ITV

Tag: Wincable

  • STAR GOLD: ALL IS NOT WELL

    STAR GOLD: ALL IS NOT WELL

    Star Gold was launched with a lot of song and dance last month in Mumbai. The classic Hindi movie channel has, however, not received the kind of push it needed from the senior management.

    Net result: several cable operators have refused it carriage. The network has not managed to strike deals with large MSOs such as RPG Netcom, InCable, and Siticable. The only cable system to have come to some arrangement with it is Hathway Cable & Datacom, and that too because of the 26 per cent equity stake that Star TV has taken in it. Other affiliates of Hathway such as WinCable and Shri Bhawani Cabletel are also showing the channel on their networks.

    The Star TV management is believed to be meeting to find an out of the jam the channel has got into. It will have to work some magic to get Star Gold into viewers’ homes.

     

  • InCable fails to pursue its application in Bombay High Court: ESPN

    InCable fails to pursue its application in Bombay High Court: ESPN

    Despite filing an urgent application before the Bombay High Court, InCable lawyers today requested for the postponement of the hearing of the case, an ESPN Software spokesperson said today.

    An urgent petition was filed by InCable Network on 8 January, 2002 in the Bombay High Court for restoration of ESPN and Star Sports signals which were switched off by ESPN Software India Pvt. Ltd. following the expiry of the period of the service contract on December 31, 2001. It appears that InCable is not keen on pursuing its application and instead, is using the pendency of the matter before the Honourable High Court to confuse and mislead its sub-operators and customers into believing that the ESPN and Star Sports signals will be restored shortly. InCable Network also continues to hold its own customers to ransom by charging them the usual subscription fees without showing them ESPN India and Star Sports India signals, the spokesperson said.

    Even though ESPN Software lawyers were present in court and ready to argue the case, InCable lawyers chose not to argue and instead requested for the postponement of the matter. Due to such a request, the Honourable High Court directed the matter to be taken up in the regular course and no date as such has been fixed for the next hearing.

    Meanwhile, most cable networks affiliated to MSOs Hathway, Siticable and Wincable in Mumbai, as well as over 60 independent cable operators in and around Mumbai city, have signed the new service contracts for ESPN and Star Sports. Only the cable networks affiliated to InCable (that includes Seven Star which has a major presence in the western suburbs of Andheri-Juhu-Vile Parle) are yet to sign the new contracts.

    Regretfully it has also come to our notice that some cable networks affiliated to InCable are stealing the ESPN and Star Sports signals. This is a criminal offence under the Copyrights Act and the Indian Penal Code. We will initiate appropriate action against those cable network indulging in piracy of ESPN and Star Sports signals, the spokesperson added.

    When contacted, Ashok Mansukhani, executive V-P, corporate services, Hinduja Group said as the matter was sub judice he would not like to comment on this at this stage. X 

  • Most cable networks in Mumbai sign on to new rates, says ESPN

    Most cable networks in Mumbai sign on to new rates, says ESPN

    ESPN Software today claimed a major victory in its tussle with the Hinduja Group MSO InCableNet when it announced that most cable networks across Mumbai city had signed the new service contracts for ESPN, Star Sports following the annual price revision of January 1, 2002.

    Even Zee Group cable arm Siticable has signed onto the new rates – Rs 24 for a month per subscriber – industry sources as well as Siti franchisees have confirmed. This is significant because this means that of the three main MSOs in the city – InCableNet, Hathway and Siti – only InCableNet is out of the loop so to speak. There is one Siti JV that has allied with InCableNet in this dispute and that is the headend in the northeastern suburb of Ghatkopar run by Ravi Singh.

    Sricharan Iyengar, vice-president – affiliate sales, said: “Cable networks affiliated to MSOs Hathway, Siticable and Wincable in Mumbai, as well as over 60 independent cable operators in and around Mumbai city, have signed the new service contracts for ESPN and Star Sports. Only the cable networks affiliated to InCableNet are yet to sign the new contracts.”

    The dispute between ESPN and InCableNet is now awaiting the verdict of the courts with a judgment expected on Friday.