14 crore STBs needed to complete digitisation drive
6 March 2014 12:25 AM GMT
Of the estimated 14 crore STBs, about 11 crore STBs would be required by the local cable delivery system, while the rest would be for the direct-to-home (DTH) segment.
‘Total 14 crore STBs are required to complete the final phases of digitisation. About 11 crore would be needed by cable industry and three crore by DTH industry,’ Information & Broadcasting Joint Secretary (Broadcasting) Supriya Sahu said. Pointing out the benefits, she said the government revenue has increased over three-fold in areas where digitisation (under phase I and II) has been implemented.
‘Tax collection from those areas has increased three times. This could not have happened if the subscription base was not made transparent. The government has much to gain from digitisation,’ she said while addressing CASBAA India Forum. According to data submitted by stakeholders, the average revenue per user (ARPU) has been increased.
In Mumbai alone, there is 400 per cent jump in the subscription and 300 per cent in the collection, Sahu added.
‘According to data submitted by NBA (News Broadcasters Association) and IBF (Indian Broadcasting Foundation), carriage fee payment has been reduced (following digitisation)...in my opinion, it has been reduced by 25 per cent,’ she said.
MSOs (large cable operators) charge a carriage fee from broadcasters to carry their channels.
Sahu added that digitisation has also helped improve the billing process and streamline the cable delivery industry.
She also urged the industry to share more data with the government, which would help in formulation of more industry-friendly policies. Under the first phase, metro cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai were covered, while the second leg targeted digisation of cable TV services in 38 cities, including Ludhiana, Hyderabad, Allahabad and Amritsar.
Under Phase III and IV, the government is targeting 10 big states, which account for 77 per cent of the cable TV households in India.
These include Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Kerala. ‘Our strategy would be to focus on these 10 big states, which are geographically large,’ she said.
Dell, eBay founders invest in Indian debt financing co
New Delhi: Dell Inc. CEO Michael Dell and eBay founder Pierre Omidyar have invested Rs 28 crore in the Mumbai-based debt financing firm IntelleGrow. Omidyar Network, a philanthropic investment firm founded by Omidyar and his wife Pam, has invested Rs 25 crore in IntelleGrow, while Michael, who took the US-based computer maker Dell private last year, has invested Rs 3 crore through the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation.
IntelleGrow provides customised debt finance to small and emerging businesses in India, focusing on sectors like clean energy, agricultural supply chain, education, financial inclusion, affordable healthcare and water and sanitation.
The firm, in a statement on Wednesday said: ‘It has raised Rs 25 crore from Omidyar Network and Rs 3 crore from the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation.’
This new investment follows founding investments from the Shell Foundation, the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation and Intellecap, it added. ‘These new funds will be used to help Indian enterprises access capital for growth,’ IntelleGrow said.
At present, IntelleGrow has disbursed over 60 loans, totalling more than Rs 60 crore on SMEs across India. Promoted by Intellecap and registered as a non-banking finance company (NBFC), IntelleGrow uses a model that unlocks capital for innovative entrepreneurs.
‘IntelleGrow provides viability-based debt financing to fast growing early-stage enterprises with a turnover of less than Rs 50 crore and at least 12 months of track record,’ it said.
The firm provides customised financing solutions using flexible repayment schedules linked to cash flows. ‘IntelleGrow is responding to the market need with a vision to deploy more than $30 million (250 crore) by 2015,’ it said on its website.
‘Total 14 crore STBs are required to complete the final phases of digitisation. About 11 crore would be needed by cable industry and three crore by DTH industry,’ Information & Broadcasting Joint Secretary (Broadcasting) Supriya Sahu said. Pointing out the benefits, she said the government revenue has increased over three-fold in areas where digitisation (under phase I and II) has been implemented.
‘Tax collection from those areas has increased three times. This could not have happened if the subscription base was not made transparent. The government has much to gain from digitisation,’ she said while addressing CASBAA India Forum. According to data submitted by stakeholders, the average revenue per user (ARPU) has been increased.
In Mumbai alone, there is 400 per cent jump in the subscription and 300 per cent in the collection, Sahu added.
‘According to data submitted by NBA (News Broadcasters Association) and IBF (Indian Broadcasting Foundation), carriage fee payment has been reduced (following digitisation)...in my opinion, it has been reduced by 25 per cent,’ she said.
MSOs (large cable operators) charge a carriage fee from broadcasters to carry their channels.
Sahu added that digitisation has also helped improve the billing process and streamline the cable delivery industry.
She also urged the industry to share more data with the government, which would help in formulation of more industry-friendly policies. Under the first phase, metro cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai were covered, while the second leg targeted digisation of cable TV services in 38 cities, including Ludhiana, Hyderabad, Allahabad and Amritsar.
Under Phase III and IV, the government is targeting 10 big states, which account for 77 per cent of the cable TV households in India.
These include Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Kerala. ‘Our strategy would be to focus on these 10 big states, which are geographically large,’ she said.
Dell, eBay founders invest in Indian debt financing co
New Delhi: Dell Inc. CEO Michael Dell and eBay founder Pierre Omidyar have invested Rs 28 crore in the Mumbai-based debt financing firm IntelleGrow. Omidyar Network, a philanthropic investment firm founded by Omidyar and his wife Pam, has invested Rs 25 crore in IntelleGrow, while Michael, who took the US-based computer maker Dell private last year, has invested Rs 3 crore through the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation.
IntelleGrow provides customised debt finance to small and emerging businesses in India, focusing on sectors like clean energy, agricultural supply chain, education, financial inclusion, affordable healthcare and water and sanitation.
The firm, in a statement on Wednesday said: ‘It has raised Rs 25 crore from Omidyar Network and Rs 3 crore from the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation.’
This new investment follows founding investments from the Shell Foundation, the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation and Intellecap, it added. ‘These new funds will be used to help Indian enterprises access capital for growth,’ IntelleGrow said.
At present, IntelleGrow has disbursed over 60 loans, totalling more than Rs 60 crore on SMEs across India. Promoted by Intellecap and registered as a non-banking finance company (NBFC), IntelleGrow uses a model that unlocks capital for innovative entrepreneurs.
‘IntelleGrow provides viability-based debt financing to fast growing early-stage enterprises with a turnover of less than Rs 50 crore and at least 12 months of track record,’ it said.
The firm provides customised financing solutions using flexible repayment schedules linked to cash flows. ‘IntelleGrow is responding to the market need with a vision to deploy more than $30 million (250 crore) by 2015,’ it said on its website.
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