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.
Discovery Communications, one of the TV industry’s highest-regarded broadcasters, needs to make its corporate governance more transparent. Same with News Corp, says corporate research firm GMI Risk List, which regularly reports on quoted companies which have, in the view of GMI, “particular [risk] factors that may correlate with negative events,” said Kimberly Gladman, GMI’s Director […]
Pro7/Sat1 is Germany’s second-largest commercial broadcaster (after RTL) and in a fresh report from investment bank Morgan Stanley it seems the broadcaster is in much better shape than this time last year. Pro7/Sat1’s management is committed to paying investors “at least” 80 per cent of its underlying Earnings/Share in the future, which the bank translates […]
The past few months have seemed to herald a softer time for foreign channels trying to gain entry into India’s buoyant broadcasting market. Not quite. New rules issued October7 by India’s powerful Information and Broadcasting Ministry has set high tariff rules for would-be broadcasters. The rules come with a message designed to deter non-serious applicants […]
The BBC is expected to lay off more than 2000 staffers as it adjusts to life with lower annual income. The bottom line is that the BBC must slash its £3.5 billion ($5.4bn) budget by some 20 per cent in order to stay solvent. The BBC employs some 18,000 staff in the UK, although grows […]
Luxembourg-based SES has been involved in a dispute with Lockheed Martin Space Systems involving millions of dollars, and specifically involving one of Lockheed’s A2100 satellites. While details are of the dispute are sketchy, SES bought two satellites from Lockheed, (SES Astra’s 1KR craft, and Astra 1L) and the argument involved the performance of a satellite […]
America’s leading media stocks have seen massive falls in the value as the Dow Jones index continues to suffer a major fall as anxiety increrases over deficits and growth. Most of the USA’s cable stocks fell back on September 22nd. Time-Warner was the exception (up 1 per cent) but its stable-mates all suffered: Comcast […]
YahLive, the satellite broadcasting portion of Abu Dhabi-based YahSat that is managed by SES, is close to signing up its first all-HDTV capacity bookings. While commercial terms have not been revealed, it is understood that the first transponder rentals will go to channels from Abu Dhabi TV. SES admits it is an ambitious “even […]
US pay-radio broadcaster Sirius-XM is in great shape and in formal guidance is predicting a double-digit revenue increase for 2012. CEO Mel Karmazin told a Bank of America conference last week that he’d like to use Sirius’s growing cash pile to help fund a suitable acquisition – but there wasn’t much about! Instead, his Board […]
It wasn’t so very long ago that Iridium, the global/mobile satellite phone and data service, was languishing in Bankruptcy Court. Now, having restructured, it is declaring more than 500,000 subscribers around the world, with some 10 percent made up of US governmental (AKA military) users. “Our consistent double-digit growth in subscribers – more than 25 […]
Satellite operator SES used IBC to unveil its new logo, and told press and conference delegates that it was now carrying 5,905 channels and radio networks and that more than 2400 were being transmitted over Europe. SES is claiming the world’s top spot for HDTV channels, with 1,071 now on air around the globe. (although […]
Cameron backs Paramount in WBD acquisition
Adria News Network launches
Viaplay scores EFL Championship rights in Nordics
Sky News Australia rebranding as News24
DirecTV adds Apple TV’s Formula 1
The Traitors hits 40 international commissions
Burnley FC launches docuseries on X
TheViewPoint rebrands to Upstream
Mega Movie Weekend returns for half-term
Channel 4 launches Content Creatives+ development scheme