Satellite News

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New Zealand broadcaster TVNZ has reportedly bought into Hybrid Television Services, the Seven Media Group venture to sell TiVo in Australia, for A$15 million (US$9.5 million).
Seven is looking to sell up to two-thirds of its 100% stake in Hybrid, with the deal apparently offloading a third to TVNZ, which is a state broadcaster but funded partially by commercials. TVNZ is one of the key players in New Zealand’s satellite and terrestrially-delivered Freeview digital TV platform.

A report on Australian online news and commentary service Crikey claims a deal has already been done and TVNZ wants to launch TiVo in New Zealand. The box would be marketed as picking up the Freeview platform. In Australia, there is no monthly subscription fee for the TiVo service.

PVR products are already on the market in New Zealand, marketed as MyFreeview boxes.
Seven Media Group, which is itself a joint venture between Seven Network and private equity house Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR), is under financial pressure. Seven recently wrote down its investment in the company to zero as the group labours under a pile of debt brought in when KKR purchased the stake back in 2006. Asset sales are clearly on the agenda to reduce some of that debt.

© Rapid TV News 2009

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One month ago the sale of broadband supplier Tiscali’s UK assets seemed a certainty, and expected to take place by about now. But the further erosion of Sterling’s value against the Euro has placed the deal in jeopardy. Tiscali boss Mario Rosso now seems to be saying the deal is almost impossible to pull off.
A year ago Tiscali’s UK assets were worth around £600m. Carphone Warehouse made a bid of £450m for Tiscali’s British assets, a price which now seems extremely generous. The BSkyB ‘bid’ is reportedly to have been less than £450m. Tiscali, as well as being a poorly regarded broadband supplier, is perhaps better known as the owner of the Video Networks/Home Choice service, which has struggled since inception.

However, Tiscali’s share price has tumbled 83% over the past year and trading in its shares was suspended Friday Mar 6. A Board statement from Tiscali said: "Given the time frame of the negotiations with BSkyB for the disposal of certain UK assets of the Tiscali Group, which have not resulted in an agreement to date, due to the worsening of the market environment in which the potential buyer also operates, the Board of Directors has acknowledged that it is de facto impossible to proceed with the above mentioned negotiations."

Tiscali has also asked its bankers to suspend its interest payments due this week, and will be placing what it describes as a “new plan” to its Board on March 27. Long term debt stands at €500m, and it has payments to meet this week (on March 11 and 13 for a total of €11m).

© Rapid TV News 2009

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BSkyB is to further invest in 3D production and could even be offering a 3D service within the next twelve months according to a senior Sky staffer.
“We have the luxury to be able to test and trial 3D,” said Chris Johns, Sky’s chief engineer/broadcast strategy. He told a London conference on March 6 that with 61 Hollywood movies likely to be released in 3D over the next 18 months, plus Sky’s end-to-end control over its own programming making, there was now the “capability for homes to see 3D by year-end”.

However, first priority in Sky’s ‘vision of the future’ is to build its own archive of material, and Johns said services like its Arts Channel, as well as sports and general entertainment would receive 3D investment. He told delegates at the UK’s Digital Television Group (DTG) annual conference that Sky would be experimenting with different 3D systems, but favoured a simple and cost-effective technology route as being the most likely. While not ruling out so-called ‘active’ glasses, Johns suggested that at the moment these systems were too expensive. “And screens must be widely available,” he stressed. “Our aim is to refine 3D techniques and TV production and build a content library over the coming year.”

Johns said the aim was not to concentrate on delivering 3D to the big screen, or similar closed environments, but to the home for everyday usage. “We cannot move to a different platform and ask consumers to buy new set-top boxes,” he said. “We want to use the current set-top box without significant modifications to be ‘3D Ready’ as well as ‘HD Ready’.”

“Sky is in a unique position,” he said, “and we want to deliver the First Generation of 3D and I envision it will be glasses-based in some form, and to get the impetus going for that first generation and to be ready for other generations which will happen in 5, 6 or 7 years time.”

The DTG announced it was creating a special 3D working group and consultancy division for the technology.

© Rapid TV News 2009

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SES Astra is threatening to exit the Spanish market because it claims the government is favouring Hispasat in the DTT signal distribution. Astra claims Hispasat is taking advantage of its privileged relationship with Spain's government to develop its terrestrial business.


Spain's main audiovisual signal distributor telco Abertis Telecom is Hispasat's main shareholder.

Astra also claims this situation goes against more efficient services in the last parts of the DTT coverage such as satellite. At the same time the satellite operator criticises the government for preventing other competitors in the DTT satellite distribution market such as the case of DTT over satellite to cover those areas without terrestrial coverage.

Finally, Astra critizices the financial support for terrestrial technology by the different regional governments by saying this goes against the principle of technological neutrality.

© Rapid TV News 2009

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Mexico’s main broadcaster Televisa saw its profit grow 2% in 2008 in spite of the general advertising downturn in the media world, to 7,803 million pesos (more than €400 million).


The positive figures continued in Q4 last year when the company saw its revenues rise 18.8% compared with the same period in 2007.

Among the company's divisions responsible for these positive results were Televisa's cable business, its telecommunications business, its free-to-air television and finally its satellite TV division.

Televisa's debt amounted to some €2,000 million last year.

© Rapid TV News 2009

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Police in the town of Natanz in Esfahan Province, Iraq, have confiscated satellite dishes and equipment.


BBC Monitoring, in a report sourced from Iranian TV, said some 200 dishes and reception equipment were seized by police from Barzud Base in the town of Natanz. The BBC reports that video shown on state-run TV showed “hundreds of dishes” scattered on a pavement.

© Rapid TV News 2009

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Bravia TV sets to take e-cash payments


RFID readers embedded in remote control handsets



The new Bravias can suck e-money off a mobile phone


Using a TV for surfing the web has always been pretty much a bust, but the imminent rise of downloads direct to TV sets looks a sure bet for online media success in the living room.

The only problem might be how to pay for movies rented through that channel. Typing credit card numbers in through a remote just isn't going to appeal to folk, while subscription packages won't suit everyone.

RFID the key

Over in Japan, Sony already has a possible answer in the shape of a range of new Bravia TV sets with remote controllers that can process e-cash payments.

The KDL-series Bravias will go on sale in Japan in April complete with RFID FeliCa chip readers embedded in the remotes. Thanks to the popularity of RFID cash in Japan – whether in phones or in standalone cards – the Bravia models could prove tempting.

Next steps

So far, Sony has managed to get two e-cash providers onboard, but the rest are sure to follow.

Once that happens, selling and paying for just about anything through the TV will become as natural as flipping channels.