From Colin Mann in Cannes European cable industry trade body Cable Europe, has revealed that cable TV operators in Europe added more than two million digital TV customers in the first half of 2007. The cable industry is expected to count more than 16 million digital TV customers by year-end 2007, that would be a […]
Telefónica O2 Czech Republic has signed a contract The Walt Disney Company for the distribution of its films through O2TV fixed-line television. In addition to new titles, Telefónica O2 also has access to library titles from Disney-ABC International Television’s portfolio, from which they will present 40 films over the course of every year.
Some cable subscribers are suing to get their programming a la carte. A multimillion-dollar class-action suit has been filed against the major cable programmers and operators for violating antitrust laws by bundling programming in expanded basic tiers. In a suit filed by veteran antitrust attorney Maxwell Blecher on behalf of 14 cable and satellite subscribers […]
Canada’s broadcasting regulator should give more flexibility to cable operators and television stations on advertising, Canadian content and channel packages, according to a report commissioned by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. The study will feed into the federal regulator’s public consultations next year on speciality and pay channels and cable and satellites services. Lawyers […]
US communications regulators have approved new rules designed to ensure that cable television subscribers who own analogue TV sets will still have access to local broadcast TV channels following the digital switchover in 2009. The FCC voted to endorse rules that require cable operators to continue carrying local broadcast channels that can be viewed on […]
The US cable television industry has launched a $200 million (E146m) advertising campaign to assure customers they will still be able programmes after the transition to digital broadcasting. Ad spots open with a graphic that reads: “By law TV stations will end analogue broadcasts on February 17, 2009, and broadcast exclusively in digital.” That will […]
Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin isn't backing down stand for la carte, saying he believed it could benefit, not reduce, diversity. But he did apologised for upsetting civil-rights groups who complained about comments he made last week Nonethelss he said claims that interest groups weren't independent came from a Center for Public Integrity study. […]
A consortium including Macquarie Bank's South Korean private equity arm and MBK Partners is set to acquire a 30 per cent stake in the country's second biggest cable TV group and targeting the remaining shares. Macquarie Korea Fund has signed a preliminary deal to purchase the stake from Goldman Sachs for about $650m (E479m), and […]
Super Sports Network the new 24/7 German sports channel has launched as part of the Kabelkiosk package on the Eutelsat Atlantic Bird 2 for distribution on cable networks. SSN is owned by DS International Sport Management, and is headed by Dieter Schweiger. Programming will include motorsport (Moto X), tennis, badminton, beach volleyball, kayaking, mountain climbing, […]
Qualitative consumer research, conducted by Evolution Digital, a provider of integrated IP Hybrid devices and IP Video solutions for the global cable industry, shows that pay-TV subscribers are eager for a new way to have access to both traditional cable TV channels and popular OTT services, and want cable set-top box technology to simplify their […]