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SATELLITE: EchoStar Capacity to help WildBlue Grow; Intelsat and KT

WildBlue on Thursday announced that it had completed an agreement to lease additional Ka-band capacity from EchoStar Satellite Services in an effort to serve more customers in rural U.S. areas. The capacity, which will come from EchoStar's currently leased in-space satellites, is expected to become available in the second half of 2009 and will help WildBlue, which has been essentially booked to capacity for some time, to begin taking on new customer accounts --- Korean provider KT Corporation will host two new GXS Network Broadband hubs for Intelsat in the Asia-Pacific region, allowing Intelsat to expand its GXS Internet Trunking Service, Nework Broadband and International Private Line services in the region --- Spacenet Rural Communications has deployed Gilat's SkyEdge II broadband satellite network to serve its commercial customers in Peru, including the national bank Banco De La Nacion.
27 Mar 2009 - 15:10 by soullezz    Industry News |

Irdeto Bringing Long-Term View To Online Video

What will the cable industry be talking about next week at The Cable Show in Washington, D.C.? Aside from D.C.'s wacky zone-based taxi fare system, all bets are on the future of online video and cable's place at the table.

Irdeto, a company until now best know for its DRM and content security systems, wants to join that conversation by introducing a new end-to-end solution at the show that's designed to address "the growing demands of cable operators as they move from first-generation digital services to next generation services."

That's to say that Irdeto's solution isn't just about nDVR features and weather widgets, but rather laying the groundwork for whatever new services are coming down the pipe, from multi-room sharing to mobile video.

According to Jan Steenkamp, the former OpenTV CEO and Irdeto founding member who is heading up the company's U.S. expansion, the solution has already been deployed by a number of European and Asian providers and has been contracted for pay-per-view services by World Wrestling Entertainment and the Union of European Football Associations. The Cable Show marks the technology's North American debut.
27 Mar 2009 - 15:09 by soullezz    Industry News |

RESEARCH: Digital Economy Surviving In Down Times; Mobile Services Poised to Take a Hit

According to a study released this week by market research firm Strategy Analytics, the top 27 digital media companies in the world increased their earnings by more than 20 percent to $74 billion in 2008, up from $61.5 billion in 2007. Apple's "music related products and services" segment, which includes iTunes, led the charge with 32.7 percent growth in 2008, while Yahoo brought up the rear with just 3.4 percent growth in the 12-month period --- Although the cell phone segment has so far been largely isolated from the economic downturn, survey results released on Friday by the New Millennium Research Council show that almost 40 percent of U.S. cell phone users -- representing some 50 million consumers -- say they will cut back on their mobile service plans in the next year if the economy continues its downward trajectory.
23 Mar 2009 - 17:31 by soullezz    Industry News |



INDUSTRY: New Markets for Mega TV; Rentrak Expands; Microsoft and NYTimes

Spanish Broadcasting System's Mega TV has added WHDO Channel 38.2 in Orlando and WFHD Channel 36.2 in Tampa to its affiliate lineup for Spanish-language content --- Rentrak added four new content provider groups to its OnDemand Essentials viewership tracking service, including 4Kids Entertainment, ExerciseTV, Magnolia Pictures, InDemand Networks. The company also expanded channel offerings for several of its existing content provider subscribers, including Big Ten Network, FX, MGM Impact and Spike TV --- Remember those rumors about Microsoft being interested in buying the New York Times? Steve Ballmer, CEO of the software giant, put them to rest last week, telling a group of reporters that his company has absolutely no interest in acquiring a print business. "Not 'no comment,'" Ballmer said, "'No.'"
23 Mar 2009 - 17:29 by soullezz    Industry News |

NDS, Cox Announce tru2way Deal

NDS will supply Cox Communications with a full suite of interactive applications for its tru2way set-top platform, the companies announced this morning. The applications -- which include email, news, sports, weather, games, TV caller ID, movie listings and other information services -- are set to roll out to existing and new Cox customers this summer along with a new Cox user interface, also being implemented by NDS.

According to Cox, the applications suite was designed to more closely complement the provider's new UI design and integrate its various service offerings -- including VOD, DVR and linear content -- into one, streamlined UI experience.

“Cox worked closely with the NDS design and development teams to ensure that the final product suite, while providing advanced services, remains user-friendly and fits seamlessly within the new UI framework,” said Steve Necessary, Cox's VP of video strategy and product development."

The tru2way announcement is the first major unveiling from the companies since they first announced their collaboration in early 2008.
23 Mar 2009 - 17:29 by soullezz    Industry News |

PEOPLE: Moves at Lifetime; Pets.TV; ARRIS; More Nacchio Nonsense

Lifetime named Danielle Carrig senior vice president for advocacy and public affairs and Amanda Crumley vice president for advocacy and public affairs --- Lisa-Renee Ramirez has been named executive vice president and executive producer of Pets.TV, a new HD network being launched exclusively on the FiOS network by Entertainment Studios --- Arris promoted Dan Whalen to senior vice president of sales, responsible for the company's accounts with Cablevision, Comcast and a range of Canadian and Eastern U.S. cable MSOs --- Believe it or not, prison bound former Qwest CEO Joe Nacchio on Tuesday came up with another attempt to delay his incarceration for insider trading. This time the convicted executive said that he may have skin cancer and wants to delay the start of his 6-year prison term while doctors determine whether or not he needs surgery.
18 Mar 2009 - 08:56 by soullezz    Industry News |



Hardware and Industry Bytes
HARDWARE: Motorola Intros Video Server; Edgeware Coming to America

Motorola on Tuesday expanded its on demand hardware lineup with the new B-3 Video Server. Designed to complement Moto's B-1 VOD server, the B-3 leverages the company's Adaptive Media Management framework to optimize providers' streaming, storage and network resources --- Swedish flash memory-based VOD server manufacturer Edgeware on Tuesday announced the opening of a San Jose office and the hiring of a North American sales lead to expand its presence in the U.S. market. The company also said that it had secured $8 million in Series B financing to support its global expansion.

INDUSTRY: Nintendo Wins Wii Suit; Nokia Layoffs; More FiOS in NY

A U.S. District Court judge in Texas on Tuesday dismissed the patent infringement lawsuit that Fenner Investments had brought against Nintendo, claiming that Nintendo's Wii console and controller infringed on one of its patents --- Wireless device maker Nokia announced plans to lay off 1,700 employees worldwide as sales in the mobile phone sector continue to slump --- The town board of Clay, New York this week became the first municipality in the central New York region to approve a video franchise for Verizon's FiOS TV service.
18 Mar 2009 - 08:55 by soullezz    Industry News |

Are We Really Approaching the iTV Tipping Point?

According to a report released this week by market research firm The Diffusion Group, more than 75 percent of U.S. consumers say that having an interactive toolbar on their TV (for weather updates, news, sports, etc) would be "valuable."

For the record, that's more support than technologies like Blu-ray and HD broadcasting often receive.

What's more, the folks at Parks Associates this week proclaimed that 33 percent of U.S. broadband households claim to be interested in connected set-top boxes, with seven percent saying they'd be willing to pay extra for it. In terms of services, most users told Parks they'd be interested in streaming music via their connected STB, followed by web surfing and accessing premium web video.

But does that necessarily mean the average user is ready to embrace internet-enabled TV? Naturally, analysts with The Diffusion Group say "yes," citing the popularity of widgets in driving widespread adoption, but I'm not convinced. After all, in these uncertain economic times, is it really worth operators' time to roll out services that, while potentially popular, might be out of date in six months time? I can see iTV taking off once broadband service is more universal, but even now I just don't think the infrastructure is there to support millions of U.S. households interactive needs (though I am welcome to being proven wrong).
18 Mar 2009 - 08:53 by soullezz    Industry News |

Pay TV Up in a Down Market

According to a study released Wednesday by Rider Research, the economic meltdown hasn't slowed growth in the U.S. pay TV market.

In fact, the number of U.S. TV subscribers actually increased by 362,000 in the fourth quarter of 2008, led by the telcos with 567,000 net adds. The satellite providers added 199,000 net thanks to DIRECTV's 301,000 increase (as reported, DISH lost more than 100k subscribers in the quarter) while the cable incumbents lost 404,000 total.

According to Rider, the top three overall were Verizon with 303,000 net additions, DIRECTV with 301,000 and AT&T with 264,000. On the flipside, Comcast lost 233,000 subscribers in the fourth quarter, followed by Time Warner Cable with 197,000 and DISH Network with 102,000.
12 Mar 2009 - 20:03 by soullezz    Industry News |



SATELLITE: SBCA Forms Leadership Council; Arianespace Update

The Satellite Broadcasting and Communications Association (SBCA) on Wednesday announced that it had created a new advisory group called the Satellite Industry Leadership Council. The council, which will advise SBCA on issues ranging from training initiatives to satellite rights advocacy, currently includes representatives from the following companies: Apogee Telecom, Case-SRS Distributing, CONNECT Television, CVS Systems, DirecTECH, DirectSat USA, Dow Electronics, DSI Distributing, INSTALLS inc, INTERTECH Digital Entertainment, Lincoln Tech, PACE International, PDI SAT, Perfect 10 Satellite Distributing, PPC, Sky Web, WildBlue Communications and WIREFREE USA / Rapid Choice -- Arianespace's second launch of the year is on schedule, with the company taking delivery of its latest Ariane 5 ECA heavy-lift vehicle at Europe's Spaceport this week.

12 Mar 2009 - 20:03 by soullezz    Industry News |

Consumer Spending Continued Upward Trend in February

More good news for the nation's retailers. According to the latest Deloitte Consumer Spending Index, released Wednesday, shoppers continued their slow trek back to the stores and malls of America for the second straight month in February, increasing the index to 1.53 percent from the 1.27 percent gain it posted in January.

Falling oil prices, reduced tax bills and a boost in real wages are credited with the positive shift.

But it's not all good news. Although consumer purchasing power is increasing, shoppers are still for the most part holding back. A full recovery in consumer spending will probably have to wait for some stabilization in the housing market, Deloitte said.
12 Mar 2009 - 20:02 by soullezz    Industry News |

Into The Future
Want a glimpse into the future? Most likely YOUR future if your business has anything to do with two-way communications, such as, oh say, the voice, data and, increasingly, video services offered by most multiplatform providers?

Here you go: He’s a 34 year old native of New Delhi, India whose first language was Swahili, and whose resume includes degrees in psychology and information technology

He’s also Pres. Obama’s choice as the U.S.’ first Chief Information Officer and if past is prelude to the future we can expect to see a lot more Googling, Facebooking and cloud computing from our gov.

The proposed CIO’s name is Vivek Kundra and for the past several years he’s been CTO for the District of Columbia. In his new post, Kundra will have a $70 billion budget to determine the technologies of choice for the Obama administration’s vision of open, high-tech government.

So what does this have to do with you?

Ah, remember who started the internet? (A hint: It wasn’t Al Gore.) Who created those nifty GPS services now used in myriad multiplatform devices? Who, for that matter, launched the first satellites and laid some of the first fiber optic cables?

Yes, folks. It was the government. The money spent in D.C., under whatever administration or political philosophy, has a way of trickling down to us all. And, if Mr. Kundra’s past is any indication, the techno money boost of the future is going to go to open applications. And it’s going to run against (pay attention here) proprietary technologies.

So that’s the future (at least as of today). For an interesting look at how Kundra brought technology to D.C. civil servants, check out this YouTube video at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JZus5bvC3M
9 Mar 2009 - 08:03 by soullezz    Industry News |


Magic Jack

PROGRAMMING: Sky Online; AT&T and MTV; Sirius Gets Oprah

Sky on Friday added six new live TV channels to its online TV service. The new offerings include Sky Movies Screen 1 and 1, Nat Geo Wild, Eden, G.O.L.D. and Sky Real Lives, all accessible via the Sky Player TV web video service --- AT&T will launch a new interactive campaign in partnership with MTV Networks that will enable AT&T customers to access an online library of archival MTV video content. The service will include music videos, live performances, behind the scenes clips and special event coverage from mtvmusic.com --- Sirius XM Radio on Friday officially launched "Oprah Radio," its take on the 24/7 Oprah Winfrey-backed "Oprah & Friends" channel that had aired on XM. Oprah Radio is now available on XM channel 156 and Sirius channel 195 as part of the Best of XM package.
9 Mar 2009 - 08:01 by soullezz    Industry News |

Smooth Sailing On DTV Switch ... So Far

NAB President David Rehr told FCC officials last week that the Feb. 17 transition of some 420 stations to digital broadcasting was essentially a "non-event," citing the industry's education efforts for ensuring that consumers knew what to expect from the DTV switch. According to Rehr, there were relatively few calls from confused viewers after the switchover and said that "awareness of the DTV transition was virtually saturated across the country."

So that's the good news.

The bad news, Rehr testified, is that with the new June 12 cutoff date we still have several months to go before the digital transition is over. The challenges now include letting viewers know about the new date, dealing with the antenna issues presented by digital signals and bolstering the FCC's call center operations. The FCC is set to receive $90 million in economic stimulus money from the NTIA that should help it address those concerns.
9 Mar 2009 - 08:00 by soullezz    Industry News |

TiVo Announces First Full Year of Profitability

DVR developer TiVo on Monday reported that 2008 was its first full year of profitability since the company's founding in 1997.

Net income for the year was $104 million, compared to the $32 million loss it reported in 2007. Excluding the $105 million in damages TiVo was awarded from EchoStar in 2008, its profit would have been closer to $300,000.

And the yearly net income boost came despite a $3.6 million loss in the fourth quarter. Still that was better than the $6.4 million that TiVo lost in Q4 of '07
3 Mar 2009 - 09:58 by soullezz    Industry News |



Retail: Consumer Spending Edged Up In January; Bell Canada Acquires Circuit City's Canadian Operations

Here's some long-awaited good news for the nation's retailers: According to the U.S. Commerce Department, consumer spending picked up slightly in January following six months of steady decline. The metric rose a seasonally adjusted 0.6 percent in the month, exceeding estimates of 0.4 percent, after falling by 3.5 percent between June and December of last year. Still, we're not out of the woods yet. According to the Commerce Department report, consumer spending in January was still 1.6 percent lower than the same month in 2007 on an annual basis --- Bell Canada announced plans to acquire the Canadian operations of bankrupt CE retailer Circuit City for an undisclosed sum. Circuit City operates about 750 stores in Canada under its "The Source" brand name.
3 Mar 2009 - 09:57 by soullezz    Industry News |

Analysts Slam DISH After Quarterly Report

Wall Street didn't go easy on DISH Network Monday after the DBS provider announced that it had lost more than 100,000 subscribers in the fourth quarter of 2008.

Collins Stewart analyst Tom Eagan said that DISH's disappointing results "highlight the company's inability to both add customers as well as maintain their existing subscribers." Eagan went on to criticize DISH, highlighting the fact that DIRECTV added more than 300,000 subscribers in the fourth quarter while its competition went in the other direction.

Bernstein Research analyst Craig Moffett said that the most striking number to come out of DISH's quarterly report on Monday wasn't the 102,000 subscribers lost but instead the fact that the company's revenue growth is now down to one percent. This time last year DISH was growing at an 11 percent pace. And, given that the fourth quarter was the last one with AT&T as a DISH distributor, Moffett said he wouldn't be surprised if the company loses another 100,000 subscribers in the first quarter. Yikes.
3 Mar 2009 - 09:55 by soullezz    Industry News |

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