LMOs-Masters of Monetisation

Frost & Sullivan, a multinational research and consulting company hosted an event, the Digital Media India Summit --"The New Digital Broadcast Era- Who can make money & how,"on Oct 18 at Hotel Hyatt Regency, Mumbai. The event addressed issues related to current and future trends such as high definition, leveraging content management, deploying TV-everywhere, using digital analytics, and monetizing digital Pay-TV services successfully. The objective of the forum was to provide key takeaways that could be adapted, deployed and optimized for long term top-line and bottom-line growth.

November 2013

02/11/13 --
ASCI's Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) upheld complaints against 215 ads. Education and Health & personal care category continue to lead with the highest number of complaints received.

Parliamentary committee to review Digitisation

Last month was very hectic for the broadcast industry with number of events taking place in different parts of the country. First TRAI issued a consultation on renewal of DTH licenses as Dish TV license needed to be renewed after it completed 10 years in October. A disturbing news from the Ministry of Home Affairs has complicated the renewal of licenses and registration of DTH, MSO and TV channels by mandating that these companies must get a security clearance from the Ministry every three years.

New Media is gaining fresh grounds in the video distribution market. There are encouraging news from developed countries where online viewership has surpassed the TV viewership in some cases. Netflix has seen more viewers than world's premium original  programming channel HBO. In this issue we carry some interesting articles on New Media including security aspects for video content on multi screen. 

Consumers object to Dilution of Ad Regulations

TDSAT issues notice to TRAI on 'MediaWatch-India's appeal against TRAI's amended ad regulations dropping provisions relating to 'part-screen' & loud commercials in TV channels

The Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) on 31 October 2013 adjourned till 11 November the case on ad cap regulation. The issue of 10+2 minute ad cap on TV channels is becoming murkier. Only yesterday ie 30 October. Mediawatch India, a consumer organisation has appealed against TRAI for diluting the quality of service regulations in TV Advertisement by removing clauses concern sudden increase in sound volume during ads, ‘part screen’ drop down ads and crowing ads on TV screen interfering the main programme. 

Operational transparency a must for OTT and multiscreen success

With operational transparency, service providers can work proactively and solve problems instantly  before customers start losing faith in the service, says Johan Görsjö, director of product management at Agama Technologies.

A Synergy of Tech Solutions Delivered At Broadcast India 2013

The 23rd chapter of the Broadcast India 2013 was held with grand success on October 9-11, 2013 at the Bombay Exhibition Centre, Goregaon (East), Mumbai. The event organised by Saicom Trade Fairs & Exhibitions also witnessed a two day conference, held on the first two days, which saw a massive turnout of technicians, professionals, DOPs and various other visitors who attended in rapt attention.

Digitisation is a Challenge for MSOs & LCOs

The sheer scale and roll-out of this initiative needs large-scale planning and coordination among all stakeholders, training and orientation. Awareness among LCOs and MSOs are equally important.

Protecting premium content on digital networks

Forensic watermarking can be applied at the receiver, headend or network level, and it can be applied to all digital content. 

Protect our Fundamental Rights – LMOs

Next phases of digitization of the whole nation by 2014 seems to be under hold as the Minister of Information and Broadcasting. Sh. Manish Tewari has asked his Ministry to conduct an external audit of the process as it has unfold in Phase-I and Phase-II . Although he hasmentioned that Phase III should not be put on hold, there appears to be a slowdown in the Ministry in implementing the same. Take for example there is no new MSO registered for Phase III & IV after the list of 140 registered MSOs update till 28 April 2013 there is no additions. It is believed that many applications are lying in the Ministry, some waiting for Home Ministry clearance and some are held up due to some reason or the other. MSOs who have applied for licenses say that their applications are being held held up at the behest of some National MSOs and DTH companies who are trying to monopolise the Phase III & IV market too, like they did in Phase I and II.

Dynamic broadcast: new content delivery strategies enabling efficient spectrum usage

Dynamic broadcast bridges the gap on the spectrum level, dynamically attracting spectrum to TV stations and cellular WiFi.

Is India Ready for New Media?

The Election Commission on 25 October brought the social media and Internet use for elections under its purview, issuing a detailed order for regulating them. It decreed that the legal provisions and orders issued by the Commission regarding the election campaigning shall equally apply to the social media alike any other media, so far as the candidates and political parties are concerned.

Pointing out that the social media websites are also electronic media by definition and hence the instructions for pre-certification of political advertisements on TV and other electronic media by the state and district media certification and monitoring committees will also apply to the social media websites. 

Where is the Consumer Interest?

When the Digital Addressable Bill was being discussed in the Parliament in November 2011, Ms Ambika Soni, then I&B Minister was again and again assuring the Parliamentarians that it was being done in consumer interest and that they would get their choice content at affordable price with the government benefitting from additional taxes. Exactly after two years we find that none of it has become a reality. Were the parliament and the people cheated to benefit a few stake holders? 

Shift to IP will bring interesting options

In this exclusive interview Cable Quest asked Shyam Ananthnarayan ofTata Elxsi what holds in future for the LCOs in the cable ecosystem.