The first day of bidding has ended in the 700 MHz band auctions in France. The price during the first round of bidding reached €451 million for each of the six 5 MHz blocks. The auction is not yet complete as the total amount of spectrum requested by the candidates (Bouygues Telecom, Free Mobile, Orange […]
David Abraham, Chief Executive of UK public service broadcaster Channel Four, has warned of potentially “utterly devastating” effects on the British creative sector if mooted funding models for the publicly-owned Corporation were to result in ownership passing to international broadcasting interests or ‘asset strippers’. UK Prime Minister David Cameron confirmed on November 4 that the […]
The latest edition of the Ericsson Mobility Report provides insight into the future of 5G networks, including a forecast of 150 million 5G mobile subscriptions by 2021. South Korea, Japan, China and the US are
After months of uncertainties, Agon Channel Italia has ceased broadcasting and its place on the TIMB Mux 1 digital multiplex has been taken over by shopping channel ABC. During its brief history (less than 12 months on air), the Italian broadcaster, based in Tirana, Albania, was frequently in the news for both the right and […]
South Africa’s Multichoice is currently the sole pay-TV operator in adjacent Botswana, but according to a BusinessWeek report, China’s StarTimes Group is determined to enter Botswana and in addition expand its current 15 country presence to compete aggressively with Multichoice. StarTimes vice president, Zhao Yue Qin, told journalists: “We want to expose the African market, […]
In a move that further extends access to AAPA members’ expertise in investigating, and taking enforcement action against, audiovisual piracy, the Audiovisual Anti-Piracy Alliance (AAPA) has joined the Europol Platform of Experts (EPE). Joining the EPE will also facilitate information sharing and collaboration with other private and public sector stakeholders. The EPE is a secure […]
Turksat has taken off air 13 video and audio channels because of their contentious content. The channels had already been removed from pay-TV operator DigiTurk at the end of October. The channels are owned by Samanyolu Media Group. They include Samanyolu Haber TV, Mehtap TV, Yumurcak TV and Dunya TV. According to BBC Monitoring, the […]
Abu Dhabi and SES-backed Yahlive has launched a dedicated bouquet for the Maghreb region. Yahlive has linked with Paris-based Sahli Media Group to help in assembling the channels, 20 of which are exclusive to the bouquet. The line-up includes original Arabic TV entertainment and a variety of local channels along with premium international channels including […]
Subscription video on demand is growing rapidly in Australia, becoming an increasingly popular way to watch video content.From January to March this year, Australia saw the launch of new SVoD services, including Netflix, Presto TV and Stan, and the take-up since then has been rapid. With the introduction of these services, Australians now have a […]
Private equity investors Providence Equity Partners (PEP) has bought a 6.35 per cent stake in Indian cable MSO Hathway Cable & Datacom from Australia’s Macquarie Bank. It boosts PEP’s stake in the cable company to 17.2 per cent. Macquarie still holds 3.07 per cent of Hathway. PEP used its P5 Asia Holding Investments company (based […]