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News Corp is ‘fit and proper’

It was a question from an analyst that prompted a rare note of indignation from BSkyB’s normally calm and collected CEO Jeremy Darroch. Asked whether BSkyB would continue to monitor the make-up of its board of directors, Darroch said it was quite ludicrous to suggest that News Corp was not a entity to hold a […]

July 31, 2011

BSkyB: “Business as normal”

BSkyB’s board meeting this week might have a few extra items on its agenda, not least whether Chairman James Murdoch should carry on sitting at the head of the table. But as far as its financial numbers are concerned (due to be released early on Friday morning), it is very much “business as usual” which […]

July 27, 2011

Solaris Mobile gets Spanish licence

Just days after announcing its first long-term contract to start pay-radio transmissions over Italy, Solaris Mobile has been awarded its operating licence for Spain. The licence covers both S-band satellite transmissions as well as matching ground transmissions. This latest European licence authorisation brings to twelve the total number of Mobile satellite service licences awarded to […]

July 22, 2011

Call Wendi

Did any Murdoch come out well from the recent grilling (albeit typically light grilling) from MPs in the DCMS Select Committee? The only one who enhanced their reputation was Rupert’s wife Wendi. She literally leapt to her husband’s defence as a pie-chucking protester approached and began to hit him with his paper plate, simultaneously shouting […]

July 20, 2011

France and Iran deadlocked over satellite slot

Iran and France are involved in a major disagreement over the 25.5/26 degrees East satellite orbital slot and which threatens the launch of a Eutelsat-backed $300 million satellite.  The dispute involves the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) which has somehow to find a judgement of Solomon to keep two important parties happy. At the heart of […]

July 18, 2011

News Corp: The reckoning

Keith Rupert Murdoch has seen eighty summers, but few will have had interludes as hot and uncomfortable as this one. Not that he seems worried – snatched pictures show a grinning figure in a range of bizarre ‘Sod you, I’m an old man’ hats, as he’s chauffeured around London sweeping up after some of his […]

July 13, 2011

Samara “lends” Worldspace name to Indians

Worldspace, the bankrupt pay-radio broadcaster, is to be re-born for Indian subscribers. Worldspace’s former Indian CEO M Sebastian is behind the formation of Timbre Media, which is seeking to launch a DTH, broadband/web and cellular music service for Indian subscribers “within weeks”. Moreover,  Sebastian says they have been in touch with the new owners of […]

July 12, 2011Chris Forrester

Eutelsat: good news, and not so good

Eutelsat on July 4 announced that the Italian Space Agency would be cooperating with Eutelsat and its broadband distribution arm SkyLogic to boost connectivity throughout Italy by using Eutelsat’s new Ka-band satellite. The Agency is planning the progressive use of 550 Mbps of KA-SAT capacity across 10 spot-beams that together provide full coverage of Italian […]

July 5, 2011

EchoStar: The Ergen shopping list

EchoStar co-founder Charlie Ergen is famously careful with his cash, actions which have helped the former poker player to build his net worth to some $7 billion and a position as the 51st richest American (according to Forbes). But suddenly he is on a spending spree.  In April this year (via sister company Dish Network) […]

June 29, 2011

Remember Bebo?

No, nor does anyone else. Except, I guess, Randy Falco, the hapless AOL manager who signed off the $850 million to buy it just three years ago. Oh, and, of course, Joanna Shields the brilliant ex-Google exec who engineered that spectacular deal for a business already in decline. Shields is now with Facebook. Is it […]

June 23, 2011