Ajit John
PANJIM: The people of Goa have an alternative to signing up to the DTH satellite channels following the launch of a service which allows for a smooth transition from analog to digital as Digital Addressable Services roll out in Phase 3 and 4 markets.
NXT Digital will offer 500 channels and will with the cable operator arrive at packaging and bundling of channels best suited to the demands of the local market.
Tony D’Silva, MD – Grant Investrade Limited, said , “In just over three weeks since NXT Digital was announced, it has already been signed up to reach 1 million analog TV households in Phase 3 markets through LMOs and MSOs who have opted for its services”.
The response he said in Goa was very encouraging and his meeting with cable operators in Goa gave him confidence that people in the state would use this service. This service was devised as per cable operator fraternity feedback from 8 states, 120 cities. This service, D’Silva said would enable the cable fraternity in DAS Phase III and IV markets to remain independent, own their network and go digital as per Government mandate and within deadlines. It will also help more importantly as in the Goan market, the cable operators can own and provide local channels, VAS and OTT services for customer empowerment and growth. The DAS rollout in Phase 3 markets will see around 50 million analog households to convert to digital by end-2015; similarly, over 60 million households in Phase 4 to go digital by end-2016.
The Hinduja Group has made significant investments in the NXT DIGITAL platform. The company has spend $ 80 million and is expected to spend another $ 20 to $30 million in further expansions. The state-of-the-art broadcast facility in Noida has been designed and purpose-built to provide top quality service, which will roll out in end-August this year. While the satellite-based service will have a national footprint, in view of the deadline for DAS rollout, Grant Investrade Limited is concentrating on the Phase 3 and Phase 4 markets for its marketing and subscription drive to enable the cable fraternity provide digital services there.
The company had conducted research before launching this product and it threw up six major requirements. D‘silva said “They wanted to retain ownership of their network; drive broadcaster deals; package and price their offerings according to the needs of their market; they wanted the facility to acquire Set Top Boxes (STBs) according to their convenience; the ability to insert local channels for their end-subscribers, and a sophisticated digital service that could help them compete with other digital platforms like DTH to ensure their digital offerings were future-ready so that their subscriber-bases would only grow.
“In other words, they wanted to remain independent, own their network, and go digital as per government norms and within the deadlines,” D’Silva said. “That is why we designed NXT Digital to offer a choice of two different service models per their requirements: a white label service model and a full service model.”
