Chris Forrester is one of the most experienced and highly regarded journalists in the field. His insight and analysis, particularly in the satellite and pay-TV arena, is highly prized. He has written for all the major business journals in the sector as well as several national newspapers.
This Thursday will see BSkyB unveil its latest profit and subscriber numbers for its 3Q trading period to March 31st. Analysts are talking about net subscriber growth of some 40,000, and underlying profits up 15 per cent to £252 million. Annual average ARPU is also expected to top a spectacular £540 as the number of […]
Last week’s Court decision in favour of DVR company TiVo looks like being mega-costly for EchoStar/Dish Network. The Court ruled that Dish must disable those set-top boxes that infringe on TiVo’s ‘Time Warp’ patent. EchoStar/Dish has requested a stay of the decision pending a further review of the case, but most analysts think Dish will […]
Iran has been planning a satellite system, Zohreh, since the early 1990s and in March 2001 signed a major contract with Russia to design, build and launch a craft. This project was scrubbed, although in 2004 Iran said they would launch a craft by 2005. In Jan 2005 Russia and Iran signed another contract, valued […]
Mexican satellite operator Satmex (Satelites Mexicanos) has filed for US Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Their plan for the struggling operator is to mount a pre-pack, where it raises fresh cash and speedily emerges – possibly within 30-90 days – as a new business with much-reduced debt. Court papers filed with the Delaware Bankruptcy Court […]
Charlie Ergen’s satellite-focused DISH Network bid a massive $320 million for bankrupt video rental outfit Blockbuster. And you have to wonder, why? Ergen, never less than savvy, will end up paying about $228 million, say Wall Street sources, who confirm that the strategy makes very sound business sense. “With its more than 1,700 store locations, […]
Shares have climbed over five per cent in recent days as Wall Street gossip suggested that a federal court could be releasing positive news for TiVo any day now. At this stage any such gossip is just that, but investors would love to see a favourable end to TiVo’s very long-running patent dispute with Charlie […]
Arianespace is scheduled to launch two satellites tomorrow from Kourou in French Guiana. YahSat-1A, owned by Mubadala, an Abu Dhabi sovereign investment fund, and Intelsat New Dawn, a satellite owned jointly by Intelsat and an African investment group, make up the rocket’s cargo. YahSat-1A will be positioned at 52.5 degrees East to supply extra DTH […]
Talk-radio “shock-jock” Howard Stern is suing Sirius-XM Satellite Radio over the alleged non-payment of a performance bonus. Stern’s original contract was with XM Radio, a company that was bought out of near-bankruptcy by rival Sirius in July 2008. Stern’s original deal called for him to be paid the then staggering sum of $500m over five […]
When Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak was forced to step down on Feb 11 few would have thought of the ramifications that would impact broadcasting in and out of Egypt. Within hours Egypt’s state-supported television began congratulating the Egyptian people “for their pure great revolution, led by the best of the Egyptian youth”. The next day MENA […]
Intelsat is backing a revolutionary “satellite servicer”, a craft which is little more than an orbiting fuel tank to bring extra life to fading geostationary satellites. MacDonald, Dettwiler & Assoc (MDA) is prime contractor for the concept. MDA, a Canadian company, is best known for its ‘Canadarm’ robotic device used on the Space Shuttle. MDA’s […]
Vialma launches classical music FAST channel
Study: US connected device usage increases
Research: Most games’ IP adaptations are animation
Licht out at CNN
UK plans local TV licence renewal
Carlson kicks-off on Twitter
Rival golf tours to merge
Don’t stall, start streaming – discover Cloud Video Kit
Study: Local US TV news 10x larger audience than SVoD