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On September 6 Moscow-based REN-TV, one of the biggest private Russian channels, started broadcasting via Gorizont-43 at 40 degrees East using four transponders which should help to increase a number […]

BSkyB has taken a 9 per cent stake in Leeds United FC for Pounds 14 million. The deal will allow BSkyB to act as exclusive media agent for Leeds Sporting, […]

Marc Tessier, the recently appointed head of France Television, said that plans to start a time shifted version of terrestrial channel France 2, France 2 Bis, have been abandoned, when […]

In a decision which will make Eutelsatis Hot Bird position at 13 degrees East more popular in German-speaking Europe, German public broadcaster ZDF has announced it plans to remain on […]

In a move that took the German media business by surprise, Georg Kofler, chairman of Pro Sieben Media AG, has decided to leave the German media group when his contract […]

Comsat shareholders have approved the company’s proposed merger with Lockheed Martin. Approximately 99 per cent of the total votes cast were in favour of the merger, representing over 74 per […]

Bernie Ecclestone, the president of the world motor-racing body, the FOA, has announced major changes in the way Formula 1 Grand Prix will be transmitted on digital PPV. Speaking at […]

Key: A. Analogue D. Digital 83-E: Insat–2E D. For the first time for one of its regular TV channel relays, Indian state broadcaster Doordarshan has started to use digital compression […]

Ian Ritchie, CEO of Middle East Broadcasting Centre (MBC) in an exclusive interview with Interspace, says he expects Arabic broadcasters to be increasingly open to merger and acquisition activity from […]

The UK’s ONdigital is locked into a dispute over what is perceived to be BSkyB’s reluctance to supply the much-coveted Sky Sports 2 channel to the digital terrestrial operator. Responding […]

BSkyB’s new CEO Tony Ball continues to make his mark at the organisation. Ian West, managing director of BSkyB’s Entertainment division for the past year, quit the company on August […]

Turner Broadcasting System is to encrypt the Astra 1C signal of Cartoon Network and TNT Classic Movies "to restrict its delivery to the United Kingdom". Cartoon Network now has eight […]

BSkyB is to grow its in-house production activities and investigate new and untried distribution channels such as the use of ADSL technology and UMTS wireless distribution, according to CEO Tony […]

The subscribers of Swiss pay-TV channel Teleclub are to get free second generation d-box decoders. As part of the change in the transmission system from analogue PAL to digital MPEG-2/DVB, […]

It is believed that a decision is close on the shape of Nat-Geo 2, the second channel National Geographic intends launching before year-end. Jerry Glover, who heads National Geographic’s UK […]

Canal Plus is signing up 1,000 subscribers a day in Italy and plans to reach the break-even point by the end of 2000. Canal Plus-backed Telepi_ CEO Michel Thoulouze has […]

A major report from investment bankers Morgan Stanley Dean Witter on Italy’s Mediaset has described the company as having considerable "value in diversity". The Morgan Stanley report said that Italian […]

Norwegian viewers will soon have another domestic channel to choose from: on September 22 Metropol will launch in the greater Oslo area, taking over the franchise, and the local terrestrial […]

Polish national broadcaster Telewizja Polska (TVP) has, as expected, agreed terms with Canal Plus Polska for its participation in the Polish Cyfra+ digital bouquet. Under the terms of the agreement, […]

News Corp chairman Rupert Murdoch said on July 29 he was not interested in increasing News Corp’s stake in Italian pay-TV operator Stream from its current 35 per cent and […]

Matra Marconi Space (MMS) still has not cleared its solar arrays for shipment, nor has it formally admitted they are defective (see Interspace 671-2). The French arm of the company […]

On July 30 Fininvest, together with US investment fund Lehman Brothers Merchant Bank Partners and Saudi financier Prince Al Waleed, finalised a deal which will give each of them a […]

The arrival of new shareholders for the Italian digital platform Telepiu is close to being finalised with mobile phone operator Wind being the front runner. Although Telepiu has denied that […]

The media and financial services holding company Fininvest, headed by Silvio Berlusconi, announced on July 28 that it has sold its 10 per cent stake in leading Italian digital platform […]

The Swiss-based broadband multimedia software specialist The Fantastic Corporation has confirmed that it intends to launch an initial public offering on Frankfurt’s Neuer Markt, expected to be completed in the […]

Interactive television will generate revenues of $20 billion by 2004, according to Forrester Research. Forrester estimates that interactive applications will generate $11 billion in advertising, $7 billion in commerce and […]

In what is seen as a smart tactical move by industry observers, German media company Pro-Sieben Group has managed to gain valuable analogue capacity on the Astra satellite system (19.2 […]

Flextech shares leapt last week following a sharp drop of 17 per cent over a two week period. Analysts at Merrill Lynch put out a note on the company with […]

Key: A. Analogue D. Digital 122 degrees E: Asiasat-1 Asiasat-1 has left its previous slot of 105.5 degrees East after being replaced by Asiasat-3S and is en route to 122 […]

Russia’s Krunichev Space Centre has established that a welding defect in the number three engine of the rocket’s second stage was the cause of the failure of the Raguda launch […]