|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Scroll down page or click below for news - latest first
Tuesday
Friday 12th January
Karmazin: radio merger makes sense
BBC: £350m for web
RAI to be controlled by a Foundation
CBS faith in digital distribution
iPhone my phone, says Cisco
UK broadband: 13m+
Changes at the top of Iliad
Spain’s TVC first to go HD
Digital push targets vulnerable groups
Scramble for exclusive UK iPhone deal
Karmazin: radio merger makes sense
Mel Karmazin, the chief executive of Sirius Satellite Radio, has explicitly told investors that he would be open to a combination with XM Satellite Radio, stating that a merger could be in the best interests of both companies.
"One way you can create shareholder value is through consolidation, particularly in a fragmented industry like radio. Conceptually a deal makes sense and you could add value from synergies." Speculation about a possible deal has boosted the stock prices of both companies in recent weeks. Both companies have continued to lose money despite strong revenue and subscriber growth.
Sirius recently announced that it had surpassed the six million-subscriber mark and that ‘shock jock’ Howard Stern received a $82.9 million bonus in Sirius stock. That's on top of the five-year, $500 million deal Stern signed in 2004 to join Sirius.
Commenting on the market, Karmazin conceded that XM is a tough rival and that traditional radio companies also present a challenge. But he dismissed concerns that radio would be supplanted by iPods or other mobile music devices."I remember when people first put an 8-track in the car and people said that nobody would listen to radio."
Back to top
The BBC is said to be planning a £350m (E507m) fund to expand its web operation into social networking and international acquisitions. Rather than using the license fee directly to move on to commercial territory, the corporation will use part of its borrowing facility via BBC Worldwide.
The plan is to increase its presence in the social networking world with a series of new sites based on its favourite brands in motoring, gardening, home improvement, etc, reports the Guardian.
BBC Worldwide chief executive, John Smith, said that while the teenage social networking market was nearing capacity, the BBC's magazines showed there is an appetite for internet communities based around the corporation's top shows.
Back to top
RAI to be controlled by a Foundation
From Branislav Pekic RomeA Foundation will become the majority shareholder of the future RAI, in order to avoid direct control by the Italian government. That is the main point of the guidelines for the reform of RAI presented on January 10 by Italy’s Communications Minister Paolo Gentiloni.
The Foundation will guarantee autonomy of government, represent the citizens-viewers, defend the company’s independence, defines the statutes of RAI and nominate the top management. The minister proposed that the Board of Directors be composed of seven members, with candidates screened by Parliament. The Board will have a six-year mandate, a third being renewed every two years. Another idea is that the Board will be appointed by other institutions as well, such as Regions, Universities, and trade unions: in that case the number of members would be bigger.
Gentiloni will carry out a public consultation by the end of February, after which a government bill on the RAI reforms will be examined by Parliament.
Back to top
CBS faith in digital distribution
New ways to distribute shows and clips will help CBS better connect with communities of viewers, CEO Les Moonves told CES. Encouraged by early signs of success from a deal to make some of its video clips available on YouTube, he said the once-closely guarded business of creating and distributing movies, shows and music is making way for more partnerships with the technology industry.
To illustrate the point, Moonves shared the stage with YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley, Blake Krikorian, chief executive of TV gadget maker Sling Media, and Linden Lab CEO Philip Rosedale, who runs online virtual world Second Life, rather then the usual cast of Hollywood or TV stars.
CBS said it has struck a deal to test a new service from Sling called Clip + Sling, which lets users of a new device, the SlingCatcher, save short segments of a live broadcast of a show and send them to friends. The TV network-owner also plans to build a Star Trek-themed area in Second Life to distribute content more broadly.
Back to top
Cisco has filed suit against Apple for using the name iPhone. Cisco said it has owned the trademark on the word iPhone since 2000, when it acquired InfoGear Technology Corp., which originally registered it as a trademark. Linksys, a Cisco unit, uses it on a family of phones that use VOIP. A few weeks ago, Linksys introduced seven iPhone products, ranging in price between $80 and $370.
Apple’s Steve Dowling called the lawsuit "silly," adding there are several companies using the term iPhone for VOIP products, and Cisco's trademark is "tenuous at best." And Cisco Senior Vice President and General Counsel Mark Chandler implied there would still be a settlement saying the two sides seemed to be headed toward an agreement that would allow for "differentiation" between Cisco's iPhone product and Apple's, as well as some way to make it possible for the two products to work together.
UK broadband: 13m+
The number of broadband lines in the UK reached 13.1 million by the end of 2006 by adding more than 3.1 million new lines in the year.
BroadBand User Survey, which interviewed over 6000 people in December 2006, projects there are at least 2.5 million more potential customers who are 'very' or 'fairly' likely to shift to broadband in the first half of 2007 in the UK.
Back to top
Changes at the top of Iliad
From Sotires Eleftheriou in ParisA number of new appointments took effect this week at Iliad, the parent company of the French triple play ISP Free. Jean-Louis Missika became the Vice President of the group’s board. Missika is a well-known commentator and consultant on the television industry and professor of sociology of the media. He will supervise the group’s communication with the aim of making its strategy better known to local politicians and the press and will also coordinate with audience measuring companies.
Patrick Fouquerière has taken up his post of Iliad’s Director of relations with suppliers. He will be in charge of negotiating with the group’s suppliers and supervise the group’s trading with them. Fouquerière has previously worked for Belgacom France, and GTS-Omnicom. He joined Onetel in 2001. When Onetel was acquired by Iliad in December 2001 Fouquerière took charge of the group’s relations with local authorities and the deployment of optical fibre.
Ghazi Rohani, a former barrister, became the group’s General Secretary. Finally, Shahriar Tadjbakhsh resigned from his seat on the board, which he has held since March 2003.
Spain’s TVC first to go HD
From David Del Valle in MadridRegional TV network Televisio de Catalunya (TVC) has announced plans to broadcast in High Definition before the end of this year, becoming the first Spanish HDTV network. The company will dedicate two of its eight DTT channels to High Definition. TVC will also strengthen its interactive services through DTT and boost the use of Internet through its channels.
Back to top
Digital push targets vulnerable groupsDigital UK, the licence fee-funded body charged with delivering the Government's switchover strategy, has restructured its marketing department and is dedicating £20m (E29m) to raising awareness among the UK's most vulnerable groups. The new £20m ad budget, to be spent across the switchover period from 2008 to 2012, has been created on top of the £200m marketing spend already committed to advertising the digital switchover.
Back to top
Scramble for exclusive UK iPhone dealMobile phone operators are said to be battling for the exclusive rights to Apple’s new iPhone in the UK. Telefónica, O2’s Spanish owner, is understood to have held preliminary talks with Steve Jobs, Apple’s chief executive, about a potential tie-up in Britain and Europe. O2, Vodafone, Orange and T-Mobile are all contenders for the contract.
Back to top
Thursday 11th January
Apple unveils iPhone and Apple TV
Yahoo TV on Akimbo
MPA: Google should work on China piracy
Spain´s Sogecable launches Inbox
20,000+ orders for Bluewin TV
FA aims to net £400m in TV rights
HDTVs go beyond living room
COMVIE opts for Latens FCAS IPTV Security
Apple unveils iPhone and Apple TVApple Computer CEO Steve Jobs has unveiled a new mobile phone and a set-top box that allows users to stream video from their computers to their televisions. Jobs claimed the new iPhone would ‘reinvent’ the telecoms sector and ‘leapfrog’ past the current generation of ‘hard-to-use’ smart phones.
iPhone will play videos offered through the iTunes store and features a Safari web browser. The handset will have a 4GB memory and cost $499 ($100 more and a two year network contract will get you 8GB) and will operate on the Cingular Wireless network in the US from June. It should be available in Europe by October.
The video box, known as Apple TV, is designed for users to watch downloaded movies on television. Apple TV has a 40GB hard drive to store up to 50 hours of video, 9,000 songs, 25,000 photos or a combination of each and is capable of delivering high-definition 720p output. Using high-speed wireless connection, Apple TV can auto-sync content from one computer or stream content from up to five additional computers directly to a television set. Apple TV is set to ship from February.
Speaking at the company’s Macworld event in San Francisco, Jobs said the firm would be known simply as "Apple" from now on, with ‘Compute’ dropped to emphasise its role in consumer electronics.
The iPhone name is currently owned by Cisco, which said it expected to reach an agreement with Apple over the trademark. The two firms have been in talks and Cisco spokeswoman said they expect a deal to be struck imminently.
Back to top
Yahoo TV on AkimboAkimbo, the Internet video-on-demand service for TV, announced that it is working with Yahoo! to bring Internet video directly to the TV. Akimbo subscribers will be able to browse a selection of popular videos updated regularly from the Yahoo! Video service, access titles for free and watch them on TV whenever they want.
Yahoo! hosts and serves hundreds of millions of music, news, sports, movies, and television videos per month. Yahoo! Video combines these assets with content from across the Internet, enabling users to determine what videos are most important to them. The Akimbo Service features more than 14,000 movies, TV series and unique shows from over 200 content partners for watching on-demand on television.
Back to top
MPA: Google should work on China piracyGoogle should urge its Chinese partner to prevent users from downloading pirated videos, the Motion Picture Association has said.
Shenzhen Xunlei Network Technology, in which Google has puchased a stake, provides software that can be used to download pirated films. Google is counting on Xunlei's 120 million users to help it gain share in the world's second-largest Internet market.Internet piracy resulted in $2.3 billion of losses worldwide for the film industry in 2005, according to the Motion Picture Association.
Spain´s Sogecable launches Inbox
From David Del Valle in Madrid
The pay-TV group, Sogecable, owner of digital DTH platform Digital Plus and commercial TV channel Cuatro, has launched the Inbox that will allow viewers to interact via mobile phones with Cuatro's programmes and provides access to games, ring tones, screen pads and other interactive content. Sogecable is promoting the new service with the slogan "look, listen and participate". Inbox will offer viewers an SMS number to send messages to and take part in the TV programmes.
Back to top
20,000+ orders for Bluewin TVTwo months after launch more than 20,000 customers have signed up for Bluewin TV. The new television offering from Swisscom has exceeded its original target and successfully installed in over 10,000 households. Installations are currently running at over 1,500 a week.
Bluewin TV currently offers 100-plus television channels , 70-plus radio channels, 500-plus top films (on demand), live sports coverage and up to 30 Teleclub channels.
Back to top
FA aims to net £400m in TV rights
An auction for television rights to the FA Cup and England home football internationals next month is expected to raise more than the existing £80 million-a-year (E116m) deal.
The rights are being sold by the Football Association, which hopes that competition among broadcasters and growing audiences will generate more than £400 million in the four years after summer 2008.
While High Definition TVs (HDTVs) continue to be primarily purchased as replacements for the main home TV, new findings from The Diffusion Group suggest that the advanced TV sets are increasingly finding their ways into other rooms of US homes. Among broadband households in particular, approximately 40 per cent of HDTVs now reside in rooms other than the primary family or living room.
Back to top
COMVIE opts for Latens FCAS IPTV SecurityLatens Systems, provider of IPTV Conditional Access, has been selected by Norway’s COMVIE to provide Conditional Access security for its IPTV service launching in early 2007. Latens FCAS will integrate with COMVIE’s existing IPTV infrastructure, including a TANDBERG Television IPTV headend and Motorola’s Kreatel 1920 set-top boxes. FCAS will protect services in both MPEG-2 and MPEG-4.
Wednesday 10th January
Vcast TV with MediaFlo
Net TVs: 162m by 2011
Ergen ‘merger is a maybe’
DirectTV: 100 HD channels, and portable
Motorola ‘sling STB’
YouTube offline?
Paramount for iTunes
Google biggest UK brand
US HD DVD forecasts
Disney; mass games online
Spain eyes International TV market
Endemol to acquire French unit
Vcast TV with MediaFloVerizon Wireless, the second largest US mobile carrier, is launching an eight channel live television service to its mobile phone subscribers using Qualcomm’s Mediaflo.
It hasn’t said how much it will charge for the service, which will initially be available on two new handsets, one from LG Electronics, the other from Samsung. Verizon said it would be "affordable" and it was confident that there would be demand for the new 24-hour TV service, which will include full-length programmes from networks including MTV, CBS, Fox and NBC.
Verizon also announced upgrades to Verizon’s fibre optic-based FiosTV service, including a new online programme guide and search features.
Back to top
The Diffusion Group's latest report on IP media says the number of broadband-enabled TVs is expected to exceed 162 million households globally by 2011.
Colin Dixon, senior analyst and author of the report said: "As the Internet finds its way to the primary home TV - and it will - incumbent PayTV operators and established broadcasters will gradually lose control over the types of video consumers can watch. In the next few years, a growing number of consumers will look to the Internet as a means of expanding the variety of content to which they have access, much of which will be available on-demand and specifically suited to their tastes."
Back to top
Speaking of the recent asset swap settlement that saw John Malone’s Liberty takeover DirecTV from News Corp, Echostar chief Charlie Ergen said: "I think it was a smart move between two smart CEOs, and I think it says a lot about satellite with Dr. Malone willing to give up his assets to get back in the game. The move reflects well on the satellite business. It's more strategic and it gives us chances to do things together."
Asked directly about merger Ergen said "We'll have to wait and see what the industry looks like at the end of 2007 when (the Liberty/DIRECTV) deal gets completed." He said the two satellite companies "should" work together on projects that save money - like on backhaul expenses and satellite launches.
Back to top
DirectTV: 100 HD channels, and portable
DirecTV is on track to launch over 100 channels of HD this year, president and CEO Chase Carey told CES in Las Vegas. "Really, it’s all the channels you watch today in standard-def," says Carey.
DirecTV also unveiled its new portable DirecTV combination receiver/display system called "Sat-to-Go," which will allow subscribers to view DirecTV programming while travelling. The unit is slightly bigger than a briefcase and includes a DirecTV antenna along with a built-in a 17-inch LCD monitor and receiver unit. The units will be pitched to DirecTV’s "best customers" beginning this spring, says Eric Shanks, EVP of DirecTV Entertainment.
Back to top
Motorola ‘sling STB’Motorola said it is developing set top boxes that can send home television to phones. "I think last year was cool devices. This year it's cool experiences," Chief Executive Ed Zander saidat the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. "Making all that technology come out of the box is what we need to do," he said.
In his keynote speech earlier in the day Zander had unveiled plans to put Microsoft's Windows Media digital rights management in a music playing phone model in the first half of this year, with other models to follow.
Back to top
YouTube is considering bundling some of its videos and distributing them offline, including on television, the company said at the Consumer Electronics Show. "We're looking at the options," said Kevin Donahue, vice president of content for YouTube, told WSJ.
The company also is developing a "Claim Your Content" initiative that would make it easier for rights holders to control their video properties. It would allow a range of options, including blocking content or charging for it.
Apple plans to start selling Paramount titles on its iTunes service, according to US press. For the moment, the deal will only cover Paramount's back catalogue. The deal is important for Paramount's parent, Viacom, which has come under attack for its lack of digital vision.
Meanwhile it is believed Apple will announce its iPhone at its Mac World event this week in San Francisco.
Back to top
Google was most popular brand in the UK for the first time last year according to the survey by Millward Brown launched in 1998 The search engine spent just £1.4m (E2m) on advertising in the UK last year - nearly all of it online - according to Nielsen Media Research. This compares with £40m by second-ranked Microsoft.
A second study by Millward Brown of brands perceived to be growing in popularity fastest over the course of 2006 also ranked Google number one, with MySpace as a new entry in sixth place.
Back to top
The North American HD DVD Promotional Group says there are estimated to be more than 175,000 HD DVD players now sold in the US. The group forecasts an install base of more than 2.5 million players by the end of 2007 and that movie title sales will exceed $600 million 2007.
Back to top
Disney sees launching more online ‘massively multiplayer’ games as part of a strategy to entertain kids wherever they go, Chief Executive Bob Iger says. "We plan to build more virtual worlds like "Pirates" based on a broad range of our properties," Iger said referring to a Web game based on its "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies. Thousands of people can play on the Web at once in massively multiplayer online games, or MMOs.
Back to top
Spain eyes International TV market
From David Del Valle in MadridSpanish TV group Imagina, formed from production companies Grupo Arbol and Mediapro, has set up Imagina International Sales to distribute to the International TV market.
The new company aims to make an impact in the International TV market with content mainly from Spanish producers such as Globomedia and Mediapro (shareholders in Spanish channel La Sexta), Mercuri, Ovideo and Media 3:14, among others.
Imagina International has a library of more than 130 productions totalling almost 3,000 hours.
Back to top
Endemol to acquire French unit
Endemol has reached an agreement with Telefónica on the acquisition of Endemol France. Endemol intends to acquire Endemol France for up to E450 million.
Back to top
Tuesday 9th January
Gates takes web to TV
CEA: CE revenue will surpass $155b
Sony readies for IPTV
Nokia: 40m media phones
XM growth slows
Vivendi expects TV merger to triple profits
NTT wants Super 3G
Ofcom revokes Look4Love
US group plans Bollywood piracy probe
MediaFLO adds FOX to mobile service
Crown Castle live mobile TV beta service
Movistar and Endemol in a mobile TV deal
In his traditional opening address of CES, Microsoft chair Bill Gates unveiled that in 07 the Xbox 360 will double as an IPTV STB. Alongside he detailed programming deals with the likes of Nickelodeon, Showtime and Starz Networks with its Vongo pay movie service.
These agreements could foreshadow a shift by TV networks to use the web as a way to distribute their programming to TV, a potential danger for other distributors like cable and satellite.
Gates also unveiled a new product in conjunction with HP which lets people store all their data on a central device and access from any number of Windows-connected products. The Windows Home Server is a storage system that can hold more than one terabyte of data.He also confirmed that next year would see his last keynote speech at CES as he steps down as head of Microsoft.
Back to top
CEA: CE revenue will surpass $155b
Factory gate sales of consumer electronics are projected to exceed $155 billion in 2007, or seven per cent growth, according to the industry forecast by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA). "The consumer electronics industry has outdone itself once again, with revenues totalling $145 billion in 2006, and we're on track for another year of healthy growth," said CEA President and CEO Gary Shapiro.
Todd Thibodeaux, CEA's senior vice president of industry relations, said the display category will continue to fuel industry growth in 2007. "The TV market is setting all-time revenue records. CRT-based sets are giving way to flat panel displays. The successful ongoing transition to digital television is driving demand in this market space."
Back to top
Sony readies for IPTVSony Corp said it would now enable most of its new televisions, including HD, to play video from the Internet. Talking at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, it said the drive to converge Internet and other digital video with traditional devices was key for its four strategic growth areas: video gaming, digital imaging, high definition and mobile products.
Starting earlyin 07, Sony will equip its TVs with an attachable module that can stream broadband high-definition and other Internet video content such as programmes with the push of a remote control button. Sony also introduced an icon-based user interface, called Xross Media Bar, that is similar to a system already found on its PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable gaming devices.
Back to top
Nokia said it had sold close to 40 million multimedia phones in 2006 and nearly 70 million music phones. It said the total multimedia phone market was 90 million units in 2006, and is expected to grow to 250 million units in 2008.
Back to top
XM Satellite Radio Holdings said it ended 2006 with more than 7.6 million subscribers, falling short of its target because of low retail demand. It said a year ago it had hoped to top nine million users in 2006 but eventually trimmed that estimate to 7.9 million subscribers. In the fourth quarter, XM added some 442,000 new net customers, less than half of its increase of nearly 900,000 in the same period in 2005.
"XM completed another year of significant subscriber growth, despite retail softness, and did so with continued cost controls" Hugh Panero, XM's chief executive, said.
Earlier this week, Sirius, which launched its service about one year after XM, said it ended 2006 with 6.024 million subscribers and achieved its first quarter of positive free cash flow in the fourth quarter.
Both companies are expected to introduce new retail products that could spur consumer interest. Significant subscriber gains are likely to come from partnerships with automakers, as more and more cars are manufactured with satellite radio built-in.
Rumours persist of possible merger in 07, with Sirius particularly enthusiastic.
Back to top
Vivendi expects TV merger to triple profits
Vivendi is aiming to more than triple the profitability of Canal Plus within the next five years after merging with TPS. The company hopes that the fusion of the two businesses, which took formal effect last week, will reduce the cost of securing the rights to screen Hollywood films andtop sport.
Jean-Bernard Lévy, Vivendi chief executive, said the aim was to increase Canal Plus's operating margin to 20 per cent. In 2005, the pay-TV group made an operating profit of E203m on E3.45bn of turnover, a margin of 5.9 per cent.
Back to top
NTT DoCoMo plans to introduce an upgraded version of its third-generation service, "Super 3G", will boost the speed of mobile data transmission to match that of fibre-optic broadband communications. DoCoMo said it expected to complete development by 2009 and have it commercially available by 2010.
Super 3G would bring the speed of data transmission up to more than 100 megabits a second for downloading and more than 50Mb/s for uploading, compared with up to 384 kilobits a second for current 3G technology, making the new network up to 260 times faster.
In November last year, following the start of number portability, DoCoMo saw its first net decline in subscribers, of 17,500. Introducing Super 3G would, says DoCoMo, allow it to offer advanced services without substantial capital spending. Unlike 4G, which DoCoMo had expected to introduce around 2010, Super 3G would not require replacing the 3G network of base stations.
Back to top
Ofcom has revoked the licence of adult TV channel Look4Love following multiple breaches of its broadcasting code and a failure to pay a £175,000 (E253,000) fine. It is being closed for broadcasting X-rated material unencrypted and repeatedly ignoring previous warnings about its content. The channel is run by Television Concepts, Look4Love is a free-to-air service which broadcasts after 10pm on Sky Digital channel.
Back to top
US group plans Bollywood piracy probeUS Chamber of Commerce is to launch a probe into counterfeiting in India's film industry and hold a global summit in bootleg capital China to highlight intellectual property rights abuses. The two nations are already on the priority watchlist of the US Trade Representative office's annual report of measures taken by countries around the world to protect intellectual property rights.
Chamber chief Thomas Donohue said the three-pronged programme of education, detection and enforcement would include "a study in India to measure the effects of piracy on Bollywood."
Back to top
MediaFLO adds FOX to mobile serviceMediaFLO, subsidiary of QUALCOMM, has confirmed a multi-year license agreement with Fox Mobile Entertainment and Fox Interactive Media that will bring programming from Twentieth Century Fox Television, Fox News Channel and FOX Sports Interactive to MediaFLO USA's new mobile entertainment service.
"Fox Mobile Entertainment, Fox Interactive Media and MediaFLO USA are combining to demonstrate the full potential of mobile media in what promises to be a breakthrough year in the delivery of mobile television services," said Paul Jacobs, chief executive officer, QUALCOMM.
Back to top
Crown Castle live mobile TV beta serviceCrown Castle has cofirmed that its subsidiary, Modeo, has launched a live, commercial quality mobile TV beta service in New York City after more than three years of development. The Modeo service includes live video content from leading network programmers such as Fox News, Discovery Channel and others, as well as streaming audio content from Music Choice, to Modeo Mobile TV Smartphones.
Initial distribution of the Modeo Mobile TV Smartphones to beta programme participants began in the last week of 2006 and will continue throughout the first quarter of 2007.
Back to top
Movistar and Endemol in a mobile TV deal
From David del Valle in MadridTelefonica's mobile company, Movistar, has signed an agreement with Dutch production TV company, Endemol, to launch the TV programme "Get Close to..." through its mobile phones.
Following its success in the UK with the music band The Sugababes, the Spanish version of this reality programme will follow everyday life of the Spanish singer Melendi for six weeks, 24 hours a day. Movistar clients will be able to watch the episodes for E 1 and some of the scenes will be even filmed by the singer. Contents from the programme will be also available on the Internet, www.portalmix.com
Monday 8th January
Mobile digital TV from Samsung
Google buys into China media site
Tiscali talks up demand for TV on-demand
200,000 hanaTV subscribers
Anti-trust probe for Sogecable
EuroNews on Sky Italia
Mobile digital TV from SamsungSamsung Electronics has developed a way to broadcast digital television signals to car screens and to devices such as DVDs, game and music players, with the aim of creating a standard for portable digital television. The company said it is not yet developing commercial products based on the technology, but plans to demonstrate it for the first time at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week.
Samsung said its portable TV technology, known as Advanced Vestigial Sideband, could potentially work on cellphones, but it is focusing initially on car TVs and dedicated media players. "We would like to expand the market by developing TVs that people could carry around with them," it said. "This is a different way to bring portable to the consumer but it's not about the cellphone."
Samsung hopes the technology will become a standard in the first half of 2007. It began its efforts to standardize the technology in December 2005 and has been working with the Advanced Television Systems Committee, which oversees standards for digital television in the United States.
Back to top
Google buys into China media site
Google has invested in Xunlei Networking Technologies, a Chinese multimedia site. Xunlei says it has 120m users who download about 50m files daily from its site, which features a range of video, music, mobile phone ringtone and other content. By comparison YouTube has 70m unique users a month who download 100m videos a day.
China-based venture capital firm Ceyuan Ventures and Fidelity Asia Ventures, an arm of US funds group Fidelity, will also buy stakes in Xunlei. IDG Venture Capital, part of International Data Group, and Morningside Ventures are to increase their existing stakes in Xunlei.
As is common with China’s main portals and peer-to-peer (P2P) websites, Xunlei’s site is cluttered with pop culture content targeted at young people.
Like YouTube, Xunlei has a mainstream as well as some amateur video content. Pictures and video clips range from Asian-style anime to soft-core pornography clips, which can be accessed with Xunlei download software.
Google’s main rival in the country is Baidu.com, which controls well over half the country’s search market, or around three times Google’s share, according to recent industry estimates. China’s web population is around 132m and growing, making it the world’s second-largest.
Back to top
Tiscali talks up demand for TV on-demandDemand for on-demand programming is at a high according to research from ISP Tiscali. In a survey of 1,465 UK adults, 17 per cent said they were already watching on-demand programmes via their television sets, and 63 per cent expressed a preference to watch on-demand content on TVs via a broadband service.
Many were well aware of the disruptive effects of the on-demand revolution, with 25 per cent expecting mainstream broadcasters to struggle against a wave of smaller niche programme-makers. Some 42 per cent of those already viewing video on-demand content actually watched less television and the same percentage believe that in 10 years' time traditional TV scheduling will no longer exist.
Despite providers' focus on premium sports content, the survey showed movies as the top attraction of on-demand services, followed by TV shows, soaps, and sports.
Back to top
Hanaro telecom has achieved 200,000 subscriber sign-ups for its hanaTV service, a Korean TV-Portal service that enables subscribers to watch any content they want on TV at their convenience. With the target to acquire 1 million hanaTV subscribers this year, Hanaro has secured contracts with 150 domestic and foreign content providers including Walt Disney, Sony Pictures, BBC Worldwide and 20th Century Fox.
Back to top
Anti-trust probe for SogecableSpain's SDC anti-trust authority is reviewing the deal between broadcaster Sogecable and production company Mediapro to combine their Primera Liga and Spanish Cup TV rights.
The deal, which puts their rights into holding company Audiovisual Sport, came after Mediapro announced in June that it had secured all TV rights to Barcelona’s league matches from 2006 to 2013 for over E1 billion. It then followed up with a E1.1 billion deal with the Real Madrid for the seven years until the 2012-13 season. Audiovisual Sport holds contracts until 2008.
Under the terms of the Mediapro-Sogecable agreement, Sogecable has a 75 per cent stake in Audiovisual. The SDC has referred the case to a competition tribunal over concerns that Sogecable has effective control of Spanish football television rights as the majority shareholder of Audiovisual.
Back to top
EuroNews on Sky ItaliaSky Italia, Italy's leading pay-TV platform, has confirmed the addition of EuroNews. Nearly 4 million households in Italy subscribing to Sky Italia will now have easy access to EuroNews in all seven language versions.
Back to top
