30/09/03
Live satellite related chat tonight 9pm NZ and 8.30pm Syd time onwards in the chatroom.
Sigaram tv has a testcard up on B3 12532v sr 15000 Fec 2/3
www.sigaram.tv
From my Emails & ICQ
From Jsat 29/09
Dr dish
dr dish on now...7.43pm west aust time..
Thaicom 3 3671 13333 3/4
regards jeff.
manjimup WA
From Zapara
more screenshots from Thaicom 3
Vic TV, India Vision, Kairali, Fashion TV
Asianet News
From Mr Humax
New ZEETV channels
Zee have added "FX Movies" and "T4"
I sent this info to lyngsat but in typical lyngsat tradition he didnt add it
(Craigs comment, I presume via Asiasat 3)
From the Dish
PAS 2 169E 3992 V "Fox News Channel" is encrypted again.
PAS 8 166E 3980 HSeveral updates in the Discovery Network Asia mux.A Discovery Networks Asia mux has started on 3764 V, SR 19850, FEC 3/4,
PIDs 110/100-610/600, line-up: Discovery Channel Taiwan, Animal Planet Taiwan, Discovery Travel & Adventure Taiwan, Discovery Channel Japan,Animal Planet Japan and Discovery Channel Australia.
Optus B3 152E 12531 V "Sigaram TV card" has started , fta, PIDs 1160/1120.
Palapa C2 113E 10973 H The Satelindo mux has left .
Insat 3A 93.5E 3941 V "DD Sahayadri" has left (PAL).
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3640 H New APID for Radio Greece : 669.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3671 H The RR Sat promos, VIC-TV and RNW 3 are back on , Fta, PIDs 1073/1123, 1089/1123, 1105/1123, 1122/1123 and 5154.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3695 H "Sky Racing 2" is now fta.
Insat 3C 74E 3901 V "DD Kerala" is still/back on , PAL.
PAS 10 68.5E 3864 H "ARY One World" has started testing Fta, PIDs 518/710.
Insat 2DT 55E DD Uttar Pradesh has moved from 3959 L to 4144 L, PAL.
Insat 2DT 55E DD Madhya Pradesh has moved from 4033 L to 4014 R, PAL.
Insat 2DT 55E DD Oriya has left 4014 R (PAL).
Insat 2DT 55E DD Bihar has moved from 4070 L to 3885 L, PAL.
NEWS
A momentous decision made for family reasons
From http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/09/29/1064819869894.html
He may not be the most charismatic politician to walk the corridors of Parliament, but Richard Alston leaves behind a controversial legacy.
Perhaps he will be best remembered as the communications minister who privatised 49.9 per cent of Telstra and who had stoushes with the ABC.
The tone of his relationship with the ABC was set shortly after the Howard Government was elected in 1996. In the first Coalition budget, Senator Alston presided over ABC funding cuts of $55 million a year.
Almost seven years later, relations between Senator Alston and the national broadcaster sank to a new low as Victoria's most senior senator accused the national broadcaster of bias in its reporting on the war in Iraq.
The ferocity and persistence of his attacks on the ABC are unprecedented for any communications minister.
To support his allegations, Senator Alston released a dossier of 68 instances of alleged anti-American bias by ABC radio's flagship current affairs program AM. The ABC rejected most of his allegations. The personal complaint he lodged against the broadcaster is still under appeal.
Senator Alston, a former state president of the Victorian division of the Liberal Party from 1979-1982, oversaw the Telstra T1 and T2 sales, which made about 879,000 Australians shareholders for the first time.
The former barrister, 61, yesterday described the partial sales as one of the highlights of his parliamentary career. He also cited telecommunications consumer safeguards, regulation of the internet and e-commerce, introducing digital television, fixing television black spots and extending SBS television and community radio as key achievements while he was minister.
Senator Alston said the decision to stand aside was momentous, made for family reasons.
"It's been a fantastic ride. Public service is pretty much the highest calling and I feel particularly gratified that I've been able to work with such a high-achieving government with people I regard as being of the highest integrity and to have achieved so much in conjunction with them," he said.
While Senator Alston, who has held the one portfolio since 1996, helped guide the partial sale of Telstra, he leaves communications with one key ambition unfulfilled.
Despite two attempts, one in 1997 and one this year, he failed to change cross-media laws that forbid media proprietors from controlling a television station and a newspaper in the same city.
Senator Alston has not quit politics but an announcement on the timing of his departure from the Senate is expected soon.
Peter Griffin: Holy grail out of Telecom's reach
From http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?thesection=technology&thesubsection=&storyID=3526115
I went, I listened, I asked questions and came away unconvinced. Unconvinced, that is, about Telecom's vision of delivering movies and interactive TV content over the copper wires that snake into our homes.
It was a hazy afternoon in Shanghai and from the top of Alcatel's Asia Pacific headquarters, you'd be forgiven for thinking the key to telecoms nirvana was to simply roll fibre-optic cables past each towering apartment block in high-speed daisy chains spreading out to the city limits.
Around the Alcatel boardroom table the topic of discussion was not fibre but DSL (digital subscriber line) technology - enabling the ageing copper networks that link vast stretches of suburbia in most parts of the world so that digital content can be delivered, cheaply and quickly.
A firm bedfellow of Telecom's through its extensive network outsourcing contracts, Alcatel has a big interest in making video over DSL a global success. It has a 40 per cent share of the market for DSL equipment, making everything from DSLAMs - the boxes that sit in telephone exchanges and digitally enable phone lines - to those turquoise, sting ray-shaped modems that gather dust under the desk of the average Jetstream user and receive the digital signal.
Telecom and its contemporaries also have a big interest in making video over DSL work. Faced with flat revenue growth from their fixed networks and averse to the prospect of replacing copper wires with expensive fibre, they'll do anything to squeeze more life and revenue out of copper.
The idea is to send content down the phone line to our TV sets that we'd normally get through our TV aerials, satellite dishes and from the internet straight to our PCs.
What can we expect? A larger range of broadcast-quality TV channels with the "red button" type facility that allows Sky users in Britain to shoot off on viewing tangents to parallel channels.
Maybe tele-shopping, an interactive form of the lowest denominator of TV shopping - the infomercial. Or perhaps tele-voting: reach for your remote control to kick some hapless contestant out of the Big Brother household. Or a library of movies that will keep you on your couch rather than queuing for a car park outside the local video shop on a Saturday night. Then there is online gaming. Access Xbox Live! and blast away at friends in an orgy of Counterstrike madness.
In July, after a year of negotiation, Telecom finally rekindled its relationship with our only major pay TV operator, Sky, allowing it to again begin offering Sky-Fi-type packages that bundle phone and internet with pay TV services.
All that is simple stuff. The real sticking point with the deal was how Telecom could deliver Sky content over its DSL network and who would own the customer. To placate Sky, Telecom ditched a partnership it had formed with Asian video over DSL provider Intertainer.
In theory the ground has been paved for the copper holy grail - video over DSL. In reality, it's a pretty difficult thing to do here.
While consumers in Japan and Europe are already downloading movies, streaming pay TV channels and responding to TV advertisements over their DSL connections, New Zealand faces a number of barriers in delivering the goods in the same way.
With broadband penetration here lagging behind the rest of the world at just 2 per cent, video over DSL will be able to reach only a fraction of entertainment-hungry consumers for years to come.
Just last week it was reported that of the 50,000 residential "broadband" customers Telecom has notched up, a staggering 73 per cent of them are using Jetstart - the 128kbps offering which isn't even classed as broadband. Viewers will need connection speeds of several megabits a second to make the kinds of thing Telecom has in mind a reality.
The other hurdle DSL faces is one of geography. While Telecom claims up to 85 per cent of the population can access its Jetstream DSL products, many users' homes are based far from Telecom's telephone exchanges, which reduces the speed and reliability at which data can be transmitted.
That's generally not a problem for low-level web surfing, but streaming video or downloading large movie files is another story. In Europe some 70 per cent of the population lives within 3km of the local exchange and are getting connection speeds allowing the delivery of several channels of broadcast TV. Not so New Zealand, where many Jetstream customers are 5km to 7km from the exchange. In Telecom's business, this is the tyranny of distance.
These issues explain why the only real video-over-DSL success stories so far come out of Europe and Asia - from the likes of MonacoTel in Monaco, or Japanese operator BB Cable.
To bridge the gaps between the exchanges and the home, Telecom can install mini DSLAMs in street-side cabinets - and it is already dabbling in this area to deliver high-speed internet access in remote areas. But there's cost involved there and in providing the video servers and broadcasting "head-ends" to make video over DSL possible.
Serious cost. Then you have to figure out how to bill everyone for the services they use. There's also the switch-over of set-top boxes that will be necessary to receive the services.
Alcatel says that every three years compression technology is reducing by half the bandwidth needed to transmit video at high quality, which will reduce the necessity for high-speed connections.
In the short term, it claims, the model in New Zealand and Australia for video over DSL will involve users pre-loading content on to their set-top box for viewing later. I don't buy that argument. Deciding to watch a movie is a spontaneous thing; a mid-evening urge to pop down to the video store and pick up a DVD or two. Tying up your DSL connection all night as a movie of several gigabytes re-assembles itself on your set-top box for viewing the next day is not an attractive option.
No, for the foreseeable future the most effective method of delivering pay TV content will be via satellite to a dish mounted on the roof of the user with the feed sent to a set-top box - in other words, exactly the same way we do now with Sky.
With an inadequate upstream connection, satellite has its limitations but can be used in conjunction with Telecom's copper network to provide interactive TV.
We can expect more and better things to come through our TV sets in the next couple of years and Telecom, Alcatel and Sky will help deliver them.
But sadly, in the development of interactive TV services and the long-talked-about convergence of the TV and the PC, New Zealand is likely to lag well behind the rest of the world.
Panamsat Launching Satellite for HDTV
From http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/business/6891895.htm
STAMFORD, Conn. - A Connecticut company is launching a satellite this week as a platform for distributing high definition television programs in the United States.
PanAmSat Corp., based in Wilton, Conn., on Wednesday will launch Galaxy 13/Horizons-1, which will be home to the first grouping, or neighborhood, of high definition programs in the United States on one satellite, company officials said.
Creating the neighborhood will encourage cable systems to set aside more capacity for high definition programing, said Tom Watts, a satellite analyst with SG Cowen.
The satellite would serve content providers who could ultimately provide high definition television programs to as many as 50 million households, company officials said.
The company, which owns 25 satellites, hopes to tap into what is expected to be a rapid growth in high definition television, which enhances picture resolution.
Watts said it's important to have a neighborhood of high definition providers so that a cable operator can use one dish to pull all the programs down. But the key question is how fast demand will ramp up to fill the satellite with programming.
PanAmSat said its customers include HBO, Turner Broadcasting and Charter Communications. The satellite is expected to begin operating by January.
Shares of PanAmSat rose 78 cents, or 5.6 percent, to close at $14.72 Monday on the Nasdaq Stock Market.
(Craigs comment, Live coverage of Galaxy 13/Horizons 1 with Zenit/Sea Launch will also be PAS 2: 3901 H.)
UBC inks deal with Leitch
From http://www.advanced-television.com/pages/pagesb/newsdaily.html
United Broadcasting Corporation (UBC), Thailand's largest pay television operator, has awarded Leitch a multi-million contract to convert its conventional tape facility into a completely digital production and transmission operation. UBC is the first major broadcaster in Southeast Asia to adopt a total tape less solution for its production and operations.
Zee to uplink its two channels from India
From http://www.advanced-television.com/pages/pagesb/newsdaily.html
Zee Telefilms, the country's largest private broadcasting network, has obtained government permission to uplink its entertainment channel Zee TV and movie channel Zee Cinema from India.
"Shifting of broadcast of these channels would help garner advertising revenue from domestic advertisers, save foreign exchange costs and help bring about operational efficiency in the wake of introduction of CAS and DTH technologies for distribution," said Rajiv Garg, CEO (Corporate Strategy and Finance), Essel Group, of which Zee Telefilms is a group company.
The company has contracted Essel Shyam Communications to uplink these channels. The channels would continue to be broadcast using the same transponder from the Asiasat satellite.
Meanwhile, Zee Telefilms (ZTL) is investing $88 million over the next three years to upgrade its SitiCable cable network to the new conditional access (CAS) regime and for launching direct-to-home (DTH) operations.
29/09/03
Looks like Insat 3E launched to 55E without any problems. Only likely to be in view to those in W.A with big dish once services start on it. An info page at the following link. http://www.isro.org/insat3e/pg2.htm
Well it seems Sky TV's "Revolution" mentioned last week is nothing more than an interactive advert for Philips DVDram products. I should of known better to think that they were launching something as usefull as a PVR for Sky viewers.
Apstar 5 will launch to 138E with Zenit/Sea Launch: November. This one will have Cband coverage to Australia and NZ. From the look of the footprints Cband to NZ 32.5dBW and higher than that in Aus.
Details here. http://www.apstar.com/apstar/apstar_v.html
Seen on Ebay Australia
"I am putting this warning in here to try and help unsuspecting ebayers from from getting ripped off.The Pace DGT 400 decoder box has been removed from service and not will not show any Pay TV channels at all.There is no fix for this.These boxs will never work again. I have noticed many boxs getting listed here since they have stopped working with the seller saying that they don't have a dish etc.. so buyer beware.Do not accept any excuse there are some new listed sellers here who are trying to rip unsuspecting buyers. I also hope ebay will look into this as well to protect it's buyer's.If you have been misled in buying one in the last few days then demand your money back and leave negetive feedback.. Hopes this helps someone... Now down to business. I also have a Pace DGT 400 to sell. It has no card flap ,no cam and no remote.It will power up but will show no pictures when tested with a 1.13f cam and provider card.I have set the start price as one dollar..happy bidding... Cheers"
From my Emails & ICQ
From Chris Pickstock 28/09
9.45pm SA time
B1, 12326 H, sr 6980."World Superbike Championship"
From Ranime 28/09
Optus B1 Australian idol feed seen 12358V Sr 6667 Fec 3/4
From Tony 28/09
12720v 3000 2/3 still FTA here in Perth at 2230wst...
Seven Central
abc se
abc sa
abc qld
sbs qld
sbs sa
and Centerlink
From the Dish
AsiasSat 3 105.5E 4020 V "Sahara Samay Mumbai" has started,Fta, PIDs 515/680.
NSS 6 95E 11595 V "FalconStream" has started , SR 24000, FEC 3/4, Middle East beam.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3671 H The RR Sat promo, Radio Nederland Wereldomroep Europa, Radio Nederland Wereldomroep International and RNW 3 have left .
Apstar 2R 76.5E 3652 H "Radio Lanka" has started, Fta, APID 1222.
PAS 10 68.5E 3744 V "SuperSport 4 and M-Net" have started , Irdeto 2, PIDs 1632/1631 and 2036/2035.
PAS 7 68.5E 3514 V "Adventist TV Network" is still on , Fta, new SR: 6620, FEC 2/3,PIDs 4160/2120-4126, Fri 17:00-18:30 UTC.
NEWS
INSAT-3E launched; boost to telecom, television services
From http://www.manoramaonline.com/
Bangalore: India's advanced communication satellite INSAT-3E was successfully launched by an European rocket from the spaceport of Kourou in French Guyana early on Sunday, giving a boost to telecom and television services.
The European consortium Arianespace's Ariane 5 launcher lofted a trio of payloads -- INSAT-3E, e-BIRD for Europe's Eutelsat and SMART-1 for the European Space Agency -- in an intricate multi-sequence mission. The 162nd flight of Ariane 5 soared majestically in an excellent weather at 4.44 am IST, leaving a trail of orange flames in its wake and completed the 13th mission of the launch vehicle, telecast live by Doordarshan.
The fourth satellite in the INSAT series, the spacecraft is equipped with 24 normal C-band and 12 extended C-band transponders, swelling the present capacity of nearly 95 transponders in the five already operational INSAT satellites.
The 2775 kg INSAT-3E has an operational life-time of 15 years. INSAT system is the mainstay for communication and broadcasting in the country. "It's a proud moment for me from the Indian side to witness this great event. It (Ariane 5) has proven its strength and precision. It has put the spacecraft into precise orbit", a beaming new chairman of city-headquartered Indian Space Research Organisation, G Madhavan Nair, said.
Soon after the INSAT-3E was injected into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO), ISRO's Master Control Facility at Hassan in Karnataka acquired the spacecraft. "Performance of the satellite is normal", ISRO said.
Preparing for RESOURCESAT launch
From http://web.mid-day.com/news/nation/2003/september/65047.htm
Bangalore: After the successful launch of its latest communication satellite INSAT-3E, Indian space scientists are gearing for their next mission to launch the new generation remote sensing satellite RESOURCESAT (IRS-P6) by the indigenous PSLV Rocket in the third week of October.
The satellite undergoing final integration at the Satish Dhawan space centre in Sriharikota, 100 km from Chennai, is scheduled for a launch by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle between October 10 and October 20, sources in Indian Space Research Organisation told PTI.
IRS-P6, to be placed in the sun synchronous polar orbit at 800 km, is expected to give a major boost to application of remote sensing in resource management. It will also carry HAMSAT, a 40 kg satellite dedicated for amateur radio enthusiasts.
ISRO has already embarked on building heavier three tonne class communication satellites in the next generation INSAT-4 series. Besides this, communication transponders will have "Ku" band transponders for the direct-to-home (DTH) television broadcast and Mobile satellite service.
The INSAT-4A and INSAT-4B satellites will have more transponders and ISRO has already signed a MoU with Arianespace to launch the spacecraft using the heavier Ariane 5 rocket during 2004. "INSAT-4A is scheduled for a launch in the first quarter of next year," ISRO sources said.
The last of the INSAT-3 series satellite, INSAT-3D will also be launched during next year.
European rocket heads for the moon
From http://www.arabtimesonline.com/arabtimes/breakingnews/view.asp?msgID=2962
EUROPE'S first mission to the moon got off to a smooth start today with the launch of a rocket carrying the European Space Agency's SMART-1 probe from a base in South America.
The Ariane-5 rocket lifted off from its launch pad in Kourou, French Guinea at 8.14pm local time (09.14am AEST) and was to place the unmanned spacecraft and two communications satellites in space within about 40 minutes, Arianespace said.
The SMART-1, short for "Small Missions for Advanced Research and Technology," is off for a long voyage: It's expected to reach the moon by December 2004.
The core mission of the probe is to test a new solar-electric propulsion technology. The SMART-1 will rely on energy generated by solar panels used by "ion engines" that provide a thrust of charged particles.
The craft, weighing only 367kg, will also pioneer minute instrumentation to be used to explore the origins of the moon, look for water there and examine the prospect of building a permanent human base on the lunar surface.
It will orbit the earth in ever-widening circles until its flight path encompasses the moon. A small engine will then be fired to sling it into a close orbit to the moon. While slow, ESA officials say the SMART-1 mission is cost-effective at a price tag of 110 million euros ($A186.8 million) - about a fifth of a typical major science mission.
The SMART-1 was developed for ESA by the Swedish Space Corporation with contributions from some 30 contractors from 11 European countries and the United States.
SMART-1 should enter the lunar orbit by December 2004, and a month later will begin a six-month run of experiments. After that, scientists may extend the mission, depending on funding.
The other rocket payload in today's launch included the Insat-3E, an Indian satellite designed to provide TV broadcasting, and the e-Bird, which is to help provide high-speed internet service for businesses in Europe.
Ariane 5G launches INSAT-3E
From http://www.keralanext.com/news/index.asp?id=16400
BANGALORE: After a month's delay, India's exclusive communication satellite INSAT-3E was successfully launched in a precise mission by European Ariane 5 rocket from the spaceport of Kourou in French Guyana, giving a boost to telecommunication and television services. Carrying three payloads in clear weather, Ariane 5 injected the 2775 kg INSAT-3E into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) in the 29 minute of its flight in a multi-step intricate mission, Arianespace and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) sources said.
Two other satellites -- e-BIRD for Europe's Eutelsat and SMART-1 for the European Space Agency -- were also launched by Ariane on board its 162nd flight with INSAT-3E being the highest payload.
Soon after its injection into space, the Master Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan in Karnataka took control of INSAT-3E whose performance was described as "normal" by ISRO Chairman G Madhavan Nair in his remarks after witnessing the launch.
"It (Ariane 5) has put INSAT-3E into precise orbit", said Nair, who took over as ISRO chief about a month ago from Dr K Kasturirangan, following his nomination to the Rajya Sabha.
INSAT-3E was slated for launch in August but a quality alert from a Japanese firm, which supplied the components, had forced ISRO to retest its components, causing the delay.
Announcing that MCF had acquired signals from INSAT-3E, Nair said, "We hope we will be able to complete the remaining operations and make it a grand success for the national programme".
On Friday, the launch readiness review gave a green signal for the launch.
Initial health check-ups on INSAT-3E indicate its performance was normal and MCF issued tele-commands to the satellite to make its earth viewing face orient towards earth, Bangalore-headquartered ISRO said in a statement.
INSAT-3E, which would replace INSAT-2DT which is at the fag end of its life and leased transponders, carries 24 C-band transponders and 12 extended C-band transponders on baord.
With an operational lifetime of 15 years, INSAT-3E, the fourth in the INSAT-3 series, would augment the present capacity of INSAT for communication and TV services.
ISRO said the satellite was injected into GTO in 3-axis stabilised mode, with a perigee (nearest point to earth) of 649 kms and an apogee (farthest point to earth) of 35,923 kms and an inclination of 7 degree with respect to the equator.
The satellite is presently orbiting the earth with an orbital period of about 10 hours and 50 minutes.
ISRO said the satellite is being tracked, monitored and controlled from MCF. During the initial phase of INSAT-3 operations, MCF also utilises INMARSAT Organisation's Telemetry, Tracking and Command (TTC) ground stations at Beijing, Fucino (Italy) and Lake Cowichan (Canada).
In the coming days, INSAT-3E will be raised to its final geo-stationary orbit, about 36,000 kms above the equator, by firing its 440 Newton Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM).
Two Russian, four foreign satellites are launched after 24-hour delay
From http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/ap09-27-021802.asp?reg=EUROPE
MOSCOW, Sept. 27 A Russian rocket brought two Russian and four foreign satellites including Nigeria's first into orbit Saturday after technical problems delayed the launch by 24 hours, officials said.
A Kosmos-3M rocket took off from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia at 10:11 a.m. (2:11 a.m. EDT), carrying satellites from Nigeria, Turkey, Britain and South Korea, as well as two Russian military satellites, Russian Space Forces spokesman Vyacheslav Davidenko said.
All six satellites entered their target orbit at 11:46 a.m., Davidenko said.
The launch had been scheduled for Friday, but officials said it was delayed for unspecified technical reasons.
The ITAR-Tass news agency reported Friday that the problem was believed to be either in the rocket's fuel system or in the launch equipment.
The two Russian satellites will be used by the military for science experiments and to provide radar services.
Nigeria's satellite is the West African nation's first and is designed for studying Earth from space. The satellites of Turkey, Britain and South Korea also will study Earth.
T S I C H A N N E L N E W S - Number 37/2003 28 September 2003 -
A weekly roundup of global TV news sponsored by TELE-satellite International
Editor: Branislav Pekic
Edited Apsattv.com Edition
TURKEY
VIC-TV OFFERS INTERACTIVE TV
Screenpeaks, the innovative provider of Video over Ultra Thin Band Broadcast Technology, on September 24 announced that since August millions of Turkish speaking viewers across Europe and Asia have been able to communicate with overseas relatives and business contacts using the new VIC-TV channel while actually watching themselves and their relatives on TV. Viewers use the Internet to broadcast photos and text messages through satellite TV to their families and friends worldwide. This way each individual can also claim his 15 seconds of fame and be watched on TV all over the world. The new service is very user friendly and freely accessible to everyone. Anyone with access to the Internet can now go to http://www.vic-tv.net, register and enter his or her text message and photo. After a short while the message and photo will go on air to the VIC-TV free channel via the "Eurasiasat 1/Turksat 2A" satellite. Owners of dish receivers in Turkey and all over Europe, tuned to the "Eurasiasat1/Turksat 2A" satellite, can receive the broadcast. Receiving the channel does not require any special set top box, card or subscription. The satellite is positioned at 42.0 degrees East and the channel can be found on frequency 12,620 GHz. During the launch period, Screenpeaks will offer the service for sending photos and text messages to anyone in Turkey or elsewhere free of charge. Part of the financial model of the new channel is based on advertising, offered at a fraction of the cost of regular TV advertisements.
(Craigs comment, this was also testing on Thaicom 3)
AUSTRALIA
DIGITAL FTA CHANNELLS BY 2005
Under a push for changes to digital broadcasting laws by Australia’s Communication Minister, Richard Alston, Australians could have access to new free-to-air television channels featuring sport and lifestyle shows as early as 2005, the Age newspaper has reported. The newspaper quoted a spokesman for the minister as saying Senator Alston would present two options, the first being to allow multi-channelling to begin after January 2005. “This would allow networks to show several different sporting events simultaneously, for instance, or devote an additional channel to lifestyle programmes or other themed material.” ”The extra channels would be free, but viewers would have to buy digital TV equipment to receive them,” he said. The package is expected to go to the cabinet within the next month. The government has received submissions by the Nine and Ten networks opposing the plan. "While free-to-air multi-channelling may appear conceptually attractive, in practice it will lead to a decrease in quality of programming on free-to-air TV in Australia," Nine and Ten wrote to Senator Alston's department in July. "With increased acquisition and production costs for broadcasters to meet the additional demand, it is difficult to imagine how broadcasters will be in a position to produce new (content), or purchase programming of a reasonable quality”. The Seven Network however vocally supports the plan and wants to use multi-channelling to offer more sports coverage.
CHINA - HONG KONG
PCCW GETS BROADBAND PAY-TV LICENSE
The Hong Kong government said on September 23 it has granted a license to PCCW to offer pay-television broadcasting over its fixed telecommunications broadband network. The license will be valid for 12 years. PCCW started its pay-TV operation earlier this month and has already signed up 35,000 clients for the 23-channel service in the three weeks since its launch, prompting the company to boost its year-end goal to 100,000 subscribers from 60,000 previously. PCCW's transmission system uses Internet multicasting technology over digital subscriber lines to transmit compressed signals to a subscriber's set-top box where they are decoded before reaching the television. The company, Hong Kong's dominant fixed-line telecommunications provider, offered the service free of charge while it awaited its pay-TV license. From October, it will let customers subscribe to channels individually rather than in the bundles common with other cable and satellite TV services. Pricing will vary between HK$9 and HK$21 a month per channel and there is so far no rental fee for the company's set-top boxes. The service currently offers TV networks from the U.S. and Europe, including the Hallmark Channel, Golf Channel, CNBC, MTV, Cartoon Network, Turner Classic Movies and Deutsche Welle.
GUANGZHOU TV TAKES PART IN EXPERIMENT
China’s central government is using Guangzhou as a testing ground to see how state-owned television broadcasters can compete in the crowded but lucrative market. The city's state-owned TV operator, Guangzhou Television, has two options - either to remain an official mouthpiece or become market-oriented and compete with private and foreign-backed broadcasters. A source at Guangzhou TV said Guangzhou was chosen for the experiment because there was no other city in the country that had such a high exposure to both mainland and foreign cultures and TV programming. Guangzhou TV has a viewership of 30 million, mainly in Guangzhou and the Pearl River Delta. It has an average rating of 12 per cent, compared with Television Broadcasts' 30 per cent and Asia Television's 10 per cent. But Guangzhou TV programming director Wang Jianzhong claims the biggest threat comes from News Corp's Xingkong Weishi [Chinese-language entertainment TV channel]. Xingkong Weishi, along with Chinese Entertainment Television, Phoenix Satellite Television and Viacom's MTV, are the only four overseas broadcasters that have landing rights in Guangdong. Guangzhou TV hopes diversified programming could attract a greater audience and advertisers.
FIJI
GOVERNMENT INVITES TENDERS FOR PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING
The Fiji government has invited tenders for the new three year Public Service Broadcast contract currently held by Fiji Broadcasting Corporation Limited (FBC), Radio Australia has reported. FBC’s current contract is due to expire in December this year and the Fiji government has called for tenders for a new term to begin on January 1 next year. The potential suppliers are expected to demonstrate a high standard of professional broadcasting and the ability to provide national coverage reaching the entire population. The ministry also says that the successful contractor will have to provide national development and leadership programmes and also focus on cultural heritage, reconciliation, social and community obligations and emergency services.
INDIA
STAR TEAMS UP WITH ABP GROUP FOR STAR NEWS
To satisfy India's foreign ownership regulations, Rupert Murdoch's Star Group has joined forces with a local publishing house, ABP Group, to broadcast its 24-hour Hindi news channel, Star News. Star News India was recently threatened with closure by the Indian authorities, following new rules requiring it to be majority-owned by a local company and have editorial control in Indian hands. To comply with both conditions, the new joint-venture, called Media Content & Communications Services India will now own and operate Star News India. Under the alliance, ABP will take a 74% stake in the augmented paid-up equity share capital of MCCS. Star will take a 26% stake, the maximum foreign ownership allowed under Indian law. With the foreign ownership regulations and editorial conditions satisfied, MCCS will now file a revised application with the Indian government to be able to uplink the news channel from Indian soil.
DISNEY TO LAUNCH PAY-TV SERVICE
The Walt Disney Company has reportedly applied to the country's Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) to launch a wholly-owned Disney Channel in India. According to local reports, the company will invest $10 million in the venture over the next five years. Disney is also said to be in talks with STAR and Sony Entertainment Television for a carriage agreement. According to Disney's application, the channel will air a mix of foreign and local productions, with library programming dubbed into Indian languages. Disney is also in talks with Star India and Sony Entertainment Television for distribution of the channel.
TRENDZ TO BROADCAST MORE FASHION SHOWS
Zee Telefilms' 24-hour fashion and style channel, Trendz, has announced that it would showcase the biggest fashion events from the fashion capitals of the world - London, Paris, Milan and New York - this October. The channel has established tie-ups to telecast various prominent international fashion weeks on their programme Fashion Premiere, which airs at 10:30 pm through the week. Fashion Premierewill include the New York Fashion Week's spring/summer 2004 ready-to-wear show, London Fashion Week's spring/summer 2004, Milan Fashion Week's Moda Donna spring/summer collection 2004 and Paris Fashion Week's ready-to-wear collection.
DITG AND RECREATE TO DEVELOP ITV SERVICES
The Digital Interactive Television Group and Recreate Solutions have joined forces to develop the iTV market in India. The partnership agreement will enable the two companies to provide a range of applications and solutions to offer services including chat, shopping, voting and advertising, as well as applications like interactive registration through set top box for pay-per-view and subscriptions. DITG is an independent provider of interactive TV services in the UK, and has recently acquired one of its largest competitors, GOiNTERACTtv.
STAR GETS HISTORY CHANNEL RIGHTS
Indian satellite platform Star TV has acquired the distribution rights for the History Channel in India. The platform will launch the channel in November, according to local press.
DTH SERVICE TO LAUNCH IN OCTOBER
India's cable operators are set to encounter increased competition when Essel Group's ASC Enterprises begins test runs of digital DTH satellite services in October. The company's Dish TV service, the first to be granted a DTH license by the government, will focus on rural areas not served by cable operators. An entry level set-top box will cost consumers Rs5,000 ($109), with a high end model priced at Rs12,000, while a basic subscription will cost Rs150 a month for 40-60 channels. Essel Group says it will have 200 channels available eventually, with premium packages costing Rs500 a month.
IRAQ
ARAB SATELLITE TV CHANNELS BANNED
Iraq's governing council has decided to close down the Baghdad offices of the Arab satellite television stations Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya, at least temporarily, a council spokesman said on September 23. Entefadh Qanbar, spokesman for the council's head Ahmad Chalabi, said it was discussing the legal means of shutting down the two stations for allegedly inciting violence against US occupation forces and their Iraqi supporters.
JAPAN
DISNEY PREPARES TO LAUNCH LOCAL CHANNEL
Walt Disney Television International is gearing up for the launch of Disney Channel Japan. In the run up to the channel launch in November, Disney has concluded a deal with local cable and broadband operator, Jupiter Telecommunications (J-COM). Disney Channel Japan will join J-COM Broadband's basic line-up and will broadcast a mixture of movies, animated and live action series, along with original programming produced at Disney's soon-to-close studio. Owned by Liberty Media, Microsoft and various local companies, J-COM Broadband currently reaches into 6 million Japanese households. Satellite platform Sky Perfect has already signed up to carry Disney Channel Japan. This latest launch will take the number of Disney channels on air worldwide to a total of 63.
GOVERNMENT TO SUPPORT DTT
Japan's minister for public management, home affairs, posts and telecommunications, has confirmed government support for commercial broadcasters in the run up to digital terrestrial launches on December 1. Toranosuke Katayama said the government would amend legislation to offer tax breaks and other incentives to reduce the financial burden digitalization. DTT start-up costs have been estimated at Yen800b ($6.9 billion) across the industry, with small regional stations voicing increased concern.
MALAYSIA
MEDIA PRIMA EYES CHANNEL 8
Malaysian broadcast-to-events group Media Prima is negotiating to buy terrestrial broadcaster Channel 8, formerly known as Metrovision. Media Prima already owns commercial broadcaster Sistem Televisyen Malaysia, and has applied for a radio license. Media Prima was formed to own the Media assets of Malaysian Resources Corp. when it restructured earlier this year.
ASTRO PREPARES FOR IPO
Malaysian pay-TV operator Astro has begun the process of wooing investors in advance of its IPO later this year. However, analysts believe Astro, which has 1.1 million subscribers and is owned by local entrepreneur Ananda Krishnan, will struggle to reach its M$2 billion (US$526 million) flotation target due to foreign investor scepticism over future earnings. Astro will use the IPO proceeds to help pay off its M$2 billion debt.
NEW ZEALAND
SKY TV ADDS HISTORY AND DISNEY
Pay-TV operator Sky Television said that it is adding U.K. TV, the History Channel and the Disney Channel to its satellite line-up beginning November 1. Sky, which is enjoying a surge in subscriptions, ratings and advertising revenue, notched up more than 540,000 subscriptions in a territory of four million people and posted its first profit since going digital five years ago. The introduction of new channels coincides with Sky dropping the Hallmark Channel and CNBC Australia and reportedly preparing to replace CNN International on its UHF service with the indigenous Maori Television Service. Television New Zealand transmission arm BCL had proposed building a platform for the long-delayed channel, but it's believed the government has opted for MTS to lease the Sky channel so it can get on the air as soon as possible.
GOVERNMENT TO AUCTION TV FREQUENCIES
The New Zealand government has announced that it will hold an auction for additional AM, FM and TV broadcasting licences commencing on November 18. The auction will consist of long-term licences for all the temporary commercial broadcasting licences issued in recent years, and for two new commercial FM licences in Auckland, where strong demand is expected. The auction catalogue will be published by the Ministry of Economic Development in mid-October on the Web at: http://www.med.govt.nz/rsm/auctions
PAKISTAN
PTV TO LAUNCH NEW CHANNEL
Pakistan’s state broadcaster, PTV, plans to launch another channel, bringing the total number of PTV channels to six, the Paknews newspaper has reported. The newspaper quoted Pakistan’s Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, as saying the launch would help to overcome the surplus of staff in the non-technical sector of PTV. "By February 5 next year an independent channel at Muzaffarabad will start airing its transmission. We are considering to launch full-fledged channels in the news and entertainment sectors," the minister said.
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
TEN GETS CARRIAGE DEAL ON E-VISION
TEN Sports has secured carriage on E-Vision, a United Arab Emirates-based digital cable TV platform. The new channel will be available as part of E-Vision's e-Pehla Silver & Gold and e-Firstnet Sport & Gold packages.
28/09/03
No updates Sunday
27/09/03
Advert from Skywatch magazine October page 61
"We're not going to be controlled anymore! If you want to be free go to channel 222 and join the Revolution"
Nothing there at the moment, but a look at Sky on B1 12519V lists a service "Revolution" on Sid 1222, Apid 3201
All is revealed once you hit the EPG button "Join the Revolution" the biggest breakthrough in TV since the VCR is here. Are you ready for a REVOLUTION?
What does this mean? to me it looks like Sky is about to launch a PVR perhaps in time for Christmas? I wonder if the plan is to sell it to the customer?
Insat 3E is launching tomorrow to 55E
From my Emails & ICQ
From Various
Optus B1 12367 V Sr 6666 Fec 3/4 "AFL Final"
Also Live on Star Sports Asiasat 3
From Superfly
ABC Asia-Pacific to show Melbourne Cup live.
ABC Asia-Pacific will show the Melbourne Cup Spring carnival races live. Includes Cox plate and Caulfield cup.
From Bassett
Star Sports on Asiasat 3 have been advertising full coverage of "rugby world cup"
From Zapara
More screenshots from Asiasat 3
Sahara Manoranjan, Sahara madhya pradesh, MTA International, Channel News Asia
Xing Kong
Apstar 2r Screenshots
NTV Bangaladesh , and NR1 (Indian?, and no its not Maharishi)
Some from Asiasat 2
Eurosports News, And MSTV 5 star
and one from Insat 3a at 93.5E
DD Sahayadri
More on Monday!
From the Dish
PAS 2 169E 3992 V "Fox News Channel" is Fta.
Optus C1 156E Updates in Austar/Foxtel:
FYi - For Your Information and Austar Games Channel on 12278 H are now encrypted.TVSN has started on 12398 H, clear, PIDs 512/640.Expo Channel on 12598 H is now encrypted.
Optus C1 156E 12567 V "Radio Raw FM" has replaced SCAR FM, Fta, APID 1872.
NSS 6 95E 12688 V "NTD TV" has started on , BISS, PIDs 1025/1026.
Yamal 102 90E 3489 L "Gascom Internet" has started on .
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3520 H "Radio Netherlands Wereldomroep Europa" has started, Fta,APID 2083 and 4131.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3545 V New PIDs for the Care TV promo : 307/308.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3640 H "NET, Ant 1 97.2, ERA 5 and ERA Sport" are FTA.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3671 H "Fashion TV" on PIDs 1121/1122 and both VIC-TV have left .Radio Netherlands Wereldomroep Europa and Radio Netherlands Wereldomroep International have started on APIDs 50 and 66.New PIDs for the RR Sat promo and BVN TV: 1057/1058 and 5153/5154.
PAS 7 68.5E 3514 V "Adventist TV Network" has left .
NEWS
Countdown begins for INSAT-3E launch
From http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/holnus/01271210.htm
Bangalore, Sept. 27. (PTI): Countdown has begun for the launch of India's latest exclusive communication satellite INSAT-3E along with two other spacecraft on board the 162nd flight of Ariane from European spaceport Kourou in French Guyana early tomorrow.
The mission's Ariane 5G launch vehicle has already been transferred from its final assembly building to the launch zone.
According to Arianespace, all is on schedule for the liftoff of Flight 162 with the three-satellite payload of Europe's SMART-1 lunar probe, the Eutelsat e-BIRD broadband services satellite, and the Indian Space Research Organisation's INSAT-3E telecommunications/video broadcast platform.
Launch window for INSAT-3E fixed
From http://www.centralchronicle.com/20030927/2709128.htm
BANGALORE: India's exclusive communications satellite INSAT 3E is scheduled to be launched between 4.32 and 4.51 a.m. IST Sunday from Kourou in French Guiana, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced Friday.
The Master Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan, 240 km from here, has gone into the "readiness" mode to track the satellite, which will be launched into space by an Ariane-5 rocket. The MCF will take control of the satellite as soon it is injected into a geo- synchronous transfer orbit.
In the days following the launch, the MCF will conduct operations like orbit raising manoeuvres to take the satellite into final geo-synchronous orbit, deployment of solar arrays and antennas and positioning of the satellite in its designated orbital slot of 55 degrees East longitude.
The MCF will also carry out regular operations and control of the satellite during its designed life.
INSAT 3E has 24 C-band and 12 extended C-band transponders.
The satellite, weighing 2,775 kg, is the fourth in the INSAT 3 series. It will replace INSAT 2DT as well as augment India's transponder capacity.
T S I C H A N N E L N E W S - Number 36/2003 21 September 2003 -
A weekly roundup of global TV news sponsored by TELE-satellite International
Editor: Branislav Pekic
A S I A
AUSTRALIA
DIGITAL BOX MANUFACTURERS WANT MULTIPLE CHANNELS
Digital set-top box manufacturers are lobbying the Federal Government to repeal the ban on free-to-air TV networks broadcasting extra channels. The industry has told the Government that allowing the commercial networks to operate multiple channels will boost the number of people converting from analogue to digital television. Digital TV has yet to be embraced by consumers, with just 100,000 set-top boxes sold to retailers. The Communications Minister, Richard Alston, is expected to seek Cabinet's approval to lift the multi-channel ban which has been in place since 1998. He is also expected to recommend the Government bring forward the review of its digital policy. The Australian Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Association has told the Government that picture quality and greater choice were the keys to widespread digital uptake. Letting the networks use multiple channels would increase the amount of digital content available. AEEMA has suggested the Government allow free-to-air broadcasters to use multiple channels 20 hours a week. Nine and Ten are against multiple channels, arguing it is costly and will dilute the amount of money advertisers spend on free-to-air television. Foxtel also opposes the concept, as it wants time to establish its digital service.
INDIA
ABP BECOMES STAR INDIA’S PARTNER
Star India has chosen Calcutta publisher ABP as the lead partner for its recently-launched Hindi news channel. Changes in government regulations forced News Corp.-owned Star India to reduce its stake to 26% and involve a local partner. ABP will reportedly pay Rs750 million ($16 million) for a 74% stake in Media Content and Communications Services, which owns the news channel.
DDI INDIA TO LAUNCH NEWS CHANNEL
India’s national broadcaster, Doordarshan (DDI), is to launch the country’s first terrestrial 24-hour news channel on November 1. The Chief Executive Officer of Prasar Bharati (the Broadcasting Corporation of India), K S Sarma, announced the decision in New Delhi at an event marking DDI’s 44th anniversary. The new channel, DD News, will compete with 16 other 24-hour news channels in India. However, they are all satellite channels that reach homes only with cable connections, mainly in urban areas. DDI first launched a news channel in August 1999 but it was a satellite channel and its reach was limited. It failed to attract enough revenue and DDI closed it less than two years later. As a public service broadcaster, DDI hopes the new channel in Hindi and English will reach a large audience in remote parts of India.
ISRAEL
REALITY TV SIGNS CARRIAGE DEAL
Reality TV, the international cable and satellite channel operated by Zone Vision, has upped its subscriber base by some 500,000, after a carriage deal in Israel. The channel will arrive on YES, the territory's only digital satellite platform, later this autumn. YES already carries Zone Vision's telenovela channel, Romantica. The deal brings Reality TV's international footprint to 35 million homes in 120 countries.
TV CHANNELS UNDER INVESTIGATION ON ADVERTISING
Representatives of local pay-TV channel Israel Plus and foreign pay-TV channels NTV and ORT International are scheduled to appear before a hearing of the Council for Cable and Satellite Broadcasting on September 18 as part of an investigation into the legality of advertising carried by foreign channels. Israel's telecommunications law stipulates that no more than 25% of a foreign channel's advertising may target Israeli audiences. The CCSB claims that investigation over the past year has shown that these channels may be operating illegally.
JAPAN
HIGH TECH CARDS NECESSARY FOR NHK DIGITAL RECEPTION
Japan Broadcasting Corp. (NHK) is considering making its terrestrial and broadcast satellite (BS) digital TV programs available only to viewers with special integrated circuit (IC) cards from next April. The public broadcaster hopes the measure will prevent illegal copying of digital broadcasting, the officials said. NHK, which has already been airing BS digital broadcasting, plans to launch terrestrial digital broadcasting in three major city areas from December. It is easy to make high-quality pirated copies of digital programs since the quality of the original images is maintained after recording. Broadcasting companies in the private sector are expected to make joint announcements with NHK as early as by the end of this month on plans to introduce similar IC cards. Viewers of NHK digital TV programs will be given an IC card dubbed B-CAS for use with their TV sets or tuners, and it will be possible to tape the programs only once. Some critics have said that under this system, NHK will be able to know who is watching which program, and that there is a risk of an invasion of privacy. NHK officials have responded by saying that the system is aimed solely at preventing pirated copies, and that it is technically impossible to gain information on all the individual viewers. Satellite broadcaster WOWOW Inc. is currently among the few broadcasters offering pay programs which already uses this system.
MALAYSIA
ASTRO TO ISSUE NEW SHARES
Malaysia’s exclusive direct to home satellite TV provider Astro is planning a €498 million share sale next month by issuing another 508 million shares, equal to around 25 per cent of its capital on the Kuala Lumpur stock exchange. Astro has some one million subscribers although it has posted losses since it began operating in 1995 with the latest figures showing a loss before tax of €63 million for the year ending January 31, 2003. Nearly three-quarters of the proceeds from the share sales are expected to go towards paying off debts worth €553 million. Astro owner Ananda Krishnan has been busy selling off parts of businesses including the Maxis mobile communications platform and his share of the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur in order to restructure his portfolio. Despite the losses, Astro is expected to become profitable for the full year in 2004. In the six months to July 31 it reported a profit before taxes of €1.16 million on sales of €148 million. Astro has no rivals in Malaysia since a microwave-delivered service that only operated around the capital ceased transmissions and the government has no plans to allow competing services.
QATAR
AL JAZEERA TO LAUNCH FTA SPORTS CHANNEL
Qatar-based broadcaster Al Jazeera is set to launch a new free-to-air sports channel in Arabic next month, with a schedule dominated by European football. Initially on air for 12 hours a day, the new network will beam into the Far and Middle East, Egypt, Libya and Francophone North Africa. Transmission time will rise to 24 hours a day in time for the Asian Games, taking place in Qatar in 2006. Al Jazeera is currently in talks for broadcast rights to the Spanish football league and Euro 2004 championships in Portugal. The new network is due to conclude the deal with the Spanish league at the Sportel TV market in Monaco.
SINGAPORE
PAY TV RULING EXPECTED
According to press reports, Singapore's Media Development Authority will shortly announce whether it will allow exclusive pay-TV content agreements, just a few days before the tender for the country's second pay-TV license closes. The decision is seen as crucial to the future of pay-V in the country, with incumbent StarHub Cable Vision already having exclusive deals with HBO and ESPN. Potential pay-TV entrants SingTel and MediaCorp say such deals are anticompetitive and should be scrapped.
THAILAND
CABLE RESTRICTIONS TO BE EASED
Thailand's government has agreed to ease restrictions on unlicensed cable TV operators until their services are legalized by the National Broadcasting Commission, with the Provincial Electricity Authority confirming it would delay plans to remove TV cable suspended from its power lines. There are more than 420 unlicensed cable operators in Thailand, which the government claims cost it "billions" in lost license fees. The situation has been brought about by the delay in establishing the National Broadcasting Commission, which is three years behind schedule.
A F R I C A
KENYA
STATE BROADCASTER ANNOUNCES MODERNISATION PLANS
The Kenya Broadcasting Corporation [KBC] has embarked on a modernization process which would include rehabilitation of both its radio and television stations, acquisition of modern broadcasting equipment and up-grading of its transmitting stations. The corporation's managing director, Wachira Waruru, said this during a meeting between Guo Chongli, ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China and the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation management. The Chinese delegation visited KBC to further explore areas of co-operation between the two media houses and to formally extend the China Central Television's (CCTV) invitation to a KBC management technical team to Beijing, China, for bilateral talks.
26/09/03
For coverage of the Japanese earthquake try Pas 2 3767 V, Sr 6620 for TBS Japan feed
A reminder for those wanting to email Globecast you can use the following email address [email protected].
From my Emails & ICQ
From Steve Hume
Pas 2 Fox News FTA
FOX NEWS
Panamsat 2 3992 V SR 26470 FEC: 7/8 VID: 1560AUD: 1520PCR: 1560
Is currently FTA
NEWS 24x7
Steve Hume
From Zapara in W.A
Panamsat 10 Screenshots
TV Moda, TGRT, ATV, Video Italia
DD Sports, Jain TV, NDTV 24x7, NDTV India
Public Tv of Armenia, SIC Internacional, TV Polonia, YTN
ESC 1, GEO Pakistan, FETV,DD India
Asiasat 3 Screenshots
TVB 8, Sahara Samay National, Sahara uttar pradesh, PTV National
From the Dish
Optus B3 152E 12531 V "Thai TV Global Network" has started, Fta. PIDs 1760/1720.ERT Sat and TRT International have left, replaced by a test cards.
Measat 2 148E 11602 H "Sky TV" has started, Viaccess 2, PIDs 304/305.
NSS 6 95E 11543 V "NTD TV" is now encrypted in BISS.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3520 H "RNW 3" has started, Fta, APID 7204.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3640 H "Radio Greece" has replaced Sout Al-Arab , Fta, APID 670.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3671 H New PIDs for all channels in the RR Sat mux
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3671 H "BVN TV, Fashion TV and RNW 3" have started, Fta, PIDs 34/35,1121/1122, 3105/3106 and 82.
PAS 10 68.5E 3897 V "NDTV 24x7" has left , PIDs 35/46, replaced by occasional NDTV feeds.
PAS 10 68.5E 4184 V "Future TV USA and ERT Sat" have replaced ESC 2 and RTR Planeta on ,Fta, PIDs 4129/4130 and 4145/4146. (Can anyone in Australia get this one?)
NEWS
AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE RAID SUSPECTED SUBSCRIPTION TELEVISION PIRATES IN PERTH.
From Media Release
The Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association (ASTRA) announced that yesterday, the Australian Federal Police executed search warrants at six premises in Perth in the first major crackdown on subscription television piracy in Western Australia.
The warrants were the result of joint investigations instigated by FOXTEL, targeting the sale and distribution of unauthorised pirate smart cards, which allow illegal access to FOXTEL and AUSTAR subscription television channels. The investigations targeted satellite television, alarm and electrical businesses alleged to be involved in large-scale subscription television piracy in metropolitan Perth and regional Western Australia.
On Tuesday 23 September 2003, Federal Agents executed search warrants at six premises situated in Morley, East Victoria Park, Ellenbrook, Tuart Hill and Belmont.Federal Agents seized a number of items of property which were allegedly used in the manufacture and sale of pirate smart cards.
The Australian Federal Police are continuing investigations and will submit briefs of evidence to the Director of Public Prosecutions in respect to possible offences under Section 135AS of the Copyright Act 1968.
Debra Richards, ASTRA’s Executive Director, representing AUSTAR, FOXTEL & OPTUS, said, “These investigations show the continued resolve of the subscription television industry, working together with Australian Federal Police, to fight piracy of our service throughout Australia. Our genuine subscribers are being hurt by piracy, so we are making a concerted effort to fight back at the pirates by increasing our policing investigations throughout Australia to sta mp it out.” “We hope today’s announcement will send a clear warning to people in Western Australia not to be hoodwinked into becoming involved in piracy activity. Piracy is a crime. If in any doubt, or if pirate activity is suspected, you are urged to report it to us through our special piracy hotline on 1800 428888.”
Anti-piracy Hotline: 1800 428 888
A hotline has been established by the Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association to enable suspected piracy activity to be reported anonymo usly.
For further information please contact
Debra Richards
ASTRA 02 9200 1486; mobile 0418236174
www.astra.org.au
Korea, Japan Agree On Adjustment Of Satellite DMB Frequency
From http://english.etnews.co.kr/news/detail_top.html?id=200309260001&art_grad=9
The Ministry of Information and Communication of Korea said Thursday that it has entered with its counterpart of Japan an agreement for adjustment of satellite digital multimedia broadcast (DMB) frequency.
Now that Korea and Japan agreed on the satellite DMB frequency, which has been one of major hurdles to introducing the new broadcast system, Korea is expected to acquire the broadcast frequency band if it successfully adjusts satellite networks with China next month.
Frequencies agreed by the two countries are between 2.630GHz and 2.655GHz, and these spectrums will be jointly used by SK Telecom in Korea and Japan's MBCo for their satellite DMB services.
Apart from the government-level agreement, SK Telecom and MBCo signed a contract for joint ownership of the satellite on the same day in Tokyo.
Yet the introduction of satellite DMB service is subject to the adjustment of satellite networks with Chinese authorities. Korea's Information and Communication Ministry has already adjusted 5 out of a total of 7 satellite networks with China, and it intends to reach the final agreement at the 7th Korea-China satellite network adjustment conference slated for October 13 and 17 in Seoul.
"Prior to the official conference, the two countries are in working-level talks, and I am certain that the talks will bring affirmative results," said an official at the ministry. "Should China agree on adjustment of networks, Korea will have obtained consent from all countries involved."
After the satellite network adjustment with China is successfully completed next month, the ministry plans to submit the adjustment agreement notification for frequency registration to the ITU by the end of this year. Then the government will establish regulatory environment allowing the satellite DMB service next year.
Meanwhile, SK Telecom is responsible for some 92 billion won (approximately 79.8 million dollars) out of 265.4 billion won, the total price of the satellite, according to its agreement with MBCo. The two partners will also collaborate for successful commercialization of satellite DMB service by making cross investments to set up the corporate of satellite DMB, using patents free of charge, and developing technologies. After launching the satellite in January next year, the two enterprises plan to start commercial satellite DMB service during the latter part of next year, the first in the world.
Insat-3E to be launched on Sunday
From http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/Weekly2003/09.23.2003/India7.htm
NEW DELHI: After the delay in its launch for over a month due to problems in components, the exclusive communication satellite Insat-3E is all set for launch on Sunday.
The fourth in the Insat-3 series would be launched between 4.32 am and 4.50 am and would be put into orbit by "Ariane", the European space agency vehicle from Kourou in French Guyana, an official release said.
Insat-3A, 3B, 3C are already operational. Insat-3D - an exclusive met-satellite and the last in the series, was slated for launch during 2004, it said.
The satellite would replace Insat-2DT as well as transponders taken on lease, besides augmenting the present Insat capacity for telecommunication services
Sahara Samay-Mumbai 'test launches' Friday
From http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k3/sep/sep239.htm
MUMBAI: Sahara Samay-Mumbai, Sahara Group's western India-specific news channel, which was supposed to officially launch tomorrow (26 September), will make a "test launch at 9 am", according to channel head Rajiv K Bajaj.
"Starting tomorrow, we will have eight hours of fresh news everyday. This is a test period, during which time we well check the signals, look for glitches, and fine tune the system. The real launch will happen some time after the festival of Dassera," Bajaj told indiantelevision.com.
Pitched against a plethora of Hindi language news channels, the USP of Sahara Samay-Mumbai is that it will cover Maharashtra, parts of Gujarat and Goa. "Our credo is to cover news from your neighbourhood. Not just that, we will also find solutions to civic and community problems. In short, our channel will be a tabloid on television," Bajaj explained.
Special programmes in the channel will include the RKB Show, anchored by Bajaj himself; Do Peher, Kai Raste, a show on social awareness anchored by Kunika Lall; Campus Calling, a show on teens and Panchnama, a show on crime in the city, among others.
In order to attract the elderly audience, a religious programme will be aired every morning at 6 am. The show will only concentrate on religious news only. "We are also going to cover business in a very unique way. We will look into the retailing business, and how it affects the common man," Bajaj says.
Starting tomorrow evening, the Sahara Samay crew will telecast live shows of 'Dandiya Raas' in the city. Present at the venue with the Sahara team will be Aadesh Srivatsav, singer Sapna Mukenrjee and a new talent every day for the next nine days.
Bajaj anticipates the channel to be a big success because, "the entire country has a great fascination for Mumbai".
Sahara Samay Mumbai has a strong team of 25 reporters in Mumbai itself. Besides the channel's national bureau will also offer support.
As for Kunika Lall's role in the channel, Bajaj said, "She will be our anchor and news reader. She was among the few people we auditioned and we discovered that she was really good at news reading."
(Craigs comment, Well its tomorrow now! so it should be up and running. Remember Bullock Cart racing fans this is the channel for you ;-) )
25/09/03
Not long to go untill the Rugby World Cup I was wondering how things have gone for installers in terms of numbers of installs done for TVNZ's RWC channel?
Sorry about the lateness of the site update but tomorrow there will be quite a large screenshot update.
From my Emails & ICQ
From Joe
C1 FTA again
12398 H 27800
12489 H 27800
12358 H 27800
From the Dish
PAS 2 169E 4090 V The TARBS World TV mux is still on , SR 21000, FEC 3/4, but is very weak.
PAS 8 166E 3860 H "SET International" is encrypted again.
NSS 6 95E 11543 V "NTD TV" has started on ,Fta PIDs 1025/1026.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3443 H "BVN TV" has left again.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3520 H "Radyo D" has left again.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3671 H Two RR Sat promos have started, Fta, PIDs 257/1793 and 102/1793.
PAS 10 68.5E 4184 V "ESC 2 and RTR Planeta" have started on , clear, SR 21000, FEC 3/4,PIDs 4129/4130 and 4145/4146. (May have since changed to Future Tv and ERT)
Intelsat 902 62E 4177 L "Sky News and AtTheRaces" are now encrypted.
NEWS
W.A Piracy Crackdown
From Press Release
The Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association
(ASTRA) announced that yesterday, the Australian Federal Police
executed search warrants at six premises in Perth in the first
major crackdown on subscription television piracy in Western
Australia.
The warrants were the result of joint investigations instigated by
FOXTEL, targeting the sale and distribution of unauthorised pirate
smart cards, which allow illegal access to FOXTEL and AUSTAR
subscription television channels. The investigations targeted
satellite television, alarm and electrical businesses alleged to be
involved in large-scale subscription television piracy in
metropolitan Perth and regional Western Australia.
On Tuesday 23 September 2003, Federal Agents executed search
warrants at six premises situated in Morley, East Victoria Park,
Ellenbrook, Tuart Hill and Belmont.
Federal Agents seized a number of items of property which were
allegedly used in the manufacture and sale of pirate smart cards.
The Australian Federal Police are continuing investigations and
will submit briefs of evidence to the Director of Public
Prosecutions in respect to possible offences under Section 135AS of
the Copyright Act 1968.
Debra Richards, ASTRA's Executive Director, representing AUSTAR,
FOXTEL & OPTUS, said, "These investigations show the continued
resolve of the subscription television industry, working together
with Australian Federal Police, to fight piracy of our service
throughout Australia. Our genuine subscribers are being hurt by
piracy, so we are making a concerted effort to fight back at the
pirates by increasing our policing investigations throughout
Australia to stamp it out."
"We hope today's announcement will send a clear warning to people
in Western Australia not to be hoodwinked into becoming involved in
piracy activity. Piracy is a crime. If in any doubt, or if pirate
activity is suspected, you are urged to report it to us through our
special piracy hotline on 1800 428 888.11
Anti-piracy Hotline: 1800 428 888 A hotline has been established by
the Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association to
enable suspected piracy activity to be reported anonymously.
Channels 'carrot' in digital TV push
From http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/09/24/1064083058408.html
Australians could have access to new free-to-air television channels featuring sport and lifestyle shows as early as 2005 under a new push for changes to digital broadcasting laws by Communications Minister Richard Alston.
A spokesman for the minister said that Senator Alston would present two options, the first being to allow multi-channelling to begin after January 2005.
This would allow networks to show several different sporting events simultaneously, for instance, or devote an ancillary channel to lifestyle programs or other themed material.
The extra channels would be free, but viewers would have to buy digital TV equipment to receive them.
"The minister has always viewed multi-channelling as a potential driver of digital television uptake and a service which provides an incentive for consumers," the spokesman said. But he acknowledged concerns held by some industry stakeholders - pay TV operators, for example - who believe the move would cripple their industry through competition.
"The other option is whether those concerns that are held should be tested by a thorough review some time after January 2005," he said.
It is believed the package will go to cabinet within the next month. The Nine and Ten networks have made submissions to the Government opposing the plan.
"While free-to-air multi-channelling may appear conceptually attractive, in practice it will lead to a decrease in quality of programming on free-to-air TV in Australia," Nine and Ten wrote to Senator Alston's department in July.
"With increased acquisition and production costs for broadcasters to meet the additional demand, it is difficult to envisage how broadcasters will be in a position to produce new (content), or purchase programming of a reasonable quality.
"The quantity of programs may increase, but the quality will decrease," the submission says.
The Seven Network is a vocal supporter of the plan and wants to use multi-channelling to offer more sports coverage.
Cabinet rebuffed Senator Alston last year when he suggested immediately introducing multi-channelling; this time, supporters believe the proposal stands a better chance.
The pay TV industry, they argue, has strengthened considerably in the intervening time with the merger deal between Foxtel and Optus, and the 2005 start date would give the respective players time to prepare.
Over recent months the number of digital TV receivers in Australian households has grown to 145,000 but the Government wants to push the figure higher.
Open a Coke, and a satellite will send you to the rugger
From http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/09/24/1064083059054.html
Campese is it . . . David Campese has been appointed Coca-Cola's "ambassador" for the Cup.
In the countdown to the opening of the Rugby World Cup campaign, major sponsors are pulling out all stops to ensure we all know who they are.
Amid concerns that the ambush marketing ads will start to roll out in the next couple of week, groups that have paid to be a sponsor are now getting very competitive.
One of the leading sponsors is Coca-Cola, which on Tuesday launched its biggest promotion, Thrill Seeker.
Confirming that the Atlanta-based soft-drink maker spends more money on marketing than it does on making its drink, the latest ads are considered some of the most innovative ever for a sporting event.
As part of the latest round of ads, former rugby great David Campese has been appointed the company's official Ambassador for Rugby World Cup 2003.
Campese will have a wide-ranging role with Coca-Cola in the lead-up to and during Rugby World Cup 2003.
One role will be to promote the Coca-Cola Thrill Seeker promotion.
Using satellite and digital technology, the marketers say the campaign will break new ground in the world of consumer promotions.
It will feature 20 "winning" bottles of coke and once one of the 20 is opened, the satellite technology will be activated, allowing the company to instantly find the winner and pinpoint their location to within 10 metres.
As always there is a prize attached: a finals package for two, (including tickets, accommodation and hospitality); a Peugeot 206 XRS and and $10,000 spending money from Visa.
Once the location of the winner has been determined, a Thrill Seeker team will be dispatched immediately to find the winner and deliver the prize package within hours.
Coca-Cola Rugby World Cup general manager Peter Trives said Thrill Seeker was the most high-tech and biggest Rugby World Cup promotion Coca-Cola had ever created.
"The Rugby World Cup is set to capture the nation's attention and we are confident Thrill Seeker will take consumers' experiences of this fantastic event to an even higher level of excitement," Mr Trives said.
To support the promotion, Coca-Cola has developed a marketing campaign involving television, radio, public relations and point-of-sale displays.
The campaign will be launched on October 5.
No takers for S'pore TV license
From http://asia.cnet.com/newstech/industry/0,39001143,39152348,00.htm
SINGAPORE--The bidding period for a license to operate the country's second pay TV network ended yesterday without attracting a single application.
Poor business sentiment seemed to be behind the lack of enthusiasm, according to a statement from the broadcast regulator the Media Development Authority (MDA).
It noted that the "prevailing economic situation could also have a significant impact on the viability of a second pay TV operator…The agency understands the reluctance of the industry to enter the market."
The invitation to run Singapore's second subscription TV service was issued Jun. 25 this year, in response to calls for competing services when Singapore Cablevision--now part of telcoms provider StarHub--ends its seven-year monopoly, said the MDA.
The country's largest telco Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel) issued a statement explaining its decision to stay out of the race, most likely as a result of market speculation that it would be the most likely contender.
There is "no viable and sustainable business case" for SingTel to operate a pay TV service, said Lucas Chow, SingTel executive vice president.
The small size of the Singapore market and the well-entrenched position of StarHub were among reasons cited for staying out of the market.
SingTel will continue to provide video-on-demand content through its Internet-based broadband platform, said the statement.
NDS Gains Leadership Position in Asia Pacific with Two Million Active Pay-TV Subscribers
From http://home.businesswire.com
Highlights:
-- New platform wins with pay-TV operators in China, India, Australia and Hong Kong in 2003 push NDS subscriber base over two million mark in Asia Pacific.
-- NDS iTV and EPG applications in traditional Chinese, simplified Chinese, Korean and English language become a key differentiator in Asia Pacific.
-- Powered by NDS Certification Partners Program now includes 13 Asian set-top box manufacturers that have completed integration of NDS systems.
-- Asia Pacific region forecast to continue to drive revenue growth of NDS global operations.
NDS, a News Corporation company and leading provider of technology solutions for digital pay-TV, has reached a significant milestone in the Asia Pacific pay-TV market with two million active subscribers using NDS conditional access systems. This achievement makes NDS a leading conditional access provider in the Asia Pacific region.
Ms. Sue Taylor, Vice President and General Manager of NDS Asia Pacific said, "Our technology excellence and expanded local expertise and customer service in Asia Pacific have contributed to our new business wins this year. NDS Asia Pacific is focused on delivering the best solutions and support to our local customers, and we strive to help them achieve ongoing success and revenue growth."
Already in 2003, NDS has been selected by several pay-TV broadcasters to provide NDS end-to-end digital systems. These include Chongqing Cable TV (China), Guizhou Cable TV (China), FOXTEL (Australia), Galaxy Satellite Broadcasting Systems (Hong Kong SAR), and Hathway Cable & Datacom (India).
SkyLife (Korea), also using NDS technologies, grew to become one of the largest broadcasters in the Asia Pacific region. From launch in March 2002, SkyLife is one of the fastest growing deployments worldwide, now broadcasting to over 800,000 subscribers.
NDS has developed customized electronic program guides for all Asia Pacific customers announced this year. Other NDS interactive services such as iTV games, sports and gambling applications will be launched on these platforms also.
FOXTEL selected NDS as prime systems integrator and provider of key digital technology solutions for the launch of digital TV services in early 2004. NDS technology will deliver secure subscription broadcasts and enable exciting interactive TV services.
Broadcasters selecting NDS solutions are able to choose from a wide variety of Asia Pacific set-top box vendors, models, prices, features and delivery dates. The "Powered by NDS" Certification Partners program has seen considerable success since launch in 2000. It enables set-top box manufacturers to quickly and seamlessly integrate NDS VideoGuard conditional access and NDS Core middleware with their set-top boxes and integrated circuits. The benefit for Asian pay-TV operators is that they can choose from a wider variety of set-top box models and features to meet their individual needs, reducing both time to market and cost.
The NDS set-top box and integration facility in Seoul has seen the most significant increase in demand, and has completed integrations with Em Tech, Global Tech, Hyundai Digital Technologies, Humax, LG Electronics, and Samsung.
According to NDS financial results issued last month, the business won by NDS during 2003 provided a series of contracts that are expected to contribute to revenues in fiscal 2004.
"Asia Pacific proved to be a continuing growth area for NDS and our operations in this region are now very busy working to deliver on our contract wins," said Ms. Taylor. "We are committed to supporting current and new customers to grow their subscriber base by providing new applications and services, which makes reaching two million subscribers a significant milestone for us."
About NDS
NDS Group plc (NASDAQ/NASDAQ Europe:NNDS) is a leading supplier of open end-to-end digital pay TV solutions for the secure delivery of entertainment and information to television set-top boxes and IP devices. See www.nds.com for more information about NDS.
China develops its first solid-fuel satellite rocket
From http://www.hipakistan.com/en/detail.php?newsId=en39773&F_catID=&f_type=source
BEIJING: China has successfully test-fired its first four-stage solid-fuel rocket capable of putting small satellites into space on short notice, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday.
The launch of the Pioneer I rocket on September 16 at north China’s Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center makes China only the third country capable of developing such rockets, after the United States and Russia, a spokesman for China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp (CASIC) told Xinhua.
The rocket is capable of putting payloads of up to 100 kilograms into orbit around the earth to help with resource exploration, environmental monitoring and surveys, the spokesman said.
The announcement comes just weeks ahead of China’s planned manned space mission, which is widely expected to take place next month, based on media reports.
The Xinhua report did not say whether the rocket had any connection to the launching of space flights or whether it could launch satellites for military use.
The People’s Daily website said the rocket would be convenient for short-term, short notice use, such as to launch satellites to monitor sudden natural disasters or to broadcast sports events.
"Compared with powerful launch vehicles that use liquid fuel, the solid-fuel launch vehicle, popularly known as Pioneer I, requires much less preparation time to launch, and is much easier to operate," the spokesman said.
It takes 12 hours or less to prepare for the launch of a satellite using the Pioneer I rocket, whereas about three months are needed to prepare the traditional liquid-fuel launch vehicle, including the time for shipping, installation and testing, and filling it with liquid fuel.
The Pioneer I also can be launched from a mobile pad, the spokesman said. Regardless of whether launch vehicles are used for commercial or military purposes, experts said China’s capability in producing launch vehicles was posing competition for other space powers, such as the United States.
24/09/03
Globecast are testing Thai TV on the B3 mux 12532V sr 15000 Fec 3/4 but it has no Audio ! its one of my favourite channels so I hope they get the Audio fixed soon. It has replaced TRT Int which was also testing here. BVN is down at the moment and ErtSat is now replaced by a view out the window at Globecast HQ?
Who was the Greek apsattv site reader who rushed out yesterday and purchased a 1.2M with LNBF and sat finder. Only to find just 2 hours after setting it up that ERTSAT has disappeared ! bad luck I am sure it will be back soon.
Still quite a bit of activity happening on Thaicom 3..
From my Emails & ICQ
From Steve Hume
Interesting PAS2 Load
I did a reload of 3767v s/r6620 on PAS 2 today, and left the network
search on. It tried to load all the following.
3767 6620 V
3776 6620 V
3794 6620 H
3803 6620 V
3812 6620 V
3887 6620 V
3905 6620 V
3914 6620 V
12292 3721 H
12297 3333 H
12318 6620 V
12327 6620 V
12354 6620 V
12376 6620 H
12394 6620 H
12600 6620 H
Pays to leave it on sometimes.
NEWS 24x7
Steve Hume
(Craigs comment, there you go feed hunters a good list to check except for the Ku band ones)
From the Dish
PAS 8 166E 3836 V "Azio TV" is still on , Viaccess 1, PIDs 167/108.
PAS 8 166E 3860 H "SET International" is Fta.
AsiaSat 2 100.5E 4020 V "EuroSport News" has left , PIDs 4898/4899.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3443 H New FEC for BVN TV: 2/3.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3520 H "BVN TV, Kanal D Fun, Nile Drama, NTV Mir and Radyo D" have started on, PIDs 2081/2082, 4129/4130, 6177/6178, 7202/7203 and 4131.(FTA!)
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3640 H A test card has started, Fta PIDs 521/649.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3671 H "VIC-TV" has started , Fta, SR 13333, FEC 3/4, PIDs 103/1793 and 104/1793.(Turkish?)
NEWS
Second Aussie eye in the sky
From http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,7342441%5E15339%5E%5Enbv%5E15306-15321,00.html
BRISBANE members of the scientific team that launched Australia's first satellite in 30 years are working on a second eye in the sky.
Miles Moody, from the Cooperative Research Centre for Satellite Systems, said recently a second satellite, known as Jaesat, would be built largely by undergraduate students.
The team's first satellite, FedSat, was launched in December last year and has flown 177.5 million kilometres -- the equivalent of 200 trips from the Earth to the Moon and back.
Professor Moody said Jaesat, to be launched in about two years, would be a simpler model with one payload, a global positioning system (GPS), instead of five.
The CRC today released a report card on FedSat's performance since its launch from the Tanegashima Space Centre on a small, rocky island off southern Japan.
Profesor Moody said the two FedSat payloads being operated by Queensland University of Technology students were performing well. He said a GPS device was opening up opportunities for monitoring weather.
"We can calculate things like water vapour density," Professor Moody said. "If you have a cyclone and you manage to get a satellite in the right position, we can actually measure the amount of water the cyclone is likely to drop, and how much flooding it's going to produce.
"It will replace weather balloons eventually."
A high performance computing experiment -- the first of its kind in space -- had demonstrated a way in which a computer could repair itself.
"The computer is manufactured on a chip with a very large number of very small components and they can be reconfigured in any way you like remotely -- it can repair itself," Professor Moody said.
Unfortunately, FedSat's battery is expected to die in about two and a half years.
The $12 million project, funded by state and federal governments, QUT and the private sector, has trained around 200 aerospace engineers over the past five years.
STAR may launch History Channel in November
From http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?artid=198516
MUMBAI: STAR has acquired the rights for distributing the ‘History Channel’ in India. Senior STAR sources said the channel is expected to launch in the sub-continent in November. Along with National Geographic, the History Channel is expected to bolster the STAR bouquet’s educational content.
The History Channel is owned by US-based A&E Television Networks, a joint venture in which both Hearst Corporation and ABC own 37.5%, with the balance 25% held by NBC. The company owns several other channels and media business ventures including the ‘Biography Channel’ and the A&E Network.
The History Channel, which has high quality educational programming, reaches 62m subscribers in the West.
Star announces tie-up with Tata for DTH
From http://sify.com/finance/fullstory.php?id=13259465&vsv=157
Rupert Murdoch-owned Star Television has told the Government that the company has tied up with the Tatas for its direct-to-home (DTH) foray and would launch its services by mid-2004.
As per the DTH guidelines issued in 2000 that cap the broadcaster's holding in a DTH venture at 20 per cent, the Tatas are expected to be offered 80 per cent of the equity in the Rs 250-crore Space Television. Star will hold the remaining 20 per cent.
"We have been told that Space Television will offer a bouquet of 100 channels using Star's B-Sky-B platform and will also have a pay-per-view system for some of its programmes," said an Information and Broadcasting Ministry official.
Star intends to roll out its DTH services by March or April next year, the official said.
DTH involves the installation of a dish antenna of 60 to 90 cm radius and a set-top box at the subscriber's end to receive television signals transmitted from a satellite.
Space Television is to charge Rs 400 per month from its subscribers and is looking at ways to give subsidy on the set-top box, which is priced at Rs 5,000 per unit.
Meanwhile, Zee is expected to launch its DTH services on October 2 and would charge its customers Rs 150 per month. The company is offering the set-top box at Rs 4,000.
The Government had given a Letter of Intent (LoI) for the country's first DTH service to a Zee company on July 29, 2003. State-owned Prasar Bharati Corporation is also set to launch its DTH services, but has to first get a Cabinet clearance. The issue is likely to be taken up by the Cabinet on September 30, the official said. Prasar Bharati is planning to offer 30 channels on its DTH platform.
An advantage of the DTH technology over Conditional Access System (CAS) is that it is non-proprietary, which means that a subscriber can use the same equipment even if moving from one place to another only with a change of the card that is to be slotted into the box.
The CAS regime offers less mobility because the set-top box supplied by an operator in one locality may not necessarily work in another. On the other hand, DTH services are expected to be more expensive.
Isro to launch Hamsat next month
From http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/xml/uncomp/articleshow?msid=198926
HYDERABAD: Good news for Amateur Radio enthusiasts. The first Indian Amateur Radio Satellite, ‘Hamsat’, will be launched in mid-October to provide satellite-based Amateur Radio Services to both national and international Amateur Radio Operators (HAMs).
It will be launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) on-board the PSLV-C5 Mission as an auxiliary satellite, weighing 40 kilograms and having two transponders. Hamsat is the first theme-based micro satellite of Isro that will finally meet the need of the Amateur Radio operators in the South Asian region who possess the required radio sets and operate in the UHF/VHF band-based Satellite Radio Communication Channel.
The last satellite providing this type of service ceased operating in August this year, creating a vacuum. Hamsat will be fully-functional by November. The satellite will provide low-cost, readily accessible, reliable means of communication during emergencies and calamities like floods and earthquakes. It will help create technical interest and awareness among the youth by providing them with an opportunity to develop their technical projects, including offering them a platform for testing new technology.
The launch also means that Isro’s satellite service will now be within the reach of common man and will help in popularising space research among the masses. The National Institute of Amateur Radio (NIAR) has been stressing the need for an exclusive satellite for Indian amateurs for the past 15 years. And now, with support from agencies like the Planning Commission, Isro and Amsat-India, the Hamsat was successfully tested.
23/09/03
Livechat tonight 9pm NZ and 8.30pm Syd time onwards in the chatroom. Perhaps we can discuss Thaicom3 / Tarb's ? somethings going on there.
Microsoft updates, for those unaware these virus messages claiming to be Microsoft updates have started appearing in the mailing list. DO NOT PANIC Virus and other ATTACHMENTS CANNOT come through the mailing list. Yahoo Groups is set to remove all attachments. As Usual UPDATE your virus scanners or check with your ISP most nowdays have free Email virus scanning.
A few Press releases from Sky today in the news section. There doesn't seem to be much news coming out of Australia lately to do with pay tv its difficult I try to balance things in the news section to be skewed mostly towards true satellite related stuff. Do people want to read more pay tv related stuff?? send me an email with your thoughts.
From my Emails & ICQ
From J Beets
As a new Satellite TV customer (Optus B3 and C1 off 1 dish with 2 LNBs) I have been reading your daily updates with interest.
One thing that is not clear is whether the references to Optus C1 and B3 broadcasts apply to Australia only or also to New Zealand.
For example yesterday's reference to the Greek channel on B3. Is it possible to include in the announcements whether the changes apply to Aus/NZ?
(Craigs comment, yes sorry about that I will try and remember in the future, but basically any Horizontal on B3,C1, B1 does not cover NZ. Vertical stuff on B1,B3 usually are fine in NZ. Go to Lyngsat.com and check out the footprint links. Anything listed as Aus/NZ is fine in both Countrys)
From Bassett
Subject: Re: asiasat3
at the present time 3760 whatever, is showing the following programming,
Muslim TV, Now TV, Bloomburg, Indus TV, Testing Channel, Indus Vision, Muslim TV 2, Tech TV, Ch9 BTN, Ch10 ANC.
Channels Ch9 BTN and CH10 ANC, show signal , not encriptd nothing plays at this time.
Channels Tech TV, encripted
Channels Muslim 1 & 2, Bloomburg, Indus TV and Vision, Testing Ch, all play..
From various
2 feeds lastnight
B1, 12358V sr 6666 Fec 3/4 "Idol"
B1, 12367V sr 3700 Fec 1/2 "herbalife"
From the Dish
PAS 8: 166E 3836 V "Azio TV" has left .(Use to be called Asia Plus)
AsiaSat 2 100.5E 4020 V "EuroSport News" has started, Fta, PIDs 2825/2823.
AsiaSat 2 100.5E "EuroSport News" has replaced one of the EDTV Channel Europes on 4020 V, Fta,PIDs 4898/4899.
Insat 3A 93.5E A Zee Telefilms mux has started on 11507 H, Conax, SR 27500, FEC 3/4,a copy of 11670 H.A Zee Telefilms mux has started on 11547 H, Conax, SR 27500, FEC 3/4,a copy of 4025 V.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3443 H "BVN TV" has started, Fta, SR 3255, FEC 3/4, PIDs 36/37, global beam.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3640 H "Radio Netherlands Wereldomroep Europa" has left .
PAS 10 68.5E 4064 V "ESC 1" has started,Fta, PIDs 5107/5108.
NEWS
Foxtel clears DTV hurdles
From http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,7346189%5E15350%5E%5Enbv%5E15306-15320,00.html
PAY-TV group Foxtel looks set to clear competition hurdles on its planned re-broadcast of free-to-air TV signals on its new digital service, overcoming increased industry concern.
The Seven and Ten Networks, which are yet to allow Foxtel to retransmit their signals via satellite, recently forced Foxtel to seek a third line forcing notification from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) as a negotiating tactic on the issue.
Foxtel's ability to transmit their channels is important because most people with pay-TV {they left out the words "want to" here} watch Channels Seven, Nine and Ten through their pay-TV box, but it also increases the attractiveness of Foxtel's pay-TV package.
A third line forcing notification is made in potentially anti-competitive situations where one service is offered only if the user agrees another condition.
The ACCC approves the "forcing" within 14 days of the application if it is convinced the move is in the public's benefit.
An ACCC spokesperson said the timeframe had passed without intervention but also said notifications were continually under review and could be revoked at a later date.
Apart from Seven and Ten, the regional TV networks, Broadcast Australia (the transmission tower group owned by the Macquarie Communications Infrastructure Group) and the Australian Electrical and Electronic Manufacturer's Association also opposed the notification, but for different reasons.
Regional Broadcasting Australia (RBA), representing Nine affiliate WIN TV, Seven affiliate Prime TV and Ten affiliate Southern Cross, argued the Optus satellite does not have room for all their TV signals.
And as the TV broadcasters would be the largest user of satellite services, the RBA believed the arrangement would create an "insurmountable barrier to entry for a satellite competitor".
Broadcast Australia, which transmits digital TV channels around Australia, was concerned the move forced free-TV channels onto an alternative delivery platform at the expense of terrestrial TV broadcasting.
And AEEMA was reported to be concerned that the retransmission would compromise the conversion of analogue TV to digital.
This is because the Optus satellite would not have the capacity to retransmit the cinema-quality high definition TV signals now being promoted by the TV industry.
Key Sky shareholders may thwart INL takeover offer
From http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2667434a13,00.html
Key minority shareholders in Sky TV are unhappy with a bid from Independent Newspapers Ltd and may thwart INL's offer for the pay-TV company.
Four institutional investors are understood to hold over 10 per cent of Sky, enough to prevent INL from reaching the 90 per cent threshold at which it would compulsorily acquire the remaining shares.
On August 28 INL announced its intention to take over the third of Sky TV it does not own, although Sky directors said earlier this month the indicated offer was unfair.
INL company secretary Sean Wynne said the formal offer would be delivered to Sky by late next week at the latest.
The company had originally planned to make the offer official by mid-September but was "somewhat delayed" in finalising its annual report which had to go out in an information memorandum to INL shareholders, Mr Wynne said.
Amanda Smith, investment manager of ING New Zealand which holds about 1 per cent of Sky, said the INL offer was not attractive to minority shareholders.
ING would not accept the offer in its current form.
"One of the problems for us is how you're getting a big chunk of cash and a small exposure to the ongoing value of Sky," she said.
"Why would we want to sell it for cash now when we think longer term it's going to do well? I suppose in the end it's perhaps what suited the larger shareholders in INL."
Tower Asset Management's Paul Robertshawe would not disclose the size of Tower's stake but said it also would not accept the offer.
"At this stage we have no intention of accepting INL's offer. We don't think it represents fair value for Sky TV."
Andrew South of BT Funds Management would also not reveal the size of its stake but it made up "a large part of our fund".
"We're long-term holders. We think it (the offer) is light.
"I'm not going to mention a price, but we think it's substantially short of long-term value," he said.
However, Mr Wynne said it was premature to speculate about INL raising its offer.
"I don't know if there's a lot of people who aren't happy with the offer, but certainly a number of the institutions have come out. . ." he said.
"The INL board has made it explicitly clear that they will not be increasing the offer, that they believe this is a good offer and they're very comfortable making it," Mr Wynne said.
INL is offering $3.35 in cash for each Sky share, plus three INL shares for every 10 Sky shares, or the equivalent of $4.71 for each Sky share at today's share prices.
Sky shares closed today at $4.91, having risen from $4.52 the day before news of the offer, while INL shares have risen from $4.31 to $4.54.
Telecom said it has already agreed to sell its 12 per cent stake in Sky to INL, taking the media company's total stake to 78.25 per cent even before the bid has been officially launched.
Telecom also owns 10 per cent of INL.
Sky, whose shares brokers have valued above $5, is expected to announce an annual profit of between $28 million and $35 million for the current financial year.
SKY TO LAUNCH THREE NEW CHANNELS
From Press Release
SKY Television has announced today that it will launch UKTV, The History Channel and Disney Channel before the end of the year on Start-up, SKY Digital's basic package.
UKTV will combine the best programming from top British broadcasters: the BBC, Fremantle International and Granada, specifically programmed for a New Zealand audience.
The channel will launch on November 1 on SKY digital channel 4 and will offer subscribers a mix of award winning, contemporary and classic UK drama, comedy, variety and mini series programming.
Popular programmes will include Holby City, Peak Practice, Ballykissangel and Parkinson; favourite British soaps like The Bill, Coronation Street and Eastenders; classics like Porridge and Blackadder; as well as a regular Thursday Night mini-series slot.
The History Channel will launch on December 1 on SKY digital channel 53 and will be New Zealand's first television channel dedicated to history 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It will bring the power and passion of the past to life with critically acclaimed documentaries and entertainment specials.
The History Channel is part of a global, award-winning network with access to a vast library of the world's best historical programming via The History Channel International. The channel presents high quality programming from every corner of the globe with programmes as varied as Biography, Modern Marvels, The Cold War, Escape!, Conquest and Fly Past - 100th Anniversary of Flight.
Disney Channel, a market leader in family television will launch on December 24 and will broadcast 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on SKY digital channel 40.
The channel will provide quality entertainment that can be enjoyed by the whole family. It features a wide array of animation series, sitcoms, dramas, and live action features including a favourite of New Zealand audiences, The Wonderful World of Disney.
Other top programmes include; Lizzie McGuire, Sabrina, Lilo and Stitch - The Series, as well as blockbuster family movies including Monsters Inc, A Bugs Life and The Emperor's New Groove.
SKY Television's Director of Entertainment, Travis Dunbar said, "While SKY is the natural home for live sport and blockbuster movies, we continually look to attract a wider audience. These three superb new channels go a long way to achieving that goal."
"UKTV is a dedicated home for the programming New Zealanders love. The History Channel is a compelling and stimulating channel like no other. Disney Channel is unequalled in quality entertainment that's safe for all the family to view," he said.
Along with these additions Hallmark and CNBC Australia will no longer be broadcast on the SKY digital network.
SKY Television has been advised that Hallmark Channel is no longer available in its current format so it will cease broadcast in New Zealand on October 27.
CNBC has received too little viewership to warrant a contract renewal and therefore will cease broadcasting in New Zealand on November 30.
(Craigs comment, Finally some real channels to add some much needed variety to Sky's channel line-up. Tv 4 is going to be very pissed off at losing their number 4 spot on Sky's remote. TV'4 is changing to a Youth music type format from Oct 1st and being renamed to C4. I expect Sky will put them up with there other 2 music channels)
SPECIAL TREAT FOR RESIDENTIAL SKY DIGITAL SUBSCRIBERS DURING RUGBY WORLD CUP
From Press Release
Residential SKY Digital subscribers will be able to enjoy SKY's Rugby Channel (Digital channel 15) every weekend without any additional charges -Friday 6pm to Monday 6am throughout the 2003 Rugby World Cup starting Friday, October 10 from 6pm.
Every weekend, SKY Digital subscribers will be able to enjoy a plethora of World Cup rugby entertainment on the Rugby Channel for no additional charge.
The Rugby Channel will also be accessible to all digital subscribers for half an hour every night so viewers can catch the action of the day in the brand new programme, The Cup, created especially for the World Cup.
The Cup is dedicated to providing in-depth World Cup analysis, expert opinions, inside news from within the All Black camp with interviews, previews and reviews as John Mitchell's team face their biggest challenge to date. Daily field reports from Australia will be provided by Tony Johnson and Reunion Producer Grant Harding (editor of New Zealand Rugby World) - both of whom will be embedded within the NZRU in St Kilda, Melbourne.
Back in New Zealand, SKY Sport commentator Ian Smith, former Black Fern and Sport 365 presenter Melodie Robinson and renowned sports broadcaster Eric Young will share the hosting responsibilities of The Cup. All Black legend Ian Jones will provide in-depth tactical analysis.
During the Air New Zealand NPC season The Cup will screen Sunday to Thursday from 7:30pm and Friday to Saturday night from 6:30pm. Once the NPC season has concluded on November 26, The Cup will screen every night from 7:30pm for the remainder of the World Cup.
SKY Television's Executive Producer of Rugby, Andrew Fyfe said, "SKY is delighted to bring rugby fans a wealth of additional rugby programming for the duration of the 2003 Rugby World Cup."
"A dedicated crew, including Tony Johnson will provide a daily New Zealand perspective from Melbourne," Fyfe said.
"For six very special weeks all digital viewers will get a taste of SKY's celebrated Rugby Channel and it's new show The Cup. It's a limited opportunity to experience for themselves the best in New Zealand, Australian, South African and British rugby programming."
Also giving in-depth analysis of play in the World Cup is Deaker on Sport, the talkback style show hosted by the incomparable Murray Deaker, screening Mondays from 8:30pm on SKY Sport 1.
New Zealand's leading rugby programme Reunion, will also feature the best from both sides of the Tasman with Tony Johnson and guests reporting from Australia. The Kiwi perspective - including the NPC - will be provided from SKY's studio. Reunion screens live every Tuesday from 8:30pm on SKY Sport 1 and the Rugby Channel.
Eric Young will be joined by regular panellist Duncan Johnstone for Press Box, the show that delivers the real story to some of the most controversial rugby issues.
The New Zealand Herald's Wynne Gray and SKY's Tony Johnson will be joined by the biggest names of world rugby's media based in Australia - Press Box screens every Wednesday from 8:30pm on the Rugby Channel.
SKY News Australia will provide updates of the day's World Cup action every hour and will also screen special editions of Sportsline Australia and Sportsline International hosted by the Sky News Sports team, Murray Shaw and Craig Norenbergs.
New Zealand's only daily sports news show, Sport 365, will offer match highlights and bulletins every night at 7pm on SKY Sport.
(Craigs comment, Lets cut through the Bullshit here TVNZ has the live rights and replay rights and will be screening it all on their own channel Tv1 and also replays on the RWC channel. Sky's trying to cash in and make something out of the scraps left. Any highlights they show will be limited to a few minutes snippets similar to what you get on the News.)
SKY TELEVISION CREATES SPECIAL CHANNEL FOR L'OREAL NEW ZEALAND FASHION WEEK
From Press Release
Fashion shows from L’Oréal New Zealand Fashion Week will broadcast LIVE across the country on SKY Television on a channel specially created for this event, SKY Digital 9, from Monday October 20.
SKY Television’s digital technology will allow New Zealanders to enjoy all the action from the country’s pre-eminent fashion extravaganza LIVE from the Auckland Town Hall for the first time on television from Monday, October 20 to Thursday, October 23 starting at 11:30am each day.
Local fashion designers will be showcasing their autumn/winter 2004 collections to some of the fashion industry’s most prestigious international and local buyers in this the third annual L’Oréal New Zealand Fashion Week.
SKY’s coverage will open the doors on an event not normally open to the public, giving New Zealanders the opportunity to see the fantastic fashion from New Zealand’s top designers previously only able to be seen by media and buyers attending the event.
Francesca Rudkin will host coverage on SKY’s L’Oréal New Zealand Fashion Week Channel. She will conduct interviews with designers, celebrities, media and buyers and will also cover the gossip from the L’Oréal Powder Room.
SKY Television Chief Executive, John Fellet said, “SKY is delighted that the digital television environment allows us to support and broadcast special events like L’Oréal New Zealand Fashion Week.”
Cindy Taylor, host of Wild On, on SKY’s E! Entertainment Channel will be in New Zealand as a guest at L’Oréal New Zealand Fashion Week for the weeklong event.
Taylor will be a guest of Newstalk ZB’s Kerre Woodham for LIVE interviews with special guests in the L’Oreal Powder Room - an exclusive pampering sanctuary where guests can enjoy a manicure, makeover or get their hair stylised.
Taylor and an E! TV Crew will be also shooting footage from L’Oréal New Zealand Fashion Week which will generate further international publicity for the event as E! programming screens in 400 million homes worldwide.
(Craigs comment, wake me up when its over)
Loral loses satellite scheduled to be sold
From http://www.chinapost.com.tw/detail.asp?onNews=1&GRP=A&id=20609
After failing to re-establish contact with an orbiting telecommunications satellite over the weekend, Loral Space & Communications declared it a total loss Monday.
Telstar 4, which was insured for US$141 million, was one of six satellites -- three currently in orbit and two under construction -- that privately held Intelsat had agreed to acquire for up to US$1.1 billion.
New York based Loral lost contact with the satellite Friday morning when a short circuit disrupted operations.
Despite the failure, Intelsat and Loral still expect the acquisition to occur on schedule, but the incident could reduce the purchase price by US$141 million -- the insured amount.
Susan Gordon, a spokeswoman for Intelsat, said that the purchase price could be reduced by any insurance payment minus any service reduction payments that Loral might make to customers.
The final purchase price could be further reduced if Loral fails to meet certain goals.
Loral filed for bankruptcy on July 15 as part of its deal to sell its assets to Intelsat, listing $2.65 billion in assets and $3.06 billion in debt. Though Intelsat is the lead bidder, the bankruptcy court is accepting bids for Loral's assets until Oct. 15. An auction is scheduled for Oct. 20.
Telstar 4, which covered all 50 U.S. states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands and southern Canada, was launched in 1995 and was scheduled to be to be replaced by Telstar 8 in mid-2004. "Nearly all" customers using Telstar 4 have been shifted to neighboring Telstar 5, 6 and 7 satellites, Loral said.
Like many other out-of-service satellites, Telstar 4, which orbits at 22,000 miles (35,400 kilometers) above earth, will now be left to drift in space. Companies are usually required to leave just enough fuel in their satellites allowing them to rocket into deep space at the end of service. But given that Loral has not been able to re-establish contact with its satellite, that is probably not an option.
Insat 3E to finally take off on 27 September
From Indiantelevision.com
MUMBAI: The much delayed launch of India's next generation communication satellite Insat 3E will finally see the light of day on 27 September. Arianespace, the launch service provider, has set the evening of 27 September for the liftoff of Flight 162 with a trio of spacecraft passengers.
After delays due to ISRO's 'desire to perform additional final checks on its satellite', according to the agency, the launch campaign resumed 17 September at Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. As part of the renewed activity, the European Space Agency's SMART-1 lunar exploration spacecraft was installed atop its Ariane 5 inside the final assembly building.
The payload stack for Flight 162 will be arranged with Smart-1 in the lower position, followed by Eutelsat's e-Bird broadband services spacecraft in the middle and the Indian Insat-3E telecom/video broadcast satellite in the upper slot. Flight 162 is now scheduled to lift off during a 19-minute launch window that opens at 8:02 p.m. local Kourou time (23h02 GMT, 1:02 am in Paris and 4:32 am in Bangalore, India).
Flight 162 will use a standard Ariane 5G launch vehicle, and it will mark Arianespace's third flight with the versatile launcher in 2003.
Isro, the Indian space research organisation that developed Insat 3E, had said last month that it was forced to postpone the launch date because officials found that a batch containing 'faulty' units of critical imported components was being used in Insat-3E. The faulty components called solid-state power amplifiers (SSPAs), are the core of a satellite transponder. They were obtained from Japanese major Mitsubishi Electric Corporation about two years ago. The satellite has used 36 SSPAs in all, of which some had to be replaced and some repaired.
The launch of the 2,750 kg satellite was delayed twice since the start of the year; it was originally scheduled for take off on 28 August from European rocket launcher Ariane 5G but was put off till 3 September to carry out additional verifications on the payload.
INSAT 3E will take tally to 128 transponders
From http://www.hindu.com/2003/09/23/stories/2003092300981300.htm
BANGALORE SEPT. 22. With the launch of INSAT 3E, the Indian Space Research Organisation's communications satellite, on September 28, the country's tally of communication transponders in space will go up to 128, G. Madhavan Nair, Secretary, Department of Space and Chairman ISRO, said here today.
In his maiden press meet after assuring charge, Mr. Nair said that "as of today'' the launch of INSAT 3E is on September 28. He was speaking after releasing a book, Fundamentals of Remote Sensing, by George Joseph, a cosmic ray scientist and former director of ISRO's Space Application Centre, Ahmedabad.
INSAT 3E, the penultimate spacecraft in the INSAT 3 series, will be launched aboard the French Ariane 5 rocket from the spaceport of Kourou, French Guyana. It carries 24 C-band transponders and 12 extended C-band transponders. The satellite, with a life of 14 years, will be launched between 4.32 a.m. and 4.51 a.m. Indian Standard Time. A successful launch of INSAT 3E after successive delays, the last due to a component alert is important not in the least because its transponders will take on the traffic now being handled by 23 transponders on INSAT 2DT which is nearing the end of its life. The transfer of traffic from 2DT to 3E is expected to start in the first week of December.
K.R. Sridhara Murthi, Executive Director, Antrix Corporation, ISRO's commercial wing, said revenue for the last financial year was Rs. 108 crores and the projected revenue for this year was Rs. 200 crores. The money had come from strong "servicing remote sensing data'' and from television, VSAT, and communications satellite business, Mr. Murthy said.
Walt Disney seeks nod for setting up Indian arm
From http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2003/09/23/stories/2003092302420500.htm
WALT Disney Company has moved the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) seeking permission to open a wholly-owned subsidiary in India to launch The Disney Channel (TDC) in India.
The company has said that it plans to invest around $10 million over a five-year period. According to the company's plans, The Disney Channel will be launched as a pay channel.
The channel will provide foreign productions dubbed in Indian languages as well as produce and outsource software and content locally, the company's application to the FIPB states.
Earlier, the FIPB had rejected the company's proposal to set up a wholly-owned subsidiary because the company's erstwhile Indian partners had declined to give their no-objection certificate. Now, the company has stated in its application that the problem with the former Indian partners has been settled.
The Disney group, which is one of the largest entertainment group in the world, proposes to make a grand entry into the Indian market.
For this, launching the Disney channel is the first step.
Sources said that Disney's group's television business is a critical driver for growing the group's other businesses. Once TDC has been launched in India, it will pave way for the group to start its other activities such as theme parks and resorts.
The company's other businesses, which it may start in due course, include Internet and other new media businesses, radio and production and distribution of locally produced filmed entertainment both in India and potential export to overseas market.
22/09/03
Greek channel ErtSat has appeared FTA on Optus B3! @ 152E 12531 V Sr 15000 Fec 2/3, also there is BVN, TRT International and a channel that is not transmitting as yet. More to come I hope? There was supposed to be a Tamil channel coming as well? Ertsat is FTA off Thaicom 3 as well.
Tvguide for ErtSat http://www.ert.gr/newsat/
Sorry about the lack of NEWS today.
From my Emails & ICQ
From Victor Holubecki
I'm selling these fine leather jackets...Actually, I'm selling: 3 metre mesh dish with actuator and C band lnb
Praxis Digital/Analogue reciever with positioner
Signal meter, compass and Angle meter
68cm TEAC colour television (NTSC compatible)
3m Aluminium step ladder
1.8m K Band dish with lnbs, cables and spares
All this for around $2000, which is negotiable.
I'm selling because I'll be moving into a unit soon where I can't bring my dishes.
I'm located in Lithgow NSW.
If you're interested, just fart an E-mail to [email protected] for more info.
Thankyouverymuch.
From Bill Richards
Kairali, Fashion TV and Asianet News all via Thaicom 3
From ANON
ABC AUSTRALIA ON B1
The symbol rate on the following state services of the ABC is not as indicated by Lyngsat:
It is 14.294118 mSyb OR 14.294 for short on:-
12610
12626
12643
12670
12688
12707
12610 Appears to have no services running at present
The ABC interchange channels are correct on Lyngsat.
From Henry Titchen
I have seen two new channels are up on the Asiasat 3 3760Mhz transponder.
My receiver doesn't tell me the PID's. One of them I think was called Channel 9?
They don't have any video or audio at the moment.
Do you know what these will be used for?
Henry.
(Craigs comment, according to another reader "there are a couple of new channels that come up as 'CH9 BTN' and ''CH10 ANC'. They both have 'dummyEventName' in their program guide" that is all the info I have on it. Keep an eye on it)
From Fishing Fishing 21/09
Hi all
Argentina vs Spain on Pas 2 4018H 5632sr.
Doubles match.
Also Eurosport News is on Asiasat 2 on 4020v 27500sr.
Not sure if its a feed or not, but I think they were testing on this satellite before.
From the Dish
PAS 8 166E 12686 H "Test cards have started on , Irdeto 2, PIDs 2110/2120 and 2210/2220.
Optus B3 156E 12531 V "BVN TV, ERT Sat and TRT International" have started, Fta,SR 15000, FEC 2/3, PIDs 503/560, 1160/1120 and 1760/1720.
Palapa C2 113E 11132 VAll channels in the Trueworld mux are encrypted again.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3443 H Occasional feeds on, SR 2894, FEC 3/4, global beam.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3520 H "Nile News, MBC Europe, Nile Family and Kids, RTV International USA, NTV Mir, TV Polonia, Nile Variety, Sout Al-Arab, Radio Dimensione Suono,Radio Pink, Radio Italia and Radio Italia Anni '60 have left .MKTV Sat, RTS Sat, BK TV Sat and Pink Plus are Fta, with new PIDs: 34/35, 49/50, 1057/1058 and 3105/3106.New PIDs for Perviy kanal Vsemirnaya setj: 5153/5154.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3520 H "Perviy kanal Vsemirnaya setj" is Fta. (Anyone know why all these Tarb's cband channels are going FTA?)
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3640 H "BVN TV, Radio Netherlands Wereldomroep International and Radio NetherlandsWereldomroep Europa" have left .
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3671 H "ETTV News, Asianet News, Kairali Channel and Fashion TV" have left .( Unusual group of channels)
Apstar 2R 76.5E 4037 H FEC for NR 1 is : 3/4.
PAS 10 68.5E 4064 V "TV Polonia, TGRT and Public Radio of Armenia" have started on ,Fta, PIDs 289/290, 321/322 and 307.New PIDs for Public TV of Armenia and TV: 305/306 and 337/338.NTD TV has left again.
NEWS
Galileo goes in blaze of glory
From http://www.sunspot.net/news/nationworld/bal-te.journal21sep21001630,0,1693633.column?coll=bal-nationworld-utility
After eight years surveying Jupiter and its moons, NASA is giving its pioneering Galileo spacecraft an unusual but fitting send-off by steering it on a suicide course for the giant gas planet whose mysteries it helped unravel.
The 2 1/2 -ton probe will plunge into the thick Jovian atmosphere today at 3:49 p.m. Eastern time, disintegrating moments later from the friction generated by its 108,000-mph free-fall.
Scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, who have planned Galileo's demise for more than two years, say the craft's fuel tanks are nearly dry and its radiation-fried electronics are faltering. But they vow that Galileo will go down fighting. "We expect to be collecting science data all the way in," said JPL project manager Claudia Alexander.
Galileo's 35th and final orbit of Jupiter will be a victory lap for a spacecraft that gave its creators fits, then outdistanced their expectations. After near-crippling mechanical failures en route, the spacecraft rebounded to rewrite most of what scientists knew about the makeup of Jupiter and its moons. Researchers are still mining information from the 30 gigabytes of data Galileo beamed back.
Ironically, one of Galileo's own discoveries sealed its fate: signs of briny oceans churning beneath the frozen crust of Europa and two other Jovian moons. Fearing that the fuel-starved craft might accidentally crash into one of them - possibly spreading stowaway germs that would undermine future searches for life - NASA decided to destroy Galileo rather than let it dodder around the cosmos, as the agency does with most retired probes.
For the 800 scientists and engineers who worked on the project from conception to crash, it's a bittersweet Sunday. Many have gathered in Pasadena, Calif., home of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, to watch the spacecraft's final moments.
"It's going to be an ugly day," said Jim Erickson, a former Galileo project manager who worked on the spacecraft from 1978 until 2001 and keeps pictures of it in his living room. "It's like watching your children grow up. I'm sad."
Looking back, some Galileo alumni marvel that the star-crossed, $1.5 billion spacecraft made it to Jupiter at all. Approved by Congress in 1977, it was delayed first by redesigns and then by the space shuttle Challenger explosion. It finally lifted off in October 1989 aboard the shuttle Atlantis.
Then the real headaches began.
Eighteen months after launch, ground controllers found they couldn't untuck Galileo's umbrella-like, high-gain antenna. Without the 16-foot dish, designed to transmit pictures and data to Earth at high speed, engineers were forced to rely on a smaller and slower antenna.
Then Galileo became narcoleptic. Without warning, its electronics would mysteriously power down to "safe mode," shutting off all but essential systems. JPL technicians eventually reprogrammed the spacecraft and fixed the problem.
Finally, just two months from Jupiter, the onboard tape recorder stopped working. As engineers scrambled to fix the device - which temporarily stored photos and data in place of the broken antenna - grim jokes began to circulate in JPL hallways.
One staffer wondered aloud whether the spacecraft should have been named after Job - the Bible's ultimate hard-luck character - instead of the 17th-century Italian scientist who discovered four of Jupiter's moons.
The loss of Galileo's high-gain antenna meant that the satellite would take only a tiny fraction of the more-than-100,000 pictures scientists had hoped (ultimately, they got 4,500 shots)). But if the tape recorder died, too, the mission was as good as worthless.
"It was a total disaster," said Michael J.S. Belton, who headed the Galileo imaging team. "The tape recorder was a low point."
Engineers eventually fixed the recorder, but repairing Galileo's reputation would be more difficult. Press accounts repeatedly described Galileo as NASA's "crippled" Jupiter probe. Former NASA Administrator Dan Golden referred to the spacecraft in speeches as one of NASA's biggest failures, lumping it with catastrophes such as the Challenger.
"It was just one thing after another," recalled Richard E. Young, a planetary scientist at the NASA Ames Research Center in California. In December 1995, as the spacecraft was preparing to fire its main engine and ease into Jovian orbit, Young said, "People were thinking: 'What else can happen?'"
But 58 minutes was all it took for Galileo to erase years of doubt and worry.
Five months before its arrival, the spacecraft had jettisoned a 750-pound wok-shaped atmospheric probe designed to parachute into Jupiter's atmosphere and relay measurements through the mother ship back to Earth. It was the first earthly object to penetrate a gaseous planet's harsh inner realm.
The battery-powered probe had no propulsion system, and to conserve energy, it remained silent until it began its 106,000-mph plunge into the clouds. On Dec. 7, 1995, at 6:10 p.m. Eastern time, the probe signaled that it was on its way.
"When we knew the probe worked," said Young, who headed the experiment, "there were tears in people's eyes."
Two hours later, after a 2.3 billion-mile trip, Galileo fired its main engine and entered orbit. The probe, meanwhile, had survived for 58 minutes and penetrated 125 miles through the clouds.
The measurements it radioed back have rewritten most of what scientists know about the composition of Jupiter's atmosphere. "We went there with preconceived ideas and sort of trashed them all," Young said.
Scientists, for example, were startled to find that Jupiter contained more carbon, nitrogen and sulfur than the sun - even though both bodies were thought to have emerged from the same gaseous galactic birthing ground. "It's caused a major rethinking of our theories of planetary formation," Young said. "We still don't see how Jupiter could have formed."
Even more surprises emerged during Galileo's survey of the four innermost and largest of Jupiter's 16 known moons - Io, Ganymede, Callisto and particularly Europa.
"Europa is the star of the show," said imaging team leader Michael Belton. Before Galileo, he said, the best photographs of Europa showed only an "icy fuzzball with fuzzy markings."
But the spacecraft's camera and instruments documented frozen ice domes and icebergs concealing what could be a vast, salty and possibly warm ocean. "What Galileo has done by proving that there is an ocean, is basically transform it from a mere moon into a prime candidate as a habitat for extraterrestrial life," Belton said.
Based on Galileo's findings, NASA is already planning a return to the three ice moons to search for life. The Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter would launch sometime in the next decade, NASA officials said last week.
Galileo also discovered incredible fire among the ice. Based on the spacecraft's measurements, scientists now consider Io the most geologically active body in the solar system - home to at least 152 spewing volcanoes. And the magma oozing from Io's surface is much hotter - roughly 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit - than anything on Earth today.
One snapshot the spacecraft took shows a mysterious white patch that illustrates just how intense Io can be. "The volcanism was so bright that it overwhelmed the camera," Belton said.
In the end, the only NASA probe to orbit an outer planet proved tougher than expected: Galileo's original two-year mission was extended three times.
Even in its final hours, JPL scientists are hoping Galileo can add one postscript to its long resume: solving the mystery of the light flashes it spotted in November near Amalthea - one of the planet's smaller moons.
The probe will train one of its instruments on the moon as it passes less than an hour before impact. But since its onboard electronics have already endured more than four times the radiation they were designed to withstand, it's unclear what will happen. Engineers have disabled all the spacecraft's safety mechanisms to prevent it from suddenly going into hibernation.
"We're keeping our fingers crossed," said project manager Alexander.
At 3:42 p.m. Eastern time the spacecraft is scheduled to move from light to shadow, passing behind the giant planet and beyond the range of ground controllers. Seven minutes later the spacecraft will enter the atmosphere just south of the planet's equator - and vaporize.
The powerful antennas of NASA's Deep Space Network will continue to sweep Jupiter for several hours to confirm that Galileo is gone. It's possible - but unlikely - that the spacecraft could ricochet off the atmosphere back into space.
The giant DSN antennas will also check that the probe didn't punch through the planet - which has no solid surface - and emerge on the opposite side. No one believes that the spacecraft can survive the heat and crushing pressure. "But they still have to look," Alexander said.
After all, Galileo has surprised people before.
21/09/03
No update Sunday
20/09/03
Does anyone know anything about Australian Greek newspapers mentioning a Greek channel being FTA? I notice Tarb's Thaicom 3 mux has encrypted again except for BVN and ERT Sat. Could this mean Ert Sat staying FTA?
I expect the new Sky channels mentioned yesterday will be a direct feed off the Foxtel versions.
From my Emails & ICQ
From Stiwerx 19/09
Goldcoast Boxing - Fox Sports - B1
Seen B1 12429 V 6666 3/4
From Satellite Info 19/09
Telkom 1
3460 H 28000 3/4 is FTA at the moment. The other Transponders were FTA but encrypted now.
From the Dish
PAS 8 166E 3769 V The Discovery Network Asia mux has left ?
Palapa C2 113E 11132 V All channels in the Trueworld mux are Fta, except J Wave and XXX.
AsiaSat 3 105.5E 4020 V "Sahara Madhya Pradesh" has started, Fta, PIDs 519/720.
Insat 3C 74E 4150 V "DD Hissar" has left .
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3640 H All TV channels in the TARBS World TV mux are now encrypted, except BVN TV and ERT Sat.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3695 H "Sky Racing 1-2" are now encrypted.
Apstar 2R 76.5E 4037 H "NR 1" has started regular transmissions, Fta, SR 2300, PIDs 33/36.
PAS 10 68.5E 4064 V TV Moda, Video Italia, SIC Internacional, NTD TV and ATV have started, Fta, PIDs 257/258, 273/274, 770/771, 1026/1027 and 1282/1283.TelePace has left.
Satellite Launches:
Launch window for E-Bird & Insat 3E with Ariane on 27 September: 23:02-23:21 UTC.
NEWS
INL's bid for Sky TV doomed
From http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/sundaystartimes/0,2106,2665803a6445,00.html
Independent Newspapers' bid to mop up the 34% of pay television operator Sky TV it doesn't own looks doomed to fail.
The Sunday Star-Times understands two fund managers, who together own sufficient Sky TV shares to seriously threaten INL's bid, do not intend to sell.
Commonwealth Bank of Australia subsidiary Colonial First and Tower Asset Management boosted their Sky TV stakes last month, encouraged by predictions the pay tv operator would return to profit.
Tower is now understood to hold between 2%-3% of Sky TV, while Colonial holds 5.02%.
Tower's New Zealand equities analyst Paul Robertshawe said Tower and Colonial alone were "not much short of the 10%" needed to block the compulsory acquisition by INL of the rest of Sky's shares.
"Because of the upgrade in earnings Sky gave before their last result, valuations have improved even without any bid action from INL," he said. "Our view is at this point that the INL bid is not sufficient for us to sell."
INL's cash-scrip bid, valuing Sky shares at about $4.70, is not conditional on meeting the 90% compulsory acquisition threshold.
But INL chairman Ken Cowley has made it clear that is INL's intention.
INL already owns 66% of Sky TV, and even with Sky's second largest shareholder Telecom pledging its 12% stake, INL still needs another 12% to fully own the New Zealand pay TV operator.
With retail investors' estimated holding at less than 3% of Sky, institutional holders have the balance of power. How they vote is likely to depend on whether they also hold INL shares.
Independent Sky TV director Barrie Downey, who is assessing the bid on behalf of Sky's minority shareholders, said anyone holding similar amounts of both INL and Sky can be indifferent to the deal. This was the situation Telecom found itself in, holding about 10% of INL along with its 12% Sky TV stake.
One analyst said institutions who earlier chose to buy into INL expecting it to merge with Sky after it sold its publishing interests to John Fairfax Holdings would "naturally" support INL's offer. But the smarter money - those who bought into Sky expecting INL to bid for Sky - now hold the balance of power.
"And they will hold out for more than $5 a share," he said.
Downey said he had not spoken to any of Sky's institutional holders directly. But he said Sky's newly appointed financial advisers UBS had, and that led to the announcement earlier this month that his and fellow independent Sky director John Hart's initial view was that INL's offer was too low.
Current valuations price Sky at between $4.20 and $5.60 with a consensus figure of about $4.97 - a 7c premium to last week's share price and a 27c premium to INL's offer.
Macquarie Equities investment director Arthur Lim said Sky shareholders who accepted the offer would see their stake significantly diluted.
"The market understands this and is already showing that the offer is not going to succeed," he said.
Despite Cowley's protestations to the contrary, Macquarie is advising Sky investors to hang on to their shares, "in recognition that a higher offer should be coming through", said Lim.
Of those questioned, most predict that the independent valuation report will reach a similar conclusion to Sky financial adviser UBS.
In a report published just before its appointment, UBS valued Sky at $5.15 a share rising to $5.50 next year.
Both Downey and Sky chief financial officer Jason Hollingworth said no conclusions could be drawn at this stage about what the independent valuation on Sky might be.
Sky is expected to appoint Deloittes as its independent adviser.
INL's adviser First New Zealand Capital last valued Sky at $4.72.
The Companies Office is expected to approve INL's prospectus, detailing the share part of its offer, next week allowing the firm to post a formal offer to Sky shareholders early next month.
Shareholders will then have 30 days to accept the offer.
Box of tricks
From http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/09/19/1063625209064.html
Foxtel will launch its version of interactive TV in the first half of next year, giving subscribers the opportunity to watch and participate with its programs.
A new digital TV service promises more options for couch potatoes, writes Edmund Tadros. But will there be enough public interest to sustain it?
Although regional Pay TV provider Austar has offered viewers interactivity since 2000, Foxtel is promising a more advanced range of services to provide subscribers with unprecedented choice and control through its iTV.
Mark Furness, the director of corporate affairs at Foxtel, says the company will offer "a whole raft of new services" to the Australian market. His description of the interactive service sounds like a TV junkie's dream: an expanded range of more than 100 channels, an electronic programming guide, video on demand, a dedicated arcade game channel and interactive sports and news channels.
The electronic program guide would allow subscribers to easily navigate the surfeit of channels and set reminders for programs, while the interactive news channels would let viewers select and watch specific news content such as business or national news. Subscribers will be provided with a new digital set-top box and remote control with extra buttons for the interactive services.
One possible scenario would see viewers of a football match being able to go to a menu and receive extra information such as player statistics. They would also be able to change the camera angle.
Other possible services include shopping, real-time voting and, the area that has generated the most interest overseas, gambling. Donald Robertson, media and public relations manager for the Australian Broadcasting Authority, says there appears to be no legal prohibitions for gambling on iTV but betting on sports events that have already started would not be allowed under present laws. Details on how much such features would cost customers or exactly how the interactivity would work are yet to be released, Furness says.
"[Foxtel is] going through the details now and clearly our objective is to make the digital service extremely attractive," he says.
The pay TV company clearly has big expectations for iTV. Foxtel plans to spend more than $600 million in the migration to the digital platform from the existing analogue system and this figure doesn't include the cost of marketing the new service. "We anticipate a major increase in subscribers," Furness says "The essence of what we're offering is greatly expanded choice and control over what you're watching. It's a very compelling product."
It remains to be seen, however, whether the interactive service is alluring enough to attract Australian subscribers in large numbers.
The international experience is encouraging. UK pay TV group British Sky Broadcasting has almost doubled subscriber numbers to 6.8 million in the four years since digital TV, needed for interactive services, was introduced.
However, the local iTV experience has been less encouraging. Optus trailed iTV in Sydney for a year before announcing that viewers, while interested in the service, were not likely to pay the prices required to justify the costs of the system.
An Optus spokesperson says: "The trial showed that our network was robust and our customers were interested in it. At the end we found the prices we would need to cover our costs and generate an acceptable return were higher than what we believed consumers would be willing to pay."
Austar continues to offer interactive features to its customers. More than 90 per cent of its 400,000 subscribers have access to the digital service.
Emma Foster, corporate affairs manager for Austar, says internal research shows some interactive services such as customised weather reports, where people type their post code into the system to receive specific weather information, are very popular.
She also says a subscription-based games channel launched last November now has "in the region of tens of thousands" of subscribers.
The interactive services are included in the cost of a regular subscription.
Foxtel's iTV will be made available to Optus and Austar on commercial terms and it's likely customer demand will mean both providers sign up to at least some of the interactive services.
Problem shuts down Telstar 4 communications satellite
From LORAL NEWS RELEASE
Loral Skynet, a subsidiary of Loral Space & Communications, today said that its Telstar 4 satellite experienced a short circuit of its primary power bus today at 8:56 a.m. EDT (1256 GMT), causing the satellite to cease operations. Loral Skynet immediately made capacity available to most Telstar 4 customers, many of whom have already had their services restored on Loral's Telstar 5 and Telstar 6 satellites.
Loral Skynet and Lockheed Martin, the manufacturer of the satellite, are working to determine the cause of the problem and to restore service on the satellite, if possible. The satellite is insured for $141 million.
Telstar 8, currently under construction at Space Systems/Loral, will replace Telstar 4, as planned, at 89 degrees West in mid-2004.
Telstar 4 coverage includes the continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, and southern Canada. Telstar 4 was launched in September 1995.
Loral Space & Communications is a satellite communications company. It owns and operates a global fleet of telecommunications satellites used by television and cable networks to broadcast video entertainment programming, and by communication service providers, resellers, corporate and government customers for broadband data transmission, Internet services and other value-added communications services. Loral also is a world-class leader in the design and manufacture of satellites and satellite systems for commercial and government applications including direct-to-home television, broadband communications, wireless telephony, weather monitoring and air traffic management.
Kids channel Splash spruces up content
From http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/xml/uncomp/articleshow?msid=191632
CHENNAI: Splash, the Indian kids channel promoted by Intelivision, has been on air since October 2001, in a market dominated by Cartoon Network. With Intelivision unable to match investments in marketing and also content, the Indian channel failed to make a splash in kids segment so far.
However, that could change now. With Intelivision now being an 100% subsidiary of Pentamedia Graphics, the latter is expected to extend its support in helping the channel grow and reach more markets.
“We always felt there is scope for an Indianish kids channel. Hence, the focus will be on providing as much of Indian content as possible,” Mr V Chandrasekharan, chairman and managing director, Pentamedia Graphics said.
With focus equally on edutainment, the channel has spruced up its content from September 1, the day Conditional Access System (CAS) was implemented in Chennai. With a majority of households not getting Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon channels, Splash is trying fill the vacuum by pushing the channel aggressively.
According to Mr Chandrasekharan, Intelivision generated a revenue of Rs 4.1 crore for the year ended March 2003. With Splash library consisting of 1,500 hours of content, it was valued at Rs 18 crore, when Pentamedia Graphics acquired it on a stock swap basis in the ratio of 1:1.8.
“We are also working out localisation strategies through different language feeds, which will happen during the next year,” Ms Nirmala Narendra Nath, director, Intellivision said.
On the distribution front, the channel has tied up with Delhi-based Media Nine Communications to increase the reach and connectivity across the country.
Asia Cup hockey comes live on DD
From http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=31873
New Delhi, September 19: The Asia Cup hockey tournament from September 21-28 at Kuala Lumpur will be shown live on Doordarshan. The deal was clinched by DD officials today after several round of negotiations. Interestingly, Doordarshan has the rights for showing live all the matches for the tournament - there were apprehenisons earlier that only India’s matches would be shown.
Informing about the deal, Prasar Bharti CEO and Acting Director General KS Sarma said ‘‘We had to pay only Rs 15 lakh for the rights of the entire tournament.’’
The revival in interest in the game in the country and the successful experience of live telecast of the Champions Trophy last month also led the public broadcaster to change their opinion about showing non-cricket events involving Indian teams. Incidentally, DD could not get the deal for live coverage of India’s Davis Cup tie with The Netherlands, which started today.
Fixtures ((All timings in IST) Sept 21: Group A: Japan vs Hong Kong (3.30 pm), Malaysia vs Korea (5.30); Group B: Bangladesh vs Pakistan (3 pm) India vs China (5 pm); Sept 22: Group A: Japan vs Malaysia (3.30 pm); Group B: Pakistan vs China (5.30 pm); Sept 23: Group A: Korea vs HK (3.30 pm); Group B: India vs Bangladesh (5.30 pm); Sept 24: Group B: Bangladesh vs China (3.30 pm), India vs Pakistan (5.30 pm); Group A: Malaysia vs HK (3 pm), Korea vs Japan (5 pm); Sept 25: Rest Day; Sept 26: Semi-Finals; Sept 27: Classification matches; Sept 28: Final
19/09/03
Sorry about the lateness of todays update.
What a fiasco the NZ Maori TV channel is turning into and now Sky's got involved I feel we will be lucky to ever see it FTA on B1.
Central 7 on B1 has changed Sr if you are having trouble with it try SR 3677 , 3678 or 3679 some receivers are more fussy than others!
Thaicom 3 page updated.
From my Emails & ICQ
From Jason Eager
New Sky Channels just announced.
The three channels just announced in a sky advert are:
- UK-TV.
- The History Channel.
- The Disney Channel.
Kinda gets rid of some of your complaints.
Now I wonder if you'll have to pay extra to get the Disney channel (like you do in the USA).
(Craigs comment, FINALLY Sky adds some proper channels. Perhaps they heard they may be getting some competition? but... they dropped 2 channels!)
From John Mc'Dermot
Optus C1 12638 H
This is the lineup
1. ABC TV 1011/1012/1011
2. Expo 1131/1132/1131
3. Fox 8 1041/1042/1041
4. SBS TV 1051/1052/1051
5. Test Card 1061/1062/1061
All FTA
But manual pid entry required
From the Dish
PAS 2 169E 4090 V Updates in the TARBS TV mux, Fta Iran TV Network has replaced NITV on PIDs 512/640.Tapesh TV has left PIDs 518/646, replaced by a test card.
PAS 8 166E 12326 H Iran TV Network has replaced NITV on , MDS, PIDs 512/640.
PAS 8 166E 12646 H Updates in the TARBS TV mux, MDS:Tapesh TV has replaced Jame-Jam TV Network 3 on PIDs 512/640.Movie One, Movie Extra and Movie Greats have started on PIDs 514/642, 515/643 and 524/652.
Palapa C2 113E 10969 V "DW TV and ABC Asia Pacific" have started , Fta, SR 7000,FEC 3/4, SIDs 1 and 2, PIDs 33/34 and 1057/1058.
NSS 6 95E "F Men" has replaced NTD TV on 11543 V and 12688 V, Fta, PIDs 257/258.New PIDs for Fashion TV: 769/770.
NSS 6 95E 11456 V "F Men" has started,Fta, SR 3333, FEC 1/2, PIDs 4194/4195,SE Asian beam.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3671 H "ETTV News and Asianet News" have started Fta, PIDs 1057/1058 and 2082/2083. Arirang TV World 1 has left.
Thaicom 3 78.5E All channels in the TARBS World TV mux on 3640 H are Fta. Lig TV has replaced Kanal D Fun on PIDs 519/647.RTR Planeta has replaced Jame-Jam TV Network 3 on PIDs 523/651.
Intelsat 902 62E 3996 L "SABC 1-3 and E TV" are encrypted again.
NEWS
Sky NZ adds three new channels
From http://home.nzcity.co.nz/news/default.asp?id=35358
UKTV, The History Channel and Disney Channel join Sky Digital's lineup - CNBC and Hallmark are axed
Three new channels are making an appearance on Sky digital TV.
UKTV features programming from the programme libraries of the BBC, Granada, and the current owners of Thames TV.
As well as hit drama series like "Holby City" and "Ballykissangel", it promises to bring classic comedy such as "Porridge" and "Blackadder" back to New Zealand screens.
The History Channel is a mix of documentaries and entertainment specials which promise to bring 'the power and passion of the past to life'.
The third addition is The Disney Channel.
Biting the dust will be the TV movie channel Hallmark, which will no longer be available to Sky, and CNBC, which does not have enough viewers to warrant renewal of its contract.
Maori TV to screen free on Sky
From http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2663685a11,00.html
The Maori Television Service will be broadcast free-to-air on Sky TV under a plan agreed by the Cabinet.
It is understood that officials from the service and Sky will meet next week to sign off the deal under which Maori television would be broadcast on a leased UHF channel currently used by Sky to show international news service CNN, which may be dropped.
A more expensive alternative, using TVNZ's transmission arm BCL to build a platform for the service - in effect a money-go-round within the state system - was stymied after last-minute lobbying from Sky and Labour's Maori caucus.
It would have meant Sky, which had been "squatting" on the frequency allocated to Maori television, facing considerable costs retuning set-top boxes and other equipment to avoid interference with its signal.
Sky spokesman Tony O'Brien said no official notification about the service had been received. "However, there are some indications that the Maori television proposal has been received favourably.
"If that is the case, we look forward to official notification from the Cabinet, which will clear the way to conclude our final negotiations with MTS," he said.
Ministers who supported the BCL option, including Broadcasting Minister Steve Maharey, pointed to the extra $3 million a year income for the state-owned transmission company and the importance of Maori television owning its own technology.
Beehive sources said the decision, which was the responsibility of Finance Minister Michael Cullen and Maori Affairs Minister Parekura Horomia, was influenced by the need to get the much-delayed service on air as soon as possible.
(Craigs comment, Sky wins here as usual. This can only encourage the 100000 left on Sky's UHF service to move to the digital satellite service. But there will be problems for example pretty much all of the top half of the South Island is not covered by Sky UHF transmitters. I guess these areas will be pushed to get Sky's $19 a month "Free to air" package. The big question of course will be WILL MTS BE TRUE FTA? inside Skys platform.)
Government approves MTS-Sky deal
From http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=3524333&thesection=news&thesubsection=general
In an about-turn the Government has approved a last-minute bid by the Maori Television Service to go to air on a Sky channel.
It had looked poised to reject the deal, which will save MTS several million dollars, creating the potential for another stoush between the two.
It is still not clear why the Government has changed its mind, though sources suggest the tension over the foreshore and seabed issue may have made it wary of becoming entrenched in another battle with Maori.
After intensive lobbying by Maori Affairs Minister Parekura Horomia, the Cabinet on Monday approved the Sky deal in principle, subject to ironing out several outstanding issues.
It is hoped those will be thrashed out at a meeting between Government officials, Sky and MTS in Auckland today. If the deal is stitched up, it will clear the key hurdle for MTS going on air.
An MTS spokeswoman confirmed yesterday the "in principle" decision and said the service still hoped to be operating by the end of the year.
MTS was to go on air on a Broadcast Communications Ltd transmission platform as part of an agreement reached between it and the Government early this year.
This arrangement would have required Sky to vacate the four frequencies reserved for Maori television back in 1989, which it has been squatting on.
Alarmed at the multi-million dollar cost of retuning its 120,000 customers' decoders, and warning that Play Station users and viewers whose televisions were tuned in through video recorders would also face interference problems, Sky tried to dissuade the Government against the BCL plan. Finally it offered MTS one of its five UHF channels.
As well as saving MTS money, the Sky deal will enable the service to begin transmitting as soon as it is ready. Under the BCL deal, MTS would have had to order in transmitters from overseas, then erect them, which takes about six months.
Broadcasting Minister Steve Maharey and Finance Minister Michael Cullen were opposed to the Sky deal because they wanted MTS kept within the public broadcasting family, but it is understood they were also annoyed MTS wanted to change the original platform agreement months after it had been signed.
Though sources have previously said BCL was unwilling to lose MTS, a Beehive source yesterday suggested the transmission company was now happy to wash its hands of the matter, tired of months of wrangling.
The financial benefits to BCL of MTS using its transmission platform were only minor, the source said.
Several weeks ago Dr Cullen's office suggested that an operational funding increase, approved at the same time as the BCL agreement, prevented MTS from simply signing up with Sky.
Sky is believed to have offered its CNN channel to MTS, which would upset those of its customers only connected to its UHF services. Customers using its digital service would still be able to access CNN.
Sky spokesman Tony O'Brien yesterday refused to say which channel was up for negotiation, saying once final decisions were reached its customers would be the first to know.
BCL also refused to comment yesterday.
MTS Should Be Dumped
Press Release: ACT New Zealand
MTS Should Be Dumped
Deborah Coddington Press Releases -- Broadcasting
The latest episode in the ongoing never-to-be-aired mini-series called `Maori Television Service' shows it is past time the Labour Government axed this sideshow, ACT New Zealand Broadcasting Spokesman Deborah Coddington said today.
"This is dodgy, sleaze politics writ large, with Labour's main objective being to keep Derek Fox happy and away from his Maori party which was always a threat to the Labour vote," Miss Coddington said.
"Now we see a deal is being done, in secret, behind closed doors with Sky Television. What a massive embarrassment for the Government, which only months ago announced MTS would be aired through the public broadcasting network to 'keep it in the whanau'.
"The Government booted CanWest out of negotiations, despite the fact that if we must have MTS, then a straight swap of channel 4 for a radio frequency was the best deal for Maori, and the taxpayers. Perhaps the fact that the Prime Minister is locked into a dispute with TV3 over corngate had something to do with TV3 being treated badly.
"However, Sky has stuck to its lobbying and may well find that the more time you spend in the offices of cabinet ministers, the better your chances are of securing favour when it comes to television programmes, or deals.
"Big business should stay out of the corridors of power - that's the best way for small business to thrive.
"And this government should stop favouring Maori with taxpayers' dollars. The position of kaihautu at TVNZ should be abolished. Maori Television Service should be dumped. And all this politically correct nonsense - which in effect is another form of censorship - should cease," Miss Coddington said.
Seoul, Moscow discuss satellite vehicle launch
From http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Korea/EI19Dg04.html
SEOUL - South Korea will seek the early signing of a formal space cooperation agreement with Russia in order to begin work on its first vehicle to launch satellites into orbit, the Ministry of Science and Technology said on Thursday.
A group of ministry officials will make a seven-day visit to Russia beginning September 24 to discuss ways of reaching a final agreement on space technology as well as joint construction of the "KSLV-l" launch vehicle, the ministry said.
Seoul outlined its hopes of signing a memorandum of understanding on the project with Moscow in June but Russia's response so far has been muted, ministry officials explained.
In May, the two countries initialed an agreement to cooperate in the joint manufacture of the rocket and the sharing of space aeronautics technologies, but the official signing of the accord has been postponed due to a holdup in the technology transfer process.
If the plan continues to be delayed, Korea may turn to other countries, such as France or Japan, according to officials.
South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun originally planned to visit Russia in August, during which he was to sign a formal space cooperation agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
South Korea is building its first satellite launch site at Goheung on the nation's southwest coast in a bid to launch a domestically-developed satellite for scientific use by 2005, the year the site is scheduled for completion.
The country has four satellites in orbit, all for non-military purposes including communications, weather observation and scientific research.
18/09/03
Not much to report today
From my Emails & ICQ
RE Yesterdays Anon Installer email
Yes I have heard this too here in SA.
I am an installer too and have been contacted by a Telstra offshoot Company asking if I would be interested in doing installations for them in my area.
It seems that Hills has directors on Austar's, Telstra's and ATS's boards and vice versa.
This appears to me this is a major ploy for a monopoly of Australian Pay TV services.
I wonder if the other two stake holders in Foxtel are involved in this?
I just hope, Craig, that you receive some information on this from people higher up the ladder than us underpaid blokes at the coal face.
Regards,
Digby.
SWSA
From the Dish
NSS 6 95E 12729 V "F Men" has started Fta, PIDs 833/834.
Insat 3A 93.5E SET Asia, Star Plus India, Sadhana TV (clear) and Maa TV have replaced MTV India, Nickelodeon India, Aastha TV and Arirang TV World 1 on 3985 V,Conax, PIDs 160/80, 162/88, 168/108 and 170/114.
Insat 3A 93.5E 3985 V "NDTV 24x/7" has started on , Conax, PIDs 165/98.Headlines Today is now encrypted.
Insat 3A 93.5E 4025 V MTV India and Nickelodeon India have replaced B4U Music and BBC World India on , Conax, PIDs 169/110, 702/703.
Apstar 2R 76.5E 3720 H "Celestial Movies" has started, PowerVu, PIDs 1110/4929.New PIDs for Hallmark Channel Taiwan and Hallmark Channel Asia:
2760/2720 and 2860/2820.Hallmark Channel India has left.
Apstar 2R 76.5E 3652 H A test card has started Fta, PIDs 1260/1220.
Palapa C2 113E 3760 H The test cards have left .
NEWS
ATN strikes distribution deal with Fifth Avenue
From http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k3/sep/sep167.htm
MUMBAI: ATN International, which is poised to launch its new channel Ahimsaa on 2 October, 2003, has struck a deal with Fifth Avenue Media Services for distribution of its upcoming channel Ahimsaa in India as well as overseas.
The company informed the BSE that an agreement with the Government of India, Department of Space for telecasting the channel through Teleport of Noida Software Technology Park Ltd (NSTPL) by using INSAT - 3A Satellite is already in place.
The 24-hour predominantly Hindi global satellite television channel was originally reported to kick-off first on 30 January 2003, then on 15 August 2003 and is now scheduled for launch on 2 October.
Ahimsaa is promoted by Kolkata-based Santosh Kumar Jain, who besides being a partner in Aastha Television and CMM Music has also launched ATN World and ATN Bangla in West Bengal. It is being backed by The Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University, headquartered in Mount Abu, India.
The channel will telecast talks on Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism and other religions. For women, there would be special shows like the gourmet special Aah Kya Swad , Ghar Beethe on self-employment opportunities and Haq on legal issues.
17/09/03
New services coming via Optus B3 soon.
Below taken from Thai Global Channel website
"From October 16,2003, Thai TV Global Network (TGN) will launch the transfer of satellite for new transmission so as to make our service cover more countries. The present satellite (Pas8) will operate until December 31, 2003, at 11.59pm (local time) and after that the signal will be cut off and the new satellite signal (Optus B3) will be used instead. "
The Details posted are
Optus B3 152E Transponder 7 12657 V Sr 30000 Fec 2/3 From OCT 03 to end of contract.
So looks like they will be leaving Tarb's? or "cut off" as the put it to be Fta I expect on a new Globecast transponder?
Sky Sport 3 is being listed again on Sky NZ, B1 12544 V Vpid 515 apid 653 Sid 1048 they usually only put on Sky Sports 3 when there is a program clash perhaps with the NZ vs India cricket series being on in the evenings it clashes with Rugby and other events.
From my Emails & ICQ
From Anon Installer guy
On the first of next month, October, I have heard that Telstra is going to take over all of Austar's regional satellite dish installations.
With their success in rolling out their own 2 way Vsat and ignoring all building regulations, Australia wide, it seems that now they are in bed with Austar.
Maybe a take over or partnership looming??
The other part of the story is that they will be using gutter mounts even in cyclonic areas.
Is this the end of the individual installer?
Can any one verify if this is true or false please as I got it from the 'horses mouth' and it seems extremely true to me??
Anonymous Installer guy
(Craigs comment, anyone have any more on this news?)
From RANIME
Today Show feeds from NZ
Mornings
B1 12420 V 3/4 6111
B1 12429 V 3/4 6111
From the Dish
Intelsat 902 62E 3996 L "SABC 1-3 and E TV" are now Fta.
NEWS
Clock ticking as Vietnam counts down to first satellite launch
From http://www.spacedaily.com/2003/030917022507.3pqdygjs.html
Vietnam is stepping up preparations to launch its first satellite into space as the countdown begins to a make-or-break 2006 deadline.
Officials are working round-the-clock to make sure telecommunications satellite Vinasat hits its reserved orbit slot, sources said.
While China announced its first manned space flight will take place in the next three months, Vietnam is in high gear on a project which has been sitting on the government's books since 1995.
Vice premier Nguyen Tan Dung was named the head of the steering committee earlier this month. The satellite's foreign constructor should be known by the end of the year, according to a Vietnamese source.
Vinasat will be used for television and radio broadcasts, as well as civil aviation, and is aimed at improving communications across Vietnam.
"The Vietnamese are working night and day. They have to, because the project is restricted by the rights to their orbital position -- if they don't launch the satellite in February 2006, they lose their rights," a foreign expert explained.
Confronted by an ever-growing number of satellite launches, the Geneva-based International Telecommunication Union demands that operators who reserve an orbital slot use it within a pre-determined time-limit.
"There are some time-limits," said ITU spokesman Gary Fowlie.
"If a country announces it wants to launch a satellite on one precise orbit, and doesn't use it after this limit, the space is free for someone else."
But such a project cannot be concluded overnight.
"We have several technical and administrative problems to solve, especially frequencies, finance, the evaluation of economic interests and coordinating various services," said the Vietnamese source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
"But I think choosing (a constructor) is possible towards the end of the year.
"It's a sensitive project because it involves several foreign partners and several sectors within the country, at the highest level. But I think the deadline can be reached if we intensify our efforts."
Vietnam has asked the constructors to provide the complete package -- satellite, launch and orbit services.
Russian state enterprise NPOPM, French-European consortium Astrium (EADS)-Alcatel Espace, American firm Lockheed-Martin and the US-Japanese Nec-Toshiba-Orbital Science Corporation (OSC) are in the running for the contract.
The bidders all appeared before an ad hoc commission between September 6-9.
They have since handed over a revised offer and a report will be submitted to the prime minister's office in the coming weeks.
"The enterprise chosen will have to do everything -- build the satellite and launch it, and maintain it in orbit," Robert F. Young, Lockheed-Martin's Asia Pacific director-general, told the Lao Dong daily last month.
The foreign expert quoted earlier added: "A satellite is a tool of sovereignty. An operator always wants to be autonomous. But the contract will certainly involve technical assistance over several months at least."
Vietnam's ambitions remain modest. Vinasat will be of average size, with 20-28 communication modules each capable of carrying four-six television channels.
It will cover Vietnam and other Asian nations, particularly Japan and the Korean peninsula, and will not be in operation for more than 15 years.
The bidders have included a finance projection in their applications and according to the foreign expert, the budget could be more than 200 million dollars.
"It is too early to say how much the project will cost. We will choose a contractor who meets our technical demands. The price could be negotiated," Luu Van Luong, a consultant for Vietnam Post and Telecommunication, told AFP.
Zee all set to launch country's first DTH platform
From http://sify.com/news/othernews/fullstory.php?id=13253451
New Delhi: The formalities for setting up the country's first Direct-To-Home (DTH) platform next month were completed with the signing of the final license document by the ZEE'S ASC Enterprises Limited with the Information and Broadcasting Ministry.
ASC Enterprises, which has been promoted by the Essel Group, has already begun test runs, according to Essel Group Vice President Ashish Kaul. He added that DTH "is being rolled out by the company through its own distribution network currently being setup and also through franchisee route."
According to Kaul, DTH service will be in the region of Rs 150 to Rs 500 depending on the package. An entry level Set Top Box (STB) will cost about Rs 5000 to 6000 on an average and a high-end STB with features like PVR (Personal Video Recorder), PSTN Connectivity, Video game console and many more will be in the region of Rs 12,000. Thus, the consumer will enjoy almost all the Indian channels but also channels which are not available in the country.
Siticable, the distribution arm of Zee will provide infrastructural support for marketing DTH. "DTH will be available through our own distribution points and through franchisees" said Kaul. ASC Enterprises had given a bank guarantee of Rs 40 crore before signing the licence.
ASC Enterprises had received the letter of intent in late July and paid Rs 10 crore as refundable entry fee to the ministry. ASC also intends to launch its own communication satellite Agrani within the next year or two.
Under DTH, which will mean installation of a small dish antennae outside every subscriber's home and a set top box, any subscriber can receive as many as 200 channels through Ku band without passing through an intermediary such as a cable operator.
The approval permitting the introduction of this technology in the country had been given by the Cabinet almost three years ago and there are two other contenders in the field - Star TV whose project is stuck in a Court Case in Gwalior and Doordarshan which hopes to launch its platform early next year.
DTH signals come through digital technology and therefore, each transponder can send as many as six channels, but it is not yet known how many channels would be beamed through ASC.
The Sources said, however, that ASC would have to conform to the programme code that applies to all cable TV services. It is also not clear what the set top boxes and subscription for DTH would cost, but Zee claimed to offer the boxes free of cost to its consumers and a monthly subscription of Rs 150 and Star TV quoted around Rs 7,500 to Rs 8,000 for STBs and around Rs 700 to Rs 800 monthly charges.
In a major step towards effective convergence of technologies, the government had, in November 2000, lifted the ban on setting up of DTH platforms on Ku Bandwidth.
The lifting of the ban on the Ku Bandwidth permitted the use of frequency bands above 4800 MHz not only for DTH but also other sectors like telecom and the information technology sector, with the country proceeding fast towards convergence of infotech, communications and entertaiment (ICE).
DTH on digital mode with better clarity can be received directly at the home of the subscriber by antennae of 12 to 18 inches diameter instead of going through cable operators and is therefore also accessible in areas not served by cable operators.
According to the guidelines issued by the government in January 2001, the foreign equity holding including FDI, non-resident Indians, overseas corporate bodies and FII, investment should not exceed 49 per cent. Foreign direct investment was capped at 20 per cent.
Broadcasting companies or cable network companies are not eligible to collectively own more than 20 per cent of the total equity of the applicant company, which itself must not have over 20 per cent equity share in a broadcasting or cable network company.
It was also stipulated that management control of the applicant company must rest with the Indian partner, with majority representatives on the board and the chief executive being a resident Indian. Furthermore, it was stipulated that the signals would be mandatorily updated from Indian earth stations.
The licensee has to pay an annual fee equivalent to 10 per cent of its gross revenue as reflected in the audited accounts in the company for that particular financial year. The license will be valid for 10 years from the date of issue.
16/09/03
Livechat tonight 9pm NZ and 8.30pm Syd time onwards in the chatroom.
Fmen channel from Fashion Tv mentioned in the news section yesterday has started on NSS6 at 95E 12729V
New Satfacts magazine Sept issue is out, items include Testing a new low threshold tuner IRD, 2.4GHZ Video links, Receiving Worldspace Digital radio in Aus/NZ
Sorry about the lack of news items today not much around.
I have had a reply from Coship to my email asking if the Coship 3188C was still manufactured.
Subject: Re: coship 3188c
To: Craig Sutton <*@ihug.co.nz>
Sure. CDVB3188C is still be manufactured.
I heard some gossip that 3188C is not availalbe, but it is
not true. Some guy from usa made this rumor for some
purpose.
Rick / Sales Manager
COSHIP Electronics
From my Emails & ICQ
From Zapara
Tarb's is running FTA on Thaicom 3 3640 H
From Several people 16/09
Some Foxtel transponders were FTA for a while today
From Several people 15/09
Australian Idol Feed seen
B1 12358 V 6667 3/4 john formans house with james and the other winners
B1 12420 V 6667 3/4 Mpg 4:2:2 Show feed
B1 12429 V 6667 3/4 studio show (backhaul temp)
From the Dish
Lyngsat on a break
NEWS
Push for more TV channels grows
From http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/09/14/1063478064215.html
Digital set-top box manufacturers have joined Kerry Stokes in lobbying the Federal Government to repeal the ban on free-to-air TV networks broadcasting extra channels.
The industry has told the Government that allowing the commercial networks to operate multiple channels will boost the number of people converting from analog to digital television. Digital TV has yet to be embraced by consumers, with just 100,000 set-top boxes sold to retailers.
The Communications Minister, Richard Alston, is expected to seek Cabinet's approval to lift the multi-channel ban which has been in place since 1998. He is also expected to recommend the Government bring forward the review of its digital policy.
Meanwhile, the Government has been considering possible compromises on the proposed cross-media law changes which might win the support of the four independent senators.
There is speculation the Government has contemplated giving the Communications Minister the power to veto cross-media deals deemed not to be in the public interest.
However, it is believed the Government is unlikely to pursue this proposal, as it does not completely address the independents' concerns.
A spokesman for the Minister said he was unaware of any such proposal. The Government plans to bring back the cross-media legislation early next month.
Few expect the Senate to pass the laws as the Government is unlikely to agree to Senator Brian Harradine's amendment that would ban proprietors from owning a newspaper and TV station in the same capital city.
The Australian Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Association has told the Government that picture quality and greater choice were the keys to widespread digital uptake.
Letting the networks use multiple channels would increase the amount of digital content available. AEEMA has suggested the Government allow free-to-air broadcasters to use multiple channels 20 hours a week.
"There is no killer application to move from analog to digital but there are two main drivers: quality and quantity," the chairman of AEEMA's digital broadcasting forum, Ross Henderson, said. "Both are very important to moving digital forward. To simply have one without the other will simply change the time it takes to convert."
Nine and Ten are against multiple channels, arguing it is costly and will dilute the amount of money advertisers spend on free-to-air television. Foxtel also opposes the concept, as it wants time to establish its digital service. Hundreds of extra digital channels will be available on pay TV from next year when it upgrades to digital.
Seven argues multiple channels will boost digital uptake and provide competition to Foxtel, which has a virtual monopoly over pay TV.
15/09/03
B1 has been very busy with feeds over the weekend as usual the mailing list is the place to look for realtime feed reports.
There seems to be some confusion over the current status of the Coship 3188C Blindsearch reciever some are saying its no longer available from the factory while others are saying it is. I will try and find out from Coship what the situation is. It may be that they have replaced it with a newer model.
Interesting link for those of you with Broadband, lots of streaming TV channels many of which are on Asiasat 3. Channel V, Pheonix Chinese, MTV, CCTV (sports) even Star Sports is there at this link!
http://hotao.2hu.org/
From my Emails & ICQ
From Superfly 14/09
F1 Feed
Formula 1 racing now showing on Palapa C2
3935 H 5630 SR VPID 308 APID 256 PPID 8190
From Zapara 14/09
Formula 1
Insat 2E DD Metro analog 3961 vrt showing Formula 1 English audio
From Various
Optus B1 Feeds from the weekend
12383 V Sr 6110 Fec 3/4 "Horse racing feed"
12393 V Sr 6110 Fec 3/4 "V8 feed" may have been encrypted at times
12400 V Sr 3000 Fec 3/4 "V8 feed" (might of been a backup link)
12405 V Sr 3000 Fec 3/4 "V8 feed" here originally then dropped down 5 mhz
12420 V Sr 6110 Fec 3/4 "Channel 9 feed something to do with Snow and avalanches??"
12430 V Sr 6110 Fec 3/4 "QTQ SNG"
From Chris Pickstock 13/09
9.45 pm SA time
Palapa C2, 3935H, 5632, G.P qualifying In English, seen also race seen Sunday night.
Also on Star Sports Asiasat 3, non English
Chris
From Steve Hume 13/09
Telkom 1 Feeds up
4005 H SR: 6000 VPID: 308 AUD:256 PCR: 8190 TVRI FEEDS
4015 H SR: 6000 VPID: 308 AUD:256 PCR: 8190
NEWS 24x7
Steve Hume
From the Dish
Palapa C2 113E 4173 H Occasional Satelindo feeds , SR 5632, FEC 3/4.
NSS 6 95E 12729 V "NTD TV and Fashion TV" are still on , Fta, SR 27500, FEC 7/8, PIDs 257/258 and 513/514.
Insat 2E 83E 3525 V "Sangeeth" has started, Fta, PIDs 321/322.
Satellite Launches:
New launch date for E-Bird & Insat 3E with Ariane: 27-28 September.(Going to 55e)
NEWS
Pirate TV cards cut off the honest
From http://news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,7266121%255E13569,00.html
Remote Territory communities have been caught in the crossfire in a war between Optus and satellite pay TV smart card pirates.
The smart cards, which allow satellite dishes to receive TV services, have been taken off the market while the communications company comes up with a strategy to deal with piracy.
The problem is costing the company hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost revenue.
But Darwin-based satellite dish installation expert Russell Craig said the non-availability of smart cards is hurting remote area broadcasting. ``They're bringing in a new card to tackle the piracy problem, but people are being punished in the run through,'' Mr Craig said. ``We're talking about places outside normal transmission areas, places where satellite is the only option people have. ``Satellite TV is an essential service to people in remote areas _ it's their link to the outside world. ``But at the moment, I can't help people who come to me and want a service in their community because I can't get the cards anywhere.''
Mr Craig, who has been in the satellite dish business for 10 years with his company Homesat Australia, said he could easily purchase illegal smart cards for half the price. ``It's just ridiculous,'' he said. ``We don't want to have anything to do with piracy, but if we wanted to we could get 20 pirate cards within the hour on the black market. ``I could get them for half the price.''
He said the pirate cards were available in Darwin.
``What Optus should have done is interfaced the new cards parallel to the old ones,'' he said. ``To just pull the rug from under people's feet isn't right.''
There are about 5000 satellite dishes in the Territory, about 70 per cent of which are used for pay TV services.
It is estimated one in four NT homes will have a satellite dish within the next five years.
Naspers launches Irdeto smart card
From http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k3/sep/sep126.htm
AMSTERDAM: Irdeto Access, a subsidiary of a multinational media group Naspers, a world leader in content protection and management, today launched the Irdeto Delta Pay Per Time (PPT) Card, a new generation of smart card that enables a channel or package to be viewed for a predetermined amount of time.
The PPT card enables customers to view pay-per-view films, events or any other program and pay for it according to the actual amount of time consumed in terms of hours and minutes. This smart card benefits subscribers who want to purchase content on an ad hoc basis, manage their costs and have the freedom to view particular content with anonymity. It also benefits subscribers who do not want the responsibility of being tied to a Pay-TV contract with a particular operator.
Technocell, a company based in Switzerland, active in the GSM telecom business, was the first company to recognise the different ways that subscribers wish to purchase content to be viewed and to understand that they could be solved through the use of an appropriate smart card.
Technocell president Egidio Tagliabue said, "We spoke to Irdeto Access of our idea and they came back with an innovative and viable solution with an unrivaled level of security. On this basis, we determined that Irdeto Access was the most appropriate match for our business, as it understood our requirements and tailored its solution to meet our needs. The EasySatCard is a unique smart card and an industry first."
The PPT smart card, meant primarily for retail distribution, has been designed to facilitate quick operator deployment and growth, with the advantage that no subscriber management is required. The card life span can be predetermined with a duration chosen by the operator, typically one year, eliminating the risk of long-term inventory management and piracy issues.
Irdeto Access CEO Graham Kill said, "This is the first solution of its kind in the industry and was brought to market within six months due to the flexibility and modular approach of the Irdeto Access system. The development of this card adds yet another revenue generating tool to the arsenal already available and facilitated by our products. Responding to our customer's needs in this way is something that we pride ourselves on."
The PPT smart card has been developed in addition to the stand alone subscription-based business model often associated with conditional access providers and Pay TV operators. Existing operators can use the PPT card to run special promotions and give customers a taste of the type of content that they can receive, therefore this card could also be ideal for a start up operation where there is not a large number of STBs deployed. The same PPT card can then be converted to a traditional subscription-based model if the subscribers like the content they've seen.
The PPT smart card was first released in June 2003 and works on any Irdeto Access-embedded or Common Interface set top box, meaning that no additional software or modification to the box is required. It delivers the same industry-leading high level of security as all other current Irdeto Access products. The PPT card works with either of Irdeto Access' conditional access head end products; Irdeto PIsys for large operators, and Irdeto M-Crypt, the compact CA system for small to medium operators.
(Craigs comment, very interesting wonder how secure it is, I can see big piracy problems if the hackers modify the card to either stop the timer or reset it.)
BS digital TV not hoped-for hit
From http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=feature&id=505
TOKYO Broadcast-satellite (BS) digital television programs went on the air three years ago in Japan with great fanfare and expectations they would quickly bring higher quality TV images and sounds to a large number of Japanese households.
Aug 27 marked the 1,000th day since Japan Broadcasting Corp (NHK) and five privately run network television stations launched the new digital TV technology in December 2000.
There was no marked celebration to observe the occasion, however, as the system has failed to gather much momentum against the backdrop of slow adoption by the public and uncertainty over its future.
When the system was inaugurated three years ago, the then posts and telecommunications minister said the objective was to see 10 million households equipped with BS digital tuners on the 1,000th day of digital broadcasts.
However, the number of such households totaled 4.32 million as of the end of July, according to NHK.
A source at a private TV company said that "10 million households on the 1,000th day" was probably an idea that just popped into the head of the then minister.
Television industry people said at the time that viewers would be able to enjoy higher quality pictures and sound via BS digital TV programs as well as data communications.
NHK President Katsuji Ebisawa blamed "tuners" for the poor performance of BS digital.
In addition to factors including Japan's prolonged economic doldrums, Ebisawa cited delays by tuner manufacturers in coping with the inauguration of BS digital TV, along with the initial high prices of tuners, which sold for about 100,000 yen but have now dropped to the 20,000 yen range.
The volume of advertising was firm in the first two years but has fallen in the third year.
The five BS digital TV stations have been operating in the red, with their accumulated losses totaling 71 billion yen, 2.4 billion yen of which came in their third year.
The key network stations are supporting the programs by increasing the amounts of their capital.
Industry sources said the BS stations, TV manufacturers, advertisers and viewers are all in a state of "shrinkage" in the face of a vicious circle involving the economy, prices, programming and the spread of new-technology televisions and tuners.
People concerned place great expectations on the day when the number of households with BS tuners totals 5 million.
An executive of a BS station said, "Once the number clears the five million mark, the speed will run at double what it is now to reach 10 million."
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications has set 2010 as the year to end BS analog broadcasting in an attempt to urge TV stations to shift to BS digital television.
TV stations are poised to continue carrying out joint drives to promote BS digital broadcasting, such as a "BS digital movie festival" they held this summer.
Industry sources say terrestrial digital broadcasting due to start in December in three major Japanese cities Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya will be the key to the future of BS digital services.
They say that will set the stage for the sale of digital TVs to go into full gear. Such TVs will have built-in tuners capable of receiving BS digital as well as communications satellite (CS) broadcasting.
However, there will be a "price barrier," with such TV sets costing about 200,000 yen to 300,000 yen for the cheapest models.
Seiichiro Ujiie, representative director of Nippon Television Network Corp, said, "We've let BS serve as an engine thus far but from now on there will be two engines (BS and terrestrial digital) to pull BS broadcasting. Terrestrial and BS will have to complement each other." (Kyodo News)
BRAVE NEW (DIGITAL) WORLD: NHK digital could spell trouble for spongers
From http://www.asahi.com/english/national/K2003091500155.html
Smart cards may mean the days of nonpayment are over.
In a move that may set alarm bells ringing among freeloading viewers of the nation's public television network, Japan Broadcasting Corp. (NHK) has decided to adopt an IC-card system to control access to its digital satellite broadcasts (BS) and the impending new terrestrial digital broadcasts.
Although NHK insists the move is aimed at preventing piracy, some question whether a system that may limit viewer access is appropriate for a public broadcaster.
The system NHK plans to introduce in April affects televisions that come with BS conditional access systems (B-CAS) cards.
All new digital televisions will be supplied with smart cards, which must then be registered for service activation.
Although there is no BS-specific fee, viewers registered for BS access can insert their IC cards into a slot on their TVs to receive the digital broadcasts.
The registration system will also apply to terrestrial digital television due to begin in Tokyo, Nagoya and Kansai in December.
Commercial stations plan to follow NHK's example, sources say.
Current BS viewers need not worry about having to upgrade their TVs as they will be provided with specific signals to ensure they can receive broadcasts without an IC card. At the same time, the signals will ensure copyright is protected.
Unlike commercial stations, NHK is partly funded by a subscription fee, payable by every household with a television. Nonpayment is a perpetual problem for the network.
Because viewers have to register to receive digital broadcasts, it will be possible for NHK to restrict access only to those who have actually paid the fee, possibly by encrypting the signal.
However, NHK says it has no plans to scramble its BS digital broadcasts and does not plan to use the new system to force nonpayers to cough up.
But a 2001 government report on plans for broadcast deregulation says, ``Scrambling of NHK's BS digital broadcasts should be considered.''
Relevant issues in the deregulation debate include whether to maintain the current NHK fee system, even though many viewers claim to watch only commercial stations, and if nonpayers can be made to pay.
There is an incentive to prevent piracy of digital broadcasts, because, unlike analog broadcasts, they can be copied many times without image degradation.
Because of its quality and current exclusivity, there is a market for copies of digital broadcasts. For example, in April, a Saitama man was arrested and indicted for selling copies online of a BS digital broadcast of a Seiko Matsuda concert.
To nip the black market in the bud, NHK plans to include copy protection mechanisms that allow only one full-quality recording of a digital broadcast.(IHT/Asahi: September 15,2003)
(Craigs comment, The Japanese Bsat service operates from 110E using circular POL also available there in Analog!)
Fashion TV Launches FMen - the First Television Channel Dedicated to Mens’ Fashion - on GlobeCast’s Digital Direct-to-Home Platform on HOT BIRD
From press release
GlobeCast's Digital Platform on HOT BIRD at 13°E delivers FMen instant access to the largest direct-to-home audience in the world.
GlobeCast, the world's leading satellite broadcast provider, announced today the launch on its HOT BIRD DTH platform of FMen, a new channel from Fashion TV which focuses on male lifestyles, trends and fashion.
GlobeCast, a France Telecom subsidiary, is the world's largest provider of satellite transmission and production services for professional broadcast, enterprise multimedia and Internet content delivery.
FMen positions itself as complementary to Fashion TV, focusing on the world of beauty and elegance of men. Broadcasting 24/7, FMen will feature a line-up of international men's shows, lifestyle and current events, as well as programs on the world of male models, designers and photographers.
GlobeCast receives FMen at its Paris gateway and provides multiplexing, uplink and space capacity on its digital HOT BIRD platform.
Created in 1997, Fashion TV is the only international television channel dedicated to the world of fashion, reaching 500 million viewers in 132 countries. The launch of FMen represents a new step in the collaboration between Fashion TV and GlobeCast, who has been providing channel distribution services for the network since 1998. Today, GlobeCast manages Fashion TV's delivery on its DTH platforms on HOT BIRD and EUROBIRD in Europe and on its NSS 806 platform in the Americas.
GlobeCast (www.GlobeCast.com) - a France Telecom subsidiary - is the global leader in satellite transmission services for professional broadcast, enterprise multimedia and Internet content delivery. Operating 16 offices and teleport earth stations throughout Europe, America, Asia, Australia, the Middle East and Africa, GlobeCast offers the complete range of satellite broadcast solutions, including TV channel distribution, Internet delivery, newsgathering, DTH distribution, sports backhaul, program origination, studio production, events mobile production, foreign language conversion and audio distribution.
Press Contacts
Lucy Smith [email protected] +33 1 55 95 26 10
Denis Gomez [email protected] +33 1 55 95 26 04
Insat-3E launch likely next week-end
From http://www.newindpress.com/Newsitems.asp?ID=IEK20030914133508&Title=Southern+News+-+Karnataka&rLink=0
BANGALORE: Top Indian space scientists have retested a few components of the communication payload on Insat-3E, whose launch by the European rocket Ariane from Kourou in French Guyana is now expected to be next week-end.
According to Indian Space Research Organisation officials, the retests have become necessary in view of a quality alert received from the Japanese manufacturer of solid state power amplifier components of the communication payload.
Insat-3E, the fourth spacecraft in the Insat-3 series, was scheduled to be launched last month-end but was postponed to September three and again to early October after ISRO requested the launcher, Arianespace, the European space consortium, regarding additional verifications on its satellite.
Highly-placed ISRO officials told PTI here on Sunday that the launch date is being advanced by a few days and it is now likely to take place on September 27 though the dates of September 28 and 29 are also being looked at. An official announcement from Arianespace is expected shortly.
Smart-1 of European Space Agency and E-bird of Eutelsat are also to be launched along with Insat-3E on board the 162nd flight of Ariane.
The 2,750 kg Insat-3E will carry 24 C-band transponders and 12 extended C-band transponders. It is an exclusive communication satellite to further augment the communication services that are being provided by the Insat system.
Insat-3E will be launched by the European Ariane 5 launch vehicle into geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) with a perigee of 650 km and an apogee of 36,000 km inclined at an angle of seven degree to the equator.
The satellite will be manoeuvred to its final circular 36,000 km geostationary orbit by firing the liquid apogee motor (LAM) on board the satellite. The satellite will be stationed at 55 deg east longitude.
Commissioned in 1983, Insat is the largest domestic communication satellite system in the Asia-Pacific region, and at present Insat system provides about 120 transponders in S-band, C-band, extended C-band and KU-band, besides very high resolution radiometer (VHRR) and charge coupled device (CCD) camera for meteorological imaging.
Insat-3D, an advanced meteorological satellite and the last in the Insat-3 series, will be launched in 2004-05, according to ISRO.
Zee to launch DTH on Oct 2
From http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2003/09/13/stories/2003091302480500.htm
THE Subhash Chandra promoted ASC Enterprises may well be the first company to commence direct-to-home (DTH) operations in India with the Government giving its final approval on Friday.
The company has set October 2 as the day of launch that also coincides with the anniversary of Zee TV.
According to Mr Jawahar Goel, Vice-Chairman, Zee Telefilms, "We have already provided a bank guarantee of Rs 40 crore besides an entry fee of Rs 10 crore. We will be signing the licence agreement with the Government in the next few days."
The company has planned investments to the tune of Rs 400 crore for both its head-end in the sky (HITS) and DTH operations. During the initial phase, DTH services will be promoted in the non-metros that are still not well connected by the cable network.
Through the DTH platform consumers will get about 48 channels initially and this is expected to go up to over 100 in a year.
The company has already started inviting dealers for the DTH and it is in the process of selecting a brand name under which the DTH service is to be marketed.
Besides ASC Enterprises, Star TV-backed Space TV and Essel-Shyam (a joint venture between Subhash Chandra promoted Essel Group and Shyam Telecom) have evinced interest in the DTH business. This business requires high capital and enables the consumer to receive channels bypassing the cable operator.
T S I C H A N N E L N E W S - Number 35/2003 14 September 2003 -
A weekly roundup of global TV news sponsored by TELE-satellite International
Editor: Branislav Pekic
Edited Apsattv.com Edition
A S I A
AUSTRALIA
SEVEN EARNINGS UP
Seven Network on September 3 said annual net profit fell 10.3% to A$58.6 million from A$65.3 million a year ago. Sales rose 12.8% to A$1.34 billion from A$1.19 billion. Seven's earnings before unusual items, interest, tax, depreciation and amortization of fixed assets and licenses rose 9.3% to A$200 million. Net debt decreased by A$229 million to A$455 million.
SENATORS PRESSURED OVER MEDIA OWNERSHIP LAWS
The Australian government is to have another go at getting changes to Australia's media ownership laws through the Senate. Its bill was blocked in June when non-government senators refused to agree to media companies owning both a newspaper and television station in the same city. A spokesman for Communications Minister Richard Alston says the bill will be re-introduced to the Senate at the end of the month.
CHINA - HONG KONG
FOOTBALL CHANNEL ON CABLE
Hong Kong Cable Television will roll out a 24-hour football channel on September 13 to protect its subscriber base from new market players. According to local reports the pay-TV arm i-Cable Communications said it had won exclusive rights to broadcast the Spanish Primera Liga, with screenings beginning on its new football channel, 61. The channel will also broadcast German Bundesliga and Japanese J-League matches and qualifying matches of Euro 2004, FIFA Women's World Cup, FIFA World Youth Championship, UEFA Cup, and English FA Cup.
MGM TO LAUNCH ON HONG KONG CABLE
MGM Networks, a unit of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer announced on August 28 that it has signed a distribution agreement for an MGM-branded movie network in Hong Kong. The MGM Channel will broadcast 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and feature English- language movies with Mandarin-language subtitles. The MGM Channel will premiere in Hong Kong this fall as part of NOW Broadband TV, the pay-TV platform announced by PCCW, the Hong Kong-listed flagship of the Pacific Century Group, one of Asia's leading integrated communications companies. The MGM Channel in Hong Kong, as with other branded MGM channels, relies on MGM's unparalleled library for its content.
PHOENIX REPORTS LOSS
Phoenix Satellite Television Holdings reported a narrowing on its full-year loss thanks to cost controls. The satellite TV operator reported a loss for the year ended June 30 of HK$72.2 million compared with HK$199.7 million a year earlier. Revenue rose 3.6 per cent to HK$710.0 million. Operating costs dropped 5.5 per cent to HK$803.3 million from HK$850.1 million. The moderate increase in revenue, together with savings in operating costs, helped the operating loss narrow to HK$93.3 million from HK$165.0 million. Revenue from Phoenix Chinese Channel, the flagship channel of Phoenix TV, was nearly flat at HK$616.4 million during the year, compared with HK$618.4 million a year earlier. The contribution from Phoenix InfoNews Channel, a 24-hour Chinese language news and information service, jumped 18 per cent to HK$17.9 million. The increase stemmed from landing rights in China that were awarded at the end of 2002.
DTT CHANNELS LAUNCH TRIALS
Emphasising China's ambition to go digital, three digital television channels have initiated trial operations in Beijing. Zhang Haitao, deputy director of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT), said the trial is a prelude to the digital broadcasts nationwide. According to a recent scheme formulated by the SARFT, China will soon promulgate its own high-resolution digital TV standards. By 2005, China is targeting more than 30 million subscribers, a majority on digital by 2010, while analogue television will terminate by 2015. The State Administration also plans to transmit high-definition digital programs of the Beijing Olympics to the world in 2008, according to the scheme. China, with a population of 1.3 billion, boasts 370 million TV sets and 1.2 billion TV viewers, the largest number in the world. In July this year, China announced its plans of using the European-dominated standard for its digital television (DTV) cable broadcasting as a transitional one as it pushes ahead with its campaign to develop DTV in China.
INDIA
PROBLEMS FOR STAR NEWS HINDI CHANNEL
James Murdoch, Chairman and CEO of the STAR Group, is expected to visit India to sort out the financial restructuring for its 24-hour Hindi news channel Star News. The channel, which has been running on a temporary licence extension since June 26, has to comply with the Indian government regulation according to which any news channel uplinking from India should not have more than 26 per cent foreign equity. As per the revised norm, announced last month, the single largest Indian shareholder must hold at least 51 per cent of total equity. The earlier norms did not specify such a single majority when foreign equity restriction was announced in March this year. With the government deadline of 28 September approaching, Murdoch is expected to discuss the final negotiations with the potential partners for taking a 51 per cent stake in Media Content and Communications Services (MCCS), the company through which Star News is being uplinked from India. Advertising professional Suhel Seth holds main stake in Star News with 30 per cent. Star holds 26 per cent stake. The other shareholders in MCCS are DSP Merrill Lynch chief Hemendra Kothari (25 per cent stake), National daily Hindustan Times editor Vir Sanghvi (5 per cent), film actor and Balaji Telefilms head Jeetendra Kapoor (5 per cent), theatre and television personality Maya Alagh (5 per cent) and STAR Group legal advisor Rian Karanjawala (4 per cent).
MORE REGIONAL NEWS CHANNELS PLANNED
The powerful and cash-rich Gujarat Samachar group has decided to come out with a news channel in Gujarati by March 2004. The satellite news channel will be uplinked out of Mumbai or Ahmedabad. The Madhya Pradesh-based Dainik Bhaskar group is also giving the final touches to a regional news channel, which would heavily leverage the already existing infrastructure of its various news bureaux and manpower, spread across several states of India. Another news channel in Hindi that is likely to go on air by the year-end is Sky News India (no way related to Rupert Murdoch's Sky News in the UK). Dhoot Entertainment Network, promoted by Dhoot brothers, is to launch a round-the-clock business TV channel by February 2004, even as it is all set to foray into online lottery business by mid-November. The TV channel will focus on stock markets, corporates and other industry, and will be free-to-air. India has seen a spate of new news channels this year including two from New Delhi Television, Sahara India Pariwar (National channel and two regional channels) and English channel Headlines Today from TV Today group.
TV18 INCREASES CAPITAL
The board at India-based broadcaster TV18 has approved measures to increase the company's authorized capital. This follows a restructuring to conform to news uplinking regulations and investment in its subsidiaries. TV18 has also entered into an agreement where CNBC will hold a 10% strategic stake in TV18 broadcast subsidiary, i.News.com.
BROADCAST REGULATOR TO BE SET UP FAST
Indian Information & Broadcasting Minister Ravi Shankar says his government will expedite the process of setting up an independent regulatory body for the broadcasting sector. During a round table discussion involving different stakeholders, he said his pleas for self-regulation of television content and advertising have not had the desired results. He says there has been pressure on him to bring in more stringent regulations. Industry representatives present asked the Minister to include public broadcasters Doordarshan and All India Radio under the proposed body. The Minister said that government would look into the recommendations from the industry before going ahead with the move to set up a regulator. Meanwhile, the Chairman of Prasar Bharati (the Broadcasting Corporation of India), M V Kamath, favours introducing a licence fee for radio & TV sets at the point of purchase. There are nearly 125 million radio sets in India, and a large number of TV sets. Introducing a licence fee could considerably enhance revenues.
INDONESIA
BIMANTRA TO BUY MAJORITY STAKE IN TPI
Indonesia's PT Bimantara Citra will acquire a majority stake in television broadcaster PT Televisi Pendidikan Indonesia, or TPI, as part of its efforts to boost its media business, its President Hary Tanoesoedibyo said on September 2. Hary told reporters talks with TPI started early this year, but he couldn't say when they will be completed. He declined to disclose the exact size of the TPI stake Bimantara is seeking, or the value of the planned acquisition in TPI, which is estimated to have a 17% share of TV audiences in the country. Bimantara will acquire the stake either through its media unit PT Media Nusantara Citra, or through its television flagship PT Rajawali Citra Televisi Indonesia. The group also owns a quarter of 24-hour news channel Metro TV.
VOA INCREASES INDONESIAN TV PROGRAMMING
VOA has launched a new daily Indonesian television news show, Jurnal VOA, on Metro TV in Indonesia. Jurnal VOA, a 25-minute live and interactive show focusing on the main news stories of the day, will air on Metro TV Monday through Friday from 5.05 to 5.30 am local time. Metro is seen in 39 cities throughout Indonesia, including all the major markets. VOA's Indonesian TV programs include a 30-minute magazine show, Dunia Kita, broadcast via Metro TV on Mondays at 1.30 p.m. and Halo VOA, an interactive discussion, broadcast via satellite on Thursdays at 5.30 a.m.
JAPAN
NEWS CORP SELLS SKY PERFECT COMM STAKE
News Corporation Japan and Sky Perfect Communications said on August 29 that News Corp. has sold its 8.134% stake in Sky Perfect to Sky Perfect's main shareholders. Under the sale, for an undisclosed amount, News Corp. has transferred 60,666 shares each to Sony Broadcast Media Co., Itochu Corp. and Fuji Television Network Inc. After the transaction, Sony Broadcast Media, Itochu and Fuji Television will each own 12.651% of Sky Perfect. News Corp. had 182,000 shares in Sky Perfect, roughly 8.134% of the company's outstanding shares. The company said it has sold the remaining two shares of its Sky Perfect stake in the Japanese stock market. Sony Broadcast Media is a unit of Sony Corp.
REVENUE DOWN FOR JAPANESE BROADCASTERS
Japan's 195 radio and television broadcasting companies posted a combined US$21,115.3 billion operating revenue in fiscal 2002, down 4.2 per cent from the previous year, the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications said on September 10. The Japan Today newspaper said the result marked the second consecutive year-on-year decline for the broadcasting industry, reflecting a continued fall in advertising revenues amid the prolonged economic slump.
DIGITAL SATELLITE A DISSAPOINTMENT
Broadcast-satellite (BS) digital television programs went on the air three years ago in Japan with great fanfare and expectations they would quickly bring higher quality TV images and sounds to a large number of Japanese households. August 27 marked the day since Japan Broadcasting Corp (NHK) and five privately run network television stations launched the new digital TV technology in December 2000. When the system was inaugurated three years ago, the then posts and telecommunications minister said the objective was to see 10 million households equipped with BS digital tuners on the 1,000th day of digital broadcasts. However, the number of such households totaled 4.32 million as of the end of July, according to NHK. A source at a private TV company said that "10 million households on the 1,000th day" was probably an idea that just popped into the head of the then minister. Television industry people said at the time that viewers would be able to enjoy higher quality pictures and sound via BS digital TV programs as well as data communications. NHK President Katsuji Ebisawa blamed "tuners" for the poor performance of BS digital. In addition to factors including Japan's prolonged economic doldrums, Ebisawa cited delays by tuner manufacturers in coping with the inauguration of BS digital TV, along with the initial high prices of tuners, which sold for about 100,000 yen but have now dropped to the 20,000 yen range. The five BS digital TV stations have been operating in the red, with their accumulated losses totaling 71 billion yen, 2.4 billion yen of which came in their third year. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications has set 2010 as the year to end BS analogue broadcasting in an attempt to urge TV stations to shift to BS digital television. Industry sources say terrestrial digital broadcasting due to start in December in three major Japanese cities Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya will be the key to the future of BS digital services. They say that will set the stage for the sale of digital TVs to go into full gear. Such TVs will have built-in tuners capable of receiving BS digital as well as communications satellite (CS) broadcasting. However, there will be a "price barrier," with such TV sets costing about 200,000 yen to 300,000 yen for the cheapest models.
MALAYSIA
RTM TO EXPAND GLOBAL COVERAGE
Efforts are under way to beam Radio Television Malaysia’s (RTM) TV1 programmes via satellite to several neighbouring countries, according to the Star newspaper. The newspaper quoted the Secretary-General of Malaysia’s Information Ministry, Datuk Seri Arshad Hashim, as saying test transmissions are likely to begin next month. He said TV1’s programmes could already be viewed in several Southeast Asian cities like Bangkok, Manila and Phnom Penh. He added RTM was assessing the quality of its programmes over TV1 for 24-hour beaming in at least two languages, including translations in English.
CHANNEL 9 GOES ON AIR
Malaysia’s fourth terrestrial TV station, Channel 9, began its official transmission on September 9. Currently, Channel 9’s broadcast covers the Kuala Lumpur area. In two weeks time, viewers in the east and west coast of Malaysia will be able to receive transmissions while by mid-October, reception will be extended to Singapore and southern Thailand. The station will air programmes from 1300 until 0300 (local time) on weekdays and from 0930 to 0300 (local time) on weekends.
NEW ZEALAND
TELECOM TO SELL SKY STAKE TO INL
The Rupert Murdoch-controlled Independent Newspapers (INL) has made a takeover offer for New Zealand's major digital pay-TV service, Sky Network TV, valuing the company at $NZ1.8 billion. INL is aiming to buy the 34 per cent of Sky it does not already own. Telecom Corp of New Zealand, which owns 12 per cent of Sky, has already accepted the offer. This month, Sky Network TV announced its first post tax profit since launching a satellite digital TV service five years ago. Sky expects its net profit for the current financial year to be about NZ$30 million. INL said formal notice of the offer for Sky was to be made in mid-September. The offer is expected to be dispatched to Sky shareholders in early October. Shareholders will then have 30 days to accept it.
INTELSAT AND TVNZ SATELLITE SERVICES SET UP ALLIANCE
Intelsat Global Sales & Marketing and TVNZ Satellite Services will join forces in the occasional use broadcast services business. The portfolio of services will offer customers global occasional use satellite distribution as well as access to television production and packaging services. Event management and host broadcast services are examples of the expanded range of offerings. In addition to its global network of ground resources, Intelsat will contribute dedicated capacity on eight of its satellites, with additional capacity available. TVNZ will contribute occasional use services and television broadcast solutions expertise. The alliance will be managed day-to-day by TVNZ. International (24/7) operations centres in Auckland and in Washington D.C. will provide support for all service requirements including booking, billing and special event planning.
PAKISTAN
MORE TV STATIONS TO BE ALLOWED
Pakistan's Federal Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad has said that Pakistan needs 25 TV channels and at least 100 radio stations. He told a seminar that in order to encourage more TV stations to be set up, the government has halved the licence fee from 5 million to 2.5 million rupees, while the fee for cable operators has been slashed from 50,000 to 10,000 rupees. However, the Minister warned that the government would not allow Indian channels to be carried on Pakistani cable systems. Ahmad also revealed that the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) had discussed launching a digital TV channel of the Islamic countries. Ahmad has asked cable television operators to show only those channels that provide entertainment and positive information to people.
REGULATOR SUPPORTS BAN ON INDIAN CHANNELS
Although Indian-Pakistan relations are not as tense as a few months ago, when war seemed a possibility, PEMRA (the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority) has ordered the closing of all Indian TV cable channels in Pakistan. The ban has seriously affected business as viewers are discontinuing cable subscriptions when they do not get any popular entertainment in their language. "Over 98 per cent of the viewers on our cable system want to watch popular Urdu (Indian) channels” said Malik Furgan, president of the Cable Operator Association. Cable operators will observe a seven-day countrywide strike if a ban on showing Indian programmes is not lifted.
THE PHILLIPINES
REALITY TV TO JOIN DESTINY CABLE OFFER
Channel distributor Zone Vision is making its first move into the Asia Pacific region with the launch of its Reality TV channel on the Filipino platform, Destiny Cable. The second largest cable operator in the Philippines, Destiny Cable will launch Reality TV later this month, around the clock. Reality TV is currently seen in over 120 territories including in the UK, India and Latin America.
SOUTH KOREA
MGM NETWORKS LAUNCHES SECOND CHANNEL
MGM Networks, a unit of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. announced on September 10 that it has signed a distribution agreement for the MGM Plus channel, a second branded network on South Korea's Skylife DTH satellite service. MGM Plus will complement the existing MGM Channel with a different mix of programming from MGM's storied film library and select local Korean productions. Both networks will be carried on Skylife, the country's first direct-to- home satellite TV service. Skylife will air the MGM networks 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in Korean. The launch of a second South Korean channel is the latest of several recent MGM Networks announcements, including the MGM Channel's Hong Kong launch and a strategic alliance with CNBC Asia Pacific. MGM Networks has been expanding quickly worldwide, its channel interests more than quadrupling the past two years to about 100 countries on six continents.
IRDETO ACCESS CREATES CAS FOR MOBILE DEVICES
Irdeto Access, a subsidiary of multinational media group Naspers, has announced the provision of the first ever conditional access system (CAS) for mobile applications for SK Telecom's Satellite Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB) service. This service enables SK Telecom's subscribers to enjoy multichannel, multimedia broadcasting any place, anytime via personalized mobile or vehicle devices. Irdeto Access' new CAS for mobile applications protects and secures this content, and allows consumers a choice of devices on which to receive it. With extensive subscriptions to the Satellite DMB service anticipated, this technique is the only viable and secure method for an operator to manage more than 10 million subscribers. Additionally, Irdeto Access' Rapid Refresh technique provides additional layers of countermeasures in the event of piracy, and ensures conditional access messages are cycled at higher rates than in previous-generation systems, reducing overall costs while at the same time increasing security. The new mobile CAS is based on Irdeto Access' award-winning Irdeto PIsys system, a DVB conditional access system for large-scale satellite DTH, cable, IPTV, and terrestrial broadcasting, and now also for mobile applications. The new mobile CAS can support Korean SMS, EPG, and multiple business models including pay-per-view and pre-paid vouchers.
Internet - http://www.sktelecom.co.kr
TAIWAN
DTV BOOST FOR LOCAL INDUSTRY
Digital TV has been hailed as the next big growth catalyst for Taiwan's technology sector. At the launch of the country's digital TV Special Interest Group, local companies such as Tatung said that Taiwan's supply chain and manufacturing expertise would help it compete with Japan and South Korea in the DTV technology market. DTV SIG is composed of government departments, research agencies and local manufacturers to promote the industry.
A F R I C A
SOUTH AFRICA
BBC TECHNOLOGY PROVIDES CONSULTING FOR SABC
BBC Technology, provider of products and services to global media-driven organisations, on September 12 a deal with the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), South Africa's national public service broadcaster, to provide programme workflow definition, project and technology direction for SABC's coverage of the 2004 Olympics. The broadcast systems to support this coverage will be located at SABC's Johannesburg headquarters, along with the first phase of a new Sports Multimedia Content Hub, which BBC Technology has also been working on defining with SABC. For the Olympics, BBC Technology's consulting team will review and clarify SABC's programme requirements and develop a strategy that considers all the issues, from production processes to programme outputs. As part of the overall technology strategy that BBC Technology has defined for SABC, the Sports Multimedia Content Hub -- a dedicated facility to collate, manage and prepare multimedia content feeds before they are passed through to studios -- will house the Olympics' coverage for SABC Sports; the Hub will also interface with existing and new systems. The deal will see BBC Technology provide the broadcaster with recommendations on how it gathers, edits, presents and plays out programme material, as well as the underlying process, resource and technology requirements. This will form a crucial foundation for SABC's plans to provide coverage of the Olympics both in South Africa, and across the wider African continent by satellite. The deal -- the first phase of which will be completed by early November 2003 -- builds on BBC Technology's previous engagement with SABC to provide a five-year strategic technology roadmap covering TV, radio and online facilities development.
NASPERS PAY-TV SUBSCRIBERS TOP 2 MILLION MARK
Naspers has announced that that its pay-TV subscribers at the end of the June quarter topped the two million figure. Of the 2 005 338 subscribers, 67% subscribe to the group's digital service. Naspers is the major stakeholder in television platforms operator MIH Group. In line with expectations, the South African subscriber base, which the group described as mature, remained flat for the quarter, ending with 1 043 888 subscribers. Subscribers to the digital service increased by 14 751 during the quarter, mainly due to subscribers continuing to migrate from the analogue to the digital service, Naspers said. Digital subscribers now represent 66% of the subscriber base. The group added that, as a result of certain analogue services across Africa being terminated, the analogue subscriber base in sub-Saharan Africa has declined by 2 752, ending the quarter at 12 657 subscribers. The digital subscriber base in sub-Saharan Africa declined by 2 599 for the quarter to 242 395. Greece experienced the usual summer churn, with the analogue base declining by 14 978 and the digital base declining by 3 444 subscribers, ending the quarter with 101 007 and 136 304 subscribers, respectively. In Thailand, UBC increased its subscription fee and ceased broadcasting the Nation Channel effective from May 2003, and as a result has experienced higher churn than normal. Naspers said the situation has been aggravated by the continued problem of provincial cable piracy, with the subscriber base declining by 16 946 subscribers, to end the quarter with 420 643 subscribers. Subscriber churn stabilised after June 30, it said.
14/09/03
No update Sunday
13/09/03
Not much going on so no update, back Monday
12/09/03
The Vetrun message forum (see forum left hand side of screen) has had an upgrade. It seems to be running along nicely and turning into a very helpfull satellite forum.
There isn't a lot to mention today.
From my Emails & ICQ
From Steve Hume
B1 12429V Sr 6670 "Boxxing feed" VPID: 1160 AUD:1120 PCR: 1160
NEWS 24x7
Steve Hume
From the Dish
NSS 6 95E 12729 V "NTD TV and Fashion TV" have left .
NEWS
INL bid for Sky TV is 'unfair'
From http://afr.com/articles/2003/09/11/1063268514156.html
Sky Network Television's independent directors yesterday said Independent Newspapers' bid for the 34 per cent of Sky it did not already own was unfair.
Last week Sky appointed former All Blacks coach John Hart and Barrie Downey as a "committee" of two independent directors to consider INL's takeover offer.
INL has made a cash-scrip bid for Sky that values its shares at $NZ4.63 each. INL is offering $NZ3.35 in cash for each Sky share, plus three INL shares for every 10 Sky shares.
Earlier this week INL executive chairman Ken Cowley said INL would not increase its offer.
"There is no further premium to be had as INL already owns more than 66 per cent of Sky and with Telecom's commitment to sell we will own around 78 per cent," he said.
Mr Downey said the independent committee did not agree with INL's view.
"We note that from the time that INL announced its intention to sell its NZ newspaper businesses to the date of INL's proposed takeover announcement, the S&P/ASX 300 Media index had risen 23 per cent while the Sky price had risen a comparable 26.4 per cent," he said.
"During this time, Sky has also made a number of announcements regarding operating performance, including its 2003 profit result, and these announcements have undoubtedly impacted on the current share price."
He said Sky's independent directors believed Sky was one of New Zealand s leading companies, with a unique market position and excellent growth potential. Mr Downey said "based on preliminary advice and discussions with our financial advisers UBS New Zealand, the committee is concerned with several aspects of the proposed offer and believe it may not be in the best interests of Sky shareholders."
Mr Downey said once a formal notice of offer had been received from INL, "we will undertake a full assessment of the offer and communicate our findings to shareholders."
An independent adviser would also be appointed to prepare a report for Sky shareholders on the merits of the proposed offer, he said.
Sahara Samay Mumbai schedules 26 September launch
From http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k3/sep/sep114.htm
MUMBAI: "Not a vehicle for sensationalism, but a platform to provide constructive solutions."
That is the USP that the Sahara Group's western India-specific news channel Sahara Samay Mumbai is pitching ahead of its "final" official launch date of 26 September.
Headed by Rajiv K Bajaj, former president of the Hinduja owned IN Network and editor of The Daily tabloid, the Channel will cover the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat and parts of Goa with specific focus on the city of Mumbai.
Under the channel's scanner will be everything from traffic information to sales to the latest prices of household goods including commodities, vegetables and the rest with a comparison of what is selling at what price in which market across Mumbai. Sahara Samay Mumbai will feature shows that will deal with issues at a micro-level and pick up issues, identify problems and provide actual solutions on TV, says a company release.
"The USP of Sahara Samay Mumbai is complete and total identification with the city of Mumbai, Maharashtra and parts of Gujarat and later Goa. My idea is to convert a city tabloid into television," Bajaj is quoted in the release as saying. "A total of 32 bulletins (including updates) interspersed with local programming that includes talk shows, events, music, product launches, campus color and investigative in depth programs will provide the channel that extra edge required to take over eyeball time in the city and elsewhere. The way I see it there is every possibility that Sahara Samay Mumbai might just have as much appeal in the rest of the country as it definitely will in the Mumbai, Maharashtra and Gujarat region itself. The logic for the channel is very simple. This is because not only Mumbai but the entire country, and indeed the entire Indian diaspora in the rest of the world has this great fascination for everything and anything to do with Mumbai's rich and famous, with Bollywood, with Mumbai's fashion world, its dance bars, discos, night clubs, beach parties and the like," says Bajaj.
The FPC includes special weekend programmes including special women related talk shows, Ganeshotsav Awards, Durga Pooja, Navratri, Christmas celebrations, Goa Carnival, Miss Mumbai, Miss Pune, and so on. Also included are special shows for school children including Inter School Sports, Inter School Festivals, Inter Ward Sports Tournaments, The Kanga League etc.
As reported earlier on indiantelevision.com, also on the anvil is coverage of traditional Indian sports like kabbadi, kho-kho, wrestling and bullock cart racing. The competition will begin at the village level and then go right upto the state level with the main event being held in Mumbai.
Sahara Samay Mumbai is the third news channel after Sahara Samay Rashtriya (launched 28 March 2003) and Sahara Samay Uttar Pradesh from the Subrato Roy promoted media house.
(Craigs comment, In the Sahara News mux on Asiasat 3. Great news for all those Bullock cart racing fans, you don't get this of coverage on pay tv..)
11/09/03
Not much today, at least there are a few news items to read.
From my Emails & ICQ
Nothing to report
From the Dish
PAS 10 68.5E 4033 V "AIR Rainbow FM" has started, Fta, APIDs 651 and 671.
NEWS
TV stations dud live sports fans
From http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,7228259%255E662,00.html
TELEVISION executives are robbing Australians of their right to watch sport.
Commercial networks show only a small fraction of the events to which they have exclusive rights.
The Federal Government is considering breaking the hold of the three big networks and letting pay-TV show sports the other channels cannot fit into their programming.
Channel Nine is shaping as the enemy of sports lovers across the country, having cut off a US Open match when Mark Philippoussis and David Nalbandian were three games all in the first set.
The top-rating network also controls the rights to Australian Test cricket overseas but has not broadcast a single game from Australian tours in the past five years.
The Seven Network also short-changed soccer fans by showing only one National Soccer League match in the 2003 season -- the grand final.
The ABC is in the sights of the sports-mad public, having shown only two of eight Australian matches at the recent Netball World Championships.
Communications Minister Richard Alston is preparing a Cabinet submission on the issue in the next four to six weeks and is expected to recommend reforms to so-called anti-siphoning laws.
Kerry Packer's Nine Network senior executives John Alexander and Peter Yates were in Canberra this week to lobby against the changes.
Ryan Stokes, the son of Seven Network boss Kerry Stokes, has also been pushing not to give pay TV more access to live sports.
The anti-siphoning rules protect the right of networks to show the sports events they choose without fear of competition.
Blockbusters such as the Melbourne Cup, AFL, rugby league and cricket Tests are included on a protected species list, which Foxtel and other pay-TV providers are trying to change.
This anti-siphoning list contains more 6000 hours of sport content each year but the pay TV industry believes less than 17 per cent of this is screened.
It is believed the Government will remove from the anti-siphoning list sports that have not received thorough coverage in recent years.
Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association executive director Debra Richards said he did not want sport taken off free-to-air TV.
"People should not have to pay for sport but they are not actually seeing the sports on the list at the moment," he said.
Commercial networks spokeswoman Julie Flynn said the rules were set up to ensure Australians got some sports free.
"The rules were always about Australian viewers being able to see their favourite sports on free TV," she said.
She said most sports to which commercial networks had exclusive rights were televised at some stage. "The fact of the matter is at the end of the day the majority of the sports are shown on free-to-air TV," she said.
A spokesman for Communications Minister Richard Alston said the submission to Cabinet would consider recommendations that the system be changed.
"There's been a long-standing attitude in Australia that sport should be free, but certainly the anti-siphoning list is one issue we are considering at the moment," the spokesman said.
UPDATE: Aurora Television services
From http://www.optus.com.au/Vign/ViewMgmt/display/0,2627,1031_34029-3_6754--View_303,00.html
Proposed changes to Aurora smart cards
Please note: The following information is related to remote and rural Optus Aurora customers and end-users only.
Smart card changes for remote and regional broadcasting services
Optus is proposing some changes in regard to the Optus Aurora broadcasting services, and in particular the smart card technology used.
The information below details these changes and also outlines the steps that Optus is taking in order to minimise any impact on distributors and end users of the Aurora services.
Existing encryption service
Since launching the Aurora platform Optus has utilised the Irdeto encryption technology that operates Version 1 (V1) smart cards to deliver a range of satellite broadcasting services, including remote area broadcasting services (RABS) across Australia.
These services are delivered to a range of businesses, government departments and Direct-To-Home (DTH) end users. The total number of Aurora end users is 40,000 of which approximately 32,000 are RABS DTH end users.
To receive the Aurora service, customers require a satellite dish, a decoder and a smart card to unscramble the encrypted signals.
Proposed changes to MCRYPT smart cards
Optus has recently made a decision to introduce the MCRYPT encryption smart card technology and phase out support for the V1 smart card encryption system.
This decision was made for a number of reasons. The new MCRYPT service has the advantage of being more ‘secure’, and will also decrease the incidence of signal piracy.
Simulcrypt period
Optus is committed to ensuring the introduction of the new MCRYPT service will have minimal impact on existing customers and end users. For this reason Optus has decided to simulcrypt both the MCRYPT and V1 technologies for a maximum of five years, commencing in late 2003.
The decision to simulcast both the MCRYPT and the V1 encryption services means that all end users (either the new MCRYPT cards or the current V1 cards) will receive the Aurora services.
Optus does not anticipate any interruption to the V1 service as a result of the decision to simulcrypt MCRYPT. Those customers who are currently using the V1 cards, can continue using these cards until the simulcrypt period comes to an end. Most existing cards will reach the end of their natural life before this time and will then need to be replaced with the new MCRYPT card.
In respect of new customers, Optus is now unable to obtain any more V1 smart cards to supply distributors. Therefore new customers will need to obtain a new MCRYPT card in order to access Aurora services. These can be obtained from the normal distribution channels.
More information about Optus Aurora services
For more information about Optus Aurora services, please contact your local distributor.
Distributor Telephone
ABC/SBS 1300 301 681
Seven 1800 501 063
Imparja 1300 301 683
WIN/GWN 1300 301 681
HK APT Satellite/Results:Weak Demand For Satellite Svc
From http://sg.biz.yahoo.com/030910/15/3e27z.html
HONG KONG (Dow Jones)--APT Satellite Holdings Ltd. (ATS) said Wednesday it sank into the red during its fiscal first-half due to higher depreciation and asset impairment charges.
The satellite operator reported a loss of HK$162.7 million for the six months ended June 30, compared with a net profit of HK$30.6 million in the same period a year earlier.
Revenue for the period fell 14% to HK$151.3 million.
The impairment charge on fixed assets during the period rose from zero to HK$92.4 million, while depreciation charges increased to HK$123.5 million from HK$110.7 million.
APT Satellite's net profit has fallen for three consecutive years as a sluggish global economy has dampened demand for satellite capacity.
The company is replacing APSTAR I, one of its oldest satellites, with APSTAR V this month. It also plans to replace APSTAR IA with APSTAR VI in 2005.
The company currently has four satellites in operation, including APSTAR V.
It warned earlier its bottom line could be hurt by higher depreciation charges if it can't find ways for its aging satellites to generate new revenues.
(Craigs comment, Apstar V this month , I must check and see what date its due to launch)
Malaysian TV1 to be beamed to other countries
From http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2003/9/11/nation/6252055&sec=nation
JOHOR BARU: Efforts are under way to beam TV1 programmes via satellite to several countries, Information Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Arshad Hashim said.
Test transmissions are likely to begin next month, he told staff of the Information Ministry and its agencies here yesterday.
He said TV1’s programmes could already be viewed in several Southeast Asian cities like Bangkok, Manila and Phnom Penh.
He said RTM was determining which communication satellite to use for the purpose and to which countries TV1’s programmes would be beamed.
Addressing some 100 employees of the Information Ministry’s Special Affairs Department, Bernama and the Information and Broadcasting departments, he said RTM was now assessing the quality of its programmes over TV1 for 24-hour beaming in at least two languages, including translations in English. Bernama
MGM Networks Launches Second Korean Channel
From http://www.finanznachrichten.de/nachrichten/artikel-2466375.asp
MGM Networks, a unit of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. , announced today that it has signed a distribution agreement for the MGM Plus channel, a second branded network on South Korea''s Skylife DTH satellite service.
MGM Plus will complement the existing MGM Channel with a different mix of programming from MGM''s storied film library and select local Korean productions.
Both networks will be carried on Skylife, the country''s first direct-to- home satellite TV service. Skylife will air the MGM networks 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in Korean.
"Since the launch of our first Korean channel last year, we have seen impressive subscriber growth and developed a strong connection with viewers," said Bruce Tuchman, MGM Networks'' executive vice president. "In launching a second localized channel in South Korea, we will build on those accomplishments. We''re particularly excited about our progress so far because MGM has earmarked Asia as a key growth region."
The launch of a second South Korean channel is the latest of several recent MGM Networks announcements, including the MGM Channel''s Hong Kong launch and a strategic alliance with CNBC Asia Pacific. MGM Networks has been expanding quickly worldwide, its channel interests more than quadrupling the past two years to about 100 countries on six continents.
MGM Networks'' second Korean channel, as with all MGM channels, uniquely benefits from access to MGM''s unparalleled 4,000-title library, the world''s largest collection of modern-era film, including "Hannibal," "Legally Blonde," "Get Shorty," "The Birdcage," "Thelma & Louise," "Rain Man," "The Silence of the Lambs," "Fargo," "Four Weddings and a Funeral," "Midnight Cowboy," "Moonstruck," "West Side Story," "The Manchurian Candidate," 19 Woody Allen pictures, and the "Rocky" and "Pink Panther" franchises.
About Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. , through its Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. subsidiary, is actively engaged in the worldwide production and distribution of entertainment product, including motion pictures, television programming, home video, interactive media, music, and licensed merchandise. The Company owns the largest modern film library in the world, consisting of approximately 4,000 titles. Its operating units include MGM Pictures, United Artists, MGM Television Entertainment, MGM Networks, MGM Distribution Co., MGM Worldwide Television Distribution, MGM Home Entertainment, MGM On Stage, MGM Consumer Products, MGM Music, MGM Interactive and MGM Online. In addition, MGM has ownership interest in international television channels reaching approximately 100 countries around the globe. For more information on MGM, visit MGM Online at http://www.mgm.com/ .
For further information, please contact: David Bloom, VP, Corporate Communications of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., +1-310-449-3660, [email protected]
Dhoot Entertainment to launch TV channel
From http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?msid=175953
MUMBAI: Dhoot Entertainment Network, promoted by Dhoot brothers, is to launch a round-the-clock business TV channel by February 2004, even as it is all set to foray into online lottery business by mid-November.
"We will invest around Rs 80 crore for the TV channel, which will focus on stock markets, corporates and other industry, apart from features and analysis on the business sector," Dhoot Entertainment Network chief executive officer Anirudh Dhoot told reporters here today.
The channel, for which the company has already begun recruiting, would be in Hindi, Dhoot said, adding, it would be a free-to-air (FTA) one.
The channel, to be launched under the brand name, 'V-One', would also double up as a platform for the company's online lottery business in the post CAS era, he said.
Talking about the firm's entry into lottery business, Dhoot said the company plans to invest around Rs 100 crore for the venture, 'V-1 Online Lottery', of which it has already spent around Rs 30 crore.
The software for the online lottery business would be provided by Emict, an Ukaranian company, while Olivetti would provide the hardware, he said, adding it targets Rs 500 crore sales in the first year from around 3,000 retail outlets.
said the company is also planning to increase the number of retail outlets to 5,000 within a couple of months' and to around 10,000 within the next three years.
With an advertising budget of Rs 150 crore per year, the company expects to capture 10 per cent share of the country's Rs 50,000 crore online lottery business, he added.
10/09/03
Chatroom was very quiet last night. I guess not a lot to talk about lately. I asked RRSAT if they will be broadcasting the next episode of DRDISH via C1 or B1 and they said no. So unless you can get Thaicom 3 Cband you are out of luck.
From my Emails & ICQ
From Superfly
Craig,
You reported that MTV Indonesia has left. It was duplicated and only one has disappeared to a test card.
MTV still available on Palapa C2, though the picture and sound quality could be improved.
From Steve Hume
Telkom 1 108E
Feeds seen
4005H "9MHz, PAL", 2 Audio
SR: 6000 VPID: 308 AUD:256 PCR: 8190
TVRI FEEDS
4015 H SR:6000 VPID: 308 AUD: 256PCR: 8190
From the Dish
Sinosat 1 110.5E 4010 V "F1 Racing feed?" Sr 5500 Fec 3/4
PAS 10 68.5E 3897 V "NDTV 24x7" has started , Fta, PIDs 35/46.
NEWS
Satellite roof dishes face ban
From http://news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,7220474%255E13569,00.html
More than 600 Alice Springs residents may have broken the law because they have installed state-of-the-art satellite TV dishes ``without government permission'', it was claimed last night.
Territory installation expert David Nolan, who has been in business for more than 10 years, said a roll-out of dishes at Alice Springs could be illegal. But that is if you believe the NT Government.
``If you listen to what they tell you, then it's illegal to have dishes installed,'' Mr Nolan said.
``I rang the Department of Planning and Infrastructure to ask what the rules were about getting a dish put on the roof.
``The lady I spoke to asked me how I knew about the Alice Springs roll-out.
``I said it was because I've got a mate down there who had one put in just last week.
``She wanted to know his name so he could be prosecuted _ how good is that?''
He declined to name his friend.
Mr Nolan said there was widespread confusion about NT Government laws on TV dishes.
He said NT laws made it illegal to erect the roof-mounted dishes without a certificate of compliance _ even though many of the dishes used are now less than 85cm in diameter and height, or about the size of a small outdoor pot plant.
``It should cost only $300 to install a dish, but with all the red tape, it'll cost consumers as much as $900 _ it's a rip-off,'' Mr Nolan said.
The roll-out of 85cm satellite dishes coincides with the recent launch of the Optus C1 Satellite.
At Alice Springs, many pay-TV subscribers are moving away from microwave-based signals to the more efficient and reliable satellite dishes.
The NT has about 4000 satellite TV dishes. But Mr Nolan said the industry expectation was for about 25 per cent of all Territory homes to have the 85cm dishes installed within five years.
The NT Department of Planning and Infrastructure was unable to respond to requests for comment and clarification on the law yesterday.
TVNZ offshoot forms Intelsat alliance
From http://www.nzherald.co.nz/
Television New Zealand's global satellite linking subsidiary, TVNZ Satellite Services, has formed an international alliance that looks set to boost the state-owned broadcaster's revenue by millions of dollars a year.
TVNZ says the deal with Intelsat Global Sales and Marketing will give broadcasting customers around the world access to a global network of satellite and terrestrial infrastructure complemented by a portfolio of television broadcast services.
Satellite Services has a staff of less than 30 and specialises in arranging one-off satellite links around sporting and other events for broadcast companies.
Its contribution to TVNZ's books is not disclosed separately on the company's accounts but the subsidiary's net profit last year is believed to have been between $7 million and $9 million.
Speaking from London where he is marking the launch of the alliance, Satellite Services managing director Sam Fairhall said the Intelsat deal had the potential to eventually quadruple revenue.
The money will be a welcome boost to TVNZ's coffers as it moves to implement its charter obligations without the financial assistance of its former telecommunications subsidiary BCL, which has been split off into a separate operation.
"Our customers are facing significant business challenges brought about by the velocity of global change in the industry," Fairhall said.
"As a television broadcaster as well as an occasional use service consumer and supplier, TVNZ has first-hand knowledge of what is required to deliver this added value."
Intelsat was an intergovernmental organisation owned by its member countries until it was privatised in 2001.
Fairhall said he could not say more about the financial aspects of the deal.
NASA, NOAA, Lockheed investigate satellite accident
From http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0309/09noaan/
On September 6, while performing work on the NOAA-N Prime spacecraft, being prepared to launch in 2008 for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the satellite was dropped.
Lockheed Martin, the contractor in charge of the construction and test of the satellite in Sunnyvale, Calif., NASA and NOAA formed teams to investigate the accident and assess impact. The 14-foot spacecraft was about three feet off the ground in an upright stance, when it slipped from a fixture, as it was being turned from a vertical to horizontal position.
"NASA and NOAA are understandably concerned about this accident, because the NOAA-N Prime spacecraft is vital to the continuity of the polar-orbiting environmental satellite program. We are waiting for an assessment of the damage from the investigation teams. We will have a better idea of the extent of the impact on our satellite programs when the results are available," said retired Navy Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Ph.D, undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator.
NOAA's Satellite and Information Service operates two polar- orbiting operational environmental satellites (POES), which are critical in monitoring weather and climate.
NOAA-N Prime is under guard, and Lockheed Martin and NASA have secured all records.
NASA develops the POES for NOAA on a reimbursable basis. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md, performs program management for the development of the satellites.
CCTV blamed for Phoenix's failure to fly
From http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/Weekly2003/09.09.2003/China2.htm
The launch of a 24-hour news channel from the mainland's China Central Television (CCTV) probably prevented its Hong Kong rival Phoenix Satellite Television Holdings from breaking even last year.
Phoenix, listed on the Growth Enterprise Market, is expected to report a full-year loss of $56.37 million today, down from $199.72 million previously, according to 13 analysts polled by Thomson First Call.
The loss is expected despite the hopes of chief executive Liu Changle, who was seeking to turn a profit this year as InfoNews, the company's 24-hour Putonghua news channel, increased its audience from five million viewers to 20 million.
"CCTV's news channel has put pressure on InfoNews," Sun Hung Kai Research analyst Florence Cheung said. "The channels are both new in the market but must compete for viewership and advertising revenue. Such an environment is not good for the growth and development of InfoNews."
CCTV News, the mainland broadcaster's 13th channel, took to the airwaves in May. It has a staff of 500 based in Beijing, 13 overseas bureaus and claims to cover news in virtually every part of the country.
Industry watchers said CCTV launched its 24-hour news channel in response to a growing threat from Phoenix.
CCTV hopes to break even by the end of the year, banking on rising audience share and ad sales as mainland viewers increasingly tune in.
Goldman Sachs has kept its "underperform" rating on the stock.
9/09/03
Live chat tonight 9pm NZ and 8.30 pm Syd time onwards in the chatroom.
Satworld has launched their new look website http://www.satworld.com.au/
The September issue of Satmagazine is out go here to download it http://www.satmagazine.com/
From my Emails & ICQ
From Zapara (W.A)
I am getting a service on Chinasat1 at 87.5E
4090 Horz Sr 5632 fec ? one tv ch VID 308 AUD 256 257
Fortune TV feed?
From ZL1TSA 8/09
Australia Idol FEED
B1 12358V SR 6666 FEC 3/4
From the Dish
Palapa C2 113E 4080 H "MTV Indonesia" has left , PIDs 517/655, replaced by occasional feeds.(I hope this report is wrong?)
Palapa C2 113E 4160 H "Satelindo" feeds on , SR 5632, FEC 3/4.
ChinaStar 1 87.5E 4090 H Occasional feeds on , SR 5632, FEC 3/4.
Thaicom 2 78.5E 3801 H and 3962 H Occasional feeds on , SR 2733, FEC 3/4.
PAS 7 68.5E Jain TV has left 3521 V, moved to PAS 10: 3920 V.
PAS 10 68.5E 3836 V The Big Brother Africa mosaic and BBC Prime have left .
PAS 10 68.5E 3863 V "Activate" has started on , Irdeto 2, PIDs 2056/2055,Mon-Fri 08:30-17:30 CET, time sharing with Fashion TV.
PAS 10 68.5E 3863 V "Big Brother Africa" has left.
PAS 10 68.5E 3897 V An NDTV test card has started, Fta, PIDs 35/46.
Satellite Launches: E-Bird & Insat 3E with Ariane is delayed from end of September to early in October.
NEWS
Russians Look To Launch Leaner Satellites
From http://www.sptimes.ru/archive/times/900/news/b_10232.htm
MOSCOW - Russian scientists say that they could slash the price of putting satellites into orbit around Earth by a factor of 10, simply by making them 10 times lighter.
The Moscow region-based Institute of Terrestrial Magnetism, Ionosphere and Radiowave Propagation, or IZMIRAN, has developed a number of satellite prototypes that it hopes will one day replace those now used to monitor surface activity on Earth.
The current generation of satellites weigh in at hundreds or thousands of kilograms, making sending them into orbit a pricey endeavor.
Putting such satellites into orbit atop rockets like the Proton and Soyuz costs on average between $45 million and $50 million just for the launch.
IZMIRAN says new satellites could be sent up on smaller, cheaper rockets.
Longer-term plans involve replacing heavy geostationary satellites used to relay everything from television programs to telephone conversations with batches of smaller satellites.
But the institute's current proposals are more modest and deal with very specialized satellites.
Most satellites launched today fit into the medium class, weighing in at around 1 ton and over, and the medium-heavy class that can weigh as much as 3.2 tons.
Satellites like these can carry from 24 to 60 transponders each, with the volume of information they can carry depending on the number of transponders at their disposal.
Small satellites, or those weighing less than 600 kilograms, can hold eight to 10 transponders, according to the Russian Satellite Communications Co.
"We're not saying that all satellites need to be replaced immediately," said Viktor Orayevsky, IZMIRAN's director.
"Satellites that monitor extraterrestrial activity have higher demands on them than those that watch the Earth and it is too soon to replace them," he told reporters at the fourth International Aerospace Congress in Moscow last month.
"Small satellites cannot be used to collect high-resolution information from the Earth's surface either, because the equipment needs to be much bulkier," he said.
Yet there are areas where small satellites and spacecraft could be employed quite effectively, he said.
One of the institute's projects, the Vulkan system, will be used to monitor the Earth, its atmosphere and the ionosphere - the outer layer of the atmosphere - to forecast natural disasters such as earthquakes, typhoons, hurricanes and tidal waves several days before they happen.
IZMIRAN is developing the Vulkan satellite systems as part of Russia's 2001-05 federal space program.
The five satellites required for the new system will be launched on a platform designed by the Institute of Electromechanics near Moscow and the Makeyev State Rocket Center design bureau located in the Chelyabinsk region.
The first satellites will be assembled in the first half of next year, but Orayevsky was not willing to say how much the project will cost or estimate the launch cost.
The Vulkan satellites will be much lighter than current satellites, mainly because the instruments used on them have been shrunk to miniature size.
For example, Orayevsky said, the main instrument used to measure the electron density of the ionosphere, the electron canon, now weighs only 20 kilograms.
"Together with the Paton [electric welding] institute [of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences] in Kiev, we have developed an electron canon that weighs 2 kilograms," he said.
Researchers achieved these results by changing the way electron density is measured, not by refining existing technologies.
"Before it was measured by reflecting radio waves off points in the ionosphere, now we measure wave-resonance characteristics," he said.
According to Orayevsky, changing the principal measurements has allowed researchers to shrink many instruments they use down to size.
As a result, IZMIRAN has been able to develop satellites that weigh less than 100 kilograms.
Together with its platform, a Vulkan satellite - orbiting at heights of 400 kilometers to 1,100 kilometers at an angle of 82.5 degrees - weighs in at 202 kilograms.
"You don't need an entire Proton or Soyuz rocket to put something like that into space," Orayevsky said.
IZMIRAN proposes using conversion rockets, or ICBMs that were designed to carry nuclear warheads, such as the RS-20 and RS-18, known by their NATO code name of Satan and Stiletto in the West.
The satellites could even be launched from submarines on Russian Shtil missiles known in the West as the Gadfly, or Volna type missiles known as the Stingray, Orayevsky said. These missiles have already been used to launch clusters of small test satellites in experiments.
Other aerospace companies have also mulled the use of smaller satellites, but say it is too early for their use to be practical.
"If you launch small satellites individually, the cost comes out to be nearly the same as it would be to launch larger satellites that can hold more transponders," said Denis Sukhorukov, a spokesman for the state owned RSCC.
"However, the real cost advantage comes when you can launch two separate satellites, say a small one and a medium one, into orbit atop the same rocket."
The RSCC, which operates communications satellites that broadcast state television and radio, has plans for these kinds of launches in the future. "For us it is a new direction, but very interesting," Sukhorukov said.
The RSCC will start the launch of a series of five Express-AM communications satellites weighing 2.6 tons each in December at a cost of $100 million each.
IZMIRAN has specialized in investigating magnetic storms and substorms on the Earth's surface since its inception in 1940, and was the first to use satellites to make magnetic measurements in 1958.
More recently, throughout the 1990s it led the CORONAS space mission, sending satellites into orbit around the Earth to study the sun's electromagnetic radiation.
Satellite Cos Eye Free Digital Recorders-Murdoch
From http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=3407351
NEW YORK (Reuters) - News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch said on Monday the satellite television industry is likely to offer personal video recorders for free or at very low cost within a year, as it fights to retain subscribers and win customers from the cable industry.
Personal video recorders (PVR's), such as those made by TiVo Inc., let users customize television viewing and digitally record programming on a computer hard drive in a set-top box.
"Within a year, every new home will be getting either (a) ...free PVR or one for nominal amounts of money, with no subscription fee at the other end," said Murdoch.
The systems, which allow users to fast-forward through commercials and are seen as a threat to advertisers, currently charge users a monthly subscription fee.
Murdoch's remarks, delivered at Morgan Stanley's global media and communications conference in Boston, could have wide-reaching impact for TiVo, which has a deal with satellite broadcaster DirecTV, said Kaufman analyst Mark May.
News Corp. is in the process of acquiring a controlling stake in Hughes Electronics, which operates DirecTV, the largest U.S. satellite television operator. The deal is expected to close, pending regulatory approval, by the end of this year.
DirecTV currently has an agreement to resell TiVo devices and service.
EchoStar Communications Corp. , the second largest U.S. satellite television operator, in August said it planned to give away its own PVRs if customers signed up for a one- or two-year contract and a commitment to subscribe to certain programming packages.
8/09/03
The Apsattv mailing list seems to be running slow or delayed not sure on what the problem is yet. But I think they were doing an upgrade of some kind.
Plenty of news today.
I have cleaned up a number of pages and links, but there is still quite a bit to fix up.
From my Emails & ICQ
From Ranime
Signal on C1 12398 H
the austar signal on C1 at 12398 H 3/4 29473 is off.
but 12398 H 3/4 using 27800 has a signal,not loading,strength changes.
From Jeff 6/09/03
12407 Optus Aurora at 156 East
Free To Air at 9 am Perth time
SBS WA ,South East....BTV 1 2 3 and Sky Channel .havent checked the radio but bet they are also FTA
I'm Off to the races for Free on Aurora.
Jeff in Perth.
From the Dish
Agila 2 146E 3864 H "Manila Jockey Club" has started, Fta, SR 2612, FEC 3/4, PIDs 1160/1120.
Agila 2 146E 3895 H "Familyland Network" has started, Fta, SR 4478, FEC 3/4, PIDs 1160/1120.
Palapa C2 113E 4048 V "I-Radio" has left .
Insat 3A 93.5E 4025 V "ETC Channel Punjabi and Nepal 1" are Fta again.
Insat 2E 83E 3830 V "DD Bangla" is still on , Fta, SR 5000, FEC 3/4, PIDs 512/650.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3412 V New PIDs for TV Maldives and Voice of Maldives on : 512/640 and 650.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3585 V "ILearn" has started , Fta, PIDs 514/642.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3626 V "Mh 1" has left , PIDs 4129/4130.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3686 H "Indiavision" has left again, replaced by a test card.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3695 H "Sky Racing 1-2" are Fta again.
PAS 10 68.5E 4131 H "MET - Middle East TV" has left .
NSS 703 57E 3980 R "Suryan FM" is now Fta.
NSS 703 57E 4055 R New SR for the WorldNet mux : 26000.
NEWS
Satellite broadband will be open to all in rural areas
From http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2651881a28,00.html
Everyone in remote parts of the country should be able to join Fonterra farmers in using satellite for high-speed Internet access by March next year.
Fonterra is underwriting Telecom's roll-out of high-speed Internet to its farmers, using a mixture of existing phone lines, wireless technology and satellite technology.
Telecom general manager for network investment Stephen Crombie says while Fonterra shareholders will be the foundation customers for the satellite service, it will be open to non-Fonterra customers from "day one".
Satellite will be used to service the 1-to-2 per cent of New Zealanders - including up to 15 per cent of Fonterra's 17,000 farmers - who can't access the Internet using any of Telecom's other high-speed methods such as Jetstream or wireless technology provided by partner BCL.
"There's maybe a population of 30,000 to 40,000 but the actual number of people who take the service will be significantly smaller than that," Mr Crombie says.
"Once we've built the service we'd like to push the penetration as hard as we can to make the economics work for all parties."
Telecom recently issued a request for proposals to three satellite providers - believed to be Optus, Inmarsat and PanAmSat - and expects a decision on the winning bid to be announced late next month.
Mr Crombie says the service will be "two-way" and offer a minimum speed of 512 kilobits per second each way.
He says pricing will be "at the expensive end of the spectrum" because broadband is more expensive to deliver. "You have the dish and the transcoder and so on."
Nevertheless, he says Telecom is hoping for good prices from the satellite providers to pass on to customers.
Mr Crombie says Telecom is also talking with the team implementing the Government's Project Probe initiative which is designed to get high-speed Internet out to all New Zealand schools.
Probe comprises 14 regional tenders plus an additional nationwide tender to get broadband satellite access out to all schools in hard-to-reach parts of New Zealand which can't be served by the terrestrial technologies deployed within each region.
Meanwhile, rival Walker Wireless is expected to launch its broadband wireless offering commercially later this week.
The portable broadband service, previously dubbed Ultamo, was trialled in Auckland last year. The system is also being trialled in Southland. The service will initially launch in Auckland providing Internet access only, with voice capability planned for the end of the year.
Door left open for Maori Sky bid
From http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?thesection=news&thesubsection=&storyID=3522093&reportID=462584
The Government has given the Maori Television Service a reprieve, allowing it more time to prove that its best option is to go to air on a Sky channel.
The Sky option, which MTS believes would save it several million dollars, was expected to be rejected last week but the Cabinet has left the door open for the Maori broadcaster to convince it of its merits.
A spokeswoman for Finance Minister Michael Cullen said the Cabinet had not reached a decision.
A source told the Weekend Herald that, after vigorous debate, the Cabinet requested more work on the two options before it, the second being a platform provided by the Government-owned Broadcast Communications Ltd.
BCL is desperate not to lose the revenue MTS would bring it and Mr Cullen and Broadcasting Minister Steve Maharey are understood to be sympathetic.
But MTS now has the chance to prove its proposal is better in terms of reach, quality and minimal interference to other signals.
MTS chairman Wayne Walden said he was unable to comment on the transmission issue other than to say it was still being considered by the board and Government.
He has been in Wellington this week on Tranz Rail business (he is the chairman) but might have been meeting Mr Cullen in an effort to justify the MTS proposal.
Using a Sky channel would enable MTS to go on air at the flick of a switch, whereas the BCL option might involve further delays.
If MTS' proposal is accepted it will save Sky from having to retune its customers' decoders - a big exercise - which is why Sky is willing to sacrifice a channel for MTS.
The BCL option would use frequencies set aside for Maori television in 1989 on which Sky has been squatting and would therefore need to be retuned.
Sky has also warned of an interference problem for PlayStations and televisions tuned through VCRs if MTS goes to air on these frequencies.
Broadcasters warm to digital
From http://www.nbr.co.nz/home/column_article.asp?id=6971&cid=1&cname=Media
Broadcasters have heaved a collective sigh of relief with the government's release of its plan for the development of digital television.
The government has finally set the ball rolling for DTT with calls for the industry to plan for a rollout some time soon.
The paper is not so much a blueprint for the future of DTT as a starting point for the industry to assess its future.
It follows almost to a tee the recommendations of the industry body the New Zealand Television Broadcasters' Council and gives the Council a role in planning for the eventual roll out of digital.
It indicates that when DTT is set up the government will assist broadcasters in the changeover from analogue to digital frequencies.
DTT is distinct from satellite digital broadcasting like that supplied by Sky Television.
Signals offering better picture quality are broadcast in the same way as analogue signals.
But there is widespread acceptance in the industry that digital in New Zealand when digital does arrive it will operate in more than one system.
The paper notes that Television New Zealand and the Maori Television Service should prepare a timetable for digital services and stated freely available content should be available free to air.
The Ministry of Economic Development is to monitor the terms of access to satellite broadcasting capacity and the government is to work closely with the industry.
The broadcasting industry and Standards New Zealand will have the primary role in adapting technical standards for transmission and reception.
Holders of spectrum licences can convert existing analogue licences to digital licences suitable for DTTs.
The paper includes agreement in principle to reserve two nationwide networks allowing 10 channels for silmulcasting the existing television services in digital and/or for public broadcasting.
Sky UHF subscribers lose in Maori TV plan
From http://www.nbr.co.nz/home/column_article.asp?id=6974&cid=1&cname=Media
Customers for Sky TV's UHF service will lose the CNN channel if the government backs Sky's offer to provide Maori TV with a ready-to-go transmission network.
Last week, Maori Television Service and Te Puni Kokiri looked almost certain to lose their bid to use a transmission network offered by Sky.
A cabinet committee recommended MTS to go ahead using an untested transmission network allocated by the Crown. But those predictions did not take account of politics.
The Sky deal for Maori TV was given a reprieve at Monday's cabinet meeting and officials have been sent away to find a way it can work.
With the foreshore and seabed issue heating up, the government avoided adding a new dimension in its troubled relationship with Maori.
The Sky deal would see Maori TV broadcast on the frequencies now used for CNN on Sky's five channel UHF service.
The CNN channel would close down but would still be available on Sky Digital. Subscriptions would have to be cut on the Sky UHF service.
Sky is offering Maori the network at minimal cost so that Maori do not have to access the UHF channels 35-38 allocated to Maori by the Crown.
Sky has tuned tens of thousands of its UHF decoders and digital set-top boxes into TV sets utilising channels that would pick up channels 35-38.
If MTS transmits on those channels there will be howls of indignation from subscribers. Sky faces a bill of about $11 million costs for sending technicians out to retune subscribers' sets.
Sky also claims there are potential problems with video recorders tuned into TV sets on channels 35-38, where people pick up all their TV signals through their VCR.
The Sky offer faces top-level opposition from Broadcasting Minister Steve Maharey and Finance Minister Michael Cullen.
Mr Maharey does not want a public service channel such as MTS to be reliant on Rupert Murdoch-controlled Sky for its transmission.
But the Sky deal would also cut state-owned transmission company BCL out of $3.5 million of additional revenue from servicing a new network.
There are political concerns it would be seen to be adding another barrier to MTS getting on air and another sour note in government relations with Maori
Maori fear the Crown-allocated network would be a dud and create more problems for the beleaguered channel getting to air.
Sky is prepared to sacrifice one of its channels but radio frequency experts say Sky should never have tuned into those channels anyway.
They say Sky's problems and potential issues for non-subscribers with video recorders are being overstated and the channels 35-38 network is no dud.
However, there may be another dimension to what has up until now been a dogmatic stance by government insisting Maori take what they are given.
Industry insiders say there are concerns that in allowing Sky to lease its network, it might leave open a loophole for a Treaty of Waitangi challenge.
Government support for Maori broadcasting is built on a 1995 Privy Council decision that the Crown has an obligation to support the Maori language.
It is understood there is some concern that should MTS go to air on a network supplied by Sky rather than the Crown, it might face demands for additional support, on the technicality the Crown was not meeting its Treaty of Waitangi obligations.
ILS Proton to Launch Malaysian Satellite SE Asia'S MEASAT-3 is Latest Win for Russian Rocket
From Press Release
International Launch Services (ILS) today announced a contract with Binariang Satellite Systems Sdn. Bhd. to launch the MEASAT-3 satellite in 2005. Financial details were not disclosed.
The mission will use the Russian-built Proton rocket with a Breeze M upper stage to place the satellite at 91.5 degrees East longitude to serve Malaysia, Southeast and Central Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Australia. ILS, the world's leading launch provider, is a U.S.-Russian joint venture that markets and manages the commercial launch missions for the Proton vehicle, built by Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center, as well as for the American Atlas rocket, built by Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE:LMT).
"As ILS expands its list of international customers into Southeast Asia, we' re pleased that Binariang, one of the region's leading satellite operators, has elected to become our customer," said ILS President Mark Albrecht. "The Proton rocket, with its history of 300 launches, has developed a reputation in the international satellite community as both a reliable and a very capable vehicle. The choice of Proton/Breeze M by Binariang over other international suppliers demonstrates Binariang's confidence both in the Russian-built launcher and in ILS."
"Binariang is pleased to recognize the quality and value of the Proton rocket launcher for Malaysia's next-generation satellite. The ILS team has an outstanding reputation for success in supporting its customers' satellite launches," said Tun Haniff Omar, director of Binariang Satellite Systems. "We are pleased to have selected this team for our MEASAT-3 satellite launch."
MEASAT-3 is a Boeing 601 model, similar to nine satellites for other operators that have flown on Proton. Binariang is the sole licensed commercial satellite operator in Malaysia. The company pioneered the development of high-powered Ku-band direct-to-home services into Southeast Asia in 1996. The current MEASAT-1 and -2 satellites provide C-band and Ku-band connectivity spanning India, Asia and Australia, as well as Hawaii in the United States.
The Proton launch services contract was signed with Lockheed-Khrunichev-Energia International and Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services, the contracting affiliates within ILS for commercial Proton and Atlas launches. ILS is a joint venture formed in 1995.
ILS offers the broadest range of launch services in the world along with products with the highest reliability in the industry. Khrunichev assembles the three-stage Proton rocket and the Breeze M upper stage at its plant near Moscow. ILS' Atlas rockets and their Centaur upper stages are built by Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co. near Denver, Colo.
(Craigs comment, November 2005 has been mentioned as a launch date)
RTM to broadcast to Asean
From http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2003/9/6/nation/6218968&sec=nation
KUALA LUMPUR: Radio Televisyen Malaysia’s TV1 will commence 24-hour international broadcasts beginning with Asean nations next year after technical details are ironed out, said Deputy Information Minister Datuk Donald Lim Siang Chai.
“We plan to broadcast on an international scale, but will start off with countries in this region in the first phase of implementation. This will enable viewers in neighbouring countries to view developments in Malaysia,” he said.
Lim said the ministry had directed its engineering and other relevant departments to work on the cost and technical aspects of the 24-hour broadcast.
He said once the international broadcast was successful, people in Hong Kong or China, for example, could tune in to the country’s local channels for updates and news.
“Malaysia has been hosting international conferences, so the international community will be interested in such events,” he told a press conference after launching TVB’s Malay-dubbed programmes organised by Tai Seng Entertainment Sdn Bhd yesterday.
He said bilingual facilities for the airing of local programmes would also be considered to enable foreign viewers to follow local news and current affairs shows.
“Our Berita Perdana is aired in Bahasa Melayu, so it will be good if we can enable overseas viewers to tune in to it in English,” he said, adding that Japanese networks were already providing their viewers with such options.
Lim said through the use of satellites, local programmes could be broadcast to networks in other countries.
“We have to work out agreements with satellite operators who will beam them to the other country’s stations and networks,” he said.
He also said local distributors were encouraged to not only import foreign shows for the Malaysian audience but to export local products.
“We can export our local sitcoms, dramas and animated shows, that can then be dubbed into the language of the country receiving our programmes. For instance, our Malay dramas can be dubbed into Mandarin for the Chinese market,” he said.
Lim added that in view of this, the ministry would be setting up a department to dub local programmes for the overseas market.
Nation goes international
From http://www.nationmultimedia.com/page.news.php3?clid=6&theme=A&usrsess=1&id=20316
Thais around the world will next year be able to watch daily news from home supplied by the Nation Channel.
The Nation Channel has granted a license to the Taiwan-based Mentor Data System Inc (MDS) to broadcast its live news content to a variety of sources, including satellite pay TV operators, cable operators, broadband operators like KTV, and hotel pay TV. The company will broadcast the content in Taiwan and around the world.
The move was made to target expatriate Thais.
Chirasak Sriwirom, a field application engineer at MDS, said news content supplied by the Nation Channel was already being broadcast in Taiwan and would available to cable-TV subscribers in Japan by the end of the year.
"In the second phase, we will extend service to major markets like the United States and Europe, starting next year," he said.
He said that MDS also provided Nation Channel news content to local cable TV operators upcountry.
Chirasak said the content would be called "Nation International" in Asia, "Nation USA" in the United States, and "Nation Europe" in Europe.
"We export news content from Thailand to Taiwan via the Communication Authority of Thailand's [CAT] two-megabite broadband service. The content is then sent to local and foreign pay and cable TV operators via the ST One satellite operated by Chungwa Telecom in Taiwan," he said.
Adisak Limprungpatanakij, the director of the Nation Multimedia Group and the editor of the Nation Channel, said that the channel had broadcast live news content via its website for about three years. However, Thai audiences in the United States and Europe had also requested other channels to access the news.
"The deal with MDS is a good solution for Thai people who want to watch live news from the Nation Channel wherever they are in the world," said Adisak.
He said the deal between the Nation Channel and MDS was not related to the company's domestic broadcasts, which the Public Relations Department carries via its Channel 1.
"The deal does not contravene any local frequency-allocation laws because we are not a broadcaster and are not getting a frequency license from the government. We are a content provider," said Thanachai Santichaikul, the director of Nation Multimedia Group.
He said the news content supplied by the Nation Channel was not free-to-air, but point-to-point, which meant viewers would need special equipment to decode the signal.
"What we are trying to do is bring new things and innovation to the country and the local TV industry in particular," said Thanachai.
ESS launches two Singapore channels
From http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k3/sep/sep57.htm
MUMBAI: ESPN Star Sports (ESS) has announced the addition of two new channels, bringing its total number of services in Asia to 11.
The two channels ESPN Singapore and Star Sports Singapore will air throughout the day. With that, ESPN has six services in Asia while Star Sports has five.
Others Asian ESS channels include, ESPN Asia, ESPN India, ESPN Taiwan, ESPN Philippines, MBC-ESPN (Korea), Star Sports Asia, Star Sports India, Star Sports Taiwan and Star Sports Southeast Asia.
According to an official release, ESS' managing director Rik Dovey says, "This is part of our customisation strategy to bring our brands closer to our viewers. Having dedicated commercial streams featuring local advertisers, will also enhance ESPN's and Star Sports' relevance in Singapore. We have done this in India and Taiwan and the returns, in terms of brand equity and consumer loyalty, are very apparent. This shows the importance we place on Singapore as a key TV market."
The release adds that ESS programming has continued to rank top among cable channels in Singapore. Peoplemeter data showed a single English Premier League match on ESPN and Star Sports rating up to 10 times more than the best programme on other cable channels. It also reaches 167 per cent more viewers than all the cable news channels put together.
Other peoplemeter data showed that 51 per cent of all cable individuals watched SportsCenter Asia,. The number jumped to 54 per cent among professionals, managers, executives and businessmen - way ahead of the competing sports news programmes on other news channels.
7/09/03
No updates Sunday
6/09/03
Sorry no time for an update got things to do. Back Monday
5/09/03
WRC Rally Australia, is live here on Tv3 on Sunday. Maybe a feed via B1?
Site needs checking and a cleanup, I will run the link checker over it tonight and update some satellite pages and gallerys.
From my Emails & ICQ
From Steve Hume
PAS 2 3767 V SR6620, VPID1110 APID: 1211 PCR: 1110
"TBS Japan"
From the Dish
Insat 3A 93.5E Zee Telefilms has started on 11630 H and 11670 H, Conax, SR 27500,FEC 3/4, almost copies of 3985 V and 4065 V.(Craigs comment first Ku from this bird?)
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3626 V "Mh 1" has started , Fta, PIDs 4129/4130.
Pas 10 68.5E 3863 V "Fashion TV" is now encrypted.
Intelsat 906 64E 3938 L New PIDs for Alpha ETC Punjabi on : 4194/4195.
NEWS
TVNZ launches alliance in Intelsat
From http://onebusiness.nzoom.com/onebusiness_detail/0,1245,218746-3-166,00.html
TVNZ's Satellite Services division has joined forces with Intelsat to offer customers a global network of satellite & terrestrial infrastructure complemented by a portfolio of television broadcast services.
The alliance means customers will be offered a comprehensive choice in global programme distribution as well as access to television production and packaging services.
Event management, host broadcast services and on-air enhancement products are examples of the expanded range of services that will be available.
The two companies say the alliance will create a unique combination of satellite service provider and television broadcaster under one umbrella, maintaining both ownership and control of the products and services required by customers and offering an expanded portfolio significantly increasing choice, flexibility and reliability.
Targeted to serve the news, sport and special event needs of the international television broadcast community, Intelsat and TVNZ Satellite Services say they realised that their combined assets would better benefit customers.
Intelsat contributes a global network of ground-based resources and dedicated satellite capacity on nine of their significant satellite fleet with additional capacity available.
TVNZ contributes occasional use services and television broadcast solutions expertise.
"The formation of this alliance significantly shifts the traditional occasional use service business paradigm," says Sam Fairhall, Managing Director, TVNZ Satellite Services Ltd.
"Our customers are facing significant business challenges brought about by the velocity of global change in the industry. The goal is to create a new business model that will deliver a product that significantly exceeds the high-quality, cost-effective solutions we already provide. As a television broadcaster as well as an occasional use service consumer and supplier, TVNZ has first-hand knowledge of what is required to deliver this added value."
TVNZ CEO Ian Fraser says, "The face of TVNZ in New Zealand is understandably TV ONE and TV2. However, for many years TVNZ has operated in the international arena. TVNZ Satellite Services has a worldwide reputation for innovative, dependable, cost effective television distribution solutions. We are proud and delighted that the applied innovation and service provided by our people has attracted such a powerful alliance partner as Intelsat."
Jon Romm of Intelsat says, "This alliance presents customers with the best of both worlds - the knowledge and expertise of a broadcaster combined with the reliable and flexible network assets of a global provider - in one simple end-to-end solution. Intelsat is very committed to adding value to service offerings so that customers are deriving benefits by using our Network. Our alliance with TVNZ packages virtually every value-add and customer benefit and makes it easily accessible - that's what customers want and that's what we'll deliver."
Operations, including booking, billing and planning will be managed centrally from TVNZ's international operations centre in Auckland, New Zealand.
Additionally, TVNZ and Intelsat will be linked via Intelsat's Washington DC Video Operations Centre to provide seamless support for customers requiring international connectivity to or from North America.
TVNZ's Sam Fairhall will administer the day-to-day operation of the business. Strategic direction will be developed further by Sam Fairhall and by Jon Romm.
Malaysia Measat/Satellite: Launch By Lockheed Units
From http://sg.biz.yahoo.com/030905/15/3dy83.html
KUALA LUMPUR (Dow Jones)--Malaysian investment-holding company Measat Global Bhd. (D.MSG) said Friday it will pay $48.7 million for the launch of its Meast-3 satellite in 2005.
Two subsidiaries of Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT) of the U.S. - Lockheed-Khrunichev-Energia International Inc. and Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services Inc. - will provide launch services for the Measat satellite.
The satellite launch will occur between May 2005 and November 2005 from a site in Kazakhstan, Measat said in an exchange filing.
After its launch, Measat-3 will serve Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Africa and Australia, Measat added.
(Craigs comment, via 91.5E)
ILS Proton to Launch Malaysian Satellite; SE Asia's MEASAT-3 is Latest Win for Russian Rocket
From http://home.businesswire.com/
MCLEAN, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 4, 2003--International Launch Services (ILS) today announced a contract with Binariang Satellite Systems Sdn. Bhd. to launch the MEASAT-3 satellite in 2005. Financial details were not disclosed.
The mission will use the Russian-built Proton rocket with a Breeze M upper stage to place the satellite at 91.5 degrees East longitude to serve Malaysia, Southeast and Central Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Australia. ILS, the world's leading launch provider, is a U.S.-Russian joint venture that markets and manages the commercial launch missions for the Proton vehicle, built by Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center, as well as for the American Atlas rocket, built by Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE:LMT).
"As ILS expands its list of international customers into Southeast Asia, we're pleased that Binariang, one of the region's leading satellite operators, has elected to become our customer," said ILS President Mark Albrecht. "The Proton rocket, with its history of 300 launches, has developed a reputation in the international satellite community as both a reliable and a very capable vehicle. The choice of Proton/Breeze M by Binariang over other international suppliers demonstrates Binariang's confidence both in the Russian-built launcher and in ILS."
"Binariang is pleased to recognize the quality and value of the Proton rocket launcher for Malaysia's next-generation satellite. The ILS team has an outstanding reputation for success in supporting its customers' satellite launches," said Tun Haniff Omar, director of Binariang Satellite Systems. "We are pleased to have selected this team for our MEASAT-3 satellite launch."
MEASAT-3 is a Boeing 601 model, similar to nine satellites for other operators that have flown on Proton. Binariang is the sole licensed commercial satellite operator in Malaysia. The company pioneered the development of high-powered Ku-band direct-to-home services into Southeast Asia in 1996. The current MEASAT-1 and -2 satellites provide C-band and Ku-band connectivity spanning India, Asia and Australia, as well as Hawaii in the United States.
The Proton launch services contract was signed with Lockheed-Khrunichev-Energia International and Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services, the contracting affiliates within ILS for commercial Proton and Atlas launches. ILS is a joint venture formed in 1995.
ILS offers the broadest range of launch services in the world along with products with the highest reliability in the industry. Khrunichev assembles the three-stage Proton rocket and the Breeze M upper stage at its plant near Moscow. ILS' Atlas rockets and their Centaur upper stages are built by Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co. near Denver, Colo. For more information, visit www.ilslaunch.com.
TIME and SpeedCast to Deliver Satellite Based Solutions for Local And International Markets
From http://www.prnewswire.com
HONG KONG, Sept. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- TIME dotCom Berhad (TIME), Malaysia's preferred communications service provider, and SpeedCast (HK) Limited, a
leading satellite broadband and multimedia services provider in Asia, are collaborating to offer high quality multi-functional satellite based solutions to both the local and international markets in September 2003.
This collaboration offers a comprehensive suite of satellite based solutions for reliable satellite connectivity over wide geographical regions and to the most remote of locations. The inherent benefit of satellite services, being geographically independent, assures almost instant nationwide coverage with a bandwidth advantage that provides "pipes" to be efficiently shared for the transmission of voice, video and data, between several remote sites.
"Paired with increasing demands from high speed Internet access, video conferencing and distance learning to interactive computer transactions, our satellite solutions will further enhance our global communications and capabilities," commented Encik Mohd Fauzi Hj Omar, Chief Operating Officer/Senior Vice President of TT dotCom and TIME dotNet.
"The provision of TIME Satellite Solutions is the next step in our ever-expanding suite of services for customers to enjoy quick access to a high quality internet access solution at any location. Combining TIME's customer-centric innovativeness and the exceptional experience offered by SpeedCast, we view this as an excellent partnership opportunity to reliably and efficiently deliver best-in-class services and to make TIME one of the top Satellite Services Providers in Malaysia," added Encik Mohd Fauzi Hj Omar.
Incepted in 1998, SpeedCast delivers a unique mix of content and connectivity solutions to assist local partners in expanding the reach of broadband services in over 25 countries in the Asia Pacific. Focusing on providing a comprehensive and technically advanced array of broadband satellite services including broadband access, content syndication and content distribution network (CDN) services, SpeedCast will be using the AsiaSat-2 satellite (C-band) to provide satellite broadband services to TIME.
Thomas Choi, SpeedCast's CEO, states "We are very honored by the opportunity to partner with TIME to bring affordable broadband satellite services to all reaches of Malaysia. As one of the leading fixed line operators, TIME understands the problem of the 'last mile gap' where customers in remote areas are seeking affordable broadband and even narrowband connectivity while those concentrated in urban centers are seeking alternatives for their corporate networking needs. Our partnership will enable TIME to deliver broadband and networking services on a ubiquitous basis without dependence on location. Furthermore, the use of the AsiaSat-2 satellite provides the highest amount of power, availability and optimum look-angles so that no rain or terrestrial obstructions can interfere with the delivery of critical services for commercial, government and NGO customers."
About TIME dotCom
TIME dotCom as the preferred communications solutions provider offers a
complete and comprehensive range of services to both domestic and
international markets from voice and data communications to broadband,
Internet, global managed services, payphones and various multimedia solutions.
Our strong capabilities in providing broadband solutions well position us for
a high-speed data world.
About SpeedCast (HK) Limited
SpeedCast ( http://www.speedcast.com ) is a leading satellite broadband
and multimedia services provider in Asia. Based in Hong Kong, SpeedCast's
shareholders include Asia Satellite Telecommunications Co Ltd, Tech Systems
Inc., Telecom Venture Group and Yahoo Inc. SpeedCast offers three satellite-
enabled broadband services: SpeedCast Broadband, SpeedCast Multimedia and
SpeedCast Broadcast.
4/09/03
Nothing to say up here today
From my Emails & ICQ
Nothing to report
From the Dish
Optus B1 160E 12671 V "Chapel Radio" has started , Fta, SID 1107, APID 660.
Telkom 1 108E
Updates in TelkomVision:
CNBC Asia and NOW have left 3460 H.
Fashion TV has left 3580 H.
Insat 2E 83E 3525 V "SS Music" has left , replaced by a test card.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3545 V "A Care TV promo" has started, Fta, PIDs 305/306.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3686 H "Indiavision" is back on , Fta, SR 3333, FEC 3/4, PIDs 1160/1120.
NEWS
New vision for ABC Asia Pacific
From http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,7143917%255E12280,00.html
HERE'S a question: If you were the owner of a television channel, would you want your programming to be worthy or watched?
It's not a trick question. You are, as taxpayers, owners of ABC Asia Pacific, for which you pay $19 million a year through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Your service a kind of soft diplomacy window into Australia designed to showcase our nation and its perspectives has been on air for the past 18 months, and is currently going through a program reorganisation aimed at making it more watched than exclusively Australian.
Off the schedule are domestic Australian news bulletins, top current affairs programs such as The 7.30 Report and Four Corners, and re-runs of old Australian soaps and documentaries. In are new drama series, plus the pick of the best documentary programming from France, the US, Britain, and, soon, China. Where the service was once 100 per cent Australian, it will soon be about 60 per cent Australian and 40 per cent "other". At first glance, this would seem to be the antithesis of the "Australian showcase" concept which underpinned the reinvention of an Australian television channel designed for an Asian market. As such, taxpayers may ask why they're funding a total of $90 million over five years for a channel which is becoming less, not more, Australian.
But Ian Carroll, the ABC veteran executive producer, who took over programming in January this year, says: "The lessons of the past had not been learned. We were being crippled by old and crappy soapies. We must appeal to an audience which is not made up exclusively of Australian expats. We must talk to a wider audience of educated English-speakers throughout the region, and create an interesting channel which people will watch. It can have a strong Australian flavour, but must also reflect a broad range of ideas."
Perhaps Carroll is starting to get it right. Let's hope so, because the saga of Australia's window-to-the-world TV channel has been running for more than a decade, with audience levels still largely unknown, and demonstrable success elusive.
The ABC's first attempt began in 1991, when the Keating government allocated $6 million seed money for a commercial service into Asia. By 1996, it was costing $4 million a year from the ABC's budget and the service was sold to the Seven Network.
Seven filled air time with re-runs of cheap and cheery programs. It was an embarrassment, and hopes of attracting enough advertising revenue to turn a profit foundered on the service's lousy programming and lack of audience research. Eventually, Seven closed it down and copped a $10 million loss.
In May 2001 the Howard Government awarded a new contact to the ABC, and a new schedule was cobbled together in five months. It was heavy with soapies such as Home and Away, old documentaries such as Bush Tucker Man and re-runs of dramas such as Water Rats, Blue Heelers, Phoenix and Murder Call.
This line-up failed to attract audiences in major Asian centres, and all are being phased out of the schedule. Up-to-the-minute drama such as the new season of MDA, Crash Burn and RPA will replace the re-runs.
The service has also relied heavily on presenting Australian news, with a special bulletin put together nightly in Perth. But Carroll believes this approach was wrong, too.
"Australian domestic services are for Australian domestic audiences," he says. "We have to report Australian news to Asian viewers . . . we may have to strip out local material, while adding background for context."
Similarly, programs such as Australian Story and Foreign Correspondent are raided for relevant material, and repackaged, while non-Australian documentaries on subjects ranging from Egyptian mummies to the six wives of Henry VIII are being included because they are judged to be well made and interesting.
It remains to be seen whether Carroll's strategic rethink of programming will draw larger audiences, and indeed, whether those audiences can be properly measured. ABC Asia Pacific can be viewed by large direct-to-home dishes, by cables in hotels and apartment blocks, and as part of local pay-TV services.
In Jakarta, where the host pay-TV service has 400,000 subscribers, ABC-AP rates 24th out of 60 channels, with more viewers than CNBC and Bloomberg, but about half the number watching BBC World. In the Philippines, numbers are about the same, but few other markets are surveyed.
So far, ABC-AP has remained on the banned list in Malaysia. It was up for consideration when John Howard talked about reserving the right to go into Asian countries to deal with terrorism. Negotiations were instantly abandoned soft diplomacy a victim of harsh reality
Racketeering suit filed against DirecTV
From http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/54/32646.html
Lawyers for three men whose online equipment purchases made them targets of DirecTV's anti-piracy campaign are hoping to turn the tables on the satellite company by suing under the mob-busting Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) federal organized crime statute.
The lawsuit was filed late last month on behalf of Texas-based physician Rod Sosa and two other men who each paid DirecTV $3,500 after receiving legal threats from the company. The men all wound up in DirecTV's crosshairs after purchasing smart card programmers or related devices from Web-based retailers that cater to pirates, but they all say they had legitimate use for the equipment, and that they settled with DirecTV only to avoid costly litigation.
"These are three guys who had nothing to do with any satellite piracy, extorted into paying the money," says California lawyer Jeffrey Wilens, who filed the case with Vancouver attorney Dean Webb.
In an interview in July, Sosa told SecurityFocus that he had purchased a smart card programmer to develop a secure PC for medical office use, and was "completely flabbergasted" when DirecTV accused him of being a pirate. The other plaintiffs in the case are Gary Whittaker and Rodney Bylsma.
This year alone DirecTV has sent out tens of thousands of letters to people who've turned up on the customer lists of equipment-sellers raided under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act for allegedly peddling piracy devices. The letters usually demand a $3,500 settlement under threat of litigation, and the company has filed lawsuits against over 8,700 people who've ignored the letters or refused to settle. None of those lawsuits have yet gone to trial.
DirecTV is facing growing criticism over the campaign after targeting some innocent techies who had perfectly legal uses for the equipment they purchased. The company says the number of non-pirates swept into their dragnet is minuscule, but advocacy groups and lawyers have received enough consumer complaints to prompt the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Stanford Center for Internet and Society to launch an informational website last month apprising crackdown targets of their legal rights.
The new RICO suit accuses DirecTV of organized extortion, money laundering and fraud, and asks the court to certify a class action on behalf of anyone who capitulated to DirecTV's demand letters.
The federal RICO case is by far the most ambitious legal counterattack DirecTV has faced, though it is similar to a lawsuit Wilens filed last year in Los Angeles, on behalf of some of the same clients, including Sosa. A county judge dismissed that case last April under a California law aimed at discouraging lawsuits that stifle constitutionally-protected activities. The judge ruled that DirecTV's letters were sent in connection with litigation, and were therefore privileged.
"We're confident that the federal court will come to the same conclusion: that this case is without merit and should be dismissed," says DirecTV spokesman Robert Mercer. "This is an attempt to have a second bite of the apple."
But Wilens is optimistic, buoyed by a federal district court decision in New York last month that allowed a RICO lawsuit against Cablevision Systems Corp., a cable T.V. company that sent DirecTV-style demand letters to consumers who had purchased third-party decoder boxes.
Wilens estimates that DirecTV has taken in at least $35 million in settlements; the company won't comment on the amount
TV cos to decide whether to make it HITS or miss
From
NEW DELHI: Even as the Supreme Court on Wednesday reserved its judgement on the Star-Zee row over the headend-in-the-sky (HITS) technology, the government made it clear that it had no role in mediating a truce nor in making it mandatory for other channels to get on to the HITS platform.
It has, in fact, framed conditions for turnaround of channels by HITS operators under which each HITS operator should have agreements with the channel owners clearly laying down the terms and conditions permitting turnaround of these channels. It is this agreement between Siti Cable and Star that is proving to be elusive. Zee has been demanding that carriage of content be made compulsory. Its chief Subhash Chandra took on Star CEO Peter Mukherjea at the meeting of the implementation committee for CAS on Monday in full view of other stakeholders and government officials.
It is learnt that the government which apprehended such friction, framed certain norms in addition to the terms and conditions of the licence agreements signed for teleports (for uplinking) after it received an application from Zee promoted ASC Enterprises.
It has since received three more applications from Software Technology Parks Ltd, Entertainment TV Network Ltd and Hathway Cable & Datacom. Under these norms, direct or indirect foreign shareholding in the applicant company should be less than 49%.
Since the permission for uplinking was to be extended to HITS operations, the ministry which had otherwise put in place DTH norms, suspected that Zee may misuse the HITS platform for DTH. So it mandated that uplinking for turnaround would be permitted in ‘C’ band and only on Indian satellite. DTH is on KU band.
As an additional safeguard, it has stipulated that the downlink ERP (strength of satellite signals) should be less than 33 dbW. (DTH requires 50 dbW). ASC was granted a HITS licence only after it put in a DTH application and gave the Rs 10 crore entry fee.
The HITS norms allow uplinking of all channels which are normally available in India over the cable for which permission for turnaround is to be sought and obtained.
The rules say that the HITS operator will not carry any channel prohibited by the I&B ministry. That the operator should ensure that cable operators through whom channels are distributed make available free-to-air channels without set-top boxes and if this is not feasible the HITS operator should provide STBs free of cost to the subscriber.
It also mandates that the HITS operator should ensure that signals are distributed in an equitable and non-discriminatory manner and that no independent operator is refused a decoder if he does not want to join headend-in-the-sky.
Regional news channels: The new Gold rush!
From http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k3/sep/sep36.htm
NEW DELHI: As if the surfeit of already existing news channels was not enough, several others are round the corner -- including one in Hindi and another from the Gujarat Samachar stable.
The powerful and cash-rich Gujarat Samachar group has decided to come out with a news channel in Gujarati by March 2004, and later expand the foray to the entertainment genre too.
"Yes, we are looking at a Gujarati news channel and our target is to commence it by March 2004," Gujarat Samachar CMD and managing editor Shreyans S Shah told indiantelevision.com today, on the sidelines of a press conference on newsroom technologies.
According to Shah, the initial business plan envisages an investment layout of Rs 300 million for the satellite-based yet-to-be-christened digital Gujarati news channel, which would be beamed through an Insat satellite. He added that necessary permissions have been sought from the Indian government.
"After the launch of the Gujarati news channel, we would expand the portfolio and the next target may be a Marathi news channel," Shah said, adding that it could ultimately become a toss up between Marathi and Hindi. However, he opined a Marathi channel may take precedence as there is already enough competition in the Hindi language category.
Pointing out that the proposed Gujarati channel would be free to air, Shah said negotiations are on to see whether it is necessary to join some bouquet to get better distribution.
"The channel would air news related mainly to Gujarat, but the focus would be on local news of Ahmedabad," Shah said, pointing out that at some later stage they may also look at tie-ups with some foreign company for distribution overseas. He, however, ruled out any foreign investment in Gujarat Samachar's television ventures.
The satellite news channel, to be uplinked out of Mumbai or Ahmedabad, is not the maiden foray of the group into the electronic medium, though. At present, the group produces a weekly news capsule, focused on Ahmedabad, which is delivered via various cable networks in Gujarat.
Shaf broadcast Pvt Ltd, which has also done the work for Sahara group in association with IBM, whose hardware has been used for the purpose, is doing the news automation for Gujarat Samachar too.
If Gujarat Samachar is proposing forays into the electronic medium, can other powerful regional media groups be far behind?
If the buzz from the hardware industry is to be believed, then the Madhya Pradesh-based Dainik Bhaskar group is also giving the final touches to a regional news channel, which would heavily leverage the already existing infrastructure of its various news bureaux and manpower, spread across several states of India.
Dainik Bhaskar is one of top three circulating dailies in the country. Another news channel in Hindi that is likely to go on air by the year-end is Sky News India (no way related to Rupert Murdoch's Sky News in the UK) with funding from a non-resident Indian couple.
This channel, which promises to cater to the Hindi heartland (comprising the states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar) in "a unique way", according to the channel's executive producer Rakesh Shukla, would be totally using Internet Protocol-based delivery that would reduce the investment cost drastically and would enable them to do live video streaming too.
Pointing out that the initial cost envisaged is just Rs 80 million --- the channel is to be beamed through Thaicom 3 --- Shukla said that unlike the Sahara channels or other Hindi news channels, Sky News would be having highly-localised content like live coverage of local festivals that seldom get mentioned or covered by other news channels.
"The idea is to give more regional and colloquial content that will attract small and local advertisers," Shukla said.
3/09/03
One of those dead news days!
Chapel Radio started broadcasting on Sky (not sure who these guys are yet) at least they are FTA
Details are. B1, 12671V Sr 22500 Fec 3/4 "Chapel Radio" Apid 660 Sid 1107 PMT 263
From my Emails & ICQ
Nothing to report
From the Dish
PAS 8 166E 3860 H "Super TV" is now Fta
Insat 3A 93.5E 3985 V "SET Max" has left again.
ST 1 88E 3500 H "Nation Channel" has left .
NEWS
Pair named to check fairness of INL offer
From http://www.nzherald.co.nz/
Sky Network TV has appointed a committee of two independent directors to consider Independent Newspapers' takeover offer.
The committee comprises former All Blacks coach John Hart and Barrie Downey.
It will commission independent advice on the cash and scrip bid that values Sky shares at $4.63 each. Sky shares closed at $4.72 yesterday.
INL is offering $3.35 in cash for each Sky share, plus three INL shares for every 10 Sky shares.
Downey said the formal offer was not likely to be made before next month, so there was time to properly evaluate the proposal and communicate the outcome to shareholders.
"While Sky's second largest shareholder, Telecom, has announced it considers the offer fair and that it will accept the offer, shareholders should note that Telecom is also a significant shareholder in INL ...
"[It] may well have a different view of the merits of the proposed takeover compared to a minority Sky shareholder who does not have an equivalent INL shareholding."
Telecom owns 12 per cent of Sky and 10 per cent of INL.
INL, 45 per cent controlled by Rupert Murdoch's News, already owns 66 per cent of Sky.
In November 2001, Downey and Hart were issued with 25,000 two-year share options each to "align their interests with those of small shareholders".
At the time, then Sky chairman Tom Mockridge said the board saw the options as a performance incentive. Downey and Hart are each paid $32,000 a year in directors' fees.
Apart from Hart, Downey and chief executive John Fellet, all the company's eight-member board are directors of either Telecom, INL or broadcaster Foxtel, which is part-owned by News Ltd.
2/09/03
Livechat tonight 9pm NZ and 8.30pm Syd time onwards in the chatroom.
Globecast on C1 12367v has been off air due to power problems. I think they have it working again. Did the backup power generator fail also?
Tarb's seem to be making some changes including increasing the english content. They seem to have dropped 3 Chinese channels as well.
Not much news today, isp problem not allowing me to get into some of the usual news sites. Hope it won't cause problems with me getting into the chatroom tonight.
From my Emails & ICQ
From Simon
12367 C1
Owing an unexpected power supply failure, Globecast FTA's etc are not being
uplinked, the electrical supply issue is beyong Globecast's control.
Repairs are being made and the services will return as soon as possible,
though this could take 'some time'.
No need to change any setting on your decoder.
Information from Globecast.
From Steve Hume
Satelindo Feed of Abu Bakar Ba'asyir Trial
Asiasat-2
3714V
S/R 5632
VPID:308
APID:256
PCR:8190
Not up all the time. Think it's the feed for BBC.
NEWS 24x7
Steve Hume
From the Dish
Insat 3A 93.5E
Updates in Zee Telefilms:
DD Bharathi on 3985 V is now encrypted.
B4U Music on 4025 V is now encrypted.
NEWS
Movie Network comes to TARBS World TV
From Press Release
MOVIE NETWORK, the most exciting movie package on pay TV, has premiered on TARBS World TV, offering Australia’s multicultural communities the biggest blockbuster movies screening on three channels, 24 hours a day, all year round.
MOVIE NETWORK’s three channels MOVIE ONE, MOVIE EXTRA and MOVIE GREATS provide a big boost to TARBS World TV’s English line-up as well as its unparalleled selection of over 60 premium channels from around the world.
TARBS World TV CEO Regina Boulos said, “We are very pleased and excited to offer our subscribers the superb contemporary movie package they have long waited for. Not only can they keep in touch with their home countries on TARBS World TV, they can now also sit back and enjoy great movies, right in the comfort of their living rooms.
“The addition of MOVIE NETWORK enables TARBS World TV to offer Australia’s multicultural households the very best of both worlds and makes viewing a truly complete and enjoyable experience for the whole family”, Boulos added.
MOVIE NETWORK CEO Tony Forrest said, “The true strength of MOVIE NETWORK is the range and quality of the movies we present across the three channels. I am delighted that through TARBS World TV, a whole new audience will be able to access our movies and see what the rest of the TV industry is talking about.”
MOVIE ONE screens the Australian TV premieres of the latest blockbuster hits and new release movies from Hollywood’s biggest studios, including Warner Bros., Disney, MGM, Village Roadshow and Dreamworks SKG.
MOVIE EXTRA offers an equally exciting line-up of hit movies, with theme nights running throughout the week featuring drama, comedy, adventure and romance movies for the entire family.
MOVIE GREATS features well-loved classics, cult hits, modern favourites and award-winning films starring some of Hollywood’s biggest names.
MOVIE NETWORK is now available as an add-on service to the basic TARBS World TV package for only $12.95 per month, or as part of TARBS World TV’s new English TV package for only $49.95 per month.
To enjoy the only pay TV and radio service in Australia that offers the very best of both worlds, comprising over 60 premium language channels from around the world, and now including the best of Hollywood on MOVIE NETWORK, subscribe to TARBS World TV today on 1300 13 30 25.
For more information (Media Only), please contact:
Emilio O. Simbillo, Jr.
PR/ Communications Officer
TARBS World TV
Ph +61 2 9776 2053
Fx +61 2 9776 2501
Nicole Haraldson
Marketing Executive
MOVIE NETWORK
Ph +61 2 9433 1041
Fx +61 2 9437 9450
(Craigs comment, according to the Tarb's website, the "English package" they are offering has, Movie One, Movie Extra, Movie Greats, CNN, ESPN, Nat Geo, Cartoon Network, TCM, MCM and the price is $49.95!!! oh dear!)
Health channel makes debut
From http://www.business-standard.com/today/story.asp?Menu=2&story=22048
India’s first 24 hour health channel - Health Care, will begin test transmission from September 1. The channel, part of the Care TV network, will be available free-to-air across the country.
Ajit Gupta, managing director, Care TV, said, “Indian television industry has witnessed a boom in the last few years with the launch of many new channels, most of them catering to the entertainment genre.
Existing slots on news and entertainment channels offer limited exposure to health-related products and services vying for attention of TV viewers.” The channel is promoted by Tanu Health Care, which specialises in trading of pharmaceutical products and analytical laboratories services.
Health and fitness are the thrust areas of the channel, which will also include programmes to increase awareness on hygiene. A team of medical professionals have contributed to the research for over 500 hours of programming.
According to Gupta, distribution arrangements with service providers have already been made in major cities across the country.
“We are investing Rs 5 crore in the initial phase. The planned investment is around Rs 15 crore, which will be funded through internal accruals, advertising revenue generated from direct advertising as well as specific shows built around products and services and also an IPO,” added Gupta.
(Craigs comment, any ideas which satellite?)
1/09/03
New Activity on Optus C1 over the weekend some new freqs active? I have not been able to check if any are received here as on the weekend I moved the Brickmount dish to the roof. Which means not so easy to access and change satellites and I left it on B3. I might have to get one of those Telsat dual lnbf holders mentioned last week or do a Macgyver with some wire and a hoseclip.
12638 3/4 H 27800
12480 3/4 H 27800
12358 3/4 H 27800
12305 3/4 V 27800
12607 3/4 V 27800 Test
12646 2/3 V 30000
NZ vs Aus basketball tonight, perhaps a feed via B1?
From my Emails & ICQ
From Chris Pickstock
All channels on C1 12720 V are FTA at the moment. Other Aurora frequencies are still encrypted.
Chris
From Steve Hume 31/08/03
Telkom 1
3990H ,S/R: 6000 VPID:308 AUD: 256 PCR: 8190
"Indonesian Open Badminton Championship 2003"
NEWS 24x7
Steve Hume
From Milagres
Dear Sir,
How are you today sir? You may recollect, this is Milagres Fernandes
from Kuwait. I used to send you emails some time back from
[email protected]. I was on vacation in India and just returned
back.
I have a few questions for which I am sure you will have positive
answers. I have an 8 feet dish with C-BAND LNB located at the centre of it
for Insat 3A. I receive the following clear channels without any
problems.
DD KASHMIR
LAKSHARA TV
DD SAHYADRI
GUJRARI TV
But I am unable to receive the following channels which should be
available as per the lyngsat frequency table.
DD India
DD Bharti
Headlines news
Astha
Zee Network (all at 3985V 27500 AND FEC : 3/4)
Also I am not able to receive all channels on this satellite at 4025V , 27500, 3/4 and 4065V , 27500 , 3/4
Kindly let me know if I have to do any additional settings inorder to
receive above mentioned channels. Please keep in mind that I am located
in Kuwait.
Thanking you in anticipation of your prompt response.
Best Regards,
MILAGRES
(Craigs comment, Ok it seams to be that there are 2 beams, though Lyngsat lists it as "beam" the insat footprint map at Insat website lists it as having India and INDIA extended beam
Have a look here..http://www.isro.org/insat3a/page2.htm
To get the Zee Hits mux if possible you may need a much larger dish. Maybe as large as 16 feet
There has been some reception of this Insat in Australia but nobody has reported reception of the Zee Hits mux transponders.)
From the Dish
PAS 2 169E 4090 V "Tapesh TV" has started, Fta, PIDs 518/646.New PIDs for TV Chile: 519/647.
Agila 2 146E 3986 H New PIDs for Kabayan TV on : 356/357.
Palapa C2 113E 10973 H "TV 5 Asie, Metro TV, MTV Indonesia, Ar-Rahman Channel, Prima Entertainment Channel, MTV Indonesia and a test card have started , Fta,SR 28125, FEC 3/4, PIDs 512/650-518/656.
Gorizont 31 Telekanal Rossiya has left 3675 L (SECAM).
Gorizont 31 has left 103 East, moving east. (Going to 142.5E I think)
Insat 3A 93.5E 3985 V "SET Max has replaced DD Sports" on , Fta, PIDs 169/110.
Yamal 102 90E 3564 R "Milicejskaya Volna and Novosti Online FM" have started, Fta, SIDs 26 and 29, APIDs 4136 and 4141.Radio Courants has left this mux.
Insat 2E 83E 3830 V "DD Bangla" has left .
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3868 H "Indiavision" has left , replaced by a test card.
PAS 10 68.5E 3864 H "ARY Digital UK" has started, Irdeto, PIDs 513/660.ARY Digital Mideast is encrypted again.
NEWS
Six arrested over pay-TV piracy
From http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,7130189%5E15306%5E%5Enbv%5E,00.html
SIX MEN are facing pay-TV piracy charges following raids over three days by Victoria Police.
The men, who include satellite television technicians, are alleged to be part of a fraud scheme which manufactured pay-TV decoder smart cards to connect viewers to subscription TV services on the Mornington Peninsula and suburban Melbourne.
Industry body, the Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association (ASTRA), said the arrests were the result of four separate inquiries launched by Foxtel investigators.
During raids on the suspects between Wednesday and Friday last week police seized pirated smart cards, business records and computer equipment allegedly used to manufacture pirate smart cards.
The six men will be summonsed to appear on a range of fraud and piracy related offences at a later date.
ASTRA executive director Debra Richards said the industry had beefed up its efforts to track down people illegally intercepting pay-TV broadcasts
"We hope today's announcement will send a clear warning to people not to be hoodwinked into piracy.
"Piracy is a crime," she said.
New battle for MTS and Government
From http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?reportID=462584
The Government's plan to reject a proposal for the Maori Television Service (MTS) to go to air on a Sky channel may embroil ministers in a new battle with the broadcasters.
It creates the potential for more on-air delays for the embattled television service and a multimillion-dollar headache for Sky.
Sky would be forced to retune customers' decoders as a result of the decision - a major logistical exercise - which is why it was prepared to sacrifice a channel for MTS.
A Cabinet committee gave the proposal - which MTS believes would save it several million dollars and enable it to simply flick a switch to go on air - the thumbs-down on Wednesday.
Yesterday, sources said the Cabinet was expected to formally reject the deal on Monday.
The Government decided early this year that MTS would go to air using a combination of the UHF transmission platform of Broadcast Communications Ltd (BCL) and Sky's digital service.
MTS had been engaged in a lengthy campaign pushing for a transmission deal with CanWest instead - which required Government approval because it involved a frequency swap.
The Government gave MTS an annual operational funding increase at the same time, which MTS had also been involved in a long battle over.
MTS put the new proposal to the Government several weeks ago.
The then MTS chief executive, Derek Fox, refused to disclose details of the deal at that time and would not say whether MTS needed the Government's approval to proceed, saying only that it wanted the support of its stakeholders.
The Herald understands MTS has a legal opinion that it does not need Government approval.
Finance Minister Michael Cullen, in charge of MTS with Maori Affairs Minister Parekura Horomia, refused yesterday to comment on the proposal, other than to say the Government's approval was necessary.
"The position is that if the purpose of the additional funding allocated in January is to be changed Cabinet approval is required.
"The Government's advice is that this would include decisions over the broadcasting platform."
BCL is desperate not to lose the revenue MTS would bring it and Dr Cullen and Broadcasting Minister Steve Maharey are understood to be sympathetic to that view.
MTS believes it is not its job to prop up BCL.
At issue now is whether MTS will challenge the Government's assertion that it has the right to veto its plans. An MTS spokeswoman said yesterday that MTS would not comment until it had a formal response from the Government.
Sky, meanwhile, is again pushing for the Government to put MTS to air on what it says are unused Horizon Pacific frequencies owned by TVNZ - a proposal understood to have been already floated by MTS, but rejected.
Sky has been squatting on the four frequencies set aside for Maori television in 1989 which will be used under the BCL arrangement.
When Sky realised the Government was set to reject the CanWest deal, it began warning of major interference problems with the supposedly reserved frequencies.
Sky told the Government that while it was prepared to move off the frequencies, and retune its decoders, there were hundreds of thousands of households which had PlayStations and televisions tuned in through VCRs on those frequencies which would also suffer interference problems if MTS went to air on them.
Sky spokesman Tony O'Brien yesterday stood by Sky's earlier warnings. BCL refused to comment.
Labour: Jack Of All Trades, Master Of None
From Press Release: ACT New Zealand
Labour: Jack Of All Trades, Master Of None
Friday 29 Aug 2003 Deborah Coddington Press Releases -- Broadcasting
ACT New Zealand Broadcasting Spokesman Deborah Coddington today said that the Labour Government should address the problems plaguing the Maori Television Service before it concerns itself with introducing free-to-air digital television.
"Broadcasting Minister Steve Maharey's announcement yesterday that Labour wants industry groups to plan for the roll-out of digital TV shows that the Government has got its priorities wrong - again," Miss Coddington said.
"Labour's announcement received an unenthusiastic response from broadcasting experts. Christchurch School of Broadcasting head Paul Norris quite rightly pointed out that public demand for digital TV does not exist, saying `They're quite happy with the services they've got'.
"I doubt the public will be any more enthusiastic when it realises the introduction of digital TV will mean upgrading their TV set or purchasing a set-top box to access the new service.
"Why must Labour get involved in digital TV when Sky has provided the service for years? Three years ago, the Government rejected TVNZ's plans for a digital service. What has changed? Overseas evidence shows there is no commercial benefit to switching to a digital service.
"While Labour should be fixing the problems besetting MTS, it is being distracted by trivial issues like digital television. Mr Maharey and his `jack of all trades, master of none' Government must knock this idea on the head. They should address the real issues of concern to New Zealand taxpayers," Miss Coddington said.
News Corp sells stake in Sky Perfect
From http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?msid=153456
TOKYO: Australian media giant News Corp said it sold its 8.13% shareholding in Japanese satellite broadcaster Sky Perfect Communications, in a deal that is valued at $227m.
Seen as a scaling back of its ambitions in one of the world’s largest broadcast markets, News Corp sold the shares on an equal basis to Sky Perfect’s main existing shareholders Sony Broadcast Media, a unit of Sony Corp, trading house Itochu Corp and Fuji Television Network.
Financial terms were not disclosed but News Corp’s 181,998-share holding was valued at 26.6bn yen, using the Japanese broadcaster’s Friday’s closing price of 146,000 yen.
“The timing of the divestment was a management decision but we can say that Sky Perfect has found its feet. It is now looking to post a net profit for the first time this business year,” said News Corp Japan spokeswoman Yoko Kishimoto.
News Corp said it would remain committed to the Japanese broadcast market as a content provider.
Sky Perfect also said it had applied to shift its listing to the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s first section and hoped to make the move by year-end.
Sky Perfect is currently listed on the TSE’s Mothers market for start-up firms.
A long-struggling company, it has hit the breakeven point of 3m individual subscribers.
The stock closed with a huge 12.3% gain after the Nihon Keizai newspaper first reported the planned shift to the prestigious first section, which could result in additional liquidity for the stock and make fund-raising easier.
Siticable starts beaming; Star plans legal action
From http://moneycontrol.com/news/highlights/newsdetail.php?filename=news29082003091830.htm
Siticable has started beaming Star, Sony, and ESPN through its HITS platform. But Star sees a copyright infringement, and is planning legal action.
Siticable has started beaming Star, Sony, and ESPN channels through its headend-in-the-sky, HITS, platform, reports CNBC-TV18. HITS is a way of distributing TV signals to homes. This follows a Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission, MRTPC, order. However, Star has decided to move court over copyright infringement.
The MRTPC order is an interim one, valid till September 10. Star believes it has a right to decide on how its channels are sent to homes. It sees a copyright infringement, and COO Sameer Nair said the company is preparing for legal action.
But signals from head-end in the sky can be received only through set-top boxes. These are not mandatory in Delhi for the time being.
Yesterday, the MRTPC had asked the channels to provide signals to Siticable. "Since there is no regulation in India and the Indian government has no teeth we approached the MRTP to give a verdict," Zee head distribution Jawahar Goel said. However, Star, Sony and other channels can move to the courts over the issue.
Broadcasters' concerns
Zee's distribution subsidiary Siticable is marketing HITS under the brand name Galaxzee. The programme ran into trouble after Star and ESPN-Star Sports refused to join the distribution platform. The prime concern of most broadcasters over the HITS platform is related to security aspects. They fear that if their signals end up being beamed in places where they were not allowed to, they would be in the dock for piracy.
Most broadcasters are apprehensive of the fact that they will not have any control over where the CAS-encrypted signals are downlinked. Since, a footprint of a satellite covers a huge geographical area, the signals can be downloaded in certain areas without the knowledge of the broadcaster.
About HITS
The HITS programme involves the setting up of a back office company that downloads all channels in a single location. These channels are then encrypted and beamed up to a satellite. The satellite then acts as the headend - the location of CAS - and the subscriber management system, which keeps track of the billings and other related information.
The signals are then received by cable operators who have to 'trans-modulate' them and then distribute it among their subscribers. The subscribers can then receive the channels through a digital set-top box.