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NEWS Monday June 28th to Friday July 2nd 2004
Scroll down page or click below for news - latest first
| Tuesday | |||||
The telco is also cutting the price of its higher-speed, 1MB BT Yahoo! Broadband service to £29.99 from £40.99. However, Broadband Basic customers will still pay £19.99 a month. The company said it would introduce a system of fair usage charges that would allow it to offer discounts to lighter users.
The UK telecoms company also said it would connect another one million households to broadband exchanges by August 2005 and it is forecasting it will win five million broadband customers by the end of 2006. At the same time, BT said it would lay 5,500 km of new cable as part of its plan to extend its broadband service. In a little over a year's time, BT's coverage will extend to 99.6 per cent of UK households.
Meanwhile, leading consumer ISPs have made a U-turn over entry-level wholesale broadband and are set to leave BT in the lurch when it launches its 256Kbps trial next week (July 5th). AOL and Wanadoo, which are among BT Wholesale's largest IPStream customers, have decided against participating in the forthcoming market trial. For months, the ISPs have lobbied for greater flexibility and variance at a wholesale level, but now they claim BT is too late with its rollout of a 'light' wholesale product.
Wanadoo has also
changed its position on entry-level broadband since its recent rebranding,
and claims to have no further interest in speeds lower than 512Kbps.
'We believe in full speed broadband, and we're not taking part in the trial,'
said a spokeswoman at Wanadoo. 'We've already made a song and dance about
our 512Kbps product being just as cheap as lighter broadband services on the
market.'
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Disney's sports
group ESPN is in discussions with BSkyB about introducing a 24-hour sports
channel in the UK, according to The Times. A version of ESPN Sports Classics
is already distributed to European cable systems.
The companies are negotiating a British launch of ESPN Classic Sport, which
replays famous footage from past sporting events, such as the football match
between England and Germany in 2000 at Wembley Stadium. The financial terms
of a potential deal are unknown.
George Bodenheimer, co-chairman of Disney's Media Networks division, said earlier this year that ESPN hoped to have a British channel operating within 12 to 18 months. ESPN has since held discussions with NTL and Telewest, the cable operators, but its talks with BSkyB have progressed the furthest. ESPN already sells content to the satellite broadcaster, including the Indy Racing League and its annual Indy 500 motor race.
A UK carriage
agreement would potentially add seven million DTH subscribers to the 14 million
homes in France and Italy, where the service was launched two years ago.
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The Australian government will raise no objections to News Corp's proposal to relocate its place of incorporation to the United States, Treasurer Peter Costello confirmed.
"Under the Foreign Acquisitions and Takeovers Act 1975, I have decided to raise no objections under the government's foreign investment policy," Costello said in a statement.
The proposal
is subject to approval by the company's shareholders and is expected to be
formally considered at a meeting in October.
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Kohlberg Kravis Roberts has struck a deal to offload a large chunk of PanAmSat, the US satellite operator it agreed to buy for $3.55 billion in April, to two rival buy-out groups, the FT reported.
According to a filing submitted to the US Securities and Exchange Commission, The Carlyle Group and Providence Equity Partners have agreed to buy equity stakes in PanAmSat from KKR shortly after the deal closes.
KKR will retain
only a 44 per cent interest in PanAmSat, with Carlyle and Providence each
holding 27 per cent of the company, according to people familiar with the
agreement, which was sealed on May 17. The satellite operator's management
will hold the remaining 2 per cent.
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Metro Goldwyn Mayer, which is in possible sale talks with Sony Corp and two buyout firms, has "more strategic alternatives available,'' CEO Alex Yemenidjian told investors.
Sony is in talks to buy MGM, Howard Stringer, CEO of Sony's US unit, confirmed in May. People familiar with the matter have said that Sony, with partners Texas Pacific Group and Providence Equity Partners, would pay about $5 billion for the studio. Yemenidjian, speaking at MGM's annual shareholder meeting in Beverly Hills, declined to be specific about any possible transaction.
"We have more strategic alternatives available to us than we realised and we need more time,'' Yemenidjian told shareholders.
Daily Variety
has started rumours that Time Warner may make an offer to buy MGM. Time Warner
spokeswoman Mia Carbonell declined to comment on the report.
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AEPOC, the European Association for the Protection of Encrypted Works and Services, has unanimously re-elected Jean Grenier as President of the association, for a regular term of 3 years.
Grenier has served
AEPOC as President since 1998. Under his leadership, the association grew
to 31 member companies, representing all sectors of the audio-visual services
industry. Today AEPOC is a recognised advisor of the EU Commission and national
authorities for all questions regarding electronic piracy.
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After selling its stake in Hutchison 3G UK, Japanese mobile phone giant NTT DoCoMo is looking for another UK partner. According to a report in Bloomberg, DoCoMo President Masao Nakamura is seeking an alliance with a UK company, that doesn't require an equity investment, to promote its i-mode wireless Internet technology.
"An equity alliance with any mobile carrier will cost a huge amount and we have learned that equity interest doesn't give us much in return,'' Nakamura said in an interview at DoCoMo headquarters in Tokyo. The sale of its interest in Hutchison 3G UK "leaves a hole in our coverage, and probably, we will seek a technical alliance there,'' he said.
Nakamura took
over as head of the world's second biggest mobile-phone operator this month,
inheriting a company that had written down more than 1 trillion yen ($9.3
billion) in overseas investments, such as Hutchison 3G UK, that were acquired
to encourage global acceptance of i-mode. Hutchison 3G UK never deployed the
technology.
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In an effort to facilitate the depoliticising of media channels and to possibly prepare to transfer channels to public ownership, the Government Information Office (GIO) has decided that terrestrial television channels Taiwan Television (TTV), China Television System (CTS) and China Television (CTV) will begin operating under a three-month interim licence from the next month.
The three oldest terrestrial TV channels will not be given a full renewal of their licences until they come up with plans regarding digitisation and depoliticisation, the GIO has decided. The government is the major shareholder of TTV and CTS, and the opposition Kuomintang owns CTV.
"We are
doing this to make sure that there is equal treatment for all three stations,
since they all had to renew their licenses before the end of June. The interim
licenses and changes to the channels will increase healthy competition and
help develop Taiwan's media climate," said GIO Secretary General Lin
Chia-lung. The depoliticisation is stipulated by the revisions to broadcast
law, and the digitisation is made in line with public interest, according
to GIO.
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Comcast has added financial video content from CNBC/Dow Jones Business Video to 'The Fan', the broadband multimedia player on the Comcast.net portal.
The agreement
between the Comcast and CNBC news - providing real-time financial market coverage
and business information - will bring market updates, home finance tips and
personal technology information to Comcast's 5.7 million High-Speed Internet
customers.
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Ireland-based technology company E-net has been awarded the contract to manage the broadband network by the country's Department of Communications. This will involve setting up Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs), comprised of duct and fibre around 19 cities and towns.
The move is expected to create new investments opportunities in the country.
"There is evidence that many international companies are opting for the greater Dublin area rather than a provincial location because of the absence of top quality infrastructure," E-net founder Michael Tiernan said and added: "A state-of-the-art low-cost broadband infrastructure will undoubtedly make regional towns and cities much more attractive for inward investment, in addition to sustaining existing jobs in the region."
E-net will operate as a wholesaler making broadband infrastructure available to authorised telecoms operators and opening up new possibilities for the deployment of extensive broadband services in the regions, under the terms of its contract with the Government.
The Government has so far invested E70 million in the regional broadband infrastructure initially serving 19 regional centres while a further E79 million is expected to be invested in expanding the network on a demand-driven basis.
A E12 million
funding package has been put in place by venture capital company, ACT, Anglo
Irish Bank and Bank of Ireland, E-net revealed.
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While wary of expounding yet further expansion – a key criticism of today's BBC, they talked about broadband as the key to turning the BBC's production into a public resource, "a breakthrough that could be as great as TV and radio itself. It is a public service medium". And, the say, the BBC is essential to ensuring a digital democracy where "everyone in the UK has equal access to digital services - on demand, portable and personalised".
The paper talks about a 'new test of Public Value' to be applied to all BBC outputs and implies these tests should "lead to rejection of the derivative, a commitment everywhere to the original and the worthwhile… and that the benefits of any existing or proposed new service should outweigh any disbenefits there may be, including potential negative market impact."
The BBC said that because the test "will delineate the scope and objectives of BBC services more explicitly than in the past, the system will also make the BBC's current and future services more predictable from the perspective of other players in the media market." On the BBC's outright commercial activities, it said "The BBC has a duty to extract the maximum value from the licence fee –as a result, successive Governments have asked the BBC to develop its commercial activities and revenues. However, the BBC is now committed to clarifying the scope of its commercial activities. The Director-General will launch a comprehensive review of the BBC's commercial activities which will report by the end of 2004."
Specifically
on digital, the BBC committed itself to the full roll-out of digital terrestrial
television (DTT) with a target digital switchover date of 2012; to work with
government and industry to find ways of funding and co-ordinating the DTT
build-out for all the public service broadcasters; lead and part-fund the
large-scale marketing and public information effort which will be required
to achieve switchover; increase support for the roll-out and take-up of digital
radio; launch a Creative Archive, a treasure-house of BBC content, available
free to all – for learning, for creativity, for pleasure; make BBC content
available to audiences when and where they want it – the BBC on demand.
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In an interview with Monday's edition of the Italian daily Corriere della Sera, Fok said: "I have always said that the breakeven at the EBITDA level will be reached in 2005, and break-even at the operating level in 2006."
Considering how the business is performing now, he expects break-even to be even quicker. Fok did not specify a time frame but he expects the 3G services to contribute between 35-40 per cent of group sales once it is fully operational.
Hutchison has
launched 3G services in six other countries including Sweden, Denmark, Austria,
Hong Kong, Australia and the UK, but has yet to launch in Israel, Ireland
and Norway where it also has 3G licences.
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State-owned RTVE
has announced its latest deals to distribute its thematic channels in some
of the major European TV markets.
The group has just signed two new distribution agreements this time with German
cable operator Primacom and French ADSL company Free TV to distribute its
so-called 'Paquete Digital' (digital package) composed of the docummentary
channel Grandes Documentales, Canal Nostalgia and News TV channel Canal 24
Horas. Some of these channels are also being distributed to Romania, Finland,
Sweden, Switzerland.
Also distributed in Latin America and through some cable networks in the States,
'Paquete Digital' is presently available to 400,000 people in Europe, according
to the group.
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Walt Disney has merged the sales groups for its cable channels, putting ESPN sports channels and a collection of other ABC assets together.
Sean Bratches was named President of Disney and ESPN Networks Affiliate Sales and marketing, the latest move by Disney which recently reorganised its cable properties under the joint leadership of Anne Sweeney and George Bodenheimer, co-chairs of Media Networks.
On another front,
Disney announced the appointment of Rajat Jain as Vice President and Managing
Director of The Walt Disney Company (India). Former Executive Vice-President
and Business Head for SET MAX at Sony Entertainment Television India, Jain,
will join Disney effective August 1, 2004. He will also assume the role of
Vice-President and Managing Director, Walt Disney Television International
(India), overseeing Disney television activities in India.
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T-Mobile, has
urged rival mobile operators, handset manufacturers and record companies to
adopt a standard platform for the fledgling mobile music market.
"We need one standard platform and we need to have that standard reconciled
with the music industry," said Nikesh Arora, T-Mobile's chief marketing
officer. "As you introduce propriety standards you need to create rival
systems and rival systems stunt the growth of the industry."
T-Mobile made the appeal as it launched a new handset. Called Ear Phone, it allows customers to browse, download and store CD- quality digital music in their mobiles - sometimes up to a fortnight before songs are released through other platforms. However, the phones can hold just three songs at once. Each song is limited to a 90-120 seconds clip and will cost: £1.50 or €1.50.
Unlike Apple's successful iTunes service, Ear Phones users will not need to connect their mobiles to a PC in order to download music, a process that will take 30 seconds.
Customers will
be able to choose from a list of 500 titles from Mobile Jukebox, though T-Mobile
has promised to grow that to 250,000 by Christmas, with content from two of
the big five recording companies: Sony and Universal. T-Mobile is said to
be hoping to sign deals with Warner and BMG in due course.
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Ofcom, the British regulator, is starting a consultation into a new valuation methodology for ITV's broadcast licenses.
The reviews will enable Ofcom to reflect changes to the public service obligations of licence-holders arising from its own public service broadcasting review, due later this year, as well as valuation changes related to digital switchover.
The watchdog
will invite responses by August 6, and publish its decision in September.
Ofcom said it will propose a broadly similar valuation model, based on discounted
cashflow valuation, but take note of the regulatory reform that has led to
a less intrusive regime for broadcasting licensees.
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US broadband-cable provider Comcast Online, a division of Comcast Corporation, has struck an agreement with Intel Corporation to market and sell Comcast High-Speed Internet through Intel's independent dealers nationwide. The agreement enables Intel's dealers to feature Comcast High- Speed Internet in their outlets located within Comcast's footprint.
In conjunction
with a computer purchase customers will be able to order Comcast's broadband
access check and choose between a self-install kit or a professional install,
and order Comcast High-Speed Internet Service.
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Mexican telecommunications giant Telmex plans to buy a stake in Net Servicos, Brazil's largest cable television service in a deal worth between $250 million to $370 million, the companies said.
The deal was announced just weeks before Telefonos de Mexico is expected to complete its $400 million purchase of Embratel, Brazil's biggest long-distance phone carrier.
Analysts have speculated for months that Telmex, controlled by billionaire Carlos Slim, wanted to buy Net Servicos, the cable unit owned by Organizacoes Globo, Brazil's giant communications company and Latin America's biggest media firm.
Under Brazilian law, Telmex can't acquire a controlling stake in Net Servicos. But if the law changes, Telmex said it has the right to buy a controlling stake in Net Servicos' new holding company from Globo.
The final purchase
price is dependent on the outcome of Net Servicos's anticipated restructuring
of $318.3 million in defaulted debt.
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Sweden's TeliaSonera, Tele2, 3, and Vodafone have submitted a joint application to PTS, the National Post and Telecom Agency for altered licence terms for 3G construction. "It is now a matter of creating realistic expectations for future construction," state the operators in their application.
According to a report in Cellular News, the operators intend to meet the requirement to cover 8,860,000 people in Sweden, but want two changes in the licence conditions from PTS:
Lower signal strength. Testing and experience shows that the strength of the so-called pilot signal can be reduced without restricting 3G use. A reduction would mean fewer 3G masts and this benefits such things as the environment and the cultural landscape.
An amended timetable.
The terms regarding speed of construction should be a coverage of at least
7,000,000 people by 31 December 2004, 8,000,000 people by 31 December 2005,
8,500,000 people by the 31 December 2006 and 8,860,000 people by the 31 December
2007. Thus, the pace of construction is still very high.
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Netherlands-based New Skies Satellites announced a new agreement with Greek IP service provider and teleport operator Com-ToNet for a full transponder on the NSS-6 satellite.
Com-ToNet, in
collaboration with KB Impuls Hellas, will use the Ku-band capacity to offer
broadband connections to the European Internet backbone for corporations,
government agencies, telecommunications companies and Internet service providers
operating throughout the Middle East.
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AOL has agreed to buy online advertising services company Advertising.com for $435 million in cash.
The sale will put an end to Advertising.com's plans to list its shares in an initial public offering. AOL said in a press release its advertising inventory combined with Advertising.com's network would enable advertisers to reach more than 140 million Internet users and allow AOL to offer advertisers customised products.
Advertising.com had income from operations of $12.1 million and revenue of $132 million in 2003.
Advertising.com
will remain as a separate company headquartered in Baltimore and will report
to Michael Kelly, President of AOL Media Networks. AOL said it expects to
complete deal, which is subject to customary regulatory approvals, in late
summer.
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Jupiter Telecommunications,
the largest broadband and cable service provider in Japan, announced the merger
of two of its local operations - J-COM Kansai, one of J-COM's premier cable
system companies serving over 305,000 local customers -, and Izumiotsu CATV,
a recently acquired local cable operator developing multichannel television
and Internet access services in Izumiotsu shi, Osaka prefecture. The two operations
will be merged into a single unit on August 1, 2004, with J-COM Kansai being
the surviving entity.
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National Grid Transco, formed out of parts of the privatized UK gas and electricity utilities, has confirmed it is in talks to the purchase the £1.1 billion (E1.65 billion) portfolio of mobile phone masts and television and radio broadcasting towers from Crown Castle International, the Times reported.
The purchase would add about 3,500 transmission facilities to a network of 1,400 NGT has already developed in a drive to diversify from its core electricity and gas operations to less regulated markets. The deal would also place NGT at the forefront of Government efforts to promote digital television, with the Crown Castle portfolio including BBC television and radio towers, bought in 1997.
Crown Castle, which is based in the US, is believed to be pursuing a sale of UK assets to focus on domestic operations. The company is also a partner with BSkyB and the BBC in Freeview, the fast-growing UK digital television service.
News of the talks,
on which NGT said it would issue updates 'when appropriate', comes a day after
the close of bids for local gas pipeline assets. The sale of up to five of
NGT's eight regional gas networks, which were inherited through the £14
billion merger with Lattice two years ago, could raise up to £5 billion,
analysts believe.
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BSkyB is hiking subscription prices again this year despite having introduced an inflation-busting rise in January.
Analysts said Sky had to raise prices so it could hit its ARPU target of £400 (E600) by the end of 2005. The latest hike will raise an estimated extra £50 million a year. Sky wrote to customers warning them of the new charges, which will come in on 1 September. People using its top-tier package - over half of its total 7.3 million subscribers - will have to pay £41 per month, an extra £1, representing a 2.5 per cent rise. In January, prices rose 5 per cent from £38 to £40.
The Sky spokesman
said that some customers on cheaper packages would pay only an extra 50p per
month. Those on its most basic package would pay no more at all. He added
that the broadcaster would not increase prices again in January, but did not
rule out further increases later next year.
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RTL Group and Canal+finalise sale of Sportsfive
RTL Group and Canal+ Group, a Vivendi Universal subsidiary, announced the completion of the sale of their interests in Sportfive. Each of RTL Group and Canal+ has received E 274 million in cash for their respective 48.85 per cent shareholding.
Under the terms of the transaction, Advent International, a global private equity fund, and RTL have formed a new company that purchased all of the shares in Sportfive held by RTL and Canal+ Group. RTL holds 25 per cent of the new company; the remainder is split between Advent International, Goldman Sachs and the management, with Advent holding a majority stake.
Jean-Claude Darmon,
Chairman and CEO of Sportfive, has decided to leave the company. Philip Cordes,
currently Chief Operating Officer, has been appointed as Group Chief Executive
Officer and Alain Krzentowski as General Manager of Sportfive S.A.. The other
members of the Executive management are: Erika Tertilt, Robert Müller
von Vultejus and Thomas Röttgermann.
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German digital pay TV platform provider Premiere has sold 75.2 per cent of its subsidiary DPC Digital Play Out Centre to the Luxembourg based satellite operator SES Astra for E42.2 million.
DPC provides satellite uplinks to over 100 analogue and digital TV services including the Premiere channels. Ferd Keyser, Head of SES Astra Europe, says that this move will pave the way for an independent service provider for digital Pay TV.
Premiere CEO
Georg Kofler commented that the deal completes his company's exit from the
technical side of the business. In the future, the platform will focus its
activities on the programming and marketing side. "SES Astra can react
much quicker to technical innovations and speed up developments in the digital
field", Kofler says.
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Diederik Karsten has been appointed as Managing Director of UPC Netherlands, the Dutch broadband operation of UnitedGlobalCom (UGC) as of July 1, 2004.
The company said
that Gene Musselman, who combined this function with his work as President
and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of UPC Broadband, UGC's broadband division
throughout Europe, will again fully concentrate on his pan-European responsibilities.
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Channel 4 has reportedly approached Peter Fincham, about becoming the broadcater's CEO. According to the FT, Fincham, head of the UK arm of FremantleMedia, Europe's largest television production company, has had informal discussions with Channel 4 about replacing Mark Thompson – who resigned to become the BBC's DG.
Dawn Airey, the MD of Sky Networks, who was a leading contender for the CEO's position at Channel 4, has ruled herself out of the race.
Channel 4 Chairman Luke Johnson, has vowed to find a CEO familiar with the broadcaster's output, audience profile and strategic challenges. Fincham was a candidate for the Channel 4 CEO's role before Thompson got the job two years ago.
However, RTL, the European broadcaster, which is majority owner of Five and parent group of FremantleMedia, might fight to retain Fincham.
FremantleMedia,
made a profit of E85 million last year on sales of E819 million. Channel 4,
by comparison, reported pre-tax profits of £45.3 million (E67.9 million)
on sales of £779.3 million in 2003. The company has seen its audience
share dip below 10 per cent, but has maintained heavy investment in programming
- £457 million last year.
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UK cableco NTL's Broadcast division has taken a transponder on the Eurobird 1 satellite located at the 28.5ÕE slot, enabling it to offer end-to-end services to new channel entrants on the Sky Digital platform.
Recent NTL research shows that the growth in new digital TV channels is set to continue during a period of shortage in satellite capacity on both Astra and Eurobird. Simon Thrush, head of satellite & playout at NTL explains: "The imminent shortage of direct-to-home satellite capacity is going to change the market for channels aspiring to launch on Sky Digital in the short to medium term. New channels may find it more difficult to get satellite capacity and it'll be increasingly attractive to take bundled services which include playout, uplinking and space segment. At NTL we can now offer a truly end-to-end satellite service from studio to home. Using Eurobird we can tailor a solution to support a channel's exact requirements."
NTL already operates
shared multiplexes on Transponders 13, 18, 22 and 37 on Astra 2A, and Transponder
17 on Astra 2B.
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SBS Broadcasting has agreed to acquire the 49.3 per cent it didn't already owned of TVNorge, for E31.2 million in cash from TV2, its Norwegian partner. As a result of the transaction, SBS's ownership stake in TVNorge will increase to 100 per cent. The deal, which is subject to Norwegian regulatory approval, is expected to close before the end of July 2004.
Commenting on the announcement, Markus Tellenbach, CEO of SBS, said: "The purchase of this remaining stake is an important strategic step as we take 100 per cent ownership over TVNorge, our only Scandinavian television station that we do not fully own. Over the last several years, TVNorge has improved its programming and financial performance significantly to become one of Norway's leading commercial broadcasters and is well positioned for further growth. This transaction will enable SBS to increase the level of co-productions and other co-operation with our other television stations, in particular with our stations serving Denmark and Sweden. The pan-Scandinavian co-productions are part of our efforts to cost efficiently increase the quality of our locally produced programming and expand our operating margins. This transaction also marks an important step towards our goal of integrating our multi media assets across our pan-European footprint to drive financial returns."
SBS has also unveiled the launch of its second channel in Flemish Belgium. The channel, yet to be named, is expected to launch on October 1, 2004, with an approximate reach of 97 per cent of Flemish homes through over the air broadcast and cable on a must-carry basis.
The new channel
will be targeted to young females 20-49 and its schedule will be programmed
to complement VT4, SBS's existing station in Belgium.
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A new company, Horn of Africa Radio and TV, HART, has been set up in Djibouti at the end of May to provide pay TV services via satellite. The programming will be in the Somali language, aiming at the Somali speaking people in the Middle East and Europe. The channel will broadcast from Djibouti. It will be free to air to begin with for promotional purposes, and will be encrypted later on. People that live in the Horn of Africa will be offered a subscription at a reduced price. HART could broadcast in additional regional languages later on.
HART was set
up by Saad Ahmed Cheik, who is the company's CEO. He has joined forces for
this venture with the Saudi consortium which owns Arab Radio TV. Cheik is
a former judge in Djibouti who has now become a wealthy businessman with a
range of activities including port handling, freight transit services, housing,
information technology and cold storage.
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According to a report on the FT, Bill Roedy, President of MTV Networks International, said MTV was keen to expand the profit and revenue contributions from the international arm of the network, which currently accounts for 80 per cent of its global audience but only about 20 per cent of the total revenues.
Roedy warned
that future deals were unlikely to be of a similar size to Viva, which will
increase MTV's presence in Germany from two to four channels. In terms of
distribution, Germany will become MTV's second-largest channel outside the
US, behind China.
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Time Warner Cable is considering adding wireless phone services, in partnership with one or two wireless companies, to complement the traditional telephone service it is offering with its cable television and Internet packages, a senior executive said.
"We think that wireless is another element of the bundle that we need to incorporate," said Don Logan, chairman of TW's media and communications group, which oversees TW Cable. "I expect that over the course of this year that we are going to be looking hard at that."
Logan said TW Cable would likely work with one or two wireless companies, he told reporters after a presentation at the SuperComm trade show, but he added that the company was not in any formal discussions.
He added that
TW Cable could eventually look at wireless Internet technologies like Wi-Fi,
but that would be a few years away.
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The field of potential bidders for DirecTV Group Inc.'s "vsat" satellite division is narrowing, with several buyout firms and at least one corporate buyer vying for it, people familiar with the process said.
The "Direcway" division, which provides satellite-based high-speed Internet and communication services, could sell for more than $400 million, analysts have said. Buyout firms including Spectrum Equity Investors and Texas Pacific Group are among the "second round" bidders for Direcway, as is ViaSat, one of several Direcway rivals.
But another Direcway
competitor, Israel's Gilat Satellite Networks, and buyout firm Cerberus Capital
Management, have reportedly dropped out.
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Leading Australian sports bodies said they plan to lobby the federal government to drop a punting ban on sport screened on digital TV, according to the www.theage.com.au website.
Wanting to follow on BSkyB's footsteps, Australian Soccer Association CEO John O'Neill said his organisation and those representing cricket and AFL believed interactive TV betting should be extended beyond the racing industry. "The sports bodies, I think, should unite to lobby the governments to bring in legislation that enables them to get a slice of the action," he said.
Rupert Murdoch's
BSkyB offers its UK digital subscribers an as-you-watch betting service accessed
by remote control. However Australians could not bet on digital television
events from home unless the Australian government introduced supporting legislation.
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In an unprecedented tie-up between a media group and an end-to-end 3G solutions provider in China, media company Shanghai Media Group and Alcatel Shanghai Bell, have signed an agreement to integrate SMG's TV and video content with Alcatel' 3G networking solutions.
The tie-up will allow 3G mobile users to access TV and other video-based content in China, and also internationally via Alcatel's international network of 3G Reality Centres. Alcatel Shanghai Bell officially opened a 3G Reality Centre, which supports development of 3G technology and applications, in Shanghai in 2002. In addition, the two companies agreed to integrate TV programs into Alcatel's DSL solution so as to drive broadband video streaming applications in China. This content deal also complements Alcatel's Open Media Suite portfolio, the middleware solution for delivery of rich media in a triple play service mix (voice, data, video).
SMG will provide Alcatel with access to 11 channels of television programming including news, entertainment, and finance. Alcatel will integrate these programs into its 3G networking solutions and enable users to access high definition live TV, video streaming, and video-on-demand programmes at up to 384 kbps.
Gerard Dega,
President of Alcatel Shanghai Bell, said, "Enabling multimedia services
delivery is the key to success in 3G. Leveraging SMG's attractive news and
entertainment TV and video content, our agreement with SMG is totally in line
with Alcatel's strategy to develop more user-centric applications at home,
on the pause and on the move, and to further strengthen Alcatel's leadership
in mobile broadband, in particular in 3G."
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Telia's mobile customers will be the only ones in Sweden to be able to receive - on their mobile phones - the live broadcasts of SVT, the Swedish public service television company, from the Summer Olympics in Athens. Telia will also offer subscribers a news archive with information in text, image and video clip form, and a subscription service to the latest Olympic game news via SMS or MMS. Telia will provide all these Olympic services free of charge to its mobile customers.
Through the Telia Go service, subscribers with a 3G handset will be able to see the same live broadcasts from SVT that are shown on television. Telia's approximately four million mobile customers will also have the opportunity to subscribe to Olympic news via SMS or MMS twice a day. A special Olympic icon will be launched on the Telia Go service for these services, which will feature an electronic Olympic flyer with the latest news from the games and a news archive with text, images and video clips.
"The Olympics
are one of the biggest events in the world and we know that millions of Swedes
will be following the progress of the Athens games in different ways,"
says Marie Ehrling, head of TeliaSonera Sweden. "That's why we think
it is extra fun to offer our customers the chance to follow events on a day-to-day
basis. We want as many subscribers as possible to have the opportunity to
test and experience what the mobile Internet can offer today."
ADB unveils new STB.
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ADB said it has specifically designed this set-top box to meet the growing demand for a low-cost receiver that effectively manages the interactive services that can be offered in digital TV networks. The i-CAN 2000T is destined for various countries in Europe, which have adopted the DVB-MHP interactive standard. It will first be available in retail outlets in Italy starting in July via various distribution channels and consumer brands. It will be introduced in other countries in the autumn.
Designed in Europe
at ADB's R & D facilities in Poland, the i-CAN 2000T set-top box integrates
the DVB-MHP 1.0.x open standard implementation from Osmosys for supporting
interactive applications, and it is powered by a state-of-the-art MPEG2 processor
from STMicroelectronics.
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