Satnews

[Lujdzo]

TV5Monde postpones the appointment of its new MD

Pascale Paoli-Lebailly | 18-10-2012

A lack of agreement between international French-speaking channel TV5Monde’s shareholders has led to the broadcaster postponing the appointment of a new managing director.

The successor of Marie-Christine Saragosse, who becomes AEF’s new CEO, should have been announced on 16 October. The governments of the five shareholding states that include France, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada and Québec, asked for a delay before making their choice.

Marie-Christine Saragosse will ensure the continuity of the management until the appointment of a new MD, around November 14th, it’s announced.

[Lujdzo]

Banijay Group companies plugged to YouTube channels

Pascale Paoli-Lebailly | 18-10-2012

Banijay Group’s US and European divisions have begun creating online TV programming for the new YouTube Original Content Initiative premium branded channels.

Paris-based Air Productions, in partnership with France Télévisions, has launched channel Taratata On Air, which is an extension of its popular live music show Taratata. Fully edited and programmed by Air Productions, it follows a weekly programming schedule including original musical content. In the US Banijay’s Bunim/Murray Productions has partnered with Alchemy Networks to produce programming for an urban-themed premium YouTube channel set to launch in the fourth quarter of Q4 of 2012. Bunim/Murray will provide new original programming five days a week.

As of September 2012, 20 of the 100 original YouTube channels were attracting at least 1 million views a week.

[Lujdzo]

Technicolor, Astro strengthen cooperation

Pascale Paoli-Lebailly | 18-10-2012

Malaysia-based satellite broadcaster Astro has renewed its contract for Technicolor MediaPlay set-top boxes.

Further to the delivery of a first batch of MediaPlay High-Definition (HD) MPEG-4 set-top boxes over 2010-2011, Astro has also granted Technicolor additional contract for the same platform to be delivered in the coming months.

The set-top box supplied by Technicolor will still offer the ability to record to one or several external disks, allowing subscribers to tailor their recording capability for meeting their own requirements.

Deliveries of the additional set-top boxes are currently underway, while at the same time Technicolor will continue providing locally-based and extensive logistics and after-sales support to Astro.

Technicolor’s range of MediaPlay set-top boxes provide an array of services encompassing multi-room and multi-screen, on demand, wireless streaming or over-the-top (OTT).

[Lujdzo]

Mediaset España takes online TV leadership

Iñaki Ferreras | 18-10-2012

Mediaset España has become the undisputed leader of online TV in Spain, racking up a 41.9% market share of traffic, ahead of rivals Antena 3 (14.3%) and RTVE (29.7%).

This means that the company now has 15.1 million unique users, 4.2 million more than Antena 3 and 1.6 million ahead of national broadcaster RTVE, made even more impressed by rivals adding to their figures the users of their online radio stations

Telecinco.es was last September, the most visited web site of broadcasters, with 12.6 million unique users, nearly 3 million more than Antena3.com (9.7 million). Meanwhile, Cuatro.com (3.7 million unique users) doubles in September LaSexta.com traffic (1.8 million).

[Lujdzo]

Telemundo unveils new telenovelas for Ecuador

Iñaki Ferreras | 18-10-2012

The telenovela ‘El rostro de la venganza’ (‘The revenge’s face’) produced by Telemundo Studios and distributed by Telemundo Internacional has been launched in Ecuador on Channel Ecuavisa.

"We are confident that [the programme will] captivate audiences with his story full of intrigue and suspense, where love and passion will always be present," said Joysette Rivera, director of sales for Central America, Canada, Ecuador and the Caribbean.


Read more: Telemundo unveils new telenovelas for Ecuador | Rapid TV News

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http://www.rapidtvnews.com/index.php...#ixzz29eMShvWO

[Lujdzo]

Chilean Government renews digital licences

Iñaki Ferreras | 18-10-2012

While waiting to pass its much delayed congressional sanction Digital TV Act, Chile’s Government has signed a decree to renew temporary permits for a number of TV channels to broadcast DTT test signals.

Through this measure, Sebastián Piñera’s administration seeks to promote the development of digital TV in Chile, providing temporary tools for channels to initiate the migration process ahead of digital switchover which is set for 2015.

“At present, about 20% of Chilean households have televisions adapted to receive free digital TV signals but cannot [access services] due to delay [caused] by the respective law, "said Jorge Atton, Chile’s Undersecretary of Telecommunications (SUBTEL). “The idea is that the regional channels can train and prepare for the migration from analogue to digital TV, and these interim permits are not any right or advantage to choose then to a television concession.”

[Lujdzo]

Redigital granted 20-year Peruvian cable licence

Iñaki Ferreras | 18-10-2012

The Ministry of Transport and Communications (MTC) of Peru has granted cable operator Digital Networks (Redigital) authority to provide cable TV services in the country for a period of 20 years.

Under the terms of the prospective licence agreement, Redigital has until the beginning of December to pay the respective rights and submit a letter of guarantee to ensure the start of its commercial activities.

The move will see the arrival of another player into the Peruvian pay-TV adding to the presence of Movistar (Telefónica), Claro TV (America Móvil) and DirecTV.

[Lujdzo]

September on song for Channel 4 digital portfolio

Editor | 18-10-2012

The investment made by the UK’s fourth largest broadcaster to tap into digital business continues to be a solid one as Channel 4 has reported what it calls a “hugely successful” September 2012.

Across the month, the channel reached 30.1 million individuals (52.4%) its second highest monthly reach figure ever, behind December 2011 (30.5 million). The week of 3â€"9 September drew the channel's best ever weekly share figure of 1.58%.

Individual channelhighlights included More 4 achieving its highest ever share of individuals, 1.38%, compared with a previous high of 1.36% in June 2011. E4 also achieved its fourth-biggest monthly individuals’ share of 2.10% across the month, and was said to have drawn a higher share, 5.75%, of 16-34s than in any previous month, beating the previous high of 5.35% set over ten years ago in June 2002. The week of 17â€"23September saw a weekly share of 16-34s of 6.14%, exceeding 6% for the first time in the channel's history.

American acquisitions The Big Bang Theory, New Girl and Revenge were responsible for the high volume of younger viewers to E4, as well as teen drama Hollyoaks performed well also.

[Lujdzo]

Murdoch comes out fighting to shareholders

Editor | 18-10-2012

After a year of being pummelled due to the phone-hacking scandal, Rupert Murdoch, chairman and chief executive officer of News Corp has made an impassioned and unapologetic plea to the company’s shareholders to keep faith with the management team who, he says, continues to deliver.

As he began the 2012 AGM, Murdoch acknowledged what he conceded was “serious wrongdoing” at News Corp for whom he said had suffered “a difficult period”. Yet if anyone was expecting a mea culpa it was not being delivered to the shareholders who he reminded that News Corp stock was nearly 45% up on the same period in 2011 despite the phone-hacking scandal and the subsequent failure to take full control of the cash machine that is BSkyB. Indeed, he said: “Notwithstanding our success, our company is undervalued.”

In addition to the rising stock price, Murdoch highlighted the fact that News Corp's adjusted total segment operating income increased 13% to $5.6 billion over the year, with adjusted earnings per share growing 19% to $1.41 per share. The year also saw the purchase of Fox Pan American Sports, the sale of $$$ and agreements to purchase the remaining ownership stake of ESPN STAR Sports in India, and Consolidated Media Holdings in Australia.

Expressing his view that the market “likes the work” News Corp was doing “and has confidence in our future”, Murdoch pointed out to the floor that News Corp faced its biggest potential change and opportunity in the coming year, namely the split of the business into two separate, publicly-traded companies, one dedicated to media and one to entertainment.

“With this separation, we will free up each company to better deliver on its promises to customers across the globe. As we do, it will also mean unlocking more value for our shareholders,” Murdoch added. Murdoch said he expected to be in a position to give more details about the executive management structures and Board memberships by the end of the year.

[Lujdzo]

Eutelsat 70B set for launch on 3 December

Pascale Paoli-Lebailly | 18-10-2012

The Eutelsat 70B satellite launch is scheduled for 3 December.The new satellite has arrived in Long Beach, California and been transported to the Sea Launch "Home Port" facility.

The satellite will be handed over to Sea Launch's prime contractor, Energia Logistics, Ltd., to be mated with the payload support structure and integrated with the Zenit-3SL launch vehicle before departure to the launch site in November. Built by Astrium using its E3000 platform, Eutelsat 70B is designed to optimise resources from the 70.5° East orbital slot that sits at the crossroads between Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia.

Its 48 Ku-band transponders will be located on a single platform, more than doubling current capacity at 70.5° East for data and government services, broadband access, GSM backhauling and professional video exchanges. Eutelsat 70B will replace the Eutelsat 70A satellite which will subsequently be redeployed to another location.

[Lujdzo]

M6 forecasts ad revenues slump over 2012-2013

Pascale Paoli-Lebailly | 18-10-2012

Nicolas de Tavernost, CEO of French commercial broadcaster M6, estimates the French TV market can’t afford 25 FTA channels, as media ad revenues are forecasted to slump over 2012-2013.

According to M6, ad revenues would pass to â,¬3.1 bn in 2012 and â,¬ 3.1 bn in 2013 vs â,¬3.5 bn in 2011.

The group, which is paradoxically set to launch new family FTA channel M6Ter next December along with five others HD DTT channels, adds the existence of too many channels is going to drive a major financing problem.

“If prime-time ad ban had not been effective on France Télévisions, bankrupts would have already occurred” de Tavernost stated at a press conference in Paris.

He also noted that since the launch of new FTA DTT channels in 2005, media ad invests had stagnated, around â,¬3.495bn in 2006 and 3.496 in 2011.

[Lujdzo]

Romanian players look to the future


Romtelecom has acquired the online movie service Muvix for an undisclosed fee.

Speaking about the deal in the conference Digital ZF 12, quoted by ZF, Orlando Nicoara, general manager of the Mediafax Group, said that content from Muvix would now be integrated with that of Romtelecom’s Dolce TV platform.
Muvix was launched by MediaPro Interactive, the former online division of Mediafax Group, in December 2009 and offers viewers licensed movies from Disney and other producers.


Separately, also speaking at Digital ZF 12 and quoted by ZF, Severina Pascu, the head of UPC Romania, has said that the operator plans to become a MVNO.
However, she was unable to provide a date as to when this may happen.

[Lujdzo]

TV growth dampened by TeliaSonera job losses


Plans to cut 2,000 jobs took the gloss of TeliaSonera’s continued success in IPTV.

The proposed redundancies represent around 7% of the Swedish-Finnish telco’s overall workforce. They are being brought in as part of a â,¬230 million cost-cutting plan that follows lower than expected quarterly profits.
Expenses at the company, which has significant interests in Central & East Europe and in Asia, are growing at a rate higher than revenues.


Such expenses include the new connected TV solution being introduced with Samsung that elmimates the need for a set-top box. As previously reported in Broadband TV News it will be introduced in Estonia in late 2012 and in Sweden and Finland during 2013.


Swedish IPTV subscriptions currently stand at 1,289,000 from 1,248,000 in the last quarter and 1,137,000 twelve months ago. Customers currently rent approximately 250,000 movies per month over VOD.
In Sweden IPTV revenues benefitted from both an increasing number of subscriptions and higher average revenue per user, while in Finland revenues doubled, as the nascent service there got off the ground.
There was also TV growth in Estonia, where there are now 150,000 subscribers.

[Lujdzo]

OTT blow in Ukraine
October 18, 2012 08.33 Europe/London By Chris Dziadul


The Ukrainian OTT company Divan.tv has been accused of piracy by some of the country’s leading broadcasters.

Kommersant reports that the media group 1+1, whose interests include Studio 1+1, 2+2, TET and PlusPlus; StarlightLightMedia, which is behind STB, ICTV, Novy Kanal and others; and Media Group Ukraine (MSU) have written an open letter accusing Divan.tv of violating intellectual property and broadcasting their TV programmes without permission.


Andrei Kolodyuk, one of the owners of Divan.tv, conceded there have been differences with MSU, adding that it stopped broadcasting its channels 10 days ago.
However, he also said that the company has signed contracts with both 1+1 and StarlightLightMedia.
Divan.tv was launched last year and is the first and to date only company in Ukraine to offer OTT services.

[Lujdzo]

UPC expa$$$ in Slovakia
October 18, 2012 08.08 Europe/London By Chris Dziadul


UPC Broadband Slovakia has expanded its activities through the acquisition of three companies in the east of the country.

The three companies in question â€" Kid, Termosat and S-Team â€" provide TV and internet services to nearly 9,000 households in eight cities, including Kosice, and surrounding areas.
Following the acquisitions, UPC Broadband Slovakia is now present in 41 cities throughout the country.


It expects to upgrade the services offered by the three companies to digital TV (130 channels, including 14 in HD), internet access of up to 120 Mbps and free telephony.
No financial details have been disclosed by UPC Broadband Slovakia.