31/12/01
Last day of the Year I would like to thank all that have supported the site over the year. Year 2002 Promises to be the biggest ever in the Asia Pacific region. Over the next few days I will take a look at some of the new Birds that are coming our way in 2002. We finish the year with the lighthearted annual Apsattv.com predictions, none of which could possibly happen.....could it??....
So Happy New Year, See ya next year! and P.S Keep your dish up :-)
Apsattv.com Official Predictions for Year 2002
Please Note The following contains, rumours, gossip, half-truths, misleads, daydreams, exaggeration, wild guess's and good old B.S it also contains some real info, it's up to you the reader to work out the fact from the fiction.
January 2002
Foxtel Helicopter sweeps Darwin and the NT but gives up after finding every 2nd house has a 3M solid dish in the yard.
Mediasat receives many complaints from the Thai and Turkish communities due to TV5 and TRT leaving.
JCsat 8 launches
February 2002
A big raid on suspected Pay TV pirates in Australia. Shock Horror several big name sports stars are implicated in the scandal that follows.
Tarb's signs up another dozen channels
JCsat 8 test with several never before seen Japanese channels seen FTA including a channel screening nothing but crazy game shows.
Pas 2 BBC World encrypts
March 2002
The Launch of Insat 3 at 83E sees more Indian services available including a couple in English!
Meanwhile new services pop up on Asiasat 3, Including HBO which is soon hacked and spread around the Indian Cable tv networks.
Al Jazeera news channel starts up its English channel. Aaj Tak TV from India follows
A drop in the Value of the Aussie Dollar hits pay providers hard.
April 2002
1st of April sees Canal+ launch 2 new Adult services, XXXX for the Aussie market and XXL News a 24 hour news channel from the people that brought you Nakednews.com.
Foxtel tests "Cryptoworks" encryption format
In a unusual move several Russian satellites are relocated
Nokia DVB2000 project finishes only bug fixes added from now.
May 2002
The NZ government purchases and launches is own small KU satellite, this kickstarts the NZ FTA market and also supplies 2 way internet to %100 of the country. All the NZ channels move off B1 and onto "Silverfern Sat"
Sky Attempts to offer a Pay Tv service to the Pacific Islands via SilverFern Sats Pacific Island Spot beam
Various services on B3 move to B1 to take advantage of the extra space.
Major problems cause Palapa C2 to shutdown for several days
June 2002
"Silverfern Sat" is a great success in the NZ market, leading to the launch of long awaited PAY TV competition to Sky. Sky responds by broadcasting its Sky 1 service FTA. Sky then attempts to flood the market with FREE decoders to anyone who will sign up with them. Of course we know that these are the ancient slow old units that can't handle the Open tv software but Sky has to get rid of them somehow.
There is much interest in the new satellite TDRS I satellite that gets placed at 172E
Asiasat 4 Launches to 122E bringing more Indian and Chinese channels.
The Launch of the new satellite receiver from the makers of DVB2000 and its a HOT one. Who's for some Mpg 4:2:2 video?
July 2002
A mystery new FTA english channel starts up via Thaicom 3 global beam, the FTA Adults only late night entertainment awakens the now dead cband big dish market. Shocked at the loss of viewers, competing channel ABC Asia Pacific in a shock move brings back "Here's Humphrey" and reruns of "A Country Practice"
The NZ market is flooded with cheap low end Asian satellite equipment.
Sky Launches a new receiver on the NZ market that does NDS/Irdeto and Viaccess with dual card slots, Has built in 60 Gig HD. This one they actually sell to customers! Foxtel buys 50000 of them...
Silverfern Sat adds 4 new channels, Kids , Music, 24hour News, and SportsNZ
August 2002
The Chinese government bans ABC Asia Pacific, there is only so much "Here's Humphrey" one can stand.
Optus C1 Launches (Finally) but surprise! it has problems with one of its antennas and signals going into parts of Asia that it shouldn't cover. The Singapore Government says "No comment" over the new unofficial footprint.
Foxtel Helicopter mysteriously crashes somewhere off the coast of NZ.
Foxtel then releases statement regarding footprint testing of Optus C1
September 2002
CCTV premieres its new show "Humflee Blear" which look suspiciously like VHS taped copies of Here's Humphrey but with Mandarin and Cantonese subtitles.
A satellite launch goes horribly wrong with a bird crash landing someplace in central Australia
Several Asiasat 2 Chinese channels encrypt
October 2002
Craig finally gets council permission to put up his dish at his new place...but its to late he is already looking at new places out in the country.
Zee TV goes FTA for the month to try and attract viewers
Several Chinese channels start offering "all English" programming in primetime and yes it has annoying subtitles at the bottom.
Tarb's raises its prices
November 2002
Craigs dish goes up (Hey stop laughing what do you mean it takes longer than a month for me to put up a dish) ;-)
Tarbs launches its Asia Pacific regional service.
Mystery Sat 1 goes up
December 2002
Chinese Family across the road from my house complains about the ugly dish in the yard. Problem is resolved after promising them tapes of "Humflee Blear" for their kids.
Asian Hackers announce they have the Tarb's encryption system hacked.
Tarbs cancels its recently launched Asia Pacific service due to "lack of interest"
Mystery Asian Company starts an Ethnic satellite service
30/12/01
No Update today
29/12/01
Sorry there isn't much news around at the moment not a lot we can do about it at this time of the year. There will be no site update on Sunday. But Monday 31st will be a special edition the first ever Apsattv.com predictions for year 2002. I will stare blankly at my dish and see what is coming up next year in the satellite world. Expect rumours, gossip, half-truths, misleads, daydreams, exaggeration, wild guess's and good old B.S thrown in as well. There will be some real info hidden in it also a rundown on new satellites coming in 2002 I think there is 14 launches to look forward to this year for our region!
From my Emails & ICQ
From Charles E Wright
Abc radio Australia running this morning......two diffrent audio channels
From the Dish
Intelsat 701 180E 11060 V TPS Star has replaced Cinestar 1 on , PIDs 955/975
Intelsat 701 180E The mux with Canal + Polynesie, RFO Tempo Tahiti, occasional RFO feeds, RFI and France Culture is still on 4086 L, Sr 12250, Fec 5/6. ( I was sure this hadn't left, just a SR change)
Insat 2E 83E 4005 V ETV Kannada has started testing on, MPEG-2/clear, SID 6, PIDs 1660/1620.
NEWS
Sky TV gets on top of its digital bugs
From http://www.nzherald.co.nz/
Sky Television hopes to have the bugs in its new digital format ironed out within the next few days, ending the teething problems that have had the service's subscribers complaining.
Their problems have included slow channel changing, sudden volume surges and missing programme information.
The problems have been caused by bugs in the new system's electronic programming guide.
Sky spokesman Tony O'Brien said yesterday the company hoped that the problems would be sorted out within the next few days.
"We're not hiding the fact we have had problems with it, but it's nothing like the problems we had when we launched the digital service in 1998."
He said customers were not able to go back to the old system, as it was gradually being phased out.
About 300,000 people subscribe to Sky's digital service and the switch from the company's old service was now "99 per cent complete".
The new digital format includes the addition of video games, TVNZ free-to-air channels, 11 radio channels, and an interactive weather service that includes marine reports and live satellite maps.
Mr O'Brien said the main problem was the slowness of electronic programming guide software.
While the new system would be slower than the previous one, it was hard to say by how much.
"It's like if you have everything open on your computer, it slows things down, but you will have many more features and applications - the old service had only one."
He said said Sky's investment in the new service was considerable but it had budgeted for teething problems.
He said there were always likely to be unexpected problems in setting up any new system.
- NZPA
(Craigs comment, Believe it when it happens...I bet they announce an "upgrade to a brand new decoder " promotion within a few months.)
Sri Adhikari Brothers back in spotlight on private placement talks
From http://www.capitalmarket.com
Satellite broadcaster Si Adhikari Brothers gained ground on renewed buying interest.
The scrip was up 6.9% to Rs 124 at 13:49 IST. 2.82 lakh shares had changed hands on the counter on BSE.
The buying in the stocks is on continued speculation about a private placement by the company at a premium to the market price. Amid this speculation, the scrip had surged sharply in the last few weeks. From a low of Rs 44.80 on 2 November 2001, the scrip jumped by 225% to a recent high of Rs 145.85 on 12 December 2001, when profit taking took centrestage on the counter. From that high, the scrip lost 32% to a recent low of Rs 98.90 on 21 December 2001. The scrip is once again attracting buying at the lower levels. Volumes, too, have soared from about 50,000 shares in early November 2001 to over 2 lakh shares a day now.
According to media analysts, there are rumours in the market for some time now of the company is considering a private placement of shares at about Rs 150-170 per share to a foreign strategic partner. The rumours have gained currency after satellite channel Sabe TV, the 100 per cent subsidiary of Shri Adhikari Brothers Television Network (SABTNL), recently appointed Credit Lyonnais to scout for a strategic partner for its on-going expansion.
Sabe TV which is a 24-hour Hindi general entertainment channel offers a mix of programming comprising sitcoms, soaps, chat shows, mythological and variety entertainment programmes. The channel claims it reaches around 22 million homes across the country. The channel, is transmitted digitally through the Asiasat 3S Satellite, is currently available as a free-to-air service across India.
SABTNL is an integrated television content production house and a broadcaster. The company commenced operations over 13 years ago as a television software production house producing programming for India's national broadcaster, Doordarshan. SABTNL continues to produce content for Doordarshan and markets airtime for these programmes on its own. The company launched its own television channel - SABe TV - on 23 April 2000.
Sri Adhikari Brothers clarifies on news article
From http://www.rediff.com/money/2001/dec/28risc.htm#adhikari
With reference to news article appeared in a leading financial daily titled "Sri Adhikari scrip soars on placement talk", Sri Adhikari Brothers Television Network Ltd has informed BSE that the article published in the newspaper was based on rumours, it was not a company release or it was not based on the information provided by the company.
The company has clarified that the company is receiving proposals for strategic alliances and is exploring opportunities on this front. However, till date, nothing has been finalised.
28/12/01
Welcome back hope you are enjoying the Holiday break, there has been very little activity over the last few days. B1 has been active with coverage of the Bush fires. While things are quiet I have been working on cleaning up the site a bit and making a few minor changes. Not much News around either.
Some time in the last week Sky NZ improved the Resolution on Tv1 and Tv2 to 720x576 (Same as the TVNZ mux uses) several people have commented that it looks "sharper" Someone at Sky HQ must of read the December issue of Satfacts where Bob compared Skys' FTA vs TVNZ's. It now comes down to what you prefer the service with Teletext or Sky's with EPG. I think Teletext is past its use by date in the age of internet. Meanwhile the newsgroups continue to fill with complaints over Skys Interactive problems and the recent decoder upgrades. The Aardvark page of Dec 27th has more on this.
Maybe some good news about BBC World, the Pas 8 signal may remain FTA due to viewer response. See Satfacts page for more info.
Aaardvark site http://www.aardvark.co.nz/
Satfacts page updated
The broken end off my actuator
From my Emails & ICQ
From Me 28/12/01
11.12a.m Syd time
On Optus B1
Feeds I guess for midday news
Optus B1 is running aussie bush fires feed
12339 V Sr 6108 Pids 308 256 Fec 3/4 "Sky news feed"
12357 V Sr 6108 Pids 4160 4120 Fec 3/4 "Globecast LF8, looks like channel 10 16x9 feed
From Bill Richards
From Chris Pickstock 26/12/01
The following is observed here in SA at 12.30 pm.
B1, 12317 H, Sr 6980, CNN
B1, 12326 H, Sr 6980, BBC World
B1, 12335 H, Sr 6980, Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race feed
B1, 12356 V, Sr 6110, SKY News Australia feeds of Sydney fires
B3, 12336 V, Mediasat, Network Ten coverage of Sydney Hobart Race
Also later in the day spotted
B1, 12367 V, Sr 6110, feed from the channel V music bus
Chris
From the Dish
Pas 8 166E Programming link added for ABC Asia Pacific http://abcasiapacific.com/guide/schedule.htm
Jcsat 8 154E No reports yet of a sucessfull launch of this new satellite
Measat 2 148E 4181 V "channel 1?" Sr 4342 Fec 3/4 Unconfirmed reports of new service here on Cband
Insat 2C 93.5E 4161 H "DD 4 - Kerala has left"
NEWS
TV repairman threatened with knife
From http://www.nzherald.co.nz
Threatening a television repairman with a knife because he could not fix the picture cost a Wellington restaurant owner $280 in the Wellington District Court yesterday.
Mustafa Can, aged 34, pleaded guilty to assault with a weapon and to being in possession of an offensive weapon.
The charges followed an incident in September when, police say, the repairman was at Can's home trying to fix his satellite dish.
An argument developed, and Can refused to pay the bill because the repairman had been to fix the dish two days before.
The police summary of facts said Can then motioned with his finger to his throat and said: "If you can't get it going, I'm going to slit your throat".
He then waved a kitchen knife at the repairman.
Can was discharged without conviction and ordered to pay $100 to the Cancer Society and $180 to the repairman.
(Craigs comment, I bet it was the Asiasat 2 mux he was trying to get. Perhaps he caught it when it was running FTA, then it encrypted. He has a great name I wonder if he is related to famous Samoan satellite viewer Tofullalaga Falloffasofa)
MAK TV to come up with 5 channels
From http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=1569710973
ET another television network is set to make a splash on the air-waves. And this one has five channels in its bouquet. The new network will be lead by the flagship Hindi channel called MAK TV.
Others, a dedicated fashion channel called Style, a music channel, and two regional channels: one Gujarati and one Sindhi. MAK is the acronymn for Manoranjan Aur Kya!
Speaking to ET, the about-to-be-launched channel’s North India representative Nitasha Narad merely said, "We are not really talking about details of the channel, since we are formally launching the net-work in a week’s time." Sources say that the channels of the MAK bouquet may go on air as early as January.
While the MAK channel will be headed by Karan Saluja, it is ru-moured that a top-level Sony executive who left the channel recently may also join the new channel as a senior functionary.
While MAK officials were tight-lipped about who the channel’s backers are, Mumbai media circles are abuzz with rumours that Subhash Ghai may be one of the persons behind it.
However, when ET contacted Mukta Arts’ executive director Parvez Farooqui, he denied saying that neither Ghai nor Mukta Arts was involved with the channel.
If MAK TV gets launched with all the 5 channels in its bouquet at one go, it will be one of the biggest network launches after a long time.
Currently, among national channels, only Star and Zee have more than five channels in their bouquet. Both Sony and Turner have three channels each of their own, though CNBC India has recently joined the Sony platform taking its bouquet tally to four.
Among the new channel launches in recent times, has been the Sri Adhikari Brothers’ SAB TV, Sahara group’s Sahara TV, the two chan-nels of B4U network, the mega-successful Hindi news channel Aaj Tak and the ETC channel.
However, none of the new entertainment channels have managed to break the stranglehold of Star, Sony and Zee on the Indian entertainment landscape and these channels continue to hold the sway on people’s minds.
Even the trend of regional channels is becoming strong with chan-nels from the TARA stable, ETV, Star, Zee TV, Doordarshan and of course the mega South Indian channel network Sun TV are going all out to serve programmes with a regional flavour.
However, MAK’s gameplan will only come to light, once the channel hits the airwaves next year.
(Craigs comment, wonder if they will show up via Asiasat 3 about time we got some new services there)
Zee may switch ownership of channels for India uplink
From http://www.financialexpress.com/fe20011227/efetop1.html
ZEE Telefilms is considering the transfer of direct ownership of Zee TV and Zee Cinema from Asia Today Limited (ATL), its wholly-owned subsidiary, to an Indian registered entity as one of the options so that it can uplink these prime channels from India.
The company is seeking regulatory approvals from various authorities but is yet to finalise on any one option. The options could be the merger of ATL with Zee Telefilms or setting up a branch office of ATL in India or transferring Zee TV and Zee Cinema from ATL to Zee Telefilms.
?We will have to bring Zee TV and Zee Cinema under Zee Telefilms or ATL by opening a branch office in India if we are to get permission to uplink these two channels from the country. But we will need approvals from various authorities,” said Hitesh Vakil, director, finance, Zee Telefilms.
Zee will need to clear all syndicated loans of ATL. It will also need clearance from Reserve Bank of India and the ministry. Though the company has obtained permission to uplink seven of its channels from India, the main channels Zee TV and Zee Cinema are not eligible as they belong to the Hong Kong-based ATL which is not a registered company in India.
Zee News, which also belonged to ATL, will be transferred to Zee Telefilms. “We were already uplinking Zee News from India. So it did not require a special permission or regulatory approval,” said Mr Vakil.
Zee Telefilms, which had sought uplinking of its seven digitally encrypted channels from India, has also applied for permission for the southern language channels, Bharathi and Kaveri. They are currently uplinked from Singapore. “We couldn’t apply earlier as we were talking with Asianet Media for a joint venture in the southern region. But as the deal broke, we have applied now for the southern language channels. We would like to uplink them in the first phase itself,” said Mr Vakil.
Zee Telefilms will either merge Dakshin Media with itself or transfer the assets and make it go defunct. The southern language channels will be operated by ZTL.
The channels uplinked from Singapore by ZTL subsidiary Expand Fast Holdings will be operated by ZTL. These are Zee Music, Zed TV and the four language channels. These were ZTL-owned brands which were licensed to Expand Fast. “Once the uplinking starts, the licensing arrangement will stop,” said Mr Vakil.
Zee’s plan is to bring third party channels under Expand Fast for uplinking in Singapore. Expand Fast has three transponders and a capacity to uplink more than 20 channels. Zee English and Zee MGM will continue to be uplinked from Singapore.
Zee Telefilms had earlier sought for permission to uplink all its channels from India but subsequently brought it down to seven channels because of the policy restrictions. It also dropped its plans to directly operate a teleport in India because of the foreign equity restrictive clause. ZTL chairman Subhash Chandra has NRI status and owns around 59 per cent, which is not permissible for a teleport operator in India.
AXN airs in Malaysia
From http://www.adageglobal.com/cgi-bin/daily.pl?daily_id=6490
SINGAPORE - Sony-owned action and adventure satellite TV channel AXN-Asia has soft-launched on ASTRO in Malaysia.
According to AXN Managing Director Todd Miller, this new carriage means complete 24-hour coverage in all key markets and all key systems across 17 countries in Asia, bringing the total number of subscriber households to more than 54 million.
The channel officially launches Jan. 1 on the pay-TV channel's basic tier: 'ASTRO Favorites'. Describing Malaysia as a crucial market for regional TV networks, Mr. Miller expects AXN in Malaysia "to perform to high levels".
Commenting on the addition of AXN on ASTRO, ASTRO's International Programming Manager Agnes Kim Rozario says: "By adding AXN to our programming line-up, we now offer 38 vernacular and international television channels as well as access to 16 radio channels."
25/12/01- 27/12/01 AWAY (BACK on the 28th)
24/12/01
Well I can't say I am in a Christmas kind of mood. I moved the dish to have a look at ABC Asia Pacifics test on Pas 8, then was shifting dish over to 701. I managed to move the dish to far and the dish rolled over and here is the %^!#&^%#!!!!!! bit the end of the actuator snapped off!!! sending my dish crashing down !! (still on the pole though) if it wasn't for the guywires i had up the whole thing would be a write off! as it is there is a small bit of panel damage where the actuator hit (No holes or rips just a dent) just by luck it hit the pole in line with one of the ribs. I don't know how it snapped so easily! One clip to the hub of the dish popped off. Well that's the damage count. I must be jinxed, first I had to send for replacement hub clips, then a replacement polar rotar moter. Now it seems a new actuator will be needed. I might just take the whole lot down and start again at the new house but with my luck I won't be allowed to put it up there. Anyway Merry Christmas everyone we will be back on the 28th in the meantime if your satelliteing over the next few days stay in touch via the mailing list.
Abc Northern on B1 seems to be back to its highest power. Even my 65cm is receiving it again.
From my Emails & ICQ
From David Pemberton
Craig,
ABC ASIA PACIFIC TV has now started testing on PAS 8.Frequency is 4180H.SR = 27500.FEC = 3/4.
There are two ABC ASIA PACIFIC TV channels.Pids are as follows.
ABC ASIA PACIFIC 1 = 2306/2307/2305.
ABC ASIA PACIFIC 2 = 2313/2314/2312.
There are two RADIO AUSTRALIA Channels.Pids are:-
1 = 2309/2305
2 = 2310/2305.
Please note:- They do not load in as ABC PACIFIC 1 and 2.They only load as ABC ASIA PACIFIC.I only put 1 and 2 to explain the difference.
Best regards,
DAVID PEMBERTON
From Tony Drexal FTA Satellite Services.
Australia Television has commenced on
PAS 8 166E 4180 H SR 27500 Fec 3/4
MPEG 2 Television:
Ch1 Australia Television
V2307
A2308
PCR 2305
Ch2 Australia Television
V2313
A2314
PCR 2306
Radio:
Ch1 Radio Australia
A2310
PCR 2305
Ch2 Radio Australia
A2311
PCR 2305
Kind regards
Tony Drexel.
Free To Air Satellite Services. S.A.
From the Dish
Intelsat 701 180E A new CanalSatellite Caledonie mux has started on 10975 H, MPEG-2/Mediaguard,
SR 30000, FEC 3/4, SIDs 1-2 and 2001-2003, line-up: two test cards (clear),Action, National Geographic Channel France and TF 6.
PAS 8 166E 4180 H "ABC Asia Pacific MUX" Started, Sr 27500, Fec 3/4
PAS 8 166E 4180 H ABC "Asia Pacific" Vpid 2306 Apid 2307
PAS 8 166E 4180 H ABC "Asia Pacific" Vpid 2313 Apid 2314 (This one - 2hours)
PAS 8 166E 4180 H ABC "Radio Australia started" Apid 2309
PAS 8 166E 4180 H ABC "Radio Australia started" Apid 2310
(Craigs comment, I found TXT pids here also, unfortunatly I didn't get to save them in memory)
Optus B3 156E Minor updates in Austar/Foxtel.
Yamal 102 90E 3645 L "ORT International" has left.
ST 1 88E 3632 V "Tzu Chi TV"is now encrypted. (You can watch it on Mediasat thought )
Thaicom 2 78.5E 3764 H "BBTV Channel 7" is back on , Sr 4320, Vpid 33 Apid 34.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3585 V "Sky Bangla has replaced Star Vijay" on, Vpid 515 Apid 643.
NEWS
Digital Television Discussion Document
Press Release by New Zealand Government at 2:00pm, 21st December 2001
From http://www.newsroom.co.nz/story/79440-32-0.html
The government is inviting public input into the development of policy on digital television.
Broadcasting Minister, Marian Hobbs, has released a public discussion document that considers what role the government might have in facilitating digital television in New Zealand.
"Transmitting television to the home with digital technology is occurring in several countries including New Zealand," Marian Hobbs said. "We should now address when and how digital transmissions are introduced more widely including for free to air services."
Digital television can be transmitted by satellite, cable, or terrestrial means. It has the potential to offer better reception quality, increased programme capacity and new features such as programme guides, multi-view camera angles, and interactivity. There is also the possibility of increased convergence with the Internet. In the short to medium term there will be added cost for broadcasters and for viewers who choose to receive digital transmissions, but these are expected to decrease over time.
The widespread use of digital technology for free to air services raises questions about technology choice, spectrum allocation, reception in the home and set top boxes, geographical coverage of television broadcasts, and "switch off" of analogue services. There are also implications for public broadcasters from audience fragmentation and, for viewers, the availability of publicly funded programming.
"My concern is that all New Zealanders have access to the choice and opportunities that digital can offer," Marian Hobbs said. "New Zealand needs a wide public debate on the issues and the discussion document is designed to stimulate this.
"Submissions from the public and industry will enable the government to make better informed decisions. It is important that policy decisions are consistent with the government's objectives for broadcasting, knowledge economy initiatives and the wider regulatory environment."
The closing date for submissions is April 15, 2002.
The discussion document is available on the Minister of Broadcasting's website:
http://www.executive.govt.nz/minister/hobbs/index.html
And also at: http://www.med govt.nz/pbt/broadcas/digitaltv/index.html
or in printed form from:
Ministry of Economic Development
PO BOX 1473
WELLINGTON
(Attn. Radio Spectrum and Broadcasting Policy Group)
ENDS
Russia, Australia Sign Commercial Cosmodrome Deal
From satnewsasia.com
Russia announced it had signed an agreement with Australia on space launches from Australia's Christmas Island beginning 2004.
The contract between Rosaviakosmos, the Russian space agency, and Asia Pacific Space Center (APSC), was signed last weekend and follows an agreement last June that provides a framework for cooperation between the two countries. The initial agreement also facilitates the transfer of information and technology between the two countries.
Australia has chosen tiny Christmas Island off its northwest coast as the site for its first space launch center. When inaugurated in 2003, the US$408 million facility will become the first fully commercial, land-based facility of its kind in the world. It will be operated with technical assistance from Russia.
The project by APSC, an Australian consortium, focuses on the growing Asian satellite market. The spaceport would target the geostationary launch market and offer capabilities for low earth orbits. It will also be used in test flights of satellites and space communications. The island's proximity to the equator (it lies between 10 degrees 30 minutes South and 105 degrees 35 minutes East) makes it an ideal satellite launch site as heavier payloads can be sent into orbit using less fuel.
Work on the Christmas Island project will begin in February 2002 with a first launch expected around the end of 2004, about one year later than originally planned. Some issues such as protection of sensitive Russian technology, however, remain unresolved. In addition, Australia is also demanding launch guarantees that the Russians consider excessive, according to Yuri Koptev, director general of Rosaviakosmos. He expected both parties to come to a final agreement by February 2002.
Satellites from the Christmas Island spaceport will be launched atop Russia's new Aurora rocket, an upgraded version of the Soyuz launch vehicle. The Aurora can carry a payload of up to 12 metric tons into a low earth orbit, significantly enhancing the Soyuz's capacity of seven metric tons. Much of that advantage owes to Christmas Island's proximity to the equator, which allows rockets to carry heavier cargoes to higher orbits compared with launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The first Aurora flight tests will be launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome.
APSC is to stage between four and five launches a year down from earlier predictions that saw as many as 15 launches per year from 2006.
Koptev gave a bleak outlook on the commercial satellite launch market, which he said was shrinking instead of expanding. Over the next five years, Koptev expects no more than 32 to 34 launches to GTO per year worldwide, and only seven to 10 launches into low and medium orbits.
Star Granted Landing Rights for a New Channel in China
From satnewsasia.com
China has given Star TV, the Asian satellite TV unit of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation, approval for a Mandarin-language entertainment channel in Guangdong province.
The channel will launch early next year and will air programs from CCTV-9, a unit of China's state-run broadcaster, in the United States through News Corp's Fox network. Beginning April 1, 2002, CCTV-9 will downlink to select networks in the San Francisco and Los Angeles area while a Chinese entertainment channel will be downlinked to some networks in Zhaoqing and Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong, China's richest province.
The deal gives Star TV, the number one satellite broadcaster in India, a toehold in a region of China that has some 100 million-cable households. The deal is the third time Beijing has given a foreign broadcaster access to cable viewers in Guangdong. Last October, Beijing gave similar rights to AOL Time Warner's Chinese-language channel CETV and to Phoenix Satellite Television, which is 38 percent-owned by News Corp. Foreign channels are banned outside of luxury hotels and foreign residence compounds in the rest of China.
The Chinese Communist Party sees control of the media as key to its survival as economic progress brings a host of new challenges, including the threat of social unrest from workers thrown out of work by foreign competition.
James Murdoch, Star TV chairman and CEO, said he was excited about this landmark agreement that represents a milestone for Star's development in China. With its new channel, Star would be able to provide content in Guangdong unlikely to agitate Beijing censors while continuing to air news programs and more provocative entertainment over channels in other Asian countries.
Star, a wholly-owned subsidiary of News Corporation, is Asia's leading multi-platform content and service provider. Star's 37 distributed services in eight languages reach more than 300 million viewers across 53 Asian countries. Star television channels include Star Chinese Channel, Phoenix Chinese Channel, Star Plus, Star World, Channel [V], ESPN, Star Sports, Star Movies, Star Gold, Phoenix Movies Channel, VIVA Cinema, Star News, Phoenix InfoNews Channel, in addition to distributed channels National Geographic Channel, Vijay, Fox News and Sky News. Star has interests in cable systems in India and Taiwan, Internet portals and services companies across the region, and is the leading commercial FM radio operator in India.
China Central Television (CCTV), established in 1958, is China’s national television station. CCTV is China's earliest and largest broadcaster, and runs 11 channels reaching one billion viewers.
SpeedCast NetTV and BizTV Deliver Bloomberg Television's Financial Information and Business News
From satnewsasia.com
SpeedCast Ltd., a broadband enabler of satellite based services, today announced the renewal of the partnership agreement with Bloomberg Television, the global provider of financial information and business news.
With the agreement, Bloomberg Television's live, around-the-clock financial information and business news will be available on SpeedCast Multimedia's satellite-enabled services, NetTV and BizTV throughout Asia and the Middle East. The business video content will be delivered directly to end-users' PCs 24 hours a day on a subscription basis.
SpeedCast NetTV and BizTV's subscribers will have access to Bloomberg Television content live from the US, Asia and Japan, as well as Bloomberg Headlines and the top Asian and world news. Bloomberg's content is delivered via satellite directly to last mile Internet connection or via corporate LANs, enhancing viewing quality for end users.
Bloomberg Television is one of the top five NetTV channels and demonstrates a track record of high traffic, according to SpeedCast. The company believes Bloomberg’s high quality authoritative streaming media content is the key to attract and retain viewership and to drive further revenue to Bloomberg and its other content partners.
The SpeedCast network is designed to deliver streaming multimedia video and audio content to the edge of the Internet, bypassing the Internet's slow delivery paths. By bringing content as close to the end-user as possible, subscribers can enjoy a high quality listening and viewing experience. The service is delivered via the AsiaSat 3S satellite, with a geographical footprint covering more than two thirds of the world's population.
Bloomberg Television provides comprehensive coverage of fast-breaking money and business news, stock reports, world news, market updates, sport and weather in the world. Bloomberg has 1,500 reporters and editors based in 85 news bureaus worldwide, delivering news and analysis 24 hours a day, everyday.
Founded in September 1999, the shareholders of SpeedCast include Tech System Limited, Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company Limited (AsiaSat), Telecom Venture Group and Yahoo! Inc. Based in Hong Kong, SpeedCast, is focused on becoming the leading broadband Internet and multimedia service provider via three satellite-enabled broadband services.
FTV’s Adam keen to meet Indian cable operators
From http://www.financialexpress.com/fe20011220/efetop3.html
Paris-based Fashion Television (FTV) is now keen to meet Indian cable television operators, a little over a month since it went off the air when its decision to become a pay channel was rejected by the operators.
According to an official of Modi Entertainment Network, FTV owner Michael Adam has sought the support of all recognised multi-system operators (MSOs) to re-enter the market as a pay channel.
?I look forward to your patronage and strong support to the channel in making it a great success in India,” Mr Adam has written in a letter to MEN, which is the largest distributor of FTV in south Asia. “When I am India in next time, I look forward to meeting you”.
?Keep watching FTV. More fun, more fashion, more entertainment, non-stop,” Mr Adams has written.
The MEN official said Mr Adams is planning to visit India soon to market the channel. FTV, the first 24-hour channel dedicated to fashion, is not available everywhere in India ever since it decided to go pay. RPG Netcom, which covers 75 per cent of the market in Kolkata, does not show FTV but its smaller rival, Siti Cable, includes it.
The Asiasat-2-based FTV had decided to become a pay channel from November 1 this year, but operators under RPG Netcom refused to accept it. The operators had wanted a 120-day notice period, but FTV refused to accept this demand.
The MEN official said decoders are in short supply, so the channel continues to be free-to-air for those independent operators and MSOs who want to show it. He said the FTV decoder is now available for Rs 18,000 against Rs 36,000 earlier for a minimum of 300 points. The monthly rental is Rs 7 per point for operators who do not want to buy the decoder outright.
However, the Forum of Cable Operators (FCO) has once again said that there is no demand for FTV to justify its going pay.
Zee TV to offer separate encrypted beam for Bangladesh, Middle East, Pak
From http://www.financialexpress.com/fe20011220/con5.html
Zee TV will offer a separate encrypted broadcast beam for the Middle East, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal, starting December-end.
A separate beam will help Zee to reschedule programmes for those markets and enable the company to tap advertisers from those regions separately. Zee estimates airtime annual sales of $4-5 million from markets covered under this new beam.
Currently, Zee TV accepts ads from these markets only in its late prime (post 11 pm) time slots. The current beam covers geographies from Singapore to Saudi Arabia.
?The separate beam will help Zee TV monetise all 24 hours of its programming for airtime slots from these markets. Currently, advertising for all Indian channels gets affected in these markets as the rates in India are much higher and prime time varies,” said the company in a release.
?With a rate-card tailored to that market, we believe we can generate substantial revenues from the Middle East. The Pakistan market is almost virgin for us. We could get our rightful share of ad revenues from there by offering prime-time inventory at locally competitive prices,” said Zee Telefilms group CEO Sandeep Goyal.
Zee TV may also consider some content customisation with market-relevant programming in Bengali, Punjabi and Urdu for viewers in Bangladesh and Pakistan. It may also enhance some of the movie content on this beam as Indian movies have a high fan following in all these markets.
Zee had earlier announced that it had obtained government permission to uplink seven of its channels from India.
?Local uplinking will free up a lot of facilities at Singapore, allowing customisation of beams for different markets. The Middle East and Pakistan beam is a first step in this direction,” the company said.
T S I C H A N N E L N E W S - Number 51/2001 23 December 2001 -
A weekly roundup of global TV news sponsored by TELE-satellite
International
Editor: Branislav Pekic
Edited apsattv.com edition
A S I A
CHINA
STAR TV SECURES RIGHTS FOR CABLE CHANNEL
Rupert Murdoch’s Star TV announced it has secured rights to a mainland
cable TV channel. Star TV will be granted official approval for an
entertainment channel delivered by local cable TV systems in Guangdong,
China’s richest province. The Asian broadcasting unit of Rupert
Murdoch’s Australia-based News Corp already has a mainland foothold with
5 free-to-air channels beaming signals to selected viewers in hotels and
in foreign residential compounds. The channels are Channel V, Star
Sports, National Geographic, ESPN and Star Movies. Each week about 50
hours of programming are distributed to mainland TV stations and cable
TV operators in the form of syndicated programme blocks. Star TV has
become the third foreign firm to be granted cable carriage rights - the
right to provide its TV services to individual homes by cable.
COOK ISLANDS
NO TV FOR ISLAND INHABITANTS
The inhabitants of the Cook Islands in the South Pacific are without
television after the government pulled the plug on Aitutki’s only TV
station. A letter from the Prime Minister to the Aitutki Broadcasting
Service said the government’s TV service on the islands would be changed
immediately. The letter follows directives issued by the Prime Minister
as Minister for Finance and Economic Development, Telecommunications and
Broadcasting. It says the Government will no longer be responsible for
any costs incurred by the company in the provision of a television
service.
THE PHILIPPINES
NBC GIVES UP ON SATELLITE TV PLANS
Nation Broadcasting Corp., affiliate of dominant carrier Philippine Long
Distance Telephone Co., has suspended a plan to operate a direct-to-home
satellite television service pending the completion of cable televisions
Home Cable-SkyCable merger. NBC filed with the National
Telecommunications Commission on May 30 an application to operate a DTH
satellite television service in the country. An NTC source said that NBC
might not have a hard time acquiring a license since it would already be
the fifth player in the DTH market. The NTC, however, has yet to give
the broadcasting company its license. Pangilinan, however, said he would
rather wait it out and see how the merger of Home Cable with the
Lopezes’ SkyCable would work before making his next move.
Internet - http://www.pldt.com.ph/
SINGAPORE
RADYNE COMSTREAM WINS ESPN STAR SPORTS ORDER
Radyne ComStream through its wholly-owned subsidiary Armer
Communications Engineering Services (ACES), on December 21 announced a
$1.1 million award with ESPN STAR Sports in support of a digital TV
uplink facility in Singapore. ESPN STAR Sports, a 50:50 joint venture
between two of the world's leading cable and satellite broadcasters,
ESPN Inc. and STAR, is Asia's sports provider that reaches over 82
million households for ESPN and over 56 million households for STAR
Sports, bringing the world's premier live sports and leading regional
events to viewers 24 hours a day.
Internet - http://www.espnstar.com
23/12/01
No site update for today, there will be one Monday then a 3 or 4 day break. I will be quite busy over over the next few weeks packing, so the site will be on the back burner for a while.
22/12/01
Interesting news Channel 9 and NZ Prime TV announced a partnership deal. Hopefully the first thing they will do is go FTA on B1 in the Sky service or preferably the TVNZ mux. The other interesting item is Skys programming will be supplied to TelstraClear customers. There seems to be a lot of details missing from the news item. Hopefully there will be more on this in the next few days.
Another WWF feed spotted via 701 3769 rhc "WWF Livewire" 11 a.m Syd time Saturdays
From my Emails & ICQ
From Chris Pickstock
2 pm SA time
On B1, 12397 H, sr 7200, NBC America is running. Currently showing "Law and Order", complete with adverts.
From the Dish
Asiasat 2 100.5E 3951 H "Pop Channel and Business and Finance Channel" are still on ,Irdeto, SIDs 1-2, PIDs 450/451 and 650/651.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3585 V "Star Vijay" has started on, Vpid 515 Apid 643.
NEWS
TelstraClear looks to Sky for TV content
From http://www.stuff.co.nz/inl/index/0,1008,1049279a13,FF.html
Sky Television will pick up thousands of new customers in the New Year when it begins supplying customers of TelstraClear with its sport, news and movie channels.
TelstraClear's 26,000 pay-TV subscribers in Wellington and Christchurch will receive Sky's programming from the beginning of February, effectively making Sky the only major pay TV operator in the country.
Analysts widely expected TelstraClear to withdraw from the content side of providing pay TV services and seek a wholesaling arrangement with Sky, its dominant competitor in the pay TV market.
That was first forecast in August when TelstraSaturn pulled the plug on plans for a satellite pay TV service that would have reached customers outside Wellington and Christchurch.
TelstraClear spokesman Quentin Bright said most of the content arrangements would remain when Sky assumed responsibility for the service.
Saturn Sport would be dropped from the mix in favour of Sky's sport channels and a couple of other channels would be the subject of negotiations between Sky and foreign content providers.
The deal mirrors a bundling arrangement Sky has had in place with Telecom since March.
The Sky-Fi deals offered by the two companies combine Internet access, phone line rental and pay TV services and have so far been moderately successful.
Mr Bright said TelstraSaturn's $49.90 entry-level pay TV and telephone service would be maintained, but price changes would arise when subscribers chose various combinations of Sky channels.
TelstraClear's chief executive, Rosemary Howard, said the deal was a sign of the "buy-build" strategy TelstraClear would be pursuing, where the company would more actively seek wholesale and resale deals with other companies rather than invest heavily in building its own infrastructure.
Prime gets serious with Packer
From http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=383929&thesection=news&thesubsection=general
Prime Television has formed an alliance with media mogul Kerry Packer, giving it the programming strength of one of Australia's biggest networks.
Channel Nine, owned by Mr Packer's company Publishing and Broadcasting, will share programmes with Prime and work with the network to secure international rights to movies, shows and sport.
Mr Packer's New Zealand publishing arm, Australian Consolidated Press, which includes Woman's Day among its publications, will be involved in advertising and cross-promotions with Prime.
The partnership will turn Prime into a serious competitor to the free-to-air networks, TVNZ and TV3.
A spokesman for TVNZ said Nine's involvement suggested more competition from Prime and increased pressure on advertising revenue, which has declined.
Prime says it will broaden its audience to target younger viewers but will not alienate its present targeted audience of over 30.
Australian-owned Prime has operated in New Zealand since 1998, building a loyal audience with a schedule of mainly British drama, comedy and documentaries.
Prime general manager Warwick Syphers said Prime could not secure big supply deals with programme suppliers.
"Nine brings to the table 'access' in black, bold letters. These guys bring a lot of programming clout," he said yesterday.
Prime will not be able to screen Nine's international shows which are already owned by TVNZ or TV3 through international supply deals.
"Those [deals] that are in the market can't be interrupted.
"But over time, as those become available to the market, clearly we would be the partner to Nine for the telecast rights."
Prime was keen to get sports rights through the partnership, he said.
Nine is regarded as a channel with a strong lineup of sport and current affairs which caters to an older audience.
The Prime NZ board will be changed.
Former TVNZ chief executive Brent Harman becomes Prime NZ chairman and Mr Syphers is chief financial officer. A new chief executive will be appointed by Nine.
Prime's coverage will be expanded to cover areas such as Rotorua, Taupo, New Plymouth and Nelson.
Packer rescues struggling Prime NZ
Kerry Packer's Publishing & Broadcasting has come to the rescue of Prime's unprofitable New Zealand TV station, forming a content and advertising partnership which further expands PBL's presence across the Tasman.
Under the five-year agreement revealed yesterday, PBL's Nine Network will supply free of charge all its wholly owned programming to Prime New Zealand and use its sales force to sell advertising on the station. The New Zealand arm of PBL's ACP magazine division will provide advertising and cross-promotional support for Prime New Zealand.
In return for its content and advertising sales, PBL has been granted an option to acquire 50 per cent of Prime New Zealand at any stage over the next five years. Should PBL exercise that option, it will pay Prime 50 per cent of any funding Prime contributed to the business during the term of the agreement.
A new Prime New Zealand board will be established with equal representation from Nine and Prime. Nine chief executive David Leckie and chief financial officer Brett Daley will be directors and Nine will also have the right to appoint the New Zealand chief executive.
The PBL deal is a long awaited resolution to Prime's New Zealand woes. Prime has spent $40 million on the station since it bought a licence to broadcast there in August 1997. Prime Television New Zealand has struggled to convert ratings gains into revenue and booked a pre-tax loss of $10.8 million last year.
Prime expects an "immediate improvement" in the financial performance of the station now that it has teamed up with PBL. "At the worst we would be very disappointed if it wasn't getting to profitability on a monthly basis by next calendar year. That's a cautious outlook," said finance director Darryl Guihot.
Prime shares jumped 9c to $2.04 and PBL rose 4c to $9.71.
This deal follows PBL's acquisition of New Zealand trade publisher Liberty Press a month ago. Since losing $330 million on the failure of One.Tel, PBL will now invest only in businesses that are cashflow positive and related to its core media and gaming operations.
"This partnership with Prime NZ enables Nine to achieve a beachhead for television in New Zealand," said PBL chief executive Peter Yates.
Prime blamed continued speculation over the future of its New Zealand TV business for advertisers' reluctance to buy airtime on the station. "What the business needed more than anything was a catalyst to demonstrate to the market that Prime is here to stay. This is a new beginning," said Mr Guihot.
Prime and PBL expect the addition of Nine Network programming to Prime New Zealand to spur its ratings growth. The station's coverage will also be expanded from 75 per cent of the population to 90 per cent.
(Craigs comment, they could have %100 coverage within days if they hop in with the TVNZ service on B1 on unecrypt the signal in the Sky service")
PRESS RELEASE
GlobeCast Increases C-band Capacity on AsiaSat
Hong Kong, 21st December 2001... Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company Limited (AsiaSat) and GlobeCast announced today the signing of a new lease agreement for half of a 36 MHz C-band transponder on AsiaSat 2.
Under the new agreement, GlobeCast takes up additional C-band capacity on AsiaSat 2, to be used by Satlink Communications, one of the largest satellite service providers in the Middle East region.
Satlink Communications uses the AsiaSat 2 capacity to launch a MCPC (Multiple Channels per Carrier) platform for the transmission of five digital television channels to Japan and the rest of Asia.
Speaking about the new lease agreement, GlobeCast’s Nigel Gibson, Head of TV Channel Distribution said “we have been using AsiaSat 2 since the beginning of 1999. We are very impressed by the wide coverage and high power of AsiaSat 2 over Asia and Middle East, as well as its excellent turnaround capability and connectivity with other European and Middle Eastern satellites”.
?We are very pleased that GlobeCast added more capacity on AsiaSat 2. AsiaSat 2 has been very successful in establishing itself as a multilingual and multicultural broadcast platform linking Asia and the Middle East, as well as Europe. We anticipate that the launch of additional television services from Satlink would enhance our representation as one of the most popular TV Hotbirds in the regions,” said Peter Jackson, Chief Executive Officer of AsiaSat.
GlobeCast is a global leader in professional broadcasting and Internet delivery via satellite. It offers a one-stop shop source for full range of broadcast and Internet-driven services, from mobile newsgathering and event coverage, to studio production and post-production, DBS and DTH transmission, IP multicasting and two-way satellite Internet connectivity. GlobeCast is the satellite services arm of France Telecom created in 1997 and is now the world’s largest provider of end-to-end transmission and production services for video, audio and broadband Internet content.
Satlink specialises in operating and installing video and audio satellite transmission systems. The company operates a main service centre located on the Highway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, Israel. With 17 antennas for reception and 7 earth stations for uplink, Satlink is one of the largest satellite service providers in the Middle East region.
AsiaSat 2, a Lockheed Martin Series 7000 model, carries twenty 36 MHz and four 72 MHz C-band, as well as nine 54 MHz Ku-band linearised transponders. Its C-band footprint covers 53 countries embracing Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Australasia and the C.I.S. AsiaSat 2 also has a high-power Ku beam serving the Greater China region, Korea and Japan.
AsiaSat is Asia’s leading provider of high-quality satellite services to both the broadcast and telecommunications markets. AsiaSat serves telecommunications customers for public telephone networks, private VSAT networks and high speed Internet and multimedia services. AsiaSat plans to launch a further satellite, AsiaSat 4 to be positioned at 122 degrees East in mid 2002. AsiaSat is a wholly owned subsidiary of Asia Satellite Telecommunications Holdings Limited, listed on both the Hong Kong (SEHK: 1135HK) and New York (NYSE: SAT) stock exchanges.
Vinasat to fly on Proton?
From [sat-index] 21 Dec 2001
The Russian Science Academy and Vietnam's National Centre for
Natural Sciences and Technologies have completed a project
"Concept of Building and Developing Satellite Communications in
Vietnam," VNA news agency reported on its web site.
The report said that the Vinasat project was under way with
the involvement of numerous Vietnamese and Russian institutes
including Russian satellite manufacturer NPO-PM, which joined
the project in 2000.
According to a Russian Science Academy official [whose name
was incorrectly given as Prof Valery Resetnicov], Vinasat would
have 28 to 30 transponders and could be launched atop a Russian
Proton rocket. Russia could also help Vietnam establishing a
ground control station, or build one in Russia at Vietnam's
request, the professor was quoted as saying.
Vietnam is also working on an Earth resource satellite dubbed
Vinzor, the article noted.
21/12/01
Not much to report. Keep on emailing BBCworld and let's see if they can change their mind or provide an alternative FTA source of BBC World for us satellite viewers. I will suggest to them since they are already on terrestrial in NZ overnight on TV1 that they go full time with a 24 hour service FTA inside the TVNZ mux on B1. But that won't help those in Eastern Australia / Indonesia and Pacific Islands. The ideal solution would be for them to pop up on Palapa C2. in a FTA format. Has anyone got a reply back from them yet? I updated the email address send email to reception@bbc.co.uk
I did some checking in the early hours of this morning NZ time. 4 A.M NZ on I701, 3769 Mux,"channel 4" WWF Smackdown 13/12/01 episode was just starting. The other WWF show "Livewire" is on Saturday around lunchtime. There was also some kind of Euro Soccer show on Channel 1 around 1.30pm NZ I only caught the end of it so don't know what it was exactly.
Anyway if the sites a bit late (usually is Friday nights) it's because I have gone to start my Christmas shopping
Have a look at this Link, Bo Wall in Swedens setup, you may have seen his name at Lyngsat, this is his 4.5M "Project Dish"
http://hem.passagen.se/parabol/stora_projektet_450m.htm
From my Emails & ICQ
Several emails from dealers and enthusiasts who are upset about the BBC World situation. Hopefully we will get some feedback from them soon.
From the Dish
PAS 2 169E 4026 V "TVBS Asia and Asia Plus" are encrypted in Viaccess.
Asiasat 2 100.5E 3951 H "Pop Channel and Business and Finance Channel" have left,are not encrypted.
Asiasat 2 100.5E 3827 V "Jiangsu Communication Radio" has started on , Apid 257, right channel.
Asiasat 2 100.5E 3708 V "Occasional feeds" on , Sr 13020, FEC 3/4.
Asiasat 2 100.5E 3714 V "The test cards have left"
Asiasat 2 100.5E 3704 V "The occasional feeds have left"
NEWS
Nothing to report
