ITV

Tag: OTT

  • Synamedia makes CES debut, offering pay-TV providers frictionless cloud migration strategies, new revenue opportunities

    Synamedia makes CES debut, offering pay-TV providers frictionless cloud migration strategies, new revenue opportunities

    LONDON : Synamedia, the largest independent video software provider, will bring its newest solutions to CES® 2019, illustrating how pay-TV providers can migrate to the cloud at their own pace, and seamlessly.  The company also unveiled new security software that combats the rapid rise in account sharing between friends and families, turning it instead into a new revenue-generating opportunity for operators.

    Synamedia is bringing to market effective solutions built to support customers wherever they are on their journey to deliver a blended broadcast and OTT multi-screen experience. Now an independent business, the company is committed to providing the world’s most complete, secure and advanced end-to-end open video delivery solutions.  Synamedia was formerly Cisco’s (NASDAQ: CSCO) Service Provider Video Software Solutions business. Its enviable portfolio of over 200 pay-TV and media customers includes Astro, Bharti Airtel, China DTH, Foxtel, Oi and Tata Sky.

    At the core of the Synamedia offerings is Foundation (formerly known as Evo), the pay-TV industry’s most widely deployed platform across cable, satellite and IPTV. Additionally, Infinite allows blended broadcast-OTT services to be delivered from a cloud-based infrastructure. With a clearly defined migration roadmap, pay-TV customers using the Foundation hybrid broadcast platform can now deploy Infinite to embark on a smooth and measured transition to the cloud.

    At CES 2019, Synamedia will showcase its leading technologies and latest offerings, including:

    •        Credentials Sharing Insight is a new offering within the video security portfolio. It uses AI, machine learning and behavioral analytics to identify, monitor and analyze credentials sharing activity across consumer accounts. It allows operators to turn casual sharing into incremental revenue, as well as detect and apply enforcement procedures on fraudulent, for-profit credentials sharing accounts.

    •        Video Processing features Synamedia’s patented low-latency ABR and Smart Rate Control that optimize IP video processing to match traditional broadcast quality, reliability and cost – currently major challenges for IP video streaming. Synamedia’s ABR solution uses patented technology to optimize the perceived quality of live streams. It includes machine learning techniques to further adapt the encoding quality target to match content characteristics.   

    •        Foundation which manages and monetizes in-home experiences on a broad range of broadcast and hybrid-IP set top boxes (STBs) and media gateways including Android TV. Deployed by 40+ pay-TV operators, it offers a smooth migration path to Infinite and the cloud.  A prime example of the power of Foundation is a first-of-a-kind integration of the Netflix application on the OSN Network. This integration enables:

    o   Consumers to gain convenient access to OTT content via a single application;
    o   The OTT provider obtains access to the pay-TV service provider market and the existing billing/payment relationship between the customer and pay-TV provider;
    o   The pay-TV operator continues to bring value to consumers via a familiar application, and can generate additional revenues when new subscribers sign up for OTT via their platform.

    •    Infinite is a fully integrated cloud service platform for pay-TV operators to process, secure, distribute and monetize premium video experiences on all devices including those available via Foundation.  Infinite enables operators to take advantage of the cloud economy and re-capture subscriber share of wallet by offering products, such as Cloud DVR, that leverage new business models and OTT partnerships. It is designed to help operators attract new customers, reconnect cord cutters, and increase the life-time value of a subscriber base.  At CES, Synamedia will showcase a joint demo with Amazon Web Services (NASDAQ: AMZN), using Alexa technology integrated into Infinite in order to provide consumers with voice activated recommendations and content information.

    “More and more of the consumer’s share of the video wallet expands beyond traditional pay-TV, pointing operators to the enormous OTT opportunity. To protect and grow new revenue streams and boost their brand value, operators need to broaden and deepen existing subscriber engagement, and entice new audiences. To do so, the sometimes difficult first steps for many are to add integrated OTT services and avail offerings across all consumer devices, which can seem overwhelming. Our roadmap takes a step-by-step approach that makes it easy to extend operators’ existing offerings and avoid any disruption to subscribers,” said Yves Padrines, CEO of Synamedia.

    Synamedia will be in Chambertin 1 on the ground floor of the Wynn hotel.

    Synamedia’s voice recommendation technology will also be shown in the Amazon booth, Venetian Ballrooms C-D.  

  • Trends that will shape the trajectory of content space and its marketing

    Trends that will shape the trajectory of content space and its marketing

    MUMBAI: Content and brands have coherently managed to revolutionise how the audience consumes daily content across all platforms. Engaging trends have been discovered in recent years like the advent of digital content. But as new platforms gain massive popularity, they demand a subtle shift in the substance of their content, be it TV series, television ads, short stories or full-fledged films. The way this content is measured needs to be altered.

    Here are the trends we believe have, and will shape the future trajectory of the content space and its marketing and discovery activities.

    Changing dynamics between Bollywood and brands/falling associations

    The association between Bollywood actors and brands has led to some legendary advertisements in the past. With our favourite romance actors using fragrant perfumes or our action heroes getting their adrenaline rush from flavourful sodas, our minds were enticed with aspirational imagery. In the recent years the heros and heroines are no longer the quintessential epitomes of beauty and machismo and are now more real and approachable. Similarly, the content in films has undergone a major transformation from fantasy to reality as well; with real films like Raazi, Thugs of Hindostan, Padman, Parmanu, Raid and more, which are no longer utopian but pragmatic and vulnerable. On account of this, the synergies and content in branding and films are being redefined. On the other hand  in lieu of the changing psychographics and mindsets, brands are also redefining the space and tonality. It will be sometime till this space goes back to multiple associations, till then we will see a decline from what was the case 5 years back.

    Discovering digital content

    The hurdled journey from creating content to posting it has become nullified with digital media. Short films can now become huge blockbusters at the click of a button. But those very films can also get lost amongst the crowd of a million videos that are uploaded online each day. The challenges of marketing and discovery remain. Marketing and distribution are the key pillars to content discovery and both are now being redefined as content of your preference is suggested on your screens by various influencers.

    Authority figures like ‘Critics Choice Short Film Awards’ (which celebrates best short form content in an unbiased way) help promote worthy films that may otherwise go unnoticed. They can assist in introducing new genres and gaining recognition in the digital space.

    In future the recommendation search engine will be redefined by using consumer psychographics to predict future choices based on those made in the present, without the restriction of a single platform.

    Going beyond the unrealistic assumption of a single genre preference towards mapping consumer’s complex choices they could track content preferences across multiple genres (Multi digital platforms (audio/video/text), print, television).Thereafter, creating sub-genres for curated consumption by looking at movies, Ted talks, books, magazines and more.

    Social media and its expanding reach towards content consumption

    Social media giants like Facebook continue to reign as network favourites across the globe. And now this expansive reach is moving towards High badge value shows i.e. those that attract more shares, by having content that is socially progressive. Touching an emotional nerve and focusing on affiliate communities, it is attracting a large viewer base. But as this shift occurs, the rules of the consumption game must change. Platforms must adapt to the varying attention span of consumers, as the first three seconds define the popularity of the videos. Visually impactful imagery is a mandate for all content as shooting goes beyond handheld devices towards High Definition. Every social media channel now holds an untapped viewership potential which must be shown to promote valuable content.

    Music transcends digital boundaries and makes it way to traditional means

    Television is no more concerned solely with traditional shows but is an equally attractive medium for digital first properties as they become rating drivers for channels. New initiatives are being undertaken to release content across different mediums by tapping into relatable pop culture. The success of ‘Jammin’ a music property (simulcast on TV, digital and radio) where YouTube stars meet top Bollywood composers, which opened to great numbers on Sony TV in addition to it’s success on and VIU and BigFMreinforces that appealing content can transcend boundaries.

    The growth of vernacular content

    The next 100 million Indian viewers that are going to be binging on digital content will be users alien to the English language and their consumption of content would be in regional languages, ushering an unprecendented demand for vernacular content as has been demonstrated by the OTTs. A scalable and sustainable example here is The Yaari franchise on Viu is broadcasted in multiple languages like Telugu, Kannada and Marathi and it continues to be an engaging show across multiple states and the diaspora abroad.

    Time to change the measure of digital content

    The OTTs and digital platforms are  split between free and doing originals (e.g. YT originals, Sony Liv), to freemiums (Hotstar, Viu, Zee5), to 100 per cent subscription platforms (Netflix,Amazon prime etc). Hence it’s essential to compare them on parity and not just on a single metric.

    Originals are defining the content approach in the Indian context and if the aim is to increase downloads and viewer engagement then the metric needs to change from downloads or MAU (monthly active users) to DAU (daily active users). The quality of the content and platform desirability cannot  be measured on the basis of a new monthly release, but it must be evaluated through the DAU/MAU metric to factor in returning users. This should be the true measure for content engagement as it will streamline comparisons between subscription OTTs vs free OTT vs freemiums.

    Rise of gaming as a marketing platform

    Costs of launching a car with AR/VR experience may be too high and unreasonable, but for gamers who already spend profusely on gaming zones and digital games, a small premium will not deter them from availing an enhanced gaming experience. Already a high engagement platform, gaming is eating into time spent by Indians on prime-time television as maximum gamers were found to play the most between 7 pm to midnight. The average daily time spent by Indians on mobile games has crossed the one-hour mark, which is more than the 45 minutes that they spend on streaming platforms.

    In 2018, over 380 million people are now watching other people playing games online making it a gaming revolution in the digital content space.

    Brand embracing and creating sustainable platforms

    As the race for eyeballs & viewer stickiness hots up, so does the pressue on creating new and appealing content leading to heavy investements for the platforms and networks. The old space of branded content has taken a new shape now with platforms and networks looking at this as content first. Annual brand funded or sponsorships have matured into prospective longer term partnerships like LUX Golden Rose Awards, Mc Dowell’s No.1 Yaari and  Yaari  JAM , Red Label 6-Pack Band 2.0.

    A strategic transformation has led to content becoming larger and (though marginally), joint initiatives becoming longer and content becoming synonymous with the brand. Brands are embracing platforms to leverage content strategically (long term and scalable year on year) and as broadcasters reward and demand for content, the number of these partnerships is sure to grow as it transforms into a sustainable model.

    (The author is head, content+, Mindshare. The views expressed here are his own and Indiantelevision.com may not subscribe to them)

  • Shemaroo Entertainment Reveals the Identity of their Upcoming OTT App ‘ShemarooMe’

    Shemaroo Entertainment Reveals the Identity of their Upcoming OTT App ‘ShemarooMe’

    Mumbai: Shemaroo Entertainment Limited, one of India’s leading content power house, announced the name of its upcoming OTT brandShemarooMe. The company revealed the new logo of its upcoming OTT Video Service to give a sneak peek to the audiences on what is coming their way!
    Shemaroo with its expertise in content curation brings premium, engaging content to its consumers through user friendly, exclusive, multi-genre platforms that suits the needs of every Indian. With access to plethora of offerings such as Bollywood, regional& devotional content from Shemaroo, ShemarooMe wishes to give consumers an unbeatable taste of curated Indian content.
    While defining the philosophy of ShemarooMe, thefocus was to bring out the core essence of the Shemaroo brand which is -Being unabashedly Indian. ShemarooMerepresents one’s individuality, and expresses the power of Me, that won’t fade with the outburst of options available in the market. ShemarooMe caters to consumerswho unapologetically prefer entertaining masala, mass content over niche choices. 

    With the launch of its OTT platform, Shemaroo will be expanding the digital business through strategic partnerships to offer exciting content across multiple platforms catering to the target audience. 

    Commenting on ShemarooMe’sname announcement, Mr. Hiren Gada, CEO, Shemaroo Entertainment Limited said,“The name ShemarooMe is essentially about expressing one’s individuality. Indian consumers today are assertive about their choices and a similar trend can be noticed in the entertainment space as well.ShemarooMecaters to these audiences who are proud to voicetheir preferences. Withthis insight, we intend to touch the hearts of our audiences spanning acrossmetros and Tier 2 & 3 cities.”

    Shemaroo revamped the brand for the current generation and revealed a unique and refreshing new brand identity earlier this year. The OTT announcement is a step towards further establishing Shemaroo’s connect with the new and existing audiences.

    Taking the journey ahead with its deep-rooted insights and consumer understanding,Shemaroois now building another milestone with ShemarooMe. The official launch of ShemarooMe is slated to take place in the first quarter of 2019.
     

  • CleverTap and SonyLIV partner to improve user experience with video push notifications

    CleverTap and SonyLIV partner to improve user experience with video push notifications

    MUMBAI: CleverTap, a leading mobile marketing platform, today announced that SonyLIV, one of India’s leading premium OTT platform is leveraging its technology to bring the power of rich media to its push notifications, making them a first mover in the OTT space. SonyLIV’s latest update will allow users to view video previews in push notifications, even on a locked screen. With deep linking that directs them to the appropriate content, SonyLIV aims to provide users with a seamless video viewing experience. The results have been exciting so far, with 3x higher click-through rates (CTR), increased session durations and higher than average view times.

    By leveraging CleverTap’s industry-first Psychographic Segmentation feature, SonyLIV is able to process millions of data points across its entire user base to determine predominant interests of the audience. SonyLIV establishes an effective match between the videos on the platform and each user’s preferences by determining the users’ propensity or affinity towards a specific category over others. Thus, each user receives contextual and relevant videos.

    With CleverTap, SonyLIV gains user-level insights based on past and real-time in-app behaviour. Using hyper-personalized, timely user engagement campaigns, SonyLIV is able to update users on the latest content added, inform them of live events, encourage paid subscriptions, and win back dormant users.

    Uday Sodhi, Head – Digital Business, Sony Pictures Network India, stated, “SonyLIV is a pioneer in the OTT space and was the first VOD platform to be launched in India. At SonyLIV, we have been pushing the boundaries in the OTT space. Being able to promote the most relevant content at the right time to the right user, through video, is something we are excited about. With the rise in the use of iPhones and the ability to use rich media, we can make push notifications more intuitive, and each campaign more compelling to the end user. This will help us effectively engage our users, and deliver the best possible customer experience.”

    Sunil Thomas, CEO of CleverTap, said, “As OTT changes media consumption patterns from prime time to anytime, context and relevance is critical. We’re excited to work with SonyLIV on their innovation roadmap to help them make content more accessible and relevant. With Psychographic Segmentation, some customers have seen conversions up to 5x higher versus sending non-contextual messages. With smart use of data-science and machine learning, we feel confident that SonyLIV can effectively create highly personalized, incredible experiences for customers.”

  • Synamedia launches Credentials Sharing Insight – turns casual password sharing into incremental revenues for service providers

    Synamedia launches Credentials Sharing Insight – turns casual password sharing into incremental revenues for service providers

    MUMBAI: In advance of CES 2019,Synamedia, the largest independent video software provider, today announced Synamedia Credentials Sharing Insight to help streaming service providers combat the rapid rise in account sharing between friends and families and turn it into a new revenue-generating opportunity.

    The solution can also be used to detect and shut down large-scale, for-profit credentials sharing accounts run by fraudsters.

    Until now most OTT providers have turned a blind eye to casual password sharing, seeing it as a way to market their service to new audiences. But the industry now recognizes that younger generations are used to accessing streaming services for free and rarely become paying customers. Media research firm Magid found that today 26% of millennials share passwords for video streaming services, while Parks Associates predicts that in 2021, $9.9 billion of pay-tv revenues and $1.2 billion of OTT revenues will be lost to credentials sharing.

    Using AI, behavioral analytics and machine learning, Synamedia Credentials Sharing Insight identifies, monitors and analyzes credentials sharing activity across streaming accounts. Real-time dashboards highlight unusual sharing activity including alerts and trend analysis.

    By integrating the credentials sharing policy engine with its subscriber database, the operator can apply specific policies – such as an action to upsell – to any account whose sharing score exceeds a predefined threshold. Armed with these insights, marketing teams can tread the fine line between finding account sharers and harassing a customer.

    For example, the solution can determine whether users are viewing at their main home and a holiday home, or whether they have shared credentials with friends or grown-up children who live away from home.  If the latter, then subscribers are offered a premium shared account service that includes a pre-authorized level of password sharing and a higher number of concurrent users.

    The learning system’s analytics take advantage of the collective, anonymized intelligence gained from multiple Synamedia customers, reducing the learning curve for new customers. The design incorporates expertise from Synamedia’s team of security experts, who understand how and where to look for suspicious activity and how to integrate this knowledge and understanding into the behavioral models.

    “Casual credentials sharing is becoming too expensive to ignore. Our new solution gives operators the ability to take action. Many casual users will be happy to pay an additional fee for a premium, shared service with a greater number of concurrent users. It’s a great way to keep honest people honest while benefiting from an incremental revenue stream,” said Jean Marc Racine, CPO and GM EMEA of Synamedia.

    Available as a cloud or on-premise offering, Synamedia Credentials Sharing Insight is already in trials with a number of pay-TV operators. Customers can manage the monetization using Infinite, Synamedia’s blended, cloud-based multi-screen platform, or by deploying Credential Sharing Insights as a stand alone product integrated with their existing Pay-TV Platform.

    Building on Synamedia’s 20-year track record in video security products and services, the solution forms part of Synamedia’s market-leading VideoGuard portfolio. Synamedia VideoGuard secures leading pay-TV operators’ broadcast and streaming content, services and revenues worldwide. It currently protects over 330 million active client devices and over $100 billion in customer revenues.

    Please join Synamedia at CES 2019 to learn more and see demos of Credentials Sharing Insight and other solutions. Synamedia will be at Chambertin1 on the ground floor of the Wynn hotel. Appointments can be booked here.

  • Eros Now Expands its Presence in Indonesia Through Partnership with XL Home of XL Axiata

    Eros Now Expands its Presence in Indonesia Through Partnership with XL Home of XL Axiata

    MUMBAI: Eros International PLC (NYSE:EROS) (“Eros”), a leading global company in the Indian film entertainment industry, announced today that Eros Now, its cutting-edge digital over-the-top (OTT) South Asian entertainment platform, has partnered with major cellular provider XL Axiata’s  home entertainment and fibre optic internet offering – XL Home in Indonesia.

    XL Axiata is a part of the Axiata Group, which offers an array of innovative telecommunications products and services ranging from voice, SMS and Value-Added Services (VAS) to mobile data covering more than 93% of the population throughout Indonesia and having a robust subscriber base of 53.9 million. With the rise of more choices in viewing content habits, XL Axiata has recently launched XL Home, a home broadband entertainment service, backed with speedy and stable fibre optic internet connection that allows customers to choose their favourite entertainment and pay for the content or television channels they prefer.

    This association further leverages the platform’s global position and cements Eros Now’s presence in key emerging markets like Indonesia. Indonesia is one of many countries in Asia with a thriving community of Bollywood film fans. The partnership between Eros Now and XL Home will allow consumers easy access to home entertainment with fibre optic internet, offering Eros Now’s massive library of over 11,000 films, original shows and music videos. From classics like Ram Aur Shyam to blockbusters like Devdas, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, and Bajirao Mastani, consumers will have access to a wide array of quality entertainment at a monthly subscription of IDR 26,000 ($1.79 USD) and an annual subscription of IDR 260,000 ($17.93 USD). 

    Commenting on the association, Rishika Lulla Singh, CEO, Eros Digital said, “We want to continue creating strong differentiated content strategies and cater to the growing influence of Indian content worldwide. The collaboration with XL Home enables Eros Now to expand its reach to a larger consumer base in Indonesia who can enjoy their favorite Indian entertainment content on XL Home.”

    XL Axiata's Director or Corporate Strategy and Business Development, Abhijit Navalekar, said, "XL Home is enthusiastic in forming a partnership with Eros Now, in order to, mutually, providing high quality content for XL Home customers. Through this partnership, we also want to show our dedication and commitment in providing comprehensive and relevant content. Supported by high speed and stable fibre optic internet connection, we are optimistic in providing fantastic XL Home experience to our customers."

    As previously announced in September of this year, Eros Now entered the Indonesian market through a distribution partnership with Xiaomi’s Mi TV. The integration with XL Axiata further affirms Eros Now’s penetration strategy in the Indonesian market.

  • Netflix’s Swati Shetty steps down

    Netflix’s Swati Shetty steps down

    MUMBAI: Netflix international originals and acquisitions director for India Swati Shetty has put down her papers after a successful stint of more than two years with the company. Netflix confirmed the development to Indiantelevision.com via email.

    Shetty, the lady responsible for Indian content licensing, was based in the US. According to a source, given the increasing importance of India in Netflix’s international business, the company now wants the India content and film acquisition role to be based out of Mumbai. Shetty, however, did not want to relocate. This is her last week in the company, the source further added.

    Netflix had opened its India office in Mumbai last year and is now beefing up its team across various verticals like content licensing, production talent and marketing among others.

    Over the next few years, the streaming giant intends to benefit from India’s growing video-streaming appetite, targeting the acquisition of 100 million subscribers.

    Apart from sprucing up its offering with more locally produced original content, the company is also set to experiment with pricing models.

    Last year, the Reed Hastings-led company hired Simran Sethi to serve as creative executive for India and be part of its International Originals Production Group.

    Earlier this year, Shrishti Behl Arya was appointed by Netflix as director for international orginals, India.

    Shetty, who was among the first executives for India, helped Netflix to increase its Indian content library and acquire original films with hits like Love Per Square Feet, Lust Stories and Rajma Chawal. 

    Her experience spans two decades. She also worked with Star India, Walt Disney and Balaji Telefilms.

  • TRAI extends deadline for comments on OTT consultation paper

    TRAI extends deadline for comments on OTT consultation paper

    MUMBAI: India’s telecom and broadcast regulator TRAI released a new consultation paper last month on OTT services seeking to expand the definition of the sector and also the regulator’s jurisdiction over a sector till now “unregulated”. The deadline for receiving comments on the consultation paper has been extended up to 7 January 2019 and counter comments by 21 January.

    Earlier dates for the comments and counter comments on the issues raised by the paper were 10 December and 24 December respectively. As TRAI said in a release, the deadline has been extended on request from the stakeholders.

    “Would inter-operability among OTT services and also inter-operatability of their services with TSPs services promote competition and benefit the users? What measures may be taken, if any, to promote such competition? Please justify your answer with reasons.” Questions like these in the paper hint that the government and the regulator are looking at regulations for the OTT services that would include both audio and video services.

    Earlier, the authority issued a consultation paper on  Regulatory Framework for Over-the-top (OTT) services on the 27 March 2015, which also included questions on the principles of net neutrality, the reasonableness of traffic management practices, non-price based discrimination of services and transparency requirements. Due to a large number of issues and their complexity, it became difficult to deliberate upon and conclude all of them together. Therefore, the authority decided to deal with related issues in separate parts, keeping a focus on a core set of issues each time.

  • The challenge of DD FreeDish and new tariff order for DPOs

    The challenge of DD FreeDish and new tariff order for DPOs

    GOA: With the emergence of a large number of OTT platforms and cord-cutting phenomenon globally, the future of pay-TV has often been questioned. The talk of the town seems to be about the how pay-TV industry will continue to thrive in such an environment. Moreover, the new tariff order (NTO) in India is also set to overhaul the entire value chain, leading to some uncertainty.

    Against this backdrop, Video and Broadband Summit 2018 held an intense discussion on the “future of pay TV in India”. Travelxp CEO Prashant Chothani and Doordarshan additional director general Sunil participated in the session which was moderated by Indiantelevision.com founder and CEO Anil Wanvari. The session had viewpoints from two entirely different players as Chothani provides a niche premium offering to viewers, while Sunil is responsible for public service which caters to the masses.

    Travelxp works on a B2B2C model despite having 100 per cent original content. Chothani, who is very passionate about linear TV, does not share his content with any OTT platform other than Netflix in North America. He thinks it is extremely crucial to protect linear business as much as possible.

    Chothani, talking about the NTO, said that DPOs are in existential crisis. He thinks DD FreeDish is the biggest challenge for distribution platform operators (DPOs) as the former offers over 100 free to air channels to consumers for free and the latter has to charge Rs 130 for the same as per the NTO.

    “FreeDish is your biggest competitor. Where do you think these 30 or 40 million homes have come from? They go to a large part of north India, UP, Bihar and lot many other markets, where the customer is not willing to pay even Rs 99. There comes the cord cutting in favour of DD FreeDish because this population is satisfied whatever channels come to them for free,” he commented.

    While there are already technological disruptors like Hotstar, Netflix, Amazon threatening linear TV’s growth, consumers, who don’t wish to pay for the channels, can turn to DD FreeDish, said Sunil endorsing Chothani’s view.  

    From the audience, Doordarshan director general Supriya Sahu added that DD FreeDish is not only used by a marginal section of the society but the service is quickly evolving as an alternative option which clearly indicates that it could be a potential threat for DPOs.

    When asked if DD FreeDish would partner with broadcasters, Sunil said he was open to the idea of collaboration. Rather than making money, the pubcaster’s aim is to let the system grow, he said.

    “We have to work on a business model on that front and it is very difficult to answer this question at this point of time because the call has to be taken by the government. But yes cable operators and broadcasters are a part of this system. They are always welcome to partner with us,” he added later.

    He also thinks NTO will be a big game changer as the difference in price between small LCOs and bigger ones has been taken away by TRAI regulations. He also believes that the future of pay-TV is threatened by TRAI regulations. Customers will watch what they want, where they want and when they want and will only pay for that purchase, he added.

    Chothani also added that India is a very price sensitive market. Even in Serbia where currency value is weaker than India’s, Coke is priced the same as in Germany but in India, it is offered at a much cheaper rate. This nature does not fade away when it comes to entertainment.

    “We content creators got greedy. We thought why would you pay 50-60 per cent money with DPOs and do B2B2C business why not B2C. If you see RIOs of some broadcasters, you will see their B2C offering subscription on their apps is cheaper than they are giving to LCOs or DPOs. Why? Because OTT apps are not regulated,” said Chothani.

    “So, this regulation is also going to take away a lot of customers from traditional DPOs unless they play smart. Broadcasters have been playing this game for too long and will keep on playing for times to come. But DPOs need to rethink now. This is a golden opportunity for them. So, they need to get behind and think how they can make consumers pay for content while DD FreeDish is offering so many channels for free,” he added.

    The experts believe that though the future of pay-TV has a few challenges, the NTO offers opportunities to restructure the industry and make the business profitable for all.

  • Tejkaran Singh Bajaj joins Jio

    Tejkaran Singh Bajaj joins Jio

    MUMBAI: Tejkaran Singh Bajaj has jumped to Mukesh Ambani-led Jio after quitting ZEE5 last month. The former ZEE5 original content head will now drive scripted original content across languages at his new position.

    Bajaj will serve the responsibility as Reliance Industries Ltd in-house studio head-scripted. He will look after web series as well as digital films.

    The media professional led ZEE5’s original content team across six languages. Karenjit Kaur, Lockdown, Life Sahi Hai 2, Kallachirippu , Kaali , B.Tech , Liftman and Utsaha Ithihasam (Malayalam) are some of the originals launched under his leadership among which the first one is the flagship show of ZEE5.

    Earlier he also worked with companies like Maxus, Miditech, NDTV and Aquarius Production.