ITV

Tag: Slava Levin

  • Times Network enters Canada via Rogers Xfinity TV with ET NOW and Times Now Navbharat launch

    Times Network enters Canada via Rogers Xfinity TV with ET NOW and Times Now Navbharat launch

    MUMBAI: The Indian diaspora in Canada just got a front-row seat to India’s pulse—served hot, straight from Mumbai. Times Network, the broadcast arm of Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd., has expanded its international footprint by launching two of its flagship channels—ET Now and Times Now Navbharat—on Rogers Xfinity TV in Canada.

    The channels went live on Rogers Xfinity via a strategic tie-up with Ethnic Channels Group (ECG), the world’s largest multicultural broadcaster. ET Now is now available on Channel 2651, while Times Now Navbharat airs on Channel 2696. Both channels will be accessible under a free preview window till 17 June, after which Canadian subscribers can opt in via theme packs for premium Indian news content.

    “Our presence on Rogers Xfinity TV and partnership with Ethnic Channels Group marks a pivotal step in our international growth strategy. As we continue to build a truly global presence, this launch reinforces our commitment to delivering high-quality Indian news content to the diaspora in Canada. We see this partnership as a gateway to new opportunities, enabling us to serve our viewers better and strengthen Times Network’s position as a trusted global media brand”, said Times Network executive president & COO Jagdish Mulchandani.

    The move taps into a growing appetite among the south Asian diaspora for India-focused, real-time news. ET Now delivers market-savvy programming like The Market, The Money Show, Startup Central, and Buy Now Sell Now, offering Canadian viewers a front-row seat to India’s economic engine. Meanwhile, Times Now Navbharat broadcasts Hindi-language shows like News Ki Pathshala, Sawal Public Ka, and Opinion India Ka, focusing on ground-up perspectives, citizen voices, and sharp political analysis.

    Ethnic Channels Group co-founder & CEO Slava Levin added, “It’s an attention economy in today’s fast changing world. Credible news is of paramount importance and tuning out the noise from the facts is critical. Ethnic Channels Group is proud to partner with the Times Network for ET Now (Business News) and Times Navbharat (Hindi News) enriching the media landscape in Canada. As Canada’s largest multicultural TV operator, ECG continues to widen its channel portfolio and strengthen its footprint worldwide”.

    For Times Network, the expansion is part of its larger ambition to become a global Indian media brand, targeting audiences who straddle two worlds and crave credible, timely news from both. For ECG and Rogers, it adds further depth to their international content offerings at a time when demand for multicultural programming is on the rise.

    With this launch, Times Network cements its Canadian presence and adds yet another milestone in its global journey—delivering Indian news, with nuance and depth, to viewers navigating life across borders.

  • Canadian video-tech firm Nextologies eyes India’s growth opportunities

    Canadian video-tech firm Nextologies eyes India’s growth opportunities

    MUMBAI: Slava Levin is a familiar name for many distribution heads amongst Indian broadcasters. The Ukraine-born, Canada-bred entrepreneur has built a distribution of niche, country-specific channels into Canada of transport of video globally into a highly profitable group – called the Ethnic Channels Group which also includes a tech company called Nextologies.

    “Change is the only constant and as an entrepreneur, I believe we need to keep reinventing ourselves regularly,” says Levin.

    He is currently focused on building his India base of 40 staff as well offering the Nextology tech solution to an increasing number of India companies – not just in media, but in other sectors as well.

    “India has a lot of headroom for growth,” points out Levin. “The media vertical is doing extremely well but the company wants to expand our video transport and other solutions to other sectors like hospitality, medicine and transportation. We want to broaden our services and the sectors to become a tech company in general.”

     “The game plan in India is simple. We want to build a development hub in India. We want to grow our team here from 40 to 100, to 200 to 300 and be that development hub for the world. We want to build Indian businesses, want to help Indian companies here. We plan to take products that we build here and deliver them to rest of the world,” Levin adds.

    While the company has already invested quite a bit in India, it wants to ramp up its investments by putting in a minimum of $10 million over the next two-five years.

    “Our technology team is cutting edge and they found ways to help to cut cost for distributing the various channel video feeds over the years. Our 100+ partners who we were distributing for started to knock at our door asking us how are we able to deliver solutions at the prices we were? Some of them asked us to help them use it to reduce their transport costs in other regions. And that’s how we started our Nextologies business. Amongst the first Indian broadcasters to do so was Zee TV,” says Levin, talking about the early days of the company.

    He explains that Zee TV uses the technology to deliver to locations that don’t have huge South Asian population for example in the Caribbean which is a lot cheaper than delivering it via expensive satellite transponders or fibre.

    Today, Nextologies manufactures SD/HD encoders, decoders for cable TV and satellite TV services which help deliver video over the public internet using its da Vinci and TXR technologies,  an STB solution for digital signages, hotels, hospitals, restaurants/bars, foyers, offices and waiting rooms and professional grade compliant audio/video professional broadcast-grade compliant HD/SD video and audio transmitters/receivers. Nextologies also offers customisable turn-key IPTV and OTT solutions that enable media companies and service providers to rapidly serve new platforms. Amongst the clients for whom it has developed apps and OTT solutions include SBS Plus’ Arirang TV.

    Levin says he will be visiting India a lot more often, though he has left its management to Hari Srinivas, who has been responsible for building the number of Indian channels that are customers of Ethnic Channels and Nextologies businesses.

  • CRTC dismisses ATN’s complaint against Zee TV Canada

    CRTC dismisses ATN’s complaint against Zee TV Canada

    MUMBAI: The CRTC has dismissed the complaint filed by Asian Television Network (ATN) which had raised objections with the operations of Zee TV Canada. According to the compliant, Zee TV Canada, which fell in the third-language niche specialty category B service, was operating as a general interest service. In view of the complaint filed by ATN on 29 July 2013 against Ethnic Channels Group, the Commission has now given its decision in favour of ECGL.

     

    After posting the complaint on its website, the Commission received over 300 interventions. A vast majority of interventions supported ECGL’s position and opposed the position of ATN. A large proportion stated outright that Zee TV Canada’s programming does target women as a viewing audience. Others voiced general support for the service or characterized Zee TV Canada as family focused.

     

    “The overwhelming support we received from Zee TV Canada viewers has been truly heart-warming,” said Ethnic Channels Group CEO Slava Levin.

     

    “The complaint had no basis to start with, and we are glad that justice has prevailed,” added Ethnic Channels Group president Hari Srinivas.

     

    “We are pleased with the outcome of this decision and value the continued support of our viewers,” said Zee TV Americas business head Sameer Targe.

     

    According to ECGL, Zee TV Canada is adhering to its nature of service, and its marketing activities focus on that nature of service. ECGL alleged that the complaint filed by ATN is an attempt to entrench the privileged position of SATV. It argued that to reclassify Zee TV Canada as a general interest service would have the effect of significantly expanding the scope and impact of the above-noted buy-through requirement.

     

    The Commission examined the programming offered by Zee TV Canada with a view to determining whether a reasonably frequent viewer, in watching various programs broadcast on the service, would conclude that the service targets women or not. In this regard, and despite the differences in the public policy objectives behind the licensing of Zee TV Canada and W Network, the Commission has considered it appropriate to use W Network as a baseline for comparison in its examination of Zee TV Canada’s programming due to the considerable weight placed by both parties on comparing the two services.

     

    Having examined the programming broadcast on Zee TV Canada the Commission found that the majority of the programs broadcast are consistent with those that one would expect a niche service targeting women to air, and are comparable to those found on W Network.

  • Aaj Tak expands presence in Ontario, Canada

    Aaj Tak expands presence in Ontario, Canada

    MUMBAI: TV Today Network has launched its Hindi news channel Aaj Tak on Cogeco Cable, a Canada-based cable telecommunications company.

    With this launch, Aaj Tak will now be accessible to viewers in Ontario, expanding Aaj Tak’s presence in the Ontario market.

    The launch boosts the synergies between Aaj Tak and Cogeco, as Cogeco builds on its cable distribution base offering analogue and digital television, high speed internet and telephony services, the company said.
    The channel will be sold in the following package- ATN + Zee Cinema + Big Magic + Aaj Tak + Headlines Today for $25 per month.

    India Today Group CEO Ashish Bagga said, “It is a step in our endeavor to expand our presence in key markets across the globe. We want to be easily accessible to all our viewers worldwide at economical prices.

    Moreover, Cogeco is a perfect choice for broadcasting Aaj Tak in Ontario. Cogeco is a very capable group and they are doing an excellent work in Cable communications industry. We are hopeful this launch will strengthen and benefit both Aaj Tak and Cogeco.”

    TV Today’s exclusive partner in Canada Ethnic Channels Group CEO Slava Levin said that this launch will help more viewers connect with the brand.

    Cogeco Cable is the second largest hybrid fibre coaxial cable system operator in Ontario, adding The Aaj Tak Channel allows Cogeco Cable to respond to a variety of customer tastes and needs and to enhance our already engaging multicultural TV offering,” Cogeco Cable vice-president, marketing and strategic planning Ron Perrotta added.