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NEWS Monday 12th September to Friday 16th September 2005
Scroll down page or click below for news - latest first
| Tuesday | |||||
DTV UK reaches 63%: 2008 switch off official
Ofcom's latest figures for the second quarter of 2005 show digital television penetration estimated to have reached 63 per cent of households, up from 61.9 per cent from the previous quarter.
The total number of digital television households grew by almost 298,000 to 15,715,178. BSkyB added 75,000 subscribers bringing its total number of UK subscribers to 7,424,000 at the end of quarter two. There were over 700,000 sales of Freeview set-top boxes and iDTVs by the end of the quarter. Ofcom estimates the number of Freeview (Digital Terrestrial Television) only homes has grown to almost 5,178,000, up by over 118,000 homes during the quarter.
The total number of subscribers to cable television (analogue and digital) also increased in the quarter to just over 3.3 million. Digital cable increased by over 57,000 and now accounts for over 2.6 million of the total.
Meanwhile, the Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell was expected to confirm in a speech last evening the analogue switch off would begin in 2008 with the regions of Wales and the West Country.
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Baidu, China's most popular search engine, lost nearly a third of its market value on Wednesday after two investment banks which managed the company's New York initial public offering in August said the stock price was overvalued. Shares, which had climbed as much as 450 per cent since the start of trading on fell US$32.27, or 28.4 per cent, to US$81.32 on Wednesday.
Anthony Noto, analyst at Goldman Sachs, wrote in a research report that Baidu's current valuation was not justified and its "fair value" should be about US$27 to US$45. Baidu's IPO was priced at US$27 per share. "We are not able to justify the current valuation of the stock, even when evaluating more aggressive scenarios," Noto wrote.
Google, eager to expand its market share in China, has a 2.6 per cent stake in Baidu. There is speculation that it would use part of the US$4.2bn raised in a secondary share offering (see below) on further acquisitions in Asia.
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Google announced that it raised $4.18bn from its secondary share issue, which could be used as a war chest to fund acquisitions, just over a year after its IPO. Analysts say that given Google's strong balance sheet and significant cash generation, it is likely to invest in assets that will bolster its position in Asia, especially in China, where there is fierce rivalry among internet companies to claim a share of the growing fast-growing market. Yahoo last month bought 40 per cent of the Chinese web property Alibaba for $1bn.
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Spain tops 4.3 million broadband users
From David Del Valle in Madrid
Broadband internet connections in Spain are 4,330,119 following more than 64,000 new clients were added in August. ADSL takes the lead in the broadband battle with cable. Around 3.4 million users have access through ADSL, representing 78.5 per cent, against 940,000 through cable whose clients grew by 19,000 in August. The dominant operator Telefónica leads the ADSL market with more than 3 million broadband users.
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According to the FT, Telewest is understood to have ruled out private equity bidders in the auction for Flextech, its content business. A wide range of bidders have put in non-binding indicative offers for Flextech. The bids are understood to be valued at £1bn (E1.45bn).
Bidder selection and price negotiation is bound to be complicated by the relationship with the BBC in Flextech's most valuable asset, the UKTV franchise. The BBC is understood to have a large say in Flextech's buyer as a change of control clause gives the BBC the right to acquire the 50 per cent of UKTV it does not own at a market rate.
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The film studio will lose between $250m and $300m in the current quarter because of poor DVD sales and a weak show at the box office, Tom Staggs, chief financial officer, warned. This compares with the studio's $23m profit in the final quarter last year, and earnings of $205m in the comparable part of 2003.
Staggs blamed the slump on flat domestic sales of DVDs and declining box office audiences, accentuated by the failure of recent cinema releases from Disney's Miramax subsidiary. He said that while overseas DVD sales continued to increase, prices were falling.
Other studios have confirmed the results are indicative of a Hollywood malaise with generally poor box office and declining margins on DVD sell through.
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The Recording Industry Association of America has sent cease-and-desist notices to several well-known file-sharing companies, including BearShare, LimeWire and WinMX, demanding they stop activities that allow users to download copyrighted music.
The letters ask the companies to "immediately cease and desist from enabling and inducing the infringement of RIAA member sound recordings," according to the WSJ.
The letters are the music industry's attempt by to build on the favourable ruling it received in the Supreme Court in the Grokster case, involving a file-sharing company that was accused by the industry of facilitating copyright violations. In that ruling, the court found that copyright holders could sue file-sharing companies for encouraging people to violate copyrights. "Companies similar to Grokster have been given ample opportunity to do the right thing," said the RIAA, which confirmed sending the letters to seven file-sharing companies.
The RIAA wants file-sharing firms to alter their software -- for example, by creating filters to strip out copyrighted material or creating mechanisms to pay copyright holders. In recent months, it has been working with several file-sharing firms, including Mashboxx, to create services that wouldn't violate copyrights.
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SKY Italia and Eutelsat announced a strategic multi-transponder agreement that will continue expansion of channels and services in SKY Italia's pay-TV platform over the next 20 years. The agreement concerns the renewal of SKY TV's existing 16 leases as well as new capacity on 10 transponders at Eutelsat's ‘HOT BIRD video neighbourhood.'
"We are pleased to be extending our association with Eutelsat which will provide additional satellite capacity to our ever-growing pay-TV digital platform", said Tom Mockridge, SKY Italia CEO. "This agreement marks an important development in the growth of our pay-TV as it brings us new resources to add hundreds more channels and interactive services for Italian families. From the middle of next year, SKY Italia will also use its HOT BIRD capacity to launch High Definition TV, a further revolution in the digital TV landscape".
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IceMobile has launched VideoCall2TV, a technology that enables viewers to express themselves instantly by making a video call from their 3G mobile phones to a TV program and participate in the show with live video images. IceMobile is the first company to offer this full service package to TV producers and broadcasters.
Millions of people participate in TV shows by calling in or sending SMS to give their opinion, vote, or just chat with other viewers. Now, says the company, IceMobile enables the future of participation TV allowing viewers to broadcast live video from their mobile phones to TV. The VideoCall2TV technology works worldwide from any 3G device and on any 3G network and can be billed on a per minute basis.
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MTV Networks will launch a high-definition music channel in January, 2006 called MHD. Initial content will be music-focused fare from MTV, VH1 and CMT along with acquired concerts, music videos and original programming. The network aims to target 18-to-34-year-olds with a wide-screen, surround sound ‘totally immersive experience,' said Van Toffler, MTV Networks Music Group president.
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Irdeto and Thomson announced the integration of Irdeto's conditional access technology into Thomson's DCI1000 series of cable set-top boxes. The agreement between Irdeto and Thomson will offer Chinese cable operators full control of access and viewing rights of their premium content at all times from one integrated set-top box solution, helping them maximise their success in the rapidly expanding Chinese cable market.
Irdeto is the first foreign conditional access supplier in China to receive State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) CA certification. The Irdeto Digital TV control system for large operators, PIsys, helps providers control access to any type of pay-media content and is platform-independent, having been developed for satellite DTH, cable or terrestrial broadcasting operations.
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Four get green light for French DVB-H trials
France's broadcasting watchdog, the Conseil Supérieur de l'Audiovisuel (CSA) has authorised four mobile TV trials in the Paris area for periods of between six and nine months. The trials have been authorised in both DVB-H and T-DMB standards, a hitherto unprecedented initiative.
The four consortia covered by the authorisations are: One led by transmission company TDF which will use half of the capacity on Channel 37 for DVB-H broadcasts for nine months from 15 September 2005. A group led by digital pay-TV broadcaster TPS which will use the other half of the channel for DVB-H over the same period. A third led by Canal+ using similar capacity on channel 29 over the same period. And finally, the fourth consortium, formed by leading commercial broadcaster TF1 and digital network provider VDL, will use a VHF channel for a six-month T-DMB trial, commencing on October 15 2005.
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Mediaset-controlled TV network Tele 5 is the most profitable TV channel in Spain while the pay-TV group Sogecable leads the market in terms of turnover. In 2004, Tele 5 declared made E 215.92 million. Its main rival Antena 3 had profits of E105.27 million.
Sogecable, owner of digital DTH platform Digital Plus and Canal Plus, had most sales with a turnover of E 1,414.27 million, but incurred a E 156.23 million loss.
In all, the TV business in Spain grew by 20 per cent in 2004. The launch this November of Cuatro, the Sogecable's new commercial TV channel, and the introduction of a new entrant by mid next year (the new licence with a 70 per cent coverage will be awarded before the end of the year) will intensify competition in the market, with the advertising pie to be shared by more TV players.
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Time Warner Inc. said it was on track to meet its 2005 targets. The update comes a day after Carl Icahn said he would seek a seat on the company's board to push for changes at the company. TW backed its forecast of high single-digit percentage growth in 2005 for its adjusted operating income, which is before depreciation and amortization. In 2004, its adjusted operating income was $9.9 billion.
The media conglomerate also backed previous statements that it would convert between 30 percent and 40 percent of its 2005 adjusted operating income into free cash flow.
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Viacom is reportedly in talks with MSO Comcast about forming a joint venture to launch new channels aimed at people aged 25 to 54. Discussions are at a preliminary stage and Viacom has approached other unspecified cable operators about partnering on new channels as well. Speaking at a Merrill Lynch & Co. investment conference, Viacom Co-president Tom Freston said the company's MTV Networks unit has "had discussions with several outside parties," but hasn't "made any decisions to do anything." Talks with Comcast appear to be the most advanced.
The talks are part of an effort under way at MTV Networks to broaden the reach of its channels, which include VH-1, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon.
Partnering with Comcast, which has more than 21 million cable subscribers, would guarantee MTV that its new channels would get off the ground. An alliance also could help MTV in future negotiations about carriage of its cable channels on Comcast systems.
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A deadline for the US Senate Commerce Committee to pass digital-television legislation has been extended until mid-October. Both the House and the Senate are working on legislation to enforce a firm deadline for broadcasters to give up their analogue spectrum and switch to digital television. In a statement the Senate Budget Committee said it will report budget reconciliation recommendations on October 26. Under that timetable, the Commerce Committee would need to approve digital-television legislation by October 19.
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ioko, a specialist in digital and on-demand media, announced the impending launch of Europe's first secure and legal peer-to-peer VOD system with partner Kontiki. ioko has been working with Kontiki, a leader in commercial Grid Delivery technology, to roll out this offering which is designed to implement VoD on broadband platforms throughout Europe.
The introduction of this secure peer-to peer network, termed the Grid system, means that viewers can now experience fast, uninterrupted downloads as well as full content viewing. In addition, it eliminates piracy issues and protects content owners' copyright, claim the partners.
The combination of popular content and the extensive quantity of the data makes delivering quality digital video material to viewers costly and often complicated. The typical centralised infrastructure approach makes it difficult to scale as customer volumes grow. Ioko's partnership with Kontiki provides viewers with a seamless experience and allows broadcasters to operate on a more cost effective, scalable basis. As new video content becomes available for distribution, broadcasters and content companies no longer need to be concerned with data volumes, as the peer-to-peer Grid system overcomes network gridlocks caused by conventional VoD offerings. This allows digital content to be available to a large volume of audiences online, all at once.
ioko has already partnered with major broadcasters such as Sky.
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The streamed subscription series is the first business and financial video to be available on the Vodafone network.It includes regular updates from key financial markets around the world and clips of the biggest news stories of the day. Customers can pick from more than 20 videos daily. Along with financial news, there will be clips from covering major news, sporting events and entertainment. The full package of Reuters services, including the new video section, is available for a monthly subscription of £3 (E4.3), with an initial month on free trial.
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Trading house Mitsui & Co and two other companies applied to the government for approval to launch digital high-definition television broadcasting services via broadcasting satellite, officials said.
The two other applicants are Nippon BS Broadcasting Corp, a BS digital data broadcaster affiliated with discount appliance store chain Biccamera Co, and movie channel operator Star Channel Inc.
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Vivendi has said it will exceed its 2005 earnings targets after beating expectations for its interim profits as growth in its games and mobile phone businesses were boosted by reduction in interest charges. The group said it would exceed its 2005 net income target of at least E1.8bn after adjustments for divestments and discontinued businesses.
Chairman Jean-René Fourtou, had pledged to restructure the business and lower debt before handing over to his deputy Jean-Bernard Lévy. Profits before taxation and discontinued operations were 47 per cent higher at E2.1bn, benefiting from a lower interest charge of E101m, compared with E273m. Consolidated revenues rose 8.6 per cent to E9.13bn.
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The Walt Disney Company has opened its Hong Kong Disneyland but insisted that China must open up its television market before it will consider opening another park in Shanghai. Bob Iger, who is to become chief executive at the end of the month, said that broad restrictions on media investment in China "thwart our efforts to grow television in that marketplace".
Iger said that before Disney would consider building another park, it needs to be able to use television to teach Chinese audiences about Disney characters. Disney has secured some programming deals in China, with a recent agreement to have its series Desperate Housewives shown on local television. Iger said that Disney’s goal was to introduce the Disney Channel to at least some cities, including Shanghai. He said that he was confident that "over time, we’ll gain access to the market". He said that he would be willing to produce local programming to secure a deal with Chinese broadcasters, as Disney does in other countries where Disney channels are shown. He added that Disney would not necessarily need majority ownership of programming produced within China. "We’re more than willing to have a partner," he said.
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Localia, the Sogecable's subsidiary company that operates local TV throughout Spain, has challenged the recent DTT licensing process in Madrid. The company is taking its case to Court after failing to get any of the 30 local DTT licences recently awarded by the Madrid's conservative Administration. Localia has accused the regional Administration of lacking of transparency in the process and has asked the Court to suspend the Madrid's decision.
Meanwhile public tenders to award local and regional DTT licences are taking place throughout Spain. The latest to call for applications is the region Castilla-Leon that will shortly award 84 local DTT channels.
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Carl Icahn has filed a document with securities regulators that amounts to a marketing brochure for his planned putsch against the company. Icahn said in the filing that he and his partners intended to nominate one or more directors at Time Warner's next annual meeting. He also explained his previously announced intention to pressure the media conglomerate to fully separate its cable television business and buy back $20 billion worth of its stock.
Icahn Partners has joined with three other activist hedge funds - Franklin Mutual Advisers, JANA Partners and SAC Capital Advisors - to acquire shares and options representing 2.6 percent of Time Warner's outstanding stock.
The group noted that no "shareholder-nominated" directors like the ones it envisions were on the board when Time Warner made the "egregious error" in 2000 of merging itself with America Online. It did not say who it would propose to join the board, which currently includes Richard D Parsons, the chairman and chief executive, and the entrepreneurs Ted Turner and Stephen Case formerly of AOL, both of whom were executives in the company.
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ITV and BSkyB have concluded a new three-year deal to continue sharing UK TV rights to the UEFA Champions League football competition. The new contract with UEFA will see ITV continuing to broadcast two live matches on Tuesday nights from September 2006 to May 2009. BSkyB's Sky Sports channels will carry on transmitting the remaining six Tuesday Champions League fixtures, plus all eight Wednesday night matches, via its red-button interactive service.
Also, for the first time, ITV and Sky Sports will provide live internet streaming of the Champions League matches they are televising.
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XM Radio and the National Hockey League have announced a 10-year, $100-million agreement that makes the company the exclusive satellite radio network of the NHL beginning with the 2007-2008 season. Also, XM said it will begin broadcasting NHL games with the launch of the upcoming 2005-2006 season.
In addition to providing live play-by-play coverage of more than 1,000 games a season, XM will create a dedicated NHL radio channel featuring original programming that will focus on all aspects of the sport, the company said.
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From this month, 3 UK will subscribers will be able to pay E3.6 a month to escape its’ walled garden and have open mobile internet access. However 3 will ‘vet’ the sites for compatibility, saying only a fraction of the web has been properly re-purposed. 3 says users can nominate sites they want access to and 3 will check out whether they are compatible. 3 also intends to introduce a wireless web service, where the mobile can be plugged into a laptop to give web access, soon.
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Overseas Chinese and Chinese-American audiences can now access hundreds of premium Chinese-language movies and TV shows on Akimbo, the US online TV service. Partners like AsiaMovieChannel.com and Inside China are to provide Akimbo subscribers with the most popular Chinese-language TV series.
"Overseas Chinese and Chinese-Americans are at the centre of the world-wide
globalisation trend and Akimbo helps them stay in touch with their
heritage," explained Akimbo Product Manager, Grace Liu. "This community
maintains strong ties with its Chinese identity and is looking for ways to
stay abreast of Chinese and pan-Asian entertainment and culture."
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eBay confirms Skype buy for up to $4.1bn
eBay has agreed to buy leading VoIP company Skype in a $2.6 billion (E2.1 billion) deal with the price rising to as much as $4.1 billion if the company hits certain performance targets over the next three years. The deal is another major step in the changing ecology of the communications sector away from traditional players.
eBay said it would pay half the amount in cash and the other half in stocks to create. The deal represents a big bet on ebay’s ability to profit from voice comms on the internet. Skype, which was set up in 2002, generated revenues of only $7 million last year, though this is likely to rise to $60 million this year and more than $200 million in 2006, the companies said. Skype users can make calls between computers free of charge, but pay for making calls to a traditional telephone line.
eBay said the Skype service would be integrated into its ecommerce business, making it easier for buyers and sellers to communicate. Meg Whitman, ebay’s Chief Executive Officer, said that communications was "at the heart of ecommerce and community," and that the acquisition would create "an extraordinarily powerful environment for business on the net".
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Iliad, half year results 56% up
From Sotires Eleftheriou in Paris
The Iliad group, parent company of French triple play ISP Free, (number two, behind the incumbent France Telecom's Wanadoo) announced net profits of E24.1 million in the first half of this year, an increase of 56.5 per cent on a year earlier. Operating profit was E39.2 million (E24.2 million the same period last year) and EBITDA was E94.9 million, more than double that of a year earlier (E46.4 million).
Total sales for the period were E337.8 million, of which E259.9 million was from internet activity. The group added that growth in the internet sales figures was enhanced by the increased ARPU – the telephony service as well as subscriptions to pay TV. At the end of June, 1.18 million of Free's subscribers were equipped with the Freebox triple play adapter, or 90 per cent of Free's total ADSL subscribers. 130,000 of them have taken a pay TV option, i.e. in addition to the basic service of around a hundred channels.
The aim is to reach 1.5 million ADSL subscribers by the end of this year, reach 70 per cent local loop unbundling and increase ARPU. Monthly ARPU per Freebox user is now E4.7, compared to E2.1 a year ago.
Michael Boubza, director general of Iliad, was quizzed about the group's recent acquisition of Altitude Telecom. He replied that the main reason was its nation-wide Wimax licence, so avoiding Free having to bid for licenses on a regional basis. He explained that Wimax would form a complementary part of Free's consumer strategy, but added that the technology is not yet at a mature stage.
Asked about VOD, Boukobza replied that Free's technical platform is operational, but that the group has not acquired sufficient agreements with rights holders to launch a service.
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UK TV ratings company BARB is launching new technology to measure audiences for programmes captured using Sky+ personal video recorders. The new reporting system will be activated in stages in a move that will close a major gap in the company's TV research.
Special 'service information' codes identifying stored content from the hard-disc of Sky+ boxes will be used by BARB to track the number of viewers watching recorded shows.
The audience measurement company has redesigned its set-top meters to accept the new PVR information, which will be integrated into existing viewing figures on a daily basis.
The latest figures show that there are currently nearly 900,000 homes in the UK with Sky+ PVRs.
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The details on pricing plans for the Fios TV service from Verizon are now available: A basic package of 15 to 35 channels will sell for $12.95 a month, the draft brochure states. An expanded basic package of more than 160 channels will sell for $39.95, and a "La Conexion" service with basic channels in English and Spanish-language networks can be bought for $32.95 a month. Other offerings include movie and sports packages, video-on-demand, international channels and premium content.
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Bulldog, the Cable & Wireless-owned ISP, is considering offering internet television through its broadband network according to reports. Bulldog is planning a 20 megabits per second broadband service using standard telephone lines.
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Ofcom is proposing UK broadcasters who win the rights to televise live Premier League football could be forced to sell some games to rivals. The plans, if adopted by the European Commission, which is investigating the sale of Premiership TV rights, would end the 13-year monopoly of satellite group BSkyB.
The next auction of rights from the start of the 2007 season could see the most radical changes to domestic football coverage since the league's inception in 1992. An existing idea from the regulators could see individual broadcasters limited to 50 per cent of the live games put up for sale, an idea that has been strongly resisted by the Premiership. The additional constraint means the winners of the rights to televise Premiership games 2007-2010 would have to sub-license the games on a "fair and non-discriminatory" basis. In practice, a broadcaster such as cable company Telewest would be able to approach a winner of the rights and demand what amounts to a secondary auction.
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Microsoft and Nagravision combine for PC pay-TV solutions
From Colin Mann in Amsterdam
Content protection specialist Nagravision and Microsoft Corp have revealed a joint commitment to enable technology solutions that help provide the secure reception of digital pay-TV programs on personal computers and devices running Microsoft Windows operating systems.
The pair will work together to enable the development of cost-effective products and services that use both parties’ technologies for the delivery of premium television content to personal computers running the Windows XP Media Center Edition operating system and its ecosystem of connected devices, including Xbox 360 and Portable Media Centers. The agreement includes a plan for joint marketing and business development activities.
"This relationship allows our customers to increase their options for content distribution within the home and capitalise on the emergence of their subscribers’ expectations to access content on any device," said Pierre Roy, Nagravision’s Chief Operating Officer.
"We’re tremendously excited to work with such an industry leader to further the vision of digital entertainment anywhere," said Rick Thompson, Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President of Windows Client Extended Platforms. "This partnership will help the industry enable authorised distribution of premium TV content to Media Center PCs and a variety of connected retails devices, benefiting both consumers and network operators."
"Upon customer request, we have now the ability to help provide a secure solution to bridge the customer operator vertical wall-garden and the horizontal DRM world. While many standards and market-driven initiatives are still struggling to find their place in this industry, we now have the elements to provide a solution with Microsoft," said Philippe Stransky, Nagravision’s Chief Technology Officer.
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Industry majors combine for HD push DVR
From Colin Mann in Amsterdam
Content protection specialist Nagravision is to collaborate with interactive solutions provider OpenTV and with digital set-top box developer Advanced Digital Broadcast (ADB) to develop solutions for digital video recorders and to market those solutions jointly as the parties agree.
Nagravision, OpenTV and ADB intend to pre-integrate solutions to provide an accelerated time-to-market for set-top box manufacturers and Pay TV operators wishing to deploy secure, interactive digital video recorders. The first target platform is anticipated to be a high-definition, MPEG-4 AVC-capable digital video recorder (DVR) with a complete set of interactive applications including an electronic programme guide and file-based Push VOD, with the parties targeting for the first deployment in Q1 2006.
These new efforts at collaboration build on existing relationships between Nagravision, OpenTV and ADB. Pierre Roy, Nagravision COO, said: "We are convinced that this integration of Nagravision’s DVR solutions with OpenTV Core 2.0 and PVR 2.0 as end-to-end solutions based on high definition-capable hardware from ADB is exactly what the market is expecting. Since such DVR solutions are highly complex, a fully integrated solution such as this one should help reduce certain risks and accelerate the time-to-market deployment of revenue-generating DVR-based services".
Jim Chiddix, OpenTV Chairman and CEO, said the enhanced collaboration should help create new opportunities for the companies by making it easier for operators to quickly deploy a state-of-the-art, fully integrated DVR solution for Pay TV. Philippe Lambinet CEO of ADB added that the introduction of MPEG-4 AVC brought enormous benefits to operators and that the advanced solutions would be well received by the market.
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Cabovisão chooses OpenTV for cable and IPTV
From Colin Mann in Amsterdam
Portuguese cable operator Cabovisão has selected OpenTV as a key technology provider for the deployment of interactive television services on its digital cable and broadband IP television networks. Cabovisão expects to deploy OpenTV Core 2.0 on its digital cable network and on its broadband IP network in 2006. Cabovisão currently offers cable-TV, broadband Internet access and fixed telephony services to over 240,000 residential customers and 12,000 enterprises in Portugal.
Ben Bennett, senior vice president and managing director for OpenTV's European operations said the deal demonstrated "continued momentum" for OpenTV's advanced digital television platform, OpenTV Core 2.0. Paulo Queirós, group director of Cabovisão, suggested that the middleware gave it the foundation to deliver "advanced and compelling new services with a solution that grows as our business needs do."
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SES-Astra goes Dutch for DVB-H trial
From Colin Mann in Amsterdam
SES-Astra is teaming up with Netherlands telco KPN and 3G Media Consult to participate in the Dutch Mobile Interactive TV trial. During the trial, television programmes will be transmitted via the Nozema Services infrastructure to selected subscribers in the Netherlands equipped with Nokia DVB-H mobile phones.
SES-Astra will provide one feed of TV content showing recent film trailers and Hollywood news, integrated with an interactive movie quiz. The feed will be captured and broadcast via Nozema Services’ infrastructure to the participants’ mobile phones. The film newscast, interactive phone components and mobile downloads will be assembled by mobile content service provider 3G Media Consult. The video clips will be updated frequently and serve to validate both the technical and the commercial solutions.
SES-Astra president and CEO Ferdinand Kayser noted that the satellite operator’s media customers, both TV broadcasters and radio-stations, were gearing up to develop their distribution in the mobile environment, and that SES-Astra was preparing to offer them the same quality of service they were accustomed to with DTH distribution.
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TI combines with ANT and Orca for IP STBs
From Colin Mann in Amsterdam
Texas Instruments (TI) has joined with software providers ANT and Orca Interactive to facilitate interoperability for manufacturers looking for low-risk solutions that will accelerate the design cycle of IP set-top box products and services.
"ANT has long seen the value of teaming with TI because their DSPs support advanced software coding that makes it easy for OEMs to get to market quickly with our products like Galio, PurePlay and Fresco," said Stephen Reeder, Executive Director, sales and marketing ANT Software Limited. "By adding Orca middleware to the mix, the package is complete, giving broadcasters and operators an even greater opportunity to add services over their existing bandwidth that increases revenue."
Yosi Glick, Vice President of marketing and business development, Orca Interactive, said that by coupling Orca’s software with TI hardware and ANT's browser technology, providers had a one-stop-shop that enabled them to deliver the services that give subscribers choice, convenience and control.
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Video on demand solutions provider BitBand is to partner Swedish triple play operator B2 (Bredbandsbolaget) in its deployment of VOD services. B2’s network currently reaches 70 locations all over the country.
"Our solutions are specifically designed to answer the needs of innovative operators such as B2, enabling them to offer new entertainment packages easily, and manage the video delivery of triple play services in networks ranging from initial small-size to large scale operations," said Yuval Sovinsky, EVP Marketing & Sales, BitBand.
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China
blocking VoIP?
Reports claim China has started blocking access to Skype the internet telephone
service that is threatening its long-distance revenue. China’s largest
fixed-line phone carrier apparently began blocking access to service from
Skype in the southern city of Shenzhen near Hong Kong.
Reports in the Chinese press claimed China Telecom, whose broadband Internet
service allows access to Skype, has plans to eventually block the service
throughout its coverage area nationwide. They also said the carrier has created
a “black list” of people who use the service in Shenzhen, and threatened
to fine anyone who tries to get around the new obstacles.
Meanwhile, Ebay is said to be in talks to acquire Skype. The transaction could
be valued at between $2bn and $3bn.
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