BSNL has announced public launch of its music portal with Hungama.com facilitating legal music access at lowest cost. The service would provide unlimited music and videos for Rs 149/month and unlimited game downloads at Rs 49/month.
WATBlog earlier reported the service introduction in March this year. The service has finally been launched on full-scale after a soft trial running for several months till now.
The portal would allow users to browse, select and download videos and music tracks and play online games. The service is for BSNL telecom and broadband subscribers only and is available at bsnl.hungama.com ( powered by Hungama).
How to register for it?
Users have two options for registration: They can register through their BSNL broaband user ID and password or through their BSNL landline number.
Although there is not enough clarity whether users will be able to download songs without any DRM protections. Their FAQ section coveys this:
- The music tracks, music videos and game files that are rented out under the Rental Subscription plan have been DRM protected.
- You can download your DRM-protected rental music tracks, music videos and game files onto your PC. You can enjoy this content on your local media players. At the end of each month, your subscription is automatically renewed so that you can enjoy your music, videos and games uninterrupted.
The site has around 50,000+ songs in different genres and languages. Currently, the entertainment store offers some 200 plus games to its BSNL subscribers
The tie-up between Major ISP’s and Online portals is common looking at the potential of VAS in such services. BSNL may accrue significant benefit as it is a pan-India telecom player with major presence in broadband and Mobile services.
The service may also be criticized as non-core activity for BSNL but serves a major audience through music and games availability at lower prices. The service would also foresee similar initiatives by other ISP and telecom players as VAS is a very high growth opportunity for telecom players. The service also signifies the bridging of difference between content owners and Telco’s.
Raghav, This is a RENTAL programme. You can listen to the songs only till you are subscribed to this service. They are definitely DRM protected and will stop working once you cancell the service
@Sidharth
Thanks for letting us know…….I didn’t call it only rental based service because there were some rumors about this service providing DRM-free downloads too.
Could you also enlighten us on what’s happened behind the scenes? What kind of deals did BSNL cut with the music companies? How much of that 149 goes to BSNL and how much to others?
Thanks!