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Our Latest Issues
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Scroll down page or click below for news - latest first
Tuesday
Friday 14th September
Alcatel-Lucent plunges on warning
Google offers YouTube to newspapers
Prince combats illegal downloads
TV Cabo to add 15 new TV channels
ITV double income by 2012
Porn against piracy
Virgin pushes red button for BBC
ITN to produce Setanta Sports News
Technetix buys Foentel
STAR and Ericsson Indian mobile TV
Philips HDTV for Canalsat
Alcatel-Lucent plunges on warningShares in Alcatel-Lucent fell by as much as 14 per cent in Paris after it shocked the market with its third proit warning this year. The group, formed last year from the E11.1bn merger of France’s Alcatel and Lucent of the US, said it was forced to slash its forecast for full-year revenue growth to zero as a result of a slowdown in capital spending among its wireless customers in North America.
The group had counted on higher volume sales to compensate for the aggressive price cuts it has undertaken to compete with Ericsson for clients. Alcatel said challenging conditions in North America meant it now expected 2007 revenue growth "to be flat or slightly up" at constant exchange rate. It added that third-quarter operating income was expected to be "around break-even".
It sounded its first profit warning in January, saying merger-related costs and uncertainty over product integration had hurt profits. This was followed by a sales warning in February, when it said it expected a revenue decline for the first quarter. The misery continued last month after the group announced a largest-than-expected second quarter loss.
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Google offers YouTube to newspapersGoogle is seeking to forge partnerships with newspaper companies to publish video news clips on YouTube and share the advertising take. David Eun, Google's vice president of content said that the company is having "deep discussions" with various content providers in Seoul and will announce deals very soon.
"You can have video content on your own websites and generate revenue from the ads. Or you can make a 'branded channel' on YouTube and have sub-channels for individual reporters, then draw the traffic back to the newspaper's website," said Eun.
The clips would carry video-in-display ads - small commercials that appear at the bottom of video clips in transparent letters, occupying about one fifth of the screen.
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Prince combats illegal downloads
Music artist Prince is threatening to sue a host of major websites, including YouTube, eBay and Pirate Bay, as part of a legal initiative to "reclaim the Internet" from piracy.
Lawsuits relating to Prince's material will be launched in the US and UK as part of a campaign led by anti-piracy firm Web Sheriff, which is representing the performer. The Web Sheriff managing director, John Giacobbi, said the extent of piracy online has become "ridiculous", spanning videos, music downloads, bootleg merchandise and unlicenced ringtones.
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TV Cabo to add 15 new TV channels
From Branislav Pekic in RomePortuguese pay-TV operator TV Cabo will launch 15 new channels by the end of the year, taking the total number to 103. Currently, TV Cabo offers its subscribers a total of 87 channels (65 basic, 9 Premium and 13 radio stations) and all of the new channels. Among the new Premium offerings will be Mov+, dedicated to recent movie releases and TV series. It will launch on November 1 on TV Cabo’s digital service Funtastic Life. The channel will also have a second version called Mov, distributed as part of the Basic service, airing older movies. The channel will also be made available outside the Portuguese market, namely in Portuguese speaking countries, such as Angola.
Other likely additions to the Funtastic Life package include Fox Crime and FX. Another novelty is the renaming of the 4 Lusomundo (Premium, Gallery, Action and Happy) movie channels to TV Cine (TVC1, TVC2, TVC3 and TVC4). TV Cabo is also preparing the introduction of a new receiver, which will permit, similarly to TIVO in the USA, to record programs and freeze images.
One of the pillars of TV Cabo’s strategy is investing in content. Last year, it invested around E143 million in programming and for this year it plans to invest E100 million in Portuguese channels and the subtitling of foreign channels.
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Michael Grade, executive chairman of ITV outlined a five-year, self-funding strategy to increase revenue, improve programming and expand its online audience.
Grade’s plan – envisaging a doubling of income from ITV Productions to £1.2bn (E1.71bn) by 2012 and a quintupling of Internet revenue to £150m within three years – hinged on self-sufficiency. "We will pay for new investment in content through greater efficiencies throughout the business," he said. "The first move here is reducing the number of regional news programmes from 17 to nine."
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A total of 65 producers of adult movies, their lawyers and other employees have organised a conference, where possible measures to be taken against piracy will be discussed. Data shows that only about 20 per cent of porn production is being legally spread, which causes serious losses for the whole industry.
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Virgin pushes red button for BBCFrom the end of September, Virgin Media will offer its subscribers the opportunity to interact with BBC radio content through red button technology. Listeners will be able to access track information, news, music charts, and programme listings, along with sport and weather. Stations will also have links to the Corporation's enhanced TV services.
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ITN to produce Setanta Sports NewsUK commercial TV news provider ITN is to produce Setanta Sports News when it goes on air later this year. The channel, backed by Setanta Sports and Virgin Media, will be made available to the its three million digital TV subscribers.
ITN was brought on board after sports production house TWI pulled out of the project. There had been suggestions that Virgin had been talking to ITN about a rolling news channel. ITN has been appointed the sole producer for Setanta's forthcoming sports news channel in a deal that will see the creation of 56 jobs.
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Technetix buys FoentelUK Cable component supplier Technetix has bought its Spanish equivalent Foentel. It is the intention of Technetix to merge this business with its existing Spanish operation Tratec Telecom España, broadening the depth and reach of its world class engineering solutions and integrated supply chain business within Spain. Technetix bought Tratec of The Netherlands last year. The Technetix Spanish operation and Foentel are important suppliers to all the leading Spanish broadband operators including ONO, Telefónica, Euskaltel, R and Telecable and this development will strengthen the Group's product and service offer to these customers.
Technetix´ joint Spanish operation is likely to have a total combined annual turnover in excess of E11m and it is expected to grow substantially in the coming years by exploiting the crossselling opportunities which will follow from the integration of sales and product management teams. The new Technetix Spain will employ twenty staff.
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STAR and Ericsson Indian mobile TVSTAR India’s mobile entertainment division, and mobile handset company Sony Ericsson have confirmed a partnership to bring mobile content services to Sony Ericsson users. Under the agreement, the recently launched PLUS mobile service from STAR’s mobile entertainment division will be exclusively pre-embedded on a range of Sony Ericsson phones in India.
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Philips HDTV for Canalsat
Philips has been selected by Canalsat to supply high definition set-top boxes to the French digital satellite operator. From October, Canalsat subscribers will be given Philips dual HD digital satellite receivers, allowing them to access a range of entertainment, including sport and movies, as well as new interactive services for accessing on-demand content. In addition, the Philips set top boxes incorporate advanced features such as the ability to record current and future programming thanks to an external hard drive.
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Thursday 13th September
Movistar launches flat fee mobile TV
SKT, T-Systems JV
Spain: pay-TV on DTT?
FCC sets cable requirement for digital switchover
iTunes movie rentals?
China narrows final mobile TV spec to CMMB, TDBM
News Corp sticks with iTunes
Mediaset profits, secures content
ROK inks deal with Warid Telecom
Sky uses Entriq to expand choice
Movistar launches flat fee mobile TV
From David Del Valle in MadridSpain’s Telefonica is making a full-frontal assault on mobile TV through its MNO Movistar, launching a flat fee of E5 per month for a 3G mobile TV offer of 26 TV channels. The TV service will provided under a free promotion until January so all the 2.5 million Movistar's 3G clients will be able to watch the basic TV package.
In parallel to its flat fee, the company has extended the number of its TV channels up to 42. Those channels that are not part of the basic tier but will have a price of E1 to E2 for each connection or E2 to E3 per month for a monthly subscription to a particular channel.
The company says that mobile TV is the second most widely demanded service amongst its subscribers after music downloading. On average, according to the company, clients spend around 20 minutes per day watching mobile TV, above all from 8 pm to midnight.
This is the first move made by an MNO company in Spain to promote mobile TV. Vodafone and Orange are expected to follow suit. This move comes at a time when the Government is paving the legal way for the launch of DVB-H services in the second quarter of 2008.
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SK Telecom, South Korea's top mobile operator, has reached a preliminary deal with T-Systems, a unit of Deutsche Telekom, to jointly enter the mobile broadcasting market in Europe and Asia.
"SK Telecom and T-Systems are planning to cooperate on a variety of mobile TV technologies," SK Telecom said. SK Telecom has been looking to overseas markets for growth. Almost nine in 10 South Koreans already have a mobile phone and there is little room for domestic expansion.
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Spain: pay-TV on DTT?
From David Del Valle in Madrid
The Spanish TV networks are considering launching pay-TV services and content on the free-to-air digital terrestrial platform following the Italy's example. They have been making a technical trial in Extremadura, west of Spain, aimed at knowing what type of content the consumer would be interested in and testing technology.
The most enthusiastic broadcasters are La Sexta, through production company Mediapro, and DTT operators Net TV and Veo TV. Mediapro is weighing up the possibility of offering football on pay-per-view through the DTT platform.
The Government is willing to change the legislation to allow pay-TV services to be distributed through DTT. "Currently, according to the law, it is not possible to launch pay DTT channels in Spain, but if the sector makes the request, we will study it because we do not want to limit the development of this technology, above all when technnically it is possible", said Francisco Ros, State Secretary of Telecommunications.
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FCC sets cable requirement for digital switchoverUS communications regulators have approved new rules designed to ensure that cable television subscribers who own analogue TV sets will still have access to local broadcast TV channels following the digital switchover in 2009.
The FCC voted to endorse rules that require cable operators to continue carrying local broadcast channels that can be viewed on traditional analogue TVs for three years after the switchover. Broadcasters are required to switch to digital signals from analogue by Feb 17, 2009.
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iTunes movie rentals?Apple is said to be talking with major Hollywood studios about adding 30-day rentals to its iTunes online media store. Apple is believed to be working towards starting the new service some time in the fall which would offer a 30-day rental for $2.99. A deal would allow iPod users to watch movies during the rental period without purchasing the entire film. Rights management software would allow the movies to be viewed on an iPod or iPhone, but would prevent them from being copied.
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China narrows final mobile TV spec to CMMB, TDBMDu Baichuan, former CTO of China's State Administration of Radio, Film and Television has confirmed that "China will have two mobile TV standards by the end of this year: CMMB and TDBM".
CMMB (China Mobile Multimedia Broadcasting) is based on a hybrid satellite and terrestrial network, originally developed by China's Academy of Broadcast Science and Sarft. TDMB is a mobile TV standard using China's home-grown 3G mobile telecommunication standard, TD-SCDMA (Time Division-Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access). TDBM was developed by Datong Telecom, a research body of China's Ministry of Information and Industry (MII).
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News Corp sticks with iTunesNews Corp has no plans to pull its television shows from iTunes like NBC Universal, but has echoed the media industry's calls for Apple to offer more flexible pricing.
Peter Chernin, News Corp's president and chief operating officer, said News was not in a dispute with Apple , though it would like a bigger voice in pricing its shows. "Right now we have a perfectly good relationship with Apple. But let me say this, we're the ones who should determine what the fair price for our product is, not Apple."
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Mediaset profits, secures contentItalian broadcaster Mediaset posted first-half net profits up 2.5 per cent at E340.8m, on revenue 4.2 per cent higher at E2.08bn, citing higher revenues from its pay-per-view division and Spanish Gestevision Telecinco unit. Meanwhile Mediaset has reportedly reached an E800m content deal with Time Warner and Universal giving them rights to broadcast the studios’ movies and TV series for the next four years.
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ROK inks deal with Warid TelecomROK Entertainment, the UK-based mobile applications development company, has reached agreement with Pakistan mobile operator, Warid Telecom, to provide streamed mobile TV over Warid's existing 2.5G network. Warid Telecom - part owned by Singtel - aim to launch the multi-channel TV offering in a matter of weeks as a subscription-based service.
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Sky uses Entriq to expand choiceEntriq has confirmed that BSkyB will use its services to support the delivery of pay-per-view television content. The EST (electronic sell-through) service will enable Sky to offer pay-per-view content via its online portfolio. With the Entriq service, customers with a 2Mb or greater broadband connection will be able to download a selection of Sky content, including film, entertainment and sports on a pay-per-view basis. Entriq claims downloaded movies will be available to watch in as little as 15 minutes.
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Wednesday 12th September
Warner invests online
Setanta secures Tiscali deal
$800m for US networks online
Fibre future for IPTV?
iPhone hits 1m sales
Sony VOD deal with ITI
SES Astra expands interactive TV service to Arab world
3 Italia mobile football
TV4: Over 100 shows for download
Blyk for Britain
DirecTV IP for MDUs
4oD expands download window
ADB to supply yes HD STBs
Warner invests onlineIn the race to become a major supplier of original video programming to the Web, Warner Brothers is to invest upfront in a slate of mad for web programmes. It plans to introduce 24 Web productions in a range of formats including minimovies, games and episodic television shows and has discarded its initial strategy of insisting that advertisers shoulder production costs from the start.
"In trying to get the business off the ground," said Craig Hunegs, executive vice president for business development, "we ended up in a bit of a dance with advertisers about what various projects would look like."
Meanwhile, Warner Bros has stepped up its bid to become a major digital destination with the launch of T-Works - short for Toon works - which features the group’s stable of animated characters. The ad-supported site allows users to create virtual world avatars based on cartoon characters, and customise their identities on social networking sites.
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Setanta secures Tiscali dealSetanta Sports has extended its reach on broadband TV services through a deal with Tiscali, making three of its sports channels available in a monthly package for £9.99 (E14.7).
Setanta will offer rugby, football and golf coverage through the deal, including live Premiership matches and the US PGA Tour, on Setanta Sports One, Setanta Sports Two and Setanta Golf.
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$800m for US networks onlineForrester Research says the big four US networks (ABC, FOX , NBC and CBS) will earn $800m (E576m) from online shows in the next year. Meanwhile Adams Media Research says this figure could rise to $6bn by 2011.
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Fibre future for IPTV?
From Colin Mann in LondonFuture IPTV deployments need to be based on fibre networks, according to Ericsson’s Chief Technical Officer. Håkan Eriksson told industry analysts and media representatives at the company’s Strategy and Technology Summit that a Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON) takes the operator further, at a higher speed.
"If you’ve got three people in a household all watching in HD at eight Meg, and there’s someone else there who needs a bit more bandwidth for browsing, operators will be needing to offer 30 Meg, and that’s why you’ll need fibre roll-outs."
Karl-Henrik Sundström, Executive Vice President and CFO, also drew attention to the current lack of standardisation in the IPTV industry, which was likely to hold back its expansion. "There are economies of scale in standardisation," he suggested. "At the moment, networks are very much ‘home-grown’. Operators want to upgrade, but there’s no clear development path.
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iPhone hits 1m salesApple sold its one millionth iPhone just 74 days after launching the popular product and three weeks ahead of its own projections. The news comes less than a week after Apple slashed the price of the 8GB by $200 (E144), from $599 to $399. Apple also said it was lowering the price of the 4GB iPhone by $200 but would only sell the model until current supplies are exhausted.
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Sony VOD deal with ITISony Pictures Television International (SPTI) has signed a video on demand (VOD) agreement with ITI Neovision, part of the ITI Group, the Polish media and television entertainment company. The deal brings many of Sony Pictures recent movies to subscribers of ITI’s digital satellite entertainment service, n. The service, to be branded nVOD, downloads the movies to a subscriber’s set top box so they can view, pause and fast forward the movies as they please.
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SES Astra expands interactive TV service to Arab worldSES Astra has signed a new contract for its interactive TV service Blucom for the Arab World. MBC, the leading free-to-air multi-channel media group in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, will use Blucom for voting, greeting, downloading, and other enhanced TV-applications for its flagship channel MBC1, its news channel Al Arabiya, and its Saudi Arabian radio channel MBC FM. The roll-out of the service will start at the end of October 2007.
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3 Italia mobile football3 Italia has launched "Scendi in campo con 3", the new Italian Mobile TV offer dedicated to football. Subscribers can view Serie A football matches and Sky’s coverage of the Champions League. Users will also have the chance to watch live the best of international football with the most interesting matches of Premiership, Bundesliga, Liga, Brazilian Championship and the qualification matches to Euro 2008 of the Italian national football team.
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TV4: Over 100 shows for downloadTV4U, the 42 channel broadband network offering free Internet TV, has expanded its deal with Brightcove and now offers more than 100 classic TV and classic sports shows for download. Tv4U also plans to add an additional 100 shows to its Brightcove based download service in the coming weeks. Eventually, TV4U plans to offer all 10,000 of its classic shows on Brightcove. All programming offered can be viewed at no charge.
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Blyk, a mobile phone service that promises to offer free calls and messaging in return for users accepting adverts on their handsets, says it will launch in Britain.
The virtual operator is targeting 16 to 24 year olds, renting airtime from Orange and using technology from Nokia Siemens Networks. Blyk was co-founded by Pekka Ala-Pietila, former president of world's top mobile phone maker, Nokia.
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DirecTV IP for MDUsDIRECTV and Thomson are launching the first satellite TV distribution system for multi-dwelling units (MDU) using IP technology. The introduction of DIRECTV’s MFH3 (Multi-Family Housing version 3) distribution system, jointly developed with Thomson, is timed to support the satcaster’s highly-anticipated HD expansion later this year.
The DIRECTV MFH3 system, designed to solve satellite distribution issues in dense living spaces such as apartment complexes, condominiums and master planned communities, enables the delivery of all DIRECTV satellite TV programming and services using existing in-building and distribution wiring. As an IP distribution platform, service providers that have won the rights to deliver communications services to MDUs or planned communities can integrate the MFH3 with their existing voice and internet services to deliver triple-play services over a single infrastructure, the company said.
The MFH3 system uses IP technology as a distribution platform to deliver satellite television and other services from a private "on-property" headend facility to each customer dwelling.
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Channel 4's video-on-demand service 4oD will now allow users to download shows up to 30 days after transmission, an increase from the seven-day cut-off point. Users will be able to store episodes on a PC for a further 30 days.
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ADB to supply yes HD STBsAdvanced Digital Broadcast (ADB) has been selected by 'yes' to supply its ADB-7820S set-top boxes (STBs) for the digital satellite operator’s launch of high definition (HD) services in Israel. This latest agreement comes as a result of the close relationship forged between the two companies spanning some five years.
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Tuesday 11th September
Spain approves analogue switch-off timetable
iTunes half-price TV downloads?
BBC on Xbox?
Nagravision goes mobile with Alcatel-Lucent
Disney to close abc1
UPC says hello Moto, Tandberg
CacheLogic enhances delivery services, adds Adobe and Microsoft
T-Systems flies high with Eurobird 9
ADB boxes clever with Telefónica
NME video content
Conax tests water with Thomson’s NexGuard
Irdeto secures French DTT
Slingbox for UPC in the Netherlands
Spain approves analogue switch-off timetable
From David Del Valle in MadridThe Spanish cabinet has approved a digital migration plan to progressively carry out the analogue switch-off from next year to April 2010.
The analogue switch-off in Spain will be progressively implemented in four phases. In 2008 the analogue switch-off will cover one per cent of the population (switching off in Soria and A Fonsagrada), reaching 12 per cent by mid 2009 and 32.4 per cent by the end of that year, completing the process in April 2010.
The country has been divided into 73 technical areas with a total of 90 transition projects, in three different groups: areas with less than 500,000 inhabitants and high DTT coverage; regions with 500,000 to 700,000 inhabitants; and the third group more than 700,000 inhabitants.
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iTunes half-price TV downloads?
In an effort to increase iTunes video sales, Apple is reportedly in discussions with US television networks to cut the price of shows in half.
Apple has told networks and studios that it would like to slash the cost of most TV episodes from the current $1.99 (E1.43) to just $0.99, reports Variety. According to reports, Apple believes the move could double video sales and offset the loss in per-video downloads.
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BBC on Xbox?Xbox Live users could soon be watching BBC programmes via their console after Microsoft revealed it is in discussions with the broadcaster.
Senior director for media at Microsoft Ross Honey confirmed the firm has spoken with the BBC and several other European media companies. "We are working diligently on multiple fronts to make it happen," Honey said. "The BBC is a great content provider.
The move follows a deal between the BBC and Microsoft in 2006, when the pair signed an agreement to explore ways of developing its digital services.
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Nagravision goes mobile with Alcatel-Lucent
From Nick Snow in AmsterdamValue-added content protection solutions provider Nagravision has successfully integrated its Nagra Mobile conditional access system with the Alcatel-Lucent Mobile Interactive TV platform. The combination will allow operators to launch a complete secured and interactive mobile TV service with a short time to market.
Alcatel-Lucent’s Mobile Interactive TV platform is a universal solution for the delivery of interactive mobile TV supporting the OSF and OMA BCAST approaches. It is spanning unicast and broadcast technologies, supports DVB-H and DVB-SH and is one of the building blocks of Alcatel-Lucent ‘Unlimited Mobile TV solution’.
"Service protection is a priority for the secured delivery of interactive mobile TV to the mass market," noted Olivier Coste, Chairman of Alcatel-Lucent’s mobile broadcast activities.
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Disney to close abc1
Walt Disney Television is to axe US entertainment channel abc1, which also has a valuable Freeview slot in the UK. Disney said its inability to extend the channel's Freeview hours into peak-time was a key factor in the decision.
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UPC says hello Moto, Tandberg
From Colin Mann in AmsterdamTriple play operator UPC Broadband has selected solutions from Motorola and Tandberg Television, to power its Video on Demand (VOD) services in The Netherlands. Already deployed in several locations across The Netherlands, the Motorola and Tandberg Television solutions power the delivery of on-demand content that is expected to reach over 500,000 UPC video subscribers this year.
"Video on Demand is one of the corner stones of the UPC Digital TV platform," said Eric Lennon, Chief Technology Officer of UPC Broadband. He added hat it was essential to integrate this service into UPC’s overall digital architecture. "To our customers this should appear as a seamless addition to their normal digital service with highly quality and availability expected by them."
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CacheLogic enhances delivery services, adds Adobe and Microsoft
From Nick Snow in Amsterdam
Digital Asset Delivery Network provider CacheLogic has launched Velocix 2.0 with the introduction of its Velocix Video family of delivery services. Velocix Video offers a full complement of download, progressive download (watch while you download), live and on-demand streaming asset delivery services for all video forms, including High Definition.
"In today's post-Web 2.0 world, it's vital that consumers get rock solid broadcast quality experience and that unlike traditional on-line video experiences they are ‘Streaming not Screaming," said Phill Robinson, CEO of CacheLogic. He suggested that Velocix 2.0 addressed the performance, economic and control challenges associated with distributing video over the Internet, and would pave the way for the creation of a whole new generation of reliable, high quality on-line video enabled services. CacheLogic also revealed new strategic partnerships with Adobe and Microsoft for the delivery of these new Velocix Video Streaming solutions.
T-Systems flies high with Eurobird 9
From Nick Snow in AmsterdamMedia&Broadcast, a business unit of Deutsche Telekom’s T-Systems and satellite operator Eutelsat Communications and have signed an agreement for the 10-year lease of a full transponder on Eutelsat's Eurobird 9 satellite. The capacity will be used for video networks and data distribution services in Germany and international markets.
Eurobird 9 is a 20-transponder, high-power Ku-band satellite optimised for television and radio broadcasting in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. The satellite's recent entry into service at Eutelsat's new 9 degrees East position, adjacent to the Hot Bird neighbourhood, is in line with Eutelsat's objective to develop multi-satellite reception in Europe in order to accompany the growing number of channels and the arrival of HDTV. Satellite homes equipped for DTH reception from the Hot Bird position can easily add channels broadcast by Eurobird 9 by fitting a second LNB beside the LNB pointed to the Hot Bird satellites. Helmut Egenbauer, CEO of Media&Broadcast, said the new satellite neighbourhood was ideally positioned for its clients for broadcasting Standard Digital and HDTV channels. He confirmed that the company would also use the capacity for radio and data applications.
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ADB boxes clever with Telefónica
From Colin Mann in AmsterdamDigital TV systems and software solutions supplier Advanced Digital Broadcast (ADB), has been selected to supply high definition, hybrid, digital video recorders (DVRs) to Telefónica in Spain. ADB’s ADB-5810TWX platform has been launched at IBC2007 in Amsterdam and Telefónica will be the first IPTV operator to deploy it in volume.
The ADB-5810TWX has been specifically designed for the hybrid IPTV market where access to broadcast services alongside those delivered over IP provide a comprehensive viewing portfolio. Javier Lucendo de Gregorio, Telefónica´s technical manager in broadband equipment, said the product marked one of the world’s first deployments of IPTV based digital video recording.
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NME video contentPopular music website NME.com has confirmed a major revamp to its video content, releasing more than 50 exclusive backstage interviews through iTunes and centralising the site's video archive in a dedicated channel.
All the video content is free to download and watch, although publisher IPC Ignite Digital is exploring how to commercialise the services through sponsorship or advertising.
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Conax tests water with Thomson’s NexGuard
From Colin Mann in AmsterdamDigital TV conditional access solutions supplier Conax is to integrate Thomson’s watermarking solution, NexGuard, into its security products. Thomson’s NexGuard solution can watermark all forms of broadcast content delivered via IPTV, satellite, cable or terrestrial broadcast and viewed with a digital set-top box.
"Thomson strongly believes in the integration of content protection with watermarking solutions" said Pascal Marie, Thomson’s NexGuard product line manager. "Combined, these security tools are not only allowing the tracking of pirated content, but more globally, they are protecting content owners’ valuable rights".
"In large markets where the redistribution of analogue content is a severe problem, our customers will now be able to trace the source of the illegal distribution in a cost-effective way," added Wictor Nicolaysen, VP Strategic Partner Management at Conax. "Piracy will always be a threat to the entertainment industry and the watermarking technology is crucial in this continuous fight. A complete integrated security measure at all system levels is required for complex Pay-TV operations."
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Irdeto secures French DTT
From Colin Mann in AmsterdamDigital TV content security specialist Irdeto has clinched a deal with Neotion TNT France (NTF) to provide its Irdeto Digital TV conditional access (CA) solution for NTF's new digital terrestrial television (DTT) pay-TV service in France. NTF will license the IrdetoDigital TV solution and integrate it in digital TV sets designed by leading electronics vendors. Registered by the Conseil Supérieur de l'Audiovisuel (CSA), the French broadcasting regulator, as an official DTT pay-TV Distributor, NTF intends to play a key role in the development of pay DTT in France. Laurent Jabiol, President of NTF, explained that Neotion started NTF to capitalise on what it considered its unique technology and provide an opportunity to deliver digital broadcast offerings in France that met digital TV legislative requirements.--
VeriSign Launches European multi-screen platform
From Colin Mann in AmsterdamNetworked world digital infrastructure provider VeriSign has launched its Three-Screen Solution for Media and Entertainment Companies in Europe. VeriSign has combined its expertise in digital services with an international supplier of digital media technology solutions, ioko, with the aim of enabling companies to provide consumers with a compelling digital experience across multiple screens.
VeriSign and ioko have enabled successful mobile and broadband content delivery solutions including Channel 4's 4oD, Sky Anytime on PC and for other telecommunications, media and entertainment leaders in Europe, Asia and North America.
"With a trend toward high-quality, long-form content and a consumer that
is more mobile and demanding than ever, media and entertainment brands are having to rethink and retool their approach - developing new digital
distribution channels and experiences that fully embrace today's
connected consumers," said Stephen Condon, vice president, media and entertainment, VeriSign.Mark Christie, managing director, ioko, noted that there was a requirement for increasing sophistication in the delivery of digital content to consumers.
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Slingbox for UPC in the Netherlands
From Nick Snow in AmsterdamCable MSO UPC Broadband and Sling Media are to a trial the Slingbox for UPC Digital TV customers in the Netherlands. The Slingbox allows UPC Digital TV customers to remotely control their digital Mediabox and watch or record their TV channels and programmes using a broadband Internet connection.
Stuart Collingwood, vice president of Europe for Sling Media said UPC customers would now be able to watch their favourite UPC digital programmes on their laptop or desktop computer.
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Monday 10th September
DoJ blow to Internet neutrality
UK Freesat closer to launch
Lulu hates Hulu
Apple gives back $100
Interactive local DTT tests under way in Spain
US Cable and NAB explain digital
Virgin news channel?
Motorola ships 2m IP STBs
Qualcomm and TeamCast expand MediaFLO
Babelgum looks East
RRSat extends reach with Intelsat
Irdeto, Amino and Anevia hatch DVB over IP solution
DirecTV Joins HomePlug Alliance
RGB global reseller agreement with Tandberg
DIC launches kid’s channel
DoJ blow to Internet neutralityThe US Department of Justice (DoJ) has backed US telcos, warning regulators against imposing ‘net neutrality’ rules that would block carriers from charging content providers premium prices to prioritise some web traffic.
While the ultimate decision on new regulations rests with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the DoJ’s comments represent a blow to content companies such as Google and Microsoft who have been pushing for net neutrality regulations to restrict the ability of the big carriers such as AT&T and Verizon Communications and cable operators like Comcast that would like the option to charge some users extra fees for carrying web content such as video.
In comments submitted to the FCC, the DoJ said that precluding broadband providers from charging content and application providers directly for faster or more reliable service "could shift the entire burden of implementing costly network expansions and improvements on to consumers". Thomas Barnett, the department’s antitrust chief, added: "Consumers and the economy are benefiting from the innovative and dynamic nature of the Internet. Regulators should be careful not to impose regulations that could limit consumer choice and investment in broadband facilities."
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UK Freesat closer to launch
From Colin Mann in AmsterdamThe Digital TV Group, the industry association for digital television in the UK, has moved a step closer to helping deliver a common test specification for Freesat, the subscription-free digital service from ITV and the BBC.
Freesat will offer more than 200 channels and services including high definition television to consumers across the UK for a one off payment, no contract, no subscription. Digital TV Group testing centre, DTG Testing, has been chosen to conduct the essential conformance testing for Freesat compliant receivers in order to deliver a high quality service to consumers. DTG Testing's facilities will ensure consumers get best value and services when they buy digital television products and services.
Along with other Freesat technology partners, Siemens, Arqiva and eventIS, the Digital TV Group will work to deliver the technology required to implement the Freesat service.
Richard Lindsay-Davies, director general of the Digital TV Group, said that a common specification for service and receiver conformance was critical to the success of advanced digital services as it provided the framework for a vibrant and stable market. "In addition, consumer trust in the brand is vital and knowing that DTG Testing is defining the test requirements for all of the products necessary to bring Freesat to market will go some way to ensuring this, he added."
Freesat's first wave of chosen manufacturers (Humax, Panasonic, Sagem and Alba) will need to ensure their devices meet the Digital TV Group's future-focused test regime for Freesat, pass the rigorous DTG Testing procedures and sign up to the Freesat trademark licence. By doing so consumers can be confident of the reliability and high quality of the Freesat compliant equipment they purchase. Emma Scott, Freesat’s MD, said that discussions were taking place at IBC in Amsterdam with a second wave of manufacturers.
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Media giants NBC Universal and News Corp have revealed that they were going to call their online video joint venture Hulu, but Lulu the online custom book publisher is filing a trademark infringement lawsuit against Hulu in a US District Court.
In a statement, Lulu said that Hulu "as a result of their recent name and internet domain announcements, have intentionally attempted to create confusion in the marketplace. Hulu, in name, as a mark and in their business as a digital content distribution platform, represents a definitive encroachment. In addition to the conflict in business for digital video, Hulu’s trademark filing, filed on August 22, 2007, identifies various products and services, many of which are related to, and even identical to, the services that Lulu provides under its Lulu marks."
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Apple gives back $100A furious response from early adopters to the $200 (E146) cut in iPhone prices has seen Apple give $100 credit notes to all early purchasers. The company posted an open letter from CEO Steve Jobs on its Web site defending the decision to cut the price of the 8GB iPhone from $599 to $399, but acknowledging that Apple shouldn't have treated its early adopters in such a fashion.
"Even though we are making the right decision to lower the price of iPhone, and even though the technology road is bumpy, we need to do a better job taking care of our early iPhone customers as we aggressively go after new ones with a lower price. Our early customers trusted us, and we must live up to that trust with our actions in moments like these," Jobs wrote. Details on how to obtain the $100 store credit will be posted on Apple's Web site next week, he added.
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Interactive local DTT tests under way in Spain
From David Del Valle in Madrid
Spain is to make interactive MHP-based DTT tests in two towns in San Juan de Aznalfarache and Castilleja de la Cuesta, in the province of Seville, in the south of Spain. Aljarafe Television will be launching next week its digital TV channel covering all the Seville demarcation with around 1.3 million people to carry out the interactive trial.
Around 100 people will take part in the test over the next months. They will be equipped with a MHP-ready DTT box through which they will have access to a plethora of interactive services that will allow them to receive information from the town councils, book places at local workshops and make red tape, among others.
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US Cable and NAB explain digitalThe US cable television industry has launched a $200m (E146m) advertising campaign to assure customers they will still be able programmes after the transition to digital broadcasting. Ad spots open with a graphic that reads: "By law TV stations will end analogue broadcasts on February 17, 2009, and broadcast exclusively in digital." That will be followed by cable customers assuring viewers that "every TV set you have that's hooked up to cable will work just fine."
The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) said that it would start its ‘digital TV education’ public service announcement campaign by the end of this month.
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Virgin news channel?Virgin Media is exploring the possibility of launching a dedicated news channel with ITN as content supplier. The mooted Virgin News, which would likely broadcast on a 24-hour rolling format, would effectively complete the replacement of Sky’s basic channels package, which was removed from the cable broadcaster’s platform, following confirmed plans for general entertainment channel Virgin 1 and a sports news tie-up with Setanta Sports.
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Motorola ships 2m IP STBsMotorola has shipped its two millionth Internet Protocol (IP) set-top box. The milestone was reached just five months after the shipment of its one millionth IP set-top box.
The landmark demonstrates the rapid expansion of the IPTV market. The two millionth set-top - a VIP1510 - was shipped as part of the provision of 150,000 units to TeliaSonera, Sweden’s largest telecommunications company.
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Qualcomm and TeamCast expand MediaFLOQualcomm, developer of advanced wireless technologies and mobile data solutions, has licensed its FLO modulator software to France-based TeamCast, a company that develops equipment for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) serving the mobile TV transmission industry. The agreement enables TeamCast to accelerate development of FLO-compliant modulators for mobile TV transmissions, which can then be integrated into third-party transmitter equipment. The licensing agreement will further expand the MediaFLO ecosystem by allowing MediaFLO technology to be deployed by global transmitter companies.
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Babelgum looks EastBabelgum, the Ireland-based online TV outfit, aims to open in the Chinese market early in 2008. The company plans to add Chinese-language original content in the first quarter of next year".
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RRSat extends reach with IntelsatIntelsat, provider of commercial satellite services, has confirmed that RRSat Global Communications, a global provider of end-to-end transmission and production services for broadcasters, will use the Intelsat global network to expand RRSat’s programming transmissions services seamlessly across three continents.
RRSat has contracted for capacity on Intelsat’s Galaxy 23 and Intelsat 10 satellites for content broadcasting throughout Africa, Asia and North America. The Intelsat 10 satellite offers communications services to customers wanting access to the emerging markets of the Indian subcontinent as well as Central and Western Asia. RRSat will use its Intelsat 10 capacity to distribute television programming from Europe and the United States into Asia and Africa.
Irdeto, Amino and Anevia hatch DVB over IP solution
From Colin Mann in AmsterdamIrdeto, provider of content security for digital TV, IPTV and mobile networks; together with Amino, IPTV platform supplier, and Anevia, supplier of IPTV and VOD servers have revealed a joint IPTV solution that enables telcos to provide existing DVB services to their customers via their IP networks.
In addition, CATV and MMDS operators with DVB-C technology or Satellite operators with DVB-S technology can offer the service by transparently converting their full channel package from DVB to an IP Multicast (SPTS) service direct to the subscriber. This will increase the penetration of their existing pay TV services by adding new subscribers and increasing revenue. The telco can add a valuable service to their existing telephony and data services permitting them to offer triple play to their subscribers with a minimum of investment and effort.
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DirecTV Joins HomePlug AllianceDirecTV has joined the HomePlug Powerline Alliance, the standards body for powerline communications. HomePlug sponsor companies include Comcast, GE Security, Intel, LG Electronics, Linksys, Motorola, RadioShack, Samsung Electronics, Sharp Laboratories and Texas Instruments.
"The HomePlug Alliance is a leader in the powerline communications industry and HomePlug technology will help DirecTV provide its customers with a robust entertainment experience," said Romulo Pontual, CTO at the satellite TV company.
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RGB global reseller agreement with Tandberg
From Colin Mann in AmsterdamNetwork video processing specialist RGB Networks has signed a global reseller agreement with Tandberg Television. The agreement will see Tandberg integrate RGB’s Broadcast Network Processor (BNP) with its iSIS 8000 IP headend and video processing solutions for satellite, cable, telco and terrestrial networks. The deal will also provide RGB with increased scale and market presence through access to Tandberg’s global customer base.
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DIC launches kid’s channelDIC Entertainment has launched KidsCo, a joint venture children's channel it owns along with Sparrowhawk Media and Corus Entertainment, in Romania, Hungary, Russia, Turkey, and Poland.
The children's brand management company said carriage deals have been signed in Ukraine, where KidsCo will be launched next month, and in Asia Pacific, which will receive the service by early 2008. The company expects KidsCo to be available in up to 40 territories - including Europe and Latin America - within the next 18 months
