Focus: Broadcasting

[Satellite Today – 3-14-08] Sea Launch‘s Odyssey launch platform has arrived at the launch site on the equator and will initiate a 72-hour countdown in preparation for the launch of DirecTV 11, the company announced March 14. Liftoff is scheduled for 6:49 pm EDT.     DirecTV 11, the second of three satellites Boeing is building...

[Satellite News 3-11-08] With pay-TV competition more intense than ever, and telcos and cable players offering satellite players all the competition they can handle, Satellite News is taking a look at how satellite pay-TV operators have been performing in the United States and Europe. The United States     DirecTV seemed to win the battle of...

[Satellite Today – 3-11-08] Measat Satellite Systems is expanding its relationship with Celestial Movie Channel Limited with a new capacity deal, the company said March 11.     Measat has agreed to distribute Celestial’s new Classic Movies channel on the Measat MCPC video platform starting April 2008. Celestial Classic Movies presents Chinese movies from Celestial’s Shaw...

[Satellite Today – 3-10-08] International Launch Services (ILS) will launch its second mission this year, carrying SES Americom’s AMC-14 satellite, on March 15, ILS announced March 7.     The satellite, which will be used for advanced broadcast satellite service for SES Americom’s Americom2Home and EchoStar’s Dish Network direct-to-home entertainment service, will be launched using ILS’...

[Satellite News – 3-10-08] Network solutions company DataPath Inc. named industry veteran Dave Helfgott CEO in February.     The company has moved from mainly selling systems to the U.S. Department of Defense into the commercial arena, acquiring network management software company ILC in December 2006 and satellite communications manufacturer Swe-Dish Satellite Systems AB in July...

[Satellite Today – 3-10-08] Viaccess is the latest Conditional Access (CA) company to acquire a middleware company in order to widen its range of services for customers. The company said March 10 that it had signed an agreement to acquire Orca Interactive for $21.4 million. While Viaccess works with a number of satellite pay-TV operators...

[Satellite News – 3-06-08] Pace Micro Technology boosted its competitive position in the set-top box market with its December acquisition of the set-top box and connectivity solutions business of Royal Philips Electronics.     The acquisition has boosted Pace’s position in the market, where it already is a key supplier to operators such as DirecTV and...

[Satellite Today – 3-6-08] Australian satellite pay-TV operator Austar has launched personal video recorder (PVR) services in Australia using OpenTV technology, Austar announced March 5.     The service, dubbed MyStar, is a quad tuner set-top box featuring two satellite tuners and two terrestrial tuners that provide an integrated recording service for Austar subscribers.     “MyStar...

[Satellite News – 3-6-08] Earlier this year, Microsoft revealed that its Microsoft Mediaroom IPTV and multimedia platform is delivering video entertainment experiences to more than 1 million set-top boxes around the globe.     While the software giant is determined to play a pivotal role in the telecoms space, Enrique Rodriguez, corporate vice president for the...

[Satellite Today – 3-5-08] SES New Skies will offer satellite capacity to international broadcasters for providing live coverage of the Olympics Games, the company announced March 5.     SES New Skies renewed its China resale agreement, allowing TV coverage around the globe via the SES New Skies satellite fleet. SES New Skies has been contracted...