Focus: Broadcasting

[Satellite TODAY Insider 04-18-11] Global pay-TV subscriptions rose 6 percent last year, with satellite pay-TV giants DirecTV and Dish Network contributing 19.6 million and 14.1 million subscribers, respectively in 2010, according to an In-Stat research report released April 15.     The report ranked DirecTV second and Dish Network third behind cable provider Comcast. Other satellite...

GlobeCast concluded a five-year contract with Eutelsat Communications for a third transponder on the Eurobird 9A satellite, Globecast announced April 11.      Eurobird 9A was chosen for its potential to reach more than 5 million DTH and cable homes. The satellite’s proximity to Eutelsat’s HOT BIRD video neighborhood at its 13 degrees east orbital location...

BBC Worldwide contracted GlobeCast to provide playout and media workflow services for four of the broadcaster’s Polish-language channels from GlobeCast’s London media management and delivery hub, GlobeCast announced.     GlobeCast will utilize its fiber and satellite delivery networks and digital ecosystem for BBC Worldwide content preparation. The digital ecosystem includes connectivity and integration with partners...

Sky Deutschland has reached a deal with HD Plus in Germany to expand the offering of HD channels to its satellite pay-TV subscribers.      The deal, announced April 11, notes that HD Plus channels will be available via most of Sky HD satellite receivers. The cooperation enables Sky subscribers with a Sky NDS-Smartcard and a...

Digital media tools and workflow solutions provider Telestream has released an upgraded version of its Pipeline video capture system, the company announced.     Pipeline 2.5 was designed to function as a network-based video capture and playout device for moving HD and SD video in and out of file-based workflows. Pipeline 2.5 adds immediate access capabilities...

Nagra, an independent provider of value-added content protection solutions, has secured a contract with Italian broadcaster Mediaset to provide its over-the-top (OTT) video-on-demand solutions to Mediaset subscribers, Nagra announced April 7.     The solution includes Nagra’s Media Persistent Rights Management capability, which aims to provide operators with the foundation for delivering multiscreen services and multiple...

Australian pay-TV operator Foxtel hopes its slew of new Hollywood studio contracts to bring movies to Foxtel subscribers in a similar timeframe with DVD releases will help the company recover from the Australian market’s 2010 slowdown.     With selected titles on Foxtel’s existing PPV movie service and its new broadband-connected Foxtel On Demand Internet television...

Some people in the broadcasting sector thought the migration to digital would make managing workflows easier. Others, like resource management software developers, knew they had a brand new growth market on their hands. While the broadcast industry’s production processes are being revamped in the digital video world, distribution is becoming increasingly complex.     In today’s...

Streambox has introduced an all-in-one, software-based enterprise server designed to allow broadcasters and other video-centric organizations to manage the acquisition of video content when substantial amounts of video are being contributed, the company announced.    The enterprise server includes multi-functioning capabilities used to acquire, manage, and play out live and file-based video sent from the...

Chinese cable operator Fujian Southeast selected technology solutions from Thomson Video Networks (TVN) to help the broadcaster upgrade its headend infrastructure, TVN announced April 6.     The TVN system was specified and delivered to Fujian at an accelerated schedule to meet the broadcaster’s requirements in February. The installation included a range of TVN’s ViBE encoders,...