GECs
Canal+, NDS battle comes to a close
MUMBAI: The creation of an Italian pay television platform Sky Italia through the acquisition of Telepiu has meant one less headache for Rupert Murdoch.
One of the conditions that was put forth by Murdoch in his acquisition of Vivendi Universal’s Telepiu satellite pay TV platform was that the litigation between the two parties would end. This includes Stream’s litigation against Telepiu and Vivendi Universal subsidiary Canal+’s litigation against NDS. A couple of days ago Vivendi sold Telepiu to News Corp and Telecom Italia for 871 million euros in debt and cash. News Corp will own 80.1 per cent of Sky Italia and the rest by Telecom Italia.
A year ago in March Canal Plus had filed a suit against NDS for a billion dollars. It claimed that NDS engineers had hacked its security system and then made the relevant codes available for hackers on the Internet. NDS makes similar TV security systems. Canal Plus claims that its smartcard technology allows encryption of signals by broadcasters. So the process of revenue collection from subscribers is smooth. It claimed that security measures were running fine until March 1999 when its software code was copied and published on the website DR7.com. It claims to have spent more than $US35 million on the technology. It had accused NDS of getting its smartcards and sending them to an NDS laboratory in Israel for analysis.
Murdoch now will concentrate on fighting rampant piracy in Italy’s pay TV market. He also have to contend with the free to air channels. Earlier Vivendi’s Telepiu and Murdoch’s Stream were suffering huge losses. In 2001 Telepiu lost $300mn and Stream $200mn as a result of football deals
GECs
Samsung TV Plus launches Kings of Comedy channel
New free FAST channel brings iconic Hindi comedy shows to millions of Samsung Smart TV owners.
MUMBAI: Samsung TV Plus has just turned up the laughter volume and it’s completely free. The leading free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) service in India has launched Kings of Comedy, a premium comedy channel featuring some of the country’s most beloved primetime shows. Available exclusively on Samsung TV Plus, the channel delivers back-to-back hits including Comedy Nights with Kapil, Khatra Khatra Khatra, and Comedy Nights Bachao, with no login or subscription required.
The launch marks a milestone for free streaming in India, offering audiences a dedicated comedy destination directly from their Samsung TV home screen. It arrives as Samsung TV Plus India celebrates its 5th anniversary, during which the service has grown its monthly active users by 42 per cent and more than doubled its total viewing hours. The platform now offers over 180 free channels across 14 languages.
Samsung TV Plus India general manager and head of business development Kunal Mehta said, “Comedy is the heartbeat of Hindi entertainment, and Kings of Comedy brings together the shows Indians already love, completely free on their Samsung TV. Our focus remains the same take the content people know and make it effortless to access.”
Globally, Samsung TV Plus has surpassed 100 million monthly active users across more than 4,500 channels, solidifying its position as one of the world’s leading free streaming services.
Kings of Comedy is now available on all compatible Samsung Smart TVs. For viewers seeking non-stop laughter without any cost, this new channel delivers a royal treat proving that sometimes the best entertainment really does come with no strings (or subscriptions) attached.
