GECs
Sale of DTV sets increases by 45 per cent in the US
MUMBAI: Digital television (DTV) sales continue to rise in the US. This has been demonstrated by the latest factory-to-dealer sales released by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA).
According to the CEA 3.8 million units have been shipped from January through June of 2005, bringing the total dollar sales to date to more than $4.6 billion. These sales figures mark a 45 percent increase in unit sales and a 23 per cent increase in dollar sales over the same period in 2004.
The average factory-to-dealer decrease in price has been a driver in the continued adoption of DTV sets. The price since January has dropped more than $200 bringing the average factory-to-dealer sales price to $1,159 per DTV set. As the sales prices continue to drop, every month in 2005 has seen an increase in sales over the previous month.
CEA president and CEO Gary Shapiro says, “It is a great time to buy – the number of DTV products and the wide range of prices has created a truly competitive marketplace. There is increased competition among retailers, manufacturers and the technologies. More high-definition (HD) programming is announced each day and Congress continues to keep this issue a top priority. We are hopeful that a cut-off date will soon be established for analog broadcasting. To date, more than seven million devices are capable of receiving HD content.
“CEA continues to celebrate the successful transition to DTV. This year, it is predicted that consumers will buy more digital sets than analog. As consumers choose to go digital, 86 percent are choosing the best digital has to offer – HDTV. To date, seven million US households are capable of receiving HD programming via either over-the-air or cable. CEA has been a part of this transition since the first set was announced at the International CES and we look forward to continuing to take the necessary steps to ensure a rapid, consumer-friendly end to the DTV transition.”
The rise in sales comes as the US Congress considers setting a cutoff date for traditional analog television signals and requiring television stations to air only digital. Lawmakers are considering late 2008 or early 2009 as the deadline.
Congress’ investigative arm, the Government Accountability Office, estimates about 21 million homes rely solely on antennas to see television broadcasts and would have to get new television sets or converter boxes.
Lawmakers are pondering a subsidy to cover for some households the cost of a converter box, which would allow consumers to continue using existing television sets.
GECs
EPIC Company unifies all brands under single EPIC identity
IN10 Media rebrand aligns TV, digital and films into one ecosystem
MUMBAI: The EPIC Company, formerly known as IN10 Media Network, has announced a sweeping brand consolidation, bringing its television channels, digital platforms and content IPs under a single identity, EPIC.
The move is aimed at simplifying the company’s structure while creating a more connected content ecosystem spanning television, digital and films. By aligning multiple verticals under one umbrella, the company is looking to present a sharper, more cohesive face to both audiences and partners.
As part of the transition, several channels have been rebranded to align with the EPIC identity. EPIC will now operate as EPIC TV, while Nazara becomes EPIC Bharat, Filamchi is now EPIC Bhojpuri, Gubbare transitions to EPIC Kids, and ShowBox is reintroduced as EPIC Music. Ishara will continue under the identity EPIC Parivaar, maintaining its core positioning.
The company has also refreshed EPICON, its streaming platform, to reflect a more unified and modern brand experience. The overhaul is designed to improve content discovery and create a seamless experience across platforms.
This consolidation follows the recent launch of EPIC Studio, a unified production arm that brings together Juggernaut Productions and MovieVerse Studio, as the company expands its footprint across films, OTT and television.
The EPIC Company managing director Aditya Pittie said, “As our scale has grown, it has become important to simplify how we operate and how we present ourselves to the ecosystem. This consolidation gives us a clearer, more future-ready structure to partner, invest, and build at scale, while ensuring that for viewers, the experience is more seamless and intuitive.”
With the rebrand, The EPIC Company is positioning itself as a platform-agnostic content network, focused on scale, simplicity and integrated storytelling. By bringing everything under one banner, it is aiming to make its content universe easier to navigate and harder to ignore.
