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UnitedGlobalCom, parent company of cable operator United Pan European Communications (UPC), has taken a 50 per cent stake in Saudi pay-TV bouquet Al Rawwad (‘Pioneer’, formerly known as Sara Vision). […]

Scandinavian Broadcasting System’s (SBS) $615 million takeover of troubled Central European Media Enterprises (CME) hit the buffers last week. SBS’ COO Woody Knight said SBS had watched with increasing concern […]

Canal Plus has confirmed reports that it has written to TF1 chief executive Patrick Le Lay to request carriage for itelevision on the TPS platform. Canal Plus is to launch […]

BSkyB has signed a deal with Hallmark Entertainment Network that will see a UK version of the family-oriented channel launch on Sky Digital early next year. The channel initially will […]

Intelsat is to privatised by April 2001, according to the satellite organisation’s US signatory, Comsat Corp. Intelsat plans to conduct an initial public offering within one year of its proposed […]

ICO Global Communications has undergone a number of senior personnel changes aimed at reversing the company’s fortunes. An ICO spokesman said the company’s deputy chief executive officer, Fredrik Verkroost, and […]

Zee Telefilms will buy out Star TV’s 50 per cent interest in Asia Today, the Zee/Star TV subsidiary which broadcasts Zee TV, Zee Cinema and Zee News. Patco, the operating […]

The merger between Nordic telcos Telia and Telenor, expected to be approved by the European Commission this week, is not expected to have a major impact on Telenor’s satellite activities. […]

As the clock ticks to the October-scheduled launch of Orion 2, destined for the 12 degrees West mid-Atlantic position, there is no sign of any agreement between the satellite’s operator, […]

German public broadcaster ZDF will partner ARD and Deutsche Welle (DW) in a relaunched worldwide German television channel. ZDF’s board gave the green light to its participation at its meeting […]

Telefonica has formed new company to look after its media interests. Jose Antonio Rios, president and CEO of Telefonica Media, a new company formed just one week ago, announced in […]

Supported by a tremendous marketing campaign costing DM100 million (pounds 33 million), German media company Kirch Group launched its digital package Premiere World on October 1 in Germany and Austria, […]

Tony Ball, BSkyB’s new CEO, barely three months into the job, has said that he is making "significant changes" into each of BSkyB’s operating divisions. "There is now one marketing […]

Eutelsat has published the results of a study of French satellite homes carried out on its behalf by Credome. At the end of June 1999 it found a total of […]

Canal Plus reported its half-year results on September 22. Chairman Pierre Lescure said the full year results would show an improvement in the aggregate contribution from overseas earnings, but that […]

BSkyB spent almost pounds 50 million on above the line advertising in the year May 1998-April 1999, according to data from MMS/Mediapolis, massively outspending rivals ONdigital whose expenditure came in […]

The UK’s Pace Micro Technology has released some findings from its latest survey into the attitudes of consumers to digital television, The Pace Report 2000. The results gave some comfort […]

Nickelodeon may launch pre-school channel Noggin as a block within Nick Jr channel in the UK, managing director Karen Flischel has told Interspace. Meanwhile, Nickelodeon itself will launch in India […]

Key: A = Analog D= Digital 68.5 degrees E: PAS-4 & 7 A. The Asian version of Sony Entertainment Television is occasionally testing on 3925 MHz horizontal in clear Pal. […]

Italian public broadcaster RAI has signed several deals with leading Italian media groups for the launch of new digital TV channels for Telepiu’s digital platform D+. A preliminary accord was […]

DirecTV has announced DirecTV Airborne, an entertainment service for commercial airlines, to make its in-flight debut this autumn. Three airlines, Alaska Airlines, Legend Airlines and JetBlue Airways will carry the […]

Still suffering from the aftershocks of the Asian financial crisis, AsiaSat has announced reduced turnover of HK$376 million (pounds 30 million) for the first half of 1999, down 19 per […]

SES revealed its half-year results (to June 30) on Monday. These showed buoyant growth in all areas, benefiting from its investment in AsiaSat last December. Revenues increase to Euro340.4 million […]

The Personal Video Recorder (PVR) has made its first appearance in Europe at the IBC exhibition in Amsterdam. A number of manufacturers and developers including Thomson, Philips, Pioneer and Mindport […]

The traditional autumn launch of new channels into the UK market has benefited both the UK’s leading uplink providers, BT Broadcast Services and NTL. BT will transmit Zee TV’s two […]

BSkyB moved quickly to settle a potentially damaging row over its proposed coverage of this year’s Ryder Cup golf tournament last week. The pay-TV operator had intended to put its […]

Eutelsat is planning to use the development of more effective compression techniques to stimulate a new market in ultra-niche broadcasting. Director general Giuliano Berretta talked to Interspace about his expectations […]

With the addition of four new channels, Middle East broadcaster Showtime is stepping up the pace in its attempts to break into new territories. On the eve of the platform’s […]

Key: D=Digital A=Analog 76.5 degrees E: Apstar-2R D. Tibet TV, which uses two streams at 12376 MHz vertical to relay the two domestic TV channels, has undergone some changes effective […]

Slovakian channels Luna TV and NASA TV will be added to Telenor Satellite’s Central and Eastern European broadcasting platform. Both will join Telenor’s Intelsat 707 platform later this year. Norway-based […]