Troubled satellite operator Avanti Communications has restructured a considerable portion of its debt, converted the bulk into equity and at the same time extending its borrowings. The new refinancing is a classic ‘debt for equity’ deal, Working capital improves but at a much lower rate of interest (from 10 per cent to 7.5 per cent). […]
The move by the Walt Disney Co to acquire much of the Murdoch family’s 21st Century Fox movie-to-TV empire very much looks like happening this week. The deal has been valued as costing Disney some $60 billion (€51bn). Comcast dropped out of the rumoured bidding process for Fox on December 10th. Various sources say the […]
Telefónica’s pay-TV platform Movistar Plus has ceased distribution through Hispasat after more than 20 years. Over recent months, the platform has been migrating its near 900,000 subscribers via Hispasat (30º West) to Astra 1 (19º East) or to FTTH. With this move, Telefónica aims to reduce costs. For Hispasat, it is bad news as now […]
Private equity investment house Warburg Pincus has taken a 20 per cent stake in Bharti Airtel’s DTH arm, paying $350 million, the third-largest DTH operator in India. The agreement, signed December 12th, sees the transaction take two parts. The first is to take a 15 per cent stake directly from Bharti Telemedia, the parent of […]
A major deal between Disney and Fox, a vague rumour just a couple of weeks ago, now seems nailed on. And, if those nails don’t hold, it is said Comcast is waiting in the wings for a similar deal. In other words minds are made up, the patriarch has spoken; the Murdoch’s are breaking up […]
A Chinese Long March 3B rocket was used on December 11th to finally launch an Algerian satellite into orbit. The satellite had originally been planned to orbit in 2014. The Chinese-built satellite, Alcomsat-1, was launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in the southwestern province of Sichuan. The contract was with the China Great Wall […]
Arabsat and The National Broadcasting Corporation (ONT) have announced the launch of the Arabsat Satellite Broadcasting Platform in Tunisia. “Arabsat platform in Tunisia will contribute to the delivery of the Tunisian TV and Radio content to all the Middle East, North Africa and Europe on the same frequency which is considered an added value to […]
Madrid-based satellite operator Hispasat is in the middle of a dispute between the Spanish government and infrastructure business Abertis. Abertis, which builds and runs some of Europe’s key pay-motorways is in the process of being bought by Italian rival Atlantia. The problem is that Hispasat, included in the deal, is considered by the Spanish government […]
Italian free-to-air DTH platform TivúSat has further expanded its offer with two new channels from Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN). The latest additions are VH-1, which airs music videos and classic TV series, while Spike is targetted at a male audience aged 25-54 years, broadcasting mainly entertainment programmes and reality shows. Before launching on TivúSat, […]
Bangkok-based start-up mu Space has received a 15-year satellite licence (to 2032) from Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, in order to start a satellite service notably to the country’s rural communities. The company says it will launch its satellite in 2021. mu Space is already preparing for a service having committed to a satellite […]