Advanced Television

Broadband

Sky Broadband 1m subscribers

Sky has claimed that its Sky Broadband service has passed the one million customer mark. The milestone was achieved less than 14 months after the first Sky Broadband customer was connected – more quickly than any other UK broadband provider.

October 30, 2007

Virgin Media boosts channel line-up

Cable operator Virgin Media has confirmed the addition of new children’s, entertainment and movie channels from CSC Media and Sparrowhawk. Virgin Media TV customers are now able to receive Diva TV, Movies 24+ and the Pop and Tiny Pop channels.

October 29, 2007

Test group prepares Hong Kong digital television

The group – Hong Kong Digital Terrestrial Television Local Testing Group – is to support both the rollout and testing of digital TV broadcasting technology in Hong Kong, particularly the testing of set-top boxes and digital TV sets, its business development and technology support. “Our testing can help manufacturers from Hong Kong, the mainland and […]

October 26, 2007

PCCW to form Taiwan cable TV with Chunghwa

Hong Kong's PCCW is to form a cable TV joint venture with Chunghwa Telecom , Taiwan’s largest fixed line operator. PCCW will introduce its 'Now' broadband TV platform to the Taiwan market by the end of this year. Chunghwa has already applied to Taiwan’s telecoms regulator for a licence to offer the new service.

October 25, 2007

Virgin emphasises broadband

Virgin Media seems to acknowledge that it cannot compete with Sky in premium pay-TV and is instead planning to entice customers with an updated broadband services. Acting chief executive Neil Berkett wants to move the focus away from TV and onto more mass-market households who do not need Sky’s sports and movie channels but do […]

October 23, 2007

Vecima for Red Helio

Vecima Networks has been selected by Red Helio and a number of its service provision partners (“Red Helio”) to supply a customized 5.25-5.80 GHz Broadband Wireless Internet Network (“BWIN”) solution of base stations and customer premise equipment (CPE) for deployment covering the county of Murcia, Spain. Red Helio expects to extend the network of Vecima […]

October 23, 2007

EU broadband – big but patchy

Access to broadband has increased in the European Union to 90 million lines, but it should act to increase competition and tackle EU states that are lagging behind, the Commission says. Broadband access in the EU’s 25 oldest member states — excluding Romania and Bulgaria — increased by 28.7 per cent from July 2006 to […]

October 17, 2007

Digital bonus could provide 100mb for all

From Sotires Eleftheriou in Paris The French Consultative Commission for Telecommunications has asked the government to use part of the digital bonus – the spectrum liberated after analogue switch-off – to be used to improve internet access to the population. Guy Roussel, head of Ericsson France and chairman of the commission, said that the freed […]

October 17, 2007

O2TV offers Disney films

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.

October 15, 2007

Cable Europe: 2m new digital subs; ad revenue targeted

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 […]

October 15, 2007