Advanced Television

DSO

Spain switches off 9 DTT channels

Spain’s broadcasters have switched off the signal of nine DTT channels, in compliance with the Supreme Court’s ruling that set a May 6 deadline to close down the stations. Atresmedia has closed down three channels, Xplora, Nitro and La Sexta 3; Mediaset, two, La Siete and Nueve; Veo TV and Net TV, two each, teleshopping […]

May 5, 2014From David Del Valle in Madrid

Kenya: Supreme Court to rule on digital TV order

Kenya’s Supreme Court rules today (April 11th) on whether to suspend the decision of the Court of Appeal that ordered the award of digital licences and frequencies to the Standard Group Limited, Nation Media Group and Royal Media Services. This is after the government appealed the decision on Thursday. Appearing before Justices Jackton Ojwang and […]

April 11, 2014

upc cablecom approaching full digitisation

On June 3rd, upc cablecom will be updating analogue television for the last time in German-speaking Switzerland and in parts of French-speaking Switzerland and at the same time it will be extending its free digital channel offering. In 2015 upc cablecom is stopping analogue services altogether. Every cable connection now offers more than 65 digital […]

April 11, 2014

Kenya delays analogue switch off again

Kenya should have switched off its main analogue television transmitter before Christmas. Then a legal challenge saw switch off postponed to February, and then another 30 days pending a legal decision. Now a Nairobi court has said switch off must take place on September 30th, stating that the earlier decisions were not correctly mandated and […]

March 31, 2014By Chris Forrester

Mexico DSO date slips

Mexico had planned to switch off its analogue TV signals in its border states with the USA on May 29th. That target date now looks like slipping to July, and perhaps later. Last year a similar switch-off date for Tijuana also slipped but the authorities blamed that missed date on elections in the region. Now, […]

March 25, 2014By Chris Forrester

Russia will break ITU digital rules

Russia says it will continue broadcasting television signals in analogue well beyond the ITU-agreed deadlines for switching off these transmissions.   The Russian governmental commission for TV and radio development has accepted a proposal from the country’s Ministry of Communications & Mass Media to permit analogue broadcasts of regional channels beyond 2018. The ITU’s member […]

March 18, 2014By Chris Forrester

Analyst: ‘Bar of gold’ for Central European cable investors

Strong growth in the cable industry will continue in 2014 and beyond, participants at Day 2 of Cable Europe’s 2014 Cable Congress were told. Cable customers have overwhelmingly embraced digital TV services, with over half of European customers now having made the switch, but significant opportunities remain in Eastern Europe and for providers to move […]

March 13, 2014Colin Mann @ Cable Congress

Freeview prospers in NZ

Freeview’s status as the nation’s preferred way to connect with and consume digital television took a big leap as New Zealand made the final transition to Digital-only TV broadcasting. The latest Nielson CMI Q4 2013 survey shows a total of 61.7 per cent of all New Zealand households, with at least one TV, are now […]

March 12, 2014

Kenya delays DSO again

A Kenyan court has again delayed the national plan to switch off its analogue TV transmissions. The Court of Appeal in Nairobi has suspended any switch off for a further 30 days (from February 18th). Kenya wanted to move to all-digital transmissions at Christmas, but three local media companies objected to the decision arguing that […]

February 19, 2014By Chris Forrester

Thai digital-TV players pay out $337m

Thailand’s finance ministry is $337 million better off after the 24 broadcasters who successfully bid for the country’s digital licences paid up their 50 per cent initial dues for the licenses. Licences will be issued during the next week or so and transmissions must start during March. The cash raised will be used to issue […]

February 14, 2014By Chris Forrester