Focus: Broadcasting

[1-2-2008 – Satellite Today] Indian movie channel Shemaroo Entertainment has signed a deal with Zee TV for satellite broadcast rights for 10 Hindi films.     The 260 million rupee ($6.6 million) deal requires Zee TV to telecast the movies on its satellite channel throughout a period of five years from 2008.     Shemaroo owns the...

Digital TV solutions company Tandberg Television found itself as the center of attention in 2007 as a variety of suitors stepped up to the plate to try and acquire Tandberg. Arris launched what would become a two-horse race with a $1.2 billion bid for Tandberg, which would have fulfilled “Arris’ long-term strategic goal of entering...

With cable and IPTV players putting more pressure on satellite pay-TV providers around the globe, the satellite operators are looking to move beyond their traditional business boundaries. Direct-to- home (DTH) operators in the United Kingdom and United States are leading the way in areas such as broadband services and traditional broadcast offerings, and other DTH...

[12-27-07 – Satellite Today] China Direct Broadcast Satellite Co. (ChinaDBSat) officially started operations Dec. 25, the company announced Dec. 27.         China DBSat is a state-owned company that owns all civil and direct broadcasting satellites in China. The company was co-founded by Sino Satellite Communications (Sinosat), a state-run provider of satellite communications, and Sinocat. This...

[12-27-07 – Satellite Today] XM Satellite Radio has resolved lawsuits brought by Warner Music Group and Universal Music Group over XM’s Pioneer Inno, XM announced.     Warner claimed the Pioneer Inno, a portable satellite radio with advanced recording features, breaks broadcast copyright standards.     None of the companies disclosed the terms of the deal, but...

[12-26-07 – Satellite News] From changes of ownership to new operators, the fixed satellite services sector landscape continued to undergo significant changes throughout 2007. Intelsat and SES Global remain the largest operators by a significant margin over their competitors, but other global satellite operators and even regional players continue to position themselves to compete against...

[12-21-07 – Satellite Today} The RASCOM-QAF1 and Horizons-2 satellites have been launched into orbit, Arianespace confirmed Dec. 21. This was the sixth successful Arianespace mission of the year. Both satellites were launched via an Ariane 5 from Kourou in French Guiana.     The RASCOM-QAF1 is a pan-African telecoms satellite built by Thales Alenia Space for...

[12-21-07 – Satellite Today] SkyTerra Communications Inc., Inmarsat plc, Mobile Satellite Ventures (MSV) and Mobile Satellite Ventures (Canada) Inc. have reached a cooperative agreement for L-Band operations in North America, Inmarsat announced Dec. 21.     The agreement is intended to enable the re-banding and efficient reuse of a substantial segment of North American L-Band radio...

[12-20-07 – Satellite News] The role of satellites in mobile television in Europe has been bought into sharper focus as Alcatel-Lucent has teamed up with mobile operator 3 Italia and Italian public broadcaster RAI to launch the first trial of mobile TV based on the DVB-SH (digital video broadcasting–satellite services to handhelds) has been launched...

[12-20-07 – Satellite Today] Alcatel-Lucent will conduct a mobile TV trial in the United States with ICO Global Communications based on the DVB-SH (digital video broadcasting–satellite services to handhelds) standard, Alcatel-Lucent announced Dec. 19.     The companies will demonstrate what Alcatel-Lucent claims is North America’s first video broadcast based on DVB-SH at the Consumer Electronics...