Discovery Turbo Now on Reliance Digital TV

Taking advantage of the buzz the F1 race created in India, Reliance Digital Tv has chosen to add the Discovery Turbo channel to their channel list. Discovery turbo, serves content that consists of the A to Z of motoring. It includes shows like American Choppers, Monster Garage, Fifth Gear, Trick My Truck and Wheelers Dealers.

Rahul Johri, senior vp, gm, Discovery India, said, "We have received tremendous response for Discovery Turbo across India, where people watch and connect with our engaging and unmatched content. The availability of Discovery Turbo on Reliance Digital TV expands the reach of the channel, as it continues to offer the best entertainment experience to our viewers."

Sanjay Behl, ceo, Reliance Digital TV, added, "At Reliance Digital TV, we have been constantly engaged with enhancing the entertainment experience for our customers by providing them quality entertainment that spans across a wide spectrum of audience interests. With the addition of Discovery Turbo to our bouquet of over 250 channels, we are sure to delight our customers with the engaging content delivered to them through a superior technology platform ensuring an unmatched viewing experience."

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Digital TV to Sell 49% Stake to Foreign Investors

Following the imminent hike in foreign direct investment (FDI) cap in DTH to 74 per cent, Reliance Digital TV (formerly known as Big TV) is looking to forge an oversees alliance by selling up to 49 per cent stake in its DTH venture. According to reports, if the deal goes through, it will raise Rs 2,000-2,500 crore.

Prospective buyers include overseas private equity investors, broadcast and cable companies like Comcast Corporation, the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider and the fourth largest home telephone service provider in the US.

Digital TV is the only DTH provider that doesn't have a foreign stake, and is now looking for funds to more than double its subscriber base from around 4 million in the next 12 to 18 months.

Tata Sky has STAR Group and Singapore-based PE firm Temasek as foreign investors. Sun Direct has partnered with Malaysia's Astro while Dish TV and Airtel Digital TV too have overseas partners.

Sanjay Behl, CEO, Reliance DTH and IPTV, said, "DTH is a capital-intensive industry that requires substantial investment. Our four-screen strategy is to dominate mobile, computers, television and cinema, in which we already have significant presence. Reliance Digital TV has among the best ARPU in the industry and higher percentage of active subscriber base which will only become better going forward."

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Reliance Digital TV Moves out of the House

No longer will Reliance Digital TV be only part of your house, soon you may find Big Tv embedded in your train seat or in your SUV.

According to Sanjay Behl, chief executive officer, Reliance DTH & IPTV, said, “Reliance Digital TV has capability to provide services in cars, buses and trains. We are keen to evaluate all tenders in this regard, including that of the Indian Railways.”

The best part is this service is actually free for the railways and the customers, as the service providers will cough up the sum for the cost of development, management and maintenance as well as the provision of audio and video content, Internet surfing and games.

How does the service provider make the money? Advertisements, yes the service provider is allowed to have adverts as 20% of the content. They can also provide value added services such as ticketing and reservations for hotel. Although passengers will have to pay for Value added services.

Although Dish TV has bagged the pilot project on the Kalka Shatabdi, let see what Reliance Digital Tv has up its sleeves.

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Reliance Digital TV's Special Offer for Kerala

Reliance Digital TV has announced a special offer on the festive season of Onam for its customers in Kerala. Through its 'Moonu Varangal' offer, new subscribers on the lookout for a DTH connection can purchase Reliance Digital TV's special entry pack starting at Rs 1,590 with free installation and 6 months free viewing of Value Sports Pack.

The customers also get free unlimited viewing of Malayalam blockbusters till September 30th, 2011 and earn loyalty points for every rupee spent. Even the existing subscribers of Kerala can avail of the loyalty program.

With this program, subscribers can accumulate points for every rupee spent with Digital TV and redeem their points to choose from a wide range of channel packages and value-added services.

For new TV buyers, Reliance Digital TV has tied up with MIRC Electronics, makers of the Onida consumer durables, to offer a new connection for just Rs 899 with any Onida HD ready LCD TV model with 1 month free viewing of 'Silver Plus' pack.

Customers purchasing any of Onida’s Full HD LCD/LED TV model can now enjoy over 250 High Definition channels with Reliance Digital TV's HD box for Rs 1,199 with free subscription for one month of 'Diamond Pack+2 HD channels'. This special deal is valid only in the state of Kerala till September 15th, 2011.

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Digital TV to offer Star India's Asli HD Channels

Reliance Digital TV (formerly known as Big TV) has tied up with Star India to show its bouquet of 5 Asli HD channels like Star Plus, Star Movies HD, Movies Now HD, Nat Geo HD and iConcerts HD. This is an addition to its existing bouquet of 250 channels available in full high-definition quality.

The channels will have a resolution of 2 million pixels on each frame (2 megapixels), which is five times clearer than a regular DTH broadcast. Sanjay Behl, CEO, Reliance Digital TV said, "Reliance Digital TV has always been a front-runner in innovation in the DTH industry. It has been our continuous endeavour to enhance our subscribers' viewing experience."

The subscribers can watch the HD channels by taking the ‘Ultra Sharp 2 pack’ at Rs 75 (plus taxes) per month. Alternatively, the channels are available on a-la-carte basis at Rs 30 per month.

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Reliance Digital TV adds iKids Interactive Service

Expanding its portfolio of interactive services, Reliance Digital TV (former Big TV) has introduced an educational service for pre-schoolers.

Available to subscribers for Rs 25 per month, its focus will be on developmental games like - Find the Number, Math Tree, Play Ball and Under the Sea. These simple games will help kids to identify numbers, pictures, shapes and alphabets.

Sanjay Behl, CEO, Reliance Digital TV, said, "With the launch of iKids, we are delighted to give our subscribers an 'edutainment' experience that makes learning fun for kids."

Digital TV's other interactive services include iAstro, iCricket, iCare, iConcerts, iNteractive, iMall, iGames and iCooking.

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Big TV to Have More HD Content

Reliance Communications is focusing on Big TV to drive its revenue and plans on focusing on satisfying the end users desire for quality content.

The company plans on give its subscribers a variety of new international HD content. Below are the key highlights from a video interview.

• Reliance BIG TV in talks for Rs 150cr HD content acquisition
• Big TV to invest an additional Rs 350 crores in the next 4 years in content acquisition
• Reliance Digital TV in advanced talks with comedy central, BBC and CNN for non film HD content
• The Company expects DTH segment to drive business

You can watch the video below:

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