ITV

Tag: Tata-Star

  • Askew gung-ho on fast take-off once Tata-Star DTH file cleared

    HONG KONG: Waiting to exhale. That could well describe the story for the Star Group’s having to exercise Buddha-like patience over the Indian government’s lack of urgency (an understatement if ever there was one) in clearing the long pending Tata-Star DTH file.
     

    Quizzed by indiantelevision.com over whether the long wait would ultimately prove worth Star’s while considering the relatively slow uptake that rival Zee’s DTH venture Dish TV had despite a nearly one and a half year head start, Star Group COO Steve Askew would not be drawn into comparisons.

    Askew, however expressed confidence that the product offering that Star has in the pipeline had three key ingredients that would make for a sure shot win-win for both Star and the consumer – competitive pricing, wide choice and quality of both content and service.
     
     

    The Star group COO, who was speaking on the sidelines of a joint announcement with John Lau’s Focus Films Ltd for the production of Chinese-language feature films in high definition (HD) technology, used the film analogy to drive home his point. What Space TV would be offering was akin to the multiplex experience “direct-to-home”, he averred.

    Askew promised 200-plus channels would be available on the DTH offering from Day 1 of launch and that the subsequent channel ramp-up would be at a fast clip.

    Asked to comment on the imminent arrival of the Amitabh Bachchan-hosted game show Kaun Banega Crorepati II, Askew, who had to rush off citing a packed schedule, said Star had high expectations for the show.

  • More clarifications sought from Tata-Star

    More clarifications sought from Tata-Star

    NEW DELHI: It seems that the Tata-Star combine may have to wait for some more time before it can lay its hands on a letter of intent from the government, relating to a direct-to-home (DTH) television service that it proposes to start.

    “Some gaps were found in the application and the government has sought more clarifications from them (Tata-Star), last week on those issues. The response is still awaited,” a senior information and broadcasting ministry official told indiantelevision.com today.

    Asked about the nature of clarifications sought, the official indicated that they pertained to the ‘eligibility criterion’ for a DTH license, including ‘some more clarity’ on the equity pattern in the joint venture company.

    In January this year, Tata Sons had announced formation of a joint venture with the Rupert Murdoch-controlled Star Group for launching a DTH platform in India. The Tata Group holds 80 per cent in the JV, which is envisaging building India’s largest digital television platform (estimated project cost: Rs 1.6 billion) and offering a range of channels with interactive features and services.

    If cleared, Tata-Star’s Space TV would be the third KU-band DTH service provider in the country after Dish TV, 20 per cent owned by Zee, and Indian pubcaster Doordarshan’s DD Direct Plus that is yet to be formally launched.

    Hong Kong-based research and analysis firm Media Partners Asia estimates that the Indian DTH market could grow at the rate of 15 per cent annually.

    About a month back, I&B ministry had said that the Tata-Star application could be cleared by year-end, raising hopes in Star that the service could be started by March 2005, if not earlier.

    The Space TV application has been cleared by most related Indian government agencies, including the home ministry, which looks into various security aspects of such ventures.

  • Further 2-month delay in Trai report likely as fresh pitches sought

    Further 2-month delay in Trai report likely as fresh pitches sought

    NEW DELHI: All those in the industry that have been waiting for India’s broadcast and cable regulator, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), to come out with its recommendations on various issues may have to wait a while.

    Trai has invited pitches from consultants to help them out with the global and technical scenarios with reports. Since the consultants would have to submit their reports before Trai finalises its own consultation paper, a further delay of at least two months can be taken for granted. The last date for submission of letters of interest is 10 September.

    There is, however, no information whether this move of Trai has been initiated at the behest of the government or not.

    At the moment, the industry is still awaiting a full report/recommendations from Trai on important issues like `must provide’ clause for all platforms, CAS and price freeze on cable services, etc. This move may also result in the government waiting for a Trai reccomendation before taking any action on various issues like issuing a licence to operate a KU-band DTH television service to a Tata-Star joint venture.

    The two consultants would be required to furnish their reports on the following points:

    Consultant 1 (International Trends):
    o Study of international trends on the digitalisation of cable television.
    o The report should cover four developed countries, including the USA and the UK as well as some developing countries with per capita income similar to that of India.
    o The report should cover the statutes and regulations adopted by these countries towards the objective of digitalisation of cable TV as well as implementation schedules.
    o The report should also cover the technical standards adopted by these countries
    o The technical status of plug and play digital television, which can be directly plugged with digital cable services without the need for a STB (set-top box).

    Consultant 2 (Technical &Costing)
    o Details of technical set-up (including costing) from head-end to customer-end required by multi-system operators and local cable operators for the delivery of 30 FTA channels, 36 scrambled pay channels requiring analogue or digital STB,incremental details for further 144 digital channels in steps of 36.
    o The details should be provided for different levels of subscriber base of up to 500 subscribers, up to 5000 subscribers, up to 50,000 subscribers and up to 200,000 subscribers.
    o The details of technical set-up (including costing) required at the cable head-end to receive signals from broadcasters through satellite, optical fiber etc.
    o The details of technical set-up (including costing) required to provide interactive TV services such as pay-per-view, video on demand, etc.o The consultant would be required to study the status of digitalisation of TV in India and visit at least two towns where the MSOs have started digitalisation of their services. This should be a part of the report.
    o The consultant will take into account the relevant ITU, IEC and BIS standards and suggest need for change, if any.

    Trai has said that reputed consultancy firms having offices/partner in India and global reach, with adequate and specific expertise on technical issues relating to analogue & digital broadcasting and cable TV services are invited to submit their proposals to the organisation and the chosen ones would be given 60 days to complete their reports for Trai.

    And, why does Trai need the help of outside organisations? Having regard to the international scenario and the benefits that result from conversion to digital TV, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India proposes to examine the need for a national plan for digitalisation and other related issues, the organisation says on its website.

  • I&B ministry mulls panel to take ‘tough’ look at DTH

    I&B ministry mulls panel to take ‘tough’ look at DTH

    NEW DELHI: India’s information and broadcasting ministry proposes to set up a committee to look into the regulatory framework for the KU-band DTH sector and possibly suggest more stringent measures.

    The step is being envisaged in the wake of a public interest litigation that has been filed in the Delhi High Court seeking directions from the court to the government to review DTH operations in the country in the absence of a proper regulatory framework and access to porn stuff through such a network.

    The proposed panel would be headed by I&B ministry secretary Naveen Chawla and is likely to have some representation from other ministries too, including law and home.

    However, some industry observers described this proposed government panel as another step towards controlling of the media and taking steps to promote Indian pubcaster Doordarshan, which is set to launch a KU-band DTH service, but is finding it difficult to market it commercially in the absence of popular entertainment channels on the platform.

    Earlier this month, during the first hearing of the PIL, filed by the Delhi-based Centre for Media Studies chairman N Bhaskara Rao, also considered close to I&B ministry Jaipal Reddy, the court directed the government to revert within a month’s time with a detailed reply on the issues raised by the petitioner.

    At the moment, apart from the proposed DD venture, there is only one DTH service operational in the country and that is promoted by Subhash Chandra companies under the brand name Dish TV. An application from Tata-Star combine seeking a licence for a DTH service is still pending with the I&B ministry, despite having clearances from other places, including the home ministry.

    Petitioner Rao, who has pointed fingers at the usual suspects like national security, has stated that “the security clearances given” by the government to respondent No. 4 to the case (Dish TV) for starting a DTH service is “not at all foolproof and many compromises are being made at the cost of national security.”

    Pointing out that the existing security clearance procedure needs review and tightening so as also to protect India’s cultural heritage.

    Rao in his petition has further stated that the existing DTH guidelines have been framed with the backing of a national policy and are not at all adequate and foolproof, especially against facilitating in accessing pornographic channel/content by a subscriber of a DTH service and also in the transmission of secret messaging and possible misuse of communication channel by terrorist groups.

  • ‘Must provide’ ruling expected in a few days

    ‘Must provide’ ruling expected in a few days

    NEW DELHI: The Indian government expects that the broadcast and cable regulator would submit a favourable recommendation within “a few days” on making available TV channels by content providers to all platforms on a non-discriminatory basis.

    Pointing out that this particular issue of `must provide’ was specifically referred to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) by information and broadcasting minister Jaipal Reddy recently, a senior ministry official said, “The government is also likely to accept Trai’s recommendations.”

    What is interesting to see is that the government stand on the must-provide clause is gaining stridency as the launch of Indian pubcaster Doordarshan’s KU-band DTH television service draws nearer.

    As of today, only 16 private sector channels have agreed to join the DD platform with most mass-based Hindi entertainment channels keeping off.

    The official’s statement also gains importance in the light of the fact that the government expects Trai to recommend that all TV channels must be made available to all platforms, including DTH, on a non-discriminatory basis.

    This issue had been hanging fire with the industry vertically split on the matter. A pay broadcaster would not like to make available all its channels to a rival’s platform, while most broadcasters would also not like to be on a DTH platform that is free like DD’s — something that would cost a subscriber nothing to access.

    When asked whether the government would wait till this must-provide clause is sorted out before handing out more licences for DTH services in the country, the ministry official said, “Not necessarily. But all DTH service providers in the country would have to abide by it.”

    Tata-Star’s application for a DTH licence is still pending with the I&B ministry. The venture is estimated to be worth Rs 1.6 billion.

    Queried further whether the must-provide clause could lead to loss of exclusivity for a DTH platform, the official said, “In the name of exclusivity, lack of competition cannot be allowed.”

    However, global trends show that in the case of DTH, unlike cable or any other platform, monopoly or duopoly works best. Even in developed markets like the US and the UK, DTH services sell on the basis of providing exclusive and premium fare to subscribers.

    Meanwhile, Doordarshan today said that it has increased its target of providing free DTH kits from 10,000 to 15,000. These would be distributed primarily in eight states, including some in the north-eastern regions, which are below the national average in terms of coverage by the national broadcaster.

    Speaking to journalists, Prasar Bharati CEO KS Sarma said that the private channels that have agreed to come on to DD’s 40-channel DTH platform include BBC World, Zee News, Alpha Bangla, ETC Punjabi, Star Utsav, MH1, Aaj Tak and Headlines Today, apart from some South Indian channels.

  • Zee ups consumer push for Dish TV

    Zee ups consumer push for Dish TV

     NEW DELHI: Sensing that the Tata-Star combine, which got a green signal last week from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB), for a joint venture company, is all set to up gears as far as its direct-to-home (DTH) venture is concerned, Dish TV too is attempting to smoothen out the rough edges. Especially those related to marketing.

    Dish TV is the brand name under which Subhash Chandras companies, ASC Enterprises and Zee Telefilms, are implementing the countrys first KU-band DTH service.According to Zee Tele vice-chairman Jawahar Goel, a new initiative relating to DTH distributors, aimed at facilitating easy accessibility for consumers, is being planned soon. “The distributor locator scheme through SMS (over mobile telephony) would be put in place within a few days so that consumers interested in the DTH service would find it easier to know more about the service,” he added.

    Under the new scheme, any person can send an SMS to a re-designated number, which would be heavily advertised by Dish TV, giving his/her area of residence or wherever the DTH hardware is to be installed. A reply would be generated wherein the details of a distributor nearest to the senders location would be provided.

    Alternately, a prospective DTH consumer can go to ASC Enterprises and/or Zee Telefilms sites to locate a Dish TV distributor in his/her city of choice.

    This move has been initiated, Goel pointed out, as the feedback has been that people have been finding it difficult to locate distributors for the DTH service.

    Dish TV is also looking at increasing the number of channels being offered to consumers, which would go up to 100 from the existing 48-odd at present, including new inductees in the form of ESPN and Star Sports.

    Quite a few of the probable new channels have been tied up, while work is continuing on others, Goel said.

    In this connection, it is learnt that ASC Enterprises group president and CEO Punit Goenka is scheduled to visit Cannes in France for the MIP TV event, with an aim to do some content shopping.

    Meanwhile, Dish TV logo too has undergone a change and the new avatar can be seen on leaflets being distributed currently by the company.

    Asked about the reason behind the new logo, Goel said that internally people wanted some changes and so it was done.

  • Star looking to launch Hindi entertainment, kids channel

    Star looking to launch Hindi entertainment, kids channel

    NEW DELHI: Hong Kong-based Star Group Ltd., controlled by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, plans to launch two more entertainment channels outside the direct-to-home (DTH) package of channels to be offered by the Tata-Star joint venture.

    One of the channels would be in Hindi and would be made of kids’ programmes like Shakalaka Boom Boom and Son Pari.
    The reason behind launching these channels is that over the years Star Plus has emerged as a very popular channel where not all programmes could be accommodated.

    In the light of such developments, Star group CEO Michelle Guthrie, during an informal meeting with information and broadcasting minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, mentioned that the company is looking at launching two more entertainment channels in India to tap the entertainment sector more effectively, government sources said.

    According to the sources, there are plans by Star India to create a kids channel with local content wherein all kids-related programmes from Star Plus would be aired, apart from some content from Fox Kids. Another channel that Guthrie, probably, was indicating towards was a “Desi” version of Fox Entertainment.

    It may be recalled that these were the very questions that indiantelevision.com put to Star India COO Sameer Nair in a recent interview.

    Guthrie is also understood to have appreciated the development happening in India’s media and entertainment sector.

    Guthrie, along with Star India CEO Peter Mukerjea and two other company executives made the rounds of government offices, including dropping in to discuss the status of the industry with broadcast, cable and telecom regulator, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), chief Pradip Baijal.

    Interestingly, Guthrie, who is here in the capital since yesterday, met Baijal twice — once as part of the Casbaa delegation and the second time with the Star team.

    EARLY CLEARANCE TO DTH PROJECT REQUESTED

    After a presentation on DTH was made to I&B ministry officials at a Tata group company office here, Guthrie, according to government sources, also petitioned for an early clearance of the proposed DTH venture, saying the service could be provided for as little as Rs 180 per month from around Diwali this year.

    As reported by indiantelevision.com earlier, the total DTH hardware would cost a subscriber under Rs 5,000 — Rs 4,999 to be exact, according to the presentation. The joint venture company would also subsidise the set-top boxes, depending on the customs duty levied by the government on the boxes.

    Apart from exploring the possibilities of having a financing scheme for the boxes – to make it easier for subscribers – sources indicated that during the presentation it was mentioned there would be several tiers in the DTH package, which would start off with 65-odd channels initially.

    The Star-Tata combine is also targeting about a million DTH subscribers in the first year.

    Whether the government gave any assurance on expediting the DTH clearances early is not known, but it seems that pricing strategy of Star-Tata DTH venture is very similar to that of Dish TV, a DTH service started by Subhash Chandra’s companies, ASC and Zee Telefilms.

    Meanwhile, the Tata-Star DTH proposal was listed as part of applications that were to be examined at the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) meeting today. It was number 22 on the list so whether it came up for discussion or not was not clear at the time of posting this report.

    At present, the Tata-Star combine, had paid the Rs 10 million entry fee, but is still to furnish a Rs 400 million bank guarantee before the venture can get a letter of intent from the government to begin DTH.

    Another player in the DTH sector, India’s pubcaster Doordarshan has said that its proposed service, scheduled to be launched in April, may get delayed to June.