Focus: Broadcasting

[Satellite TODAY 01-03-12] UAE telecoms operator Etisalat has entered into an agreement to establish uplink services on YahLive’s Y1A satellite for HD broadcasts across the Middle East and North Africa, the companies confirmed Jan. 3.    Y1A will transmit Emirati state channels in HD from its 52.5 degrees East orbital slot. The agreement is the...

[Satellite TODAY 01-03-12] SiriusXM Radio has introduced the SiriusXM Lynx Portable Radio – the first to support the operator’s 2.0 radio platform with new features and an expanded channel lineup via satellite and Internet, the company announced Dec. 30.    The Lynx radio was designed with a flexible architecture to receive the new expanded SiriusXM...

Early next year, the West Africa Cable System (WACS), an ultra-high capacity fiber optic submarine cable system that will link countries in Southern Africa, Western Africa and Europe, will be switched on, and with one stroke bring a huge of amount of new capacity to Africa. The system will play a key role in reducing...

CTC Media is one of Russia’s largest broadcasters and a key player in the country’s evolving broadcast landscape. As Russian satellite operators, Russian Satellite Communications Company (RSCC) and Gazprom Satellite Systems (GSS), put up more capacity and more DTH players emerge, the Russian broadcast landscape is likely to be a hotbed of innovation during the...

Gulf Air, based out of Bahrain and one of the largest airlines in the Middle East, aims to be one of the most progressive in terms of providing in-flight entertainment and connectivity services. The airline is going one step further than most by offering live TV as part of its overall service to passengers and...

[Satellite TODAY 12-29-11] Starmax HD announced Dec. 28 that it is closing down operations, but said the shut down is temporary and that the Spanish DTH platform would return to service soon.    The service was officially introduced in March 2011 and has only been on the market for a few months. Starmax HD was...

[Satellite TODAY 12-29-11] Deutsche Telekom may bid for rights to broadcast the German Bundesliga soccer league via satellite, according to a Dec. 27 report in the Financial Times Deutschland.    The story cited Deutsche Telekom Head of German Business Niek Jan van Damme, who said that the phone operator sold about 115,000 packages of its...

[Satellite TODAY 12-27-11] Liberty Global has appointed Bryan Hall its new senior vice president, general counsel and secretary effective Jan. 10, the company confirmed Dec. 23.    Hall will succeed Elizabeth Markowski who will retire at the end of 2011 after more than 11 years with the company and its predecessors.    Hall previously served...

[Satellite TODAY 12-13-11] GlobeCast and France 24 are planning to launch an exploratory Hbb-TV service in early 2012 with the support of French telecom Orange and satellite operator SES, the companies confirmed Dec. 22.    The service aims to add interactivity to satellite TV programming via broadband-connected TVs and will initially be offered to France...

[Satellite News 12-20-11] Dish Network stocks soared nearly 10 percent today following the Dec. 19 announcement that AT&T was withdrawing its $39 billion bid to acquire T-Mobile from Deutsche Telekom. Analysts said the pay-TV satellite broadcaster, who actively criticized the potential merge between the two international cellular service providers, holds a powerful hand of assets...