Advanced Television

Funding

Tuchman backs Rialto International

Bruce Tuchman, formerly President of Sundance Channel Global, AMC Global and MGM Networks, and New Zealand’s Rialto Channel Limited have launched Rialto International, a 50-50 joint venture to bring Rialto branded streaming, SVoD, AVoD and linear television services of premium indie content to countries and territories worldwide. The parties announced the new joint venture on […]

January 12, 2021

GB News ‘fully funded’

The planned GB News TV channel and digital services, proposed as an alternate to the BBC News and Sky News, is now fully funded. Reports say the 24-hour channel, fronted by veteran BBC journalist Andrew Neil, has now received anchor commitments from Discovery International, hedge fund manager Sir Paul Marshall and Dubai-based investor Legatum Group. […]

January 6, 2021By Chris Forrester

MPs warn of UK connectivity target failure

The UK House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee is warning the Government that it risks failing to meet its revised-down target for gigabit-capable broadband in the face of considerable challenges to infrastructure roll-out. Evidence to the ‘Broadband and the road to 5G inquiry’ found little confidence that nationwide gigabit-capable broadband by 2025 […]

December 22, 2020By Colin Mann

OneWeb adds 36, faces UK criticism

There were a few tense moments immediately prior to the launch of the giant Soyuz rocket at Russia’s Vostochny Cosmodrome when the countdown clock went past the ‘3-2.1-Zero’ command, but a few seconds later, the engines burst into life and the 36-satellite payload for OneWeb launched. Some four hours after its 12.26pm (GMT) launch and […]

December 21, 2020By Chris Forrester

Openreach creates more than 5,000 new jobs

UK digital infrastructure provider Openreach is claiming to have bucked the prevailing economic trend by creating 5,300  new UK-based engineering jobs, to be filled during 2021. The new roles, located in communities throughout the country, will enable the company to continue improving service levels across its existing networks, whilst building and connecting customers to its […]

December 18, 2020By Colin Mann

Euskaltel seeks fibre optic partner

Euskaltel is speeding up its plans to become the fifth largest telco operator in Spain and is consequently seeking financial partners to invest in its fibre optic network throughout the country. Euskaltel is set to create a subsidiary company responsible for the deployment of its network and French Infravia and Australian First State are reportedly […]

December 17, 2020From David Del Valle in Madrid

SpaceX wants extra finance

SpaceX is reportedly planning another cash-raising round for investors. It last raised money ($1.9 billion) in August and was valued at the time as $36 billion. Bloomberg is suggesting that while talks are at an early stage, the end result could be that SpaceX would have a value of some $92 billion. The cash should […]

December 17, 2020

Dish Network to raise $2bn for 5G

Charlie Ergen’s Dish Network says it will offer $2 billion-worth of convertible notes. Dish will also grant the initial purchaser of these notes an additional $300 million option. Dish says: “The net proceeds of the offering are intended to be used for general corporate purposes, including 5G network buildout costs.” The US DTH operator adds: […]

December 16, 2020By Chris Forrester

Europe could fund global LEO broadband

The European Commission seems enthusiastic about backing its own dedicated Low Earth Orbit system for satellite-based broadband. Speaking during the European Space Week 2020 its Commissioner for the Internal Market, Thierry Breton, spoke in favour of a Quantum Communications Infrastructure satellite scheme. The European Commission has awarded a group of European telcos, satellite manufacturers and […]

December 11, 2020

Amazon commits €500,000 to German entertainment industry

Amazon Prime Video and Amazon Studios have announced a €500,000 commitment to support workers working behind the scenes in Germany’s entertainment industry that have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Many TV and movie productions, concerts and other events have been delayed or came completely to a halt due to the Covid-19 crisis. As a […]

December 10, 2020