EARNINGS RELEASE FOR THE QUARTER ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2011

DISH TV MOVES INTO A NEW BRAND SPACE

ACQUIRES 740 THOUSAND NEW SUBSCRIBERS; CONTINUES LEAD IN INCREMENTAL SHARE

AVERAGE REVENUE PER USER (ARPU) MAINTAINED AT Rs.152

SUBSCRIBER ACQUISITION COST (SAC) TRENDS LOWER AT Rs. 2,124

Total operating revenues for the third quarter stood at Rs. 4,905 million, recording a growth of 31.4% as compared to the corresponding period last fiscal.

Subscription revenues for the quarter stood at Rs. 4,254 million, recording a growth of 37.6% as compared to the corresponding period last fiscal.

EBITDA at Rs. 1,202 million recorded a growth of 81.5% as compared to the corresponding period last fiscal. EBITDA margin for the quarter was 24.5%.

NOIDA, India; January 19, 2012 – Dish TV India Limited (Dishtv) (BSE: 532839, NSE: DISHTV) today reported third quarter fiscal 2012 results. Operating revenues were Rs. 4,905 million, representing a 31.4% growth over the corresponding period last fiscal. EBITDA for the quarter stood at Rs. 1,201 million, compared to Rs. 662 million in the corresponding period last fiscal. EBITDA margin stood at 24.5%. Continued foreign exchange loss hiked net loss by Rs. 156 million.

The Board of Directors in its meeting held today, has approved and taken on record the unaudited financial results of Dish TV for the quarter ended on December 31, 2011.

Mr. Subhash Chandra, Chairman, Dish TV India Limited, said, “As the world at large continues to stare at economic uncertainty in the face, India remains cautiously optimistic but vulnerable to the risks associated with a slowing global economy.”

“Despite a challenging macroeconomic environment and resultant price sensitivity, subscriber additions across the DTH industry have been encouraging. With digitalization expected to boost subscriber additions, Dish TV is well-entrenched to further build on its supremacy while also targeting larger uptake of ARPU accretive HD subscribers,” he added.

Mr. Jawahar Goel, Managing Director, Dish TV, said, “The festival quarter ending December has traditionally been a bigger contributor in terms of subscriber additions and revenue compared to the other quarters. This year, though the category outperformed on a year-on-year basis in the month of October being ‘Diwali’ time, subscriber additions thereafter witnessed a slowdown. Notwithstanding the fallout in terms of lower additions what is heartening is that Dish TV, followed by much of the industry, was able to initiate and sustain a significant price hike at the entry level. The price hike was taken to offset the unprecedented rupee depreciation in the last few months. Dish TV continued to maintain its lead in incremental share in a six player market.”

Commenting on mandatory digitalization, Mr. Goel added, “While on-ground activity in terms of subscriber demand is yet to catch up speed, Dish TV endeavors to retain its market share in an expanding digital universe. We believe that Dish TV with its strong brand equity and field infrastructure is likely to be one of the preferred choices of the potential digital consumer.”

Talking about the third quarter results, Mr. Goel said, “A larger base contributed to a flat ARPU in this quarter. However, the recent price hike is likely to filter through and add to the ARPU in the coming quarters.”

“Due to a further 8% depreciation of the rupee against the US dollar in this quarter, there is an additional foreign exchange loss of Rs. 156 million. The foremost reason for this loss is significant foreign currency debt which needs to be reported using the closing exchange rate. However, despite a significant portion of the capital equipment being dollar denominated, SAC remained within expectation largely due to the substantial inventory and higher entry price. Bottom line profitability remains realistic but for the notional loss due to foreign exchange fluctuation,” he elaborated.

Dish TV continues to invest in new technologies and content. The platform added 8 new channels during the quarter and remains the only DTH provider in the country to have a fail proof twin satellite arrangement. Enjoying significant advantage over its peers, Dish TV with its existing bandwidth can accommodate the highest number of High Definition channels on its platform. With mandatory digitization flowing through urban markets in the first two phases of implementation, High Definition service is likely to generate significant consumer interest.

At Dish TV, enhancing customer experience remains a key focus; the company in its endeavor to reach out far and wide is always on the look-out for increasing consumer touch points. During the quarter ended December ‘11, Dish TV added close to ten thousand such locations.

Dish TV India Limited continues to be the largest DTH Company in India and the whole of Asia Pacific and is ranked the third largest DTH platform in the World.

Dish TV moves into a new Brand space

Ever since its launch, Dish TV has stood out as the market leader in the DTH category in India. As it geared up to take the next big leap with digitalization, it was time for it to move to a new brand space to further enhance its bonding with the television viewer.

The thought was to position Dish TV as a brand which enables the passionate television viewer to keep his passion alive by not compromising with his television viewing experience. The new base line of the brand, ‘Dish Sawaar Hai’ (Dish TV is on your mind), is a reflection of the viewers passion for watching entertainment through Dish TV.

The newly launched brand song is capturing the mindshare of television consumers across the country.

From an advertising standpoint the 360 degree campaign, which is actively supported by Digital and Social media initiatives, is intended to showcase a DTH platform that meets aspirations and gets the endorsement of the passionate television viewer.

Hirdesh Agarwal

hirdesh_a@dishtv.in

December 4, 2011: A very unique and interesting animation international film festival, Lumière Digitale, was conducted as a part of the 3 – day Supinfomania festival in DSK Supinfocom International campus based in Pune, India. This two-day animation festival, Lumière Digitale was aimed at federating animation communities, with a particular focus on the Asian region, by being a platform for original, innovative content. The festival brought together international directors, animators and CG artists as well as high-profile speakers for three days of Supinfomania. Along with the screening of the 250 students’ short animation films, the festival included an unique Buyers – Producers Summit.

Mrs Tanvi Kulkarni, Joint MD from DSK Supinfocom International Campus shared, “We feel there are huge gaps between teaching, Studio environment, content developers, buyers and broadcasters. Many mid size studios or entrepreneurs (It could be an aspirant student) don’t have any clue about the market dynamics and how they should go about. Therefore we tried to provide a platform wherein everybody can interact, discuss and share the knowledge.”

The Buyers and Producers Summit brought together on one platform Global Animation Stalwarts, top of the league Broadcasters and Studios from all over the world to India and have close interaction with the Indian studios, large, big and small. The Summit included Keynote Presentations, Panel Discussions, Pitching Sessions and Mentoring and feedback to selected animation pitches. It was designed especially for Indian Studios seeking to pitch their own content as well as seeking coproduction deals as well as collaboration. The summit was powered by AnimationXpress.com.

The summit featured International stalwarts such as Mike Young, CEO, Moonscoop USA, Paul Robinson, Managing Director, Kidsco, Linda Simensky, Vice President, Children’s Programming PBS, Krishna Desai, Director, Programming South Asia Turner International India Pvt. Ltd, Biren Ghose, Head, Technicolor India, Rajiv Chilaka, Founder & Managing Director, Green Gold Animation and AK Madhavan, CEO, Crest Animation among others.

The two-day sessions deliberated the fact that the Indian Animation Ecosystem with more than 450 Studios has been making its mark on the global map for more than a decade now. India has now reached a take off point where Indian studios are not only excelling as production facilities but also as co-producers and creators and owners of their own shows (Intellectual Property), their own icons and characters. Indian companies have also begun to step out, fund, acquire and partner the best in the world.

The festival also had an Animation Marathon wherein participating student teams had to create a 3D Animation film in a stipulated time of 36 hours. The Marathon was flagged off on December 2 at 5 pm and ended at 5 am on December 4. The esteemed jury consisting of stalwarts from the industry then judged the winners at a screening of these films.

Animation films produced by DSK Supinfocom students which have received international acclaim and won several awards at various international festivals were also screened on the occasion. Films  which have won various laurels like Special Mention at ASIFA’s IAD, best student film at Anifest 2011 (India), best student film at Shot too Short (India), Best Creativity award at Digicon-6 (Japan) grabbed the attention of the discerning audience.

Globalization and the increasingly globally competitive environment means Cost, Scale, Quality and Fresh Appealing Cultural content is at a higher premium then it ever was. The Global Ecosystem of Broadcasters, Distributors, Publishers, Buyers and Studios is working closer with the Indian studios.

For more information log on to www.dsksic.com

Editor’s Notes

DSK Supinfocom is a joint-venture between DSK Group and Chamber of Commerce and Industry of North De France (CCINDF). It is India’s first & one of it’s kind International campus offering courses in Animation, Video Game Designing and Industrial Designing. DSK Supinfocom is spread over 20 acres of land, the campus is located at NH-9, Pune. The campus has state-of-the-art infrastructure, imparting world class education to match the Global standards. The academics are fully controlled by the French institute to match the international standards of the education. The CORE trainers are recruited on a full time basis from France and Europe. DSK Supinfocom is committed to enhance creativity and talent of each and every student, by motivating them to do their best. For details visit, www.dsksic.com

New Delhi, November 18th, 2011: Sai Prakash Group, an eminent and diversified business group from Madhya Pradesh with businesses running across telecommunications, organic farming and financial services, and more, more today entered into the media industry with the launch of its News Network – “Khabar Bharti”. Keeping with its core philosophy of “by-for-of the common people”, the 24*7 Hindi News Channel was launched by three commoners (Aam Admi) from Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, at Hotel Shangri-La, in the presence of Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad, Hon’ble Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare, Govt. of India.
Present at the launch of the nouveau channel were many eminent personalities from Politics, Media, Arts & Culture. Accompanying Shri Azad, the “Chief Guest” of the occasion, were “Guests of Honour” – Shri Shivraj Singh Chauhan, Hon’ble Chief Minister Madhya Pradesh, Shri Digvijay Singh, General Secretary AICC and Shri Syed Shehnawaz Hussain, Ex-Union Minister & National Spokesperson, BJP. The welcome address was given by Shri P. S. Baghel, Founder & Owner, Sai Prakash Group followed by keynote address Shri Azad.
The highlight of the launch event was a conclave on “Role of Media in Democratic Movements”. The list of speakers, on the occasion, included well-known names: Shri Punya Prasoon Vajpayee (Consulting Editor, Zee News), Shri Vishal Bhardwaj (Indian Film Director), Shri Sudhir Tailang (Eminent Cartoonist), Shri Rajender Singh (Water Conservationist & Ramon Magsaysay Award Winner) and Shri Nida Fazli (noted Indian Urdu Poet).

Speaking on the occasion, Shri P. S. Baghel, CMD, Khabar Bharti and Founder & Owner, Sai Prakash Group, said, “Excellence, reliance and prompt service has always been the forte of Sai Prakash Group. We are extremely happy with the launch of Khabar Bharti, our news network, which is based on the philosophy of striving hard for the establishment and sustenance of an environment of trust and service for our valuable customers.”
Shri Nazim Naqvi, Channel Head, Khabar Bharti, said, “Khabar Bharti’s mission is to reach the cutting edge of progress by reaching millions of homes and keep them updated every second via highly equipped news-rooms and transmission techniques. Our vision is that Khabar Bharti should become India’s No.1 News Channel covering the Hindi-belt of India. The channel has an interesting line-up of programmes and it will be showcasing the facts in an honest and unbiased style.”
The launch event climaxed on a high note with the ravishing performance of playback singer Rekha Bhardwaj and Bollywood actress Udita Goswami, Zenith Dance Troupe and Lazer Dancing Girls (Lazer Show).

About Khabar Bharti-

The 24-hour news channel aims at keeping the viewers well-informed and ahead by exposing the truth. Khabar Bharti’s unique style of passionate story telling and live coverage is bound to educate and amuse the viewers in a dynamic and futuristic format. Khabar Bharti’s content line up includes variety of other entertaining programmes such as Zindigi Subha Subha (morning show), Apradh (crime show), Khabar Talkies (entertainment show), Vikas Nama (developmental show), Shaharnama (city guide show), Janani (women show), Prabhu Tero Naam (devotional show) and Ye Hausla (inspirational show). These programs promise ample of local flavour for the semi-urban and rural audience, as well.

About Sai Prakash Group

Founded in 2009, under the able leadership of Mr. Pushpendra Singh Beghal, the Sai Prakash Group of companies is an eminent business group from Madhya Pradesh. The group has diversified business interests. The group’s Vision & Mission is to enhance and sustain an environment of trust and service for its valuable customers, through its growth as a leading company in the area of properties development, telecommunications, organic farming and other endeavors.
More information about the group is available on www.saiprakash.in

Rishi Sinha
Sr. Account Executive

Public Relation I Events I Corporate Merchandising

401/60, Skylark Building
Nehru Place,
New Delhi – 110 019 (India)

Mobile: +91 9911872345

Email: rishi@teamworkmedia.co.in
rishi.teamwork@gmail.com

New Delhi, November 8th, 2011: Sai Prakash Group, an eminent and diversified business group from Madhya Pradesh with businesses running across telecommunications, organic farming and financial services and more, is all set to launch a 24*7 Hindi News Channel – Khabar Bharti.

With the launch scheduled for 17th November 2011, the Sai Prakash Group will be venturing into the media industry, after being successful in other business verticals. Khabar Bharti will be initially available in three states viz. Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. The channel has been conceptualized specially styled to understand the urgency of news for its busy urban audience, who is generally unaware about the Rural India. It will showcase plenty of local flavour through its interesting and entertaining content.
The news channel’s mission is to reach the cutting edge of progress by reaching millions of homes and keep them updated every second via highly equipped news-rooms and transmission techniques. The news content on Khabar Bharti will be presented in a dynamic and futuristic format. Keeping in mind the demands of today’s era of interactive communication, the channel will stay clear of news programmes that state just the facts in an old fashioned manner. The channel aims at keeping the viewers well-informed and ahead by exposing the truth. The encompassing philosophy is to deliver news with unparalleled passion, accuracy and speed. Its unique style of passionate story telling and live coverage will become the hallmark of Khabar Bharti.

A variety of other entertaining content will also be on air on Khabar Bharti, such as morning show (Zindigi Subha Subha), crime show (Apradh), entertainment show (Khabar Talkies), developmental show (Vikas Nama), city guide show (Shaharnama), women show (Janani), devotional show (Prabhu Tero Naam) and inspirational show (Ye Hausla).
According to Mr. Pushpendra Singh Beghal, Founder & Owner, Sai Prakash Group, “Sai Prakash Group has always strived for establishment and sustenance of an environment of trust and service for our valuable customers. We are now venturing into the media industry with this same underlying philosophy. Our vision is that Khabar Bharti should become India’s No.1 News Channel covering the Hindi-belt of India. The channel has an interesting line-up of programmes and it will be showcasing the facts in an honest and unbiased style.”
Beginning with an expected connectivity of 6 – 7 million homes at the time of launch, Khabar Bharti aims to reach over at least 30 million homes covering more than 50% of industry share in years to come.

About Sai Prakash Group
Founded in 2009, under the able leadership of Mr. Pushpendra Singh Beghal, the Sai Prakash Group of companies is an eminent business group from Madhya Pradesh. The group has diversified business interests. The group’s Vision & Mission is to enhance and sustain an environment of trust and service for its valuable customers, through its growth as a leading company in the area of properties development, telecommunications, organic farming and other endeavors.

For media queries please contact:
Nikky Gupta/ Shaida Sharma
9999886136/ 8800138467

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) are looking for inspirational families to take part in our long running series on parenting. In each one-hour programme, two British teenagers will be sent to live with a family abroad, to experience life in their country under their rules.

In the last series, the BBC sent mismanaged teenagers from the UK to live with families all over the world, from Jamaica to Alabama to South Africa. In this series we want to send two British teenagers to India to sample a disciplined, yet loving upbringing.

We are looking to represent an inspirational Indian family (with their own teenagers) who are proud of their strong parenting and family values and who would be willing to accommodate two British teenagers for one week and instil in them the values and morality they demand of their own children.

The British teens will be expected to attend school, complete homework, help with household chores – whatever is normal for the host family; they will not be guests in the house but new members of the family.

If you are proud of your strong parenting and values and interested in this project, please get in touch with us for more information about the series.

You can email a brief description of your family and your contact information to Kerry Plant at kerryplant@twentytwenty.tv

New Delhi, March 14, 2011: Dishtv, the pioneers and market leaders in the Indian DTH market, welcomes the Government of Rajasthan’s decision to waive off the entertainment tax levied on DTH companies in the state. The State Government announced the same in their 2011-12 Budget presentation on March 9, 2011.

Embracing the announcement, Jawahar Goel, Managing Director, Dishtv India said, “In today’s age and times, when Television is the most affordable and only form of infotainment for large sects in our country, it is ironic that watching TV is taxed. Television plays an important role in the inclusive growth of the country and DTH as an industry augments this growth. DTH today is not only a source of entertainment but also provides information and means of staying connected with the world to substantial chunk of consumers in India. We welcome this move and would like to applaud the leadership of UPA Chairperson Mrs Sonia Gandhi and Mr Ashok Gehlot for taking a progressive step for the millions of subscribers of DTH. We are hopeful that other Congress run state governments will consider similar progressive steps.”

DTH, currently is the only industry which is being levied service tax of 10% as well entertainment tax on its services which varies from state to state. Even, some of the socially taboo products like Tobacco and Liquor are not subjected to multiple taxation as is the case in the DTH sector. The sector currently reels under panel taxation with tax incidence of about 40%.

Regards,

Hirdesh Agarwal

“Be future ready”

Videocon d2h, the DTH arm of Videocon group is the fastest growing DTH service provider in India.Videocon d2h now launches the India’s first High Definition – Digital Video Recorder with 3D.Now its customers will be able to enjoy 3D content and experience the new world of Digital Entertainment.

Mr. Saurabh Dhoot, Director Videocon Group said, “We have seen excellent growth from the time of inception and our objective is to increase penetration, offer channels and services across genres, increase subscriber base & better our ARPU’s. Videocon d2h is pioneer in the Indian DTH market through continuous product innovations and upgrade of technology. We will constantly strive to give consumer more than what they expect. Our High Definition Digital Video Recorder with 3D acts as a bridge between the 3 D Television and the 3D Channel feed. This product will be taking your viewing experience to a new level”.

On the occasion Mr. Abhishek Bachchan added: “Videocon d2h’s innovations are always ahead of their time. The revolutionary HD DVR with 3D brings magic of 3D right into our living rooms. I am immensely proud to be a part of this dynamic and tech-savvy enterprise. Its time to be future ready”

On this occasion Mr. Anil Khera, CEO added, “We are sure that our DTH service will set a new precedent in the DTH market. We are hopeful that this high definition digital video recorder with 3D will be providing customers a major reason to move from cable to DTH, at the same time it will create a new aura for the brand Videocon d2h. ”

HD DVR with 3D will change the world of home entertainment. Videocon d2h Satellite High Definition Digital Video Recorder with 3D takes TV viewing experiences a step ahead. It enhances picture quality and gives HDD (High Definition Digital) sound. We can even pause, rewind and forward live TV & record up to 200 hours; facilitates Auto serial recording. Videocon d2h has its own active channel for the 3D content and also channels in High Definition. 16:9 aspect ratio, 5x digital picture quality and High Definition Digital sound.

Videocon d2h has maximum number of 288 channels & Services with a very strong regional content for their specific Audiences along with all the sports channels on board. The customers can watch their favorite channels in HD format by subscribing to its HD channels.

The newly added Channels in HD format are Discovery HD, NGC HD, Movies Now HD, Travel XP, HD Active Music, HD d2h Movies and the 13 new channels in: Baby TV, Spacetoon, Movies Now (SD), FX, Fox Crime, Big CBS Prime, Discovery Science, Discovery Turbo, NGC Wild, NGC Adventure, NGC Music.

About Us: -

Videocon d2h has the Maximum Number of Channels and Services on its platform. It uses the revolutionary MPEG – 4 DVBS -2 technologies. It has many exciting features like Multiple Tickers, 12 PIP Mosaic, 22 Active Music Audio Video Channels, d2h movies. It carries the highest number of sports channels, leading GEC channels on its platform. It also has the highest number of regional language channels in Kannada, Bengali, Marathi, Oriya and North East. Videocon

d2h has been awarded the 3rd most successful brand launch of the year 2009 across all categories in the brand derby survey carried out by Business – Standard.

Extensive Customer Service Network: Videocon d2h has set up customer call centres in Pune, Dehradun, Noida and Bangalore to cater to customer needs in ten different languages. In addition to all popular television channels, the Videocon d2h platform will offer many new features and exciting interactive services, thus becoming a one-stop shop for all the entertainment needs of customers.

Nikhil Kashyap / Abhilasha Daga
General Manager Communications / Executive
Mob: +9198202 64545/ 9920274227

Molecule Communications (P) Ltd
Royal Plaza, 4th Floor, 409,
Above Red Box, Next to Infinity Mall,
Link road, Andheri West, Mumbai 400 053
landline: 022 67427383.
nikhil@molecule.co.in;

abhilasha@molecule.co.in,

pr@molecule.co.in

nikhilkashyap0@gmail.com
www.molecule.co.in

New Delhi, February 24, 2011:- Dishtv, the pioneers and market leaders in the Indian DTH market, today became Asia’s first DTH company to acquire 10 million subscribers. The foremost DTH company achieved one more significant milestone in the industry by becoming the preferred choice of more than 10 million subscribers across the country. Dishtv attained this leadership position with an unparalleled over 1 million subscriber additions in less than three months, having reached the momentous 9 million subscribers mark in November last year.

Achieving innumerable firsts for the industry, Dishtv has been the revolutionary market leader since its launch and has consistently maintained its leadership position in the fiercely competitive Indian DTH industry from 2003. The company achieved nearly 75% growth in subscriber additions this year and is expected to close FY11 with over 3.5 million additions to its family.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Jawahar Goel, Managing Director, Dishtv India Limited, said, “Dishtv has been setting benchmarks in the industry since we started out in 2003. Our growth is testament to the awakening of new India looking for superior digital content, an unparalleled viewing experience and world class service. Achieving landmark figures of 10 million restate our subscriber trust in our brand and this has only encouraged us further to work on innovations and serve our customers with something unique always. On behalf of the brand, I would like to thank all its stakeholders for their support, encouragement and guidance through the years.”

Mr. R.C Venkateish, CEO, Dish TV India Limited said, “Dishtv has grown multi fold as a brand over the last few years. We had reached the 5 million subscribers mark in the beginning of 2009 and within two years we have doubled our base in the country. We are proud to achieve our target for the current fiscal of reaching 10 million subscribers and I would like to thank all our subscribers for putting their trust with Dishtv. Being the first DTH company in Asia to break the 10 million barrier, we now look forward to exit the current fiscal with a stronger subscriber addition and achieve our guided acquisition target while aiming profitability in the months to come.”

About Dishtv India

Dishtv is India’s largest direct-to-home company and part of the biggest media conglomerate – Zee Group. Dishtv has on its platform 267 channels and services including 21 audio channels with 10 million subscribers, which is growing. The company has a vast distribution network of about 1400 distributors and 55,000 dealers that spans around 6600 towns across the country. Dishtv has 24*7 call centre with 1600 seats in 11 different languages to take care of subscriber requirements at any point of time. For more information on Dishtv, visit www.dishtv.in
Hirdesh Agarwal

hirdesh_a@dishtv.in

The Information & Broadcasting Minister Ms Ambika Soni committed to put in place a system of self regulation mechanism based on a public private partnership model. The Minister stated this while delivering her address at the CII Content Summit “Adapting from Wired to Wireless” on Friday.

The newly proposed Broadcasting Content Compliants Council will have thirteen members represented by broadcasters and civil society and modalities will be deliberated. The BCCC was proposed based on consultations held with civil society representatives and the representative body for entertainment Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF). The constitution of such a body would enable a process to view content through an appropriate mechanism.

Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said as far as content was concerned, it had to be balanced with the prevalent diversity in the country, the existence of multiple channels, the suitability and tastes of different target audiences and the nuances of the regional media. Moreover as the volume of programming had increased, self regulation was the way forward keeping in mind the fact that television was becoming increasingly localized. A self regulatory mechanism would ensure an element of objectivity in viewing and addressing issues relating to content. This body will deal with complaints from people on television content.

In this regard, the Minister also referred to the system of self regulation put in place by the National News Broadcasters Association (NBA) with regard to news channels. A constructive partnership between the Government and the NBA had ensured that the system of self regulation worked effectively addressing the concern of both. The self regulation model put in force by ASCI had also worked effectively in modulating content in the advertising industry.

The proposed 13-member BCCC is to headed by a retired judge of the Supreme Court or High Court, has been proposed after over year-long discussions with the Ministry.

On digitalisation of Cable TV broadcasting, the I&B Ministry has accepted the TRAI roadmap and new sunset dates will be announced for digitalisation in the coming months. I&B ministry has submitted proposals to the Finance Minister related to reduction of taxes for digital headends, set top boxes and rationalization of taxes including income tax holiday for prospective investors.

In his special address TRAI Chairman Dr J S Sarma maintained that in the new media era there will be lesser regulation and the price control mechanism will end soon in the coming years and consumers will be empowered.

I&B Secretary Mr Raghu Menon made it clear that industry is not keen on a Broadcast regulator and the government is ready to give a chance self regulation mechanism and if it works well India would have designed a unique way in would to tackle broadcast regulation. He also said the existing Cable TV Act will be rehauled completely keeping the changing media in picture. On Films, Mr Menon said Cinematograph Act will be amended and films will be censored according to viewer categories of different groups.

In his inaugural address Mr Amit Khanna, Chairman of CII National Media and Entertainment Committee said the industry has the potential to grow from the current $12 billion to $100 billion in this decade.

The summit brought content creators, broadcasters, telecom players, application providers, and advertising agencies to deliberate on the evolving best practices and emerging business models.

CII Director General Mr Chandrajit Banerjee in his address said the industry would like to have an investor friendly framework that should keep in mind the pace of change of the new digital media regime.

New Delhi

18^h February 2011

Neelam Joshi

Media Desk

Confederation of Indian Industry

23, Institutional Area

Lodi Road

New Delhi – 110 003

Mobile: 9810882431

One of the main marketing mysteries is cracking the minds of the typical youth. Family vs. friends? Leisurely fun or slogging out to win? The generation gives an impression of nonchalance and irreverence, but, is that the true picture? MTV connected with 3000+ youth in age 15-24 across 16 cities in India to understand their changing values. The Jan edition of www.MTVplay.in digs deeper to find out what really goes on in their minds.

Young people dream big, really big! What dominates their actions and their willingness to slog it out is these dreams to break into next orbit. They are the ambitious lot, extremely open to experimenting and gutsy to stand up and defend their own beliefs. Surprise is that, even in the age of facebook updates, Family continues to be important for them. Experiential living rules the roost as every sensation is heightened and enjoyed to get the maximum impact out of life.

www.MTVplay.in investigates more in what’s NOT important? Honesty, welfare of others and true-friendship lie somewhere on the fringe and are no longer the driver values. What is interesting is that these values have not been completely discarded, but have just taken a back seat in their list of priorities. Leisurely and chilled out way of life is out-dated; the young folks love to work hard to earn their independence and self respect.

Loyalty, self restraint, obedience and inner harmony are definitely on their way out. These traits are not the hot favorites amongst the Young people anymore. These values are fast fading and are lowest on their priority list. Youth today is extremely short term focused and do not strive for a lasting contribution at in future.

Youth Value System : Key Values as Ranked by the Youth

Between men and women, there is not too much of a difference on the value scale. While both genders have similar dominant values, the men folk come across as more ambitious and are strongly driven by dream of high-life. Interestingly, the need for good physical appeal is stronger amongst men than women. Women, on the other hand, show a higher score for being open minded. They also voice strong willingness to stand up for their own beliefs, seek equality in life and own independence to live life on own terms.

“MTV Play is part of the constant effort at MTV to stay on top of what’s happening with young people. With over 3000 young people put under the microscope, we are continuously finding new and interesting insights which are invaluable. In this edition, we take a deep dive into the value system of young people and the revelations have been truly refreshing” says Aditya Swamy, Channel-head, MTV.

Catch the complete story on Youth and their changing values and more on www.MTVplay.in . MTV recently launched MTVPlay as the open knowledge share portal that showcase Youth Trends. This website is targeted to the Corporates and Media industry and is a cool collection of youth life vignettes and updated every fortnight.

Research Source: Youth Research, MTV, 16 cities, 3110 sample size, 2010

Divorce in India as skyrocketed in the last 10 years and there is no recourse to a troubled marriage. SIMPL Media’s production of Anbirkku Alavillai (starring Johnny Lever and Sumeet Pathak) addresses these critical issues and offers some answers to this widespread problem. The film is in it’s final stages of post production and producer Jim Sanjay is looking for an Indian distributor.

The film, produced in the Chennai area using the Red Camera is just under two hours and features the playback talents of Srinivas, Krish, Kiruba, Santhosh and Manavan.

Anbirkku Alavillai (Unlimited Love) is a love story about Vijay and Sneha who fall in love without ever formally meeting and want to get married. Johnny Bhai (Johnny Lever) is an amusing older married man with a heart of gold. Vijay (Sumeet Pathak) is a young man who is in love with Sneha (Neetu P Chaudhury). Vijay and Sneha get married against the advice of both Dr Sheetal (a qualified family therapist) and Johnny Bhai and immediately begins to realize that the person they thought was perfect had flaws!

Conflicts start invading their daily life. Vijay goes to Johnny Bhai but doesn’t like his advice. What Vijay wants is sympathy and comfort he gets sage advice from this experienced married man. Sneha seeks counsel with Dr Sheetal who advises her that problems of this type are to be expected. After all, Vijay does not beat her or go out with other women – he simply ignores her and argues! Sneha should do one good thing for her husband each day for a week without expecting anything back. Sneha takes her advice and starts a one-week experiment. She asks Vijay to call his parents for dinner and she will cook for them. Vijay is surprised and happy with this offer. Of course, the dinner with Vijay’s parents is a disaster but the experience brings the young couple closer together.

This love story takes an interesting turn when Vijay’s wealthy and beautiful boss, Jyothi (Mansi Lal) tries to seduce him. What happens next is something that will take Vijay to a point of no return…

For more information on distribution contact Jim Sanjay shepherdindia@gmail.com in Chennai. For production photos visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/media_sage/.

1493, J-16, 13th Main Road, Anna Nagar West
Chennai 600040

91-784-502-3234

1-866-371-0438

http://www.anbirkku.com/

Asia’s Largest DTH Service: Dish TV adds a record Five Lakh New Subscribers in November 2010
- Dish TV adds a record 5 Lakh New Subscribers in November 2010 – First Indian DTH company to add 5 Lakh new subscribers in a Single month – Crosses 9 million subscriber milestone and becomes Asia’s largest DTH service

NOIDA, INDIA, November 30, 2010 – Dish TV, Asia’s Largest DTH service today announced achieving a record 5 Lakh new subscribers on its platform during November 2010. With this significant achievement, Dish TV has become India’s first DTH service to add 5 Lakh new subscribers in a span of 30 days. Dish TV also crossed 9 million subscribers milestone in November.

Speaking on the occasion, R.C. Venkateish, CEO, Dish TV said, “It is extremely gratifying to be the top grosser in the industry in terms of net subscriber additions. Dish TV is indeed glad to see such a tremendous response by the DTH consumers, which has been instrumental in redefining the dynamics of the sector and achieving a record new subscriber addition of 5 Lakh in one month”.

We thank and appreciate every subscriber’s faith in making us Asia’s largest DTH Company.  This bears testimony to the efforts that have been put into making our services the best in the industry and we will continue to innovate and provide world-class products and offerings to our subscribers. A response of such magnitude makes us confident of setting new benchmarks in customer service in the months to come”, Venkatiesh added.

Dish TV has been driving the digital revolution in India and remains focused to further consolidate its leadership and achieve its guided acquisition target of 3 million subscribers to reach 10 million subscribers by the end of current fiscal while aiming at profitability in the months to come.

Suresh Menon – documentary and short film maker – will direct a Tamil feature film using the latest state-of-the-art Digital Hi-Definition technology

Suresh Menon, the well known documentary and short film maker, is all set to do a tamil feature film using the latest state-of-the-art Digital Hi-Definition technology. The script is complete in all respects and pre-production activities are expected to commence soon.

Suresh Menon had recently won two awards for his activities. He was awarded the ‘Digital Fimmaking Samrat’ award at the ‘All India Digital Film Makers Conference’ at Hyderabad on 11 April, 2010. His 30-minute short film ‘Muttham Katti Muttham’ was awarded the ‘Best Film for Concept & Story and Social Relevance’ by Mr. K. Anbazhagan, Finance Minister, Govt. of Tamilnadu on 19 June, 2010.

Suresh Menon is the founder of a highly educative community on Digital Film Making on the popular social networking site Orkut. The community titled ‘HD/HDV Film Making’ is known to benefit hundreds of serious digital film makers, and he uses this community to reach out and educate budding digital film makers worldwide.

Suresh Menon has been producing digital media since 1994, and is well known for his corporate films, compelling documentaries, gripping short films and commercials. His venture into the commercial film making arena is being welcomed by the industry.

Over 100,000 Indian Cricket Fans See First Ever Live 3D Event on the moviebeam Platform, Supported by Sigma Designs Solutions. Valuable Group Uses moviebeam Platform Based on Existing Sigma SoC to Deliver First of Its Kind Viewing Experience

TAIPEI, Taiwan, Jun 01, 2010 — Sigma Designs (Nasdaq:SIGM), a leading provider of system-on-chip (SoC) solutions used to deliver entertainment and control throughout the home, today announced that over 100,000 Indian Premiere League (IPL) Cricket fans in India swarmed to 3DTV-enabled movie theaters to watch live Cricket Semi-finals and final broadcasts that were processed by Sigma Designs SMP 8634 chipsets.

Valuable Group has brought the first-ever live 3D sports broadcast in India on their moviebeam platform. This initiative will change the way Indians view sports. The last 4 matches of the recently concluded Indian Premier League were beamed live via satellite, directly to movie theaters and public venues, played on the moviebeam high definition media device based on the Sigma Designs 8634 chipset.

“We have partnered with Sigma Designs for a long time, and in the process, continuously and successfully innovated on the moviebeam platform to deliver compelling content to viewers in theatres, bars and hotels,” said Mr. Ameya Hete, Executive Director of Valuable Group. “With our continued partnership with Sigma Designs, we plan to roll out several more initiatives on the moviebeam 3D ready platform, as well as upgrade our existing network to 3D.”

“3DTV is a global phenomenon and Sigma Designs is best positioned to help innovative companies capitalize on the trend,” said David Lynch, Vice President and General Manager of the Media Processor Group. “Sigma Designs has made significant investments in 3DTV technology. Today our existing 8630, 8640 and 8650 series all support 3DTV.”

About Sigma Designs, Inc.

Sigma Designs is a leading fabless semiconductor provider of highly integrated system-on-chip (SoC) solutions that are used to deliver entertainment and control throughout the home. SoC solutions include media processing, wired and wireless networking, video image processing, and home control along with system software to form the critical components of consumer electronic products that include Internet protocol TV (IPTV) set-top boxes, gateways, Blu-ray players, and media communication devices. Headquartered in Milpitas, Calif., Sigma Designs has direct sales representatives in the United States, Brazil, China, Europe (Denmark), Israel, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan and distributors in Korea, Russia and India. For more information, please visit Sigma Designs’ web site at http://www.sigmadesigns.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including statements regarding the future potential of the SMP8634 as a solution for creating 3DTV experiences or the viability of Sigma Designs chipsets for use in 3DTV broadcasts. Actual results may vary materially due to a number of factors including, but not limited to, general economic conditions, including continuance of the current economic conditions specific to the semiconductor industry, the rate of growth of the home control market in general, the ability of the integrated home control solution to compete with other technologies or products in this emerging market as well as other risks that are detailed from time to time in Sigma’s SEC reports, including its quarterly report on Form 10-K as filed April 1, 2010. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. Sigma undertakes no obligation to publicly release or otherwise disclose the result of any revision to these forward-looking statements that may be made as a result of events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

SOURCE: Sigma Designs, Inc.

Sigma Designs, Inc.
Michael Weissman, 408-262-9003
Michael_w@sdesigns.com
or
Atomic PR
Sean Stevens, 415-402-0230
sean@atomicpr.com

Comviva powers India’s first-ever solution to record TV programs through mobile phones
Enables Bharti Airtel to offer an industry first feature of recording live TV from anywhere in the world

New Delhi, Delhi, India, April 14, 2010 / IndiaPRLine / — Comviva, the global leader in providing mobile solutions beyond VAS, today announced that it has provided an innovative solution enabling customers who own an Airtel digital TV recorder, to record live television through their mobile phones.  The solution replicates the Electronic Program Guide (EPG) on the mobile for Airtel digital TV customers. With this, customers can set reminders or even recommend a program to a friend, besides being able to view their current account balance.

Working closely with the Airtel digital TV team, Comviva developed and delivered this solution in a very short span of time by integrating two of its proven 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.”

Editor Notes

About Bharti Airtel Limited

Bharti Airtel Limited, a group company of Bharti Enterprises, is among Asia’s leading integrated telecom services providers with operations in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The company has an aggregate of around 137 million customers across its operations. Bharti Airtel has been ranked among the six best performing technology companies in the world by BusinessWeek.

Bharti Airtel is structured as four strategic business units – Mobile, Telemedia, Enterprise and Digital TV. The mobile business offers services in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The Telemedia business provides broadband, IPTV and telephone services in 94 Indian cities. The Enterprise business provides end-to-end telecom solutions to corporate customers and national and international long distance services to carriers. The Digital TV business provides DTH services across India. All these services are provided under the Airtel brand. Airtel’s national high-speed optic fiber network currently spans over 118,337 Rkms across India. Airtel’s international network infrastructure includes ownership of the i2i submarine cable system and consortium ownership in five global undersea cable systems, SEA-ME-WE 4, EIG, I-ME-WE, AAG and UNITY. For more information, visit www.airtel.in.

About Comviva

Comviva is the global leader in providing mobile solutions beyond VAS. With an extensive portfolio of products and solutions that encompass content, commerce and community-related offerings, Comviva enables operators to offer services that enrich mobile users’ lives. Comviva enhances operator efficiencies and revenue performance by adding value at every stage of the customer lifecycle – from prepaid subscription and etop-up to customer care, and from real-time promotions and loyalty management to billing solutions. Comviva has extensive expertise in delivering and managing mobile solutions that extend beyond VAS, powering solutions to mobile operators in more than 80 countries worldwide and reaching over 550 million subscribers globally. For more information, visit www.comviva.com

This is an innovative platform for aspiring journalists to showcase their talent to the world and be a part of the rich vibrant team of Star News. The ideal candidate should be able to work in a fast-paced deadline-oriented environment. If you are comfortable working in front of a camera, think on your feet, good diction and excellent communication skills this is your dream job!

Budding News Anchors will have to register on the website StarAnchorHunt.com and selected candidates will subsequently be invited for Audition rounds which will take place across 10 cities: Indore, Nagpur, Allahabad, Lucknow, Mumbai, Patna, Delhi, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad and Jaipur.

To know when auditions are happening in your city, please visit http://staranchorhunt.com/schedule.html

Hurry, register now at http://staranchorhunt.com/AnchorHuntRegistration.aspx

ABOUT THE JUDGES

The judges for the show are eminent personalities from the industry: Tisca Chopra, Chetan Bhagat and Deepak Chaurasia.

Tisca Chopra is an actress who has worked in theatre, television and movies. In 2007, she appeared in the much acclaimed Taare Zameen Par with Aamir Khan.. She also works with the National Knowledge Commission (NKC), a high level advisory body to the Prime Minister of India, working for educational reforms pan India. Tisca has hosted the National Bravery Awards 2009, the Rajiv Gandhi National Awards 2008 and also a Quiz show on National Geographic Channel for the TERI, called Terraquiz.

Chetan Bhagat is the author of four blockbuster novels, Five Point Someone (2004), One Night @ the Call Center (2005), The 3 Mistakes of life (2008) and 2 states-the story of my marriage (2009). All his books have remained bestsellers since their release and have inspired major Bollywood films.

Deepak Chaurasia, is a well known face of Indian electronic media and is one of the smartest political minds in Indian television who would often offer the most provocative take on the day’s news from the campaign trail and beyond. A Deepak Chaurasia-report validates a story’s importance. Currently he is editor, National affairs with STAR NEWS. For the last two decades he has covered almost all the important events across the world and in every corner of our country. Whether it was Gulf war or post 9/11 coverage or Kargil war, he was there to present the ground report for Indian viewers.

About Star News

STAR News, the leading Hindi News channel is best defined by a fair and balanced approach that combines prompt reporting with insightful analysis of news and current affairs. Living up to it’s motto of “Appko Rakhe Aagey”, STAR News is a people’s channel that focuses on relevant news in a cutting-edge format. Since its inception, STAR News has grown to command a reach of over 43 Million* Indians on a weekly basis. As a responsible news channel, STAR News has been at the forefront of empowering it’s viewers through information, by exposing evils in society with an objective of cautioning people and as a social crusade for a better society. Path breaking stories like Bihar floods, Sting operation on Fatwa, Delhi elections, Mumbai terrorist attack are some the efforts that have put STAR News at the top of people’s minds.

As per the latest TAM figs, the reach of STAR News is approximately 20 times higher than the reach nos. of BBC World, and approximately 30 times higher than CNN.

For further information, please contact us at

Star Anchor Hunt

staranchorhunt@gmail.com

Get the latest news as it happens on

Twitter: http://twitter.com/staranchorhunt

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/STAR-Anchor-Hunt/330404557040

Blog: http://staranchorhunt.wordpress.com

A 360 o perspective and analysis of the Budget 2010; An extensive programming line up on the upcoming Union Budget

Pune, Maharashtra, February 23, 2010 / IndiaPRLine / — It is that time of the year again when the common man’s life is due for a change. February 26, 2010 will have the Union budget from the UPA government for the year 2010-11 tabled in the Lok Sabha. Anxious consumers, apprehensive businessmen, corporates and the Aam Aadmi would be glued to the television sets as the Finance Minister would make important announcements on inflation, taxation rates, railways, and more. IBN-Lokmat will bring to its viewers a 360o perspective on Union Budget’10 by lining up a comprehensive programming schedule on the hot topic.

An illustrious team of economic and political journalists along with financial experts will discuss and analyse the insights of the budget which has the hopes and aspirations of the commoners anxiously waiting. The proficient discussions of the experts shall throw a light on various issues, influencing the business scenario and other sectors in India.

IBN-Lokmat has lined up a variety of programmes, which will provide the viewers with minute-to-minute updates on the crucial decisions of the Government. Viewers can watch ‘Budget 2010′ and comprehend a holistic understanding of the budget. The interesting series of the programs are as follows:

Pre Budget and Budget Day special programming on IBN-Lokmat in ‘Budget 2010′

• The expectations of Aam Aadmi from the Budget-2010: scheduled on February 22 and 23, 2010 at 20.30 Hrs. It will showcase the discussion among the panel of experts from the various sectors on the new budget.
• Economy survey Debate: Based on the economic survey debate, a discussion with experts is scheduled to showcase on February 25, 2010 at 20.30 Hrs.
• Railway Budget: One hour Special feature with the panel of experts sharing their views and opinions will be showcased on February 24, 2010 at 20.00 Hrs.
• Union Budget: One hour Special feature with the panel of experts on February 26, 2010 at 20.00 Hrs.

So tune into ‘Budget 2010′ on IBN-Lokmat to get a holistic comprehension of the union budget.

MAX welcomes DLF IPL 2010 home with “Saare Jahaan Se Accha” campaign
MAX rolls out the Red Carpet for the world’s biggest cricket extravaganza

Mumbai, Maharashtra, February 11, 2010 / IndiaPRLine / — MAX, India’s Premier Movies and Special Events channel and the official broadcaster of the DLF Indian Premier League has launched an extravagant ‘Red Carpet Film’ to welcome DLF IPL 2010, back to home turf. The Indian audiences, already rejoicing the home coming of their favourite IPL teams, will soon be swaying to the patriotic notes of ‘Saare Jahaan Se Accha, Hindustan Hamaara, Hum Bul Bulle Hein Iski, Yeh Gulsita Hamara’ in MAX’s DLF IPL 2010 Red Carpet film.

The Red Carpet film is a novel creation in more ways than one. This film seamlessly cements the spirit of cricket, the flamboyance of entertainment and the rush of patriotism into a single global entity – DLF IPL 2010.

The film welcomes back the DLF IPL on a red carpet. Once unravelled, the carpet gathers momentum while traversing the landscape of India’s passion for the sport. Reaching every town and city of India the film captures how eagerly cricket fans are awaiting the DLF IPL 2010. The carpet flows down snow peaked mountains, rumbles through the desert, flows through small and big towns captivating people who throng along the sides of this carpet showcasing the intensity of welcoming DLF IPL back to India. The carpet finally rolls down its last flap in front of a majestic stadium packed with eager fans revealing the 8 DLF IPL team captains. The film ends on a “Welcome Home” note.

MAX’s Red Carpet Film is an initiative, in succession to the DLF IPL’s Captains’ short films where they revealed to their fans that – “We missed you too”. This campaign will promote MAX as the ultimate destination for entertainment for 45 days, starting March 12, 2010. After having broken every record in the history of cricketing entertainment for the past two years, DLF IPL 2010 promises to capture the renewed enthusiasm of the matches being played in our own country. MAX’s presentation of these matches will ensure complete and compelling family entertainment this season too.

Commenting on the exciting build up to the tournament, Sneha Rajani, Executive Vice President & Business Head, MAX said “The DLF IPL is back where it belongs. This film is the country’s welcome to the greatest entertainment extravaganza ever seen. The film captures the one emotion that binds our country – the undying passion for cricket everywhere. With the homecoming of the DLF IPL, our broadcast of the series just gets bigger and even more thrilling! ”

The ‘Saarey Jahaan Se accha” campaign has been conceptualised by JWT. Dhunji Wadia, National Creative Director, JWT says, “We wanted to showcase the coming together of the entire nation. The red carpet is used as metaphor for premium and ultimate class; everything else becomes trite in comparison to it. We have travelled across the country to shoot the film and a lot of effort and passion has gone into creating this film. We welcome the DLF IPL back home and the film identifies with the the sentiment of the country.”

The film has been shot by Storytellers and directed by Arun Gopalan. The film will be aired pan India – on SET network channels, GEC, sports channels, news channels, music channels, kids’ channels and regional channels.

DLF IPL starting MARCH 12, 2010 ONLY ON MAX!

Editor Notes

About MAX

MAX, India’s No. 1 Hindi Movie channel, backed by Sony Pictures Television International (SPTI), provides its viewers with the biggest and best of Hindi Movies and Special Events. MAX is the exclusive broadcaster of the world’s biggest entertainment extravaganza, the DLF Indian Premier League (DLF IPL). With “extraaa innings”, MAX changed the rules of cricket presentation throughout the world during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003, and made it an entertaining affair that continues to set viewership records. Some of the on-air movie properties of MAX, such as ‘Ab Tak Bachchan’, ‘Maha Movie’ and ‘Mera Movie’ have become a staple diet of millions of viewers across India. Exciting World Television Premiers of new Bollywood films and monthly festivals showcasing the hottest stars of Indian cinema have made MAX the favourite movie channel of India. MAX has also been widely acclaimed and distinguished in the media marketplace with a host of awards recognising leadership and marketing excellence. Today, MAX reaches out to over 50 million households in India.

MAX is part of the bouquet of channels distributed by TheOneAlliance, which is a joint venture between SET India Pvt Ltd and Discovery Communications India. Other channels in TheOneAlliance network include Sony, SAB, PIX, AXN, Animax, Channel 8, Discovery, Discovery Travel and Living, Animal Planet, MTV, VH1, Colors, Nick, NDTV Profit, NDTV 24×7, NDTV India, Headlines Today, Aaj Tak and Tez.

BBC World News takes India Distribution to 22 million with Sun Direct Partnership

Mumbai, Maharashtra, February 11, 2010 / IndiaPRLine / — BBC World News has boosted its audience in India by over 20%, after signing a major new deal with Sun Direct that takes the channel’s overall India distribution to around 22 million.

The new arrangement, which begins this month, will see the BBC’s international, commercially-funded channel placed on the Basic pack on Sun Direct’s platform. This will mean the channel is now available to the entire spectrum of Sun Direct viewers, which numbers close to 5 million households across the country.

The deal comes hot on the heels of new programming on the channel dedicated to viewers in South Asia. The Hub with Nik Gowing is among a number of new programmes on BBC World News, launched at the beginning of February. The show, which is broadcast Monday to Friday 16.00-17.30 GMT, will take a look at international news from a South Asian perspective.

Colin Lawrence, Commercial Director of BBC World News, says “This is a great start to 2010 for us in what is a hugely important market. The fact that an extra 5 million households in India can now watch us directly is very significant, and we’re delighted that Sun Direct, India’s youngest and number 2 DTH Company, has taken us onto its platform. Our new schedule also gives Indian viewers content that is tailored to them, so we’re excited about the future here.”

Mr Tony D Silva, Chief Operating Officer, Sun Direct, adds: “BBC World News is a first class news channel with something unique to offer our viewers, particularly with its new programming focused on our region. We’re providing next-generation services to our audiences here, using the latest MPEG-4 based technology, and BBC World News is exactly the kind of channel we want to provide on our platform.”

The Log Channel No for BBC World News on Sun Direct’s platform is 567.

Editor Notes

About BBC World News

BBC World News, the BBC’s commercially funded international 24-hour news and information channel, is owned and operated by BBC World News Ltd, a member of the BBC’s commercial group of companies. BBC World News attracts 74 million viewers a week, is available in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide, and reaches more than 299 million households and 1.7 million hotel rooms. The channel’s content is also available on 81 cruise ships, 46 airlines, 35 mobile phone networks and a number of major online platforms including bbc.com/news. For further information on how to receive BBC World News, download schedules or find out more about the channel, visit bbcworldnews.com.

‘The Big Green Help’ urges kids to become ‘Agents of Change’
‘Timepass mat karo, Earth ke liye kuch karo’

Mumbai, Maharashtra, February 1, 2010 / IndiaPRLine / — ‘Alpenliebe Mangofillz powers Nick The Big Green Help co partnered by Idea’ – is a pioneering initiative aimed at igniting real action from kids for environmental change. This international initiative which has helped millions of kids across 27 countries make a real difference to the planet, aims to make earth-friendly activities a part of kids’ everyday lives in India as well. Nick, the leading kid’s entertainment channel has a legacy of empowering kids and believes that kids lead the way in addressing positive change. The Nick & IMRB Kidscan research states that over 70% of kids are aware and wish to save the earth, but lack action routes. This initiative aims to inspire kids to play an active role in saving the earth.

With the idea of “Timepass mat karo, Earth Ke Liye Kuch Karo”, ‘The Big Green Help’ has been made truly relatable and relevant to the kids of today; their very own movement that will give them all the power to be the agents of change. The aim of the initiative is to translate a serious message such as environment degradation in a language and tone that is non-preachy and would make kids sit up, take notice and do their bit.

‘The Big Green Help’ has a host of on-air, digital and on-ground initiatives that aim to make earth-friendly activities a part of a kids daily routine. Fronting this movement with superhero Perman who kids have formed an unbreakable bond with, aims to do just that. The channel will give eco-tips, eco-interactivity that would inspire kids to stop wasting time and take this issue up on a war footing. School contact programmes & on-ground activities in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore would be conducted wherein kids can express their opinions and view points and in turn learn how to use the various tools to save the earth.

On this occasion Nina Elavia Jaipuria, General Manager & Senior Vice President, Nick India said, “Nick has a history of addressing issues that affect kids in a novel and innovative manner by truly leveraging the might of the platform. We believe that kids when empowered have the ability to bring about tremendous positive change in their surroundings and this can make a huge difference to society. Giving them their very own kid-led environmental movement to champion where they are equipped with more actionable methods is a small step in making the burning issue of earth degradation more relevant to this generation”.

Bringing the message of “Save the Earth” to life; innovative on-ground activities such as the creation of a giant sand sculpture made by world renowned artist Sudarshan Pattnaik denoting Perman’s love for mother earth and he pledging his life to protect it, PUC checks of vehicles across cities, power shut downs across Viacom18 offices in Mumbai & Delhi are just a few of the engaging initiatives to look forward to.

Says Aashish Kapoor, Group Product Manager, Perfetti Van Melle India Pvt Ltd., “We are proud to be a part of Nick’s ‘The Big Green Help’. The idea is to make the kids; agents of change to save the earth. They are our future and enabling them with tools to make a difference is going to go a long way in saving our planet.”

Get on board & join ‘Alpenliebe Mangofillz powers Nick The Big Green Help co partnered by Idea’

Watch Perman from Mon-Fri, 6-6:30pm to get eco tips and be part of the eco interactivity!

Editor Notes

About Nick India: Nick, India’s leading kids brand and a part of Viacom18, is available in over 29 million households in the country. It is a 24-hour pay channel in Hindi, with the option of an English audio feed on DTH. With an approach that puts ‘kids first’, Nick takes pride in encouraging kids to be themselves – funny, messy and free-spirited. Being true to its philosophy of connecting with kids wherever they are, Nick gives kids a complete multi platform brand experience. The touchpoints range from on ground interactions, digital innovation and consumer products to name a few. Nick has today become the preferred comedy destination for kids in India, with shows like SpongeBob SquarePants, Ninja Hattori, Perman, Oggy and the Cockroaches and Chibi Maruko Chan amongst many others. Believing that ‘education’ and ‘entertainment’ go hand-in-hand at a young age, Nick offers ‘edu-taining’ shows like Dora the Explorer and Go Diego Go amongst others in its pre-school block – Nick Jr. Given its ‘award-winning’, ‘well-researched’ and ‘safe’ shows, it’s no surprise that Nick enjoys equal support from the parents as well. Outside India, Nickelodeon, (as it is known internationally), is the world’s number-one entertainment brand dedicated to kids and is viewed in more than 202.3 million households in 170 territories across the world including countries in Africa, Asia and the Pacific Rim, Latin America, Europe, CIS/Baltic Republics and the US, making it the most widely distributed television channel in the world.