Advanced Television

FT objects to CanalSat distribution rules

France Telecom has threatened to lodge a complaint against Vivendi’s Canal+ over its requirement that the operator distributes its CanalSat channels together, while cable operators are able to distribute them individually. “If (the situation) does not change, we will have no choice but to lodge a complaint to seek equitable access to CanalSat channels,” said […]

October 15, 2007

AT&T to pay $2.5bn for Aloha frequencies

US telco AT&T will pay $2.5 billion (E1.76bn) to Aloha Partners LP for a prized chunk of unused television frequencies, in a deal that sets the stage for a major upgrade of its nationwide broadband network. The deal demonstrates the telecom industry’s interest in a large and valuable segment of broadcast frequencies known as the […]

October 15, 2007

Lin puts YouTube in TV

Lin, a multiple station owner in the US, is partnering with YouTube to launch dedicated YouTube channels for its 31 stations. The sites will feature a mix of news content from the station and user-generated video. Sixteen Hearst-Argyle stations already feature YouTube channels.

October 15, 2007

Comcast roles out TiVo

Comcast and TiVo have started rolling out TiVo-enabled Comcast digital video recorders. The companies said in a joint statement that the service will be rolled out to customers over the next few months. TiVo, which makes its own branded digital video recorders, first signed an agreement with Comcast in March 2005 to enable the cable […]

October 15, 2007

Paramount funds D Cinema

Paramount Pictures International has agreed to help fund European cinemas which are installing new generation projectors. Hollywood studios and exhibitors have tussled over who should bear the cost of the upgrade, with cinema owners arguing that studios should pay a “virtual print fee” as it will be cheaper for them to distribute their films electronically […]

October 15, 2007

Brightcove Internet TV

Brightcove has revealed a new service for delivering broadcast-quality Internet TV. Extending their Internet TV platform, the new service, Brightcove Show, will give content publishers the ability to deliver instant-on, broadcast-quality streaming video to their viewers. Brightcove Show takes advantage of new advances in the Adobe Flash Player technology, high-quality video encoding, and content delivery […]

October 15, 2007

Nokia Siemens Networks broadband across India

Nokia Siemens Networks has won a contract from Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), India's largest telecommunications service provider, to deploy broadband access across 7,000 Indian villages. The contract is a part of the green field rural tender from BSNL. The new access network's high bandwidth will allow BSNL to deliver high data and triple play […]

October 15, 2007

O2TV offers Disney films

Telefónica O2 Czech Republic has signed a contract The Walt Disney Company for the distribution of its films through O2TV fixed-line television. In addition to new titles, Telefónica O2 also has access to library titles from Disney-ABC International Television’s portfolio, from which they will present 40 films over the course of every year.

October 15, 2007

Shipments of PMPs 130m+ in 2011

Global shipments of video portable multimedia players (PMPs) will grow at an annualised rate of 30 per cent over the next five years, reaching 132 million units in 2011, according to the Parks Associates report 'Portable Multimedia Players: Analysis and Forecasts.' MP3 player manufacturers will drive growth through their desire to add video capability to […]

October 15, 2007

Premiere slumps on Kirch return

Shares in Premiere slumped as it emerged its former owner Leo Kirch had won the rights to market Bundesliga football for the next six years. Kirch, now aged 81, saw his media empire implode in 2002 in Germany's then largest bankruptcy. Kirch is still suing Deutsche Bank for E1.6 billion over the collapse of his […]

October 12, 2007