According to a forecast by EEBC, Ukraine could have 850,000 new DTH subscribers in the next three years and up to 2.5 million by 2012. EEBC, which organises an annual telecom/broadcasting conference and exhibition in Kiev, was commenting on major developments in the digital TV sector in the country this year. Two companies (Poverkhost and […]
UPC Direct looks to Nagra
11.40 UPDATE: According to local reports, the DTH platform UPC Direct has extended the number of channels on which it is testing the Nagravision 2 conditional access system. UPC Direct is distributed by Astra to Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia and has up until now employed CryptoWorks. It faces growing competition in all three […]
TV Odra under threat
Poland may soon see the closure of a network of regional TV stations. According to local reports, the National Broadcasting Council (KRRiT) plans to withdraw the licence held by Telewizja Odra, the operator of nine such stations in the south and west of the country, on account of its close links with Polskie Media, itself […]
Renova completes MCC deal
Renova Media has completed the acquisition of Moscow CableCom Corp. (MCC), paying a cash price of $12.90 (€9.34) per share of its common stock and $39.4095 per share of Series A preferred stock. As a result of the deal, MCC is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Renova Media. Renova Media also has interests in […]
Multikabel M-CMTS rollout reaches 50,000 subs
The rollout of BigBand Networks modular cable termination system (M-CMTS) with Multikabel in the Netherlands has passed more than 50,000 subscribers. The deployment is believed to be the first commercial deployment of M-CMTS based on the CableLabs specification. “The economic benefits of BigBand’s M-CMTS solution are substantial. BigBand’s solution has allowed us to roll out […]
Setanta free for Virgin big basic customers
Virgin Media and Setanta Sports have agreed a significant distribution deal that will place six Setanta channels in Virgin Media’s big basic XL TV package. The cablenet has stressed that the pricing is a permenant fixture and not a limited. Subscribers to Virgin’s M and L packages can get the Setanta package for an additional […]
Lithuanian IPTV take-up grows
The incumbent Lithuanian telco Teo LT saw its broadband subscriber total rise by 32,000 in the first half of this year to reach 212,600. At the same time, the number of customers receiving its IPTV service Gala TV rose during the period to just over 11,000. The TeliaSonera-backed company had consolidated revenues of LTL379 million […]
Albtelecom sell off completed
The controversial and long drawn-out privatisation of the incumbent Albanian telco Albtelecom has finally been completed. According to local reports, a 76% stake in the telco has been purchased by the Turkish company Calik Enerji for €120 million plus a promised additional investment of €30 million. Albtelecom has 250,000 customers and is the leading provider […]
ATM Grupa snaps up Studio A
The leading Polish independent production company ATM Grupa has completed the acquisition of Studio A for PLN6 million (€1.6 million). Studio A, which was formed in 1994, is a well-known producer of TV series and has enjoyed particular success with comedies. It has also been reported that ATM Grupa is to spend PLN55 million on […]
Russian telcos mix and match
The Russian telco Rostelecom has invested $20.4 million (€14.7 million) in Golden Telecom. In doing so, it has exercised its non-dilution rights under an existing shareholder agreement in relation to Golden Telecom’s recent acquisition of a majority stake in Corbina Telecom. All three are key companies in the telecom sector, Rostelecom being Russia’s leading fixed-line […]