German commercial broadcaster ProSiebenSat.1’s decision to raise more than €500 million in fresh capital has not been well received by the market. The decision, combined with poor growth in advertising revenues, prompted equity analysts to question the rationale behind the decision. “We think there was more to this decision than meets the eye,” said a […]
Conditional access systems provider China Digital TV has been bought via a management buyout for $90 million (€81.4m). The purchase has been wrapped via an equity transfer between China Digital with ChangxingBao LiRuiXin Technology (Bao Li), a LLC formed by a group including China Digital CEO Jianhua Zhu and Beijing Super TV President Dong Li. […]
Hong Kong-based AsiaSat has been granted a US patent to improve satellite connectivity to aircraft, and which AsiaSat says will help supply better In Flight Entertainment (IFE) coverage with aircraft and yet achieve this with fewer satellite beams. AsiaSat says: “The patent is about the methods and systems that enable effective aviation communication via satellite […]
Cloud Force Digital Media, enabling content providers to expand their distribution globally on Video Service Providers’ interactive platforms, announced it has joined the Reference Design Kit (RDK) community and also announced a partnership with TO THE NEW. Cloud Force has licensed the RDK technology to build, distribute and monetise Internet applications for operators, global programmers, […]
UK commercial public service broadcaster Channel 5 Broadcasting has reported record turnover and profits as well as claiming the first consecutive years of profitability in its 20-year history. For the 12 months to September 30th 2016, the Viacom-owned company recorded an operating profit of £58.4 million (€65.6m) against £14.9 million for the previous financial year. […]
London-based satellite operator Inmarsat has told investors that it might be forced to switch a launch contract from the Elon Musk-backed SpaceX possibly to a Russian-backed rocket. The problem is that SpaceX will have lost at least three months of launch activity since a September 1st explosion and fire on one of its rockets, and […]
Viacom is reportedly readying to buy Argentina-based broadcaster Telefe. Bloomberg News broke the story, saying that Telefe (Televsion Federal SA), owned by Spain’s Telefonica, would be bought by Viacom for about $385 million (€347.7m). Telefe operates Argentina’s most-watched TV network and is famous for producing many of the high-profile and melodramatic Telenovelas that are extremely […]
ETNO, the Association representing Europe’s leading providers of digital communications and services, has presented a new report on “Building the gigabit society: an inclusive path toward its realisation”, prepared by BCG – the Boston Consulting Group. A few weeks from the presentation of the European Commission Communication on the gigabit society and of the new […]
Liberty Global CEO Mike Fries says they are focused on developing a “quad-play bundle in every market” and that means dramatically ramping up mobile provision. He said mobile was “strategically critical” and outlined plans to more than double its mobile base in the next five years. In Liberty’s third quarter earnings call, Fries said “mobile […]
Intel has bought California-based Voke which specialises in delivering immersive viewing experiences of live events. Intel said the deal will accelerate its strategy to build a broad portfolio of solutions to deliver “new, immersive sports experiences for athletes, fans and content producers”. Voke’s proprietary stereoscopic capture system offers a natural view of the action, allowing […]