ITV

Tag: Terrestrial

  • Creation of good content vital with advent of new media: Rathore

    Creation of good content vital with advent of new media: Rathore

    NEW DELHI: Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, Col. Rajyavardhan Rathore said today that the challenge as well as the opportunity would be to develop content and services for different platforms and consumers in view of the rapid changes in the information and communication technology and increasing number of smartphone users in India. 

    He said the public broadcaster Prasar Bharati was aware of the new challenges and would be constantly striving to keep pace with the new age technologies. The Minister also said the laws of the land should learn to keep pace with changing technology. 

    He complimented the Broadcast Engineering Society (BES) for their efforts and initiatives in bridging the gap between educational institutions and professional bodies.

    Inaugurating the 22nd International Conference & Exhibition on Terrestrial and Satellite Broadcasting BES EXPO 2016, he said it provided a unique platform and opportunity for participants and concerned stakeholders from across the world to share their ideas and experiences on the opportunities and challenges of the new age of digital broadcasting. He said that an idea would not be revolutionary if it remains dormant and BES EXPO 2016 provided an excellent forum to discuss these ideas and learn from each other. 

    Prasar Bharati Chairman A. Surya Prakash, CEO Jawhar Sircar, and I&B Special Secretary J S Mathur were also present on the occasion.

    Mathur said BES EXPO, which is amongst the top five exhibitions in the Knowledge Hub category provided an excellent opportunity for the whole of the broadcasting industry to witness the new technology from across the world in India.
     The winners of the awards instituted by the Broadcast Engineering Society in various categories such as training and innovation were felicitated. 

    The lifetime achievement award was conferred on M S H Baig for his outstanding contributions to the broadcasting industry. This year the society also conferred two special category awards to All India Radio for its Mobile App- ‘AIR Live’ and Doordarshan for its impactful coverage of Republic Day Parade, Independence Day, International Yoga Day and Ekta Diwas.

  • Creation of good content vital with advent of new media: Rathore

    Creation of good content vital with advent of new media: Rathore

    NEW DELHI: Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, Col. Rajyavardhan Rathore said today that the challenge as well as the opportunity would be to develop content and services for different platforms and consumers in view of the rapid changes in the information and communication technology and increasing number of smartphone users in India. 

    He said the public broadcaster Prasar Bharati was aware of the new challenges and would be constantly striving to keep pace with the new age technologies. The Minister also said the laws of the land should learn to keep pace with changing technology. 

    He complimented the Broadcast Engineering Society (BES) for their efforts and initiatives in bridging the gap between educational institutions and professional bodies.

    Inaugurating the 22nd International Conference & Exhibition on Terrestrial and Satellite Broadcasting BES EXPO 2016, he said it provided a unique platform and opportunity for participants and concerned stakeholders from across the world to share their ideas and experiences on the opportunities and challenges of the new age of digital broadcasting. He said that an idea would not be revolutionary if it remains dormant and BES EXPO 2016 provided an excellent forum to discuss these ideas and learn from each other. 

    Prasar Bharati Chairman A. Surya Prakash, CEO Jawhar Sircar, and I&B Special Secretary J S Mathur were also present on the occasion.

    Mathur said BES EXPO, which is amongst the top five exhibitions in the Knowledge Hub category provided an excellent opportunity for the whole of the broadcasting industry to witness the new technology from across the world in India.
     The winners of the awards instituted by the Broadcast Engineering Society in various categories such as training and innovation were felicitated. 

    The lifetime achievement award was conferred on M S H Baig for his outstanding contributions to the broadcasting industry. This year the society also conferred two special category awards to All India Radio for its Mobile App- ‘AIR Live’ and Doordarshan for its impactful coverage of Republic Day Parade, Independence Day, International Yoga Day and Ekta Diwas.

  • I&B minister Manish Tewari inaugurates BES Expo 2014

    I&B minister Manish Tewari inaugurates BES Expo 2014

    NEW DELHI: The Information and Broadcasting minister Manish Tewari inaugurated the 20th International Conference and Exhibition on Terrestrial and Satellite Broadcasting – BES Expo 2014, today at New Delhi. Speaking on the occasion he said, “The last two decades have witnessed exponential growth in both the broadcasting and telecom sectors, giving rise to 800 plus television channels.”

    Commenting on the problems and challenges faced by the broadcasting sector due to competition for market share, he said the union cabinet has recently approved the proposal of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting for a comprehensive regulatory framework in the form of guidelines for Television Rating Agencies in India. These guidelines cover detailed procedures for registration of rating agencies, eligibility norms, terms and conditions of registration, cross-holdings, methodology for audience measurement, a complaint redressal mechanism, sale and use of ratings, audit, disclosure, reporting requirements and action on non-compliance of guidelines. 

    Also speaking at the function, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting secretary Bimal Julka, said the ministry is planning to strengthen community radio movement in India, which would help in giving voice to the voiceless. 

    The BES expo is being attended by over 300 eminent broadcasters, media industry professionals and experts from India and abroad. The three day long expo will have deliberations on issues such as terrestrial broadcasting, future of TV, digitization, disaster broadcast systems for information dissemination, regulatory framework in broadcasting and other important issues related to the broadcasting industry. 

  • Sky adds 4oD catch-up service to NOW TV Box

    Sky adds 4oD catch-up service to NOW TV Box

    MUMBAI: Channel 4’s 4oD has become the latest terrestrial catch-up TV service to launch on Sky’s NOW TV Box, which already offers access to BBC iPlayer and Channel 5’s Demand 5.

    Shows such as Homeland, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Made in Chelsea as well as box sets from classic series such as Black Books, Father Ted and Peep Show are now available on demand for owners of the NOW TV Box. This adds more than 3,000 hours of content to the service for customers to enjoy at no extra cost. NOW TV also offers catch-up entertainment from Sky Atlantic, Fox, Discovery and Comedy Central.

    NOW TV director Gidon Katz commented in a report: “The NOW TV Box provides millions of people with the opportunity to transform their regular TV into a Smart TV for less than a tenner. There is now even more to watch. The launch of 4oD means the NOW TV Box delivers an even bigger choice of on-demand TV. It’s available alongside flexible pay-as-you-go access to must-see sport, the latest movies you missed at the cinema and the TV shows everyone’s talking about. Offering convenient, contract-free accesses to such outstanding content, no wonder that NOW TV Boxes have been flying off the shelves.”

    Channel 4 director of commercial and business development Laurence Dawkin-Jones added: “Bringing 4oD on the NOW TV Box represents the latest device launch in a busy year for Channel 4 that has seen us extend our content reach to many new platforms. We’re always looking for new places we can ensure our viewers can enjoy our popular on-demand service, and are delighted to add this to the portfolio.”

  • STB market continues to thrive, expected to peak in 2015

    STB market continues to thrive, expected to peak in 2015

    MUMBAI: Even though the pay-TV industry has been shifting toward delivering services to computers, smartphones and tablets, the traditional set-top box (STB) continues to thrive, with market shipments forecast to hit record highs this year, according to IHS.

    Global shipments of STBs used for cable, satellite, terrestrial and IPTV digital TV services are predicted to reach 269 million units this year, which is eight per cent higher than last year. This is expected to grow another six per cent, to 286 million, in 2014, and a further one per cent, to 290 million, in 2015. However, 2015 is expected to be the peak of the market for the foreseeable future. After that, IHS predicts that STB shipments will decrease by five per cent in 2016 and by another two per cent in 2017.

    “STBs are facing a mounting challenge to their role at the dominant pay-TV video consumption device because of operators‘ growing emphasis on supporting multiscreen devices,” said Daniel Simmons, the senior principal analyst for TV technology at IHS. “However, operators are continuing to deploy STBs in order to manage the compatibility between their delivery networks and the consumer electronics devices that consumers are increasingly using to view content now.”

    “As pay-TV operators rush to accommodate changes in delivery platforms and in video formats – including the adoption of HD – STB shipments will continue to rise, hitting record levels for the next few years”, adds Simmons.

  • Broadcasters feel need for diversifying TV content, want level-playing field for growth

    Broadcasters feel need for diversifying TV content, want level-playing field for growth

    NEW DELHI: Mobile TV is going to be popular but there is a need to address compatibility issues by using a single chip on the hand held device. That is what was stressed in the `International Conference on Multifaceted Broadcasting – Present and Future’ held as part of the BES Expo 2007 – the 13th Exhibition on Terrestrial and Satellite Broadcasting.

    Speaking on the last day, speakers – including LD Mandloi of Doordarshan, Brajeshwar Singh of All India Radio, Ashok Ogra of Discovery channel, and retired Prasar Bharati official MP Lele – admitted that there was need to diversify content on TV and mobile TV but said viewership appeared to be driven by some accepted formats.

    However, this made niche channels like Discovery and National Geographic very important. They also agreed that the content on news channels was driven only by sensationalism.

    Referring to some government actions like banning of the AXN channel while letting Fashion TV to continue its telecasts, they felt there was need for a level-playing field for growth of the media.

    The three-day event – inaugurated on 1 February by information and broadcasting minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi at Pragati Maidan, was organized by Broadcast Engineering Society (India). It was approved by the Union government and endorsed by International Association of Broadcasting Equipment Manufacturers (IABM), and supported by Prasar Bharati (AIR and Doordarshan), Unesco, Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU), DIT and IGNOU.

    Speakers said IP-based delivery systems – DVB-IP and IPTV for television and DAB-IP for radio – were going to be very popular. Mobile TV on the Hand held devices is already here.

    Keeping in view the large rate of growth of mobile cells in the country, Mobile TV was going to be very popular. Some speakers stressed the need to bring provisions of Emergency Warning Broadcast Systems (EWBS).

    It was accepted that there was a marked shift in the consumer behaviour pattern, with people wanting ‘any time anywhere interactive access’ which can be achieved only by the convergence of broadcasting, wireless and mobile technology. The consumer will decide the primetime and the platform.

    Some of the speakers stressed the need to permit private players to set up Community Radio stations instead of keeping this low-cost technology confined to some niche institutions.
    Digital Radio and High Definition TV (HDTV), which provide much better quality, were going to be introduced in the country in the very near future.

    Around 40 speakers from India and abroad explained the latest technological development in areas like Mobile TV- Anytime Anywhere, Digital Radio – emerging scenario, Role of broadcasting in Warning and Disaster Management, Digital media life cycle, Content creation – cutting edge technology, interactive broadcasting, broadcasting in India: Challenges ahead, and assuring audio and video quality.

    Sixty-five exhibitors from India and abroad displayed the latest broadcast equipment systems and services in the field of radio, television, satellite, internet and interactive broadcasting.