Advanced Television

Broadcast

Eutelsat keeps W3B aloft

On Oct 29 Eutelsat declared its W3B satellite – launched a day earlier – as a “total loss”. The satellite operator was expected to deliberately de-orbit the satellite into the Pacific Ocean within hours. Now it has emerged that the satellite is to be maintained in orbit. The satellite is now expected to orbit for […]

November 8, 2010

Chernin to back Asian start-ups

Peter Chernin, the former president of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, has said he will set up a new media group aimed at helping start-up companies across Asia.  Chernin said the Hong Kong-based venture, CA Media, would launch media, entertainment, and technology businesses to make the most of the “tremendous opportunity” the region represents. “We see […]

November 8, 2010

BBC iPlayer: Ads or PPV…?

John Smith, the chief executive of BBC Worldwide said the international iPlayer would open up the “under-exploited” market for UK shows but executives have yet to decide whether to include advertising or charge for access.  The BBC estimates that global audiences would pay up to $10 for an episode of its most popular shows. Luke […]

November 8, 2010

BBC chief ‘sorry’ for joining Sky deal lobby

It has been revealed BBC director-general Mark Thompson had to apologise to the BBC Trust for signing the open letter criticising News Corp’s bid for Sky and asking the UK government to intervene (as they now have). The BBC Trust “expressed concern” about whether it was “appropriate” for Thompson to sign the controversial letter which […]

November 8, 2010

Nilesat 10 year contract with Eutelsat

Eutelsat Communications has confirmed that Nilesat, the Egyptian satellite company, has signed a 10-year contract for five transponders at the 7° West orbital position. The capacity will be activated in the first phase on Eutelsat’s Atlantic Bird 4A satellite, and subsequently transferred to Atlantic Bird 7 which is scheduled for launch and deployment at 7° […]

November 8, 2010

Sony and HBO bring AXN HD to Poland

Platform ‘n’, the leading DTH service in Poland, has brought more viewing choice to its subscribers with the addition of AXN HD, a new channel featuring the AXN experience in high-definition.  The news—announced today by Platform ‘n’ Chief Operating Officer Christian Anting—represents the operator’s continued commitment to expand its high-definition offerings. Owned by Sony Entertainment […]

November 8, 2010

VSNMULTICOM manages Marca TV’s MCR with great success

Since last August 29, sports have a new window on the Spanish DTT with Marca TV. The FIBA World Championship opening ceremony was the starting signal for this new channel, which showed all the games on widescreen format, for free on open TV, offering daily full 24 hour coverage of the tournament. Marca TV has […]

November 5, 2010

Dish Network loses subs, profits up

US satellite broadcaster Dish Network reported total revenue of $3.21 billion for the quarter ended September 30th, 2010, a 10.9 per cent increase compared with $2.89 billion for the corresponding period in 2009. Net income attributable to common shareholders totalled $245 million for the quarter compared with $81 million during the corresponding period in 2009. […]

November 5, 2010

Research: Global pay-TV market served 692m subs in Q3

In Q3-2010, net subscriber addition in the global pay-TV market increased 2 per cent over Q2-2010 according to ABI Research’s pay-TV market data. “The global number of pay-TV subscribers reached 692 million in the third quarter of 2010,” reported ABI Research practice director Jason Blackwell. “Pay-TV subscriber growth is holding steady in a number of […]

November 5, 2010

Media chiefs “no cord cutting here”

Results conferences have given media conglomerate chiefs to respond to analyst fears that OTT services will see their subscription bases decline because of cord cutting. Time Warner did allow that it predicted subscribers to HBO will fall by about 1.5 million by the end of 2010, but stressed that they did not believe the reason […]

November 4, 2010