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Digitalisation to drive value shift in India pay-TV ecosystem

Published

14 years ago

April 25, 2012

MUMBAI: A new report by Media Partners Asia (MPA) indicates that digital pay-TV penetration of TV homes in India will grow from less than 20 per cent in 2011 to 50 per cent by 2016, and 61 per cent by 2020.

The key demand drivers will come from cable operators, six commercial DTH pay-TV platforms, and DD Direct, the government-owned free DTH platform. A gradual consolidation of last-mile local cable operators will become inevitable, leading to a shift in industry profits and value to centralised distribution platforms and broadcasters.

The report ‘Asia Pacific Pay-TV and Broadband Markets 2012‘, measures consumption and revenue generation across pay-TV and broadband industries in 16 Asian markets, including India, which the remains the key pay-TV market for Asia in the future.

MPA executive director Vivek Couto said, “India’s digitalisation timetable implies a three-year transition to full digital TV (DTV) conversion. This is ambitious though we believe DTV transition will occur but over a longer time frame. The industry will remain capital-intensive until 2017 at the earliest, due to the capex requirements associated with digitalisation. This will lead to more M&A and fund-raising activity in both primary and secondary markets.”

The sector’s improved transparency, scale and operating leverage will attract large domestic and international strategic players, who will play a key role in M&A activity.

MPA’s biggest concerns include cable execution and capitalisation as MSOs transition from a B2B to B2C model; DTH satellite capacity; and the extent of regulation in the broadcast ecosystem. While digitalisation is the result of policy progress, this has not been the case for investment and taxation policies.

MPA projections indicate that pay-TV industry subscription fees will grow at an 11 per cent CAGR between 2011-16, driven by increased volume over DTH and digital cable. Total pay-TV subs are expected to reach 172 million by 2016, and 199 million by 2020.

MPA projections measure pay-TV penetration after accounting for households that opt for multiple services. Using this definition, MPA estimates that pay-TV penetration will grow from 79 per cent to 89 per cent between 2011 and 2020.

The majority of DTH pay-TV platforms will be generating free cash in the next three to four years, says MPA. The active DTH subscriber base (i.e. paying customers only) could grow from 29 million in 2011 to 69 million by 2016, and 93 million in 2020. This implies a 46 per cent share of the overall market by 2020 (versus 23% in 2011), and a 65 per cent share of the digital pay-TV market. DTH operators have been working together to improve the overall economics for the business; nonetheless, a rise in subscriber acquisition costs due to growing competition from digital cable, as well as medium-term satellite capacity constraints, remain concerns.

DTH industry revenues will reach almost $4 billion by 2016 and $6 billion by 2020, with revenue growth largely driven by expanding the subs base. ARPU growth will be partially limited as DTH expands nationally, with low-income homes coming into the mix, although MPA also sees a greater contribution from high-ARPU HD subs.

Digital cable subs will reach approximately 33 million by 2016 and 48 million by 2020, with cable’s consumer proposition, in the form of channel packs, HD, VAS and broadband, driving subs and Arpu growth. Monthly digital cable ARPUs will grow from $4 in 2011 to $5 by 2016 and $6 by 2020. Total cable industry subscription revenues will grow from $4.2 billion in 2011 to $6.4 billion by 2020, with broadband contributing 15 per cent to sales by 2020 versus 85 per cent for pay-TV.

For broadcasters, digitalisation and greater transparency in the pay-TV ecosystem will result in a higher proportion of subscription revenues, as well as rationalised carriage and placement fees. At the same time, broadcasters will need to programme stronger, differentiated content to survive and prosper in a new ecosystem, and create new consumer demand.

MPA expects total pay-TV channel revenues to grow from $3.4 billion in 2011 to $6.7 billion by 2016, and to $9.6 billion by 2020. Subscription revenue upside from DTH will be capped, however, due to fixed fee deals already in place between broadcasters and DTH operators. Incremental growth and upside will largely be driven through digital cable platforms.

Revenues will continue to remain skewed in favor of advertising, with the latter contributing 70 per cent to total broadcaster revenues in the long term.

Applications

Moltbook, the AI-only social network, sparks hype, doubt and fear

Published

2 weeks ago

February 3, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

CALIFORNIA: Moltbook, a Reddit-style social platform built exclusively for artificial intelligence agents, has emerged as the latest obsession in Silicon Valley, drawing intense attention for its explosive growth and surreal bot-driven interactions.

The platform hosts more than 100 communities where AI agents post, argue and joke about topics ranging from governance theory to esoteric “crayfish debugging” concepts. Within days of launch, Moltbook recorded tens of thousands of posts, nearly 200,000 comments and more than 1 million human visitors observing the activity.

Yet the numbers and the autonomy are under scrutiny, as per media reports. A security researcher has suggested as many as 500,000 accounts may trace back to a single address, raising doubts about Moltbook’s membership claims. Many posts could also be the result of humans instructing their AI tools to publish content, rather than bots acting independently.

The platform runs on agentic AI, powered by an open-source tool called OpenClaw, formerly known as Moltbot. Unlike chatbots such as ChatGPT or Gemini, these agents are designed to perform tasks on users’ devices, from sending messages to managing calendars, with minimal human input. Once authorised, they can interact freely on Moltbook.

Some tech figures have hailed the platform as a glimpse of a post-human internet. Head of crypto custody firm BitGo Bill Lees, called it evidence that “we’re in the singularity”.

Academics are less convinced. Petar Radanliev, an AI and cybersecurity expert at the University of Oxford, said the idea of agents acting independently was “misleading”, describing Moltbook instead as automated coordination within human-set constraints. Columbia Business School assistant professor David Holtz, dismissed the spectacle as “thousands of bots yelling into the void and repeating themselves”.

Beyond hype, security worries loom large. ESET global cybersecurity advisor Jake Moore, warned that granting AI agents access to emails, private messages and files risks prioritising efficiency over privacy. Andrew Rogoyski of the University of Surrey said high-level system access could lead to serious damage, from erased data to compromised company accounts.

Even OpenClaw’s founder Peter Steinberger, has felt the darker side of attention, with scammers hijacking his old social media handles after the platform’s rebrand.

For now, Moltbook remains a strange digital zoo: part experiment, part spectacle, where AI agents banter about philosophy, productivity and, occasionally, their fondness for their human operators.

Applications

Apple appoints Avtar Ram Singh as head of international marketing

Published

2 weeks ago

February 2, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

CALIFORNIA: Apple has handed a bigger global brief to a long-time insider. Avtar Ram Singh has taken over as head of international marketing for the App Store, Apple Arcade and the Apple Games app, deepening his remit across one of the company’s fastest-growing businesses.

“I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as head of international marketing, App Store, Apple Arcade and Games App at Apple,” Singh said while announcing the move.

The promotion crowns nearly seven years at Apple, where Singh has led services marketing across Southeast Asia and India and previously served as head of marketing for Southeast Asia content and services, business lead for Apple Podcasts in the region and interim marketing lead for the App Store internationally.

His new portfolio spans three pillars of Apple’s services push. The App Store, which Apple positions as a safe and trusted discovery platform, now attracts more than 850 million average weekly users globally. Since 2008, developers have earned over $550 billion on the platform.

Apple Arcade, the company’s gaming subscription service, offers unlimited access to a catalogue ranging from brain teasers to big-name franchises. The recent addition of Sid Meier’s Civilization VII Arcade Edition brings a AAA PC title to iPhone, iPad and Mac from 5 February.

Then there is the Apple Games app, unveiled at WWDC as a unified destination for games from the App Store and Arcade. It aggregates titles in one place, surfaces personalised recommendations, tracks events and achievements, and lets users compete with friends or connect controllers for a console-like experience.

Singh arrives with a hybrid background in strategy, data and creativity. His career spans digital and social media marketing, business intelligence, content, editorial and analytics across culturally diverse markets. He has worked on brands including P&G, Accor, Audi, UBS, Nikon, Samsung, Sony, Pizza Hut, HBO and Singapore Airlines-linked businesses such as Scoot.

Before Apple, Singh led strategy at Falcon Agency, focusing on performance marketing and ROI-driven digital frameworks. He earlier ran the social practice at Publicis Singapore, where he oversaw operations, business development and regional social strategy for multinational clients. His career also includes roles at Ogilvy-linked Circus Social, Rocket Internet ventures Lazada and Zalora, and research firm IDC in Bangkok, where he analysed technology markets and won early awards for collaboration and client retention.

At Apple, he has been close to several service launches and expansions, including Apple Fitness+ in Singapore, Apple Creator Studio, global podcast subscriptions and new App Store marketing tools.

The timing is notable. Apple’s services business has posted record years, and gaming is becoming a sharper battleground as platforms chase engagement and recurring revenue. Singh’s brief sits at the intersection of content, community and commerce.

In a market where attention is scarce and loyalty scarcer, Apple is betting that sharper storytelling and smarter marketing can keep users inside its ecosystem. Singh now holds the megaphone. The real test will be how loudly the world listens.

Applications

Cloud nine in the capital Bharathcloud plugs Delhi into its AI plans

Published

2 weeks ago

January 30, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: Bharathcloud is bringing its cloud closer to power. The Hyderabad-based sovereign AI cloud services provider has opened its Delhi office, marking its formal entry into North India and setting the stage for its next phase of growth.

The expansion comes as India’s digital transformation fuels rising demand for AI-ready cloud infrastructure, driven by wider adoption of artificial intelligence, machine learning, the Internet of Things and data-heavy applications. With the new office, Bharathcloud plans to onboard more than 100 employees in 2026, strengthening its workforce to support customers across government, enterprises, MSMEs and social sectors.

The Delhi presence is expected to sharpen the company’s engagement with organisations seeking secure, scalable and cost-efficient cloud platforms that comply with India’s data sovereignty requirements. It also positions Bharathcloud closer to policy, public sector and enterprise decision-makers in the region.

Founded in Hyderabad, Bharathcloud offers AI-ready cloud infrastructure including Kubernetes-as-a-Service, zero-trust security architecture and multi-level data protection frameworks. Its platform supports AI and ML workloads, blockchain application migration from hyperscalers and distributed data management, with an emphasis on reliability, low latency and operational continuity.

“With the Delhi expansion, we are positioning Bharathcloud to engage more closely with AI-driven enterprises and technology hubs in North India,” said Bharathcloud co-founder Rahul Takallapally. He added that the move would help nurture local cloud and AI talent while accelerating the adoption of secure and resilient AI infrastructure across sectors.

The company currently operates in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Kolkata, Lucknow and Chennai, employing over 200 people and serving more than 1,500 clients across manufacturing, healthcare, financial services, IT and media. Aligned with national initiatives such as Digital India and Make in India, Bharathcloud continues to focus on building indigenous AI-cloud infrastructure to support data localisation and the country’s growing appetite for next-generation digital solutions.

With its Delhi office now live, the company is signalling a clear intent: to make sovereign, AI-ready cloud infrastructure not just an alternative, but a mainstream choice for India’s north as well as its tech capitals.