Satellite news 13.11.06

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Satellie news 11.07.06

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Sky News launches new interactive news show

Sky News presenter Martin Stanford is to host a new weekday evening show that will replace the axed World News Tonight with James Rubin. The 8pm-9pm show launches on Monday (July 10), and will take Sky News in a new direction by inviting contributors to send in video or webcam clips. Sky News is also launching a blog, News Brief, looking at the day's news agenda, with versions aimed at the media, skynews/publicity, and the general public, sky.c*m/ne*ws. Stanford is a 16-year Sky News veteran who currently co-presents the channel's Sky News Today morning programme.

Film Four gets new name as it goes free

Channel 4's film channel, Film4, will relaunch as a free service on July 23 with the premiere of the Oscar-winning comedy Lost in Translation. The channel will then become the UK's largest free film channel, available to 18m homes, claims the broadcaster. A quarter of the films shown on the channel will come from the UK, but they will be broken up with ads. Currently branded as FilmFour, it has only been available to cable and satellite viewers. Its new name and look will see it join the Freeview service. The decision to make the channel free-to-air comes a year after Channel 4 did the same for E4, which resulted in a large increase in viewing figures. Film4 will screen six films a day.

Big audience increase for Disney channel

The Disney Channel claims to have become the UK's most popular commercial kids channel following its move away from premium subscription to join Sky's basic pay-TV package. The channel has seen its viewing figures reach a record level, with share up by 48% since it moved from Sky and NTL's premium package six weeks ago.

BBC TV viewing figures sink as Net usage grows

The BBC's share of the national TV audience slipped last year with teenagers switching off in "disproportionately large numbers", the corporation said in its annual report for 2005-06. The percentage of people watching at least 15 minutes of BBC television programming a week - the BBC's measure of 'audience reach' - fell last year to 85.3%, down from 86.6%. Radio audiences remained stable, with weekly reach down just 0.1% at 66.5%.

BBC plans to offer personalised radio

BBC director general Mark Thompson has announced plans to allow audiences to create personal radio stations from its content. The planned service, provisionally called MyBBCRadio, was revealed by Thompson at the Radio Festival in Cambridge. It aims to give audiences more control by combining existing services such as podcasts and the BBC Radio Player. It will be part of the BBC's iPlayer, a free service which will also offer seven days of BBC TV on demand. Thompson said MyBBCRadio would use peer-to-peer technology to provide "thousa***, ultimately millions, of individual radio services created by audiences themselves".

Digital TV news in brief...

On Sky Digital, Look4Less TV has launched on channel 680... Quiz TV has been removed from the Sky line-up on channel 852... The BBC has committed to halve the number of repeats on BBC1 by 2009, as part of the corporation's annual report... The Apple FM audio channel has been removed from channel 0163... The HorrorChannel on Sky channel 321 is now called Zone Horror... On Sky channel 146 You TV has been renamed Sumo TV... Porn channel LIVE XXX TV on channel 943 has been removed fro Sky's EPG... New channels that have just joined the Sky line-up include 322 Zone Thriller, 681 Price Busters and 918 Look4Love2 TV... ITV is to launch a '+1' time-shifted version of its popular ITV2 channel later this year on Sky Digital.

Sky Report producer signs off

Sky News executive producer Nick Phipps has sent out a farewell email to viewers of the Sky Report, which ended last week as part of the channel's return to rolling news. The show was launched lasrt autumn as an investigative programme and despite breaking some big stories did not attract large audience figures.

Setanta Sports to launch golf channel in 2007

Setanta Sports have been granted exclusive live rights to cover The PGA Tour, the biggest competition in the golf calendar. The six-year deal starts on 1 January 2007 and gives Setanta the rights to all PGA Tour events and programming including The Players’ Championship, which annually features the deepest field of the TOUR schedule. Setanta will also showcase the 24 events in the Champions Tour for champions aged 50 and over, and also show extensive coverage of the Nationwide Tour in which an international roster of players battle for a place on the PGA Tour. These events will form the cornerstone of a new 24-hour Setanta Golf Channel which will launch on New Year's Day 2007. Setanta's Director of Sports, Trevor East, said: "We are privileged to be associated with an organisation as prestigious as the PGA TOUR. Following quickly of the heels of our recent English and Scottish Premier League successes, this is a major coup for Setanta. A dedicated golf channel featuring the game's biggest names in peak viewing time alongside our major football content provides a compelling proposition for subscribers."

New equestrian channel starts filming shows

Horse & Country TV, the channel for equestrian and country enthusiasts that is due to launch on Sky this autumn, has started filming its programmes. The new channel, which is to be run in partnership with British Eventing, British Dressage and the British Show Jumping Association, has been filming the British Eventing team in training ahead of the forthcoming World Equestrian Games at Aachen.

Huge BBC pay rises anger trade union officials

Mark Thompson and other BBC chiefs shared £3.73 million last year, during a period in which audience share declined and the proportion of licence payers’ money spent on programmes fell. Thompson, the Director General, earned £609,000, 10 per cent ahead of his £562,000 salary last year, while four other top executives received pay increases of between 6 and 15 per cent — well ahead of the 2.6 per cent offered to BBC staff. Trade union officials warned that they would consider holding a strike ballot, after learning of the above-inflation pay increases, which were published in the Corporation’s annual report.

BBC restructuring set to be unveiled in July

A major restructure of the BBC's creative divisions is set to be unveiled on July 19, network director general Mark Thompson said at a press conference. The move is expected to see director of television Jana Bennett head a newly merged broadcasting and production division and see BBC creative director Alan Yentob step down to focus more closely on his on-camera role, according to insiders. Announcing reports and accounts for 2005-06, Thompson said the BBC's total income topped £4.2 billion last year and a record £3.1 billion contribution came from the license fee, an increase of £160 million from the previous year.

Sky News clinches award for 7/7 coverage

Sky News won a top award at the prestigious 46th Monte-Carlo Television Festival. The station picked up the 'Best 24-hour News Programme' for its coverage of the July 7th London Bombings, beating off competition from CNN and BBC News 24.

NTL cable TV services to get Virgin makeover

NTL will re-brand its cable, Internet and telecoms businesses under the Virgin banner from 2007, the company announced as it completed its £962 million acquisition of mobile phone group Virgin Mobile. Shares in Virgin Mobile were de-listed from the London Stock Exchange after NTL received the necessary court approvals for the deal. The combined group will launch a "quadruple" play offer of cable television, broadband Internet, home phone calls and mobile telephony from next year. "It is anticipated that the company will start marketing a single portfolio of services under the Virgin brand some time early in 2007, if not sooner," said the company.

Huge TV audience figures for World Cup

The 2006 soccer World Cup has generated huge TV audiences. The quarter final games scored huge audiences in Europe, with World Cup host Germany leading the way. An average of 24.8 million Germans, representing a staggering 86.1% market share, watched their team beat Argentina in a nail-biting game. That figure jumped to a peak of 28.7 million and 90% of the overall audience in the final minutes as Germany beat the South Americans in a penalty shoot-out.

Eurosport to launch in Serbia on July 12

Pan-European sports channel Eurosport has announced it is expanding its Eastern European operations and will launch into Serbia on July 12. The channel will be produced in the capital of Belgrade, broadcast in Serbian on a representative number of cable networks, with sports commentary delivered by a team of local sports reporters. With the addition of Serbia, Eurosport now broadcasts in 20 languages to a daily average of 22 million viewers in 54 countries.

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Satellite news 17.07.06

Satellite news 17.07.06

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Second HD sports channel to launch on July 31

A second high definition version of Sky Sports will launch later this month, the broadcaster has confirmed. Called Sky Sports HD2, the channel will launch on Sky Digital channel 409 on July 31 and will "simulcast one Sky Sports channel’s schedule each day." The channel will operate alongside Sky Sports HD1, which is available on channel 405.

Trio of new channels debut on Sky Digital

Several new channels have launched on the Sky Digital platform in recent days. They include adult entertainment channel Honey TV on 959, music channel 'Justfabulous' on channel 372, and crime-themed station 'Crime' on 531.

Sky wins mobile rights to Premier League games

Sky has snapped up mobile rights to Premier League soccer matches over the next three years in a joint deal with The Sun and the News of the World that will see all three parties market and promote the services. Sky already has the bulk of TV rights as well as the online and pay-per-view rights to soccer from 2007-10. The broadcaster beat off a consortium of mobile phone operators including 3, O2, Orange, T Mobile and Vodafone to win the deal. It will now open negotiations with the phone companies about offering customers access to next season's soccer matches. Financial details were not disclosed. Under the terms of the deal, Sky will be able to offer mobile rights to all 380 Premiership matches played each season beginning in 2007.

Consumer groups warn of digital switch fears

Consumer groups have warned of their 'serious concerns' about the digital switchover process, calling for fundamental changes in how the process is being managed for elderly, disabled and isolated viewers. A consumer panel set up by media watchdog Ofcom said the process - which aims to see analogue signals switched off on a region-by-region basis between 2008-2012 - has ignored the needs of socially isolated, elderly and vulnerable households. It is calling on the government and the regulator to target more support to such households and says the current provisions are "inadequate."

UKTV Gold to air holiday comedy special

UKTV Gold has commissioned a comedy extravaganza headed by comic Julian Clary to air over the UK's August Bank Holiday. Julian Clary's Britcom Weekend, spanning three days from August 26, will consist of a series of classic archive themes: Rule Britannia, Miserable Gits and Camp Comedy. Clary will present introductions to te weekends, interview actors from the original series and impart his own ideas on typically British humour.

Sky boss lands new job in Australia

Outgoing Sky chief operating officer Richard Freudenstein has been handed a new job within News Corp, as head of the company's new digital division in its News Limited business in Australia. Freudenstein, who announced earlier this year that he was leaving the bradcaster to return to his homeland, will become chief executive of News Digital Media.

Freesat launch 'delayed until autumn 2007'

The BBC and ITV's planned free-to-view satellite TV service Freesat will not be launched before autumn 2007, according to media reports. Director general Mark Thompson told MPs on the Culture Select Committee this week: "It's the issue of garnering broad support that's caused the delay."
Negotiations with other broadcasters had been protracted due to efforts to fix a common standard, he continued.
Freesat will let people access all BBC and ITV channels via a satellite dish without paying a subscription. BBC chairman Michael Grade said the service, which will cater for the quarter of TV viewers who live outside the Freeview coverage area, would be "ready as soon as possible." Currently people who cannot recieve Freeview or cable TV can only access BBC and ITV digital services via a satellite dish provided by Sky.

Digital TV news in brief...

Several Sky Digital TV channels have been removed from the line-up. These include Star Bazaar TV on channel 671 and 2Shop TV on 673... ITV1 is facing an advertising downturn, according to press reports, with media buyers estimating advance advertising bookings for September are down as much as 12% year-on-year... Shopping channel Gems TV raised £92,149.31 for Cancer Research during a marathon shopping feature in which the channel hopes to have set the world record for the "Longest Television Shopping Presenting Marathon."

Possible BBC strike action is postponed

Possible strike action at the BBC has been postponed for a week after a meeting with director general Mark Thompson led to possible new concessions, union officials said. Notice of a strike ballot was issued last week after a breakdown in talks over wages and pension rights. Following a seven-hour meeting with BBC brass, however, representatives of broadcasting union BECTU and the National Union of Journalists said they will now wait for a letter from BBC management outlining a potential change in the terms of a salary settlement offer and access to BBC pension plans.

Shopping channel set to shut down soon

Shopping channel Treasures TV will soon be shutting down, according to a spokesman at the station. The channel launched in November 2005 and has offered porcelain, famous signatures and collectables among its product range, but it has lost the financial backing of a key investor and is struggling to continue.

BBC Three to show Neighbours before BBC1?

The BBC has confirmed media reports that it is considering screening Neighbours on digital channel BBC Three before it is shown on BBC One. The Australian soap is currently aired on BBC One at 1:40pm and 5:35pm on weekdays. A BBC spokeswoman said no decision had been reached, but confirmed the idea was being considered. "There are lots of ideas being bounced around," she said. "We can't comment on any specifics that may or may not being considered."

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Satellite news 24.07.06

Satellite news 24.07.06

News

MTV set to start new video sharing TV channel

MTV is poised to cash in on the Internet craze for video swapping by launching a 'community channel' on Sky Digital this week where viewers will contribute the content. MTV, which celebrates its 25 anniversary next month, says the new TV channel will concentrate on footage supplied by viewers and they will dictate much of what appears on it. Matthew Kershaw, head of interactive at MTV, said: "We are like the Madonna of TV, always re-inventing ourselves. We have got a long history of using users in programmes and we are trying to inject as much user-generated stuff as we can."

Pride TV announces November launch

An entertainment TV channel catering for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders is set to launch on Sky Digital this winter. Called Pride TV, it launch in November and will broadcast entertainment and hard-hitting documentaries alongside drama, lifestyle, music, film and late night erotic shows. A third of its programming will be produced in-house and the channel will be on air 10 hours a day.

ITV Play launches on Sky Digital this week

ITV Play is set to launch on Sky Digital channel 856 this week. The new gaming channel launched on other TV platforms in April and is now ready for its satellite launch. Charles Allen, Chief Executive of ITV said: "We believe that ITV Play has enormous potential to lead the market for participation TV with higher production values, better programmes and bigger prizes."

Sky launches free broadband service

Sky has unveiled details of its new broadband internet access service, Sky Broadband, which provides free broadband with up to 2Mb download speed for Sky TV customers, whatever TV package they take. The service offers three different broadband products, Sky Broadband Base, Mid and Max. The products range from a free service offering download speeds of up to 2Mb to a connection of up to 16Mb for £10 a month.

PIN-protected films hours set to be extended

Sky has announced that the broadcast hours of its PIN-protected film channels will be extended from this autumn. The new hours, which will be introduced on September 1st, will be 11am until 3am covering Sky Movies 9 and Sky Movies 10, Sky Movies 9 HD and Sky Movies 10 HD. Currently, the protected hours are daily between 5pm and 3am.

Castaway set to return to BBC screens

Castaway, the reality series that made it on to BBC screens before the phenomenon of Channel 4's Big Brother, is set to return five years after its first broadcast. The new series will follow a group of people as they establish a new community in a remote location but with added twists this time. Each episode will be broadcast live from an undisclosed exotic location. The new series will be screened on BBC1 and BBC3 plus on interactive services.

Digital TV news in brief...

Film4 Weekly has been removed from Sky Digital channel 317... On Sky channel 844, the Poker Channel is now called All in Sport... Five has acquired both digital and free TV rights to Warner Bros hostage thriller The Nine.

TV regulator publishes probe into Sky One ad

TV regulators at Ofcom have just published the findings of their investigation into four complaints from viewers who felt the trails for Sky One's Project Catwalk series, which showed a pair of scissors flying through the air towards a tailor’s dummy and becoming lodged in it, were inappropriate. Some felt children could be encouraged to imitate the scenario, said the viewers. Sky said that it did not believe the trail amounted to dangerous behaviour which could be easily imitable by children. It was clearly a promotion for a programme and was filmed against a stark white background, it said. There was no suggestion that the scissors had been thrown by anyone and the scissors were much larger than normal and this, together with the stylised nature of the sequence, would have made it evident that this was a fantastical scenario. Ofcom said: "We noted and accepted Sky's contentions that the scissors are not seen being thrown, and that their flight is not always consistent with having been thrown. They may also at times seem to be unrealistically large (though they are seen to be normal size by the time they pierce the tailor's dummy). As with stylisation, these points are relevant to how the trailer will have been interpreted by adults and older children. However, we did not think that younger children, in the 4-9 year range, will have made these kinds of relatively sophisticated judgement, and concluded that the portrayal was of a potentially dangerous act, with this age group. Transmission at times when they will have been viewing in large numbers - as between Malcolm in the Middle and The Simpsons - therefore contravened the Code."

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Satellite news 24.08.06

Satellite news 24.08.06

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Real Madrid football club channel starts in UK

Spanish football club Real Madrid is set to launch its own channel on Sky Digital at the end of August. Real Madrid TV is already testing at 11.681GHz/V (under the ident '51147') and can be manually added via the 'Add channels' feature on Sky. It is expected to officially launch on Sky Digital on August 29th.

UKTV G2 scores basketball TV rights win

UKTV has won exclusive rights to basketball coverage from the FIBA World Championship 2006 for its UKTV G2 channel. The broadcasts will also be supported by red button applications to drive take-up of uktvsl*m.tv, where highlights of every game will be broadcast free on a trial basis along with one full game every day of the tournament, with a view to a full subscription service being launched later this year.

Channel Five unveils boss for its digital channels

Channel Five has hired Nick Thorogood, the former head of ITV daytime, as controller of its soon-to-launch Five US and Five Life digital channels, which are set to debut this autumn. Initially available on Freeview, followed by satellite and cable, Five Life and Five US are the first extensions to the terrestrial channel, which will celebrate its 10th birthday next March. Five US will extend the US programming familiar to Five viewers from shows such as 'CSI'. It has acquired dramas 'Shark', 'Vanished' and 'The Nine'. Five Life is skewed towards a female audience and will offer drama, films, soaps and the pre-school strand Milkshake!.

ITV2 and ITV4 to show new US comedies

ITV has bought the rights to two US comedy series from the LA Screenings earlier this year. Sony's Big Day, which is to debut on ABC next year, is a comedy about the preparations for a wedding, while Fox's The Winner centres on a 32-year-old who has yet to leave home. ITV said it had not yet decided which channels the comedies would air on, although the broadcaster is likely to show them initially on ITV2 and ITV4 and transfer them to ITV1 if they become hits.

London Tonight presenter joins Al-Jazeera

Former London Tonight presenter Nick Clark is to join Al-Jazeera International, the Arabic network's 24-hour English-language satellite channel that is expected to launch in September. He will present weekend news from the network's London broadcast centre alongside Barbara Serra, who has also joined from Channel Five. Sir David Frost will also present a one hour show on the channel. The channel will be the first completely HD news and current affairs channel.

New music channel starts on Sky

A brand new music channel has started on Sky Digital channel 374. Called Bubble Hits, the free-to-air station is unique because it broadcasts non-stop music without adverts.

Living TV buys rights to new Danson comedy

Living TV has acquired the rights to Help Me Help You, a comedy from 20th Century Fox Television Distribution starring Ted Danson. Living gets first-run rights to the show in the UK for terrestrial and cable and satellite. Danson stars as self-obsessed and dysfunctional therapist Dr Bill, who hides behind his celebrity image as a bestselling author of successful self-help books. The 13-part series explores the comical side of group therapy.

Three Sky Digital channels get the chop

Several TV channels have been removed from the Sky line-up. They are Sport Nation on 440, treasures.tv on 674, We Deliver TV on 665 and One TV on 667. Meanwhile, the audio channel crossrhythm on channel 0126 has also been removed. There's a new name for another station - on channel 886 Majestic TV is now called Psychic TV.

Digital TV news in brief...

Cartoon Network is destined for Orange mobile TV in six more European countries after parent Turner Broadcasting agreed a distribution deal with owner France Telecom... Channel 4's chief executive Andy Duncan has ruled himself out of the running to replace outgoing ITV chief executive Charles Allen... The National Geographic Channel has commissioned a third season of Seconds From Disaster, a high-definition series... German studio EM.Entertainment has signed a deal for its sci-fi series Farscape to be aired on NBC Universal's Sci-Fi Channel in Germany... A lack of decent and available US comedies has forced the UK's Channel 4 to overhaul its Friday nights, which will feature "no Americana after 9pm" this autumn, said director of TV Kevin Lygo... ITV has made an official request to Ofcom to reduce its commitment to children's programming on ITV1... Sky announced that Extreme Sports joined its Sky Mobile TV service... Overseas Property TV has launched on Sky channel 287.

Shopping channel had licence removed

Sky Digital shopping channel One TV has had its licence removed and is no longer able to broadcast the service 'One TV'. Ofcom has revoked the broadcast licence of the station after it failed to pay its £2,000 licence fee. After many reminders, on July 7th One TV was given a final opportunity to pay the outstanding fees which it did not, according to media reports.

Sky unveils new easy-to-handle remote control

Sky has launched a remote control handset to help people with visual impairments and limited dexterity. The Sky+ Remote Control Easy Grip offers larger, bolder graphics for easier button identification; raised contoured buttons with more reference points for easier button identification; and increased colour contrast between buttons and remote body. It costs £19.99 (+ £3.50 P&P). Existing customers can call Sky on 08705 66 33 33 for more details.

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Satellie news 12.09.06

Satellie news 12.09.06

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Channel Five's new channels launch in October

Channel Five's upcoiming free-to-air digital channels are set to go on air during October. Five Life, offering female-oriented programming, will launch on 15th October and broadcast between 6am and 11pm. Five US, offering US-imported programming, will launch the following day and broadcast between 4pm and 1am. Five’s Chief Executive, Jane Lighting, said: "We believe these two new channels will play to our programming strengths, highlighting genres in which we have an acknowledged track record."

Disney to launch new European channels

Walt Disney Television plans to launch two digital terrestrial versions of entertainment channel ABC1 across Europe within the next year, Rich Ross, president of Disney Channel Worldwide, has confirmed. The channel, which airs such shows as Home Improvement and Eight Simple Rules has been in the UK since 2004. Ross said: "We'll probably see a launch in two European territories in calendar 2007."

Sky and Odeon to launch Filmworks venture

Sky has teamed up with leading European cinema chain Odeon Cinemas to launch a cinema and video distribution business. Under the terms of the deal the partnership - dubbed Filmworks - will distribute six midsize films per year selected direct from filmmakers or sales houses and will share the revenues from the theatrical, DVD and subsequent windows. The Filmworks deal was negotiated by Sky Networks deputy managing director Sophie Turner Laing and Odeon chief executive Rupert Gavin.

BBC to distribute four channels worldwide

The BBC is to launch four new global television channels, which will include BBC Entertainment and a dual-language CBeebies, as well as mobile and online content downloads. Along with BBC Entertainment and CBeebies, BBC Worldwide will launch BBC Knowledge and BBC Lifestyle. They will be available as online, mobile and as traditional channel products. The new channels will replace BBC Prime in some Asian countries, including Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea and Thailand, with a high-definition version of BBC Worldwide planned for the future.

Sky Travel and Sky Travel Extra part company

Sky Travel and Sky Travel Extra are to split their programming in a bid to give each channel a distinct identity. The two channels, which have previously shared programming, will separate along themed lines; Sky Travel will focus on factual entertainment such as Airline and Filth Files, while Sky Travel Extra will showcase factual entertainment series including Floyd on Italy and Britain’s Best Homes.

New MTV Flux channel launches on Sky

MTV's brand new interactive channel, MTV Flux, has launched on Sky Digital. The service, which has replaced VH2 on channel 346, is a personalised channel that broadcasts content submitted by viewers. In conjunction with the MTV Flux website, viewers can upload their content online and hope it gets enough views. The more views it gets, the more chance it has of making it onto TV.

Two new channels join the Sky line-up

Channel Punjab and Real Madrid TV are the latest addittions to the Sky line-up. Channel Punjab has launched on channel 828 and Real Madrid TV is on channel 446.

ITV2 wins rights to broadcast the US Office

ITV2 has acquired the UK free terrestrial TV rights to the next two seasons of the US version of BBC sitcom The Office. The first season of the NBC Universal property aired on BBC3. ITV2 is to premiere season two on September 24, and ITV director of acquisitions Jay Kandola said the pick-up was evidence of ITV2's "push towards comedy".

Digital TV news in brief

Al-Jazeera is aiming to launch its long-awaited new English language news service in November after months of delays... ITV1 Central will soon add a fourth sub-region to its line-up on Sky Digital... Islamic religious channel Unity Muslim (Itihad) has launched on Sky channel 825... Bengali channel NTV has launched on Sky channel 826... The UKTV Food website has overtaken the BBC Food site in popularity on the back of publicity regarding UKTV's new show Local Hero 2006, presented by Gary Rhodes... CNN is to replay its coverage of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the Twin Towers in New York on its broadband TV service, CNN Pipeline... German channel Vox hit an all-time audience high in August with a 7.5% share among target 14- to 49-years-olds, thanks to US crime series and UK programmes... The Verdict, a major cross-platform event that will see 12 carefully selected celebrities sit in judgement on a complete trial, has been commissioned for BBC TWO and BBC THREE.

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Satellite news 10.10.06

Satellite news 10.10.06

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Channel Five's new channels to debut this week

Channel Five will this launch its long-awaited new channels over the next few days. Five US will launch on channel 207 while Five Life will be on channel 208. Five Life launches this Sunday whilst Five US launches on the following day, Monday. The channels can be seen in test mode on Sky using the 'Add channels' facility in the 'Sevices' menu, then tuning to 12.422GHz/H and locating the channels '37 5-1' and '37 5-2'.

Fame TV to launch new user-generated channel

Fame TV is launching a new user-generated TV channel. The channel will be fully interactive and rely entirely on members of the public for its programming content. The channel will allow viewers to create their own moments of fame by uploading video clips, pictures and texts via mobile phones and the Web. Broadcasting will take place all year round, 24 hours a day on Sky Digital. Fame TV aims to broadcast all video submissions live on air within 15 minutes of the user submitting the content. The public will have full control over what they see on screen and can vote via SMS for the clips they want to view.

Setanta considering start of new golf channel

Irish broadcster Setanta Sports is considering the launch of a new golf TV channel in early 2007. Earlier this year, Setanta Sports won the exclusive UK and Irish TV rights for the US PGA Tour for six years from 2007 for a reported cost of £103 million. The deal includes Champions Tour and the Nationwide Tour events. Previously, Sky had held the rights for numerous years.

Hot Bird 8 starts commercial service

Eutelsat’s new Hot Bird 8 satellite has entered commercial service at 13 degrees East. The craft is the largest and most powerful broadcast satellite serving Europe. The satellite has 64 Ku-band transponders which span the entire range of frequencies used at Eutelsat's Hot Bird neighbourhood for broadcasting more than 950 television channels and 550 radio stations to over 113 million homes. The size and configuration of Hot Bird 8 enables Eutelsat to increase in-orbit redundancy at its premium video neighbourhood and releases Hot Bird 3 for its new mission at 10 degrees East.

Current TV to launch in the UK

Sky is to launch a UK version of Al Gore's US viewer-created TV channel, Current TV. Former US vice president Gore signed an agreement with Sky CEO James Murdoch which will see Current TV secure its first presence outside the US, a key step in its strategy to build an international media brand. It launched last summer, pioneering the use of user-generated content for a TV network.

ESPN Classic scores Premiership rights win

ESPN Classic has reached an agreement with the Premier League to broadcast a library of 200 games on the channel. The matches have started showing this week every weekday at 7pm. ESPN Classic is the first broadcaster outside Sky, the BBC and ITV to gain rights to show Premiership content in the UK.

New film channel to launch on Sky this month

Film channel Movies 24 is set to launch a two-hour timeshift channel on October 16th. Called 'More 24', it will launch on channel 330 and will be a timeshift version of Movies 24. Movies 24 already broadcasts 24 hours-a-day on channel 329 and shows a line-up of made-for-television films from major studios and independent producers.

Digital TV news in brief...

Arabic news channel Al Jazeera has left Sky channel 799 at the "broadcasters request"... Several Flextech channels have switched around in the Sky EPG Line-up. Bravo moved from 124 to 121; Bravo+1 moved from 125 to 122; Challenge from 121 to 124; and Challenge+1 from 122 to 125... Sky has poached MSN editor-in-chief Andrew Hawken for the new role of editorial director online. The appointment comes as the satellite giant prepares for a major relaunch of the Sky News website, with greater emphasis placed on video content..

Music channel struggling to stay on Sky

Music TV channel R Music TV is set to be removed from the Sky line-up unless it can obtain sufficient funds, according to the channel. Initially started in April on Sky channel 370, R Music TV targets the Christian community and is the first ever religious music channel to sit alongside other mainstream music channels on Sky. A statement in the channel's newsletter said: "We have recently been made aware that the satellite costs are increasing and we do not have any funds left to keep the channel going and it will be coming off the air in October."

Digital TV reception increases slightly

The proportion of households in the UK which received digital television services on their primary TV set increased slightly during the three months to June 2006, to reach 70.2 per cent, according to data released by UK comms regulator Ofcom, which derived the figure using a new calculation methodology. According to Ofcom, sales data can no longer be relied on to produce the most accurate estimates of new DTT-only homes. Now that DTT has become a mass-market product, Ofcom believes that the best way to gain a clear view on how take-up trends are changing is to use survey-based research. The research data used in the latest quarterly report was provided to Ofcom by research agency GfK, which surveys 18,000 homes per quarter in relation to take-up and usage of digital and multi-channel television. The report indicates that there were over 1.2 million sales of digital terrestrial television (DTT) equipment and 100,000 net subscriber additions to digital pay television services during the quarter.

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Satellite news 01.11.06

Satellite news 01.11.06

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Sky's pay-per-view football goes HD

Sky has launched Prem Plus HD, a high definition version of its pay-per-view football channel. All matches shown on the normal Prem Plus service on channel 480 are simulcast on Sky Box Office HD, but since Monday (Oct 16th) all Premiership Plus matches are now simulcast on a dedicated station called Premiership Plus HD on Sky Digital channel 483.

Channel Five's new digital stations go live

Channel Five's new digital channels have gone on air - and achieved mixed audience figures in their first few days. The launch of Five US achieved an audience share of 1.24% across its transmission hours as Stephen King's Nightmares and Dreamscapes picked up 283,000 viewers (1.61%). However, Five Life failed to start with a bang, registering a launch night share of just 0.21%. Five Life is on Sky channel 209, while Five US is available on channel 207.

BBC Parliament goes full-screen on Freeview

BBC Parliament will be available in full screen format on Freeview from 13 November 2006. The channel will migrate from its current quarter-video screen offering in time for the State Opening of Parliament on 15 November. Peter Knowles, Controller of BBC Parliament, said: "For the first time, the full proceedings of Parliament can be seen on terrestrial television, broadcast as a normal TV channel."

New business channel to launch in November

A new financial-themed channel is being launched on November 20th on Sky Digital. Called The Business Channel, it will be on air 18 hours a day, seven days a week. The channel says it will distinguish itself from rolling finance channels like Bloomberg and CNBC by broadcasting a range of consumer shows.

History Channel HD launches on Sky Digital

The History Channel's new high definition service has launched on Sky Digital channel 545. The channel had been testing at 12.363GHz/V under the name "4086".

Channel Portugal to launch in 2007

A new satellite TV channel will be launched in the second quarter of 2007 for the international market from Faro in Portugal. Called Portugal Channel, the service's main goal will be to promote Portugal as a holiday and leisure destination, as well as a country with innovative companies. The programme schedule will be mostly made up of reports and documentaries promoting national tourism, with special emphasis on golf, art, design, wine and fashion. The new channel will be broadcast in English, free-to-air, via satellite throughout Europe, as well as globally on the Internet. Negotiations are currently underway for cable carriage and, possibly, carriage on Sky in the UK.

Lifeline thrown to ailing music TV channel

R Music TV on Sky channel 370 has obtained enough funding to remain on air, according to media reports. The music channel's future had been in doubt after it said it was short of money to stay on Sky, however a spokesman said this week: "We are set to stay on Sky and funding has come in to do this. As a Christian music channel everyday is a struggle but we are staying afloat and do not have any plans in the near future to come off."

Digital TV news in brief....

Half of the UK's households will have digital radio sets by 2010, new research has found... New lifestyle channel Du Côté De Chez Vous has launched on French DTH platform CanalSat... Virgin Radio Party Classics has left channel 0204 after four months on air... TalkSport has managed to scoop one of the packages for live Premiership football despite BBC Radio being awarded six of the seven packages... Sky Media, BSkyB's advertising sales division, has won the contract to handle UK ad sales for the Sci-Fi Channel... Titan Outdoor has signed a deal with BSkyB to broadcast Sky News content on its national digital outdoor network at railway stations, switching from current content provider BBC News... The BBC is to increase the amount it spends on Welsh language service S4C by £3 million in the run-up to digital switchover.

BBC to launch news channel for Iran

Chancellor Gordon Brown has announced that the BBC is to launch a TV news channel in Iran, funded by the British government costing £15m a year. Overseen by the BBC World Service, it will be available to anyone with satellite or cable in the region and will broadcast in Farsi. Operating from London, the service is expected to begin broadcasting in early 2008.

Paramount Comedy buys rights to CBS comedy

Paramount Comedy has bought the UK rights to new Adam Sandler comedy Rules of Engagement. The CBS series follows two couples and one single on their respective journeys through ******, engagement and marriage. Sandler serves as executive producer.

Regards Satdude. :thum:
 

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Satellite news 13.11.06

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Almost 100,000 viewers have upgraded to HD

Sky HD's customer base has risen by 38,000 viewers since June to reach 96,000. The news came as Sky announced a revenue increase of 11% to £1.07 billion. Sky also said it's pleased with the uptake of its broadband service, launched in July, which has 113,000 subscribers - 74,000 of whom are already connected.

Wedding TV to launch on Sky in December

The world’s first wedding TV channel - to be called Wedding TV - is set to launch on Sky Digital in December. Launching on Monday 4th December, Wedding TV will consist of shows dedicated to the emotion and drama of relationships and weddings. It will be aimed mainly at women aged 18-34, but will also appeal to anyone interested in the real-life drama surrounding relationships.

Fame TV launches on Sky Digital

Fame TV, a new user-generated channel, has launched on Sky channel 217. The interactive station relies entirely on members of the public for its programming content. John Hayes, head of development at the channel, said: "We are moving into a new era of TV where user-generated content and viewer interaction are key to the programming."

Sky Mobile TV extends to 3 and Orange

Sky has extended the reach of Sky Mobile TV with a new deal to bring the service to Orange 3G and 3UK customers. All Orange 3G customers can now receive up to 23 Sky Mobile TV channels including live news, sport, music, entertainment and documentaries. Sky Mobile TV includes a mix of dedicated ‘made for mobile’ channels and others that are streamed ‘as live’ including Sky News and Sky Sports News.

Pace 'back on track' after poor annual results

Pace Micro has issued a reassuring statement that it is on track to meet its expectations for the 2006/7 financial year, having made solid progress driven by demand in all regions. The group posted an annual pretax loss of £15.6 million pounds in September, due to delays in developing products for the US, but said it was starting to recover.

Broadcast over broadband set to launch in UK

Freewire TV is set to deliver broadcast quality TV channels over multicast broadband networks, offering multi-channel entertainment to the ‘digitally disenfranchised’ who are currently unable to receive digital TV services by other means. Freewire TV will initially be available to up to half a million students who will be able to access the service through their campus networks.

Channel 4 signs new horse racing rights deal

Channel 4 has signed a new three-year deal for UK horseracing broadcast rights. Under the deal, C4 will show 80 days of racing and will develop broadband, mobile and pay-TV coverage in association with subscription broadcaster Racing UK.

Digital TV news in brief...

Fox News is to launch a new business TV channel in the US... Sky will beam coverage of The Ashes series via mobile and broadband internet for the first time this winter... City analysts have responded cautiously to NTL's plans for a possible takeover of ITV, warning that the cable giant could overstretch itself and also pinpointing a lack of synergies between the two companies.... Al-Jazeera has fixed a date of November 15 for the launch of its new international English-language news network... Viacom reported a lower quarterly profit from continuing operations as disappointing box-office results offset higher advertising sales at its MTV Networks cable service... Eutelsat reported revenues for the first quarter 2006-2007 were up 6 per cent year-on-year.

Google set to beat TV on advertising revenue

Google is poised to overtake Britain’s main TV channels in the race for advertising revenue. The internet company’s ad revenue in the UK is expected this year to surpass Channel 4’s anticipated 2006 take of £800m. Within 18 months, it is forecast to overtake ITV1 according to Mindshare and Initiative, two media buying groups. ITV1 accounted for 90 per cent of the ITV group’s £1.63bn total advertising revenues last year.

Top Up TV launches new digital TV recorder

Top Up TV is to launch its Top Up TV Anytime Service and Digital TV Recorder (DTR). The device will allow viewers to watch and record content from 19 channels including Disney, MTV, Paramount Comedy, Living TV and, for an additional cost, Setanta Sports and PictureBox. The DTR provides access to all of the Top Up TV Anytime programming as well as all Freeview channels. It comes with digital features allowing users to pause, rewind and fast forward live TV as well as record two channels at the same time.

Sky resumes sports and film downloads service

Sky's movie and sports download service has resumed normal operations after being suspended in August due to a security breach. Sky took action to restrict access on 31st August after being alerted to the security problems by Microsoft.

Sales of digital TVs top analogue for first time

Sales of digital TV equipment have overtaken analogue sets for the first time, according to market researcher GfK. In the three months to September, digital televisions, set-top boxes and recorders accounted for 51 per cent of all television equipment sold. Data gathered from 20,000 stores showed an increase in demand for flat-screen televisions and a sharp decline in sales of conventional sets.

Freeview to push 'Free TV Land' PR concept

Freeview is launching a new brand look and feel with creative based on the concept of ‘Free TV Land’. Freeview says it has worked with a branding agency to identify the Freeview values that consumers love the most and created a more defined brand identity – designed to engage with consumers and develop a stronger, ongoing relationship between Freeview and its viewers.

Freeview to push 'Free TV Land' PR concept

Two new time-shifted ITV channels have launched on Sky Digital. They are ITV2 +1 and ITV3 +1, on Sky numbers 211 and 213. The new channels will offer viewers a second chance to view daily schedules of ITV2 and ITV3.

Regards Satdude. :thum:
 
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