ITV

Tag: Star Broadband

  • TDSAT: ZEEL not to disconnect signals to Star Broadband Service

    TDSAT: ZEEL not to disconnect signals to Star Broadband Service

    NEW DELHI: The Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal has directed Zee Entertainment Enterprise Ltd not to give effect to the disconnection notice sent to Star Broadband Services (I) Pvt. Ltd and continue to supply its TV signals in terms of the earlier arrangements subsisting before the issuance of the notice.

    Listing the matter for 9 August, Chairman Justice Aftab Alam and member B B Srivastava felt the validity of the RIO and whether or not it is fully in compliance with the directions of the Tribunal, requires serious consideration.

    It said the expression “earlier subsisting arrangement” would include not only the previous interconnect agreement in writing between the two sides (though it might have expired before the publication of the RIO) but also any carriage agreement / placement agreement / discount agreement etc., in case the latter was co-terminus with the interconnect agreement.

    In the next hearing, the Tribunal may hear the parties and make ‘a proper and equitable interim arrangement till a final decision is rendered on this petition’. However, the Tribunal said “It is made clear in case of any default in payment in terms of the subsisting arrangement, it will be open to the broadcaster to proceed in accordance with law.”

    A reply has been filed on behalf of Zeel. Rejoinder, if any, may be filed within two weeks, the Tribunal said.

    Zeel counsel Tejveer Singh Bhatia had with him in a sealed cover the list of MSOs with whom his client entered into interconnect agreements during the period between the Tribunal’s decision of 7 December ( Noida Software Technology Park Ltd. Vs. M/s ZE Zeel. & Others) and the publication of its RIO on 11 May this year.

    Zeel counsel Meet Malhotra, learned senior counsel appearing for Zee Entertainment submitted that the RIO had been framed and issued directly in pursuance of the Tribunal’s decision and it was being offered on a uniform basis and therefore, there is no reason for the petitioner or for anyone else, not to accept it.

  • TDSAT: ZEEL not to disconnect signals to Star Broadband Service

    TDSAT: ZEEL not to disconnect signals to Star Broadband Service

    NEW DELHI: The Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal has directed Zee Entertainment Enterprise Ltd not to give effect to the disconnection notice sent to Star Broadband Services (I) Pvt. Ltd and continue to supply its TV signals in terms of the earlier arrangements subsisting before the issuance of the notice.

    Listing the matter for 9 August, Chairman Justice Aftab Alam and member B B Srivastava felt the validity of the RIO and whether or not it is fully in compliance with the directions of the Tribunal, requires serious consideration.

    It said the expression “earlier subsisting arrangement” would include not only the previous interconnect agreement in writing between the two sides (though it might have expired before the publication of the RIO) but also any carriage agreement / placement agreement / discount agreement etc., in case the latter was co-terminus with the interconnect agreement.

    In the next hearing, the Tribunal may hear the parties and make ‘a proper and equitable interim arrangement till a final decision is rendered on this petition’. However, the Tribunal said “It is made clear in case of any default in payment in terms of the subsisting arrangement, it will be open to the broadcaster to proceed in accordance with law.”

    A reply has been filed on behalf of Zeel. Rejoinder, if any, may be filed within two weeks, the Tribunal said.

    Zeel counsel Tejveer Singh Bhatia had with him in a sealed cover the list of MSOs with whom his client entered into interconnect agreements during the period between the Tribunal’s decision of 7 December ( Noida Software Technology Park Ltd. Vs. M/s ZE Zeel. & Others) and the publication of its RIO on 11 May this year.

    Zeel counsel Meet Malhotra, learned senior counsel appearing for Zee Entertainment submitted that the RIO had been framed and issued directly in pursuance of the Tribunal’s decision and it was being offered on a uniform basis and therefore, there is no reason for the petitioner or for anyone else, not to accept it.

  • Euronews boosts its presence in India on cable

    Euronews boosts its presence in India on cable

    MUMBAI: Making rapid advances in the country, Euronews has signed four distribution agreements with leading regional cable networks covering Delhi and the suburb of Noida.

     

    The English service of Euronews is now part of the basic digital line-up of the cable operators Star Broadband, Satellite Channels, Home Cable and Neo News Network, which are received in close to 1.1 million homes.

     

    Moreover, it began its distribution in India in 2013 through agreements with international hotel chains such as Radisson, Hyatt and Crown Plaza. Over 10,500 rooms in 50 hotels around the country receive Euronews.

     

    Euronews worldwide distribution director Arnaud Verlhac said, “Asia and the Indian sub-continent are a key geographic area for Euronews’ development. The obvious growth potential of India makes the country a strategic and necessary place to do business. These recent distribution agreements are the result of three years of work by the entire team and testify to the value of our objective editorial approach and the quality of our programmes and magazines.”

     

    Euronews regional distribution manager Asia-Pacific Sabrina Mimouni added, “Launching Euronews in the Delhi area is the first visible sign of Euronews’ arrival on this market which is particularly difficult to penetrate. I am delighted by the confidence the four big cable operators have shown in us. In just a few weeks, they put Euronews in their basic line-up so that the largest number of subscribers would have access.”

     

  • Big Thrill expands into Mumbai and Delhi with new carriage deals

    Big Thrill expands into Mumbai and Delhi with new carriage deals

    MUMBAI: Big RTL Thrill, the action entertainment channel targeted at male audiences, has launched on digital distribution platforms in Mumbai and Delhi.

    In Mumbai and Delhi, the channel has signed deals with In Digital, Hathway, Digicable, 7 Star, JPR Spacevision, ABS, Siti Cable, Home Cable and Star Broadband enabling it to expand its coverage to reach out to over 6.5 million households across both cities.

    This move is in line with its business plan of reaching out to audiences across one million+ towns in the Hindi-speaking markets (HSMs) in a phased manner, Reliance Broadcast Network Limited (RBNL) said.

    Big RTL Thrill is already available on Reliance Digital TV and other local platforms in Uttar Pradesh including Den, Digicable, Siti Cable, InCable, Siti Cable, Moon Cable and Sea TV.

    The joint venture channel between Reliance Broadcast Network and Europe‘s RTL Group that goes with the tag line Action ka Baap showcases the best internationally acquired content dubbed in Hindi.

    Targeted at male audiences (15-44 years), Big RTL Thrill promises to offer edge of the seat entertainment with content that ranges reality shows, action series, wrestling, extreme sports, game shows and action movies.

    RBNL CEO Tarun Katial said, “Big RTL Thrill has performed excellently in the regional market of Uttar Pradesh, consistently delivering strong numbers. The Channel, with its distinctive international dubbed content has already outperformed other regional male targeted channels and now makes its entry into the metros of Mumbai and Delhi.”

    The channel is positioned to create a new genre of entertainment for male audiences across the Hindi speaking markets.

    Until now, male skewed entertainment has been sporadically available across channels but there is no channel that caters exclusively and comprehensively to male audiences and their entertainment needs.

  • Cas paves way for consolidation

    Cas paves way for consolidation

    MUMBAI: The complexion of the cable TV industry is fast changing. Cas (conditional access system) is paving the way for consolidation as cable operators need to find money to subsidise set-top boxes (STBs), set up a digital system, and build a proper service network.

    The might of the three big multi-system operators (MSOs) is prevailing with the weaker players tumbling down under in the markets opened for Cas barely a month ago. Delhi has already gone that way with Home Cable Network, Spectranet, Satellite Channels, Sanjay Cable Network and Star Broadband Services aligning with Hinduja-owned Incablenet, Hathway Cable & Datacom or Zee Group’s Wire & Wireless India Ltd (WWIL).

    Soon Mumbai’s Cas subscribers will also get shared between these three MSOs. Raja Nadar, an independent cable operator, says his JPR Network will surrender its independent status and partner with an MSO by the end of this month. Though he has seeded 5,000 STBs, he is struggling to fund new arrivals and is losing subscribers to WWIL. “There is no business model left for us. We can’t raise debt and even if we somehow do, we can’t recover revenues large enough from our digital subscribers to work out a repayment schedule,” he says.

    Cas in Delhi and Mumbai is becoming a three-MSO battle. “That’s the record for everybody to see. That’s the reality. There were 14 independent headends in Delhi who had shown interest to operate but not one could launch. In Mumbai, it is the same story,” says the head of a leading MSO on request of anonymity.

    Making the ground tough is the fact that digitalisation is coming cheap in India. Cable operators are offering a subsidy of Rs 1000-1500 per STB while average revenue per user (ARPU) is set to fall with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) capping a la carte pay channels at Rs 5. The revenue share is also regulated with broadcasters taking away 45 per cent while 30 per cent stays with the MSOs and 25 per cent with the local cable operators.

    “Digital cable is a game for those who have deep pockets. Cable operators will not only have to subsidise the boxes but the service as well,” says WWIL managing director Jagjit Singh Kohli.

    If Kolkata has not seen enough of bulldozing, it is because there is not much of demand for STBs. But Sristi has crumbled down with WWIL and Manthan sharing the spoils. Cablecom is tottering but has survived.

    As STBs pick up in Kolkata, Incablenet and Hathway will look at entering the market. This will pave the way for further consolidation as penetration will mean financing more boxes. Manthan has already raised a debt of Rs 100 million from individuals and is looking at another Rs 200 million as way of bank financing.

    The need for pumping in big money will be larger as Cas spreads. In the initial phase, Hathway is arranging for a Rs 1 billion debt while WWIL wants to pump in Rs 7.14 billion over two years with a plan also to acquire last mile of cable operators.

    What can be disturbing is that after the initial euphoria, the demand for boxes seems to be already slowing when we have just crossed 400000 in a Cas market which has over 1.5 million cable and satellite homes. “If this trend is true, it should be a matter of concern for all the stakeholders except the local cable operators,” says Zee Turner CEO Arun Poddar. In the Cas areas, local cable operators are allowed to pocket the entire Rs 77 they collect from subscribers for the free-to-air (FTA) channels.

    With not as many boxes moving, broadcasters are particularly worried as they were forced to drop the rates of their pay channels. The sector regulator has chalked out a policy that makes business sense only on high volumes. “We will need higher volumes to make up for the pricing policy prescribed by Trai. Besides, the boxes are not yet entirely synchronised with the subscriber management system that would register what channels are subscribed by the consumers. The whole project will depend on how fast and effective SMS gets activised,” says Poddar.

    A surge in demand for the boxes is expected before the ICC World Cup starts in March. Besides, marketing campaigns will have to be launched promoting digitalisation. “MSOs will have to start marketing the boxes more aggressively. Broadcasters can also launch joint campaigns with them,” says SET Discovery president Anuj Gandhi.

    Nobody knows how the market will finally emerge. But the trend is clear: smaller MSOs in the Cas areas will find it difficult to subsidise the boxes and will need to take support of the bigger ones.

    “Consolidation can start with Cas and spread out in other areas. In many non Cas places, we are also seeing consolidation because of fear of losing subscribers to direct-to-home operators,” says the head of a MSO.