Thursday 31 January 2013

Genesis Technical Systems launches Superfast DSL Rings®

Genesis Technical Systems Corp. is demonstrating, for the first time in North America, its innovative DSL Rings®, a technology that will deliver 400 Mb/s to rural and urban Telco customers over existing copper telecommunications infrastructures, at the Rural Telecom Industry Meeting and Expo in Florida next week.
DSL Rings is an award-winning, patented, revolutionary technology that enables telecommunication companies (Telcos) to deliver superfast broadband at a fraction of the cost of fibre to the home (FTTH) or fibre to the premise (FTTP). It delivers more than enough capacity to bring very low cost triple play and quad play offers to both rural and urban areas. It can be deployed in response to customer demand and Telcos can realise pay-back within two years.

Discovery and TLC named most trusted Infotainment & Lifestyle TV channel by Brand Trust Report

Discovery Channel and TLC have been ranked as the top two trusted infotainment and lifestyle brands in India by The Brand Trust Report (BTR) 2013. Discovery Channel stands the first position on the list and TLC holds the second position,ahead of all the other television brands in the same genre.
For two consecutive years, viewers have ranked Discovery Channel and TLC amongst the top trusted television brands in the infotainment and lifestyle segment among 19000 brands by influencers and consumers in the 16 cities of the study.

Actor Sidhiques Released Logo of ‘Channel Life’ TV Channel

Chief Minister Oomen Chandy released the logo of Channel Life, the first Health & Lifestyle television channel from South India.
Channel Life is the flagship project of Life Plus Media Ltd, which has the renowned Malayalam actor Siddique as its Chairman.

IndiaCast, Disney UTV form distribution joint venture

IndiaCast, a joint venture between TV18 and Viacom18, has formed a strategic alliance with Disney UTV Group firm UGBL, for distribution of their television channels in India.
The new distribution venture is a step-down joint venture (JV) where IndiaCast will hold 74 per cent stake, while the remaining 26 per cent will be held by Disney UTV, TV18 said in a statement.

States should implement censor board decisions: Tewari

Information and broadcasting minister Manish Tewari today said states should implement the decisions of the censor board regarding screening of films but refrained from commenting on Kamal Haasan's controversial movie Vishwaroopam saying the matter was in court.
"Since the high court has once again taken the matter within its purview, it would be inappropriate to comment on it. We would allow the High court to take cognisance of the matter holistically and come to whatever conclusion it considers appropriate. Because it's been a tradition that we do not comment on matters which are sub-judice," Tewari said here.

Times Television Network joins TheOneAlliance bouquet

In a significant move aimed at spurring the growth of its Pay TV business, Times Television Network (TTN) has entered into a strategic alliance with India’s leading distribution company MSM Discovery Pvt. Ltd. (MSMD).
The news and entertainment channels of TTN – ET NOW, MOVIES NOW, TIMES NOW and zoOm – will now be exclusively distributed in India by MSMD over the cable (analogue and digital), DTH, IPTV, HITS platforms as a part of TheOneAlliance bouquet.

Madras High Court stays Vishwaroopam release till Feb 6

Kamal Haasan’s Vishwaroopam suffers yet another setback as the Madras High Court stayed the release of the film in Tamil Nadu till 6 February 2013 and asked the actor to file a counter with the single judge bench.
Orders given by Justice K. Venkataraman to remove the stay, was quashed by the two-member Bench. The Bench posted the case for hearing to next date 2 February. Hours before the earlier order got quashed, the movie was released in a few screens in the city. Some of these theatres were attacked by “unidentified” mob.

Ira Goldfarb Joins Envivio as Senior Vice President of Global Sales and Service

Envivio a leading provider of live and on-demand multi-screen IP video processing and delivery solutions, announced on 30 January 2013 the appointment of industry executive Ira Goldfarb as senior vice president of global sales and service.
Mr. Goldfarb takes on responsibility for Envivio’s worldwide sales, professional services and customer support.

Dainik Bhaskar exits cable biz, Hathway takes full ownership of JV

Dainik Bhaskar Group has exited the cable TV business ahead of digitisation, selling its 49 per cent stake to joint venture partner Hathway Cable & Datacom.
Hathway has taken complete ownership of the JV Company, Hathway Bhaskar Multinet, which has cable TV distribution networks in Bhopal, Indore and Jaipur.

Dainik Bhaskar exits cable biz, Hathway takes full ownership of JV

Dainik Bhaskar Group has exited the cable TV business ahead of digitisation, selling its 49 per cent stake to joint venture partner Hathway Cable & Datacom.
Hathway has taken complete ownership of the JV Company, Hathway Bhaskar Multinet, which has cable TV distribution networks in Bhopal, Indore and Jaipur.

Ortel files DRHP; to raise over Rs 100 crore from IPO

Cable distribution firm Ortel Communications Ltd (OCL) said on 30 January it has filed a Draft Red Herring Prospectus (DRHP) with market regulator SEBI for an initial public offering (IPO) to raise over Rs 100 crore.
The company plans to enter the capital markets with a public issue of upto 40.91 lakh equity shares of face value of Rs 10 each, Ortel said in a statement.

Wednesday 30 January 2013

Kolkata Operators Offer Poor TV Set-Top Box At Rs.450

In a bid to help the poor in Kolkata avail the facilities of digitisation, multi-system operators (MSOs) have forwarded a plan of low-priced digital cable TV package for the underprivileged to the state government.
"Our Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had requested us to come with packages that could be afforded by the BPL (below poverty line) population.

Airtel, Idea get breather on one-time spectrum fee

In some relief to India’s leading telco Bharti Airtel the Bombay High Court has stayed the one-time spectrum fee imposed by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) for the auction of 2G spectrum. The court has granted Airtel the stay till February 24. Early this month DoT began issuing demand notices to the operators. 
Meanwhile, Idea Cellular, Aircel also got a breather after the court on Monday stayed the imposition of the one-time fee on the telco till March 1, 2013. 

Conax and Quadrille announces partnership to launch Push-VOD turnkey solution

Conax and Quadrille announced on 30 January 2013 that have teamed up to bring on the market a combined version of their respective best-selling products: Conax Contego™ and Quadrille’s QuadriFast Push VOD solution.
The combination of both technologies will enable broadcasters to launch Push-VOD TV services easily, cost effectively and in record time thus providing an unparalleled Return on Investment (ROI).

Delhi Press to introduce science and technology magazine, Periscope

Delhi Press is all set to launch a science and technology magazine from next month. Titled Periscope, it will be circulated free of cost along with The Caravan.
The company claims that the title will have an initial print run of 45,000 copies and will have 80 plus pages. The new magazine will be published once in six months. The Caravan is a quarterly title.

Shemaroo gets Maha govt tender for digital restoration

Shemaroo Entertainment, the content aggregator and distributor, has bagged a project of government of Maharashtra to digitally restore 4,000 minutes of content.
According to the agreement, the company needs to restore several of short films and documentaries from negative/print.

DigiVive in channels pact with IndiaCast

Mobile TV service nexGTv and IndiaCast have joined hands for live streaming of 20 channels, which include Colors, MTV, CNBC-TV18, IBN7, CNBC Awaaz, IBN Lokmat, CNN-IBN, History TV18, ETV Gujarati, ETV Marathi, ETV Bangla, ETV Kannada, ETV Oriya, ETV UP, ETV MP, ETV Rajasthan, ETV Urdu, ETV Bihar, ETV and ETV2.
These channels are for over 7.5 million current and new end subscribers of nexGTv service. This partnership further enhances nexGTv regional channels bouquet. On demand of nexGTv users, History channel has been added to the existing bouquet.

I&B Ministry sets up expert committee to Review Functioning of Prasar Bharti

The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has constituted an Expert Committee for the purpose of reviewing the institutional frame work of Prasar Bharati including its relationship with Government,
its continuing role as a public broadcaster and measures needed to ensure technical upgradation of the organization.

Regulation must Keep Pace with Changing Technologies- Shri Manish Tewari I&B Minister inaugurates at BES Expo 2013

Minister for Information & Broadcasting, Shri Manish Tewari has said with the exponential growth in the media space, a paradigm shift has taken place wherein regulations have to keep pace with changing technologies.
An enabling statutory environment has to be in place to keep pace with changes taking place across platforms. The changing landscape of the Media and entertainment industry had enabled it to become one of the fastest growing sectors of our economy. This had been facilitated by policies that have encouraged investments, sustainability for business models and promoted entrepreneurship and innovation. It was imperative that the industry specially the Broadcasting sector had learnt to adopt, adapt and innovate with the changes taking place. Shri Tewari stated this while delivering his address at the BES Expo 2013 in New Delhi on 29 January 2013.

Regulation must Keep Pace with Changing Technologies- Shri Manish Tewari I&B Minister inaugurates at BES Expo 2013

Minister for Information & Broadcasting, Shri Manish Tewari has said with the exponential growth in the media space, a paradigm shift has taken place wherein regulations have to keep pace with changing technologies.
An enabling statutory environment has to be in place to keep pace with changes taking place across platforms. The changing landscape of the Media and entertainment industry had enabled it to become one of the fastest growing sectors of our economy. This had been facilitated by policies that have encouraged investments, sustainability for business models and promoted entrepreneurship and innovation. It was imperative that the industry specially the Broadcasting sector had learnt to adopt, adapt and innovate with the changes taking place. Shri Tewari stated this while delivering his address at the BES Expo 2013 in New Delhi on 29 January 2013.

V18's IndiaCast, Disney UTV form distribution JV company

India is witnessing a consolidation in the distribution business for television channels. In the latest round, TV18 Group and The Walt Disney Company are floating a joint venture company to distribute their television channels across analogue and digital platforms, including cable TV and direct-to-home (DTH), in India.
IndiaCast, TV18 and Viacom18's multi-platform, global distribution company, will have 74 per cent stake in the JV while UGBL, a Disney UTV firm, will hold the remaining 26 per cent.

Al Gore defends Current TV sale to Al Jazeera

Former US vice-president Al Gore is defending the sale of his television channel to Al Jazeera, saying the news organization is hard-hitting, especially on climate issues, which is his passion.
The Qatar-based Al Jazeera earlier this month struck a deal to buy Current TV for $500 million.

Playboy Plus Launches HD Playboy Asia Channel via Asiasat5

Playboy Plus Entertainment Inc., managed by Manwin Media S.A.R.L., announced the launch of encrypted HD Playboy Asia Channel on AsiaSat 5 in the Asia Pacific.
Lanny Huang, General Manager – Asia Pacific, Playboy Plus Entertainment Inc. said, “We are proud to launch HD Playboy Asia, the first channel targeting the adult audience in Asia. The 24/7 linear HD channel will include a unique blend of content including Playboy originals and the addition of our highly-acclaimed Digital Playground movies, offering extreme cinematic experience to our viewers.”

Smaller channels could transition to OTT

Although it’s currently not cost effective for television channels with large numbers of viewers to move to OTT-only video delivery, for many individual channels that have small- or medium-sized audiences, a switch to OTT streaming as their sole means of video delivery could become an option over the long term, suggests information and analytics provider IHS Screen Digest.
An analysis of the UK television market reveals that about two-thirds of the country’s major channels potentially could afford to switch to a unicast OTT-only delivery model five to 10 years in the future. Of the 192 channels rated by the Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board (BARB), only 58 have such large audiences that moving to a pure-OTT approach would be cost ineffective for the foreseeable future.

Tuesday 29 January 2013

Kolkata Could Go Completely Digital By Feb 1

Kolkata could go completely digital by 1 February 2013 with the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) ministry, the broadcasters and most of the multi-system operators (MSOs) pressing for a blackout of analogue delivery of television channels.
The MSOs met the West Bengal state government minister to get the support for an effective implementation.

Manish Tewari And Uday Verma Shown Black Flags In BES Expo

Hundreds of LCOs barged into the conference Hall of BES Expo in Pragati Maidan wearing black arm bands  shouting slogans against the I&B Minister Manish Tewari and I&B secretary Uday Kumar Varma, when the Minister was addressing the audience during the inaugural ceremony of the exhibition and conference. The protest was staged against the unfair revenue share in DAS regime and neglect of the small cable operators.
Mr Tewari agreed to meet a delegation of Delhi-based Local Cable Operators (LCOs) on Wednesday, 30 January to hear their complaints with regard to the 'unreasonable' revenue sharing under the digital addressable system (DAS).

Harris Broadcast Electrifies Media Workflows with NEXIO Volt™ Server

Harris Broadcast introduces its next-generation, software-based NEXIO Volt™ server, addressing customer needs for higher channel counts in a compact form factor, while increasing options for robust media storage.
Now shipping, the company will publicly unveil the new server at the CABSAT 2013 show in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, taking place March 12-14 at the Dubai World Trade Center (Hall 7, Booth C7-10); and the NAB 2013 Show, taking place April 8-11 at the Las Vegas Convention Center (Booth N2503).

Anjan TV broadcast partner for CCL

The famous Bhojpuri channel Anjan TV has been made broadcast partner of the CCL. This season of CCL has been joined by one more team, Bhojpuri Dabangg. Anjan TV is exited to be a part of CCL.

UTV Movies woos cable operators, audience in UP and MP

The Hindi movie channel from the Disney-UTV umbrella has launched an out of home campaign in the Hindi-speaking markets of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
The activation, executed by R W Promotions, began on January 21 and will continue for more than four months. It involves two canter vans decked with a collage of posters of several super hit Hindi films that are also properties of UTV Movies.

Manish Tewari and Uday Verma shown black flags in BES Expo

Hundreds of LCOs barged into the conference Hall of BES Expo in Pragati Maidan wearing black arm bands shouting slogans against the I&B Minister Manish Tewari and I&B secretary Uday Kumar Varma,
when the Minister was addressing the audience during the inaugural ceremony of the exhibition and conference. The protest was staged against the unfair revenue share in DAS regime and neglect of the small cable operators.
Mr Tewari agreed to meet a delegation of Delhi-based Local Cable Operators (LCOs) on Wednesday, 30 January to hear their complaints with regard to the 'unreasonable' revenue sharing under the digital addressable system (DAS).
Tewari was heckled as he attempted to leave the venue after his inaugural address at the three-day conference of the Broadcast Engineers Society (BES). LCOs shouted “Manish Tewari Murdabad” and “Uday Verma Murdabad” which stunned thousands of delegates including exhibitors attending the inaugural ceremony.
A S Kohli, President of West Delhi Cable Operator Association who was also present in the protest, said that he had already met Mrs Ambika Soni, ex I&B Minister and TRAI Chairman earlier when the policy was being framed but no one cared for their concern.
Cable Operators Federation of India President Roop Sharma who will also meet the Minister tomorrow said that Ministry as well as TRAI is not ready to listen to any plea of the cable operators whereas they have framed all regulations and Tariff Order in a way that only a few stake holders who already enjoy vertical monopoly in the market get maximum advantage. “The Government has literally handed over the industry created by thousands of cable operators for the last 25 years to these big media houses and left the LCOs at their mercy”, said Roop Sharma.
LCOs had even blacked out many areas in the capital in parts recently to protest against the unfair dealing by the government but had failed to make the government react.
Roop Sharma said that consumers who wanted both pay and free-to-air channels under DAS regime would have to pay anything between Rs 250 to Rs 300 or even more against amounts ranging between Rs 80 to Rs 150 that they have been paying under analogue where as Ambika Soni had assured in the Parliament that consumers would benefit in DAS regime as they would pay only for the channels they watched.

ZEE TV Cuts Ties with ATN to Launch 24/7 Network

ZEE TV, the South Asian Entertainment Network in partnership with Ethnic Channels Group Limited (ECG), Canada’s largest distributor of third language television services, launches ZEE TV Canada.
ZEE TV will be available to Canadian viewers as a 24/7 service, Canadian viewers who enjoyed ZEE’s top programming such as Pavitra Rishta, Punarvivaah and Sa Re Ga Ma Pa on ATN, will now be able to watch their favorite shows throughout the day. ZEE TV Canada will be available on Rogers, Bell and Telus starting from 1 February 2013.

Times Television Network expands international footprint to 45 countries

Times Television Network (TTN) has recently launched its channels, TIMES NOW and Zoom, on Canada’s major cable distribution company Cogeco Cable. With this recent launch, Times Television Network is now directly available in 45 countries across 4 continents on leading Cable,
DTH, IPTV and Mobile platforms reaching over 4 million upscale individuals. With its first international foray a little over two years back, TTN has rapidly expanded its international footprint to meet the strong demand for its premium channels that are respective category leaders in India.
Indians residing abroad form a substantial diaspora that is keen to stay connected with the latest in news and entertainment content from India. With relatively higher per capita income than most other ethnic groups residing abroad, the Indian and South Asian diaspora also displays a higher propensity to pay for premium content and services. TTN channels are already popular brands among the Indian community residing abroad and by using a mix of localized marketing and programming events in respective international markets, TTN has further strengthened its connect with the Indian diaspora there. TTN will be extending its international presence further this year with its impending launch in Europe.

BBC World News tops international news channels in India

Initial data released by TAM following India’s recent digitalization shows that BBC World News has reinforced its leadership position as India’s top English language international news channel.
The TAM data also shows that, following digitalization, BBC World News has substantially increased its audience in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. The channel’s weekly absolute share has increased by 109% and its absolute reach has increased by 34% in those markets while English language domestic news channels experienced audience erosion.

TDSAT reserves order on Vodafone plea on one time spectrum fee

Telecom tribunal TDSAT reserved on 28 January its order over the plea of Vodafone seeking interim relief against the levy of one time spectrum fee by the government.
A single member bench of P K Rastogi is expected to pass its interim order tomorrow. The tribunal reserved the order after hearing the submissions of the Department of Telecom and Vodafone on the issue.

Leading Pay-TV Companies in Latin America Announce Alliance to Combat Piracy at NATPE 2013

Latin American pay-TV industry are joining forces to create the Alianza Contra la Piratería de Televisión Paga (Alliance against Pay-TV Piracy). The Alianza’s mission is to combat a form of piracy known in the industry as FTA piracy.
FTA piracy involves the illegal use of “free-to-air” satellite receivers to decrypt pay television audiovisual signals, illegally and without authorization. The Alianza brings together most of the major players in the pay-TV industry and creates a framework for broader industry collaboration in the fight against FTA piracy.

Monday 28 January 2013

Nokia, Maxus tap Vuclip to provide mobile video social media solution

Vuclip has been selected by Nokia and Maxus India to promote the Trendify brand campaign for the Lumia 510 smartphone on its mobile video portal and social networks. 
The independent mobile video provider says that nearly two-thirds of its 14 million Indian users share videos primarily through Facebook and Twitter, making it the ideal platform to integrate Trendify, and for the first time, as part of the product innovation involving a seamless integration with Vuclip, the service’s ‘Share’ button has been temporarily replaced with ‘Trendify’ in order to encourage users to trend their videos directly on m.trendify.in at the click of a button, which in turn can be shared on Facebook, Twitter and other social sharing sites. 

ESPN STAR Sports to be under STAR in India

Rupert Murdoch-promoted News Corp, in the middle of restructuring its sports business in Asia, has decided to keep the sports broadcasting business in India under its subsidiary, STAR India.
The process started after News Corp bought out Walt Disney's 50 per cent stake in the Asian broadcasting joint venture, ESPN STAR Sports, for $335 million (Rs 1,800 crore) on Sunday. Interestingly, in other Asian countries, the ESS business will be under Fox International Channels (FIC).

DD consolidates prime time with new offerings

In a bid to consolidate its position as a mass channel, national broadcaster Doordarshan has revamped its look and also sought to consolidate its 8-10 prime time slot with new shows.
Doordarshan has witnessed several changes in the last few months with a huge amount of money being allotted by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, as well as a slew of fresh recruitments.

Celebration of India's 64th Republic Day

A kaleidoscopic view of the country’s rich cultural heritage and military prowess were on display at the 64th Republic Day parade on the 8-km stretch from Rajpath to Red Fort.
An eager audience on both sides of the imposing Rajpath, the country’s ceremonial boulevard facing the seat of power Raisina Hills, braved the winter chill and cheered loudly as the parade went past them portraying the rich and diverse culture of the country.

Discovery in licensing deal with AOL on Network

AOL has announced a strategic partnership with non fiction media company Discovery. The partnership brings short-form videos from Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Investigation Discovery, Science Channel, Military Channel to The AOL On Network’s library of more than 470,000 premium videos.
Content from Discovery’s networks will be programmed into The AOL On Network’s 14 channels and shared across the AOL On video hub, AOL’s owned and operated properties and publisher partners, bolstering the company’s science, technology, lifestyle and history offerings. Now fans on these sites will be able to enjoy excerpts from their favourite shows and series, like Discovery Channel’s ‘Myth Busters’ and annual ‘Shark Week’ to TLC’s ‘Say Yes to the Dress’ and Animal Planet’s ‘River Monsters’ as well as other titles from Discovery’s programming library. Additionally, The AOL On Network and Discovery will offer content from Discovery and Revision3’s recently launched online video series, DNews.

Jasraj Joshi wins Sa Re Ga Ma Pa 2012-13

Pune-based Jasraj Joshi won on 27 January Zee TV’s Sa Re Ga Ma Pa 2012 at a grand finale in Mumbai. He took home the trophy, a one-year contract with the channel and a bike.
The 29-year-old defeated Ludhiana-based Shenaz Akhtar, Jaipur's Mohammad Aman, and Mumbai-based Vishwajeet Borwankar to win the title.

21st Convergence India 2013 Expo.. Enriching a billion lives through convergence and innovation

“Convergence is going to be a big key word for the industry over the next few years. The government of India sees the telecom evolution as a continuum, and it is not going to stop because of anything that has happened in this space in the past couple of years. We remain fully committed to bring further growth to the telecom, media & entertainment sectors”, declared by Shri Manish Tewari, Hon’ble Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, at the international exhibition and conference of 21st Convergence India 2013 expo, which concluded in the nation’s capital last week on a triumphant note.
The three-day exhibition and conference featuring 326 exhibitors from 23 countries received an overwhelming response from the discerning and growing ICT industry.

I&B Ministry issues notice to PTC for airing ads on gurdwara polls

The Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has issued a showcause notice to PTC news channel, following allegations of the channel airing advertisements canvassing for votes in favour of a particular political party in connection Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee.
These advertisements were reportedly aired on January 26 — a day after the campaigning for the elections had ended.
The channel has been asked to explain why action should not be taken against PTC for the violating the model code of conduct.

Hinduja group acquires Belgium media firm Alfacam

Expanding its presence in Europe, UK-based global conglomerate Hinduja group has signed a deal to acquire Belgian media company Alfacam, which provides TV facilities and services to broadcasters and production houses.
Alfacam is best known for its broadcasting vehicles for filming and broadcasting of major sports and entertainment events. They were also used in a big way at the Olympic Games in London last year.

Japan to start 4K TV broadcast in July 2014

The Japanese government is set to launch the world's first 4K TV broadcast in July 2014, roughly two years ahead of schedule, to help stir demand for ultra high-definition televisions, the Asahi newspaper reported on Sunday without citing sources.
The service will begin from communications satellites, followed by satellite broadcasting and ground digital broadcasting, the report said.

DoT proposes super-regulator for telecom, broadcasting sectors

After more than a decade since it was first proposed, the Department of Telecom (DoT) is planning to revive the Communications Convergence Bill which envisages bringing in a super-regulator for the telecom and broadcasting sectors.
DoT has constituted a committee to develop a conceptual framework for the Bill.

Friday 25 January 2013

Yahoo! buys social news platform Snip.it

Yahoo Inc has bought "social news" start-up Snip.it. 
Snip.it which was founded in 2011 is a Pinterest-like service that allows news consumers to clip, organize and share articles. It was started by Ramy Adeeb who was previously an investor at Khosla Ventures. 

Skyworth launches Ultra HDTV at Rs 6.5 lakh‬

Skyworth, the Hong Kong-based electronics and home appliances conglomerate, has launched a wide range of television sets in India, including what it describes as the first Ultra High Definition TV.‬
‪The $5-billion company, which commenced operations in Hyderabad in 2010-11, plans to go pan India by the end of 2013.

Skyworth launches Ultra HDTV at Rs 6.5 lakh‬

Skyworth, the Hong Kong-based electronics and home appliances conglomerate, has launched a wide range of television sets in India, including what it describes as the first Ultra High Definition TV.‬
‪The $5-billion company, which commenced operations in Hyderabad in 2010-11, plans to go pan India by the end of 2013.

Broadcasting panel scoffs at South Indian movies

The Broadcasting Content Complaints Council (BCCC) has taken serious note of the production of movies from South India which show “extreme violence” and portray women in “poor light”.
The council has suggested that there should be some collaboration mechanism between it and the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to regulate such contents.

High Court refuses to stay ban on ‘Vishwaroopam’

The Madras High Court, which took up film-maker and actor Kamal Haasan's petition for revoking the 15-day ban by State Government on his upcoming movie Vishwaroopam, has decided to take a call on the release of the movie on January 28.
Justice K.Venkatraman, who heard the petition filed by Mr. Haasan's production house Raajkamal Films, said in his order: "Whether the film has got any scenes affecting the sentiment of the people, who have given complaint or not, could be decided only after viewing the movie." He said the Court would view the movie on January 26 which will serve the larger purpose for deciding the issue.

Neo Prime acquires 2014 Asia Cup cricket tournament rights

Sports channel Neo Prime has sealed the Indian broadcast rights for the multi-nation 2014 Asia Cup cricket tournament.
The Asia Cup was conceived in 1984 as the premier ODI (One Day International) tournament to promote goodwill amongst Asian countries and has grown from strength to strength over the last three decades.

Thursday 24 January 2013

Zee Entertainment net jumps 40% at Rs 193.31 cr

Zee Entertainment Enterprises (ZEE) on 23 January 2013 posted 40.5 per cent jump in consolidated net profit at Rs 193.31 crore for the third quarter ended December 31, 2012.
This is against a consolidated net profit of Rs 137.61 crore for the same period last year, ZEE said in a statement.

Sun TV net up by 13%

Kalanithi Maran-promoted Sun TV Network Ltd has posted over 13 per cent growth in net profit at Rs 190 crore for the third quarter ended December 31, 2012, against Rs 168 crore for the corresponding quarter in the previous year.
For the quarter under consideration, the company has registered over 14 per cent growth in the topline at Rs 486 crore against Rs 425 crore for the third quarter of 2011-12.

Akshay Kumar pitches in for Hockey India League

Star Sports announced on 23 January 2013 a promotional tie-up with Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar for the first edition of Hockey India League (HIL). The actor will be promoting the league through specially crafted promotional spots.
He will also use this opportunity to promote his upcoming movie ‘Special 26’, scheduled to be released on February 8, 2013.
Akshay Kumar said, “I am glad to be associated with this spectacular event. I am a sportsperson at heart and it is good to see world class hockey action across cities in the country. I have seen some of the matches and loved what I saw. The quality of action is amazing as you see the best of players in the world showcase their talent on the turf.

Broadcasting body bats for enforcement of watershed hours for adult content

Broadcasting Content Complaints Council (BCCC) on 23 January sought a review of the Information and Broadcasting ministry's uplinking Guidelines.
With 50% of the viewer complaints pertaining to sexuality, nudity, crime and violence in television content - movies or imported/local TV shows - the Broadcast Content Complaint Council (BCCC), the self-regulating industry body headed by Justice (retired) A P Shah, wants the government to enforce watershed hours (11pm to 5 am) for such content.

Tamil Nadu bans screening of 'Vishwaroopam'

The Tamil Nadu government tonight banned the screening of Kamal Hassan's " Vishwaroopam" following strong protests from various Muslim organisations over alleged depiction of their community in a negative light.
Official sources said the state government has asked the respective district collectors to invoke necessary legal provisions to maintain law and order.

HC continues stay on Delhi rape case broadcast till Feb 20

In a setback to Sony Entertainment Channel, the Nagpur bench of Bombay high court on 23 January 2013 maintained its stay on the broadcast of an episode of popular TV show 'Crime Patrol-Dastak'.
This is a special episode on the Delhi rape case, where a paramedical student was brutally thrashed and gang raped on December 16 last year. She succumbed to her injuries 13 days later. The brutal incident shook the conscience of the nation and forced citizens to protest for stringent laws to check rising crime against women.
The channel was to broadcast the special episode, a dramatized version of the sensational incident, on January 11 and 12 during its late night slot. However, an NGO approached the judiciary by filing a petition seeking a ban on its telecast apprehending an adverse impact on the gang rape trial, that recently started in-camera at Saket sessions court in the capital.

Mathrubhumi launches TV news channel

Mathrubhumi, one of country's leading media houses launched on 23 January 2013 its 24X7 television news channel in Malayalam.
Offering the viewers a "different visual culture" without compromising on basic values, Mathrubhumi News started its telecast today.

Corpus Media tie ups with advertisers

Corpus Media Labs has forged tie ups with advertising agencies and content providers to extend the benefits of cable digitisation to cable operators. The systems integrator offering digital TV and IPTV solutions has tied up with Adties, Chie Media (a broadcast VAS provider), besides Pace, Mstar, etc. Corpus Media offers a software branded as ‘Tornado’ which is installed in the set-top-box (STB) and provides the cable operators larger sellable real estate space to build more revenue generation services there by making digitisation more profitable to the cable operators with increased revenue per each STB. With the current market size of just over Rs 100 crore, the applications and set top boxes ad market size is expected to grow manifold as digitisation is achieved, said Sachin Tummala of Corpus.

Wednesday 23 January 2013

Channels Need To Concentrate On Content Post DAS: Digitisation Begins 2013

"Digitisation begins “event organized by afaqs in New Delhi on 22nd January 2013, Mr L.V Krishnan, CEO of TAM India said, "It is time for the channels to concentrate on marketing and programming to woo the customers. The channels need to concentrate on bigger slice of ad pie."
Further Mr. Krishnan said "Post digitisation we are expecting a radical change, it will happen at its own level when the consumers find the apt content they are in search off."

Digitisation Begins 2013: Is Digitisation Leading To Marketing Myopia?

'Digitisation Begins', an event on digitisation and its implications organised by afaqs! at the ITC Sheraton in New Delhi on 22 January 2013, saw a panel discussion titled 'Digitisation is here, What next?'. The discussion was moderated by Paritosh Joshi, Principal, Provocateur Advisory. The panel comprised Roop Sharma, President, Cable Operators Association of India; Vivek Takalkar, VP, Marketing and Business Development, MediaPro India and Ashok Mansukhani, Director, Hinduja Venture.
Kicking off the session, Joshi mentioned the term 'marketing myopia' that was used in one of the papers of Harvard Business Review. Joshi mentioned that the paper speaks about Hollywood in the very second part and says that Hollywood almost got wiped out because it saw TV as a competition and not a parallel industry.

Corpus Media in pact with advertisers

Corpus Media Labs has forged tie ups with advertising agencies and content providers to extend the benefits of cable digitisation to cable operators. The systems integrator offering digital TV and IPTV solutions has tied up with Adties,

CommunicAsia2013, EnterpriseIT2013 and BroadcastAsia2013 Promises Unique Exposure to Industry's Leading and Budding Players

CommunicAsia, EnterpriseIT and BroadcastAsia - Asia's largest and most established information and communications technology (ICT) and media communications events - are set to return this year to showcase the latest technologies and trends for the entire communications ecosystem.
To be held at the Marina Bay Sands Singapore from 18 - 21 June, the 2013 edition of the shows will have a special emphasis on content, as they bring together experts and exhibitors from around the world to showcase and share the latest technology developments and insights, touching on the blend of technologies across the entire value chain of the ICT, broadcasting, pro-audio, film and TV in-ustries.

MSM launches VOD platform Sony LIV

Multi Screen Media (MSM) has announced a new product for digital entertainment – Sony LIV. The offering is designed to be the ultimate online entertainment destination – a Video-on-Demand (VOD) service, which will provide viewers a world-class viewing experience of their favourite shows from the Sony stable – Sony, SAB and Max.
Viewers can watch ACP Pradyuman solve the most interesting cases on CID, revisit the most hilarious episodes of Comedy Circus and watch the first ever episode of Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, all online on their personal mobile handsets and tablets on the go, ‘Jab Aap Chahein’.
Apart from enabling viewers to view current shows, Sony LIV also gives viewers a chance to go back in time and watch past episodes of their favourite shows from Sony’s programming archives on LIV Classics. In addition to episodes of all-time favourites like Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin, Kkusum, Heena, Boogie Woogie, Movers & Shakers, Office Office; Sony Liv will also showcase a large archive going back 17 years of movies and special events like Stardust and Filmfare Awards.
To enhance the viewing experience, LIV has three interesting features: Mood Wheel, My Q and LIV Guru. With Mood Wheel, viewers can search for videos based on mood/genre and time preferences, ranging from a pool of human emotions to choose from, be it romance, scary or funny. The My Q feature enables the registered users to create their own playlists of their favourite videos, and enables them to watch it across devices with a single logon experience. The LIV Guru feature is Sony’s Loyalty Programme for loyal fans and rewards engagement. This feature builds on a loyalty points system on audience interactions on LIV; these points will eventually enable the viewers to win goodies, gift hampers and show set-visits.
The Sony LIV application is available globally for free on www.SonyLIV.com, for download on major app stores – iTunes and Google Play (Android). This will facilitate the viewers to get their daily dose of entertainment on the go on their smart phones, tablets or desktops/laptops. Commenting on this new initiative, Man Jit Sigh, CEO, MSM, said, “We are thrilled to announce the launch of Sony LIV our latest initiative in the digital entertainment space. LIV is aimed at providing entertainment on the go for young India on the move. With the launch of this user friendly and highly interactive application, LIV is slated to change the way this nation consumes entertainment. It is a great platform for brands to enhance their engagement and interactivity with today’s young consumers.”
“Innovation is the bedrock of business at Sony and our latest offering, Sony LIV reiterates our commitment to engage and interact with our audience in a whole new way. Sony’s shows like Bade Acche Laggte Hai, Comedy Circus, CID and SAB’s shows – Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah and FIR – have very high repeat value and have been rated amongst the most viewed shows online. Through LIV, we want to strengthen our viewership in the digital space and provide the best entertainment preferences to our audience,” added NP Singh, COO, MSM. Nitesh Kripalani, SVP – New Media, Business Development & Digital/Syndication, said, “After the success of MyIndianIdol.com and KBCSony.com, Sony LIV is the single door into the world of content from the Sony stable. LIV offers a unique and seamless user experience; it will also offer our clients the ability to engage with our viewers on the web and smartphone applications. We want to continue being the leaders in the New Media Entertainment space.”

Source:
http://cablequest.org/news/programme-news/item/503-msm-launches-vod-platform-sony-liv.html
Source: http://cablequest.org/news/programme-news/item/503-msm-launches-vod-platform-sony-liv.html

Dish TV net loss widens in Q3 to Rs 44.88 cr

Direct-to-Home (DTH) service provider Dish TV posted a standalone net loss of Rs 44.88 crore for the quarter ended December 2012.
The company’s net loss stood at Rs 42.96 crore in the corresponding quarter previous fiscal. The company’s standalone total income from operations was up 13.1 per cent to Rs 557.8 crore from Rs 493.08 crore in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal.

Tuesday 22 January 2013

MIB Confident Of Meeting DSO Deadline

The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB) in India is confident of meeting the March 2013 deadline for cable TV digitisation in 38 more cities across the country. The second phase of digitisation covers the one million plus cities across the country, including Pune, Nagpur, Nashik, Aurangabad and Thane, among others. The four metros – Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai – were part of the first phase of digitisation.
Secretary for Information and Broadcasting, Uday Kumar Varma said that the Ministry has been reviewing the progress on a continuous basis and nodal officers have been appointed in every state to oversee the conversion process.

MIB Confident Of Meeting DSO Deadline

The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB) in India is confident of meeting the March 2013 deadline for cable TV digitisation in 38 more cities across the country. The second phase of digitisation covers the one million plus cities across the country, including Pune, Nagpur, Nashik, Aurangabad and Thane, among others. The four metros – Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai – were part of the first phase of digitisation.
Secretary for Information and Broadcasting, Uday Kumar Varma said that the Ministry has been reviewing the progress on a continuous basis and nodal officers have been appointed in every state to oversee the conversion process.

Aadhaar leak: EPFO discontinues services provided through Common Service Centre

Following fear of Aadhaar data leak, the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) on May 2 said it has discontinued services provided t...