Videocon Industries is on the lookout to sell its Direct-To-Home (DTH) business Videocon d2h to one of its rivals. The entire idea behind this move is to build scale with subscribers but with a lower stake.

Videocon is in talks with one of the largest DTH operator in the US in order to form a joint venture. However, conditions stemming out of a possible merger include minimal overlapping in the customer footprint and synergies in the DTH positioning. Though players like Tata Sky, Dish TV denied having any talks with Videocon, consolidation is slated to happen soon. Foreign DTH operators are keen to enter the Indian market but government’s restriction of foreign ownership to 26% in domestic concerns is stopping them. A rise in FDI limit is potent enough to spell a complete change in the DTH space with both foreign and domestic companies looking to come together. Another player who is also treading the same line is Reliance Digital TV who is planning to dilute stake to raise anywhere between INR 20-25 bn.

Source: TheFinancialExpress

The Indian Government’s decision to extend the deadline of cable digitization from June 30 to that of October 31 is considered to be a massive blow to the DTH (direct-to-home) providers.

Though the Government is associating this deferment with consumers’ interest done after intensive and extensive consultations with all the stakeholders, yet DTH operators are apprehensive that it will put a strain on the financial health of the industry. The players stated that they will now have to bear the additional burden of inventory carrying costs and other investments in infrastructure creation. But they also harp on the lines of spelling strict punitive action against those who fail to meet the new deadline.

Source: TheHinduBusinessLine

@MediaMughals: Viacom18, an established entertainment multinational company, has launched an English comedy channel, Comedy Central. With this launch the company has a total number of six channels added to its portfolio. The channel will host 17 shows and five hours of programming. The company is targeting the metro cities such as Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Bangalore, Pune, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad. Sun18 will be responsible for its distribution on the cable platform. The programmes will be a combination of British comedy, sketch comedy, stand ups and gags. Some of its shows are Daily Show with John Stewart, South Park, and Saturday Night Live. Movies will be aired during the weekends. This channel will be available across analog, digital cable and DTH.

@TheTimesOfIndia: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is in process of mandating the Ordinance on Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995, which will require the cable transmission to switch from analog to digital platform by June. This transformation will be completed in places such as Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai. Set-Top-Boxes (STBs) will be compulsory for viewing any cable channel and viewers will not be able to watch the pay as well as free to air channels without subscribing to it. Multi-system operators such as DigiCable, SitiCable, Manthan, AMBC, Howrah Cineline expect to see an extension in the deadline by atleast two months. The Kolkata Metropolitan Area (KMA) – Kalyani in the east to Maheshtala in the west, and Bally in the north to Barasat in the south will observe digitisation. Presently, there are 33 mn television homes in Kolkata Metropolitan area out of which 0.28 mn subscribe to DTH and 0.3 mn have STBs from cable operators. Under digitisation, subscribers will only have to pay for the channels they wish to see.

@MediaMughals: Cellcast Interactive has launched the first social TV channel in India, MyTV. This channel will be ad-free but the brands will be integrated into the content. The channel will feature programmes such as Bid2Win, My Studio, The Big Deal, Chor Machaye Shor and more. It is a free to air channel which will be available in western, eastern and northern India and will reach over 35 mn analog/digital homes including multiple DTH platforms. It targets audiences within the 15 and above age group. The channel is distributed by Cellcast Interactive’s distribution partner, BAG Network.