iWorld
Texas Instruments outlines mobile TV opportunities at seminar
MUMBAI: Advances in mobile digital TV technology and the impact this growing industry will have on broadcasters, content providers and consumers.
These subjects were dwelt upon by Texas Instruments VP and manager worldwide strategic marketing Doug Rasor.
He delivered the closing keynote during the Society of Broadcast Engineers’ annual conference a few days ago in the US. He said, “Mobile TV combines the two most popular consumer products of our time, the mobile phone and television, providing broadcasters, networks and content providers access to an untapped market of 1.6 billion cell phone subscribers for their programming.”
However, he noted that to make the mobile TV industry a realistically affordable service for consumers, an ecosystem based on open standards is key. “Open standards such as DVB-H enable all players of the mobile TV market to address the market on a more even playing field, from handset manufacturers to broadcasters to service providers. This fosters stronger competition, lowers consumer prices and enables faster service deployment of compelling content and services to consumers.”
In preparation for service rollouts that are expected to begin next year the DVB-H ecosystem is actively participating in consumer trials worldwide that are proving out business models, consumer preferences and opportunities
for additional revenues. The trials have shown strong consumer interest and willingness to pay between $10 and $15 monthly for services. “With mobile TV services, consumers will be able watch live TV programming on their cell phone to ‘snack’ on 10-15 minutes of news, sporting events, weather and other content throughout the day which promises to create a new revenue stream for broadcasters and advertisers,” Rasor said.
Closing his remarks, Rasor reminded the audience that in order to make the mobile TV market successful, content is also a key consideration. “Just like TV programming, consumers want interesting and compelling content to watch. If the right mix of entertainment, news, sports and pop-culture programming isn’t available for cell phones, mobile TV will not meet its full potential to reach billions of cell phone users worldwide over the next five to ten years.”
iWorld
Banijay Asia’s The 50 tops OTT charts with 8.1 million JioHotstar views
Reality competition becomes most watched show on JioHotstar in debut week.
MUMBAI: Fifty contestants walked into a palace, but millions of viewers showed up for the drama. Reality competition The 50, produced by Banijay Asia, has emerged as the most watched show on JioHotstar, clocking 8.1 million views in its debut week. The figure, reported by Ormax Media, places the show at the top of the OTT viewership charts and marks a strong opening for the digital reality format.
Adapted from a popular French format, The 50 brings together 50 personalities from television, digital platforms, music and reality shows inside a grand palace setting. Over the course of a 50 day competition, participants form alliances, compete in unpredictable tasks and navigate eliminations as the field steadily narrows.
Guiding the game is a mysterious figure known as The Lion, an unseen game master whose voice introduces twists, challenges and strategic turns throughout the show, adding an extra layer of suspense to the contest.
What distinguishes The 50 from typical reality competitions is its audience driven prize structure. Instead of the winner taking home the final reward, the prize is awarded to one of the winner’s registered followers through the show’s dedicated app. The mechanism effectively turns viewers into participants, allowing fans to have a direct stake in the outcome.
The contestant lineup features a mix of television actors, reality stars and digital creators, including Karan Patel, Urvashi Dholakia, Divya Agarwal, Mr Faisu and Dushyant Kukreja, each bringing their own fan following to the show.
With its blend of celebrity personalities, strategic gameplay and interactive viewer participation, The 50 has quickly carved out a strong foothold in India’s digital entertainment landscape. Its 8.1 million views in the opening week underline the growing appetite for large scale reality formats designed specifically for OTT audiences.
