receive – and when, for how long and on what type of screen.

    Methodology

    Between October and November 2016, Accenture conducted an online survey with approximately 26,000 consumers in 26 countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States. The sample in each country was representative of the online population. Ages of respondents ranged from 14-to-55 and over. The survey and related data modelling quantify consumer perceptions of digital devices, content and services, purchasing patterns, preference and trust in service providers, and the future of their connected lifestyles.

    (*These findings are derived from a multiple-choice question answered by survey participants: “Which types of device (s) do you prefer to use when accessing different types of content?” The options included ‘laptop and desktop personal computers,’ ‘smartphones,’ ‘tablets,’ ‘TV screens,’ ‘game consoles,’ ‘other’ and ‘none.)

    Also Read :

    Viacom Velocity: 68% millennials trust online pals more than news or govt

     

  • 21st Century Fox outlook on Star bullish despite $30m DeMon hit

    MUMBAI: Though India’s currency demonetisation late last year with ripple effects of currency shortage spilling over in 2017 hit businesses all round, including the likes of Star, its parent 21 Century Fox has pinned high hopes on the OTT platform Hotstar and the overall ability of Star to overcome short-term hiccups because of market dominance.

    Terming the demonisation move of PM Modi-led government in New Delhi a “crazy speed bump” that hit businesses all round, 21st Century Fox  CFO John Nallen, in a conversation with investment analysts at a conference last month, admitted that Star too got “affected” from last quarter 2016 to first quarter 2017 calendar year. He revealed at that time that Star India took a hit of almost $30 million, and the company expects that things would start looking up mid-March 2017 onwards.

    According to Nallen, India would prove to be a major revenue earner for Star and Hotstar in the long term.

    Pointing out that, in the last two years, 20 million TV households were added to the eco-system, which brought the total number of TV households to 180 million (a recent BARC broadcast survey put the total number of Indian TV HHs at 183 million with rural leading the growth), Nallen said, “We are in the middle of a five-year cycle where pay TV households doubled and advertising nearly doubled during that period of time…so when advertising lifts, we get a little more of what the advertising lift and it is because of the company’s (Star) market share and dominance in the market.”

    Nallen was also confident that Star, with its bouquet of regional and sports channels delivered via cable and satellite and complimented by OTT platform Hotstar, will continue to be the jewel in the News Corp crown (a description of Star by 21st Century Fox chairman Rupert Murdoch).

    “The plans of Star TV are still intact. I am assuming that there is no geo-political issue(s) and no economic disruptions…that no one wakes up with some other rule in India that will disrupt the business,” the seasoned CFO observed, adding that Star an important clog in Murdoch’s media empire as it was one of the “biggest growth driver(s)” and the objectives and targets with which the business was set up and operationalised in India were achievable.

    Also Read :

    Star Plus & Sony Pal retain respective leadership, Naagin 2 maintains lead

    How Hindi GEC channels fared in first quarter of 2017

    Star India shows now travel to West Asia, tripling ratings

  • ALTBalaji rolls out its windows universal app for XBox & Surface Hub etc

    MUMBAI: Balaji Telefilms’s OTT platform ALTBalaji has announced the roll out of its Windows 10 universal application. The app is available in the Windows 10 app store and works seamlessly across PCs, Laptops, Smart Phones, and Surface Tablets running Windows10 OS.

    The app will soon be rolled out on other popular Microsoft devices and platforms like XBox, Surface Hub, and other devices through the Universal Windows Platform (UWP). Windows 10 has 400 million monthly active users globally who can now enjoy ALTBalaji’s original, exclusive and tailor-made shows on a variety of Windows devices.

    Speaking on the announcement, ALT Digital Media Entertainment COO Sunil Nair said, “By rolling out the Windows10 app, we have shown our commitment to our audience by making it easy for them to experience ALTBalaji on laptops as well as their regular smart phones. Features like multi­ device continuous play will make it easy for users to watch our shows on their mobile phone while on the move, and switch to their Windows 10 laptop or PC to continue enjoying the show seamlessly.”

    “We believe that with the ALTBalaji Windows 10 Universal App we have created a truly personalized platform which will benefit our digital consumers. All over the world people are more engaged when they consume content on larger screens with an immersive video and audio experience. Microsoft is committed to providing our users with a great viewing platform, and our collaboration with ALTBalaji will ensure that they get seamless access to content anywhere, at any time,” said Microsoft India windows and surface business director Vineet Durani.

    The video platform supports Microsoft Smooth Streaming and has Playready for Digital Rights Management (DRM). Using UWP allows multiple device specifications through a single app and makes it easy to upgrade seamlessly. Customers can use upto five devices simultaneously with one subscription, which makes it convenient for family viewing.

  • Eros Now available with free Amazon Fire TV subs

    MUMBAI: Eros Now, one of the fastest growing over-the-top (OTT) Indian entertainment platforms, owned by Eros International Plc has announced a strategic partnership with Amazon in India and their recently launched internet streaming device, Fire TV stick.

    Users can enjoy Eros Now’s uninterrupted entertainment services as the app is now pre-installed on Fire TV sticks purchased in India. In addition, Fire TV customers will also receive a three-month free premium subscription to Eros Now, currently priced at Rs 99/month. Following the free trial, Eros Now will receive 70% of all revenue generated from Eros Now subscriptions from Amazon Fire TV. Amazon will be co-marketing the Eros Now service and promoting the app across India with Amazon Fire TV.

    The Fire TV stick can be connected into any high-definition television and used to stream video and audio content, apps, games and more on television. Eros Now offers the widest library of films which caters to the different needs and tastes of the consumer, providing an enriching and fulfilling entertainment experience to the viewer.

    Eros Digital CEO Rishika Lulla Singh said, “The partnership is another step towards tapping a larger consumer and subscriber base, fulfilling their ever-changing entertainment needs and providing them with our unique entertainment viewing experience. With our current subscriber base of 2 million through existing partnerships with leading OEMs like Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Google, Samsung, Lyca TV and all major telcos including Airtel, IDEA, Vodafone, Reliance Jio, our aim is to be platform agnostic, constantly engage with newer customers and achieve greater visibility in the market.”

  • Time for OTT review? Delhi & K’taka top Net readiness, K’taka & Delhi lead in digital start-ups

    NEW DELHI: Will the OTT and VoD companies recast their strategies now that Delhi has emerged as the top-ranked state in terms of overall Internet readiness, overtaking last year’s winner Maharashtra?

    Delhi takes the first slot not only amongst small states and Union Territories but also when all states are taken together. The capital city-state is followed by Karnataka, Maharashtra, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

    Delhi gets this rank primarily because of its fabulous e-infrastructure and e-participation according to a pioneering report titled ‘Index of Internet Readiness of Indian States, published by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and Nielsen.

    Releasing the report, Electronics & Information Technology Ministry (MeiTy) Aruna Sundararajan said: “We are hopeful that India will leapfrog from the present 155th position to world’s top 5th in connectivity, within the next 5 to 6 years. India today is one of the most rapidly digitising economies in the world with the telecom industry leading the change. Things have improved multifold with state governments of Chattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana among others taking proactive steps to improve connectivity and internet reach.”

    “The combination of various indigenous digital platforms along with innovative and disruptive startups holds the greatest scope for digital transformation in India. Post demonetisation, the country today has 3 million POS as compared to 1,50,000 POS earlier which is clearly a transformation and going forward too the infrastructure for digital payments will grow 3X within a span of one year.” she added.

    Among the smaller states, Delhi is at the top followed by Chandigarh and Puducherry. Chandigarh is ranked second in both e-infrastructure and e-participation. Puducherry ranks after Chandigarh when measured on the e-infrastructure index.

    Significantly, even within smaller states, the northeastern states ranked low in terms of overall Internet readiness. Therefore, much more needs to be done in the form of investment and infrastructure development in the region. Among the northeastern states, Nagaland tops the list, closely followed by Manipur and Tripura. Nagaland leads in IT environment and performs moderately well in other categories to get to the top.

    Internet readiness index is a composite benchmark of four components, i.e., e-Infrastructure index, e-Participation index, IT-Environment and government e-services index. All four components have equal weightage in this model. Separately, a fifth Index (named the Core Internet Index) has been created this year, consisting of select variables already used in constructing the above indices. The purpose of the index is to give a sharper perspective for digital industries looking to expand their business in Indian States.

    The overall top rankers amongst states as per their scores in the various indices are as follows:

    public://F.jpg

    One of the key highlights of this year’s report is measuring the digital start-up eco-system of states. The report finds that Karnataka, Delhi and Maharashtra are the top three states with the highest number of digital start-ups. The study says that of the total 242 start-up incubators in the country, 61 start-up incubators are in Tamil Nadu. About 83% of these incubators are in 10 states, i.e., Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Kerala, Telangana, Gujarat, West Bengal, Delhi and Rajasthan. In the North East, except for Manipur where a single start-up incubator is present, none of the other states have one.  

    The report highlights the performance of the states regarding different measures of Internet readiness index. Given the rapid advancement in e-services and e-commerce, it is essential to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the states. While this would help the business and governments to leverage the strength, policy measures can also be taken where improvements are required.

     

  • TRAI seeks ideas on ease of doing b’cast business

    NEW DELHI: With the fast changing regulatory framework for the media and entertainment sector, which in India is one of the fastest growing sectors, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has embarked on a major exercise to find out easier ways of doing business and cause least harassment to entrepreneurs. In short, try to examine where all procedural delays can be shaved off and what all could be made redundant.

    It has now issued a pre-consultation paper on the ease of doing business in broadcasting, which comes just a few months after a similar paper on telecoms. In the new era of convergence, the two sectors are expected to complement each other.

    public://tr1.jpg

    TRAI, which has raised questions about all sectors in the electronic media, has asked stakeholders to respond with their comments by 8 May 2017.

    The Authority has on its own decided to go for a pre-consultation with the stakeholders on ease of doing business in the broadcasting sector, taking a cue from PM Modi-led government’s efforts to ease doing businesses in India. It hopes to review various policy issues related to the broadcasting sector with a view to create a conducive and business friendly environment in the sector and identify procedural bottlenecks that affect ease of doing business in the broadcasting sector and recommend measures for simplifying the rules, regulations and bring more transparency and clarity in policies/ framework of the broadcasting sector. 

    public://tr2.jpg

    The aim is also to remove entry barriers by laying down well defined and transparent procedures and processes thereby creating level playing field and competition in the sector and to facilitate innovation and technology adoption for providing better quality of services to the consumers to steer further growth of the sector by attracting investment through investor friendly policies 

    Subjects to be covered in the pre-consultation before a final consultation paper is issued are related to processes and procedures for obtaining permission/license/registration for the following broadcasting services and subsequent compliance connected with these permissions. The fields include:

    (a) Uplinking of TV channels 
    (b) Downlinking of TV channels 
    (c) Teleport services 
    (d) Direct-to-home services 
    (e) Private FM services 
    (f) Headend-in-the sky services 
    (g) Local Cable Operators 
    (h) Multi System Operators 
    (i) Community Radio Stations 

    The consultation will include allocation of broadcasting spectrum; clearance from Department of Space; WPC clearance for broadcasting services; SACFA Clearance Process; and Clearance from Network Operations Control Center (NOCC).

    For DTH, the issues include disaster Recovery Site for DTH Operator; and transmission of radio services over DTH platform.

    public://tr3.jpg

    Other issues are Right of Way for cable operators; Broadband through cable TV; Open sky policy for KU band; Rationalization of FDI policy in broadcasting sector, developing India as a teleport hub, Skilled manpower in broadcasting sector, and Indigenous manufacturing of broadcasting equipment.

    While the broadcasting sector so far has been replete with success, the Authority feels that this sector has immense potential to move on higher trajectory of growth if more conducive business environment could be created by simplifying existing provisions of policy framework related to broadcasting sector. It has also been noted that certain existing provisions may require a re-look in view of the technological changes that have taken place in the broadcasting sector.

    The Authority is of the view that the attractiveness of business proposition  is the prime mover and creates the potential for investments, but ease of doing business enables greater realization of this potential. Therefore, taking a cue from the Government’s efforts towards ease of doing business