Archive for July, 2009
Prasar Bharati DTH moving to pay mode?
Source: DNAIndia.com New Delhi: At a time when competition in the direct-to-home (DTH) broadcasting space is intensifying, public broadcaster Prasar Bharati plans to increase the number of channels on its platform from the current 59 to 198. Also, as against the current model of only free-to-air channels, Prasar Bharati’s DTH platform — DD Direct Plus — will also accommodate 144 pay channels, four hi-definition channels and 50 radio channels with PPP models. The scheme is yet to be approved by the government, according to the Outcome Budget 2009-10 of the information & broadcasting »»»
IBM enters pact with Sun Direct TV
Source: CIOL.com BANGALORE, INDIA: IBM has signed a services deal Sun Direct TV, part of the Sun TV Group, to implement and manage customer relationship management (CRM) related applications and services. The deal includes end-to-end services from strategy through implementation, a release said. “As we continued our aggressive growth plans, we will rely on IBM to help us tackle key issues surrounding billing and customer relationship management, as well as develop ways to get better insights on customer behaviors,” Sun Direct TV Chief Operating Officer Tony D’Silva said. Under »»»
Dish TV to open up new opportunities for long-term investors
Source: The Economic Times The direct-to-home satellite TV (DTH) has ceased to be a niche business in India and is gradually emerging as a volume game with five players – early entrant Dish TV, Tata Sky, Big TV of Anil Ambani, Bharti Airtel and Sun Direct – battling it out in the market. The DTH subscriber base touched the 12 million-mark in FY09 from less than a million three years earlier. The entry of Anil Ambani’s Big TV, Airtel and Sun Group last year has triggered a price war making it even more difficult for these companies to achieve financial breakeven as the cost of launching the »»»
BSNL rolls out IPTV service in Kerala
Source: The Hindu Business Line Thiruvananthapuram, July 24 BSNL, in association with Smart Digivision Private Ltd, under its ‘MyWay’ brand, has launched Interactive Personalised Television and Video Services (IPTV) for its customers in Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi in Kerala. Using a broadband connection and fixed line from BSNL and a MyWay set-top box, the customers can connect to a set of interactive personalised features via their home television. MyWay IPTV service is now available in 54 cities across the country. ...
WWIL Q1 net loss up as revenue drops 12%
Source: Indiantelevision.com MUMBAI: A hit in revenues and investment towards Headend-In-The-Sky (HITS) has pulled down the first-quarter profitability of Wire and Wireless (India) Limited. The Subhash Chandra-promoted cable TV distribution company has posted a consolidated net loss of Rs 477.69 million for the quarter ended 30 June, as against Rs 183.15 million a year ago. Operating revenue for the quarter fell by 12 per cent to Rs 630.06 million (from Rs 716.26 million). “The company made several corrections in this period,” says a source. WWIL is betting big on HITS for future turn »»»
Sun Direct in talks to raise Rs1,000 crore
Source: Livemint.com Chennai: The direct-to-home (DTH) service promoted by Kalanidhi Maran, Sun Direct TV Pvt. Ltd, is negotiating with several bankers to raise Rs1,000 crore in debt to fund its expansion in the current financial year, a top company official said. About 90% of the money raised would be used to import set-top boxes, a device used to beam digital signals directly to televisions. Maran is chairman and managing director of Sun TV Network Ltd, the No.1 broadcaster in Tamil Nadu. “As of today, we are managing with internal resources… There are quite a few options available now—one »»»
New entrants fueling uptake of DTH services in India
Source: TelecomTiger The Indian DTH services sector is basking in the increasingly competitive environment being witnessed in the country. The year 2008 saw subscriber base for DTH services to almost triple on YoY basis. DTH subscribers are estimated to grow at a CAGR of 25 % during 2009-12. The low penetration of the services provides a huge scope for growth in years to come. India’s present DTH subscriber base is well over 12 million. Currently the Indian DTH market comprises of players namely Dish TV, Tata Sky, Sun Direct, Big TV and Airtel’ Digital TV with one more player in the Form of »»»
