AsiaSat, Asia’s leading satellite operator, and global media solutions provider Globecast, have reached an agreement to deliver RTR-Planeta Asia to viewers via AsiaSat 5. The deal continues expanding the exposure of Russian-language programming available in the Asia-Pacific region. Globecast is providing RTR-Planeta with complete distribution services to the channel via this deal, including across Asia-Pacific, […]
The annual report from the Satellite Industry Association (SIA), and which compares and contrasts the state of the industry in 2016 with 2015 and previous years, in general terms says that 2016 was “once again a positive year,” though results for the four key industry market segments varied quite widely. For example, Global satellite manufacturing […]
A Zimbabwe bank doesn’t have sufficient foreign currency in order to pay South African-based Multichoice DTH broadcaster’s fees due from local subscribers. Steward Bank, itself a subsidiary of cellular telco Econet Wireless, admits that it has run out of US dollars, the official currency of Zimbabwe. In a statement, the bank said it was suspending […]
Saudi Arabia-based Arabsat is transmitting a FTA DTH bouquet using its BADR-4 satellite from its ‘hot spot’ at 26 degrees East. The bouquet’s channels are all in HD, and include BBC World News HD, France 24 Arabic HD, TV5 Monde Style HD — “as well as other HD exclusive channels with the best Free-To-Air viewing […]
July 10th saw Israel’s parliamentary Science & Technology committee discuss the planned replacement for the lost Amos-6 satellite, dubbed Amos-8. Spacecom, the owners of the Amos fleet, have invited international manufacturers to build Amos-8. The Israel parliamentary committee discussed whether it would fund part or all of the new satellite, and to what extent there […]
Pay-TV subscriptions for 522 operators reached 839 million in 2016 – or 87 per cent of the 959 million global subscribers. The top 50 operators accounted for two-thirds of the world’s pay-TV subscribers by end-2016. At that time, 15 operators had more than 10 million paying subscribers, according to the Global Pay TV Operator Databook […]
Cable and DTH distribution networks in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have cancelled their carriage contracts with the London-based Al-Araby TV news channel. Al-Araby says, in a statement, that Dubai-based DTH operator OSN has ended its contract, as has Etisalat/E-Vision. “OSN and E-Vision have violated contracts signed with Al-Araby TV by stopping its broadcasts on […]
Satellite operator Intelsat concluded its latest refinancing step with a July 5th SEC filing explaining that it has swapped a series of borrowings worth some $1.5 billion and initially due for repayment in 2019. The new borrowings are not now due for repayment until 2025, but the interest rate is up 2.5 points, from 7.25 […]
Eutelsat says its Sales & Reservations Centre has booked almost 2,000 hours of coverage including ‘Occasional Use’ demands on three of its satellites, Eutelsat 10A, 16A and 12 West B to cover this year’s Tour de France cycle race. This is twice the demand from previous years. “For the first time ever there will be […]
Satellite operator SES says it has won a retransmission contract from Telekom Serbia to carry six TV channels and one radio station for Serbia’s public broadcaster RTS. The channels will be transmitted from Astra at 5 degrees East. The six RTS channels, RTS Satelit, RTS Život, RTS Drama, RTS Kolo, RTS Trezor, RTS Muzika and […]