Focus: Broadcasting

The saga of the proposed merger of XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio entered a new chapter in June when Kevin Martin, chairman of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC), announced his support for a conditional approval of the deal. The proposed merger between satellite digital audio radio service (DARS) providers XM and Sirius,...

[Satellite Today 08-01-08] NDS has won a new middleware contract with one of the emerging satellite pay-TV operators in Africa, the company announced July 31. Gateway Broadcast Services (GBS), already an NDS customer, has selected MediaHighway middleware and Electronic Program Guide (EPG) products from NDS to enhance its pay-TV satellite service for sub-Saharan Africa.    ...

[Satellite Today 07-29-08] Telesat has been awarded six satellite approvals-in-principle and is seeking interest from potential customers interested in developing services from the new satellite slots, Telesat announced July 28.     Four slots — 72.5 degrees West, 82 degrees West, 86.5 degrees West and 118.7 degrees West — are designated for the 17-gigahertz broadcast satellite...

[Satellite Today 07-29-07] Eutelsat‘s General Counsel, Philippe McAllister, denied accusations that the satellite operator censored an independent Chinese-language broadcaster at the request of the Chinese government, Eutelsat announced July 29.     Reporters Without Borders accused Eutelsat July 10 of shutting down transponders on the W5 satellite due to complaints from the Chinese government about broadcasts...

[Satellite Today 07-29-08] Com Dev International Ltd. has been awarded a contract by MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates, Ltd. to deliver a payload for Project Sapphire, the first dedicated space mission for Canada’s Department of National Defence, Com Dev announced.     Under the contract, valued at 12.3 million Canadian dollar ($12.1 million) contract, Com Dev will...

[Satellite Today 07-24-08] Orbital Sciences Corp. delivered the Measat-3a satellite to Baikonur Cosmodrome in advance of its scheduled Aug. 21 launch on a Land Launch vehicled, Orbital announced July 23.     Measat Satellite Systems Sdn. Bhd. will use the spacecraft, which will be co-located with Measat-3 at 91.5 degrees East, to provide C-band coverage across...

[Satellite News 07-24-08] The buzz over the merger of XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio continues louder than ever, as the two companies said July 24 that they are in discussions the Enforcement Bureau of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to settle outstanding enforcement matters.     The settlement of these issues may be...

[Satellite News 07-22-08] XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. reported a net loss of $119.6 million in the 2008 second quarter, down from a loss of $175.8 million in the same period a year ago, the company announced July 22.     XM’s total revenue was $318 million for the three-month period that closed June 30, up...

[Satellite Today 07-21-08] DirecTV taken on-orbit delivery of the DirecTV 11 satellite, spacecraft manufacturer Boeing Co. announced July 21.     DirecTV plans to use the satellite, placed in orbit in March by Sea Launch, to expand its line-up of high-definition services up to 150 national and local channels in at least 100 markets by this...

[Satellite Today 07-21-08] BADR-6, boosted into orbit July 7, delivered its first signals, payload manufacturer Thales Alenia Space announced July 18.     BADR-6, built by Astrium, is equipped with 24 C-band and 20 Ku-band transponders and is the third of Arabsat’s fourth-generation satellites, part of the company’s plan to launch one satellite every year until...