Focus: Broadcasting

[Satellite TODAY 07-02-10] International Datacasting Corp. (IDC) signed a deal worth $16 million with The Wananchi Group to develop a DTH broadcasting service in the sub-Saharan region of Africa, IDC announced July 1.     The contract includes head-end equipment valued at about $3.5 million and will enable a satellite-to-set-top box distribution platform for the delivery...

[Satellite TODAY 07-02-10]  The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has made recommendations to the Indian government that international companies play more of a role in the country’s DTH sector, according to a TRAI report released June 30.     One of the key recommendations made by TRAI is that the government set its foreign investment...

Saudi-based Rotana is one of the Middle East’s major media groups, and earlier this year, News Corp. reached an agreement to buy a 9 percent stake in the Rotana Group. Via Satellite spoke to Yousef Mugharbill, president of Rotana Digital Media, about the company’s HD plans as well as other initiatives.  VIA SATELLITE: What are...

[Satellite TODAY 06-30-10] Telenor has signed a set-top box testing deal with Mirifice, which will see the broadcast company use Mirifice’s MiriATE system to automate testing of digital television set-top boxes before they are deployed to Telenor’s customers, the company announced June 29.     Telenor will use the automating testing to improve the quality of...

[Satellite TODAY 06-29-10] ViaSat is providing its DVB-S2 multi-stream modulator IP core, SkyPHY-MSM, to Sencore as part of a new satellite modulator offering scheduled for rollout in 2011, Sencore announced June 28.     The product is designed to process multiple data streams and optimize use of satellite bandwidth to reduce equipment costs and operating expenses....

[Satellite TODAY 06-28-10] Satellite pay-TV operator Sky Deutschland is expanding its cooperation with German cable operator Kabel BW to combine the CleverKabel Internet and telephone offers with Sky subscription packages as well as live broadcasts of German Bundesliga soccer, Sky Deutschland announced June 25.     “Together with Internet and flat rate telephony, we have developed...

[Satellite TODAY 06-28-10] Eutelsat and client Noorsat have shut down European broadcasts of the Al-Aqsa TV Gaza-based television station after the French CSA Broadcasting Authority and the European Commission ordered the Paris-based operator to take the channel off the air on grounds that it violated rules on incitement, the operator confirmed June 25.     The...

[Satellite News 06-25-10] SES World Skies is in talks with equipment manufacturers Samsung and Panasonic to create a 3-D ecosystem in Asia similar to what the operator has done in the United States, Scott Sprague, senior vice president of global sales for SES World Skies told Satellite News.     “We will be making an announcement...

[Satellite News 06-24-10] DishTV was the first operator in India to launch DTH services and has since been by competitors Tata Sky, Videocon, Bharti Airtel and Reliance Communications, among others. Rajiv Khattar, president, projects, DishTV, is responsible for many of the operator’s technology and satellite capacity decisions and spoke with Satellite News about the operator’s...

[Satellite News 06-22-10] The BBC is one of the most recognized names around the globe, however, the U.K.-based broadcaster only launched its channel business in Asia in the last three years. Now the broadcaster plans to bring its HD channel to more platforms in Asia as well as increase the number of its other channels...