31/10/04

No update Sundays

30/10/04

No update Saturday

29/10/04

Sorry for the LATE update, Fridays are like that.....

BKTV , BNTV and Pink TV are Coming to PAS8 KU Pan Global tranponder in a couple of days.

Central 7 started in Irdeto1 on Optus C1 12407V details are
Vpid 1280 Apid 1281 PCR 1280

A copy of SBS S.E also started in Irdeto1 on Vpid 528 Apid 520 PCR 518

Wanting to do installs for Assyriasat channel on B3? send email to [email protected]

From my Emails & ICQ

From Sky_satt

Hi all new test channel up on Aurora C1 not (fta)

Tp 12407 v
Vpid 0528
Apid 0529
PPid 0518
Encripted ( Irdeto )

(current name) . looks like something new to come currently
showing SBS SE.

sky_satt comment: good to see some xtra use of this Tp would be
better if it were fta thou!.

Cheers
sky_satt

From Jsat.tv (Thailand)

Alpha Telu on NSS 703 - new

A new channel found today by the team and does not appear to be listed anywhere.
Satellite: NSS703 Name: Alpha Telu
FREQ: 3791 S/R: 3333 POL: R Crypt: FTA

From the Dish

PAS 8 166E 4080 V "SET News" is now encrypted.

PAS 8 166E 12366 H "Fox News Channel" has started testing on , Viaccess, PIDs 513/514.(N.E Asia beam)
PAS 8 166E 12726 H "The PanGlobal TV" mux is still on , Fta, SR 28066, FEC 3/4.
PAS 8 166E 12646 H "NourSat, Future TV USA, ART Australia, Al-Jazeera Satellite Channel and LBC Australia" have started on , Fta, PIDs 512/640-516/644.

Superbird C 144E 12692 V "CTS" is still on , Fta, SR 1777, FEC 7/8, PIDs 33/34.It's still occasional CTS feeds on 12682 V, SR 3400, FEC 7/8.

AsiaSat 3 3760 H "G Channel" has started testing on , Fta Punjabi?, PIDs 1040/1041.

NSS 6 95E 12729 H Occasional feeds on , PIDs 513/660.

ST 1 88E 3582 H "All channels in the TBL TV" mux are now encrypted, except the info card.

ChinaStar 1 87.5E 3848 V "GreatSports Channel" is now encrypted, new PIDs: 308/256.

Thaicom 3 78.5E 3545 V "Star News International and Star News India" are Fta again.

Telstar 10 76.5E 3660 V "TRT International, Nojoom, BN Sat, Infinity, Heya TV, TSR, TRT FM and Voice of Turkey" have started on , Fta, SR 28066, FEC 3/4,PIDs 258/260-1281/1282 and 259-264.

Intelsat 902 62E 4177 L "Manchester United TV" on , PIDs 516/690, is now encrypted.

NSS 703 57E 3980 R "Sun TV (India)" has started testing on , fta, PIDs 73/72.

NEWS

Foxtel dangles ABC carrot to consumers

From http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/10/28/1098667908958.html?oneclick=true

Foxtel has signed three free-to-air broadcasters to its digital service.

Foxtel has added another of the missing pieces to its digital offering, announcing yesterday it would retransmit ABC television and radio services into all its satellite and cable-subscriber homes from January.

Foxtel's digital cable platform carries ABC's analog signal but not its digital services.

With the agreement, the pay TV provider has signed up three of the five free-to-air broadcasters to its new digital service. Only the Seven and Ten networks have yet to agree terms.

"Foxtel is delighted to have formed this important relationship with the nation's pre-eminent broadcaster," Foxtel chief Kim Williams said yesterday. "We are very keen to explore interactive programming innovations with the ABC."

ABC managing director Russell Balding said it was important for the national broadcasters to be available on all transmission platforms.

"The fact is you cannot hope to properly develop digital television plans without participation in the Foxtel digital platform," he said.

SBS and the Nine Network, whose parent Publishing and Broadcasting Ltd owns 25 per cent of Foxtel, already have their signals retransmitted into pay TV homes.

The Seven and Ten networks are believed to have held back because of the price Foxtel is asking for the rental of space on Foxtel's C1 satellite.

Seven spokesman Simon Francis said yesterday: "We're more than happy to enter into negotiations in good faith on Seven's delivery over the Foxtel digital platform, but only on the terms and conditions that exist for the Nine Network."

Likewise, Ten spokeswoman Margaret Fearn said serious consideration was being given to the ongoing cost of having its signal retransmitted. "Once we sign, it will essentially be forever. So we're still working on some issues," she said.

Securing all five free-to-air signals would be a big help to Foxtel in its push to sign up more than 800,000 new subscribers by 2008.

Three weeks ago Foxtel began offering free standard digital installations to customers who took any of the Foxtel digital packages - which start at $12 a week - on a 24-month direct-debit plan.

That push is believed to have already attracted 50,000 new digital subscribers - the highest levels of sales achieved since digital was launched in March.

As at June 30 this year, Foxtel had 310,000 homes that were either already watching or waiting to be hooked up to the digital service.

About 91,000 of these were first-time customers to Foxtel.

Vietnam satellite project delayed over frequency problems: state media

From http://www.spacedaily.com/2004/041029044215.ygiujvyj.html

The launch of Vietnam's first telecommunications satellite, which had been planned for late 2005, has been delayed as a result of problems over the coordination of frequencies, state media said Friday.

"Negotiations ... for the coordination of frequencies to avoid transmission jamming have not yet been finalized," the Tuoi Tre newspaper said quoting a source at Vinasat.

"In the absence of agreement on these questions, the selection of a partner for the Vinasat project is not possible," the daily added. No new date was given for launch.

Vietnamese authorities refused to comment. "This project is continuing to be studied, we have nothing to say," a project official said.

Vietnam has reserved several orbital positions with the Geneva-based International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

The position 132E had been selected for the launch but according to sources, Hanoi has had problems negotiating the coordination of frequencies with Japan, which also uses the same position, and with Tonga, which owns 130E and 134E.

Russian state company NPOPM, the European consortium of Astrium (EADS)-Alcatel Espace, Lockheed-Martin of the United States and the Japanese-American consortium of Nec-Toshiba-Orbital Science Corporationare competing for the contract to build, launch and maintain the satellite in orbit.

Sources say that Vietnam had earlier this year asked the candidates to guarantee the coordination of the frequencies, a demand they have all refused.

"The manufacturers cannot guarantee the coordination of frequencies. That is a government-to-government problem," said a foreign expert, requesting anonymity.

The position 132E is reserved for Vietnam until February 2006, at which point it will theoretically be withdrawn by the ITU if it is not used.

Vinasat will be of average size, with 20-28 communication modules each capable of carrying four-six television channels and will be in operation for 15 years.

The project is expected to cost more than 200 million dollars.

New Skies Sale to Affiliates of the Blackstone Group Receives FCC Approval; Transaction Expected to Close on November 2, 2004

From http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2004/Oct/1088693.htm

THE HAGUE, Netherlands --(Business Wire)-- Oct. 29, 2004 -- New Skies Satellites N.V. (AEX, NYSE: NSK), the global satellite communications company, today announced that the sale of the company to affiliates of The Blackstone Group, a leading private investment firm, has been approved by the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

New Skies now expects that the transaction will close on November 2, 2004.

Assuming the transaction closes on this date, New Skies' shares on Euronext Amsterdam will be de-listed and trading in New Skies' American Depository Shares on the New York Stock Exchange will be suspended as of the close of trading on November 2, 2004.

Following the closing, the corporate entity that presently holds the company's assets will go into liquidation and the company's business and operations will be continued by the acquiring company, New Skies Satellites B.V. Holders of New Skies' ordinary shares in book-entry form and holders of American Depository Shares as of the close of trading on the date of the closing will be entitled to receive payment of the sale distributions.

Dan Goldberg, New Skies' chief executive officer, said: "We are delighted that we successfully completed the FCC approval process sooner than originally anticipated and are now poised to close the transaction with Blackstone next week. We were pleased with the overwhelming support of our shareholders for the transaction and are focused on ensuring that the sale proceeds are distributed as quickly as possible."

New Skies expects to make an initial distribution of the sale proceeds to its current shareholders within two weeks after the closing of the transaction. We anticipate that the initial distribution will constitute approximately 95 percent of the sale proceeds. Following this initial distribution, shareholders in New Skies Satellites N.V. will be entitled to a second and final distribution. This 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 company's 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 the transaction

New Skies signed a definitive agreement for the sale of the company to affiliates of The Blackstone Group, a leading private investment firm, for $956 million in cash, equivalent to approximately $7.96 per fully diluted share on June 5, 2004. Subsequently, New Skies and The Blackstone Group announced certain regulatory and shareholder approvals necessary for the completion of the transaction, including:

-- On July 2, 2004, New Skies and The Blackstone Group received early termination of the required waiting period under the U.S. Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 for Blackstone's acquisition of New Skies.

-- On July 19, 2004, New Skies' shareholders overwhelmingly approved the sale of the company, with 92.4 percent of shares in attendance voting for the acquisition.

-- The Netherlands' Ministry of Economic Affairs formally approved the transaction on July 28, 2004.

-- The U.S. Federal Communications Commission formally approved the transaction on October 27, 2004.

About New Skies Satellites (AEX, NYSE: NSK)

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.

Russia To Launch New Telecommunications Satellite

From http://www.spacedaily.com/news/launchers-04zz.html

A Russian Proton-M rocket will lift off from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan on Saturday to deliver a telecommunications satellite into space, the Federal Space Agency said on Thursday.

The launch is scheduled for 2:11 a.m. Moscow time (2211 GMT Friday), the Interfax News Agency here quoted a spokesman of the space agency as saying.

The Express-AM1 telecommunications satellite made by Russia's Reshetnyov research and production institute is designed to provide a wide range of telecommunications services, including digital TV and radio broadcasting, video-conference and wide-band Internet access.

In August, a Proton-M rocket had carried Spain's Amonzonas telecommunications satellite into orbit.

Asia's pay-TV market booms as new channels attract more subscribers

From http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/corporatenews/view/114059/1/.html

Asia's pay-TV market is rapidly growing with new channels being launched.

According to the Cable and Satellite Association of Asia, it is already a US$14 billion industry despite some 7 percent of revenues lost to piracy.

Asia's pay-TV market is booming, with subscribers now more inclined to pay for content than before.

As advertising revenues rise, more broadcasters are adding channels.

Arabic satellite TV broadcaster Al Jazeera is launching a global 24-hour English-language news service.

While British broadcasting giant, the BBC, is bringing a new entertainment channel to Asia, BBC Prime.

It will dig into the "Beeb's" vaults of classic shows like Black Adder and Top of the Pops and beam them into markets like Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.

Wayne Dunsford, Director of Channels, BBC, said: "The market in Asia is growing in terms of pay-TV, multi-channel homes are growing in numbers. The economies are improving dramatically, so there's more willingness to pay for TV services."

China is also being touted as a key growth market for the region.

With more than 300 million wireless subscribers, prospects are promising.

Singapore-based Channel NewsAsia recently won broadcast rights to be seen in China's hotels and foreign housing compounds and will progressively roll out new content.

It is a huge market many broadcasters are watching closely.

Simon Twiston Davies, Chief Executive, Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia, said: "Piracy at the moment is not a critical issue in China because there is not a genuine pay-TV industry which is paying premium pricing for content. What we are seeing in China is the roll-out of the digital platform which is just beginning."

India has turned out to be the worst offender when it comes to piracy - a mature grey market means legal pay-TV operators struggle to collect subscription fees.

While piracy across Asia is up 11 percent from the year before, experts say the rise is more indicative of better methods of measurement as opposed to an actual increase in numbers. - CNA

Frontage TV Goes to NSE

From http://allafrica.com/stories/200410280921.html

Frontage Satellite Television (FSTV), the first indigenous Digital Satellite Television operator in West Africa of Direct To Home (DTH) technology will soon be quoted on the Stock Exchange.

Chief Executive Officer, Otunba Reuben Famuyibo, who disclosed this at dealership/vendors forum the company hosted in Lagos, said this is to make all stakeholders full partners in the business in future.

"FSTV is for all, let us build the business together. We should not allow ourselves to go back to second slavery. The imperialist did this to us about five decades ago. We should not allow foreigners to cast our wealth away with playing back to our system. The fight to make every home enjoy satellite television service at affordable price should be fought by everybody," he stated.

The Forum, first of its kind since FSTV started business five months ago, was geared towards the re-engineering, unifying bond of relationship between the dealers and FSTV, and also to explore the way forward for the history making outfit - FSTV, who was the first to introduce flexible means of payment through scratch cards to watch all channels

The Forum, which is an interactive forum, got a good result for the dealers and FSTV management. Otunba Famuyibo promised a free demonstration card to all its dealers. Price of FSTV system would be brought down next year as soon as the assembly plant starts work in Nigeria. A promotion "while the reality show", where named Celebrity house from FSTV stable will be beamed live to all its audience.

In addition, FSTV will be appointing super dealership based on the performances of each dealer, while it would not hesitate in drop non-performing dealers.

The forum was attended by dealers from various parts of the country.

28/10/04

Da AI channel is confirmed as leaving B3 Globecast at the end of the month. Moving to Asiasat 4 KU.

All Telkomvision PAY channels were fta this afternoon

Vh1 Asia is new in the MTV mux Pas8 3740 H sr 27500 (ENCRYPTED) MTV NA also new there.

Zee S.E Asia Feed on Asiasat 3 3700V sr 27500 is now back to SECA1 encryption

The mux with BBC, Nicklodeon and CNBC has left Telstar 10

From my Emails & ICQ

From Steve Hume

Some changes on Asiasat 3 3920H, SR 26850

ESPN Hong Kong: VID 512 - AUD 650 - PCR 128
Star Sports Hong Kong: VID 513 - AUD 660 - PCR 129
Star Sports Asia: VID 514 - AUD 670 - PCR 130 (FTA)
ESS Contribution: VID 515 - AUD 680 - PCR 131
ESPN CHINA: VID 516 - AUD 690 - PCR 132
ESS Contribution2: VID 517 - AUD 700 - PCR 133 (FTA)
ESS Contribution3: VID 518 - AUD 710 - PCR 134 (FTA)

Also Think I've found the Uplink for this afternoons trial. All news services
are saying it will turn ugly. Might be worth a look.

Palapa C2 3777H SR: 5632 VID: 33, AUD: 36 PCR: 33
Loads as TVRI SNG, and has PAL bars withTVRI SAT FLYAWAY.

Steve Hume

From Billo

There was another service running for a couple of minutes..
Palapa C2 3755H 6000 DSNG_TV7tw was the ChId Vpid 33 Apid 36 PCR 33

and just for interest I see a TP on VERTICAL - most unusual for me !
3630V 3667 (Powtek) No ChId

From Puzhakkara Satheesan

Sir,
5 new tv channels started as fta on TELSTAR10/APSTAR2R.The
details-fre-3660 vertical,SR-28066.channels-1)TRT
INTERNATIONAL(258,260),NOJOOM(513,514),BN(769,770),INFINITY(1025,1026),HEYA
TV(1281,1282).

no programme from MADTV only strong signal on 3780/28066 vertical 514,642

(Craigs comment, Infinity is from UAE, and Heya is an Arab Womans channel.

From Santosh

Dear All

Telstar 10 76.5E
UBI started few more channels Frequency details are 3660V Symbol Rate 28066
Channels are TRT international, Noojom TV , BN TV.

From the Dish

Nothing in from Lyngsat

NEWS

ABC to be retransmitted on Foxtel

From http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=21106

ABC television and radio services are to be retransmitted on the Foxtel Digital satellite and cable platform, the national public broadcaster announced.

The agreement with Foxtel would significantly increase the reach of ABC's television and radio audience and enable all Foxtel Digital subscribers to view ABC programs with digital quality pictures and sound on their existing television sets, the ABC said in a media release.

The ABC service would be available on Foxtel Digital from early 2005 and would include audio channels Triple J, ABC Classic FM, Radio National, ABC NewsRadio, DIG Internet radio and some metropolitan and regional radio stations.

The ABC's new television digital multichannel would also be retransmitted on the Foxtel platform.

In addition, the agreement raised the possibility of interactive ABC television to be carried on Foxtel Digital for select programs in the near future, the ABC said.

"This outcome is of strategic importance to the ABC and is a matter we have been pursuing for some time, as we believe that as the national public broadcaster all ABC services should be available on all platforms," ABC managing director Russell Balding said.

"This agreement is an extremely positive outcome for the ABC as it sees the growing subscription television sector as a primary element of its digital television aspirations.

"The fact is you cannot hope to properly develop digital television plans without participation in the Foxtel Digital platform."

Foxtel chief executive Kim Williams said Foxtel already had existing digital retransmission agreements with SBS and the Nine network, and the company was extremely pleased the ABC had joined.

The ABC has separately secured agreement with Optus for satellite-transponder capacity on the Optus C1 satellite, to enable retransmission of its digital television and radio services on the Foxtel Digital platform.

Foxtel also leases capacity on the C1 satellite to distribute its satellite services.

(Craigs comment, One would hope it will be FTA via Foxtel. What are the chances of that? ...yeah right)

Sky in rental pact with Blockbuster

From http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/businessstorydisplay.cfm?storyID=3604616&thesection=business&thesubsection=media&thesecondsubsection=television

Sky TV has formed a pact with video rental chain Blockbuster that is likely to smooth Sky's debut in the online DVD rental business.

Sky launched its DVD rental service over the weekend with a revamped website as the new public face of DVD Unlimited, the Nelson start-up Sky purchased earlier this month for an undisclosed sum.

Members pay $38 a month and, in return, are mailed up to three DVDs at a time. They place their movie orders through the website. The pay TV operator's move is designed to put it on an even-footing with the video rental chains who get movie releases before Sky is allowed to broadcast them via its pay TV channels.

That was likely to raise the hackles of the video rental chains, but Blockbuster looks set to cash in on the arrangement, which will see it procure DVDs to build the library for Sky's online service.

Its master franchisee, Steve Dods, said the deal would be "mutually beneficial" to both companies.

Other video rental chains say the online model has its place but cannot replace the experience of popping up to the video store to browse.

United Video general manager Lindsay Hall said relying on the mail system took the spontaneity out of choosing movies. "For country people, it's excellent but for the average renter, they're within three to five kilometres of a store anyway." United Video had no plans to enter the online DVD rental business. Sky has at least two local opponents here, including Fatso.co.nz which is backed by the likes of businessmen Stephen Tindall and Bryan Mogridge.

Fatso defiantly labelled Sky's entry into the market as an endorsement of its business model, which is borrowed from US operator Netflix.

Hall said the movie rental market had grown 20 per cent each year for the past three years, with much of the growth put down to the popularity of DVDs.

Sky's annual meeting, to be held in Auckland tomorrow, is likely to be a calm affair for chief executive John Fellet. The company turned a profit of $35.3 million for the year to June 30 with increased subscriber numbers, revenue and viewership.

Al Jazeera to launch English channel

From http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3078853a1860,00.html

HONG KONG: Arabic satellite TV network Al Jazeera says it plans to hire more than 300 people globally in a bid to launch an English-language news channel before the end of next year.

The network said last month it planned to launch an English-language news channel to counteract what it says is unbalanced reporting from Western networks such as CNN and the BBC.

The new station, to be called Al Jazeera International, will operate out of four regional centres, including its home base of Qatar. It has begun recruiting staff.

"The channel expects to create more than 300 jobs worldwide," the company said in a statement on Wednesday.

Nigel Parsons, managing director of the new channel, said he was confident the channel would find an audience.

"Our target audience is everyone who speaks English. We will have a slightly different agenda than the Arabic speaking channel," Parsons told a briefing on the sidelines of an Asian broadcasting conference.

"I think we might have a ready audience there, but it is not going to be an anti-Western or anti-American channel. Absolutely not," he said.

The network, which has been heavily criticised by the US government for its coverage of the war in Iraq, plans to build a broadcast studio in Asia, but has yet to choose between Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

Parsons said the group planned to make a decision on its Asia hub by the end of next week.

"We will be establishing an Asia studio broadcasting three to four hours a day," he said.

"There will be four major news centres including Doha, London, Washington and one Far East centre which will have about 30 journalists and 20 technical people," he said.

The channel plans to distinguish itself from other English-language channels by emphasising news stories from the developing world.

Al Jazeera would not disclose the budget for the channel, but said it hoped to be self-funding in three to five years.

But the Qatar-based broadcaster has yet to seal distribution deals.

Al Jazeera won over millions of Arab viewers before and during the US-led war against Afghanistan, and aired exclusive footage of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden following the September 11 attacks on the United States.

Parsons said the English-language station would be launched as part of a package of channels being rolled out by the Qatar government funded network.

An Arabic sports channel is already broadcasting under the Al Jazeera banner and a children's channel and documentary channel will launch next year.

Al Jazeera said it planned to promote objective and balanced reporting of global issues along with chat shows, analysis and some documentaries also running on the channel.

BBC to launch entertainment channel in Asia

From http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1076030,00050004.htm

BBC will launch its entertainment TV channel in Asia in December, the British broadcaster announced on Wednesday. BBC Prime will air popular programs such as the sitcom "The Office" and the detective series "Miss Marple," BBC Worldwide Ltd., a subsidiary of British Broadcasting Corp., said in a statement issued in Hong Kong.

Most of the shows will be subtitled in major markets. The channel will debut in Asia on December 1, but the statement did not identify the Asian countries where BBC Prime will be seen. BBC Prime already is available in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

BBC to launch Prime in Asia

From http://www.advanced-television.com/pages/pagesb/newsdaily.html#enet

The BBC's commercial arm is launching its mainstream English-language entertainment channel across Asia. The subscription channel, BBC Prime, will be launched in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Indonesia and the Philippines from December 1, Wayne Dunsford, BBC Worldwide director of channels, announced at CASBAA, the Asian cable and satellite television conference in Hong Kong.

The channel, which will be a direct competitor to Rupert Murdoch's Star World TV channel, will complement BBC Worldwide's news channel, BBC World, which is already offered in the region. Versions of BBC Prime are already offered in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, repackaging British shows with subtitles in local languages.

Earlier this month BBC Worldwide launched BBC Japan, a commercial channel it hopes will attract 100,000 subscribers in one year. It is considering a similar channel in China.

MGM subsidiary launches television channel in Taiwan

From http://www.chinapost.com.tw/business/detail.asp?GRP=E&id=53830

A subsidiary of a major Hollywood studio has introduced a version of its own television channel on the island.

MGM Networks, a unit of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. has launched the MGM channel, which will feature many of the more than 4,000 film titles they have in their modern film library, which is also the world's largest.

MGM Network officials said in a recent press release that they also signed an agreement to launch the channel in Malaysia in coming months.

The MGM channel is produced and distributed in the region by MGM Networks through a strategic alliance with CNBC Asia Pacific. When the customized MGM-branded channel debuted last year a year in Hong Kong for the Greater China and Southeast Asia market, the company said the channel had extended its reach into seven of the region's most important countries and territories.

"Distributors across Greater China and Southeast Asia have greeted the MGM channel with a level of enthusiasm far beyond our original expectations," said Bruce Tuchman, executive vice president of MGM Networks. "We are so pleased to add the key markets of Taiwan and Malaysia to the channel's current reach in Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia, Macau and Thailand."

Here in Taiwan, the MGM channel can now be seen via Taiwan Broadband Communications, one of the market's cable operators.

"CNBC Asia Pacific could not be happier about our strategic alliance with MGM and the success we are having in the marketplace," said Alexander P. Brown, president and CEO of CNBC Asia Pacific. "It's gratifying to see that the marriage of our two organizations' complementary commercial strengths and creative capabilities have been so well-received in the region."

"As we arrive later this month at CASBAA (Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia Convention) we are very honored to have earned the support of so many of the region's leading distribution platforms," said Courtney Williams, MGM Networks' vice president of international sales and marketing.

"At CASBAA, and as we move forward, we are looking forward to taking these relationships to even greater heights, as well as forging new distribution partnerships all across the region." "The MGM channel's first year of operations is a great story about reaching out to our viewers and distributors," said Shawn Galey, CNBC Asia Pacific's vice president of business and legal affairs. "With even more exciting MGM movie titles coming to the channel, we look forward to building upon the strong foundation that we have formed in the past 12 months."

Separately, MGM Networks holds interests in MGM-branded and other channels in numerous countries and territories worldwide. In the Asia-Pacific region, these interests include two branded channels in Korea and one in New Zealand. In addition, branded MGM Channels reach millions of subscribers across Europe, Latin America and Africa. Among MGM Networks' latest channel launches are the MGM channel in Spain, which launched this summer, and a Russian-language version of the MGM channel, which is scheduled to launch to subscribers in Russia later this fall.

E! Networks expands in Asia

From http://www.advanced-television.com/pages/pagesb/newsdaily.html#enet

E! Networks has signed a licensing deal with The Times of India to create branded programming blocks to air on Zoom Television, Kevin MacLellan, senior vice president, international, E! Networks announced.

The company is also set to sign a deal in Japan with Jupiter Entertainment's Movie Plus, delivering E!'s signature live red carpet coverage and topline celebrity and fashion-themed series to the region

CNBC's international channel titled South Asia World

From http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k4/oct/oct265.htm

NEW DELHI: Publicly traded Television Eighteen's proposed international channel is to be called South Asia World (SAW). It would be formally launched sometime in December, around the time when a Hindi business news channel too would debut.

According to broadcasting industry sources, the name SAW, which is undergoing test beaming at the moment, was coined, as the target audience would mostly comprise people of South Asian origin.

The proposed international channel will be uplinked from Delhi, while the uplinking base of the on-air business channel, CNBC TV18, would now be shifted to Mumbai.

The international channel's programming and packaging, according to the sources, would be different as it would contain lot of entertainment-based news and some lifestyle shows too.

The channel would also have a fairly sizeable amount of news originating from the UK and the US, which would be done out of the New York studio, at present being readied. The name of the Hindi business news channel, however, hasn't been decided yet as the chosen advertising agency, Lowe, is to get back to the company with a branding plan for the channel.

It has also not been decided what would be the modality for the involvement of CNBC Asia, the current partner of Television Eighteen Ltd.

"Television Eighteen is awaiting announcements of amendments to the uplinking norms for news channels that the government had said is being looked into," an industry source says.

Earlier, the government had said that the information and broadcasting ministry is contemplating some changes in the uplink norms for news channel, which were likely to be completed by 31 October.

With two proposed channels from the Television Eighteen stable slated for a December launch, it's action time for the company that has been registering steady growth. The company's stock closed the day on the Bombay Stock Exchange at Rs 154.30, gaining 1.65 per cent.

The TV-18 group clocked revenues of Rs 169.42 million in the first quarter of FY 2005 ended 30 June 2004. The operating profit stood at Rs 86.37 million, while net profit recorded Rs 62.09 million (excluding forex gains/losses and deferred tax adjustment).

Discovery launches its first intl lifestyle channel in India

From http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k4/oct/oct264.htm

MUMBAI: After weeks of test runs, Discovery Networks India today announced the formal launch of Discovery Travel & Living, India's first 24-hour international lifestyle channel. Aimed at the upper and upper-middle class audiences, the channel also marks the global launch of the company's lifestyle portfolio. After India, the idea of Discovery's lifestyle portfolio would be incubated for replication in other global markets in the coming years.

Inspiring viewers to 'get more out of life', this stylish, premium, niche international lifestyle channel is targeted at savvy viewers with a 'global outlook'.

Speaking on the occasion, Discovery Communications India director marketing Aditya Tripathi said, "With the launch of Discovery Travel & Living we hope to provide the highest quality of 'factual entertainment' for Indians with a global outlook. The treatment of the content will be stylish, smart and aspirational."

Targeted at Indians with high disposable incomes and who 'don't live to work but work to live' (Tripathi's description); the channel hopes to fill a need-gap in terms of enriching their lives. Says Tripathi, "Our market research has revealed that the size of this target audience is 75 million. Our programmes will help this target audience in terms of planning their world tours, cultivating hobbies, planning beach parties and shopping for the latest designer wear, gadgets etc."

To further support their theory, making a presentation on how the Indian consumer has changed today, Discovery officials said that consumption no longer is just a function of income as there are 10 million credit card holders; disposable income has risen by over 270 per cent since 1990; dual income families are now a widespread urban phenomenon and there is a fundamental shift in consumption patterns of the Indian consumer.

The channel believes that 'Lifestyle entertainment' is the next big trend and the channel is committed to putting in millions of dollars to develop it. The programming genres will include travel, health and well-being, food and cuisine, automotive and motoring, home design and décor, hobbies and outdoor leisure.

Queried on whether Travel & Living would be adding on Indian programming on board in the coming months, vice-president, programming Pankaj Saxena says, "Indian programming will be introduced in 2005, which would be acquired. But our focus is on the best that the world can offer, so it's not really just India. So, if there are things of that level happening in India those will be covered and those will also be telecast in other countries."

Refusing to divulge further details on the kind of programmes or production houses, Saxena says, "We are in the process of talking to some production houses."

Some of the programmes that are already being seen on the new channel include Celebrity Travelogues, Globetrekker, Floyd's India, Cooking for Love (a blind date show blended with cookery), Date Patrol, Biker Build-Off, He's Gotta Have It, Great Vacation Homes, Superhomes, Other Peoples' Homes, While You Were Out, The Chris Lowell Show, Tim Brooke-Taylor's Golf Clubs.

The company expects the channel to provide a new and unique platform for advertisers by targeting an audience comprising upscale and young adults with active interests in the age group of 18-45. It is also likely to expand Discovery's ability to attract new audiences and advertisers who have traditionally been advertising only in the print medium due to a lack of a focused platform. The channel claims that some of the largest advertisers have already signed on.

As of now, Discovery reaches out to 35 million people in India and Discovery Travel & Living hopes to reach a subscriber base of 15-to 17 million people in a year's time. The channel will be distributed in India by One Alliance along with the company's two existing channels, Discovery Channel and Animal Planet. Though the channel will be a pay channel the subscriber price has not been announced for now.

Preeti Vyas Giannetti has bagged the Discovery Travel & Living creative account. A high-decible marketing and promo campaign has been planned a week from now. Though Discovery officials refused to divulge more details of the campaign, it definitely promises to be one of the most high budget campaigns revolving around the punchline 'get a life'.

Efforts on to launch national science channel: ISRO

From http://www.123bharath.com/news/index.php?action=fullnews&id=32711

Technology India > Bangalore, Oct 27 : Indian Space Research Organisation Chairman G Madhavan Nair said today efforts were on to launch a national science channel and favoured a dedicated satellite for health services when telemedicine projects in India "attain critical mass."

Speaking at the valedictory function of the three-day Asia Pacific meet on science education here, Nair said the Department of Science and Technology had taken a decision in principle to launch the channel.

"We want a national science channel. But how to go about it and also in matters of content generation...There is a question mark. We are just having a dialogue with concerned agencies and see how best we can launch such a television channel for the country," he said.

"Content generation is key", Nair said.

Noting that the telemedicine projects were picking momentum in the country, Nair, who is also Secretary in the Department of Space, said "as and when there is sufficient load, we will think of a separate satellite for health services." At present, 60 district hospitals were connected to superspeciality hospitals and the plan was to cover all districts in course of time. PTI

27/10/04

Not much for todays update.

From my Emails & ICQ

From George

New Channels on PAS8 12646 H 28067
WMI ( World Media International ) (MYsat)
Tele Lumiere
Future TV
ART Australia
Al Jazeera
LBC Australia

All Arabic channels

From jsat.tv (Thailand)

Telstar10

1. The CNBC channel is ex CNBC HongKong

2. The BBC channel is from PAS 8 C band - Japanese [right audio channel] / English [left audio channel]

3. The Nick channel is playing around with the EPG as follows; "Dec 12, 07:00:00 23:59:59 Default Event Default Event"

Wonder which cable network this will be for?

From Steve Hume

Possible cricket feed
PAS 2 3956V SR 6111
DSNG Chennai = DDK CHENNAI Provider.

Says its encrypted. Checked with PC, and there is currently no video or audio.

Steve Hume (Cameraman)

From the Dish

PAS 8 166E 12726 H "The PanGlobal TV mux" has left .

Agila 2 146E 12541 V "ACQ Broadcasting Network" has started on , Fta, PIDs 42/43. New PIDs for Karaoke Channel and The God Channel Asia: 44/45 and 48/49.

ChinaStar 1 87.5E 3734 H Myawady TV has started testing on , FTa, SR 6111, FEC 3/4, PIDs 3601/3604.
ChinaStar 1 87.5E 3848 V "GreatSports Channel" is still fta, but new PIDs: 288/291.

Thaicom 3 78.5E 3545 V "Star News International" is now encrypted.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3551 H "RVI 2" has left .
Thaicom 3 78.5E 4162 V "Ek Noor TV" has started on , Fta, SR 2021, FEC 3/4, PIDs 4194/4195, Asian beam.

Telstar 10 76.5E 3846 H "CNBC Hong Kong, Nickelodeon Asia and BBC World Japan" Fta , SR 9100, FEC 3/4, PIDs 1110/1120-1310/1320.

PAS 10 68.5E 4075 V "Hungama TV" is encrypted again.

NEWS

Foxtel launches crime network

From http://www.theadvertiser.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,11199749%255E911,00.html

FOXTEL has announced it will become the first platform in the world to launch a newly-created Crime & Investigation Network, from January 1.

The network will investigate the drama of real-life crime, from how forensic scientists solve crimes using cutting edge technology to what makes serial killers tick and meeting the men and women who put criminals behind bars.

The channel will replace TechTV, which will cease to be broadcast on Foxtel Digital after December 31.

This is after the acquisition of TechTV by US company Comcast and its decision to withdraw the international feed of TechTV to areas including Australia.

The Crime & Investigation Network will be managed, programmed and broadcast by Foxtel in Australia, but will draw on the programming library and resources of AETN (A&E Television Networks).

The Crime & Investigation Network will be available exclusively to subscribers across Foxtel's new digital cable and satellite platforms (broadcast in 16:9 widescreen) and will feature real crime and drama, from high-quality documentaries, docu-dramas and a broad range of crime-related dramas

ABA investigation into Al Manar programming on TARBS

(Craigs comment, It may come back to Globecast or UBI??)

Irdeto Access Secures Pay TV for Philippine Broadcasting Giant, ABS-CBN; Irdeto PIsys Supports High Subscriber Growth Rate and Satellite Platform Requirement

From Press Release

SATCON 2004

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 26, 2004--Irdeto Access, a world leader in content security, a subsidiary of multinational media group Naspers (NASDAQ:NPSN) (JSE:NPN), today announced that ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation ("ABS-CBN"), the largest integrated media and entertainment company in the Philippines with operations worldwide, has selected Irdeto PIsys to secure Pay TV content to over 150,000 set top boxes in North America and Australia.

Designed for large operators, Irdeto PIsys is a large-scale modular content security system that will allow ABS-CBN to deliver its Pay TV offering to customers securely by satellite. ABS-CBN will receive delivery of the first shipment of 50,000 smart cards before the end of 2004.

In addition to using Irdeto PIsys to secure its distribution in North America, ABS-CBN has transitioned its Northern California uplink to become its international satellite platform. As a result, it has migrated its direct-to-home platform in Australia across to Irdeto Access, meaning Irdeto PIsys will also protect content for over 20,000 of ABS-CBN's subscribers in Australia.

ABS-CBN selected Irdeto PIsys as it gives the media giant the scalability it requires to allow for substantial user growth, as well as the introduction of additional Pay TV revenue generating services throughout North America and Australasia.

"We've been using Irdeto M-Crypt since 1999 and it has performed perfectly for our needs," said Mr. Raffy Lopez, President ABS-CBN International. "Because our subscriber base has been growing so rapidly, we needed to move to a high-end solution which would be able to handle this dramatic increase in viewers in both the U.S. and Australia. It was a simple decision to renew our strong relationship with Irdeto Access. The company has a proven track record in delivering solutions that best meet our customers' needs, while helping us achieve our own business goals."

"Irdeto Access has a long history in successfully providing content security solutions to ABS-CBN. The seamless transition from Irdeto M-Crypt to Irdeto PIsys supports customers, like ABS-CBN, that require the highest level of security and scalability to manage their growth," said Bo Ferm, General Manager of Irdeto Access' Americas region. "When they invest in Irdeto Access, they have the peace of mind knowing that our technology guarantees the security of their content and enables them to profitably manage complex, global operations."

In addition to 24/7 technical support, Irdeto Access offers the following services: on-site customer training, support in set top box selection, as well as a thorough testing of the security system's functionality and overall quality of the set top boxes during design verification testing. The company also provides consultancy to operators on how to set up a sound security management program in cooperation with partners, and on how to create additional content revenue streams.

Irdeto Access will be exhibiting at Satcon, October 26-27 in New York, booth #507.

About Irdeto Access

Irdeto Access, headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, is a subsidiary of a multinational media group, Naspers (NASDAQ:NPSN) (JSE:NPN). Irdeto Access specializes in designing, developing and marketing end-to-end solutions to manage and protect content from unauthorized access in the television broadcast, mobile and broadband environments. With nearly 40 years of providing encryption technology and proven success in deploying security solutions across the globe, Irdeto Access continues to offer innovative product offerings to its customers. To contact your regional office or retrieve further information on the company, please visit www.irdetoaccess.com.

About ABS-CBN

ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation ("ABS-CBN" or the "Company") is the largest integrated media and entertainment company in the Philippines. The Company is principally involved in television and radio broadcasting, as well as the production of television programming for domestic and international audiences and other related businesses. For further information please visit www.abs-cbn.com.

Contacts
Irdeto Access
Ellie Sanchez, (858) 668-4878
[email protected]

Irdeto Access secures Philippines broadcaster deal

From http://www.advanced-television.com/pages/pagesb/newsdaily.html

Irdeto Access announced that ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation (ABS-CBN), the largest integrated media and entertainment company in the Philippines with operations worldwide, has selected Irdeto PIsys, to secure Pay TV content to over 150,000 set top boxes in North America and Australia.

Designed for large operators, Irdeto PIsys is a large-scale modular content security system that will allow ABS-CBN to deliver its Pay TV offering to customers securely by satellite. ABS-CBN will receive delivery of the first shipment of 50,000 smart cards before the end of 2004.

In addition to using Irdeto PIsys to secure its distribution in North America, ABS-CBN has transitioned its Northern California uplink to become its international satellite platform. As a result, it has migrated its direct-to-home platform in Australia across to Irdeto Access, meaning Irdeto PIsys will also protect content for over 20,000 of ABS-CBN's subscribers in Australia.

(Craigs comment, Does anyone really believe ABS-cbn have 20000 subscribers in Australia? considering their DTH mux has only been up for a few months)

India tops in pay TV piracy in Asia

From http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1074840,0003.htm

Asia's pay TV industry is expected to lose $970 million to piracy in 2004, with India's fragmented system of grey market operators accounting for more than half the total, according to a Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA) survey released on Tuesday.

The 2004 figure compares with $874 million in lost revenue last year, the first year CASBAA conducted its survey.

But while the figure is up 11 per cent year-on-year, the rise is more indicative of better measurement methods and less of an actual increase, said CLSA's media and entertainment investment banking head, Simon Dewhurst.

"The message is ... we're getting better at detecting where this piracy problem is," Dewhurst said at a media briefing to discuss the study. "Across the region, (losses due to pay TV piracy) are quite static. It's getting better in some markets, worse in others."

Within the region, India accounted for 58 per cent of total revenue leakage, or $565 million worth.

The lion's share of that is a direct result of the country's highly fragmented industry, where many major operators are unable to monitor the activities of smaller companies that control much of the so-called "last mile" access to homes.

Pay TV piracy comes in many forms, but often involves the illegal installation of decoders and set-top boxes to receive cable or satellite service, or the sale of service by companies that obtained signals illegally.

Thailand was the second worst, with $141 million in lost revenue, followed by Taiwan ($114 million lost), the Philippines ($70.4 million lost) and Vietnam ($26.4 million lost).

Those markets are characterised by better-known problems, such as signal theft from local cable or satellite operators.

Dewhurst said the situation is improving in India as the market consolidates, while it is getting worse in Vietnam, the Philippines and Thailand.

"Market by market, the situation is slightly different," he said, adding that piracy will cost local governments $152 million in lost tax revenues this year.

Dewhurst said that pay TV piracy in Asia, while a problem, is still relatively small compared with the estimated $14 billion in revenues that regional operators collect each year.

"Piracy is a direct attack on a Government's ability to be able to argue they have a robust approach to intellectual property protection in the market. The pay TV industry is not facing a crisis as far as piracy is concerned."

Some of the region's biggest pay TV providers include Singapore's StarHub , Hong Kong's I-Cable Communications , Malaysia's Astro and News Corp's Star Group, which has a major presence in India.

The magnitude of the pay TV theft is roughly comparable in dollar terms to movie piracy, which is also a major problem in many Asian markets.

Pirated movies cost the world's major studios an estimated $718 million last year, according to the Motion Picture Association. Within that figure, China was the biggest culprit accounting for about a quarter of the losses.

Star TV to join Zee DTH platform

From http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/5922_1075770,0006.htm

Star India chief executive Peter Mukerjea said Star might soon be on the Zee’s DTH platform Dish TV. “There are commercial issues between us and Zee. Once these are sorted out our channels can join the platform,” he said.

He was in Kolkata for a programming preview of the company’s forthcoming channel Star One. Mukerjea said the issues were not just the payments to be made but were also concerning piracy. “Piracy is a big issue with us. Now there is no way to authenticate how many people are receiving Dish TV signals,” he said.

More new channels lead to distribution problems

From http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2004/10/27/stories/2004102702120500.htm

BROADCASTERS may be planning to launch new channels with increasing frequency but ensuring wide distribution has become a tricky affair.

So even as the Star India readies itself for the launch of StarOne, Walt Disney brings in its new channels and others such as CNBC, NDTV and the Times Group unleash new offerings, getting these channels into the homes has become a challenge.

The tug-of-war between the broadcasting industry and the cable service provider remains unresolved with each blaming the other for poor availability of the channels. And along with this, is the issue of carriage fee that broadcasters have to pay cable operators. According to officials in the broadcasting industry, "The cable industry has only limited capacity and most of the cable service providers have started demanding heavy fees to carry the new channels. Only after paying carriage fee, does a new channel get a good placement." In fact, the recently launched lifestyle channel, Zoom (Monthly subscription fee of Rs 7), and kids channel, Hungama (Rs 6), have found the going tough and have been asked to cough up carriage fee said industry sources.

The cable industry while conceding that carriage fee is accepted when a particular channel requires good placement, it also concedes that some of the major broadcasters use the bouquet approach to ensure that signals of new channels are made available to homes. "Some channels such as NDTV or the God Channel have been paying carriage fees for better placement. However, some big broadcasters even threaten cutting off signals of popular channels if the new ones are not carried," said a Delhi-based cable operator.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) freezing cable rates in December also hampers the launch of new pay channels by existing broadcasters. The TRAI, in its recommendations on the Conditional Access System (CAS), has suggested various options such as allowing new channels to come through a set-top box. It has also suggested that new pay channels could be offered to the cable operator individually or as a new bouquet of pay channels.

TRAI clarification

The TRAI today clarified that the ceiling charges to the consumer would be reduced if a broadcaster brings down the number of channels in a bouquet. This has been done through an amendment to the Tariff Order "The Telecommunication (Broadcasting and Cable) Services (Second) Tariff Order 2004'' of October 1, which had laid out a framework for regulation of prices of new pay and converted free-to-air to pay channels which came after December 26.

The order had also specified reduction in ceiling charges for multi-system operators and cable operators. The new order has been issued as a number of representations had been received seeking clarification on the manner in which new pay channels can be priced and the impact on retail prices.

Similarly, clarifications had also been sought on the impact of channels that were free-to-air on December 26 last and having later converted to pay.

26/10/04

Livechat tonight 9pm NZ and 8.30pm Syd time onwards in the chatroom.

Bluekiss on NSS6 has bowed to pressure from the ABA and removed their NSS6 Adult service. I wonder if they could still get around things by selling the cards for cband via dealers in NZ?

The info below has been posted on a number of forums.

BLUEKISS GONE

We regret to announce that Bluekiss and Bluekiss Express will be suspending broadcast on NSS6 with immediate effect.

The reason for this has been continued pressure from the Australian
Broadcasting Authority who have been subjecting the service to continued harassment.The ABA has gone so far as to use assume identities to pose as a genuine customers in order to get a list of Bluekiss distributors in Australia with the assumed intention of taking legal action against them.

It is the view of the ABA that the broadcast of Bluekiss on NSS6 is clearly
aimed at the Australian market (owing to the footprint) and an attempt
to bypass Australian regulations relating to the broadcast of adult
entertainment.

The ABA has also threatened legal action against associated companies
of Bluekiss in Australia.This has made it impossible for us to continue
broadcasting.

We will also try to find a substitute for the Blue Kiss channels on
NSS6 to give access to our viewers to other adult TV channels. We will keep you posted on the progress of those discussions.

Bluekiss will continue to be broadcast on Asiasat 3 because this is a
regional service targeted at customers all over Asia.All Australian
customers may continue to view Bluekiss with their existing cards on
Asiasat 3.

We invite customers currently viewing Bluekiss on NSS6 who have no
access to Asiasat 3 to contact us with details of their cards so we can provide continued access to Bluekisss via the internet for the duration of
their existing subscription

(Craigs comment, [email protected] 09 4320973 is listed as an NZ agent for Bluekiss in this months Satfacts issue...)

From my Emails & ICQ

From Billo

Telstar10 76.5E - 3845H 9100 -
Nickelodeon Vpid 1110, Apid 1120
CNBC Vpid 1210, Apid 1220
BBC Vpid 1310, Apid 1320

....all FTA - these may be old news but found first time for me with
Powtek......

From the Dish

Pas 8 166E 12366 H "Fox news" is FTA Sr 28860 (Asian beam)

NEWS

Optus to manage DFAT satellite links

From http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,11190613%5E15442%5E%5Enbv%5E15306-15320,00.html

OPTUS has signed a three-year, $5 million agreement with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to manage satellite connections with Australian embassies around the world.

The new agreement, which expires in September 2007, replaces DFAT's arrangements with Optus rival New Skies Satellite. Optus will manage connections to 48 sites in 47 countries provided by Intelsat's fleet of 20 satellites.

Optus has provided a flexible solution which will allow DFAT to make qick changes to service provisioning and increase bandwidth at short notice," Optus wholesale and satellite managing director Warren Hardy said.

Optus will use Intelsat's teleport facilities in the US and its own in Australia.

Murdoch Wins Vote to Shift News Corp.

From

ADELAIDE (Reuters) - Rupert Murdoch won shareholder approval on Tuesday to move the corporate headquarters of his $48 billion News Corp. Ltd. media empire to the United States and sever its Australian roots.

The 73-year old media baron, who has U.S. citizenship and has lived there since the 1970s, also said the company was sticking with its earnings forecasts, helping to spur a 4 percent rally in News Corp. shares.

Investors voted more than 90 percent in favor of Murdoch's plan to reincorporate News Corp. in the United States, where it generates more than 75 percent of its earnings. The vote followed months of wrangling over the deal, which will see Australia's biggest company leave the benchmark stock exchange index.

"Very good reaction from shareholders on the move there and also Rupert reiterating growth forecasts. That's all very positive for the stock," said Bruce Budd, a dealer with Perpetual Investments.

Murdoch had argued that shifting News Corp's primary share listing to the New York Stock Exchange would attract more institutional investors and boost access to U.S. capital markets.

FROM ADELAIDE TO THE WORLD

Built by Murdoch from a single newspaper in the sleepy Australian city of Adelaide, News Corp. now ranks as one of the world's biggest media empires and owns the Fox network, 20th Century Fox film studios and a host of newspaper and satellite assets.

Murdoch was forced to bow to investor opposition to get the move over the line, striking a deal to enhance minority shareholder rights.

"News Corporation will always be defined by an Australian spirit, and for entirely selfish reasons as it is from Australia this company derives its entrepreneurial spirit, our energy, our brashness," Murdoch said.

News Corp. defended itself against questioning by small shareholders about the move's financial merits, saying its share price would gain once U.S. investors started increasing their holdings.

"There's a considerable amount of headroom still between what the major institutions have in the index funds versus what their potential is when News Corp. is included in the S&P 500," News Corp. director Geoffrey Bible told shareholders.

ROSY FORECAST, HOPES FOR S&P

News Corp. maintained its forecasts for operating income growth in the mid-to-high teen range in 2004/05, with its Sky Italia pay TV business expected to reach profitability in the first half of 2005 and strong earnings improvement forecast for its pan-Asian Star network.

"With our first quarter already behind us, those estimates remain achievable," Murdoch said. His media empire is due to report quarterly earnings on November 4, Sydney time.

Shares in News Corp. rose 4.1 percent in afternoon trade to A$10.87, while its preferred stock rose 5.8 percent to A$10.65, following a 3 percent rise in its ADRs overnight.

The gains followed recent falls as fund managers sold in anticipation of the stock exiting the Australian stock exchange, and the FTSE and MSCI Asian indices.

News Corp. will gradually exit Australia's S&P/ASX 200 index, making it ineligible for many Australian fund managers to hold. The company now needs to win entry to the U.S. S&P 500 index.

"Australian fund managers can think about restructuring their portfolios and will be waiting on Standard & Poor's to let us know what they're going to do," said Scott Maddock, analyst at fund manager BT Financial Group, which voted for the deal. "As far as investors in the stock are concerned, the company is the same."

Investors have sent shares in the media group down about 17 percent since late June when S&P first confirmed the stock could not feature in both the main Australian and U.S. indices, pouring some of the A$15 billion they once held in News Corp. into other heavyweight stocks in the local index, such as major banks, resources and telecoms.

GlobeCast adds Tokyo to its global fiber network

From http://lw.pennnet.com

October 25, 2004 Paris -- GlobeCast, a satellite services provider and subsidiary of France Telecom, extended its global fiber network to Japan as a result of a deal struck with Japanese telecommunications operator KDDI. Japanese and international broadcasters can now backhaul their ad-hoc or permanent video feeds to Japan, or distribute them from Tokyo to the rest of the world, via GlobeCast's global fiber network.

The Tokyo point-of-presence (PoP) is linked via a fully redundant fiber-optic link from Tokyo directly to GlobeCast's Los Angeles teleport, the West Coast access to GlobeCast's global fiber network. In addition to Tokyo and Los Angeles, GlobeCast's fiber network includes nine other PoPs: New York, Washington, DC, Miami, London, Madrid, Paris, Rome, Singapore, and Sydney. The interconnection between the PoPs and GlobeCast's 15 teleports and technical operations centers allows the operator to offer customers hybrid satellite/fiber solutions for video and multimedia transmission requirements

The new circuit can move video between Tokyo and the rest of the world using dedicated 8- and 18-Mbit/sec routes. Higher bandwidth circuits can also be provided.

KDDI supplies GlobeCast with the Tokyo PoP, the Tokyo-Los Angeles link, as well as connectivity with all Japanese broadcasters and international bureaus installed in Tokyo.

Other Globecast services offered with this new link include 24/7 booking and monitoring, video standards conversion, and HDTV transmissions

China's Hunan Satellite TV Mulls Listing In Hong Kong

From http://sg.biz.yahoo.com/041025/15/3o03d.html

HONG KONG (Dow Jones)--China's Hunan Satellite Television is considering listing part of its operations on the Hong Kong stock exchange, said Hunan TV Channel Controller Ou Yang Changlin Monday.

"We don't have a fixed timetable or any detailed plan, but we're studying the possibility of Hong Kong listing," said Ou Yang.

"We have no plan to list the whole company because of China's regulations barrier, but we're thinking to list part of our businesses, like program production," he added.

Ou Yang said Hunan TV's advertising revenue in 2003 was about 500 million yuan ($1=CNY8.28) while expenses were about CNY200 million.

Hunan TV opened a Hong Kong representative office Monday to capture advertising revenue from the city's businesses.

Hunan Satellite has already listed its advertising unit, Hunan TV & Broadcast Intermediary Co. (000917.SZ), on the Shenzhen stock exchange a few years ago.

"We're the first TV company to list in Shenzhen and we target to be the first one to list on Hong Kong," said the company's Chief Financial Officer Liu Xiang Qun.

China is gradually opening up the TV market.

PEMRA to grant 10 new licences

From http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_26-10-2004_pg7_28

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) will grant 10 new licences to satellite television channels and FM radio stations after Ramazan.

PEMRA had adopted a transparent system of awarding the licences and the authority had conducted three public hearings in Islamabad, Lahore and Peshawar to grant licences, said an official on Monday.

He said the authority did not believe in pre-censorship, but it had provided broad outlines to licences in the form of code of conduct for self-regulation.

The official said that amendments to PEMRA ordinance had been tabled in the National Assembly. “If these amendments are passed by the parliament, the newspapers’ owners who have applied for broadcast licences will also become eligible for a licence,” he added. online

TELE-satellite News - Number 43/2004 ­ 24 October 2004

A weekly roundup of global TV news sponsored by
TELE-satellite International
Editor: Branislav Pekic

Edited Apsattv.com Edition

A S I A & P A C I F I C

CHINA - HONG KONG

NEC TO SUPPLY DIGITAL TV TRANSMITTERS

NEC Corporation announced on October 19 that it has
received orders for Digital TV transmitters from
Chinese broadcasting companies, through its affiliated
company NEC Solutions (China) Ltd. This is the first
time that NEC's Digital TV transmitter will be
installed and operated in China. The orders were
awarded by Shanghai Technology Development Co and
Shanghai Oriental Pearl Transmission Co. In Shanghai,
commercial digital TV broadcasting services such as
the delivery of PR and advertising information to
buses, taxis and ferries have begun, and NEC's digital
TV transmitters will be also utilized for the service.
In addition, NEC had agreed to cooperate in digital TV
broadcasting area with Shanghai Oriental Pearl
Transmission Co.,Ltd., to prepare for the future
business acceleration.

DIGITAL TV ON AIR IN BEIJING

Residents in Beijing will soon be able to enjoy
digital TV programs and receive free digital set-top
boxes. Officials from Beijing Broadcast and Media TV
Company made the announcement at a forum on digital
technologies at the 4th World Summit on Internet and
Multimedia held in Beijing. They said finance of the
Digital TV service in Beijing will be backed by the
local government and enterprises, reported China Radio
International. Chaoyang district in the city will be
the first place to broadcast the digital TV programs.

HBO SIGNS LOCAL DEAL

China Digital Television Production has signed a
contract with HBO Asia, in a move aimed at improving
the quality of Chinese cable TV. The company
previously signed an agreement with National
Geographic. China DTV is currently the country's sole
digital cable TV package supplier. Beginning January
1st next year, three HBO movies will be broadcast to
cable TV subscribers each day. HBO Asia will also
provide original programming, enjoying broadcast
rights for films made by Columbia/TriStar, Paramount
Pictures, Universal, Warner Bros, amongst others. HBO
currently offers more than 120 commercial-free movies
every month in Asia. CDP began commercial operation on
September 1 of this year. To date, more than 80
Chinese cable TV network operators have signed up to
air programming broadcast over CCTV's digital pay TV
platform, which currently covers more than 60 mln
analog cable TV subscribers and 500,000 digital TV
set-top-box users. CDP has also partnered with
National Geography for content provision.

PHOENIX IN CONTENT DEAL WITH GALAXY

Hong Kong-listed TV content provider Phoenix Satellite
Television will beam its InfoNews and Chinese channels
over pay-TV rookie Galaxy Satellite's network to
expand its coverage in Hong Kong. Phoenix currently
broadcasts its InfoNews and Chinese channels over the
cable networks of i-Cable Communications' Cable TV,
PCCW's NOW Broadband TV and Star TV under the basic
channel package, with coverage of about 900,000
households. Phoenix, 37.6 per cent owned by Rupert
Murdoch's News Corp, is expanding its reach in the
Chinese-speaking communities to Singapore on November
15 and Malaysia early next year. Phoenix's sources of
income come from the advertising income in the
mainland, where it broadcasts its flagship Chinese
Channel and fledging InfoNews Channel to selected
spots, ranging from three-star or higher-ranked
mainland hotels, to education-related organisations
and diplomatic compounds, reaching as many as 50
million households across the country, who hunger for
international news.

INDIA

STAR LAUNCHES NEW HINDI CHANNEL

Following the success of its top-rated Indian
entertainment channel Star Plus, STAR has announced
the launch of a new Hindi-language channel, Star One,
with a view to targeting "urban and upscale" viewers.
Set to launch November 1, Star One will offer a range
of entertainment programs, including original
made-for-TV movies, game show formats, dramas, youth
programming and lifestyle titles.

TV CHANNELS WANT ADULT FILMS

Channels such as Star TV, Sony TV, Zee TV, Udaya TV,
AXN and Surya have submitted a new plan to the Bombay
High Court that adult films be screened on television
between 9 pm and 6 am. The channels have submitted the
proposal following a public interest litigation filed
by Pratibha Naithani, a lecturer from St Xavier’s
college. Naithani has opposed the screening of films
rated ‘A’ by the Central Board of Film Certification
(CBFC) on TV. The channels said that they were in the
business of entertainment and adult movies were also a
form of entertainment.

40 TV CHANNELS ON PRASAR BHARATI DTH SERVICE

State-run Prasar Bharati has got the Indian
government's nod to carry 23 private channels,
increasing the offering from 13, on its direct-to-home
platform DD (Doordarshan) Direct Plus. The private
channels which have signed up with Prasar Bharati are
Aaj Tak, Headlines Today, BBC, Zee Music, Zee News,
Smile, Surya TV, Star Utsav, ETC, Akash Bangla and
talks are on with others including CNN. In all, the
DTH service will offer 40 channels including 17
Doordarshan network channels. Prime Minister Dr
Manmohan Singh is expected to formally inaugurate the
service next month. In addition All India Radio (AIR),
will provide its programmes through TV with its DTH
satellite service benefiting linguistic groups
residing outside their home state. The spokesperson
said that with a ten channel service would commencing
in March next year.

NEWS UPLINK GUIDELINES TO BE REVISED

The Indian government said on October 15 it would
revise the guidelines related to eligibility criteria
for uplinking of news and current affairs TV channels
from India, Business India has reported. The cabinet
said the deadline for adhering to the prescribed
guidelines/eligibility criteria would be extended to
October 31. "The extension of the deadline will give
time to the ministry to examine various issues related
to the revised eligibility criteria for uplinking of
news and current affairs TV channels from India,"
Finance Minister P Chidambaram said. The minister said
proposals to amend the existing guidelines were being
processed and would be submitted to the cabinet soon.

INDONESIA

PRIVATE TV STATIONS FLOUT STANDARDS

Almost all private sector broadcasters in the country
are failing to comply with the Indonesian Broadcasting
Commission (KPI)'s standards, which entered into
effect late in August, claims a report published in
The Jakarta Post. This failure was marked by "programs
that are unethical, not in line with professional
journalistic standards, and prejudicial to children,
teenagers and women", the commission said on October
20. "Based on our monitoring and input received from
the public, the commission has concluded that nearly
all national private sector broadcasters have yet to
show a commitment to implementing the standards.
Violations of the standards occur every day," KPI
member Ade Armando told a press conference. The KPI
standards ban television stations from airing footage
of the act of kissing based on sexual desire, sexual
intercourse and sensual acts, explicit violence and
complete crime reconstructions. It permits television
broadcasters to air programs for adults only after 10
p.m. There are 11 television broadcasters operating in
Indonesia, including state broadcaster TVRI.

IRAN

SATELLITE TV FROM THE U.S. PROVOKES A STORM

A combination of light entertainment, talk shows and
politics beamed into Iran by a dozen or so satellite
stations set up by Iranian exiles in the United States
is proving to be explosive in the Islamic country.
Iranian hardliners have denounced foreign satellite
broadcasts for trampling on Islamic values and say
they are used increasingly by exiled opposition
groups, especially those based in Los Angeles,
California, to stir anti-government unrest. According
to official estimates about three million households
have access to satellite television, while security
forces have in recent years only managed to seize
70,000 sets. A couple of these TV stations are also
the mouthpieces of new self-styled 'prophets',
including a man called Mostafa Makkei in his early
sixties who claims ''I am the reincarnation of
Mohammed, the holy prophet of Islam.''

IRAQ

ZAGROS TV TO LAUNCH NOVEMBER 1

Kurdistan Democratic Party is planning to launch
another satellite TV channel in Iraqi Kurdistan. The
new station, which preliminarily is called Zagros TV,
will start its broadcasting programs November 1 this
year. According to a memo issued by the KDP
Information Office, the new station will have three
separate studios in three different Kurdish cities,
Sulaimania, Dohuk and Irbil and its focus will be on
domestic issues of Iraqi Kurdistan. Kurdistan TV(KDP)
and Kurd Sat(PUK) are the two satellite channels based
in Iraqi Kurdistan that Kurdish TV viewers so far have
been able to enjoy.

ALHURRA ATTRACTS MILLIONS OF ARAB VIEWERS

After only six months on the air, Alhurra TV, the new
Arabic-language satellite channel, has quickly
attracted a large audience in the Middle East with a
diverse schedule of news, talk shows, debates,
documentaries and entertaining information programs on
a wide variety of subjects from sports to fashion to
technology. These are among the findings of a series
of just released surveys conducted across the Middle
East by ACNielsen in July and August of 2004. Alhurra
began broadcasting on February 14. Weekly viewing
rates among adults 15 and over residing in satellite
TV households were: Egypt 12 per cent, Jordan 29 per
cent, Kuwait 33 per cent, Lebanon 20 per
cent, Morocco 22 per cent, Saudi Arabia 24 per cent
and UAE 20 per cent. Alhurra has also proven itself to
be a credible source of news and information. In all
the countries surveyed, the majority of Alhurra's
regular viewers ranked Alhurra's news either "very
reliable" or "somewhat reliable." The 24-hour channel
broadcasts across the region in Arabic and can be seen
in 22 countries via Arabsat and Nilesat which reach
approximately 120 million satellite viewers.

ISRAEL

KAN TV TO BID FOR JEWISH HERITAGE CHANNEL

Techelet, the Jewish content cable television channel,
co-owner Shlomo Ben-Tzvi has announced his intention
of participating in the tender. Taya Communications
subsidiary Kan Television, which is participating in
the Channel 2 tender, is wasting no time. Taya
announced on October 17 that it would participate in
the Council for Cable and Satellite Broadcasting
tender for operating the Jewish Heritage Channel. The
tender is scheduled to be published shortly. Kat
Television chairman Oren Most said, "There is strong
synergy between the content aired by Channel 2 and the
Jewish heritage and history channel. There is a severe
shortage of Jewish identity and heritage content that
Kan Television will fill with the new heritage
channel. Kan Television will invest about NIS 2.5
million in the Jewish Heritage Channel tender.
Techelet, the Jewish content cable television channel,
co-owner Shlomo Ben-Tzvi has also announced his
intention of participating in the Jewish Heritage
Channel tender, which he would also operate under the
Techelet name. Techelet co-owners Ben-Tzvi and Ron
Lauder are also shareholders in Channel 10 franchisee
Israel 10. Techelet and Kan Television are the only
two groups that have so far announced their intention
of participating in the Jewish Heritage Channel
tender.

HOT OPTS FOR SEACHANGE FOR TV ON-DEMAND SERVICE

HOT, the Israeli cable consortium comprised of Golden
Channels, Matav and Tevel, is rolling out on-demand
television in November 2004 and has selected SeaChange
International to provide the platform and integration
services for this advanced new television service.
SeaChange's VOD Systems will enable the three cable
operators to provide over one million subscribers with
an array of television programming - such as movies,
time-shifted broadcast television, subscription
services and localized content - to view at their
convenience with fast-forward, rewind and pause
capabilities. The SeaChange VOD System supports a wide
array of third-party software and network components,
and will be deployed with HOT's settop boxes from ADB
(Advanced Digital Broadcast), Samsung, and Thomson;
middleware from OpenTV; and conditional access systems
from NDS and Nagra.

KUWAIT

NEW SATELLITE TV CHANNEL FOCUSES ON REAL ESTATE AND
TOURISM

The new satellite channel, Al-Mishkat, based in
Kuwait, is to be launched soon as a channel
specialized in real estate and tourism covering the
Arab world. Board Chairman of the channel, Khalid
Ashur, said on October 9, that in light of the
continued accusations against the Arab and Islamic
world, the channel aims to acquaint the world with
tourism in the region, as well as its history and
culture. He said that in this age, tourism has become
branched [as received] and this channel will
accommodate for all of this, adding that it will also
provide up-to-date information on real estate and
related laws for the different locations. For his
part, the Deputy Director and Managing Director of the
channel, Husayn Hamzah, said that the idea is to use
the channel to market Arabs and Muslims as those
possessing deep-rooted culture and history. Al-Mishkat
had commenced its trial broadcast on Nilesat and is
scheduled to officially start broadcasting in
December.

QATAR

MEGAHERTZ WINS AL JAZEERA SPORTS CHANNEL CONTRACT

Megahertz Broadcast Systems, in conjunction with its
partner company, Mideast Data Ltd, Doha, has won a
major contract to build three turnkey Master Control
areas and satellite upgrades for the Al Jazeera Sports
Channel in Doha, Qatar. Megahertz beat strong
international competition to win the Al Jazeera
contract, which was officially put out to tender
earlier this year. Each of the three Master Control
areas will be equipped with sophisticated systems that
incorporate a Thomson GVG Saturn, Pinnacle Thunder,
DecoCast and Miranda Imagestore. The outputs from each
area will be connected via fibre optic cables to an
encoding area, where they will be encoded using
Tandberg equipment. The Al Jazeera Sports Channel, a
division of Al Jazeera News, was launched last year
and has exclusive rights to a range of major
international events, including the French Open Tennis
Tournament. It also has broadcast rights to next
year's Australian Tennis Open.

SINGAPORE

STARHUB RAISES CALBE TV PRICES

StarHub, Singapore's monopoly cable-television
operator, said on October 21 it will raise prices from
next month, a week after investors panned the
loss-making company's initial public offering. StarHub
will from November 3 charge S$15.75 per month for
three sports channels, nearly double the current
S$8.40 price. Because of this, various StarHub
packages that include the sports channels will cost
more - some as much as 17%. StarHub offers some 50
channels. Satellite receivers, with which households
could access global channels cheaply, are banned in
Singapore for public use.

THAILAND

CHANNEL 5 SCRAPS LISTING PLANS

The Royal Thai Army has officially dropped all plans
to partially privatise and list its Channel 5, bowing
to an earlier cabinet decision that the broadcasting
agency, as a public medium, should not be exploited
primarily for profits. The Bangkok Post quoted
Director of Channel 5 Lt-Gen Lertrit Wechsawarn as
saying Channel 5 would from now focus on its primary
objective of promoting public services, arts,
entertainment and culture. The company plans to focus
more on family content and will officially announce
its annual programming revamp next month.

A F R I C A

NIGERIA

TREND TV EXTENDS FREE OFFER

Indigenous cable satellite television operator,
Communication Trends Limited (CTL), owners of TrendTv
has extended its free services till the end of this
month. Subscribers of TrendTV, offering more than 30
channels of news and entertainment and will compete
including BBC World, Fox News, MBC, Parliamentary Tre,
Court TV and MTV Base and Discovery Civilisation would
begin to pay by scratch card from the end of October.

SOUTH AFRICA

SABC TO INVEST IN NEW TV CHANNELS

The SABC says an amount of R200 million has been
budgeted for the two regional TV channels which the
broadcaster plans to launch next year. The channels,
to be called SABC 4 and SABC 5, will supplement the
existing channels in terms of the language spread.
SABC 5 will serve mostly Nguni languages, while SABC 4
will accommodate Sesotho language groups. The
application for the SABC 5 licence was also heard. The
two channels are part of the broadcaster's plan to
split its services into public and commercial.

SCHOOLS TO RECEIVE TV LEARNING CHANNEL

The country's primary school learners and educators
are set to benefit from a new satellite television
channel set to help improve their access to quality
education. Mindset Network will receive a R22 million
towards the designing of technology and content based
on the needs of young learners between ages of five
and 13. The United States Agency for International
Development (USAID) will make this donation over the
next three years, following an agreement signed with
Mindset Network this week. Mindset Network is a
non-profit organisation aimed at the personal, social
and economic upliftment of South Africans by
delivering free education materials via satellite
broadcasts with supporting multimedia materials in
print and Internet. The network has developed,
launched and managed a number of channels aimed at the
needs of different target markets such as Mindset
Learn and Health Channel launched in August. The
concept of the channel was tested in 50
underprivileged primary schools and programming could
possibly be expanded to other African countries,
starting in Kenya.

25/10/04

I have advised Lyngsat of Asiasat 4 12430 V sr 20000 Fec 3/4 mux ..and his responce was
"12430 V with this SR is impossible.It must be another frequency, polarity or SR."

With that kind of attitude you have to wonder how much other stuff is missing from his charts. I advise you to take a look at Satcodx. While the layout isn't as clean as Lyngsat they have monitors with satellite cards scanning and logging all services not just the ones Mr Lyngsat "thinks" are right.

ABC Asia Pacific is back on NSS6 12678 V 6510

Indy Car feeds were seen on
B3 In car feed. 12452 H 6670 3/4
B3 No ads feed. 12443 H 6670 3/4

Satfacts section has been updated

From my Emails & ICQ

From Herb Gardiner

Changes in AS4 Ku mux...
Da-ai has replaced Mac TV, and is currently running clear.
VTV3 is still encrypted using Viaccess.
12430V, s/r 20000.

Must still be playing with it. Hope Da-ai won't be one of their
permanent 'free' channels!!

Herb.

From Chris Pickstock

Pas 2, 3958V, sr 6620
Madrid Masters Tennis Feed

Chris P

From Steve Hume

Telstar 18
Bremen v Nurnberg Soccer (LIGA)
VSAT 3866H @ 4289 VID: 161 AUD: 84 PCR: 161

Asiasat 2 - Tennis feed - 4.2.2.
Cyasa4 4094V - 6666 VID 512 PCR 8190
Remember 4.2.2.

From the Dish

Intelsat 701 180E 11500 H The test card has left .

PAS 8 166E 12366 H "Seven test cards" have started on , Fta, SR 28860, FEC 3/4, PIDs 513/514-2049/2050.
Palapa C2 113E 4120 H "MTV Indonesia" is still on , NTSC.

Optus B3 152E 12525 V "AssyriaSat "has started on , Fta, PIDs 1260/1220.

Measat 2 148E 11540 H "CVTV, Perviy kanal Vsemirnaya setj and ABC Asia Pacific" have started on, Viaccess, PIDs 206/106, 212/112 and 216/116.

Telstar 18 138E 12354 V "It's Asia TV" on , Conax, PIDs 51/52.
Telstar 18 138E 12354 V "TVBS Golden" has started on , Conax, PIDs 68/69.

Palapa C2 113E 11472 V "CCTV 5 and SuperSport 3 have replaced Sky News International" on ,Viaccess, PIDs 2401/2402.
Palapa C2 113E 11472 V "MAC TV has started on , Viaccess,PIDs 2301/2302-2401/2402.CCTV 5, SuperSport 3 and J Wave Satellite TV 1-3 have left. New PIDs for Candy TV: 2501/2502.

Sinosat 1 110.5E 12622 V "A test card has started" on , Fta, PIDs 65/66.

Telkom 1 108E 3580 H "I-Music Channel" has started on , Irdeto, PIDs 592/593.
Telkom 1 108E 3580 H "HBO Asia" has left .

NSS 6 95E 10977 H "Onnuri TV" has started on , Fta, PIDs 48/49.
NSS 6 95E 11172 H "QTV has replaced DD National" on , Conax, PIDs 169/98.
NSS 6 95E 12729 V "LoveWorld" has started on , Fta, PIDs 2593/2594.BlueKiss, BlueKiss Express, Realitatea TV and Radio Vocea Sperantei have left

Measat 1 91.5E 11044 V "Astro SuperSport 2" has left , replaced by a test card.

ST 1 88E 3582 H "TBL Sport 3 has replaced Star Sports Asia" on , fta, PIDs 36/37.
ST 1 88E 3632 V "Star Winged has replaced Rainbow Channel (Taiwan)" on , Viaccess,PIDs 1585/1569.
ST 1 88E All Hakka TV have left 3427 H and 3550 V, replaced by test cards.
ST 1 88E 3520 V "Channel 8 has replaced Channel 5 (Singapore)" on , fta, SR 2222,FEC 1/2, PIDs 4450/4451.

ST 1 88E 12642 H "CTV has replaced FTV News Channel" on , Conax, PIDs 49/52. Several PID updates in this mux.

ChinaStar 1 87.5E 3734 H A Philips promo has started on , Fta, SR 6111, FEC 3/4,PIDs 3601/3604.
ChinaStar 1 87.5E 3848 V "GreatSports Channel" is now encrypted.

Thaicom 3 78.5E 3545 V "Star News India" is now encrypted.
Thaicom 2 78.5E 12666 V "DLTV 1-14" have left .

Telstar 10 76.5E 4060 V "Dhamma Channel" is still on ,Fta SR 1760, FEC 3/4, PIDs 4194/4195.

Edusat at 74E Edusat has arrived at 74 East.

Eutelsat W5 70.5E 11338 V "EuroNews" is back on , fta, SR 4770, FEC 1/2, PIDs 920/930.

PAS 10 68.5E 4070 V "Dubai Sports Channel" has left .
PAS 10 68.5E 4075 V "Hungama TV" is Fta.

NSS 703 57E "ETV (Ethiopia)" has moved from 3919 L to 3910 L, Fta, SR 2894, FEC 3/4,PIDs 100/110, NW zone beam.

NEWS

Foxtel puts its rates up

From http://afr.com/articles/2004/10/25/1098556328324.html

Pay television company Foxtel will increase its subscriber fees from December 1 following a review of its pricing structure for digital and analog cable as well as satellite services.

The price rises of up to $4 a month follow the introduction of digital service earlier this year. At the launch in January, chief executive Kim Williams said Foxtel expected to be posting sustainable profits by 2006 as it reaped the benefits of the digital platform.

Foxtel, which boasts Telstra as its biggest shareholder with a 50 per cent stake, said "the changes reflect our ongoing intention to provide a service that is constantly evolving and which continues to offer great value to our subscribers".

"These changes reflect no more than a dollar increase per week," Foxtel's television and marketing executive director, Brian Walsh, said in a letter to subscribers.

Foxtel wasn't immediately available to comment. Media companies News and Publishing & Broadcasting each own 25 per cent of Foxtel.

Free-to-air TV faces digital video threat

From Transcript http://www.abc.net.au/insidebusiness/content/2004/s1226676.htm

ALAN KOHLER: The commercial TV industry has enjoyed a heady few weeks. The prospect of more relaxed media ownership laws has lifted share prices, but there may be trouble looming for the networks in a new technology that's nestling up beside the nation's TVs. It's a little box that promises to do to ads what Liquid Paper did to typing mistakes. Andrew Geoghegan reports.

ANDREW GEOGHEGAN: This is the technology that Rupert Murdoch calls the future of television. A future he wants to control in Australia.

NIGEL TRINCA, FUTURE TENSE SOLUTIONS: I think it is going to revolutionise what television is in our lives.

ANDREW GEOGHEGAN: With a 25 per cent stake in Foxtel's monopoly of the capital city pay TV market, Rupert Murdoch wants Australians to watch TV via Foxtel's set-top box and this is the device he thinks will lure subscribers in droves.

PETER SHORTHOUSE, ABN AMRO: The evidence to date shows that once people get a DVR, they stay with the pay TV service for a long time, it's almost impossible to overstate how valuable that is to the pay TV operator. It can make the customer worth two or three times one that doesn't stay for quite as long. That is why Rupert Murdoch is so keen on the DVR.

ANDREW GEOGHEGAN: The DVR or digital video recorder, alternatively known as a personal video recorder, enables a viewer to watch anything at any time.

NIGEL TRINCA: With these machines, they have a hard drive in them so that you just tell the machine your favourite programs - I want to watch this on Tuesday's and this on Friday's and this on Saturday's - and it remembers it every week and just records it to an enormous hard drive for you to watch when you're ready to watch.

ANDREW GEOGHEGAN: Americans have had access to this technology for five years. Australians, however, are still waiting. Foxtel is expected to start selling the service next year. But the Seven, Nine and Ten networks are showing no signs of accommodating the technology and for good reason. Interactive DVRs threaten free-to-air televisions very livelihood.

NIGEL TRINCA: So the ads are irritating me and here's an ad, so I can just merely skip these ads in 30-second segments by pressing the ad-skip button. And I don't like that ad either and I'm back to the show.

PETER SHORTHOUSE: Look, there is a doomsday scenario which says free-to-air TV will end up with no adverts on it. That's not a solution because advertisers pay for the programs so if there's no advertising, there will be no free-to-air TV, full stop.

HAROLD MITCHELL, MITCHELL & PARTNERS: That's what is possible - that could happen. But it won't, It means that the free-to-air system that we now have in Australia, leaving out the rest of the world, wouldn't be strong enough to hold the position it has. My belief is that it will. People are quite happy with the system that they have got.

ANDREW GEOGHEGAN: DVRs rely on electronic program guides for their information. The problem is Australia's three free-to-air networks don't broadcast their guides and copyright restrictions prevent others from doing so. Effectively making DVRs here little more than long-play video recorders.

NIGEL TRINCA: The big players, namely Seven and Nine, don't want to release that information just yet. So they would like people to be on pay TV as well as free-to-air TV. I think the free-to-air TV networks need to understand that the competition for them is pay TV. And a box like this which makes the free-to-air TV experience much better is really what they need to embrace.

PETER VOGEL, FAULCONBRIDGE: Obviously we can't just copy the program guide from TV Week or from the TV stations' websites but we can gather bits of information about the programs that are on on the various channels and assemble them in unique way and create our own copywritable work.

ANDREW GEOGHEGAN: Enter Peter Vogel, the man who invented the Fairlight Computer Synthesizer which revolutionised the music industry. He now plans to revolutionise the way we watch TV.

PETER VOGEL: I had this idea that it would be good to have a TV which would turn itself off when unsuitable programs came on. And I developed that system to work in prototype stage and I showed it to a few potential investors and they said "Oh, it's a really great system "but could you do the same thing with ads?" And I thought, "Yeah, it's not such a big step."

ANDREW GEOGHEGAN: Fast forward 14 years and Peter Vogel's ad-free TV service is prime to hit your television.

TV ADVERTISEMENT: When you go back to watch your selected programs, ICE can automatically delete the ads.

ANDREW GEOGHEGAN: Peter Vogel says he has already successfully negotiated with three or four DVR manufacturers to have their recorders made compatible with his Intelligent Content Engine or ICE link.

PETER VOGEL: Our business plan only calls for 3 per cent of householders to be subscribing to our service and we're making very good revenue out of that, because our business model is to charge a couple of dollars a week per subscription.

ANDREW GEOGHEGAN: But Peter Vogel thinks he is underestimating likely demand. With the Government looking to faze out analogue TV by 2008, Australians will have no choice but to buy either a new digital TV or a set-top box which converts a digital signal. America's conversion to digital TV has so far prompted around 4 per cent of US households to buy a digital video recorder. Global media agency OMD has found that even with that low level of penetration, $1.2 billion or 2 per cent of the US advertising market has been completely ignored thanks to ad-skipping technology. With one in five US households expected to have a DVR by 2006, it is no wonder some sections of the TV advertising industry are worried.

JAMES GREET, OMD: Between 65 per cent and 70 per cent of advertising is actually deleted or skipped, forecasts for the UK suggest that it will be in something like 50 per cent of homes by 2010 and they estimate something like 60 per cent of commercials will be skipped.

ANDREW GEOGHEGAN: James Greet, head of OMD'S Australia media buying business is already working with advertiser to combat changing consumer behaviour. Integral to the new strategy is more product placement in television shows.

JAMES GREET: The media that are likely to win are those who own media properties, the publishers who own content. Obviously TV stations are owners either directly or indirectly of some very powerful content.

HAROLD MITCHELL: I don't think that the people are going to want to use digital TV to do things like cutting out ads, people actually like ads.

ANDREW GEOGHEGAN: Harold Mitchell owns Australia's largest media buying company. He is adamant TV networks will continue to see ad revenue grow on the back of the traditional 30 second advertising spot.

HAROLD MITCHELL: We are a market, we have big target markets, big target audiences and free-to-air television will always deliver en masse to all those people.

ANDREW GEOGHEGAN: But media analyst Peter Shorthouse thinks the free-to-air networks could find their ad revenue eroded over a four or five-year period.

PETER SHORTHOUSE: There is a risk, there is a hiatus period where advertisers see that viewers are watching less adverts or more of them are going to pay TV. Therefore they want to pay less for the free-to-air time that they are getting to advertise. Meanwhile the free-to-air industry is still paying as much as it ever was for the Olympics or AFL or other sports and program rights.

ANDREW GEOGHEGAN: If Australia's free-to-air networks are concerned about the emerging technology which allows viewers to edit their product as it goes to air, they are not letting on. Inside Business asked the networks what strategies they have in place to deal with this threat to their advertising revenue. Most, including the industry's peak body - free TV - refused to make any comment. But we did get a response from PBL's John Alexander. His network, Channel Nine, captured 40 per cent of the $1.5 billion spent on TV advertising last year.

JOHN ALEXANDER, CEO, MANAGING DIRECTOR: I think it's too early to speculate about the impact it is going to have on our business. I think as a company... but we're, whatever happens with DVRs in the future, we are very well positioned.

PETER SHORTHOUSE: Well, the program that people still have to watch live are news and sport - that is where Nine has its strengths as well. So I believe they are very well positioned for the impact of DVRs.

ANDREW GEOGHEGAN: And unlike the other networks, Nine's parent has a fallback option - with a 25 per cent stake in Foxtel, PBL has hedged its bets. The industry will now be watching carefully to see if DVR prompt viewers to switch off the free-to-air networks.

Loral Skynet to Provide Hawaii Pacific Teleport with Enhanced Satellite Connectivity to Asia

From http://www.satnews.com/frames.html

BEDMINSTER, NJ, Oct. 21/Satnews Daily/ — Loral Skynet has signed an agreement with Hawaii Pacific Teleport (HPT), a provider of teleport services between North America and Asia, to provide capacity on Loral's recently launched Telstar 18 satellite.

Vince Waterson, HPT vice president of business development said the broad reach and power of Telstar 18 makes it a premier satellite to offer HPT customers with feeds coming into or out of Asia.

"In addition to our regular digital and analog turnaround services, HPT plans to use Telstar 18 for its public switched videophone network (PSVN) to provide low-cost videoconferencing services throughout Asia for a new customer," he added.

Patrick K. Brant, Loral Skynet president said with Telstar 18 and the already orbiting Telstar 10 at 76.5 East, customers around the world can now choose from two satellites that offer excellent coverage of Asia and links to the Americas and Europe through Skynet's global network.

Telstar 18, located at 138 degrees East longitude has extensive coverage that stretches from Central Asia through the Indian sub-continent, China, Korea, Japan, South East Asia, Australia and Hawaii. In addition to hosting intra-regional applications, Telstar 18 offers low cost connectivity to and from the US mainland via the satellite's Hawaiian coverage and Skynet's fiber network that connects Hawaii with North America.

HPT is located on the southwest shore of the island of Oahu, Hawaii, from where it connects global businesses through a network of satellites and fiber optic cables reaching from North America as far west as the Indian subcontinent. Unlike American mainland teleports, HPT can 'see' all the Asia-Pacific orbital slots between 128 degrees East and 165 degrees East. According to HPT, this coverage enables the company to serve customers located as far West as Pakistan and in all countries eastward to Hawaii plus customers in Australia, New Zealand and many Pacific Islands.

BT Developes New Technology Tripling Satellite Communication Links Capacity

From http://www.wi-fitechnology.com/displayarticle1562.html

Development by BT of satellite modulation technology with more power to maximise the use of expensive bandwidth

/25 Oct, 2004 - The Wi-Fi Technology Forum/-BT has developed new technology that can triple the capacity of existing satellite communication links. The technology only has to be deployed in the ground stations, hence upgrading existing systems is both straightforward and efficient.

Satellite communication now accounts for around 10 per cent of global telecommunications revenues [1] and global demand for satellite-based Internet circuits is predicted to approximately double between 2005 to 2010 [2] therefore the technology is poised to enable significant cost reductions in this fast-growing global market.

Development of the system was prompted by the relative high costs involved in leasing satellite bandwidth capacity. This is an issue affecting any organisation that delivers data over a satellite link. By putting more data over the same amount of bandwidth, the new modulation technique invented ensures a two to three times greater efficiency, thus enabling more information to be delivered at the same cost.

The new modulation scheme draws on similar principles to those used in the signal transmitted by GSM phones - which delivers data over a modulation scheme consisting of two states - this new method uses multiple states, combined with partial response signalling. Its unique innovation lies in the design of the detection mechanism in the demodulator, which is based on symbol pattern recognition.

The system has been designed for use over large-scale satellite links operating from earth stations, which typically carry high bandwidth data. These include ISP backbone connections, satellite newsgathering, video links and corporate use, military satellite communications and international trunk traffic being transmitted across continents.

Mike Carr, director of research and venturing, BT Group CTO said: "Seeing the big growth in ISP backbone connection by satellite some two years ago, especially from the UK and USA to Middle and Far Eastern countries, we were prompted to develop a technology to help maximise the use of bandwidth, and so reduce cost. Satellite is a particularly useful delivery method for asymmetrically delivered data, whereby more data is needed to be delivered than received from a given destination. As such, the new modulation scheme has a particularly significant role to play in this market."

Further development of the technology for delivering data to 'small dish' services, such as home-based satellite TV is under consideration.
Ends

[1] Telecommunications Fixed Satellite Services US Equity Research, Credit Lyonnais Securities
[2] Mark Williamson, Internet-over-satellite: backbone or spare rib? Telecommunications International, November 2002.

About BT: http://www.btplc.com

BSkyb faces threat to monopoly from ITV free satellite link with BBC

From http://news.independent.co.uk/business/news/story.jsp?story=575691

ITV is considering joining the BBC in a new non-subscription venture which will seek to break BSkyB's monopoly on satellite broadcasting and could lead to the end of ITV's payments for having its services included on the Sky platform.

The BBC is determined to press ahead with its own free satellite (FreeSat) offering despite the fact that Sky launched such a product last week. Free satellite gives consumers access to dozens of channels, such as CNN and the BBC stations, which are broadcast free-to-air and unencrypted with just a dish and a digital decoder box.

In what could amount to a double blow for James Murdoch, the chief executive of Sky, the development of FreeSat comes at a time when ITV is renegotiating the £17m annual payment to have its satellite broadcasts encrypted by Sky. Encryption gives Sky the ability to stop the ITV signal bleeding over into other countries and ensures the right regional programmes reach the right homes.

However, the BBC went "in the clear" - unencrypted - two years ago and it believes other public service broadcasters should follow. The channels are still available to Sky users. It is understood that ITV is carefully examining this possibility, attracted by the prospect of a £17m saving which would boost profits by 5 per cent.

Sky had hoped that by providing its own free satellite product - which costs £150, including installation - it would stop the BBC or other broadcasters moving into the satellite territory. Mr Murdoch has set an ambitious target of 10 million subscribers by 2010, from the current 7.4 million. Attracting customers with a free service could be a useful stepping stone from which to persuade them to pay for subscription channels.

The BBC-backed satellite offer would seek to undercut Sky on price and would involve a one-off payment. It would endorse cheaper decoder boxes which do not have a smart-card slot for conversion to pay-TV.

Carolyn Fairbairn, the BBC's director of strategy, said: "A plurality of distribution systems is better. It's about consumer choice. Outside Freeview and cable areas, at the moment the only choice consumers have [for digital TV] is Sky."

The analogue television signal will be switched off altogether by 2012, leaving only digital broadcasting. Some areas of the country will go digital-only from 2007. Freeview, the free digital terrestrial service, does not reach 25 per cent of the country - more than 6 million households.

Ms Fairbairn said it was unlikely that the BBC could launch its FreeSat until early next year. She said if ITV also broadcast unencrypted, it would make it a "much better" proposition - otherwise households taking the BBC-endorsed FreeSat would not be able to receive ITV.

(Craigs comment, while not really local news we could see similar happening in the NZ market soon. Once TVNZ get their new "freeview" type service up and running.)

Pakistan ; Permission sought for STAR telecast in Pakistan

From http://www.keralanext.com/news/?id=58362

Pakistan News, Islamabad: Pakistan's information ministry has sought permission from the prime minister's office for telecast of non-Indian but "pro-India" STAR TV satellite channels in the country.

Some in the ministry, however, feel this "would have an extremely adverse impact on the religious and cultural values" of Pakistani society but this view is not likely to prevail, The News reported Saturday.

"A formal (request) has been forwarded by the ministry for the prime minister's approval to grant permission to non-Indian multinational media groups to distribute and market satellite television channels in Pakistan," it added.

The request follows the permission sought by SATSTAR Media (Pvt) Ltd. for distributing and marketing STAR TV satellite channels in Pakistan.

"The ministry has sought the required permission to be granted to the channel by changing the existing policy.

"STAR TV, though a non-Indian channel, mainly targets the Indian market and promotes Indian culture. There are some dissenting voices in the information ministry, which apprehend that the opening up of the international channels and particularly the pro-Indians, would have an extremely adverse impact on the religious and cultural values of our society.

"But such viewpoints have not been conveyed to the prime minister," The News said.

"Pro-STAR TV sources in the government argue that the company has assured the authorities that it would move to 100 percent Pakistani programme content over a period of time," it added.

The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority, which operates under the information ministry and is presently without any chairman, has also endorsed the ministry's viewpoint, adding that it would help the authority to earn more revenue.

Sources in the Prime Minister's Secretariat said the ministry and the regulator had argued for revising the existing policy to avoid piracy and loss of revenue to the government.

"The ministry, while pressing for the continued ban on Indian-owned channels like Zee TV, Aaj Tak and Doordarshan, said the policy needs to be redefined to differentiate between Indian TV channels and non-Indian multinational TV channels showing Indian programmes," the newspaper said. Indo-Asian News Service

24/10/04

No update Sunday

23/10/04

No update Saturday

22/10/04

The Zee mux on Asiasat 3 cband has changed to SECA 2 encryption. Which has shut down viewers watching via "superfta" decoders.

The new channel on Optus B3 Globecast is Assyriansat not Syriasat and is now broadcasting.
assyrian sat web www.betnahrain.org/assyriasat/assyriasat.htm

EX TVNZ SAT services equipment up for grabs on Ebay. Includes 2 13m dishes in W.A
http://stores.ebay.com/TVNZ-Satellite-Services

Bluekiss is still missing from NSS6

From my Emails & ICQ

From Alex W.A

Contry to common opinion, I tested a couple of Dialectic plates in my Cal
Amp C Band LNBF on some Circular Intelsat and Express Satellites viewable
on the West Coast

Before and after results-

Int 704 66 Deg E 4055 R Standard 25% Plate 50%
Int 906 64 Deg E 4080 L Standard 55% Plate 78%
Int 902 62 Deg E 4177 L Standard 24% Plate 35%
Nss 703 57Deg E 3980 R Standard 35% Plate 50%
Nss 6 4055 R Standard No Signal Plate 23%

Numerous Express/Gorz analog services were tested with improvements in
picture quality.

Unfortunately Int 701 is now obscured in my location by over grown trees,
so no tests could be done in this direction, but given the above results I
would think that the same improvements would occur.

The dialectic plate may not be the most efficient tool but is a cheap
alternative to a circular feed when only fortuitous services are required
and not used on a full time bases.

Swapping the 13/18v Horz and Vert Pol gave the desired Left and Right polarity.

INT 704 66Deg E 4055 R 27500 3/4 Terlemedia Test bars started Mpeg FTA VID 420 AUD 430

Alek

From the Dish

PAS 8 166E 4080 V "Gala TV Variety and SET Taiwan" are now encrypted.

Measat 2 146E 11538 H VTV 1-5 (clear), DW-TV, EuroSport News, Star Movies International, Star World, Phoenix Chinese, MTV Southeast Asia and Arirang TV World 1 have started on , Viaccess, SR 35500, PIDs 201/101-216/116.

Koreasat 2 113 12617 H All channels in the Mirsat mux are Fta.

Cakrawarta 1 107.7E 2655 H "TPI, Trans TV, SCTV, Fashion TV and Metro TV have started on ,Videoguard, SR 15000, FEC 7/8, PIDs 515/643-519/647.

NSS 6 95E 12729 V "Realitatea TV and Radio Vocea Sperantei" have started on , Fta, PIDs 1160/1120 and 1122.

Yamal 201 90E 4084 R Voice of Russia has replaced Radio Mayak on , Fta, APID 4152.

Express 6A 80E 3694 R Radio Mayak has started on , Fta, APID 4197.

Telstar 10 76.5E 4060 V "Dhamma Channel" has left .

PAS 10 68.5E 3808 VA Taj TV test card has started on , Fta, PIDs 39/42.

NEWS

UBI WORLD TV LAUNCHES IT’S MULTI-LINGUAL DIGITAL TV SERVICE ACROSS AUSTRALIA

From Press Release (un-noficial?? came via auscity forums)

United Broadcasting International Pty Ltd (UBI WORLD TV) has announced the launch of it’s new direct-to-home digital TV service in Australia.

UBI WORLD TV specialises in providing ethnic Australians with the highest rating and most respected TV channels from their homeland, showing news, current affairs, sport, drama series, movies and general entertainment in their own language. By subscribing to UBI WORLD TV people can stay in contact with their homeland and cultural heritage at an affordable price.

UBI WORLD TV is offering 44 multi-lingual digital TV channels from the worlds leading broadcasters. Arabic, Filipino, Greek, Macedonian, Polish, Portuguese, Serbian, Spanish and Turkish TV channels will all be broadcast on UBI WORLD TV.

UBI WORLD TV is currently available free-to-air on the Optus B3 Satellite, with phased encryption of the service planned to occur over the coming months. Viewers wanting to receive the service after encryption will need to subscribe to a UBI World TV package from $49.95 per month.

People can find out more about UBI WORLD TV and the channels available on it by calling 02 9776 2727 between 09:00 and 18:00 AEST.

(Craigs comment, this came via Auscity website forum and I can't find any OFFICIAL Press Release elsewhere so who knows??)

Teleport Operators Basks On DTH, Internet

From http://allafrica.com/stories/200410210867.html

Teleport operators, like satellite operators, have weathered the general downturn affecting the commercial satellite industry much better than other segments thanks largely to Direct to home (DTH) and the Internet, satnews.com has reported.

And it now seems that teleport operators might just be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel ahead of the rest.

Teleport operators are optimistic the worst of the dotcom bust of 2001-2002 is behind them.

A survey taken last year by the World Teleport Association (WTA) showed that 92 per cent of its members who responded said business in the next 12 months (or until mid-2004) would be good to fair.

For the next three years, all respondents said business would also be good to fair. Over 60 per cent rated business in 2002 from poor to bad.

Also indicative of the new optimism among teleport operators is the belief among 64 per cent that the number of teleport operators should increase in the next three years. Only 18 per cent thought their number would decrease.

Operators said government, enterprises, DTH, traditional broadcasting and cable and the Internet were driving their business and were expected to continue doing so.

They were particularly optimistic about Internet growth. Despite the dotcom meltdown, teleport operators reported spikes in their Internet and IP transport businesses, with the average operator generating 16 per cent of revenues from IP in 2002 compared to three per cent in 1998.

And of course, DTH continued as a reliable core business for teleport operators, which is also the case for satellite operators. Video generally accounts for 60 per cent to 75 per cent of the commercial satellite market in the major world regions such as North and Latin America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. DTH/DBS, which is part of the video market, account for one-quarter to one-third of total market and is growing.

The video market remains the mainstay of the commercial satellite industry, which is good news for teleport operators.

Analysts said locking in the video market is more important for the long-term success of satellite operators than overstressing the networking market.

Despite significant transponder overcapacity, the satellite transponder leasing market remains quite strong and profitable when compared to the telecommunications industry as a whole.

Analysts believe the main driver for mergers and acquisitions within the commercial satellite industry must be the need to reduce transponder overcapacity and to develop more rational replacement plans for future satellites.

Teleport operators appear more than happy to consign the immediate past to oblivion, and with good reason. Average revenues dropped five percent from 2001 to 2002 among operators who responded to the WTA survey. Nearly 45per cent saw revenues rise year-on-year while 55 per cent saw declines.

Nearly 60 per cent of teleport operators fired people in 2002. About 15percent , however, hired more people while 25per cent retained headcount.

One important result from the telecom downturn was that large teleport operators did much better than smaller ones.

Large operators generated $1.5 million in revenue from each antenna they operated in 2002 and $258,000 from each employee, significantly higher than small companies.

The continuing evolution of teleports from something more than relay stations into "superPOPs" that seamlessly integrate the satellite and terrestrial fiber technologies required for a truly wired world makes teleports a key strategic resource.

The WTA some years ago announced the birth of superPOPs, which it described as integrated or end-to-end telecom hubs that support a vast array of technologies and services, including the bridging of fiber-optic network and satellite connectivity.

Teleports are continuing to expand service offerings to include Internet backbone access, server collocation and video streaming with the ongoing domination of telecoms by Internet and IP traffic.

Despite dramatic growth in the use of satellites for Internet-related services, the big money still lies in providing backbone connectivity. The maturing of the teleport Internet industry in the future might change this, and probably will

StarHub hikes rates by 17%

From http://www.advanced-television.com/pages/pagesb/newsdaily.html

Singapore's monopoly cable TV operator StarHub has decided to raise the prices of its pay-TV packages by 17 per cent. The new rates will be applicable from November 3.

With the increase, subscribers to its package containing sports channels like ESPN and Star Sports, which broadcast live English Premier League matches, will have to pay US$21.4 a month, up from US$18.3 currently.

StarHub said that the rate adjustment was "inevitable as the costs of sports programmes have skyrocketed in recent years." No details pertaining to the higher cost of packages excluding sports channels were disclosed.

Earlier this year, ESPN and Star Sports threatened to stop the live broadcast of English Premier League in Singapore, due to a disagreement with StarHub over pricing. The dispute was eventually resolved although neither party gave details of the settlement.

StarHub has over 393,000 cable TV subscribers, equivalent to around one-third of Singapore households. The company also sells broadband Internet and mobile and fixed-line services to Singapore's 4 million inhabitants. According to analysts, StarHub's capital-intensive cable-TV business isn't generating enough revenue to be profitable, placing more pressure on its profitable mobile-phone business to deliver revenue growth in a saturated market.

BSKYB launches Freesat digital TV

From http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3762910.stm

Sky's subscription figures have been slowing

BSkyB has launched a free digital satellite TV service which offers 140 channels for a one-off fee of £150.

The service, Freesat from Sky, is being seen by many as an attempt to rival the success of Freeview, the equivalent service for digital terrestrial TV.

Freesat has been launched with little fanfare by Sky, as the company continues to focus on pay-TV.

Viewers will get a digital set-top box, satellite dish, with free installation and a remote control in the deal.

Freesat will initially be only available directly from BSkyB.

The company hopes that the absence of a subscription fee will lure new customers who may eventually switch to a pay-TV package when analogue TV is phased out.

SKY'S FREE-TO-AIR PACKAGE
140 TV channels
80 radio channels
13 interactive services
All BBC digital services

All other terrestrial channels
Others include BBC regional channels on BBC One and Two

What Sky's free digital deal means

A spokesman for BSkyB said: "We think it is a really good offer for customers.

"It is not our core business. We will continue to focus our marketing efforts on the promotion of our pay-TV services."

Freeview has attracted nearly 4 million users since its launch in 2002 and has helped drive take up of digital television.

BSkyB says it does not see Freeview as a threat but will have been un-nerved by the recent slowdown in the numbers of subscribers to its pay-TV services.

Viewers can also buy a Sky Plus box - which contains a hard disc-based video recorder - without the need for a subscription to programme packages.

BSkyB charges £199 for the more advanced box, a further £120 for installation and £10 a month for subscription to Sky Plus.

(Craigs comment, Bskyb are pulling a fast one here. Most of the "FREE" stuff they are offering access to are channels that are beamed FTA to anyone with a suitable setup on the Astra satellties)

TV channels seek HC nod for adult films

From http://web.mid-day.com/news/city/2004/october/95301.htm

Television channels today banded together for the right to screen adult films.

The channels which include Star TV, Sony TV, Zee TV, Udaya TV, AXN and Surya have submitted a new plan to the Bombay High Court that adult films be screened on television between 9 pm and 6 am.

The channels have submitted the proposal following a public interest litigation filed by Pratibha Naithani, a lecturer from St Xavier’s college.

Naithani has opposed the screening of films rated ‘A’ by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) on TV.

The channels said that they were in the business of entertainment and adult movies were also a form of entertainment.

The proposals were however opposed by Naithani’s counsel M M Vashi who has pitched for a panel that will pass films that can be shown on TV.

Vashi said that there was no agency that was monitoring the content of movies and programmes on TV and suggested that the panel should be constituted comprising a police officer, a channel representative and educationists. The panel would be on the lines of the CBFC.

Earlier, the division bench of Chief Justice Dalveer Bhandari had restrained satellite television channels from broadcasting movies or programmes which did not have a certificate from the CBFC.

Naithani in her petition said that TV channels were screening movies like Kamasutra and Bandit Queen during the day.

The Cable TV Regulations specify that such programmes can be screened only after the watershed time of 11 pm. Serials and shows with explicit contents like Wild On, Sex And The City, explicit trailers and songs were also being aired without any permission from the CBFC, the petition alleged.

The petition also claimed that such programmes had an adverse effect on children.

Why Pratibha Naithani filed a PIL

• There was no agency monitoring the content of movies and programmes on TV
• A panel should be set up comprising a police officer, a channel representative and educationists on the lines of the CBFC.
• Adult films were screened during the day
• Adult programmes had an adverse effect on children

21/10/04

BlueKiss is missing in action on NSS6. No news yet as to why. They're still on Asiasat 3 Cband though.

From my Emails & ICQ

From Sky_SATT

Hi all new Test signal on Globecast b3 channel name is(Assyriasat)

Tp 12525 v Vpid 1260 Apid 1220 Ppid 1260 Showing colour Test Bars.

Cheers
Sky_satt

(Craigs comment, Syria satellite channel I think. Same as via Asiasat 3)

From Terry Collins

Palapa C2 Kablevision (Smart tv)
Currently free to air is disney and family channels on a 2.3 mesh in Townsville

From Jsat.tv (Thailand)

The Golf U.K channel on PAS8 has encrypted

Measat 2 Ku Band S.E.A beam 16 Channels

New VTV MUX, Measat 2 Ku Band 148East
FREQ: 11537 S/R: 35500 POL: H

Channel - 16 channels

VTV 01 ------ PID AUD: 101 PID AUD1: 501 PID VID: 201 PID PCR: 201
VTV 02 ------ PID AUD: 102 PID VID: 202 PID PCR: 202
VTV 03 ------ PID AUD: 103 PID VID: 203 PID PCR: 203
VTV 04 ------ PID AUD: 104 PID VID: 204 PID PCR: 204
VTV 05 ------ PID AUD: 105 PID VID: 205 PID PCR: 205
VTV 06-VCTV1-----------Crypt: Viacess [0x500] PID AUD: 106 PID VID: 206 PID PCR: 206
VTV 07-VCTV2 (DW)-----Crypt: Viacess [0x500] PID AUD: 107 PID VID: 207 PID PCR: 207
VTV 08-Euro Sport News--Crypt: Viacess [0x500] PID AUD: 108 PID VID: 208 PID PCR: 208
VTV 09-Star Movies -------Crypt: Viacess [0x500] PID AUD: 109 PID VID: 209 PID PCR: 209
VTV 10-Star World --------Crypt: Viacess [0x500] PID AUD: 110 PID VID: 210 PID PCR: 210
VTV 11-Phoenix------------Crypt: Viacess [0x500] PID AUD: 111 PID VID: 211 PID PCR: 211
VTV 12-OPT1-----------Crypt: Viacess [0x500] PID AUD: 112 PID VID: 212 PID PCR: 212
VTV 13-TVB----------Crypt: Viacess [0x500] PID AUD: 113 PID VID: 213 PID PCR: 213
VTV 14-MTV Asia----Crypt: Viacess [0x500] PID AUD: 114 PID VID: 214 PID PCR: 214
VTV 15 ABC--------- Crypt: Viacess [0x500] PID AUD: 256 PID VID: 308 PID PCR: 8190
VTV 16-Ariang--------Crypt: Viacess [0x500] PID AUD: 116 PID VID: 216 PID PCR: 216

Regards,
The JSAT tv team in Bangkok
Email : [email protected]
Phone : (02) 714.3594
Fax: : (02) 390.2589
WEB : www.jsat.tv

From the Dish

No Lyngsat AGAIN :-(

I701 180E 3846 RHC Sr 12203 Fec 2/3 ?

NEWS

Digital Satellite Set Top Box Market Growing and Evolving, Says In-Stat/MDR

From http://www.tekrati.com/T2/Analyst_Research/ResearchAnnouncementsDetails.asp?Newsid=3890

In-Stat/MDR - October 20, 2004

According to In-Stat/MDR, the market for digital satellite set top boxes continues to expand on a worldwide basis in 2004, primarily due to increases in satellite pay-TV subscribers. While the analysts' 5-year forecast puts overall digital satellite set top box shipments at 71 million in 2008, their market analysis predicts significant changes ahead in market conditions and drivers.

In addition to growth among satellite pay-TV subscribers, key market drivers include an increasing number of boxes per household in North America, the swapping out of boxes due to conditional access changes in Europe, new service launches in India, declining prices, and demand for digital Free To Air (FTA) satellite receivers.

“Today, Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) or Direct To Home (DTH) is the most popular way to receive digital TV signals in most of the world,” said Michelle Abraham, a senior analyst with In-Stat/MDR. “And, in order to receive and watch the digital content transmitted via satellite on a TV, a consumer must have a digital satellite set-top box.”

The first boxes were shipped in 1994 and since then, millions have been shipped around the world, and millions more will continue to be shipped each year.

“While the growth of new subscribers to DTH services is slowing down for the entrenched providers that have been operating for a few years, there are still areas in the world without DTH pay-TV services,” said Ms. Abraham. “These areas, in Asia, Eastern Europe, Africa, and the Mid-East, will provide new opportunities for DTH set-top boxes. The FTA box segment, which is not aligned with a particular service provider, has also been growing at a rapid pace and will overtake the pay-TV box segment in shipments in 2004.”

In-Stat/MDR has also found that:

Two important technology changes that will be coming to digital satellite set top boxes are the improved modulation of the DVB-S2 standard and advanced video compression in the form of H.264.

Demand for FTA boxes is due to price declines in all regions, making it possible for more households to buy them. The World Cup and the Olympics are major sporting events that always have consumers thinking about better equipment for TV viewing. In 2004, FTA/CI boxes to reach a new high of 36 million units.

Reductions in component prices continue to enable declines in digital satellite set top box Average Selling Prices (ASPs).

The report, Digital Satellite Set Top Boxes (#IN0401233ME), discusses the events influencing digital satellite set top boxes, new features being added, and how reductions in component costs are enabling less expensive boxes. Five-year forecasts of unit shipments, ASPs, revenues, and bill of materials are provided by region. In-Stat/MDR also looks at the expected growth of HDTV and PVR boxes and provides 2003 market share data for digital satellite set top box suppliers in a section on digital satellite set top box manufacturers.

'Free-to-air' powering growth of satellite TV boxes

From http://news.com.com/Free-to-air+powering+growth+of+satellite+TV+boxes/2100-1041_3-5419470.html

Shipments of set-top boxes that receive signals from digital satellites will continue to grow worldwide through 2008, fueled by increasing demand for "free-to-air" boxes, according to a new report.

In a survey released Wednesday, researcher In-Stat/MDR said the popularity of FTA boxes, which pick up free programming as opposed to subscription fare such as that offered by DirecTV, will carry overall shipments of set-top boxes to 65 million this year and to 71 million units by 2008.

FTA receivers are largely used in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, where there are more free channels broadcast than in North America, In-Stat/MDR Senior Analyst Michelle Abraham said. The content on these unencrypted channels ranges from newscasts and local programming to sports and movies.

"The growth in free-to-air set-top boxes has to do with the pricing of the boxes coming down and becoming more affordable for more homes, especially in Asia, Africa and the Middle East," Abraham said. Falling component prices have led to price drops.

Shipments of FTA boxes will outpace those of pay-TV boxes this year, the survey said, hitting 36 million units, compared with 29 million. FTA boxes won the shipment race last year as well.

Europe, Asia and the Middle East also have pay-TV satellite systems, Abraham said, but they're not as pervasive as in North America. Some North Americans, however, also go the FTA route.

In the United States, large satellite dishes that are hooked up to FTA boxes can pick up some free, unencrypted programming and beam it down to the head-end of a cable network, Abraham said. These large dishes, which aren't aligned with any particular digital-satellite subscriber service, can also pick up programming from foreign countries.

FTA boxes aside, overall growth in shipments of all digital satellite receivers is also being driven by other factors, including a rise in the number of boxes per household in North America, users swapping out their set-top boxes in Europe due to a consolidation of the technology in that region, and new satellite services in India, the survey said. In addition, improved video compression will have an effect, and lower component prices are bringing down the cost of pay-TV boxes as well.

Japan arrests four over satellite porn

From http://www.washtimes.com/upi-breaking/20041021-014922-2317r.htm

Tokyo, Japan, Oct. 21 (UPI) -- Japanese police have arrested four people for allegedly using overseas satellite broadcasts to beam pornography into the country.

The suspects include the 38-year-old president of a firm selling satellite broadcast reception devices, the Mainichi Shimbun reported Thursday. He and three associates were arrested for displaying obscene images and for violating a law on the safe use of electrical goods.

This is reportedly Japan's first arrest over satellite broadcast pornography.

According to investigators, between March 2003 and June 2004 the four sold foreign satellite reception devices and parabolic antennas that were not certified by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

Between March and July this year, they broadcast pornographic images from a Philippine broadcasting facility to a private communications satellite in Indonesia, the report said.

The group had signed up about 52 users in Japan to view the images, police said.

Intelsat Shareholders Approve Proposed Acquisition by Zeus Holdings

From Press Release

Pembroke, Bermuda, 20 October 2004 – Intelsat announced that at an annual general meeting held in Paris earlier today its shareholders approved the proposed acquisition of the company by Zeus Holdings Limited. Over 99 percent of the votes cast on the matter, representing nearly 85 percent of Intelsat’s total issued and outstanding ordinary shares, voted in favor of the transaction. The approval of shareholders representing not less than 60 percent of the voting power of Intelsat’s total issued and outstanding ordinary shares was required in order to approve the transaction.

On August 16, 2004, Intelsat, Ltd. and one of its subsidiaries entered into a transaction agreement with Zeus Holdings Limited and two of its subsidiaries pursuant to which Zeus Holdings will acquire 100% of Intelsat for total cash consideration of approximately $3 billion, or $18.75 per ordinary share, plus the assumption of nearly $2 billion in existing debt. Zeus Holdings is a Bermuda company formed by investors advised by Apax Partners Worldwide, LLP and Apax Partners, Inc., Apollo Management V, L.P., MDP Global Investors Limited and Permira Advisers LLC.

Intelsat, Ltd. CEO Conny Kullman said, “The transaction with Zeus represents a strong proposition and attractive valuation for our shareholders who, upon closing, will receive cash in exchange for their shares. This is a major milestone and we are pleased with our progress on the transaction to date. We look forward to obtaining the required regulatory approvals and meeting the other conditions to closing in an expeditious manner.”

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 more information, visit www.intelsat.com.

Intelsat Contact:
Dianne VanBeber
[email protected]
+1 202 944 7406

HC upholds centre's order revoking licence to Raj TV

From http://www.123bharath.com/tamilnadu-india-news/index.php?action=fullnews&id=30594

Tamil Nadu, India > Chennai,Oct 19 : The Madras High Court today dismissed a petition filed by Raj TV Network seeking to quash an August last order by the Communication Ministry terminating its telecasting licence for "breach of licence conditions."

Upholding the Ministry's order revoking/terminating the licence granted to Raj TV, Justice K Raviraja Pandian, however, stayed operation of his order till Octber 29, after considering a plea by Raj TV to stay the order in view of the coming 'pooja' holidays.

The Judge held that the Communication Ministry was the competent authority to revoke the licence. 'The order is passed in conformity of natural justice,' they held.

The network contended that the August 25 last order by the Communication Ministry was without jurisdiction as the I&B Ministry alone, which had granted the licence to it, had the power to revoke an existing licence.

Besides, the TV Channel said it was not afforded an opportunity to explain its stand and the punishment too was disproportionate to the breach of licence conditions.

Counsel for the Centre Addl Solicitor General V T Gopalan contended that the network, which had been granted licence to telecast/uplink two channels--Raj TV and Raj Digital Plus--telecast two more channels--Vissa and Raj Musix for over a year.

Besides, the network's licence had expired in September 2003 and without renewing the licence the channel continued unauthorised telecast, Gopalan said. PTI

Star India to launch 'Star One'

From http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/893978.cms

NEW DELHI: Rupert Murdoch-controlled Star India on Wednesday said it expected a 20-30 per cent growth in the Indian market by the middle of next year on the back of a reported growth in demand for its entertainment channels, including the soon-to-be launched 'Star One'.

"We are bullish on the Indian television entertainment industry and expect a growth of 20-30 per cent, well over the industry rate of 8-10 per cent," Star India chief operating officer (COO) Sameer Nair told here.

Launched in 1990, Star is said to be currently the market leader in the Indian television market, especially due to the popularity of its general entertainment Hindi channel 'Star Plus'. It offers more than a dozen channels ranging from the English movie channel 'Star Movies' to Hindi movie channel 'Star Gold' to sports channel ESPN-Star, the latter in partnership with Disney.

The company has recently started a new free-to-air channel 'Star Utsav' which primarily offers hit programmes of yesteryears telecast on 'Star Plus'. "We are looking at attracting newer audiences in the rural and other markets through this new channel," Nair said.

To further consolidate its position in the market, Star India will be launching a new channel Star One' from November 1 this year.

The channel, which will launch with an array of 21 original programmes across a range of entertainment genres like action, comedy, lifestyle, youth and original movies, is targeted at the urban, upwardly mobile Indian audiences.

Nair said the wide array of channel the company offered today helped it gather advertising from a variety of companies.

"For Star One, we are looking for companies which have the urban population as their target. We have been selling the ad spots for the last two weeks now and have got a good response," he said.

The company is following a different advertising strategy for the new channel. "We will have not more than two sponsorships per programme and will have product exclusivity, which means that two different companies having the same product will not sponsor the same programme," he said.

Currently, 50-60 per cent of Star India's revenue is contributed by the flagship 'Star Plus' channel. "We expect 'Star One' to chip in around 10-15 per cent to overall revenues of this fiscal," Nair said.

The pay-channel will be available across all markets in the country for Rs 10 per month

STAR's new channel wants to create niche audience

From http://www.teamindia.net/index.php?action=fullnews&id=30913

New Delhi, Oct 20 : Satellite TV major STAR wants to create a new genre of viewers in the 25-34 years age group for its new channel, One.

"We believe there is a whole segment waiting to be tapped," said Star India COO Sameer Nair. "These are people who are in their first, or maybe second job, who have just got married or are about to get married."

One would be the third soap-based channel from the STAR stable, including STAR Plus and STAR Utsav. Star is trying to break Hindi-speaking viewers into broad sub categories.

It figures that with the addition of this pay channel, priced at Rs.10 per household, it would be able to provide an entire bouquet of audiences to advertisers from only Hindi-speaking to people who are equally comfortable with Hindi and English.

This would help advertisers place all their products - from the low-end to the top-line - on the STAR platform.

Among the programmes scheduled for One are "Remix", a schooldays love and angst tale and "Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai", a comedy based a quarrels between a high-flying socialite and her distinctly middle class daughter-in-law.

There's also "He Man", where each episode would have 10 men vying for the votes of 150 women, a show on gadgets and gizmos called "Men Mange More" and a cooking for dummies sort of show called "Cook Na Naho".

"The programming is for people, young men and women, who are Indian at heart but with a global outlook," said Nair.

There's even a show, claimed to be the first to be entirely shot on a cruise ship, called "Pyar Ki Kashti Mein".

Schools in the Sky

From http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/893627.cms

Indian education goes into orbit

The launch of India's first satellite dedicated exclusively to education services holds out immense potential for the country. Not only was the spectacular success of the indigenously developed GSLV rocket, which sent EDUSAT into space, a first for India, it has also catapulted the country into an elite club that previously boasted only five other member countries. These nations are capable of successfully launching and placing satellites in geostationary orbit. The wholly indigenous EDUSAT could revolutionise education in this country. Indeed, few other countries can claim such an achievement. At present, only the first of its three phases has become operational. When fully deployed, it's designed to last at least seven years while transmitting five spot beams covering almost all regions in the country. According to ISRO, since these beams are more powerful than those of the earlier Insat 3B, its signals can be received with a smaller dish.

Consequently, the reception terminals become cheaper. In fact, the satellite's success will greatly hinge on this. ISRO maintains that EDUSAT is primarily meant to provide connectivity to school, college and higher education, and to support non-formal education includ-ing developmental communication. This is, of course, encouraging for a country where the primary education system is in a shambles. The real test of EDUSAT will be to give that segment a boost. For these ends, ISRO has tied up with three universities which will develop the content to be beamed down. A focused campaign to appraise educational institutions of the benefits of using EDUSAT must be initiated. The potential to network the leading hubs of technical education in the country must also be actively utilised. Further, with the satellite, literacy levels could well take a quantum leap forward. The arithmetic is easy. In the fully operational phase, the EDUSAT network is expected to support up to 1.5 lakh reception terminals. With 50 students per terminal, that works out to a figure of 7.5 million. If five such satellites can be sent up, then a staggering 37 million children in remote areas could benefit at a fraction of the cost it takes the government to set up primary schools.

Obviously, there will be several hurdles in the implementation process. But here at last is an opportunity provided by technology for a complete paradigm shift in our approach to education. Education for all is no longer a pie in the sky. The answer is actually up there.

20/10/04

The Chatroom was very quiet last night.

VTV Asiasat 4 Ku remains Via Encrypted.

From my Emails & ICQ

From Lizard

Reuters World News Service is FTA.
AS 2, 3905 H, S/R 4000, FEC 3/4

From the Dish

PAS 8 166E 4080 V "Videoland Movie" is now encrypted.

Optus B3 152E 12613 H "Tele Liban" is back on , Fta, PIDs 521/649.
Optus B3 152E 12674 H "Almajd Space Channel" has started on , fta, PIDs 518/646.

Telstar 18 138E 12402 V "ETTV Shopping has replaced AXN Taiwan" on , Viaccess, PIDs 39/38.

Asiasat 4 122E 12580 H UNKNOWN Sr 3000

Koreasat 2 113E 12530 H All channels in the Mirsat mux are Fta. Life Info TV has replaced HKN on PIDs 145/146.
Koreasat 2 113E 12617 H "DBN has replaced Korea Deaf TV" on , enc., PIDs 7411/3315.

Sinosat 1 110.5E 12622 V "CCTV 9 and CEBsat Info Channel" have left , replaced by test cards.(China beam)

NSS 6 95E 12729 V "Inter + and Moskva - Otkrytyj Mir" have started on , Fta, PIDs 2561/2562 and 2577/2578.

ST 1 88E 3484 V "ABTV 3" has left , replaced by a Biz Channel test card.
ST 1 88E 3582 HAll channels in the TBL TV mux on are Ftar, except TBL Xxx.

ST 1 88E 12645 V "Police Radio Station" has left .New PIDs for all channels in this mux.

Telstar 10 76.5E 12493 H "ETTV Shopping has replaced AXN Taiwan" on , Viaccess, PIDs 39/38.

NEWS

Paul Norris: TVNZ profit grab reeks of state control

From http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?thesection=news&thesubsection=&storyID=3602064

Strange doings at Television New Zealand. In the bad old days, when TVNZ was a state-owned enterprise, it was charged with acting like a business and returning profits to the Government.

Indeed, it paid hundreds of millions of dollars to various governments during its time as an SOE.

Cut to this year. TVNZ has been reformed and refocused on behaving more like a public broadcaster. It has been given a charter and some direct Government funding to help to deliver charter programmes.

Yet last week we found TVNZ paying the Government the astonishing sum of $38 million, historically one of the highest dividends ever.

Should not TVNZ be using this money to make more and better New Zealand programmes? TVNZ thinks so; the Minister of Broadcasting, Steve Maharey, says there will be negotiations.

This is an extraordinary situation, requiring answers to some important questions. Why is the dividend some $10 million more than TVNZ's profits for the year of $28 million?

Only once before has TVNZ ever paid out more in dividend than its profit figure - in 1996 when the National Government sought a special additional dividend of $20 million from several SOEs.

Why is the figure twice the $19 million projected in the statement of intent for this year (effectively TVNZ's contract with the Government)?

And why is a dividend being paid at all by a company whose status has been changed from SOE to Crown-owned company and whose objectives are no longer mainly to make money?

The chairman of TVNZ, Craig Boyce, said a year ago that the new TVNZ was not required to pay a dividend but allowed to retain its profits to reduce borrowings and to meet its charter obligations.

Obviously things changed. The statement of intent for 2004, hammered out in negotiation between TVNZ and Government, laid down a new formula for dealing with what it calls "surplus funds" to be paid to the Government. Surplus funds are defined as "net operating cashflow less funds invested in and required for the continuity of business activities".

It is this clause, in the context of TVNZ's performance, which has led to the calculation that TVNZ must pay the Government $38 million.

Part of the problem is that, commercially, TVNZ has over-performed. It is awash with cash. The golden weather of advertising revenue has exceeded the most optimistic expectations. Over the past few years, TVNZ had built up substantial cash reserves - a fact of some interest to the Treasury. With the benefit of hindsight it may be argued that it would have been prudent for TVNZ to have invested more of its cash back into the business, thus avoiding the problem of having to return surplus funds to the Government.

Belatedly, having had its bulging piggy-bank whisked away to the Treasury storehouse, TVNZ is calling for the system to be changed to enable it to keep more of its cash to reinvest in programmes.

There are strong arguments for TVNZ retaining its profits. The money could be used for making more indigenous programmes. These are inevitably more expensive and often more risky than popular imported ones.

Some 38 per cent of the programmes on TV One and TV2 are made locally. The TVNZ chief executive, Ian Fraser, has set an ambitious target of 50 per cent. This would be a significant increase, costing tens of millions of dollars.

Certainly the list of charter-funded programmes in the annual report reveals gaps. What about more quality New Zealand drama, of a standard comparable to Spooks, State of Play or the best of Lexus Sunday Theatre (mostly from the BBC)? Has the industry not matured enough to rise to such challenges?

TVNZ also has plans for expanding its range of children's programmes. And let's not forget sport; it would be no surprise to find TVNZ bidding for the forthcoming rights to Super 12 and Tri-Nations rugby.

Then there is the transition to digital, which will require huge investment from the industry.

TVNZ, which claims to be taking a leadership role, may soon announce plans for a suite of digital channels delivered by satellite. Whether there will be any new channels to entice viewers to go digital will depend on the level of investment. Possibilities include a news channel, or an educational channel, or a selection of regional programmes blended into one channel.

The Government concedes that there should be changes. Negotiations are under way on the dispersing of the dividend, suggesting that TVNZ may get back some of the $38 million it has paid, providing it can put up a strong enough business case.

There is also the Minister of Broadcasting's wider review of public broadcasting, due to be made public soon. It will have something to say on the funding arrangements for TVNZ and could even increase the level of direct Government funding from $15 million a year.

But it should also address the issue of the dividend and whether the reformed TVNZ should be paying a dividend at all. No other public broadcaster does so, not even those in countries such as Canada or Ireland which are funded partly from advertising.

Nor do other major cultural institutions in New Zealand, such as the symphony orchestra or Te Papa, both of which depend on substantial commercial revenues. TVNZ can argue that, like these institutions, it is delivering a social and cultural dividend.

The challenge is to find an arrangement that balances several requirements. Certainly, institutions such as TVNZ must be accountable for all financial dealings, especially those involving public money. Transparency is all-important; the public should be able to see where money, resources and investment are going.

But, equally, TVNZ needs to be able to engage in strategic financial planning over the longer term. It cannot do this on a hand-to-mouth basis from year to year, feeling that it must spend its cash reserves before they are snapped up by the Treasury. There may need to be clearer guidelines on what investment from cash reserves is allowable.

What is distinctly unhealthy is the prospect of the Government maintaining political control over TVNZ through its close command of the purse-strings. Ideally, TVNZ should be financially independent of Government. Since this is not possible, there should be an agreed financial framework covering at least five years.

TVNZ should not have to be going back to the Government each year to reclaim part of its profits. This gives the Government too much scope to bend TVNZ to its will. We need a system with safeguards against any such potential abuse of power.

* Paul Norris is head of the broadcasting school at Christchurch Polytechnic

JAPANESE GANGSTER NABBED FOR CROSS-BORDER PORNO BROADCASTS

From http://english.www.gov.tw/index.jsp?action=cna&cnaid=3493

Taipei, Oct. 20 (CNA) A Japanese yakuza gangster was arrested Tuesday in Taipei on charges of beaming pirated pornographic movies around Asia, using Taiwan as his operating base, according to the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB). Shuichi Mogi, a member of the Japanese yakuza gang Yamaguchi-Gumi, who is the president of two Taiwan companies, has been operating pornographic movie broadcasts by first transporting porno DVDs from Japan to Taiwan and then beaming them from Taiwan via the satellite channel Jwave to places around Asia, CIB officials said Wednesday. Mogi's Jwave porno broadcasts -- operated through his Taiwan companies Yixinhui and Oriental Digital -- have reached "clients" in Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Guam and many Southeast Asian countries, CIB investigators said. In raids on Yixinhui and Oriental Digital Tuesday, the police busted Mogi and his Taiwanese vice president, Huang Wei-chin, and confiscated a large number of porno DVDs, as well as a satellite antennae, receivers, IC cards, account books, and website materials. The investigators are also trying to track down Mogi's Taiwanese partner, surnamed Yen, and other accomplices who remain at large. The police have learned that the Yamaguchi-Gumi gang has been broadcasting porno via satellite for quite a long time. In Taiwan, "clients" spend NT$20,000 for equipment, including an antenna, a receiver and cable, to get access to the 24-hour porno broadcasts, with extra fees for a decoding IC card and monthly payments of NT$2,000. The Yamaguchi-Gumi beam the porno movies to clients throughout Asia by up-linking to the Palapa C2 channel in Indonesia and another channel in the Philippines, the police said. This new kind of cross-border pornography operation has become a "grey area" for law enforcement authorities to deal with, CIB investigators said. (By Deborah Kuo) ENDITEM/Li?

China launches new satellite to monitor natural disasters

From http://www.spacedaily.com/2004/041020033734.9tmmt5bb.html

Fledgling space power China has launched a meteorological satellite capable of monitoring natural disasters, state media reported Wednesday.

The No. 2 Fengyun C satellite, atop a Long March 3-A carrier rocket, entered its orbit 24 minutes after take-off Tuesday from the Xichang Satellite launch centre in southwestern Sichuan province, the Liberation Daily reported.

"The satellite has successfully entered the orbit in synchronisation with the Earth's orbit. The launch was very successful," the newspaper said.

The No. 2 Fengyun C satellite, developed and manufactured by China, has an observation scope that can cover one-third of the Earth's surface.

The 1.38-ton satellite, which has better resolution and observation capacity than its predecessors, will collect meteorological data, monitor ocean temperatures and measure solar and space radiation.

It is also expected to help track natural disasters like hailstorms, while monitoring forest and grassland fires, fog and sandstorms.

China has launched seven weather satellites since 1988 and the report said more such weather satellites were planned over the next few years.

THAILAND: Channel 5 scraps its listing plans

From http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=16027

The Royal Thai Army radio and television stations announce its decision to lift the listing plan of its subsidiary, RTA Entertainment Plc, ending a month-long controversy marring the channel

The Royal Thai Army has officially dropped all plans to partially privatise and list TV Channel 5, bowing to an earlier cabinet decision that the broadcasting agency, as a public medium, should not be exploited primarily for profits.

The Royal Thai Army radio and television stations made the announcement yesterday of its decision to lift the listing plan of its subsidiary, RTA Entertainment Plc, ending a month-long controversy marring the channel.

The 660-million-baht company, set up to handle Channel 5's marketing and non-news airtime sales for 30 years once it becomes a listed public company, was owned equally by the RTA and 83 private investors who were asked by Asia Plus Securities Plc, the company's financial adviser, to buy into the company. Among them are Paiboon Damrongchaitham, the CEO of GMM Grammy Plc, Thawatchai Vilailuck, the managing director of Samart Corp Plc; and Chaiyan Chakarakul, the CEO of Lalin Property Plc.

Under the contract, RTA would pay the channel 150 million baht a year, compared with more than one billion baht the channel had made by itself from airtime sales.

The low payment and extraordinarily long term of the contract sparked a major political uproar in July, with media observers describing it as a thinly veiled plot to allow business groups with political connections to reap benefits at the expense of the state and the public.

Lt-Gen Lertrit Wechsawarn, the new director of the 26-year-old channel, said Channel 5 would from now focus on its primary objective of promoting public services, arts, entertainment and culture, not on making money.

With the listing plan scrapped, the capital of 330 million baht committed to RTA by the private investors would be returned.

As well, the channel sold news airtime to RTA, which in turn hired the channel for three years to produce news for it for 100 million baht annually, an amount seen as far below cost by industry experts.

Lt-Gen Lertrit, who took the helm of the channel on Oct 1, said the cabinet decision would end all the controversies and bring a new life to the channel next year.

The fifth director of the channel so far this year, Lt-Gen Lertrit is also facing internal friction. The Media Co had entered into a one-year contract to pay the channel 160 million baht a year in exchange for the sales of advertising airtime during short news programmes throughout the day. However, the company has paid 114 million baht so far to the channel.

He said the channel was considering suing the company for more payment and also to end the contract, as it planned to assign its marketing subsidiary to take over the job.

Next year, the company will focus more on family content in the annual programming revamp to be announced officially next month. About 1.2 billion baht in total commercial sales are estimated, up slightly from this year. Next year, the station's net profit is projected at between 400 million and 500 million baht.

To earn more profit, the company will try to save investment costs in equipment by 700-800 million baht, especially in the much-hyped digital broadcasting.

Meanwhile, Thai TV Global Network (TGN), the channel's 24-hour satellite broadcasting service with coverage in more than 170 countries, is moving ahead with its plan, despite a loss of 800 million baht since 1997.

Channel 5 signed a 15-year agreement with Top En Co in recent months to operate the TGN airtime, with an option to renew the contract.

Lt-Gen Lertrit said the agreement also broke the current legislation that allowed for maximum terms of two years for airtime concessions.

Therefore, he said, the channel would revise the contract and likely end it.

Efficient Channel Coding Delivers DVB-S2 Evaluation Platforms Incorporating Adaptive Coding & Modulation

From Press Release

CLEVELAND, Oct. 19, 2004 -- Efficient Channel Coding (ECC) announced today that it has starting shipping DVB-S2 based receiver evaluation platforms to key customers.

DVB-S2 is a new satellite communication standard that is in the final stages of publication. DVB-S2 enables unprecedented bandwidth and power efficiency and incorporates many advanced features optimized for satellite communications. DVB-S2 technology developed by ECC is the first to support the optional interactive services (IS) modes defined by the DVB-S2 standard. One of the most important IS features is adaptive coding and modulation (ACM). In many applications, ACM enables operators to increase bandwidth efficiencies by a factor of 2 to 4 or more relative to non-ACM capable systems.

"We are pleased to be able to offer ACM-capable DVB-S2 technology to key early customers," said Mark Vanderaar, CEO of ECC. "Our complete evaluation platforms will allow early DVB-S2 adopters the ability to fully characterize the benefits of ACM-capable DVB-S2 systems, and enable them to start integrating S2 technology into their satellite communication solutions immediately."

Newtec Corporation has promoted DVB-S2 from the beginning of the standards process, and has taken delivery of an evaluation platform from ECC. Dirk Breynaert, CEO of Newtec noted: "We have selected ECC as a partner for our DVB-S2 products because they have one of the strongest expertise in this field and because they share our technical and commercial vision for the future of satellite telecommunications. From the beginning of our cooperation ECC has shown a total commitment to develop a solution that fulfill our specific needs with the highest level of performance."

About Efficient Channel Coding:

ECC provides real world digital communications solutions for some of the world's most advanced networks. We design and deliver satellite communication systems, broadband communication ICs, and customized commercial and government solutions. Our technology innovations increase the efficiency of today's most advanced satellite, wireless and wire-line communications systems. More information on ECC is available on the Internet at http://www.efficientchannelcoding.com.

About Newtec:

Newtec is a Belgium based Satellite Communications Equipment Manufacturer & Total Solution Provider, offering highly reliable products and services throughout the entire world. The Company provides satellite equipment for a wide variety of applications, including:

- Video & Audio Exchange Networks,
- High-Rate IP-Backbone Links,
- One-Way (business TV) and Two-Way Access Networks,
- Broadcast Uplink Stations (DTV & IP-Broadcast), and
- Primary TV Distribution Networks.

ECC Contact:
Dr. Mark Dale
VP of Business Development
1-216-635-1610
[email protected]

Inventor Rejoices as TVs Go Dark

From http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,65392,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_2

Sanders Li's paper plate held nothing but a crumpled napkin. His meal finished, he lingered. His unblinking eyes gazed at Sex and the City on a 15-inch color TV over the counter at Nizario's Pizza on 18th Street in San Francisco's Castro neighborhood Sunday evening.

In the middle of a scene, the TV turned off.

For 10 seconds, Li kept looking, waiting, not blinking through his glasses. At last, he left his stool, trashed his plate and emerged into the cool autumn night.

Leaving, he passed 48-year-old Mitch Altman, who was twiddling a matte-black plastic fob on his key chain. Altman's blue and purple hair reflected the pizza shop's neon, and he was smiling excitedly.

"We just saved him several minutes of his life," he said.

Li agreed. He said he didn't care that the TV was gone, even though he had been watching the show.

Altman's key-chain fob was a TV-B-Gone, a new universal remote that turns off almost any television. The device, which looks like an automobile remote, has just one button. When activated, it spends over a minute flashing out 209 different codes to turn off televisions, the most popular brands first.

For Altman, founder of Silicon Valley data-storage maker 3ware, the TV-B-Gone is all about freeing people from the attention-sapping hold of omnipresent television programming. The device is also providing hours of entertainment for its inventor.

At a Laundromat and cafe down the street, a lone man sorted clothes in the glow of larger-than-life bikini babes on a 60-inch Sony HDTV. A punch of the button and the screen instantly went dark. He went on folding his T-shirts, seemingly unaware of the change.

"It's always like that," Altman said. "It's so much part of the environment in the U.S. that people don't even notice when it disappears."

It is different in Hong Kong, Altman said. There, when he clicked off store TVs, everyone looked around to see who did it.

At Best Buy, neither customers nor staff responded as one set after another turned off -- Sony TVs first, then a JVC and an Apex, all from a single click. The interview was easier without competition from Pirates of the Caribbean.

Improved conversation was the motivation behind TV-B-Gone, and it's why Altman calls it the most helpful tool he's worked on. He said it compares well to the Apple video game he wrote in 1977 (which became a military training module), virtual-reality systems he helped build at VPL in 1986 (used for military research despite his and the company's explicit pacifist policies), and the hard-drive controllers he patented after starting up 3ware.

Since he left 3ware, he has spent most of his time finishing up TV-B-Gone. His equity from that firm provided the capital for the first run of 20,000 remotes.

"I was always squandering my time, energy and creativity on something that was at best benign," he said, in the suddenly quiet aisle at Best Buy. "I was always trying to get people to do something good. Some people do something for the disabled or something. But that's not really my thing, so I did this."

The idea for TV-B-Gone was born at a restaurant in the early 1990s, when Altman and his friends kept paying attention to a TV in the corner, not to one another. They chatted about how to turn off all televisions, and he wondered if it would be possible to string together a series of "power" commands.

After that, the project would have disappeared, but Altman's friends wanted the tools. He said about 50 people volunteered to help design, package and even name the TV-B-Gone. Cartoonist Nina Paley, he said, has begged for over a decade to work on the packaging.

The devices don't always work. At a pizza restaurant, a giant Samsung HDTV turned off only after a couple of tries. After a kitchen worker turned it back on, TV-B-Gone had become impotent against the blaring football game. Altman said manufacturers periodically add new codes, though he said he had never seen the device work once and then lose its effect.

Altman said he prefers to ask people to turn off TVs. The problem is places where there's a captive audience and no one is available to respond to requests, like the Laundromat or the airport. Altman said he has turned off sets at his local laundries and at airports around the Pacific Rim.

The European model, which uses different codes from the American-Asian one, was field-tested at EuroDisney, where anti-TV activist and computer programmer David Burke was waiting with his 6-year-old daughter to get on a ride called Honey I Shrunk the Kids. A wall of TVs in the waiting room showed a loop of constant Kodak ads. Burke had prototypes in his bag and made a bank of screens go off with one click.

"It fills you with naughty laughter to know you did this and other people have no idea what happened," Burke said. People around him noticed that the screens had turned off, but no one raised a fuss.

Responding to the accusation that it sounded like unaccountable power, Burke said, "You've heard about the battle for eyeballs. They're your eyeballs. You should not have your consciousness constantly invaded. Television people are getting better and better at finding ways of roping us into TV where we can't get away."

With the spread of TiVo and downloadable movies, he said, the traditional 30-second spot is dying. Now, advertisers want waiting rooms, elevators and urinals -- and they don't want anyone to be able to turn the screens off.

Representatives from Channel One and CNN's airport and waiting room networks could not be reached for comment by press time.

Altman said people who hear about TV-B-Gone start thinking about other nuisances. Friends have asked for ways to jam cell phones, shut down vehicle subwoofers and kill car alarms.

Standing on the corner of 18th and Castro, watching people staring past their beers in bars, spacing out behind the wheel at red lights and ignoring one another on the bus, it was clear that it would take more than a gadget to snap people entirely back to reality.

"What I really want," Altman said, "Is Life-B-Here."

TV-B-Gone can lead to awkward interactions. At the hipster video rental shop Lost Weekend, a clerk was watching the Yankees play the Red Sox. She faced the screen, glancing away only momentarily to help a customer as she waited for the ads to end and the ninth inning to begin. When the screen turned off, she said, "You'd better turn that back on." She said she'd like a universal remote that could change the channel at the gym, but didn't understand why anyone would want to turn a set off entirely. "I love my TV," she said.

Her co-worker, shelving DVDs in the corner, saw the key chain. A sly smile crept through his goatee. "You got any more of those?" he asked.

At Fenway Park, Derek Jeter warmed up to lead off the ninth. The TV-lover had an angry set in her jaw. And TV-B-Gone served its less-publicized purpose -- it also turns on any TV.

(Craigs comment, Hours of fun! you can get one from http://www.tvbgone.com/ )

Telstar 10 76.5E 3780 V "Almajd Space Channel" has started on , Fta, PIDs 518/646.

Telstar 10 76.5E 12680 V "CSN, MAC TV, Hwazan Satellite TV, Taiwan Money Network and 32 radio channels" have started on , clear, SR 15000, FEC 5/6.

Optus B3 152E Updates in UBI World TV:New Sat, Lig TV, TVE Internacional Asia-Africa and Tele Liban have started on 12613 H, clear, PIDs 518/646-521/649. Tele Liban has left 12674 H. TVE Internacional Asia-Africa has left 12701 H.

Optus B3 152E 12674 H "ESC 2" has left , replaced by a test card.

Cakrawarta 1 107.7E 2565 H "Metro TV" has left , replaced by a test card.

NSS 6 95E 12729 V "BN Sat" has left .

Phoenix in content deal with Galaxy

From http://www.thestandard.com.hk/thestandard/news_detail_frame.cfm?articleid=51553&intcatid=1

Hong Kong-listed Putonghua television content provider Phoenix Satellite Television will beam its InfoNews and Chinese channels over pay-TV rookie Galaxy Satellite's network to expand its coverage in Hong Kong.

Phoenix currently broadcasts its InfoNews and Chinese channels over the cable networks of i-Cable Communications' Cable TV, PCCW's NOW Broadband TV and Star TV under the basic channel package, with coverage of about 900,000 households.

``Lately, Galaxy [the pay-TV arm of TVB] told us that it wants to carry Phoenix's InfoNews and Chinese channels ... and the management has no objection,'' Phoenix's chairman and chief executive Liu Changle said.

``Apart from that, as the exclusivity agreement with i-Cable has ended this year, we can also extend our coverage to hotels, and some other real estate, on the influx of individual mainland tourists to Hong Kong, boosting the demand for our InfoNews Channel,'' Liu said.

Phoenix, 37.6 per cent owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, is expanding its reach in the Chinese-speaking communities to Singapore on November 15 and Malaysia early next year, Liu said.

Phoenix's sources of income come from the advertising income in the mainland, where it broadcasts its flagship Chinese Channel and fledging InfoNews Channel to selected spots, ranging from three-star or higher-ranked mainland hotels, to education-related organisations and diplomatic compounds, reaching as many as 50 million households across the country, who hunger for international news.

Advertising revenue from Chinese Channel is still the cash cow of Phoenix. In the first half, operating profit at its Chinese Channel surged to HK$180.4 million from HK$101.4 million, while the loss at InfoNews Channel shrank to HK$5.9 million from HK$58.7 million.

Liu said the company is confident that InfoNews Channel will reach break-even for the year to December, and the company is studying the feasibility of splitting InfoNews into two separate channels when the operations are ripe.