Why Does Shemaroo TV launch as Free-to-Air on DD Freedish Platform

as Shemaroo's New Flagship Operation

On May 1st, 2020 Mumbai-based, Shemaroo Entertainment's Shemaroo TV launched on the Prasar Bharati's DD Freedish platform as a Free-to-Air (FTA) channel, with the tag line ‘Badalte Aaj Ke Liye’. It sums up the channels direction: ‘being change’. The attempt is to appeal to Hindi speaking familie who are looking to keep up with the changing society and be 'with it' and  adapt to new changes. Programming will be bundled into comedy, drama, mythology, thriller, crime, and animated themes to resonate with all ages family. 

The networks' iconic programming library includes: Devon Ke Dev…Mahadev, Dil Se Di Dua Saubhagyawati Bhava, Great Indian Laughter Challenge, and many more.   


Executive Quotes: 

Hiren Gilda, CEO Shemaroo

Hiren Gada, CEO, Shemaroo Entertainment Limited, said, “Shemaroo is spread across different verticals through which we maintain a healthy relationship with viewers and advertisers equally. While we manage large digital platforms, entering into the broadcasting space will help us with reach and enable us to build a stronger affinity with the audiences."  

Sandeep Gupta, COO Shemaroo

Sandeep Gupta, COO – Broadcast Business,Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd, said, “If we see the current TV space and particularly the Free To Air space, there is a large consumption of content but with less variety of shows and genres. Shemaroo TV will be enhancing the entertainment needs of the Indian audiences by its vast offerings of iconic shows, along with original shows across various genres. We have worked extensively to understand the needs of our consumers and have sharpened our insights based on what will appeal to them. Shemaroo TV will have an extensive reach and we aim to become one of the most popular destinations in the Free To Air General entertainment space.”

End Quoting.

The new flagship channel for the Shemaroo Group is aiming to quickly emulate the success of ‘Shemaroo MarathiBana’ that after launch quickly succeeded in picking up a strong following. 

Not only on the DD Freedish platform is to be found on all major DTH operators and cable networks across India. Also, it can be availed on Shemaroo’s OTT platform ShemarooMe.

HQ Mumbai. Also has facilities in New Delhi and New York.

ShemarooTV joins approximately 155 other FTA channels on the iCAS set top box satellite reception system that include approx 88 MPEG-2 channels, 17 MPEG-4/HD channels, and 50 educational TV channels. Broken down, there are 80 SD MPEG-2 TV channels and 18 SD MPEG-4 channels apart from 40 radio channels.

Backgrounder: Doordarshan's DD Free Dish is simply a Direct to Home (DTH) free of subscription service. Controlling licensing authority, Prasar Bharati (PB) approved Indian manufacturers to produce new Indian Conditional access system (iCAS) encrypted set-top boxes specifically for DD Freedish. PB stresses that all channels on the platform have to be free to air and free of subscription fees. Impressive was the 2003 move by the then national government to make DD Sports channel available to the whole country that broke a subscription monopoly holding the rights to Indian Cricket. DD Sports is freely available on DD Freedish. The satellite used in Ku-Band configuration is INSAT-4B.  

Digital Broadcasters | Bangladesh Maverick Ekushey TV Returns

Digital Broadcasters Vendor News notes that Ekushey Television (ETV) in Bangladesh is still on air terrestrially and via satellite two weeks after getting its license back after a four year hiatus. A maverick broadcaster if ever there was one.

Staying on air terrestrially seems no mean feat in a Bangladesh where ETV was forced off air in Aug, 2002 by then-prime minister, Begum Khaleda Zia for apparently favouring her rivals in the Awami League in its programming. The broadcasting authority, the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Board (BTRC) seized ETV's transmission equipment.

ETV, the country's first private TV station was awarded its original license by the Awami League government in April 2000.

Although the high court ordered the Khaleda Zia government to return transmission equipment to ETV in 2005 it never did. Yet in the meantime, a further six local, private TV networks were allowed to start broadcasting - but only via satellite distribution.

ETV's break came after Khaleda handed power to an interim government in October 2006, on completion of a five-year term in office. Just a few weeks ago the BDTC under the temporary administration government gave ETV the green light to resume transmissions.

Digital Broadcasters Vendor News is still puzzled why ETV along with the state-owned Bangladesh Television are the only terrestrial (as well as satellite TV network) operators in the country.

Digital Broadcasters | India | DoorDarshan in Content Digital Exploitation

Doordarshan, India's state TV broadcaster says that its 70,000 hours of analog library of video tape programming is destined to be fully converted into digital format, now that a detailed business plan has been drawn up for commercial exploitation. So far some 1,400 hours of programs have been converted by "DD Archives" which has released so far some 51 titles to the video distribution market. DD also says that some 600 hours have been identified and set aside for the DD MTNL joint venture, the Broadband Video-On- Demand project. The content covers program genres from culture and travel to personalities, historical places, health, fitness, and lifestyles. The DD "analog to digital" content conversion project covers the complete process of migration for all program production and output, as well as facilitating broadband convergence. Still, the key decision is commercial exploitation - return on the investment. How best can DD market and commercially exploit the mountain of programming content it is sitting on? One key intention is to create and promote interest among India's young generation in the country's traditional culture. This is best served by making available as many digital recordings as possible for distribution at home and abroad across the Indian Diaspora and to heritage institutions around the world.

Digital Broadcasters | India Censors Irked by FTVs Catwalk Capers

In India the satellite TV channels have been pushing the boundaries of decency in programming in the past six months - that is by Indian standards. The latest is from FTV and its catwalk capers of believing less is better. In a country that bans kissing on TV, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting was forced to act on March 29 when Fashion TV under the FTV.com India label showed models strutting the catwork clad skimpily and without brassieres and swearing seethough tops at the midnight hour. The channel is carried by the country's cable TV operators. The Ministry slapped a ban on the channel for two months under Sub-Section (2) of Section 20 of the Cable Television Networks Regulation Act, 1995. The transmission or re-transmission of this Channel on all platforms has been prohibited effect April 1 through to May 30 across the country. The ministry guardians depict the programming as "against good taste and decency, denigrating women and likely to adversely affect public morality." Is there no subtlety? The programming was called ‘Midnight Hot’. I suspect that most adult men would at least be tempted to take a peek at a program with such a title. Still, being "off-air" is an indirect way of even greater promotion for the channel that has not been short of a following as it is. Will FTV in turn be irked by the prudishness of the Censors at India's Broadcasting Ministry?

Digital Broadcasters | Genesis Opens Tokyo POP

Tokyo, Sydney and Auckland have been added as the latest "point-of- presence" POP's in Asia-Pacific on the New York - based, Genesis Networks global video transmission network. Digital Broadcasters Vendor News understands that POPs are already operational in Beijing, Singapore, and other major media centers in Asia. The new POP sites will allow Genesis Networks to interconnect with local broadcasters throughout the Asia Pacific region, notably in China and Japan routing content using fibre optic and satellite from Asia via the Genesis network and broadcasting it anywhere in the world but mainly to the US. The company has a teleport in North Miami and is building a reputation as a carrier of ethnic channel programming from India, Poland and Latin America for distribution to US cable TV systems.

http://www.gen-networks.com