Advanced Television

Pay TV

OTE pay DTH is go

Greek telco OTE is defying the country’s economic crisis and going ahead with plans for a new pay TV offer via satellite in September. The Conn-X satellite TV offering will be cheaper than the current package from rival Nova, currently available on Eutelsat’s Hot Bird satellite position at 13° East. The OTE Conn-X bouquet will […]

August 22, 2011

Miramax Facebook App

Miramax is set to become the latest film studio to sell movies on Facebook, with a movie rental app on the social network. Users will also be able to watch the movies on an iPad through a browser-based player, with Miramax suggesting that a stand alone iPad app could come later. Miramax eXperience will open […]

August 22, 2011

Pakistan: $4bn broadcasting market

The electronic media has emerged as one of the fastest-growing and most competitive sectors in Pakistan, according to the Chairman of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory (PEMRA). Presenting the watchdog’s report for the year 2010-11 to President Asif Ali Zardari, Dr Abdul Jabbar advised that PEMRA, by the end of the 2010-11 financial year, had […]

August 22, 2011By Colin Mann

Sky ‘restricts movie competition’

The UK’s Competition Commission (CC) has provisionally found that Sky’s control over pay-TV movie rights in the UK is restricting competition between pay-TV providers, leading to higher prices and reduced choice and innovation for subscribers. Sky has for many years held exclusively the rights to the movies of all six major Hollywood studios in the […]

August 19, 2011By Colin Mann

AsiaSat broadcast service for FOX

Asia’s leading satellite operator, Asia Satellite Telecommunications. (AsiaSat) has entered into a contract with FOX International Channels (FIC), Asia’s largest pay-TV network, to provide one-stop broadcast service including compression, uplink, play-out service, monitoring, maintenance and troubleshooting for all of the FIC’s top-rated HD and SD channels at AsiaSat’s earth station in Tai Po, Hong Kong. […]

August 18, 2011

Italy: Antitrust authority opens new Sky Italia probe

The Italian Antitrust Authority has decided to expand its investigation into Sky Italia’s dominant position with particular attention to the broadcaster’s transmission of the UEFA Champions League, which can only be watched on a pay-per-view basis. The inquiry will be in addition to the on-going investigation on the purchase of the TV rights to the […]

August 17, 2011From Branislav Pekic in Rome

DNA pay on DTT

Finnish telco and pay TV provider DNA is extending its pay TV services from cable onto the country’s DTT network. DNA is providing SD and HD channels, including its Mix HD package, an eight-channel offering that can be tailored by subscribers. The operator plans to add Canal Plus channels to its terrestrial offering from September […]

August 16, 2011

Scripps scoops Virgin Media’s UKTV stake

As widely expected, Scripps Networks is to acquire Virgin Media’s stake in UKTV, the joint-venture multi-platform channel operator with BBC Worldwide. Scripps Networks Interactive will pay approximately £239 million to purchase Virgin Media’s 50 per cent common equity interest in the UKTV partnership and also will pay about £100 million to acquire the outstanding preferred […]

August 15, 2011By Colin Mann

Vodafone Netherlands offers triple-play on fibre

Vodafone Netherlands plans to offer television services from Reggefiber’s and KPN’s fiber network, reports Het Financieele Dagblad. The television offering will be launched in nine municipalities where Reggefiber is looking to still roll out fibre. The offering will then become available in all homes served by fibre. From 2012, the services will be available for […]

August 15, 2011

New chairman of OSN appointed

Samir Abdulhadi, the former head of Orbit, has been appointed chairman of Panther Media Group, which operates the Dubai-based Orbit Showtime Network. He succeeds Faisal Al Ayyar, who was previously the chairman of Showtime/Gulf DTH. Abdulhadi’s appointment is effective from August 10th. Abdulhardi is the Saudi Arabian Mawarid Group’s senior representative on the Panther board. […]

August 15, 2011By Chris Forrester