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Tag: Siticable

  • STAR CJ Alive inks a deal with Siticable to reach 1.2 mn subscribers in WB

    STAR CJ Alive inks a deal with Siticable to reach 1.2 mn subscribers in WB

    KOLKATA: With Kolkata emerging as one of the largest hubs of shopping from the comforts of the home, the home shopping channel STAR CJ Alive from the house of STAR CJ Network India, is looking at better penetration in West Bengal. The channel has tied up with the multi-system operator (MSO) – Siticable in order to reach more than 1.2 million subscribers in the state.

     

    STAR CJ Network India – a joint venture between STAR Asia and the South Korean home shopping major, CJO Shopping – is also planning to expand its operations in Kolkata by leasing a warehouse in the next one year.

     

    “Kolkata contributes around three-four per cent to the total turnover. We have tied up with Siticable for better penetration in the West Bengal market. STAR CJ Alive will be available on no. 121,” said Star CJ Network CEO Kenny Shin.

     

    When Suresh Sethia, Kolkata director of Siticable was contacted, he said, this tie-up will help the channel to reach more than 1.2 million Siticable subscribers in the state.

     

    After observing the growth rate of TV shoppers in the eastern and north eastern region, the channel might look at a warehouse facility in order to make the delivery faster, informed Shin. “We believe Kolkata is going to be our hub in the eastern region. We would like to expand our business in Durgapur, Darjeeling and Siliguri too,” he added.

     

    The channel which was launched four years ago is one of the fastest growing shopping channels in the country and has 4.5 million registered users. “The television shopping industry is growing at a rate of 35-40 per cent whereas we are growing at a rate of 60 per cent in the current fiscal,” said Shin.

     

    The television shopping industry in India is pegged at around Rs 2,000 crore and STAR CJ Network India enjoys a market share of around 30-35 per cent at present, Shin further added.

     

    The channel is known to offer an array of products ranging from fashion, lifestyle, home appliances, kitchenware, digital services and lots more. “Going forward, the channel aims to cross five million registered customers by this month end, while in the next two-three years, it is looking at seven-eight million customers,” he concluded.

  • Kolkata MSOs come together to address ground issues

    Kolkata MSOs come together to address ground issues

    KOLKATA: The multi-system operators (MSOs) alliance operating in the Kolkata Municipal (KM) Area plan to form a team comprising two members from each service provider. Since the billing process hasn’t kicked off the way it should have, the team would meet this week to discuss issues like billing, collection, disputes among operators among others.

     

    If the effort of this alliance fails, an external agency may be brought on board to sort the issues troubling the group.

     

    “First we will like to solve the issues through our team. We will consider a third party only if we fail to address them. The team comprising of decision makers and seniors would be formed this week,” said Siticable director Suresh Sethia.

     

    Another MSO brought to the fore the issues they come across while collecting subscription fee from operators like they bring up issues related to under billing, area disputes among others, etc. “But on many occasions we have found that the last mile operators (LMOs) are complaining unnecessarily. Our team will go to assess the situation and address it,” he said.

     

    “We are talking in order to work together in improving the ground,” said Advance Multisystem Broadband Communication (AMBC) managing director Sujit Das.

     

    To implement the gross (consumer) billing for the month of January and bring transparency in the process, the MSOs are meeting regularly and discussing its smooth rollout. “Billing is a mess as LCOs are not willing to collect,” said Corpus Media Labs head sales GK Viswanath.

  • Da Vinci Learning partners with Airtel Digital TV, Siticable and Digicable

    Da Vinci Learning partners with Airtel Digital TV, Siticable and Digicable

    MUMBAI: Da Vinci Learning, the fun edutainment TV channel for the whole family, today announced their partnership with three of the biggest operators in Indian television- Airtel Digital TV- one of India’s leading Direct to Home operators; Siticable and Digicable who are leading MSOs. The partnership is aimed at developing the channels foothold in the Indian television industry prior to its launchlater this year, and to give Indian viewers an opportunity to sample Da Vinci Learning’s rich content portfolio.Da Vinci Learning, which is targeted at 4-14 year olds and their parents, is known for turning TV watching from passive observation into a meaningful and fun experience, helping children develop various skills early-on, encouraging older viewers to keep asking questions and inviting families to take their learning journeys together.

    To showcase the channel’s extensive programming, which covers a wide array of topics ranging from physics and chemistry to history and nature, Da Vinci Learning has struck a Video on demand deal with Airtel Digital TV. As part of the deal, Da Vinci will provide 150 hours of content to Airtel Digital TV, which will be available in the kids section of their VODVOD service. With Siticable, the channel will receivea 6 month branded block while with DigiCable the channel will have a 12 month branded block. With Airtel Digital TV and Siti Cable, the channel will showcase programs like Kid Detectives and Lab Rats Challenge, while with Digicable the channel will present shows such as Logo Animation and Indent Kid amongst others.

    Speaking on the occasion, Mohit Anand, Managing Director-India, Da Vinci Learning said “We are very excited to work with this prestigious group of partners as each of them is committed towards using new technologies to improve communications to and between kids. For us, this is a great platform to showcase the interesting and interactive programming that we have to offer to the Indian audience. We are positive that these associations will enable the Indian viewers to be part of a meaningful and fun learning experience focused on educational shows and documentaries from around the world.”

    Saurabh Sinha, Chief Producer-Siti Cable said “As a channel partner getting a very good response from the branded block of Da Vinci Learning. The audience is conceiving it as ‘Education with entertainment’, programme like, Kid Detectives – (easily detailed about forensic science with entertainment), Little Einstein- (One can easily understand about Einstein theories) etc. Siti channel being channel partner with DaVinci’s has definitely helped us in garnering better audience base.”

    Mr. Narinderpal Singh – Senior Vice President – Broadcaster Relations believes“Digicable, which has been at the forefront of introducing many new innovations in Digital cable Television, is now pleased to inform that we are ready to offer our discerning subscribers the Best of International Edutainment thru its association with the DaVinci Channel.”

     

  • Kolkata MSOs won’t change package price till June 2014

    Kolkata MSOs won’t change package price till June 2014

    KOLKATA: On 6 December last year, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) met the multi-system operators (MSOs) in Kolkata to extend the deadline for initiating gross (consumer) billing from 10 December to 15 December.

     

    Now, the MSOs have assured cable TV subscribers that they will try and keep the package price unchanged till June this year, although they are contemplating a price rise post June.

     

    The MSOs have also requested subscribers to collect bills from local cable operators (LCOs) before dishing out the subscription fee for January. This is to bring in transparency in the billing process for the Kolkata Municipal Area (KMA).   

     

    It is further learnt that the MSOs are meeting regularly to discuss smooth rollout of gross billing in the KMA area, especially after having been asked by the West Bengal as well as central government authorities to expedite the billing process.

     

    Said Manthan Broadband Services director Sudip Ghosh: “We will continue with the package and we all are trying to keep the price of package untouched till June. The MSOs will try to absorb the cost themselves.

     

    According to Siticable Kolkata director Suresh Sethia, the entire process would take some time. “Customers are happy. Operators too want the billing to be in place. Also, we have put up advertisements in newspapers for consumer awareness regarding billing apart from local channels,” he said.

     

    As per TRAI regulations, subscribers get a period of 15 days from the date of the bill to make the payment.

     

    “In case the subscriber fails to make the payment after the expiry of the due date of payment, we will charge interest on the outstanding amount,” Sethia informed.

     

    Director of Den, Sanjoy Basu, opined that the new facility introduced as per the TRAI regulations would usher greater transparency in billing.

     

    With nearly 30 lakh cable homes, gross billing is definitely expected to regularise the hitherto ad-hoc system of billing.

  • Kolkata MSOs anticipate cooperation from LCOs in two months

    Kolkata MSOs anticipate cooperation from LCOs in two months

    KOLKATA: The multi-system operators (MSOs) have started gross billing for the month of December from 7 January in Kolkata and are hopeful that the local cable operators (LCOs) who at present are showing some resistance will eventually fall in line in the next two months.

     

    The MSOs in the meanwhile are educating consumers about gross billing by publishing advertisements in newspapers. The ads request consumers to make the payment against a bill only.

     

    “We have started the billing process. Customers are happy, but the operators do not want the billing to be in place. There might be some resistance but eventually things will fall in line,” said Siticable Kolkata director Suresh Sethia.

     

    While another MSO said that the company is having meetings with operators and trying to convince them of the benefits of digitisation.

     

    “We are talking to the LCOs and asking them to hike the bill which will include amusement tax and service tax. Even consumers have to understand that they have to pay taxes now,” said the MSO.

     

    When the MSOs were asked about the disbursement of the bills, some said they have given the bills to LCOs in compact disk (CD), while others like SitiCable said that they have uploaded the bills on their system and the LCOs can easily take the printouts.

     

    However, the LCOs in Kolkata have made it clear that they will not distribute the bills unless the revenue sharing model and other details are discussed.

     

    Cable Operators Digitalisation Committee of the Association of Cable Operators convener Swapan Chowdhury said, “The MSOs who are giving the bills on CDs to LCOs need to give a hard copy of the bills as printing will also involve cost.”

    It seems the LCOs are serious about every single penny and are not in a mood to give up easily!

  • MSOs meet; decide to start gross billing in Mumbai soon

    MSOs meet; decide to start gross billing in Mumbai soon

    MUMBAI: The national multi-system operators (MSOs) don’t want any more delay in starting the gross billing in the phase I cities. While gross billing has already begun in Delhi and Kolkata, the MSOs who have been facing resistance from the last mile operators (LMOs) in Maharashtra, met today in Mumbai to decide on the means to implement billing in the city.

    The four MSOs: Hathway Cable & Datacom, DEN Networks, IMCL and SitiCable have unanimously decided to authorise the LMOs to bill their consumers. “The LMO wants ownership of their consumers, and we have decided to give them that,” informs a MSO present during the meeting.

    The MSOs during the meeting decided that they will generate the bill and hand it over to the LMOs, who can further give it to the subscribers. “We will start the process in the next couple of days. Consumers will receive the bill for the month of December,” he adds.

    While the decision on who collects the entertainment tax is still pending with the Bombay High Court, the MSOs have decided to go ahead and complete the process of gross billing in Mumbai and submit the compliance report to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the deadline for which was 31 December. “We will submit the compliance report, once the billing process starts,” says the MSO.

    But what happens if the consumer pays the bill through a cheque? “Well! It is up to the subscriber, they can either sign the cheque in the name of the MSO or the LMO. But considering that the entertainment tax needs to be paid by the LMOs, it will be preferable that the subscriber signs it in the name of the LMO. The LMO will pay us the collection after deducting his revenue share,” he informs.

    The decision has been taking to brings everything on track. “The decision on entertainment tax will come sooner or later. But, that cannot deter us from getting the process rolling,” says the operator.

    At the meeting, the revenue share for the pay and free channels was also discussed. “These are commercial discussions. We have almost reached on an agreement for that as well. And our plan of revenue share is better than the one suggested by the TRAI,” says the MSO.

    But, are the LMOs completely convinced as well? “We will be meeting Hathway and IMCL on 4 January to discuss the fine points. Our concern is that the ownership of consumer should be with the LMOs. We will discuss with them the billing format and also get clarity on whose name the bill is being generated. The heading of the bill should have the name of the LMO and not the MSO. We will not allow that,” says Maharashtra Cable Operators Federation (MCOF) president Arvind Prabhoo.

    However, the MSOs have suggested that the bills generated from the MSO will have the name of the LMO, while that generated from the LMO to the subscriber will have the name of the subscriber. “This is a welcome move. But, we still need to discuss the finer points tomorrow,” adds Prabhoo.

    In the meeting to be held between MCOF and the MSOs on Saturday, finer points like additional cost of bill printing, distribution and collection will also be discussed. “These are additional liabilities of DAS in the absence of the interconnect agreement and also unfair revenue share and hence need to be discussed,” concludes Prabhoo.

  • SitiCable to host get-together for LMOs, broadcasters

    SitiCable to host get-together for LMOs, broadcasters

    KOLKATA: SitiCable Network is all set to welcome the New Year on a positive note and how? The national multi-system operator (MSO) is hosting its yearly get-together with around 14,000 last mile operators (LMOs) along with their families and the broadcasters attending it. The get-together which is scheduled for 4 January 2014 is a platform for the MSO to discuss its ambitious expansion plans in the eastern region as well as share their achievements.

     

    “This get-together is very important for us. It is here that we will talk about the cable TV industry and also announce our achievements, particularly, in the eastern region,” informed SitiCable Kolkata director Suresh Sethia.

     

    The MSO claims to have seeded around 1.7 million set top boxes (STBs) in the eastern region. “With the cable TV digitisation being in full swing, across the eastern region, we plan to install another 1.5 million STBs by December 2014,” added Sethia.

     

    This is not all. The MSO is also focusing on creating and acquiring content for approximately eight server based television channels. “We are looking at acquiring content in the eastern region. This meeting will help us talk to both the broadcasters and the LMOs directly,” he said.

     

    The MSO, who is currently planning at acquiring content for server based channels in Kolkata, will also look at tapping into the market in Patna and Guwahati.

     

    A cable TV analyst said, “The MSO has number of plans already under consideration and before complete digitisation, it is the best opportunity for it to address all the opportunities and the issues so that it can achieve its target.”

     

    The eastern region accounts for around 40 per cent of the revenue to SitiCable. “It is one of the most important markets for the company,” added the cable TV analyst.

  • Kolkata to miss the 31 Dec TRAI deadline for gross billing?

    Kolkata to miss the 31 Dec TRAI deadline for gross billing?

     

    KOLKATA: The Kolkata multi-system operators (MSOs) are likely to miss the 31 December deadline given by the Telecom Regulatory of India (TRAI) to start gross billing.

     

    The cable TV sources in Kolkata feel that the MSOs will not be able to meet the deadline. “They are likely to start the gross billing for the month of December from 7 January,” say the sources.

     

    It should be noted that the 31 December deadline was granted, as the MSOs missed the earlier 15 December deadline to start gross billing in phase I areas. Says Kolkata based cable TV analyst Mrinal Chatterjee, “Kolkata missed the deadline since neither the MSO nor the last mile owner (LMO) are prepared for the process.”

     

    Kolkata has around 30 lakh cable television homes. “The MSOs updated the minister on the total process of digitisation and billing.  As of now we have ad-hoc billing, but soon billing as per package will start. Though customers are happy, the operators do not want the billing to be in place,” opines Siticable Kolkata director Suresh Sethia.

     

    Siticable has around 10-11 lakh STBs in Kolkata DAS I area.

     

    Explaining the nitty-gritty’s of bill payment, a MSO says, “If a customer has chosen a package of Rs 180, he will have to pay Rs 180, plus Rs 10 (amusement tax) and12.36 per cent service tax.”

       
    A LMO affiliated to Hathway Cable & Datacom informs that the MSO has sent the bills to him in a compact disk (CD) and expects him to take a print out and give it to customers.

     

    The way things are progressing, it seems like another deadline is on its way to be missed.

  • LCOs may decrease in number in the next three years

    LCOs may decrease in number in the next three years

    KOLKATA: Lately,  indiantelevision.com  has done a series of reports about local cable operators (LCOs) being unhappy with the process of digitisation. A critical area of concern being the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) ruling on consumer application forms (CAFs) and billing, which according to LCOs, makes multi system operators (MSOs) the owners of their hard-won subscribers.

    On the back of these reports comes another disturbing finding: experts say LCOs in the city’s DAS area – currently pegged at 7,000 to 8,000 – will drastically decrease in numbers in the next three years.

    Says Mrinal Chatterjee, who runs Akash Sutra, a cable network in Bangur and its adjoining areas: “During analogue times, the share between the MSOs and us used to be 20:80 but after DAS, it has come down to 65:35. The business model is not at all lucrative enough. A major number of operators might look at other options for existence.” Many others are thinking of ways to ‘only exist’ in the cable TV business, wherein they have invested nearly 20 years of their life; he adds.

    Whereas, Suresh Sethia, Siticable Kolkata director says: “Small operators will become a part of larger networks but will still be in business.” Asked to define the term ‘small operators’ Sethia goes on to explain that LCOs with 100-150 subscribers are small while those with 2,000 and more customers are big. “There are groups of LCOs having more than 10,000 subscribers that are considered large,” he says.

    Sources however say that in Kolkata, most cable ops are yet to sign revenue-sharing agreements with their MSOs.

    An MSO says while the company has asked affiliated LCOs to educate subscribers about the different packages on offer, LCOs are not doing their work. “Secondly, the LCOs did not pay us for each connection in the analogue regime. But with installed set top boxes and the number of connections transparent, LCOs are not supporting us properly implement the new system,” he says.

    By contrast, an LCO who is part of the recently formed Bengal Broadband initiative (GIVE LINK TO OUR STORY) argues: “A multi system operator may provide cable TV services directly to subscribers. They don’t need our services and we are not mere collection agents. So, I will try to become a MSO.”

    Another cable op questions: “Filling up forms to gather information about viewers’ preferences coupled with sharing of network could result in monopoly of MSOs. Where are we in the system?”

     

    According to Swapan Chowdhury, convener of the Cable Operators Digitalisation Committee of the Association of Cable Operators, the authorities must do something in favour of operators. But he is quick to assure that people who have spent years in this industry will be here and ‘nothing will change’.

    Corpus Media consultant GK Viswanath corroborates Chowdhury’s view and says: “LCOs will not leave the industry. They’ve spent time and money here. LCOs will be the franchisees or payment collectors.” Going forward, he feels the small LCOs will merge with the MSOs and not with big LCOs.

  • Kolkata MSOs to blackout TV tonight

    Kolkata MSOs to blackout TV tonight

    KOLKATA: Looks like cable TV consumers in Howrah will have to sacrifice on their favourite shows with few multiple system operators (MSOs) deciding to switch off signals if they do not receive duly filled customer application forms (CAFs) till end of the day today. The decision comes in view of the deadline set by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) for submission of CAFs by 15 November.

     

    Around 40 per cent cable TV viewers in the city are subscribed to SitiCable. The MSO has not requested the regulator for any extension for CAF submission. SitiCable Kolkata director Suresh Sethia says, “We have already collected 90 per cent of CAFS. We expect the rest to be submitted today, if not, we will switch off signals from tonight.”

     

    Resonating the same is Manthan, which has installed 20-25 per cent STBs of the total five lakh STBs installed in the region.  “While a few have submitted CAFs, others will send it soon,” informs Manthan director Sudip Ghosh.

     

    The announcement is a shocker for many, as confusion over the city being a part of DAS phase II still remains. It is learnt that MSOs like KCBPL-GTPL among others are running analogue signals in DAS II areas.

     

    Industry insiders blame lack of an organisation for irregularities. “There is no such designated organisation that can regulate the system here,” says a source.

     

    The cause of ineffectiveness could also be because a few local cable operators (LCOs) have assured customers that they do not fall under DAS phase II and thus customers have not invested in the set top boxes (STBs).

     

    Talking about the prevailing confusion over DAS in Howrah, Sethia says, “Though most areas were covered during phase I, TRAI has to define whether the border of Howrah falls under phase II or not? There needs to be a clarification.”

     

    The city faces another issue. If Cable Operators Sangram Committee general secretary Apurba Bhattacharya is to be believed, subscribers who have submitted the duly filled CAFs are yet to see the change on their TV screens. “Even after filling the CAF and opting for preferred bouquet of channels, nothing has changed for viewers in Howrah,” he informs.

     

    Bhattacharya however believes that the MSOs will not switch off signals. “I foresee an extension in the cutoff date,” he says.

     

    Earlier a few LCOs had blamed festivities for slow down of work. “Since festivities are over now, both customers and LCOs should take the initiative and submit their details to MSOs,” opine city-based analysts.