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Our Latest Issues
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Tuesday
Babelgum preps launch with Zingarelli appointment
ProSiebenSat.1 Group acquires PULS TV
Mediaset bids for remainder of Endemol
Antena 3 TV launches Internet TV platform
Vividas takes HandMade films online
Five to double digital channels with +1 launches
Livewire Digital sails high definition seas
Live Earth live on Vodafone Mobile TV
iPhone for O2?
Ofcom advises on digital switchover transmitters
Babelgum preps launch with Zingarelli appointment
New generation global Internet TV network Babelgum has confirmed that former Vodafone Global Director of Networks and Service Platforms, Valerio Zingarelli, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer. Zingarelli takes over the operational responsibilities of co-founder Erik Lumer, who will now turn his focus to strategic product development.
Beyond the completion and refinement of the technical platform, Zingarelli will lead Babelgum into the next phase of launch as a new global media platform aimed at delivering targeted content to sharply-profiled viewer groups everywhere in the world.
Babelgum Chairman and co-founder Silvio Scaglia said that Babelgum’s development was now moving into phase two. “The core technology has been proven and whilst our focus right now is on bringing together compelling content, we will soon turn to user acquisition and advertising. Valerio’s appointment is a reflection of that changing focus”.
Over the next nine to twelve months the company will concentrate on the following
three sequential priorities: Building a sufficient quantity of professional content to offer viewers enough variety and choice to satisfy individual passions and interests; with an extensive library of content available, Babelgum will initiate a marketing campaign aimed at launching first to English-speaking viewers around the globe. Once both content and viewers are in place, Babelgum will address the advertising market to build the revenue stream.
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ProSiebenSat.1 Group acquires PULS TV
ProSiebenSat.1 Group is acquiring Austrian free TV station PULS TV. The German broadcaster will acquire all shares of the station, which serves the Vienna metropolitan area, from a group of private investors. The parties have agreed to keep the purchase price confidential. The acquisition further expands the ProSiebenSat.1 Group’s presence in Austria and follows the June 27 acquisition of SBS Broadcasting in a E3.3 billion deal.
The Company projects that the expansion of digital satellite reception will cause the Austrian TV advertising market to grow faster than average, especially for commercial TV providers. The acquisition is subject to approval by the antitrust authorities and media regulators.
PULS TV currently offers an around-the-clock schedule of light entertainment, information and local news.
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Mediaset bids for remainder of Endemol
A group led by Italian broadcaster Mediaset has formally launched a bid to acquire the remaining 25 per cent of Dutch production company Endemol that it does not already own, offering E24.55 a share, a 12 per cent discount to the price it paid for control of Endemol in May.
The group, which also includes Endemol founder John de Mol, is looking to gain complete control of the company from Spain’s Telefónica, which bought the company from de Mol in 2000.
If the group acquires the remaining 25 per cent of the shares at the price it is offering, it will have succeeded in buying the same property for a total of E3.4 billion ($4.6 billion).
The offer at the current price will start July 5 and last until August 3, after which the bidders could choose to withdraw the offer or bid more money for the remaining shares.
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Antena 3 TV launches Internet TV platform
From David del VallePublishing House Planeta-controlled Antena 3 TV network has taken a step further into the Internet TV market by launching www.teleporlared.com that will initially distribute four of its TV channels: the DTT channels Antena.neox and Antena.nova, as well as its 24 hour news TV channel Antena 3 noticias 24 and Antena 3 Internacional.
The company said that the launch is part of its DTT strategy meaning “a high increase in the coverage and development of the digital channels”. In a later phase, Antena 3 will also broadcast UEFA football matches and current affairs reports through its Internet TV platform.
The launch comes shortly after the company reached an agreement with YouTube giving access to its content.
Meanwhile, RTL and Planeta De Agostini, main shareholders in Antena 3 with 17.2 per cent and 42.62 per cent, have indefinitely extended their shareholders accord on the channel.
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Vividas takes HandMade films onlineVideo streaming technology company Vividas is teaming up with HandMade Films International to build a fully interactive movie portal, scheduled for launch later this summer. The portal - www.handmadefilmsonline.com - will enable viewers to watch classic films from the extensive back catalogue including Withnail and I, Time Bandits and The Long Good Friday and will host premieres of newly released feature films.
According to Vividas. as the online entertainment market continues to experience massive growth, alternative methods of film distribution are not only accepted, but expected by today’s Internet users. Andrew Wilding, Vividas’ European managing director, said the deal highlighted another significant step that the movie distribution industry has to consider. “Until now, screening online has meant slow downloading and small windows. Now …people can enjoy high quality films in the comfort of their own homes. The days of having to wait hours for content to come through are over.”
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Five to double digital channels with +1 launchesFive, the UK commercial broadcaster owned by the RTL Group, is to expand its digital presence by launching time-shifted +1 services for its Five Life and Five US channels. The Five Life+1 and Five US+1 variants will launch on satellite in early autumn, but there are no plans for a similar move on Freeview or cable.
The move to secure further satellite space is set to pave the way for further brand launches, but it is understood that a movie channel is not being actively considered because of the prominence of rivals in the market such as Sky.
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Livewire Digital sails high definition seasIntegrated data, voice and video broadcast services provider Livewire Digital has been chosen by the Volvo Ocean Race organisers to provide a new on-board High Definition broadcast system for the 2008-2009 event. ‘Media Desk HD’ will be developed by Livewire Digital to capture the race on HD video for the first time. It will relay transmissions from participating yachts’ on-board cameras.
Andy Hindley, race director of the Volvo Ocean Race, decided to move to HD to bring the audience closer to the action and to maintain the Volvo Ocean Race as the world’s premier yacht race. “Surpassing the 1.8 billion viewers set by the last race will be a serious challenge, but we are determined to provide fans with the best view possible”
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Live Earth live on Vodafone Mobile TV
Vodafone Portugal will be broadcasting live to mobile all the Live Earth concerts taking place on Saturday 7 July.To accompany the eight-city initiative, Vodafone is creating a Live Earth Channel on its Mobile TV service. All the concerts will be available in recorded form on the Live Earth Channel of the Vodafone Mobile TV service until the end of July.
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Telefónica’s O2 mobile phone business is reported to have clinched a deal as Apple’s exclusive network partner for iPhone in the UK. O2 would be the first European mobile operator to reach a deal with Apple for its iPhone. Apple intends to limit iPhone’s European launch this autumn to the UK, France and Germany. It will follow elsewhere in Europe next year, when it will also launch in Asia.
The European iPhone is likely to operate on slower 2.5 generation mobile networks, not the 3G infrastructure of companies such as Vodafone.
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Ofcom advises on digital switchover transmittersUK communications regulator Ofcom has published details of the transmission characteristics which the television transmitter network will adopt at switchover for the 81 transmitters already carrying digital services. This information is primarily intended to help systems installers make initial preparations for switchover.
The document indicates that householders in a number of areas will need replacement aerials. although Ofcom anticipates that the frequency plan will remain relatively stable in the run-up to switchover, but accepts that it may prove necessary to make changes to some aspects of the plan with the aim of maximising coverage across the UK.
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RAI opts for DMB for mobile TV
YouTube for LG Handsets
Spain's TV industry buoyant
PT Multimedia faces licence lock-out
New technology disappointment for BBC
UK media secretary takes charge of broadcasting
BSkyB rejects Virgin Media claims
Premier League football for IPTV
Cube TV debuts
Cult comedy debuts on iTunes and Unbox
New Zealand firm eyes IPTV
RAI opts for DMB for mobile TV
From Branislav Pekic in RomeItalian public broadcaster RAI has opted for the DMB standard instead of DVB-H for the development of its mobile television service.
According to the Stefano Ciccotti, CEO of RaiWay – the company which manages RAI’s network infrastructure of the pubcaster – “the decision was not only strategic, it was obligatory.” He points out that an investment of E300 million would have been required to set up a DVB-H network covering 85 per cent of the population and capable of bringing the signals into homes. The same coverage, indoor included, with DMB technology costs E8 million. Ciccotti added that RAI is currently capable of covering nearly 40 per cent of the population with DMB at a cost which is practically zero.
The selection of DMB was motivated by two reasons. On one hand, RAI does not have unused frequencies for the creation of a DVB-H network. Also, DVB-H is not being implemented in Italy as fast as planned and the delay is already weighing negatively on the accounts of Italian mobile operators 3 Italia and TIM. Suffering less is Vodafone Italia which has opted for a revenue sharing agreement with Sky Italia.
RAI has teamed up with digital radio consortia Club DAB, EuroDAB and CR DAB to pool frequencies and launch a combined TV/radio service. By August, the citizens of Rome will be able to receive a package of RAI radio stations, the largest private national radio stations, several local stations and three TV channels (one RAI and two private). After the summer, coverage will be extended to Milan and by Christmas more than half of the Italian population will be covered.
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Mobile phone technology company LG Electronics (LG) and online video community YouTube have agreed a deal that will see LG provide YouTube services on its handsets, allowing users to view videos and easily upload them directly to YouTube.com. For upcoming YouTube-enabled handsets, LG will apply a new user interface for easily accessing and uploading video content. LG’s YouTube-enabled handsets will be available worldwide starting at end of 2007.
LG first announced its agreement to pre-install Google’s services on its handsets in March 2007. As a first step in this partnership, LG recently launched the LG-KS10, which features Google search, Gmail for mobile, and Google Maps for mobile.
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Spain's TV industry buoyant
From David del Valle in Madrid
The Spanish TV industry is performing well at the moment, according to the latest report from the Telecommunications Market Commission (CMT).
The whole TV sector grew by 14 per cent per cent in 2006 with a total turnover of E6.487 billion (including state subsidies). Commercial TV took the lion's share with total revenues amounting to E3.036 billion (excluding subsidies), eight per cent more than the previous year, with advertising representing 69 per cent of the revenues. Pay-TV's revenues reached E1.906 billion, up 3.5 per cent, mainly from subscription fees (E1.213 billion, with a rise of 20.4 per cent). Pay-per-view and VoD revenues reached E185 million, up 27.1 per cent.
Amongst all transmission systems, IPTV experienced the highest growth multiplying its revenues fourfold up to E79.8 million. Satellite TV grew by 7.2 per cent reaching E1.487 billion, with cable growing slower up to E339.4 million, up 6.5 per cent.
Pay-TV in Spain had 3.7 million subscribers by the end of 2006, according to CMT, with a rise of 11.1 per cent, with Telefónica's IPTV service, Imagenio registering the fastest growth. IPTV currently represents 10.5 per cent of the pay-TV market, with satellite pay-TV channel (Digital Plus) reaching 54.4 per cent and cable (mainly ONO) 35.1 per cent.
The CMT highlighted the rapid take-up of DTT in Spain with more than 3.35 million DTT boxes sold in the market by December 2006, with 14.4 per cent homes having access to the new technology and an audience share of 4 per cent.
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PT Multimedia faces licence lock-out
Media and Internet player PT Multimedia will not be able to bid for licences to distribute and manage digital TV channels in Portugal if it keeps its current cable TV network, Lusa news agency reported.“The government will respect the decision of (competition watchdog) AdC which indicates that PTM cannot bid for paid terrestrial digital TV,” Lusa said, quoting parliamentary affairs minister Augusto Santos Silva.
Santos Silva said that any company with over 50 per cent of a platform which will compete with digital TV distribution – which applies in PTM’s case - will not be able to bid for digital TV licences. He added that the government will award two licences for digital TV, one to distribute free channels and the other to distribute digital pay TV.
PTM's spin off from parent Portugal Telecom is expected in late September 2007 or in the fourth quarter.
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New technology disappointment for BBC
The BBC's enthusiasm for new technology is not shared by the public, according to newly published research. Licence-fee payers are largely unmoved by the corporation's interactive TV services, digital radio stations and mobile phone content.
In the first audience survey of its kind, the BBC invited 4,500 members of the public to give their verdict on what the corporation's priorities should be and whether it is delivering them well enough.
The research revealed that the BBC is failing to deliver on many of the issues that mean the most to the public - with significant gaps between what viewers want and what they actually get. Digital and interactive services came bottom of a list of audience priorities.
When asked whether they found it important that the BBC provide quality, enjoyable content across different platforms, only 44 per cent of respondents said they cared about this on the Internet, 36 per cent on interactive TV, 29 per cent on digital radio and just 15 per cent via mobile phones.
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UK media secretary takes charge of broadcasting
The newly-appointed UK culture, media and sport secretary, James Purnell, has taken personal responsibility for broadcasting, including digital switchover, following a reorganisation of departmental duties.
Purnell has an established record in broadcasting policy issues. When outgoing Prime Minister Tony Blair became the Labour leader in 1994, Purnell worked as a media specialist at New Labour allied think-tank, the Institute for Public Policy Research.
While there, he was credited with conceiving the idea of a converged media and telecoms regulator – later formalised as Ofcom. Purnell also spent time at the BBC, working in corporate planning.
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BSkyB rejects Virgin Media claims
BSkyB has hit back at pay-TV rival Virgin Media's claims that the satellite company was trying to eliminate it with anti-competitive behaviour. BSkyB has filed a defence with the high court rejecting accusations of unreasonable behaviour in respect of the breakdown of negotiations over carriage fees as “unfounded”.
Virgin Media filed legal proceedings in the High Court aimed at resolving its dispute with Sky surrounding Sky's withdrawal of its ‘basic’ channels from Virgin Media's TV service. The proceedings also seek a remedy for the onerous rates imposed by Sky for carriage of Virgin Media TV channels on Sky's own TV service. Virgin media described this as a “manifestation of Sky's systematic abuse of its dominant position and its longer term objective of suppressing existing and emerging competition from other companies”.
BSkyB’s submission counters that “the failure of Virgin Media and BSkyB to reach an agreement for the wholesale supply of the Sky Basic Channels to Virgin Media is not the result of any unreasonable conduct on the part of BSkyB, but rather a result of the commercial decisions of Virgin Media."
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Premier League football for IPTV
UK triple-play service provider Inuk Networks is to provide access to live Barclays Premier League games on the Setanta Sports 1 channel as part of its new premium TV offering - Freewire TV Extra: Student Pack. The service, which will be available from September this year to students living in university halls of residence, will feature a line-up of 20 premium entertainment, music and sports channels. Access to Setanta Sports 1 will be offered as an add-on to the 30 free digital channels already available on the Freewire TV platform.
The availability of top-level football games has proven to be a key factor in audiences migrating to multi-channel pay-TV platforms, especially among the young adult demographic. Timothy Ryan, GB Marketing Director at Setanta Sports, said that making games available through the Freewire TV service was expanding the number of platforms the content was available on as well as expanding the universe of viewers who could access the content.
Freewire TV offers a range of UK and international free-to-air television channels as a part of its content offering. By using the high-speed JANET network initially to deliver these channels, Inuk Networks overcomes the common obstacles of poor reception and lack of aerials for thousands of on-campus students at universities across the UK.
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Cube TV debutsa2a Group has launched its core product – Cube TV - an interactive broadband TV platform and electronic programme guide for TV channels on the web. Cube TV is designed to combine and leverage the communication power of television with the accessibility and interactivity of the web for the benefit of both broadcasters and viewers. The TV-based portal aims to impress on the creative advertising community the potential for agencies to use pre-roll and mid-roll TV spots, in addition to sponsorship, branding and product placement in a non-regulated TV format.
Cube TV utilises familiar ‘red button’ technology to offer viewer purchases or samples, engaging and stimulate feedback from the viewing community. The platform makes viewing choices easy by offering programme listings and reminders, and widening choice through video-on-demand clips. Additionally Cube TV supports the broadcaster by tracking all of the viewer activity and delivering an unrivalled profile of customer base habits, likes and dislikes.
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Cult comedy debuts on iTunes and Unbox
A Dog’s Breakfast, a dark comedy shot by the cast and crew of the hit Stargate television series, made its digital debut on the iTunes Store and Amazon Unbox. The film, which has developed a cult following online, is available for download on both services.
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New Zealand start-up company TargetCast is close to a deal that will see a local network adopt an IPTV platform with TiVo-like abilities.
Paul Martin, TargetCast's CEO, said the company’s business objective was to stay focused on consumer needs, “in this instance viewers - although the TargetCast back-end can deliver all forms of digital media across all platforms. Given the ever increasing demands upon peoples time, we wanted to develop as system that delivers what the consumer needs and when they want it, without compromising their privacy"
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Virgin hopes for auction
News Corp video service delay?
TV Festival looks to future
Sky on PC with Microsoft?
Macquarie buys Global Tower
AllofMP3 shut, for now
Macquarie, Fairfax bid for Oz broadcaster
Sogecable football setback
Virgin Media has confirmed an approach from Carlyle Group which is believed to be considering an offer of about $32 per share placing a value of $22bn on the company, about half of which is debt assumption. The shares were up 19 per cent to $29 on the news. The Virgin board effectively put the company up for auction by confirming that it had appointed Goldman Sachs to review “strategic alternatives”.
Providence Equity Partners, which led a private equity consortium that was rebuffed by the former NTL Telewest last autumn, is also understood to be considering an offer. City observers speculated a Private Equity buyer would load on more debt and probably sell divisions like business telco services and Flextech, the channel business.The road to a deal is unlikely to be smooth. Apparently among bid conditions was one stating the bid could be withdrawn if it became public.
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News Corp video service delay?Peter Chernin COO of News Corp, talking about the appointment of former Amazon exec Jason Kilar to head the unnamed NBC Universal and News Corp JV video service said: "The key and most important issue for us in terms of leading is building a great user experience," said Peter Chernin. He admitted the site could launch after its target of September if executives don't feel proper "ease of use" has been developed. "September might happen and it might not happen".
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The growing influence of alternative TV distribution methods and technologies is reflected in many of the themes for the 2007 MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television Festival (MGEITF).
Organisers of the three-day event have invited Google Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist Vint Cerf to deliver the 2007 MGEITF Alternative MacTaggart (Alt.Mac) Lecture. Cerf is responsible for identifying new technologies and applications on the Internet and other platforms of the company. The platform gives a media visionary an opportunity to present an inspirational view of the converging broadcasting future.
Peter Barron, MGEITF 2007 Advisory Chair and an Editor for BBC’s News programming said it would be “an enormous privilege for festival-goers to hear him share his thoughts on where that media industry revolution will go next.” Barron said that new media topics were no longer an adjunct to the Festival, but “right at the heart of it,” admitting that ‘television’ in the event’s title was becoming less exclusive.
An inaugural keynote lecture, the Futureview, will be delivered by Janus Friis, co-founder of Joost and c-founder of Skype. Having just secured $45m in extra funding to expand content offering and localised services, Friis will discuss web TV service Joost and examine the future of Internet TV. Other sessions include ‘Quite Interesting Technology' – a guide to how technology will change the TV world in the next year; ‘Small Screen, Big Money’, a study of the mobile TV value chain, and ‘Who'll Win the Web?’. With broadcasters and newspapers both trying to harness the Internet, this session seeks to identify who will emerge victorious.
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Sky on PC with Microsoft?Sky has confirmed it is in discussions with Microsoft to make its proposed digital terrestrial pay-TV service available via PC. The plan would work in conjunction with Sky's proposal to launch a pay-TV service on Freeview, which is being reviewed by media regulator Ofcom.
The announcement – first made among the mud-slinging between Ofcom and Sky last week – says the service would be delivered to PC via Windows Media Centre PCs that operate as an "all-in-one" entertainment device.
BSkyB chief operating officer, Mike Darcey said: "Working with Microsoft and other technology partners, we are also working to make our DTT service available on future generations of the Media Centre PC, catering for the segments of the population for whom it is the PC, and not the TV, that is the natural epicentre of their entertainment world. The delivery of premium services to Media Centre PCs in this way will place the UK's DTT platform at the forefront of innovation and at the centre of the convergence of the TV and PC industries."
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Macquarie buys Global Tower
Global Tower Partners, a U.S. wireless tower operator, is to be bought by a consortium of funds managed by Macquarie Group in a deal valued at $1.4 billion. Macquarie Infrastructure Partners bought the provider of outsourced antennae site facilities from buyout group Blackstone.
Global Tower has 2,500 towers and more than 4,600 rooftop sites for wireless communications services. Its customers include Sprint-Nextel AT&T (and Verizon Wireless, a venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone.
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AllofMP3 shut, for now
The Russian online music service accused of avoiding copyright law, has shut down but may be back in business elsewhere on the Internet, authorities said. The Web site gained attention for selling digital albums cheaply — less than $2 each in some instances — far below the $9.99 typically charged by authorized services like iTunes.
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Macquarie, Fairfax bid for Oz broadcaster
The ever hungry Macquarie is joing with Fairfax, the Australian newspaper group, to take advantage of sweeping new media laws to launch a A$1.08bn bid for Southern Cross Broadcasting.The deal values the regional radio and television broadcaster at A$1.35bn including debt.
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Sogecable football setback
From David del Valle in Madrid
The Spanish TV production company, Mediapro, a shareholder in commercial TV channel La Sexta, is set to sign a deal for the TV rights of 21 Spanish football clubs for five years, beginning with the 2009-2010 season.
The deal is reportedly valued at E500 million and would give Mediapro control over the TV rights of nearly all the Spanish football league’s top clubs, relegating Sogecable - which currently manages the pay-TV rights through Audiovisual Sport - into second place.
Mediapro has already acquired the TV rights for Barcelona, Real Madrid, Athletic Bilbao and Real Zaragoza.
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Private equity circles Virgin Media
Starring role, IPO for Premiere?
Bharti Airtel set for IPTV
ITV signs DTO deal
Spain's UTECA lobbies on mobile TV
Free launches TV Perso
MoboVivo lines up iPhone content
Rede Globo launches Brazil DTT
YooMedia gambles on channel sale
BCE goes private
Private equity circles Virgin Media
Weekend reports that UK quadruple play operator Virgin Media was up for sale have gained strength with Dow Jones Newswires, quoting a person familiar with the matter, suggesting that private equity firm Carlyle Group, has made a preliminary offer, valuing the company's equity and debt at around £11.5 billion (E17 billion). Carlyle has offered $33 (E24.31)and $35 per share for Virgin Media, the person said. The offer would value Virgin Media's equity at around £5.5 billion. The company has roughly £6 billion of debt.
In response, Virgin Media has asked Goldman its adviser, to "effectively start to run an auction," it was suggested. Other private firms including Providence Equity had also expressed interest in Virgin Media. A previous approach including Providence, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and Cinven, failed to result in a deal because of opposition from key shareholders, including influential New Jersey hedge fund owner Bill Huff. Huff is now far lower down the group’s share register, with only 4.9 per cent.
Carlyle would need to negotiate with Sir Richard Branson, Virgin Media's largest shareholder with a 10.5 per cent stake for its bid to succeed. Sir Richard reportedly wants to retain a stake in the business. City sources have indicated that Sir Richard was willing to weigh up any offer, and could seek to roll over some of his stake into a new entity.
Virgin Media confirmed later on Monday July 2 that it has received a proposal to acquire 100 per cent of the common stock of the Company, but had not engaged in negotiations with the offeror. A statement from Virgin Media said the proposal was based on public information and subject to various conditions, including a due diligence examination and a period of exclusivity.
The proposal also states that it will be withdrawn if its terms are publicly disclosed. Prior to the receipt of the proposal, Virgin Media's Board of Directors had initiated a review with Goldman Sachs of strategic alternatives, including a process for a possible sale of the Company. The proposal will be considered as part of the review. However, there is no assurance that any transaction will occur or, if so, at what price. Virgin Media does not intend to comment further on the process unless and until a definitive agreement is executed or the process is abandoned.
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Starring role, IPO for Premiere?
German pay TV group Premiere is to rebrand its Premiere Sky satellite service Premiere Star after being sued by BSkyB over its use of the name Sky. A Berlin district court ruled in June 2007 that the platform's original title violated the trademark protection of BSkyB's own name, saying it would cause confusion. Although Premiere initially said it would appeal, the new name will allow the service to start as planned in September.
Premiere Star will initially offer subscribers 15 channels, some not currently available over satellite, such as Turner Broadcasting System's Boomerang, Cartoon Network and Turner Movie Classics.
The service’s MD Wolfram Winter has meanwhile confirmed that Premiere is considering listing the unit in about two years. “A public offering is our preferred option,” Winter told the FT Deutschland, adding that Premiere Star could have some 400,000 subscribers by then, with sales of more than E200 million.
Winter’s comments came as reports emerged that banking group Unicredito's German unit HVB had acquired a 10 per cent stake in Premiere Star for an undisclosed sum, but thought to be more than E10 million. “Premiere bridges a gap in the market. Its business concept is convincing and offers a good perspective for sustainable success,” HVB executive Ronald Seilheimer said in a statement.
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Bharti Airtel set for IPTVIndian telco Bharti Airtel, is to target high-end consumers of the top six or seven cities as part of its IPTV strategy.
The company started the IPTV trials mid-2006 in 1,000 households in Gurgaon and will launch its services before the end of the financial year. The IPTV service will be first rolled out in Delhi in a phased manner and then it will be launched in other top cities such as Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Gurgaon and Jaipur.
IPTV will be targeted at top-end customers, and the customers outside this ambit will be the target for the direct-to-home (DTH) satellite television service. With DTH, the company would be able to offer pan-India coverage and serve all customers, and with the IPTV option, the company would be able to offer service to customers in the areas served by Bharti's fixed line network.
ITV signs DTO dealBritish video download company BiBC has become the first company to secure rights to UK commercial broadcaster ITV’s DVD catalogue in a download-to-own (DTO) deal. BiBC will add over 500 hours of ITV DVD film content to its video catalogue. The deal with ITV DVD coincides with BiBC’s launch of its ‘MediaMaster’ technology.
The ITV DVD content will be available from August for consumers to buy. It will be available on a multitude of devices powered by MediaMaster – including PCs, set-top boxes and MP4s etc. The content can initially be purchased from www.BoxOffice365.com, the front-end demonstration site for BiBC’s digital video store. BiBC’s entire catalogue, including the ITV DVD content, can be white-labelled, enabling major brands, including big-name retailers, to have their own branded digital video stores.Paul Hague, Managing Director of BiBC, predicted that brand owners would look at this deal and realise the potential that the download-to-own market offers. Steve Gallant, Publishing Director at ITV DVD, said the agreement made an additional range of ITV film content available to consumers on a download to own, rather than a short term, streamed basis and gave ITV an opportunity to both distribute and monetise sought after content. “We see this as just the beginning in the hugely exciting digital distribution arena,” he concluded.
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Spain's UTECA lobbies on mobile TV
From David del Valle in MadridSpanish private TV association UTECA is lobbying the Government for a leading role in the future mobile TV market at a time when the Administration is about to lay the legal groundwork for the development of the sector with fresh legislation to be approved later in July.
The Association - formed by private TV channels, Antena 3, Tele 5, Cuatro, La Sexta, Net TV and Veo TV- has urged the Government to grant the nation-wide TV Channels with seven mobile TV channels - one for each broadcaster including RTVE - in the proposed multiplex specifically dedicated to 'mobility' TV.
The TV networks are claiming a leading role in the new mobile TV business that will distribute more than 20 TV channels and with an estimated deployment investment of E250 million. The Government has elaborated a draft bill making a difference between the mobility network operator - responsible for operating the network and to be awarded by public tender - and TV operators who will only need an administrative authorisation. Companies such as Abertis and Axion, along with the own mobile operators, Movistar, Orange and Vodafone, are among potential bidders for operating the network.
Over the next weeks, the Government will pave the legal way for the development of mobile TV, with first commercial operations likely at the beginning of 2008. In the meantime, DVB-H-based test transmissions are taking place throughout the country, with the latest in Seville (south of Spain), operated by Axion, distributing 15 TV channels and 10 radio stations.
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Free launches TV Perso
From Sotires Eleftheriou in ParisFrench triple play ISP Free has launched a TV 2.0 service - TV Perso - viewable directly on the subscriber’s TV connected to Free’s IPTV - Freebox. Free’s with the latest version of the Freebox, the V5 ‘Freebox HD’, are able to upload and stream video content via their Freebox, using the V5’s built-in video encoder. Content can be either streamed continuously for live viewing or uploaded and stored on the Free server for on-demand viewing.
The material can then be viewed by any other subscriber with access to Free’s IPTV service only needing to tune in to channel 13 and select the video to view with the Freebox remote control. The approach is a “walled garden” – the content is available only to other freenautes. MPEG-2 is used, in order to be compatible with the earlier versions of the Freebox.
Free’s MD Maxime Lombardini explained that Free TV was fundamentally different from video sharing services such as You Tube, as it is watched on the TV without a computer and content can be broadcast live in the same way as a TV channel. Content contributed can be either public or private (friends and family or closed group).The new service, currently in beta, is offered as part of Free’s platform of E29.99 per month for broadband, over 150 IPTV channels and unlimited phone calls to land lines in 48 countries.
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MoboVivo lines up iPhone contentCanadian mobile entertainment, education, and lifestyle distribution company MoboVivo has released a selection of complete television programmes on Apple’s iPhone to coincide with the devices release in the United States.
“We are introducing just a few programmes for wireless delivery on iPhones for both types of wireless networks supported by the iPhone," said Trevor Doerksen, MoboVivo Co-Founder and CEO. "Eventually all of MoboVivo content that can be sold in the US will be available on the iPhone."
The new service for iPhones is available in the US to content owners with rights to sell to U.S. customers. “The iPhone is the first mobile phone MoboVivo has targeted given its large internal drive, support for Wi-Fi high speed wireless and proper data rate plans,” added Doerksen. “We have all been waiting for this, unfortunately most of the world, including our team, will still have to wait until the iPhone is available in Canada”
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Digita launches Finnish mobile TVDigita, the Finnish subsidiary of French broadcast transmission group TDF, has launched a mobile TV service in Finland. Three TV and several radio channels are being broadcast using DVB-H transmission.
The launch follows previous trials in Finland and make it the second country, after Italy, to offer such a service. Autumn 2007 will see the service extended, both in terms of geographic coverage and of content, with the addition of new channels.
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Rede Globo launches Brazil DTT
From Branislav Pekic in RomeRede Globo has become Brazil’s first broadcaster to launch digital terrestrial television trials. The broadcaster is using channel 19 in São Paulo to verify possible flaws and problems of the ISDB-T digital standard, ahead of the official launch of DTT broadcasts set for December 2. In parallel, TV Globo is also airing the signal of One-Seg, a TV transmission feed for mobile phones.
Brazilian researchers have developed the middleware that will operate the digital TV converters. Named Ginga, the prototype software has not been received with enthusiasm by manufacturers as it does not allow interactivity nor integration with the Internet.
In a move aimed at developing the local DTT market, Brazil’s Ministry of Development has approved a total exemption of import taxes for digital TV transmission equipment. As a result, the import tax will drop from the current 12 per cent to zero. The reduction was requested by the broadcasters themselves, but another important factor was that there is no national production of this type of equipment. Brazilian broadcasters are expected to import $40.8 million worth of digital equipment over the coming months.
YooMedia gambles on channel sale
Interactive media and games group YooMedia has entered into an option agreement with a Spanish based investment company, Kasei 2000, to dispose of YooMedia’s subsidiary; The Gaming Channel Ltd (Gaming Channel), for a total consideration of £5.25m (E7.8m). The Gaming Channel holds the UK fixed odds betting licence under which YooMedia operates its gambling activities.
Michael Sinclair, Executive Chairman, YooMedia PLC, confirmed that YooMedia was in discussions with Kasei 2000 to explore opportunities for its interactive services in Spain and other Hispanic markets and that the option agreement underlined Kasei 2000’s interest in the gaming sector in particular.
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BCE goes privateCanadian telco BCE, the parent of Bell Canada, has agreed to be acquired for C$51.7 billion (E36 billion) and taken private by a group including Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, Providence Equity Partners Inc. and Madison Dearborn Partners. An additional C$16.9 billion in assumed debt makes it the largest private equity buyout in history.
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Monday 2nd July
EU supports European mobile TV standard
Multimedia future of game consoles uncertain
EU approves Italian digital TV subsidies
TV Cabo aims to eradicate piracy by end-2007
IPTV to drive VOD business models?
Eutelsat aids African pay-TV platform
Survey: mobile video will flourish
Kilar to run News Corp video project
CNN relaunches site
TiVo for Comcast
O2TV Czech channel in HD
Intelsat to beam Live Earth
Samsung mobile TV chipset
EU supports European mobile TV standard
European Union Information Society and Media Commissioner Viviane Reding has said she would favour the European mobile television broadcasting standard over US and Korean rivals, when the Commission decides which to back.
The lack of a single technology has held back wider take-up for television broadcasts on mobile phones, but the EU's support for digital video broadcast handheld (DVB-H) technology could be the decisive factor in the battle between half a dozen standards. Reding backed the DVB-H, developed in the EU and partly funded by EU money, but said the Commission's official decision was due in mid-July.
The Commission's strong support for Nokia-led DVB-H would be a major blow for U.S. company Qualcomm and Korean vendors, which have promoted their own technologies to be used in Europe.
So far only DVB-H has attained a global presence, while Korea, Japan, the U.S. and China are embracing local rivals, but some of the other technologies are also making a play for the global market, which has prevented services being offered worldwide under a single standard.
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Multimedia future of game consoles uncertain
According to research from The Diffusion Group, although 80 per cent of US game console households own a console capable of some form of DVD playback or online download, only 13 per cent have used their game console for movie viewing purposes (some eight million households). Among this small segment, the vast majority (74 per cent) use only DVD for movie viewing, while approximately one-fourth have also ventured online to purchase or rent a digital movie download.
“Today’s next-generation games consoles such as the Xbox 360 or Sony PS3 are true digital multimedia powerhouses,” said Dale Gilliam III, director of primary research and author of the report. “Yet very few of these devices are connected to the Internet and, even though these same platforms may feature a high-definition DVD playback system, very few consumers are using them for non-gaming media applications.”
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EU approves Italian digital TV subsidies
The European Commission has decided that subsidies for equipment for the reception of digital television granted by Italy in 2007 are in compliance with EC Treaty state aid rules. The Commission's investigation concluded that tax deductions worth up to E40 million are technology-neutral and proportionate to the objective of promoting the transition to digital TV and to interoperability. The Commission supports the transition to digital broadcasting in line with its 2003 and 2005 Communications as long as the state support measures are compatible with the state aid rules.
Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said the decision illustrated the Commission's commitment to support the transition to digital TV and interoperability. “It also shows that state support for these goals can be provided in line with the state aid rules,” she added.
Italy notified the Law 296/2006 of 27 December 2006, which grants an income tax deduction to consumers who purchase television sets with integrated tuner and digital decoders during 2007. The income tax reduction is equal to 20 per cent of the price paid for the equipment, up to a maximum deduction of E200 per decoder, with a total budget measure of E40 million.
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TV Cabo aims to eradicate piracy by end-2007
From Branislav Pekic in Rome
Portuguese pay-TV operator TV Cabo hopes to "completely eradicate piracy" in 2007, investing E15 million in its new anti-fraud strategy, which includes the substitution of 800.000 smart-cards of subscribers to the digital service.
The card substitution operation, which initiated at the beginning of June and should be completed by the end of August, will "completely eliminate all forms of piracy on TV Cabo’s digital base", claims the operator’s head of the security and anti-fraud unit, Ricardo Jalles Ferreira. He underlined that there will also be a strengthening of the anti-piracy task force on the ground (currently numbering 100 persons), with the aim of detecting illegalities in the analogue subscriber base which totals around 700.000 clients.
So far, the detection of irregularities has led TV Cabo to present 250 citations, revealed Ricardo Jalles Ferreira, adding that other ones will follow, both against individuals and companies. However, he pointed out that TV Cabo is primarily aiming to convince illegal viewers to regularise their situation, with “many preferring this option”.
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IPTV to drive VOD business models?
IPTV operators are in a strong position to drive the evolution of VOD business models, according to a study by Pyramid Research. As the latest entrants to the pay-TV market, IPTV operators are pursuing the VOD opportunity aggressively and are increasingly banking on VOD to enhance the TV experience.
“In many markets, IPTV players are first movers with on-demand services; they get to determine how to position, package, and price these services,” commented report author Ozgur Aytar. The IPTV study highlights some aggressive telco moves to build unique, rich VOD platforms—from France Telecom co-producing movies and Telefónica’s VoD offerings built around exclusive football content, to the creation of multiplatform on-demand services. “The holy grail for IPTV operators is to transform TV viewing into a more Internet-like experience, wherein programming flows through the VoD platform, giving consumers ultimate control over their content consumption. That’s where the money is,” said Aytar.
Pyramid Research sees VOD as more than a mere vehicle for customer retention. The company expects VOD to become a key part of telco transformation over the next 3-5 years as telcos build multiplatform content businesses. Worldwide revenues from VOD transactions over IPTV platforms are expected to grow from $121m (E89m) in 2006 to $4.7bn in 2012, or 18 per cent of overall IPTV revenues.
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Eutelsat aids African pay-TV platform
Eutelsat Communications has signed a five-year contract for capacity on its W3A satellite with Gateway Broadcast Services, which is preparing to launch a pay-TV platform for sub-Saharan Africa.
Called GTV, the platform will use Ku-band capacity connected to the African beam on W3A to broadcast direct to homes via satellite in up to 48 sub-Saharan African countries. GTV will initially launch a 15 channel service which will be uplinked to one transponder on W3A from Eutelsat's teleport in Rambouillet, near Paris.
GTV's objective is to offer a widely accessible pay-TV service providing a choice of television programming at an affordable subscription price. The phased rollout of GTV began in East Africa in late June, to be followed closely by launches in Ghana, Tanzania, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia. GTV has been designed to increase vastly the numbers of pay-TV subscribers in Africa.
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Survey: mobile video will flourish
A survey of telecommunications professionals has revealed that mobile video and IPTV will drive significant growth in the telecom industry in the year ahead. Faster-than-expected growth will translate into increased capital spending in the second half of this year, as service providers converge their wireless and wireline networks and launch advanced video services, survey respondents said.
The survey of 678 telecom industry professionals, conducted by Tellabs and Telephony magazine, tracked respondents‚ views on emerging market trends, the industry outlook and convergence issues - indicating an emerging consensus on how quickly mobile video and IPTV will drive industry growth. Both service provider and equipment vendor respondents expect significant growth, but service providers are even more bullish than vendors.
"The survey confirms that users are driving the release of new video services such as mobile video and IPTV. Operators in Europe too continue to see growing user demand for bandwidth, which places huge new demands on communications networks," said Pat Dolan, VP and general manager for Tellabs Europe, Middle East and Africa. "Tellabs solutions enable service providers to rapidly gear up for demand and to meet users' high expectations for video services."
Kilar to run News Corp video project
Former Amazon.com senior executive Jason Kilar has been named chief executive of NBC Universal's and News Corporation's online video joint venture.
The as-yet-unnamed joint venture is to launch at some point this year with, according to the partners, "thousands of hours of full-length programming, movies and clips from myriad networks and two major film studios". Distribution partners include AOL, CNET, Comcast, MSN, MySpace and Yahoo.
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CNN relaunches site
News giant CNN is preparing to relaunch its overhauled website, which will feature widescreen video clips in the Flash format, as well as live news video feeds. The firm has axed its video subscriptions, opting instead for free ad-supported clips.
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TiVo for Comcast
Digital video recording specialist TiVo has confirmed that that the largest U.S. cable operator Comcast Corp had accepted its TiVo-branded software for deployment on Comcast's DVR platforms.
TiVo said Comcast confirmed acceptance just three days before a previously disclosed deadline of June 30.
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O2TV Czech channel in HD
Telefónica O2 Czech Republic will be the first operator in the country to offer terrestrial broadcasting on the Czech Television channel in High Definition (HD). It will be possible to receive the channel through IPTV service O2TV, which is currently being used by over 36,000 customers, as well as through DVB-T.
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Intelsat to beam Live Earth
Intelsat, global provider of commercial satellite services, and Live Earth have formed a relationship that will enable Intelsat to join Live Earth as the official satellite capacity sponsor.
As the largest HD music event in history takes place 7 July 2007, Live Earth will use Intelsat to beam global the entertainment to an estimated two billion viewers worldwide. Intelsat will use its network of satellite and terrestrial facilities for the collection and distribution of the Live Earth concerts in standard and HD video formats.
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Samsung mobile TV chipset
Samsung Electronics has launched a 65 nanometer (nm) multi-standard channel decoder and multi-band radio frequency (RF) tuner chipset which supports multi digital mobile TV standards including DVB-H/T, DAB-IP, ISDB-T, and terrestrial DMB for the multiple standards in the different countries around the world.
Samsung's new multi-standard, multi-band mobile TV chipset integrates a broad range of segment standards. As countries worldwide introduce their mobile TV service standards, this chipset allows end users to choose which broadcasting services they want to use without changing their mobile application.
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