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Debates over free speech are nothing new in this country or to the media industry. There were some high profile salvos fired this week both at home and overseas that promise to keep the debate alive and the speeches freely flowing.

Silvio Berlusconi, of all people, is trying to regulate free speech in Italy. This is the same guy who uses the press to communicate back a forth with his wife. And this is Italy we’re talking about...Home of the Godfather, and where an adult film actress was elected to parliament. Now Silvio’s interested in monitoring violent or pornographic content on Google, YouTube, and others. Right.

In the less surprising category of Venezuelan censorship, that whacky ol’ Hugo Chavez proved once again he can dish it but he sure can’t take it. Chavez’s telecom agency approved a regulation that allows Chavez to order networks to carry his political speeches. Anti-Chavez broadcaster RCTV already had its over-the-air license revoked but was carried on cable and satellite until last Saturday, when it refused to comply with the regulation. As a result, cable and satellite ops shut off the network in order to comply with the law. Talk about effective ‘regulation.’ Or rather, don’t.

Another test of free speech came when GOP/Libertarian ‘journalists’ got caught attempting to tamper with the phone system in the office of Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.). The alleged perps use guerrilla investigative journalism tactics to attack political opponents. Freedom of speech is every citizen’s right in this country. But, it turns out, misrepresenting yourself on Federal property isn’t a right, as the boys were charged with intent to commit a felony. Oops.

Then there’s the bill in the U.S. Congress that aims to impose sanctions on foreign satellite broadcasters deemed hostile or as inciting violence against the United States and Americans. Who would be charged with defining violent or hostile broadcasts by a satellite channel? And how about the airing of the video clip of the young woman being shot and killed during last year’s pro-Western protests in Iran? Did it incite violence, or was it graphic journalism?

It’s clear that the enemies of the United States are using media to foment violence and plan attacks against America and Americans abroad. It’s easy to manipulate the web or embed a message in broadcast or print to incite violence, but how do we balance the need to be aggressive on security and also allow for free speech? I don’t think we do it by taking our cues from the likes of Chavez and Berlusconi.

As far as security, I think we leave that up to professional intelligence services to monitor foreign broadcasts and track any links to terrorism funding. And for protecting children from harmful content, I think parental controls and education should suffice. Sounds a little more reasonable than trying to further regulate the First Amendment.

Lockheed Martin Results; DISH Int'l Add; Arianespace; NRTC Meet

30 Jan 2010 - 20:32 by soullezz

Industry News |

• Lockheed Martin reported 4Q09 results with net sales at $12.5B, up 13% from the year earlier period. Net sales for the Space Systems segment were up 28% for the quarter and 8% for the full year. Most of the gain was attributed to government satellite activities.

• Score another new channel for the DISH Network’s already robust selection of multicultural offerings. The latest in place is AAPKA COLORS which provides general entertainment for the South Asian community. The net is the flagship channel of Viacom 18 Media, a joint venture between Viacom and Network 18, one of India’s leading entertainment conglomerates.

• Arianespace has signed to provide support services for the qualification campaign and combined testing of the Vega light launcher. Tests will start at the Guiana Space Center in April 2010.

• Watch for the NRTC Annual Meeting, kicking off Monday, Feb. 1 in Tampa, FL. The meeting runs through Feb. 3.

A BSkyB Blowout

30 Jan 2010 - 20:31 by soullezz

Industry News |

BSkyB knocked ‘em over with its half-yearly results reported yesterday. The numbers (for the period ending Dec. 31) showed 172K net new subscribers (for a total of 9.7M), HD subs at 2M with net growth soaring, and triple play packages at 18% of all subscribers.

The best news was in the HD gain which more than doubled year-over-year. And it certainly didn’t hurt that operating profit rose 4% while revenue was up 10% for the half year period. ARPU was up by 11% to £492 ($794.50) which CEO Jeremy Darroch attributed to “selling more products to customers.” Said he, “We're growing our share of their business.”

As for BSkyB’s 3D plans, Darroch noted in an interview with Cantos, “We'll launch a 3D channel initially to commercial premises in the spring of this year. We'll follow that up with a residential launch in the second half of 2010. The only thing we're waiting for really is for household penetration of 3D TV sets to grow and on the back of that we'll have a great service which will be a range of sport, entertainment and movies.”

Given Samsung’s announcement just this week of a start to mass production of 3D sets, that might actually come to pass. (In the meantime, BSkyB plans 3D transmissions of Premier League soccer this weekend.)

Arianespace, SIA, Starz, Sky Deutschland

28 Jan 2010 - 18:03 by soullezz

Industry News |

• Arianespace soars again, this time with a contract for Europe’s planned Galileo satellite positioning system. That will include 10 satellites, launched in pairs starting Dec. 2012 using the Soyuz launcher.

• Meanwhile, the SIA has added four new members to its roster, including Cobham SATCOM Land Systems, Glowlink, LLC, SatGE and Trace Systems.

• Wanna see the new bigwig at Starz in action? Head to MIPTV’s opening day (April 12) where Chris Albrecht will keynote.

• Subscriber income just isn’t enough for Sky Deutschland, according to those with their eyes on incoming CEO Brian Sullivan. The DTH provider’s new boss hopes to boost the company’s ad take to a share of 10%, using its website as a primary vehicle. Watch for Sky Deutschland to pursue many of the same strategies employed by sister company BSkyB.

Satellite Legislation Nears Finish; A Macho Moment for Hughes

28 Jan 2010 - 18:03 by soullezz

Industry News |

Satellite Legislation Nears Finish

At last! The House and Senate have agreed on language for the satellite reauthorization bill ... and all the issue needs now, according to House Communications & Internet chairman Rick Boucher (D-Va.) is the right legislative vehicle.

The bill, which allows DBS providers to import distant network signals to viewers who cannot receive local signals, is expected to pass well ahead of the Feb. 28 deadline.

A Macho Moment for Hughes

Hughes Network Systems' test at the Coalition Warrior Interoperability Demonstration came off without a hitch, according to a final report directed by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Hughes demo’ed high-definition video teleconferencing from its SPACEWAY 3 satellite, scoring 100% on connectivity. “Better than anything I’ve every seen,” said the assessment. Make that a high-five salute for the folks at Hughes.

Google founders plan big stock sale

25 Jan 2010 - 14:23 by soullezz

Industry News |

Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin plan to sell off 5 million Google shares each over the next five years, a move that could see them surrender majority voting control over the company they created.

Google (GOOG, Fortune 500) has an unusual dual-stock structure. "Class A" shares are publicly traded on the Nasdaq exchange, while "Class B" shares are reserved for insiders and carry 10 times the voting power of other shares.

Brin and Page plan to dip into their deep reservoir of Class B shares, selling up to 17% of the 57.7 million shares they currently hold, according to a regulatory filing submitted Friday. Those sales would reduce their voting power over Google's stock from 59% today to around 48%, depriving them of majority control.

But CEO Eric Schmidt currently holds shares accounting for almost 10% of Google's voting power. Together, the trio would continue to control Google, as they have for nearly a decade.

"We run Google as a triumvirate," Page and Brin announced in an "owner's manual" included in Google's 2004 IPO filing. "The three of us run the company collaboratively with Sergey and me as presidents. The structure is unconventional, but we have worked successfully in this way."

Google created its two stock classes because of the founders' desire to keep control vested with their management team. It's a risk to shareholders that Google discloses routinely in its regulatory reports.

Schmidt, Page and Brin "have significant influence over management and affairs and over all matters requiring stockholder approval," the company wrote in its most recent annual report. "This concentrated control limits our stockholders' ability to influence corporate matters and, as a result, we may take actions that our stockholders do not view as beneficial."

Page and Brin's stock selloff will take place through gradual, pre-arranged sales over the next several years. Such trading plans are commonly used to diversify the portfolios of executives with significant holdings in their own company stock.

Google's stock closed Friday down 6%, at $550.01 per share. At those prices, Page and Brin would each fetch $2.75 billion from their stock sales.

EchoStar Sat Services; HD Ads on DISH; Maritime Markets; International News

22 Jan 2010 - 14:01 by soullezz

Industry News |

• EchoStar Satellite Services will deliver 49 HDTV channels to Oklahoma-based BTC Broadband.

• HD advertising is getting a boost on the DISH Network as the service upgrades its SeaChange International spot advertising insertion systems. The upgrade will support more than 600 channels of commercial delivery.

• The maritime market continues to sizzle for satellite as in the latest news DataTechnology Solutions has added its DTS Global Connect solution. Using 60-centimeter Ku-band dishes, the service can support bandwidth intensive applications among multiple vessels in a fleet.

• They’re searching for satellites in Australia as NBN Co seeks to provide broadband service to rural areas. The co says it will launch “a couple” of KA-band satellites by the end of 2010.

• DTH continues to spread around the world with the latest service targeting Bangladesh as a parliamentary committee recommends that sat services be allowed to compete with the nation’s cable operators. According to Rapid TV News, some of India’s existing DTH operators may be interested in serving the adjoining nation.

A Hit on BSkyB; BFI Acquires Crawford's Satellite Services Division

22 Jan 2010 - 14:00 by soullezz

Industry News |

A Hit on BSkyB

The U.K. Court of Appeal has upheld a decision ordering BSkyB to “significantly” reduce its stake in ITV. Currently Sky holds 17.9% of the company, a stake which it acquired in a bid to keep ITV out of the hands of rival Virgin Media.

The order requires Sky to reduce its stake in the U.K.‘s biggest commercial television network to just 7.5%. The question now is whether the company will go quietly. Sky has a 28 day window in which it could lodge an appeal with the Supreme Court.

BFI Acquires Crawford's Satellite Services Division

LA-based Broadcast Facilities, Inc. (BFI) announced its purchase of Atlanta-based Crawford Communications, Inc.’s Satellite Services division. The stock acquisition includes all of Crawford’s television network origination, Teleport, satellite uplink trucks, Internet, production and government services portions of the business. BFI’s other primary asset is Andrita Media Center, the largest independent HD and SD network origination, production, post-production and digital media facility on the West Coast.

Sirius Gains on Subs and Money; Satellite Broadband Shafted in Gov’t Stimulus Funding

20 Jan 2010 - 15:21 by soullezz

Industry News |

Sirius Gains on Subs and Money

Boom times have come to Sirius XM as the sat radio play added 257,000 net new subscribers for the fourth quarter 2009 and reported $100 million free cash flow for the full year. Mel Karmazin was (understandably) crowing over results, noting that ’09 is the first year ever for Sirius XM to report positive free cash flow for an entire year – to say nothing of the fact that the numbers beat the heck out of '08’s negative $552 million. The company’s self-pay sub base now stands at 15.7 million.

Satellite Broadband Shafted in Gov’t Stimulus Funding

Forget the hundreds of millions requested by both EchoStar/DISH and Hughes for their plans to bring broadband to rural America. The second round tally sheet coming out of D.C. lists just $100 million for rural satellite projects – a mere drop in the overall $4.8 billion bucket.

On the winning end of Uncle Sam’s broadband-everywhere vision are rural telcos and middle-mile projects focused on connecting “anchor institutions.” The latter group is favored by the Dept. of Commerce’s NTIA, which plans $2.6 billion in broadband grants. Rural telcos providing last-mile connections look to be the primary beneficiaries of $2.2 billion from the Dept. of Agriculture’s RUS.

As for that $100 million in sat funding, analysts at Stifel Nicolaus note that “Recipients would have to commit to providing free customer premises equipment/installation and a year of monthly service discounted by at least 25% (stimulus money could be used for both), and could also use the funding to construct terrestrial facilities.”

Programming Notes: The Fox Shuffle; NFL's Catbird; Starz Freebie

14 Jan 2010 - 16:36 by soullezz

Industry News |

• FOX restructured along rumored lines with Peter Rice heading FOX broadcast network and the entertainment cable nets and David Hill as CEO of FOX Sports including the regional nets, soccer nets, Fuel, Speed and en Espanol. Both report to Tony Vinciquerra with Rich Batista in line for another assignment.

• The NFL’s incredible sports TV franchise just keeps getting bigger as the group announced that football games comprised 14 of the 15 most watched shows this fall and the top 14 shows on cable. The average number of viewers for NFL games easily outpaced regular broadcast primetime. On cable, ESPN’s Packers-Vikings telecast on Oct. 5 scored the most-watched show in cable history with 21.8 million viewers placing the huge franchise nicely in the pigskin cat bird's seat.

• Starz plans a free trail weekend on DIRECTV just in time for the Martin Luther King holiday. Running Jan. 14 - 17, the free weekend includes 14 Starz and Encore channels (including HD) plus selections from the Starz and Encore On Demand services.

Pandora's Box for Sirius XM

14 Jan 2010 - 16:36 by soullezz

Industry News |

Sirius XM’s lock on radio ubiquity just got weaker: Among the many toys at CES was a new car stereo system from Pioneer which can detect Pandora radio stations and then stream them to auto-bound listeners. Pandora, for those of you who have missed it, streams ad-free music based on listener selections via the net. The Pioneer system reportedly can detect Pandora settings from iPhones or iPods and then convert them for easy access via the Pioneer AVIC-X920BT which is slated to come to market market in March.

On a cheerier note for Sirius XM, the sat radio folks say they’re now at 1 million subscribers and counting in Canada. That’s a pretty good total for just four years in operation plus the devastation of the Great Recession.

Hughes Adds Apple App; Worldspace India Turmoil; Regis Goes with Spacenet; CanalSat in Africa

12 Jan 2010 - 13:47 by soullezz

Industry News |

Hughes Adds Apple App

Hughes Network Systems is taking its Learning Management Portal mobile with a new Apple iPhone application. The app will allow direct access to the learning system, which provides a turnkey corporate training and presentation services, from any iPhone or IPod Touch device. The app is just the latest uptick for Hughes. Most recently Barron's named Hughes Communications, of which HNS is a wholly owned subsidiary, as a company "poised for growth," saying that shares could hit $35 in a year. Shares in Hughes closed Monday at $27.01, up nearly 7%.

Worldspace India Turmoil

International DARS-play Worldspace is in bankruptcy, its staff in India was told to cease operations on December 31 but the story continues as the Indian operation is reportedly planning to sue both Worldspace and its majority owner Liberty Media. According to Rapid TV News, the lawsuit would allege improper and unethical handling of the closure plus a failure to honor legal obligations.

Regis Goes with Spacenet

Gilat’s Spacenet has a new contract with Regis Corp, which boasts more than 7,000 beauty salons, hair restoration and cosmetology education centers across North America. Spacenet will provide Regis with its Prysm Pro network appliance which enables a fully PCI compliant managed network services solution.

CanalSat in Africa

French DTH platform CanalSat Horizons has passed the 100,000 sub mark for its service in Africa. Additionally, the DTH provider says it will cover all games of the Africa Cup from Angola.

Sports Programming: ESPN Deportes, Fox Soccer & Setanta

11 Jan 2010 - 13:20 by soullezz

Industry News |

Look for news and commentary to debut today on ESPN Deportes. The net’s new Los Capitanes en ESPN will feature the latest news, information and commentary surrounding the world of sports starting at 3 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday.

In other sports news, Fox Soccer appears to be close to swallowing up Setanta Sports USA either through an outright purchase or via securing key rights.

The Right Time for A La Carte?

11 Jan 2010 - 13:19 by soullezz

Industry News |

As retransmission wars continue to rage between platform providers and programmers, Bernstein Research analyst Michael Nathanson has a potentially cataclysmic thought:

“Sounds scary,” he writes in a note released Friday, “but moving to an a la carte system could actually by the best thing for many of the content companies we follow.”

Nathanson backs that up with several key points. Among them:

• With 35% of national TV viewing, plus long-term contracts with a variety of sports organizations, the big four broadcasters would likely fare just fine under an a la carte business model for programming;

• Given the current disconnect between “the underlying ratings of a network and the monthly affiliate fees they are paid,” some subscription TV programming could get a boost from a la carte. (In particular, Nathanson notes that Viacom claims to drive 20% of all 18-49 cable viewing while they get only 8% of all fees. So how much do you suppose households with kids would pay for Nickelodeon? Perhaps a good deal more than the $.45 fee per sub they now receive?)

• Six conglomerates – Disney, News Corp., Time Warner, NBC Universal/Comcast, Viacom and CBS – now own about 80% of the most popular primetime content, suggesting that they could certainly “create pricing strategies to tap into that strength.” And finally ...

• Nathanson cites analysis showing that the average Time Warner Cable household pays “only $23.60 per month of content and $44 per month for other costs. It is hard to imagine,” he writes, “an a la carte system in which the price per average consumer for content would actually drop.”

Yikes.

A "Ringing Endorsement" for Satellite Broadband

11 Jan 2010 - 13:17 by soullezz

Industry News |

Ask the terrestrial internet guys about satellite broadband and you’ll get hoots of laughter: Not enough capacity ... not as fast ... not as, well, cool!

But that could be yesterday: In the last few months some of the world’s most conservative money lenders have signed on the dotted line for space internet ventures. The reason is a considerable – and growing – opportunity for such services.

“It’s a matter of pure physics,” David Williams, CEO of nascent space internet wholesaler Avanti tells me. With internet customers downloading more and more data (particularly video) every year, terrestrial systems are hard pressed to keep up with their customers’ demands in all but the most densely populated areas. Cue satellite’s advantage of ubiquity.

“The terrestrial services already leave big gaps in service and the gaps are getting bigger every year,” says Williams. As the gaps grow, the opportunities for space internet ... the Hughes, WildBlues, the Eutelsats, and Williams’ soon-to-launch Avanti – grow apace.

For the doubters among you, what's notable these days is traditionally conservative vote of confidence for Avanti, whose HYLAS 1 and 2 satellites will offer a wholesale turnkey service for telecoms serving Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Write analysts at Cenkos, an independent specialist securities firm in the U.K., “EXIM, the US government's export/import bank and CoFace, the French equivalent, have provided $331m of debt at less than 6% to fund HYLAS 2. Both have carried out extensive due diligence and this is a ringing endorsement for the satellite broadband market as a whole and Avanti as both organizations are famously conservative.”

So keep your eyes on space internet ... it could have a bigger future than you think.

Al Mundo Breckon: The Price is Right for ‘Reality’ TV

8 Jan 2010 - 16:52 by soullezz

Industry News |

Almost two hundred years ago, the U.S.S. Constitution sank four British Navy ships during the War of 1812. Flash forward to this week’s adventure on the high seas, where two navies again clashed over trade and economics and a right of existence. Only this time it was captured on video and now primed for reality TV. Ah, the iron sides of irony.

Much like ‘Old Ironsides’, the solid construction of the stealthy, wave cutting, trimaran speedboat (originally designed for Earth Race) Ady Gil withstood the broadsides of its enemy. In this case, the enemy was the Japanese ‘scientific research’ vessel Shonan Maru No. 2. The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, which owns Ady Gil, believes the Shonan Maru No. 2 to be in reality a Japanese whaling ship.

In the gripping clip, ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bbuq0YEIPNU) Ady Gil and Shonan Maru No. 2 collide in the frigid waters of Antarctica. The activist crew had to be rescued by none other than a sister ship in the Sea Shepherd’s activist navy, the Bob Barker. That’s right, as in, “C’mon down, you’re the next contestant on the Price is Right!”

The Sea Shepherd brass must’ve won the Showcase Showdown, because whalehugger Barker sea-ponied up $5M for the boat. I wonder if Bob could’ve known that he was indirectly financing an upcoming episode of Discovery/Animal Planet’s Whale Wars. (Another of the Shepherd’s boats is called Steve Irwin, whose namesake helped put Animal Planet on the map.)

Read More...

Satellite Broadband Boosts: Avanti Over There; Barrett Xplore in Canada

8 Jan 2010 - 16:49 by soullezz

Industry News |

U.K.-based sat broadband provider Avanti has closed financing for its second satellite HYLAS 2, due for launch in 2Q 2012. Note analysts at Cenkos (who describe the firm as a “rising star”) Avanti’s second bird will provide broadband coverage in Western Europe, Central Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The satellite, being built by Orbital Sciences, will use a spot beam technology that allows it to not only reuse frequencies but also to change coverage areas thus maximizing market returns.

In other sat broadband announcements, services in Canada have received a boost via agreements signed by Canada’s largest rural broadband provider, Barrett Xplore. Barrett has awarded a $21 million contract to ViaSat for broadband gateway baseband infrastructure and satellite broadband terminals to be used with the high-capacity ViaSat-1 Ka-band satellite system. In addition, Barrett Xplore has signed an agreement with Loral Space & Communications, where ViaSat-1 is currently under construction. Barrett will lease up to 100% of the capacity that Loral owns on the bird, which is scheduled for launch in early 2011.

DISH Goes Over-The-Top; DBS Hits MCCC Sub Base

8 Jan 2010 - 16:49 by soullezz

Industry News |

DISH Goes Over-The-Top

DISH Network plans to go over-the-top, distributing a number of its international channels via the NeuLion IPTV service. In what might be seen as a harbinger to future hybrid solutions, NeuLion EVP Chris Wagner noted, “We see distinct synergies between our respective television distribution services and believe that DISH Network customers will benefit from the further reach provided by a broadband offering.”

DBS Hits MCCC Sub Base

No word on just how hard, but in an interview at Citi’s 20th Annual Entertainment, Media and Technology Mediacom’s CFO and EVP Mark Stephan admitted that competition from DBS has eaten into sub counts. Stephan said Mediacom would not compete on price for video subs. However, the company will push its data/voice bundles as a way to deter DBS defections.

CES Chest Beating: 3D, More 3D, Most 3D

6 Jan 2010 - 14:26 by soullezz

Industry News |

Okay, we get it: 3D is THE big hype of the soon-to-open (as in tomorrow) CES show. Among the many, many announcements leading up to the show:

• Programmers vying for the 3D crown: First ESPN announced its 3D offering slated for a June 11 launch with the first 2010 FIFA World Cup soccer match. ESPN says it will display at least 85 live 3D games – ranging from soccer to the Summer X games to college basketball and football – across 2010. Next came Discovery which chimed in with plans to launch a 3D net with Sony and IMAX. The new channel, slated for 2011, will provide 24/7 entertainment including IMAX and Sony films plus Discovery specials and shows.

• On the platform side, Next3D says its broadband-delivered 3D HD home service will launch in the 1Q 2010. The Next3DTV service is touted for its variety of of stereoscopic 3D content, including theatrical 3D movies, films originally created for 3D IMAX theaters, movie trailers, sports, news, documentaries, live 3D weather maps, and games .... to say nothing of user-created content.

• Not strictly CES related (except for the auspiciously timed press announcement), CableLabs says its ready to rock, “providing testing capabilities for 3D TV implementation scenarios over cable.” The cable tech gatekeeper says many new digital set-top boxes are cleared for 3D use and the group has helped develop recently announced changes to the HDMI 3D specifications to add support for the "Top/Bottom" format and enable legacy STBs to signal 3D carriage.

DTV, Ciel Squabble; Arianespace hits the big 30

6 Jan 2010 - 14:25 by soullezz

Industry News |

DIRECTV, Ciel Squabble Over Spot

It's a continuation of a long-fought satellite war, DIRECTV is reportedly objecting to plans by Canada's Ciel to launch a satellite into the 103º West orbital spot in 2012. Ciel, whose partners include SES, currently transmits programming for DISH Network from the 129º West position. According to Rapid TV News, Ciel may also deploy its planned 103º satellite for US services and DIRECTV, which occupies part of the orbital slot, is none too happy. The FCC is currently eyeing the mess.

Arianespace Celebrates the Big 30

More than half of all commercial satellites now in service worldwide are in orbit thanks to Arianespace, says news from the French-owned mega-launcher. The company now claims 277 satellites launched for 73 customers. Looking ahead, Arianespace expects to generate total revenues for 2009 of €1.046 billion ($1.5 billion), with income at break-even. The company’s backlog of orders guarantees three years of operations, with 29 launch contracts for geostationary satellites, six dedicated Ariane 5-ATV launches, and 12 specific Soyuz launches.

Satellite Opportunities: Earth Observation Takes Off

6 Jan 2010 - 14:23 by soullezz

Industry News |

Watch for earth observation (EO) systems to put more satellites into orbit across the next few years, say the analysts at NSR. The trend is especially prevalent in developing countries where the strategic advantages are gaining increased recognition. According to a new NSR report, in “the past few decades, many countries ... were left behind in the race to get EO capabilities on the ground and in space. This trend is about to change, however, as more budgets are allocated to build spacecraft and associated data processing facilities.”

Among the proposed new systems to keep your eye on is a partnership between Algeria, Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa which aims to create an African Resources Management (ARM) satellite system. Says NSR, “If the ARM launches the way it is planned today, it will be a big step toward a global trend in the EO industry that has many developing countries wanting or actively becoming part of all facets of the this growing industry.”

SatMAX expanding; Univision gets 2 top 10s

4 Jan 2010 - 14:24 by soullezz

Industry News |

SatMAX Spreads Out

SatMAX has a new reseller deal as TLC Engineering will carry the SatMax line of advanced non-line-of-sight satellite communications solutions. TLC serves a variety of government organizations including a recent contract with U.S. General Services Administration.

Who’s Sticky? Univision Gets Two Top 10s

Spots No. 1 - 3 on the Rentrak Sticky index for the week ending 12/20 offered no surprises: CBS won big with “CSI”, “The Good Wife” and “The Mentalist.” But beyond that, the index, which measures the average percent of each program viewed, shone a light on Univision. The Spanish-language programmer placed two programs in the sticky top 10 (“Sortilegio” at No. 5 and “En nombre del amor” at No. 8). Subscription TV Christmas shows also got a boost as four made it into the top 20 stickies. These included Hallmark’s “The Three Gifts” (No. 12); Lifetime’s “Tomas Kinkade’s The Christmas Cottage” (No. 13) and Lifetime Movies' “Secret Santa” and “Crazy for Christmas” (No 15 and No 17.)

Programming Wars!

4 Jan 2010 - 14:22 by soullezz

Industry News |

Welcome to the early days of 2010 where the big news has come – and is likely to keep coming – from a series of pitched battles between programmers and cable, satellite and telco video providers. The bottom line of all the battles is that the programmers (including big four broadcasters) want more money from platform providers who – surprise, surprise – don’t want to pay it.

The biggest fight pitted Time Warner Cable versus Fox, wherein Fox reportedly sought a $1/sub/month stipend for its programming while TWC vowed to “get tough.” This one went past the midnight 12/31 wire when Fox could have (but didn’t) pulled its programming from TWC customers. With a little extra political pressure from Sen. John Kerry, a contract was in place by late New Year’s day.

So who got tough and who rolled over? We don’t know (yet) but we do know that such battles will likely be the hallmark of 2010 as contracts expire and both programmers and platform providers wave their consumer flags in the fight for bigger and bigger budgets.

A historical note: It is rare for platform providers and programmers to actually let networks go dark. Most notably, Charlie Ergen tried it in 2004 with Viacom (then the parent of CBS) and with Lifetime two years later. Both times “angry viewers” helped force settlements – not a good portent for platform providers.

Anyway other current skirmishes include:

• Mediacom vs Sinclair: This one also missed a 12/31 deadline but the warring parties have agreed to an extension through 1/8/10.

• Scripps vs Cablevision: Here’s another of those rare ones ... CVC has let Scripps’ HGTV and Food Net go dark. Says Cablevision of the dispute, “We are sorry that Scripps' current financial difficulties are making it impossible for them to continue our relationship on terms that are reasonable for Cablevision and our customers. We wish Scripps well and have no expectation of carrying their programming again, given the dramatic changes in their approach to working with distributors to reach television viewers." Ouch!

• DIRECTV vs Rainbow Media: This one has settled but, oh, what it suggests for the future: An agreement between DIRECTV and Rainbow Media plus Cablevision’s regional sports nets means DIRECTV customers will continue to receive AMC, WeTV, Sundance etc. But ... and we doubt it’s pure coincidence ... DIRECTV kicked off the January rate hike season by announcing a planned 4% rate hike, meaning that customers will be paying about $3/month more on most packages as of Feb. 9.

The future of brain-controlled devices

1 Jan 2010 - 16:07 by soullezz

Industry News |

In the shimmering fantasy realm of the hit movie "Avatar," a paraplegic Marine leaves his wheelchair behind and finds his feet in a new virtual world thanks to "the link," a sophisticated chamber that connects his brain to a surrogate alien, via computer.

This type of interface is a classic tool in gee-whiz science fiction. But the hard science behind it is even more wow-inducing.

Researchers are already using brain-computer interfaces to aid the disabled, treat diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, and provide therapy for depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Work is under way on devices that may eventually let you communicate with friends telepathically, give you superhuman hearing and vision or even let you download data directly into your brain, a la "The Matrix."

Researchers are practically giddy over the prospects. "We don't know what the limits are yet," says Melody Moore Jackson, director of Georgia Tech University's BrainLab.

Adds Emory University neuroscience professor Michael Crutcher, "Anything can happen."

At the root of all this technology is the 3-pound generator we all carry in our head. It produces electricity at the microvolt level. But the signals are strong enough to move robots, wheelchairs and prosthetic limbs -- with the help of an external processor.

Harnessing that power "opens up a whole new paradigm for us as human beings," says neuroscientist Rajesh Rao of the University of Washington.

Brain-computer interfaces (BCI) come in two varieties. Noninvasive techniques use electrodes placed on the scalp to measure electrical activity. Invasive procedures implant electrodes directly into the brain. In both cases, the devices interact with a computer to produce a wide variety of applications, ranging from medical breakthroughs and military-tech advances to futuristic video games and toys.

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