ITV

Tag: Tamil Nadu

  • 170 TN companies start providing Arasu Net, IPTV plan under way

    MUMBAI: In all 170 Tamil Nadu companies have started providing Arasu internet services in the state. For providing IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) service, a detailed project report was under process.

    Arasu Cable TV had floated expression of interest (EoIs) to become business partners on revenue-sharing basis and about 392 applications were received. At present, 2,577 subscribers use the leased line internet connectivity. Tamil Nadu state government’s proposal to expand internet service connectivity has received a healthy response, PTI reported.

    Directions had been issued to 170 applicants for starting the internet service and about 24,750 households are expected to be provided with the internet service under this initiative.

    The TN government had floated a SPV (special purpose vehicle) ‘Tamil Nadu FiberNet Corporation’ to implement it. Telecom major Vodafone was selected by the Arasu Cable TV Corporation under the open tender process, an IT department policy note said.

    For the sake of cable TV digitisation, a global tender was floated in May for procuring 60 lakh standard and 10 lakh HD (high definition) STBs (set-top boxes). Tenders had been received from various companies and are being scrutinised. The number of cable television connections provided by Arasu rose to 70.52 lakh as of 1 May this year, as compared to 4.94 lakh in 2011.

    Also Read :

    37 new MSOs in 45 days takes total to 1421, seven among 59 cases sub-judice

    Arasu gets a month’s extension to go digital

    Arasu gets provisional MSO licence subject to analogue switch-off in three months

    TRAI keeping watch over Arasu, TN MSO extends digital hardware bids deadline

  • Including Arasu, total number of MSOs goes up to 1376, to ensure DAS implementation

    NEW DELHI: Following the decision of the government to deem all provisional multi-system operators as having regular licence and giving a provisional licence to the Tamil Nadu Arasu TV Corporation, the total number of MSOs has gone up to 1376.

    Thus, TACTV is the only MSO on the provisional list and all the others are deemed to have a permanent licence for ten years.

    Thus there has been increase of 194 MSOs in the country since the end of February as the Information and Broadcasting Ministry had given registration to 1182 MSOs by the end of February 2017 which included 230 which had valid ten-year licences.

    But faced with just less than one month to go before total switch-off of analogue signals, the Government had on 6 March 2017 decided to treat all MSOs as permanent but with condition that the period of ten years commences from the date they got registered as provisional MSOs.

    However, if the continuation of registration of any MSO is at any time found to be or considered detrimental to the security of the State then the registration so granted is liable to be cancelled/suspended, the order placed on the Ministry website mib.nic.in specified.
    All other terms and conditions depicted in the provisional registration letter(s) wlll continue to apply.

    Earlier on 27 January.2017, it had been decided that all registered MSOs are free to operate in any part of the country, irrespective of registration for specified DAS notified areas granted by this Ministry.

    However, they have to submit the details of Headend, SMS, subscribers list and a self-certificate that they are carrying all the mandatory TV Channels, within six months from date of issuance of MSO registration, to the Ministry, failing which the MSO registration is liable to cancelled/suspended.

    Hence, all deemed regular registered MSOs also are required to submit the details to the Ministry within six months.

    The Tamil Nadu-Government-run TACTV was granted provisional licence on 18 April 2017 to operate as a MSO in the state on condition that it switches off analogue signals in the entire state within three months.

    The Ministry had told indiantelevision.com that it had been made clear that the provisional licence was subject to the Centre taking a final decision on the recommendation of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India that no government owned body should be permitted in the field of running or distributing television channels.  TRAI had in 2008, 2012 and 2014 held that state governments and political parties should not be permitted to own TV channels or distribution channels.

    In Tamil Nadu where there is a court stay in operation since Phase I, TACTV had warned MSOs and LCOs against switching off analogue signals anywhere in the state after 31 March 2017.

    The sources said that Arasu had been granted provisional licence in 2006 at the time of the Conditional Access System on certain conditions based on the TRAI report but this had not been renewed when Digital Addressable System came into force.

    Also Read:

    Faced with deadline, MIB says all provisional MSOs will be deemed regular

    Arasu gets provisional MSO licence subject to analogue switch-off in three months

  • Pro Kabaddi: Mashal Sports invites tenders to own & manage new team

    MUMBAI: Mashal Sports, in which Star Sports owns 74% stake, has, pursuant to the Invitation for Expression of Interest dated 29 March, has called for expressions of interest (“EOI”) to be submitted by eligible persons, fulfilling the criteria provided for in the Invitation, who wish to participate in a competitive bidding process proposed to be run for the award of the rights to own, operate and manage a proposed new franchise team which will compete in the Pro Kabaddi League owned and operated by Mashal (“PKL”) from and including the PKL seasons to be held in 2017 onwards, on such terms and conditions as agreed with Mashal.

    Pro Kabaddi is now set to expand to up to four new geographies. With the addition of the new teams, Pro Kabaddi is gearing up to surpass other Indian sports leagues in terms of geographic representation (teams from 11 states), number of matches (130+ matches), and duration of the league (13 weeks) in Season 5.

    The intended new states for Pro Kabaddi have been selected very carefully. Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat have been primarily chosen for their high affinity towards Kabaddi with massive fan bases, significant on-ground presence of the sport, and potential commercial value to sponsors and advertisers. Both Haryana and Tamil Nadu contribute large number of players to Pro Kabaddi, as well as leading public sector teams in the country. Along with Uttar Pradesh, these states have a rich cultural tradition of highly popular local Kabaddi tournaments. The intrinsic popularity of Kabaddi in India has been most recently demonstrated in Gujarat where the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup has led to a huge surge in public following of Kabaddi.

    Pro Kabaddi became an instant hit with Indian sports fans in its very first season in 2014 as 435 million* viewers tuned in. This modern league in India’s ancient sport of Kabaddi has continued to grow from strength to strength in subsequent seasons. Its cumulative viewership growth of 51 per cent over four seasons is the highest for any sports league in India. Within a short span of 2 years, Pro Kabaddi has captured the imagination of Indian viewers and established itself as one of the highest impact television properties in key markets. It has even surpassed IPL in Andhra Pradesh and also achieved primetime slot leadership in Mumbai.

    Significantly, the high popularity of Pro Kabaddi as well as 2016 Kabaddi World Cup has evoked continually surging sponsor interest. Pro Kabaddi Season 4 had a total of 64 league and franchise sponsors on board. This fast growing interest from sponsors from diverse sectors of the economy mirrors Kabaddi’s pan-India appeal – cutting across key consumer segments from metropolitan markets to heartland as well as pan-geographical regions. In a remarkably strong endorsement of Kabaddi, the latest edition of an annual report jointly prepared by the leading media investment advisory firm ESP Properties and Sportzpower, a provider of sports business news, states, “…in terms of absolute numbers added to the Sports Sponsorship pie, India’s ancient contact team sport was THE story of 2016.”

    “Even for an optimist like me, the response we have seen for Kabaddi is surprising. Having seen its affinity in the country, it would be a disservice to the sport if we do not grow it further. All stakeholders have decided to come together to expand the league and given the pace at which this is growing, it might be just the first in a series of expansions in the coming years”, said Star India chairman and CEO Uday Shankar.

    A father figure to Indian Kabaddi, International Kabaddi Federation president Janardan Singh Gehlot stated, “Pro Kabaddi is a truly unique example of how a modern league has transformed the much loved but traditional Kabaddi into a modern sport. Star Sports as well as Mashal have created a magnificent example for the growth of India as multi-sport nation.”

    An All India Kabaddi player hunt 2017 was organised by Mashal Sports in association with AKFI as part of its talent development programme across 14 cities in India. Over 4600 participants between the age groups of 18 to 22 years got a chance to showcase their Kabaddi talent. This initiative will play an important role in catalysing the on-ground Kabaddi eco-system and providing a future pipeline of players.

    Mashal Sports is inviting Expression of Interest from reputable corporate entities having a vision for investing in the overall development of the sport from the ground up and participating in the success of PKL through their active involvement as a franchise team. Mashal Sports will shortlist selected interested participants and invite them to participate in a transparent tender process. The selection of the winning bidders will be done by a panel of eminent people based on both qualitative and financial criteria. The process is expected to be completed by 5 May, 2017 providing enough time for the new franchise to prepare for Season 5 starting in July 2017.

    Details of Invitation for Expression of Interest:
    Every EOI in response to the Invitation must be submitted, in accordance with the Invitation, by no later than 11:59 pm IST on 9 April, 2017. Such EOI must be submitted by way of an email (with all relevant attachments) to pkl@mashalsports.com. Every EOI submitted pursuant to the Invitation must contain all of the following information and documents:

    Corporate Profile: A brief overview of the background and history of the bidder, its group and affiliates including promoter and current business and operations.

    PKL Proposal: A brief description of bidder’s reasons for wanting to participate in the PKL, plans for the growth and development of the sport of kabaddi, PKL and the team.

    Sports Experience: Details of any previous experience in any sports related activity, including participation in any sporting leagues, sports sponsorships, sporting bodies, academies or otherwise.

    Certificates: (a) Net worth certificate furnished by a chartered accountant certifying the Net worth of the bidder (or of the parent) as of March 31, 2016, and (b) a certificate executed by an authorized signatory of the bidder certifying compliance with the fit and proper criteria listed below.

    Consortium Information: Details of each consortium member, and a description of each member’s interest in the consortium, including effective voting / controlling interest and economic interest, and identification of the lead member and representative All of the information and documents listed in (a) to (d) above must be provided in respect of each member of the consortium.

    The EOI must contain a certificate, duly executed by the authorized signatory of the bidder (in the case of an EOI submitted by a consortium, duly executed by the authorized signatory of each member of the consortium), certifying each of the following with respect to each bidder and each member of the consortium:

    None of the bidder, its affiliates or any of its or their respective directors, partners, executives or key managerial personnel (each, an “Identified Person”) have been convicted by a court of any offence involving moral turpitude, economic offence, securities laws or fraud;

    No application for winding up, liquidation, bankruptcy or insolvency has been admitted by any court of competent jurisdiction against any Identified Person;

    None of the Identified Persons have been declared insolvent or bankrupt or is subject to striking off, disqualification or de-recognition by any professional body or authority;

    None of the Identified Persons are currently, or have previous been, banned by the governing body of any sport from involvement in the administration of or any form of participation in such sport, for any reason;

    None of the Identified Persons own any form of interest (whether by way of shares, units, securities or any other form of voting or economic interest) in any club, league, team or organization, which is or has previously been expelled from any competition organized by or under the auspices or sanction of any governing body or authority for any sport;

    None of the Identified Persons are, or have previously been involved or interested in, in any manner, the production or provision of goods or services which are illegal; and

    None of the Identified Persons are in default of any of their obligations to a financial institution or have defaulted on any of its obligations to a financial institution in the last 3 (three) financial years.

  • ‘India Design Mark’ honours Hamilton

    MUMBAI: Patronage of good design raises the standard of living. For decades, Hamilton has been consistently developing functional products with optimal practical value using simple but ingenious and distinctive designs. “India Design Mark”, one of the highest design standards in India, honored the Hamilton Design Team with a certificate at their recently held event in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.

    India Design Mark is an enrichment tool granted by India Design Council. It is an autonomous body, established by the Government of India, functioning under the aegis of Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion, Ministry of Commerce & Industry. Two of Hamilton’s innovative products which got this prestigious recognition were the Duplex Bucket and Microwow.

    The products underwent a systemised process of evaluation which constitutes the India Design Mark logo that acts as a symbol of distinguished excellence of the product. With the “India Design Mark” certification, Hamilton has distinguished itself through continuous inventive design and has set new standards.

  • How ‘internet’ mourned Jayalalithaa’s death

    How ‘internet’ mourned Jayalalithaa’s death

    MUMBAI: 5 December, 2016, was a dark day. Not just for Tamil Nadu politics, but for everyone inspired by and believing in the strength of a self-made woman who rose to the senior ranks of leadership.

    Tamil Nadu’s former chief minister and AIADMK supremo J. Jayalalithaa’s death was a shock to the entire nation.

    The announcement itself shrouded in doubts, rumours, misreporting and impending fear of rioting, it set India, and even people abroad, talking about it through social media.

    So much so, that between 4 and 8 December ‘Jayalalithaa – Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’ was the most searched topic on Google search, according to data collated by the digital marketing enterprise Liqvd Asia.

    Mention of ‘Jayalalithaa’ also surged during this span of time.

    ​public://jaya1.jpg​

    If one were the spread out the reception/ reaction of her death on the internet into various platforms, it was clear that most people were mourning her death on Twitter. Twitter lead the discussions with a staggering 97.2 per cent, followed by comments. A total of 609K conversations on her were recording online during this time, as per the data provided by Liqvd Asia.

    ​public://jaya2.jpg​

    Going by regions, Puducherry showed complete interest in the matter with 100 per cent of its online conversation surrounding Jayalalithaa’s death. It followed naturally by Tamil Nadu. 36 per cent of the conversation coming from Andaman And Nicobar Islands too were about Jayalalithaa’s death.

    ​public://jaya3.jpg​

    Globally, while almost 75 per cent of the conversation recorded in India was about Jayalalithaa, the U.S., Malaysia and the UK too were talking about the same.

    ​public://jaya4.jpg​

    (The above story is based on the info-graphics provided by Liqvd Asia)

  • How ‘internet’ mourned Jayalalithaa’s death

    How ‘internet’ mourned Jayalalithaa’s death

    MUMBAI: 5 December, 2016, was a dark day. Not just for Tamil Nadu politics, but for everyone inspired by and believing in the strength of a self-made woman who rose to the senior ranks of leadership.

    Tamil Nadu’s former chief minister and AIADMK supremo J. Jayalalithaa’s death was a shock to the entire nation.

    The announcement itself shrouded in doubts, rumours, misreporting and impending fear of rioting, it set India, and even people abroad, talking about it through social media.

    So much so, that between 4 and 8 December ‘Jayalalithaa – Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’ was the most searched topic on Google search, according to data collated by the digital marketing enterprise Liqvd Asia.

    Mention of ‘Jayalalithaa’ also surged during this span of time.

    ​public://jaya1.jpg​

    If one were the spread out the reception/ reaction of her death on the internet into various platforms, it was clear that most people were mourning her death on Twitter. Twitter lead the discussions with a staggering 97.2 per cent, followed by comments. A total of 609K conversations on her were recording online during this time, as per the data provided by Liqvd Asia.

    ​public://jaya2.jpg​

    Going by regions, Puducherry showed complete interest in the matter with 100 per cent of its online conversation surrounding Jayalalithaa’s death. It followed naturally by Tamil Nadu. 36 per cent of the conversation coming from Andaman And Nicobar Islands too were about Jayalalithaa’s death.

    ​public://jaya3.jpg​

    Globally, while almost 75 per cent of the conversation recorded in India was about Jayalalithaa, the U.S., Malaysia and the UK too were talking about the same.

    ​public://jaya4.jpg​

    (The above story is based on the info-graphics provided by Liqvd Asia)

  • Net subs grow significantly but public Wi-Fi idea flayed

    Net subs grow significantly but public Wi-Fi idea flayed

    MUMBAI: Even as internet subscribers are growing significantly across Indian states, TRAI’s idea of public Wi-Fi has been flayed by stakeholders.

    Maharashtra has recorded the highest number of internet subscribers in India at 29.47 million, followed by Tamil Nadu, Andhra and Karnataka in that order, according to government data. At the end of March 2016, India had a total of 342.65 million subscribers. BharatNet project meantime plans to connect all 2.5 lakh gram panchayats in the country through broadband.

    Delhi had registered 20.59 million internet users, while Kolkata and Mumbai recorded 9.26 million and 15.65 million, respectively.

    Tamil Nadu recorded 28.01 million subscribers, while the neighbouring states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka respectively registered 24.87 million and 22.63 million. Himachal Pradesh saw the lowest number of subscribers at 3.02 million.

    Of the over 342 million subscribers, over 67 per cent are from urban India. At the end of FY16, the rural internet subscriber base stood at 111.94 million. Tamil Nadu recorder the highest number of urban subscribers at 21.16 million, while UP (East) telecom circle is ahead in terms of rural internet customer base at 11.21 million.

    Public Wi-Fi condemned

    Telecom stakeholders recommending an open and cheap internet have raised concerns over privacy and regulatory hurdles following the release of TRAI’s consultation paper on public Wi-Fi.

    The Internet Freedom Foundation co-founder Aravind Ravi Sulekha was apprehensive that the proposed regulations could lead to invasion of privacy and interfere with the freedom of hotspot providers to operate freely. The proposals may turn out to be regressive, Sulekha said.

    TRAI proposed hotspot providers would have to register with the government and users could access hotspots only after paying using a service tied to their Aadhaar number.

    Centre for Internet and Society policy director Pranesh Prakash said that TRAI solution was a classic example of over-regulation and centralism. It turns out that TARI was unclear about the problem to be solved, he added.

  • Net subs grow significantly but public Wi-Fi idea flayed

    Net subs grow significantly but public Wi-Fi idea flayed

    MUMBAI: Even as internet subscribers are growing significantly across Indian states, TRAI’s idea of public Wi-Fi has been flayed by stakeholders.

    Maharashtra has recorded the highest number of internet subscribers in India at 29.47 million, followed by Tamil Nadu, Andhra and Karnataka in that order, according to government data. At the end of March 2016, India had a total of 342.65 million subscribers. BharatNet project meantime plans to connect all 2.5 lakh gram panchayats in the country through broadband.

    Delhi had registered 20.59 million internet users, while Kolkata and Mumbai recorded 9.26 million and 15.65 million, respectively.

    Tamil Nadu recorded 28.01 million subscribers, while the neighbouring states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka respectively registered 24.87 million and 22.63 million. Himachal Pradesh saw the lowest number of subscribers at 3.02 million.

    Of the over 342 million subscribers, over 67 per cent are from urban India. At the end of FY16, the rural internet subscriber base stood at 111.94 million. Tamil Nadu recorder the highest number of urban subscribers at 21.16 million, while UP (East) telecom circle is ahead in terms of rural internet customer base at 11.21 million.

    Public Wi-Fi condemned

    Telecom stakeholders recommending an open and cheap internet have raised concerns over privacy and regulatory hurdles following the release of TRAI’s consultation paper on public Wi-Fi.

    The Internet Freedom Foundation co-founder Aravind Ravi Sulekha was apprehensive that the proposed regulations could lead to invasion of privacy and interfere with the freedom of hotspot providers to operate freely. The proposals may turn out to be regressive, Sulekha said.

    TRAI proposed hotspot providers would have to register with the government and users could access hotspots only after paying using a service tied to their Aadhaar number.

    Centre for Internet and Society policy director Pranesh Prakash said that TRAI solution was a classic example of over-regulation and centralism. It turns out that TARI was unclear about the problem to be solved, he added.

  • Amazon seals Rajini film deal; dares Netflix, hikes sellers’ commissions

    Amazon seals Rajini film deal; dares Netflix, hikes sellers’ commissions

    MUMBAI: Amazon India has signed a content agreement with the Tamil Nadu-based V Creations. The alliance has been negotiated at a time when Amazon is all set to launch Prime Video India, competing with Netflix streaming and Star India’s Hotstar.

    Amazon is bringing the cheapest VOD subscription service in India with Amazon Prime, which comes with a complementary Amazon Prime Video subscription.

    Amazon has been focusing on the two most popular categories in India, that is, sports and of course Bollywood, Mint reported. With this alliance, Prime would have exclusive subscription streaming rights for two of Tamil Nadu’s highest grossing films — Rajnikanth’s Kabali and Theri, a crime drama released earlier this year. Amazon India recently launched its global Prime membership programme, offering fastest product deliveries for an initial fixed price of Rs 499 a year.

    The largest global online retailer Amazon has signed the long-term content partnership with the film production company V Creations when the former is gearing up for launching of its Prime online television service in India which is dubbed as a leading market for entertainment.

    In the UK and the US, Amazon Prime Video is available for $8.99 a month. Now, it is bringing the same service in India for as low as $15 a year. This significantly dents Netflix India regardless of content availability since the subscription price difference is vast.

    As part of its localization efforts, Amazon has been signing content rights in India. Recently, it teamed up with Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions.

    Amazon meanwhile has hiked the sellers’ commission in categories such as electronics, while reducing it in others such as large appliances, after a festive season confrontation with its competitor Flipkart. Amazon at present has over 120,000 sellers on its platform in India.

    Amazon, Snapdeal and Flipkart operate as marketplaces charging fees and other charges for connecting customers with third-party sellers.

  • Amazon seals Rajini film deal; dares Netflix, hikes sellers’ commissions

    Amazon seals Rajini film deal; dares Netflix, hikes sellers’ commissions

    MUMBAI: Amazon India has signed a content agreement with the Tamil Nadu-based V Creations. The alliance has been negotiated at a time when Amazon is all set to launch Prime Video India, competing with Netflix streaming and Star India’s Hotstar.

    Amazon is bringing the cheapest VOD subscription service in India with Amazon Prime, which comes with a complementary Amazon Prime Video subscription.

    Amazon has been focusing on the two most popular categories in India, that is, sports and of course Bollywood, Mint reported. With this alliance, Prime would have exclusive subscription streaming rights for two of Tamil Nadu’s highest grossing films — Rajnikanth’s Kabali and Theri, a crime drama released earlier this year. Amazon India recently launched its global Prime membership programme, offering fastest product deliveries for an initial fixed price of Rs 499 a year.

    The largest global online retailer Amazon has signed the long-term content partnership with the film production company V Creations when the former is gearing up for launching of its Prime online television service in India which is dubbed as a leading market for entertainment.

    In the UK and the US, Amazon Prime Video is available for $8.99 a month. Now, it is bringing the same service in India for as low as $15 a year. This significantly dents Netflix India regardless of content availability since the subscription price difference is vast.

    As part of its localization efforts, Amazon has been signing content rights in India. Recently, it teamed up with Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions.

    Amazon meanwhile has hiked the sellers’ commission in categories such as electronics, while reducing it in others such as large appliances, after a festive season confrontation with its competitor Flipkart. Amazon at present has over 120,000 sellers on its platform in India.

    Amazon, Snapdeal and Flipkart operate as marketplaces charging fees and other charges for connecting customers with third-party sellers.