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Tag: Tata Sky

  • Star Sports fuels team YUWA’s aspiration to play the USA Cup

    Star Sports fuels team YUWA’s aspiration to play the USA Cup

    MUMBAI: STAR Sports successfully completed a fund-raiser campaign that turned the dream of the immensely talented girls from YUWA into reality, as they participate in the coveted football tournament USA Cup, to be held in Minnesota from July 15 to July 19. The USA Cup is one of the largest youth tournaments in the world with more than 1000 teams participating.

     

    YUWA, an NGO based in Jharkhand and led by an American national Mr. Franz Gastler, uses football as a platform to combat child marriage and human trafficking in India and instils confidence and skills in young women affected by such social evils. The girls from YUWA, with their incredible talent and unflinching dedication, have victoriously crossed over several hurdles, fighting multiple ills that plagued their lives, such as poverty, malnutrition and gender-discrimination. They have deeply inspired millions around the world with their achievements, as they made the headlines last year by bagging a Bronze medal in an international youth tournament, the Gasteiz Cup held in Spain.

     

    The girls from YUWA never failed to persevere and relentlessly made countless efforts under the rigorous training from their mentors to participate in the globally prestigious football tournament, USA Cup. While the girls battled against all odds with their hard work and focus to reach greater heights, travelling to the United States for the tournament was the only obstacle in their way. STAR Sports, committed to spurt sports development in the country at the grassroots level, stepped in to support the girls to participate at the games. The network further went on to tell the deeply inspiring tale of the girls through a gripping TV campaign in the month of May to muster mass support, creating a cycle of attracting more funds. Corporate organizations and people across the length and breadth of the country happily came forward to help Team YUWA realize their dream journey to the US.

     

    In addition to Star Sports funding the travel the campaign gathered funds from major corporations, such as market research firm Quantum, DTH service provider Tata Sky, electronic major Lenovo and people from all over the country through a web-based crowd-funding platform called Ketto.

     

    Mr. Nitin Kukreja, President – Sports, STAR India, expressed his delight on this achievement, “We are extremely pleased to have led this initiative to a fruitful conclusion. The story of the YUWA girls touched our hearts and we wanted to make an honest effort to fulfil their dream of participating in the USA Cup. We, at STAR, truly believe that sports have the power to transform the lives of people and Team YUWA is a great example of it. I would also like to take this opportunity to wish the girls great success and hope that they have a good time out there.”

     

    This initiative by STAR Sports comes in-line with the media conglomerate’s promise of creating local heroes in the country and spawn a new sporting culture. As part of this commitment, STAR has also heavily invested in nurturing international and national leagues for various sports such as hockey, football and kabaddi.

     

    Mr. Franz Gastler, Founder and Executive Director, YUWA said, “I’d like to say a huge Thank You to Star Sports from all of us at Yuwa for the work they have done. The campaign has been a huge success since its launch and I can’t understate how much buzz has been created around Yuwa in this short amount of time. Our inbox has been flooded daily with messages of support. We’re truly proud to see the brand Star Sports on our jerseys”

     

    Team YUWA will be India’s only representative in the USA Cup, which allows teams to participate under various age groups across 9 years and 19 years.

  • DTH licence fee case adjourned yet again

    DTH licence fee case adjourned yet again

    NEW DELHI: The petition by the private direct-to-home (DTH) operators challenging the notice of the government for clearing arrears of licence fees has been adjourned once again. Reason: the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) wants to first decide on a similar case relating to actual gross revenue with regard to telecom.

     

    Earlier, chairman Aftab Alam and Kuldeep Singh had adjourned the matter from 23 May to 8 July as the operators had not filed their rejoinders to the reply by the government.

     

    The adjournment was allowed on a mention by the counsel for the various DTH operators.

     
    TDSAT also noted that the earlier assurance by the government that it will not pressurise the operators in this regard till the case is taken up for hearing will continue.

     

    The petitioners have alleged that the demand by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry is contempt of court as the matter in this regard is pending in the Supreme Court.

     

    However, Information and Broadcasting Ministry secretary Bimal Julka had earlier told indiantelevision.com that the apex court had not issued any stay order. However, the government had filed a caveat in this regard, conscious that the TDSAT or the Supreme Court may be moved in the matter.

     
    The Ministry had earlier this year sent a notice to the six private DTH operators with regard to licence fee dues amounting to Rs 2,066 crore. The private operators are Tata Sky, Dish TV, Airtel Digital TV, Reliance Big TV, Sun Direct and Videocon d2h.

     

    According to the notice, the six private operators had been asked to pay the amount within 15 days.

     
    However, most of the operators contacted said they had cleared the dues of licence fee.

     
    The operators say the licence fee as demanded under the rules is on gross revenue (GR) whereas they have been asked to pay the fee on the basis of Actual Gross Revenue (AGR). The operators have said the fee should be only on subscription revenue and not on allied earnings such as dividend and interest income. 
     
    Even as the matter was pending, Tata Sky had in April made a payment of Rs 383 crore to the Ministry to cover its license fee and other dues. A demand draft of the amount was submitted to the Ministry, even as other operators had said that they would prefer to wait till the next hearing.
     
    Tata Sky said the amount covered the license fee for the year 2013-14 according to the rate specified for license as well as past dues.

     

  • Tata Sky demos 4K TV with FIFA World Cup quarter-final match

    Tata Sky demos 4K TV with FIFA World Cup quarter-final match

    MUMBAI: The era of India being a country that lags behind the more developed nations is gone. Indian  DTH operators in the country are waking up, ancticipating  future desires of Indian TV viewers. Which is why one of the oldest and largest DTH operators Tata Sky, is keeping itself and its subscribers up to date with the  introduction of its 4k Ultra HD service.

     

    The first quarter of 2015 will see Tata Sky roll out its set top boxes (STBs) for its 4k Ultra HD service. The STBs are being made by Technicolor and are based on the high efficiency video coding (HEVC) format that 4k uses the world over. However, prices of the STB are not yet known as the DTH operator wants to reveal it closer to the commercial launch date.

     

    At a demonstration event in Mumbai, Tata Sky along with Sony Six unveiled the 4k UHD service with a live uninterrupted broadcast of the France versus Germany FIFA World Cup 2014 quarter final. The FIFA 4k signal rights had been bought by Sony Six while the cost of acquisition and transmission was split 50:50 by the broadcaster and the operator. The telecast took place live via satellite transmission.  

     

    Indiantelevision.com readers will note that Videocon d2h had previewed its 4K service on 3 July 2014 too, a day before Tata Sky..

     

    Even though most industry professionals  claim that it is too early to launch 4k Ultra HD in India, Tata Sky chief commercial officer Vikram Mehra feels otherwise. “When we launched HD in 2010, people doubted us saying it won’t work. As you keep enhancing TV experience, the viewer will appreciate it. So, Ultra HD is our endeavour in that area. A technology becomes popular when mainline pay-TV adopts it.”

     

    Mehra feels that movies and sports will be the initial drivers for 4k technology and talks with broadcasters have already commenced. In three to four years, he expects it to be the way of life for most Indian TV viewers. Even though currently there is a lack of 4K content, he feels that it isn’t too far away. “We will make a product that makes sense to the customer. Customers will not buy STBs to adorn their homes. They will buy it for content,” he says.

     

    Sony Six business head Prasana Krishnan feels that more sporting events should be produced in 4K soon, probably in the next year or so. “4K is the future of broadcasting, specially sports. We saw technology move from SD to HD and now HD has become standard. 4K is next,” he says. Krishnan is aware that a full-fledged 4K channel can’t be expected very soon. Big sporting events will have 4K production on crucial days such as the finals, while the run up matches will be in HD and SD.

     

    The 4K screening of the FIFA World Cup 2014 quarter finals that took place in Mumbai yesterday, 4 July saw the Sony Six logo being superimposed on the FIFA feed on an 84 inch Sony television set that is soon to be launched in India and across the world. 4K screens give four times the clarity as compared to an HD feed.

     

    Mehra  was not willing to venture any guesstimates about how much uptake the Tata Sky 4K service will have when it launches next year as he feels making futuristic statements is of no use. However, the fact that the DTH operator is confident about its prospects is clear from the contract that it has signed with Technicolor, according to which deliveries of 4K set top boxes in “volume” are expected to commence in early 2015.

     

    Adds Mehra: “We started active service in 2007 and today we have 2.9million people paying Rs 45 each for them. Close to 65 per cent of our STBs sold today are HD. This from our total subscriber base of 13.5 million.” It is pertinent to note that Tata Sky, since late last year, has stopped buying any more SD boxes.

  • RC Venkateish elected as president of DTH Operators Association

    RC Venkateish elected as president of DTH Operators Association

    MUMBAI: A new face will be representing the six direct to home (DTH) operators. In a meeting, held by the DTH Operators Association of India, Dish TV CEO RC Venkateish was unanimously elected as the new president for a term of one year.

     

    The earlier president was Tata Sky MD and CEO Harit Nagpal who was the president for three years. Unlike the earlier rule, where the elected president served a term of three years, it has been now decided that the term will be for one year which can be extendable by another year.

     

    Speaking to indiantelevision.com, Venkateish expressed delight on his new role. “Of course I am happy but it also means more work to be done,” he says. He takes office from 1 August 2014.

     

    The association has also decided that from now on it will hold regular meetings every quarter to address issues.

  • Discovery Kids to air new season of ‘Sally Bollywood’

    Discovery Kids to air new season of ‘Sally Bollywood’

    MUMBAI: In its endeavor tobring enduring characters and compelling stories, Discovery Kids presents a brand new season of its popularseries SALLY BOLLYWOOD.  The series revolves around Sally Bollywood, a 12 year old young Indian girl who lives in the city of Cosmopolis. Little Sally is the smartest girl in school and knows how to solve a mystery because she’s learnt from her investigator dad Harry Bollywood. Watch SALLY BOLLYWOOD on July 1st, Monday to Saturday at 2pm only on Discovery Kids.

     

    SALLY BOLLYWOOD advocates the power of imaginative minds through solvingchallenging cases. A unique India offering, the series has a distinct Bollywood flair that willappeal to kids across the country.Packed with exciting escapades, Sally and her team set out to investigate and solve mysteriesthat unfold right in the heart of her school or neighbourhood.

     

    Inspired by her father, Harry Bollywood, who is a private detective, Sally started her own investigation service that is run with the assistance of her best friend and technology whiz, DoweeMcAdam. When she’s not helping her community out – whether it’s investigating how her classmate’s hair turned green or finding the culprit behind a tampered exhibit at the local museum – Sally loves to sing and dance in Bollywood style.

     

    Rahul Johri, Executive Vice President and General Manager, South Asia and Head of Revenue, Pan-Regional Ad Sales and Southeast Asia, Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific said, “Discovery Kids offers differentiated content that strikes an instant chord with kids and parents alike. Sally Bollywood is one of kids’ favourite television characters that combineshumourand intelligence.”  

     

    Discovery Kids covers a variety of programming ranging from iconic global content to multiple India-themed series. Committed to offer a comprehensive viewing experience and cater to diverse demands of Indian kids, Discovery Kids programming formats include highest-quality animation and engaging live action series under multiple genres such as adventure, mythology, nature and science.

     

    Discovery Kids is available in Hindi, English and Tamil languages across India on both analogue and DTH platforms including Tata Sky, Dish TV, Reliance DTH, Airtel Digital and Videocon D2H.

  • DTH ops latch onto the FIFA juggernaut

    DTH ops latch onto the FIFA juggernaut

    MUMBAI: The world is in the grip of football fever and India isn’t far behind, though it is traditionally a cricket-crazy country where an Indian Premiere League would score any day higher than a FIFA in terms of fan frenzy.

     

    As aficionados prepare to settle down in front of the idiot box, popcorn and coke in tow, DTH operators are doing all they can to woo customers with special services and what not during the World Cup.

     

    A strategy adopted by almost all DTH operators is to offer Sony Six free for the entire duration of FIFA to all new subscribers taking a connection between June and the FIFA finale. While Tata Sky, Sun Direct and Airtel DTH are offering the channel free-of-charge to all their new subscribers, Dish TV is offering it only to its new subscribers and also to Zing subscribers. “FIFA viewing pockets are West Bengal, Odisha, Kerala and urban cities. So when compared to cricket, it isn’t as big an event in India,” says Dish TV CEO RC Venkateish.

     

    Additionally, Tata Sky and Videocon d2h have timed the launch of two of their services to coincide with the beginning of FIFA. Tata Sky has launched its TV Everywhere application for desktops and laptops, which was hitherto only available on Android and iOS smartphones. Furthermore, Sony Six is the new addition to the list of channels available on the app that would be available to subscribers at the same cost of Rs 60 per month. Tata Sky COO Vikram Mehra says, “The service launch has been timed just before the football World Cup to ensure that the home laptop doubles as the second TV at home, thus allowing youngsters to watch late night football matches on their laptops and headphones without disturbing their entire family.”

     

    Whereas, Videocon d2h has recently launched its earphone service through which, viewers can connect to radio frequency remotes and watch TV. “We have been working on this proposition for our consumers for quite some time. As per extensive research done by us, the typical Indian male consumer likes to watch content late night. Mostly consumption is of sports and movies. Given that in a typical Indian household, television is in the bedroom, volume becomes an issue. With a huge following for the World Cup in India and its late night timing, it coincided well with our plans,” says Videocon d2h CEO Anil Khera. Special product offerings will be provided for headphone remote-enabled set top boxes.

     

    Even Sun Direct’s existing customers, who take a recharge of six months or more, can watch Sony Six free during the FIFA period. Those who don’t have Sony Six in their packs can avail the FIFA add-on for a special price of Rs 39 for the duration of the World Cup or buy Sony Six at Rs 30 per month. A mix of above the line (ATL), below the line (BTL), digital and PR activities have been planned close to the beginning of the World Cup. ATL is through radio, TV and focus on Kerala; BTL is through posters, leaflets and wobblers; while other activities are through SMS, OBD and blogs. The operator has already received nearly 40,000 requests for Sony Six.

     

    Dish TV and its second brand Zing are banking not just on Sony Six but also on Sony Aath which will be providing commentary in Bangla. Says Dish TV VP marketing Anjali Malhotra, ”Zing caters to a larger language customer base. Sony Aath is already available in all base packs of Zing as well on Dish TV in the north. With Sony Six available to consumers free of any extra fee during FIFA, it will help people buy Zing and watch it.”

     

    The operator has also rolled out an intense marketing campaign across West Bengal involving print, outdoor and radio mediums.

  • Tata Sky enters Limca Book of Records

    Tata Sky enters Limca Book of Records

    MUMBAI: Tata Sky, the leading Direct-to-home (DTH) service provider in India has bagged the Limca Book of Records 2014 for airing the longest TV commercial in Indian advertising history – Prison Break, which had a run time of 210 (3min 30 sec) seconds.

     

    In today’s day and age, when airtime is being used sparsely by brands and creative agencies crib about tight time frames to deliver desired message , Tata Sky took a bold step by airing the longest ever TVC, to retain the creative impact and messaging of the story. Through this unique and long advertisement that was run on television, made Tata Sky the first ever DTH brand to enter the Limca Book of Records.

     

    The TVC was conceived by Ogilvy & Mather who worked with Vivek Kakkad, Director – Curious Films to shoot the commercial with an international cast and crew in an actual prison in Hungary.

     

    The TVC was based on the insight that people these days do not find any time to watch television. Tata Sky+ HD, with its recording feature allows busy people to record their favourite programs and watch them at leisure. In other words, it’s ‘For those who don’t have time to watch TV’.

     

    The story revolved around a bunch of foreign convicts imprisoned in an Indian jail. These convicts conspire to escape when they realize that a cricket match is being played between India and Pakistan, assuming that the match would keep the Indian guards and the jailer occupied. But when the jailer and his men intercept their escape, the convicts are fumbled by what kind of Indian doesn’t watch such an epic match. That’s when the clincher kicks in – ‘a hard working Indian’, who with Tata Sky+ HD, can record it & watch it at his own time.

  • Cisco expands reach in Indian digital homes

    Cisco expands reach in Indian digital homes

    KOLKATA: US technology major, Cisco has expanded its reach to more than 40 million digital homes across India with its video guard conditional access (CA) and digital rights management (DRM) solutions.

     

    Using the industry estimated average of five people per household, Cisco is now enabling a rich and advanced TV experience for more than 200 million viewers in India, an important milestone that  reinforces the company’s leadership at a time when the pay-TV industry is on the cusp of a major transformation, view the analysts.

     

    Cisco’s CA and DRM technology ensures critical protection of premium content with a zero piracy track record. A strong team of engineers working at the research and development center in Bangalore is dedicated to the technology needs of leading satellite and cable service providers in India and worldwide.

     

    Cisco is a pay-TV technology partner for more than 150 pay-TV operators as well as media and entertainment companies worldwide, including leading direct-to-home and cable operator customers in India, such as Airtel Digital TV, Asianet, DEN, GTPL, Hathway and Tata Sky.

     

    “In the changing landscape of pay-TV services in India, this milestone highlights our continued growth with several leading MSOs in the country,” said Cisco Service Provider Video Software Solutions vice president sales Asia Pacific Sue Taylor.

     

    Cisco India and SAARC president Dinesh Malkani said, “Achieving the milestone of 40 million homes in India reinforces our commitment to the government’s mandate to digitise the cable industry and also speaks of our ability to provide best in class solutions and technology. We work closely with our customers to enable them to provide an unparalleled experience to their subscribers as well as help monetise their investments.”

  • TDSAT again adjourns DTH licence fee case to 8 July on plea by operators

    TDSAT again adjourns DTH licence fee case to 8 July on plea by operators

    NEW DELHI: The petition by private direct-to-home (DTH) operators challenging the notice of the government for clearing arrears of licence fees has once again been adjourned – this time to 8 July – as the operators have still not filed their rejoinders to the reply by the government.

     

    The adjournment was allowed by Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) chairman Aftab Alam and Kuldeep Singh on a mention by counsel for the various DTH operators.

     
    TDSAT also noted that the earlier assurance by the government that it will not pressurise the operators in this regard till the case is taken up for hearing will continue.

     

    The petitioners have alleged that the demand by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry is contempt of court as the matter in this regard is pending in the Supreme Court.

     

    However, Information and Broadcasting Ministry secretary Bimal Julka had earlier told indiantelevision.com that the apex court had not issued any stay order. However, the government had filed a caveat in this regard, conscious that the TDSAT or the Supreme Court may be moved in the matter.

     
    The Ministry had recently sent a notice to the six private DTH operators with regard to licence fee dues amounting to Rs 2,066 crore. The private operators are Tata Sky, Dish TV, Airtel Digital TV, Reliance Big TV, Sun Direct and Videocon d2h.

     

    According to the notice, the six private operators had been asked to pay the amount within 15 days.

     
    However, most of the operators contacted said they had cleared the dues of licence fee.

     
    The operators say the licence fee as demanded under the rules is on gross revenue (GR) whereas they have been asked to pay the fee on the basis of Actual Gross Revenue (AGR). The operators have said the fee should be only on subscription revenue and not on allied earnings such as dividend and interest income. 
     

    Even as the matter was pending, Tata Sky had late last month made a payment of Rs 383 crore to the Ministry to cover its license fee and other dues. A demand draft of the amount was submitted to the Ministry. Even as other operators had said that they would prefer to wait till the next hearing.
     

    Tata Sky had then said that the amount covered license fee for the year 2013-14 according to the rate specified for license as well as past dues.

  • Al Jazeera follows the health heroes fighting leprosy in India

    Al Jazeera follows the health heroes fighting leprosy in India

    MUMBAI: Al Jazeera English follows the work of health heroes fighting against the most neglected disease across India in the documentary Ancient Enemy, part of the groundbreaking eight-part series ‘Lifelines, The Quest for Global Health’.

     
    Leprosy is the world’s oldest recorded disease and still persists despite being officially ‘eliminated’ in 2005. The stigma remains a major obstacle to early diagnosis and treatment of this curable disease.

     
    The series will go after people diagnosed and meet those who untreated and now live with the disease forever. From health workers and counsellors, to surgeons and shoe makers; from people who live in leprosy colonies to those who demand more from the Indian government – there is still work being done to support people with leprosy in the poorest regions of India.

     
    The episode follows health hero, Rajni Kant Singh, state coordinator for a leading NGO, as he forges dramatic breakthroughs while tackling the conditions that afflict poor people. “Since Leprosy was declared ‘eliminated’ in India in 2005 it has slipped off the agenda and resources have dried up. Yet the disease persists in India, with some 130 000 new cases a year. These patients need help with diagnosis, treatment and often social and psychological support too”, said Singh.

     
    “Whether through low tech ingenuity, community commitment or the best that modern medical science can offer, these are stories of people, passion and persistence in the triumph of humanity over unbearable suffering. Al Jazeera English believes in keeping people at the core of everything we do. We challenge and empower by telling stories without prejudice, in the most authentic way possible as we believe everyone has a story worth hearing”, says Al Jazeera English award winning Director Brian Tilley.

     
    The episode showcases the work of inspiring people on the frontline of public health and hearing their stories of the dramatic breakthroughs against the disease and its conditions that keep millions of people in poverty.

     
    Tune into Al Jazeera on Dish TV 618 and Tata Sky Channel 533 to catch the premiere of Ancient Enemy on Friday, May 23, 05 30 PM IST