Focus: Broadcasting

[Via Satellite 12-09-2016] BBC and PBS film crews tracking wildlife mass migrations in Africa, the United States and Canada for major documentary series Nature’s Epic Journeys have made use of Globalstar Europe Satellite Services’ SPOT Gen3 safety devices and GSP-1700 satellite phones. The Bristol-based BBC Natural History Unit and U.S. public broadcaster PBS co-produced the...

[Via Satellite 12-07-2016] Azuri Technologies, a U.K.-based provider of PayGo solar home systems, and Zuku, a home entertainment satellite provider, have launched the first integrated pay-as-you-go satellite TV package for rural off-grid consumers in sub-Saharan Africa. Combining solar home power, TV, satellite dish and Zuku Smart+ entertainment with 48 TV and 21 radio channels, the...

[Via Satellite 12-01-2016] SES announced that its wholly owned subsidiary MX1 will assist pay-TV provider Sky in taking its first steps into Free-To-Air (FTA) TV in Germany and Austria, by introducing Sky Sport News to audiences in these two markets. Starting on today, the 24-hour High Definition (HD) sport news channel Sky Sport News HD...

[Via Satellite 11-29-2016] Serbia Broadband (SBB) has used new technology to cut down the numbers of satellite transponders it is using this year to service its Direct-to-Home (DTH) customers in Serbia and surrounding markets. Victoriya Boklag, CEO, SBB told Via Satellite that in May SBB finished migration of its satellite platform Total TV from MPEG2...

[Via Satellite 11-23-2016] As consumers look to cut the cord on their cable providers and make the switch to contract-free Over-The-Top (OTT) video platforms such as Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime, traditional unicast delivery methods are proving inefficient as OTT video consumption skyrockets, slowing delivery and hoisting prices. The Chicago-based company V-Satcast, launched in July...

[Via Satellite 11-22-2016] Eutelsat Communications has unveiled the results of its new survey on TV reception modes and trends across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), which found that satellite in this region remains the backbone of digital TV infrastructure, reaching into 56.1 million homes. This represents more than 90 percent of the 61.1...

[Via Satellite 11-17-2016] Broadpeak, a provider of Content Delivery Network (CDN) technologies, and Eutelsat Communications are collaborating to offer content providers a satellite-based solution for multiscreen video delivery to connected devices. The new offer, SmartBeam, aims to extend access to video content on mobile devices beyond terrestrial networks and has a competitive edge for mass...

[Via Satellite 10-11-2016] Dish TV and Videocon have announced a merger that aims to create a cable and satellite distribution platform in India. Once the transaction is closed, the merged entity will be renamed as Dish TV Videocon. Dish TV Videocon would serve 27.6 million net subscribers in India, as of Sept. 30, 2016 on...

[Via Satellite 11-10-2016] Four additional U.S. cable operators are testing 4K content delivery across SES’s Ultra-HD platform, in advance of Ultra-HD subscriber trials set to begin later this year. Marquette-Adams in Wisconsin, Buckeye Broadband in Ohio and Southeast Michigan, Service Electric Cable TV in Pennsylvania, and enTouch Systems in Texas, now take the number to...

[Via Satellite 11-10-2016] TV content provider Television Broadcast (TVB) has officially launched on APT Satellite (APSTAR). The new pack includes channels tailored for audiences in Asia, the Middle East, Australia and Central Asia, such as TVB8 and TVB Xing He. The new TVB package is available throughout Asia Pacific, South Asia and Middle East on...