DID Season 3

Sat – Sun 8.30 P.M.

Main Lakshmi Tere Aangan Ki is a new TV serial on Life Ok. You can watch an inspirational journey of Lakshmi towards realizing her dream through serial. It is a very unique and different kind of story. It is directed Jai Singh. The story is about a middle class girl named Lakshmi. Though, she lives a middle class life, she feels that money is important. She is thinking to marry Arjun who is a rich boy. In order to know Lakshmi’s feelings, he swaps identities with his friend and meets Lakshmi.

Falling Skies

Daily 10.00 P.M.

Science fiction show ‘Falling Skies’ executive produced by Academy Award winner Steven Spielberg (Saving Private Ryan, Schindler’s List) and co-created with Oscar nominated screenwriter Robert Rodat (Saving Private Ryan) has aired everyday at 10 pm on AXN. ‘Falling Skies’ is set in the aftermath of an all-out invasion of Earth by aliens. Set in the chaotic world left completely devastated by the extraterrestrial attack, Falling Skies picks up six months into the alien occupation where the few survivors have come together outside what is left of key cities in an attempt to fight back. Each day is a test of survival as citizen soldiers scavenge for supplies, protect the people in their care, and embark on a guerrilla campaign against the enigmatic and deadly alien force. Humans live in the hope of taking back their home one day and rebuilding their lives.

A Poem is…

Daily Many times

The learning focused block on Disney Channel, Disney Junior, has aired new shows. The shows ‘A Poem is…’ with Chef ZeFronk’ will be played out multiple times daily on the channel. The show A Poem is… is a shortform animated series which has poems for children set to scenes and imagery from Disney classics like Bambi, The Lady and the Trtamp and Dumbo. The poems will be narrated by veteran Bollywood actor Shabana Azmi in hindi and by actor director Suhasini Ratnam in Tamil and Telegu. The show will feature poems from Robert Louis Stevenson, John Howard Payne, AA Milne and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Walt Disney Television International India executive director content and creative Arnab Chaudhuri said, “The launch of these new series further demonstrates Disney Junior’s dedication to programming that highlights the importance of great, heartfelt storytelling with learning components, including poetry and life skills.” Apart from the new shows, Disney Junior will also release a magazine and DVDs of its content and activities in the future.

Ruk Jana Nahi

Mon – Fri 6.30 P.M.

Ruk Jana Nahi is a new TV serial on Star Plus in which you will experience a tale of a simple girl and her new path to service in the society. This is a new series to emphasize the power of Indian female. Concept, story and screenplay have been scored by Kamal Pandey. The series has been directed by Santram Verma and produced by Kamal Pandey (Kamadgiri Productions). Story of Ruk Jaana Nahin is located in Banaras. It covers the finest aspect of college life also. It is a youth (basically inspiration for female youth) oriented series. Ruk Jaana Nahin covers the basic aspects of ragging, elections and students activities in the college. It is the journey of Saanchi who fights all odds of her personal life, student life and professional life towards becoming a lawyer.

Big Switch Season 3

Sunday 7.00 P.M.

UTV Bindass brings third series of Big Switch: Life without Daddy Ka Paisa.UTV Bindass business head Keith Alphonso said, “The Bindass Big Switch format is a path breaking concept with a very purposive goal. We bring to life an experience of change – a change in perception, in experience of transition and a chance at reformation. With its one-of-akind twist Big Switch 3 will bring alive the spirit of youth and unearth the ‘can-do-will-do’ in all of us.” The channel has once again roped in Woodland as the title sponsor for the show. The show will see participation of eight youngsters who get a chance to reform themselves and make themselves worthy of the luxuries without their parents’ money. The contestants would have to survive 20 days in a penthouse and would be responsible for running errands, doing household work and even earn a living by doing various tasks. The weakest contestant at the end of every task would be eliminated.

Zindagi Kahey; Smile Please

Everyday 8.40 P.M.

Zindagi Kahe Smile Please is a new series based on the comical theme surrounded by family drama. The Show is introduced by Vipul D. Sah. Produced by Optimystix Productions, the show ‘Zindagi Kahey; Smile Please’ has the concept of ‘money is not everything’. The story focuses around two families and highlights that love, care and trust are the important factors of happy life. Balika Vadhu fame Fahad Ali and Dheeraj Dhoopar aka Ansh of ‘Maat Pitah ke Charno Main Swarg’ fame will play the lead roles in the show, whereas Additi Gupta who shot to fame with ‘Kish Desh Mein Hain Mera Dil’ will play the female lead in the show. Buzz is that the story will make love triangle between Additi Gupta, Dheeraj Dhoopar and Fahad Ali. Apart from the lead cast, Kiran Karmarkar who had essayed the iconic role of Om in ‘Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki’ is set to make a comeback after a long hiatus with this show.

Wrecked

Coming Soon

Discovery Turbo, the channel dedicated to speed, brings a new reality series, ‘Wrecked’, featuring the employees of cautionary tale of a young woman through “Dil Se Di Dua… Saubhagyavati Bhava?” The story is based on the struggle of Jahnvi. She faces the worst fears of her life after getting married. She gets an overpossessive and abusive husband named Viraj. Viraj is suave and charming from the outside but he is very different from the inside. Viraj is the perfect husband by everyone. But Jahnvi faces the irrational side of Viraj. Will Jahnvi be able to survive with him? Will she be able to change him? Watch ‘Saubhagyavati Bhava?’ on Life Ok every night. The story covers the domestic violence also. Story of Saubhagyavati Bhava makes viewers aware about the basic aspects of human life.

MTV Chat House

Sun & Thurs 7.00 P.M.

MTV Chat House is a new reality TV Show and it has been designed to tell people about their virtual life and real life. In the age of social networking and internet, people are living their lives virtually. The Show redefines one of the biggest towing services as they deal with accidents, flipped big rigs, and cars out of control during ice storms, rain and other nasty weather. The series highlights the strong men and women of the industry and the dangers they face daily. Bill runs O’Hare Towing with his wife Marci and his brother Joey, a fleet of high tech trucks and a team of dedicated drivers who risk their lives every day, ready to respond at amoment’s notice to the next big wreck.

Saubhagyavati Bhava

Daily 10.00 P.M.

Saubhagyavati Bhava is a new TV serial on Life Ok and scheduled to air everynight at 10. You can watch a the meaning of friendship. Chat House is to make virtual life very real. It has been designed on a very new format where Chat Masters will live for 60 days in a chat room. They will be kept completely detached from the real world. There will be only 12 contestants to communicate with them. But Chat Masters will not be able to see them in their real avatar. They will meet the avatars of contestants. Chat Masters have to make maximum numbers of friends to win the show.

“SOAPS & SERIALS KA TADKA– Must watch of the month” will be a regular in our every issue. In this, we attempt to list down shows that are worth your watch for the benefit of our readers. To facilitate this, all channels are requested to send in the details programmes so that we can showcase them through our feature.

Star One has been given a quiet burial, making way for ‘Life OK’, Hindi GEC’s newest brand from the Star India stable. It went on air on 18th December in the 8 PM time slot. The new channel is available in the same band as that of Star One. The channel’s encapsulating message: ‘Life is ok’. Life OK packs in three shows in just one hour of programming. It has the shortest ad breaks across television in India. It begins with a strong digital presence and is being supported by one of the most elaborate marketing campaigns for a channel launch in recent times. The channel also has a ‘sutradhar’ in the form of actor Madhuri Dixit.

STAR has created a launch brand film that captures the channel’s positioning with the message ‘Kal ki soch kar dhat teri ki karte reh gaye – toh aaj ka kya hoga pyaare?’ In a first, Life OK is being launched in a three-day roadblock across the STAR India network. The outdoor plan will reach 101 towns in an attempt to “go where no entertainment brand has gone before”. Recognising the importance of youth, the brand is launched through a week long digital engagement plan and an eight-hour long online concert with Life OK Rockathon exclusively for the web. Life OK has to still evolve its sales strategy, but as STAR India’s CEO Uday  Shankar puts it, the focus right now is to establish the brand and drive viewer engagement. The channel’s core team comprises Channel General Manager Ajit Thakur, the programming team of Gaurav Banerjee, Sanjog Gupta and Dimpi Dey, Dhruv, Sushma and Dhiren in the Marketing and OAP department and Anand Shiv in Consumer Insight. The most important of all aspects is the thought process on which the programming of the channel is based.

Distinct Identity

The first thing one notice about Life OK is that STAR India has stayedawayfrom the STAR branding for this channel. Life OK is not just a second GEC from STAR India; it is a brand new channel from the Network with a distinct identity of its own.

According to Uday Shankar, the brand name captures the channel’s encapsulating message ‘Life is OK’. Uday Shankar explained, “Life OK believes that the chase to prosperity can be a mirage, an endless chase. You pay a huge price if ‘norms of success’ come at the cost of sacrificing values. In our chase for what we don’t have, we often forget to cherish what we have. In our quest for happiness tomorrow, we often forget that life is OK today.” The premise of Life OK’s thought process is that India is at a critical phase of growth. On the one hand, there is ‘India shining’ and on the other hand, there are deep rooted concerns within society reflecting a new anxiety and restlessness. Shankar informed, “Studies show that for majority of India, material prosperity is redefining norms of success and people are afraid that they or their families will be left behind in that race. There is growing concern on whether our life is really ‘ok’? The channel will try to address this concern and turn up the volume on all that really matters in life.”

Content & Distribution

Like any Hindi GEC, Life OK targets the C&S 4+ in the Hindi speaking markets. In its initial phase, the channel has experimented with its content presentation significantly. Life OK is beginning with three hours of original programming, beginning at 8 pm. There would be seven shows including six shows of 20 minutes each and one non-fiction show of 40 minutes every day. The marquee shows cover a wide spectrum, focusing on an underlying value. ‘Meri Maa’ pays tribute to the mother and child bond. ‘Mahadev’, a period epic story of Shiva’s journey from ascetic to householder, draws on religion as the ultimate moral compass. ‘Saubhagyavati Bhava’ is a cautionary tale of a woman, whose parents lay focus on external appearances rather than inner values, when choosing her spouse. ‘Smile Please’ shares that the glue that binds a family is the value you inherit, not the wealth you earn. ‘Tum Dena Saath Mera’ will show how the simple joys of life are casualties in a materialistic world. ‘Sach Ka Saamna’, with a new theme ‘Bhrashtachar ke Khilaaf’ in its second season, will put the spotlight on the all-pervasive moral and economic corruption. Rajeev Khandelwal will anchor the show.

Speaking on the guiding philosophy behind programming, Shankar explained that each show has been created to show the conflicts that arise, when we leave our value systems behind or neglect our most precious relationships. The central protagonist of each show evolves over time to go through a life changing moment. He said, “We have also picked upon issues and concerns that are thought provoking. The core philosophy of the channel not only keeps the viewer engrossed in the plotline and fate of the characters but also raises disruptive questions. You will not see any show that does not conform to the philosophy of the channel and does not underline a value or raise a question.”

Elaborating further on the marketing strategy, Shankar informed that the objective was to differentiate the brand and to execute a disruptive channel launch. He said, “The brand identity is iconic, whether it is the brand name which is a statement of philosophy or the OK icon with a glow that embodies the optimism of the brand or the channel sutradhar, Madhuri Dixit, who guides viewers and links our stories to our philosophy.” Life OK intends to take the conversation off the screen and bring it to the people. The marketing initiatives bring in consumer engagement at the grass-root level. “We intend to make ‘Sach Ka Saamna 2 – Brashtachar Ke Khilaaf’ part of the larger movement against corruption and have initiated a pan India activation, where the common man can come forward to participate in the Sach Ki Shapath against corruption,” added Shankar.The STAR network with a weekly reach of over 400 million viewers is the foundation of the media plan for the launch. In addition, it will be aggressively promoted on digital and a 101-town outdoor plan. Life OK has begun with a digital presence through its website www.lifeok.com. The channel has seen build up of over 2 lac fans on Facebook within the first four days itself and also has strategic presence on Youtube, Yahoo and Twitter.

Different from STAR India’s flagship channel Star Plus?

Uday Shankar replied, “Star Plus urges viewers to strive for the better. Life OK reminds viewers to cherish what they have.” Star Plus is ‘Rishta Wahi. Soch Nayi’. Uday Shankar explained that the channel provides a fresh perspective on relationships. All the content on Star Plus is true to the channel philosophy and demonstrates ‘nayi soch’, Star Plus is founded on the belief that the woman is the strength of the family and she has the confidence to change her world. This is best demonstrated by the protagonists like ‘Pratigya’ who will take on even her own family in the pursuit of justice and ‘Suhaana’ who proves that you can retain your individuality post marriage. Life OK is about reminding viewers to cherish what they have. Shankar added, “The content dials up what’s really important in life. When Life OK does ‘Sach ka Saamna’, it dials up an important, eternal value – Honesty. ‘Saubhagyavati Bhava’ raises the question on what makes an ideal partner and urges you to look beyond appearances. ‘Tum Dena Saath Mera’ shows how relationships are often the casualty in a materialistic world.”

After Colors, MTV, Nick and VH-1, Viacom18 has launched its fifth channel in India, in mid- December, in a bid to further strengthen its position in the Indian entertainment domain. Christened Sonic, the channel is targeted at India’s young adults falling in the 10-17 year old age bracket. Sonic aims to be the science fiction platform for this generation, and therefore, will serve them with programming in the category of action, adventure and animation. This will be through television shows and movies. The 24×7 channel shall showcase approximately 6-7 hours of original content in its initial days. Scarecrow Communications is the creative agency that will work on this account. Vizeum, which is presently the media agency for Nick, will also handle media duties for Sonic.

The launch is driven by Viacom18’s vision to create specific brands for every segment. “From kids (Nick), youth (MTV) to general entertainment (Colors), we want to keep every target group within our network,” says Nina Elavia Jaipuria, vice-president and general manager, Sonic and Nickelodeon India. Nickelodeon follows a similar strategy in most markets across the globe where it has specialized channels for teenagers (Teen Nick) and Nick at Nite (adults), but Jaipuria believes none of the existing subbrands from the global portfolio currently fits in with the needs of the Indian market. Hence, a new subbrand Sonic, a concept which can be exported to international markets at a later stage.

Content & Distribution

Described as the “Sci-Fi platform for the Wi-Fi Generation,” Sonic wil l primarily target the 10-17 age group. Sonic will feature a mix of action, adventure and animation content including live action shows and blockbuster films. Indian content will include local superhero live action show Shaktimaan (animated) along with international fare such as Kung Fu Panda – The Legend of Awesomeness, Jackie Chan Fantasia, King Kong, Power Rangers and Supastrikas, among others.

Kids today snack on a variety of genres across channels — from Fear Factor (AXN) to Man versus Wild (Discovery Channel). They also seek action and adventure from gaming on the web and gaming consoles. “With Sonic, we want to provide a one-stop shop for action, adventure and animation-related content. While 80% of the shows will be internationally acquired, 20% will be produced locally by companies like BIG Animation,” says Jaipuria.

Among the shows that will be featured on the channel are Shaktimaan,licensed from Indian television and film actor Mukesh Khanna. “We want to build this to be the Spiderman of India,” says Jaipuria. Another show, Legend of Awesomeness, is an adaptation from the movie Kung Fu Panda. “In the series, the lead character Po is a dragon warrior,” says Jaipuria. A Jackie Chan animation series and a soccer-based show are also part of the line-up. There will be special blocks called Sonic Extreme (evenings) featuring action and adventure, and Sonic Flicks (weekends) showcasing action movies like Dabangg and Jurassic Park. Like Nickelodeon, Sonic will also work to build a strong equity for its characters, which will not only build stickiness but can also be extended to merchandising opportunities in the future.

The channel aims to reach 40 million households in a couple of months of launch. Sonic will be beamed also in Tamil and Telugu. To engage audiences beyond  television, Sonic will have a dedicated portal sonicgang.com, where viewers will be drawn through the mobile and social media. Will Sonic be able to create ripples in the Indian market? Media analysts say there is ample scope.

“First, this age group watches a lot of television. Second, this age group is a major influencer in household purchase decisions. As the target audience is sizable,  there is tremendous scope for advertising. The success of the channel will depend on how well it is able to monetise the property,” says Ashesh Jani, partner and media leader, Deloitte Haskins & Sells. Jani also points out that to benefit from subscription revenue, the channel needs to be part of a bouquet.

Interactive cable television describes Switched video, also called switched digital video or SDV techniques that allow viewers to interact with television content as they view it. SDV (sometimes abbreviated as SWB for switched broadcast), is a telecommunications industry term for a network scheme for distributing digital  video via a cable. Switched video sends the digital video in a more efficient manner so that additional uses may be made of the freed up bandwidth. The scheme applies to digital video distribution both on typical cable TV systems using QAM channels, or on IPTV systems. Users of analog video transmitted on the cable are unaffected. See diagram to the right for an illustration of how Switched Video saves bandwidth on a cable company’s cables in the last mile where channels are transmitted via coaxial cable.

In current hybrid fibre-coaxial systems, a fiber optic network extending from the operator’s head end carries all video channels out to a fiber optic node which services any number of homes ranging from 1 to 2000. From this point, all channels are sent via coaxial cable to each of the homes. Note that only a percentage of these homes are actively watching channels at a given time. Rarely are all channels being accessed by the homes in the service group. In a switched video system, the unwatched channels do not need to be sent.

In cable TV systems in the United States, equipment in the home sends achannel request signal back to the distribution hub. If a channel is not currently being transmitted on the coaxial line, the distribution hub allocates a new QAM channel and transmits the new channel to the coaxial cable via the fiber optic node. For this to work, the equipment in the home must have two-way communication ability. Switched video uses the same mechanisms as video on demand and may be viewed as a non-ending video on demand show that any number of users may share.

Two-way communication is handled differently between cable and IPTV schemes. IPTV uses Internet communication protocols but requires an entirely new video distribution infrastructure. Cable companies in the United States elected the less costly approach of upgrading existing infrastructure, and European operators may well take the same approach. In the upgrade approach, various proprietary schemes use specific frequencies for passing messages back to the distribution hub. In the United States, there is a recent standard for two-way communications from consumer electronics devices using CableCARDs, such as digital video recorders, high-definition televisions and home theater computers known as OpenCable (or tru2way) which require three things to work:

1. Hardware that implements one of three standards which allow thecable receiver to communicate with the cable head end,
   

• SCTE 55-1 which is the ALOHA protocol-based standard used by General Instrument and Motorola equipment, SCTE 55-2 a.k.a. DAVIC which is a slotted ALOHA-based standard used by Cisco cable boxes, and

• DOCSIS Set-top Gateway, an extension to the DOCSIS cable modem standard to make it degrade gracefully under adverse conditions and still provide as much functionality as possible;

2. A CableCARD that decrypts the channel for the cable receiver; and

3. A Java-based OpenCable Application Platform (abbreviated as OCAP) stack that allows the cable company to download an application written in OCAP to run on any cable receiver which contains an OCAP stack.

The OCAP application programs the cable receiver on how to communicate with the switched video server, and does other tasks like running an interactive program guide and programming the receiver on how to perform video on demand. The cable company could choose whichever twoway communication standard it wants out of the three. It could choose the standard that its pre-OCAP hardware used in order to preserve its investment in legacy hardware, or could deploy DOCSIS Set-top Gateway in order to provide much more capacity and efficiency than either of the other two protocols.

Cable without SDV

In this example, the cable provider is broadcasting every channel in the lineup at the same time, consuming all the bandwidth, even though the customers in the area are only tuning to a small subset of the channels.

Cable with SDV

In this example the cable company is sending only the channels the customers are currently tuning to. Notice that bandwidth is now available for additional channels.

Two-way communication is required

Before you can view or record a program on an SDV channel, your box must be able to send channel requests back to the cable headend. Series3 or Premiere  boxes are one-way devices, so they cannot send the required channel requests. Starting soon, cable providers who have deployed SDV technology in their headends will begin issuing Tuning Adapters to customers who have HD cable receiver. A Tuning Adapter is a set top box that provides two-way capabilities, so your box can request SDV channels. (Series2 and Series2 DT boxes are unaffected, because they can use a cable box to provide two-way communications.)

Where to get a Tuning Adapter

Like your CableCARDs, the Tuning Adapter must be issued by your cable provider. The Tuning Adapter will not have to be customized for the box, however; like a cable receiver, the installer can simply connect the Tuning Adapter and it is ready to go. Tuning Adapters are in the process of being field tested by major cable providers, and this testing must be completed before these devices are rolled out to the general public. Some cable providers plan to send installers to connect the Tuning Adapters. Some will allow their customers to pick up the Tuning Adapters from a local office and install them themselves.If switched digital video is already in your area, or is about to roll out to your area, you will receive a letter from your cable provider telling you what options are available.

Does the cable receiver still need CableCARD(s)?

Yes. CableCARDs are still required to decrypt encrypted programming and to decode copy-protected channels.Your CableCARD(s) will need to be authorized for the additional channels. Some cable providers will allow their customers to pick up a Tuning Adapter at a local office and will “hit” the CableCARDs remotely to authorize them to display all the channels in the SDV lineup. Some will send an installer to connect the Tuning Adapter and either swap out the CableCARD(s) or call in to get the existing ones re authorized. Still others may offer multiple installation options. Your cable provider will give you complete information when they rol l out Tuning Adapters in your area.If the Tuning Adapter is not operational because it is disconnected, powered off, in standby mode, or is getting a firmware update, the box uses the channel map on the CableCARD to tune to your channels. During these times, you will not be able to view or record programming on SDV channels.

Programming and data flow

The RF cable from the wall to the Tuning Adapter to the box carries in-band programming (the shows you watch) and out-of-band communications, including channel maps for the Tuning Adapter and CableCARD(s). If the Tuning Adapter is disconnected, in standby mode, or powered off, the box still receives the RF signals. While the Tuning Adapter is powered on, it boosts the signal strength slightly, so that there is no drop in signal strength due to the Tuning Adapter’s operation. Channel requests go from the box to the Tuning Adapter over the USB connection. The box can only detect the Tuning Adapter if the two are connected by a USB cable.

What if a cable is disconnected?

If the RF cable between the Tuning Adapter and the box is unplugged (or the RF cable between the wall and the Tuning Adapter, for that matter), you see the message “Searching for Signal” because the box is missing its program stream. If the USB cable is disconnected, you will see this message. When you press SELECT to continue, the box will begin to use the CableCARD channel map(s) for all new tuning operations. You will not be able to view SDV channels. When you reconnect the Tuning Adapter, you will see the following message. Press SELECT to continue. You will now be able to access all your channels, including SDV channels.

Requesting an SDV channel

You request an SDV channel in the same way you tune to a channel when no Tuning Adapter is attached: use the CHAN UP/DOWN button, select the channel from the Guide, or enter the number using the buttons on the remote. If the channel is not currently broadcasting to your neighborhood, an SDV server at the headend sets the channel up on one of the unused frequencies and sends the programming to you. The time to set up the channel and send the tuning information to the box is so short that you may not be able to tell the difference between this operation and a conventional channel tune. Each time you tune to a channel, a timer on the SDV server resets for that channel. After a time period chosen by your cable provider elapses (usually a few hours), you will see the following message:

The SDV server uses this communication to determine if someone is actively watching the channel or if the TV was simply tuned to that channel when it was turned off. If you press SELECT, the timer for the channel resets. If you do not press SELECT, the server may temporarily remove the channel to make room for another, requested channel. If this happens you will see the following message:

To get the channel back, simply tune to it. If bandwidth is available, the server will set the channel up again. If you still see this message, it means that there is no bandwidth available to send you the channel.

How recordings work ?

When the box begins a recording, it sends a signal to the Tuning Adapter that includes a channel request and the information that it is recording. While the recording is in progress, the Tuning Adapter sends periodic signals to the headend to indicate that the channel is in use, so your recordings do not get cut off.

When does a channel “switch away”?

A channel may switch away when a channel reaches its timeout and no one in the area confirms that they are still viewing the channel and no recordings are detected. Some SDV servers remove the channel immediately. If the box is tuned to this channel, you will see the message “This channel is temporarily unavailable.” Some SDV servers keep broadcasting the current channel until the bandwidth is required to meet another channel request. In this case, the original request to press SELECT to stay on a channel has timed out, and the channel switches off without any additional warning.

Program guide data and your channel lists

There is only one set of program guide data for each headend. Your cable provider can tell you which channels are available without a Tuning Adapter and which channels you receive with a Tuning Adapter. If you live in an area that already has SDV, and you have not yet received a Tuning Adapter, you can go into your channel list and deselect the channels you do not yet receive. When you receive your Tuning Adapter, you can go back into the list and add the new channels. To display the channel list screen from cable receiver – select Messages & Settings > Settings > Channels > Channel List.

Issues relating to composition and Tariff of Basic Service Tier (BST); retail tariff; pre-paid billing; interconnection issues; and revenue share between MSOs and LCOs are the focus of a new Consultation Paper issued by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) on “Issues related to Implementation of Digital Addressable Cable TV Systems”.

The paper, issued in the wake of Parliament passing the Cable TV Networks (Regulation) Amendment Bill, also addresses issues like Quality of Service Standards and redressal of Consumer Complaints.

The broadcasting Industry with about 150 million TV households is set for a major transformation. The analog nature of the cable TV service, which caters to around 94 million households, has been the roadblock in exploiting the full potential of the sector in the era of convergence. Keeping this in view, Trai in consultation with all the stakeholders had in August 2010 recommended to the Government complete digitisation with addressability of the Cable TV services, in a phased manner. Subsequently, the Government issued a notification on 11 November 2011 in this connection with addressability in a phased manner to be completed by December 2014.

The smooth transition to Digital Addressable system would involve various measures. In order to facilitate this transformation, Trai in consultation with the stakeholders has identified certain key issues that need to be determined.

All these issues have been discussed in the consultation paper specifically bringing out the issues for consultation.

Written comments on the issues raised in this consultation paper are invited from the stakeholders by 16 January 2012,and counter-comments on the comments by 23 January 2012. It has been made clear that there will be no extension of time.

Issues for Consultation

The following issues have been posed for consultation.

Basic Service Tier for the Digital Addressable Cable TV Systems

1. What should be the minimum number of free-to-air (FTA) channels that a cable operator should offer in the basic-service-tier (BST)? Should this number be

different for different states, cities, towns or areas of the country? If so, what should be the number and criteria for determination of the same?

2. In the composition of BST, what should be the genrewise (entertainment, information, education etc.) mix of channels? Should the mix of channels and/or the composition of BST be different for different states, cities, towns? If so, how should it be?

3. What should be the price of BST? Should this price be different for different states, cities, towns or areas of the country? If so, what should be the price and criteria for determination of the same?

4. What should be a-la-carte rate of channels that form part of BST? Should there be a linkage between a-lacarte rate of channels in the BST to the BST price or

average price of a channel in the BST? If so, what should be the linkage and why?

Retail Tariff for the Digital Addressable Cable TV Systems

5. Should the retail tariff be determined by TRAI or left to the market forces? If it is to be determined by TRAI, how should it be determined?

(a) Should the a-la-carte channel price at the retail be linked to its wholesale price? If yes, what should be the relation between the two prices and the rationale for the same?

(b) Should there be a common ceiling across all genres for the pay channels or different ceilings for different genres? What should be the ceilings in each case and the reasons thereof?

(c) Should there be a common ceiling across all genres for the FTA channels or different ceilings for different genres? What should be the ceilings in each case and the reasons thereof?

(d) Any other method you may like to suggest?

Interconnection in the Digital Addressable Cable TV Systems

6. Does any of the existing clauses of the Interconnection Regulations require modifications? If so, please mention the same with appropriate reasoning?

7. Should the subscription revenue share between the MSO and LCO be determined by TRAI or should it be left to the negotiations between the two?

8. If it is to be prescribed by TRAI what should be the revenue share? Should it be same for BST and rest of the offerings?

9. Should the ‘must carry’ provision be mandated for the MSOs, operating in the DAS areas?

10. In case the ‘must carry’ is mandated, what qualifying conditions should be attached when a broadcaster seeks access to the MSO network under the provision of ‘must carry’?

11. In case the ‘must carry’ is mandated, what should be the manner in which an MSO should offer access of its network, for the carriage of TV channel, on nondiscriminatory terms to the broadcasters?

12. Should the carriage fee be regulated for the digital addressable cable TV systems in India? If yes, how should it be regulated?

13. Should the quantum of carriage fee be linked to some parameters? If so what are these parameters and how can they be linked to the carriage fee?

14. Can a cap be placed on the quantum of carriage fee? If so, how should the cap be fixed?

15. Should TRAI prescribe a standard interconnection agreement between service providers on similar lines as that for notified CAS areas with conditions as applicable for DAS areas? If yes, why?

Quality of Service Standards for the Digital Addressable Cable TV System.

16. Do you agree with the norms proposed for the Quality of Service and redressal of consumer grievances for the digital addressable cable TV systems? In case of disagreement, please give your proposed norms alongwith detailed justifications.

17. Please specify any other norms/parameters you may like to add with the requisite justifications and proposed benchmarks.

18. Who should (MSO/LCO) be responsible for ensuring the standards of quality of service provided to the consumers with respect to connection, disconnection, transfer, shifting, handling of complaints relating to no signal, set top box, billing etc. and redressal of consumer grievances?

19. Whether Billing to the subscribers should be done by LCO or should it be done by MSO? In either case, please elaborate how system would work. 20. Should pre-paid billing option be introduced in Digital Addressable Cable TV systems?

Miscellaneous Issues

Broadcasting of Advertisement free (ad-free) Channels

21. Whether an ad-free channel is viable in the context of Indian television market?

22. Should there be a separate prescription in respect of tariff for ad-free channels at both the wholesale and retail level?

23. What should be the provisions in the interconnection regulations in respect of adfree channels?

24. What should be the revenue sharing arrangement between the broadcasters and distributors in respect of adfree channels?

Non addressable digital Set top boxes

25. In case you have any view or comment on the non-addressable STBs, you may please provide the same with details. Reference point for wholesale price post DAS Implementation

26. Would there be an impact on the wholesale channel rates after the sunset date i.e. 31st Dec 2014, when the non-addressable systems would cease to exist? If so, what would be the impact?

27. Any other relevant issue that you may like to raise or comment upon.

Mazhavil Manorama is a Malayalam general entertainment television channel from the Malayala Manorama group which owns a Malayalam news channel, Manorama News. Through the launch of Mazhavil Manorama, the group widens its portfolio of media business. Manorama group is the publishers of the widely circulated Malayala Manorama daily, Malayalam women’s magazine Vanitha among other publications.

Malayala Manorama being one the trusted brand name in kerala has truly brought a new culture. After dominating the print media, manorama managed to make a leap forward by entering the visual media with the news channel, ‘Manorama News’. The new entertainment channel (Mazhavil Manorama) being the dream project of the family, would really bring a tough time to the leading channels like Asianet and Surya TV.

Content & Distribution

Mazhavil Manorama has various entertainment programs in the Malayalam language. The channel has in its portfolio television dramas, music reality shows, Malayalam movies among other programs. The channel will telecast its programs completely shot on High Definition Cameras, which will give the viewers a better  feeling. Mazhavil Manorama is headquartered at Aroor near Kochi, Kerala. The channel has a bunch of unique programs which is expected to compete with those programs running on different channels presently. Let us have a look at some of the unique programs from Mazhavill Manorama.

• 5 Serials

• Latest Movies

• Reality Shows

Serials have now become a part of malayali families. So to go according to the popular interest, the channel will bring five serials which are being created by the prominent serial makers in Kerala. The channel is likely to get copy right for telecasting fresh movies. Let us wait for the inauguration day, a big bang will happen.

At present the channel is on the final touch of two reality shows, one music reality show and a reality show for family. The much popular presenter ‘Sreekandan Nair’, who had not been in lime light for a long while, will be appearing as an anchor of one of the reality show with ‘double power’. Adding more colours, the channel has a handful of specialized technicians which would really boost the performance of the channel.

Anew religious channel, ‘Jinvani’, which caters to the Digambar sect of Jain community, has been launched. Sea TV Network Ltd launched the channel recently under the umbrella of Jain Telemedia Services Ltd.

India boasts of religious diversity and Jainism is one of those ancient religions that have followers not only in India but worldwide. Its world-known philosophy of Ahimsa has moved the entire world. Jinvani, the world’s first devotional channel dedicated to the core values of Jainism, tries to portray the same face of Jain religion. As the term ‘Jinvani’ implies, it is the holy words sermonized by the liberated souls of Jain religion, who went on to be branded as ‘Jina’ later on. We, with ‘Jinvani’, have made a bid to take across the universe their preaching of non-violence, truth, compassion to all living beings and other equally significant traits of Jain religion. It is a delicious dish served on the spiritual platter meant not only for the Jain populace spread across the globe, but to the entire humankind. It aims at creating a world marked by peace and harmony, which has due space for everyone.

In today’s era, teachings of Lord Mahavira carry utmost significance and need to be followed strictly if we have to get over all ill-practices in the human society. It is also a sincere attempt to induct true values of life into the generations to come. Jinvani is the first full-fledged Jain channel having its powerful presence in several countries and catering to millions of viewers worldwide. It offers variety of programme to its audience related to health, astrology, spirituality, sermons, pilgrimage and so on. It provides live coverage of all major Jain events taking place all over the country.

Content & Distribution

The channel has shows on religion, spirituality, health, art of living and moral values, all based on the principles of Jainism. All type of religious programmes like Pravachan, Satsang, Short stories on the various Jain Tirth, Songs etc are telecast through this channel. It has been conceived to be an international channel based on Jainism, while at the same time giving due weight age to all other religious cultural events and religious practices of the people. The aim of the channel is to spread the word of Jain religion to the masses in a simpler language. In order to lure the younger audience, Jinvani will telecast movies and serials on Jain epics, events in the history of the religion in 2D and 3D.

“This is world’s first satellite ‘Jain channel’ solely dedicated to the Digambar sect. The channel is directed at bringing the philosophy of `ahimsa’ (non-violence)  propagated by Bhagwan Mahaveer,” Neeraj Jain, Chairman and Managing Director of Sea TV Network, said in a statement. “With this channel we not only look at targeting audiences from India but also those who have settled abroad.” The channel will have several shows that would focus on issues like religion, spirituality, moral values, health, art of living and principles of Jainism in simplest form, and ensure that people, especially the youth, easily understand the preachings and their importance, the statement said. For the youth, the channel would telecast 2D and 3D movies and serials based on Jain epics and historical and religious events to portray the teachings and beliefs of Jainism, it added.

Sea TV Network Ltd.

Sea TV Network Ltd. is a well known name in the field of Electronic Media in the Heritage city of Agra. An ISO 9001:2000 Public Ltd. Company engaged in providing services of a Multi System Operator (MSO) to various Local Cable Operators (LCO) of Agra and adjoining areas. Within six years of its incorporation the company has experienced a high rate of growth and currently has the highest coverage of City Area. The Promoters of Sea TV have started the business of Cable TV distribution way back in year 1992 as a proprietary firm with only two channels however due to their positive business approach they gained a customer base of  800 from these two channels only. Since the Cable TV industry was in its expansion phase the demand for the new channels was increasing day by day, hence Jain Brothers have set up another Headend with the capacity of 35 channels and was successful in gaining a customer base of 1200-1500 customers. Cable TV Industry has witnessed a paradigm shift when many Big Players have entered into the Cable TV business and many Free to Air channels have been converted into Pay Channels. In this era the sharp business acumen of Mr. Neeraj Jain came into play. He has already assessed that the time to come is of MSO, who shall dictate the terms of business in future. Seizing the opportunity Jain brothers have changed their status from LCO to MSO.

On 21 May 2004 Sea TV Network Limited was incorporated to carry on the business in a more organized and streamlined manner as a corporate entity .Apart from providing the services of MSO. The company also has its own local channels, Sea News & Sea TV programmes of which are produced by its own production team. These local channels mainly focus on Agra city/U.P State news/ events and information, which is more relevant to the city viewers. These channels are broadcasted free of charge to the TV subscribers of Sea TV.

The Indian Media and Entertainment (M&E) industry is expected to be in excess of $25 billion in the next 4 years, predicts Ernst & Young’s (E&Y) report –  ‘Spotlight on India’s Entertainment Economy’. As per the report, the industry registered revenues of $16.3 billion in 2010. India’s growing digital media consumption and favourable demographics are key drivers for the media and entertainment industry’s future growth, it said.

Enticed by economic liberalisation, near double-digit annual growth, a fast-growing middle class and a huge volume of demand for leisure and entertainment, there has been a surge in investment by global media companies in India.

The Indian M&E now finds itself at a new turning point – digital media. A surge in mass broadband adoption is expected, led by the launch of 3G and 4G services. By 2015, 90% of India’s projected 187 million broadband subscribers will access the net through wireless devices. This presents global M&E companies with exciting opportunities to develop “anytime, anywhere” content that caters to a new generation of Indian digital consumers.

“The M&E industry in India has been, and will continue to be, one of the biggest beneficiaries of India’s favourable demographics,” E&Y media and entertainment leader for Europe, Middle East, India and Africa Farokh Balsara said. “Having one of the world’s youngest populations, high volumes of content consumption, a favourable regulatory framework and growing digital adoption, makes India an attractive investment destination for global media and entertainment companies.” The study shows that India’s increasing per capita income, growing middle class and working population are generating huge domestic demand for leisure and entertainment. The country has more than 600 television channels, 100 million pay-television households, 70,000 newspapers and produces more than 1,000 films annually.

India has diverse regional markets with distinct cultures, languages and content preferences. These markets provide global media and entertainment companies with a variety of opportunities to deliver localized content. India’s favourable regulations and reforms are creating investment opportunities for global media and entertainment companies. The newspaper industry, which is facing declining readership in many international markets, continues to thrive in India, driven by increasing literacy rates, consumer spending and the growth of regional markets and specialty newspapers. Newspapers account for 42% of all advertising spend in India, the most of any medium.

The mandatory digitisation of India’s television distribution infrastructure is driving growth of digital cable and DTH and creating a need for these companies to fund expansion. The third phase of radio license auctions, expected soon, will see radio networks expanding their reach to add around 700 radio stations across the country. “The growth strategies in most companies in the US and Western Europe are linked to India and other emerging markets,” E&Y global media and entertainment leader John Nendick said. “However, to succeed in India, global media and entertainment companies need to navigate unique challenges in the areas of content localisation, distribution and pricing, regulations and piracy.”

India is a country with a very unique and varied culture. But with affect of globalization, our culture has come under dominance of western trends, especially in  the clothing pattern. Contrary to the Indian style, where shyness is believed to be an ornament of females, the glamour world is portraying it in the other sense.

Sunny Leone

The history of reality show Bigg Boss has always been a sizzling one and up to some extent the show has apparently dominated the Indian small screen. Bigg  oss knows it better the strategies to raise TRPs and to meet the desired outcome. Sunny Leone, the Indo-Canadian porn star, was roped into the show to add on some extra heat. Leone entered the house in a traditional dress, and also succeeded in hiding her real identity inside the house. Gradually the actress started feathering her voluptuous curves. She was portrayed as ‘Miss Namkeen’ and used her unique style to seduce the male contestants of the show. Later, Indian Artistes and Actors Forum (IAAF) filed complaint, asking the Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni to take strict action against the channel airing the show for  indirectly encouraging and promoting pornography in India through Sunny Leone. Reports revealed that an interest in pornography has suddenly risen after Sunny  came to India. Bigg Boss was said to be the family show but today the scenario is different and it is difficult to watch the show with family because of such shameful incidents inside the house which somewhat damaging the Indian culture.

Indian-origin American porn star Sunny Leone may have escaped her first eviction from Bigg Boss, but she has ruffled a lot of feathers outside the celebrity home. The Broadcasting Content Complaints Council (BCCC), the independent television content regulator, has received 25 complaints regarding Leone’s presence on the show. The Council, which was set up by the Indian Broadcasting Foundation to aid self-regulation by media and entertainment houses.

The website of Sunny Leone, has had over 20 million hits since she featured on Big Boss a fortnight ago. She has garnered enough publicity to attract an offer  from filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt. Her website, which offers a link to Big Boss, bears the luring description: “The all-new website for adult superstar, porn actress and nude model Sunny Leone…” Although a section of the broadcasters feels that there’s nothing wrong with having Sunny on the show so long as she honours the content code and doesn’t indulge in nudity, there’s another section, dominated by parents, which contests the logic. “My children are viewing her profile. They have visited the internet to see what she does as a porn actor. It’s disturbing,” a parent says.

Chairperson of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights Shanta Sinha reflected the same view when she told that the timing of Big Boss needed to  be shifted to 12 midnight so that the children don’t watch content which arouses their curiosity and leads them to information they are unable to understand or appreciate. “The contestant in question was invited to the show because she had a certain profile. So to argue that her profile is independent of her presence on the show is not reasonable. She would not have been on the show had she not been a porn actor. Personally, I have no problems with what she does. But we must certainly think about the way people with such profiles will impact young, impressionable minds. TV channels have a responsibility here,” Sinha argued.

Veena Malik

Pakistani actress Veena Malik, who recalled by media from time to time for her bold exposures. But this time she moved a step forward in her act by getting nude and with a tattoo marked ‘ISI’ on her arm for FHM magazine’s cover page. However Veena rubbished the reports and said that she never posed nude. While the editor of the FHM magazine enlightened that the magazine has a video of the photo shoot with her and an email from the actress that proves the authenticity of the photograph. According to reports, a conservative cleric called her act a shame for all Muslims. Even women agree to it. People from Pakistan are finding it hard to digest Veena’s sensuous image showing her oomph factor. Veena’s father has disowned her and asked for punish against her nude FHM magazine picture.

Poonam Pandey

Some people can do anything for a shot to stardom and model and Poonam Pandey is an example. Model at point of time declared that she will bare all if Indian Cricket team wins the World Cup and in effort to garner more eyeballs towards her, she started promoting herself by tweeting links to Poonam Pandey MMS, a supposedly leaked video clip of Poonam posing at a photo shoot. Poonam put up explicit videos ‘Bathroom Secrets’ of herself on her website. She used her own Facebook and Twitter pages to upload links to the mms video on Youtube and almost dominated the social networking sites. Poonam has taken it on herself to tweet updates and make sure that every version of the MMS clip is front and center. The series of raunchy pics and videos have become a reason of fame for the model. In her videos, she is seen sporting a white bikini, taking a shower and massaging her legs. Young generation today is an addict of social networking. Youth from age group 10 to 25 access to social network website and putting up such videos will have bad impact on their mind and can mislead them.

Vidya Balan

Bollywood actress Vidya Balan, who is hitting the headlines for feathering her sensuous curves for the flick ‘The Dirty Picture’. She has faced slams for her overly exposure. For her seductress image for the movie, actress was even been tagged as a porn star, to which Vidya replied tagging me with such a title is not justified.  A city court has ordered police to book Vidya for giving indecent poses for the photographs on the film posters and promos. Our society is very much influenced by Indian cinema, especially youths, who follow the Indian film industry in every bit of sense. These stars are the trend setters for the youths and if their image will be portrayed likewise it will definitely reflect in the Indian society.

Popularising porn

Today, it has become a letdown factor for youngsters (ages between 18-40), if they have not had sex with someone they are made fun of by peers. It has become a status symbol in our society nowadays. Engaging in sexual activities has become of same importance in one’s life as buying a new high tech up-to-date cell phone. In the newspapers, media is giving tips for casual sex and One Night Stands or having sex with a stranger. The media is encouraging sex before marriage in one way and on the other hand, they want entertainment disclosing people’s private life in front of public and they print as much about their physical  relationships in a way that is destructive to society. Media has become the biggest hypocritical factor.

Channels are pushing the bar when it comes to what constitutes entertainment, going all out to get provocative individuals to make an appearance on their shows. It has come to light that the entry of Indo-Canadian porn star Sunny Leone in the Bigg Boss house has resulted in increased traffic on porn sites. One may argue that porn is easily available and accessible to all via the net, but now television is acting as a trigger to promote the same.

Dr Rajan Bhonsle, senior sex therapist, says, “I have had three cases where patients have divulged that the presence of a porn star on a TV show got them curious, leading them to search for her name on the internet. The search threw up porn videos and curiosity got the better of them, and they ended up accessing the site.” Bhonsle further adds, “I am not slamming people for watching porn in private, but channels are creating curiosity, which can lead people to adult websites. In another case, an addict who had given up on porn went back to it after watching the show.”

While this is the first time a pornographic actor has made her foray into television, recently a popular adventure reality show had contestants stripping for a task. And while the channel was discreet enough to blur the images during telecast, the videos are still available online. In another incident, a contestant on the same  show’s previous season had an ‘oops!’ moment when his pants were pulled down just for fun.

However, psychotherapist Dr Kurien S Thomas thinks it’s ridiculous to blame channels for promoting porn. “Adults should take responsibility for their actions. If they are accessing porn, it is because they want to. How can anyone say they watched a porn star on a show and therefore was tempted to surf for it online? If they see a murder on a show, will they be tempted to kill someone? If they saw adultery on a show, would they want to cheat on their partner too? I find such claims bizarre. However, I do think channels should have ratings warning people of the content, because reality shows are popular with kids and teenagers.”

Mahesh Bhatt has taken special permission to enter the Bigg Boss house, but not as a new entrant. The director wants to speak to Sunny Leone about his forthcoming project. “He approached the show’s producers and asked if he could enter the house to discuss Jism 2 with Sunny. And he has been allowed,” said a source, adding, “Since Sunny is also interested in a career in Bollywood, she might be happy to accept the offer.”

Wrapping up

Now, let us come to point again that there is a lot of sexy promotion by media directly or indirectly which is highly considerable. Media is not giving anyone the right direction today. It is all about business. If at all, there had to be a medium (e.g. a news channel) that wanted to show genuine stories keeping in mind the social responsibilities, then such a channel would not survive its existence for long because people have been used to entertainment, people need masala and media is providing masala. At the end, people are enjoying and media is paid off. You must have heard of the Rakhi Sawant – Mika kiss scene, which gave the media channels more business than may be showing a story of injustice happening in some part of the country. In fact, even the good ones transform into masala or entertainment by channels as soon as they realize that they are facing losses. People say media is not sending the right signals about physicality and that they are just making masala out of people’s life, which is encouraging sex in the wrong direction. We cannot expect youngsters to perceive it rightly. The only thing media can do is to promote responsible sexual behavior. The hole of aggressive behaviors, which has been created by media can only be filled up by media.

Almost all of the top stars are headed to television. Aamir Khan has announced his TV debut while Sanjay Dutt and Arjun Rampal have already followed in the footsteps of mega star Amitabh Bachchan and Salman Khan, who have become regular faces on reality and quiz shows now.

The verdict is still out on Sanjay Dutt’s skill as the anchor of popular reality show ‘Bigg Boss 5’. He, however, seems to enjoy his stint on the small screen, promoting his role in ‘Agneepath’ along the way. Salman has been making special appearances on the show thanks to his busy shooting schedule of ‘Ek Tha Tiger’.

’Bigg Boss’ has always seen a Bollywood celebrity as host. Arshad Warsi was the first host, followed by Shilpa Shetty, Amitabh Bachchan and finally Salman, last season.

Hrithik too decided to take a break from the big screen after the disaster of much hyped ‘Kites’ and ‘Guzaarish’, by judging the dance reality show ‘Just Dance’ on Star Plus, followed by the success of ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’.

The money that these star command on small screen often runs into crores. According to trade sources,Salman Khan charged up to Rs 3 crore per episode to host ‘Bigg Boss’ while Hrithik was paid upto Rs 2 crore per episode for ‘Just Dance’. Bachchan, who hosted the third season of ‘Bigg Boss’ had signed the show for Rs 2.25 crore.

Among others from Bollywood, veteran actor Dharmendra made a rather emotional judge on ‘India’s Got Talent’, which saw the actor teary eyed on several occasions.

Bubbly actress Preity Zinta, who has been missing in action on the big screen for sometime, made her television debut with ‘Guinness World Records’ in February. The 36-year-old actress also joined the league of other celebrity friends-cum-TV anchors with her show- ‘Up Close and Personal with PZ’.

Arjun Rampal also ventured into the small screen with the show ‘Love 2 Hate U’. In the show, hosted by Rampal, the celebrities come face to face with their biggest haters. This was also a year of comebacks, with the return of both veterans and popular TV actors.

After a long hiatus, actor Ram Kapoor and television’s favourite bahu Sakshi Tanwar returned to TV with Ekta Kapoor’s ‘Bade Acche Lagte Hai’. The show has tasted success and so has the lead pair for portraying an adorable middle-aged couple, who fall in love after marriage.

Mohnish Behl, who started his career in 1982 with films and then shifted to small screen with medical drama ‘Sanjivani’, also made a comeback on TV in a mismatch love story ‘Kuch To Log Kahenge’.