31/01/03

Globecast confirmed that HRT1 and HRT3 are sharing space, Same with TVK and YTN. This makes for a much more interesting programing line-up

Mundine Fight tommorow night, is on FTA tv over here in NZ. Not sure what the chances are of a fta sat feed?

Misc Feeds reported lately

B1, 12390 H Sr 7200 Fec 3/4
B1, 12411 V Sr 6670 Fec 3/4
B1, 12424 H Sr 6670 Fec 3/4


From my Emails & ICQ


From Dukat

Great link about scanning for feeds

http://www.bigwig.net/stuff/sat/masterclass/dvbcommander.htm

Dvb Commander

http://sat-digital-tv.provider.pl/stuff/ut_stan/cmd4x.zip


From SiamGlobal

WOULD ANY APSATTER IN SE ASIA, NORTH OF INDONESIA, KINDLY CONFIRM RECEPTION OF THE TWO NEW FTA CHANNELS REPORTED ON PALAPA 4050H.

I RECEIVE ALL C BAND PALAPA SIGNALS AT NEAR 100% QUALITY AND STRENGTH FROM BANGKOK WITH 4 METER DISH, YET NO SIGNAL WHATSOEVER ON 4050H.

COULD IT BE THAT THIS TRANSPONDER IS TRANSMITTING ONLY A FEW HOURS A DAY

(WHEN I AM NOT TESTING) ?

SIAM GLOBAL


From the Dish


Lyngsat late


NEWS


New Skies creates complete service offering for launch of Reliance Infocomm’s international long-distance telephony business


From Press Release

30 January 2003

THE HAGUE, Netherlands, January 30, 2003 -- New Skies Satellites N.V. (AEX, NYSE: NSK), the global satellite communications company, today announced that it has signed a multi-year, multi-transponder deal with Reliance Infocomm Ltd, one of India’s leading telecom companies offering basic (fixed and CDMA mobile), national long distance, international long distance and data services.

The agreement creates a complete, end-to-end value-added service enabling Reliance to launch international long-distance telephony services to the United States. The bundled offering includes multiple transponders on the NSS-703 satellite, uplinking/downlinking services at New Skies’ partner mediaport northwest of London, and local loop as well as trans-Atlantic fiber capacity linking the European gateway with Reliance’s facility at 60 Hudson Street in New York City. The service will be used along with Reliance’s growing fiber network, which covers over 600 cities across India.

Ajeet Varma of Reliance Infocomm Ltd said: “We selected New Skies for the launch of our international long distance service because of the excellent reputation of its highly reliable network. Also, as we launch our international services, New Skies’ strong technical expertise and customer support will help us be successful in this very competitive business.”

Srini Prasanna, vice president of sales for India, the Middle East and Africa, said: “We are very proud to be associated with Reliance, the largest business group in India, and to be a part of the roll out of their international voice services. This is one the largest value-added service offerings New Skies has developed and exemplifies the seamless integration of the world-class resources we are putting in place to meet the dynamic requirements of our customers.”

About Reliance Infocomm

Reliance Infocomm offers a complete range of telecom services, covering mobile and fixed line telephony including broadband, national and international long distance, data & a wide range of value added services and applications that will enhance productivity of enterprises as well as individuals. Reliance has a mission of ushering in a digital revolution in India by becoming a major catalyst in improving quality of life and changing the face of India. It aims to achieve this by putting the power of information and communication in the hands of the people of India at affordable costs.

About New Skies Satellites

New Skies Satellites (AEX, NYSE: NSK) is one of only four fixed satellite communications companies with truly global satellite coverage, offering video, voice, data and Internet communications services to a range of telecommunications carriers, broadcasters, large corporations and Internet service providers around the world. New Skies has six satellites in orbit, ground facilities around the world and one additional spacecraft under construction. The company also has secured certain rights to make use of additional orbital positions, including four serving the Americas. New Skies is headquartered in The Hague, The Netherlands, and has offices in Beijing, Johannesburg, New Delhi, São Paulo, Singapore, Sydney and Washington, D.C. Additional information is available at www.newskies.com.


News Corp poised for China venture


From http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,5915734%255E462,00.html

NEWS Corp subsidiary Phoenix Satellite Television Holdings has set up a joint venture to sell advertising and programming to mainland Chinese broadcasters, a company executive said today.

The deal, between Phoenix's business agent in China, Sino Television Co, and the Guangdong Television Broadcasting Development Centre, will allow Phoenix to collect advertising revenue from the mainland, said Roger Uren, vice president for international affairs at Phoenix.

The broadcast centre is a unit of the mainland government's State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, in southern China's Guangdong province.

Financial details regarding the joint venture, to be called Guangdong International Media, were not announced.

Broadcasts of Phoenix, which is 37.6 per cent owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. television subsidiary STAR, have been available in Guangdong since 1996.

Chinese authorities recently granted formal approval for broadcasts of Phoenix's 24-hour Chinese-language news channel, Phoenix InfoNews, and other foreign broadcasts to limited locations nationwide.

But without official approval for the broadcasts, Phoenix and the other foreign networks had been unable to collect advertising revenue, as local operators tended to run their own ads during the Phoenix shows and kept the money.

Phoenix said in a statement that it believed the venture would "open the way to a major boost in Phoenix's income from advertising and the sale of programming."

Industry executives have estimated that China's television advertising market could be worth more than $US2 billion ($3.4 billion).


Lifting Asia’s Capacity?


From http://www.asiatele.com/ViewArt.cfm?Magid=4&Artid=18514&Catid=5&subcat=41

8.04pm, Guiana Space Center, Dec 17, 2002: Technical staff from a cross-section of the satellite industry have just breathed a collective sigh of relief, as they do following any successful satellite launch.

But this time, there was perhaps more tension involved. When an Ariane 44L rocket took off with its payload—a Lockheed Martin A2100AX model satellite built for New Skies Satellites—a lot was at stake. A week earlier, Arianespace, the European commercial launch services provider, had seen the failure of its latest generation rocket—the Ariane 5 ECA—on its maiden voyage. The consequences of a second failure were unthinkable.

A lot was also riding on a successful launch on the customer’s part, as NSS-6 is seen as the missing link in New Skies’ global plans, giving it the capacity to finally target the potentially lucrative Asian market. teledotcom technology editor Geoff Long was at the launch and spoke to the players involved for this special report.

View from the Top

Now located at the prime orbital slot at 95° east longitude, NSS-6 enjoys a good view of Asia, with six broad Ku-band beams that will offer coverage of India, China, the Middle East (including Cyprus and Southern Africa), Australia, Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia.

Another 12 Ka-band uplink spot-beams will serve what News Skies considers the major media, content and communications cities of the Asia-Pacific region with two-way interactive broadband services: specifically Tokyo, Seoul, Sydney, Melbourne, Shanghai, Beijing, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Wuhan, Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.

New Skies Satellites CEO Dan Goldberg does not underestimate the importance of this added capacity in the region, suggesting that it is central to the company’s future plans.

?NSS 6 is a critical satellite for us for different reasons. Firstly, it covers markets that we already participate in—India, the Middle East, Australia, Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia—but where we are capacity-constrained, particularly in India and the Middle East,” he says.

?Secondly it is going to be one of the principle engines for our growth in 2003 and 2004 and beyond, so having this new capacity is critical if the company is going to continue to grow its revenues,” Goldberg adds.

Another feature of NSS-6 is that it has the capability to move capacity to areas within its footprint where it is most needed. Rick Masoni, executive vice president, Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems, describes building a satellite of this size and incorporating its flexible design as “very challenging”, but he notes that satellite operators today need such capability.

?I think it is important because the operators need the business flexibility to respond to changing markets. As a manufacturer, we see that sort of flexibility as an important characteristic of the satellite,” he says.

Goldberg says that one of the most promising markets for the company is India, where it has already sold some 15% of the satellite’s capacity to Data Access, a joint venture between PCCW of Hong Kong and India’s SPA Enterprises, for international long-distance telephone services. “There are other opportunities in Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia, but some of those opportunities though are not as mature as what we have seen in India and the Middle East,” he says.

One area that comes under the “non-mature” opportunity is China. New Skies recently opened a representative office in Beijing and had announced an agreement to partner with Chinasat in the China market, but Goldberg believes that further work will be needed to take advantage of the opportunities.

?I think that is a market that has huge potential but I also think it is a market that you need to work on to establish good connections with the government and the regulators as well as local partners. It is going to take a bit of time. They need capacity there, they need Ku-band capacity in particular, but I think that is going to be a market where we need to be persistent.”

The CEO also suggested that traditional video distribution and telephony services, the “meat and potato” satellite offerings, would be in more demand in the near-term than newer applications such as streaming, multicasting and two-way Internet services.

He suggests it will be a couple of years before this next wave of applications become core offerings.

Asia is often said to have an oversupply of capacity and many local satellite operators are struggling, but Goldberg believes that the company’s global reach coupled with the capabilities of the new satellite will ensure its success.

?I believe that this satellite is qualitatively better than the other satellites that are presently serving the region. It covers a larger area and has higher power than most. Fundamentally, it has flexibility and interconnectivity that none of the other satellites have up there and I think that when people have commercial requirements and they compare our satellite versus some of the satellites that are there, I think we are going to have a competitive edge.”

Other operators may not be so lucky, however, and Goldberg believes that there will be more consolidation in the industry—with New Skies a potential player.

“It has taken longer than most people had anticipated, but I do think there will be some more consolidation.

We are, in some ways, suited to being a consolidator because we have a totally unleveraged balance sheet today and strong operational cash flows. It is not an imperative for the company…but we do look at different things from time to time and if something is a good fit and a fair price, we would be interested in taking advantage of that.”

Meanwhile, New Skies also announced that its NSS-5 satellite, previously named NSS-803, has completed its transition from the Atlantic Ocean Region to 183° east longitude over the Pacific Ocean.

From here, it will deliver video, telecom and Internet services throughout the Pacific Rim as well as provide trans-oceanic connectivity to the West Coast of the United States. The satellite commenced commercial transmissions on Dec 15, 2002, two days before the launch of NSS-6.

While New Skies’ technical challenges are almost over, the same cannot be said for Arianespace, which now has to prove to the market that its new generation of Ariane 5 rockets are as reliable as the older series.

The next Ariane 5 mission is targeted for Feb 24 using a baseline Ariane 5 rocket.

However, the newer and higher-capacity Ariane 5 ECA may be grounded for six months. Arianespace has some 50% of the market for commercial satellite launches but faces increasing satellite launches but faces increasing competition from the likes of Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Russian services using the Proton launcher.

The inquiry board’s investigation of the Dec 11 failure has pinpointed the problem in the Vulcain 2 cryogenic main engine’s cooling system. The report says leaks in the nozzle’s cooling tubes occurred early in the flight, leading to overheating that caused a loss of flight control and the forced termination of Ariane 5 ECA’s maiden mission.

Teething Problem

Jean-Yves Le Gall, Arianespace CEO, says that he is confident that the company could rebound, adding that the Ariane 4 also suffered setbacks when it was first introduced.

?I think you cannot compare pears with apples. If you want to compare reliability of Ariane 5 with the reliability of Ariane 4, you have to compare it with the reliability of Ariane 4 in the early years. “Do not forget that in the early years of the Ariane 4, we experienced four major failures,” he argues.

The final Ariane 4 rocket is due to launch on Feb 12, when it will deliver a satellite for Intelsat. But despite its reliability, there are no plans to continue using the system, essentially because it is no longer economically viable. “We have stopped the production life because the economical rationale of Ariane 4 is very bad,” notes Le Gall.

?The flight vehicle of yesterday does not compete well with the current market prices. It is too expensive. Ariane 4 was a nice launch vehicle, but it was too expensive and that is why it has been decided to stop its production.”

Le Gall also notes that Arianespace has a backlog of 41 satellites to be launched, adding that the company has received messages of support from its international customer base following the December failure.

Geoff Long is technology editor, teledotcom. Based in Bangkok, he can be reached at [email protected]




30/01/03

Tv Korea on B3, Globecast, changed to YTN24? programing looks more interesting. talking of Globecast they were in the Chatroom and said 2 new channels coming next month...

A few changes to report on Sky NZ

B1, 12706V

Sbo movies 61 moved here Vpid 2305 apid 2306 sid 1041
Sbo movies 62 moved here Vpid 2307 apid 2308 sid 1040
Playboy moved here Vpid 512 apid 650 sid 1042
Spice moved here Vpid 513 apid 651 sid 1043
Nat Geo left moved to 12644 V Vpid 516 apid 654 sid 1012
Discovery left moved to 12671 V Vpid 513 apid 651 sid 1013
Animal Planet left moved to 12671 V Vpid 512 Apid 650 sid 1048


From my Emails & ICQ


From Doug

hi all

on Optus B1 12430 V 6670 3/4 there is trotting horses its the first race now
on Optus B1 12379 H 6620 3/4 heineken classic golf


doug


From Dave Knight

Optus B1 feed ch9 - Bushfires.

B1 12524 h 6110 3/4
Channel 9 are using this frequency for bushfire crosses.
The audio is OK, but the video is in slow motion and jerky.

Signal has gone now, seems to be active around news times only (11am, 6pm).

Anyone know why the video is in slow motion ?.
I am using an EmTech receiver. (46-49% signal quality).


From the Dish


Palapa C2 113E 11132 V All channels in the Trueworld mux are encrypted again.

Palapa C2 113E 4050 H "Guangxi TV and EDTV Channel Europe" have started , Fta,SR 13330, FEC 3/4, PIDs 308/256 and 309/257.

Yamal 102 90E 3725 L It's TV Guberniya on , not SET.

Thaicom 3 78.5E 3685 H The Indiavision promo has left again.

Eutelsat W5 70.5E 11242 V Very strong test carrier . (guys in Northern and Western Australia check for this)

NSS 703 57E 3872 R "Fashion & Style" is still on , time sharing with Action TV tests.



NEWS


Foxtel pirate fined $20,000


From http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,5910672%5E15319%5E%5Enbv%5E,00.html

A MELBOURNE man was convicted and fined $20,000 for distributing pirated pay TV decoders yesterday, marking the first investigation of its kind in Victoria.

At the Sunshine Magistrates Court Roger Rivo, 38, of no known address, admitted to making pirated Foxtel smart cards which enabled users to tune in to the pay TV network.

He pleaded guilty to charges of possessing a machine to make false documents, making a broadcast decoding device and distributing a broadcast decoding device.

In a police summary, the court heard Rivo told police he generally sold the smart cards for $250 individually or as part of a satellite package he installed for $1,200.

In an interview with police, Rivo admitted to making 60 of the cards last year until his arrest outside a Footscray hotel on June 12, the court heard.

Prosecutor Senior Constable Sharon Hayhoe said police had observed Rivo trying to sell 20 smart cards to a third man in the Plough Hotel for $10,000.

After they arrested him, they found a laptop computer and encryption device used to illegally encode the cards in his car and later seized more computer gear from his home.

Once encoded, the cards would allow viewers to receive more than 100 satellite programs without paying, Senior Const Hayhoe said.

The court heard Rivo later told police he purchased the blank smart cards for $20 each over the internet, then used the codes from two genuine Foxtel cards to clone templates onto the blank smart cards.

It is believed the cards later became inoperable as a result of anti-piracy measures adopted by Foxtel.

Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association executive director Debra Richards said today's case was the first investigation begun in Victoria although subsequent cases had already been dealt with.

Ms Richards hailed the $20,000 penalty, noting pirate pay TV subscriptions were costing the industry an estimated $50 million annually.

"This is a very significant penalty, it sends a strong message to people: `this a crime'," she said.

On a separate count of driving while disqualified, Rivo was given a 12-month jail term wholly suspended for two years by magistrate John Doherty.


US Air Force Launches a New GPS Satellite


From http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200301/30/eng20030130_110974.shtml

U.S. Air Force put a Global Positioning System satellite into orbit Wednesday to help with the war on terror.

The top of Boeing's unmanned Delta rocket was decorated with a decal bearing the words "Let's Roll!" and "Spirit of 9-11."

The satellite will join 26 other GPS spacecraft circling Earth and providing the military and civilians with precise navigational information.

"We believe that GPS spacecraft is going to play a huge role in the war on terrorism," said Air Force Lt. Col. Brad Broemmel, the launch director.

The $90 million GPS mission was delayed in October after the rocket was damaged in a launch pad accident. Because of miscommunication, a crane operator tried lifting the upper portion of the rocket after it had already been bolted down. The repairs cost nearly $3 million, Air Force officials said.

A $40 million "microsatellite" from the Air Force research laboratory hitched a ride on the rocket in order to fly around and observe the spent second stage.


Max to be seen in neighbouring countries during World Cup


From http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k3/jan/jan170.htm

MUMBAI / NEW DELHI: Max is spreading its wings. At least for the duration of the World Cup that is. Max will be available to cable viewers in Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Maldives from the tournament's kick-off on 8 February till it concludes.

"We think cricket is a nice property with which we can launch Max in other countries," Rajat Jain, Max business head, said at a press conference in the capital today, after announcing a new NDTV-produced programme (first reported by indiantelevision on Monday under the headline Max to herald World Cup with Jung World Cup Ki).

In three other territories - Pakistan, Singapore and Malaysia - the Max signal has been sub-licenced to local broadcasting / media companies, Jain said.

While Jain provided no details, what this means is that SET Satellite (Singapore) Pvt Ltd. which is the satellite, pay TV and DTH television rights holder of ICC-organised cricket not only for India, but for the neighbouring region too, has worked out two packages for the cricket telecast outside India.

In Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Maldives, what will be on air is the Max branded feed.

For Pakistan, Singapore and Malaysia, the arrangement is quite different though. In Singapore, the sub-licencee would be Singapore Cable Vision, in Malaysia it would be Measat-promoted Astro and in Pakistan it would be Taj Sports which also owns the Ten Sports channel.

According to Jain, cricket could help the channel establish in other countries in the initial phase. "Cricket and (Hindi) movies are great properties and we expect this combination would work nicely for us as Max will be presenting cricket with an element of entertainment around the actual game," Jain said.

As things stand though, information available with indiantelevision.com indicates that this present deal will not apply beyond the World Cup. There are reportedly still some issues regarding telecast rights of the movies that Max will eventually get back to beaming that have to be sorted out first. Unless this is resolved, viewers in countries like Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will not have access to the Max feed once the tournament ends.


SET Max set to enter Asian markets through Cup


From http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/comp/articleshow?artid=35876794

NEW DELHI: SET Max, the movie-cum-action channel in the Sony bouquet, is going international. For the first time, SET Max is poised to enter markets in Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Singapore, Maldives, Malaysia and Pakistan with live action from cricket fields of the forthcoming ICC World Cup in South Africa.

“This is the first time that we are entering markets outside India,” said Rajat Jain, executive vice-president, SET Max. Apart from interest in cricket all these markets have a good appetite for Bollywood movies and film-based programmes, points out Jain.

Sony will directly market the World Cup in Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Maldives while it has sub-licensed its telecast rights for the tournament to Ten Sports in Pakistan, Singapore Cable Vision in Singapore and Astro in Malaysia.

In Pakistan, Singapore and Malaysia the India feed would be visible with a different set of advertisers, channel executives said.

Sony India has the seven-year cable and satellite telecast rights for ICC World Cup events from 2002 to 2007 for India and the subcontinent. This includes two World Cup tournaments (2003 and 2007), two Champions Trophy and under-19 tournaments.

Jain said that revenue generated from advertising and subscription in the new markets is not likely to be substantial, to begin with. “For the time being we are just looking at having a presence in these markets,” Jain said. As for the potential, Jain points out that movies and sports are key drivers of pay TV worldwide. “There is a huge interest in cricket and movies in these markets. For instance, the World Cup tournament is being marketed in Singapore at a retail price of around $55 per household,” he said.

After the World Cup, the channel would focus on its staple fare of Bollywood blockbusters, film-based programmes and live events and concerts.

Incidentally, Sony Entertainment Television (SET), the entertainment channel in the bouquet, reaches out to over 70 markets across the globe. SET Max on Wednesday announced the launch of an NDTV-produced six-part interactive show, Jung World Cup Ki, as a run up to the World Cup.

Anchored by Rajdeep Sardesai, the one-hour show goes on air on February 3.

Jain said that Sony has sold off most of its advertising inventory for the World Cup. The latest to join the cricket bandwagon is Reliance Infocomm. Other sponsors include Pepsi, Samsung, Hero Honda and two HLL brands - Close Up and Clinic All Clear.

Other advertising bands such as Extraa Innings and live features such as action replays are sold out to sponsors that include brands like Hyundai, Jaguar, Yamaha, Sony and HLL brands. “Only around 25 per cent of ad spots remain to be sold which we plan to settle even before the first ball is bowled in the World Cup,” Jain maintained. In all, a seven-hour match offers advertising inventory of around 4,500-5,000 seconds.

Not willing to reveal revenue targets from the World Cup, Jain said that the network expects to garner around 85 per cent of the advertising spend on television related to the World Cup. The remaining would go to terrestrial broadcaster Doordarshan and its marketing agents WSG Nimbus.

Advertising industry professionals and broadcasters have pegged a figure of around Rs 400 crore as advertising spend during the two-month long World Cup tournament.

Jain said that Sony expects a major jump in its viewership during the World Cup. “Out of 40 million cable and satellite homes, we hope to reach out to over 35 million households in the course of the tournament,” Jain said.

Following the World Cup, Jain expects the share of subscription or pay revenue to the total pie to increase from around 15 per cent to 25 per cent. Sony India had earlier announced that in the current financial year, 2002-03, it hopes to cross the Rs 1,000-crore mark in terms of revenue. The network had recorded a turnover of around Rs 500 crore in the last previous financial year.

As part of its strategy to prepare for life after cricket, Sony Entertainment Television plans to keep viewers glued on with a spate of big budget Bollywood blockbusters. Among the latest acquisitions is the blockbuster hit of 2002 and India’s nomination to the Academy Awards, Devdas.


Ten Sports to air World Cup in Pakistan


From http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k3/jan/jan171.htm

MUMBAI: In India it may be Max that has C&S telecast rights for the World Cup, but in Pakistan it is Ten Sports.

Ten Sports has secured exclusive cable and satellite rights for Pakistan from SET Satellite (Singapore) Pvt, which is the satellite, pay TV and DTH television rights holder of ICC-organised cricket not only for India, but for the neighbouring region too.

Max had no choice but to sell really considering the fact that Indian channels are banned in Pakistan. While no details of the terms of the deal are available to indiantelevision.com, industry sources have indicated that the agreement is one that both parties can live with.

Ten sports is distributed by ARY Leo Communications in Pakistan, while on-air sponsorship selling for the channel is managed by IMG.


29/01/03

Not much to report today, chatroom was a bit strange lastnight.Seems to be one of those days when not much is going on.


From my Emails & ICQ


From Iwan

New Channels on Palapa C2

This is a confirmation on Craig's request:

Palapa C2 4050 H 13330 (65% SS; 70% SQ)in Banyuwangi, East Java,
Indonesia. This freq carries CCTV 1 (PIDs: 308/256/8190)and Dubai TV
(309/258/8189).

Enjoy,
Iwan


From the Dish


Lyngsat not in yet


NEWS


Maori TV gets funding boost


From http://onenews.nzoom.com/onenews_detail/0,1227,164692-1-7,00.html

The government has announced that the Maori Television Service (MTS) will get an annual budget increase of $7.075 million a year, and broadcast on UHF and satellite.

Finance Minister Michael Cullen says the increase will give MTS an annual operating budget of $12.98 million.

Cullen says that was the amount sought by MTS and accurately reflects the costs of setting up and maintaining the service.

Maori Affairs Minister Parekura Horomia says using the UHF platform means MTS will own and control its transmission facilities and will be able to move to a digital platform in the future.

It will also mean that MTS is using the frequencies reserved for Mäori language broadcasting since 1989.

Initially, the service will reach 75% of the general population and 70% of the Maori population. The second stage will expand coverage to 86% of the Maori population.

The government says an estimated 800,000 homes already have UHF aerials to receive Prime, Sky TV and regional television services.


(Craigs comment, no details yet of the satellite service)


ZEE-Turner to launch Reality TV in India

From http://agencyfaqs.com/www1/news/stories/2003/01/29/5555.html

Prisoners of War never saw the light of the day. Raah (a real-life adventure show involving five couples) managed a few shows, and was canned for life.

ZEE is trying its hand at reality TV one more time. In a strategic alliance with London-based international thematic channel producer and distributor Zone Vision, channel distribution conglomerate ZEE-Turner is ready to launch Reality TV in India. While the alliance was forged in December 2002, the channel will go on air on February 1, 2003.

The Reality TV channel broadcasts 24 hours a day to cable and satellite homes across Europe, the Middle East, Turkey, Israel and Africa, and was launched in the UK in October 2002. After the launch of the channel in India in 2003 and across the Asia Pacific region thereafter, Reality TV will be available to 27 million subscribers in total. In fact, the feed is fully cleared for broadcast across Asia, Australia and New Zealand where further deals are imminent.

While Reality TV is fully localised for its audience with subtitles or dubbed versions of the channel available across the broadcast region, in India it will telecast all the programmes in English. Talking to agencyfaqs!, Sunil Khanna, CEO, ZEE-Turner, said, “We are confident that Reality TV in India will be successful. Some of the reality shows on channels such as AXN and Discovery have been doing pretty well in India. Though these programmes have a very limited timeframe, they have an audience that is really interested in this kind of programming. In fact, Reality TV in some of the competitive UK markets, has gone ahead of channels such as National Geographic, Discovery etc in the 16-34 years age group.” He added, “Most of these programmes have visuals with high impact and so language is secondary.”

But are Indian audiences ready for reality television yet? Khanna believes Indian audiences are no different from the others in the region. “ZEE is present in the Middle East and so is Reality TV. We have received great feedback from our viewers in the Middle East.” However, the programming line-up of Reality TV for the India feed is going to be different from the current line-up in the others markets. “Programmes suitable for the Indian audiences have been picked up from library,” says Khanna. These would include High Impact, Cheaters and Natural Disaster.

Because of the phenomenal growth of Reality TV since its inception in 1999, Zone Vision has high expectations for the channel in the Asia Pacific Region. ZEE, of course, is also optimistic about the new venture. When Subhash Chandra, chairman, ZEE Telefilms, signed the deal last year, he had said, “The channel (Reality TV) brings a completely new genre of programming to our existing bouquet of channels and we are confident that viewers in India would be glad to subscribe alongside other channels being distributed by ZEE-Turner.”

Yet, the fact remains, reality television in India has enticed many, and turned off many more. Take AXN’s Survivor, with which Indian audiences had their first experience of reality television. “Survivor, in its 8-10 weeks of running, had a TVR of only about 0.3 or so,” reminds a media planner. “Culturally, Indians differ from their western counterparts,” he continues. “While a soap such like Kyunki would ignite the imagination of the Indian masses, a show like Channel 4’s Wife Swap (which currently enjoys an enviable 5 million viewership in the UK) would be dammed as blasphemous. Stark naked reality is not appetising enough for the Indian viewers; it has to be blended with fiction.” Which might explain why Sony’s much hyped ‘Shubh Vivaah’ simply slipped down the popularity charts.

So, will Reality TV be able to lure the Indian viewers away from the endless saas-bahu saga on television? Only time will tell.


ISRO to put in orbit a satellite for Singapore


From http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/comp/articleshow?artid=35797728

NEW DELHI: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will be launching a satellite for Singapore. This is the fifth foreign satellite to be launched by ISRO.

The Antrix Corporation of the Department of Space and the Nanyang Technological University of Singapore have signed an agreement to this effect.

The satellite, a remote sensing 100 kg class micro X-SAT being developed by the Nanyang Technological University, will be employed for earth observation and imaging in visible spectral bands. Land and coastal observations through multi-spectral imaging will be possible. The three-axes stabilised satellite will have deployable solar panels. An official release said, the satellite will be launched by ISRO’s polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV).




28/01/03

Live satellite chat tonight 9pm NZ and 8.30pm Syd time onwards in the chatroom

Take a look at this Ebay auction, they would be doing well to get even $10 each for them.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3003898641#BID1

These may be EX Saturn NZ , the satellite tv service on Optus B1 that never eventuated.

Two interesting links

CNN USA and Fox News high speed video streams

http://www.itcom.itd.umich.edu/streaming/ram/avs03.ram
http://umtv-live.rs.itd.umich.edu/itcom/avs01.ram



From my Emails & ICQ


From Geoff

Hi Craig,

Thanks for posting my comment re the receivers. No it is not a typo.
Visit http://www.eisen.co.kr/english/index.htm or probably better still
http://www.satellitesuperstore.com/enthusiast.htm

Regards,
Geoff.


From the Dish


PAS 8 166E 3769 V "Discovery Channel Hong Kong" has started , PowerVu, SID 85, PIDs 410/400.
PAS 8 166E 3890 H "Discovery Channel Taiwan, Animal Planet Taiwan and Discovery Travel & Adventure SE Asia" left.
PAS 8 166E 3890 H "Discovery Channel Australia" has started on SID 51 and 2260/2220, PowerVu.

Agila 2 146E 4070 H Occasional feeds on , PIDs 1860/1820.

Palapa C2 113E 11132 V All channels in the Trueworld mux are Fta.J-Wave and X-Japan have left this mux, replaced by test cards.

ST 1 88E 3582 H All channels in the Hong Kong TV mux are now encrypted,except TVB 8.

Thaicom 3 78.5E 3554 V "Herbalife Asia" has started Fta, PIDs 514/642.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3585 V "Satsangh Channel" has started testing, Fta, PIDs 513/641.

NSS 703 57E 3872 R "Fashion & Style" has left again, replaced by Action TV tests.
NSS 703 57E 3886 R "Reminiscent TV Network mux" Sr16277 and Fec 1/2 is New frequency, SR and FEC:


NEWS


Pay TV wins in the battle of the boxes


From Afr.com

The rollout of digital television remains in limbo after the federal government rejected plans for commercial networks and their pay TV rivals to share set-top boxes.

Communications Minister Richard Alston has told the biggest media companies, industry lobby groups and equipment manufacturers that he will not make laws requiring a common set-top box.

A common box, allowing viewers to receive high-quality digital television services from free-to-air and pay TV networks, was heavily promoted as a solution to reverse the disastrous take-up of digital TV.

But in a letter circulated to more than 20 organisations, obtained by The Australian Financial Review, Senator Alston said the lack of agreement in the media industry on the specifications and operation of a common box made it unviable.

The decision is a victory for pay TV group Foxtel and its shareholders - Telstra, Kerry Packer's Publishing and Broadcasting and Rupert Murdoch's News Corp - which are set to roll out their $600 million digital service in October.

The Ten Network, Kerry Stokes's Seven Network, the ABC, SBS and regional broadcasters like Prime and Southern Cross Broadcasting are now pinning their digital aspirations on negotiating with Foxtel to have their signals retransmitted on the pay TV group's digital cable and satellite networks.

PBL's Nine network has already struck a retransmission deal with Foxtel.

If the other free-to-air networks can't reach a similar agreement, they potentially face a costly $1 billion rollout of their own set-top boxes.

The networks had previously claimed that mandating a "dual tuner", worth between $40 and $100, would allow people signing up to pay TV to receive the free-to-air networks' digital services without having to buy separate and costly decoders, which are worth $600 each.

However, Foxtel argued that a common set-top box would make Australia unique, add extra costs, and eliminate any economies of scale in the production of boxes.

"It is clear that global development of a common box solution is not occurring and there is no 'universal solution' that would satisfy the requirements of the total Australian marketplace," Senator Alston's letter says.

Since the launch of digital television in 2001, only 15,000 of the 6 million TV homes in Australia have bought digital-TV decoders for free-to-air television.

Only 22 per cent of the nation's homes have analog pay TV set-top boxes, but Foxtel hopes the recent deal to share programming with Optus and a separate deal for Telstra to bundle pay TV, telephone and internet services will drive subscriber growth in preparation for the digital upgrade in October.

In the letter, Senator Alston sends the media industry back to the drawing board on digital television, and calls for new submissions by the end of this week regarding the costs and benefits of requiring digital tuners to be installed in television receivers.

The US government recently mandated that manufacturers include high-definition digital tuners in all new television sets by 2007, costing an additional $US16 to $US100 ($27 to $170).

Senator Alston does leave open the potential for using a common set-top box in rural areas where satellite retransmission of regional free-to-air digital services may hit capacity and cost constraints.

A Seven spokesman said yesterday: "Our key concern has been to ensure that all Australian homes can access the full range of free-to-air television services. This continues to be the core issue, and we'll continue to explore all avenues to ensure that all homes - including pay TV homes - have equal access to the full range of free-to-air services."

Ten executive chairman Nick Falloon had previously claimed that the adoption of a common box was essential to prevent the costly rollout of separate boxes for free-to-air and pay TV signals.

He said such a move would mirror the disastrous $2 billion rollout in the mid-1990s of pay TV cable by Optus and Telstra, where in some circumstances the rival companies followed each other up the same streets.

Mr Falloon has said the dual tuner would cost up to $40 extra per box.

However, News Ltd chairman Lachlan Murdoch has said that the cost will be double that or more.

The issue of a common set-top box was raised by Ten, Seven and John Fairfax Holdings in opposing the Foxtel-Optus deal, which received regulatory approval late last year.

The free-to-air stations wanted future boxes to have a separate tuner so that they would have their own gateway to consumers, allowing them to operate independently from Foxtel when new interactive services and revenues were developed.

They claimed Foxtel would attempt to control the "gateway" into Australian homes.

However, in the letter, Senator Alston says: "Information provided by submitters did not support the view that a single industry participant is likely to control a monopoly gateway to the home in the short to medium term."

Under the terms of the Foxtel-Optus deal, the Foxtel partners - Telstra, News Corporation and Publishing and Broadcasting Ltd - have guaranteed to open up their network to competitors under comprehensive access regimes for Foxtel's current analog and its future digital service.

The common set-top box issue is expected to feature in a report to Senator Alston by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission on the future regulation of the Australian communications industry, which is due to be released over the coming weeks.

The letter from Senator Alston comes after he wrote to key players in the pay TV, free-to-air and equipment manufacturing industries last June seeking their views on the merits of a common set-top box.




27/01/03

Hrt 3 is running on Globecast mux on Optus B3 it seems to have replaced the other HRT channel that was running. Seems to have a lot of sports content.

Power is up on Optus B1, maybe something to do with atmospheric conditions, smoke in the upper atmosphere??

A little contest just for fun , read the details below for more info. I have also included a link for a testcard / Colour Bars creator it's very simple to work once you have the final product set it to fullscreen press the printscreen key and then paste it into your paint program for furthur alterations. Yes its fine also to put up "Joe Bloggs satellite services" as an advert card etc. Multiple entrys are fine also.

http://www.apsattv.com/files/testbeeld.zip

Just for some fun,

When Impactv starts its testing, instead of dull old colour bars on every channel (besides some channel tests) Anyone who wishes to create their own "Testcard" is welcome to. What I mean by Testcard is a 720x576 or 800x600 formatted image which can be anything you like (within reason ,legality etc)

yes load up the paintshop program get out the digital camera and scanner and see what you can create. The best ones will go up on air (yes if you want you can put your ugly mug up there or pics of rover etc) I think there will also be some free decoders going out as prizes as well.

A tip, while working on your picture do not save it as jpg until you have the final product, tiff is a good format as its not lossy (to much jpg compression creates jagged images)

P.S please supply the final image as a JPG image with as little compression as possible. And please no testcards with _uck you arbs _ankers no matter how tempting it is.

Here is a very good example created by D.P at %50 size for display purposes.



From my Emails & ICQ


From Peter 27/01/03

hi..a good signal Optus B1 12415 H 6668SR V308 A256 PIDS fire report

PETER (mid north SA)...


From Bill Richards 26/01/03

0700 UTC

Palapa C2 3760 H, Sr 28121, Fec 7/8 "Globalvision" (New Fec & Pids)

Vpid102 Apid103 SID1
Vpid049 Apid052 SID2
Vpid065 Apid068 SID3
Vpid081 Apid084 SID4
Vpid097 Apid100 SID5
Vpid113 Apid116 SID6
Vpid129 Apid132 SID7
Vpid145 Apid148 SID8
Vpid161 Apid164 SID9
Vpid177 Apid180 SID10
Vpid033 Apid036 SID11

All FTA Colour Test Pattern


Regards
Bill


From Chris Pickstock 26/01/03

Optus B1, On 12424 H, Sr 6110 it loads as "ABC CBRA FIRE". Vpid 308, Apid 256. Quite a weak signal though ( 1.2m, Nth of Adelaide) and at the moment it is running the "Parkinson Show", the same as ABC Eastern States.

There is also a 7 News feed of fires currently on 12397 H, sr 7200

Chris


From John Mcdermott 25/01/03

Big Day Out 12427 H 6110
Golden Guitar ?? Feed 12380 H 7200


From the Dish


PAS 2 169E 4087 V "Pink Plus" has started Fta, PIDs 517/645.

PAS 8 166E 12686 H "CNBC Asia" is back, Fta, PIDs 1910/1920.

Optus B1 160E 12397 H The occasional 7 Network feeds are still on , SR 7200, FEC 3/4.

Agila 2 146E 3675 H "OLN" Sr 6110 Fec 3/4

Palapa C2 113E 3760 H New SR, FEC and PIDs for all test cards in the Global Vision mux on: 28121 and 7/8. For PIDs, see the chart. SIDs added: 1-11.
Palapa C2 113E 11132 V "J-Wave" has started, Viaccess 2, SID 12, PIDs 74/75.ESPN Asia has started on PIDs 68/69, 13-22 UTC.
Palapa C2 113E 11132 V "X-Japan" has started, Viaccess 2, SID 13, PIDs 176/177.

ST 1 88E 3582 H "CTI TV has replaced Super TV" Fta on , PIDs 38/39.

Thaicom 3 78.5E 3585 V The test card has left .
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3585 V "SS Music" has left , replaced by a test card.

Insat 3C 74E 4161 H "DD Gyandarshan" has left Analog (PAL).
Insat 3C 74E 4165 H New frequency and SR for DD Gyandarshan on tp 12: Sr 26000.

Intelsat 906 64E 3668 R "TV Africa Francais" is fta

NSS 703 57E 3872 R "Fashion & Style" has started , Fta, SR 4192, FEC 3/4, PIDs 308/256, East hemi beam.



NEWS


Musharraf launches Paksat-I


From http://www.hipakistan.com/en/detail.php?newsId=en16174&F_catID=&f_type=source

ISLAMABAD, Jan 25: Pakistan entered the space age with the formal launching of Paksat-I by President Gen Pervez Musharraf at an impressive ceremony here on Saturday.

The president emphasized that Paksat-I must serve as a link between Pakistan and the Muslim world to help the spread of knowledge.

"I am really delighted to note that Pakistan's space programme now is a reality and our scientists must build our own indigenous satellite within three years instead of five years," he said. The president pointed out that four educational channels will aid the government to provide free education.

The satellite hired by Pakistan was relocated at 38 degree east by the country's own space scientists. With a lifetime of five to eight years, it will mainly transmit educational programmes.

Inaugurating the satellite, the president described it as a truly historic achievement for Pakistan and Pakistanis. "This marks a tremendous achievement demonstrating the skill and technical excellence of the country's manpower."

"Pakistan's space programme is now ahead of India after the formal launching of Paksat-I and this is due to the hard work of our scientists and I am sure Indians would take another 30 months to do the job," Gen Musharraf claimed.

Referring to Pakistan's achievement in information technology and communication, the president said Internet facilities were now available in 1,000 towns and cities.

The budget for science and technology, he pointed out, had been increased by 4,000 per cent and the bandwidth rates reduced from $86,000 to $3,800 per annum. "And who does not know that there is a 50 years tax holiday for the IT sector."

The president expressed the confidence that the present government would carry on the space and communication development programme from where it was left by the previous regime.

APP adds: The president told the higher education commission and the education ministry to dovetail their efforts with the ministry of science and technology to project Pakistan beyond its borders.


T S I C H A N N E L N E W S - Number 4/2003 26 January 2002 -

A weekly roundup of global TV news sponsored by TELE-satellite International

Editor: Branislav Pekic
Edited Apsattv.com Edition

A S I A

AUSTRALIA

INTERACTIVE AUSTRALIAN OPEN

NDS, is working with Tennis Australia to make the Australian Open 2003 an
interactive experience. During Australian Open 2003, Tennis Australia
showcased digital interactive television via a demonstration designed by
NDS - a unit of News Corporation and a provider of technology solutions for
digital pay TV. The Australian Open boasts a significant international TV
audience, with a home reach of more than 497 million and broadcast to 177
territories across the globe. During Australian Open 2003 viewers were able
to select through their television remote control between four live matches
or even watch all four at once, display match statistics on the players,
follow current players through the draw and access further detailed
information on the player. In addition to this, Tennis Australia showed
future t-commerce services, including the ability for viewers to purchase
memorabilia such as t-shirts.

INDIA

NO PLANS TO PRIVATISE DOORDARSHAN

India's Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Ramesh Bais has
told the press there are no plans to privatise Doordarshan or All India
Radio (AIR). "The two organisations have a social cause attached to them,
and their basic aim is not to make profits but entertain and inform," he
said during a visit to the holy town of Shirdi. He stated that Doordarshan
reaches 92% of the television audience, and 65% of radio listeners tune in
to AIR.



NEW ZEALAND


PROFITS UP AT TV3

A strong quarterly result for broadcaster CanWest's New Zealand television
operations has provided further evidence that the once-struggling TV3 has
turned the financial corner. Canada-based CanWest said that combined
operating profit for TV3 and TV4 for the three months to November 30 was
C$7.2 million, up from C$700,000 for the same period the previous year.
Revenue from the New Zealand television businesses was also up strongly,
from C$18.4 million to C$26.2 million. In November last year TV3 reported a
full-year operating profit of $3.2 million, compared with an $8.5 million
loss the previous year. But TV4 remained a problem - its full-year
operating loss last year was $6.3 million.

THE PHILIPPINES

CABLE TV FIRMS TO USE SCRAMBLERS

Cable TV operators are expected to shell out around P500 million to have
their programs "scrambled" and provide their subscribers with decoder boxes
to eliminate illegal taps that result in millions of pesos in losses each
year. Philippine Cable Television Association president J. Manuel Dabao
said in an interview it was difficult for the cable television industry to
determine exactly how many cable subscribers were in the country because of
piracy. There is at least one illegal subscriber for every paying
subscriber, and this number can even be higher, he revealed. Local cable
operators have decided to reformat their program packages and shift to a
"tiered" system that will put together selected channels in different
groups instead of the existing all-in-one package that cable subscribers
receive. With the tiered system, there will be four packages that
subscribers can choose from: starter, basic, premium and international. The
starter package comes with all the free-to-air channels, plus one channel
each from different genres like sports, news, English movies, Tagalog
movies and science. Each succeeding package will have more channels in it
and will be priced higher than the package before it.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

AJMAN TV TO LAUNCH ENGLISH PROGRAMME

The UAE Radio and Television from Ajman on January 20 launched a two-hour
English programme which would target English speaking audience of Channel
Four. Abdullah Mohammed Murad, Board Chairman of Ajman Television, said
that the seven-to-nine evening programme would reflect the concerns of the
English speaking people and would also highlight the UAE's culture and
history. He added that the programme would be extended to four hours in
future. Murad said that the Television was seeking to attract UAE citizens
capable of producing media material in English.

RAK TO SET UP TWO SATELLITE TV CHANNELS

The Ras Al Khaimah Government announced the setting up of two satellite TV
channels; one entertainment and the other educational. Khalid bin Saqr Al
Qasimi, Ras Al Khaimah Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler, said the
entertainment channel will be named Ras Al Khaimah Satellite Channel and
the other Julphar Satellite Channel. He said the Julphar channel will be
the first professional educational channel in the GCC. The channels are
being set up on the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin
Sultan Al Nahyan and His Highness Sheikh Saqr bin Mohammed Al Qasimi,
Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, to activate the
role of the media in the UAE to improve all aspects of life. He said the
channels will promote the emirate and highlight its capabilities to attract
local and foreign investment.




26/01/03

No update Sunday




25/01/03

No site update today taking a break back Monday




24/01/03

Very little to end the week on, hopefully some more Impactv news to announce late next week.


From my Emails & ICQ


From Geoff

Hi,

I drift by your site occasionally and read the note by Girish Ng about auto SR receivers.

My understanding is that there is a Newwave NW-9000 - an upgraded version of the RSD-302 - that has autosearch for SR, FEC and PIDs,etc.

Something to add to your list perhaps.

Best regards,
Geoff


(Craigs comment, thanks for that it is sure to help the feed hunters, not sure about the name of that unit maybe Nextwave?)


From Iwan

Hi all,
good news for sportsmania. STAR SPORTS is FTA on ST-1 3582 H 12860,
VPID 36; APID 37; PCR PID 36.
64% Signal Strength; 80% signal quality in Banyuwangi, East Java,
Indonesia on 9 feet mesh dish.

Cheers,
Iwan


From Jeff

For those "Everybody Loves Raymond" fans

If You are a fan of ELR and understand Chinese ,He is on Phoenix Chinese on Asiasat 3.
usually starts at 6:30 pm weekdays Perth time.If only the english soundtrack
was available like how Star Sports does it.

Jeff in Perth.


From the Dish


Optus B1 160E 12391 V "Test cards have started" Fta on , SR 20500, FEC 1/2, PIDs 308/256
Optus B1 160E 12418 V "Test cards have started" Fta on , SR 20500, FEC 1/2, PIDs 308/256

ST 1 88E 3582 H "Asia Plus, TTV and CTS" have started, Fta, PIDs 34/35, 40/41 and 42/43. TVBS has left this mux. All channels are now Fta


NEWS


NDS in iTV tennis trial


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

NDS, is working with Tennis Australia to make the Australian Open 2003 an interactive experience. During Australian Open 2003, Tennis Australia showcased digital interactive television via a demonstration designed by NDS - a unit of News Corporation and a provider of technology solutions for digital pay TV.

The Australian Open boasts a significant international television audience, with a home reach of more than 497 million and broadcast to 177 territories across the globe.

During Australian Open 2003 viewers were able to select through their television remote control between four live matches or even watch all four at once, display match statistics on the players, follow current players through the draw and access further detailed information on the player. In addition to this, Tennis Australia showed future t-commerce services, including the ability for viewers to purchase memorabilia such as t-shirts.


Massey behind New Zealand’s maiden satellite voyage


From http://masseynews.massey.ac.nz/2003/press_releases/23_01_03.html

New Zealand’s first space satellite will launch from Russia in 2005 at the initiative of an amateur satellite group and backed by the University.

A research fellow at the University’s Albany campus, Fred Kennedy is leading the design and construction of KiwiSat, a cube-shaped satellite weighing between 5-10kg. Slightly larger than a basketball, the spring-loaded satellite will launch attached to a larger Russian satellite and settle into an 800km polar orbit.

Travelling as one of approximately 30 “Oscar” satellites (orbiting satellites carrying amateur radio), the satellite will connect global amateur radio stations whilst maintaining ‘rental space’ for a scientific experiment. Senior physics lecturer Dr Scott Whineray is providing technical support and says the satellite is an ideal vehicle from which to study the ozone layer.

Satellites are typically built with magnets that lock into the earth’s magnetic field and hold them in orbit. KiwiSat, however, will be free to tumble in its orbit, relying upon a series of in-built sensors to monitor its position. Solar panels will boost batteries expected to fuel the satellite for three to four years.

KiwiSat will provide an invaluable research opportunity for Mr Kennedy whose next challenge lies in developing software to hold future satellites in position without magnets.

Massey’s involvement with satellite design began with the construction of the Southern hemisphere’s receiving station for a project connecting four African countries via a Portuguese microsatellite. The project, initiated by Dublin’s Trinity College, is nearing the end of a four year run and the receiving station will become KiwiSat’s command station.

Fore more information please contact: Stephanie Gray 06 350 5185 021 534 562 or Fred Kennedy 09 443 9799 ext 9678


Vyvx to Deliver Super Bowl to Broadcasters for 14th Consecutive Year


From http://www.prnewswire.com

Market Leader in Sports Broadcast Transmission Service Helps Deliver Game To Global Audience

TULSA, Okla., Jan. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Vyvx(R), a market leader
in providing fiber-optic and satellite transmission solutions to the media and
entertainment industry, will provide the Super Bowl's broadcast transmission
services for the 14th consecutive year,

WilTel Communications Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: WTEL) announced today. Vyvx is a
division of WilTel. On Jan. 26, Vyvx will transmit the live broadcast of
Super Bowl XXXVII(R) over the award-winning WilTel fiber-optic network,
enabling broadcasters to deliver the game to millions of viewers worldwide.

During the game, Vyvx will provide 11 fiber-optic transmission paths from
Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego to the broadcasters' production facilities,
where the broadcast will then be distributed to the end viewers. ABC is
broadcasting the game live domestically, while NFL Films will distribute the
game internationally to more than 180 countries. In addition to the primary
live feeds of the game, Vyvx will provide remote video feeds for ESPN and Fox
Sports Net for the networks' various programming originating from San Diego
leading up to and following the game.

Broadcasters and sports leagues regularly entrust WilTel's Vyvx division
to carry their most highly viewed live events over the company's fiber-optic
network. In addition to the Super Bowl, Vyvx recently provided broadcast
transmission services for 17 of the college football bowl games, including the
national championship game from Tempe.

Vyvx's history and experience providing transmission services for live
sports broadcasts is significant -- it was the first company to transmit a
live broadcast event over a fiber-optic network in 1990 and currently provides
broadcast transmission services for 80 percent of all live professional sports
events. The Super Bowl is one of nearly every major sports event broadcasts
that Vyvx carries, providing world-class customer service. Overall, Vyvx
provides more than 200,000 video feeds for its customers annually.


(Craigs comment, probably a feed up on I701 as well, Pas 2??)




23/01/03

Not much today, a few reports of B1 activity.


From my Emails & ICQ


From Bill Richards

0715 UTC

Optus B1 12391 V, Sr 20500, Fec 1/2 No PIDS or PAT

Optus B1 12418 V, Sr 20500, Fec 1/2 Vpid308 Apid256 SID1 Colour Vert Test Pattern "TWO CARRIES TEST"

Regards
Bill


From "Anon"

Hi Craig

Optus B1 has or had 2 new carriers on Vertical.


12.390 20500 1/2 No Pids noted
12.420 20500 1/2 Color bars + 2 audio


From Girish NG

Subject: Auto SR receivers

1)satcruiser digital receiver has auto symbol rate function,user needs to enter only the frequency and the rest will be done by the receiver

2)pacific satellite dsr 2882 series and 2880 series have three user settable symbol rates to perform an automatic search.the search range(start frenquency and end frequency)alone needs to be entered by the user,the receiver will find transponders in that range which uses any of the three user selected symbol rates.after the transponder is found,the receiver will search for channels in that transponder.

3)similar features of user settable symbol rates are found in aston xena,aston simbha,some echostar models,some ADT receivers,coship has recently demonstrated a model called cdvb 3188c with blind scan feature,which according to company sources needs only the scan range to be feeded by the user and nothing else.

4)enthusiast satellite receiver nw 9000 vici sold by satellite superstore is advertised to have auto symbol rate function.

5) some nokia models do have blind acquisation (auto symbol rate)function

6)teko 4000 satellite receiver is advertised to have very fast auto symbol rate search function.


From the Dish


Optus B1 160E 12610 H FEC for the ABC Western mux is : 7/8.
Optus B1 160E The occasional feeds have left tp 10.

JCSAT 3 128E 3960 V "Taiwan Service International" has left .

Palapa C2 113E 4043 H "Guangxi TV and Guangxi People's Radio" have left .
Palapa C2 113E 4053 H The test card has left .

Telkom 1 108E 3500 H "MTV on Sky 101.6 FM and RRI Pro 2 FM" have left .

ST 1 88E Updates in the MMBN mux on 3632 V:Scholar Business Network has replaced Wan Sheng on PIDs 5169/5153, Fta.The Soundtrack Channel Pacific has left this mux.

Thaicom 3 78.5E 3600 H "Sanskar TV" has started Fta, PIDs 519/647.

http://www.sanskartv.info/

Intelsat 906 64E 3760 L "Occasional Zee TV" feeds on , Sr 2790, Fec 7/8, NW zone beam.


NEWS


Nothing to report!




22/01/03

Chatroom was fun last night thank you all who showed up.

ImpacTV website is up www.impactv.co.nz please note its NOT ".COM"

Sorry not much news around today.



From my Emails & ICQ


From Dale Sharp

some missing screenshots from Pas 8

BBC World, TVBS-Newsnet USA, and Myx


From Various

Mystery signal on Optus B1 12410 V Sr 29473???? fec 3/4 "Auto 6Mbit/s" ?? with colour bars

(Craigs comment, strange no sign of this signal here in NZ!)


From Chris Pickstock

The signal that was on B1 12410 V, is now on 12420 V. The sr appears to be 20500, however the Satcruiser seems to accept a wide range of sr. ( eg from 20100 to 20900) When using Auto sr it just gives up and nothing loads.

Colour bars there at present. Channel is labelled " Two Carries T " and Vpid is 308, Apid is 256 and is a very strong signal.

Chris P



From the Dish


PAS 2 169E 4087 V Both KISB 1 have left , replaced by a test cards.

PAS 8 166E 3860 H All radio channels in the Taiwanese mux are still Fta.

Agila 2 146E 4070 H "Cinema Network TV and PN TV" have left , replaced by test cards.

Palapa C2 113E 11132 V All channels in the Trueworld mux on are now encrypted.Star Sports Asia has replaced Phoenix Chinese on PIDs 68/69.CTV has left PIDs 74/75.


NEWS


Seven starts talking to Foxtel


From http://finance.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,5860014%255E14309,00.html

THE Seven Network has become the third commercial TV network to begin negotiations for its digital TV signal to be retransmitted by pay-TV group Foxtel.

The Australian understands discussions began last week, despite the fact that Seven has launched a $2 billion-plus legal action against the pay-TV group and others.

The move follows the agreement struck between the Nine Network and Foxtel, 25 per cent owned by Nine Network parent Publishing & Broadcasting Ltd, two days after Christmas. Ten is believed to have entered initial discussions shortly afterwards.

Foxtel has agreed to retransmit Nine's standard definition digital TV signal on its cable and satellite services, plus any interactive applications offered by Nine. Foxtel chief executive Kim Williams said when the Nine deal was announced that Foxtel was keen to finalise agreements with Ten, Seven, the ABC and SBS over "the next month or so".

"Foxtel is seeking to establish an ongoing co-operative relationship with our commercial and national broadcast colleagues that will benefit Foxtel subscribers in providing a seamless broadcast offering between the cable, satellite and terrestrial broadcast domains," he said.

Foxtel will be able to carry the digital signals once it digitises its pay-TV network later this year.

Seven is seeking a deal on the same terms as Nine's, and also wants to ensure Nine does not get any preferential treatment in terms of its placement on Foxtel's electronic program guide.

Retransmission of all free-to-air TV channels on digital pay-TV would provide an instant boost to the decidedly sluggish changeover from analogue to digital TV. While only a handful of consumers have so far bought a digital TV decoding box, the availability of digital free-to-air on Foxtel puts the technology in almost 25 per cent of all TV viewing homes.

The Australian


Intelsat Signs Agreement for REACH Teleport in Asia; Completes Assembly of
Worldwide Terrestrial Infrastructure


From Press Release

Honolulu, Hawaii, 20 January 2003 - Intelsat announced today at the Pacific
Telecommunications Conference (PTC) that it has signed an agreement with
REACH to lease teleport services from the company's Stanley Teleport in Hong
Kong. The signing of this agreement represents the completion of Intelsat's
assembly of its global terrestrial infrastructure that is used in offering
GlobalConnexSM Solutions, its portfolio of end-to-end, integrated network
services.

Intelsat customers will be able to use the teleport facilities in Hong Kong
for uplinking, downlinking and DVB platforms, in addition to Internet and
private line services. The teleport's location in Hong Kong gives it
visibility of Intelsat satellites in both the Pacific and Indian Ocean
regions, thereby serving a large number of customers worldwide.

Some of Intelsat's GlobalConnexSM customers, including the Civil Aviation
Authority (CAA) of Mongolia, currently use REACH's Stanley Teleport as one
component of their end-to-end communications solutions. CAA, one of
Intelsat's Internet Trunking customers, is using the Stanley Teleport in
combination with the Intelsat 601 satellite.

"The completion of Intelsat's complementary worldwide terrestrial
infrastructure is an important step in the evolution of our company from
strictly offering space segment to being a flexible and reliable end-to-end
solutions provider," stated Ramu Potarazu, President and COO, Intelsat
Global Service Corporation. "Customers worldwide have wanted solutions that
make their lives easier and businesses more efficient, and we answered their
call to action by evolving our network to directly meet their needs."

In addition to Hong Kong, Intelsat's end-to-end network infrastructure now
includes teleports in California, Maryland and Germany as well as fiber
interconnected Points of Presence in Los Angeles, New York, Frankfurt and
London.




21/01/03

Livechat tonight 9pm NZ and 8.30 pm Syd time.

First up I hope none of my readers are having trouble with the bush fires.

Asiiasat 4 now has a customer (see news section for details) Not sure if they will supply any actual tv channels or not sounds like it could be similar to the Speedcast service on Asiasat 3.

About the ImpacTV website, its in the process of moving to a new server. Please note its a TEMPORARY setup until ImpacTV is up and running.

Sky NZ has a note in the E.P.G of the Skys Sports Extra channel (12 on the remote) saying Sky Sports 3 coming soon, supposedly this channel will run the Cricket World Cup. No announcement about it on Skys website yet.



From my Emails & ICQ


From Telsat, [email protected]

T E L S A T(r) C O M M U N I C A T I O N 'S L T D
Garage Sale

Hi All,

We have our family home on the market and have some surplus Satellite TV hardware up for offer. We will consider any reasonable offer.

1 x BEC-3500 Benjamin Analogue Manual Receiver.
1 x DB-6600CI Benjamin FTA Dual CI Slot IRD.
1 x SPACE IRD When authorised, to receive Space TV from Palapa C2M Satellite.
1 x Vidcrypt Thomson Decoder - As used by SKY TV NZ Analogue UHF service.
1 x DRAKE ERSR-2000XT Analogue, Az/El Positioner New, but missing the remote control, all functionality available via Front panel.
SAD-2000 DLS Sat TV Dual Band Combiner.
GIANTEX SMATV 4 way Power Divider - All ports power passing.
2 x CTB-500 Cypress Time Base Corrector/Frame Synchroniser PCB
2 x HDM-3A Cypress Vidiplex decoder (Digital Effects Buster).
2 x WR-110 Winersat VideoPlexer.
VS-83 Wisi VHF/UHF Amplifier.
VS-56 Wisi VHF/UHF Amplifier.
OV-55 UHF Sat Channel Processing Module c/w Modulator.
OV-43 VHF/UHF Channel Converter.

POWER SUPPLIES:

240V 50Hz- 12VDC 300mA
240V 50Hz - 12VAC 400mA
240V 50Hz - 12VAC 1A
220V 50Hz - 15VDC 450mA
240V 50Hz - 13V 800mA
230-240V - 8VDC 1A
240V - 9V 210mA
240V - 9V 500mA
230V - 3V 880mA
240V - 4.2 770mA
100-240VAC 50-60Hz - 5V 1.5A
230VAC 50Hz - 12V 1200mA
220VAC 50-60Hz - 13.8VDC 25mA
240VAC 50Hz - 8.5VDC 240mA
110v 15vDC 450mA

3 x Digital FTA Receiver PCB's
1 x Switched Mode Power Supply.
1 x Panasonic Answerphone - SOLD
1 x Kodak DC-210 Digital Camera - slightly out of focus image - SOLD
1 x CoSat Digital receiver
1 x Hyundai HSS-100 FTA Receiver
1 x HSS-100 Remote Control Unit
1 x Drake ESR-600E receiver/positioner
1 x Drake ESR-700E receiver/positioner
1 x Drake IOA Inclined Orbit controller
3 x 24" Actuators - suitable for parts only
4 x 17K Cal-Amplifier Professional !! Extended C Band LNB's. Have been taken out of service.
X meters of combo cable, 1 RG 6, 4 actuator and three Polarotor cable - SOLD.
2 x Plessey B-MAC Decoders
1 x Goodwin FTA Receiver - has fault
2 x GoldSats FTA Receivers - operational but may have a small Power Supply issue
2 x 5.5" pipe with mounting tripod base. Purchaser to collect from warehouse
1 x Winnersat WCR-100 Rack Mounting Analogue Receiver

NOTE: The above items are available from our Palmerston North warehouse.

We are taking offers on the above equipment/hardware. Our decisions will be final. Freight costs to be met by the successful purchaser. Full payment with order, No charge accounts. All offers Plus GST and local freight. Sale concludes 1st Febuary, 2003 or when goods on offer have been sold.

No warranty is implied or given. All items are sold on a "as is - where is". Although most are in the original cartons and should function 100%.


From the Dish


Optus B1 160E 12348 V "Internet? or data service?" Sr 7000, Fec 7/8

JCSAT 3 128E 3960 V "MAC TV" has left , replaced by a test card.

Thaicom 3 78.5E 3551 H An RR Sat promo has started Fta, PIDs 1025/1026.


NEWS


AsiaSat says Reach 1st user of AsiaSat 4


From http://www.forbes.com/technology/newswire/2003/01/20/rtr852443.html

HONG KONG, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Asia Pacific's leading satellite operator, Asia Satellite Telecommunications Co Ltd, said it has signed telecoms carrier Reach Ltd as the first subscriber on its AsiaSat 4 to be launched in March.

Reach, a 50/50 joint venture between Telstra Corp <TLS.AX> and Pacific Century CyberWorks <0008.HK>, will lease one C-band transponder on AsiaSat 4, the companies said in a joint statement on Monday.

"This new deal signals the beginning of the revival in demand for transponder capacity in the region and an improvement in the Asian economy," AsiaSat's Chief Executive Peter Jackson said in the statement.

The sluggish global economy and severe downturn in the media and telecommunications sector are hurting satellite operators. The utilisation rate of the firm's AsiaSat 2 and AsiaSat 3 fell to 63 percent in mid-2002 from 65 percent at the end of 2001.

Shares of Asia Satellite closed at HK$9.70, down HK$0.20, on Monday and were untraded early on Tuesday. The stock has risen about three percent in the past three months but fallen about 33 percent in the past year.

AsiaSat 4, which will replace the retiring AsiaSat 1, is scheduled for launch in the second half of March after being postponed twice from May and September in 2002 due to technical issues, a spokeswoman of AsiaSat said.

Reach currently uses AsiaSat 2 to offer satellite service solutions to global carriers, broadcasters and corporate customers. It also provides tracking, telemetry and control services to AsiaSat from its Hong Kong teleport facility.

AsiaSat4 will carry 28 C-band and 20 Ku-band transponders including the four broadcast satellite service transponders to be used for Hong Kong's direct-to-home services.

Asia Satellite is 68.9 percent controlled by a joint venture between Chinese conglomerate China International Trust and Investment Corporation and Luxembourg's SES Global <SESF.LU>, the world's biggest satellite operator.


New Skies strengthens Asia-Pacific offerings with REACH agreement


From http://www.newskies.com.au/news/releases/newskies%20&%20reach.htm

New Skies Satellites N.V. (AEX, NYSE: NSK), the global satellite communications company, and REACH, Asia’s largest international carrier of combined voice, private line and IP data services, have signed an agreement that will combine the capabilities of New Skies’ newly launched NSS-6 pan-Asian satellite and REACH’s world-class satellite gateway in Hong Kong.

Under the terms of the agreement, REACH will install a 13-meter Ku-band antenna at its Hong Kong gateway, providing dedicated access to New Skies’ NSS-6 satellite for the delivery of voice, video, data and Internet services throughout the Asia Pacific.

The NSS-6 spacecraft was launched on December 18, 2002 and is located at the strategic position of 95 degrees east longitude, where it covers more than half of the world’s landmass, from the Middle East to Japan, and two-thirds of the world’s population. In-orbit testing on NSS-6 is on schedule and the satellite is expected to commence commercial services shortly.

REACH is the only teleport operator with a genuine pan-Asian presence via two major hubs, including the Hong Kong gateway, and this agreement will further enhance its position as one of Asia’s leading connectivity providers.

?This deal with REACH will give our customers a real advantage,” said Maurice Liu, New Skies’ senior sales director, Asia Pacific. ”REACH’s strategically located and well-established teleport facility, combined with our state-of-the art NSS-6 pan-Asian satellite will give New Skies’ customers access to the region’s best technical resources for transmissions from a major Asian business center to any location between Southern Africa and the Middle East across to Japan and Australia.”

Rob Kenny, REACH’s commercial director, said the agreement represents a significant expansion of the company’s already extensive Ku-band teleport service capability.

?Through the combined resources of the powerful new NSS-6 satellite and the largest commercial satellite teleport complex in Asia, REACH and New Skies can offer tailored voice, video, Internet and data transmission services across Asia and around the world,” he said.

NSS-6 is an A2100AX model satellite built by Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems and is equipped with 60 x 36 MHz-equivalent Ku-band transponders. From the prime orbital slot at 95 degrees east longitude, NSS-6’s six broad Ku-band beams will offer coverage of India, China, the Middle East (including Cyprus and Southern Africa), Australia, Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia.

The agreement with REACH builds on New Skies’ comprehensive strategy of partnering with leading teleport operators throughout the world for the global transmission and distribution of customer broadcast feeds, cable programming, IP traffic and voice and data services.

In addition to REACH, New Skies has also announced agreements with Singapore-based ST Teleport and the United Kingdom’s Kingston inmedia. New Skies also operates its wholly owned Washington mediaport, which provides access to the Americas and offers co-location facilities as well as local loop connectivity to several major metro video hubs and a North American fiber network. Together, the facilities compose a worldwide mediaport network providing first-class connectivity to New Skies’ global satellite fleet, one of the industry’s most reliable networks.

About Reach

REACH is a 50-50 joint venture between Hong Kong-based PCCW Limited and Australia’s Telstra Corporation Limited. It is Asia’s largest international carrier of combined voice, private line and IP data services. It is also one of the world's top ten carriers of international voice traffic. REACH’s products and services include an extensive portfolio of voice, data, IP and satellite connectivity. The company has interests in more than 50 submarine cable and satellite systems (including Asia’s largest teleport), and operating licenses and landing rights in most major markets including Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Australia, North America and Europe. REACH is headquartered in Hong Kong, with a significant presence in Australia and substantial businesses across Asia, North America and Europe. The company posted annualized revenue for fiscal 2001 of US$1.396 billion and EBITDA US$434 million. For further information, please visit www.reach.com

About New Skies Satellites

New Skies Satellites (AEX, NYSE: NSK) is one of only four fixed satellite communications companies with truly global satellite coverage, offering video, voice, data and Internet communications services to a range of telecommunications carriers, broadcasters, large corporations and Internet service providers around the world. New Skies has six satellites in orbit and ground facilities around the world. The company has one additional spacecraft under construction, which is planned to serve the Americas from a new orbital location. The company also has secured certain rights to make use of additional orbital positions, including four serving the Americas. New Skies is headquartered in The Hague, The Netherlands, and has offices in Beijing, Johannesburg, New Delhi, São Paulo, Singapore, Sydney and Washington, D.C. Additional information is available at www.newskies.com.

For additional information, please contact:
Jeff Bothwell, New Skies Satellites
Tel: +31 70 306 4239 Mobile + 31 6 11 31 01 83
[email protected]


Raj TV to go pay from Feb 1


From http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/comp/articleshow?artid=34948717

Raj TV plans to go pay with effect from February1. Also on the anvil, is a revamp of its current programming mix. It is in the process of setting up a new Tamil music channel, and get into film production, reports an online media and advertising website.

As part of the value additions the long delayed music channel from Raj TV, tentatively titled Melody, intends a soft launch around Valentine's Day. It would offer primarily Tamil music (70 per cent) while other regional fare would comprise about 30 per cent.

Having made three mid-budget films, feature length film production is also a venture Raj TV plans to explore. The intention now is to get bigger budget films produced with popular stars.




20/01/03

Not a lot of news to report today.


From my Emails & ICQ


From Joe 20/01/03

Golden Globe Awards Feed PAS 2 4017H Sr 6620


From Andrew H 20/01/03

Golden Globe Awards Feed

Golden Globe Feed now airing live on I701 3769 RHC. s/r 20000


From Siam Global

DEAR MR SUTTON,

AS I REPORTED TO YOUR SITE LAST WEEK I AM GETTING NO OR BAD SIGNAL FROM SKY NEWS ON INTELSAT 704 AT 66 DEGREES EAST AT 3805 MHz. PREVIOUSLY I WAS ABLE TO LISTEN TO THE AUDIO WHICH WAS NOT ENCRYPTED.

I JUST NOTICED ON LYNGSAT THAT YOU WERE THE SOURCE FOR THE ORIGINAL LISTING OF SKY NEWS ON LYNGSAT ! COULD YOU POSSIBLY CHECK IF YOU CAN STILL GET A SIGNAL NOW, AS I CAN'T .

MANY THANKS
SIAMGLOBAL


(Craigs comment, I had Zapara in Western Australia check he says its down in power and probably needs a 3.7M to recieve it now)


From the Dish


PAS 8 166E 12686 H All channels in the Jadeworld mux are now Fta.

Optus B3 156E 12336 V "Access 1" has left .

ST 1 88E 3632 V "Mega Movie Channel, FTV News Channel, FTV Entertainment, BBC World and PTS" are encrypted again.

Thaicom 3 78.5E 3685 H An Indiavision promo has started, Fta, Sr 6830, Fec 3/4,PIDs 1160/1120.



NEWS


Press 'Go' to launch iTV battle


From http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,5860065%5E15302%5E%5Enbv%5E,00.html

EXACTLY what Foxtel will be allowed to offer with its interactive pay-TV services, expected to be launched later this year, will be decided by a government review announced last week.

The federal government review is of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001, which bans the provision and advertising of interactive gaming.

That might not seem to have much relevance to media, but the law determines what interactive services are available on free-to-air and pay-TV.

Those sectors were shocked to learn in 2001 that they were covered by the act, and quickly started lobbying to stop Canberra legislating out of existence a potentially lucrative revenue stream.

In its original form, the law would have banned TV viewers from even calling a phone number to register for quiz shows, as they do for the likes of Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

That part of the bill was thrown out. Free-to-air and pay-TV scored other wins, as well, with the internet sector taking the brunt of the crackdown on online gambling.

For example, betting on horseracing through TV was allowed. Pay-TV channel Sky Racing is expected to be one of the first to launch a full interactive service when Foxtel digitises.

As well, viewers who want to bet on, say, a cricket match can pay a fee and do so, provided they place the bet before the start of the game and not during the match.

While broadcasters won't ever be allowed to provide interactive casino-style games through TV, they were allowed to offer games that required skill.

The only requirements are that viewers pay an upfront fee to play, and that the interactive service run at the same time the program is being broadcast.

As the review gets under way, the sectors will be hoping to maintain those wins in the face of what's expected to be a typically strong anti-gambling lobby.

They'll also be seeking clarification of some aspects of the law.

Jim McKay, chief executive of Two-Way TV (which offers Scrabble-like interactive games through Foxtel and regional pay-TV group Austar) says areas of confusion there remain. For example, viewers can bet on sports through their TVs only at the start of games.

But what about five-day cricket Test matches? Whereas viewers can't bet at the start of the second day through the TV, they can do so at their local TABs.

McKay says the law is also unclear in relation to a company's ability to offer skill-based games using points and prizes.

"Is the accumulation of points the same thing as placing a bet?" he says.

In the UK, viewers can pay the equivalent of a few dollars at the start of a sports event to enter a guessing competition.

They then answer questions, such as which team will be in the lead at quarter time, and are awarded points. The person with the highest score wins a prize.

"The maximum they could ever lose is not the week's groceries but the one-off participation fee," McKay says.

Other aspects of the law that are expected to be tested include a ban on online gaming.

That industry will no doubt argue that online gamblers should spend their money in Australia, rather than with overseas online operators.

Commentators also expect bookmakers to join the debate, in the hope of getting some form of wagering licence so they can also be involved in interactive TV sports betting.


(Craigs comment, lets all have a bet on when C1 will go up!)


T S I C H A N N E L N E W S - Number 3/2003 19 January 2002 -

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

Edited Apsattv Edition

A S I A


SHOWTIME LAUNCHES MOVIE CHANNEL

Pay-TV operator Showtime, half-owned by Viacom, is launching all-Arabic
movie channel Al Shasha (Flicks). Deal follows the success of Arabic
pay-per-view movies on Showtime, which normally focuses on English-lingo
fare from Viacom companies including MTV, Nickelodeon and Paramount.
Showtime already subtitles much of its 37-channel video output, but
launching Al Shasha pits Showtime head to head with two rival pay
platforms, Orbit and Arab Radio & Television (ART). Both concentrate on
Arab-lingo material. Orbit recently cut its maximum subscription rate to
$30 per month, while ART has reversed a heavily promoted subscription
structure by adopting a la carte pricing for its channels. While both
rivals are losing money, Showtime (monthly fee $59) is now cash-flow positive.

AUSTRALIA

TEN A POSSIBLE TAKEOVER TARGET

Ten Network, has improved its position among the local TV networks. Ten
reported a 19 per cent rise in revenue for 2002. Its audience has increased
significantly, due to the popularity of such programs as "Big Brother" and
Australian Football League matches. If cross media regulations are changed
Ten may become a takeover target. Fairfax and News Corporation are often
named as potential buyers.

ABC ASKS FOR MORE FUNDS

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) has asked the Federal
Government for an extra $250 million over the next three years to increase
children's programming and local drama, and improve the reach of radio
services. The ABC has asked for a seven per cent funding boost next year,
an injection of $46.5 million, rising to an extra $115 million a year by
the end of the three-year period. The ABC hopes to launch a new digital TV
channel with hourly news updates, regional news and parliamentary debates.
Some of the extra funding would be used extend the reach of two domestic
radio networks, Triple J and NewsRadio, ad well as the international
service, Radio Australia.

BAHRAIN

2 TV STARTS BROADCASTING

A new English TV channel owned by London-based Middle East Broadcasting
Corporation (MBC) - called2 - began broadcasting from Bahrain on January
12. The free-to-air channel is aimed at providing entertainment for Arab
youth and will air western movies, entertainment and news programmes. Major
movie premieres will be on every Monday and the channel also includes
Fright nights, Action nights and Family nights, with over 300 movies
transmitted a month. MBC 2 is currently available on the following
satellites - Arabsat 2B (12,722 GHz/H - MPEG-2), Arabsat 2A (3,823 GHz/L -
PAL and 12,620 GHz/V - MPEG-2) and Arabsat 3A (11,785 GHz/V - MPEG-2)

CHINA - HONG KONG

STAR ENTERTAINMENT CHANNEL GETS LANDING RIGHTS

Star Group, a wholly owned unit of News Corp. said on January 15 its
Mandarin-language entertainment channel has won nationwide landing rights
in China. The company said it signed an agreement with China International
Television Corp. which will enable its Xing Kong Wei Shi channel to be
available nationally in China's hotels which have a three-star rating and
above, as well as compounds where overseas Chinese reside. Xing Kong Wei
Shi was already granted landing rights for Guangdong province in early 2002.

ATV TO FLOAT

Asian Television, the second-ranked broadcaster in Hong Kong, is planning
to issue its shares in the territory by year end. The company's two
shareholders, CEO Chan Wing Kee and Phoenix Satellite TV chief Liu Changle,
will retain majority control. The move comes after ATV secured rights to
broadcast in China's Pearl River Delta region ahead of several Hong
Kong-based rivals.

CHINA CLOSE TO CHOOSING DIGITAL STANDARD

Reports from China have suggested a "home grown" digital cable broadcast
standard will be announced before the end of January, with a digital
terrestrial standard expected in 2004. The Chinese government is keen for
nationwide digital TV services to be in place by 2008, when Beijing will
play host to the Olympic Games. It is also hoped a domestic digital
transmission standard will negate the need to pay royalty fees of up to
$100 billion in order to use overseas standards.

TALKS ON TVB PAY-TV ARM STILL ON

Hong Kong's dominant commercial terrestrial TVB said that talks are
continuing with a foreign investor for a controlling stake in its pay-TV
arm Galaxy, but added the deal could still collapse. Local regulators have
ordered the broadcaster to offload a majority stake by the end of February.
I-Cable currently operates the island's only large scale pay-TV offering.

INDIA

STAND-OFF BETWEEN SONY AND CABLE OPERATORS

Due to the stand-off between the cable operators and Sony Entertainment
Television continuing, Indian viewers will be deprived of watching
important matches in the live telecast of the oncoming cricket World Cup.
Viewers will only be able to watch matches played against India, the two
semi-finals and the final. They will miss other important matches played
among the foreign teams. Most of the operators outside Kolkata have decided
to snap ties with Sony Entertainment Television and subscribe to DD Sports.

TASK FORCE FOR CAS

Indian authorities are preparing a task force that will oversee the
implementation of rules on the introduction of addressable set-top boxes.
The body will comprise government officials along with representatives of
the cable operators and the broadcasters. The government is aiming to
introduce conditional access in certain metropolitan areas within six
months and the task force will also examine what the maximum price ceiling
on the basic bouquet should be. From July 14, it will be mandatory to view
pay-TV channels through a digital set top box across the country. Industry
experts expect the basic tier to be pegged at around Rs 125 per month for
each cable TV household while the price of pay channels will be
market-determined.

JAPAN

NEW DIGITAL SATELLITE SUBSCRIBER FIGURES

The number of Japanese homes taking digital broadcast satellite services
reached 3.66 million at the end of 2002, up 180,000 in December. The Japan
Broadcasting Corp. said 1.9 million took the service via satellite while
1.76 million received it via cable.

MALAYSIA

RTM1 TO REMAIN INFORMATION CHANNEL

The RTM1 television network will remain an information channel to convey
government messages to the people even after the corporatisation of Radio
Television Malaysia (RTM) this year. That's the message from Information
Minister Tan Sri Khalil Yaakob, quoted by Bernama, the Malaysian National
News Agency. According to the minister, only RTM2 will become a commercial
station. He said that during the transition period, RTM1 has undergone
major changes and is being beamed by satellite to neighbouring countries.
RTM1 will also make programming changes in the next few years. "After the
conclusion of the corporatisation process, focus will also be given to the
implementation of the digital system, so that RTM will be on par with
television stations abroad," he said.

NEW ZEALAND

QUESTIONS OVER MAORI TV FUNDING

Giving $2.35 million to the Maori Television Service (MTS) for programming
is unacceptable and defies logic, National's broadcasting spokeswoman
Katherine Rich says. It was even more unacceptable that the "phantom
channel" had no start date, when it was originally to start in the middle
of last year, she said. Funding agency Te Mangai Paho said on January 13
that the money would go towards 13 programmes for the new channel. An MTS
spokesman said the channel's start date had not been decided, but "people
seem to be working towards starting about June 2003". It has been held up,
as the Government has yet to pass legislation setting it up, and no
frequency has been set.

QATAR

QATAR AIRLINES TO SHOW BBC NEWS ON FLIGHTS

Qatar Airways has tied up with BBC World to offer in-flight news bulletins
to its passengers. A technical facility has been set up at the Qatar
Airways headquarters to download BBC’s hourly news bulletins three times a
day. The recorded bulletins would be shown in 30-minute capsules on long
haul flights, 15-minute versions on medium haul flights and eight-minute
takes on short haul flights. The airline currently operates flights from
its hub airport in Doha to 38 destinations worldwide. BBC World now reaches
241 million homes (9.2 million in the Middle East) and 870,000 hotel rooms
(60,000 in the region) in over 200 countries and territories. In Qatar,
40,000 QCV subscribers watch the channel.

TAIWAN

ETTV ADDS SIX FOREIGN TV CHANNELS

Eastern Broadcasting Co. (EBC), a leading Taiwan multiple systems operator,
announced that six foreign channels will be included in its
soon-to-be-launched digital television platform, Recently relaxed cable
regulations now allow operators to charge viewers based on the number of
channels they order. The six channels are the United Kingdom's BBC World,
Germany's Deutsche Welle TV, France's TV5, Australia's ABC Television,
Singapore's Channel News Asia and Korea's Airang TV.

Internet - http://www.emc.com

TAIWAN TV CHANNEL TO OFFER NEWS IN ENGLISH

Under a GIO [Government Information Office] initiative, viewers will soon
be able to tune in to an English-language broadcast of the day's main
events. Starting 1 February, television viewers will be able to see locally
produced English-language news programmes as part of the government's
efforts to create an English friendly environment for both locals and
foreigners. The government will invest 10 million new Taiwan dollars to
have contracted TV stations produce English-language news programmes to be
aired on cable and terrestrial channels. The programmes will be available
seven days a week, either between 23:00-23:30 or 07:00-07:30. The 30-minute
programme will include a 10-minute report on local politics and the
economy, a three-minute culture-related special report, two-to three-minute
report on government policies, a three-minute English-learning section, a
three-minute report on the foreign community in Taiwan and a two-minute
weather report. On the weekends, the weather report will be replaced by
in-depth reports on various topics such as tourism, agriculture, culture
and celebrities.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

TEN SPORTS TO CARRY LIVE HORSE RACING

In an exclusive tie-up with the Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC), the
Gulf-based Ten Sports channel has begun telecasting live Mumbai races from
the Mahalakshmi race course. This is first time in the history of Indian
racing that a private sports channel has provided live coverage of racing.
Earlier, Doordarshan had shown the Indian and Bangalore Derby in the 90's.
Ten Sports will be showing live action of all the big events including,
Hongkong Shanghai Bank Corporation Salver, the last Blue Riband race - the
McDowell Indian Derby, Indian Oaks, India St Leger, Poonawalla Breeders
Million and Times of India Racing Media Gold Cup. The coverage launched in
December with the Indian 1000 Guineas and will continue with live action
every Sunday at 15:30 until the end of April.

VIETNAM

VIETNAM TELEVISION PRESENTS TV EQUIPMENT TO ICRT

The Vietnam Television (VTV) has presented a satellite aerial system and
equipment receiving VTV4 channel to Cuba's Television and Broadcasting
Institute (ICRT). At present, Cuba has three central channels, one for
education and the other two channels also include many science and
education programmes.

MORE CHOICE FOR TV VIEWERS

Television watchers in HCMC and neighboring provinces now only have to
spend VND3-3.5 million to buy a set-top box to get access to various
foreign sports and entertainment channels relayed via Binh Duong Television
without paying subscription fees. As for HCMC, Binh Phuoc, Long An, Tay
Ninh, Tien Giang, Lam Dong and Dong Nai, spectators having a set-top box
will be able to access domestic channels including Binh Duong Television
(BTV) and satellite channels like MTV, CCTV4, TV5, Star Sport, ESPN and
Discovery.




19/01/03

No update Sunday




18/01/03

Yes of course the Boxing is actually Sunday not today, Sky NZ is offering it as a PPV for $24.95. There may be a feed of it around somewhere.

Interesting info on how to view mpg 4:2:2 streams
http://feedsat.free.fr/techgb.htm


From my Emails & ICQ


From Bill Richards

0100 UTC

Pas 2 4031 H Sr 12300, Fec 3/4
Vpid257 Apid259 Sid100
Vpid513 Apid515 Sid200

Unidentifed Feeds in 4:2:2

0630 UTC

Thaicom 3 3685 H Sr 6830, Fec 3/4
Vpid1160
Apid1120
SID1
"Indiavision Test Promo" running

Regards
Bill


(Craigs comment, Aus Open Tennis feed for ESPN 2, see link above for info on viewing Mpg 4:2:2)


From Farooq bajwa

hello,
ten sports middle east is fta now on pas10

freq. 3808v
sym 12857
vid 50,aud 52, pcr 50


(Craigs comment, several have pointed out its only the 10 sports middle east promo channel)


From the Dish


PAS 8 166E 3860 H "Hua Zhang TV" has started , Fta, SID 11, PIDs 910/911.Scholar Business Network, PTS and Z Channel are now Fta.

Intelsat 702 157E Intelsat 702 has left 157 East, moving west.

Asiasat 2 100.5E 3856 V "Six Shandong radio channels" have started, Fta, APIDs 257-261.
Asiasat 2 100.5E 3905 H "Reuters World News Service" is Fta again.

Yamal 102 90E 3601 L Radio Sputnik is back on , Fta, APID 257.


NEWS


Pubs exposed in rip-off scam


From http://www.thesundaymail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,5852005%255E421,00.html

DOZENS of pubs around the country have been using pirated equipment to broadcast SkyChannel for free, it was claimed today.

SkyChannel is taking legal action against two hotels for breach of the Copyright Act, claiming they used pirated smart cards and set-top boxes to show the satellite racing channel without authorisation.

SkyChannel lawyers today appeared before Justice Roger Gyles in the Federal Court in Sydney to apply for injunction orders to stop the hotels broadcasting the channel.

Lawyers for the Tattersall Club Hotel in Mathoura, in the NSW Riverina, consented to an injunction to stop the channel being shown without authorisation in the public bar.

They also agreed to reveal who had supplied the hotel with the pirated equipment.

Lawyers for the Commercial Hotel in Hamilton, south-west Victoria, successfully applied for the matter to be stood over until February 4.

Bradley Cooper, a director of the Commercial Hotel's licensee, Darcy's Tavern Pty Ltd, was today named as a third respondent in the case.

SkyChannel barrister Richard Cobden tendered an affidavit to the court alleging a smart card being used by the hotel was in Mr Cooper's name.

Equipment was seized from the two hotels earlier in the week.

Outside court, a SkyChannel spokesman said the two cases were just the tip of the iceberg.

He said SkyChannel sales representatives and private investigators had found dozens of hotels around the country broadcasting the channel illegally.

"It's quite an extensive black market," he said.

He said there was evidence one of the hotels had been using the illegal equipment for three years, while the other had been detected about six months ago.

The pay TV industry was cracking down on piracy and would take strong action to show "that they are not tolerating this sort of illegal behaviour", he said.


Satellite a kiwi first


From http://home.nzcity.co.nz/news/default.asp?id=28022&c=w

Kiwis build satellite- amateurs plan to launch by 2005 into low earth orbit for use by radio enthusiasts world-wide

A group of enthusiatic amateurs is doing its bit to help New Zealand into the space age, by building the country's first satellite.

The amateur radio group AMSAT-ZL has begun work on a small satellite, the KiwiSAT, which they plan to launch into low earth orbit by the year 2005.

It would become part of a network of small satellites used by amateur radio enthusiasts world-wide.

Solar cells will keep the KiwiSAT orbiting at an altitude of about 800 kilometres for up to three years.

Massey University in Auckland is already on board, providing some funds along with technical facilities.

Other companies are contributing cash or expertise towards the cost of constructing the satellite, but there's still a question mark over the likely source of the estimated $100,000 launch cost.


First world summit for digital satellite TV in Paris


From http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k3/jan/jan87.htm

PARIS: The First World Summit for digital satellite pay-TV platforms will be held on 27 and 28 January at the Hotel Inter-Continental, Paris.

It will be dedicated to the financing of digital platforms and their contents, bringing together large financial institutions and the key players of the satellite TV industry from 40 countries. Focused on financial and strategic issues, the summit mainly concerns CEOs and CFOs, who will make for 70 per cent of the attendees. It provides a unique opportunity to give an up-to-date review of the satellite TV business throughout the world.

Digital platforms have multiplied worldwide over the last five years. At the end of 2002, 55 platforms were diffusing 7,000 television channels across five continents, reaching 53 million paying subscribers with a turnover of $ 26 billion, thereby representing the activity with the most important growth in the video sector.

The First World Summit on digital pay-TV platforms via Satellite will bring together the key players in the industry :

It will serves as a meeting place for investment banks, satellite TV platforms, content and space capacity providers. The large investment banks involved in media financing will be represented. They include Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Salomon Smith Barney, Crédit Suisse/First Boston.

It will also bring together digital platforms from all over the world, notably SkyPerfecTV (Japan), BskyB (UK), DirecTV (US & Latin America), Telenor Plus AB (Scandinavia), Canal Satellite (France), Nowa Cyfra+ (Poland), Showtime Network Arabia (Middle East), ATCi (China), Tecsat (Brazil), Digitürk (Turkey) and Parabole (Indian Ocean Region).

The content providers and the new channels born during the digital revolution will be present, including B4U, Disney Channel, CNBC, MTV and Fashion TV.

The DTH World Summit on Pay-TV Financing is organised by Euroconsult, in collaboration with SES Global, Eutelsat, Intelsat, Canal+ Technologies, Paris Première, CASBAA, Milbank and Marsh, as well as media partners Variety, Asia Pacific Broadcasting, Middle East Broadcast & Satellite, Satellite Finance and Space News.


Panamsat successfully completes turnaround year


From http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k3/jan/jan85.htm

CONNECTICUT: PanAmSat, the premier provider of global video and data broadcasting services via satellite has reported revenues of $812.3 million for the year ended 31 December 2002.

The company has posted earnings before net interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of $591.6 million, free cash flow of $460.9 million and earnings per share (EPS) of $0.57 which was a nearly three-fold increase over last year.

For the fourth quarter ended 31 December 2002, the company generated revenues of $196.8 million, EBITDA of $144.4 million and earnings per share of $0.16.

Business highlights for the year included:

- Completion of a turnaround beginning in mid-2001 resulting in an increase in EBITDA and EPS last year despite lower revenues, a 24 per cent reduction in operating costs, a 13 per cent reduction in capital expenditures and a 37 per cent increase in free cash flow to $460.9 million;

- Completion of a $2 billion, seven-satellite fleet modernisation programme resulting in one of the industry’s youngest and most modern fleets;

- Formation of one of the sector’s most powerful and far-reaching satellite networks through expanded relationships with British Telecom, JSAT and others; and creation of one of the industry’s strongest customer portfolios with an end-of-year backlog of $5.55 billion by focusing on partnering with customers to expand products and service offerings.

Panamsat CEO Joe Wright has said that in 2003, the company's focus will be on continued profitability and growth. "Our growth strategy will not rely on one transaction or the launch of a new satellite or technology. We are coming at it from many angles. Part one - consolidation. Clearly, consolidation is occurring in this industry and PanAmSat is looking at these opportunities. Part two - service expansion. In 2003, PanAmSat will expand its efforts in areas such as Government Services, Digital Services and Hybrid Networks.

Part three - technology development. We’ll be introducing new ways of transmitting content seamlessly across our network, while also increasing our exploration of emerging technologies such as video-on-demand, HDTV, the integration of fiber/satellite/wireless technologies and broadband over satellite. These and many other initiatives will enable the delivery of even greater services to our customers and even more value to our shareholders over the long-term, " he said.

The company expects total revenues for the first quarter of 2003 to be in the range of $190 million to $200 million, with no new sales or sales-type leases. The company expects that 2003 total revenues will be in the range of $790 million to $820 million, with no new sales or sales-type leases.




17/01/03

Not much going on today, The big Boxing event is tommorow let me know if you see a feed or coverage of it anywhere

Optus B3 and Asiasat 3 pages have had a couple of missing screenshots added



From my Emails & ICQ


Nothing important to report


From the Dish


Optus B3 156E 12595 V New FEC for the Optus Aurora mux : 2/3.( I don't think this is new????)

Eutelsat W5 70.5E Test carriers seen on 11075 V and 11158 V.


NEWS


Satellite delay costs Optus $270m


From http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,5848762%5E15306%5E%5Enbv%5E,00.html

OPTUS has suffered a $270 million hit to its revenues for the March financial year after it was forced to delay the launch of its C1 satellite until as late as June this year.

The country's biggest satellite player has had to make fresh arrangements with the launch company, Arianespace, following the explosion of a satellite-launching rocket last year, destroying its payload.
But Optus chief financial officer Pat O'Sullivan said there would "be no effect on our customers".

People familiar with the situation have said that the original timetable had a degree of slippage built into it.

Mr O'Sullivan said that Optus's cash position would be cut by tens of millions at the end of the financial year.

The C1 satellite is a joint venture between Optus and the Australian Department of Defence – an issue which caused some national security concerns when Optus was bought by the Singapore government-controlled SingTel last year.

The satellite's other major customer is Foxtel, which has agreed to buy 12 of the satellites 20 transponders under the pay-TV deal between Optus and Foxtel. Under Singapore's conservative accounting rules a final payment, mainly from the Department of Defence, of $270 million can be booked once the bird is launched.

The $500 million costs associated with the project will also be booked then, and analysts said the margin would be about $30 million.

According to Australian accounting standards, Optus could have chosen to book revenue when it began building the satellite three years ago but the company has backed away from aggressive accounting under its new owner.

Under former chief financial officer Norman Gillespie, Optus gained a reputation for extremely aggressive accounting – often referred to in industry circles as "Norman GAAP".

Optus has other annual streams which will flow from the satellite.

While it has not revealed how much it expects to earn from the satellite, Macquarie Bank has estimated that Optus will bank about $50 million extra each year.

Foxtel has agreed to pay $40 million a year but there may be some drop off from Optus's other orbiting satellites as customers move to C1.

Macquarie Bank said that the delay would have some upside in boosting SingTel's growth in 2004.


Optus satellite stays grounded


From Afr.com

Australia's digital pay-TV timetable will remain unchanged, despite confirmation yesterday that the launch of Optus's C1 satellite could be delayed by up to three months.

Optus was supposed to launch the satellite in the March quarter. It said as late as December that the launch was still on schedule despite Ariane 5, the rocket originally employed to send C1 into space, exploding.

Yesterday, Optus said it did not expect to launch the satellite until the June quarter. The delay will affect Optus's revenue, with the company now set to take a $270 million shortfall for the 12 months to March 2003. However, the $270 million will be received when the satellite is launched and represents only a fraction of Optus's $5 billion revenue.

C1 is important to the advent of digital pay-TV in Australia. Its extra transponders will allow Foxtel to provide more than 120 digital pay-TV channels and will give regional player Austar access to around 200,000 more homes.

But despite C1's significance, industry players and analysts alike yesterday played down the launch delay. "Our digital plans are still on track for October," a Foxtel spokeswoman said.

Foxtel plans to spend around $1 billion rolling out digital technology, beginning later this year. The technology will give its approximately 800,000 pay-TV subscribers access to more channels as well as interactive services, such as electronic program guides and video-on-demand.

Foxtel has also committed itself to a $900 million leasing deal for 12 of C1's 24 transponders.

Austar group director corporate development and legal affairs, Deanne Weir, also said the delay would have minimal impact. Austar had always taken a conservative approach to the launch date, she said.

Ms Weir said that for Austar, which will buy capacity from Foxtel, the new satellite would mean increased coverage and the ability to offer more channels to existing customers who are linked up by wireless technologies.

"So it gives us the ability to slightly increase those customers' ARPUs (average revenue per user), but really, it's not a major drama," she said.

Ms Weir said that until C1 was launched, Austar would continue to use B3, Optus's other satellite. However, she did not rule out the possibility of switching to a new provider altogether should there be further delays. "Austar, Optus and Foxtel have got contingency plans and we'd look at all our options," she said.

One of those options could possibly involve the use of NSS-6, a satellite launched by Dutch company New Skies in December last year.


PanAmSat Looks to Australia Ka-Band


From Skyreport

PanAmSat, the commercial satellite operator controlled by Hughes Electronics, is eyeing
Australian Ka-Band capacity while giving up most of its U.S. Ka-Band capacity.

PanAmSat said Tuesday it filed for nine Ka-Band orbital slots through the Australian Communications
Authority (ACA), the country's telecommunications commission. The ACA forwarded the filings to the
International Telecommunications Union for final approval.

The Australian Ka-Band filings will replace all but one of PanAmSat's U.S. Ka-Band orbital filings.
A PanAmSat spokesperson confirmed the company's Ka-Band moves for the United States, but wouldn't
state what orbital locations are impacted by the decision.

Ka-Band promises to deliver next-generation satellite services, such as satellite-based broadband.

"We believe that the market for broadband services using Ka-Band is more likely to develop within
the timeframe of our new filings in the later part of this decade," said James Cuminale, executive
vice president, corporate development and general counsel at PanAmSat. "Given the current market
climate, we decided to relinquish our U.S. Ka-Band orbital locations, which would have required
systems to be placed in service before 2005."


Paksat 1 to Start Broadcasts


From ?

Pakistan's first communication satellite would become fully operational from February one, officials said today.

The first phase of functionality test conducted this week for the satellite named Paksat-1 was successful and it would start operations according to the schedule after few more tests, an official of the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunications told the media here.

He said the test process of Paksat-1 started in December last year. The satellite would help further decrease the bandwidth rates as it would make available a huge bandwidth capability. The satellite, which would also be used for transmission of new TV channels, has 30 C-band and 4 Ku-band transponders on board.




16/01/03

A bit of confusion over the date of Launch of Optus C1, with one new news report stating a delay until June. I am doing some checking. I think its only the "official" launch period that was published last year that they are on about. The April 15th launch date I still believe to be correct. But the Singapore news item is the most confusing


From my Emails & ICQ


From Mark Fahey

5pm Syd

Taiwanese MUX PAS8 currently FTA

3860 H 28000 5/6

All channels FTA right now! Most are usually encrypted with Viaccess 2.

Cheers,
Mark


From the Dish


PAS 2 169E 4087 V "KISB 1, NITV and TV Chile" have started, Fta, PIDs 516/644,518/646 and 519/647. Pink Plus has left this mux, replaced by a test card.

PAS 10 68.5E 3974 H "HBO India" has left , replaced by a test card.

Intelsat 906 64E 3721 R "Star FM (Kampala)" has started Fta, APID 35, right channel.

NSS 703 57E 3980 R "Kondattam TV, Sun News Channel and Sun Cable Vision" are now encrypted.


NEWS


Ariane snag delays launch of SingTel satellite till June


From http://business-times.asia1.com.sg/sub/companies/story/0,4574,69754,00.html

POSTPONEMENT of the launch of Singapore Telecom's communications satellite will delay recognition of revenue at the telco to the tune of A$270 million (S$274 million) this year.

SingTel said yesterday that the launch of its C1 satellite will be delayed till June 2003.

The original launch - slated between December 2002 and March 2003 - was delayed because of malfunctions at the Ariane 5 launch vehicle.

The Ariane 5 rocket, hired to launch SingTel's satellite, exploded within minutes of launch last month, resulting in suspension of all future launches pending a technical review.

SingTel's satellite was to have been leased by Optus, its Australian subsidiary, to carry Foxtel TV content for the Australian market.

Foxtel Management Pty is Australia's largest pay-TV operator.

As much as 70 per cent of C1's capacity is already sold as a result of the deal, expected to be worth an estimated A$40 million to Optus.

When asked if the June launch date was a realistic one given the technical problems at the launch vehicle, SingTel spokeswoman Andrienne Tho declined further comment.

SingTel shares closed at $1.37 yesterday, up two cents on volume of 28.64 million shares.


Optus satellite launch postponed


From http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,5846578%5E15320%5E%5Enbv%5E,00.html

OPTUS is now not expecting the launch of its C1 satellite until the June quarter 2003.

The satellite was initially scheduled for launch in the March quarter 2003 but has been delayed, with the launch revenues also delayed until the June quarter.

The subsidiary has been working with Arianespace to see if there is any impact on the C1 satellite from the rocket failure late last year.

SingTel shares closed yesterday at $1.33.


SingTel Optus delays satellite launch


From http://www.zdnet.com.au/newstech/communications/story/0,2000024993,20271292,00.htm

SingTel Optus is delaying the launch of its C1 satellite to the April to June quarter due to a rocket launch failure in December.

SingTel Optus Pty Ltd had previously said it would launch the C1 satellite in its fiscal fourth quarter to March 2003.

But this was scuttled after the European space programme Arianespace's new satellite rocket exploded on its maiden commercial trip in December. Optus is leasing the capacity on its C1 satellite to Australian pay-TV group, Foxtel, under a content-sharing agreement recently approved by the Australian competition watchdog.

"The launch is now expected to take place in the first quarter ending June 2003 of the next financial year, and launch revenues will be deferred until then," SingTel said in a statement.

Optus has also been working with Arianespace to assess the impact, if any, of the failure of the Ariane rocket on the C1 satellite launch, it added.


Launch of Optus` C1 Satellite


From http://www.asx.com.au/asx/statistics/AnnDetail.jsp?id=539859&&issuerid=4704

Document date: Thu 16 Jan 2003 Published: Thu 16 Jan 2003 08:35:39
Document No: 285307 Document part: A
Market Flag: N
Classification: Other

SINGAPORE TELECOMMUNICATIONS LIMITED. 2003-01-16 ASX-SIGNAL-G

HOMEX - Sydney

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

SingTel Optus Pty Limited ("Optus"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of
Singapore Telecommunications Limited ("SingTel"), has been working
with Arianespace to understand the impact (if any) of the failure of
Arianespace's new satellite rocket late last year on the launch of
Optus' C1 satellite and to secure the earliest possible launch date.
SingTel has previously disclosed that the C1 satellite was
tentatively scheduled for launch in the fourth quarter ending March
2003 of the current financial year. The launch is now expected to
take place in the first quarter ending June 2003 of the next
financial year and launch revenues will be deferred until then.

C S Shan (Ms)
COMPANY SECRETARY


PanAmSat goes down under for Ka-band slots


From satdigest

15 Jan 2003 - PanAmSat Corporation has filed for nine Ka-band orbital slots through the Australian Communications Authority (ACA), which has forwarded the filings to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) for final approval.


(Craigs comment, Interesting but I have not found the full item about this yet, can anyone help?)


Shin Satellite eyes subsidiaries


New revenue source as core business flat

Shin Satellite Plc, the country's sole satellite operator, expects subsidiaries to contribute more to its total revenue this year as earnings from its core business are likely to remain flat.

One potentially lucrative business for the group is CS Loxinfo Co, which became the country's biggest Internet service provider after CS Communications, a 99.49%-owned subsidiary of Shin Satellite, merged with Loxley Information Service (Loxinfo) in June last year.

At the same time, overseas investments in telecommunications projects in Laos and Cambodia are also seen as having high growth potential.

The company estimated its revenue for 2002 at 5.5 billion baht, of which 3.8 billion baht came from the satellite business, said executive chairman Dumrong Kasemset.

Shin Satellite operates the Thaicom 1, 2 and 3 satellites and will launch the iPSTAR broadband satellite in March next year.

On the first three Thaicom satellites, the C-band transponders for telecommunications services are 80% occupied. The Ku-band transponders are used by broadcasters, with pay-television operator UBC Plc a major client.

Meanwhile, Shin Satellite's clients in India, the company's second-largest market after Thailand, are shifting from government to private-sector providers.

The company is promoting the iPSTAR service, using the capacity of Thaicom 3's Ku-band, featuring new broadband technology for high-speed Internet access, data and imaging.

Once iPSTAR is launched, all clients will be shifted to the new satellite. Four partners have already been appointed as the service providers and more are now being selected.

Shin Satellite projects total revenue of 7.7 billion baht this year, but the contribution from the satellite business would be the same as this year, at 3.8 billion baht.

CS Loxinfo, meanwhile, was expected to record 150% growth in revenue to 1.5 billion baht, said Dr Dumrong.

Revenue from Cambodian operations, through wholly owned Shin Cambodia Co, is projected to double to 1.2 billion baht. The company provides fixed-line and mobile services and recently received a new licence for Internet services.

Lao Telecommunications Co is also projected to grow by about 25%, compared with last year.

Lao Telecom is 51% held by the Laotian government, with Shin Satellite holding the remainder.

Shares of the Shin Corporation subsidiary closed yesterday at 14.90 baht, unchanged, in trade worth 10.55 million baht.


Wrestling to add muscle to niche channels' weekend programming


From http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k3/jan/jan73.htm

MUMBAI: Star and Zee have both decided to strengthen their weekend programming lineup on their respective English entertainment chanels with some wrestling action.

Star World will introduce total nontstop action (TNA) wrestling from 17 January every Saturday and Sunday at 5:30 pm and 11 pm. The action comes from the National Wrestling alliance, the oldest wrestling body in the world. Stars like Jeff Jarett and martial arts specialist Ken Shamrock, both of whom had brief stints in the WWE as well as stars from other sports as well as entertainment will appear. 'Infamous' celebrities will appear to create a new approach to wrestling, say reports.

Zee English will air Women of Wrestling every Saturday at 8 pm from 18 January. The one-hour show marks the first time the channel has gone the wrestling way. Star World, on the other hand, used to air World Championship Wrestling (WCW) content, now defunct. Meanwhile, a Zee English spokesperson said that the channel is looking to cash in on the momentum generated among wrestling fans by the WWE tour. Usually, concerts featuring the likes of Bryan Adams and INXS air in this slot.

Women of Wrestling exploded onto the scene in the US, introducing a new kind of female action hero with action and attitude. The premiere episode crowned the first WOW World Champion, Terri Gold (a.k.a. Miss Fitness). Gold outlasted 19 other competitors in an over-the-top-rope Battle Royale to win the coveted belt. WOW Power is loaded with divergent personalities like Lana Star and her million-dollar hair and star-studded entourage. There is also is Danger with her angry attitude and lethal moves, Caged Heat with their angry challenges to authority and Jade with her belief in herself against the always-bigger opponents.

It now remains to be seen whether sports entertainment is a hit for Indian niche channels known largely for serials thus far.




15/01/03

Thank you all that showed up in the chatroom even those just there to pick up the latest gossip. I am aware of various pay tv providers being in there as well. Not to hard to pick out at all, I don't have any problem with them being in there. Just hope they have a good B.S filter in case any misleading info is fed to them. Not that I would do that of course ;-)


From my Emails & ICQ


From Bill Richards

Nokia working once again

Pas 2

0832 UTC

Pas 2 4031 H Sr 12300 FEC 3/4
Vpid 257 Apid 259 Sid 100
Vpid 513 Apid 515 Sid 200

Unidentifed Feed in 4:2:2

Regards
Bill


(Craigs comment, this was the Aus Tennis open in 4:2:2 mpg, another also on 3932 V 19850 Fec 5/6 4:2:2 also, those with Nokias and DVBrecorder may like to have a look after recording the stream..)


From the Dish


Apstar 1A 134E 3933 H "Guizhou TV" has left .

ST 1 88E 3632 V All channels in the MMBN mux are fta.

Thaicom 3 78.5E 3815 V "DD Punjab" has started, Fta, Sr 5000, Fec 3/4, PIDs 308/256.

Eutelsat W5 70.5E The test signals have left 11057 H and 11093 H.


NEWS


CNBC Asia axes more jobs


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

Singapore-based financial news TV channel CNBC Asia has cut more staff from its roster and axed two shows focused on the Australian market.

Three members of staff were made redundant last week and the daily 30-minute long Australian Market Wrap and Business Centre Australia they worked on were both cut from the schedules and replaced with European-generated programming, a spokeswoman, Cheryl Wang, was quoted as saying. The changes will reduce the overall headcount to 132.

The departures follow the culling last October of 40 staff, 23 percent of the total from the Singapore head office and the Hong Kong bureau because of falling advertising sales and the weak Asian economy.

At the time President Alexander Brown said in a statement "We are taking these measures as a result of a very difficult economic environment. It is my sincere hope that we could not have to do any more restructuring, but it is entirely dependent on the economy."

CNBC Asia is a joint venture between General Electric's NBC and Dow Jones. The channel came into being in 1997 when Dow Jones' majority-owned Asia Business News merged with CNBC to stem financial losses incurred by both of the competing services.


Tonga Maneuvers To Save Slot -- Criticism that the tiny island nation of Tonga has been warehousing


From http://library.northernlight.com/FF20030113150000040.html

Jan 13, 2003 (Satellite News/PBI Media via COMTEX) -- orbital slots without using them may be muted a bit after the country recently bought from Seattle Scientific Corp. a satellite that has been deployed at one of the country's International Telecommunication Union-approved in-orbit locations.

The acquisition of the satellite is a step forward for Tonga, which signed a pact with Needham, Mass.-based General Dynamics Network Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics [GD], to provide engineering and flight- operations services for the first of several commercial communications satellites that would be deployed. Doubters about Tonga's good intentions, however, can point to the satellite's advanced age and suggest that it is merely a placeholder to prevent the ITU from taking the slot away from the country.

Purchased by the Friendly Islands Satellite Communications Ltd., also known as Tongasat, the satellite was built by the former Hughes Space and Communications that later was acquired by The Boeing Co. [BA].

The spacecraft, previously called Parallax, has been renamed ESIAFI-1 and will provide telephone, data and other communications services. ESIAFI-1 has been moved to 70 degrees E, one of nine geostationary orbital slots that Tonga has sought to use through previous filings with the ITU. Tonga is a Polynesian nation of 100,000 people in the South Pacific governed by a royal family that has a financial stake in Tongasat.

Waning Lifespan

The usefulness of the satellite at a point in its life span when most other spacecraft would have exhausted their design life is an open question. Seattle Scientific acquired the bird from Lockheed Martin Corp. [LMT] to provide satellite links for the Parallax Project that was intended to transmit real-time "black box" data from aircraft to ground facilities and to U.S. government agencies, said Andrea Maleter, technical director at Bethesda, Md.-based Futron Corp.

The spin-stabilized satellite was launched by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on Feb. 21, 1981, aboard an Atlas-Centaur rocket and now is in an inclined orbit of roughly seven degrees, Maleter said. The spacecraft previously had operated at 75.4 degrees W longitude.

For General Dynamics, the three-year, multi-million dollar deal it signed with Tongasat to operate the satellite and provide around-the-clock monitoring is a business opportunity worth pursuing. General Dynamics has an existing commercial satellite control facility in Las Cruces, N.M., to perform the engineering functions.

The company's engineers will be responsible for ensuring the safety and health of the satellite, troubleshooting and providing commands for orbital station keeping. The company also will support the Tongan government by helping Tongasat to identify customers to use the satellite's transponders and to assist in the evaluation of other potential satellites to be moved into Tonga's remaining orbital positions, they explained. Forward-looking?

Future satellites also may be positioned to provide voice, video and data for the numerous small island nations in that region of the Pacific, General Dynamics officials said.

The arrangement gives General Dynamics a chance to provide not only operational and engineering support, but also assistance with Tongasat's "business expansion plans," said Ken Osborne, director of advanced programs for General Dynamics.

"We believe this partnership has tremendous potential for both entities," Osborne said.

At the company's ground facility in New Mexico, General Dynamics provides satellite services to civil, commercial and military customers around the world. Its performance record includes 30 years of satellite operations, engineering, ground systems and teleport services, for customers that include NASA, the U.S. military and commercial businesses.

The hiring of General Dynamics to support the operation of the satellite and any others that are purchased in the next three years adds legitimacy to Tongasat's efforts. However, the purchase of an old satellite with little life left to provide commercial service to retain use of an orbital slot leaves skeptics unsatisfied. Questionable Actions

"I try to live by the motto that the questionable actions of people are attributable to errors in human judgment or incompetence and not motivated by malice, scheming or manipulation," said Roger Rusch, heads the TelAstra Inc. consultancy of Palos Verdes, Calif. "In the case of Tonga, I might be willing to make an exception."

Some have expressed the view that Tonga is following legal procedures to reserve spectrum, Rusch said. However, the reality appears to be that Tonga, as a national policy, intends to profit by "trafficking" in orbital slots, he added.

"The ITU has a coordination process that permits nations to register intended satellites," Rusch said. "Unless the satellite is in orbit and in operation in nine years, the registration is voided. In the case of several slots registered by Tonga, the time might have run out. Consequently, Tonga may have salvaged a satellite and maneuvered it to one of the locations" to save the slot.

The tiny island nation of 100,000 people has a questionable claim on the need for nine orbital slots to serve its inhabitants and those who live nearby in the Pacific region, Rusch said.

"Consequently we assume that it is for some other purpose that generates revenue for the kingdom," Rusch said. Mighty Mite

However, Tonga is not unique as a small nation that has filed for orbital slots with the ITU. Several others have acted on behalf of companies, including Gibraltar, Papua New Guinea and Bermuda, to name a few, Rusch said.

Jorge Christensen, who heads the Canadian-based satellite consultancy J. Christensen Consultants Ltd., gave Tongasat credit for moving ahead and trying to use one of its slots.

All administrations, including Tonga, with ITU filings for orbital slots to provide geostationary (GSO) satellite services must bring the frequencies into use before they expire, Christensen said. The regulatory lifetime of a satellite network is six years, plus an additional three-year automatic extension if the advance publication information for the network was filed before Nov. 22, 1997--the date the 1997 World Radicommunication Conference ended, he explained. The regulatory life span of a filing for an orbital slot is five years, plus an automatic two-year conditional extension, if the advance publication information was filed after Nov. 22, 1997, Christensen said.

"Due to the time required to plan, construct and launch a satellite, there is usually a sense of urgency to bring into use GSO filings with good priority before they expire," Christensen said. "It is interesting to note that some of the world's most successful satellite companies, such as SES Astra and AsiaSat, are based in small administrations which can be very responsive to the needs of satellite operators by, for example, having simple domestic regulatory requirements or by preferential tax treatment. The ITU regulatory requirements are, of course, the same for everybody." Royal Treatment

However, Tongasat is unique, since members of Tonga's royal family have a direct financial interest in the company, Christensen said. Despite that novelty, Tongasat resembles a private sector initiative more than a traditional government-backed satellite organization, he added.

For that reason, the Tongasat venture should not be "confused" with other former government backed satellite-operating initiatives, such as Intelsat and Inmarsat, Christensen said.

Tongasat officials did not respond to requests to share their views.

* Originally named Comstar 4D
* Launched by NASA during February 1981
* Previously operated at 75.4 degrees W longitude
* Spin-stabilized satellite built by Hughes
* Possesses 24 C-Band transponders and a single beam designed for CONUS coverage of the United States
* Now operates in inclined orbit of some 7 degrees
* Originally had millimeter wave experimental packages designed to conduct
communications tests in the 19 and 28 GHz bands

* Stands 6.34 meters high, with a diameter of 2.38 meters
* Liftoff weight at launch was 1516 kg.
* Purchased from Lockheed Martin in 2001 by Seattle Scientific Corporation
* Sold in 2002 to Tongasat


Panamsat hints at further moves


Panamsat, the US satellite television operator, on Tuesday hinted that the company was exploring alternative deals in addition to the bid it has submitted for its European rival Eutelsat.

Joe Wright, Panamsat's chief executive, said the company was looking at a range of opportunities for consolidation in the satellite business.

His comments suggest that Panamsat is lining up possible alternatives if it is thwarted in its efforts to take control of Eutelsat. Panamsat and Finmeccanica, the Italian group, have submitted a joint bid for Eutelsat, which has also drawn interest from rival Intelsat. "Is [Eutelsat] of interest? Yes. But we are also looking at others," Mr Wright said.

The prospect of Europe's largest satellite owner coming under US ownership is facing political resistance in some European capitals. "We are in the position of responding," Mr Wright said of the Eutelsat situation. "It is not something that you can push from this side."

He was speaking as Panamsat reported a small increase in earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation for 2002 despite a slight decrease in revenues.

The company said revenues for the coming year were likely to be flat, although it pointed to the growth of high-definition television transmissions in the US as possible sources of revenue growth this year.

Panamsat also said six contracts were at risk after customers had run into financial difficulty. By far the largest of these is DirecTV Latin America, which last week warned that it may file for bankruptcy.


PanAmSat Profit Rises, Revenue Falls


From http://abcnews.go.com/wire/Business/reuters20030114_500.html

NEW YORK (Reuters) - PanAmSat Corp. <SPOT.O> on Tuesday posted a higher fourth-quarter profit, beating the average Wall Street forecast, but revenue declined as demand for video services weakened.

The satellite communications company, which includes broadcasters among its customers, also said that while it expects revenue in 2003 to remain flat with 2002 it hopes to take advantage of industry consolidation.

"In 2003 we expect to see another soft year for our industry characterized by over capacity" and pricing pressure, Chief Executive Joe Wright told analysts during a conference call "If as some say the industry does turn around in the second half of this year that's great, but we're not planning on it."

PanAmSat said its profit rose to $23.5 million, or 16 cents a share, from $3.2 million, or 2 cents per share, a year earlier. Analysts polled by Thomson First Call had expected earnings of 13 cents a share.

The company, which has been hurt along with its peers by a glut of capacity in the satellite market, said its revenue fell to $196.8 million from $203.7 million.

"They were lower than we were looking for on revenue and lower on EBITDA but margins seem to be holding up. They could out some costs (and) so did a little bit better on earnings per share," Credit Lyonnais analyst Rick Grubbs said.

PanAmSat blamed the poorer revenues on a fall in demand for occasional video broadcasts, including one-time sports events, and a decline in demand for general video services, in comparison to the fourth quarter last year when it experienced increased demand after September 11.

PanAmSat shares closed up 32 cents, or more than 2 percent at $15.50 on the Nasdaq on Tuesday. The stock's 52-week high was $25.99.

GROWTH BY ACQUISITION

PanAmSat includes acquisitions as well as expansion into new markets including government services, as its main targets for growth.

"Clearly consolidation is occurring in this industry and PanAmSat is looking at these opportunities." Wright said in a statement.

"Our growth strategy will not rely on one transaction or the launch of a new satellite or technology -- we're coming at it from many angles," Wright added, naming government services as a target market.

PanAmSat's ambitions for consolidation include European satellite operator Eutelsat, which would improve its network coverage in Europe, and Hughes Global Services, a unit of Hughes Electronics <GMH.N> that serves government agencies. Hughes owns 81 percent of PanAmSat .

Wright would not comment on the status of PanAmSat's status in the bidding process for Eutelsat beyond saying that the company, which is bidding against rival Intelsat Ltd , has met the deadlines the European operator has made.

PanAmSat is thought to be working with European investors to come up with the money for the deal, which is understood to be worth over $3 billion.

Wright estimated that the Hughes deal, which is expected to close in the current quarter, would boost PanAmSat's revenue but added this was not factored into its 2003 revenue.

FINANCIAL ESTIMATES

PanAmSat said it expects to earn 13 cents to 17 cents a share in the first quarter of 2003 on total revenue of $190 million to $200 million. In the full year 2003, it expects to earn 52 cents to 62 cents a share on revenue of $790 million to $820 million.

PanAmSat said it earned $144.4 million in the fourth quarter before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA).

It expects to post EBITDA of $140 million to $150 million in the first quarter and $580 million to $600 million in 2003.

The satellite company said it has contracts for satellite services representing $5.55 billion of future revenue or backlog, compared to a backlog of $5.5 billion in September.

The company said in September that about $1.06 billion of its future revenue from existing contracts is at risk. After a broadcasting customer, DirecTV Latin America, said last week that it could face bankruptcy, PanAmSat said the company represented more than half of its at-risk backlog.

DirecTV Latin America is expected to pay PanAmSat a total of $57 million in revenue this year.




14/01/03

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

Looks like the Aardvark site has picked up on rumours of a new pay tv provider

http://www.aardvark.co.nz/

Optus C1 Official launch April 15th! Hopefully no more delays! it will go to 156E despite all the rumours suggesting 153E

Sorry not much news around today.



From the Rumour section


ImpacTV to broadcast a Euro Pacific Sports channel



From my Emails & ICQ


From Zapara

Kong Sat Metter

I have a Kong ARM 380 Commercial TV and Sat level meter for sale, it covers
43.6Mhz to 2.05Ghz, It s the same as the Promax MC 360B that is on page 63
of the latest Lacey's catalogue. I am asking $1000ono for it. it is
complete with carry pouch and power supply. if anybody wants any info
details or picture, email me at [email protected]

Reason for selling, I am upgrading to a Promax M3

Alek


From the Dish


Asiasat 2 100.5E 4148 V "Lotus TV" has started , Fta, PIDs 650/651.


NEWS


Doordarshan to step up Cricket World Cup coverage


From Company press release, January 13, 2003

Mumbai

Global Cricket Corporation (the worldwide rights owner) and Nimbus Communications Ltd (the revenue management company for ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 telecasts over Doordarshan) have entered into an arrangement with Doordarshan (DD) to enhance the coverage of the Cricket World Cup on the terrestrial networks of DD.

It may be recalled that earlier the parties had signed an agreement to telecast live 16 ‘Big Gun’ matches on DD National, chosen in a manner that assured viewers of ‘Big Gun’ matches every weekend in the World Cup, in addition to all India matches and of course the 2 Semi Finals and the Final; as also 43 daily one hour Highlights on DD National.

The new arrangement entails, in addition, telecast of 43 matches over DD Metro, including all ‘Big Gun’ matches and all ‘Frequency Builder’ matches. With this DD will beam a match on every single day of the Cricket World Cup, which lasts 43 days.

Given the fact that many matches get over well past midnight and that viewers may want to watch other prime time programming during the ‘Frequency Builder’ matches, DD and Nimbus have decided to schedule the telecast of the matches on DD Metro in a sensible and viewer friendly manner. Every match on DD Metro will be telecast on a delayed basis starting at 9.30am everyday. The consistency of timing is expected to be a scheduling coup enabling DD to build a date with viewers at a fixed time everyday, and is also expected to help build viewership during day parts thereby avoiding clash of timings with DD’s own prime time programming as well as prime time programming on other channels.

The penetration of DD Metro is estimated to be in the region of 40 million homes, i.e.over 50% of the national TV homes and well in excess of cable homes. DD Metro is also covered under the ‘Must Carry’ provisions of law, ensuring prime band carriage.

The additional matches will also be covered under the 80:20 revenue share basis with an additional revenue guarantee to DD provided by Nimbus. With this, the minimum assured profit that DD will make from the Cricket World Cup is in the region of Rs 20 crores and it will also stand to gain further from revenue share.

Sunil Manocha, Senior Vice President – Television & Sport at Nimbus said “ We are delighted that viewers will get this bonanza on a free to air basis and also that we are able to provide this immensely powerful property on DD Metro to further enhance the domination of DD in TV homes when it comes to cricket.”

Raju Udupa, Associate Vice President – Marketing at Nimbus said “Given the phenomenal response from advertisers for the World Cup on DD and the quick sell out of prime positions, we are happy that the additional matches will help us to serve more advertisers as well as cater to those whose budgets or target markets prevent them from advertising on DD National during the World Cup.”

Continuing with its successful strategy of ‘Flexi Buys’ and ‘Cluster’ buys, Nimbus will extend the same to the DD Metro matches too, in addition to ‘Package’ buys and Broadcast Sponsorships.

Nimbus will also be providing ‘Frequency Builder’ match bonuses to major advertisers specially those who pinned their faith on DD with early bookings on the Cricket World Cup ‘Big Gun’ matches LIVE on DD National.

It is expected that the DD Metro 43 matches will add about 153 GRPs to DD’s expected GRP delivery of 320 on DD National, making it a total of 473 GRPs, which will be a historic new on Indian television for any single event.

For further information please contact:

Sumit Luthra
Associate Vice President: Corporate
Nimbus Communications Ltd

Tel +91 22 26352000
Fax +91 22 26352122

E mail [email protected]


Sony warns it will sue GCC if DD Metro airs matches, ESS allowed to do programming


From indiantelevision.com

MUMBAI / NEW DELHI: Sony Entertainment Television India reacted with outrage today to an announcement by Harish Thawani's Nimbus Communications that national broadcaster Doordarshan (DD) has entered into an arrangement with News Corp controlled Global Cricket Corporation (the worldwide rights owner) for enhanced coverage on its terrestrial networks of the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup.

SET India CEO Kunal Dasgupta asserted that Sony would seek unspecified damages from the GCC if DD were given the rights to offer a delayed telecast of any match outside what had already been granted to the national broadcaster. Dasgupta said that if DD wanted to air any match other than the 16 'Big Gun' matches on DD National (all India matches, 2 Semi Finals and the Final) for which it already had telecast rights, it could only do so after the World Cup was over.

Dasgupta further dismissed as "kite-flying" a report that appeared in a leading financial daily today that rival ESPN-Star Sports had inked a deal with DD to do the presentation of pre and post-match fixtures as well as during the lunch and tea intervals.

The initial agreement DD had entered into with Nimbus (the revenue management company for World Cup telecasts over DD) covered the live telecast of 16 'Big Gun' matches as well as 43 daily one hour Highlights on DD national. According to an announcement made to indiantelevision.com, Nimbus had stated that it had entered a new deal with DD covering the telecast of a total of 43 matches, including the 'Big Gun' matches, on DD Metro. All matches on DD Metro will be telecast on a delayed basis starting 9:30 am on every day of the Cricket World Cup, which lasts 43 days, the announcement said. If this is true what it means is that in addition to the rights for the live telecast of 16 matches, DD had secured the rights for delayed telecast of an additional 27 games.

Dasgupta said that if DD went ahead with the plan as had been announced then Sony would sue.

After ambush marketing add another word to the lexicon - ambush programming. Whatever may be Dasgupta's assertions, if ESS manages to pull this one off it would definitely be a major coup for India's leading C&S sports broadcast network. Through this this ESS would continue to remain in the mindspace of cricketing audiences without having had to shell out a dime for the rights.

According to Dasgupta, the move by ESS was legally untenable as the sports broadcasting network was a GCC affiliate. This would by extension mean that the rights holder GCC, after having sold the C&S telecast rights to Sony (for $ 255 million) was now actively working to scupper Sony's commercial interests, Dasgupta said. ESS is a GCC affiliate by virtue of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp being a 50 per cent stake-holder in the ESPN Star Sports joint venture. News Corp has the controlling stake in GCC.

DD sources, meanwhile, while admitting that no deal had been inked as yet with ESS, said discussions were on. At the time of uploading this report, indiantelevision was unable to get an official response from ESPN Software India MD Manu Sawhney on the matter as he was not in Delhi.

Sources in DD further confirmed that director-general DD SY Quraishi had been in Mumbai today and had had discussions with Thawani regarding the issue of delayed telecast of matches on DD Metro. The DD sources confirmed Quraishi was in Mumbai to finalise the scheduling of the matches to be aired on DD Metro.

Prasar Bharati officials that indiantelevision.com appeared quite confident that they were on firm legal ground in the matter. According to the officials though, there didn't seem to be any legal ground on which action could be taken. This is because it is a new development which the original contract had not envisaged , they said. "Moreover, if it is going to be a delayed telecast, why should Sony get so upset," they ask.




13/01/03

The HRT channel on Globecast , Optus B3 had a card up earlier showing. But programming was still running

"HRT has now been scrambled to arrange for access to the service please call toll free 1300 13 10 12 Telcast wishes to thank you for your support over 2002 and a prosperous 2003"


From my Emails & ICQ


From Siam Global

sat watch

Apsatters who can receive NSS 703 57* E and interested in beautiful half naked women, should know that Action TV is currently showing two promos one of which, called F&S, is a raunchy sexier version of Fashion TV and is showing parts of the female anatomy previously unseen on an Indian sat channel.

Apsatters who watch Panamsat 8 should know that the 30 or so non stop music channels which sit behind the Taiwan bouquet are in fact FTA and not

Irdeto 2 encrypted, as wrongly listed by Lyngsat. It should be mentioned that some sat receivers such as Hyundai, cannot decode these FTA audio channels, while others such as the Saejin Sky 21, a normally inferior receiver, can.

Finally can some Apsatters please check Intelsat 704 at 66* E.

Sky News which was at 3805Mhz encrypted, now shows “no or bad signal” on the Hyundai..

Has this channel , which had FTA audio up to a few weeks ago, gone, or is the Videoguard encryption fooling the signal strength meter ?

Siamglobal, Bangkok


From the Dish


Pas 2 169E 3932 V ""Tennis feed" Sr 19850 Fec 5/6

Eutelsat W5 70.5E Quite strong test carriers on 12524 H.

Test signal on 11057 H, SR 27900, FEC 7/8.
Test signal on 11093 H, SR 27900, FEC 2/3,

Test carriers on 10992 H and 10992 V.
Test carrier on 12524 H.

Anyone in Northern Australia had a look?

PAS 10 68.5E:3932 H "HBO India" has started PowerVu, SID 4, PIDs 1460/1420.


NEWS


Volvo Aero accepts blame for faulty part that brought down Ariane-5


From http://www.spacedaily.com/2003/030111124105.auw9ueiu.html

Swedish company Volvo Aero acknowledged Saturday that an engine nozzle it supplied for Ariane-5 might have been the cause of the European satellite launcher's failed maiden flight last month.

But a spokesman also said that Ariane engineers were testing uncharted waters, which entailed the risk of failure.

"We will not try to shift blame away from ourselves," Volvo Aero spokesman Fredrik Fryklund told local paper Oestgoeta Correspondenten, according to TT news agency.

"It was the first launch of a rocket with a dramatically increased lifting capacity. What happened is unfortunate, but that's the name of the game when you take new steps," he said.

Volvo Aero will study the official report and fix any problems, he added.

Earlier this week, an inquiry into what forced mission controllers to destroy the Ariane-5 heavy rocket only minutes into its first flight on December 11 pinpointed a defect in the cooling system of the first-stage Vulcain II motor.

The failure of the rocket's first commercial flight was a major setback, and also meant the destruction of two satellites.


India plans reusable satellites, launchers


From http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_136696,0008.htm

Days after China announced it planned to put a Chinese “taikanaut” in space before the end of 2003, India has unveiled plans for a “recoverable” satellite that can be brought back to Earth and reused.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Sunday said its Space Capsule Recovery Experiment — critical for India’s manned space flight ambitions — was in an advanced stage. “I am hopeful we will do this in 24-30 months,” said ISRO chairman K. Kasturirangan. “The capsule may carry an instrument for micro-gravity experiments.”

The cutting edge technology, which has been mastered only by Russia, the US, Europe and to some extent China, will also lower the cost of sending up satellites.

Launching a satellite into geosynchronous orbit now costs up to $25,000 per kg of the satellite’s weight. “We have to bring this down to perhaps $10,000... We can even bring it down to $ 5,000 or even less,” said Kasturirangan.

Initially, India plans to launch a 350-400 kg satellite on the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, allow it to orbit Earth for some time and bring it back safely.

Kasturirangan explained the experiment. After the capsule is launched, its velocity will be “broken” at some point in the orbit, slowly brought closer to Earth and finally parachuted down to a place from where it will be picked up by a recovery team.

Kasturirangan also disclosed that ISRO is doing preliminary studies on recovering satellite launchers too.


T S I C H A N N E L N E W S - Number 2/2003 12 January 2002 -

A weekly roundup of global TV news sponsored by TELE-satellite International

Editor: Branislav Pekic
Edited Apsattv.com Edition

A S I A


AUSTRALIA

TASTV GETS SECOND COMMERCIAL TV LICENSE

TasTV, a joint venture between commercial TV licence holders Southern Cross
Television and Win Television), has secured a second commercial TV licence
from the Australian Broadcasting Authority. The regulator has also
announced plans for a new digital TV service in Tasmania.

OPTUS GIVES UP ON INTERACTIVE TV

SingTel Optus, the Australian unit of Singapore Telecommunications, will
scrap a A$200 million interactive-TV project to focus on high-speed
Internet services, the Australian reported on January 8. The company in
2001 set up a test network for the interactive television project serving
300 mainly internal users, the newspaper said, without naming anybody. The
network was later extended to 3,000 users, the Australian reported. The
decision comes after Australia's competition regulator approved a plan for
SingTel Optus to share programs with rival pay- TV provider Telstra Corp.
SingTel Optus and Telstra are close to completing an agreement on wholesale
high-speed internet services, the Australian reported. The original plan
was to use the Optus C1 satellite to provide interactive pay-TV for Optus
customers. But the deal to offload Optus's pay-TV programming to rival
Foxtel came with a commitment by the pay-TV giant to buy space on the
satellite for its own pay TV-service - in effect, pre-selling all space on
the satellite before its launch later this year.

TELSTRA SIGNS UP 22,000 SUBSCRIBERS

Telstra's new Australian pay-TV service, which launched in December., has
signed up 22,000 customers in its first month of operation, although bulk
of those subscriptions has been attributed to customers switching from
rival Foxtel in order to get better rates. It costs Foxtel customers
nothing to switch to Telstra, while they can also take advantage of other
discounts the telco offers, including telephony and Internet services.

CHINA - HONG KONG

SUN MEDIA CLOSES IN ON M CHANNEL

Sun Media Group is close to completing its acquisition of unprofitable M
Channel as a backdoor listing vehicle for Sun Satellite Television and
Jingwen Entertainments, according to a company source. Sun Media will
inject assets worth about HK$10 million into the outdoor advertising firm
in exchange for a 70 per cent stake. Sun Media is expected to use M Channel
and Sing Pao Media, which it bought recently, to develop its publishing and
education-related business.

CABLE TV NETWORKS TO GO DIGITAL

The Chinese authorities are planning to roll out a massive digital cable TV
network within three years. "It's our goal to basically complete the
digitization of the national cable TV network in the coming three years,"
said Zhang Haitao, deputy director of the State Administration of Radio,
Film and Television (SARFT). According to Zhang, 30 provincial capital
cities and five cities specifically designated in the State plan must
completely digitize their cable TV networks and digitally upgrade their
set-top boxes within three years. In addition, 14 coastal cities in East
China, as well as Suzhou, Wuxi and Changzhou in Jiangsu Province - all
engaged in opening-up - will participate in the network upgrades.
Regulators have run digital network trials in several affluent cities. The
much-anticipated digital video revolution is expected to initiate a massive
digital broadcast infrastructure build out and organizational changes in
the national TV network. However, the crux for digital TV development in
China is the choice of a transmission standard. The country set up a
special committee of experts in 1999 to draw up its own digital
broadcasting standards. But the final decision on the choice has not been
made.


BLOOMBERG TV ARRIVES IN CHINA

Bloomberg Television, the global network of the financial information
company, has been awarded one of only two new license applications accepted
so far this year, to distribute its English-language finance news and
information channel on the Chinese government-run direct-to-home satellite
TV platform. The green light gives the channel access to hotels, foreign
housing compounds and government offices in the world's fastest growing
financial market. Under the agreement, the China International Television
Corporation (CITC), the commercial arm of the nation's broadcasting
regulator, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT),
has granted Bloomberg Television a national license to commence
broadcasting its 24-hour Asia Pacific feed this month on the SinoSat
platform. Bloomberg Television's total household viewership in the Asia
Pacific region has increased by 77 per cent in the past 18 months, with 24
million households throughout the region now receiving the channel's
market-moving financial news, analysis and information. STAR's
Putonghua-language entertainment channel Xingkong Weishi and Phoenix TV's
Putonghua-language Infonews were also granted nationwide licenses this week.
Internet - http://www.bloomberg.com/asia
http://www.startv.com/eng/index.cfm
http://phoenixtv.startv.com/mainpage.htm

INDIA

CANAL+ TO INTRODUCE CAS

Recreate Solutions, a media service company owned by Bhaskar Majumdar, an
Indian technopreneur and representing Canal+ Technologies of France in
India, is ready to focus on Mumbai with conditional access system (CAS),
which will pave the way for interactive television and broadband
convergence. Recreate solutions hopes to double its turnover from the
present $3 million, within a year of making inroads into the Indian market
that has a large television viewership.

GOVERNMENT TO CRACKDOWN ON CABLE OPERATORS

The state government is gearing up for a state-wide crackdown on cable TV
operators who are hiding their actual number of subscribers and indulging
in entertainment tax evasion. However, the government has decided to first
give some time to the operators to voluntarily declare the figures of their
subscriber-base. The total revenue from the cable operators in the state is
said to be around Rs 12-13 crore annually.

CABLE TV DISTRIBUTION CENTRALISED

Siti Cable (India), 100%-owned unit of Zee Telefilms, plans to deploy a
standard conditional access system to enable centralised distribution to
cable networks across India, according to a report in the India Times. Siti
Cable provides services to 38 cable operators in India. This 'Headend In
The Sky' (HITS) project will control and distribute paid channels from a
central hub.

SUN NETWORK SETS UP EARTH STATION

Sun Network, controlled by Kalanithi Maran, plans to set up a teleport
facility in Hyderabad for uplinking Telugu TV channels. The uplinking
facility project is now in the design and planning stage and construction
will start by July 2003. The project will be ready by the end of 2004. The
facility will be initially used for captive use of the 9 Sun network
channels. It also plans to set up a studio with the latest facilities for
the channels Gemini and Teja at the same place. Sun Network plans to
partner with other satellite television channel networks to improve the
uplinking facility, for which it has sought permission from the Government
of India to set up more dishes.

JAPAN

WOWOW INCREASES SUBSCRIBER NUMBERS

DTH operator Wowow reversed eleven consecutive months of customer losses
and increased its subscriber base in December 2002. The increase took the
total number of analogue and digital subscribers to 2.53 million at the end
of 2002. The increase was attributed to a surge in demand towards the end
of the year and lower churn. The overall number of subs was still down 6%
on the end of 2001 figure.

PAKISTAN

SEVEN NEW TV CHANNELS COULD GET LICENSE

The Pakistani government is liberalizing its policy on broadcasting and
allowing the formation of private radio and television stations.
Entrepreneurs hoping to run private TV channels have also been promised
licences in the coming months. The TV market is still dominated by state
broadcaster Pakistan Television Corporation, which runs two channels, PTV1
and PTV2 and a cable channel PTV World. In addition there is Shalimar
Television Network (STN), part state and part privately owned and available
in 12 cities, with about 40 per cent national coverage. There is also a pay
cable service called Shaheen Pay TV (SPTV) with around 10,000 subscribers.
SPTV is owned by the Shaheen Foundation, the commercial arm of the Pakistan
Air Force. Several illegal cable companies also operate. The Pakistan
Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) also plans to issue licences
for Multichannel Multipoint Distribution Service (MMDS) and Local
Multipoint Distribution Service (LMDS) in the country. Approval has also
been given for four new digital TV channels intended exclusively for
educational purposes. Under one-fifth of homes have satellite TV access.
Although the government has said it may soon give permission to seven new
TV stations, it is not clear whether private companies intending to set up
independent news channels will also get licences. ”The government’s media
managers are seriously worried about the popularity of a couple of
Pakistani satellite TV channels that are broadcasting news from Dubai and
the UK, and are reluctant to given them uplinking facility from within the
country. But pressure is growing, and media experts say the competition
coming from across the border in India may eventually compel the government
to make the domestic electronic media completely free,” a BBC correspondent
noted.

CABLE TV AUTHORITY TO DISCUSS REGULATORY ISSUES

Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) has called a meeting
of the cable operators to discuss the issues being raised by them including
their threat to boycott five major foreign and local news channels. The
cable operators on January 7 had threatened to boycott telecasting five
important news channels including BBC, CNN, ARY, Geo and Indus because the
Pemra was changing the terms and conditions mentioned in the licences.

TAIWAN

CHINA NETWORK SYSTEMS LAUNCHES DIGITAL CABLE TV

China Network Systems, a joint venture between Koos Group, with an 80%
stake, and Star Group, with a 20% stake, has launched its digital cable TV
service, initially in the Yungho and Chungho districts of Taipei, Taiwan.
The service is available to the 80,000 subscribers of New Visual Wave,
cable operator, who pay a NTDlr1,500 deposit for a digital set-top box.




12/01/03

No update Sunday




11/01/03

No update today back Monday




10/01/03

Just a few items to end the week on.


From my Emails & ICQ


From "Satellite Watcher"

CNBC PAS8 service is being scrambled using "NDS Director" CA system.

The Fox Sports(news) MCPC on PAS2 changed to 4040Mhz due to concerns of heavy rain at Napa Valley(Panamsat Earth Station)causing "De-Polling", thus affecting Vsat services on H-POL.


(Craigs comment, Ihug in NZ were also reporting problems in some parts of NZ with their Pas2 KU internet service)


From Zapara

Craig.

Unsure if there has been a slight change in Signal strength on Insat 2E 83Deg E but the following Zone Beam services are now viewable in Perth.

3430 Vert "Sky Bangla" Sr 6000 Fec 3/4
3979 Vert "DD Metro" Sr 5000 Fec 3/4


(Craigs comment, anyone else have a try?


From the Dish


PAS 8 166E 3900 H "CNBC Asia" has started, Videoguard, PIDs 516/690.
All encrypted channels are encrypted in Videoguard, not Irdeto 1.The SIDs are still 1-7.
The test card on PIDs 514/670 is still fta.

Asiasat 2 100.5E 3905 H "Reuters World News" Service is now encrypted.
Asiasat 2 100.5E 4020 V The Al Majd International promo has left , replaced by a Dubai test card.

Asiasat 2 100.5E 3854 HNew PIDs for Hubei TV : 32/33.

Measat 1 91.5E VTV 1 has left 3710 H (PAL).(another analog bites the dust)

Eutelsat II f1 76E Eutelsat II f1 has arrived at 76 East. Reception reports are very welcome.


NEWS


Shin Sat says India renews satellite lease


From http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_134798,0003.htm

Thailand's Shin Satellite Plc said on Thursday India's Department of Space, which contributes a fifth of the firm's total revenues had extended its lease of seven transponders on the Thaicom III satellite for three months.

"We just got confirmation that the Indian government agreed to extend the leasing contract," a company official said.

Concerns that the Indian government may not extend the contract had put Shin Sat stock under downward pressure since last year.

The Indian government has leased transponders since 1998 and this was the eighth renewal of the contract, due to expire in March. India is Shin Sat's largest foreign market.

A company official told Reuters Shin Sat would issue a press release on the issue later in the day.

Shin Sat was one of Thailand's worst stock performers in 2002, when its shares lost 35 per cent. By 0425 GMT, Shin Sat shares were down 0.66 per cent at 15.00 baht, while the overall Thai stock market was down 1.22 per cent.

Shin Sat is 51-per cent owned by Thailand's largest telecom conglomerate, Shin Corp, founded by the family of Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Shin Sat operates three satellites covering Asia, Australia, Africa, the Middle East and most of Europe. It plans to launch a $350 million high-speed satellite, iPSTAR, in late 2003, which is seen as a major source of revenues in the next few years.

It says it is the second biggest satellite operator in Asia, in terms of market share, after Hong Kong's Asia Satellite Telecommunication.


India Renews Thai Shin Satellite Contract For 6 More Mos


From http://sg.biz.yahoo.com/030110/15/36dnp.html

BANGKOK (Dow Jones)--Shin Satellite PCL (H.SST) of Thailand said Friday India's Department of Space has renewed a contract for the lease of seven C-band transponders on Shin's Thaicom-3 satellite for another six months.

The six-month renewal, effective from March, follows another similar extension announced in September, a spokeswoman for the company said.

The Indian government department, which first leased transponders on Thaicom-3 in 1998 to facilitate infrastructure projects and broadcasting, remains Shin Satellite's largest customer outside Thailand with the lease of a total of 10 transponders.

A lease contract for seven transponders was first signed with India in 1998 and has been renewed eight times since. The lease of three other satellites was added to the contract after 1998.

Shin Satellite Vice President Yongsit Rojsrivichaikul said in a statement the renewal of the contract together with the company's soon-to-be-launched advanced broadband satellite service iPSTAR "will help Shin Satellite maintain a significant presence in the Indian satellite market."

The company is already starting to market the new broadband services, while the iPSTAR satellite is due to be launched in 2003.


Bloomberg Television(R) Debuts In China


From http://www.prnewswire.com/

BEIJING, Jan. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Bloomberg Television, the global network
of the financial information company, has been awarded one of only two new
license applications accepted so far this year, to distribute its
English-language finance news and information channel on the Chinese
government-run direct-to-home satellite TV platform. The green light gives
the channel access to hotels, foreign housing compounds and government offices
in the world's fastest growing financial market.

Under the agreement, the China International Television Corporation
(CITC), the commercial arm of the nation's broadcasting regulator, the State
Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT), has granted Bloomberg
Television a national license to commence broadcasting its 24-hour Asia
Pacific feed this month on the SinoSat platform.

Announcing the deal, distribution manager for Bloomberg Television Asia
Pacific, Bill McHugh, said that as one of only two new applicants accepted,
the business-focused channel will now have access to the hotels and buildings
that house its clientele -- the international business traveller in China.

"The current license demonstrates our continuing commitment to increasing
distribution of Bloomberg Television across the Asia Pacific region,"
Mr. McHugh said.

"More importantly, the agreement represents China's acknowledgement that
it is now more important than ever to follow global business developments and
trends. Through Bloomberg Television and the Bloomberg Professional Service,
we hope to provide Chinese viewers with a clear perspective of the business
world."

Bloomberg Television's total household viewership in the Asia Pacific
region has increased by 77 per cent in the past 18 months, with 24 million
households throughout the region now receiving the channel's market-moving
financial news, analysis and information. The channel's hotel distribution
more than doubled during the same period.

About Bloomberg Television

Bloomberg Television provides the most comprehensive coverage of
fast-breaking money and business news, stock reports, world news, market
updates, sport and weather in the world. Bloomberg has 1,500 reporters and
editors based in 87 news bureaus worldwide, delivering news and analysis
24 hours a day, seven days a week. Bloomberg Television is part of the
Bloomberg financial information network including Bloomberg Professional
terminals, news wires, radio, magazines, book publishing and the Internet.
For further information visit the Bloomberg website at
http://www.bloomberg.com/asia


Phoenix expects minimal competition


From http://www.thestandard.com.hk/thestandard/news_detail_frame.cfm?articleid=36487&intcatid=2

Phoenix Satellite Television Holdings chairman and chief executive officer Liu Changle expects any threats posed to its Putonghua-language InfoNews Channel by Bloomberg Television and Star TV's legal broadcasts on the mainland to be minimal.

Liu also told The Standard yesterday that the company aimed to quadruple the number of InfoNews viewers to more than 20 million households in the next 12 months.

The State Administration for Radio, Film and Television granted landing rights for InfoNews Channel and Bloomberg Television's Asia news channel to be legally delivered to three-star or higher-ranked hotels, expatriate residences, including those of Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan citizens, as well as organisations in the categories of finance, scientific research, education, military, government and news media.

``As Bloomberg TV's target audience is English-speaking financial professionals, having a broadcast permit would be a big threat to CNBC. InfoNews focuses on the Putonghua-speaking audience, which accounts for a very strong viewership,'' Liu said.

News Corp's Star TV was reported to have won a similar permit from SARFT for its Putonghua-language entertainment channel, Xingkong Weishi. Rupert Murdoch's News Corp has a 37.6 per cent stake in Phoenix.

``I won't say Xingkong has no impact on us, but it would be minimal as they are not allowed run a news channel,'' Liu said. ``So I don't think Xingkong will pose a significant challenge to us.'' Liu hoped revenues for InfoNews and the Phoenix Chinese Channel would grow by a combined 30 per cent annually after receiving the broadcast rights.

``Chinese Channel's content is mainly culture and history, which is quite different from Xingkong's entertainment programmes,'' Liu said.

Liu said he hoped Phoenix's movie channel would break even by the middle of this year and its North American channel to break even by June next year.

He said Phoenix would continue to focus on television broadcasts and had no intention to increase its magazine publication business due to the heavy competition on the mainland.

Commenting on his personal investment in unlisted Asia Television, Liu said he was only a passive investor in Hong Kong's second free-to-air TV broadcaster, as daily operations were run by chief executive officer Chan Wing-ki and management.

`Hong Kong's free-to-air broadcasters have to go beyond the city in the long run for earnings growth, and Television Broadcasts has done that already,'' Liu said.

Phoenix shares closed up 5.95 per cent at 89 HK cents yesterday.




9/01/03

Some pages updated, Optus B3, Palapa C2 and Asiasat 3


From my Emails & ICQ


From Anon

"CNBC is now using NDS encryption on their CNBC
Australia service - requires an NDS Smartcard and
Tandberg TT1200 series IRD or equivalent."


(Craigs comment, Lyngsat today reported irdeto 1? so not sure exactly what the situation is)


Pas 10 CCTV mux is down in power, just locking on 2.7M in W.A


From the Dish


Apstar 1A 134E Guizhou TV has started on 3920 H and 3933 H, SR 6930, FEC 1/2, PIDs 38/39.

(Craigs comment can anyone in Australia get this signal it should lock with very little signal strength)

Yamal 102 90E 3601 L Radio Sputnik has left .

Intelsat 704 66E 3760 R (PAL) The test card has left .


NEWS


Piracy scuppers Asia's pay-TV profits


From http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,5811868%255E7582,00.html

PAY-television piracy is a problem for the industry worldwide. In the still fledgling Australian subscription TV business illegal access to the service is estimated at around 5 per cent to 10 per cent of the industry's legal customer base. That means up to 150,000 Australian homes may have pirated pay-TV signals.

The head of the Australian Subscription Television Association, Debra Richards, says piracy can undermine the significant investments made in the industry by the three major operators – Foxtel, Optus and Austar.

But piracy here is dwarfed by the widespread signal theft that occurs in developing markets. It is rampant in Asia and Latin America.

Now into its second decade, the Asia-Pacific pay-TV industry continues to wrestle with losses increasingly stemming from piracy and under-reporting of subscriber numbers.

The 2002 Pay TV Report, commissioned by Bloomberg Television, says piracy and under-reporting are particulary prevalent in India and the Philippines.

The report, released last month, says it is difficult to quantify the cost of piracy. However, in a court case in India, a group of Hollywood studios estimated lost revenue in that country alone at US$200 million ($353 million).

As a result of the court challenge, the High Court of India issued an order to the Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to cancel the licences of any cable operator screening pirated versions of movies.

But the report says: "Previous attempts to persuade, cajole or threaten cable-TV operators not to run pirated movies have not worked, and it is questionable if this new initiative will be any more successful."

Going forward, says the report, questions must be raised about how much effort and money the industry is willing to put into fighting the problem.

In markets like the Philippines and India, operators say half their monthly income goes to content costs. They argue that the channel providers need to look at their tariffs and ask whether they are realistic in the context of each market they serve.

Aside from piracy, a parallel problem is under-reporting of subscriber numbers.

The report quoted from a widely publicised speech by STAR Group chairman James Murdoch who said under-declaration of subscriber numbers in India was as high as 85 per cent.

STAR, which operates a satellite-TV service available throughout Asia, is owned by News Corporation, parent company of The Australian's publisher News Limited.

Murdoch who was speaking in the Indian commercial capital, Mumbai, in March last year described the practice as "theft".

By under-reporting, the operators also underpay the content providers because those payments are based on the number of people able to watch the channels.

Murdoch also said the multichannel distribution system in India barely allows pay channels a return of five per cent of the pay revenues, compared with a return of 35 per cent in Australia or Japan and 30 per cent in Thailand.

James Ross, who chaired the Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia conference in Singapore last month, told The Australian under-reporting of subscriber numbers in the Philippines is 90 per cent.

He says the Philippine authorities have estimated that pay-TV operators are reporting just 10 per cent of their subscriber numbers and revenues. "It is a particularly difficult issue. So often the content providers are reliant on their distributors to tell them the real number of subscribers," says Ross, who is Bloomberg's media marketing director.

The report concludes that under-reporting and piracy are set to worsen in the next 12 months.

The way around the problem, says Ross, may be to collect industry intelligence and use the information to challenge the operators.

"Another issue in the Philippines and India is the operators are taking channels down from satellite and redistributing the programs to their subscribers," he says.

CASBAA launched legal actions in Hong Kong in October against five local companies that install and maintain direct-to-home satellite TV systems, including decoders, in private homes.

The five companies are accused of selling receiving equipment in Hong Kong designed for use by customers of UBC in Thailand, Astro in Malaysia and Dream in the Philippines.

This is known as "the grey market" in piracy, because there are no laws against the practice of selling the equipment outside the market it was intended for use, says the report.

The companies taking the action STAR, Turner Entertainment Network, ESPN STAR Sports, Discovery and the National Geographic Channel must prove to the courts that the Hong Kong companies have breached the copyright on their programming by retailing equipment that can receive the transmissions.

Ross says "masking" of advertisements, which is common in Taiwan, is another problem.

Content providers have to fight an ongoing war against the cable operators who mask scheduled advertising and substitute it with their own local spots.

Despite heavy investments in the region, pay-TV operators continue to run up heavy losses.

In August, Japan's SkyPerfect Communications, owners of the direct-to-home satellite service SkyPerfectTV, reported a net loss of US$162.9 million for the April to June quarter.

The loss was despite an increase in sales of nearly 23 per cent stimulated by live coverage of the football World Cup in Japan and Korea in June.

A big contributor to the losses is a failure to attract advertising. And in Thailand and the Philippines the law forbids pay-TV operators to carry advertisements.

The report says Foxtel's projected advertising revenue for 2001-02 was US$28 million, compared to the US$14 billion the Australian TV sector overall earned from advertising in 2002.

But the report says there may be a light at the end of the tunnel.

"Judged on a longer term basis, one of the more encouraging features of cable and satellite TV industry over the last 12 months has been the operating profits, posted by a handful of system operators and content providers," it says.

And where there were losses, the size has been shrinking.

The report cites the example of STAR saying its quarterly operating loss for the period to the end of September this year was 27 per cent better than the same time 12 months earlier


General Dynamics Provides Operational and Marketing Support to Kingdom of Tonga's Communications Satellites


From Press Release

NEEDHAM, Mass. - General Dynamics Network Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), has entered into an agreement with Friendly Islands Satellite Communications Ltd. (Tongasat), which is the appointed exclusive agent of the Government of the Kingdom of Tonga, to provide satellite engineering and flight-operations services for the first of several commercial communications satellites that Tongasat plans to own.

The satellite, which Tongasat acquired from Seattle Scientific Corp. Parallax last year and renamed ESIAFI-1, will provide telephone, data and other communications services. It has been moved to one of nine geostationary orbital filings made by the Kingdom of Tonga, with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). Tonga is a Polynesian nation of 100,000 people in the South Pacific.

General Dynamics is working under a three-year contract with Friendly Islands Satellite Communications Limited (Tongasat) to operate the satellite and provide around-the-clock monitoring from the General Dynamics SpacePlexÒ commercial satellite control facility in Las Cruces, N.M. General Dynamics engineers will ensure the safety and health of the satellite, troubleshoot operations and provide commands for orbital stationkeeping.

General Dynamics will also support the Tongan government, through its agent Tongasat, by helping to identify customers to use the satellite's transponders, as well as assist in the evaluation of other potential satellites to be moved into Tonga's remaining orbital positions. Future satellites may also be positioned to provide voice, video and data for the numerous small island nations in that region of the Pacific, including Tonga.

"We are very pleased the Tongan government agent, Tongasat, has selected General Dynamics to not only provide operations and engineering support, but also to support their business expansion plans," said Ken Osborne, director of advanced programs for General Dynamics. "We believe this partnership has tremendous potential for both entities."

At the SpacePlex, General Dynamics provides satellite services to civil, commercial and military customers around the world. Its performance record includes 30 years of satellite operations, engineering, ground systems and teleport services, for customers that include NASA, the U.S. military and commercial businesses.

About General Dynamics Network Systems

General Dynamics Network Systems has been designing and building complex telecommunications networks for nearly 50 years. More than 4,000 skilled technical personnel provide design, integration, installation and support services for backbone, wireless and space-based networks. More information about General Dynamics Network Systems is available at www.gd-ns.com.

About General Dynamics

General Dynamics, headquartered in Falls Church, Va., employs approximately 54,000 people worldwide and anticipates 2002 revenues of $14 billion. The company has leading market positions in land and amphibious combat systems, mission-critical information systems and technologies, shipbuilding and marine systems, and business aviation. More information about the company can be found at www.generaldynamics.com.


HK PRESS: Bloomberg Third Broadcaster To Win China Rights


From http://sg.biz.yahoo.com/030109/15/36c4m.html

HONG KONG (Dow Jones)--China's State Administration for Radio, Film and Television has granted Bloomberg Television the right to broadcast its Asia news channel to luxury diplomatic residences and other specially designated compounds in China, the South China Morning Post reports.

Citing a company source, the paper said Bloomberg had become the third foreign broadcaster in the past few days to be granted the much coveted "nationwide" landing rights in China.

Star TV, owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. (NWS), secured nationwide landing rights in hotels and designated residential compounds for its Putonghua entertainment channel, Xingkong Weishi, the SCMP said.

On Monday, Phoenix Satellite TV Holdings Ltd. (H.PST), 38% owned by News Corp. through Star TV, said its 24-hour Putonghua news channel, InfoNews, has received approval to broadcast to authorized hotels and residential compounds.


Arianespace Flight 157: The Inquiry Board Submits its Findings


From Press Release

Paris, January 7, 2003 - The Inquiry Board appointed to investigate the failure of Flight 157 submitted its report to Arianespace on January 6, 2003. The board was named last December 13 to establish the causes of the anomaly during the flight of an Ariane 5 ECA on the night of December 11-12, 2002.

As requested, the board established the most probable cause for the mission failure, examined possible consequences for the baseline Ariane 5 launcher version, and recommended actions to correct the problems that occurred during the Ariane 5 ECA flight

Arianespace has accepted all the recommendations of the board, and will prepare an action plan by January 20 to enable a return to service of the Ariane 5 ECA during the second half of 2003.

The Inquiry Board

Cause of the failure

A complete analysis of all measurements recorded during Flight 157 was carried out, along with a review of documentation concerning production, quality and technical records for the Ariane 5 ECA, as well as for all Ariane 5 flights to date. Also reviewed by the board was the work of production and development teams in Europe.

The board's findings confirm that all preparatory and countdown operations for Flight 157 went normally, as did the flight sequence until the separation of the solid boosters.

The report of the Inquiry Board did identify the occurrence of a leak in the of the Vulcain 2 nozzle's cooling circuit during this first flight phase, followed by a critical overheating of the nozzle - which led to a loss of its integrity.

This resulted in a major imbalance in the thrust of the Vulcain 2 engine due to the nozzle's deterioration, leading to a loss of control over the launcher's trajectory.

In conclusion, the most probable cause of the failure of Flight 157 was the simultaneous occurrence of two aggravating factors:
The degraded thermal condition of the nozzle due to fissures in the cooling tubes, and Non-exhaustive definition of the loads to which the Vulcain 2 engine is subjected during flight

The board also noted that it would be difficult to simulate these additional loads during ground tests.

Consequences for the Ariane 5 Baseline

The designs of nozzles on the Ariane 5 Baseline's Vulcain 1 engine and the Vulcain 2 engine for Ariane 5 ECA differ in two main ways:

The shape of the cooling tubes, which form the structure of the nozzle, and The technology of the nozzle's stiffeners.

After reviewing operating data from the Vulcain 1 engine's 12 successful flights, the Inquiry Board did not identify any weaknesses concerning the functioning and resistance of its nozzle. The Inquiry Board nevertheless requested an exhaustive examination of the behavior of the Vulcain 1 engine nozzle, including precise modeling to demonstrate the component's correct behavior during the flight. These verifications currently are in progress.

Consequences for Ariane 5 ECA

The Inquiry Board requested that the following actions be taken:

Modification of the Vulcain 2 nozzle, taking into account experience acquired with the Vulcain 1 engine nozzle,

Assessment of possibilities for simulation during ground tests of loads observed during actual flight on the Vulcain 2 engine, and

Enhancing of the quality of flight equipment.

Consequences for Rosetta launch

In view of the specific factors involved in this flight, Arianespace has decided to create a Review Board to make a decision on Tuesday, January 14 regarding the mission's launch date.

Upcoming Arianespace launches
February 11: Ariane 4
Second half of February: an Ariane 5 Baseline launcher version




8/01/03

Thanks to everyone who turned up in the chatroom always good to have a gossip about whatever. At least there are a few interesting news items in the news section today.

Does anyone know what encryption CNBC is using?


From my Emails & ICQ


From Anon

Hi Craig,

From a reliable source.

The arabic package (LBC, ART Al-Jazera) will go into Ku band and 2 or 3 more
channels will be added.


(Craigs comment anyone have details? is this one going to Tarb's?)


From Zapara

Multichoice on PAS 10 was fta for a short while


From bill

Jcsat 3 at 128E 3960 v 30000 all fta now except hot channel


From the Dish


JCSAT 3 128E 3960 V All channels in the I-Sky-Net mux are now Fta except ETTV News and Hot Channel.

Palapa C2 113E 3727 H The SR for TBN is still 3000.
Palapa C2 113E 4043 H "Guangxi TV and Guangxi People's Radio" have started, Fta, SR 6111, FEC 3/4, PIDs 4194/4195 and 4195.
Palapa C2 113E 4053 H A test card has started, Fta, SR 6111, FEC 3/4, PIDs 308/256.

Thaicom 3 78.5E 3600 H "ETV (Thailand)" is back on , Fta, PIDs 514/670, 02-15 UTC.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3600 H "Bangkok Radio 94 FM" has replaced Shock FM on , Fta, APID 651.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3672 H "An RR Sat" mux has started Fta, SR 13333, FEC 3/4, a copy of 3551 H.


NEWS


New Skies Comes In From The Bush


From http://australia.internet.com/r/article/jsp/sid/12746

Satellite broadband provider New Skies Satellites is targeting big business and metropolitan areas for new business, as part of its wholesale strategy. With the launch last month of its latest satellite, the NSS-6, it now has its own capacity in the Asia Pacific region.

The company has been operating in the Asia Pacific region using leased capacity from third-party suppliers, such as Asiasat and PanAmSat. Alan Marsden, national marketing manager, Australia, said it can now be more competitive in the broadband wholesale market.

While the dish and receiver transmitting equipment have hitherto cost A$15-20,000 per remote site, Marsden advised it is now almost a third of that. "Satellite coverage and ground segmenting equipment are getting cheaper by the day," he said.

"The NSS-6 has 60 transponders on board, each of 36 megahertz. This equals roughly 4Gb of through-put. And, with this new satellite, we can use the bandwidth on there much more efficiently."

Big business

Marsden explained the company has specific target areas. These include broadcasting services, in all its many forms (video on demand, direct to home, etc), and key markets like State and Federal governments and Defence, which already number among New Skies' clients. New Skies also offers voice and data capacity, with a number of ISPs also reportedly among its wholesale clients.

Another area where it now hopes to offer more cost-effective pricing and expand its capabilities is multicasting. "We're looking at offering services such as in-store, point-of-sale digital advertising, to businesses with large networks," said Marsden. These sectors include retail, banking and finance, transport and logistics and travel and hospitality.

Businesses with 100 or more sites across the country wanting to utilise such broadcast advertising could now consider satellite, as well fixed and wireless broadband mediums. "The bigger the network, the more cost effective it becomes," he added.

Marsden said the company is currently in "deep conversations" with prospective clients for multicasting, but that no deals have yet been finalised.

Bright lights

Robin Simpson, wireless research director, Gartner Australasia, agrees multicasting services could make sense for a satellite provider, but is uncertain whether it can compete on price in city areas. "There are reasonable existing services from the main operators in metropolitan areas, and it's difficult to see what their [New Skies'] proposition is," he said.

With the cost of 2-way satellite averaging A$200 per month, it's considerably more expensive than DSL or cable. Simpson believes it will have to be offering speeds in excess of 2Mbps in order to be more viable than fixed wire access. "There may be a market with those that want broadband access but can't get DSL or cable," he added. "Telstra and Optus are already selling satellite to remote spots within cities, but on the business side there's not an awful lot of that demand about."

Simpson believes the bush is where satellite still has its greatest opportunities, particularly if the entry price is coming down. "If you were a remote town and got some businesses together to share some access, then it's a proposition. Everything boils down to price."

He feels remote consumer services may still be the best channel for satellite. One aspect of satellite-based broadband that has always dogged its viability is its lack of a cost-effective return-path. Marsden admits New Skies' services have so far been mostly downstream only.

However, the company has begun exploring mutual opportunities with US company ViaSat, which manufactures ground systems to support 2-way satellite services. This enables New Skies to also consider offering a retail broadband service, but Marsden said that while this would definitely be of interest, the company would only do so through one or more alliance partners.


Optus ditches interactive TV


From http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,5811342%255E462,00.html

OPTUS will kill its $200 million interactive television project, turning instead to high-speed internet services as it rebuilds its consumer division in the wake of the rationalisation of the pay-TV industry.

As part of the plan, the No.2 telco is understood to be nearing a deal with Telstra for wholesale high-speed internet services using digital subscriber line technology via Telstra's copper wires.

Optus cranked up iTV in early 2001 with a test network of 300 mainly internal users in Sydney. It extended the network to about 3000 users with services such as television-based email, online video games and video on demand.

According to sources, Optus spent about $200 million preparing its network for iTV, equipping a purpose-built centre in Sydney, and on extensive information technology systems.

While many of the iTV offerings proved popular, the business model failed to work.

Optus has had success with its cable-based high-speed internet service, particularly when bundled with telephony services and pay-TV. To extend this model beyond its cable network, which passes only two million homes, Optus needs to offer copper wire-based high-speed internet.

The company has the choice of buying or building a residential DSL network.

Optus has already spent more than $100 million on a business-grade DSL network through its XYZed subsidiary, but it's not economic to offer lower priced consumer services in this way.

In Optus's favour is the fact that Telstra is keen to lock its main competitor into a wholesale contract, because such a potentially big customer would improve Telstra economics on a DSL network that loses money at present.

Optus is also probably the key for Telstra to hit its target of one million broadband customers by 2005.

The entry of Optus into the DSL market would have flow-on effects for Telstra's direct sales, as well.

New Zealand has shown that more than one company in the market can stimulate demand.

"Telstra has indicated that, in New Zealand, broadband penetration is three times the average in zones where both Telstra Clear and Telecom New Zealand compete," said UBS Warburg analyst Tim Smeallie.

Optus and Telstra will want to avoid a repetition of their costly rivalry in the mid-1990s when they built pay-TV cable networks side by side. It cost the industry more than $5 billion, and almost destroyed Optus.

The other side of the interactive TV project is Optus's upcoming C1 satellite.

According to sources, the original plan was to use the satellite to provide interactive pay-TV for Optus customers.

But the deal to offload Optus's pay-TV programming to rival Foxtel came with a commitment by the pay-TV giant to buy space on the satellite for its own pay TV-service - in effect, pre-selling all space on the satellite before its launch later this year.

Optus's consumer division - known as CMM (consumer and multimedia) - has been losing money for years. But payments to Hollywood movie studios have ended with the Foxtel content-sharing deal.

According to insiders, Optus hopes the division's cashflow will break even in about 18 months, under the new strategy.

And the company wants to have a residential DSL service available around the middle of the year.


Rocket motor glitch brought down new space launcher: report


From http://www.spacedaily.com/2003/030107085612.o8v0s7su.html

PARIS (AFP) Jan 07, 2003

The failure of a powerful new European satellite launcher on its maiden flight last month was caused by a fault in its main rocket motor, a commission of inquiry said on Tuesday.

The inquiry into the fault which caused the Ariane-5 heavy rocket to be destroyed by technicians only minutes into its first flight had determined that it was the cooling system of the first-stage Vulcain II motor which had failed, the report said.

The European Space Agency's Arianespace consortium sees the Ariane-5 -- which is capable of lifting 10 tonnes into earth orbit -- as a key weapon in its struggle to dominate the market for satellite launches.

The failure of the rocket's first commercial flight on December 11 was a major setback, and also meant the destruction of two satellites.

A leakage of the cooling system affected the engin thrust which in turn caused Europe's first super-heavy rocket to spin out of control, said commission chief Wolfgang Koschel of the German aviation and space agency DLR.

Arianespace said immediately after the failure that the rocket veered off-course at a height of 120 kilometers (75 miles), which prompted mission control to push the self-destruct button.

The next flight of an Ariane-5 rocket has been scheduled for mid-2003, said Koschel.


(Craigs comment, Mid 2003 for C1??)


ATCi and EASTSAT Granted License for Orbital Slots


From http://www.atci.net/index.asp?cp=press

Orbital Slots Located at 164 and 116 Degrees East Latitude

La Quinta, California (January 7, 2003) - 13th Annual Salomon Smith Barney Global Entertainment, Media & Telecommunications Conference -- Antenna Technology Communications Inc. (ATCi), a provider of ground-based commercial satellite communications systems, announced today that through a recent investment in Eastsat Services Inc. (ESI), a satellite media entertainment company in which ATCi is an investor, has been granted the 164 and 116 degree East latitude orbital slots license by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and the Korean Ministry of Communications (MIC).

The Eastsat satellite orbital slots will incorporate the usage of high power, C-Band, Ku-Band, Ka-Band and L-Band frequency ranges. This next generation satellite occupying these slots will be utilized for Direct-to-Home (DTH) ad-hoc video, broadband data, on-demand services and Voice Over IP communication. The location permits coverage of land areas with 50 percent of the world’s population in the Asia Pacific rim vicinity and can also cover and be accessed from Hawaii and the west coast of the United States.

?Our investment in Eastsat in conjunction with HGA and other key partners is an exciting development for next generation digital services of voice, data and video,” said Gary Hatch, CEO, ATCi. “Beyond the use of Internet protocol technologies, Eastsat Services plans to incorporate future Direct-to-Home MPEG video standards such as H.264L, wherein we will offer up to three times the number of video channels that are currently being utilized by for today’s DTH operators can be deployed,” Hatch concluded.

The Eastsat DTH business model with its unique service offerings and opportunities will be presented at the prestigious DTH World Summit for Pay-TV Financing at the Hotel-Intercontinental in Paris January 27, 2003, by Gary Hatch, ATCi’s CEO and member of Eastsat board of directors.

ATCi’s mission is to enhance the customer’s opportunity for profit by providing quality, reliable and cost effective satellite and fiber linked communication components and systems to commercial entities in the U.S. and abroad. ATCi is headquartered in Chandler, Arizona with operating sales offices in North America and China. For further information on ATCi products and services, please call 480-844-8501 or visit our Web site at http://www.atci.com.


Turbo Chip Promises To Cut Satellite TV Bandwidth Demands


From http://www.e-insite.net/eb-mag/index.asp?layout=article&articleid=CA269105&spacedesc=news

STMicroelectronics (STM) has announced its successful demonstration last month of a Turbo coding technology that promises to substantially reduce the bandwidth demands that HDTV and SDTV signals place on satellite platforms. The satellite test was conducted in collaboration with French satellite pay-TV operator TPS and the Eutelsat satellite system.

The 8PSK turbo-coded satellite digital TV test broadcast was based on ST's STV0499 8PSK Turbo Coding technology, which increases throughput for advanced satellite broadcast services up to 50 percent over today's commercial satellite links.

Fully compliant with both the DVB-S and DirecTV specifications, the STV0499 chip in the 0.18-micron CMOS process integrates QPSK, 8PSK and 16QAM mapping and an integrated Turbo coder/decoder. Although developed for data rates ranging up to 45 Mbaud, the STV0499 chip used in the demo system ran downstream at 12.2 Mbauds (useful bit rate of 25.2 Mbps) input.

According to STM, the 8PSK/16QAM Turbo coding system can increase the available bandwidth of an advanced satellite transmission by more than 35 percent when compared to standard commercial transmission with existing satellite installations. The technology also can support an increase in bandwidth of up to 50 percent when 8PSK transmissions are deployed, claims the company.

The STV0499 also has the capability to encode and decode 8PSK and 16QAM while maintaining backward compatibility with existing QPSK set-top boxes. The STV0499 also offers support for the latest DiSEqC 2.x technology, which allows data to be transmitted bi-directionally between the indoor set-top box and the dish outside. In addition, the chip has been designed to seamlessly connect to set-top box decoders based on STM's STi55xx (OMEGA) back-end chip (See "ST, Microtune Partner To Develop Reference Designs For STBs" http://www.e-insite.net/index.asp?layout=article&articleid=CA184344).

According to STM, the STV0499 will enable satellite broadcasters to obtain increased bandwidth through their existing transponder bandwidth allocations that can be reallocated to additional services such as additional standard TV channels, HDTV or Internet download. alternatively, the broadcasters can elect to reduce their dish size requirements by more than 33 percent while maintaining their existing satellite slots.

"Satellite broadcasters require higher throughput to offer HDTV and other bandwidth-intensive services," said STM's STB Division vice president Christos Lagomichos in a statement. "With this device, we are providing broadcasters with a risk-free path to take digital satellite TV into its next stage."

TPS says that it considers STM's demonstration of an 8PSK modulation in a complete DVB transmission as a major step in digital satellite technology.

"We are convinced that 8PSK will become a universal device for the Direct-to-Home market, where bandwidth availability and frequency efficiency are the first sources of development," said CTO Gilles Maugars in a statement.


Nera signs NOK 125 mill. Broadband Satellite Contract


From http://www.nera.no/PR_200301_887212_5.html

Bergen/Norway, January 7, 2003: Nera ASA (OSE: NER), through its wholly owned subsidiary Nera Broadband Satellite, has entered into an agreement with Shin Satellite to deliver gateways for use in the iPSTAR system, offering broadband communications via satellite. The contract has a value of approximately NOK 125 million (USD 16,6 million). The agreement was signed in December 2002 and is registered as order intake in 2002.

Through the iPSTAR system, Shin Sat will supply low cost broadband services in the Asia-Pacific region. Nera has for several years cooperated with Shin Satellite on development of this system. With the present contract, Nera is confirming its position as one of the leading players in the market for next generation broadband via satellite.

"This agreement is another milestone for Nera. The iPSTAR project is innovative and the agreement that has been reached clearly states that Nera has a leading technological position within this market. We have faith in a broadband structure based upon satellite communications as an important and integral part of the total broadband communications market. It is also important for Nera, with the present situation in the telecom market, that the company can participate in projects of this magnitude," says CEO of Nera Bjørn Ove Skjeie.

Nera has already delivered many gateways that are now in operation for Shin Satellite. These gateways are serving broadband customers throughout the region, including those in Thailand, Malaysia and India.

The new contract Nera has signed with Shin Satellite covers 18 gateways. This year the iPSTAR deployment plan calls for them to be installed in anticipation of the start of commercial operations by the iPSTAR-1 satellite in early 2004, in target countries throughout Asia, including Thailand, Vietnam, India, China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Cambodia.

"iPSTAR technology is considered the world's most efficient and cost effective - with low cost, high bandwidth user terminals, and many times bandwidth improvement over other current technologies," says the Executive Chairman of Shin Satellite, Dr. Dumrong Kasemset.

The iPSTAR system will deliver high speed internet services via satellite, at speeds of 10 Mb/s and 4 Mb/s respectively to and from the user. The system is unique when compared with similar systems. The second generation of this system will consist of 92 Ku-spot beams, exclusive of video beams. With a data capacity of more than 35 Gb/s, millions of users in the area are able to use the system with low priced terminals. Asia is the part of the world where the number of Internet users is increasing the most, and satellites will be crucial in the development of this serviceas ground-based technologies have yet to make much headway.

The system that Nera is supplying will switch IP based traffic between low priced satellite terminals and international and national broadband networks. Delivery of gateways is scheduled for 2003, with the system becoming operational in 2004.

About Shin Satellite:

Shin Satellite Plc is a satellite operator offering C-band and Ku-band services for clients in Asia, Africa, Europe and Australia. Shin Satellite owns and operates Thaicom 1A, 2 and 3. Thaicom 1A is situated 120 degrees east, while Thaicom 2 and 3 are both situated 78,5 degrees east with a total capacity of 49 C-band and 20 Ku-band transponders and supplies more than 70 channels. Thaicom satellites offer broadcasting services largely in Indo-China and India but with customers extending from Europe to Australia. Shin Satellite is listed on the Thai Stock Exchange.

For further information: www.thaicom.net

About Nera:

Nera is a world-leading global supplier which develops, manufactures and sells fixed wireless and satellite communication equipment and systems. Nera designs, develops, manufactures and markets point-to-point and point-to-multipoint radio link equipment, satellite terminals and gateways for mobile and fixed satellite communications. Nera is a major supplier to INMARSAT. The Company is listed at the Oslo Stock Exchange. Nera ASA's associated company Nera Telecommunications Ltd., is listed at the Singapore Exchange Ltd. (ticker: Nera Tel). Nera Broadband Satellite is a fully owned subsidiary of Nera ASA.

For further information:
Helge Skaar, Head of Corporate Communications Nera ASA, tel.: +47 55 22 58 20, and email: [email protected]




7/01/03

Livechat tonight in the chatroom usual times 9pm NZ and 8.30pm Syd onwards

Sorry there isn't much to report there is really very little news and activity at the moment


From my Emails & ICQ


Nothing to report


From the Dish


PAS 8 166E 3900 H The SID for CNBC Asia has been removed.

Sinosat 1 110.5E 4151 H The STAR TV mux has left .


NEWS


InfoNews gets China approval to broadcast


From http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/Weekly2003/01.07.2003/China4.htm

Phoenix Satellite Television has won approval to air its Putonghua InfoNews Channel in China, raising hope at the loss-making firm that the 24-hour channel can boost advertising revenue and break even by next year.

"We are the only 24-hour news channel to broadcast in the mainland," said chief executive Liu Changle.

"With China's entry to the [World Trade Organisation], information and news content are in high demand. We have strong confidence in getting advertising revenue."

The landing rights, granted by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, enable InfoNews to be viewed legally in luxury hotels, diplomatic compounds and other specially designated compounds.

Phoenix, in which Rupert Murdoch's News Corp has a stake, has recorded losses for the past seven quarters partly because of InfoNews. Launched in early 2001, with an annual budget of US$15-$20 million, it had failed repeatedly to get rights to broadcast in the mainland.

It reported a loss of HK$20.42 million for the three months to September 30 last year and has net cash of US$50 million.

"Just like our Chinese channel, we wish to see InfoNews break even within three to four years of operation," Phoenix deputy chief executive Leung Noong-kong said.

Mr Liu, a former People's Liberation Army veteran, said Phoenix did not have to meet any conditions to win the licence.

The broadcasting rights secured by InfoNews is seen as a further liberalisation of strictly controlled mainland media. Phoenix is the first to receive landing rights after propaganda chief Ding Guangen stepped down at the 16th Party Congress and was replaced by Liu Yunshan.

InfoNews and French state-owned international channel TV V are the only two channels owned by foreign companies to receive approval over the past two years.

CLSA said Beijing's granting of a licence to Phoenix is "good but not good enough. We believe this channel [InfoNews] will afford little opportunity for short-term growth."

Phoenix's shares will resume trading today on the Growth Enterprise Market.


HK Phoenix Satellite -3: To Help Advertising Revenue


From http://sg.biz.yahoo.com/030106/15/368xr.html

HONG KONG (Dow Jones)--Phoenix Satellite TV Holdings Ltd. (H.PST), whose shares were suspended from trade Friday, confirmed Monday that its InfoNews Channel had been granted long-awaited landing rights.

The new rights, granted at the end of 2002, enable Phoenix TV's InfoNews Channel to be broadcast in all hotels in China which have ratings of three stars and above.

Phoenix has already launched two other channels in China - a Chinese-language channel and a movie channel.

HK Phoenix Satellite -3: To Help Advertising Revenue

Phoenix Satellite has been seeking landing rights for the InfoNews Channel since the 24-hour Chinese-language news and information service began operation in January 2001.

The InfoNews Channel will become the first foreign-owned Chinese-language broadcaster to be allowed to carry a continuous format of current affairs and economic news in China.

Phoenix Chairman Liu Changle said the broadcasting approval from the Chinese State Administration of Film, Radio and Television is a breakthrough in its bid to make more inroads into its target market.

"This can help us to attract more advertising revenue and achieve our goal of turning profitable more quickly," said Liu.

N.K. Leung, deputy chief executive of Phoenix, said the company's Chinese channel took four years to break even after commencing operations, and he expects the InfoNews Channel to reproduce a similar time table.

Analysts said this could be the first step for China as it opens up its broadcasting industry.

"Beijing's permission for such a channel to come in freely over the borders is very meaningful - allowing chat programs and game shows over the border is one thing, permitting a 24-hour news and information channel like InfoNews is quite another," said a Salomon Smith Barney report issued Monday. "History might very well cite this event as a turning point for China's media industry."


KVH to unveil satellite TV for cars


From http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/4887841.htm

MIDDLETOWN, R.I. (Reuters) - Satellite communications company KVH Industries Inc. hopes to put an end to back-seat bickering among grumpy siblings during long family car trips.

The Middletown, Rhode Island-based company will introduce a satellite TV antenna that transmits movies, sports and news programming to sport utility vehicles (SUV), minivans, and luxury automobiles equipped with backseat entertainment systems.

Shares of KVH soared 24 percent on the news it will expand its technology to automobiles, in addition to the boats, recreational vehicles and buses it already serves. Shares of KVH jumped $2.14 to close at $11.24 on Nasdaq.

Drivers throughout the continental United States can get more than 300 channels of DirecTV satellite TV movies, news, sports and live broadcast entertainment, as well as 50 channels of commercial-free radio. In the future, the antenna system will provide high-speed Internet access. DirecTV is a unit of Hughes Electronics Corp.

KVH's system will be marketed to current DirecTV subscribers, and sold through consumer electronics retailers. The antenna system will cost roughly $2,000 to $2,500, and the satellite programming will be less than $10 a month.

The satellite broadcasting service will compete against existing backseat entertainment devices, such as DVD or video players. But KVH Chief Executive Martin Kits Van Heyningen contended that live programming will be enough of a draw to entice consumers to ditch their pre-recorded videos.

``On the audio side, our research has shown that people who have CD players in the car still listen to the radio 70 percent of the time,'' said Kits van Heyningen, who expects to see similiar patterns for visual content.

``Live programming has an incredible draw. People get tired watching the same videos over and over again. With this, they can drive to a sports event and watch the pre-game show on the way, or drive to work and listen to CNN,'' he said.

A report from J.D. Powers and Associates said every 2002-model SUV and mini-van offered backseat entertainment systems as options. About 96 percent of Nissan Quests, 31 percent of Ford Expeditions and 30 percent of Ford Windstars shipped with the video systems, according to J.D. Power and Associates.

KVH's 4-1/2-inch high TracVision in-motion satellite TV system, which uses phased array antenna technology, will be introduced Jan. 9 at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The company will launch the product this quarter, and begin commercial delivery in the second quarter.

The company said it was still in talks with DirecTV to finalize a revenue-sharing agreement. It declined to provide a forecast for how many antenna units it planned to sell this year.




6/01/03

Ok everyone the mailing list situation has gotten a bit out of control. I think a lot of people are still in Holiday mode. I would like everyone using the mailing list to try and cutdown on excessive posting. That means if you have a suggestion for impacTV please send it directly to their email address [email protected]

If you wish to send it to me also please use my email address listed above

Those wanting to put the mailing list on hold for any reason are advised to go into their account at yahoogroups and look at the settings available. There is a Daily digest which means all the days posts come in in the 1 email. There is also an option to receive NO email or just read them via the web interface.


From my Emails & ICQ


From Siam Global

HONESTY AND FRANK DISCLOSURE ?


With CNBC Asia on Panamsat 8 now encrypted ( 6 January 0200 GMT ), one wonders whether its owners , the mighty General Electric have informed their advertisers ( who pay rates based primarily on viewership ) that the number of potential viewers has been decimated and that only subscribers of Asian DSTV services will in future be able to see their ads ? Also whether they have cut their rates accordingly.

My guess is that they haven’t and that they have kept totally silent and not breathed a word about this to them and that they are hoping they can keep this information well hidden, at least for a couple of years , in the meanwhile using viewer figures based on a FTA service .

Would anyone from CNBC care to answer ?…..I bet they wouldn’t !

Siam Global Bangkok


From Bill Richards

04-01-03

0620 UTC

JCSAT 2A 4050 V Sr 26500, FEC 7/8 Strong signal but no PIDS being transmitted.

Pas2 12487 Horz SR 11108 FEC 3/4 "IHUG Internet Service"
S/R and Frequency change from what is listed @ Lyngsat


Regards
Bill


From Zapara (W.A)

We just did a Ku Scan of the Clarke belt and noticed another small spike on
Asiasat 3 near the Telstra Bigpond service and a small Ku spike around
83deg E, can someone else take a look.

Heaps of C band spikes around 60-70deg other then the normal Pas 10.int704 ones.


Action TV , new channel testing on NSS at 57E


From the Dish


PAS 8 166E 12686 H "STV Biz channel " is now encrypted.

Insat 2E 83E 3910 V "DD Telugu" is back on , Fta, SR 5000, FEC 3/4, PIDs 308/256.
Insat 2E 83E 3525 V "Sky Bangla and Asianet Global" have left .

Thaicom 3 78.5E 3684 H The Indiavision tests have left .

PAS 10 68.5E 3716 V "Urban Beat has replaced Christmas Music" Irdeto 2, APID 3347.

Intelsat 704 66E 4095 L "ETV Telugu" has left (PAL), moved to Insat 2E.

Intelsat 906 64E 4101 R "Star News" has left .

Intelsat 902 62E 4188 R "Occasional feeds", SR 5632, FEC 3/4, global beam.



NEWS


Foxtel Bullish After Optus, Nine Network Deals


From satnewsasia.com

Leading Australian pay TV operator Foxtel, buoyed by government approval of its plan to share content with rival SingTel Optus, is going all out to launch its digital pay TV network in October 2003. Nine Network, whose parent, Publishing & Broadcasting, owns 25 percent of Foxtel, has jumped onto the digital bandwagon and has signed a retransmission deal Foxtel.

Foxtel said it would spend some US$325 million on its digital pay TV service that would initially offer 144 channels, with around 15 per cent of channels earmarked for rivals Austar and SingTel Optus. Foxtel has some 800,000 subscribers compared to Austar's 430,000 subscribers. Optus Television has about 270,000 customers.

Last November, Australian competition watchdog the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) approved Foxtel’s content sharing agreement with SingTel Optus. Foxtel will continue to be provided through Foxtel directly and will also be provided on Telstra, Optus and TransACT. Foxtel said the agreements will benefit pay TV subscribers and consumers. Consumers will now have the choice of subscribing to Foxtel through Telstra, which will offer a bundled product comprising pay TV, telephony, Internet and broadband services. Foxtel programming will also be available to all subscribers of Optus. TransACT is also planning to launch Foxtel on its cable in Canberra, while Neighborhood Cable has the rights to broadcast Foxtel in Geelong from December.

Nine Network’s retransmission deal with Foxtel will take effect when Foxtel begins its digital service in late 2003. Under the deal, Nine's three stations (TCN-9 Sydney, GTV-9 Melbourne and QTQ-9 Brisbane) will be retransmitted over satellite and cable in Foxtel service areas. Nine will become part of the Foxtel basic package. Foxtel chief executive officer Kim Williams said the deal was an important step towards developing digital TV in Australia. He said the arrangement will enable Nine and Foxtel to work together to ensure that the Nine services are fully integrated into the Foxtel digital platform. Nine said it was committed to ensuring free-to-air TV remained an option available to all Australians, but also believed Foxtel would play a significant role in the changing landscape of television.


AsiaSat 4 completing final system testing


From indiantelevision.com

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida: AsiaSat 4, which will launch in March is completing its final integrated system test. Critical tests are being conducted to achieve the highest quality and reliability of the spacecraft before shipment to Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA.

The individual stages of the Atlas rocket for launching AsiaSat 4 have arrived Cape Canaveral in preparation for final integration with the spacecraft.

AsiaSat 4, the largest in AsiaSat’s satellite fleet, will be located at the orbital position of 122 degrees East. AsiaSat 4, carrying 28 C-band and 20 Ku-band transponders, is designed to provide advanced satellite services across Asia and Australasia, including a high performance pan-Asian C-band beam and targeted Ku beams for delivering DTH (Direct-to-Home) and broadband solutions to greater China and Australia.


T S I C H A N N E L N E W S - Number 1/2003 5 January 2002 -

A weekly roundup of global TV news sponsored by TELE-satellite International

Editor: Branislav Pekic
Edited Apsattv.com Edition

A S I A


AUSTRALIA

PAY-TV SERVICES SEEK TO ATTRACT NEW SUBSCRIBERS

In January, Australia's two metropolitan pay-TV services, Foxtel and Optus
Television, will launch multimillion-dollar campaigns to persuade viewers
to subscribe to services that the companies hope will lift their business
from seven years of operating in the red. The pay-TV industry is gearing up
for this push after November's approval by antitrust agency the Australian
Competition and Consumer Commission of a AUS$1.3 billion content-sharing
deal between the rival platforms. That decision has led to a major
restructuring of Australia's pay TV industry, which has been in a holding
pattern most of the year, waiting for the ACCC's decision. Under the
content-sharing deal, which went into effect at the start of December,
Optus began reselling some Foxtel channels to its customers, and vice versa.

CHINA - HONG KONG

PHOENIX TV GETS PERMISSION TO BROADCAST INTO CHINA

Phoenix Satellite Television Holdings, 38 per cent owned by Rupert
Murdoch's News Corp., has won permission to broadcast its Chinese-language
news channel into China, company spokeswoman Wang Duoduo said on January 3.
Winning the permit for the InfoNews channel may help to increase the
unprofitable service's advertising sales. The channel started service in
January 2001 and has been the biggest drag on earnings at Phoenix, the
biggest foreign broadcaster into China. China delayed approval of InfoNews
after the company's coverage of the September 2001 terrorist attacks in the
U.S. was more comprehensive than that of state-owned broadcasters. The
company had expected an answer last March. InfoNews costs about $18 million
a year, company Deputy Chief Executive Leung Noong-kong said last year.
Phoenix posted a net loss of HK$20.4 million in the quarter ended September
30, its seventh straight loss. The so-called landing rights will bring to
three the number of channels Phoenix broadcasts in China. Phoenix now
broadcasts a Chinese-language entertainment and a movie channel in China.

INDIA

CHANGES AT SET

The New Year will herald several changes at Sony Entertainment Television
(SET), including a hike in the monthly subscription fee for One Alliance -
the joint venture distribution company of SET and Discovery Communications
India (DCI) - and the start of distribution and ad sales activity for HBO,
the English movie channel. The network will continue look for other
alliances, but with an eye on quality rather than quantity, said Mr Rohit
Gupta, Executive Vice-President & Head - Sales & Revenue Management, and
Channel & Business Head of HBO and AXN. "We don't believe in quantity, or
having a bouquet of 12-14 channels," Mr Gupta said. "It is better to have
half the number of channels and still be able to do the same amount of
business." With HBO now, SET offers "a formidable platform from the
perspective of the advertiser and the viewer," Mr Gupta said. "We felt that
it was important to have an English movie channel to complement and
strengthen our English side, and HBO fit into it." The HBO acquisition "did
not happen by accident", he added. The channel, which was launched in 2000
and claims a reach of 15 million households in south Asia, has shown strong
growth in terms of viewership. Besides, there is a trend toward niche
channels, particularly English channels: "The quantity of ad spends in them
is increasing, and there is clearly a huge audience for them," he said. The
One Alliance currently includes Sony, Max, AXN, CNBC, Discovery and Animal
Planet; distribution of CNBC will move to Zee-Turner from April next year.
SET has identified three core areas: mass entertainment Hindi, English and
cricket. Any alliances will be linked to these existing structures, Mr
Gupta said. To expand its market, the company has expressed an interest in
aligning with a news channel, a music channel and, possibly, a kids'
channel. While these would make sense from the distribution side - "it
would complete our bouquet," Mr Gupta said - the network is moving slowly
because of the small volumes in ad sales. "News is a high growth area, but
revenues are small in
music," Mr Gupta pointed out. And, any channel partner would have to fulfil
the parameters of high quality and being on top of its respective genre.
This way, even with the adoption of the Conditional Access System, SET
cannot lose, as viewers will pick the most popular channels, anyway. For
HBO, besides a strong line-up of movies for 2003, SET plans to launch
on-ground promotional activity to garner greater visibility for the brand
and establish a closer connection with the viewer. SET has had considerable
success with on-ground activity for AXN, particularly with the India
edition of the reality series, "Who Dares Wins", Mr Gupta said. There is no
danger that HBO will take viewers away from AXN, because the two channels
have distinct identities and attract different sets of viewers for
different programming, Mr Gupta said. SET will also track viewing patterns
to ensure that time slots are not mixed between the two. "We want on to
build the two channels, not have them kill each other - so we will not
crowd them," Mr Gupta said.

TV TODAY TO LAUNCH ENGLISH LANGUAGE CHANNEL

TV Today Network, promoted by Arun Poorie of the India Today Group, plans
to float an English news channel, which would start broadcasting by mid
February. The channel will be funded by internal accruals and the total
investments will be around Rs8 crore. The infrastructure for the English
news channel is ready and the company has completed hiring personnel. TV
Today already has a 24-hour Hindi news channel called ``Aaj Tak' and the
name for the new English channel is being worked out. The English channel
will have a completely different look and feel from the Hindi news channel.


JAPAN

ARIRANG TV TO LAUNCH IN JAPAN

Arirang TV, a South Korean English-language cable TV channel, will start
airing its programmes on January 8 in Japan. Arirang plans to start the
service via AQ Station, a channel offered by satellite broadcasting firm
SkyPerfect2. The company's programmes under the brand "Arirang TV Hour"
will be aired in English and received by the Japanese. The number of
households with access to the programmes via AQ Station is estimated at
750,000 but is likely to increase in two to three years, an Arirang
official said.

OMAN

MET TO AIR PROGRAMMES FROM OMAN

Although it is only just over a month since MET has begun beaming its
programmes, the overwhelming response this first 24-hour free-to-air Indian
satellite channel and the first overseas Malayalam Channel has received,
specially from Oman, has prompted the channel to produce programmes
specifically from Oman. The new channel, a sister concern of the
Dubai-based Alan Technology LLC, a leading player in the Gulf information
technology sector, has been airing many programmes produced locally with
specific time slots focusing on Dubai and other AGCC countries, covering
business activities, local festivals, tourism spots, conferences and
exhibitions. The MET is a 24-hour free-to-air digital satellite channel in
Malayalam (with regular slots for Hindi and other south Indian languages)
catering to the Indians in the Gulf and the rest of the world with local
programmes produced mainly in the UAE. Apart from attracting substantial
viewership of expatriate Malayalam-speakers and Indians, the channel has
also appealed to a large number of viewers in Kerala and India with its
highly entertaining content produced and broadcast with world-class
production and technical standards. Regular time slots are being offered
for Hindi and other South Indian languages. The MET uses the latest
server-based transmission technology and is uplinked from Dubai Media
City's teleport facilities. It is available via the Panamsat PAS-10
satellite at 68.50 E, frequency 4,131 GHz/H, Symbol Rate--3308, FEC-2/3,
Service ID-MET, Video PID-33, Audio PID-36.

THE PHILIPPINES

NEW CATHOLIC TV CHANNEL LAUNCHES

A new TV channel is now in operation in the Philippines to offer Christian
values and an alternative to the low-quality commercial programs. Cebu
Catholic Television Network (CCTN) is a joint initiative of the Cebu
Archdiocese and Radio Veritas, the broadcasting station of the Manila-based
Federation of Episcopal Conferences of Asia. The new channel's studios,
installed in the John XXIII Minor Seminary, were blessed last month by
Cardinal Ricardo Vidal, archbishop of Cebu. With the television network,
the Church will have an instrument to diffuse "the powerful message of
love, forgiveness, peace and justice," the cardinal said in statements over
Vatican Radio. It also will promote cultural values such as "decency,
respect and religiosity," he explained. Seventy per cent of CCTN's programs
are produced by the U.S.-based Eternal World Television Network (EWTN).
Many programs will be dubbed in Cebuano, the dialect spoken in Mindanao and
in the south of the Philippines. The channel will rely on advertising for
support.

CABLE OPERATORS TO FIGHT PIRATES

Local cable operators plan to use technology which can scramble and
unscramble their signals in an effort to combat illegal connections.
According to Manuel Z Dabao, president of the Philippine Cable Television
Association, there is one illegal operator for every legal operator. By
using set-top boxes, cable operators will be able to prevent illegal
connections and increase the choice available to subscribers. Cable
operators could buy used set-top boxes for around $25-$30 and these could
then be sold cheaply or given away to subscribers.

SINGAPORE

SINGLE BODY TO OVERSEE MEDIA INDUSTRY

The Singaporean government has set a new super agency, the Media
Development Authority, to oversee the country's media industry, effective
from January 1. Incorporating the Singapore Broadcasting Authority, the
Films and Publications Department, and the Singapore Film Commission, the
MDA will come under the authority of the Ministry of Information,
Communications and the Arts (MITA). It will be chaired by MITA's permanent
secretary, Tan Chin Nam. Its CEO will be Lim Hock Chuan, previously CEO of
the SBA. "The formation of the MDA will mean that the various regulations
and standards for TV, cable, film, videos, radio, publications and new
media will be handled by a single body in a more holistic manner," Tan
said. "The SBA was set up in 1994 to oversee regulation of the broadcasting
sector. The Films and Publications Department is responsible for the
regulation and licensing of all films and publications, including home
entertainment software and computer games, while the SFC was set up in 1998
to foster film production and project development in the country.

TAIWAN

DISCOVERY TRAVEL & ADVENTURE IN MANDARIN

Discovery Networks Asia and Yuan Lin Hypermedia have entered into an
agreement to bring Discovery Travel & Adventure Channel to Taiwan.
According to the five-year agreement, Yuan Lin's Knowledge TV has been
renamed Knowledge Travel & Adventure, with the network airing programming
from the Discovery Travel & Adventure Channel. Knowledge Travel & Adventure
is available to some 3.5 million households in the country. Discovery
Travel & Adventure launched in the Asia Pacific in 2001 and now reaches
more than 4 million households in New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, the
Philippines, Brunei, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Korea.




5/01/03

No update Sunday




4/01/03

Other things need doing back Monday




3/01/03

Sorry not much to report today very quiet a lot of people on Holiday still. Keep those emails coming in to ImpacTV email address is [email protected]

So far the response has been very good it seems there is a lot of support out there for this project.

Anyone looking for feeds lately?


From my Emails & ICQ


Nothing to report


From the Dish


PAS 8 166E 3860 HAll radio channels are now encrypted.

Sinosat 1 110.5E SBN - Shanghai Broadcasting Network has moved from 4076 V to 4106 V, Fta, SR 6200, FEC 2/3, PIDs 1110/1211.

NSS 703 57E 4139 R Occasional TVNZ feeds , Sr 5632, FEC 3/4, global beam.


NEWS


Nothing to report




2/01/03

Back after a short break

I see Fox mux on Pas 2 has moved perhaps for better coverage around the region when the War starts.

Things seem fairly quiet at the moment.

Sorry if some of todays NEWS is a little stale just catching up.


From my Emails & ICQ


From Glenn

Pas 8 channel changes

After a quick scan today, it appears that HZTV (i think this is what its called), is has now filled the postion of what was Channel Z in the Taiwanese Mux.

Also as mentioned by someone yesterday, minor changes also in the Cnbc lineup.

Glenn


From the Dish


PAS 2 169E 3992 V The Fox mux has left .
PAS 2 169E 4040 V "Fox News Channel and some occasional Fox feeds" have started on ,PowerVu, SR 26470, FEC 7/8, PIDs 1160/1120-1660/1620.
PAS 2 169E 4087 V "Pink Plus" has started on , Fta, PIDs 520/648.

Optus B1 160E 12574 H Mix 106.3 has started , Fta, SR 1851, FEC 3/4, APID 1063.

JCSAT 2A 154E 3915 V "BYU TV"is now mainly encrypted.

Agila 2 146E 4070 H DZAS 702 AM and DZFE 98.7 FM have started Fta, APIDs 1222 and 1322.
Agila 2 146E 3866 H New PIDs for One TV : 3360/1160.

Palapa C2 113E 3604 H A "PSN Palapa test card" has started , Fta, PIDs 1110/1213.
Palapa C2 113E 3916 H New PIDs for MAC TV : 33/34.
Palapa C2 113E 3926 H "Bali TV" is still on , Fta, SR 4208, FEC 3/4, PIDs 33/36.
Palapa C2 113E 4080 H A test card has started , Fta PIDs 516/654.
Palapa C2 113E 4080 H Anteve has started, and 10970 H, Fta, PIDs 516/654.RFI, Delta FM 99.5, RRI Pro 2 FM and Kantor Berita Radio have started on 10970 H, Fta APIDs 650-662.

Sinosat 1 110.5E 4106 V "Shanghai Broadcasting Network, Radio Shanghai and Shanghai People's Radio" have left .

Yamal 102 90E 3606 L ASTV has changed name to Rambler TeleSet.

NSS 6 95E NSS 6 has arrived at 95 East. Reception reports are very welcome.

Insat 2E 83E 3830 V "DD Bangla" has started, Fta, SR 5000, FEC 3/4, PIDs 512/650.

Thaicom 3 78.5E 3569 H Occasional MRTV feeds on , PIDs 49/52.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3585 V "SS Music has replaced Channel Nepal", Fta, PIDs 513/641.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3600 H "CCTV 9" has left, replaced by a test card.The test card has left PIDs 516/690.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3600 H "ETV" (Thailand) has left , replaced by a test card.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3684 H "Indiavision" has started testing, Fta, SR 6830, FEC 3/4,PIDs 1160/1120, global beam.

LMI 1 75E 3990 V Radio Madagascar has started , 7.80 MHz.

Eutelsat W5 70.5E Eutelsat W5 has arrived at 70.5 East. Reception reports are very welcome.

NSS 703 57E 3872 R "Action TV" has started testing, Fta, SR 4192, FEC 3/4, PIDs 308/256, East hemi beam.


NEWS


Foxtel Announces Retransmission Agreement With Nine -- FOXTEL

From https://www.aapmedianet.com.au/scripts/DisplayRelease.dll?id=331635

FOXTEL Announces Retransmission Agreement with Nine

FOXTEL announced today that it has entered into an agreement with the Nine Network in relation to the retransmission of the Nine Services as part of FOXTEL's cable and satellite services in the FOXTEL broadcast areas across Australia (essentially the state capital cities, Canberra and Newcastle).

FOXTEL will retransmit Nine's standard definition digital service on both cable and satellite together with enhancements and
interactive applications (within FOXTEL defined bandwidth and technical parameters) which are also available to Nine's digital
terrestrial viewers.

The arrangement currently relates to the three networks owned by Nine, TCN 9 Sydney, GTV 9 Melbourne and QTQ 9 Brisbane. FOXTEL hopes to be able to extend this arrangement to include Nine'S affiliates, NWS 9 Adelaide, STW 9 Perth, WIN (Canberra), NBN (Newcastle) and WIN Television WA for regional WA. This will ensure that the Nine digital services are available to all FOXTEL subscribers.

These arrangements will commence with FOXTEL's digital cable rollout and when FOXTEL's services transfer to the Optus Cl
satellite. FOXTEL's capacity is currently limited on both the analogue cable and on the Optus B3 satellite.

FOXTEL's Chief Executive, Kim Williams said he was delighted to reach agreement with Nine acknowledging that it is a significant step forward in ensuring that the viewer experience is seamless between cable, satellite and terrestrial broadcasting.

FOXTEL's agreement with Nine is a significant step forward in the development of digital television in Australia. FOXTEL has always recognised the importance of including the commercial and national broadcasters as part of the FOXTEL line up and this arrangement will now enable Nine and FOXTEL to work together to ensure that the Nine services are integrated into the FOXTEL digital platform. This is a great outcome for both Nine and FOXTEL and more importantly for FOXTEL subscribers."

FOXTEL has already entered into an agreement with the ABC in 1999 which provides for FOXTEL to retransmit the ABC service on both analogue and digital cable."FOXTEL is in the process of renewing discussions with each of the other commercial and national broadcasters and is keen to finalise arrangements with each of 10, 7, the ABC and SBS over the next
month or so in time to allow FOXTEL to incorporate standard definition digital service retransmissions into its digital offering across Australia" said Mr Williams.

"FOXTEL currently retransmits each of the commercial and national broadcasters as part of its cable service as it is entitled to do under the Broadcasting Services Act. However FOXTEL believes that these arrangements with the incorporation of satellite and the transmission of interactive services will provide greater certainty together with a fair and reasonable arrangement for each commercial and national broadcaster aimed at directly addressing stated concerns as to potential disadvantage at the time of FOXTEL's digital migration. FOXTEL is seeking to establish an on-going co-operative relationship with our commercial and national broadcast colleagues that will benefit FOXTEL subscribers in providing a seamless broadcast offering between the cable, satellite and terrestrial broadcast domains."

Further information:
Office of the CEO
Tel: 02 9200 1101
Fax: 02 9200 1001
27 December, 2002
Source: Foxtel


Rocket nous passed on 'illegally'


From http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/01/01/1041196686599.html

The State Department has accused two of the largest aerospace companies in the United States of illegally transferring sensitive space technology to China in the 1990s that could have helped Beijing's military develop intercontinental missiles.

If the charges, filed last Thursday, are proved, Hughes Electronics and Boeing Satellite Systems could be fined up to $US60 million ($107 million) and barred for three years from selling controlled technologies overseas.

This would be particularly damaging to Boeing, which could lose hundreds of millions of dollars in overseas sales of satellites and in other foreign space business.

Hughes officials are alleged to have given Chinese space experts detailed information about rocketry to help the country's space program work out why its rockets were failing soon after launch.

A Hughes spokesman said the company did not believe it had done anything wrong, and was negotiating with the State Department. Boeing declined comment.

Boeing bought Hughes's space launch division - the part of the company accused of illegalities - in 2000 for $3.7 billion.


AsiaSat 4 to Complete Final System Testing


From satnewsasia.com

AsiaSat 4, scheduled for launch during the second half of March 2003, is completing its Final Integrated System Test. Critical tests are being conducted to achieve the highest quality and reliability of the spacecraft before shipment to Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA, according to Asia Satellite Telecommunications Co. Ltd.

The individual stages of the Atlas rocket for launching AsiaSat 4 have arrived Cape Canaveral in preparation for final integration with the spacecraft.

AsiaSat 4, the largest in AsiaSat’s satellite fleet, will be located at the orbital position of 122 degrees East. AsiaSat 4, carrying 28 C-band and 20 Ku-band transponders, is designed to provide advanced satellite services across Asia and Australasia, including a high performance pan-Asian C-band beam and targeted Ku beams for delivering DTH (Direct-to-Home) and broadband solutions to Greater China and Australia.


India Plans to Launch INSAT-3E in February 2003; Dep't of Space to Augment INSAT System


From satnewsasia.com

India’s Insat-3A satellite is to be launched from French Guiana in late February 2003, said the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).

ISRO Chairman Dr. Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan said Insat-3A would carry 24 C-band transponders. Insat-3A will also carry a meteorology component and a very high-resolution radiometer. Another satellite, Insat-3E, is in advanced stage of assembly and is to be launched in the middle of 2003. India’s Department of Space is planning to augment the country’s Insat satellite fleet due to a rising demand for broadcasting and telecommunications transponders. The department said that the fourth generation Insat-4 satellites (Insat-4A and 4B) were planned to meet this need.

Kasturirangan said that IRS-P6 (Resourcesat-1) was being readied for launch in the third quarter of 2003 and IRS-P5 (Cartosat-1) by the end of next year or early 2004. IRS-P6 would provide service continuity to the in-orbit IRS-IC and IRS-1D and enhance the fleet’s service capabilities in agriculture, disaster management, land and water resources with better resolution imagery. IRS-P5 is mainly intended for advanced cartographic applications and would carry two 2.5-meter resolution panchromatic cameras with a swath of 30 km each. He also revealed that ISRO has begun work on a 2000kg educational satellite to be used for literacy, education, training and enrichment, among others.

Kasturirangan revealed that the second test flight of India’s heavy lift Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) is planned for March. ISRO said a success in this flight will allow India to use its GSLVs to launch communications satellites like Insat from within the country. At present, India has to use outside agencies like the European Space Agency to launch its satellites at considerable cost.


B4U Movies bags non-India rights for blockbusters


From indiantelevision.com

MUMBAI: B4U Movies has announced the acquisition of over 200 films for the domestic and international market. On the international front, B4U will be showcasing the block busters of 2002 such as Devdas, Humraaz and Company .

Additionally, B4U Movies has also acquired international telecast rights and is already promoting films like Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam, Na Tum Jano Na Hum, Shakti, Lajja, Pyar Diwana Hota Hai; Vadh, Koi Mere Dil Se Pooche, Akhiyon Se Goli Mare, Hathyar, Agnivarsha in the international market. These films will augment B4U's existing movie library of 3000-odd Hindi film titles.

While major Indian entertainment networks are attracting criticism for their unrealistically high bids for acquiring the domestic rights of Bollywood blockbusters, the stand-alone channel with its Filmi; very Filmi positioning seems to have scored a point by staying ahead in the battle for the non-India international rights stakes.

B4U Television Network chief marketing officer Rajnish Lall claims: "We can afford to bid for the mega-blockbuster films due to the higher subscription revenues obtained from markets like the US, Europe, Middle-East, Africa, Canada and Mauritius."

Lall points out that the major networks, that have a bouquet of channels such as the mass entertainment category and the movie channels, could afford to acquire the domestic rights of the mega-blockbusters at extremely steep amounts. "These networks screen the blockbuster movies on the mass entertainment channels first and obtain higher revenues because these mass entertainment channels command higher advertising rates as compared to the niche movie channels," he points out.

"However, it is a known fact that they have not been able to recover their high investments. As a stand-alone entity, B4U Movies cannot take the risk as we can't charge a premium on our advertising rates. Moreover, we turned into a pay channel recently and our current subscription revenues cannot justify the costly acquisitions," Lall admists.

B4U Movies became a pay channel within the first year of operations when it started an encryption feed from August 2002. "Generally, advertisers associate movie channels with female audiences and children. However, a recent survey conducted by The Economic Times showed that B4U Movies scored high in the male SEC AB categories and proved that the channel has a large base of loyal male viewers," Lall states.

The channel has a total of 18 hours of film-based programming and 6 hours of non film-based shows that revolve around Bollywood. "B4U has earmarked the 5pm to 7pm slot for the non film-based shows. Our research has shown that housewives and children prefer shorter shows during this particular time slot because they are busy with other activities and are unable to keep track of the longish films," claims Lall.

As far as subscription strategy is concerned, B4U Movies is keen on focusing on certain cities and pockets therein. "We are happy with the fact that the cable operators assure us a minimum guaranteed fee every month. We are not concerned about what they earn over and above the amount they pay us. Such an arrangement has worked out well with several individual cable operators and MSOs who show B4U Movies, " mentions Lall.

B4U has managed to get a subscriber base of 11.5 million households across the country within a six month time frame. Incidentally, B4U Movies has an equal share of 30 per cent in the western, northern and eastern parts of India. "In fact, B4U has a 70 per cent penetration in Kolkata; higher than any of the other competitors," claims Lall. However, the channel is weak in South India (Tamil Nadu, Kerala) and is doing well in certain pockets of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.


Malayalam channel Indiavision gets earth station


From indiantelevision.com

MUMBAI: The long-in-gestation Malayalam satellite TV Indiavision is gearing up to launch its earth station on 3 January. The ribbon cutting will take place at the hands of film star turned politician and Union minister of state for health, Vinod Khanna.

Promoted by its chairman MK Muneerr, who is also the leader of the state wing of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), the channel was first expected to launch in 2001 but has since been delayed. The company had announced partnership deals with Sony Entertainment then.

A note sent out by Indiavision resident director Jamal Farooquee to indiantelevision.com, says that Indiavision should launch "anytime now" with the flagging off of the earth station.

According the Faqoouee, the earth station, situated at Tutu's Tower on the bye pass road, cost about Rs. 27.5 million to build. "Though it can uplink two channels for now, it will be possible to uplink many more channels with a potential to earn revenue due to its strategic location in Kochi - the Information Gateway of India," he adds. "Also, Indiavision shall have the unique distinction of being the first private television channel in India to launch from its own earth station."

A function to mark the occassion of the inauguration of the work station is to be held at the Le Meridian Convention Centre, Maradu, Ernakulam, at 7.30 pm on 3 January.


MET begins telecast of Muscat programmes from today


From http://www.timesofoman.com/newsdetails.asp?newsid=22435&pn=local

MUSCAT — Middle East Television (MET), the first Indian television channel to start its operations from Dubai, is set to telecast its first Muscat-based programme.

The programme titled Muscat Christmas Celebrations will be aired today at 9pm on the MET Channel.

Primarily a Malayalam channel, MET has slots in the prime time for Hindi as well as other languages. John Thomas, MD of MET, said that the response for the Muscat programme from the business community was indeed a great shot in the arm to generate further programmes from Muscat.

?Muscat-based productions are very important and integral part of our channel since it is a place that has been attracting a lot of tourists, ventures, projects and investors. Oman is definitely one of the most beautiful places in the world and we would be dedicating special episodes on the places of beauty in Muscat. Work has already begun on this,” he said.

The ‘Muscat Christmas Celebrations’ will take viewers on a trip to all the carol services that were held at various churches as part of the Christmas celebrations. The maiden venture of MET has been made possible by companies like Muscat Pharmacy, Sea Pearls LLC, Oman-UAE Exchange Centre, Naranjee Hirjee LLC (Kamat) and the various parishes functioning in Muscat.

Middle East Television, which started beaming its programmes from November 1, has a lot of interactive programmes that have been attracting steady viewers from all over the world, specially the Gulf. Unlike other channels, which rely on movie-based clippings, MET concentrates more on involving the community and the people by having more of interactive programmes and events. MET will be telecasting various events and episodes of Muscat Festival as well, John Thomas added, saying it is a prestige to be associated with a grand event of the region like Muscat Festival.

On the anvil are various interactive events based in Muscat.

MET also plans to air a series of business episodes from Muscat where various business organistions will be featured on prime time telecast. MET is telecast through Panamsat 10 (PAS-10) Satellite at 68.5 E.

The telecast specification as follows: Satellite: Panamsat 10 (PAS 10) at 68.5° E., Frequency:4131 MHz, Svmbol Rate: 3308, FEC: 2!3, Polarisation Horizontal, Service ID : MET, Video PID: 33, Audio PID : 36. For any further enquiries on getting connected to MET, call on 9357045.)


T S I C H A N N E L N E W S - Number 52/2002 29 December 2002 -

A weekly roundup of global TV news sponsored by TELE-satellite International

Editor: Branislav Pekic

Edited Apsattv.com Edition

A S I A



AUSTRALIA

OWNERSHIP CHANGES PROPOSED FOR AUSTAR

Pay-TV operator Austar United Communications on December 23 confirmed an
ownership restructure under which private equity group Castle Harlan
Australian Mezzanine Partners will become a major partner in the group,
along with current owner UnitedGlobalCom. Castle Harlan has offered to
acquire the interest of the U.S. bondholder creditors of United Australia
Pacific, one of the companies currently in the chain of ownership between
Austar and UnitedGlobalCom. Castle Harlan has offered the bondholders
US$34.5 million for their interest in United Australia Pacific as part of a
Chapter 11 plan of reorganization that the parties intend to file with the
U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York. Austar is the only provider of satellite
pay-TV in non-urban Australia, with more than 400,000 subscribers, and has
exclusive pay-TV rights in all but the major Australian cities (i.e.
excluding Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth, in addition to
all of the sparsely settled state of Western Australia). Austar reported
A$241.0 million in revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2002.

NINE NETWORK SIGNS DIGITAL DEAL

The Nine Network has signed a digital retransmission deal with pay-TV
operator Foxtel. The agreement takes effect when Foxtel begins its digital
service, which includes the digitisation of cable and the launching of the
new Optus satellite C1. Under the deal, Nine’s three stations - TCN-9
Sydney, GTV-9 Melbourne and QTQ-9 Brisbane - will be retransmitted over
satellite and cable in the relevant Foxtel service areas. Nine will become
part of the Foxtel basic package and will include enhanced programming and
interactive applications associated with the broadcast. Foxtel has
previously outlined plans for the digital network to be launched in October
2003, consisting of an initial 144 channels, with about 15 per cent of them
earmarked for rivals.

BANGLADESH

SATELLITE TV CHANNELS TO AIR STATE TV NEWS

Two private satellite television channels - Channel-I and ATN Bangla - will
air two news bulletins of Bangladesh Television (BTV). The two private TV
channels will air the BTV news bulletins in compliance with the rules of
Private Television Channel Installation and Operating Policy. The Channel-I
airs the BTV news bulletin of 23:30 [17:30 GMT] on air live it is followed
by transmission of recorded news of 22:00. On the other hand, the ATN
Bangla will also go for transmission of the two news bulletins within one
month after some technical arrangements.

INDIA

SUN TV TOPS POPULARITY CHARTS

Sun TV group has emerged as a leader among the satellite channels in the
four south Indian States. Its channel, Sun TV, tops the channels in Tamil,
while Surya TV is the leader in Malayalam. Udaya TV is in a leading
position in Kannada and Gemini TV tops all Telugu channels. Kalanidhi Maran
has promoted Sun TV group. The group, set up in 1990s, has launched new
channels like Sun News (24-hour news channel), Sun Music, K-TV and Sumangali.

JAPAN

CNN AND JCTV TO LAUNCH NEWS CHANNEL

CNN will team with Japan Cable Television (JCTV) for CNNj, a news channel
exclusively for Japan. The service, scheduled to launch in March, will
feature content from CNN in the U.S., CNNfn and CNN International, with 126
hours of Japanese-language dubbing per week. Programming featured will
include American Morning with Paula Zahn and Connie Chung Tonight. CNNj is
the news network’s seven region-specific feed. In Japan, CNN currently
reaches 4 million households via cable and the SkyPerfecTV satellite platform.

MALAYSIA

RTM TO CHANGE NAME INTO RTMB

Radio Television Malaysia is set for a name change when it is transformed
from a government department into a corporation in the middle of 2003.
Information Minister Tan Sri Khalil Yaakob has announced that the
corporation will be known as Radio Televisyen Malaysia Berhad (RTMB). It
will operate all the services currently run by RTM, including the External
Service.

QATAR

AL-JAZEERA PLANS ENGLISH LANGUAGE CHANNEL

Arabic-language news network Al Jazeera plans to open an English-language
website in early 2003 and begin distributing English-language news
programming by satellite and cable late next year. Since it began
broadcasting in 1996, Al Jazeera has brought unprecedented Arabic-language
journalistic scrutiny to the regimes of the Middle East. Now its executives
and journalists say they want to provide English speakers in the US and
elsewhere with more accurate and informed reporting about the world’s most
turbulent region. Managing Director Mohamed Jasem al-Ali says Al Jazeera in
Arabic has 135,000 subscribers in the US; the network hopes many more
Americans will access the English-language services. The expansion - which
will include the launch of an Arabic documentary channel next spring - is
partly a matter of economic necessity.