Kolkata Still Not Completed Phase - I

Kolkata seems to be far away from meeting the I&B Ministry’s fresh deadline of December 27 for digitisation of cable television homes.

Multi-system operators (MSOs) in the city recently urged the Centre to further extend the deadline until January 15 as set-top boxes have been installed in only 65 per cent of the households in the Kolkata Metropolitan Area (KMA).

Viacom in spat with Cablevision over fees

More than three million Cablevision customers may start 2013 without receiving 17 Viacom cable network channels as a result of the two parties' dispute over programming fees, The New York Post reported.

The channel network and cable operator's five-year deal expires on 31 December and the former is now demanding an increase in fees in the renewed contract.

Tata Sky to premiere Haasan film ‘Vishwaroopam’ too

In the latest development on the broadcasting of Kamal Haasan's new movie, Vishwaroopam, on the DTH platform before its theatrical release, Tata Sky has agreed to join the five other major DTH players to air the movie, said Haasan.

With this, all the six private DTH players in the country would be airing the movie a day prior to the theatre release.

Pro7Sat1, RTL hit by encryption collusion fines

Germany’s competition regulator the Bundeskartellamt (Federal Cartel Office) has imposed fines totalling €55 million on broadcasting groups RTL and Pro7Sat1 and against two persons deemed responsible.

The companies are accused of collusion in the introduction of encryption of free-to-air digital TV services. The Bundeskartellamt has also secured agreement from the pair to offer SD quality programming unencrypted for a period of ten years. This commitment relates cable, satellite and IPTV transmission. It does not cover HD services.

China sets out online copyright regime

The Chinese government has revealed new measures to supervise and manage the copyright status of films and TV series broadcast online.

Following a meeting of the National Copyright Administration (NCA) addressing the progress of an online copyright infringement crackdown, a statement was issued suggesting that supervision and management measures on the online use of TV and film products would further clarify the targets and procedures of supervision work, a warning system and a copyright database for public monitoring. The NCA has completed drafting and plans to release the measures in 2013.

Jayalalithaa Slams Centre For Delay In DAS License To Arasu Cable

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa has slammed the Centre for delaying the grant of Digital Addressable System (DAS) license to State-run Aarsu Cable TV Corporation.

According to the first phase of digitisation, all the four metros were suppose to shift to digital television signals from analogue signals by October 31. While New Delhi and Mumbai have managed to implement DAS, Kolkata is expected to go digital by December-end.

TRAI Disallows Centre Or State Government Entity In Broadcast Or Distribution Business

In its recommendations on the “Issues related to entry of certain entities in to the business of broadcasting and/or distribution of TV channels”, TRAI has said that these entities should not be allowed to enter in to the business of broadcasting and or distribution of TV channels.

These recommendations have a long term effect on the industry including the ongoing process of digitisation where the first Phase has already been completed in the four metros in a haphazard manner by the government and the second phase involving 38 cities has already been announced to be completed by 31st March 2013.

Apple fined $165,000 for copyright violation in China

Technology major Apple Inc has been fined $165,908 by a court here for allegedly selling unlicensed electronic versions of books online.

The Beijing No.2 Intermediate People's Court ordered Apple to pay a total of 1.03 million yuan ($165,908) to eight Chinese writers and two companies for violating their copyrights.

Apple fined $165,000 for copyright violation in China

Technology major Apple Inc has been fined $165,908 by a court here for allegedly selling unlicensed electronic versions of books online.

The Beijing No.2 Intermediate People's Court ordered Apple to pay a total of 1.03 million yuan ($165,908) to eight Chinese writers and two companies for violating their copyrights.

Reliance launches 'Facebook Messenger Plan'

Reliance Communications has launched their first of its kind prepaid plan ‘ Facebook Messenger Plan’ for all Reliance GSM subscribers in Odisha. Existing Reliance customers can now enjoy unlimited usage of Facebook messenger across the country at a nominal fee of Rs 16 per month only without paying any extra data consumption charges. The plan is available with a validity period of 30 days from the date of recharge and the plan is auto-renewed every 30 days unless unsubscribed. The Facebook Messenger feature app works on a cross platform of smart and feature phones, and allows users to be able to reach anyone regardless of what device they are using. It also recently launched a new version of Messenger service where users need only their name and phone number to sign up for a new account.

Reliance launches 'Facebook Messenger Plan

Reliance Communications has launched their first of its kind prepaid plan ‘ Facebook Messenger Plan’ for all Reliance GSM subscribers in Odisha. Existing Reliance customers can now enjoy unlimited usage of Facebook messenger across the country at a nominal fee of Rs 16 per month only without paying any extra data consumption charges. The plan is available with a validity period of 30 days from the date of recharge and the plan is auto-renewed every 30 days unless unsubscribed. The Facebook Messenger feature app works on a cross platform of smart and feature phones, and allows users to be able to reach anyone regardless of what device they are using. It also recently launched a new version of Messenger service where users need only their name and phone number to sign up for a new account.

Hulu wants $200m expansion cash

OTT video supplier Hulu is asking its key shareholders for an additional $200 million in order to fund overseas expansion and to secure more programming rights.

TRAI asks broadband service providers to meet the Quality of Service benchmarks

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has tightened the noose around the broadband service providers and asked them to meet the Quality of Service benchmarks failing which they will be facing fines.

The regulator earlier this week released the “Quality of Service of Broadband Service (Amendment) Regulations, 2012 (28 of 2012)” on financial disincentives. TRAI in its release says the “purpose of the regulations is to prescribe financial disincentives on the service providers for failure to meet the prescribed Quality of Service benchmarks of Broadband service.”

IMCL in talks with PE firms to raise $75 mn

Hinduja-owned IndusInd Media and Communications (IMCL) is in talks with private equity investors to raise $75 million to fund the second phase of cable TV digitisation.

IMCL has mandated Ernst & Young to find an investor for its funding requirement. "With India mandating digitisation, there is a huge appetite to invest in cable TV companies. We are looking at raising $75 million. E&Y has been given the mandate for this purpose," IndusInd Media & Communications chief executive officer Nagesh Chhabria told.

GECs, movies rule the roost on Ditto TV

The Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) genre is the most popular on over-the-top (OTT) platform Ditto TV with 43 per cent of the total time consumed being spent on these channels, as per findings of user-generated data by Ditto TV. 

GECs are followed by movies as the next preferred choice at 16 per cent. At 14 per cent of total time consumed, regional channels are the third most preferred genre followed by news which garnered 13 per cent. 

Zee forms task force to tackle piracy in US

Asia TV USA, the exclusive distributor of Zee channels in the Americas, has initiated a technical task force, making sustained efforts to seek out those who are pirating programming and signals from the Zee suite of channels.

Zee said it is taking all steps to prohibit piracy where streaming of content on services such as Live TV Box, Shava TV, Jadoo TV and Boom TV permit viewers to access Zee’s content illegally.

Airtel DTH to premiere Kamal Haasan’s ‘Viswaroopam’ on Jan 10

Airtel digital TV, the DTH service from the leading telecom operator Bharti Airtel announced on 24 December 2012 the premier of Kamal Haasan’s forthcoming thriller titled Vishwaroopam in Tamil & Telugu and Vishwaroop in Hindi on its Pay Per View (PPV) platform.

The initiative, the first of its kind in India will enable customers of Airtel DTH to view the movie 12 hours in advance before its theatrical release. The innovative offering will now provide customers an exceptional viewing experience of the movie on Airtel digital TV with an unmatched picture quality and sound on MPEG4 DVB-S2 technology in the privacy of their homes at their convenience.

Zee TV launches new mobile app for ‘Hero Sa Re Ga Ma Pa 2012’

After the mega success of the Dance India Dance mobile Wap & App that received over 7 lakh downloads and won a Gold at the ‘Smarties’, Zee TV announces the ‘Hero Sa Re Ga Ma Pa 2012’ mobile App. Now fans of ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa’ can connect with their favourite show on their mobiles even beyond watching the show every weekend on Zee TV at 9 PM. Loaded with many interactive features, it makes the experience completely social. The app allows you to listen, share, and comment on everything related to the show. The app is fully integrated with Facebook and Twitter.

Zee Cinema, Zee Salaam and Zee Tamizh launch on Cogeco Cable in Ontario

Zee Americas in partnership with Ethnic Channels Group Limited (ECG), Canada’s largest distributor of third language television services, launched Zee Cinema, Zee Salaam and Zee Tamizh on Cogeco Cable on 12 December.

Aimed at Ontario’s South Asian communities, these channels will serve to add great content to Cogeco’s third language services and help the Canadian multi-ethnic majority watch TV.

China Digital TV announces AGM results

Conditional access systems provider China Digital TV announced the results of its annual general meeting of shareholders held in Hong Kong today.

Viacom International, Videofutur partner in VOD

Viacom International Media Networks and video distributor Videofutur have concluded a VOD deal for the distribution of TV series from Game One and MTV.

Season 2 of the show Awkward is already available on the videofutur.tv website, with episodes from season 2 available just seven days after they first run on MTV. This is also the case with Jersey Shore, Death Valley and Naruto Shippuden.

ITV takes controlling stake in US factual, reality show producer Gurney

As part of its Transformation Plan to build a strong international content business to mitigate declining ad revenues, ITV plc is to acquire a controlling stake in Gurney Productions.

The UK’s leading commercial broadcaster sees the US as a key creative market and having a sizeable presence there is central to the expansion of its global content business.

Online play for today as Starz shines with premium content for DIRECTV

US premium movie and original programming entertainment service provider Starz Entertainment has launched the PLAY authenticated online TV services for DIRECTV's STARZ and ENCORE customers.

The PLAY services offer customers in the United States portable and online access to exclusive films and original premium programming at no extra charge with the STARZ PLAY and ENCORE PLAY apps for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch are also available as free downloads.

Pace drops 6% on Moto miss

Set-top box maker Pace has seen its shares fall 6 per cent after they returned from suspension following the company’s bid for Motorola’s set-top box business put on the block by Google. Arris won the prize for $2.35 billion.

Pace said it was unable to agree acceptable terms with Google: “We viewed the potential acquisition of Google’s Motorola Home business as an opportunity to accelerate our stated strategy, but only if real shareholder value could be delivered. Although we had the support of our major shareholders and committed facilities, we could not reach an appropriate conclusion to the potential transaction,” said chief executive Mike Pulli.

Hathway elevates Jayaraman, appoints Jagdish Kumar as MD & CEO

Hathway Cable & Datacom board has eleavted K Jayaraman, current MD and CEO to the position of vice chairman with immediate effect. To fill in the position of Jayaraman, the company has appointed Jagdish Kumar G PiIlai. 

Jagdish Kumar moves in from Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), where he was president of the media and entertainment business. 

Star India appoints Ex-HMVL CEO Amit Chopra

STAR India, having expanded its presence in sports broadcast, has brought on board media and consumer industry professional Amit Chopra to steer the group’s sports strategy. Chopra will report to Sanjay Gupta, COO of STAR India. He is expected to join in the first week of January 2013. 

Three DTH players pull plug on ESPN HD, Star Cricket HD

The country's top direct-to-home (DTH) players Airtel Digital, Sun TV and Dish TV have pulled the plug on ESPN HD and Star Cricket HD just before the start of the much-anticipated India-Pakistan series due to a sudden hike in tariffs by the broadcaster. There are almost a million high-definition (HD) subscribers on DTH in India out of a total market of 50 million.

ESPN HD, which used to cost Rs 40 per month, is now being priced at Rs 142 monthly, while customers who earlier paid Rs 40 for Star Cricket HD will now have to pay Rs 120 monthly. This hike they said is too steep for them to pass on to their subscribers. However, Tata Sky, Videocon D2H and Reliance Big TV will continue telecasting the HD versions of the sports channels. The India-Pakistan series starts on December 25 and has attracted huge advertiser interest with ESPN expected to rake in around Rs 120 crore.

FM Radio expansion among top priorities: I&B Ministry

The expansion of FM Radio through Phase III auction is among the top priorities of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

Addressing a CEOs’ round table on FM Radio, organised by Confederation of Indian Industry, Uday Kumar Varma, Secretary, I&B Ministry, said Phase III auction was awaiting a decision by the Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) on key issues. Once that is done, the Ministry will kick-start the auction that will be done through ascending e-auction.

Harris Broadcast Offers Integrated File-Based Workflow at BES EXPO 2013

Harris Broadcast will showcase an integrated file-based solution at BES 2013 (stand no. 97, Hall 12A, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi on 29 - 31 January 2013), helping customers simplify workflow processes across production and playout facilities all the way through to transmission.

As well as showing the new, unique Versio™ integrated playout platform, the complete integrated workflow solution at BES 2013 will incorporate some of the company’s key solutions, including NEXIO AMP® servers and NEXIO Farad™ online storage, Invenio® digital asset management, the Selenio™ media convergence platform, Inscriber® G8 graphics and the latest ADC™ automated content management and distribution.

The Canal+ Group selects Wyplay for its next decoder software

The Canal+ Group has teamed with Wyplay to develop its future decoder software. Recognised as a global leader in innovative software solutions for TV operators, Wyplay brings its expertise and know-how to the table, in particular through:

Rohde & Schwarz launch new look website

A website is both the welcoming sign and an important information channel for a company. Whether customer or vendor, job seeker or journalist, everyone goes to the website first.

During the past year Rohde & Schwarz has been working intensively on relaunching its website. The main objective is to help users find the products and topics of interest to them as fast as possible. To do this with a portfolio encompassing some 4600 products, clear navigation structures and a modern design are key prerequisites. Easy contact options and an optimized site search function round out the relaunch.

Dish TV adds two Bengali channels to its Lifetime Offer

Leading direct-to-home operator Dish TV has added two Bengali news and entertainment channels, Rupashi Bangla and Kolkata TV, to its lifetime free offer for the four metros.

Under this offer, customers will be eligible to receive a basic channel tier comprising 70 plus channels free of cost for life. The offer spans for five years and requires customers to remain active by subscribing to a regular package at least twice during the year.

Amagi unveils tie-up with Tata Sky

Amagi Media Labs, a pioneer of geo-targeted TV advertising, has tied up with Tata Sky to air targeted TV ads on the DTH platform. The option has been made available from the first week of December for Times Now, IBN7, India TV, and UTV Movies.

Elaborating on how such a partnership will benefit their clientele, LS Krishnan, Business Head, Amagi Media Labs said, “Tata Sky has over 10 million subscribers and has a premium customer base, which is one of the reasons we felt that this offering will be attractive to high-end brands. Existing advertisers, apart from some of the geographies that they opt for, could add on the Tata Sky skew to their base plans. This will give them a total coverage of the geography that they take, that is, analogue plus digital, in addition to Tata Sky DTH subscriber base across India. Of course, the same option is available to the new advertisers too.”

Pvt FM radio to generate Rs 1,400 cr revenue in FY'13: Study

India's private FM radio segment is expected to generate revenue of around Rs 1,400 crore in 2012-13, with 245 private FM stations operating in 86 cities, a latest study by CII and Ernst & Young said.

According to the study, "Poised for Growth: FM radio in India", the sector has been growing at a Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 14 per cent annually.

CASBAA CEO Simon Twiston Davies quits

After more than a decade with the Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA), Simon Twiston Davies is moving on as the Association’s CEO. December 31, 2012 will be his final day with CASBAA. Christopher Slaughter will take over from Davies. 

Davies is taking a sabbatical till early March 2013, after which he will be consulting in various areas. At CASBAA, Davies had been representing the interests of the pay-TV industry and related telecoms and new media companies across the Asia Pacific region. Before taking his post at CASBAA, he was CEO of Kagan Asia Media, the Asian regional division of Kagan Associates. Davis is also a seasoned journalist, specialising in the Asian television and telecoms industries. 

Times Internet launches interest-based network

Times Internet has launched interest-based network, itimes.com, which allows users to create their own interests and follow others' interests. Once the user logs in on the website and creates his/her ID, he or she can start posting interests and initiate discussions, post pictures, write blogs, post videos and check events happening around it. 

Times Internet, the concept of the network revolves around the fact that topics are more important than the people who post them. 

ZengaTV launches on Windows 8 platform

ZengaTV the leader in Digital TV (WEB and Mobile) with more than 22 million monthly unique users, today launched ZengaTV app for Windows 8 powered PCs and tablets. Windows 8 platform with its tiles based interface is the platform of choice for the next generation of desktop and notebook computers.

ZengaTV app is available on the Windows Store and can be downloaded free of cost. The app available globally features many live channels, video content, Bollywood movies, news and a lot more. 

TRAI released a Pre-Consultation Paper on ‘Review of Tariff for National Roaming'

The tariff for Nation Roaming Services was last specified by the Authority vide Telecommunication Tariff Order (44th Amendment) dated the 24th January, 2007. The regimes governing some of the cost components which formed part of the national roaming charges have changed since that time. The Access Deficit Charges regime has been phased out in 2008 and termination charges lowered from Rs.0.30 to Rs.0.20 per minute in the year 2009. The National Telecom Policy – 2012, as one of its strategies, has mentioned review of roaming charges with the ultimate objective of removing the roaming charges across the nation. Keeping in view the above factors, the Authority has decided to undertake a comprehensive review of the existing tariff framework for National Roaming Services.

OpenTV files patent suit against Netflix

Digital television and advanced advertising solutions specialist and Kudelski Group company OpenTV has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against online entertainment streaming service Netflix in the United States District Court in Delaware.

The lawsuit alleges that Netflix is wilfully infringing seven US patents, in particular those covering aspects of over-the-top TV technology, including: the use of viewer information to make recommendations; digital rights management; and video playback.

Media Prima TV Network appoints Y&R as agency of record

Malaysian terrestrial television provider Media Prima TV Network has appointed Y&R as its agency of record.

Y&R will advise on the network's strategic communications and creative needs. Advertising campaigns will be integrated across all media, including TV, print, digital and out-of-home.

Discovery rethinks gun shows

Discovery Channel has told US press that Sons of Guns, which finished its third series in October “is not on the schedule and it is not on the schedule in the near future.”

Broadband, copyright rules are EC priorities

The creation of a new and stable broadband regulatory environment and updating the EU’s copyright framework are among a digital ‘to-do’ list adopted by the European Commission as new digital priorities for 2013-2014.

The Commission has set out seven new priorities for the digital economy and society. According to the EC, the digital economy is growing at seven times the rate of the rest of the economy, but this potential is currently held back by a patchy pan-European policy framework. The priorities announced by the EC follow a comprehensive policy review and place new emphasis on the most transformative elements of the original 2010 Digital Agenda for Europe.

Strikers protest over FTV's proposed cuts

The strike at France Télévisions stepped up yesterday as 23.8% of its workers protested against the drastic costs cuts planned for 2013. This strike is taking place as.

Spanish Government refuses adverts for TVE

The Spanish Government has refused to change the audiovisual law to allow the national public broadcaster RTVE to incorporate commercial advertising.

Yesterday the Minister of Finance and Public Administration, Cristóbal Montoro, said that the Government won't change the law in this respect, but acknowledged the corporation's financial position is "very serious" and admitted that the Government is "worried about it".

ARRIS acquires Motorola STB business

Broadband media technology specialist ARRIS Group and Google have confirmed that ARRIS and Motorola Mobility, a Google subsidiary, have entered into a definitive agreement under which

ARRIS will acquire the Motorola Home business from Motorola Mobility, for $2.35 billion in a cash-and-stock transaction approved by the Boards of Directors of both companies.

Swiss Sunrise expands its IPTV platform

Swiss telco Sunrise is to add new TV channels to its IPTV platform Sunrise TV, including several services in high definition.

New in the HD line-up are Swiss commercial channels VIVA Schweiz HD and 3+ HD, MTV Italia HD and La7 HD from Italy, as well as UK-based channels ITV Granada HD and Channel 4 HD. In total, Sunrise TV now comprises 45 HD channels.

HRD Ministry seeks licences for 50 educational DTH channels

Even as the Government has asked the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) to re-examine the issue of giving licences to state governments or central ministries for launching television channels, the Union Human Resource Development Ministry has sought permission to start fifty educational direct-to-home (DTH) TV channels.

HRD Ministry's application has been referred by the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry to the Committee of Secretaries, which has in turn set up a Group of Secretaries to examine the need for modifications in the existing uplinking guidelines.

Prasar Bharati appoints Pranjal Sharma as Advisor

Pranjal Sharma steps in Prasar Bharati as an advisor responsible for new media and content strategy and will advise the CEO and Director General. This will also include all channels of DD Network and All India Radio. 

His specialty lies in presenting news in English and Hindi, news management, conducting special interviews and also directing, scripting and producing news based shows. His talent was also visible in moderating and leading public debates and discussions. He has also tried his hand at teaching media. 

Seagate announces new drive for DVRs

Seagate Technology which offers hard drives and storage solutions has announced the Seagate Video 2.5 HDD, a 2.5-inch drive specifically engineered for use in 24/7 video applications like digital video recorders (DVRs), set-top boxes (STBs), and surveillance applications.

The company says that the product focuses on three areas of importance to manufacturers - high reliability, acoustics, and energy efficiency. Featuring reliability, the drive has an annual failure rate of approximately 0.55, based on current configurations, enabling it to keep product in the field longer while reducing the cost of field deployment and maintaining customer retention. It also boasts 24/7 operation capabilities in extended temperature ranges and enhanced acoustics for near silent operation - features crucial for consumer electronics and video applications.

AsiaSat 3S Adds Afghan Channel ‘Zhwandoon TV’

Asia’s leading satellite operator, Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company Limited (AsiaSat) announced on 19 December 2012 that Zhwandoon Radio Television Network of Afghanistan has signed a lease agreement for C-band capacity on AsiaSat 3S to distribute the Afghan channel ‘Zhwandoon TV’. Through AsiaSat 3S’s powerful access across the Asia Pacific, Zhwandoon TV reaches not only all broadcast networks and audiences in Afghanistan but also Central Asia, Middle East, South Asia and other parts of Asia Pacific.

Zhwandoon TV has commenced free-to-air broadcasting on AsiaSat 3S, offering programming in the Pashto and Dari languages, with content ranging from news, entertainment, sports, music, religious to social, educational and political programmes.

Region’s Leading Digital Media Event to Communicate, Connect and Converge Like never before, CABSAT 2013 runs from March 12 to 14 at Dubai World Trade Centre

CABSAT, the leading digital media event in the region, and third largest on the global calendar, is set to be bigger, better and more compelling than ever. The 2013 edition of CABSAT runs from March 12 to 14 at Dubai World Trade Centre and comes at a time of transformational change in the broadcast and media industry in the region. The event boasts a 15% increase in size and is set to welcome leading broadcast and satellite technology companies from around the world.

According to specialist analyst Digital TV Research 10 countries in the region have already achieved the milestone of 100% digital television penetration, with the whole of MENA seeing digital television in 85% of households as soon as 2017.

Two Al Jazeera channels on Virgin Media

Virgin Media viewers can now get both Al Jazeera English and Al Jazeera Arabic on their TV service. Al Jazeera Arabic is the first Arabic channel to launch on Virgin Media.

The channel has been the most watched provider of news in the Middle East since it emerged as the first independent channel in the region in 1996.

Two Al Jazeera channels on Virgin Media

Virgin Media viewers can now get both Al Jazeera English and Al Jazeera Arabic on their TV service. Al Jazeera Arabic is the first Arabic channel to launch on Virgin Media.

The channel has been the most watched provider of news in the Middle East since it emerged as the first independent channel in the region in 1996.

AIBA selects SatLink for global delivery of World Series of Boxing

SatLink Communications Ltd., a leading teleport and HD Playout centre delivering content to every corner of the world, has confirmed that the Boxing Marketing Arm SA (BMA), a subsidiary of AIBA,

the International Boxing Association, has selected SatLink for the global satellite delivery of the World Series of Boxing (WSB) 2012/2013 season. A total of 74 events across the globe will be distributed to five continents via SatLink’s Satellite and Fibre Network in High Definition (HD) and MPEG4 on Eutelsat, AsiaSat, IntelSat and Amos satellites. In addition services such as digital archiving, recording, SNG and Fly-Away units in various territories around the globe will be provided alongside post production editing of the matches highlights.

Developed by AIBA, WSB is a unique concept in the world of boxing. It is the only pro-style team competition where boxers retain their Olympic eligibility. It brings together the best Olympic and pro boxers representing their country in an explosive format with worldwide appeal.

Centre has vested interest in delaying nod for Arasu Cable TV in TN

AIADMK parliamentary party leader M. Thambidurai on 18 December suspected whether the Central government had vested interests by delaying its nod for the Digital Addressable System (DAS) licence to the Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable TV Corporation Limited owned by the State government.

Raising the issue during the zero hour in the Lok Sabha, he said the Corporation had applied for DAS licence to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on July 5 this year. But the nod had not been given.

Cable TV fee in Mizoram will be Rs 250 from January 2013

Mizoram Cable TV Owners and Distributors’ Association (MICODA) will increase Cable TV monthly fee to Rs. 250 from January 2013.

However, the hike is only for villages other than Aizawl, and also will not apply to LPS and Zonet Cable TV subscribers.

Parliamentary panel for review of 3G services roll out period

The Department of Telecom (DoT) should review the five-year period given to telecom operators for rolling out 3G services network across country, the Standing Committee on Information Technology has said.

"The period of five years in case of 3G spectrum would result into blocking of resources...The Committee as such strongly recommends that the period of five years in case of 3G spectrum should be reviewed after looking into all aspects as well as international practice," the Committee said in its 41st report tabled in Parliament on 18 December.

FICCI Names STAR India's Uday Shankar Chairman of M&E Panel

STAR India CEO Uday Shankar has been appointed as the new Chairman of industry chamber FICCI’s Media & Entertainment Committee that reviews, recommends and shapes policy framework. 

The position was previously held by celebrated filmmaker Yash Chopra and had remained vacant after his untimely demise in October this year. 

DIVArchive(R) Brings Workflow In-House and Speeds Content Retrieval for the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision

Front Porch Digital, the global leader in solutions to migrate, manage, and market media content, announced recently that The Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision (NIBG) has installed DIVArchive(R) to manage its broadcast and film files.

DIVArchive gives the Institute -- one of the largest A/V archives in Europe -- a complete in-house workflow and centralized archive, which ensures more control and a quicker response time than with its previous solution.

CASBAA Upfronts Hits Jakarta

CASBAA ended its TV Upfronts tour of Southeast Asia with its final event of the year in Jakarta, Indonesia on December 13, 2012. Held in association with Campaign Asia-Pacific and in-market partner First Media, exclusive screenings by Pay TV networks for over 100 media buyers, agencies and clients promoted the benefits of multichannel TV advertising and presented the best of the upcoming programming from regional networks across the region.

“CASBAA’s successful series of TV Upfronts have brought the message of multichannel TV advertising to Asian cities including Singapore, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Manila and now Jakarta,” said Christopher Slaughter, CEO, CASBAA. “With Asia Pacific being the engine room for global growth, it is only fitting our final stop in 2012 is Indonesia, a market with enormous development potential in the region.”

Harris Broadcast Addresses Content Lifecycle at Convergence India 2013

Harris Broadcast comes to Convergence India for the first time this January, bringing a range of innovative products and solutions that will demonstrate how broadcasters can cost-effectively manage every stage of the content lifecycle and generate new revenue streams (Stand C-7, Hall 18 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, January 16-18, 2013).

The content lifecycle demonstration will include the recently launched Versio™ integrated playout platform for channel-in-a-box workflows, the Harris® Selenio™ media convergence platform and Videotek® test and measurement tools for signal analysis and monitoring.

Cable operator shot at Delhi

A 32-year-old cable operator was shot at by a group of assailants at Tajpur in outer Delhi's Alipur on Thursday, 13 December 2012. The attackers allegedly came in a car owned by a Delhi police constable. According to police, five assailants fired four-five bullets, one of which hit the cable operator in his stomach. The injured cable operator has been identified as Jitendra. He reportedly was having a dispute with another cable operator in the area, allegedly a head constable.

A senior police officer said Jitendra was sitting outside his house with his father and brother when a group of miscreants arrived in a Maruti Swift car. The criminals stepped out of the car and one of them fired four-five bullets at Jitender.

Cable Operator killed in Shivpur (Indrapur) in Varanasi, UP

Mandatory Digitalisation in Cable TV business has its negative side too. The second phase cities where the big MSO are yet to create their strong hold are seeing a renewed battle for supremacy in the localities. Like it happened in the early days of Cable TV evolution in the country, MSOs are engaging in all kind of battles to get an upper hand in these TAM cities where their supporting broadcasters would get a higher viewership.

According to Analsys Mason India to have 61 million digital cable TV subscribers by 2015

Number of digital cable TV subscribers in India is expected to reach 61 million in 2015 from 6 million in 2011, says Rohan Dhamija, co-head, India Practice, Analysys Mason, at the Broadcast Digitization Summit organized by Telecom Lead, India’s No.1 B2B portal dedicated to telecom industry.

Analogue subscription will reduce by more than half to 41 million by 2015 from 88 million in 2011.

MIB seeks TRAI views on reasonable restrictions on MSOs, LCOs

The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB) has sought views of TRAI on measures to prevent monopolistic operations by MSOs and LCOs. The ministry has requested TRAI to provide its recommendations under Section 11 (1)

(a) on whether any restriction should be imposed on MSOs/LCOs to prevent monopolies/accumulation of interest in order to ensure fair competition, improved quality of service and equity. If restrictions are required, the ministry wants to know what kind of restrictions should be imposed and what should be the form, nature and scope of such restrictions.

Free roaming: TRAI to begin public consultation soon

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) said on 14 December it will soon begin a public consultation process for implementation of free telecom roaming in the country. 

“These are matters that are still to be decided. The question of whether national roaming should be free is a tariff related issue. 

Television on smartphones the next big thing in broadcasting

An industry study showed that more than two crore mobile internet users in India are cutting their television and newspaper consumption by 50 per cent and are shifting to mobile phones to access content.

There are a number of social media applications in the Android Play Store as well as Apple Store that are enabling this shift in consumption habits. Called ‘Pocket DTH’s’, these inbuilt television streaming apps on smartphones are going to take the country by rage over the next few years, say analysts.

Discovery gears up for European pay-TV market with two buys

Discovery Communications is all set to become the biggest pay-TV operator outside US following its acquisition of German media company ProSiebenSat.1 Group's SBS Nordic operations and strategic partnership with French media company TF1/Eurosport.

Discovery has signed a definitive agreement with ProSiebenSat.1 Group to purchase the company’s SBS Nordic operations for a total enterprise value of approximately $1.7 billion (€1.325 billion).

CBS Drama joins Virgin Media

CBS Chello Zone Channels, the joint venture partnership between CBS Studios International and Chello Zone, has announced that the CBS Drama channel is now available on the Virgin Media platform.

The channel, which is currently carried on the Sky and Freesat platforms in the UK, showcases famous US series including Cheers, CSI and Dallas, and UK favourites, Bad Girls and Cutting It. The launch sees Virgin Media complete the full set of CBS Chello Zone Channels, joining CBS Reality, CBS Action and Horror Channel already carried on the platform in the XL package.

TWC TV on demand iPad app

Time Warner Cable has updated its TWC TV app for iPad, suggesting it is different from other app updates, going beyond bug fixes, stability upgrades and additional channels “here and there”.

The new version of the app now brings you the breadth and flexibility of TWC’s On Demand catalogue. “Now you can watch over 4,000 TV and movie titles,” said the MSO in a company blog. “The initial catalogue is a mix of HD and standard-definition content. We will be adding more stuff on a regular basis, and adding more HD as we are able.”

Walt Disney reaches distribution agreement with Cox

Cox Communications and The Walt Disney Company have entered into a comprehensive long-term distribution agreement to deliver Disney’s robust lineup of top quality sports, news and entertainment content to Cox TV customers across televisions, computers, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles and internet-enabled televisions.

The new early renewal agreement enhances the multi-channel business model and supports the companies’ mutual goal to deliver the best video content to customers across multiple platforms.

Airtel Digital TV feels pricing would be cardinal for premier movie shows

Even as there is full of appreciation on the novelty of the idea of airing a big budget movie premier through Direct-to-home (DTH) platform before it hits the theaters, Airtel Digital TV, one of the first companies which confirmed its deal with producer and actor Kamal Haasan for broadcasting his new movie Vishwaroopam, feels that pricing could be a factor which might restrict subscription of the movie to a limited numbers, in the model.

“It is a very interesting and novel idea from the producer and the production house to come up with, that is our first impression when we first heard it,” said Shashi Arora, CEO of Airtel Digital TV. This is the first time a producer came forward with an idea to broadcast a new movie through Direct-to-home (DTH) platform before its theatrical release, while usually the DTH companies broadcast a movie after the threatrical release and almost two to three weeks before the satellite release.

Govt hopes to raise Rs 20,000 cr from 2G spectrum auction

The Government said on 14 December 2012 it expects to raise around Rs 20,000 crore from the 2G spectrum auction and it is hopeful of completing the auction before March.

“We would expect approximately Rs 20,000 crore for the 1,800 MHz and 900 MHz spectrum band that is put on the auction block. For 1,800 MHz, it would be approximately the base price of Rs 5,000 crore for 5 MHz,” Telecom Secretary R. Chandrashekhar told reporters on the sidelines of a FICCI event in New Delhi.

Dirty Picture songs on Hungama.com

Dirty Picture is expected to be the most unconventional movie of the year. The music for Dirty Picture is all set to make the audience bring out their hip shaking moves. The music is now available for download on Hungama.com. 

ZEE announces the resignation of its President, Rajesh Jejurikar

Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEE) announced on 14 December 2012 that Rajesh Jejurikar, the company’s President has stepped down after a brief stint of 10 months, to explore new vistas. His role at ZEE, involved managing all the key verticals at ZEE, except programming. 

Punit Goenka, MD & CEO, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEE) said, “In a short stint at ZEE, Rajesh has brought in newer business perspectives and has contributed to the process immensely, bringing in positive business impact to the organization. The entire ZEE family wishes him all the success in his new endeavors.”