ITV

Tag: Travelxp

  • Travelxp becomes first travel channel to launch in 4K on SES-1 satellite

    Travelxp becomes first travel channel to launch in 4K on SES-1 satellite

    MUMBAI: SES S.A. (Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG) today announced that Travelxp 4K, an international travel channel, will make its Ultra HD debut next month on SES’s growing Ultra HD distribution platform serving cable operators and multichannel television platforms throughout North America.

    Offering audiences compelling stories from faraway places, the world’s first 4K travel channel, Travelxp 4K,is set to launch on the SES-1 satellite, one of a trio of SES satellites (SES-1, SES-3, AMC-18) that are home to the region’s leading Ultra HD distribution platform. Travelxp4K, licensed to multichannel video program distributors (MVPDs) by Vivicast Media, is the latest in a series of Ultra HD channels to join SES’s Ultra HD platform, home to nine linear Ultra HD channels as of January. SES has now signed distribution agreements with more than 30 Ultra HD channels globally, of which 21 are commercial.

    Travelxp 4K, a venture of Celebrities Management in India, features hundreds of hours of world class travel programs filmed all over the world. The 4K channel follows the success of Travelxp HD, which offers 100% originally-produced premium travel and lifestyle programmingdistributed to over 50 million homes globally. Travelxp 4K will showcase global travel content with breathtaking images in 10 bit REC2020 color space with HLG (Hybrid Log Gamma) HDR (High Dynamic Range).

    “Travelxp4K is all about bringing the world to homes in stunning resolution. 10 bit REC2020 with HLG HDR will make the viewing experience more immersive and vivid. It’s not just about more pixels in 4K but better pixels,” explained Travelxp 4K CEO Prashant Chothani. “We are delighted to offer viewers a closer and more fascinating look at the world’s most beautiful travel destinations, cultures, and heritage like never before with our 100% original and exclusive 4K programming. By joining SES’s growing Ultra HD bouquet and content distribution platform, Travelxp 4K is well-positioned to reach significant audiences across North America.”

    “SES has created the best and largest bouquet of stunning 4K programming in a single location around the world,” said SES vice president of business development in North America Steve Corda. “People across the U.S. and North America are purchasing Ultra HD TVs at a record pace, with a surge expected this holiday season. Millions of television viewers are now expecting to watch 4K programming on their new screens, and cable operators and other television platform providers are on the verge of satisfying this growing demand with the historic home delivery of linear Ultra HD in the coming weeks and months.”

  • Travelxp to launch new Tamil channel; 4K feed before Feb

    Travelxp to launch new Tamil channel; 4K feed before Feb

    MUMBAI: Giving competition to Discovery Channel, Prashant Chothani-promoted travel and lifestyle channel, travelxp, is all set to take southern India by storm with the launch of its new channel in Tamil. The channel’s soft launch is scheduled for 13 December. It’s availability on various distribution platforms will be unveiled post its launch.

    The aim of the channel is to connect with the regional audience and broaden the audience base that travelxp already enjoys.

    “We are launching a new channel focussed on the Tamil audience across all age-groups. South India has vast tourist spots which are famous both, nationally and internationally, with some places that are yet to be explored. Our channel will highlight everything — from food to travel to leisure, etc. and will showcase it to the world. ”

    The channel will have original localised Tamil content as well as dubbed shows from travelxp’s existing bouquet. In a year’s time, the channel plans to have a 60:40 ratio of acquired/dubbed as to homegrown content in Tamil language.

    After launching a Bengali version in April this year, travelxp’s Tamil will also explore and travel to new places, finding new cultures and destinations, knowing about different food tastes. The channel’s team would shoot different episodes with various families in their own drawing room.

    The Bengali feed has a line-up of marquee shows such as Bliss, World Spa, Backpack, Great World Hotels, Strictly Street, xp guide, and Food Fact Fun, etc.

    The much awaited 4K rollout of travelxp meantime is also set to launch before it’s speculated time in February 2017. The launch will happen across all the markets.

    Chothani has invested around US$ 2 million in producing his shows in 4K over the past year or so. Using 4K technology, the shows have already produced 100 hours of travel content in UHD and need another 50 hours of content to launch a full-fledged 4K channel.

    The channel has expanded its international footprint by launching in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Malawi and Rwanda by tying up with Africa’s AzamTV network. The channel is already available in North America, Middle East and the Indian subcontinent.

    Travelxp is currently available on DTH platforms — Tata Sky, Dish TV, Videocon d2h and Airtel, and leading cable networks like Hathway Cable & Datacom, InCable, Siti Cable, GTPL and UCN.

  • Travelxp to launch new Tamil channel; 4K feed before Feb

    Travelxp to launch new Tamil channel; 4K feed before Feb

    MUMBAI: Giving competition to Discovery Channel, Prashant Chothani-promoted travel and lifestyle channel, travelxp, is all set to take southern India by storm with the launch of its new channel in Tamil. The channel’s soft launch is scheduled for 13 December. It’s availability on various distribution platforms will be unveiled post its launch.

    The aim of the channel is to connect with the regional audience and broaden the audience base that travelxp already enjoys.

    “We are launching a new channel focussed on the Tamil audience across all age-groups. South India has vast tourist spots which are famous both, nationally and internationally, with some places that are yet to be explored. Our channel will highlight everything — from food to travel to leisure, etc. and will showcase it to the world. ”

    The channel will have original localised Tamil content as well as dubbed shows from travelxp’s existing bouquet. In a year’s time, the channel plans to have a 60:40 ratio of acquired/dubbed as to homegrown content in Tamil language.

    After launching a Bengali version in April this year, travelxp’s Tamil will also explore and travel to new places, finding new cultures and destinations, knowing about different food tastes. The channel’s team would shoot different episodes with various families in their own drawing room.

    The Bengali feed has a line-up of marquee shows such as Bliss, World Spa, Backpack, Great World Hotels, Strictly Street, xp guide, and Food Fact Fun, etc.

    The much awaited 4K rollout of travelxp meantime is also set to launch before it’s speculated time in February 2017. The launch will happen across all the markets.

    Chothani has invested around US$ 2 million in producing his shows in 4K over the past year or so. Using 4K technology, the shows have already produced 100 hours of travel content in UHD and need another 50 hours of content to launch a full-fledged 4K channel.

    The channel has expanded its international footprint by launching in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Malawi and Rwanda by tying up with Africa’s AzamTV network. The channel is already available in North America, Middle East and the Indian subcontinent.

    Travelxp is currently available on DTH platforms — Tata Sky, Dish TV, Videocon d2h and Airtel, and leading cable networks like Hathway Cable & Datacom, InCable, Siti Cable, GTPL and UCN.

  • Travelxp available in Bangladesh through RealVU

    Travelxp available in Bangladesh through RealVU

    MUMBAI: Travelxp is available for the viewers of Bangladesh through Beximco Communications owned DTH service provider RealVU.

    Their entry in Bangladesh further expands its reach in the Indian sub continent and is in line with its aspirations to broadcast in markets globally. The tie-up with RealVU ensures the reach of Travelxp to the intended audience as it is Bangladesh’s only DTH provider.

    ”Travelxp’s launch on RealVU in Bangladesh marks another milestone in our mission to reach out to the travel loving viewers world over. We bring the world into the homes of this great aspiring nation with our localised Bengali feed and would love to showcase Bangladesh’s fascinating history, culture and beauty to the world,” said Travelxp CEO Prashant Chothani.

    Having a firm footprint in North America, Middle-East, Africa and Europe the channel’s entry in Bangladesh is intended towards strengthening its hold in the Indian Subcontinent.

    Being a front runner in using 4K technology, the channel already has about 100 hours of exceptional quality travel content and is all set to launch in 4K by February 2017 across continents.

    Real VU CEO Dmitry Lapitskiy said, “Bangladesh has a wide range of travel lovers and adding a channel like Travelxp is going to cater our subscribers better. RealVU constantly tries to ensure customer satisfaction and adding new channels for the betterment of our valued subscribers”.

    The DTH provider gives premium picture quality and sound to the viewers at the most affordable price. The monthly subscription fee for the service is Tk. 300, where the subscribers get over 100 channels with more than 26 Bengali channels and many international major channels including 05 HD channels.

  • Travelxp available in Bangladesh through RealVU

    Travelxp available in Bangladesh through RealVU

    MUMBAI: Travelxp is available for the viewers of Bangladesh through Beximco Communications owned DTH service provider RealVU.

    Their entry in Bangladesh further expands its reach in the Indian sub continent and is in line with its aspirations to broadcast in markets globally. The tie-up with RealVU ensures the reach of Travelxp to the intended audience as it is Bangladesh’s only DTH provider.

    ”Travelxp’s launch on RealVU in Bangladesh marks another milestone in our mission to reach out to the travel loving viewers world over. We bring the world into the homes of this great aspiring nation with our localised Bengali feed and would love to showcase Bangladesh’s fascinating history, culture and beauty to the world,” said Travelxp CEO Prashant Chothani.

    Having a firm footprint in North America, Middle-East, Africa and Europe the channel’s entry in Bangladesh is intended towards strengthening its hold in the Indian Subcontinent.

    Being a front runner in using 4K technology, the channel already has about 100 hours of exceptional quality travel content and is all set to launch in 4K by February 2017 across continents.

    Real VU CEO Dmitry Lapitskiy said, “Bangladesh has a wide range of travel lovers and adding a channel like Travelxp is going to cater our subscribers better. RealVU constantly tries to ensure customer satisfaction and adding new channels for the betterment of our valued subscribers”.

    The DTH provider gives premium picture quality and sound to the viewers at the most affordable price. The monthly subscription fee for the service is Tk. 300, where the subscribers get over 100 channels with more than 26 Bengali channels and many international major channels including 05 HD channels.

  • travelxp partners with AzamTV; brings content to Africa

    travelxp partners with AzamTV; brings content to Africa

    MUMBAI: After venturing into 4K, travelxp is in news for tying up with Azam Tv, and reaching out to audiences in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Malawi & Rwanda. Azam TV is a brand in broadcasting industry in eastern Africa, and claims to have millions customers across the said countries.

    travexp is a Indian lifestyle channel attempting to make a mark internationally after its launched in February 2011. The customers of AzamTV will enjoy travel programming filmed in HD over 40 countries.

    Having a footprint in North America, Middle-East and the Indian Subcontinent, the channel’s entry into the east African region is a sure shot boost. The channel says that the shows like Xplore Hong Kong, Strictly Street, Bliss and Quest are favourite amongst its audiences.

    Commenting on the occasion, travelxp CEO and MD Prashant Chothani said “Africa is a market with enormous potential. The percentage penetration and growth of pay TV population is one of the fastest growing markets in the world. With content syndicated in over 40+countries, further reinforces our belief in our offerings and ability to match viewing preferences of our audiences. We are pleased to join hands with AzamTV to distribute our high quality content to entertain the viewers of Africa”

    Azam Media Limited COO Jacob Joseph added, “ We are glad to have travelxp in our bouquet. It is the most watched channel and perhaps the one &only channel that portray ‘ Life into Reality’. The channel that don’t settle for less but aimed for its best’.As our slogan ‘Entertainment for Everybody.’

  • travelxp partners with AzamTV; brings content to Africa

    travelxp partners with AzamTV; brings content to Africa

    MUMBAI: After venturing into 4K, travelxp is in news for tying up with Azam Tv, and reaching out to audiences in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Malawi & Rwanda. Azam TV is a brand in broadcasting industry in eastern Africa, and claims to have millions customers across the said countries.

    travexp is a Indian lifestyle channel attempting to make a mark internationally after its launched in February 2011. The customers of AzamTV will enjoy travel programming filmed in HD over 40 countries.

    Having a footprint in North America, Middle-East and the Indian Subcontinent, the channel’s entry into the east African region is a sure shot boost. The channel says that the shows like Xplore Hong Kong, Strictly Street, Bliss and Quest are favourite amongst its audiences.

    Commenting on the occasion, travelxp CEO and MD Prashant Chothani said “Africa is a market with enormous potential. The percentage penetration and growth of pay TV population is one of the fastest growing markets in the world. With content syndicated in over 40+countries, further reinforces our belief in our offerings and ability to match viewing preferences of our audiences. We are pleased to join hands with AzamTV to distribute our high quality content to entertain the viewers of Africa”

    Azam Media Limited COO Jacob Joseph added, “ We are glad to have travelxp in our bouquet. It is the most watched channel and perhaps the one &only channel that portray ‘ Life into Reality’. The channel that don’t settle for less but aimed for its best’.As our slogan ‘Entertainment for Everybody.’

  • Travelxp and Prashant Chothani’s 4K drive

    Travelxp and Prashant Chothani’s 4K drive

    MUMBAI: Prashant Chothani is a man on a mission. The veteran cable TV professional-turned-Zee TV-associate-turned TV broadcaster has marked two dates in his calendar – October 2016 and February 2017. The founder and CEO of Travelxp- the Indian travel lifestyle channel  – has set his sights on launching his channel in 4K globally in order  to engage even international viewers by one of those two dates.

    Says Chothani:  “We have shot 100 hours of UHD (Ultra High Definition) 4K content and need another 50 hours of content to launch a full fledged 4K channel.”

    It’s almost as if a race is on. And it’s a race he has ventured into by himself. Ever since he started dabbling in filming travel and lifestyle shows in 4K  and got pole-vaulted into an elite group of 4K content pioneers thanks to MipTV and Mipcom  in Cannes, the format has been coursing through his veins and keeping him awake night and day.

    So much so that he has invested around $2 million in producing his shows in 4K over the past year or so.  That kind of investment – when the entire channel Travelxp is turning over an estimated $3 million in revenues (both advertising and subscription)  –  shows his commitment and optimism about the future of UHD  content and to be a pioneer.

    “The process of 4K is long and time consuming and one needs a lot of investment and patience for this transition. We were amongst the first to begin the shift from Standard Definition to High Definition. And now we are all up for new age of 4k. As an Indian production company, we are setting the standards for 4K. We are very proud of that,” says  Chothani excitedly.

    He and his Travelxp team have shot in about 10 countries including a series in India with a plan to produce more indigenous content.  4K TV productions cost about four times more than a HD shoot. Travel shows take about six to eight months to complete with a crew of six to eight once again.  

    Chothani has invested a few million dollars in the 4K production pipeline. Travelxp owns Sony F5S cameras with Canon lenses. Colour grading is done on DaVinci Resolve machines. 4K requires terabytes of storage and processing the content requires high speed machines  for rendering. The in-house production team at Travelxp is using Apple Pro modified machines to process the heavy raw footage.

    He reveals that he challenge lay in selecting the right equipment which would allow him to maintain image and video quality in natural light. He and his team have done what Indians are known for “juggad” or innovating to get things working in the Indian ecosystem.

    “We are the first ones to attempt this, so the learning was on the job. We made our mistakes, but learned as we went along,” says Chothani “The HD to 4K transformation is not easy for anyone. It will take undoing what is done and unlearning what production houses already know. Old infrastructure is not compatible for such a change.”

    The advantage of 4K is the color quality, picture depth and image sharpness it offers to viewers. The viewer feels like he is experiencing each frame live with his naked eyes. One can see every inch of detail from blossoming flowers to morning dew and each merging shade of rainbow on one’s screen. Sports and travel and lifestyle content come out best when viewed in 4K.

    Chothani has been filming keeping in mind the evolution of UHD standards set by the UHD Alliance recently. These state that for a production to be labeled as High Dynamic Range (HDR) 4K, it has to be shot at a 10 bit rate at 50 frames per second (fps) and 2100 REC with the pixel set at 3,840 X 2,160 and 16:9 format. But he and his team have filmed their 100 hours of content at 4K SDR (standard dynamic range) with the bitrate at 16 and at 50 fps. This Chothani states will allow all the content to be upgraded to 4K HDR rather easily. Says he: “We have kept the shooting quality with both the SDR and HDR options being open to us.”

    It’s not as if the 4K HDR road is going to be easy and paved with gold.  An estimated 30 million 4K TV sets or receivers have been purchased by TV viewers globally.  But these are SDR sets and most will have to be replaced or use Hybrid Log Gamma tech to allow viewers to enjoy the better picture quality that HDR yields. And brands like Sony and Videocon have started manufacturing TVs matching the new 4K HDR standards.

    Then there is the question of distribution via satellite. Each 4K channel requires 25 Mbps of bandwidth on a transponder. That means expenses. Chothani is in talks with satellite capacity providers such as with SES, Eutelsat, Measat and Hispasat. He says 20 distribution platforms worldwide have already agreed to carry Travel Xp 4K once it begins telecasting.

    According to Chothani, it took some time and tedium for the industry and viewers to shift from standard definition to high definition viewing.  Around 50 channels in India out of the 800 odd are beaming in HD, making it an eight to 10 per cent  ratio.  Chothani predicts that 8-10 per cent of HD channels will also likely transition to 4K in the short run.  “The challenge is truly big, but change indeed is the only constant,” he says with a shrug of his shoulders.  “And I indeed want to be ahead of the curve.”

    Spoken like a true pioneer.

  • Travelxp and Prashant Chothani’s 4K drive

    Travelxp and Prashant Chothani’s 4K drive

    MUMBAI: Prashant Chothani is a man on a mission. The veteran cable TV professional-turned-Zee TV-associate-turned TV broadcaster has marked two dates in his calendar – October 2016 and February 2017. The founder and CEO of Travelxp- the Indian travel lifestyle channel  – has set his sights on launching his channel in 4K globally in order  to engage even international viewers by one of those two dates.

    Says Chothani:  “We have shot 100 hours of UHD (Ultra High Definition) 4K content and need another 50 hours of content to launch a full fledged 4K channel.”

    It’s almost as if a race is on. And it’s a race he has ventured into by himself. Ever since he started dabbling in filming travel and lifestyle shows in 4K  and got pole-vaulted into an elite group of 4K content pioneers thanks to MipTV and Mipcom  in Cannes, the format has been coursing through his veins and keeping him awake night and day.

    So much so that he has invested around $2 million in producing his shows in 4K over the past year or so.  That kind of investment – when the entire channel Travelxp is turning over an estimated $3 million in revenues (both advertising and subscription)  –  shows his commitment and optimism about the future of UHD  content and to be a pioneer.

    “The process of 4K is long and time consuming and one needs a lot of investment and patience for this transition. We were amongst the first to begin the shift from Standard Definition to High Definition. And now we are all up for new age of 4k. As an Indian production company, we are setting the standards for 4K. We are very proud of that,” says  Chothani excitedly.

    He and his Travelxp team have shot in about 10 countries including a series in India with a plan to produce more indigenous content.  4K TV productions cost about four times more than a HD shoot. Travel shows take about six to eight months to complete with a crew of six to eight once again.  

    Chothani has invested a few million dollars in the 4K production pipeline. Travelxp owns Sony F5S cameras with Canon lenses. Colour grading is done on DaVinci Resolve machines. 4K requires terabytes of storage and processing the content requires high speed machines  for rendering. The in-house production team at Travelxp is using Apple Pro modified machines to process the heavy raw footage.

    He reveals that he challenge lay in selecting the right equipment which would allow him to maintain image and video quality in natural light. He and his team have done what Indians are known for “juggad” or innovating to get things working in the Indian ecosystem.

    “We are the first ones to attempt this, so the learning was on the job. We made our mistakes, but learned as we went along,” says Chothani “The HD to 4K transformation is not easy for anyone. It will take undoing what is done and unlearning what production houses already know. Old infrastructure is not compatible for such a change.”

    The advantage of 4K is the color quality, picture depth and image sharpness it offers to viewers. The viewer feels like he is experiencing each frame live with his naked eyes. One can see every inch of detail from blossoming flowers to morning dew and each merging shade of rainbow on one’s screen. Sports and travel and lifestyle content come out best when viewed in 4K.

    Chothani has been filming keeping in mind the evolution of UHD standards set by the UHD Alliance recently. These state that for a production to be labeled as High Dynamic Range (HDR) 4K, it has to be shot at a 10 bit rate at 50 frames per second (fps) and 2100 REC with the pixel set at 3,840 X 2,160 and 16:9 format. But he and his team have filmed their 100 hours of content at 4K SDR (standard dynamic range) with the bitrate at 16 and at 50 fps. This Chothani states will allow all the content to be upgraded to 4K HDR rather easily. Says he: “We have kept the shooting quality with both the SDR and HDR options being open to us.”

    It’s not as if the 4K HDR road is going to be easy and paved with gold.  An estimated 30 million 4K TV sets or receivers have been purchased by TV viewers globally.  But these are SDR sets and most will have to be replaced or use Hybrid Log Gamma tech to allow viewers to enjoy the better picture quality that HDR yields. And brands like Sony and Videocon have started manufacturing TVs matching the new 4K HDR standards.

    Then there is the question of distribution via satellite. Each 4K channel requires 25 Mbps of bandwidth on a transponder. That means expenses. Chothani is in talks with satellite capacity providers such as with SES, Eutelsat, Measat and Hispasat. He says 20 distribution platforms worldwide have already agreed to carry Travel Xp 4K once it begins telecasting.

    According to Chothani, it took some time and tedium for the industry and viewers to shift from standard definition to high definition viewing.  Around 50 channels in India out of the 800 odd are beaming in HD, making it an eight to 10 per cent  ratio.  Chothani predicts that 8-10 per cent of HD channels will also likely transition to 4K in the short run.  “The challenge is truly big, but change indeed is the only constant,” he says with a shrug of his shoulders.  “And I indeed want to be ahead of the curve.”

    Spoken like a true pioneer.

  • Travelxp HD heads east with Bengali audio feed

    Travelxp HD heads east with Bengali audio feed

    MUMBAI: You have got to hand it to Prashant Chothani. The entrepreneur who runs the Rs 60-odd crore travelXp media group is all set to launch India’s flagship HD travel channel in Bengali come Poila Boisakh on 14 April. This is in addition to the English and Hindi feed that the channel already has.

    The move to introduce the channel in Bengali comes with the aim to connect with regional audiences and broaden the audiences base that travelxp already enjoys. Viewers will now be able to experience the unique, exclusive and premium programming content of travelxp in Bengali including shows like – Bliss, World Spa, Backpack, Great World Hotels, Strictly Street, xp guide, Food Fact Fun, etc.

    Bengalis are among the Top three traveler communities in India. Education, travel, food and culture are given high importance in Bengali society. With travelxp’s Bengali feed, they will now be in a position to explore and travel to new places, finding new cultures and destinations, knowing about different food tastes with their families in their own drawing room.

    ”Bengalis love to travel. It’s there in their genes and they enjoy the experience every bit of it,” says travelxp CEO Prashant Chothani. “We are extremely excited to launch Bengali feed for travelxp HD. Our association and connect with the Bengali viewers is a long one. Sangeet Bangla, our sister channel has been winning the hearts for over a decade now and we are extremely excited to position ourselves in the Top two needs of Bengalis – Entertainment & Travel.”

    Travelxp’s Bengali feed launch, this Poila Boisakh will give Bengalis not only the opportunity to discuss and debate about their upcoming holiday plans this summer but also refresh their memories of favourite holidays through the stunning visuals on travelxp. As a valuable addition to travelxp, it will reinforce our commitment to offer our viewers to see more, explore more, know more – inviting them to experience vivid destinations, cultures and cuisine.”

    Travelxp is available on DTH platforms Tata Sky, Dish TV, Videocon D2h & Airtel and leading Cable networks like Hathway, In Cable, Siti Cable, GTPL, UCN, and others.