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 kbsv@aol.com

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
esanchez@irdetoaccessusa.com

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, Paulburton@xtra.co.nz 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 program