Magazines, 3D gaming and video conferencing are soon to hit TV screens. After digitisation of cable, both set top box manufacturers as well as solution providers are looking beyond TV programmes to clock in more revenues for cable service providers.
Semiconductor solutions provider Broadcom, which offers a compact and power saving set top boxes, is also offering solutions. It has already partnered with gaming companies to provide a complete set of 2D and 3D gaming on TV, via a set-top box.
“After digitisation, capability exists for more services and so does technology. This will give foothold for companies to differentiate themselves and get more ARPU (average revenue per user),” said Sriraj Gaglani, global head of business development of Broadcom.
As the digitisation of cable extends to phase II covering 38 cities, solution providers are looking at more business. Broadcast technology and solutions company Exset is one of them. The company plans to give magazines on TV, broadcast advertisements, and offer tele-shopping too.
“After the usual TV viewing, we will provide ways where people can do more. We are making a business model around value-added services (VAS) and offer health and devotional services without charging them extra,” said Rahul Nehra, chief marketing officer and global head (sales) of Exset.
When the much anticipated convergence of broadband and broadcast happens, these companies have a larger suite of products on offer—be it video streaming, specialised social applications which cater to specific communities, localised video streaming, and multi-channel video conferencing.
An Android powered internet protocol platform is already in place with many international solution providers, and many are all set to deploy as soon as government allows convergence of both these powerful technologies.
“We are working with other ministries as a part of empowered group of ministers (eGoM) to bring out policies on that,” said Manish Tewari, the minister of information and broadcasting, today at a telecom conference. Experts however believe that convergence is a long way off.
The ‘smart’ solutions that new-age digitised companies want to offer, are already a part of smartphones, tablets and even computers where such applications are readily available. Digitisation companies counter this argument by quoting the size of TV screens.
“We can give an XBOX kind of gaming experience on TV. The experience of gaming is better on a larger screen, especially if you have a big screen TV,” said Gaglani. Experts also say that making available all the services across screens would give choice to the consumer, and they are confident that the larger screen would win. “We have a mobile and tablet story, but TV screen cannot be replaced,” said Nehra.
Offering a large suite of solutions would also require a cable companies to make investments. The sector is hugely fragmented with a large number of small companies constituting the sector. Apart from approaching small cable operators with the solutions, companies like are going as far as helping them bank loans to upgrade.
“Cable companies have been using the same technology for twelve years and made money. They need to invest money in new technology now,” observed Nehra.
