Israel’s cable platform HOT has reached a last minute agreement with BBC Prime to keep the entertainment channel on the network. New contracts have also been established with Hallmark, Eurosport News and National Geographic’s Adventure One. The agreements followed a heated period of negotiations after content costs spiralled to NIS800 million (€146m) in 2006. HOT […]
Fabchannel releases ’embedded’ concert player
Today Dutch streaming website Fabchannel, which specialises in live concerts from the famous Amnsterdam Paradiso club, released a new service, the Fabplayer Beta. The Fabplayer enables music fans to integrate concert videos on their blogs, community profiles, websites and desktops. The Fabplayer is the very first ‘embedded’ player that makes live concerts available to fans […]
ProSiebenSat.1 sale review set for February 22
The European Commission has announced it will complete its inquiry into the sale of ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG, to KKR and Permira by February 22. The private equity funds apparently are in a hurry to acquire ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG, as KKR and Permira want to merge Germany’s largest private broadcast with SBS Broadcasting, acquired in 2006. […]
Canalplay to offer download-to-own, HD for rent
The Canal+ Group has launched a new version of its Canalplay download site offering over 2,000 videos including 1,300 feature length movies. The web site offers two new features: download-to-own and HD. Consumers can order a movie for prices starting at 9.99 euro for library titles and keep a permanent copy on their hard disc […]
Millionaire goes interactive in Slovenia/Slovakia
The Netherlands-based interactive entertainment company 2waytraffic has signed commercial deals relating to its recently acquired format Who wants to be a Millionaire with two broadcasters in Central and Eastern Europe. In Slovenia, publicly owned RTV will produce a minimum of 40 episodes of the show, while in Slovakia its counterpart STV will make at least […]
Ofcom revokes Look 4 Love licence
Ofcom has revoked the broadcast licence for Look 4 Love 2. The channel had already left the Sky EPG after its owners Television Concepts Limited went into liquidation on January 12. It is normal practice for the regulator to revoke a licence after a company enters liquidation. No representations were made by Television Concepts despite […]
Kiosque to become Cine+
The French media authority CSA has approved of a name change of the pay-per-view service Kiosque. The service offered on the combined Canalsat/TPS bouquet will from now be on called Cine+. It is available to all people subscribing to the service on the Canalsat DTH sevice.
France 24 deemed inefficient
Just weeks after the December launch of international French news channel France 24 the Commission for Foreign Affairs has concluded that France needs to organise it’s international broadcasting more efficiently. The commission started an investigation after “France’s answer to BBC and CNN” took to the air late last year. The main recommendation: the fledgling news […]
Zodiak expands in Russia
Sweden’s Zodiak Television has opened a new company named Zodiak Vostok to handle production, business development and sales in Russia and the CIS. Zodiak already has a strong presence in the region through TeleAlliance, a leading Russian production company in which it holds a 51% stake.(CD)
Aster improves digital offer
The Polish MSO Aster has announced important changes to its digital TV offer. As of this Friday (January 19) the BasicPlus package will be increased from 25 to 38 channels, with viewers seeing no increase in their subscription fee. The new services, hitherto available just on analogue, include Zone Romantica, Zone Reality, MTV Polska and […]