ITV

Tag: West Bengal

  • ‘ETV News Bangla’ launch today

    ‘ETV News Bangla’ launch today

    KOLKATA: TV18 Broadcast is launching its 24-hour Bengali news channel ‘ETV News Bangla’ today at 5 pm.

     

    West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee will be present at the inauguration, ETV News sources said.

     

    TV18 Broadcast’s non-executive chairman Manoj Mehanka, ETV Network editor Rajesh Raina and ETV News Channel head Jagdish Chandra would be present at the launch.

     

    Veteran political journalist Prabir Ghosal has been appointed as an advisor to ETV News Bangla.

     

    Senior journalist Saptarshi Som has joined the channel as the deputy bureau chief (incharge of input).

     

    Earlier indiantelevision.com had reported that Dhrubajyoti Pramanik has joined the news channel as its editor. The channel has on board more than 40 journalists.

    Bengali general entertainment channel ETV Bangla will soon stop having its three news bulletins with the launch of ETV News Bangla.

     

    Studio 33 head producer Pranab Ganguly said, “The ETV Bengali news capsules were always liked and appreciated by the audience primarily because of their ability to put in good information in limited time. I am hoping the new channel will keep up with the good work.”

     

    A consultant with Corpus Media GK Viswanath felt there is absence of non-biased news channels in West Bengal.
     

  • Meghbela Cable to seed 10 lakh STBs in West Bengal by December-end

    Meghbela Cable to seed 10 lakh STBs in West Bengal by December-end

    KOLKATA: Multi-system operator (MSO) Meghbela Cable & Broadband Services aims to seed 10 lakh set-top boxes in areas earmarked for digitisation in phase III and phase IV.

     

    The company has already installed around 1.26 lakh STBs in Kolkata city, where digitisation of cable TV services happened in phase I.

     

    Seeding of 10 lakh STBs will involve an expenditure of Rs 110 crore.

     

    While in areas which fall under DAS III and IV areas like Haldia, Bankura, Arambagh and Hooghly, the company has 10 lakh cable TV subscribers and the majority of them are on the analogue network.

     

    When asked about the source of funding for the 10 lakh STBs, Meghbela Cable Chairman, Indranil Bhattacharya, said 80 per cent of the cost of the STBs would come from the local cable operators (LCOs) who would be collecting the amount from their subscribers. The remaining 20 per cent would be arranged by Meghbela through loans from banks.

     

    “In DAS III and DAS IV areas, we have already started the digitisation process,” said Bhattacharya.

     

    “Our digital customer base is around two lakh now,” said Bhattacharya.

     

    “In phase III and IV, the company is looking at a market share of 8-10 per cent, which is achievable,” industry experts said.

     

    The company has four digital head-ends in different parts of West Bengal with more than 7,500 km of optic fiber and coaxial networks providing cable TV services. “With a plan to expand operations at Durgapur and Purulia, we are looking at two interconnected digital head ends in Kolkata,” he said.

     

    The company’s chairman further said the company apart from providing channel packages to the customers in Kolkata, did sign the revenue sharing agreements with LCOs and has raised the bill as per the packages chosen by subscribers from the month of August.

     

    Talking about the prospects in DAS III and DAS IV areas in the state, he said there is an opportunity to seed 1 crore STBs in the state by December 2014.

     

    Meghbela Digital TV Services currently offers 500 channels. It plans to expand its capacity to 781 channels going ahead.

     

    Meghbela Digital has been equipped with technical capability for providing services in digital form along with features like music on demand (MoD), video on demand (VoD), pay per view (PPV), STB supported gaming and electronic programming guide (EPG), he added.

     

    Talking about the company’s ISP business, he said the company offers services such as broadband, leased line, VPN etc.

     

    Industry experts said since Meghbela Digital has interconnected head-ends, it can easily make its affiliated LCOs serve customers well.

  • MSOs request WB UD minister to waive off amusement tax arrears

    MSOs request WB UD minister to waive off amusement tax arrears

    KOLKATA: The multi-system operators (MSOs) in Kolkata have requested the West Bengal Urban Development minister Firhad Hakim to waive off amusement tax arrears, thanks to the cable television digitisation which has revealed their business details to the government authorities.

    Cable TV sources said that the state government which is slated to get around Rs two to three crore every month as amusement tax from the MSO gets only Rs 15 – 20 lakh from the MSOs in the Kolkata Municipal Area (KMA) area now.

    “Seeing the present situation, it can be assumed that the state government has lost between Rs eight to 10 crore in the form of amusement tax in last three months,” said a cable TV analyst.

     After the DAS implementation, apart from the increased monthly subscription fee, the consumers are supposed to shell out Rs 10 more as amusement tax charged by the state government.

    Firhad Hakim after taking a note to the appeal made by the MSOs has asked the MSOs to write a letter to the government and accordingly the state would look into the matter.

  • WB govt removes HRBC hoardings to get a better view

    WB govt removes HRBC hoardings to get a better view

    MUMBAI: KOLKATA: Power doesn’t imply license to do as you please, or does it?

     

    Barely a month since the Mamata Banerjee government shifted office to the 14-storeyed Hooghly River Bridge Commissionerates Building on the west bank of the river Hooghly, the administration has started removing the over 75 to 100 hoardings on site just to facilitate a better view of the surroundings.

     

    Advertising companies which had bought the hoarding space for a good three to five years are distressed with the state government’s decision which has forced them to look for alternative sites to get mileage.

     

    West Bengal Outdoor Advertising Association treasurer and grievance committee convener Ashif Kumar Biswas told indiantelevision.com: “Brands present in Avani Mall, building material companies like cement, rods, preferred these sites as Konna Expressway is under construction. Moreover, since this is the gateway to Kolkata, many brands would choose these hoardings.”

     

    A government official meanwhile said the hoardings were cluttered and whenever officials looked out of the window for refreshment, they caused a barrier. With the 18th century ‘Writers’ Building’ having been vacated for restoration and renovation, West Bengal chief minister Banerjee and team will have to work out of the Hooghly River Bridge Commissionerates building for quite some time. Unlike her previous office that was located on the first floor of ‘Writers’ Building’, Banerjee’s new office is on the Commissionerates building’s top floor.

    With advertisers having paid top tax to Howrah and HRBC authorities for hoarding space, “The state government is likely to lose around Rs 50 lakh per annum,” said Biswas, adding that the hoardings are huge in size measuring around 40×40 or 40×20 feet. “We have requested the state government to regularise them, instead of removing the hoardings altogether,” he said.

     

    It is learnt one of the advertisers, a small media agency, bid for two sites after taking an advance from an FMCG company, which selected the hoardings for their winter campaign. Other advertisers said the decision to remove the hoardings at one go reflects on the lack of policy of the present government.

     

    Biwas however is hopeful the state government will sooner look into the matter. He even hinted that authorities are happy with smaller hoardings and that the association is ready to come to terms with them.

  • Kolkata Film festival to open with late Ghosh’s unreleased movie

    Kolkata Film festival to open with late Ghosh’s unreleased movie

    KOLKATA: The 19th Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) will open with the screening of an unreleased film of the iconic Rituparno Ghosh, amid the presence of a galaxy of stars including the legendary Amitabh Bachchan.

     

    “Ritu da is no more with us. But he continues to live with his immortal creations. His unreleased film Taak Jhaank (Sunglass) will be screened for the first time in the inaugural ceremony of the 19th Kolkata International Film Festival on that day,” West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said.

     

    Ghosh’s satire Taak Jhaank brings together the two veterans of Bollywood – Jaya Bachchan and Naseeruddin Shah for the very first time. Ghosh died 30 May following a heart attack.

     

    The film festival to be inaugurated by Amitabh Bachchan on 10 November would be graced by a number of luminaries including megastar Shah Rukh Khan – also the state’s brand ambassador as well and versatile actor Kamal Hassan.

     

    Incidentally, the opening day of the fest will coincide with the international Test Match between India and West Indies at the Eden Gardens where batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar will be appearing for the last time before he hangs up his boots after playing the next – his 200th in Mumbai.

     

    Kolkata will be honoured to have a very eventful day on 10 November. The cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar will be playing the last day of his 199th Test match at the Eden Gardens on that day. Kolkata’s showpiece event, the KIFF will also be held on that day in the august presence of iconic Amitabh ji, Shah Rukh and Kamal Hassan. We are so lucky to have the presence of all those luminaries on a single day at Kolkata,” added Banerjee.

  • Sonakshi Sinha to play a Bengali Woman in Bullett Raja

    Sonakshi Sinha to play a Bengali Woman in Bullett Raja

    This Bollywood beauty, Sonakshi Sinha has always charmed the audiences with her simplicity and will continue doing so with Bullett Raja, to woo her fans. This time, she will be seen in never seen before avatar. Sonakshi will be seen as a bong beauty.

     

    For her role in the film, Sonakshi has left no stone unturned and is going all out. She will be seen performing a Bengali folk dance called ‘Jhumur dance’. This is typical Bengali dance and is practiced all over West Bengal.

     

    Sonakshi will be seen as a true Bengali woman as she is wearing the quintessential red bordered saree, along with big red bindi on her forehead, gajrah in her hair and alta on her hands. When asked about the look Sonakshi said, “This is for the second time; I am playing a Bengali girl. I have played a Bengali in Lootera, but that was drastically different, I was a 1950 Bengali Girl, who is a Zamindar’s daughter. In Bullett Raja, I am playing a contemporary Bengali girl. I loved my look for the Bengali avatar. It gave me a very traditional feel. I wish the sequence we shot in that costume was a little longer, because I did not want to get out of it.”

     

    And about the traditional dance, she added, “I absolutely loved donning this look; there is a certain grace to it. Once I was in it everyone was shocked at how bengali I looked. The jhumur is a beautiful feminine traditional dance, and Brinda mam being so good at what she does taught me really well!”

     

    Releasing on 29 November, Bullett Raja is premised on fictional mafia based in Uttar Pradesh starring Saif Ali Khan, Sonakshi Sinha, Jimmy Shergill, Vidyut Jamwal, Gulshan Grover, Raj Babbar and Chunky Pandey. Produced by Tigmanshu Dhulia, Nitin Tej Ahuja, Rahul Mitra; and directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia as well.

  • Ghai to inaugurate multiplex in Kolkata in six months

    Ghai to inaugurate multiplex in Kolkata in six months

    In between helming his film institute Whistling Woods International and wielding the megaphone for his directorial comeback Kaanchi, Subhash Ghai will soon inaugurate a three-screen multiplex spread over 35,000 square feet under his brand Mukta A2 Cinemas in the City of Joy.

    Coming up in the next six months at Junction Mall, Barasat, in Kolkata, this will be Mukta A2 Cinemas’ debut in West Bengal after having similar such multiplexes in Vadodara, Ahmedabad and Gulbarga. The first plex was opened in Gujarat back in July 2011.

    When contacted, Nice Property director Prabhakar Kumar confirmed the news and said: “Mukta Arts has been in the distribution and exhibition business for a while now and with this chain of multiplexes, they only plan to strengthen their foothold in the industry.”

    Junction Mall, Barasat, in a total mall area of 150,000 square feet, is marketed by Nice Property and is a joint venture project with North 24Parganas Zilla Parishad.

    Sources said plans are afoot to invite actors the likes of Abishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Sonali Bendre to Kolkata for the first fifteen days to promote the plex.

    Also, tickets will be economically priced, keeping in mind consumer spending behaviour in Kolkata, sources informed. “Mukta Cinemas is looking at 1,200 seats. The pricing is slightly lower than other multiplexes,” a source revealed.

    It is further learnt that the company has signed an 18 year lease contract and as per the agreement, the rent will be Rs 60 per sqft.

    “Even if Mukta Arts achieves 50 per cent occupancy rate, this venture would give good returns to the company,” observed a media analyst, adding that there are not many high-quality plexes in the vicinity, upping the possibility of the plex doing well in future.

    Ghai’s Mukta Arts is primarily engaged in motion picture production apart from production, distribution, and exhibition of television serials and entertainment software, equipment hiring, and generation and distribution of content for the entertainment industry.

  • HDIL Ent gets plex urge

    HDIL Ent gets plex urge

    KOLKATA: HDIL Entertainment, the 100 per cent subsidiary of the Mumbai-based real estate company, Housing Development and Infrastructure (HDIL), plans to have 70 multi-screen plexes pan India in the next couple of years. For setting up the cinema screens, the company has earmarked an investment of Rs 55 crore. The company’s multiplexes operate under the brand name – Broadway.
    HDIL Broadway CEO Mukesh Gupta is optimistic that both West Bengal plexes
    will be operational before Durga Puja

     

    HDIL Entertainment which reported a turnover of Rs 45 crore in the last fiscal of 2012-13, is aiming at notching up Rs 75 crore – Rs 80 crore by the end of the current fiscal 2013-14.

    In West Bengal, the company has signed a deal with mall developers for a four-screen plex Broadway at Asansol and three-screen plex at Durgapur.

    It is learnt that it will go for a lease agreement with Bengal Shristi for the Duragapur screens. Apart from this, it is looking at Burdwan and central Kolkata for expansion and Guwahati would be the preferred next destination in the eastern region. “Both the West Bengal plexes are slated to be operational before Durga Puja,” HDIL Broadway CEO Mukesh Gupta told indiantelevision.com.

    “By the month of October 2013, we plan to start 14 screens pan India and the total number of screens would be 35 by this year end. By the end of next year 2014, we are aiming at 70 multi-screen plexes,” he highlights.

    Of the Rs 55 crore investment needed, Rs 20 crore will be from internal accruals while a bank loan would account for Rs 35 crore, says Gupta.

    Broadway has around 14 operational plexes in Mumbai and four each in Kolkata and Indore. “We plan to open four screens at Kolkata, three in Delhi and two more in Mumbai by the end of the year,” the CEO says.

    It is interesting to note that two years ago the company planned to open around 120 multi-screen plexes by 2016 using the ownership model at an investment of Rs 450-500 crore. “Seeing the slow growth and not so conducive economic sentiment, we are looking at 120 screens in next three years to four years on a lease basis,” explains Gupta.

     

    HDIL Broadway has a four- screen multiplex, spread over 30,000 square feet and with a sitting capacity of 799 people in the city of Kolkata at present. Tickets are priced between Rs 150-Rs 200.

    Talking about the occupancy rate in Kolkata, he said the average occupancy rate is 48-52 per cent while “there are days like last week when the cinema halls were flooded with good movies, it was around 78 per cent also,” he says.

    “We have capitalised on the Salt Lake late-night movie-watching crowd and also the EM Bypass, Phoolbagan and Kankurgachi cinegoers in Kolkata,” reveals Gupta.

    Without giving much detail, Gupta said Broadway would soon open in central Kolkata.

    HDIL Entertainment is keen to tap the south market also for Broadway expansion, says Gupta.

    HDIL, the parent of HDIL Entertainment, was in the news recently for not paying interest arrears on a loan taken by it from Indiabulls Housing Finance, which it later paid up. Its share price dropped on the bad press.

    After a long consolidation of one and a half years, the HDIL share price broke out of the range, says Dhanpurna Commodities research head Puneet Rathi. “Falling below Rs 100 levels in January 2013, reflect a continuation of down trend in stock. After touching a bottom of Rs 26.1 on 6 August 2013 it bounced back on low volume,” he said.

    It is currently trading in the Rs 30 plus range.

    On Wednesday afternoon, the scrip was trading at Rs 32.85, up 0.61 per cent.

  • DAS Phase II: Analogue signals switched-off in 5 states

    DAS Phase II: Analogue signals switched-off in 5 states

    NEW DELHI: Analogue signals have been completely switched-off in five states of Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Haryana and the Union Territory of Chandigarh, according to information provided by nodal officers to the Information & Broadcasting (I&B) ministry.

    The ministry said it is in constant touch with the Nodal Officers and MSOs to ensure that the cities in remaining states also speed up the process of digitisation.

    However, analogue signal continues un-interrupted in the eight cities of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Gujarat that are covered under DAS Phase II as the respective High Courts have passed orders against switching off analogue signals.

    In addition, stay continues in Chennai which was part of the DAS Phase I covering four metros which also included Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata.

    Sharing the latest figures about DAS implementation in 38 cities covered under Phase II, the ministry claims that over 85 per cent digitisation have been achieved so far.

    Out of the 38 cities, fifteen cities have achieved nearly 100 per cent digitisation, 24 cities in all have achieved more than 75 per cent digitisation, and 34 cities have achieved more than 50 per cent digitisation.

    The review by I&B ministry also reveals that as against a target of 16 million STBs, 13.6 million have already been installed by the MSOs and DTH operators.

    Of these, the total number of installed Cable TV STBs is 9.15 million while DTH operators have installed a total of 4.45 million STBs. In the last one month alone about four million STBs have been installed in the Phase II cities.

    The I&B ministry has meanwhile cautioned multi-system operators (MSOs) to implement digitisation in a ‘sensitive manner‘ so as to avoid causing inconvenience to consumers.

    The ministry stated that the objective of the entire exercise is to implement the process in a seamless, sustained yet sensitive manner that causes least amount of disruption to the consumer.

    Wherever necessary the process has been implemented in a circumspect way so as to ensure that consumers can get access to STBs, I&B ministry said.

    Separately, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has also been convening the meeting of broadcasters, MSOs and cable operators to sort out issues pertaining to agreements and service conditions.

    The ministry said that digitisation would usher in a new era in broadcasting sector reforms by bringing more transparency in the subscriber base and would lead to several benefits for stakeholders including government.

    It would bring in enhanced revenue by way of improved tax recovery for government, enhanced TV viewing experience due to digital picture quality and multiple choices of channels to subscribers and improved subscription revenue for broadcasters and cable industry.

    The ministry has also assured cable operators that digital addressable system (DAS) will provide them an opportunity to provide competitive services to their subscribers and help them retain their business in the wake of competition from DTH and other platforms.

  • B’desh and West Bengal film industries join hands

    B’desh and West Bengal film industries join hands

    MUMBAI: The film industries of Bangladesh and West Bengal have come together in their zeal for mutual cooperation for co-production and exhibition of Bengali movies.

    In the presence of Bangladesh information minister Hasanul Hoque Inu, members of the two film industries announced that a memorandum of understanding (MoU) would be signed by them in the next few days.

    “We have always felt that the film industries at both places have been kept divided. If we can unite the two industries as one, then the resultant market would be a huge one,” said Bengali actor-producer Prosenjit Chatterjee.

    The West Bengal film industry has proposed to release all current Bengali films produced this year in Bangladesh. They also want to join hands in creating and developing cinema halls together on both sides of the border. Besides exhibition, the MoU will also harp on increasing joint venture production of films.

    “Our final target is to ensure that Bengali films get releases in both places on the same day,” Prosenjit said.