DIC Entertainment has launched KidsCo, a joint venture children’s channel it owns along with Sparrowhawk Media and Corus Entertainment, in Romania, Hungary, Russia, Turkey, and Poland. The children’s brand management company said carriage deals have been signed in Ukraine, where KidsCo will be launched next month, and in Asia Pacific, which will receive the service […]

The English Football Association has put out the tender for the international broadcast rights to air live FA Cup and England home matches from 2008 to 2012. The FA is offering four overseas packages covering the FA Cup, FA Community Shield and other FA competitions, as well as England Senior and U21 matches. A bid […]

RRSat Global Communications Network announced that it has signed an agreement with Loral Skynet to offer distribution of video content to the Asian Market via a powerful digital platform using Loral Skynet’s Telstar 10 satellite. Through the multiplexed content delivery platform, RRSat customers will gain access to over 80 million cable households across 33 countries […]

JTV shows from around the world will be streamed in the UK through Tiscali under a deal with on-demand broadcaster JumpTV. The partnership will see JumpTV install its video players on the Tiscali UK portal in the entertainment section. UK users of Tiscali broadband will then be able to access TV from 70 countries. “At […]

Canal Plus has signed deals with France Telecom’s Orange, Neuf Cegetel and Iliad’s Free to supply content from some of its channels via the internet. Subscribers to the three Internet access providers will be able to view TPS Star, Cinestar, Cineculte, Cinetoile, Piwi, Teletoon and Sport Plus via ADSL.

Online video group Simply Media is diversifying into male-oriented programming, having acquiring a majority stake in online golf channel GolfBug.tv for an undisclosed sum. The group has announced plans to launch a suite of sports channels branded Simply Sports.

From David Del Valle in Madrid The dispute between Sogecable, owner of Cuatro and Digital Plus, and Mediapro, shareholder in TV channel La Sexta, over football TV rights has intensified following the decision of Audiovisual Sport, the Sogecable-controlled company that manages the football rights to suspend providing football broadcasts to Mediapro over nonpayment of fees […]

BT Group and Sony have unveiled new software that will allow gamers using portable PlayStations to make video and voice calls and send instant messaging. They said the Go!Messenger wireless software for Sony’s PlayStation Portable (PSP) handheld game player was set for commercial launch in January 2008. In a battle for supremacy against Japanese rival […]

From David Del Valle in Madrid TVE International’s transmissions to Europe cannot be watched anymore through Hispasat (30º West) as the channel has controversially decided to pull out of the Spanish satellite. The satellite had been distributing the channel free-to-air since 2002. TVE International is now available on Eutelsat’s Hot Bird (13º East) and Astra […]

Viasat Broadcasting has entered a licensing deal with Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group for Warner’s feature films to be aired on Viasat OnDemand and CDON on demand services in Scandinavia. The agreement will enable users of Viasat’s and CDON’s on demand services to order and view content on a video on demand basis (VOD) via […]