28/02/06

Live chat 9p.m NZ and 8.30pm Syd time onwards in the chatroom

Sahara One TV on Asiasat3 has switched to a FTA Feed of FILMY the new movie channel from the Sahara group. It looks like they have done this to prevent broadcasting the cricket FTA across the large Asiasat3 footprint. See news item for furthur details.

Optus B1 12671 V sr 22500 Fec 3/4 (sky NZ) "CTV7" was FTA this afternoon. Asian programming in a very low resolution.

Ren TV on Asiasat 4 ku "mysat" mux (Australasia beam) now has video and audio content

Agila 2 146E 3810 V sr 4300 "Chat Tv1 Chat tv 2" are fta

From my email & ICQ

Nothng to report

From the Dish

NSS 6 95E 12595 V "Radio Australia English and Radio Australia Multilingual" have started on, Fta, APIDs 531 and 901.

Express AM 2 80E 11063 H "Playe'r and Kavkaz Hit" have left .

Thaicom 3 78.5E 12313 H "A Film Magic Asia promo and Z Channel" have started on , Fta,PIDs 111/411 and 115/415.

Intelsat 902 62E 4177 L "Universal TV" has started on , Fta, PIDs 514/670.

NEWS

Channels many, takers few

From http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060228/asp/nation/story_5902896.asp

Calcutta, Feb. 27: The India-England series being played out on more than one channel may be good news for cricket lovers, but the sponsors are not sharing their enthusiasm.

The asking rate for commercial airtime by Nimbus — which holds the telecast rights to the upcoming three Tests and seven one-dayers — is finding few takers in the advertising community.

The company, which sold terrestrial telecast rights to Doordarshan and satellite rights to Sahara One, is reportedly quoting a price of around Rs 4.25 lakh per 10 seconds of advertising airtime. “That’s close to what Ten Sports had got for a prime series like India-Pakistan. This series is simply not that lucrative,” said the head of a national media buying agency.

“There is not much interest from advertisers since the price-value equation doesn’t work out,” the media buyer added.

A title sponsor for the series — with only a day to go for the first one-dayer to get under way in Chennai — is not yet on board either.

Reluctant sponsors and no opportunity of earning subscription revenue — both Doordarshan and Sahara One are free-to-air — have made the chances of Nimbus and the channels making money even slimmer, feel industry observers.

Nimbus is marketing the combined airtime for terrestrial and satellite channels by itself, which usually works out to 60:40 in favour of the satellite channel. For Doordarshan, the payout is simple. Nimbus needs to pay Doordarshan 25 per cent of revenues earned from selling terrestrial airtime.

In case of the deal with Sahara, though neither party would disclose details, sources said Nimbus has agreed to retain the first $36 million (Rs 162 crore) of revenue generated and split the rest equally with Sahara.

“But with the matches available on more than one channel and low advertiser interest, it would be almost impossible for Nimbus to rake in anything close to that amount,” said a sports channel official.

Adding more channels to the pie — Nimbus is trying to rope in a Tamil and a Telugu channel for simulcasting the matches — will further reduce payouts.

The problem of piracy has also cropped up with the matches being shown on Sahara One, a non-encrypted channel which can easily be downloaded in neighbouring countries like Pakistan. Sahara reportedly is planning to route the Sahara One feed for the series through encrypted decoders of Filmy, its recently launched movie channel.

“But there are only around 600 decoders for Filmy in the country. Though the company is trying to procure more boxes before the series starts, it’s a concern for advertisers,” sources added.

AUSTAR Selects Navini as Core Vendor for WiMAX Network

From http://sev.prnewswire.com/computer-electronics/20060227/DAM03227022006-1.html

RICHARDSON, Texas, Feb. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- AUSTAR United Communications has announced that it has selected Navini Networks as the core vendor partner for its WiMAX-based regional network rollout. The initial rollout is planned for two regional markets in Australia in coming months.

AUSTAR will deploy a WiMAX-capable network in many of its regional Australian markets using its wireless broadband spectrum.

"Regional Australians will be at the forefront of the worldwide WiMAX revolution as AUSTAR introduces broadband wireless technology to its customers," said John Porter, Chief Executive Officer of AUSTAR. "We are pleased to be working with Navini, whose portable wireless broadband network solution is unique and proven." The network will provide non-line of site coverage, easy plug-and-play activation and a seamless upgrade path to 802.16e.

"We are delighted to provide AUSTAR with the ability to deliver wireless broadband to their customers today AND the opportunity to take advantage of the recently-ratified 16e standard," said Roger Dorf, chief executive officer, Navini Networks. "Australia is well on its way to becoming a world model for the deployment of wireless broadband to the mass market and Navini is very proud to be a part of that."

AUSTAR plans to develop WiMax for 25 regional locations by the end of 2007. "This will deliver a world-class broadband network to approximately 750,000 homes," said Mr. Porter.

In addition, AUSTAR will work with Unwired Australia to allow roaming between the regional AUSTAR and metropolitan Unwired networks.

Navini's experience in providing the world's largest portable broadband wireless network with Unwired Australia, has led to numerous customer wins in Asia South Pacific.

"Navini's Ripwave systems are already successfully delivering portable wireless broadband around the world with key deployments in Europe, Australia, Asia-Pacific, Africa, and the Americas," said Dorf. "It's a proven commercial system that allows operators to use retail channels for customer acquisition."

About AUSTAR United Communications (AUSTAR):

AUSTAR (Australian Stock Exchange "AUN") is a leading provider of subscription television services in Australia, providing principally satellite delivered services to regional and rural Australia. AUSTAR also offers mobile telephone and internet services. AUSTAR's 50% owned joint venture, XYZnetworks, is a significant program provider in the Australian market and owns and/or distributes Nickelodeon, Nick Jr, Discovery Channel, Channel [V], MAX, Arena, The Lifestyle Channel, Lifestyle Food, CountryMusic Channel, and The Weather Channel to an audience of more than 4 million people. In addition, AUSTAR was the first company in Australia to launch digital interactive television.

http://sev.prnewswire.com/computer-electronics/20060227/DAM03227022006-1.html# About Navini Networks:

Navini Networks is the leader in providing portable, plug-n-play broadband wireless access solutions with the largest commercial deployment in the world, over 50 commercial networks in 6 continents and strategic partnerships with industry leaders. Navini delivers on the vision of mobile WiMAX today with patented phased array smart antennas delivering a price/performance combination that is superior to other broadband offerings in the marketplace. Navini's Ripwave(R) portable, zero-install(TM), non-line-of-sight (NLOS) product line consists of customer modems, base stations, and element management systems (EMS) in the full range of spectrums. The newly announced Navini Ripwave-MX product line offers dual-mode CPEs and PCMCIA cards as well as base stations, for seamless upgrade to 802.16e.

Navini Networks is a principal member of the WiMAX Forum and the IEEE 802.16e committee. Headquartered in Richardson, Texas.

http://sev.prnewswire.com/computer-electronics/20060227/DAM03227022006-1.html# .

Website: http://www.trafficresults.com/click-rabbit.php?acctid=45qGmVXuhLU=&docid=DAM03227022006-1&redirect=1&url=http://www.navini.com/

Website: http://www.austarunited.com.au/

Final frontier littered with junk

From http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/science/stories/0226natspacejunk.html

Sometime this year, an old Russian spacesuit tossed overboard from the international space station this month will make its final, fiery dive into the Earth's atmosphere.

Within seconds, Suit-Sat alias Ivan Ivanovich, alias NORAD Object No. 28933 will be toast and the U.S. Space Surveillance Network will have one less piece of space junk to surveil. Ditto for Object No. 28934, aka Ivan's glove, which broke off when the suit was shoved out the station's air lock.

At the moment, 9,233 pieces of space junk are being tracked in Earth orbit. But that tally only covers debris that's bigger than a bowling ball enough to register as a radar blip on the space surveillance network.

As the Space Age approaches 50, the final frontier is awash in heavenly clutter. The litter from a half-century of heave-ho's by 20th-century pioneers includes exploded boosters, burned out rocket motors, radioactive coolant, paint flakes, an astronaut's camera and a toothbrush.

No one tracks or even counts the small stuff, but NASA estimates there are at least 100,000 pieces of debris the size of a dime or larger and "tens of millions" of birdshot-sized fragments hurtling around the globe many times faster than a speeding bullet.

Too small to worry about? Not when the closing speed between an errant wing nut and a billion-dollar spacecraft can be 30,000 mph. And not when the quantity of debris 5,000 tons of it is growing by the year.

Since Russia launched Sputnik in 1957, spacefaring nations and corporate entities of the world have put, or tried to put, more than 5,500 satellites in orbit. About 700 of them are working. Hundreds of others, now lifeless, are out there too, whizzing around the globe along with the rocket engines, upper stages and other hardware used to put them there.

Collisions make new debris

The European Space Agency estimates that 93 percent of all the man-made material in orbit is useless junk. Space, to be sure, is a big place. But not big enough to evade the hazards of cosmic clutter.

In 1996 a French military satellite, Cerise, was damaged when it was struck by a fragment of an Ariane booster rocket also French that had exploded in space 10 years earlier.

Last year the upper state of a U.S. Thor rocket, used to loft a satellite in 1974, collided with the remains of the third stage of a Chinese Long March rocket that exploded in space in 2000.

Each grinding collision, of course, generates new debris smaller particles that form clouds of Space Age buckshot and add a new uncertainty to the hazard because they are too small to track.

In 2002, when U.S. shuttle astronauts changed out the solar panels on the Hubble Space Telescope and returned them to Earth for examination, engineers found them riddled with thousands of impact craters including 174 punctures none of them bigger than a BB. A speeding paint chip gouged a pit in one of the space shuttle's windows in 1983.

Gravity, of course, eventually brings most of the junk back to terra firma. But each new launch adds to the problem. And as things collide and proliferate, space junk is becoming a self-renewing nuisance.

"The current debris population in low Earth orbit has reached the point where collisions will become the dominant debris-generating mechanism in the future," said Nicholas Johnson, head of NASA's orbital debris program office.

"Even without new launches, collisions will continue to occur over the next 200 years and will force the debris population to increase," Johnson said. "In reality the situation will undoubtedly be worse, because spacecraft and their orbital stages will continue to be launched. "

NASA computer models predict at least 10 "catastrophic" collisions capable of destroying spacecraft and crew over the next two centuries.

Small collisions are already all too common. The crew of the international space station occasionally hear debris man-made objects as well as meteoroids strike their outpost. They reported one incident in 2003 that sounded like a "tin can being crushed against the hull."

None of the impacts has penetrated the armor of the station's crew quarters, which is built to withstand small hits. But engineers say an object the size of a grapefruit or larger could trigger a catastrophic depressurization of crew quarters or destroy other components needed to operate the station.

Litterbug crews

In its own small way, the space station has added to the problem. In 2004 the crew reported seeing a bolt and washer float off into space.

Since assembly of the station began in 1999, NASA says "about three dozen" objects have gone overboard. Suit-Sat was launched with a small transmitter for an experiment with amateur radio operators around the world.

"Sometimes when the crew is working outside, they will deliberately discard something," said Gene Stansbery of NASA's orbital debris program. "But usually it's an accident, like losing a tool or something."

Previous items reported lost in space include a camera dropped by Gemini 10 astronaut Michael Collins, a glove lost by Ed White on the first American spacewalk, assorted tools and garbage bags.

If the junk is one of the 9,000-plus objects big enough to be tracked, the U.S. Space Command alerts NASA in time to allow the station's orbit to be adjusted to avoid any chance of a collision.

57 known Earth hits

Evasive maneuvers are also routinely performed by the space shuttle, Department of Defense satellites and some government spacecraft.

Last October, NASA engineers maneuvered the 5-ton Terra spacecraft, flagship of the agency's Earth Observing System, to avoid a possible collision with debris from a U.S. Scout G-1 upper stage that had been launched in 1983. Two days later, the debris hurtled by at a safe distance of about two miles.

The Pentagon is considering a system that would make such alerts available to operators of commercial satellites too.

"Right now, if you have a commercial satellite in geo-stationary orbit, you are basically flying blind," said William Ailor of the Aerospace Corporation, a California-based engineering firm that studies orbital debris.

Eventually, objects in orbit will succumb to the inexorable tug of gravity usually burning up harmlessly in the atmosphere or falling into the two-thirds of the Earth's surface that is covered by water.

But not always. Since Sputnik, an estimated 1,400 tons of debris has survived the fiery descent from space. An estimated 200 man-made objects re-enter the atmosphere every year. And at least 57 impacts on land have been thoroughly documented.

They include a titanium motor casing from a U.S. rocket that fell near Bangkok, Thailand, in January 2005; a plate-sized metal fragment from the fourth stage of a Russian Proton rocket that fell near Wichita, Kan., in 2000; and a piece of Russia's Sputnik IV, which fell on a street in Manitowoc, Wis., in 1962.

Rocket shard hits woman

So far no one has ever been hurt by incoming space junk not even Lottie Williams of Turley, Okla., who was strolling in a park in 1997 when she was struck on the shoulder by a charred 6-inch fragment of a Delta rocket launched a year earlier. She was uninjured.

Five objects have re-entered the atmosphere just within the past month the second stage of a U.S. Delta rocket, a small U.S. satellite, two Russian rocket motors and a Russian Molinya satellite. All burned up during re-entry or fell in the Atlantic or Pacific without incident.

Because bigger objects are less likely to be incinerated, large spacecraft pose a special problem. NASA's 85-ton Skylab, which broke up during its descent in 1979, rained debris across Australia. Russia's Mir space station was safely steered to a crash landing in the Pacific Ocean. And that's probably where the international space station the largest structure ever assembled in space ? will end up after it outlives its life in orbit.

NASA officials say measures to clean up the clutter from laser "brooms" that would sweep debris into the atmosphere to robotic tugs acting as garbage trucks are costly and impractical.

Instead, the United States and other nations have adopted policies that they hope will at least slow the growth of the problem. U.S. policy calls for all launches to include planning for the end of the spacecraft's useful life usually a timely, controlled crash into the ocean.

But not everything that goes up will be coming down. Operators of satellites in geo-stationary orbits, the coveted 22,500-mile altitude used by hundreds of communications and weather satellites, frequently move obsolete satellites into a "disposal" orbit 150 miles farther out, where they won't collide with functional satellites at least for a while.

"Our long-term prediction is that the disposal orbit shouldn't become a problem for a hundred years or longer, said NASA's Stansbery. "But then, who knows what we'll be doing in space 100 or 200 years from now."

Of course, dozens of interplanetary probes have made true one-way journeys to the moon, the planets, and in the case of Voyager 1, eventually into the vast, still uncluttered, reaches of interstellar space.

SuitSat Experiment Ends

From http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/SuitSat_Experiment_Ends.html

SuitSat after suit modifications

The SuitSat-1 experiment, called RadioSkaf - or Radio Sputnik in Russian - has been completed successfully by the International Space Station crew, Sergei Samburov, the project's deputy director, told the Russian Interfax-AVN news agency Sunday. "The last transmission from the RadioSkaf artificial satellite was received on February 18," Samburov said.

"The spacesuit, outfitted with a radio transmitter, broadcast nearly 3,500 messages to the Earth over two weeks."

On Feb. 3, Russian cosmonaut Valery Tokarev and U.S. astronaut Bill McArthur jettisoned an obsolete Russian Orlan M spacesuit, which was empty except for electronic equipment. The suit contained a radio transmitter that broadcast recorded messages.

The transmission, at 145.900 MHz FM, in the VHF or two-meter band of amateur radio, attracted attention from students and ham radio operators all over the world. The transmissions included suit data, mission time, suit temperature and battery voltage.

Soon after its launch by hand from the station, however, NASA reported that the transmitter had gone dead, but the spacesuit's weak signal was picked up by ham radio operators and the experiment continued as scheduled.

SuitSat-1 was sponsored by Amateur Radio on the International Space Station, an international ham radio working group. The suit's orbit is expected to continue to deteriorate, and it will re-enter Earth's atmosphere and disintegrate within a few days.

Thai Shin Satellite 2005 Net THB1.21B Vs THB856.1M

From http://sg.biz.yahoo.com/060227/15/3z022.html

Thai Shin Satellite 2005 Earnings Table Shin Satellite PCL (SATTEL.TH) - Bangkok

Figures in baht (THB).

Full Year To Dec. 31, 2005:

2005 2004

Net Profit THB1,207,708,603 THB856,122,864

Earnings per share 1.21 0.98

All figures are consolidated, unaudited and conform to domestic accounting standards.

Thai Shin Satellite 2005 Net THB1.21B Vs THB856.1M

BANGKOK (Dow Jones)--Thailand's Shin Satellite PCL (SATTEL.TH) said its net profit rose 41% last year, boosted by higher sales and insurance compensation.

In 2005, the company recorded a net profit of THB1.21 billion, or THB1.21 a share, up from THB856.1 million, or THB0.98 a share.

The earnings were higher than analysts' expectations. Four brokerage houses polled by Dow Jones Newswires had expected the company to post, on average, net profit of THB751.5 million.

Last year, the company posted total sales of THB6.91 billion, up from THB5.57 billion in the previous year.

The sales jump followed a rise in revenues from equipment sales and satellite leases to THB5.59 billion from THB5.12 billion, as Shin Satellite successfully launched its broadband satellite iPSTAR in August after a long delay.

Meanwhile, the company also recorded THB1.08 billion in insurance compensation last year.

Last year, Shin Satellite received $33 million for insurance claims arising from the temporary failure of Thaicom 3 satellite transponders.

The company booked a total expense of THB5.31 billion in 2005, up from THB856.1 million, mainly due to higher costs of sales and services.

Fortec Viewers Dupedas Signal is Scrambled

From http://allafrica.com/stories/200602270279.html

ZIMBABWEAN television viewers who have been enjoying free reception of certain regional television broadcasts are being blocked out, as the broadcasters scramble their signals to non-authorised viewers. This encryption of broadcasts to unauthorised viewers has seen many Zimbabwean losing these signals.

Although no official comment could be obtained from MultiChoice Zimbabwe, the only authorised agent of DStv in Zimbabwe, an official said the viewing of free-to-air regional broadcasts in Zimbabwe was illegal and in contravention of international copyright law.

People who have had to resort to the black market to buy the foreign currency needed to subscribe for DStv bouquets, were now buying free to air decoders for free access to some regional channels.

Popular among viewers is South Africa Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) and South Africa's private channel, e.tv, accessible on the Fortec Star Decoder, which is popular on the Zimbabwean market.

According to international copyright law, television content provided by broadcasters such as SABC and Botswana TV is intended only for licence holders residing within their respective countries.

In an e-mail correspondence David McGrath of Fortec Communications Inc, headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario in Canada, said he was not aware of the situation in Zimbabwe.

"We manufacture receivers and other satellite equipment. We are not a broadcaster. We do not provide content, nor are we responsible for what content is offered via satellite TV.

"Furthermore, we are not specifically aware of the situation in Zimbabwe since our product is imported and sold by Zimbabwe distributors."

However, an anonymous Multichoice official pointed out that the mere distribution of a decoder that can be used to tap into other countries channels was a "felony".

SABC announced on 1 August 2001 that SABC 1, 2, 3 and e.tv satellite transmissions are encrypted and are no longer transmitted on free to air.

With the encryption of SABC and Botswana TV signals, viewers have been going back to backstreet technical service providers to have their reception signals updated to cope with changes, but at substantial costs. In due course, when full encryption takes place, this tampering will not be successful.

"I am very disappointed as I paid a lot of money to buy equipment and to have the technicians make it possible for me to receive SABC," said Lovemore Garapu of Harare, who has been viewing SABC channels on a Fortec Star decoder. "Now this investment is worthless."

Disney takes ESPN, Cinemagic to UK

From http://www.c21media.net/news/detail.asp?area=1&article=29073

Disney-owned sports channel brand ESPN is heading to the UK for the first time as part of a wide-ranging new carriage deal agreed by the Mouse and digital satellite company BSkyB.

ESPN Classic, which launched in France in 2002, now reaches more than 40 countries and will add one more to this total when it launches on Sky on March 13.

The channel will air great sporting moments from the archives, with the British launch featuring the likes of England's Rugby World Cup victory over Australia in 2003 and official film of the 1948 London Olympics.

The arrival of ESPN Classic will be followed three days later by the new premium family channel Disney Cinemagic and an accompanying reshuffle of the Disney Channel and Playhouse Disney in the Sky line-up.

Disney Cinemagic will be the destination for Disney animated feature premieres, such as The Incredibles, and will be available as a standalone premium channel or as a bonus to subscribers of Sky Movies 1 and 2.

While the Disney Channel and Playhouse Disney remain subscription services, they become part of Sky's basic channel package, significantly widening their reach.

A Disney spokeswoman told C21 that the new model may well be one that the company seeks to replicate elsewhere, with Cinemagic potentially launching in other countries.

Bundled in with the new Sky distribution deal ? Disney's largest outside the US and thought to be worth around ?130m (US$227m) ? is a renewal of the deal between Buena Vista International Television and Sky Movies.

This is being extended, however, to give Sky rights to show titles such as Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and The Chronicles of Narnia, in high definition and via video-on-demand, following last month's launch of the satellite company's broadband movie service.

Jetix and Jetix+1 have also gained carriage on Sky for a further five years beyond the expiration of the current agreement in 2007.

"This agreement, which marks our largest distribution deal outside the US, is great news for viewers, who will now be able to access an even broader array of Disney content, either through their TVs or via broadband on personal computers," said Anne Sweeney, co-chair of Disney Media Networks and president of the Disney-ABC Television Group.

"The strategic utilisation of new technologies to meet consumer needs is of paramount importance to the growth of the Disney Media Networks Group."

Sky's chief operating officer, Richard Freudenstein, added: "Working with outstanding brands like Disney and ESPN allows us to offer great entertainment for every family member and to break new ground in multi-platform content distribution."

27/02/06

Some signals on C1 and B3 were off last night for a while due to a heavy rainstorm at the Optus uplink site.

There was a HUGE non dvb carrier approx 12635V on the new Pas8 Ku NZ/Pacific islands beam on Sunday.

NSS5 177W KU "NZ beam" The Russian mux has left (Gone to Asiasat4)

Super14 rugby on Pas 2 ABC A.P was FTA.... hmmmmmmmmm?

From my Email & ICQ

From Steve D

Sunday
B1 12358 V 6620 Fox Sports feed for Sky

Steve D

From Jsat.tv (Thailand)

Panamsat 8: C Band. Discovery Travel & Living China is FTA

Freq: 3764 POL: V S/R: 19850 FEC:3/4
Channel name: Discovery Travel & Living

From: Mr. shaodongxiaopeng
Screen dump here;
http://www.jsat.tv/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1140774780/0#0

From Anon

Pas 2 3715 V sr 6620 "Channel 11 sng"

From the Dish

(Some changes may have occurred since posting)

PAS 8 166E 12366 H "ABS-CBN News Channel" has left .
PAS 8 166E 12606 H "Vremya" is now encrypted.

Apstar 6 134E The Top V muxes have swapped frequencies.

NSS 6 95E 12595 H "Movies on Demand 1-4" have started on , Conax, PIDs 101/102-1301/1302.(India beam)

Thaicom 3 78.5E 3551 H "A Channel S promo" has started on , Fta, PIDs 1001/1002.

Thaicom 3 78.5E 12313 H "NBT TV Channel 11 (Irdeto), Box Office Channel, BEC Tero, JET TV and Nickelodeon New Zealand" have started on , Fta, PIDs 105/405-114/414.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 12362 H "Thai TV Global Network and DMC Channel" have left .
Thaicom 3 78.5E 12562 H "KBS World" has left .

PAS 4 72E 12556 V New SR for Dandana Reality on : 2600.

Telstar 10 76.5E 4059 V "DMC Channel" is back on , Fta, SR 1430, FEC 3/4, PIDs 4194/4195.

Yamal 202 49E 3962 L "Radio Rossii Region Tyumen" are now encrypted.

NEWS

Free digital TV on the way

From http://www.nzherald.co.nz/search/story.cfm?storyid=0008B228-EB44-13FE-A33883027AF1023D

Decisions clearing the way for free-to-air digital television are expected by the end of the year.

The Government favours a BBC-style model, creating at least two commercial-free digital channels with a public broadcaster approach to broaden the fare offered on One and TV2.

Broadcasting Minister Steve Maharey hopes to have a specific plan for TVNZ approved by the end of the year.

He says the Government is "pretty much settled" on an option outlined by former chief executive Ian Fraser in a memo to the TVNZ board shortly before he resigned last October. Under the plan, One and Two would operate much as they do now, maintaining a high audience share and generating "substantial commercial revenue". Both channels would continue to run Charter programmes but without the "spin" that the current operation was a full public broadcaster, Mr Fraser wrote.

A factual channel could show high-end international documentaries, re-runs of One News and minority programmes with a high local content. A second channel primarily for children could screen serious drama and arts at night. Mr Maharey said key issues such as the type of set-top box needed were still to be worked through

MTV boss shuns TVNZ job

From http://www.nzherald.co.nz/search/story.cfm?storyid=000BD182-E4D2-1400-9BA883027AF1FE9F

Expat Kiwi Brent Hansen has been asked to apply for the position of TVNZ chief executive - but he isn't interested.

Hiring the retiring head of MTV Europe would have been a major coup for the state broadcaster, given his vast experience successfully building the music channel into a multi-billion-dollar business.

Mr Hansen told the Herald on Sunday from London: "The search company sent through the specs for the job and I haven't responded."

He said he would not respond as he did not want to trade the MTV Europe role for another corporate job.

Mr Hansen made his name in New Zealand as producer of 1980s music show Radio With Pictures, joining the fledgling MTV Europe in 1987 as a news producer. Known for his love of music, he was appointed president of MTV Europe in 1997. MTV Europe has 24 regional music channels and has recently developed a slew of digital channels specialising in different musical genres.

Mr Hansen broke his silence on his resignation, saying he quit as part of a plan he came up with 12 years ago. He had turned 50 and wanted to leave "at the top of the game".

He believed the business was changing and acceptance of his style of management would fade in the years ahead.

He said he still had "a good feeling" for TVNZ and had enjoyed the fresh feel of its news in recent visits. However, he was "never a fan" of Pop Idol-style shows.

"Television these days is much more about the viewer getting access to be on television. I don't think [Pop Idol] has done much for music."

Mr Hansen said he had clung to his Kiwi-ness in his 20 years abroad and made efforts to advise any New Zealand artists who contacted him.

He told those who want to make it big to "attack a market".

"You can't expect to sit in New Zealand and make it happen. And don't just come over here and play to a bunch of homesick Kiwis."

Networks' internet fears aired

From http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,18284920^15306^^nbv^,00.html

WHILE the internet's effect on the business models of newspapers has been well documented, now it is also causing headaches for Australia's TV networks.

Protected from competition on the airwaves by the federal Government, networks Seven, Nine and Ten will this week confront a different form of competition with the launch of Australia's first internet-based music TV channel.

And on another front, the internet is proving to be a remarkable facilitator for the illegal pirating of TV programs - threatening the future value of the TV networks.

In a submission to an inquiry by the Attorney-General on copyright issues arising from digital technology, Seven and Nine said broadcasters were "having to deal with an online TV piracy epidemic".

"Countries such as Australia, the UK and the USA find themselves in an environment which is experiencing a TV piracy explosion due to improved technology and rising demand," they said.

"Australia is the second-largest downloader of online pirate TV programs."

While there is still no direct evidence of the "epidemic" hurting the networks' profits, Seven and Nine are concerned about the potential erosion of the secondary markets for their programs.

"Program distribution through DVD or licensing rights in program material to overseas broadcasters represent important secondary markets for free-to-air broadcasters to recoup investment in programs," they said.

Also at risk is the commercial value of "repeat" broadcast rights, they said.

The piracy is mostly blamed on new file-sharing software applications such as BitTorrent.

"It is difficult to overstate the impact of BitTorrent on digital asset piracy, particularly in connection with film and TV piracy, with 70 per cent of all TV piracy occurring through BitTorrent," they said.

Last week, Australia's first legal TV download service was launched with the expansion of Telstra's BigPond Movies internet site. TV programs such as The Shield and Stargate SG-1 can be downloaded the day after they screen on Australian free-to-air TV or on the Foxtel pay-TV service. At $1.95 per TV program, this will be the first test on whether Australians are prepared to pay for TV accessed through the internet, or if they will stick to the cheaper BitTorrent system.

Meantime, radio group Austereo will this week launch its internet music TV channel, Crank TV, along with music group Sony BMG. While all sorts of video content has been available on the internet for years, this is the first time a local established media player has aggregated the content on a site which has been called a "TV channel", then harnessed its extensive sales force to actively sell advertising and sponsorship in that space.

And while Crank TV may not be anything as sophisticated as a free-to-air TV channel, it is also free from most of the costly regulation burdening the TV networks, such as the requirement to provide a certain amount of children's programming.

In September 2000, former communications minister Richard Alston issued a ministerial determination that said anything "broadcast" over the internet would not be regarded as a "broadcasting service" and therefore not subject to the requirements -- such as the Australian content standards -- of the Broadcasting Services Act.

Therefore Crank TV, or any similar venture, is free to program the "channel" as it pleases, subject only to our usual internet safeguards on pornographic content.

And while Communications Minister Helen Coonan prepares to release a discussion paper looking at media ownership reform and issues arising from digital TV, there is not yet any suggestion that her predecessor's ruling should be overturned.

Indeed as content producers and aggregators, the TV networks have also seen the internet as an opportunity with Seven recently joining forces with Yahoo! to create Yahoo7 in a move similar to the Nine Network's ninemsn venture with Microsoft.

But there could be other regulatory issues that arise as the internet becomes more TV-like.

For example, as people pay to access the internet, does that mean internet TV channels are a pay-TV service and therefore require a pay-TV licence?

Meantime, Seven and Nine are hoping there is no change to the existing Copyright Act.

Among the issues being discussed is whether the "fair use" exception to the Act should be changed to be open-ended, allowing the courts to decide if a particular use of copyright material was "fair".

But Nine and Seven are firmly in favour of no change.

"The networks are strongly opposed to any changes to the Act which could weaken the legal rights afforded to those who have made significant investments in copyright material," they said.

President officially inaugurates the country's ninth satellite

From http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailbusiness.asp?fileid=20060225.M01&irec=1

A women's activist from Papua, Agustina Basek Basek, made a surprising request during a video linkup with the President to mark the official inauguration of Telkom-2 Satellite in Cibinong, West Java, on Friday, saying, "We ask your permission to establish South Papua as a new province with Merauke as its capital, Mr. President."

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono smiled at her through the camera and replied that the establishment of a new province had to be approved by the local administration and the Home Ministry in accordance with the prescribed procedures.

Aside from receiving the somewhat unexpected request from Agustina of Merauke, the President also talked live with leaders and members of local communities in Sabang (Aceh), Miangas Island (North Sulawesi) and Atambua (East Nusa Tenggara) through signals sent via the new satellite. These three remote areas, along with Papua, were selected on account of their isolation and to represent the four corners of Indonesia.

"The new satellite has a wider coverage area. It can reach other countries in Southeast Asia, southern Africa and Australia, as well as all the cities and villages in Indonesia," said Yudhoyono.

Telkom-2 is the ninth Indonesian satellite to be deployed, and replaces the previous B4 satellite, which stopped operating last year. The new satellite was launched on a French Ariane 5 rocket last November after a number of cancellations due to technical problems.

The new satellite, operated by state-owned PT Telkom, is intended to cater to growing telecommunications needs, particularly for Internet, e-business and e-banking services.

Yudhoyono said that the satellite would also help to enhance education and health services, and the country's defense as it would be able to provide connections to even the most isolated areas.

Information and Communications Minister Sofjan Djalil said that Indonesia now had seven satellites, owned separately by PT Telkom, PT Indosat, state-owned television TVRI, and PT Pasifik Satelit Nusantara.

However, Sofjan admitted that even seven satellites were not enough for a country like Indonesia, which was made up of a vast number of islands and had a very big population. (JP/06)

UK PRESS: News Corp May Split With Phoenix Satellite TV

From http://sg.biz.yahoo.com/060224/15/3yyky.html

News Corp. (NWS) has talked about pulling out of its Chinese television joint venture with Hong Kong-based Phoenix Satellite Television Holdings Ltd. (8002.HK), the Financial Times reported on its Web site Friday.

Such a move would mean that News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch has abandoned his most successful effort yet to enter China's tightly controlled media market, according to the FT.

Citing "people familiar with the situation," the FT reported that News Corp. had talked about selling its 38% stake in Phoenix.

There have been rumors that Phoenix hasn't done enough to facilitate News Corp.'s own expansion into China as much as Murdoch had hoped. While Phoenix has become China's leading commercial broadcaster, News Corp.'s own Star TV (STV.YY) unit has been restricted to upscale hotels and apartments and the southern province of Guangdong.

"Phoenix is developing in a healthy way, but running ahead and running alone," a Phoenix executive was quoted by the FT as saying. "Originally, (Murdoch) thought Phoenix would take Star TV's hand and lead it."

However, a move by News Corp. to sell its HK$2.2 billion stake would be complicated by Chinese concerns over foreign involvement in the media sector and the need to ensure that any buyer was acceptable to Beijing, the FT reported, citing another person familiar with the situation.

No Phoenix exit: News

From http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,18281492^7582,00.html

NEWS Corporation has dismissed claims it is considering pulling out of its Hong Kong-based Chinese television joint venture, Phoenix Satellite Television.

A newspaper report at the weekend quoted a Phoenix executive saying News chairman Rupert Murdoch discussed selling the 38 per cent stake more than a year ago with Phoenix's chairman and founder, Liu Changle.

The subject was brought up again more recently as differences grew over the future direction of the venture, the newspaper said.

But a News spokesman in New York said an exit from Phoenix was not under consideration.

Star TV chief executive Michelle Guthrie has dismissed suggestions tensions have arisen between News and Mr Liu.

The Phoenix executive, who was not named, said Mr Murdoch's desire to pull out of the venture seemed to reflect his disappointment that Phoenix had not helped News's Star TV break into the Chinese market.

"Phoenix is developing in a healthy way, but running ahead and running alone," the executive reportedly said.

Indo-Euro pact on satellites to break U.S. company's monopoly

From http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2006/02/26/1407771.htm

(Ecomonic Times, The (India) (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Feb. 25--SINGAPORE -- The high-octane high-tech world of commercial communications satellites has thoroughly been shaken, not just stirred.

The new EADS/Astrium and Antrix/Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) alliance formalised during the French president's visit to India will directly challenge the monopoly enjoyed by the U.S.-based Orbital Sciences in the 4 kilowatt payload segment with a launch mass of 2 to 3 tonnes.

The new marriage of Indian platforms with European payloads is expected to produce extremely flexible, easy-to-use and substantially cheaper options for a communications hungry world.

The chief attraction of the jointly developed Indo-European satellites will be that it's IT-free -- the Interim Trade Arm restrictions on sale kick in whenever American components are used -- because both Isro and EADS/Astrium with their individually proven track records can beat the ban, informed sources insisting on anonymity told ET.

In practical terms what this means is that a whole new world of opportunity, not just Europe and America but also Africa, the Middle-East, not to forget South America, opens up. In practical terms, world-wide this would translate into "two or three opportunities a year at the smaller 2-to-3-tonnes range" at 15 percent to 20 percent lower prices.

It does not mean you win them all, sources told ET, because there will intense competition, which should explain why the president of Orbital Sciences stated at the Pacific Telecommunications Council Conference in Honolulu in January that it was "nice to see some real competition".

This only meant that the Indo-European alliance was being taken extremely seriously, the sources said. The potential market was estimated at $150m (for 1.5 satellites), including the cost of the launcher with Indians and the Europeans sharing 50 percent of the spoils respectively.

Experts ET met at the Asian Aerospace show said that even China could be a potential customer for the new alliance. But Chinese national pride was likely to be stronger than commercial sense, when it came to fulfilling its communications satellite needs.

(By way of comparison, China's DFH3 bus, which is the competing model for the geo-satellite, was said to be far older and lacked international commercial credibility compared to Isro's newer option with its outstanding record.) "It could potentially be a win-win for everybody," Noel Forgeard, CEO of the European Aerospace Defence and Space Corp told ET.

"For the Europeans, re-inventing the platform would be expensive and time-consuming. That's where Isro comes in: it will build the satellite bus based on the flight proven I-3K model, and it will also integrate and test the spacecraft and take charge of the early in-orbit operations.

The multiplier effect of this on the Indian economy in revitalising Isro's entire supply chain involving private subcontractors and equipment outsourcing could indeed be absolutely electrifying.

This was already evident in the pace of events, he pointed out: the partnership was announced on February 1, it was inked on the 20th and the first success of this alliance was demonstrated by the award of the W2M satellite contract by Eutelsat Communications.

Under this contract, the W2M will be delivered to Eutelsat in 26 months for launch in the second quarter of '08.

W2M will operate typically 26 transponders in Ku-band and up to 32 depending on operational modes, for a designed operational lifetime of 15 years. W2M displays great flexibility to operate a wide range of services from television broadcasting to data networks and broadband.

It will have a fixed beam coverage for Europe, North Africa and Middle East and a steerable beam which can be re-oriented in orbit according to market requirements, notably towards Africa and central Asia. As for the future of the alliance, the sky would literally now be the limit.

EADS Astrium is Europe's leading satellite system specialist. Its activities cover complete civil and military telecommunications and Earth observation systems, science and navigation programmes, and all spacecraft avionics and equipment.

EADS Astrium is a wholly owned subsidiary of EADS SPACE, which is dedicated to providing civil and defence space systems. In 2004 EADS SPACE had a turnover of 2.6 billion and 11,000 employees in France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Spain.

EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2004, EADS generated revenues of 31.8 billion and employed a workforce of more than 110,000.

Telecom-TV race underway

From http://mybroadband.co.za/nephp/?m=show&id=2035

Television companies MultiChoice and MNet will soon clash with cellular operator Vodacom in the quest to deliver television shows to your cellphone

MultiChoice and affiliate MNet will be among the first in the world to test a new technology to deliver digital television to specially adapted phones.

It is called handheld digital video broadcasting (DVB-H), and is so new that no handsets are commercially available yet.

More than 100 companies are working on DVB-H devices and services, and Nokia is supplying prototype cellphones housing a built-in receiver for the MultiChoice trials.

Hopefully the tests will provide a good indication of whether people actually want to watch television on their handset, says Linda Vermaas, head of a new division created for the project.

"Companies are trying to get an understanding of the possible take-up and how the market will react. This has not been launched anywhere in the world yet, so there are no proven business models or benchmarks," she says.

The move poses a direct threat to Vodacom, which pioneered SA's first television-to-cellphone service in December.

In another twist, Telkom will begin trials to take television to the home over its high-speed internet lines in July.

The skirmishes are a stark example of how new technologies are making adversaries out of telecommunications and broadcasting players that once had no interest in each other's turf.

If its new service proves popular, MultiChoice will need to build a completely new network because DVB-H is a terrestrial technology, and the company currently transmits via satellite.

So why bother? "We are experts in broadcasting and this is a groundbreaking new platform for TV content worth exploring," Vermaas says.

She says MultiChoice has not decided how successful it must be to justify a DVB-H investment.

The difference between that technology and the third-generation (3G) cellular system used by Vodacom partly lies in capacity.

Since 3G delivers one-to-one transmissions, the network will eventually be strained when too many people simultaneously access bandwidth-greedy applications such as television or video streaming.

On the plus side, 3G is interactive so users can request different shows, vote on live shows or pause the show to answer a call.

DVB-H is a one-to-many broadcast, so there is no degradation in quality no matter how many viewers it has.

But there is no interaction, so people will get what MultiChoice decides to give them.

Vermaas expects both MultiChoice and Vodacom to be successful. "I think both technologies will find their market. Young consumers will be particularly interested in TV content on their phone," she says.

Vodacom believes the promise of being able to watch some of the world's most popular channels at any time, anywhere, just has to be a hit. "It's incredible that the world's best information channels are available on your handset," says a spokesman.

Vodacom is coy about its figures, but logged 126000 minutes of viewing time in the first month of its launch.

Users pay R10 a day for as much television as they like, with a January 31 cut-off date for that discount price quietly slipping by.

So far its channels include Fashion TV, Sky News, Fox and Yebo Entertainment. Users need a Vodafone Live 3G handset, and the high-speed network is available only in urban areas.

Neither Vodacom nor MultiChoice is deterred by a prediction from Deloitte analysts that mobile television will not become a hot new niche.

Although it is being promoted as the next big thing, with tens of millions of marketing dollars thrown at it, customers are not excited, says Danie Crowther of Deloitte SA.

"While the technology, telecom and media/entertainment industries are certainly converging, there will be some big winners and some big losers - and some that gain acceptance at a slower rate than their initial hype forecast," he says.

Presumably Vodacom's more circumspect rivals, MTN and Cell C, share those doubts and have yet to jump on the gimmick.

Meanwhile, Telkom will explore the world of television by testing the technical and commercial viability of delivering programmes over its high-speed ADSL lines, which 12,0000 customers use to access the internet.

Telkom's triple-play trial - referring to the combination of voice, high-speed internet and television over a single network - will run for up to six months with 300 customers.

Viewers will be able to vote during live television shows by using a remote control button, can pause, rewind or fast-forward "live" broadcasts, and access games, music and educational content.

Although television over a phone line is showing international success, Telkom still needs to establish how South Africans will respond, says spokeswoman Lulu Letlape.

Telkom's trials could lead to a commercial roll-out within 12 to 18 months if consumers and the Telkom network prove ready for the revolution.

GlobeCast WorldTV & LodgeNet Offer International TV Services

From http://news.tmcnet.com/news/2006/02/23/1402526.htm

International travelers visitng America who worry about missing out on news or the latest happenings with their favorite television show or sports team back home, will no longer have to wonder while they're away.

LodgeNet Entertainment Corporation, provider of interactive television solutions to hotels and GlobeCast WorldTV, provider of international programming on Direct-to-Home satellite in America announced today an agreement to offer GlobeCast WorldTV satellite services at LodgeNet-served hotels.

GlobeCast WorldTV's satellite services are delivered via KU-band satellite on Intelsat Americas 5 and will provide services for LodgeNet's interactive and broadband television systems.

The agreement will allow GlobeCast WorldTV to service 6,000 of LodgeNet's nationwide hotels with more than 160 international television and radio channels in 33 different languages.

"Because the United States hosts millions of visitors from all over the world, GlobeCast is pleased to announce this collaboration with LodgeNet, enabling international travelers to enjoy their favorite entertainment programs, news and sports while they're abroad," said Lisa Coelho, Vice President, GlobeCast WorldTV in a recent new release.

TV Polonia, Yemen TV, Africa Independent TV and EuroNews--which reports the latest news in 7 different languages, are among the many channels to be offered.

For more please visit: http://www.lodgenet.com/ or http://www.globecastworldtv.com/

Sky Sports scoops cricket telecast rights

From http://dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1014693

NEW DELHI: After several days of negotiation and fear of failed talks, UK broadcaster BskyB?s Sky Sports managed to strike a deal with Nimbus for telecasting cricket matches played in India between March 2006 and 2010, including two England series.

The Sky Sports deal is for the UK market, and is likely to reach out to a subscriber base of 8 million. While the first India-England series will begin on March 1, 2006, the second one is scheduled for 2009. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) allotted the composite media rights to Nimbus last week at $612 million for international cricket played in the country for four years.

Even as there's no decision yet as to which TV channel would telecast the 23 Test matches and 55 ODIs during the four-year period in India, in an announcement on Friday, Nimbus said that it had entered an agreement with Sky Sports for the UK market. The deal amount has not been disclosed. But, according to a report published in UK's Telegraph, Sky paid around 10 million for the package.

Earlier, Nimbus had said that it had reached agreements with broadcasters in the US, Canada, Carribean, UK and Middle-East. Most of the announcements are expected to be made by February 27. BBC has already bagged the radio rights in the UK territory.

Interestingly, Sky will get only England tours on an exclusive basis in the UK market. For the remaining cricket series not featuring England, it would get non-exclusive coverage. Composite media rights owner Nimbus would offer rights to a South Asian network for telecasting the non-England series in the UK. So far, BSkyB has had a monopoly in showing overseas cricket involving England.

Meanwhile, for India, TV channels and radio broadcasters continue to be in discussion with Nimbus. Although a decision was expected on February 22, 'broadcasters' negotiations with Nimbus are being stretched over the issue of right price, an industry source said. While Nimbus managing director Harish Thawani, who has paid $612 million for the four-year rights, is expecting good money for reselling the rights, channel executives argue that the Nimbus bid is hugely overpriced. As the first Test in the new BCCI season begins on March 1, a decision is expected in a day or two. "Otherwise, the cricket telecast rights issue will be back to square one," as Nimbus does not have a TV or a radio platform, according to a channel representative. In the past, public broadcaster Prasar Bharati was many times given the rights to show matches on an interim basis, as the cricket telecast issue was in the courts for around 18 months.

Meanwhile, for the new BCCI season starting March 2006, there's nothing final on terrestrial broadcast either. A Prasar Bharati source said that "negotiation with Nimbus is on". But so far, Nimbus is ready to give only ODIs to Prasar Bharati for terrestrial viewing, and not the Test matches. "This is against the mandatory-sharing norm of the government," the source argued. Mandatory sharing norm states that any private rightsholder must share the telecast feed of all nationally significant events, including cricket, with the pubcaster.

Game point

Sky Sports deal is for the UK market, and is likely to reach out to 8 million subscribers

While the first India-England series will begin on March 1, 2006 The deal is for covering 23 Test matches and 55 ODIs that'll be played during the four-year period

Sahara wins England India cricket satellite rights

From http://media247.co.uk/bizasia/newsarchive/2006/02/sahara_one_wins.php

Nimbus Communications Limited, the BCCI?s global media rights partner for Indian cricket till March 2010, today signed a landmark deal with Sahara One Television, to broadcast the India-England international cricket series starting 1st March 2006, and consisting of 3 Tests and 7 ODIs.

Sahara One Television will telecast all matches live.

In addition to the live telecast, Nimbus shall produce wrap around programming pre/post match and during breaks, to enhance the viewer experience on Sahara One. Nimbus Sport, the BCCI's appointed producer, shall supply the world feed (live coverage) to Sahara One.

Shailendra Singh, Head of Sahara One Media And Entertainment Limited, said, "We are delighted to partner with Nimbus and Indian cricket in this new strategic initiative to take Indian cricket to the next level. Sahara India Pariwar has deep commitment to cricket and we are sure that our massive reach in cable homes will ensure that this exciting series achieves record-breaking ratings."

Given that Sahara One is free-to-air, it also ensures that there are no cable black outs of the channel as becomes the case often with sports channels trying to extract pay TV revenues.

Commenting on the deal, Akash Khurana, MD & CEO, Nimbus, said "Our choice of the Sahara One platform was dictated by the fact that the channel has near 100% distribution in cable homes compared to sports channels that barely reach 50% of cable homes; and by the amazing commitment and vision for cricket of the Sahara India Pariwar."

Nimbus will exclusively market the commercial airtime during the series on Sahara One. The arrangement between Nimbus and Sahara contemplates a win-win upside sharing beyond specified revenue thresholds.

In addition to Sahara One's live broadcast and wrap-around programming, the Sahara One Network shall produce unilaterals that shall be aired exclusively on Sahara FILMY and Sahara News, focusing on the glamour events and behind-the-scenes action respectively around this series.

Only a short while ago, Biz Asia revealed that Doordarshan had been awarded the terrestrial TV rights for the India territory. Yesterday it was confirmed, Sky Sports had picked up the UK telecast rights for all India cricket played over the next four years. Earlier in the week, it was also announced the BBC had won exclusive UK radio rights. Now what remains is who will win the Europe and US telecast rights. We will keep you posted.

The deal struck today between Sahara One Television and Nimbus is only for the immediate England tour of India. Nimbus is yet to announce its telecast partner for other India cricket matches played over the next four years. This latest development is a big loss for India's top sports players including ZEE Sports and ESPN Sports.

Tata Sky to launch DTH service by June

From http://www.hindu.com/2006/02/27/stories/2006022715200200.htm

It is an alternative to terrestrial transmission and Dish TV's DTH package

CHENNAI: If you hate Chennai's cable TV scene, liberation is just a few months away. Tata Sky, the joint venture of Tata and STAR, will launch its direct-to-home television by June, as a credible alternative to terrestrial transmission and Dish TV's DTH package. The company recently tied up with Thomson for the set-top boxes and NDS Systems for the smart card technology.

"Our DTH service will completely redefine the television viewing experience in India," said Vikram Kaushik, CEO, Tata Sky. Thomson would manufacture the set-top boxes in India, and provide after-sales service and support network.

"We are committed to building a state-of-the-art DTH operation. NDS Systems will enable us to transfer control and choice into the hands of subscribers," Mr. Kaushik added.

When the company launches its service, it will be among the biggest roll-outs of DTH in India. The scene is currently dominated by Dish TV, which crossed a viewership of two million last year.

"As the largest and most exciting new DTH TV project in the world, we are very proud to have been selected as a key supplier by Tata Sky," said Koen van Driel, senior vice-president, satellite, terrestrial and cable business unit, Thomson.

Tata Sky aims to become India's largest digital television platform, offering consumers a wide array of programming choices with interactive features, superior picture and sound quality, a company spokesperson said.

Unlike cable TV that relies on uninterrupted power supply in the neighbourhood, DTH technology lets the customer completely control his viewing habits. As long as the subscriber has power at home, he can watch what he wants and pay only for what he has subscribed to watch. Both Thomson and NDS Systems are market leaders for subscription television around the world. DTH operators BSkyB (United Kingdom), Foxtel (Australia) and Sky Italia (Italy) use NDS Solutions for securing digital content and managing pay television.

NDS incidentally is also the only system in the world that nobody has ever managed to hack into. Sue Taylor, Vice President and General Manager, NDS Asia Pacific said, "As systems integrator, NDS is uniquely capable of delivering the complex platform in the aggressive timescale set by Tata Sky."