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Tag: UCN Cable

  • Sony’s Shrimad Ramayan and the future of cable TV

    Sony’s Shrimad Ramayan and the future of cable TV

    MUMBAI: Can the recently launched Shrimad Ramayan give a shot in the arm to the struggling pay TV sector, especially cable TV? The jury is out and opinions are mixed, but there’s some movement afoot. One cannot forget that the earlier Ramyan on Doordarshan in the eighties resulted in India’s streets being deserted and during its rerun during the pandemic it attracted 76 million viewers on DD on 16 April 2020.

    According to some cable TV operators, the signs are positive.

    “I am glad that the show has launched as it has,” says Nagpur-based MSO UCN director Ajay Khamankar. “Shrimad Ramayan is only showing on TV which is good. I see a lot of potential in it slowing down the cord-cutting that has been plaguing the pay-TV sector.”

    Mumbai-based MSO and OTT aggregator Sabot promoter  Atul Saraf, however, disagrees. “We are getting some calls, but it’s not ground shifting. One show can’t change the fortunes of the cable TV sector. “

    Khamankar contradicts this by saying that his company’s helplines have seen a lot of traction since 1 January when Shrimad Ramayan premiered with viewers asking for their cable TV connection to be restored. “We have been getting an unusual number of calls from subscribers who had earlier cancelled their subscriptions. It cuts across age groups, which is a good sign,” he highlights.

    Saraf points out that he would like to monitor the situation for a few more weeks before concluding on Shrimad Ramayan being a standout for the cable TV sector. “Normally, we are seeing disconnections daily,” he reveals. “We will have to see whether the signups are more than the sign-outs over time.”

    Shrimad Ramayan has been produced by the Siddharth Kumar Tewary-run Swastik Productions and airs at the premium 9 pm slot Monday to Friday. It stars Sujay Reu as Shri Ram, Prachi Bansal as Sita, and Basant Bhatt as Lakshman.  It premiered on 1 January to rave reviews about its quality of production as well as story-telling. This is why it has been enamouring TV viewers at home. In just its first week, it zoomed up to No. 2 on the Sony ratings chart just behind Wagle Ki Duniya (1.1 TVR, TSV 15 minutes) and on the same rank as Pushpa Impossible (0.9 TVR; TSV: 18 minutes) with a TVR of 0.9  and TSV of 31 minutes.  

    “Obviously, the content is keeping viewers engaged and it can only grow from here,” says a media observer.

    Shrimad Ramayan has also got an IMDB rating of 9.3 which shows a high audience approval. Critics too have given it a thumbs up with some like Tellychakkar mentioning “that the deep commitment to authenticity, cultural reverence and a contemporary sensibility is what makes the show a must-watch. “

    Will the audience reciprocate as the show builds up in the coming weeks?

  • Fixed broadband demand peaks again as offices switch to work from home

    Fixed broadband demand peaks again as offices switch to work from home

    KOLKATA: India has exemplified its excellence in democratising internet through mobile data. But the growth of fixed broadband was at a much tepid rate until the country had to turn to work from home and school from home due to the raging Covid2019 pandemic. While more and more people needed high speed and stable internet and opted for home broadband connections last year, the demand for new connections is again on the rise as many parts of the country descend into lockdown.

    UCN Cable Network director Jagdish Paliya said that demand for connections has again picked up in last one month or so but not as much as last year. The company has witnessed a ten per cent growth in demand. In addition to that, data consumption of existing consumers has surged drastically, up 25 per cent, he added.

    Compared to the last quarter, broadband customer addition has gone up for GTPL Hathway too, one of the leading players in the segment. GTPL Hathway cable TV head & chief strategy officer Piyush Pankaj said the requirement for new connections has increased somewhere around 15-20 per cent month-on-month. However, this trend has been on an upward trajectory since March 2020 itself. As a large part of the workforce switches to WFH mode for the next few months, the incremental demand will remain for the next quarter at least, he noted.

    Kerala based Asianet is witnessing the same trend with 25 per cent surge in demand, Asianet Satellite Communications vice president & technology head Salil Thomas shared. “We saw a surge in demand when lockdown started last year because lot of employees started working from home. There was a surge in demand during first quarter of lockdown. That trend was evident throughout the year but when people started moving back to their respective workplaces at the end of the year, there was slow decrease in demand. Now, it has picked up again,” he detailed.

    Siti Networks CEO Anil Malhotra had a different take. According to him, the trend is not similar this year because the impact of the pandemic is much severe. Even the workers who do installations are at risk right now, people both in-office and on the field are getting infected. Consumers are also affected as the virus is permeating almost every household.

    Everybody is focused more on providing seamless service to existing customers rather than improving numbers, Malhotra stated. However, if the situation again culminates into a prolonged work from home culture, and more people start staying at home, there will be surge in demand in the long run, he added.

    Considerably, even the players who are seeing a surge in demand are facing on-ground issues. With a Covid positive case in almost every household, it is becoming increasingly difficult for operators to install new connections in these homes. Societies have barred entry to resist rapid spread of the deadly virus. But the situation is not dire like last year, as the service providers have learnt how to tackle the issues. On the backend of the services, broadband players are facing fewer issues with advance planning. In terms of inventories, these firms have stocked enough equipment – although a longer lockdown may create difficulties again.

    According to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s report, there were 22.67 million wired broadband subscribers in the country as of 31 January 2021. The top five wired Broadband service providers were BSNL (7.69 million), Bharti Airtel (2. 90 million), Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd (2.25 million), Atria Convergence Technologies ( 1.80 million) and Hathway Cable & Datacom ( 1. 06 million).

    “Penetration of home broadband in India is very low compared to advanced countries. We have a long way to go to reach ideal penetration,” Win Broadband MD & CEO K V Seshasayee noted. “It is cheaper to consume data through fibre than wireless. Customers can get a much better deal at a lower price. Fibre-based wired broadband is beneficial for small businesses as well.  Couple with these factors, the work from home culture will accelerate the demand for home broadband in India. Moreover, the bandwidth requirement will also go up with more users in rural areas.”

  • 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.

  • TDSAT recalls order asking Taj TV to continue signals to UCN Cable

    TDSAT recalls order asking Taj TV to continue signals to UCN Cable

    NEW DEHI: The Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal has recalled its order of 9 June last year asking Taj Television to continue its signals to UCN Cable Networks Pvt Ltd holding the “view that the petitioner no longer deserves any indulgence by the Tribunal.”

    While passing its interim order last year, the Tribunal had said the multi-satellite operator should deposit a sum of Rs. 1.5 crore within a week and another sum of Rs. 1.5 crorewithin four weeks from the date of the first payment.

    However, the Tribunal in its order on 3 June noted that Taj TV counsel Tejveer Singh Bhatia had now said that the outstanding dues against the MSO now stood at Rs 4.5 crores.

    Noting that no one had appeared for the MSO, the Tribunal also observed the matter had been referred to the Mediation Centre where also “there was no regular appearance on behalf of the petitioner.”

    The Tribnal listed the matter for 28 July but said “In case no one appears for the petitioner on the next date, the petition may be dismissed for non–prosecution without prejudice to any claim of the respondent.”

    The petition by UCN Cable had been filed last year against the disconnection notices but according to the notices by Taj TV, the dues against UCN Cable for DAS and non-DAS areas amounted to Rs 4,40,36,870 as on 20 April 2015. In pursuance of the notices, the respondent had disconnected the supply of its signals to the petitioner on 27 May 2015.

    UCN Cable had also been asked in June last year to pay to Taj TV monthly subscription fees according to the invoices raised by Taj TV and told that in case of default in payment of the installments and / or monthly subscription fees as per the invoices of Taj TV, it will be open to the broadcaster to disconnect the supply of its signals without any further orders from the Tribunal.

    As per information provided on Taj Television’s website, the company distributes a suite of 49 leading television channels belonging to ZEEL, Zee Media Corporation Limited and Turner International India Private Limited.

  • TDSAT recalls order asking Taj TV to continue signals to UCN Cable

    TDSAT recalls order asking Taj TV to continue signals to UCN Cable

    NEW DEHI: The Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal has recalled its order of 9 June last year asking Taj Television to continue its signals to UCN Cable Networks Pvt Ltd holding the “view that the petitioner no longer deserves any indulgence by the Tribunal.”

    While passing its interim order last year, the Tribunal had said the multi-satellite operator should deposit a sum of Rs. 1.5 crore within a week and another sum of Rs. 1.5 crorewithin four weeks from the date of the first payment.

    However, the Tribunal in its order on 3 June noted that Taj TV counsel Tejveer Singh Bhatia had now said that the outstanding dues against the MSO now stood at Rs 4.5 crores.

    Noting that no one had appeared for the MSO, the Tribunal also observed the matter had been referred to the Mediation Centre where also “there was no regular appearance on behalf of the petitioner.”

    The Tribnal listed the matter for 28 July but said “In case no one appears for the petitioner on the next date, the petition may be dismissed for non–prosecution without prejudice to any claim of the respondent.”

    The petition by UCN Cable had been filed last year against the disconnection notices but according to the notices by Taj TV, the dues against UCN Cable for DAS and non-DAS areas amounted to Rs 4,40,36,870 as on 20 April 2015. In pursuance of the notices, the respondent had disconnected the supply of its signals to the petitioner on 27 May 2015.

    UCN Cable had also been asked in June last year to pay to Taj TV monthly subscription fees according to the invoices raised by Taj TV and told that in case of default in payment of the installments and / or monthly subscription fees as per the invoices of Taj TV, it will be open to the broadcaster to disconnect the supply of its signals without any further orders from the Tribunal.

    As per information provided on Taj Television’s website, the company distributes a suite of 49 leading television channels belonging to ZEEL, Zee Media Corporation Limited and Turner International India Private Limited.