Sky Now unveils contract-free triple-play service

Sky has launched the NOW TV Combo packaging TV, broadband and telephony in the UK’s first ever contract-free triple-play bundle. The Now TV Combo is due to launch next month alongside the latest generation of the Roku-powered Now TV Smart Box – which includes a new homepage and frequently updated editorial recommendations.

Coordination Meeting for issuing Disaster alerts held at NDMA

A Meeting to co-ordinate issuing of disaster alerts by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) was organized at the NDMA Bhawan New Delhi on 17 June.   The meeting chaired by Shri R.K. Jain, Member was well att6ended by representatives of various Ministries/ Departments, including Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Ministry of Water Resources, IMD and CWC.

Umang Bedi appointed as new Facebook India MD

Social Media giant Facebook appointed Umang Bedi  as  Managing Director India , where he will lead in building and maintaining strategic relationship with top clients and regional agencies in the country.

Verizon mulling $3bn bid for Yahoo’s internet business

Verizon has submitted a second-round bid to acquire Yahoo!'s core internet business. Verizon would also scoop up an array of miscellaneous web products and services, including Yahoo Answers and Yahoo Finance.

Zee News going FTA from 8 June

Zee News will be available to viewer FTA across India from 8th June, 16. According to the company , this has been done in public demand.

TRAI extends time for comments on Interconnection framework for broadcasting TV services.

TRAI has extended the time for receipt of comments from stakeholders on consultation paper on “ Interconnection framework for broadcasting TV services distributed using addressable systems, “ to 10 June 2016. This has been done on the request of stakeholders. The consultation paper was issued  on 4th May 2016 inviting written comments and counter comments from the stakeholders by 03rd June 2016 and 17th June 2016 respectively. 

Large Mobile operators do not pass the quality of service test- TRAI

TRAI, the Telecom Regulator has released a report on 01 June on Quality of Service provided by mobile operators. The report gives results of call drop rate, Blocked call rate, Accessbility, Mobility HOSR and Reception quality done for all cellular networks in Delhi. 

Win At Well-Being Care World TV To Quiz Viewers On Health & Wellness – Launches ‘Health Quiz’

India’s leading health and wellness television channel, Care World TV in an attempt to make well-being an interactive subject, has launched Health Quiz. A daily quiz session, Health Quiz will constitute simple but puzzling questions on wellness related subjects. The nine year old TV channel endeavours to evoke the minds and interests of viewers on diverse, critical health topics. Viewers are invited to respond via SMS and the result is announced on the same day. The winners also stand a chance to win exciting prizes.

Tata Sky adopts Next Gen Digital Payment Platform

Tata Sky, a pioneer of innovative services in the DTH industry, has partnered with TechProcess Payment Services, India’s leading electronic payments company for the Next Gen Digital Payments Platform. This platform will empower multi-mode online and mobile payments for Tata Sky and will provide convenience and safety for consumers to make digital payments.

BHARTI AIRTEL LEADS THE RACE FOR BROADBAND CONNECTIONS

Bharti Airtel has connected 38.47 million broadband connections till 31 March 2016.

Sterlite takes over Elitecore, becomes a puue play telecom player.

Sterlite Technologies has now become a  pure play telecom-focused player following the demerger of its power business into Sterlite Power Transmission Ltd and completion of Elitecore Technologies' merger. The company has also implemented a new brand identity and a logo. 

Siti Cable entres North East through JV route

Creating a well established digital network in West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha and Jharkhand, Siti Cable  has NOW acquired 50% stake in Assam-based independent multi-system operator (MSO) Axom Communications & Cable (ACC) making an entry  in the North East, where the Phase III & IV market dominates.. The acquisition has been made through Siti Cable’s Kolkata based subsidiary Indian Cable Net Company Ltd (ICNCL). ACC, which is now an equal JV between the two companies, will be named ACC Siti Cable. There are three directors from ICNCL side and AXOM has two directors in the JV which is already operational. From Siti Cable side, the three directors on the company’s board are Anil Malhotra, Suresh Sethiya and Anil Jain. Sanjeev Narain and Gautam Bharali are directors from Axom.

MIB will not cap the number of TV channels for Downlinking

The Government has no intention to put a cap on the number of TV channels permitted to downlink in the country.

TIMES NOW hires Sky Media for ad sales in the UK

TIMES NOW, the English News Channel of Times Network has picked up Sky Media, the largest media sales agency in the UK for its ad sales in the market. The channel was recently launched in the UK and has received good initial response to its programming and is positive about its rapid growth.

Saugato Bhowmik joins as Head of Integrated Network Solutions at Viacom18

Viacom18 announced Saugato Bhowmik’s appointment as the head of its Integrated Network Solutions (INS) business unit. INS has been instrumental in developing brand solutions for consumers and live properties across music and entertainment genres.

Rovi to acquire TiVo in $1.1bn deal

Rovi and TiVo have confirmed a a cash and stock deal of approximately $1.1 billion for acquisition of Television Technology specialist TiVo by the entertainment discovery giant RoVi. 

Back season viewing on streaming platforms helps new shows

SymphonyAM, a data technology and research firm that passively measures integrated cross-media consumption, has revealed the findings from their report about the positive impact that streaming back seasons has on current broadcast TV shows. The study found that an average of 38 per cent of viewers who watched a back season across any platform during the weeks leading up to a season premiere also watched the current season. It also revealed that drama programmes are the most likely to have back season viewing and that Netflix is the primary source of most of this back season viewing.

BARC completes one year, promises new services

On 29th April the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India, a joint industry body formed for measuring television viewership completed first year of operation. A year ago its launch  was described by some as a watershed moment for the broadcasting industry as the data was said to be more representative, objective and transparent.

Changes in DD strategy backfires

The broadcaster is having to plan to auction prime time slots, leaving producers getting angry.

Court asks BCCI to Star TV and telcos for jointly pre-deposit ing of Rs 1.5 crore

Chief Justice of India TS Thakur on Friday   told  cash-rich BCCI, Star TV and three mobile phone companies, asking them to deposit Rs 1.5 crore jointly before it began adjudicating on a dispute over instant commercial cricket alerts. 

DAVP owed 36 crores to the Government

An exact total of around Rs 36 crore is owed to 271 television channels by the Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity. DAVP also owed about Rs 111.7 crore to the print media in 35 states and union territories as on 1 April. DAVP being the nodal advertising department for the government of India releases advertisements on behalf of different ministries/departments.

Ajay Mittal to take over as I&B secretary after Sunil Arora’s retires

Suni Arora, Secretary, Information and Broadcasting is retiring on 30th April and passing on the baton to Ajay Mittal a 1982 batch IAS officer from Himachal Pradesh.

[CQ Spreading Spiritualism Indian Spiritual & Religious Website | EN]

FCC lays down conditions for Charter to takeover TWC

The FCC and Justice Department are set to approve Charter Communications’ acquisition of Time Warner Cable following the circulation of an Order by FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler for an FCC vote to support the deal. Wheeler has imposed conditions that he says “will directly benefit consumers by bringing and protecting competition to the video marketplace and increasing broadband deployment”.
[CQ Spreading Spiritualism Indian Spiritual & Religious Website | EN]

Consumers increasingly taking multiple SVoD services

Findings from Futuresource Consulting suggest that the relationship between SVoD and pay-TV is relatively complementary in most countries, with pay-TV households more likely to take SVoD services than free-to-air only households, although as SVoD becomes more established, this is less apparent.
[CQ Spreading Spiritualism Indian Spiritual & Religious Website | EN]

Shyam Benegal Committee submits its report on Cinematograph Act/ Rules

On 1st January 2016 in sync with the overarching vision of the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi and Hon’ble Union Minister of Information & Broadcasting, Shri Arun Jaitley, to lay down a holistic framework for certification of films, a Committee was set up under the Chairmanship of Shri Shyam Benegal to lay down norms for film certification that take note of best practices in various parts of the world and give sufficient and adequate space for artistic and creative expression,  lay down procedures and guidelines for the benefit of the CBFC Board to follow and examine staffing patterns with a view to recommending a framework that would provide efficient and transparent user friendly services.
[CQ Spreading Spiritualism Indian Spiritual & Religious Website | EN]

Videocon d2h ties up with Vodafone m-pesa

Videocon d2h announced that its sub base of over 15 Million can now recharge their d2h service using Vodafone m-pesa. This tie-up with Vodafone allows its customers a simple, convenient and on demand recharge facility using the proven m-pesa platform. In addition, the 1,20,000+ Vodafone m-pesa CashIn points will also accept recharge for Videocon d2h, thus providing additional convenience to customers.

Hathway launches series of Brand New Channels, to create a robust bouquet

Hathway, the country’s leading MSO & broadband service provider, has launched a series of 4 new platform channels today in the music & movie genres create a robust bouquet of channels which will offer Hathway subscribers, the best of entertainment package exclusively. The 4 new channels- DJAY, LAMHE, HOME THEATRE and MARATHI TALKIEShave been designed and packaged in a new vibrant, dynamic and cutting-edge look providing a sophisticated, satellite-like experience to Hathway subscribers, thus, offering them wide array of content with a fresh appeal.

Joy Chakraborthy takes over as President- Revenue at Network 18.

Network18 Group has appointed Joy Chakraborthy as president of revenue at TV18. Joy will be in charge of revenue across all entities within TV18. All sales heads within TV18 (except Viacom18) will report to him. 

Videocon d2h may become second DTH to turn profitable.

The Videocon Group owned DTH company Videocon d2h has the potential of becoming the second DTH operator, after Dish TV to turn profitable at the net level in the first quarter of FY17. Videocon d2h, which hiked its monthly subscription packages by a minimum of Rs 20 early this year, is expected to narrow its net loss in the exit quarter of FY16. In the third quarter ended 31 December 2015, the company reported net loss of Rs 22 crore (Rs 220 million). The impact of the subscription pack hike will be captured in a full quarter for the first time in the April–June period. Media analysts expect Videocon d2h’s average revenue per user (ARPU) to increase by 5–6% as a result of this. The DTH operator’s ARPU in the third quarter of FY16 stood at Rs 211.

Netflix to focus on premium audiences in India

The International OTT player Netflix has no plans to change price points in new markets like India as it is targeting premium audiences, CEO Reed Hastings said. “We really haven’t seen price to be much of an issue. But then today we’re serving English-speaking elites in these countries. So in the model that we’re doing and targeting the high end, the price is fine. We’ll see over the coming years as we expand and we may need some flexibility eventually. But nothing in the short term,” Hastings told media analysts in a conference call.

Secretary I&B inaugurates Public screening of Indian Panorama-2015 films

Shri Sunil Arora, Secretary I&B has said that as part of the Government’s effort to promote the Indian film industry and India’s “Soft Power”  it has been decided to institute  a new award category under the National Film Awards titled “The Most Film Friendly State/UT”.  This award will be conferred for the first time at the 63rd National Film Awards to be held on 3rd May 2016.  The award will be conferred by the Hon’ble President of India. Shri Arora announced this while delivering his address at the inaugural function for the Public screening of Indian Panorama-2015 films at Siri Fort Auditorium in New Delhi on 18 January. 

Zee Entertainment on the growth path

Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) has posted 17 per cent year-on-year increase in income to Rs1,595 crore for the December quarter, driven largely by higher advertisement revenue.

Paras Sharma promoted as SVP, Viacom Intl Media Networks Asia

Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) has promoted Paras Sharma to senior vice president of MTV & Comedy Central Brands and Digital Media, Asia, with immediate effect.

Channel V vice president programming Lavanya Anand resigns

Channel V vice president programming Lavanya Anand has put in her papers at the company.

Krishnan Kutty to head English cluster at Star India

Star India distribution head Krishnan Kutty will now look after the English cluster at the company. 

AsiaSat 6 to provide video services in China

AsiaSat 6 has received a permit to provide video services in Mainland China.

Zee forway into German market with FTA channel

Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd has announced its foray into Germany. The company said it also plans to launch a free-to-air television channel for this market by mid-2016. 

nexGTV names Dushyant Kohli as head - growth

Video entertainment app nexGTV has appointed Dushyant Kohli as head - growth.

Sony LIV to livestream the Australian Open for free

Sony Pictures Network (SPN) has announced that its over-the-top digital platform Sony LIV will livestream the Australian Open, the international tennis tournament, for free. The live matches will be available for viewing from January 18-31, on the SonyLiv Android and iOS Mobile app, as well as the Sony LIV website.

PM launches Start-up India movement, unveils action plan for encouraging Start-ups

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi launched the Start-up India initiative in New Delhi on 16 January 2016. The launch by the Prime Minister this evening was preceded by a day-long workshop on various aspects of entrepreneurship. 

DD to encrypt ‘Free Dish’ DTH Service

DD has decided to use Indian CAS from ByDesign to encrypt all its channels after migrating to MPEG4 compression system that will allow the pubcaster to increase its channels from 64 to 112 on its Free Dish FTA DTH service. According to sources, migration for MPEG2 to MPEG4 will take place in two phase starting from January.

No Analogue Switch off in Phase III till High Courts decide - MIB

As told to the High Court of Punjab & Haryana in Chandigarh, The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting is not going to press for implementation of DAS in Phase III cities till the High Courts decide on the pending cases. 

ED charges Marans with money laundering

The Enforcement Directorate on 9 January filed a complaint against the former Telecom Minister, Dayanidhi Maran, his brother Kalanithi Maran, his wife Kaveri Kalanithi and others in a money laundering case.

Priyanka Chopra wins People's Choice TV award for ‘Quantico’

Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra has won the Favourite Actress in a New TV series award at the People’s Choice Awards 2016 for her leading role in American TV thriller series ‘Quantico’.

Arun Jaitley, Col. Rathore hold interaction with the Shyam Benegal Committee on Film Certification

Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting Shri Arun Jaitley, Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting Col. Rajyavardhan Rathore and I&B Secretary Shri Sunil Arora on 9 January 2016 held wide ranging interaction with the recently constituted Shyam Benegal Committee in Mumbai. The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting on January 1st, 2016, constituted an Expert Committee under the chairmanship of Shri Shyam Benegal to recommend broad guidelines for certification of films by the Central Board of Film Certification, CBFC. 

MIB likely to move Supreme Court against DAS Phase III stay orders

With cable operators rushing to state High Courts against closure of Phase III and getting stay orders, implementation of digital addressable system has almost halted. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has become worried and decided to take the matter to the Supreme Court. 

MIB will be filing the petition in the apex court to club the orders from different high courts to get all stays vacated in one stroke.