ITV

Tag: TV

  • Media Development Authority of Singapore unveils two-tier license framework for IPTV

    Media Development Authority of Singapore unveils two-tier license framework for IPTV

     MUMBAI: The Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) has rolled out a new two-tier license framework for Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) that aims to further facilitate the growth of IPTV services in Singapore, to tangible benefits for the industry and consumers.

    “We took into consideration the developments in technology in a rapidly evolving media landscape and local industry feedback when factoring flexibility in this license framework to address the needs of niche IPTV players vis-à-vis mass market IPTV players while ensuring that consumer interests are not compromised,” explained MDA director media policy Ling Pek Ling.

    “This will enable the entry of more industry players looking to provide a wide range of IPTV services to consumers including those who are currently not served or not well served by existing broadcasters. At the same time, consumers can look forward to richer and diversified content.”

    In line with the new license framework, MDA has issued SingNet Pet Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore Telecommunications Limited, a Nationwide subscription TV service license to roll out commercial IPTV services.

    According to an official release, the tiered IPTV license framework offers service providers two types of licenses:

    – Nationwide subscription TV License: Players providing services that have wide reach (over 100,000 subscribers) and impact. They will be awarded a Nationwide License, similar to that for a mass market pay TV operator.

    – Niche Subscription TV License: This facilitates the entry of new niche players offering IPTV services which have limited reach (100,000 subscribers or less) and impact. The licensee would be subject to a lighter license framework. For example, niche licensees will not be required to carry the local free-to-air channels.

    Where the subscriber base exceeds 100,000 subscribers, the following secondary criteria will be used to determine if the operator can still qualify as a Niche player to allow those targeting niche market segments like the expatriate community and hotels to grow their business and improve their business case:

    – Location: whether the service is offered chiefly to specific non-residential locations in Singapore.

    – Language: whether there is a high percentage of foreign language content.

  • Mukta Arts sells music rights to T Series for Rs 60 million

    Mukta Arts sells music rights to T Series for Rs 60 million

    MUMBAI: Mukta Arts Ltd has has assigned music rights of five of their forthcoming films to Super Cassettes Industries Ltd (T Series) for a consideration of Rs 60 million.

    The basket of films will include two films directed by noted filmmaker Subhash Ghai. While one will have a multi star cast, the other will be a small budget film.
    The other three small budget movies will be from outside directors, the company has said.
     

  • Digital cinema co. Interworld releases first production on 19 January

    Digital cinema co. Interworld releases first production on 19 January

    MUMBAI: Interworld, a digital cinema firm, has announced the release of its first movie Mr. Hot Mr. Kool on 19 January and is aiming to produce around 15 movies a year.

    Mr. Hot Mr. Kool is a romantic comedy targeting college going youth and young professionals. The company says that the other movies in the pipeline would be produced keeping in mind the target audience, trends in cinema and towns with digital theaters.

    Interworld Digital’s platform “DigiCine” claims to be the only platform in India which is based on high end technology and provides opportunity to show movies broadcast by various digital cinema operators in the same theater during different shows. The firm also proclaims to be the first to present a pay per use model for theater owners.

    “We are proud of being India’s first Digital Cinema Company certified with ISO 9001:2000.”

    The company also states in an official release that they are confident that the Motion Pictures Division will make good profits as the first venture itself has recovered the full amount even before the release of the movies by selling various rights.

    Interworld is currently in the process of selecting and finalizing of the theaters in Mumbai, Delhi and UP circuit for up-gradation to show movies on digital mode. The distribution of movies to these theaters will be via satellite mode, adds the realese.

    “DigiCine is end-to-end Digital Cinema Solution. Our equipments are fitted with high precision and are fit to work in extreme Indian climate of very cold, humid or hot even up to 45 degrees. We have designed and architected the equipment like Digital Servers and projectors to suit Indian environment and needs, and they are manufactured in Norway and Singapore,” says Interworld.

  • ‘User generated content is popular in news, music and sports genres’ : Pankaj Thakar – Cellcast Interactive India CEO

    ‘User generated content is popular in news, music and sports genres’ : Pankaj Thakar – Cellcast Interactive India CEO

    With user generated content (UGC) on the rise globally,UK-based Cellcast is betting that its Sumo.TV platform for broadcasters would catch on in India and other parts of the world. People can send in video content and if it is fit for television viewing, it will be put up.

     

    Cellcast is also looking to launch shows on different TV channels for which it buys airtime. Indiantelevision.com’s Ashwin Pinto caught up with Cellcast Interactive India CEO Pankaj Thakar for a low-down on the company’s plans in India.

     

    Excerpts:

    Could you give me an overview of Cellcast and the services it provides?

    We work in the area of developing participative content. People watch television and consume it either by mobile or IVR or the internet. Cellcast is a technology and a format company mixed into one. We have integrated technology that is inexpensive to use. Both small and big broadcasters depending on what they want can use our formats.

    What are your different revenue sources?

    Our main revenue source is through mobile, IVR and internet. People pay for premium services like SMS, MMS, Wap, GPRS. We have a show called Bid2win which be participated through SMS or IVR or you can go to the net and log on to the website. We buy airtime on channels and showcase our content.

    In India you worked with Star on their reverse auction format and with Zee on their PlayTV channel. How was that experience in terms of viewer uptake and channel response?

    We did some projects with them. The results were positive with both and the projects were big. We got PlayTV off the ground pretty fast. However we feel that we have to be in control of our own destiny. We are out of PlayTV. We have bought airtime on Sony, Zee, Sahara, Zoom. That is why we could not continue with PlayTV.

     

    For PlayTV, we did a Housie format. We used formats that work in a diptest environment so you know whether or not the audience is ready to respond. We are now looking to increase the number of formats on air on different channels. By March we hope to have six formats on air.

    Could you talk more on this?

    We currently have bid2win and Bollywood Dhamaal. The latter was launched on Max on 7 January. In the first episode alone we got 100,000 responses. It is a game show where two anchors talk to the audience.

     

    There are some puzzles shown on TV. Some people get to call live and if they solve the puzzle they win prizes. At the end there is a jackpot round for Rs 100,000.

    What are the other formats being looked at?

    We have a sports format called Beat them All. We have been talking to Max about this. We are talking to Max to use this as the World Cup is coming up. It is a virtual cricket set up that you play along with. If you beat six top players you win Rs 10 million. We did an offline test with a mobile operator and we got 100,000 responses for an India versus South Africa match. This works via SMS and IVR. We are looking at an interactive astrology show, a social networking show, a music show and a matrimony show.

     

    By social networking, I mean making friends through television. Already it is happening on the net through sites like MySpace. For astrology a viewer can send in an SMS and the astrologer will answer the query. The matrimony show will involve helping the person make the initiative to find a partner. TV is a powerful social medium and can attract people from all parts of life if it is put in a social environment. I am not sure if girls would want to do this but a guy can put his picture and say that he is looking for a bride and this is his background.

    How cost effective is it to acquire airtime?

    It is cost effective in a sense. If the response rates are good, you will be fine. The rationale behind buying airtime is to show people that our formats work. 250 episodes of bid2win got 20 million responses. It has generated $1.4 million in revenue. It is a clear-cut winner. A broadcaster otherwise has to produce his own content, find advertising money. Here we give them free content and pay for the slots. So it is a win-win situation for everybody.

    Could you talk about your channel business in the UK?

    We run six channels on the Sky platform. We also have airtime on Freeview. We have been operating them since 2002. Since we run our own channels, we can experiment with different types of content, technology. This is then exported. Our channels include a psychic astrology channel. We started with one hour and the channel has grown. We have a network of psychics who take calls. We have a dating channel and so people can call up and find people and do matchmaking. We have a shopping and auctions channel.

     

    Apart from this we operate a channel in China in Shenzhen called Mymobile TV. We operate quite differently outside the UK. We form partnerships with broadcasters to provide programming or buy airtime.

     

    We would like to eventually start a channel in India on a DTH platform. Our goal is to set up channels on satellite in different countries. We have experience in running small, vertical channels in a multi-platform environment. Our speciality besides providing content lies in running channels in different genres. Our dream would be to run an auction channel and a game show channel in India for sure down the line. However we have not set a timeframe.

    What have the key learnings been from running your own channels?

    I think that it is in terms of the nature of your whole business model. To bring in a niche audience you have to really know how to engage that audience and look for alternative sources of revenue. There is no advertising and subscription income. While profits have taken a hit our revenues in the UK are strong.

     

    Our channels in the UK are freely available for those who have Sky. You have to provide an engaging experience that people are willing to pay for. Our motto is pay and play. Our experience has been that people will pay for services like an auction.

    Won’t it be difficult to launch a channel in India as DTH has a transponder space problem?

    We face universal constraints. Measat 2 has launched for South Asia. Suddenly space for 400 channels is available.
    ‘bid2win got 20 million responses and generated $1.4 million in revenue. We will increase airtime buying on channels‘

    How did the concept of Sumo.TV come about and what were the technical challenges initially faced?

    It came out of the participative content that we do. In the UK when we did MMS participation, people sent pictures, lots of videos. We realised that since there is a huge market out there we can actually encourage people to create their own content and send it to us. The challenge was to build a content management system. The other challenge is how do people who participate be a part of the value chain. With mobile technology that allows you to download services we have solved that puzzle also.

     

    Sumo.TV basically invites individuals to share their personal or creative videos that can be featured on primetime television. Sumo.TV has already launched in China and in the UK. In fact in the UK we have started a 24-hour channel where content is distributed solely by the viewers. This exceeds what youtube and MySpace can do. All content can be shared through the site, www.sumo.in, where viewers can through the net or mobile post their content, which can then be viewed and shared.

    How does the monestisation process work?

    It is very simple. If you download content through mobile or net we charge for it. The content creator gets a percentage of the revenue accrued. There is a pre-agreed revenue sharing arrangement for all the partners in the value chain. Every time content is downloaded by another user or shown on television or streamed on the mobile the creator gets a percentage of revenues. Effectively Sumo.TV users are being invited to set up their own mini-channels. In the UK everyday the site gets 80,000 unique visitors. Of course there is a filtering process and so all submissions are not accepted. This is how we are different from youtube. Whatever is accepted must be fit for television viewing.

    What about India?

    We are talking with Indian broadcasters regarding airing user generated content on their channel.

    Have any special services been introduced in India?

    Cellcast India has introduced three services in India. One is Sumo Ki Pehchaan. This is where you submit a clip and the best one wins Rs 100,000. Then there is Sumo Ki Sangeet. Here you can submit a video of you singing or playing a band. While Indian idol gives an opportunity to talent, Sumo.TV will open avenues to talent that had been previously hesitated to come forward. Then there is the Super Sumo challenge. Here one can submit a short socially relevant film. We will look to help broadcasters build on content.

     

    A UGC platform like Sumo.TV allows for expansion of content and the most important part is that it connects viewers to viewers. Right now 100 TV programmers decide what a billion people should watch.

    But while India is a huge mobile market the concept of user generated videos is new. Mobile participation is as of now mostly limited to SMS, chat. How long do you feel it will be before UGC takes off in India?

    Well 30 per cent of mobile phones in India in 2009 will have a camera. This means 60 million camera phones or one camera for every 20 Indians. The question will be whether any event can remain in the private domain.

     

    An event which can’t be published in a newspaper or be seen on television can be put on Sumo.TV by someone who feels that the event is important. More video content will be consumed. This will however not replace traditional television. The fact that Apple has come out with the iPhone, which has video ipod, web, camera, shows convergence. Right now there are nine million phones that are GPRS enabled. This itself is a big number.

     

    The UGC process can be described as aim, shoot, compose, post and share. Our strategy with broadcasters will be with licensing and revenue sharing. The first step will be to help them aggregate content. Once that is done there will be licensing fee and a revenue share with downloads if for instance Sony asks viewers to send in content.

    What genres are popular with UGC? How do you authenticate content?

    In the short-term shock therapy works. So news, music videos and sports are the three main genres. For authentication we are developing tools. Doctored video we have figured out. But as far as the authenticity of the actual event is concerned, it is for the broadcaster to figure out.

    What are the advantages for advertisers in a participation environment?

    You can tag the product lines, do product placement along with return messages. Participation means a two way communication process. There is a chance for the advertiser to put in a tagline. At first advertisers did not understand the power of UGC. They were also worried about issues of IPR. Once those get sorted out, they will be more than happy to come on board.

    Could you talk about how Cellcast is taking advantage of the synergy between mobile and the internet?

    Going forward, five years from now net will be as present on the mobile as it is on the PC. I do not see a reason to treat them as two separate mediums. Once bandwith prices get rationalised, people will use the mobile to access the net.

    How important do you feel India will be for Cellcast five years down the line in terms of business being generated?

    India is a key market along with UK, China and Brazil. That is where the mobile uptake has been at its most healthy. It has been a long, hard road to get to where we are in India but now we are stable. We have a team that is expanding. From two people, we are now 30 people. We get creative work outsourced from India as the talent here is fantastic.
  • India Bulls promoter Sameer Gehlaut to buy 25 per cent in B.A.G Films

    India Bulls promoter Sameer Gehlaut to buy 25 per cent in B.A.G Films

    MUMBAI: India Bulls promoter Sameer Gehlaut is showing interest in the media business. The Delhi-based entrepreneur is buying around 25 per cent stake in TV content company B.A.G Films for Rs 262 million.

    The acquisition is through a preferential allotment of up to 20,250,000 equity shares of Rs 2 each at a price of Rs 13 per share. Gehlaut will have to make an open offer for a further 20 per cent stake which if subscribed totally, would make him the largest shareholder in the company.

    The promoters of B.A.G Films will hold around 37.5 per cent on the expanded equity. But their stake will go up after conversion as they are being issued preferential allotment of up to 10,000,000 warrants. The conversion price is fixed at Rs 13 per warrant. Gehlaut’s shareholding will also see change after the conversion.

    “Gehlaut has come in as a pure financial investor. We will be using the funds to meet our expansion plans,” says B.A.G Films managing director Anuradha Prasad.

    B.A.G Films will be investing Rs 160 million in new media and the animation business. “Besides, we will be retiring a part of our debt to Yes Bank,” says Prasad.

    B.A.G Films’ radio venture, run through a subsidiary company B.A.G Infotainment, has an investment outlay of Rs 480 million including the licence fee paid for 10 stations. B.A.G Infotainment rcently roped in IDBI Bank and Bank of Baroda for picking up 10 per cent each.

    B.A.G Films will also be issuing stock options of up to 10,000,000 equity shares to its permanent employees at Rs13 per equity share.

    The scrip touched a high of Rs 15.68 on Monday after opening at Rs 13.40. “The price of the scrip will stay firm and may see one more surge before steadying,” says an analyst in a broking firm.

  • New season of ‘American Idol’ to hit Star World on 17 January

    New season of ‘American Idol’ to hit Star World on 17 January

    MUMBAI: Star World is set to kick off a brand new season of the musical talent hunt show that has become a worldwide phenomenon, American Idol on 17 January. Slated to premiere excusively on the channel, the first episode will see a two night, four hour event beginning, direct off satellite at 8 pm.
    Apart from the standard trio of judges, guest judges for the first leg of auditions will include Olivia Newton John, Carole Bayer and Jewel. The show will air every Wednesday and Thursday at 8 pm and Thursdays and Fridays at 1:30 am and 10 am, respectively.

    Judges Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell will be back once again to bring their brand of expert advice to participants. From thousands of hopefuls, and a grueling audition process, only 24 will be picked to go onto the semi- finals, and eventually, only one can win a much sought after record contract and the title of American Idol.

    Auditions for the competition began in August and swept through seven cities across the United States. Tens of thousands of would be idols from across the country showed up for what was the biggest audition so far, and the preliminary reports are that the talent this year will definitely not disappoint, informs an official release.

    With just under 43 million viewers and over 63 million votes during last year’s finale, American Idol was America’s number one rated show for the second year in a row. With local spin-offs in 30 different countries, the Idol phenomenon has taken the world by storm, each year gaining more momentum and fanfare as it determines the next big icon in music, adds the release.

    American Idol Alumni have also received Grammy nods with eleven Grammy nominations within the past three years, two of which were won by the first American Idol winner, Kelly Clarkson.

  • Excel Home Videos unveils Sarina Jain’s ‘Masala Bhangra Workout’ album on DVD

    Excel Home Videos unveils Sarina Jain’s ‘Masala Bhangra Workout’ album on DVD

    MUMBAI: Excel Home Videos has released Sarina Jain’s Masala Bhangra Workout album on DVD. It consists of a mix of traditional Punjabi folk dances and fitness mantras aimed at exercising the complete body.

    The DVD features various types of workouts including a Bollywoood style workout and will be available at book stores across the country, states an official release.

    Excel Home Videos managing director M.N Kapasi said, “The product has a far reaching potential in the Indian horizon with fitness consciousness gaining momentum in the country. With an option that breaks the monotony in exercising and makes the process enjoyable as dancing at a wedding or a discotheque, Masala Bhangra is here to stay.”

    Jain says, “People fall in love with the beat of Bhangra — the beat of the dhol drum, combined with sensuous, strong movements generates so much excitement. Bhangra is a celebratory music and dance form. It’s joyful, it offers great music, and people have so much fun they don’t realize they are getting an awesome cardiovascular and muscle strengthening workout. Bringing the Masala Bhangra Workout’ to people in India is so gratifying and my tribute to the origins of this great dance form.”

  • TV18 goes live from NSE TV18 Media Centre

    TV18 goes live from NSE TV18 Media Centre

    MUMBAI: The Television Eighteen Group (TV18) and the National Stock Exchange have come together to form the NSE-TV18 Media Centre.

    CNBC AWAAZ went live this morning from the NSE-TV18 Media Centre housed at the NSE premise in Mumbai. The partnership aims to provide a platform to bring real-time reportage, corporate earnings and discussions with company management to a larger national and international audience.

    On the launch of the NSE TV18 Media Centre, Television Eighteen India Limited managing director Raghav Bahl ‘We believe that this is a concrete step further in enhancing levels of transparency and communication with investors. This is a first in the history of the Indian stock markets and TV18 is extremely proud to partner India’s leading stock exchange, the NSE.’

    National Stock Exchange managing director Ravi Narain added, ‘The setting up of the media centre is a step in line with global practices. Most of the leading exchanges worldwide have set up such platforms for real time coverage of markets. This I believe takes the exchange to the doorstep of the investor.’

    CNBC Awaaz editor Sanjay Pugalia also pointed out, ‘CNBC Awaaz has successfully completed 2 years in India and is the fastest growing channel in the country today. CNBC Awaaz cuts through jargon and gives information in a language understood by everyone, reaching out to a wider audience and that is the reason why CNBC AWAAZ is solely responsible for 55% growth in the business genre viewership. The partnership with NSE is our endeavour to make real time stock market information available for the investors’.

    The ‘e-inauguration’ beamed live on CNBC AWAAZ and was simulcasted on other TV18 network channels.Speaking on the occasion finance minister P Chidambaram said, ‘It is now time to focus our efforts on making information available instantaneously to the entire target audience – domestic and overseas. The joint initiative of TV18 and NSE to set up a media centre to bring real time linkages between markets, corporates and investing communities, live from the media centre is a step in this direction. I am sure that this would bring the viewer closer and will improve the level of communication between the company management and the shareholders’.

    Market hour programming on CNBC-TV18 and CNBC Awaaz will go live from the NSE.Also earnings coverage of NSE listed companies and listings on the NSE will be announced live from the NSE TV18 media centre.

  • Pyramid Saimira plans Rs 3 billion film funding, ties up with banks

    Pyramid Saimira plans Rs 3 billion film funding, ties up with banks

    MUMBAI: Financial institutions are structuring film financing in innovative ways. Chennai-based cinema chain operator Pyramid Saimira Theatre Ltd has tied up with banks, an insurance company and a film completion bond firm to provide an annual corpus of Rs 3 billion for funding film producers.

    IDBI Bank and HDFC have taken the lead and the guarantees from Infinity Film Completion Services (IFCS) will be re-insured by General Insurance Corporation (GIC). IFCS is a division of Infinity India Advisors Pvt Ltd.
    Pyramid Saimira plans to produce 25 movies through this route. “Our company will act as the guarantor to the banks for funding the producers. We will own all rights of exploitation including theatrical, satellite TV and international. This will provide a content pipeline of 25 films for our theatres. As we are also in film distribution, this will complete the value chain in the movie business,” says Pyramid Saimira managing director PS Saminathan.

    Pyramid has entered into an MOU with IFCS which will issue the completion guarantee for films to be procured by the company in the languages of Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam. These guarantees are fully re-insured by GIC. This agreement is a major step towards creation of film content supply chain for us and in effect indirectly funds close to Rs 3 billion of working capital as off balance sheet funding,” says Saminathan.

    The company will, thus, be able to build of library of movies while feeding the supply chain to the theatres and the distribution business. “Besides, film producers will get access to cheaper and organised finance. The banks will be charging around 14 per cent interest as against the unorganised charge of 40 per cent,” says Saminathan.

    Pyramid Saimira recently raised Rs 844.4 million through a public float to part-finance its expansion plans. This included refurbishing theatres after taking them on long term lease and installing digital systems of delivery.

  • The Children’s Place Retail Stores appoints Ivy Ross as Sr VP & chief creative officer of Disney Store North America

    MUMBAI: The Children’s Place Retail Stores, Inc. has announced the appointment of Ivy Ross as senior vice president and chief creative officer, Hoop Retail Stores, LLC, the owner and operator of Disney Store North America.

    Ross will join the Disney Store on 23 January and report directly to Disney Store president Tara Poseley, informs an official release.

    “We are delighted to welcome Ivy to our team,” said Poseley. “Ivy brings an extensive background of innovative product design expertise in hardlines and softlines and her passion for design and innovative thinking make her uniquely qualified for this newly-created role. Ivy will oversee the creative aspects for the Disney Store brand and will be an integral part in our continued efforts to elevate the product and guest experience.”

    Ross most recently served as executive VP of product design and development from the Old Navy division of Gap, Inc. Prior to that, Ross was with Mattel, Inc. as senior VP of Worldwide product design and brand image for the girls division, where she was responsible for design of toys, as well as packaging, licensed product, and brand imaging for the girl’s division.

    The Children’s Place Retail Stores, Inc. is a specialty retailer of children’s merchandise. The company designs, contracts to manufacture and sells merchandise under the proprietary “The Children’s Place” and licensed “Disney Store” brand names.