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Tag: Videocon d2h

  • Videocon appoints Akshay Dhoot as head of technology

    Videocon appoints Akshay Dhoot as head of technology

    MUMBAI: Videocon has appointed Akshay Dhoot as head of technology. He brings in a fresh vision and energy towards the futuristic technology in the field of home appliances and consumer electronics. 

    In his new role, Dhoot will be instrumental in formulating technologically advanced products at Videocon and transforming the consumer electronics segment into a next-gen enterprise.

     

    A graduate from the University of Warwick, UK, Dhoot pursued his bachelor’s in engineering specialising in manufacturing and automotive design. He has worked across Videocon Group companies and has also played a vital role in service, manufacturing and R&D sector for CE&HA and Videocon d2h.

     

    Dhoot said, “The power of technology with frugal engineering has always fascinated me and I have envisioned transforming and enriching the user experience. I believe that there are infinite possibilities when it comes to technology out there, ready to be explored, and this is what my role at Videocon defines. This is an exciting and challenging phase for Videocon where we are launching many breakthrough products. With my passion and dedication, I foresee each and every product at the business armed with advanced technology and aim to take Videocon to greater heights.”

  • DTH players react to Budget 2015

    DTH players react to Budget 2015

    MUMBAI: Some time before the presentation of the budget, the Direct-To-Home (DTH) Operators’ Association of India had sent its wish list to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) asking for certain demands to be fulfilled for the sector. The Budget 2015 saw a strong no-no with an increase in service tax from the current 12.36 per cent to 14 per cent and the demands not being fulfilled. Additionally, the date for the roll out of Goods and Service Tax (GST) has been announced.

    Expressing his displeasure on the same, Videocon d2h CEO Anil Khera tells Indiantelevision.com, “The DTH and cable sector were ignored in the budget. The hike in the service tax will further be passed on to the consumers through the packs. Nothing from the wish list was taken into account.”

     

    It may be recalled that the wish list had asked the service tax for DTH services to be put in the negative list of service tax. It had also demanded for infrastructure status for the DTH sector.
     
    When asked for his reaction to the budget, DTH Operators’ Association president and Dish TV CEO RC Venkateish opines that he is happy that the GST date has been announced, while it was already known that the increase in service tax would be increased in two stages. “While the announcement of the GST date i.e 1 April, 2016 will have benefits, for the short term one would pay that extra one per cent, which is not material. The GST implementation will give us a substantial reduction in overall taxes,” he says.

     

    Echoing his thoughts on the Budget 2015, Tata Sky CEO Harit Nagpal says that he was hoping that at least one of the two taxes that the industry pays to the Centre and the State would be absorbed, which did not happen. “We are the only industry that pays service tax to the Centre and entertainment tax to the state,” says Nagpal. 

     

    According to him, this long standing demand to negate one of the taxes was not granted and instead what one saw was the service tax being hiked. Differing with Khera’s point of view, Nagpal informs that the increase will not be passed on to the subscribers through an increase in price packs as the amount is minimal which is one per cent.

  • Cisco partners with Videocon d2h for advanced video services

    Cisco partners with Videocon d2h for advanced video services

    MUMBAI: Direct to home (DTH) operator Videocon d2h will deploy advanced video solutions from the Cisco Videoscape product portfolio to enable it to deliver an innovative, high quality television viewing experience to its customers.

     

    Cisco will collaborate with Videocon d2h to create an infrastructure that supports advanced services like 4K, Over The Top (OTT), Video On Demand (VOD), multi-screen video and multi-room Digital Video Recorder (DVR), on a high definition platform.

     

    Cisco is at the forefront of changing the way people experience TV entertainment through its Videoscape platform, which offers best-in-class content management and exceptional user interface capabilities. Cisco Videoscape enables consistent video experiences across multiple devices including TVs, tablets, PCs, mobile phones and gaming consoles. Cisco and Videocon d2h are uniquely positioned to offer an immersive video experience coupled with an array of value-added services and applications on multiple screens.

     

    Videocon d2h director Saurabh Dhoot said, “We pride ourselves in being a frontrunner in bringing futuristic technologies to India, some of which are yet to be experienced in even the most advanced countries. Our collaboration with Cisco will present our customers with the latest and best technology in the DTH industry and will introduce them to a whole new range of next-gen applications. We believe that this partnership will redefine the overall viewing experience through our varied product portfolios and service offerings. We continuously endeavor to provide top quality services to our consumers.”

     

    Videocon d2h chief executive officer Anil Khera added, “As part of our commitment to our consumers, we will be providing an advanced TV-viewing experience with many more interactive services and applications, in keeping with global trends. We are confident that our collaboration with Cisco will provide a greater range of services to our customers. Cisco’s expertise in delivering end-to-end solutions and world-class technology will support us in our vision of being an innovator in the DTH market with the most advanced products and services.”

     

    Cisco Service Provider Video Software Solutions VP sales Asia Pacific Sue Taylor said, “Our mission is to continuously partner with operators who value innovation and strive to offer a wide range of differentiated and superior video experiences to their subscribers. Our expertise in the successful rollout of high-end features and services will enable Videocon d2h to deliver video in more exciting, more engaging and more impactful ways.”

  • “Govt. should reconsider extending excise duty concessions to consumer durables”: Anirudh Dhoot

    “Govt. should reconsider extending excise duty concessions to consumer durables”: Anirudh Dhoot

    MUMBAI: With the government of India deciding to withdraw the sops offered to the consumer durable industry, the move has come as a shocker to the sector.

     

    Commenting on the decision taken by the government, Videocon director Anirudh Dhoot said, “The Indian government’s decision to not extend excise duty concession has come as a setback to the consumer durable industry.”

     

    Dhoot further requested that the government should reconsider the increased excise duty sops in the upcoming budget as it will give a boost to manufacturing and bring revival to the sector.

     

    Speaking about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s highly anticipated and pet project, ‘Make in India’ campaign, Dhoot said that the country was capable enough to hold up the “Make in India” campaign. But going further he cautioned that in order to achieve this vision, the foremost action was to formulate policies and grant infrastructural support favouring electronic components and panel manufacturing in India. Dhoot’s Direct To Home (DTH) company Videocon d2h is also into the manufacturing of indigenous Set Top Boxes (STB).

     

    “We expect better guidelines and framework that strengthens consumer durable industry and benefits homegrown produce from this budget,” Dhoot added.

     

    On a concluding note Dhoot feels that at an overall level, the Union Budget needs to adopt a pragmatic approach towards addressing the needs of the consumer durable sector to manage its fiscal position. “This can take India back to a higher growth trajectory,” declared Dhoot.

  • Videocon d2h rolls out India’s first 4K Ultra HD channel

    Videocon d2h rolls out India’s first 4K Ultra HD channel

    MUMBAI: Direct to home (DTH) platform Videocon d2h, the first in India to have had a preview of 4K Ultra HD DTH service in July last year, has taken a step further as it launched a 24 hour 4K Ultra HD multi genre channel on 26 January, 2015.

     

    Videocon Group director Saurabh Dhoot said that the company is bringing the path breaking technology into Indian homes using its 4K Ultra HD set top box and the channel. “We are the first in the country to provide this experience,” he said.

     

    When queried by Indiantelevision.com as to what the channel feed will contain, Videocon d2h chief executive officer Anil Khera said, “We are planning to showcase Video on Demand (VOD), lifestyle and travel content, sports, infotainment, concerts and Hollywood movies.”

     

    Khera preferred calling the channel as a 4K content pipe wherein 4K content available from international broadcasters will be telecast. “The pipe is not dedicated to any one channel. It is a pipe that also consumes a lot of bandwidth,” he added.

     

    To begin with, as part of its contract with Star India, the DTH platform will broadcast the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup matches, which will be produced with the new technology. “We are in talks with producers who are the content providers from India and abroad,” informed Khera. The channel will be uplinked from the company’s Greater Noida facility.

     

    The 4K ultra HD set top box redefines TV viewing experience delivering four times the picture resolution of Full HD. It has 27 times the normal Standard Definition (SD) picture quality. It provides a resolution of more than eight million pixels, resulting in better sharpness and clarity.

     

    The package also includes a next generation User Interface (UI) powered by technology company CISCO to easily access content. A ‘super speed’ USB allows subscribers to be future ready to play pause and rewind the live stream of 4K content.

     

    In lay man’s terms, a 4K channel is equivalent to four HD channels put side by side and two HD on top of the four, which basically makes it an image with four times the resolution of HD.

     

    When asked whether the new edge technology will be promoted through live events during the Cricket World Cup, Khera said, “We are in talks with the broadcaster, but no final decision has been taken on that as yet.”

  • DTH players gear up ahead of the World Cup

    DTH players gear up ahead of the World Cup

    MUMBAI: The upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup is this year’s biggest sporting event that promises to not just entertain fans of the sport but also provide windfall gain to advertisers and sponsors. Not be left out are direct to home (DTH) players, who are planning to rake in some moolah through various initiatives. 

     

    DTH operator Tata Sky recently launched India’s first 4K set top box (STB) for its existing customers as well as to entice a new bunch of subscribers.

     

    When asked if the move will help increase its subscriber base, Tata Sky CEO Harit Nagpal says, “Those who have invested in 4K television will need a 4K set top box to watch the matches. So it will help the customers who already have 4K TV, to watch the 4K transmission with the help of the STB.”

     

    For Rs 6,400 subscribers can purchase the Tata Sky 4K STB while existing subscribers can buy it for Rs 5,900. Apart from relaying 4K content, the box can also showcase Standard Definition (SD) and High Definition (HD) channels. The STB has the capability of delivering Ultra High Definition picture quality and Dolby Digital Plus 7.1 surround sound. 4K at 8.3 megapixels (3840×2160) has approximately four times the pixels as that of 2K (1920×1080) – the current HD standard.

     

    Sun Direct managing director Mahesh Kumar too agrees that the World Cup will help increase its existing subscriber base. He reasons, “One, cricket is a religion in India and given that the first few days of the tournament starts off with an India Pakistan match – the fervour is going to be high from the start of the tournament. Two, even though the months of February and March are traditionally dull for DTH due to exam fever, we expect the cricket fever to take prominence and more new connections to come in during this period.  Post IPL the love of cricket has transcended countries with the foreign player participation in local leagues, hence viewer interest will be high not only in India playing matches but also in matches with other countries.”

     

    The DTH operator is offering the Star Sports bouquet on its bestselling Cinema + Sports packs. “This is indeed a big plus for our subscribers who can watch the world cup and best of sports during the World Cup and beyond with Sun Direct,” added Kumar.

     

    Sun Direct is offering its Cinema + Sports package at Rs 195 per month. It will be focusing mainly on this pack for the World Cup as it feels this covers most of the requirements of its customers. It will be coming out with high decibel campaigns on TV and print supported with BTL initiatives and digital media to give a 360 degree communication ahead of the World Cup, informs Kumar.

     

    Airtel Digital TV too has jumped on the World Cup bandwagon. For all customers buying Samsung Curve and UHD TV, it will offer HD DVR connection at the same cost as that of an HD connection. Customers will receive   discount coupons worth Rs 2650. Customers can enjoy watching the matches on an HD DVR by just paying Rs 2350. This box, which has an inbuilt hard disk of 500 GB can record content up to 750 hours enabling a customer  to record and watch the world cup matches at a convenient time. Also customers will get free subscription for up to 12 months through a scratch card offer. On other Samsung models, it is offering a discount coupon of Rs 660 on its HD+ variant. This comes along with an eight GB pen drive worth Rs 399, which is offered free. Additionally customers will get free subscription for up to 12 months through a scratch card offer.

     

    This edition of the World Cup will see the first global broadcast of cricket in 4K. Official broadcaster Star will telecast select matches, including India’s opening match against arch-rivals Pakistan, in the 4K format. Online shopping websites like Snapdeal, Amazon and Flipkart have priced the 4K TV’s between the range of Rs 60,000 (lower end) while the higher end categories are priced at an upwards of Rs one lakh.

     

    Videocon d2h too has launched 4K Ultra HD services. It has priced its STB at Rs 6590 for new customers while existing customers can upgrade to 4K DTH for Rs 5990. In addition to 4K channels and content, subscribers can use the STB to view Standard Definition (SD) and High Definition (HD) channels. While the website of Videocon d2h states that delivery of the STB will be made within two weeks from the date of booking, a call made to a customer care executive revealed that it would take around 48 hours.

     

    Dish TV chief operating officer Salil Kapoor expects the cricket World Cup to help further increase its existing customer base and therefore has tweaked its packaging. “Our packaging is very sports centric. Every tier of our packaging has the maximum number of sports channels. We have also kept in mind that HD will play a big role in the World Cup and therefore have maximum number of HD sports channels,” he says.

  • Govt. has no plans to place restrictions on number of DTH platforms

    Govt. has no plans to place restrictions on number of DTH platforms

    NEW DELHI: Even as it is in the process of revamping its free-to-air direct-to-home (DTH) platform Freedish, the government has made it clear that it has no intentions to impose any restrictions on the total number of DTH licenses.

    The Ministry has till now granted license to six private companies: Dish TV, Tata Sky, Sun Direct TV, Reliance BIG TV, BhartiTelemedia and Videocon d2h.

    These platforms provide DTH services in India under the DTH Guidelines issued on 15 March, 2001, as amended from time to time.

    Information and Broadcasting Ministry sources told Indiantelevision.com that Freedish is in the process of making changes so that it can provide up to 100 FTA television channels in the first stage in addition to All India Radio channels. A total of 19 e-auctions have also been held in this regard.

    DTH licenses, under the DTH guidelines, are granted to those companies which fulfil the eligibility criteria, terms and conditions and subject to security clearance and technical clearances by the appropriate authorities of the Government.

    The details are available on the website of this Ministry at www.mib.gov.in.

    Under clause 3.1 of the DTH Guidelines, the licensee, in addition to an initial non-refundable entry fee of Rs 10 crore, is required to pay an annual license fee at 10 per cent of its gross revenue.

     

  • Videocon d2h selects MStar HEVC SoC solution for HD zapper STB

    Videocon d2h selects MStar HEVC SoC solution for HD zapper STB

    MUMBAI: Direct to home (DTH) operator Videocon d2h has joined hands with MStar Semiconductor, wherein the latter will provide its high efficiency video codec (HEVC) H.265 system-on-chip (SoC) to the former’s HD set top boxes (STBs).

     

    MStar Semiconductor, which is a semiconductor company for TV, STB, display and digital home solutions, has successfully implemented HEVC technology in the HD solution, which fits properly to save the bandwidth requirement with high definition picture quality. The operators and STB OEMs can reduce their development costs and time to market to meet the Indian market demands with the MStar HEVC-capable set-top box SoC solution.

     

    Videocon d2h director Saurabh Dhoot said, “The HEVC technology ensures that our consumers get the most advanced and evolved TV viewing experience. Videocon d2h has taken the lead in bringing this latest technology to India and we are committed to using high end technology. Innovation has been the driving force for Videocon d2h, and the HEVC technology is perfectly positioned to further improve our bandwidth usage and enable us to add more HD channels.”

     

    “HEVC technology will greatly benefit the DTH operators in India due to the saving of bandwidth. With the coming of HEVC technology, our subscribers will experience high-efficiency Asli HD picture quality for the first time in India. This is possible through the unique video compression technology present in the HEVC capable set top boxes that is the latest in the field, and is a major improvement over the existing ones. We are committed to delivering a world class viewing experience,” added Videocon d2h CEO Anil Khera.

     

    “It is our honour and pleasure to be a partner with Videocon d2h. As high-quality programme deployment becomes more widely demanded, we anticipate increased market demand for HEVC-capable set-top-boxes which allows more effective usage of the limited bandwidth. Leveraging our HEVC-capable set-top box platform, we will continue to provide the timely HEVC solution to Videocon d2h in order to fulfill their business goal,” said MStar Semiconductor chairman Wayne Liang.

     

  • SEBI asks for clarification from Videocon d2h for its proposed Rs 700 crore IPO

    SEBI asks for clarification from Videocon d2h for its proposed Rs 700 crore IPO

    MUMBAI: Direct to home (DTH) operator Videocon d2h has been in the news for its proposed Rs 700 crore initial public offer (IPO) for long and now the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has asked for clarifications from the merchant banker of the DTH operator.  

    While the last date on which communication by SEBI was issued or received was 2 January, the board, today, without disclosing the details said that the clarifications from lead manager (LM) are still awaited.  

     

    The observations on the draft offer document may be issued by the board within 30 days from “the date of receipt of satisfactory reply from the lead merchant bankers, where the board has sought any clarification or additional information from them,” reads SEBI notice.

    It was on 30 September that the board received the draft offer from Videocon d2h through its lead manager Axis Capital.

     

    As per several media reports, while the DTH company has proposed IPO estimates to raise Rs 700 crore, it is also considering to mop-up Rs 50 crore through a pre-IPO placement of its shares to institutional investors.

     

    “While the company has not disclosed the total number of shares to be sold in IPO, the pre-IPO placement could be of 50 lakh shares,” says a PTI report.

     

    It was in October when Videocon d2h filed for its IPO. The company had then said that it plans to spend a portion of the Net Proceeds of the issue towards acquisition of set-top boxes, outdoor units and accessories thereof from TEL, a Videocon Group entity.

     

    The company commenced DTH operations in July 2009 and has grown its subscriber base from 0.44 million gross subscribers as of 31 March 2010, to 11.21 million gross subscribers, as of 30 June 2014, which represents approximately 16.2 per cent of the total DTH subscriber base in India.

     

  • Hathway Cable becomes India’s first $1bn enterprise valuation MSO

    Hathway Cable becomes India’s first $1bn enterprise valuation MSO

    MUMBAI: New year celebrations don’t seem to have ended at the Raheja group company and multi system operator Hathway Cable & Datacom. The MSO has become the first company from the cable TV industry to have crossed the $1 billion mark in terms of enterprise valuation.

    At the time of filing the report, as on 6 January 2015, (1 USD= 63.4286 INR mid- market rate), the total valuation of the company including market cap (Rs 5581 crore) and debt (Rs 806 crore) and excluding cash and cash equivalents  was close to $ 1 billion (Rs 6387 crore).  

    Hathway Cable & Datacom MD and CEO Jagdish Kumar Pillai is over the moon with this feat.  Says he, “This achievement has got more to do with the potential of the Indian cable TV market, and not just with what Hathway does.”

     For Pillai, digitisation has opened up the potential of unlocking the value that Indian cable TV industry holds. “With broadband and cable TV getting more transparent, the market is viewing this as a great industry to invest in the next five years, and that’s reflected in the balance sheet. It is a promise of a good potential,” he opines.

    With the industry getting more organised, Pillai expects more foreign investors to pump in funds into cable TV. “And that is what Hathway is doing. We are corporatising the whole industry and bringing the professionals to run our business. We have invested heavily in computer software and automation. It has become more like a telecom company. We expect a lot of investment interest in the industry now,” he adds.

    Pillai feels that it is Hathway’s broadband service which differentiates the company from the other players. “Our broadband service is strong and that has, along with our strong CATV, helped us reach at this level,” he says.  

    The plan for Hathway from here is clear: monetisation of the investments made in the phase I and II markets. “We have deployed 7 million set top boxes in the first two phases of DAS and we would like to monetise that. Also as we get closer to phase III and IV deadlines, we will look at opportunities which will enable us to expand further,” he informs.

    As for broadband, Hathway which has already upgraded its platform to DOCSIS 3.0, is looking at expanding to all the cities in which it has a presence.  “The investment will be two-fold, both in broadband and in cable TV,” concludes Pillai.

    Coming on the back of the announcement that the Videocon group has signed an agreement with US-based Silver Eagle Acquisition Corp to sell 33.5 per cent of its shares in its DTH venture Videocon d2h for $300 million, the Hathway landmark shows that confidence amongst investors for TV distribution initiatives seems to be reviving. And that’s good news for the entire TV ecosystem which has been struggling to digitise its TV viewer base.