The European Commission is to review News Corporation's stake in German pay-TV operator Premiere. The Commission stated: “We are examining [News Corp's acquisition of 22.7 per cent] of Premiere on the basis this may give News Corp de facto control.” In an echo of the regulatory difficulties BSkyB has faced in the UK with its […]
Eutelsat, the world’s third-largest satellite operator, reported an 8.9 per cent rise in third-quarter and raised its full-year guidance. Sales rose to E223.9 million euros ($346.2 million), compared with an average forecast for turnover of E217 million. Eutelsat said it had decided to raise its full-year sales target. It was now aiming for sales of […]
Intelsat reported for the three-month period ended March 31, 2008 with revenue of $572.7 million and a net loss of $412.7 million which included $313.1 million in restructuring and transaction costs incurred in connection with the February 4, 2008 acquisition of all of the equity ownership of its parent, Intelsat Holdings Ltd., by Intelsat Global, […]
From David Del Valle in Madrid Prisa's takeover of Sogecable, owner of Digital Plus and Canal Plus, has lead to reports of four candidates in play to buy the DTH platform Digital Plus, which has two million subs. The likely buyers are seen as Telefonica, News Corp, Vivendi and the Mexican TV mogul Carlos Slim. […]
Vodafone has emerged as a surprise frontrunner to acquire Tiscali after submitting a £1.1 billion (E1.37bn) bid for the group. A possible deal would give Vodafone a fixed-line broadband presence in the UK, and allow it to merge Tiscali’s Italian operation with its Tele 2 business there. BSkyB, BT, Swisscom-owned Fastweb, and Italian mobiles group […]
Vilma Marciuleviciute has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer of Viasat Baltics, and will be responsible for the digital satellite TV platform in the region. She is returning to the Baltics after three years in Moscow as CEO of the free-TV channel DTV. Vilma has worked within Modern Times Group MTG AB for more than […]
Pan European broadcaster RTL, owner of Channel Five, has admitted that the TV advertising market in the UK has been tough in the first quarter of 2008, as it reported an overall drop in underlying revenue of 2.9 per cent to E1.323billion. RTL said that its German broadcasting business had performed well, while the UK […]
The European Commission has taken the next step in proceedings against Spain for not complying with television advertising restrictions. The infringement procedure, started in July 2007, is based on a monitoring report that found that the main TV channels in Spain, both publicly funded and commercial, failed regularly and by some margin to restrict advertising […]
The DVB Project has reported that the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL), a body of the Organisation of American States (OAS), has decided to include the standards for digital terrestrial television DVB-T (fixed reception) and DVB-H (mobile TV) as official standards within the CITEL implementation guidelines. The CITEL Digital Terrestrial Broadcasting Implementation Guide‚ is intended to […]
Viacom's quarterly net profit rose 33 per cent, beating Wall Street forecasts, on strong sales of the 'Rock Band' video game and higher advertising revenue at MTV Networks. The company said it has seen no slowdown yet in US advertising, temporarily addressing concerns that the credit crisis will lead to an advertising recession. First-quarter profit […]