Focus: Broadcasting

[Satellite Today – 4-22-08] Telenor Satellite Broadcasting has helped launch a new direct-to-home (DTH) platform in Eastern Europe, Telenor announced April 22.     Telenor is supplying capacity and services for Focus-Sat SRL, Moldova’s first DTH operator, which initially is broadcasting seven channels that include a mix of local Moldavian and Russian content.     “We are...

[Satellite Today – 4-22-08] Space Systems/Loral (SS/) will build the EchoStar 15 satellite for Dish Network Corp., SS/L announced April 22.  The satellite will be the eighth spacecraft SS/L has built for EchoStar and will support the expansion of Dish Network’s programming and services.   "Both Dish Network and SS/L share the same kind of...

[Satellite Today – 4-21-08] Arianespace launched communications satellites for Brazil and Vietnam, the company announced April 18.     Star One C2, built by Thales Alenia Space, will be used by Brazilian telecommunications operator Star One to provide telecommunications, multimedia and broadband Internet services over South America. The spacecraft carries 28 C-band, 16 Ku-band transponders and...

[Satellite Today – 4-18-08] Delphi Corp. will develop advanced DVB-SH (Digital Video Broadcasting – Satellite Services to Handhelds) user terminals for ICO Global Communications (Holdings) Ltd., ICO announced April 17.     The terminals, which will be used for ICO’s mim mobile interactive media service, are expected to be delivered in Dec. 2008.     Under the...

[Satellite Today – 4-18-08] The Modern Times Group (MTG) has sold its national Russian free-TV network DTV Group to CTC Media, Inc., for $395 million in cash, the company announced April 17. The sale was completed after market close on April 16.     The deal follows a hectic week of activity for the company in...

[Satellite Today – 4-18-08] AEPOC (the European Association for the Protection of Encrypted Works and Services) believes more needs to be done to fight smart card piracy in Europe. The organization, which has many satellite pay-TV operators as members, said April 17 that it wants “substantial amendments” to the European CA Directive. AEPOC says the...

[Satellite News – 4-18-08] The Russian Satellite Communications Company (RSCC), one of the main players on the Russian satellite landscape, recently signed a deal for a new satellite, the Express-AM4. The Russian national satellite operator is set to work with EADS Astrium on the new satellite, which is part of an extensive satellite renovation program....

[Satellite Today – 4-18-08] DirecTV is acquiring 180 Connect Inc., an installation, integration and fulfillment services to the home entertainment, communication and home integration service industries provider, DirecTV announced April 18.     DirecTV will acquire 100 percent of 180 Connect’s outstanding shares. Prior to the acquisition, DirecTV had outsourced all of its installation service operations...

[Satellite Today – 4-17-08] Arqiva will roll out a new international high-definition (HD) platform for occasional use broadcasting, the company announced April 16.     Arqiva’s Washington Teleport will take feeds in any format, uplinking to any of the company’s ten international teleports and including connectivity to Arqiva’s own global terrestrial fiber network. The combination of...

[Satellite Today – 4-17-08] The first high-definition (HD) public broadcast channel to German speaking countries, ORF HD, will launch in early May, SES Astra confirmed April 17. After the launch of ORF HD, the combined satellite systems of SES Astra and SES Sirius will transmit 31 HD channels.     The agreement with ORF allows the...