Tata Sky has managed to surprise subscribers with technology innovations ever since its launch; the latest being Tata Sky Video on Demand which includes Catch Up TV and VoD Movie Library. Sanjeev Sinha caught up with Mr. Vikram Mehra, Chief Marketing Officer, Tata Sky, for his views on how Tata Sky is ready to change the way we see DTH in India. Excerpts:

There have been many innovations in the DTH industry since its inception. Are there any more future technologies in the loop?

Tata Sky has always been in the forefront of introducing future technologies and innovations in the Indian DTH industry. First it was a unique range of interactive services, then the bi-lingual guide followed by the PVR (Personal Video Recorder), Gaming, High Definition and Mobile Access which provides consumers a unique social experience. The latest addition to the technology leadership is the launch of our latest Video on Demand (VoD) service that includes ‘Catch Up TV’ and VoD Movie Library. Catch Up TV is a service that allows its Tata Sky+ HD subscribers to watch their favourite TV show even after the original broadcast without the need to record. This unique service will give subscribers access to select TV shows that can be downloaded from the Tata Sky server and viewed at their convenience. The VoD Movie Library is an assortment of old and new movies that will be available to the subscriber for easy downloads. It will host over 500-1000 movie titles across multiple genres and languages in digital quality. Subscribers can choose from erstwhile Kishore Kumar, Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan movies to contemporary movies with Ranbir Kapoor, Hritihik Roshan & Aamir Khan etc

What is fuelling the growth of DTH services in India?

The DTH industry continues to expand rapidly and there are no signs of a slowdown in this industry. Given the superior quality in terms of viewing and interactivity, the number of DTH subscribers will continue to grow. One of the key reasons is the technology progression and overall value proposition that is simplifying and enhancing consumer’s television viewing experience that is driving the growth of DTH services in India. Another important catalyst for growth of DTH is customer service since it is a key differentiator between the DTH players and the unorganized service providers. Cheap pricing can no longer be an excuse for poor customer service and players who focus on customer needs will flourish. Hence, at Tata Sky we have several call centers manned by over 1,200 people and dealing in 11 languages 24×7 to ensure that all our users find it easy to interact with us and help us to serve them better.

There seems to be a huge amount of buzz in High Definition these days. But what about its market potential and consumer expectations?

Although the concept of HD is relatively new, it is fast becoming a game changer in the Indian DTH market. However, the growth of HD depends on two key factors — content and pricing. It is imperative that the content that is marketed as HD is genuinely shot using high definition cameras. The current trend of selling up-converted channels as HD will do a grave damage as the customer will feel cheated. Pricing is important for market penetration. Last year, Tata Sky launched its HD box at an affordable price point of just Rs 2599. Nowhere in the world has HD technology been offered at such great value by any DTH operator. Our aim was to make HD part of a colossal number of Indian households across the country. We followed that up with the launch of our HD PVR box that allows you to record live content in HD as well. All our HD content is available as part of our HD pack (Rs 75) which any subscriber irrespective of their base pack can take. Broadcasters today are providing Tru HD content in all formats of Movies, Sports, GECs, etc. This is inevitably going to lead to higher penetration of HD technology. We believe it to be the future of TV viewing and see a huge potential with DTH especially driving it growth.

Tata Sky currently offers around 8 HD channels while some of its competitors claim to offer as many as 40 HD channels. Why this big difference?

As a technology leader, we believe in providing the best to our consumers and in its original form. As a policy we don’t launch upconverted HD channels on our platforms. All our HD channels are Asli HD channels, shot using HD cameras. Our current lineup has Sports (ESPN, Star Cricket), Movies (Star Movies, Star Gold), GEC, Infotainment etc. Many more channels will be launched in future. Our endeavor is to offer the best HD content including last Cricket World Cup & IPL to our viewers. The upcoming India-Aus series will also be available on HD to our subscribers. It is crucial that the consumers are educated about the difference between the multiple forms of HD that is currently being offered. At Tata Sky our aim has always been to offer greater value and most importantly in its purest form and we would continue on this principle. We currently provide 8 true HD channels on our platform and would continue to add more channels to our bouquet as and when it is launched in its purest form.

What are your future growth strategies and plans? Are you also going to introduce some new features and technologies in near future?

Our overall strategy has always been to offer our consumers greater value by introducing a host of unique innovations and services. The latest being the launch of our VoD service and we except to double our current PVR subscriber base in the next couple of years. As for future features and technologies, we have always proved to be one of the best and will continue to do so by launching technologically advanced features as per our customers’ demands.

Source: The Economic Times

NEW DELHI: Even as most DTH operators differ that a common Open Architecture based set-top box could ensure technical interoperability among different operators, they are unanimous that the government should take steps to reduce the cost of the STBs.

Meanwhile, most operators have lauded the government’s efforts towards digitisation and expressed their willingness to support these measures.

The comments came in response to a Consultation Paper issued by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India on the possibility of technical interoperability and technical compatibility among different DTH operators who have adopted the same or different standards.

The consultation paper was issued as the Information and Broadcasting Ministry had on 11 May requested Trai to review its recommendations “Interoperability and Other Issues relating to DTH” of 30 January 2008. In 2006, the Ministry sought recommendations of Trai on various issues related to a DTH licence. One of the issues included technical interoperability in case of set top boxes with recording facility, personal video recorder (PVR) or Digital video recorder (DVR). The Authority made some recommendations to the Ministry on 25 August 2006.

In its response, Tata Sky said both inter (in between) and Intra (within) operator interoperability is not possible amongst different DTH operators since they have been permitted over the last three years to adopt different standards. The Ministry has stated that if the DTH STB standard is to be revised, it should be such that ensures both Inter (in between) and Intra (within) operator interoperability.

It said the rationale behind technical interoperability – that customers should be able to switch from one DTH operator to another without having to purchase a new operator’s Customer Premises Equipments (CPE) – was understandable but not possible when there are as many as six private DTH operators apart from the free-to-air Doordarshan Direct Plus.

In any case, the cost of the CPE is no more prohibitive and all DTH operators have deployed substantial subsidies directly to all their subscribers. The fact that some DTH operators are providing STBs free of cost cannot be lost sight of in the present highly competitive context. Any new stipulation in the DTH license agreement that will push the cost of the CPE up is likely to lead to the withdrawal of free STB schemes, currently on offer. Thus, it is the customer who will be the ultimate loser.

Bharti Telemedia (Airtel Digital TV) has said that although the open architecture STB is technically feasible, it would lead to many issues and has cost implications as well. Any open architecture system to support all DTH operators would need additional features in the form of hardware and software support/modification to be added to the box and this would in turn escalate costs.

It has suggested that to support open architecture, there is a need to make an industry consortium which can work towards the common hardware and software solution/specifications for Interoperable STBs. Possibility of common smart cards can be explored so as to forfeit the need for CAMs and to bring down the cost of STBs.

It added that it is important that all future network and STBs manufactured/imported be consistent with the highest technical standard.

Any regulatory intervention should not stop the march of technology. In order to ensure that only the latest technology networks and STBs are deployed by the service providers, the regulator should specify the minimum standards with backward compatibility. This would avoid the deployment of obsolete technologies.

Bharti also said one of the most effective ways for the Government to safeguard the subscribers’ interests is to move towards a cost reduction for STBs.

According to its estimate, the average churn rate of DTH operators is close to 0.4 per cent and having the CI slot and CAMs in the STB only to provide the technical inter-operability and flexibility to this small percentage of DTH subscribers’ results in rise in the cost of the STB for all the DTH subscribers.

Thus, it is suggested that the STBs be manufactured with bare minimum features and without the Common Interface (CI) slot and other expensive functions so as to reduce the cost of STB. There should be withdrawal of customs duty, excise duty and other taxes currently levied on the import and manufacturing of STBs. This would bring down the overall cost of the STB and would make it more economical for DTH subscribers to buy a new STB instead of CAM module to switch between DTH operators. The government should support the cost reduction of STBs through allocation of funds and other rebates like tax holidays.

Videocon D2h has, on the other hand, said that the operator can move towards giving maximum flexibility to the subscriber only by moving towards true technical interoperability. But while commercial interoperability is justified for purchased STBs, it is not appropriate for rented boxes.

D2h also says it is possible to have an open Architecture based STB and claims it has already achieved this level of technical capability.

Dish TV says that no less that four operators are clustered around the 93.5E location on which Sun and DD-Direct operate. These operators also have common visibility of other satellites. This implies that using a common antenna, a customer without making any change in the rooftop antennas, can potentially receive services from more than one satellite provided that the set top box is interoperable. Even customers at other locations such as 88.5E or 83E can view one or more satellites with dual LNBs which are available inexpensively in the market.

However while customers have access to 3-4 satellites or more with the same dish or dual LNBs, they can view the channels on other DTH systems if they have an interoperable set top box with a CI slot and CAMs for other system. This is desirable as not all channels are available on all DTH systems. As an example certain cricket matches were available on only one DTH system and further not all DTH systems carry the same set of channels in SD or HD format.

It also says it is possible to have an open architecture based STB that could ensure technical interoperability and technical compatibility and effective interoperability among different DTH operators who have adopted same standard. Interoperability.

Reliance Big TV does not think there could be standardized interoperable STBs as each box is configured to receive a small number of network requirements to keep its cost low. Interoperability may also help the hackers to break into the networks.

In fact, it says implementation of technical interoperability could be detrimental to the interest of the customer since the cost of the STB with CI and CAM mandated by the BSI would be high.

Source: Indiantelevision.com

The Indian Direct-to-home (DTH) broadcast market is witnessing a flood of premium and add-on services like HD (high definition) and gaming features, but cost remains a stumbling block in efforts to woo customers, industry players say.

In the last six months, major players like Dish TV, Tata Sky and Airtel have launched high-end services like HD and PVR (personal video recording) in efforts to diversify their product in an increasingly crowded DTH broadcast industry, but the jury is still out on whether traditionally cost-sensitive subscribers will take the bait.

“This market will grow, but slowly. There is growth in value added services like games, banking services or matrimony, but when it comes to premium services like HD or PVR’s, that will all depend on the cost of these services,” says Salil Kapoor of Dish TV, which was the first to introduce HD in the Indian market.

Others are more confident that quality will triumph over cost in a market which is still dominated by cable operators, who provide cheaper service.

“15 to 20% of our new acquisitions have been on the back of HD sets, so we are seeing a response from Sec A and B centres”, says Ajai Puri, Director and CEO, DTH, Bharti Airtel.

While the flood of added features are a bonanza for consumers, for DTH companies, already battling competition from local cable operators and MSO’s (multi system operators), it also means a higher cost of acquiring subscribers.

A report by consulting firm Pricewaterhouse Coopers says DTH players are bleeding Rs 5 billion annually largely due to increased competition.

Players are facing challenges by having a very high subscriber acquisition cost. This cost is around Rs 2,500 to Rs 5,000 per customer for a few operators and this scenario is likely to continue, the report says.

The DTH market in India is currently at around 20 million subscribers and poised to grow, especially in rural areas, where penetration is presently at 64% as compared to 34% in 2008.

But most rural users are looking for that essentially Indian quality of value for money, making advanced technology an essentially urban need.

“You have to keep in mind that this is a cost sensitive market, and companies are selling services like PVR’s at a subsidised cost to consumers. They will have to wait till these consumers get so used to it that they won’t mind a cost hike, but I don’t think that tipping point will come any time soon,” says Timmy Khandari of PwC.

Source: Moneycontrol.com

Tata Sky has introduced a ‘Special Summer Bonanza’ that includes a host of non-stop fun-filled activities on Actve Wizkids.

According to a company release, kids can enjoy theme-based weeks like the Mahabharath Week featuring historical and mythological tales from the Mahabharath in an extremely interactive and fun-loving manner; Art & Craft Week to develop and enhance their skills with a range of art and craft workshop; Witty Stories Week featuring well-known tales of Akbar & Birbal, Tenaliram, Mulla Nasruddin that showcases the characters intelligence to wriggle out of rigid situations.

Tata Sky, a joint venture between the Tata Group and STAR has launched the summer treat targeting the vacation season.

Kids can even enjoy an exciting line-up of animation movies like Bal Ganesha 2, Dashawarar, Ghatotkack, Cyberion among many more during the entire summer on Fun Flix available on Actve Wizkids, absolutely free.

Moreover, for Tata Sky+ subscribers, it has launched a rich content line-up of drama and comedy series on the latest service, True Video-on-Demand (TVoD). The new True Video-on-Demand (TVoD) service will allow subscribers to start viewing the unique content like the adventures of the young Belgian reporter in Tin Tin and Charlie Chaplin among many more fun-filled content already downloaded by Tata Sky onto their PVR instantly, on demand, at any time of their choice, absolutely free.

Women could watch celebrated chef Sanjeev Kapoor dishing out secrets of exotic mouth watering recipes and sharing special tips to spice up your family palate only on Actve Cooking this entire summer.

Source: Business Standard

Direct-to-home (DTH) players, most of whom have been bleeding till now, could finally be making profits in 2014. But the DTH sector will have to pay a price for that – consolidation will see the number of players shrinking from six to four, says the latest Asia Pacific Pay-TV and Broadband markets 2010 report by research firm Media Partners Asia. “We suspect the DTH market will consolidate from six to four platforms within three to five years, and estimate four will be making money at the EBITDA (earnings before interest, depreciation, taxes and amortization) level by financial year ending March 2013,” says MPA executive director Vivek Couto. The MPA report says India will become the largest DTH market in the world by 2012, overtaking the United States, and boast of 45 million DTH subscribers by 2014. In an interview with FE’s Banasree Purkayastha, Couto talks about the pay-TV market in India, the low average revenue per user (ARPU) of DTH operators and how this could soon change on the back of HDTV (high definition television) and value added services. Edited excerpts:

As of now, all the DTH players are aggressively targeting the smaller towns and cities. How do you see the share of metros and non-metro changing in the medium term and long term.

That will continue to be the trend especially in rural areas and smaller towns that have limited or no cable, thereby tapping new audiences for TV. DTH is therefore the primary audience but there will be a greater share in metros in time to come; only it will be incremental as opposed to seismic. Also, analogue cable will also prove hard to displace in some metros.

Your report says there will be consolidation in the DTH segment and the players will start making profits after 2013. Do you see DTH players being able to push up their ARPU, and how do you see this happening.

Yes and no. The extent of ARPU growth in India is over exaggerated with analog cable, price competition and regulation as it exists. So the scope of ARPU growth is limited. VAS (value added services), HDTV (high definition television) will provide a boost as well as the impact of up-selling to new tiers. We see monthly ARPUs in the DTH sector climbing from less than Rs 150 in 2009 to Rs 220 by 2014.

Till now, the demand for value added services has remained low, one of the reasons why ARPUs have remained low. Do you see this changing?

Yes, it will change gradually. We are positive on HDTV and to some extent, PVR (personal video recording). Bharti’s mobile functional DVR (digital video recorder) is a step in the right direction, pay per view (PPV) has plenty usage but very limited profit to ARPU contribution. Nowhere in the world has PPV made a big contribution, it just limits churn. HD is the one to focus on and DVR to some extent. A gradual integration with mobile, telecommunication and Internet will also help.

What role could government regulations play in this growth story. What do you think would be the most benign regulatory environment?

The government regime on taxation is excessive – it’s like carrying a millstone! The regulatory framework on media is one of the must value decimating in the world. The fact that Indian pay-TV and media is what it is today owes a lot to the consumers and the entrepreneurs in this sector.

How is the Indian pay-TV market different from other markets in the world, especially Asia-Pacific or BRIC countries?

India’s television market is the most dynamic but its infrastructure needs radical improvement.

Source: The Financial Express

Last month, Airtel launched their Personal Video Recorder (PVR) box with mobile-based recording and some other unique features. Soon, their competitor Tata Sky followed suit with both Internet and mobile recording signaling a new phase in DTH services. So if you are planning to reap the benefits, read on:

Hardware
The TataSky Digicom, with its circular layout for the record, forward, play, rewind and pause buttons, reminded me of an DVD Player. On the back, the box has standard connectors for your TV as well as Ethernet and USB ports. The Tata Sky+ box gives you 90 hours of recording, but I could not check out their new 130 hours claim. The curvy remote makes it easy to record programmes.

The Airtel digital recorder’s plain black box is brilliant to look at with its glowing red light. The buttons are on the top making the front panel plain, but it still has all manual setting. But there are no indicators on the box to show if you are actually recording. But the box has a 576p HDMI out, two USB ports for future uses and an Ethernet port. This box is not HD ready, so if Airtel comes up with HD transmissions, the box will have to be swapped for a new box. It gives 100 hours of recording on the box. The remote has a standard brick interface with old VCR-like buttons, all very functional though.

Interface
The TataSky interface used to be fast and functional, but it has become slower with the new version. Still, TataSky’s blue and red colours are far more soothing on the eye than the red and black of Airtel. However, Airtel allows you to list 20 favourite channels in five different sections and search for recorded programmes by time and genre. Since both use NDS as their software provider, it won’t be long before they catch up with each other. A channel switch is faster on the Tata Sky+ box compared to Airtel where you can feel a lag. However, the Tata Sky+ ad for ring tones or content on the screen can be annoying.

Features
Along with Internet recording, the new TataSky+ offers TVoD where popular programmes are pre-recorded for you to watch at your convenience, but without eating up your hard disk space. Currently, the feature is free.

Problems
If you have more than one Tata Sky+ box, you can’t choose which box should record the programme. If you enable the programme from your mobile phone, the primary box in your account starts recording, while through Internet all boxes will start recording. The mobile applications of both companies are very similar and let you programme the channel you want. Both the customer care centres seemed a bit clueless about Internet and mobile recording.

MPEG4 vs MPEG2
Airtel claims to have MPEG4 on their transmission and on their boxes. Tata Sky+ hardware, on the other hand, supports MPEG4, but the transmission is in MPEG2. But thankfully, an average person cannot make out the difference between the two technologies.

Both Tata Sky+ and Airtel have rushed to the market to add features, but are still very basic in their approach as far as interface, usability and features go. For now, I will choose Tata Sky+ over Airtel, just because I can record programmes from anywhere through the Internet.

Source: Indianexpress.com

Direct-to-home players converge digital media to lure customers.

Saif Ali Khan using his mobile handset to record his nagging on-screen wife Kareena Kapoor’s favourite TV serial in the direct-to-home (DTH) commercial of Airtel Digital TV seems to have triggered a war among other industry players. In a bid to win over customers, DTH service providers are offering features that combine digital set-top box (STB) with remote devices like mobile phones.

Close to 2.5 million Airtel DTH subscribers can avail of the remote programme recording facility by paying Rs 5,990 (after a discount of Rs 1,000) in exchange for their existing STBs. New customers, on the other hand, would need to pay Rs 6,990 (for a new STB and channel bouquet). The customer is then required to download a free mobile application on to his smartphone and, at the back-end using the mobile internet connectivity on the subscriber’s handset, Airtel sends signals to the STB to record, play, pause or rewind programmes.

Not to be thwarted, Tata Sky has announced the rollout of a remote recording feature on its STB. But, unlike Airtel, which allows remote recording command just through mobile handsets, Tata Sky Plus subscribers can record via both web and mobile devices. Although available to just 100,000 Tata Sky Plus customers (those with personal video recorder, or PVR, STBs), Vikram Mehra, chief marketing officer of Tata Sky, remains hopeful: “As of now, we are giving remote recording features for free. When we launched the ‘Plus’ STB, most of the sales for Tata Sky began to come from subscribers who wanted to upgrade.” The company also launched attractive upgrade schemes and insists that, in the last six months, it has seen an inflow of consumers. Further, Tata Sky also launched free true video-on-demand service for its Plus subscribers where, unlike traditional pay-per-view services, subscribers can start viewing content already downloaded by Tata Sky onto their PVR instantly, on demand, at any time.

According to players, convergence is the key to lure customers to upgrade or buy costlier PVR-based STBs.

A PVR-based STB costs between Rs 6,000 and Rs 6,990.

Bharti Airtel has already started work on an integrated platform where it could merge television, mobile phones and the internet to provide services across the value chain. “We think that, in the near future, it is a possibility to offer all features, experience and capability of our DTH platform on the web as well. Strategically, we can look to marry all the three screens (mobile, TV and computer) for the customer,” Ajai Puri, CEO (DTH), Bharti Airtel, said in an earlier interaction with Business Standard.

That’s not all. STBs will get features that are more intelligent, asserts Tata Sky. “Tata Sky’s intelligent systems will take care of those who have a habit of keeping their TV sets switched on. For instance, if there is no activity for two hours, the application in the STB will ask the user to confirm if they are watching. In the event of no response, the STB will switch to a stand-by mode,” explains Mehra.

The bouquet of features does not stop here. The Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group-owned Reliance Big TV is ready to launch high-definition (HD), digital video recording (DVR)-enabled DTH services by the end of the first quarter of 2010-11. This will give direct competition to Tata Sky Plus and Airtel. New entrants like Sun Direct, too, are eyeing the HD and PVR segment, although it remains to put convergence on the back foot for now. “We are not in a hurry to add features like remote recording, but feel that HDTV and PVR are bigger bets for our subscribers,” says Tony D’Silva, COO, Sun Direct.

Meanwhile, Dish TV’s seven million subscribers can expect to see a roll out of HD content services this June.

But Umesh Rao, chief marketing officer, Reliance Big TV, is confident that HDTV experience will be its unique selling proposition, which is now not bundled with PVR services. Also, Reliance Big TV is in talks with consumer durable companies to offer their product with HD LCD television sets. “We are talking to leading television players for a potential combination offer. There is no point in having a new HD LCD television with an ordinary cable connection,” says Rao. Opting to go after the content, Reliance is reportedly in the process of acquiring rights to broadcast HD content from international broadcasters. Sources say that Big TV is in talks with Fox Star for its channels like Fox Crime, Fox Adventure and Fox Music. Big TV consumers can also look forward to content from Max Broadcasting and Warner Home Entertainment Group for channels like Comedy Central.

Big TV did not offer any comments on these developments.

Source: Business Standard

Tata Sky Ltd., the joint venture between the Tata Group and Star, has launched three new features on its premium PVR offering, Tata Sky+.

The features include True Video-on-Demand (TVoD) service, dual access remote recording and the revolutionary auto standby technology to save electricity. The dual access mode is the only feature which will be launched by the end of this month, as the TVoD-goes on air today. All three features are value additions as they do not have a price attached to them.

TVoD means an additional 45 hours of content, which includes movies, documentaries and sitcoms.

“So far, there was traditional pay-per-view which meant that the consumer had to adhere to the timings when the content would be available. This means we at Tata Sky will be downloading content directly into your PVR which will reside in the box and a consumer has on demand access to this programming. Besides being the first DTH player to offer this, it will not be restricted to the new boxes but also on existing boxes,” says MD & CEO, Tata Sky, Vikram Kaushik.

Not willing to put a figure to the investment in this additional content, the CEO adds that typically DTH players across the world spend approximately, 45-55% on content.

“Price wars are endemic to the Indian market but in the long run, functionality, convenience and reliability of the product will matter. Technology too will play a part as will ease of navigation,” adds Kaushik .

Kaushik however once again, quoting mature markets globally says that it is typical for DTH players to subsidise PVR’s for a year or two. Kaushik says once one box comes into a house, the demo effect is huge leading to a demand for more boxes within the same house and outside as well.

Hi Definition, or HD is the next big techno leap that both the television industry has taken and Sun Direct has already launched it. But Kaushik is not willing to put an exact time frame to Tata Sky launching their HD, he says it will definitely be this year.

Source: The Economic Times

Building on the ‘Dil Titli’ campaign that pushed its picture clarity benefit, Airtel DTH has unveiled a new integrated campaign to introduce its mobile recording feature, thus, giving viewers yet another “clear reason to buy”.

“Last year, we moved away from a grand positioning to a more targeted communication that gave our target audience a clear reason to buy Airtel DTH,” said Sugato Banerji, chief marketing officer – DTH, Bharti Airtel. “While ‘Dil Titli’ spoke about our uniqueness in picture quality, the new campaign takes the brand further into the technology platform and promotes a discernable and tangible mobile recoding feature. With mobile recording on the new digital TV Recorder, you can activate recording for your TV shows from your mobile from anywhere.”

Targeting the “time-challenged” SEC A1, A&B consumers, the JWT-created campaign is built on the creative concept of ‘maximum TV viewing at the viewers’ convenience’.

“While the PVR feature of Airtel DTH appeals to all the people who play multiple roles in their lives and are hard pressed for time, the mobile recording feature also gives them the flexibility of recording their favourite programmes even when their best-laid plans go awry,” added Banerji.

The 35-second TVC opens with an irate Kareena Kapoor complaining about having to attend a wedding as she will miss her favourite show. Though she reminds her husband, Saif Ali Khan, to set the digital TV recorder, he forgets to do so in a rush.

Later, while stuck in a traffic jam, Kapoor threatens Khan with dire consequences for his cricket match viewing if she misses her serial. Realising his mistake, Khan pulls out his mobile and activates recording on Airtel DTH, thus saving the situation from spiralling.

“The film is a demonstration of the need of the mobile feature in any couple’s life. A talkative housewife’s (Kareena) torrent of complaints halts only at the sight of a phone being able to record her TV programme,” said Maneesh Rangra, executive business director, JWT.

The film has been directed by Rajesh Krishnan and produced by Soda Films.

Source: Campaignindia.in

VAS enabler, Comviva has enabled a unique feature for Bharti Airtel’s DTH service subscribers allowing them to record live TV though the use of mobile handset.

The solution provides a GUI of the Electronic Program Guide (EPG) on mobile for Airtel digital TV subscribers. Users can also recommend a program to friends as well as view their account balance.

Comviva says it made use of two of its products, Adagium A-Live, which is a carrier grade self care solution and WebAxn – a J2ME based client-server solution that helps deliver rich and engaging user experiences on a wide variety of handsets.

Speaking on the occasion Ajai Puri Director and CEO-DTH, Bharti Airtel said, “At Airtel, we believe that the key to our brand is innovation and technology is one vital element of our innovation endeavors. Bring together the TV and the mobile screen, this product would be a lifestyle enabler that will significantly change TV viewing trends in India. The solution developed by Comviva is operator agnostic and can be accessed on over 225 popular Java, GPRS enabled devices. Comviva’s expertise in delivering carrier grade solutions helped Airtel digital TV create a clear differentiator in the personal video recorder (PVR) category in a very short time.”

Manoranjan Mohapatra, CEO, Comviva said, “Comviva believes in delivering innovative applications and easy-to-use services to its partners. We are delighted that Airtel has adopted this unique solution to enhance their customers’ service experience and bring greater convenience to their daily lives. Comviva, with its extensive experience in developing innovative mobile solutions that engage end-users, will continue to lead the market with solutions that go beyond VAS.”

Source: TelecomTiger