Dutch launch for Comedy Central

Comedy Central launched in The Netherland yesterday (April 30), replacing The Box on the Canal Digitaal Satelliet platform – broadcast on Astra at 19.2 degrees East. The channel is also available on Dutch cable, IPTV and DTT in channel sharing with Nickelodeon.

Programming will include UK and US comedy, such as Saturday Night Live, Scrubs, Peep Show and South Park.

Czech adult channel secures licence

According to local reports, the Czech Broadcasting Council (RRTV) has granted a 12-year licence to what will be the country’s first adult channel. Known as TV Leo 1, it will be operated by the adult publishing company PK 62 and offered to viewers via cable, DTH and IPTV. TV Leo 1 is likely to be distributed by the Amos satellite and may in due course also be made available in neighbouring Poland and Slovakia.

Polsat executives change roles

Aleksander Myszka has been appointed to the board of directors at the Polish national commercial station Polsat. At the same time, Miroslaw Blaszczyk has assumed the position of chairman, held by Myszka since 1995. Myszka is one of the founder members of Polsat, which made its debut as a satellite-delivered service, before securing a national terrestrial licence, 14 years ago.

BBC on-demand gets Trust go-ahead

The BBC Trust has given the green light to a series of proposals for on demand services including the much delayed iPlayer. Over 10,500 individuals and organisations responded to the BBC’s first Public Value Test. Commenting on the approval Diane Coyle, BBC Trustee and Chair of the Trust’s PVT Steering Group, said: “Thanks to the thorough assessment through the Public Value Test, and with the modifications which resulted from the test and the consultation, the Trust is satisfied that the BBC’s new on-demand services will create significant public value with limited market impact. We have therefore given our final approval for the services to be launched.”

The Trust has approved a seven day catch up television service over the Internet. Once downloaded the user will be able to keep their recordings for up to 30 days. There will also be a seven-day catch-up TV service over cable; the simulcasting of the BBC’s linear channels over the Internet and Non-DRM (digital rights management) audio downloads over the Internet (known to us all as podcasting).

But conditions attached to the Series Stacking feature have been changed. The Trust has needed to balance responses from the industry and BBC Executive with its popularity with the British public. Series Stacking is where a series remains on an on demand service until all the episodes in a particular season have been transmitted. The Trust has imposed a 15% annual quota on programmes that can feature Series Stacking and has issued editorial guidelines.

The Trust has also changed the condition relating to the platform neutrality of DRM downloads over the Internet. This follows concerns that the Corporation was aligning itself too closely to Microsoft, putting Mac and Linux uses at a disadvantage. The Trust says it will monitor the progress of the BBC’s commitment to platform neutrality and has requested updates on a six-monthly basis.

Maltacom extends IPTV offer

Maltacom is to extend the offer of a free set-top box to its telephony customers after the telco added 15,000 subscribers to its IPTV service. The offer will now run through until June 30.

Maltacom entered the digital TV market after it acquired rival Multiplus in February. The company has subsequently undertaken a major market research exercise and is preparing to upgrade its technical capabilities that will allow it to extend the IPTV service to the whole of the island.

Once they have the set-top box installed, subscribers can pay a monthly Lm1 (E 0.43) for a basic package of 15 channels. It is also possible to upgrade to Silver and Gold tiers at Lm5 (E 2.15) and Lm9 (E 3.90) a month respectively.

BSkyB faces 14% churn

City analysts are estimating that BSkyB could be about to announce the loss of 14% of its subscriber base. It is believed that the third quarter results due to be announced on Wednesday could see levels of churn at their highest point for more than ten years.

Brokers Citigroup are forecasting churn in the three months to the end of March to be 13.5%. Morgan Stanley, BSkyB’s official broker, as also estimated a 14% churn. However, Lehman Brothers which had earlier estimated a loss of 14.2% of subscribers has now reduced its forecasts to 13.5%.

Part of the reason for the increase in churn has been a change of policy within the satellite broadcaster, which resulted in a weeding out of subscribers paying discounted rates. In the last quarter this resulted in a fall of 27,000 customers from the 8.4 million subscriber base.

One million use Channel 4 downloads

More than one million viewers have accessed Channel 4’s VOD offering 4oD since its launch six months ago. 20 million programmes have been downloaded bringing a small windfall of £500,000 to the independent producers whose content is makes up the service. Channel 4 had promised the £500,000 figure would be raised after about a year, but it transpired that the figure was reached within four months. 4oD is available via Virgin Media, Tiscali TV, BT Vision and the Channel 4 website.

The BBC Trust is today expected to give the go-ahead to the long awaited iPlayer, previously known as IMP, and related projects that will mark the BBC’s official entry into the on demand market.

Separately, ITV’s executive chairman Michael Grade will tomorrow give full details of commercial broadcaster’s £20 million revamp of ITV.com, which will add a free catch-up service and limited pay-per-view elements. The Channel 4 service also has a selection of free shows.

France 24 hires strategy director

France 24 has appointed Frank Melloul as its strategy and international development director. 33-year old Melloul will be responsible for worldwide research, target analysis, funding strategy and analysis of the international environment and new media technology at the international news network.

Melloul will report to France 24 CEO Alain de Pouzilhac. He has previously held various positions within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of European Affairs and the Ministry of the Interior. From 2005, he was deputy chief advisor with the French Prime Minister’s press office.

CTC Media revenues rise

Russia’s CTC Media has posted total operating revenues of $104,121,000 (€76,293,094) for Q1 2007, or 31.4% more than in the corresponding period in 2006. At the same time, its net income was up by 24.1% to $28,123,000. CTC Media, which lists Sweden’s Modern Times Group (MTG) as a 40% shareholder, saw the audience share for its Domashny Network, a thematic channel aimed at a female audience, rise from 1.5% to 1.9% in Q1 2007. However, that for its flagship service CTC Network, though up from 9% to 9.3% in the same period, was down on the 10.8% recorded in Q1 2006 when one particular show – Born not pretty – was enjoying high ratings.

UPC starts Polish web TV service

According to local reports, UPC Polska has launched a trial web TV service known as UPC Live TV. Delivered to its triple play customers’ computer screens in Warsaw, it streams six channels – Animal Planet, CNN, Discovery Channel, MiniMini, National Geographic and TVN24 – with a seventh (Zip Zap/Hyper) to be added shortly. A similar service is already offered by UPC operations in The Netherlands and Switzerland. Although the content is currently being offered by UPC Live TV is free of charge, the operator eventually expects to provide a mixture of free and paid-for channels.

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