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Satellite news 30.03.05
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<blockquote data-quote="Satdude" data-source="post: 66318" data-attributes="member: 175600"><p>Satellite news 18.10.04 </p><p></p><p>News</p><p></p><p>UK</p><p></p><p>BBC PRIME IN 20 MILLION HOMES</p><p>BBC Prime, BBC Worldwide's international entertainment</p><p>channel for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, is for</p><p>the first time reaching more than 20 million</p><p>subscriber households. BBC Prime achieved this</p><p>milestone following recent growth and launches into</p><p>new territories, making BBC Prime one of the most</p><p>popular platforms for British television across</p><p>Europe, the Middle East and Africa. BBC Prime has seen</p><p>strong growth recently with launches across Central</p><p>Europe and Italy, the development of subtitling to</p><p>cover ten languages and new distribution deals in</p><p>France and Germany. In South Africa, BBC Prime is now</p><p>established as the most watched international channel.</p><p>BBC Prime is broadcast to over 20 million subscribers</p><p>across Europe, the Middle East and Africa on cable and</p><p>satellite. Over 2500 hours of new programming are</p><p>transmitted each year, including Parkinson, Top of the</p><p>Pops, EastEnders, The Weakest Link and BBC Learning</p><p>(the BBC's unique overnight educational service). This</p><p>flagship British cable channel shows the best of the</p><p>award-winning programmes from BBC drama, comedy,</p><p>children's, documentary, film and lifestyle series.</p><p>Subtitles are available in English, Hungarian, Czech,</p><p>Polish, Hebrew, Romanian, Italian, Danish, Swedish and</p><p>Norwegian. </p><p></p><p>ITV COMPLETES GMTV ACQUISITION</p><p>ITV has completed the £31 million acquisition of SMG's</p><p>stake in GMTV, the latest step in taking full control</p><p>of the breakfast-time broadcaster. Following the</p><p>merger of Carlton and Granada to create ITV plc, chief</p><p>executive Charles Allen announced in May that the</p><p>company would buy SMG's 25% stake in GMTV, taking its</p><p>overall stake to 75%. Under the terms of the</p><p>shareholder agreement ITV is now obliged to offer Walt</p><p>Disney, the other joint venture partner in the</p><p>consortium that originally won the breakfast</p><p>broadcasting licence from TV-am, £31 million for its</p><p>25% stake in GMTV. However, the US giant has not yet</p><p>decided whether to sell. </p><p></p><p>NTL RECEIVES 15 BIDS</p><p>NTL has received at least 15 offers for its TV and</p><p>radio transmission business, the sale of which is</p><p>expected to generate up to £1.2 billion for the UK's</p><p>largest cable company. The first round of bidding for</p><p>the transmitter network that broadcasts the BBC, ITV,</p><p>Channel 4 and Five closed on October 11, with a number</p><p>of private equity firms and infrastructure companies</p><p>believed to have expressed an interest. Bidders that</p><p>have lodged an initial interest with Goldman Sachs,</p><p>which is handling the sale process, include Australian</p><p>bank Macquarie, Apax Partners, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts</p><p>and Terra Firma. Macquarie, which bought NTL's</p><p>Australian transmission business in 2002, is expected</p><p>to be among the favourites, having failed earlier this</p><p>year in its bid to buy Crown Castle's transmission</p><p>business. The number of bidders is expected to drop</p><p>sharply ahead of the second round of bids, which are</p><p>due in by November 22. The winner of the auction is</p><p>also likely to have to spend hundreds of millions of</p><p>pounds upgrading the nationwide transmission service</p><p>to cope with the switch from analogue to digital</p><p>broadcasting. </p><p></p><p>CONSUMER GROUP WORRIED OVER DIGITAL TV</p><p>Consumer groups lobbied the government on October 11</p><p>to ensure that people with low incomes or disabilities</p><p>will not be left out in the switch from analogue to</p><p>digital broadcasting, set for 2012. In a report</p><p>commissioned by broadcasting minister Andrew McIntosh,</p><p>the Consumer Experts Group, an alliance of</p><p>consumer-advocate bodies, warned that most people are</p><p>still against the idea of the switch-off and that the</p><p>government would miss its target date if financial</p><p>support is not available for the elderly and</p><p>low-income households. The pressure groups included</p><p>representatives from the Consumers' Association, the</p><p>Royal National Institute for the Blind, the National</p><p>Consumer Council and Age Concern.</p><p></p><p>BBC DIGITAL TV CHANNELS FAIL TO DELIVER</p><p>The BBC's digital portfolio of channels has had a</p><p>limited effect on commercial rivals because they have</p><p>failed to attract audiences, according to a U.K.</p><p>culture secretary-commissioned review of the services</p><p>published on October 13. In the review of the role of</p><p>youth entertainment channel BBC3, arts channel BBC4</p><p>and kids services CBBC and CBeebies that will feed</p><p>into the process of BBC charter review, Patrick</p><p>Barwise of the London Business School said that BBC3</p><p>and BBC4 had proven to be "poor value for money" in</p><p>terms of driving digital take-up, but he acknowledged</p><p>that program quality was high.</p><p></p><p>BBC, CHANNEL 4 AND ITV LAUNCH AUDIO DESCRIPTION</p><p>The BBC, Channel 4 and ITV have announced that Audio</p><p>Description is now available via digital satellite</p><p>television, as well as on Freeview. Audio Description,</p><p>or AD, allows viewers with compatible equipment to</p><p>hear a verbal description of the visual scenes on the</p><p>television. It broadcasts some programmes with</p><p>enhanced commentary transmitted in gaps between</p><p>dialogue. It has been developed as an aid to</p><p>understanding and enjoyment particularly, but not</p><p>exclusively, for viewers who have visual impairments.</p><p>The BBC, ITV, Channel Four and Five are committed to</p><p>audio describing at least six per cent of their output</p><p>in 2005. Programmes described include the most popular</p><p>soaps like Eastenders, Coronation Street and Emmerdale</p><p>and comedies like Friends and s_x and the City.</p><p>Children's programming like Blue Peter, The Hoobs and</p><p>Fimbles feature this service also. The BBC's Audio</p><p>Description service will be accessible via BBC One</p><p>London, BBC Two England, BBC Three, BBC Four, CBeebies</p><p>and CBBC. </p><p></p><p>SONY AND DISNEY TEAM UP FOR VOD SERVICE</p><p>Sony Pictures and the Walt Disney Co. are planning to</p><p>launch the United Kingdom's first studio-backed</p><p>video-on-demand service in a bid to erode BS*yB's</p><p>control over the UK pay-TV market. The two studios</p><p>said they plan to launch a cable-only VOD service in</p><p>partnership with management company On Demand</p><p>Management, which already operates pay-per-view</p><p>services for the U.K.'s biggest cable operators, NTL</p><p>and Telewest. Sony Pictures, Disney and the On Demand</p><p>group filed an application October 4 for permission to</p><p>launch the service with the European Commission's</p><p>competition division and expect a preliminary decision</p><p>as early as November 11. </p><p></p><p>UK POPULATION WANTS TV LICENSE FEE</p><p>According to the results of a new BBC survey, 81 per</p><p>cent of the U.K. population agree that the public</p><p>broadcaster is worth the £121 they have to pay for the</p><p>license fee every year. The survey, entitled Measuring</p><p>the Value of the BBC, also found that more than half</p><p>of the 2,257 respondents valued the BBC at twice the</p><p>current license fee. Respondents on average valued the</p><p>BBC at between £18 and £24 per month. In terms of</p><p>programming, the digital channels BBC Three, CBBC and</p><p>CBeebies were well received by respondents, while in</p><p>analogue homes News 24 proved to be a favourite. The</p><p>report also assessed the impact of introducing a</p><p>subscription-funded model for the BBC-if the</p><p>broadcaster were to charge £13 per month, 14.8 million</p><p>homes would subscribe. About 9.7 million would not</p><p>have access to the BBC.</p><p></p><p>ITV EXPECTS CUT IN BROADCAST FEES</p><p>ITV took a step closer to slashing its £450 million</p><p>licence payments burden on October 13 after Ofcom</p><p>published proposals that could reduce annual</p><p>broadcasting fees. The UK's largest commercial</p><p>terrestrial broadcaster has long argued for a</p><p>reduction in the public service programming quotas</p><p>that form a large constituent of its analogue</p><p>broadcasting licences. Ofcom, the media regulator,</p><p>acknowledged ITV's case last month when it proposed</p><p>the gradual phasing out of non-news regional</p><p>programming. However, ITV has also called for Ofcom to</p><p>recognise the cost of broadcasting 104 hours of</p><p>religious programming and 520 hours of TV shows per</p><p>year in terms of lost advertising revenue. The</p><p>regulator confirmed it will take into account the</p><p>money lost from screening such programmes when it</p><p>calculates the cost of ITV licences, which are due for</p><p>renewal at the end of the year. </p><p></p><p>BBC WORLDWIDE NOT FOR SALE</p><p>The BBC has told senior executives that a full scale</p><p>sell-off of its commercial arm, valued at up to £1</p><p>billion, is now firmly off the agenda after hiring</p><p>bankers to discuss the possibility with major media</p><p>companies in recent months. The corporation's chief</p><p>operating officer, John Smith, who is overseeing a</p><p>wholesale review of the BBC's commercial operations,</p><p>told a meeting of 400 managers that Worldwide was "not</p><p>for sale at the moment". He said the review was likely</p><p>to recommend that the BBC hold on to assets that "had</p><p>a strategic attachment" to the broadcaster. These are</p><p>likely to include the BBC America cable channel and</p><p>other overseas ventures. </p><p></p><p>UEFA CUP FINAL ON ITV</p><p>ITV has beaten Five to the rights to the Uefa Cup</p><p>final for the next two years. The network already</p><p>shares the rights to live Champions League coverage</p><p>with BS*yB as part of a £83 million-a-year joint deal,</p><p>but this year has stepped up its drive to pick up</p><p>rights to the second string European competition as</p><p>well. UEFA, the European football governing body, has</p><p>announced that ITV has secured the rights to the 2005</p><p>and 2006 Uefa Cup finals. As part of the deal ITV has</p><p>also won the rights to next year's Super Cup final,</p><p>played annually between the winners of the Champions</p><p>League and the Uefa Cup. </p><p></p><p>NTL CHOOSES SEACHANGE FOR VOD SERVICE</p><p>ntl Incorporated, the largest cable television</p><p>operator in the United Kingdom, has chosen SeaChange</p><p>International and its comprehensive VOD System to</p><p>support its impending on-demand television service.</p><p>Initial launch of ntl's on-demand service is slated</p><p>for the first quarter of 2005, making it Europe's</p><p>first large-scale, commercial cable on-demand service.</p><p>SeaChange's strategic on-demand partner, London-based</p><p>programming and content provider On Demand Group</p><p>(ODG), is also collaborating with ntl to enable this</p><p>milestone in European television. ntl is the U.K.'s</p><p>largest cable company and leading broadband supplier</p><p>with over one million broadband customers and 3</p><p>million residential customers. ntl's fibre-optic</p><p>broadband network can service 7.8 million homes in the</p><p>U.K. including London, Manchester, Nottingham, Oxford,</p><p>Cambridge, Cardiff, Glasgow and Belfast. </p><p></p><p>BS*yB EXTENDS ENGLAND RUGBY UNION CONTRACT</p><p>BS*yB extended its contract to show England rugby</p><p>matches by five years until 2010, the Rugby Football</p><p>Union said on October 12. BS*yB will show domestic</p><p>league matches and England's home international games</p><p>except for those in Europe's Six Nations tournament,</p><p>which is aired by the BBC. BS*yB already shows the</p><p>European Heineken Cup and, from the southern</p><p>hemisphere, Tri- Nations and Super 12 matches. </p><p></p><p>GMTV RENEWS DISNEY OUTPUT DEAL</p><p>UK breakfast broadcaster GMTV has renewed its output</p><p>deal with minority shareholder Disney. Despite the</p><p>loss of Disney-produced show Diggin' It, the renewal</p><p>will still ensure that Disney cartoons fill much of</p><p>GMTV's weekend kids slots, and covers some 300 new</p><p>half-hours of series like Lilo & Stitch, House of</p><p>Mouse, Recess, Kim Possible, Dave the Barbarian and</p><p>Tarzan. A separate deal also covers rights to Power</p><p>Rangers: Dino Thunder and Spider-Man from Jetix Europe</p><p>which Disney's sale arm Buena Vista represents. All</p><p>titles will arrive in GMTV's Saturday and Sunday</p><p>morning slots from early February 2005. </p><p></p><p>INTERACTIVE BBC TEN O'CLOCK NEWS</p><p>After Wimbledon and the Olympics: the BBC is now</p><p>planning to add an interactive dimension to its</p><p>flagship news bulletin, the Ten O'Clock News on BBC1.</p><p>The move will expand on the existing interactive news</p><p>services on BBC channels, which already offer a</p><p>round-up of headlines, a business summary, weather and</p><p>sport updates. The new service, dubbed Ten Extra and</p><p>created by iTV firm Two Way TV, will offer red button</p><p>jockeys two new text/graphics-based services plus one</p><p>video package, adding additional info and footage to</p><p>three of the night's top stories. Running on weekdays</p><p>only, Ten Extra will be available to interactive TV</p><p>viewers for only 15 minutes after the news bulletin. </p><p></p><p>Europe</p><p></p><p>RECORD VIEWERSHIP FOR EURO 2004</p><p>According to Médiamétrie's newest Eurodata TV Sport</p><p>Insight survey, viewership for the Euro 2004 football</p><p>tournament topped the viewership for this year's</p><p>summer Olympic Games across Europe. Highlights of the</p><p>Euro 2004 ratings include the numbers for Germany,</p><p>where 25.4 million viewers tuned in for the</p><p>Greece/Portugal finale on ZDF, scoring a market share</p><p>of 68.5 per cent. In Greece, meanwhile, ET1 scored an</p><p>80.6 per cent share-for some 3 million viewers-for the</p><p>final match. In France, TF1 nabbed a 59.9 per cent</p><p>share with the 15.3 million viewers who watched the</p><p>France/Switzerland match. And BBC One generated a 72.5</p><p>per cent share for the 20.7 million audiences for the</p><p>Portugal-U.K. event. In terms of the Olympics,</p><p>gymnastics and athletics topped in Germany, which</p><p>scored 24.6 per cent and 26.3 per cent shares</p><p>respectively. Those two disciplines were also popular</p><p>in Spain, generating shares of 18.5 per cent and 19.8</p><p>per cent. Football and basketball were the big winners</p><p>in Italy, with 36.6 per cent and 33.8 per cent shares</p><p>respectively.</p><p></p><p>EBU RECOMMENDS HDTV STANDARD</p><p>The EBU Technical Committee has recommended that</p><p>Emission standards for HDTV should be based on</p><p>progressive scanning: 720p/50 is currently the optimum</p><p>solution, but 1080p/50 is an attractive option for the</p><p>longer term. Although there are strong technical</p><p>arguments in favour of progressive scanning for</p><p>emission, the EBU Technical Committee recognises that</p><p>some broadcasters might wish to broadcast 1080i</p><p>programme material. As consumer electronics equipment</p><p>(e.g. set-top boxes and displays) will accept both</p><p>720p and 1080i formats, broadcasters will be able to</p><p>select either of these formats - even on a</p><p>programme-by-programme basis. Taking into account that</p><p>production and emission standards do not need to be</p><p>identical, further EBU studies on Production standards</p><p>for HDTV in Europe are in progress. This work is not</p><p>intended to result in a recommendation for a single</p><p>standard for HDTV production.</p><p></p><p>Austria</p><p></p><p>FAHRENHEIT 9/11 TO AIR ON NOVEMBER 1</p><p>Austrian public broadcaster ORF is joining the ranks</p><p>of broadcasters that will show Michael Moore's</p><p>anti-Bush documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" on November 1,</p><p>only months after its theatrical release. German</p><p>commercial channel ProSieben will broadcast "9/11" on</p><p>the same evening. ORF will run "Fahrenheit" as the</p><p>climax of its U.S. election background coverage, which</p><p>includes two other critical documentaries over the</p><p>next two weeks: "People Like Us: Social Class in</p><p>America," by Andrew Kolker and Louis Alvarez, and</p><p>Robert Greenwald's "Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on</p><p>Journalism."</p><p></p><p>Czech Republic</p><p></p><p>PARLIAMENTARY CHANNEL TO START THIS MONTH</p><p>Members of both houses of Parliament soon will be</p><p>watched more closely than ever before. 24.cz, a</p><p>television station that will broadcast the day-to-day</p><p>activities of the country's MPs, begins trial</p><p>broadcasting October 28. The channel, which will be</p><p>available also on cable and via Astra satellite, will</p><p>operate under the Region Media company umbrella and</p><p>has a 12-year broadcasting license. UPC will not</p><p>support the company financially but will provide</p><p>technical support and signal distribution. 24.cz is</p><p>scheduled to begin "regular" broadcasting Nov. 17, the</p><p>15th anniversary of the 1989 revolution, and in time</p><p>it may evolve into a comprehensive news channel. </p><p></p><p>Finland</p><p></p><p>BROADCASTERS CRITICISED OVER MOBILE BILLS</p><p>Finland's consumer watchdog said on October 11 it had</p><p>reprimanded broadcasters for causing children to run</p><p>up huge mobile phone bills with interactive television</p><p>game and chat programs. In one case a child played a</p><p>television game as though it were a computer game,</p><p>sending enough text messages to get a bill of ?1,200. </p><p></p><p>France</p><p></p><p>PRIVATE GOLD ON NOOS CABLE</p><p>Private Media Group Inc announced on October 14 the</p><p>launch of the Private Gold television channel on Noos,</p><p>the largest cable television operator in France,</p><p>following an agreement with Private Blue and Gold</p><p>Broadcasting, a Private Media Group Licensee. Under</p><p>the terms of the agreement, the Private Gold channel</p><p>will be offered to Noos subscribers from October 18 as</p><p>part of a premium channel package on a monthly</p><p>subscription basis. The adult entertainment channel</p><p>will be broadcast from midnight to 5 am seven days a</p><p>week. Private Gold is currently available in more than</p><p>40 countries around the world.</p><p></p><p>TF1 GETS GOVERNMENT BACKING</p><p>A government commissioner has found in favour of TF1's</p><p>challenge of DTT licences awarded to the Canal Plus</p><p>group. In his conclusions, the commissioner</p><p>recommended cancelling the licences to the channels</p><p>Sport+, i-Tele, Planete, CineCinema, Premier, iMCM,</p><p>and Canal j. The decision does not affect the premium</p><p>channel Canal +. In its complaint, TF1 pointed out</p><p>that Canal + and the Lagardere Group jointly</p><p>controlled two of these channels, iMCM and Canal-j and</p><p>so should be counted among the licences awarded to</p><p>both of the operators. At the time of the call for</p><p>tenders, the upper limit was five channel licences per</p><p>operator. This upper limit for licences has now been</p><p>amended to seven, but the commissioner considered that</p><p>the law as it was at the time should be applied. </p><p></p><p>Germany</p><p></p><p>SAT.1 SALE DENIED</p><p>Leading commercial broadcaster ProSiebenSat.1 Media</p><p>will not sell its Sat.1 station, chief executive</p><p>Guillaume de Posch told German news magazine Focus,</p><p>dismissing rumours of a sale, in an interview to be</p><p>published on October 9. Earlier, Sueddeutsche Zeitung</p><p>had reported rumours that ProSieben's biggest</p><p>shareholder Haim Saban could sell Sat.1. America's</p><p>Walt Disney Co was cited as an interested buyer. </p><p></p><p>SCIENTIFIC-ATLANTA CHOSEN FOR DVB-T PROJECT</p><p>Following the successful deployment of its technology</p><p>in Germany's DVB-T pilot project in Berlin,</p><p>Scientific-Atlanta Europe has been selected to supply</p><p>its technology for the next two deployments in and</p><p>around the cities of Cologne, Bonn, Bremen and</p><p>Hanover. The Cologne/Bonn project started on May 24,</p><p>with the deployment in the Hamburg, Düsseldorf and</p><p>Ruhrgebiet areas commencing in November.</p><p>Scientific-Atlanta's technology will help provide</p><p>digital terrestrial television to a potential audience</p><p>of 24 million viewers. The demands of DVB-T are that</p><p>four channels must be transported at a bit rate of</p><p>13.2 mbps to enable blanket coverage for consumers</p><p>using either rooftop or indoor portable aerials. This</p><p>will also support customers using mobile reception.</p><p></p><p>HISTORY CHANNEL TO LAUNCH NOVEMBER 15</p><p>AETN International has unveiled a November 15 launch</p><p>date for History Channel's long-awaited German debut,</p><p>and has inked a deal with ZDF Enterprises for local</p><p>content. Adding to the Sunday night branded block on</p><p>public broadcaster ZDF, the new German-language pay</p><p>network will draw on the AETN library and some locally</p><p>produced and acquired German-themed history</p><p>programming. The channel will be carried on Kabel</p><p>Deutschland through its new digital programme package,</p><p>Kabel Digital Home. The pay platform, competing with</p><p>satellite platform Premiere, launched at the end of</p><p>September with a slew of international channels</p><p>including E! Entertainment, BBC Prime, AXN, Sci-Fi,</p><p>Nat Geo, Planet, ESPN Classic Sports, MTV Hits, MTV</p><p>Dance, VH1 Classic, Trace TV and Playboy TV. According</p><p>to vice-president of programming and production at</p><p>AETN International, Michael Katz, the company's second</p><p>international channel, Biography, will launch into key</p><p>European territories in the first quarter of 2005.</p><p>Other plans for 2005 include the launch of a new</p><p>themed factual channel called i24: Investigation TV,</p><p>dedicated to crime-related factual programming. </p><p></p><p>TV AD REVENUE ON THE INCREASE</p><p>German TV ad revenue totaled ?5.3 billion over the</p><p>first nine months of the year -- a year-over-year</p><p>increase of about 3.2% -- according to figures</p><p>released on October 14 by Nielsen Media Research.</p><p>Despite the good news, TV continued to underperform in</p><p>the total German advertising market, which grew 5.7%</p><p>compared with the first nine months of 2003, according</p><p>to Nielsen. </p><p></p><p>Hungary</p><p></p><p>CR TO BID FOR ANTENNA HUNGARIA</p><p>The Czech telecommunications firm Ceske</p><p>radiokomunikace (CRa) will take part in a</p><p>privatization tender for the state-owned Hungarian</p><p>broadcaster Antenna Hungaria, according to the</p><p>Hungarian business weekly HVG. The weekly says CRa is</p><p>one of six foreign investors to express interest in</p><p>the company. The others are France's Telediffusion,</p><p>Portugal Telecom, Spain's Retevision, Italy's</p><p>Telespazio, and the venture capital firm Advent</p><p>International. The Antenna privatization has been</p><p>postponed several times already, but the state</p><p>privatization agency recently announced that it wants</p><p>to complete the tender by the end of 2004. The</p><p>government controls 73.7 % of the telecommunications</p><p>firm and wants to sell the whole stake to a strategic</p><p>investor. </p><p></p><p>Ireland</p><p></p><p>BROADCASTERS READY TO ACCEPT FINE SYSTEM</p><p>Private radio and TV companies have said they would be</p><p>willing to accept a system of fines or "penalty</p><p>points" for breaches of broadcasting regulations. The</p><p>Independent Broadcasters of Ireland (IBI), which</p><p>represents commercial stations throughout the State,</p><p>said at present there was no flexibility when stations</p><p>broke the rules. The regulator, the Broadcasting</p><p>Commission of Ireland (BCI), either wrote to stations</p><p>warning of the breaches or removed licences</p><p>altogether, said the IBI. </p><p></p><p>Italy</p><p></p><p>POLICE DISCOVER SATELLITE PIRATE</p><p>Brescia Finance Police have discovered the first and</p><p>only case in Europe of satellite piracy. A TV</p><p>broadcaster with very sophisticated technology was</p><p>discovered using frequencies to broadcast scrambled</p><p>sport and mature content programmes. Also discovered was</p><p>a network of customers with smart cards retailing at</p><p>?100 each, as the result of an investigation conducted</p><p>in Italy and France over the course of a year.</p><p></p><p>SCIENTIFIC-ATLANTA AND SIRTI TO HELP RAI DTT LAUNCH</p><p>In order to meet a strict government deadline for</p><p>establishing digital transmission over its terrestrial</p><p>network, Rai Way selected a Sirti - Scientific-Atlanta</p><p>Europe NV DVB-T digital transport solution to serve</p><p>RAI, the national public broadcaster in Italy. The new</p><p>Scientific-Atlanta satellite uplink system has been</p><p>installed in Rome for Rai Way to operate as it manages</p><p>the national public broadcast network for RAI in</p><p>Italy. The new digital system went into operation in</p><p>early January 2004 following integration and</p><p>installation by Sirti. The Scientific-Atlanta</p><p>satellite uplink system is used by Rai Way to provide</p><p>programming to feed the digital transmitters covering</p><p>major cities in Italy. The new uplink system replaces</p><p>an aging system, and will also deliver satellite</p><p>programming to DTH customers. The system supplied will</p><p>distribute programs for RAI's DTH European satellite</p><p>programs and two national digital terrestrial</p><p>bouquets. </p><p></p><p>A.S. ROMA SIGNS PAY-TV DEAL</p><p>AS Roma has announced that it had signed a ?102</p><p>million TV deal with Sky Italia to have its games</p><p>broadcast via the satellite TV service for the next</p><p>two seasons.</p><p></p><p>Poland</p><p></p><p>TVN IPO IN DECEMBER</p><p>Private Polish TV station TVN will debut on the Warsaw</p><p>Stock Exchange (WSE) in December or early in 2005, an</p><p>analyst close to the deal told Interfax on October 13.</p><p>TVN's parent company, Polish media group ITI, hopes to</p><p>raise $100-150 million through the planned</p><p>three-tranche IPO. Foreign investors will be offered</p><p>40-50% of shares, with 30-40% offered to domestic</p><p>institutional investors and 10-20% to domestic retail</p><p>investors. The offer will not involve a capital</p><p>increase and is aimed, among other things, at bringing</p><p>liquidity to the parent company, the ITI group, and to</p><p>minority investors engaged in ITI. </p><p></p><p>Portugal</p><p></p><p>RTL GROUP ENTERS TV MARKET</p><p>RTL Group on October 4 announced the acquisition of a</p><p>strategic shareholding of 11.6% in the share capital</p><p>of Grupo Media Capital, a leading Portuguese media</p><p>company. The shareholding was sold to RTL Group by</p><p>Hicks Muse Tate & Furst, a leading global private</p><p>investment firm. Grupo Media Capital is the leading</p><p>television broadcaster in Portugal, measured by both</p><p>prime-time audience share and net advertising revenue,</p><p>through the free to air broadcaster TVI.</p><p></p><p>Spain</p><p></p><p>WORLD TV PREMIERE OF "FAHRENHEIT 9/11" ON CANAL PLUS</p><p>The world TV premiere of Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit</p><p>9/11" will take place in Spain. Premium pay-TV channel</p><p>Canal Plus Espana will air the documentary October 25,</p><p>eight days before the U.S. presidential election. It</p><p>will screen at 22:00, repeat a half-hour later on a</p><p>multiplexed channel and air for the final time at</p><p>22:00 on October 26. "Fahrenheit 9/11" grossed ?3.9</p><p>million through October, making it the</p><p>highest-grossing documentary in Spain. </p><p></p><p>Sweden</p><p></p><p>CANAL DIGITAL SVERIGE OPTS FOR KREATEL BOXES</p><p>Kreatel Communications on October 11 announced that it</p><p>has signed an agreement with Canal Digital to provide</p><p>it with set-top boxes and software for the IPTV launch</p><p>to Swedish consumers. Canal Digital, Sweden's largest</p><p>provider of digital television, is now making its TV</p><p>offering available also over broadband IP networks,</p><p>with Kreatel as one of its suppliers of set-top boxes</p><p>for the service. With a set-top box from Kreatel and a</p><p>subscription from Canal Digital, Swedish consumers</p><p>will have access to many TV channels and video on</p><p>demand delivered with highest video quality. As IPTV</p><p>and video on demand consists of highly valuable</p><p>content, content rights owners require the data to be</p><p>encrypted. The Kreatel IP-STB System contains the</p><p>security solution that receives and decrypts the</p><p>signal, making the content available for the</p><p>subscriber on the TV screen. Canal Digital is fully</p><p>owned by Telenor and is Sweden's largest distributor</p><p>of digital television. Canal Digital offers</p><p>approximately 80 TV channels, 20 music channels, and</p><p>interactive services over cable, satellite and</p><p>broadband.</p><p></p><p>Turkey</p><p></p><p>WARNER BROS SIGNS OUTPUT DEAL</p><p>US major Warner Bros International TV Distribution has</p><p>inked a multi-year free-to-air deal with Turkish</p><p>distributor SAR-AN International for an unspecified</p><p>number of years. The terms give SAR-AN the TV rights</p><p>to films, series and cartoons from the new WBITV slate</p><p>including Harry Potter titles Sorcerer's Stone and</p><p>Chamber of Secrets, The Last Samurai, Matrix Reloaded</p><p>& Revolutions and Ocean's Eleven. Cartoons in the</p><p>package include Duck Dodgers and Baby Looney Tunes.</p><p>SAR-AN, run by Alan Saran, also exclusively represents</p><p>companies including Hallmark Channel, AETN</p><p>International, ESPN and Sportfive inside Turkey.</p><p></p><p>Regards Satdude. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite8" alt=":D" title="Big Grin :D" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":D" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Satdude, post: 66318, member: 175600"] Satellite news 18.10.04 News UK BBC PRIME IN 20 MILLION HOMES BBC Prime, BBC Worldwide's international entertainment channel for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, is for the first time reaching more than 20 million subscriber households. BBC Prime achieved this milestone following recent growth and launches into new territories, making BBC Prime one of the most popular platforms for British television across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. BBC Prime has seen strong growth recently with launches across Central Europe and Italy, the development of subtitling to cover ten languages and new distribution deals in France and Germany. In South Africa, BBC Prime is now established as the most watched international channel. BBC Prime is broadcast to over 20 million subscribers across Europe, the Middle East and Africa on cable and satellite. Over 2500 hours of new programming are transmitted each year, including Parkinson, Top of the Pops, EastEnders, The Weakest Link and BBC Learning (the BBC's unique overnight educational service). This flagship British cable channel shows the best of the award-winning programmes from BBC drama, comedy, children's, documentary, film and lifestyle series. Subtitles are available in English, Hungarian, Czech, Polish, Hebrew, Romanian, Italian, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian. ITV COMPLETES GMTV ACQUISITION ITV has completed the £31 million acquisition of SMG's stake in GMTV, the latest step in taking full control of the breakfast-time broadcaster. Following the merger of Carlton and Granada to create ITV plc, chief executive Charles Allen announced in May that the company would buy SMG's 25% stake in GMTV, taking its overall stake to 75%. Under the terms of the shareholder agreement ITV is now obliged to offer Walt Disney, the other joint venture partner in the consortium that originally won the breakfast broadcasting licence from TV-am, £31 million for its 25% stake in GMTV. However, the US giant has not yet decided whether to sell. NTL RECEIVES 15 BIDS NTL has received at least 15 offers for its TV and radio transmission business, the sale of which is expected to generate up to £1.2 billion for the UK's largest cable company. The first round of bidding for the transmitter network that broadcasts the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Five closed on October 11, with a number of private equity firms and infrastructure companies believed to have expressed an interest. Bidders that have lodged an initial interest with Goldman Sachs, which is handling the sale process, include Australian bank Macquarie, Apax Partners, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and Terra Firma. Macquarie, which bought NTL's Australian transmission business in 2002, is expected to be among the favourites, having failed earlier this year in its bid to buy Crown Castle's transmission business. The number of bidders is expected to drop sharply ahead of the second round of bids, which are due in by November 22. The winner of the auction is also likely to have to spend hundreds of millions of pounds upgrading the nationwide transmission service to cope with the switch from analogue to digital broadcasting. CONSUMER GROUP WORRIED OVER DIGITAL TV Consumer groups lobbied the government on October 11 to ensure that people with low incomes or disabilities will not be left out in the switch from analogue to digital broadcasting, set for 2012. In a report commissioned by broadcasting minister Andrew McIntosh, the Consumer Experts Group, an alliance of consumer-advocate bodies, warned that most people are still against the idea of the switch-off and that the government would miss its target date if financial support is not available for the elderly and low-income households. The pressure groups included representatives from the Consumers' Association, the Royal National Institute for the Blind, the National Consumer Council and Age Concern. BBC DIGITAL TV CHANNELS FAIL TO DELIVER The BBC's digital portfolio of channels has had a limited effect on commercial rivals because they have failed to attract audiences, according to a U.K. culture secretary-commissioned review of the services published on October 13. In the review of the role of youth entertainment channel BBC3, arts channel BBC4 and kids services CBBC and CBeebies that will feed into the process of BBC charter review, Patrick Barwise of the London Business School said that BBC3 and BBC4 had proven to be "poor value for money" in terms of driving digital take-up, but he acknowledged that program quality was high. BBC, CHANNEL 4 AND ITV LAUNCH AUDIO DESCRIPTION The BBC, Channel 4 and ITV have announced that Audio Description is now available via digital satellite television, as well as on Freeview. Audio Description, or AD, allows viewers with compatible equipment to hear a verbal description of the visual scenes on the television. It broadcasts some programmes with enhanced commentary transmitted in gaps between dialogue. It has been developed as an aid to understanding and enjoyment particularly, but not exclusively, for viewers who have visual impairments. The BBC, ITV, Channel Four and Five are committed to audio describing at least six per cent of their output in 2005. Programmes described include the most popular soaps like Eastenders, Coronation Street and Emmerdale and comedies like Friends and s_x and the City. Children's programming like Blue Peter, The Hoobs and Fimbles feature this service also. The BBC's Audio Description service will be accessible via BBC One London, BBC Two England, BBC Three, BBC Four, CBeebies and CBBC. SONY AND DISNEY TEAM UP FOR VOD SERVICE Sony Pictures and the Walt Disney Co. are planning to launch the United Kingdom's first studio-backed video-on-demand service in a bid to erode BS*yB's control over the UK pay-TV market. The two studios said they plan to launch a cable-only VOD service in partnership with management company On Demand Management, which already operates pay-per-view services for the U.K.'s biggest cable operators, NTL and Telewest. Sony Pictures, Disney and the On Demand group filed an application October 4 for permission to launch the service with the European Commission's competition division and expect a preliminary decision as early as November 11. UK POPULATION WANTS TV LICENSE FEE According to the results of a new BBC survey, 81 per cent of the U.K. population agree that the public broadcaster is worth the £121 they have to pay for the license fee every year. The survey, entitled Measuring the Value of the BBC, also found that more than half of the 2,257 respondents valued the BBC at twice the current license fee. Respondents on average valued the BBC at between £18 and £24 per month. In terms of programming, the digital channels BBC Three, CBBC and CBeebies were well received by respondents, while in analogue homes News 24 proved to be a favourite. The report also assessed the impact of introducing a subscription-funded model for the BBC-if the broadcaster were to charge £13 per month, 14.8 million homes would subscribe. About 9.7 million would not have access to the BBC. ITV EXPECTS CUT IN BROADCAST FEES ITV took a step closer to slashing its £450 million licence payments burden on October 13 after Ofcom published proposals that could reduce annual broadcasting fees. The UK's largest commercial terrestrial broadcaster has long argued for a reduction in the public service programming quotas that form a large constituent of its analogue broadcasting licences. Ofcom, the media regulator, acknowledged ITV's case last month when it proposed the gradual phasing out of non-news regional programming. However, ITV has also called for Ofcom to recognise the cost of broadcasting 104 hours of religious programming and 520 hours of TV shows per year in terms of lost advertising revenue. The regulator confirmed it will take into account the money lost from screening such programmes when it calculates the cost of ITV licences, which are due for renewal at the end of the year. BBC WORLDWIDE NOT FOR SALE The BBC has told senior executives that a full scale sell-off of its commercial arm, valued at up to £1 billion, is now firmly off the agenda after hiring bankers to discuss the possibility with major media companies in recent months. The corporation's chief operating officer, John Smith, who is overseeing a wholesale review of the BBC's commercial operations, told a meeting of 400 managers that Worldwide was "not for sale at the moment". He said the review was likely to recommend that the BBC hold on to assets that "had a strategic attachment" to the broadcaster. These are likely to include the BBC America cable channel and other overseas ventures. UEFA CUP FINAL ON ITV ITV has beaten Five to the rights to the Uefa Cup final for the next two years. The network already shares the rights to live Champions League coverage with BS*yB as part of a £83 million-a-year joint deal, but this year has stepped up its drive to pick up rights to the second string European competition as well. UEFA, the European football governing body, has announced that ITV has secured the rights to the 2005 and 2006 Uefa Cup finals. As part of the deal ITV has also won the rights to next year's Super Cup final, played annually between the winners of the Champions League and the Uefa Cup. NTL CHOOSES SEACHANGE FOR VOD SERVICE ntl Incorporated, the largest cable television operator in the United Kingdom, has chosen SeaChange International and its comprehensive VOD System to support its impending on-demand television service. Initial launch of ntl's on-demand service is slated for the first quarter of 2005, making it Europe's first large-scale, commercial cable on-demand service. SeaChange's strategic on-demand partner, London-based programming and content provider On Demand Group (ODG), is also collaborating with ntl to enable this milestone in European television. ntl is the U.K.'s largest cable company and leading broadband supplier with over one million broadband customers and 3 million residential customers. ntl's fibre-optic broadband network can service 7.8 million homes in the U.K. including London, Manchester, Nottingham, Oxford, Cambridge, Cardiff, Glasgow and Belfast. BS*yB EXTENDS ENGLAND RUGBY UNION CONTRACT BS*yB extended its contract to show England rugby matches by five years until 2010, the Rugby Football Union said on October 12. BS*yB will show domestic league matches and England's home international games except for those in Europe's Six Nations tournament, which is aired by the BBC. BS*yB already shows the European Heineken Cup and, from the southern hemisphere, Tri- Nations and Super 12 matches. GMTV RENEWS DISNEY OUTPUT DEAL UK breakfast broadcaster GMTV has renewed its output deal with minority shareholder Disney. Despite the loss of Disney-produced show Diggin' It, the renewal will still ensure that Disney cartoons fill much of GMTV's weekend kids slots, and covers some 300 new half-hours of series like Lilo & Stitch, House of Mouse, Recess, Kim Possible, Dave the Barbarian and Tarzan. A separate deal also covers rights to Power Rangers: Dino Thunder and Spider-Man from Jetix Europe which Disney's sale arm Buena Vista represents. All titles will arrive in GMTV's Saturday and Sunday morning slots from early February 2005. INTERACTIVE BBC TEN O'CLOCK NEWS After Wimbledon and the Olympics: the BBC is now planning to add an interactive dimension to its flagship news bulletin, the Ten O'Clock News on BBC1. The move will expand on the existing interactive news services on BBC channels, which already offer a round-up of headlines, a business summary, weather and sport updates. The new service, dubbed Ten Extra and created by iTV firm Two Way TV, will offer red button jockeys two new text/graphics-based services plus one video package, adding additional info and footage to three of the night's top stories. Running on weekdays only, Ten Extra will be available to interactive TV viewers for only 15 minutes after the news bulletin. Europe RECORD VIEWERSHIP FOR EURO 2004 According to Médiamétrie's newest Eurodata TV Sport Insight survey, viewership for the Euro 2004 football tournament topped the viewership for this year's summer Olympic Games across Europe. Highlights of the Euro 2004 ratings include the numbers for Germany, where 25.4 million viewers tuned in for the Greece/Portugal finale on ZDF, scoring a market share of 68.5 per cent. In Greece, meanwhile, ET1 scored an 80.6 per cent share-for some 3 million viewers-for the final match. In France, TF1 nabbed a 59.9 per cent share with the 15.3 million viewers who watched the France/Switzerland match. And BBC One generated a 72.5 per cent share for the 20.7 million audiences for the Portugal-U.K. event. In terms of the Olympics, gymnastics and athletics topped in Germany, which scored 24.6 per cent and 26.3 per cent shares respectively. Those two disciplines were also popular in Spain, generating shares of 18.5 per cent and 19.8 per cent. Football and basketball were the big winners in Italy, with 36.6 per cent and 33.8 per cent shares respectively. EBU RECOMMENDS HDTV STANDARD The EBU Technical Committee has recommended that Emission standards for HDTV should be based on progressive scanning: 720p/50 is currently the optimum solution, but 1080p/50 is an attractive option for the longer term. Although there are strong technical arguments in favour of progressive scanning for emission, the EBU Technical Committee recognises that some broadcasters might wish to broadcast 1080i programme material. As consumer electronics equipment (e.g. set-top boxes and displays) will accept both 720p and 1080i formats, broadcasters will be able to select either of these formats - even on a programme-by-programme basis. Taking into account that production and emission standards do not need to be identical, further EBU studies on Production standards for HDTV in Europe are in progress. This work is not intended to result in a recommendation for a single standard for HDTV production. Austria FAHRENHEIT 9/11 TO AIR ON NOVEMBER 1 Austrian public broadcaster ORF is joining the ranks of broadcasters that will show Michael Moore's anti-Bush documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" on November 1, only months after its theatrical release. German commercial channel ProSieben will broadcast "9/11" on the same evening. ORF will run "Fahrenheit" as the climax of its U.S. election background coverage, which includes two other critical documentaries over the next two weeks: "People Like Us: Social Class in America," by Andrew Kolker and Louis Alvarez, and Robert Greenwald's "Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism." Czech Republic PARLIAMENTARY CHANNEL TO START THIS MONTH Members of both houses of Parliament soon will be watched more closely than ever before. 24.cz, a television station that will broadcast the day-to-day activities of the country's MPs, begins trial broadcasting October 28. The channel, which will be available also on cable and via Astra satellite, will operate under the Region Media company umbrella and has a 12-year broadcasting license. UPC will not support the company financially but will provide technical support and signal distribution. 24.cz is scheduled to begin "regular" broadcasting Nov. 17, the 15th anniversary of the 1989 revolution, and in time it may evolve into a comprehensive news channel. Finland BROADCASTERS CRITICISED OVER MOBILE BILLS Finland's consumer watchdog said on October 11 it had reprimanded broadcasters for causing children to run up huge mobile phone bills with interactive television game and chat programs. In one case a child played a television game as though it were a computer game, sending enough text messages to get a bill of ?1,200. France PRIVATE GOLD ON NOOS CABLE Private Media Group Inc announced on October 14 the launch of the Private Gold television channel on Noos, the largest cable television operator in France, following an agreement with Private Blue and Gold Broadcasting, a Private Media Group Licensee. Under the terms of the agreement, the Private Gold channel will be offered to Noos subscribers from October 18 as part of a premium channel package on a monthly subscription basis. The adult entertainment channel will be broadcast from midnight to 5 am seven days a week. Private Gold is currently available in more than 40 countries around the world. TF1 GETS GOVERNMENT BACKING A government commissioner has found in favour of TF1's challenge of DTT licences awarded to the Canal Plus group. In his conclusions, the commissioner recommended cancelling the licences to the channels Sport+, i-Tele, Planete, CineCinema, Premier, iMCM, and Canal j. The decision does not affect the premium channel Canal +. In its complaint, TF1 pointed out that Canal + and the Lagardere Group jointly controlled two of these channels, iMCM and Canal-j and so should be counted among the licences awarded to both of the operators. At the time of the call for tenders, the upper limit was five channel licences per operator. This upper limit for licences has now been amended to seven, but the commissioner considered that the law as it was at the time should be applied. Germany SAT.1 SALE DENIED Leading commercial broadcaster ProSiebenSat.1 Media will not sell its Sat.1 station, chief executive Guillaume de Posch told German news magazine Focus, dismissing rumours of a sale, in an interview to be published on October 9. Earlier, Sueddeutsche Zeitung had reported rumours that ProSieben's biggest shareholder Haim Saban could sell Sat.1. America's Walt Disney Co was cited as an interested buyer. SCIENTIFIC-ATLANTA CHOSEN FOR DVB-T PROJECT Following the successful deployment of its technology in Germany's DVB-T pilot project in Berlin, Scientific-Atlanta Europe has been selected to supply its technology for the next two deployments in and around the cities of Cologne, Bonn, Bremen and Hanover. The Cologne/Bonn project started on May 24, with the deployment in the Hamburg, Düsseldorf and Ruhrgebiet areas commencing in November. Scientific-Atlanta's technology will help provide digital terrestrial television to a potential audience of 24 million viewers. The demands of DVB-T are that four channels must be transported at a bit rate of 13.2 mbps to enable blanket coverage for consumers using either rooftop or indoor portable aerials. This will also support customers using mobile reception. HISTORY CHANNEL TO LAUNCH NOVEMBER 15 AETN International has unveiled a November 15 launch date for History Channel's long-awaited German debut, and has inked a deal with ZDF Enterprises for local content. Adding to the Sunday night branded block on public broadcaster ZDF, the new German-language pay network will draw on the AETN library and some locally produced and acquired German-themed history programming. The channel will be carried on Kabel Deutschland through its new digital programme package, Kabel Digital Home. The pay platform, competing with satellite platform Premiere, launched at the end of September with a slew of international channels including E! Entertainment, BBC Prime, AXN, Sci-Fi, Nat Geo, Planet, ESPN Classic Sports, MTV Hits, MTV Dance, VH1 Classic, Trace TV and Playboy TV. According to vice-president of programming and production at AETN International, Michael Katz, the company's second international channel, Biography, will launch into key European territories in the first quarter of 2005. Other plans for 2005 include the launch of a new themed factual channel called i24: Investigation TV, dedicated to crime-related factual programming. TV AD REVENUE ON THE INCREASE German TV ad revenue totaled ?5.3 billion over the first nine months of the year -- a year-over-year increase of about 3.2% -- according to figures released on October 14 by Nielsen Media Research. Despite the good news, TV continued to underperform in the total German advertising market, which grew 5.7% compared with the first nine months of 2003, according to Nielsen. Hungary CR TO BID FOR ANTENNA HUNGARIA The Czech telecommunications firm Ceske radiokomunikace (CRa) will take part in a privatization tender for the state-owned Hungarian broadcaster Antenna Hungaria, according to the Hungarian business weekly HVG. The weekly says CRa is one of six foreign investors to express interest in the company. The others are France's Telediffusion, Portugal Telecom, Spain's Retevision, Italy's Telespazio, and the venture capital firm Advent International. The Antenna privatization has been postponed several times already, but the state privatization agency recently announced that it wants to complete the tender by the end of 2004. The government controls 73.7 % of the telecommunications firm and wants to sell the whole stake to a strategic investor. Ireland BROADCASTERS READY TO ACCEPT FINE SYSTEM Private radio and TV companies have said they would be willing to accept a system of fines or "penalty points" for breaches of broadcasting regulations. The Independent Broadcasters of Ireland (IBI), which represents commercial stations throughout the State, said at present there was no flexibility when stations broke the rules. The regulator, the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI), either wrote to stations warning of the breaches or removed licences altogether, said the IBI. Italy POLICE DISCOVER SATELLITE PIRATE Brescia Finance Police have discovered the first and only case in Europe of satellite piracy. A TV broadcaster with very sophisticated technology was discovered using frequencies to broadcast scrambled sport and mature content programmes. Also discovered was a network of customers with smart cards retailing at ?100 each, as the result of an investigation conducted in Italy and France over the course of a year. SCIENTIFIC-ATLANTA AND SIRTI TO HELP RAI DTT LAUNCH In order to meet a strict government deadline for establishing digital transmission over its terrestrial network, Rai Way selected a Sirti - Scientific-Atlanta Europe NV DVB-T digital transport solution to serve RAI, the national public broadcaster in Italy. The new Scientific-Atlanta satellite uplink system has been installed in Rome for Rai Way to operate as it manages the national public broadcast network for RAI in Italy. The new digital system went into operation in early January 2004 following integration and installation by Sirti. The Scientific-Atlanta satellite uplink system is used by Rai Way to provide programming to feed the digital transmitters covering major cities in Italy. The new uplink system replaces an aging system, and will also deliver satellite programming to DTH customers. The system supplied will distribute programs for RAI's DTH European satellite programs and two national digital terrestrial bouquets. A.S. ROMA SIGNS PAY-TV DEAL AS Roma has announced that it had signed a ?102 million TV deal with Sky Italia to have its games broadcast via the satellite TV service for the next two seasons. Poland TVN IPO IN DECEMBER Private Polish TV station TVN will debut on the Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE) in December or early in 2005, an analyst close to the deal told Interfax on October 13. TVN's parent company, Polish media group ITI, hopes to raise $100-150 million through the planned three-tranche IPO. Foreign investors will be offered 40-50% of shares, with 30-40% offered to domestic institutional investors and 10-20% to domestic retail investors. The offer will not involve a capital increase and is aimed, among other things, at bringing liquidity to the parent company, the ITI group, and to minority investors engaged in ITI. Portugal RTL GROUP ENTERS TV MARKET RTL Group on October 4 announced the acquisition of a strategic shareholding of 11.6% in the share capital of Grupo Media Capital, a leading Portuguese media company. The shareholding was sold to RTL Group by Hicks Muse Tate & Furst, a leading global private investment firm. Grupo Media Capital is the leading television broadcaster in Portugal, measured by both prime-time audience share and net advertising revenue, through the free to air broadcaster TVI. Spain WORLD TV PREMIERE OF "FAHRENHEIT 9/11" ON CANAL PLUS The world TV premiere of Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" will take place in Spain. Premium pay-TV channel Canal Plus Espana will air the documentary October 25, eight days before the U.S. presidential election. It will screen at 22:00, repeat a half-hour later on a multiplexed channel and air for the final time at 22:00 on October 26. "Fahrenheit 9/11" grossed ?3.9 million through October, making it the highest-grossing documentary in Spain. Sweden CANAL DIGITAL SVERIGE OPTS FOR KREATEL BOXES Kreatel Communications on October 11 announced that it has signed an agreement with Canal Digital to provide it with set-top boxes and software for the IPTV launch to Swedish consumers. Canal Digital, Sweden's largest provider of digital television, is now making its TV offering available also over broadband IP networks, with Kreatel as one of its suppliers of set-top boxes for the service. With a set-top box from Kreatel and a subscription from Canal Digital, Swedish consumers will have access to many TV channels and video on demand delivered with highest video quality. As IPTV and video on demand consists of highly valuable content, content rights owners require the data to be encrypted. The Kreatel IP-STB System contains the security solution that receives and decrypts the signal, making the content available for the subscriber on the TV screen. Canal Digital is fully owned by Telenor and is Sweden's largest distributor of digital television. Canal Digital offers approximately 80 TV channels, 20 music channels, and interactive services over cable, satellite and broadband. Turkey WARNER BROS SIGNS OUTPUT DEAL US major Warner Bros International TV Distribution has inked a multi-year free-to-air deal with Turkish distributor SAR-AN International for an unspecified number of years. The terms give SAR-AN the TV rights to films, series and cartoons from the new WBITV slate including Harry Potter titles Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets, The Last Samurai, Matrix Reloaded & Revolutions and Ocean's Eleven. Cartoons in the package include Duck Dodgers and Baby Looney Tunes. SAR-AN, run by Alan Saran, also exclusively represents companies including Hallmark Channel, AETN International, ESPN and Sportfive inside Turkey. Regards Satdude. :D [/QUOTE]
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