Focus: Broadcasting

[Satellite Today 03-03-09] GlobeCast and Measat Satellite Systems have signed an agreement with SPE Networks to distribute the AXN HD channel in the Asia-Pacific Region, starting with the Korean market from Mar. 1, the companies announced Mar. 2.     GlobeCast will pick up the AXN HD channel feed from SPE’s facilities in Singapore directly to...

The first day of CABSAT MENA and SATELITE MENA 2009 was dominated of talk of the changing capacity situation that could evolve in the Middle East over the next two years.     There are huge demands for satellite capacity right now, and this is putting huge pressure on players desperate to access capacity, Neil Ashworth,...

Satellite capacity problems exist in many regions around the globe, and the Middle East is no exception, according to satellite operators, industry analysts and, most importantly, customers. For the moment, the Middle East suffers from a problem similar to the African continent, a severe capacity crunch. The difference is that many African customers blame the...

[Satellite Today 03-02-09] The Kudelski Group, a supplier of conditional access services to DTH operators, will take control of OpenTV in a $130 million deal, Kudelski announced Feb. 27.     Kudelski has submitted a non-binding proposal to acquire the outstanding class A ordinary shares of OpenTV at $1.35 per share in cash. It implies total...

[Satellite Today 02-27-09] OpenTV, a middleware and interactive solutions provider, reached full-year profitability for the first time in the company’s history, OpenTV announced Feb. 25.     The company recorded a 2008 profit of $9.6 million, rebounding from a loss of $5.2 million in 2007. Revenues jumped from $6.5 million to $116.5 million during the same...

[Satellite Today 02-27-09] Al Baghdadia TV has ordered three 1.2-meter Advent Newswift vehicle-mounted satellite antennas from Vislink’s news and entertainment business unit, Vislink announced Feb. 26.     The Advent Newswifts are HD capable and will enable Al Baghdadia to upgrade to high-definition. The dishes will operate on Ku-band.     This is Al Baghdadia’s second major...

[Satellite News 02-26-09] Eutelsat doubled the broadcast capacity available at the 9 degrees East orbital position, the company said Feb. 24.     The operator redeployed its Eurobird 9A satellite (formerly Hot Bird 7A) to the new slot after last week’s entry by Hot Bird 9 into service at 13 degrees East. Eurobird 9A replaces the...

[Satellite Today 02-25-09] Nagravision won a contract to provide a conditional access (CA) system for Tivu Sat, a new digital satellite platform in Italy, Nagravision announced Feb. 23.     Tivu Sat, a free-to-air satellite service owned by Italian broadcasters RAI, Mediaset and Telecom Italia Media, is scheduled to make its debut in Italy in mid-2009....

[Satellite News 02-24-09] Satellite pay-TV operator NTV-Plus is at the forefront of the market in Russia. The operator already has attracted about 600,000 subscribers, and Dimitry Samokhin, director general of NTV-Plus, sees plenty of opportunity for expansion. “We believe the total number of households which could be interested in any type of satellite pay-TV service...

[Satellite Today 02-23-09] SES Astra has moved its Astra 1G satellite from 19.2 degrees East to 23.5 degrees East, the company announced Feb.19.     The satellite joins Astra 3A and Astra 1E to serve Central Europe, the Benelux countries (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg) and German cable networks as well as offering high-speed broadband service...