ITV

Tag: Sanjay Mansukhani

  • Cable TV Show, Kolkata stresses on services, CRM

    Cable TV Show, Kolkata stresses on services, CRM

    KOLKATA: Over 6500 cable operators from places like Meghalaya, Assam, Jharkhand, Ranchi, Orrisa, Madhya Pradesh and even neighbouring Bangladesh converged at the recently concluded Cable TV Show Kolkata.

    Choc a bloc with cable operators and related industry professionals, the ninth Cable TV Show, was marked by well attended seminars and good participation as well as healthy business activitiy by exhibitors who attended the show.

    The organising body, the CTMA (Cable TV Equipment Traders & Manufacturers Association) which boasts prominent members like Kamal Gandhi (Chief Patron),Pawan Jajodia (Chariman -Exhibtion commitee), K K Binani (Chairman – Seminar Committee), Sanjay Mansukhani (secretary -CTMA)Binod Sancheti (President -CTMA) has a strong influence amongst the cable trade in the region.

    The host state, West Bengal, had cable operators coming in from most of its districts, while a delegation from the PEMRA (Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority) which had confirmed its participation, could not make it due to some last minute problems.

    Among the 83 stalls wasa a surprise exhibitor – health channel Care TV, which does not have a regional channel in eastern India, but claimed to have got a warm response from cable ops who attended the show. While the likes of Scientific Atlanta also did good business, one entity conspicious by its absence was RPGNet, the strongest player in the cable market in West Bengal.

    Among the seminars at the show was one where Indiantelevision.com CEO Anil Wanvari enthused the cable community to innovate and be resourceful. Quoting figures and instances from developed markets like the US, he asked them to create local programming out of school and college events, and exhorted the cable community here to create programming and become self reliant to a certain extent.

    A prominent chartered accountant M Mishra, then enlightened the audience on how CRM (Customer Relationship Management) can take the cable trade to the next level. He emphasized that getting 100 odd channels, and a clear picture quality were now services expected from a cable operator, which the consumer takes for granted. The operator has to then add more value to the services, and be more efficient in handling complaints. Also of note was a talk by prominent cable operator from Delhi, Roop Sharma, where she asked the cable operators to strive for an united front. Sudeep malhotra of Sattelite and Cable Trade spoke on the impact of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s policies on cable operators.

    The CTMA also held a cocktails cum dinner party where it regaled the cable operators with a fashion show by designer Naaz.

    All in all, the show had a positive feel around it and proved itself well worth participating in.

  • Cable industry seeks government intervention

    Cable industry seeks government intervention

    It’s a cable industry versus broadcasters battle that promises to be long drawn if the government does not intervene soon.

    The Cable TV Equipment Traders and Manufacturers’ Association (CTMA) which met in Kolkata this week, has urged the setting up of a regulatory body on the lines of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. This umbrella authority should lay down guidelines for the cable TV industry in the country, determine fixed cable and pay channel tariffs and delve into issues that are of growing importance to the cable TV industry, the CTMA says.

    The National Cable and Telecommunication Association (NCTA), a consortium of cable ops in the Delhi region, holds similar opinions. The NCTA, which has filed a petition against a private broadcaster in the Delhi high court this week, has called upon the government to probe the legality of foreign pay TV channels in accordance with the prevailing laws of the land.

    An NCTA release says: “The Government must form uniform guidelines for governance, entry, and operations of all foreign pay channels,” and goes on to claim that “while pay TV subscriptions have increased by over 1,000 per cent in the last five years, the government is yet to ensure a fair pricing mechanism and impose a freeze on current subscription rates till conditional access system is introduced.” NCTA president Vikki Choudhry accuses private broadcasters of stalling the implementation of conditional access system for pay TV channels as recommended by a I&B ministry task force.

    CTMA secretary Sanjay Mansukhani also told a news conference on Tuesday that cable ops were hesitant to invest in upgradation programmes in the absence of specified laws and regulations governing the industry. The cable manufacturers have pinned their hopes on the Convergence Bill that may address some on their concerns. The CTMA claims to service nearly 36 million households across the country. 

    The NCTA has issued an open letter also addressed to Chief Justice of India, leader of the opposition Sonia Gandhi, members of Parliament and ministries of Home Affairs, Finance, Communications, Information and Broadcasting and Law asking for the Government to step in to resolve the issue.