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NEWS Monday 13th June to Friday 17th June 2005
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Scroll down page or click below for news - latest first
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IPTV is the engine of the "content everywhere" era. IPTV International is the new journal from Advanced Television Ltd. To find out more and apply for a free subscription click here |
UK broadcasters and cable operators are in talks about making a joint offer for the live television rights for Premier League football in a challenge to BSkyB, according to the FT. NTL and Telewest, and terrestrial broadcasters are considering teaming up in a joint bid while some private equity groups have also expressed interest in coming in.
The financiers are attracted because of the potential of the hospitality market - it has become clear that one of the main sources of funding for BSkyB's bids have been the pubs and clubs that show the matches. BSkyB is believed to generate £150m-£180m (E220m-E264m) a year from hospitality subscriptions to its premium sports channels.
The European Commission wants to see live coverage of Premiership football shown on multiple platforms and is in discussions with the League on how to structure the sale of the rights in its next broadcasting contract, which starts in 2007. The Commission and the League have already agreed that the next contract will not be held exclusively by one broadcaster.
BSkyB paid £1.1bn
for its existing three year deal. NTL and Telewest want the live TV rights
for Premiership football as they have to pay an undisclosed sum to BSkyB to
air the games, but it is thought they are left with little margin on their
premium packages. Top Up TV, the pay DTT service, is also keen to broadcast
live Premier League games on its platform.
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Johnathan Miller, AOL CEO, who has given the go-ahead for the re-launch of AOL.com as a free portal to build audience share and increase advertising, said the business would "need to have traction and a track record" before it could consider a spin off.
Responding to parent Time Warner CEO Dick Parson’s earlier speculation that AOL could be spun out, he did not expect that to be until next year, and that the main reason for discussing a partial listing of AOL would be to give the group an acquisition currency. "The internet is a very dynamic sector and a combination of internal development and acquisitions is appropriate," Miller told the Financial Times. "To participate in a market with frothy multiples, you might need a currency that is similarly frothy."
Until now AOL
has been as a drag on TW’s already lacklustre stock performance. But
if investors start to believe that AOL's advertising growth prospects are
similar to those of Google and Yahoo, the internet division could lift the
media group's value.
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Liberty Global, Inc. announced that the business combination of Liberty Media International, Inc. and UnitedGlobalCom, Inc. has closed. Holders of approximately 98 per cent of the aggregate voting power of the shares of UGC common stock and holders of approximately 99 per cent of the voting power of LMI stock voted in favor of the business combination.
As a result Liberty
Global becomes the new parent company of LMI and UGC, and Liberty Global’s
Series A and Series B common stock will begin trading on the Nasdaq National
Market today (June 16, 2005). "We are pleased that the shareholders of
both UGC and LMI supported the creation of Liberty Global," stated John
Malone, Chairman of the Board. "As our operations in Europe, Japan and
Chile have demonstrated over the last five years, the broadband video, voice
and data business outside the U.S. is a fantastic growth story. And with our
strong balance sheet, the company is well positioned to expand its footprint
as additional acquisitions become available, particularly in Europe and Japan."
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Deephaven Capital Management, one of MCI's largest shareholders, has launched a proxy battle in an attempt to block Verizon Communications' proposed $8.44bn acquisition of the US telecommunications group.
Deephaven, a fund manager with a 4.96 per cent stake in MCI, signalled its intention to vote against the deal and solicit other shareholders to do the same in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
The move is the
latest challenge to the proposed transaction and appears aimed at persuading
Qwest Communications to re-enter the bidding for MCI.
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Tote sponsorship saves C4 Racing
A combination
of on-course betting business Tote and several leading courses will pay C4
£4m (E5.9m) in sponsorship to keep UK horse racing on FTA television
for 2006. That total is a big drop on previous demands of £10m and then
£8m from the channel to keep its link with racing. Next year's coverage
on C4 will not be as extensive as in 2005, which includes 85 days of live
broadcasts. The deal allows for 74 days in 2006.
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Harmonic boosts MPEG-2 picture quality
Harmonic’s launch of a new variable bit-rate encoding platform- the new IP-based DiviCom Electra compression platform has enabled the digital video delivery specialist to boost picture quality and channel density. According to Harmonic, Electra enables service providers to maximise the service carrying capacity of their video networks while dramatically reducing operational complexity.
"MPEG-2
remains integral to many cable, satellite, terrestrial and wireless video
services around the world," said Tom Lattie, Product Line Manager for
Standard Definition Encoders at Harmonic, who noted that in addition to delivering
"state-of-the-art" MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) and SMPTE VC-1 compression
systems, Harmonic was introducing solutions that were designed to enable operators
to continue using MPEG-2 to provision a competitive range of video services
with superior quality picture."
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Pace and Alticast deliver OCAP STB for US
Interactive TV specialist Alticast has been selected by SET-TOP BOX manufacturer Pace as a technology partner for the development of Pace's OCAP set-top box products.
OCAP is the CableLabs software specification for the cable set-top OpenCable Application Platform and Pace will utilise Alticast's OCAP-based middleware solution, AltiCaptor OCAP 1.0 for its product line.
Pace's Vice President of Technology Chris Dinallo said the pair were on track to have the world's first high-definition DVR OCAP-compliant platform ready for deployment on existing networks.
"Although
Alticast has the world's first and only OCAP deployments in Korea, this partnership
marks a major achievement for selection into the OCAP US cable market with
Pace," noted Alticast's VP of Business Development Ron Losefsky.
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The "Spectrum Availability for Emergency-Response and Law-Enforcement to Improve Vital Emergency Services Act," introduced this week by US Senators McCain and Lieberman confirms it will require an analogue switch-off by January 1, 2009.
Edward Fritts of the National Association of Broadcasters said, "We are committed to completing the digital transition in a timely fashion, including return of analogue spectrum, and will work with Congress to ensure that millions of consumers are not left stranded by a premature end to analogue broadcasting."
Meanwhile, the Consumer Electronics Association and its President and CEO, Gary Shapiro, praised the legislation. "They have taken a critical and necessary step to expedite our nation's transition to digital television (DTV) in an effective and pro-consumer manner." He said a hard cut-off date for analogue broadcasts, as proposed in the bill, would provide certainty for consumers, manufacturers, broadcasters and others with a stake in the DTV transition.
The bill provides
for $463 million (E382.6 million) to fund equipment for low-income households
that rely on off-air signals for TV reception. It is also reported cable would
be authorised to downconvert local digital TV signals to analogue for those
without digital TV.
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BT has taken a step toward winning back those who have abandoned their landlines for mobile phones, launching a service that switches between fixed and mobile networks. Called "BT Fusion", it allows customers to use their mobile phone as their landline when at home when it switches automatically to a BT broadband line.
Customers will need to subscribe to BT's broadband service and also pay for a BT telephone line to use the service. The BT Hub installed in the home for the service also works as a router allowing the users to link up to their computers wirelessly. BT, which spun off its mobile unit, now O2, in 2001, is partnering with Vodafone to provide the service.
The telecoms
operator will launch the new service with 400 customers and will make it widely
available in September, when it will announce full pricing details.
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3G will be faster than broadband next year
Next year 3G will be faster than most home broadband connections Nokia believes. According to Simon Beresford-Wylie, Nokia's Executive VP of networks, 2006 will see the arrival proper of HSDPA (high speed downlink packet access) - a software tweak that can significantly boost the speeds of 3G - enabling downlink speeds of 14Mbps on mobiles. Such speeds would mean a serious increase - up from the 1Mbps to 2Mbps HSDPA can manage now, or the 384Kbps of the W-CDMA version of 3G.
HSUPA (high speed
uplink packet access) is also due for a massive rise: up from 1.5Mbps to 7Mbps
at the end of next year, according to Beresford-Wylie. Aside from the my-fat-pipe's-bigger-than-yours
showboating, what will the higher numbers mean for the business traveller?
Nokia estimates that by 2009 there will be 30 million broadband wireless users.
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KDG
franchises digital bouquet to KabelBW
From
Dieter Brockmeyer in Frankfurt
From July the
2.3 million subscribers of the Baden Wurttemberg cable operator KabelBW will
be able to subscribe to the digital Kabel Digital Home service of KDG. It's
the first time an operator has franchised its serviced package outside its
own system. KDG serves about 9.8 million. However, digital subscriptions figures
are low for KDG which reported 250,000 at the end of the first quarter. The
bouquet was launched last October. The franchise announcement is seen as another
modest step for consolidation of the German cable industry.
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Ericsson announced a far-reaching alliance with Napster to offer the US group's music downloads and subscription services to mobile network operators around the world. Executives at both companies claim that it offers the "first fully integrated digital music service for mobile operators".
Of the estimated 700 million handsets expected to be sold this year, some 10 per cent are expected to be music "enabled" allowing for the downloading and storage of music tracks. Leading music companies including Sony BMG and Britain's EMI are predicting digital sales of music, including to mobile devices, could account for 20-25 per cent of the total by the end of the decade.
Napster and Ericsson
said the new service would be among the first to support co-ordinated wireless
and personal computer downloads.
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Sirius programmes for Sprint mobile
Sirius says it has reached an agreement with Sprint, the mobile phone company, to provide programming for its wireless devices. The agreement should provide Sirius with the opportunity to tap into Sprint's network to increase its subscriber base. Sirius hopes to reach 2.7 million by the end of this year. Sprint has more than 18 million customers, a number expected to double when it merges with Nextel.
The companies
said they were considering a range of Sirius channels, including news, classic
rock, hip hop, country and blues. "One of our goals is to make this unique
content available to as many Sprint PCS VisionSMcustomers as we can, over
as many multimedia devices as possible," said Scott Greenstein, President
of Sirius entertainment and sports.
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Viacom Inc.'s board of directors voted to split the company into two entities in an effort to unlock the value it expects from its cable networks and filmed entertainment businesses. One company, headed by Co-Chief Operating Officer Tom Freston, will retain the Viacom Inc. name, and include the cable networks, along with the Paramount motion picture production and home video units. This is considered the "growth" company, as the cable networks have consistently rising revenue, and the company has major plans to tap into its barely exploited film and television library for DVD sales.
The other, led by Co-Chief Operating Officer Les Moonves, will be called CBS Corp., and will comprised of the CBS and UPN broadcast TV networks, the Paramount television production entity; Infinity Radio; its theme parks and other units. This company will be targeted to value investors, who are expected to appreciate the steady, predictable cash flow thrown off by the radio and television units.
In another expected
move, Viacom also on Tuesday named Shari Redstone, daughter of Chairman Sumner
Redstone, to the newly created position of Non-Executive Vice Chairman.
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A 30-episode Chinese drama series, produced by state-owned television firm Mediacorp and media regulator Media Authority of Singapore, will be released in three-minute episodes on 3G mobile phones at the end of June before being aired as a 90-minute television program by the start of 2006.
Titled "PS
I Luv U," the series will also be streamed by regional telecom operators
on mobile handsets in other parts of Asia, including China, Hong Kong, Taiwan
and Malaysia, Mediacorp said.
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SBC Communications has insisted it is on track to roll out advanced video and TV services for consumers over the fibre network it is building, despite reports of technology problems. The company is spending $4 billion over three years to build a network to reach 18 million homes.
It said it remained
on schedule to roll out video services with Microsoft's IPTV software in one
commercial market later this year or early next year. The service is currently
being piloted in tests the company says are going well. There was speculation
at last week’s Supercomm that SBC might be forced to delay the deployment
of video services. Work to bring the various technology elements together
is believed to be running up to three months behind schedule.
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Courts hand media ownership back to FCC
As expected the future of media ownership limits has been placed back in the hands of the US Federal Communications Commission after the Supreme Court declined to take a case that challenged the constitutionality of ownership rules. The decision is bound to mark a new beginning in the long-running debate about how big media companies should be allowed to become.
At the centre of the ownership limits controversy is a ruling introduced by the FCC in June 2003, which made it easier for television companies to buy more stations. The ruling also ended a ban on newspaper companies buying broadcasters in big US markets. Those rules were blocked last year by a Philadelphia court a decision that, in effect, prevented the FCC from establishing new rules until the Supreme Court decided whether to review the lower court's ruling.
Now the FCC is
expected to focus on new rules on a sector by sector basis rather than cover-all
legislation.
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Central European Media Enterprises Ltd. announced it has applied for a listing on the Main Market of the Prague Stock Exchange. It is expected that trading will commence by the end of June.
CME television
stations are located in Croatia (Nova TV), Czech Republic (TV Nova), Romania
(PRO TV, Acasa, PRO Cinema), Slovakia (Markiza), Slovenia (POP TV, Kanal A)
and Ukraine (Studio 1+1). CME is traded on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol
"CETV".
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BBC Worldwide profits up 50 per cent
BBC Worldwide
has published its Annual Review for 2004/05 and announced record profits of
£55 million (E80 million) for 2004/05, a year on year increase of 50
per cent but still a relatively low 7.7 per cent return on sales increased
by 7 per cent to £706 million. The profit included the first dividend
from UKTV, its UK channels joint venture with Flextech Television, of £2.1
million.
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News Corp have
announced a share buy-back worth up to $3 billion amid signs that the media
group led by Rupert Murdoch has secured assurances over the intentions of
Liberty Media, the US investment company that has built up a near 19 per cent
voting stake in News Corp The buy-back comes as News Corp and Liberty have
continued an on-off dialogue about possible deals to unwind Liberty's holding,
possibly through a cash-rich deal involving the transfer.
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Sirius: new compression technique
US sat radio operator Sirius says it has developed a new technology called hierarchical modulation that will allow it to expand its features without affecting the quality of its broadcasts. The company said it is working to integrate the new technology into its chipsets. It expects to begin offering services using the improved modulation during the second half of 2006.
Sirius said in
January that it would collaborate with Microsoft on a video service it expects
to launch by the second half of 2006, with two to three channels of content
designed primarily for children to watch while riding in cars.
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Global
sales of flat-panel TVs more than doubled in the first quarter to 3.15 million
units, driven by significant price reductions to clear stock built up in earlier
periods. In the 12 months to the first quarter of 2005, prices for the majority
of liquid crystal display (LCD) televisions with screen sizes 20 inches and
larger fell by a minimum 20 per cent and up to 40 per cent.
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SBS takes 100 per cent of Prima
SBS Broadcasting S.A. announced that it has increased its ownership in Prima TV in Romania to 100 per cent, following the purchase of the remaining 14 per cent equity stake from its three former Romanian minority partners for E2.2 million.
The acquisition
follows SBS’s March 2005 ownership increase in Prima TV to 86 per cent
when it acquired an additional 48.8 per cent equity interest. SBS had owned
a minority stake in Prima TV since July 2001 and originally invested in Prima
TV in March 2000.
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China
projected to have 15m 3G phone users by next year
From Shveta Malik in New Delhi
Beijing-based IT and telecom research firm Analysys International has projected that China will have 15 million 3G phone users by 2006 in its report on third generation (3G) wireless. The company said that once 3G licenses are granted in China, the total user base is expected to grow to 45 million in 2007 and 75 million in 2008.
Operators China Mobile, China Unicom, China Telecom and China Netcom are expected to apply for 3G licenses.
The home-grown
TD-SCDMA standard is likely to get deployed in China as it has already been
tested in several rounds of trials organised by the Ministry of Information
Industry and is believed to meet the requirements necessary for a commercial
launch. Developed by the Chinese Academy of Telecommunications Technology,
TD-SCDMA has been approved by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project and combines
older TDMA with the Time-Division Duplexing (TDD) technique of broadcasting
over a single chunk of spectrum, rather than the normal two bands.
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Tata Consultancy Services, Ltd. The Indian global IT services provider, and Orca Interactive a leader in the IPTV market, announced a partnership to offer worldwide IPTV system integration and service development over RiGHTv, Orca's IPTV middleware.
As part of the
partnership, the Broadband and Broadcasting Group in TCS will introduce Orca’s
technology to potential customers around the world and will implement projects
incorporating Orca’s RiGHTv Telco-grade middleware applications. RiGHTv
enables the delivery of a wide range of IPTV services such as broadcast TV
over IP, VOD (video-on-demand), NVOD (near VOD), PVR (personal video recording),
pay-per-view, games, T-commerce and other interactive services. RiGHTv is
in use at Atlas Communications in India, as well as with a worldwide base
of operators including Chunghwa Telecom (Taiwan), Bezeq (Israel), iVISJON
(Norway), FiberCity (Philippines) and Magnet Networks (Ireland).
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NPTV automates iTV on CANALSAT
NPTV, a leader in interactive television solutions, has implemented its solution for automating synchronised interactive television services on CANALSAT, the premier operator in France with more than three million subscribers. NPTV's solution is based on image recognition technology and is used to automatically launch interactive operations.
As part of the interactive operation for forecasting the score of the match broadcast on CANAL+, NPTV has implemented its pre-learnt image detection technology for triggering interactive services, known as "(it)V-Frame". By pre-learning a fixed image or sound sequence, this system displays interactive services when the pre-learnt element is detected live during the broadcast.
With this technology,
any operator can now easily launch synchronised interactive operations without
worrying about any broadcasting delays, all of which with the emphasis on
flexibility and simplicity.
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Harmonic launches T1 multi-port
Harmonic has extended its FLXLink family of commercial services solutions with the launch of a multi-port T1 system that gives cable operators a cost-effective way to access transport applications traditionally served by telcos. The FLXLink T1-over-fiber solution, which is based on coarse wavelength division multiplexing (CWDM) technology, can securely carry enterprise and mobile digital voice/data services over the cable operator's existing broadband television network. In addition to multiple T1 ports, the system includes a high-speed Ethernet (100BaseT) port that, in parallel, can provision high-speed network services and support future bandwidth-intensive services.
Millions of sites
around the world rely on T1 connections to deliver voice and data services.
The applications range from enterprise PBXs and network access services to
backhauling wireless digital communications by mobile telephone operators.
Each year telcos generate billions of dollars in revenue by provisioning T1
circuits. Now, cable operators - often with robust networks that already pass
a significant number of T1-enabled sites - can deploy the new FLXLink solution
to quickly and cost-effectively reach this high-value market segment.
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IMAKE and Alticast
signed a partnership agreement to provide and market open standards-based,
end-to-end solutions for providers of Video On Demand (VOD) and Interactive
Television (iTV) services. The partnership brings together IMAKE, a major
provider of solutions and services that enable the seamless delivery and management
of On Demand broadband services, and Alticast, a leading provider of open-standards
iTV solutions that allow service providers to create, manage, deliver and
monitor iTV applications to OCAP (OpenCable Application Platform) and MHP
(multimedia home platform) standards.
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Analysis of the worldwide DSL market has revealed the UK was the fastest growing major DSL country in the first quarter of 2005, adding over 20 per cent to reach almost 5 million DSL lines in the quarter - faster than world leader China, which grew by 15 per cent and looks set to pass 20 million lines.
Point Topic's first-quarter analysis of the worldwide DSL market shows the number of lines increased by 10.5 per cent to 107.3 million in Q1 2005. Over 37 million DSL lines were added since March 2004 last year, taking growth to 54 per cent for the 12 months ending 31 March 2005. The analysis also indicated that there were just over 10.1 million lines added in the first quarter of 2005 alone - second only to the 10.4 million added in the fourth quarter of 2004. These results show DSL is continuing to enjoy good momentum in 2005, suggest Point Topic.
The analysis also shows changes in traditional patterns, with growth in high penetration countries such as South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan slowing, whilst emerging markets such as Turkey, Thailand and Poland are showing growth of 24 per cent or more.
Incumbent operators
are beginning to lose market share to unbundlers in countries where unbundling
is well established. For example, the number of wholesale lines provided by
France Telecom fell by 19,000, and that by KPN (Netherlands) fell by 22,000
as competitors switch to unbundled lines.
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Industry majors serve up MPEG-4 HD tennis
Leading players in networking, semiconductors, set-top boxes and encoding, teamed up to collaborate on an HDTV Demonstration at the recent French Open tennis tournament. Alcatel, Broadcom, France Telecom and Tandberg Television collaborated on the world's first demonstration of MPEG-4 compressed, high definition (HD) live TV broadcasting over an operational ADSL2+ network.
Semi-conductor
specialist Broadcom supplied France Telecom with its latest generation IPTV
set-top box reference design platform, which performed the HD MPEG-4/advanced
video compression (AVC) decoding and audio/video delivery. Daniel Marotta,
Senior Vice President and General Manager of Broadcom's Broadband Communications
Group, said the demonstration represented a significant milestone in the telecommunications
industry.
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News Corp plans $3bn share buyback
News Corp's directors have approved the repurchase of up to $3 billion in Class A and Class B common stock from time to time on the open market. The repurchases will be made through open market transactions. The timing of such transactions and class of shares purchased will depend on a variety of factors, including market conditions, but the programme is expected to be completed within two years, according to a company statement. The Company expects that the number of shares of Class A common stock and Class B common stock subject to the repurchase will be approximately equal. The programme may be suspended or discontinued at any time.
According to
the company's most recent proxy statement filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, at May 23, News Corp had outstanding 2.25 billion shares of Class
A common stock and 1.04 billion shares of Class B common stock.
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NDS launches 'XTV Ready' programme
Digital pay-TV technologist NDS has unveiled its XTV Ready programme designed to promote the use of peripheral devices with its XTV DVR. Samsung Electronics has joined the programme as first partner.
By enabling the connectivity between CE devices, such as portable media players, digital cameras/camcorders etc, and the XTV DVR, NDS suggests that operators can enrich the consumer experience with new ways to view, manage and share content, providing them with opportunities to reach new markets and develop new applications.
NDS claims that becoming XTV Ready is a key step in simplifying the device's ability to seamlessly connect to XTV DVRs across multiple pay-TV platforms. The manufacturer needs to reach a commercial agreement with the specific pay-TV platform, to complete the integration with a deployed XTV DVR.
Samsung Electronics is working towards the introduction of CE devices designed to connect to the XTV DVR platform. Kuldip S Johal, Business Development Director at Samsung Electronics, said that Samsung was a firm believer in the integrated DVR platform and its ability to serve as a hub for home entertainment. "The penetration of DVRs has been truly phenomenal, and we expect that DVRs will eventually displace standard set-top boxes as the predominant device for accessing pay-TV services," he declared.
Gadi Tirosh,
NDS Vice President Product Marketing, said that by making CE devices available
to connect to the XTV DVR, consumers could manage, acquire and interact with
movies, music, photos more simply and conveniently. "With the growing
integrated DVR market, we see the XTV Ready Programme as an opportunity to
develop relationships between our integrated DVR solution and the consumer
electronics manufacturers whose products can extend the TV centric living
room experience," he noted.
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Nokia unveils convergent charging solution
Nokia has launched a series of new network products and services which aim to help operators excel in the rapidly converging world of telecommunications.
"Life is going mobile as never before," said Simon Beresford-Wylie, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Networks, Nokia. "Our industry is now in the midst of a major transition, with the key drivers being convergence, IP, the take-off of WCDMA, and the arrival of new competition. On top of this, mobile subscriber growth continues unabated, especially in Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East. By 2010, the total subscriber base will have swelled to 3 billion.''
''To capitalise on the opportunities brought about by this transition, operators will need to be exceptionally agile and efficient," he continued. "The products Nokia is launching today will help our operator customers by giving them the tools to do just that."
The Nokia Unified Charging Suite combines different Nokia products to form a fully convergent charging solution that lets operators offer the same services, rate-plans and loyalty programmes to all subscribers, regardless of whether they are prepaid and post-paid, whether the services are for voice and data content, or whether the network is fixed or mobile, 2G or 3G. The solution will support the entire customer base including consumers, businesses and service providers.
Nokia also revealed
that it is working with Finnish telecom operator Elisa to expand Elisa's second
and third generation mobile networks in Finland and Estonia. The companies
will also trial IP Multimedia Subsystem in a live network.
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BBC Broadcast acquires listings data business
The BBC's broadcast services subsidiary, BBC Broadcast Ltd, has bought BBC Worldwide Ltd's subsidiary Broadcast DataServices (BDS). This arrangement adds BDS's broadcast data and listings business to BBC Broadcast's range of services.
Now a wholly owned subsidiary of BBC Broadcast, BDS will continue to deliver a full service on behalf of broadcasters including the BBC, ITV, Channel 5, UKTV and Flextech. The company delivers broadcast listings and data to print media customers such as listings magazine Radio Times as well as screen-based customers including broadband operators NTL, Telewest and HomeChoice in the UK. BDS's European operation manages a database of data about 400 channels, which can be delivered in any of 14 languages. The company provides European data to Microsoft, UPC and Sony, to help create Electronic Programme Guides.
The alignment of BDS alongside BBC Broadcast's similar operation is expected to add significant potential to both operations. Once the sale of BBC Broadcast is complete it will transfer to the new owner.
The sale of BDS by BBC Worldwide follows the Corporation's internal review of its commercial businesses. The review team concluded that BBC Worldwide should focus on businesses that export and exploit the BBC brand and intellectual property, but not businesses such as BDS.
Pam Masters,
Managing Director of BBC Broadcast, said that BDS provided a business of breadth
and depth of broadcasting data and expertise that could "only add value
to the existing operation and should be viewed as a great asset by prospective
buyers of BBC Broadcast Ltd."
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Astro
forms JV with Yes Television
From Shveta Malik in New Delhi
Astro All Asia Networks Plc has invested US$4.25 million for a 51 per cent stake in the joint-venture company, All Asia Television Broadcast Limited, with an option to increase its stake to 60 per cent for an additional US$0.75 million after one year. Astro and Yes Television (Hong Kong) Limited announced joint-venture to continue to develop and strengthen the aggregation and distribution of content through two 24-hour GoalTV soccer channels.
The joint venture expects to achieve profitability in the second year of operations. Astro says the joint-venture's collaborative strategy with other platform players ensures minimal capital requirement and no additional funding is anticipated beyond Astro's equity injection.
Astro's DTH satellite television services in Malaysia, Brunei and soon, Indonesia, will commence 24-hour broadcast of the GoalTV channels when it adds new channel capacity upon the launch of the new satellite, Measat-3, later this year.
Astro also revealed
that its first-quarter net profit doubled to US$10.5 million as it added more
subscribers. The company added 65,000 subscribers, bringing the total to 1.76
million for the quarter to April 30 2005.
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Alcatel in Chinese triple play
Zhejiang Telecom, a subsidiary of China Telecom, is to use Alcatel's multi-service solution to deploy metropolitan optical transport networks in Zhejiang province (Eastern China). Alcatel will enable Zhejiang Telecom to deliver high quality Triple Play services to business and residential users in the three major provincial cities of Ningbo, Jiaxin and Wenzhou. The contract was won through Alcatel Shanghai Bell, Alcatel's Chinese flagship company.
"Today,
optimising network operation costs and minimising new capital expenditures
through integrated multi-service capabilities are key requirements for operators,"
said Romano Valussi, president of Alcatel's optical networks activities, who
suggested that the flexibility of the Alcatel optical multi-service solutions
would allow Zhejiang Telecom to deliver multimedia services reliably and cost-effectively.
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UK fair trading watchdog the Office of Fair Trading(OFT) is to investigate the April purchase by commercial broadcaster ITV plc of digital terrestrial television multiplex operator SDN to ascertain whether the deal is anti-competitive, according to Media Week.
The OFT said the £134m deal between ITV and SDN, the operator of one of the main digital multiplexes, which provides services for ten stations including Five, QVC, UKTV Gold and the Discovery Channel, could be referred to the Competition Commission.
The OFT said:
"Should it be found to be a relevant merger situation, the OFT will further
consider whether the creation of that situation may be expected to result
in a substantial lessening of competition within any market or markets in
the United Kingdom for goods or services that warrants reference to the Competition
Commission for investigation and report."
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BT has announced improvements to its portable IP data service, which enables secure and fast access to corporate networks or the Internet using a hand-portable terminal via satellite.
The Inmarsat I4 satellite will - from 9 July 2005 - dramatically increase the service's reach into the Southern half of Africa, Asia and additional European countries. Requiring a simple software upgrade and setting change to the portable User Terminals, the extended coverage will be available to all existing and new customers.
Late in 2005,
the service will be further upgraded to a full BGAN (Broadband Global Area
Network) offering, bringing increased functionality that allows true replication
of the broadband office environment using hand-portable equipment that can
be set up in minutes.
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SWE-DISH clinches Anitcom deal
Satellite services provider SWE-DISH Satellite Systems is to work with Australian based company, Anitcom, to support Anitcom's advanced mobile network solutions for the Australian defence industry, Federal and State Government agencies, and Corporate Enterprise.
When using the portable communication centre from Anitcom, together with the SWE-DISH Satellite equipment, up to 50 users can be connected for web browsing, email, office applications, IP and analogue telephone in the field. Modular expansion will allow for further users.
Lars Jehrlander,
CEO at SWE-DISH Satellite Systems said the co-operation was "a natural
next step in our global strategy to become a total solution provider for our
customers in this region."
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Following the recent successful launch of the first of its next-generation satellites, Inmarsat has returned to International Launch Services (ILS) to add the Atlas V vehicle as an option for future I-4 launches.
The I-4 constellation
will support the introduction of the new BGAN service, delivering Internet
and intranet access, video-on-demand, videoconferencing, fax, email, phone
and LAN access at speeds of up to half a megabit per second. BGAN will also
be compatible with 3G cellular systems.
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The FCC has taken a range of steps to move digital transition forward in the US. The comms regulator denied a request by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and the Consumer Electronics Retailers Association (CERC) to delay the date by which 50 per cent of mid-size TV receivers manufactured and imported must include built-in digital television (DTV) tuners.
The FCC also moved up the date by which all mid-sized TV sets must include a digital television (DTV) tuner. The Commission’s rules already provide that all large TV sets (36" and larger) must have built-in DTV tuners by July 1, 2005. Those rules also provide that 50 per cent of mid-sized sets (25" to 36") must have DTV tuners by that date, and that all mid-sized sets must have DTV tuners by July 1, 2006. The rules also provide that all receivers with a screen size 13" or more, as well as other all other TV receiving devices (such as VCRs, DVDRs, etc.) must have DTV tuners by July 1, 2007.
The CEA and CERC had asked the Commission to eliminate the 50 per cent requirement for mid-sized sets, and to move up the date for full compliance for mid-sized sets to March 1, 2006. In denying the request, the FCC stated that such an action would delay the wider dissemination of DTV tuners in products of this size and would be inconsistent with its efforts to advance the DTV transition as rapidly as possible. The Commission advanced the date for 100 per cent compliance for mid-sized TV receivers from July 1, 2006 to March 1, 2006, the earliest feasible date according to the industry.
The Commission has also proposed to move up the date by which all TV receivers with screen size 13" or larger and other TV receiving devices, i.e., those without a viewing screen, must have DTV tuners from July 1, 2007, to a date no later than December 31, 2006, the statutory target date for the end of the DTV transition and the corresponding end of analogue broadcast television transmissions. TV Interface Devices should be required to meet this timetable. The FCC is also seeking public comment on whether a DTV tuner requirement should be extended to TV receivers with a screen size smaller than 13".
FCC Commissioner
Michael J Copps said that the FCC was committed to moving the digital transition
forward. "Each time a consumer purchases a set with a digital tuner,
we move one step closer towards accomplishing the transition," he noted.
"I am pleased that this order highlights the importance of manufacturers
and retailers providing needed consumer information to buyers before they
become owners of sets. We will only succeed in accelerating the digital transition
when we - government and industry both - confront head-on the significant
consumer confusion that exists in this area. According to Copps, "the
bottom line is to ensure that the DTV transition remains on track. I believe
this order is a good step in the right direction."
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TiVo upgrades TiVoToGo service
TiVo, Microsoft and Intel are joining forces to enable people for the first time to move TiVo content stored on a Microsoft Windows XP-based PC onto Windows Mobile-based Portable Media Centres powered by Intel Mobile Media Technology as well as newer Windows Mobile-based Smartphones and Pocket PCs.
This extension of the TiVoToGo service is designed provide travellers with the flexibility to watch their favourite shows whenever and wherever they want, with more options for enjoying entertainment on a variety of mobile devices. The service was premiered on a two-hour chartered flight out of the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport on June 8
Matt Wisk, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, TiVo, said that by extending the TiVoToGo service to support multiple Windows Mobile-based devices, TiVo was enabling its subscribers to watch their favourite TV shows whenever and wherever they want. "TiVo and its valued business associates will continue to deliver an entertainment experience unmatched by generic cable or satellite DVRs (digital video recorders)."
"It's exciting to see our vision of enabling digital entertainment anywhere come to life in working with TiVo and Intel," declared John Pollard, senior director of Windows Mobile Applications and Services Marketing at Microsoft Corp. "With the launch of TiVoToGo, we are able to help deliver even more content options on more Windows Mobile."
Tad Hetu, director,
Consumer Electronic Platforms, Cellular and Handheld Group, Intel, suggested
that Intel’s Mobile Media Technology, helped put "a rich mobile
entertainment experience in the palm of the traveller’s hand to enjoy
in a plane, car, commuter train or waiting room."
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Latens launches foundation system
Latens Systems has responded to the needs of small start-up operators by launching Foundation CAS (FCAS), its new software-based Content and Revenue Protection system. This entry-level system enables start-ups to launch with a simplified but secure service without reducing the future functionality of its Content and Revenue Protection system.
"We have launched our Foundation System content and revenue protection system to support all those new Cable and IPTV operators setting up in an environment where they can’t gain access to A-list content without an accepted security system, but don’t have the projected revenues or customer base to make it sensible to purchase a fully featured Conditional Access system," commented Andy Mathieson, Director, Latens.
He described
FCAS as an entry-level system that provided each operator with a dynamic security
system without the complex functionality that isn’t always needed at
start-up. "The operator can now be confident of its future options as
they can upgrade in simple steps to the most secure, fully-featured and flexible
CAS system available when the need arises," he claimed.
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Widevine Technologies exits SVP Alliance
IP video content security provider Widevine Technologies is to resign from the SVP Alliance. The SVP Alliance was launched by NDS to promote adoption of SVP Alliance content protection technology in digital home networks and consumer electronic devices. SVP was intended to be an open specification that can be licensed on fair and non-discriminatory terms by industry players.
However, Widevine Technologies has concluded that the licensing, infrastructure complexity, and security renewal limitations are not appropriate for next generation content protection.
"Widevine
joined the SVP alliance in order to foster low cost, non-proprietary solutions
for distributing secure content beyond the set-top-box," stated Glenn
Morten, CTO and VP of Engineering. "Our goal was to explore the options
for speeding retail availability of secure video player options. After one
year of membership and careful consideration Widevine believes the SVP Alliance
is ultimately not in the best interest of service operators, consumer electronics
manufacturers, content owners or the consumer."
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Nokia expands future radio technologies
Nokia is to include a new technology in its radio access technology portfolio in order to give its customers the greatest possibility to address all user segments in broadband wireless access. The future WiMax solution will provide a high-speed, limited-coverage, data-only complement to the fully mobile and standardised 3G voice and broadband data networks currently being launched globally.
"Nokia's rich portfolio of wireless connectivity offers an attractive broadband wireless solution for any operator and any consumer. WiMax complements the mainstream 3GPP evolution," said Pertti Korhonen, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Nokia.
Nokia confirmed that it is strongly committed to develop the next evolution step of 3G technologies, 3.9G, also called UTRAN LTE (Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network Long Term Evolution) or Super 3G. Its peak data rates are targeted to reach up to 100 Mbps in the downlink and 50 Mbps in the uplink. The standard of 3.9G is to be finalised in 3GPP in mid 2007.
In a related development, Nokia and Intel are to co-opeated in order to accelerate the development, adoption and deployment of WiMax technology, helping to bring new capabilities and data services to mobile users over high-speed broadband networks.
The companies will engage in market development efforts to demonstrate to service providers and the industry how WiMax can enhance data service capabilities of the network while complementing existing 3G networks. Lastly, Nokia and Intel will work together to ensure successful finalisation of the 802.16e standard in IEEE and related specification work in the WiMax Forum.
"Nokia's end-to-end multiradio strategy covers many wireless technologies optimised for uses from local connectivity and fast data transport, to broadcasting technologies and full mobility of voice and data," said Tero Ojanperä, Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, Nokia. " WiMax will be an important technology complementing 3GPP and 3GPP2 technologies. It will also create new opportunities for the consumer and enterprise markets."
"Broadband
technologies - of all types - represent an enormous opportunity for businesses
and individuals around the world," said Sean Maloney, executive vice
president and general manager of Intel's Mobility Group.
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Freeview surge boosts UK digital
Figures released by UK communications regulator Ofcom reveal that the Freeview digital terrestrial service added 466,000 new homes in the first quarter, taking more of the market from its rival cable and satellite pay-TV platforms.
The update shows that by 31 March 2005 digital television penetration was estimated to have reached 61.9 per cent of UK households; an increase of 2.5 per cent points from 59.4 per cent from the previous quarter.
The total number of digital television households grew by 643,517 to 15,417,398, with digital satellite platform BSkyB adding 87,000 subscribers, bringing its total number of UK subscribers to 7,349,000 at the end of Q1 2005.
Freeview DTT households are now estimated to have passed the 5 million mark for the first time (estimated 5,059,350). There are also now estimated to be over 5.5 million free-to-view digital households. This figure consists of Freeview viewers, plus free-to-view digital satellite homes. The total number of homes using free-to-view digital satellite is estimated to be around 445,000. This figure includes viewers who are no longer Sky subscribers but still receive the public service channels through their set-top boxes, as well as ‘Solus’ card viewers.
Cable television subscribers, (both analogue and digital) are now just under 3.3 million. Digital cable increased by just over 30,000 and now accounts for just over 2.5 million of the total.
Ofcom figures
suggest that three per cent of households continued to subscribe to analogue
cable during the first quarter of 2005, bringing the total proportion of households
receiving some form of multi-channel television to just over 64.9 per cent.
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Former Telewest and BBC executive David Docherty has resigned as chief executive of interactive entertainment group YooMedia after 18 months, according to MediaGuardian. Docherty said that he wanted to follow up entrepreneurial possibilities in the converging world of broadband, TV and mobile
He joined YooMedia as a non-executive director in January 2003, becoming chief executive in January 2004, and oversaw the company’s merger with fellow interactive TV player DITG in November 2004.
Neil MacDonald,
who was managing director of DITG, becomes group managing director reporting
to the executive chairman, Michael Sinclair.
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Catalonia
counts down to digital
From David del Valle in Madrid
The Catalonia region in the North East of Spain is speeding up plans to prepare for digital. Its regional authorities have announced that the migration process will start in 2007 and will be completed in 2009, one year later than the initial date ruled out for being "too early".
The Catalonian Government has undertaken to meet this new deadline since it is estimated a delay in the launch of DTT will cost more than E100 million per year, reaching E400 million in case of switching off in 2015. Catalonia, along with Andalucia, south of Spain, are the regions with the greatest allocation of local DTT channels.
A new DTT law
recently approved by the Parliament sets 2010 as the switch-off deadline for
national broadcasters. As for local TV stations, they should complete the
migration process in 2008.
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Teleste in French broadband win
Teleste has signed
a frame agreement, valued at approximately E4 million, with a major cable
operator in France, the broadband specialist has revealed in a Stock Exchange
notification. The contract covers the delivery of CXE-amplifiers that are
to be used for upgrading several broadband networks that cover two million
households in France. The network upgrade is aimed for providing better broadband
data and triple play connections to meet the growing demand. The deliveries
will take place during the coming three years.
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Broadband access data product specialist Arris has shipped one million of its Arris Touchstone Embedded Multimedia Terminal Adapters (E-MTAs). Additionally, the Company noted that during the past week, continuing production of the ARRIS Touchstone TM402 E-MTA by its manufacturing partner had exceeded the one million unit milestone.
"ARRIS is
very pleased to have reached the one million unit mark with our Touchstone
VoIP products," said Jim Lakin, ARRIS Broadband President. "The
fact that we achieved this in just over a year validates the effectiveness
of cable operators in deploying VoIP services, making it a key element of
the triple play."
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Tandberg Television in satellite service win
Tandberg Television
revealed that it has received an order, valued in excess of E2.6M, from a
leading European satellite contribution and distribution network. The contract
will see Tandberg Television deliver MPEG-2 encoders and professional receivers
for the upgrade of the network over the next six to nine months.
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