ITV

Tag: OTT

  • Can OTT players leverage market opportunities & rationalize rising content costs?

    Can OTT players leverage market opportunities & rationalize rising content costs?

    MUMBAI: In a bid to grab eyeballs, spending on digital advertising is on the increase, but this increase also comes with challenges, if KPMG is to be believed.

    KPMG director Girish Menon said that digital advertisement is likely to cross Rs 25,500 crore in 2020, but digital ads do not come without challenges with major concerns being inability to track mobile activity, ad fraud, ad blocking and measurement.

    Making a presentation at an event organised by FICCI here yesterday, Fast Track India: Bolstering Growth in the Digital Content, Menon added, “OTT video is likely to become the holy grail in digital media. The advent of OTT services and on-the-go content, aided with competitive tariffs and falling average retail price of smartphones, has helped to drive video consumption in India.”

    According to him, approximately 40 per cent of mobile data traffic is being driven by video and audio consumption.

    The Indian market is highly price sensitive and broadcast services are well accepted, making the growth and profitability of OTT video players an uphill task. As digital media consumption grows in the country, content owners and delivery platforms need to reflect on innovative ways of monetizing digital content. OTT players need to leverage market opportunities while rationalizing rising costs of acquiring or producing digital content.

    “Profitability still continues to be a major challenge coupled with infrastructure and affordability of data tariffs and payments models. It is imperative for the OTT players to address these concerns through innovative means to achieve the medium’s full potential,” added Menon.

    Discussing future trends to grow this market, through effective monetization of content, while delivering consumer value, in addition to evaluating various payment models at FICCI Knowledge Series 2016 were Film Producer Vishesh Bhatt, DittoTV business head Archana Anand, Arre co-founder and CEO AJay Chacko and Eros Digital COO Karan Bedi.

    Sparking the discussion was Bhatt who observed how this conversation flagged off last year with everyone talking about content that has come to a point where it’s annoying. He is of the opinion that serious content makers fuelling the various platforms have to first understand the ecosystem. “In my opinion, even the platforms have not taken initiatives to educate the content makers. The ecosystem currently is extremely poor. The content makers have to understand the economics first or open my own platform to air content and then make money out of it.”

    Various content monetization options are being explored with the rapid adoption of digital platforms. Ad remains the major source of advertising. Short format made-for-digital content is being leveraged for immediate monetization opportunity. Existing content is being repackaged and delivered across digital platforms owned and 3rd party (YouTube, Mobile Apps, etc.). Existing content infrastructure is being leveraged to create purpose built content (interactive shows, online polls, etc.).

    The focus has now shifted to original/exclusive content for digital media, to drive subscription revenues

    Enlightening the audience further, Chacko pointed out how the content consumption medium has evolved from print to broadcast and now to digital. While there is 70 per cent investment in content creation for digital, the showdown does not stop there. “Investing more on content is the rule.”

    Citing the example of Pokemon Go, Bedi asserted how the game is earning roughly 1.6 million per day which is just 10 per cent of what they can make if monetised properly. “The cost of data, infrastructure, etc, remains an issue for us. We are definitely not there yet with the subscription model, but it’s not far.”

    Anand though strongly surmises that platforms need to set their strategies right. “You have to establish with masses first to get subscribers. We followed the consumer behaviour trend on mobile and made it affordable for them. Like anyone else, we never told them to download our app, rather gave them the option to give a miss call to download it. To solve bandwidth constraints, we tied up with Telcos and payment wallets and the usage has been phenomenal.”

    dittoTV has a clear road map set wherein it has first focused on getting eyeballs to its platform. Anand also opined that the platform does not have to necessarily follow a linear model in future.

    But how will the value change make money? Answering that, Bedi said that the three levers- revenue generation, content creation and marketing acquisitions. “Netflix does not invest on marketing acquisitions. In the end, it depends on the platform to decide what model it wants to follow and it has to make it work right.”

    “SVOD also allows multiple things to be done. There is an inherent ability to share piece of profit with partners by tying up with various partners”, added Anand.

    With various global players like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, etc, entering India, the players will have to focus on producing original quality content to drive viewers. But is it beneficial to the creators here to put their content on the different platforms. Bhatt strongly affirmed that the West has made its content makers worth. It’s no more only about money but about environment.

  • Can OTT players leverage market opportunities & rationalize rising content costs?

    Can OTT players leverage market opportunities & rationalize rising content costs?

    MUMBAI: In a bid to grab eyeballs, spending on digital advertising is on the increase, but this increase also comes with challenges, if KPMG is to be believed.

    KPMG director Girish Menon said that digital advertisement is likely to cross Rs 25,500 crore in 2020, but digital ads do not come without challenges with major concerns being inability to track mobile activity, ad fraud, ad blocking and measurement.

    Making a presentation at an event organised by FICCI here yesterday, Fast Track India: Bolstering Growth in the Digital Content, Menon added, “OTT video is likely to become the holy grail in digital media. The advent of OTT services and on-the-go content, aided with competitive tariffs and falling average retail price of smartphones, has helped to drive video consumption in India.”

    According to him, approximately 40 per cent of mobile data traffic is being driven by video and audio consumption.

    The Indian market is highly price sensitive and broadcast services are well accepted, making the growth and profitability of OTT video players an uphill task. As digital media consumption grows in the country, content owners and delivery platforms need to reflect on innovative ways of monetizing digital content. OTT players need to leverage market opportunities while rationalizing rising costs of acquiring or producing digital content.

    “Profitability still continues to be a major challenge coupled with infrastructure and affordability of data tariffs and payments models. It is imperative for the OTT players to address these concerns through innovative means to achieve the medium’s full potential,” added Menon.

    Discussing future trends to grow this market, through effective monetization of content, while delivering consumer value, in addition to evaluating various payment models at FICCI Knowledge Series 2016 were Film Producer Vishesh Bhatt, DittoTV business head Archana Anand, Arre co-founder and CEO AJay Chacko and Eros Digital COO Karan Bedi.

    Sparking the discussion was Bhatt who observed how this conversation flagged off last year with everyone talking about content that has come to a point where it’s annoying. He is of the opinion that serious content makers fuelling the various platforms have to first understand the ecosystem. “In my opinion, even the platforms have not taken initiatives to educate the content makers. The ecosystem currently is extremely poor. The content makers have to understand the economics first or open my own platform to air content and then make money out of it.”

    Various content monetization options are being explored with the rapid adoption of digital platforms. Ad remains the major source of advertising. Short format made-for-digital content is being leveraged for immediate monetization opportunity. Existing content is being repackaged and delivered across digital platforms owned and 3rd party (YouTube, Mobile Apps, etc.). Existing content infrastructure is being leveraged to create purpose built content (interactive shows, online polls, etc.).

    The focus has now shifted to original/exclusive content for digital media, to drive subscription revenues

    Enlightening the audience further, Chacko pointed out how the content consumption medium has evolved from print to broadcast and now to digital. While there is 70 per cent investment in content creation for digital, the showdown does not stop there. “Investing more on content is the rule.”

    Citing the example of Pokemon Go, Bedi asserted how the game is earning roughly 1.6 million per day which is just 10 per cent of what they can make if monetised properly. “The cost of data, infrastructure, etc, remains an issue for us. We are definitely not there yet with the subscription model, but it’s not far.”

    Anand though strongly surmises that platforms need to set their strategies right. “You have to establish with masses first to get subscribers. We followed the consumer behaviour trend on mobile and made it affordable for them. Like anyone else, we never told them to download our app, rather gave them the option to give a miss call to download it. To solve bandwidth constraints, we tied up with Telcos and payment wallets and the usage has been phenomenal.”

    dittoTV has a clear road map set wherein it has first focused on getting eyeballs to its platform. Anand also opined that the platform does not have to necessarily follow a linear model in future.

    But how will the value change make money? Answering that, Bedi said that the three levers- revenue generation, content creation and marketing acquisitions. “Netflix does not invest on marketing acquisitions. In the end, it depends on the platform to decide what model it wants to follow and it has to make it work right.”

    “SVOD also allows multiple things to be done. There is an inherent ability to share piece of profit with partners by tying up with various partners”, added Anand.

    With various global players like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, etc, entering India, the players will have to focus on producing original quality content to drive viewers. But is it beneficial to the creators here to put their content on the different platforms. Bhatt strongly affirmed that the West has made its content makers worth. It’s no more only about money but about environment.

  • Q1-17: Zeel numbers up on higher ad, subscription revenue, PAT up 22 percent

    Q1-17: Zeel numbers up on higher ad, subscription revenue, PAT up 22 percent

    BENGALURU: The Subhash Chandra led content and broadcast player Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (Zeel) reported a 19.2 per cent  hike in consolidated revenue for the quarter ended 30 June 2016 (Q1-17, current quarter) as compared to the corresponding quarter of the previous year. The growth was driven by a 19.2 percent growth in Zeel’s advertising (ad) revenue, supplemented by a 14.2 percent growth in subscription revenue. Zeel reported consolidated revenue (Total income from operations, TIO) of Rs 1,571.62 crore in Q1-17 as compared to Rs 1,326,68 crore in Q1-16.

    Profit after tax (PAT) for the current quarter increased 21.8 percent to Rs 216.96 crore (13.8 percent margin) as compared to Rs 178.18 crore (13.4 percent margin) in Q1-16.

    Ad revenue in the current quarter was Rs 911.98 crore (58 percent of TIO) as compared to Rs 765.33 crore (57.7 percent of TIO) in Q1-16. Subscription revenue in the current quarter was Rs 528.16 crore (33.6 percent of TIO) as compared to Rs 462.53 crore (34.9 percent of TIO) in Q1-16.

    Zeel’s Operating profit (EBITDA) for Q1-17 stood at Rs 453.15 crore (28.8 percent EBITDA Margin) which was 44.1 percent higher than the Rs 314.57 crore (23.7 percent EBIDTA margin) in the corresponding year ago quarter.

    Total Expenditure in Q1-17 increased 11.2 percent to Rs 1,143.58 crore (72.8 percent of TIO) from Rs 1,028.21 crore (77.5 percent of TIO) in Q1-16.

    Finance costs in the current quarter declined 2.6 percent to Rs 7.5 crore (0.5 percent of TIO) from Rs 7.7 crore (0.6 percent of TIO) in the corresponding year ago quarter.

    Employee benefit expense in Q1-17 increased 14.1 percent to Rs 149.93 crore (9.5 percent of TIO) from Rs 131.40 crore (9.9 percent of TIO) in Q1-16.

    Advertising and Publicity expense in the current quarter increased 23.9 percent to Rs 119.71 crore (7.6 percent of TIO) from Rs 96.65 crore (7.3 percent of TIO) in Q1-16.

    Company Speak

    Chandra added, “The financial results once again highlight the strong underlying fundamentals of the company. The advertising and subscription revenues continue to drive the company’s growth. Taking a long term view of the business trends we are committed to become a global content company and will make suitable investments to achieve that objective.”

    Zeel managing director and CEO Punit Goenka, Managing said, ““We have started the new fiscal on a positive note, delivering successful result in the first quarter. On the back of continued steady economic recovery, the company once again managed to outperform the market. The advertising growth is holding up and the subscription revenue is maintaining a steady growth. While the advertising could receive a fillip if the consumer spending improves, on the subscription front the industry awaits the regulatory guidelines which will shape the subscription revenue growth over the next few quarters.”

    The preference of the consumers keeps on evolving with time and we have consistently stayed ahead of the curve, and in many cases helped shape it. As an entertainment company, it is imperative for us to experiment with new content and innovate new formats, and we will continue to do so. We are making investments in new growth verticals with an aim that they will start contributing to company’s success in the future. An effort in this direction was the relaunch of company’s paid OTT platform dittoTV with new subscription plans. Our movie production business has started delivering results which is evident with movies like Sairat which became the highest grossing Marathi movie of all time.”

    Note: (1) The unit of currency in this report is the Indian rupee – Rs (also conventionally represented by INR). The Indian numbering system or the Vedic numbering system has been used to denote money values. The basic conversion to the international norm would be:

    (a) 100,00,000 = 100 lakh = 10,000,000 = 10 million = 1 crore.

    (b) 10,000 lakh = 100 crore = 1 arab = 1 billion.

    (2) All numbers in this report are consolidated unless stated otherwise.
     

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  • Q1-17: Zeel numbers up on higher ad, subscription revenue, PAT up 22 percent

    Q1-17: Zeel numbers up on higher ad, subscription revenue, PAT up 22 percent

    BENGALURU: The Subhash Chandra led content and broadcast player Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (Zeel) reported a 19.2 per cent  hike in consolidated revenue for the quarter ended 30 June 2016 (Q1-17, current quarter) as compared to the corresponding quarter of the previous year. The growth was driven by a 19.2 percent growth in Zeel’s advertising (ad) revenue, supplemented by a 14.2 percent growth in subscription revenue. Zeel reported consolidated revenue (Total income from operations, TIO) of Rs 1,571.62 crore in Q1-17 as compared to Rs 1,326,68 crore in Q1-16.

    Profit after tax (PAT) for the current quarter increased 21.8 percent to Rs 216.96 crore (13.8 percent margin) as compared to Rs 178.18 crore (13.4 percent margin) in Q1-16.

    Ad revenue in the current quarter was Rs 911.98 crore (58 percent of TIO) as compared to Rs 765.33 crore (57.7 percent of TIO) in Q1-16. Subscription revenue in the current quarter was Rs 528.16 crore (33.6 percent of TIO) as compared to Rs 462.53 crore (34.9 percent of TIO) in Q1-16.

    Zeel’s Operating profit (EBITDA) for Q1-17 stood at Rs 453.15 crore (28.8 percent EBITDA Margin) which was 44.1 percent higher than the Rs 314.57 crore (23.7 percent EBIDTA margin) in the corresponding year ago quarter.

    Total Expenditure in Q1-17 increased 11.2 percent to Rs 1,143.58 crore (72.8 percent of TIO) from Rs 1,028.21 crore (77.5 percent of TIO) in Q1-16.

    Finance costs in the current quarter declined 2.6 percent to Rs 7.5 crore (0.5 percent of TIO) from Rs 7.7 crore (0.6 percent of TIO) in the corresponding year ago quarter.

    Employee benefit expense in Q1-17 increased 14.1 percent to Rs 149.93 crore (9.5 percent of TIO) from Rs 131.40 crore (9.9 percent of TIO) in Q1-16.

    Advertising and Publicity expense in the current quarter increased 23.9 percent to Rs 119.71 crore (7.6 percent of TIO) from Rs 96.65 crore (7.3 percent of TIO) in Q1-16.

    Company Speak

    Chandra added, “The financial results once again highlight the strong underlying fundamentals of the company. The advertising and subscription revenues continue to drive the company’s growth. Taking a long term view of the business trends we are committed to become a global content company and will make suitable investments to achieve that objective.”

    Zeel managing director and CEO Punit Goenka, Managing said, ““We have started the new fiscal on a positive note, delivering successful result in the first quarter. On the back of continued steady economic recovery, the company once again managed to outperform the market. The advertising growth is holding up and the subscription revenue is maintaining a steady growth. While the advertising could receive a fillip if the consumer spending improves, on the subscription front the industry awaits the regulatory guidelines which will shape the subscription revenue growth over the next few quarters.”

    The preference of the consumers keeps on evolving with time and we have consistently stayed ahead of the curve, and in many cases helped shape it. As an entertainment company, it is imperative for us to experiment with new content and innovate new formats, and we will continue to do so. We are making investments in new growth verticals with an aim that they will start contributing to company’s success in the future. An effort in this direction was the relaunch of company’s paid OTT platform dittoTV with new subscription plans. Our movie production business has started delivering results which is evident with movies like Sairat which became the highest grossing Marathi movie of all time.”

    Note: (1) The unit of currency in this report is the Indian rupee – Rs (also conventionally represented by INR). The Indian numbering system or the Vedic numbering system has been used to denote money values. The basic conversion to the international norm would be:

    (a) 100,00,000 = 100 lakh = 10,000,000 = 10 million = 1 crore.

    (b) 10,000 lakh = 100 crore = 1 arab = 1 billion.

    (2) All numbers in this report are consolidated unless stated otherwise.
     

    Click Here

  • Q2-16: DISH Network reports 27% profit hike, loses 281K pay-TV subscribers

    Q2-16: DISH Network reports 27% profit hike, loses 281K pay-TV subscribers

    BENGALURU: DISH Network Corp. (DISH) reported 26.52 percent increase in its net profit for the quarter ended 30 June 2016 (Q2-16, current quarter) at $ 410.46 million as compared to $ 324.42 million in the corresponding year ago quarter. Despite activating approximately 527,000 gross new pay-TV subscribers, net pay-TV subscribers declined approximately 281,000 in Q2-16. Comparatively, in Q2-15 approximately 638,000 gross new pay-TV subscribers were added with a net loss of approximately 81,000 pay-TV subscribers.

    DISH reported almost flat revenue (grew by 0.12 percent) in the current quarter of $ 3,837.04 million as compared to revenue of $ 3,832.29 million in Q2-15. Subscriber related revenue in Q2-16 grew 0.7 percent to $3,826.22 million as compared to $3,801.42 million in Q2-15.

    EBIDTA in Q2-16 declined slightly (2.7 percent) to $ 899.54 million from $ 924.45 million in the corresponding year ago quarter.

    Subscribers, ARPU, SAC

    The company closed Q2-16 with 13.593 million pay-TV subscribers, compared to 13.932 million pay-TV subscribers at the end Q2-2015.

    DISH lost approximately 15,000 net broadband subscribers in the second quarter, bringing its broadband subscriber base to approximately 613,000.

    Pay-TV ARPU for Q2-16 totalled $89.98, compared to Q2-2015 pay-TV ARPU of $ 87.91. Pay-TV subscriber churn rate in the current quarter was higher at 1.96 percent versus 1.71 percent for Q2-2015.

    Pay-TV subscriber acquisition cost (SAC) in Q2-16 was $353.08 million as compared to $ 405.70 million in Q2-15.  Pay-TV SAC was $782 per subscriber during Q2-16 compared to $767 during Q2-15 an increase of $15 or 1.9 percent.  

    DISH says that this change was primarily attributable to an increase in advertising costs per activation, partially offset by a decrease in hardware costs per activation. The decrease in hardware costs per activation was primarily due to a higher percentage of remanufactured receivers being activated on new DISH branded pay-TV subscriber accounts and by a reduction in manufacturing costs related to certain receiver systems. This decrease was partially offset by an increase in the percentage of new DISH branded pay-TV subscriber activations with Hopper 3 receiver systems, which have a higher cost per unit than the prior generation Hopper receiver systems.

    Notes

    It may be noted that DISH includes all of its Sling TV subscribers in the company’s total pay-TV metrics, including in the pay-TV subscriber, pay-TV ARPU and pay-TV churn rate numbers set forth below. Sling TV subscribers are reported net of disconnects in DISH’s gross new pay-TV subscriber activations. The Sling branded pay-TV services consist of, among other things, live, linear streaming over-the-top (OTT) internet-based domestic, international and Latino video programming services.

    DISH markets broadband services under the dishNET™ brand in the United States.  In addition to the dishNET branded satellite broadband service, DISH also offers wireline voice and broadband services under the dishNET brand as a competitive local exchange carrier primarily to consumers living in a 14-state region in the western United States.  It primarily bundles dishNET branded services with its DISH branded pay-TV service.

    During Q1-2016 DISH made its next generation Hopper, the Hopper 3, availableto customers nationwide.  Among other things, the Hopper 3 features 16 tuners, delivers an enhanced 4K Ultra HD experience, and supports up to seven TVs simultaneously says the company.

  • Q2-16: DISH Network reports 27% profit hike, loses 281K pay-TV subscribers

    Q2-16: DISH Network reports 27% profit hike, loses 281K pay-TV subscribers

    BENGALURU: DISH Network Corp. (DISH) reported 26.52 percent increase in its net profit for the quarter ended 30 June 2016 (Q2-16, current quarter) at $ 410.46 million as compared to $ 324.42 million in the corresponding year ago quarter. Despite activating approximately 527,000 gross new pay-TV subscribers, net pay-TV subscribers declined approximately 281,000 in Q2-16. Comparatively, in Q2-15 approximately 638,000 gross new pay-TV subscribers were added with a net loss of approximately 81,000 pay-TV subscribers.

    DISH reported almost flat revenue (grew by 0.12 percent) in the current quarter of $ 3,837.04 million as compared to revenue of $ 3,832.29 million in Q2-15. Subscriber related revenue in Q2-16 grew 0.7 percent to $3,826.22 million as compared to $3,801.42 million in Q2-15.

    EBIDTA in Q2-16 declined slightly (2.7 percent) to $ 899.54 million from $ 924.45 million in the corresponding year ago quarter.

    Subscribers, ARPU, SAC

    The company closed Q2-16 with 13.593 million pay-TV subscribers, compared to 13.932 million pay-TV subscribers at the end Q2-2015.

    DISH lost approximately 15,000 net broadband subscribers in the second quarter, bringing its broadband subscriber base to approximately 613,000.

    Pay-TV ARPU for Q2-16 totalled $89.98, compared to Q2-2015 pay-TV ARPU of $ 87.91. Pay-TV subscriber churn rate in the current quarter was higher at 1.96 percent versus 1.71 percent for Q2-2015.

    Pay-TV subscriber acquisition cost (SAC) in Q2-16 was $353.08 million as compared to $ 405.70 million in Q2-15.  Pay-TV SAC was $782 per subscriber during Q2-16 compared to $767 during Q2-15 an increase of $15 or 1.9 percent.  

    DISH says that this change was primarily attributable to an increase in advertising costs per activation, partially offset by a decrease in hardware costs per activation. The decrease in hardware costs per activation was primarily due to a higher percentage of remanufactured receivers being activated on new DISH branded pay-TV subscriber accounts and by a reduction in manufacturing costs related to certain receiver systems. This decrease was partially offset by an increase in the percentage of new DISH branded pay-TV subscriber activations with Hopper 3 receiver systems, which have a higher cost per unit than the prior generation Hopper receiver systems.

    Notes

    It may be noted that DISH includes all of its Sling TV subscribers in the company’s total pay-TV metrics, including in the pay-TV subscriber, pay-TV ARPU and pay-TV churn rate numbers set forth below. Sling TV subscribers are reported net of disconnects in DISH’s gross new pay-TV subscriber activations. The Sling branded pay-TV services consist of, among other things, live, linear streaming over-the-top (OTT) internet-based domestic, international and Latino video programming services.

    DISH markets broadband services under the dishNET™ brand in the United States.  In addition to the dishNET branded satellite broadband service, DISH also offers wireline voice and broadband services under the dishNET brand as a competitive local exchange carrier primarily to consumers living in a 14-state region in the western United States.  It primarily bundles dishNET branded services with its DISH branded pay-TV service.

    During Q1-2016 DISH made its next generation Hopper, the Hopper 3, availableto customers nationwide.  Among other things, the Hopper 3 features 16 tuners, delivers an enhanced 4K Ultra HD experience, and supports up to seven TVs simultaneously says the company.

  • Da Vinci Learning launches kids OTT app

    Da Vinci Learning launches kids OTT app

    MUMBAI: Lately more and more digital content aggregators are waking up to the potential of offering a kids only digital video platform. Being fast adopters of technology, kids are the first ones to become the digital consumers. In a country where more than one third of the population are kids and youngsters, advertisers too are looking for ways to tap this raw consumer base. Thus kids only OTT apps are on the rise; NexgTV Kids and Voot’s kids only section being the recent few examples.

    With an intent to give these a tough competition, German kids television content leader Da Vinci Learning has now entered this market with its very own OTT service.

    The platform will provide on the go access to the programming and content of the channel. The OTT service has been launched as a web based service accessible through www.davinci-learning.in and will be soon available via an app as well.

    Playing the ‘safe content’ card, Da Vinci Learning’s OTT play is banking on its reputation for curating kids friendly and educational IPs for its viewers.

    The platform allows the users to choose from a wide range of content including Maths, Science, Space, Wildlife, Food etc. After logging in, the kid can watch full episodes on all their favourite topics and can also keep a track of the show timings on-air. The portal has different sections like Your Favourites, What’s Hot, Da Vinci’s Superstars where kids can view their favourite shows as well as shows that are popular with other kids. They will also be able to rate, like and add shows to their wishlist. The thematic of the service is built with kids in mind and uses very intuitive and a kids friendly design.

    Commenting on the same, Da Vinci Learning marketing director Monomita Mukhopadhyay said, “Today the viewer’s consumption pattern is changing dynamically; kids no more stick to the flat screen and wait for programs, rather they access content anytime, anywhere and on multiple devices of their choice.” She further added, “OTT is expected to grow exponentially in coming years and India will be the second largest market in Asia Pacific according to the Media Partners Asia report. Being in the TV broadcast industry we are committed to keeping pace with the dynamically changing scenario of the industry.”

    As a part of their OTT portal launch offering, Da Vinci Learning is offering a limited period free subscription to the portal. Some of the show highlights available at OTT play are Little Einstein, Mind-blowing breakthroughs, Maths is all around us, Gastroblast, Chasing happiness etc.

  • Da Vinci Learning launches kids OTT app

    Da Vinci Learning launches kids OTT app

    MUMBAI: Lately more and more digital content aggregators are waking up to the potential of offering a kids only digital video platform. Being fast adopters of technology, kids are the first ones to become the digital consumers. In a country where more than one third of the population are kids and youngsters, advertisers too are looking for ways to tap this raw consumer base. Thus kids only OTT apps are on the rise; NexgTV Kids and Voot’s kids only section being the recent few examples.

    With an intent to give these a tough competition, German kids television content leader Da Vinci Learning has now entered this market with its very own OTT service.

    The platform will provide on the go access to the programming and content of the channel. The OTT service has been launched as a web based service accessible through www.davinci-learning.in and will be soon available via an app as well.

    Playing the ‘safe content’ card, Da Vinci Learning’s OTT play is banking on its reputation for curating kids friendly and educational IPs for its viewers.

    The platform allows the users to choose from a wide range of content including Maths, Science, Space, Wildlife, Food etc. After logging in, the kid can watch full episodes on all their favourite topics and can also keep a track of the show timings on-air. The portal has different sections like Your Favourites, What’s Hot, Da Vinci’s Superstars where kids can view their favourite shows as well as shows that are popular with other kids. They will also be able to rate, like and add shows to their wishlist. The thematic of the service is built with kids in mind and uses very intuitive and a kids friendly design.

    Commenting on the same, Da Vinci Learning marketing director Monomita Mukhopadhyay said, “Today the viewer’s consumption pattern is changing dynamically; kids no more stick to the flat screen and wait for programs, rather they access content anytime, anywhere and on multiple devices of their choice.” She further added, “OTT is expected to grow exponentially in coming years and India will be the second largest market in Asia Pacific according to the Media Partners Asia report. Being in the TV broadcast industry we are committed to keeping pace with the dynamically changing scenario of the industry.”

    As a part of their OTT portal launch offering, Da Vinci Learning is offering a limited period free subscription to the portal. Some of the show highlights available at OTT play are Little Einstein, Mind-blowing breakthroughs, Maths is all around us, Gastroblast, Chasing happiness etc.

  • Siticable partners dittoTV; to push OTT to cable TV and broadband subscribers

    Siticable partners dittoTV; to push OTT to cable TV and broadband subscribers

    MUMBAI: It was over the weekend that Zee Digital Convergence’s unleashed a TVC blitzkrieg, promoting its low priced over the top (OTT) service dittoTV. And now it has announced that it is partnering with Essel group cable TV MSO and sister company Siticable.

    As part of this, Siticable will be pushing the authentication and subscription to dittoTV from its portal to the subscribers of its cable TV service. Its broadband customers will be able to subscribe to OTT service at no extra cost to them. Siticable and dittoTV will do joint promotions on the ground even as last mile operators will also work on further distributing the OTT platform and servicing those who subscribe to it.

    Says dittoTV business head Archana Anand: “We are excited to be partnering with Siticable to give a push to our OTT service. We are looking at maximizing our distribution through the partnership. We launched our TVCs over the weekend and the response has been way beyond our expectations.”

    Adds SitiCable CEO V.D. Wadhwa: “The partnership is an exclusive one for Siticable as an MSO. And it is going to be a win win for both of us.”

    SitiCable has 12 million subscribers nationally to its cable TV service – an attractive potential captive audience for dittoTV.. Last mile operators who push the OTT service will benefit as a revenue share is being given to them.

    The 132,000 Siti Broadband users in Kolkata and Delhi are another lucrative bunch of potential subscribers for dittoTV, especially since it is being bundled with it and being given away free to them. In Delhi, SitiCable delivers broadband using Docsis 3,0 modems to its 30,000 odd subscribers while in Kolkata the number is in excess of 100,000 but the delivery mode is Ethernet on cable. Average revenue per user (ARPU), according to Wadhwa, in Delhi is at Rs 600 while in Kolkata it is Rs 500. While the average bandwidth consumption is 30 GB in Delhi, the figure is half that in the eastern city.

    “Broadband users will be able to watch dittoTV’s 100 channels on their laptops, tablets, and smart TVs in the comfort of their homes using our broadband,” says Wadhwa.

    That probably should lead to a lift in bandwidth consumption, say observers, and an increase in broadband ARPU for Siticable once customers start using the dittoTV app and streaming the linear 100-odd channels that it is providing.

    This apart, SitiCable’s cable TV subscribers, who are using other broadband services – dongles or Chromecast or what have you – will also be able to sign up and stream dittoTV on different devices.

    Anand says the two of them will observe how the partnership is panning out in its Delhi pilot before rolling it out into other towns. Overall she has already said ZDCL was looking at 6 million subscribers in FY-2017. Of these, she says about a million should come courtesy its SitiCable partnership.

    In all probability, dittoTV is going to serve as Siticable’s offering of an anywhere TV app – a la Tata Sky – as the operator says it is not interested in launching one of its own in the foreseeable future.

    As a recap, dittoTV was relaunched last month with an offer of 100 + Hindi, English and regional language channels (excepting Sun TV and Star India) encompassing general entertainment, sports, movies, news and lifestyle following its relaunch last month. It has come in as a low price warrior with its price tag being Rs 20 for a month, Rs 50 for three months, Rs 90 for six months and Rs 170 for a year.

    “We are definitely serious about OTT, hence we have priced it so low and are targeting large subscriber volumes,” says Anand. “We are investing in it for the future.”

  • Siticable partners dittoTV; to push OTT to cable TV and broadband subscribers

    Siticable partners dittoTV; to push OTT to cable TV and broadband subscribers

    MUMBAI: It was over the weekend that Zee Digital Convergence’s unleashed a TVC blitzkrieg, promoting its low priced over the top (OTT) service dittoTV. And now it has announced that it is partnering with Essel group cable TV MSO and sister company Siticable.

    As part of this, Siticable will be pushing the authentication and subscription to dittoTV from its portal to the subscribers of its cable TV service. Its broadband customers will be able to subscribe to OTT service at no extra cost to them. Siticable and dittoTV will do joint promotions on the ground even as last mile operators will also work on further distributing the OTT platform and servicing those who subscribe to it.

    Says dittoTV business head Archana Anand: “We are excited to be partnering with Siticable to give a push to our OTT service. We are looking at maximizing our distribution through the partnership. We launched our TVCs over the weekend and the response has been way beyond our expectations.”

    Adds SitiCable CEO V.D. Wadhwa: “The partnership is an exclusive one for Siticable as an MSO. And it is going to be a win win for both of us.”

    SitiCable has 12 million subscribers nationally to its cable TV service – an attractive potential captive audience for dittoTV.. Last mile operators who push the OTT service will benefit as a revenue share is being given to them.

    The 132,000 Siti Broadband users in Kolkata and Delhi are another lucrative bunch of potential subscribers for dittoTV, especially since it is being bundled with it and being given away free to them. In Delhi, SitiCable delivers broadband using Docsis 3,0 modems to its 30,000 odd subscribers while in Kolkata the number is in excess of 100,000 but the delivery mode is Ethernet on cable. Average revenue per user (ARPU), according to Wadhwa, in Delhi is at Rs 600 while in Kolkata it is Rs 500. While the average bandwidth consumption is 30 GB in Delhi, the figure is half that in the eastern city.

    “Broadband users will be able to watch dittoTV’s 100 channels on their laptops, tablets, and smart TVs in the comfort of their homes using our broadband,” says Wadhwa.

    That probably should lead to a lift in bandwidth consumption, say observers, and an increase in broadband ARPU for Siticable once customers start using the dittoTV app and streaming the linear 100-odd channels that it is providing.

    This apart, SitiCable’s cable TV subscribers, who are using other broadband services – dongles or Chromecast or what have you – will also be able to sign up and stream dittoTV on different devices.

    Anand says the two of them will observe how the partnership is panning out in its Delhi pilot before rolling it out into other towns. Overall she has already said ZDCL was looking at 6 million subscribers in FY-2017. Of these, she says about a million should come courtesy its SitiCable partnership.

    In all probability, dittoTV is going to serve as Siticable’s offering of an anywhere TV app – a la Tata Sky – as the operator says it is not interested in launching one of its own in the foreseeable future.

    As a recap, dittoTV was relaunched last month with an offer of 100 + Hindi, English and regional language channels (excepting Sun TV and Star India) encompassing general entertainment, sports, movies, news and lifestyle following its relaunch last month. It has come in as a low price warrior with its price tag being Rs 20 for a month, Rs 50 for three months, Rs 90 for six months and Rs 170 for a year.

    “We are definitely serious about OTT, hence we have priced it so low and are targeting large subscriber volumes,” says Anand. “We are investing in it for the future.”