Advanced Television

Inside Satellite

Chris Forrester

Chris Forrester is one of the most experienced and highly regarded journalists in the field. His insight and analysis, particularly in the satellite and pay-TV arena, is highly prized. He has written for all the major business journals in the sector as well as several national newspapers.

BSkyB intensifies competitive pressure

A comprehensive report to clients from investment bank Berenberg and which has compiled a series of ‘price tracker’ statistics on UK content and telco aggregators, says that BSkyB is still engaged in a period of “intense promotional activity” despite such efforts normally being more subdued with the start of the football season. “This year, however, […]

September 25, 2014

MENA anti-piracy operation grows

The Middle East’s Broadcast Satellite Anti-Piracy Coalition, meeting in Cairo, say that their organisation has grown by six new members, including Rotana, ART, IAA, the Egyptian Chamber of Commerce, Gulfsat and WWE. The Coalition also says that as a result of their efforts, 15 channels have been taken off air because of piracy in their […]

September 24, 2014

MBC: “1000 more MENA channels”

Middle East Broadcasting’s (MBC) CEO Sam Barnett says that his region is already home to about 1000 channels, many of them small and serving local audiences, but that it could absorb “several thousands more”. He said 100 were launched last year, about 43 in Kurdish alone. “There are lots more to come,” he added. Indeed, […]

September 23, 2014

Televisa loses ‘dominant’ argument

Mexican broadcaster and media giant Grupo Televisa has lost its 18-point series of appeals against an earlier decision that it held a dominant position in Mexican media. Back in March the Mexican Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT) ruled that Televisa was in breach of the 50 per cent market share threshold, and needed to curb its […]

September 22, 2014

Fitch doubts Sony mobile rescue

Ratings agency Fitch doubts that electronics giant Sony can turn around the struggling fortunes of its mobile phone division. Sony says it will launch even ‘smarter’ so-called smartphones and a new range of high-end consumer devices. But the news might be a last throw of the dice and follows on from a massive Sony write-down […]

September 19, 2014

India ASO slips to December 2016

Getting anything decided, let alone implemented, is a near-nightmare. India’s Information & Broadcasting Ministry has decided to again set new dates for the implementation of its Digital Addressable Systems ruling, to December 2015 for Phase II cities and the following year, December 2016, for Phase IV smaller cities and towns. The existing rules (issued in […]

September 18, 2014

BSkyB should dump ads

It was while browsing BSkyB’s September 5th prospectus on the raising of £10 billion in fresh financing (the £10 billion Euro Medium Term Note Programme) that it dawned on me: Sky should dump its advertising segments. The fact is that all the Sky channel ads, all the interruptions, all the commercials for ambulance chasing lawyers, […]

September 10, 2014

EchoStar, SES joint-venture

Charlie Ergen’s EchoStar and Luxembourg-based SES are continuing their close working relationship with the addition of a new satellite at 105 degrees West. The new craft will have two names. EchoStar will call it EchoStar 105 while SES will dub the craft SES-11.  Airbus will build the satellite and it will launch quite soon in […]

September 4, 2014

Israel aims for satellite “rescue”

On August 22nd two Galileo/GPS satellites were placed into a useless orbit. Now, an Israeli company is suggesting it can build a micro-satellite which would – in effect – rescue the two Galileo craft. Effective Space Solutions, based in Tel Aviv, says its DeOrbiter proposed rescue satellite could save not only these two Galileo satellites, […]

September 2, 2014

BSkyB starts cash-raising roadshow

September 2nd sees the first of BSkyB’s financial roadshow presentations take place with the aim of raising the extra cash it needs to buy Sky Deutschland and Sky Italia. Financial reports suggest that BSkyB is looking to raise $2 billion. Last week BSkyB mandated three banks (Barclays, JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley) to lead the […]

September 1, 2014