Marc-Antoine d’Halluin, the head of the struggling Middle East pay-TV network Orbit Showtime Network, has quit. He himself confirmed his departure to a local newspaper, saying he will stay in Dubai for the time being. He is reportedly being replaced by David Butorac, until a year ago CEO at Australia’s WIN Corp. Butorac left WIN, […]
DTH broadcasting is very definitely in vogue for Brazilian subscribers. A slew of appealing data from Brazil’s National Telecoms Agency shows that DTH growth – at cable’s expense – is steadily rising. Penetration for satellite DTH shows penetration now stands at 42.8 per cent of homes. Via Embratel is credited with generating this new enthusiasm, […]
Investment bank Morgan Stanley has given a further impressive uplift to its target share price for German Kabel Deutschland. In a note to clients Morgan Stanley increases its price target from E31 to a hefty E36. Yesterday’s actual price was E28, but over the past year it has been as low as E19.89. There’s more […]
Time Warner is unlikely to pursue television acquisitions in western Europe, its chief executive has revealed, as the group behind HBO, CNN and Warner Bros concentrates its capital on faster-growing international markets such as Latin America and eastern Europe. “Going into a more static free to air business in a non-leadership position in a mature […]
Cable operators say studios are carving out a new and expensive window for 3D, something the TV, DVD and console makers welcome as it helps them sell devices, but which minimises the upside of dedicated 3D channels for operators. In discussions at the CTAM EuroSummit in Budapest, operators said the mass market for 3D content […]
Intelsat’s Galaxy 15 communications satellite, dubbed the “zombie satellite,” lost contact with its controllers in April but is stuck “on” and continues to transmit signals as its operators on Earth work to avoid potential interference with other nearby spacecraft. Galaxy 15 passed Anik F2 without harm on Sept 9, which suggests that Intelsat’s engineers have […]
More than a quarter of UK homes are in areas that have completed the switchover from analogue to digital TV. Figures show that around 6.92 million – or 26 per cent of homes – have now completed the switchover process. Earlier this year Wales became the UK’s first digital TV nation when the analogue signal […]
Germany‘s largest cable operator Kabel Deutschland (KDG) is looking to issue more shares. Bankers Morgan Stanley supports the move. Indeed, in a note to investors the bank says the cable giant has “robust prospects” and advises clients to stay ‘overweight’ given its forecast of a 16 per cent upside to its E31 a share target […]
SES Astra has announced that the Belgian telecom provider Mobistar has launched a new “Mobistar TV” offer that will include digital and HD TV channels received from the Astra satellites. The satellite TV offer, including Flemish national channels and a wide range of European free-to-air channels, will be integrated into a fully-hybrid DSL/ DTH solution, […]
Europe’s multichannel audience has grown hugely over the past two years. The latest data from Paris-based Eutelsat says that satellite and cable/IPTV audiences have grown by an impressive 8.8% to 210 million homes (from 193.7m). However, while IPTV reception has increased, cable has shrunk. “Satellite has been the main driver for this impressive […]