Advanced Television

Cable

Fitch: Pay-TV battles pressurise both sides

Credit ratings agency Fitch Ratings believes that higher programming costs and increasing forms of alternative entertainment will challenge both cable network programmers and pay-TV distributors going forward, suggesting in a market commentary that pay-TV providers face additional costs and a reduced ability to pass those increases off to a mostly more vulnerable customer base that […]

July 26, 2012

NBC offers multi-platform series previews

NBC has confirmed that is to repeat its exercise of offering full-episode, pre-sampling versions of its new fall (autumn) series prior to the network time-period premières as each new primetime programme will receive a digital sampling window for marketing and promotional purposes over multiple platforms leading into the regular series première As NBC takes advantage […]

July 26, 2012

Indian MSOs complain of illegal distribution

A meeting of cable operators in the Southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, organised by the local TV Operators & Consumers’ Welfare Assoc, complained that there are many illegal cable re-distributors operating in the region. Additionally, it was alleged that some illegal cable operators had bribed officials. The Association submitted a formal petition to government […]

July 24, 2012By Chris Forrester

Chello Zone secures Dutch deals for Mediaset

International television provider Chello Zone has inked a deal with Dutch telco KPN and Dutch cable operator, Caiway, to air Italian language channel Mediaset Italia.  This marks the first time the channel is available in the Netherlands, and is the only Italian channel on both platforms. Mediaset Italia showcases the best of mainstream Italian programming […]

July 23, 2012

Ziggo Q2 up 6.3%

Dutch cable operator  Ziggo has reported a 6.3 per cent rise in quarterly revenue, boosted by higher subscriptions for bundled TV, Internet and telephony packages. “We are on track to continue to increase our market share and grow our revenue and EBITDA in the second half of 2012,” chief executive Bernard Dijkhuizen commented. Ziggo swung […]

July 20, 2012

Fitch: Cable could gain leverage on Aereo decision

Fitch Ratings believes if online TV providers are not required by law to pay re-transmission consent fees to the stations they are streaming, cable operators and others will gain material negotiating leverage with broadcasters. Last week, a Federal judge in New York rejected a request for a preliminary injunction filed by major US broadcasters against […]

July 18, 2012

Brazilian cable goes DTH

Brazilian pay-TV cable operator Super i Telecom is to launch a national DTH service. ‘Super i’ operates in a couple of Brazil’s regions (Espiritu Santo and Mina Gerais) and has a modest 8,000 subscribers with the majority viewing its MMDS system established in 1993. With MMDS declining Super i’s management is shifting its attention to […]

July 16, 2012By Chris Forrester

Norway’s Get seeks €1bn sale

Norway cable group Get is set to go on sale with a price tag of more than €1 billion according to reports. Goldman Sachs is expected to handle the sale. UPC could take an interest in Get, even though it sold the business in 2005 to private equity. Since then, Get has completed the upgrade […]

July 11, 2012

US Energy Department delays STB rulemaking

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has confirmed that it is delaying a proposed rule regarding energy conservation for set-top boxes to allow industry representatives and energy efficiency advocates time to negotiate a non-regulatory agreement. The DOE is initiating a rulemaking and data collection process to develop a potential test procedure and energy conservation standard […]

July 9, 2012By Colin Mann

dos Santos raises Zon stake to 28.8%

Isabel dos Santos has raised her stake in Portuguese cableco Zon Multimedia to 28.8 per cent, indicating that her Amsterdam-based holding company Jadeium has acquired the 10.96 per cent stake in Zon previously held by financial institution Caixa Geral de Depositos (CGD). The transaction means that dos Santos, the daughter of Angola’s president Jose Eduardo […]

July 6, 2012