30/11/04
Livechat tonight 9.pm NZ and 8.30pm Syd time onwards
"Preview" started on B1 12581V Sky NZ Vpid 517 Apid 655 sid 1050 NDS encrypted
Sorry about the lack of stuff on todays update Ihugs having internet probs today
Those of you who can get it keep an eye out on Measat 1 for Distribution of BBC Prime channel.
From my Emails & ICQ
From MR Humax
Jcsat 3 128E
The signal on 4055 V (Jcsat3) is abolsutely booming at present
81% SNR !!!
From ChrisGlobe
B1, 12355H
Channel swapping again on 12355H.
Now running
Central GTS, Vpid 689, Apid 690
Southern Cross 10 Port Pirie, Vpid 705, Apid 706
and various others with the same pids, SC10 Broken Hill, SC10 Port Lincoln
Whilst this may not keep running today, (or in 5 minutes time) I think it
may become permanent like Ten Tasmania was, as Central GTS and Southern
Cross 10 are switching the running of the stations from Port Pirie here in
SA, to Canberra. I can't remember whether the start date was Dec 1st
(tomorrow) or Jan 1st.
Hope it becomes permanent as whilst I can get GTS here, I can not get SC10
as it is UHF only and the signal has to come through a hill.
Chris
From George
Channel 1 Russia is on Thaicom 3
Freq - 3640 Horizontal
Symb - 28066
FEC 3/4
From User128
Pas 8
3840 28000
2.4 solid west australia 5:30 pm 29 nov 2004
tasc mux - showing right now
channel_01 - golf
channel_03 - stc -- sound track channel
channel_05 - bars
channel_07 - puppets
channel_08 - gameshow ?
channel_09 - cooking
channel_10 - interview
channel_11 - yep its still him ! ...
Mac TV - taiwan cartoon
all FTA
noticed this, morning just double checked all still there
From the Dish
Nothing in my email
NEWS
Malaysia to Buy U.S.-Made Satellite With Financing From Ex-Im Bank
From Press Release
WASHINGTON, Nov. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- The Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) approved a $138 million long-term loan guarantee to help Binariang Satellite Systems Sdn Bhd of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, a unit of MEASAT Global Berhad (BLOOM MGB MK), purchase a telecommunications and broadcasting satellite from Boeing Satellite Systems Inc. of El Segundo, California, and a number of U.S. suppliers.
The Ex-Im Bank guarantee will support a 48-transponder satellite that will be placed in orbit next year. It will also enable MEASAT to purchase launch insurance using the insurance broking services of Willis Inspace of Bethesda, Maryland. A commercial bank syndicate led by Standard Chartered Bank of New York is providing the loan.
"Technology is a driving force of the U.S. economy, and high-tech U.S. exports such as this are second to none," Ex-Im Bank Chairman Philip Merrill said. "Ex-Im Bank is committed to supporting U.S. jobs through exports while helping Malaysia upgrade its telecommunications infrastructure."
MEASAT Global Bhd. is an established supplier of premium satellite communication services to Asia's leading broadcasters, telecommunications providers and "Direct to Home" (DTH) operators.
Ex-Im Bank, the official U.S. export credit agency, has approximately $1.4 billion in financial exposure in Malaysia. This year, the Bank marks its 71st year of helping finance the sale of U.S. exports, primarily to emerging markets throughout the world, by providing loan guarantees, export credit insurance, and direct loans. In fiscal year 2003, the Bank authorized financing to support more than $14 billion of U.S. exports worldwide. For more information on Ex-Im Bank, visit http://www.exim.gov.
(Craigs comment, to go at 91.5E and Cover Australia nicely on Cband)
Grabbing a Piece of the Space Pie
From http://www.rednova.com/news/display/?id=106734
EVEN as Malaysia braces for its first citizen to don a spacesuit, does the country really have what it takes to develop and sustain a genuine space industry? HIMANSHU BHATT looks into the dilemmas and ideas.
MALAYSIA raised eyebrows last year with a stunning statement that it planned to send its first cosmonaut to outer space with a Russian mission.
The announcement came after the agreement with Russia for the purchase of 18 Sukhoi Su30 fighter jets worth RM3.42 billion.
The selected candidate will need to undergo rigorous training of up to 12 months. It is understood that over 8,000 Malaysians have applied.
If all goes well, we shall be watching as one of our own floats in zero gravity by 2007.
Aside from the inevitable discussions in coffeeshops and living rooms among cynics and admirers alike, there has been - far less openly but very importantly - a buzz of excitement in scientific and industrial circles, for the announcement marked the country's desire to become a serious player in the extremely lucrative space sector.
There was talk of how the landmark decision could basically open up the floodgates for many other space-related ventures.
The prospects of spin-offs from research and development are enormous.
Unknown to many, Malaysia's foray into space began in the 60s, albeit in much less sensational context, when our first satellite receiving station was built by the Information Department.
In 1996, the Measat 1 and Measat 2 satellites were launched, followed by TiungSat 1 in 2000. The country now aims to launch Measat 3 and RazakSat next year.
But with three satellites already in outer space and more to come, we still have no national legal space regime and have not even ratified any of the UN space law treaties.
These concerns only pale in comparison to the other pressing questions that have got the authorities mulling to sort out - and quickly.
The issues are so brazen and critical that they are readily admitted to and discussed by the chief director of the National Space Agency.
"We need to develop our national space policy and laws, our legal and institutional infrastructure, towards ratification of international space treaties," said Datuk Dr Mazlan Othman recently.
"But there is also a need to enhance manpower and human resources.
Mazlan's frank views at a National Aerospace Conference in Universiti Sains Malaysia recently were met with equally candid assessments by industrialists and academics who had gathered there.
How does an infantile, embryonic industry on the ambitious throes of literally catapulting itself above the horizon ensure it sustains and grows with limited expertise and intellectual resources?
There was, among other things, talk of the "triple helix formula" - a concerted policy framework that brings together the government, industry and university.
"Genuine partnerships are very important," said Astronautic Technology Sdn Bhd (ATSB) general manager Norhizam Hamzah.
"The best way in which a budding industry like ours can blossom is by sharing and pitching in."
ATSB is the Malaysian company that prepared TiungSat 1 in collaboration with UK-based Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd.
And he is well aware of the enormous downstream activities that can be churned out from a space project.
The main source for research is the university. And it is crucial that this entity is not left out in the development of the industry.
"The universities are unique because their very role affords `luxury of failure'," Norhizam said. "They learn through encouraged failure - which industries simply cannot be afford to do."
And while industries can benefit from the experience of academics, the universities need to adopt a stronger business culture so that they deal with real-world problems instead of getting caught up in intellectual clouds.
Perhaps the best model for Malaysia to look to is the European Space Agency (ESA), founded in 1975.
Today, the agency employs about 35,000 people with an estimated 400,000 more involved in the supply chain, contributing to an annual turnover of E5.5 billion (RM22 billion).
Dr Chris Welch, lecturer in astronautics at Kingston University in the UK, speaks strongly of the strategies the ESA has cleverly used to pool resources from far-flung, disparate corners.
In 1989, Welch was one of the final 20 candidates for a flight to the Mir space station on the UK-USSR Juno/Soyuz TM 12 mission.
He has since been involved in space education and outreach activities, and now comments for the media on space issues.
The ESA, he explains, has come up with an ingenious seed money scheme for academics. It also gives technical guidance to help researchers verify if a study is applicable or relevant to space.
"Most importantly, the ESA has facilitated networking," he said.
And one programme to work wonders for the progress of European space industry is the ESA's Innovation Triangle Initiative (ITI), introduced in April.
"It finds potential partners by bringing together the inventor, the source of an innovation - probably a university not necessarily involved in space activities before - and the developer, a party with know-how to market the innovation while ensuring customer requirements are met."
The third factor brought in is the customer, the space sector company interested in using the new idea to improve an existing space product or create a new one.
The ESA is also known for its Ariadna project, a contract- awarding scheme for research. Ariadna has proposals for topics already defined by the ESA as well as generic areas where the academic community can propose study.
Currently, Ariadna research areas include theoretical physics, power systems, propulsion, trajectory design and space systems engineering.
University researchers in Malaysia would surely salivate to see such strategies run effectively here.
"Universities have many ideas, but most get stillborn," said System Consultancy Services Sdn Bhd executive chairman Khalilur Rahman Ebrahim.
"I have done a lot of backyard research that never went beyond than the lab.
"Any idea must be further developed into a prototype with the ultimate aim to commercialise it in the market. If we don't understand this, we fail."
A venture between SCS itself and USM for developing an unmanned aerial vehicle has been hailed as an example of such university- industry partnership coming to fruition.
In a recent MOU, the two sides agreed to collaborate on making a drone with a three-metre wingspan that can travel along a pre- programmed 200km path for some eight hours.
USM, through its School of Aerospace Engineering, would provide expertise in design while SCS undertakes the manufacturing and marketing.
The vehicle, able to carry cameras, transponders and communications devices, would help in efforts such as search and rescue, traffic surveillance and border control.
It is expected to be ready late next year. Malaysia has yet to build its own drone.
But developing local space commodities unavoidably means being compelled to rely on resources of other countries. And why not?
"We have to be frank. We are dependent on foreign expertise, especially at the beginning." Khalilur said. "It simply should not be a problem to depend on foreign technology."
"But now we do see our local capability expanding. It has been gradual, but maybe in the next five to 10 years, there will be more local content in technical and manufacturing capability.
"We must start at some point. We must have the confidence that we can do it and just plod along."
BBC Worldwide, MEASAT sign agreement for BBC Prime in Asia
From http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k4/oct/oct295.htm
MUMBAI: BBC Worldwide and a unit of MEASAT Global Berhad, owner and operator of the MEASAT satellite network, announced an agreement for using MEASAT to broadcast BBC Worldwide's international entertainment channel BBC Prime into Asia.
The channel is a specially developed version of BBC Worldwide's international entertainment channel of the same name currently available in Europe, Middle East and Africa and will start broadcasting on 1 December, 2004. The announcement was made at the CASBAA convention in Hong Kong.
BBC Prime will bring the best of BBC entertainment to viewers in Asia, with a varied mix of comedy, drama, life style, talk shows, game shows, music and documentaries. Through the MEASAT-1 satellite, BBC Prime will be offered to TV platforms across the South East and East Asian regions. The channel will be transferred to the MEASAT-3 satellite after launch in mid-2005. The bandwidth has sufficient capacity to accommodate BBC Prime's plans to provide subtitling for major markets.
BBC Worldwide EMEIA director of channels Wayne Dunsford said, "With MEASAT, we have found a strong and reliable partner to lay the foundation for the roll-out of BBC Prime into Asia and we look forward to a long and successful cooperation."
MEASAT vice president sales and marketing Paul Brown-Kenyon said, "We are delighted to be able to support BBC Worldwide on this channel. MEASAT-1 provides an excellent distribution platform for BBC Prime across East and South East Asia. It also allows for seamless migration to MEASAT-3 in 2005, a satellite which will reach over 70 per cent of the world's population through a single beam."
Intelsat Reports Loss of Intelsat Americas7
From Press Release
Pembroke, Bermuda – 28 November 2004 – Intelsat, Ltd. today said that its Intelsat Americas-7 satellite experienced a sudden and unexpected electrical distribution anomaly that caused the permanent loss of the spacecraft on November 28, 2004 at approximately 2:30 am EST. Consistent with existing satellite anomaly contingency plans, Intelsat has made alternative capacity available to most of its IA-7 customers, many of whom have already had their services restored, reflecting Intelsat’s intention to ensure a smooth transition for its customers. Intelsat is working with Space Systems/Loral, the manufacturer of the satellite, to identify the cause of the problem. The satellite, which operated at 129° West, was launched in September 1999 and covered the continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, Central America, and parts of South America. The satellite was self-insured by Intelsat.
The upcoming launch of the IA-8 satellite, currently scheduled to occur on December 17, 2004, will provide 36 Ku-band, and 24 C-band, equivalent transponders to the Intelsat North American fleet and help mitigate the impact of the permanent loss of IA-7.
Under the terms of the Transaction Agreement and Plan of Amalgamation for the sale of Intelsat, dated as of August 16, 2004, among Intelsat, Ltd., Intelsat (Bermuda), Ltd., Zeus Holdings Limited, Zeus Merger One Limited and Zeus Merger Two Limited, the total loss of the IA-7 satellite would give the purchasers the right not to consummate the acquisition of Intelsat. The purchaser, Zeus Holdings Limited, has advised Intelsat it is evaluating the impact of the IA-7 failure.
About Intelsat
Building on 40 Years of Leadership. As a global communications leader with 40 years of experience, Intelsat helps service providers, broadcasters, corporations and governments deliver information and entertainment anywhere in the world, instantly, securely and reliably. Intelsat's global reach and expanding solutions portfolio enable customers to enhance their communications networks, venture into new markets and grow their businesses with confidence. For further information, please contact us at [email protected] or at +1 202-944-7500.
Contact
Dianne VanBeber
[email protected]
+1 202 944 7406
Internet Users Left Stranded After Intelsat Satellite Fails
From http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A20835-2004Nov29.html
Commercial satellite operator Intelsat Ltd. lost use of one of its satellites Sunday -- a mishap that left some Internet customers stranded and could jeopardize a proposed $5 billion deal to sell the company to a group of four venture capital firms.
Dianne VanBeber, vice president of investor relations at Intelsat, said yesterday that it was not clear what had happened to the Intelsat Americas-7 satellite, but that it had suffered a "sudden and unexpected power loss" early Sunday morning.
Intelsat was able to switch many of its customers, such as the Playboy Channel and the Nebraska lottery system, to some of the other 27 satellites in its fleet within hours of the loss. But other Intelsat customers, such as StarBand Communications Inc., a satellite Internet service provider, are still experiencing outages.
VanBeber declined to estimate what the loss of the uninsured satellite would cost the company, other than to say it would not be material to the firm's financial results. However, the loss could affect plans to sell the company.
A consortium of private investment groups formed under the name Zeus Holdings Ltd. had arranged to buy Intelsat this year for $3 billion plus the assumption of nearly $2 billion in existing debt. The loss of the satellite gives Zeus Holdings the right, under the terms of the contract, to walk away from the deal, Intelsat said.
At least one of the groups in the venture said it has not made a decision about what to do.
"We're evaluating the impact of the loss," said Clare Sillars, a spokeswoman for Apax Partners Inc., one of the investment firms in the consortium.
Plans to send another satellite aloft in December should absorb some of the impact from the loss, Intelsat said. The company bought the Americas-7 satellite from Loral Space & Communications Ltd. this year as part of a $900 million deal for five satellites. The Americas-7 was launched in 1999.
A spokeswoman for Loral, Jeanette Clonan, said that the company would be working with Intelsat to figure out what went wrong with the satellite, but that it would probably be days before Intelsat and Loral engineers figure out the problem.
Intelsat is incorporated in Bermuda but most of its workforce, or about 850 employees, is based in Washington. Intelsat has not lost a satellite since 1972.
Though Intelsat was able to switch many customers to other satellites after the Americas-7 satellite lost contact Sunday morning, not every customer can easily be moved. StarBand Communications, a McLean company that provides wireless high-speed Internet access to residential customers, may be mired in troubles for weeks or months.
StarBand had about 20,000 customers who relied on the satellite for their Internet access, all of whom are now without access. Those customers, many in rural areas, will have to readjust their satellite dishes to point to another satellite -- once StarBand and Intelsat figure out which satellite to use.
"We've had better ways to start the week," said Howard Lossing, vice president of marketing at StarBand, who found out about the problem when he learned his service at home was down Sunday morning.
Joel Loucka, a StarBand customer in Beach Bluff, Tenn., has already ordered a second phone line because he needs to be online and on the phone simultaneously to run his Web-hosting company, based out of his home in the woods.
Loucka is reluctant to go to another wireless Internet company because he has already shelled out $600 for equipment to get online through StarBand (his subscription costs an additional $60 per month).
"I'm going to wait this out and see how it plays," he said, adding, "I don't think this is going to clean up any time soon."
Bin Laden Announces New Satellite TV Network
From TheDailyFarce.com - Marcelo Lewin
Osama Bin Laden released a new tape today announcing the creation of Bin Laden TV, a new Satellite television network that will be carried by all major satellite and cable TV providers worldwide.
"We have a ton of content and video tapes to show the world." Stated Ahbur Bin-Laden, senior VP of programming at Bin Laden TV, "The ratings at Al-Jazeera jump through the roof every time they play a tape released by Osama or al-Zawahiri. Therefore, we decided to get in on the TV game and earn some advertising dollars ourselves."
"He is a very smart man." Stated a media analyst with Nielsen who wished to remain anonymous, "Not only is he going to be able to get his message out, but he will also make tons of money by placing commercials in between his tapes. Smart, smart move."
There is a long list of companies waiting to advertise in the new Bin Laden TV network channel including Smith and Wesson, Kellogg Corporation, Toys R Us, U.S. Defense Department and Wal-Mart.
"We don't really agree with his messages." Stated Suzanne Uplader, VP of Marketing for Wal-Mart, "However, we do love the fact that millions of people always listen to his tapes over the Internet and on TV. That's money in our pockets. So, you bet we are going to advertise on Bin Laden TV."
Bin Laden TV will debut January 1, 2005 with four new shows; "Bad Insurgent Boys" a reality TV show, "The Fallujah", the life of a teenager from Baghdad implanted in the home of a Fallujah family, "Who wants to be beheaded?" a game show and "The Insurgent Apprentice" starting Bin Laden himself, where he gets to hire and fire an apprentice to help manage his terror organization.
29/11/04
According to rumours NZ's Sky tv will download new software in the new year so that Sky decoders can receive FTA signals on Optus B1. This should make the Sky decoders able to tune into any "Freeview" satellite style service, just like in the U.K. If Sky suddenly allows its user base of 600000 to access the "Freeview service" that then makes the TVNZ capacity very valuable. It also must be only a matter of time before Sky starts selling off their older decoders to the public.
Intelsat have lost their bird at 129W due to malfunction. All traffic has moved to 121W this will not affect us at all of course. But those dxers looking to the Western birds may like to try for 121W.
From my Emails & ICQ
From Bill Richards
Living Asia Channel , Asiasat 3
From Jason Wu
Telstar 18 138E
Yesterday 3660V disappeared, a new mux appeared on 3460V, SR30000, FEC 3/4, C-SKY-NET, 14 taiwanese channels are same as that on 3960V off Jcsat 3, maybe going to shift.
cheers,
Jason Wu
From Ahmad Mobasheri
Telstar 18
At 17.30 Saturday, 65% signal strength on 3m dish here in Auckland.
3 FTA and 13 Viaccess .
Cheers
(Craigs comment, Viaccess 2.4 encryption but a lot of talk in Asian forums of this one being available on UCAS type receivers)
From Herb Gardiner
Hi all,
Just had a call from a mate who installs Sky. He's received an e-mail
from Sky stating all new subscriptions now attract a minimum 12 month
contract, effective immediately. It has been a one-month minimum
contact upto now. Break the contact before, pay the balance of
contract.
Sounds like they are bracing themselves for TVNZ digital, on by April 2005...
Herb.
From ChrisGlobe
FINA World Cup Swimming
B1, 12522H, sr 6110
Chris
From the Dish
PAS 2 169E 3836 V "Future TV USA" is now encrypted.
PAS 8 166E 4122 V New PIDs for Iglesia ni Cristo TV and Net 25 on : 257/258 and 513/514.
PAS 8 166E 4122 V New SR for the mux on : 5555.
PAS 8 166E 12575 H "TFC Asia-Pacific (PIDs 668/69) and ABS-CBN News Channel" (PIDs 70/71) are now encrypted.
Optus B3 152E 12640 H "Moskva - Otkrytyj Mir" has started on , Fta, PIDs 520/648.
Telstar 18 138E 3460 V An I-Sky-Net mux has started on , enc., SR 30000, FEC 3/4, same TV channel line-up and PIDs as on JCSAT 3: 3960 V.
NSS 6 95E 11037 H "ETV Marathi, ETV Gujarati, ETV 2 and ETV Bihar" are now Fta.
NSS 6 95E 12729 V "Moskva - Otkrytyj Mir" has started on , Fta, PIDs 2593/2594.New PIDs for Channel 2 News: 1793/1794.
Telstar 10 76.5E 4167 H "A World Travel Awards promo" has started on , Fta, SR 2816, FEC 3/4, PIDs 43/46.(At least its not another Mike Boulas Holiday in Greece channel)
NSS 703 57E 3980 R "Kiran TV tests and a T News test card" have started on , Fta, PIDs 33/32 and 67/62. New PIDs for Udaya News: 61/60.
Intelsat Americas 7 at 129W Intelsat Americas 7 has failed, all channels have left the satellite. Moved to 121W
NEWS
Australia's Two Way TV To Raise A$40M Via IPO
From http://sg.biz.yahoo.com/041128/15/3ovpv.html
SYDNEY (Dow Jones)--With a prominent Australian media executive on its share register, Two Way TV Australia Pty Ltd. is heading to the market to raise A$40 million via an initial public offering.
According to a person familiar with the upcoming IPO, the interactive television software group will sell 40 million shares at A$1.00 each, resulting in a market capitalization of A$90 million.
Two Way TV is "working with the pay and free-to-air television networks in the development of digital content including games and enhanced TV", according to its website.
Following the IPO, chairman of Australian pay television group Foxtel, Sam Chisholm, will emerge with a 14% stake in Two Way TV. Managing Director Jim McKay will also retain a 14% stake, while chairman Jim McKerlie will have 6%.
The offer, which opens Monday and at this stage is expected to close on Dec. 14, is fully underwritten by EL&C Baillieu Stockbroking. Two Way TV is expected to make its debut on the Australian Stock Exchange on Dec. 23.
BSA's powers could move online
From http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3111002a11,00.html
The Broadcasting Standards Authority is likely to have its powers widened and a switch-over date to digital television will be set, as the government fine tunes its broadcasting review.
But the long-awaited Stocktake review will not see TVNZ get direct programme funding - as requested by TVNZ boss Ian Fraser - helping secure New Zealand on Air's future.
Broadcasting minister Steve Maharey said programme funder New Zealand On Air had passed with a "clean bill of health", despite controversy over its NZ Idol funding decision.
He indicated that proposed changes from the broadcasting review, launched last November, focused on "funding and structural arrangements" within the sector, rather than the organisations, which include New Zealand On Air, TVNZ and the BSA.
Hinting at changes to the BSA - the judicial body responsible for upholding legal standards on TV and radio - Maharey said the watchdog was working in an increasingly diverse environment.
"It largely deals with free-to-air media and people are watching this less. They watch lots of Sky TV and the internet, so there's been discussion about how they might broaden their role."
He would not detail the proposals before cabinet.
However, insiders said it was likely the BSA would monitor New Zealand media streams broadcast solely online. At least one Kiwi-run radio station already broadcasts only on the internet and other media, including TV, could follow.
He also hinted at possible changes to TVNZ, but said there was no "big revolution" planned.
Despite widespread criticism that TVNZ's charter, with its public service mandate, is "an impossible task", Maharey said he was happy with how the charter was operating.
Intelsat satelitte loss threatens $3.1 bln sale
From http://www.reuters.com/advisorToolkit/newsArticle.jhtml?type=fundsNews&storyID=6937199
PHILADELPHIA, Nov 28 (Reuters) - A planned $3.1 billion takeover of satellite operator Intelsat Ltd. appeared in jeopardy on Sunday after the company said an electrical problem had ruined one of its satellites.
Bermuda-based Intelsat said private equity group Zeus Holdings Ltd. had the right not to close its takeover if the satellite was lost.
Zeus, an investment vehicle formed by private equity firms Apax Partners, Permira, Apollo Management and Madison Dearborn Partners, was evaluating the impact of the satellite's failure, Intelsat said.
It said an "electrical distribution anomaly" hit its Americas-7 satellite early on Sunday morning and it was working with manufacturer Space Systems/Loral (LRLSQ.OB: Quote, Profile, Research) to determine the cause of the problem.
The satellite, launched in September 1999, covered the United States, Canada, Central America and parts of South America. Intelsat said it had insured the equipment. It was one of the company's 28 satellites, according to its Web site.
The satellite operator, which was set up at the time of the Cold War as a multi-governmental organization, now acts mainly as a long-distance carrier for telecom companies and runs a private line between the White House and the Kremlin.
DD's DTH targets 1 mn subscribers by end-2005
From http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k4/nov/nov250.htm
NEW DELHI: A delay in the formal launch --- or dedication to the nation, as Prasar Bharati would like to put it --- of pubcaster Doodrashan's DTH service notwithstanding, it is going ahead with great gusto and marketing the service to subscribers.
"Some 200,000 (set-top) boxes have already been sold and we are targeting a million subscribers by the end of 2005," Prasar Bharati CEO KS Sarma told indiantelevision.com today.
DD Direct Plus, as the KU-band service is known as, is, probably, a unique experiment undertaken by a media company. For the first two years or so, beyond a one-time investment of approximately Rs 2,500, a subscriber would have to pay nothing.
According to Sarma, the feedback from dealers of set-top boxes in recent times has been encouraging. Demand for the boxes for this free DTH service has increased with the addition of some private satellite channels.
Private sector TV channels that are being carried by DD Direct Plus include Zee Music, Smile TV and ETC Punjabi (from the Zee stable), Sun TV, Kairali TV, CNN, BBC, Star Utsav, Aaj Tak and Headlines Today, amongst the 30-odd channels being part of the service at the moment, according to Sarma.
"We are optimistic that we would be able to meet our target of one million subscribers by end 2005," Sarma said, adding that the demand is building up because it's a free service, unlike an existing service, Dish TV, which is 20 per cent owned by Zee Telefilms.
For example, in South India, the price of boxes were jacked up by dealers to about Rs. 3,500 as demand upped with the surfacing of South Indian language channels like Sun TV.
If Prasar Bharati's assertions are to be taken on its face value, then DD Direct Plus has notched up more subscribers in about 75 days than what Dish TV has managed to do since its launch in October 2003. Dish TV's claimed present subscriber base is approximately 160,000.
Though DD's DTH service is primarily aimed at those places where cable or terrestrial TV's penetration is low, it is banking heavily on the inclusion of private sector channels, especially the popular entertainment ones (like Star Plus, Sony, Sahara One and Zee TV) on the platform, which has not happened as of yet.
But DD is optimistic that a proposed initiative of the sector regulator would help it net most private sector channels on its DTH platform. At the moment, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India is in the process of fine-tuning the interconnect regulations, which envisage a controversial clause on making available all TV channels to all types of platforms on a non-discriminatory basis.
Industry sources point out that this particular clause is designed to help DD more than anybody else as it would necessarily mean all pay channels also being made available to a free non-encrypted DTH service --- a scenario that hasn't gone down too well with pay broadcasters who have been lobbying hard against the clause likely to be finalized before the commencement of next session of Parliament that begins from first week of December.
However, industry sources also point out, DD has become the first defaulter of the must-provide clause being debated as part of the interconnect regulations by Trai. The moment DD bagged the telecast rights of some of the cricket matches played in India last month, it sent a missive to Dish TV asking it to discontinue showing DD channels telecasting cricket. Dish TV complied with DD's request, but not before expressing to Trai its concern over this development.
There are over 900 dealers in 212 cities and towns attempting to push STBs for DD Direct Plus. A basic box for the costs approximately Rs 2,500 (slightly over $ 54) and can access all free to air channels without the help of any smart card.
28/11/04
No update Sundays
27/11/04
No update Saturdays
26/11/04
"Hope Channel " on B3 Globecast, This service is currently a test. Please register support at [email protected] or write to HOPE Channel, PO Box 1115, Wahroonga, NSW 2076 or PO Box 76281, Manukau City, New Zealand
Living Asia on Asiasat 3 nows has pics.
From my Emails & ICQ
From Ranime
B1 Feed 12371 H 6670 3/4
"Ch V " schoolies from Brissie beach.....
From the Dish
AsiaSat 3 105.5E 3760 H "Living Asia Channel" has started on , Fta, PIDs 1090/1091.
AsiaSat 3 105.5E 3780 V "Star Chinese Channel has replaced Star Movies Middle East" on ,PIDs 517/660.
AsiaSat 3 105.5E 3860 V "Star Sports Pakistan" has left .
AsiaSat 3 105.5E 4140 V "Zee Biz" has started on , Mediaguard, PIDs 5702/5701.
NSS 6 95E 12534 H "CNN International Asia" has started on , Fta, PIDs 539/639.
Yamal 201 90E 4037 R New PIDs for Music Box Russia on : 903/902. A test card has started on PIDs 101/102, Fta.
NEWS
TV hopefuls under scrutiny
From http://www.fijilive.com/news/show/news/2004/11/26/26flive25.html
Four companies who applied for television licences in Fiji have been subjected to an independent assessment by the Ministry of Information to verify the authenticity of their proposals.
The review came as a result of a Cabinet sub-committee on media meeting last week
"We decided on revaluation of the four companies who have shown interest in obtaining TV licences in Fiji," says Information Minister Simione Kaitani.
"So far we are only relying on their proposals. Without independent assessment we don't know if they really exist."
Two of the companies, Fushen TV (with links to China) and a partnership involving the resource rich Ba Province, are understood to have satisfied the initial requirements for the licences.
Fushen TV plans to begin operations in Labasa, on Fiji's second largest island - Vanua Levu.
The Ba Provincial business enterprise has proposed television transmission via satellite to be provided by its Australian partner.
The Fiji Broadcasting Corporation, which runs the oldest radio stations in the country, is also one of the applicants for a TV licence.
The Cabinet has agreed that any television operator in Fiji should provide 100 percent coverage to its 300 islands.
WorldAudio to begin Satellite Digital Radio trial in Darwin
From http://www.radioinfo.com.au/newsitem.php?id=3186
WorldAudio has announced it will begin a consumer trial of Satellite Digital Radio broadcasting in Darwin, which may have long term implications for Australia’s radio industry.
Satellite digital radio companies Sirius and XM have rocked the radio industry's boat in America, becoming increasingly popular and creating a new subscription business model in the process.
Sirius recently signed Howard Stern in an attempt to further increase take up of its audio services (see earlier radioinfo story) and has begun to worry the free to air radio broadcasters in that country by providing an alternative radio industry business model.
In this Australian venture, WorldAudio has signed a memorandum of understanding with AsiaSpace Limited (WorldSpace-Asia) to begin the trial, which is the first in Australia to use a satellite based distribution platform for commercial free-to-air digital radio broadcasting. It will commence in January 2005.
WorldAudio’s Radio 2 format will transmit from the southern beam of the AsiaStar satellite, which provides World Space’s radio and multimedia broadcasting services to South East Asia, and includes coverage of Northern Australia in its footprint.
The company will recruit consumers for specially selected focus groups and each will be given a satellite digital radio receiver, and will be asked to listen in at specific times to specific programs broadcast by WorldAudio – Radio 2.
The focus group research, which will take place over the next six months, will provide an understanding of consumer habits including their behavioral and emotional relationship with the satellite based digital radio medium. The research will also explore consumers’ level of understanding and interest in this type of digital radio platform.
WorldAudio Chief Executive Andrew Peter Thompson has told radioinfo: “It is important to gain an insight into a consumer perspective in relation to the introduction of Digital radio. It is my hope that the research will provide useful information to Government and its agencies to help form part of the process of the introduction of digital radio broadcasting in Australia”
Thompson, who is once again challenging the status quo with this new venture, will undoubtedly meet with some resistance from other radio industry sectors, who are already conducting their own terrestrial digital radio trials. World Audio is also involved with the Melbourne terrestrial radio trial.
WorldAudio’s partner in the venture, WorldSpace, is headquartered in Washington, DC, and runs AsiaStar from its Melbourne Operations Centre, which was set up in July 2000. The company is a global provider of satellite radio and multimedia broadcasting services, particularly targeted to third world countries.
WorldSpace established the world’s first satellite radio network, with two active satellites – AsiaStar and AfriStar, serving Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. It transmits educational multi-media training packages, as well as retransmitting radio services from many countries including Virgin Radio, BBC World Service and National Public Radio.
(Craigs comment, You can already receive the signals in most parts of Australia using a dish antenna and patch antenna. Satfacts and Silicon Chip magazine had an article about this a few months ago)
Primus Telecom and FOXTEL form sale alliance
From http://www.digitalmediaasia.com/default.asp?ArticleID=4617
Melbourne based fixed-line telecommunications carrier, Primus Telecom and subscription television provider, FOXTEL have reached an agreement for Primus to sell the new FOXTEL Digital service, enabling Primus to offer subscription television services as part of a suite of bundled communications offerings to customers.
Primus Telecom will become a FOXTEL Digital sales agent to residential customers who can acquire telephony, broadband and FOXTEL subscription television services from Primus Telecom as a single package.
FOXTEL is owned by Telstra Corporation Ltd (50%), the News Corporation Ltd (25%), and Publishing and Broadcasting Ltd (25%). FOXTEL launched its new digital cable and satellite service in March 2004.
Primus Telecom has informed that the alliance will allow it to provide bundled telephone, internet and subscription television packages at competitive prices.
Customers who choose to receive their FOXTEL Digital subscription television services as part of a suite of Primus Telecom bundled services can select from the same full range of FOXTEL services as other FOXTEL customers. FOXTEL will connect, maintain, and bill the customer for the FOXTEL service, after Primus Telecom has made the initial sales transaction.
Are S'poreans ready for satellite dishes?
From http://www.todayonline.com/articles/30092.asp
If deemed mature, then surely they should be trusted with their own TV remote controls
HAVE you ever felt sometimes there was little to do in Singapore and few programmes of interest to watch on TV?
Sure, Singapore's sole cable TV provider StarHub currently offers its subscribers a choice of 29 international channels and this list will no doubt grow.
But by comparison, Astro, Malaysia's satellite TV operator, is slated to offer its viewers more than 100 new channels next year — despite there already being six free-to-air TV channels.
Singapore currently has nine free-to-air channels, though this might change depending on how the media reconfiguration pans out by the end of this year.
With Government overtures signalling that Singapore society is "matured enough to make choices of their own, take responsibility for their actions and face the consequences" with disposable incomes, then why not with our "disposable" free time?
Even people in Afghanistan are now free to use satellite dishes. So, is Singapore the only developed country in the Asia Pacific with a ban on privately-owned satellite television?
Just when will Singaporeans enjoy this choice?
Satellite dishes beaming programmes directly from space to homes would mean lower prices and greater choices for Singaporeans.
The Government's long-standing abhorrence of privately-owned satellite dishes has been the concern over access to unsavoury entertainment and information that are "at odds with Singapore's multi-racial and multi-religious society".
But where there's a will there's an Internet highway — so surely, this can no longer be a cogent or compelling argument.
Besides, satellite dishes — like underground cable networks — are just a delivery platform for content. Lifting the ban on satellite dishes will not in itself result in free-wheeling, no-holds-barred channel surfing.
Consumers will still need to subscribe to a pay TV operator to unscramble the content — which is what Singapore's promised second pay TV licensee could tune into.
Moreover, in November 2002, a panel under the Economic Review Committee expressed favour for satellite dishes in homes, stating economic benefits of doubling the jobs available in the infocommunications industry and upping the revenue generated towards the gross national product.
At a recent doorstop interview over the casino debate, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, as the Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry, commented on the media scene: "Singaporeans are not starved of media, not starved of information, not starved of entertainment and information, through all the media channels available."
But there will always be Singaporeans who will want more access to information and entertainment.
Dr Balakrishnan added: "People will exercise their choices and what we need to do is to remind everyone that you have to live with the consequences of your choices. We can't have a situation where we protect you, even from yourselves ... "
So, the Government is no doubt aware, but awareness without action can lead to a mismanagement of expectations.
Certainly, Singaporeans can now stand up and identify themselves as people who choose to chew on sugar-free gum for health reasons.
And if Singaporeans are deemed mature enough to play their cards well, why should they not be trusted with their TV remote controls?
Perhaps, the issue here is really one of money versus maturity.
Singapore is already a well-penetrated market, with more than one-third of all homes already enjoying pay TV content, and an estimated pay TV market of just $200 million — giving little impetus for pay TV operators to enter the market, evident in the failed bid for a second pay TV licence last September.
But until the ban on privately-owned satellite dishes is lifted, we'll never really know which is the operative factor.
If you have a view on this, email us at [email protected] If deemed mature, then surely they should be trusted with their own TV remote controls
Disney, Star ink deal; to launch two channels in India 17 December
From http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k4/nov/nov227.htm
MUMBAI: The Little Big Mouse is finally ready to make its entry into Indian television space. And expectedly, it is on the biggest network platform that Disney will be launching two of its channels.
Walt Disney Television International Asia Pacific (WDTVI-AP) announced today that it has signed a multi-year deal with the Star Group to distribute The Disney Channel and Toon Disney Channel in India. The announcement was made jointly by Doug Miller, executive vice president WDTVI-AP and Walt Disney International and Star group CEO Michelle Guthrie. Both channels will be launched on Friday, 17 December 2004.
"The Disney brand is incredibly strong in India and has a natural resonance with Indian kids and families. This strong brand affinity makes India a natural market for us to launch a Disney Channel and also introduce the region's first ever Toon Disney Channel," said Miller. "We believe that Star India, with their unrivalled experience and successful track record in delivering compelling content make them the ideal partner to realize this potential."
Michelle Guthrie commented, "Disney is the undoubted leader in providing unique entertainment that the whole family can enjoy together and we believe that adding Disney Channel and Toon Disney to the Star bouquet of channels will make us the natural home for kids and family viewing in India. The strength of the Disney brand will also give us incredible strength in marketing the channels and attracting more viewers to our services."
"With a 30 million cable & satellite TV audience under the age of 14 in urban India alone, India is one of the world's largest kids audiences and the launch of Disney Channel and Toon Disney will not only have a major impact on the way the Disney brand is enjoyed in India but also in the development of the Indian pay television business," said Rajat Jain, managing director, Walt Disney Television International (India) and The Walt Disney Company (India) Pvt Ltd.
Pogo goes pay from 1 November
From http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k4/nov/nov225.htm
MUMBAI/NEW DELHI: Pogo, the Cartoon Network's sibling kids' channel from the Turner stable, has gone pay from 1 November. The monthly maximum retail price is fixed at Rs 10 per month.
Pogo, which as per company estimates is beaming across 17 millions homes, was a digitally encrypted channel but was available free till now.
Confirming this move, Siddharth Jain, new CEO of Zee-Turner Ltd, which distributes Pogo in India, said, "We are very clear that we want to keep the price at a realistic level, while continuing to provide quality content to the viewers."
According to him, "The introduction of Rs 10 will include a distribution margin for the cable operators.”
Pogo is distributed by Zee-Turner, a Time Warner and Zee Telefilms Ltd joint venture as a stand-alone channel and will not be packaged along with other bouquet channels. Zee-Turner's comprehensive bouquet comprises 25 channels.
Keeping in mind the distribution cost involved at every level, an attempt has been made to safeguard the business interest of the cable affiliates, Jain said, claiming that , probably, this is the first time that a broadcaster is sharing distribution margins with the cable operators.
“We hope, this price arrangement would ensure that the broadcaster gets a fair share of the consumer spend," Jain said, hinting that such a move should arrest the trend of rampant under-declaration in the broadcast and cable industry.
Though Jain was not forthcoming on the dealer margin, a company source said that the maximum retail price of Pogo has been pegged at Rs 10, but “an effective rate of Rs 6 will be charged from subscribers.”
This would also mean that Zee Turner would have to spin out a different distribution strategy for Pogo as it will be distributed and marketed amongst cable ops as a standalone channel owing to a Telecom Regulatory Authority of India recommendation that new pay channels couldn't form part of existing distribution bouquets after a price freeze was put in place from 26 December, 2003.
Pogo joins Hungama TV in an environment which is increasingly going to be tough for pay television. Hungama TV, distributed by Star India and priced at Rs 6 a month per subscriber, is according to industry reports already seeing a slip in carriage after the launch of Star One.
Pogo is distributed by Zee-Turner, a Time Warner and Zee Telefilms Ltd joint venture. Launched on 1 January 2004, the channel has content specially designed for Indian audiences like Tiny TV, Prime Pogo and Family Movie Zone. Pogo will double its Hindi language content to 80 per cent by the end of the year.
25/11/04
All quiet again! not much for today
The TAS muxes on PAS8 Cband is FTA again
From my Email & ICQ
Nothing to report
From the Dish
Intelsat 701 180E 12648 H "VH1 Asia" has started on , MDS, PIDs 519/647.
PAS 8 166E All channels in the TAS muxes on 3860 H and 4080 V are now in clear.
Optus B3 152E 12640 H "NTD TV" has left again, replaced by a test card.
NSS 6 95E 12729 V "Israel Plus" has left .
Yamal 201 90E 4037 R The test card has left .
Yamal 201 90E 4037 R "Music Box Russia" has started on , Fta, PIDs 101/102.
ST 1 88E 3582 H New PIDs for all channels in the TBL TV mux on : 513/514-609/610.
ChinaStar 1 87.5E 3734 H "The Myawady TV" tests have left .
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3545 V "Care TV" is still on , Fta, PIDs 305/306.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3640 H An RR Sat mux has started on , Fta, SR 28066, FEC 3/4, global beam, same channel line-up and PIDs as on 3671 H.
Telstar 10 76.5E 12278 V "Home TV has replaced TVBS Newsnet" on , PIDs 368/369.
Telstar 10 76.5E 12308 V "Open Satellite TV has replaced TVBS Golden" on , PIDs 880/881.
Telstar 10 76.5E 12650 V "TVBS Newsnet and TVBS Golden have replaced Home TV and Open Satellite TV" on, Viaccess, PIDs 1856/1857 and 1888/1889.
Telstar 10 76.5E 12734 V "TVBS and TVBS Golden" have left , replaced by test cards.
PAS 10 68.5E 3864 H "HBO Pakistan" has started on , Irdeto, PIDs 519/720.
NEWS
New Skies Adds Flexibility For Mobile Comms Throughout Pacific, Atlantic
From http://www.spacedaily.com/news/satellite-biz-04zzzzzzzzs.html
New Skies Satellites Tuesday announced a new service for Broadband Maritime, a telecommunications service provider offering broadband communications services for ships at sea, which allows their customer vessels to transition autonomously between the NSS-5 Pacific Ocean region and NSS-7 Atlantic Ocean region satellites.
It is typically the case in the commercial satellite communications industry that a customer is required to notify an operator's network operation center prior to a user transitioning from one satellite to another, or vice versa.
New Skies now will allow Broadband Maritime and other maritime customers as well as oil and gas and government users to monitor and regulate such transitions themselves, delivering enhanced flexibility, greater ease of operation and increased privacy for secure communications.
Zevi Kramer, chief information officer for Broadband Maritime, said: "We have vessels moving between the NSS-5 and NSS-7 footprints daily. Foregoing the need to contact New Skies each time one of these vessels moves from the Atlantic to the Pacific, or vice versa, makes our operations more efficient and less complex."
"Moreover, we have been impressed by New Skies' dedication and flexibility, accommodating our requirements by tailoring their offerings to create a custom-fit service - this enables us to offer our customers the best solutions possible."
Steve Wilson, New Skies' vice president of sales for North America, said: "As a smaller global operator, we're better positioned to adapt to our customers' requirements and deliver the service they need. This particular service reflects our desire to give valued customers such as Broadband Maritime greater control over their capacity."
"In addition, we believe this added flexibility and control will be especially attractive for our government users, who may often prefer not to divulge the location of a particular satellite uplink in cases of a special operations missions."
"By bypassing our POC and monitoring the signal transmission themselves, government users not only gain more control over their service, but also highly valued privacy and even greater security."
Broadband Maritime signed with New Skies in June 2004 and recently completed the testing phase of the new service. Going forward, New Skies only requires Broadband Maritime to register each vessel with the POC and to keep a log of the transitions each month.
CodecSys(TM) Honored as Top-20 Technology by Japan's Nikkei Electronics Magazine
From Press release (Edited)
Award Winning Multi-Codec Technology One of Top-20 Worldwide Technologies of 2004
SALT LAKE CITY, Nov. 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Broadcast International
(OTC Bulletin Board: BCST) today announced Japan's Nikkei Electronics magazine
has honored its CodecSys technology by including it in its annual special
edition of the top-20 technologies around the world.
This recognition is just the latest in a growing number of awards CodecSys
has received including Popular Mechanic's Best of What's New Award, TV
Technology's 2004 STAR Award for Superior Technology, and the Stoel Rives 2004
Utah Innovation Award.
"We are very pleased to receive this recognition on an international
level," said Rod Tiede, CEO of Broadcast International. "This reinforces our
efforts and the acceptance of CodecSys in Japan and among the Pacific-Rim
countries."
CodecSys is a patented multi-codec technology employing real-time
artificial intelligence systems to manage libraries of standard and
specialized codecs to efficiently process a particular scene, or even frame,
of video and then switches on the fly to another codec that is better suited
to the next scene or frame. Exploiting the best attributes of multiple codecs
enables 50 to 75 percent reductions in bandwidth compared to single codec
solutions.
CodecSys cuts bandwidth significantly with full-screen, full-motion video
including HD quality under 3 MB, DVD quality at 512 K, and VHS quality at
256 K.
Professionals working with video today want high-quality video in
full-screen, full-motion broadcast video without increasing network bandwidth,
IT infrastructure and cost. Delivery platforms that benefit from CodecSys
include: satellite, cable, Internet, local-area-networks, and wireless
networks. CodecSys will provide multi-codec compression for a variety of
different applications including: newsgathering, cable set-top boxes, home
networking, video-on-demand, direct-to-home satellite receivers,
IP videoconferencing, telemedicine, film and broadcast production.
CodecSys also enhances other bandwidth hungry applications including:
streaming video and web casts, network TV programming, digital cinema,
distance learning, security monitoring, online advertising, and digital
signage.
CodecSys Technology is available immediately by contacting Broadcast
International.
About Broadcast International
Broadcast International is a leading provider of video-powered business
solutions, including IP and digital satellite, Internet streaming, and other
types of wired/wireless network distribution. CodecSys is a patented
technology that enables BI clients to enhance video quality at current
bandwidths or reduce the cost of bandwidth while maintaining quality. In
addition, BI assists clients with video production, rich media development and
a full range of network support services.
Broadcast International was founded in 1984 and is a public company
(OTC Bulletin Board: BCST) headquartered in Salt Lake City, UT. For more
information, visit http://www.brin.com or call +1-801-562-2252.
About Nikkei Electronics
Nikkei Electronics, the leading Japanese electronics publication, covers
electronics, information, and communications technologies of the digital era
for engineers and managers engaged in research, development, planning, design,
and technical support. It provides prompt reports, to-the-point commentaries
and in-depth analysis on advanced technologies, products, production materials
and supporting tools, while introducing related policies, laws, standards,
markets, companies, and people.
24/11/04
Things are very quiet
Zee Biz has started on Asiasat 3 4140V sr 27450
NASA TV I701 power is way down again
Celeb feed continues, b3 12552V
Rumours
New boxes from Asia already doing UBI on B3!
From my Emails & ICQ
From "Cougar"
3.8 mtr paraclipse antenna for sale Adelaide only
I have a 3.8 mtr paraclipse antenna and positioner for sale must be Adelaide pickup.
Will trade for smaller C-band dish
Email [email protected] for info
(Craigs comment, be in quick!)
From the Dish
PAS 8 166E 3836 V "Azio TV" is now encrypted.
NSS 6 95E 11037 H "B4U Music" is now encrypted.
NSS 6 95E 12535 V "Jagran" has left .
Yamal 201 90E 4037 R "Music Box Russia" has left again, replaced by a test card.
NEWS
China creates multi-satellite control system
From http://english.people.com.cn/200411/24/eng20041124_165013.html
China has created its own multi-satellite automatic control system, marking the transformation of its satellite supervision management, China Radio International reported Wednesday.
According to national space development plan the number of China's satellites in orbit will be increase every year.
The traditional manual supervision mode on the ground will no longer effectively handle the multi-satellite management.
The new system is expected to improve the management efficiency and identify and fix common technical defects while the satellite is orbiting.
China has launched 45 satellites by early November.
France Allows Hezbollah TV Broadcasts
From http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewCulture.asp?Page=%5CCulture%5Carchive%5C200411%5CCUL20041123a.html
(CNSNews.com) - A French government decision to let a Lebanese-based satellite television station continue broadcasting in France is not going over well with American Jewish groups.
The station, al-Manar, is linked to the terrorist group Hezbollah, the American Jewish Committee said.
"It is incomprehensible why the French government, which earlier insisted on banning Al-Manar as part of its strategy to confront radicalism, now is allowing the Hezbollah message of hate to reach into every home in Europe," said Jason Isaacson, director of AJC's Office of Government and International Affairs.
Isaacson said he conveyed the American Jewish Committee's outrage in a private meeting in Paris with Jean-Frangois Cope, the spokesman for the French government.
"Al-Manar is a fountain of hatred against Jews, Israel, America and other Western societies spilling over the airwaves, and it should not be allowed to use France as a vehicle for spreading its message of hate across Europe," Isaacson said in a press release.
Al Manar apparently signed a code of conduct in order to get the French license, which was granted last week.
However, AJC said, "it is inconceivable that Al Manar will be able to fulfill the terms of that code, to desist from spewing vitriolic hatred, given that Hezbollah's primary goals are the destruction of Israel and murder of Jews."
The American Jewish Council is urging the French government to revoke al-Manar's license.
The AJC says it is dedicated to promoting "pluralistic and democratic societies where all minorities are protected." It fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry.
NDTV targets 2005 launch, TV18 plumps for December
From http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k4/nov/nov204.htm
NEW DELHI/MUMBAI: The fight for the business news channel has begun, it seems.
The Raghav Bahl-promoted Television Eighteen Ltd (TV-18) is pressing ahead to meet its deadline for launching a Hindi business news channel in the first half of December, while a similar fare from the NDTV stable is likely to be launched sometime in the first quarter of 2005.
A senior executive of NDTV Ltd. confirmed to indiantelevision.com that the business news channel “has been delayed till Q1 2005,” while a TV-18 executive indicated that the present effort would be to put the Hindi channel on air “anytime between 1-10 December.”
As things stand today, Zee Business (managed by a newly floated Zee News LTD) is likely to be the first to get off the block on 30 November amongst a slew of new business channels in the pipeline. Zee group news director Laxmi N. Goel had confirmed this launch to indiantelevision.com earlier this month.
The reason for NDTV further delaying its business news channel is because Dr. Prannoy Roy, whose family promotes the channel’s parent company, doesn’t want to put on air any half-baked stuff. “Dr. Roy wants to make absolutely sure that the details are fine-tuned to the last nut and bolt,” a company executive said.
He added that such precautions are being taken as the ratings for the business programming in the day part on NDTV 24x7 have been good vis-à-vis competition and everybody wants to “live up to the public expectation.”
“If some others in the company had their way, the business channel, yet to be named, would have got launched in 2004 only. But Dr. Roy is insistent that before the channel is put on air for public consumption, all aspects are finalised, including a phased media blitz and sale of ad inventory,” the NDTV executive said.
The New Delhi Television LTD (NDTV) board had approved launch of a separate business news channel in May. The company had made an application to the information and broadcasting ministry for uplinking permission for the same in September and, as per an earlier launch schedule, the new fare was expected to start beaming in 2004.
Information available with indiantelevision.com indicates that the NDTV business channel's differentiating pitch will be that it covers a far wider canvas than the focus on stock markets that CNBC-TV18 is still perceived as having.
Meanwhile, though a final name for TV-18’s Hindi news channel, which would carry pre-dominantly business news, has not been finalised, one of the options being bandied around in the company is 'Awaaz', Mumbai-based broadcast industry sources said.
Interestingly, TV-18’s Hindi channel, to be beamed via an Insat satellite, is also likely to carry non-business news to broadbase its viewership. According to industry sources, the company has hired even few reporters to be on the crime beat.
Star to launch 24-hour Bengali news channel
From http://www.hindu.com/2004/11/24/stories/2004112405391000.htm
KOLKATA, NOV. 23. The Star group today announced its plans to launch a 24-Bengali news channel, through a tie-up with the Ananda Bazar Group of Publications (ABP) based in the city.
Aniruddha Lahiri, Managing Director of ABP Pvt. Ltd. told a press conference here that the channel would be launched shortly, through Media Content & Communications Services India Pvt. Ltd., (MCCS), a joint venture between ABP TV Pvt. Ltd. and Star group.
ABP Pvt. Ltd. is the majority partner in this joint venture that was incorporated in September 2003 for broadcasting Star News — the 24-hour news channel. Star has a 26 per cent stake in the joint venture.
Peter Mukherjea, CEO, Star India, said Star's launch of the Hindi channel showed that the growth of regional language TV would propel viewership in India where 45 million households were connected to cable and satellite television, with a viewership of about 200 million people.
23/11/04
Live chat tonight 9p.m NZ and 8.30p.m Syd time onwards. Might be quiet as some can not access the site due to routeing issues. I myself can't get to it, but using Googles page cache the chatroom is always reachable.
The Living Asia Channel is testing on Asiasat 3, they were supposed to be up in October. Not sure yet if it will be FTA as it is via Agila2.
Website for them http://www.livingasiachannel.net/
NZ Satellite Opportunites summary of submissions file, worth a read!
http://www.med.govt.nz/rsm/spp/satellite/submissions/submissions.pdf
From my Emails & ICQ
From Bill Richards
Screenshots from PAS 8 KU band Pan Global MUXes
Noursat, Pink Plus, RTR Planeta and RTV Int +
RTV Int USA, Al-Jazeera, LBC Australia, Art Movies
BKTV, Future USA, LBC Australia, MBC Europe
BTNV
From Simmo
Asiasat 3
Living Asia 3760 H Sr 26000 Says Free, but no pix.
pids are 1090/1091/1090
From Ranime
B1 Feed 12367 6111 3/4
TCN 9 Kerryanee Kenel..eeeee.
From the Dish
Optus B3 152E 12640 H "NTD TV has replaced Israel Plus" on , Fta, PIDs 520/648.
AsiaSat 3 105.5E 12640 V "Beijing TV 1 and Beijing People's Radio" have left .
AsiaSat 3 105.5E 12650 V "Shanxi TV and Shanxi People's Radio" have left .
AsiaSat 3 105.5E 12660 V "Hebei TV 1 and Hebei Traffic and Music Radio 1-3" have left .
AsiaSat 3 105.5E 12671 V "Tianjin TV and Radio Tianjin Binhai Station" have left .
AsiaSat 3 105.5E 12660 V "Beijing TV 1, Shanxi TV, Tianjin TV and Hebei TV 1" have started on , Fta, SR 40000, FEC 1/2, PIDs 305/256-338/286.
AsiaSat 3 105.5E 12671 V The CNR mux has moved, to 12664 H, Fta, SR 5990, FEC 1/2.
Telstar 10 76.5E 12278 V "TVBS Newsnet" is now encrypted.
Telstar 10 76.5E 12308 V "TVBS Golden" is now encrypted.
NEWS
BSA signs services agreement with AUSTAR
From http://www.austarunited.com.au/press.asp?action=show&record=1
Broadcast Services Australia (ASX:BSA) has today signed an agreement with AUSTAR Entertainment Pty Limited (AUSTAR) (ASX: AUN) to install satellite receiving equipment in subscribers homes in North Queensland.
The agreement includes performance of installation services to regional AUSTAR customers over athree year period. Mark Foley, Joint Managing Director BSA said “it is great to be working for AUSTAR again We had always regarded the team at AUSTAR as easy to work with and thoroughly professional. Over the past few years, BSA has made important advances in its operating systems and its ability to deliver high quality customer service to the subscription TV industry. The signing of this agreement with AUSTAR reinforces our conviction that BSA’s customer focus meets the expectations of the countries premier satellite TV service providers”. ENDS Contact Ian McGregor, Company Secretary for further information: 02 9935 5903.
Media execs avoid witness box
From http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,11467973%255E7582,00.html
MANY of the media industry's top executives - including Lachlan Murdoch and James Packer - are unlikely to appear at the Seven Network's monster media trial next year, a list of witness statements has revealed.
The 20 defendants to the trade practices action were required to file their witness statements a month ago, indicating who will be in the witness box for the trial due to start in May next year.
The list reveals the various defences will mostly be made by the companies' operational executives rather than their chief executives or majority owners.
Seven has alleged its sports pay-TV channel C7 was forced to close after pay-TV group Foxtel, its owners (The Australian's publisher, News Limited, Kerry Packer's Publishing & Broadcasting and Telstra) and others engaged in anti-competitive behaviour to secure the pay-TV rights to the Australian Football League and National Rugby League.
The defendants have denied the claims and said they would vigorously defend the action.
Witness statements have not been received from either Kerry or James Packer, Rupert or Lachlan Murdoch, News Limited chief executive John Hartigan, Telstra chief executive Ziggy Switkowski or former Nine Network chief David Leckie, who now runs Seven.
And Seven is unlikely to subpoena those people who have not provided statements as it is generally considered unusual to call hostile witnesses. But at least 20 witness statements have been tabled from people on opposing sides of the case.
The statements, which are not yet publicly available, outline what each of the witnesses will argue and replies to those statements are soon due.
News has provided witness statements from its general counsel Ian Philip and chief operating officer Peter Macourt. Foxtel chief executive Kim Williams has provided a statement and will appear, as will broadcast consultant Ian Frykberg. Former Foxtel chief Tom Mockridge, who now runs the News Corporation unit Sky Italia, has also prepared a witness statement.
Former Optus chief executive Chris Anderson will help represent the telco.
Nine's representatives include the former chief executive of its parent company, PBL, Nick Falloon.
Seven will have at least five people in the witness box, led by executive chairman Kerry Stokes.
The legal action, which Seven estimates has cost it $14 million this year, is the largest in Australian media history
HK probes Falun Gong 'hacking'
From http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4034209.stm
The Falun Gong movement is illegal in China
Hong Kong authorities are investigating after TV programmes beamed into China from the territory by satellite were allegedly hacked into at the weekend.
Content promoting the spiritual group Falun Gong, banned on the mainland, appeared on the satellite feed and was broadcast on two Chinese TV stations.
A Falun Gong spokesman in Hong Kong said she did not know if any of the group's followers were involved.
The group was branded an evil cult in China after an incident five years ago.
Ten thousand of its members besieged the leadership compound in Beijing demanding official recognition of their faith.
The movement, which combines Taoism, Buddhism and traditional Chinese breathing exercises, remains legal in Hong Kong, though, where freedom of religion is guaranteed.
Mystery signal
On Saturday evening, television programmes promoting Falun Gong appeared on the feed beamed into China from a satellite owned by the Hong Kong company AsiaSat.
The operator says it does not know where the signal came from.
In its words, its satellite was attacked.
The company was forced to halt transmission for more than four hours, disrupting programming on two TV channels on the mainland.
Hong Kong's Telecommunications Authority has confirmed it is working with AsiaSat to try to track down the source of the signals.
A spokesman for Falun Gong in Hong Kong said she had checked message boards and other communications channels within the group and no-one was claiming responsibility.
China to launch broadcasting satellite in 2006
From http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1117824,00050004.htm
China will launch a satellite exclusively for broadcasting services in first half of 2006 which will result in a major policy change, allowing people to receive satellite television signals in their homes for the first time, the government said.
The satellite is expected to serve 260 million Chinese families, Vice-Minister of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, Zhang Haitao said.
China has about 360 million households -- 100 million of which now receive cable TV programmes. The rest will be a potential audience of satellite broadcasting, he said.
China will have to appropriately adjust its policy and formulate rule and regulations in a bid to start satellite-broadcasting business, Zhang added.
Currently, China forbids individuals to receive satellite TV programmes by their own satellite receivers.
Freeview will outstrip Sky, says report into digital dominance
From http://www.mediaweek.co.uk/articles/2004/11/23/freeviewwill
The digital television revolution is set to be led by Freeview rather than Sky, according to a report by the UK’s biggest media agency buying group.
OMD’s media negotiating company, Opera, claims in its forecasts for 2005 that Freeview will be in more homes than Rupert Murdoch’s satellite giant by the end of next year and will come to dominate the DTV market in years to come.
Sky, which was sweeping all before it in the world of multi-channel before the birth of Freeview, claims the results of the report are “fundamentally flawed”.
The report looks set to open a major debate on who is really pulling in the multi-channel viewers.
With free-to-air digital box sets available in the shops for as little as £30, Opera predicts a major shift in the order of supremacy, forecasting that Freeview will be in 10 million homes by the end of 2006 – five years ahead of Sky.
Although describing Freeview’s channel line-up as “not comparable in any way to the quality of Sky’s offering”, Opera’s report claims that Freeview is currently outstripping Sky’s sales by 10 to one, mainly because of the appeal of the lower price of the service.
Other, more conservative estimates from Sky rivals put the current figure at nearer seven to one while sources within Sky yesterday described the figures as “totally wrong”.
Sky claimed that the report is based on a “fundamental error” of comparing sales of Freeview boxes, with Sky subscriber uptake, driven by a range of different marketing channels.
Sky claims hundreds of thousands of Freeview boxes which feature in the report have been bought with the intention of being used in second rooms in UK homes, many of which also have Sky.
The broadcaster also claims that Opera’s prediction of 10 million Freeview homes by 2007 is ludicrous, as it would require 55% penetration by the digital terrestrial TV service in the 72% of households it covers.
That would mean, it claims, taking into account the penetration of Sky and cable, almost 100% digital penetration in those areas.
“It’s wholly implausible,” said the source, adding that the report was “like comparing apples and pears”.
However, Ofcom’s figures for June 2004 suggested that Freeview was already in 3.9 million homes and Opera’s report, while disputed by Sky, backs up claims already made by the likes of ITV that it is the “astronomical” take up of Freeview, not the satellite giant, which is now leading the transformation in viewing in the UK.
Just under 60% of homes already have digital, says Opera, while warning commercial TV that the biggest beneficiary of Freeview’s success is likely to be the BBC, with Freeview’s success creating a two-tier standard of multi-channel audience.
“The growth of Freeview is positive for advertisers,” the report says, “but does not present a wholly pleasing picture.”
It says Barb figures show viewing of commercial television is considerably lower (60%) in Freeview homes compared to Sky homes (79%), although higher than analogue terrestrial households (52%).
But it adds: “The key problem is rights issues. Many of the multi-channel broadcasters only own pay-TV programme rights, rather than free-to-air rights.
Free to air rights are significantly more expensive and the advertising returns likely to be generated by the size of the Freeview audiences are not enough to justify the outlay.
“Eventually there will be a tipping point where this ceases to be the case and we then anticipate an influx of better quality, commercial stations/programmes.
Until that point it appears that the BBC, with its part-ownership of Freeview and its fortunate position of not having to seek sensible return on investment, is reducing the benefit of this platform in terms of increasing commercial supply.”
A Sky spokesman said: “Sky is confident of hitting its targets for the long-term growth of pay-TV, regardless of how many homes switch from one form of free TV to another in the meantime.”
Satellite 'to combat rustlers'
From http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/mid_/4030745.stm
The FUW believes the sheep thefts could be even more widespread
Hi-tech, modern satellite tracking equipment may be used to crack the age-old crime of sheep rustling.
Officers at Dyfed-Powys Police are considering the move in reaction to a steep increase in thefts of the animals.
A new survey by the Farmers' Union of Wales (FUW) shows that thousands of sheep are going missing each year.
The worst hit county is Powys where 3,000 worth £200,000 have been reported missing in the past year.
Rustlers have stolen more than 1,000 from the remote village of Llangynidr, near Crickhowell, in the past 12 months alone.
Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Monmouthshire are also rustling hot-spots.
In a separate initiative in the old county of Montgomeryshire, the FUW said farmers, police and Powys County Council had held talks about narrowing the width of farm gates to five foot to make it harder for vehicles to access fields.
Some livestock owners, in the Newtown area, are even considering taking their sheep off the land because of rustling.
FUW survey on sheep thefts
1,000 from Llangynidr, near Crickhowell
487 from Brecon to Builth Wells area
530 in Monmouthshire
150 ewes from Llandinam near Newtown
115 from Ponterwyd near Aberystwyth
23 from Llandysul
270 from Llanllwni, Carmarthenshire
Chief Inspector Steve Hughson, of Dyfed-Powys Police in Brecon and Llandrindod Wells, said: "The satellite tracking system is certainly an option we are considering.
"But it is very much in the early stages and cost and the feasibility of the scheme needs to be assessed.
"It's something we've used before to track stolen quad bikes. It sounds hi-tech I know, and we would implant sheep in areas we have identified as high risk.
"It's a good idea and could reduce thefts which have totalled £200,000 in the last 12 months."
The chief inspector, a farmer's son, added: "It's difficult to assess whether there's been an increase in rustling or whether there's been a increase in the amount of reported cases.
"But we take sheep thefts very seriously. Police and trading standards officers are working together along with other agencies to solve this problem."
"The people doing this know what they are doing and are closely associated with farming," he said.
Farmer Hefin Tomos: 'Someone has been helping themselves'
The FUW president Gareth Vaughan urged people to use camera phones to capture images of rustling.
"The results are extremely worrying, and indicate that there are experienced gangs operating in parts of Wales who may be stealing to order," he said.
"Virtually everyone has a mobile phone, and mobiles with digital cameras are the latest must-have gadgets.
"I would appeal to anyone who has one of these camera phones and who sees something that looks suspicious to take a photograph of the incident.
"Photographs of lorries, trailers and number plates could be extremely useful."
Dillwyn John, who has 900 sheep on his farm at Cwmtaff, near Merthyr Tydfil, has fallen victim to sheep rustlers this year and over the last three decades.
"I estimate that I have lost as many sheep over the last 31 years as I now have on my farm," said Mr John. "It's a big problem in these parts."
With the regulations governing sheep identification, it would be extremely difficult for the thieves to sell them to other farmers or to licensed abattoirs, said Gareth Vaughan.
22/11/04
Cricket? what cricket I don't know about any cricket?? ;-)
I was too busy with this. NO its not pointing at anything.
From my Emails & ICQ
From John McDermott
feeds seen on B3 for Aus Idol Sunday night
12416H 6670 v1180 a1120
12425H 5640 v308 a256
12435H 6670 v308 a256
12444H 6670 v308 a256
From Jason Wu
APEC Feeds PAS 8 4000V, SR26030, FEC5/6
From Chrisglobe
Motorbike Racing Feed
Motorbike Racing on Asiasat 2, 3966 V, sr 5632
Feed for RTPI also on Asiasat 2
Not sure where it is from as I do not recognise the circuit. (Street Circuit) Anyone tell me where it is?
CRICKET
India v South Africa on DD National from Insat 2E. 4070 V, sr 5000
This is a zone beam, not the wide beam, (unless it has changed) and I am
receiving it here in South Aus with 3m mesh and Topfield TF 30000 CIP Pro,
comes in as 80% signal and 26% Quality, but a good solid lock
Sunday 21st
Asiasat 2, 3966 V, sr 5632 Macau Grand Prix feed seen
Chris
From George
AMTV Coming Soon to B3
From http://www.amtv.com.au
We are pleased to announce the launch of a brand-new Channel to the B3
viewers and partners. The "Australian Multicultural Television Network' AMTV
launches in November, and the service heralds an exciting new era in
community broadcasting to Australia and New Zealand. This is a full-time
Channel that is fully dedicated to the local ethnic communities that make up
our Country can be show-cased, and where the community itself has a unique
opportunity to be part of the service itself.
On behalf of our Community viewers and services, Welcome to GlobeCast
From Puzhakkara
Pas 10 GDTV HAS STARTED ON 4134/5695 VERTICAL (308,256)
From the Dish
PAS 8 166E 3860 H "The Soundtrack Channel Pacific" is now encrypted.
Optus B3 152E 12525 V "The Hope Channel" has started on , fta, PIDs 2161/2122.
Optus B3 152E 12640 H "Israel Plus and Inter +" have started on , Fta, PIDs 520/648-521/649. Perviy kanal Vsemirnaya setj has replaced Kurdistan TV on PIDs 522/650, Fta.
JCSAT 3 128E MiracleNet has started on 4058 V, fta, SR 3332, FEC 3/4, PIDs 308/256.
Palapa C2 113E 3765 H "TVRI Nasional" is fta.
NSS 6 95E 12729 V "Channel 2 News" has started on , Fta, PIDs 1539/1540, Australian beam.
NSS 6 95E QTV has moved from 11172 H to 11037 H, Encrypted, PIDs 5715/5714.(Indian beam)
NSS 6 95E 11037 H "B4U Music" has started on , Fta, PIDs 4502/4503.(Indian beam)
NSS 6 95E 12535 V New PIDs for Jagran on : 4102/4103.(Indian beam)
Thaicom 2 78.5E 12666 V "DLTV 1-14" are still on , Fta, PIDs 512/650-525/5644.DLTV 15 has started on PIDs 529/5694, Fta.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3545 V "Care TV" has left .
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3625 V "ATN Bangla" has started on , Fta, PIDs 516/690.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 4151 V "Raj Digital Plus and Raj TV"are fta.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 12396 H "CMD" has left
Telstar 10 76.5E "TVBS" has replaced Global TV on 12650 V, Viaccess, PIDs 1920/1921.
Telstar 10 76.5E "TVBS Newsnet has replaced Home TV" on 12278 V, PIDs 368/369.
Telstar 10 76.5E "TVBS G has replaced Open Satellite TV" on 12308 V, PIDs 880/881.
LMI 1 75E The ABS-CBN mux has moved from 3800 H to 3415 H, Nagravision, SR 16000, FEC 3/4.
Yamal 201 90E 4037 R "Music Box Russia" has started on , Fta, SR 14470, PIDs 308/256.
NEWS
Media Statement From ASIASAT
From Press Release
(Hong Kong), 21st November 2004 - Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company Limited ("AsiaSat") announces that on 20th November 2004 at 8:05p.m., a transponder on one of its satellites, AsiaSat 3S, was deliberately interrupted by signals carrying Falun Gong-related content.
As a result, the Company was forced to shut down the transponder's transmission from 8:18p.m. November 20th to 12:35a.m. November 21st 2004. The break in service affected normal programming of the satellite television channels of Beijing Television and Tianjin Television as required by AsiaSat's commercial contracts.
The deliberate attack interfered with the routine transmission of the satellite. It seriously violated international telecommunications treaties, contravened international regulations, and was in breach of the normal conduct of satellite operations.
The interference has also severely damaged the reputation of the Company. AsiaSat condemns such behaviour and reserves the right to take the appropriate action under the Law.
About AsiaSat
AsiaSat, the leading regional satellite operator in Asia, serves over two-thirds of the world's population with its three satellites, AsiaSat 2, AsiaSat 3S and AsiaSat 4. AsiaSat's satellites offer wide C-band coverage including more than 50 countries and regions in the Asia Pacific, as well as high power Ku-band beams for Australasia, East Asia and South Asia. The AsiaSat satellite system provides services to both the broadcast and telecommunications industries. Over 130 analogue and digital television channels and some 130 radio channels are now delivered by the Company's satellites, reaching over 96 million households, with more than 360 million viewers across the Asia Pacific region. Many telecommunications customers use AsiaSat for services such as public telephone networks, private VSAT networks and broadband and multimedia services. 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. For more information, please visit www.asiasat.com
Media inquiries:
Sabrina Cubbon
General Manager Marketing
AsiaSat
Tel: (852) 2500 0899 Fax: (852) 2500 0895 Mobile: (852) 9097 1210
email: [email protected]
AsiaSat accuses Falungong of hacking satellite signals:
From http://news.newkerala.com/world-news/?action=fullnews&id=43927
[World News]: Beijing, Nov 22 : A Hong Kong-based satellite company has held the Falun Gong movement responsible for disrupting its normal signal transmission in Beijing and Tianjin cities of north China by hacking its satellite.
"At 20:05:54 local time on November 20 (Saturday) this year, malicious signals containing Falun Gong promotion contents intercepted the K7V transponder aboard the AsiaSat 3S satellite of the company," a statement released by the Asia Satellite Telecommunications Co Ltd (AsiaSat) said.
"We were forced to shut it down at 20:18:56 local time on November 20 till 00:35 on November 21," it added.
As a result, the normal broadcast by the Beijing Municipal TV and the Tianjin Municipal TV, which had chartered the transponder on commercial contracts, were disrupted and had to be stopped, Xinhua news agency quoted from the statement issued in Hong Kong yesterday.
"The act of attacking a civil satellite has seriously violated international pacts on telecommunications and internationally recognised norms. The normal satellite communications order was broke, which brought great harm to our company's commercial benefit and reputation," it said.
"We strongly condemn the ill-intention signal interfering act and reserve the right to bring the illegal act to justice," AsiaSat said.
This is not the first time that the company has faced similar problems from Falun Gong, which was banned by China in 1999 on allegations that it was an "evil cult".
Beijing blames Falun Gong for the deaths of over 1,700 people through suicide or refusing medical treatment when they became ill. It also says the cult is a tool in the hands of anti-China powers wanting to destabilise the Communist Party-led government here.
Suburban satellite dishes prompt council action
From http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200411/s1248457.htm
A local council in Sydney's south-west is developing protocols on television satellite dishes, in response to a number of complaints from people who think they are unsightly.
Campbelltown council says there has been an increase in the number of home satellite dishes being installed, many by people new to Australia who use the dishes to watch television programs from their home country.
Campbelltown's manager of compliance services, Andrew Spooner, says the council needs to develop a set of rules to stop the dishes from being installed in inappropriate locations.
"Setbacks from boundaries, making sure the structures are within the property boundaries, looking at the maximum height it can be, making sure it's below ridgelines of houses and possibly looking at the size of them from an exempt point of view," he said.
"That will give us the ability then as council staff and for the community to have some certainty about what they can and can't get approved from council."
Foxtel hits 500,000 digitals
From http://seven.com.au/news/business/138058
More than 500,000 Australian homes will be connected to Foxtel Digital this week, only eight months after the launch of the digital service.
Foxtel chief executive Kim Williams said the digital service offered by the cable television company, owned by Telstra, News Corp and PBL, has caught on strongly with consumers.
More than 51 per cent of the Foxtel managed subscriber base is now connected to the digital service, compared with 40 per cent at the end of September, and 26 per cent at the end of June.
"Our installation rates mean we will pass the 500,000 connected digital subscriber mark this week, including new customers and existing subscribers who have upgraded," Mr Williams said.
Foxtel continues to install approximately 15,000 new and upgrading digital subscribers a week.
Mr Williams said Foxtel, compared with the same time in previous years, is achieving its highest ever shares of viewing in homes with subscription television.
In the weeks ending November 6 and November 13, Foxtel achieved shares of viewing in subscription television homes of 54.3 per cent and 53.9 per cent respectively, compared with 47.6 per cent and 50.4 per cent for the same weeks last year.
"We are positioned to set new share of viewing records this summer," Mr Williams said.
Wired Country struggles with overloaded wireless network
From http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/UNID/D1A1E4D07BC4DF27CC256F50007E42CE?OpenDocument&pub=Computerworld
Problems could take four months to fix
Bandwidth wholesaler Wired Country appears to have fallen victim of its own success in Auckland thanks to customer demand exceeding network capacity.
Earlier this year, Wired Country launched a wireless internet access service operating in the 3.5GHz frequency band, which is resold through partners like Iconz and Ihug. It is currently the only residential internet access alternative to Telecom wholesale and retail DSL in Auckland, with citywide coverage for customers with line-of-sight to the Sky Tower.
The service also offers full VoIP on top of internet data, prompting some customers to cut their Telecom landline in favour of Wired Country’s telephony alternative.
However, an email from an ISP that is considering partnering with Wired Country says that peer-to-peer customers are currently saturating the network. Of the six sectors, the northern, southern and southwestern ones at the Sky Tower access point are currently overloaded, according to the email, which states that Wired Country has no capacity to expand the existing spectrum to increase the amount of bandwidth.
To deal with the overloading, Wired Country is proposing the introduction of a 256kbit/s upstream speed cap and limiting the downstream as well to an unknown amount, the email says. Wired Country is also planning to install traffic prioritisation equipment that will deliberately drop packets on residential connections to improve latency for business and voice customers. The wireless service will also be re-targeted as a business product rather than a residential one, and Wired Country will endeavor to purchase more frequency spectrum to alleviate the network congestion over the next four months.
Questioned by Computerworld about the proposed changes, Wired Country CEO Neil Simmonds denies residential customers will be abandoned. He also says Wired Country can add more capacity to all sectors at the Sky Tower access point. New plans are being looked at, Simmonds says, but there has been no decision on specific offerings.
Wired Country is also using all of the government-funded Project Probe money allocated to it to expand its network, Simmonds says. The government requires providers to keep the their share of the $30 million of Probe funding secret, so Wired Country can't reveal how much it will use for the expansion.
Jenny Longhurst, manager of strategy and operations at Iconz, says the current problems with Wired Country’s network are “not so much due to a large number of customers being expected to use a small amount of bandwidth, but rather a group of current users taking advantage of the unlimited access plans.”
According to Longhurst, one such Iconz customer on the 2Mbit/s plan downloaded 220GB of “international data” in his first month.
An irate Iconz customer called Computerworld this month to express his dissatisfaction at paying $120 a month for the 2Mbit/s Wired Country service, yet receiving “slower than dialup” speeds for most of the time. The customer, speaking anonymously, says Iconz’s support staff read out a statement which said the Wired Country service was overloaded and that no improvement was expected for at least four months.
Simmonds responds “this performance is not what we want to see” when told of the Iconz customer’s dissatisfaction, but won't comment whether it’s fair to expect customers to pay $120 monthly for a high-speed service that only delivers dialup modem performance.
Asked if Iconz would drop the monthly charge or refund customers while the Wired Country problems persist, Longhurst says no. “Wired Country has informed service providers that it will not be dropping the price per user,” Longhurst says, and adds that due to the low margins and Iconz’s international bandwidth requirements, the provider is not able to drop prices “significantly, if at all”.
Longhurst says Iconz will remove the unlimited access plans from its EzySurf Wired Country product and may need to look at introducing data caps for present flat-rate customers.
However, she expresses doubts that the caps would resolve the network overloading issues. “Wired Country does not have a cap on its wholesale solution, and the majority of its retail partners do not charge for national traffic,” she says. Therefore, savvy customers may be able to get around the caps by using national traffic instead of international, Longhurst adds.
(Craigs comment, the last thing we need is Wired Country buying more 3.5 GHZ capacity)
THAI PRESS: MCOT Signs MOU For Tie-Up With German TV Co
From http://sg.biz.yahoo.com/041119/15/3on1p.html
BANGKOK (Dow Jones)--MCOT PCL (MCOT.TH), a Thai state-run television and radio station broadcaster, has signed a memorandum of understanding with German broadcaster Deutsche Welle to exchange programs and news content, Thai-language daily Krungthep Turakij reports.
The German station would also assist MCOT in a planned global project, MCOT TV, a 24-hour English-language channel, the paper says, quoting MCOT President Mingkwan Sangsuwan.
A feasibility study of the MCOT TV project is expected to be completed around the first quarter next year. It would be set up as a separate company, allowing strategic partners of the two companies to join in the investment, the paper said.
MCOT earlier said the MCOT TV project would need around THB2.2 billion in funding.
CHINA: Plug pulled on West China Channel
From http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=16863
TV station hindered by having to operate both as a commercial venture and a propaganda tool
Poor ratings, low advertising revenue and satellite footprint problems have prompted the mainland's main television broadcaster to pull the plug on its West China Channel just two years after it was launched.
The service, also known as CCTV-12, will disappear on December 28 and be replaced by a channel featuring drama series, legal case studies and talk shows.
The West China Channel was part of the central government's Go West campaign and focused on news and information about the region. Its axing is a reflection of low viewer interest in the underdeveloped western region and provides anecdotal evidence of the difficulties Beijing faces in attracting investment to the region.
Concerned about the widening income gap with the affluent east coast, Beijing launched the Go West drive to improve development of the western region. But the inflow of investment has been slow, with many investors put off by the region's low-spending population, poor infrastructure and vast bureaucracy.
CCTV-12 was the first CCTV channel to separate programme production from broadcasting, buying its programming from 12 television stations in western provinces. It was also the first CCTV subsidiary to operate as a fully commercial enterprise.
The channel paid each provincial station an annual fee of 100,000 yuan and also divided 40 per cent of its advertising revenue among them. However, the limited advertising sources in the less-developed western provinces worked against the station achieving its original aim of becoming profitable in three years. The channel's vague organisational status also hindered the venture - it had to operate as a propaganda tool while trying to raise revenue.
Tsinghua University media professor Yin Hong said the channel's demise was a result of the station's need to operate both as a commercial operation and a public channel.
"It was originally designed to be a public channel serving as a public educator and information platform with a strong political propaganda imperative," Professor Yin said. "And as such it should have received stable financial aid from the government.
"But, in reality, it operated on a market-oriented business model. As a result, the West channel's [identity] became a hodgepodge."
A staff member from the Society and Education Centre, the body managing the launch of the new channel, said senior officials described the change as a "replacement" rather than a "cancellation".
The centre's public relations representative, Zhang Guangyi , said the more popular programmes from the old channel would be distributed among other outlets while low-rating content would be dropped.
Channels from distant shores want to join pubcaster’s DTH
From http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=74747
NEW DELHI: The Prasar Bharati board will meet on November 29 to take a decision on including more private channels on Doordarshan’s direct-to-home (DTH) platform. Among other issues, the board is expected to take a call on whether Arabic channel, Al Jazeera, would come on to this platform, sources said. Al Jazeera, which rose to prominence after the 9/11 attack, has written to Prasar Bharati, stating its interest in joining the pubcaster’s DTH.
The total number of TV channels is expected to go up to around 50 on DD’s DTH by the end of this year, sources indicated. Earlier, only 40 channels were expected by December-end. The number of radio stations is also likely to go up to 18 by year-end. Currently, there are 28 TV channels (17 are from Prasar Bharati) and 10 All India Radio radio stations.
Besides Al Jazeera, foreign channels in the queue include CNN and World Room Travel (from BBC stable). A Hindi channel from Canada, Sur Sagar, also wants to join the platform. BBC is already there. Others to have shown interest in DD’s direct-to-home project are Sahara (two channels), Jaya TV, Star News, CMM Music, Etc Music, Jeevan (Malyalam), Splash, Vyasa (educational), Ekalavya (educational) and TV9 (Telugu).
When asked about the terms and conditions for private channels joining the DTH platform of the public broadcaster, Prasar Bharati CEO KS Sarma said, “the same programme and advertising codes (in the Cable TV Act) will be applicable to these channels”.
Even as Prasar Bharati is on a major spree to attract private channels, it had earlier stipulated that there would be no news or foreign-owned channels on the DD DTH platform. The only rule that the pubcaster hasn’t changed so far is that only free-to-air channels will be allowed.
DD DTH users need to pay around Rs 3,500-4,000 as a one-time charge for the dish antenna. There’s no monthly subscription. For one year, there’s no payment involved between Prasar Bharati and private channels also. After a year, the agreement will be reviewed.
Meanwhile, formal inauguration of the pubcaster’s Rs 500-crore DTH venture is still awaited.
New company to own & manage Zee Business channel
From http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k4/nov/nov180.htm
NEW DELHI: Zee Business, a proposed business news channel from the Zee stable, will be owned and managed by a new company, Zee News Ltd, and not Zee Telefilms.
In a letter to the National Stock Exchange, Zee Telefilms has clarified, "We would like to inform you that (a) 24 hours channel devoted to business news in Hindi is not being launched by the company, but by another company called Zee News Limited."
The NSE, in order to verify the accuracy or otherwise of media reports on Zee Business channel, had sought clarification from Zee Telefilms so that the interest of the investors is safeguarded.
As reported by indiantelevision.com earlier, a press release from Zee News Ltd today said Zee Business will launched on 30 November and positioned as a personal finance channel. It will air an interactive agriculture news bulletin and a special programme on local industries. The channel's positioning: aapka faayda, meaning profit, gains and money for the viewer.
While announcing the date of commencement of the channel, Zee News Group director Laxmi Narain Goel in the statement said, "Zee Business will fulfill needs of those viewers who believe that by having a little information they can save or make huge monies."
21/11/04
No update Sunday
20/11/04
No update Saturday
19/11/04
Hope TV is new on B3 Globecast, 12524V sr 30000 Fec 2/3 "FTA religion" same as via Pas2 cband
New channels on UBI, B3
ISRAEL PLUS Russian
INTER PLUS Ukranian
PERVYI KANAL Ch 1 Russian
From my Emails & ICQ
From Sky_satt
Hi all B3 new channel "Started" "Hope Channel"
12525 V SR 30000
VPid 2161
APid 2122
PPid 2161
cheers
sky_satt
From PUZHAKKARA SATHEESAN
Thaicom 2/3
rajtv, rajplustv are fta now on 4152/12118v
tv5 global has started on 3625/30000v
atn bangla has replaced the test card on 3625/30000 vertical(516,690)
test card has replaced cmd channel on 3625/30000 vertical(513,660)
mv2 channel has started on 3585/26667 vertical(513,641)
care tv has left 3545/26667 vertical-(289,290) on thaicom 3.
From the Dish
Superbird C 144E CTS has moved from 12692 V to 12698 V, Fta, SR 1778, FEC 7/8, PIDs 33/34.
Koreasat 3 116E 12523 V "KBS TV 1-2" have started on , Fta, PIDs 100/101 and 200/201.
Koreasat 3 116E 12709 V The KT CATV mux has left .
Koreasat 3 116E 12270 V "Nine test cards" have started on , PowerVu, SR 26687, FEC 7/8, PIDs 1901/1903-1981/1983.
Palapa C2 113E 3765 H "TVRI" is now encrypted.(Can someone confirm?)
NSS 6 95E 12534 H "Sun TV (India)" has started on , Fta, PIDs 538/638.
NSS 6 95E AMS has started on 11546 H and 11685 H, SR 13331, FEC 7/8, Middle East beam.
Insat 2E 83E 4089 V "DD National, AIR and AIR Shimla" have left (PAL).(Surely not?)
LMI 1 75E 3419 H The ABS-CBN mux has left .
LMI 1 75E 3800 H New SR for the ABS-CBN mux on : 16000.
(B Wall)
NEWS
China launches another mini-satellite
From
China has successfully launched another small scientific experimental satellite from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province, China Radio International reported on Thursday.
Launched on a Long-March 2-C carrier rocket, the mini-satellite has entered into its scheduled orbit.
The launch aims to test some new satellite technologies and survey and monitor land, resources and the geographical environment on a trial basis.
In the past few years, China has successfully launched various types of mini-satellites, which benefits the economy and society through providing information for disaster forecasts, environmental monitoring and resource surveys.
(Craigs comment, getting them up isn't the problem for the Chinese..getting them down safely is!)
Freeview outselling satellite broadcaster by 10 to 1
From http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2004/11/19/cnfree19.xml&menuId=242&sSheet=/money/2004/11/19/ixcity.html
Freeview will be in more homes than Sky by the end of next year as the satellite broadcaster struggles to reach its target of 10m homes, research from one of the world's largest media companies suggests.
The free digital platform is currently outselling Sky by about 10 to one and retailers expect it to have sold 5m units by the end of this year, compared with the 7.4m subscribers Sky claimed by the end of September.
The predictions are included in the 2005 Economic and Media Forecasts drawn up by Opera, the UK media negotiation company owned by the advertising giant Omnicom.
The report said: "The key to Freeview's success is its pricing. While not comparable in any way to the quality of Sky's offering, it does illustrate that there are opportunities for entry points somewhere in between." Sky recently introduced a number of new price points and launched a big advertising campaign to counter the threat from other platforms.
The growth of Freeview and digital television in general is good for advertisers, the report says, although it forecasts that television's share of display advertising will fall below 40pc next year for the first time in 15 years.
Newspapers too are forecast to lose share as other media, such as outdoor sites and the internet, grab relatively larger slices of the advertising cake. Online advertising is forecast to outstrip radio as the fourth-largest medium by the end of this year after showing annual growth of 26pc.
Marc Bignell, Opera's joint managing director, said: "Online is a very direct medium and very good in brand awareness and return on investment. It is the only medium which will gain share next year."
Total advertising spend next year will be £13.3 billion, up £600m from 2004, the report suggests. It sees the amount rising more gradually throughout the rest of the decade to reach £14.5 billion by 2009.
Mr Bignell said: "The key factor is the consumer. The changing shares only partly reflect structural changes. Investment is reflective of broadening media trends.
"The convergence of media will drastically alter the current patterns of expenditure. As the lines between one medium and another become blurred, so will the distinctions of where money is being spent."
Endgame nears for Murdoch
From http://afr.com/articles/2004/11/18/1100748134824.html
It had been a hard week and the 73-year-old chairman was showing signs of strain. Rattling through a good set of results for BSkyB on Friday, Rupert Murdoch dispatched a few questions about football and a controversial share deal before wrapping up proceedings in 40 minutes flat.
To the astonishment of the assembled reporters, the usually ebullient media mogul then rushed off without so much as a cutting remark. Most had expected fireworks from the man whose empire spans Europe's largest pay TV station, The Sun newspaper in Britain and Fox television. They were left with a damp squib.
His lacklustre performance raised more questions than it answered. Was he ill? Or just showing his age? With his hair much whiter, his delivery was less snappy than of old. Or was he simply exhausted from a week in which he had taken on a fellow media mogul and seen the issue of his own mortality come once again to the top of the agenda?
The spat that blew up last week between Murdoch and John Malone, the cable TV billionaire, took everyone by surprise, including, it seems, the boss of News Corp himself. Friends of both men in New York say Murdoch was "enraged" at Malone's plan to almost double his stake in the family firm to 17per cent.
Murdoch's response - he called an emergency board meeting and announced a "poison pill" takeover defence to prevent Malone buying any more shares - was described as "visceral" and an "overreaction" by one.
The two men are close, or as close as two cutthroat billionaire businessmen can be. Ken Auletta, the veteran media commentator for the New Yorker, describes them as kindred spirits who talk regularly and share a political conservatism. "They admire each other," he says. "They talk like chess players in a world which plays chequers. They like to be three moves ahead of everyone else."
Their deals and negotiations over the past 15 years have ranged from a mooted bid for CNN in 1995 to the acquisition of US satellite group DirecTV. Auletta believes Murdoch's response was a combination of disappointment "that this man he thought was his friend could act so independently without even consulting him" and anger at himself.
In planning to buy more News Corp shares, Malone was taking advantage of the company's move from Australia to the US as well as its complex dual-voting structure. The move, which he described as "opportunistic and strategic", relied on the fluctuating prices of non-voting and voting shares before the company's official listing in America. Theoretically, using his huge number of non-voting shares, he could have bought 49per cent of News Corp.
Although extremely unlikely, the very thought suddenly made Murdoch, with his 13per cent equity stake and 30per cent vote, seem very vulnerable. Murdoch, ever the predator, realised that he had left his own company open to a takeover because of his desire to gain access to US investment money.
Auletta says he is "embarrassed" and "furious" at himself. A series of phone calls between Murdoch and Malone during the past week apparently involved some increasingly cordial mood music.
In a call with analysts on Friday, Malone, dubbed Darth Vader during the sale of cable company TCI, could not speak more highly of the News Corp boss.
"We have an enormous admiration for Rupert and the job he has done," he said.
"Our intentions were and remain very supportive and very friendly towards the Murdoch family."
In the call, Malone blamed securities laws for his inability to warn his friend of his purchase. This lack of advance warning seems to have infuriated Murdoch.
In January, when Malone first bought voting shares in News Corp, the chairman said: "He is very welcome. He called yesterday and told me about it." Admittedly, he had been convinced that the purchase was only short-term.
So what is going on? Michael Wolff, media writer for Vanity Fair, said the fight had all the hallmarks of an endgame. "You wait and waitand wait and then one day youget up and it's happening - adenouement has begun. I thinkthisis the beginning of the denouement."
For most observers, talk of a denouement at News Corp means only one thing. What will happen once the 73-year-old patriarch dies? He has long made it clear that he wants to hand control of the business over to his children. His two sons, Lachlan, 33, and James, 31, hold senior executive positions at News Corp and Sky. Several analysts suggested that the sprightly 64-year-old Malone wants to leverage his increased stake into a boardroom role following Murdoch's departure. As a competitor in some markets, he has not managed to find his way onto the News Corp board in spite of his shareholding.
Several people close to Malone, who runs Liberty from his farm for much of the time, deny that that is his intention. Auletta says: "His life has been about shedding things so he can spend more time in Maine."
After selling TCI to AT&T for a top-of-the-market price of $US46 billion in 1999, Malone has spent large chunks of the summer at his US east coast holiday home. Since that deal, the share price of Liberty Media, his investment company, has languished. The holder of a doctorate in mathematical modelling has occasionally blamed investors for failing to understand his complex empire, with investments in channels such as QVC and Discovery as well as telecommunications groups.
A rival version of the endgame scenario sees Malone using his increased leverage in News Corp to force an asset swap with the media group. Henry Ellenbogen, an analyst with TRowe Price, believes Liberty has put itself "in a very favourable negotiating position" through its aggressive behaviour.
Malone hinted at as much when he said there had been discussions between the two sides over various assets. "We have had many partnerships over the years [with News Corp] and hopefully we can continue to help each other."
Some analysts think Liberty is putting pressure on News Corp to buy a group of its assets, including the News Corp stake itself. Although few have been able to work out exactly how this would be done, it would not be beyond the abilities of these two dealmakers to work out an arrangement whereby Malone realises some more value from his underperforming assets while Murdoch gets back some voting shares. One possibility is News Corp giving a channel such as Discovery greater access to its satellite platform.
Interestingly enough, the spat coincided with a row at BSkyB over News Corp benefiting from a buyback which gave it an additional 2per cent of the company without spending any more money. Murdoch's own aggressive use of US law to block a rival predator prompted a few bitter comments from UK investors last week. The buyback itself was opposed by almost a fifth of those voting. One investor, who refused to be named, said the mogul's past behaviour had lost him support.
"If it's Murdoch, it must be Machiavellian."
After such a week it is little wonder that Murdoch himself refused to comment.
(Craigs comment, see December entry for Apsattv 2004 annual predictions in the articles section...)
Morocco launches global TV channel
From http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/423791D6-722E-4A1A-AF19-8F2FC788145E.htm
Morocco has launched its first international television station.
The new satellite channel called Al Maghribya will initially broadcast a package of existing programmes from the country's two state channels, 2M and RTM.
The government has striven to improve the North African country's image.
"This channel is not directed at Moroccan residents abroad only, but at everybody (overseas)," said Communication Minister and government spokesman Nabil bin Abd Allah on Thursday.
"We must convey the image of a modern Morocco, a country of tolerance and freedom and transmit the true image of moderate Islam we're developing here," he told a news conference.
"This channel is not directed at Moroccan residents abroad only, but at everybody (overseas)" Nabil bin Abd Allah, communications minister, Morocco
Programmes on Al Maghribya channel - a mixture of television films, entertainment, current affairs and news - will at first cover 12 hours per day, from midday to 2400 GMT.
They will be broadcast to Europe and the Middle East before being extended, probably in 2006, to the United States and Canada.
"The language will be 92% Arabic, initially," bin Abd Allah said, with the rest in French and in the Berber language Amazigh.
There are plans to broadcast in other languages, in particular in English, at a later stage.
More than 2.5 million Moroccans live abroad, mostly in France, Italy and Spain. Many second and third generation Moroccan expatriates speak little or no Arabic.
(Craigs comment, new one for UBI or WMI?)
Russia to Launch Satellite to Communicate With Aliens
From http://www.mosnews.com/news/2004/11/18/spaceads.shtml
Russian satellite experts have developed new panels that will allow people to send messages into space where they can be intercepted by interstellar civilizations. The new generation satellite, Glonass-M, is set to be launched on Dec. 25, with six initial information panels.
Russians will be able to send their space ads for free, but the company will determine which ones they accept.
The Krasnoyarsk satellite company that created the new panels said they had come up with the new way to make use of satellites — apart from their primary function, “satellites can be used as interstellar postmen,” the Itar-Tass news agency reported.
The satellite will orbit at distance of 20,000 kilometers and can theoretically remain in space forever. Information in the form of drawings or script can be placed on special aluminum sheets with an area of 12cm x 26cm.
Six panels with information about the company that developed them, and its founder, Mikhail Reshetnev, have already been installed on the Glonass-M that is set to be launched next month.
“The company is already accepting applications for messages to be sent along with the next satellite, which is scheduled for 2005,” Itar-Tass quoted a source in the company as saying.
Not all messages will automatically be sent, however. The priority will lie with information about the planet Earth and its civilization, the activities of enterprises and people involved in developing space technology.
This is the kind of thing that interstellar civilizations may be interested in, the source said.
18/11/04
Don't panic apsattv server is working fine, if you can't get through its due to issues with the router.
VH1 and Discovery are new in the PBS mux ku 701
From my Emails & ICQ
From Sky_satt
B3 "Sky Channels" was FTA this afternoon
For All whom maybe interested all Sky channels 1-8 on B3 were Fta!
sky 8 is showing in words "sky" "Boxing Test" :-) its all good!!
From vk4bkp
B1 7 Darwin 12355H 5105 3/4 vpid 609 apid 610. testing Replaces TDT with pid
change.
Wonder how long for? Been a lot of pid/program changes lately.
From vk4bkp 5 mins later
Well that lasted all of a few minutes. Back to 10 network but I get 6
channels that load. SCB Toowoomba, SC10 Rockhampton, SC10 Mackay, SC10 Townsville, SC10 Cairns, SC10 Bundaberg.
Ahhh struth, just changed again as I was typing.
Now only SC10 Bundaberg.
I can't keep up.
From Andrew (Aragorn)
New Channel on NSS6
Australia Beam TXP C5:
D/L Frequency : 12,729 Mhz
D/L Polarity: Vertical
FEC: 7/8 S.R. : 27.500 Msymb
Carrier type: Multi channel per carrier (MCPC)
Service 4 Teva Hadvarim TV PID : 2305Dec / 2306Dec / 2307 Dec (Israeli life style)
Service 6 Channel 2 Israel News PID : 1539Dec / 1540Dec
I have been told these two channels PLUS Channel 9 (Russian/Hebrew) are up
for ONE MONTH
Andrew (Aragorn)
From Santosh
New On NSS6
Dear All
Sun TV India has started on NSS 6. Details Are Freq.12534H & S/R 27500 Free
to Air as a part of Doordarshan FTA Dth (INDIAN BEAM).
Qtv & B4U Music has started as FTA frequency details Frq.11037 H S/R 27500
Thanks & Regards
Santosh Suryawanshi
From the Dish
NSS 5 177W 12691 V "CTS has replaced Super TV" , Fta, PIDs 103/262.
Insat 3A 93.5E 3958 V "DD Uttar Pradesh" has started on , Fta, SR 6250, PIDs 4540/4740.
ST 1 88E 3483 V New SR for the ABTV mux on : 4960.
PAS 10 68.5E 4085 V New APIDs for all CRI channels on .
NEWS
TV not forced to show Ashes
From http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,11425465%255E1702,00.html
COMMUNICATIONS Minister Helen Coonan today ruled out approaching the ABC or SBS to take up the free-to-air rights for the 2005 Ashes cricket tour of England.
Foxtel has taken up the pay television rights to show the series, but to date no free-to-air station has bought the rights.
The Ashes cricket is on the Government's anti-siphoning list, which ensures key sporting events are available to free-to-air networks.
Opposition communications spokesman Stephen Conroy today queried whether the anti-siphoning rules were working and asked Senator Coonan in Parliament whether the Government would step in to ensure cricket fans did not miss out on seeing the series for free for the first time since 1972.
"Have you approached the ABC, Channel 31 or SBS about taking up these rights?" Senator Conroy said.
Senator Coonan said Senator Conroy misunderstood the broadcasting system.
"He appears not really to understand the commercial television stations are free to acquire the rights," she said.
"They are still available.
"And apart from trying to give advice to the ABC and SBS in relation to programming and editorial matters, which this government would certainly not do, there is no issue about whether or not the anti-siphoning rules are working the way they are intended to do.
"There is no infringement of the anti-siphoning rules."
Freeview fever not over
From http://www.advanced-television.com/pages/pagesb/newsdaily.html
UK DTT Freeview is set to break the five million homes barrier by the end of the year, with some industry experts predicting it will overtake Sky Digital by Christmas 2005.
According to reports, sales estimates from manufacturers and retailers for 2004 show that by the end of the year they expect to have shifted three million Freeview boxes, taking the total to over five million. Current sales are running at an estimated 50,000 a week for the boxes, which offer viewers 30 channels for a one-off payment of between £40 and £80 (E56 – E112).
David Chance, the former Sky exec who runs "pay TV lite" service Top Up TV offering Freeview customers an extra 10 channels for a monthly fee of £7.99, told the Guardian that he predicts sales would top eight million by the end of next year. "Freeview box sales in the calendar year will exceed three million units. The Freeview box population will be in five million homes by the end of the year," said Chance, who is also a board director at ITV.
Murdoch Moves to Avoid a Friendly Fight for Control
From http://www.wilmingtonstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041117/ZNYT01/411170367/1004/Local
The chairman of the News Corporation, Rupert Murdoch, may be telling investors and the media that his relationship with his counterpart at Liberty Media, John C. Malone, is friendly, as he did yesterday at an annual meeting.
But Mr. Murdoch is clearly not taking any chances that he might lose control of the News Corporation, which he plans to turn over to his sons: Lachlan, now deputy chief operating officer, and James, chief executive of British Sky Broadcasting, Mr. Murdoch's satellite TV company in Britain.
Even as he was reassuring the public that he and Mr. Malone planned to meet soon and discuss "all sorts of business possibilities," he lined up support for his succession plan.
His maneuvering comes after Liberty Media said it was increasing its stake in voting shares in the News Corporation to 17 percent from 9 percent by swapping nonvoting shares, a move that surprised Mr. Murdoch.
Mr. Malone said that he had no plans to try a takeover, and people who know him said that the purchase was a way to gain leverage in his effort to swap some of his cable programming assets for nonvoting shares in the News Corporation. But several people who know Mr. Murdoch say he was furious over Mr. Malone's move, which he viewed as a "personal betrayal."
Mr. Murdoch said that he would not object to Mr. Malone's ownership stake if he signed a "standstill agreement" to not acquire more stock. No such agreement is being discussed.
Mr. Murdoch, meanwhile, is lining up allies. Prince Walid bin Talal of Saudi Arabia, a major investor in media companies, disclosed yesterday that his holding companies owned 3 percent of the nonvoting shares of the News Corporation. The prince said in a statement that he was prepared to raise his stake and swap his nonvoting shares for voting shares in support of Mr. Murdoch.
The news of his willingness to increase his stake follows last week's adoption of a poison pill provision that would cause the release of additional shares of News Corporation stock if any investor acquired more than 17 percent of the company. Mr. Malone could acquire 18 percent before the pill would take effect.
A spokesman, Gary Ginsberg, said Mr. Murdoch did not view Mr. Malone's move as personal, but as part of a negotiation.
Nonetheless, Mr. Malone's purchases could be particularly troublesome as the News Corporation reincorporates in the United States and large blocks of stock come on the market as Australian funds sell their holdings.
The Murdoch family controls 30 percent of the vote. Without a poison pill provision, the reincorporation would let Liberty acquire as much as 49 percent of the voting shares if Liberty swapped all of its nonvoting shares for voting shares.
Company bylaws say that it takes a simple majority for a change of control. As a result "with a couple of moves, John could get hard control," of the company, one longtime media investor said. "That was untenable for a man like Rupert, who had built his company to hand over to his children." With a poison pill provision, those moves would be more costly.
A media executive who has known Mr. Malone for years said that it was important to him to turn over a strong company to his sons. When Mr. Murdoch inherited his company from his father, it faced serious obstacles and Mr. Murdoch worked for decades to build it.
News Corporation was near bankruptcy in the late 1980's, and since then, the chairman has been careful never to take risks that would jeopardize the company, this person said.
But another longtime media player said Mr. Murdoch's desire for control had as much to do with his plan to run the company himself for another 30 years.
Mr. Malone has never undermined Mr. Murdoch's strategy. Indeed some analysts are simply attributing Mr. Malone's failure to let Mr. Murdoch know his plans to a lack of "people skills.''
Indeed the two have probably worked together more often than any other two media executives. But they have also been on opposite sides. For example, Mr. Malone weighed making a rival bid for DirecTV when Mr. Murdoch was interested. Liberty was then a News Corporation shareholder, and Mr. Malone ultimately decided not to bid.
Still that issue, said the person who views the current friction as a betrayal, is far different from what is happening now.
"There is an emotional sanctity to supervotes," he said. "It is one thing to covet an asset commonly. It is another to put at risk a control position," when the chairman plans to turn it over to his sons.
Gordon Crawford, the longtime media investor and a senior vice president at Capital Research and Management, whose firm is a major investor in both companies, has been trying to help resolve the friction between the men, according to several people involved. Mr. Crawford declined to comment.
Last week's move was not the first time that Mr. Malone had blindsided Mr. Murdoch. In January, Mr. Malone acquired his first portion of voting shares, roughly 9 percent, through a swap of nonvoting shares in a move that surprised and confused News Corporation executives.
And yet, it does not appear that Mr. Malone has ever sought a seat on the board. Mr. Malone could not be reached for comment.
Although there were reports in 2000 that Mr. Malone might get a seat on the board after he swapped his stake in Gemstar for News Corporation stock , a person close to Mr. Malone said that he did not push for one.
News Corporation stock fell 18 cents yesterday, to close at $18; Liberty stock rose 10 cents, to $10.35.
China Lets Viacom, Disney, Foreigners Invest in TV
From http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=abc1.nor9rM0&refer=us
Nov. 18 (Bloomberg) -- China will let foreign investors take stakes in television production companies for the first time, widening access for Viacom Inc., Walt Disney Co. and other media companies in the world's biggest TV market by viewers.
The new policy, to take effect Nov. 28, will allow foreigners to own as much as 49 percent of entertainment programming ventures, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television said on its Web site. Ventures must use ``China-related'' themes in two-thirds of programs, the statement said.
Viacom, Disney and News Corp. are among overseas media companies that have reached agreement or are in talks on TV ventures in China as the government seeks to spur revenue for broadcasters. China's TV advertising sales will surge a third to $24 billion this year based on published rates, after jumping 45 percent in 2003, New York-based Nielsen Media Research forecasts.
``The development of China's TV industry has moved at a rapid pace in recent months,'' Jamie Davis, president of News Corp. China, a unit of the world's fifth-biggest media company, said in a telephone interview in Beijing. ``This rule allows us to produce more content to fulfill audience demand. It's a great thing.''
News Corp., which already broadcasts into China through its Star TV unit and 38 percent-owned Phoenix Satellite Television Holdings Ltd., is negotiating with potential production partners and may announce a deal within six months, Davis said.
Digital TV
The rules issued by the media regulator formalize a policy first announced by the government in February.
Viacom, the third-largest U.S. media company, in March became the first overseas investor to take a stake in a Chinese TV production company, forming a venture with Shanghai Media Group to make and sell children's programs. The company reached a verbal agreement with Beijing Television for a second venture to co- produce Chinese-language music and entertainment programs, Chief Executive Sumner Redstone, 81, said on Sept. 24.
Disney, the second-largest U.S. media company, is in talks with Southern Media Corp. to make TV programs in the southern province of Guangdong, according to Southern Media. ``We'd love a channel in China,'' Disney President Robert Iger said in an interview in Shanghai on Oct. 14.
The government needs investment to expand programming content as it prepares to introduce pay-digital TV across China, a market with more than 1 billion potential viewers. China plans to convert 100 million urban households to digital TV by 2008, Wang Xiaojie, a director-general in charge of digital TV at the broadcasting regulator, said in August.
Censorship
China's government is betting that putting television on a more commercial footing will generate more revenue, taxes and jobs.
Investment in news and current affairs programming and in TV stations remains off-limits for foreign media companies, according to today's statement by the broadcasting regulator.
Non-Chinese broadcasters also must adhere to state censorship guidelines that control everything from program content to the hair- dye color used by entertainers. In January, China Central Television, the main government broadcaster, said it was putting on hold plans to broadcast the American comedy ``Friends,'' because of the show's sexual content.
News Corp.'s Davis, who is also president of Star TV China, declined to identify the company's potential partners. ``We'll be interested in cooperating in many areas,'' he said. ``We won't get into general affairs or news, but we'll be into entertainment, documentaries, music, movies, etc.''
Original Content
News Corp. at present can broadcast only to parts of the southern province of Guangdong, bordering Hong Kong, and to selected hotels and foreign residential compounds nationwide.
By requiring at least two-thirds of output to be China- related, the government will ensure that foreign-invested TV ventures produce original content rather than adapt their overseas programs for mainland audiences.
```The government wants original programming,'' said Li Wei, deputy chairman of Beijing-based Stellar Megamedia, which has $238 million worth of investments in 10 Chinese media companies. ``We Chinese media lack professional media talent and partnering with foreigners gives us state of the art expertise.''
Li said he hopes the government will keep the 49 percent investment cap to prevent domestic media companies from being swamped. ``We smell the gun powder already.''
Stellar's investments include a stake in Sun Satellite TV, a unit of Hong Kong-listed Sun Media Group Holdings Ltd.
China's TV advertising sales totaled $3.08 billion last year, according to the State Administration of Industry and Commerce, which didn't give a comparative figure. TV advertising in the U.S. reached $47 billion in 2003, according to a report by PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Raj TV won’t go off air, to uplink from Bangkok from today
From http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=74434
CHENNAI: Private Tamil television channel Raj TV Network will, from Thursday, begin uplinking its channels, Raj TV and Raj Digital Plus from Thaicom Bangkok.
This follows the Supreme Court on Wednesday upholding the decision of communication ministry to cancel the network’s uplinking licence.
The ministry had sometime back revoked the licence given to Raj TV on the ground that the network, which had been granted licence to telecast two channels, Raj TV and Raj Digital Plus had telecast two more, Vissa and Raj Music for over a year without valid permission.
Besides this, though the network’s licence had expired in September 2003, it had continued to telecast its channels without renewing its licence, the communication ministry had said.
Speaking to eFE, Rajeev Nambiar, CEO and head, marketing, said that the Raj TV Network rather than going off-air will be uplinking from Bangkok.
He said, “We will not be going off-air from Thursday. The Supreme Court’s order only stops us from telecasting our channels from our teleport facility in Chennai. We have therefore decided to uplink from Bangkok”.
Interestingly, the channel was uplinking from Bangkok before it launched its own teleport facility in Chennai in 2001, from which it now telecasts its channels.
The teleport facility of the network allows for real time uplinking of eight channels besides enabling Raj TV to lease channels to other users on a commercial basis.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the order passed by the Centre terminating Raj TV’s telecasting licence. The network had then filed a petition in the Madras High Court challenging the ministry order. The network had argued that the order was without jurisdiction as the information & broadcasting ministry, which had granted the licence to it, alone had the powers to revoke its licence.
On November 8, 2004, the Madras High Court had barred Raj TV Network from airing its channels. However, the court had permitted the network to operate Raj TV and Raj Digital Plus for 10 days in view of the festival holidays which ended on November 17.
Court won't stay revocation of licence to Raj TV
From http://www.hindu.com/2004/11/18/stories/2004111804801000.htm
NEW DELHI, NOV. 17 . The Supreme Court today declined to stay the operation of a Madras High Court judgment upholding the revocation of the licence for uplinking facilities granted to Raj Television Network Limited for broadcasting two channels, Raj TV and Raj Digital Plus.
A Bench, comprising Justice N. Santosh Hegde and Justice S. B. Sinha, while declining to grant any interim relief, however, issued notice returnable in two weeks to the Central Government on the special leave petition filed by Raj TV Network, challenging the impugned judgment dated November 8. Notice was also issued on the plea for interim relief.
When senior counsel for the petitioner, Anil Divan, submitted that the channels with an investment of over Rs. 150 crores had to be closed down if stay a was not granted, the Bench said: "You have been violating the provisions of the licence and you have to face the consequences."
The Communications Ministry revoked the licence for uplinking facilities on August 25 on the ground that Raj TV Network had been uplinking two additional channels, Raj Music and Raj Vissa, without valid permission from the Information and Broadcasting Ministry. The order further stated that even for Raj TV and Raj Digital Plus, the licence that had expired on September 30, 2003 was not renewed. This Government notice was challenged before the Madras High Court and both a single judge and a division bench upheld it.
`No jurisdiction'
Mr. Divan argued that the Communication Ministry had no jurisdiction to revoke the licence granted by the I&B Ministry. Even assuming that it had the power, the same could be done only by giving an opportunity for hearing, preceded by a written notice of 30 days.
He said the Government could not arbitrarily revoke the licence, when the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India had been vested with such power. The matter ought to have been referred to the TRAI for adjudication before the Government took the decision.
In its additional affidavit, the petitioner said that "there is a conflict of interest which disqualifies Dayanidhi Maran from holding the portfolio of Minister for Communications since he is closely related to the Sun Television network, a rival Tamil channel to the Raj TV. Viewed in this background, the impugned order dated August 25 is vitiated by bias and/or likelihood of bias and a case of legal malice is additionally made out."
Counsel said that though this point was not pressed before the High Court, it did not mean that the allegations were not true. Contending that the consequences of the revocation of the licence were enormous, he pleaded for stay of the impugned notice and an interim stay of the High Court judgment.
17/11/04
Besttv's website is down, anyone have any info on them? have they run out of money?
Another new channel coming to B3, Globecast
Hope TV will commence Broadcasting on the 20th of November 2004
Via 12525V sr 30000 Fec 2/3
B3 12552V sr various e.g 6666 6110 pids various "I'm a Celeb feeds" was running overnight.
Try reloading if you get signal.
In this months Satfacts
Unahohm s20 meter writeup, I701 Fiji TV footprint and estimated dish sizes, 3.5ghz Terrestrial Interference cookbook
From my Emails & ICQ
From Joe Goe
Telkom 1 108E TV7 fta EPL
TV 7 was running FTA EPL English Premiere League since last week
From the Dish
NSS 5 177W 12691 V "Super TV, Hunan TV and Sun TV (China) have replaced CTS, Good TV and Phoenix Chinese" on . All channels are now Fta and have new PIDs.
PAS 8 166E 3836 V "TVBS and TVBS Newsnet" are now encrypted.
PAS 8 166E 12726 H "PanGlobal TV" promos have started on , Fta, PIDs 518/646-524/652.
Optus B3 152E 12525 V "NOW" has left .
Optus B3 152E 12658 V "KurdSat" has started on , Fta, PIDs 1760/1720.
AsiaSat 3 105.5E 3700 V "Zee Cinema Asia" has left , replaced by a test card.
AsiaSat 3 105.5E 4000 H "Xing Kong Hong Kong" has started on , Videoguard, PIDs 520/672.
Telstar 10 76.5E 12734 V "TVBS and TVBS Newsnet" are now encrypted.
NEWS
News Corp investor insists he's not taking a liberty
From http://www.nzherald.co.nz/
NEW YORK - Liberty Media's self-professed "friendly" intentions to almost double its holding in Rupert Murdoch's News Corp should be viewed with scepticism, industry watchers say.
With Liberty's pending plans to boost its News Corp stake to 17 per cent, Liberty chairman John Malone could threaten a hostile bid for the rival media empire. And, they said, Malone could play a big role in key decisions usually made mainly by Murdoch.
The increased investment will test for the second time this year the two-decades-old, sometimes strained friendship between Murdoch and the man who once called him "my hero" and was one of News Corp's earliest and loudest cheerleaders.
A Malone source said the two had tangled on numerous occasions but seemed to mend fences. Malone, who ran the largest US cable operator in the 1980s and 90s, was livid over Murdoch's 1997 deal - ultimately unsuccessful - to buy satellite television operator EchoStar Communications.
And last year, Malone flirted with buying a stake in DirecTV, a move that could have thwarted Murdoch's lifelong dream of stitching together a global network of satellite TV services. Malone ended up backing Murdoch by buying up non-voting shares of News Corp, which helped finance Murdoch's US$6.8 billion ($9.8 billion) deal for control of DirecTV.
That transaction may have planted the seeds of Murdoch's latest headache: by January, Malone had amassed a 9.15 per cent voting stake in News Corp - without informing Murdoch.
To raise the News Corp investment to 17 per cent, Malone engineered yet another deal, this time with the help of Merrill Lynch.
"The idea that this is friendly is not plausible," said one New York deal lawyer who did not want to be named.
Malone repeated his company's benign disposition on Friday. "Our intentions are to remain supportive of the Murdoch family and their operating control," he told analysts.
But Liberty's growing stake may leave News Corp with only one option - buying Liberty - or risk allowing another suitor to snap up Liberty and its voting stake in News Corp.
Malone's motivations are known to few outside his inner circle. "I think everybody is curious to see what Dr Malone is doing with News Corp, not the least of whom is Rupert Murdoch," veteran media investor Steven Rattner said.
Malone was "always one step ahead of the rest of us, so I'm sure he's got a plan".
Malone could use his investor influence to push for his choice as a successor to Murdoch, now 73.
Murdoch has responded by swiftly enacting a poison-pill provision, designed to thwart any takeover.
China Plans To Have Over 100 Eyes In The Sky By 2020
From http://www.spacedaily.com/news/china-04zzzf.html
China plans to launch more than 100 observation satellites before 2020. The Ministry of Science and Technology says a large surveillance network will be set up to monitor water reserves, forests, farmland, urban development and various events.
The project's main goal is to make it possible to obtain data on any event at any time from space.
China regularly sends research satellites into orbit and in October last year it became the third nation to successfully put a man in space.
Last month, the retrievable chamber of China's 20th recoverable satellite returned to Earth with a bang, crashing through the roof of a house.
And in August, China launched a satellite that carried out land and mapping surveys for several days before returning to Earth.
China says it will also establish a long-term three dimensional satellite observation system to probe the world's land, air, and oceans, China Radio International reported on Tuesday.
Sun Yanlai, director of China's National Space Administration made the comment at the 18th Plenary Meeting of Earth Observation Satellites Committee.
He added that China would produce a new generation of meteorological, resources and ocean observation satellites by 2010.
He revealed that China will also set up a small constellation for environmental and resource supervision and control.
The constellation will consist of eight small satellites. The first three will be finished by 2007, while the rest five will be completed by 2010.
The three-day Plenary Meeting of the Earth Observation Satellites Committee will focus on the latest developments in observation satellites.
Murdoch plans summer launch of new financial channel
From http://www.newsday.com/business/ny-bzfox1117,0,1270190.story
Rupert Murdoch said Tuesday he expects to launch his new Fox business channel next summer and that it will be easy to compete against CNBC.
"I think it's wide open for competition," Murdoch said of CNBC, talking to reporters after he presided over the Fox Entertainment Group annual meeting in Manhattan.
Meanwhile, Murdoch also called for John Malone, whose Liberty Media is increasing its voting stake in Murdoch's News Corp. from 9 percent to 17 percent, raising speculation over his intentions, to sign a standstill agreement.
Fox News Channel, which has topped CNN in ratings, has several business-oriented programs whose edgy, opinionated style gives clear indications what the cable business channel will look like.
Murdoch said it will offer "more positive programming." Although CNBC's ratings have dropped sharply since the stock market bubble burst, it is very profitable, attracting a prime audience for advertisers.
CNN said last month that in December it will shut CNNfn, which focuses on personal finance but never attracted a big audience.
"CNNfn was never a factor in our thinking at all," Murdoch said two weeks ago in announcing quarterly earnings. The launch of a Fox business channel could come soon after Murdoch unveils a new reality TV cable channel, which he expects to launch next spring.
Both channels should be helped by the fact that Fox controls DirecTV, the biggest satellite TV operator, which has been growing rapidly.
Murdoch yesterday predicted DirecTV will soar to 20 million subscribers within a few years, compared with the current 13.5 million. EchoStar communications has 10.5 million.
When asked whether he would support Malone remaining a large shareholder in News Corp., Murdoch said that would be fine, "if he signed a standstill." Murdoch said he will probably meet with Malone in a month or two to discuss "all sorts of possibilities."
One rumored possibility is for News Corp., which adopted an anti-takeover defense, to buy Liberty's 50-percent stake in Discovery Communications, which Murdoch called "a very fine asset," adding, however, that its split ownership is a drawback.
Also Tuesday, Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, who controls a 3 percent stake in News Corp. non-voting shares, said in a statement he has "utmost confidence in Mr. Murdoch, his management team and his succession plan," and "if necessary," will increase voting shares in support of Murdoch.
When asked his reaction to Malone's move, Murdoch said, "Shocked would be too strong a word." The two have had some "friendly conversations," Murdoch said, calling them "too vague" to report.
"It's just John negotiating," Murdoch said. "We know each other pretty well. It's fine."
Animax ahead of game on distribution in Asia
From http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k4/nov/nov133.htm
NEW DELHI: Animation channel Animax has exceeded Sony Picture Entertainment (SPE)’s first year expectations with a current cable & satellite distribution base of 16 million in Asia with much traction seen in India on the One Alliance bouquet.
"To SPE also expects that it would be able to breast the target tape for year-ending 2005, which is at the 20 million mark, with a further addition of 400,000 subscribers by the year end, according to Todd Miller, managing director of Sony Pictures Television International, Asia and Sony Pictures Entertainment’s (SPE) network channels in Asia.
Miller, who interacted with the Hong Kong based research and analysis firm Media Partners Asia (MPA) sometime back, to discuss the success of Animax and action channel AXN in Asia, feels that the costs for Animax are scalable since it leverages the existing AXN infrastructure.
This gives Animax the ability to provide five unique and dedicated programme feeds in Asia (Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, South-East Asia and South Asia, including India) in a cost-effective manner.
But SPE is not looking at a quick break-even, which will be “several years away” because of the considerable upfront investments that have been made and would be made to provide high customisation. Still, Miller feels that this is in line with typical economic models of pan-regional cable & satellite programme networks.
Research conducted by Nielsen in Indonesia reports that within half a year, Animax has become the No. 1 service among all international channels on cable MSO Kabelvision, with 7.9 per cent share of viewers.
Though the current business model of Animax tilts towards subscription, Miller, during the interaction with MPA, expressed the hope that Animax would move towards a dual revenue stream over a period of time.
At present, the SPE strategy is to secure distribution amongst households, then build on advertising. Miller said that viewers tend to be heavy consumers (more than
eight hours per week) who will definitely pay for the channel, and even switch cable operators to get the service.
Korea is a market that SPE is looking to expand into for Animax and AXN. However, the challenge is to work out the economics while meeting the country’s broadcast requirements. “Under current regulations, AXN cannot participate in the Korean ad market as a local programme provider and replicate the programming format of movies, series and reality shows that make the channel so popular in Asia,” Miller told MPA. “For Animax, there are restrictions on Japanese content. So we (will) have to thoughtfully navigate these issues.”
AXN is now fully distributed in South and Southeast Asia (31 million households) with double digit growth rates, an equal balance between subscription and advertising revenue streams and has moved past breakeven, Miller said.
Strength in ratings is maintained through continual investment in first run and original programming.
According to Miller, SPE recognises the importance of customised services and introduced a dedicated Hong Kong/Thailand feed earlier this year, which has resulted in improved performance in the markets.
Casbaa backs Wipo broadcast treaty
From http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k4/nov/nov132.htm
MUMBAI: The Hong Kong-based Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (Casbaa) has endorsed the conclusion of a treaty on the Protection of Broadcasting Organizations currently being negotiated (this round 17-19 November) in the World Intellectual Property Organization (Wipo). The Treaty updates the rights of broadcasters over the distribution of multi-channel television signals.
"To ensure that the Wipo Broadcast Treaty is consistent with ongoing market and technological developments, Casbaa believes its scope should include all content delivery mechanisms, including unencrypted free-to-air digital broadcasts and web-casting," the association declared in a statement issued out of Hong Kong.
"Ensuring that all broadcasters and other distributors of content to consumers have updated and adequate rights in their signals will help combat the scourge of signal piracy which is costing Asian broadcasters, economies and governments millions of dollars and undermining growth and investment in pay-TV throughout the region," Casbaa CEO Simon Twiston Davies said.
"A Wipo broadcast treaty will establish an international consensus on the rights and protections needed to give broadcasters and governments the tools to bring pirates to justice," said Davies.
Casbaa, along with CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets, launched the second annual Asia-Pacific Cost of Pay-TV Piracy Report in October 2004 highlighting the impact of signal piracy throughout Asia. PricewaterhouseCoopers, which contributed to the Report, concludes that the financial loss to government in lost taxes, license fees and other revenues from signal piracy is at least US$152 million.
Additional information from the cost of Pay TV piracy report 2004:
The cost of piracy in India ($565 million) continued to dominate regional piracy numbers, contributing 58 per cent of total revenue leakage.
The Philippines ($70 million) suffered a dramatic surge of 345 per cent in net revenues lost to the industry driven primarily by a jump in the number of detected unauthorized cable subscribers as compared with the 2003 Report. The loss in Indonesia ($21 million) soared by 183 per cent.
Hong Kong ($25 million loss) suffered a 66 per cent increase in revenues lost to pirated cable subscribers in the 2004 estimates, but the piracy cost associated with satellite overspill has fallen by 16 per cent, due in part to industry liberalization (reported subscribers in Hong Kong have jumped 58 per cent year-on-year).
Thailand's loss ($141 million) was up 23 per cent year on year. The report concluded that 1.1 million subscribers access unlicensed pay television services in Thailand.
Singapore and Vietnam experienced worsening situations, while Taiwan's signal theft figures remained similar to 2003. Early indications suggest that efforts to counter a breach in the systems designed to counteract piracy in Malaysia during the third quarter of 2004 have been successful, providing a standout example for other regional markets. South Korea is the only market with no material piracy reported. Australia and China are not covered by the survey in 2004
Pak cable ops tap Pehla Europe to pirate Ten Sports signal
From http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k4/nov/nov136.htm
MUMBAI: Ten Sports has temporarily suspended its transmission on Pehla Europe to stop illegal re-distribution of signals on some cable networks in Pakistan.
Arab Digital Distribution, a pay TV platform management company, said in a release that efforts were on "to work closely with anti piracy enforcement agencies, channel partners, technical teams and satellite operators to find a technical solution. "
Some cable head-ends in Pakistan were stealing signals of Ten Sports from Pehla Europe. The pay TV platform's footprint spread across Pakistan.
16/11/04
Live satellite chat tonight 9.pm NZ and 8.30pm Syd time onwards
The new mux on Telstar 18 138E 3660V left last night not long after the site went online.
The news section is a bit light on items today.
NSS5 NZ beam, 12691 V BestTV mux is still FTA
Channels listed are
Sid 1 V106 Apid 258 TTV
Sid 2 V102 Apid 102 FTV
Sid 3 V103 Apid 262 CTS
Sid 4 V105 Apid 264 Dragon TV
Sid 5 V155 Apid 101 CCTV1
Sid 6 V514 Apid 515 Hunan TV
Sid 7 V104 Apid 268 Sun TV
Sid 8 V800 Apid 801 PTS
From my Emails & ICQ
From Skip
Palapa C2 113E 3765 H "TVRI"
Strong signal strength in Canberra - in the order of 40%-45%. Audio may improve by switching to either left or right channel instead of stereo.
From Vk4bkp
Tas TV on B1 has been playing pid swapping all afternoon. Presently
it's SCT Hobart vpid 625 apid 626. They've changed about three times
already so I don't know how long these pids will last.
From George
BN TV is on
PAS 8 12726 H 28066
From Ahmad Mobasheri (Auckland, NZ)
KU reception in AK
For those who are interested to know that:
In Auckland, using 1m offset (Ihug) dish, Sharp LNBF and Moteck dish drive
on X-Receiver (MaxPlus 9300)
the readings are:
- AS4 (122E) , 12430V, SR20000, 1 FTA Chinese channel NTSC, %52.
-B3 (152E) many channels on Vertical, 85%.
-C1 (156E), SBS and QLD, vertical, %85.
-B1 (160E), TVNZ (FTA) mux and sky , 585.
-Pas2, (169E), 12281H (and not V, due to skew on LNBF), SR 27500, %75.
-NSS5, (177WEST), 12691V, SR17600, up to 8 FTA Chinese cannel, %82.
Cheers
From the Dish
PAS 8 166E 12646 H "MBC Europe, ART Movie and PanGlobal TV promos" have started on ,Fta, PIDs 515/643, 517/645 and 519/647-520/648.
New PIDs for Al-Jazeera Satellite Channel: 518/646. The test cards have left.
PAS 8 166E 12726 H "BK TV Sat" has started on , Fta, PIDs 517/645.
NSS 6 95E 12534 H "ETC Channel Punjabi" is fta.
NEWS
Waiver helps INL keep its costs down
From http://www.nzherald.co.nz
It may be sitting on a $310 million cash pile, but Sky shareholder and listed company INL will not be shelling out to hire a second independent director to its board.
INL has been granted a waiver by the NZX from listing rules that require a board of fewer than eight members to have at least two independent directors - members with no material interest in the company.
INL plans to merge with Sky TV, of which it already owns 78 per cent, in a transaction expected to be finalised by March.
In the meantime, left with no operational assets after the sale of its newspaper division, INL is paring costs to a minimum.
It told the NZX it would be too difficult and costly to recruit another independent director at this stage.
"We didn't want to seek another independent director when there's not an operating business to manage," said Sean Wynne, INL's company secretary and sole full-time employee.
"It would be strange bringing a director on board when directors are approving merger documentation. They may not be on the new Sky board going forward."
The INL board has met five times since the June 30 close of its financial year.
While the absence of a second independent director in these days of strict adherence to principles of corporate governance would normally be frowned upon, shareholders seem comfortable with it.
"I can understand it," said James Lindsay, joint domestic equities manager for Tyndall Investment Management which has a small holding in INL.
"They'll try and get the ongoing expenses of the INL shareholding to almost nil ahead of the merger."
Akimbo breaks ground with Internet TV service
From http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/business/technology/10185352.htm
Akimbo, a set-top box and service for receiving television shows through the Internet, could be the most important new consumer technology product of 2004.
Important, unfortunately, isn't the same thing as worthwhile or fun. Akimbo the company, based in San Mateo, has failed -- so far, at least -- to put any TV shows worth watching on its service. So this isn't a product any rational consumer should buy.
Yet Akimbo (www.akimbo.com) is still the first milestone in a massive transformation that will cause empires to crumble.
There are now three ways to watch TV at home: through a roof-top antenna, a cable connection or a satellite dish.
Each option requires hundreds of millions of dollars up front, for erecting TV transmitters, digging trenches for cable lines or launching satellites into orbit. These high costs require providers to allocate their precious channel space to programs aimed at the biggest possible audience -- explaining why there's relatively little offered for niche interests.
In contrast, there's almost no cost involved in distributing TV shows via the Internet. Producers could create highly specialized shows, perhaps appealing to an audience of only a few thousand nationwide or worldwide, and make a profit by charging only a few dollars.
The obstacle, until now, has been making it easy. Akimbo is the first Internet television service, as far as I know, that doesn't require using a personal computer. While there have been efforts to integrate PCs and TVs, most notably and recently with Microsoft's Windows XP Home Media Center Edition 2005, the logistics and cost of hooking TVs and PCs together is still daunting.
Akimbo succeeds, with a few rough edges, in making TV through Internet simple and inexpensive. But the company couldn't overcome the reluctance of Hollywood studios, broadcasters and other content owners to try a new approach, making Akimbo feel more like Limbo when you actually look at its paltry list of Grade Z programs.
Officially launched Oct. 25, Akimbo began shipping its boxes to customers in late October. The product can be ordered from the company's Web site, or through Amazon.com.
The hardware part of Akimbo is a silver set-top box about the size of a DVD player, selling for $229. Inside is an 80-gigabyte (GB) hard drive, capable of holding about 180 hours of programming. That's much more than equivalent digital video recorders (DVRs) such as TiVo, because Akimbo compresses its video files.
Broadband connection
Those video files are received through a broadband connection, such as a cable modem or DSL line. The Akimbo box hooks to a home router, a kind of switch box, either through a standard Ethernet cable or through an optional WiFi wireless adapter, and shares the broadband feed with your home computers.
The service part of Akimbo costs $9.99 a month, with the first three months free, giving you access to most of the company's program library. There is also premium content, including foreign-language programs and soon the same kind of soft-core porn found on cable and satellite systems, available either on a pay-per-view basis or with extra monthly fees.
You get programs through what Akimbo calls a ``queue and view'' system. Once Akimbo is installed and activated, a process that took only about 10 minutes at my house, you go to a ``Guide'' screen that lists programming channels. Within a channel, you select programs you want to watch.
These programs are then delivered through the Internet to your Akimbo's hard drive, and you can watch the programs as soon as they arrive.
Akimbo's compressed files, in the Windows Media Video or WMV format, occupy about 1 megabit per second. My cable modem runs at about 3 megabits per second, so I could get an one-hour show in 20 minutes.
Varied image quality
Shortly before going to sleep on the first night after setting up Akimbo, I went through the Guide and selected 17 hours of programs. They were all downloaded when I checked the box the next morning, about nine hours later.
Akimbo claims the image quality of its library is equivalent to VHS videotapes. I found that to be only partly true. Several programs I watched looked blurry, and pixilated into tiny squares when the action got fast. The company told me some of its programs were poorly encoded by their suppliers. That's understandable, but raises the obvious question of why Akimbo isn't enforcing basic quality control.
The bigger problem, however, is the lack of compelling programs. The Akimbo channels are filled with aging shows from British and Australian TV, ancient horror and science-fiction films in black and white, and music videos from bands you've never heard of. One example: Akimbo has ``The Wizard of Oz.'' Not the Judy Garland classic from 1939, but the silent Oliver Hardy version from 1925.
I did a rough tally last week and found only about 140 hours of programming in English available on Akimbo, less than the capacity of the player's hard drive. There was also about 50 hours of programs in Chinese and 20 in Spanish.
The typical cable or satellite system with 100 channels offers more programming choices in three hours than the entire Akimbo library, and you can record dozens of those hours with DVRs that cost less than Akimbo.
Akimbo is promising to expand its lame library, and has deals in place for TV shows from Turner Broadcasting System, whose holdings include CNN and the Cartoon Network, as well as recent pay-per-view movies from the CinemaNow service (www.cinemanow.com).
But these improvements may be too little, too late. Akimbo, to me, seems destined to be one of those pioneers with a clear vision of the promised land, nevertheless doomed to die in the desert on the way there.
Zee Biz gets government okay, targets 30 November launch
From http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k4/nov/nov123.htm
NEW DELHI: The government has finally cleared a Zee proposal to start a business news channel, which is now slated to make its formal debut on 30 November.
The clearance for the business news channel, named ZeeBiz, came last week from the information and broadcasting ministry, according to government sources.
Earlier, Zee had tried to soft-launch the business news channel on the Dish TV DTH platform, 20 per cent owned by Zee Telefilms, contending that government permission was not necessary to start channels on a DTH platform.
The move was withdrawn after I&B ministry made appropriate noises that government permission was a must for launching a news channel even on a DTH platform.
Having got the clearance, Zee Biz would kick off both on the cable and DTH platforms simultaneously as a 24-hour channel in a digitally encrypted format. The uplinking would take place from Zee News headquartered in Noida on the outskirts of Delhi.
If ZeeBiz does manage to keep its date with lady luck this time on 30 November, it would be the first off the block of a series of new launches lining up in the business news segment.
The other Hindi language business news channel being planned come from the stables of Television Eighteen, scheduled for a December launch, and NDTV. The latter's launch date is still not clear as it was supposed to have been launched this year only.
ZeeBiz, along with the other proposed channels, are attempting to broadbase viewership by targeting the huge Indian middle class whose interest in capital markets and other aspects of business has increased with the economy doing fairly well over the last two years and general awareness.
Star boosts Chinese movie channel with output deal
From http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k4/nov/nov125.htm
MUMBAI:: With the aim of dominating the Chinese movies segment across key Asian territories, Star has signed an exclusive multi-territory pay television output deal with Hong Kong’s Emperor Group.
Under the terms of the multi-million dollar agreement, the channel Star Chinese Movies will have exclusive access to Mandarin and Cantonese pay television rights of all films produced by Emperor Motion Pictures (EMP) and movie star Jackie Chan’s JCE Movies (JCE), for Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau, the Philippines and Singapore for the next three years.
Star Chinese Movies already has output agreements with Hong Kong film studios like China Star, Media Asia, Teamwork and Universe. The new deal secures for the broadcaster 90 per cent of all the current and upcoming Chinese titles.
Star COO Steve Askew is quoted in a company release as saying, "This announcement creates a world record. No other Chinese movie channel has secured as many exclusive new movies as Star Chinese Movies." Adding, "Such high quality films from EMP and JCE to our programming will set us even further apart from our competitors."
Chan has been quoted as saying, "I strongly believe that the combination of our well-made films and Star’s strength and dominance in the region will help to elevate the Hong Kong film industry to a new level."
15/11/04
TV3 and PRIME FTA VIA B1 By April??? Confirmation soon hopefully!!!!!!!!!!
Yes FIJI TV via Cband Confirmed, I701 180E spotbeam over Fiji and Islands. There should be reception into Eastern Australia and NZ.
New mux on 138E 3660V sr 30000 Fec 3/4 14 channels, Chinese/Taiwanese 4 FTA
Some testing seen Late Friday night b3 12524V Adhoc channel and 12552V, testing with ITV and who wants to be a Celeb testcard. This show starts again Nov 21st so we may see a feed of it in a week.
Quite a few signals have been FTA over the weekend
B3 Sigiram
B3 Sky 1-8 feeds
B3 V8's 12442H 6670
Nss5 BestTV mux
I was watching the BEST TV mux last night and I saw on Dragon TV, English Premiere League Football. I compared it with SKY sports, the feed for Dragon TV was approx 20 seconds behind. Same video footage though! You can also watch Dragon TV on Asiasat 3 Cband.
The Unofficial UBI forum over at AUS-City has closed. Note this wasn't due to any pressure from UBI but a personal decision by those involved. It may re-start under a NEWS only non posting format.
From my Emails & ICQ
From ME
NEW FTA SIGNAL
Optus B3 12658V sr 30000 Fec 2/3
"Kurdsat"
Vpid 1760 Apid 1720 SID 7
Website http://www.kurdsat.tv/
Live Video http://stream.mediaweb.nl/kurdsat
From Steve Hume
Future TV PAS 2 3836v - SR13330
Is Encrypted again. (Forgot to post days ago)
AS2 UP4 3705H sr 4166
Feed from Presser in Iraq.
Steve Hume
From Sky_Satt
B3 12552 V SR 6111 Globcast1 (feed) currently showing "Melb Horse Racing".
NSS 5 " All Channels FTA"
12691 V SR 17600
(All FTA)
Best TV1
Best TV2
Best TV3
Best TV4
Best TV5
Best TV6
Cheers
sky_satt
(Craigs comment, there are a few changes in the BEstTV mux which I will list on the site tomorrow)
From Adhoc
ING Cricket feed seen Sunday B112525 H 6111
From Spookie
FTA on B1 Sky 1 through to SKY 8.
Sky 8 is A Teleconference on Breast Cancer.
From the Dish
Optus C1 156E All TV channels in the Optus Aurora mux on 12407 V are encrypted again.
Telstar 18 138E 12354 V "Asia TV" is now encrypted.
Palapa C2 113E 3765 H "TVRI" has started on , Fta, SR 5555, FEC 3/4, PIDs 33/36.(Any Australian or NZ reports?)
NSS 6 95E 12534 H "Kairali Channel, BBC World India, ETC Channel Punjabi (Conax), Smile TV, Aaj Tak, Zee Music and Headlines Today" have started on , Fta, PIDs 531/631-537/637.
NSS 6 95E 12535 V "CNN Headline News has replaced CNN Financial Network" on , Conax, PIDs 161/82.
NSS 6 95E 12729 V "Mh 1" is back on , Fta, PIDs 528/628.
Yamal 201 90E 4084 R "Radio Disco" has started on , Fta, APID 4151.
Insat 2E 83E 3688 V "Win TV Kannada" has started on , Fta, SR 3030, FEC 3/4, PIDs 308/256, wide beam.
Telstar 10 76.5 The D-Sky muxes have left 12333 H and 12493 H, now only on Telstar 18.
PAS 4 72E 3729 V "RTNC and three test cards" have started on , Fta, SR 10500, FEC 3/4, PIDs 512/768-515/771.
PAS 4 72E 12722 V "New frequency and SR for SkyVision": and 38910.
PAS 7 68.5E 3495 V "South Asia World has started on , Fta, SR 4250, FEC 2/3, PIDs 308/256.
PAS 10 68.5E 4085 V "28 China Radio International" have started on , Fta, SR 3428, FEC 3/4.(same as via Pas8)
NEWS
FTV Secures Agreement on Sky Pacific Capacity – Service to Start before Christmas
From http://www.cmda.com.fj/content/publish/page_2046.shtml
Television will be delivered to all of Fiji for the first time ever.
Olota Rokovunisei, Chairman of the Board of Fiji Television Limited ("FTV") is pleased to announce that Fiji TV has completed an agreement with New Skies Satellites TV of the Netherlands to use Intelsat C Band Satellites services to deliver its new Sky Pacific package.
As a result of this agreement, the litigation between Fiji TV and New Skies has been settled and the parties claims against each other are at an end. This means that Fiji TV’s Sky Pacific pay-TV service will be in place before Christmas. It also means that Fiji TV will also begin delivering its satellite-based free-to-air service, Fiji One, to the whole of Fiji before end of the year.
Ken Clark, CEO of Fiji TV says, " We are pleased that agreement has been reached with New Skies. Both parties worked hard to overcome their difference and we are confident that the New Skies relationship will be a positive and rewarding one. We can now quickly move forward to begin the Sky Pacific service. One of the features of this agreement is that Fiji TV will be able to deliver consumers the advantages of C- Band Satellites services for the costs of a Ku-Band service. C- Band offers a better quality signal with fewer "rain fade" risks for viewers, although in some places, including Fiji satellites dishes will be slightly bigger."
In addition, he said, "Fiji TV’s footprint for the C-Band option is much larger and extends more comprehensively across all the Pacific Islands nations, which presents further commercial opportunities for Fiji TV.
"The service will begin with a temporary C-Band uplink facility while Fiji TV’s install Ku-Band facility is converted to C-Band – so expect to be in people’s home with Sky Pacific before Christmas this year".
Further announcements will be made within a few days on the programme content on the new Sky Pacific package and on the subscription structure for the new and exciting service.
"What this means" said Mr Rokovunisei, "Is that for the first time, the people of Fiji who have never had television, will be able to watch locally relevant television and package of pay television services for the first time ever. It is an important moment in broadcasting history for Fiji".
Fiji TV seals major deal
From http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=11585
FIJI TV Limited yesterday announced the completion of an agreement with New Skies Satellites BV of the Netherlands to use Intelsat C Band satellite services to deliver its new Sky package.
Board chairman Olota Rokovunisei said the litigation between Fiji TV and New Skies had been settled, "meaning Fiji TV's Sky Pacific pay-TV will be in service before Christmas".
Fiji TV chief executive officer Ken Clark said the company was pleased to have reached an agreement with New Skies.
"We can now quickly move forward to begin the Sky Pacific service.
"One of the features of this agreement is that Fiji TV will be able to deliver consumers the advantages of C-Band satellite services," Mr Clark said.
Further announcements will be made within the next few days on the programme content of the new Sky Pacific package.
Thai Shin Satellite Gets $238M Contracts For iPSTAR
From newssource
BANGKOK (Dow Jones)--Shin Satellite PCL (SATTEL.TH) Friday said it has received contracts totaling $238 million from the bandwidth sales of its iPSTAR satellite.
The contracts were secured ahead of the satellite's launch in March.
The company's executive chairman Dumrong Kasemset told an analysts' meeting that the company expects to receive more contracts before the satellite is launched.
"These are the confirmed orders we have received so far. By the time the satellite is launched, the value will go up," Dumrong said.
The $400 million satellite is undergoing final test and will be delivered by manufacturer Space Systems/Loral to Arianespace's (ARS.YY) spaceport in French Guiana early January, he said.
The company is expected to launch its fourth satellite between March 1 and March 30.
The satellite was scheduled to be launched in the third quarter of this year, but the launch was delayed.
Jsat gets Russia order for satellite communications
From http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Japan/FK13Dh02.html
TOKYO - Major communications satellite company Jsat Corp said that it has received an order to provide satellite communications service for the Sakhalin 1 oil and gas development project in Russia.
This would mark the first time for a Japanese satellite communications firm to launch service in Russia - a market that, like China, is expected to grow.
The Japanese firm will provide telephone and data transmission services for workers and others involved in such operations as construction of a Sakhalin pipeline. Jsat will build about 10 Sakhalin facilities that have antennas for data transmission with its satellite.
Data will be sent from Sakhalin to a communications base in Hawaii via the Jsat-operated JCSAT2a satellite. It will then be sent via undersea cable to the mainland US, where the headquarters of Exxon Mobil Corp and others - participants in the Sakhalin 1 project - are located.
The deal for satellite communications service is to last through June 30, 2007, and the order was made by a local telecommunications firm from the Russian Far East island just north of Japan. The amount of the order has not been disclosed.
Jsat expects there to be 300 yen (US$2.8million)-500 million yen in demand in the Sakhalin region alone, including the latest deal.
DD Direct priced at Rs 3,500
From http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200411150312.htm?headline=DD%7EDirect%7Epriced%7Eat%7ERs%7E3,500
New Delhi, Nov 15. (UNI): Doordarshan's direct-to-home (DTH) television platform, the second in the country to become operational after Zee, has managed to get about 200,000 subscribers though it is still awaiting a formal launch.
DD Direct had become operational in June and had been beaming test runs, hoping that Prime Minister would formally launch it on September 15 which marks the anniversary of the Doordarshan which began with a one-hour daily beam on that day in 1959.
The project, which cost around Rs 500 crore but will come to the viewers for a mere Rs 3,500, since it is only beaming free-to-air channels, signed agreements with some more channels early this month and is telecasting about thirty channels including 17 DD channels and 12 private channels which include BBC World, Aaj Tak, Headlines Today, Zee Cinema, Zee Music, Splash TV, Aakash Bangla, SUN TV, and Kairali.
The platform is also offering about 10 radio channels. But All India Radio sources said that the number will be increased to 19 in the next two months. These radio beams would include regional radio channels.
DD had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Indian Space Research Organisation for the supply of Ku-band transponders as early as March and started test signals in June.
Prasar Bharati Chief Executive Officer K S Sarma told UNI that DD Direct was meant at areas where there were no TV signals, he said that around 20,000 set top boxes would be distributed to public institutions which will help demonstrate the effect of DTH in remote areas.
He said technically, Doordarshan was today reaching every nook and corner of the city through satellite or terrestrially but there were some areas where there were no transmitters or people did not have TV sets and these areas would get covered by the platform.
Prasar Bharati kicks off DTH operations
From http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=74172
NEW DELHI, NOV 14: After a long wait, public broadcaster Prasar Bharati has finally kicked off its Rs 500 crore DTH venture, roping in around two lakh subscribers to begin with.
“We signed agreements with private channels on Thursday and are beaming to about two lakh subscribers,” Prasar Bharati CEO KS Sarma said.
The public broadcaster becomes the second DTH operator in the country after Zee-promoted ASC Enterprises’ Dish TV, which has managed to corner around 1.5 lakh subscribers in about a year’s operations.
Mr Sarma said DD’s DTH would telecast only free-to-air channels, also airing All India Radio (AIR) channels as an add-on.
“So far, we have 17 DD channels on the platform and 12 private channels, which include BBC World, Aaj Tak, Headlines Today, Zee Cinema, Zee Music, Splash TV, Aakash Bangla, Sun TV, Kairali,” he said.
The platform, which just entails an initial cost of about Rs 2,500-3,500 for the dish and the set-top box, will also offer about 10 radio channels to begin with and AIR plans to increase it to 19 in the coming months. These radio beams would include regional radio channels.
The Prasar Bharati CEO said their service will be initially targeted at non-cable and non-television coverage areas. “These include Jammu and Kashmir and North-Eastern areas.”
Prasar Bharati had begun trial run for the DTH platform for the last few months, but is awaiting a formal inauguration by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
According to an official of the public broadcaster, about Rs 160 crore have been spent on the venture so far.
“The rest of the investment will be made in the coming months for upgradation as well as other expansion programmes,” he said. The service is being marketed by about 900 private dealers in about 130 cities and the Prasar Bharati is bullish on the prospects, going by the huge numbers of non-cable houses.
14/11/04
No Update Sunday
13/11/04
No update Saturday
12/11/04
Sorry about the lateness of todays update
Just in as the Site is ready to go up , B3 12524V globecast mux adhoc testing feed for I'm a celeb get me out of here. Also testing on 12552V sr 6110 Fec 3/4 pics of this next week.
Jsat.tv reports 66E CFI mux is fta plus 12 radios which are unlisted at Lyn
From my Emails & ICQ
From Jsatt
hi guys,
just thought i would let u all know the
ABS-CBN package on LM1 is viewable here in WEST AUST...comming in at 84% on my 3.7m KTI mesh with split C/KU feed...
3800H 20000 3/4....
regards jsat
From Chris Globe
2 feeds on B3 now, 5.40 pm SA time.
12442H and 12452H, sr 6670
Chris
From Billo
LM1 ABS-CBN
I see 78%Q on this TP using 3m near Adelaide
From Dharmesh Bamrolia
Hey cheers up guys,
More channels on India beam on DD's DTH on NSS 6.
>KAIRALI
>BBC WORLD INDIA
>ETC PUNJABI
>SMILE TV (good comedy entertainment)
>AAJ TAK (no.1 Hindi New channel)
>ZEE MUSIC
>HEADLINES TODAY
Yet more channels to come very soon.
Check every hour for update.
Best Regards,
bamrolia@*yahoo.co.in
From the Dish
PAS 8 166E 3959 V "28 China Radio International" channels have started on , Fta, SR 3428, FEC 3/4. For APIDs, see Lyngsa.
Optus B1 160E 12353 H "It's Tasmanian Digital TV" on , Fta, SR 5100, FEC 3/4, PIDs 1280/1281.(geee of course it is..)
Optus B3 152E 12407 V "Radio Akashwani" has left .
Telkom 1 108E 3580 H "ABC Asia Pacific" has again replaced A1 Asia on , Irdeto, PIDs 103/529.
NSS 6 95E 12729 V "Mh 1" has left . also Radio Vocea Sperantei has left.
Measat 1 91.5E "NTV 7" has left 3802 H, moved to 4175 H.
NEWS
Shanghai Media Group Plans New TV Channel
From http://www.forbes.com/work/feeds/ap/2004/11/11/ap1648515.html
China's powerful Shanghai Media Group said Thursday it plans to set up the country's second English-language satellite TV channel, potentially challenging national broadcaster China Central Television for foreign audiences.
A spokeswoman for the group, Tang Lijun, said it was awaiting approval for the new channel from industry regulator, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television.
"We are now in the active preparation stage," Tang said in a telephone interview.
A SMG executive speaking on condition of anonymity said the group was ready to launch the new channel - to be called Dragon International - and has been orally notified by the television administration that it would receive approval to broadcast within China.
However, he said SMG was still hoping for government approval to broadcast to North America, where it would compete directly for viewers with CCTV-9, the country's first English-language channel.
"We face a big barrier in going up against CCTV-9 for approval because the government is happy with having one station getting across what it wants people to know about China," said the executive. "Even if we focussed on cultural programs rather than news they would still see us as a competitor."
Both CCTV-9 and Dragon International would be free-to-air, meaning they wouldn't charge subscription fees.
CCTV-9 was launched in September 2000 as part of a campaign to present the Communist Party's views and counter foreign criticism of the country's human rights record and lack of democracy. It began broadcasting in the United States in 2002 through an exchange agreement with News Corp.'s Star TV.
SMG's 24-hour news and entertainment satellite channel, Dragon TV, already produces some English-language programming, including shows for CCTV-9. Dragon TV is broadcast across China and to Japan and Australia via satellite.
The 11.7 billion yuan (US$1.4 billion; euro 1.1 billion) company was formed in 2001 from the merger of several Shanghai-based terrestrial and satellite stations. Its 12 channels dominate the market in Shanghai, which has a population of 20 million, and in August it was named China's second largest broadcaster after CCTV.
Alhurra Satellite Television Channel Delivers NBA Games and Programming to 22 Countries Throughout the Region -
From Press Release
NBA Continues Global Reach Through Alhurra Television With New Agreement in Middle East
Thursday November 11, 2:58 pm ET
NEW YORK and SPRINGFIELD, Va., Nov. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- The NBA and Alhurra Television announced today a new agreement through which the Middle East satellite television channel will provide the growing basketball fan base with NBA games for the first time.
The agreement includes a top NBA matchup to be televised live every week in the Middle East throughout the season, along with weekly customized episodes of NBA Jam, a lifestyle show offering behind-the-scenes features of NBA teams and players. This marks the second season Alhurra has partnered with the NBA since the channel's debut in February 2004, when episodes of NBA Inside Stuff were broadcast weekly.
"We are all very excited about the addition of the NBA game of the week to Alhurra's line-up. Our live coverage will add significantly to Alhurra's already impressive audience," said Norman J. Pattiz, Chairman of Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) Middle East Committee. "Our NBA coverage will complement our expanding news and information programming schedule."
"Alhurra is quickly becoming a very prominent and valuable source of news, information and entertainment to millions of Arabic speakers," said NBA Commissioner David Stern. "We are gratified to play a role in its growth and development as we continue to bring NBA games and programming to fans in the Middle East and around the world."
Launched in February 2004, Alhurra (Arabic for "The Free One") is the latest and most technologically advanced television organization to enter the crowded Middle East satellite television market. The satellite channel is a 24-hour primarily news and information network broadcast in Arabic. It can be seen in 22 countries throughout the region via Arabsat and Nilesat, the same satellites used by all major Arabic channels. Alhurra is operated by a non- profit corporation "The Middle East Television Network, Inc." (MTN). MTN is financed by the U.S. Government through a grant from the BBG, an independent federal agency. The BBG provides oversight and serves as a firewall to protect the professional independence and integrity of the broadcasters.
Since its founding in 1946, the NBA has truly become a global phenomenon that transcends national boundaries. With 30 teams in the United States and Canada, NBA games and related programming are broadcast to 214 countries in 43 languages via 157 telecasters; they are one of the largest suppliers of sports television and Internet programming in the world. NBA.com, with more than half of all visits to the site coming from fans outside the United States, has nine language-specific international destinations for fans around the world. At the start of the 2004-05 season, NBA rosters featured 81 international players from 35 countries and territories. The NBA is a recognized leader in global sports marketing with 13 offices around the world.
(Craigs comment, good news for Basketball fans as Alhurra also broadcast FTA via I701 180E and NSS703 at 57E!)
Orbital Recovery Completes the Funding for its CX OLEV Space Tug With a Team of European Space Industry Leaders
From Press Release
London, England, November 11, 2004-- Orbital Recovery Ltd. has completed its second round financing for the ConeXpress Orbital Life Extension Vehicle (CX OLEV™), marking a major program milestone that allows production of the first "space tug" to begin in early 2005, followed by the initial operational mission approximately 36 months later.
The company is now fully funded with the addition of major European industrial investors -- the Swedish Space Corporation and SENER of Spain. These companies join Dutch Space of The Netherlands, which became the lead investor of the company in April.
Also contributing is the European Space Agency, which has co-funded the definition phases of the CX OLEV initiative in its ARTES 4 Public-Private Partnership programme.
"We are delighted to welcome the Swedish Space Corporation and SENER to our consortium, making our company fully funded," said Orbital Recovery Ltd. Chief Executive Officer Phil Braden. "This core industrial team brings extensive experience and provides us access to the very best in European technology and know-how."
"With only days to go until SMART-1 lunar capture, it is an exciting prospect to be able to bring that experience to bear on an innovative and challenging European commercial venture," said Swedish Space Corporation CEO Claes-Göran Borg. "We look forward to contributing to its success."
"The CX OLEV project is a technological challenge and we are extremely pleased to participate in it as an industrial shareholder" said Alvaro Azcárraga, SENER Managing Director of the Space Department. This concept introduces a revolutionary new way of doing business for the telecom operators."
"This is one of the rare occasions to unlock a novel commercial space market niche in a public private partnership approach," said Ben Spee, Chief Executive Officer of Dutch Space.
The CX OLEV will serve as an orbital "tugboat" - providing the propulsion, navigation and guidance required to maintain telecommunications satellites in their proper orbits for years beyond the normal fuel depletion.
Primary mission of the CX OLEV will be to prolong the in-service lifetimes of expensive geostationary orbit telecommunications satellites, which currently are junked when their on-board fuel supply runs out. The space tug will also be equipped for other essential services to operators, such as providing the graveyard burn or effect plane changes for inclined satellites.
Orbital Recovery Ltd. has identified more than 70 telecommunications satellites in orbit today that are candidates for life extension using the CX OLEV.
Swedish Space Corporation will develop the spacecraft telemetry, tracking and command (TT&C) subsystem and contribute to the on-board data handling design using its experience that includes the European SMART-1 lunar exploration probe. Additionally, the ground control station(s) and CX OLEV Mission Operations will be provided by the Swedish Space Corporation.
SENER will develop the CX OLEV's attitude and orbit control subsystem (AOCS), which includes both the rendezvous phase as well as the orbit and station keeping of the target spacecraft after docking with the CX OLEV. This company is now responsible for Planck satellite AOCS, and participates in the design for this subsystem in Herschel and GALILEO.
Dutch Space is the prime contractor for the CX OLEV's spacecraft development and production. In a unique approach to spacecraft development, the company will build the CX OLEV based on a payload adapter that is used on every mission of the Ariane 5 launcher. This allows flight-proven hardware to serve as the structure for the spacecraft, and opens regular launch opportunities for the space tug on Ariane 5.
Orbital Recovery Ltd. signed a long-term, exclusive launch services contract in May with Arianespace, covering the initial three flights of the CX OLEV on Ariane 5. Additional launches will be ordered in sets of three missions.
For additional information on Orbital Recovery Ltd. and the CX OLEV, see the company's Web site at: http://www.orbitalrecovery.com.
Press & media contact:
Jeffrey Lenorovitz
The InfoWEST Group
Media relations agency for Orbital Recovery Corporation
Tel: +1 703 560-6330
U.S. mobile: +1 703 615-3646
International GSM: +33 (0)6 80 85 86 25
e-mail: [email protected]
11/11/04
Another quiet day. A few forums are having a squabble over who has rights to which channels in the Australian ethnic tv pay tv scene. Claims are flying thick and fast over who has "exclusive" rights to certain channels. Meanwhile Sky Pacific seem to have sorted out things with NewSkies. So perhaps expect to see signals from them by Christmas. Did someone say CBAND?? More details in a few days!
Scatmag site is updated
From my Emails & ICQ
All quiet
From the Dish
AsiaSat 4 122E 12430 V "VTV 2" has left .
Sinosat 1 110.5E 4106 V "Dragon TV" has left , replaced by a test card.
Sinosat 1 110.5E 4136 V A test card has started on , fta, SR 4340, FEC 3/4, PIDs 308/256.
Sinosat 1 110.5E 12560 V "Channel NewsAsia has replaced MSTV Five Star" on , Irdeto, PIDs 265/521.
NSS 6 95E 12729 V "Perviy kanal Vsemirnaya setj" is still on , Fta, PIDs 1025/1026.
Measat 1 91.5E 4175 H "NTV 7" has started on, Fta, SR 3214, FEC 3/4, PIDs 308/256.
ST 1 88E 3550 V "The Videoland ONTV" mux has left .
ChinaStar 1 87.5E 4062 V "The SITV mux has replaced the Shanghai Media Group" mux on , Irdeto, SR 27500, FEC 3/4.
LMI 1 75E 3800 H An ABS-CBN mux has started on , Nagravision, SR 2000, FEC 3/4, beam A, line-up and PIDs identical to 3419 H.
NEWS
Fiji TV settles lawsuit
From http://www.fijilive.com/news/show/news/2004/11/10/01fbcl10.html
Fiji's national television broadcaster Fiji Television has announced that it has settled its lawsuit with Dutch company New Skies Satellite.
The settlement clears the way for the launch of Fiji TV's new Sky Pacific pay TV service.
"Both parties have worked hard to overcome differences and we are confident that the New Skies relationship will be a positive and rewarding one," Fiji TV chief executive Ken Clark.
Clark says the Sky Pacific service will be on air before Christmas.
Further announcements will be made with in a few days on the programmes contents.
Pay-TV audience figures disputed
From http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,11346727%255E7582,00.html
A DISPUTE is brewing over the measurement of pay-television audience figures, with a report that suggests pay TV's audience share is being understated compared with the free-to-air TV networks.
Increasing numbers of people are subscribing to pay TV and those who do are spending more time watching it, but the medium's share of audience compared with the free-to-air networks is not growing, a report from media buying agency OMD concludes. Pay TV's audience share in pay-TV homes reached a record peak of 55 per cent of all TV viewing last month.
But the medium has had "no significant audience growth or movement between 2003 and 2004", the report found.
Pay-TV viewing was static at about 9 per cent of prime-time viewing in the third quarter of this year compared with the same period last year, according to Justine Kelly, head of television at OMD, who questioned the audience figures supplied by OzTAM.
Foxtel and Austar have 1.4 million subscriber households between them, and Foxtel says it is adding about 12,000 digital subscriptions a week.
"We know the number of households [with pay TV] has grown 2[per cent] to 3 per cent," Ms Kelly said. "Growth of viewing is up from 49 per cent to 55 per cent of all TV viewing within pay homes [yet] the share of total audience is remaining static. There really is some sort of anomaly in the figures."
Fusion Strategy director Steve Allen said it was possible there was an issue with the OzTAM data. Ms Kelly said the most likely explanation was a problem with the panel of households used by TV audience measurement company OzTAM.
OzTAM chief executive Kate Inglis-Clark refused to comment on the data yesterday but defended OzTAM's panel and audience measurement methodology.
"Our panels are an accurate reflection of the TV viewing population that we are reporting about," Ms Inglis-Clark said.
She would not confirm whether pay-TV companies such as Foxtel or sales arm MCN had been in discussions about the audience share figures. "We are in continuous discussions with all of our stakeholders," she said.
OzTAM is owned by the commercial free-to-air networks, but Ms Inglis-Clark said there was no danger of a bias in its figures.
Pay-TV sales company MCN chief executive Anthony Fitzgerald could not be reached for comment yesterday.
A Foxtel spokesman said the company was confident its record October share of viewing in pay-TV homes showed the medium's audience share was increasing and augured well for pay's peak summer period, when more first-run programming would launch.
Mr Allen said there were other possible explanations for the anomaly, such as an increase in off-peak viewing that did not affect prime-time viewing share.
The OMD report also found pay TV's share of advertising revenue, which sits at 3 per cent of the $2.7billion TV market, was well behind its 9 per cent audience share, but Ms Kelly said advertising growth of about 19 per cent was helping to redress the balance.
The total advertising market would grow by about 5.9 per cent next year, Ms Kelly said, a prediction that was in line with other media buyers' forecasts. However, she said it was unlikely free-to-air TV could continue to grow at 13per cent, with the Seven Network's performance a possible lead indication of a future softening of the TV advertising market.
At last week's annual general meeting, Seven Network chairman Kerry Stokes said the network's first half earnings before interest and tax were 20 per cent lower than for the same period last year due to its falling audience, though the Olympics had helped to improve its performance in the second half.
OMD is expecting the stronger networks, such as Nine and Ten, to introduce floating rate cards for high-demand properties by 2006. Seven introduced a floating rate card for summer 2004.
"The networks are searching for new revenue models and we think [the limited use of floating rate cards] are an inevitability," Ms Kelly said.
Primus makes TV debut
From http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,11354412%255E15306,00.html
MIMICKING the tactics of Telstra and Optus, Primus has signed a reseller agreement for pay TV provider Foxtel's digital service which it will bundle with its own broadband internet and phone offerings.
Primus will sell the Foxtel service "on whatever medium Foxtel happen to be selling it," Primus general manager Campbell Sallabank said.
This would include the Telstra HFC cable network, but most connections were expected to be via satellite, in line with Foxtel's own subscriber trends, he said.
The agreement did not involve Primus reselling Foxtel via its own DSL broadband network, although Primus may explore this option in the future. However, such a move would require a new and separate agreement, Mr Sallabank said, adding that no discussion had taken place, with Primus yet to put a formal strategy in place.
Nevertheless, "Foxtel would be an obvious partner for that sort of offering", he said.
Packages including Foxtel were expected to attract some new subscribers, but would primarily add value to existing subscribers and reduce churn, Mr Sallabank said. Subscribers would continue to receive separate bills from Primus and Foxtel, he said.
Primus' planned consumer mobile phone service would also be an obvious addition to any bundled offer, Mr Sallabank said.
Bundled offers, which provide subscribers discounts for buying services like phone, mobile, internet and Pay TV from the one supplier, are often cited by larger telcos as a key defence against smaller, and often cheaper, competitors that have a narrower range of services.
Launch of Russian-Ukrainian Satellite Planned for December
From http://www.rednova.com/news/display/?id=101694
KYIV. Nov 9 (Interfax) - Ukraine and Russia are planning to launch the Sich-1m satellite, designed to study Earth, in December 2004, a source in the Ukrainian National space agency told Interfax.
The project of joint development and usage of the Sich-1m satellite is among the priority Russian-Ukrainian space exploration programs.
Sich-1m is a modification and an upgrade of another Sich-1m satellite that was successfully launched in 1995.
The Sich-1m will have devices that would allow it to monitor Earth and space in optical, infrared and microwave specters, which makes monitoring in cloudy and dark conditions more efficient. In addition, devices that will allow for the satellite's use in scientific studies of the Earth and the oceans in terms of geology, climate and ecology, will be installed on the Sich-1m. The information received from the satellite will be used to resolve economic issues of Ukraine and Russia.
The Sich-1m will be fitted with a radio communications line of the same frequency as that of foreign satellites, that may serve as a foundation for international cooperation and presenting the Sich- 1m's information to the international market within the Committee for Earth-Observing Satellites.
The launch will also be part of a program for the creation of a micro satellite to resolve local tasks of scientific and economic character.
CodecSys(TM) Honored with 'Best of What's New' Award by Popular Science Magazine
From press release (Edited)
Multi-Codec Technology One of Top Breakthrough Technologies of 2004
SALT LAKE CITY, Nov. 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Broadcast International
(OTC Bulletin Board: BCST) today announced Popular Science Magazine honored
its CodecSys technology when it was given the Best of What's New award.
CodecSys was selected from thousands of products to receive one of the annual
awards for 2004.
CodecSys is a patented multi-codec technology employing real-time
artificial intelligence systems to manage libraries of standard and
specialized codecs to efficiently process a particular scene, or even frame,
of video and then switches on the fly to another codec that is better suited
to the next scene or frame. Exploiting the best attributes of multiple codecs
enables 50 to 75 percent reductions in bandwidth compared to single codec
solutions.
"Best of What's New is the ultimate Popular Science accolade, representing
a year's worth of work evaluating thousands of products," said Editor Mark
Jannot. "These awards honor innovations that not only impact the way we live
today, but change the way we think about the future."
Each year, the editors of Popular Science embark on a search of the top
100 tech innovations. As a Best of What's New winner, CodecSys represents one
of the breakthrough products and technologies that represent a significant
leap in their categories. The winners -- The Best of What's New -- are
awarded inclusion in the much-anticipated December issue of Popular Science --
the most widely-read issue of the year since the birth of Best of What's New
in 1987. Best of What's New awards are presented to 100 new products and
technologies in 12 categories: Auto Tech, Aviation& Space, Cars, Computing,
Engineering, Gadgets, General Innovation, Home Entertainment, Home Tech,
Personal Health, Photography and Recreation.
"We live in a video world," said Rod Tiede, CEO of Broadcast
International. "Whether it's film and video production, sending live
satellite video feeds from Iraq to news stations around the world, or
providing more cable and satellite channel offerings to consumers, CodecSys
allows more full-frame, full-motion video within current bandwidths than ever
before. We are very pleased Popular Science has acknowledged this innovation
by recognizing CodecSys with a Best of What's New award."
CodecSys cuts bandwidth significantly with full-screen, full-motion video
including HD quality under 3 MB, DVD quality at 512 K, and VHS quality at
256 K.
Professionals working with video today want high-quality video in
full-screen, full-motion broadcast video without increasing network bandwidth,
IT infrastructure and cost. Delivery platforms that benefit from CodecSys
include: satellite, cable, Internet, local-area-networks, and wireless
networks. CodecSys will provide multi-codec compression for a variety of
different applications including: newsgathering, cable set-top boxes, home
networking, video-on-demand, direct-to-home satellite receivers, IP
videoconferencing, telemedicine, film and broadcast production.
CodecSys also enhances other bandwidth hungry applications including:
streaming video and web casts, network TV programming, digital cinema,
distance learning, security monitoring, online advertising, and digital
signage.
"CodecSys can deliver video -- even high definition video -- at a fraction
of the bandwidth of current technologies," said Tiede. "CodecSys will greatly
enhance any application that employs video technology."
Since CodecSys became available in March 2004 it has been integrated into
several applications, won awards, and started several partnerships including:
* Winner: Stoel Rives 2004 Utah Innovation Award
* Winner: TV Technology Magazine 2004 STAR Award for Superior Technology
* Winner: Popular Science 2004 Best of What's New award
* Partnered with the SportsCast Network to provide pay-per-view web
casts of Heart of Midlothian (Hearts) football matches to fans around
the world
* Deliver video rich continuing legal education programming on personal
computers through a CodecSys software plug-in to lawyers of the Utah
and Los Angeles Bars
CodecSys Technology is available immediately by contacting Broadcast International.
About Broadcast International
Broadcast International is a leading provider of video-powered business
solutions, including IP and digital satellite, Internet streaming, and other
types of wired/wireless network distribution. CodecSys is a patented
technology that enables BI clients to enhance video quality at current
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10/11/04
Things are fairly quiet.
Telkom 2 satellite will now launch to 118E via Arianespace in Feb 2005
From my Emails & ICQ
From Xtarbs subscriber
I had a look at the new renamed tarbs company. It seems to be just as bad as it was before!
Is it some kind of joke? how come if I'm Arab I get 16 channels for my money yet Balkan people only get 4 channels for the same amount? this is crazy its like before when Filipinos only got 2 channels for $62!!
Totally unbalanced to other ethnicitys
now to my next complaint.
They told me there is an ACTIVATION Fee. This is a big bullshit!! I got my dish on B3 already and my Tarbs decoder which I paid for. What next they will ask me to buy a new decoder? new decoder fee?
I have news for them NONE in my family will get the new tarbs what we will do is modify the old decoder to open all channels and copy to each decoder in my family house. We don't worry about rumour of them changing it to Irdeto if that happens we will just card share.
From the Dish
Optus B1 160E 12353 H "Network Ten has again replaced Seven Central" on , Fta, SR 5100,FEC 3/4, PIDs 657/658.
Telkom 1 108E 3580 H "A1 Asia has replaced ABC Asia Pacific" on , Irdeto, PIDs 103/529.
NSS 6 95E 12729 V "Teva Hadvarim and Israel Plus" have started on , Fta, PIDs 2305/2306 and 2593/2594.New PIDs for LoveWorld: 2577/2578. Perviy kanal Vsemirnaya setj and Moskva - Otkrytyj Mir have left.
Telstar 10 76.5E 4037 H "NRI" has left .
NEWS
Copyright inquiry could save FTA (free trade agreement)
From http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,11329437%255E421,00.html
AN inquiry into computer and television piracy could break the impasse threatening to delay the start of the free trade deal with the US.
The potential breakthrough in the FTA dispute over the enforcement of copyright laws has in recent days been raised in talks between industry and government officials in the hope of getting the deal back on course and operational by January 1.
The development could see the trade deal certified on the basis that the US and Australian industries would win a six-month inquiry into whether Australia's penalties for computer and television copyright piracy conformed with agreements reached under the free trade agreement.
If the additional consultations fail to resolve the issues, the US industry would then have the option of notifying a dispute, arguing that Australia was in breach of its obligations under the free trade agreement. With negotiations at a delicate stage, Australia's biggest pay-TV and radio players remain concerned that the Howard Government has failed to implement its obligations agreed in negotiations with the US earlier this year.
"Our concerns remain the enforcement of piracy (laws)," said Debra Richards, executive director of the Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association yesterday. "We want the FTA enabling legislation in Australia to reflect the agreements reached in the free trade deal," she said.
The major issues of concern relate to piracy of cable television by home users who gain access to premium pay-TV services without paying their full subscriptions. And they also relate to the piracy of computer software. A recent study found 31 per cent of software was pirated in Australia last year at a cost to the US industry of over $340 million.
But while there is the potential for progress on copyright issues, another dispute involving the pharmaceutical sector remains deadlocked. With their FTA concerns still unresolved, drug manufacturers yesterday publicly warned the Howard Government that domestic research and development required government support.
"Australia must continue to position itself as a competitive, high-technology country in which to do business. Failure to do so will prevent local companies, with home offices overseas, from attracting R&D and manufacturing investment to Australia," said Medicines Australia chief executive Kieran Schneemann yesterday. Mr Schneemann's comments follow claims from the pharmaceutical industry that Australia's implementation of the US FTA will discourage domestic R&D by discriminating against patent-holders, such as drug companies.
Last night, a spokesman for Trade Minister Mark Vaile confirmed discussions were continuing to resolve the remaining issues.
PM should ensure Ashes is on free TV
From http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=21937
Australia's number one cricket tragic Prime Minister John Howard should fight to ensure next year's Ashes Test series was shown on the ABC or SBS, Labor has said.
Opposition communications spokesman Stephen Conroy said it was a tragedy the Nine and Seven networks were considering not screening the Ashes from England in July.
Instead, cricket fans will only be able to see the series if they subscribe to pay TV providers Foxtel or Austar.
Senator Conroy called on Mr Howard to have talks with Foxtel about allowing the ABC, SBS or community TV station Channel 31 to show the Ashes as well.
"John Howard should be stepping in here and showing leadership," he told ABC Radio.
"He is the country's self-appointed number one cricket tragic.
"I'm sure if the prime minister wants to stand up for all those Australians who want to be able to watch the Ashes, (he could) knock a few heads together and say to Fox let's talk to the ABC, let's talk to SBS, let's talk to Channel 31 ... (so) we can get some free-to-air coverage there."
Senator Conroy, who moved from England to Australia when he was 11 and still supports the Poms in the cricket, said the Ashes should not only be seen by those who can afford a Foxtel subscription.
"This is likely to be the most competitive series between Australia and England in many many years and I know hundreds of thousands of Australians will be just dying to watch it," he said.
Cricket fans missed out on seeing the first session of the 2001 Ashes tour of England on free-to-air TV after Seven decided the news and Home and Away were more important.
The network showed the first two hours of play on its pay television channel C7, and then crossed to the cricket at 8.30pm on Seven after its regular prime time shows ended.
At the time, Seven said it had offered the rights to the first Ashes session to the ABC and SBS free of charge but neither had wanted to disrupt their regular schedules.
Nine also landed in hot water in 1997 when it refused to show the first Ashes session live.
The government has stepped in before to ensure some of the first session of play was shown on community station Channel 31.
But Senator Conroy said neither the ABC or SBS should be given extra funding to ensure they could screen the Ashes.
Illegal satellite TV receivers hit market
From http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/10/content_2198196.htm
BEIJING, Nov. 10 (Xinhuanet) -- Some underground companies are selling satellite TV receivers in Guangzhou, an act the government says is illegal.
The companies claim that with the receivers, television viewers can receive more than 200 overseas channels, including several adult channels.
Many residents reported receiving advertising leaflets offering satellite receivers for 3,000 yuan (US$366) each. The advertisements also say buyers do not need to pay for overseas channels.
Installing satellite receivers without permission from authorities was illegal, said a spokesman for the Administration of Press, Publication, Radio and Television of Guangzhou.
According to the satellite TV receiver management regulation, promulgated by the State Council in 1993, only nationally recognized two-star or above foreign-related hotels and apartments can apply for the purchase and installation of satellite TV equipment.
People who installed satellite TV receivers without permission would be fined while illegal retailer faced criminal charges, said the spokesman.
An investigation by the Guangzhou Daily found that companies selling satellite TV receivers were controlled by a Taiwan-based company that did not have a business license. The company address on the leaflets did not exist.
Mr. Zhuang, a resident in Tian'he District, bought a satellite TV receiver in summer. While the receiver worked well for the first two months, after which there was no signal. The retailer told Zhang the receiver could not receive signal because of haze.
Insiders say many overseas satellite channels, especially adult channels, are pay channels. The illegal retailers usually gain access to these by stealing the access codes. However, the administrators of the channels often change codes to avoid theft, removing access for illegal receivers
(Craigs comment, $366 U.S each? more like $36 U.S each...as for them hitting the market they have been around for 2 or 3 year now. Made in Shenzen China of course!!!!!!)
Thai Shin Satellite Expects 4Q Rev On Par With 2Q
From http://sg.biz.yahoo.com/041109/15/3odhq.html
BANGKOK (Dow Jones)--Shin Satellite PCL (SATTEL.TH) Tuesday said it expects revenue to bounce back in the fourth quarter and be on par with second-quarter levels.
The company posted a revenue of THB1.16 billion in the third quarter this year, down from THB1.30 billion in the second quarter.
"Revenue in the last quarter (of the year) should return to the normal level of the second quarter. It will definitely be better than the third quarter when revenue was hit by some extra items," Shin Satellite Vice President Tanadit Charoenchan told reporters.
The company's third-quarter earnings were hurt by a THB50 million provision for doubtful accounts after its Australian client faced financial difficulties, and THB6.3 million in foreign exchange losses, compared with THB57.9 million in gains a year ago.
Regarding Shin Satellite's planned new share offering, Tanadit said the company plans to hold a road show in late January or early February.
The share offering will take place by the end of March, after the launch of its new satellite iPSTAR, he said.
The $400 million broadband iPSTAR satellite will be delivered by manufacturer Space Systems/Loral by the end of December.
The company earlier said the launch date should be sometime between Feb. 15 and Mar. 15 next year.
"We want the risk factor to expire before holding the share sale. We believe we will get a better price," Tanadit said.
Tuesday, shares of Shin Satellite rose 1.3% to close at THB15.80.
Shin Satellite plans to sell up to 208 million shares to raise between $60 million and $90 million, which will be used mainly to refinance its short-term debt and as working capital.
The company is also considering to build a new satellite to replace its Thaicom 1 and Thaicom 2 satellites, which are due to be retired in the next four to five years, Tanadit said.
However, Shin Satellite won't rely too much on debt to finance satellite construction given the current high interest rates, and will instead use its $33 million insurance claim from the temporary failure of Thaicom 3 satellite transponders and sell transponders in advance, Tanadit said.
German digital TV revolution takes hold
From Advanced Television
HAMBURG - Sales of a new type of set-top box for televisions are booming in Germany as free digital TV transmissions spread across the country, to the annoyance of cable TV companies.
The consumer electronics industry forecasts total sales of 1.1 million of the set-top boxes by the end of 2004. The boxes receive 24 free-to-air TV channels broadcast on Europe's new DVB-T standard.
The signals will continue to come from the television towers that are landmarks in many German cities, and can be picked up by traditional H-shaped antennas on the roofs of buildings, or often by indoor aerials in rooms.
The difference is in the way the signals are made up.
DVB-T, standing for "digital video broadcasting, terrestrial", is a way of squeezing more information into one channel. Whereas analogue signals refresh half of a European TV image 50 times a second, DVB-T only replaces the bits of a moving picture that need changing.
That reduces the amount of data to transmit, meaning four programmes can be crammed into a channel, or "multiplex", previously used for one. The set-top box "unscrambles" the compressed signals so they can be seen on a traditional TV set.
The broadcasts went on air Monday in Germany's biggest urban sprawl, the Ruhrgebiet, stretching from Dusseldorf to Dortmund. They began two years ago in the capital Berlin and reached Frankfurt in October.
Digital terrestrial broadcasting (DTT), as it is sometimes known, has been around longer in Britain, where it goes by the name "Freeview" and reaches more than 3 million viewers. Finland (400,000 households) and Sweden also have a head start.
But Germany has been more aggressive than other nations in its conversion, switching off the old analogue signals after just a few months in each area of the country during the rolling change-over.
The success of the new technology could spell trouble for cable companies elsewhere in the world. Some analysts are suggesting cable is a dying industry. However heavily cabled Germany could prove one of the toughest markets to break into.
The Entertainment Electronics Association GFU says that as of this week, 38 million of Germany's 80 million people are within range of DVB-T. GFU spokesman Roland Stehle said DVB-T was not so much a threat to cable and satellite as a complementary service.
"Thanks to digitalization, you are getting a level playing field," he said.
Only 6 to 8 percent of German households currently receive terrestrial signals of any sort. The rest are subscribed to cable (52 percent) or own satellite dishes (40 percent).
Initially consumers were wary of the new plug-and-play DVB-T devices, with prices starting at EUR 200, but as prices slip below EUR 100, word has spread that they offer escape from perpetually paying EUR 11 or more a month to cable companies.
KDG, the main cable television company in Germany, has cried foul at what it contends is unfair, government-subsidised competition.
But the cable providers have denied in recent weeks that significant numbers of customers have cancelled their cable contracts and switched to free viewing. Newspapers have suggested this is because many contracts are long term and for entire apartment blocks.
Stehle said the shifts in Berlin over the past two years had been less than feared by the cable industry.
"In some cases, the publicity about the change even prompted people to get themselves newly connected to cable to avoid any bother," he said.
France green-lights MPEG-2 DTT
From Advanced Television
French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin has confirmed that digital terrestrial television (DTT) will be launched in March 2005 using the MPEG-2 standard. Raffarin announced the decision following a meeting with TV regulator Conseil Supérieur de l' Audiovisuel (CSA).
"By March 2005, I wanted us to be able to expand the free-to-air service from French channels. That decision has been taken today. As from March 2005, we are going to treble the number of free television services," he said. "Accordingly, French households, particularly the two-thirds that currently only receive five channels, will be able to receive 15 free services, across the entire country."
Leading commercial broadcaster TF1 had lobbied for MPEG-4, which would permit higher quality broadcasts, but would not be commercially available by Spring 2005. "It's a question of social progress, of technological progress, but also cultural progress. It is a significant moment for television in our country," claimed Raffarin, a view echoed by Dominique Baudis, president of the CSA, who called the decision "a great victory for the vast majority of television viewers." Baudis had lobbied for a spring 2005 launch using MPEG-2. "MPEG2 is a force everywhere in Europe, everywhere in the world, in Asia, in North America," stressed Baudis. "It is reliable, it works everywhere and it is cheap."
(Craigs comment, Internationaly "Freeview" type systems are taking off. Good to see TVNZ are keeping up with the Trend with their upcoming "Freeview" style platform.)
Cabinet maps out timetable for TV digitalization by 2008
From http://www.etaiwannews.com/Taiwan/2004/11/09/1099965382.htm
The Executive Yuan unveiled yesterday its timetable for the full digitalization of television in Taiwan by 2008.
According to the timetable mapped out by a financial and economic panel of the Cabinet, all 29-inch TV sets and larger sold in Taiwan must be embedded with a digital receiver starting 2006, and the policy will be expanded to cover all 21-inch TV sets and larger starting 2007.
All TV sets sold in the market will be digital products starting from 2008.
Government Information Office Director-General Lin Chia-lung (???) said the promotion of digital TV must be carried out simultaneously at the production, reception and programming ends in order to be successful.
The government will halve the commodity tax for digital TV sets before the end of 2010 to lower the prices of digital TV sets and offer an incentive for the people to replace their old TV sets with a digital product, Lin said.
Lin said the analogue channels currently owned by local cable TV networks will be recalled in 2010.
In addition, he said, the government will subsidize the purchase of add-on digital TV receivers by low-and-medium income families that cannot afford to buy brand-new digital TV sets.
As far as digital programming is concerned, the GIO is planning to guide the five wireless TV networks to form a joint transmission company and to cooperate with high-quality overseas networks to enhance the quality of domestic TV programs, Lin said.
While there are some nine million TV sets around Taiwan, the new policy is expected to bring enormous business opportunities to TV-related industries, Ministry of Economic Affairs officials said.
The prices of digital TV sets will be comparable to those for traditional analogue TV sets following the mass production of digital TV sets, the officials predicted.
9/11/04
Live satellite chat 9p.m NZ and 8.30p.m Syd time in the chatroom
New On Asiasat 3 4000H sr 26850 "Xing KONG Regional" Encrypted though
Telkom 1 3580 H was fta for a while last night
From my Emails & ICQ
Nothing to report
From the Dish
Optus C1 156E 12407 V All TV channels in the Optus Aurora mux re-encrypted
Optus B3 152E 12525 V "NOW" is still on , but is now encrypted.
AsiaSat 3 105.5E 3700 V "MX" is encrypted again.
NSS 6 95E 11037 H "EuroNews" has started on , Fta, PIDs 4901/4902.
ST 1 88E 3427 H "The Videoland ONTV" channels have left .
NEWS
National interest part of satellite conditions
From http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=3608255&thesection=business&thesubsection=technology
Prospects for a New Zealand satellite just got better with the release of the Government's allocation plan for the satellite downlink frequencies granted to this country by the International Telecommunications Union.
Associate Communications Minister David Cunliffe said the Government was asking potential satellite operators to submit work programmes.
He said the rights must be exercised in the national interest, so operators must include ways for Crown agencies to negotiate access to the satellite to meet specific policy objectives.
"Previously satellite networks covering New Zealand have been developed through other countries but there may now be commercial interest in establishing a satellite through New Zealand," Cunliffe said.
New Zealand has the right to frequencies for a broadcasting satellite service at 158 degrees east and a fixed satellite service at 152 degrees east.
NZLSAT director Katharine Moody said her company, which is putting together a US$125 million ($180 million) consortium to launch a satellite at 158 degrees east, was pleased with the decision.
"We look forward to learning more details of the proposed frequency access, in particular exclusivity of downlink frequencies," Moody said.
A discussion paper released by the Ministry of Economic Development in June said SingTel-Optus was also interested in the frequencies.
The allocation plan doesn't rule out letting a foreign-owned company use the frequencies, although it does require a satellite control centre be located in New Zealand, unless the Crown agrees otherwise.
It also requires that the Crown maintain sufficient control to ensure compliance with New Zealand and international law.
This is because under ITU rules, if a satellite causes interference to the frequencies of another country's satellite, the Government is responsible for fixing the problem.
Applicants must set out a work programme with agreed milestones. If they fail to make those milestones, the Govern-ment can start working with another applicant.
This is similar to the model proposed in NZLSAT's response to the discussion paper.
Ministry of Economic Development policy adviser Ian Hutchings said the intention was to create an open, competitive process under which potential operators could start work.
"The Government has these two regulated slots which are ready to use, but we don't see the Government is the right vehicle to create a satellite business," Hutchings said.
He said services must cover New Zealand and parts of the Pacific. "New Zealand does not expect to be just a satellite broker."
Optus spectrum planning manager Lex Vipond said SingTel-Optus already served New Zealand from its satellites at 156 degrees and 160 degrees east. That means it would need to work closely with whoever won the adjoining rights.
It was selling capacity on its D1 and D2 satellites and had signed long-term contracts with Sky and Television New Zealand.
D1 was due to launch in December next year.
He said the allocation plan left the door open for SingTel-Optus to apply for the satellite slots directly.
"In terms of the general philosophy, we are happy at the way the ministry picked up on a couple of the points we made about the discussion paper," Vipond said.
Government pours $11m back into TVNZ
From http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=3608388&thesection=news&thesubsection=general
The Government has agreed to give back nearly a third of TVNZ's latest annual dividend and the company has pledged to put most of the $11.4 million into local drama and children's programming.
The returned dividend comes on top of $23.3 million of public money already paid to the state-owned broadcaster, some of it through NZ On Air and some directly from the Government for charter programming.
TVNZ's latest annual report complained that it was contributing more to the Government than it was receiving from public sources and argued that all of the dividend should be reinvested in programmes.
Broadcasting Minister Steve Maharey announced yesterday the Government had agreed to return $11.4 million plus GST, as extra funding to help implement the charter.
The figure was arrived at after the company's capital costs were deducted.
TVNZ would not spell out last night what new programmes might now be financed, saying that would prejudice its launch today of its new summer series.
But chief executive Ian Fraser dismissed suggestions the money might end up being little more than a hand-out, simply disappearing into TVNZ's coffers.
"The money will go into new programming, as the current charter money goes into new programming."
The charter with TVNZ requires the company to balance commercial performance against social responsibility and make a more significant contribution to the country's cultural and national identity through programming.
TVNZ's dividend to the Government last year was $37.6 million.
Mr Maharey and Finance Minister Michael Cullen, TVNZ's two shareholding ministers, said the dividend requirement was consistent with other elements of the Crown's portfolio of assets, such as crown research institutes, which were required to return their cost of capital to shareholders.
The extra money had to be used for charter initiatives and this would be subject to a memorandum of understanding with the Culture and Heritage Ministry, which monitors charter spending.
Mr Maharey said this arrangement would continue subject to next year's profits and TVNZ spending the money as it had indicated.
Mr Fraser said he was delighted with the decision, but he made it clear TVNZ would lobby for a greater share of the dividend in future.
The capital charge regime "is a way of maintaining a fiscal dividend on the company, which I guess is why you have it, in conjunction with the charter".
"But what I think we will be looking to do is to continue to negotiate with the Government what the appropriate cost of capital should be for TVNZ."
The decision reflected the Government's confidence in TVNZ's charter work so far and its "aspirational" target of reaching 50 per cent local programming.
TV3 chief operating officer Rick Freisen said initiatives to help local programming were fine, "but too often we see funds just kind of disappearing and I think there needs to be some very clear accountability".
"If you are going to spend $11 million, you should be able to name those shows and they should be different programmes than they are running currently.
"What they have tended to do is to take the existing programmes that were on before the charter and then just say, 'This is charter'."
National broadcasting spokeswoman Georgina te Heuheu said the Government had already poured millions into the state broadcaster.
"National believes there are independent producers employed outside TVNZ who are just as keen to tell real New Zealand stories."
TVNZ received $420.2 million in revenue last year, $23.3 million of it from the Government.
This included $13.3 million paid directly to the state broadcaster for charter programming and $15 million from NZ On Air and Te Mangai Paho.
Its advertising revenue rose by $30 million to $335 million.
Mr Fraser denied TVNZ was not accountable.
"Every cent of money the Government is making available will go on-screen," he said, "and we will be accounting for it."
$12.8m boost for more local TV
From http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3091224a10,00.html
Television New Zealand is to get a $12.8 million boost to fund charter television on top of the $16 million provided by the Government this year.
Broadcasting Minister Steve Maharey said the extra money, a portion of the $37.6 million dividend the state broadcaster would pay to the Government, would help it meet its goal of 50 per cent New Zealand programming.
TVNZ spokesman Richard Griffin said the extra money would be used "to expand our growing public's service ethos".
Not all would be spent on programmes, though it would not be used to pay for "bricks and mortar", transmission or salaries.
"I can't reel off a list of things that we can spend $11.4 million on," he said.
National Party broadcasting spokeswoman Georgina te Heuheu said the charter was clearly costing more than originally thought. "The public should be told precisely how TVNZ spent the charter money it has already received.
"For all we know, the extra cash is going on hospitality credit cards and wardrobe expenses."
Mr Maharey said as well as paying for extra programming, the money could go toward TVNZ's media in schools project.
The Government was looking at ways to make TVNZ's funding more transparent because it was also getting money from New Zealand On Air.
"At least some of that money will be sought to pay for charter programming, therefore we have to have a very transparent accounting. There has to be a very clear understanding of what's going where so we don't get duplication of funding."
TVNZ would have preferred to be given all its earnings back, but the Government had rejected this because TVNZ was a commercial company and required to pay a dividend, he said. Instead, Mr Maharey and Finance Minister Michael Cullen had agreed to a framework by which TVNZ would get extra funds when profits exceeded its cost of capital.
Mr Maharey said he expected the money would be available in future years provided TVNZ continued to make a good profit.
In the year to June, TVNZ posted record advertising revenue and reported a net operating surplus of $28.2 million.
Austar beaming as digital takes off
From http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,11327620%255E7582,00.html
LARGE numbers of subscribers signing up for digital pay-TV have helped Austar to one of its strongest quarters on record as it remains on target to achieve prospectus forecasts.
In unaudited figures for the third quarter, the pay-TV operator reported it had 476,707 subscribers at September 30, while further growth in the early part of the fourth quarter had pushed subscriber numbers to 481,633 at November 6.
More than half, 259,087, were signed up to the more lucrative digital service.
Since the launch of Austar Digital in March, the company's annual revenue per user (ARPU) climbed from $57.26 for the first quarter to $61.86 for the third quarter.
Austar chief executive John Porter said the ARPU figure would continue to improve as customers switched from analog to digital services, though not at the same rate as the strong third quarter.
"The ARPU of new Austar Digital compared to the old product is still ranging between $8 and $10 higher, but as the rate of migration slows and we get towards the back end of our residential customer base those changes will be slightly less on a quarter by quarter basis," Mr Porter said.
Austar, which beams its satellite services to homes in rural and regional Australia as well as Hobart and Darwin, reported increased revenue, gross margin and earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation as well as a boost in profit.
Revenue for the three months to September 30 was $101.1 million from $80.7 million in the third quarter of 2003. EBITDA was $28.2 million, a big leap from $9.4 million in the previous corresponding quarter. Operating profit for the quarter was $2.5 million – reversing the $7.9 million loss reported in the 2003 third quarter.
Mr Porter described the 2004 third quarter as "a period of major financial transition and improvement for Austar" and said the rate of growth in residential subscriptions should remain steady.
However, he said the acquisition of customers would affect costs and revenues.
The company is banking on a large-scale marketing campaign which features a $9.95 installation fee to continue attracting new customers through to mid-December.
More subscribers sign up to Austar
From http://www.bordermail.com.au/newsflow/pageitem?page_id=837860
LARGE numbers of subscribers signing up for the digital pay TV experience have helped Austar to one of its strongest quarters on record, as it remains on target to achieve prospectus forecasts.
In unaudited figures for the third quarter of 2004, the pay TV operator yesterday reported it had 476,707 subscribers at September 30 while further growth in the early part of the fourth quarter had pushed subscriber numbers to 481,633 at November 6.
More than half of those, 259,087, were signed up to the more lucrative digital service.
Since the launch of Austar Digital in March this year, the company's annual revenue per user has climbed from $57.26 for the first quarter of 2004 to $61.86 for the third quarter.
Austar chief executive officer Mr John Porter said the figure would continue to improve as customers were switched over from analogue to digital services, though not at the same rate as the very strong third quarter.
Austar, which beams its satellite services to homes in rural and regional Australia, including the Riverina and North East, as well as Hobart and Darwin, had increased revenue, gross margin and earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation as well as a boost in profit.
Thai Shin Satellite 3Q Net THB96.1 Mln Vs THB205.3 Mln
From http://sg.biz.yahoo.com/041108/15/3ocnv.html
BANGKOK (Dow Jones)--Shin Satellite PCL (SATTEL.TH) Monday reported a 53% drop in third-quarter net profit, caused by lower sales and foreign-exchange losses.
Net profit in the quarter fell to THB96.1 million from THB205.3 million a year earlier. Analysts on average had expected a profit of THB135 million.
Sales revenue from leasing satellite transponders and other services fell to THB1.10 billion from THB1.45 billion a year earlier. Total revenue declined to THB1.16 billion from THB1.51 billion.
Analysts said the end of a leasing contract with the Indian government earlier this year has hurt revenue and earnings.
The company also recorded THB6.3 million of foreign-exchange losses in the quarter, swinging from gains of THB57.9 million a year ago.
Total expenses fell to THB993 million from THB1.19 billion, mainly due to lower sales costs.
Shin Satellite is a unit of Thai telecommunications conglomerate Shin Corp. PCL (SHIN.TH), founded by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
News Corp creates poison pill to ward off Liberty chief
From http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/story/0,3604,1346604,00.html
Observers baffled by media moguls' game after belated move to block stake building
Rupert Murdoch yesterday announced plans for a poison pill to fend off a takeover of his News Corporation group following an aggressive share-buying move by a billionaire cable investor.
Liberty Media, the investment company run by John Malone, disclosed plans to almost double its voting stake in News Corp to 17% last week.
The takeover defence agreed by News Corp's board yesterday would prevent Liberty buying any more shares without triggering a rights plan that allows existing shareholders to increase their stake at half price, preventing any takeover move.
News Corp is about to re-incorporate from Australia to the US state of Delaware. Sources close to the company yesterday said it feared a predator buying shares during this period of unusually high volatility in the share price.
A spokesman for the company denied that the poison pill was designed specifically to stop Mr Malone, a competitor who also owns non-voting shares in the company.
"The Murdochs are protective of all shareholders, not just themselves," he added. "Everyone would lose out if the company changed hands without paying a premium."
The Murdoch family controls 30% of News Corp's voting shares. Although both sides were yesterday playing down suggestions that the Liberty purchase was a hostile act, the underlying fear from the Murdoch camp is that Mr Malone is putting himself in a strong position once the 73-year-old Mr Murdoch stands down.
Mr Murdoch, who has built a global media empire that encompasses satellite group Sky and the Times from a single evening paper in Adelaide, wants to hand over control to his sons, Lachlan and James.
Liberty Media chairman Mr Malone, who controls 9% of News Corp's voting shares, entered into an options transaction with investment bank Merrill Lynch last week that could increase that stake to more than 17% when it ends next April. He built up his existing stake through asset swaps out of non-voting shares. Until yesterday's announcement, Mr Malone, 63, could have carried on buying shares in such a way.
The plans announced yesterday would certainly make it more expensive for Mr Malone to build up his influence within News Corp. The proposals would allow shareholders to buy half-price shares to match their existing holdings if anyone - for which, read Mr Malone - were to acquire a 15% stake in News Corp. The proposal would prevent the 15% shareholder doing the same, meaning that his influence and value would be significantly diluted.
The latest round of dealing has left observers baffled as to what is going on between News Corp and Liberty, leading to a host of conspiracy theories.
While thrashing out the shareholder provisions of the move to Delaware this year, Mr Murdoch could have set up takeover protections which would have provided a guarantee against Mr Malone raising his voting stake at the expense of the Murdoch dynasty.
His refusal to do so looked suspicious last week because of a provision that restrictions on Mr Murdoch's own share dealings would be lifted if any other investor acquired a stake higher than 15%.
When Mr Malone announced plans to take his stake over 17%, several analysts suspected a plot between the two men to release Mr Murdoch from restrictions he never wanted in the first place.
Yesterday's statement said: "It is not clear whether Liberty's conduct to date has triggered a termination of the Murdoch interests agreement".
Essentially, even if Mr Murdoch originally intended to use Liberty's acquisitions to free his own hand, he now appears to have yielded to fears that Mr Malone was the one using him.
News Corp says it has as little idea of Mr Malone's plans as the rest of us. "There was no communication with the company about that decision before it was made, and it's too early to tell what Liberty's intentions are, but we're not necessarily treating them as friendly," spokesman Greg Baxter told Reuters.
However, a spokesman in New York played down these fears, saying: "John says he is not being hostile and we believe him."
BSkyB set to announce disappointing subscriber figures
From http://www.brandrepublic.com/mediabulletin/news_story.cfm?articleID=227189&Origin=MB08112004
Murdoch: drive to increase subscribers
LONDON – BSkyB is expected to announce that it attracted 50,000 new subscribers for the first financial quarter, down 70% on the same period last year and 31,000 less than the previous quarter.
Sky's chief executive James Murdoch is due to announce the company's first-quarter results later this week.
The satellite broadcaster, which is struggling to keep the pace with the increasingly successful Freeview, has set a goal of increasing subscribers to 8m by the end of 2005 and 10m by 2010.
This would require Murdoch and BSkyB to double the current rate of subscriber growth.
Earlier this year, Murdoch announced he had earmarked £450m to spend on advertising and marketing with an aggressive summer and autumn push to drive subscribers.
The campaign, created by HHCL/Red Cell, broke at the beginning of October, and its impact will not be shown in these first-quarter figures, which cover July to September.
8/11/04
Aurora tv??? http://www.auroratv.org/
Speaking of the REAL Aurora it was running FTA on C1 12407V and 12527V over the weekend
C1 12407V sr 30000 Fec 2/3 OPTUS Card is showing a slideshow about upcoming changes to Aurora.
From my Emails & ICQ
From Gavin Stuart (NZ)
Hi Craig,
I thought you might like to see what could possibly be New Zealands youngest satellite dish installer. This is my 13 month old daughter Erika, who I have been teaching the finer points of dish installation. Her best time for a full Ku dish install is 34.5 minutes. In this photo we can see her making a final LNB adjustment before finishing this installation. We have concluded that due to her efficiency and tidy cabling, she is too over-qualified to work for SKY TV.
Regards,
Gavin. (Dunedin)
From Dharmesh Bamrolia
3 channels have replaced test cards on NSS 6 on freq.12729 V
on DD's DTH called "DD DIRECT PLUS" --- This the name of
Doordarshan's DTH service.
1/.MH 1 V.528 A.628
2/.Jain TV V.529 A.729
3/.Aakash Bangla V.530 A.630
These channels have replaced 3 test cards on NSS 6.
From Steve Hume
Telstar 18 new carrier
3757H, SR:6203
No lock, but very strong. Maybe test carrier.
Latest update list
Frequency Pole Symbol Usage Last Scan
3590 V 44656 Data 07/11/2004
3665 H 3615 China Stockmarket TV 07/11/2004
3672 H 3351
3677 H 2498
3747 H 6203
3757 H 6203
07/11/2004
3760 H 24812
3786 H 4996
07/11/2004
3866 H 4289 VSat01/Data 07/11/2004
3869 V 4996
07/11/2004
3889 H 2222 Loads as radio/data
3956 H 2498
4040 H 24812
Asiasat 2 data signal On 3637H @ 8173, there is a very strong data signal. Can't seem to get data pids.
Steve Hume
From the Dish
Intelsat 804 174E 11638 H "AFN Movie" has started on , PowerVu, PIDs 1060/1020.
PAS 8 166E 3961 V A CNR mux has started on , Fta, SR 3425, FEC 3/4, same channel line-up and APIDs as on AsiaSat 3S: 12671 V.
PAS 8 166E 3977 V New PIDs for Thai Outlook TV on : 4131/4129.
PAS 8 166E 3987 V "TVT Channel 11" has left .
Optus B1 160E 12355 H "Seven Central has replaced Network Ten" on , Fta, PIDs 1280/1281.
Optus B3 152E 12525 V "The God Channel Asia and NOW" have left .
Measat 2 148E 4105 V "ACQ-KBN" has started on , Fta, SR 2170, FEC 3/4, PIDs 42/43.(anyone in Australia getting this ?)
Agila 2 146E 12581 H "JCTV has replaced The Church Channel" is Fta, PIDs 172/128.
JCSAT 3 128E 3960 V "Rainbow Channel (Taiwan)" has started on , Viaccess, PIDs 1232/1233, 23-06 HKT.
JCSAT 3 128E 3960 V "CTI TV Asia" is now encrypted. PTS is now Fta.
AsiaSat 3 105.5E 3700 V "MX" is Fta again
NSS 6 95E 12729 V "Mh 1, Jain TV and Aakaash" have started on , Fta, PIDs 528/628-530/630, Indian beam.
Yamal 201 90E 3944 L "World Fashion Channel" has started on , Fta, SR 4275, FEC 3/4, PIDs 4450/4451.
ST 1 88E 3427 H and 3550 V "Six Videoland ONTV" channels have started on , Fta, PIDs 1001/1002-1026/1027.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3551 H "SRI Francais/Italiano" has left .
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3671 H "The God Channel Asia" has left .
Thaicom 3 78.5E 12396 V "CMD" has started on , Fta, PIDs 513/660.
Telstar 10 76.5E 3652 H "TV Lanka Channel 3" is encrypted again
Telstar 10 76.5E 12278 V "Home TV (Taiwan)" has started on , Fta, PIDs 368/369.
Telstar 10 76.5E 12308 V "Open Satellite TV" has started on , Fta, PIDs 880/881.KTTVS is now encrypted, new PIDs: 800/801.
Telstar 10 76.5E 12308 V "United TV" has left , replaced by a test card.
NEWS
Crown to return $11.4 million of TVNZ's dividend
From Press Release: New Zealand Government
Monday, 8 November 2004, 4:30 pm
Crown to return $11.4 million of TVNZ's dividend
The Crown will return $11.4 million (plus GST) of Television New Zealand's $37.6 million dividend for 2003/04 as additional funding to implement its Charter, TVNZ’s shareholding ministers announced today.
Finance Minister Dr Michael Cullen and Broadcasting Minister Steve Maharey have agreed to a framework whereby the company can receive additional funding when its profits are in excess of its cost of capital.
"TVNZ is obliged to pay dividends because it is a commercial asset,” Dr Cullen said. “This framework provides appropriate incentives and rewards for the company. At the same time it ensures shareholders receive an adequate return on investment.”
The framework is consistent with other parts of the Crown's portfolio of assets, e.g. Crown Research Institutes, which are required to return their cost of capital to shareholders.
TVNZ must apply the additional funding to initiatives that are consistent with the implementation of the Charter. The $11.4 million will be included in a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry for Culture and Heritage. The Ministry monitors the spending of Charter funds.
Steve Maharey said the government wanted to maintain accountability for the funds being spent on implementing the Charter.
“This framework, whereby TVNZ pays dividends and receives Charter related funding, provides a robust, transparent method of apportioning the surplus funds.
"The arrangement is a clear signal to TVNZ that the government is committed to supporting its delivery on the Charter."
The funding is in addition to $16 million provided this financial year to assist Charter implementation and $17 million to be provided in 2005/06.
Bids called for satellite slot
From http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3089036a11275,00.html
A Kiwi company's dream of launching a locally-owned satellite service is more likely to come true following the release of an allocation plan for the country's geostationary satellite spot.
Associate Communications Minister David Cunliffe has announced an application process for operators which want to use the spot, which is located above the equator at 158 degrees east.
The allocation plan works on a "first-in, first-served" basis. Applicants must lodge an economically viable proposal with the Economic Development Ministry for a satellite service with a minimum coverage area of New Zealand and its dependencies.
Any competitors will have 30 days to launch a counter-bid.
New Zealand-based satellite company NZLSAT, which has expressed interest, says it is pleased with the process and enthusiastic about the benefits of a domestic satellite industry.
Director Katharine Moody says the company will check out the access plan in more detail before deciding whether to push ahead with the bid. Of particular interest, she says, is the exclusivity it would have to downlink frequencies.
It is likely to cost $100 million to set up a satellite service to provide applications such as digital television, voice communications and broadband.
New Zealand is allocated satellite space as a member of the International Telecommunications Union.
Sky's Linux more 'flexible'
From http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3089033a28,00.html
Sky Television has become the latest corporate to embrace open source operating system Linux.
The pay-TV operator will switch the systems used to support its SkyMail email service and SkyBet betting service from traditional Unix computer servers to Blade servers running Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Oracle clustering software.
Technology director Charles Ingley says it should improve the availability of the interactive TV offerings and lower operating system support and training costs.
"The platform we are putting in place gives us lots of flexibility to grow in future."
'Blip' brings downgrade
From http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,11299991%255E462,00.html
THE Seven Network yesterday revealed a shock profit downgrade, blaming "a blip" in forecast revenue in November for an expected 20 per cent decline in first-half earnings despite a booming television advertising market.
The revelation, which initially sent the stock plunging 16 per cent before it recovered to finish 13c or 2.1 per cent lower at $5.87, also meant that 2005's net profit would be below last year's, Seven said.
Executive chairman and 43 per cent owner Kerry Stokes apologised for the outlook to shareholders at yesterday's annual meeting, saying "shareholders expect better, as do I and the rest of the board".
But he reaffirmed his confidence in TV chief David Leckie, while saying he had been disappointed with Seven's ratings performance this year.
"We regard him (Leckie) very highly and he's not going anywhere," Mr Stokes said.
He also said he would not be a seller in the likely deregulation of media ownership rules. "I don't intend to dispose of my shares in any way at all," he said.
Mr Stokes said he wanted to strengthen Seven, as "we don't intend to be one of those that will be taken over".
Mr Leckie said Seven's first-quarter TV revenue was "well up" on the same time the previous year and Mr Stokes said revenue in October had been on target.
But a surprise plunge in November revenue meant first-half earnings were likely to be 20 per cent below the $112.6 million in earnings before interest and tax reported at the same time last year.
"There is a revenue shortfall," Mr Stokes said. "We don't think it's a long-term fallout - just a result of the election and the ratings."
Seven's prime-time ratings are about 6 per cent below the figure achieved a year ago. But asked how a revenue shortfall could occur in a booming TV advertising market, Mr Stokes said: "It's a shortfall we are forecasting but one we have yet to actually experience."
As for December: "It looks all right but it's too early to say."
But Mr Stokes agreed the shortfall was not due to any reduced advertising demand. "We have a blip this month but it is a strong revenue market we are going into," he said.
The TV advertising market is estimated to have grown about 16 per cent in the first three months of the financial year, and the TV networks have until now been reporting continued strong demand.
Mr Stokes was also confident Seven's ratings would improve in 2005, buoyed by the American TV hits Desperate Housewives and Lost. He said Seven's TV costs were "obviously not the same as last year but are in line with market expectations".
Mr Leckie said the forecast for cost growth in the mid-teens (including the Athens Olympics) made earlier this year had not changed.
The meeting approved a $250,000 increase - to $1 million - in the amount able to be paid to directors, despite only 47.5 per cent of shareholders voting in favour. Proxies totalling 42.7 per cent of owners were registered as "open" proxies and were voted for the resolution by the chairman.
Mr Stokes told the meeting he believed the network's position had strengthened in its legal action against many of its media rivals.
Seven has alleged conspiracy and anti-competitive conduct by pay-TV group Foxtel, its shareholders (including The Australian's owner News Ltd), Optus, the AFL and NRL in relation to the failure of Seven's pay-TV sports channel C7.
China launches "ZY-2" third resource satellite
From http://english.people.com.cn/200411/06/eng20041106_163002.html
China successfully put its earth resource satellite, the third of ZY-2, into the orbit with a Chinese Long-March 4-B rocket that blasted off at 11:10 am Saturday from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China'sShanxi Province.
The rocket and satellite separated 12 minutes after the rocket blasts off. The satellite has entered into orbit as scheduled, according to the data from Chinese ground controller, the Xi'an Satellite Monitor and Control Center, in northwest China, indicating the success of the launch.
The ZY-2, China's second transmitting-type remote sensing satellite, is mainly used for land resource surveying, environmental supervision and protection, city planning, crop yield assessment, disaster monitoring and space scientific experiment.
China has sent the first and second ZY-2 satellites on Sept. 1,2000 and Oct. 27 2002. They are still running in the orbit and have sent back plenty of data.
Compared with the previous two resource satellites, the third one has improved in overall performance and technology.
The Long-March 4-B carrier rocket is an upgraded version of theLong-March 4-A. The launch is the 82nd time that Long March carriers have been used and it is also the 40th continuous successes since China launched the first of its kind on Oct. 1996.
MiTV set-top box to offer more interactive features
From http://203.115.192.58/cms/content.jsp?id=com.tms.cms.article.Article_8358f690-cb73c03a-1de891b0-a4aadaca
MITV Corporation Sdn Bhd says its set-top box, an Internet Protocol (IP)-enabled unit connected to TV antennas for programme reception, would offer more interactive features.
“It is basically a PC in a box. It is smarter than the incumbent decoder,” its deputy chairman and chief executive officer Datuk Rosman Ridzwan said.
However, the MiTV receiver unit is likely to be priced higher than the decoder deployed by Astro All-Asia Networks Plc. But the company believes that this will not make Malaysia’s second pay television, which is ready to launch its services next month, less attractive to viewers, said Rosman after MiTV signed an agreement in Kuala Lumpur on Nov 5 with Bank Pembangunan dan Infrastruktur Malaysia Bhd for a RM30 million loan.
The loan is made up of a RM25 million six-year term loan facility and another RM5 million under convertible redeemable secured loan stocks.
He said MiTV was considering allowing the purchase of the set-top box on a deferred payment basis, adding that the price was expected to trend downward gradually.
“Compared to the first batch of boxes that we ordered from Korea for testing purposes, the second batch is about US$50 (RM190) cheaper for each box,” he said.
MiTV had said it would need only 13% of Astro’s subscriber base of 1.4 million to break even.
It is targeting 100,000 subscribers within a year after its launch in December. This is expected to grow by 150% to 250,000 in 2006 and 40% to 350,000 in 2007.
Since its soft launch in the Klang Valley last month, MiTV has given hundreds of set-top boxes to selected households and company employees as part of its plan to test its transmission and reception technology.
MiTV is 40% owned by tycoon Tan Sri Vincent Tan Chee Yioun, who is the company chairman. Rosman and his management team hold another 40% stake. The remaining shares are held by private investors.
MiTV chief operating officer Jonathan Chan said the monthly subscription fee would be more competitive than Astro in terms of cost per channel.
He said MiTV was ready to launch its services in the Klang Valley next month as it had signed up with enough content providers to roll out its targeted 50 channels.
He said MiTV would expand its services to cover the northern and southern regions in the first half of 2005. This will be followed by the east coast in the second half before Sabah and Sarawak receive the programme in the first half of 2006.
On the RM30 million loan facility, he said the money would be for capital expenditure and infrastructure cost, mainly the construction of some 30 small transmitters and full-scale transmission towers.
Chan said MiTV would have dedicated channels for local content, which would be sourced from local productions houses.
John Malone's nightmare gets reality check
From http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3090123a6026,00.html
Two of the world's biggest deal makers may one day join forces, writes Wendy Frew.
Two years ago, in one of the few interviews granted to the press in his long career, John Malone was asked if there was anything that gave him nightmares.
The softly spoken 61-year-old billionaire and chairman of Liberty Media said the only thing to be really afraid of was "competing against somebody who is rich and irrational".
"I mean, it used to be a given, a saying in the industry: don't ever bid against Rupert Murdoch for anything Rupert wants, because if you win, you lose. You will have paid way too much."
With the spotlight back on Malone following news last week he had entered an option to almost double his voting stock in the Murdoch-controlled News Corp, the comment speaks volumes about two of Wall Street's shrewdest strategists and what they might be planning.
Seen as sometimes friends, sometimes rivals, their business dealings show they have learnt there is more money to be made by co-operating than competing against each other. If there is a friendship it is one organised around business interests.
News's team of advisers and public relations operatives for months has been whispering in the ears of anyone who would listen that they were worried Malone was planning a hostile takeover bid.
But it's much more likely the two men are plotting a merger that would create a media group with assets worth as much as $US100 billion ($132 billion) and that could one day be chaired by Malone.
The Australian Council of Super Investors backs up the view that Malone did not take Murdoch by surprise.
ACSI was one of the corporate governance advisory bodies that helped draw up an agreement signed by the Murdoch family and News last month that would have helped protect minority investors' interests once the company moved its incorporation to Delaware, from Adelaide.
A key clause in that agreement prevented the Murdochs substantially increasing or decreasing their 29 per cent voting stake in News without making the same offer to minority shareholders. However, that clause became invalid on the first day News traded as a US corporate entity last week when Malone emerged with control of 17 per cent of the stock.
ACSI president Michael O'Sullivan told the Sydney Morning Herald it looked as if the two media moguls were working out the future of their empires without any consideration for other shareholders.
Yesterday he said Murdoch would have been much better protected from a hostile raid if he had accepted ACSI's proposal to refuse to register any shares above 19.9 per cent unless the raider made an offer to all shareholders.
"Mr Murdoch could have taken that [protection] but he didn't and very expressly didn't," O'Sullivan said on Business Sunday yesterday.
"So he must have had his reasons anyway for allowing Mr Malone to go past 15 per cent.
"We don't say it's collusive but I think you'd have to say it's more likely to be friendly than hostile, and it's more likely to be worked out in some way that's mutually beneficial than it is to be worked out as a takeover by Malone."
A merger would be the culmination of years of co-operation between News and Liberty, most obvious in 1993 when Malone upset his cable rivals by agreeing to pay Murdoch's Fox monthly fees way above the industry standard. Then, last year, he tipped in $US500 million to help Murdoch fund the purchase of US satellite operator DirecTV.
For News's minority investors - not convinced any of Murdoch's children are ready to take over the running of the $US51 billion business - a merger would deliver a more than competent chairman to replace the 73-year-old Murdoch.
Malone has been described as a self-made billionaire, a Machiavellian figure, a master deal maker and a cable TV cowboy. With a few changes, it's a description that could fit Murdoch.
According to Forbes 400, Malone was raised in Milford, Connecticut, the son of a GE executive. He earned engineering degrees at Yale and Johns Hopkins universities. Then in 1973, when not yet 30, he took control of a tiny, debt-laden American cable television company in Denver, called TeleCommunications.
By the 1990s, TCI had grown to be one of the most powerful cable operators in the US.
There were some setbacks, such as Malone's unsuccessful bid to merge with Bell Atlantic in 1993, and a $US500 million investment in ICG Communications, a local exchange carrier that eventually filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
But any doubts about his abilities vanished when he sold the cable business to AT&T for $US54 billion while holding on to Liberty programming assets.
Malone reportedly spends his spare time piloting an 80-foot-long yacht named Liberty. He drives between his homes in Colorado and Maine in a custom-built luxury camper, staying at truck stops along the way.
When he first interviewed Malone in 1992, New Yorker writer Ken Auletta noticed the cable TV mogul who had championed interactivity didn't have a television or a PC in his office. Nor did he rely on investment bankers to crunch the numbers on deals.
"And one of the things you discover about John Malone is that, in fact, he's a guy who plays chess while most of his peers and competitors play checkers." Except for Rupert Murdoch, that is.
DTH to take on Pak TV in J&K
From http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=2&theme=&usrsess=1&id=59049
This is a different information warfare in Jammu and Kashmir. In parts where Pakistan TV is still the only option, the Centre has decided to provide DTH facilities that would include Doordarshan plus private channels.
About 1,000 set top boxes will be provided to villages in the state, where the normal terrestrial signals are weak. In such areas, an official said, people use satellite dishes to get Pak TV. But now, there is the opportunity for better programming. Each viewer will get close to 40 channels if Prasar Bharati’s negotiations with private channels succeed.
This is part of the government’s “winning the hearts and minds of the people” policy and the Centre will decide after monitoring what programmes are being well-received. A decision will be taken after consultations with Intelligence Bureau and home ministry.
The money for the programming has come fortuitously as the cost of production of the set top boxes came down drastically. Originally, the sets were for border areas and also the North-eastern states. The left-over money went for additional boxes to J&K.
Radio re-run
There is a familiar ring to the efforts being made to facilitate the transmission of Indian channels to parts of J&K. It echoes what had to be done in the late 1940s and early 1950s when AIR’s reach didn’t extend to remote parts of the Valley. A pair of electronic engineers, the Nakra brothers (the ‘Enbee’ of Irwin Road/Shankar Market) developed a special radio receiver that picked up AIR all across the Valley. The sets were officially distributed and they also helped thwart the mischief Pakistan was playing across airwaves. — SNS
7/11/04
No update Sunday
6/11/04
No update Saturday
5/11/04
PRIMETV in NZ is in high demand now that Paul Holmes has left TVNZ for a new show to screen on Prime. Auckland Installers report a huge increase in callers wanting UHF antennas installed or adjusted to receive Prime TV. Yet another good reason for Prime to be available FTA via B1. There is another report in the news section from "The Independent" newspaper though regular readers of Apsattv website will see it doesn't really contain anything that wasn't already known about.
Tarb's/UBI have launched their website, link is below
http://www.ubiworldtv.com/
From my Emails & ICQ
From Simmo
Craig, your mistake yesterday as to Tarb's Turkish Press Release
Whether you call it Tarb's or UBI, its the same shit in a different bucket.
Simmo
(Craigs comment, Umm no comment)
From jsat.tv (Thailand)
Test pattern advertising an up coming boxing match
PAS 8
Adhoc 16
3940 H 27690
Tyzyu vrs Mitchell - Boxing test
From the Dish
Intelsat 701 180E 3769 R It's still occasional feeds on , PIDs 2160/2120.
PAS 8 166E 4080 V All channels in the TAS mux are encrypted again.
Measat 2 148E 11540 H "VCTV 2 has replaced DW-TV" on , Viaccess, PIDs 207/107.
AsiaSat 2 100.5E 3960 H "EuroSport News" is encrypted again.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3671 H "KurdSat" has started on , Fta, PIDs 7003/7004.
PAS 10 68.5E 3716 V "Mindset Learn has replaced Activate" on , Irdeto, PIDs 3030/4030.
NEWS
TVNZ approves satellite Free to Air channels
From The Independent
The TVNZ board has approved plans for a satellite operation delivering free-to-air television channels and radio to the whole of New Zealand (The Independent September 22nd).
It is understood the satellite platform will carry TVNZ's own channels, Tv1 and Tv2, as well as other key free-to-air channels, including rivals Tv3 and Prime.
TVNZ has booked two transponders on the new Optus satellite being launched in 2006. However it already has enough capacity on the Optus B1 satellite currently used by Sky, to launch the service any time it chooses.
The project has been shrouded by a heavy veil of secrecy under the leadership of former TVNZ current affairs producer William Earl, who is managing the project from TVNZ's Wellington offices.
The Independent discovered TVNZ has registered several trademarks - FREEVIEWTV FREESATTV, FREESAT and FREEVIEW - all names identical to, or similar to, the free free-to-air digital platform established in the UK (The Independent 22 September)
The free channels, along with some radio stations, can be received by anyone with a small Sky TV-style dish and a digital box probably costing around $150.
It is believed TVNZ has been examining different business models for additional channels on the satellite platform. Among them is a 24-hour news channel.
The move would appear to end arguments about whether the future of New Zealand Digital Television should be from satellite or transmitted terrestrially.
But getting business models to stack up economically will be a major challenge, especially for the first few years of the platform when audience numbers will be limited.
At the end of last year, TVNZ's transmission arm BCL Ltd split from the state broadcaster to become a standalone state-owned enterprise.
Another option was to use the Sky digital satellite platform.
However, the government is believed to be squeamish about the "Murdochisation" of New Zealand television transmission. It is likely to endorse the New Zealand controlled option.
An announcement is expected soon.
(Craigs comment, not much that hasn't been mentioned here previously. As for DIGITAL being satellite only. Well I have my doubts about that, most likely it could be DVB-T as well in the main citys)
UBI WORLD TV LAUNCHES LARGEST SELECTION OF ARABIC TV CHANNELS IN AUSTRALIA.
From Press Release: 5th November 2004 (Via Aus-city forum)
United Broadcasting International Pty Ltd (UBI WORLD TV) has announced the launch of its new direct-to-home digital TV service in Australia, featuring the largest selection of Arabic language channels ever. UBI WORLD TV offers 16 leading Arabic language channels from top Arabic broadcasters representing the most diverse, entertaining and informative line up for Arabic Australian viewers.
Available exclusively on the UBI WORLD TV platform are leading Arabic networks including the most respected news channel Al Arabiya, top music channel Mazzika and leading entertainment channel MBC.
Also premiering in Australia on UBI WORLD TV are the new and exciting top rating Lebanese entertainment channels New TV, Infinity and Heya TV. New TV is the Lebanese entertainment channel for all tastes. Whether viewers are looking for Talk shows, Music & Entertainment shows, Drama series, Comedy & Sketch shows, Lifestyle programmes, Current affairs or Kids programmes New TV will keep viewers entertained. Infinity is non-stop Arabic entertainment! Featuring the best original comedies, documentaries, drama series, talk shows, and fashion shows all on one channel that is pure viewing pleasure. Heya TV is a new and innovative Lebanese channel catering specially to interests and issues of Arabic women. All three channels deliver 24 hour quality programming keeping Arabic viewers of all ages entertained.
In addition, UBI WORLD TV provides Arabic favourites ESC1, Nile Variety, Nile Drama, Tele Liban and Syria Satellite Channel. Plus Islamic channel Al Majd. UBI World TV plans to enhance its Arabic line-up by introducing new channels and services for the Arabic community in the months ahead.
Amongst the new channels and in addition to the “live from home” channels, UBI World TV is proud to announce the coming of Panorama, a unique channel that is specifically designed and produced for the Australian-Arabic community, featuring 24 hours of the best movies, news and entertainment shows adjusted to suit Australian prime-time audiences. Locally produced by UBI WORLD TV, Panorama will deliver the best of Arabic programming along with locally produced shows and news to reflect the life of the local community. Panorama will be a voice for the Arabic community and mirror the daily lives of Arabic Australians, whilst providing a much needed link for all Arabic communities across Australia. Panorama will cover the main activities and events within local communities across Australia and show daily local and international news as an integral part of the channel.
UBI WORLD TV’s Arabic language channels are currently available free-to-air on the Optus B3 Satellite, with encryption of the Arabic channels planned for December 2004. Before the channels are encrypted viewers can subscribe to a choice of two packages. World TV Basic for $49.95 per month or World TV Plus featuring all 16 Arabic channels for $59.95 per month.
Together with all Arabic channels available on UBI WORLD TV, subscribers to World TV Plus will receive 28 other language channels from some of the worlds leading broadcasters for the total global experience. Turkish, Serbian, Macedonian, Spanish, Portuguese, Greek, Polish and Filipino channels can all be enjoyed on UBI WORLD TV.
People can find out more about UBI WORLD TV and the Arabic channels available by calling 1300 400 800 between 09:00 and 18:00 AEST, or visiting the UBI WORLD TV website at: www.ubiworldtv.com
Malaysia MiTV Repeats To Launch Pay TV Svc By Yr End
From http://sg.biz.yahoo.com/041105/15/3oa94.html
KUALA LUMPUR (Dow Jones)--MiTV Corp., Malaysia's second pay-television company, reiterated Friday it will introduce its services by the end of 2004.
"We hope to (commercially) launch (the service) by the end of the year," said MiTV's Chief Operating Officer Jonathan Chan.
MiTV is set to compete with satellite television operator Astro All Asia Networks Plc. (5076.KU).
The company had said in September it planned to launch its television services by the end of this year.
Chan said the company has already secured about 50 television channels for offer at the launch.
He declined to name the channels but said they include sports, news and entertainment.
Privately-held MiTV said it aims to have nationwide coverage 18 months after its commercial launch.
Chan was speaking to reporters after signing an agreement with local development bank Bank Pembangunan Dan Infrastruktur Malaysia Bhd. to secure loans totaling MYR30 million for MiTV's capital expenditure.
Asia Digital Media to Deliver HDTV Satellite Broadcasting, High Speed Internet and On-line Transaction Solutions for the Chinese Market
From Press Release
China Aerospace New World Technology, Entrust and RockRidge Asia Digital Media Form Joint Venture in China to Help Meet National Agenda Goals for 2008 Olympics in Beijing
DALLAS, Nov. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- An agreement to form a joint
venture to be named Asia Digital Media was publicly unveiled today. Asia
Digital Media will deliver secure technology solutions enabling HDTV satellite
broadcasting, high-speed Internet and on-line transaction services to the
Chinese market.
Upon the closing of this joint venture, which is subject to a number of
conditions, investment partners will include Dallas-based Entrust, Inc.
(Nasdaq: ENTU), a world-leading provider of Identity and Access Management
solutions, China Aerospace New World Technology Limited, ADML Holdings, Ltd.
and RockRidge Asia Digital Media, LLC.
Asia Digital Media will be formed to help meet several programming,
subscriber and technical goals that are part of the Chinese government's
National Agenda project, including:
-- Facilitating a conversion to digital television by a majority of
Chinese television households by the time of the 2008 Beijing Summer
Olympics; and
-- Ensuring all Chinese television households receive digital video
broadcasting capability by 2015.
Asia Digital Media is designed to build a digital content transaction
platform for the distribution of digital video broadcasting satellite signals.
The platform is intended to consist of a public key infrastructure (PKI)
enabled subscriber management system, which will provide security for both the
broadcast signal and set-top boxes, and develop a wireless broadband "return
path" for e-commerce transactions and high-speed Internet service. The
transaction platform would be designed to enable service providers across
China to offer cost effective and secure delivery of content and media. This
platform will also be designed to serve as a means of generating transactional
revenues and e-commerce through secure payment mechanisms, while preventing
cloning of set-top boxes and content piracy.
Additional components of the announced joint venture include:
-- Under the brand of China Aerospace, Asia Digital Media will serve as
a distributor of Entrust information security products and services
in China; and
-- Technology from Ohana Wireless, Inc., will be utilized to develop the
broadband "return path" that enables two-way interactive services and
online transactions. At closing of the joint venture, Ohana
Wireless, Inc., will become a wholly owned subsidiary Asia Digital
Media Co., Ltd.
It is anticipated that Asia Digital Media will implement a demonstration
system in early 2005. Planned commercial rollout to subscribers is scheduled
for Q4 2005, which will coincide with China Aerospace's launch of Sinosat-2, a
high capacity spot-beam KU band satellite for the digital broadcasting of
television signals throughout China.
The investment partners anticipate that Asia Digital Media will have an
initial capitalization of approximately U.S. $20.0 million, with approximately
13 percent owned by China Aerospace New World Technology Limited, 10 percent
by RockRidge Asia Digital Media, LLC, 60 percent by ADML Holdings, Ltd., and
the remainder held by Entrust. In total, Entrust's direct and indirect
holdings in Asia Digital Media will amount to 25 percent. Asia Digital Media
will be registered in Hong Kong.
"The Chinese digital video broadcasting market is positioned for
tremendous growth," said Zhao Dong, Chief Executive Officer of China Aerospace
New World Technology. "Asia Digital Media's shared expertise in understanding
the Chinese market, in tandem with the technology and capital investments
provided by our partners gives us a strong advantage in this enormous market."
"It is estimated that by the year 2015 more than 225 million households
will subscribe to digital video services in China," said Anthony Hwang,
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Asia Digital Media. "Asia Digital
Media is uniquely positioned with the technological solutions and capabilities
to help support China's plan for an all digital nation."
"China provides a great opportunity for Entrust's future growth," said
Bill Conner, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Entrust, Inc.
"Asia Digital Media will be a key channel for Entrust's security products into
China. Additionally, this unique business will allow us to participate in the
development of the secure infrastructure necessary for the digital video
broadcasting and satellite network envisioned under the Chinese National
Agenda project. Having worked very successfully with leading institutions
such as the China Financial Certificate Authority, we look forward to
extending our expertise and market success throughout China as part of this
new international venture."
"RockRidge Capital Partners Inc., focuses on investing in unique
opportunities in technology, infrastructure and media. When it comes to
tremendous growth opportunities and sizable markets, China's commitment to
digital media represents a terrific and unique opportunity. We are proud that
our investment along with such a compelling group of partners will be a
driving catalyst for this transformation," said Jeff Marshall, Founding &
Managing Partner of RockRidge Capital Partners Inc. and RockRidge Asia Digital
Media LLC. "Asia Digital Media is very well positioned to serve as a vehicle
for widespread adoption of digital video broadcasting, as well as additional
media content, online services and transactions in a secure architecture in
what will be the world's largest media market."
About China Aerospace New World Technology
China Aerospace New World Technology Limited (CANW) is the joint venture
between China Aerospace International Holdings Limited (CASIL) and New World
TMT Limited (NWTMT). CASIL is a Hong Kong publicly listed company owned by
China Aerospace Science & Technology Corporation (CASC) and its business is
targeted to Satellite Application, IT Networking and Hi-Tech product
manufacture. NWTMT is a Hong Kong publicly listed company owned by New World
Development Group and focus on the high-technology business.
China Aerospace New World Technology Limited (CANW) mainly relies on the
powerful technology of CASC's Satellite, the research and development of
Aerospace aspect and the long-term good business co-operation with SARFT.
Moreover, CANW has many years of experience in digital video broadcasting
product development and marketing.
About Entrust
Entrust, Inc. is a world-leading provider of Identity and Access
Management solutions. Entrust software helps enable enterprises and
governments to extend their business reach to customers, partners and
employees. Entrust's solutions for secure identity management, secure
messaging and secure data can help increase productivity and improve extended
relationships by helping to transform the way transactions are done online.
Over 1,400 organizations in more than 50 countries use Entrust's proven
software and services to help turn business and security challenges into
secure business opportunities. For more information, please visit:
http://www.entrust.com
About RockRidge Asia Digital Media, LLC.
RockRidge Capital Partners, Inc. is a private equity firm dedicated to
investing in private and public companies, through a combination of both
equity and debt structures. Our unique investment model and culture of
execution excellence provide value-added capital investments to transforming
companies in the following sectors: Communications, financial services,
information technology, and technology-based growth companies.
Entrust is a registered trademark of Entrust, Inc. in the United States
and certain other countries. In Canada, Entrust is a registered trademark of
Entrust Limited. All Entrust product names are trademarks or registered
trademarks of Entrust, Inc. or Entrust Limited. All other company and product
names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
Malone raids News shares
From http://finance.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,11293233%255E462,00.html
THE News Corporation Inc's first day as a US-based company has been overshadowed by a share raid by billionaire John Malone, renewing speculation about future control of the media giant.
Mr Malone, whom News chairman and chief executive Rupert Murdoch once considered a friend, took advantage of heavy selling of News's shares ahead of its US move to buy nearly $1billion worth of the global media group's voting stock on Wednesday.
Mr Malone's share purchases were revealed yesterday as News began its first day of trading as a US-based company. They take his voting stake to 17.2 per cent and cement his position as the company's second-biggest voting shareholder behind the Murdoch family, which retains a 29.5 per cent holding.
The share raid came only hours before News, owner of NEWS.com.au and The Australian, unveiled a strong 18 per cent increase in first-quarter net profit to $761 million. Mr Murdoch said the company was on the "cusp of a new and more prosperous era".
Mr Murdoch said yesterday: "I think it is an endorsement of the company. I say that quite sincerely. I'm not losing any sleep over it."
Shares in the company soared yesterday, with the new "chess depositary instruments" issued in lieu of every two News shares, continuing their recent gains. The voting CDIs rose 31c to $22.31, with the non-voting CDIs up 91c to $22.43.
Mr Malone's move to a stake above 15 per cent of the voting shares voids some of the agreements the Murdoch family made with corporate governance experts ahead of the US move. In particular, it removes restrictions on the manner in which the Murdoch family can buy or sell News shares.
Mr Malone made his fortune in 1999 when he sold his pay-TV group Tele-Communications Inc to US telephony giant AT&T for $US48 billion. Since then he has built other interests, such as the Discovery channel, and expanded into European pay-TV.
NDS Grows Conditional Access Biz, Thanks to DirecTV
From skyreport
NDS Group, News Corp.'s TV technology arm, reported strong
growth for its conditional access business during its last
fiscal quarter, helped in part by its relationship with
DirecTV.
The company, based in London, reported that conditional access
revenues were 58 million pounds ($106.952 million U.S.) for
its fiscal first quarter, compared to 30.2 million pounds
($55.68 million U.S.) recorded during the same period last
year. NDS said that during the quarter it supplied 8.9 million
smart cards to customers, compared to 2.3 million reported for
the same period last year.
NDS President and CEO Abe Peled said the company delivered
substantial volumes of smart cards to DirecTV, and the
business has received a boost from the U.S. satellite TV
company's record subscriber gains. NDS also said it shipped a
large number of cards to Sky Italia as part of its migration
of subscribers to technology using NDS conditional access.
The company said there are 47.8 million active digital TV
smart cards using NDS technology, an increase of 3.8 million,
or 8.6 percent, since June 2004. MediaHighway, the NDS
middleware solution, has been installed in a cumulative 20.3
million set-top boxes worldwide, the company said.
Peled said NDS continues to move forward with XTV, the
company's DVR product, and plans to debut new customers for
the service in the near future. Peled also said the company is
busy working with DirecTV on a DVR product, but had "nothing
official" to announce concerning NDS' relationship with the
satellite TV company.
NDS Technologies takes up residence in single new digs
From http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/497911.html
Like in a carefully planned and coordinated military operation, NDS Technologies moved shop yesterday, and almost every one of Jerusalem's moving companies joined in the effort - one of the biggest moves made by a tech firm in Israel, and at a total cost of some $1 million.
NDS Technologies, of the News Corporation group, develops and supplies open end-to-end digital pay-TV solutions for the secure delivery of entertainment and information to decoders and IP devices. The company's Q2 2004 revenues totaled $117.7 million - a 21 percent increase on the corresponding quarter of last year. NDS is traded on the Nasdaq at a value of $1.4 billion.
NDS has branches all around the world, but its headquarters, with some 800 employees, are in Jerusalem's Har Hotzvim high-tech industrial park. Until now, the workers have been divided among four separate buildings leased by the company in Har Hotzvim; but in light of the rapid growth in its payroll, the company took a strategic decision to move all its employees into one, new and spacious structure.
"We have been preparing for the move operation for more than a year already," said Shlomo Pe'eri, deputy CEO of human resources. "We are a technology intensive company, and aside from the setting up of new communications networks, we had to move 2,300 personal computers and around 800 server and communications racks."
The operation was coordinated by Galia Sobol, NDS's director of logistics and acquisitions, who noted that the company developed special software for the move. The software, she said, allows the company to superimpose on the building's computerized plans each and every detail and stage of the move, such that her team can get a precise visual picture of the progress.
"We also developed a program that draws special stickers to mark every piece of equipment that is moved with precise colors and text," Sobol continued. "Because we are dealing with such a large quantity of equipment, we had to be well organized; the markings included different colors for every area and floor, and also which elevator should be used to take the equipment up to the right place."
NDS published a tender for the move among a number of the capital's largest moving companies. The tender was won by the Yissaschar company, but it soon realized it could never take on the task alone, and promptly took on as subcontractors all the other movers that had participated in the tender - almost all the companies operating currently in Jerusalem. Some 60 companies played a part in the move, using about 15 different trucks.
"It was a joint venture of all the movers," Pe'eri explained.
The Jerusalem Municipality did its bit by opening the new junction at the entrance to Har Hotzvim D just prior to the move.
The move began last week with a test-run involving some 250 employees. Following a discussion to draw conclusions and make improvements, the big move began Wednesday night.
Also moved Wednesday night was NDS's huge satellite dish, measuring some 7 meters in diameter, from Neve Ilan, just outside the city, to the roof of the new building in Har Hotzvim.
"We are trying to minimize the damage to our customer support during the move," Pe'eri said.
"Customer support is now being handled from the company's other branches around the world because all the company's operations in Israel have been suspended from Wednesday through to Sunday," Sobol added. "On Sunday, the employees themselves and their personal equipment are expected to be moved, and then we will return immediately to operations in full."
Star Plus, 3 other network channels launch in the US
From http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k4/nov/nov44.htm
MUMBAI: Star has finally launched in the US on the News Corp controlled DirecTV platform.
Alongside flagship channel Star Plus, the three other channels that launched are newest kid on Star block Star One, Hindi news channel Star News and Tamil language entertainment channel Star Vijay, Sameer Nair, Star India COO, confirmed to indiantelevision.com.
Nair said the four channels started beaming into the US from 2 November.
With this latest initiative, Star's "Indian channels" have now become available in Asia, Middle East, United Kingdom and the USA.
Commenting on the US launch of the network's news channel, Star News CEO Uday Shankar stated, "We are extremely proud to be India's first and only global news channel catering to the Indian diaspora spread across the globe."
Meanwhile, the decks appear to have been cleared for the official re-entry of the Star channels into neighbouring Pakistan. That they are already available in most Pakistani C&S homes that can afford them is of course another matter. According to a report put out last Saturday by Pakistani daily The News, the country's information ministry has sent a formal summary to Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz's office, seeking his approval to grant permission to Star TV channels.
The report said that with rumours of relaxation of the ban, several cable TV operators in Islamabad have already begun (openly instead of clandestinely) telecasting Star Plus and Star Utsav channels.
The justification for the lifting of the ban on Indian channels that has been in force since 2001 specifically and only for the Star Network channels. According to Pakistan's information ministry, an exception can be made in Star's case as it is a non-Indian multinational media group.
A rather strange argument to say the least, if one were to take into consideration the fact that the ban on Indian channels came into being to protect Pakistani television from being "overwhelmed" by Indian offerings. And that applies far more to a Star Plus than a Zee TV, for which the ban recommendation stays.
And why wasn't Sony Entertainment TV India accorded the same benefit as Star since it is also "a non-Indian multinational media group"? Well, Sony didn't push for it unlike Star which lobbied strenuously to get the permissions, is the reasoning offered by sources who have been following the developments.
The formal request for distribution and marketing of Star channels in Pakistan was made by SATSTAR Media, a wholly owned subsidy of the Star Group.
The ministry has sought the required permission to be granted to the channel by changing the existing policy, The News has reported.
All India Radio to launch DTH soon
From http://www.123bharath.com/news/index.php?action=fullnews&id=34024
West Bengal, India > Kolkata, Nov 4 : National broadcaster All India Radio would soon launch its satellite Direct-To-Home (DTH) channel providing a 24-hour digital radio feed on television.
AIR Assistant station director Gautam Sengupta said today that the channel, covering the entire country and a few neighbouring ones, would cater to regional audiences in the first phase with its multi-lingual coverage in Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Punjabi and a few north eastern languages.
The second phase would include languages like Urdu, Malayalam, Assamese and some other tribal ones.
Listeners would have to make one time investment to install the receiver system comprising a dish and converter, a set top box and an output TV connector to receive a number of radio channels on television, he said. PTI
4/11/04
First up a correction, to yesterdays "Tarbs Turkish press release" they are of course now UBI not Tarb's.
TVNZ Digital article in this weeks "THE Independent" Newspaper. Unfortunatly I have not been able to get a copy of it as yet. If anyone has a copy please send me a scan of the TVNZ Digital Item.
Changes on B1 12355H TDT and Central 7 playing musical chairs..on and off
Horse Racing feed B3 12552V sr 6666 Fec 2/3
Cricket Aus VS India on DD Sports and Insat 2E
From my Emails & ICQ
From Steve Hume
PAS2 3960V SR: 6617
Loads, B/U Weather Channel, NAPSA2, Metromux-SA2
2 Channels are APT Masters Series Tennis
Steve Hume
(Craigs comment, also reported via PAS9)
From Jsat.tv (Thailand)
PAS 7/10 new feed
new feed (bars at the moment)
PAS 7/10 FREQ: 4105 POL: H S/R: 5632
Provider: SAMACOM
Email : [email protected]
Phone: (02) 714.3594
Fax: : (02) 390.2589
WEB : www.jsat.tv
From Billo
Pas8 4080V Videoland mux encr again.
From Telsat (NZ)
B3 Installers required for Christchurch & Dunedin - Urgent!
Hi All,
Is there no one interested in doing B3 installs in Christchurch or Dunedin?
Please indicate your interest soonest to:
[email protected]
From the Dish
Optus B3 152E 12564 H "TVN" has left .(Weeks ago...)
Optus B3 152E 12658 V "Da-Ai TV" has left .(Now via Asiasat 4 12430V)
Measat 2 148E 11540 H "VCTV" is now encrypted.
Telstar 18 138E 12354 V "Asia TV" is Fta.
AsiaSat 3 105.5E 3700 V All channels in the Zee Telefilms HITS mux are encrypted again.
AsiaSat 3 105.5E 3980 V "Star One" has started regular transmissions on , Videoguard, SID 1777.
PAS 10 68.5E 4034 H "Nickelodeon India and three test cards" have started on , PowerVu,PIDs 401/402-465/466.
NEWS
INL says planned merger with Sky TV on track
From http://www.nzherald.co.nz
Cashed-up media group Independent Newspapers Ltd said today it was on track to put a proposed merger with Sky Network Television to shareholders in early 2005.
INL, the local arm of Rupert Murdoch's media empire, announced in August a planned merger with 78-per cent-owned pay television operator Sky TV.
Under the proposed merger, a new company would acquire both Sky and INL, with shareholders in both companies receiving shares and cash payments for their current holdings.
"At this stage, we remain on track to put the merger proposal to shareholders in the first quarter of 2005," INL executive chairman Ken Cowley said in notes released for the company's annual meeting.
Sky TV last traded at $5.70, up four cents, and INL was unchanged at $5.17. INL is little more than a shell company, with its Sky TV investment and $310 million in cash, after it sold its newspaper and magazine portfolio last year to Australia's Fairfax Holdings for $1.2 billion.
INL's bid in December to buy out all of Sky with a mixture of cash and scrip was unsuccessful, and it returned $340 million to shareholders in April.
Virgin, Foxtel take TV to skies
From http://dailytelegraph.news.com.au/story.jsp?sectionid=1265&storyid=2193965
IN-flight entertainment will reach new heights when Virgin Blue introduces live satellite television to all domestic flights.
Subscription television providers Austar and Foxtel have jumped on board with Virgin Blue to provide passengers with breaking television news, sporting events, comedy and lifestyle channels.
"Imagine flying yesterday from Perth watching the American election in flight on Sky News, CNN or Fox News,'' said Foxtel chief executive Kim Williams.
The service would be broadcast via satellite to the aircraft and displayed on some 8,0000 individual screens located at the back of seats.
The proposal, which has been four years in the making, was described by Virgin Blue chief executive Brett Godfrey as an "exciting and generational leap forward''.
He said Virgin Blue, in conjunction with the US technology provider LiveTV, would become the first airline outside North America to harness the innovation, to be delivered under an exclusive licence with the carrier.
"This is a terribly exciting time for us,'' Mr Godfrey said.
"We decided that we wanted to be a carrier that gave money and choice back, along with great service in an industry that had lost its romanticism.''
Called Live2Air, the service would offer the choice of 24 Foxtel and Austar channels, including Sky News Australia, CNN, The Comedy Channel, Fox Sports and Nickelodeon.
"We are dedicated innovators ... Foxtel's partnership with Virgin Blue and Austar in launching Live2Air was a natural fit,'' Mr Williams said.
However there is a catch, passengers will have to fork our for the new service which is activated with a credit card and costs $5 for unlimited use.
But Mr Godfrey said the carrier did not expect to gain a direct financial benefit.
"I just want it to be an incremental return in terms of us being a more desirable product,'' Mr Godfrey said.
He said the new technology would be phased in by mid next year subject to regulatory approval from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority.
Optus reports big jump in Q2 net profit
From http://www.theage.com.au/news/Breaking-News/Optus-reports-big-jump-in-Q2-net-profit/2004/11/04/1099362285695.html?oneclick=true
Australia's number two telco, Optus, has announced a big jump in net profit for the second quarter, highlighting its expanding margins and market share despite the fierce competition in the industry.
Singapore Telecommunications Ltd (SingTel) reported that Optus - its Australian subsidiary - made a net profit of $163 million for the three months to September 30, 2004, up 82 per cent compared to the prior corresponding period.
At the top line, operating revenue in the quarter increased 12 per cent to $1.75 billion, excluding the recently announced C1 satellite defence contract.
That translated into earnings that grew even faster, with operational earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA), up 18 per cent to $544 million.
And despite the intense competition in the industry, Optus also managed to expand its margins, up by 1.7 percentage points to 31 per cent.
"In an increasingly aggressive and competitive market, Optus has continued to grow market share across consumer and mobile products, and in corporate and government we have won significant customers and contracts," said Optus chief executive Paul O'Sullivan.
AdvertisementSingTel reaffirmed guidance given at the end of March this year for Optus to have double-digit growth in EBITDA for the current financial year, along with revenue growth and margin expansion.
Optus' biggest division is its mobile business, which contributed 59 per cent of the revenue growth and 62 per cent of the EBITDA growth for the quarter.
Mobile revenue was up 13 per cent to $954 million and operational EBITDA increased by 16 per cent to $375 million as the mobile customer base grew by 17 per cent to 5.92 million.
Mr O'Sullivan credited this surge in part to the recent introduction of capped call plans - which has also been introduced by rivals Hutchison Telecommunications Ltd and Vodafone, but not by Telstra Corp.
He noted that such plans could have a negative impact on margins.
"There's an overall impact of price discounting generally, which inevitably impacts on all the players," Mr O'Sullivan told journalists.
"(But) people who are already on mobiles who decide to take a cap will have the incentive to increase their spend."
Optus Business and Optus Wholesale had combined revenue growth of 19 per cent to $431 million.
Excluding the recent C1 satellite contract, combined EBITDA for both divisions increased by 30 per cent to $118 million and combined margins improved to 27 per cent.
Consumer and Multimedia - which includes internet services - increased revenue by 2.3 per cent to $384 million, with operational EBITDA up 11 per cent to $50 million.
Mr O'Sullivan said this was the division facing the most margin pressure, particularly in the area of internet broadband.
"A significant part of that business today is sold on Telstra re-sale," he said.
"That does dilute margins."
As well as announcing Optus' results, SingTel reported a 12.2 per cent drop in its first half net profit to $S1.466 billion.
"The group's medium term objective is to grow underlying earnings at double digits," SingTel said.
"In Singapore, SingTel expects operating revenue for the current financial year to be comparable to the year ended 31 March 2004."
SingTel shares closed three cents higher at $1.99.
Satellite TV ruling could stall changes to communications regulations
From http://www.canada.com/technology/story.html?id=cb1e3e22-1bee-4bce-9ad6-f74f1eab56d4
TORONTO - A recent Quebec court ruling that found a ban on receiving satellite television signals from the United States violates the Charter of Rights may also stall proposed amendments to the federal Radio Communication Act.
The changes would significantly increase fines for satellite retailers convicted of selling black-market systems and permit Canadian broadcasters to seek up to $100,000 in "statutory damages."
The amendments would also make it illegal for Canadians even to possess receivers that could potentially be used to access the programming of U.S. direct-to-home satellite prov-iders. Importing these receivers would be illegal unless an individual or business is granted an "import certificate."
Federal inspectors would also be granted increased powers to examine the operations and business records of satellite dealers.
The proposed amendments were introduced in October 2003 and reintroduced earlier this year as Bill C-2, but died as a result of the federal election call.
The Canadian Cable Telecommunications Association called on the federal government to reintroduce the amendments last week after Quebec court Justice Danielle Cote issued her landmark ruling. The judge acquitted two Drummondville, Que., residents of violating the federal Radio Communication Act.
She ruled that the outright prohibition on legally purchased programming from foreign distributors violates the freedom of expression guarantees in the Charter. It is the first court judgment to directly address whether it is unconstitutional to ban foreign television signals.
An Industry Canada spokeswoman said yesterday the federal government "is still considering whether to reintroduce the legislation (Bill C-2)."
Alan Gold, a Toronto lawyer who has acted for a number of satellite dealers, suggested any attempt to ban specific types of electronic equipment would also be subject to a Charter challenge. He said it is time to "rearrange the marketplace" and consider a system where consumers who subscribe to U.S. distributors might be charged a small levy that would go to a Canadian television production fund.
Mr. Gold called on the federal government to stop using its powers to try to force Canadians to subscribe to domestic distributors. "They want to use the criminal law to force people to be their customers," he said about the lobbying efforts of the Canadian broadcast industry.
"If the U.S. satellite programming were available, Canadians would be happy to pay," said Toronto lawyer Milton Davis, who has represented a number of clients accused of selling black-market systems. He suggested the average consumer would rather pay for the convenience of a legal U.S. satellite package rather than deal with the constant threat of needing a new "smart card" for black-market systems whenever new security measures are put in place.
3/11/04
ETV on B3 12524V has encrypted, As I said it would a few weeks back. A pity because the NOWTV programming was actually worth watching. God channel has also left but coming back to B3 with an International feed in Feb 2005.
NZ satellite Discussion paper report released.
http://www.med.govt.nz/rsm/spp/satellite/allocation-plan/allocation-plan.pdf
Link to Sky's 2004 AGM release
http://www.skytv.co.nz/files/Miscellaneous/SKY_AGM_2004.pdf
November issue of Satmagazine is online
http://www.satmagazine.com
From my Email & ICQ
From Steve Hume
U.S Election Feed
PAS 8 - 3940H - 27690 (Central/South America Feeds)
PAS 2 - 3901H - 30800 - California Bouquet - CBS Feed
Steve Hume
From Horst
RE: C1 12324V sr 24450
this signal is 75% on my nokia9200s and the only working channels are
p810-p807-p804-p801 all are abc programms
12324-v-24450-1/2-816-817-816
as of 11.30 am
From Jsat.tv (Thailand)
226 ESS CONTRIBUTION3 with the Kiwi Cricket highlights package
Asiasat 3 3920H, SR 26850
From the Dish
PAS 8 166E 12366 H "Fox News Channel" has started regular transmissions on , Viaccess,PIDs 513/514.
PAS 8 166E 12726 H Two test cards have started on , Fta, PIDs 519/647-520/648.
Optus C1 156E 12407 V It's SBS Queensland on , Irdeto, PIDs 528/520.
Optus C1 156E 12527 V "SBS South" has started on , Irdeto, PIDs 544/545.
Optus B3 152E 12613 H "Holidays in Greece Channel" has started on , Fta, PIDs 519/647.
Optus B3 152E 12640 H "Kurdistan TV" has started on , Fta, PIDs 522/650.
AsiaSat 3 105.5E Some Zee channels are FTA.
ST 1 88E All Hakka TV channels have left 3427 H and 3550 V again, replaced by test cards.
ST 1 88E 3484 V "Biz Channel" has started on , Fta, PIDs 514/670.
ST 1 88E 3520 V "Channel 8" has left again
Thaicom 3 78.5E 12438 H "UBC Sport Plus and UBC Zoccer" have started on , Irdeto, PIDs 523/760-524/5634.
Telstar 10 76.5E 3660 V "Holidays in Greece Channel" has started on , Fta, PIDs 1794/1795.
Telstar 10 76.5E 3880 H "Playhouse Disney Asia, Playhouse Disney India and Toon Disney India" have started on , PowerVu, PIDs 2460/2420-2660/2620.
Eutelsat W5 70.5E 11221 H "Horizon Satellite Services" has started on .
PAS 10 68.5E 3836 V "The Block" has left .
NSS 703 57E 3792 R "Alpha Telugu" has started on , Fta, SR 3333, FEC 1/2, PIDs 4194/4195, East hemi.
NEWS
New Zealand Satellite Opportunities Available
From Media release http://www.med.govt.nz/rsm/spp/satellite/media/minister-20041102.html
Media Statement from Hon David Cunliffe, Associate Minister of Finance, Revenue, Communications and Information Technology
2 November 2004
Associate Communications Minister David Cunliffe today announced a process for allowing commercial satellite operators to access New Zealand satellite opportunities.
"Under international treaties New Zealand has rights to use certain frequency bands and to apply to coordinate satellites. The government needs to have fair, transparent and equitable policies in place to allow those rights to be exercised in the national interest." said David Cunliffe
"Previously satellite networks covering New Zealand have been developed through other countries but there may now be commercial interest in establishing a satellite through New Zealand." said Mr Cunliffe
The process provides for assessment and approval of applications according to acceptable work programme offers, which would result in an agreement with successful applicants.
The agreement will specify milestones and a basis for Crown agencies to negotiate access to the satellite to meet specific policy objectives. The process will be implemented by the Ministry of Economic Development."
The satellite policy is detailed on the Ministry of Economic Development's website at New Zealand Satellite Opportunities. Those interested in obtaining further information should contact the Ministry's Radio Spectrum Policy and Planning group at [email protected].
Contact Julian Kersey 04-471 9116, 021-811 999.
(Craigs comment, all very ho hum, here it is below)
Introduction
1. As a Member of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), New Zealand is allotted certain planned frequency bands for broadcasting satellite services and fixed satellite services, and can file applications to coordinate satellite positions in unplanned bands.
2. Under the ITU Radio Regulations Appendix 30, 30A and 30B, New Zealand has been allotted frequencies for the broadcasting satellite service at 158°East and fixed satellite service at 152°East (the Allotments).
3. In July 2002, New Zealand initiated filings known as NZLSAT1-4 at 158°East (NZLSAT filings) in unplanned bands used for commercial and defence services, which have now been published through the ITU for coordination with existing satellite filings.
4. A discussion paper on satellite opportunities was released in June 2004 to help develop policies for dealing with New Zealand satellite filings and allotments and gauge demand for additional satellite capacity, to which 10 submissions were received. A summary of submissions [link] is now available.
5. Cabinet has now agreed to an allocation plan for New Zealand satellite opportunities. This document outlines the Cabinet decisions and provides further information on the arrangements for submission of applications.
Allocation Plan
6. Cabinet has agreed to the following process for considering applications from third parties for access to the Allotments, NZLSAT filings and New Zealand's filing rights in unplanned bands:
applications will be approved based on the first acceptable work programme offer, provided that if competing applications are received within a pre-defined period, the applications will considered together, with preference given to the one with the higher acceptability;
the work programme offer must clearly specify milestones and a time frame, and review or decision points in the programme that would lead to either the continuation of the process or cancellation of the agreement (or an amendment to the work programme);
a work programme is "acceptable" if it consists of an economically viable proposal for a satellite which includes coverage of New Zealand and its dependencies as a minimum, and additional areas of interest such as the Antarctic and the Pacific, considering without limitation:
the planned and likely coverage areas, based on a technical feasibility study provided by the applicant on the coordination required for the proposed satellite network;
the proposed approach to satellite coordination, construction, launch, operation, landing rights and leasing of capacity;
the time estimated to undertake the various stages of establishing a satellite network;
whether the proposed work programme and operations are in accordance with good satellite network practice;
consistency with New Zealand domestic laws, the ITU Radio Regulations, and any relevant international treaties and conventions to which New Zealand is a signatory;
the likely net economic, social, cultural and other benefits to New Zealand arising directly or indirectly from the proposal;
an applicant would be "acceptable" if the decision-maker was satisfied that the applicant would comply with the conditions of, and give proper effect to, the work programme and any agreements required to be entered into by successful applicants, considering without limitation:
the applicant's financial and legal capability to carry out the proposed work programme and fulfil the conditions of any agreements required to be entered into by successful applicants and to pay all costs associated with the satellite;
the applicant's technical ability to carry out the proposed work which may include capability to construct, deploy and operate the proposed satellite system, either directly or through contracts, and to do so within the timescales in the applicants work programme;
other satellite or other activities, either in New Zealand or internationally, that the applicant (or any related company) has been involved with, to the extent that these activities reflect on the applicant's ability to comply with the conditions included in the work programme and any work reporting requirements, and to pay the prescribed fees;
whether the applicant, its related organisations and likely financial backers are fit and proper persons to advance a New Zealand satellite, provided that no applicant may be a foreign government or a person acting on behalf of a foreign government;
if the work programme is unacceptable but it is considered that relatively minor amendments would make the work programme acceptable, then the decision-maker, at their absolute discretion, may approach the applicant to suggest that they consider resubmitting a modified work programme;
final approval of an application is subject to an agreement incorporating the approved work programme being entered into between the applicant and the Crown within a reasonable period and including:
general terms of agreement such as requirements that applicants undertake coordination work and pay all costs, and terms minimising any Crown liability for loss or damage to third parties as a result of the launch or subsequent operation of the satellite;
any special terms of agreement for the particular application that are appropriate, such as conditions on use and access to the Allotments;
a requirement that, at the request of the Crown, the applicant negotiate in good faith to provide satellite capacity to meet government's economic, social and cultural or other policy objectives on a commercial basis;
provisions to ensure the Crown maintains sufficient control over the satellite to ensure compliance with New Zealand and international law and any other obligations, including a requirement that the "satellite control centre" is located in New Zealand or such other location as the Crown may approve on a case by case basis;
Invitation to Submit Applications
7. Any person wishing to submit an application for access to the Allotments, the NZLSAT filings or other unplanned bands is invited to contact the Ministry of Economic Development by email to [email protected] to discuss application requirements.
8. If the Ministry receives an application that, in its view, comprises sufficient information to assess its acceptability under the policy, then an announcement will be made via the Ministry's website. This announcement will refer to receipt of an application (including details of the orbital position) and will specify a period for competing applications to be submitted, likely to be 30 working days. Further details, including the name of the applicant and frequency bands, will be announced at the time an application is approved.
9. The content of any information (including applications) provided to the Ministry may be subject to release under the Official Information Act 1982. If you have any objection to the release of any information provided to the Ministry, please advise which part(s) you consider should be withheld, together with the reason(s) for withholding the information. The Ministry will take into account all such objections when responding to requests under the Official Information Act 1982.
UBI Press Release for Turkish Viewers
From Auscity forums
Press Release: 1st November 2004
UBI WORLD TV has announced that it will be encrypting it's Turkish language TV channels on 12th November 2004. UBI WORLD TV has been Free-To-Air whilst undergoing signal testing and adding new channels to it's direct-to-home digital satellite TV service.
UBI WORLD TV provides the most comprehensive selection of exclusive Turkish TV channels from Turkey's leading networks together on one service. Subscribers to UBI WORLD TV can enjoy top Turkish channels TRT International, ATV, Samanyolu TV, Kanal D, Kanal 7, Show TV, plus leading 24 hour News channel NTV and official channel of the Turkish Super League Lig TV.
Also available to all UBI WORLD TV subscribers are up to 44 digital World TV channels from some of the worlds leading networks in languages such as Arabic, Greek, Serbian and Spanish.
Anyone wanting to view the Turkish channels after the 12th November will need to subscribe to UBI WORLD TV. Subscription packages are available from only $49.95 per month, and anyone who subscribes before 12th November will receive one months free subscription.
We urge interested people to subscribe as early as possible before 12th November to ensure that individual services are activated in time before
the Turkish channels are encrypted on 12th November.
"UBI WORLD TV offering 1 month Free to Turkish subscribers before 12th November 2004.
To subscribe to UBI WORLD TV and receive 1 month free subscription, call 1300 400 800 (9am to 6pm AEST) between 3rd and 12th November 2004" In both cases subscribers will get a free month commencing the date their service is activated. Initially World TV basic customers will be able to receive all other language channels until the individual language services are encrypted. At which point basic customers will be able to view what is in their package only.
(Contract Period 6 months)
1.World TV Basic ($49.95/month)
TRT INT (FTA)
ATV
Kanal 7
STV
+15 other language channels.
2. World TV Plus ($59.95/month)
TRT INT (FTA)
ATV
Kanal 7
STV
Kanal D
Show TV
NTV
Lig TV
+ all other language channels.
UBI WORLD TV ye abone olmak ve 1 ay bedava yayin hakkindan faydalanabilmek için 3 - 12 Kasim 2004 tarihleri arasinda 1300 400 800 numarasini (09:00 – 18:00) arayabilirsiniz.
New Skies Satellites Completes Sale of Company to Affiliates of The Blackstone Group
From http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2004/Nov/1089808.htm
THE HAGUE, Netherlands --(Business Wire)-- Nov. 2, 2004 -- New Skies Satellites N.V., the global satellite communications company, today announced the completion of the sale of the company to affiliates of The Blackstone Group, a leading private investment firm.
Dan Goldberg, New Skies' chief executive officer, said: "Today, we begin a new chapter in the growth and development of New Skies Satellites. With the solid financial backing and strong commercial focus of The Blackstone Group, we are well positioned to expand our business going forward and to continue to deliver the reliable, secure, state-of-the-art satellite services on which we have built our reputation."
Trading in New Skies' shares on Euronext Amsterdam and American Depository Shares on the New York Stock Exchange will be suspended as of the close of trading today, November 2, 2004. Holders of New Skies' ordinary shares in registered or book-entry form and holders of American Depository Shares as of the close of trading today will be entitled to payment of two sale distributions, totalling $7.96 per fully diluted share.
The corporate entity that previously held the company's assets has gone into liquidation and the company's business and operations will be continued by the acquiring company, New Skies Satellites B.V. Subject to final determination by the liquidator, in accordance with Dutch law, New Skies expects to make the initial distribution, constituting approximately 95 percent of the sale proceeds, to its shareholders of record within two weeks. The final distribution will constitute the remaining sale proceeds and will be made following the expiration of the statutory two-month opposition period in connection with the liquidation and provided that any potential opposition has been taken into account.
Further information on the two distributions to shareholders will be provided when the relevant dates have been determined.
About New Skies Satellites
New Skies Satellites is one of only four fixed satellite communications companies with truly global satellite coverage, offering video, data, voice and Internet communications services to a range of telecommunications carriers, broadcasters, large corporations, Internet service providers and government entities around the world. New Skies has five satellites in orbit and ground facilities around the world. The company also has secured certain rights to make use of additional orbital positions for future growth. New Skies is headquartered in The Hague, The Netherlands, and has offices in Beijing, Hong Kong, New Delhi, Sao Paulo, Singapore, Sydney and Washington, D.C.
Cable TV flags rise in advertising rates next year
From http://www.thestandard.com.hk/thestandard/news_detail_frame.cfm?articleid=51945&intcatid=1
Cable Television, the dominant pay-TV operator owned by i-Cable Communications, may raise advertising rates next year as it expects to sign up more subscribers over the next two months.
Cable TV was under pressure to raise ad rates and the level would be linked to the rates at Television Broadcasts (TVB), i-Cable chairman Stephen Ng said on Tuesday.
An announcement was expected to be made this month, he added.
Ng said Cable TV aimed to boost advertising income to 10 per cent of total income over the medium term from 6 per cent last year and about 7 to 9 per cent this year.
``Our sign-up rate has returned to normal after a period of adjustment. We believe the sign-up rate is expected to accelerate over the next couple of months,'' he said.
Goldman Sachs, which recently met i-Cable's management, said the broadcaster has a year-end target of more than 700,000 subscribers from 682,000 in the first half. TV advertising should continue to account for around 8 per cent of total TV revenue, it said.
The investment bank also forecasts i-Cable's broadband subscriber growth to accelerate to 19,000 in the second half from 5,000 in the first.
TVB, the city's dominant free-to-air broadcaster, said last month it would raise ad rates by 10 per cent while Phoenix Satellite Television Holdings said its rates would be lifted by 5 to 20per cent from Monday amid Hong Kong's economic recovery.
The city's pay-TV market saw new entrants such as TVB's Galaxy Satellite Broadcasting and PCCW's Now Broadband TV over the past two years after the government granted four new licences in 2000.
British-backed Yes Television (Hong Kong) and Taiwan's Pacific Digital Media pulled out earlier this year.
``We believe the IP [Internet protocol] TV threat in Hong Kong is more severe than ... satellite TV elsewhere,'' Goldman Sachs said.
This was because PCCW offered free services, had more broadband than pay-TV subscribers, carried exclusive content from Disney and ESPN, bundled voice and data services over a single line and already had half as many subscribers as Cable TV, it said.
Cable TV's market share stands at about 65 per cent, although Now's share, at around 35 per cent, included unpaid subscribers who received the free service by signing up to PCCW's broadband Internet service.
Trai: share content, don’t be exclusive
From http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=73187
• Philippines is perhaps the only country where it is mandatory for every pay TV channel to be available across all distribution platforms.
• In the US, channels owned by vertically-integrated media companies (owners of both channels and distribution platforms) must be available to all platforms.
• In the UK, only some sport events cannot be treated as exclusive content.
• Japan, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Argentina and Mexico have no ‘must-provide’ norms.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), it is learnt, studied the global scenario before making its controversial recommendation: that DTH providers must go in for non-discriminatory sharing of content across all distribution platforms. Trai chairman Pradip Baijal says there’s no room for exclusivity of content to prevent restrictive trade practices. And that globally, market forces determine the carriage of channels in most regions.
“Regulations for anti-trust, anti-discrimination policies take care of issues of monopolistic and restrictive trade practices,” according to an industry source.
Media Partners Asia, a Hong Kong-based research and consulting firm, says Zee’s DTH operation Dish TV would benefit from the ‘must-provide’ recommendation.
Interestingly, exclusivity of content rarely exceeds 20%. “It’s that bit of exclusivity which drives a platform,” as an official from an Indian broadcasting firm puts it. Referring to the US direct-to-home (DTH) broadcasting scene, he said: “Market forces ensure spread of channels to all platforms. Only 10-15% channels are exclusive, bringing in the competitive edge.” DirecTV DTH platform in the US, for example, has only 14% exclusive channels (24 channels), while it shares 152 channels with other platforms.
Among others, UK’s Sky platform has 18.8% exclusivity of channels. In Australia, Foxtel and Austar have 10% exclusivity of channels; while Optus TV is learnt to be a little ahead with 16% exclusivity.
Indian DTH players will obviously have to learn how to play this exclusivity card.
Getting set for DTH
From http://www.hindu.com/lf/2004/11/03/stories/2004110300740200.htm
AS TECHNOLOGY moves ahead, there is a continuous addition of new products and facilities. One of the recent improvements in the satellite television technology is the direct-to-home (DTH) transmission. This technology is eagerly awaited by thousands of satellite television viewers. Already on the air on an experimental basis, the new service is to be commissioned shortly at the national level.
Kochi, on its part, is getting ready to welcome the new technology. Several shops have stored the essential equipments for receiving DTH signals. A dish antenna and an electronic system embedded in a flat small box, called the set-top box, are the essential parts. There is a choice of two types of dish antennae - one with a diameter of 60 cm. and the other 80 cm. It is light in weight and kept in an open space outside the room. The antenna can be easily shifted according to one's convenience or it may be fixed at a particular location.
The products available at present in the market have imported parts which are assembled in Bangalore, Ahmedabad and other places, according to Ramachandran, owner of R.R. Electronics, Ernakulam. The price range varies from Rs. 4,000 to Rs.5,500. Some of the models have the facility to insert electronic cards which may be introduced by pay channels in the future.
At present, a bouquet of Doordarshan channels in various languages are available on the DTH network. Several other channels including a few foreign English channels are expected to be part of the bouquet.
The DTH transmission frequency will be in KU band, says K.Vasudevan, Professor and Head of Electronics Department, Cochin University of Science and Technology. The advantage of this band is more clarity of signals at the receiving end. In addition, a smaller dish antenna would be enough. Data communication can be faster as the band width is high in the KU band unlike the C band utilised by the conventional satellite signal transmission system
2/11/04
Live satellite chat in the chatroom 9 P.M NZ and 8.30 P.M Syd time onwards.
Abc's are fta running on C1 12324 V sr 22450 Fec 1/2 mentioned in the site update yesterday
Zee mux on Asiasat 3 has been fta with a number of changes.
Melbourne cup seen on
ABC Asia Pacific
Star Sports
Dubai sports?
B3 12552V sr 6110 Fec 2/3
VTV2 has left Asiasat 4 KU
From my Emails & ICQ
From George
Israel Plus FTA on NSS6
12729 V Sr 27500
http://www.israelplustv.co.il/index.php?lang=en&cat=107
From Yang Xu
Hi,Apsattv.com
How big the dish should be? Mesh or solid? How about this
one:http://www.azureshine.com.tw/main-240cmp.htm
Thank you very much
(Craigs comment, the Azureshine 2.4m is Ideal for Asiasat 3 in NZ)
From Dave Creek
B3 DaI Ai gone black and white test bars in its place
From UPAL
A new music channel started on asiasat 3
Channel G punjabi music channel, FTA
3760 H SR 26000 Fec 7/8
From the Dish
Intelsat 701 3769 R "CNN International" has started on , fta, PIDs 2160/2120.(feeds or temp for U.S election I think)
PAS 8 166E 4080 V All channels in the TAS mux are Fta.
PAS 8 166E 12405 H "TV Masala" has left? . N.E Asia beam
Telkom 1 108E 4065 H New SR for LatiVi on : 4687.
AsiaSat 3 105.5E 3760 H "Channel G" has started regular transmissions on, Fta, PIDs 1040/1041.
Telstar 10 76.5E 12553 H "Asia Travel TV" is Fta.
Telstar 10 76.5E 12680 V "Giordano" has left .
Telstar 10 76.5E 3652 H "TV Lanka Channel 3" is encrypted again.
Telstar 10 76.5E 3704 V Occasional feeds on , SR 4332, FEC 3/4.
Telstar 10 76.5E 4130 H A Singapore Telecom test card has started on , Fta, SR 2441, FEC 3/4,PIDs 4194/4195.
PAS 10 68.5E 4034 H "Nickelodeon Japan" has left .
NEWS
Ottawa urged to appeal satellite signal ruling
From http://www.globetechnology.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20041101.wsatell1101/BNStory/Technology/
Ottawa will have to appeal a Quebec court decision that opens the door to wholesale importation of satellite television signals from the United States, analysts and industry players say, or the country could face chaos in its broadcasting system.
Quebec Court Judge Danielle Côté ruled last week that federal restrictions on direct-to-home satellite signals are invalid because they violate freedom of speech provisions of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
While the ruling will not come into effect for a year, it could allow Canadians to legally subscribe directly to U.S. satellite television services, something which is not now permitted.
“They can't leave [the decision],” said Brahm Eiley, president of Convergence Consulting Group Ltd. in Toronto. “It just opens up too many doors.”
Mr. Eiley said he understands the “spirit” in which the Charter is being applied to the choice of satellite signals, but “it contradicts basic business ethics.”
A spokesman for the Department of Justice said Monday that the government is still reviewing the ruling by Judge Côté, and has not yet decided whether to appeal.
University of Ottawa law professor Michael Geist said the government has to appeal because the decision “calls into question much of the whole broadcast framework in Canada.”
The ruling essentially challenges the government's ability to use broadcast policy to set limitations that protect Canadian interests, Mr. Geist said. It also points out that sometimes those interests can come into direct conflict with Charter rights, he said. “This decision has really brought that into focus.”
Last Friday, the Coalition Against Satellite Signal Theft, a consortium of broadcasters, producers and distributors, called for the government to appeal Judge Côté's decision. If the decision is left to stand it would mean “the end of the existing Canadian broadcasting system,” said CASST chairman Luc Perreault.
CASST also called for the reintroduction of a proposed government bill that would make it more difficult for people to steal satellite signals. The bill was introduced in the last session of Parliament but died when the election was called.
A spokeswoman for Industry Canada, the department responsible for the legislation, said she couldn't comment on whether the bill would be reintroduced.
Kaan Yigit, president of Solutions Research Group, a Toronto technology market research firm, said he expects the Quebec ruling to be appealed, but not before Ottawa goes through the motions of studying the case in detail.
The ruling is a delicate issue because it involves a Charter case and freedom of speech, he said. An appeal will also pit the federal government against the Quebec court — always a sensitive situation, he notes.
Despite the one-year moratorium imposed by Judge Côté, her decision could create considerable confusion among consumers, Mr. Yigit said.
“The average consumer on the street will perceive this as the court striking down restrictions on what they can receive in their homes — the nuance and the legal detail will not get through,” he said.
Vietnam to delay launch of first satellite
From http://dailynews.muzi.com/ll/english/1333385.shtml
[LatelineNews: 2004-11-1] HANOI - Vietnam will delay the launch of its first communication satellite, mainly due to its incompletion in negotiating with other relevant countries about the satellite's orbit location, according to local newspaper Youth on Friday.
But, the exact time to launch the satellite named Vinasat has yet to be fixed. Earlier, the country planned to launch it into space in 2005.
Along with postpone of launching Vinasat, the country has also yet to select a satellite builder among bidders from the United States, France, Japan and Russia.
Once coming into operation, the satellite with total investment of around 270 million US dollars will provide telephone, radio and television services to all corners of the country without topographical interference.
Vinasat will consist of 20-28 transceivers, each of which can serve 4- 6 television channels. The medium-sized satellite has a life-span of 15-20 years, spanning its coverage over Vietnam, Southeast Asian countries, Japan, and parts of China.
The country now has to hire satellite services of foreign companies from Thailand, Indonesia and Russia, paying them some 10 million US dollars annually.
Vinasat will be Vietnam's second space conquest. Former fighter pilot Pham Tuan became the country's first astronaut when he took part in a Soviet space mission in 1985.
Star, Sahara reach compromise on logo
From http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2004/11/02/stories/2004110203490600.htm
AS part of a compromise with the Sahara Group, the Star group on Monday agreed to change the logo of its new channel from January 1, 2005 by adding the word `STAR' to its insignia `ONE.'
The Sahara Group had dragged Star to the Delhi High Court claiming that the company had created an umbrella brand, Sahara One, for all its media and entertainment business.
According to the agreement reached between the parties before the Delhi High Court, Star will change the logo of its new channel, which is being launched tonight, by adding the word `STAR' to its existing logo.
In the meantime, "Beginning from today, there shall be intermittent insertion of the letters STAR in their logo at least three times an hour," said Star's counsel, Mr Arun Jaitley , adding that the broadcaster needed time to change the logo graphically.
However, Sahara's counsel, Mr N.K. Kaul, objected to this and said that it would not take more than a week to change the logo. Finally, both the parties agreed to the court's suggestion that Star would change its logo from January 1.Sahara India Mass Communication Ltd's Deputy Senior Manager, Mr C. B. Singh, and Star India Pvt Ltd's Director, Mr Ajay Kishore Sharma, agreed to settle the matter during hearing of Sahara's petition before Mr Justice Mukul Mudgal. The Court had asked Mr Singh and Mr Sharma to sign the order in the course of the day and file an appropriate application on the lines of the agreement reached on Monday before November 8 to enable it finally dispose of the matter.
Latest Chinese Metsat Sees "First Light"
From http://www.spacedaily.com/news/weather-04z.html
Beijing (SPX) Nov 01, 2004
The latest Chinese meteorological satellite Fengyun-2C successfully returned its first image last Friday morning (Oct. 29). The transmission of the first image came ten days after the satellite launch, delighting satellite controllers and meteorologists at the National Satellite Meteorological Center (NSMC) here.
On October 19 at 9:20:04 a.m. Beijing Time [0120 UTC] a Changzheng-3A (Long March-3A) rocket lifted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center (XSLC) in the southwestern Sichuan Province with Fengyun-2C (FY-2C, Fengyun means "Wind and Cloud") on board.
About 24 minutes later the Xi'an Satellite Control Center (XSCC) in the central Shaanxi Province and the fleet of Yuanwang (Yuanwang means "Long View") tracking vessels received telemetry that the launcher had successfully delivered FY-2C to a geostationary transfer orbit.
Over the next five days mission controllers commanded FY-2C to carry out orbital maneuvers to climb toward the geostationary orbit. The metsat finally reached station on Oct. 24 at 11:21 a.m. [0321 UTC].
FY-2C is the replacement satellite for FY-2B, which has been in space since June 25, 2000 and has operated beyond its design life of three years.
In late August controllers at NSMC maneuvered FY-2B out of its geostationary orbital slot to make room for its successor FY-2C. The ageing metsat now occupies the geostationary orbital slot at 123.5 deg E.
NSMC, a scientific research and operational facility affiliated to the China Meteorological Administration (CMA), receives, processes and distributes metsat data to users.
FY-2C is hovering above the Equator at longitude 105 deg E in a circular geostationary orbit, with an average altitude of 35,784 km and an inclination of 0.8 deg.
The launch of FY-2C also marked the first ever insurance coverage provided for a domestic commercial operation satellite. Xinhua News Agency reported that five insurance companies jointly provided an insurance policy of RMB 395 million yuan [USD 47.7 million].
The policy insures prelaunch, launch and on-orbit operations, damages to launch range facilities, and third party liability.
Clear First Cloud Imagey
On-orbit checkout of FY-2C and its science payloads began the day after the satellite reached station.
FY-2C is a spin-stabilized satellite that rotates at 100 rpm to maintain its attitude. The satellite is 1.6 m tall and 2.1 m in diameter, with an initial on-orbit mass of approximately 623 kg. FY-2C has a design life expectancy of three years.
The primary payload on FY-2C is the Visible Infrared Spin-Scan Radiometer (VISSR); an imaging instrument consists of a scanning system, a telescope, and infrared and visible sensors.
Through step action of the scan mirror VISSR produces cloud cover pictures in five channels, which is two additional channels than its predecessor on FY-2B. The spectral coverage includes the three conventional channels in the wavelength bands of visible (0.55-1.05 micrometer), infrared (10.5-12.5 micrometer) and water vapour (6.2-7.6 micrometer).
Using sensors to sense radiant and reflected solar energy from sampled areas of the Earth, VISSR can make daytime and nighttime observations of cloud, and determine cloud heights, temperatures and wind fields.
FY-2C produces a cloud image once every half an hour, with a nadir resolution of 1.25 km in the visible channel. Nominally FY-2C transmits 28 cloud images daily. During the flood season, FY-2C can increase the transmission to 48 or more images per day.
The satellite also carries instruments to monitor solar activities such as emission of x-rays, and measure particle radiation in the orbital environment.
The new metsat achieved "first light" on Oct. 29. From 11 a.m. to 11:25 a.m. [0800-0825 UTC] VISSR moved its scanning system from west to east and north to south to make the first full disk image of the Earth, centering on China.
The complete image, measuring 9,164 by 9,164 pixels, shows a large cloud-free area that extends south of the Yangtze River to the southern Guangdong Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The image also shows a cloud system developing in the western area near the Tibetan Plateau, and snow accumulation in the northeast highland.
Xu Jianmin, Chief Engineer of the FY-2C ground application system, said that based on the first image there was "an obvious improvement" in the quality of the imagery compared to that returned from FY-2B.
The improvement is in resolving structures in cloud cells over sea and in land features such as lakes and deserts; a wider dynamic range in grayscale level display in high-, medium-, and low-level clouds, snow cover, vegetation and water bodies; and a greater level of suppression of scattered light in visible images.
Xu said that in about three weeks the infrared scanner would see its "first light".
Under the current plan FY-2C would start transmitting observations to clients in January next year, and reach commercial operation status by June.
Another key technical improvement on FY-2C is an increase in battery capacity from 17 ampere-hour to 30 ampere-hour. This would further ensure that the metsat maintains normal operation during periods of eclipse when the satellite goes into the Earth's shadow.
Provide Domestic And Regional Observations
FY-2C will continue the surveillance of changing weather conditions that spans the Indian Ocean in the west and the western Pacific Ocean in the east. The metsat will monitor development and movement of typhoons in the Pacific Ocean and cyclones in the Indian Ocean, watch weather changes at the Tibetan Plateau, survey the land and seas, detect grassland and forest fires, and observe sandstorms and fog formation.
NSMC Assistant Director Yang Jun pointed out that FY-2C would provide important climatic information of western Asia and the Indian Ocean to the international community.
"FY-2C could provide meteorological services to countries and regions that are under its coverage area. This will especially benefit the countries and regions that border China," said Yang.
1/11/04
Pas 8 4080 V is FTA currently,including movie channels
Watch for Melbourne cup day feeds tomorrow, most likely B1
Changes to AURORA
There will be some changes takeing place with Optus Aurora Transponders on C1
12324 V Sr 24450 Fec 1/2 (NEW usage ACTIVE now !)
12407 V Sr 30000 Fec 2/3
12527 V Sr 30000 Fec 3/4
12720 V Sr 30000 Fec 3/4
Note: NO changes to Existing beams E.G 12407V will stay Dual beam
READ the 2 PDF Documents for Furthur info
Between 1 NOV 2004 - 31st January 2005
SBS SA TV (sid 802) will move from 12720 V to 12527 V (sid 607)
SBS Radio S.A (sid 824) will move from 12720 V to 12527 V (sid 627)
Seven Central TV (sid 805) will move from 12720 V to 12407 V (sid 307)
Taima Radio (sid 830) will move from 12720 V to 12407 V (sid 325)
SBS Qld TV (sid 806) will move from 12720 V to 12407 V (sid 309)
SBS Radio Qld (sid 831) will move from 12720 V to 12407 V (sid 326)
Table 2. Retuning Requirements for Professional Decoders for Reception of Selected ABC Services. 1 November 2004-31 January 2005
Phase 2. Night of 31 January 2005/Morning of 1 February 2005.
Dual feeding of the SBS SA, SBS Q and Seven Central services will be terminated and services only provided on their new channels. Dual feeding of ABC SE, ABC Q and ABC SA services will be terminated and services only provided on the new frequencies. Professional decoders will continue to receive all the above services without interruption provided they have been retuned according to information provided in table 2 prior to 31 January 05.
ENQUIRIES. A special info line is being established to handle end user issues. This line number is 1800 139 994 and will be available from 8 November 2004.
From my Emails & ICQ
From: SSS <[email protected]>
Subject: Optus Aurora service rearrangements
All,
we wish to advise that Optus will be making changes to the arrangement of
Aurora traffic on the C1 satellite. This will be taking place in three
phases, between now and 15 February 2005.
The enclosed documents explain the process in detail, for both domestic &
professional decoders. Can you please share this information with any
installers or dealers of satellite equipment who have an interest in the
Aurora service.
The Aurora Tuning Channel will display information for customers from 8
November.
Regards,
Satellite Support Services.
"Yes" Optus
Service Out of this World!
File 1 link
File 2 link
From Jsat.tv (Thailand)
MCOT Thailand
Satellite: PAS8
Freq: 3812
POL: H
S/R: 10850
Crypt: FTA
MPG 4.2.2 not 4.2.0 [use PCI card to see or a Tandberg] so will look pixilated on a normal STB
From Steve Draper
Sky Digital NZ
A new month and a couple of changes at Sky NZ Digital.
A new interactive channel, 211, for the Melbourne Cup. Also, the
regular Trackside interactive feature now loads dividends etc despite
my not having an account with the TAB.
The logo on the MGM channel has been changed. Its colours are now
white and gold. The new logo advertises MGM's 80th birthday.
Sadly, no sign of any new FreeView channels from TVNZ.
Steve D
From George
Holidays In Greece Channel, FTA
CH30 UBI Channels
B3 12614 H 22500
My 2 Cents worth i dont think this will get much greek ppl to join up its a
channel advertising Greece and it shouldt be a pay tv channel its a FTA
channel all over europe on most sats there
From Chris Pickstock
Moto GP
Seen via Palapa C2, 3777H, sr 5632
(Also StarSports)
Chris
From Steve Hume
Feed seen on Weekend
PAS 2 3777V SR: 6109 VPID: 4097 APID: 4100
Japanese motor racing.
Steve Hume
From Fishing
Eurosports NEWS Asiasat 2 is FTA
From the Dish
PAS 8 166E 3740 H Occasoinal MTV feeds on , PIDs 337/338.
PAS 8 166E 3740 H "VH1 Asia" has started on , Cryptoworks, PIDs 353/354.
Optus C1 156E 12407 V "Seven Central" has started on , Irdeto, PIDs 1280/1281.
Telstar 18 138E 12720 V "CNBC Hong Kong, NBA TV and I-Sat" have started on , Nagravision,PIDs 656/657-672/673.
Apstar 1A 134E 4058 V "Golden Eagle Cartoon TV" has started on , Fta, SR 4420, FEC 3/4,PIDs 100/110.
JCSAT 3 128E 3960 V CTV has left . CTI TV Asia is now Fta.
Palapa C2 113E 3580 H The Kabelvision mux has left .
Palapa C2 113E 4080 H "Occasional Satelindo feeds" on , PIDs 515/653.
Palapa C2 113E 10971 V All channels in the Muracam mux on are now encrypted in Viaccess.NASA TV is still on 10971 V, PIDs 1282/1283. All test cards have left.
AsiaSat 3 105.5E 3700 V "MX" is FTA. Zee South East Asia is encrypted again.
AsiaSat 3 105.5E 3920 H Several updates in the STAR TV mux. Star Sport Asia is still Fta, new PIDs: 514/670.
AsiaSat 2 100.5E 3960 H "EuroSport News" is now Fta.
AsiaSat 2 100.5E 3960 H An Asialink promo has started on , Fta, PIDs 2561/2562.
ST 1 88E 3520 V "Channel 8" is back on ,Fta, SR 2222, FEC 1/2, PIDs 4450/4451.
Telstar 10 76.5E 3652 H "TV Lanka Channel 3" is Fta.
Telstar 10 76.5E 3660 V "Radio BN" has started on , Fta, APID 771.
Telstar 10 76.5E 3660 V "Kurdistan TV" has started on , Fta, PIDs 1537/1538.
Telstar 10 76.5E 3780 V Updates in UBI World TV: Lig TV has started on , MDS, PIDs 517/645. New PIDs for Pink Plus: 273/274.
Telstar 10 76.5E 3846 H "CNBC Hong Kong, Nickelodeon Asia and BBC World Japan" have left again.
Telstar 10 76.5E 12408 V "UFO Radio" has started on , Fta, APID 562.
Intelsat 706 at 50.2E Intelsat 706 has arrived at 50.2 East.
PAS 7 68.5E 11674 V "Sports Information Radio" has started on ,Fta, APID 809.
NEWS
Foxtel happy with sign-up numbers
From AFR.Com
Foxtel is crowing about the success of its current marketing campaign, claiming the offer of free installation of its digital pay-television service lured 50,000 new subscribers in 17 days.
The campaign, which started on October 10, is part of Foxtel's regular pre-Christmas marketing push. But a Foxtel spokesman said the result in terms of the number of new subscribers was stronger than in previous years.
About 30 per cent of the 50,000 subscribers signed since October 10 were first-time pay-TV customers. The rest were subscribers to Foxtel's analog service who switched to the digital service. The analog service will be switched off in 2006.
Foxtel had offered free installation with some subscription packages in the past but this campaign is the first time it has been offered with all packages. Consumers had to buy a two-year subscription to get free installation.
An update on the total number of Foxtel subscribers, and the growth since its digital service was introduced on March 14, will be released later this week, when News Corp, which owns 25 per cent of Foxtel, announces its September-quarter results.
When News released its 2003-04 results on August 12, Foxtel chief executive Kim Williams said that at June 30 the company had taken orders from 310,000 households for digital pay TV, of which 91,000 were first-time pay TV subscribers.
That meant 29 per cent of Foxtel's digital subscribers were new. Mr Williams would not say if this figure was higher or lower than expected.
Foxtel lost $149 million in 2003-04, bringing its total losses over the past seven years to more than $600 million.
At last week's annual meeting for Publishing & Broadcasting Ltd, which owns 25 per cent of Foxtel, executive chairman James Packer said the pay-TV company was focussing hard on signing new customers and cutting its subscriber churn rate, which is about 16 per cent.
"The losses from Foxtel will continue in the short-term during the rollout of digital services," Mr Packer said.
"Foxtel is expected to become profitable during financial year 2006."
GlobeCast secures Voice of America delivery deal
GlobeCast has been selected by US Federal entity International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB), to provide full-time satellite services to deliver Voice of America (VOA) TV and radio programming to Asia, Africa, Europe and the Middle East. GlobeCast will provide IBB full-time use of a transponder on the NSS-703 satellite at 57 degrees East and capacity on Intelsat's IS-907 satellite over the Atlantic region to complement IBB's global multimedia network.
"Global Beam" capacity provided by GlobeCast on NSS-703 allows the IBB to beam VOA and Alhurra TV channels, and radio channels including Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, VOA News, and VOA Music Mix over the world's most populated landmasses. The IS-907 satellite will beam WorldNet TV and radio channels over Africa and Europe.
Russia successfully launches telecoms satellite from Kazakhstan
From http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-10/30/content_2157015.htm
MOSCOW, Oct. 30 (Xinhuanet) -- Russia successfully launched a Proton-K rocket and its telecoms satellite cargo from the Baikonour space station in Kazakhstan overnight, the Russian SpaceAgency FKA said Saturday.
The launch took place at 2211 GMT Friday with the satellite dueto be placed into orbit at 0445 GMT Saturday, Interfax quoted the space agency as saying.
The Express AM-1 satellite, developed by the Reshetnev scientific research association in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, will transmit television and radio signals back to Russia as well as providing new internet and telephone links. Enditem
BBC Worldwide, MEASAT sign agreement for BBC Prime in Asia
From http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k4/oct/oct295.htm
MUMBAI: BBC Worldwide and a unit of MEASAT Global Berhad, owner and operator of the MEASAT satellite network, announced an agreement for using MEASAT to broadcast BBC Worldwide's international entertainment channel BBC Prime into Asia.
The channel is a specially developed version of BBC Worldwide's international entertainment channel of the same name currently available in Europe, Middle East and Africa and will start broadcasting on 1 December, 2004. The announcement was made at the CASBAA convention in Hong Kong.
BBC Prime will bring the best of BBC entertainment to viewers in Asia, with a varied mix of comedy, drama, life style, talk shows, game shows, music and documentaries. Through the MEASAT-1 satellite, BBC Prime will be offered to TV platforms across the South East and East Asian regions. The channel will be transferred to the MEASAT-3 satellite after launch in mid-2005. The bandwidth has sufficient capacity to accommodate BBC Prime's plans to provide subtitling for major markets.
BBC Worldwide EMEIA director of channels Wayne Dunsford said, "With MEASAT, we have found a strong and reliable partner to lay the foundation for the roll-out of BBC Prime into Asia and we look forward to a long and successful cooperation."
MEASAT vice president sales and marketing Paul Brown-Kenyon said, "We are delighted to be able to support BBC Worldwide on this channel. MEASAT-1 provides an excellent distribution platform for BBC Prime across East and South East Asia. It also allows for seamless migration to MEASAT-3 in 2005, a satellite which will reach over 70 per cent of the world's population through a single beam."
Thuraya to receive third satellite in June, to launch new firm
From http://www.menafn.com/qn_news_story_s.asp?StoryId=68602
ABU DHABI, 31 Oct, 04 (WAM) - The Thuraya Satellite Telecommunications Co. will receive its third satellite, Thuraya 3, from its manufacturer Boeing by early June 2005, Thuraya Chief Executive for Business Development Jamal Al Jarwan has said.
The company will put the satellite in the standby mode ready for launch, considering that the Thuraya 3 will operate in the same orbit of Thuraya 1 over East Asia, he added.
Jarwan said the company was considering many options for financing the cost of launching and commercially operating the third satellite amounting to nearly $300 million (Dhs1.1 billion). Among them, the company was currently zeroing in on two basic options.
One of the options is to set up an independent company by the name Thuraya Asia to be assigned for rendering Thuraya's services to the Far East, according to reports in the UAE's dailies.
Such a company could be set up under partnership between the mother company -- Thuraya Satellite Telecommunications Co. -- and a consortium of strategic shareholders in the communications sector and local and regional finance houses, he said.
The second option is to raise the capital of the mother company by launching a public issue on the securities market, he added, noting that a decision to this effect would be at the discretion of shareholders.
Thuraya is pinning great hopes on launching the third satellite to enter the Asian market, which is regarded as a promising market that may add many subscribers to the company, he said, adding that a preliminary study in this connection indicated that launching the Thuraya 3 would attract around 65,000 subscribers in the first year of commercial operation.
Al Jarwan explained that the cost of launching and operating the third and fourth satellites together would touch around $600 million (Dhs2.2 billion) and that the company would consider viable economic strategies to finance the launch and operation of the two satellites.
The total number of subscribers of Thuraya amounted to 218,000 up to early October, he said, adding that the number is expected to increase after launching and operating the Thuraya 3 and entering new markets.
Restrictions lifted on foreign satellite TV systems Infringement on freedom of expression
From http://www.canada.com/technology/story.html?id=d24ea0f5-cb50-429b-a4ff-d99d212d87a1
Making it illegal for Canadians to subscribe to television programming via foreign satellite systems infringes on their freedom of expression, a long-awaited judgment concluded yesterday.
Quebec Court Judge Danielle Cote handed down a 153-page ruling that found two sections of the federal Radiocommunication Act violate the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Those sections deal with so-called grey-market satellite systems for decoding an encrypted programming signal.
"(Cote) had to invalidate the law because the law itself was such an infringement," said Jacques D'Argy of Drummondville, who sought the court order.
D'Argy and his brother-in-law, Richard Theriault, were charged in December 1998 with using DirecTV, a U.S. satellite system, to access U.S. signals.
Cote acquitted them in September 2000.
In June 2001, Superior Court Justice Jean-Guy Boilard rejected an appeal by government lawyers.
But in May 2002, the Quebec Court of Appeal overturned the acquittals and sent the case back to Cote.
The Supreme Court of Canada declared in 2002 that anyone who sells technology allowing consumers to access encrypted signals from U.S.-based satellite systems is committing a federal offence.
D'Argy, representing himself throughout all the court proceedings, said yesterday he always wondered "why can I import the New York Times but not (the U.S. television network) Fox."
He also noted that, at one time, "I could have spent a year in jail for watching the American Congress on C-SPAN. Does that make sense?"
"Isn't that terrific!" exclaimed Alan Gold, a Toronto lawyer who represents several grey-market satellite dealers in Ontario.
"I'm delighted, we've been waiting for this decision."
Calling it "very, very important and wonderful news," Gold said it means the federal government will no longer be able to control what Canadians watch on TV.
"This will give people the freedom to pay money and subscribe to the stations they want," he added. "It is the beginning of the end for the systems we now have."
The Coalition Against Satellite Signal Theft - which is made up of Canadian broadcasting, cable and satellite-TV interests - is studying Cote's lengthy decision.
"The only thing we know is that it's in favour of the plaintiffs," coalition official Harris Boyd, senior vice-president (industry affairs) at the Canadian Cable Television Association, said from Ottawa.
Francine Robichaud of the federal Justice Department said, "Lots of questions are raised in that judgment."
As a result, she said, the department "will take the time to analyze it in detail before deciding whether or not to appeal."
Cote extended a grace period of one year before her ruling would come into effect.
Decision upsets broadcasters
From http://www.globetechnology.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20041029.grsatellite1029/BNStory/Technology/
OTTAWA — The broadcasting industry urged the Justice Department on Friday to appeal a Quebec court decision that it's a violation of free expression to ban reception of foreign satellite TV signals.
The Justice Department said it is reviewing the complex court decision and will consider an appeal.
The Coalition Against Satellite Signal Theft said the ruling threatens Canadian broadcasting.
They said it isn't a case of free expression, but a matter of programming rights. Broadcasters who buy the Canadian rights to programs lose if people can ignore that copyright and get the material from a foreign-owned satellite.
"This is a system that allows us to create and present Canadian programming, and to protect the rights of copyright holders around the world," said Luc Perreault, vice-president of the Weather Network and co-chair of the coalition.
"This decision, if allowed to stand, will ultimately affect tens of thousands of Canadians working in our domestic broadcasting industry and related industries," said Chris Frank, a senior executive at Bell ExpressVu and co-chairman of the coalition.
The group represents a broad cross-section of the industry, from cable companies to composers.
In a 153-page judgment issued Thursday, Quebec court Judge Danielle Coté found two sections of the federal Radiocommunication Act violate the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
The sections deal with so-called grey-market satellite systems for decoding an encrypted programming signal.
The judge applied a one-year grace period before her ruling will come into effect, but that was cold comfort for the broadcasters.
"In the legal world, a year actually goes by quite quickly," said Frank.
Court ruling means satellite TV choice
From http://www.canada.com/montreal/montrealgazette/news/editorial/story.html?id=633e6980-584f-4e06-b7f6-e08aee1e13de
As many as one million Canadians might soon move out of the gray market of stolen foreign satellite-TV signals in the wake of a decision this week by Quebec Court Justice Danielle Cote. She found that the law that bans Canadians from buying television signals from foreign satellite providers violates the constitutional right to freedom of expression.
The ruling, if not overturned by a higher court or overruled by new legislation, might give viewers in Canada the right to pay for and receive the stations they want, including Italy's much-in-demand RAI International and the Arabic-language Qatar TV. This will be welcome news for the estimated one Canadian in 30 who uses illegal equipment to capture such signals, risking criminal charges and fines.
It's not crystal clear how the judge decided that existing limits undercut a viewer's freedom of expression. But, one way or another, this was a decision waiting to happen. The old system by which the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission stifled consumer choice has long been a house of cards waiting to fall; Justice Cote applied the needed flick of a judicial finger.
It seems unfair that people have been kept from seeing the TV programming they want, solely to protect the profits of favoured Canadian distributors. The distributors have made "adult viewing" available more freely than international news shows; is that really in the public interest?
It is now technically possible for recent immigrants from the Middle East, for example, to follow news from home via satellite. Foreign-language students would benefit from being able to view foreign TV directly. Currently, such programming is filtered through domestic distributors, who often impose strict time limits. Why tolerate that?
On the other hand, there are intellectual property rights which should not be ignored. Justice Cote's ruling does nothing to legitimize the common practice of simply stealing satellite signals.
Jacques D'Argy of Drummondville, who spearheaded the court fight against the current system, argued that it made no sense that he could buy the New York Times in Canada, but not a subscription to the U.S. television network Fox. In principle, he is right. But he pays for his Times; he should pay for his TV shows, too.
For Canada's satellite or cable distributors, the court decision could "torpedo the underpinning of the Canadian broadcasting system," as media analyst Kaan Yigit said in the National Post.
We can stand it. Nobody tried to ban motorized cars in order to protect the makers of horse harnesses and buggy whips.
Still, this issue is not simple. This week's judgment intelligently extended a grace period of one year before it comes into effect. That will leave time for a number of important issues to be aired: How will distant signal providers be paid? How will illegal signal theft be policed?What degree of control, if any, over foreign programming is appropriate for a government to exert? And so on.
Cote's ruling brings Canada into the world of 21st-century TV. Now our lawmakers, and citizens, have to figure out what the rules should be in this new territory.