Distribution
Motorola handsets ‘Hijacked’ by MTV International
MUMBAI: This is an initiative that seeks to take mobile content to the next level! Motorola, which provides mobility products and solutions across broadband, embedded systems and wireless networks, and MTV International will digitally invade the latest Motorola handsets. The music broadcaster has come out with a new concept Hijacked. The handsets will be available in Asia, the Mddle East, Europe, Latin America.
The aim is to bring a rebellious mobile experience that rewrites the rules of ringtones, alerts, screensavers, SMS/MMS templates and wallpapers to Motorola’s latest youth focused handsets. More than just new content, each Motorola handset has a unique interface and functionality that has been jointly developed by Motorola and MTV, specifically for the mobile-fuelled MTV generation.
Updates on existing content and cutting-edge capabilities include SMS templates that speak a universal language shared by young people and not their parents. There are also a host of preloaded wallpapers, screensavers, phonebook IDs and skins with in-your-face characters and offbeat illustrations.
Subscribers can also enjoy a range of interchangeable new skins. This allows users to personally customise the look and feel of the phone at their every whim — depending on their mood, outfit, season, time of the day
Another feature is new ringtones and alerts. They have all been Hijacked to put a new spin on audio reality. The Hijacked by MTV concept is the brainchild of MTV Intl senior VP and creative director Cristian Jofre. The aim is to evolve the
handset as we know it into a new world of mobile mystery and entertainment.
New Delhi: Prasar Bharati has thrown open applications for fresh capacity on DD Free Dish, signalling a timely opportunity for broadcasters looking to expand reach without long-term lock-ins. The public service broadcaster has issued a dual notice for its 95th and 96th online e-auctions, aimed at filling vacant MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 slots on a pro-rata basis for February and March 2026.
The two auctions are tentatively scheduled to begin on January 27, with allotments valid from February 1, 2026. Applications for both auctions close on January 21 at 3 pm, giving channels a narrow window to get their bids in.
The 95th e-auction will cover vacant MPEG-2 slots, while the 96th will focus on MPEG-4 capacity. Participation is limited to satellite television channels holding valid downlinking and uplinking permissions from the ministry of information and broadcasting. International public broadcasters cleared by the ministry are also eligible.
As with previous rounds, channels have been grouped into buckets based on genre and language, with sharply differentiated reserve prices reflecting reach and demand.
For the MPEG-2 auction, Hindi and Urdu general entertainment channels sit at the top of the pile. The starting reserve price for bucket A+ in the first round is Rs 2,63,48,000. Movie, music and sports channels in Hindi and Urdu follow in bucket A at Rs 2,10,14,000. Bhojpuri channels and other Hindi and Urdu genres, excluding devotional content, fall under bucket B with a reserve of Rs 1,78,62,000. Hindi and Urdu news channels in bucket C start at Rs 1,33,27,000, while bucket D, which includes regional language channels, English news and devotional or spiritual channels, begins at Rs 1,13,96,000.
The MPEG-4 auction comes in at a far leaner price point. News and current affairs channels in Hindi, English or pan-India languages, grouped under bucket G1, start at Rs 13,41,000. Non-news genres under bucket G2 have a reserve of Rs 8,80,000. Regional languages such as Marathi, Punjabi and Gujarati in bucket R2 begin at Rs 4,84,000. Southern language channels in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam, grouped under bucket R1, start at Rs 81,000, the same reserve price set for other scheduled 8 regional languages in bucket R3.
Prasar Bharati has underlined that compliance will be closely watched. Broadcasters must ensure that at least 75 per cent of their monthly programming, excluding advertisements, aligns with the declared genre and language. Any deviation could trigger show-cause notices or even removal from the DD Free Dish platform.
For channels chasing reach in a crowded market, the message is clear. The window is brief, the prices are set and the audience is waiting. On DD Free Dish, visibility still comes cheap, but only for those ready to move fast.
