TELE-satellite News - Number 42/2004 - 17 October 2004
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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
RECORD VIEWERSHIP FOR EURO 2004
According to Médiamétrie's newest Eurodata TV Sport
Insight survey, viewership for the Euro 2004 football
tournament topped the viewership for this year's
summer Olympic Games across Europe. Highlights of the
Euro 2004 ratings include the numbers for Germany,
where 25.4 million viewers tuned in for the
Greece/Portugal finale on ZDF, scoring a market share
of 68.5 per cent. In Greece, meanwhile, ET1 scored an
80.6 per cent share-for some 3 million viewers-for the
final match. In France, TF1 nabbed a 59.9 per cent
share with the 15.3 million viewers who watched the
France/Switzerland match. And BBC One generated a 72.5
per cent share for the 20.7 million audiences for the
Portugal-U.K. event. In terms of the Olympics,
gymnastics and athletics topped in Germany, which
scored 24.6 per cent and 26.3 per cent shares
respectively. Those two disciplines were also popular
in Spain, generating shares of 18.5 per cent and 19.8
per cent. Football and basketball were the big winners
in Italy, with 36.6 per cent and 33.8 per cent shares
respectively.
EBU RECOMMENDS
HDTV STANDARD
The EBU Technical Committee has recommended that
Emission standards for HDTV should be based on
progressive scanning: 720p/50 is currently the optimum
solution, but 1080p/50 is an attractive option for the
longer term. Although there are strong technical
arguments in favour of progressive scanning for
emission, the EBU Technical Committee recognises that
some broadcasters might wish to broadcast 1080i
programme material. As consumer electronics equipment
(e.g. set-top boxes and displays) will accept both
720p and 1080i formats, broadcasters will be able to
select either of these formats - even on a
programme-by-programme basis. Taking into account that
production and emission standards do not need to be
identical, further EBU studies on Production standards
for HDTV in Europe are in progress. This work is not
intended to result in a recommendation for a single
standard for HDTV production.
AUSTRIA
FAHRENHEIT 9/11 TO AIR ON NOVEMBER 1
Austrian public broadcaster ORF is joining the ranks
of broadcasters that will show Michael Moore's
anti-Bush documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" on November 1,
only months after its theatrical release. German
commercial channel ProSieben will broadcast "9/11" on
the same evening. ORF will run "Fahrenheit" as the
climax of its U.S. election background coverage, which
includes two other critical documentaries over the
next two weeks: "People Like Us: Social Class in
America," by Andrew Kolker and Louis Alvarez, and
Robert Greenwald's "Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on
Journalism."
CZECH REPUBLIC
PARLIAMENTARY CHANNEL TO START THIS MONTH
Members of both houses of Parliament soon will be
watched more closely than ever before. 24.cz, a
television station that will broadcast the day-to-day
activities of the country's MPs, begins trial
broadcasting October 28. The channel, which will be
available also on cable and via Astra satellite, will
operate under the Region Media company umbrella and
has a 12-year broadcasting license. UPC will not
support the company financially but will provide
technical support and signal distribution. 24.cz is
scheduled to begin "regular" broadcasting Nov. 17, the
15th anniversary of the 1989 revolution, and in time
it may evolve into a comprehensive news channel.
FINLAND
BROADCASTERS CRITICISED OVER MOBILE BILLS
Finland's consumer watchdog said on October 11 it had
reprimanded broadcasters for causing children to run
up huge mobile phone bills with interactive television
game and chat programs. In one case a child played a
television game as though it were a computer game,
sending enough text messages to get a bill of ?1,200.
FRANCE
PRIVATE GOLD ON NOOS CABLE
Private Media Group Inc announced on October 14 the
launch of the Private Gold television channel on Noos,
the largest cable television operator in France,
following an agreement with Private Blue and Gold
Broadcasting, a Private Media Group Licensee. Under
the terms of the agreement, the Private Gold channel
will be offered to Noos subscribers from October 18 as
part of a premium channel package on a monthly
subscription basis. The adult entertainment channel
will be broadcast from midnight to 5 am seven days a
week. Private Gold is currently available in more than
40 countries around the world.
TF1 GETS GOVERNMENT BACKING
A government commissioner has found in favour of TF1's
challenge of DTT licences awarded to the Canal Plus
group. In his conclusions, the commissioner
recommended cancelling the licences to the channels
Sport+, i-Tele, Planete, CineCinema, Premier, iMCM,
and Canal j. The decision does not affect the premium
channel Canal +. In its complaint, TF1 pointed out
that Canal + and the Lagardere Group jointly
controlled two of these channels, iMCM and Canal-j and
so should be counted among the licences awarded to
both of the operators. At the time of the call for
tenders, the upper limit was five channel licences per
operator. This upper limit for licences has now been
amended to seven, but the commissioner considered that
the law as it was at the time should be applied.
GERMANY
SAT.1 SALE DENIED
Leading commercial broadcaster ProSiebenSat.1 Media
will not sell its Sat.1 station, chief executive
Guillaume de Posch told German news magazine Focus,
dismissing rumours of a sale, in an interview to be
published on October 9. Earlier, Sueddeutsche Zeitung
had reported rumours that ProSieben's biggest
shareholder Haim Saban could sell Sat.1. America's
Walt Disney Co was cited as an interested buyer.
SCIENTIFIC-ATLANTA CHOSEN FOR DVB-T PROJECT
Following the successful deployment of its technology
in Germany's DVB-T pilot project in Berlin,
Scientific-Atlanta Europe has been selected to supply
its technology for the next two deployments in and
around the cities of Cologne, Bonn, Bremen and
Hanover. The Cologne/Bonn project started on May 24,
with the deployment in the Hamburg, Düsseldorf and
Ruhrgebiet areas commencing in November.
Scientific-Atlanta's technology will help provide
digital terrestrial television to a potential audience
of 24 million viewers. The demands of DVB-T are that
four channels must be transported at a bit rate of
13.2 mbps to enable blanket coverage for consumers
using either rooftop or indoor portable aerials. This
will also support customers using mobile reception.
HISTORY CHANNEL TO LAUNCH NOVEMBER 15
AETN International has unveiled a November 15 launch
date for History Channel's long-awaited German debut,
and has inked a deal with ZDF Enterprises for local
content. Adding to the Sunday night branded block on
public broadcaster ZDF, the new German-language pay
network will draw on the AETN library and some locally
produced and acquired German-themed history
programming. The channel will be carried on Kabel
Deutschland through its new digital programme package,
Kabel Digital Home. The pay platform, competing with
satellite platform Premiere, launched at the end of
September with a slew of international channels
including E! Entertainment, BBC Prime, AXN, Sci-Fi,
Nat Geo, Planet, ESPN
Classic Sports, MTV Hits, MTV
Dance, VH1 Classic, Trace TV and Playboy TV. According
to vice-president of programming and production at
AETN International, Michael Katz, the company's second
international channel, Biography, will launch into key
European territories in the first quarter of 2005.
Other plans for 2005 include the launch of a new
themed factual channel called i24: Investigation TV,
dedicated to crime-related factual programming.
TV AD REVENUE ON THE INCREASE
German TV ad revenue totaled ?5.3 billion over the
first nine months of the year -- a year-over-year
increase of about 3.2% -- according to figures
released on October 14 by Nielsen Media Research.
Despite the good news, TV continued to underperform in
the total German advertising market, which grew 5.7%
compared with the first nine months of 2003, according
to Nielsen.
HUNGARY
CR TO BID FOR ANTENNA HUNGARIA
The Czech telecommunications firm Ceske
radiokomunikace (CRa) will take part in a
privatization tender for the state-owned Hungarian
broadcaster Antenna Hungaria, according to the
Hungarian business weekly HVG. The weekly says CRa is
one of six foreign investors to express interest in
the company. The others are France's Telediffusion,
Portugal Telecom, Spain's Retevision, Italy's
Telespazio, and the venture capital firm Advent
International. The Antenna privatization has been
postponed several times already, but the state
privatization agency recently announced that it wants
to complete the tender by the end of 2004. The
government controls 73.7 % of the telecommunications
firm and wants to sell the whole stake to a strategic
investor.
IRELAND
BROADCASTERS READY TO ACCEPT FINE SYSTEM
Private radio and TV companies have said they would be
willing to accept a system of fines or "penalty
points" for breaches of broadcasting regulations. The
Independent Broadcasters of Ireland (IBI), which
represents commercial stations throughout the State,
said at present there was no flexibility when stations
broke the
rules. The regulator, the Broadcasting
Commission of Ireland (BCI), either wrote to stations
warning of the breaches or removed licences
altogether, said the IBI.
ITALY
POLICE DISCOVER SATELLITE PIRATE
Brescia Finance Police have discovered the first and
only case in Europe of satellite piracy. A TV
broadcaster with very sophisticated technology was
discovered using frequencies to broadcast scrambled
sport and pornography programmes. Also discovered was
a network of customers with smart cards retailing at
?100 each, as the result of an investigation conducted
in Italy and France over the course of a year.
SCIENTIFIC-ATLANTA AND SIRTI TO HELP RAI DTT LAUNCH
In order to meet a strict government deadline for
establishing digital transmission over its terrestrial
network, Rai Way selected a Sirti - Scientific-Atlanta
Europe NV DVB-T digital transport solution to serve
RAI, the national public broadcaster in Italy. The new
Scientific-Atlanta satellite uplink system has been
installed in Rome for Rai Way to operate as it manages
the national public broadcast network for RAI in
Italy. The new digital system went into operation in
early January 2004 following integration and
installation by Sirti. The Scientific-Atlanta
satellite uplink system is used by Rai Way to provide
programming to feed the digital transmitters covering
major cities in Italy. The new uplink system replaces
an aging system, and will also deliver satellite
programming to DTH customers. The system supplied will
distribute programs for RAI's DTH European satellite
programs and two national digital terrestrial
bouquets.
A.S. ROMA SIGNS PAY-TV DEAL
AS Roma has announced that it had signed a ?102
million TV deal with Sky Italia to have its games
broadcast via the satellite TV service for the next
two seasons.
POLAND
TVN IPO IN DECEMBER
Private Polish TV station TVN will debut on the Warsaw
Stock Exchange (WSE) in December or early in 2005, an
analyst close to the deal told Interfax on October 13.
TVN's parent company, Polish media group ITI, hopes to
raise $100-150 million through the planned
three-tranche IPO. Foreign investors will be offered
40-50% of shares, with 30-40% offered to domestic
institutional investors and 10-20% to domestic retail
investors. The offer will not involve a capital
increase and is aimed, among other things, at bringing
liquidity to the parent company, the ITI group, and to
minority investors engaged in ITI.
PORTUGAL
RTL GROUP ENTERS TV MARKET
RTL Group on October 4 announced the acquisition of a
strategic shareholding of 11.6% in the share capital
of Grupo Media Capital, a leading Portuguese media
company. The shareholding was sold to RTL Group by
Hicks Muse Tate & Furst, a leading global private
investment firm. Grupo Media Capital is the leading
television broadcaster in Portugal, measured by both
prime-time audience share and net advertising revenue,
through the free to air broadcaster TVI.
SPAIN
WORLD TV PREMIERE OF "FAHRENHEIT 9/11" ON CANAL PLUS
The world TV premiere of Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit
9/11" will take place in Spain. Premium pay-TV channel
Canal Plus Espana will air the documentary October 25,
eight days before the U.S. presidential election. It
will screen at 22:00, repeat a half-hour later on a
multiplexed channel and air for the final time at
22:00 on October 26. "Fahrenheit 9/11" grossed ?3.9
million through October, making it the
highest-grossing documentary in Spain.
SWEDEN
CANAL DIGITAL SVERIGE OPTS FOR KREATEL BOXES
Kreatel Communications on October 11 announced that it
has signed an agreement with Canal Digital to provide
it with set-top boxes and software for the IPTV launch
to Swedish consumers. Canal Digital, Sweden's largest
provider of digital television, is now making its TV
offering available also over broadband IP networks,
with Kreatel as one of its suppliers of set-top boxes
for the service. With a set-top box from Kreatel and a
subscription from Canal Digital, Swedish consumers
will have access to many TV channels and video on
demand delivered with highest video quality. As IPTV
and video on demand consists of highly valuable
content, content rights owners require the data to be
encrypted. The Kreatel IP-STB System contains the
security solution that receives and decrypts the
signal, making the content available for the
subscriber on the TV screen. Canal Digital is fully
owned by Telenor and is Sweden's largest distributor
of digital television. Canal Digital offers
approximately 80 TV channels, 20 music channels, and
interactive services over cable, satellite and
broadband.
TURKEY
WARNER BROS SIGNS OUTPUT DEAL
US major Warner Bros International TV Distribution has
inked a multi-year free-to-air deal with Turkish
distributor SAR-AN International for an unspecified
number of years. The terms give SAR-AN the TV rights
to films, series and cartoons from the new WBITV slate
including Harry Potter titles Sorcerer's Stone and
Chamber of Secrets, The Last Samurai, Matrix Reloaded
& Revolutions and Ocean's Eleven. Cartoons in the
package include Duck Dodgers and Baby Looney Tunes.
SAR-AN, run by Alan Saran, also exclusively represents
companies including Hallmark Channel, AETN
International, ESPN and Sportfive inside Turkey.
UNITED KINGDOM
BBC PRIME IN 20 MILLION HOMES
BBC Prime, BBC Worldwide's international entertainment
channel for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, is for
the first time reaching more than 20 million
subscriber households. BBC Prime achieved this
milestone following recent growth and launches into
new territories, making BBC Prime one of the most
popular platforms for British television across
Europe, the Middle East and Africa. BBC Prime has seen
strong growth recently with launches across Central
Europe and Italy, the development of subtitling to
cover ten languages and new distribution deals in
France and Germany. In South Africa, BBC Prime is now
established as the most watched international channel.
BBC Prime is broadcast to over 20 million subscribers
across Europe, the Middle East and Africa on cable and
satellite. Over 2500 hours of new programming are
transmitted each year, including Parkinson, Top of the
Pops, EastEnders, The Weakest Link and BBC Learning
(the BBC's unique overnight educational service). This
flagship British cable channel shows the best of the
award-winning programmes from BBC drama, comedy,
children's, documentary, film and lifestyle series.
Subtitles are available in English, Hungarian, Czech,
Polish, Hebrew, Romanian, Italian, Danish, Swedish and
Norwegian.
ITV COMPLETES GMTV ACQUISITION
ITV has completed the £31 million acquisition of SMG's
stake in GMTV, the latest step in taking full control
of the breakfast-time broadcaster. Following the
merger of Carlton and Granada to create ITV plc, chief
executive Charles Allen announced in May that the
company would buy SMG's 25% stake in GMTV, taking its
overall stake to 75%. Under the terms of the
shareholder agreement ITV is now obliged to offer Walt
Disney, the other joint venture partner in the
consortium that originally won the breakfast
broadcasting licence from TV-am, £31 million for its
25% stake in GMTV. However, the US giant has not yet
decided whether to sell.
NTL RECEIVES 15 BIDS
NTL has received at least 15 offers for its TV and
radio transmission business, the sale of which is
expected to generate up to £1.2 billion for the UK's
largest cable company. The first round of bidding for
the transmitter network that broadcasts the BBC, ITV,
Channel 4 and Five closed on October 11, with a number
of private equity firms and infrastructure companies
believed to have expressed an interest. Bidders that
have lodged an initial interest with Goldman Sachs,
which is handling the sale process, include Australian
bank Macquarie, Apax Partners, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts
and Terra Firma. Macquarie, which bought NTL's
Australian transmission business in 2002, is expected
to be among the favourites, having failed earlier this
year in its bid to buy Crown Castle's transmission
business. The number of bidders is expected to drop
sharply ahead of the second round of bids, which are
due in by November 22. The winner of the auction is
also likely to have to spend hundreds of millions of
pounds upgrading the nationwide transmission service
to cope with the switch from analogue to digital
broadcasting.
CONSUMER GROUP WORRIED OVER DIGITAL TV
Consumer groups lobbied the government on October 11
to ensure that people with low incomes or disabilities
will not be left out in the switch from analogue to
digital broadcasting, set for 2012. In a report
commissioned by broadcasting minister Andrew McIntosh,
the Consumer Experts Group, an alliance of
consumer-advocate bodies, warned that most people are
still against the idea of the switch-off and that the
government would miss its target date if financial
support is not available for the elderly and
low-income households. The pressure groups included
representatives from the Consumers' Association, the
Royal National Institute for the Blind, the National
Consumer Council and Age Concern.
BBC DIGITAL TV CHANNELS FAIL TO DELIVER
The BBC's digital portfolio of channels has had a
limited effect on commercial rivals because they have
failed to attract audiences, according to a U.K.
culture secretary-commissioned review of the services
published on October 13. In the review of the role of
youth entertainment channel BBC3, arts channel BBC4
and kids services CBBC and CBeebies that will feed
into the process of BBC charter review, Patrick
Barwise of the London Business School said that BBC3
and BBC4 had proven to be "poor value for money" in
terms of driving digital take-up, but he acknowledged
that program quality was high.
BBC, CHANNEL 4 AND ITV LAUNCH AUDIO DESCRIPTION
The BBC, Channel 4 and ITV have announced that Audio
Description is now available via digital satellite
television, as well as on Freeview. Audio Description,
or AD, allows viewers with compatible equipment to
hear a verbal description of the visual scenes on the
television. It broadcasts some programmes with
enhanced commentary transmitted in gaps between
dialogue. It has been developed as an aid to
understanding and enjoyment particularly, but not
exclusively, for viewers who have visual impairments.
The BBC, ITV, Channel Four and Five are committed to
audio describing at least six per cent of their output
in 2005. Programmes described include the most popular
soaps like Eastenders, Coronation Street and Emmerdale
and comedies like Friends and Sex and the City.
Children's programming like Blue Peter, The Hoobs and
Fimbles feature this service also. The BBC's Audio
Description service will be accessible via BBC One
London, BBC Two England, BBC Three, BBC Four, CBeebies
and CBBC.
SONY AND DISNEY TEAM UP FOR VOD SERVICE
Sony Pictures and the Walt Disney Co. are planning to
launch the United Kingdom's first studio-backed
video-on-demand service in a bid to erode BSkyB's
control over the UK pay-TV market. The two studios
said they plan to launch a cable-only VOD service in
partnership with management company On Demand
Management, which already operates pay-per-view
services for the U.K.'s biggest cable operators, NTL
and Telewest. Sony Pictures, Disney and the On Demand
group filed an application October 4 for permission to
launch the service with the European Commission's
competition division and expect a preliminary decision
as early as November 11.
UK POPULATION WANTS TV LICENSE FEE
According to the results of a new BBC survey, 81 per
cent of the U.K. population agree that the public
broadcaster is worth the £121 they have to pay for the
license fee every year. The survey, entitled Measuring
the Value of the BBC, also found that more than half
of the 2,257 respondents valued the BBC at twice the
current license fee. Respondents on average valued the
BBC at between £18 and £24 per month. In terms of
programming, the digital channels BBC Three, CBBC and
CBeebies were well received by respondents, while in
analogue homes News 24 proved to be a favourite. The
report also assessed the impact of introducing a
subscription-funded model for the BBC-if the
broadcaster were to charge £13 per month, 14.8 million
homes would subscribe. About 9.7 million would not
have access to the BBC.
ITV EXPECTS CUT IN BROADCAST FEES
ITV took a step closer to slashing its £450 million
licence payments burden on October 13 after Ofcom
published proposals that could reduce annual
broadcasting fees. The UK's largest commercial
terrestrial broadcaster has long argued for a
reduction in the public service programming quotas
that form a large constituent of its analogue
broadcasting licences. Ofcom, the media regulator,
acknowledged ITV's case last month when it proposed
the gradual phasing out of non-news regional
programming. However, ITV has also called for Ofcom to
recognise the cost of broadcasting 104 hours of
religious programming and 520 hours of TV shows per
year in terms of lost advertising revenue. The
regulator confirmed it will take into account the
money lost from screening such programmes when it
calculates the cost of ITV licences, which are due for
renewal at the end of the year.
BBC WORLDWIDE NOT FOR SALE
The BBC has told senior executives that a full scale
sell-off of its commercial arm, valued at up to £1
billion, is now firmly off the agenda after hiring
bankers to discuss the possibility with major media
companies in recent months. The corporation's chief
operating officer, John Smith, who is overseeing a
wholesale review of the BBC's commercial operations,
told a meeting of 400 managers that Worldwide was "not
for sale at the moment". He said the review was likely
to recommend that the BBC hold on to assets that "had
a strategic attachment" to the broadcaster. These are
likely to include the BBC America cable channel and
other overseas ventures.
UEFA CUP FINAL ON ITV
ITV has beaten Five to the rights to the Uefa Cup
final for the next two years. The network already
shares the rights to live Champions League coverage
with BSkyB as part of a £83 million-a-year joint deal,
but this year has stepped up its drive to pick up
rights to the second string European competition as
well. UEFA, the European football governing body, has
announced that ITV has secured the rights to the 2005
and 2006 Uefa Cup finals. As part of the deal ITV has
also won the rights to next year's Super Cup final,
played annually between the winners of the Champions
League and the Uefa Cup.
NTL CHOOSES SEACHANGE FOR VOD SERVICE
ntl Incorporated, the largest cable television
operator in the United Kingdom, has chosen SeaChange
International and its comprehensive VOD System to
support its impending on-demand television service.
Initial launch of ntl's on-demand service is slated
for the first quarter of 2005, making it Europe's
first large-scale, commercial cable on-demand service.
SeaChange's strategic on-demand partner, London-based
programming and content provider On Demand Group
(ODG), is also collaborating with ntl to enable this
milestone in European television. ntl is the U.K.'s
largest cable company and leading broadband supplier
with over one million broadband customers and 3
million residential customers. ntl's fibre-optic
broadband network can service 7.8 million homes in the
U.K. including London, Manchester, Nottingham, Oxford,
Cambridge, Cardiff, Glasgow and Belfast.
BSKYB EXTENDS ENGLAND RUGBY UNION CONTRACT
BSkyB extended its contract to show England rugby
matches by five years until 2010, the Rugby Football
Union said on October 12. BSkyB will show domestic
league matches and England's home international games
except for those in Europe's Six Nations tournament,
which is aired by the BBC. BSkyB already shows the
European Heineken Cup and, from the southern
hemisphere, Tri- Nations and Super 12 matches.
GMTV RENEWS DISNEY OUTPUT DEAL
UK breakfast broadcaster GMTV has renewed its output
deal with minority shareholder Disney. Despite the
loss of Disney-produced show Diggin' It, the renewal
will still ensure that Disney cartoons fill much of
GMTV's weekend kids slots, and covers some 300 new
half-hours of series like Lilo & Stitch, House of
Mouse, Recess, Kim Possible, Dave the Barbarian and
Tarzan. A separate deal also covers rights to Power
Rangers: Dino Thunder and Spider-Man from Jetix Europe
which Disney's sale arm Buena Vista represents. All
titles will arrive in GMTV's Saturday and Sunday
morning slots from early February 2005.
INTERACTIVE BBC TEN O'CLOCK NEWS
After Wimbledon and the Olympics: the BBC is now
planning to add an interactive dimension to its
flagship news bulletin, the Ten O'Clock News on BBC1.
The move will expand on the existing interactive news
services on BBC channels, which already offer a
round-up of headlines, a business summary, weather and
sport updates. The new service, dubbed Ten Extra and
created by iTV firm Two Way TV, will offer red button
jockeys two new text/graphics-based services plus one
video package, adding additional info and footage to
three of the night's top stories. Running on weekdays
only, Ten Extra will be available to interactive TV
viewers for only 15 minutes after the news bulletin.
N O R T H A M E R I C A
UNITED STATES
NEW CABLE DEALS FOR TV CHANNELS
GoodLife TV Network, an entertainment, lifestyle and
information cable channel for the Baby Boomer
generation, launched on October 8 in New York and New
Jersey on Time Warner Cable to about 700,000 digital
cable subscribers..English-language Hispanic network
Sí TV has inked a carriage deal with Cox Cable,
expanding its base in California, Nevada, and Kansas.
The new affiliate launches expand Sí TV's reach by
more than 200,000 new cable homes in addition to the
nearly 8 million homes the cable network is currently
available in nationwide..German speakers in Manhattan,
Brooklyn, Bergen and Hudson Counties, as well as Mount
Vernon and Hudson Valley can enjoy the very best of
German television thanks to German TV. The premium
channel delivers 24 hour German-language programming,
including up-to-date news, thrilling crime series,
weekly Sports updates, educational childrens' shows,
as well as entertaining talkshows and informative
documentaries.
WWE IN SEARCH OF NEW CABLE PARTNER
Wrestling magnate Vince McMahon is searching for a new
tag-team partner in television. McMahon's World
Wrestling Entertainment recently held preliminary
discussions with cable groups including Turner
Broadcasting, NBC Universal and FX Networks, according
to sources, about relocating top-rated weekly program
"WWE Raw" and its other series from Spike TV when
their contract expires in September.
MICHAEL MOORE DOCUMENTARY ON PPV
Michael Moore is looking to score a pay-per-view slot
for his controversial documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 on
November 1, the night before the U.S. presidential
election. The plan under discussion would present the
film as part of a three-hour telecast entitled "The
Michael Moore Pre-Election Special." It would be
carried by iN Demand Networks and would be priced at
$9.95.
METS TO LAUNCH REGIONAL SPORTS NETWORK
Time Warner Cable and Comcast Corp. have entered into
a deal with Sterling Entertainment Enterprises to
launch a New York-based regional sports network in the
spring of 2006 featuring New York Mets baseball games.
The as-yet-unnamed channel will obtain the rights to
air up to 125 regular season games of the New York
Mets in addition to pre-season games and other Mets
related news and feature programming. The network is
expected to carry all Mets home games and select away
games in HDTV, as well as VOD content. Day to day
management will be overseen by Comcast. The channel
will be available on the expanded basic tier and will
reach 2.3 million Time Warner Cable customers and
790,000 Comcast customers in the New York-New
Jersey-Connecticut area.
SCRIPPS TO PURCHASE GREAT AMERICAN COUNTRY NETWORK
The E. W. Scripps Company, parent of Scripps Networks,
has reached a definitive agreement to acquire the
Great American Country (GAC) network from Jones Media
Networks, Ltd., for $140 million in cash. GAC, a
24-hour country music video network launched in 1996,
is a wholly owned subsidiary of Jones Media, a
privately owned company based in Denver. GAC is
distributed via cable and satellite television systems
nationwide to about 34 million Nielsen rated
households. When the transaction is completed, GAC
will become the fifth national programming network
operated by Scripps Networks. Other Scripps Networks
brands include Home & Garden Television, Food Network,
the DIY -- Do It Yourself Network and Fine Living. The
transaction to acquire GAC is subject to federal
regulatory approval and should be completed by late
November.
Internet -
http://www.jonesradio.com
http://www.mediaamerica.com
DIGITAL TV DEADLINE TO BE EXTENDED UNTIL 2009
TV viewers may get until 2009 to trade in their
analogue TV sets for digital ones because lawmakers
and the Federal Communications Commission don't think
consumers will be ready to switch by the end of 2006,
the current legal deadline. So they're eyeing a
loophole that gets them around the 2006 due date: The
law also says the transition to digital sets should
come once 85 per cent of American households own TVs
that get digital signals. Depending on who's counting,
that figure now could be only as high as 10 per cent.
"We're pushing the digital transition, we'd like to
see it happen as soon as possible, but we think 2009
is a more reasonable date to be shooting for," said
Rick Chessen, head of the FCC's digital task force. In
the meantime, the FCC has adopted an unofficial target
date of January 1, 2009, for the transition. "Having a
deadline of 2009 will add millions more digital sets
to the marketplace before analog signals are turned
off," FCC Chairman Michael Powell told the Senate
Commerce Committee in September.
CABLEVISION DELAYS SATELLITE TV SPINOFF
Cablevision Systems Corp., the largest
cable-television operator in the New York region,
postponed to the fourth quarter a plan to spin-off its
Voom satellite-TV service as part of Rainbow Media
Enterprises Inc. Cablevision said in a statement filed
with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that
the spin-off depends on a number of conditions
including approval from regulators and its board of
directors.
TBS VOD SERVICE ON COMCAST
Cable network TBS announced it is launching a
video-on-demand programming package with Comcast
beginning this week that includes extra footage not
available on its linear network. New original series
including "The Real Gilligan's Island" and "The
Mansion" will be on Comcast's VOD platform, along with
exclusive content. Comcast also granted carriage to
new martial arts-themed cable channel Blackbelt TV,
which will be available in linear and VOD versions.
L A T I N A M E R I C A
DIRECTV AND AND NEWS CORP REORGANIZE OPERATIONS
The DirecTV Group, Inc. and News Corporation on
October 11 announced a series of transactions with
Grupo Televisa, Globopar and Liberty Media that will
result in the reorganization of the companies'
direct-to-home (DTH) satellite TV platforms in Latin
America. Highlights of the transactions include: Sky
Brasil and DirecTV Brasil will merge, and DirecTV
Brasil customers will migrate to Sky Brasil. The
DirecTV Group will acquire the interests of News Corp.
and Liberty Media in Sky Brasil. DirecTV affiliate
Galaxy Mexico will close its operations and sell its
subscriber list to Sky Mexico. DirecTV customers in
Mexico will be offered the opportunity to migrate to
Sky Mexico. The DirecTV Group will acquire the
interest of News Corp and jointly with Televisa, the
interest of Liberty Media in Sky Mexico. The DirecTV
Group will acquire the interests of Globo, Televisa,
News Corp. and Liberty Media in Sky Multi-Country
Partners, which has DTH platforms in Colombia and
Chile. Sky customers in Colombia and Chile will
migrate to DirecTV. The transactions are designed to
ensure the long-term success of DirecTV Latin America,
which is 86 per cent owned by The DirecTV Group, and
Sky Latin America by consolidating the two DTH
platforms into a single platform in each of the major
territories served in the region. In aggregate, The
DirecTV Group is paying $579 million in cash for the
equity stakes in the Sky platforms.
MORE THAN 8 MILLION PIRATE PAY-TV VIEWERS
According to industry estimates, more than 8 million
people in Latin America take in pay TV for free,
depriving the sector of US$3.68 billion in annual
revenue. Brazilians are the biggest culprits, costing
the industry US$1.44 billion, followed by Mexicans at
US$1.10 billion, according to data from Fox
Entertainment Group. Cable theft is also rampant in
Argentina, where the national association of cable
operators, ATVC, estimates that 20 per cent of homes
with service don't pay for it, totaling 600 million
pesos in lost revenue a year. Some content providers
are taking harsh measures. HBO Latin America Group
suspended 10 channels from Multicanal this week
because it said the operator wasn't doing enough to
eliminate theft. Mexico's top cable television
provider, Empresas Cablevision, is investing over
US$30 million in digital cable boxes for its 350,000
clients.
A S I A & P A C I F I C
ESPN STAR RENEWS SYNDICATION DEALS
Pan-Asian sports broadcaster ESPN STAR Sports has
renewed multi-year terrestrial syndication deals in
Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar with six
broadcasters - Channel 3 and BBTV7, VTV-3, TV5, CTN
and Myawaddy TV. The deals give viewers in these
countries terrestrial access to the English Premier
League, FA Cup matches, England Home Team matches,
World Pool Championship, San Miguel Asian 9-Ball Tour
and the Asian X Games, among others. ESPN STAR Sports
is a 50/50 joint venture between ESPN Inc. and STAR.
ASIASAT AND SATLINK LAUNCH DIGITAL TV PLATFORM
AsiaSat and Satlink Communications have announced the
launch of an MCPC (Multiple Channels per Carrier)
digital platform on AsiaSat 2. The launch of this new
platform will enable European broadcasters to expand
their potential coverage to the Asia-Pacific region
through Satlink's turnaround and transmission
facilities in Israel. AsiaSat 2, one of AsiaSat's high
power satellites orbiting at 100.5ºE, offers wide
C-band coverage stretching from Turkey and Egypt to
Australia and New Zealand. Satlink will provide
broadcasters with a single-hop transmission solution
to distribute their channels in the region. The
enormous footprint also allows European corporations
to establish connectivity with their offices in Asia
and Australasia.
AFGHANISTAN
AFGHAN TV ON INSAT
India has provided Afghanistan an INSAT satellite
channel to establish the national TV network,
according to an AIR report. The Indian Ambassador to
Afghanistan handed over the project in Kabul to the
Afghan Information and Culture Minister Dr Rahim. The
Public Sector Broadcasting Engineering Consultants
Indian Limited set up an earth station in Kabul and
provided facilities at ten regional stations in the
provinces. AIR reports that people all over the
Afghanistan will have the benefit to witness four
major events live on TV.
AUSTRALIA
DISNEY RENEWS AUSTAR DEAL
Walt Disney Television Australia/New Zealand has
renewed its distribution deal with AUSTAR, keeping the
Disney Channel on the platform's basic digital
package, Essentials. The agreement continues a
relationship inked in 2000, and paves the way for the
launch of additional launches from the Disney
portfolio.
INCREASED EARNINGS FOR CANWEST
Canadian broadcaster CanWest Global Communications
Corp. on October 13 forecast expansion in Australia
and surrounding markets as the TEN Group, its
Australian TV network, posted sharply higher pre-tax
earnings on higher TV ad revenue. The TEN Group has
posted fiscal 2004 revenues of A$836.3 million, 14 per
cent up on last year's results. TEN, 56.6-per cent
owned by CanWest, recorded EBITDA of A$287.2 million,
33 per cent up on last year. TEN's television revenues
were up 14 per cent, with A$756.1 million, thanks to
hits like Australian Idol and Big Brother, plus big
event programs such as Australian Football League.
ABC2 TO LAUNCH IN 2005
Australian public network ABC will launch a second
channel, ABC2, in March 2005. ABC2 will feature a mix
of children's, documentary, arts, international and
regional news programming, and will be available to
Australians with digital television receivers, or as a
free channel through subscription television. The main
aim of the new digital service is to expand the reach
of ABC children's programming. The move comes one year
after ABC closed its two digital channels, ABC Kids
and Fly because the government refused financial
support to subsidise the fledgling nets.
CHINA - HONG KONG
DISNEY CHANNEL FACES HURDLES
Walt Disney Co. President Robert Iger, said the
company faces regulatory hurdles to starting a channel
in China's southern province of Guangdong. Disney, the
second-largest U.S. media company, is vying with
Viacom Inc. and News Corp. to expand in a country with
more than 1 billion potential viewers. China, which
restricts what news organizations can report, eased
some curbs on overseas broadcasters this year,
including dropping a ban on foreign investment in film
and television. Iger announced on September 29 that
Disney plans to expand its television presence in
China, India and Europe as part of an effort to extend
the Disney brand and drive growth in its movie, DVD,
theme park and other businesses.
INDIA
ZOOM INDIA TO LAUNCH IN NOVEMBER
Times India's Zoom channel is to launch in November.
Zoom is a cross between E! Entertainment and Fine
Living, offering a glimpse behind the scenes of
celebrity lifestyles and 'the finer things in their
lives.'
NEW TV GUIDELINES COULD HIT STAR
The government's Telecom Regulatory Authority of India
has announced that a ban on exclusive programming on
cable TV also applies to direct-to-home (DTH)
satellite. The ban is meant to ensure customers can
see any channel they choose regardless of the
satellite or cable TV supplier they subscribe to. "The
DTH platform has to be seen as a carrier of TV
channels and its vertical integration with the
broadcaster cannot be the reason for content denial to
other distributors," Trai said. "The DTH platforms
would have to compete on the strength of the quality
of service, tariffs and packaging of the TV channels,
and not on content." Analysts say the authority's
proposal to enforce the ban on exclusive satellite
content would blunt plans by Star to offer unique
programmes on its planned premium satellite venture
with the Tata Group, Space TV. Space, which has yet to
get regulatory approval, will compete with Zee's Dish
TV, launched last year and broadcasting 100 channels
via satellite to 150,000 subscribers.
POWER VISION TV TO LAUNCH APRIL 2005
A new private TV channel which will help people to
develop their spiritual values is to be launched in
Kerala next year. Power Vision TV will be launched by
the Word Telecasting Company by April, said chairman
Pastor K C John, adding the public limited company is
now in the process of issuing shares to prospective
investors. Pastor John said negotiations are currently
under way with Asianet Television to use their
satellite space on a rental basis. The channel will be
broadcast initially in Malayalam, but later be
extended to English and Hindi.
PUNJABI MUSIC CHANNEL "BALLE BALLE" TO EXPAND TO
EUROPE
Balle Balle, the popular Punjabi Music Channel from
Punjab Today Group is all set to go global. The
channel has tied up with a new satellite and will be
available across the Europe in a month's time. In this
moment the channel is beamed to 32 countries through
Thaicom 2 satellite at 78.5°E - at 3585 V (26667 -
3/4, PIDs 516/ 644) with covering Asia and Middle
East. Balle Balle is in 20 million Indian homes in
just two years.
DTH SERVICE TO LAUNCH NEXT MONTH
Indian Information and Broadcasting Minister S Jaipal
Reddy says that the Direct-to-Home (DTH) service of
national TV broadcaster Doordarshan will be formally
launched by the end of November this year, according
to a report by Radio Netherlands. The Minister says
the DTH service, comprising a set-top box and an
antenna, would be available for a one-time payment of
3000 Rupees, and will receive 40 channels including
all Doordarshan channels and 25 private ones. Among
the channels offered will be Zee TV, Aajtak, Headlines
Today and the BBC. The Minister said that the BBC has
agreed to provide the channel feed to Doordarshan for
the purpose.
MALAYALA MANORAMA TO LAUNCH TV CHANNEL
Kerala's leading daily Malayala Manorama is all set to
launch a 24-hour entertainment Malayalam TV channel.
The company has also got in touch with leading foreign
channels to share content. There are five full-fledged
Malayalam channels at the moment, apart from
Doordarshan and some local channels that air news and
entertainment programmes. Amritha Vision, a channel of
spiritual guru Mata Amrithanandamayi, is expected to
be launched early next year.
INDONESIA
LARGEST MUSLIM GROUP TO SET UP TV STATION
Indonesia`s largest Muslim organization, the Nahdlatul
Ulama (NU), will set up a TV station, its general
chairman, Hasyim Muzadi, said on October 15. He said
the TV station will air programs on health, education
and religious matters.
NEW EDUCATIONAL TV STATION LAUNCHED
The Indonesian government has launched its second
educational television station, Televisi Edukasi
(TVE), with the aim of educating students through
on-air programmes, the Jakarta Post has reported.
Minister of National Education Abdul Malik Fajar said
the programmes were expected to increase the quality
of education and learning processes in the country. As
a pilot project, the government has cooperated with
state-owned PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Telkom) and
10 local TV stations to make the programmes available
for 100 state and privately-run schools across the
country. The first educational television station,
Televisi Pendidikan Indonesia (TPI), was launched in
1991, but went into commercial operations three years
later, reportedly because of losses.
ISRAEL
KESHET TO LAUNCH SDEROT CHANNEL
Keshet is completing negotiations with cable and
satellite companies to establish a channel that will
broadcast to Sderot and its environs on weekends
starting from next week. The channel, which will focus
primarily on children and adolescents, will be
available in any home that has a digital TV decoder.
YES WEEKEND LAUNCHES ON YES PLATFORM
The new YES Weekend channel will air a good dose of
reality TV shows, soap operas, and programs from
Warner Bros. Along with O.C., there will also be
syndicated shows such as Trading Spouses, a reality
show that centers on the exchange of mothers in two
families. Domestically, YES Weekend will debut the
Israeli-made production The Yacht - a voyage diary.
The new channel debuts on October 22 and will be
available Thursdays through early mornings Sunday.
CHANNEL 10 FUTURE UNCERTAIN
According to a report in Haaretz, Yossi Maiman, who
holds 40 per cent of the shares in Channel 10 and has
so far invested tens of millions of dollars, is
looking for a way out. Last month Maiman froze his
monthly cash flow commitment, but renewed it in
October. Shlomo Ben-Zvi, the minority shareholder,
asked from the outset to have a dominant influence on
the character of the channel and to assume the
position of channel president, but in the meantime has
changed his mind. Now he too is seeking to sell his
shares, apparently he is finding the high financial
commitment difficult. Ron Lauder, the Jewish-American
tycoon who owns the other 40 per cent of the channel,
seems to be the most stable of the investors, but his
relations with the other shareholders are far from
harmonious. Still, despite reports their desire to
leave the channel, the shareholders will probably make
do with welcoming a fourth investor who will relieve
their burden of regular cash infusions. Amost three
years after the channel was launched in January 2001,
Channel 10 is again mired in financial uncertainty.
JAPAN
NEW SKIES AUTHORISED TO PROVIDE SATELLITE SERVICES
Satellite operator New Skies Satellites on October 8
announced that it has been awarded a Radio Station
License by the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs
and Communications. This license, in combination with
the Telecom Business Registration granted to New Skies
in July of this year, enables New Skies to offer
international and domestic satellite services directly
to both Japanese and non-Japanese companies for links
to, from and within Japan.
J-COM TO LAUNCH HD MOVIE SERVICE
Broadband and cable service provider Jupiter
Telecommunications (J-COM Broadband) is launching a
high-definition version of its Star Channel movie
service this November. Star Channel Hi-Vision will
initially be offered in the Kanto and Sapporo regions
on November 1, with Kansai and Kyushu beginning the
service on December 1.
KUWAIT
FIRST PRIVATE TV STATION ON AIR
A Kuwaiti publisher launched the country's first
privately owned television station on October 15,
ending decades of government monopoly of broadcast
news media. AlraiTV, which broadcasts by satellite,
features news, dramas and movies as well as religious
programs. Its name translates as "Opinion TV."
Kuwait's government of Kuwait has four channels,
including a satellite station, an English-language
station and a sports station. AlRai TV can be received
via the NileSat (frequency 11,766 GHz/H) and ArabSat
(frequency 11,662 GHz/V) satellites.
LEBANON
FUTURE TV SIGNS TELCAST DEAL
Germany's Telcast Media Group has signed a 3-D deal
with Middle East broadcaster Future TV which will see
a new campaign roll out across the region. A first for
the Arab world, Future will launch a cross-regional
3-D campaign with Telcast's 3-D TV glasses and
integrated 3-D programming segments within the
broadcaster's existing programmes. The company intends
to concentrate on the Middle East in the expansion of
its camera network and broadcast clients.
AL-SUMARIYA ON AIR FROM BEIRUT
A satellite TV channel dominated by Iraqi shareholders
plans to start broadcasting from Beirut on October 15
because of insecurity in Iraq, an official from the
broadcaster, Al-Sumariya, told AFP. May Kahhaleh, head
of the news bulletin, said Al-Sumariya "operates under
the licence of the Iraqi government" but would start
its broadcast from the Lebanese capital for security
reasons." "We are going to start the broadcast on
Friday - the first day of the (Muslim holy fasting)
month of Ramadan - with series and entertainment
programmes for the occasion," she said. The news
bulletin would only start after the end of Ramadan in
mid-November, she said. Al-Sumariya's chairman is
Lebanese Jean Claude Boulos, one of the founders of
the state channel Tele-Liban - the Arab world's first
television station, founded in 1958.
MALAYSIA
ASTRO GETS $300 MILLION LOAN
Pay-TV operator Astro All Asia Networks on October 13
said it has obtained a $300 million syndicated term
loan and revolving credit facility from a group of
banks. The facility will be used to refinance debt and
for working capital and funding needs, the company
said. This will enable "Astro to achieve lower cost of
borrowings and improved financing terms," it said.
"With this facility, Astro will be well positioned to
grow its market share domestically and execute its
investment plans to extend its regional presence," it
added. Citibank Malaysia (Labuan) Ltd. and DBS Bank
Ltd. are the coordinating arrangers of the facility,
Astro said.
PAKISTAN
PEHLA LAUNCHES GEO TV
Pehla - Premium Asian Entertainment Television brings
has launched Pakistan's premier news and entertainment
channel 'GEO TV' on its platform. The Urdu language
channel mainly targeted for the Pakistani viewers will
be available to all subscribers at no additional cost.
This is yet another step in Pehla's commitment to
provide With its thought- provoking historical
documentaries, soaps and serials, sitcoms, religious
programs and empowering news, GEO TV has always been
identified as one of the Premier entertainment
channels of Pakistan.
Internet -
http://www.adduniverse.com
THE PHILIPPINES
GOVERNMENT COULD SELL TV STATIONS
The Department of Finance is reviving plans to sell
state-owned television stations RPN Channel 9, IBC
Channel 13, and NBN Channel 4 to help the government
raise more revenue and relieve itself of the financial
burden caused by these loss-making media
organizations, a department official said on October
12.
SINGAPORE
TOP MANAGERS CHOOSE CHANNEL NEWSASIA
Channel NewsAsia is the most-watched TV channel
amongst top management in Singapore, according to the
latest Pan Asia-Pacific Cross Media Survey by market
research firm, Synovate. The survey showed that among
Singapore viewers in top management positions, Channel
NewsAsia was their number one choice with some 67 per
cent share, followed by MediaCorp's Channel 5 with 65
per cent and Channel 8 with 62 per cent. In the same
survey, the three MediaCorp channels beat several
prominent foreign players in the rankings. CNN was
ranked sixth in the survey, with 20.7 per cent; BBC
World took 10th spot, with 13.5 per cent while CNBC
came in at 15th position, with 9.6 per cent.
A F R I C A
EGYPT
NOGOOM BANS AIRING OF CERTAIN SONGS
The censorship committee at the new Arab satellite
music channel Nogoom has decided to ban the airing of
songs that are classified as inappropriate for the
average viewers and which contain seductive scenes and
females wearing revealing outfits. Officials at the
network revealed that broadcasting such demeaning
songs goes against Arab social and traditional values
and should not be allowed to be aired. The management
of the channel has also decided to go over all the
songs it broadcasts on its different channels, Nogoom
TV and Nogoom Al Khaleeg, to ensure that no
inappropriate material is being aired. The channel has
made it a point since it began its broadcast six
months ago to refrain from broadcasting English and
Western music, due to the scenes in most of the clips.
The channel is owned by Suhail Abdoul's, husband of
Lebanese singer Diana Haddad, Production Company. The
cost of the channel is $2 million, and it broadcasts
different kinds of music from all around the Arab
world. Diana's husband has presented his wife the new
channel as his way of showing her his love, and will
be registered in both Suhail and Diana's names.
NIGERIA
TRENDTV STARTS EXPANDING IN AFRICA
Since commencing service in Nigeria a few weeks ago,
pay-TV operator TrendTV has been invited to operate in
Ghana by the government of that country while its
technical partner; Intelsat is making more facilities
available. According to the company's vice president,
Mehret Ghebreyesus, after Ghana Trend TV will seek to
cover most of West Africa and then move on. "We are
getting all kinds of enquiries from East Africa -
Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Central Africa and a host of
other places" he said.
FSTV INTRODUCES NEW CHANNELS
Subscribers to the first satellite television provider
in the West African sub-region and Nigeria in
particular, Frontage Satellite Television (FSTV) are
again in for a big treat through the newly created Big
Screen Africa. Big Screen Africa is a self-created
channel dedicated to African movies. FSTV, a
multi-channel satellite television organisation
launched in May, has over 20 channels with more still
expected.
Linear Mode
