Tata Interactive Systems supplies learning materials to satellite television subscribers

The global learning provider, Tata Interactive Systems (TIS), is bringing the basics of corporate e-learning to a wider audience by producing a series of 365 animated stories for the satellite television company Tata Sky. Tata Sky will broadcast these stories to its customers at the rate of one story per day for the next year.

According to Sanjaya Sharma, CEO of Tata Interactive Systems (TIS), (www.tatainteractive.com), each of the 365 stories is based on Indian culture, history and/or mythology.

Tata Sky, the youngest of the Tata Group of companies, began broadcasting in 2006 and currently offers some 110 channels along with a number of interactive channels - all with DVD picture quality and CD sound quality.

"Our strategy is to capture the market by offering superior value," said Vikram Kaushik, managing director and CEO of Tata Sky. "We believe that satellite television is a new category and are working hard to educate customers about its benefits."

"I believe that Tata Sky will change the paradigm of television viewing in India," commented Sharma. "The market has responded positively to its service and its aim of having 1m subscribers by the end of this year is well on the way to being achieved.

“Naturally, we’re delighted that TIS’s experience and expertise in producing high quality learning materials, developed over nearly 20 years, is now finding expression via the ‘consumer-orientated’ medium of satellite television – especially on one of the most advanced and ‘go-ahead’ stations.”

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Notes for editors

About Tata Sky

Tata Sky is a DTH satellite television provider in India. It is a joint venture between the Tata Group, which owns 80% and STAR TV, which owns a 20% stake.

Tata Sky was incorporated in 2004 and is based in Bangalore, India, but the Tata Sky service was ‘launched’ in August 2006. It currently offers some 110 channels along with a number of interactive channels - with DVD picture quality and CD sound quality.

Viewers can control the content; watch four news channels simultaneously, find out what's playing on all channels without changing channels and, most important, parents can regulate what their children watch. In addition, viewers get seven-day programme schedules for all channels online, and reminders for favourite programmes.

Moreover, Tata Sky offers a bouquet of interactive news, sports and games to subscribers, all easily accessible with some simple hardware — a small 65-cm mini-dish to receive the satellite signals, a digicomp™ that supports CAS, and a Digicard™.

Tata Sky’s current tagline is ‘Isko laga daala, toh life jingalala!’ (If you use this, life will be great!)

The company uses the Sky brand, owned by BSkyB.

About Tata Interactive Systems (TIS)

Tata Interactive Systems (TIS), a global leader in e-learning, is a part of the $22bn Tata Group. Truly international, TIS has a presence across the US, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, the Middle East, Japan, India, and mainland Europe. TIS offers corporations, universities, schools, publishers, and government institutions a diversified and innovative bouquet of learning and training solutions including Simulation-based Learning Objects (SimBLs™), Story-based Learning Objects (StoBLs™), courseware and curriculum design, special-needs education, assessments, electronic performance support systems (EPSS), mobile learning, game-based learning along with other corporate training and consultancy services. Our multi-disciplinary expertise and 17 years’ experience across domains helps us design e-learning programmes that are unique to clients’ requirements and specifically crafted to boost knowledge retention and application.

TIS is the only e-learning organisation in the world to be assessed at Level 5 in both the SEI-CMM and P-CMM frameworks. TIS’s quest for excellence is reflected in numerous prestigious industry awards, including a Silver Brandon Hall Excellence in Learning Award 2005 and 2004, APEX Award of Excellence in 2005 and 2006, BETT Awards in 2004 and 2006, and two Business World–NID Design Excellence awards.

For more information log on to www.tatainteractive.com

Further information from:
Alan Samuel, Tata Interactive Systems, 020 7905 0156, www.tatainteractive.com
Bob Little, Bob Little Press & PR, 00 44 (0) 1727 860405, www.boblittlepr.com