Advanced Television

DTH/Satellite

Eutelsat commissions WC3 satellite

Eutelsat Communications has announced that Thales Alenia Space has been commissioned to build the W3C satellite. Eutelsat will select the launcher for the satellite separately at a later stage. The rapid order of W3C follows Eutelsat’s decision not to integrate the W2M satellite into its fleet following a major anomaly which occurred during its transfer […]

March 16, 2009

Abertis rejects Astra’s charges on DTT

From David Del Valle in Madrid Spain’s broadcasting agency Abertis Telecom, shareholder in satellites Hispasat and Eutelsat, has rejected SES Astra’s charges of favouritism in the Spanish DTT market before the European Union. In a letter to the European Competition and to the Spanish Ministry of Industry, the company has defended the Spain’s DTT model […]

March 16, 2009

Sirius on i-Pod

Sirius XM is to expand the reach of its satellite radio service with the second-quarter launch of an iPhone application as it explores a potential marketing partnership with satellite TV provider DirecTV Group. The company, which had to sell a 40 percent equity stake to Liberty Media to resolve looming debt problems, is looking for […]

March 16, 2009

Dish Network Q4 profit rises, subs fall

Dish Network has reported its fourth-quarter profit rose 24 per cent, but the second placed US DTH provider lost more than 100,000 subscribers. Dish Network earned $217 million for the three months ended December 31st, up from $175 million a year earlier. Sales rose 1 per cent to $2.92 billion from $2.89 billion. During the […]

March 3, 2009

GlobeCast launches African DTH platform

GlobeCast's African DTH platform has successfully started transmissions on SES Astra's Astra 4A (Sirius 4) satellite. African broadcaster VoxAfrica is one of the first channels to sign up for the new platform. It is the first Ku-band DTH platform with coverage over sub-Saharan Africa, providing broadcasters with the opportunity to reach households across the continent.

March 3, 2009

TechniSat confirmed as Freesat manufacturer

Freesat has appointed TechniSat Digital as a manufacturer of high definition digital satellite receivers for 2009. TechniSat Digital Group is a consumer electronics organisation specialising in premium DVB products. TechniSat will be launching with the HDFS Satellite HD digital receiver – a premium product for the reception of all Freesat SD and HD services which […]

February 25, 2009

India DTH market is bright spot

The worldwide market for pay-Direct-to-Home (DTH) satellite television rose significantly in 2008, with an estimated 18 percent rise in subscriptions, reports In-Stat. The primary reason for this increase was strong growth in the Indian market, which more than doubled to about 9 million subscribers at the end of 2008, the high-tech market research firm says. […]

February 24, 2009

RAI drops encryption on Sky Italia

From Branislav Pekic in Rome Italian public broadcaster RAI has cancelled its deal with DTH operator Sky Italia for the use of the NDS encryption standard, six months before its expiry date. As a result, from the end July, RAI's TV channels may not be visible via Sky Italia's STB, with the blacking out of […]

February 19, 2009

SES fairs well

European satellite giant SES reported 2008 earnings hit by one-offs and trimmed its outlook for revenue growth this year, but said it was barely affected by the economic crisis. EBITDA rose 0.9 per cent to E1.10 billion. The figure included a E19.2 million hit from restructuring and the termination of IP-PRIME, its IPTV service in […]

February 18, 2009

Eutelsat launches France satellite broadband

Eutelsat Communications and its partners Numeo and Sat2Way, have confirmed the immediate launch in France of broadband access at no more than E35 a month, equipment included. This new initiative is consistent with Action No. 1 of the “Digital France 2012” Plan announced by the French government in October 2008, which aims to guarantee broadband […]

February 2, 2009