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Tag: Tata Sky

  • Tata Sky comes up with new offering – Adbhut Kahaniyan

    Tata Sky comes up with new offering – Adbhut Kahaniyan

    MUMBAI: If suspense as a feeling drives your content viewing needs, Tata Sky has come up with the best fix in the form of its newest service offering – Tata Sky Adbhut Kahaniyan. It has partnered with Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd to curate this one stop destination for crime, thriller and horror content that can be touted as one of the best in Hindi entertainment.

    Featuring a wide range of specially compiled library of TV shows, web series and movies, the service promises to be a haven for all aficionados who love edge of the seat entertainment. Additionally, the service will also showcase first-ever-adapted stories from the very popular Hindi heartland magazine, ‘Manohar Kahaniyan’. Exclusively created for Tata Sky, this original series will have stories based on true events. The thriller & crime shows will be showcased between 7.30 pm – 9.30 pm time-band under the banner Killer-Thrillerand the horror shows will be showcased in the 9.30 pm – 11.30 pm time band under the segment Horror Zone. The service has gone live from 5 March.

    Bollywood’s favourite villain and the very versatileAshutosh Rana who is famed for his spine-chilling films such as Sangharsh and Dushman Has been roped-in as the face of the service.

    Sharing her thoughts on the launch of the service, Tata Sky chief commercial and content officer Pallavi Puri said, “Genres like crime, thriller and horror has witnessed great traction over the past few years. While there are multiple options for these genres available on linear television and OTT platforms, currently there isn’t a single destination catering to all the three content genres. Realising this need-gap we decided to bring to our subscribers – Tata Sky Adbhut Kahaniyan – a curation of the best Hindi content library of TV shows, web series and movies in crime, thriller and horror genre.With this launch, we shall continue to focus on catering to the diverse entertainment needs of our subscribers.”

    “Crime-mystery as a genre has enthralled viewers for many generations. I’m excited to be associated with Tata Sky to be the face of Adhbhut Kahaniyan. The service is a complete package of gut-wrenching stories that will keep you completely engrossed,” actor Ashutosh Rana said.

    Transporting viewers into the world of mystery and thrill, Tata Sky Adhbhut Kahaniya will actively engage viewers through gripping stories curated from across platforms. A perfect blend of hit shows and movies from the past as well as original content, viewers will be treated to shows like Aahat, Karamchand, Powder, Gehariyaan, Revolver Rani, Gangster and many others. Adding diversity to the programming line-up,the stories fromManohar Kahaniyanwill bring alive thrilling moments through episodes like Rajwada Ka Rahasya, Acid se rachachakravyuh, AdrishyaPyaar, Saazish and many more.The service will be available on the Tata Sky Mobile App under the Video on Demand (VOD) section as well.

    About the association, Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd CEO Hiren Gada said, “I am excited to announce another unique partnership with Tata Sky, where we are introducing an interesting service called Tata Sky Adhbhut Kahaniyan, that will showcase stories of crime, thriller and horror genres. Shemaroo constantly aims at getting the best content for its audiences and strives to deliver on the promise of great entertainment, and through this association, we again aim to achieve the same.”

    To promote this service Tata Sky has come up with an interesting digital campaign to lure the viewers of crime, thriller and horror genre. An intriguing brand film has also been shot with Ashutosh Rana to bring alive the essence of the property. Tata Sky subscribers can tune into 144 to catch this service. Subscribers can avail the service at Rs 2/- per day through the Tata Sky Mobile app or by logging on to tatasky.com. 

  • Amid uncertainty over NTO 2.0, DPOs start complying with new NCF

    Amid uncertainty over NTO 2.0, DPOs start complying with new NCF

    MUMBAI: The amended new tariff order (NTO 2.0) comes into effect from today (1 March) amid ongoing legal battles. Although most of the broadcasters have not published their updated Reference Interconnect Offers (RIOs), many of the distribution platform operators (DPOs) have started complying with the regulations bringing change in network capacity fee (NCF).

    Along with other amendments, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had brought changes in number of channels permitted in Network Capacity Fee (NCF) and applicable NCF for multi TV homes. The authority also reduced the maximum NCF charge to Rs 130 (excluding taxes) for 200 channels. It also added that NCF for more than two hundred SD channels, should not exceed Rs 160.

    “The network capacity fee, per month, for each additional TV connection, beyond the first TV connection in a multi TV home shall, in no case, exceed forty percent of the declared network capacity fee,” it added.

    Tata Sky has also declared its updated NCF. The DTH operator will now charge Rs 153.40 per month for the first 200 SD channels, inclusive of all taxes and Rs 188.80 per month for more than 200 SD channels, inclusive of all taxes. For each secondary connection, it has fixed a NCF of Rs 61.36 per month for the first 200 SD channels, inclusive of all taxes, Rs 75.52 per month for more than 200 SD channels, inclusive of all taxes.

    Airtel Digital TV will charge now the same amount as Tata Sky is charging. However, it is charging Rs 52 ( without taxes) for the primary connection and Additional NCF of Rs 30 (taxes extra) for more than 200 channels.

    “The network capacity fee, per month, payable by a subscriber (each set top box) for 200 SD channels is Rs 130. The NCF, per month, payable by a subscriber (each set top box) for more than 200 SD channels is Rs 160. For determination of channel count 1 HD channel is equivalent to 2 SD channels as per regulations,” Siti Networks stated.

    “The television channels notified by the central government shall be mandatorily available to all the subscribers and shall be in addition to the number of channels available in the network capacity fee. Network capacity fee, per month for each additional TV connection, beyond the first TV connection in a multi TV home shall be forty per cent of the network capacity fee of the Parent STB. The STB with maximum number of channels would be treated as Parent STB,” it added.

    Moreover, IndusInd Media & Communications Ltd (IMCL) has mentioned in its website that pricing of some of its packages will be revised downwards with effect from 1 March. It has also mentioned about the new NCF.

  • Tata Sky launches new value-added service Tata Sky Hits

    Tata Sky launches new value-added service Tata Sky Hits

    MUMBAI: Tata Sky, leading content distribution and Pay TV platform, has launched its new value-added service Tata Sky Hits. Featuring a selection of some of the most popular, iconic and award-winning Hollywood television content from the 80s and 90s, Tata Sky Hits is all set to invoke nostalgia with this distinctive curation.

    Encompassing all genres of content including drama, comedy, crime, action and romance, some of the key titles exclusively available on the service include: Baywatch, Charlie’s Angels, Charmed, Miami Vice, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Three’s Company, Murder, She Wrote, Knight Rider, Sabrina The Teenage Witch, The Lucy Show, Family Ties, Diff’rent Strokes and many more. The never-seen-before HD service will feature the choicest of hit TV series from Hollywood and international majors such as NBCUniversal, ViacomCBS, Sony Pictures, Fremantle, ITV Studios and others.

    Tata Sky chief commercial and content officer Pallavi Puri said: “At Tata Sky we are always looking at serving the discerning content needs of our subscribers. With Tata Sky Hits we are giving our subscribers an exclusive platform to indulge in their favourite Hollywood shows from the 80s and 90s. The diverse assortment of English shows from the good old days that Hits has curated is exceptional and fulfils a need gap for our evolving viewers who are constantly looking for unique entertainment destinations that are not available elsewhere be it TV or OTT.”

    “I am very excited with the launch of our service on Tata Sky. This is a major milestone for Rewind Networks,” said Rewind Networks CEO Avi Himatsinghani. “We are confident that the great success of HITS in Asia will be replicated in India, with the service’s solid curation of the best Hollywood TV series from previous decades. Viewers of Tata Sky Hits are going to love some of the best international shows and storytelling that they grew up on – in HD for the first time”

    Through Tata Sky Hits, subscribers can now relive the iconic & memorable characters from yesteryear shows starring Pamela Anderson, David Hasselhoff, Don Johnson, Michael J. Fox, Lucille Ball, Mariska Hargitay, Angela Lansbury, Shannen Doherty, Farrah Fawcett, Melissa Joan Hart, Gary Coleman and many others on Television as well as on-the-go on the Tata Sky Mobile App under Live TV and catch-up. Tata Sky Hits is now available to all subscribers at a nominal cost of Rs 75 per month.

  • Tata Sky’s first ever App only flash sale ‘Tata Sky JingalalaAPPiness Offers’ live from 11th February

    Tata Sky’s first ever App only flash sale ‘Tata Sky JingalalaAPPiness Offers’ live from 11th February

    MUMBAI; Tata Sky, India’s leading content distribution platformannounces its first ever App only flash sale,‘Tata Sky JingalalaAPPiness Offers’on theTata Sky Mobile App.Establishing the mobile app as a one stop destination for both – utility and content, the weeklong offerings on the App are designed not only to elevate customer experience but also heighten entertainment bonanza like never before. With an objective to drive engagement, this initiative will serve the dual purpose of highlighting the ease of content availability and convenience of managing your Tata Sky account – anytime, anywhere. 

    Speaking on the flash sale, Pallavi Puri, Chief Commercial Officer, Tata Sky said,“Tata Sky JingalalaAPPiness Offers’ will provide subscribers with best-in-class product offerings thereby enhancing user engagement on the go. With an exciting and vast selection of deals and offers customers can look forward to an integrated entertainment experience that not only gives them access to a diverse content library but empowers them to customize their viewing options according to their entertainment needs”

    ‘Tata Sky JingalalaAPPiness Offers’will feature a wide range of offerings such as cashback on recharges and amazing discounts on subscription of Tata Sky Services that are available on the Tata Sky mobile App. Tata Sky has partnered with four leading e-wallets – LazyPay, FreeCharge, PayZapp and MobiKwik for ease of payments. Additionally, allsubscribers can view 400+ Live TV channelsfor freeon the app as well as avail benefits on wide array of Tata Sky services such as Tata Sky Fitness, Tata Sky Classic Cinema, Tata Sky Hollywood Local, Tata Sky Theatre, Tata Sky Fun Learn and much moreat just Re 1/-each for the first month. Subscribers can also avail of special offers on box upgrades and additional connection at home. 

    This is a one of a kind initiative in the pay tv space and another step towards delighting Tata Sky subscribers on the go.

    Offers aisekiaap Khushi se phoolenasamayenge – With so many offers at hand, your happiness will know no bounds. This is the sentiment that Tata Sky has tried to capture through the communication for the campaign. Conceptualized by Ogilvy, the campaign communication is quirky and fun, and uses colloquially used phrases to showcase the exaggerated emotions one expresses when one receives the incredible offers.

    Listed below are a few of the Tata Sky JingalalaAPPinessOffers:

    Recharge offers

    LazyPay

    50% Cashback up to Rs 100 on next Tata Sky recharge

    FreeCharge

    Rs50 cashback on recharge of Rs200 or more

    PayZapp

    15% up to Rs75 cashback on recharge of Rs400 or more

    MobiKwik

    Rs 75 cashback on minimum recharge of Rs 500 or more

    Content

    400 Channels Free

    Get all channels on Tata Sky App free during the app week

    Services

    @ Re 1

    Tata Sky Services that are available only on mobile app can be subscribed at Re.1/- each for the first month

    Offers

    Upgrade

    Special offer on a box upgrade

    MultiTV

    Special offerfor an additional connection at your home

    Android Box upgrade

    Android box price is Rs. 5999 & get 1000 Rs cashback in Tata Sky Account

    The Tata Sky mobile app enables subscribers to manage their Tata Sky account more efficiently by providing them with the ease of adding or removing channels through the mobile app. The mobile app allows subscribers to experience Live TV,On-Demand and Remote Record to set recording on the Set-Top box.Tata Sky has seen remarkable consumption on the mobile app and to keep up and further build the momentum, it now offersa variety of Tata Sky Services and utilities at a minimal cost to bring subscribers delight on the go.

    For all new subscribers, Tata Sky is offering free access to all channels for a month while providing free access to its existing users for a week.
  • ISRO to replace INSAT-4A with GSAT-30

    ISRO to replace INSAT-4A with GSAT-30

    Mumbai: The location: Kourou, French Guiana. The date: 17 January 2020. The time: 02:35 am IST. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) scientists will be at their consoles, their brows creased in concentration as the countdown for the liftoff off its new generation communication satellite GSAT 30 off Arianespace’s Ariane 5 rocket begins. Weighing 3,375 kg, GSAT-30 is set to replace one of the early birds in the ISRO fleet, the ageing Insat 4A.

    Insat-4A was launched in 2005 with a lifespan of at least 12 years and has been operational way beyond that. Even though it is functioning fine, ISRO has decided to put in a replacement with advanced features and network strength. Amongst the two major  occupants and users of transponder capacity on Insat 4A are Tata Sky and Star India group.

    Along with GSAT 30, Arianespace will also be putting into orbit global operator Eutelsat’s Konnect satellite on the same launch vehicle. GSAT-30 is the lower passenger in the Ariane-5 spacecraft, with Konnect its copassenger being released first.  This will be Arianespace’s 107th Ariane 5 mission.

    To be positioned at a longitude of 83° East, GSAT-30 will provide high-quality television, telecommunications and broadcasting services over Indian mainland and islands. GSAT-30 is configured on ISRO’s enhanced I-3K platform to provide communications services from geostationary orbit in C- and Ku-band for a lifetime greater than 15 years. Last year, Arianespace had delivered the GSAT-31 into orbit.

    GSAT-30 will provide extended coverage in C-band to Gulf countries, a large part of Asia and Australia. The move will help Indian broadcasters beam their content to Gulf countries, large parts of Asia and Australia, as well as the Indian mainland.

    The GSAT-30 was speculated to launch in June last year, but was postponed to 2020 as India’s pioneer space agency got busy in launching military satellites in space in order to boost strategic assets in space as well as its moon mission.

    In its GSAT-30 launch kit, ISRO said: “GSAT will be extensively used for supporting VSAT networks, Television uplinking and teleport Services, Digital Satellite News Gathering (DSNG), DTH-television services cellular backhaul connectivity and many such applications”.

    Eutelesat Konnect on the other hand will offer total capacity of 75 Gbps and by next autumn will allow Eutelsat to provide Internet access services for companies and individuals alike at up to 100 Mbps. The satellite will help to fight against the digital divide by bringing broadband Internet across 40 countries in Africa and 15 countries across Europe.

    Produced by Thales Alenia Space, it is the first to use the company’s Spacebus NEO platform developed under the Neosat Partnership Project conducted by the European and French space agencies (ESA and CNES). Eutelsat Konnect will weight approximately 3,620 kg. at liftoff and is to operate from an orbital slot at 13 degrees East.

    The proceedings will of course be telecsast live online as well on DD. To watch a live, high-speed online transmission of the launch (including commentary in French and English from the launch site), go to arianespace.com or to youtube.com/arianespace on 16 January 2020, beginning 20 minutes before liftoff.

  • Broadcasting and cable TV services grew marginally in Q2: TRAI

    Broadcasting and cable TV services grew marginally in Q2: TRAI

    MUMBAI: The Telecom Regulatory and Authority of India in its 2019 September-end quarter report has shown a marginal growth in the broadcasting and cable TV services with respect to the number of private satellite TV channels permitted by the government and pay TV channels as reported by broadcasters.

    TRAI in its performance indicator report has mentioned that there has been continuous growth in the number of private satellite TV channels subject to the government’s approval in the last five quarters.

    It reported that a total number of 910 private satellite TV channels have been permitted by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) for uplinking only/downlinking only/uplinking and downlinking both compared to 851 channels in the same quarter of 2018.

    With respect to quarterly growth in the number of satellite Pay TV channels, TRAI reported at least 330 pay channels, of which 232 SD and 98 HD Pay TV channels compared to 313 pay channels, of which 216 SD and 97 HD Pay TV channels in the same quarter of 2018.

    As the country achieved 100 per cent digitisation of Cable TV network, TRAI said, “This is a stupendous achievement making India as the only large country where 100 per cent digitisation of cable network has been achieved through mandatory regulations.”

    Out of top four Cable TV networks, Siti Networks has topped the chart with over 91 lakh subscribers , whereas DEN Networks stood at the fourth position with 43 lakh subscribers, TRAI report said.

    Meanwhile, GTPL Hathway and Hathway Digital had a tough fight for the second and third spot with difference of few thousands of subscribers, both had 53 lakh subscribers in September ended quarter.

    The report said that there are total 1,606 Multi System Operators (MSOs) registered with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB), of these 1,143 MSOs are operational. It further added, there are 12 MSOs & 1 HITS (Head in the Sky) operators who have subscribers base over a million.  

    TRAI while mentioning about Direct-To-Home (DTH) services’ growth said that the DTH service has displayed a phenomenal growth and in all there four pay DTH providers in India.

    According to the report, Pay DTH has attained total active subscriber base of around 69.30 million at the end of September quarter compared to 69.45 million in the same quarter of 2018.

    Tata Sky and Dish TV locking the horns for first and second position in market share, the latter has 31.61 per cent subscribers base and former 31.23 per cent. Whereas, Airtel being at the third position has subscribers base of 23.39 per cent and Sun Direct has 13.8 per cent.

  • DTH service providers say STB interoperability unlikely to succeed in current conditions

    DTH service providers say STB interoperability unlikely to succeed in current conditions

    MUMBAI: Tata Sky, Dish TV and Hathway – Indian direct to home (DTH) service providers have provided their inputs to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)’s consultation paper on the issue related to interoperability of set-top-boxes (STB).

    According to Tata Sky’s response, having interoperable STBs will not be desirable due to commercial, technical, security and service-related reasons. The response stated that interoperability will only be viable if the new design of STB will have a reasonable cost with highest standards of quality, but not have any detrimental impact on the STB’s security and privacy features. The current STB ecosystem allows operators to provide secure solutions like HDCP, water-marking, fingerprint, among others at an optimum cost. The serious concern is, will third party manufacturers, developers be able to maintain the same security standards in the interoperable STB?

    As different operators keep entering the market at different points of time, operators use different compressions standards like MPEG2, MPEG4, HEVC, among others. The presence of multiple compression standards comes in the way of interoperability. As the STB model, functionality, processor speed, memory, software configuration, encryption and transmission standards are different with different operators, this will lead to serious compatibility issues if interoperability is attempted.

    The interoperable STB would soon get outdated and obsolete as a requirement would arise for operators to upgrade their STBs. The operator would get stifled by the slow pace of upgrade.

    The BIS standardisation process of various STB features would require significant cost and long gestation period. In the current scenario of the sector, with aggressive and unregulated competition coming in from OTT and mobile operators, STB interoperability is not feasible.

    According to Dish TV’s response, TRAI envisaged that it is not desirable to roll out interoperable STBs for a number of reasons, apart from the technical factors elaborated by Dish TV.  The response states that the dynamics of the STB industry are very rapid and will enable new product cycles at relatively low cost and advanced features which will get impeded, if an elaborated mechanism of interoperability including that of digital video broadcast (DVB)-C and DVB-T will be gone through. It will increase the cost at the same time disproportionately.

    TRAI should not ignore the devices including the STBs the come with broadband and OTT delivery, which are the rapidly gaining segments, having their own technologies of DRM and content protection, based on two way interconnectivity rather than one way DSA and key transfer algorithms.

    The structure of STBs vary in the cable and DTH segments, which does not warrant any interoperability to be mandated between them. DTH STBs have multiple functions that become redundant in cable-based STBs and vice versa.

    Hathway believes that there should be a provision for interoperability of STBs because with the rapid technological advancement, it will provide lot of options to subscribers. The concept is in a preliminary stage and there are not any known examples of STB interoperability available in any other country. The concept could proceed in India methodically but also need to think about various aspects and interests of all the stakeholders involved in the broadcast service value chain.

    At present, the STB architecture is designed in a way which meets the requirements of conditional access system (CAS). STB needs to be tightly bound with the CAS system for content security, which requires some parts of the CAS software to be hardcoded in the STB chipset during the manufacturing process, because of which not all chipsets support all available CAS systems. CAS is a very important component in the eco system of digital TV service. It defines the content security, specifies minimum requirement of STB’s CPU, RAM and FLASH memory, operating system and the requirement of a critical head end component – Multiplexer (MUX).

    MUX is used to encrypt channels based on ECMs generated by the CAS systems. All CAS systems have different methods of generating ECMs, that depends on various parameters like service ID, transport stream ID, source channel, session ID, among others. The length of ECMs varies in different CAS systems, which makes it difficult for MUX vendors to support all available CAS systems.

    The benefits of interoperability cannot be passed on to the subscribers in the case of an MSO, since its functioning is restricted to a specific area. The infrastructure and the set up for provision of services with a MSO and a DTH operator are completely different. The provision of service with a DTH operator is a wireless infrastructure, while with a MSO is a wired set up and depends on a local cable operator for end mile connectivity. A DTH operator can have a boundless reach, but MSO will have a limitation of reach due to infrastructure and geographical conditions.

    Due to the disparity in re-transmission infrastructure of a DTH operator and MSO, the DTH operator will not be in a position to give access to subscribers or customers of a MSO. Hence, STB interoperability for MSO and DTH operators should not be allowed.

  • Tata Sky partners with Colors Kannada to showcase blockbuster movies

    Tata Sky partners with Colors Kannada to showcase blockbuster movies

    MUMBAI: Tata Sky, India’s leading content distribution platform, has yet again expanded its portfolio of regional language services and is all set to strengthen its reach amongst its core regional audience in the south market. Partnering with COLORS Kannada, one of the leading movie content providers, Tata Sky Kannada Cinema has been launched with a ready line-up of 150+ films showcasing the biggest blockbusters and leading actors of Sandalwood.

    The new service will bring an uninterrupted entertainment experience for viewers with access to ad-free, high quality blockbuster movies including the latest and classic films. The service also offers a world television premiere every month. Some of the upcoming movie premieres include Kirik Party, K.G.F., Bell Bottom, Hottegagi genu battegagi, Ayogya and many more. This makes the 24×7 Tata Sky Kannada Cinema service the best Kannada ad-free cinema experience on a DTH platform with 12 movie premiers a year before television.

    Commenting on the launch, Tata Sky chief communications officer Anurag Kumar said, “Kannada film industry has seen a continued growth in viewership owing to high quality movie releases in recent years. With the launch of Tata Sky Kannada Cinema in partnership with COLORS Kannada, we aim to deliver the best curated content to Sandalwood lovers across the country, enabling a great regional cinema experience.”

    Added Viacom18  Kannada Entertainment Cluster business head Parameshwar Gundkal said, “With a contribution of 13% of the total Kannada television viewership, Movies is an important genre in entertainment in Karnataka. We are witnessing a sharp growth in regional film consumption across screens. With this partnership, we aim at giving viewers more of what they want via a well curated line-up of uninterrupted blockbuster movies across genres, that will keep the Kannada movie buffs glued to their television screens.”

    Tata Sky Kannada Cinema offers 150+ movies across action, drama, romance, comedy and thriller including both new blockbuster movies and classics such as – KGF, Kirik Party, Ayoga, Karva, Zoom, Chandu, Vaali, Yeradu Nakshatragalu, Habba, Yudda Kanda  etc featuring the biggest stars of the Kannada film industry including Sudeep Kichcha, Yash, Rakshit Shetty, Ganesh, Ninasam Sathish, Rishab Shetty, Rishi, Ravichandran, Vishnuvardhan, Ambarish, Rajkumar among others.

    Commenting on the launch, Kannada Cinema’s leading celebrity and Face of the Service, Puneeth Rajkumar, said, “We’re witnessing the renaissance of Kannada Cinema through original storylines celebrating the rich Kannada culture. It makes me proud to see this phase in the industry that’s encouraging young talent and creativity. To have a platform like Tata Sky Kannada Cinema at this time that curates all new and old films and takes it to Kannada speaking audience across the country is an added boost for the film industry.”

    Tata Sky Kannada Cinema strengthens the bouquet of regional cinema services for Tata Sky by offering unlimited and high-quality entertainment, catering to the growing popularity and demand for regional movie content. As a part of this endeavour, the regional bouquet already includes 7 services – Tata Sky Gujarati Cinema, Tata Sky Telugu Cinema, Tata Sky Tamil Cinema, Tata Sky Bhojpuri Sanima, Tata Sky Bangla Cinema, Tata Sky Punjab De Rang and Tata Sky Marathi Cinema.

  • VBS 2019: Media industry leaders to discuss challenges facing the industry

    VBS 2019: Media industry leaders to discuss challenges facing the industry

    MUMBAI: The much-anticipated Video and Broadband Summit (VBS) 2019 will be held today in Mumbai with participation from prominent media networks, broadcast distributors, media and advertising agencies, consultancy services, OTT platforms, media monitoring firms, as well as government regulatory bodies.

    Among the prominent media networks who will be participating in the summit are Sony Pictures Network, Star India, 9x Media, Enterr10 TV, BBC Global News, IN10 Media, Shemaroo and Zee. From the distributors side DEN Network, Maharashtra Cable Operators Federation, Fastway Transmissions, GTPL Hathway, Tata Sky, SITI Networks, UCN Cable and Ashwini Cable will be participating in the one-day summit at Hyatt Regency, Mumbai.

    Representatives of India’s prominent media agencies like IndiaCast Media, MediaKind, The Remediation Company, IndusInd Media and Communication, One Take Media, Madison Media will be participating in the event held in the shadows of TRAI’s February 2019 New Tariff Order (NTO) and amidst expectations and fears of further changes to the months-old act, described by many as one of the most significant reform in Indian media broadcast industry.

    There will be representation from auditing firms like PwC and KPMG as well. Since broadband service providers are now key to video distribution, there will be representation from Google, Reliance Jio Fiber, Reliance Jio and Win Broadband.

    TRAI advisor (broadcasting and cable services) Arvind Kumar will also address the gathering of industry leaders and there will also be a special presentation from BARC India COO Romil Ramgarhia.

    Bringing together industry leaders from all sectors of the media industry, the summit will discuss various issues at the heart of the NTO, how it’s impacting broadcasters and distributors, changes proposed to it and why broadcasters are unhappy with TRAI for floating a new consultation paper within six months of NTO.

    After a keynote address by Anil Wanvari, founder Indiantelevision.com, IndiaCast Media Distribution president Amit Arora, Star India Distribution president Gurjeev Singh Kapoor, IndusInd Media and Communications CEO Vynsley Fernandes, GTPL Hathway VP Yatin Gupta, The Remediation Company founder Shyamala Venkatachalam and Bhima Riddhi Digital Services promoter Nagesh Narayandas Chhabria will debate the TRAI consultation paper on tariffs in a panel discussion to be moderated by Elara Capital VP Karan Taurani.

    To give the perspective of distributors on how the NTO, and the expected amendments to it, affects their businesses, there will be a panel discussion in which SITI Networks CEO Anil Malhotra, GC member of SCTE India Shaji Mathews, Fastway Transmissions Consultant Peeush Mahajan and Bhima Riddhi Digital Services Promoter Nagesh Narayandas Chhabria will participate.

    Advertising industry is at the other end of the spectrum, the other big sector that had to adjust to post NTO environment. To discuss the advertisers' view and their take on the dynamic pay-TV landscape, there will be Godrej head media services Subha Sreenivasan Iyer, ITC PR and media head Jaikishin Chhaproo and Havas Media Group managing partner West & South Kunal Jamaur. They will participate in a panel discussion to be moderated by Castle Media CEO Ru Ediriwira.

    There will be a presentation from BROADPEAK business development manager Hervé Creff, on "Keeping control of HDMI1 with Android TV Operator Tier – the "super-aggregator" approach."

    This will be followed by a panel discussion on how to transform the TV broadcast sector to fuel growth – what are the key issues facing the industry and how can more transparency and discipline be injected into it? PwC partner and leader Raman Kalra, Elara Capital VP – research analyst (media) Karan Taurani, KPMG India partner Girish Menon and BBC News head of distribution – South Asia Sunil Joshi will participate in a panel discussion to be moderated by SBICAP Securities head of equity research Rajiv Sharma.

    Local cable operators also constitute an important link in the TV broadcast value chain in India. Despite the presence of strong DTH players like Tata and Bharti Airtel and the rise of OTT, as much as 65 per cent of TV homes in India are still connected through these local cable operators, as per TRAI estimates. Maharashtra Cable Operators Federation (MCOF) president Arvind Ramesh Prabhoo and IndusInd Media and Communication COO Rouse Koshy will participate in a panel discussion on how has the role of the LCO changed under the new regulatory framework and its significance going forward.

    The rise of some of the Free to Air (FTA) channels in the post NTO environment has been another prominent feature of 2019. To discuss the roadmap ahead for FTA channels, there will be a panel discussion in which SAB Group CEO Manav Dhanda, Enterr10 TV MD – Fakt Marathi Shirish Pattanshetty, IN10 Media COO Akul Tripathi, 9X Media chief revenue officer Pawan Jailkhani and Shemaroo Entertainment COO Kranti Gada will participate.

    To discuss the role of the internet in the broadcast industry, there will be a fireside chat between Anil Wanvari and Jio Fiber president Anuj Jain. The summit will end with a panel discussion on the role of the internet in video distribution in which Google Industry head media and entertainment Sandeep Ramesh, Jio VP – advertising and strategy Mohit Kapoor, COAI Director General Rajan S Mathews, ZEE5 chief revenue officer and business head Taranjeet Singh and MediaKind head of marketing – APAC Chiranjeev Singh will participate.

  • JOP Network’s journey from curating content to running 3 pay channels

    JOP Network’s journey from curating content to running 3 pay channels

    MUMBAI: It is often assumed that the TV broadcast market in India has reached a saturation point and is dominated by big media networks with deep pockets like Sony, Zee, Times Network, Disney-owned Star India (earlier owned by Rupert Murdoch) or Mukesh Ambani-owned Network18, leaving no room for start-ups to grow and establish themselves in this cluttered media space.
     
    However, JOP Network, a Delhi-based five-year-old content startup, has proved both these notions wrong. Not only has the startup that began its journey in 2014 as a content curator in the niche-segment of health and wellness grown by leaps and bounds in last five years, JOP Network currently runs three pay channels in India and Australia and plans to launch three more (1 GEC, 1 sports and 1 lifestyle) in the coming year.

    Owned by banker-turned-media entrepreneur Urvi Agarwal, JOP now produces and curates content for Indian and international markets and distributes via its own channels (Fitness Studio, Hollywood Masala, Life Mantra) as well as via global television networks such as Discovery, FOX Traveller, Airtel DTH, Tata Sky, Astro Malaysia and in-flight channels of Cathay Pacific, Lufthansa and Qatar Airways to name a few.

    JOP’s success demonstrates that even in a crowded and cluttered Indian broadcast TV market, it is possible to carve out a distinct space by curating and producing high-quality content and finding right market for your content.

    The beginning: 2014

    Talking about launching JOP Network in 2014, Agarwal says she realised at a very early stage that there was a dearth of speciality and niche channels in the Indian media landscape.

    “Globally, there were specific channels for one’s everyday lifestyle needs, from fitness to even fishing, but there was nothing that focussed on Indian masses.”
     JOP provided content to other channels for the first two years before getting its big break in 2016 when it signed a deal with SWIFT Network in Australia for spiritual lifestyle channel LifeMantra.

    The channel telecast content related to the philosophies of Ayurveda, yoga and balance and has been viewed by approximately one million viewers so far.

    Indian TV broadcast entry: 2018

    In 2018, JOP finally broke into Indian broadcast market by signing a Value Added Service (VAS) channel deal with Airtel DTH. Its first channel in India, Fitness Studio, was launched in January 2018 and featured celebs like Shilpa Shetty Kundra, Mandira Bedi, Vinod Channa, Namrata Purohit, and James Crossley amongst others.

    “On average, we produce approximately 60 to 70 hours of fitness and wellness content in-house in a year. We also have a strong network of partners globally from whom we acquire the remaining,” she says.

    Agarwal firmly believes that Fitness Studio (one of India’s industry-first pay channel in fitness genre) can contribute hugely in making India a sporting nation and in making fitness a social movement.

    “Television, even today, is the best medium to reach the Indian consumer in every part of the country and of all ages. Fitness of body and mind are essential if one wants to develop a sporting body and spirit. Even beyond sporting, a fit nation is a healthy nation and TV can play an important role in it,” she explains.

    Hollywood Masala

    Then in November 2018, JOP launched another channel, Hollywood Masala, which broadcast international blockbuster movies in Hindi.

    Agarwal says: “Hollywood Masala came into being after we observed a need gap in this segment. Most Indian audiences are comfortable in consuming content in Hindi or in regional Indian languages. The huge success of international movies such as Avengers, Bohemian Rhapsody can be attributed to them being released in theatres in Indian languages.”

    While JOP has hitherto focused on procuring already dubbed international movies, the startup is also investing in creating its own dubbing facility.

    “Mostly we try and procure movies which are already dubbed and censored. Currently, however, we are dubbing approximately 100 titles in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu and the average cost of dubbing and censoring a single title is Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1.2 lakh.”

    For 2020, Hollywood Masala has already acquired a huge catalogue distributed via PVR and some big titles from Paramount Pictures.

    NTO and Pay TV model

    JOP has launched both these channels (Fitness Studio, Hollywood Masala) as pay channels in 2018. Thus, they were well prepared for the February 2019 New Tariff Order (NTO) disruption that forced DTH, LCO and MSOs to move to a new tariff regime.

    Consequently, unlike other media networks, JOP has seen steady viewership growth in 2019 in the post-NTO era.

    “On average, we have seen a month on month increment of 5000 subscribers on both these channels,” she says, adding “celebrity content and big movies surge up the subscription even further.”

    Agarwal is also quick to underline that both these channels are also completely advertisement free. “That is the main USP of these two channels. We generate revenue via subscription.”

    However, have not JOP’s expansion plans suffered on account of not having distribution deals with local cable operators (LCOs) and multiple system operators (MSOs)?

    “We run these channels in collaboration with DTH operators as they are pioneers in the VAS field and have teams which focus on growing the business. MSOs and LCOs do not focus or specialise on VAS. Hathway runs a few VAS but prices them very low,” she says, adding that LCOs should think about adding robust VAS especially in the post-NTO environment when consumers are more receptive to the idea of paying for premium content.

    Content sales

    Apart from linear channel distribution, JOP’s other prominent stream of business is content sales.

    JOP has signed content sales deals with over 30 in-flight entertainment services across the world, including top airlines such as Lufthansa, Cathay Pacific, Alitalia, United Airlines, and Qantas.

    “We work with a French distributor for all our in-flight entertainment deals,” Agarwal says. The rates, however, vary from deal to deal, she adds.

    While JOP has sold content to OTT players from the very beginning, Agarwal is in no hurry to launch her own OTT platform. “We do not plan to launch our own OTT as of now. However, we have already started collaborating with various Indian and international OTT platforms for launching our content on them,” she says.

    The company is also in talks to raise funds to grow the company further and aims to invest this money in ramping up its own in-house production.
    2020 will be an interesting and challenging year for the five-year-old content startup. Not only does it plan to launch three new channels but also hopes to build its own dubbing and production capabilities.

    The success of three new planned channels in the cluttered Indian broadcast market and how soon JOP turns profitable remains to be seen. However, undoubtedly, JOP’s journey will serve as a testament on how to build a media network in crowded Indian broadcast media space.