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2 NEW CHANNELS ADDED ON ADTV

ANISH — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:55:46 +1100

Hi friends Airtel Digital tv has added 2 new Malayalam channels....So it has finally most of the Malayalam channels

KAIRALI WE 579
SHALOAM 694

Mr.Satish Pls update Indian DTH WiKi

Sun Direct offers IPL in HD format

Sathish — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:19:06 +1100

MUMBAI: Sun Direct will show the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches in high-definition (HD) on Max.

As per the deal, Max will provide the HD feed of the IPL matches without any advertisements. With dolby digital for the audio and sound with 16:9 ratio, Sun Direct claims that the HD telecast will deliver in-stadia like experience to viewers.

The HD telecast will be available on Sun Direct HD platform.

Sony Entertainment (Multi Screen Media) CEO Man Jit Singh said, “This is an exciting development in the Indian television industry and we are privileged to be associated with the country’s only HD TV player, Sun Direct. HD broadcast will give a unique and new world class experience to millions of passionate cricket lovers in India.”

Sun Direct COO Tony D’Silva added, “We are delighted to give our customers vastly differentiated world class entertainment. Being pioneers in technology, the launch of High definition is an extension of a commitment to provide Indian viewers the best TV experiences.”

At present, Sun Direct offers National Geographic HD Channel, Sun TV HD Service, Colors HD Service, Discovery World HD and Tamil / Telugu movie service.

Source: Indiantelevision.com

Airtel digital TV premieres the latest blockbuster 'Ishqiya' on PPV

Sathish — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:50:52 +1100

Airtel digital TV- the DTH service from Bharti Airtel - today announced the television premiere of ‘Ishqiya’, the latest Bollywood blockbuster of 2010. This movie features actors Naseeruddin Shah, Arshad Warsi and Vidya Balan, and is available on the Pay Per View (PPV) service. This critically and commercially acclaimed film will be available from March 13, 2010 on Channel No. 181 for only Rs. 25/-. Customers can order the film either for a full day or for any of the shows in a day by visiting the website http://www.airtel.in/digitaltv. Alternatively, they can send an SMS with the Movie Code to 54325 or SMS START to 54325 from their registered mobile number.

Announcing the TV premiere, Sugato Banerji, Chief Marketing Officer – DTH, Bharti Airtel said, "Ishqiya has been one of is the biggest hits of 2010 so far and we’re happy to bring this blockbuster to our customer’s door at an extremely competitive cost. The PPV phenomenon is rapidly growing in India and Airtel is committed to offering more exciting and entertaining content to its viewers."

Directed by debutant Abhishek Chaubey and produced by Raman Maroo and Vishal Bharadwaj, Ishqiya is a tale of romance between individuals caught in a web of crime, suspense and passion. Set in Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, the film revolves around two thieves - Khalujan (Naseeruddin Shah) and Babban (Arshad Warsi) who are on the run from their boss Mushtaq (Salman Shahid). After every known person in the world turns them down, they seek refuge with an old friend Verma, but instead meet his widow, Krishna (Vidya Balan) who stays alone in her old house. With both men starting to fall for Krishna, a tale of betrayal, revenge and greed follows.

Source: afaqs!

Sun Direct HD advertisement in TOI

Sathish — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:08:24 +1100

Here is the advertisement published in today's Times Of India Newspaper.

Karnataka: Kishore Kesavan 9972587319

Sun Direct HD introduces new HD Basic Pack

Sathish — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:31:29 +1100

Two new HD Basic packs have been introduced by Sun Direct HD.

1. South HD Basic Pack

2. Rest of India Basic Pack

Watch IPL 2010 in High-Definition only with Sun Direct HD

Sathish — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:54:54 +1100

For the first in India, now you can watch Advertisement free DFL IPL 2010 in High-Definition on SET MAX only with Sun Direct HD.

Now, Internet on TV

Sathish — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:14:18 +1100

MADURAI: Tata Teleservices on Thursday (March 4) launched ‘DIALOG,' a product that enables internet access in television sets without the need for a desktop computer or laptop.

Customers could check e-mails, watch video and listen to online music in their television sets using this product. This devise is powered by the Tata Photon internet access (USB data modem) and would transform the way customers access internet, according to Abhijit Sanyal, national sales head of Tata Teleservices.

According to Mr G. Ramprasad, Chief Executive Officer, CDMA Operations, Tamil Nadu, TTSL, the device will help increase the Internet penetration in the country. The equipment could also enable the customer to use applications such as photo viewer, video and audio players.

Along with the Internet access product Photon Whiz, Dialog is available at a price of Rs 6,699. With high speed Internet access product, Photon Plus, the same is priced at Rs 7,699.

Both pre-paid and post-paid customers of Tata Photon Whiz and Tata Photon Plus can avail the Dialog service.

Source: The Hindu

Sony introduces 3D TV in India

Sathish — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:12:35 +1100

NEXT BIG TREND: Masaru Tamagawa (left), Managing Director of Sony India, and a model

NEW DELHI: Sony on Tuesday introduced 3D TV in India, which would prove to be the next big trend in the evolution of multimedia entertainment. Based on new LED technology, the new range of TVs is also compatible with Internet and the company has exclusive tie-ups with some of the content providers like ‘Youtube' to provide videos and clips.

“Indian consumers today have become all the more technology savvy and with the launch of new technologies like 3D, Internet TV and LED, we want to ensure that they get nothing but the best,” said Sony India Managing Director Masaru Tamagawa. The company also announced the launch of new models under the popular Bravia brand, priced between Rs. 45,900 and Rs. 3.50-lakh.

“Sony is confident that it will be able to achieve the targets based on three strong pillars of technology, picture quality and design. We plan to usher new heights in the LCD TV segment with plans to capture 30 per cent of the total market share,” Mr. Tamagawa said. Last year, Sony sold more than four-lakh units of Bravia in India and this year it hopes to double its sales. The total market for LCDs in the country is around 16-lakh units and is expected to grow up to 27-lakh units by the end of the current financial year.

Sony India has also planned a Rs. 1,800-crore investment in the next one year on marketing and promotional activities to create awareness about its products. “We have invested over Rs. 700 crore in promoting the Bravia range of flat panel display TVs, which contribute more than one-third of the total turnover of Rs. 3,500 crore in India,” he added. The company also plans to double its dealer network from 2,500 now.

Source: The Hindu

RCom launches new social networking application

Sathish — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:10:34 +1100

NEW DELHI: Reliance Communications (RCom) on Tuesday launched a new VAS application ‘Socially’, which will allow users to follow social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Available through RWorld, the new application is designed to enable users follow their friends and update personal status on these networking sites through a single application, RCom said in a statement.

The 3G-ready application also shows up-to-date social information of the caller during an incoming call and collates significant events across social networks and push them as alerts on select smartphones, it added.

“With this service, RCom has made the phone address book far more powerful and linked it to social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn,” the RCom Head (VAS), Ms Krishna Durbha, said.

In future, the use will also be extended to video calls, she added.

The application brings a host of other features such as alerts of friends’ activities on the idle phone screen.

“We are delighted to partner with RCom to launch this 3G social service. Our vision for ‘Socially’ is to provide a social operating system layer on top of mobile phones, embedding social info into the address book, calls, idle screen,” the Antarix Networ ks Founder, Mr Nagesh Rao, said. — PTI

Source: The Hindu Business Line

Midh Wraps Up Title in Amtita TV's Super Dancer-2 Finale

Sathish — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:05:55 +1100

MUMBAI: Midh swept aside the opposition, to tango his way to the title at the magnificent Grand Finale of Amrita TV's Super Dancer-2 which will be telecast on March 14th from 6.30 to 9.30 pm.

He took possession of the crown and the rich haul of Rs. 5 lakhs that went with it from cine actor and youth icon Kunchakko Bobban who was the Chief Guest of the Finals. The 1st runner up Sreejith pocketed his prize money of Rs. 3 lakhs from Jyothirmayi, while Reema Kallingal gave away the prize of Rs. 1.5 lakhs to the 2nd runner up Dilshah.

The sultry Sunday evening was throbbing with pent-up excitement as the zero hour approached and the thrilling denouement of the premiere dance reality competition got under way.

In the dynamic encounter under the arc lights the finalists - Dilshah, Gayathri, Midh and Sreejith - surrendered body and soul at the alter of the Gods of Dance and gave the performances of their lives.

Watched over by the High Priestess of choreography, Kala Master and the Young Turk Prasanna Master, the four contenders laid forceful claims on the crown with a series of astounding performance, each better than the next.

In the Solo round, Dilshah gyrated to the dulcet rhythms of the melodious Hindi hit 'Ek Do Theen' ; Gayathri chose a medley to give full rein to her talents; Midh started off with his forte, a western that blended into a contemporary dance mid way through ;Sreejith wowed one and all with his thunderous Shiva Thandava. The Duet in which they paired up as couples, and the Group Round where all danced in tandem, were mesmerizing medleys.

In the absorbing tussle for the title with none willing to give a quarter, the combative Mith stood his ground with performances that outclassed the rest. When the judges declared their final verdict, Midh had delivered the coup de grace to the rest, to be installed as the next Super Dancer .

As Midh earned his spurs in style, the Grand Finale which had unfolded like a well choreographed dance, put the shutters on another well executed reality show from Amrita TV.

Source: Indiantelevision.com

First community radio for visually handicapped

Sathish — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:02:24 +1100

NEW DELHI: With the grant of permission to the National Institute for Visually Handicapped in Dehradun to start its own radio station, the number of Community Radio Stations has gone up to 66 in the country.

The first CRS being set up specifically for the visually handicapped, the station is expected to be operational within three months. The Letter of Intent by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry had been issued to the Institute after recommendations of the Inter Ministerial Committee and seeking requisite clearances from various Ministries.

The CRS will disseminate information on education, training, employment and other facilities available for blind persons, their families and community institutions, and will serve as a platform to showcase talent of the visually handicapped. It will be used as a training studio for blind students of mass communication and Broadcasting.

The Community Radio will provide an opportunity for empowerment of women, to conduct, sponsor, co-ordinate or subsidise research into all aspects of education and rehabilitation of the visually handicapped and to promote the integration of visually handicapped children in schools and adults in the society.

Source: Indiantelevision.com

ADAG eyes cable distribution

Sathish — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:48:40 +1100

New Delhi: After DTH, FM radio and film production, distribution & exhibition, the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG) may soon get a slice of the cable distribution business in the country.

Investment banking sources say London-based private equity fund Ashmore Investment may soon swap a significant portion (over 20%) of its stake in Digicable, a leading cable distribution firm, with that of Big TV, the direct-to-home (DTH) arm of Reliance Adag, or its subsidiary firms. “Talks are on between Ashmore and Reliance on this matter,” a person familiar with the matter said.

Ashmore had picked up a 49% stake in Digicable three years ago and has been looking at restructuring its investments in the cable business in favour of the fast-growing DTH business that has over 20-million subscribers, giving higher returns, compared to 2 million digital cable subscribers.

Once struck, the deal will give ADAG access to Digicable’s cable business in several cities and a share in the Rs 2,500-crore annual cable subscription revenues.

“Owning a cable distribution business will help Reliance push its TV channels to a significant number of cable subscribers, which are five times the size of its existing DTH subscriber-base,” an analyst said.

Also, it will help Reliance get a say in the headend-in-the-sky (HITS) business of Digicable, sources say. Digicable has already applied for a HITS licence, a satellite-based system of distribution of cable channels recently approved by the government for faster digitalisation of the current analogue cable distribution platform.

This move may also help Reliance Big TV fund its expansion plans in the near future through Ashmore’s Rs 1,200-crore funds earmarked for the Indian media and entertainment sector. Also, Reliance ADAG is bullish on the broadcasting business as it has applied for over 100 television licence under the brand name “Big”.

However, when contacted, a Big TV spokesperson denied any such move. An e-mail query sent to Ashmore UK remained unanswered.

When asked whether Reliance ADAG or any of its group subsidiaries may have picked up a stake in Digicable, directly or indirectly, JS Kohli, CEO, Digicable, said: “No.” He further added: “I do not wish to respond to such baseless and speculative gossip being spread by vested interests.”

Videocon to be both competitor and supplier in DTH

Sathish — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:46:09 +1100

Videocon, which started its direct-to-home (DTH) operations in the second half of last year under the brand name of Videocon D2H, plans to tie up with those already in the market to supply them set-top boxes (STBs).

Along with its regular DTH operations, this deal would provide another revenue generating vertical to Videocon .The company is in talks with several operators, said Anil Khera, CEO of Bharat Business Channel Ltd, the Videocon subsidiary for its DTH business. “We are at a nascent stage in the discussions, so we can’t name the operators, but we are talking to two leading DTH players,” Khera said.

He added balancing the two lines of production —- one for Videocon D2H and another for other companies —- would not be difficult, as Videocon’s yearly production capacity of two million units in Aurangabad can be expanded to four million units in six months. “We have another consumer appliance plant coming up in Madurai that would enable us to produce seven million units per annum. Manufacturing for other DTH companies would be by Videocon Industries and not so much by BBCL, which would concentrate on building the D2H brand,” said Khera. He added: “We have just gone pan-India since the last four months. Capacity utilisation for D2H is picking up from 0.12 million units last month to 0.17 million units this month. We expect to manufacture around 0.2 million units in the coming months due to the IPL, Commonwealth Games, FIFA Soccer World Cup and other high-wattage events,” he said.

At present, there are around 20 million DTH subscribers in India, expected to go up to 40 million by the end of this year.

Analysts felt other DTH operators would not have a problem sourcing from Videocon, as getting into a deal for STB is not about sharing intellectual property. “Videocon, with its in-house production facilities, should be able to provide the STBs at a cheaper price than the Chinese manufacturers. Presently, most players source their STBs from China or Korea and if they get a cost advantage and quality products at home, they will consider the proposition,” said Alok Shende, principal analyst, Ascentius, a Mumbai-based consultancy.

He said Videocon’s D2H business was a move for backward integration in the consumer durable space. “The company wants to compete as well as collaborate with other players.” Khera said Videocon would provide a cost advantage of 10-15 per cent. “Indian operators will not have to pay the five per cent import duty and there would also be reduction in logistics’ costs. Presently, operators procure STBs at an average cost of $35 (Rs 1,600) and they are sold at around $55 (Rs 2,500) per piece.”

He said once a deal was struck, it would take eight months to produce STBs for others. “This is because we, as manufacturers, will also have to involve all the technological partners of the DTH players. They have different conditional access system providers (Videocon has Irdeto) and middleware partners such as NDS for the electronic programming guides, different from us, all of whom would have to be brought on board to roll out the products,” he said.

Videocon D2H signed movie actor Abhishek Bachchan as its brand ambassador here today.

Anyone working in BIGTV?

SRK — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:29:39 +1100

Anyone working in BIGTV ? If yes when bigtv activating Ushe,Aditya,Saakshi tv ? Any new channels coming in this month ? And what about DVR ?

Funny IPL Ad with Andrew Symonds

Sathish — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:42:30 +1100

india news channel removed....

sauravparvi — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 21:19:15 +1100

channel no 290 india news has been removed. anybody knows which can be the new channel?

New Recharge Offer " Pay 6 Get 7 Offer"

saurabh_g — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:57:40 +1100

Good news for all existing Dishtv Subscriber, As they announced new recharge offer:

Pay 6 Get 7 Offer:

Platinum Subscriber Pay for 5 months, get 6 months, That is pay for 5 Months and get 1 months extra viewing.

Gold Subscriber Pay for 6 months, get 7 months, That is pay for 6 Months and get 1 months extra viewing.

Silver Subscriber Pay for 6 months, get 7 months, That is pay for 6 Months and get 1 months extra viewing.

Also,

This Offer can be availed in multiples. i.e. if a subs pays for 12 months instead of 6 months, he is entitles to 14 months, just like 7 months

Check link for more Info:
http://www.dishtv.in/pay-term-offer.aspx

Isro asks for more money as spectrum crunch flares up

Sathish — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:53:55 +1100

New Delhi: With acute shortage of broadcasting spectrum for both existing and new television channels, the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) is asking for Rs 50,000 per mega hertz (Mhz) or around Rs 18 lakh per transponder per month from broadcasters for its upcoming satellite, Insat-4G, set to be launched in the second quarter of this year. This is a first by Isro for the broadcast sector, technical experts say.

Insat-4G will carry 24 ku-band transponders and will be helpful for news broadcaster to enhance their DSNG (digital satellite news gathering) operations. DSNG or outside broadcast (OB) vans are used by the news channels to help cover news operations in real time and they use the ku-band transmission for uplink of news broadcasts.

“Advance money from interested broadcasters is mainly being asked to deter non-serious players who otherwise apply for additional capacity but do not use it efficiently,” a government source involved with the satellite operations pertaining to the broadcast sector said.

Broadcasters and a few DTH operators are lining up to pay and block spectrum for expanding their channel-offering capacity and the overall news gathering operations. This is also significant for the direct-to-home (DTH) operations as most of the current DTH operators are close to exhausting their existing bandwidth of their DTH services.

“In order to expand a DSNG operations broadcasters have to furnish proof of their satellite capacity with Isro. And in order to obtain a letter from Isro, broadcasters have to pay for spectrum on Insat-4G,” a technical consultants to several media companies said requesting anonymity.

However, due to the proposed location of Insat-4G (55 degrees, east), DTH operators are not too keen to block spectrum on the satellite yet. “The location of Insat-4G is such that we may have to provide an add-on antenna to the subscribers and re-tune their existing frequencies, a mammoth task for us,” said an existing DTH operator.

This comes at a time when even the government is reviewing its policy of granting new television licences due to spectrum shortage. Already, 529 TV channels have the permission of operating in the country, while the ministry of information and broadcasting (I&B) is in the process of clearing an additional 155-plus pending applications for new TV channel licences. The broadcast sector regulator — the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India --- has been asked by the I&B ministry to study the matter and submit its recommendations.

“Isro asking for advance money for broadcasting bandwidth goes to prove that there is a real crisis of spectrum. If we are getting affected then there is indeed a pressing issue of reviewing the entry-norms and licensing conditions for future broadcasters,” says a top executive in a leading news channel.

Buy Airtel Digital TV on online & avail 15% cash back on HDFC credit card

Sathish — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:52:24 +1100

Since from its inception, Airtel Digital TV rocks the DTH platform with its interactive services, add-on services, and video on demand. An add-on service allows a user to shop , book movie tickets etc whereas the video on demand includes a catalogue of movies in Hindi, English and other regional languages which can be ordered on demand.

Airtel Digital TV is certain to rope another millions of hearts of the people by introducing 15% cash back on every new online digital TV connection. This 15% discount is designed exclusively for Airtel Mobile and Airtel Broadband & Landline Customers.

Cash back offer is a limited period offer and it is subject to the maximum amount of Rs. 500. Cash back amount will be credited in your digital TV account within 7 days post receipt of your Airtel Broadband & Landline or Airtel Mobile details.

All credit card holders of HDFC bank can enjoy this privilege. Following are the steps to buy online Digital TV,

* Visit the below site and click to get digital TV connection online
* You’ll get a Transaction ID after successful transaction.
* Airtel Digital TV representative will get in touch with you for registration and installation.
* And to avail 15% cash back please send your customer ID and Airtel mobile/landline number to dth.sales@airtel.in after installation.
* The offer is valid till March 31, 2010.

Then what pick your package here and enjoy the the magic of Airtel digital TV with MPEG4 DVBS2 technology.

Source: cellbharat.com

Abhishek Bachchan chosen as brand ambassador of Videocon DTH

Sathish — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:50:05 +1100

It's a common adage that every doctor's son goes onto become a doctor, an engineer's son goes onto become an engineer, an architect's son goes onto become an architect'... so on and so forth. Ever wondered as to what will a son of a Superstar go onto become? Well, the answer is... a Superstar! Which is exactly the case with Abhishek Bachchan.

For 'starters' (if any), Amitabh Bachchan is not just the name that's synonymous with being the Superstar of the Millennium' and likes, he is also the name that's synonymous with the launch of a million FMCG brands (and still counting!). Well, following his very footsteps is his son Abhishek, who is now all set to become the 'Brand Ambassador of Videocon DTH'. Abhishek, to his credit, has the brand ambassadorship of a zillion brands including the likes of IDEA, Lux, Motorola, American Express ...to name a few. According to Bollywood Hungama's confirmed sources, "When the head honchos of Videocon were looking at the possible names for the post of the Brand Ambassador, Abhishek's was one name that emerged as the obvious and unanimous choice, courtesy, his clean image as well as the BO performances of his films. And that he will be instantly recognized in the western, eastern and northern markets. The source also added that the tagline of the campaign is supposed to be 'Videocon D2H: Direct Hai, Correct Hai' and that the company is planning to spend a whopping Rs. 100 crore for the ad campaign for a period of one year! Rumors also have it that Abhishek was paid a whopping amount for the said deal.

What's interesting in the DTH space is that, while Abhishek Bachchan gets chosen as the Brand Ambassador of Videocon DTH, its is Shah Rukh Khan is endorsing Zee's DTH brand 'Dish TV', while it is the never-say-old Papa Bachchan, who was endorsing Reliance Communications' DTH venture Big TV! All in all, the eyeball wars are now more 'Direct'. What say, Abhishek?

Source: Bollywoodhungama.com