Satnews

[Lujdzo]

Spain approves second ‘digital dividend’
Spain approves second ‘digital dividend’

Iñaki Ferreras | 27-08-2012

The Spanish government has approved the implementation of a second ‘digital dividend’ to give more capacity to proposed 4G telecoms while at same time changing the spectrum frequencies of broadcasters.

Following agreement between UTECA (private channels) and the Spanish government, Spain may use frequencies of 800 MHz band for telecommunications services as of January 1, 2014, thus advancing by a year the previous date set by the executive.

The move will see DTT signals that currently make use of the spectrum band, mostly taken by private television channels nationwide, relocated as well as some television channels or TVE in certain regions. All these signals must be shifted to other different frequencies. The government will make funding available to re-tune the antenna "communities of owners of a building or group of buildings subjected to horizontal property regime" or "owners of a common infrastructure for receiving digital television."

[Lujdzo]

1-2-3.tv to launch on DTT in Berlin

Jörn Krieger | 27-08-2012

German home-shopping broadcaster 1-2-3.tv will become available via DTT in Berlin and Brandenburg on 31 August 2012. Transmitter network operator Media Broadcast will take the channel on air at 12.00 CET.

Distribution will be on DVB-T channel 59 (778 MHz) through the transmitter sites Alexanderplatz (10 kW) and Schäferberg (5 kW). Viewers will be able to receive the new addition after a channel search on their DTT reception device.

With the move, 1-2-3.tv will increase its reach: More than 20% of TV households in Berlin and Brandenburg use DTT.

The viewers in the German Capital and surroundings can then receive a total of 41 TV channels via DTT, resembling the largest digital terrestrial TV choice in Germany.

[Lujdzo]

German TV broadcasters unify audio level

Jörn Krieger | 27-08-2012

Germany's public and commercial TV broadcasters will transmit their programmes at harmonised audio level from 31 August 2012. The sound volume differences between channels and between programme content and commercials will then be considerably reduced.

With the move, which is based on a recommendation by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the broadcasters react on the differently perceived loudness levels between programmes, commercials and trailers which make many viewers angrily grab their remote control for adjustment.

The sound dynamics deliberately employed within programme content or a commercial will, however, not be affected, so that sections with different sound levels will continue to exist.

The move, on which both free-to-air and pay-TV broadcasters agreed, became known in December 2011.

[Lujdzo]

Tribune slams Cablevison in latest US retrans row

Editor | 27-08-2012

In the latest move in the retransmission row affecting the US TV market, Tribune subsidiary the Fox affiliate in Hartford, Connecticut, has pulled its content from Cablevision’s cable systems offerings.

The dispute kicked off on 17 August when Cablevision cut access to its cable TV subscribers of programming on a number of Tribune’s television stations, including WPIX-TV (New York), WPHL-TV (Philadelphia), WCCT-TV (Hartford) and KWGN-TV (Denver).

In this latest move, Cablevision customers in the Hartford region will no longer have access to Tribune local news, traffic, weather, sports and entertainment programming provided by WTIC-TV. In addition, Tribune’s networks, WGN America and AntennaTV, will no longer be available to Cablevision subscribers and Cablevision subscribers in Hartford will be denied access to programming such as New Girl, Glee, The Simpsons, and live sports like NFL Football, NASCAR and Major League Baseball.

At the centre of the dispute, says Tribune, is Cablevision’s lack of compensation for the rebroadcast of WTIC-TV, even though Tribune claims to have made “significant investments” in high quality programming. Tribune adds that it is “simply asking for an agreement that is similar to those that Cablevision already has in place with many other broadcasters and programme providers.”

“This is an extremely unfortunate situation and we’re disappointed that Cablevision refuses to recognise the value of these channels to our viewers,” added Nils Larsen, Tribune Broadcasting president. “We remain far apart in negotiations and urge subscribers to call Cablevision and to express themselves through social media, including Twitter and Facebook.”

[Lujdzo]

Prime Minister e$$$ French PSB ad dispute

Pascale Paoli-Lebailly | 27-08-2012

French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault has ended the dispute between his two opposing Ministers of Budget and Culture regarding the prime time ad ban on public service broadcast (PSB) channels.

The news comes on the back of an announcement on 23 August that a return of advertising on public channels was not to be excluded, which was followed the next day by a statement assuring that advertising will not come back at all.

Jean-Marc Ayrault then put an end to the governmental discord, consensually saying “the question of reintroducing advertising into public screens is not top of the agenda.” Yet this doesn’t mean at all it will never happen and even if this arbitration settles the governmental dispute, it doesn’t solve the financial questions regarding PSB facing France Télévision.

The PSB primetime ad ban is said to be costing â,¬450â€"500 million and if the two compensating taxes set up by former government on telcos and private broadcasters are cancelled by the EC, other sources of revenues will have to be found. For the time being, the legal conflict between France and the EC has not yet been resolved and will not before the end of the year.

[Lujdzo]

UK film production company Hammer has launched its first dedicated YouTube channel.

New content from current Hammer productions as well as restored classic Hammer feature films will be available to stream online.

The Hammer Films channel will carry a range of new content, previews, commentary and behind the scenes material from upcoming new productions such as The Quiet One and The Woman In Black: Angels Of Death.

In addition, the Hammer Films channel will stream a collection of Hammer’s classic feature film titles including The Quatermass Xperiment, The Man In Black and Captain Kronos Vampire Hunter, some of which have been newly restored and digitally re-mastered.

As additional titles are added to the new platform, this will be the first time fans can view other digitally re-mastered classic Hammer films online under a restoration initiative launched earlier this year by Hammer’s owner Exclusive Media.

From the historic library, the Hammer Films Channel will also carry classic Hammer TV series such as Hammer House Of Mystery And Suspense, as well as new on-air commentary and film introductions from official Hammer historian, Marcus Hearn and Hammer archivist, Robert J.E. Simpson.

Simon Oakes, President and CEO of Hammer said in a statement, “The launch of our dedicated YouTube channel truly encapsulates how we have positioned Hammer as a dynamic British genre label with a great heritage. We hope this new platform will allow us to continue to reach fans who have responded so well to films like Let Me In and The Woman In Black, while continuing to honour the great filmmaking history of our company.”

[Lujdzo]

SES launches HD push in Latin America
Gabriel Miramar-Garcia | 28-08-2012

Satellite operator SES has launched an antenna programme in Latin America, aiming to install TV antennae in a variety of pay-TV heade$$$ to provide HD satellite feeds, combined with a new satellite launch in 2013.


The plan follows a similar initiative from the company in the European market.
Dolores Martos, SES sales vice president for Latin America and the Caribbean, told Brazilian media outlet Telaviva that the company plans to deploy the programme in tandem with the launch of the satellite SES-6 in the first half of 2013, which will provide additional capacit to the region to better support HD signal delivery.
Satellite SES-6 will replace the NSS-806 at the core orbital location at 319.5° E, and will provide a significant capacity expansion. The expanded Ku-band payload of SES-6 will offer a substantially enhanced coverage and capacity in North America, Central and South America. Home to Latin America's cable neighbourhood, the new replacement satellite will further support HD and channel growth in the region.

[Lujdzo]

Portuguese public TV may come to an end
Iñaki Ferreras | 27-08-2012

Portugal’s conservative government has decided to close the second national public television channel, Lisbon channel RTP2, and advance to the granting of other public channels to a private group for a period of between 15 to 25 years.

Although currently there is no official confirmation, news sources in the country suggest that, the executive led by Social Democrat Pedro Passos Coelho has already made the decision to move forward with the privatisation of Portuguese public television.

This solution has three government objectives: eliminate the high costs associated with the group RTP / RDP (public broadcasting) which on average is about â,¬240 million per year, maintaining public ownership of the company and ensuring the fulfilment of public service content through the contract with the private group to win the award.

Film director Pedro Antonio Vasconcelos, one of the promoters of the manifesto against privatisation of RTP, considers the move "the biggest attack on the national sovereignty of Portugal since the Revolution of 25 April 25 1974". The director has demanded the Portuguese President's intervention to end this situation which he considers "very serious and unprecedented in Europe."

The conservative government has decided to proceed with the closure and privatisation of other channels, including the generalist RTP1, channel RTPi information, the international channel, the channel broadcasting in African countries and channel RTP Africa RTP Memoria.

[Lujdzo]

Spain’s government to soften Antena 3, laSexta merger conditions
Iñaki Ferreras | 27-08-2012

Spain’s government is to intervene in the merger of Antena 3 and la Sexta to soften the conditions which have put a temporary end to the merger of both companies.

The government will now review and amend the conditions established by the National Competition Commission (CNC) after the merger application loking at it from the perspective of “general interest", said Saenz de Santamaria.

The Spanish Council of Ministers accepts most impositions of the CNC, but will modify some, especially those relating to recruitment advertising and their duration with the aim of encouraging the development of the audiovisual sector in the midst of the crisis that plagues advertising and the process of releasing frequencies looming in the coming months.

The CNC approved in July the operation forcing the company to comply with a series of restrictions tougher than those that imposed after the integration of Mediaset and Sogecuatro. The government seeks that the conditions of the merger of Antena 3 and laSexta go "in symmetry" with other mergers already under way, in a clear reference to the aforementioned merger of Mediaset and Sogecuatro

The government changes to the conditions imposed by the CNC will aim to eliminate the requirement to the resulting entity marketing of advertising space across different societies. This will increase to 22% the combined average TV audience pertaining to TV advertising.

[Lujdzo]

Disney Channel HD joins Ono
Iñaki Ferreras | 27-08-2012

Spain’s main cable operator Ono, is to incorporate the HD version of Disney Channel to its range of channels.

In addition to US kids’ programmes such as 'Shake it Up', 'Good Luck Charlie', 'Phineas and Ferb', the Disney Channel will offer local production such as 'La Tour' and the band Pop4U triumphs.

Through its increasingly successful TiVo service, Ono says that viewers can enjoy full HD content in many offerings such as premieres, movies, documentaries and concerts.

This will complement the Ono-TV range of generalist and thematic channels, in particular the Videoclub service which has more than 2,500 content pieces available.

[Lujdzo]

RTL Living to launch in HDTV
Jörn Krieger | 27-08-2012

German commercial broadcaster RTL will offer its pay-TV channel RTL Living in high-definition in future.

The first carriage partner for the HD simulcast will be cable operator NetCologne who will distribute the channel on its cable network in Cologne and surroundings from 1 September 2012.

After RTL Crime HD, RTL Living HD will be RTL's second subscription channel in high resolution. Only Passion is currently not offered as an HD simulcast.

RTL group also provides HDTV versions of its free-to-air channels RTL, RTL II, VOX, Super RTL and RTL Nitro.

[Lujdzo]

NetCologne to expand TV line-up
Jörn Krieger | 27-08-2012

German city carrier NetCologne will add new TV channels to its cable network on 1 September 2012 including several high-definition services.

The customers of the Cologne-based cable operator and its sister company NetAachen will then be able to receive a total of 48 HD channels.

With the addition of SWR Fernsehen HD, 3sat HD and KI.KA HD, cable subscribers will have access to the full line-up of HD channels provided by public broadcasters ARD and ZDF. Further new free-to-air channels are home-shopping services QVC HD and QVC Beauty.

The pay-TV portfolio will be complemented by RTL Living HD, Fox HD, National Geographic HD, Spiegel TV Wissen HD and BonGusto.

[Lujdzo]

Tektronix targets RF video monitoring
Michelle Clancy | 28-08-2012

Tektronix has unveiled Sentry Edge II, the latest offering in the line of Sentry Video Quality Monitors. Sentry Edge II detects spectral modulation and transport-stream errors generated by equipment failures.


With Sentry Edge II, video service providers now have access to the information needed to proactively monitor RF, before issues affect subscribers.
Sentry Edge II performs post-QAM monitoring in the dynamic video environment, where quick problem isolation and resolution are essential. MER measurements up to 41dB allow providers to detect signal quality degradation before the issue impacts the subscriber's viewing experience.
Providers can choose from two high-density models, four or eight tuners, both designed to minimise rack space and power costs. RF signals up to 1GHz can be monitored, allowing monitoring of the additional services.
"The video and audio errors that can ruin subscribers' QoE can originate anywhere in today's increasingly complex networks, so monitoring networkwide is vital for resolving these errors before they impact subscribers," said Eben Jenkins, GM for the video product line at Tektronix. "The advanced monitoring capabilities of our new Sentry Edge II ideally complement the other members of the Sentry family, enabling video service providers to comprehensively monitor video content from the 'source to the edge' of their networks."

[Lujdzo]

C-SPAN launches VOD channel for U.S. election coverage
Gabriel Miramar-Garcia | 28-08-2012

C-SPAN, the U.S. cable channel for watching live Congressional proceedings, is planning to launch a video-on-demand (VOD) service to make the most memorable moments from this year's Presidential election campaign available round-the-clock. First up: all the action from the Republican and Democratic National Conventions.


C-SPAN launched its Campaign 2012 initiative to nearly 50 million households through most U.S.-based TV service providers.The free VOD service provides subscribers access to key Obama and Romney campaign speeches leading up to the election, full convention coverage of the DNC and RNC, and the presidential and vice presidential debates.
"We have delivered every minute of every political convention since 1984 on C-SPAN, and the cable industry continues to enhance their support of our public service mission, utilising their best technologies by providing access to our Campaign 2012 coverage on VOD," said C-SPAN Vice President Peter Kiley. "Widespread delivery of key RNC and DNC convention speeches and the upcoming campaign debates on cable's on-demand platform is a testament to the industry's commitment to serve the public interest."
C-SPAN is enabling the offering through Avail-TVN's C3 service to deliver and provision content to affiliates' VOD menus within hours of live broadcast.
"This year's presidential campaign has captured the imagination of US voters, but their schedules make catching live coverage challenging, so offering access to this content on-demand quickly after live broadcast is especially important," said Jim Riley, chief revenue officer at Avail-TVN. "Leveraging our expertise managing live-to-VOD for events like the 2012 London Games, we are delighted to support C-SPAN's extensive coverage of important campaign events during this presidential election season."

[Lujdzo]

Azteca America offers Latino-focused election coverage
Gabriel Miramar-Garcia | 28-08-2012

Azteca America is providing Spanish-language coverage of the Republican National Convention and Democratic National Convention in the U.S.


"There are important issues facing the Hispanic community for this year's national elections and we are committed to providing all the tools for informed decisions," said Luis J. Echarte, chairman of Azteca America, in a statement.
Noticiero Azteca America anchor Roberto Ruiz will be broadcasting live on 28, 29 and 30 August, together with Azteca America Washington Bureau Chief Armando Guzman to present the most up-to-date news from the Republican National Convention in Tampa Bay, Fla.
The coverage will include a special half-hour programme to be aired on Thursday, 30 August, focusing on important Hispanic voter issues such as U.S.-Mexico relations, the Hispanic vote, retirement, Medicare, immigration, job creation and more, with live interviews from the convention site.
Convention coverage will continue from the Democratic National Convention with a live feed to network news from Charlotte N.C. on 4, 5 and 6 September. In addition to news segments, Noticiero Azteca America will present a special program on Thursday, 6 September that provides in-depth analysis of Hispanic voter issues.