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.
London-based satellite operator Inmarsat is a global success story, but for the past year or two its share price has benefited from a perceived move towards consolidation by Philip Falcone, the US hedge-fund boss. His company, Harbinger Capital owns just under 30% of Inmarsat, and it had been thought that Falcone’s intentions were to […]
Having helped build up a generation of success and expertise from the existing International Space Station (ISS), the Russians want to go it alone and build the world’s first commercial space station. Russia’s Orbital Technologies and rocket company RSC Energia want to see their project in space by 2015-2016. An American venture, backed by Bigelow […]
Intelsat’s Galaxy 15 communications satellite, dubbed the “zombie satellite,” lost contact with its controllers in April but is stuck “on” and continues to transmit signals as its operators on Earth work to avoid potential interference with other nearby spacecraft. Galaxy 15 passed Anik F2 without harm on Sept 9, which suggests that Intelsat’s engineers have […]
Television (and other software) piracy is rampant in Beirut and the surrounding region, with thousands of ‘informal’ cables strung between the cities and towns illegally delivering the very best in pay-TV for just a few dollars a month. Barely a penny goes to the official rights’ holders. That may be changing. A deal was […]
The Times of India summed up its take on the news that an Indian investor would be taking a major stake in the struggling MGM studio. “Mera naam hai Baand, James Baand”, is how Mr Bond’s introduction might work in Hindi. Whether the global entertainment community will be shaken or stirred by these reports […]
Saudi Arabian newspaper Al-Quds al-Arabia is quoting local sources saying that Orbit has prevaricated over paying its rent at Egypt’s Media Production City (EMPC). Orbit is now part of the Orbit Showtime Network but still produces content for its Arabic channels. The Al-Quds newspaper says the decision to close Orbit down was made on Saturday […]
It has not been the best of week for smaller satellite operators. Two are suffering problems with their satellites. Israel’s Spacecom has discovered that its Amos 5i (a second-hand satellite bought from AsiaSat at the end of last year) doesn’t have the fuel on board that it expected. The AsiaSat craft was designed to last […]
At this week’s EuroConsult satellite business week in Paris, one group of delegates will be smiling. It seems the all-important satellite insurance industry is looking likely to have a record year for profitability. Insurance giant Willis Inspace on September 3 reported that insurance premiums for the year are likely to approach $600m, and while there’s […]
A few weeks ago Romain Bausch, the CEO of satellite operator SES, spoke ambitiously of further expansion for SES. He specifically mentioned two possible target operators: Intelsat, a similarly huge supplier of satellite capacity and services, and Telesat of Canada. Telesat is part-owned by Canadian pension interests and the investors behind Space Systems Loral. Evidently […]
The rise and rise of Avatar as far as the international box-office was concerned is all so long ago. That Avatar – and more recent Hollywood events – have raised the profile for 3D is undoubted. But there have also been critical 3D flops (but sometimes financial hits) such as Clash of the Titans, Cats […]
WGA tells studios to sue AI trainers
Serie A, Meta copyright collaboration
Ofcom proposes spectrum licence fee changes
Hispasat, SoFast partner on LatAm FAST offering
SES cuts jobs at Luxembourg HQ
AVIA: YouTube, TikTok dominate mobile engagement.
Yospace CEO: “Streamers will eke max value of ad inventory”
ARTE joins the EBU
IRIS² signing day on Dec 16
LoopMe acquires Chartboost from Zynga