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Scroll down page or click below for news - latest first
Tuesday
Friday 2nd March
BSkyB off Virgin
Viacom profits up
MTV to lose 250 posts
Blockbuster to buy Movielink?
Lambdastream International Internet channels
Jonesco to Sky
Irdeto and Huawei enable Pakistan IPTV
Extrada, ESP merge
BBC Worldwide S-DMB Asia deal
MobiTV reaches 2 million users
Med1a IPTV channels to 3G phones
Ascent Asian chief
ON Telecom and BitBand IPTV in Greece
BSkyB off Virgin"Bullying", "arrogance" and "childish" were just some of the insults slung in the UK media this morning after Sky basic channels came off Virgin Media cable networks.
"We're disappointed but not surprised by this outcome," said Virgin Media chief executive Steve Burch. "Nothing Sky have said or done in the course of the negotiation indicates they had the slightest interest in doing a commercially viable deal. Their action here is consistent with their plans to withdraw their free channels from Freeview and, in our view, reflects their desire to limit consumer choice."
Sky said it had had "six frustrating days" waiting for Virgin to improve its offer for the channels. "We've made repeated efforts to reach an agreement but Virgin Media has rejected all of our proposals."
Virgin has responded to the failed deal by renaming Sky's old slots. Channel 602 - the former Sky News slot - was renamed ‘Sky Snooze try BBC’ and Channel 515, formerly Sky Sports News, was named ‘Old Sky Sports Snooze’.
Sky could lose up to £60m (E87m) in a year in lost carriage fees and reduced advertising – but would get it all back if 150,000 Virgin subscribers switch to DTH.
Virgin meanwhile is trying to persuade subscribers to stay and has switched Virgin Central to the old Sky One channel 120 EPG slot. However its message board has been busy with customers demanding a price cut and consumer groups have said customers would be entitled to cancel their annual contracts as Virgin is effectively in breach.
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Viacom profits upViacom reported a near-quadrupling of net earnings in its fourth quarter as last year’s acquisition of the Dreamworks film studio boosted results. Net earnings rose to $481m (E365m) from $130m a year ago. Revenues grew 32 per cent to $3.59bn led by the film division, which doubled to $1.57bn. DreamWorks contributed $560m.
Excluding the effects of the separation (from CBS) and other one-off costs, operating income rose 28 per cent to $855.6m. The film business made $86.3m in the quarter against a $39.6m loss the year before. Revenues at Viacom’s cable networks division, which includes MTV and Nickolodeon and is its main money-maker, rose 4 per cent to to $2.08bn. Worldwide advertising revenues rose 6 per cent to $1.26bn. Full-year net income was up 27 per cent to $1.59bn, on a 19 per cent rise in revenues to $11.47bn.
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Viacom is to axe around 250 jobs from its MTV Networks International (MTVNI) business. This represents around 8 per cent of MTVNI's total workforce of 3,257. The job cuts form part of a restructuring designed to improve MTVNI's operating margins and focus the outfit on high growth markets and business.
In London, MTVNI will be merging some of its international operations with its UK business. The company is also planning to relocate some of its emerging markets Europe/Middle East group from London to Budapest and Warsaw. The job cuts come on top of the 250 posts that MTV Networks said last month it would be shedding from its US business.
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Blockbuster is said to be in advanced talks to acquire Movielink the online movie-downloading company owned by the major Hollywood studios.
The proposed price is said to be less than $50 million and represents a quick way into the online download business for Blockbuster. Movielink has quietly peddled films online since 2002, with little success. Blockbuster could bring much-needed marketing muscle to Movielink's efforts to increase market share. It also would help Blockbuster compete against its main competitor, Netflix which unveiled its own movie-download service in January.
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Lambdastream International Internet channels
From David Del Valle in MadridThe Spanish technology company Lambdastream is making a full-frontal assault on the International Internet TV market with the launch of several Internet TV channels over the coming months.
The company is seeking to enter into strategic alliances with key content providers around Europe aiming to "become the number one provider of Internet TV portals in Europe", according to Jesus Fernandez, Commercial Director of Lambdastream.
Fernandez estimates that the necessary investment to launch an Internet TV channel ranges between from E60,000 for a basic Internet TV channel to half a million Euros for a more complex TV channel.
Lambdastream has just launched two Internet TV channels in Spain for top soccer teams.
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Jonesco to Sky
Andy Jonesco has resigned as MD of AOL to join Sky as the broadcaster's head of digital strategy. Jonesco has been replaced by David Wolffe, senior vice president of corporate development at AOL Europe.
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Irdeto and Huawei enable Pakistan IPTV
Irdeto and Huawei Technologies have signed an agreement with Pakistan Telecommunication (PTCL) to provide an end-to-end IPTV solution to the Tier 1 telecom operator. The agreement will enable PTCL to launch IPTV services across Pakistan, and to provide its subscribers with an array of interactive video and Internet offerings.
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Extrada, ESP merge
Extrada Ltd. has merged with ESP of Oslo a company specialising in managed content services and intelligent video surveillance. As part of the deal, Extrada sold to ESP the IPR and business goodwill of its core product, the Extrada's XTN Digital
Services HubT.
ESP AS was founded in 1993 as Electronic Security Products, deploying
managed video survaillance services to supermarket chains and airports. In
2005. Future product innovations include IGA (in-game advertising), mobile
Games-on-Demand, TV/STB based Games-on-Demand, IP-TV and Video-on-Demand.
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BBC Worldwide has become the first UK distributor to provide entertainment content to an Asian mobile television broadcaster’s S-DMB (Satellite Digital Multimedia Broadcasting) service.
The deal means that customers of Tu Media can watch 39 hours of Top Gear programming through in-car devices or mobile phones, laptops, and digital cameras. Launched in May 2005, Tu Media’s S-DMB service currently attracts almost one million subscribers.
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MobiTV reaches 2 million usersMobile TV provider MobiTV has surpassed two million users, doubling its subscriber base in less than a year. The service, first launched more than three years ago by Sprint, features real-time feeds of cable channels such as CNN, CNBC, Fox News Channel and The Weather Channel, as well as made-for-mobile broadcasts from the likes of ESPN and ABC News.
Med1a IPTV channels to 3G phones
IPTV platform provider Med1a is claming to be the first company to offer its Internet TV channels available for free to 3G phones. Med1a aggregates live and on-demand video content into the View TV portal to give producers an opportunity to distribute their content online. View TV currently houses around 900 channels including shopping channel QVC and several local stations.
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Ascent Asian chiefAscent Media Network Services announced that Wee Way Kiat has been appointed Managing Director of the company's Asian business. Wee, who will be based in Singapore, will have operational, strategic and financial responsibility for network
origination and connectivity services in the region. Wee Way Kiat joins Ascent Media from ST Teleport in Singapore.
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ON Telecom and BitBand IPTV in Greece
Greek operator, ON Telecoms, has selected BitBand for the deployment of the first IPTV services in Greece. BitBand's solution enables ON Telecoms to deliver Catch-up TV, NPVR, VOD and other On Demand services.
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Thursday 1st March
Virgin Media Q4 as Sky showdown reaches end game
Cablevision strong subs growth
New state subsidies to foster DTT
i-concerts for Joost
Academy threatens YouTube
TVN offer Disney VOD
Switzerland FTTH IPTV service
Inuk and Packet Vision focus TV advertising
Servecast and Celtic Broadband Video Service
Irdeto secure Manthan
Virgin Media Q4 as Sky showdown reaches end gameReporting its fourth quarter results, Steve Burch, chief executive of Virgin Media, said: "Our first set of figures released under our new name show continued improvement, with revenue growth across all segments." Continuing losses in the final quarter of the year were £88.1m, (E127m) up by £31.9m from the corresponding period in 2005. This was largely because of the costs associated with the merger between NTL and Telewest and the acquisition of Virgin Mobile.
Fourth-quarter revenues were slightly above predictions at £1.08 billion, and churn decreased fractionally to 1.7 per cent from 1.8 per cent the previous quarter. ARPU was £42.82, up 34p from the third quarter, and the company signed up 78,100 new broadband subscribers and 38,500 new TV customers, up from 22,200. But its telephony service bore the brunt of disconnections, with 64,300 net fewer customers, which the company said was partially as a result of competitive pressure.
In the company's content division, revenues were £116.7m in the fourth quarter, comprising £34.7m from Virgin Media Television, formerly known as Flextech, and £82m from Sit-up.
Meanwhile at midnight last night the deadline on the old Sky carriage contract expired. Yesterday Virgin offered to go to binding arbitration on the new contract but Sky refused, not least because Virgin also wanted to put its carriage contract with Sky – for Living and Bravo – on the table; it now claims Sky abused its dominant position to force an 85% cut in the fees it pays for the channels.
Sky claims it is only asking for a 20 per cent like for like increase – relecting its extra investment in the channels. Virgin points out both that ratings are declining and that the additional provision of HD channels and the addition of Sky Arts means the total rate has nearly doubled.
Cablevision strong subs growth
Cablevision strongly increased its subscribers for its TV, internet and telephone services in the fourth quarter. It reported revenue growth of 18.6 per cent for its cable business, but overall performance was lower due to a weaker performance in its cable networks and the Madison Square Garden sports venue.
The Dolan family, which controls Cablevision, tried to take the group private but its offer was rejected by a committee advising the board after the family refused to raise it further.
Total revenues rose 13 per cent of $1.69bn (E1.27bn), from $1.49bn a year ago, Cablevision said. For the cable business, with operating income up 12 per cent versus a year ago to $195m. The company said it would reduce its capital expenditure in 2007.
Cablevision did not make projections for Rainbow, the company’s programming unit. This again raised speculation that the Dolans, who control Cablevision with 71 percent of the voting rights, and 20 percent of the equity, might try to sell Rainbow or at least some of its cable networks.
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New state subsidies to foster DTT
From David Del Valle in MadridRegional Governments across the country are approving a plethora of financial aids to foster the development of DTT.
Madrid's Administration is to finance the adaptation of SMATV dishes to DTT paying up to 50 per cent of the bill blocks with more than 20 flats and up to 20-30 per cent below that number. The average cost of a DTT adaptation is around E400. Around 700,000 homes, with more than 2 million residents will benefit from these subsidies. In other parts of the country, like Asturias, similar subsidies have been approved with aid of up to E300.
i-concerts for JoostMusic video-on-demand service i-concerts has announced a distribution deal with Joost. It will feature 20 hours of i-concert programming including archive concert footage from Bob Marley, BB King and Andrea Bocelli. Programming will also include content shows such as The Album Chart Show.
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Academy threatens YouTube
Viewers can no longer see moments from the 2007 Oscars on YouTube. The video site has complied with a request from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences to remove all unauthorised clips.Will Ferrell's musical lament had racked up more than 250,000 views on YouTube before it was replaced with the message "This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences." Ric Robertson, exec administrator for the Academy, said the organization had its content pulled "to help manage the value of our telecast and our brand." The official Oscar.com Website, which is run as a joint venture of the Academy and Disney's ABC.com, features a five-minute clip of highlights from the three hour, 51 minute broadcast.
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TVN offer Disney VODOn-demand company TVN Entertainment Corp has entered into an agreement with Disney's Buena Vista Video-On-Demand (VOD) to licence the company's movie titles for video-on-demand distribution. TVN previously has offered Disney films for Pay-Per-View.
Under the agreement, Buena Vista Video-On-Demand will make available Walt Disney Studios new releases, direct-to-video, and library films to TVN affiliates for unlimited viewing over a 72-hour period - three times as long as the traditional 24-hour viewing period for VOD.
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Switzerland FTTH IPTV serviceAmino, IPTV platform supplier, has enabled Switzerland’s first Fibre To The Home (FTTH) IPTV service as the operator, Sierre Energie, launched its IPTV service. Amino will supply its AmiNET100 series of set-top boxes to enable the viewing of 90 channels.
The triple-play deal will initially offer a broadband connection, fixed telephone and digital TV services. It will also offer video on demand (VOD) and its Catch-Up TV service.
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Inuk and Packet Vision focus TV advertisingInuk Networks, a supplier of triple-play services to consumers, service providers and network operators, and Packet Vision, the specialist in IPTV advertising, are to pilot the dynamic insertion of tailored advertisements over Freewire TV – Inuk’s IPTV service. Inuk Networks is using Packet Vision’s ad insertion technology to deliver ads direct to a target youth audience over its multicast IPTV service, which is presently available to university students.
Packet Vision’s advertising delivery platform allows ads to be inserted into TV content carried over Inuk’s multicast stream at the edge of the network, allowing segmented ‘spots’ to be targeted at specific viewers. Because of Freewire TV’s current focus on the student market, it is perfect for targeting the lucrative 19-24 year old demographic. As Freewire TV expands nationwide then advertisers can use the system to rollout campaigns to other audiences.
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Servecast and Celtic Broadband Video ServiceBroadband video specialists Servecast have signed a deal with Scottish Premier League Club Celtic for advanced video streaming services until the end of the 2008/2009 season. Servecast will provide all streaming services for Celtic’s broadband video subscription service, Channel 67 Online+, by delivering on-demand, live content and simulated live channels over the Celtic website.
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Irdeto secure ManthanManthan, the Indian cable operator, has confirmed that the Irdeto Digital TV content security system will be used to protect the content and revenues of its digital TV operation in the city of Kolkata, in the State of West Bengal and Eastern India. Multiple System Operator, Manthan has already begun deploying the Irdeto Digital TV solution as part of its analogue to digital migration project in Kolkata and outlying environs.
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Wednesday 28th February
Sky condemns Government probe
Trust OK for BBC Freesat
Google video ads
Spectrum merge with Value Partners
Spaniards turn away from interactive DTT
EMAP ads across platforms
Apple delays AppleTV
China Satellite Mobile selects CMB Satellite
Rose for Disney Internet
Sky condemns Government probeBSkyB has reacted angrily to the intervention by the Department of Trade and Industry over its 17.9 per cent stake in ITV – saying the government is contradicting its own rules. It claims the decision to investigate the public-interest consequences of BSkyB's purchase "contradicts the government's published guidance, which clearly sets out the circumstances in which intervention will be considered. Any positive environment for investment requires that business should be able to rely with confidence on government guidance when making decisions."
The DTI has asked Ofcom to conduct an initial investigation by April 27 on whether Sky's acquisition "raises public-interest concerns about the number of different owners of media enterprises". It will also hear at the same time from the Office of Fair Trading about the competition issues raised by the transaction, which took place in November last year. Sky said its shareholding in ITV had "no bearing on the considerations of the public-interest test relating specifically to media plurality. Indeed, when parliament debated the 2003 Communications Act, it expressly considered that plurality would be protected if Sky were to own no more than 20 per cent of ITV."
Sky defended its record since it was founded in 1989. "In its short history, Sky has fundamentally increased choice for viewers, consistently pioneered innovations, invested in and developed quality on-screen content, and is now challenging incumbent telecom and cable providers with lower-cost broadband and phone services. Sky makes a significant contribution to plurality in the highly competitive media sector."
The BBC Trust has given provisional approval to the corporation's long-awaited plans for a Freesat service that would offer free digital television by satellite. The trust said the service would "create significant public value" by offering a new way of accessing digital TV services.
BBC managers have drawn up plans for a Freesat service to be run as a joint venture with other public service broadcasters. The BBC is eager to expand access following criticism that while all licence fee payers fund its digital services, not all of them can receive them without paying a subscription to satellite or cable.
At the moment Freeview, the digital terrestrial service that does not require subscription, reaches only three-quarters of UK homes, though its penetration will increase as digital transmission signals are strengthened in coming years.
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Google video adsGoogle is working with media companies including Condé Nast, Sony BMG Music Entertainment and other large content companies to syndicate their video content on other Web sites.
The videos will appear inside Google ad boxes on sites that are relevant to the content of the videos, with advertisements running during or after the content. Google intend to share the ad revenue with the video provider and with the sites that show the videos.
Spectrum merge with Value Partners
The l media and communications consultancy Spectrum Strategy Consultants is to merge with Italian-based Value Partners. Based in London, Spectrum will join with the much larger Milan-based company.
Spectrum, which employs around 100 people, was founded in 1994 by Janice Hughes and consultant Kip Meek. Spectrum clients include the BBC, Discovery, NBC, Vodafone, Nokia, Siemens and France Telecom.
Value Partners, founded in 1993, has grown from 15 to 3,000 people and had revenue of E370m in 2006. It has a strong presence in China, and Latin America.
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Spaniards turn away from interactive DTT
From David Del Valle in MadridThe latest results regarding the acquisition of DTT boxes in the country prove that Spaniards are not interested in interactive DTT services. In the last quarter of 2006, 437,000 DTT devices (external boxes, integrated DTT TV sets, PC-enabled DTT cards) were sold in the country, but only 514 were MHP ready, according to DTT Association, Impulsa TDT. The main reason seems to be that MHP boxes are more expensive, costing from E120, and there is a lack of information about interactive services.
Overall, there are more than 3.3 million DTT boxes in the market, of which most of them, 2.7 million, were sold in 2006. 45 per cent of sales are integrated DTT TV sets or PC-enabled DTT cards. DTT represents 4.5 per cent of TV audience in the country.
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Emap Advertising has appointed Bruce Daisley as digital sales director, with responsibility for the group's digital advertising strategy across online, mobile, IPTV and VoD platforms. Daisley will head up a 20-strong digital sales team and also work across the senior teams at Emap Advertising and Emap Consumer Media's digital arm, Emap Performance.
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Apple will delay the release of its AppleTV set-top box product until mid-March. AppleTV had originally been scheduled to be shipped in February, but according to Apple: "Wrapping up AppleTV is taking a few weeks longer than we projected." No other reason was given.
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China Satellite Mobile selects CMB SatelliteChina Satellite Mobile Broadcast, a company held under Wireless Bureau of China's State Administration of Radio, Film, and TV (SARFT), has selected China Mobile Broadcasting Satellite, a Hong Kong-based affiliate of EchoStar Communications Corporation (DISH), as the primary provider of S-band satellite capacity for China's mobile video project.
Li Zhi, Chairman of CSM and Director General of SARFT's Administrative Bureau of Radio Stations said, "China will launch a mobile video solution before the Beijing 2008 Olympics."
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Rose for Disney InternetWalt Disney has named Cindy Rose as the new head of its European, Middle East and African Internet operation. Rose will oversee the rollout of the new Disney.com social networking-meets-entertainment portal across the main European markets over the next 18 months.
Tuesday 27th February
Ofcom to probe Sky ITV purchase
Ericsson bids E1bn+ for Tandberg
Sky E29m profit hit from Virgin loss
EC moves for compatibility
HD transition boosts broadcast industry
XM narrows loss
BitTorrent download service
ADB for ITI and Border States
Etisalat mobile TV service
NDS for Gateway and Kabel BW
Ofcom to probe Sky ITV purchase
The UK Secretary of State for Industry has decided to order a preliminary Ofcom investigation into Sky’s purchase of an 18 per cent stake in ITV. Ofcom must report to the minister, Alistair Darling, by April 27 on whether the deal "raises public interest concerns about the number of different owners of media enterprises." If Ofcom says it does, the matter could then go to the Compeition Commission.
The move is a victory for Virgin Media which has lobbied hard for an investigation claiming the investment in ITV by an associate of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp threatened media plurality in the UK (Sky is 38 per cent owned by News Corp which in turn owns three national UK newspapers).
The ministers decision followed a provisional finding by the Office of Fair Trading on 12 January that a "relevant merger situation" may have been created for the purposes of the Enterprise Act 2002 as a result of BSkyB acquiring "material influence" over ITV.
Sky said that it noted the statement by the Secretary of State regarding "an initial
investigation'" that is made '"without prejudice'" to any subsequent, substantive
decisions, and confirmed that it would continue to engage fully with the DTI, the OFT and Ofcom during the ongoing process.
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Ericsson bids E1bn+ for TandbergSwedish telecoms maker Ericsson has bid SKr9.8bn (E1.05bn) cash for Norway’s Tandberg Television, beating an earlier agreed bid from Arris Group. The offer represents an 18 per cent premium to Tandberg’s average price over the last three months and is 10.4 per cent above the Arris offer.
"IPTV for cable and telecom operators is the biggest networked multimedia opportunity going forward," Ericsson chief executive Carl-Henric Svanberg said. "Ericsson and Tandberg Television is a strong combination with a unique ability to offer complete IPTV [internet protocol television] solutions."
Ericsson said it had already acquired 11.7 per cent of Tandberg shares and had acceptances for its offer from owners of an additional 13 per cent.
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Sky E29m profit hit from Virgin loss
BSkyB has warned that its operating profits could be hit by up to £20m (E29m) if it fails to reach a carriage deal with Virgin Media. Talks between the sides broke down last week after Virgin Media accused BSkyB of "bullying" and "arrogance". The weekend newspapers were full of adverts from each side asking customers to lobby on their behalf.
The current contract ends on February 28th and it looks increasingly likely that Sky will pull channels including Sky One and Sky News then. Virgin claims Sky tried to double the price. Sky denies this and says it has increased spending on original programmes by 68 per cent and was seeking a "fair price which reflects that".Virgin Media said it was confident it could compete with Sky if it did not show Sky One.
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The European Commission has taken an important step towards a single market for next generation wireless devices. The Commission Decision adopted outlines the mandatory conditions for using ultra-wideband (UWB) technology in these next generation wireless devices all across the European Union.
EU Telecoms & Media Commissioner Viviane Reding said, "to benefit our citizens, it is important that we establish a functioning single market for these devices in the European Union. By adopting a harmonising decision, the Commission allows innovators to use this new technology throughout the EU, while ensuring no interference takes place with other wireless users."
With UWB, many electronic devices so far linked by cable, will have a wireless alternative offering the same data rates (up to 480 Mbit/s or the speed of USB wired connections available). The EC says this Decision is a concrete measure implementing the Commission's strategy to make the use of the radio spectrum in the European Union more flexible and more efficient.
The technical conditions in this Decision must be applied within the next six months throughout the EU's 27 Member States.
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HD transition boosts broadcast industryThe global broadcast technology industry is growing from strength to strength with the industry’s trade association, the IABM, reporting supplier confidence at an all time high this quarter according to the results of its latest quarterly IABM Industry Trends Survey.
More than 73 per cent of suppliers reported increased long term confidence levels, a rise of 18 per cent from the Q3 survey and the highest level ever recorded. The main reason cited for supplier optimism is the worldwide transition to HD.
IABM chief executive Roger Crumpton said: "The global transition to HD is picking up momentum as broadcasters and content production companies systematically upgrade their equipment to HD standards, even if they do not plan to broadcast in HD in the immediate future. Our research shows that HD uptake will be fuelled by increased competition between pay TV operators across three platforms: digital cable, satellite direct-to-home (DTH) and IPTV."
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XM Satellite Radio, which is planning to merge with rival Sirius Satellite Radio, said its quarterly loss narrowed as it trimmed costs. The company posted a fourth quarterly loss of $263.2 million, down from a loss of $270.5 million a year earlier. Revenue for XM rose 45 per cent to $257.1 million from $177.1 million.
XM said it added about 1.7 million new net subscribers in 2006 for a total of 7.6 million subscribers.
Former pirate download company BitTorrent has announced a number of content deals it will offer films and TV shows from 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, Lionsgate Entertainment, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Paramount Pictures and Paramount's sister company, MTV Networks.
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ADB for ITI and Border StatesSupplier of digital TV systems and software solutions for interactive television Advanced Digital Broadcast (ADB) has commenced deliveries of advanced, high definition digital set-top boxes to Polish media and entertainment group ITI. The unit is the first single-chip, HD, advanced digital set-top box with DVB-S2 and Advanced Video Coding (AVC) to be launched in Poland.
ADB has also signed a distribution agreement with Border States, supplier of products and services to the data communications sector in North America. The agreement relates to the distribution of IPTV set-top boxes which will be specifically targeted at the Independent Operating Companies (IOCs) in the telecommunications sector.
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Etisalat mobile TV serviceEmirates telecom Etisalat has launched a new mobile TV service for GSM post-paid and Wasel prepaid customers, which allows mobile users with 3G enabled handsets to watch news, sport and entertainment channels live on their phones. The channels offered in the first phase of the service include: Abu Dhabi Sports Channel, Abu Dhabi TV, Dubai Sports, Al Arabiya TV, BBC World, CNBC Arabiya, Emirates, MBC1, Al Jazeera Al Jazeera International and Sama Dubai.
NDS for Gateway and Kabel BWNDS has confirmed that German cable operator Kabel BW has chosen to protect its digital cable offering with NDS VideoGuard. The decision to switch its conditional access system to NDS VideoGuard is a cornerstone of Kabel BW’s strategy to operate and further develop a fully independent technical platform for its digital pay-TV offering.
NDS VideoGuard has also been selected by Gateway, provider of communications services to telecommunications operators and corporations in Africa. Under the agreement NDS will deploy a full end-to-end security system for GTV, its newly created African-focused, subscription-based satellite TV service that will deliver digital pay-TV services across Sub-Saharan Africa.
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Monday 26th February
Sky One off Virgin
Google "piracy top priority"
CBS extracts cable fees
News buys SDC
US TV ads e-booking
PTC to launch IPTV trials by end of month
France leads European HDTV
South Africa digital in 2008
Spain's DTT channel Veo reshuffles its content
Providence acquires CanalDigitaal and TV Vlaanderen
Gateway to rival Naspers
ONDAS help set Standards for Digital Radio
Sky One off VirginThe melodrama of the Sky versus Virgin Media negotiations for carriage of Sky basic channels continues as talks breakdown in acrimony. Steve Burch, CEO of Vigin Media, went on national radio to accuse BSkyB of "bullying" and "arrogance".
BSkyB responded that it was "surprised and disappointed" by the comments, and said it stood for "choice and competition. Sky has negotiated with NTL/Virgin in good faith and has shown flexibility on price. We categorically reject their claims that we have broken off negotiations or that we are seeking to more than double the price of these channels."
Virgin Media is to drop the Sky Basics TV package, which includes Sky Travel and Sky Sports News as well as Sky One, after Sky raised the fees it charged the cable firm. The current contract comes to an end this week.
When Virgin first refused to pay the new asking price, Sky retaliated by showing adverts urging cable TV customers to contact Virgin Media's customer service helpline and demand the cable TV operator show Sky One.
Burch told the BBC: "We frankly believe they never had an intent to reach an agreement with us. All their actions - advertising, bullying tactics claiming we didn't care about Sky's basic package - and the price they asked was just so far out of reality, we just believe it was engineered so we wouldn't reach an agreement. They not only rejected [our best offer] but indicated they were not going to go further with negotiations even though the contract didn't expire until next week. And they indicated to us that they had planned a PR campaign to show we wouldn't be carrying Sky Basics any more."
"We've been going out and signing deals with HBO, Buena Vista and Channel Four for TV shows and video on demand which will more than replace the loss of Sky One," said Burch. "We just weren't going to pay a ridiculous price that would have to be passed on to our customers."
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Google, stung by a media industry backlash over YouTube, will soon offer anti-piracy technologies to help all copyright holders block unauthorized video sharing, its chief executive has vowed. "We are definitely committed to (offering copyright protection technologies)," Eric Schmidt said, "it is one of the company's highest priorities… It is going to roll out very soon."
To date, the tools are only being offered as part of broader licensing talks. Schmidt said Google plans to make video anti-piracy tools generally available to copyright owners. "We have to do that," he said, but cautioned that, "It takes a while to roll this stuff out" on a wide basis.
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CBS extracts cable feesIn a move that could have implications for broadcast and cable television industries, the CBS announced it had concluded a series of agreements with cable operators that would generate a new stream of revenue for the network.
CBS called the deals, in which cable systems will compensate the network for the right to carry its programmes, "a major milestone" that could result in broadcasters’ achieving a long-held goal of creating a regular source of revenue beyond advertising.
Other broadcasters were more cautious, saying that since the deals were only with smaller cable systems at this stage, the crucial test was whether a big cable operator will pay cash to carry the content of broadcast stations.
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Interactive Media, the unit of News Corporation that operates the Web site MySpace, said it had acquired the Strategic Data Corporation, an advertising technology company based to help increase revenue from the networking site.
Fox Interactive plans to use Strategic Data’s ad systems to decide which ads should be shown to which visitors, hoping to induce more people to click on the ads. About 54 million people visited MySpace last month, generating about 28.9 billion page views.
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US TV ads e-bookingThe Television Bureau of Advertising, an industry advocate for local TV, is set to build a multimillion-dollar electronic system to enable media agencies to buy airtime without the need for paper invoices. The bureau has enlisted the National Association of Broadcasters to help fund the venture to the tune of "multimillions of dollars." The new open-standard electronic transaction service is aimed at drastically reducing the number of man hours spent on rectifying problems with orders. The hope is that by making it easier to buy local TV more ad dollars will flow there.
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PTC to launch IPTV trials by end of month
From Branislav Pekic in Rome
Portugal’s PT Comunicações (PTC) will launch a test pilot of an IPTV service with 100 PT employees at the end of February, which should be extended to 5,000 users in Lisbon, Porto and Castelo Branco in May/June.According to PTC president, Rodrigo Costa, the TV via the fixed network project could become a reality in the second half of this year, depending on the sucess of the tests. He revealed that PTC’s offer would initially include 100 channels, some broadcasting in HDTV, as well as an "online videoclub" and "fast zapping".
PTC is aiming for 40 per cent nationwide coverage during 2007, especially the North, Central Coast and Algarve regions), while the entire country would be covered by 2008. The IPTV offer will require at least an 8 Mbps connection to the Sapo ADSL service.
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France's new ‘TV of the Future’ law has taken an important step towards high definition television (HDTV) on the digital terrestrial television (DTT) platform by allocating capacity for HD channels and mandating HD tuners in HD-Ready TV sets, according to Strategy Analytics.
According to its report, the decisions made in France will put increased pressure on other European countries to accelerate their own policies towards HD on DTT platforms."Most other European countries are still at the discussion stage regarding the introduction of HDTV on their DTT platforms," notes David Mercer, Principal Analyst at Strategy Analytics. "France has taken an important lead by allocating the capacity for HDTV and ensuring that future HDTVs will be able to receive these new channels. The industry will be satisfied that France has set clear policy goals on these important issues."
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South Africa will switch from analogue to digital broadcasting from November 2008, Government communications head Themba Maseko has revealed. Maseko told a media briefing "that the digital signal be switched on, on the 1st November 2008, and that the analogue signal be switched off on 1st November 2011, thus, allowing a three-year period of dual illumination."
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Spain's DTT channel Veo reshuffles its content
From David Del Valle in MadridFollowing the recent Government criticism of DTT networks for poor content, Veo TV has reorganised its content adding new programmes and genres to its entertainment programming. The channel plans to dedicate 75 per cent of its programming to original content, never before broadcast in Spain, relying on foreign programmes from Australia, Canada, France, UK and US, among others.
In 2005, the channel signed an output deal with Sony Entertainment TV to broadcast its US series channel through its second DTT channel. Eduardo Sanchez Illana, General Director of Veo TV, has high hopes for DTT this year and estimates that DTT will reach a penetration of 40 per cent, from the current 15 per cent.
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Providence acquires CanalDigitaal and TV Vlaanderen
CanalDigitaal and TV Vlaanderen, the Dutch and Flemish DTH satellite TV operators, have confirmed that Providence Equity Partners will acquire a majority stake in the companies. Airbridge Investments, currently the 100 per cent owner of the companies, will co-invest alongside Providence and will hold the remaining shares together with management.
CanalDigitaal will continue its expansion in the Dutch market for TV distribution, and the start up TV Vlaanderen will continue its successful rollout in the Flemish market. The transaction is subject to the approval of the Netherlands Competition Authority (NMa).
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London-based Gateway Communications plans to launch a low-cost African pay-TV satellite service to spur demand on the poorest continent and rival Naspers' MultiChoice.
The company said it would start launching GTV across sub-Saharan Africa - although probably not in the more developed market of South Africa - in mid 2007, targeting customers who could not afford MultiChoice.
Gateway, which provides satellite and telecom services in Africa, will launch GTV in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda in East Africa and Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi in the South, vowing to offer local content made for Africans with a focus on sport.
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ONDAS help set Standards for Digital Radio
Satellite media company ONDAS Media has confirmed that the European Technical Standards Institute (ETSI) has approved and published the SES SDR standard for satellite digital radio services in Europe. The standard, which has been developed by the ETSI Satellite Earth Stations & Systems – Satellite Digital Radio (SES-SDR) Workgroup and which includes organisations such as ONDAS Media, Delphi Electronics & Safety, Fraunhofer IIS and Kenwood Electronics, has been completed following an intensive, two year coordination."The completion and publication of the ETSI SES-SDR standard for satellite digital radio now provides the essential information that allows the design and manufacture of SDR radio receivers to a common standard that will be interoperable across Europe," explains Celso Azevedo, CEO of ONDAS Media. "Due to the challenges and time required to coordinate such a standard with all the parties involved, final approval of the standard represents a significant milestone towards the pan-European adoption of digital satellite radio."
