TELE-satellite News - Number 32/2004 - 8 August 2004 -
A weekly roundup of global TV news sponsored by
TELE-satellite International
Editor: Branislav Pekic
* Issue 08-09/2004 of Tele-satellite International magazine is out now * More details at
http://sadoun.com/Sat/Products/Acces...-Satellite.htm /
E U R O P E
EC PROMOTES OPEN
DIGITAL TV STANDARDS
The
European Union should push for open and
interoperable standards for interactive digital
television across its member states, said a paper
published on August 2 by the European Commission. The
commission - the EU's executive authority - called in
the report for a range of actions to promote the
deployment of interactive digital services using the
Multimedia Home Platform standard. The paper warned,
however, that implementing the standard should not be
a legally binding process. It said that EU governments
should continue to promote open and interoperable
standards for interactive digital TV -- including the
MHP standard -- on a voluntary basis. The Commission
said it would let the industry develop interoperable
standards, which would allow consumers to access the
full range of TV content. But it decided to postpone a
decision on the need to mandate a single standard
until the end of 2005. The Commission also suggested
that member states could offer subsidies to consumers
to promote an interoperable platform.
NIELSEN AND AGB TEAM UP FOR TV RATINGS
Nielsen Media Research International has formed a
joint venture with the AGB Group, part of WPP Group,
in a partnership that will provide TV ratings in 30
countries. The new company, AGB Nielsen Media
Research, will be a 50-50 joint venture between
Nielsen parent VNU and Kantar, a global research and
consulting unit of WPP. The company will be based in
Milan, Italy. Nielsen's U.S. TV ratings services are
not part of the agreement. One key benefit of the
agreement is that there are virtually no overlaps
between AGB Group's TV ratings coverage and Nielsen's
international footprint. Some of the markets covered
by the ratings services of the new company will be
Australia, China, Hong Kong, Italy, South Africa and
the United Kingdom, VNU said.
FRANCE
SALES UP BY 5% AT CANAL PLUS
The Canal Plus group announced sales for the first
half of this year of ?1.8 billion, a fall of 17 per
cent compared to the same period last year. The number
of subscribers to the Canal Plus premium channel
increased for the first time in three years. As of 30
June, the channel had 4.88 million subscribers,
compared to 4.867 million a year earlier. The number
of new subscriptions has increased by 17 per cent over
the year and the number of terminations has fallen.
Meanwhile, the number of subscribers to Canal
Satellite has reached 2.83 million, an increase of
80,000 since the beginning of the year.
TF1 REPORTS INCREASED REVENUES
Commercial TV network TF1 reported first-half revenues
of ?1.48 billion, up five per cent, while advertising
income grew 6.5 per cent to ?889.5 million. TF1 *
which owns 66 per cent of French satellite broadcaster
TPS * increased its share of the French TV advertising
market in the first half to 54.2 per cent, up from
53.9 per cent for the whole of 2003. Revenues from
TF1's other activities were up three per cent to
?591.2 million, boosted by a 7.6 per cent increase in
revenues at TPS.
GERMANY
PREMIERE CHALLENGES AWARDING OF SPORTS RIGHTS
German commercial broadcasters who lost out on their
bid for the Olympic games are questioning the way in
which top sports rights are parceled out in Europe.
Leading pay-TV operator Premiere is mounting a legal
challenge against the International Olympic
Committee's decision to sell European broadcast rights
to the 2010 and 2012 games to the European
Broadcasting Union, claiming that the EBU is an
illegal cartel. The pay-TV group plans to bring the
case before the European Court of Justice this year.
PROSIEBENSAT1 TO INCREASE AD RATES
The ProSiebenSat 1 broadcasting group will raise
advertising rates on its four channels by as much as
5.7% next year as the ad market begins to recover.
Gross prices at TV networks ProSieben and Sat 1 next
year will increase 2.8% and 2%, respectively; Kabel 1
will boost prices 2.6%, while news TV channel N24 will
see the biggest hike - 5.7%.
RTL SETTLES LONG-RUNNING CONFLICT
Commercial channel RTL on August 3 settled a
decade-old legal battle with the German state of Lower
Saxony, agreeing to pay ?12 million in fines for
violating broadcasting regulations by airing too many
commercials. The case dates back to 1993, when the
state accused RTL of putting in too many commercial
breaks during its weekly TV movie slot "The Big TV
Novel." RTL put in commercials every 20 minutes, the
maximum allowed for television series. The state
argued that the movies should have been classified as
films, during which ads are allowed only every 45
minutes.
PERSIAN TV PREPARES FOR LAUNCH
German authorities on August 3 gave green light for
the launching of the first-ever private Persian
satellite television network, named 'Mohajer TV'. The
program is to feature documentaries, cultural reports,
films and music. The new satellite television station
is located in the southwest German town of Hermeskeil.
Two teams of the television network are currently
preparing the cultural programs in Iran. There have
also been ongoing negotiations with Iranian singers
and writers to appear in the program.
TERRA NOVA BUYS WILDLIFE PROGRAMS
Upcoming ecology channel Terra Nova will go to air
this autumn with a schedule boosted by more than 40
hours of wildlife programming from the UK. Terra Nova
is the latest channel to join the stable of French
audiovisual group AB. German regulators selected the
network for transmission as a digital terrestrial
service back in April. AB already runs music service
Onyx TV in Germany, which boasts 11.5 million
subscribers. Dedicated to the protection of the
environment, discovery and nature, Terra Nova will
launch in Germany in September. Content will be
broadcast in French and German. The initial line-up
will include Granada International titles Before It's
Too Late, Killer Crocs of Costa Rica, Savage Planet,
Savage Seas and Ocean Wilds.
REGULATOR APPROVES VIACOM'S PURCHASE OF VIVA
Germany's cartel office on August 6 approved U.S.
media giant Viacom Inc.'s acquisition of German music
channel Viva Media, saying it saw no antitrust
problems. "The takeover does not lead to a
market-dominating position on any of the relevant
markets, especially not on the market for television
advertising," the antitrust authority said in a
statement. Viacom, which owns the MTV music channels,
agreed to buy a 75.8 per cent stake in Viva from key
shareholders Time Warner Inc., Vivendi Universal, and
Viva founders and management in June, and has offered
to pay the remaining shareholders ?12.65 per share.
The deal, which values Viva at ?309 million, will add
Viva's two music channels to MTV's own two stations.
ITALY
MEDIASET BUYS MORE FOOTBALL TV RIGHTS
Italian network Mediaset extended its new digital
television venture on July 30, acquiring the rights to
broadcast the games of five new Italian football clubs
and create a children's cartoon channel. The company
has acquired the DTT rights to Roma, Sampdoria,
Atalanta, Messina and Livorno matches for the
2004-2005, 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 seasons. Mediaset
has also inked a deal with Turner Broadcasting System
for a new kids' channel in Italy aimed at the 4 to 14
set. Mediaset has released few details about the kids'
venture, noting only that it will be broadcast free
via digital terrestrial television, and that it will
launch by the end of this year, with content supplied
by Turner Broadcasting.
THE NETHERLANDS
CABLE CHANNEL TO SHOW PREMIER LEAGUE MATCHES
Digital cable channel dedicated to football,
Voetbalkanaal, has concluded a deal with Barclays
English Premier League to air all Premier League games
over the next three seasons in the 2005 season (which
kicks off August 14), Voetbalkanaal will air all 370
games live and ad-free, over eight simultaneous feeds.
The English games, 10 per weekend, will sit alongside
125 live UEFA Champion's League fixtures and 170
replays of Dutch Eredivisie games, plus highlights
magazines. All in, the 24/7 channel carries football,
football and only football. Owned by UGC division
Chello Media, Voetbalkanaal reaches some 87% of the
Dutch market via carriage on the UPC Nederland,
Casema, Ascent and CAIW cable networks.
SPAIN
AD GROUP SEEKS HELP FROM BROADCASTERS
The Association of Spanish Advertisers appealed to
Spain's broadcasters on August 2 to adopt measures
that will allow free competition for advertisers here.
According to advertisers, the 16.6% rise in
advertising investment in television for the first
half of the year to ?1.3 billion from ?1.2 billion for
the same period last year, belies the fact that
advertisers are increasingly unhappy with the
efficiency of their investments. AEA President
Fernando Valdes called on broadcasters to sign a pact
of good will that would oblige national television
channels (Television Espanola, Antena 3 and
Telecinco), as well as regional and local channels, to
respect measures to alleviate saturation and abusive
prices.
SWEDEN
MTG REPORTS INCREASED INCOME
For the six months ended June 30, profit at the Modern
Times Group was up 72 per cent to 15.3 million euros,
while second quarter net income almost doubled, to
?12.9 million. For the first six months of the year,
MTG generated ?363 million in net sales, up 6 per cent
from the same time last year. For just the second
quarter, meanwhile, revenues were up 9 per cent to
?192.5 million. At Viasat Broadcasting, revenues grew
by 11 per cent for the quarter to ?148.9 million.
UNITED KINGDOM
ARSENAL TO LAUNCH GLOBAL TV CHANNEL
Arsenal set to cash in on the Premiership's booming
worldwide popularity by launching their own overseas
television service. Fifteen countries in Asia and the
Middle East have already signed deals to carry a
three-hour weekly show of club news, action and
interviews when the season starts in a fortnight. The
programme, called Arsenal TV, will be produced in
London and distributed by broadcaster TWI, which
already transmits live Premier League games to 160
countries. Fans will either subscribe to Arsenal TV
specifically or receive it as part of their existing
pay-TV package. The venture has been arranged through
Granada Media, which has struck a similar deal for a
show called Liverpool TV for the Merseyside club.
Granada owns 9.9 per cent of both clubs and acts as
their media agent.
BBC INTERACTIVE SERVICES USED BY OVER 10 MILLION
Over 10 million UK households with Freeview and
satellite television accessed BBCi's 'always-on'
digital interactive services during April and May
2004. A quantitative study of Freeview homes
commissioned by the BBC and Teletext reveals the first
figures on how many Freeview viewers are using BBCi's
services. The research shows that over 5 million
adults with Freeview are aware of the name BBCi, of
which 3.6 million used the services in April and May
2004. The monthly study of satellite households
carried out by TNS found that 6.6 million viewers used
BBCi services in May 2004, suggesting that the
approximate audience that used BBCi interactive
services on both platforms during the month of May was
over 10 million. BBCi's interactive services are
available 24 hours a day and can be accessed on all
major digital platforms. Successful eTV programmes
have included Fame Academy, Test the Nation and
numerous sporting events such as The Six Nations, The
Golf Open, Euro 2004 and the forthcoming Olympics.
SOUNDTRACK CHANNEL SIGNS FIRST DISTRIBUTION DEAL
LA-based Soundtrack Channel (STC) and UK mobile and
iTV outfit Amplefuture have partnered to bring the US
music station to Britain, in the channel's first
European distribution deal. Launching on Sky Digital
from September 1, a customized 24/7 version of the
music and film soundtrack station will include plenty
of interactive features, courtesy of Big Brother UK's
mobile polling supplier, Amplefuture. The new digital
station will be based upon STC's existing programming,
featuring music videos from movie and TV soundtracks,
as well as entertainment news, behind-the-scenes of
the movie-making process and celebrity interviews -
some of which will be produced locally. Amplefuture
will add mobile interactive services allowing viewers
to answer trivia questions and interact with the
programming via text messaging.
BSKYB ANNOUNCES FTA AND HDTV INITIATIVES
BSkyB on August 2 announced plans to drive sustained
demand for digital satellite television through
separate initiatives that will address the premium
pay-TV and free-to-air (FTA) audiences. Speaking at an
investor conference in London, James Murdoch, Chief
Executive of BSkyB, said that the Company would
introduce a new FTA satellite proposition later this
year and had begun developing a premium package of
services in the High Definition Television (HDTV)
format for launch in 2006. Later this year, BSkyB will
introduce a FTA satellite proposition offering access
to almost 200 television and radio channels and
interactive services which are available without a
monthly subscription fee. The extensive line-up of
channels available to FTA digital satellite viewers
includes the BBC's portfolio of digital television and
radio services and digital versions of the five
analogue terrestrial television channels, including
all national and regional variants of BBC One and BBC
Two. Access to the encrypted signals of ITV1, Channel
4 and five will be available as a result of the
provision of a digital satellite viewing card, which
will also enable automatic reception of the relevant
variant of regionalised FTA channels. In addition to a
wide choice of FTA television and radio channels,
interactive services such as Sky Active, BBCi, ITVi
and Channel 4's Big Brother Interactive are available
to digital satellite viewers without any monthly
subscription fee. Following the successful launch by
BSkyB of the UK's first digital television service,
first interactive television service and first
integrated Digital Video Recorder Sky+, the proposed
introduction of HDTV to the digital satellite platform
in 2006 will ensure that Sky customers continue to
benefit from the most advanced television services
available. The premium service will launch in 2006
with both a set of dedicated HD channels and access to
selected events produced in HD format. Further details
of BSkyB's proposed technology and programming
offering in HDTV will be announced in due course.
BSKYB IN 10 MILLION HOMES BY END OF DECADE
BSkyB CEO James Murdoch on August 4 unveiled his first
set of full-year results since taking the satellite
broadcaster's helm in the fall, Murdoch reported a
profit of £156 million, up sharply from the
year-earlier figure of £16 million on a 15% jump in
revenue to £3.6 billion. However, Sky added just
81,000 subscribers in the last fiscal quarter,
compared with 133,000 in the same period a year
earlier. BSkyB's profit more than doubled for the year
ending June 30, pre-tax operating profit increasing by
65% to £600 million. BSkyB currently has 7.4 million
DTH subscribers and in order to reach its target of 8
million subscribers by 2005, BSkyB needs to take on
100,000 new subscribers each quarter. Murdoch also
revealed plans to reach 10 million subscribers by
2010. He also aims to see one in four subscribers sign
up for the Sky Plus personal video recorder and a
third to have more than one set-top box. To achieve
these goals, Sky will be increasing its marketing
expenditure by between 40% and 50% next year.
ITV3 TO LAUNCH AS FREE CHANNEL
ITV golden oldies channel ITV3 is expected to launch
on November 1 as a free service showcasing movies and
classic dramas such as Coronation Street and Cold
Feet. The decision not to charge viewers comes after
months of negotiations and ends speculation that it
would be a pay-TV service along the same lines as E4.
The station - which is to target upmarket viewers over
the age of 35 with repeats of drama classics such as
Cold Feet, re-runs of Coronation Street and movies
such as The Magnificent 7 - will be broadcast on
Freeview, the new BSkyB free service Freesat, and
cable. The move will come as a blow to Sky, which
would have preferred ITV3 to have helped grow its own
pay-TV platform rather than free-to-air digital
service Freeview. If ITV makes the channel free it
could make it less likely that the network will
re-sign its £17 million-a-year conditional access
agreement with BSkyB. Currently ITV is the only
commercial public service broadcaster not to have
renewed the agreement, under which it pays Sky to
encrypt a regionalised service. When the channel
launches it will act as a complementary service to
digital station ITV2, which focuses on 16 to
34-year-olds with a diet of soap storyline extensions
from Emmerdale and Coronation Street, Champions League
football and extra helpings of reality TV hits such as
I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!. ITV3 will
focus on soap and entertainment repeats in daytime and
high quality classics from the Carlton and Granada
programme libraries such as Prime Suspect, Inspector
Morse and Soldier, Soldier during peak hours.
ABC1 TO LAUNCH SEPTEMBER 27
ABC is moving outside its native America for the first
time with the launch of a UK digital TV entertainment
channel. ABC1 will be available to 4 million homes
with a Freeview box from September 27. The new
Freeview channel from the Disney-owned network will
broadcast initially from 06:00 to 18:00 and the
company is also planning to make it available to UK
digital satellite and cable viewers. American shows in
the ABC1 launch line-up include long-running daytime
soap General Hospital, Tim Allen sitcom Home
Improvement., Sports Night, the critically acclaimed
but short-lived sitcom about a US cable TV station,
Once and Again, a forty-something drama from the
creators of Thirtysomething, The Geena Davis Show and
8 Simple
Rules, a sitcom starring James Garner. Along
with its arch rivals NBC and CBS, ABC is regarded as
one of the "big three" terrestrial broadcasters that
have dominated American television since the 40s -
although in recent years their position has been
challenged by the growth of cable viewing and the Fox
network.
FOOTBALL LEAGUE EXTENDS ITV DEAL
The Football League has signed an extension to its
highlights deal with ITV. Clubs in the three divisions
outside the Premier League will this year compete in
the newly renamed Coca Cola Championship, League One
and League Two, and ITV is hoping to capitalise on an
upsurge in interest in the lower leagues by launching
a new highlights show. ITV announced it had extended
its highlights deal until the end of the 2006/06
season. A new show, called The Championship, will be
screened on ITV on Sunday mornings.
NAKED NEWS ON GET LUCKY TV
Naked News announced on August 5 that they will launch
the Naked News daily program on Get Lucky TV, Sky
Satellite Channel 235 and has relocated veteran
Anchor, Lily Kwan to London to become the 1st
permanent Europe-based News Correspondent for "The
Program with Nothing to Hide." Naked News will debut
daily beginning August 16 at 10:30 pm British Summer
Time on Get Lucky TV, and will also debut a
French-dubbed version on French television next month.
Get Lucky TV is a 24 hour interactive entertainment
television channel appealing to a wide UK audience and
can be viewed by all seven million+ Sky Digital
subscribers in the UK and Ireland. Naked News
broadcasts an entertaining news and current events
program to more than 135 nations daily and currently
reaches a television audience of 25 Million weekly
viewers, in the U.S. and Australia.
Internet -
http://www.nakednews.com
LIVERPOOLFC TV TO KICK OFF ON AUGUST 15
Liverpool FC will beam match action and interviews
worldwide in a new overseas TV venture. The three-hour
show, LiverpoolFC TV, kicks off on August 15 and will
feature the club's Premiership and Champions League
matches, exclusive interviews with football stars, a
round-up of the week's news, pre-match build-up and
analysis. However, due to current Premiership
television rights in the UK, a " minichannel" like
LiverpoolFC TV cannot be broadcast in this country.
The programmes will be distributed by TWI, the
television arm of US-based sports marketing giant IMG.
Content will be seen across the Middle East, Asia,
Scandinavia and North America.
BBH TO DEVELOP TV CHANNEL FOR AUDI
Bartle Bogle Hegarty is drawing up plans to develop a
branded television channel for its flagship car client
Audi UK. The TV channel is likely to serve as a
showcase of motoring programmes for the marque's range
of models, although plans are at a very early stage.
The Audi channel will be developed by BBH's content
arm, headed by Mark Boyd. Branded TV channels are
becoming an increasingly popular way of communicating
with consumers among car manufacturers. Campaign
revealed earlier this month that BMW is investigating
a similar initiative.
NSAT PREPARES FOR LAUNCH
A new TV channel called NSAT (New South African
Television) will launch on the Sky Digital platform on
August 9. NSAT Television is an independent
broadcasting company that was founded in 2003 to
provide "best of breed" content from South Africa to
the existing expatriate community in the UK. NSAT will
bring high quality programmes directly to European
viewers, including arts, culture, business,
documentaries, news, movies and sport. The channel
will be launched as a free- to-air channel and won't
cost viewers anything for the first 4-6 months, but it
may become a conditional access channel later, with
the envisaged subscription of £10 per month.
Discussions are currently underway with various
European service providers, with the aim of making
NSAT available to the rest of Europe.
N O R T H A M E R I C A
CANADA
GERMAN TV RECEIVES GREEN LIGHT
Germany's international broadcaster Deutsche Welle
announced in July that the Canadian Radio and TV
Commission (CRTC) has approved DW's application for a
licence to transmit GERMAN TV in Canada. GERMAN TV is
currently negotiating with several Canadian cable and
satellite providers to bring the best of public
service TV to German-speaking households in Canada.
GERMAN TV is a joint initiative of ARD, ZDF and DW. At
present, the 24 hour programme is available in the US,
Chile, Mexico and Brasil.
UNITED STATES
TW CABLE BLACKS OUT CABLEVISION CHANNELS
Nearly 4 million Time Warner Cable customers in New
York lost three Cablevision-owned channels on August 1
when the two companies couldn't come to an agreement
over fees. Time Warner Cable and Cablevision -- which
owns MSG, Fox Sports New York and Metro - have been
negotiating but weren't able to come to an agreement.
TWC said it couldn't see paying a higher price for
channels that it said had diminishing value ever since
the New York Yankees -- easily the region's top sports
property -- bolted MSG in favor of creating its own
channel, the YES Network.
DIRECTV ACQUIRES PEGASUS SATELLITE TV ASSETS
The DirecTV Group, Inc. on August 2 announced an
agreement with Pegasus Satellite Television, Inc., and
related entities (Pegasus) for DirecTV to purchase the
primary direct broadcast satellite assets of Pegasus,
including rights to all DirecTV subscribers activated
through Pegasus. DirecTV will pay $875 million in
cash, subject to certain adjustments. The payment
reflects full satisfaction and the dismissal of all
claims between the parties, including the $63 million
judgment entered in May in favour of DirecTV against
Pegasus. Taking into account this judgment, the
aggregate purchase price is approximately $938
million. The agreement has been approved by the
creditors' committee in Pegasus' Chapter 11
proceedings. The transaction is expected to be
completed within the next four to six weeks, subject
to the approval of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in
Portland, Maine, and to applicable antitrust filings
and approvals. DirecTV expects that the bankruptcy
court hearing to approve the transaction will be held
in late August. DirecTV also expects to complete the
migration of Pegasus customers to DIRECTV within 30 to
45 days thereafter. Pegasus had approximately 1.08
million customers as of June 1, 2004. Pegasus provides
DIRECTV programming to rural areas in 41 states
nationwide.
FOOTBALL NETWORK ANNOUNCES FUNDING DEAL
TFN, The Football Network announced on August 3 that
it has signed a term sheet with New Jersey based
Cornell Capital in which Cornell will provide TFN with
$30 million in funding. TFN, which has been a
non-reporting, publicly traded company since 1998,
must first complete its SEC registration prior to the
deal becoming effective. TFN and the State of
Louisiana entered into a far ranging agreement in May
of 2003 whereby the state and other private Louisiana
entities invested approximately $23 million in cash,
equipment, services and studio build out. On September
26, 2003 TFN began a thirteen week soft launch during
which the network broadcast on weekends only. TFN
televised some 70 pro, college and high school games
including the Canadian Football League and various
Division I-AA conferences.
FCC SAYS YES TO TIVO
Federal regulators on August 4 brushed aside arguments
by Hollywood and the NFL that the portable technology
TiVo plans to introduce could spark widespread
copyright piracy. Instead, the FCC certified that TiVo
and a dozen other services met the commission's
copyright protection requirements for digital TV. The
commission said TiVoGuard and the other copyright
control technologies adhere to the "broadcast flag"
copyright protection regulations the FCC approved last
year. The MPAA, NFL and other sports leagues attempted
to convince the agency that the devices pose a threat
to copyrighted works and could be used to broadcast
games where they are blacked out. FCC commissioners
disagreed, finding that the fears were unfounded. The
TiVo technology allows subscribers to share recorded
TV content with a limited circle of friends and family
across the Internet, according to the company.
INCREASED LOSSES AND SUBSCRIBERS FOR DIRECTV
Rupert Murdoch-controlled DirecTV turned in a record
quarter, raking in nearly a half-million new
subscribers. The company surpassed the 13 million
subscriber mark, adding 455,000 new dish viewers in
the quarter. Revenue rose 21% to $2.64 billion from
$2.19 billion a year ago. DirecTV swung to a loss of
$13 million from a profit of $22 million last year due
to increased spending to acquire and retain customers.
BIOGRAPHY CHANNEL REACHES 30 MILLION MARK
The Biography Channel has reached the 30 million
subscriber mark according to Nielsen Media Research.
The Biography Channel is a 24-hour digital cable
network dedicated to presenting compelling stories
about the world's most interesting people.
Internet -
http://www.biographychannel.com
http://www.aetvpress.com
L A T I N A M E R I C A
THOMSON SIGNS SET-TOP BOX DEALS WITH SKY MEXICO AND
SKY BRASIL
Thomson on August 4 announced it has signed two year
agreements with both Sky Mexico and Sky Brasil for the
manufacture of digital set-top boxes that will deliver
digital satellite television throughout each country.
Sky Brasil, a strategic alliance between News
Corporation, Organizações Globo and Liberty Media
International, operates Latin America's largest
digital direct to home (DTH) television service with
over 800,000 customers enjoying more than 150 channels
with DVD quality of video and audio. Sky Mexico, is
the largest digital DTH television service in Mexico
with over 900,000 subscribers, and is offered through
an alliance of News Corp., Grupo Televisa and Liberty
Media International. Unique to the Sky Brasil decoder
is the capability for Digital
C-Band reception along
with Dolby Digital audio. Sky Mexico is focusing on
the unique solution provided by Thomson for multiple
decoders in a subscriber's home.
BRAZIL
NET SERVICOS POSTS QUARTERLY LOSS
Leading cable TV operator Net said on August 3 it made
a net loss of 76.7 million reais ($25 million),
compared with net income of 31.5 million reais in the
second quarter of 2003, its first ever quarterly
profit. It posted a net loss of 77.8 million reais in
the first three months of 2004. On an operating level,
Net said second-quarter earnings before interest,
taxes, depreciation and amortization, a gauge of cash
flow known as EBITDA, was 93.7 million reais, 20.6 per
cent higher than in the year-earlier period and a
company record. Net, which also operates a broadband
Internet network, said its second-quarter net revenue
of 350.9 million reais was a little more than 18
percent stronger than last year. Net ended June with
1.376 million cable subscribers, less than 1 per cent
more than the 1.364 million it had at the end of March
and 4.3 per cent higher than in the middle of 2003.
A S I A & P A C I F I C
AUSTRALIA
SEVEN TO APPEAL ON DIGITAL PAY-TV ACCESS
The Seven Network will appeal this week to the
Australian Competition Tribunal on digital access
terms to Foxtel and Telstra's infrastructure beginning
in Melbourne. Seven lodged an appeal against the
Australian Competition & Consumer Commission's
decision on the access arrangements in January, the
hearings for which begin in Melbourne on August 12.
The access agreements were accepted by the ACCC in
December last year after a 16-month inquiry process.
The agreements enable Foxtel to be exempted from the
ACCC's usual access provisions and are used by pay-TV
channels wanting access to Foxtel's set-top boxes or
to Telstra's cable. Seven is separately pursuing a
multi-billion-dollar legal claim against Foxtel, its
owners and others in relation to the demise of its
pay-TV sports channel, C7. The first company
attempting to use the access agreements is
ThoroughVision. TVN was created when the Victorian
horseracing clubs and the two metropolitan Sydney
clubs failed to agree broadcast rights with Tabcorp's
Sky Channel. Sky is Foxtel's exclusive horseracing
channel, so TVN can gain access to the Foxtel platform
but cannot be marketed under the Foxtel brand.
FOXTEL TO ROLL OUT SECOND PHASE OF DIGITAL TV
Foxtel will roll out the second phase of its
interactive digital network this month - now received
by more than 280,000 subscribers. It starts a
continuing upgrade which will soon let viewers pause
and replay any program up to 30 minutes after it is
broadcast. The $600 million digital network was
launched six months ago, offering movies on demand,
more than 40 extra TV and radio channels plus enhanced
news and sport coverage. Four new features debut this
month, including instant daily opinion polling on Sky
news, plus highlights, wickets and statistics of the
upcoming ICC tournament and Australian tour of India
will be digitally-loaded. The Weather Channel will be
upgraded to include post code-based reports, seven-day
forecasts, radar maps, surf reports, tide times,
warnings, moon, international reports and more. The
Nickelodeon children's channel has a new application
which allows young viewers to vote in 12 categories
for the Kid's Choice Awards to be aired on September
14.
AUSTAR EXPECTS PROFITS IN 12 MONTHS
After years of heavy losses, regional pay-TV provider
Austar United Communications has promised to begin
delivering solid and sustainable profits within the
next 12 months. Earnings before interest, tax,
depreciation and amortisation lifted 68.5 per cent to
$46.5 million, on underlying revenue of $184.5
million, up 16 per cent. Since the start of the year,
Austar has added 32,523 new customers, or an extra 8
per cent, to have just under 460,000. The average
revenue for each customer (ARPU) went up by $3.25 to
$58.81 a month. Another key win for Austar had been to
reduce its churn rate (the level of discontinued
subscriptions) to a record 1.19 per cent. Anything
below 2 per cent is considered healthy in pay-TV.
PLAYBOY LAUNCHES NVOD SERVICE
Playboy TV International (PTVI) launched a Playboy TV
two-hour block on FOXTEL Digital and New AUSTAR
Digital's 24-hour Adults Only Select Channels, on
August 6. The Adults Only Select Channels are part of
the FOXTEL Box Office NVOD service which was launched
in March as part of FOXTEL's new digital cable and
satellite platform, and in May on the New AUSTAR
Digital service. Playboy TV NVOD programming will be
available 24/7, with customers able to purchase in
two-hour blocks. Each week, two hours of premier
programming will be added on the channel. Viewers can
continue to enjoy Playboy TV every Sunday night on the
analogue Adults Only channel.
Internet -
http://www.austarunited.com.au
CHINA - HONG KONG
CCTV TO LAUNCH 6 DIGITAL PAY-TV CHANNELS
State broadcaster China Central Television will launch
six pay-TV channels this month, an executive said on
August 3, as part of an ambitious national plan to
take its cable networks digital. Timed to take
advantage of the Athens Olympics and set up with an
investment of 300 million yuan (S$62.3 million) from
CCTV, the service will eventually reach 50 major
cities, said Sun Yusheng, president of CCTV's China
DTV Media Co Ltd. Two of the six channels will feature
coverage of the Athens Games, he said, while two
others will show movies and drama series. Other
channels on the service, which costs 58 yuan a month,
will show documentaries and music videos. Sun said he
was confident audiences would pay for the digital TV
service, which targets at least 150,000 subscribers by
the end of this year. The stations will not air
advertising.
GALAXY LOSSES SOAR
Galaxy Satellite Broadcasting, a pay-TV arm of
Television Broadcasts (TVB), recorded a first-half
operating loss of US$19.1 million (HK$148.98 million),
four times more than the US$479,000 loss a year
earlier. For the second quarter, Galaxy's operating
loss rose to US$11.9 million from US$365,000 due to
higher operating expenses after the service launch in
Hong Kong in February, its 51 per cent shareholder
Intelsat said in an interim results statement. TVB,
which holds 49 per cent of Galaxy, will see a HK$45
million associated loss in the second quarter, up from
HK$27 million a quarter earlier, Goldman Sachs said in
a note to clients, adding the cumulative loss has
reached HK$73 million. Market watchers estimate Galaxy
has secured only 5,000 subscribers so far, in a market
dominated by Cable TV. The other two market players
are PCCW's Now Broadband TV and Hong Kong Broadband.
FOUR DIGITAL TV LICENSES ISSUED
China has issued licenses to four companies to
broadcast digital television, ending the monopoly once
held by state-run China Central Television, the
government said August 6. All of the companies
approved for new licenses are state-owned, an official
from the State Administration of Radio, Film and
Television told Dow Jones Newswires. The licenses are
to be issued to Shanghai TV; China Broadcast Network
Co.; CHC Home Cinema and a five-company consortium
that includes China National Radio, according to the
official. Foreign companies are barred from holding
broadcasting licenses, but Chinese regulators have
approved a handful of foreign channels to make limited
broadcasts on local cable systems. The new digital
licenses also should fuel demand for programming,
creating new opportunities for private and
foreign-financed production ventures.
FIJI
NEW BROADCASTING LAW DRAFTED
A new draft broadcasting act has been submitted to the
Fiji government to replace two existing laws, the
Television Degree of 1992 and the Broadcasting
Commission Act of 1953, the Fiji Times has reported.
British consultants John Prescott Thomas and Toby
Mandel, brought to Fiji by the Asia-Pacific Institute
for Broadcasting Development, presented the draft to
the Ministry of Information last week after meetings
with stakeholders. The draft includes the necessary
legislative framework for the full corporatisation of
the operations of Fiji Broadcasting Corporation
Limited (FBCL). Prescott said the ministry would make
wider consultation on the draft before it was
presented to the cabinet.
INDIA
TV CHANNELS GET MORE TIME TO COMPLY WITH NORMS
The government has extended the deadline, by three
months, for TV channels to comply with foreign
investment norms. In the process, government has
bought time till October 31, to decide whether foreign
institutional investors (FIIs) and overseas corporate
bodies (OCBs) should be permitted to fund TV channels
uplinking from India. The current norms don't permit
FIIs and OCBs in channels uplinking from India.
However, foreign direct investment (FDI) up to 26 per
cent is allowed. That forced broadcasters, including
Zee, TV18, TV Today and Gemini, to apply for
restructuring the FII and OCB components of foreign
investment in their companies. The government is yet
to take a decision on the issue. In case the
information and broadcasting ministry decides to
permit FIIs/OCBs in channels uplinking from India, the
matter will go to the Union Cabinet.
INDONESIA
TV STATIONS NOT INTERESTED IN OLYMPICS COVERAGE
The Athens Olympics won't be shown on Indonesian
television, making the Southeast Asian nation the only
country with athletes at the games not to be
broadcasting the event, according to local media
reports. 'We wanted to air the games but we couldn't
get enough interest from advertisers,' said Teguh
Juwarno, spokesman for local TV station RCTI, which
ran live coverage of the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.
Advertisers were not interested because the action
would be happening in the middle of the night in
Indonesia, and medal hopes for local athletes were
considered to be poor. Indonesia is sending 39
athletes to Athens and compete in 12 sports. The
country is seen as having medal chances in badminton,
though its shuttlers have failed to impress at recent
international events. The Kuala Lumpur-based Asia
Pacific Broadcasting Union, which negotiates rights
for major sporting events for TV stations across the
region, confirmed that no Indonesian television
station would air the games live.
ISRAEL
YES SEEKS TO CONSOLIDATE
State-run phone company Bezeq has told analysts that
it will not release its second-quarter reports as
planned, owing to discussions with the Israel
Securities Authority on the manner in which it should
present the results of multichannel satellite
television company Yes. Bezeq has a 49.8 per cent
stake in the company and an option to boost its
holding to 54 per cent. At the beginning of the year,
the Securities Authority argued that Bezeq is the
controlling shareholder in Yes and therefore must
record its results in keeping with that position,
consolidated with its own. Bezeq argued that
exercising the option is not merely a technical
operation, and that absolute control is a substantial
change that requires permits from the Communications
Ministry and the Antitrust Commissioner. The argument
was resolved when it was decided that prior to
publication of its Q2 report, Bezeq would exercise the
option to increase its stake to 54 per cent and thus
reach absolute control, and consolidate Yes's results
into its own.
JAPAN
DIGITAL BROADCASTS EXPAND
More viewers in the Tokyo area will be getting a
sharper TV image-thanks to expanded digital
terrestrial broadcasts. The Association for the
Promotion of Digital Broadcasting (D-pa) said it will
begin the expansion on August 9 on an experimental
basis. The viewing area for digital terrestrial
broadcasts is currently limited to central Tokyo. But
after a two-month expansion period, the viewing area
is expected to cover western Tokyo, eastern Kanagawa
Prefecture, western Chiba Prefecture, southeastern
Saitama Prefecture and a small area in southern
Ibaraki Prefecture. This will lead to a rise in
digital households from the current 120,000 to about
6.4 million. Digital terrestrial broadcasts started in
the central part of Tokyo on December 1, 2003 and
analogue broadcasts will be phased out by 2011.
MALAYSIA
CHANNEL NEWS ASIA ON MITV PLATFORM
Channel NewsAsia (International) has extended its
reach to Malaysia with the signing of an agreement
with the country's second pay-TV operator MiTV
Corporation. Singapore-based Channel NewsAsia (CNA), a
news and information channel of MediaCorp, will be
part of the news selection that will be on offer by
MiTV's pay-TV service to be launched at the end of
this year. MiTV Corporation has devised and
implemented a combination of home-grown technologies
entirely unique to Malaysia, using ultra-high
frequencies to transmit content to our subscribers.'
CNA noted that MiTV's entrance would add another name
besides the Astro All Asia Networks to Malaysia's
pay-TV market.
NEW ZEALAND
EIGHT NEW TV CHANNELS ON OPTUS
TelstraClear has put up for sale its half of a
transponder on the Optus B1 satellite, raising the
prospect of digital television broadcasts from a range
of small would-be broadcasters hoping to break into
the television market. Secret talks are already
underway with a range of large and small broadcasters.
State-owned Television New Zealand and transmission
company BCL, along with private companies TV3
(CanWest) and Sky TV are all believed to be
interested, along with smaller players such as Mai TV
of Auckland, City TV in Wellington and the Christian
channel Shine, which screens on Sky's satellite
network. The attraction for the smaller players is
that many have struggled to get bandwidth on the
crowded VHF and UHF frequencies. But there are
concerns that one of the big players, such as TVNZ, or
Sky, might try to buy the lot to keep out competitors
for viewers and advertisers. Already Television New
Zealand is using the other half of the same
transponder on the satellite to broadcast TV1 and TV2
but only an estimated 6000 homes are equipped to
receive the satellite signal other than through the
Sky decoders. Industry sources say the sale could
raise between $3 million and $4 million, or up to
$500,000 for each channel.
PAKISTAN
BUSINESS PLUS TV ON THE AIR
Total Media Limited launched Business Plus, Pakistan's
first satellite business TV channel, on August 3. The
channel will be a platform to promote the country's
business and project the government's efforts towards
economic and industrial development. Business Plus
will provide comprehensive, round-the clock business
news, live stock market reports and up-to-date
commentaries and analyses of national and
international business and industrial activities to
transform Pakistani business.
A F R I C A
CFI AND URTNA TO BROADCAST OLYMPICS
>From 13 to 29 August, Canal France International and
the Union of National Radio and Television
Organizations of Africa (URTNA) will be making the
Athens Olympic Games available to 40 countries in
Africa. URTNA, the rightsholder for the transmission
of the Olympic Games in Sub-Saharan Africa, will work
with CFI, who will fulfill the role of executive
producer. Over 250 hours of live broadcasts will be
available to viewers on the African continent in three
languages: French, English and Portuguese.
ALGERIA
CANAL ALGERIE EXPANDS WORLDWIDE
GlobeCast, a leading global satellite services
company, has begun distributing Algerian television
station Canal Algerie as well as radio stations Chaîne
1 and Chaîne 3 via multiple satellites, expanding the
network's coverage over Africa and the Middle East via
GlobeCast's C-band Direct-to-Home and cable
distribution platform on NSS-7, and over North America
via the GlobeCast WorldTV DTH platform on Intelsat
Americas 5 (IA-5). Originating in Algiers, Canal
Algérie, Chaîne 1 and Chaîne 3 currently broadcast on
NSS-7 Ku-band through Télédiffusion d'Algérie.
GlobeCast's C-band platform offers expanded coverage
of the entire African Continent as well as the Middle
East and allows the Algerian broadcaster to reach not
only additional DTH viewers, but also cable headends
across the region. GlobeCast receives the Canal
Algerie feed at its technical operations center in
Paris where it integrates the channel into GlobeCast's
NSS-7 multiplex. Simultaneously, GlobeCast feeds the
signal via fiber to its New York teleport for
insertion into the GlobeCast WorldTV DTH platform on
Intelsat Americas 5. This Ku-band service allows Canal
Algérie, Chaîne 1 and Chaîne 3 to reach homes across
the continent, as part of the fastest-growing
international broadcasting community on American
satellite. Canal Algérie, Chaîne 1 and Chaîne 3 are
owned by Algeria's national television group, ENTV.
Launched in 1994, Canal Algérie is a general
programming channel, offering a range of programming
that brings together news, culture, sports and
entertainment for Algerian communities worldwide.
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