Amsterdam-based Exset is keen on partnering cable operators to set up a venture in Headend in the Sky (HITS), which provides digitally compressed programming via satellite, to tap the multi-crore digitization opportunity in the country.
HITS helps cable operators save on costs as they are required to set up a single headend rather than multiple units.
"Nationally, we are looking at HITS. We may partner one multi-system operator (MSO)...We are very open to partnering an MSO who has a strong national and regional footprint," Exset CEO Alex Borland said.
However, he declined to give further details about the target or investments saying "discussions have started but it is early days".
The government has mandated that the entire cable TV network has to be digitised in three phases.
In the first phase, the four metros will be digitised (by June 30) and in the second, cities with over 10 lakh people will be covered.
By the end of 2014, the entire country is expected to have phased out analogue cable TV. The move would require even free-to-air channels to go through a set-top box.
Exset plans to help cable operators offer subsidised set top boxes to consumers.
"We will partner with operators and help them offer set top boxes to the end consumers. We have partners for set top boxes...We can also help operators give customers applications like games and educational content as well as local content like classifieds through their platform, which will open up new channels of revenue for them," Exset Global Sales and Marketing Head Rahul Nehra said.
Most cable operators offer vanilla services of broadcast, but digisation of services is expected to help them offer value-added services to the consumers, like Direct to Home players.
There are about 140 million homes with a television set in the country and almost 92 percent of these (136 million homes) come under the cable and satellite (C&S) connectivity.
A large chunk of the C&S homes are still analogue. Apart from availability of lesser number of channels, there is also under reportage of subscribers, which results in losses to the broadcasting industry as a whole.
Challenges that cable operators face is to convince people to buy a set-top box and pay more to watch pay channels. While analogue TV homes pay as low as Rs 100 a month, DTH users on the average have to shell out Rs 150.
"Apart from good picture quality, you provide the user with value added services. Apart from that when the operator gets revenue from advertising, he can actually offer subsidised services. Its a win-win for both," Nehra said.
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HITS helps cable operators save on costs as they are required to set up a single headend rather than multiple units.
"Nationally, we are looking at HITS. We may partner one multi-system operator (MSO)...We are very open to partnering an MSO who has a strong national and regional footprint," Exset CEO Alex Borland said.
However, he declined to give further details about the target or investments saying "discussions have started but it is early days".
The government has mandated that the entire cable TV network has to be digitised in three phases.
In the first phase, the four metros will be digitised (by June 30) and in the second, cities with over 10 lakh people will be covered.
By the end of 2014, the entire country is expected to have phased out analogue cable TV. The move would require even free-to-air channels to go through a set-top box.
Exset plans to help cable operators offer subsidised set top boxes to consumers.
"We will partner with operators and help them offer set top boxes to the end consumers. We have partners for set top boxes...We can also help operators give customers applications like games and educational content as well as local content like classifieds through their platform, which will open up new channels of revenue for them," Exset Global Sales and Marketing Head Rahul Nehra said.
Most cable operators offer vanilla services of broadcast, but digisation of services is expected to help them offer value-added services to the consumers, like Direct to Home players.
There are about 140 million homes with a television set in the country and almost 92 percent of these (136 million homes) come under the cable and satellite (C&S) connectivity.
A large chunk of the C&S homes are still analogue. Apart from availability of lesser number of channels, there is also under reportage of subscribers, which results in losses to the broadcasting industry as a whole.
Challenges that cable operators face is to convince people to buy a set-top box and pay more to watch pay channels. While analogue TV homes pay as low as Rs 100 a month, DTH users on the average have to shell out Rs 150.
"Apart from good picture quality, you provide the user with value added services. Apart from that when the operator gets revenue from advertising, he can actually offer subsidised services. Its a win-win for both," Nehra said.
Source !!