31/3/01

Away on Holiday

30/3/01

Away on Holiday

29/3/01

There is a huge amount of sports of this weekend, includeing starting today the Champions Cup cricket tournament from Perth, all the best teams from each country playing each other the first time this has been tryed. There has to be a feed of this somewhere as its going to pay tv channels all around the world. Also on is the usual NRL, Super12, Rugby 7's from Hong Kong (This seen last time on Pas 2 4148V Hong Kong BQ) There is AFL as well check B1 it usesd to be on there in analog. Also on is the World Superbikes, usually seen on Star Sports or on I701 Channel 10 feeds. So if you see any of these email the details or share them via the mailing list. There is some very interesting stuff in the news section about Australia TV in fact its another mega news edition.Another thing of interest all the Intelsat coverage maps at their website have been improved. Its well worth checking out http://www.intelsat.int/satellites_coveragemaps.asp

I was going to trim the page but I think I will leave it all up untill I am back home and update on Tuesday

From my Emails & ICQ

Lagocki in NZ ,sends this shot off Optus B1 an analog Testcard seen last night. Sorry I don't have the freq details

From Jamal

Hi craig,

Could you informe me please if "Animal Planet" is FTA on PAS8-KU band ??

thank you

Craigs reply, It should be there if Boomerang TV is still FTA.

From the Dish

Pas 8 166E 12566 H "IHUG (internet service)"has started here, Sr 27500.

Sinosat 1 110.5E 4088 V "Macau Five Star Business" Vpid 650 Apid 651.
Sinosat 1 110.5E 4075 V "MATV" is testing here Sr 6660, FEC 3/4, Vpid 4130 Apid 4131.

Asiasat 3 105.5E 3660 V "Zee TV Asia" has started here, (Not sure whats going on with this one thought they were encrypting everything)

NEWS

Saving face in Asia

From http://www.theaustralian.com.au/extras/media/columns/day2903.html

THE Howard Government has failed to cover itself with glory over the bungles and backflips involving Australian Television International, the nation's window-to-the-world TV service which shut up shop last week. But, to his credit, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer is at last on the right track by insisting that any future government assistance to re-start the service is conditional on one thing: programming.

It is a rare event when governments announce they have a bucket of money to give away. It is even more rare when that bucket is offered to media proprietors; and it must be unique for at least one of them to reject it.

But Kerry Stokes's rejection of government assistance for the ATVI service operated by his Seven Network came because Downer insisted Seven's shameful programming be radically upgraded. Stokes worked out that he'd still lose money meeting his benefactor's demands, even with a handsome subsidy, so he walked away, leaving a $10 million loss behind.

The ATVI saga is a blot on Australia's recent foreign policy. We may well look like a bunch of oiks at the closure of the service, but thanks to Stokes's programming over the past year, we've been looking like idiots.

When the ABC programmed ATVI, viewers were fed a wide range of ABC programs, plus tailored and credible news services, which attracted a large audience ranging from heads of states to travelling Australians. Since Seven put the service into the too-hard basket, viewers have been offered six-hour revolving blocks of rubbish from the archives, plus regular doses of Humphrey Bear.

Stokes believed he would win the Government tender for assistance money and he would convert his loss-making rubbish service into a profitable rubbish service. All he had to do was go to Canberra and pick up a cheque. But Downer had other ideas: unless the service offered acceptable programming, there would be no deal.

The consortium reported to be next in line for the service, Australian Vision International, with its close links to the Liberal Party through former Howard cabinet minister Warwick Smith and Howard's close friend and solicitor, Clayton Utz chairman Brian Wilson, figures it has the programming bases covered.

Its proposal is for a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week service involving 8760 hours annually on the Palapa C2 satellite which has a footprint from Western Samoa to India. The transponder and associated linking costs would eat up about $5 million a year.

AVI proposes a small news team to be based in Sydney to prepare dedicated news services to be broadcast in prime-time blocks across the footprint. For instance, to put a 6pm news service into the South Pacific time zone, you would need to uplink out of Sydney at 4pm, then update and uplink again at 8pm for Singapore, Hong Kong and Jakarta and again at 10pm for India.

Primary news footage, including Australian stories, would be provided by TV news agencies Reuters and Associated Press, with some additional SBS or ABC footage as required. There would be no demand for commercial television's staple – car crashes, which Seven has been feeding out.

AVI expects 1500 hours of its annual schedule would be taken up with news, the most costly part of its programming plans. Part of this would include studio discussions and forums on regional issues.

A further 1000 hours would be filled with low-cost next-day repeats of SBS or ABC programs such as Dateline and Foreign Correspondent. AVI has a further 2000 hours of documentaries, travelogues and science programs available through a dozen or so program makers or distributors – almost all Australian made or Australian subject matter. And it has about 2000 hours of children's programming available to it.

But the biggest potential, according to AVI's supporters, lies in education programming. Education services already have become Australia's third largest export earner, the bulk of it to Asia. Universities spend more than $100 million a year to market their services, and AVI believes it can attract considerable support to use its facilities to extend marketing and deliver education material in viewing downtimes, like the ABC's Open Learning program.

All this programming would cost more than the $5 million notionally available after transmission costs. But AVI is hoping the Government subsidy will be closer to $15 million a year initially because Government sources let it be known that a subsidy of $10 million a year would be reasonable, but $20 million a year would be unreasonable. Ergo, there's room to move beyond $50 million over five years. The quid pro quo would be undertakings to lessen the subsidy as advertising sales grow.

Downer and the mandarins of the Department of Trade and Foreign Affairs are pushing for a quick fix of the ATVI shambles because they see the service, properly programmed, as a shining advertisement for Australia's exporters and as a stabilising influence on the entire South-East Asia region.

The ATVI service has failed in this role under Seven's ownership because of its risible programming. During the ABC days, it attracted criticism, particularly from expatriates, who were embarrassed by news reports of Paul Keating at his most explosive, hurling scumbag insults around Parliament.

But many old foreign affairs hands turn that argument, saying it was warts-and-all democracy at work. They look around the region and see wars, insurrections or instability in Aceh, Ambon, Timor, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Fiji, The Philippines, Malaysia and Sri Lanka, and reason that an open and properly programmed Australian voice would be capable of demonstrating that total freedom of speech and freedom of expression is compatible with stable democracy.

Now there's an original thought.

Fed Govt provides funds to maintain Radio Australia

From http://abc.net.au/news/newslink/nat/newsnat-28mar2001-72.htm

The Federal Government is providing $600,000 to maintain the signal of Radio Australia, the ABC's international service.

Radio Australia's signal to South-East Asia and the South Pacific has been threatened by the loss of its piggyback rights on the satellite previously used by Australia Television.

Channel Seven closed down the international TV service last week, depriving Radio Australia of access to its satellite.

Communications Minister Richard Alston says the $600,000 is extra funding so the ABC can secure satellite rights.

Senator Alston says the money will mean Radio Australia can continue to broadcast important services to the region.

170 million to watch Champions Cup

From http://www.sofcom.com.au/cgi-bin/news/getAAPPreview?keyword=cricketchampions

The Champions Cup one-day tournament, mooted as a cricket version of rugby union's successful Super 12 series which starts Thursday, will be beamed to a global television audience of about 170 million.

Disastrous timing has robbed the event of some of the biggest names in cricket, such as Indian master batsman Sachin Tendulkar, South African captain Shaun Pollock and Australian star Adam Gilchrist and placed it at the mercy of a football mad public here.

But WACA spokesman Steve Wright said the global television deal ensured the fledgling tournament would be a success.

According to Wright, Indian government broadcaster Doordarshan, which hosted the recent India-Australia Test series, will replay every game from the Champions Cup into India early next month.

And Sky Sports in New Zealand, South Africa's Super Sports and host broadcaster C7 will transmit into homes in the southern hemisphere.

The round robin tournament between the best one day sides from India, New Zealand, South Africa and Australia is the ACB's vision of a second tier international one-day event, similar to rugby's Super 12.

"They are all taking this seriously," Wright said.

"They can see the event is going to grow, they see it in the same light as the Super 12s rugby.

"The vision is for it to grow to between six and eight teams over a 10 day period."

The Western Warriors won hosting rights as the 2000 Mercantile Mutual Cup champions and their opponents also all lifted the one-day silverware in their respective national tournaments.

The hosts will be without Adam Gilchrist and Damien Martyn, who are on international duty, and allrounder Brendon Julian, who has been given permission to skip the event for personal reasons.

But Test No.3 Justin Langer has returned from India to captain the side.

Mumbai have the biggest loss, that of Tendulkar who is busy terrorising the Australian attack in the one day series in India.

But the side boasts three members of the successful side that claimed the Border-Gavaskar trophy in the third Test - Simar Dighe, Siraj Bahutule and Nilesh Kulkarni.

New Zealand's Central Districts will be captained by promising 22-year-old Jacob Oram who arrived here late today after being released from 12th man duties from New Zealand's Test against Pakistan.

Kiwi one day player Craig Spearman is in the side and Matthew Sinclair will head to Perth as soon as the Test is finished.

Only Kwa Zulu Natal was unable to call on its international players.

South African captain Pollock and allrounder Lance Klusener are in the West Indies on Test duty while batsman Jonty Rhodes has elected to stay at home with his family.

AFL warns Seven

Intelsat Launches New Corporate Identity at Satellite 2001

From http://www.intelsat.int/news/press/2001-05e.asp

Intelsat today launched a new brand identity which focuses on how the company inspires connections with people, businesses and partners around the globe. The center point of the brand is a new visual identity that includes three panels that intersect to form the letter "i" in the middle, representing how Intelsat is a bridge that helps its customers and their worlds connect. The word mark for Intelsat is no longer spelled in all upper case letters, as an acronym, but with an initial capital "I," as the proper name of the company.

Intelsat CEO Conny Kullman, speaking today at the Satellite 2001 conference here this week, commented, "Our key challenge in developing this brand was to show how our resources and technology in the sky make people's lives on earth better -- how we create opportunities for our customers by connecting the world. We also wanted our new brand identity to reflect collaboration, innovation, flexibility and partnering, as these are the drivers that we believe will be key in our future. We are aligning our business practices and priorities with the marketplace, and we believe that this new brand projects Intelsat as a modern, customer-centric company, geared for the future."

At the same time, Intelsat also announced that it had redesigned its web site to conform to the new brand look and feel.

Intelsat is an international communications provider offering Internet, broadcast, telephony and corporate network solutions around the globe through its fleet of 19 satellites. For nearly four decades, many of the world's leading telecommunications companies, multinational corporations and broadcasters in more than 200 countries and territories have relied on Intelsat satellites and staff for quality connections, global reach and reliability.

For further information, please contact us at [email protected] or at +1 202-944-7500.

Some of the statements in this news release may constitute "forward-looking statements" that do not directly or exclusively relate to historical facts. These forward-looking statements reflect our intentions, plans, expectations, assumptions and beliefs about future events and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside our control. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements include known and unknown risks. Because actual results could differ materially from our intentions, plans, expectations, assumptions and beliefs about the future, you are urged to view all forward-looking statements contained in these news releases with caution. Intelsat does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise

28/3/01

Wow a mega huge news edition today. Everyone please take note I am away down in Christchurch from Friday to Monday so there will be no site update over those few days. I will collect everything reported, and update on Tuesday. My signal on B3 12363v seems down it wont lock very often now on the 60cm. I will have to try and locate a bigger dish. Thanks to those who turned up in the chatroom last night its good to see more people from here in NZ joining in. I will try and trim the page tommorow.

A channel is testing on Asiasat 3 KU have a look see if you find anything remember the official coverage maps are not always %100 correct.

From the Dish

Gorizont 25 140E 3875 R "RTR (+8h)" and Radio Rossii have left

Sinosat 110.5E 4075 V "MATV" is new here Sr 6660 Fec 3/4 Anyone in Australia receiving this satellite?

Asiasat 3 105.5E 12598 H "MCTV"Sr 8890 Fec 3/4, is NEW TESTING here reports needed !

Asiasat 3 105.5E 3660 V "Urdu TV Network" has left, replaced by an info card.
(just as we reported LAST week)

Asiasat 3 105.5E 4135 V "Zee Music??" here FTA ?? Sr 15000 Fec 2/3 someone please check

Asiasat 2: 100.5E 3907 H "Reuters TV Singapore feeds", SR 5632, FEC 3/4

Pas 4 68.5E 4185 V "Urdu TV Network" has replaced Zee Music,Middle East beam.

NEWS

Sky NZ solicits bids for betting service

From http://www.idg.net.nz/webhome.nsf/UNID/91E92B43D54CCC04CC256A1C00100212!opendocument

Services due to launch late next month

Sky Television is considering bids from four companies - including a New Zealand firm - to provide an interactive betting service for its digital TV network.

The companies will only be providing the software to enable the service, says Sky CEO John Fellett, with the actual handling of wagers to be "legally worked through the TAB."

Fellett says Sky is looking at each company and its "record of on-time delivery" before making a decision. He admits that repeated delays in rolling out interactive services, which were originally due to launch last September, have been "frustrating".

Sky's chief financial officer Paul Smart told the Wall Street Journal this week that the company was set to launch its first interactive services based on the OpenTV platform late next month.

Fellett says OpenTV engineers brought to New Zealand are "continuing to work through all the bugs of having four different types of decoders in the field and getting the OpenTV applications to talk to our conditional access system, but it looks good" for a launch.

The first application will be an interactive TV guide purchased from Open itself, followed by a weather guide developed by the Wellington firm Oktobor. E-mail, games and the betting service will follow.

The games are being sourced from LudiTV, a division of the French company Visiware.

NDS launches Powered by NDS certification programme in Asia Pacific region

From indiantelevision.com

NDS, a News Corporation company and the leading provider of conditional access systems and interactive applications for digital pay TV, today announced it has launched the new Powered by NDS Certification Program to enable faster and seamless integration of NDS Open VideoGuard conditional access with Asian manufactured set-top boxes (STBs).

The programme, which started in Korea, also targets manufacturers in India, China and Taiwan, a company release says.

The first step of the two-stage certification programme reduces cost of integration and provides added convenience by providing a tool kit to enable the manufacturer to integrate the conditional access system prior to selecting a middleware. Manufacturers who successfully complete stage one will become Powered by NDS Certified Partners. In stage two, the manufacturer receives the VideoGuard Integrator Kit, which enables integration of NDS conditional access with all elements of the STB middleware and hardware. Upon completion of stage two, the vendor will achieve the Powered by NDS Premier Partner certification.

NDS Asia Pacific technical staff in Hong Kong, Beijing, Sydney and Bangalore provide 24/7 technical support for the Asian STB partners. The Certified Partners receive the added benefit of access to NDS markets, exclusive NDS developer tools, and dedicated NDS technical support and consulting services to facilitate expansion of their business.

Zee Music goes digital

From Indiantelevision.com

Zee Music, the 24 hour "Indian Hindi family Music Channel" went digital today while remaining a free to air channel.

The decision to turn digital was to give its viewers sharper pictures and better audio quality, fulfilling the Zee Network's endeavour to provide the best in quality entertainment, according to a company release.

The channel is beaming off Asiasat 3 on Transponder 13V. The downlinking frequency is 4.135 GHz, FEC is 2/3 and Symbol Rate is 15 Mbauds.

These items below from [e-bna] Vol 4 No 2

HONG KONG SAR: First there were five now there are three. I am talking of course of the PayTV scene in HongKong and the new licensees. Firstly, StarTV pulled out weeks ago. And now 10 days before operators must pay their first operator's performance bond to the government, Hong Kong Network TV Limited (NETV) pulled the plug on its proposed service citing "unreasonable" interconnect charges that it would have to pay Pacific Century Cyberworks/HK Telecom making any operation unprofitable. The Hong Kong Telecommunications Authority (TA) covers itself on this point - and had already issued a clear statement regarding broadband interconnection reserving the power to determine the terms and conditions of interconnection should competition be prejudiced by excessive interconnection charges levied by network operators. But this was obviously to no avail in the case of NETV. Curiously, Galaxy Satellite Broadcasting, the subsidiary of dominant terrestrial player, HKTVB missed paying its $HK88 million (US$11 million) bond by the March 23 deadline. The company says it is seeking government permission to defer payment until the company has concluded deals with strategic investors. Galaxy's General Manager, Stanley Tang was quoted in the SCMP newspaper as saying, "Poor market sentiment has cost us a longer negotiation period with strategic investors to conclude our fund-raising plans." According to Galaxy, it was unable to cash in the US$150 million investment committed by Malaysian businessman T. Ananda Krishnan (through his TV entities Measat Broadcast Network Systems and Astro Broadcast Corp) because the firm had yet to conclude any deal with other strategic investors. Krishnan agreed to invest US$150 million to take a 40 per cent stake in Galaxy. However, he required TVB to reduce its interest in Galaxy from an existing 62.13 per cent to less than 50 per cent and place out part of its Galaxy shares to other strategic investors. Of course, Galaxy is in no hurry over these matters as it cannot start payTV for 18 months -- a condition of being awarded its license so as not to dominate the marketplace through its combined terrestrial and PayTV operations and give the other startups a chance at fair competition. The Hong Kong Government can only grit its teeth over these unfolding issues, as it is much to blame for the uncertainties surrounding the current marketplace and the post 97 sentiment. Two remaining PayTV licensees, UK's Yes TV and Taiwan's Pacific Digital Media posted their performance bonds on time which were HK$13.41 million and HK$4 million respectively. (US1.00 = HK$7.8)

Oops! On March 19, Australia Television folded.

Why is it Australian politicians fail to see the benefit to the country of a vibrant international radio and TV service, sufficiently funded to do its job properly and run by the ABC? The operator of Australia Television, Channel Seven, said the overseas satellite service was not commercially viable. Just four years ago Seven took it over from the ABC. If under ABC, the satellite service to Asia-Pacific however was considered "too parochial", under Seven it became a joke with ancient soap opera re-runs that bore no resemblance to Australian society's present day values. It so happens that the Seven Network was heavily criticized by the domestic audience for its mishandling of the Sydney Olympic Games programming as being too commercial and discriminatory. As to ATV, the government last year called for bidders to revamp the service with an annual injection of up to US$7.5 million a year to maintain the international TV service. But after Channel Seven was selected again to run the service there was a howl of protests from around Asia Pacific - mainly expatriate Australians. The government had selected Seven and the publicly-funded Special Broadcasting Service as the preferred bidder but differences between the two broadcasters prevented the partnership going ahead. There is a growing lobby in the Aussie broadcasting establishment that believes it would be better to have a strong Radio Australia service rather than a lacklustre TV service. The Government still wants an international TV service says a spokesman for the Foreign Affairs Minister, Alexander Downer, MP. Views on the subject can be sent directly to the minister [email protected]

In a related story.... Seven Network will cut back investment in online and other new media business, after operating profit for its latest six months slumped 87 percent . Its i7 web site losses tore holes in the profits from Seven's exclusive coverage in Australia of the Sydney Olympics. However Chairman Kerry Stokes said the "initial success" of i7 in its first three months indicated Seven had created a successful online business.

Since March 19, CNBC Asia Pacific has started to run its stocks "ticker" through commercial breaks as well as programming broadcast Monday-Friday across all its local services. Viewer research has shown that continuous access to the an on-screen "stock ticker" is one of the top requests to TV broadcasters of biz news. Up to 75 per cent of U.S. viewers look to CNBC for on-screen market data on the ticker. (Mendelsohn Media Research, October 2000).

CNN: I was reflecting to colleagues just the other day that CNN was letting key rival, CNBC, in the past few weeks take all the kudos in Asia Pacific...well how wrong can one be? On March 18, CNN launched its most comprehensive marketing initiative to date under the banner: "Be the First to Know". This is the first time that CNN's eight English-language TV and web services outside the United States have adopted a single message for simultaneous roll-out.

Thailand: From April 1, The National Geographic Channel will be featuring one-hour of prime-time with Thai audio every day on its UBC distribution..

India: From July 1, Turner's Cartoon Network in India will expand to full day scheduling. The company is currently exploring alternative distribution platforms to deliver TCM Turner Classic Movies as a premium offering in markets that present that opportunity. Until now, TCM and Cartoon Network have been a shared service in most Asian markets, with the Hollywood classic movies being featured from 9:00 pm to 5:00 am.

Singapore: Nickelodeon joined CableVision's MaxTV platform on March 9

BBC World has revamped its airtime sales operation in Singapore. Sunita Rajan is promoted to Deputy Airtime Sales Director; Colin Lawrence becomes Strategy and Sales Operations Director while Alison Rust is promoted to Sponsorship and Sales Development Director. The team has added Kerry Richards as Account Manager (from Network Ten, Australia), and Jennifer Heng, as Account Executive. The BEEB says more clients want to sponsor its programming.

Intelsat Secures US$1 Billion Credit Facility

From [sat-nd] 28.03.2001

Intelsat has secured a US$1 billion credit facility intended
to provide liquidity support for the expansion of the company's
business and privatisation expenses, including a final
distribution to its current investors, the international
satellite organisation said in a press release.

In connection with its privatisation, currently scheduled for
18 July 2001, Intelsat is becoming self-funding. This recently
syndicated unsecured credit facility will also be available to
support general corporate purposes, including working capital
needs, the organisation said.

NewSat offers capacity on former Palapa B2R

From [sat-nd] 28.03.2001

While it didn't go unnoticed that the Indonesian Palapa B2R--a
Hughes-built C-band satellite--was recently relocated to 42.5
degrees East and renamed NewSat 1, little has been known about
the buyer of the spacecraft. A press release from NewSat-USA,
LLC, does practically nothing to change this.

NewSat-USA, based in New Jersey, is a privately-held company
offering international satellite capacity for Internet, voice,
data and video services. The company said it plans to add to its
satellite fleet in the future, and in addition, anticipates the
announcement of a major gateway in Europe in the very near
future. This gateway will offer access to NewSat 1 as well as
international fibre and Internet connectivity.

NewSat-1 has 24 C-band 36 MHz transponders plus spares. All
primary systems are also available with redundancies. Battery
power is sufficient to run with a full load through the eclipse
periods. Its C-band beam centre power is 35 dBW. The footprint
provides coverage from as far West as London, to as far East as
Beijing. From North to South, coverage is available from Moscow
to New Delhi, and extends to points beyond.

Current inclination is about 0.6 degrees and its anticipated
additional lifetime is 8.5 years with inclined station keeping.
TT&C will continue to be performed by PTT Telekom Indonesia.

The company has this to say about itself: "NewSat USA is a
subsidiary of NewSat Holdings Limited of Bermuda. The company
offers satellite capacity for international Internet, voice,
data and video services. Its founders are Jack Albert and Robert
Wardrop."

27/3/01

Live chat in the chat room is on tonight 8.30pm Syd time, don't forget! Lots of news in the news section, more on its way tommorow. The base for my dish is all made up. My brother still has to weld the pole up and bolt the plate to the concrete but at least things are happening, I will try and get a photo up of it soon.

There is a new website about Australian Pay tv http://australianpaytelevision.gcsnet.net/

From my Emails & ICQ

Peter Berret emails the following

Hi all

Here is some interesting international feedback about Australia Television I
came across from Singapore

http://eyeball.asia1.com.sg/Eyeball/Story/1,1381,12370,00.html

I loved the following comment
"Maybe the Australian Consulate should send a memo to Canberra and get this
lame channel put down before it does too much damage."

I think they did!
cheers Peter

Hi Craig,

Recently I started a Yahoo group dedicated to Australian Satellite Pay TV installers,
Ever since installing Australian company Comet has started they have actively discouraged individual contractors from communicating,

Hopefully this group will aid individuals to communicate to discuss all points about there industry,

Would it be possible for me to post a couple of lines to Apsattv to let your members that this group has started?

Here is the link to it

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Vomet

Hope to hear from you soon,
CompactHack.

From Robert Anthony

Something is amiss at Boomerang TV. The customer rep said that they had
their contract for cartoon Network/TNT pulled very unexpectedly last
Friday PM. They have yet to publish a reason and suggested I write a
complaint letter.

Robert

From the Dish

Pas 2 169E 3767 H "Korean mux has been running here" Sr 8322, FEC 3/4,
Pas 2 169E 3767 H "KBS TV 1" Vpid 33 Apid 35
Pas 2 169E 3767 H "Ytn" Vpid 33 Apid 35

Websites

KBS http://www.kbs.co.kr/

KBS Video Stream http://www.kbs.co.kr/onair/H_1TV.asx

YTN http://www.ytn.co.kr

YTN Video stream 56k http://www.ytn.co.kr/ytn/livenews/live_56.asp
YTN Video stream 200k http://www.ytn.co.kr/ytn/livenews/live_200.asp

Pas 8 166E 12726 V "Cartoon Network / TNT" has left Espn and Animal Planet, CNN still FTA

NEWS

Voice of Australia faces Friday deadline

From http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/2001/03/27/FFXHRE4ARKC.html

The ABC is negotiating last-minute measures to save Radio Australia from going off the air by Friday.

The broadcaster's transmissions to a range of Asian and South Pacific countries were thrown into doubt last week when the Seven Network closed Australia Television International.

Radio Australia had relied on a piggyback deal with Australia Television, using its satellite space to broadcast into countries such as Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong, Cambodia and Vietnam.

A contract with the Indonesian operator SatelIndo expired yesterday, but the ABC negotiated an extension until Friday and hopes to sign another, more permanent contract by the end of the week.

"We are on the air ... we will be on the air until Friday, and we're still negotiating," said Colin Knowles, the ABC's director of technology and distribution.

It is believed that satellite fees cost more than $10million a year - money the ABC will seek from the government as part of its Australia Television package.

"It's all tied up with the government's vision about what it's doing with Australia Television," Mr Knowles said. He was confident that a long-term broadcast arrangement would be reached.

A spokesman for Communications Minister Richard Alston said the government was "considering further options for the provision of an international television service, and we will consider if there's a need to support any new satellite delivery arrangements ... to ensure that Radio Australia continues to be received throughout the region".

But Labor MP Kevin Rudd condemned the government's management of Radio Australia, including a halving of the broadcaster's budget in 1997. "Radio Australia represents an extraordinary catalogue of mismanagement by the government," he said.

Picture blurred for sluggish pay TV unit

From http://www.theage.com.au/business/2001/03/26/FFXSWVF6SKC.html

A cloud hangs over the future of Optus Vision - the pay TV division - after SingTel yesterday refused to guarantee it would keep the loss-making business, and indicated it would bring in other partners.

Following Singtel's $17 billion bid for Cable & Wireless Optus, SingTel chief executive Lee Hsien Yang said the future of the pay TV business would be discussed with management. However, no decision is expected until after the Optus deal is completed at the end of June.

"We think there are some options and ideas that we have. But it is too early for us to put a definitive position on that right now," said Mr Lee.

Optus pay TV chief Mike Lattin resigned yesterday.

Optus has fallen well behind Foxtel in the pay TV battle in metropolitan areas. Foxtel, boasting more than 700,000 subscribers, has a customer base of more than two-and-a-half times Optus' 200,000.

As SingTel does not operate a pay TV business anywhere else in the world, analysts expect the company to seek to off-load Optus Vision.

As well as a stagnant subscriber base, ongoing negative cashflow, and a cable network needing an upgrade for digital technology, Optus Vision has now relinquished to rival Foxtel the rights to broadcast all major sporting events.

"To succeed in pay TV, you need both content and money," said one media analyst. "No one is going to supply the money, and all the content is locked into Foxtel."

Analysts doubt SingTel will invest the sizeable amount in programming and digitising the Optus' cable network that is required to make the business an attractive purchase.

Mr Lee said SingTel had a strong balance sheet to fund the expected $1 billion cost of digitising to provide interactive TV services.

Given the dip in sharemarket valuations, neither Kerry Packer's Publishing & Broadcasting nor Austar, which both held talks with Optus to buy the pay TV unit last year, will likely have the funds to buy it now.

As Foxtel is valued at $1.8-$2 billion, any sale of Optus pay TV is expected to fetch less than $1 billion - a far cry from the $4 billion price tag a year ago. In the absence of a local buyer, analysts said, a UK player such as Granada could bid.

ACCC warns cable owners to open up digital services

From http://www.sofcom.com.au/cgi-bin/news/getAAPPreview?keyword=accccable

Australia's competition watchdog has warned telecommunications giants Telstra Corp Ltd and Cable & Wireless Optus Ltd to make arrangements for open access to digital services or face regulation.

As Singapore Telecommunications today announced a takeover bid for CWO, the country's second largest telco, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) chairman Professor Allan Fels put the cable owners on notice.

"Both Telstra and C&W Optus are reported to be planning to digitise their existing networks later this year," Professor Fels said in his Australian Telecoms Cisco lecture, to be given tonight.

"Potential suppliers of retail programming need to have access to the networks if competition is to develop in digital service provision and diverse service choices are to be made available to consumers."

Professor Fels said recent uncertainty surrounding the future role and structure of C&W Optus had slowed the roll-out of new urban infrastructure.

He said the regulatory authority has no problem with SingTel's $17.2 billion buyout bid for C&W Optus.

"It now seems clear that SingTel will be the new owner of Optus," Professor Fels said.

"The ACCC has no concerns about this, since SingTel is a new entrant with no current role in Australia."

Access to hybrid fibre coaxial (HFC) networks for the delivery of analogue pay TV services was mandated by the ACCC in 1999.

However at the time there was uncertainty about the emerging digital environment and the ACCC decided to keep the question under review.

"It is clearly in the interests of both suppliers of retail services and customers for broadband networks to be open," Professor Fels said.

"This means that access to the network should be available to suppliers on non-discriminatory terms and conditions."

Regulation of digital platforms will be considered where commercial forces are being undermined and open access stifled, the ACCC boss warned.

Adding weight to the warning, Professor Fels pointed to the experience of pay TV suppliers attempting to gain access to cables controlled by Foxtel and Telstra.

"Telstra and Foxtel have frustrated every effort to open up access to competitors," he said.

"They have engaged in a lengthy campaign to prevent access to competing pay TV providers and slow down the processes.

"They are clearly both able and willing to devote considerable energy and resources to such activities."

If digital platform owners do not take the initiative in opening up their networks for digital services, they can expect intervention.

"They can take the regressive step of maintaining closed shops and then face the inevitable demands from potential retail competitors, governments and customers for regulatory intervention," Professor Fels said.

GSLV launch tomorrow, live telecast on DD

From indiantelevision.com

The countdown has begun for the launch of India's long delayed Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) tomorrow from Sriharikota, India's spaceport 100 km north of Chennai in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.

National broadcaster Doordarshan will telecast the launch live. DD's national network will start the telecast of the launch at about 3.15 pm Indian time.

A curtain raiser programme on GSLV will also be telecast, a release from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), said on Monday.

CNBC, Aaj Tak lay claim to top slot among news channels


From Indian Television.com

CNBC India and Aaj Tak from the India Today stable, both quoting AC Nielsen TAM data, have separately come out with figures showing their respective channels as the leaders among the news channels.

"We are now the number one news channel in India even if we don't factor in the viewership figures in offices, for which there is no proper tracking system in place," asserts Haresh Chawla, CNBC India CEO.

Reeling off AC Nielsen TAM data to back his contention, Chawla says the figures speak for themselves. For a four week period ending 10 March, data culled from nine major cities, category SEC A, age group 25+ shows Aaj Tak from the India Today stable coming a close second, Chawla points out. Zee News and Star News come third and fourth, he says. The figures quoted for channel share were: CNBC - 0.7, Aaj Tak - 0.6, Zee News - 0.5, Star News - 0.4, BBC - 0.1 and CNN and Jain TV as negligible.

TV Today Network executive director G Krishnan, however has his own tale to tell on the subject. "Within 60 days Aaj Tak has become the most watched news channel in India. Aaj Tak has managed to capture an audience share of 33 per cent among the news channels, which is equivalent to that of Zee News whereas Star News gets 15 per cent channel share. The channel has created a loyal audience base with Aaj Tak viewer spending 32 minutes on the channel as against 15 minutes on Star News and 23 minutes on Zee News." Interestingly, Krishnan also quotes AC Nielson's TAM data to support his argument. And CNBC figures nowhere in his calculations.

And for good measure, Krishnan also refers to INTAM data in buttressing his argument. "Aaj Tak has already captured 33 per cent share among the news channels which goes up to 37 per cent as against 26 per cent for Zee News and 17 per cent for Star News in Sec A, B/15+years target group. The latest INTAM report also confirms that Aaj Tak is the most watched news channel with a channel share of 31 per cent which is higher than that of Star News and Zee News," says Krishnan.

Chawla says CNBC is in the process of beefing up its five bureaus in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkota, Madras and Bangalore, adding that it has recently expanded its anchor teams.

As for Hindi programmes, Chawla says there will be an increase of half an hour per day (from one-and-a-half hours to two-and-a-half-hours) over the next two quarters which would take Indian programming on the channel to 11 hours a day from the present 10.

Krishnan, meanwhile, scores his channel's performance as being linked to its easily comprehensible and in-depth news coverage coupled with state of the art technology and graphics. Advertisers have also been quick to realise the channel's worth with brands like Nestle, LG, Opel Corsa, Videocon, Berger, Oriental Insurance etc, advertising, Krishnan says.

The channel has recently introduced a stock ticker keeping in view of the audience with interest in business news. "Our viewership growth is a function of cutting edge technology & extensive coverage of everyday events & happenings," Krishnan asserts.

On plans for the near term, Krishnan says the company is exploring the possibility of launching news channels in regional languages as well as a 24-hour Hindi business channel in future, the plans for which would be firmed up by the end of this year.

Chawla, meanwhile, says the channel is setting up additional facilities in telecom and infrastructure in the coming quarter which will enable a direct uplink to Singapore. "We will invest $ 500,000 in telecom facilities in Delhi for uplinking to Singapore. A V-Sat link to VSNL's hub is being set up in Delhi for this purpose, he says, adding that a laser link was what CNBC was using earlier.

26/3/01

Very little today, I have had another look for the KU internet on I702 with no success.

From my Emails & ICQ

Seen by me Sunday 25/03/01

B3 12363 V "NRL Roosters vs Bulldogs" Sr 6111 Vpid 4160 Apid 4120
B3 12363 V "Horse raceing"
B3 12336 V "NSL Soccer"

B1 12367 V "NRL Melbourne vs Knights" Sr 5632 Vpid 308 Apid 256

From the Dish

Nothing new

NEWS

Outdated big satellite dishes find new life in Appalachia

From http://www.messenger-inquirer.com/news/kentucky/2928356.htm

HAZARD -- They were once jokingly referred to as the state flower of Kentucky and West Virginia.
The 10-foot fiberglass satellite dishes rose from metal stems like huge dandelions on lawns in sparsely populated areas of Appalachia where cable television wasn't available.

Now becoming outdated, some of the dishes are being trashed while others are being put to imaginative new uses.

Mike Lamz saw no need to build a shingled roof on his gazebo at his rural home outside Hazard. An unused satellite dish, turned upside down, provided the perfect dome-shaped cover.

"Actually, there's quite a few of the dishes being used for gazebos," said Lamz as he removed unnecessary parts from the top of his new gazebo. "We borrowed the idea from one we had seen."

Tony Lewis, coordinator of a volunteer cleanup effort in Perry County, praised the newfound use of the satellite dishes that numbered more than 2 million in rural America in the 1980s.

"They're structurally sound," he said. "No matter how much snow you packed on, it's not going to come down."

Many people have found alternative uses for the large dishes since smaller ones began replacing them, said Karen Engle, director of PRIDE, an eastern Kentucky group that cleans up illegal dumps.

"One man had made an ornamental fish pond for his front lawn," she said. "He dug a hole and put the dish inside and lined the top with rocks. It worked well."

The dishes also would work well for watering livestock and growing flowers, said Dennis Farley of Blaine, who also claimed an abandoned satellite dish for a gazebo roof.

Harry Thibedeau, a spokesman for the National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative, said some of the dishes also have been used for bird baths, but many still are being used to collect television signals from orbiting satellites.

At least 2 million homes subscribed to television programming via the large dishes in the 1980s when they reached their height of popularity, Thibedeau said. Now, he said, that number has dwindled to about 1 million.

When the less obtrusive 12-inch dish systems, like those offered by Direct TV, hit the market in 1994, they quickly overtook the large ones in sales. Thibedeau said the smaller versions, which some companies offer free to customers who pay monthly fees for television programming, now number about 15 million.

Unfortunately, Engle said not everyone has found imaginative uses for the large dishes as interest in them waned. Many of them, she said, are being tossed into illegal roadside dumps.

Along with household trash, refrigerators and junk cars, Engle said the satellite dishes also are turning up.

"We're finding those," she said. "It's an ongoing problem."

Ronnie Sizemore, solid waste coordinator in Knox County, said it's too bad more people don't see the potential uses of the dishes.

"We have a large number of them thrown over in illegal dumps since people have begun using these smaller dishes," he said.

25/3/01

Lots of news for today.

The official memorial service for the late Sir Donald Bradman will be a national event in Australia this evening.

The service will be held one month to the day after Sir Donald, widely acknowledged as the greatest cricketer Australia and possibly the world has ever seen, passed away in his Adelaide home on February 25 at the age of 92.

The memorial service will be televised live in Australia on the ABC, Sky News Australia and Fox Sports Two from 7pm Adelaide time (7.30pm in eastern Australia, 0930GMT). Star Sports will be televising the service live in India from 3pm IST. Channel Nine, who are providing the broadcast facilities for the service, will show a replay later in the evening following their regular Sunday prime-time programming. The ABC are also broadcasting the event on radio and will be webcasting live (abc.net.au).

There will probably be a few feeds of the service on B1 or B3, I will be watching it on ABC Northern

From my Emails and ICQ

Reported by me 24/3/01

B1 12367 V "NRL Sharks vs Penrith" Sr 5630 Vpid 308 Apid 256 says "india/path.1" in the info
B3 12363 V "NRL Cowboys vs Tiger" Sr 6111 Vpid 4160 Apid 4120

This from Dave

Hi Craig,

Nothing on 4193H on Pas2 or 8 with my 2.3 Mesh
picking up 12363V on a 90 loud and clear In Brisbane on a 90Cm

Regards
Dave

From the Dish

PAS 2 169E 3793 V "Arirang TV World 2" has left, moved to PAS 8. (Encrypted signal)

PAS 8 166E 3815 V "Arirang TV World 2" has started on ,SR 4400, Fec 3/4.(Encrypted signal)

BSAT 2A 122.5E now geostationary at 122.5 East, will soon be tested someone with a Nokia have a search for this one?

Asiasat 2 100.5E Many happenings with the radio services on this satellite

New APID for "Liaoning People's Radio": 257, left.
3806 V "Guangxi People's Radio" has started on , Apid 256, right.
3813 V "Shaanxi Economic Radio" has started on , Apid 81, right.
3820 V "Anhui People's Radio" has started on , Apid 256, right.

NEWS

T S I C H A N N E L N E W S - Number 12/2001 - March 25 2001 -

A weekly roundup of global TV news sponsored by Tele Satellite International
Editor: Branislav Pekic

(Editred Apsattv.com eidition)

AS I A

CARTOON NETWORK TO BECOME 24 HOUR SERVICE

Time Warner’s Cartoon Network on March 30 announced that it will expand to a
24-hour network in Asia starting from July 1. The channel currently reaches 23
million TV homes in the region but up until now it has run as a shared service
with Turner Classic Movies. (TCM). Turner Entertainment Networks Asia is also
exploring alternative distribution platforms to deliver TCM as a premium
offering in some Asian markets.

SHOWTIME ADDS TWO CHANNELS

ShowTime is adding two more premium channels, Discovery Civilisation Channel
and Animal Planet, to its television entertainment package. The Discovery
Civilisation Channel is exclusive to ShowTime and offers 12 hours a day of
educational documentaries. Animal Planet is a joint venture with the BBC and is
entirely devoted to animals.

AUSTRALIA

END OF THE ROAD FOR AUSTRALIA TELEVISION

The plug has been pulled on Seven Network’s Australia International Television
after the broadcaster said it was not viable. The commercial television
broadcaster’s announcement came despite the Australian government offering to
contribute up to $15 million a year for the service. Australia Television
transmitted current affairs, news and religious programs into countries such as
Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia. The target audience was expatriate
Australians. The March 19 decision comes as little surprise as Seven warned in
August the satellite service, which it bought from the public broadcaster ABC
in 1997, was not viable. Seven said it was still willing to provide

Australian-produced programming for any new Australian service in the region.
Meanwhile, the Australian government is seeking private companies to take over
and expand the ailing service. The government is offering subsidies of up to 10
million Australian dollars a year over five years for a bidder to take over the
service from Seven Network Ltd. Seven took over the Australia Television
service (ATV) from the state-funded Australian Broadcasting Corp. in 1997 after
the government refused to continue funding it. The front-runner to take over
the service is Australian Vision International headed by David Hill, a former
managing director of the ABC.

UGC SAVES AUSTAR

Australian pay-TV company Austar has received a cash injection of A$200 million
from its parent company UnitedGlobalCom. Austar reported losses of A$319.4
million for the year to December, three times the 1999 figure. However, it
announced an expected subscriber increase of 9 per cent for 2000, adding that
it expected to breakeven by 2004. The DTH operator invested A$488 million in
2000, and estimates further costs of A$297 million in 2001.

PUBCASTER PLANS KIDS AND YOUTH DTT CHANNEL

Australia’s public broadcaster has revealed plans to launch a kids’ and youth
channel on DTT by the middle of the year. The Australian Broadcasting Corp. is
currently seeking program concepts from independent producers for the channel,
with a start-up budget of $A3 million dollars. Under government regulations,
only Australia’s two public broadcasters are allowed to use their digital
spectrum for multichannel services.

CHINA - HONG KONG

NETV TO WITHDRAW PAY-TV SERVICE

Hong Kong Network TV (NETV), a subsidiary of Sino-i.com, on March 19 confirmed
that it plans to withdraw from offering a local pay-TV service. It’s the second
casualty, after News Corp. subsidiary Star TV pulled out in December last year.
It now looks like pay-TV incumbent i-CABLE Communications, broadband content
provider Galaxy and Taiwan-based DTH unit Pacific Digital Media will supply the
region’s 1.8 million TV households.

CCIC INVESTS IN SATELLITE SECTOR

Chengdu Chuanhong Industrial Co. (CCIC) has become the first company in
mainland China to invest in the international satellite TV media sector. The
Sichuan company has invested 27 million yuan in Macau’s Five Star TV Station
and now holds 25 per cent of its shares. Five Star TV, a world-oriented
international satellite TV company, started broadcasting in December 2000 and
its Chinese programs are broadcast to dozens of countries and regions in the
world.

SUBSTANTIAL GROWTH FOR NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNEL

The National Geographic Channel on March 22 reported substantial growth in
China, through the airing of three Mandarin program blocks on cable systems and
terrestrial platforms. According to MD Ward Platt, it’s now the top performing
international program block on the mainland. The channel currently works with
the Sofres agency to monitor pass-through on all cable systems and terrestrials
which carry its programming.

GOVERNMENT PLANS CONSOLIDATION OF TV NETWORKS

China plans to merge all of its cable- and broadcast-television networks into a
single state-owned enterprise this year, the broadcast industry regulator
confirmed on March 22. Separating network assets from those involved in the
creation of content may set the stage for private and eventually foreign
investment in cable networks, analysts said. Under the current system, cable
and television stations in China, and their associated networks, are owned by
local governments. The restructuring plan calls for SARFT, the national
broadcast-industry regulator, to essentially buy out local owners and bring the
networks under its control. Major state-owned enterprises will possibly be the
first investors to be approved under the new arrangement, while foreign
investors could then gain an indirect exposure to the cable industry by
investing in the overseas-listed units of such companies. SARFT figures show
there are now more than 90 million cable subscribers in China, but most of the
cable networks currently support one-way broadcasting.

INDIA

SET TO JOIN VNSL DIGITAL PLATFORM

Sony Entertainment Television (SET) on March 23 announced it plans to invest
around R1.5 billion in DTH satellite broadcasting. It will use the platform
being set up by telco giant Videsh Sanchar Nigam, Ltd. (VSNL) to enter the
business. While VSNL will provide the basic platform, content providers such as
Zee TV, Star Group and SET will use the platform to air a bouquet of channels.
VSNL has been talking to PanAmSat and IntelSat for uplinking. VSNL will likely
charge a rental fee for the broadcasters using the platform and would also
charge a nominal fee from the subscribers. SET is planning to offer 20 new
channels via the DTH platform.

INDONESIA

BIMANTARA TO BUY METRO TV STAKE

PT Bimantara Citra, a holding company for widely diversified businesses, plans
to acquire 25 per cent of a new television broadcasting company, Metro TV. In a
letter to the Jakarta Stock Exchange, BMTR said shareholders' approval for the
plan is expected when the shareholders meet on April 17. BMTR, which is owned
by Bambang Trihatmojo, a son of former President Soeharto, is now a 69 per cent
shareholder of Rajawali Citra Televisi Indonesia, the country's first privately
owned television broadcasting company.

NEPAL

NEPAL TV CHOSES BHARAT TO GO DIGITAL

Bharat Electronics is to upgrade Nepal TV Corporation’s hub equipment to
digital from analogue in a $450,000 deal, according to India Business Insight.
The Bangalore-based company will set up digital uplink equipment and remote
television receive-only terminals, upgrade existing hub equipment and supply
and integrate digital video encoders and modulators.

Sabe TV modifies screen logo

From Indiantelevision.com

Sri Adhikari Brothers Entertainment (Sabe) TV has recently modified its logo keeping its Hindi speaking audience in mind.

"We slightly changed the design and added the Hindi script because that is what we are. A Hindi entertainment channel," explains Markand Adhikari, the company's vice-chairman and managing director.

"With the changed logo, viewer identification will be that much simpler," Adhikari says.

24/3/01

Some happenings with B3 Mediasat, 2 signals Mediasat cards on 12363V, first signal is 12336v. Load 12336v NIT loads 12363V, 4193H, 12365V strange. 12363 V requires at least a 90cm in Australia. 4193H might be Pas 2? Reports please?

12363 V Vpid 4160 Apid 4120 PCR 4160 Sids 1&10 PMT 5001

From my Emails & ICQ

From "Siam Global"

WELL IT SEEMS MY GUESS WAS WRONG. THERE IS NOW AN ON SCREEN NOTICE SAYING THE SERVICE SHUTTING DOWN PERMANENTLY AT 01700 GMT FRIDAY. NOW WILL HAVE TO FLY THERE IF WE WANT A TASTE OF AUSTRALIA....VERY SAD AND ALSO STUPID , AS READ RECENTLY THAT THE COST OF A DIGITAL TRANSPONDER HAS COME DOWN TO NO MORE THAN HALF A MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR NOW AND IF THE PROGRAMMING IS THERE ,IT DOESN'T NEED THE WEALTH OF A MURDOCH OR A PACKER TO RUN SUCH A SERVICE (BROADCASTING IN ANALOGUE THEY WERE PROBABLY PAYING A TRANSPONDER RENTAL OF EIGHT TIMES THAT AMOUNT AND THAT IS WHAT MUST HAVE CAUSED THE LARGE LOSSES )

From Tony Drexel

Subject: Australia Television now OFF-AIR permanently
Message as shown at close of transmissions.........

"AUSTRALIA TELEVISION"
will go off air midnight friday 23rd March Jakarta time permanently.
The Management and Staff would like to thank our many loyal viewers across
the region and regret that we can no longer offer the service"


Unbelievable that this should happen in this age of technology...........

Tony Drexel,
Free To Air Satellite Svcs, South Australia.

Picture thanks to Andrew Harrison

Andrew also supplies

Craig,

the DeLaHoya pic is off I701@ 180 E.3769 R Sr 20000 "Newsforce Australia" feed,
suggests fight live here at midday Sydney time on Sunday.

From the Dish

Measat 2 148E 11540 H "Mediasat mux" has left

Gorizont 33 145E 3925 R "NTV and TNT (Russia)" have started Sr 20000, Fec 3/4, Vpid 2305-2306 and Apid 2308/2309. As reported the other day anyone find a signal from it?

(T Kameda)
Palapa C2 113E 3880 H "Australia TV" has left , replaced by an info card.(FOR REAL THIS TIME)

Thaicom 3 78.5E 3554 V "CMM Music" has left, replaced by a test card.

NEWS

Radio Australia services hit by ATV closure

From http://www.auspaytv.com/news/mar01/www.amt.org.au/news

Channel 7's Australian Television (ATV) was closed down this week because it was not commercially viable. The decision has implications for Radio Australia, which was using ATV’s Palapa Satellite feed to distribute its RA programs to rebroadcasters and direct to listeners. RA is now facing the prospect of finding another carrier for its services.

ATV was originally the idea of ABC Managing Director, David Hill. The service, funded originally by the ABC and commercial sponsorship, started transmissions into Asia in the early 90s and in 1998 was bought by the Seven network. It continued to lose money, but Seven kept the station running when the Howard Government announced a tender for a $50million, five-year subsidy for a new, fresher ATV. Seven has now pulled out of the tender process despite being the front-runner leaving the tender process unresolved and the service shut down. The ABC was not invited to tender.

At a recent speech ABC Chairman Donald McDonald praised RA’s ability to adapt to funding cuts, but did not give any hint of expecting the most recent developments. He said: “Radio Australia, the ABC's international service, is today better placed than ever to foster a dialogue and act as a bridge between us and our neighbours. In the past three years, Radio Australia has experienced what one might call a renaissance. Faced with funding challenges and increasing international competition, it has reinvented itself to be more responsive to the needs of contemporary audiences in our region, and make full use of existing and new technologies to reach them, whether they be short wave or satellite broadcasting, local relays and rebroadcasts or internet technology.”

Star having a rethink on its DTH plans

Star India, which in January was reported to have in place the blueprint for its DTH operations, appears to be having second thoughts after the government’s recent notification that there would be no changes to the guidelines it issued to broadcasters in November 2000.

Altaf Ali Mohammed, president digital platforms group, who had been brought in from Hong Kong to oversee Star’s DTH project in December last after Star abandoned its DTH plans for Hong Kong, has this to say: “At this point, the risks of going in for DTH are much higher than the possible rewards.”

.ven leaving aside the guidelines themselves, which are anyway extremely stringent, the government has not spelt out clearly some other issues,” Mohammed says. “ As far as computing our costs go, we still don’t have a clear picture on what spectrum usage fees and the uplinking licence fee mentioned in the notification will entail. Add the service tax and new income tax regime in the present budget and it effectively leaves us with little room to manouvre,” Mohammed says.

Queried whether Star has given up on DTH, Mohammed says: “We are putting together a business plan which will go into all aspects of this and the whole process will take at least 30 days. If at the end of this, we feel it is commercially viable for us to get into DTH we will, otherwise no.”

Why a business plan is required at this stage is the question if talk that Mohammed had already readied a report to be presented before the Star's board in Hong Kong is true. Especially considering that in January, Star officials were quoted as saying that “in the absence of any positive response from the government on the issue of raising the foreign equity ceiling to a minimum of 49 per cent, it was anyway launching the project to take a first mover advantage.

23/3/01

Site update delayed by MIR crashing..No not really Fridays update is always late as I am busy on Fridays. 8 channels are loading on B3 Mediasat when i checked before something going on there check 12363v.

From my Emails & ICQ

From Peter Berrett via the mailing list

Hi all


I understand that as of tonight Australia Television will cease. R.I.P.

I have been watching Australia Tv on and off for the last 2 days and have
not seen any announcement about the switch off.


I think the viewers deserve to know what is happening. I feel sorry for the
viewers and expatriates in the asian region who will tomorrow suddenty find
their channel is no more. I hope the Government is able to speedily arrange
an alternative operator so as to ensure continuity of service.

cheers Peter

This from Andrew in Vanuvatu

ATVI alive and kicking (well not really alive) on this tropical morning here
in Vila.

AJH

From Siam Global

TIME 0600 GMT FRIDAY. OZZIE TV STILL GOING STRONG !

Craigs comment, Perhaps someone forgot to pull the plug?

From Sungadi the latest Sports schedule for the weekend

This is the schedule of sports trans. for this week:
All Jakarta time (GMT +7)

PALAPA C2

RCTI

Saturday March 24, 2001 - 22:55
World Cup Qualifying Round Europe Zone:Rusia vs. Slovenia

Sunday March 25, 2001 - 01:15
Rumania vs. Itali

Sunday March 25, 2001 - 10:00
Boxing: Oscar de la Hoya vs. Arturo Gatti

Thursday March 29, 2001 - 01:00
Slovenia vs. Yugoslavia

Thursday March 29, 2001 - 02:30
Portugal vs. Netherland

regards.
Adi

From "Compact Hack"

Recently a Yahoo Group has been started dedicated to Australian Satellite Pay TV installers,

The majority of Australian Satellite Pay TV installers contract through a national company called Comet S & C.
This company actively discourages it's contractors from communicating to each other.

This group is to help Australian Satellite Pay TV installers to make contact and discuss every aspect of there industry.

This group may also be good for others to monitor & contribute to.

Find out the Gossip on Satellite Pay TV from the people at the Cole face.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Vomet

Hope to see you there soon,
Compact Hack.

From the Dish

Thaicom 3 78.5E Sky Racing 2 on 3695 H is now encrypted.

NEWS

Sorry no time for an update here will try and post some tommorow

22/3/01

I located Pas 2 today with the 60cm! so the sites a little late as I have been tweaking the dish and generally enjoying haveing a new satellite to play around with. 12281V and 12637V load Australian Power Vu services plus a few internet streams to check out later. There are signals there that look possible with a bigger dish but won't lock on the 60cm. Ihugs signal on 12480 H is the weakest signal I have seen, no wonder it dies at the nearest hint of rain. They should be useing 1.5M dishs not 90cm ones.

Page trim tommorow

First look at Pas 2 with dvbedit dosn't look good to much cross pol (blue line is where I marked something onscreen by mistake)

Looks a bit better after a slight rotation of the feed

3rd time lucky?

Thats more like it, the red signals are vertical (12281V) (12637V) 12480 H in the middle is Ihugs signal the rest won't lock

From my Emails & ICQ

This from Tony Drexel FTA Sat Services, South Aust

Australia Television is scheduled to shut-down Midnight tonight (Thursday)

Will be sadly missed by viewers in the Australasia/Asia/Pacific area

Perhaps when our government officials next arrive in a hotel room in Asia and turn on a television set to find out what is happening at home, they might wake up to the fact that a grave mistake has been made.

the background to this posting will soon be the picture that once was 'AUSTRALIA TELEVISION'

Craigs comment, maybe the dealers can start organising a petition to bring back an improved service? I still think the way to go is a combined Australia and NZ effort. Perhaps time to find some government email address's to send our complaints to?

From the Dish

All is quiet nothing to report

NEWS

Seven axes Asian satellite TV service

http://afr.com/companies/2001/03/20/FFXOQ8IOHKC.html

Mr Kerry Stokes pulled the plug on his Seven Network's Asian satellite television service on Monday night, claiming it was not commercially viable.

Seven said Australia Television International "will cease operations immediately".

The commercial television broadcaster's announcement came despite the Federal Government's offering to commit up to $15 million a year for the service.

Australia Television beamed current affairs, news and religious programs into countries such as Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia. The target audience was expatriate Australians.

Seven had said last August the satellite service, which it bought from the ABC in 1997, was not viable.

Seven also on Monday formally withdrew its submission to the Government for the provision of a commercial television satellite channel for the Asia-Pacific region. The network said it was still willing to provide Australian-produced programming for any new Australian service in the region.

Mr Stokes' decision comes as Seven tightens its spending on new investments, particularly new media and internet investments.

Seven's half-year profit figures, announced last month, were savaged when the company wrote down the value of these investments by almost $20 million.

"The decision to close Australia Television follows careful consideration of Seven's long-term planning for development - including focus on the further development of the company's core broadcast television business and opportunities in new media technologies in the Australian market," Seven said.

The company said it was continuing to build a presence for Australian programming in Asia through Hong Kong-based Seven Network Asia.

The business provides program sales in the region's cable television market and in China's broadcast television sector.

Seven's shares fell 8¢ to $6.55.

Telstra not 'routed' by lack of satellites

From http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/dailynews/story/0,2000013063,20107180,00.htm

Australia’s biggest ISP has defended criticism that it did not have an adequate satellite network to cope with the week’s underwater shenanigans.

Telstra spokesman Stuart Gray admitted the 650,000-customer ISP would not attempt to re-rout Web traffic via satellite, a situation Monash University IT lecturer Stephen Giles said highlighted the nation’s “particularly poor” degree of satellite coverage.

Giles said Australia was an “unattractive” coverage area for companies that run satellite operations. “That leaves (Telstra) with the small number of entry and exit points that are in place at the moment.”

However, Gray said no amount of satellite coverage would encourage the ISP to consider that as an alternative mode of international Internet connection.

?Satellite just doesn’t have the capacity of cable,” he said. “All our future developments are with cable.”

Telstra would redirect all international Web traffic via its undamaged “Eastern cable” until the damaged “Western cable” was repaired, he said.

The 37,000-kilometre SEA-ME-WE 3 Internet cable, that connects Australia to Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, was slashed at the bottom of the ocean near Singapore on Monday afternoon. The damage left Telstra’s Bigpond network running at 30 percent its normal capacity, until traffic was switched over to the other cable. Gray said the ISP was currently running at around 75 percent its normal capacity.

Gray said the repair ship was expected to “set sail” on Thursday afternoon, and that repairs were expected to be completed early next week.

The cost of the job would be covered by the consortium of 90 international players that own the cable, Gray said. He would not estimate the cost of the repair, but said a similar repair in Australian waters had cost the consortium AU$200,000. Telstra’s fiscal stake in the consortium was less than five percent, he said.

The spokesman said the single cable was coping “quite well” with traffic during off peak hours. However, “there has been some slowness during peak periods.”

The ISP had not received any official complaints from customers who were denied access to the Web, Gray said.

Vyvx connects NSS-513 (183E)

From [sat-nd] 21.03.2001

Williams Communications, a provider of broadband services for
bandwidth-centric customers, is providing New Skies Satellites
teleport facilities for New Skies' Asia Pacific satellite,
giving customers a combined fibre and satellite connection
between North America and the Pacific Rim.

Under the terms of the agreement, Williams Communications
Broadband Media Services, through its Vyvx business, is
providing a dedicated 16.4-meter antenna at its Los Angeles
teleport for New Skies' NSS-513 satellite at 183 degrees East.
In addition to the satellite connectivity, the Vyvx teleport
gives New Skies access to Williams Communications' network, the
largest next- generation fibre-optic network in the United
States. Services supported include New Skies' IPsys Internet
service, as well as other video and data services.

21/3/01

Lots of stuff today for a change. Hope you find something of interest.

SatcoDX reports THT Russian on 145E 3925 RHC Sr 20000, Fec 3/4 can someone check it out preferably someone with the correct circular feed

From my Emails & ICQ

From Tony Drexel FTA Satellite Services S. Australia

Australia TV still running as at 11pm Adelaide time, Tuesday night.

When ATV closes, we will be saying good-bye to our only international tv channel.

Australia TV has proven itself as a wonderful vehicle for promoting Tourism, Goodwill, Culture, and Understanding, along with developing Economic Growth for Australia.

If Australia TV shuts down, I doubt there will be anything to replace it in the future.

Let the people in Canberra know that this is a very big mistake.

We need to keep it going.
Tony Drexel.
Free To Air Satellite Services, S.Aust.

Craigs reply, If they can't make it work as Australia Television perhaps they should be looking at joining forces with New Zealand and produceing a combined effort. I would like to see them relaunch in 6 months time as "Australasia TV" a general entertainment channel that would combine the best programming from Australia and New Zealand. What does everyone else think about this idea?

From Jeff Bannister

Hi Craig.

well its 9.13pm and i just checked and im watching C7 sports on australia
television on palapa c2 so i dont know what your all on about..im in the
lower south west of WA and receiving on a 3m mesh KTI, I also checked Insat
2B and are receiving 2 channels at P3, 1 at 4125v and 4166v

regards jeff bannister

Craigs reply, yes we were a little hasty with banishing Australia TV off our screens, the latest date for shutdown is Thursday. Those channels you report are on Insat 2C at the same location unless your 4166V could be "DD Gyandarshan" Lyngsat reports on Insat 2B 4170V

From Siam Global

ITS NOW 14.30 GMT. 20 MARCH . OZZIE TV STILL GOING STRONG DESPITE A REPORT ON YOUR WEBSITE TODAY SAYING IT HAD GONE.. AMAZINGLY LYNGSAT HAVE ACCEPTED AND PUBLISHED AN INCORRECT REPORT THAT THE SIGNAL HAS GONE. PERHAPS SAT ENTHUSIASTS SHOULD NOT BELIEVE BLIND EVERYTHING THEY SEE ON LYNGSAT !

PS YES STILL ON PALAPA C2 3880H WHERE ITS ALWAYS BEEN.. STILL KEEPING FINGERS CROSSED FOR A REPRIEVE

Craigs Reply, Thursday is now the scheduled shutdown day. Also note the unreliable SatcoDX site has also posted that its already gone.

SEVEN AGREE TO CONTINUE AUSTRALIA TV SERVICE

A special Apsattv.com report from Peter Berret

In a last minute agreement the Seven network have agreed to continue operation
of its much maligned Australia Television service. However due to limited funding a number of program changes will occur. Despite this Seven have promised to continue its tradition of programming excellence.

As of April 1st programming will consists principally of the following high quality shows

April 1
UTC

0600 Here's Humphrey: More fun for children with our popular Bear.
0700 Seven News: Mimed by Humphrey Bear with Asia Region weather service explained by Humphrey Bear
0730 Today Tonight: Current Affairs with our hard hitting investigative Bear.
0800 Humphrey's Rules: Comedy drama series about the first every Bear to be appointed to the Magistrates Court.
0830 A Country Practice: Wandin Valley is thrown into a panic when out of the bush comes a half naked Bear who mimes a lot.
0930 AFL Today: Focus on the Brisbane Bears
1030 Humphrey's Fishing Adventures: Today Humphrey shows you how to catch fish the natural way that Bears do. Yibbidy Yibbida.
1100 Here's Humphrey: More fun for children with our popular Bear.
1200 Who Bears Wins: Contestants vie to do dangerous things with a Bear
1230 Humprey's Practice. Tune in to watch a Bear operate on animals

In addition to the above quality line-up, sponsorship of the service will be funded by a half dressed Bear selling questionable real estate in Melbourne.

From Bill Richards

Bill provides a screenshot MTA off Asiasat 2

0455 UTC 20/3/01

3961 V S/R 6000, Fec 3/4, Vpid 257Apid 308 PCR 8190
Unknown Service .Been on for 2 days Encrypted with NTL.

Regards
Bill

From The Dish

Gorizont 33 145E 3925 R SatcoDX reports THT here Sr 20000, Fec 3/4 can someone check it out preferably someone with the correct circular feed

Palapa C2 113E "Australia TV" and the three radio channels are still on 3880 H, PAL.

NEWS

New Hawaiian Teleport Seeks Access to Agila 2 Satellite

From www.satnewsasia.com

TransVision International, a Los Angeles-based satellite communications company, will build a US$3 million satellite antenna facility on Hawaii’s Campbell Estate.

TransVision supplies satellite transmission services to national TV networks and networks in Europe, Asia and Australia. The company will lease up to 32,000 square feet of land at Kapolei to build its Asia-Pacific Gateway Teleport.

Construction work has now begun on the teleport site and the company expects to have its first two antennas (a 9 meter and 11meter antenna) operational in April on the Agila 2 and Measat 2 satellites. The company will also be providing antennas to access JCSAT 3.

There are only three Asian satellite beaming to Hawaii: the Philippines’ Agila 2 (the most powerful); JCSAT 3 (a satellite owned by JSAT Corporation of Japan) and Measat 2 (owned by Binariang Satellite Systems of Malaysia).

TransVision aims to provide Internet access to Asian countries that lack high-speed cable connections by picking up fiber optic data transmissions from the United States mainland and sending the information via satellite to Internet access providers in areas lacking cable connections.

TransVision said it can transmit Internet data to two-thirds of the world’s population, including people in China, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand.

Kapolei presently has eight satellite dishes: four operated by Loral Cyberstar, two by Verizon Hawaii and two by USAsia Telecom. The teleport’s master plan is approved for 34 dishes.

TransVision said Hawaii is a great gateway to the huge Asian market because it enables us to reach further into Asia by satellite than is possible from the U.S. West Coast.

Outside of the US satellite operators, Agila 2 offers one of the best satellite connections between the US and Asia. Some 90 per cent of Agila’s standard C-Band transponders and 67 per cent of the extended C-band transponders are now leased out.

Mabuhay Philippine Satellite Corporation, operator of Agila 2, has a list of customers that include some of the biggest Internet-Over-Satellite players in the world including Loral Cyberstar, Interpacket (Veristar), Hutchison and Singapore Teleports.

Agila 2's footprint covers the entire Asia Pacific region, including India, Sri Lanka, Mongolia and Nepal. The satellite is equipped with 30 C-Band transponders used for telecommunications, broadcast and Internet and 24 Ku transponders suitable for direct-to-home (DTH) and satellite newsgathering services.

Through its teleport partners in Hawaii, Mabuhay also offers services for video and broadcast customers. These include content contribution and distribution from the US directly to Asian cable operators; and distribution of Asian ethnic channels to the US via direct TV systems.

The company's Internet Over Satellite service provides Internet connectivity throughout the Philippines and Asia with one-way or two-way asymmetric Internet connection up to 45 mbps direct to US gateway using small disk and receiver routers.

20/3/01

Livechat tonight 8.30pm Syd time in the chatroom, since we are on Daylight savings time here in NZ, I hope to see some people from NZ in there as it will be only 9.30pm NZT. The main news of the day is Australia TV closeing down their service. For many in the Islands it will mean the loss of one of the few English channels available. Also just as important is the loss of the radio signals that were also transmitted with the Australia TV signal. I am working on a satisp's page for those with Naughty Nokias, send me any data frequencys you have so I can finish compiling the list I have started on.

From my Emails & ICQ

This from Siam Global

WATCHING AUSTRALIA TV . ITS MIDDAY GMT MONDAY 19TH MARCH. JUST READ YOUR REPORT OF THE CHANNEL CLOSING DOWN IN A FEW HOURS WITH GREAT SADNESS.THEY JUST ANNOUNCED ON THE NEWS THAT AUSTRALIA HAD SUFFERED A DRAMATIC COLLAPSE IN THE TEST (CRICKET). THIS COLLAPSE OF A WONDERFUL CHANNEL IS FAR MORE SERIOUS. THIS CHANNEL IS AUSTRALIA AS SHOWN TO THE WORLD. BY SHUTTING DOWN ITS INTERNATIONAL SERVICE AUSTRALIA CUTS ITSELF OFF FROM ASIA AS SURELY AS PAPUA NEW GUINEA DID WHEN THEY ENCRYPTED THEIR SERVICE A YEAR OR TWO AGO. I ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT EXPANDING INTO EUROPE ON EUTELSAT WOULD BE THE NEXT LOGICAL STEP AS THE CHANNEL WOULD HAVE BEEN HUGELY POPULAR AMONG NOT ONLY THE ANZAC EXPATS BUT ALSO THE BRITS, HUGE NUMBERS OF WHOM HAVE FAMILY DOWNUNDER. I CAN ONLY HOPE THE OZZIE GOVERNMENT TAKES IMMEDIATE STEPS TO RESTORE THE SERVICE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. EVEN A THIRD WORLD COUNTRY SUCH AS THAILAND HAS ITS WORLD SAT TV SERVICE SO SURELY AUSTRALIA CAN AFFORD ONE ALSO. IT IS A VERY SAD DAY FOR ASIA INDEED IF THE SCREEN REALLY DOES GO BLACK AT MIDNIGHT AND AUSTRALIA TV DISAPPEARS FOREVER..

Craigs reply, Anyone else have something to add to that for publishing on the site?

This From Bill Richards

0630utc 19/3/01

Pas 2 3768 H Sr 8320, Fec 3/4

Service 1 vpid 3601 apid 3605 sid 1 pmt " No Video or Audio" ENCRYPTED (unknown service no CAT on TP)
Service 2 vpid 33 apid 36 sid 2 "Swimming Sports Feed KBS"

Service 3 vpid 49 apid 52 sid 3 "YTN News Broadcast"

Also

Pas 2 4035 H "Napsa 4 Testcard" Sr 6620 Fec 2/3 Vpid 4160 Apid 4120

Regards
Bill

From the Dish

Pas 2 169E 3981 H "MBC" has left here

Palapa C2 113E 3880 H "Australia TV" and the three radio channels here have left

Asiasat 3 105.5E 4060 V "Indus Vision" regular trasmission have started here (this one reported last week)
Asiasat 3 105.5E 3742 V "SABe TV" has changed its name to SAB TV

Asiasat 2 100.5E 3660 V "MTA International" FTA new here Vpid 2432 Apid 2433

Insat 2B 93.5E 4170 V "DD Gyandarshan" Pal, is new here its also the only signal on this satellite, can it be receieved in Australia?

NEWS

Seven Network anounce the close of ATI

Seven Network Limited's commercial television satellite service, Australia Television International, will cease operations immediately.

Last August, Seven indicated that its Australia Television International channel was not commercially viable.

The decision to close Australia Television follows careful consideration of Seven's long-term planning for development - including a focus on the further development of the company's core broadcast television business and opportunities in new media technologies in the Australian market.

Seven Network Limited today also formally withdrew its submission to the Australian Government for the provision of a commercial television satellite channel for the Asia Pacific Region. However, Seven stated its willingness to provide Australian produced programming for any new Australian service in the region.

Seven is continuing to build a presence for Australian programming in Asia - with Seven Network Asia, based in Hong Kong, building a profitable business through programme sales in the region's cable television market and in China's growing broadcast television sector.

Burke not surprised by Aust TV axing

From http://abc.net.au/news/newslink/nat/newsnat-20mar2001-35.htm

Northern Territory Chief Minister Denis Burke says a decision to axe the international service Australia Television is disappointing but not surprising.

Channel Seven, which took over Australia Television from the ABC four years ago, shut down the service last night saying it was not commercially viable.

Four people in Darwin have lost their jobs.

The Federal Government says it is still willing to spend up to $15 million a year to fund the service.

Mr Burke says he strongly supports the move, because closing the service sends the wrong signal to the Asia Pacific region.

"Well it sends a message of lack of interest, the fact that we have better things to do than broadcast into the region," he said.

"For one who's travelled extensively in the region, I found it a very interesting channel because it gave a very good indication of the culture and images of Australia and that in itself is very important."

Northern Territory Communications Minister Peter Adamson says the closure of the international service is a shame.

Mr Adamson says the beginning of the end for the service began when Australia Television left the ABC fold.

"Commercially it was always going to be a difficult proposition, but the Territory ABC operation I believe delivered a quality product on a shoestring budget.

"I quite frankly don't even think the ABC southern management fully appreciated the asset they had," he said.

Australia TV set to fade to black

From http://www.abc.net.au/news/newslink/nat/newsnat-19mar2001-58.htm

The troubled international television service, Australia TV, is to close down tonight.

The Federal Government has offered to provide $10 to $15 million a year to maintain an international TV service.

But the operator, Channel 7, says it has withdrawn the offer to continue the Asia-Pacific service.

Channel 7 says Australia TV will cease operations immediately.

The Government had selected Seven and SBS as the preferred bidder to run a revamped version of Australia TV, but differences between the broadcasters mean the partnership is not going ahead.

A spokesman for the Foreign Minister Alexander Downer says the Government is still interested in funding an international television service.

The Prime Minister, John Howard, says the Government supports having an international television service broadcasting from Australia into the Asia-Pacific region.

Mr Howard says he understands the service has been losing money for months, and Channel Seven's decision is a purely commercial one.

"We would like to see some kind of service maintained," he said.

"We'll look at other options and have discussions with people who may be interested, but the decision that the network's taken is a purely commercial decision and we can't stop it."

Canberra 'killed' digital TV

From http://australianit.news.com.au/common/storyPage/0,3811,1815595%5E501,00.html

THE promotional video promised the lot – every channel under the sun, video-on-demand, interactive weather forecasts, even the ability to order pizza.

But according to the segment's creators, the technology will never see the light of day. Blaming the Federal Government for killing the digital television dream, backers of full-service datacasting have gone on the attack. "You're never going to see this service – it's not going to exist," OzEmail chief executive Justin Milne says.

Milne says OzEmail – which is now concentrating on developing a broadband cable service – was gazumped by Canberra's decision last year to impose tough restrictions on datacasters, including a prohibition on broadcasting television-like content.

"Anything that looks remotely like television has been prohibited, which has an impact on the business model," he says.

"We thought we could probably make a profit on many services at some time in the future, but we always figured movies would be something we could make a profit on from day one."

Milne says the Government has acted out of fear in imposing the restrictions, leaving the "deck stacked against would-be datacasters".

"Full-service datacasting would have improved the take-up of digital television, which so far has been a total dog," he says.

"It would also have provided cheap or free internet access to almost every home in Australia."

That view has come under attack from commercial broadcasters, with executives arguing unrestricted datacasting licenses would have been used as de facto free-to-air licences.

Nine Network digital services director Kim Anderson says the market cannot support another free-to-air broadcaster.

She says the industry's billion-dollar investment in converting to digital will not be wasted.

"The main thing competing with television is the internet," she says. "The free-to-air broadcasters realise we need to branch out and let people do these interactive things on television."

Star Plus, Star News to launch in US, Canada; after that it will be Africa, Australia

From www.indiantelevision.com

Following up on the launch of Star Plus and Star News channels in the United Kingdom and Europe, Star has charted out plans to extend the footprint of the two channels in the United States and Canada.

The channels hope to capture the large Indian population in these countries, Arun Mohan, executive vice-president, distribution, says.

Confirming that Star expected to air the twin channels from August 15 in the US and later extend the same package to Canada, Mohan said: "After that we will be looking at Africa and Australia." Asked whether Star had marked out any specific countries, Mohan said that though countries like South Africa and Nigeria immediately came to mind, any country in Africa which had a significant Indian population could be covered.

The two channels began airing in the United Kingdom on 14 January on Rupert Murdoch's BSkyB platform. Though the channels are free-to-air at present, the process of encryption of the channels has been completed and they will become paid channels from April. Star has tied up with two multiple-systems operators (MSOs) and the two channels will be on air for £16 per month.

In the US, Star has allied with six MSOs and will air the channels for a flat price of $25 per month for the two channels.

If the arrangement is anything like that existing in the UK, Star Plus viewers will have to do without Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC). Star has no licencing agreement from Celador to screen it. Celador holds the rights to the original which spawned KBC - "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire".

'Music' satellite launched from Pacific

From http://abc.net.au/news/newslink/nat/newsnat-20mar2001-32.htm

The world's most powerful commercial satellite, nicknamed The Rock, has been successfully launched from the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

The XM2 digital audio radio satellite was sent into orbit from near Kiribati by a Cayman Islands company.

For the next 15 years, the 4,660 kilogram satellite will be one of two spacecraft transmitting digital audio radio programs throughout the United States.

The Rock will sit 35,000 kilometres above earth, and with its sister satellite, to be known as Roll, will broadcast up to 100 channels of coast-to-coast radio

(NOTE, this satellite is not available to our part of the world)

19/3/01

Not much today at all very quiet, You guys can help me by supplying news or questions or screenshots etc. How about some more people sending in info for the user pages you can supply as much or as little info as you want space is no problem have a look at some of the user pages already on here. All you have to supply is your setup info and picture files and I will do the rest. Yes Dealers you can supply a shot of your Shop roof or backyard. I have no problem with also posting your website address or email. Does anyone know how to view the C7 video stream on the Access1 service useing a Nokia and some of the software available? Has anyone seen anything about Indus Vision anywhere or a website for it?. I have updated the following pages

Panamsats 2,8, Asiasat 2,3,Thaicom 3,Palapa C2 let me know if you find anything wrong or missing.

From my Emails & ICQ

From "Siam Global"

Re the query from Bali, a C/Ku feed known as corotor is one solution. However the cost of the two special lnbs and feedhorn will be a minimum of US$200 . The main sat Co. Here in Thailand have produced their own low cost C/Ku feedhorn which I can recommend works well. It offers good value at US$70 including both lnbs and a 22K switch . They are called PSI and have an interesting satellite website listing sat goods sold with prices given in local currency (US$1 currently Baht 44 ) Their website in Thai and English is www.psisat.com

From Andy

The Gp feed on Pas 2 was the same as last time, RTL with German Audio with "main and Pit cams"

From the Dish

Pas 2 169E 4026 H "GP Feed for RTL" Sr 19448, Fec 3/4, 2 channels "Main feed" and "Pit Cam" German Audio

Pas 8 166E 12476 H "Data here" Sr 4442, Fec 7/8

Sinosat 110.5E 4088 V "Macau Five Star Business Channel test card" FTA Vpid 650 Apid 651

NEWS

Sorry nothing for today

18/3/01 2nd Update

FEED ALERT

Andy reports,Malaysian Grand Prix on

Pas 2 4026 Hz s/r 19448 s/r could be 20000 depending on rxer

FEED ALERT

18/3/01

Nobody has reported feeds of the Gp yet so don't have any info on that for today, I noticed more testing on Sky NZ 12671 V, 17 things there on the transponder now includeing one labled "LUDI" Ludi TV is a subsidiary of Visiware a firm that creates interactive Open TV format software. The latest Satfacts magazine is out and it has a very interesting article on low look angle satellite reception. Australia vs India 3rd Test is on anyone seen a feed of it? The DD channels have some coverage of it usually. But the Live direct Feed is always a much preferd option

From my Emails & ICQ

Hallo,my name is Widyatmika from Bali Indonesia.I would like to know how to receive in KU Band.What do I need to receive KU Band. My Dish is 12ft H to H .My receiver is Coship CDVB2000BA.Now I could receive TV channel in C Band Only.Would you please help me?(or somebody else). Thank.

Craigs reply, you need to add a Ku band lnb to your dish. As you already receive Cband you probably would need to change your Feed as well to a combined C/KU band unit. The easiest way is to setup Ku band on a separate dish. I am not sure about the Coship receiver but you should be able to feed 2 dishs into it.

From the Dish

Intelsat 701 180E "TBN" reported to have moved to 3754 RHC Sr 6620 Fec 3/4, Vpid 1360 Apid 1320

Asiasat 3 105.5E 3660 V "UTN, Urdu Tv Network" moved to Pas 4?

Pas 4 68.5E 4128 V "UTN, Urdu TV Network" moved here, analog pal still

NEWS

T S I C H A N N E L N E W S - Number 11/2001 - March 18 2001 -

A weekly roundup of global TV news sponsored by Tele Satellite International

Editor: Branislav Pekic
Edited Apsattv.com Edition

AUSTRALIA

CHANNEL 7 TO PAY BACK SUBSCRIBERS

Australian pay-TV channel C7 is being forced to pay back about A$2 million to
its subscribers. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission says the
channel misled subs during the Olympic Games by failing to cover certain
basketball matches. An estimated 175,000 subscribers are entitled to claim back
A$20 each if they feel they were misled.

CHINA - HONG KONG

GOVERNMENT WILL NOT SWITCH ENGLISH CHANNEL TO CHINESE

The Hong Kong government has said that it is not the time to consider switching
one of the two designated English television channels to broadcast in Standard
Chinese. The proposal was put forward by Progressive Alliance legislator David
Chu, who questioned the necessity of the current requirement for ATV and TVB to
each broadcast programmes in English on one of their two domestic channels. A
deputy secretary for information technology and broadcasting, Eva Cheng, told
members of Legco’s Information Technology and Broadcasting Panel that the
English programming requirement was one of the subjects for public consultation
during the 1998 review of television policy.

INDIA

NEW TAX TO HIT FOREIGN CABLE AND SATELLITE TV CHANNELS

Foreign cable and satellite programmers will be faced with a huge new tax under
a recent government mandate. The Finance Bill 2001 mandate requires foreign
networks to pay an income tax of 48 per cent on earnings. The tax, which
becomes effective April 1, comes in addition to a five per cent service tax
foreign programmers pay. Some networks expressed their unhappiness with the new
legislation, and questioned how the government will calculate earnings. Finance
ministry officials said the tax puts the overseas programmers on par with any
other multinational company operating in the country.

JAPAN

SKYPERFECT TO OFFER FREE WORLD CUP FOOTBALL

Leading communications satellite operator Sky Perfect Communications which has
2.5 million subscribers announced on March 15 that it has decided to offer its
subscribers free broadcasts of all 64 matches of the 2002 World Cup football
tournament to be co-hosted by Japan and South Korea. The company set up about
10 channels specifically for the football games that will be played over 31
days from May 31, 2002. To view the World Cup football coverage, customers will
have to take out a subscription by paying the initial and monthly fees, and
install special tuners and antennas.

NEW ZEALAND

MAORI CHANNEL OFFERED SATELLITE CARRIAGE

The new Maori television channel could go to air on a digital satellite service
with Television New Zealand, if the Government acts quickly to grab the
opportunity. TVNZ chairman Ross Armstrong and chief executive Rick Ellis
offered Broadcasting Minister Steve Maharey their assistance with the Maori
television channel last week. Up to six TVNZ channels are to go to air on
Telstra-Saturn’s digital satellite network, and TVNZ spokesman Richard Griffin
said a Maori channel could be among them if arrangements were completed by the
middle of this year. TVNZ did not want to interfere in the management or
governance of a Maori channel, but would offer resources such as archival
material, editing and accounting assistance.

SINGAPORE

CHINA ENTERTAINMENT TV TAKEN OFF AIR

Hong Kong-based satellite television channel China Entertainment Television
Broadcast has been take off the air on March 15, barely 10 months after it was
taken over by Time Warner Inc. The network’s contract with CETV will not be
renewed when it expires because, according to a representative of local carrier
Singapore Cable Vision, Singapore’s cable television market is “overcrowded,”
especially with two channels being launched in May by newly formed local
broadcasting concern MediaWorks. CETV was founded in 1994 by a Singaporean,
entrepreneur Robert Chua, as a “no sex, no violence and no news”
Mandarin-language family channel for all Chinese across the world.

Craigs Note, CETV analog still on Asiasat 3 . But for how long?

CNBC India kickstarts 'The Maverick' series, Monster CEO Jeff Taylor features in first show

From Indiantelevision.com

CNBC India on Thursday announced the launch of 'The Maverick' series - another addition to its portfolio of on-ground properties. The inaugural event will feature Jeff Taylor, founder CEO, TMP Worldwide and Monster.com.

The Maverick has been conceptualised to celebrate the spirit of entrepreneurship. The Maverick will kick off in Bangalore on the 22 March where corporate bigwigs will meet and interact with Taylor.

'The Maverick' series targets the corporate sector and will be held five times a year where the focus is to highlight the achievements of unconventional business success. The emphasis being on innovation, and features personalities who broke away from traditional methods of conducting business and put their individual stamp on the ventures they were involved with.

"We at CNBC India are extremely excited about The Maverick - as part of our increasing focus towards making our CNBC India programmes relevant for its viewers, we are confident that this property which is all about recognising ground breaking business propositions and success stories through unconventional business methods and in short, mavericks of the corporate world will definitely catch the imagination of people across our viewer segment. While its elements are for the corporate profile, the theme will be radical, unconventional and will take the offbeat road," commented Haresh Chawla, CEO, CNBC India.

Explaining the choice of Taylor, Chawla says: "Jeff Taylor redefined the way one conducts business on the Internet when he named his online listings business in 1994 as the 'Monster board' on a whim. This was a self-fulfilling prophecy. Also, a rarity amongst dot.com's, Monster.com is profitable and has been so for 10 quarters."

The Maverick, which will be held 5 times a year, hopes to feature the people behind success stories, people who have created a groundbreaking proposition. These series like the Mutual Fund Awards established by CNBC India, the Enlightenment series would further strengthen the offerings the channel will bring to its viewers.

CNBC India is a joint venture between Television Eighteen India Limited (TV18) and CNBC Asia. Raghav Bahl is the promoter of TV18 and holds 49 per cent stake in CNBC India. CNBC Asia holds a majority 51 per cent stake.

17/3/01

Very little stuff for today, I am after reports about Spacenet 4 172E reception or Sinosat 1 110.5E. Sinosat has some fta cband stuff and a KU band irdeto package. Has anyone seen any feeds from the Malaysian G.P yet?

From the Dish

Spacenet 4 at 172E has been reported with programming on channel 11? not
sure what that is exactly, it may be analog so have a look if your in
Northern Australia or Indonesia, Pacific Island region, Reports needed good or bad.

Sinosat 1 110.5E 4088 V "Metv 5 Star" Sr 10850 Fec 3/4 or try 12620 V Sr 32550 Fec 3/4(yes this sat covers Australia)

NEWS

Telstra-Saturn investor may exit

From http://onebusiness.nzoom.com/business_detail/0,1245,33171,00.html

Australian regional pay TV and internet group Austar says it might sell its interest in the Telstra-Saturn joint venture in New Zealand.

Austar chief executive John Porter indicated the New Zealand sale was being considered as part of a recovery plan.

Austar reported losses of $A93 million last year from Telstra-Saturn, which provides telephony, internet and pay TV services predominantly in the Wellington area, but is in the throes of building a network to rival Telecom NZ.

Austar, meanwhile, has called on its US parent UnitedGlobalCom to underwrite a $A200 million rights issue to fund its business plans.

The equity raising came as Austar unveiled a loss of $A319.4 million for the year to December, almost tripling the size of the losses from 1999. It also said shareholders would have to wait for another three years before the company would turn cash flow positive.

Austar's 73 per cent shareholder, UnitedGlobalCom, has committed to take up its full entitlements and underwrite the balance of the 3-for-7 rights offer.

The pricing of the issue underscores how far out of favour media and telecom stocks have fallen. Almost a year ago, Austar raised $A170 million within an hour from institutional investors at $8.50 a share and the stock reached a record high of $A9.65 12 months ago.

Porter said Austar was looking at an additional debt facility of up to $200 million on top of existing borrowings.

Meanwhile the share issue would improve its position with the bankers as well as address two of the three concerns surrounding Austar.

"The first is, it improves our balance sheet. Secondly, it underscores the support of our parent," Mr Porter said.

The third concern, he said, was whether the underlying business pay TV was a growth sector. "That we will demonstrate by our performance."

Austar has forecast an additional 38,835 pay TV customers this year, a little below the 39,042 subscribers added last year. It has 421,165 pay TV customers. Media analysts said this forecast was not the sign of a growth company.

"When they floated two years ago, they were talking about subscriber growth of 90,000 a year; now its less than half that," said one media analyst, who did not want to be named.

"They are going to have more than $400 million worth of debt, their subscriber numbers are still in the hundreds of thousands, not even into the millions," a Sydney-based media analyst, who declined to be named said.

"If you have got $400 million worth of debt you are going to need a pretty good subscriber base to start paying that back," the analyst said.

The analyst's broking house has downgraded its recommendation for Austar from a "hold-underperform" rating to a "sell-underperform" rating.

Pay TV upheaval on the way

From http://www.brw.com.au/stories/20010316/9160.asp

The struggling Australian pay television industry is on the verge of being shaken up with the imminent sale of Cable & Wireless Optus and speculation on the future of Austar United Communications. Whoever buys Optus - Telecom Corporation of New Zealand, Singapore Telecom or Vodafone - will have to invest time and resources in the capital-starved Optus Television.

Over the past six years, the pay TV industry has accumulated losses of $4.2 billion and market penetration has begun to plateau, at 1.3 million homes. It is far below analysts' predictions of 1.5 million by the end of 2000. Paul Budde, of Paul Budde Communication, says growth has been hampered by a high rate of customer churn, high prices and low quality of content.

Austar's pay TV business, for example, recorded a net loss of 5100 subscribers in the December quarter and now has about 430,000. It is under financial pressure, and its market capitalisation has fallen from a high of $4.8 billion a year ago to $634 million on March 12. Its parent company, UnitedGlobalCom, which owns 75.3% of Austar, is also under pressure, prompting speculation that the Australian company may be privatised or sold. In February, News Corporation's president and chief operating officer, Peter Chernin, said Foxtel might be interested in buying Austar's 50% stake in the pay TV programming group XYZ Entertainment (Foxtel owns the other 50%).

A change in ownership at Optus or Austar would produce much-needed competition in the industry, further fragmenting the audience share of the free-to-air TV networks. David Kingston, a managing director of Rothschild Australia's investment bank, says the successful joint bid by the Nine and Ten networks and Foxtel for the rights to broadcast Australian Football League games from next year is the beginning of co-operation between pay TV and free-to-air networks. In addition to jointly buying content, they could look for cost savings in areas such as production and transmission.

The chief executive of Ten Network, John McAlpine, says he is interested in buying the Optus pay TV business. "If there is a shake-up in the pay TV industry, we will definitely be in the queue to look at the assets," he says. Ten discussed buying Optus Television last year but walked away when Optus decided it only wanted a manager for its pay TV business, not a buyer. "When a cannibal is sniffing at your behind, it is worth doing something about it," McAlpine says.

Kerry Packer's Nine Network already has a presence in pay TV through its 25% stake in Foxtel, but it also discussed buying the Optus pay TV business early last year. It is believed that Packer offered $4 billion for the business and access to the Optus mobile phone network, but Optus chief executive Chris Anderson wanted $8 billion. That was last year. Now, with a dearth of bidders for the main Optus business, industry sources say that whoever buys the company will resell the pay TV operation at a low price.

The director of broadcast services at Seven Network, Judi Stack, says Seven is not interested in buying the Optus pay TV business, but it is interested in getting access to Foxtel so it can gain access to Telstra's broadband cable and broadcast C7 channels on Foxtel. Seven has licences to create 10 pay TV channels. It has created a pay TV division with the C7 sports service that is broadcast on Optus, but it would like access to Foxtel's 703,000 subscribers (Optus has 220,000 subscribers).

Pay TV and free-to-air networks have natural synergies because programming can be bought in bulk and run on both at different times. In Britain, the two models are starting to blend, and some industry sources say a similar thing will happen in Australia when digitisation of the industry takes place.

Foxtel - which is owned 25% by Packer, 25% by News Corporation and 50% by Telstra - and Optus are yet to develop business plans to digitise their set-top-boxes. Once the set-top boxes are digitised, interactive TV is possible. Telstra's chief executive, Ziggy Switkowski, says the three Foxtel partners have yet to reach an agreement on digitising Foxtel.

Network jeopardy

From http://www.brw.com.au/stories/20010316/9158.asp

It took less than five minutes for federal Cabinet to make a unanimous decision to continue to protect the legislated oligopoly of Australia's commercial free-to-air television networks and avoid the wrath of Kerry Packer. At a Cabinet meeting early in February, the politically sensitive issue of changing media policy was raised in formal response to the Productivity Commission's review of broadcasting policy.

Industry sources say the Federal Government has delayed announcing its decision because it is embarrassed about the failure of digital TV and the failure of its plan to kick-start a datacasting industry because it imposed too many restrictions on it, designed to protect the free-to-air networks from new competition.

Instead, the Howard Government is expected to blame its decision not to change the TV rules on the likely resistance of the Australian Labor Party and the Australian Democrats to changes in media policy. In reality, Cabinet's decision was based on internal politics - opposition from the coalition back bench - and the political muscle of TV network owners, including Packer.

The free-to-air TV industry is the most protected sector in Australia. It has cheap access to broadband spectrum and is quarantined from an ever-competitive market. The Government's publicly stated reason for continuing to regulate the industry is that it does not want to tamper with the high quality of local content. The TV networks claim that, if the Government deregulates the industry, profit margins will fall and the quality of programming will decline.

The free-to-air networks have been given a licence to make fat margins: Ten Network has an earnings-to-sales margin of 30.4%, Seven Network 26.9% and Nine Network (controlled by Packer) 33.7%. The three networks produce solid profits each year, and TV industry consultant Steve Allen of Fusion Strategy estimates that TV advertising revenue will be a record $2.9 billion in 2001, compared with $2 billion in 1993. To make competition even weaker, the Federal Government has severely reduced the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's budget, making it difficult for it to produce quality programs. It has also introduced anti-siphoning rules to prevent the pay TV industry from tying up exclusive broadcasting rights to most sporting events. And it has allocated to the networks free and exclusive rights to digital broadcasting until 2008 and allowed them to use excess spectrum for datacasting.

Most media operators believe that the Federal Government will be forced to change the Broadcasting Services Act in 2006, the year the ban on new commercial broadcasters expires. At the same time, it will be forced to review the cross-media ownership and foreign ownership rules.

They say that once TV and telephones are digitised, everything becomes interchangeable because they all speak the same language of zeros and ones. Malcolm Long, a former chief executive of SBS and now a consultant to the TV industry, says: 'The upshot of this is that, once this process of digital services is in the home, there will be the ability to have a digital controller that will look after everything. The current business model won't be sustainable but, if the networks are smart, they will adapt. Otherwise it will be curtains.'

Fund managers and analysts agree. Today, the TV networks are a great investment because they are members of an oligopoly. How will they fare when the rules are changed, possibly in 2006? The managing director of media research at Salomon Smith Barney, George Colman, says he retains a highly positive medium-term view of the industry and stock fundamentals. He says that since the three networks were capitalised in the early to mid-1990s, operating earnings before interest and tax (Ebit) have grown by an average compound rate of almost 14% for Nine, Ten and Seven. 'Central to our robust medium-term industry outlook is the legislated extension of the current oligopoly structure of Australian commercial TV until 2006,' Colman says. 'The prohibition on any new licence issuance or foreign competition until that point, coupled with cheap rental of existing broadcast spectrum and a virtual monopoly on digital TV spectrum until 2008, represents a highly favorable regulatory backdrop to the industry.'

But Colman says that after 2006, the industry will be broadly deregulated, with the networks allowed to split their spectrum into more than one channel and new competitors allowed to hold broadcast licences. 'The phasing out of analogue signals depends upon the speed of digital TV uptake, which, in turn, depends on the speed with which equipment prices fall and the appeal or otherwise of datacasting/enhanced services,' Coleman says. 'It may, therefore, appear as if the networks have an incentive to minimise the appeal of digital services in order to extend the simulcast period and, hence, delay the release of more spectrum.'

The principal of the Sydney funds management group Jenkins Investments, Paul Jenkins, says that when the floodgates open in 2006, the networks will be 'fat, bloated grubs' with huge cashflow and huge margins. He says protected industries are never ready for competition, no matter how much warning they are given. 'Look at the textile, clothing and footwear industry. It had years to prepare itself for the phasing out of tariffs yet failed to act quickly enough and now the industry is almost dead.'

Elsewhere, governments are starting to relax media policy and allow competitors to enter the media industry. Why? Because they do not want their countries to be left behind in the technological revolution. The loosening of restrictions is creating intense competition in Europe and the United States and providing an environment conducive to innovation. In Britain, where digital TV has been operating since 1998, a new pay-TV operator has emerged and new channels have sprouted.

What is also interesting about the British experience is the change in revenue models. Advertisers are not just paying for air time; they are also forming joint ventures. For example, the revenue stream of the Boots/Granada health and lifestyle channel is based on the joint venture partners taking a percentage of sales, rather than advertising revenue.

In the US, mergers and acquisitions in the entertainment industry are at a record level following a relaxation of media rules and the arrival of digital cable, which promises a dramatic increase in the number of cable channels. As a result, movie studios are buying TV networks and TV networks are buying satellite and cable companies. News Corporation's $US5.35 billion purchase of 10 Chris-Craft TV stations in the US and its proposal to buy Sky Global/DirecTV are the latest examples of the rationalisation taking place in the industry. In Europe, the German media giant Bertelsmann is acquiring a 30% stake in RTL Group, Europe's largest free-to-air TV group.

Around the world, media companies are racing to dominate living rooms, the gateway for 't-commerce', the money to be made by enabling e-commerce transactions through TV sets. The US company Forrester Research predicts that the interactive TV market will generate worldwide revenue of $US18 billion by 2004. Such figures explain why Microsoft has been buying stakes in TV networks and satellite and cable companies in Europe and the US, and pouring a fortune into Microsoft TV.

With so much innovation taking place in an intensely competitive environment, Australia is in danger of being left behind - again. Australia missed the boat in the first wave of the internet revolution in that it created few successful companies; and the ones that did succeed generally moved overseas or were bought by foreign companies.

Australia is also lagging behind other countries in the rollout of high-speed internet access due to a decision by the Government not to interfere with market forces in the telecommunications sector. Professor Steve Burdon, of the University of Technology, Sydney, says Australia is well behind Hong Kong, Singapore, the US and Britain in the rollout of broadband technology.

Burdon says: 'In the US, up to 40% of the population has access to broadband. In Hong Kong and Singapore it also high. In Australia it is slipping because Telstra is so dominant and it isn't in its interest to roll it out quickly. But the internet is the beginning of the digital age and we need to be at the forefront.'

By refusing to interfere in the telecommunications industry, and at the same time protecting the free-to-air TV networks, the Government is creating a situation in which the networks could be ill-prepared to fight competition when media policy eventually changes. Complacency is risky: the TV networks cannot afford to wait and see how the media industry develops over the next five years because newcomers will sneak in and erode their business. The internet has proved that newcomers can exploit new technologies to create powerful positions almost overnight.

In the new digital environment, which allows interactivity, broadcasters will have to change their revenue streams. Seven's director of broadcast services, Judi Stack, says digital will have a big effect on how networks use the digital spectrum that has been allocated to them for broadcasting. 'Digital TV will give networks the ability to multi-purpose their product over a range of formats,' she says. 'There will still be the kind of advertisers who are the big spenders. Their business models are based on mass marketing and they need a mass audience. But digital will also allow advertisers to offer more targeted messages. This will certainly shape how television looks and what it provides for some time to come.'

Anticipating a tougher business climate, the TV networks have started to diversify into new areas. Seven has expanded into mobile telephony and pay TV, and it has an internet arm. It is also rumored to be close to finalising a deal to increase its interest in Melbourne's Colonial Stadium from 8% to almost 60%, by injecting $45 million into the struggling business. Ten has moved into outdoor advertising, and Nine Network's parent company, Publishing & Broadcasting Limited (PBL), owns a casino, a magazine business and shareholdings in internet, pay-TV and telecommunications companies.

If recent financial results are any indication, the networks' diversification moves are not enough. In the six months to December 31, Seven's new businesses slashed the company's net profit from $102 million to $13 million, with Seven losing $56.7 million on its i7 internet business, its B Digital mobile telephony group and other new media investments. Seven will cut its spending on non-TV investments by 50% in the current half year, and a further 50% in 2001-02.

Ten will release its half-year results in May, but the market is increasingly concerned about its decision to diversify into outdoor advertising, by spending $188 million to buy 60% of Eye Corporation, a company that owns outdoor advertising sites (Ten also advanced $58 million of bridging finance as part of overall debt funding for Eye of $100 million). The outdoor advertising industry is a small market - $340 million a year - and the $15 million annual goodwill charge Ten must make on the purchase of Eye ensures that its earnings per share will suffer in the short run.

In addition, Ten's multi million-dollar investment in an internet joint venture with Village Roadshow is believed to have been a disaster. The chief executive of Ten, John McAlpine, says the company is reviewing the business, and an announcement about its future will be made in a few weeks. 'Like every other offline company with an internet division, we are looking at the business model to see if it makes sense,' he says. 'The business models have changed from a year ago, and we need to look at that. It's not a panic-station scenario, but we do have a couple of boards to talk to before any decisions are made.'

Nine is different from Seven and Ten in that it is insulated from attacks on its revenue stream by being part of the PBL group. PBL does not rely on Nine for the bulk of its earnings. PBL also listed its internet arm, ecorp, to protect itself from the losses of a risky start-up.

In the six months to December 31 last year, PBL posted an Ebit of $306 million, up 14% from the corresponding 1999 period. Nine's underlying Ebit rose 6% to $143 million. Most of the group's other businesses are also doing well, particularly Crown Casino, which had an Ebit of $120 million in the half-year period.

Nine's director of digital services, Kim Anderson, says PBL understands the changes happening in the TV industry and has positioned itself accordingly. 'PBL is well positioned because it has an exposure to pay TV (through Foxtel), the internet (through ecorp), and a telecommunications company (through One.Tel),' she says. 'Strategically, it is in a much better position to cope with audience fragmentation and competition from new services than the other networks.'

Malcolm Long is not as optimistic as the free-to-air networks are about their future. He says the Government has given the networks a window of protection for another five years, which means they are under pressure to invest their fat profits in other businesses. Long says: 'When things go wild in the second half of the decade in the media space, they won't know what has hit them.' He predicts that by the end of the decade more than 50% of households will have pay TV and broadband internet access. A large percentage will access the internet on TV sets, not personal computers, and there will be a great deal of device fragmentation (with the rising popularity of such devices as personal digital assistants) and platform fragmentation (with the spread of technologies such as satellite, wireless and cable).

Long says many companies are jostling for position. 'Microsoft is buying big lumps of equity in TV and pay TV operators because they can see that TV will be at the centre of interactive services in the home.' The key to success in the new-media environment will be an ability to strike the right balance between ownership of content and access and delivery of the content. 'Where that balance will be is a key business decision that has to be made,' Long says. 'The proportion will depend on the environment.'

Free-to-air TV executives face a tough decade. For the first time since TV arrived in Australia almost 45 years ago, their share of households during the key prime-time session (6pm to midnight) is falling. Competitors are multiplying and programming costs are soaring. Attempts by Seven and Ten to diversify have failed. But as long as the free-to-air networks are protected by the Government, most of their pain will be contained. New digital technologies have the potential to change the way media are used, and the revenue streams they generate. No matter how the TV industry fights to protect its regulatory environment, new technologies, a fragmenting market and globalisation will supersede any regulation.

The free-to-air networks need to take advantage of their big audiences, their well-established brands and new technologies. If they ignore the onslaught of change, they will be in deep trouble before the end of the decade.

Issues facing the TV industry

1. The conflict between competition policy and politics will heighten as the media is deregulated around the world.
2. Fragmentation of audiences.
3. A decline in the average time spent watching free-to-air TV.
4. Rising penetration rates of pay TV.
5. Proliferation of standards and technology used to provide TV programs and services.
6. Global digitisation of media and the introduction of high-speed internet access will allow viewers to watch TV over the internet.
7. Spiralling programming costs, particularly for sport.
8. A shift from mass to niche markets by advertisers.
9. Interactive viewing will change the way networks relate to their viewers and advertisers.
10. Digital TV will allow enhanced services and datacasting, further segmenting audiences.

16/3/01

Have my scssi cable, did a few tests off the Mediasat internet stuff. Easily found porno, not that I was looking for it ;-) Is there anyone reading this site in Tahiti? I have been asked about satellite tv reception by someone that is moving there soon. They said they are usesd to having 200 channels of Sky Digital on a 45cm dish. I think they are in for a shock. There are some events on this weekend like the Malaysian GP which will be live on Star Sports (Asiasat 3) and feeds should be on Pas 2. Some progress with my dish, my brother came around this afternoon and told me he has made up the steel plate and is getting the other bits organized so at least thats some progress.

From my Emails & ICQ

Bill Richards reports

ART/LBC still FTA here ,Pas2

This From Abdul

hi how are you going. ive just recently bought a Pas2 satellite. but this satellite doesnt have a motor. if i buy this motor and connect it to the dish, will i be able to view the Hong Kong Bouquet 4148 V SR 24430. Because currently ive got the Pas2 without the Motor, and the Hong Kong Bouquet channels come, but there all empty, not only it happens with the Hong Kong Bouquet but many other channels.

The channels that come perfect are, all the CCtv,LBC, ART, RAI, ANT, the California Bouquet, and the TVB channels.

One more thing when will the new channel that you said will be on Pas2 come out.

Craigs Reply, No the motor won't help you you can't get the HK Bouqet because they are encrypted as you said it loads but you wont see anything as its not a fta service. Have a look here http://www.lyngsat.com/pas2.shtml
As for the new channel possibly on Pas 2 its probably about 1 yr away from starting if they do decide to use Pas 2.

Sports this weekend on Satellite, Supplied by "Sungadi"

All Jakarta Time (GMT +7)

RCTI-

F1 - Formula GP Malaysia - Sunday March 18, 2001 - 13:00

Soccer -

Udinese vs. Parma - Sunday March 18, 2001 - 21:00
Lazio vs. Juventus - Monday March 19, 2001 - 02:30

SCTV

Soccer

Chelsea vs. Sunderland - Saturday March 17, 2001 - 22:00
Aston Villa vs. Arsenal - Sunday March 18, 2001 - 23:00

From the Dish

Insat 2E 83E "ETV Bangla" has left 4045 V (PAL) again.

NEWS

TVNZ MEDIA RELEASE

From http://www.tvnz.co.nz/links/media/mr2001031501.htm

BBC WORLD OVERNIGHT SERVICE CONTINUES ON TV ONE

Thursday 15 March 2001

A joint initiative by TVNZ and BBC Worldwide has enabled TV ONE to carry on broadcasting BBC World overnight. A new contract was agreed today in which BBC Worldwide has made it possible for TV ONE to continue the service uninterrupted while still meeting its financial responsibilities.

Shaun Brown, Head of TV ONE, explains: "Thanks to the BBC's understanding of our circumstances, we have found a way of keeping the overnight service running. This is the best possible outcome for BBC World, ourselves and most importantly, our viewers."

Brown continues, "TV ONE recognises that BBC World viewers are committed and passionate about the service. This is our preferred overnight service, it was simply a question of finance and we have reached an agreement that is beneficial to both BBC Worldwide and TVNZ."

David Vine, BBC Worldwide Managing Director Asia Pacific says, "We are delighted that our New Zealand viewers will continue to be able to access BBC World on TV ONE overnight. The agreement that would allow TV ONE to meet their financial responsibilities as well as our viewers being unaffected was our priority and has been achieved."

Originally scheduled to cease broadcast on Monday 18 March 2001, the BBC World overnight service will now continue in its established timeslot.

For further information please contact:

Diana Schnauer, TV ONE Publicity Manager (09) 916 7696/(021) 555 335
Shaun Brown, Head of TV ONE (09) 916 7000

People power saves BBC programmes

From http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=177512&thesection=entertainment&thesubsection=onShow

Television New Zealand has bowed to public demand for the BBC World Service and will keep the overnight broadcast.

The service was due to end on Sunday following TVNZ's decision not to renew its contract with the BBC.

The schedule was to be filled with infomercials, local repeats and overseas programmes.

But after being swamped with phone calls, faxes and e-mails from passionate viewers, the state broadcaster negotiated a new, cheaper deal with the BBC.

A spokeswoman said there had been a "constant flow" of calls from viewers in the days following last Wednesday's Herald report. Herald readers voiced displeasure at the move in numerous letters to the editor.

TVNZ had been spending about $1.5 million a year on the service.

TV One general manager Shaun Brown said TVNZ had reached a deal which would allow it to "meet our financial responsibilities."

He said he could not ignore the compelling arguments presented by viewers.

"But I have to say it's partly because the BBC helped us to find a way forward.

"This is a classic situation of where what we would like to do for the viewers comes into conflict with what we have to do in terms of our profit expectation."

Protesters John Key and Barbara Cartwright had picketed the TVNZ network centre in Auckland every afternoon, handing out flyers with e-mail addresses for Mr Brown and Acting Broadcasting Minister Steve Maharey.

Mr Key and Barbara Cartwright, both musicians, were the first to learn of the decision when Mr Brown called them into his office for a cup of tea yesterday.

It is not the first time TVNZ has heeded public pressure and backed down from a decision to change programming.

Angry Coronation Street fans protested against the broadcaster's December 1994 decision to cut the show from 90 minutes a week to one hour.

More than 20,000 people signed petitions around the country and TVNZ reinstated the original quota in February 1995.

TVNZ chairman Ross Armstrong, who was appointed by the Government to shift the state broadcaster back towards BBC-style public service television, said last night that he had played no part in the u-turn.

"I'm personally very pleased," he said, "but it was a management decision."

Austar posts $74m loss

From http://australianit.news.com.au/common/storyPage/0,3811,1804210%5E442,00.html

PAY television provider Austar United has asked the market to stump up $200 million in a rights offer on the same day it announced a $73.842 million full-year loss.

Executives from Austar and parent company UnitedGlobalCom said they were upbeat about the future, despite fears of a recession.

"The tougher things get the more people cocoon around the living room," Austar chief executive John Porter said.

"They give up travel and spend more time at home in front of the television."

Austar reported an operating loss before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation of $73.842 million for the full-year ended December 31 - a 246.6 per cent decline from the previous year's EBITDA loss of $21.307 million.

The heavy loss was despite a 45.7 per cent increase in total revenue to $384.5 million.

Austar said the EBITDA loss was the result of a number of factors, including:

the effect of the merger of Telstra NZ and Saturn at the beginning of the second quarter; increased programming costs as a result of subscriber growth, the addition of the Disney channel and the low Australian dollar;

an increase in communications costs of $12.4 million as a result of commencing the internet business; and the inclusion of certain costs relating to TVSN. Austar said it would continue to market its three-pronged pay television, internet services and mobile telephony offering.

Austar expected EBITDA to improve by $21 million in 2001, with gains in pay television and internet services and declines in interactive television (iTV), mobile telephony and corporate costs.

The company planned to extend the reach of its iTV service to 440,000 set-top boxes in 2001, but the iTV business would still generate a $10 million EBITDA loss in 2001.

Mr Porter said he was disappointed in the level of subscriber growth in the pay TV business, which was hit by heavy churn in October.

"We believe that this was chiefly the result of a number of external factors, such as the GST, the Olympics and high petrol prices," he said.

"The good news is that churn has come down every month since October and customer numbers through the end of the quarter and into 2001 give us confidence that there is scope for the pay TV business to achieve subscriber numbers comparable to other developed countries."

Austar also announced a pro-rata renounceable rights offer, which would provide three new ordinary shares for every seven existing ordinary shares held.

The issue would be priced at 95c per share - a discount of about 20 per cent to yesterday's closing price. UGC had committed to take up its 73 per cent share and underwrite the balance of the issue.

Austar executive chairman Mike Fries said the company was unhappy with its share price but it had not impacted its ability to raise capital.

Mr Porter said the share price was clouded by uncertainty over the health of its balance sheet, the commitment of UGC and whether the company would perform long term.

"The first two (questions) are addressed by the rights issue," Mr Porter said.

"It's too easy to say the market's got it wrong. There was a point in time when we were unduly undersold because of misinformation and lack of information about funding and prospects of the company.

"It's a marathon not a sprint and we wouldn't have taken the company public if we didn't believe that long term the market would get it right. We're here for the long term."

Austar asks parent for help

From http://www.theage.com.au/business/2001/03/16/FFXFUUQBBKC.html

Regional pay TV and Internet group Austar has called on its United States parent UnitedGlobalCom to underwrite a $200 million rights issue to fund its business plans.

The equity raising came as Austar unveiled a $319.4 million loss for the year to December, almost tripling the size of 1999 losses. It also said shareholders would have to wait another three years before the company would turn cashflow positive.

Austar shares fell 8.5 cents to $1.10, still above the rights issue price of 95 cents. UnitedGlobalCom, Austar's 73 per cent shareholder, has committed to take up its full entitlements and underwrite the balance of the three-for-seven rights offer.

The pricing of the issue also underscores how far out of favor media and telecom stocks have fallen. Almost a year ago, Austar raised $170 million within an hour from institutional investors at $8.50 a share.

Austar was also expected yesterday to disclose details of a refinancing of its $400 million bank facility, but failed to do so.

Chief executive John Porter said Austar was looking at an additional debt facility of up to $200 million. "We could have signed today, but we feel now is not the right time," he said.

He said the share issue would improve Austar's position with the bankers as well as address two of three concerns. "It improves our balance sheet. Secondly, it underscores the support of our parent." The third concern was whether the pay TV business was a growth sector. "That, we will demonstrate by our performance."

Government issues DTH notification, 20 % sectoral, foreign equity cap to stay

From Indiantelevision.com

After interminable delays, the government yesterday finally issued an executive order on direct-to-home (DTH) telecast in India and it has confirmed the industry's worst fears.

There are no changes from the DTH guidelines issued on 1 November 2000. Concerted industry lobbying for modifications in two principal aspects of the guidelines have been ignored.

The notification limits broadcasting companies' equity participation in the venture as well as foreign direct investment to 20 per cent. The other issue for which broadcasters pushed hard was the revenue sharing arrangement. Broadcasters had sought a five-year moratorium on revenue-sharing but the government has stuck to its original stipulation - a revenue sharing arrangement of 10 per cent as annual fee for the licence period of ten years.

The notification states that aside from the 20 per cent FDI ceiling, the rest of the finances could be raised from non-resident Indians (NRIs), foreign institutional investors and overseas corporate bodies.

15/3/01

Have orderd my scssi cable for the Nokia found a great site to order from. www.cablesdirect.co.nz they have the correct cable and its only $35 NZ includeing gst and delivery it should turn up tommorow. Not much else is there any regular viewers out there of the Intelsats at 174E, 176E? One of the readers of this site is in Portland Oregon, and he can get these satellites but can only find analog feeds on them. He is keen to find a digital signal, perhaps someone with a Nokia can give these satellites a scan.

Globecast Card I701 (180E) 3769 RHC Sr 20000 Fec 7/8 ,Screenshot by Stu McLeod

From my Emails & ICQ

From Nrafik

Do any of you satellite wizards know how to use the drake esr2000 ex with dual
actuator . meaning how to set up the auto tracking system.I got no problem
with the E to W. When u use the auto tracking the Elevation ( Single
actuator east to west )cable has to got the azimuth ( east to west ) and the
elevation goes to north to south. It a bit weird ! For a normal straight
connection we call it elevation east to west on a single actuator. can some
explain. !!!!

Craigs reply, Think I will pass on this one anyone else know about it?

From the Dish

Pas 2 169E "LBC and ART" reported testing encryption. Satcodx reports "Power VU" Satcodx is usually wrong everytime, Satfacts say Irdeto I will go with Irdeto also :-)

NEWS

From [e-bna] e-bna Vol 4 No 1

CNBC Asia: is now known as CNBC Asia Pacific "to better reflect its regional presence" along with a new slogan "profit by it". The network now has six dedicated feeds - CNBC Australia, CNBC Singapore , CNBC Hong Kong CNBC India and Nikkei-CNBC in Japan and the general feed CNBC Asia Pacific. The newly launched CNBC Australia reaches nearly 1.5 million homes via Foxtel, Austar and Optus in Oz, and Sky TV and Saturn in New Zealand. CNBC Australia features live programming daily from the CNBC studios in Sydney such as Business Centre Australia, Australian Financial Review Market Wrap (co-produced with the AFR, Australia's leading financial newspaper) and CEO Australia. The channel also features a ticker reporting live data from the Australian Stock Exchange. Scott Goodfellow is CEO of CNBC in the Asia Pacific, a Dow Jones company.

CCTV China: Zhao Huayong, President of China Central Television said that CCTV is renewing a five year contract with Encore for its branded programming block called "Jiayi," (or "Best Entertainment" in English) will have a prime position everyday starting at 9:45 p.m. on CCTV-8 (CCTV's drama channel), and maintain its access to CCTV-8's 50 million and growing upscale urban households in China. Conversely, the agreement continues to provide CCTV's original programming to 10 million International Channel ("IC") households in the U.S., as well as distribution of the entire CCTV-4 24-hour channel via IC's multi-ethnic digital platform. In addition, the advertising joint venture between CCTV and Encore International, "Beijing MediaWave Advertising Company," has been renewed and expanded to include exclusive advertising representation for CCTV programs distributed by IC in the United States.

Hong Kong: The latest user of AsiaSat 3s is Alive Networks which touts the first 24-hour satellite TV channel dedicated to travel and learning. CEO Ian Henry said Alive was close to announcing distribution deals in the Philippines and Taiwan with major cable system operators in Malaysia,Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Indonesia currently. Alive Networks was launched in Hong Kong in November 2000 as the first international travel company to use a unique combination of media channels (TV, Internet, mobile devices and printed travel guides) to provide travel information.

France: VIACCESS is helping Vietnamese national channel, VTV, launch ten new satellite channels with conditional access later this year, and CETV, China Education TV is the first Chinese client to use Viaccess' DIGITAL TV PC Card, Skymedia 300 to distribute into school

14/3/01

Thank you all those that turned up for Apsattv.com's live chat in the chatroom last night it went really well. As reported by Milan in the chatroom there was at the time and excellent feed of the Space Station ,Space Walk seen on I701 (180E) Channel 10 feed 3769 RHC Sr 20000 fec 7/8 also on Pacific tv feed.

Screenshots by "Blake7" from the chatroom (Click for Fullsize)

Sky NZ is testing again with a FTA "Nell Wilcox" Testcard on 12671V (B1) other channels there are NDS encrypted

From my Emails & ICQ

This From Hans

Hi Craig

Indus Vision on Asiasat 3 4060V Analog has programming now, Also Bharathi on Asiasat 3 4135 V (part of Zee bouquet) also has programming now.

Cheers
Hans

This from John Kahler via the mailing list 13/3/01

Boomerang TV on PAS 8 is FTA again. 5:00pm AEST
Was it Wed last week it went FTA as well? - Might be a pattern

Regards,
John.

This From Bill Richards,

Boomerang on Pas 8 is still FTA 14/3/01
Signal on Pas 8 12565 H is internet data

Dear Craig

Satfacts Magazine website reports Middle East Bouquet on PAS 2 might be
going CA!

You have any more info?

Alex
Thailand

Craigs reply, They have been threatening to go C.A Irdeto Encryption for the past 2 years or so. Just wait and believe it when it eventually happens, last I Heard it was supposed to happen before last Christmas. If it does happen you won't have any trouble finding a card for it where you live.

From the Dish

Intelsat 701 180E

Pas 8 166E 12526 H "Kanal D" is new here (encrypted) there are 10 FTA radios stations on this Transponder also

Pas 8 166E 12565 H "Internet Data reported here"Sr 26660 Fec 7/8 low PIDS 32 up to 152

Pas 8 166E 12565 H "Colour bars, Mediasat test" 4 channels?? This was reported by one of the users in the chatroom last night he reported this from Thailand!! I hope he had the frequency correct it dosn't match with what Bill Richards reports as Internet data. The colour bars Mediasat was reported only for 30 mins. Any more reports? A question what beam is this??

NEWS

The race is on but FTA only on via Sat TV(Star Sports and Feeds via RTL on Pas 2)

From http://www.smh.com.au/news/0103/14/sport/sport10.html

Question: What do Malaysian Formula One fans and Australian Formula One fans have in common?

Answer: Neither will be able to watch the race live from Sepang on television this Sunday.

In Malaysia, live coverage has been banned because not enough tickets have been sold for the race.

In Australia, it's simply a matter of the race being run at an inconvenient time for Channel 9, and if you want to see it you will have to wait until about 10.30pm, when presumably the result will be known.

The race will be run on Sunday afternoon and the finish will run close to the 6pm news on Nine.

The time problem arises because we are still on daylight saving. It occurred last year, when daylight saving came in early because of the Olympics, and it is now a problem because the Malaysian GP has been shifted from the end of the season to the beginning.

However, financial problems at the circuit mean Malaysia might have to give up its rights to the event.

Last year's timing problem resulted in F1 fans missing seeing Ferrari's Michael Schumacher win the World Championship at the Japanese Grand Prix, and only after a howl of protests did Nine agree to allow Fox Sports to show the final race of the year, the Malaysian GP.

But the chief executive of Fox Sports, David Malone, said the station would be unable to pick up the telecast even if it was offered. He said the network was fully committed with live cricket from India and NRL games.

Malone said: "But we are still keen to buy the rights to F1, and have been for some time."

In Malaysia, the blackout is causing anger among F1 followers, but Tan Sri Basir Ismail, chairman of the Sepang International Circuit, is standing firm. He said he was disappointed with ticket sales but remained hopeful his decision to cancel live coverage in Malaysia would kick-start the sales.

"If Malaysians want to watch the race live, they can buy a ticket and watch it," he said in Malaysian newspaper New Sunday Times. "This is not my event, it is a national event being staged in our own country.

"For that, we must be patriotic and show our support so we have a positive image throughout the world. It's like a war - there are those who watch it on TV and those who go out and fight."

Ismail is concerned the revenue from ticket sales will not reach the figure required to break even, which is believed to require four times the current amount of sales.

Reports from Malaysia claim just 30,000 tickets have been sold so far, compared with 65,000 for the first race in 1999.

Last year, however, the circuit lost $12 million on the race and a further slump in sales this year has left Ismail a worried man.

"We spent a lot of money to stage the event and we need to sell tickets and the hospitality suites in Sepang to cover the cost," he said.

"Australia has a smaller population than Malaysia yet they recorded an attendance of 400,000 spectators over three days. There would be no problems should we get the same sales figures as we did in 1999.

"But how do the public expect us to spend money when we have only 32 per cent sales?"

The F1 teams are already arriving in Malaysia. Jacques Villeneuve, involved in the accident which led to the death of flag marshall Graham Beveridge in Melbourne, will be driving.

He remained in Australia after the accident for physiotherapy for back and neck injuries.

Villeneuve's British American Racing team boss Craig Pollock said the accident was tragic, but added: "I do not think the crash will affect Jacques adversely on a personal basis. He is a very cool character."

13/3/01

Live chat tonight 8.30pm Sydney time onwards in the chatroom. Not much else for today, I tryed to find Pas 2 Ihug's Ku signal with no sign of signal at all. Think I need to get a Satfinder very soon! Sorry about the lack of stuff not much happening at the moment. I did manage to catch a few Flood report feeds for Channel 7 news on B3 12363v, they were on different pids to what they normally use.

From my Emails & ICQ

From Alex, Re: the Cricket

Insat 2E 83E

3850 H "DD1 National" analog, indian audio Aust v India .
3830 H "DD1 National" Sr 5000 Fec 3/4 Digital also has the cricket.

I have not had a look at Insat 2e for a while there is a LOT of Analog services on there now.10 aprox plus 3 Digital services.

Alex

Craigs reply, I think these only show the 1st and last hours play each day? Has anyone found the Foxtel feed? Could be via Pas 4 68.5E or NSS 57E.

From the Mailing list Re: Pas 8 new signal mentioned yesterday

4 channels all are video channels and coming up free on my nokia DBOX but no picture being transmitted..

jeff

Latest Soccer transmissions from "Sungadi"

PALAPA C2

RCTI

Euro Champions Cup:

Wednesday 14 March 2001, 00:45 - Jakarta Time (Wednesday morning) "Deportivo La Coruna vs. AC Milan"
Thursday 15 March 2001, 00:45 - Jakarta Time "Bayern Muenchen vs. Arsenal"

From the Dish

Nothing to report

NEWS

Nothing to report

12/3/01

I am gradually fixxing up the bad links, I have to do it late at night as currently Ihugs a bit slow in the evening and the link checker software times out. Let me know if you find a bad link somewhere that needs fixxing.

Asiasat 3 Star Sports,Ekushey tv, program links fixxed

From my Emails & ICQ

From John Kahler via the mailing list

A new package has started on PAS 8 but no names are embedded in the stream.

12565 H Sr 26665 Fec 7/8

Channels:

P1
P2
P3
P4

Anyone else get this or know what it is?


Regards,
John.

Craigs reply, TPG Boomerang services?

Pete Patel in Portland Oregon reports

I802 4180 ? RHC ?? "7th Screen Actors Guild Awards show" Analog, seen 12pm Syd, 12/3/01

This From Mohammad via the mailing list

1. NEXT WEEK THE MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX WILL BE HELD. PLEASE GIVE THE LIVE FEEDS AND PITS TOO. HOPEFULLY ON ASIASAT SATELLITE. MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX COMITTE TREATENED NOT TO BROADCAST LIVE VIA HOST BROADCASTER TV3 MALAYSIA CHANNEL IF THE TICKET SALE KEEP SLOW MOVING ! EXPENSIVE VALUE FOR US IN MALAYSIA. STOCK MARKET ALSO NOT ENCOURAGING. WHERE GOT MONEY !

2. WHERE THE WWF PROGRAMME GONE? REPLACED BY WCW, I HATE WCW. NOT ATTRACTED. FELLOW, PERSUADE STAR SPORT TO RE-SCREEN THE WWF. SMACKDOWN ON RCTI EVERY FRIDAY AT 10:30 P:M INDONESIAN TIME. BUT I WANNA THE 'RAW IS WAR'. ANY OTHER FTA CHANNEL CAN WE WATCH THE WWF? IF SO, WHAT TIME IS IT ? EQUAL TO GMT ?

Craigs reply, the Malyasian GP feeds and Pits should be on Panamsat 2 possibly even the same place as reported for the Australian GP. Somewhere on Pas 2 the German RTL station will have their feed. We will have the frequencys as soon as they are seen. The Qualifying and whole race will be live FTA on Star Sports on Asiasat 3. As for the WWF I don't know if is the one you want but Ekushey TV on Asiasat 3 has WWF Friday 6.25pm Bangladesh time.

From the Dish

I802 174E 4180 Rhc? "S.A.G Awards show" reported analog Feed

Pas 8 166E 12526 H The Tarbs MUX here lineup has changed (This is Encrypted as usual)
Pas 8 166E 12526 H "Voice of Turkey" radio is FTA Sids 69 Apid 668
Pas 8 166E 12445 H "Feeds" Sr 26662, Fec 7/8, NE Asian beam.

Insat 2E: 83E 4045 V "ETV Bangla" has started, Pal , wide beam

Thaicom 3 78.5E 3695 H "Sky Racing Channel 1" has now encrypted.

NEWS

PLDT wants 161 degrees East

From [sat-nd] 12.03.2001

Philippine Long Distance Telephone company PLDT is planning to
use Philippine Agila Satellite Inc.'s (PASI) orbital slot, 161
degrees East, according to Asia Pulse.

Agila II, operated by PASI subsidiary Mabuhay Philippine
Satellite Corp, is presently occupying the 146 degrees East
orbital slot owned by Indonesia. PLDT is also interested in 147
degrees East, a slot which the Philippines are trying to co-
ordinate.

T S I C H A N N E L N E W S - Number 10/2001 - March 11 2001 -

A weekly roundup of global TV news sponsored by Tele Satellite International
Editor: Branislav Pekic

(Edited Apsattv Edition)

A S I A

SHOWTIME DEALS A BLOW TO PIRATES

Thousands of television viewers throughout the Middle East have found
themselves unable to access Showtime’s premium pay-television channels since
the broadcaster has been upgrading and swapping the subscription ‘smart cards’
of its legitimate subscribers. On March 1, the network changed its encryption
code which left any illegal cards inactive. The company estimated that illegal
viewing of their channel cost £70 million in lost revenue, money which would
have otherwise been spent on more programming and premium television channels.
The network’s manoeuvre to upgrade its encryption technology comes a few weeks
ahead of major network developments when six new channels will be launched.

AUSTRALIA

YES TV BECOMES EASY TELEVISION

UK-based interactive television supplier, Yes Television, has rebranded itself
as Easy Television in Australia. Announcing the creation of one of the largest
video-on-demand networks in the world, Easy will have 100,000 homes in Canberra
with access to television, film, music, home shopping, Internet and e-mail
through it’s broadband service. The television on demand service will cost A$40
per month and will be deployed over TransACT’s broadband network. The plan is
to connect 100,000 homes by 2002. The rollout will start with nine suburbs in
Canberra. Easy Television is a joint venture between Yes and CableandTelecoms,
an Australian telecoms company.

JAPAN

SLOWER GROWTH FOR SKYPERFECTV

In what may be a blow for the SkyGlobal project, SkyPerfecTV!, the Japanese
satellite TV provider, reports that subscriber growth slowed to a
month-on-month rate of 0.6 per cent in February, compared with 4.2 per cent
growth recorded during the same month a year ago. Shares in SkyPerfectTV, which
is 9.5 per cent owned by global media giant News Corp, have lost half of their
value since its listing on the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s Mothers market in
October.