Tag: Tata Sky

  • Technicolor announces 4K Set Top Box deal with Tata Sky

    Technicolor announces 4K Set Top Box deal with Tata Sky

    Paris (France) May 14, 2014 Technicolor (Euronext Paris: TCH; OTCQX: TCLRY) announces an agreement with Tata Sky, India’s leading direct to home (DTH) service provider and HD market leader, to provide 4K Set Top Boxes in volume early 2015. The Technicolor product is the first 4K Set Top Box to be shipped in volume and underscores Technicolor’s leadership in delivering content with the highest image quality.

     

    This agreement is the result of a long, strategic relationship with Tata Sky dating back to 2005, and a Technicolor 4K roadmap of solid technical innovation including 4K trials that have gone on around the globe. Technicolor is gearing up to deliver the most immersive 4K experience on the market. Technicolor is building on its compression and color science to deliver an augmented content experience capable of delivering Hollywood-grade picture quality to viewers.

     

    “Technicolor once again leads the market in landing the first high-volume deal to deliver 4K Set Top Boxes to consumers. This deal further solidifies our leadership in the 4K marketplace,” said Michel Rahier, President Connected Home. “With the promise of an unparalleled immersive viewing experience and the predicted rapid growth of the 4K market, this agreement is a valuable strategic business opportunity for Technicolor and our long term partner, Tata Sky.”

     

    “4K is an important milestone in Tata Sky’s product portfolio and we are confident of the timing and quality of delivery because of our partnership with Technicolor” said Harit Nagpal, CEO Tata-Sky.

  • Election result fever grips Tata Sky

    Election result fever grips Tata Sky

    MUMBAI: Elections 2014 has gripped not only the News channels, but also the direct to home (DTH) players. One such is Tata Sky that has in yet another customer friendly initiative announced that it will air all News channels to its subscribers free of cost with immediate effect, for next seven days.

     

    The offer  also  includes news channels available on Tata Sky’s  Everywhere TV  service  which  will  allow viewing on  smart phones and tablets  as well.

     

    The move will give Tata Sky subscribers an upper hand on the ‘breaking news’ during the week of the election results.

     

    A bouquet of 13 English News channels, 18 Hindi News channels and 38 regional News channels will be offered free this week, irrespective of the pack that the subscriber has opted for. Regional language News channels include Gujarati, Marathi, Punjabi, Bengali, Odia, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam.

  • Zee Khana Khazana presents the Second Season of “Bacha Party”

    Zee Khana Khazana presents the Second Season of “Bacha Party”

    MUMBAI: Zee Khana Khazana, India’s premium 24 hour food channel brings back the second season of your most loved show – Bacha Party. Hosted by television actress cum mother cum Chef- Gurdip Kohli Punj, the show is designed foryoung mothers who face a daily challenge of feeding their children food that is both healthy and delicious. The show will premiere on 9th May and will air every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 2.30pm only on Zee Khana Khazana.     

     

    For the first time ever, Zee Khana Khazana will seechildren participate with chefs to recreate recipes.BachaParty will invite budding young chefs who have the passion and knowledge for food Theshow will be a blend of Chef Gurdip sharing exciting tips and recipes and sometimes learning from the amateur chefs This season promises to be an extremelyinteractive and educational and a lot of masti not just for the Chef and kids but also for the viewers.

     

    In every episode, Gurdip will lead you through innovative,healthyrecipes that are easy to make. Besides everyday snacks and lunch-box meals, she will demonstrate how to make party food, desserts, juices and much more.

     

    Commenting on this unique initiative, Amit Nair- Business Head at Zee Khana Khazana says, “With popular demand and being the number one show inthe genre of food and lifestyle,we are delighted to present the second season of Bacha party. In this season, we have children showcasing their talent by preparing delicious recipes with Chef’s guidance thereby providing mothers a child’s perspective of preferred food. It should prove to be quite interesting and engaging for all.”

     

    If you are wondering what to feed your child, especially when you have a picky eater on your hands, tune into Zee Khana Khazana and watch Bacha Party.

    TUNE INTO BACHA PARTY every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 2.30pm ONLY ON ZEE KHANA KHAZANA. Zee Khana Khazana is available on Dish TV, Videocon, D2h, Tata Sky, Airtel and all major digital cable operators like Hathway, DEN, Siticable, and GTPL.

     

    For more information, please log on to – www.zeekhanakhazana.com

  • TDSAT adjourns DTH licence fee case to 22 May

    TDSAT adjourns DTH licence fee case to 22 May

    NEW DELHI: The petition by private direct-to-home (DTH) operators challenging the notice of the government for clearing arrears of licence fees was adjourned by the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) to 22 May.
     

    The DTH operators were given time by chairman Aftab Alam and Kuldeep Singh to file their rejoinders following the reply by the government.

     

    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.

      
    Even as 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, I&B secretary Bimal Julka had earlier told indiantelevision.com that the apex court had not issued any stay order.

     
    However, conscious that the TDSAT or the Supreme Court may be moved in the matter, a caveat had been filed by the Ministry in this regard.

     
    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. 

     

    Meanwhile, Tata Sky 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.

     
    This amount covers license fee for the year 2013-14 according to the rate specified for license as well as past dues, for which the Ministry had raised a demand note recently.

     

    TataSky MD and CEO Harit Nagpal had earlier said in a statement: “We hope that this will end the long standing dispute on the subject and pave the way forward for a constructive rationalisation of taxes with the support of our parent Ministry.” 

  • Tata Sky pays license fees of Rs 383 crore, Dish TV prefers to wait for court orders

    Tata Sky pays license fees of Rs 383 crore, Dish TV prefers to wait for court orders

    NEW DELHI: The direct-to-home (DTH) operator Tata Sky today made a payment of Rs 383 crore to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry (I&B) to cover its license fee and other dues.

     
    A demand draft of the amount was submitted to the Ministry, even as a petition to this regard is pending in the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) in this regard.

     
    This amount covers license fee for the year 2013-14 according to the rate specified for license as well as past dues, for which the Ministry had raised a demand note recently.

     
    TataSky MD and CEO Harit Nagpal said in a statement: “We hope that this will end the long standing dispute on the subject and pave the way forward for a constructive rationalisation of taxes with the support of our parent Ministry.”

     
    However, Dish TV CEO R C Venkateish told indiantelevision that the TDSAT in its hearing on 4 April had taken an assurance from the government that it would not pressurise the DTH operators in this regard until the next date of hearing on 6 May.

     
    He said that the government had been asked by TDSAT to respond to the petitions by the operators by the next date of hearing.

     
    Although TDSAT is expected to give time to the operators to file their respective rejoinders to the government’s reply, DTH industry sources said the Tribunal may give a directive with regard to the payment.

  • Only 56.8 % of registered subscribers on private DTH active by Dec 2013: TRAI

    Only 56.8 % of registered subscribers on private DTH active by Dec 2013: TRAI

    NEW DELHI: Only 35.81 million subscribers of the six private direct-to-home (DTH) service providers are active out of a total 62.97 million registered subscribers, working out to around 56.87 per cent. The private DTH players include: Tata Sky, Dish TV, Airtel Digital TV, Reliance Big TV, Sun Direct and Videocon d2h.

     

    According to the Indian Telecom Services Performance Indicator Report of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) for the quarter ending December 2013, a total of 782 private television channels and a total of 242 private FM radio channels were registered with the Information and Broadcasting Ministry (I&B).

     

    This is apart from the FM radio and TV channels operated by Prasar Bharati. Doordarshan has 37 channels including DD Bharati and DD National besides four allied channels like Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha TV, Prasar Bharati sources told indiantelevision.com

     

    AIR network has grown up to 299 stations and 461 transmitters (146 MW, 48 SW & 267 FM) which provide coverage to about 99.19 per cent of the country’s population spread over 91.87 per cent area of the country, these sources said.

     

    There are a total of 187 pay channels, as reported by the broadcasters/ distributors for which the rates have been taken on records at the QE December 2013.

     

    The report says the maximum number of TV channels (Pay, Free to Air and Local) being carried by any of the reported MSOs in digital form is 231, while that carried by any of the reported MSOs in the conventional analogue form is 100 channels.

     

    The report showed that of the total 238.71 million internet subscribers, broadband subscribers totaled 55.2 million and narrow band subscribers totaled 183.51 million.

     

    Of these, only 18.33 million were wired internet subscribers while 220.38 were wireless internet subscribers.  

     

    The study also shows that 92.13 per cent of the wireless internet subscribers were on mobile, while just 0.19 per cent were on fixed wireless mode. A total of 7.68 per cent of the internet subscribers were on wired mode.

     

    Meanwhile, the number of news and non-news channels has almost become equal with the government recently revealing it has so far given permission to a total of 786 television channels in the country.

     

    According to the statistics revealed by the I&B Ministry earlier this year, the number of news and current affairs channels is 389 while the number of non-news (general entertainment channels) is 397.

     

    Of the total, 664 TV channels including 369 news channels have been given permission to uplink and downlink from within the country.

     

    A total of 31 channels including 27 GECs are allowed to uplink from India but not downlink – thus they are aimed at other countries.

     

    A total of 91 channels uplinked from overseas are allowed to downlink into the country. These include 75 GECs.

  • Tata Sky expands its news channel offerings in Odisha

    Tata Sky expands its news channel offerings in Odisha

    MUMBAI: This election season, Tata Sky – the leading Direct-to-Home service provider announced the addition of three news channels in Odisha – Kanak TV, Zee Kalinga and MBC TV.

    Along with the Dhamal Mix pack at Rs.220/- pm, subscribers also get 2 free regional packs giving them access to over 100 channels including popular Hindi channels such as Colors, Star Plus,Sony and Zee. Tata Sky subscribers can now enjoy the free Odia regional pack that comprises of 10 popular Odia channels providing entertainment, regional and national news.

    Zee Kalinga, a 24×7 news channel will bring in deep election analysis, live discussion programs, current affairs on the table for subscribers. Kanak TV and MBC TV on the other hand will keep the subscribers informed about news not only from the region but also across the country.

    On the latest addition to the Tata Sky family, Mr. VikramMehra, Chief Commercial Officer, Tata Sky said, “Expanding our offering with the three news channels is a part of our endeavor to increase our spread of channels across all genres for our Odia subscribers. One of the largest states in the East and an important market for digitization, Odisha has been witnessing positive digital growth over the last few months.”

    Apart from Odia channels, Tata Sky also offers 10 Bengali and 20 Telugu channels. With the addition of the Odia channels, Tata Sky continues to reinforce its focus on the Odisha market, further strengthening its position in the east of India.

     

  • FoodFood launches new campaign with a fresh new lineup

    FoodFood launches new campaign with a fresh new lineup

    MUMBAI: India’s food lifestyle channel, FOODFOOD, a single channel entity, reaches across 35 mn households in India. In addition to key MSOs across the country, the channel is available on all major DTH platforms – Videocon d2h, Airtel Digital TV and Tata Sky and digital platforms pan India. The brand today is one of the most popular and talked about channels, in its genre, across the country.

     

    The channel is all set to  break its new campaign, on April 14th ,with a lineup of shows–an ode to home makers, concentrating on driving excitement and reinforcing the new positioning and statement that the  channel is clearly differentiating itself from the plethora of ‘me too’ channels.

    The campaign breaks with an array of fresh programming– India Unlimited, Pure Sin, K for Kids, Cook Smart, Oriental food among others. It is complementing the channel’s stand of being a food lifestyle channel, with innovative content, creating a “wow” factor through the new line up. India Unlimited is food from various parts of India, in one platter; Pure Sin, a celebration of making desserts, which has been a part of our culture & traditions from time immemorial. From healthy deserts to desserts for occasions to all time favorite, this food genre is something exclusive for the viewers; K for Kids, is filled with adventure, fun and sparks from enthusiastic kiddy chefs on the show, churning out winning recipes; Cook Smart another master stroke from the Master Chef Sanjeev Kapoor; and introducing sumptuous mouth watering oriental dishes, the all time favorite with Indians.

    Explaining the reason behind the campaign burst SK Barua of FOODFOOD channel said, “With the new campaign we are redefining the philosophy, positioning and the tagline that speaks volumes about the specially targeted content, across food genre. Our efforts are to reiterate our authority on food   and reach out to our target audiences. This is the first campaign and going forward we want to continue to give best of food to our viewers.”

    The campaign will address the youth and the matured viewers, and not to forget our die hard loyal viewers. Though Young in its looks, it can entice a whole generation with its mantra to learn easy-to-make food and enjoy food.

    The 45 days campaign burst in Mumbai & Delhi, from April 14, will be across various media—outdoor, radio, digital, print, MSOs, social media…. With the new campaign the channel promises to attract, allure and engage the viewers – through social media, on-ground activities, on radio and television.

  • Times Now ties up with News Live for poll coverage

    Times Now ties up with News Live for poll coverage

    KOLKATA: National news channel, Times Now, has tied up with Guwahati-based News Live, a 24×7 satellite news channel from the house of Pride East Entertainments, for election poll coverage.

     

     
    As per the agreement between the two channels, with polling starting from the North East, Times Now will telecast the news and feeds covered by News Live, starting Monday. Feeds on election coverage at different constituencies at the later stage will also be shared on 12 and 14 April.

     

     
    Apart from this, both the channels will share expert views and participate in discussions aired on each channel, informs a senior editor from News Live.
     

     

    “To cover the polling, News Live has deployed 17 OB (outside broadcasting) vans and 17 journalists”, says Pride East Entertainments CEO Caushiq Bezboruah

     

     
    “Mainstream media, especially TV, has always ignored the North East. In fact, clubbing all stories under the ‘North East’ is an easy way out for them which is unfair to the people of the region. It is good to know that a leading TV channel has tied up with an Assam-based network. We can hope to see substantial increase in coverage from the different states during this election season,” says television expert Pranab Ganguly.

     

    Similarly, a business consultant and White Canvas Services founder Samaresh Shah adds: “This was extremely needed. North East is an integral part of India’s economy and deserves as much attention as the rest of the country.  This is a welcome step. I hope that the same will lead to some interesting feeds for the audience.”
     

     

    Talking about the channel, News Live, which was launched in January 2008, Bezboruah says, “The channel has become one of the favourite among the viewers in North East market. The TRP of the channel last week was 190.8.”

     

     
    He adds that the channel is available in all cable homes of the North Eastern states including Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and in parts of New Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, North Bengal belt and Bhutan. “It is the only channel of the region which finds space on Freedish as well. It is also available on Dish TV, Sun Direct, Tata Sky, Airtel Digital TV, Reliance Big TV and Videocon d2h.”
     

     

    While the channel had tied-up with Times Now earlier as well, it will get its due ‘credit’ this time.
     

     

    Pride East Entertainments employs around 350 people including journalists and technicians.

  • Focus Bangla in talks with Tata Sky, Dish TV to increase penetration

    Focus Bangla in talks with Tata Sky, Dish TV to increase penetration

    KOLKATA: The erstwhile Northeast Bangla (NE Bangla), recently rechristened Focus Bangla, is in talks with direct-to-home (DTH) players like Tata Sky and Dish TV to increase penetration. At present, only cable TV subscribers and Airtel Digital TV customers can view the channel.

     

    The 24×7 Bengali news channel also plans to put up 200 hoardings across the state of West Bengal from mid-April to send out the message that the channel is neutral and believes in airing unbiased news. It has even changed its logo to suggest that it will be more ‘focussed’ in presenting news from all angles.

     

    “We are in talks with Tata Sky and Dish TV though nothing has been finalised. We aim to reach 95 per cent TV homes in the state sooner,” Focus Bangla editor-in-chief Biswa Majumdar told indiantelevision.com.

     

    He also said that last week, the viewership of the new channel increased by around 22 per cent as compared to the week before. “Focus TV is in focus now. Focus Bangla is a news broadcasting and entertainment network,” he said and added that the channel would focus on political news with the impending elections and would interview most of the big names in the polls.

     

    Focus Bangla has more than 150 employees on board and is further recruiting people to cover all aspects of news, current affairs and especially, the Lok Sabha elections, to make a mark all over again on the Bengali audience.

     

    “For elections, we have 14 special programmes. Celebrities will go to places and interact with people,” Majumdar said.

     

    Apart from the ‘Khabar Aajke’ section, the channel has a separate Bollywood entertainment section.

     

    According to sources, Matang Sinh, a former minister of state for parliamentary affairs in the PV Narsimharao government owned Focus TV and NE Bangla. Last year however, Naveen Jindal, chairman of Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL) bought a stake in the channel through his family and associates. “Jindal had taken over Focus TV in Delhi last year,” said one of the sources.