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Tag: Rajeev Agrawal

  • Prime Focus Tech gets funding from PE firm Ambit Pragma

    Prime Focus Tech gets funding from PE firm Ambit Pragma

    MUMBAI: Prime Focus Technologies (PFT) – the technology offshoot of media services company Prime Focus – informed the Bombay stock exchange today that it had received its first round of funding from growth capital private equity fund Ambit Pragma.

    The amount or how much was being divested in favour of Ambit Pragma was not disclosed by PFT .

    It, however, elaborated that it proposes to use the investment for intensifying its development efforts of the software as a service (SaaS) products including its CLEAR Media ERPand gaining deeper penetration and growth in strategic markets such as North America and EMEA with increased sales and marketing efforts.

    PFT’s flagship product CLEAR Media ERP is targeted at M&E companies who increasingly adopt technology to tap the digital consumer landscape while enhancing efficiencies and lowering Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).

    CLEAR is the world’s first and most proven cloud based Media ERP Suite that virtualizes the content supply chain and builds a connected enterprise for M&E companies.

    PFT works with more than 300 clients in India and is the chosen technology partner for more than 100 clients globally including various leading broadcasters, studios, brands, sports and digital organizations.

    PFT’s award winning CLEAR Media ERP suite and Cloud Media Services have been successfully deployed for the last eight years in global M&E companies such as 21st Century Fox-owned Star India, Novi Digital, Hotstar, Miramax, Disney, Warner Bros, Global Eagle Entertainment, Cricket Australia, CBS Television Studios, 20th Century Fox Television Studios, FX Networks, Crown Media Holdings, Legendary Pictures, Starz Media, Lionsgate, A+E Networks, HBO, Mnet, CNBC Africa, SABC, IFC Films, HOOQ, Sony Music, Voot, Hearst Television, Showtime, BCCI, Indian Premier League and The Associated Press,among others.

    “Media ERP adoption in the global M&E industry has been growing steadily. With flat revenues and shrinking margins in traditional media, content enterprises especially broadcasters and studios have a tough time finding resources to invest in new monetization opportunities. M&E companies have to completely rethink technology investments and rejig their business model to survive in the new digital reality,” says PFT founder & CEO Ramki Sankaranarayanan.

    The investment by Ambit Pragma istremendous market validation of the business opportunity we serve and offers us growth capital to execute on our strategy for global leadership in the Media ERP space. We are delighted to have a like-minded partner in Ambit Pragma who appreciates the realities and opportunities within the M&E industry.”

    Adds Ambit Pragma CEO Rajeev Agrawal: “PFT is a global pioneer addressing the challenge s content enterprises are facing in this hyper digital market through their cutting-edge technology. The architectural road map of the product, its multiple use cases and their management’s thought leadership, represent a compelling opportunity for us to make the investment.”

  • Prime Focus Tech gets funding from PE firm Ambit Pragma

    Prime Focus Tech gets funding from PE firm Ambit Pragma

    MUMBAI: Prime Focus Technologies (PFT) – the technology offshoot of media services company Prime Focus – informed the Bombay stock exchange today that it had received its first round of funding from growth capital private equity fund Ambit Pragma.

    The amount or how much was being divested in favour of Ambit Pragma was not disclosed by PFT .

    It, however, elaborated that it proposes to use the investment for intensifying its development efforts of the software as a service (SaaS) products including its CLEAR Media ERPand gaining deeper penetration and growth in strategic markets such as North America and EMEA with increased sales and marketing efforts.

    PFT’s flagship product CLEAR Media ERP is targeted at M&E companies who increasingly adopt technology to tap the digital consumer landscape while enhancing efficiencies and lowering Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).

    CLEAR is the world’s first and most proven cloud based Media ERP Suite that virtualizes the content supply chain and builds a connected enterprise for M&E companies.

    PFT works with more than 300 clients in India and is the chosen technology partner for more than 100 clients globally including various leading broadcasters, studios, brands, sports and digital organizations.

    PFT’s award winning CLEAR Media ERP suite and Cloud Media Services have been successfully deployed for the last eight years in global M&E companies such as 21st Century Fox-owned Star India, Novi Digital, Hotstar, Miramax, Disney, Warner Bros, Global Eagle Entertainment, Cricket Australia, CBS Television Studios, 20th Century Fox Television Studios, FX Networks, Crown Media Holdings, Legendary Pictures, Starz Media, Lionsgate, A+E Networks, HBO, Mnet, CNBC Africa, SABC, IFC Films, HOOQ, Sony Music, Voot, Hearst Television, Showtime, BCCI, Indian Premier League and The Associated Press,among others.

    “Media ERP adoption in the global M&E industry has been growing steadily. With flat revenues and shrinking margins in traditional media, content enterprises especially broadcasters and studios have a tough time finding resources to invest in new monetization opportunities. M&E companies have to completely rethink technology investments and rejig their business model to survive in the new digital reality,” says PFT founder & CEO Ramki Sankaranarayanan.

    The investment by Ambit Pragma istremendous market validation of the business opportunity we serve and offers us growth capital to execute on our strategy for global leadership in the Media ERP space. We are delighted to have a like-minded partner in Ambit Pragma who appreciates the realities and opportunities within the M&E industry.”

    Adds Ambit Pragma CEO Rajeev Agrawal: “PFT is a global pioneer addressing the challenge s content enterprises are facing in this hyper digital market through their cutting-edge technology. The architectural road map of the product, its multiple use cases and their management’s thought leadership, represent a compelling opportunity for us to make the investment.”

  • Trai Open House on media ownership called off as LCOs, MSOs raise demands on DAS

    Trai Open House on media ownership called off as LCOs, MSOs raise demands on DAS

    NEW DELHI: An open house called by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) in Hyderabad on media ownership had to be called off mid-way when cable operators and multi-system operators insisted that they should be heard on their problems relating to digitisation.

    Around 200 LCOs and MSOs wanted an end to the vertical monopoly of large media houses and sought protection from the Government.

    They also raised issues relating to revenue share not being fair, and said it was the LCOs who had built the industry from scratch and made it possible for the broadcasters to reach the consumers.

    They also wanted the bouquets drawn up by large broadcasting houses to be broken and rates to be fixed channel-wise.

    Some LCOs said the customer had become like a ‘robot‘ that could be manipulated by the broadcasters.

    Some of the speakers also said the LCOs had built the industry without foreign direct investment (FDI), and therefore any discussion on FDI was meaningless unless their questions were answered.

    The Trai delegation included principal advisors N Parameshwaran and Anuradha Mitra, deputy advisor G S Kesarwani, and secretary Rajeev Agrawal.

    Trai officials had come armed with just over thirty questions relating to media ownership issues on which it has already issued a consultation paper. Less than twenty were discussed.