ITV

Tag: shelves

  • Siticable shelves deal plans with Spectranet

    MUMBAI: Siticable has dropped plans to enter into a deal with Punj family-controlled Spectranet as the talks prolonged for too long.
     
     

    No settlement could be arrived at on the cost of takeover for running Spectranet’s operations. Besides, Spectranet’s franchisee cable operators in Delhi migrated to other multi system operators (MSOs).

    “We have shelved our plans. The management at Spectranet took too long to decide and hand over the network. The price they wanted was also too high,” said a source in Siticable.

    Siticable was in advanced talks with Spectranet to take it on lease for at least a period of three years. The primary objective was to get access to the fibre laid out by Spectranet in Delhi. This Would have enabled Siticable’s digital headend to be linked with its master control rooms in Delhi on Spectranet’s optic fibre backbone.

    The other aim was to get access to the cable operators of Spectranet. “We were looking at a deal in totality. But the delay on finalising the terms spoilt whatever plans we had with Spectranet,” says the source.
     
     

    Siticable has already linked its digital headend with five of its control rooms in Delhi via fibre optic. Only two control rooms are not linked and are running on analogue. “We are examining options of using the fibre backbone of Bharti or VSNL or other players. This would allow us to offer a total digital system across the city,” says the source.

    Former Star India distribution head Arun Mohan had stitched a 10-year lease management deal with Spectranet through his company AM Trinity Platco. But with conditional access system not taking off, early this year Mohan decided to get out of the cable TV business and terminated the contract. Spectranet got into talks with Siticable but soon cable operators fled from the network to hitch on to the other MSOs like Incablenet and Hathway Cable & Datacom.

    Siticable has taken on lease two independent operators in Bangalore, Ice Network and Atria Network. The company acquired in May Indian Cable Net (earlier RPG Netcom), a Kolkatta-based MSO, and wants to aggressively spread more affiliates across the country.

  • Zee shelves movie production business

    MUMBAI: Zee Telefilms Limited (ZTL) has shelved its movie production plans. Last year, the company had scrapped its film distribution deal with Rajshri Pictures after the eight movies that were channelised through the pipeline did not turn out profitable.

    Nitin Keni, who has been looking after ZTL’s film operations in the capacity of Zee Telefilms Ltd Films Division CEO, has quit. Keni, who is currently pursuing independent projects including films and telefilms, is now associated with ZTL as a film consultant.
     

    The focus will be now on television. “I personally feel, even if the board wishes to pursue films, there is a lot that needs to be done on the television side. The sky is the limit (as far as films are concerned), but the core business (TV) is not in place. I don’t think it is worth adding whole lot of other things to the kitty. Right now, I am concentrating on the core business,” ZTL CEO Pradeep Guha has said in an exclusive interview with indiantelevision.com.
     
     

    Guha added that the company would go ahead with the Bhagmati project. “Bhagmati will be marketed. The sale is going on at the moment.”

    As reported by indiantelevision.com, Zee Telefilms is finally unveiling the 2D animation-cum-live action film by mid-June. Zee has plans to tap the international market by going for a global release.

    Speaking on the company’s experience with Gadar – Ek Prem Katha, Guha said the movie had failed to bring much money to the producer despite its box office success. ‘Yes, it was a great property, but didn’t bring too much money for us. Somewhere, we got the model wrong perhaps. But I am not ruling out cinema for ever.”