Focus: Broadcasting

Measat Satellite Systems is confident the launch of its new high-definition (HD) platform will give it an edge in the competitive market in Asia, Paul Brown-Kenyon, Measat’s COO, told Satellite News. The operator launched an HD distribution platform in July aimed at catering to the needs of international broadcasters wanting to bring more HD content...

Over the last few weeks, all the major satellite pay-TV operators in Europe and U.S. have announced their results. Here, in a special two-part article, we look at how well satellite pay-TV operators are performing against cable and telco alternatives. With telcos aggressively targeting the television market, and able to offer television services as part...

XM Satellite Radio, is bringing a new advanced satellite radio to the market, which features full-color split-screen display, 60-minute replay and song storage, the company announced August 13. XM claims the radio, the XpressRC provides the “richest possible listening experience”. Vernon Irvin, XM EVP and chief marketing officer, commented, “The debut unit promises to take...

WorldSpace, the satellite radio operator, is launching a new Internet radio service in collaboration with MSN India, the company announced August 13. It announced the launch of a pilot Internet radio service, available through MSN India at www.in.msn.com/worldspace, for $9.99 per month, and is targeting Indian expatriates living in places such as the Unites States,...

Premiere CEO Georg Kofler, the man behind the German pay-TV operators’ renaissance, will step down at the end of the month, Premiere announced Aug.13. Kofler cited personal reasons behind the decision. Premiere appointed Michael Börnicke as its new CEO. Previously he has served as CFO and deputy CEO. “The key targets for the upcoming years...

Just over a year ago, BSkyB launched key initiatives in the mobile and broadband arenas, giving its customers more access to Sky content than ever before. Its Anytime PC service is one of the more comprehensive legal movie download services in Europe, and Sky Mobile TV is also another high-profile service which saw the light...

BSkyB is planning to spend 125 million British pounds ($253.5 million) to acquire British set-top box vendor Amstrad, the operator announced July 31. Two days later, BSkyB reported that Sky Digital Supplies, its wholly owned subsidiary, had its cash offer already recommended by the board of directors of Amstrad, and that BSkyB already had acceptances...

IPTV (Internet Protocol TV) has emerged as the driving next-generation core business of the fixed satellite services (FSS) sector. Analysts have predicted there will be between 35 million and 50 million IPTV subscribers worldwide by 2010, up from 5 million to 8 million in 2006. Demand triggers for IPTV are expected to fuel much of...

BT is rolling out a sports-content package which promises customers a low-cost option for watching Premiership soccer. BT hopes its offering will tap into a market unwilling to pay more expensive subscription charges to watch soccer on BSkyB’s direct-to-home (DTH) platform. BT’s sports package includes Setanta Sports, which shares Premiership rights with BSkyB, as well...

The proposed merger of Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio is likely to pass “on merits” unless political pressures hold sway against federal regulators, Bear Stearns said in a July 16 analyst report. The merger must be approved by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Justice, and the government has been...