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.
Iran is not having a good week. Its president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is increasingly sidelined, and it has seen much of its powerful overseas television influence severely diminished. Now, its parliament is proposing an urgent review of its satellite strategy, and to urgently build its own satellite. Buying a satellite would be extremely difficult given the […]
Satellite operator Intelsat says it is not required to drop Iran’s international TV channels from its satellite services, as did France-based satellite operator Eutelsat earlier this week. A report carried by BBC Monitoring regarding Luxembourg-based Intelsat’s position in relation to increased EU sanctions on Iran, Intelsat’s director of corporate communications, Alex Horwitz, said Intelsat’s situation […]
Eutelsat has stopped carrying channels from Iranian state broadcaster IRIB (Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting). UK-based Arqiva is the service supplier and holds the IRIB contract, and has terminated its contract with IRIB. 19 TV and radio channels are affected, mostly transmitting from Eutelsat’s popular ‘Hotbird’ satellites. French media regulator, the Conseil Superieur de l’Audiovisuel […]
Modern Times Group is in an envious position in the Scandinavian and Baltic markets, with pay-TV and free-to-air channels as part of its portfolio. However, there seems to be some major events that are already affecting MTG’s position and prospects. A major report from investment bankers Morgan Stanley suggests that other elements are also in […]
“Our friends in the EU commission are telling us today that the telecoms industry is now mature, and that further funding needs are falling,” stated Giuseppe Viriglio, Vice President at trade organisation Eurospace, and a highly vocal critic of many of today’s European space policies, speaking at ESOA’s European Satellite Day in Brussels recently. “One […]
Investment bank Credit Suisse, in a note for investors, says that it remains positive on the long-term outlook for the satellite industry, and says it favours Paris-based Eutelsat as its “top pick” amongst operators. However, it also used its report to upgrade its rating on Luxembourg’s SES, from ‘Neutral’ to ‘Outperform’. The report also says […]
With a jury in place, the $2.3 billion Cablevision/Voom lawsuit against EchoStar/DISH got into its stride on Friday, with Voom’s lawyers arguing that the its all-HDTV service died because EchoStar reneged on a 15-year carriage agreement it had with Voom’s owners. EchoStar denies the allegation, and argued that its commitment to the agreement hinged on […]
Ray Dolby, the founder of Dolby Labs and famed for his work in noise reduction for film and sound technologies, is to receive the Charles S Schwartz Award from the Hollywood Post Alliance (HPA). The award will be received by Dolby’s son David at a ceremony on November 1st in Los Angeles. Leon Silverman, president […]
It is a story that simply won’t go away, and is trotted out regularly. But perennial gossip about a possible merger between arch pay-TV rivals DirecTV and Dish Network was given added fuel by a comment made at Friday’s Goldman Sachs’ Communicopia Conference by DirecTV’s CEO Michael White deserve attention. White told analysts that consolidation […]
BSkyB may be just a few weeks away from launching its all-James Bond movie channel but one investment banker is marking down its longer-term view of BSkyB’s share price, saying that it is dropping its previous 650p target to 630p, as it “believes the [higher] valuation fails to reflect the challenges ahead”. Berenberg Capital Markets, […]
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FCC’s Rosenworcel speaks out on broadcast licence threats
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ITV Studios signs drama deal with France Télévisions
Virgin Media launches digital payment systems
Jail sentences in NI streaming case
Dooya hires Hurwitz
Willow launches cricket-focused FAST channel in US
Recurly appoints Lakshminarayanan as CPO