Satellite operator SES and German cable giant Kabel Deutschland both make Morgan Stanley’s stock pick of “20 for 2015” which the investment bank says helps identify those companies with long-term sustainable competitive advantages. KDG, says the bank’s report to investors, “is Germany’s largest cable TV operator (by revenues), Europe’s largest cable TV company and amongst […]

Discovery Communications, one of the TV industry’s highest-regarded broadcasters, needs to make its corporate governance more transparent. Same with News Corp, says corporate research firm GMI Risk List, which regularly reports on quoted companies which have, in the view of GMI, “particular [risk] factors that may correlate with negative events,” said Kimberly Gladman, GMI’s Director […]

It is easy (I find it particularly easy) to criticise businesses that seem to spend endless energy, time and money on consumer research and focus groups. As with bringing in consultants, it often seems mostly a way for management to avoid making the decisions it’s paid to make or, at the very least, to establish […]

Pro7/Sat1 is Germany’s second-largest commercial broadcaster (after RTL) and in a fresh report from investment bank Morgan Stanley it seems the broadcaster is in much better shape than this time last year. Pro7/Sat1’s management is committed to paying investors “at least” 80 per cent of its underlying Earnings/Share in the future, which the bank translates […]

The past few months have seemed to herald a softer time for foreign channels trying to gain entry into India’s buoyant broadcasting market.  Not quite. New rules issued October7 by India’s powerful Information and Broadcasting Ministry has set high tariff rules for would-be broadcasters. The rules come with a message designed to deter non-serious applicants […]

The BBC is expected to lay off more than 2000 staffers as it adjusts to life with lower annual income.  The bottom line is that the BBC must slash its £3.5 billion ($5.4bn) budget by some 20 per cent in order to stay solvent.  The BBC employs some 18,000 staff in the UK, although grows […]

The European Court of Justice decision on the Portsmouth pub’s right to tune into a Greek version of Premier League football meant a day of headline reactions (mainly over-reactions really), before, by nightfall, all had agreed the judgement needed very careful consideration.   The ECJ judgment said: “The Court of Justice holds that national legislation […]

Luxembourg-based SES has been involved in a dispute with Lockheed Martin Space Systems involving millions of dollars, and specifically involving one of Lockheed’s A2100 satellites. While details are of the dispute are sketchy, SES bought two satellites from Lockheed, (SES Astra’s 1KR craft, and Astra 1L) and the argument involved the performance of a satellite […]

There are tipping points in all things. Not very long ago, it seems to me, technology companies, including CA vendors, were going to their pay-TV operator customers and trying to persuade them that the fantastic new functionality they had invented should be deployed. The response was often lukewarm; when your current business model produces profits […]

America’s leading media stocks have seen massive falls in the value as the Dow Jones index continues to suffer a major fall as anxiety increrases over deficits and growth.   Most of the USA’s cable stocks fell back on September 22nd. Time-Warner was the exception (up 1 per cent) but its stable-mates all suffered: Comcast […]