|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Our Latest Issues
Visit our archive to access more than 200 features! |
Scroll down page or click below for news - latest first
Tuesday
Friday 23rd November
Ennals jogs off
Broadcast value chain $8.7bn by 2012
Mediaset to launch two free DTT channels
Sogecable launches Canal Plus HD
Verizon raises rates
UK broadband use reaches new high
Three arrested for piracy
Google launches YouTube UK ads
Honda TV goes live
History Channel and Crime Network for Top UP TV
Ennals jogs offFord Ennals, chief executive of Digital UK, the body overseeing the digital switchover, is stepping down. Ennals is leaving to become president of Cole Hann, the footwear and leather-goods division of Nike.
The move is a return to the US for Ennals, who was previously a senior vice-president of worldwide marketing at Reebok. Ennals sought to quell disquiet over the timing of his departure, insisting that the digital switchover was on track. 'We have set the company up, negotiated funding and the organisation is stable and successful,' he added.
Digital UK hopes to have appointed Ennals' successor prior to his departure in February.
Back to top
Broadcast value chain $8.7bn by 2012The broadcast value chain is undergoing a significant transformation as digital workflows, HD and traditional IT infrastructure revolutionise the TV industry. The movement is creating immense challenges and opportunities for broadcasters as they fight to adapt to multi channel and multi platform distribution. In a new report, ‘The Evolving Broadcast Value Chain’, Datamonitor, independent market analyst, says this transition will present a clear market opportunity for technology vendors and systems integrators in the near term. It predicts that spend by broadcasters in North America and western Europe on technology will reach an estimated $8.7 billion (E5.8bn) by 2012.
"The broadcast value chain market will see significant growth over the coming years as broadcasters look to upgrade their equipment to handle file-based workflows and HD content", says Chris Khouri, Datamonitor’s media and broadcasting analyst and the report’s author. By the end of 2006, broadcast value chain market revenue in Western Europe and North America totaled $6 billion. Western Europe accounted for $2.8 billion and North America for $3.2 billion. Between now and 2012, the market will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 6.4 per cent."As broadcasters continue to migrate more of their mission-critical systems to automated file-based workflows, there are both opportunities and challenges with regards to complexity. Theses challenges primarily arise through a lack of interoperability and changing organisational structures, including personnel, management and physical movement of systems.
Over 65 per cent of respondents to Datamonitor’s Customer Focus survey of 150 broadcasters consider standardising infrastructure technologies and simplifying their current broadcast systems as key strategies for 2007. Transparency is crucial for broadcasters as the depth and breadth of file-based workflows develop. Moving towards central archives and architecture is expected to provide a significant opportunity to combat systems silos and eliminate redundant functions.
Back to top
Mediaset to launch two free DTT channels
From Branislav Pekic in RomeMediaset has announced the launch of two new free-to-air digital terrestrial TV channels. Launching on November 30, Iris will be dedicated to cinema, theatre and opera. It will be able to count on a movie archive with more than 1,000 titles, but the schedule will also include sitcoms, TV series, documentaries and daily news bulletins. Bis will be available from the first half of 2008, offering archive Italian entertainment shows.
The two channels will join Boing, Mediaset’s first thematic channel on DTT, launched in 2004. The channel, which is mainly aimed at children and families, has proved a big success, placing fourth in the overall digital TV rankings, after the Sky Italia channels. Mediaset is also planning to launch an all-news channel as well as two pay-TV channels on DTT during 2008.
Sogecable launches Canal Plus HD
From David Del Valle in MadridSogecable, owner of Digital Plus, is breaking into the HDTV launching a High Definition version of its premium pay-TV Canal Plus service. Test trials of Canal Plus Alta Definicion will start in January, with the channel fully operational later on in the year. It is the second company to launch an HDTV service after the Catalan pubcaster TVC.
The announcement comes at a time when Sogecable and Telefonica prepare for the imminent launch of a joint triple play offer, Trio Plus, from the beginning of December, if Competition authorities which have launched a probe into the operation do not stop them. In addition, Sogecable launched last month an iPlus PVR set-top-box, capable of receiving HDTV and DTT signals.
According to Sogecable, 13 per cent of Spanish TV sets are now HD capable, including 21 per cent of sets owned by Digital Plus clients. At the present time, Sogecable has more than 2 million subscribers.
Back to top
Verizon Communications plans to raise the price of its FiOS television service for new customers next year by nearly 12 per cent. The monthly price for FiOS TV will increase to $47.99 (E32) from $42.99, but current customers who signed up this year will not have to pay more.
The price changes will affect all customers throughout the 16 states where FiOS is available. The hike affects only customers who have signed up for standalone TV service - there is a complicated set of bundle options for consumers seeking multiple services.
There had been speculation there could be a pay-TV price war between cable and IPTV providers.
UK broadband use reaches new high
Almost nine out of 10 UK net users are connecting via broadband services, official figures reveal. Information gathered by National Statistics (ONS) for September show that 88.4 per cent of Britons are choosing to use broadband rather than dial-up. The statistics show that 49.2 per cent of those connections are for services advertised at two megabits per second or faster.
But analysis of the figures suggest the broadband market is static, which could mean tough times for service suppliers. The figure for September is only slightly up on the June total of 86.2 per cent, but indicates a 26 per cent rise over the last 12 months. The statistics show that broadband has enjoyed a meteoric rise in popularity among net users since services started to be available and affordable.
Back to top
Three arrested for piracy
UK police have arrested three people on suspicion of being involved in one of the country's biggest Internet-based music and film piracy rings. The alleged ringleader, an unnamed 33-year-old man, was held in a dawn raid at work in Cardiff.
A second man aged 28 and a woman aged 22 were also arrested in the anti-piracy operation. They have been bailed pending further police inquiries. Police and officials from the Intellectual Property Office and the BPI, a music industry body, took part in the raids, seizing computer equipment.
Back to top
Google launches YouTube UK ads
Google has launched an advertising service for its network in the UK and Ireland that will allow targeted ads to run around YouTube videos. The new offering, called Video Units, is the latest effort by Google in its bid to monetise YouTube video content.
The new service is available to the thousands of websites that are signed up to Google's AdSense ad network. Google AdSense partners in the UK and Ireland will now be able to run video content from YouTube partners such as broadcasters on their own websites. They will be able to make money from banner and text ads that run around YouTube video clips.
Back to top
Honda TV goes liveHonda has launched an internet TV channel to broadcast its own films, video clips and award-winning adverts. The launch of the channel follows a successful trial of the technology on the Home Choice network last year.
Back to top
History Channel and Crime Network for Top UP TVThe History Channel UK and Top Up TV have reached an agreement to launch The History Channel and Crime & Investigation Network on Top Up TV Anytime in the UK. Both The History Channel and Crime & Investigation Network are immediately to available to all subscribers of Top Up TV Anytime service.
Thursday 22nd November
Multi HD channels for French DTT
Ofcom DTT proposals
AT&T tight lipped on Echostar
Ericsson goes on falling
PPV five year forecast
Warner Bros UK channel
BBC must justify Gaelic digital plans
DISH Network offers Disney, ESPN interactive TV
ROK acquires Fun Little Movies
Multi HD channels for French DTT
From Sotires Eleftheriou in ParisThe French broadcasting regulator CSA selected the projects submitted by TF1 and M6 for the two private sector HD channels on DTT, rejecting the projects from pay TV channel Canal+ and the project from the AB Groupe.
The third available HD channel has been reserved for France 2. The CSA also announced that it would issue a call for more candidates. It emphasised that it had preferred free channels to a pay TV option in order to bring HDTV to the greatest possible number. Its selection criteria also included the broadcasters’ undertakings: TF1 and M6 had undertaken that respectively 100 percent and 80 percent of programmes aired between four pm and midnight would be in HD. Broadcasts on these three HD channels should begin by the spring of 2008.
The CSA also said it would revise the bandwidth allocation for the pay channels which use MPEG4 to make better use of the technical progress in compression techniques. This will enable it to free space for a further HD channel. It will issue a call before the end of the year for a current SD pay channel to be converted to HD – clearly intended for Canal+.
Finally, the CSA is to issue another call early in 2008 for three more HDTV channels using frequencies available in several large towns.
UK Media regulator Ofcom has revealed proposals for a significant upgrade of Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) that will offer more channels and new services. The proposed upgrade will create capacity allowing high definition television channels on DTT – on which Freeview operates – as early as 2009.
It says the proposals would deliver significant benefits for: viewers, who would be able to access an array of new channels; broadcasters, who would be able to deliver a greater range of services and also the economy, by making better use of the valuable spectrum reserved for broadcasting. It is estimated that the upgrade of DTT could bring benefits worth £4-6 billion to the UK economy over 25 years.
Ofcom believes that the upgrade could be complete in time for digital switchover in the Granada television region, which is due to take place in late 2009 / early 2010. The new services would then be available as switchover is rolled out across the rest of the UK, completing with four HD services being available by 2012.
Back to top
AT&T tight lipped on EchostarWall Street rumours about a potential takeover of the second-biggest US satellite operator have abounded, peaking this week with TheStreet.com saying AT&T was preparing a takeover bid worth as much as $26 billion (E17.5m) and that both companies have been in talks.
The reports sent Echostar’s share price, depressed by recent disappointing quarterly results, soaring. The stock closed up 27 per cent. Echostar and DirecTV, the largest US satellite operator, have succeeded in taking millions of customers from cable operators in the past decade by offering high-quality multi-channel video and good customer services. Meanwhile, AT&T and Verizon Communications, the second largest US carrier, are both scrambling to roll out their own television and video services, targeting customers who pay $100 or more a month for their multi-channel TV offerings, internet access and landline phone services.
The Swedish telco supplier lost another 11 per cent market value on Tuesday after it told an investors fourth-quarter earnings would come in at the lower end of expectations. It issued a shock profit warning last month.
That warning wiped out a quarter of the Swedish company’s market capitalisation – about $15 billion (E10.1) – in one day after it said third-quarter profitability was far lower than expected. Carl Henric Svanberg, chief executive, told investors: "In the short term there are slightly more worrying signs than encouraging signs." These included "further issues" in the networks markets that had triggered the original downgrade, "political uncertainty in certain emerging markets", the weakening dollar and a tightening in the European and US markets.
Research has revealed how the European TV-based video-on-demand and pay-per-view markets will develop over the next five years. From a low penetration of just under 8 per cent today, Screen Digest predict that by 2011 over 20 per cent of Western European households will have true video-on-demand (VoD), a 30 per cent growth on current levels. This growth will generate increased revenues, giving the VoD and pay-per-view (PPV) markets a value of E3 billion by the end of 2011.
While the 'big five' European markets will continue to take the lion's share of on-demand revenues, other countries are beginning to catch up. As more Nordic companies deploy VoD services, the Scandinavian countries are beginning to show increasing on-demand average revenue per unit (ARPU’s). The expansion of the rest of Europe's revenues is also a consequence of the wider availability of the so-called ‘long-tail’ of content. True VoD services typically have a much greater range of local and international programming than their near-video-on-demand counterparts, driving increased spending. It is this which is one of the major factors in allowing Europe's smaller states to close the gap between the big five countries of the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain and France.
The next five years will see the supremacy of sports and major movie content challenged, as other content such as archive and library films and a la carte TV programmes grow their share of total on-demand revenues from 9 per cent to 18 per cent. On top of this, as subscriber numbers and overall on-demand buy rates increase, blockbuster films will benefit from the market growth and will be earning E700 million per year by 2009, despite their loss of market share. The adult industry will also reap rewards, doubling its VoD revenues from its current level of over E250 million to over half a billion Euros by the end of 2011.
Back to top
Warner Bros UK channelWarner Bros is to launch its own channel, branded Warner TV, on Virgin Media and BT Vision's on-demand service. The channel, which is the UK's first devoted to TV series from a single studio, will feature popular US imports such as The West Wing and Nip/Tuck. Warner TV will be available for a £5-a-month (E7.25) subscription fee, but Virgin customers with a top-level subscription will have free access.
Back to top
BBC must justify Gaelic digital plansThe BBC Trust has given the corporation's management four weeks to provide evidence that its proposed digital Gaelic language service will be worth its £21 million (E30.4m) annual cost.
BBC management has been told that the service is too expensive compared to the public value that it would provide - unless evidence can be provided that it will appeal to a wider audience and attract new speakers.
Back to top
DISH Network offers Disney, ESPN interactive TVEchoStar’s DISH Network has launched two interactive television applications for the ESPN and Disney Channel cable channels. Available content includes scores, headlines, TV listings and interactive advertising for ESPN and games, show information and listings, and a digital video recorder for Disney Channel.
Disney touted the applications as a way for advertisers to reach a more targeted audience with "intensive, targeted interactive ad campaigns."
ROK acquires Fun Little Movies
ROK Entertainment Group, the UK-based mobile technologies company, has acquired a 51 per cent controlling interest in Los Angeles-based Fun Little Movies (FLM) for a combination of cash and shares in the company. Under the terms of the agreement, ROK and FLM will jointly offer made-for-mobile content, such as comedy short films, to network operators worldwide.
Back to top
Wednesday 21st November
UK broadcasters MoU on Freeview HD
User demand could outpace bandwidth
Politicians decry FCC’s Martin
PwC: IPTV ROI not easy
Freeview in 14m UK homes
Candover profits on GET
Green light for BBC HD
Multivision using Conax encryption
Charter selects BigBand for LA HDTV
Red Bee boosts interactivity with YooMedia
Scientific Atlanta's SDV platform crosses 7m homes
Streaming21 and Cool.revo partner for IPTV Services
UK broadcasters MoU on Freeview HD
The BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Five announced that they have signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding that, if agreed, would deliver High Definition (HD) channels on Freeview by the projected completion of Digital Switchover in 2012.
Potentially from late-2009/2010, BBC HD (see below), ITV HD and Channel 4 HD could all be available on Freeview, with Five HD launching as soon afterwards as capacity is available and by 2012 at the latest.
The agreement encompasses; the use of new technologies, which will increase the capacity available on Freeview, a rearrangement of some of the channels carried on Freeview, in line with Ofcom's suggestion, setting aside one of the BBC's two multiplexes for the carriage of not only BBC HD but also ITV HD, Channel 4 HD and -as soon as technically possible - Five HD. A variation of the relevant BBC multiplex licence to carry HD services will be subject to approval from Ofcom.
Back to top
User demand could outpace bandwidthConsumer and corporate Internet usage could outstrip network capacity both worldwide in two years time, according to ‘The Internet Singularity, Delayed’ study conducted by Nemertes Research. This study indicates that Internet access infrastructure, especially in North America, will cease to be adequate for supporting demand within the next three to five years.
The financial investment required to bridge the gap between demand and capacity ranges from $42 billion (E28.4bn) to $55 billion in the US, primarily to be spent on broadband access capacity; this is roughly 60-70 per cent above and beyond the $72 billion service providers are already planning to invest. Required investment globally is estimated at $137 billion, again primarily in broadband access.
"This analysis identifies a critical issue facing the Internet – that we must take the necessary steps to build out network capacity or potentially face Internet gridlock that could wreak havoc on Internet services," said Larry Irving, co-chairman of the Internet Innovation Alliance. "It’s important to note that even if we make the investment necessary between now and 2010, we still might not be prepared for the next killer application or new internet-dependent business like Google or YouTube."
Voice and bandwidth-intensive applications such as streaming and interactive video, peer-to-peer file transfer and music downloads and file sharing are redefining the Internet. Nearly 75 per cent of US Internet users watched an average of 158 minutes of online video in May 2007 and viewed more than 8.3 billion video streams, according to research by comScore. Additionally, wireless devices s and gaming accessories provide consumers with ever-increasing access to the Internet, exponentially accelerating consumption of Internet bandwidth according to the Nemertes study.
Back to top
Politicians decry FCC’s Martin24 Republicans politicians plan to write to FCC chair Kevin Martin, criticising him for a "misguided and harmful" proposal that would give the FCC more authority to regulate the cable industry. They call the Martin proposal "inappropriate at best and contradicts the statute at worst," according to the letter, which was signed by all but two of 26 Republicans on the House Commerce Committee. They are asking for more information about all cable regulation under consideration at the FCC and more information about why Martin believes the cable industry has grown large enough to trigger new regulations.
"It is a concern that he may be moving away from the light-touch regulation to a much greater role for regulation," said Rep. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee.
The letter is the latest salvo in the war between the cable industry, which has worked at achieving broad bipartisan support in Congress, and Martin, who has suggested a variety of proposals over the past two years to rein in cable companies, including his suggestion that cable operators offer channels on an a-la-carte basis.
Back to top
PwC: IPTV ROI not easyCompanies implementing IPTV will need to manage their approach carefully in order to deliver a profit, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers. Companies need to ensure that their strategy and delivery offers an adequate return on investment that is in line with their service roll-out and minimises the market entry risks.
A hybrid approach to IPTV, based on delivering broadcast TV over subscriber-agnostic technologies such as satellite and digital terrestrial television, alongside on-demand and interactive content over broadband, is one option to help lower the market entry cost, maximise service reach, and retain future flexibility as the market and service evolves.
Colin Light, TMT director at PwC believes that companies will need to learn from mistakes of the past. He commented: "If companies invest heavily in network capacity for IPTV they could struggle to make a return on this investment due to the lead time in reaching all of their potential subscribers through ongoing broadband roll-out, especially in light of intense competition in the provision of triple and quad play. Differentiation from traditional broadcast TV will be key for the IPTV service provider. But the real contribution to the company’s overall portfolio and profits needs to come by attracting the mass market."
Telco, satellite, cable and terrestrial operators are all coming at the IPTV scenario from different positions but are ultimately after the same customer. They are competing for position and tackling complex issues but are having differing levels of success. David Lancefield, TMT partner added: "IPTV is the hotbed for true convergence – showing the money from IPTV will require telcos to transform, both culturally and as an organisation, into areas that until now were occupied by media companies. Content acquisition and advertising sales will need to become core competencies for every telco launching IPTV."
The importance of content cannot be underestimated and, in this mix of content delivery and interactivity, a detailed appreciation of rights packages and their value will be crucial. More significantly, IPTV provides a real-time and direct feedback path from the consumer to the provider. This paves the way for targeting very specific audience groups of subscribers, giving providers a virtually unprecedented opportunity to create ‘stickiness’ among consumers by offering them a community-based platform with the option of user-generated content.
Light added: "Subscriber acquisition and market growth are important goals for new entrants to the TV world, but even these can be based on well-balanced portfolios and rights acquisition. In the IPTV world, big is not always better in content acquisition, and so premium rights purchases (such as expensive football rights) may not be sufficient to secure the mass market subscriber base as the operator rolls out services across the country."
Back to top
Freeview in 14m UK homesFreeview has confirmed that it is in 14 million UK homes, reinforcing its position as the most popular Digital TV Service. According to Ofcom’s latest figures over 80 per cent of people moving away from analogue are opting to buy a Freeview digital box or a digital TV with Freeview built-in.
Back to top
UK buyout firm Candover has agreed to sell Norwegian cable television
company GET for 5.8 billion crowns (E0.7bn)) to a group of buyers led by rivals Quadrangle and GS Capital Partners. The private equity firm bought the business, which provides its services to 370,000 households in Oslo and Southern Norway, for 3.6 billion crowns in January 2006.
Back to top
The BBC's proposals for a mixed-genre high definition television channel, BBC HD, have been approved today by the BBC Trust following a Public Value Test.
Mark Thompson, BBC Director-General, said: "We are delighted that the BBC Trust has approved the BBC Executive's high definition television proposals, allowing us to launch the UK's first free-to-air, mixed-genre public service HDTV channel."
Back to top
Multivision using Conax encryptionConax has revealed that Multivision, Bolivian wireless multi-system operator, will use the Conax CAS7 content security system for providing wireless digital cable service in the cities of La Paz, Santa Cruz, Cochabamba and Tarija.
In the initial stage, the target for conversion is 25,000 households in the city of La Paz that currently have analogue Pay TV service. During 2008 and 2009 Multivision plans to expand its digital TV service to the cities of Santa Cruz, Cochabamba and Tarija.
Back to top
Charter selects BigBand for LA HDTVBigBand Networks has announced that Charter Communications has selected its SDV solution to expand digital TV services in its Los Angeles-area system. Charter, the third largest publicly-traded cable operator in the U.S., serving approximately 5.7 million customers in 29 states, plans to use BigBand’s solution to expand HDTV and other programming options.
Red Bee boosts interactivity with YooMedia
Back to top
YooMedia’s xPlayer system, initially installed by Red Bee in 2002, is now more intelligent in its allocation of bandwidth, allowing broadcasters to fit greater interactivity into less bandwidth. The system will be used by Red Bee clients, including UKTV, to enhance red button interactivity during commercials and programming. The system recognises when interactive elements are about to be broadcast and ensures all relevant data is delivered to the satellite at the point of broadcast. In addition to UKTV, xPlayer is also used to drive the interactive playout for Channel 4, Five and S4/C.
Scientific Atlanta's SDV platform crosses 7m homesScientific Atlanta has confirmed that commitments for its Switched Digital Video (SDV) platform in the US have exceeded seven million homes. The announcement follows the company’s introduction earlier this year of its Universal Session and Resource Manager as a software upgrade to existing SDV servers in any network system. By extending and distributing the management of the video and data network control plane all the way to the ‘edge’ of the network operators can maximise their network investment by sharing quadrature amplitude modulators (QAMs) across both video-on-demand (VoD) and switched digital video traffic.
Streaming21 and Cool.revo partner for IPTV ServicesStreaming21, player in broadcast-quality streaming solutions, and Cool.revo, IPTV system integrator in Japan, have entered into a new system integration partnership to develop and market end-to-end IPTV and video on demand solutions for telcos, broadband service providers, content service providers and hotel operators in Japan.
Back to top
Tuesday 20th November
SyncTV test launch
Spain's ONO E186m loss
Oz TV pressures PVR makers
Wind to launch IPTV offer by Christmas
Tiscali UK signs Setanta
Current integrated TV and Internet site
Gisby for C4
Richardson joins UDcast
Sirius 4 success
Thomson aids German DTT
A+ and GoBackTV extend IPTV in Denmark
SyncTV test launch
SyncTV, a new US online television service, plans to launch a private test this week to offer viewers the ability to download anything they want to a computer from channels they pay for on a monthly basis.
Subscription fees range from $2 (E1.4) to $4 per month per channel. Shows will also be offered for sale at $2 per episode. The service is also advertising supported. "We wanted to free up TV from the folks who make it difficult to innovate," SyncTV President John Gildred. Unlike popular services such as YouTube, Gildred said the service would offer "home-theater quality" videos that will include surround-sound capabilities and picture resolution at least comparable to DVDs and, in some cases, high definition.
The company did not reveal what shows or channels would be offered during the test phase, but said it was discussing partnerships with distributors. SyncTV is a spin-off from Pioneer Electronics. Gildred said the company is currently courting consumer electronics manufacturers to develop devices that will support the standard and expects such devices to be available some time next year.
Back to top
Spain's ONO E186m loss
From David Del Valle in Madrid
Spain's largest cable company ONO has declared a loss of E186 million in the first nine months of the year as a result of the extra costs for the acquisition of its former rival Auna. However it achieved well EBITDA of E480 million, up 17.8 per cent, and with a margin of 42.5 per cent. To September, its total revenues dropped by 1.1 per cent up to E1.216 billion.
At the end of September, ONO had 1,830,000 residential subs, up 4.5 per cent, of which 582,000 enjoyed the triple play, representing 32 per cent. Broadband is the main driving force with new 174,000 clients, up 17.7 per cent, over the last 12 months reaching a total of 1.16 million. The company has extended its homes passed by 335,000 up to 6.67 million, with 456,000 new passed homes over the last 12 months, up 7.3 per cent.
Back to top
Oz TV pressures PVR makers
Australian free-to-air television network have reached an impasse on ad-skipping personal video recorders as they prepare to release a free electronic programme guide for the first time. Despite releasing the guide, the industry is pressuring PVR makers to limit the advertisement-skipping functions of their products before they are authorised to access it.
The networks have threatened legal action under Australian copyright law, but manufacturers say Australia-specific modifications to the advertisement-skipping features would not be possible as their products are made for global markets.
To date, PVRs - which allow users to record television shows for later viewing and skip the ads - have been hamstrung by the lack of a free EPG for scheduling recordings. Instead, users have to manually enter the time and duration of the show they want to record based on listing information obtained from elsewhere. Alternatively, third-party services like IceTV compile their own EPGs independently of the broadcasters, but IceTV requires a paid subscription.
The industry body representing local free-to-air networks, Free TV Australia, announced all networks would be openly broadcasting seven days worth of programme listing information by January 1, 2008, creating Australia's first free EPG. It would be receivable "by any digital set-top box, integrated television or personal video recorder (PVR) that has an EPG function".
Free TV Australia has written to the Australian Digital Suppliers Industry Forum (ADSIF), which represents PVR makers saying "broadcasters are not authorising the use of the programs listing data in PVRs where 'ad-skip' functionality goes beyond a maximum fast forward speed of x60".
Back to top
Wind to launch IPTV offer by Christmas
From Branislav Pekic in Rome
Italian telecom operator Wind is putting the final touches to its IPTV offer that should launch in time for Christmas.
According to director general, Fabrizio Bona, Wind will not be a content producer but only a distributor. The TV offer will include all of the Sky Italia channels available on satellite, Italian digital terrestrial TV channels and many other thematic channels that will be added later. He says that prices will be low, in line with the company’s strategy, and there will also be the possibility of combining other fixed line services such as broadband internet and voice.
Wind’s IPTV subscribers will get the latest set-top box model produced by Motorola, which it will distribute exclusively in Italy. The digital box will manage both IPTV and DTT channels and will have a 160 GB hard disk.
Currently, only Fastweb has an established presence in the Italian IPTV market with 200,000 subscribers. Telecom Italia launched its service Alice this month and Tiscali was supposed to have launched before the end of 2007 but there is still no official confirmation.
Back to top
Tiscali UK signs Setanta
Tiscali UK has secured a deal to stream Setanta Sports channels live on its website. The deal will enable Tiscali customers to watch sports content online for £7.99 a month (E11.5). Users will have access to Setanta Sports 1, 2 and Golf as well as on-demand highlights through both PC and Mac platforms.
Back to top
Current integrated TV and Internet site
Current, the P2P news and information network, has launched Current.com, a site harnessing the interactivity of web 2.0 to Current’s existing TV concept. The site offers an array of new features for consumers to interact with the channel or with other members of the Current community. Heralding the first real two-screen experience where TV and online viewing are mutually enriched in real time, viewers are encouraged to comment on the channel’s content live via the web.
The site offers simplified collaboration features that extend Current’s open source TV format, allowing viewers to participate in media through citizen journalism. Within the assignments feature, Current producers can post live briefs for other community members to collaborate in the production of pods, effectively developing a multi-disciplinary online pool of creative talent.
Back to top
Gisby for C4
Channel 4 has confirmed former Yahoo! executive John Gisby as its first dedicated director of new media and technology. Gisby will be responsible for expanding Channel 4's presence in online digital media and growing revenue.
In the new role, which now incorporates technology, Gisby will report direct to Channel 4 chief executive Andy Duncan and will join the Channel 4 board and its executive management team. He was formerly vice president of media and communications for Yahoo! Europe, and was managing director for Yahoo! in the UK and Ireland between 2004 and 2006.
Back to top
Richardson joins UDcast
UDcast, provider of IP over broadcast and satellite, has announced that David Richardson has joined the company as vice president of corporate and business development. Richardson was previously the Director of Business Development for NDS in North America.
Back to top
Sirius 4 success
SES Sirius has confirmed that its Sirius 4 satellite has been successfully launched into orbit. The satellite will now be brought into its final orbital position within the next few weeks, and will be made commercially available beginning in January 2008, after extensive in-orbit testing. Sirius 4 will be located at 5° East orbital position for delivering broadcast and broadband services across Europe, and will also transmit HDTV channels. Sirius reaches 20 million homes in Europe. Sirius 4 will also carry an African beam.
Back to top
Thomson aids German DTT
As a key part of its transition from analogue to digital terrestrial broadcasting, Saarländischer Rundfunk (SR), part of the German federal broadcaster ARD, has ordered a DVB-T multiplex centre from Thomson. The installation will allow SR’s digital services to officially go on air by the end of 2007. German broadcasters are migrating rapidly to digital terrestrial broadcasting using the DVB-T format, to make better use of the available spectrum.
Back to top
A+ and GoBackTV extend IPTV in Denmark
GoBackTV, supplier of digital video headend and edge solutions, has confirmed that A+ A/S will use GoBackTV’s GigaQAM IP to offer IPTV services to the Danish cable market. During trials this past summer, A+ verified that GoBackTV’s Cable IPTV solution interoperates transparently with the existing FastTV components, including middleware, set top boxes, and conditional access.
Back to top
Monday 19th November
FCC must rule on ISP P2P traffic control
Abertis Telecom under fire
Satellite industry safegurads C-band frequency
DirecTV restraining order
Hulu recommends rivals also
ITV mobile communities
Freeview launches Xmas campaign
UPC Czech 1m subscribers
NDS opens Korean office
FCC must rule on ISP P2P traffic controlA distributor of online video content has filed a complaint with the US Federal Communications Commission, asking the agency to stop broadband providers from blocking or slowing P2P traffic.
The petition filed by Vuze, which uses the BitTorrent to distribute Web content, asks the FCC to set rules for network management by ISPs. Vuze's filing follows reports that cable broadband provider Comcast is slowing some P2P traffic, including BitTorrent.
Broadband providers often promote their services as being necessary for watching video online, but then they slow access to a service like Vuze's, said John Fernandes, Vuze's vice president of marketing. "They say that they're engaging in reasonable network management, but what they're doing is slowing down some traffic."
Vuze, which has partnerships with several movie studios, television networks and PC game makers, wants to start a dialogue with ISPs about what kind of network management is allowed, added Gilles BianRosa, the company's CEO. But the FCC needs to prohibit large-scale content blocking, what he called traffic "throttling," he said.
"The ISPs cannot decide unilaterally what to do with third-party Internet services such as us," BianRosa said. "We need to work with them to design a solution that works and is fair."
Back to top
Abertis Telecom under fire
From David Del Valle in Madrid
The Spanish Competition Body, CNC, has found evidence against the infrastructure company Abertis of abuse of dominant position in the TV signals carriage market and has decided to continue its legal proceedings against the operator.
The Anti-trust Body has accepted the appeal lodged by Axión, Sogecable and Telecinco against the dismissal of the case on the grounds that Abertis Telecom has "a dominant position" in the market, in both the carriage of (analogue) terrestrial and digital television.
For the CNC, the conditions imposed by Abertis Telecom in its contracts with broadcasters are against free competition and hinder the entry of new companies into the market.
Recently, Abertis Telecom became the largest shareholder in Spanish satellite Hispasat following its acquisition of a 28.4 per cent stake reaching a total of 37.3 per cent, as the company also holds an indirect holding through its 32 per cent stake in Eutelsat.Meanwhile, Abertis Infraestructuras SA's telecoms unit has said it will work together with the Chinese government to develop mobile television projects. In a statement, Abertis said the deal was reached through the state-owned scientific research centre ABS.
Back to top
Satellite industry safegurads C-band frequencyThe global satellite industry has emerged from successful negotiations to protect the users of its C-band spectrum from terrestrial interference. With its ‘no change’ campaign, the satellite industry at WRC-07 says it has ensured its uninterrupted, interference-free use of C-band for the future.
"This outcome represents a strong endorsement by a large number of administrations of the critical nature and value of C-band satellite services as they exist today," said Rob Bednarek, CEO of SES New Skies, an SES Company.
Back to top
A temporary restraining order has been placed on DirecTV keeping the satellite giant from bumping HDNet to a different programming tier. The move comes after the HDNet lawsuit which seeks to prohibit DirecTV from moving the all high-def network out of its most widely distributed package.
NBC Universal and News Corp, the majority owners of Hulu, are using the online-video site to popularise programmes running on NBC and Fox - but that doesn't mean rival networks CBS and ABC are being shut out.
Searches give an index of available episodes as well as a link to see them on the network's website or on AOL, which runs some ABC and CBS programmes.By including rival shows in its search capabilities, Hulu intends to develop a name for itself as a place where surfers can find video from shows on any network. Hulu's backers are trying to establish the site as a portal for high-quality video, a la YouTube.
ITV will launch a series of mobile communities for its shows that will be branded MyITV, including X-Factor, Loose Women, Britain’s Got Talent, ITV Sport (covering the English Premier League, UEFA Champions League and the Formula 1 Grand Prix), and Emmerdale. Loop Mobile has been signed to create the communities based on its MOKO platform. The contract includes development fees and a revenue share from user-generated content.
Back to top
Freeview launches Xmas campaignFreeview has launched its first ever television advertising campaign, forming part of a wider Christmas marketing initiative. The campaign encourages consumers to buy a Freeview digital box, Freeview Playback digital TV recorder or digital TV with Freeview built-in.
Back to top
UPC Czech has revealed it now has one million subscribers to its triple play services. UPC’s analogue service currently offers 45 channels, and its DTH platform UPC Direct up to 150.
Back to top
NDS opens Korean officeNDS is increasing its presence in Korea with the opening of a new, expanded sales, support and R&D operation in Seoul. Korea is moving rapidly towards full digitization, with government initiatives promoting 100 per cent digital conversion by 2012. NDS end-to-end systems are working across cable, satellite DTH and IPTV platforms. NDS solutions protect and enable SkyLife, KT MegaTV and BSI, KDMC, GSGB and CJ CableNet cable TV operations. These customers account for close to 70 per cent of the Korean PayTV market.
