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Scroll down page or click below for news - latest first
Tuesday
Friday 2nd June
Orange plots UK IPTV service
Top Up readies for football
AT&T will continue Dish, updates on IPTV
NDS for Prime
Ensequence for UKTV
Cabot adds DVB-C
Orange plots UK IPTV serviceOrange is planning to offer a broadband TV service in Britain this year to compete with BT Vision. Confirming the launch of a "free" broadband offering, Orange's UK head of broadband, Eric Abensur, said Orange TV would include the digital terrestrial TV channels from Freeview, seven-day catch-up TV and video on demand and an STB which includes a personal video recorder.
Abensur wants to persuade BSkyB and Setanta to put their pay TV sports channels on the service. "We are not wanting to launch a service that will compete directly with Sky. What is important is that we give control back to the customer so they can watch what they want when they want."
Whether BSkyB will cooperate is questionable as it is to offer "free" broadband to its own customers over the summer. Orange, owned by France Télécom, has more than 200,000 broadband TV customers in France. They will be able to watch the World Cup and French Open in high-definition TV on Orange TV, which until this week’s re-branding was called MaLigne TV.
Introducing Orange TV in Britain relies on the take-up of Orange's (formerly Wanadoo’s) broadband service. Orange is offering "free" broadband to mobile customers who spend more than £30 (E43) a month and are willing to sign up to an 18-month contract.
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Top Up readies for footballUK DTT Pay-TV service Top Up TV is restructuring after changing its name and going into liquidation. Chairman, David Chance, said the business was in good health and exceeding its targets. The company re-named itself Minds 1 earlier this month.
Chance said Top Up was being demerged to allow its assets to be spread over several new companies. "This is a simple restructuring process to reflect the diverse and evolving elements of our business," he said.
Speculation about the future ownership of Top Up - which is believed to have reached breakeven this year - has gathered pace since Channel Five bought a stake in November.
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AT&T will continue Dish, updates on IPTV
AT&T Chairman and CEO Edward Whitacre Jr. has said that the company plans to keep moving ahead with its EchoStar relationship. "It's (EchoStar's DISH Network service) part of our strategy," he said, especially in areas that cannot be easily served by telco video. "We don't see that changing. We will continue doing what we are doing."
He added that the controlled market launch of AT&T's U-Verse TV service in San Antonio is going well, and the product is poised to launch in Houston in the summer. "IPTV works. It works good. It's the technology of the future," Whitacre said.
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NDS announced an agreement with Prime, a leading manufacturer and developer of digital satellite communications and wireless consumer electronic products, to integrate MediaHighway middleware into a new STB to be produced by Prime.
MediaHighway will provide Prime’s new STB with a fully compliant DVB-MHP open standard middleware, enabling the execution of interactive TV applications. The new STB will be based on the turnkey approach developed by NDS with its partner ST, one of the world’s largest semiconductor manufacturers, enabling a quicker time to market for Prime’s customers. The new STB already complies with the conditional access requirements for the Italian market and the initial deployment of the STBs is expected to begin in Italy in the second half of 2006.
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Ensequence for UKTV
Ensequence, the provider of interactive TV authoring software and services, and UKTV announced that UKTV has selected Ensequence software to help deliver interactive TV services to UKTV’s eight million viewers on the BSkyB digital satellite platform.Starting in June, the UKTV network will use Ensequence software to create interactive applications that enhance individual programmes across all of UKTV’s ten channels, enabling digital satellite viewers to press red during their favourite television programmes.
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Cabot Communications, the specialist digital TV software supplier, announces it has added Digital Video Broadcasting-Cable (DVB-C) capability to Aurora, its pan-European DVB middleware stack for free-to-air digital terrestrial and satellite receivers. As a result, manufacturers of digital TV devices can now deploy a single middleware platform to support every traditional home Digital TV medium.
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Thursday 1st June
CNN joins network PVR opposition
Setanta, Sky share Irish soccer rights
Adelphia buyers face antitrust action
BBC global ambition
FFC in hurry with majority
More sport for digital Australians
ADC and Andrew Merge for $3.3 Billion Network Leader
LCD TV boost
CNN joins network PVR opposition
Time Warner’s Cartoon Network and CNN are suing Cablevision Systems in an attempt to block the company from pursuing plans to roll out a network-based digital-video-recorder service. This follows several cable networks and Hollywood studios seeking an injunction that would prevent the company from continuing with plans to launch a network-DVR service in Long Island in June.
Cartoon Network and CNN argue that the network-DVR service would infringe on its copyrighted programming. The move by Cartoon and CNN to enter the fray is particularly significant as executives from Time Warner Cable have said they would also like to roll out a network-based DVR service, which would allow the company to reduce costs in deploying expensive set-tops containing DVR technology, if such a service proved legal.
Time Warner Cable also experimented with technology similar to Cablevision’s network-DVR service through its now-defunct Mystro TV project. However, Time Warner planned to obtain rights from TV networks to offer their programming on-demand, through remote servers. Cablevision has argued that it does not need to obtain additional rights from TV networks that it carries for the network-DVR service, since the network DVR would function like DVRs contained in cable set-tops.
Plaintiffs in the original network-DVR suit filed against Cablevision last week were Fox Film Corp., Universal City Studios, Paramount Pictures, Disney Enterprises, CBS Broadcasting, ABC Inc. and NBC Studios. Cablevision said then the suit "reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of Cablevision’s remote-storage DVR and ignores the benefits and well-established right of viewers to time-shift television programming."
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Setanta, Sky share Irish soccer rightsThe Premier League has raised £82m (E119m) from the auction of seven packages of live matches to be broadcast in Ireland over three years from August 2007, with Setanta picking up three and BSkyB getting the remaining four.
Setanta will be able to offer blanket coverage of games on Monday nights and at 5.15pm on Saturdays in both UK and Ireland for three years from August 2007.
Setanta's third package is for games on Saturday at 3pm, which were unavailable in the UK market because of UEFA Rule 14, barring live games being televised at this time in a national league's home country because of the potential effect on club gate receipts. State broadcaster RTE lost out in the bidding. Previously it shared the 30 Saturday games a season with Setanta.
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Adelphia buyers face antitrust action
Time Warner and Comcast are being sued by a cable TV start-up that accuses them of trying to keep independent networks off the air as they prepare to acquire Adelphia Communications Corp. The suit by The America Channel accuses Comcast and Time Warner of bid-rigging and price-fixing in their bid to acquire bankrupt Adelphia's cable systems.
Court papers accuse Comcast and Time Warner of teaming up to ensure they would beat out rival bidders for Adelphia and also said the deal would make it virtually impossible for unaffiliated networks to get access to cable subscribers.
The $17.6 billion purchase is scheduled to close on July 31, according to the lawsuit, which seeks to block the acquisition and demands unspecified damages. The America Channel, based in Heathrow, Florida, was formed in 2003. It is "a niche entertainment programming channel that explores and celebrates America in the 21st century," according to the lawsuit.
Time Warner said: "The allegations of this complaint are entirely frivolous. We're confident this matter will not serve to impede closing of the Adelphia transaction."
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Days after head of new media Ashley Highfield sought to dilute criticism of BBC expansionism by setting limits on its ambition, DG Mark Thompson has claimed that the Corporation is the only European media group capable of taking on internet and media giants Google and AOL.
Stressing the importance of the BBC’s international expansion, which he added was not being directly funded by the licence fee, Thompson told the Financial Times: "The BBC is the only European brand that could take on Google and AOL." The BBC wants to expand its international commercial activities through BBC Worldwide, its commercial arm. It is exploring various acquisitions, such as video-on-demand services and expansion of magazine publishing overseas. The division is planning to launch BBC.com, an advertising-supported website accessible outside the UK, by the end of the year.
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FFC in hurry with majority
U.S. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin wants to vote by mid-July to require cable companies to carry extra digital channels that broadcasters plan to offer. Until now, the five-member FCC has been deadlocked with two Republicans and two Democrats, which has prevented Martin from advancing divisive proposals like the one that would benefit broadcasters. Last week the Senate confirmed telecommunications lawyer Robert McDowell to fill the last Republican seat, which analysts have said would allow Martin to move forward on many issues.
A television broadcaster can force a cable operator to carry its primary signal under current law, but with the advent of digital signals, broadcasters can now offer multiple channels. The cable industry has fought broadcasters' efforts to have the FCC require the extra channels be carried, and is expected to challenge any such a plan in court.
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More sport for digital Australians
From Rose Major in Melbourne
Australia’s Fox Sports will launch a new premium digital TV channel in October, but uncertainty still surrounds the fate of the company’s Fox Footy channel.
New channel Fox Sports 3 will be a 24-hour service and will carry much of the broadcaster’s soccer coverage, including English Premier League and Australian international matches. It will launch on both the country’s digital platforms, Foxtel and Austar, and will also be available to Optus TV subscribers, who receive a version of Foxtel.
Fox Sports News, currently only an interactive service, will also launch as a full 24-hour sports news channel on October 1.
Fox Sports 1 and 2 are currently included in Foxtel’s new ‘My Sport’ package, which subscribers can add to the basic A$37-a-month digital package.
But there is no news on whether the company will continue with its Fox Footy channel, which covers just Australian Rules (AFL) football, in 2007. Foxtel is yet to strike a deal with new rights holders Networks Seven and Ten to sub-licence some matches. There has been much speculation that even if a deal is struck, Fox Footy could be closed to save money, as a dedicated one-sport channel has a higher cost base than a channel that broadcasts a number of sports. If Fox Footy were to close, the new channel would therefore not add any more sports channels for current Foxtel subscribers.
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ADC and Andrew Merge for $3.3 Billion Network Leader
Andrew Corporation announced that they have entered into a merger agreement with ADC to create a global leader in wireline and wireless network infrastructure solutions. For the 12 months to May 31, 2006, combined sales for the two companies on a pro forma basis totalled approximately $3.3 billion.
The companies said "The wireline and wireless markets for next-generation broadband, video, data and voice services are rapidly expanding and have strong growth potential. Carriers in every part of the world are upgrading their networks to expand high-speed data and video offerings. These trends hold significant promise for the strategic combination of ADC and Andrew."
Robert E. Switz, president and chief executive officer of ADC will be president and CEO of the combined company after closing. He said "Together, we’re better positioned to assist our customers worldwide and capture growth opportunities that result from the convergence of our customers’ next-generation wireless, broadband, video, data and voice services. We are proud to join forces with Andrew’s talented employees to achieve our shared mission of providing innovative wireline and wireless infrastructure solutions that improve our customers’ business performance."
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LCD TV boostThe LCD JV of Hitachi and Matsushita said it will invest $713 million to boost output of high-end panels due to growing LCD TV demand. The venture, IPS Alpha Technology Ltd., in which Toshiba Corp. also has a stake, will double its output capacity at an existing plant in Japan and will build a new factory in the Czech Republic as LCD TV demand is expected to triple in three years.
Matsushita, the world’s largest maker of plasma TVs and known for its Panasonic brand, and Hitachi, another strong player in the plasma TV business, are well behind rivals such as Sharp Corp. and Samsung Electronics Co. in building up their capacity to produce LCD panels.
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Wednesday 31st May
Vodafone £23bn write down
Mobile TV more popular with use
Nine sues IceTV, delaying IPO
Sling Media comes to UK
German football set for score draw
Watch ads for free calls
GLOBO and Wyplay to launch stand-alone media centre
Intelsat/PanAmSat Wins OK
Interkabel takes Cisco high speed route
Irdeto for Telia
Vodafone £23bn write downVodafone made a £14.9bn (E21.7bn) loss last year after writing down £23.5bn on the value of German mobile operator Mannesmann, which it bought in 2000. Excluding one-off costs, Vodafone made a £8.8bn profit and it said its overall performance had exceeded expectations, after adding 21 million new customers.
Vodafone warned earlier this year that its assets may be worth up to £28bn less than previously calculated and that it would be overhauling its operations in an effort to boost its growth. It decided to sell its Japanese business for £8.9bn after failing to make much headway in the country.
A new strategic focus will see Vodafone concentrate on growing sales in emerging countries such as India, reducing costs in more mature European markets and seeking to be more innovative.
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Mobile TV more popular with useThe the final results of a six-month trial of mobile television in Oxford by O2 and Arqiva, shows the 375 triallists spent an average of four hours watching TV, an hour more than was reported when O2 unveiled initial results from the trial at its half-way stage.
The locations where they watched the 16-channel service also altered as users became more accustomed to it. By the end of the trial 37 per cent of usage was recorded during the daily commute, with peak viewing in the mornings and early evenings. Home usage fell to 32 per cent. Users remained wary about taking out the smart and expensive handset in too public a place. Usage on the street was a mere 1 per cent, with just 3 per cent of viewing taking place in pubs.
Overall, 85 per cent of O2's triallists said they were satisfied or more than satisfied with it and 72 per cent would take it up within a year of launch - though there was no real agreement on exactly how much they would be willing to spend on it.
Fears that mobile television will merely cannibalise existing viewing may also be allayed by the results of the Oxford trial, which show that 40 per cent of people watched, on average, a total of 44 minutes more television each week.
News and soaps were the top attractions. News bulletins pulled in a 44 per cent share of viewers, with 36 per cent watching their favourite soaps. In fact, combining football (16 per cent of usage) and other sports (at 25 per cent) made sports programming the second-most watched segment after news.
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Nine sues IceTV, delaying IPO
From Rose Major in Melbourne
Australia’s Nine Network is suing EPG and PVR technology company IceTV over what it says is a copyright infringement, this has forced IceTV to delay its IPO.
Nine said in papers filed with a federal court that IceTV’s EPG, which PVR and Media PC users subscribe to in order to record television shows on their devices, looks like its own EPG, available on digital-terrestrial television.
IceTV will contest the charge, due to be heard in October. Its IPO, which was due to close last week, will now close on June 8 after the company had to issue an update to its prospectus.
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Sling Media announced that its Slingbox is now available for purchase in the United Kingdom, offered in store and online from computer chain PC World. The Slingbox will also be available in Currys in the next four to six weeks. The price is £179.99.
Separately, Sling Media announced it hired Stuart Collingwood as the company's Vice President of Europe. For the last three years Collingwood has advised pay TV providers, digital media companies and technology start-ups on the launch of new digital platforms and technology. He also served as Vice President EMEA for Liberate and spent eight years at Fujitsu-ICL.
The European version of the Slingbox is tailored for the UK market and features an integrated PAL analogue/digital tuner with DVB-T support, giving customers access to Freeview programming from their aerial streamed to a laptop or desktop computer. In addition, Slingbox controls a wide range of Freeview, digital cable and satellite set top boxes that are available in the UK market including those offered by Sky, Homechoice, NTL and Telewest.
Concurrently, Sling Media is releasing a new version of the SlingPlayer PC software in conjunction with the Slingbox hardware. SlingPlayer PC version 1.1 is now available to UK customers and supports 16:9 widescreen video, enhanced favourite channels organisation features.
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German football set for score draw
From Colin Mann in Cologne
Germany's premier football competition, the Bundesliga, looks likely to be broadcast on a range of platforms next season, according to executives from cable, satellite and telco platforms participating in a panel discussion at ANGA Cable.
The exclusive cable and satellite rights were acquired by cable holding company Unity Media at the end of 2005 for some E200m, having formerly been held by satellite and cable programmer Premiere. Mark Schroder, area manager for Deutsche Telekom's T-Home service, suggested that Unity's inititiative indicated that "the age of infrastructure competition has started."
Deutsche Telekom recently agreed a three-year deal with Premiere to sub-license the IPTV rights to the Bundesliga, and the indications are that Unity Media will enter into agreements with other platforms. Herbert Leifker, CEO of Unity Media, said the rights aquisition would help stabilise the cable business and generate more customers. he recognised, however, that the cost of the aquiring the rights had been "expensive" and Unity Media would need to finance it by appropriate business models. With less than 700,000 digital cable customers available, the indications are that re-broadcast agreements will be reached for cross-platforms distribution to enable Unity to realise the value of the rights.
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Watch ads for free calls
Virgin Mobile USA is giving its customers the option to earn free calls if they view and respond to ads on their phones. Under the offer, customers of Virgin Mobile USA, a JV of Sprint Nextel and Virgin, can get up to 75 minutes of free calls per month if they spend an equal amount of time looking at ads and replying to these ads via text messages.
"Very practically speaking a lot of our customers are value conscious. They manage budgets that are finite," said Howard Handler, the company's chief marketing officer. He said that while it was too soon to say how popular the service would be he expects it to increase revenue.
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GLOBO and Wyplay to launch stand-alone media centre
From Sotires Eleftheriou in Paris
German consumer electronics company Globo Electronic together with French R&D company Wyplay are to launch a stand-alone media centre box in the autumn built around the ST7100/7109 processor and running on Linux. It will be available with built in DTT or satellite tuner and offer functions like hard disk PVR, burning DVDs, HDMI and IP connectivity, analogue acquisition, and compatibility with MPEG2, MPEG4, MP3, photos WM9 and DIVX.
Dominique Feral of Wyplay told Advanced Television that the Globo Media Centre Box will enable the general public to have access to the sort of functionality that has previously been the preserve of computer enthusiasts. The box is expected to be launched in October at a price point below E500, including hard disc and DVD burner.
Wyplay was created three months ago by ten former employees of Neotion, a French R&D company specialising in set top boxes for satellite and DTT, conditional access, and MPEG processing. In March this year Globo acquired 70 per cent of Wyplay.
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Intelsat/PanAmSat Wins OK
Intelsat said the US Justice Department has closed its antitrust inquiry of the commercial satellite operator's proposed acquisition of PanAmSat. The company said the Justice Department is not seeking any conditions on the proposed merger and is not otherwise commenting on it. The transaction remains under review at the Federal Communications Commission.
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Interkabel takes Cisco high speed route
From Colin Mann in Cologne
Flemish cable operator Interkabel is to use Cisco Internet Protocol Next-Generation Network (IP NGN) technology to upgrade its cable network to provide interactive broadband services and multimedia applications such as IP television and video surveillance. The improvements will increase available bandwidth a hundred-fold and will also help enable Interkabel to deliver new services to its customers more quickly and efficiently.
"Toward the end of 2004, we were the first provider to launch a digital television package in Flanders," said Rudy Nys, spokesman for Interkabel. "Because we are looking to further our pioneering role in this field, we are investing in a future-proof network capable of supporting next-generation broadband services, such as IP television, via cable".
Interkabel groups together four cable companies: Integan, Interelecra, PBE
and WBEM, which account for a third of the Flemish cable market with some 790,000 households served.
Luc Vanbecelaere, service provider business development manager for Cisco Systems Belgium, noted that Interkabel would be one of the first European users of Cisco's new wideband protocol for DOCSIS technology, a forerunner of the EuroDOCSIS 3.0 standard.
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Irdeto was selected by Telia Stofa, Denmark’s leading cable operator, to provide its Irdeto Digital TV content security solution for Telia Stofa’s High Definition TV service. Telia Stofa is the first to offer Danish consumers the opportunity to experience World Cup matches in High Definition (HD) quality.
Telia Stofa’s HD initiative offers subscribers all 64 matches of the World Cup tournament. Telia Stofa, in cooperation with TDC Cable TV, purchased the sole rights to show all the World Cup matches to be transmitted on TV channels DR and TV2 in HD quality.
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Monday 29th May
Carter to step down at Ofcom
Amena launches mobile TV channels
Pop Idol vote bests elections
Kangaroo leaps into F1
Verizon exec urges telco reform support
OpenTV laps up Indy 500 deal
Justice Department clears Intelsat-PAS merger
Verimatrix integrates with Broadcom chipset
Pace launches HD FTA STB
Carter to step down at OfcomStephen Carter, CEO of UK communications regulator Ofcom, is stand down with effect from 15 October 2006. Carter, a former CEO of cable operator NTL, has been head of the organisation since its inception in February 2003.
He will continue to lead on all operational and financial matters until that date, but from 1 August 2006 will not be party to Ofcom's economic, competition and policy decisions.
Carter's contract contains appropriate gardening leave restrictions up to a maximum of 12 months at the discretion of the Ofcom Chairman; he is also contractually prevented from securing future employment whilst in employment with Ofcom. He has previously indicated his desire to take on another high-profile job in the media sector.
Ofcom aims to complete the recruitment and appointment process by early autumn 2006, with a new Chief Executive in post in time to begin work on Ofcom's annual plan for the 2007/8 financial year.
Ed Richards, a former UK government policy adviser and currently Carter's deputy, is tipped to take over the chief executive's job.
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Amena launches mobile TV channels
From David del Valle in Madrid
Spain's third largest mobile operator, Amena, is moving into the TV business by launching Television Movil Personal, a mobile TV offer comprised of 22 TV channels, the broadest mobile TV offer in the country, according to the company.The 3G-based service provides three live TV channels -EuroNews, Bloomberg TV and TV3i- and 19 TV channels à la carte and with pay-per-view services that cover all TV genres: news, entertainment, sports, music, cinema and adult content. Among other channels are, Cuatro, CNN +, Canal Plus, Canal 9, MTV, Europa Press, EFE, Jetix and Zona 40, along with adult content provided by Interview and Hustler.
The service is available to all Amena's 3G customers with a fee that ranges from E0.5 per minute for Live TV channels, to between E0.60 to E2 per video depending on the content. The subscriber can access the service via the ‘Television’ option.
To promote the service, Amena is also offering 3G phones: SonyEricsson K600i, from E19 and Samsung Z300 and Z400 from E29.
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More than 60m votes were cast in the final of American Idol, almost 10m more than the highest-ever vote for a president in a US election.
Taylor Hicks emerged the winner on a night that saw 63m votes cast the biggest single voting night in the five-season history of the show. In 1984, 54.5m voters backed Ronald Reagan in the 1984 presidential election - the most votes ever obtained by a president.
Over 600m votes were cast across this fifth season of American Idol. "It is astonishing to think that this year more people voted for American Idol than have voted for any President of America," said Simon Fuller, creator of American Idol.
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Kangaroo leaps into F1Mobile TV specialist Kangaroo Media and Formula One Management Limited have struck a six-year licence agreement to provide fans at all Formula One events with access to live race video, audio and data on Kangaroo Media’s Kangaroo TV hand-held device. The parties have contractually agreed not to disclose specific commercial terms pertaining to the agreement, suggesting that it could jeopardise competitive advantage to both companies.
The Kangaroo TV service combines the race telecast with live in-car camera and audio channels, allowing fans to follow their favourite drivers around the track on the Kangaroo TV screen, receive race telemetry and timing data, and listen to live driver and team communications, all from a device in the palm of their hands.
The Kangaroo TV service for Formula One is expected to debut on a limited basis at the 2006 US Grand Prix, which will be held on July 2 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
According to Bernie Ecclestone, of Formula One Management, “this is as good as it gets to catch all of the action. Kangaroo TV is a perfect fit with F1 as both are about technology and performance. This will provide a truly enhanced at-race experience.”
“The agreement with Formula One Management is a significant milestone for Kangaroo as we could not have asked for a better international and upscale brand to initiate our development outside of North America." said Marc Arseneau, president and CEO of Kangaroo Media and creator of the Kangaroo TV concept.“
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Verizon exec urges telco reform supportTom Tauke, EVP of public affairs, policy and communications at US telco Verizon. has urged the U.S. Senate commerce committee to approve telecommunications reform legislation sponsored by the panel's chairman and the ranking minority party member.
Tauke -a former member of Congress – also expressed concern that efforts to add controversial Internet regulations to the bipartisan proposal could endanger its passage, costing consumers more than $8 billion a year in lost cable savings.
Testifying at a hearing on the Communications, Consumer Choice and Broadband Act of 2006, Tauke said the bill would spur competition by reforming the television franchise process that currently delays the market entry of insurgent providers like Verizon.
Calling the decades-old franchising system "a big impediment to our rapid entry into the video marketplace," Tauke said it can "interject an element of uncertainty that casts a shadow over our capital investment plans."
Citing Bank of America figures, Tauke said that, where Verizon FiOS TV has been allowed to compete with cable, consumers have seen their bills go down as much as 40 percent and now enjoy "a superior video service to cable" and the fastest Internet links available.
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Advanced digital television services provider OpenTV has developed the ‘ESPN 2006 Indianapolis 500 Application’ and the ‘Indy 500 DishHOME Mosaic’ for deployment on the Dish Network. The applications will enable an enhanced experience for viewers of the Indianapolis 500 race on Sunday, May 28, 2006.
Dish Network subscribers will have access to an Indy 500-themed DishHOME Mosaic (channel 100) on race day that will feature six different in-car camera feeds, each of which may be clicked on for viewing in full-screen mode. It will feature an Indy 500 race-themed motion background and will be ESPN Interactive TV-branded.
“The Indianapolis 500 is the perfect sporting event for these types of enhanced applications,” said Tim Evard, SVP and GM, Americas for OpenTV. EchoStar, which has built the world’s most extensive interactive and enhanced television platform utilizing OpenTV technology, reaches more than 12 million households. With this project for ESPN, OpenTV has effectively leveraged for ESPN’s benefit the highly popular Mosaic application used for multiple programming events by EchoStar.
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Justice Department clears Intelsat-PAS merger
Global communications provider Intelsat has been informed by the United States Department of Justice that it is closing its antitrust investigation of Intelsat’s proposed merger with PanAmSat Holding Corporation. The Justice Department is not seeking any conditions on the proposed merger and is not otherwise commenting on it. The transaction remains under review by the US Federal Communications Commission.“We are gratified that the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, after a comprehensive review, agreed with us that the Intelsat-PanAmSat merger does not pose any threat to competition,” said Phillip Spector, EVP and General Counsel of Intelsat. “We demonstrated that the combination of Intelsat and PanAmSat will create powerful efficiencies, with complementary fleets assuring enhanced protection and flexibility for our diverse sets of customers.”
Intelsat’s CEO, David McGlade, said: “With the Justice Department’s decision not to challenge our transaction, we are moving full speed ahead with our integration planning and preparations. We will be finalising our financing over the next few weeks, and should be in a position to close soon after receiving FCC approval. The new Intelsat post-merger will be one, fully-integrated, world-class provider of advanced communications solutions, with an employee team focused on customer service and technical excellence.”
Intelsat and PanAmSat announced their merger agreement on August 29, 2005. Under the agreement, Intelsat will acquire PanAmSat for $25 per share in cash, or $3.2 billion. In addition, approximately $3.2 billion in debt of PanAmSat and its subsidiaries will remain outstanding or be refinanced. Closing of the transaction is subject, among other things, to the receipt of financing by Intelsat and to obtaining regulatory approval from the FCC. All other regulatory approvals required prior to closing have been obtained.
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Verimatrix integrates with Broadcom chipset
IPTV content protection system developer Verimatrix’s VideoMark user-specific forensic watermarking technology has been integrated with Broadcom's set-top box (STB) reference design platform, the BCM97398.
"Security is a major concern for our customers and we see Verimatrix as providing a key additional layer of content protection to detect and deter digital piracy," said Aidan O'Rourke, marketing director for Broadcom's IP STB solutions.
"In order for cable and satellite providers to offer early release and HD content, they need to be assured that the content is protected with the best technologies available. Working directly with leading semiconductor players like Broadcom to integrate forensic watermarking capabilities into the set-top box offers a huge time to market advantage to customers," said Bob Kulakowski, chief technology officer, Verimatrix.
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Pace launches HD FTA STB
Pace Micro Technology has revealed its high definition (HD) free-to-air satellite set-top box – giving viewers in the UK the ability to watch the latest HD content, such as the forthcoming FIFA World Cup matches being broadcast by the BBC.To enjoy free-to-air HD content, viewers will need a satellite dish pointed to 19.2º or 28.2º (with BBC HD satellite programming only available on the latter feed) and an HD-Ready television set to watch the content.
Customers can buy the HD set-top box directly from Pace at www.PaceShop.com or via their local independent retailer. The set-top box will retail around £299 (E437).
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