News Broadcasting
Open TV comes out with integrated solutions for mobile TV
MUMBAI: OpenTV, which provides enabling technologies for advanced digital television services and mobile technology firm weComm, have announced a partnership.
They will provide integrated mobile television solutions to OpenTV’s worldwide pay TV customer base and to other broadcasters and programmers interested in providing an experience across traditional broadcast television and mobile TV.
OpenTV senior VP and MD Europe, Middle east and Africa Ben Bennett says, “We are delighted that we will be able to offer a seamless solution to our customers that bridges the pay TV experience with the mobile phone experience in a user-friendly manner.
“This integrated solution is intended to make it easy for our customers to extend their TV experience across multiple platforms and devices, and to allow those viewers to personalise that experience in ever more compelling ways. One simple example of this Mobile TV is to enable OpenTV’s PVR users to record programmes seamlessly and remotely from the mobile handset.”
The integrated solution combines features and functionalities from OpenTV’s advanced digital television software, in particular its middleware offering, and weComm’s wave technology. The solution extends OpenTV’s middleware features into the mobile environment, allowing direct access on the mobile phone to electronic programming guides (EPGs) that have been ported to OpenTV’s platform.
The solution also enables mobile phone users to remotely programme their PVRs and to view live or on-demand television programming by navigating through the EPG resident on their phone.
weComm COO Oliver Sturrock says, “Integrating weComm’s Interactive Mobile TV technology with OpenTV’s industry-leading technologies offers a solution that will seamlessly extend TV-based interactive services to the mobile phone. We think that these solutions will help broadcasters and operators extend their content and services to a younger and more mobile audience.
“And we think that by combining OpenTV’s and weComm’s expertise and technologies, we can do that in an effective and seamless way that will eventually lead the market.”
The weComm solution is available on Symbian OS, Microsoft Windows Mobile and Java phones and has been ported to over 100 handsets, including Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Motorola, Samsung, LG and the RIM Blackberry.
News Broadcasting
UDF poised to return to power in Kerala, says Manorama-CVoter survey
Massive opinion poll projects shift in Kerala politics ahead of 2026 Assembly elections.
MUMBAI: The winds of change appear to be blowing through Kerala’s political landscape and this time, they seem to favour the United Democratic Front. A comprehensive mega opinion survey conducted by Manorama News in partnership with CVoter projects a potential comeback for the UDF in the upcoming Kerala Legislative Assembly Elections 2026. The survey, covering all 140 constituencies with a massive sample size of nearly 90,000 respondents, predicts the UDF could win between 69 and 81 seats.
The ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) is expected to secure 57 to 69 seats, a significant drop from the 99 seats it won in the 2021 elections. This would mean the LDF losing 30 to 42 of its sitting seats. Meanwhile, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which drew a blank in 2021, is projected to open its account with 1 to 5 seats.
Region-wise, the UDF is expected to make strong gains in Malabar, winning 25 to 34 out of 48 seats, and in Central Kerala, where it could bag 29 to 33 out of 53 seats. In South Kerala, the LDF is likely to retain an edge with 21 to 25 seats, while the UDF may improve to 12 to 16 seats. The NDA could pick up 1 to 3 seats in the southern region.
The survey was conducted between 14 and 26 March 2026, with additional tracker and snap polls carried out from December 2025 to March 2026. A total of 89,693 respondents participated, ensuring representation across all demographics and social segments.
Manorama News has a strong track record of accuracy, with its previous projections closely matching the actual results of the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha elections as well as the 2021 Kerala Assembly polls.
In Kerala’s famously fierce political battles, this survey suggests the pendulum may be swinging back. Whether the final verdict matches these numbers or throws up another surprise, one thing is clear, the 2026 Assembly elections are shaping up to be one of the most keenly watched contests in the state’s history.
