Focus: Broadcasting

[Via Satellite 12-16-2014] Eutelsat Communications has received a contract renewal from Poland’s nc+ for nine transponders at the Hot Bird video neighborhood. Through this renewal, nc+ plans to expand the digital services it broadcasts Direct to Home (DTH) for 2.2 million subscribers. Today nc+ broadcasts more than 160 channels through Hot Bird satellites, along with...

[Via Satellite 12-15-2014] The public television broadcasters Ceska Televize (CT) of the Czech Republic and RTVS of Slovakia are collaborating with Czech digital infrastructure provider Ceske Radiokomunikace to test Ultra-HD broadcasts using SES’ Astra 3B satellite. SES recently joined the Ultra HDTV Forum, of which CT, RTVS, Ceske Radiokomunikace and other regional broadcasting companies are...

[Via Satellite 12-09-2014] In a demonstration at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida, SES Government Solutions (GS) streamed real-time 4K video for members of the United States armed forces while simultaneously backhauling and disseminating multiple channels of HD full motion video over O3b Network’s Medium Earth Orbiting (MEO) satellite constellation. The demonstration showed the ability...

[Via Satellite 12-09-2014] Yahlive, a joint venture between Yahsat and SES, has initiated broadcasts of Cloud TV International from the Yahsat Y1A satellite’s east beam. The channel targets African communities across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Clouds TV International CEO Joseph Kusaga said the company has been seeking to bring entertainment to the fast-growing African...

[Via Satellite 12-08-2014] DirecTV’s Ultra-HD ambitions and the India Space Research Organization’s (ISRO) domestic capacity plans moved closer to realization following the dual launch of new satellites aboard an Ariane 5 this past weekend. The Arianespace launch conducted Dec. 7 carried the DirecTV 14 and Geostationary Satellite 16 (GSAT 16) spacecraft into orbit. SSL, manufacturer...

[Via Satellite 12-05-2014] CMMB Vision has agreed to acquire 51 percent of Dish-HD Asia for $6 million. Subject to regulatory approval, the company plans to combine Dish-HD Asia’s 76 satellite TV channels, Internet data services, and planned 4K Ultra-HD services with its platform and recently acquired capacity from two satellites to reach China’s population of...

[Via Satellite 12-04-2014] Mobile Telesystems (MTS), a major telecommunications company in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), has decided to launch a satellite pay-TV service with 160 channels. The company has leased capacity from Asia Broadcast Satellite’s ABS 2 satellite, covering 95 percent of Russia’s territory. Broadcasts will begin this month in partnership...

[Via Satellite 12-04-2014] New research by Euroconsult pegs emerging markets as the source of the majority of satellite pay-TV growth. According to the research and consulting firm’s “Satellite Pay-TV: Key Economics & Prospects” report, 60 percent of global subscribers are now found in emerging markets, accounting for almost 100 percent of subscription growth. “Emerging markets...

[Via Satellite 12-01-2014] Japanese public broadcaster NHK has been at the forefront of advances in video technology with its ambitious plan to deliver content in 8K, or “Super Hi-Vision” (SHV). Previously NHK had planned to begin testing 8K broadcasts in 2020, but once the International Olympic Committee (IOC) chose Tokyo to host the 2020 Olympic...

[Via Satellite 12-01-2014] The number of homes with multichannel television in the Asia Pacific has reached 500,639,000 according to new research from the Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA). Findings from the organization’s Asia Pacific Multichannel TV Advertising 2015 report reveal that consumers are 25 percent more willing to pay for anywhere access...