News Archive
Scam Alert! & Satellite Does What It Can After Katrina & OpenTV Delivers DISH Mosaic Home Portal, More to Come? -- Posted by soullezz
on Tuesday, August 30 2005
ALL FTA USERS PLEASE CHECK LATEST FILEZ MENU!
Website Membership Scam Alert!
It is apparent that there is a person selling fake memberships to several established sites under false pretense. Please do not fall for this scam, if you purchase membership for a site you should purchase it directly from that site. We do not sell a lifetime membership, and the only way to join our premium membership is through our site. We have no resellers of our memberships or other sites affiliated with selling our premium membership.
If you have fallen victim to this scam for any site please post in the forums the information about the scam, website address, email, payment method, etc. so that other people will not be taken in by the scammers.
If enough information is gathered that the identity of the scammer can be determined, action will be taken to assure that they can not continue with the scam. We have already been lead to believe that it could have been the same scammer who ran nagracode.com, who is already known for cloning websites to lure people in and spamming.
editorial
Satellite Does What It Can After Katrina
Satellite services are doing what they can to address customer needs in areas impacted by Hurricane Katrina, but at the moment they're allowing rescue and other government efforts to conclude their work, as well as waiting for power and other communications to be restored, before they enter areas affected by the storm.
"Given that people have moved out of their homes and are without phone and electrical service, it's still too early for us to know the impact of the hurricane," said DirecTV's Bob Marsocci. The company has deployed additional installers and technicians to the area, he said, "but we will not know approximately how many customers are impacted for several days."
EchoStar has established a page on its Web site providing information on what customers can do after a major storm. The site gives information on how to check a satellite TV antenna and receiver once a storm passes and provides contact information for those who need to restore service.
Meanwhile, satellite radio companies are delivering information to listeners in the impacted area.
Sirius has storm and safety news on its "Sirius Emergency System" channel, which is located at channel 184. XM Satellite Radio's "Emergency Alert" channel, at 247, also has updates, delivering information on evacuation routes, shelter locations, weather and news from FEMA.
OpenTV Delivers DISH Mosaic Home Portal, More to Come?
OpenTV developed and integrated an enhanced digital interactive application for EchoStar's DISH Network, allowing viewers to simultaneously watch six video windows of popular networks including CNN, The Weather Channel and E! displayed on a full-motion video background.
The OpenTV-developed service allows viewers to navigate through each of the six video windows using the remote control's directional arrows, the iTV company said. As they navigate, the audio changes to correspond with the highlighted video window. Full-screen video and audio appear when a network window is selected.
In addition, a text ticker allows EchoStar to provide up-to-the-minute news and events.
The new DISH Home channel is configurable, enabling EchoStar to refresh the six video services, interactive offerings, banner ads, and background and text ticker with new content at any given time. DISH could swap out the six video windows with different video feeds of a single event and update the full-motion video background to reflect the theme of the event.
EchoStar and OpenTV have been working closely on a number of interactive applications for DISH Network customers. OpenTV also has clients around the world, and has iTV technology deployed in more than 57 million digital set-top-boxes in 96 countries.
Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reported that DirecTV also will offer a channel that will allow viewers to watch eight feeds on one screen, which will become part of its NFL Sunday Ticket package. Comcast also may have a similar mosaic in the works, the publication stated.
as seen on skyreport
Katrina Strikes Gulf Coast Killing 54; Death Toll Expected to Rise; Evacuees Told Stay Where You Are -- Posted by soullezz
on Monday, August 29 2005
GULFPORT, Mississippi (CNN) -- Hurricane Katrina's strike on Mississippi killed at least 54 people Monday, 50 of them in one county, state officials said, and caused what Gov. Haley Barbour called "catastrophic damage" along the coast.
The death toll was expected to rise in other states, as well.
According to Kelly Jakubic with the Harrison County Emergency Operations Center, an estimated 50 people have perished as a result of the storm, with 30 confirmed deaths at the the St. Charles apartment complex, near the beach in Biloxi.
Separately, the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency in Jackson had confirmed four Katrina-related deaths, a spokeswoman said.
According to Lee Stokes, the four other fatalities occurred in Warren, Leake, Pearl River and Hinds counties.
Barbour said casino officials have been unable to assess damage along the coast because U.S. 90, the main road through Gulfport and Biloxi, remained submerged in places.
"Between the wind and the storm surge, we know that we've had unprecedented damage on the coast, and we think there's a likelihood that the inland flooding will also produce major damage," he told reporters at a Monday news conference.
Barbour urged Mississippians not to try to travel. Most roads south of Interstate 20 -- which stretches from Meridian west to Vicksburg -- are either closed or impassable at points, and emergency crews are unable to access many areas, he said.
"You don't have any business driving anyway, unless it's an emergency," he said.
Nic Lott, another Emergency Management Agency spokesman, said parts of Interstate 59 were closed. "We're just urging people to stay in their homes," he said.
Some people no longer had homes to go to. "All I found that belonged to me was a shoe," said Suzanne Rodgers, who said her two-story brick building overlooking Ocean Springs beach near Biloxi was completely swept away.
More than 500 National Guard troops were en route to join 175 other troops already there to provide security and help with rescue operations, he said.
Search-and-rescue missions were under way in the coastal counties of Jackson, Harrison and Hancock Monday evening, Stokes said.
"There's just no phone lines. We're using satellite communications," she said. "Cell towers are gone a lot, and lines are jammed statewide on regular lines."
At least 200,000 power customers in Mississippi were without electricity, and rural electric cooperatives were reporting "massive" damage.
-----------------------
Louisiana officials Monday urged the hundreds of thousands of people in the state who fled Hurricane Katrina to stay where they are.
"It's too dangerous to come home," Gov. Kathleen Blanco said at a late afternoon news conference in Baton Rouge.
"The roads are flooded, the power is out, the phones are down and many trees are down. So chances are, if you tried to come in, you wouldn't be able to get your vehicle in. ...
"Please, I'm begging for patience," she said. "We are working hard to get you home, but not until it is safe."
The governor said she had ordered state police to block re-entry routes to all but emergency workers.
A public health expert said New Orleans residents who return to their homes would face "a wilderness" without power and drinking water that will be infested with poisonous snakes and fire ants.
"We would really encourage people not to come back for at least a week," said Ivor van Heerden, deputy director of the Louisiana State University Hurricane Center and director of the Center for the Study of Public Health Impacts of Hurricanes in Baton Rouge.
Van Heerden ticked off the problems anyone returning to the city would find: "no sewage, no drinking water, contamination, threat of rapid increase in mosquitoes, roads are impassible, downed power lines everywhere, trees, debris from houses in the roads, no way to go shopping, no gas."
The water also has dislodged fire ants and thousands of snakes -- including poisonous water moccasins -- from their homes.
"If you came back, you would be coming literally to a wilderness," he said. "Stay where you are, be comfortable; nothing's going to change. If your house is gone, it's gone. If you come back in a day or a week, it's not going to make any difference."
The storm passed just east of New Orleans, straining the system of levees and pumping stations that protect the low-lying city, about 70 percent of which is below sea level.
The governor said the full extent of the damage in southeast Louisiana remains unknown because it is still too dangerous for emergency teams to get to some areas.
Power is down and phones are out across the region, and authorities have not been able to put aircraft up to survey the devastation, she said.
Extensive damage from wind and water has been reported in Orleans, St. Bernard, Plaquemines, Jefferson, St. Tammany and Washington parishes, Blanco said.
There are "lots and lots of folks whose homes are no longer habitable -- roofs off, in some cases totally destroyed, and these people are now phoning in and asking to be rescued," Van Heerden said.
More than 50 people in the New Orleans area were rescued from flooded neighborhoods, according to a spokesman for the state's Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness agency.
Lt. Kevin Cowan said the state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries sent 30 boats to the hardest-hit parts of the metro area, the city's 9th Ward and neighboring St. Bernard Parish.
Two dozen more boats were sent to hard-hit areas south of the Superdome and six were sent to Metairie, in Jefferson Parish, to carry out nursing home residents, he said.
Water levels could be "anywhere from two feet to 10 feet" in those areas, Cowan said.
Other rescue efforts were going on in St. Tammany Parish, along the Mississippi state line, he said.
Van Heerden said some places in New Orleans have 8 or 9 feet of standing water and that he had been told that low pressure in the city's water supply means "they've got leaks."
He said he has received reports that the same areas of the city that flooded when Hurricane Betsy nearly landed a direct hit on New Orleans in 1965 have been flooded again, only more so.
Still, the impact of Katrina could have been far worse.
as seen on CNN
NAB Takes Aim at XM's WCS Wireless Deal & Sirius Readies Traffic Data Service & OpenTV Partners with Mediabolic -- Posted by soullezz
on Friday, August 26 2005
NAB Takes Aim at XM's WCS Wireless Deal
The National Association of Broadcasters this week asked the Federal Communications Commission to deny an application from XM Satellite Radio that asks for permission to take over spectrum controlled by WCS Wireless.
The NAB comments are part of XM's move at the FCC to gain regulatory approval for its takeover of WCS Wireless, which controls wireless airwaves adjacent to spectrum used by the satellite radio service. If the FCC doesn't reject XM's acquisition application, the broadcaster association said the commission should impose conditions on the deal to ensure the company does not circumvent previous SDARS (satellite digital audio radio service) and WCS orders.
Also, NAB said XM's WCS move underscores the need for the FCC to closely monitor satellite radio's development, and "take any action necessary to safeguard the important public service that terrestrial radio provides."
NAB added, "The scant information XM has provided strongly suggests that it plans to provide localized services integrated with its SDARS service in a manner likely to harm terrestrial radio - and hence the important public benefits it provides. NAB urges the Commission to take action as it promised."
XM recently approached the FCC concerning its WCS acquisition
Sirius Readies Traffic Data Service
Sirius Satellite Radio said Thursday that beginning in November it will broadcast traffic data to subscribers for 22 major U.S. metropolitan areas.
The company said it will utilize its satellite radio broadcast capabilities to provide listeners with updated traffic information from data provider NAVTEQ, which collects and quality tests traffic information from several sources. The database of traffic-related incident and speed information is aimed to help drivers select the best available route to their destination, the company said.
The 22 metro areas that will initially be covered are Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York City, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, San Francisco/Oakland, San Diego, San Jose, Seattle, St. Louis, Tampa and Washington D.C. Sirius said it expects to expand the service to more than 50 cities by 2007.
The first unit to provide the traffic data service will be the SiriusConnect SIR-ALP10T tuner, which interfaces with Alpine Electronics' NVE-N872A Satellite Traffic Ready navigation system.
In addition to the traffic data announcement, Sirius unveiled new products.
The new mix includes a wearable satellite radio, the Sirius S50, which allows users to capture and store up to 50 hours of content or a mix of Sirius programming and MP3/WMA files. The company also unveiled a compact plug and play unit for vehicles.
OpenTV Partners with Mediabolic
Interactive TV company OpenTV and Mediabolic, a provider of software for connected entertainment products, signed a multi-year license agreement to integrate Mediabolic's Media Player and Media Server software with OpenTV's Core middleware. The OpenTV home networking solution will enable network operators to deploy multi-room PVR/DVR set-top boxes with remote recording capabilities, as well as access personal content on PCs such as photos and music from any networked set-top box, the companies said. OpenTV said it expects to offer its home networking solution in mid 2006.
as seen on skyreport
EchoStar Communications Corp. wants to paint the town "Dish" & FCC's Alaska/Hawaii Effort Includes Multicast Rule & How Was 2Q for Cable, Satellite TV? -- Posted by soullezz
on Tuesday, August 23 2005
EchoStar Communications Corp. wants to paint the town “Dish.”
The direct-broadcast satellite provider said Tuesday that all households in the first U.S. municipality willing to change its name legally and permanently to Dish will receive free Dish Network programming for 10 years.
EchoStar said that in order to participate, the town government must agree to change the name legally and permanently on government buildings; post offices; official letterhead; schools and hospitals, if applicable; street signs, where necessary; and any other government signage that contains the city or town's name. The municipality must also file all necessary state and federal documentation, the company added.
In exchange, EchoStar will provide every household within the municipal limits one free Dish Network satellite-TV receiver, free standard installation and its “America's Top 60” programming package free-of-charge for 10 years.
“The ‘Dish City Makeover’ is an opportunity for an entire town to experience all-digital television free for 10 years while ridding themselves of cable TV's high prices and poor customer service,” EchoStar president Michael Neuman said in a prepared statement.
FCC's Alaska/Hawaii Effort Includes Multicast Rule
Late Tuesday, the Federal Communications Commission released a report and order that outlines the requirements for satellite TV providers serving Alaska and Hawaii with local broadcast analog and digital signals, rules that contain provisions concerning multicast and high def carriage.
The FCC work is part of its continuing implementation of the Satellite Home Viewer Extension and Reauthorization Act (SHVERA), signed into law last December. The FCC said SHVERA requires digital signals for the two states be carried by June 8, 2007, and that broadcasters must make their carriage election for digital signals by April 1, 2007. The order stated that satellite TV carriage of the digital signals includes high def signals as well as multicast signals.
The order also concluded that once broadcasters' digital signals in Alaska and Hawaii are being delivered, carriage of their analog signals is no longer required. SHVERA requires that satellite providers carry local analog signals for Alaska and Hawaii by Dec. 8, and broadcasters must elect whether to assert must carry for analog signals by Oct. 1.
The nation's two biggest satellite TV companies, EchoStar and DirecTV, released a joint statement saying they were pleased that the FCC - for the third time - rejected a dual carriage requirement. But they were not happy with the multicast provision.
"We are extremely disappointed however that the FCC, which has twice rejected multicast must-carry for the entire cable industry and its 60 million-plus customers, now wants to impose such a mandate in two states for the two satellite competitors," EchoStar and DirecTV said in their joint statement. "Why the FCC would burden an already capacity-challenged industry in this way is inexplicable."
The companies said that if they are forced to comply with the multicast mandate, they would have to limit future plans for expansion of "other, more compelling satellite TV services that consumers have been demanding." They addded, "This unfortunate and irrational policy will only serve to harm video competition. We will ask the FCC to reconsider its decision."
Also, the FCC order concluded that the SHVERA provision applies only to Alaska and Hawaii and does not include territories and possessions such as Puerto Rico and Guam.
The FCC said one commissioner, Kathleen Abernathy, concurred in part and dissented in part with the FCC order.
How Was 2Q for Cable, Satellite TV?
How did cable and satellite TV fare during the second quarter?
Tom Eagan of Oppenheimer and Co. said top cable operators such as Comcast and Cablevision continue to balance customer growth with financial growth, which was evident by their respective stronger-than-expected financial results. Also, second quarter basic subscriber losses for cable, which were about 219,000, weren't bad considering satellite TV gained 450,000 customers, far fewer than Oppenheimer and Co.'s original estimate of 563,000 net adds for DBS, Eagan said.
"Among the companies we cover, the best results - versus our estimates - were achieved by Cablevision which grew all of its customer categories (basic, digital cable, data and VoIP) and its cable cash flow was above our estimates," Eagan said in a research note.
Eagan said his top stock picks remain Comcast and DirecTV.
as seen on skyreport
Sirius Eyes Additional Spectrum in FCC Effort & A Higher Tax for N.C. Pay TV & DSL the Technology of Choice Across the Globe -- Posted by soullezz
on Sunday, August 21 2005
Sirius Eyes Additional Spectrum in FCC Effort
One satellite radio company has an idea of what the Federal Communications Commission should do with portions of the 2 GHz spectrum allocation recently surrendered by three mobile satellite service (MSS) operators.
Last week, Sirius asked the FCC to initiate a proceeding to reallocate the 24 MHz of unassigned 2 GHz MSS spectrum to satellite-based DARS services, and to authorize the company to use that spectrum for its satellite radio system. Sirius' comments at the agency came as the FCC determines how it should redistribute or reallocate portions of the spectrum given up by MSS licensees.
The Sirius move also surfaced after wireless companies began eyeing the unused spectrum.
"Given the difficulty of coordinating new satellite allocations internationally, the commission should endeavor to reassign this spectrum to deserving satellite providers instead of providing terrestrial wireless operators with even more spectrum," Sirius said in its comments on the 2 GHz matter. "Satellite spectrum remains scarce. Awarding additional 2 GHz spectrum to terrestrial wireless operators would not further the public interest."
Sirius said in its comments that the FCC has already allocated, or otherwise made available, more than 700 MHz of spectrum below 4 GHz for licensed terrestrial wireless operations. "While a significant portion of this spectrum is already in use, the commission soon will add an impressive amount of additional spectrum for advanced wireless services," the company said.
A Higher Tax for N.C. Pay TV
Satellite TV and cable viewers in North Carolina will see the tax assessed on their bills go up after lawmakers passed, and Gov. Mike Easley signed into law, a biennial budget for the state.
Under the North Carolina budget, a state tax on satellite TV, phone and cable services - as well as liquor sales - will rise to 7 percent. Presently, most of those services are taxed at 5 percent to 6 percent.
The $17.2 billion plan was approved by the North Carolina General Assembly on Aug. 11 and signed by the governor a few days after its passage.
For more on state tax issues impacting satellite TV, visit: http://www.stopsatellitetax.com.
DSL the Technology of Choice Across the Globe
The cable modem may be the top technology for broadband access in the United States, with DSL a close second. But when looking at all of the numbers across the globe, DSL is the service Web surfers use the most to connect to the Internet, The BRIDGE reports in its latest edition.
The weekly publication looks at global broadband, including recent industry trends and where broadband services flourish (and where they need development).
According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, DSL technology was utilized by more than 60 percent of the world's broadband users as of the end of 2004. Cable services took in 33 percent, and other technologies had a 6 percent slice of the global broadband pie, OECD data cited in The BRIDGE states.
as seen on skyreport
DirecTV Wins Key Piracy Case in Bankruptcy Court & OLN/Comcast Detail NHL Deal & BSkyB Exclusives Under Fire -- Posted by soullezz
on Thursday, August 18 2005
DirecTV Wins Key Piracy Case in Bankruptcy Court
A U.S. bankruptcy court in Michigan awarded DirecTV $202,000 in statutory damages in a signal theft case filed against an alleged satellite TV hacker, the satellite TV company said.
In awarding the damages, the bankruptcy court stated that the defendant's "intentional misappropriation of DirecTV's satellite signals constitutes larceny ... and a willful and malicious injury to plaintiff." In a statement, DirecTV said the court also found that the damage award is "nondischargeable," meaning that the defendant cannot avoid paying the award despite filing for bankruptcy on the eve of his first trial date in 2003.
"The bankruptcy judge's opinion is solid and well-reasoned and is an important win for DirecTV," said Dan Fawcett, executive vice president, legal and business affairs at DirecTV. "The court's ruling means that pirates cannot avoid responsibility for their actions by filing for bankruptcy."
DirecTV said that since fall 2002 it has filed thousands of civil lawsuits in federal court against individuals it believes purchased signal theft devices to steal its programming.
OLN/Comcast Detail NHL Deal
As expected, Comcast's OLN won coverage of the National Hockey League, getting exclusive rights to televise at least 58 regular-season games on Monday and Tuesday nights as well as delivering the NHL All-Star Game to viewers.
The deal also brings to OLN and Comcast rights to air video-on-demand game highlights and library footage, HDTV game coverage, and online streaming of two live games a night subject to local blackout rules. In addition, Comcast will have the ability to carry and/or syndicate additional games on its regional sports networks where it has the consent of the local team and team's rights holder, the cable company said.
During a conference call, OLN and Comcast executives said OLN-produced high def games would be as widely distributed as possible, and talks are going on with affiliates and distributors - which presumably includes satellite TV services - concerning the NHL HD games. Also, executives said the OLN deal doesn't impact NHL Center Ice, which along with cable also is delivered via DirecTV and EchoStar's DISH Network.
The deal also covers creation of an NHL network, a stand-alone 24/7 channel dedicated to the league and sport. Work is underway on that network, which could also carry games, executives said. The network could debut within 24 months.
OLN is available in more than 64 million homes, including DISH Network and DirecTV. Comcast's Steve Burke said a lot of carriage deals for OLN are up for renewal at the end of the year, but he didn't provide specifics. Burke said "it's fair to assume affiliate fees" could go up for those carrying OLN due to the NHL deal.
BSkyB Exclusives Under Fire
The EU's top antitrust regulator is eyeing BSkyB's exclusive rights to live Premier League football games ... and the look is a jaundiced one.
Although the Premier League has already agreed to end its exclusive deal with the News Corp. satellite giant from 2007 on, regulators are unhappy with current talks over how many games would be available to BSkyB rivals.
The Financial Times reports that EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes has written to the Premier League rejecting its latest offer for live TV rights. According to spokeswoman, Kroes has demanded "a more satisfactory solution at short notice." Failure to produce such a solution could lead to formal charges against the league - and potentially huge financial penalties.
as seen on skyreport
Should Car Makers Be Cautious About Sat Radio? & Attack of The Giant Satellite! & DataBRIDGE Has CableBounds -- Posted by soullezz
on Sunday, August 14 2005
Should Car Makers Be Cautious About Sat Radio?
In its latest research, "In-vehicle Entertainment Systems Market 2004-2011," Strategy Analytics warns that automotive OEMs should be cautious about introducing satellite radio options despite increasing adoption of the product.
There's an excellent automotive opportunity for in-vehicle satellite radio, the firm states. Strategy Analytics says it expects the market for in-vehicle satellite radio in North America to increase from 5.2 million units in 2004 to 12.8 million units by 2011, in terms of shipments in the OEM and aftermarket.
However, explosive satellite radio growth seen during the past three quarters may not translate automatically into success for the automotive market, and growth in general will slow down toward the end of 2005, the company says. Also, in-vehicle satellite radio growth will face competition from portable satellite radio devices and HD Radio/iBiquity systems.
In addition, players face tough marketing challenges that come from offering a subscription based business model since heavy satellite radio PR and marketing may not necessarily translate into 100 percent auto adoption, Strategy Analytics says. The firm adds that satellite radio offered as a standard feature does not mean it will automatically become the standard for vehicle customers.
"XM and Sirius face competition from iBiquity's HD Radio. However, iBquity now needs to shift focus from radio station upgrades to consumer system upgrades," says Clare Hughes, analyst with the Strategy Analytics automotive multimedia and communications service.
"There has been significant investment in terrestrial radio station upgrade by iBiquity. However this now needs to be translated into revenue."
Attack of The Giant Satellite!
Well, not really. But true to its horror movie roots, Japan is planning to launch a mega satellite with dishes big enough to squish the average house and broadband services fast enough to match fiber optic competitors.
Japan's Internal Affairs and Communications ministry said the new service will offer both downstream and upstream speeds of up to 100 MBps across the island nation, providing services to the most mountainous areas as well as on trains, airplanes and ships. With commercial operations due to begin in 2015, the broadband big dishes are expected to measure 66 feet in diameter. (Call it a Godzilla-ready pizza pie size.)
According to UPI Science News, the satellite will allow communications of up to 10 MBps even for cell phones with relatively low power outputs.
DataBRIDGE Has CableBounds
The DataBRIDGE, a research and data product from Media Business Corp, is offering CableBounds, a geo-spatial database of cable franchise areas in the United States.
Building on more than 10 years of service to the cable industry in tracking DBS, and compiled from Federal Communications Commission data, public filings, SEC filings, Census data, and primary research, CableBounds provides unparalleled insight into the competitive multichannel landscape.
The service's focus is the legal franchise boundaries as determined by franchise awards at the local government level. Users can profile more than 20,000 cable franchise areas with vital statistics, including:
*Legal franchise name, incorporation type, FIPS code, etc.
*MSO name, rank and URL
*FCC Community Unit IDs (CUIDs)
*DMA data, local-into-local availability and launch dates
*MSA data
*Demographics, including population, households, race and income data
*Deregulatory status
*Satellite subscribers, and more.
as seen on skyreport
Discovery Takes Aim at Retrans & TiVo Shares Tumble on Old News & Satellite Heavyweight Roars into Space -- Posted by soullezz
on Sunday, August 14 2005
Discovery Takes Aim at Retrans
Discovery Communications took its concerns about retransmission consent to the Federal Communications Commission, telling FCC Chairman Kevin Martin that the issue has had a profound impact on competition between programmers.
Judith McHale, Discovery Communications' president and CEO, told Martin that retransmission consent "has enabled channels affiliated with the Big Four networks to dominate at the expense of independent programmers like ourselves, and cable-affiliated programmers as well."
McHale's letter said the broadcasters' share of expanded basic tiers has jumped more than 56 percent while the share of cable-affiliated networks has been reduced by half - to 26 percent - and the share of independent programmers has fallen by one-third, to 18 percent. "For the last 12 years, thanks to retransmission consent, the lion's share of the growth has gone to only four companies," she said, referring to Viacom's CBS, NBC, Disney-controlled ABC and News Corp.-backed FOX.
"To a programmer working to launch a new channel or seeking financial support for improvements to an existing channel, the advantages of retransmission consent - and the disadvantages of lacking that leverage - are simply overwhelming," McHale said.
TiVo Shares Tumble on Old News
TiVo shares were down more than 6 percent in trading Thursday, to $5.62, after Wall Street took in again the possibility that the DVR pioneer could be drifting further away from its top customer, DirecTV.
There was no new news to report concerning the TiVo and DirecTV relationship, other than comments DirecTV CEO Chase Carey made during a conference this week. Reportedly, Carey said DirecTV will focus on marketing and selling its own DVR when it debuts in October, something which the company has said in the past.
DirecTV has been TiVo's biggest source of customers for several years, yet DirecTV's move to develop its own DVR has some speculating about TiVo's future. On Thursday, a DirecTV spokesperson reiterated the company line that it will still offer TiVo as a DVR option.
And despite the Wall Street outlook, TiVo also has key cable deals with Comcast and the National Cable Television Cooperative, which represents small cable systems.
Satellite Heavyweight Roars into Space
Arianespace successfully launched what has been called the largest commercial satellite placed into orbit, the heavyweight THAICOM 4 satellite.
The flight took place from Arianespace's Spaceport in French Guiana. It will be used by Thailand's Shin Satellite to support broadband services for 14 countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
Space Systems/Loral built the satellite, which was aboard an Ariane 5 rocket.
as seen on skyreport
DISH Takes On Multicast at FCC & Broadcasters Ask FCC for Conditions on Adelphia Deal & DirecTV Shares Get Upgrade -- Posted by soullezz
on Sunday, August 7 2005
DISH Takes On Multicast at FCC
EchoStar took on issues surrounding multicast and delivery of local TV signals to non-contiguous states, recently telling officials at the Federal Communications Commission that imposing multicast requirements for delivery of local TV stations to Alaska and Hawaii would render certain FCC rules "constitutionally infirm."
Moreover, a multicast obligation would "not be congruent to any benefits obtained," the satellite TV company said. "The burden associated with a multicast requirement would be particularly onerous, as carriage of multicast signals would limit satellite operators' ability to utilize statistical multiplexing, an integral part of the compression process that helps squeeze more channels out of the limited spectrum allocated to satellite operators."
The EchoStar conference call took place with staff for FCC Chairman Kevin Martin. In the past, Martin has supported cable carriage of multicast material from broadcasters, which consist of multiple streams of content divided from digital broadcast spectrum.
The FCC's look at service issues for non-contiguous states is part of its implementation of the Satellite Home Viewer Extension and Reauthorization Act (SHVERA).
Broadcasters Ask FCC for Conditions on Adelphia Deal
Broadcasters took aim at Adelphia's proposed takeover by Comcast and Time Warner Cable, suggesting in a filing sent to the Federal Communications Commission last week that conditions should be placed on the deal.
Specifically, the National Association of Broadcasters told the FCC that it should include conditions on the cable deal to ensure local broadcast stations can negotiate "reasonably and appropriately" with large regionally clustered cable systems for retransmission consent and the carriage of digital signals. The NAB said those negotiations should include multicast programming streams from broadcasters.
"The proposed transactions present clear competitive concerns, especially for entities, including broadcasters, that must deal with nationally and regionally concentrated cable operators in the video marketplace," NAB said in comments sent to the FCC late last week. "Thus, if the commission ultimately approves the transactions with conditions to prevent competitive abuses, the commission should include conditions to ensure that local broadcast stations may negotiate reasonably and appropriately with Comcast and Time Warner."
DirecTV Shares Get Upgrade
DirecTV's stock was in the spotlight Friday thanks to an upgrade from Oppenheimer and Co. and its analyst Tom Eagan.
In a note released at the end of last week, Eagan said improving 2005 cash flow margin and the increased likelihood of action on DirecTV shares held by the GM Pension should start to lift an overhang on the stock. Eagan upgraded the stock from "neutral" to "buy" with a target of $19.50.
"While true that DirecTV may not be able to buy back these shares (that GM Pension sells) until late-December 2005, without endangering the tax-free status of the DirecTV sale under the Morris Trust rules, the waiting period for the overhang on the DirecTV stock to lift has been reduced from eight months (in February) to four months now," Eagan said.
as seen on skyreport
DirecTV Takes Aim at Churn, Competition During 2Q Call & CSR Survey: Quebec Residents Ready for Sat Radio & ExpressVu Reaches 1.6 Million Mark -- Posted by soullezz
on Thursday, August 4 2005
DirecTV Takes Aim at Churn, Competition During 2Q Call
Higher customer churn during the second quarter put a bit of a damper on DirecTV's release of numbers for the three-month period.
DirecTV said net subscriber additions for the second quarter were 225,000, a lower than expected number that was blamed on a churn rate of 1.69 percent for the three-month period. At the end of the quarter, DirecTV's customer base stood at 14.67 million.
DirecTV executives blamed the higher churn on low-quality subscribers leaving the service and bad debt.
Nonetheless, there was some good news among DirecTV's second quarter results: The company saw a 34 percent increase in revenues, to $3 billion, and a nearly tripling of operating profit before depreciation and amortization to more than $500 million. DirecTV also reported second quarter net income of $162 million, compared to a net loss of $13 million for the same period last year.
During a conference call discussing second quarter results, DirecTV CEO Chase Carey commented on cable competition, saying the company feels "pretty good about our ability of holding our own when competing with the cable bundle." The broadband portion of that cable bundle remains a challenge, Carey said, but added the aggressive cable bundling "continues to be marginal."
RBOC partners continue to add DirecTV customers to their respective bundles, executives said, amounting to about 15 percent of gross customer adds for the quarter. RBOCs continue to be good partners, Carey said, but he added the company realizes telco companies are moving into the direction of becoming a direct competitor with fiber-based offerings.
Nonetheless, Carey said DirecTV sees "interesting options" as that side of the business develops. He also said DirecTV could be a short-term beneficiary of any competitive battles between cable and RBOCs.
CSR Survey: Quebec Residents Ready for Sat Radio
In an effort to gain the public's blessing for satellite radio north of the border, XM-backed Canadian Satellite Radio (CSR) released results from a survey conducted by Omnitel Omnibus that found support for subscription-based satellite radio services in one province, Quebec.
The survey found that 5 percent of Quebec residents participating in the study think satellite radio could have a negative inpact, while 55 percent of Quebec residents said satellite radio could positively impact Canada's French culture. The survey also found that 22 percent of Quebec residents would be interested in subscribing to a Canadian satellite radio service at a cost of $12.99 a month.
"CSR is eager to launch our service and bring Quebecers the French content they are asking for," said Andre DiCesare, French talent and industry relations for CSR. "By investing in French artists, French programming and French talent development, CSR hopes to bring Quebec culture the exposure it deserves."
CSR and Sirius' entity in Canada are working to launch respective satellite radio services north of the border, despite stiff opposition from broadcasters and creative groups in the country.
ExpressVu Reaches 1.6 Million Mark
Bell ExpressVu, the satellite-based video business from Bell Canada, said it posted its strongest second quarter on record as net additions jumped 163 percent over the same quarter in 2004 to 63,000.
By June 30, total subscribers reached the 1.6 million mark, up 12 percent when compared to the same period in 2004, the company said.
During the three-month period, Bell ExpressVu completed its smart card replacement program throughout its entire customer base, an effort that will help keep the satellite platform away from piracy.
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