Archive for November, 2011
Airtel Launches iRadio With 21 Radio Channels For DTH Subscribers
Airtel digital TV, the direct-to-home (DTH) service by telecom major Bharti Airtel, has launched iRadio – a 24/7 entertainment application that has 21 radio channels available to all its customers, at no additional cost. The 21 audio channels on iRadio include FM Gold, FM Gold Mumbai, FM Rainbow, FM Rainbow Bangalore, FM Rainbow Chennai, Radio Kashmir, Gyanvani Radio, AIR Hindi, AIR Punjabi, AIR Tamil, AIR Telugu, AIR Bangla, AIR Gujarati, AIR Urdu, AIR Marathi, AIR Kannada, AIR Oriya, AIR Malayalam, AIR Assamese, AIR Ragam, and AIR North-East. iRadio is yet another compelling reiteration of »»»
Digisitation to fetch 6x more revenues: Hathway
In an interview with CNBC-TV18, K Jayaraman, chief executive officer and managing director of Hathway Cable & Datacom Limited spoke about the cable digitization bill and the road ahead for the comapany. Below is the edited transcript of the interview. Also watch the accompanyig video. Q: Digitisation deadline has been postponed to June 30, 2012 versus March 31. Do you expect digitization to take place in the top four metros by June 30? A: Certainly. The ordinance, which was signed by honourable President of India, is pending and will have to be approved by the members of the Lok Sabha and Rajya »»»
Dish TV gets FIPB nod to raise Rs 9.8 billion
NEW DELHI: The Government has permitted Dish TV India to increase foreign equity to the extent of Rs 9.8 billion. The leading direct-to-home company had sought permission to raise funds to produce telecommunication equipment and provide management and marketing of ‘agrani’ services in the area of Mobile Satellite Communications. Indiantelevision was first to report that the company is looking to raise $200 million from overseas investors. Meanwhile, NDTV Lifestyle Ltd has been permitted to increase in foreign equity up to 100 per cent. The company is engaged in the media industry for »»»
Opportunities in offing for TV media companies?
Analogue cable will soon become history in India. The government has approved full digitization of cable services. Although the implementation will be in a phased manner, by 2012, all metro cities will be completely digitized. This will be followed by the cities with a population of more than 1 m which will be covered by March 2013. By September 2014 all urban areas would be covered and by the end of year 2014, the entire country will be fully digitized. This digitization will bring in a whole new dynamic environment for companies in the TV media space. Analogue cable will have to be completely »»»
Dish TV to raise $200m from foreign investors
Returns on investments in the DTH sector have long gestation period and, hence, the company needs to raise additional capital to continue investing in its business. In what may be the biggest inflow of foreign investment in the direct-to-home (DTH) business by any private operator, Dish TV, the country’s largest DTH operator, is set to raise up to $200 million (around `1,000 crore) by issuing equity shares to overseas investors through multiple financial instruments, including Global Depository Receipts (GDRs), American Depository Receipts (ADRs) and Foreign Currency Convertible Bonds (FCCBs), »»»
Madras HC stays levying entertainment tax on DTH
The Madras High Court has stayed a Tamil Nadu government decision to levy 30 per cent entertainment tax on direct-to-home services in the state. A single-judge bench issued the order in response to a petition filed by Dish TV, the country’s largest DTH operator. The Noida-based satellite television firm was aggrieved about a Bill the state administration recently passed, levying a 30 per cent entertainment tax on DTH operators from September 27 this year. That led Dish TV to move court, contending that such levy was discriminatory. It argued that the cable network was exempt from such entertainment »»»
Tamil Nadu’s Arasu cable TV mulls Chennai operations
Chennai, Nov 22 (IANS) The state-owned Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable TV Corporation (TNACTV) is exploring the feasibility of starting its services in the state capital and has sought details from multi-system operators (MSO) and Local Cable Operators (LCO). In a statement issued here Tuesday, the firm asked the MSOs and LCOs to furnish details such as equipment owned by them. The company said the information is sought so as to ‘enable this Corporation to examine the possibility of expanding the cable TV services in Chennai’. Breaking the monopoly enjoyed by Sun TV group in the cable TV services »»»
