ITV

Tag: Tata Sky

  • Active DTH subscriber growth subdued in Oct-Dec’16 quarter

    BENGALURU: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) numbers for the quarter ended 31 December 2016 (current quarter, Q3-17) reveal that active DTH subscriber growth in India was lowest since the quarter ended June 2015 (Q2-16) at just 1.2 percent or just 7.5 lakh (0.75 million). In the previous quarter the platform had added 14 lakh (1.4 million) active DTH subscribers and 25.5 lakh active DTH subscribers in Q1-17.

    TRAI reports revealed that the active subscriber base in the country grew to 626.5 lakh (62.65 million) in Q3-17 from 619 lakh (61.9 million) in the immediate trailing quarter (Q2-17). Further, the industry has witnessed a higher growth of registered subscribers at 3 percent as compared to active subscribers in Q2-17 which was at 2.9 percent. In Q2-17 TRAI had reported 941.6 lakh or 94.16 million registered subscribers, which grew to 970.05 crore or 97.005 million in the current quarter.It may be noted that TRAI has been reporting the net active subscriber base including temporarily suspended subscribers that have been inactive for not more than 120 days since Q3-16 (quarter ended 31 December 2015).

    Of the six private players in the Indian DTH ecosystem, three are publically listed and their numbers are available in the public domain – They are in alphabetical order: Airtel Digital TV Services or Airtel DTH which is a small segment/division of Indian telecom major Bharti Airtel Limited; Dish TV, the largest DTH player in the country in terms of number of subscribers; and Videocon d2h.
    public://F1_3.jpg
    Airtel DTH, Dish TV and Videocon d2h have about two thirds (65 percent) of market share of the DTH universe by private players in India. Of the other three players, according to a TRAI report TataSky has a market share of 23 percent, while Sun Direct and Reliance have a market share or 10 percent and 2 percent respectively. It may be noted that at present probably the largest DTH player in India could be the government’s FreeDish, but since it is a free service, no subscriber data is available even with PrasarBharati. Please refer to the chart below:
    public://F2_2.jpg
    For Q3-17, the subscriber growth of the three major players – Airtel DTH, Dish TV and Videocon d2h was more than the industry growth– their combined subscriber base grew 1.6 percent quarter-over-quarter (q-o-q) by 6.33 lakh (0.633 million) to 406.58 lakh (40.658 million) from 400.25 lakh (40.025 million) in the immediate trailing quarter. This means that the major contribution to growth of overall active subscribers – 84.4 percent was by these three players.

    Among the three, Videocon d2h had the highest growth at 2 percent – its subscriber base grew 2.5 lakh (0.25 million) from 125.2 lakh (12.52 million) in Q2-17 to 127.7 lakh (12.77 million) in Q3-17. Airtel DTH subscriber base grew by 1.83 lakh (0.183 million) or 1.5 percent quarter-on-quarter (q-o-q) in Q3-17 to 125.88 lakh (12.588 million) from 124.05 lakh (12.405 million) in Q2-17. Dish TV, the largest private DTH player subscriber base grew by 2 lakh (0.2 million) or 1.3 percent q-o-q to 153 lakh (15.3 million) from 151 lakh (15.1 million).

    Let us see how these three players performed in Q3-17

    Airtel DTH

    Airtel’s Digital TV Services segment (DTH segment) reported 17.7 percent year-on-year (y-o-y) increase in operating revenues for the quarter ended 31 December 2016 (Q3-17, current quarter). Also, Operating Profit (Earnings Before interest and Tax – EBIT) of the DTH segment in the current quarter increased 27.1 percent year-over-year (y-o-y).
    Airtel DTH reported revenues of Rs 873.5 crore in Q3-17 and Rs 742.2 crore in Q3-16. EBIT for the corresponding periods was Rs 68.4 crore (7.8 percent margin of the segment’s operating revenue) and Rs 53.8 crore (7.2 percent margin of the segment’s operating revenue) respectively.
    EBIDTA in Q3-17 also increased y-o-y – by 22.3 percent to Rs 302.6 crore (34.6 percent margin of the segment’s operating revenue) in the current quarter from Rs 247.4 crore (33.3 percent margin of the segment’s operating revenue).
    Airtel’s DTH segment added 14.82 lakh subscribers between Q3-16 and Q3-17, or a 17.3 percent y-o-y increase. It had 125.88 lakh subscribers as on 31 December 2016. Q-o-q, the segment witnessed a 1.5 percent growth (1.83 lakh adds) in subscribers from 124.05 lakh in Q2-17.
    ARPU in Q3-17 increased to Rs 232 from Rs 229 in the corresponding year ago quarter, but remained flat q-o-q as compared to the immediate trailing quarter.

    Dish TV

    Subscription revenue in the current quarter increased 3.3 percent y-o-y to Rs 692.10 crore from Rs 669.90 crore. TIO declined 3 percent to Rs 747.98 crore from Rs 771.48 crore.

    Profit after tax (PAT) declined to almost a third (declined 61.0 Percent) y-o-y to Rs 26.68 crore (3.6 percent margin – of TIO) in Q3-17 from Rs 68.49 crore (8.9 percent margin) in Q3-16. EBIDTA in the current quarter declined 6 percent y-o-y to Rs 249.51 crore (33.4 percent margin) from Rs 265.45 crore (34.4 percent margin).

    Videocon d2h

    Videocon d2h computed subscription and activation revenue in the current quarter wasRs711.2 crore as compared to Rs 710.7 crore in the immediate trailing quarter.

    Continuing the trend is has set in the previous two quarters, Videocon d2h reported a profit after tax (PAT) for Q3-17. The DTH major reported PAT of Rs 21.77 crore (2.8 percent margin) for the current quarter. It had reported PAT of Rs 6.32 crore (0.8 percent margin) for Q2-17, and Rs 2.66 crore (0.3 percent margin) for Q1-16. For the corresponding year ago quarter (Q3-17), the company had reported a loss of Rs 22.05 crore.Adjusted EBIDTA grew 33.2 percent y-o-y to Rs267 crore (35.4 percent margin) in Q3-17.

    The DTH major also reported 13.3 percent y-o-y growth in net subscriber numbers at 127.7 lakh for Q3-17 as compared to 112.70 lakh and a 2 percent quarter-over-quarter (q-o-q) growth from125.2 lakh. Monthly Average revenue per user (ARPU) in the current quarter came in lower at Rs 205as compared to Rs 209 in the immediate trailing quarter.

    Demonetisation impacts DTH industry

    The Media and Entertainment industry has been hit by the recent demonetisation initiatives, and more so the carriage industry. The largest DTH player in terms on subscribers – Dish TV said in its earnings release Q3-17 that it’s could collect subscription revenue from just 30 percent of its subscribers post the demonetisation date of 8 November 2016. Demonetisation was also mentioned by Videocon d2h in its earnings papers. However, the players stepped forward to do their bit for the government’s demonetisation initiatives.

    Dish TV CMDJawaharGoel said,“Subscribers as well as trade partners were extended temporary credit facilities basis their pasttransactions pattern. Subscriber awareness drives to promote alternate methods of paymentwere run both on the ground and on screen in addition to various other initiatives. Looking at the brighter side of it, demonetisation does promise an eventual less-cash dependentpopulation that should use online payment interfaces over cash for DTH recharges. That’s goingto be a boon for the DTH business.”

    Goel is optimistic about the future. He said, “Though demonetisation has led to an initial distress, it also will result in certain structuralchanges that are going to benefit the economy in the long run. As far as our business isconcerned, the effect has already started coming in. As online payment transactions, creditcards and a less-cash society become buzz words today, we are happy to note an increase in ouronline transacting subscriber base from 30 percent to around 38 percent with around 22 digital wallets and thelike being integrated with the company. Every online recharge transaction vis-à-vis EPRS basedtransaction implies savings on recharge commissions paid by us.”

     

  • World Health Day: Tata Sky celebrates ‘happy way of life’

    MUMBAI: Tata Sky is celebrating World Health Day with its ongoing services that help people towards a healthy and happy life.

    The World Health Day is a global health awareness day celebrated every year on 7 April, under the sponsorship of the World Health Organization (WHO). Each year, WHO organises international, regional and local events on the Day related to a particular theme. This year, the theme of the day is to tackle Depression: Let’s Talk.

    According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 350 million people worldwide suffer from depression– the main cause of ill-health and disability across the globe, according to figures from the World Health Organisation.

    The world hence needs to find more options of ‘Being Happy’. Tata Sky enlists how some unique services that can bring smiles to millions. These 24×7 services can be subscribed or watched at any point in time on Tata Sky’s DTH service or their mobile app.

    Comedy = Smile = Happiness

    Dance = Health = Happiness

    Explore meaning of Life = Calm mind = Happiness

    Fitness = Active Self = Happiness

    Explore meaning of Life = Calm mind = Happiness

  • No-frills, non-agenda Patrika channel wants to air news – unequivocally

    MUMBAI: The art of communicating simple yet hard-hitting information sometimes termed as journalism for arming and guarding people at large, which seemed to have lost its significance in the cacophony of television channels, brand heralds, entertainment and event noises, may gradually gain importance if the idealistic Arnab and the likes were to succeed.

    One more crucial addition to the profession of news publication is the unique channel, Patrika TV Rajasthan, which assures to be non-political, non-agenda, non-entertainment, serious and responsible news channel from the legendary house of print journalism.

    The Patrika group has now forayed into TV news channel by launching a free-to-air Hindi news channel Patrika TV Rajasthan. The channel started airing on 5 April, thus joining the likes of Times and ABP groups.

    The news channel by just-turned-multimedia group is being led by Rajasthan Patrika group vice-president B R Singh and group deputy editor Bhuvnesh Jain, who will oversee content as well. The group believes in trusting their own people, and therefore, instead of hiring people from the market, they recast their internal team for television roles.

    The channel is available in HD feed and will air news content from 6am to 11pm. The programming content of the channel caters to news from all genres, such as — politics, socio-cultural, environment, business and markets, sports, youth and women-centric issues, music, culture, art and other special events.

    A standard day for the news channel starts with Dharam Karam, a show based on spirituality followed by Sehat aur Zindagi at 6:30 am, and then news updates from Rajasthan at 7am. The channel has lined up some interesting segments such as ‘She News’ aired at 11.30am, which will take up women-centric issues. ‘She Leads’ at 4pm will focus on women leaders.

    Patrika primetime, a debate on the latest issues, is also a part of the bouquet. Sports news will be aired at 7pm, and at 10:30 pm, Primetime 2 will be telecast — it will have discussion on important issues.

    At present, the channel is available on two DTH platforms, Tata Sky and Airtel Digital TV. “We are in talks with other players as well. We will also be taking the channel on major cable operators as well as local. We are in talks with Den and Hathway,” BR Singh told www.indiantelevision.com.

    Singh said, “Patrika group is known for its idealistic journalism and credibility. We are not here to compete with anyone. We are known for value journalism, and with this ideology, we have launched the news channel.”

    The news channel is also accessible on mobile phones. Singh informed that the network has 2000 reporters and experts spread across the country. The reporters can capture the news on their mobile devices and through CCMS software they can transfer the file to the broadcast centre at a much faster than standard time.

    A component content management system (CCMS) is a content management system that manages content at a granular level (component) rather than at the document level. Each component represents a single topic, concept or asset (for example an image, table, product description, a procedure).

    Generally, when a channel is launched, the first question that comes to one’s mind is about investment. Here, the case seems to be different.

    The channel is following an economic model, and how. Patrika Group seems to have designed a unique cost-efficient format.

    The group has skipped investing in a massive infrastructure generally required to establish a new channel. They already own huge office space and a significant cost saving has been done by utilising internal resources in terms of staff.

    The cost of setting up studios, investing in cameras and allied equipment has been curtailed since the new model uses CCMS. Patrika TV Rajasthan is now out to capture the television universe through its no-frills model.

    A pen is definitely mightier than the sword. Whether a branded, expensive or fancy pen is important or the thought, conviction and resolve behind the draft is significant, time will tell.

  • BARC India in talks with DTH ops, MSOs for RPD to boost robustness

    NEW DELHI: India’s incumbent audience measurement organization Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC) is in talks with DTH operators and MSOs for return path data (RPD) via their respective digital set-top boxes at customer premises to augment the robustness of viewership vital stats it dishes out.

    What does this mean?  It entails capturing passive data collection of household viewership from digital cable and DTH homes via existing set-top-boxes (STBs). This would therefore enable measurement based on a larger sample.

    Broadcast industry sources while confirming that talks are on between BARC India and various DTH operators for additional data that can be generated from non-BARC meters, added that the findings can help almost all stakeholders in the media to further fine-tune their strategies regarding consumer targeting. According to the buzz, talks are on with the likes of Airtel DTH, Sun DTH, Hathway, Tata Sky and DEN among others.

    The proposal on RPD is in addition to moves that BARC India has been making over the last six months to give more credibility and robustness to its data as also insulate itself from allegations of hacking and other malpractices. The organization, in this regard, is also proposing to revamp its Ethics Committee into a Disciplinary Committee that will have semi-judicial powers under a retired court judge.

    TV viewership in India is monitored and measured on the basis of 20,000 BARC India panel homes — that is, homes where it has its BAR-o-Meters installed. BARC is committed to raise that number every year by 10K to reach a total panel of 50,000 homes. However, Indian media industry sources also highlighted the issue whether Indian the eco-system can support an audience panel size larger than what has been planned for as any additional data generated via BARC India and non-BARC boxes would entail a financial cost, which would have to be borne, at the end of the day, by the industry players.

    RPD would substantially increase the sampled base for BARC India, helping further improve accuracy of its data. A larger sample will also minimize effect of any skews in sampling and make tampering difficult. Additional data would also help in reporting viewership of niche channels, apart from helping the measurement organization in reporting VoD, OTT, time shifted viewing and HD channels. Stats regarding smaller geographic regions and split beams of TV channels too would become possible.
    Such tie-ups will also help BARC India’s DTH/cable partners gain insights into TV viewing within their subscriber base in terms of linear TV, VoD and interactive services. Such data also likely to help them understand utilization of content packs and guide the pricing and packaging of services of platform operators.

    Meanwhile, RPD has been employed by data collectors in more developed and matured TV markets like the US, the UK, Australia and also in some parts of Asia for quite some time now. “The ubiquity of digital set-top boxes means that many cable and satellite operators can collect subscriber behaviours as a by-product of their subscriber management processes. Specifically, return path data can provide an economical way for the cable and satellite businesses to enhance the currency TV audience measurement in a manner dedicated to the needs of the multi-channel television industry,” Hong Kong-headquartered Asian media industry organization CASBAA had stated in one of its recent reports on multi-channel advertising in APAC.

    The FCC’s proposal to open cable set-top boxes to competition had thrust them into the spotlight. In 2016 when the Obama-government nominated FCC chief had proposed to throw open the STBs to competition and third-party manufacturers, Multichannel News had reported that “the role that STBs play not as content portals, but as providers of return-path data (RPD)” too is important.

    ALSO READ:

    Total TV universe up to 183 mn; rate of rural growth higher

    BARC separates urban and rural viewership data
     

     

  • Tata Sky brings global content for Indians, premiering Gomorrah on 19 Mar

    MUMBAI: Tata Sky, India’s innovative content distribution platform, has launched Tata Sky World Series – the exclusive home of much admired global content. The pop-up service will premiere first with popular Italian language crime drama, Gomorrah, on 19 March.

    Tata Sky, a joint venture between the Tata Sons and 21st Century Fox, is one of India’s leading content distribution platform providing Pay TV and OTT services.

    ‘Gomorrah’ will be the first TV series on Tata Sky World Series and shall run for one month with English subtitles. On television, the pop-up service, Tata Sky World Series will run one new episode a day along with previous episodes available throughout the day. Gomorrah will be available to all Tata Sky subscribers for a period of one month via Tata Sky’s Set-Top-Box & Tata Sky Mobile App at no additional cost.

    Tata Sky Chief Content & Business Development Officer Paolo Agostinelli said, “Tata Sky constantly pushes the boundaries of innovation by providing an assorted and rich array of content to our subscribers on platforms of their choice; be it the Set-Top-Box or the Tata Sky Mobile App. This new service will enable our subscribers to consume global content which otherwise would not have reached the Indian sub-continent through the conventional mediums of television. Gomorrah being the first of many international TV shows on Tata Sky World Series, is a scintillating drama on the much-romanced Italian Mafia, that will keep audiences on the edge of their seats.”

    Today subscribers are increasingly involved on social media and latch on to popular content digitally. In line with this trend, the ‘Tata Sky World Series’ service will be accessible on Tata Sky On-demand for binge watching, for the entire month, both on STBs and on digital devices via Tata Sky Mobile.

    Tata Sky World Series will showcase fresh and exciting global content from Italy, UK, Cuba, Norway, Czech Republic and South Korea on Indian screens exclusively for Tata Sky subscribers throughout the year.

    ‘Gomorrah’ is Italy’s popular television series based on the best-selling book by the journalist Roberto Saviano. The novel has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide and inspired the film Gomorrah, which won the 2008 Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. The series, set in the suburbs of Naples in Italy, focuses on the inside story of the Camorra, the fierce Neapolitan crime organization, and is told through the eyes of Ciro Di Marzio (Marco D’Amore), the right hand of the clan’s godfather, Pietro Savastanno (Fortunato Cerlino).

  • Movies channel Star Gold Select HD goes live today on Tata Sky & Cable TV

    MUMBAI: One of India’s largest broadcaster of entertainment, movies and sports, Star India Network, has announced the launch of its fourth Hindi movies channel – Star Gold Select HD. An exclusively HD channel Star Gold Select will serve carefully curated, meaningful stories from Indian cinema on television to a discerning audience. The channel will go live on 6 March, and will be available on Tata Sky and digital cable platforms.

    Star general manager – Hindi movies cluster Hemal Jhaveri adds “From a Hindi movie content-consumption point of view, it’s safe to say that India is at its best stage so far. Movie lovers across the country are looking for differentiated content in films, television and digital. With the launch of this channel, we will cater to this need with our handpicked movies that have a compelling storyline”.

    Currently, movies on television are intermittently consumed and often times, breaks and repeats lead to a less-than-ideal viewing experience. Star Gold Select HD is committed to bringing the multiplex-experience of watching movies to the comfort of our homes. To stay true to this commitment, apart from its lineup of distinguished content, every movie will have just one break. The channel promises to premiere one movie every week at the 9 pm prime slot.

    “Each of our movie channels offers a unique proposition to our consumer. With Indian cinema taking a leap with regards to content, we believe that there is a growing need for movies with great storytelling to have their own destination on television. This is the genesis of Star Gold Select HD. The channel packaging is clean and minimalistic making it easy to navigate through content. , with just one interval in every single movie, every day, delivering an enjoyable in-home movie experience,” adds Jhaveri.

    Star India is all set to launch Star Gold Select HD with its integrated marketing campaign on television, leveraging the STAR network strength, on digital, and radio. Along with this, a multi-city cinema plan has been designed to drive awareness with passionate movie lovers. Star Gold Select HD is a step forward in the direction of bringing great stories to its viewers in an engaged, enjoyable manner.

  • Big Magic to air ‘Akbar’ from 20 Feb

    MUMBAI: BIG Magic, a variety general entertainment channel, adds yet another unique offering to its bouquet of shows with the launch of a first-of-its-kind historic drama, ‘Akbar’. The show aims to unravel the prodigious journey of the Mughal emperor right from the days of his childhood, and traces his path to the throne in a manner that has never been projected before on Indian television. The show boasts of a stellar cast, including child actor Bhavesh as Akbar, in addition to talented artists Ankur Nayyar, Rishina Kandhari, Hetal Yadav, andKareem Hanjee among others. ‘Akbar’ will be aired from February 20, every Monday to Friday at 7 PM on BIG Magic.

    Speaking about the new show, spokesperson from BIG Magic said, “We are extremely happy to announce our new offering ‘Akbar’, which is relatable, inspiring and laced with unknown facts from Mughal history. People have always known Akbar as a powerful emperor, but this show unveils the struggle he went through as a child, before going on to acquire the throne. The show is unique because it offers a side of the emperor that has never been portrayed before to popular masses. Catering to all age groups, the show promises to be a family entertainer, and we hope to continue catering to the aims and aspirations of a large and steadily growing audience base.”

    BIG Magic’s ‘Akbar’ will inspire viewers with its effective storyline, by showcasing the hardships of a young boy who went on to become a brilliant ruler, thereby contradicting popular belief that the throne did not come easily to him. The show will be driven by a 360-degree marketing approach, to reach out to the target markets through its various multi media campaigns on TV, radio, on-ground and digital.

    BIG Magic is available across all DTH players such as Tata Sky, Airtel, Videocon, Dish TV, Reliance Digital TV along with all cable operators including Hathway, DD Free Dish, Incable, Digicable, DEN, 7 Star, ABS, Siticable, Star Broadband and GTPL amongst others.

    Promo link- https://we.tl/Vdwhskvm7P

  • Somani to lead Shemaroo’s DTH business

    Somani to lead Shemaroo’s DTH business

    MUMBAI: Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd, one of the leading content houses appoints Subhash Somani to head DTH business for the company. Prior to joining Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd, he was working for Videocon d2h as Senior Manager – Content. In Shemaroo Entertainment, he will be responsible for driving the scale of business to next level. He will be primarily looking into Content Strategy, Business Development & Revenue. Also, he will lead & manage strategic partnerships with broadcasters/studios and will be playing key role in new initiatives & launches.

    Somani has over seven years of experience in diverse roles in Media & Entertainment sector. In his last tenure with Videocon d2h, he was primarily involved in content acquisition and launch of new value added services (VAS) for d2h platform.

    Shemaroo director Hiren Gada said “Subhash is a part of the DTH industry since its nascent stage and has deep understanding of the market. With an addition of new perspective and experience in the team, we believe, we will be able to leverage the platform to the fullest.”

    Somani shared his thoughts, “Now when Shemaroo is expanding its DTH services, we plan to leverage the trust value it has created in the partners and consumers. We are at cusp of opportunities for DTH business in the country and with a company that has one of the largest content libraries, I believe sky is the limit.”

    Shemaroo recently forayed into DTH business and today stands among the leading players in the industry. The company has tied up with all the DTH players including Tata Sky, Airtel Digital, Videocon d2h and Dish TV. Shemaroo offers a bouquet of VAS services on all the major DTH platforms covering multiple genres. These offerings range from devotional services like iDevotion and Sajda to special service tailored to fulfill the needs of bollywood buffs like Miniplex and Sadabahar Hits. It also includes regional services like Relamchhel and Punjabi Tadka.

  • Sony targets 9m HD subs & diaspora with youth-focused Rox in Dolby quality

    Sony targets 9m HD subs & diaspora with youth-focused Rox in Dolby quality

    MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Network India (SPN) has launched its second channel in music genre. The group has strengthened its position in the Hindi music space bringing in Sony Rox HD, a youth-focused contemporary Hindi music high-definition channel.

    Sony Rox HD launched across key direct-to-home (DTH) and digital cable platforms such as Tata Sky, Fastway, In Cable and UCN, among other. It will showcase latest Hindi film music in high-definition visual format of 1080i resolution that is enhanced by Dolby Audio.

    True to its positioning of being a youth-focused music channel, Sony ROX HD revealed the channel look and offerings at a music-styled event that included a special performance by the first two ROX original artistes in Mumbai. The event was witnessed by select media as well as the millions of followers of the SPN network channels simulcast on Facebook Live.

    Served through a day-parted playout with unique programming initiatives, the latest channel on the block promises to be the most exciting. Its tagline: ‘Music Melody Madhoshi’ captures the approach of taking the core ingredient of the genre i.e. ‘Music’, curating and treating it through the perspective of beautiful music i.e.‘Melody’ to transcend the music experience on Sony Rox HD to a high of ‘Madhoshi’.

    Speaking at the launch, SPN CEO NP Singh said, “In the last few years, as a network, we have been growing aggressively. We have been launching more channels and expanding our portfolio in all the genres. When we launched Sony Mix, that was the first time we were getting into Bolllywood music. Six months post the launch, Mix has become the number one channel in the Hindi music space. Building on this gratifying experience, we decided to launch Hindi music super premium channel which is youth focused and which will offer you good quality video i.e 1080i with Dolby Audio. I am confident that Sony Rox HD too will be the leader in the Hindi music space.”

    SPN Hindi movies and music sluster senior EVP and business head Neeraj Vyas said, “A youth-focused contemporary Hindi music channel Sony Rox HD’s music content and programming initiatives will make it the leading hangout destination on television for 15-21-year olds. We are a ‘True-Blue HD Hindi Music Channel’ ensuring our viewers enjoy music that looks good, sounds great and feels awesome.” Speaking to indiantelevision.com, Vyas said that Sony Rox would be primarily targeting the nine million HD homes in India and the sub-continental diaspora across the globe. With Dolby collaboration, he said, Sony Rox aimed at enhancing the sound quality for the music aficianados.

    To a question on the DTH traffic moving on to OTT/VOD platforms, Vyas quipped: “It’s going to take time (in India),” adding that, in the west, in spite of good penetration of Internet and that too at a high speed, television still was a growing phenomenon.

    One of the channel specials: ‘Rox Original artiste of the Month’ sets Rox HD as the first ongoing platform for upcoming Indie artistes on the national television. At the center of it all is a comprehensive music content acquisition strategy ensuring tie-ups with all the leading labels in contemporary music such as T-series, Zee Music, Sony Music, YRF, Eros Music, UTV-Disney and Tips, etc.

    Dolby Laboratories emerging markets senior director Pankaj Kedia said, “Great sound is essential for a complete cinematic entertainment experience and Dolby is excited to work with Sony Rox HD to unveil a dynamic audio experience for consumers. Together with Sony Rox HD, we aim to transform the way music is consumed in the country.”

    The channel will be promoted extensively across all Sony Pictures Networks’ HD channels, carrier platforms, coupled with print, a robust digital and social media presence to engage with audiences at different touch points.

  • Sony targets 9m HD subs & diaspora with youth-focused Rox in Dolby quality

    Sony targets 9m HD subs & diaspora with youth-focused Rox in Dolby quality

    MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Network India (SPN) has launched its second channel in music genre. The group has strengthened its position in the Hindi music space bringing in Sony Rox HD, a youth-focused contemporary Hindi music high-definition channel.

    Sony Rox HD launched across key direct-to-home (DTH) and digital cable platforms such as Tata Sky, Fastway, In Cable and UCN, among other. It will showcase latest Hindi film music in high-definition visual format of 1080i resolution that is enhanced by Dolby Audio.

    True to its positioning of being a youth-focused music channel, Sony ROX HD revealed the channel look and offerings at a music-styled event that included a special performance by the first two ROX original artistes in Mumbai. The event was witnessed by select media as well as the millions of followers of the SPN network channels simulcast on Facebook Live.

    Served through a day-parted playout with unique programming initiatives, the latest channel on the block promises to be the most exciting. Its tagline: ‘Music Melody Madhoshi’ captures the approach of taking the core ingredient of the genre i.e. ‘Music’, curating and treating it through the perspective of beautiful music i.e.‘Melody’ to transcend the music experience on Sony Rox HD to a high of ‘Madhoshi’.

    Speaking at the launch, SPN CEO NP Singh said, “In the last few years, as a network, we have been growing aggressively. We have been launching more channels and expanding our portfolio in all the genres. When we launched Sony Mix, that was the first time we were getting into Bolllywood music. Six months post the launch, Mix has become the number one channel in the Hindi music space. Building on this gratifying experience, we decided to launch Hindi music super premium channel which is youth focused and which will offer you good quality video i.e 1080i with Dolby Audio. I am confident that Sony Rox HD too will be the leader in the Hindi music space.”

    SPN Hindi movies and music sluster senior EVP and business head Neeraj Vyas said, “A youth-focused contemporary Hindi music channel Sony Rox HD’s music content and programming initiatives will make it the leading hangout destination on television for 15-21-year olds. We are a ‘True-Blue HD Hindi Music Channel’ ensuring our viewers enjoy music that looks good, sounds great and feels awesome.” Speaking to indiantelevision.com, Vyas said that Sony Rox would be primarily targeting the nine million HD homes in India and the sub-continental diaspora across the globe. With Dolby collaboration, he said, Sony Rox aimed at enhancing the sound quality for the music aficianados.

    To a question on the DTH traffic moving on to OTT/VOD platforms, Vyas quipped: “It’s going to take time (in India),” adding that, in the west, in spite of good penetration of Internet and that too at a high speed, television still was a growing phenomenon.

    One of the channel specials: ‘Rox Original artiste of the Month’ sets Rox HD as the first ongoing platform for upcoming Indie artistes on the national television. At the center of it all is a comprehensive music content acquisition strategy ensuring tie-ups with all the leading labels in contemporary music such as T-series, Zee Music, Sony Music, YRF, Eros Music, UTV-Disney and Tips, etc.

    Dolby Laboratories emerging markets senior director Pankaj Kedia said, “Great sound is essential for a complete cinematic entertainment experience and Dolby is excited to work with Sony Rox HD to unveil a dynamic audio experience for consumers. Together with Sony Rox HD, we aim to transform the way music is consumed in the country.”

    The channel will be promoted extensively across all Sony Pictures Networks’ HD channels, carrier platforms, coupled with print, a robust digital and social media presence to engage with audiences at different touch points.