International News 14th January

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TV 2 and Telenor in web-TV partnership

TV 2 Interaktiv and Telenor have entered into an agreement for direct video streaming, storing, payment solutions and distribution of TV 2 web-TV to Telenor's broadband customers. The parties will also cooperate to develop new services adapted to web-TV.

"This is an important agreement for Telenor and for our broadband customers. Through this agreement we are able to offer attractive content and services from TV 2's web-TV to Telenor customers with Internet or broadband access. These services can now be purchased through Telenor's payment solution Mobilhandel (mobile commerce). As part of the agreement, TV 2 will play the role of content provider, whereas Telenor will manage the technical distribution of the services provided by TV 2 online web TV," said Executive Vice President Morten Karlsen Sorby, head of Telenor's operations in the Norwegian market.

"A partnership with Telenor will benefit TV 2 and the approximately 500,000 registered users of TV 2 web-TV. Telenor's customers will see improved quality and more reliable services, and this also applies for the most popular events" said Managing Director Gunnar Stavrum of TV 2 Interaktiv.



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The Times of India enters TV with Zee TV chief


India's leading media group Bennett Coleman & Co. has announced plans to enter the television broadcasting business. The company has already hired Apurva Purohit as chief operating officer for its new television venture. India's leading National daily The Times of India and financial daily The Economic Times are part of the same group.

Purohit, who recently decided to quit as president of 24-hour Hindi general entertainment channel Zee TV, is currently serving her notice period. "Apurva Purohit has agreed to join us. But we have left it to her to decide what kind of a TV channel should be launched. There is no decision on whether it will be a mass entertainment channel or a niche channel," said Anil Arora, president of Times Group.

Meanwhile, Zee Network has launched India's first religious entertainment channel Jagran. The 24-hour free-to-air satellite channel attempts to entertain the audience with mythological movies, serials, alternate living and alternate healing programmes, interactive astro solutions and spiritual content. The channel is being launched via Asiasat 3S and INSAT satellites.

On the launch, Anil Anand, channel head, Jagran, said: "Jagran will give an overall experience that extends the currently restricted ‘prime time' viewing of religious channels from early morning hours, to any time of the day. We aim to broaden the market within this genre from only the 55+ age group to anyone who is 35+. This can be achieved by a slight inclination towards spiritualism as compared to any particular religion."



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MVDDS bids in to FCC

There's a potential new competitor to cable and satellite systems in the US as the Federal Communications Commission starts accepting bids for licenses to beam video and high-speed Internet connections into the nation's homes using a ground-based wireless system, reports CNN.

The FCC calls it Multichannel Video Distribution and Data Service (MVDDS). It is already in use in some countries without cable or satellite service, such as the United Arab Emirates. The system will use towers, such as television antennas and cell phone towers, to send and receive signals for homes within a 10-mile radius.

Although it will use the same part of the spectrum used by satellite television, the FCC insists the system will not interfere with the service of satellite television customers, but the proposal has sparked complaints and a legal challenge from satellite television operators.

"We have serious concerns that the end result of this auction will be that terrestrial services will begin to operate in our frequency band and interfere with millions of satellite TV customers' television service," said DirecTV spokesman Robert Mercer. But the nation's No. 2 satellite television operator, EchoStar, and its founder Charlie Ergen are now among the leading bidders for the new licenses.

The cost to build the systems would be relatively modest - about $500 million to provide national coverage, according to Kirk Kirkpatrick, CEO of MDS America, one of the bidders for licenses as well as a provider of the equipment expected to be used by many of the new service's providers. Kirkpatrick says that compares to about $7 billion in equipment costs spent by the two major satellite television operators – News Corp.'s DirecTV and EchoStar's Dish Network. Cable and satellite operators insist they're used to dealing with competition and that the cost of programming, more than technology, is the major driver in pay television rates paid by consumers.



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Siemens takes control of China JV

Siemens has taken control of a Chinese joint venture in the hope of capitalizing on the expected rise in the number and variety of mobile phone-delivered services in China.

The German company will pay $24 million for a 20 per cent stake of the joint venture that is owned by Beijing Enterprises Holdings. This will increase Siemens' share to 60 percent. Beijing Enterprises will keep a further 20 per cent, with the Beijing city government holding the remainder. It appears to be banking on two fixed-lined clients, China Network Communications and China Telecommunications, being able to offer mobile services later in 2004.Siemens sells handsets and mobile network equipment in China using W-CDMA technology, one of the three high-speed standards likely to be used in China.



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Dixons better Xmas

Against the trend of other retailers Dixons, the UK's dominant consumer electronics group, announced improved Xmas figures with sales up five per cent against last year.

The company announced half year results to November 03 with sales up 21 per cent at £3.1billion and operating profit up 15 per cent at £102.4million. Attributing most of the growth to new CE hits like I pod and flat screen TVs, the company said: "This was a good set of results. As always there is a trade-off between the success of new technology such as the iPod and the recordable DVD and the diminishing value of old technology, and the hope is that the average selling price of the new technology is compensating for the loss of the old," said one.



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Wi Fi on the water

Square Mile International, a Wi-Fi service provider, is building a wireless "hot zone" on the coast of South England. It will cover a stretch of river between Southhampton and Portsmouth. The hot zone will be made up of five or six individual Wi-Fi hot spots when its construction is finished later this year. It will use directional antennas to focus the footprint on the River Hamble, covering an area 2.7 miles long and 0.6 miles across at the widest point. This will provide wireless connectivity over an area of more than one square mile.

"Sailors are using the Internet to gather information about the weather, tides and charts as well as making contact with their office whilst aboard their boats," said Dominic Killinger, managing director of Square Mile International. "A subscription to the Square Mile Internet service can now give sailors access at over 30 marinas across the UK, and in 2004, the first sites in Europe and beyond will go live. There are possibilities for other hot zones in certain parts of the world, including along inland waterways and other busy coastal locations."



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Charge 4 for bollywood.com

Online Indian movie and entertainment channel BollywoodBoulevard.com has launched its global service with an offering that enables users maximum flexibility to access its content. Central is the Charge4 billing engine, integrating users with the widest possible range of payment options while managing the complicated issues of content security, or digital rights management (DRM).

BollywoodBoulevard.com is a unique movie and music content service targeting the colossal markets of the sub-continent and the Indian diaspora with a comprehensive Indian cinema and entertainment experience. Co-founder Nigel Regan explains how the venture hopes to realize over 250,000 visitors in its first month: "Our audience is a demographic that is well-educated, technology savvy and demanding; to succeed, Bollywood Boulevard has to entertain and provide a pleasurable experience of which the subscription system is an integral part. I insisted the registration and subscription system be as much a pleasure as watching the latest films and Charge4 delivered the most comprehensive and consumer-friendly system well within the time frame and with great enthusiasm and co-operation."

BollywoodBoulevard.com says it will soon add a premium Pay-As-You-Go customer payment option for the latest Bollywood film releases.



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Eurosport chooses SGT

Eurosport, has chosen SGT's Media Manager solution for the new pre-transmission infrastructure installed at its head office. This installation forms the core of the distribution system for the channels Eurosport and Eurosport News.

Eurosport is received by 97 million households in 54 countries and in 18 different languages. The sports news channel Eurosport News broadcasts to 18 million households in 70 countries and in 6 languages. The operators at the head office will be using SGT's Media Manager for their ingest, trimming of files and quality checking operations, as well as for managing the tape library. The Media Manager platform should enable it to record more than 10 sources at the same time on its Thomson Grass Valley video servers.

pwlow

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