Huawei continues mobile broadband modem dominance

Mobile broadband modems and hotspot router shipments fell 21 per cent year-over-year to nearly 73 million units, as the impact of the declining PC market finally began to bite. USB modem sticks and embedded modem modules led the two-year slide while mobile hotspot routers increased 32 per cent, according to new analysis – Mobile Broadband PC/CE Modem and Hotspot Router Market Data - from market intelligence firm ABI Research.

As the computing marketing continues to evolve with more performance and choices than ever before, mobile broadband modems were not impervious to the transition. “It was another distressing year for mobile broadband modems, though the worst appears to be in the past,” says senior practice director Jeff Orr, ABI Research. “USB modems will remain an important connectivity component going forward; however future volumes will increasingly be driven by embedded modem modules and mobile hotspot routers.”

Cricket coverage drives ESPN UK to rack up record viewing for March 2014

The ICC Twenty20 World Cup and Asia Cup cricket competitions plus March Madness basketball have all contributed to a record-breaking March for sports broadcaster ESPN in the UK.

Indeed according to data from independent research firm comScore, cricket fans spent more time on ESPNcricinfo than the next nine major sites combined, and on average 14 times longer than BBC Sport Cricket. ESPNcricinfo's total minutes increased by 226% compared with 2013.

Milind, Sanjay Nirupam resorted to paid news: EC

The Election Commission’s media monitoring committees have confirmed that four Lok Sabha candidates from Maharashtra, including the Congress’ Milind Deora, Vishwajeet Kadam and Sanjay Nirupam, resorted to paid news. The BJP’s candidate in Pune, Anil Shirole, has also been charged on this count.

The Election Commission had appointed Media Certification and Monitoring Committees (MCMC) at the district and State levels to look into allegations of paid news. The Pune district committee upheld the charge against Mr. Kadam and Mr. Shirole, both of whom contested from Pune. Both appealed before the State committee, which too upheld the charge.

ZEEL decides to shut down ETC Punjabi

Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) has decided to shut down its Punjabi entertainment channel ETC Punjabi. The last date for channel is schedule 30 April.

The development comes in the light of Zee Media Corp’s decision to adopt terrestrial entertainment network (TEN) model for its news channel Zee Punjabi Haryana/Himachal Pradesh  

TDSAT allow roaming pact for 3G service

Happiness came for the telecom companies as the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) in its order allowed roaming pact for 3G services, which will help telecom companies to improve their data revenue.   

Operators such as Airtel, which now has 3G services in 13 circles can now offer data services in the other nine circles as well through a roaming deal with players that have spectrum in these circles.

Tata Sky paid Rs 383 crore to MIB as license fee

Direct-to-home (DTH) player Tata Sky on 29th April has submitted a demand draft of Rs 383 crore (Rs 3.83 billion) to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) towards licence fee for the year 2013–14 as per the rate specified for licence as well as past dues, for which the ministry had raised a demand note on 24th March. 

Tata Sky MD and CEO Harit Nagpal said, “We hope that this will end the long-standing dispute on the subject and pave the way for a constructive rationalisation of taxes with the support of our parent ministry.

Airtel Digital TV records jump in EBITDA, adds 1mn subs in FY14

India fastest growing direct-to-home service provider Airtel Digital TV an associate of Bharti Airtel has recorded a sharp rise in their EBITDA in the fiscal ended 31 March 2014 as it added closed to one million subscribers during this 12-month period.

The company posted a 638 per cent jump in EBITDA in FY14 to Rs 333.8 crore (Rs 3.34 billion) compared to its earlier-year operating profit of Rs 45.2 crore (Rs 452 million). EBITDA margin stands strong at 16.1 per cent compared to 2.8 per cent a year ago. 

Steve Oetegenn joins Verimatrix as president

Steve Oetegenn on 29th April has joined Verimatrix as president to assist the company to grow its pay-TV operator base.

Oetegenn will support the growth of Verimatrix especially when several large digital video operators are transitioning to an IP-centric network infrastructure. He will also continue to lead the sales and marketing efforts.

Global pay-TV market tops 900m subs

The global pay-TV subscriber base increased over five per cent in 2013, raising the total to 901.1 million, according to ABI Research. However the average revenue per user (ARPU) dropped slightly to $23.80 in 2013 from $24.10 in 2012.

“In general, the pay-TV market grew both in terms of subscribers and service revenue across all pay-TV platforms. Overall pay-TV service revenue reached almost $250 billion in 2013,” said Jake Saunders, VP and practice director of core forecasting, ABI Research.

Spanish broadcasters fail to avoid DTT closure

The Supreme Court has rejected the Spanish broadcasters appeal against the closure of nine DTT channels urging them to close them down “without delay” in compliance with the December 18th ruling.

The affected broadcasters – namely Atresmedia, Mediaset, Veo TV and Net TV – made an appeal against the Court’s earlier decision in an attempt to avoid the closure. The Supreme Court has dismissed it on the grounds that the reasons given by the broadcasters were already rejected at previous stages in the proccedings.

MIB conducts license review meetings with teleport to establish eligibility

The Information & Broadcasting Ministry (MIB) has decided to conduct a review meeting with all the 65 permitted teleport operators, wherein the operators are required to furnish their details to establish continued eligibility criteria. 

MIB to hold Open House meetings with MSO on every Tuesday

Ministry of Information and broadcasting has decided to hold an Open House Meetings with Multi system operators (MSOs) on every Tuesday from 11:00 to 12:00 Noon. The first meeting is scheduled to take place in 6th May.

These meetings would be held by Director (BP&L) in Room No. 662 ‘A’ Wing, Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi with the main objective of bringing transparency and accountability in the MSO registration process. 

Facebook brings Newswire for journalists

Facebook has launched FB Newswire, with the aim to make it easier for journalists and newsrooms to find, share and embed newsworthy content fr0m the popular social networking website in their work.

DEN inducts Gaurav Tikoo as GM

DEN Network a leading multi system operators (MSOs) on 28th April has inducted Gaurav Tikoo as general manager, brand, to accelerate its transformation from a B2B player into a consumer-focused digital cable and broadband company.    

Avinash Kaul resigns from Times Television Network

Avinash Kaul chief executive officer of Times Television has given his resignation from the company.

The company has been going through a lot structural changes since January. Sunil Lulla, erstwhile managing director and chief executive officer of Times Television Network, was promoted as president, corporate development at BCCL group. To replace him, TTN got Disney UTV's old hand M K Anand.

Shankar Mohan becomes Film Festivals director

International Film Festival of India director Shankar Mohan has taken up an additional role. Mohan is now the director of the Directorate of Film Festivals.

Mohan takes over from Rajeev Kumar Jain who has been moved to Information and Broadcasting Ministry’s film wing.

Rajiv Suri joins Nokia as new CEO

Rajiv Suri has joined Finish telecommunication gear maker Nokia as chief executive officer. 

Suri, 46, until now led Nokia Solutions and Networks (NSN), the smaller network equipment unit of Nokia when the company still made mobile phones.

Kerala Cable Operators to go on Indefinite Hunger Strike

Kerala Cable Operators on 25th April had announced that they have decided to go on indefinite Hunger Strike from the 29th of April 2014 in front of the State Secretariat with following agenda.

The decision to go on hunger strike has come in the light of Kerala State Electricity Board decision to revision of cable tariff from Rs 108 to Rs 354. The decision taken by the Board created a huge financial burden to the Cable TV industry in Kerala. 

MP HC accepts LCOs petition against DAS regulation

The Indore bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court on 25th April has accepted the Malwa Cable Operator Sangh’s (MCOS) writ petition challenging the constitutional validity of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) Tariff Order and Interconnect Regulation. 

The MP HC while accepting the writ petition also asked the sector regulator to file its reply in the matter within eight weeks. The matter has been put up for final hearing at a later date. 

Dish TV brings Zing in Tripura with 27 Bengali channels

Dish TV on 26th April along with 27 Bengali channels has brought Zing in the North Eastern state of Tripura.

TDSAT directs broadcasters, not to ask DTH ops for minimum subscription period

Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) on 25th has directed the broadcasters not to ask a direct-to-home (DTH) service provider for a minimum subscription period of three months, the tribunal has also requested the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to relook at such Reference Interconnect Offers (RIOs). 

TDSAT asks BECIL to conduct technical audit to the systems of Dish TV

The conflict between IndiaCast UTV- Dish TV has taken a new turn with the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) requesting Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Ltd. (BECIL) to conduct a technical audit of the systems of Dish TV.   

Justice Mal Lodha sworn in as CJI

Justice Rajendra Mal Lodha was on 27th April sworn in as the 41st Chief Justice of India by President Pranab Mukherjee at a brief function held in the Durbar Hall of Rashtrapathi Bhavan.

C# Corner Annual Conference 2014

C# Corner Annual Conference 2014, north India’s one of the largest developer conferences, held last week, from 11th to 13th April, at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Kaushambi, Ghaziabad. 

59% of Facebook’s ad revenues in Q1 2014 were from mobile ads

Mobile advertising now represents 59% of Facebook’s advertising revenues which was at $2.27 billion for the quarter. This translates to mobile advertising revenues of around $1.34 billion for the quarter.

Virginia Lee becomes Cable Europe head

Cable Europe, the trade association representing all leading broadband cable TV operators and their national associations throughout Europe, has appointed seasoned broadcast public affairs executive Virginia Lee as Director of Communications.

AMC/Sundance Channel acquires kinowelTV

AMC/Sundance Channel Global, a division of AMC Networks, has reached an agreement to acquire KinoweltTV, a pay-TV channel distributed throughout Germany, Austria and Switzerland.  The 24/7 linear network airs an array of classic and contemporary films.

The acquisition expands AMC/Sundance Channel Global’s European presence with full distribution across all platforms in German speaking Europe.  The transaction is subject to the satisfaction of certain closing conditions, including regulatory approval.

YuppTV inducts Subroto Bhattacharya as VP

Andhra Pradesh based over the top (OTT) platform YuppTV on 24th April has inducted Subroto Bhattacharya as vice president global of its customer acquisition division.

In his new role, Bhattacharya will be responsible for managing the customer acquisition for the company’s business across geographies. 

Satish K Singh joins Live India as Group Editor-in-Chief

Live India on 24th April has inducted veteran journalist Satish K singh as Group Editor-in-Chief. He joins Live India after leaving News Express, where he was working as Consulting Editor.

Before Satish K Singh, veteran journalist NK Singh was the Editor of Live India, who recently quit the organisation.

Outbrain India appoints Gulshan Verma as country manager

Online content discovery platform Outbrain has appointed Gulshan Verma as the country manager of OutBrain India. In this role, he will be responsible for leading the setup and growth of Outbrain in the country.

Broadband speed increased in India, but still lowest in APAC

Average broadband speed in India has increased by 31 per cent to 1.5 Mbps over the past one year but this is still the lowest in the Asia-Pacific region.

BSNL to partners with Reliance Jio for sharing tower infrastructure

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd is in talks with Reliance Jio for renting out its tower infrastructure across the country. BSNL has over 61,000 towers which is the second largest tower portfolio among all telecom companies.

Speaking with media, Anupam Shrivastava, Director (Consumer Mobility) of BSNL, said, “The talks with Reliance Jio are in final stages. We have offered them a bulk deal whereby if they buy space on certain number of our towers we will give discounted rate.”

Zee Media plans to bring English news and business news channel

After launching a series of regional news channels, Zee Media Corporation is planning to bring English language news channels.  

Brazil Govt brings Internet privacy law

Brazil Government on 22nd April had brought a comprehensive legislation on internet privacy stating the rights, duties, principle, guarantees for both Internet users and service providers. 

The lower House of Deputies had passed the Bill earlier, and the Senate approved it on 21st April, leaving only the expected signature into law from President Dilma Rousseff.

Press victims demand Rupert Murdoch ‘regret’ for rejecting regulation

The victim of press intrusion on 22nd April had sent a letter to Rupert Murdoch, demanding their deep regret that his UK newspapers are rejecting "meaningful reform" of industry regulation. 

 In a letter to Murdoch, and the rest of the company's board, they accused the Sun, Times and Sunday Times publisher of attempting to "preserve the failed [press regulation] arrangements of the past".

Vodafone brings M-Pesa wallet service in AP

Telecom operator Vodafone, in collaboration with ICICI Bank, completed the pan-India rollout of M-Pesa, its mobile money transfer and payment platform, with the launch of the service in the Andhra Pradesh market.

Infosys and Orange partners to bring TV apps with customized content

Information and technology giant Infosys and French telecommunications corporation Orange on 23rd April have inked an agreement to provide internet TV to its customers. 

In a statement, Infosys said that it will deliver a portfolio of interactive TV apps on the Orange Livebox Play. The TV apps will be powered by Infosys DigitizeEdge, a digital asset and experience platform for TV operators, media companies, advertisers and content publishers, the statement added.

58 mn broadband subscribers in India: TRAI

As per the TRAI release there are 58 million broadband subscribers in the country at the end of February 2014.

TRAI plans to bring rules on minimum wireless speed

Soon, consumers will have clarity and assurance on the minimum download speed they would get from their telecom operator, be it 2G or 3G services, as telecom regulator TRAI is gearing up to mandate mobile services companies to ensure details in this regard under quality of service rules.

Amit Arora joins BBC Worldwide as business development for Asia

BBC Worldwide has appointed Amit Arora as head of business development for Asia. He will take on a strategy and business development brief across the region. 

Arora joins from Delta Partners, a specialist telecom, media and technology consultancy, and has over a decade’s experience in media and telecom. He previously worked for Turner Broadcasting and Time Warner Cable in the US. He reports to director of business development and digital, global markets Nick Percy. 

EC registers 854 cases of ‘paid’ news

After the general election announced on 5th March, a total of 854 ‘paid’ news cases have been detected by the Election Commission (EC) till now, across the country. 

Tarun Gogoi demands Bharat Ratna for Jashodaben

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on 20th April had demanded Bharat Ratna for BJP’s prime ministerial candidate wife Jashodaben as she is a symbol of great Indian womanhood and sacrifice. 

He made this statement while addressing a press conference at the Rajiv Bhavan here, Mr. Gogoi said he would recommend Jashodaben for Bharat Ratna within 10 days. “I salute her a hundred times. She is a symbol of great Indian womanhood and sacrifice,” he said, while talking about Mr. Modi not disclosing his marital status in previous election affidavits.

SC constitutes panel to frame rules for ruling party ads

The Supreme Court (SC) on 23rd April has constituted a three member panel to frame rules for ruling party ads in media.

TDSAT orders broadcasters, aggregators to provide signals for AP MSO

Rejoice came for Andhra Pradesh based multi system operator (MSO), Wiretel Digital Networks on 23rd April as the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) has directed broadcasters and content aggregators to provide signals of their channels.

Background of case

Wiretel had on 15 February 2013 moved the TDSAT after the broadcasters and aggregators refused to enter into interconnect agreements on the ground that the MSO is providing digital cable service in areas where DAS has not been notified. 

The MSO, which has a DAS licence to operate in Andhra Pradesh, has a digital headend in Mangalagiri town of Guntur district. The broadcasters and aggregators contended that the area where the headend is located falls under Phases III and Phase IV of the DAS regime where the DAS regulations are yet to be enforced. 

Nokia mobile to be coined as Microsoft Mobile

When the USD 7.2 billion Nokia-Microsoft deal officially comes to a close by end of April, the once leading mobile phone of the world, Nokia mobile, will be renamed Microsoft Mobile.

The announcement comes after Nokia sent a letter to its suppliers informing them that its handset division will now be known as Microsoft Mobile. The transaction is now subject only to certain customary closing conditions. 

AT&T, Chernin commit $500m to OTT

AT&T has formed a $500 million joint venture with Chernin Group to acquire, invest in and launch a video streaming service. The Chernin Group will bring assets to the venture, including the contribution of its majority stake in Crunchyroll, a subscription VoD service.

Chernin, the vehicle of former top News Corp man Peter Chernin, says: “A critical part of The Chernin Group’s strategy has been our significant focus on the online video industry, and joining forces with AT&T only further underscores our strategic commitment in this area as operators, investors and programmers. Consumers are increasingly viewing video content on their phones, tablets, computers, game consoles and connected TVs on mobile and broadband networks. AT&T’s massive reach on those platforms across mobile and broadband and their commitment to the online video space make them the perfect fit for this venture with us.”

Netflix plans US cable STB integrations

In addition to voicing its opposition to the proposed Comcast-Time Warner Cable merger, Netflix has revealed that it plans to build on its successful integrations with European cable operators by launching its first US cable tie-ins.

In its earnings letter to shareholders announcing its Q1 results, the company said it remained “very happy” with the customer embrace of its MVPD (multichannel video programming distributor) set-top box integrations in Europe. “This quarter we will launch the first MVPD integrations in the US. As we did in Europe, we will start with US MVPDs that use the TiVo set-top box and try to extend to non-TiVo devices after that. From an MVPD point-of-view, they would rather have consumers use Netflix through the MVPD box and remote control than have consumers become accustomed to watching video from a smart TV or Internet TV device remote control,” it added.

Comcast adds 25,000 cable subs in Q2

Comcast reported increasing subscription numbers for its cable service for the second consecutive quarter, defying fears of so-called cord-cutters.

The company saw an improved performance thanks to its NBC Universal unit, growth in its business services division and the performance of its high-speed Internet group.

ZEEL inducts Sorbjeet Chatterjee as SVP marketing for Hindi GECs

Sorbojeet Chatterjee on 22nd April has been appointed by Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) as senior vice president for the cluster of Hindi general entertainment channels including Zee TV, Zee Anmol, Smile, 9X and Zee TV HD channels.

Prior to this appointment, Chatterjee was senior VP marketing at DNA. He has over 13 years of experience in the creative side as a copywriter and the business side in marketing and strategy. 

Nilesh Zaveri joins Discovery as SVP for Asia Pacific

Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific (DNAP) on 22nd April has inducted former Fox Sports Asia executive Nilesh Zaveri as senior vice president and chief financial officer, finance & corporate operations for Asia Pacific region. 

Zaveri, who will take the charge on 28 April, will provide strategic financial and corporate operations leadership, oversee all aspects of financial management for DNAP, and lead the interface and execution of key business decisions. 

Leo Burnett appoints Raj Deepak Das as chief creative officer

Leo Burnett on 22nd April has appointed Raj Deepak Das as the chief creative officer (CCO) for India. In his new role as CCO for India, he will be looking at operations across Mumbai, New Delhi, Bengaluru and Chennai.

Das will be based in Mumbai and will work closely with CEO Saurabh Varma. He said, “I always believed that ‘Agencies don’t create iconic brands, people do.’ And that is what Leo Burnett stands for. In Leo Burnett I want to bring in new trends of communications to make our brands future ready.”

Turner inducts Marianne Lee as GEC head for Asia Pacific

Turner International Asia Pacific has announced the appointment of Marianne Lee as its vice president-content, general entertainment. 

Lee will take over his new role, effective 2 May and will report directly to Turner International Asia Pacific president Ricky Ow.

India becomes hotspot for WhatsApp with 48m monthly active users

India is the largest market for the mobile messaging app WhatsApp with 48 million monthly active users (MAUs).

This is up from more than 40 million MAUs in February 2014, indicating that the company has added eight million MAUs in just two months. The company has also more than doubled its India user base in about eight months. It had reported 20 million MAUs in August 2013 and 25 million MAUs in November 2013.

AT&T, Chernin commit $500m to OTT

AT&T has formed a $500 million joint venture with Chernin Group to acquire, invest in and launch a video streaming service. The Chernin Group will bring assets to the venture, including the contribution of its majority stake in Crunchyroll, a subscription VoD service.

Chernin, the vehicle of former top News Corp man Peter Chernin, says: “A critical part of The Chernin Group’s strategy has been our significant focus on the online video industry, and joining forces with AT&T only further underscores our strategic commitment in this area as operators, investors and programmers. Consumers are increasingly viewing video content on their phones, tablets, computers, game consoles and connected TVs on mobile and broadband networks. AT&T’s massive reach on those platforms across mobile and broadband and their commitment to the online video space make them the perfect fit for this venture with us.”

Netflix, Comcast duel over merger

Netflix has revealed that it added 2.25 million US subscribers during the first quarter of 2014, ending the period with over 48 million global members, topping $1 billion in quarterly streaming revenue. In announcing its Q1 figures, it took the opportunity to voice its opposition to the proposed merger of cable MSOs Comcast and Time Warner Cable.

The 2.25 million net members took the total to 35.7 million members. It had higher domestic net additions than in Q1 2013, growing international success, and recorded a big hit with Season 2 of House of Cards.

75% connected device users say video apps important

Video apps are indispensable for most connected TV device users (connected TVs, video game consoles, Blu-ray players and streaming media boxes). According to research from NPD Connected Intelligence, 75 per cent of connected TV app users say video apps are ‘extremely’ or ‘very important’. Netflix ranks on the top of the list of video and TV everywhere Network apps cited as important to connected TV users.

“The importance of having core video aggregation apps such as Netflix and YouTube, has a lot to do with the convenience that allows consumers to easily access a multitude of programming options in one place,” said John Buffone, executive director, Connected Intelligence. “The next wave of TV app user, however, is looking for a different experience than earlier adopters and is placing greater emphasis on TV Everywhere apps from their favourite networks.”

Spain: 8 more DTT channels face closure

The shutdown of nine DTT channels in Spain by a May 6th deadline may be followed by the closure of another eight DTT channels if the Supreme Court accepts the appeal made by the company Infraestructuras y Gestión 2002 – which has argued that these additional channels also got their licences unlawfully.

The Spanish government has admitted it is a possibility, and that it would significantly reduce the DTT channels on offer even more. Infraestructuras y Gestion 2002 has made an appeal requesting the Supreme Court to execute the ruling and close down all the 17 affected DTT channels.

Korea: Ultra HD broadcasting goes on air

Ultra-HDNext-generation Ultra-HD broadcasting has commenced in Korea. U-max, an Ultra-HD cable TV channel, recently went on the air and started broadcasting four hours of Ultra-HD programming five times per day, including documentaries, cartoons and live concerts.

“We started broadcasting in ultra HD for the first time worldwide, after a test run last July,” said Minister of Science, ICT & Future Planning Choi Mun-Kee at a ceremony at the International Convention Center Jeju on Jeju Island to mark the beginning of Ultra-HD broadcasts. “This will affect related areas, including electronics and equipment makers, as well as the content industry.”

Netflix oppose Comcast/TWC merger

Internet entertainment streaming service Netflix has revealed that it added 2.25 million US subscribers during the first quarter of 2014, ending the period with over 48 million global members, topping $1 billion in quarterly streaming revenue. In announcing its Q1 figures, it took the opportunity to voice its opposition to the proposed merger of cable MSOs Comcast and Time Warner Cable.

The 2.25 million net members took the total to 35.7 million members. It had higher domestic net additions than in Q1 2013, growing international success, and recorded a big hit with Season 2 of House of Cards.

Sujay Kutty resigns from Zee to head ETV Bangla and Odia

Viacom18 group on 21st April has appointed Sujay Kutty as new business head to take responsibility of two new regional channels namely ETV Bangla and ETV Odia. 

Sujay Kutty will report to Viacom18 EVP and head of ETV Kannada, ETV Bangla and ETV Odia Ravish Kumar. 

Reliance inducts B V Rao as News and Communication Director

Reliance network on 21st April has inducted B V Rao as News and Communication Director.

Prior to joining Reliance B V Rao was the Group Editor, Sahara for its various channels. BV Rao has also served as an Editor, Governance Now in the past.

Box TV inks content deal with KM Plus Media

The Times Internet limited premium online video service provider BoxTv.com on 21st April has inked content deal with Czech Republic based production house KM Plus Media.  

KM Plus Media produces wildlife documentaries, children titles, lifestyle and travel shows to name a few genres from extended catalogue of more than 1500+ hours of TV programmings. 

TDSAT asks Dish TV to make payment to IndiaCast

The Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) have asked Dish TV to make payment to Indiacast UTV of the admitted amount.

The DTH operator was to furnish, by 17 April, the SMS reports from their systems from 1 January 2014, to the respondent. 

Background of case

In March, Dish TV had issued disconnection notices to 10 channels distributed by IndiaCast UTV, including CNBC-TV18 and IBN7 and some ETV regional channels, claiming low popularity. The content aggregator followed it up by issuing a disconnection notice for its remaining channels. 

Both parties moved the TDSAT for relief against disconnection notices issued by them against each other. 

Comcast expected to ride Internet and sports to Q1 gains, but analysts wary of TWC merger

Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA) will rely on two of its strengths--super-fast broadband and televised sports via its NBCUniversal group--to deliver "significantly higher" first quarter earnings, analysts predict ahead of tomorrow's earnings report. 

Muni broadband support flaring up again as digital divide widens

With the digital divide now spanning gigabits as opposed to megabits, the idea of community broadband--also known as municipal broadband, a way for municipalities to drive broadband into lightly serviced areas, is again flaring up across the country. 

According to Government Technology, five states in particular--Kansas, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Utah and Tennessee--bear watching. 

Samsung facility fire temporarily dumbs down smart Tvs

An electrical fire at a Samsung subsidiary facility in Gwacheon, South Korea temporarily knocked the smarts out of the company's smart TVs and left them presenting error messages to viewers. 

The fire, reportedly caused by an uninterruptible power supply on one of the facility's emergency generators, created disruptions on some services that tap the Internet through Samsung's devices, the company said on its website. 

Intel’s ‘Internet of Things’ division up 32%

The Internet of Things is taking off, and how, for chip-maker Intel. The recently formed division saw growth of 32 per cent compared with the same period last year, mostly based on use of its low-cost ‘Atom’ chip, and where volume sales “nearly doubled” in y-o-y.

The news came during Intel’s Q1 analyst call, where CEO Brian Krzanch reported that while consumer demand remained “challenging” (mobile unit volumes were up y-o-y for the first time since Q2/2012, while desktop sales were flat y-o-y), the overall picture was good with all-time records in terms of core volumes and items shipped.

Dee Dee Myers to head Warner Bros comms

Dee Dee Myers Former White House Press Secretary and current political analyst and commentator Dee Dee Myers has been named Executive Vice President, Worldwide Corporate Communications and Public Affairs for Warner Bros. Myers will join the company September 2nd and report to Kevin Tsujihara, Chief Executive Officer, Warner Bros. Entertainment.

After leaving the White House, Myers was a consultant to celebrated Warner Bros political drama West Wing. The character of White House Press Secretary CJ Cregg was loosely based on Myers.

Entropic and other STBs hit by patent claim

DirecTV, Entropic, CyberTan and other set-top box suppliers have been named in a patent action by Canadian semiconductor company ViXS Systems and its US subsidiary, ViXS USA. ViXS is alleging that the technology companies are importing set-top boxes and other components that infringe four of its patents. The action seems to be a ‘tit for tat’ response to an action started by Entropic in May last year against ViXS.

The new complaint was filed April 17 with the US International Trade Commission. The full complaint states: “these companies have engaged in unfair trade practices by the importation, sale for importation, and sale after importation of certain set-top boxes (STBs), gateways, bridges, switches, and adapters and components thereof that infringe one or more claims of United States Patent Nos. 7,301,900 (the 900 patent), 7,099,951 (the 951 patent), 7,200,855 (the 855 patent), and 7,406,598 (the 598 patent) (collectively, the Asserted Patents).

Univision launches Flama OTT network

Univision Communications, a media company serving Hispanic America, and Bedrocket, a specialist in digital programming and innovation, have official launched Flama – its fully dedicated over-the-top network providing premium English-language video programming for 15 – 30 year olds who are inspired and entertained by the Latin culture that is influencing today’s younger generation.

Flama features established and emerging stars across comedy, music, sports and lifestyle verticals. In support of the exploding Latino creative community, Flama is a network for discovering and sharing original and curated video. It is dedicated to providing access to talent and stories made by, for and with Hispanic millennials.

Leading OTT, online video services find voice on Amazon Fire TV

Only days after introducing its new online video device, Amazon has announced that the unified voice search facility on Fire TV now supports Hulu Plus, Crackle, and Showtime Anytime.

The online video and over the top offerings join VEVO in integrating voice search for their full catalogues beginning summer 2014 and Amazon adds that there is a further pipeline of developers working to make their services available for Fire TV. A new browse feature is designed to simplify the process of discovering films and TV shows that are included in Prime Instant Video while Amazon FreeTime and Amazon MP3 www.amazon.com integration come as part of a free, over-the-air software update.

Videocon d2h and MStar Semiconductor inks deal for MPEG-4HD STBs

Videocon d2h, Asia’s most promising DTH brand & India’s fastest growing DTH service provider on 19th April has tied up with MStar Semiconductor, Inc., a leading semiconductor company for production of HD MPEG-4 DVB-S2 set-top box. 

The new set-top box is capable of processing high quality “Asli” HD channels and bringing premium content to subscribers. This new HD set-top box with MStar’s latest technology provides premium video and audio qualities while maintaining effective overall system cost.

Sony Music Entertainment and Zee Music Company ink pact

Sony Music Entertainment and Zee Music Co on 19th April had announced a world-wide deal under which the global music major will manage all digital assets for the Indian firm’s upcoming Bollywood releases.

With this announcement Sony Music will have access to all of Zee Music’s releases, including Holiday, Bang Bang, Bombay Velvet, Humshakal and Hawa Hawaii, the company said in a statement.

Digicable agree to clear Sun Distribution’s dues in installments

India’s leading multi-system operators (MSOs) Digicable has agreed to clear its dues to Sun TV Network’s Distribution arm Sun Distribution Services in three instalments. 

The Digicable decision came on the heels of a recovery petition filed by Sun Distribution in Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT). 

ARRIS acquires SeaWell Networks

In a move that further strengthens its IP delivery capabilities, IP, video and broadband technology specialist ARRIS is to acquire multiscreen video delivery solutions provider SeaWell Networks for an undisclosed amount. The acquisition comes one year after ARRIS acquired Motorola Mobility’s Home division.

ARRIS is integrating SeaWell’s adaptive bit rate (ABR) streaming technologies and talent into its Network and Cloud business. ARRIS says this combined portfolio – of IP video, multiscreen, and ad insertion solutions – will be the enabler for next-gen TV and advertising services. These solutions will enhance IP video by enabling new levels of interactivity and personalisation. They also will streamline video distribution across a variety of devices, while minimising the cost and complexity of multiple IP streaming platforms for multiple device types.