Chris Forrester is one of the most experienced and highly regarded journalists in the field. His insight and analysis, particularly in the satellite and pay-TV arena, is highly prized. He has written for all the major business journals in the sector as well as several national newspapers.
DirecTV-15, described by its manufacturers as “the most powerful US broadcast satellite” ever built, has left Airbus Defence & Space’s manufacturing facility at Toulouse, France. The giant satellite is ready to be flown to Kourou in French Guiana for launch during May. Ordered back in November 2011 with the (then) EADS Astrium company, and is […]
Mike Williams, telecoms analyst at investment bank Exane BNP-Paribas, says the battle for eyeballs – and subscribers – is escalating among pay-TV players and as OTT content quality and quantity continues to improve. The bank’s report says: “We expect them to increasingly try to compete as substitutes (rather than complements). Additionally, as OTT players, most […]
Greg Wyler, the original thinker behind O3b’s mission to capture the “other 3 billion” underserved or unconnected people of the planet, used the Washington Sat-2015 show to explain his new mission as head of OneWeb, and a plan to serve the other 3 billion via his OneWorld strategy with a constellation of 648 active LEO […]
An investment bank has taken a close look at prospects for German broadcasting giant ProSiebenSat.1 Media, and doesn’t much care for what it finds. The result is that Berenberg Bank is recommending its clients to “Sell” stock and gives Pro7/Sat1 a price target of just €34 against today’s typical €45.69 per share. The bank’s comprehensive […]
The annual Satellite Show in Washington is underway and news has emerged of some dramatic channels under development. The event’s opening panel saw Intelsat’s EVP/CTO Thierry Guillemin and SES’s CTO Martin Halliwell explain their approach to the new thinking. Guillemin told delegates that its 6 EPIC satellites now on order would expand the Intelsat fleet […]
One of Bitcoin’s creators and “core developer” Jeff Garzik, says he has confirmed an order for 24 ‘BitSat’ satellites. Confirmation has come from the satellite builders, Deep Space Industries (DSI). Garzik is also involved with Dunvegan Space and a year ago he announced that he was developing the satellites as part of a scheme to […]
Initial reports out of India suggest that sales of high-end 4K displays are somewhat sluggish, despite the appeal of non-stop cricket being the backbone of Ultra-HD broadcasts. India’s Star Sports is making the eight available 4K cricket feeds to pay-TV operators Tata-Sky and Videocon d2h. An estimated 90,000 4K sets were sold last year. But […]
The past few weeks have seen various rumours aired as to when Sky UK, and/or Sky Germany, launch 4K/Ultra-HD services. Earlier in February a report in London’s Sunday Telegraph talked about Sky bringing its launch of 4K transmissions forward to this Spring. There was no denial by Sky, but certainly no endorsement either. Indeed, at […]
At first blush it would seem that everything in TiVo’s DVR garden is rosy and healthy. After all, the company has just declared record revenue numbers and is sitting on a massive cash ‘war-chest’ of some $740 million, and helped by a series of highly successful patent litigations that have brought in a thumping $1.6 […]
The initial results from the UK’s leading commercial broadcaster ITV were received well (pre-tax profits up 39 per cent to £605 million for the year). But now the analysts have had a chance to get their teeth into the numbers, and they have some concerns as to the state of play at ITV. William Packer, […]
WBD UK appoints Sky Media as ad sales partner
Prime Video: “25% viewership for Indian content is international”
Report: Music fandom is a cultural currency
Sky Sports helps SPFL to record turnover
Study: Telcos essential role in keeping Europe’s networks secure
Report: Sweden tops Wi-Fi speeds on European trains
FCC plans ‘Space Assembly Line’
Starlink concessions for South Africa
Germany: World Cup 2026, Euro 2028 on MagentaTV
Gormley named MultiStory Media MD