12/02/03

Chat was good last night though as expected a little quiet due to the cricket being on. There was some talk of 2 proposed channels on Impactv, "The Kiwi channel" and "Euro Pacific Sports" both of which would be fta!

Not much to report today.

Rumours

ABC Northern mux on 12260V leaving B1 in a month or so?

From my Emails & ICQ

From Schippy

Sound Track Channel on Pas 8

Satellite: PAS 8
Frequency: 3860
Polarization: H
SR = 28000
FEC = 5/6
VPID - 420
APID - 421

Transmission standard: NTSC
No Encryption
Location: Brisbane

From Victor Holubecki

Pas2 4063 H Basketball feed on, Sr 6620 Fec 2/3

From the Dish

PAS 8 166E 3860 H "The Soundtrack Channel Pacific" has started, fta, PIDs 420/421.
PAS 8 166E 3860 H "CTI TV has replaced Power TV", Fta, PIDs 500/501PAS 8 166E 12686 H All channels in the Jadeworld mux are encrypted again.

Palapa C2 113E 4080 H A test card has started here and 10970 H, Fta, PIDs 517/655.Delta FM 99.5 has left both these muxes.

Asiasat 3 105.5E 3660 V "Sahara TV" Analog has left .

ST 1 88E 3632 V "Rainbow Channel 1, CTS, CTV and TTV"are encrypted again.

Thaicom 3 78.5E 3418 V "ATN Bangla" has started on , clear, SR 3333, PIDs 308/256, Asian beam.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3422 V "Occasional feeds" , SR 3333,Asian beam.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3554 V "A test card has started" , Fta, PIDs 512/640.

PAS 10 68.5E 3897 H "Occasional feeds" on , SR 6111.
PAS 10 68.5E 4034 V "Occasional feeds" on , PIDs 520/730.

NEWS

UBC set to make up for disruption

From http://www.bangkokpost.com/Business/12Feb2003_biz59.html

Thaicom-3 satellite has yet to be fixed

United Broadcasting Corporation (UBC) is contemplating how to compensate subscribers for the loss of pay-television services, some of which have yet to be fully restored, since a power failure on the Thaicom-3 satellite last Friday.

Most residential subscribers had all channels restored by Friday night but service to larger commercial and multi-dish customers continues to be only partially available.

Shin Satellite Plc has not been able to say how long it would take to repair the Thaicom-3 satellite and restore full services, according to a UBC source who asked not to be named.

As a result, he said, UBC was considering how to compensate those who still could not yet receive services.

Shin Satellite has shifted UBC, which uses the Ku-band transponders on Thaicom-3, to its other two satellites on a temporary basis.

Thaicom-3 has 14 Ku-band transponders but only four have been functioning since Friday's outage. Of the 20 Ku-band transponders on Thaicom-1 and Thaicom-2, only 10 are working.

The problem, which affected only Ku-band transponders serving Thailand, was the first to occur on the satellite, which was launched in 1997.

Shin engineers are working with France-based Alcatel Space to investigate the failure and restore normal service.

Shin Satellite shares declined 30 satang (2.46%) yesterday to 11.90 baht, in trade worth 90.73 million baht. The company's shares have lost 20% since the anti-Thai riots two weeks ago in Phnom Penh, where Shin Corporation businesses suffered damage. UBC shares rose 30 satang yesterday to 16 baht in trade worth 6.78 million baht.

DirecTV, Echostar lost millions to hackers, U.S. says

From http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/technology/article/0,1299,DRMN_49_1738103,00.html

LOS ANGELES - U.S. prosecutors charged 17 software programmers and hardware manufacturers with stealing millions of dollars in satellite TV services from Hughes Electronics Corp.'s DirecTV and Littleton-based EchoStar Communications Corp.

Ten of the defendants, including one who admitted responsibility for more than $15 million in losses, have agreed to plead guilty, U.S. Attorney Debra Yang said. The defendants come from seven states.

Hughes Electronics' three previous generations of access cards have been compromised by hackers. The El Segundo, California- based company spent more than $25 million to develop the most recent card, the FBI said. The company in the third quarter of 2002 cut off access to 50,000 customers accused of using counterfeit cards to watch programming without paying.

"Our office hopes that these arrests will have a real impact on this type of crime," Yang said. She said the defendants include "the world's best and more sophisticated hackers."

DirecTV is the largest U.S. satellite television provider with more than 11.2 million subscribers, compared with rival EchoStar Communications Corp.'s Dish Network, which has about 8 million subscribers.

Mitigate piracy spread

DirecTV said in a statement that it believes the prosecutions will "help mitigate the spread of piracy now and weaken efforts to hack our conditional access system in the future." The company hasn't yet decided whether it will file civil charges, spokesman Robert Mercer said.

Six of those charged were accused of violating the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which includes a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $500,000 fine. Other charges include conspiracy and manufacturing a device for the purpose of stealing satellite signals, which each carry a possible five-year term and a $250,000 fine.

Among those who agreed to plead guilty is Los Angeles resident Randyl Walter. Walter, 43, admitted in December that he manufactured satellite signal decryption devices and caused almost $15 million in losses to Hughes and EchoStar, prosecutors said.

The U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles last month charged a University of Chicago student with stealing information related to DirecTV's newest conditional access card, which allows customers to receive programming from the company.

Hughes shares fell 4 cents to close at $10.16 on the New York Stock Exchange. Hughes is a subsidiary of General Motors Corp.

EchoStar shares fell 47 cents to $25.14 in Nasdaq trading.

11/02/03

Livechat in the chatroom 9pm NZ and 8.30 Syd time onwards, yeah I know the big cricket match is on tonight but I am sure many have pc's near the tv set. NZ missed out last night in their first game thanks to a costly umpiring mistake.

Rumours

Latest launch date for C1 a change from April 15th to the 17th

From my Emails & ICQ

From FTA Sat Services

Received official notification from World Media International Monday 10th Feb 2003, that RAI International on Pas2 3836 Vt 13.333 will be encrypted as from about midnight Wednesday 19th of Feb 2003, (3pm Italy time), not withstanding any last minute technical hic-ups.

At this stage they are considering running a subscription scheme, same as the ART, LBC, AlJazeer, depending on the viability.

From the Dish

Pas 2 169E 3769 V "feed" Sr 6620 Fec 3/4
Pas 2 169E 3958 V "South Africa feed" Sr 6110 Fec 3/4 (Encrypted)
Pas 2 169E 4063 H "feed" Sr 6620 Fec 2/3

Optus B3 156E 12376 H New PIDs for ABC Kids and ABC Fly TV on : 519/647.

JCSAT 2A 154E 3915 V "BYU TV" is now Fta.

Pas 10 68.5E 3913 V "South Africa feed" Sr 6110 Fec 3/4 (Encrypted), same as Pas 2 feed

(B Wall)
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3412 V New PIDs for TV Maldives : 307/435.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3600 H "Radio Cambodia" has started Fta, SID 5, APID 690.

NEWS

Shin Satellite Thaicom-3 Problem Rectified

From PRESS RELEASE:

BANGKOK--Today at 1700 of February 7, 2003 Shin Satellite Plc (H.SST) notifies its rectification of Thaicom-3 satellite's anomaly in the power system of certain Ku-Band transponders which has caused a discontinuation of services in those affected transponders.

To rectify the problem, the company has rearranged customers on those affected Ku-band transponders to other transponders on Thaicom-1, 2 and 3 satellites where possible, in order to avail customers of continued services. It is noted that there is no impact on Thaicom-3's C-band transponders services.

For a latest update, the company has successfully recovered the services of most of Thaicom-3's Ku-Band transponders.

BBC World reaches 100 million homes

From http://indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k3/feb/feb41.htm

NEW DELHI: BBC World today announced its new distribution figures which show the channel is now available in more homes worldwide than ever before.

BBC World can now be received in 253.6 million homes in over 200 countries around the world. Of these, 100 million homes receive the channel on a 24-hour basis. In addition to the 830,000 hotel rooms, 15 airlines and 14 cruise ships already carrying the channel, this marks an all time high for BBC World's global reach.

Director of Sales and Distribution, BBC World, Jeff Hazell, said; " In just 15 months the total number of homes receiving BBC World has increased by 42 per cent (178m to 253.6m) and these increases have come from every region of the world. It is also very much in line with regional audience research received for the same period indicating that BBC World is the fastest growing international news channel around."

Among the regions which experienced significant increases in 24 hour distribution of BBC World was India where the cable distribution has risen steadily from 11 to 15 million 24-hour homes. Europe also showed considerable growth, Eastern Europe in particular where cable is developing rapidly and BBC World is proving to be increasingly popular. In Western Europe, France, the Netherlands, Italy and Spain were notable for increases in both cable and satellite distribution. Elsewhere, Latin America continued to show steady growth in full and part time distribution, most significantly in Mexico, Venezuela and Argentina. In Asia Pacific, BBC World has also recently gone full time on Malaysia's digital Astro satellite platform.

An official release informs that BBC World is also available on the two dominant satellites in the Middle East; Nilesat and Arabsat. In addition, part time distribution of BBC World has also experienced significant growth with an increase in the number of homes receiving the channel, specifically in Africa and the USA.

Last Ariane-4 launch highlights crisis in space exploration

From http://www.spacedaily.com/2003/030210035951.ckrose8s.html

A sad event that should have been a celebration will this week underscore the fears of many that 2003 is turning out to be an annus horribilis for space exploration.

The European Space Agency will stage the last launch of an Ariane-4, the reliable, versatile rocket that has made a great contribution to the satellite industry and provided the backbone of ESA's success.

After more 23 years of service and for the 116th time, this workhorse of space will lift off on Wednesday from the agency's launchpad in French Guiana, caarrying a 4.7-tonne Intelsat communications satellite.

But there will be no partying at ESA, which is mired in problems. The Ariane-4 is the symbol of a cosy past that the Paris-based agency now finds worryingly elusive.

The agency's launch capabilities will henceforth depend totally on the Ariane-5, which has dismally low credibility after a heavy version of the rocket failed last December on its maiden mission.

Chronic uncertainty over Ariane-5 caused scientists last month to mothball ESA's most ambitious project ever -- the launch of a billion-dollar comet-chasing probe, Rosetta, which had been a decade in preparation.

Added to that is a tightening belt of budget constraints, the shrinkage of the satellite launch market because of the telecoms crisis, and, according to insiders, friction among ESA's 15 nations over a proposal to bundle the agency with the European Union (EU).

But Europe is not alone. All three major space powers are facing, in varying combinations, a budget crunch, technical problems or an identity crisis.

The United States is wrestling with the loss of a second shuttle and the spiralling -- and apparently inescapable -- cost of building the International Space Station (ISS).

The Russian Space Agency (RSA), the inheritor of the great Soviet space legacy, is so poor that it has had to take up millionaire tourists to help pay its bills.

It cannot even afford to build an extra Soyuz to help take astronauts up to the ISS in the absence of the shuttle.

"These kind of things happen. There have been times before when you have a series of problems like this," said Doug Millard, a space history expert at Britain's Science Museum.

Mark Sims, mission manager for the Beagle-2 project, which will send a lander to Mars this year aboard an ESA probe, Mars Express, agreed that the failures are "coincidence."

"Travelling into space is not mundane, and it will not be mundane for the next 30 or 40 years. It has risks and things happen," he said.

If 2003 turns out to be a landmark bad year for space exploration, the lure of space will always remain. China, for instance, has vowed to push ahead to launch its own manned space mission this year despite the Columbia tragedy.

But, said Millard, the combination of negative factors is bound to prompt a rethink in many quarters, especially NASA, about where the money should be spent.

Should the agency abandon or truncate the ISS and shuttle programme? Can it leave behind the rut of low orbit and strike out in a visionary direction, say Mars?

"We have entered a period where NASA will be thinking very long and hard about what it is there to do and what its future role is," Millard said.

Experts agree that most of the technology for a manned trip to the Red Planet is already available.

The mission would be long, costly and not achieve much other than to plant a flag and do science that could in any cast be mostly duplicated by robots.

But it would still breathe life back into the space dream, the vision of man carving out his destiny in the cosmos.

"The future of man in space is a matter of political will as well as science," said Sims. "A mission to Mars needs the kind of will that (former US President John F.) Kennedy brought to the Apollo programme."

Old Satellites May Gain New Voice

From http://www.spacedaily.com/news/satellite-tech-03a.html

ESA engineers are proposing a technique to enable a digital satellite radio service for European drivers - without the need to launch a single new satellite into orbit.

Commercial digital satellite radio is already a reality in the United States, using a costly set of dedicated satellites.

The rival American services allow subscribing drivers to choose between numerous near-CD quality radio channels without tune-out or static.

Two parallel ESA studies have examined a lower-cost method of providing in-car Europe-wide satellite radio, along with supplemental text, pictures and video data. ND Satcom (prime contractor), DLR, IMST and SES Astra conducted one of the studies while Alcatel Space (prime contractor), Frauenhofer Gesellschaft, Skygate and SES Astra performed the other.

"This service would include music and voice data," said ESA engineer Rolv Midthassel from the Technology Projects Division of the Telecommunication Department. "Plus additional data could be displayed on-screen such as information on songs, traffic and weather forecasts, and other services dedicated to car drivers."

It promises to be much cheaper to set up than US satellite radio, because it requires no new expensive satellite launches. Instead the proposal is to reuse existing TV satellites nearing the end of their operating life.

Once in position, 35,000 km away in space, TV satellites will remain in orbit forever, but their useful life amounts to 15 years or less. Onboard thrusters must keep each satellite pointed precisely in geostationary orbit so they stay lined up with fixed-position Earth-based receivers.

However once the thrusters' propellant runs out the satellites drift out of correct orbit, and are left useless for TV broadcast applications. But further life can be squeezed from a low-propellant TV satellite switched over to mobile digital radio broadcasting where precision position control is less important.

Most thruster propellant is expended correcting satellite attitude in the north-south direction. But if station-keeping is limited to the east-west axis then satellite lifetime could be extended by some five years.

The satellite's position would oscillate across the sky by a few degrees. But vehicle-mounted digital radio antennas would keep track of the satellite as it moves, just as they would maintain contact with it as the car bearing the antenna moves across the landscape.

"Satellite reception is frequently shadowed by trees, rain, or cloud or blocked altogether by mountains, tunnels or tall buildings," explained Midthassel. "In urban areas the studies indicate that the signal is blocked an average 30 per cent of the time, maybe for several minutes at a time."

These reception gaps make real-time broadcasting impracticable. Instead the service would operate on a cache system – data files are stored by the receiver for later playback.

"Sophisticated interleaving, data coding and large signal margins should enable the useful data to be reconstructed even when some of the signal has disappeared," said Midthassel.

Interleaving is a method whereby the burst of erroneous data arising from blockages and shadowing will be spread out in time and mixed with correctly received data bits. And coding data will then enable the receiver to interpret it in the correct context.

Studies indicate a useful data rate of a million bits per second per satellite transponder. With each satellite having several transponders, this makes the system performance comparable or even superior to US services.

"The receiver cache will contain files like songs, news flashes, and discussion programmes," Midthassel added. "Based on a pre-set user profile an individually-tailored radio programme could be constructed out of available files."

"Alternatively the user could choose which service he wants from the cache – so you could play the latest news then and there instead in a half-hour's time. Exiting the car to fill up with petrol, you could halt the news then restart it once you're back."

Test reception measurements have been carried out by both teams monitoring signals from SES Astra satellites.

The next steps come this year, with plans to design a low-cost fully electronically steerable antenna as well as develop a suitable gateway transmitter and user receiver which will serve as a system demonstrator for extended field testing. An optimised demonstration system will be complete in about two-and-a-half years leading to a commercial prototype in about five years from now.

10/02/03

Loads of stuff today!, Cricket has been seen try Insat 2E Dordashan, Analog (Zone beam so tricky in Australia). Keep your eyes open elsewhere for feeds from South Africa.

From my Emails & ICQ

From Jsat Western Australia

FOR SALE :NOKIA DBOX 2..complete with linux operating software. full smart card emulation.. irdeto, seca, viacess, nagravision, conax, nds, and others. com port 2 board installed.. as advertised in satfacts for $1899...

a bargain at only $1000..
comes with all software on a CD...

Email: [email protected]

From Bill Richards 9/02/03

Thaicom 3 RR Comms has left 3672H

3670 Horz S/R12700 FEC 7/8 Internet Data

Regards
Bill

From webmaster at Radio NZ

We have updated our Radio NZ and Concert Fm details to include the satellite info you supplied to us.

on the following pages

http://www.radionz.co.nz/fq/f-fq.htm
http://www.radionz.co.nz/nr/f-nr.htm
http://www.radionz.co.nz/cf/f-cf.htm

Cheers Ian

B1 12429, V, 3/4, 6667 "boxing feed"

From the Dish

PAS 2 169E The occasional feeds have left Ku tp 9.
PAS 2 169E 3744 V "Both Discovery Channel Asia" has left , replaced by test cards.
PAS 2 169E 4087 V "TV Globo Internacional" has started, Fta, PIDs 514/642 and 516/644.

PAS 8 166E 12488 V The occasional FTV feeds have moved from here and 12492 V to 12630 V and 12634 V, SR 3125, FEC 5/6.

Optus B1 160E 12608 V "Channel Z" has replaced The Edge, Videoguard, APID 664.
Optus B1 160E The test cards have left 12391 V and 12418 V.
Optus B1 160E 12420 V "Occasional feeds" on , SR 6620. Fec 3/4
Optus B1 160E 12524 H "Feeds from South Africa" SR 6110 ,Vpid 308 Apid 256

Agila 2 146E 12301 H "IBC 13 and Fuse Music Channel" have started, enc., SR 10455, FEC 7/8, PIDs 1160/1120-1260/1220.

Palapa C2 113E 3604 H "Smart FM" has started, Fta, APID 1213.
Palapa C2 113E 4080 H "Anteve" has left , replaced by a test card.

Asiasat 2 100.5E 4148 V "Chinese TV Guide" has left , replaced by a test card.

Yamal 102 90E 3645 L "Darial TV" has changed name to DTV.

Thaicom 3 78.5E TVK has moved from 3448 H to 3600 H, Fta, SID 5, PIDs 516/690.Radio Cambodia has left 3448 H.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3600 H "Sanskar TV" has left , replaced by a test card.

PAS 10 68.5E 3744 V "SABC Africa has replaced Telly Track" on , Irdeto 2, PIDs 516/644, 07-19 CET.
PAS 10 68.5E 3808 V It's a Ten Sports Middle East promo here
PAS 10 68.5E 3897 H "Feeds from South Africa" Sr 6110 Fec 3/4
PAS 10 68.5E 3931 V "Feeds from South Africa" Sr 6110 Fec 3/4
PAS 10 68.5E 3940 V "Feeds from South Africa" Sr 6110 Fec 3/4
PAS 10 68.5E 4034 V "DD Metro and DD National" have left , are not encrypted.
PAS 10 68.5E 4034 H The MTV test card is back on, Fta, PIDs 433/434.
PAS 10 68.5E 4154 H "Fashion TV" is encrypted again.

NEWS

New Skies to re-deploy NSS-8 satellite to satisfy growing demand in Indian Ocean region

From Press Release

The Hague, Netherlands, February 6, 2003 New Skies Satellites N.V. (AEX, NYSE: NSK), the global satellite communications company, today announced that it will re-deploy its NSS-8 satellite, originally scheduled to be launched to 105 degrees west longitude for Americas coverage, to the company’s 57 east slot to provide expansion capacity in response to demand in the Indian Ocean region. NSS-8 is expected to commence commercial service at 57 east, where New Skies’ NSS-703 satellite is currently operating, on or around January 1, 2005.

By deploying its newest, largest, and most powerful satellite to an established orbital location in the Indian Ocean region, New Skies will ensure it can continue to meet the current and future needs of its many customers throughout India, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa as well as capitalize on the region’s strong projected growth.

NSS-8 originally had been planned for launch in late 2003 to serve the Americas market from 105 degrees west longitude. NSS-703, launched in 1994, has long been one of New Skies’ most highly utilized satellites. Following its replacement by NSS-8, New Skies will re-deploy NSS-703, which is expected to continue commercial service until 2009, to another orbital location.

?This decision underscores New Skies’ operational agility and our commitment to make the most efficient and productive use of our satellite resources and committed capital expenditure programs in a dynamic market environment,” said Dan Goldberg, chief executive officer of New Skies Satellites.

?The geographic regions served from 57 east are among the world’s fastest growing markets. NSS-8 will bring our customers in the Indian Ocean region the most powerful follow-on capacity with the most comprehensive connectivities available. Further, by repositioning the NSS-8 delivery date and by obviating our need to procure a replacement for NSS-703 in the near term, this decision positions New Skies to achieve positive free cash flow in the current year and will result in approximately $250 million in additional free cash flow over the course of the next three years.”

New Skies and Boeing Satellite Systems, the spacecraft manufacturer, have worked closely together to reconfigure NSS-8 for service from 57 east longitude. NSS-8 will carry 56 C-band and 36 high-power Ku-band transponders, making it one of the largest and highest power satellites with coverage of Europe, the Middle East, India, Africa and Asia.

?We at New Skies have been impressed with the commercial responsiveness that Boeing has demonstrated in working with our NSS-8 team,” said Goldberg. “As is the hallmark of New Skies’ satellites, extensive beam inter-connectivity has been built into the satellite design, allowing New Skies to offer flexible solutions to customer requirements and to respond to evolving market conditions over the estimated 16-year life of the satellite.”

Although NSS-8 will not be deployed to the Americas, New Skies remains committed to developing its 105 west slot in a timely manner. This location is a valuable resource because of its unique ability to see all of North and South America.

Goldberg said: “Far from abandoning the Americas market, we believe that the 105 west location provides a compelling growth opportunity. We have every intention to make full and productive use of this valuable resource.”

About New Skies Satellites (AEX, NYSE: NSK)

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

For more information, please contact:
Elizabeth Hess, +31 70 306 4133
New Skies Satellites +31 6 2906 2492
The Hague, The Netherlands
[email protected]

Thaicom power glitch knocks most UBC channels off the air

From http://www.bangkokpost.com/080203_Business/08Feb2003_biz50.html

Pay-TV firm unsure about compensation

A power supply problem on the Thaicom-3 satellite yesterday knocked several channels on pay-television service United Broadcasting Corp off the air for several hours.

The problem, which affected only the Ku-band transponders serving Thailand-based customers, was the first to occur on the satellite since it was launched in 1997, a Shin Satellite spokeswoman said.

Shin Satellite engineers were working closely with France-based Alcatel Space to check on the failure and to restore normal service, she said.

The disruption that began early in the morning knocked out all six free-to-air local channels broadcast on UBC, as well as UBC Channel 7 and Nation Channel 8, along with all movie and sports channels, CNN, UBC and MTV.

By late afternoon some foreign news and sports channels and the Discovery Channel were restored, while the movie channels, free Thai channels and Nation TV remained unavailable.

Vasili Sgourdos, UBC's chief financial officer, said the pay-TV operator was not yet able to make a statement about whether or how it could compensate subscribers.

``The compensation plan can't be revealed until we fully understand the problem and know how long the problem occurred,'' he said.

CS Internet general manager Anan Kaewruamwong said that the power supply breakdown did not affect the Internet access service of his company, which, like Shin Satellite, is an affiliate of Shin Corporation.

He said that CS Internet leased transponders from the Communications Authority of Thailand's international Internet gateway after its lease contract with Shin Satellite expired last year and no extension had yet been signed.

``We're looking for the best package price [that will be available] at the time of the merger of CS Internet and Loxinfo,'' said Mr Anan.

The merged entity, CS Loxinfo, will be the country's largest Internet service provider in terms of revenue when full operations begin in June this year.

Thaicom-3 is 35,000 kilometres above southern Thailand.

In a statement to the Stock Exchange of Thailand, Shin Satellite president Dumrong Kasemset said the company had informed all affected customers of yesterday's outages.

Shin Satellite shares closed yesterday at 14.20 baht, down 10 satang, in trade worth 9.76 million baht.

South African Porno on Pas 10

From http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=139&art_id=ct20030207195845114P6531275&set_id=1

A couple of Cape Town "entrepreneurs" have hit on a scheme to make thousands of rands. They are selling smartcard access to a television channel broadcasting hardcore pornography.

The channel, called Don't Panic, gives viewers explicit sexual material - of the sort normally banned in South Africa - 24 hours a day.

For just R2 000 for a smartcard and by using a normal DStv decoder you can tune in.

Pornographic broadcasting has been hotly debated in recent months with the free-to-air television channel e.tv having strict restrictions placed on it regarding the times and nature of sexual material broadcast.

e.tv has been broadcasting late-night soft porn films such as the Emanuelle series, to the dismay of some members of society.

But these films will pale into insignificance compared with the hardcore material accessible via smartcard technology.

There are plans for two more such channels in the next year or two, which are expected to be in French with English subtitles.

DStv decoders and dishes are needed to access the channel - just remove the DStv card and slot in the porn card.

But Multichoice, the company that supplies the decoders to subscribers, is not impressed, saying it is "inappropriate and improper" that their decoders are being used in this way. The company has launched an investigation into the matter.

Local agent Richard Carne who, with his son Bill, sells the porn smartcards, said he had agreed to act as an agent for the British company because "business is business".

"If I had to rely on the business I got here, I'd go hungry. We hardly sell or install new decoders anymore. I just told my conscience to shut up and get on with it. What people get up to in their bedrooms is their business."

Carne said he hoped to sell about 1 000 smartcards by the end of the year.

Ivor Chetty of the Film and Publication Board said broadcasting pornography via satellite was a grey area that the Broadcasting Act did not anticipate.

"We have no jurisdiction over people who broadcast from outside the country. It is beyond our control," Chetty said.

Broadcasting Complaints Commission chairperson Kobus van Rooyen said it was difficult for the commission to take action: "We deal with local broadcasts and that is our only mandate."

(Craigs comment, its via Ku band Pas 10, not available to Australia)

TBN to push its faith message in west, north

From http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k3/feb/feb21.htm

CHENNAI: Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) is gearing up to promote its faith channel TBN India in the western and northern parts of the country. TBN channel will be separating from the existing MiracleNet channel, which is already available in some parts of the country.

Reverend Dr Sishwa Prasad, based in Chennai, is the India coordinator.

In an attempt to increase its visibility and presence amongst cable operators, MSOs and viewers in different parts of India, the channel's distribution team is organising a TBN-Cable operators meet - 2003 on 24 February at Leela Hotel, near Sahar Airport, Mumbai. TBN will also distribute a free receiver and dish to all the members of the trade who register before 20 February 2003.

Speaking to indiantelevision.com, TBN India sales manager Kumar Thomas confirmed that they are planning to promote the free-to-air faith channel in the western and northern parts of the country from 24 February 2003. TBN has already conducted a lot of promotional activities in South India.

"The channel has a variety of programmes; health and fitness; shows for children; humorous shows, news and commentary; speciality shows and serials. However, the 'religious' component will be around 80 per cent of the total content. The channel will also provide general news from CBN network," adds Thomas.

TBN began in 1973 with an intention to build a Christian television network across the globe. It claims to be the world's largest Christian television network. Across America and around the world, TBN is carried by TV stations and cable systems to millions of homes. As a matter of fact, TBN is seen on over 3,171 television stations, 21 satellites, the Internet and thousands of cable systems around the world, says an official statement.

In India, the Hindujas' IN Network started distributing MiracleNet in 1999. The channel, which receives funding from various churches, does not promote any particular Christian denomination. Currently, TBN India has taken charge of the distribution and will promote it with all the major MSOs and cable operators.

The following are the technical specifications of TBN: the satellite is Palapa C2; location is 113 degrees East; the polarization is horizontal and the frequency is 3727.

Raj Network Defers Launch Of Telugu Channel To May

From http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=27560

Mumbai: Chennai-based Raj Television Network has deferred the launch of its Telugu channel early this year. “We are looking at a May launch,” said the network’s head - national sales, B Shankar.

The Telugu channel will comprise films and serials. “We plan to have a focus on rural Andhra in addition to airing events,” he said. The network is currently in negotiations with television producers for content.

With the entry into Andhra Pradesh, Raj TV will be pitted against Sun Network’s Gemini TV as well as ETV promoted by Ramoji Rao’s Eenadu group.

Raj Network also plans to launch a news channel this year. The news bulletins will be in Tamil and English. “It will be a 24-hour news channel and will be uplinked from Chennai,” said Mr Shankar.

Raj Network’s Tamil channel plans to have a presence in the US and Canada markets by June this year. The Tamil channel was launched in Sri Lanka towards the end of last year.

The network currently airs two channels - Raj TV and Raj Digital Plus. It was earlier reported that Raj TV would be relaunched. Commenting on the relaunch, Mr Shankar said: “Our films aired during the festive Pongal season have pushed up the ratings. We have decided to telecast a blockbuster every week from April.” The relaunch included a new logo and a new signature tune in addition to new programmes. Raj TV, with a film library comprising 2000 films, has added another 50 films to its kitty which will be aired starting April.

T S I C H A N N E L N E W S - Number 6/2003 9 February 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

FOXTEL PAY-TV SERVICE COULD LAUNCH IN OCTOBER

Foxtel’s new digital pay-TV service of 100-plus channels could be launched
free of competition in October, after rival Optus said it had no plans to
immediately match the offer, according to a report in The Australian. But
the managing director of Optus' consumer and multimedia division, Martin
Dalgleish, said the company could launch a digital pay-TV service quickly
if needed. The news came as Optus confirmed it had sold its digital
broadcast pay-TV facilities to Foxtel, 25 per cent owned by The
Australian's owner News Limited, for an undisclosed price. While Optus has
an option to take Foxtel's digital TV service, Mr Dalgleish confirmed it
must first convert its entire set-top box population from analogue to
digital. Optus also announced it will outsource production of its three
unique pay-TV channels - MTV, Odyssey and Ovation - to post production
group Omnilab. But Mr Dalgleish said Optus retained creative control of the
channels to meet the competition obligations agreed under the Optus-Foxtel
content sharing deal. He also confirmed the end of Optus' interactive TV
(iTV) trial to 3,000 Sydney homes, but was confident that would not
increase disconnections. Mr Dalgleish said the trial had shown
near-video-on-demand, where customers order movies, to be the best revenue
driver among iTV applications. Money saved from the moves will be diverted
to Optus' telephony and internet businesses, he said. An Austar
spokesperson said it could also gain access to Foxtel's digital channels,
but would only decide which ones to broadcast once it knew the nature of
the content.

AUSTAR FACES EARLY DEBT PAYMENT

Regional pay-TV operator Austar could be forced to repay a A$400 million
(US$233.4 million) loan early after falling below minimum subscriber levels
built into its agreement with creditors. The company is attempting to
negotiate a waiver of the covenant breach, but accepted it might have to
pay up early if this cannot be achieved. A regulatory filing shows that at
the end of 2002 Austar has A$30 million cash and A$30 million held in a
contingent account by main backer UGC.

INDIA

CNBC INDIA EXPECTS INCREASE IN VIEWERSHIP

Business news channel CNBC India expects viewership to rise 50 per cent in
the next one year to 18 million, from the present 12 million. As a part of
its strategy to widen the reach of the channel and increase viewership,
CNBC India is planning to introduce new programmes.

JAPAN

TV5 SIGNS CARRIAGE DEAL WITH NBS

French language international channel TV5 have signed a carriage deal with
the NBS DTH platform. The service will be launched at the beginning of
April, reaching 400,000 homes. Adda said that the channel intends to
increase its penetration worldwide. In the last year the number of homes
that could receive TV5 increased by 15 per cent. The biggest increases
coming from the UK where the channel has been available on the basic
package of Sky Digital since last October. Sky Digital is available to 6.5
million homes in the UK. In the US the channel has 160,000 subscribers to
its specific service at €10 a month. TV5 has also secured carriage recently
in Spain, Taiwan and Hong Kong. TV5 broadcasts in up to eight languages,
varying programming for the different geographic zones, and using 52
satellite signals from 36 different satellites. It now plans to add two
more languages including Chinese to its subtitling. The other change will
be in the way news are covered. Although it will still carry the news from
partner channels, TV5 will increase its own news production to appeal to an
international audience. However, it is eliminating the "news tunnels", the
periods when news bulletins from the different contributor channels follow
each other resulting in non-stop news from different sources for over an hour.

QATAR

AL-JAZEERA TO SPEED UP LAUNCH OF ENGLISH SERVICE

Al-Jazeera Satellite Channel is likely to launch a full-fledged English
language service before a war possibly breaks out in Iraq. Highly placed
sources told The Peninsula on February 5 that the plan to introduce an
English service is ready. “The service would be launched as soon as the
board of directors give the green signal,” an official said. He made it
clear that the channel has no intention of capitalizing on a war by timing
their new service with it. ”However, we are bound by our duty towards our
viewers to enhance our service as and when we can. Every news organization
is justified in placing its assets and resources at a place where news
would be made, even if in this case, regrettably, it would be a war,” he said.

A F R I C A

ALLIANCE TRACE BUYS MCM AFRICA

Alliance TRACE Media, announced on February 3 that it has acquired selected
assets of TRACE Magazine in the US and UK and purchased from MCM Group
(Lagardere), 80 per cent of the largest urban television channel in France
-- MCM Africa -- to be renamed TRACE@MCM. TRACE also announced that it has
closed on a financial investment by a group of investors, led by Goldman
Sachs. TRACE Magazine, a bi-monthly music, fashion and lifestyle title, is
currently published in the US and the UK and distributed in some 28
countries worldwide on a limited basis. TRACE@MCM, a cable and satellite
digital station to be launched in April 2003, will be operated in
partnership with MCM Group and will feature music, news, fashion and
cultural programming targeting the new urban multicultural youth in France
and French-speaking territories in Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean. MCM
Group owns and operates the leading music television channel in France.

BBC WORLD GAINS 7 MILLION HOUSEHOLDS

TVAfrica’s distribution agreement with BBC World has resulted in an
increase of 7 million households across Africa. The last eight months have
seen BBC World’s distribution among the continent’s households top the 10
million mark for the first time.TVAfrica, the largest free-to-air,
pan-African television network will continue to syndicate the overnight
re-broadcasts of BBC World to its terrestrial affiliates to a new total of
fourteen African countries; Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Rwanda,
Cameroon, Nigeria, Ghana, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique and
Lesotho.Through TV Africa’s affiliates, BBC World is shown overnight and
early morning local time, viewers can watch BBC World’s news and
information programmes including international news bulletins on the hour
and information programmes.

9/02/03

No Update

8/02//03

No update

7/02/03

Sorry no site update until Monday, just been at the Doctors I have an infected elbow/arm I have to lay off the typing for a few days. Sorry about this but back Monday you won't miss anything!

6/02/03

Its a holiday here today but I actually forgot about it and did the site update anyway. A small milestone the other day we went over the 300000 hits mark on the hits counter!

It looks like the Aus pay tv scene is going through yet more changes. Perhaps time for a new pay provider to step in? Should make things interesting anyway.

Satfacts page updated

From my Emails & ICQ

From Mike

Subject: soundtrack channel

This has disappeared of ihug tv service from sky tower auckland and been replaced with panamsat napa test card

From Various

B1, 12420 V "Golf" Sr 6620,? 6618? fec 3/4
B1, 12524 H "feed?:" Sr 6110? fec 3/4

From the Dish

No sign of Lyngsat update

NEWS

Foxtel to launch digital pay-TV in terra nullius

From http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,5943969%255E462,00.html

FOXTEL's new digital pay-TV service of 100-plus channels could be launched free of competition in October, after rival Optus said yesterday it had no plans to immediately match the offer.

But the managing director of Optus' consumer and multimedia division, Martin Dalgleish, said the company could launch a digital pay-TV service quickly if needed.

"We will look at that and the cost of delivering that, but only when and if it makes sense," he said.

The news came as Optus confirmed it had sold its digital broadcast pay-TV facilities to Foxtel, 25 per cent owned by The Australian's owner News Limited, for an undisclosed price.

Foxtel will eventually move to the North Sydney site from its current Pyrmont address.

While Optus has an option to take Foxtel's digital TV service, Mr Dalgleish confirmed it must first convert its entire set-top box population from analogue to digital.

Optus also announced it will outsource production of its three unique pay-TV channels - MTV, Odyssey and Ovation - to post production group Omnilab.

But Mr Dalgleish said Optus retained creative control of the channels to meet the competition obligations agreed under the Optus-Foxtel content sharing deal.

He also confirmed the end of Optus' interactive TV (iTV) trial to 3,000 Sydney homes, but was confident that would not increase disconnections.

Mr Dalgleish said the trial had shown near-video-on-demand, where customers order movies, to be the best revenue driver among iTV applications.

Money saved from the moves will be diverted to Optus' telephony and internet businesses, he said.

An Austar spokesperson said it could also gain access to Foxtel's digital channels, but would only decide which ones to broadcast once it knew the nature of the content.

Optus cuts pay TV role

From http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/02/05/1044318670013.html

Optus yesterday revealed it had withdrawn further from pay television, selling broadcasting assets to rival Foxtel and outsourcing the TV production division.

About 80 jobs will be axed under the restructure, which is designed to streamline the carrier's consumer and multimedia (CMM) arm.

CMM managing director Martin Dalgleish said the move would strengthen the company's focus on its core assets and help "make a sound contribution to Optus's bottom line".

"In the TV operation space, we felt it would be pertinent to use expertise outside our organisation," he said.

Foxtel has agreed to buy Optus's interactive digital assets. Optus pulled the pin on its interactive TV trials after 12 months. Mr Dalgleish said plans to offer ITV would be suspended, given the technology demanded "significant capital investment" and customer expenditure to generate a return.

Last November, the Australian competition watchdog approved a deal enabling Foxtel and Optus to share content and accelerate the pay TV industry's move into profitability.

Having shed its costly programming liabilities, Australia's second-ranked carrier can cauterise losses in the pay TV arm even further by streamlining operations.

Production company Omnilab will produce the three Optus pay channels - MTV, Odyssey and Ovation. However, the carrier will retain creative control in line with conditions set out in the content-sharing accord. Mr Dalgleish said the changes did not diminish Optus's commitment to pay TV.

FOXTEL to Create New Digital Television Centre -- FOXTEL

From Press Release 5 February, 2003

FOXTEL will create a new digital television campus in northern Sydney as part of the full digital conversion of FOXTEL.
The new television centre will be created following FOXTEL's purchase of Optus' digital interactive television facilities and
FOXTEL's lease of the associated premises which was announced today.

FOXTEL's CEO Kim Williams said: "These are leading edge facilities that will form an excellent foundation for our expansion into a fully digital service."Our vision and goal is to build this site into a creative television campus that will be a national hub for the development of the most advanced digital television services and skills anywhere".

FOXTEL last year committed to the full digitisation of its analogue cable service and the expansion of its existing digital satellite
service through an investment of more than $600m."With the large scale of the facilities needed to achieve FOXTEL's digital migration and the expiry in 2005 of FOXTEL's lease on the already crowded Pyrmont site currently occupied by FOXTEL, it was time to find a new location for FOXTEL's digital Broadcast Centre," Mr Williams said.

"After careful analysis of the market, the Optus digital television centre emerged as the best option and provides a tremendous
opportunity for us to move at an early stage into a world-class facility that will evolve into a vibrant centre for FOXTEL and, we hope, many others involved in subscription television."

The agreements in relation to the new complex comprise two fundamental parts: FOXTEL acquires the Optus-owned broadcast equipment, and FOXTEL leases the associated premises from its owners, Mirvac.

FOXTEL is separately looking at the options for relocating to the new site its office accommodation which is currently housed at Pyrmont.

FOXTEL will continue to supply its FOXTEL-branded service through Optus to its subscribers under the Content Supply Agreement that commenced last December.

FOXTEL has agreed to provide analogue broadcasting services to Optus on commercial terms and FOXTEL will provide digital broadcasting services to Optus in the future should Optus wish to take them. The move of the FOXTEL Broadcast Centre to the new complex will be phased and will commence this month as FOXTEL staff spend time at the new site learning about the facility.

Some job opportunities will be created at FOXTEL due to the expertise and resources required to operate the Optus facilities and existing Optus staff, if interested, will be invited to apply for relevant positions.

Further information:
FOXTEL Corporate Affairs
Mark Furness
02 9200 1733

5/02/03

Well the chat room was very busy lastnight. Seems the chat server software was also updated. Was that really Mrs Tarbs in there?? She sure seemed worried about something? Anyway all are welcome to use the chatroom, Tarbs , Foxtel, Optus , Globecast, Impactv, Etc. But they might expect to get a bit of stick from various people.

From my Emails & ICQ

From JJ

I was in your chatroom last night and I saw you write something about Impactv using a 30 meter dish in Pago Pago and a 30 meter dish in Asia to uplink to Optus B3. What was all that about??

(Craigs comment, just ignore yet another rumour!)

From Satcom

V8 supercars on Dubai Sport for all you V8 fans
Asiasat 2 4020 V 27500 3/4

From Siamglobal

WELL IT ONLY LASTED TWO DAYS . AT 1400 GMT TODAY TUESDAY, THE TWO DISCOVERY CHANNELS ON PAS 2 WERE REPLACED TODAY BY COLOUR BARS.

AT LEAST WE WERE ABLE TO HAVE TWO WHOLE DAYS OF EXTREMELY ENJOYABLE VIEWING THANKS TO APSATTV.COM.

A REMINDER TO APSATTERS THAT THE TAIWAN BOUQUET WHICH HAS HOLLYWOOD MOVIES IS STILL FTA ON JCSAT 3 AT 128 DEGREES EAST.

SIAMGLOBAL BKK

From the Dish

Asiasat 2 100.5E 3905 H "Reuters World News Service" is encrypted again.
Asiasat 2 100.5E 4075 V Occasional feeds, SR 6111, FEC 3/4.

Thaicom 3 78.5E 3585 V "Remo TV" has started regular transmissions on , Fta, PIDs 513/641.
Thaicom 3 78.5E SID for Arirang TV World 1 on 3551 H and 3672 H: 7.

Apstar 2R 76.5E 4122 H The occasional feeds have left .

PAS 10 68.5E 4034 H The MTV test card has left, PIDs 433/434.

NEWS

Fiji Telecom eyes satellite links

From http://www.fijilive.com/news/show/news/2003/02/05/05m.html

Telecom Fiji has announced it will invest in a new multi-million dollar satellite project later this year to provide communication services “to the most inaccessible areas”.

Amalgamated Telecom Holdings executive director Lionel Yee said Telecom Fiji had already identified 70 locations that would receive the service and promised “more would follow”.

?In time of crisis, this satellite project can be designed to provide an alternative route to areas that have been devastated by cyclones, for example,” he said.

?The satellite project could help in education as well as telemedicine.”

He said the project would be of major help in rural development “for communication services to rural areas would be modernised”.

?While the initial project would be focused in only certain areas of the country, its potential platform to link all of Fiji together, without the use of radio telephones or terrestrial-based system, is very real indeed,” Mr Yee said.

?Satellite is far more penetrating than present systems with their limited reach and inconsistent operations. It will bring a new dimension of communication to the country.”

He said while the project would chew up a lot of money, it was an indication that ATH, through Telecom Fiji, was committed to introducing technology that would go far in improving the telecommunication infrastructure that would ensure future growth.

+ut for ATH to continue to invest the substantial sums that are required to provide improved communication access and to introduce the innovations to ensure social as well as economic growth, an inequity must be corrected,” he pointed out. “I believe tariff rebalancing is important in the development of telecommunications access in Fiji.”

Mr Yee said what people in Fiji had was extremely low telephone access rental rates, far below the costs Telecom Fiji incurred in providing it and in servicing the telephone lines network and one of the lowest in the region, if not the lowest. “To keep the access rentals artificially low, they are being subsidised by international and national call charges,” he said.

News Ltd settles Australis case

From http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/Weekly2003/02.04.2003/Australia.htm

Media giant News Ltd has confirmed it has settled a case in which it was being sued by US bondholders in the defunct Australis satellite TV network for $6 billion.

The company says terms of the settlement are confidential. However, a source close to the US bondholders said News, which earlier had dismissed the case as "utterly wild" and "a try-on", had agreed to pay out $US30 million ($51 million).

Australis collapsed in 1998, less than three years after it launched Galaxy, Australia's first pay TV operation. Investors including Australian and US shareholders and bondholders and creditors lost more than $1 billion.

The case was settled in early January but News made no announcement to the markets or in the media until yesterday, after a Saturday report in The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age carried an extensive report of allegations made by the bondholders in their claim filed in New York's Supreme Court.

In the wake of the outcome of the claim, the Australian superannuation industry - which lost tens of millions of dollars of its members' retirement savings in the collapse - says it will consider taking the unprecedented step of also taking legal action against one of Australia's largest public companies.

Mavis Robertson, spokeswoman for organisers of the industry's annual conference, to be held in Hobart next month, said a team of lawyers from the US firm that ran the case, Milberg Weiss Bershad Hynes & Lerach, had agreed to travel to Australia to consult superannuation fund managers and address the conference.

"Until now the funds have been nervous about taking this sort of action," she said. "However, several of the larger fund managers are now taking a harder line on corporate governance, and if there is any prospect of recovering even part of the money by way of legal action either in Australia or the US it will be given consideration."

The claim filed in the US alleged that News Ltd precipitated the collapse of Australis by "tortious interference" with the networks contract with four of the seven major Hollywood movie studios that provided Galaxy with the stream of movies and drama it needed for its three channels.

News Corp chief Rupert Murdoch had teamed up with Telstra and later Kerry Packer came on board to form Foxtel, Galaxy's major rival. As part of that deal, Telstra provided the telephone lines down which the cable channel was piped into households, and Mr Murdoch was to provide the content.

However, because Australis and the third cable TV player, Optus, had tied up all the product available from Hollywood, Mr Murdoch was forced to buy programming from his rival, Galaxy. The contract tied Mr Murdoch into a 25-year contract worth an estimated $6 billion.

The writ claims that in Vancouver in December 1997, Lachlan Murdoch, then head of his father's operations in Australia, met executives of the four Hollywood studios, and that they signed an agreement under which they would do everything "practical and lawful" to sabotage Galaxy's contract.

Five months after the Vancouver meeting, Australis went into receivership, and Australia's first pay TV network went off the air.

4/02/03

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

Having read part 2 of Silicon Chip magazines article about setting up a cband dish, I am keen to get one up again, I think i can manage to hide up to a 2.4M solid without my neighbours noticing.

Sky NZ 12608 V "Channel Z" has replaced The Edge (Radio) (Encrypted)

From my Emails & ICQ

From Siamglobal

TODAYS APSAT REPORT SHOWS WHY YOUR WEBSITE IS ESSENTIAL VIEWING FOR ALL FTA SAT ENTHUSIASTS IN ASIA PACIFIC .

I CHECKED OUT THE REPORT TODAY ON NEW PROGS ON PAS 2 AND THERE ARE INDEED TWO FTA DISCOVERY CHANNEL PROGS.

ONE IS THE ASIA PACIFIC VERSION, THE OTHER THE NEW ZEALAND/ AUSTRALIA VERSION.

ONE WOULD NORMALLY NOT BE ABLE TO VIEW BOTH OF THESE TOGETHER AND CERTAINLY NOT FTA.

BOTH MAKE VERY INTERESTING 24 HOUR VIEWING AND LET'S HOPE ITS A MATTER OF WEEKS NOT DAYS BEFORE THEY GO OVER TO POWERVU !

SIAMGLOBAL BKK

From the Dish

JCSAT 3 128E 3960 V "Buddhism TV" has started, Fta, PIDs 1104/1105.

Asiasat 2 100.5E 3905 H "Reuters World News Service" is fta again.

ST 1 88E 3582 H "TBL TV Asia and TBL TV Western" have replaced TTV and CTS, Nagravision, PIDs 40/41 and 42/43.

Thaicom 3 78.5E 3585 V "Remo TV" has started testing on , Fta, PIDs 513/641.
Thaicom 3 78.5E Arirang TV World 1 has started on 3551 H and 3672 H, Fta, PIDs 1793/1794.

Intelsat 906 64E 3668 R "TV Africa Francais" is encrypted again.

NEWS

SAB plans three new channels

From http://www.hinduonnet.com/bline/stories/2003020401720600.htm

SRI Adhikari Brothers (SAB) is thinking big. The company is planning to launch at least three channels, including news and a regional language channel, in the next few years.

Speaking to Business Line, Mr Markand Adhikari, Vice-Chairman & Managing Director, SAB Television Networks Ltd (SABTNL), said: "We do not want to remain a stand-alone channel forever. We would also like to become a network." While news and a regional language channel are the options being considered, the genre of the third channel is undecided. "We could launch a niche one," he said.

Regarding the flagship SABe TV, Mr Adhikari said the channel has become popular due to its comedies and current affairs programmes. The channel has stayed away from the popular saas-bahu soaps. It currently has over 200 brands advertising on the channel.

In order to increase its advertising revenues, SABe TV has started uplinking from Noida. SABTNL has also received clearances from the Reserve Bank of India to take over Channel SABe TV's business from its wholly-owned subsidiary. "With this, we have managed to consolidate our business whereby both the channel and television software production come under one company," Mr Adhikari said.

However, the company has no immediate plans to make SABe TV a pay channel. With the Government clearing the Conditional Access Bill, Mr Adhikari said, the channel would remain a free-to-air one and be part of the basic tier. "Once we are able to improve our reach and the CAS scenario stabilises we will go pay," Mr Adhikari said. Currently, SABe TV is available in 30 million households.

As part of its strategy to enter the international market, SABTNL had entered into a 50:50 joint venture with the UK-based MATV Channel 6. After getting a foothold in the UK market, SABTNL plans to expand its operations and enter the US, South African and West Asian markets in the next financial year.

3/02/03

Plenty of stuff for today

From my Emails & ICQ

From Bill Richards 31/01/03

0630 UTC

Optus B1 12490 H S/R 6110 FEC 3/4 Vpid 308 Apid 256 SID1 "Astralinks Test Card / Feed SNG Tamworth"

Regards
Bill

From the Dish

PAS 8 166E 3860 H "Occasional feeds" on , PIDs 410/411 and 420/421.
PAS 8 166E 3980 H "Discovery Channel SE Asia" is still on , PowerVu, PIDs 2360/2320.

PAS 2 169E 3744 V "BBC World" has started on , Fta, PIDs 1560/1520-1522.Both Discovery Channel Asia are Fta.

Optus B1 160E 12490 H "Occasional feeds" on , SR 6111, FEC 3/4.

Palapa C2 113E 4050 H "Guangxi TV and EDTV Channel Europe" have left again.

Asiasat 2 100.5E 3905 H "Reuters World News Service" is now encrypted.

Thaicom 3 78.5E 3585 V The "Satsangh Channel" tests have left .
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3459 V "TMG Enter TV" has left .

PAS 10 68.5E 3863 V "Reality TV has replaced SABC Africa" on , Irdeto 2, PIDs 517/645.
PAS 10 68.5E 3863 V "A Big Brother Africa promo" has started on , Irdeto 2, PIDs 521/649,19-24 CET, time sharing with SuperSport 5.

NSS 703 57E Fashion & Style and the Action TV tests have moved from 3872 R to 3886 R, Fta, PIDs 2081/2082.

NEWS

Catastrophe Is Transmitted on NASA TV

From http://www.nytimes.com/

Whether sitting in front of a television or at a computer screen, the public could hear the last words from the Columbia shuttle crew, followed by ominous static, live on the space agency's own media outlet, NASA TV.

As the shuttle began its descent, NASA TV — available through satellite services and some cable systems as the NASA channel and streamed over the Internet — showed the scene in the mission control room in Houston, not images of the shuttle in the sky.

Officials at NASA TV could not be reached for comment about Saturday morning's coverage. A spokesman for the agency said it could not provide a full transcript of the audio during the descent.

Throughout the Columbia's mission, NASA TV transmitted images from within the shuttle and images sent from the craft. But once a shuttle closes the doors on the antenna inside its cargo bay and begins a descent, only audio is available.

In the final exchange, the person on the ground said, "We see your tire pressure messages, and we did not copy your last . . .," referring to data that was not coming in. The reply was, "Roger, uh——."

Wade Sisler, executive TV producer of the Goddard Space Flight Center, where the operation is broadcast, said that NASA TV had its roots in decades of NASA television operations. More than 20 years ago, he said, NASA was sending information from experiments in space by satellite to laboratories. "A number of universities downlink it," he said, "and put it on their own cable channels.

The channel broadcasts 24 hours a day during missions. Programs include daily news conferences and interviews with astronauts in orbit. When there is not a shuttle mission the channel carries daily briefings on space-related scientific and engineering developments.

In addition to being available at www.nasa.gov, NASA TV is picked up by online news organizations.

Phoenix Satellite to offer Irdeto M-Crypt smarts cards in US

From http://www.indiantelevision.com/tec/y2k3/jan/jantec25.htm

Irdeto Access,content protection and management company, has announced that Phoenix Satellite Television has delivered 30,000 smart cards for its digital satellite broadcasts of CCTV (China's Central Television) throughout the United States.

Hong Kong-based Phoenix Satellite Television, one of the leading satellite television broadcaster in China, was first to deploy Irdeto Access encryption system Irdeto M-Crypt six months ago. Irdeto M-Crypt is specifically designed for small- to medium-size pay-TV operators.

CCTV implemented Irdeto Access encryption system Irdeto M-Crypt to ensure transmission of two channels, CCTV-4 (CCTV International) and CCTV-9 (English Language Channel), from its new six-channel platform after a broadcast shift from from analogue to digital broadcasts in June 2002.

According to the release, Irdeto M-Crypt encryption system uplinks CCTV's signal to the satellite and is distributed to subscribers through their set-top boxes. With Irdeto M-Crypt, Phoenix Satellite can ensure protection of CCTV satellite broadcasts and also track the number of US households tuning in to CCTV's Chinese television programming.

Irdeto M-Crypt is a modular compact conditional access system that allows operators to expand their businesses while protecting the content at the lowest possible cost. Irdeto M-Crypt is easier to use and maintain than any other CA system because it runs on a Windows 2000 platform and can be installed onto a standard PC.

TV5 signs up Japan, and to go for news

From http://www.advanced-television.com/

The French language international channel TV5 have signed a carriage deal with NBS, the Japanese DTH platform. Presenting its' new onscreen branding Serge Adda, TV5's President, gave a glitzy press conference at the Eiffel Tower. The service will be launched at the beginning of April, reaching 400,000 homes. Adda said that the channel intends to increase its penetration worldwide. In the last year the number of homes that could receive TV5 increased by 15 per cent. The biggest increases coming from the UK where the channel has been available on the basic package of Sky Digital since last October. Sky Digital is available to 6.5 million homes in the UK. In the US the channel has 160,000 subscribers to its specific service at E10 a month. TV5 has also secured carriage recently in Spain, Taiwan and Hong Kong. "We are the channel with the third largest reach in the world," said Adda, "behind CNN and MTV but ahead of the BBC and Deutche Welle". He pointed out that this is done on limited resources "Our costs per potential viewer are much lower than the others."

TV5 broadcasts in up to eight languages, varying programming for the different geographic zones, and using 52 satellite signals from 36 different satellites. It now plans to add two more languages including Chinese to its subtitling.

The other change will be in the way news are covered. Although it will still carry the news from partner channels, TV5 will increase its own news production to appeal to an international audience. However, it is eliminating the "news tunnels", the periods when news bulletins from the different contributor channels follow each other resulting in non-stop news from different sources for over an hour.

INSAT-3A launch after Feb.28

From http://www.hinduonnet.com/stories/2003020304700100.htm

The Indian Space Research Organisation-built INSAT-3A is planned to be launched anytime after February 28, giving a boost to the communication and meteorological services, a top ISRO official said today.

``The launch window will be open for a week from February 28'', the Director of the ISRO Satellite Centre and Space Commission member, Dr. P. S. Goel, told PTI here.

The satellite has transponders in C, extended C and KU bands and would have applications in the communication and meteorology. It also has a transponder for search and rescue.

Sahara news channel launching 25 February

From http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k3/feb/feb2.htm

LUCKNOW: Emotions before economics. Sounds good in advertisements, but don't be mistaken that the Subrata Roy-promoted Sahara India group (current assets: over Rs. 320 billion) has given the bottomlines a complete go by.

"We certainly have made some revenue assumptions, and if our assumptions are correct, then we may break even with our media expansion - including satellite news channels - in the first year," Sahara India group's managing worker (as he likes to call himself) and chairman (in that order) Subrata Roy, told indiantelevision.com yesterday on the eve of the group's 25th anniversary. Company sources revealed that the launch of Roy's first (and main) news channel - Sahara national channel - has been set for 25 February.

The anniversary celebrations were held in Sahara City, a city within a city in Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh state, with a start-studded entertainment show that saw the likes of Kareena Kapoor, Urmila, Mahima and Sonu Nigam perform before a packed house.

SAHARA LOOKING TO EXPAND INTO US MARKETS

Besides the homeground, the group is also planning to cover the foreign markets as well. The Sahara group is close to finalising a deal with the US-based TV Asia, whose former shareholders included Amitabh Bachchan and Ketan Somaiya, for a business relationship. The project will start off with content sharing and later may be expanded to Sahara picking up equity stake in TV Asia, thus get a foothold in the US market.

"Some negotiations are on, but at present I cannot divulge the details. Still, the content sharing may start within a few months," Roy said, as politician-friend Amar Singh smiled.

After the US, the next destination for Sahara channels would be the UK and Canada.

The Sahara group has also opened up talks with the likes of Reliance and Bharti to ride their fibre optic network around the country.

"We are in talks with the likes of Reliance and Bharti. We are essentially to looking at finding a synergy to reach people's home with our various products. But such deals would not be finalised unless we find a solution to the problem of last mile all by ourselves," Roy said.

One can debate on Roy's style of functioning, but one cannot ignore the passion with which he takes up new ventures and puts them together.

"In the last 25 years there have been talks of competition, but I think others (NDTV, Aaj tak and Star) should feel that we are competition," Roy asserts to a query from indiantelevision.com on the impending competition, adding, "We will do what we feel we can do and achieve and let others do what they think they should be doing."

As regards the news channels, Sumit Roy, head of the group's media and entertainment business, had earlier told indiantelevision.com that seven region specific channels and 30-odd city-specific channels would be streamed riding the respective parent news channels, and the news weeklies to be launched in 31-odd cities would "complement each other."

"What we are looking at, is to have the weeklies compliment the news, reports and coverage of our news channels. The local news will attract viewers that in turn will get us local ads too. If we can combine the print and the electronic medium ideally, I don't feel there would be a dearth of business. And that is our aim," Roy said. "But we don't always start a venture with immediate financial benefit in mind. The channels are guided by the principle that they would be people's channels and provide them with a platform to voice their concern and issues related to them."

Can Sahara pull it off? Especially at a time when heavyweights like NDTV, Aaj Tak and Star have already decided to flex their financial and professional muscles having had past experience in the business of news channels.

The answer to this question lies in the five-page ads that has been brought out by Sahara group on the occasion of the silver jubilee today that proudly says that starting from a capital base of Rs 2,000 25 years ago, the group is fast growing towards an asset base of Rs 1,000 billion.

Tall claims? The history of the group says otherwise.

T S I C H A N N E L N E W S - Number 5/2003 3 February 2003 -

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

Editor: Branislav Pekic

Edited Apsattv.com Edition

A S I A

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC IN ARABIC

The National Geographic Channel Asia is localizing its Middle East service.
All programming on the 24-hour channel will now have Arabic subtitles. Nat
Geo is available in eleven countries throughout the Middle East.

AUSTRALIA

CALLS FOR COMMON SET-TOP BOX REJECTED

The Australian government has decided not to mandate a common standard
among pay-TV and free-to-air digital set-top box specifications, primarily
due to disagreements over what the standard should be. A common platform
had been seen as a way of reversing the disastrous take-up of digital TV in
the country, but now terrestrial networks will have to negotiate carriage
deals with the likes of Foxtel in order to avoid the estimated A$1 billion
(US$580 million) cost of designing their own digital boxes. Communications
minister Richard Alston has also urged the industry to assess the costs and
benefits of requiring digital tuners to be installed in TV receivers. The
Australian Financial Review said the decision was a major victory for
pay-TV operator Foxtel and its shareholders - Telstra, News Corp and PBL -
which is scheduled to roll out its digital service in October.

FOXTEL PIRATE FINED

A Melbourne man was on January 29 convicted and fined A$20,000 for
distributing pirated pay-TV decoders, marking the first investigation of
its kind in Victoria. At the Sunshine Magistrates Court Roger Rivo admitted
to making pirated Foxtel smart cards which enabled users to tune in to the
pay-TV network. He pleaded guilty to charges of possessing a machine to
make false documents, making a broadcast decoding device, and distributing
a broadcast decoding device. In a police summary, the court heard Rivo told
police he generally sold the smart cards for A$250 individually or as part
of a satellite package he installed for A$1,200. The court heard Rivo later
told police he purchased the blank smart cards for A$20 each over the
Internet, then used the codes from two genuine Foxtel cards to clone
templates onto the blank smart cards. It is believed the cards later became
inoperable as a result of anti-piracy measures adopted by Foxtel.
Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association executive director
Debra Richards hailed the A$20,000 penalty, noting pirate pay TV
subscriptions were costing the industry an estimated A$50 million annually.

CHINA - HONG KONG

PHOENIX TO COLLECT AD REVENUE

Hong Kong-based Phoenix Satellite TV has signed an agreement with a Chinese
provincial government that will allow it collect advertising revenues in
China for the first time since it went on air in the country six years ago.
The revenue sharing agreement was concluded with the Guangdong Television
Broadcasting Development Centre, part of the official regulator, the
Guangdong Administration of Radio, Film and TV in the prosperous southern
province that borders Hong Kong. The agreement sets up a joint venture
known as Guangdong International Media between the two sides that will be
the sole advertising agent for the two Phoenix channels, Phoenix Chinese
and InfoNews, and it will sell Phoenix programming to other Guangdong-based
broadcasters.

INDIA

CABLE TV INDUSTRY DIVIDED ON PRICING

With cable industry poised to switch over to the conditional access system
(CAS) from 14 July 2003, a key question has arisen over the pricing of the
free-to-air cable TV subscription. The channels that will be free-to-air
are Doordarshan, Aaj Tak, MTV, BBC, Sabe TV and Sahara. While broadcasters
have suggested a basic price of Rs30, the cable industry wants the service
to be priced at Rs180. However, the Government of India will fix the final
price. Cable operators contend that they will be out of business if prices
are fixed under Rs40. Cable Network Association, National Cable Television
Association and Cable Operators Federation of India have made a plea to the
Government. They contend that the cost of an average of 500 subscribers
works out to Rs180 per month and cable homes must pay Rs250 per month to
watch free channels.

EDUCATIONAL TV LAUNCHED

In a major boost to distance education in the country, students will now
have access to high quality tutorials in engineering and technical courses
in the comfort of their homes through a dedicated technical education TV
channel and four FM radio channels. Gyan Darshan III, a free-to-air
technology education channel, and four Gyan Vani FM radio channels were
launched by Indian Human Resource Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi
on January 26.

The TV channel, to be known as "Eklavya" and coordinated by Indian
Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, would relay eight courses in a series
to be telecast on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

REALITY TV ARRIVES IN INDIA

U.K.-based Reality TV launched in India on February 1 and is being
distributed by the Zee-Turner joint venture. The free-to-air channel will
showcase real-life drama, look at emergency services and chronicle natural
and manmade disasters. Since launching three years ago, Reality TV has
amassed an audience of 27 million homes across Europe, the Middle East and
Africa.

STAR TV CONSIDERS INDIAN WORLD BEAM

Star TV is considering launching a separate Indian beam for its
entertainment channel Star World. The company told press that it would make
a decision within two months.

MALAYSIA

CCTV-4 ARRIVES IN MALAYSIA

CCTV, China's state-owned broadcaster, launched international channel
CCTV-4 in Malaysia on January 31. The service will be made available via
Malaysia's Universe TV Network to coincide with the Chinese New Year and
spring festival. CCTV-4 is the fourth channel the Chinese broadcaster has
launched in Malaysia.

NEW ZEALAND

MAORI TV GETS ADDITIONAL FUNDING

The Maori Television Service [MTS] will receive increased funding and will
use a platform combining UHF and satellite transmission under decisions
announced by Finance Minister Michael Cullen and Maori Affairs Minister
Parekura Horomia on January 29. Cullen said the funding increase of 7.075
million dollars a year would give MTS an annual operating budget of 12.98
million dollars. Parekura Horomia said MTS would provide an indigenous
broadcasting service that was unique and would significantly enrich the
cultural fabric of New Zealand. The advantages of the UHF (Broadcast
Communications Ltd, BCL) platform are that MTS will own and control its
transmission facilities and will be able to move to a digital platform in
the future. It will also mean that MTS is using the frequencies reserved
for Maori language broadcasting since 1989. "Initially the transmission
will provide coverage for 75 per cent of the general population and 70 per
cent of Maori. The second stage will expand coverage to 86 per cent of the
Maori population. "It is important to note that this is a greater level of
coverage than any other New Zealand television channel has achieved on its
launch..." [Horomia said]

THAILAND

GLOBAL NETWORK SEEKS PROFIT

Thai TV Global Network, an international satellite TV channel owned and
operated by the Royal Thai Army, is set to post a profit in 2003 after five
years of broadcasting. Sales at the service, which is aimed at Thais living
abroad, are expected to double to Bt100 million ($2.3 million). While
subscription rates have increased there has been a 50% cut in decoder
prices. Thai TV Global Network is available in 155 countries worldwide.

2/02/03

No update Sundays

1/02/03

Back Monday!