Very much as expected the Rupert Murdoch-backed TataSky DTH pay-TV operation in India is to offer the NDS-developed XTV personal video recorder (PVR), and good for MPEG4 reception.
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Nevertheless, TataSky is claiming this as a “major breakthrough” for
the Indian market. With this move, TataSky joins over 18 other major
pay-TV operators located around the world that have chosen NDS
solutions to introduce the unique flexibility of the PVR to their
subscribers. In independent research commissioned by NDS in August
2008, owners of DVRs overwhelmingly agreed that their enjoyment in
watching TV was significantly enhanced by the DVR. TataSky expects the
same reaction from viewers in India.
TataSky started transmitting its national satellite television service
in August 2006. Within the first year, it had reached 1m subscribers
and reached 2m in less than two years. TataSky now has more than 2.7m
connections and forecasts 8m subs by 2012.
Vikram Kaushik, MD/CEO at TataSky Ltd, said: "The introduction of PVR
technology will revolutionise the TV viewing experience in India. The
PVRs recording and playback features will allow our subscribers to
time-shift their TV viewing, and thanks to the pause and rewind
features, viewers can be sure that they won’t miss any of their
favourite shows any more, and that they can catch all the action in
live TV broadcasts.”
The TataSky announcement was near-matched by a similar deal with Bharti
Airtel which has now gone live with its DTH system, again dependent on
NDS for its Conditional Access. Announcing this latest development in
the company’s DTH strategy, Mr. N. Arjun, Executive Director, Bharti
Telemedia said: "Over the years we have delighted millions of customers
with our telecom services and now with Airtel digital TV, we plan to
deliver a magical in-home entertainment experience to TV viewers. DTH
is the future of television in India and with Airtel digital TV we
bring the best combination of latest technology and exciting content.
With the support of our technology partner NDS, we look forward to
providing superior, state-of-the-art services to our DTH service
customers.”
