Archive for February, 2010
Tata Sky aims to double subscriber base to 9 m by 2012
Direct-to-home (DTH) player Tata Sky Ltd expects to double its subscriber base to nine million by 2012 as it plans add more interactive applications and television channels to its platform. “We expect to double our subscriber base by 2012,” said Mr Vikram Kaushik, CEO, Tata Sky. The three-year-old DTH player had a subscriber base of 4.5 million as of November 2009. Tata Sky is a joint venture between the Tata Group and Star. The Tata Group owns 70 per cent stake in the DTH player, while Star holds 20 per cent and the remaining 10 per cent is held by Temasek. Mr Kaushik said the company plans »»»
Trai issues simplified form for info on tariff in non-Cas areas
NEW DELHI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, which had asked all cable operators to give information relating to tariff for cable television in non-Cas areas, has now issued a simplified version of its format in different Indian languages for small cable operators having less than 500 subscribers to speed up the process. Trai had undertaken the exercise following orders of the Supreme Court order on 13 May 2009 but the Court on 18 January 2010 wanted that the work should be completed by 30 June 2010. The Court directed all stakeholders to cooperate in this exercise and Trai also sought »»»
Saam Marathi on Dish TV now
PUNE: Saam Marathi is now available on the Dish TV. SAAM can be accessed on Channel 870 on the Dish TV. SAAM Marathi already is available on Videocon DtoH channel 731. SAAM soon is coming with new serials, a special music reality show and programmes based on holistic information. The Dish TV subscribers will now enjoy the SAAM Marathi programmes along with Videocon DtoH and cable network subscribes, said Sakaal Media Group director (Information Technology) Bhausaheb Patil. Source: Sakaal Times ...
Ezeego1.com enters joint alliance with Reliance BIG TV
Ezeego1.com and Reliance BIG TV, the DTH arm of Reliance ADA group have entered into a joint alliance to offer discounts to their customers on holiday packages, international air tickets and DTH connections. Travellers booking a domestic or an international package on Ezeego1.com will get Rs 1000 off on Reliance BIG TV connection, as well as if they book an international air ticket they can avail a discount of Rs 600 on the same. In addition to these discounts Reliance BIG TV is also offering a three months silver pack subscription free. Furthermore, Reliance BIG TV customers will get an additional »»»
DTH companies see big money in ad innovation
Meena Pande, a 28-year-old marketing professional, is back from a hard day’s work. A direct-to-home (DTH) subscriber, she switches on her TV set to watch her favourite channel. What greets her, instead, is an advertisement. She gets up for some water, and when she comes back, realises that not only is the ad being repeated but the entire channel blocked by a single advertiser. The ad keeps on playing till she manually switches channels. DTH companies such as Dish TV, Tata Sky and Airtel are considering innovative propositions like these ads, which play up when powered. And, static ones »»»
Rationalise tax burden on DTH industry
Digitalisation of the pay TV sector should be a national priority. There should be an urgent rationalisation of the tax burden on the DTH industry which currently exceeds 50 per cent. This means, consumers are paying more than they should for digital TV services and the analog cable industry that under-declares its connections and evades tax on a massive scale is being indirectly subsidised. The Government loses more than Rs 4,500 crore of tax which should be coming to it from the cable industry every year. Secondly, the imposition of customs duty on DTH set top boxes last year was short-sighted »»»
Rana Barua quits Radio City
MUMBAI: Radio City EVP and national head programming Rana Barua has called it a day. Currently servicing his notice period, Barua was associated with Radio City for four years. Confirming the news, Barua says, “Yes, I have put in my papers at Radio City. I am still weighing my options as to where I will head next.” Prior to joining Radio City, Barua headed the Mumbai office of Bates Enterprises for two years. Source: Indiantelevision.com ...
