News Archive
Groups Keep Pushing Comcast Acquisition Concerns & BSkyB Reveals HD Plans -- Posted by soullezz
on Monday, November 28 2005
Groups Keep Pushing Comcast Acquisition Concerns
Consumer groups targeting Comcast at the Federal Communications Commission took on the cable giant and its two proposed acquisitions: Adelphia and Susquehanna.
The groups are pushing the FCC to consider both transactions at the same time. Comcast, however, told the commission that, as a matter of law, it must consider each merger independently, and issues the groups have raised concerning the Susquehanna deal are irrelevant to the proposed Adelphia acquisition.
The groups, in a filing sent to the FCC last week, disagreed with the cable company's stand. "Nothing prevents the commission from considering two relevant mergers simultaneously, as it just did in the case of the mergers of SBC with AT&T and Verizon with MCI," they said.
At issue with the groups is the potential dominance Comcast will have in certain markets if and when the two transactions close. "Comcast's regional concentration has emerged as a critical issue in the pending Adelphia transaction. (And) the Susquehanna acquisition will clearly increase this regional concentration, a fact which Comcast seeks to obfuscate by stressing the relatively modest increase in national concentration," the groups' filing stated.
The groups represented in the FCC filing are Free Press, Center for Creative Voices in Media, Office of Communication for the United Church Of Christ, U.S. Public Interest Research Group, Center for Digital Democracy, Media Alliance, National Hispanic Media Coalition, The Benton Foundation, and Reclaim the Media.
BSkyB Reveals HD Plans
Last week, British Sky Broadcasting demonstrated its high-def offerings, a still-in-developmnent service that could have up to four channels when it makes a debut early next year.
According to press reports from the United Kingdom, BSkyB's HD offerings will include Premier League football, rugby, cricket, movies and U.S. dramas such as 24 and Bones.
The high-def programming also could include BBC's coverage from next summer's World Cup finals. The BBC has started trial HD broadcasts, and hopes to have HD programming available to U.K. consumers via satellite TV and cable.
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DirecTV Launches Local HD in Four Cities & Clear Channel, Eyeing DARS, Moves into HD Radio & DISH Gets Fox Reality, England Cricket & Music on the Web, Video on the Go -- Posted by soullezz
on Monday, November 21 2005
DirecTV Launches Local HD in Four Cities
DirecTV will launch local high-def services in four cities - Atlanta, San Francisco, Chicago and Philadelphia - today.
The satellite TV company, which has been working all year on the HD expansion, already is delivering local high-def channels to customers in Detroit.
Other cities that may be in the near-term HD locals mix are Tampa, Dallas, Houston, Boston, Washington D.C., Los Angeles and New York. Those local HD debuts could occur in December.
DirecTV has been launching satellites and rolling out advanced set-top boxes in certain cities as part of its local HD channels push. The company has said it wants to deliver more than 1,500 local and more than 150 national HD channels and other advanced programming services to consumers nationwide by 2007.
Clear Channel, Eyeing DARS, Moves into HD Radio
The nation's biggest traditional radio outfit is taking on the satellite radio guys ... in terms of digital-quality audio.
Clear Channel Radio said Monday that 200 of its radio stations will be airing HD digital radio broadcasts by the end of the month. The roll-out "demonstrates the company's commitment to aggressive HD digital radio conversion, and that it is on track to air HD digital radio broadcasts on 95 percent of its stations in the top 100 markets by the end of 2007," the company said.
HD digital radio upgrades AM and FM radio stations by adding a digital signal to the existing analog signal, delivering audio with AM radio sounding like FM and FM radio that's CD-quality. The HD Radio technology also can allow a station to offer multicast services.
DISH Gets Fox Reality, England Cricket
The nation's second biggest satellite TV service unveiled two programming deals Monday.
For the first, the company said it added Fox Reality to its DISH Network lineup. The channel, dedicated to original unscripted programming from U.S. and international programmers, is from News Corp.-controlled Fox Cable Networks. News Corp. also controls EchoStar's biggest competitor in the DBS business, DirecTV.
In addition, EchoStar said it acquired exclusive rights to the England Cricket Home tours for 2006 through 2009 from the England and Wales Cricket Board. The rights deal came after EchoStar's Nov. 9 announcement that it acquired rights to Pakistan National cricket for 2005 through 2008.
Music on the Web, Video on the Go
Two key announcements were made Monday concerning entertainment and media via the Web and on the move.
Napster and XM Satellite Radio unveiled a beta version of their XM+Napster integrated music service, now available to XM subscribers at napster.xmradio.com.
XM+Napster is an online service providing a single interface for accessing, purchasing and downloading music heard on XM from Napster. The product also allows XM subscribers to create playlists with music tracks from their digital music collection.
Meanwhile, TiVo unveiled an enhancement to its current TiVoToGo feature that will allow TiVo subscribers to transfer recorded television programming to an Apple iPod or PSP (PlayStation Portable) devices.
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Clark, Texas, Becomes DISH & RSN Puts Pressure on Adelphia Deal & Sea Launch Gets DirecTV Contract, Spaceway Launch Today & EchoStar Reaching out to Customers Hit by Wilma -- Posted by soullezz
on Tuesday, November 15 2005
Clark, Texas, Becomes DISH
Clark, Texas, became DISH, Texas, Tuesday night.
The town's two commissioners and mayor Bill Merritt approved the name change, and the satellite TV company is set to announce today the switch, the key ingredient of the company's "DISH City Makeover" promotion. The effort was part of a recent advertising campaign launched this fall by EchoStar.
Also Tuesday night, officials unveiled a sign at town hall, and there were signs at the town boundary saying "DISH, Texas, Home of Free DISH Network Satellite TV." DISH, Texas, is near Dallas/Ft. Worth, and has about 125 residents.
As part of the festivities Tuesday night, Merritt treated residents and EchoStar personnel to a Texas barbecue.
With the name change, each household within the town will receive 10 years of basic programming from DISH Network, as well as satellite TV equipment and standard installation.
RSN Puts Pressure on Adelphia Deal
A spat between a regional sports network and the nation's largest cable operator took a turn Tuesday at the Portals.
TCR Sports Broadcasting, the RSN that owns rights to produce and exhibit Washington Nationals baseball games, hasn't won carriage with Comcast. And the network asked the Federal Communications Commission to deny the proposed acquisition of Adelphia assets by Comcast and Time Warner Cable unless the deal is conditioned upon Comcast's delivery of its programming.
"Comcast's refusal to carry TCR bears directly on whether Comcast should be permitted to acquire the assets of Adelphia, because that acquisition will increase Comcast's incentives and ability to discriminate against unaffiliated RSNs such as TCR," the network said in a letter sent to the FCC. "The commission should not approve the proposed acquisition, if at all, without imposing specific conditions upon Comcast requiring the carriage of TCR's programming and prohibiting Comcast from continuing its discriminatory practices."
TCR said the Comcast/Time Warner Cable/Adelphia deal could materially increase Comcast's share of pay-TV households in the Baltimore and Washington, D.C., area that's home to the shared television territory of the Orioles and Nationals. If the Adelphia transaction is completed, Comcast would pass about 60 percent of all homes within that territory and potentially serve 1.6 million pay-TV subscribers.
"Comcast would accordingly acquire a large enough share of the relevant MVPD (multichannel video program distributor) households that by choosing not to carry a competing programmer's offering, either a competing programmer would exit the market, or it would deter a potential entrant from entering," TCR said in its letter.
Sea Launch Gets DirecTV Contract, Spaceway Launch Today
Sea Launch said it signed a contract with DirecTV for a mission scheduled in early 2007 that will carry into orbit a next-generation spacecraft for the satellite TV company.
The contract includes an option for an additional launch, Sea Launch said.
A Zenit-3SL launch vehicle will fly a DirecTV Ka-Band satellite into geosynchronous transfer orbit from Sea Launch's Odyssey Launch Platform. The DirecTV spacecraft is one of three spacecraft the company ordered from Boeing Satellite Systems.
DirecTV is launching several spacecraft to expand its capacity and serve the growing market for satellite-delivered HDTV. In April, Sea Launch delivered the Spaceway 1 satellite into orbit, an advanced, Ka-Band satellite that's part of DirecTV's HD expansion plans.
Sea Launch also launched the DirecTV 7S satellite in May 2004 and the DirecTV 1R satellite in October 1999.
Meanwhile, DirecTV's Spaceway 2 satellite, which will become part of the company's Ka-Band fleet and HD expansion, is set to fly today during a launch window that opens at 6:46 p.m. Eastern. Arianespace delayed the launch this past weekend due to a technical glitch.
EchoStar Reaching out to Customers Hit by Wilma
EchoStar said it mobilized nearly 600 technicians in areas impacted by Hurricane Wilma in Florida to provide same-day and next-day installations.
The company said it has heard some satellite TV and cable customers aren't scheduled to get service until December. "But DISH Network customers won't have to wait," said Michael Kelly, executive vice president of DISH Network.
"Those affected by Hurricane Wilma have been through a lot, and deserve to have their TV service up and running as quickly as possible," Kelly added.
Technicians are focusing on areas hit hardest by Wilma, including Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Miami, Naples, Fort Myers and Tampa, the company said. All customers who have opted to participate in the expedited service have had DISH Network programming restored, Kelly said, and new customers looking to initiate service can be installed within two days.
To date, close to 1,400 technicians have been deployed from all over the United States to areas hit by hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma, making the relief effort the largest in DISH Network history.
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Canadian Sentenced in Piracy Case -- Posted by soullezz
on Friday, November 11 2005
Canadian Sentenced in Piracy Case
Another reported Canadian-based pirate of satellite TV was assessed millions of dollars for his alleged hacking activity.
DirecTV said Reggie Scullion pled guilty under the Criminal Code of Canada to two felony counts related to theft of satellite TV service. He agreed to forfeit more than $4 million (Canadian dollars) in cash and other property that had been seized by the government in connection with the case, with $1.1 million of the funds to be distributed to DirecTV and the remainder to Revenue Canada and other creditors.
Scullion, a resident of Quebec, also received a suspended sentence of one year, and under a civil judgment obtained by DirecTV, he is permanently enjoined from engaging in activities related to theft of DirecTV service, the company said.
Dan Fawcett, executive vice president of business and legal affairs at DirecTV, said of Scullion, "He caused significant damage to DirecTV, first through his sale of modified access cards and other pirate access devices, and later through his advocacy of piracy. We are gratified that he has been forced to answer for his criminal activity."
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Satellite Radio to Influence Billboard & BBC Readies Move into HDTV & SES Expands DIRECWAY Relationship & Rural Areas Key for IPTV Via Satellite -- Posted by soullezz
on Thursday, November 10 2005
Satellite Radio to Influence Billboard
Both XM and Sirius Satellite Radio announced that the two companies will contribute airplay data to Billboard Information Group and Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems for calculation of the Billboard Radio Monitor. XM's data contributions will appear in Billboard's Nov. 14 edition, while Sirius' information will appear first online Nov. 22 and in print on Nov. 25.
The Billboard Radio Monitor charts that Sirius music channels will impact are Triple-A, Active Rock, Modern Rock, R&B/Hip-Hop and Adult R&B. As for XM, it will effect the Billboard charts of Adult Top 40, Modern Rock, Active Rock and R&B/Hip-Hop.
Earlier this year, XM's Top 40 channel, Top 20 on 20, began contributing data to the Billboard Radio Monitor Mainstream Top 40 Chart, marking the first time a satellite radio broadcaster has contributed data to a major national Billboard chart. In August, Sirius announced that pop music from its Sirius Hits-1 channel marked the first time that airplay from a non-terrestrial broadcaster had been factored into the weekly results of Billboard Airplay onitor's Mainstream Top 40 chart.
"Reporting our airplay data to Billboard for inclusion in national mainstream charts further demonstrates the impact of XM as a major platform for music," said XM's Executive VP of programming, Eric Logan. "We expect XM's involvement with these radio panels to expand with more XM music channels, across multiple formats, following suit and contributing airplay spins to the Billboard charts."
"Given that Sirius is the fastest-growing satellite radio company, the influence of our airplay will certainly have a significant effect on the Billboard charts for years to come," said Steve Blatter, Sirius Senior VP, music programming.
Billboard Radio Monitor is the premier radio industry publication and online destination for timely news, charts and analysis.
BBC Readies Move into HDTV
The BBC said it will conduct trials of high-definition TV in 2006, marking another TV player in the United Kingdom to enter the HDTV business.
During the limited technical trials, BBC said it plans to simulcast highlights of BBC One's"peak-time" schedule in high-def on satellite TV and cable. The broadcaster also said it's in talkswith the relevant cable and satellite TV operators about its HDTV plans.
Also, the BBC said it could run a technical terrestrial trial of the HDTV service in the Londonarea.
Said Jana Bennett, director of television at BBC, "From color and widescreen to digital radio andtelevision, the BBC has always been at the forefront of innovations in broadcasting. Our promise toour license payers is to give them the highest quality television, so the time is right for the BBC to get involved in high definition."
In addition to BBC, British Sky Broadcasting, the U.K./Irish satellite TV service, plans to debut a HDTV service next year.
SES Expands DIRECWAY Relationship
SES Americom said Hughes Network Systems has signed up for additional satellite transponders to serve DIRECWAY broadband satellite customers throughout North America.
Through the multi-year agreement, HNS will expand its use of Ku-Band transponders aboard the AMC-9spacecraft. HNS, which has relied on SES Americom satellites for nearly a decade, is already usingthe AMC-3 and AMC-4 satellites to deliver IP-based private network solutions and high-speedInternet services, the satellite services company said.
SES Americom also said it will support HNS's DirecWAY DW7000 broadband platform, and the globalInternet Protocol over Satellite (IPoS) standard on which it is based, as part of an ongoing effortto deliver high-speed satellite connections.
Rural Areas Key for IPTV Via Satellite
Is there a big market for IPTV services delivered via satellite?
In its latest market survey and forecast report: "IPTV via Satellite: Assessing the MarketOpportunity for Satellite Delivered IPTV Services," Northern Sky Research found that satelliteplayers in the United States have begun to deploy and offer IPTV services in hopes of tapping into new revenue streams from the emerging service offering. Initial demand is expected to be generatedin rural communities, the firm said.
The United States is touted as one of the most lucrative markets for provisioning IPTV. And ahandful of satellite players have signed partnership agreements and deployed infrastructure thatwill position them to gain a competitive head start from an expectedly limited field of participants in the niche market offering, Northern Sky said.
And high income levels, TV viewing preferences and rising broadband penetration levels make U.S.rural arras terrific markets for IPTV via satellite.
"A relatively large number of tier 2 and tier 3 telcos serving rural customers are restrained bylimited investment funds in provisioning pay-TV services. But now, IPTV via satellite companies are providing compelling business propositions that enable rural telcos to become pay-TV providers overand above traditional voice and broadband access services," said Jose del Rosario, senior analystof NSR and author of the report.
The growing preference for IP that satellite service providers are incorporating into offerings,and the compelling role of satellite services in the video markets worldwide, make IPTV viasatellite a compelling value proposition for select regions, Northern Sky said. In the United States specifically, the firm projected $436.7 million in total revenue from 2005-2010.
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Videotron Goes After ExpressVu in Court & NRTC Readies Rural IPTV Push & On-Demand: DirecTV and NBC Partner, CBS and Comcast Ink Deal & WorldSpace Enrolls Customers -- Posted by soullezz
on Monday, November 7 2005
Videotron Goes After ExpressVu in Court
Last week, Videotron amended its "statement of claim" in Canadian court concerning a lawsuit it filed against Bell ExpressVu in August addressing its concerns about piracy of the satellite TV operator's signal.
The amendment increases the amount of damages claimed from $1 million to about $49.5 million for profits allegedly lost during the past three years, $314.7 million for alleged future losses and $10 million in punitive damages, said a statement from Bell ExpressVu.
Videotron alleged that Bell ExpressVu has failed to adequately protect its system against signal piracy, thereby depriving the plaintiffs any subscribers who would be subscribing and viewing the programming services.
Bell ExpressVu said it believes it has strong defense concerning the lawsuit and intends to take all appropriate actions to vigorously defend its position.
NRTC Readies Rural IPTV Push
The National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative, best known in satellite TV circles for its sales efforts involving DirecTV, said it's working with the National Telecommunications Cooperative Association (NTCA) to promote IPTV in rural communities.
NRTC also is working with SES Americom to launch the IPTV service, which could occur in 2006, the cooperative said.
NTCA will make a "significant" equity investment in NRTC's current IPTV project, which the cooperative said is in the planning stages. At the same time, NRTC and NTCA said they will coordinate efforts to promote IPTV as an ideal solution for rural phone companies entering the video business.
For rural phone companies already in the video business, the new venture will offer MPEG-4/IPTV-based program packages to enhance current offerings, NRTC said.
Earlier this year, NRTC entered an agreement with SES Americom to assist with field testing of the SES IP-Prime platform. The IP-Prime transport service will deliver standard and high-de programming as well as video-on-demand without requiring significant costs for headend equipment.
On-Demand: DirecTV and NBC Partner, CBS and Comcast Ink Deal
Two big broadcasters revealed on-demand deals with the nation's biggest satellite TV service and cable operator Monday.
NBC Universal and DirecTV announced an agreement to give customer access to top NBC broadcast and cable programs, including content from USA Network, SCI FI and Bravo, within hours after they air and commercial free.
The shows will sell for 99 cents an episode, and will be available on-demand through the new DirecTV Plus interactive DVR. Programs will be available until the following week's episode, DirecTV said.
In addition, NBC Universal's movies and TV events will also be available through DirecTV Plus and on pay-per-view, the companies said.
The DirecTV Plus DVR is shipping to retail this month.
Meanwhile, CBS said it will make four of its prime-time entertainment series available to Comcast viewers.
Beginning in January, Comcast Digital Cable customers in markets served by CBS owned-and-operated stations can view episodes of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, NCIS, Survivor and The Amazing Race on Comcast's on-demand service. The programs will be available as early as midnight following their broadcast on the CBS television network.
Each episode will cost 99 cents, and customers can view episodes anytime they want for up to 24 hours from the time they order the show, Comcast said. Also, certain Comcast systems may make shows such as CSI and NCIS available on demand in high-def for customers with HD-enabled digital cable set-top boxes.
WorldSpace Enrolls Customers
Global satellite radio operator WorldSpace is signing up subscribers from all corners of the world for its service.
The company, based in the Washington, D.C., area, said it finished third quarter with 75,071 subscribers. WorldSpace added 11,141 customers during the three-month period.
In India, WorldSpace had 35,670 subscribers at the end of third quarter, of which 7,737 were added between July and September. The company said it enrolled more than 12,000 subscribers in India last month as part of a holiday marketing campaign.
WorldSpace also reported third quarter revenues of about $2.4 million. The company narrowed the net loss for the period to $15.4 million, compared with a net loss of $57.3 million for the same quarter in 2004.
WorldSpace delivers its service to consumers in more than 130 countries with 5 billion people, driving 300 million cars.
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Russia, China Could Create Spacecraft To Explore Mars, The Moon & Groups Put Pressure on Comcast Takeovers -- Posted by soullezz
on Tuesday, November 1 2005
Groups Put Pressure on Comcast Takeovers
Organizations fretting about Comcast's growing presence in the pay-TV business are taking aim at the cable operator's latest move.
Consumer, religious and political groups this week asked the Federal Communications Commission to carefully scrutinize Comcast's recently-announced acquisition of Susquehanna's cable systems along with its joint effort with Time Warner Cable to take over Adelphia systems. The groups warned the FCC that Comcast's purchase of Susquehanna systems would add to its already-dominating presence in the Northeast.
The groups said in a proposed motion sent to the FCC late Monday that the Susquehanna/Comcast transaction would add 230,000 additional subscribers to the cable giant's operations in that portion of the country.
"The commission has received numerous comments demonstrating the real danger posed by permitting further regional consolidation by Comcast," the groups said in their joint filing. "The commission can only provide meaningful review of these dangers by considering the proposed consolidation of the majority of the Northeast United States under the control of the nation's largest cable operator by reviewing these proposed transactions together."
The Comcast/Time Warner Cable takeover of Adelphia is currently before the FCC.
The groups represented in the FCC filing are Free Press, Center for Creative Voices in Media, Office of Communication for the United Church Of Christ, U.S. Public Interest Research Group, Center for Digital Democracy, Media Alliance, National Hispanic Media Coalition, The Benton Foundation, and Reclaim the Media.
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Russia, China Could Create Spacecraft To Explore Mars, The Moon
Sanya, China (SPX) Nov 01, 2005
Russia and China are considering jointly creating spacecraft to explore Mars and the Moon, a senior official of the Russian Federal Space Agency Roscosmos said Monday, reports RIA Novosti.
Roscosmos deputy head Yury Nosenko said Russia proposed that both countries develop a small satellite to orbit Mars and that the 2008-2009 Mars exploration program proposed launching one or two light satellites into Mars' orbit to transmit data to earth.
The Roscosmos official also said Russia could offer China its help to explore the Moon within the Chinese space program.
"We will participate in exploring the Moon within the Chinese space program until China reaches the stage of a joint project," the official said.
According to Nosenko, Russia plans to create a satellite to study the Moon by 2012 and proposed that China participate in the project. A final stage in the Moon's exploration could be the creation of conditions for sending cosmonauts there, Nosenko said.
China has already added two successful launches of its manned space vehicles into orbit to its resume. China's first manned flight two years ago made it the third country to launch a human into space on its own along with Russia and the U.S.
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