Sinclair Broadcast Group is buying the Tennis Channel, paying $350 million for the network. Sinclair is the USA’s biggest local broadcaster, and will benefit from the now inherited losses of some $200 million that come with the Tennis Channel. The buyer had been in talks since last September with Tennis Channel’s majority owners which include […]
Netflix has been blocked by Indonesia’s biggest ISP, significantly disrupting its move into the country. The state-owned Telekom Indonesia said it had concerns about the content Netflix was offering and accused it of failing to have a necessary business permit. Netflix announced earlier this month that it had added 130 countries, including Indonesia, to its […]
A German court has handed Google another legal win over German performing rights organisation Gema, which had sought to make the company’s video-sharing service YouTube pay each time users watch music videos by artists it represents. YouTube has schemes that allow artists to earn money from advertising sold alongside their videos but many artists argue […]
Time Warner Cable (TWC) reported its best video and high-speed data customer metrics for years in the fourth quarter. It added 54,000 basic video customers and 32,000 for the year, its first 12-month positive customer growth in that segment since 2006. TWC also added 281,000 high-speed data customers in the quarter, one million for the […]
Jennifer Choi, a former HBO staffer, has admitted the theft of almost $1 million by issuing fraudulent invoices. An Assistant US Attorney says other charges might follow and that other people might be suspected of illegal actions. Choi worked for HBO for some 10 years in the broadcaster’s talent relations department. She was fired by […]
Digital UK has announced two senior appointments as the company responds to the opportunities of an increasingly connected TV world. James Jackson has been promoted to Technology Director. Previously Delivery Director for Connected TV at Digital UK, James has been responsible for programme management of Freeview Play and will now lead technical development of the […]
ITV’s director of entertainment and comedy Elaine Bedell has decided to step down after seven years. Bedell, who joined ITV in 2009, oversees some of the network’s biggest programmes including Britain’s Got Talent, The X Factor, I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway and The Brits. She will leave ITV at […]
Red Arrow Entertainment Group has announced the acquisition of a majority stake in US-based production company Orion Entertainment. Founded in 2000 and based in Denver, Orion has grown to become a leading US producer of non-scripted TV and branded entertainment. The acquisition expands Red Arrow’s US production base into areas including outdoor adventure programming, for […]
Local reports suggest that Afghanistan’s Ministry of Communications has suffered alleged negligence which has brought the country’s proposed Afghansat-1 to the “brink of collapse” and threatens a loss of “millions of dollars”. The Afghan government holds a contract with Paris-based satellite operator Eutelsat with an obligation to pay Eutelsat $4 million annually. Nasrat Rahimi, the […]
ZOO Digital, a provider of localization and digital distribution services is delighted to announce that Syed Ahmed has joined the team to focus on international business development. This opens up exciting new opportunities for customers in the Middle East, South Asia and Asia Pacific, as ZOO Digital becomes one of the few international providers to […]