|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
Scroll down page or click below for news - latest first
Tuesday Friday 6th April
Producers and Google still disagree on YouTube
Autonomy anti-pirate software
Euro PTTs move on TI
Lyons for BBC Trust
CNN digital research team
China wants full opening up of IPTV services
Sky Italia achieves 9.5% audience share
Disco goes green
Disney HD on TW
NBC confirms international expansion
Philippine’s cable piracy rules
Pipex and Nokia Siemens on WiMAX
History Channel from Amsterdam
Producers and Google still disagree on YouTubeVideos removed at the behest of copyright owners accounted for only a small percentage of content on YouTube, according to a study by online video tracking firm Vidmeter.com, which says less than 10 per cent of videos were affected. They say pirated clips that were pulled off YouTube by owners were attracting only 6 percent of viewers.
But media companies complained the study only counted videos that were removed as unauthorised content and not the myriad others, many of them duplicates, that escape attention. The report comes as a $1 billion (E745m) awsuit is filed by Viacom against Google and YouTube.
"We have concluded that unauthorised copyright videos make up a relatively small portion of YouTube's most popular videos and an even smaller portion of views," the report's authors wrote. Viacom called the study's findings and methodology "flawed." Privately, another media industry source also disputed the conclusions.
Back to top
Autonomy Corp. has unveiled software that scours the Web to detect copyrighted video, giving media companies new power to combat illegal uploading of TV programs on sites such as YouTube.
Mike Lynch, Autonomy's chief executive, said the new Automatic Copyright Infringement Detection (ACID) technology could transform the stalemate over how to fight copyright infringement on the Web. Autonomy unveiled its patented software for analyzing massive amounts of video images or associated audio to detect copyright breaches anywhere on the Web.
ACID, which was developed by the Virage video surveillance business that Autonomy acquired in 2003, is software that functions as if millions of people were put to work simultaneously monitoring the exploding amount of video material on the Web. In effect, a broadcaster can turn ACID loose across its channels and create an automated archive of copyrighted programming that can instantly test for Web piracy.
Back to top
France Telecom and Telefonica seem poised to enter the E3 billion battle for a controlling stake in Telecom Italia. The two are reported to be considering individual counteroffers to a combined American-Mexican bid by AT&T and America Movil.
Meanwhile, Ministers in Rome are under growing pressure to come up with a solution to ensure Telecom Italia does not fall into foreign hands . Pirelli sparked the bid battle by announcing it was in talks with AT&T and America Movil about a sale of its 66 per cent stake in the Olimpia holding company. Olimpia has a controlling 18 per cent share in Telecom Italia.
Back to top
Lyons for BBC TrustThe UK government has confirmed that Sir Michael Lyons is to be the new chairman of the BBC Trust. The 57-year-old former market trader and Birmingham city council chief executive emerged as the strongest contender in what was a small field of candidates.
Sir Michael said: "It is a great privilege to be appointed chairman of the BBC Trust. As the BBC's sovereign body, our duty is to ensure the public who pay for the BBC retain overall control of their BBC.
Back to top
CNN International has launched a newly formed global digital research team based in London, to coordinate research across new platforms. The team has been created to measure how audiences are consuming CNN across non-linear devices such as the Internet, mobile and IPTV.
In 2007 CNN is set to see the launch of new CNN IPTV services across Europe and has already seen the re-launch of CNN’s mobile product in Europe, Middle East, Africa and Latin America. Headed by David Webb, a CNN research director since 2005, the digital research team will have global responsibility for CNN’s international products.
Back to top
China wants full opening up of IPTV services
China Telecom’s chief engineer, Wei Leping has called for a full opening up of all IPTV services in China within this year. Although China Telecom is permitted to run IPTV testing networks in Shanghai, Taizhou, Fuzhou, Xiamen, Xi’an and Hanzhong, more than 95 per cent of its 300 local IPTV networks have not been given the go ahead.China Telecom had approximately 190,000 IPTV subscribers at the end of 2006, predominantly in Shanghai. Its rival China Netcom Ltd has also set its sights on acquiring IPTV licences in 2007.
Back to top
Sky Italia achieves 9.5% audience share
From Branislav Pekic in RomeAs of April 1, Italian research outfit Auditel has started publishing ratings data for the 130 satellite TV channels carried on the pay-TV platform Sky Italia that currently has over four million subscribers.
Figures for the first day reveal that one million Italians tuned into a Sky channel (a 9.49 per cent share), while around 2 million (7.78 per cent) watched at least one of the channels during prime time (20.30-22.30). However, Sunday is an exceptional day for viewing figures as Italian league football is the main attraction, followed by movies. The major surprise is the performance of the Fox channels: one out of five subscribers watched Fox, FoxLife, FoxCrime, FX, Cult, NationalGeographic Channel, History Channel or Adventure One. They were followed by Sky Cinema and RaiSat channels.
Over the past month, "CSI" (in its seventh season on Fox Crime) was the most watched TV series on pay-TV, registering around 450.000 viewers. Another surprise performance is that of all-news channel Sky TG24. Although the average daily viewing figures are low (14,000 viewers), the contacts (the number of persons tuning-in at least for a minute) are 1,473,000.
Back to top
Disco goes green
As part of a $50 million (E37m) eco-focused initiative called PlanetGreen, Discovery Communications will rebrand the Discovery Home Channel in 2008 as a network about leading an environmentally conscious life.The earth-focused network will be headed by Eileen O'Neill, former General Manager of the Discovery Health Channel. Programming topics will likely include eco-design, organic food and "green" architecture. The company plans to partner with environmental groups, such as The Nature Conservancy and Treehugger.com to produce some of its earth-focused programmes.
The goal in launching PlanetGreen, according to Discovery CEO David Zaslav, is "to use Discovery's worldwide credibility to be the most comprehensive and trusted global resource for celebrating, preserving and protecting the planet."
Back to top
Disney HD on TW
Disney and Time Warner Cable reached distribution agreements that will include the launch of new Disney high-definition channels on Time Warner Cable's system.The cable company will carry sports channels ESPN2 HD and ESPNU later this year. Some systems will also offer Disney Channel on Demand and ESPN Desportes. Time Warner Cable, which has 13.4 million subscribers, also agreed to carry three new high-definition channels -- ABC Family HD, Disney Channel HD and ESPNEWS HD -- in 2008.
Back to top
NBC confirms international expansionNBC Universal plans to launch 20 TV channels across Europe, Asia and Latin America in a drive to more than double broadcasting revenue outside the United States over the next two to three years. NBC said that existing channels, such as Sci-Fi and 13th Street, would be launched in new markets including Portugal, Hungary, Russia and India to more than double the number of local channels to 32, and reach 58 countries.
Back to top
Philippine’s cable piracy rulesThe Philippine Intellectual Property Office (IPO) and the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) have implemented rules and regulations that address cases filed against local operators suspected of cable TV signal piracy. The offended party may directly file a complaint against cable operators with IPO for violations of IP rights.
The complainant may also opt to file first with the NTC, which exercises jurisdiction over all administrative cases involving violation of permits, issue of licenses and authority to operate radio and television broadcasts including cable TV. If the NTC determines that the case is an IPR violation, it shall endorse the complaint to IPO for appropriate action.
Back to top
Pipex and Nokia Siemens on WiMAXPipex Wireless and Nokia Siemens Networks have agreed to co-operate on WiMAX infrastructure and service development to expand the availability of commercial WiMAX services in the UK.
Pipex Wireless will use Nokia Siemens Networks‘ equipment, services and networking expertise to widen its roll-out of WiMAX powered broadband wireless services nationwide.
Mike Read, CEO of Pipex Wireless, says, "As we reach the next stage of our business, we are looking to work with strategic partners that share our vision of offering customers a ground-breaking WiMAX broadband experience. Nokia Siemens Networks has this vision and has the expertise and track record to help us build our business."
Back to top
History Channel from AmsterdamThe History Channel UK, a joint venture of A&E Television Networks (AETN) and British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB), has reached an agreement with Chellomedia’s Digital Media Centre (DMC) to transmit the signal for The History Channel from its technical facility in Amsterdam to the Benelux as well as to Scandinavia. In addition, Chellomedia will act as a distribution representative for The History Channel in the Benelux for pay TV platforms. The DMC will provide a full range of broadcast services to The History Channel including content language versioning, scheduling, digitization and signal distribution.
A separate agreement has been reached with cable operator UPC to launch the channel in The Netherlands in Q2 2007. The History Channel in Benelux will be operated by The History Channel UK, and will offer a separate schedule from the UK service. Additional carriage agreements in Benelux will be announced in the upcoming months.
Back to top
Thursday 5th April
Arqiva buys transmitters from National Grid
More negatives for radio merger
UKTV Gold in £10m boost
IPTV: 103m in 2011
Thailand blocks YouTube
Comcast buys Patriot
Satlynx for GE
SmartVision biggest IPTV platform
Mobile DTV partnership
Arqiva buys transmitters from National GridUK energy group National Grid has sold its mobile phone masts and broadcast transmitter business to Arqiva for £2.5bn (E3.62bn). The company said last November that it would sell its National Grid Wireless division in order to concentrate on its core gas and electricity distribution businesses. National Grid was originally looking at a demerger of the wireless business, but after strong interest from private equity funds and infrastructure investors the company opted for a sale.
National Grid Wireless is the UK’s biggest independent provider of mobile communications, and also provides transmission networks for analogue and digital television and radio broadcasters. National Grid is also in the process of selling its much smaller US wireless division.
The agreed price is far above any paid for any asset in the sector so far, at 19.3 times 2006 earnings. Texas Pacific Group bought France’s TDF (Tele Diffusion de France), a business similar to National Grid Wireless for about 11 times earnings. Arqiva is owned by a consortium of investors led by Macquarie Communications Infrastructure Group, Macquarie Bank’s lmedia fund. Arqiva recently bought BT Group satellite broadcast division, as well as transmitter assets previously belonging to NTL.
National Grid bought the wireless assets from Crown Castle International in June 2004 for £1.1bn at a multiple of 10.7 times earnings. In the six months to September 2006, National Grid Wireless made profits of £42m, up 17 per cent from the first half of 2005.
Back to top
More negatives for radio merger
Another consulting firm has labelled the proposed deal as anti-competitive and bad for consumers. "If this merger were approved, every subscriber would be beholden to a single satellite radio monopoly, resulting in less service, less affordability, less diversity, and less choice in content and hardware," Carmel Group wrote in its report.
Carmel was involved in compiling data and research for the FCC’s review of a proposed satellite TV merger between DirecTV (DTV) and EchoStar (DISH) back in 2002. The Federal Communications Commisssion, which has to approve a deal between Sirius and XM, rejected that satellite TV deal.
This time Carmel was retained by the National Association of Broadcasters which is lobbying against the deal.
Back to top
UKTV Gold in £10m boost
From Colin Mann on LondonMulti-channel programmer UKTV’s flagship channel, UKTV Gold, is to benefit from a £10 million (E14.8 million) investment in key programming areas, as part of the service’s new content strategy which has seen UKTV Gold reinvent some of the nation’s favourite TV shows and make them relevant to a new audience.
UKTV’s director of entertainment and factual, Charlotte Ashton, said that the BBC back catalogue would continue to be at the heart of the channel but the new content strategy allows the commissioning and acquisition of programming which complemented and strengthened UKTV Gold’s position as Britain’s pre-eminent archive channel.The channel is committed to commissioning talent-fronted formats that reinvent some of the nation’s favourite TV shows and will also compete on the open market to acquire new US series and blockbuster movies to encourage viewers to reappraise the channel while reconnecting with classic US retro titles.
Channel executives confirmed that the channel would continue to be available via digital satellite Sky, cable (Virgin TV) and digital terrestrial (Top Up TV), but there were no plans to move to the DTT Freeview platform.
Global IPTV subscribers will rise to 103 million in 2011, expanding at Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 92.5 percent up from 3.9 million in 2006, iSuppli Corp. predicts. This translates into $39.1 billion in revenue, up by a factor of more than 40 from $960.5 million in 2006.
"IPTV promises to add interactivity, personalization, integration of voice and data and value-added services to television entertainment," said Frank Dickson, principal analyst for iSuppli. "Because of the wide variety of services offered by the technology, companies from various industries are being drawn into the IPTV/triple-play fight, sparking intensified competition among market participants."
Back to top
Thailand's military-appointed government blocked access to YouTube after it declined to withdraw a video clip mocking the country's monarch. Communications Minister Sitthichai Pookaiyaudom told Reuters he ordered a block of the entire site after the ministry's attempts to block the offending page last week failed. "When they decide to withdraw the clip, we will withdraw the ban," he said. The 44-second clip ridicules King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world's longest reigning monarch revered by Thais.
Back to top
Comcast is buying a small New Jersey cable operator for $483 million in cash. Patriot Media and Communications, serves 81,000 video subscribers in central New Jersey, many of them in upscale neighbourhoods that fit in with Comcast’s service area.
Patriot Media is owned by the cable industry veteran Steven J. Simmons, Spectrum Equity Investors and Spire Capital. Patriot’s customers — in Princeton and in the counties of Somerset, Hunterdon, Morris and Mercer — generate twice as much cash flow as the average subscriber said Comcast.
Back to top
Satlynx for GEFollowing the closing of a transaction between GE and SES, Satlynx is now a subsidiary of GE. The transaction has resulted in an exchange of GE’s entire shareholding in SES for a company, GE International Holdings, which includes Satlynx.
Satlynx, a leader in satellite telecommunications in the EMEA region, has for the first time full independence from satellite operating companies and equipment vendors and is free to pursue its supplier neutral strategy of offering the best solution to fit its customers’ requirements. "The last few years under the parentage of the SES group have been significant in the development of the Satlynx business but now we look forward to a new chapter within GE where the benefits to our company and our customers will be many-fold", said Paul Heinerscheid, President and CEO Satlynx.
Back to top
SmartVision biggest IPTV platform
Thomson announced that its SmartVision platform is now the world’s leading IPTV platform in terms of subscribers according to the latest report published by analysts MRG. SmartVision is used by telecom operators and internet service providers to manage delivery of interactive live and on-demand video services to fixed and mobile devices. The report also finds that Thomson’s video service platform has the largest number of IP VOD subscribers in Europe.
Serge Mal, VP of Thomson's network software business remarked: "In addition to the report by MRG, our own latest figures now show that nearly one million subscribers watch TV managed by our SmartVision video services platform. These results are due to the growing success of our tier one customers, such as Orange, in the IPTV sector."
Back to top
Mobile DTV partnership
LG Electronics and its U.S. research subsidiary, Zenith Electronics have joined forces with Harris Corporation on the development of new in-band mobile DTV technology. The MPH in-band mobile DTV system, dubbed MPH for Mobile-Pedestrian-Handheld, will make its debut at NAB in Las Vegas.This technology, which has the potential to create new markets and revenue streams for TV broadcasters, will be featured in two high-profile NAB exhibits. "MPH is designed to deliver the Mobile-Pedestrian-Handheld applications that digital TV broadcasters are seeking," said Dr. Jong Kim, president of LG_s Zenith R&D Lab, which collaborated with the LG DTV Lab in Seoul and with Harris Broadcast Communications Division on the development of the system. "We believe broadcasters will appreciate both the superior performance and unparalleled flexibility of our MPH system."
Back to top
Wednesday 4th April
Google trials Google TV ads
EU target Apple’s iTunes site
Sonaecom launches free IPTV offer
Spain lobbies for IDTVs
Channel 4 joins Freewire TV
Teens prefer targeted phone ads
BiBC launches AdsMaster
Sony music for advertisers
Irdeto S-DMB milestone
Google trials Google TV adsInternet search giant Google is to begin selling television ads on the 125 national satellite programming channels distributed by US digital satellite broadcaster EchoStar Communication’s DISH Network.
The agreement is Google’s latest foray into offline media, and it underscores the company’s ambition to bring its successful online advertising technology and auction-based pricing to new markets to continue fuelling the company’s rapid growth.
Google’s online advertising technology has appealed to advertisers in large part because it allows them to aim ads effectively at specific audiences and users, and to measure the performance of those ads quickly. The company hopes it can bring those forces to old-line media.
"We think we can add value to this important medium by delivering more relevant ads to viewers, providing better accountability for advertisers and better monetise inventory for TV operators and programmers," said Google’s chief executive, Eric Schmidt.
Apple and several big music companies, understood to include Universal, Warner, EMI and Sony BMG, are facing a European Commission antitrust probe after Brussels issued formal charges alleging that the deals underpinning the sale of music through the popular iTunes platform.
The Commission’s main concern is that iTunes’ set-up in the European market prohibits users in one country from downloading music from a website intended to serve another. Its move was triggered by a 2004 complaint from Which?, the UK consumer organisation, criticising the fact that the UK version of iTunes was more expensive than the version in other European markets.
Back to top
Sonaecom launches free IPTV offer
From Branislav Pekic in RomePortuguese multimedia company Sonaecom has launched an IPTV offer with 21 free TV channels for its broadband Internet clients.
The package includes the four national terrestrial channels as well as 17 foreign TV channels (Record, Overseas, Propeller, TV Moda, Bloomberg, Bloomberg Espanha, France 24, TV5, Cubavision, Ini TV, Canção Nova, RIT, Revelation, Rússia Today, Pró TV, CCTV9 and NHK). Although there is no monthly subscription, users are required to purchase a set-top box for E150 (or lease it for E5 a month) and pay an additional E50 to activate the service.
The Clix SmartTV IPTV service provides over 100 channels. Clients can select an additional 40 channels (plus 5 optional channels) for E18.50 a month, not including the subscription to the broadband internet service which costs E29.90 a month (for the 12 Mbps offer) or E39.90 a month (for the 24 Mbps offer). All of the access plans also include Sonaecom’s ‘Home Vídeo’ service, which currently offers 600 movies, documentaries and concerts a la carte, to be increased to 2,000 in the short-term
The IPTV offering is already available to around one million households in Portugal.
Back to top
Spain lobbies for IDTVs
From David del Valle in MadridThe Minister for Industry, Trade and Tourism, Joan Clos, has announced that the government is currently in negotiations with manufacturers to ensure the availability of DTT tuners in all television sets sold.
The government would like all television sets sold as of the Summer 2007 to include an integrated digital tuner.
According to the Minister, such action will help prepare households for analogue switch-off, set to take place in April 2010. Moreover, the Minister declared that the switch-off date is "firm" and "inevitable" given the high demands on spectrum for other services such as high-definition and mobile television.
Back to top
Channel 4 joins Freewire TV
Inuk Networks, supplier of triple-play services to consumers, has added free-to-air channels Channel 4, E4, More4 and Film4 to its Freewire TV IPTV service.Sarah Rose, Head of Digital Channel and VOD Development at Channel 4, said: "As we approach digital switchover we are keen to make our programming available on multiple-platforms to ensure Channel 4 remains relevant in a fully digital world." She added that the Freewire TV audience closely reflected the broadcaster’s core audience of 16 to 34 year old ABC1s.
Back to top
Teens prefer targeted phone adsBritish teenagers are more willing to receive adverts on their mobile phones if they are targeted to their interests. A survey conducted by Q Research of 1,500 teenagers in January found that 71 per cent would accept mobile ads related to their interests, compared to 32 per cent who would accept non-targeted ads. 70 per cent said they would prefer picture ads, 53 per cent video ads and 45 per cent text ads.
Back to top
BiBC launches AdsMaster
From Sanjeev Bhavnani in London
The British Internet Broadcasting Company (BiBC) is teaming up with leading brands to create ad-supported video downloads available on PCs, set-top boxes and hand-held devices via its new ‘AdsMaster’ software.AdsMaster works by companies inserting adverts at ‘white space’ points within the content: during payment (unless the content owners decides to give the content for free) when there is ‘dead time’ but a captive audience; at the beginning or during content playback and whilst previewing. Content owners will gain a share of the revenues given by advertising agencies.
BiBC has already acquired a large collection of video content available to download in the UK, from the likes of Universal, EMI, Black Diamond and Duke.
Back to top
Sony music for advertisersSony BMG is set to unveil a partnership with online music database Ricall, making thousands of back catalogue tracks available to advertisers. Falling CD sales in recent years have prompted music labels to look to computer games and online adverts as new avenues to sell their music.
London-based Ricall is tapping this fast growing market by building a wider music database where music-hunters can find and license tracks. Ricall has so far notched up transactions worth £18m (E24m). The group predicts the other big labels, such as EMI and Warner, could soon follow suit.
Back to top
Irdeto S-DMB milestoneContent security specialist Irdeto has crossed the 3 million mark in the delivery of security devices - including SMDs (surface mounted device chips) and SIMs (subscriber identity modules) - for mobile devices that support TU Media Corp's Satellite Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (S-DMB) service.
Back to top
The Irdeto Mobile Broadcast Conditional Access (CA) solution allows TU Media, in which SK Telecom, Korea's number one mobile communications company, is a major shareholder, to securely manage consumers' access to its 15 video and 19 audio broadcast channels.
Tuesday 3rd April
Freeview Virgin
EMI Music launches DRM-free downloads
IPTV Europe to double
Cuatro on YouTube
AOL will sell NBC/News Corp site
China's digital TV subscribers to reach 20m
ITN to supply ITV news to 2012
ADB for INDI
Freeview VirginVirgin Media is to launch a Freeview branded STB in its first move to build a TV presence in non-cable areas of the UK. The box will offer the standard Freeview range of digital terrestrial services of more than 40 TV channels and 25 radio stations and red button interactivity. It has a Virgin Media-branded electronic programme guide, but no pay-TV card slot.
The set-top box, which will not be sold in shops, will be free to non-cable customers taking Virgin Media's up to 8MB broadband and Talk Anytime phone bundle at £19.99 a month (E30). For non-cable customers taking a Virgin Media broadband service on its own there will be a one-off charge of £40 for the branded Freeview box.
Virgin Media can only offer its TV service to the approximately 50 per cent of UK households that can receive cable. Philip Snalune, the managing director of non-cable at Virgin Media, said the set-top box was "just the first step and [the firm's] aim is to offer more advanced TV services in all areas throughout 2008".
Back to top
EMI Music launches DRM-free downloadsAs widely rumoured, EMI Music is launching new premium downloads for retail on a global basis, making all of its digital repertoire available - at a much higher sound quality than existing downloads - free of digital rights management (DRM) restrictions. Apple's iTunes Store will be the first online music store to sell the new downloads.
EMI says it is releasing the premium downloads in response to consumer demand for high fidelity digital music for use on home music systems, mobile phones and digital music players. EMI's new DRM-free products will enable full interoperability of digital music across all devices and platforms.
Eric Nicoli, CEO of EMI Group, said that by providing DRM-free downloads, EMI aimed to address the lack of interoperability which was frustrating for many music fans. "We believe that offering consumers the opportunity to buy higher quality tracks and listen to them on the device or platform of their choice will boost sales of digital music." "Selling digital music DRM-free is the right step forward for the music industry," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO.
EMI Music will continue to employ DRM as appropriate to enable digital models such as subscription services (where users pay a monthly fee for unlimited access to music), super-distribution (allowing fans to share music with their friends) and time-limited downloads (such as those offered by ad-supported services).
Nicoli added: "Protecting the intellectual property of EMI and our artists is as important as ever, and we will continue to work to fight piracy in all its forms and to educate consumers. We believe that fans will be excited by the flexibility that DRM-free formats provide, and will see this as an incentive to purchase more of our artists' music."
In February, Apple called on the music labels to stop DRM, saying that it wanted iTunes to sell only DRM-free music. DRM is controversial because it restricts how a song that has been legally purchased can be played. A track bought on iTunes and encoded with Apple's FairPlay DRM will work on an iPod but not on rival digital music players.
But it is unlikely EMI label’s Beatles will finally be available online. Unlike almost all other major acts, the Beatles have so far declined to offer their songs for sale on the web.
Back to top
The European market for IPTV will double in 2007, according to Screen Digest. It forecasts that subscriptions to IPTV services across Europe will almost double from 2.9m in 2006 to 5.6m in 2007, with subscription revenues from IPTV increasing from £470m (E681m) to over £1bn. Almost one million of those new customers will be in France.
The top five IPTV operators in Europe – Orange, Telefónica, Free Telecom, Neuf Telecom and Fastweb - accounted for 60 per cent of the total IPTV market in the five countries at the end of 2006. Screen Digest expects that these operators will remain in their respective positions throughout 2007, with Neuf Telecom and Free Telecom vying for second place in France.
Back to top
Cuatro on YouTube
From David Del Valle in MadridSpain's Cuatro, owned by pay-TV group Sogecable, is moving with the YouTube tide. Soon after its rival Antena 3 TV had announced its launch through the well-known Google-owned web TV channel, Cuatro is making a similar move by launching its own TV channel through YouTube.
The channel will offer TV series news programmes (Noticias Cuatro) and entertainment programmes. "With its young audience with millions of online users, YouTube has become a perfect platform to access new viewers", said Elena Sanchez, Contents Director at Cuatro.
The first Spanish TV channel to join YouTube was Antena 3 TV by launching tuclip with more than 300,000 visits and one million watched pages since the end of January.
Tele 5 is likely to be the next on the list to jump on the YouTube bandwagon in the near future.
Back to top
AOL will sell NBC/News Corp site
AOL said its Advertising.com unit will manage advertising sold on a new online video venture being built by media conglomerates News Corp. and NBC Universal.
The two media companies said they had signed up three of Google's largest rivals, including AOL, to distribute their programming and offer a major Internet advertising vehicle.
Advertising.com will manage display and video advertising for the new site, which has yet to be named, as well as ads inserted into an embedded media player to be used by the venture's distribution partners.
Back to top
China's digital TV subscribers to reach 20m
The number of digital cable TV subscribers in China will rise by 66 percent to 20 million by the end of 2007, according to a prediction by ST Microelectronics (ST). "China's digital TV industry will see a boom in 2007," Christos Lagomichos, vice president and general manager of the home entertainment group at ST, said. He attributed the surge to the government's plan to digitalise its TV industry.
Twenty-five Chinese cities have switched from analogue cable TV to digital cable TV and the government plans to convert all cities in the eastern and central regions and most of those in the western area by 2010.
Back to top
ITN to supply ITV news to 2012ITN has signed a new deal worth at least £42m (E61m) a year to supply ITV with its news services until the end of 2012. The new deal supersedes the current contract, which had been due to expire at the end of 2008, and is worth "in excess of £250m" over its six-year run.
ITV, which owns 40 per cent of ITN, is investing more than £15m to upgrade ITN's newsroom. It is believed ITV decided to sign an early deal with ITN without putting the contract out for tender, as it did last time round when Sky News bid, because of the need to press ahead with technological improvements.
Back to top
ADB for INDIAdvanced Digital Broadcast (ADB) has reached an agreement with INDI a digital cable platform in Belgium consisting of four cable operators Integan, Interelectra, WVEM and PBE, to supply advanced, digital cable set-top boxes (STB) for its digital cable service. ADB will supply two products, the IND-5800C interactive cable STB and an advanced digital video recorder (DVR) the IND-5810CX - both state-of-the-art units are compatible with high definition (HD) transmissions. The cable HD DVR will be the first of its type to be launched on the INDI network. INDI was launched in 2004 and is one of the three major providers of digital television in Belgium, reaching 800,000 households. As of the start of April INDI will introduce HDTV to its subscriber base.
Back to top
Monday 2nd April
ITV, Setanta grab FA Cup
Sky launches UGC SkyCast
BT Vision, no lift off
Disco buys out Cox
XM, Sirius 'would be monopoly'
Gemstar buys Aptiv
Disney basic pays off
BBC on 3G
Channel 4 on YouTube?
BigBand China deals
ITV, Setanta grab FA CupITV is to pay £275m (E398m) for the TV rights to the FA Cup and England home international games. This is as part of a £425m joint bid with Irish pay broadcaster Setanta.
Setanta's £150m investment is its latest attempt to take on Sky, having secured a third of live Premiership games from this autumn for its pay-TV service. The four-year FA deal, beginning 2008, gives ITV England's competitive home games, friendly away fixtures and first pick for FA Cup games. Setanta will show England home friendlies, under-21 internationals, the Community Shield and FA Trophy. It will also screen 17 out of the 31 FA Cup games televised each year, with ITV showing the rest. The two broadcasters will show a semi-final each and share the FA Cup final.
The deal compares to the current £300m package shared by the BBC and Sky. For ITV it is the first major move by Michael Grade and a substantial gamble: in 2001-4 it outbid the BBC for Match of the Day Premiership highlights and made a mess of scheduling and presentation. Brian Barwick, CEO of the FA is a former head of ITV Sport.
Back to top
BSkyB is launching a test version of SkyCast, the broadcaster's YouTube-style video sharing website which aims to link user generated content with Sky's TV programmes. The site is powered by Google's syndicated video content tool following a wide-ranging deal struck last December.
The website will allow any user - not just Sky customers - to upload video clips. The pick of the uploaded user content clips will be shown on programmes such as Soccer AM and Sky News. In turn, Sky will in time make selected content from its shows available on the website with the aim of building communities around major Sky genres.
SkyCast is due to have a formal launch in Q2.
Back to top
BT Vision, no lift offBT has confirmed just 5,000 subscribers have signed for its fledgling television service and approaching half of them are employees. BT said at the launch of BT Vision last December that it did not plan a marketing campaign for the TV service until the spring and denied that it was disappointed, saying it was "entirely in line with our expectations". BT denied that BT Vision had a low-key launch because of concerns about the reliability of the technology. They said BT deliberately gave BT Vision a "soft" launch because of fears the group would be overwhelmed by demand for the TV service.
Back to top
Discovery Communications plans to buy out one of its three shareholders, Cox Communications, in a deal that includes transferring the Travel Channel and $1.275 billion (E0.95bn) in cash to Cox for its 25 per cent stake in the company.
The move increases the stakes of Discovery’s two other shareholders, John Malone and Advance/Newhouse Communications, to a two-thirds and one-third stake, respectively.
It was not clear, however, whether Mr. Malone’s increased stake — he has held 50 percent, compared with 25 per cent each for Advance/Newhouse and Cox — would ultimately translate into clear control of the company. Currently, any significant decisions at the company are subject to approval of 80 per cent of the company’s shareholders, and that is not expected to change as part of the Cox transaction. The move could set the stage for Discovery to become a publicly traded company.
XM, Sirius 'would be monopoly'
An independent study claims that if the sat radio merger goes through, the satellite radio industry will have a monopoly potentially violating antitrust regulations. According to the report sent to the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Justice, satellite radio is a distinct product market and if the proposed merger between the industry's two major companies goes through, consumers would be at the mercy of a monopoly. Conducted by Criterion Economics, the study claims to offer "concrete evidence and analysis to some of the most important questions that have plagued lawmakers since the merger was announced earlier this year."
For the study, Criterion's J. Gregory Sidak - former deputy general counsel for the FCC - was asked to determine whether subscription-based satellite radio services are a relevant product market for antitrust purposes, and to assess the unilateral pricing effects of the proposed deal. The study took into account competition from other audio products such as MP3 players and internet radio, and determined that satellite radio is a distinct product market for antitrust analysis. Even when the product market is expanded to include AM, FM and HD radio, the proposed XM/Sirius merger still raises serious antitrust concerns, the report said.
The Criterion study said the merger would increase seller concentration ratios to "unacceptably high" levels. The report also said the majority of efficiencies identified by the companies would not benefit consumers nor preserve consumer welfare.
The Criterion study was commissioned by the Consumer Coalition for Competition in Satellite Radio - a group claiming to be the only organization "dedicated to protecting the interests of satellite radio subscribers in the United States."
Back to top
EPG supplier Gemstar-TV Guide International has acquired privately-held Aptiv Digital for $16 million (E12m) in cash, effectively removing one of its few competitors in the guide space. Aptiv was founded in 1996 as Pioneer Digital Technologies, which was spun off to its management team in 2005 as Aptiv. Aptiv's Passport, Passport DCT, and Passport Echo interactive guides run on both Motorola and Scientific Atlanta set-tops, and are used by operators including Time Warner Cable, Cox and RCN.
Back to top
Disney Channel UK’s move into the Sky and Virgin Media basic packages has brought a 60 per cent jump in audience share. In the first quarter of 2007, the Channel has beaten Channel 5’s audience share for kids across all homes. In the pay TV homes , Disney Channel’s performance also outstrips BBC2 and Channel 4.
Back to top
The BBC has confirmed that BBC News 24 will become available on 3G mobile phones as part of a year-long trial.
The project, which will begin within a month and last up to a year, will make a number of BBC television and radio channels available on 3G mobile phones with mobile operators Orange, Vodafone and 3.
In addition to News 24, the trial will also include BBC One and BBC Three, alongside radio programming from Radio 1, 1Xtra, Radio 2, Radio 3, Radio 4, 6 Music, BBC 7 and Asian Network.
Back to top
Channel 4 is "exploring possibilities" after opening talks about a possible C4-branded channel on YouTube. The broadcaster sees the move as the best way of countering the rise in illegally uploaded content on the video-sharing site, and would use the venture to post promotional clips and promote its 4oD on-demand service and the C4I DVD business.
Back to top
BigBand China dealsBigBand Networks, provider of broadband multimedia infrastructure, has revealed that six Chinese cable operators are deploying the company’s Broadband Multimedia Services Router (BMR) to process and deliver digital video. The operators are Wuxi Cable TV and Changshu Cable TV in Jiangsu province; Jieyang Cable TV and Qingyuan Cable TV in Guangdong province; and Hefei Cable TV and Huaibei Cable TV in Anhui province.
