Focus: Broadcasting

[Satellite TODAY 01-13-10] Sirius Canada has exceeded 1 million paying subscribers across Canada after four years of operation, the company announced Jan. 12.     “Despite difficult economic conditions in 2009 and the slowdown in the automotive and retail industries, Sirius’ subscriber growth has continued to be strong and has exceeded our expectations,” Sirius Canada President...

[Satellite TODAY 01-13-10] As broadcast subscribers have upgraded from standard- to high-definition services, DTH operators have steadily grown their ARPU numbers, according to an NSR statement, released Jan. 12.     The study, “HD to 3-D – A Harder Mountain to Climb,” shows that increases in service picture quality are consistent with DTH ARPU increases —...

[Satellite TODAY 01-12-10] A Florida federal court issued a $51 million dollar judgment award to Dish Network, EchoStar Technologies and NagraStar in its anti-piracy lawsuit against Robert Ward, who posted software on the Internet that allowed individuals to illegally receive Dish Network programming using free-to-air receivers, the companies announced Jan. 11.     In the summary...

[Satellite TODAY 01-12-10] A new project is being launched to address issues of interoperability for future HDTV production systems, the European Broadcast Union (EBU) announced Jan. 11.     The initial group of founding participants who launched the P/HIPS (Harmonization and Interoperability of HDTV Production Standards) project have agreed to welcome additional interested parties at future...

[Satellite TODAY 01-12-10] Orbit Showtime will be re-branded to Orbit Showtime Network (OSN), effective at the start of February, the Middle East broadcaster announced Jan. 11.     In August, Showtime Arabia and Orbit merged to create the Orbit Showtime DTH platform in the Middle East. OSN will bring together 75 channels from the combined platforms....

[Satellite TODAY 01-08-10] DirecTV will launch three dedicated 3-D HD channels in 2010, DirecTV and Panasonic, its technology partner, announced in a Jan. 6 statement.     The service will be available through existing DirecTV set-top boxes following a free software upgrade that will be delivered to subscribers in the second quarter.     DirecTV’s 3-D HD...

[Satellite TODAY 01-08-10] Dish Network has entered into a multi-year partnership with IPTV broadband service provider NeuLion to distribute certain Dish Network international channels using NeuLion’s IPTV service, Dish Network announced Jan. 7.     "We see distinct synergies between our respective television distribution services,” Chris Wagner, executive vice president of NeuLion, said in a statement....

[Satellite TODAY 01-06-10] Dish Network has introduced TV Everywhere, a suite of integrated products, which aims to enable Dish customers to watch live and recorded shows on the go, Dish Network announced Jan. 6     TV Everywhere integrates the program guide, menu and navigation into a single interface. The package includes a TV Everywhere adapter,...

[Satellite News 01-06-10] ESPN has revealed plans to launch ESPN 3D, a dedicated 3-D HD network, which will showcase a minimum of 85 live sporting events during its first year, including the first 2010 FIFA World Cup soccer match featuring South Africa vs. Mexico.     "ESPN’s commitment to 3-D is a win for fans and...

[Satellite TODAY 01-06-10] ESPN, Discovery Communications, Sony and IMAX revealed plans to launch dedicated 3-D HD networks in separate statements released Jan. 5.     ABC Sports, which owns ESPN, said that it will launch the ESPN 3D channel to showcase a minimum of 85 live sporting events during its first year, including the first 2010...