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A weekly roundup of global TV news sponsored by
TELE-satellite International
Editor: Branislav Pekic
E U R O P E
FRANCE
AL-MANAR TO APPLY FOR BROADCASTING RIGHTS
France's highest administrative body on August 20
ordered a Lebanese TV network linked to the
anti-Israel group Hezbollah to adhere to broadcast
regulations by October 1 or face being banned from
French airwaves. The Council of State said a decision
rests with France's media watchdog, the CSA, about
whether to give Al-Manar network a license it needs to
beam programs through a Paris-based satellite
broadcaster. The CSA had taken legal action to try to
force Al-Manar to halt broadcasts through the
satellite operator Eutelsat after Jewish groups
complained the network had aired an anti-Semitic
series. The Lebanese television station said it would
apply for broadcasting rights in France to avoid a
threatened ban.
E! TO LAUNCH ON CANAL SATELLITE
Entertainment news and lifestyle channel E! Networks
has signed a long-term distribution deal for the E!
International Network with Canalsatellite France,
which means the 24-hour entertainment network will now
be available in Europe's three largest television
markets, including Germany and Italy. "We look forward
to rolling out the next phase of the channel's
evolution in Scandinavia and Eastern Europe beginning
2005," said Kevin MacLellan, senior vp international
at E! Networks. Scheduled to launch in September, the
French language version of the E! International
Network will be carried on Channel 23 in the
Thematique DTH package, reaching France, Monaco and
Andorra. In addition E! will be available via Canal
Satelllite's new DSL service currently available in
Paris and Marseille.
BBC PRIME JOINS CANAL SATELLITE
BBC Prime, carrying drama, film and documentaries from
the UK public broadcaster, will launch on the French
pay-TV platform CanalSatellite from September 1.
CanalSatellite's 2.8 million subscribers will add to
the 19 million subscribers across Europe, the Middle
East and Africa. Programming includes Top of the Pops,
EastEnders and Weakest Link.
NEW PROGRAMS FOR CANAL PLUS
Pay-TV group Canal Plus on August 26 unveiled a slate
of ambitious new programming for its premium channel,
with the spotlight on premium movies, sports and news
programming. New programs include "La Semaine Du
Cinema" (The Week in Cinema), a half-hour
Sunday-afternoon slot devoted to French, American and
international cinema, with celebrity guests, trends,
events and the news of the week. Another film-related
slot that will air in December is "L'Evenementielle
Cinema" (Factual Cinema), during which a film
personality will discuss a film-related subject in
depth. "Avant Premiere" will feature films not yet
released in France, kicking off with Vadim Perelman's
"House of Sand and Fog" in October, while a "Making
of" slot starts September 12, with a behind-the-scenes
look at Steven Spielberg's latest work, "The
Terminal." The channel announced 14 new shows as well
as the return of U.S. programs "24" and "The Shield"
and two new offerings, "The L Word" and "Angels in
America." By the end of July, the channel's
subscribers stood at 4.88 million.
FRENCH GLOBAL ALL-NEWS CHANNEL BACK ON TRACK
France's plans for a global news channel, nicknamed
"CNN a la francaise," are back on track. Foreign
Minister Michel Barnier said on August 26 that plans
were on course for the TV network, personally backed
by President Jacques Chirac. International pubcasters
are concerned that their budgets will be slashed in
favour of the TF1-France Televisions joint project.
GERMANY
TV CHANNELS SHARE OLYMPIC COSTS
To help cut the cost of broadcasting rights for future
Olympic games, German public broadcasters ARD and ZDF
offered to share future coverage with commercial
broadcasting rivals. ZDF director Markus Schaechter
said he will begin negotiations in the coming weeks
with broadcasters interested in coverage of the 2006
winter games in Turin, Italy. Leading commercial
broadcaster RTL is the most likely candidate,
according to observers. ARD and ZDF already have
signed a similar cooperation agreement with RTL for
joint coverage of the 2006 soccer World Cup finals.
KDG GETS SUPPORT FOR CABLE DEAL
German cable giant Kabel Deutschland (KDG) won much-
needed industry support on August 26 as executives
from Universal Studios Networks Deutschland, MTV and
the state regulator from North Rhine-Westphalia backed
the group's expansion plans. Antitrust watchdogs are
concerned that KDG's $3.3 billion bid for three
regional cablers gives the group a cable monopoly.
Germany's main commercial broadcasters have lobbied
hard against the takeover, which would spur broadband
development nationwide and provide a platform for new
digital channels. Publicly, they have criticised KDG's
plans to encrypt transmission of terrestrial TV
channels, forcing households to get special access
cards for decoders to receive the outlets. For smaller
channels, such as USN's Sci Fi and 13th Street as well
as MTV, the cable expansion would provide greater
reach and more subscribers. KDG stands to grow from 10
million to more than 17 million homes if the deal is
approved.
BBC WORLD INCREASES GERMAN PRESENCE
The BBC's international news and current affairs
channel, BBC World is to double its penetration in
Germany, as Kabel Deutschland (KDG) goes nationwide.
BBC World will be included in KDG's main 24-channel
package, to be available from September, lifting the
platform's reach from 11 million cable homes to some
23 million. KDG's free digital cable offering, which
also includes public broadcasters ZDF and ARD, is
intended to drive Germany's digital uptake, in
anticipation of analogue switch-off in 2010. BBC World
also has a digital terrestrial frequency in the
Berlin/Brandenburg area, as well as in Italy, Sweden
and The Netherlands.
GREEN LIGHT FOR VIACOM-VIVA DEAL
Viacom said August 26 that it has finalized its
takeover of German music television group Viva Media,
taking a 75.8% stake in the Cologne, Germany-based TV
company for ?234 million. The deal, which has been
approved by German antitrust authorities, transfers
Time Warner's 30.6% Viva stake, Universal Music's
15.3% share and various smaller minority stakes to the
MTV parent. In a separate deal, Viacom acquired Time
Warner's 49% stake in Viva-TW joint venture Viva Plus,
an alternative-music cable channel.
IRELAND
COMMERCIAL BROADCASTERS COULD GET SLICE OF LICENSE FEE
Commercial broadcasters will be able to bid for an
?12.9 million slice of the licence fee from August 23
to produce culture and adult literacy programmes. The
Broadcasting Funding Scheme was launched to encourage
more commercial and state broadcasters to record
aspects of the state's heritage which are
disappearing. The three-year scheme will be financed
through the allocation of 5% of the annual television
licence fee, which amounted to ?8.3 million in 2003.
The commission will be hearing submissions from
interested parties, including independent broadcasters
and the public, over the next five-weeks on how the
annual scheme should be run. The initial consultation
document contains a draft outline of the structures,
programme themes and the eligibility for the scheme.
AT THE RACES SIGNS RIGHTS DEAL
Horse Racing Ireland and the Association of Irish
Racecourses have concluded a media rights contract
with At The Races. The agreement, which started on
June 11, is a four-and-a-half-year deal and gives At
The Races exclusive non-terrestrial picture and
interactive betting rights in the United Kingdom and
Ireland. The arrangements will also allow ATR to
include Irish racing content, on an exclusive basis,
in any product delivered into international pool
betting outlets as well as in channel form to
international pay television platforms.
RUSSIA
NTV SEEKS TO BOOST RATINGS
NTV television is to become federal not only in status
but in broadcasting area, accessible to viewers in any
part of the country. To achieve this goal, the
channel's signal needs to cover approximately 15 per
cent of the territory of Russia or approximately 30
million people. According to Izvestiya, NTV programmes
may be seen today by the inhabitants of 85 per cent of
the country's territory (117 million people), whereas
the area of coverage of other federal broadcasters
Channel One and Rossiya amounts to 98 per cent.
SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO
NATIONAL FREQUENCIES FOR 6 TV NETWORKS
Six TV broadcasters in Serbia are to be licensed as
national networks. Serbia's minister for culture and
the media, Dragan Kojadinovic, said that there had
also been a proposal that another two Serbian and two
federal frequencies be reserved for coverage of the
entire territory of Serbia and Montenegro. The six
companies to be licensed for national networks are the
three channels of state media company Radio Television
Serbia, BK TV, TV Pink and B92. The decision is based
on the economic power and program quality of the six
stations, said the minister. Another two national
Serbian frequencies would be available for television
stations in the regions to buy time and thus present
programs to a national audience. Kojadinovic quoted
research claiming that the total annual expenditure on
advertising in Serbia is about ?65 million, most of it
divided among that strongest and most popular
television networks.
SPAIN
SOGECABLE IN MIDST OF MOVIE RIGHTS ROW
The Ministry of Economy has accused pay-TV company
Sogecable of hindering competition as a result of its
exclusive agreements with six US majors, Twentieth
Century Fox, Buena Vista, Universal Studios, Paramount
Pictures, Columbia Tristar and Warner Bros. According
to the Ministry, each of these contracts, because of
their duration and reach, represent "a restriction of
competition" and "hinder the access from other pay-TV
operators to the same contents which are regarded as
being essential for the service." The report is the
result of a claim filed on December 2002 by cable
operator ONO that accused Sogecable and US Majors of
breaking competition law as a result of their
exclusive agreements. Sogecable has already appealed
and now the case will be studied by the Court of
Competition Defence.
UNITED KINGDOM
NEW MOTHER AND BABY SERVICE ON SKY DIGITAL
BSkyB has launched what it describes as the UK's first
mother and baby information service on
digital TV. New
and expectant parents will be able to access a range
of information about pregnancy and maternal care
through their TV via the Family Active service. The
service includes an instant messaging feature that
allows parents to contact each other and share
experiences by sending and receiving messages
on-screen, and allows users to search through an
information service. It also allows viewers to contact
a midwife direct with questions. Other features
include a searchable baby names directory and an
astrology guide.
TWI TO DISTRIBUTE PREMIER LEAGUE MATCHES GLOBALLY
TWI has been re-appointed by England's Football
Association Premier League to be its production
partner, producing and distributing all its matches of
the season for the overseas TV market. The
three-year-deal sees the creation of new venture FA
Premier League Productions, based in IMG division
TWI's UK production base in Chiswick, London. The new
venture will offer international licensees of the
Premier League all 380 matches of the season live via
satellite. It also covers annual production of 41
weekly preview shows and 33 highlight shows.
WILLIAM HILL TO LAUNCH DIGITAL TV CHANNEL
William Hill has appointed marketing communications
agency the Poulter Group to launch its digital betting
TV channel. The business is worth £250,000 for the
first year and is ongoing. The William Hill television
channel is scheduled to go live on Sky in October. It
will cover a range of sporting events and feature
betting opportunities, random numbers games and
virtual racing.
ITV GAMES SERVICE TO LAUNCH IN SEPTEMBER
GTV, the upcoming pay-per-play interactive games
service that the ITV network is launching on the UK's
Sky Digital, will go live next month, run by iTV
pioneer, PlayJam. OpenTV-owned PlayJam will manage the
service for ITV, has developed all games and is
managing all aspects of the service's broadcast.
Claiming to be the first UK terrestrial broadcaster to
offer its audience a tailor-made games service, ITV's
service will comprise of games based on various
programme brands, as well as non-ITV branded games.
GTV will offer Sky users quizzes, puzzles, pub- and
arcade-style games and payment goes through the user's
phone bill.
N O R T H A M E R I C A
CANADA
BELL EXPRESSVU IMPROVES SERVICE WITH NEW SATELLITE
Pay-TV operator Bell ExpressVu on August 23 initiated
service on Nimiq 3, a high-power direct broadcast
satellite operated by Telesat, to boost the capacity
of the company's 100% digital service and further
enhance the quality of its signal distributed to
customers across the country. The high-powered
transponders on Nimiq 3 will complement Bell
ExpressVu's existing services on Nimiq 1, launched May
20, 1999 and Nimiq 2, launched December 29, 2002. Bell
ExpressVu customers require no additional equipment to
benefit from the enhancements provided by the Nimiq 3
satellite. In addition to the iTV services recently
launched for the 2004 Summer Olympics, Bell ExpressVu
subscribers can also look forward to unique
interactive television services over the next few
months, including one for the Bell Canadian Open,
September 6 -12. Bell ExpressVu has more than 1.4
million customers and offers more than 300 digital
video and audio channels.
CTV NEWSNET APPLIES FOR LICENSE CHANGE
CBC Newsworld and CTV Newsnet, Canada's two all-news
specialty channels, are headed for another showdown
after CTV Newsnet on August 25 applied to the
country's broadcast regulator for a change in the
conditions of its license. CTV Newsnet, a division of
Bell Globemedia, asked the Canadian Radio-television
and Telecommunications Commission for the right to
stray from its preprogrammed 15-minute headline-news
format and provide more panel discussions, call-ins,
news conferences and other live-event fare. CTV
Newsnet was ordered not to break from its headline
news format in 1999 after a complaint was lodged by
CBC Newsworld.
UNITED STATES
BASEBALL CHANNEL ON THE CARDS
The Major League Baseball organization has approved
the creation of a cable network devoted entirely to
baseball games, according to Reuters. However, as a
result of existing contracts with ESPN, FOX and
regional sports channels for regular season games,
programming for the first year may be limited to
spring training, minor league competition and
international matches. The channel may also draw on
its archive of
classic games and is considering
producing its own commentary and interview shows as
well as documentaries.
JEWISH TV TO LAUNCH IN 2005
A 24-hour American digital national network, entitled
Jewish Television (JTV), is preparing for launch next
year. JTV is now in talks with major cable and
satellite platforms to carry the network as a digital
basic service in preparation for an early 2005 debut.
The schedule will mix news, comedy, reality shows,
business, sports, movies, music, religion, health and
Hollywood. To help secure carriage, license fees
initially will be waived. The network is negotiating a
satellite transport agreement with satellite service
provider OlympuSAT.
GREAT AMERICAN COUNTRY ON DIRECTV
DirecTV announced on August 23 it has reached a
multi-year carriage agreement with Jones Media
Networks for Great American Country (GAC), the 24-hour
country music network. GAC, which features exclusive
live performances from the Grand Ole Opry, will make
its DirecTV debut on September 21. GAC will be
available in The DirecTV Total Choice Plus programming
package and above. Total Choice Plus, which features
more than 145 channels, is available for $39.99 per
month. Great American Country features a broad mix of
current and past Country videos, original programming,
specials and live concerts in addition to Country's
only daily request show, CRL, broadcast from the heart
of Nashville.
Internet -
http://www.GACtv.com
GOSPEL CHANNEL PREPARES FOR OCTOBER LAUNCH
The Gospel Music Channel has announced plans to launch
as a linear network on October 30, and has unveiled
its video on demand strategy. The initial VOD
offerings include one- and two-hour concert
performances, and programming showcasing urban and
traditional gospel artists as well as rock and hip-hop
gospel performers. The VOD service is set to launch in
January, with six to eight hours of fresh content each
month.
COLLEGE NETWORK TO CHALLENGE MTV
A new college television network will begin airing at
150 campuses nationwide this fall in an attempt to end
what it says is MTV's monopoly on the college-age
demographic. Organizers of the U Network, based at
Ball State University, said they will offer "quality,
intelligent programming" -- which they claim MTV has
put aside in favor of more sexed-up television. The U
Network's debut is aimed squarely at MTV's college
network, mtvU, which airs at more than 700 colleges.
In addition to political programs, The U Network will
host the nation's first collegiate news network, which
will be entirely produced by broadcast students
nationwide.
AUGUST 30 LAUNCH FOR IMAGINASIA
ImaginAsian TV, the first 24-hour Asian American
network, is set to launch on August 30 in more than 5
million households in the U.S. The network has signed
up carriage deals with stations in Las Vegas, Ventura
and Denver, in addition to an agreement with Equity
Broadcasting for Atlanta, Minneapolis and Seattle. The
channel will import a wide variety of original
programs from Asian countries including China,
Cambodia and South Korea.
GAMES CHANNEL TO START IN 2005
Edge TV, a multi-platform channel dedicated to games
of skill, strategy and chance is set to launch in
early 2005. Edge TV will focus on everything from
casino games and fantasy sports to bridge and
crosswords.
PUERTO RICAN CHANNEL ON DIRECTV
Subscribers to DirecTV's
Spanish-language programming
package will soon have exclusive access to programming
from the LIN TV Corp.-owned Puerto Rican network
WAPA-TV. WAPA-America makes its U.S. premiere next
month on the DirecTV Para Todos package, and the
satellite platform has exclusive carriage of the
network through January 31, 2006. It is available to
DirecTV Para Todos subscribers for no extra cost.
HDTV OLYMPIC COVERAGE DISSAPOINTING
HDTV sports fans are disappointed that there's a
limited menu of Olympic sports that can be seen on
NBC's high definition service and that many of these
events are shown 24 hours or later than they are on
NBC. NBC, which said only in June that it would
televise some events in HDTV, said it was limited by
technology made available by Olympic organizers. Only
some of the main Olympic venues -- for track and
field, swimming, gymnastics and basketball -- were
wired for HDTV pictures. The network has already
committed to carrying all of its 2006 Winter Olympics
coverage in high definition with no delays, when some
estimates say more than 10 million homes will get it.
HERE! TV SIGNS VOD DEAL
Here! TV, a premium programming service targeting gay
and lesbian audiences, has signed a video-on-demand
services agreement with TVN Entertainment, a provider
of on-demand TV programming, management and delivery
solutions. As part of the agreement, as many as 30
hours of here! TV VOD content will be available to all
TVN affiliates each month. In addition, TVN is now
here! TV's exclusive provider of encoding services.
Here! TV already has a distribution agreement with TVN
affiliate RCN Corp., which has launched here! TV's
subscription VOD service in several markets.
NEARLY 110 MILLION TV HOUSEHOLDS IN U.S.
According to Nielsen Media Research data, there are
currently 109.6 million TV households in the U.S., a
1.2 million increase from the 2003-2004 season. The
109.6 million figure will be used for the entire
2004-2005 season-each national rating point will
represent 1.096 million TV households. The number of
individuals above the age of 2 is estimated at 277.93
million. Nielsen estimated that there are 111.07
million women aged 18 and over, and 102.66 million
men. The teen (12-17) demographic is smaller this
season, down from 24.7 million to 24.56 million; but
the 2-11 set is up to 39.64 million.
AGS TO DELIVER PENTAGON TV CHANNEL
Americom Government Services Inc. of Princeton, N.J.,
will launch a new Pentagon TV channel that is
broadcast to military and federal personnel and
interested consumers in the United States, the company
announced August 23. AGS, a wholly owned subsidiary of
SES Americom Inc., will launch the Pentagon Channel
under a five-year, multimillion-dollar contract with
the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service. AGS
will deliver Armed Forces Radio and Television Service
content via the new channel. Programming will be
broadcast from the Pentagon to NASA's Goddard Space
Flight Center, where the signal will be uplinked and
delivered via AGS' terrestrial satellite communication
service facilities and SES Americom's satellite
capacity. This spring the Pentagon Channel began
broadcasting military news programs, Pentagon news
conferences and congressional hearings featuring
senior DoD leaders to service members stationed
overseas 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The
Pentagon Channel also is available to stateside
military bases for airing on
installation cable
systems or to anyone wishing to receive it via
satellite.
Internet -
http://www.pentagonchannel.mil/
U.S. ARMY PREPARES NEW TV CHANNELS
The Defense Department's American Forces Network
television system will start broadcasting new movie
and family channels to overseas audiences September 3.
The new channels -- made possible by new satellite
technology -- will enhance choices for service members
and their families stationed overseas, said Air Force
Lt. Col. Doug Smith, operations officer at American
Forces Radio and Television Service headquarters in
Alexandria, Va. "The Family Channel is something we've
been wanting to do for a very long time," Smith said,
noting that programming content will be targeted to
children ages 2-17. The Movie Channel, he continued,
will offer "the best of Hollywood" films, with
behind-the-scenes specials detailing how some popular
movies were made. The overseas audience, he noted,
currently numbers about 850,000 people. Larry Sichter,
AFN's affiliate relations chief at the Defense Media
Center at March Air Reserve Base near Riverside,
Calif., noted that AFN provides 10 television services
and 12 radio services to 180 ships at sea and to
service members and families stationed in 177
countries.
MP NETWORK ON AIR BY YEAR'S END
Fans of Christian rock, contemporary gospel,
inspirational and many more of the entertainment
industry's fastest growing musical genres will have a
number of new ways to hear the music, see the stars
and connect with others across the country through The
MP Network Corporation, a new multi-media company. It
is comprised of: The MP, a video music channel slated
to launch during the fourth quarter of 2004 MPZ, a
four-color, music and entertainment-based magazine,
The MP Tour, a multi-city tour featuring live music
from the genre's hottest performers TheMPNetwork.com,
a "viewer" website that will offer streaming video,
artist information, original programming and other
special features. Planned launch is October 2004.
Internet -
http://www.thempnetwork.com
CSTV SIGNS UP MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE
College Sports Television signed the Mountain West
Conference to a deal that will dramatically increase
its multiplatform coverage of football, basketball and
other collegiate sports. The CSTV deal will begin in
fall 2006. The deal is wide-ranging, including cable,
local and regional broadcast rights, broadband
Internet, over-the-air and satellite radio, and video
on demand. CSTV will pay $82 million for a seven-year
deal, compared with the $48 million that ESPN paid for
its current seven-year term. Mountain West is a
5-year-old athletic conference that includes eight
schools, among them Brigham Young University, the U.S.
Air Force Academy, Colorado State University and the
University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
DALLAS COWBOYS NETWORK TO LAUNCH SEPTEMBER 8
The Dallas Cowboys football team is joining forces
with Comcast to launch a cable channel entirely
devoted to the team and its fans. The Dallas Cowboys
Channel, A Comcast Sports Network, launches September
8 on Comcast's Digital Plus package, and will also be
available on the soon-to-be-launched Digital Sports
Tier. The channel will be available to some 1.3
million customers at launch in markets such as Dallas,
Los Angeles and Tucson. Programming will include Coach
Bill Parcell's morning press conferences and Cowboys
Today, a nightly news show. The Cowboys aren't the
first NFL team with their own channel. The Atlanta
Falcons last year began Falconvision, which repeats a
four-hour loop of original programming.
EURONEWS ON RTN
>From September 6, RTN - the leading Russian language
channel in the United States - will broadcast a
60-minute daily block of programming from the European
news channel in Russian. Thanks to the deal with RTN,
EuroNews in Russian will be available to the
Russian-American community in major cities such as New
York, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and
San Diego via the leading cable operators Time Warner,
Comcast, Adelphia and Charter Communication, as well
as by satellite throughout the United States.
L A T I N A M E R I C A
CUBA
TV MARTI STARTS BROADCASTING FROM AIRCRAFT
The United States confirmed that it had begun
broadcasting Radio and TV Marti into Cuba from
military airplanes. "On August 21, the United States
successfully (broadcast) Radio and TV Marti to the
Cuban people for several hours from an airborne
broadcasting platform operated by the Air National
Guard," State Department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli
said. C-130 cargo planes were fitted especially to
overcome jamming by the Communist government. TV
Marti, like Radio Marti, is a US-funded broadcast
service.
A S I A & P A C I F I C
AUSTRALIA
ACCC SUPPORTS NEW DIGITAL TV CHANNELS
The national consumer watchdog has thrown its support
behind the introduction of extra digital television
channels in a submission to a federal government
review. The government is examining the ban on
commercial networks using their digital capabilities
to broadcast extra channels, known as
multi-channelling. The ACCC submission notes that
Australian viewers are currently restricted in their
viewing options compared to overseas audiences.
Currently the only free-to-air stations allowed to
multi-channel are the ABC and SBS. The Seven and Ten
networks have previously called for the federal
government to allow them to charge viewers for extra
channels, however the Nine network is against
multi-channelling. Foxtel has called on the Federal
Government to allow the free to air networks to
broadcast extra digital channels, but not before 2008
and only if they are free.
SBS LOSES PREMIER LEAGUE TV RIGHTS
Australian fans of English Premier League soccer have
been dealt a blow with news there will be no longer be
any free-to-air coverage. SBS has announced it had
been unable to agree to terms set by Fox Sports. SBS
says the pay television provider was demanding a
nearly 25 per cent increase in rights fees. The
decision affects all live games, replays and
highlights programs previously broadcast on SBS.
ABC TO LAUNCH THIRD DIGITAL TV CHANNEL
The ABC is to set up a third digital TV channel
devoted to children's programs, news and the arts. The
national broadcaster was forced to close its two other
digital channels, Fly and ABC Kids, in June last year
because of a lack of federal government funding. But
this time around the ABC believes its new digital
channel will succeed because of the cost cuts it has
made across its operations. ABC managing director
Russell Balding said the new channel would launch in
March and feature a mix of children's shows,
documentaries, arts programs and news. The channel,
which is believed to be going to cost the ABC $2
million a year to run, will also offer viewers the
chance to access broadband internet content on their
televisions.
CHINA - HONG KONG
DIGITAL TV TESTS TO START IN 2 YEARS
A senior official says China will test digital
terrestrial and satellite TVs within the next two
years. It will eliminate the analogue TV transmissions
in 2015. Vice Minister of the State Administration of
Radio, Film and Television, Zhang Haitao, told a
meeting in Beijing that China will develop a signal
transmission standard before testing the digital
terrestrial TV system at the end of this year. Testing
on the digital satellite TV will begin after the
launch of a satellite for direct broadcasting either
next year or in the first half of 2006. China has
decided to eliminate the analogue TV transmissions in
2015.
SBMG TO BUY ATV STAKE
Hong Kong's Asia Television Limited (ATV) is selling a
10 per cent stake to a Guangdong government-backed
broadcaster for $24.1 million, the South China Morning
post has reported. Following the purchase, ATV will
receive the cash injection from Southern Broadcasting
Media Group (SBMG), which is controlled by Guangdong's
State Administration of Radio, Film and Television.
Pro-Beijing businessman Chan Wing-kee, ATV's chief
executive, now owns 46% in ATV, while Phoenix
Satellite Television Holdings Chairman Liu Changle
controls 42%.
INDIA
DTH POLICY REVIEW LAUNCHED
The Indian government has set up a review committee
headed by Information and Broadcasting Ministry
Secretary Navin Chawla to take another look at foreign
investment conditions in DTH broadcasting, according
to Television Asia Executive News. TV broadcasting
licence applications from media companies including
the Times Group have also been put on hold by the new
government. Cross-media holdings are expected to be
part of the DTH review along with content regulation,
but the information and broadcasting minister said no
changes to DTH policies were envisaged, the report
said. Space TV and Zee's Dish TV services have been
put on hold for the moment.
INDEPENDENT REGULATOR FOR CABLE & SATELLITE
A parliamentary panel has recommended legislation to
empower public broadcaster Prasar Bharati to regulate
satellite TV content. A report of the parliamentary
standing panel on information and broadcasting tabled
in parliament on August 23 recorded the government's
concern over its inability to control viewing of
"indecent" channels and accepted its suggestion that
the Cable Television Network (Regulatory) Act 1995 be
amended. After noting the concern of the ministry, the
panel recommended amendments in the act to constitute
an independent and permanent regulatory body at the
central and state levels to regulate content. The
panel endorsed the ministry's view that the Prasar
Bharati should be empowered to regulate indecent and
immoral programmes or advertisements being broadcast
by the cable operators or satellite channels.
ISRAEL
GOVERNMENT SAYS NO TO FURTHER INVESTMENTS IN YES
According to local press reports, Bezeq held
clarification meetings with YES satellite
broadcaster's creditor banks on August 25, after
Minister of Communications Ehud Olmert forbade Bezeq
to inject capital into YES. The banks were worried by
Olmert's decision, as Bezeq is currently the only YES
shareholder injecting capital into the company, and if
it stops, YES might collapse. Bezeq told the banks
that Olmert lacked the authority to decide whether it
could inject capital into YES, and that the Ministry
of Communications only had authority regarding Bezeq's
exercise of options for YES. Bezeq says the two
matters are entirely different. The banks on August 26
adopted Bezeq's position on the injection of capital,
agreeing that the Ministry of Communications lacked
the authority to forbid Bezeq to inject capital into
YES. The banks believe that the money will flow in the
end. Bezeq continues to stand by the decision of its
board of directors to inject NIS 440 million into YES.
NIS 105 million has already been injected.
MALAYSIA
MOBILE TV ON THE AIR
The first commercial mobile TV service in Malaysia has
been launched by DiGi Telecommunications (DiGi)
utilising its EDGE (enhanced data rates for global
evolution) technology. The telco is offering the
terrestrial television channel NatSeven TV (NTV 7)
live on EDGE-enabled cellular telephones, as well as
video-on-demand (VOD) content from Sistem Television
Malaysia Berhad (TV3) and Channel 8. Telekom Malaysia
has meanwhile launched a pilot service utilising
content from Radio Television Malaysia (RTM). A live
demonstration of the service was provided at the
recent ABU ICT forum held in Kuala Lumpur. Speaking
after the launch of MobileTV in Kuala Lumpur, its
director and head of mobile Erik Aas said the new
service was set to boost the uptake of mobile data
services. "MobileTV will significantly boost data
services revenue from 14 per cent of total revenue
currently,'' he said. DiGi is offering its subscribers
unlimited viewing of the content for US$3.92 (RM14.90)
a month.
PAKISTAN
GOVERNMENT TO APPROVE 20 NEW TV CHANNELS
Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Shaikh
Rashid Ahmad on 20 August informed the National
Assembly that the government was following an open
media policy under which another 22 new TV channels
will be allowed in the country in the private sector.
In this respect, he said, a bill pertaining to
cross-media ownership will be presented before this
house during the current session, adding the
introduction of new TV channels in the country would
bring about more news and entertainment opportunities
for the masses.
BUSINESS PLUS TV ON AIR
Total Media Limited launched Business Plus, Pakistan's
first satellite business TV channel on August 24. 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.
SAUDI ARABIA
SAUDI OPPOSITION PLANS TV CHANNEL
The Saudi Institute in US (one of the Saudi opposition
foundations practicing its activities in USA) launched
a campaign for collecting money to set up a TV
channel. The institute said the channel will be called
the 'Voice of Freedom' and will transmit its
programmes to the Middle East via satellite. Ali Al
Ahmed, the director and the founder of the
institution, said the channel would broadcast
educational programmes concerned with the people's
participation in the political process. He added that
the channel would telecast various programmes such as
the political discussions. He said that it is still
early to confirm the date of inauguration but it is
likely by the end of 2004. Ali Al Ahmed also said the
channel aims at reviewing the woman role in the Saudi
community.
SINGAPORE
PROFITS UP AT MEDIACORP
Singapore's MediaCorp has announced a net profit after
tax of US$14.8 million for the financial year ended
March 31. The various business units, comprising
MediaCorp TV, MediaCorp Radio, MediaCorp TV12 and
MediaCorp News, continued to dominate the broadcast
market. Channel NewsAsia (CNA) remains the most
watched News Channel in Singapore, both on cable and
free-to-air channels. The channel is distributed in 19
territories covering more than 16.3 million households
and hotels in the region. With the exception of
MediaCorp TV, all the other broadcast units remained
profitable.
SOUTH KOREA
NEW STANDARDS FOR BROADCAST LICENSES
The Korean Broadcasting Commission (KBC) has announced
that this year's re-licensing evaluation of networks,
which began on August 24, will be more rigorous than
ever, the Dong-A IIbo newspaper has reported.
Re-licensing evaluations, which take place every three
years, consist of the KBC's recommendation to the
Ministry of Information and Communication on a
particular broadcaster's licence to use the waves. A
network that fails to obtain a recommendation must
cease broadcasting when its licence expires, but no
broadcaster has faced this situation. This year, the
KBC will evaluate the broadcasters' plans for
realising public accountability, organisation and
personnel management policies, and the broadcasting
status of disaster programming. For privately owned
networks, the evaluation will also stress the
separation of ownership, management, and programme
scheduling. In total, some 506 TV and radio stations
operated by 42 network broadcasters will be evaluated.
All the licences are due to expire on December 31 this
year. The KBC will announce its final decisions in
late September.
TAIWAN
30 DIGITAL TV CHANNELS IN 2005
Taiwan will have 30 digital television channels by the
end of next year, the Government Information Office's
Director Lin Chia-lung said on August 27. Lin said the
government is seeking to ensure diversification of the
content by the channels, the first of which is
expected to open for business on December 26, 2005.
According to Lin, the 30 channels will offer programs
ranging from news, entertainment, movie, drama, music,
sports, foreign language, education, children. The
current five terrestrial channels must integrate among
themselves, said Lin. This is to make sure their
programs do not overlap, he added. If they fail, the
government will seek to mediate and will probably have
to make the decision for them, said Lin. In any case,
they are required to submit their proposals on how
they plan to operate the digital channels before the
end of June next year, according to Lin. The
government considers the development of digital
television as an important goal and has invested NT$5
billion in promoting it for terrestrial television
stations China Television Co., China Television
Systems, Formosa Television, Taiwan Television
Enterprise, and the Public Television Service
Foundation. The first stage of trial service already
started on July 1 and will run through December 31.
The second stage will start from January 1 of 2005 and
end on June 30. The third stage will start on July 1
and end on December 26. During this stage, the
government will hand out official licenses to the
awarded bidders. The government will put out a notice
to invite bids for the 30 channels before the end of
this year, according to Lin. Lin added that the price
of a set-top box is expected to drop by half to around
NT$2,500 each to make digital television channels more
affordable. A set-top box now costs around NT$5,000
each, a price Lin said will be a hamper the
government's effort to promote digital television.
THAILAND
MCOT PLANS INTERNATIONAL SERVICE
The Mass Communication Organisation of Thailand (MCOT)
is to launch a 24-hour global TV station named MCOT
International, Thailand's Nation newspaper has
reported. The station is being planned in partnership
with a number of broadcasters, which up to now include
Japan's NHK, China's CCTV, France's TV5 and Korea's
KBS. MCOT's Director-General, Mingkwan Sangsuwan, said
the four TV stations have agreed to set up outlets at
MCOT International. Sangsuwan said the news centre
would cost US$53 million and broadcast to up to 3.5
billion people in 20 countries. MCOT is currently
negotiating with other international TV networks to
join the project, including CNN and CNBC in the US,
Australia's ABC and the UK's BBC.
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
MBC TO LAUNCH KIDS CHANNEL
Middle Eastern broadcaster MBC is lining up a
September launch for its new kids service, MBC3. Aimed
at children aged between three and 13 years old, MBC3
will be broadcast as a block on the main MBC channel
from September 5. From November it will grow to a
channel in its own right.
A F R I C A
NIGERIA
TREND TV INTRODUCES NEW TECHNOLOGY
Pay-TV operator TrendTV has announced a novel approach
that would make subscribers watch television with
token cards on a pay-as-you-watch basis. "The optional
pay-as-you-watch with token technology," according to
promoters of TrendTV, "permits the subscriber to pay
only for the number of hours they enjoy the service in
a given month. Most homes watch less than 80 hours of
Television in a month; this is all they pay for on
TrendTV platform, at a rate which depends on the
particular channel watched. Hourly rates range from
N10 to N80 per hour, subject to a minimum subscription
of N1000 a month." Currently TrendTV offers 30 video
and 4 audio channels. The programme package includes a
mixed bouquet of news, sports, family and general
interest channels.
SOUTH AFRICA
NSAT BROADCASTS VIA EUROPE*STAR
Europe*Star is the contribution satellite of choice
for uplinking South African-produced television
content from Johannesburg to European viewers tuning
in to Nsat's future subscription service. Most of the
viewers being targeted are South Africans living in
Britain. Nsat launched its service on 9 August with
free-to-air early morning and evening broadcasts on
Sky TV's channel. In December, the service will be
available only to subscribers, at which time
Europe*Star will encode the content in Johannesburg
before it is transmitted via Europe*Star 1 to London.
Roy Ingle, Europe*Star's Regional Director, Africa,
says the 4.5MHz uplink has been leased by Nsat on a
permanent basis as Nsat's intention is to eventually
provide 24-hour broadcast service of mainly South
African soap operas, documentaries, sport, news
summaries, magazine programmes and dramas.
Linear Mode
