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Tag: Raman Kalra

  • In the session on 'The second phase of TV digitization' noted panelists from the sector came together to discuss and mull options of making the exercise a more robust and achievable one

    #Frames2013: Making Phase 2 of TV digitization a reality

    By Johnson Napier

     

    When phase 1 of digitization became a reality in India there was a sense of accomplishment that was witnessed amongst most factions within the broadcast industry. Apart from the huge advantages that it presented to the broadcasters and allied interests, it was also seen as an exercise that enabled the consumer to become empowered like never before. But while issues remain about the impending challenges emanating from phase 1 of the rollout exercise and also the non-interest shown by some metros, the industry seems to be waiting with bated breath for phase 2 of the rollout to take shape.

     

    In the session on ‘The second phase of TV digitization’ noted panelists from the sector came together to discuss and mull options of making the exercise a more robust and achievable one. The panellists comprised of N Parameshwaran of TRAI, Sameer Manchanda of DEN, Sunil Lulla of TTN, Man Jit Singh of Multi Screen Media, Raman Kalra of IBM, Tarun Katial of Reliance Broadcast and Anuj Gandhi of Indiacast. The session was moderated by Vivek Couto of Media Partners Asia.

     

     

    N Parameswaran

    N Parameswaran, Principal Advisor, TRAI began by highlighting the outcomes witnessed by rolling out of P 1 of digitization. “We all know what has happened with P1 of digitization where metros like Mumbai and Delhi have recorded a remarkable conversion rate. We may have questions about the metros of Kolkata not yet achieving their target and Chennai not yet taking off but rather than the negatives we should focus on the positives from this exercise, including the role that the industry players and stakeholders played in making this dream a reality.” According to Mr Parameshwaran, while P2 digitization would be kicked off from March 31, 2013 it would again require the coming together of industry players, trade bodies, MSOs/LCOs and the government itself in making this dream an achievable one.

     

     

    Sameer Manchanda

    Sameer Manchanda, Chairman and MD of DEN began by appreciating the efforts put in by all from the industry and added that “digitization has been the biggest change that has ever happened to our industry. While there are a lot of positives from this exercise, one of the big drawbacks as been lack of accountability. The MSO/LCO operators have to ensure that the KYC forms are filled by the consumers as it is mandatory and binding on them. There is still some time to go before that becomes a reality. Where I see it, P2 of digitization is a transition phase and will start rolling out over the next 60 days.”

     

     

    Anuj Gandhi

    Without wanting to sound too cynical, Anuj Gandhi, Group CEO, Indiacast said that while digitization has bought about a positive change for the industry there was some serious thinking that is needed. “If P1 of digitization is taking us about 7-8 months to become a reality we can imagine what P2 would be like. The onus lies on the MSO/LCOs to make this rollout a reality but I can assure you that this won’t be possible without the coming together of all from the industry.”

     

     

     

    Man Jit Singh

    Man Jit Singh, CEO, Multi Screen Media had a similar feeling to share as he voiced his excitement at the good that was seen from rolling out P1 of digitization. “Due credit should be given to one and all from the industry who made this a possibility and we can hope for a similar outlook from P2 as well. Even the government’s role has been encouraging but there are a few shortcomings that have to be worked upon if further rollout is to become more successful. There are issues that are cropping up at the MSO/LCO level regarding filling of KYC forms, data collection etc. All these have to be addressed immediately.”

     

     

    Raman Kalra

    Raman Kalra of IBM Global Business Services said, “We have entered an era where it is the end of digital. By that I mean that we are already in the know-how of how digital works and the benefits that the medium presents but the challenge now is how do we take it to the next level. There is need for the industry to come up with strategies to cater to the ever-evolving ecosystem.” Pointing out that the consumer today was faced with an array of choices to access entertainment, he said that consumers won’t mind paying more money to access content but it is essential that we know who our customer is and what are his likes/dislikes.”

     

     

    Tarun Katial

    Tarun Katial, CEO, Reliance Broadcast said that what DAS has done is enabled channels to have a wider reach and get carried more easily. “Early data has shown how most channels, especially those offering niche offerings, have benefitted in terms of ratings and acceptability from DAS. For new players, as you sharpen your positioning there are high chances of they getting lapped up more easily. The exercise has also opened new avenues for advertisers who will be looking at niche channels with renewed interest. I guess the advertisers will have to shell out more advertising dollars where niche channels are concerned.”

     

     

    Sunil Lulla

    Sunil Lulla, MD & CEO, TTN highlighted that the current economics do not fund the ecosystem as the industry is going through a transition and there is need for change. According to Lulla, it would do the industry a lot of good if the prices were to be lowered but that is not a logical thing to do. “In fact it is commendable to see how the industry has come together in making phase 1 a reality and the same can be expected from phase 2 too. At the end it is essential that we keep the customer at the centre of all that we do and keep on satisfying him so that he comes back to us for more.”

     

     

  • With consumers of all ages embracing digital, the threat to traditional media is real, says Raman Kalra

    The Anchor: Raman Kalra on 5 reasons how tech is going to drive media and entertainment

    By Raman Kalra

     

    1. Always Connected

    The shift to connected devices disrupts established ecosystems and present opportunities to engage and monetize the content in very different manners. It is beyond than just being digital. Multitudes of technology platforms is fast becoming a reality providing seamless experience to the consumers.

     

    2. Target consumers based on their “digital personalities”

    Personalization of content is an ‘essential’ now to be able to garner the time and wallet share of the consumers, and thereby monetize the content. While most of the ecosystem players are yet to gear up for age based segmentation, it’s already becoming increasingly important to segment the consumers based on the individual behaviours. Social media adoption and influence is further making this element lot more critical. Media companies will have to invest lot more heavy for the Customer Relationship Management solutions.

     

    3. Substitution is real

    Fragmentation continues as consumers of all ages embrace these new experiences, substituting time spent with traditional media. With consumers of all ages embracing digital, the threat to traditional media is real and which brings with it the larger impact of the multi-billion dollar ad industry. As cannibalization percentage grows, more revenue will be at risk for broadcasting and print industries. Changing media consumption habits with time-shifting and place-shifting will further add to this challenge. Technology will bring a paradigm shift in the way audience measurements and readership surveys are carried out. This will eventually work towards a 360 degree view of the consumer behaviour.

     

    4. Cable Industry will see a big shift from B2B to B2C

    With ongoing digitization of cable industry, technology – both information technology and operational technology – will become critical to succeed in the changing B2C environment. Globally, cable & satellite companies have made their profits from VAS add-on offerings. It is vital for cable companies to start understanding this important aspect and invest in technology for organizational readiness from back end standpoint as well as in revenue generating technologies to lead the ARPU growth. Consumers are more than willing to pay more, if provided content of their interest and relevance.

     

    5. Its ‘Data’ flowing everywhere

    The media industry is increasingly driven by data, shaped in different forms including news, education, sports, entertainment, and so on, flowing in structured as well as unstructured form. Media companies would need technological solutions to be able to make the data useable to inspire customer actions such as: buy, subscribe, share, recommend, like, etc.

     

    Raman Kalra is Director & Partner, Communications Sector-Media & Entertainment, Industry Leader, IBM Global Business Services, India/South Asia

  • Reactions on video from select members of the industry on the sidelines of Ficci-Frames 2012

    Budget 2012: Video reactions from trade

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”250″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cx39gg69K9o[/youtube]

    By Team MxMIndia

     

    At the sidelines of FICCI Frames 2012, where there was much talk about digitization from both the industry and the government, MxMIndia caught up with a few industry members to get their reactions on the Budget.

     

    Nachiket Pantvaidya, Executive Vice President & General Manager, Star Pravah

    To be very honest at this point in time we like to go by the market forces so we don’t expect subsidies from the government. What we do expect is some kind of support in nurturing local talent in providing a base for regional television to shoot and to propagate learning and education in the regional field. Honestly, I think this has to be done through market forces in sync with the government and not through a subsidy model.

     

    Naresh Chahal, Director-Finance, Indian Broadcasting Foundation

    There is no incentive or concession given to set top boxes for the broadcasting industry and the ministry has already issued a notification for digitization and the first sunset date is July 1. So we are not happy with the way the government has not given any concession. We were expecting 0 percent duty on set top boxes to get a set top box at a nominal cost.

     

    Raman Kalra, Director & Partner, Industry Leader- Media & Entertainment, IBM Global Business Services India

    Nothing much was expected from the Budget. There were some expectations though, like FDI will go up for digitization, maybe it will happen for cable, some tax relief, that hasn’t come through but industry has already accepted it. They don’t need these one or two things to go ahead on digitization. It’s moving very fast so it will happen.

     

    Ashok Mansukhani, Director, IndusInd Media & Communications Ltd

    The Budget doesn’t go into the cost to be borne by the government. The government calls digitization a public private partnership, in fact, the private sector will have to spend, the cable sector and the MSOs will have to spend. What we had asked for was that if we spend 40000 crore, we need to also be in a position to be able to get fiscal incentives, tax incentives, duty exemptions, unfortunately all has been denied.

     

    Ravi Mansukhani, Managing Director, IndusInd Media & Communications Ltd

    We are very disappointed, anywhere else if you look, government always helps towards digitalization. There is no infrastructure status, you are not getting any fiscal incentives, nor are you getting favourable interest rates from banks, so basically we are very disappointed because the entire burden of digitization has fallen on the MSO, on the cable sector and there’s going to be a lot of funding required and we are disappointed that there was nothing done on either duties or fiscal incentives.

     

    Amit Dev, Director CMAI & Head of Focus Group of Multimedia

    I strongly feel that government doesn’t take a step in a direction unless they see a significant addition of tax or money making to the exchequer through multiple secondary direct indirect ways. So if there is no mention this year that means it is not among the top ten priority issues of the government.