Focus: Broadcasting

Intelsat has high hopes for its new satellite-based, open-architecture content delivery and management service, which the company unveiled April 12. Intelsat is targeting telcos who wish to enter the Internet Protocol (IP) TV market and cable operators in the United States who wish to improve their video offerings to customers with the service, dubbed Ampiage....

XMSR XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. and XM Satellite Radio Inc. completed a refinancing transaction intended to replace higher interest rate debt with new lower interest rate debt, XM announced April 13. These transactions are expected to lower XM’s ongoing interest expense and extend the maturity dates of the company’s debt portfolio, as well as...

High-definition (HD) TV has more than proven itself technologically, and according to industry analyst reports, HDTV will be in 52 million households by 2009, up from the current 4 million households. Northern Sky Research estimates that 500 channels will be broadcast in HD by 2010. One of the few things hampering HDTV growth at the...

XMSR XM Satellite Radio added more than 568,000 net new subscribers during the first quarter of 2006, bringing its total number of subscribers to more than 6.5 million, the company announced April 3. In the first quarter of 2005, XM added a then-record 541,000 customers to bring the total number of subscribers to 3.8 million....

Digiturk plans to launch a high capacity personal video recorder (PVR) in Turkey in 2007 as the direct-to-home operator bids to bring leading edge technologies to the Turkish digital television market. "Our subscribers will be able to choose how and when they want to watch TV," Hatice Memiguven, Digiturk’s COO, told Satellite News. "This box...

By Nick Mitsis Even though much discussion surrounding Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) has spurred interest among satellite service providers, consumers may not respond to satellite-enabled offerings, once they hit the market, as robustly as first hoped. According to a survey conducted by Harris Interactive, more than half of Americans have heard of IPTV, and a...

By Gerry Oberst Combining one of the world’s largest untapped markets for satellite broadcasting with national instincts for bureaucracy and home-grown solutions, the Indian direct-to-home (DTH) market presents both a challenge and an opportunity. Throughout the last year, the churn in regulatory approaches shows an unsettled situation that is hard to read. Figures from the...

By Peter J. Brown The rapid emergence of Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) solutions has created quite a stir in satellite circles. The timing is remarkable, as IPTV arrives just as the next generation of dazzling display technologies, rich media-enabled mobile and portable content delivery options and easily implemented interactive elements are becoming available. IPTV will...

By James Careless Talk to many satellite operators in Latin America, and they will tell you the same thing: The Latin American market is not for the faint of heart. The combination of uncertain ‘roller coaster’ economies, political volatility and the continuing habit of incoming Latin American regimes to rewrite telecom rules as they see...

By Jason Bates In a short period of time, digital signage networks have evolved beyond the phase where they are viewed as simply a new technology that provides an interesting way to relay information in a consumer environment. Today, digital signage networks are receiving stronger consideration when matched side-by-side with older, more established advertising venues,...