ITV

Tag: VAS

  • Tata Sky makes Classroom service free for all subscribers

    Tata Sky makes Classroom service free for all subscribers

    KOLKATA: Covid2019 has brought about a significant disruption when it comes to classroom learning and education, thereby necessitating the need for virtual learning to be a part of the new normal. In order to adequately equip students across India, Tata Sky is now providing free unrestricted access to educational content on TV through the Tata Sky Classroom service. Powered by Tata ClassEdge, a pioneer in digital education, the service will help students across India gain access to learning through just the click of a button on their TV remote.

    Tata Sky chief commercial and content officer Pallavi Puri said, “Online education in India is currently beset by several challenges, prime amongst them being the lack of adequate infrastructure. With Tata Sky’s vast reach, millions of children will get access to quality education for free via their television sets. The service is mapped with children's CBSE school syllabus and offers concept learning videos, delivered in an interesting story led format.”

    Characterised and enabled by an engaging, interactive learning process, the service is targeted towards improving the digital learning scenario in tier-2, 3 and 4 cities. Tata Sky Classroom enables immense flexibility to students in far off and remote areas to access quality education via the TV without any hassle thereby saving money, time and energy.

    Focusing on concept learning, Tata Sky Classroom enables students to strengthen their core understanding of the fundamentals of science and maths via fun and engaging animated concept learning videos. The service is available in both Hindi and English offers curriculum-based content for students from class fifth to eighth in maths and science. Apart from video lessons, students can also avail of fun curriculum-based games, full length practice tests and sample papers with answers to help reinforce their learning from the videos.

  • Tata Sky launches new service for Malayalam cinema

    Tata Sky launches new service for Malayalam cinema

    KOLKATA: In a move to further strengthen its regional slate, Tata Sky has launched Tata Sky Malayalam Cinema. To this end, the DTH operator has joined forces with Asianet, the leading Malayalam GEC in Kerala.

    With this, Tata Sky has regional cinema offerings in all four major south Indian languages – Tata Sky Telugu Cinema, Tata Sky Tamil Cinema, Tata Sky Kannada Cinema, and now Tata Sky Malayalam Cinema.

    Tata Sky Malayalam Cinema will offer an uninterrupted movie-viewing experience to film enthusiasts, capturing the spectrum of genres – action, romance, drama, and comedy on television. The service will showcase the biggest blockbusters of Mollywood with exclusive movie premieres before television. The channel is now available to all subscribers on #1805 (SD) at a minimal cost of Rs 1.5 per day.

    Pallavi Puri, chief commercial and content officer said, “Movies contribute more than 20 per cent to the overall TV viewership in Kerala and that itself indicates the tremendous affinity Malayalam speaking audiences have for their cinema. With regional content becoming the key driver of viewership, the launch of Malayalam Cinema is an extension of this trend. Our new service will deliver an uninterrupted flow of the best movies to ensure an enjoyable TV viewing experience for the subscribers. We are delighted to collaborate with Asianet to make this service come alive for our subscribers.”

    “Over the years, Asianet has forged a special place in the hearts of Malayalam-speaking audiences. We always strive to identify new ways to take our rich and engaging content offering to newer viewers and are delighted to work with Tata Sky to launch this new service,” Star & Disney India infotainment, kids & regional entertainment channels CEO Kevin Vaz said.

    To further spread the word on the launch of this platform service, Tata Sky collaborated with south India’s popular rock fusion band, Masala Coffee. Known for their folk fusion mixes and compositions for films like Uriyadi and Dulquer Salmaan-starrer Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithaal, Masala Coffee’s original composition for Tata Sky Malayalam Cinema is a peppy and upbeat number that brings out the essence of the offering.

    Tata Sky Malayalam Cinema strengthens the bouquet of regional cinema services for Tata Sky that offer uninterrupted and high-quality entertainment, thereby catering to the growing demand for regional movie content. As a part of this endeavour, the regional bouquet already includes eight services.

  • ‘Foes to friends’: NXTDigital ramps up focus on collaboration & infra sharing

    ‘Foes to friends’: NXTDigital ramps up focus on collaboration & infra sharing

    KOLKATA: With the evolution of the media and entertainment industry, the boundary between friends and foes is fading away. The future is not about competition, but collaboration for long term sustainability, NXTDigital media group CEO Vynsley Fernandes believes. Moreover, the future of the distribution industry lies in consolidation and bundling all bills together, he says.

    Fernandes, an old face in the cable distribution industry, has recently been elevated as media group CEO of Hinduja group’s NXTDigital. The new role not only includes digital cable, HITS but also broadband and content business. To drive the growth of all businesses, he is looking to synergise cable TV or HITS service with broadband. While the video segment has got around 5.38 million customers, the broadband business nets 0.0408 million subscribers currently. He notes that the company has already seen good traction in combination service during Q2.

    However, NXTDigital is looking at pushing the product in selective markets where it already has a strong presence and a qualitative need for video and broadband is noticeable. The company has a stronghold in Mumbai, the rest of the west market, as well as Bengaluru and Delhi. Adding to its bastions, it has now set sights on West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana market. Fernandes emphasises that bundling products and solutions is very important at this point in time for the entire industry. Additionally, one of the biggest benefits of bundling is cost optimisation. During Diwali, NXTDigital has launched its hybrid device NXT Connect, which offers linear as well as OTT.

    “We are looking at penetrating our own customers of cable TV and HITS. We are looking for broadband to grow as it has been growing. The broadband segment has seen 16 per cent quarter-on-quarter growth in Q2. We are hoping for double-digit growth over the next two quarters in terms of broadband as a function of synergy. On the cable subscription side, we are not going to pursue revenue at the cost of profitability. We are not just rolling out discounted packages as ours is a qualitative product,” he comments.

    The ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) has recently amended the HITS guidelines by allowing the sharing of infrastructure by HITS operators with MSOs. Hence, Fernandes identifies it as a big area of growth. As infrastructure sharing can reduce the cost of connectivity significantly, he is of the belief that many operators would like to ride on their platform. Currently, they are exploring how to leverage this opportunity in the B2B model. He also mentions that competitors will have no hesitation in partnering with them thanks to the transparency brought in by the new tariff order.

    “One of the benefits of infrastructure sharing will be cost-optimisation. Before NTO, the biggest cost was content. You had to negotiate with the broadcaster. Thanks to NTO, the whole model is changed and there is transparency. The second biggest cost for everyone is connectivity. We believe connectivity costs can be leveraged by more and more operators joining together to share infrastructure and share services like our own infrastructure sharing. If they cut down the cost, they will have a better bottom line,” he explains.

    Among other options, there is still a huge opportunity for value-added service (VAS) as well, he adds. The main reason is the availability of various content in the linear model and in different regional languages. He also mentions that content provided by One Take Media and Shemaroo Entertainment is quite unique. As the company has seen good traction in the last few years, it has kept on continuing those services along with adding new ones. The MSO looks at three metrics for VAS — age, group and genre.

    According to Fernandes, the first half of the financial year 2020 had several positive as well as negative impacts on the sector, owing to the Covid2019 crisis. The lockdown brought greater engagement, higher viewership. For instance, kids programming has seen good offtake during the period while IPL has boosted TV viewership in the latter half. But labour migration, economic pressure did not bode well for the industry. However, he maintains that TV has a long future ahead with a continuous cycle of consumer evolution, gradually moving the ladder from FTA to pay TV, and the combination of HD and OTT.

  • Tata Sky’s Pallavi Puri says TRAI tariff order has no impact on VAS portfolio

    Tata Sky’s Pallavi Puri says TRAI tariff order has no impact on VAS portfolio

    MUMBAI: DTH operator Tata Sky has been banking on value-added services (VAS) for a long time to differentiate itself from competitors. Its newly launched Tata Sky Theatre has emerged as one of the fastest growing services. While there have been speculations on the new tariff order’s impact on such services, Tata Sky chief commercial officer Pallavi Puri said the new price regime has not affected its VAS portfolio at all.

    “Tata Sky Theatre is priced at Rs 75 and Rs 99 depending on whether you take SD or HD. At Rs 75, subscribers get four new plays every month; one new play every week plus there are other plays. There is no comparison. The new tariff order has no impact on it. It’s a big value offering for consumers,” she commented.

    Tata Sky launched the subscription-based service for theatre enthusiasts in collaboration with Zee Theatre last September. According to Puri, customer insights revealed a need for access to theatrical content which led them to the ideation of this service. Puri said that while the company was identifying need gaps for launching more services, theatre came across as one.

    “It’s been one of our fastest services. We launched over 30 services. What we found very unique about Tata Sky Theatre is that we have seen consumers actually calling us and say what they want more. So, the engagement has been higher. They love the plays and they want more regional plays,” Puri commented on the traction of the service.

    In the initial phase, more traction has come from the Northern and Western part of India because primarily the plays are in Hindi. However, Puri revealed plans to expand the service in other regional languages. The company is currently discussing what would be the right plays or languages to add on.

  • ShortsTV continues to maintain growth rate of 50k subscribers since launch month

    ShortsTV continues to maintain growth rate of 50k subscribers since launch month

    MUMBAI: Feature films have always had an edge over other forms of movies in India. But the internet boom has enabled more short-form content with engaging plots and fresh faces. Against this backdrop, ShortsTV, the world’s only TV channel dedicated to short movies, is creating an example. Though the channel is now in an exclusive partnership with Tata Sky, it is also in talks with other carriers to make it available across the country.

    The London-based television channel entered into a partnership with India’s leading DTH platform Tata Sky for the platform Tata Sky ShortsTV in last November. Along with availability on the telly screen, the service is also available on the mobile app as well as the DTH operator’s website.  With a growing library of over 5000 titles, the next step in the agenda is to launch its machine learning app in India which will personalise viewing for each customer based on his favourite genres and mood.

    Tata Sky aimed to target the new youth with the Rs 75 a month channel, a steep number in price-conscious India. But the channel seems to be picking up pace as earlier this year, it acquired 18 shorts from Terribly Tiny Tales.

    ShortsTV chief executive Carter Pilcher spoke to Indiantelevision.com on the deal with Tata Sky, future expansion plans along with other relevant issues.

    Edited excerpts:

    How has the partnership with Tata Sky panned out for you?

    Tata Sky is a great partner. I would say we spoke to lots of potential partners in India and Tata Sky probably is the most forward-thinking in terms of good content and technical delivery. They have a great digital programme and an extensive video-on-demand offering that the mobile app users also can enjoy. They are very creative as partners. We have really enjoyed working with them.

    How many subscribers have you acquired since the launch of the service?

    Tata Sky is the right company to tell you the exact numbers now. But we crossed 50,000 in the first month and maintained growth is at that rate since then. So, it’s been a very popular service.

    Are you considering deals with any other DTH platform or other carriers?

    Yes, we are exclusive with Tata Sky at this point but we are definitely talking with other carriers to bring ShortsTV all across India. That will happen towards the end of the year. We will be with Tata Sky for most of this year to promote the channel.

    Do you have any plan to talk to OTT platforms at this point?

    We talked to some but we are talking more to mobile operators and other satellite operators just because we think their business models are little more established.

    What has been the consumption trend so far, as you noticed?

    The things that really succeed, of course, are the big star films, the big films which are award winners. In Oscar month, we promoted a lot of Oscar-nominated shorts and we had great viewing numbers for the Oscar-nominated shorts. That’s always a popular thing, especially during the Oscar months. We also partnered with PVR Cinemas and released this year’s Oscar-nominated Live Actions and animated short films in theatres in more than 12 cities in India. That was a great initiative and I think pushed the viewership. The third area, always popular, is local stories. Our teams have been looking at and acquiring best shorts across India irrespective of language. We found great films in different regions and film cultures in different regions are very different. Now we are developing a catalogue that is particularly interesting that you can see how Maharashtrian films look opposed to Karnataka films as opposed to films from Bengal. Language is different, the set-up is slightly different. So, we find the audience really loves that exposure to different film cultures in India.  

    As you said local stories always work great so what’s your plan in front of regional content?

    We have our guys going to every part of the country and talking to production houses from different parts of the country. Definitely, we focused first on bringing films from Maharashtra, we also looked at Bengali films. We are looking at major film producing regions of the country and chasing great stories from there to add up to our catalogue.

    Have you noticed any particular segment of audience inclined to watch these short films?

    It’s hard to say because unlike online, it’s a little difficult to get this data as we are selling it to TV homes. We are not getting the exact data whether the grandmother, grandson, father or mother is watching. But we generally see in all of our territories, the first television audience that really loved us is the film enthusiasts. They are very committed to watching great shorts. We work very hard to provide the best experience and best shorts content. They understand the difference between a good and a bad film.

    Then, the second set of the audience we track are young people who have been interested in watching shorts. They may have a TV at home but they go for work, they travel on the bus or train then they can watch short films.

    How does the year look like for ShortsTV?

    2019 looks great. By the end of the year, we will have several more carriers in India and we are looking at growing in several other regions and markets internationally. I think audiences in India, the US and Europe, are getting accustomed to short releases.

    What has been the impact of the TRAI tariff order on ShortsTV, if any?

    We were already selling the channel individually so it has not really affected us. But we were afraid of the factor that could affect us is that there would be a lot of churn, people might say ‘I have to pay for everything now, this is too expensive’. However, we have not experienced that at all. 

  • One Take Media Co brings “Invention Stories” to India

    One Take Media Co brings “Invention Stories” to India

    MUMBAI: One Take Media Co(OTMC), pioneer name in Movies, OTT, VAS and kid contents is proud to launch much awaited property  “Invention Stories” to India .  OTMC has more than 2000 hours of kids’ content which includes most Popular Kids series, Kids Animated Movies and kids Nursery Rhymes.

    The acquired rights includes for broadcast, OTT and Value Added Services. OTMC is one of leaders in providing Value Added Services to DTH, Telecom and Cable industries whichincludes Hollywood Movies, Hollywood Movies dubbed in Hindi & regional languages, South Movies dubbed in Hindi, Celebrity based Cooking show and Korean tv series.

    Invention Story is a 3D CGI 104 x 11’ series with a promising premise. It’s the tale of Kit, a clever fox who, in each episode, comes up with a new invention. His adopted home, Carrot Town, is home to a population of rabbits, most of whom admire Kit. A few, however, are envious of his abilities and want to stop him — or steal his ideas. They include the mayor, who has only one big invention to his name. Kit, by contrast, can’t stop inventing. He also tends to be a touch undisciplined, which can sometimes lead to hilarious accidents and silly situations. But he does learn — and so does his audience.

    It is amazing to see how knowledgeable and skilled our younger generations are these days.You don't have to be a rocket scientist to inspire your kids to reach for ideas beyond their traditional realm of thinking. Use these ideas to help your children learn to think outside the box and experiment with common materials around them.

    Mr Anil Khera, Founder & CEO, said “Invention Stories is an animated comedy-action series for children combiningfun and learning .This show offers four- to seven-year olds an insight into the world of science. And as we all know, where there’s a conflict – there’s a story!!”

    We have 104 Episodes full of entertainment in our library. The series has richness of intelligence,thoughtfulness and creativity which leads to lot of inventions. 

  • One Take Media Co acquires 3D Animation Show Nori-Roller Coaster Boy

    One Take Media Co acquires 3D Animation Show Nori-Roller Coaster Boy

    MUMBAI: One Take Media Co(OTMC), pioneer in Movies, OTT, VAS, kids contents expands its catalogue  with the acquisition of sought after Nori–Roller Coaster Boy from Xrisp, South Korea. OTMC has more than 2000 hours of kid’s content which includes most Popular Kids series like Jungle Book, Simba the Lion, Kids Animated Movies.  The acquired rights includes for broadcast, OTT and Value Added Services. OTMC has other services likeHollywood Movies, Bhojpuri films, Bengali, Marathi, Tamil, Telugumovies and Celebrity Chef based cooking shows. Other unique services also includes Hollywood and South Indian movies dubbed in Hindi.  

    The 3D animated series has done well worldwide and we look forward to giving new and existing adventures opportunity to kids.

    It’s a story of a shy and brave boy, Nori, lives in the famous amusement park, Nori Park. Nori wants to be the star of rollercoasters and a hero, like his father Dragon Rider, who is the king of racing and looks great on the track rollercoaster in Nori Park. Until one day, the evil villain Vegas appears, who threatens to destroy Nori park and turn it into his own park, Vega Land.

    Mr Anil Khera, Founder & CEO, said “We are delighted to have one more feather in our cape by adding world class 3D animation show to our catalogue which is going to be very thrilling viewing experience for kids.” 

    We have 52 Episodes full of entertainment. The series is filled with adventure, emotions, love and happiness set in the fictional world of Nori Park.

    Let’s enjoy with our friend Nori –Roller Coaster Boy.

  • Hathway’s outgoing exec Panesar yet to firm up future plan

    MUMBAI: In a dramatic development, Hathway video business CEO TS Panesar has quit following the move where Hathway Cable and Datacom chose to opt out of its cable TV business to a wholly-owned subsidiary retaining the broadband operations in the parent company. Confirming the news, Panesar communicated to indiantelevision.com that he was yet to firm up his new plan and future course of action.

    The reformist Panesar, having a multifaceted 20 years of experience in the broadcasting sector, decided to call it off after spending two and half years in the cable TV distribution entity. The executive, who had moved in from Star India, played a pivotal role in reforming the TV and cable operations unveiling a battery of value-added services (VAS).

    The CEO also launched ‘Hathway Connect’, an online portal for local cable operators (LCOs) which helped them maintain their expenditures, revenues, reduce operational costs, to raise the profits and make transactions more transparent. Among other things, the former CEO contributed to the growth of Hathway in DAS Phase III areas and led the company’s foray into VAS. Panesar was responsible for the launch of an ad-free value added services (VAS) titled ‘Hathway Special’ for subscribers who wanted quality content. 

    Panesar’s exit comes after Hathway Cable & Datacom MD and CEO Jagdish Kumar quit in November 2016. Following Kumar’s exit, Hathway had reshuffled its top management team.

    Also Read:

    Hathway builds brand Special, adds two service categories 

    We believe the new cable TV tariff order will benefit everyone – Hathway Cable video CEO TS Panesar

  • Videocon strengthens VAS with d2h Nachle

    MUMBAI: What Tata Sky did in December 2015 seems to be inspiring Videocon now. Videocon d2h has partnered with ‘Dance with Madhuri’ to launch an interactive dance service called ‘d2h Nachle’. The service is set to win the hearts of dance-lovers across the 18 million strong Videocon d2h subscriber base and is available for free preview till 22 May.

    Madhuri Dixit, renowned for her legendary dance moves along with her Dance with Madhuri team of eminent gurus and choreographers, is all set to get you dancing on Videocon with its d2h subscribers.

    This association will give dance enthusiasts a chance to synchronise their steps and learn the best in class, dance lessons from the comfort of their living rooms. With support from gurus like Pt. Birju Maharaj, Saroj Khan, Terence Lewis, Remo D’Souza and a host of renowned choreographers from the industry, D2h Nachle powered by Dance with Madhuri is sure to charm subscribers. There are now over 100+ classes, 100+ hours of content and 1800+ lessons. From Indian Classical dance forms like Kathak, Bharatnatyam, to Western forms like Jazz, Contemporary, Hip Hop, Salsa, Bachata and of course lots of Bollywood, d2h Nachle powered by Dance with Madhuri is sure to be a dancer’s delight!

    Commenting on the launch,Videocon d2h executive chairman Saurabh Dhoot said, “D2h Nachle will strengthen our Value Added Services(VAS). Our consumers will find d2h Nachle compelling and engaging, especially the younger ones.”

    Talking about the launch, Videocon d2h chief executive officer Anil Khera said, “Dance is among the most popular expressions of joy and celebration in every part of the country. d2h Nachle, powered by Dance with Madhuri, will bring to every home Madhuri & her expert team of renowned choreographers as their personal dance teachers.”

    Dixit said, “The idea is to give the joy of learning any dance form of one’s choice to everyone and we strongly believe that our association with Videocon D2h will enable millions of people to learn various dance forms from the comfort of their homes. We have assembled a team of some of the most accomplished and renowned choreographers, who help us create lessons that let everyone learn how to dance in the most, authentic, structured and convenient way possible.”

  • Indian and Chinese companies tie up for pre-integrated VAS Ready STB

    Indian and Chinese companies tie up for pre-integrated VAS Ready STB

    NEW DELHI: Technology company specializing in digital media Corpus and Chinese digital products supplier Jiuzhou are to offer an STB solution bundled with Value Added Services (VAS) applications to enable operators monetize their digital investments and achieve faster ROI and profitability.

    This solution is available for MPEG-4 standard definition and high-definition version with ABV and NSTV conditional access systems.

    Thus, Indian cable TV Muti system operators can opt for the pre-integrated VAS Ready STB as it will increase their per subscriber valuation with revenue generation potential on each STB deployed.

    The STB comes with bundling of software for Adnet, Horoscope, Darshan, LifeStyle, Cooking, Box Office, TV Anywhere, and Real Estate.

    The pre-integrated VAS Ready STB from Jiuzhou offers ad revenue across STBs; additional benefits to user with VAS application; quick and easy development, rich UI and EPG; faster UI changes and a support system for STB software feature changes like barker channel, Mosaic, etc.

    Corpus Software Pvt. Ltd CEO Sachin Tummala said, “We are happy to be the trusted partner of Jiuzhou by delivering the right customer experience. This partnership is indeed proves fruitful in helping it expand the strategy for Indian MSOs both in terms of operations and delivering value to their subscribers.”

    Jiuzhou STB Business Unit GM Huangwei said, “Corpus is a forward-looking company capable of providing suitable and reliable solutions to blend with Jiuzhou products. As Jiuzhou localization plan goes deeper, we believe our mutually beneficial partnership with Corpus can be stepped to a higher level.”