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In a controversial move, German media company Kirch Group has decided to cancel all contracts with third party channels that have been using its digital DF1 platform with effect from […]

The worldwide corporate business TV channel planned by German-American automobile company Daimler-Chrysler (Interspace 671) has launched test transmissions for Europe on Eutelsat’s Hot Bird 3 satellite at 13 degrees East. […]

Europe Online Networks (EON), has contracted additional capacity on the Astra satellite system at 19.2 degrees East and has established a smaller platform at 28.2 degrees East to develop its […]

Bollywood For You (B4U) is a new 24-hour digital premium channel launching on August 26 for Asian viewers on Astra 2A. The channel will charge Pounds 9.99 as a stand-alone […]

Russia’s Media Most broadcasting group has strongly refuted reports that it is in severe financial trouble. Media Most which owns, among other things, the NTV satellite channels and the Segodnya […]

78.5 degrees E: Thaicom-2&3 D. As mentioned in Transponder Monitor 14 July, Thaicom has signed a carriage deal with Turkey’s TRT to feed TRT International and the radio service, Voice […]

Studio Universal, the pay-TV movie channel operated by Universal Studios Networks Germany, will most probably be able to launch, as planned, on 1 September. Following the directors of the 15 […]

The established Middle Eastern DTH broadcasters are soon to be joined by the long-awaited MMDS service for Saudi Arabia… The long-awaited launch of a Saudi Arabian multichannel MMDS system is […]

Troubled MSS operator Iridium has invoked a 30-day grace period for the payment of $90 million in interest due on July 15 on its $1.45 billion outstanding senior notes. The […]

For the first time ever, Italian football fans face the prospect of having to subscribe to both digital platforms in order to follow the complete 1999-2000 season on pay-TV. On […]

Canal Plus has published its quarterly subscription figures, revealing a total subscription figure for the end of June of 12,301,320. According to Canal Plus, this represented an increase of 16 […]

France Telecom’s $1 billion investment in UK cable operator NTL (with a promise of "more to come") may have implications beyond the realm of cable TV and telecoms. Besides its […]

SPAIN’S Hispasat, owned by Telefonica and Retevision, has confirmed it is planning to enhance its coverage over Latin America and over Europe and North Africa. Hispasat 1C, scheduled to be […]

Multimedia applications such as high-speed Internet access via satellite and other broadband data services are to form the focus of presentations by satellite operators Eutelsat and SES at the IFA […]

Teledesic has apparently responded to recent negative coverage in the trade press by releasing outline details of a launch contract concluded last week with Internatinonal Launch Services (ILS), the US-Russian […]

CNNI is looking to launch an opt-out service for India, in the English language, with India-specific programming. CNNI is also closely examining markets where other local-language versions would make commercial […]

Hughes Network Systems’ European VSAT subsidiary, Milton Keynes-based HOT Telecommunications, which also markets the DirecPC service in Europe, unveiled its third satellite earth station last week. HOT managing director Mike […]

United Pan-Europe Communications, best known as one of Europe’s leading cable operators, is also set to become a major satellite pay-TV operator. The company’s president, Mark Schneider, talked to Interspace […]

In the first Italian crackdown on digital TV piracy, police from Genoa have broken up an illegal ring that sold as many as 500,000 cloned digital decoders and smart cards […]

Media company CLT-UFA doesn’t want to sell its shares in German general interest channel Vox to Rupert Murdoch. A CLT-UFA spokeswomen said that the company was unfazed by News Corp’s […]

Pace Micro Technology reported slightly reduced turnover of Pounds 182.8 million for the year ended 29 May 1999 (compared with Pounds 184 million for 1998). Revenues from sales of digital […]

Italian TV holding Mediaset has increased its stake in Spanish private channel Telecinco, from 25 to 40 per cent. The quota, worth L300 billion (Pounds 101 million), was previously held […]

Investment analysts at Morgan Stanley Dean Witter believe Spanish pay-TV operator Sogecable is in an "excellent position" to take advantage of "one of Europe’s most attractive pay-TV markets." Sogecable, operator […]

166 degrees E: PAS-8 D. TV Nacional de Chile has leased a C-Band digital stream on PAS-8 to extend its coverage to Asia and the Pacific Rim. The signal is […]

Kirch Group’s digital bouquet DF-1 has given notice of termination of contracts to a number of third party channels, effective from September. Channels affected include BBC Prime. A spokeswoman said: […]

Music Choice Europe’s (MCE) CEO Stuart Graber has quit the company (although he will continue as a consultant) to set up a specialist Internet and new media investment company. MCE’s […]

BSkyB has refused to confirm or deny suggestions that it is requesting a Pounds 15 million indemnity from any third party wishing to provide OpenTV applications to its digital set-top […]

Interactive service Open…is to target females in a major marketing drive this autumn. It is understood that it has committed to a heavyweight presence in women’s magazines and plans a […]

By Amanda L. Kazdoy Several new commercial launchers are creating an atmosphere of stiff competition. To create a truly competitive edge, launch services providers must furnish reliable and cost-effective vehicles. […]

By Cynthia Boeke and Rob Fernandez Each year, Via Satellite quantifies the satellite industry. We look at how the industry is changing based on information from our own internal database, […]