Friday 4 May 2018

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 through Common Service Centre. The organization cited “pending vulnerability checks”, but at the same time ruled out any data leak.

TRAI writes to MIB over processing charges for broadcasters

On 4 May, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) wrote a letter to the ministry of information and broadcasting (I&B), in which it questioned ministry’s jurisdiction to impose "processing" charges on broadcasters without asking for TRAI’s recommendations.

Thursday 3 May 2018

Airtel launches 4G services in Kenya

Airtel’s Kenya wing has launched 4G services in Nairobi and Mombasa. Currently, Airtel is the second-largest carrier in Kenya.

News agency ANI Media upgrades its LiveU fleet with LiveU’s flagship LU600 HEVC units

The entire LiveU fleet of the News agency Asian News International (ANI) has been replaced with LiveU’s flagship LU600 HEVC units for global newsgathering and live sports coverage.

Digital advertising spend occupies 16% of total ad-spends:IAMAI-Kantar Report

Thanks to cheaper smartphones, falling data rates, rural penetration, the share of the digital advertising spend has reached 16% of the total ad-spends in India, according to ‘Digital Advertising in India 2017’ report, jointly published by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and Kantar IMRB.

Mediaprofessionals launch ‘FEUD’to promote ethical use of data

An organization has been launched by senior media professionals to promote ethical use of public data. Such a need was strongly felt by these professionals as the world is witnessing massive leaks and thefts of data in recent times.

9XM, 9X Jalwa make debut in Maldives

In a bid to enthralIndian diaspora living in Maldives, 9XM and 9X Jalwa have been launched by the music broadcaster 9X Media, which has partnered with Maldivian digital services provider Dhiraagu for live streaming the same.

Xiaomi India starts its own video& music streaming apps

Entering the OTT segment, smartphone maker Xiaomi India has started its own music and video streaming apps - Mi Music and Mi Video. MiMusic offers an integrated music streaming service along with the ability to store offline music.

RJio comes up JioInteract, world’s first AI-based brand engagement platform

To further offer the latest in technology and cash in on its 186 million subscribers and another 150 million smartphone users, Reliance Jio Infocomm has come up with the world’s first Artificial Intelligence (AI) based brand engagement platform, Jio Interact.

World Press Freedom Day: PM Modi bats for free press for stronger democracy

Amidst killing of journalists, snatching of the rights of freedom of press, PM Modi, on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day (3 May), said that a free press is vital for a stronger democracy. The PM asked people to reaffirm their ‘commitment to support a free press’.

‘BARC India is extremely transparent &neutral’: Broadcasting Industry

In the midst of allegations following the doubt of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (I&B) and its proposal to install chip in DTH STBs to get accurate TV viewership data, the broadcasting industry has reposed its faith on the Broadcast Audience Research Council India (BARC India), calling it transparent and neutral.

Dish TV-d2h merged entity to launch their OTT service

The first big news post-merger of two big direct-to-home (DTH) operators (Dish TV&Videocon d2h), is a possible launch of over the top (OTT) service. The new initiative is aimed at allowing the subscribers of the two DTH brands to access content on the go.

MIB writes new letter; drops previous charges against NFDC chief

On 24 April, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (I&B Ministry) wrote a fresh letter dropping all previously labelled charges against Nina Lath Gupta, former head of National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), who was fired.

Wednesday 2 May 2018

Twitter partners with top broadcasters including Disney, NBC, Viacom

To give its users wider content choices, Twitter Inc. has partnered with top international broadcasters to have 30 deals. The list of broadcasters includes Walt Disney Co. and NBC Universal.

April records 190 million UPI transactions; BHIM’s performance remains poor

The month of April has recorded 190 million UPI transactions. There has seen a spike in transactions in the past few months, as per data shared by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). This was mainly because apps like Paytm, PhonePe, Google Tez and WhatsApp have integrated UPI in their system.

Buying a mobile phone Sim? Aadhaar no more mandatory

Giving a big relief to the people, the government has taken down Aadhaar as the mandatory document for buying a mobile phone Sim card. The government has asked telecom companies to start accepting alternative documents such as driving licence, passport and voter ID card.

Kaizad Heerjee resigns from Aircel

Kaizad Heerjee, the Aircel chief executive officer (CEO), has resigned from his post. He will continue to work with the insolvency resolution professional (IRP) to help the telco, which has filed for bankruptcy protection.

Soon, users will be able to clear their browsing history on FB

Chastised by the recent global anger against leaking tons of users’ data, the social media giant Facebook will soon allow its users to clear their browsing history. The FB is planning a new privacy control called "clear history" to address this issue.

SonyLIV adds Republic TV

For the first time, the OTT platform by Sony Pictures Networks India’s (SPNI), SonyLIV has added a channel of news genre. Now the subscribers of SonyLiv are able to watch Arnab Goswami’s Republic TV.

Bennett Coleman and Company Ltd’s net profit drops 27%

The profit of India’s one of biggest media groups the Bennett Coleman and Company Ltd (BCCL) has gone down 26.61% for the fiscal ended March 2017. This time the group collected Rs 827 crore as against a net profit of Rs 1127 crore in the last FY.

DoT launches broad contours of new Telecom Policy

As under the 2022 Secure India goals, the government wants to establish a comprehensive data protection regime for digital communications that safeguards the privacy, autonomy and choice of individuals and facilitates India’s effective participation in the global digital economy, the telecom department on 1 May launched the broad contours of the new Telecom Policy (TP).

Shareit partners with Times Music

The music label Times Music and the content sharing platform Shareit have partnered. The deal will enable Shareit users to access a wider music catalogue of Times Music that is spread over 27 languages.

DTH operator Tata Sky pays its taxes& licence fee

Rs 2200 crore has been paid as levies, taxes and licence fee by the direct to home (DTH) service provider Tata Sky for FY2018. The licence fee stands at Rs. 561 crore which was paid to the ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB). The licence fee has been paid at 10% of gross revenue.

HT Media buys 10% stake in digital media company Editorji

The board of HT Media has approved the acquisition of 10% equity share in digital content company Editorji Technologies worth Rs. 10 crore. The transaction is expected to close by 30 June. The deal will be subject to compliances under the Companies Act, 2013 and government or SEBI Regulations.

COAI Report: Airtel enjoys 30% share in total mobile subscriber base of 1 billion

According to COAI’s report released on 2 May, Airtel maintains its number one position while having 29.37% market share (304.9 million) out of total 1.035 billion figures in India till March 2018. It has added 8.4 million new subscribers during March.

Tuesday 1 May 2018

NDTV sells 7.38% stake in subsidiary Red Pixel ventures

NDTV has sold 7.38% stake in subsidiary Red Pixels Ventures. The media group informed BSE: "The board of directors of the company...considered and approved transfer of up to 7.38 percent stake of the company at the rate of Rs 59,824 per equity share in Red Pixels Ventures Ltd (RPVL), a material subsidiary of the company, to A R Chadha And Co (India) Pvt Ltd, the landlord of the office premises in New Delhi."

WhatsApp Founder Jan Koum may quit Board as FB is weakening WhatsApp’s encryption

Even before the Cambridge Analytica revelations, WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum had made his decision to leave, as per media sources. His frustration is on the security policy of Facebook bought WhatsApp for $19 billion in 2014.

Telecom Commission clears permission for in-flight Wi-Fi; TRAI to create telecom ombudsman soon

The Telecom Commission on April 1 gave its permission for in-flight Wi-Fi which will enable flyers to call and surf from aircraft,

Monday 30 April 2018

BSNL may get 5 Mhz slot in 2100 Mhz band for launching 4G services

The government may soon offer the state-run telco Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) 5 Mhz slot in the 2100 Mhz band for launching 4G services. With this, BSNL may compete well with the leading telcos like Jio and Airtel.

DD Sports Ticker issue: Pvt Broadcasters may go to court against MIB’sorder

On 25 April, the private channel showing live sports of national importance have been asked by the I&B Minto run tickers that the same match is also available on DD Sports. The diktat irked private broadcasters in India and they are going to take the legal route against it.

BIG FM appoints Shipra Srivastava as national marketing head &Soela Joshi as associate VP

Shipra Srivastava has become national marketing head while Soela Joshi as associate vice president at FM radio station BIG FM. The radio station is currently expanding its content portfolio for integrated marketing campaigns and fortifying its original and digital content offering. These two appointments are expected to address the same.

Top ten ads on YouTube India register 1.36 million hours of watch time in Q1 FY18

Tata Motors, Netmeds.com, Oppo Mobile and Cadbury are some of the ads on YouTube India which clocked massive viewership. As per YouTube India Ads Leader board for Q1 FY18, top ten ads clocked 1.36 million hours of watch time. Out of this, mobile devices accounted for 83.8% of the watch time.

EU proposes secure enhanced protection for children, stricter rules on advertising, 30% local content on TV channels, VoD platforms

In a latest proposal, the European Parliament negotiators have proposed secure enhanced protection for children, stricter rules on advertising, and at least 30% of content in programmes of TV channels and video on demand (VoD) platforms must be European.

Bharat Kedia resigns from ZEEL

Bharat Kedia, ZEEL’s chief financial officer, has quit the company.  He joined ZEEL in July 2017 to replace Mihir Modi.

GTPL Hathway Board approves buying of additional stake in two subsidiary cos

GTPL Hathway, the Multi system operator (MSO), will buy additional 13% equity shares in GTPL Space City, a subsidiary company in which the company presently holds 61.50% equity shares. Thus, the company’s shareholding will increase to 74.5%. The company will also acquire remaining 49% stake in GTPL Junagadh making it a wholly owned subsidiary of the company. It owned 51% stake in the company prior to the acquisition.

FIR lodged against two TV news channels for fake news

Samachar Plus and News 1 India have been allegedly found engaged in fake news. As per authorities, they broadcasted false stories, and an FIR was lodged against them, following a complaint by the Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA).

Malaysian Authorities convict first person under its Fake News law

As fake news is creating havoc world over, countries are gearing up to frame their own rules. In such a case, the Malaysian authorities have convicted a Danish man on 30 April sending him to jail for breaking a law against 'fake news'.

Sunday 29 April 2018

Kabul urges India for DTH transponder

The government of Afghanistan has urged India for a transponder for its direct-to-Home (DTH) TV services, according to an official from the Department of Space. Earlier too, Kabul got from India a transponder from the South Asia Satellite. But while the earlier one was offered for free as a gift, Kabul will have to pay for the new one.

Saturday 28 April 2018

Idea to start VoLTE services in May

While Vodafone is aggressively launching its VoLTE services in many parts of the country, Idea Cellular will also start its Voice over LTE (VoLTE) services in a phased manner for its customers, starting from May this year.

Berhampur district administration seals MSO Ortel’s office

The Behrampur office of multi system operator (MSO) Ortel Communications has been sealed by the district administration for alleged violation of fire safety norms and trade license.As per reports from Odisha TV, the sub-collector and the commissioner of the Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BeMC) raided the office on 26 April.

Broadcasters asked to carry ticker about DD Sports

To inform the viewers that the match is also available on DD Sports, private broadcasters showing live sportive events of national importance will now have to carry a ticker. On 25 April, the ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) has asked broadcasters to run a ticker.

MSO Asianet- Star Case reaches Delhi HC

The case involving the multi system operator (MSO) Asianet Satellite Communications and Star India on price dispute has now reached the Delhi High Court after the MSO filed an appeal against the order of the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal’s (TDSAT) which asked it to either sign an reference interconnect offer (RIO) or negotiated deal with broadcaster Star India in 30 days.

Jagran to buy back 1.5 crore shares; board approves proposal

Jagran will buy back shares worth Rs. 292.5 crore, as the Prakashan board has approved the proposal to  buy back 1.5 crore shares at a price of Rs 195 per equity share. This is 4.82% stake in the company.

Novi Digital registers Rs 489 crore loss this FY

Novi Digital Entertainment has posted a massive loss of Rs. 489 crore this FY. The company, which houses Star India’s video on demand (VoD) platform Hotstar, faced 20% greater loss than last fiscal. Its revenue from operations increased 81.4% to Rs 321 crore from Rs 178.5 crore in FY16. In 2017, Star India had injected Rs 1233 crore ($192.04 million) into the company.

Microsoft launches Windows 10 update

The new update in Microsoft Windows can be downloaded from 30 April. Microsoft launched the update on 10 April, and it will start to roll out to Windows 10 PCs worldwide on May 8.

Delhi HC issues notice to Star India in a Kerala-based MSO’s case

On 28 April, the Delhi High Court asked Star India to file its response on a plea by Kerala cable operator Asianet Satellite Communications Ltd (ASCL) against an order of telecom tribunal TDSAT on the rate to be paid to the former for showing its channels in southern India.

RJio registers Rs 510 crore profit in Q4

While leading telecom operator Airtel registered a big loss in Q4, the new entrant Reliance Jio Infocomm reported a net profit of Rs 510 crore, which is Rs. 6 crore up from the third Q. Its Operating revenue was Rs. 7128 crore.

Thursday 26 April 2018

Massive Aadhaar leak reported from Andhra Pradesh

As the matter of Aadhaar privacy is still going on in the Supreme Court, a security researcher Kodali Srinivas has exposed how a State government website was leaking the Aadhaar data, bank accounts complete with IFSC code, caste and religion besides geo-location of 1.34 lakh beneficiaries of housing schemes.

Govt to construct dedicated ducts along new highways

In a latest move, the government will construct dedicated ducts along new highways for laying optical fibre lines for telecom and power lines. The telecom department and the road transport ministry have agreed for allocating land along the green field highways to the telecom department for this purpose.

Minister directs BSNL to strengthen mobile connectivity in Maoist-affected regions

On 25 April, the Union Minister of State for Home Hansraj Ahir  directed BSNL to expedite bandwidth upgradation in 35 worst-affected Maoist districts on priority and ensure up to 2 mbps capacity within one month. This was announced during a high-level meeting to review the mobile connectivity issues in Left Wing Extremism (Maoist) affected districts of the country.

SC asks RCom to pay spectrum dues to DoT by 2 May

The Supreme Court has asked Reliance Communications to pay spectrum dues which are to the tune of Rs 774 crore. The amount has to be paid to the telecom department (DoT) by May 2.

Airtel reports Rs 652 crore loss due to termination cost cut& tariff war

The tariff war unleashed by the entry of RJio in Sep. 2016, and cut in termination cost by the telecom regulator TRAI has led Airtel to witness Rs 652 crore losses in its India business during the March quarter (Q4).

Wednesday 25 April 2018

WION launches Hindi audio feed; first to achieve this feat in India

A step towards inclusive infotainment, the Zee Media Corporation Ltd’s (ZMCL) English global news channel World Is One News (WION) has launched Hindi audio option to its viewers. The step also makes great business sense as the broadcaster can now reach maximum viewers. Also, this is the first time in India that a News Channel is providing dual audio feed.

Viu partners with broadcasters; will create 70 originals this year

To expand its reach and win more subscribers, the PCCW Media Group-owned video streaming service (VoD) Viu will create 70 original shows in 2018, and has also partnered with Times Network’s entertainment channel Zoom TV and Sun Network TV’s Telugu GEC Gemini TV.

CLSA Global Markets offloads 3.07% stake in Hathway Cable

Stake (3.07%) worth Rs 91.94 in cable TV and broadband service provider Hathway Cable & Datacom crore have been offloaded by the Singapore-based foreign investor CLSA Global Markets. It was done in an open market.

Sony invests more in preschool learning and entertainment appHopster

An additional equity investment in preschool learning and entertainment app Hopster was done by Sony Pictures Television Networks (SPTN) in the latest round of funding which was also supported by existing investors Venture Founders and the Angel Co Fund.

Hooq India partners with BBC Studios for content

Now, the subscribers of the video streaming platform Hooq India will be able to watch the gripping shows of BBC, as the OTT platform has partnered with BBC Studios. The deal includes nearly 200 hours of top BBC drama.

India to get its biggest telecom towers group; Bharti Infratel to merge with Indus Towers

Bharti  Infratel has announced its intention to merge with Indus Towers which is owned by Vodafone India and Idea Cellular. Post-merger, it will be a $14.6 billion company with 1.63 lakh towers.

Upma Chaudhary may become next MIB Secretary

As per media sources, Upma Chaudhary, a 1983 batch Himachal IAS officer, may become the new secretary with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB).

BARC India starts Out Of Home (OOH) viewership data

The TV viewership measurement agency the Broadcasters Audience Research Council (BARC) has launched out of home (OOH) viewership data. Experts say that this will give a major boost for broadcasters as well as sports broadcasters.

Travelxp to launch 4K HDR channel in India; to launch in UK as FTA

Travelxp, the travel and lifestyle channel, is going to debut in the UK on 30 April as a free to air (FTA) service on Freeview UK platform. As per company’s claims, the distribution on Freeview will allow the channel to reach close to 16 million homes.

Airtel Digital TV’s Q4 EBITDA stands at Rs 370 crore

As per latest disclosure, the direct to home (DTH) arm Bharti Telemedia, Airtel Digital TV’s EBITDA for the quarter ended 31 March (Q4) has remained unattractive at Rs 370.1 crore as against Rs 370.8 crore in the trailing quarter ended 31 December.

Tuesday 24 April 2018

Airtel-Jio IPL ad matter reaches HC

On 24 April, the Delhi High Court sought the response of Airtel on a contempt plea moved by Reliance Jio. In the complaint, the appellant alleged that Airtel's campaign for IPL was in violation of the previous order.

QYOU partners with iflix, Go Media, Jio; reaches 300 million consumers

To reach more and more consumers, the world’s leading curator of premium ‘best-of-the-web’ video for multiscreen distribution QYOU Media has already partnered with iflix, Go Media and Jio. It now reaches 300 million consumers globally.

Ashish Naik becomes national sales head at News18.com

Ashish Naik, who was earlier with the Times Internet Limited, has been appointed as national sales head at News18.com. Naik has over 17 years of experience in media sales. Ashish will aim to bring onboard a maximum number of advertising partners and consolidate the network’s position as a leader in the space.

Monday 23 April 2018

Bodhi Tree to produce content for OTT

Bodhi Tree Multimedia is producing content for OTT platforms such as Viu, Voot and Times Group-owned Worldwide Media.Bodhi Tree Multimedia Director Sukesh Motwani said the company is in talks with other digital players for producing shows.

Asianet must sign RIO or reach negotiated deal with Star in one month: TDSAT

According to the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT), the multi system operator (MSO) Asianet Satellite Communication should enter into a written interconnect agreement with Star India either on reference interconnect offer (RIO) or mutually agreed terms in a month’s time.

MIB’s prohibitive rules harm prospects of M&A in FM radio sector

In near future, there may be not many mergers & acquisitions (M&A) in the FM radio space due to prohibitive rules put in place by the ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB).

RBTV-Antrix matter reaches TDSAT

Eight days after Antrix disconnected transponder service to the Direct To Home (DTH) operator Reliance Big TV, the latter has now moved the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT).The service was expired on 14 April.

Sunday 22 April 2018

TRAI to finalise recommendation on privacy, security & ownership of data in telecom sector by April end

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had issued a consultation paper on the privacy, security and ownership of data in telecom sector in 2017 and followed it up with an open house discussion in February 2018. Now, the recommendations are expected to come out by April end, as per RS Sharma, TRAI Chairman.

Saturday 21 April 2018

Hathway & ZEEL make out-of-court settlement

On 20 February, broadcaster ZEEL had moved the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) to recover outstanding dues from MSO Hathway. The broadcaster had issued a demand notice of Rs 50 crore against Hathway. The dues were for a period of 4-5 months.

West Bengal CM launches a committee to address LCOs’ issues

To address the issues of the local cable operators (LCOs) in West Bengal, the chief minister of the state Ms. Mamata Banerjee has set-up a committee, which includes Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim, Labour Minister Malay Ghatak, Youth and Sports Minister Arup Biswas, the Commissioner of Police, and representatives of broadcasters and cable operators.

South Delhi Municipal Corporation to mop up Rs 15-Cr from 3,000 mobile towers

While the sealing is going on, causing call drops in Delhi, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) is set to earn Rs. 15 Crore from 3,000 mobile towers in areas under its jurisdiction as part of property tax on them. The civic body is likely to move a resolution in this regard.

India & South Korea to partner for 5G test labs; High level panel to prepare report

As India is getting ready to roll out 5G, the country is looking to partner with South Korea, which was ranked second in information communications technology index for 2017 by the International Telecommunication Union, while India was at the 134th position.

Friday 20 April 2018

Puducherry MSOs & LCOs asked to stop transmitting analogue signals from 30 April

On 18 April, the multi system operators (MSOs) and local cable operators (LCOs) of Puducherry were asked by the government to stop transmitting analogue signals from 30 April.

NCLAT recalls its April 6 order which allowed sale of RCom towers

Reliance Communications cannot sell its towers till April 23 as the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) has recalled its April 6 order that allowed the sale. The NCLT order of March 12, barring the sale of tower and fibre assets held by Reliance Infratel, continues for now.

Zee to launch channels for 3 regional markets in FY19

Taking the importance of regional viewership seriously, the Zee Media Corporation Ltd (ZMCL) will soon enter three such markets with the launch of three news channels in FY19. The channels will cover Kannada, Telugu and Assam-North East regions.

Hathway Digital gets disconnection notice from IndiaCast

The multi system operator (MSO) Hathway Digital has received a disconnection notice from IndiaCast Media Distribution. The notice was issued early April due to non-payment of dues, non-submission of monthly subscriber reports, under-declaration of subscribers, failure to allow an audit of systems, and unauthorised retransmission of channels.

Toonami to shut on 15 May

Toonami, which was the third channel from Turner after Cartoon Network and Pogo, will shut down on 15 May after nearly three years post its launch in India.

Vice India starts its operations in India

Producer and distributor of local programming for digital, mobile and linear platforms, the youth media brand Vice Media has now started its operations in the country; it has reached a partnership with Times of India Group. The partnership allows Vice India to bring locally relevant content to hundreds of millions of new eyeballs in primarily, Hindi and English.

Viu partners with GMM Channel to expand in Thailand

OTT content is global in nature and knows no boundaries. The leading pan-regional OTT video service by PCCW Media Group, Viu has recently partnered with Thailand based GMM channel, one of the largest entertainment companies in Thailand.

ENIL launches Kool FM in Hyderabad

The people of Hyderabad can now tune to English FM channel Kool FM, which has been launched by the Entertainment Network India Ltd (ENIL); it is a full-fledged English music station, which will play the latest English music. In addition, there will be slots for the evergreen hits.

TRAI extends date for receiving comments on Consultation Paper on "Issues related to Placing of Television Channel on Landing Page"

The telecom regulator TRAI has extended time for receiving comments on the Consultation Paper on "Issues related to Placing of Television Channel on Landing Page". Stakeholders can send their comments by 04.05.2018 and counter comments, if any, by 11.05.2018.

Thursday 19 April 2018

Songdew.com launches music TV channel Songdew TV

To further expand its presence across all segments of viewers, the digital music network Songdew.com has launched of a free-to-air (FTA) music channel Songdew TV.

Dish TV adds 30 new Tamil channels to boost its presence in Tamil Nadu

To boost its market share in Tamil Nadu, the direct-to-home (DTH) operator Dish TV has added 30 new Tamil channels; now Dish TV’s Tamil channel offering stand at 70.

TRAI differs from MIB over DTH licensing norms

While the telecom regulator TRAI wants to retain the licence tenure of DTH operators at 20 years, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) wants to reduce it to 10 years. On entry fee too, both differ. While the Ministry wants the entry fee of operators to be increased from Rs 10 crore to Rs 25 crore, the TRAI wants to keep it at Rs 10 crore.

Wednesday 18 April 2018

Dr Roger Tong becomes AsiaSat executive director, CEO

Dr Roger Tong has been appointed as executive director, CEO by Asian satellite operator AsiaSat; he will succeed Andrew Jordan who has resigned from the company and will serve as a senior advisor until 31 October 2018.

Netflix & Comcast expand their partnership

The global OTT giant Netflix has expanded its partnership with the US pay-TV service provider and entertainment conglomerate Comcast. The deal will enable Comcast the ability to include a Netflix subscription in new and existing Xfinity packages.

Police apprehend 3 people in Gwalior for TV viewership manipulation

Three people have been arrested by the Gwalior police for TV rating manipulation in favour of a Hindi news channel. The complaint was filed by Hansa Research, one of the vendors tasked with the responsibility of installing Bar-O-Meters in panel homes.

Sanjeev Garg resigns from Diligent Media

Sanjeev Garg, CEO, Diligent Media Corporation Ltd (DMCL), has resigned with effect from 17 April.

Tuesday 17 April 2018

Modi asks Niti Ayog to train ministries on Artificial Intelligence (AI)

As the country is heading towards artificial intelligence (AI) based manufacturing and businesses, PM Modi wants all his ministers to learn AI. He has asked Niti Aayog to familiarise all ministries with the high-end technology and explain how it can be leveraged to address the country’s socio-economic problems.

France creates its own WhatsApp to protect data of its people

The massive Facebook data theft has alerted nations like nothing. As data is the new oil, the French government is building its own encrypted messenger service to ease fears that foreign entities could spy on private conversations between top officials, according to the digital ministry.

U.S. bans its firms from selling to China's ZTE; UK on the same page

The Chinese telecom equipment maker ZTE Corp is getting banned for seven years for violating the terms of a sanctions violation case. The U.S. Department of Commerce is banning American companies from selling components.

Opposition call Govt as ‘Surveillance Sarkar’ for DTH chip announcement; experts too not happy

While experts too feel that by announcing chip insertion in TV STBs (Set-Top-Box) is a poor idea, opposition led by Congress is attacking the government for intruding into the privacy of the people.

WhatsApp releases new feature ‘Request Money’

The most popular messaging app WhatsApp has added one more feature ‘Request Money’ for Android beta users. The new tool will enable users request money from their contacts. Earlier, WhatsApp Payments only allowed users to send money to contacts.

Monday 16 April 2018

Karti Chidambaram gets interim protection from arrest till 2 May

Karti Chidambaram has got interim protection from arrest till 2 May by a Delhi court on 16 April. The court had on March 24 granted interim relief to Karti till 16 April after considering that both the investigative agencies had sought time to file their responses on his anticipatory bail plea.

TRAI launches beta version of web portal for comparison of mobile tariffs

The telecom regulator TRAI has recently launched a portal for consumers to compare all available mobile phone tariffs across operators. It is the first such platform from the government.

100 million 5G smartphones to hit the markets by 2021

The days of 4G smartphones will get over soon. According to the report compiled by Counterpoint Research, the 5G smartphone shipments are expected to grow a whopping 255 per cent by 2021, almost reaching 110 million units.

TRAI organizes OHD on Consultation Paper on “Issues relating to Uplinking and Downlinking of Television Channels”

On 11 April, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) organized an Open House Discussion (OHD) on Consultation Paper on “Issues relating to Uplinking and Downlinking of Television Channels”.

ASCI & AYUSH partner to stop misleading ads

Misleading ads of AYUSH drugs are common. To stop this evil, the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) and the Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy’s (AYUSH) have partnered. The ASCI has become the only non-Government member in the Ministry.

Wednesday 11 April 2018

Ease of Doing Business in Broadcasting Sector

TRAI has sent its recommendations to The Ministry. Now it is upto The Ministry to implement them or not. We give a summary of these recommendations

Hybrid STBs: Taking Digitalization to Next Level

Hybrid STBs to convert our existing television viewing into a “Smart TV Experience”. Users can watch satellite TV content as well as online content from Over-The-Top (OTT) platforms such as YouTube, Hotstar, Netflix, Amazon Prime etc.

I&B Ministry faces wrath of parliamentary Committee

In the last few months, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry (MIB/I&B) has been in the news for all the unwanted reasons such as withholding the salaries of Prasar Bharati staff following a war of words between the Ministry and the Board, and underutilization of the fund.

IoT in Focus at Convergence India 2018

26th Convergence India 2018 expo & 2nd IoT India 2018 draws to an end; record footfall of over 20,000

Role of Accelerated Digital Change in Asia’s Growing Economy

Three in One Mega event of Asia has a new addition in ConnecTechAsia addressing this issue. The show will be held in Singapore from 26-28 June 2018.

What after Digitisation? TDSAT Seminar held in Mumbai on 24 March 2018

TDSAT Seminar held in Mumbai focused on post Digitisation developments in the Industry, particularly the regulated challenges in the converged communication environment. As reported earlier, TDSAT’s domain of adjudication has been increased including Cyber and Online disputes and Airport Sector.

THE PAD PIPER

A Documentary on India’s real Pad Man Arunachalam Muruganantham was made for NHK television of Japan much before the release of Akshay Kumar’s ‘Pad Man’

TRAI Regulations being ping ponged between Courts

What does a ball do? It moves when it is hit. There are many ways to extend the time limit of a case; moving from court to court, judge to judge is one way, though no one can complain as the judiciary is over-burdened with millions of pending cases. But who will shed a tear on consumers’ interests getting eroded in the dance of a case?

Cambridge Analytica’s Loot of Facebook Users’ Data Who will protect users’ privacy ?

March 2018 has been the month of leakages and theft. While the Aadhaar data sale in black markets was still under scanner, the Indian politics was caught red-faced with the BBC’s Channel 4 News disclosure of Facebook data theft by a British consultancy firm Cambridge Analytica (CA). It was accused of using data for helping various political parties and candidates to influence voters to win elections (the biggest example was Donald Trump); the data were harvested from 50 million Facebook profiles.

Saturday 7 April 2018

TRAI issues Consultation Paper on mobile number portability (MNP) process

The telecom regulator TRAI issued a Consultation Paper on how to improve mobile number portability (MNP) process on 6 April. TRAI has sought stakeholders’ views on the framework it has suggested on the issue of porting codes by MNP service providers when consumers want to move from one network to another or from one circle to another.

Airtel & Jio deploy pre-5G Massive MIMO at IPL stadiums

Reliance Jio has deployed pre-5G Massive MIMO for users at IPL matches in Delhi and Mumbai. The stadiums of the IPL matches have been connected with pre-5G Massive MIMO units.

Cisco to establish IoT incubation centre 'thingQbator' at Thiruvananthapuram

To keep an edge over its rivals, global tech & IT giant Cisco has partnered with the NASSCOM Foundation, and will soon set up an incubator centre 'thingQbator' for start-ups to nurture and develop ideas in the Internet of Things (IoT) domain at the Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management-Kerala (IIITM-K) Thiruvananthapuram.

NCLAT lifts stay on Reliance Infra’ stower & fibre sale

With the National Company Appellate Law Tribunal (NCLAT)’s vacating stay on Reliance Infra’s tower, fibre sale, Anil Ambani -led Reliance Communications' worries have come down. But NCLAT has asked Reliance Infra to deposit the sale proceeds in an escrow account of the State Bank of India (SBI).

Sony wins 6 medals at ABBY Awards 2018

The 50th Creative ABBY Awards was held at Goafest 2018 in which Sony Pictures Networks India has won 6 medals in the broadcast category. It was on top with 32 points. Hindi GEC Sony Entertainment Television won four silver medals and two bronze medals.

Govt promises additional capacity to facilitate migration of DTH ops to indigenous satellites within 3 years

The minister of state (MoS) in the ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said in the Lok Sabha that there will be enough satellite capacity on Indian satellites in the next three years to facilitate the migration of Direct To Home (DTH) operators from foreign to indigenous satellites.

Star sells 95% ad inventory for IPL

Star India, the media rights holder of the ongoing IPL tournament,has achieved nearly 95% target of ad sales for the tournament which started on 7 April. There are 14 sponsors including three co-presenting and 11 associate sponsors. A total of 100+ brands have come on-board for the IPL.

Star sells 95% ad inventory for IPL

Star India, the media rights holder of the ongoing IPL tournament,has achieved nearly 95% target of ad sales for the tournament which started on 7 April. There are 14 sponsors including three co-presenting and 11 associate sponsors. A total of 100+ brands have come on-board for the IPL.

Friday 6 April 2018

MIB directs BARC to stop using landing page as tool for TV ratings

While the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on April 5 issued a consultation paper to seek views of the stakeholders on the issue of landing page, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry (MIB) has told the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) to stop using landing channel or page to measure television ratings and submit a compliance report within a span of 15 days.

MIB okays live Uplinking of IPL matches

On 6 April, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has given its permission for temporary live uplinking of the IPL matches which are starting on April 7.

MIB constitutes a committee to frame rules to regulate online media

On 5 April, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry (MIB) constituted a committee to frame rules to regulate news portals and media websites.  As per order dated April 4, the 10-member committee includes secretaries of the ministries of information and broadcasting, electronics and information technology, and home. The committee will also have representatives of the Press Council of India, News Broadcasters Association and Indian Broadcasters Federation.

Star India finds BCCI media rights expensive but worth buying

Talking about the massive sum spent on purchasing media rights of BCCI matches for which e-auction ended on April 5, Star India chairman & CEO and 21st Century Fox Asia President Uday Shankar said that though the deal was over expensive but it was worth buying.

SES Networks appoints John-Paul Hemingway as CEO

John-Paul Hemingway has been appointed by SES as CEO of SES Networks. He will replace Steve Collar who has become President & CEO of SES.

Norway’s Government Pension Fund Global acquires DEN shares worth Rs 19.08 cr

On April 6, Norway’s Government Pension Fund Global (GPFG) increased its stake in multi system operator (MSO) DEN by buying 18,34,784 or 0.9% stake at Rs 104 a piece for Rs 19.08 crore. It is a sovereign wealth fund of Government of Norway.

Journalists & cyber law experts not happy with Govt’s proposal of regulating online media

After making a U-turn from fake news norms, the Government is now planning to bring regulation to monitor/curtail online media. The steps have not been liked by the Indian Journalists Union (IJU) which has protested against the decision.

Thursday 5 April 2018

13-digit numbers issued by DoT for M2M network trials

The much awaited 13-digit numbers to telecom operators for the trial of machine-to-machine (M2M) communications like smart electric metres and car tracking devices have been issued by the Department of Telecom (DoT) on 5 April.

TRAI presents Report on ‘Public Wi-Fi Open Pilot Project’ to MoS for Communications

On 5 April, the telecom regulator TRAI presented the Report on Public Wi-Fi Open Pilot Project to the Hon'ble Minister of State for Communications (Independent Charge) today. The Authority had brought out a Consultation Paper on "Proliferation of Broadband through Public Wi-Fi Networks" with a view to examine the need of encouraging public Wi-Fi networks in the country from a public policy point of view, discuss the issues in its proliferation and find out solutions for the same. Subsequently, the Authority came out with its Recommendations on "Proliferation of Broadband through Public Wi-Fi Networks" which was sent to DoT on 9th March, 2017.

Star emerges as the winner of BCCI media rights with Rs 6,138.1-cr bid

The three days (April 3-5) BCCI e-bidding saw much upheaval but at the end Star India has succeeded to retain the global media rights for India cricket with a whopping Rs 6138.1 crore bid. Star India is already the rights holder of IPL matches.

ZEEL to offer in-flight programming at British Airways

The media group ZEEL’s content syndication arm Global Content Hub By Zee and British Airways have reached a deal for in-flight programming. With this deal, Zee shows will be featured on British Airways in-flight entertainment platforms across all its flights from India.

Airtel TV app to offer livestreaming of IPL matches

The subscribers of Airtel TV App will be able to livestream the IPL matches which are staring on April 7. It will be free unlimited streaming of all live matches with the new version of Airtel TV app.

Star agrees to allow DD to air one IPL match per week

The state owned broadcaster Doordarshan has been allowed by Star India (IPL rights holder) to telecast one IPL match per week (every Sunday) with one hour delay. The proposal was sent by the I&B ministry.

Prasar Bharati receives fund post signing MoU with MIB

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has now released the blocked fund of Rs 365 crore to Prasar Bharati after both parties signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU). The ministry has allegedly been withholding funds since January 2018.

8 Channels went off air for violations: Rathore

The minister of state (MoS) in the ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said in the Rajya Sabha on 4 April that his ministry ordered eight private TV channels to go off air in the last three years for programme and advertisement code violations.

Airtel appoints former NASA executive Santanu Bhattacharya as Chief Data Scientist

To lead its Digital Innovation Lab in Bengaluru, the leading telco Bharti Airtel has appointed former NASA executive Santanu Bhattacharya as Chief Data Scientist. He is expected to accelerate efforts around emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things, Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality.

Microsoft to pump in $5 bn in IoT over next 4 years

The software giant Microsoft will invest USD 5 billion over the next four years on Internet of Things (IoT) globally. The fund will be used in research and innovation in IoT.

BSNL adds 12 lakh new customers in 2017-18

Closing of Reliance Communications and Aircel has benefitted not only Jio but also the state owned telecom operator BSNL. The BSNL has added 12 lakh customers throughout the country who opted for portability from other networks to state-owned BSNL in the last financial year.

Thursday 29 March 2018

ZEE5 users can now stream with Amazon Fire TV Stick with Voice Remote

ZEE5, the OTT arm of ZEEL, has launched on Amazon Fire TV Stick with Voice Remote. With this development, its users can now stream on their TV screens using the Amazon Fire TV Stick with Voice Remote.

Airtel TV app hosts ALTBalaji’s content

To keep its users hooked, the leading telecom service provider Bharti Airtel has reached an agreement with Balaji Telefilms. As part of agreement, ALT Balaji’s portfolio will be available on Airtel TV app.

Netflix appoints Ashish Chandra as legal director

The global OTT giant Netflix has appointed former Snapdeal general counsel Ashish Chandra as a legal director. He had left Snapdeal in April 2017 to join Astro Malaysia as VP and head counsel.

OTT platform Viu enters Kuwait on the back of Zain network

Having a carrier billing partnering with Kuwait-based Zain’s managed service provider SLA Digital, PCCW Media-owned Vuclip’s video on demand (VoD) service provider Viu has entered the gulf nation.

Youths are the biggest watchers of TV: BARC Study

According to a BARC India study titled ‘What Young India Watches’, the youth in the 15-30 age bracket is a huge segment for broadcasters and advertisers as they contribute a whopping 33% share of eyeballs to total TV viewership.

Fastway-ZEEL content deal expires on March 31; no renewal in sight

The deal between multi system operator Fastway Transmission and the broadcaster ZEEL is expiring on March 31, but both players have not taken any step to renew the agreement. While MSO Fastway is open to a reference interconnect offer (RIO) deal, both players are in favour of entering into a negotiated fixed fee as has been the case so far.

ISRO launches communications GSAT-6A satellite

On 29 March, ISRO successfully launched the GSLV-F08 carrying the GSAT6A communication satellite from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota. Experts feel that the launch proves our mastering the technique of making home-made communication satellites.

TRAI to organize Consumer Outreach Programme in Neemuch (M P)

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) will organize Consumer Outreach Programme in different parts of the country. These programmes are primarily intended to outreach to the customers, industries bodies, State Government various Government bodies, CAGs and TSPs. Details of venue, date for the programme to be organized in Neemuch (Madhya Pradesh) along with contact person and telephone number is as under:

Wednesday 28 March 2018

Anand Mahindra exhorts tech entrepreneurs to launch India’s version of Facebook; he will fund

The business tycoon Anand Mahindra has exhorted tech entrepreneurs in India to create India’s version of a Facebook. He also assured that his group will fund the start-up in this field.

Govt asks Facebook to provide info on data theft/leak by 7 April

Angered over Facebook data leak/theft by British firm Cambridge Analytica, the Indian Ministry of Information Technology sought information from Facebook by 7 April.

Telecom sector pre-tax losses touch Rs 38,153 crore in 2016-17

The debt-ridden telecom sector is witnessing a huge pre-tax loss. The sector’s pre-tax losses stands at Rs 38,153 crore in the 2016-17 fiscal from Rs 1,699 crore in the preceding year, according to Manoj Sinha, Telecom Minister.

Govt approves financial grant for 5G test bed project by IITs, IISc

The telecom Minister Manoj Sinha told the Parliament on 28 March that the government has approved financial grant for a project to set up indigenous 5G test bed by Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institute of Science (IISc).

Shiva Rajkumar becomes brand ambassador to promote IPL’s Kannada broadcast

Kannada superstar Shiva Rajkumar has been hired to become brand ambassador by Star India for its IPL feed on Star Suvarna Plus. The broadcaster has also launched TVC featuring Rajkumar.

Vikram Sharma becomes Vice President of Cartoon Network Enterprises

Vikram Sharma has been appointed by Turner Asia Pacific as the Vice President of Cartoon Network Enterprises (CNE), which is Turner’s regional licensing and merchandising division.

BSNL awards Rs. 336 cr order to Tejas Networks for BharatNet project

The state owned telecom operator BSNL has awarded the Telecom gear manufacturer Tejas Networks an order worth Rs. 336 Cr for BharatNet project.

India TV in docks as NBSA issues orders on complaints against its show ‘Operation Halala’

Rajat Sharma’s news channel India TV is in trouble as the News Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA) has issued orders on complaints filed against news broadcasters for false reporting to spike its TRP.

ByDesign’s iCAS makes big strides; forces foreign manufacturers to bring down their STB’s prices

To give a boost to indigenous set-top-box (STB), the iCAS project was launched in 2016 by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). The Bengaluru-based ByDesign’s indigenous conditional access system (CAS) iCAS is now creating great buzz and is the main reason behind falling (SD) STB prices.

Sistema Shyam sells 80.3 million shares in RCom; now holds only 7% stake

To bring down its stake in Reliance Communications, Sistema Shyam Teleservices has sold 80.3 million shares representing 2.9 per cent equity stake in Reliance Communications. Now it holds only 7 per cent stake in RCom.

SC refuses to extend linking of Aadhaar to subsidy schemes; 31 March to remain deadline

On 27 March 2018, the Supreme Court refused to extend the last date (March 31) for linking of Aadhaar with government schemes and benefits (subsidies). The SC also made it clear that indefinite deadline will remain same till further order for mandatory linking of Aadhaar with bank accounts, mobile phones and other non-subsidy services.

Tuesday 27 March 2018

BARC Ratings: Sony BBC Earth emerges as top infotainment channel

According to week 11 of BARC ratings for 6 Mega Cities (NCCS AB: 2+ Individuals), the infotainment channel Sony BBC Earth has emerged as the most watched channel in its genre. The feat has been achieved in just one year after its launch.

Turner & ZEEL part ways; IndiaCast may distribute Turner

The 16-year old distribution pact has been ended by Turner International India and ZEEL. As per media reports, Turner may partner with IndiaCast Media Distribution. If the deal materializes, IndiaCast will distribute Turner channels from 1 April.

Airtel to install 6,000 mobile sites in northeast

In Financial Year 2018-19, the leading telecom service provider Airtel will launch 6,000 new mobile sites across the North Eastern region to add network capacity and take services deeper into unconnected areas.  It will add 3,000 km of new optic fiber in the region to take its fiber footprint to 16,000 km, which will support the growth of high-speed data services.

TRAI’s independent drive test shows poor results of 3G services


The independent drive tests conducted by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in four cities delivered poor results. The tests were conducted in Indore, Bhubaneshwar, Mysore and Nagpur. 

Airtel goes to TDSAT against TRAI’s show cause notice

The leading telecom operator Bharti Airtel has moved to the Telecom Disputes Settlement & Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) against TRAI’s show cause notice. The telco is challenging the telecom regulator TRAI’s recent show cause notice which asked Airtel to share details of non-transparent and discriminatory tariffs that it has allegedly offered consumers.

Discovery Kids plans to expand viewership through regional languages

Offering content and services in regional languages is key to success. Recently, Discovery Communications India’s kids channel Discovery Kids has announced to offer Tamil and Telugu language feeds to increase viewership in these states. The Tamil feed was launched on 24 March while the Telugu language feed will be started from 1 April.

Network18 appoints Avinash Kaul, Priyanka Kaul & Aditi Singh on key posts

The media and entertainment group Network18 has promoted Avinash Kaul as the Chief Operating Officer (COO).  He will manage the operations of all national and regional news channels. Earlier, he was president strategy, product & alliances.

ZEEL’s VoD platform ZEE5 to come up with 90+ original shows in 1 year

To keep its users hooked, ZEEL’s OTT platform ZEE5, for the first time, is coming up with original content. It will have over 90+ original shows by the end of March 2019.

Big FM to offer integrated ad-tech platform for its advertisers

To simplify the process and ensure cost effectiveness, the radio station by Reliance Broadcast Network Limited, Big FM will offer ad-tech platform to its advertisers which will be modelled to achieve faster time to market by ensuring operational efficiency.

Watch global ad-free content on Tata Sky for Rs 75 per month

To attract viewers who want uninterrupted good quality international content, the direct-to-home (DTH) operator Tata Sky is now offering ‘Tata Sky World Screen’ for just Rs 75 per month. Users can access to select series and movies from across the world, running 24×7, where most of the shows have never been available in India so far. The content will be sources from countries like Russia, French, Italian, and Portuguese with English sub-titles.

Indiacast to distribute Turner channels

Following its partnership termination with ZEEL, Turner International India has now appointed IndiaCast Distribution as its distribution partner.

Monday 26 March 2018

TDSAT directs Scod 18 not to disconnect signals of IndiaCast channels

On March 25, the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSTA) hasdirected the multi system operator (MSO) Scod18 Network not to disconnect signals of IndiaCast Media Distribution distributed channels from any other operator.

Viaan Industries to launch OTT service

Actress Shilpa Shetty and her husband Raj Kundra’s Viaan Industries is planning to enter OTT segment to cash in on the big boom caused by cheaper data and phone rates. The subscription based video on demand (VoD) service will be dedicated to health and wellness.

Congress accuses NaMo App for stealing people’s vital info

The war of words between Congress and BJP is just not stopping. This time, Rahul Gandhi has accused NaMo (Narndra Modi) app of stealing confidential information of people. The NaMo app not only seks vital information of users, but also updates them about achievements of the BJP government, and provides access to the audio of Prime Minister’s Mann Ki Baat.

Sistema offers $1.5 bn for remaining assets of RCom

While Reliance Communication (RCom) is in legal trouble over its proposed sale of its asset to RJio to pay its debt, Sistema JFSC has offered $1.2 billion (Rs 7,800 crore) to buy its remaining assets; this is part from $300 million that Reliance Communications owes Sistema.

New Ookla study puts India on 67th position in fixed broadband speed

According to Ookla’s Speedtest Global Index report, India finds its place on 67th place in fixed broadband speed as of February. Last year, the country was on 76th position. So an improvement has been witnessed.

Sunday 25 March 2018

BSNL to go for network expansion; will invest Rs 4,300 crore

To expand network in 2018-19, the state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) has decided to invest about Rs 4,300 crore, according to its Chairman and Managing Director Anupam Shrivastava. Apart from it, the telco will also invest Rs 5,000-6,000 crore in government telecom projects.

Wednesday 21 March 2018

I&B directs CBI to probe corruption charges against reinstated NFDC MD

The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB) has directed the CBI to probe alleged corruption by Nina Lath Gupta in the operations of National Film Development Corp (NFDC) during her tenure as its Managing Director. She was sacked on February 27, but later was reinstated.

Massive Facebook data theft shocks the world; FB Founder Zuckerberg summoned to testify

Facebook Founder Mark Zuckerberg may be in deeper troubles as he has been asked to testify in the alleged FB data theft of 50 million Facebook users for manipulating elections which made Trump as President of the US.

Tuesday 20 March 2018

Vodafone starts online career guidance services

To guide the youth in their better career choices, the leading telco Vodafone has hired a team of specialist psychologists, careers advisers and training providers to develop a smartphone-based service - called the Future Jobs Finder.

2G Case: CBI moves Delhi HC, challenging acquittals

On 20 March, the investigating agency CBI reached the Delhi High Court, challenging a special court order acquitting former Telecom Minister A. Raja, DMK MP Kanimozhi and others in the 2G case.

RBTV gets disconnection notice from Times Network

The direct-to-home (DTH) operator Reliance Big TV (RBTV) has got the disconnection notice from Times Network. The notice has been issued for non-payment of subscription fee and non-signing of the subscription agreement.

Accedo to help Tata Sky offer better VoD experience across devices

To offer better video on demand (VoD) experience, the leading DTH platform Tata Sky has partnered with video experience provider Accedo. Accedo will help Tata Sky Mobile video service by creating a unified live and Video-On-Demand (VOD) experience across web, Android, and iOS devices.

Vice India hires 40 creative personnel; appoints Chanpreet Arora as CEO & Samira Kanwar as head of content

Before getting launched in April, Vice India has appointed Chanpreet Arora as CEO and Samira Kanwar as head of content, apart from hiring 40 journalists, editors, producers, and creatives.

DD, AIR staff want MIB not to route their salaries via Prasar Bharati

In the latest development on salary issue of Prasar Bharati, the Unions of various departments of All India Radio (AIR) and Doordarshan (DD) have written to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) not to route their salaries via Prasar Bharati. They requested MIB to work out a mechanism for paying salaries directly.

Madras HC reserves its verdict on Karti’s petition

On 19 March, the Madras High Court reserved its verdict on a writ petition filed by Karti Chidambaram, son of the former Union Minister P. Chidambaram, challenging a Look Out Circular against him by the Bureau of Immigration under the Union Home Ministry on June 16, 2017, at the request of the Central Bureau of Investigation probing the INX Media case.

Ericsson files petition in Delhi HC to recover Aircel dues; TDSAT bars DoT from encashing Aircel’s bank guaranteesx

While the Swedish telecom equipment maker Ericsson has reached the Delhi High Court against Aircel and its units for recovery of arrears worth Rs 251.40 crore, the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) has extended a stay on encashment of both financial and performance-based bank guarantees of Aircel, saying it will wait till the Supreme Court hears a separate matter on one-time spectrum charges in a case involving Aircel and DoT in near future.

Indian Army warns WhatsApp users against potential Chinese hackers

The dangers posed by Chinese hackers have been echoed by the Indian Army. On 18 March, the army issued a video accusing Chinese hackers of targeting users in India via WhatsApp. In the video, the army spokesperson requested Indian users to use the social messenger application safely measures.

Monday 19 March 2018

CII appoints Ortel’s Jagi Mangat Panda as chairperson of Eastern region

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has appointed the multi system operator (MSO) Ortel Communications MD Jagi Mangat Panda as the new chairperson of Eastern region for one year. She is the first woman to hold such a post at CII’s eastern zone.

Mahesh Barve becomes AVP- content partnerships at Vidooly

Mahesh Barve, who has been leading the sales and marketing division at Bollywood Hungama, has been appointed as Associate Vice President, Content Partnerships by Vidooly Media Tech, India’s leading marketing analytics platform.

India Post to start HD STB booking in Maharashtra & Goa for Reliance Big TV

In a business-friendly move, India Post has partnered with the direct-to-home (DTH) operator Reliance Big TV; it will book HD STB in Maharashtra and Goa.

YuppTV secures IPL 2018 TV, digital rights for EU, South East Asian countries, South America

The leading OTT platform YuppTV has won the exclusive digital and television media rights for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 for South East Asian countries, Europe and South America, apart from securing non-exclusive rights for Australia.

‘Mission Digitisation’ scheme extended till March 2020

To ensure full implementation of the digital addressable system (DAS), the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) will continue the 12th Plan Scheme ‘Mission Digitisation’ up to 31 March 2020 with an outlay of Rs. 12.70 crore.

EMMC partners with BECIL to install monitoring facility for 100 TV channels, 150 DTH operators

The content monitoring arm of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB), the Electronic Media Monitoring Centre (EMMC), will install logging and monitoring facility for 100 private satellite TV channels and 150 direct-to-home (DTH) platform services channels during FY18-19.

‘Monitoring & regulatory framework for online news may come soon’: I&B Minister

Speaking at the News18 ‘Rising India Summit’ in New Delhi, the Union minister for information and broadcasting Ms. Smriti Irani said that the government is thinking about the possibility of a framework to monitor and regulate online news. But the Minister also cautioned that at the same time, regulating digital and social media requires a balanced and a very delicate sense of judgement.

RCom reaches SC on asset sale issue

As reported earlier, the debt-ridden Reliance Communications, in December 2017, struck a deal to sell most of its spectrum, fibre, towers and switching nodes to Jio, but the sale got stuck due to legal issues. Ericsson, which is claiming Rs 1,012 crore of arrears from RCom, got an arbitration tribunal order preventing the transfer of the telco’s assets till further orders. RCom reached the Bombay High Court against the tribunal’s order, but its appeal was dismissed over a week ago.

Vodafone gets relief from Madras High Court

The leading telecom operator Vodafone has got relief from the Madras High Court in TRAI tariff case. The court has directed the telecom regulator TRAI not to take any coercive or penal action against the telco. The court stayedTRAI’s demand that Vodafone put all its tariff plans on its website, including those offered to retain individual customers.

Saturday 17 March 2018

2017 saw 1,700 card & net banking-related frauds

Despite so many pre-emptive measures and steps being taken by the banks, over 1,700 card and net banking-related frauds were reported in the last year. Credit/debit card and Internet banking frauds cost the losses to the tune of Rs 71.48 crore, the Minister of State (MoS) for Electronics and IT K J Alphons said in a written reply to Rajya Sabha on 17 March.

TV18 completes rebranding of ETV GNCs to News18 brand

ETV branded general news channels including ETV Madhya Pradesh/Chhattisgarh, ETV Urdu, ETV Uttar Pradesh/Uttarakhand, ETV Rajasthan, ETV Bihar/Jharkhand, ETV News Bangla, ETV News Odia, ETV News Kannada, and ETV News Gujarati have been rebranded by TV18 into News18 brand.

Parliamentary panel unhappy over delay in framing laws to regulate Ayush ads

A parliamentary committee, in its report on Demands for Grants 2018-19 for the Ministry of AYUSH, has chided the health and Ayush ministries for their lackadaisical approach in the framing of a new legislation to regulate misleading advertisements promoting the sale of Ayush medicines.

Friday 16 March 2018

Eight channels quit Free Dish; MIB not authorized to issue license to online channels: Rathore

Answering a question in the Lok Sabha, the Minister of State (MoS) in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said that Doordarshan’s free direct-to-home (DTH) platform Free Dish has seen a drop in its TV channel offering; it is now offering 72 channels. Earlier, it offered 80 channels.

You Broadband to deploy Rs 600 cr Capex for expansion in next 2 FY

You Broadband India, the Vodafone India-owned broadband service provider, is going to invest Rs 600 crore in the next two fiscal years. Earlier, it invested just Rs. 54 crore in one FY. The fund will come through a vendor financing arrangement with credit period of a year. Thus, the additional debt may have to be contracted from fiscal 2019 to fund the gap between cash accrual and maturing vendor obligation.

Disney goes for strategic re-organization

The global media group the Walt Disney Company will now have four business segments: media networks, films, direct to home (DTC) and international. The company felt the need to restructure its businesses following its $52 billion acquisition of 21st Century Fox assets.

BBC ups its ante against fake news

The global news behemoth BBC has come out with an ambition plan to fight the menace of fake news. Fake news is creating a huge decline in global audiences’ trust in news overall. To achieve the tough objective, BBC will have a major focus on global media literacy, and do a live global broadcast bringing together young people from around the world to discuss how trust in media can be restored.

Turner launches new offer ‘T1’ for its advertisers

As the world is becoming like a village due to digital growth, Turner International has come with lucrative offers for its advertisers; it is a single way to activate a full suite of global, regional and local campaigns that connect with fans across Turner’s digital properties spanning over 200 countries.

ZEEL not to buy 9X Media

In October 2017, the media group ZEEL had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire 9X Media and INX Music from New Silk Route and other shareholders for an all cash consideration of Rs 160 crore. But the deal went through some issues, and finally ZEEL has now cancelled it citing non-completion of certain material conditions precedent.

Govt claims 1.04 lakh panchayats are ready for broadband connectivity

The Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha that 1.04 lakh panchayats are ready for broadband connectivity as on March 11 under Bharat Net project.

Telecom regulator to launch a UPI-like system for public Wi-Fi hot spots

The telecom regulator TRAI is keeping pace with the technology under the leadership of its chairman RS Sharma. The regulator is now planning to launch a framework akin to the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) to aid the rollout of public Wi-Fi hot spots in the country.

Wednesday 14 March 2018

Zee Unimedia floats special customised sponsorship packages

The ad-sales subsidiary of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd, Zee Unimedia Limited has floated special customised sponsorship packages to cash in on brands’ summer advertising strategy especially for the Indian Premier League (IPL).

BCCI to e-auction telecast rights of national team matches to be held in India

The two mega broadcasters, Star India and Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) are eyeing the telecast rights of national team matches to be held in the country. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will e-auction it on March 27. The rights include all international and domestic cricket tournaments including the Ranji Trophy and the Irani Cup, to be held in India until March 31, 2023.

SC gives people big relief; Aadhaar mandatory only for availing of subsidies

Giving a big relief to the people, the Supreme Court on March 13 indefinitely extended the March 31 deadline for linking Aadhaar to bank accounts and mobile phones and ordered that except for disbursing subsidies, the government and states cannot insist on Aadhaar for any service, including issuance of passports.

TRAI issues Show-cause notices to telcos on call drops

The telecom regulator TRAI has issuedshow-cause notices to a few telcos over call drops and inability to meet prescribed benchmarks under the new quality of service rules in some circles. TRAI has given them time till March 21to present their side of the case.

Google to launch free WiFi in Mexico

The global tech giant Google will soon launch a network of free Wi-Fi hotspots across Mexico to improve connectivity in emerging markets and enable more people to connect to Google and its products.

Parliamentary panel raps MIB for underutilisation of funds to central sector scheme during 12th Five Year Plan

The Information and Broadcasting Ministry (I&B) has been chided by a parliamentary panel on March 14, 2018 for underutilisation of funds to the central sector scheme during the 12th Five Year Plan.

Tuesday 13 March 2018

Karti Chidambaram's CA gets bail in INX Media case

Bhaskararaman, the CA of Karti Chidambaram, has got the bail from the Delhi court. He was arrested by the ED on February 16 from a five-star hotel in Delhi.The court also asked him to furnish a bail bond of Rs 2 lakh and a surety of like amount.

Airtel Board approves transfer of 19% equity stake in Bharti Telemedia

The leading telecom service provider Airtel’s board has approved the transfer of 19% equity share in its direct-to-home (DTH) subsidiary Bharti Telemedia to a subsidiary company Nettle Infrastructure Investments. Bharti Telemedia provides DTH service under Airtel Digital TV brand.

Deepakjit Singh becomes CEO at Amagi

Deepakjit Singh, who was the Chief Innovation Officer at Encompass and Managing Director for APAC region, has been appointed as CEO by the leading broadcast technology company Amagi.

ALi Corp to provide next-gen HD STBs to Videocon d2h

The Taiwanese set top box (STB) chipset provider ALi Corporation has been hired by the DTH operator Videocon d2h for the development of its next-gen high-definition (HD) STBs.

Amazon Prime Music reaches agreement with IPRS

To get an access to the Indian Performing Right Society (IPRS) repertoire of more than a million of titles spread across multiple languages, eras, and genres of Indian music, Amazon India has partnered with it for its ad-free music streaming service Amazon Prime Music.

9X Media promotes Abbas Syed & Vishakha Gokhale

Abbas Syed &Vishakha Gokhale have been promoted by 9X Media to strengthen its programming team.

Amazon appoints Gaurav Gandhi as head of Amazon Prime Video India

Gaurav Gandhi, who has resigned from Viacom18 Digital Ventures where he was COO, has been appointed as India head of Amazon’s video on demand (VoD) service Amazon Prime Video India. He will replace Nitesh Kripalani.

TDSAT asks Bharti Telemedia & Star to negotiate & reach an agreement

The direct-to-home (DTH) operator Bharti Telemedia and broadcaster Star India have been directed by the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) to negotiate and reach an agreement.

Ortel board approves issue of 25 lakh shares to promoters

The proposal to issue equity shares to promoter and promoter group entities not exceeding Rs 8.75 crore has been approved by the board of directors of multi system operator (MSO) Ortel Communications.

BSNL & MTNL figure in worst performing PSUs list in FY 17

According to a government survey tabled in Parliament on 13 March 2018, state owned telcos BSNL and MTNL incurred huge losses in 2016-17. Along with Air India, they are the worst performing PSUs in FY17.

Thursday 8 March 2018

INX Media case: Narco test of Karti demanded

On 7 March, the CBI requested Special Judge Sunil Rana for the narco test of INX Media case accused Karti Chidambaram, saying it would help unearth the conspiracy in the case. The court directed the CBI to move an application before 9 March, when Karti Chidambaram will be presented before the court on expiry of his three-day CBI custody.

Govt okays relief measures for telecom sector

The telecom sector which is the biggest stressed sector right now due to high spectrum cost and grim competition and changing technologies as well falling data and call rates has got some relief from the government. On 7 March, the cabinet has relaxed spectrum holding limits and allowed telcos more time to pay for airwaves won in auction as part of measures to improve the health of an industry laden with debt amid intense competition.

Wednesday 7 March 2018

Now journalists can avail of Rs 20 lakh to Rs 1 crore under their welfare scheme

There is good news for news reporters as the government has increased the fund under the journalist
welfare scheme. Currently, the scheme provides financial assistance up to Rs 5 lakh to the family in case of death of a journalist.

2014-16 saw 33,531 cyber attacks in India

On 7 March, the Rajya Sabha was informed by the Union Minister of State for Home Hansraj Gangaram Ahir that 33,531 cyber attacks were carried out in India in 2014-16. The Minister added that the Ministry of Home Affairs aims to train 27,500 police personnel across the country to deal with cyber crimes.

Govt policies have to change to work for new technologies: TRAI Chairman

Often it has been seen that government policies and regulation fail to keep in sync with emerging technologies. Speaking at Convergence India 2018, the telecom regulator TRAI Chairman RS Sharma echoed the same fact and said that regulatory policies will have to change to work for new technologies like IoT, OTT,  machine-to-machine communication and 5G.

Discovery completes acquisition of Scripps; pays $14.6 bn

The internationally popular infotainment, lifestyle and kids broadcaster Discovery has finally completed its $14.6 billion acquisition of Scripps Networks Interactive. Moving forward, the combined company will be officially known as simply Discovery, Inc.

TV ad segment in Britain crash down 3.2% in 2017

While TV is still the most powerful viewing platform in India, it is dwindling in popularity in developed countries. Advertisers are shifting to new platforms like OTT to reach the people. According to full-year figures provided to Thinkbox by the UK commercial TV broadcasters, TV advertising revenue in the UK totaled £5.11 billion in 2017, down 3.2% on the record high set in 2016 of £5.28 billion,.

James Pitaro becomes ESPN president & Disney Media Networks co-chair

As ESPN readies the launch of its new direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service, ESPN+ which will offer a dynamic lineup of thousands of live sporting events, original content and an unmatched library of award-winning on-demand programming, it has appointed James Pitaro as president and Disney Media Networks co-chair.

YuppTV to enter wellness segment; partners with Brilliant Living TV

The leading over the top (OTT) platform YuppTV is planning to enter the wellness sector and has partnered with Brilliant Living TV, which country’s largest content provider in the Fitness and wellness genre.

Satellite operator SES launches a new product ‘OU Flex’

In its endeavour to boost Occasional Use services like events and news broadcasting, the satellite operator SES has launched a new product ‘OU Flex’.

Monday 5 March 2018

TV advertising to grow 43% by 2020; digital media user base to reach 4 million by 2020: FICCI-E&Y report

According to the FICCI-E&Y report 2018, the digital media user base will reach 4 million by the 2020, generating significant digital subscription revenues of approximately Rs 20 billion.

Top telcos move TDSAT against predatory pricing order

Top telcos including Bharti Airtel, Idea Cellular have moved the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) challenging the telecom regulator TRAI’s recent tariff order on predatory pricing.

Karti Chidambaram moved Rs 1.8cr to an influential political figure: ED

The pain of Karti Chidambaram may become dense as the Enforcement Directorate officials said that they have found details of him transferring Rs 1.8 crore into the bank account of a top political leader.

Prasar Bharati uses reserve fund to pay the salaries of AI & DD staff

As the stand-off continues between the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB) and Prasar Bharati, Prasar Bharati had to use the reserve fund to pay the salaries of the Air India and DD staff. Prasar Bharati CEO SS Vempati tweeted to inform the media.

Saturday 3 March 2018

FB’s 'Voice Clips' feature may help disabled users

To provide ease to persons with disabilities as well as all users, the social media giant Facebook is testing a new feature called "Add Voice Clip" that appears in its status update composer menu that allows users to record a short audio snippet to use as a status update.

Malayalam GEC Flowers TV to become pay channel from 1 April

Suryansh Broadcasting will make its Malayalam GEC Flowers TV as pay channel from 1 April. It will be available at Rs 5.15 on reference interconnect (RIO) basis. Originally, Flowers TV was launched on 12 April 2015 as free-to- air (FTA) offering. In order to reach out to the Malayali diaspora globally, the company launched Flowers International around a year later.

Tata Sky enters live TV, on-demand service segment

To cash in on the booming online segment, the direct-to-home (DTH) operator Tata Sky has started live TV and on-demand service on the web. It will be an extension of live TV on mobile service.

Wednesday 28 February 2018

Snubbed by Prasar Bharati, Smriti Irani now lashes out at DD for poor content

Smiriti Irani, the Information and Broadcasting Minister, seems to have piqued by the recent obdurate behaviour of Prasar Bharati over the appointments of top editors. She thinks it is a disregard of her ministry’s directives over appointments to the Prasar Bharati Board and in respect of senior editorial positions.

TRAI conducted Seminar on Big Data Analysis and Cyber Security

One of the important objectives of TRAI is tocreate awareness and safeguard consumer interests. Towards this objective, TRAI organizes consumer outreach programmes, regional workshops on capacity building of Consumer Advocacy Groups (CAGs) registered with TRAI and seminars on issues of consumer interest and protection. In this series, TRAI organized a Seminar on the topic "Big Data Analysis and Cyber Security” on 23rd February, 2018 at Fern Citadel Hotel, Bengaluru (Karnataka) through its Regional Office, Bengaluru.

Tuesday 27 February 2018

Airtel to establish digital innovation lab in Bengaluru

To keep ahead in the latest technologies like IoT, 5G, AI, the leading telecom operator Airtel will soon set up an innovation lab in Bengaluru. The telco is also looking to collaborate with tech start-ups to share learnings from the lab and co-create solutions.

DB Corp’s FM radio brand MY FM to increasead rates from 1 April

MY FM, the DB Corp’s FM radio brand, will charge 20 per cent more for ads from April 1. According to MY FM business head Rahul Namjoshi, “The decision to hike rates is taken to maintain the listening experience, inventory levels are peaking across all radio channels.”

MEASAT partners with Blue Ant Media for channel distribution in Asia Pacific

Now the viewers in the APAC regions will be able to enjoy hundreds of hours of originally produced programming, top series and in-demand telecasts by Blue Ant Media, as it has partnered with MEASAT Satellite Systems.

Facebook overtakes YouTube in terms of mobile video consumption: Study

Video content is the most consumed content on all screen platforms. Facebook with its innovative engaging techniques is giving a tough fight to the king of all videos, YouTube. This was revealed by Openwave Mobility’s latest edition of Mobile Video Index (MVI).

Cinedigm partners with Amagi Cloudport

To bring its CONtv channel to the popular social video service Twitch, the leading independent content distributor Cinedigm has partnered with Amagi to use its cloud-based channel playout platform, Cloudport.

ZEEL-Hathway matter reaches TDSAT

As per media sources, ZEEL has issued a demand notice of Rs 50 crore against MSO Hathway. The dues are for a period of 4-5 months. On 20 February, broadcaster ZEEL has moved the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) to recover its dues.

Thursday 15 February 2018

Dailyhunt appoints Umang Bedi as president

The former Facebook India MD Umang Bedi has been appointed as president at Dailyhunt.

India’s top 80 digital news networks on YouTube touch 65 million viewers: Report

YouTube is the king of all video consumption platforms. As per video intelligence platform Vidooly report, country’s top 80 digital news networks had a lifetime subscriber base of 65 million viewers (December 2017). The report said these channels collectively generated 18 billion views.

SonyLIV starts thematic channels

Having a strategic partnership with the leading global media group SPI International (Filmbox), Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) has launched seven thematic channels from SPI’s worldwide TV portfolio on its video on demand (VoD) platform SonyLIV.

C&S Medianet partners with Discovery; places JEET on 3 DPOs

Incorporated in May 2016, C&S Medianet has started its operations. It has partnered with Hindi GEC Discovery Jeet and has prominently placed it on the three DOPs- Dish TV India, Videocon d2h and Siti Networks.

Network18 to invest INR 40-Cr in e-commerce & web services co. ‘Infibeam’

The e-commerce and web services company Infibeam has got a big investor; the leading media group Network18 has decided to invest Rs 40 crore through its subsidiary company TV18 Broadcast.

Star ropes in 11 IPL sponsors

The IPL has become a hot property with advertisers. Star India has bought global broadcasting and digital rights of IPL for a whopping Rs 16,437.5 crore for five years, Star India has managed to sign 11 sponsors, despite a steep hike in the advertising rates over last year.

Zee launches its digital entertainment platform ‘ZEE5’

The media group Zee has launched a new digital entertainment platform, ZEE5. It offers viewers both, on-demand and live content. It comes packed with 1,00,000 hours of on-demand content that includes originals, Indian and international movies and TV shows, plays, music, and health and lifestyle videos. All the 90 channels of ZEE Network will also be available on the app. Most importantly, viewers can watch content across genres in 12 languages.

MIB & Prasar Bharati not on the same page over director’s appointment

As per media sources, there is discontent in the relation of I&B Ministry and Prasar Bharati over the appointment of director. The MIB wants to appoint a serving IAS officer as Member (Personnel) of Prasar Bharati.

Whatsapp is customising UPI for its own benefit: Paytm Founder

As reported a few days back that the messaging giant Whatsapp has launched digital transaction services on its app, Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma is not happy with the move and said he will approach the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), which has developed the UPI system, and even higher authorities to highlight this issue.

AI security centre ‘C-DAC’ starts its first project

The newly launched Artificial Intelligence security centre the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) has started its first project. C-DAC is under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), and is currently working on a project to provide cyber forensic services to law-enforcing and other government and non-government agencies.

ATC files case against RCom to recover its dues

​The closed company Reliance communication may be in greater trouble as ATC too has   filed case against it to recover its dues. ACT said: “RCom’s responses to its demand to pay the dues were evasive/non-committal indicating mala-fide intent to avoid the payment.”

Wednesday 14 February 2018

Siddharth Zarabi & Abhijit Majumder to get top edit jobs at Prasar Bharati

As the Prasar Bharati is overhauling the DD & AIR, it has also shortlisted two journalists for editorial leadership positions in Doordarshan News and Prasar Bharati News Service under All India Radio, as per media reports.

Vodafone to offer converged broadband solutions

The leading telco Vodafone will soon offer the converged broadband solutions in India. Its wholly-owned unit, YOU Broadband has over 3,000 km of optic fibre cable and 17,000 km of last-mile coaxial cables to homes across 18 key data consuming markets. The Telco is planning to leverage this with its telecom services.

Huawei, ZTE face troubles in US over potential security breach

The globally popular phone makers Huawei & ZTE are facing troubles in the US as the heads of CIA, FBI, NSA and the director of national intelligence expressed their concerns during a Senate Intelligence Committee over potential security breach.

Mallikarjun Das resigns from Starcom India

Mallikarjun Das (Malli), the Starcom India Group CEO, has resigned after serving the company for seven years.

ONE Broadband partners with Nokia to deploy GPON tech

The leading broadband company of the Hinduja Group, ONE Broadband has partnered with Nokia to deploy latter’s GPON technology to offer high speed broadband. It will leverage Nokia’s GPON technology along with its Broadband Network Gateway (BNG), Carrier Grade NAT (CGNAT) and Deep Packet Inspection (DPI), to provide 2 Gbps broadband connections to its customers.

Broadcaster bigwigs to address at APOS 2018 in Bali

Many industry bigwigs will address at this year’s APOS summit, hosted by Media Partners Asia in Bali, Indonesia from 24-26 April. The list of speakers from broadcasting sector includes Bob Bakish, President & CEO, Viacom,  Uday Shankar, President, 21st Century Fox Asia, JB Perrette, President & CEO, Discovery Networks International, Ricky Ow, President, Turner International Asia Pacific, Sudhanshu Vats, Group CEO, Viacom18 Media, Mahesh Samat, SVP & MD, The Walt Disney Company, South Asia, and Gina Brogi, President of Global Distribution, Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution, among others.

Hotstar, Voot partner with Supari Studios for original content

Original content is the key to the popularity of OTT platforms like Netflix and ALTBalaji. Recently, the digital content maker Supari Studios has partnered with two leading OTT platforms. Star India and Viacom18 have sought original content from the production house for their respective OTT platforms: Hotstar and Voot.

Tuesday 13 February 2018

RJio may launch JioFiber broadband service soon

The much anticipated initiative of Reliance Jio, JioFiber is expected to be launched by March end, as per media sources. The telco may bundle its TV service with FTTH broadband to tap over 100 million TV households. Analysts say that Jio may cover 50 million households in the first phase of roll out.

Ashok Mansukhani becomes MD at Hinduja Ventures for two years

Ashok Mansukhani has been appointed as the managing director of Hinduja Ventures Ltd (HVL) for two years. He has completed his existing term as whole-time director on 29 April. The board of directors has approved the appointment.

Former Quick Call founder launches online radio station Radio Umang

A new online radio station ‘Radio Umang’ has been launched by the former Quick Call founder Neeraj Tyagi. The app is available on Google Play store and will be launched soon on App store.

Discovery Kids buys rights of ‘Bandbudh Aur Budbak’

The children who love to watch Bandbudh Aur Budbak’ will be able to enjoy the show on Discovery Kids, as Discovery Communications India has bought the rights of ZeeQ’s famous show. As a matter of fact, ZeeQ was discontinued by ZEEL on 1 February 2017.

Discovery Jeet becomes popular from day 1; reaches 140 million

Perfect planning, strong content, and targeted advertising and aggressive collaborations have propelled Discovery Communications India’s first Hindi GEC Discovery Jeet to greater heights from day one. The channel has reached of over 140 million on the launch day-12 February.

Video advertising to grow at 54% in India: GroupM Report

The fact that video watching is growing phenomenally in the country due to cheap smartphones and falling data rates has been luring more and more advertisers. According to GroupM’s annual ad forecast report “This Year Next Year’, video advertising growth is expected to be at 54%, followed by digital advertising, which is expected to grow at 30%.

Monday 12 February 2018

Sky News to remain independent: Murdoch

The media baron Rupert Murdoch has clarified and pledged that Sky News will remain independent. He said he will not interfere in editorial decision-making at Sky News but added that he will not guarantee funding the service for more than five years.

Hotstar content now available on Airtel TV

As reported on 12 February, the country’s leading telecom operator Airtel has finally partnered with Star India’s OTT platform Hotstar. With this partnership, Hotstar’s content will now be available on Airtel TV, the telco’s mobile app.

Chandan Kumar resigns from Huawei; joins Nokia

Chandan Kumar,Huawei's marketing director, has resigned to join Nokia as the India head of Optics business. Kumar has been with Huawei for over 12 years across various functions, including the company's wireline business. Earlier, he worked at Nortel Networks for over two years, and HFCL for over 8 years.

TRAI conducts Consumer Outreach Programme to educate students

The telecom regulator TRAI organized a dedicated Consumer Outreach Programme (CoP) on 7 February, 2018 at National Law University (NLU), Dwarka in New Delhi to educate the student community about various initiatives taken by TRAI to safeguard consumer interests. Besides students and faculty of NLU, representatives of telecom service providers participated in the programme.

NBSA fines Zee News for talking rubbish about scientist & poet Gauhar Raza

Patriotism is good but sensational patriotism brings shame. Zee News has been fined the News Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA) which also asked it to issue the full screen apology for a programme it aired in 2016 where it referred to Gauhar Raza (scientist cum poet) and other poets as members of the ‘Afzal Premi Gang’.

Alibaba partners with Disney for its OTT platform

To offer the captivating content of the Disney on its OTT platform Youku, the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group has a reached a deal with the former. It is a multi-year licencing licensing agreement which will enable Youku to offer more than 1,000 episodes of Disney’s animated series.

Modi to launch DD Arun Prabha on 15 Feb

On 15 February, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be launching DD Arun Prabha, a channel exclusively for the viewers of the North-Eastern region. The channel will be launched from Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh. This year, the budget allocated Rs 55.7 crore for ‘Kisan’ and ‘Arun Prabha’ channels.

ACT to issue IPO to raise Rs 1500-2000-Cr

As per media reports, the leading high-speed Internet over fibre optic cables and high-definition television player Atria Convergence Technologies (ACT) may soon issue an IPO to raise Rs. 1500-2000 Crore.  It has also hired investment banks for the job.

Star TV Middle East extends content deal with OSN

The viewers in the Middle Eastern countries will continue to watching favourite shows by Star TV Middle East, as the broadcaster has renewed its content agreement with OSN, the Middle East and North Africa’s direct broadcast satellite provider.

Regional lures broadcasters & advertisers

For any product or service to sell, it should be in the language of the potential buyers. Tech giant like Google and social media behemoth Facebook had realised this sooner. With cheap smartphones and falling data rates, more and more people in rural India are using their phones to access content of their choice, and are no longer dependent on what TV shows them. To cash in the booming regional content markets, not only TV broadcasters but advertisers too are rushing to where the customers are.

TDSAT reserves its verdict in TRAI commercial subs matter

As reported earlier, the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF), Sony Pictures Networks India, ZEEL, and Viacom18 had sought a stay on the TRAI’s tariff orders dated 8 September 2015 for commercial subscribers in the tribunal. The Federations of Hotel and Restaurant Association of India (FHRAI), the apex body of hotels and restaurants in India, is also a party to the matter.

DPOs not on the same platform on having separate panel of auditors

Though the multi system operators (MSOs) are in favour of having a separate panel of auditors, the direct to home (DTH) operators feel it is undesirable. But the distribution platform operators (DPOs) are not on the same platform over the issue of whether or not to have a separate panel of auditors for conducting technical and subscription audits.

Sunday 11 February 2018

Ramdev launches show on his life on Discovery JEET

Baba Ramdev launched the much anticipated show on the newly launched GEC Discovery JEET with much fanfare. The channel was launched on 12 February. The event was attended by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and BJP president Amit Shah.

Saturday 10 February 2018

Airtel urges TRAI to issue a fresh paper on non-predatory tariffs

The telecom regulator TRAI had issued a consultation paper on regulatory principles related to tariff assessment in February 2017, seeking views on the constitution of a promotional offer and its features, and the attributes of a relevant market so that the contours of dominance could be defined.

Friday 9 February 2018

News Corp CEO criticises Google & FB for creating dysfunctional online environment

The tech giant Google and social media behemoth Facebook got some severe slapping on the face by the News Corp CEO Robert Thomson. He accused them for fostering a "dysfunctional" and "debased" online environment which harms the news media and responsible journalism.

Viacom18 to scale up revenue to INR 10,000-Cr in five years; focus on digital & Tamil

Viacom18, which is going to launch a Tamil channel on 19 February, has some big aims in terms of revenue growth; it aims to scale up its revenue to INR 10000 crore by focusing on digital and Tamil.

Kalli Purie becomes vice-chairperson & MD at TV Today for 5 years

As expected, Kalli Purie, daughter of Aroon Purie, has been appointed as vice-chairperson and MD of TV Today for a period of five years. The board of directors has approved the unanimous decision.

Pogramme & advertising code violations grew in last four years: MIB

The information and broadcasting (I&B) minister Smriti Irani told the Lok Sabha that in the last four years, 54 TV channels have been found violating the Programme and Advertising codes.

Star favours tighter audit norms for DPOs

Replying to the TRAI’s consultation paper ‘Empanelment of Auditors for Digital Addressable Systems’, the broadcasters including Star India have said that the under-declaration of subscribers by the DPOs is the biggest area of concern for them. Therefore, a transparent audit process should be established.

ESL buys minority stake in Nazara

A minority stake in Nazara Technologies has been bought by Esports major ESL; ESL has also signed a license agreement with Esports gaming company Nodwin Gaming, which was recently acquired by Nazara Technologies.

Club FM 104.8 launches its sixth radio station in Kozhikode

The popular radio channel Club FM, which is part of Mathrubhumi Group, has launched its sixth radio station in Kozhikode. Available on frequency 104.8 FM, the new station will offer authentic and edited news and round-the-clock entertainment and musical hits. 

Colors Tamil to debut on 19 Feb

To capture the lucrative Tamil markets, Viacom18 will launch Colors Tamil on 19 February on all leading cable TV and direct to home (DTH) platforms. Tamil actor Arya has been hired as the brand ambassador of the channel.

Govt not to issue any policy to push cheap app based calling: Manoj Sinha

App based calling has irritated telcos as it is eroding their revenue. The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) had opposed OTT services on the ground that some of the services being offered by OTT players like messaging or instant messaging and Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) calls are substitutes for the services being offered by telecom service providers.

TRAI issues 2 Corrigendums - “Invitation of Expression of Interest (EOI) for Empanelment of Application Service Providers for providing various ICT based solutions to TRAI”

Corrigendum 1: To increase the participation of prospective Application Service Providers the EOI is now also being published on CPP Portal (Central Public Procurement Portal), accordingly revised date and time for the pre-bid meeting, last date for submission of bid and bid opening date is given below :-

WhatsApp launches UPI-Based Payment system in beta version

The digital transaction segment may get a big boost in near future, as the chatting giant WhatsApp is reportedly testing out its UPI-based payments feature in India. Currently, it is in beta version and hence is facing a few glitches.

Aircel case to be heard on March 12

The Aircel case will now be taken up for hearing at the Delhi High Court on 12 March 2018. The court will hear the issue to decide if GTL Infra’s plea that Aircel should deposit money in court is valid. ATC has gone the court against Aircel to recover dues worth Rs 224 crore outstanding for lease of towers, while GTL Infrastructure is seeking recovery of about Rs 912 crore for outstanding payments and penalty for premature rent termination.

Cabinet to take up IMG’s recommendations on net neutrality & spectrum

In recent past the telecom regulator suggested its views in matter of net neutrality. Now the Telecom Commission (TC) will on 21 February take up these recommendations and allocation of spectrum in two bands that would underpin 5G rollouts.

Turkey to allow its broadcasting regulator to regulate online content

Turkey is going to take a step which may be replicated by many more countries; it may soon permit its regulator RTUK to regulate online content. A draft law has been submitted to parliament on 8 February, though it is being opposed by the main opposition party said amounted to digital censorship.

Telcos want govt to postpone 5G spectrum auctions till 2020

While India is gearing for 5G rollout, leading telcos like Airtel, Vodafone, Idea want government to postpone 5G spectrum auctions till FY2020 to give time for a devices ecosystem to develop and allow the industry to overcome its financial stress and consolidate completely.

BSNL launches its first 4G services from Kerela

The state-owned telecom operator BSNL has launched its first 4G services from Kerala. In the beginning, the 4G service will be available at five locations in the high range Idukki district.

Thursday 8 February 2018

CBI draft on 2G found at Chidambaram's house

According to the Enforcement Directorate, its senior officials have found a “draft” of a CBI status report on the 2G case from Congress leader P Chidambaram’s New Delhi based house. The same has been delivered to the Supreme Court.

CBI may file an appeal challenging Raja’s acquittal in 2G case

As per media sources, the Central Bureau of Investigation may challenge the acquittal of former telecom minister A Raja and others in the 2G spectrum allocation scandal case soon. Some media also reported that the appeal is ready and CBI will file it in the Delhi High Court once law officers of the law ministry vet the grounds of the appeal.

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...