iWorld
Astro steps into mobile TV broadcasting space
MUMBAI: Malaysia’s leading cross-media operator Astro All Asia Networls PLC plans to explore the commercial side of mobile TV broadcasting. The company will make a formal announcement once a decision is made based on trial results and in consultation with the regulator.
The company joined hands with mobile operator Maxis Communications Berhad and global mobile device maker Nokia to showcase a live demonstration of Mobile TV broadcasting in Kuala Lumpur on 1 September. The showcase used the new Digital Video Broadcasting – Handheld (DVB-H) technology standard now undergoing extensive field trials in Europe, the USA and in other parts of Asia.
In this initial trial service, Astro provided the broadcast transmission for the event coverage with 4 live channels: TV1, TV3, Astro Ria and AEC, while Maxis supplied telecommunication and network services. Nokia is the technology provider for this showcase and has provided the network equipment and mobile devices used in the demonstration while Rohde & Schwarz provided the transmitters.
With this showcase, Malaysia becomes one of the leading countries globally to demonstrate DVB-H. Elsewhere in the Asia Pacific, the Mobile TV Broadcasting trial based on DVB-H technology has started in Australia. DVB-H has now been adopted by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) as the Mobile Broadcasting Technology standard and many other regions of the world are expected to follow suit once their own trials are concluded, states an official release.
“Astro is proud to spearhead this technology demonstration. Mobile TV Broadcasting is a distinctive extension of our broadcast offer and with it we are able to further extend the reach of television to viewers beyond their sets in the living room”, said Astro director of Business Affairs En. Azran Osman-Rani. “With the live mobile feeds, we plan to demonstrate that viewers can watch the latest in news and entertainment programming anytime, anywhere.”
“The strong support of the government and industry players such as Astro and Maxis has helped make this showcase possible. This LIVE showcase, jointly with Astro and Maxis demonstrates the future of convergence between broadcast and mobile services & will help pave the way forward to show the myriad opportunities that exist for advertisers and players in the Mobile TV ecosystem in Malaysia, and what consumers can look forward to in the future’,” Nokia Multimedia, Asia Pacific director, Rich Media & Music Programmes Jawahar Kanjilal said.
The Mobile TV Broadcasting demonstration used the DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcasting-Handheld) standard, which combines traditional television broadcast technology with elements such as mobility, smaller screens, indoor coverage, optimized use of battery and in-built antennae that are specific to handheld devices such as mobile phones. To receive the live television broadcast, the Nokia 7710 smartphone is paired with a Nokia streamer, the first mobile DVB-H receiver, designed specifically for pilots and trials, the release adds.
iWorld
Print perfect OTTplay bowls a culture driven campaign
From penguins to passion the brand turns India Pakistan into print powered moment marketing.
MUMBAI: When cricket fever meets front-page ink, sparks are bound to fly. And as the latest India–Pakistan clash gripped the nation, OTTplay decided not just to ride the wave but to print it in bold.
In a move that blends real-time agility with old-school authority, OTTplay rolled out a specially curated print campaign amplified by the century-old legacy of the Hindustan Times network. The strategy is simple but sharp: take the speed of pop culture, anchor it in the credibility of print, and make a sporting spectacle feel even larger than life.
The campaign kicked off during the T20 build-up with a creative inspired by the viral “Penguin” moment that flooded social media timelines. Instead of letting the meme melt away, OTTplay spun it into a witty cricket hook, tying internet chatter directly to the anticipation around the high-voltage fixture. It was playful, timely and unmistakably plugged into the cultural pulse.
Then came the dramatic “U-turn” in the narrative around the India–Pakistan match. OTTplay responded in near real time, crafting a clever print execution that mirrored the emotional swing fans experienced. In doing so, the brand demonstrated that even a medium often seen as static can move at the speed of culture when the thinking is sharp enough.
With Valentine’s Day in sight, the narrative pivoted once again. This time, OTTplay reframed the rivalry through the lens of love and passion, turning cricket’s most intense contest into a metaphor for romance, intensity and emotional investment. The result is a campaign that speaks not only to die-hard cricket followers but to anyone who understands that some rivalries are just another form of love.
OTTplay co-founder and CEO Avinash Mudaliar summed it up succinctly, saying that the India–Pakistan match “isn’t just a game, it’s an emotion,” and that the campaign is about tapping into that emotion in real time. By leveraging the reach and trust of Hindustan Times, he noted, OTTplay has brought moment marketing into a space often perceived as static, turning print into a high-impact storytelling vehicle that marries credibility with cultural immediacy.
The medium choice is as telling as the message. In an era dominated by scrolls and swipes, OTTplay’s use of a 100-year-old print platform signals a deliberate blend of tradition and trend. The creatives are not just ads; they are front-page conversations, designed to stop readers mid-sip and mid-scroll.
As anticipation builds around the marquee showdown, OTTplay’s message is clear: don’t just watch the moment unfold, stream it. As India’s leading OTT aggregator, the platform offers access to more than 30 OTT services, including JioHotstar, Zee5, SonyLiv, Lionsgate Play and Aha, positioning itself as the gateway to the big game and the bigger story around it.
In a season where every ball counts and every headline matters, OTTplay has managed to do both bowl fast in culture and land squarely on the front page.
