E-letter: News Feed

Giovanni Minoli, a former executive at Italian pubcaster RAI, on December 15 was appointed general director of digital TV operator Stream. At Stream, which is partly owned by Rupert Murdoch’s […]

In an unexpected move, Luxembourg-based European media group CLT-UFA has agreed with Rupert Murdoch to take over the latter 49.9 per cent stake in German general interest channel VOX, thereby […]

Hessischer Rundfunk (HR), the Frankfurt-based regional affiliate of German public broadcaster ARD, has launched its economic and financial news radio channel hr-skyline on the Astra satellite system (19.2 degrees East) […]

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 […]

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. […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Inmarsat’s board of directors has decided to proceed with the building of its fourth generation system at a cost of $1.4 billion. Requests for proposals have now been issued. As […]

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 […]

Merlin Communications has secured a deal to transmit live Scottish Premier League football not available elsewhere on satellite with Albasat. The first match, Rangers vs Dundee, went out on November […]

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 […]

This will be the last issue of Interspace for 1999. We would like to wish our readers all the best for the holiday season. The first issue of 2000 will […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Italian electricity utility Enel has received the necessary go-ahead from the EU to take a 30 per cent in Canal Plus-led digital platform Telepiu, but is facing criticism from leading […]

Russia’s ORT International, a satellite version of Russia’s most popular channel, was commercially launched over Europe on November 29 by Telenor subsidiary Colorsat. The new channel is created especially for […]