The Indian entertainment and media industry is undergoing a remarkable change and is one of the fastest growing sectors in the country. According to a FICCI-PricewaterhouseCoopers report, the Indian entertainment and media industry is poised to become Rs. 100,000 crore industry by 2011. Of this, television industry has contributed the most to the pie. Starting with 41 sets in 1962 and one channel, according to Audience Research report, the present satellite and cable TV in India covers nearly 127 million homes offering about 370 channels to a viewing population of an estimated 500 million individuals. A large and yet a relatively untapped market, easy accessibility of relevant technology and a variety of programs are the main reasons for the rapid expansion of television channels in India.

The television industry continues to dominate the entertainment and media industry with a market share of over 43 percent. It is projected to grow at an annual compound rate of 22 percent per annum to reach a level of Rs. 51,900 crore by 2011. The industry recorded a growth of 28 percent over the previous year and is estimated at Rs. 226 billion in 2007, up from Rs. 191 billion in 2006. The Indian small screen is getting bigger and more crowded by the day as television broadcasters, both domestic titans and media moguls from around the globe are rushing in for a bigger share of the pie. Regional languages including Bengali, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Marathi and Gujarati are attracting a lot of television networks, wanting to start their own channels. The Zee TV group and the Eenadu group are at the forefront, having launched several such channels. Star is now entering the fray and wants to expand its presence in the regional space. Political parties and top regional politicians are also launching their own channels in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Maharashtra and other states.

Other broadcasters are also planning major expansions. UTV, which has also emerged as a leading media and entertainment giant, has sold a 15 per cent stake in UTV Global Broadcasting Ltd to Walt Disney Co. The group has television channels including Bindaas, Bindaas Movies, World Movies UTV Movies and UTV Business News. Channels like Star, Zee, NDTV, 9X and others are being distributed in many countries through cable and satellite or direct-to-home platforms. They have seen advertising revenues and even subscription fees soar in recent months. Two months after its launch, Colors, the latest television channel to enter India's highly competitive and lucrative general entertainment segment, has steadily grown its reach and viewership to become the third most viewed in its category.

General entertainment channels (GEC) account for around 22 percent of TV viewership and about 30 percent of ad spending according to estimates by TAM and the industry. A number of new channels have entered the segment in the past year. 9X, by INX Media Pvt. Ltd, started operations in 2007, while NDTV Imagine, went on air in February 2008. NDTV Networks is an overseas subsidiary of news broadcaster NDTV Ltd. Colors is run by Viacom 18 Private Limited. Yet another joint venture between Alva Brothers Entertainment Pvt. Ltd and Turner International is expected to launch a GEC by the end of this year.

A number of channel launches await the government approval for uplinking from India of which the majority are targeting the news section. With more channels the battle for market share is growing stronger. The number of private channels has expanded over the years to more than 300, but the broadcasters are still planning channel launches with players from corporate houses joining the scenario.

Players such as Zee TV, Star, NDTV, and regional channels such as Sun and Asianet and several other channels hold a considerable stock due to their ability to program good content. Television channels are in the process of bringing a network of channels that could bring about greater synergy as broadcasters can cross-sell their different varieties to advertisers and can also hop to ensure that the advertiser's choice remains within the network.

Technology has changed the face of entertainment today. The ongoing change in technology, products, and distribution channels has created significant opportunities in the industry for growth and development. The revolution in information technology has resulted in cable wires, networks and most importantly the Internet which has revolutionized the media and entertainment industry.

In view of the growing trend of companies and individuals wanting to be part of the action in the broadcasting space, it is necessary to know why broadcasters are keen on owning more channels and why broadcasters are incorporating more channels in addition to the existing channels.

A number of television channels in 2008 procured equipment which include audio mixers, professional studio cameras, switchers, video servers, software graphics, routers, and OB vans. Equipment manufacturers for these products and technologies have developed long term relationships with the broadcasters, which would ensure the best package, design, content, distribution and marketing.

MAJOR PLAYERS

MANORAMA NEWS

Manorama News marks the 120-year-old Malayala Manorama group's foray into television broadcast. The 24-hour news and infotainment channel in Malayalam, launched in 2006 in a short span of time has set new standards in television news coverage by bringing live news, fast, through exceptional journalism, talented professionals and superior technology. Manorama News has established itself as the No.1 news channel in Kerala in a short span of time. The delectable mix of news and infotainment that Manorama News serves up has won it not only a loyal viewership base, but early recognition too. The channel built a reputation for accuracy, credibility and fairness. In addition to its excellent news stories, Manorama News has a host of infotainment programs in interesting new formats that engage and entertain the viewer. MMTV telecasts four satellite news channels namely, Manorama News International, Manorama News Central, Manorama News South, and Manorama News North.

Malayala Manorama Television's (MMTV) Manorama News completed its second year on air with a channel share close to 50 percent in the news genre in Kerala. It has a consistent lead over its competitors across the various categories of audiences. A lot of initiatives are being taken in terms of programming content and presentation so that the viewers get the best experience watching the channel. The norms to ensure less clutter with restricted ad breaks and sponsorship slots not only keep the viewers stick on but also impart more value and visibility for the advertisers.

MMTV uses the state-of-the-art technology in its news telecast, from news gathering to distribution of channels. The entire newsroom operation workflow is automated. ENPS, Omnibus and Omneon servers are used in newsroom and playout automation. From news gathering to the production of news and news-related programs, the entire content creation and post production work takes place in a tapeless server based environment that helps put the news ‘on air' faster than our competitors. We are the first channel in India to go for a fully digital, server-based transmission environment and also the first one to use MPEG 4 technology for its channel transmission, ahead of even national channels. On the studio connectivity front, we have an edge over the competition with live connectivity from 14 bureaus inside Kerala and DSNG vans deployed across India.

The equipment used by the company includes newsroom computer systems (NRCS) from ENPS, Ross production switchers, Yamaha Digital Audio Mixers, WASP 3D Graphics, BDL Teleprompters, Omneon video servers, Hitachi studio cameras and Final Cut Pro. Automation equipment is provided by Omnibus, encoders by Thomson Grass Valley and ViBE MPEG 4/H.264 AVC encoders, archive solutions from Sun Microsystems, Panasonic P2 cameras, DSNG vans from Streambox and Vidlink, and master branding and glues from Harris.

Major challenges according to the company include burgeoning distribution costs, talent crunch, and multiplying viewer options. Opportunities include localization, quality premium, integration and convergence of other media like print and FM. The company plans to have one entertainment channel soon.

NDTV

New Delhi Television Limited (NDTV), founded in 1988, is India's first and largest private producer of news, current affairs, and entertainment television. It is home to the country's best reporters, anchors, and producers. The 23 offices and studios across the country host India's most modern and sophisticated production and newsgathering facilities. At home, NDTV 24X7, the flagship English news channel is the market leader with an unrivaled reputation for excellence. NDTV India, the company's 24-hour Hindi news channel, is respected for its integrity and commitment to real journalism. NDTV Profit, a 24-hour business channel, has established new standards for simple, clear and transparent reporting on the world of business. NDTV has launched its first channel outside India in partnership with Astro, a leading South East Asia media group. "Astro Awani", launched in Indonesia, is a 24 hour news, infotainment and lifestyle channel. The hardware procured by the channel includes video/audio routers, digital 4-ME production switcher, digital glue, studio cameras, ENG cameras, P2 technology, and VTR's such as DigiBeta, DVCPRO, P2. The software that would be procured by NDTV includes Omnibus, Avid, and Autodesk.

NGC

National Geographic Channel (NGC), Asia, part of the Star TV reaches out to over 43.07 million viewers which is a substantial chunk of the up-market audience the channel caters to. In the coming months the channel looks forward to expand its viewer base to a staggering 51.68 million. Television channels are rapidly increasing, leading the broadcast sector to be highly competitive. Newer technologies are fast proving as a key differentiator between players. NGC believes that it is imperative to absorb new machines and equipment to make post production facilities more stable and efficient. NGC has made a conscious effort to upgrade the equipment so as to remain competitive. Nonlinear online software from Avid and Final Cut Pro as well as digital beta recorders and players from Sony were procured by the channel. The latest graphic stations with state-of-the-art software such as 3D Studio Max and Combustion were procured from Discreet. The channel also acquired After Effects and Photoshop from Adobe. The channel plans to have own sound studio which will carry the latest version of Pro Tools HD. More nonlinear and graphics stations will be the key focus to sustain their expansion plans.

TV TODAY

TV Today Network that operates the news channel Aaj Tak aims to achieve seamless integration of different functions and work towards automation of different technologies. This make functions smooth and saves on the manpower. The company keeps pace with the emerging technologies and different format of news which is changing on a daily basis. The equipment procured by the company includes Omneon servers for a value of Rs. 3 crore. Other major suppliers include Kahuna, Kalido Multiviewer, Apple, VIZ Engine, Aveco, and FCS

ZEE NEWS

Zee News has newsroom automation system comprising of Leitch Nexio series servers with edit terminals from Newsflash and NRCS from Octopus. The system caters three channels mainly Zee News, Zee Business, and Zee Punjabi. The system consists of 8-injest terminals, 10-low resolution edit, and 15-low resolution browse terminals.

Nexio video servers. Nexio video servers provide a streamlined infrastructure for producing, processing, and managing and distributing any type of media. Within the Nexio framework, SD/HD video, audio and metadata are instantly and securely accessible to all users, creating a true shared storage environment. Nexio XS, the most recent addition to the NEXIO server platform, is a modular, SD/HD transmission server system that offers integrated, agile, software codecs with an extensive range of compression formats, and back-to-back DV/MPEG playout, all in a single, three rack unit (3RU) frame. Nexio XS, that features all-software codec technology and front-panel access to drives, is one of the most advanced, streamlined, easy-to-use, SD/HD server systems.

Promo equipment. The promo equipment used by Zee News includes liquid chrome HD from Pinnacle, all related software such as 3D-Max, Photoshop and After Effects, as well as Smoke from Autodesk.

Graphics equipment. The total graphics system is on Vizrt which includes creation and playout.

Viz|Content Pilot. The latest equipment of Zee News enables TV channels to generate high volumes of top-quality graphic animations independently of the design department. Viz|Content Pilot is template-based and database-driven, enabling journalists, producers, and others outside of the design department to update contents such as text, images, and clips directly from their PCs. The graphic files travel with the scripts to the playout point, once the content has been added by the journalists. The graphics stick with the story regardless of running order changes and are always instantly accessible for last-minute changes to the content. The look and feel of the final animations are of the same high-end quality as the original animations created by the design department and are always consistent with the house style of the channel.

Viz|Engine. Viz|Engine is an extremely powerful rendering engine and is the core of Vizrt's real-time graphical solutions. 2D/3D animated scenes designed in Viz|Artist are rendered in real-time as high-end animations, and the output is SD or HD video. Viz|Engine systems work with all other Vizrt products to provide users with the total solution for producing their graphic content. Primarily, Viz|Engine is used to render graphic animations for live TV programs, but can be equally applied to post-production, webcasting, and non-broadcast large scale displays. Viz|Engine has an open control interface allowing users to integrate their proprietary control software. Viz|Engine supports a command language which allows almost all graphic features to be controlled or changed on the fly from external applications. These control possibilities include editing of text, images, materials, 2D and 3D objects, audio, animations, and many other effects.