2012/05/24 – Would-be global pay-radio broadcaster Worldspace is finally entering full Chapter-7 bankruptcy. The company, such as it is, has just $9,975 left in its bank account.

Worldspace’s main assets (two ailing satellites and a ground spare) were sold to its founder, Noah Samara, following its entry into Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2008.

Since then a small army of lawyers, so-called ‘turnaround specialists’ and other bottom-feeders have stripped the company bare, earnings tens of thousands a month for their specialised services some of which are specifically designed to protect shareholders, staff and other interested parties from wrongdoing of any sort and in particular where alleged fraud is said to have taken place.

The Delaware bankruptcy court will hear the motion to convert to Chapter 7 on June 6th.

http://advanced-television.com/index.php/2012/05/24/worldspace-stripped-bare-by-lawyers/

May 24, 2012 – Australian pay-TV operators Foxtel and Austar have completed their merger transaction, creating a national subscription television service intended to deliver innovative new digital products and content for all Australian consumers.

The new Foxtel will directly employ approximately 2,500 people, service 2.2 million subscriber households, and entertain over seven million viewers each week.

Richard Freudenstein, Foxtel Chief Executive, said that the Foxtel and Austar platforms would be physically brought together over the coming months. “Soon consumers will receive the same great Foxtel content whether you live in regional Australia or the cities. Austar customers will not need to do anything; they will transition seamlessly to Foxtel,” he explained.

To read the full article, please visit http://advanced-television.com/index.php/2012/05/24/foxtel-completes-austar-deal/

May 24, 2012 – The satellite pay-TV industry reached revenues close to $90 billion (EUR72 billion) in 2011, up from $79 billion in 2010, according to Euroconsult. The total number of channels distributed reached 19,650.

Global industry revenues are expected to reach close to $150 billion in 2021, with emerging markets (i.e. Latin America, Central Europe, Russia, the Middle East, Africa and Asia) representing a growing share of revenues that will nearly double over the next ten years to reach 44% by 2021.

According to the just released fifth edition of Satellite TV Platforms, World Survey and Prospects to 2021, the number of TV platforms in service increased to 137 in 2011, reaching 184 million subscribers. Close to 350 million households should subscribe to satellite pay-TV platforms worldwide by 2021, representing a 6.7% CAGR over the 10-year period.

To read the full article, please visit http://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2012/05/24/emerging-markets-drive-satellite-tv-growth/

Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC)  intends to grant the first three of its four classes of licences for terrestrial digital TV next year.

NBTC broadcasting committee chairman Natee Sukonrat said the three licence types were for programme transmission, for rental of facilities such as broadcast towers, and for channel operators. The fourth class, for providers of application services, will be awarded later.

He estimated that the granting of the licences would result in massive investment, about Bt100 billion, by 2016, of which about Bt10 billion would be for infrastructure, Bt20 billion for set-top box production, and the rest on bids for licences by would-be channel operators.

Satellite operator Thaicom will have to apply for a network licence but will not need to pay the licence fee, he added. This will make it subject to NBTC regulations.
The annual fee for each of these three classes of licences will not exceed 2 per cent of the holders’ revenue.

There will be about 50 terrestrial digital TV channels, all using ultra-high frequency (UHF), of which 10 are expected to be reserved for serving the public and the rest for commercial operation.

The NBTC will put the draft detailing all four classes of licences to a public hearing on 18 June.

http://www.rapidtvnews.com/index.php/2012052322009/thai-regulator-to-issue-three-new-digital-tv-licence-types.html?utm_source=newsletter_678&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=rapid-tv-news-current-edition-2305#ixzz1vlu3sdYL

May 18, 2012 – According to a new report from Digital TV Research (DTVR), Asia Pacific is undergoing a digital TV boom that will see penetration increase from 36 per cent in 2011 to 83 per cent in 2017 – or up by 440 million homes. The report – Digital TV Asia Pacific – forecasts that China alone will provide 268 million of the additional digital TV homes, with India adding 82 million.

Of the 440 million digital homes to be added between 2011 and 2017, 103 million will come from DTT. Digital cable will contribute a further 195 million, with pay DTH supplying a 34 million more and pay IPTV 86 million. By contrast, the region will lose 152 million analogue cable homes and 196 million analogue terrestrial ones.

China and India have a massive influence over the region, due principally to their 1 billion-plus populations. By 2017, they will provide 541 million digital TV homes combined – or three-quarters of Asia Pacific’s total.

To read the full article, please visit http://advanced-television.com/index.php/2012/05/18/apac-to-add-440m-dtv-homes/

Chinese vendor commits to helping operators overcome OTT threat; highlights VGS and SDP solutions.

May 23, 2012 – China’s Huawei arrived at TM Forum Management World in Dublin this week with a clear purpose in mind: to help telecoms operators deal with the threat posed by over-the-top (OTT) services.

″Our operators are having a very hard time,″ because all their revenue-generating services are being taken over by OTT companies, said Deng Biao, president of Huawei’s carrier software and core network business unit.

For example, a couple of years ago SMS and ring-back tones were the most important services for China Mobile, but now ″revenue is declining,″ as a result of competition from OTT services, Deng told Total Telecom on Tuesday.

To read the full story, please visit http://www.totaltele.com/view.aspx?ID=473806&mail=772

(May23 2012) NEW YORK — The maker of a new DVR that lets consumers zap away broadcast TV commercials at the touch of a button suggested Tuesday that the networks are being short-sighted in opposing the technology.

The Dish Network, which has offered its new Auto Hop feature on new digital video recorders since March, said it believes that people who buy the machine are watching more network television than they had before. The Auto Hop automatically records every minute of prime-time programming on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox and stores it for eight days.

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/new-ad-zapper-annoys-broadcast-tv-networks-who-say-device-threatens-economic-structure/2012/05/22/gIQA7JCciU_story.html

New Delhi (May 16, 2012): Television broadcasters came down heavily on norms issued by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) on Monday that capped commercial breaks at 12 minutes per hour. The time will include that spent on channels’ in-house promotions.

Although the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act provides for the same advertising limit, Trai has tweaked the clause and banned drop-down advertisements as well as those that occupy a part of the screen. It has also specified that there should be at least a 15-minute gap between two commercial breaks in an hour-long programme. During the telecast of a feature film, a 30-minute gap must be maintained, Trai said.

The regulator’s rules are aimed at making the viewing experience less arduous and reining in the clutter on television screens. Some advertisers have welcomed the move for this reason, saying it will help ads stand out and keep viewers from switching channels.

To read the full article, please visit http://www.livemint.com/2012/05/16005416/Broadcasters-cry-foul-over-Tra.html?h=A1

MANILA, Philippines – Telecommunications giant Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) said yesterday its decision to raise its investment in MediaQuest Holdings Inc., owner of television network TV5 and direct-to-home satellite provider Cignal TV, highlights its stepped up efforts to diversify its business through new multi-media services.

PLDT, through wholly-owned subsidiary ePLDT, is investing US$ 140 million in the form of Philippine depositary receipts (PDRs) in MediaQuest to sustain the growth momentum of TV5 and Cignal TV. MediaQuest is owned and controlled by the PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund.

“The financial investment in media is important and expected to create value over a longer time frame but is one that is necessary for our growth and transformation,” PLDT chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan said. “Many other telecommunication companies worldwide have made similar investments in media assets.”

To read the full article, please visit http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/business/05/14/12/pldt-infuses-additional-p6-billion-mediaquest

May 14, 2012 – Lopez-led Sky Cable Corp. has struck a deal to acquire Solid Group’s Destiny Cable television and related broadband Internet and pay TV businesses for P3.5 billion, thus solidifying its position as the leader in the cable TV industry.

Sky Cable signed late Friday a deal to buy the assets of Destiny Cable Inc., Solid Broadband Corp. and Uni-Cable TV Inc.

Solid Broadband owns the cable infrastructure that is used by pay TV provider Destiny Cable, while Uni-Cable is a niche cable TV provider in Cebu with estimated subscribers of between 3,000 and 5,000.

The consolidation of Solid Group’s cable units with Sky Cable is seen giving the Lopez company a combined 45 percent share of the pay TV business serving about 650,000 households nationwide, said Sky Cable chief operating officer Rodrigo Montinola in a phone interview last Saturday.

To read the full article, please vist http://business.inquirer.net/59177/sky-cable-buys-solid%E2%80%99s-destiny-cable