News Corp is understood to be considering joining a consortium bid for Formula One Grand Prix motor racing, reports the Financial Times, quoting people familiar with the matter. The sport has been owned since 2005 by CVC Capital Partners. Although there has been no indication that the private equity group is looking to sell, there […]
International news channel Al Jazeera English has struck a carriage deal with Spain’s leading cable operator, ONO, widening its current availability in the country to another one million subscribers. The deal will see Al Jazeera English (AJE) made available on channel 146 in ONO’s TV Esencial package. The channel is already available in Spain on […]
Google is working on a major overhaul of YouTube as it tries to position itself for the rise of Connected TVs, reports The Wall Street Journal. According to people familiar with the matter, YouTube is looking to compete with broadcast and cable television, which would entail enticing users to stay on the website longer, and […]
Netflix has bought the rights to stream all seven series of the acclaimed TV show Mad Men, in a deal reported to be worth $90 million. It will pay close to $1 million per episode to show the 91-part series, after signing a deal with producer Lionsgate. Under terms of the the deal, Netflix viewers […]
Jesta Digital has signed contracts with a broad range of entertainment partners for the launch of Bitbop Germany the company’s wireless subscription service for TV and movies delivered on-demand to consumers’ personal computers, tablets and mobile devices. Initial content partners for Germany include: MTV Networks Germany (MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon), Sony Pictures (Sony Pictures Television, […]
In a strategic partnership between Platform ‘n’ and FOX International Channels Poland, The National Geographic Channel HD will join Poland’s leading satellite platform line-up, effective immediately. With the addition of National Geographic in HD, Platform ‘n’ expands its subscriber offering to 26 HD channels, more than any other satellite pay television provider in Poland. As […]
Four Hollywood studios have agreed to make their films available on pay-television two months after their theatrical release. Warner Brothers, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Universal Studios and 20th Century Fox have agreed to release their films on a “premium video-on-demand” basis with DirecTV. The move sets up a showdown with movie theatre chains. Subscribers will have […]
Chello DMC, the European digital media facility, is launching new linear TV channel feeds for broadcasters Foxlife and Chellomedia in April. Foxlife, part of Fox International Channels, is to separate the current Benelux feed, creating a unique feed for the Belgium market for the first time. The existing feed will remain to service the Netherlands. […]
IMS Research estimates that at the end of 2010, 13.2 per cent of the world’s digital pay-TV subscribers were requesting VOD content via their set-top box. The number of pay-TV households using VOD services is forecast to triple over the next five years, from 53.9 million at the end of 2010 to 157.3 million at […]
Asia’s leading satellite operator Asia Satellite Telecommunications (AsiaSat) has revealed that Phoenix TV has signed a contract to distribute a new free to air Cantonese language channel ‘Phoenix Hong Kong’ through its MCPC (Multiple Channels per Carrier) platform on AsiaSat 3S. Utilising C-band capacity on AsiaSat 3S, located at 105.5oE, and the MCPC and uplinking […]