Talks between TF1 and M6 and pay-TV platforms about carriage of their respective thematic channels have reached a deadlock say reports. DTH operator Canal Plus currently holds exclusive rights to the channels, including Histoire, TV Breizh, Ushuaia TV, Odyssee, Serie Club and Eurosport, for which it pays approximately E60m. The broadcasters have offered their channels […]
The Supreme Court in Israel has rejected the planned merger of telco Bezeq with DTH satellite platform Yes. Bezeq intended to increase its stake in Yes to 58% from the present 49.8%. However, the Supreme Court accepted petitions from the anti-trust authority and Yes minority shareholder Eurocom Group who wanted to stop the merger as […]
From Branislav Pekic in Rome After reaching 4.8 million subscribers at the end of June, Italian DTH operator Sky Italia has now set 5 million as its target for the new season. Speaking in Milan during the presentation of the new sports schedules, CEO Tom Mockridge said that Sky Italia's goal is continued growth despite […]
News Corp has unveiled details of a shake-up of its Hong Kong-based Star television group as James Murdoch, chairman and chief executive for Europe and Asia, looks to cut costs and consolidate overlapping businesses in the region. About 150-200 jobs at Star are expected to go in the Hong Kong office over the next 12 […]
From David Del Valle in Madrid The approval of pay DTT services has stoked up the football TV war between La Sexta, and Digital Plus. Mediapro has announced that its football TV channel Gol TV – free until August 31- will offer three Spanish League Football matches every weekend for E14.90, compared with Sogecable's Digital […]
BskyB has written to the BBC Trust expressing "serious concerns" about its handling of Project Canvas. The Trust's conduct of a consultation process on Canvas "will only serve to undermine further industry confidence in its ability and inclination to act as a genuinely independent regulator of the BBC", Sky said. Since February, the Trust has […]
Sky Deutschland (formerly Premiere) lost 7,000 subscribers during the second quarter of the year and reported losses of over E360m. The pay-TV operator ended June with 2.364 subs against 2.371 at the end of the previous quarter. While the operator attracted 23,000 monthly contract customers, it lost 30,000 Flex subscribers during that time, overall churn […]
From David del Valle in Madrid In common with other European countries, Spain is to have pay-DTT services on its digital terrestrial TV platform, with the first ones likely to be launched by the end of this month, coinciding with the beginning of the Spanish 'La Liga' football . The Government has approved a Royal […]
BT Vision CEO Marc Watson expects Sky Sports to be part of its package by next summer. Watson told reporters that Ofcom's announcement last month that BSkyB should cut its wholsale price by almost a third will pave the way for a Sky Sports offering on IPTV platform BT Vision. Currently the platform doesn't have […]
James Murdoch is planning a sweeping shake-up of the Star television operations. The move will involve a sharp cut in jobs in Hong Kong and the rest of the region, as the group aims to cut costs and consolidate overlapping operations, reports the FT. Star's Indian operation, which generates the most profits for the group […]