Archive

  • BT HANDLES TF1 BACKBONE

    BT Broadcast Services has contracted to supply France’s TF1 (and its news channel La Chaine Info) with a dedicated satellite transmission network. BT will use Intelsat 801 and will provide […]

  • SKY TO SHOW FOOTBALL FROM IRELAND

    BSkyB last Friday signed a Pounds 4.5m agreement to show Republic of Ireland home games up to June 2002, over the BSkyB satellite system. The Sky agreement does not affect […]

  • BOEING TAKES SKYBRIDGE SHARE

    The Boeing Company will take an equity share in the Skybridge 80-satellite LEO system. Additionally Boeing will take responsibility for launch service provision for the constellation using its Delta Launch […]

  • TRANSPONDER MONITOR

    Key: D – Digital A – Analogue 62 degrees E: Intelsat-602 D – Radio station Alpha Sports from Greece has launched on 11072 MHz horizontal, APID 257 (left channel). Another […]

  • KANAL D GERMANY GETS GREEN LIGHT

    Turkish media group Dogan has received permission from the directors of Germany’s 15 regional media authorities to launch the planned version of its domestic general interest channel Kanal D for […]

  • FUN GAINS SIX NEW MEMBERS

    The independent German media and technology alliance Free Universe Network (FUN) has gained six new members. In a statement, the digital platform confirmed that French pay-TV group Canal Plus, receiver […]

  • DIJITAL TARGETS 100M PEOPLE

    Talk of Europe’s giant media players and names like Kirch, Bertelsmann, Berlusconi, Canal Plus or BSkyB trip off the tongue. Few would think of Turkey’s Dogan Media as one of […]

  • CNN PUTS SHINE ON MILLENNIUM

    CNN has added the finishing touches to its Millennium coverage, emphasising that it will be covering the passing of 1,000 years as a news event rather than a firework display. […]

  • MORGAN STANLEY NEUTRAL ON MEDIASET

    Morgan Stanley Dean Witter has given a ‘neutral’ rating to Silvio Berlusconi’s broadcasting company Mediaset, currently the subject of sell-off rumours involving News Corp (see Interspace 682). Morgan Stanley argues […]

  • RIVAL FINANCE CHANNELS RACE TO LAUNCH

    London-based media consultancy Inview Media has won a major marketing contract from The Money Channel. The agreement follows Inview’s ongoing negotiations for the distribution of the channel throughout Europe. In […]

  • DREAM FAMILY NETWORK LAUNCHES

    Described as Europe’s only network to cater exclusively for family entertainment, the Dream Family Network (DFN) went live last week (December 1) from Sirius 2. Dream Family Network is backed […]

  • EUTELSAT LAUNCHES ARTS CHANNEL

    European satellite operator Eutelsat launched a new thematic arts channel on December 12 launched, which will be on the air up till December 31. Ars TV Eutelsat Premium Channel is […]

  • CATHOLIC CHANNEL TO LAUNCH

    KTO (pronounced Kato, the same as Catho, the common abbreviation for Catholic) is to launch on Lyonnaise Câ ble on December 13. The channel, with an annual budget of FFr30 […]

  • EU TO EXAMINE DASA/MATRA MERGER

    The European Commission has decided to initiate a close examination in the planned creation of Astrium, the company into which German Daimler Chrysler Aerospace (Dasa) and Matra Marconi Space want […]

  • POLSAT SEEKING CYFRA PLUS STAKE

    Poland’s leading private broadcaster Polsat has started negotiations with Canal Plus Polska to take a stake in TKP, the holding company for the latter’s digital platform, Cyfra Plus and the […]

  • STREAM PREPARES FOR YEAR 2000

    Italian pay-TV operator Stream has plenty of reasons to celebrate the year that is closing, which brought it new shareholders as well as very encouraging subscriber figures. According to figures […]

  • RINGIER CAN ENTER SWISS SAT 1

    Swiss publishing house Ringier can take a stake in Sat 1 Schweiz AG, the company which has been producing a window for Swiss cable viewers as part of the German-based […]

  • TELE+ RELEASES LATEST SUB FIGURES

    Leading Italian pay-TV operator Telepiu has released the latest subscriber figures for its analogue and digital services. According to company president and CEO Michel Thoulouze, Telepiu has 500,000 analogue and […]

  • CECCHI GORI HAS SECOND THOUGHTS OVER TMC SALE

    Italian TV and film conglomerate Cecchi Gori Group (CGG) has rejected a plan to sell off a majority interest in its ailing TMC TV unit and also decided to put […]

  • INMARSAT ISSUES RFPS FOR BROADBAND INMARSAT-4

    The planned Inmarsat fourth-generation satellite system, for broadband traffic at up to 431Kbit/s, has been the subject of Requests for Proposals (for manufacturing) issued earlier this month. Inmarsat says that […]

  • BSKYB TAKES STAKE IN KIRCH PAY-TV

    As expected, BSkyB last week secured its interest in Leo Kirch’s Premiere World pay-TV platform in Germany, taking a 24 per cent stake in KirchPayTV GmbH. The deal is subject […]

  • EUROSPORT AND EURONEWS JOIN ZDF’S DIGITAL PACKAGE

    Pan-European sports channel Eurosport is to be made available within the digital free-to-air package of German public broadcaster ZDF. According to a statement, a contract was signed last week by […]

  • Middle East: Will Peace Lead To Prosperity?

    by James Careless There’s likely no satellite region more complex and challenging to comprehend than the Middle East. At the heart of the situation is, of course, the ongoing Israeli/Arab […]

  • The Year In Review: Success And Failure Take Center Stage

    By Cynthia Boeke The past year has been an eventful one, notable for what happened, as well as for what failed to materialize. In the latter category, two multibillion-dollar mobile […]

  • Sir Arthur C. Clarke: Via Satellite’s Satellite Visionary Of The Century

    by Scott Chase Ask Arthur C. Clarke, entrepreneur, inventor, adventurer and, for many, the "father" of communications via satellite, what futures he sees for mankind in the new century, and […]

  • Europe: A Jewel With Many Facets

    by Robustiano Fernandez Europe is a study in contrasts. To many overseas observers, it presents an increasingly unified and sophisticated front, and in many respects Europe is a united, if […]

  • Asia: Betting On The Net

    by James Careless This year has been better than 1998 for the Asia-Pacific satellite community, but not by much. On the technical side, it’s been a mixed bag: Asiasat 3S […]

  • Africa: Integrating Into The Wireless World

    by Amanda L. Kazdoy Satellite industry experts tend to agree that Africa is in dire need of basic telecommunications services, particularly in rural communities. As developing regions are becoming more […]

  • From Russia With Doubts: Will The Russian Market Be Goldfinger Or Dr. No?

    by Theresa Foley Russia enters the new millennium planning to launch several new, modern satellites that should improve the transponder shortage of the late 1990s. However, Russia’s enormous problems in […]

  • Multimedia Monitor: Reaching The One Gbps Mark

    by Theresa Foley Before year’s end, several satellite service providers will be carrying one Gbps worth of Internet traffic each as the demand for satellite delivery of Internet services continues. […]