TELE-satellite News - Number 41/2004 - 10 October 2004
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A weekly roundup of global TV news sponsored by
TELE-satellite International
Editor: Branislav Pekic
* Issue 10-11/2004 of Tele-satellite International
magazine is out now *
E U R O P E
SBS PLANS TO EXPAND
SBS president and CEO Markus Tellenbach on October 4
outlined major new channel expansion plans and said
the terrestrial broadcast group is on the lookout for
acquisition and consolidation opportunities. SBS,
which operates 10 analogue terrestrial channels in
Central and Eastern Europe across a footprint of 140
million homes, said it plans to launch themed digital
channels in its key markets. Tellenbach said the
group, which spans 14 countries, also is exploring
opportunities to grow horizontally through possible
partnerships with free television partners.
GLOBECAST DELIVERS PAKISTAN TV TO
EUROPEAN VIEWERS
GlobeCast has announced a long-term agreement with
Prime TV to deliver 24-hour Pakistani family channel
PTV Prime to subscribers in the UK, Ireland and
Europe. The deal sees GlobeCast providing an
end-to-end distribution service for the subscription
channel which will be available on GlobeCast's
direct-to-home platforms via Eurobird and Hot Bird. In
the UK and Ireland, PTV Prime will reach 7.5 million
people on Sky Digital. PTV Prime was the first 24-hour
Pakistani channel to launch in Europe and has
exclusive rights to broadcast state-owned Pakistan
Television (PTV) content outside Asia. Offering a mix
of family programming in English and Urdu, it features
programmes created specifically for European-based
Pakistanis, Urdu and Punjabi families as well as PTV
content. PTV Prime also airs live news bulletins nine
times daily from the PTV News Network in Asia. To
provide the feeds for the European news and
programming content, GlobeCast downlinks PTV News and
Pakistan TV from AsiaSat 3S in Singapore and backhauls
it over its global fibre network to London via
America. GlobeCast also provides an end-to-end managed
satellite distribution service which includes an
uplink from Brookmans Park to Eurobird and Hot Bird,
enabling the channel to reach a potential 100 million
viewers across the UK and Europe.
Internet -
http://www.ptv-prime.tv
BULGARIA
CABLE PIRATES COULD GET FIVE YEAR JAIL SENTENCE
Bulgarians who connect to cable television networks
without a subscription could face imprisonment of up
to five years, according to local press reports.
Pirating the networks was penalized by fresh
amendments to the Penal Code, according to Magdalena
Georgieva, consultant at the national cable television
association "TV Club 2000". At the beginning of
October, operators in most of Bulgaria introduced
higher prices for their services. Capital Sofia saw an
increase of about 28% in monthly subscription prices,
which jumped from ?7 to ?9. Sofia's leading cable TV
providers have said the move was prompted partly by
boosted fees to the Bulgarian Telecommunications
Company (BTC). The telecom, on the contrary, said that
it hasn't charged the operators any different since
2002.
DENMARK
BBC FOOD SIGNS CABLE CARRIAGE DEAL
BBC Worldwide has signed a carriage deal with Danish
cable network TDC Kabel TV for its BBC Food network,
expanding the channel's reach by 650,000 subscriber
households. Miriam Igelsų Hvidt, the program director
at TDC, noted, "We have added BBC Food following its
huge popularity when it was trialled on our Wish
Channel. BBC Food is the only channel in Denmark fully
devoted to food and cooking, which is a very popular
nowadays. With many programs on BBC Food now subtitled
in Danish, the channel is even more attractive to our
customers." BBC Food will broadcast on TDC daily,
sharing with the newly launched TV2 Charlie channel on
TDC's Middle Package.
FRANCE
REVENUES DOWN AT CANAL PLUS
Canal Plus Group posted half-year revenues on October
1 of $906 million, slightly down from $919 million in
2003, while profits increased to $23.5 million from
$19.8 million the year before. For the first time
since 2000, Canal Plus saw a rise in subscriptions, to
4.88 million compared with 4.86 million in the first
half of 2003. Canal's exceptional income came in at
$3.7 million, a $32 million hike from the first half
of 2003 when the group posted an exceptional expense
of $28.5 million. The pay-TV group also said that
operating expenses had fallen in the first half of
2004 vs. the first half of last year, dropping from
$720.5 million to $709 million. On the downside, the
Vivendi Universal subsidiary said distribution fees
had risen from $139 million to $195 million.
CANAL+ BATTLES IT OUT FOR TV FOOTBALL RIGHTS
Canal Plus is ready to pull out all the stops to
obtain the maximum amount of football TV rights. Canal
Plus group chairman Bertrand Meheut told reporters on
October 7 that it had a lot of financial room to
manoeuvre in next month's auctions for the broadcast
rights to matches in France. The board of France's
Professional Football League will soon set the terms
for its call for bids for three seasons starting with
2005-06. The auction is expected to take place in
November, with the results made public by
mid-December. The most hotly-contested rights will be
live transmission of the top Ligue 1 matches and
pay-per-view broadcasting, which will be battled over
by Canal Plus and the TPS satellite network - owned 66
per cent by TF1 and 34 per cent by M6. Canal Plus
currently pays ?310 million per season for rights to
the first and third choice matches, pay-per-view and
the 'Jour de foot' programme, while TPS pays ?70
million for the second match and pay-per-view.
TF1 CONTESTS DTT BIDS
Leading commercial TV network TF1 has cited a
technicality to contest a decision by French broadcast
regulator the Conseil Superieur de l'Audiovisuel to
issue digital terrestrial television broadcast
licenses to six channels owned by rival commercial
broadcasters Canal Plus and Lagardere. Acting on a
complaint filed by TF1, a French public prosecutor has
appealed to the Conseil d'Etat, the country's highest
administrative authority, to challenge the CSA's
decision, taken in June 2003, according to French
business dailies La Tribune and Les Echos. The
prosecutor has upheld TF1's claim that the channels --
Sport Plus, iTelevision, MCM, Canal J, Cine Cinemas
and Planete -- are jointly owned by Canal Plus' parent
company Vivendi Universal and the Lagardere Group.
GERMANY
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TO LAUNCH NOVEMBER 1
Аs of 1 November, National Geographic Channel
will broadcast in German 24 hours a day, an
informative and entertaining program mix featuring
science and technology, investigation, wildlife,
history and adventure travel. Renowned researchers,
explorers, scientists, conservationists, photographers
and filmmakers will provide unique access to,
expeditions, cultures, wildlife, science, natural
phenomena and much more. National Geographic Channel
will initially be received in Germany via Kabel
Deutschland's "Kabel Digital Home" service. National
Geographic Channels International (NGCI) will also
offer the program to other cable network providers in
Germany, Austria and Switzerland, in order to ensure
the widest possible coverage. Worldwide, NGCI
programmes have so far been received by 170 million
households in 148 countries and in 27 languages.
PROSIEBEN AND ASTRA TEST
HDTV/SDTV SIMULCASTS
ProSiebenSat1 Produktion and SES ASTRA on October 14
will, for the very first time, simultaneously
broadcast a high-resolution HDTV (High Definition
Television) signal in parallel with the traditional
digital standard-resolution via Astra 19.2 degrees
East. The ProSieben/BBC co-production "Pride - The Law
of the Savannah" (a wildlife program about the
adventures of a young lion) will be available to
viewers equipped with appropriate receivers both via
conventional standard-definition (SD) reception and,
exclusively via ASTRA, in the new, crystal-clear HDTV
standard. With the significantly enhanced picture
quality provided by HDTV, "Pride" can be viewed with
much greater, true-to-life detail. The visual
experience will be completed by Dolby Digital 5.1
sound, providing viewers for the first time ever with
true cinema quality in the living room. Technically
speaking, the broadcast will be simulcast in parallel
to the regular SD signal, the film being played out in
HDCAM SR (1080i/50 Hz) and delivered to an MPEG-2 HD
encoder with a data rate of some 1.4 gigabits/s. The
HD broadcast of Pride will be available via ASTRA
Transponder No. 103 (12460 Mhz, H-polarisation, SR
27.500, FEC 3/4.). An HD promo trailor of Pride will
be available as of October 12. The ASTRA HDTV
promotion channel is receivable via ASTRA transponder
Nbr. 102, vertical polarisation, 12,4441 MHz, 27.5
Msymbols/s, FEC 3/4 using MPEG-2 MP@HL, 1080i, bitrate
19 Mb/s.
Internet -
http://www.hdtvforum.org
REGIONAL TV GOES DIGITAL
On December 6, TV viewers in the Rhine-Main region
around Frankfurt will receive only digital TV signals
from the terrestrial transmitters. The area is
becoming the fourth region in Germany to switch its
regular analog television signals to a purely digital
format. Testing of the system has already began and
the federal government has made it a priority to
upgrade all TV transmission to digital signals by
2010. Viewers will need a digital decoder box, which
retails for between ?60 and ?90. Meanwhile, in Berlin
which switched over between 2002 and 2003, the
Association for Entertainment and Communications
Electronics says the DVB-T has caught on in the
nation's capital with nearly 260,000 decoder boxes
purchased since the transformation. The association
estimates 1.1 million of the devices will be in homes
by year's end.
HUNGARY
VIASAT 3 STATUS UNDER REVIEW
Hungarian commercial television network Viasat3 may
have to restructure its ownership and programming if
the National Television and Radio Board (ORTT) finds
that it reaches more than 50% of Hungary's population,
according to a report by Radio Netherlands. Viasat3
currently operates as a regional channel, being
available terrestrially in Budapest, and via cable
networks in the rest of the country. However, the
expansion of cable networks means that the station may
now be reaching more than 50% of the population, which
under Hungarian media law means it will be
re-classified as a national broadcaster. At least 26%
of a national broadcaster must be owned by Hungarian
individuals or legal entities. Currently, 95% of
Viasat3 is owned by Sweden's MTG Broadcasting, part of
the Modern Times Group. The media law also states that
no company can hold a controlling share, publisher's
or founder's rights in a nationwide daily newspaper
and a nationwide broadcaster at the same time. The
Hungarian edition of the free daily Metro is published
by MTG Metro Gratis, also owned by the Modern Times
Group. If declared a national station, Viasat3 will
also be required to air at least 20 minutes of news
programming at peak time. The ORTT will announce its
findings by December 1.
ICELAND
IBC OPTS FOR CONAX
Conax, a leading supplier of conditional access
technology for digital TV, signed up its first
customer of the Conax CAS7 system, launched at IBC
2004. Icelandic Broadcasting Corporation will use the
Conax CAS7 system for its Digital Terrestrial
operation (DTT), starting this November. Conax CAS7
includes new exciting features such as use of mobile
phone to order digital TV content and enhanced copy
protection by extending the broadcast security level
to the Personal Video Recorder (PVR). Icelandic
Broadcasting Corporation (IBC) is the TV and Radio
division of Northern Lights Communication, the largest
privately operated media company and the most dynamic
company in the field of entertainment in Iceland. IBC
has ordered a complete Conax CAS7 system for
conversion of their analogue subscribers to digital,
enabling vast expansion of IBC's offering to their
subscribers. Conax CAS7 also gives Icelandic
Broadcasting Corporation the possibility to make
ordering and payment of content very convenient.
Internet -
http://www.nlc.is
ITALY
GOVERNMENT CONFIRMS FLOAT OF 20% OF RAI
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has announced
that Italy will float at least 20 per cent of state
broadcaster RAI by next March, The government paved
the way for the RAI sell-off in a media law approved
by parliament in April. Under the terms of the law,
no-one will be able to take more than a one per cent
stake in the company, which is Italy's largest media
group. RAI said in a statement it closed the first six
months of the year with a net profit of ?82 million,
up 80 per cent compared with the first half of 2003.
RAI runs three terrestrial TV channels which compete
head-to-head with three channels owned by Mediaset,
controlled by Berlusconi and his family. Analysts have
said the partial privatization of RAI would ease
concerns over a potential conflict between
Berlusconi's political power and family business
interests.
BBC PROGRAMS ON RAISAT CHANNELS
Three of RaiSat's channels are set to launch BBC
branded blocks some time next year featuring drama,
cooking and children's shows. RaiSat Premium will
showcase popular recent drama productions from the BBC
in a daily two-hour slot from Monday to Thursday.
RaiSat Gambero Rosso will broadcast a selection of
cookery programs and the children's channel RaiSat
Ragazzi will air a BBC branded slot with children's
output. BBC branded blocks currently air on networks
throughout Europe, Asia and Africa, as BBC Food, BBC
Life (lifestyle), BBC Wild (natural history), BBC
Exclusive (documentary), BBC Select (drama), BBC
Playtime (children) and BBC Science.
ANTITRUST INVESTIGATION INTO MEDIASET AND RAI
Italian Communication Authority President Enzo Cheli
said on October 4 that an antitrust investigation had
been opened into the dominant positions held by state
broadcaster RAI and Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's
Mediaset in the national advertising market. In July,
Cheli's office said that in light of the apparent
duopoly of the Italian television and radio
marketplace and the allocation of advertising
resources, they would be providing an advisory to the
Italian parliament. If the investigation reveals that
RAI and Mediaset have breached the antitrust limit of
having a maximum 30% share of the advertising market,
the Communication Authority could fine both companies
2%-5% of their revenue. The investigation, which
opened last month, is expected to last four months.
RUSSIA
NTV GOES 24 HOURS
Russia's leading commercial television network, NTV,
announced 5 it will switch to round-the-clock
broadcasting on October 12 as part of a fall makeover
in the ratings hunt behind market leading pubcaster
First Channel. The station plans to run a mixture of
quality western dramas -- such as "Emergency Room" --
Hollywood movies, sports and other entertainment shows
aimed at an adult, night-time audience, said Maria
Bezborodova, assistant to NTV head Vladimir
Kulistikov.
CHANNEL RUSSIA SIGNS WARNER BROS OUTPUT DEAL
Warner Bros. International Television Distribution
(WBITD) has signed an exclusive multi-year free TV
deal with TV Channel Russia, formerly RTR, that
includes films, series, TV movies and animation,
including the new hit sitcom Joey and the
Oscar-winning Lord of the Rings: Return of the King.
Also included in the deal are the new dramas Veronica
Mars and Eyes, plus the feature films Troy, The Last
Samurai and Ocean's 12, among others.
SCANDINAVIA
MTG LAUNCHES VIASAT HISTORY
The Modern Times Group's newest channel, Viasat
History, will be available in Sweden, Norway, Denmark
and Finland, beginning in November, to subscribers of
Viasat DTH's Gold and Silver packages. The latest
rollout follows the launch in May into eight Central
and Eastern European markets via third party cable
networks. The channel, which features factual fare as
well as period dramas and mini-series based on
historical events, currently has more than 800,000
subscribers. Alongside a broad range of cultural,
political, social, scientific, sporting and
entertainment history programmes and documentaries,
Viasat History programming includes period dramas and
miniseries based on historical events.
UNITED KINGDOM
BBC PROGRAMMES IN THE SKY
The BBC is in discussions with Boeing to start
providing airline passengers with live in-flight
television. The US aircraft maker plans to start
offering live TV next spring through its Connexion by
Boeing system which entered service with the German
flag carrier Lufthansa in May and has also been
selected by seven other airlines. Passengers will be
able to choose from four live channels supplied by
different broadcasters, by connecting their laptops to
an on-board internet service. As well as the BBC,
Boeing is also thought to have approached the US cable
television network CNN. One of the BBC programmes
which could be screened is the News 24 channel. The
Connexion service costs $29.95 for unlimited access on
long-haul flights of more than six hours. There is
also a pay-by-the-minute tariff.
FLEXTECH PLANS REALITY TV CHANNEL
Flextech, the programming arm of cable group Telewest,
is to launch a new channel specialising in reality and
entertainment TV. The group, which runs the UKTV
network in partnership with BBC Worldwide, is
aiming
to launch Living TV 2 by the end of the year in a bid
to turn Living into the UK's "sixth" main TV channel.
The channel, already home to controversial shows such
as Extreme Makeover, said it intends to use the
channel to broadcast the latest reality shows and to
beef up coverage of its monthly TV events such as Most
Haunted Live.
BBC WORLD BEST EUROPEAN NEWS CHANNEL
BBC World has beat Sky News, EuroNews and Rai Med to
win Europe's Best News Channel at the Hot Bird awards,
which celebrate multichannel broadcasting in Europe.
The BBC was described as "the most complete and
exhaustive source of TV news in the year 2004" by an
independent panel of media journalists. Several
hundred television channels were eligible to enter the
Hot Bird TV Awards, organised by the satellite
operator Eutelsat, which took place at a ceremony in
Venice, Italy. BBC World was also named Best News
Channel at the Hot Bird TV awards in 1998 and in 2002,
specifically in recognition of its coverage of the
attacks on the US on September 11 2001. No other
channel has received the award three times.
BOOST FOR CHANNEL 4 - FIVE MERGER
Hopes of a merger between broadcasters Channel 4 and
Five have been boosted after the owners of Channel
Five said they were prepared to accept a minority
share of a combined group, The Times newspaper has
reported. "We are prepared to go to a minority
position in a combined company. The idea of 4 and Five
was not that we would take over Channel 4. Both
channels need to be bigger," Gerhard Zeiler, CEO of
European TV broadcaster RTL, which jointly owns Five
with UK-based United Business Media, was quoted as
saying in the October 5 edition of the newspaper. "I
think we will know by the end of the year whether this
deal can be done. It will only be done if both sides
are willing to say yes," Zeiler was quoted as saying.
The Times said Zeiler and the bosses of publicly owned
Channel 4 met for the first time last month.
BBC SECURES CELTIC RUGBY INTERNATIONALS
BBC has agreed a new five-year deal with the Celtic
Unions (Irish Rugby Football Union, Scottish Rugby
Union and Welsh Rugby Union), giving BBC exclusive
rights to show their Autumn Internationals on network
television from 2005-2009 inclusive. The deal
includes: all home rugby Internationals for Wales,
Scotland and Ireland; all matches against Regional
sides during the Autumn International period (or Six
Nations 'A' team Internationals); live Celtic Cup
rights for BBC Scotland and highlights rights for BBC
Northern Ireland (BBC Wales already have a separate
contract for the Celtic League games), with the Cup
Final to be shown on network television in
Grandstand*. Coupled with the Six Nations, BBC now has
all international rugby hosted in the UK until the end
of the decade, with the exception of the England
Autumn tests to which BBC currently has highlights
rights.
MEN & MOTORS UP FOR SALE?
ITV is in talks about the sale of its digital
channels, Plus and Men & Motors, as part of its
strategy to sell off its non-core assets to create a
more streamlined ITV. ITV holds a 50.5% stake in the
channels, which it co-owns with BSkyB as part of
Granada Sky Broadcasting. According to industry
insiders, ITV is hoping to sell its stake to Sky,
which will enable the satellite broadcaster to
increase its dominance in the men's market against
other digital channels including Flextech's Bravo.
Another option being mooted is a management buyout, if
staff could raise enough from a private investment
company. Men & Motors launched in 1997 as part of a
suite of joint ventures between Granada and BSkyB. It
has now been disbanded with its responsibility
absorbed into the main ITV Sales division.
DISCOVERY HOME & LEISURE SET FOR MAKEOVER
As part of a strategy to create a homogenised network
of international lifestyle channels, the Discovery
Home & Leisure is set for a name change and a
redefinition of its demographic focus towards the end
of 2005. The channel will be rebranded Discovery Real
Time to bring it in line with its sister networks,
currently rolling out worldwide. Real Time will be
aimed at men age 25-45, featuring practical
programming for men, centring on men's channel
regulars like motors, workshop activities, gadgets,
fitness and grooming. The channel is one of three
lifestyle channels currently being rolled out in
markets from India to Europe, besides Discovery Travel
& Living and Discovery Home & Health.
TG4 TARGETS ULSTER
The Irish language TV station TG4 is preparing to
broadcast officially from Northern Ireland, industry
sources have told The Belfast Telegraph. The channel,
known as Teilifis na Gaeilige, is thought to be
involved in preparatory work on the transmitter on
Divis Mountain. The plan to broadcast TG4 north of the
border has its roots in the Good Friday Agreement,
which called on the British Government to work with
the broadcasting authorities to explore "the scope for
achieving more widespread availability of Teilifis na
Gaeilige in Northern Ireland". Much of the land area
of the province already receives the channel as a
result of so-called overspill from southern
transmitters, but the most populous areas around
Belfast do not. The final go-ahead for the plans is
subject to approval from the EU and the holders to the
rights to some of the programmes broadcast on TG4.
N O R T H A M E R I C A
CANADA
OMNI TV LAUNCHES HDTV SERVICE
As of October 13, both OMNI.1 and OMNI.2 will be
broadcasting in High Definition Television (HDTV),
with their signals available exclusively via Rogers
(Cable) Television. Channels allocated on the HD tier
are 275 for OMNI.1 and 276 for OMNI.2. OMNI's five
language newscasts - Cantonese, Italian, Mandarin,
Portuguese and South Asian - will all be available in
wide screen format. Other in-studio productions,
including more than a dozen diversity language
programmes, and Pomeriggio Italiano, OMNI.1's
mid-afternoon newscast for Italian speaking viewers,
will be accessible in HDTV. Viewers can also enjoy
certain acquired programmes such as Everybody Loves
Raymond and The King of Queen's in wide screen.
Further HDTV programming will be added to OMNI's
schedule as it becomes available. Rogers OMNI
Television, consisting of diversity television
stations OMNI.1 and OMNI.2, is a free over-the-air
system owned by Rogers Communications under its Rogers
Media: Television division. Combined, the OMNI
stations have significantly expanded the variety of
languages, number of hours and choice of programming
being offered for ethno cultural communities
throughout the province of Ontario, providing
programming in more than 40 languages to ethno
cultural groups encompassing close to 50 communities.
With the launch of OMNI.2 in September 2002, ethnic
programming on OMNI.1 now principally serves the local
European, Latino and Caribbean communities, while
OMNI.2's programming reflects the local Pan Asian and
African population.
CABLECASTERS WANT OWN ADS ON U.S. TV CHANNELS
Canadian cablecasters on October 7 asked the country's
broadcast regulator to allow them to insert their own
commercial advertising on U.S. specialty channels they
offer. Popular U.S. channels like A&E, CNN, TBS, TLC
and Spike TV, which have a combined 10% market share
in Canada, are currently carried by Canadian
cablecasters with U.S. commercials only. But fearing
scarce airtime revenue might be diverted from their
own networks, Canadian private broadcasters have urged
the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications
Commission to deny the cablers' commercial advertising
bid for the U.S. channels they carry. However, the
Canadian Association of Broadcasters has announced it
is filing an intervention with federal broadcast
regulators, urging rejection of a cable-industry plan
for selling Canadian commercials on the incoming
signals of such American cable services as CNN and
A&E. "These proposals contravene a CRTC policy that's
been upheld time and time again since 1975," said CAB
president Glenn O'Farrell. "And (they) would put in
jeopardy broadcasters' ability to provide Canadians
with local programming - and Canadian content in
general." The association, which represents the bulk
of Canada's private radio and TV broadcasters, said
the CRTC should at least hold a full, public hearing.
UNITED STATES
MBC TO BECOME BLACK FAMILY CHANNEL
Beginning this month, MBC Network will officially
change its name to Black Family Channel. "The name
change reflects our growth and expansion," stated
newly appointed President and Chief Executive Officer
Rick Newberger. "We have been on the air for five
years now and have made significant progress in
building distribution, reaching an underserved viewer
and carving out a unique programming niche." This fall
the network will premiere a variety of prime time and
local origination shows plus an urban kids block. In
addition, the network will continue to offer its
signature programs such as black college sports
classics, nightly news, classic movies, specials and
documentaries.
Internet -
http://www.mbcnetwork.com
http://www.blackfamilychannel.com
ESPN2 HD TO LAUNCH JANUARY 6
ESPN2 HD will debut January 6, ESPN said on October 4.
It will be the second of ESPN's high-definition
offerings. In their first 85 days of operation, ESPN
HD and ESPN2 HD will broadcast 85 high-definition
college football and basketball games. The two HD
channels plan to air 300 events and 2,000 programs for
a total of 6,000 hours of high-definition service next
year.
FCC WANTS FAST DIGITAL TV SWITCH
FCC chairman Michael Powell announced the beginning of
the FCC's campaign to educate the public about the
digital transition in Washington on October 4. The
FCC's goal is to get digital-friendly televisions into
the homes of 85 per cent of Americans by December 31,
2006, the date determined as the end of the digital
transition period - provided the 85 per cent is
achieved - by Congress' Balanced Budget Act of 1997.
Shifting the entire broadcast-television industry from
analog to digital would free the frequency spectrum
currently used by analogue TV. Although the FCC wants
to use a large portion of that bandwidth for emergency
communications to comply with recommendations from the
9/11 commission, the rest could be a lucrative source
of public funds. Auctioning off the whole publicly
owned analogue spectrum could pull in as much as $30
billion to $40 billion, according to estimates by the
New America Foundation, a Washington policy institute.
Digital-to-analogue signal converters currently retail
for $120 or more, while low-end HDTV sets still cost
more than $1,000.
Internet -
http://www.dtv.gov
PUBLIC INTEREST GROUPS AGAINST BROADCAST FLAG
A coalition of nine public interest groups ranging
from the American Library Association to the Consumers
Union are telling the federal court here that it needs
to overturn the FCC's decision establishing the
so-called "broadcast flag." In its brief filed with
the U.S. Court of Appeals, the groups argue that the
commission exceeded its authority when it approved the
technology that is designed to prevent digital
television content from being disseminated over the
Internet. The groups contend that the FCC has no
authority to regulate digital TV sets and other
digital devices unless specifically granted by
Congress and that the Communications Act of 1962
deliberately put limits on the FCC authority. The
commission cited the 1962 law that required set makers
to include VHF and UHF tuners in TV sets as its
authority for the decision.
VIETNAMESE TV ON DIRECTV
DirecTV and International Channel Networks (ICN) on
October 5 announced that Saigon Broadcasting
Television Network (SBTN), the first and only 24/7
Vietnamese-language channel originating in the United
States, is now available on the new DirecTV
VietnameseDirect service. Created by a joint venture
involving International Channel Networks and Saigon
Broadcasting Network, Inc., SBTN will now be available
for the first time nationwide to the more than 1.8
million Vietnamese Americans living in the United
States. SBTN programming is produced mainly in the
United States, specifically for the Vietnamese
American community. The content consists of news, talk
shows, sports, children's programs, cultural and
history, and general entertainment and variety
programs.
Internet -
http://www.internationchannel.com
HOUSE APPROVES SATELLITE BILL
The House approved legislation on October 6 that
allows DirecTV, EchoStar and other satellite TV
companies to rebroadcast network programming. The bill
now goes to the Senate. The Senate Commerce and
Judiciary Committees have approved similar
legislation. The Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act
must be renewed this year or satellite TV companies
will lose their right to retransmit broadcast TV
signals. It is unclear how fast the Senate will act as
its bill includes language that makes it easier for
DBS companies to import a digital TV signal into the
so-called "digital white area" -- locations where
customers are unable to view it over the air. Language
in the House bill requires the FCC to examine the
"white area" phenomenon and report back to Congress
its results.
HUSTLER PPV LAUNCHES ON INTELSAT AMERICAS 7
LFP Broadcasting, parent company of Hustler TV, on
October 1 launched the Hustler TV pay per view (PPV)
channel on Intelsat Americas 7, transponder 16
(formerly known as Telstar 7). Ascent Media Network
Services will handle all network origination. Hustler
TV for PPV is offered on an individual title format or
in 3-hour and 6-hour blocks or as a monthly
subscription service on a 24/7 basis. The service
incorporates a broad selection of exclusive, high
quality adult content from recognized providers
including VCA Pictures and Hustler Video. A video on
demand (VOD) offering of Hustler TV called Hustler TV
On Demand was recently launched nationwide to multiple
cable operators with various size packages, some up to
50-hours of VOD programming per month with a 50%
refresh rate. Hustler TV launched as a PPV channel in
Canada last year and is currently being carried by a
majority of the cable systems in that territory.
MORE HURDLES FOR INDECENCY BILL
House and Senate negotiators reached a deal on October
6 on legislation that would raise the fines
broadcasters and on-air performers would face for
smutty language and behaviour, but Democratic
insistence on other media restrictions could derail
the legislation, industry and congressional sources
said. Under the deal, broadcasters and on-air
performers would face fines of as much as $500,000 for
each indecent act, with a maximum of $3 million a day.
The commission could lower or raise the fines if a
number of conditions are met, including the ability of
the accused to pay, whether the programming was
recorded, the size of the audience and how much
control the broadcaster had over the programming. The
commission also could order public service
announcements in addition to the fines.
KINGS TV TO LAUNCH NOVEMBER 2
Comcast Cable's nascent 24-hour regional sports
network now has a name, a launch date, a channel
position and some additional programming beyond the
Kings and Monarchs. Called Comcast SportsNetWest, the
station will launch November 2 on Comcast's Channel 34
with a Kings pre-game show, followed by the team's
season-opener - one of 52 games the network plans to
carry during the Kings' upcoming campaign. Comcast has
offered its SportsNet West to its rivals - including
DirecTV, DISH Network and SureWest Broadband - but
with no results. DirecTV spokesman Bob Marsocci said
"it's a little premature to say" whether the satellite
provider will strike a deal to carry SportsNet West.
Marc Lumpkin, a DISH Network spokesman, said the
satellite operator doesn't comment on negotiations,
but repeated the company line that DISH would like to
carry the new network for a "reasonable" rate.
L A T I N A M E R I C A
REALITY TV EXPAND IN LATIN AMERICA
Zone Vision Enterprises has agreed a joint-venture
deal with Liberty Media International (LMI) over the
Reality TV channel in Latin America. The new agreement
will expand Reality TV's reach in the region. Under
the agreement, Zone Vision retains a 65% stake in
Reality TV Latin America, with control over its
programming, scheduling and local channel branding.
LMI gets a 35% equity stake, with responsibility for
channel sales and administration in the region. Prior
to this agreement, Zone Vision partnered with LMI
affiliate, Pramer SCA, to launch its Europa Europa and
Reality TV channels in the region. Reality TV is now
in 3.5 mmillion homes, and Europa Europa 4.8 mmillion.
Reality TV first launched in Europe in late 1999. It
is now broadcast in 18 different languages in 125
territories to over 134 million subscribers. Zone
Vision broadcasts and distributes international
thematic television channels including its three
proprietary thematic channels, Reality TV, Europa
Europa and Romantica available worldwide. Pramer is
the largest owner/distributor in the region with, 24
channels distributed in more than 24 countries,
reaching over 12 mmillion subscribers.
A S I A & P A C I F I C
AUSTRALIA
FOXTEL SIGNS NEW OUTPUT DEALS
Foxtel has scored deals with most of the major U.S.
studios for a slate of new shows to feed across its
channels in Australia, including Sony Pictures
Television International's acclaimed crime drama The
Shield, and a local version of CBS Paramount's
America's Next Top Model. In addition to SPTI and CBS
Paramount, deals have been inked with the
international distribution divisions of Twentieth
Century Fox, MGM, Buena Vista and Carsey-Werner.
SPTI's deal with FOXTEL also includes the Lifetime
series Missing, Ripley's Believe It Or Not and the
game show, Pyramid. From CBS Paramount, FOXTEL has
scored all nine seasons of Everybody Loves Raymond for
broadcast early next year on FOX Classics; and season
three of The Next Top Model launches in October on
FOX8. The CBS Paramount agreement also covers an
ongoing supply of Oprah, Dr Phil, The Late Show With
David Letterman, Jeopardy and Judging Amy, among
others. In addition, from the Paramount side of the
merged catalogue, FOXTEL has taken all six seasons of
Sex and the City, uncut and uncensored. From
Carsey-Werner FOXTEL has nabbed the comedy My Roommate
Is A Big Fat Slut (broadcast in the U.S. on Oxygen as
Good Girls Don't) for FOX8, as well as Whoopi,
Boarding House: North Shore and Grounded For Life. The
deal with MGM gives FOXTEL the acclaimed Showtime
series Dead Like Me and The L Word, plus the
mini-series Hunter, along with the hit NBC dramas Las
Vegas and American Dreams, among others. FOXTEL has
also picked up NBC's late-night offerings The Tonight
Show With Jay Leno and Late Night With Conan O'Brien
for The Comedy Channel. The agreement with Buena Vista
International TV covers a stack of hit dramas and
comedies (Alias, Scrubs, According To Jim, 8 Simple
Rules), the reality shows The Amazing Race and Extreme
Makeover, and classic sitcoms like Home Improvement,
among other titles. The renewal of the Twentieth
Century Fox deal brings a slew of series to FOXTEL,
from long-running hits like The Simpsons and NYPD Blue
to classic series like The X Files to new productions,
such as North Shore and The Practice: Fleet Street
(Boston Legal).
OPENTV AND AUSTAR EXTEND LICENSE AGREEMENT
OpenTV Corp. and Austar United Communications on
October 4 signed a network license agreement allowing
OpenTV to continue to supply its broad range of
interactive television applications and products, and
in addition, will develop and license a suite of
broadcast associated applications. The deal extends
OpenTV's core license agreement with AUSTAR for five
years, and includes the delivery of up to six enhanced
broadcast applications for Sports Active, the
company's latest offering in its lineup of interactive
services. OpenTV and AUSTAR have also agreed to deploy
an updated interactive weather application in
association with The Weather Channel that will offer
significantly increased information and functionality.
The new iTV services will provide AUSTAR's subscribers
with greater control over how they view the
programming, allowing them to watch what they want,
when they want, and eschewing traditional linear
television.
Internet -
http://www.austarunited.com.au
NEW CRIME CHANNEL SET FOR JANUARY LAUNCH
In January, Australia will also be the first country
to get A&E's new pay-TV Crime & Investigation Channel,
on Foxtel. The launch of the channel has yet to be
officially announced but its line-up of 24-hour
blood-letting is expected to include true-crime series
City Confidential and Cold Case Files, crime drama
Dead Reckoning and biographies of well-known
murderers, serial killers and other criminals.
BANGLADESH
NEW SATELLITE TV LAW IN PREPARATION
An information ministry body submits its report this
week proposing new regulations and policies for cable
television network operation. The Cable Television
Network Law Implementation Committee (CTNLIC) formed
last month has already submitted a draft policy, but
the ministry has asked for further details to make the
proposed laws even more clear. The satellite cable
television operators and local satellite television
stations have long been asking for a guideline on
satellite television network. "A similar guideline was
made in 2001, and was supposed to be effective from
July 1, 2001, but it was never implemented," said
Anwar Parvez, president of Cable Operators Association
of Bangladesh (Coab). But the committee members feel
the need for a change in the guidelines to adapt to
the changed circumstances. "The situation has changed
since 2001, and law, regulations and policies have
also been altered. So a new version of the cable TV
network guideline is required," said an information
ministry high official. The cable operators are
concerned about the price they pay to get channels
from distributors. "We want the government to fix the
rates for pay channels like in India," said Parvez.
"The distributors are raising the rate for pay
channels at will and forcing us to air the free
channels which are flooding our market with foreign
advertisements," said a cable operator. Local
satellite television stations also have their own
reasons to be concerned, as Indian operators exclude
Bangladeshi channels from their network.
CHINA-HONG KONG
TVB TO RAISE AD RATES
Television Broadcasts (TVB), Hong Kong's dominant
free-to-air broadcaster, may lift advertising rates
for next year by as much as 20 per cent in an effort
to fund its unprofitable pay-TV arm, Galaxy Satellite
Broadcasting. The broadcaster plans to boost rates by
15 to 20 per cent in 2005, after raising prices by the
similar amount this year in two increments, according
to market sources. They said the station planned to
add advertisers' names to programme titles in an
attempt to secure more income. Galaxy's after-tax loss
in the first half rose to HK$157.1 million from
HK$32.6 million for full-year 2003. Market watchers
estimate it had only 5,000 subscribers in the first
six months after services were launched in February.
TVB is now looking for an investor for a 51 per cent
stake in Galaxy after Intelsat pulled out. Under the
terms of licence, TVB cannot hold a majority stake in
two broadcasters.
FIJI
FIJI TV SEEKS NEW SATELLITE PLATFORM
Fiji Television is negotiating for a new transponder
satellite system because the Intelsat 701 system is no
longer available. Pacific Broadcasting Service, a
venture of the Ba Provincial Council, which had taken
up its space before Fiji Television secured a
temporary agreement, was still there and Cabinet is
negotiating a package with its directors. Fiji
Television chief executive Ken Clark said they were
not going to use the transponder forever and were only
using it while in a legal battle with New Skies
Satellite service for the NSS5 transponder which they
had secured when they first announced an intention to
provide a 12-channel pay television service. "The
original plan was to use KU band but we have yet to
decide whether we will continue to do this or use
something else," Clark said. "Whether we can launch as
scheduled at the end of October will depend on the
equipment we use. "We will decide later which
frequency we will use and this will decide what
equipment we will buy. If Fiji Television uses a
C-band frequency it will have to buy eight to 10-inch
satellite dishes, which would cost customers thousands
of dollars. Satellite pay-TV companies use KU band
satellite frequencies because they provide high power
signal into the areas allowing them to use small size
satellite dishes (65cm to 95cm).
INDIA
ZEE-MGM TO END DEAL
Sony Corp-led consortium's tentative deal to acquire
Hollywood movie studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer is likely
to end strategic deal between MGM and Subhash
Chandra's Zee Telefilms for distribution of Zee-MGM
channel in India. The 4-year commercial agreement
between Zee and MGM is set for renewal by 2004-end.
Zee-MGM has 20% market share in the English movie
segment in India with over 75% cornered between HBO
and Star Movies. MGM's Indian joint venture with ZEE
is a part of the ZEE Turner bouquet, which happens to
be a rival of Sony's Indian television venture and the
Sony-Discovery sponsored One Alliance.
INDONESIA
STYLE NETWORK SIGNS CABLE DEAL
E! Networks has signed its first international launch
deal on The Style Network, inking a deal to launch the
channel on Indonesian platform Kabelvision's new
digital service in the first quarter of 2005. The
Style Network Indonesia will be a 24-hour lifestyle
channel, with Kabelvision licensing both The Style
Network brand and programming in a three-year deal.
The platform will also create original programming for
the network, based on formats from The Style Network.
The Style Network has 38 million subscribers in
America, with commitments to reach more than 40
million by the end of the year, according to E!
Networks.
ISRAEL
JASMINE TV TO LAUNCH NEW MOVIE CHANNEL
Israeli cable broadcaster Jasmine TV is to launch a
new movie channel, Hot Bombay, dedicated to the world
of Bollywood. The channel has been launched on the
back on the success of Jasmine TV's Cinema Bombay
strip, which was first broadcast on Cinema Prime in
August 2002, explained Jasmine md Yossi Uzrad.
Dedicated to the best of best of Indian film, 24/7,
Hot Bombay is due to launch on November 14, 2004. The
new channel will sit alongside Jasmine's existing
four-channel bouquet: Hot Drama, Hot Fun, Hot Action
and Hot Prime on the cable operator Hot.
HALLMARK MAKES ITS MARK
According to a report in the Jerusalem Post, the
Hallmark Channel (shown both on cable and satellite)
tends to attract more female viewers than male - about
79% women in Israel - but it doesn't feature soap
operas, chat shows, or makeovers. The channel, which
was started by the greeting-card company and is now
part of Crown Media, reaches 110 million subscribers
across 122 countries and in 27 languages. Rated third
among international channels in Israel, it had a 2.3%
market share in August. Distributed locally both in
Hebrew and Russian, the films are all original, some
of them made for television and acquired by the
network, others produced specifically for the channel.
JAPAN
BBC JAPAN TO LAUNCH DECEMBER 1
BBC Worldwide on October 7 announced the creation of
BBC Japan which will bring the best of BBC programming
to TV audiences in Japan. BBC Japan will offer
viewers a mix of top comedy, drama, factual
entertainment, children's and learning programming, as
well as talk shows and documentaries, from Fawlty
Towers to The Weakest Link, from Pride and Prejudice
to Ready Steady Cook and from Tweenies to Goal. Set to
launch in Japan on December 1, the channel will offer
a selection of programmes subtitled in Japanese. BBC
Japan has been created by BBC Worldwide's Channels
team that is also responsible for the success of BBC
Prime, the BBC's international entertainment channel
for Europe, Middle East and Africa. BBC Japan will
carry advertising and the channel will be distributed
and marketed by media company Japan Mediark Co. Ltd.
NEW ZEALAND
SKY PROMISES NEW DIGITAL VIDEO RECORDER
SKY TV will release a digital video recorder next year
that will see the standard Sky decoder transformed
into a device capable of storing hours of programming.
The personal video recorder (PVR) will work with Sky's
electronic programming guide, allowing recordings to
be pre-set with the Sky
remote control unit. Sky chief
executive John Fellet said the device would add $200
to $250 to the cost of a typical Sky
installation.
PVRs feature "time-shifting", letting viewers begin
watching a programme they are still recording, and
therefore skip ads. TV viewers can already buy hard
disk drive-based recorders for about $500, but their
usefulness is limited without an integrated
programming guide. Sky would likely place an order for
25,000 PVRs towards the end of next year.
THE PHILIPPINES
GMA NETWORK PREPARES U.S. CHANNEL
GMA Network plans to launch in January its own cable
channel in the United States, Inquirer sources in the
television and radio company said on October 2. The
plan is to offer Filipinos in the West Coast cable
subscriptions to GMA Network programs such as soap
operas and entertainment shows. The company recorded a
net income of P885 million in the January-July period,
up 25 per cent from P707 million in the same months
last year, revenues grew 17 per cent to P4.3 billion,
and operating expenses rose 20 per cent to about P2.0
billion.
SOUTH KOREA
MOBILE SATELLITE TV PROJECT SUFFERS SETBACK
SK Telecom Co.'s initiative toward satellite-based
mobile broadcasting has suffered another setback, with
the country's broadcast regulator blocking the airing
of terrestrial televised content on wireless
receivers, the Dong A-Ilbo newspaper has reported. The
Korean Broadcasting Commission announced on October 6
that it would not allow the retransmission of
terrestrial broadcasts on satellite-based mobile
television, keeping mobile-phone operators from
accessing programmes from the country's main
television stations Korean Broadcasting System, Munhwa
Broadcasting System and Seoul Broadcasting System. The
broadcast regulator however said that it would discuss
the satellite retransmission issue again early next
year.
THAILAND
NO LISTING FOR CHANNEL 5
The newly appointed director of Channel 5, LtGeneral
Lertrit Wechsawarn, said there was no need to list the
station on the stock exchange at present as the Army
is still in a position to financially support it.
Lertrit denied speculation that Channel 5 would be
privatised to benefit a certain group of investors,
which has been a source of controversy over the past
few months.
TURKMENISTAN
TURKMEN SATELLITE TV CHANNEL LAUNCHED
A new Turkmen satellite television channel offering
programs in six foreign languages went on air on
October 5. Channel TV-4 broadcasts news,
entertainment, and movies in English, Russian,
Chinese,
Arabic, French, and
Persian. Turkmen
President Saparmurat Niyazov said last February as he
announced the creation of the channel that its purpose
is to promote Turkmenistan's image abroad. The other
three channels are: Altyn Asyr (Golden Century),
Yashlyk (Youth) and Miras (Heritage). Turkmenistan
channel would present hourly news, regular talk shows,
social programmes, locally produced films and other
features of interest. Channel transmissions are
available to viewers through Yamal 201 satellite.
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
ABU DHABI TV CHANNELS ON GSM HANDSETS
Abu Dhabi Television is working on a bouquet of
including news, sports and entertainment in
cooperation with Etisalat for the rapidly increasing
audience of mobile users across the UAE. The service,
where TV programmes can be viewed on mobile phones is
the first in the Arab world and is expected to hit the
market as mobile manufacturers release handsets that
can deal with this new technology. The official launch
of this service is expected within three months," said
Nujoum Al Ganem, head of new media department at the
Emirates Media Incorporation (EMI). Etisalat launched
the Mubashir 3G service with the Abu Dhabi channel
last week and is in talks with CNN, Al Jazeera, Dubai
TV and Al Arabiya.
SAMACOM SIGNS TRANSPONDER DEAL WITH NILESAT
SamaCom, a subsidiary of the Dubai Technology and
Media Free Zone, has announced the signing of a
transponder deal with Nilesat to launch a new Direct
to Home (DTH) platform. Under the deal, SamaCom and
Nilesat will co-operate in marketing a new DTH
platform using transponder capacity on Nilesat 102
satellite. The new platform complements SamaCom's
portfolio of DTH platforms for Arabsat 2D, Asiasat 2,
Asiasat 3S, Hotbird and Atlantic Bird satellites.
SamaCom currently broadcasts over 79 television
channels from its two teleports in Dubai. Its customer
base includes over 25 broadcasters and it provides
uplinks to over 20 satellites. In addition to the
satellite services SamaCom also provides terrestrial
TV and radio broadcasting services to Dubai Media Inc.
(DMI) from its facilities in Dubai and Northern
Emirates.
Internet -
http://www.samacom.com
A F R I C A
ANGOLA
GREEN LIGHT FOR CABLE TV PROJECT
The State-run Public Television of Angola (TPA) was on
October 6 authorised by the Standing Commission of the
Cabinet Council to develop a television project by
cable. According to a press note from the Council of
Ministers` Standing Commission`s meeting, under the
chairmanship of President Jose Eduardo dos Santos,
``the main objective of this scheme is the
distribution of pay-TV and audio signals".
SOUTH AFRICA
BUENA VISTA SIGNS LICENSING DEALS WITH ETV
BVITV has concluded another multi-genre, multi-year
agreement with South African FTA broadcaster, ETV,
which covers a broad range of entertainment
programming, including movies, kids animation,
live-action series and TV movies, and the launch of a
new Disney Hour strand. First-run features include The
Princess Diaries, Behind the Sun, and the Oscar Wilde
adaptation, The Importance of Being Earnest,
Crazy/Beautiful, Duets, as well as Recess: School's
Out and DuckTales: The Movie for younger viewers. The
features package also includes repeat movies such as
The Santa Clause and comedy thriller, Arachnophobia.
In a first for the channel, ETV also launches a
branded Disney Hour show on Saturday mornings
8.30-9.30, starting in November, airing Disney
children's animation (including Dave the Barbarian,
Fillmore and Teamo Supremo). In a separate agreement
with BVITV, ETV has also picked up broadcast rights to
children's shows from the Jetix portfolio of
programming that is handled by BVITV, including new
animated action series, Daigunder and RoboRoach, and
Pig City. BVITV also signed a pay-TV agreement with
South Africa's M-Net for new and returning US drama
series Lost, Desperate Housewives, Life As We Know It,
Alias and The Days.
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