German pay-TV operator Premiere has decided its new DTH service will be known as Premiere Star. Although the name Premiere Sky was initially preferred, it had to be abandoned following a court order preventing the use of the word Sky. Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. has protected the Sky name Europe-wide with regards to television. However, [...]
EC approves Italian digital subsidies
The EC has ruled that the tax deductions granted by Italy as subsidies for the reception of digital TV services were legal. In its view, the subsidies – which effectively reduced the cost of set-top boxes by 20% and amounted to almost €40 million – were effectively technology neutral. Moreover, they were justified on the [...]
Czech Republic prepares for HD
Telefónica O2 will launch what will be the first HD channel in the Czech Republic on July 2. The service – Czech Television (CT) in the format – will be offered to the telco’s 36,000 IPTV subscribers and also made available on its DTT multiplex. Telefónica O2 and CT began HD trials in Brno last [...]
Back to the peer
Rather than deny access to peer-to-peer networks, operators are looking to embrace individual providers. Julian Clover reports from the C-Cor Global IP Summit There’s an interesting side plot to the rollout of digital cable and IPTV services. One of the key planks of the triple play proposition is broadband, and by offering high-speed internet access, [...]
VPRT protests digital expansion plans
The German association of private broadcasters VPRT has threatened to go to the European Court if public broadcasters ARD and ZDF continue to expand their digital offers. According to chairman Jürgen Doetz the planned activities of the public broadcasters are unlawful. Doetz says the plans are in conflict with a recent agreement between the European [...]
New kid on the block
Chris Dziadul looks at the SBS takeover ProSiebenSat.1’s €3.3 billion acquisition of SBS Broadcasting is likely to have far-reaching consequences on the TV industry in Central and Eastern Europe. A merger between the two groups, which should be completed at the beginning of July, will lead to the creation of a new media empire spanning [...]
New Portuguese digital bouquet on Eurobird
Eutelsat has launched its new orbital position of 9 degrees East with the Portuguese digital bouquet TVTel. The following channels are now available on Eurobird 9: RTPN, RTP 1, RTP 2, SIC, Panda, Discovery Channel, People and Arts, TVI, Odisseia, Historia, MTV Portugal, VH1, Travel, MGM, VIVA TV, Fashion TV, NASN, ESPN, Hollywood and The [...]
Intelsat rocks Live Earth worldwide in HD
Intelsat and Live Earth have today announced the satellite provider will be the official satellite capacity sponsor. When the largest HD music event in history takes place on July 7, Live Earth will use Intelsat to beam global entertainment headliners such as Madonna, Akon, Missy Higgins, Kumi Koda, UB40, The Police, Shakira, Joss Stone and [...]
MNI snaps up interactive channel
The Polish alternative telco MNI Telecom has acquired an 87.8% stake in Telestar, the operator of the interactive TV channel iTV, for a reported PLN21.02 million (€5.56 million). Earlier this month MNI Telecom, which is based in Radom, formed a MVNO joint venture with Telestar. ITV is one of the longest established interactive TV channels [...]
AIG seeks funding for BTC purchase
Reports indicate that AIG is to borrow €1.64 billion to fund its acquisition of the incumbent Bulgarian telco BTC. AIG agreed to buy 65% of BTC from the Icelandic entrepreneur Thor Bjorgolfsson for BGN2.11 billion (€1.08 billion) last month and has since indicated its intention to secure a further 25%. Also in Bulgaria, the regulatory [...]

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Connected TV Forecasts NEW REPORT. The number of TV sets connected to the Internet will reach 551 million by 2016 for the 40 countries covered in this report from Digital TV Research, up from 124 million at end-2010. The report states that this translates to 20% of global TV sets by 2016, up from only 6% at end-2010. Published in November 2011, this 83-page PDF report is the most geographically comprehensive to ever be published.