ITV

Tag: Sricharan Iyengar

  • Amagi deploys Cloudport playout for Magic of Cinema

    Amagi deploys Cloudport playout for Magic of Cinema

    MUMBAI: Amagi, the cloud-based broadcast infrastructure, has announced a full-fledged deployment of its Cloudport Edge Playout servers for Magic of Cinema (MOC), a 24×7 free-to-air movie channel across 17 digital cable platforms.

    Using cloud technologies, Amagi has enabled MOC to launch its channel at a fraction of traditional satellite/fiber infrastructure costs. The entire playout is managed at Amagi’s Data Operations Center in Bengaluru. Amagi’s Cloudport edge servers and its cloud-based unified management user interface has dramatically simplified channel playout across multiple cable platforms for MOC.

    “We evaluated several platforms and finally chose Amagi for its technology superiority and an attractive PaaS business model. It allowed us to avoid high capital expenditure and upfront investment without compromising on the broadcast quality. As our viewership expanded over time, Amagi helped us scale our business giving us the required flexibility and reliability. Amagi has been a true partner in our growth” said MOC CEO Sricharan Iyengar.

    Amagi’s Cloudport platform runs on the cloud, with benefits of unlimited storage and accessibility. Amagi has already implemented its cloud technologies in more than 10 countries covering multi-country feeds. The platform has advanced features such as dynamic graphic overlays and sub-parting that met MOC’s exacting quality and feature requirements.

    “MOC is a fast growing movie channel with a line-up of rich and contemporary content. Amagi’s advanced technology platforms coupled with uninterrupted 24×7 playout and monitoring service has successfully and consistently met MOC’s evolving needs. We are very positive about MOC’s potential and Amagi is fully equipped to support the channel’s growth aspirations” said Amagi cofounder Srividhya Srinivasan.

    MOC has a wide array of over 1,500 Hindi cinemas, and is available on leading digital cable platforms including Hathaway, DEN, Siticable, UCN and Incable.

     

  • Mobile ESPN subscription service launched

    Mobile ESPN subscription service launched

    NEW DELHI: It’s in, it’s happening, but will it deliver on the monies? Sports broadcaster ESPN Star Sports today announced the launch of Mobile ESPN, marking its entry into the mobile value added services (VAS) domain in India.

    The sports TV major sought glory at a press conference here today as the first out of the door in this field with its service, which kicks off from 15 November.

    The Indian mandarins of the company were, however, taken by surprise when asked how they could claim a projected success, when the same service had to be withdrawn in the US. Mobile ESPN was launched in February with a huge promotional campaign but was disbanded within six months. Though the service was viewed as a technological success, it never caught on with consumers, who were apparently unwilling to pay a $10 to $50 premium to get highlights, fantasy sports alerts and even live games on ESPN-branded phones.

    ESPN India MD RC Venkateish explained, “There (in the US) the business model was different. However, we see huge potential in the mobile arena here as the leading sports broadcaster.”

    There was also some discomfort at the pitch over the rights issue — whether information of cricket, for example, being provided by ESPN Mobile could clash with rights holders like the Board for Control of Cricket in India?

    Sricharan Iyengar, ESPN India vice-president (sales and marketing) and head of emerging technologies, responded to a question on how the rights issue would affect them, saying that they were presently in a “rights-agnostic” situation.

    Venkateish added that they were news service providers and “no on can black out news”. He pointed out that most TV news channels were showing match reports anyway, without anyone coming in their way.

    As of now, ESPN Mobile promises to launch a three-pipe outlet, with news, statistics, pre- and post-match analysis and what have you on all sports, from cricket to tennis to F1 to ice hockey through the mobile phone, Internet (through its website espnmobile.in) and TV.

    Venkateish described the present TV-only scenario as the one-pipe outlet.

    Sports fans will be delighted, said Iyengar, with the “360 degree” coverage of sports in all possible formats, voice, video, text, SMS and games.

    Mobile ESPN services can be availed by dialling 505-ESPN (3776) on the phone or by sending an SMS to (ESPN) 3776, which will be the ESPN short code nationally. On entering the voice portal, consumers can select from a module comprising sections such as Welcome and user navigation; Cricket; Football; Sports center; and New Super Selector.

    The price range is attractive, with monthly packages scaling between Rs 50 to RS 99, with the higher-end providing all possible services, including video.

    Venkateish foresees a sea change in the media over the next five years, with the expected number of mobile phone users climbing by 30 per cent over the present 100 million, and ESPN has clearly pegged its business plan on the amazing growth in mobile connections across the country.

    His punchline was, “We don’t want work to come in the way of sports.”

    The company is working to optimise delivery through various service providers on the mobile networks, Iyengar said.

    “The voice service has been specially developed for India,” he said, adding, “this will give an hour-by-hour update.

    The voice news service was more satisfactory, with crisp info on the latest sports events being packed into a short 1.20 minute take. “We are aware that the user is paying Rs 6 per minute for getting the news and have developed the programme to give him the maximum.”

    So far as a business plan was concerned, the two spoke of seamless integration and an advertising model being built in.

    “Once we have built up a substantial subscriber base, we can also explore advertising on the service,” Venkateish said.

    The service, which is a presentation of the ESPN Star Sports joint venture, will be hyped on and off air and will see approximately Rs 400 million spent on marketing activities.

    The service of ESPN mobile will start off with English, then Hindi (in the first quarter of 2007), to be followed by other Indian languages subsequently.

    Gaming software is also being developed for subscribers of the service, according to Iyengar.

  • ESS roots for subscription ramp up from cable ops ahead of soccer season

    ESS roots for subscription ramp up from cable ops ahead of soccer season

    MUMBAI: Riding on the Fifa World Cup wave, which kicks off next week in Germany, ESPN Star Sports (ESS) is asking for a substantial increase in the subscriber base from cable networks across the country.

    ESS is asking for a 20 to 30 per cent hike from the major networks. And, in smaller markets the channel is targetting an increase as high as 70 per cent from those networks which are terribly underdeclared.

    ESPN Software India VP sales and marketing Sricharan Iyengar says, “Our aim is to use the World Cup event reactivate in those networks where we are absent. We are looking for at least a 20 per cent growth in the subscription base from the major networks. In smaller markets we are looking at a raise from anything between 30 to 70 per cent.”

    Sources say that InCable has signed a deal allowing for a 20 per cent raise. On the other hand, Hathway CEO K Jayaraman, while declining to comment on any figures maintains that when the yearly contract was renewed with ESS in March, there was no undue pressure put on them by the broadcaster on acount of the Fifa World Cup.

    In addition to increasing subscription declarations ESS, this fiscal, is also targetting a 50 per cent growth in subscription revenue. That is because in addition to the Fifa World Cup, it will also air two cricket series involving India. One of them sees the Indian cricket team touring South Africa in December. Iyengar says, “We hope to achieve a 50 per cent growth in subscription revenue this fiscal. We are kicking this off with the World Cup”.

  • ESS launches Hindi feed for English Premier League

    ESS launches Hindi feed for English Premier League

    MUMBAI: ESPN Star Sports (ESS) has announced special Hindi commentary for the English Premier League with an eye to promoting soccer across India.

    The channel had earlier introduced Hindi commentary during Euro 2004 and the Fifa Confederation Cup 2005.

    ESS VP sales and marketing Sricharan Iyengar said, “Localisation of content has helped us increase our penetration in traditional markets of India. The Hindi telecast also enabled us to open up several non-traditional markets for soccer like Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra.

    “The viewership numbers of Confederation Cup 2005 as well as Euro 2004 testifies this. The localisation adds a lot of value to our telecast especially for viewers who find it difficult to understand the heavily accented English or for viewers who are not familiar with English at all.

    “Soccer is gaining popularity as one of the most viewed sport in Indian homes and we find that EPL is particularly well liked by viewers in metros. ESPN Star Sports has been making special efforts to further grow EPL’s popularity nationally. Live screenings, building viewer affinity for EPL clubs and growing knowledge among Indian viewers are some of the steps we have taken to enhance the passion associated with the game and in turn grow the league. The introduction of Hindi commentary will further help in growing the popularity of English Premier League across the country,” added Iyengar.

    Sunil Taneja and Puneet Pal Singh will do the Hindi commentary for English Premier League on a rotational basis. Both will be based in the broadcaster’s headquarters in Singapore.