Media group Prisa, main owner of digital DTH platform, Digital Plus, is to get a cash injection of E650 million following the approval by shareholders of US investment group Liberty Acquisitions Holdings. Under the agreement, Prisa will buy 100 per cent of Liberty through the issuance of approximately E225 million new ordinary shares and 403 […]
Italy’s leading broadcasters, RAI and Mediaset, have launched two new TV channels, with the goal of further boosting their DTT offerings. Rai 5 will be taking the place of Rai Extra, ending the diversification of the 14-channel strong package from Italy’s state broadcaster. The schedule will be made up of varied and diverse programming, mainly […]
Chellomedia’s Digital Media Centre (DMC) in Amsterdam is marking its 10th anniversary of operations by revealing that it is to be renamed Chello DMC, reflecting the greater role it is set to play within Chellomedia. Built and launched 10 years ago to encode and distribute content digitally across Europe, the DMC has been at the […]
Marc Dorcel, a player in the European adult entertainment market, has confirmed the launch of its 3D subscription VOD service in Europe. The new service offers users a privileged access to more than 60 exclusive videos especially designed for 3D and produced with the latest recording technologies (3D cameras, side by side, full HD). The […]
MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) set-top box shipments surpassed MPEG-2-only set-top box shipments for the first time in 2010, with about 53 per cent of MPEG-4 shipments worldwide, suggests ABI Research. Despite the support for advanced encoding, however, pay-TV operators worldwide have been slow to support interactive features on set-top boxes. The research firm notes that historically, […]
Michael Grade, the former head of Channel 4, has called for the group to be funded by the BBC licence fee, “to repair a broadcasting model that is fast breaking down”. Grade, who was chief executive of C4 in the 1990s, said the move would allow C4 to abandon advertising as its source of funding, […]
The UK’s Export Credit scheme has secured cover from Barclays Bank to guarantee the supply of the English soccer Premiership for 3 years to Abu Dhabi Media Co. The insurance cover values the soccer deal at just over $100m per season, a record for the oil-rich Gulf states. The English Premier League insists on such […]
Virgin Media is mulling the idea of creating a nationwide WiFi network to compete with rival BT. It said it had been inspired by cable operators who have launched WiFi in other parts of the globe. The cable broadband firm admitted it would be a “massive undertaking” and that no firm plans have yet been […]
Sling Media, a wholly-owned subsidiary of EchoStar, has announced the availability of the SlingPlayer Mobile player for the Apple iPad. Available for purchase on the iTunes App Store, SlingPlayer Mobile software for iPad lets Slingbox owners extend their living room TV experience to their iPad and takes advantage of the iPad’s high-resolution, 9.7-inch LED-backlit display […]
The Australian federal government is to create a two-tier anti-siphoning list with major iconic sporting events going into the first tier with the requirement that they be broadcast on free-to-air TV. Communications Minister Stephen Conroy said no Australian events shown on free-to-air television had been removed. He said the major change would be creation of […]