Terry Pratchett’s Hogfather, on Sky One, has won the award for best multi-channel programme in the 33rd Broadcasting Press Guild Awards. The Christmas production featured a host of British talent including David Jason, the late Ian Richardson, Marc Warren, Nigel Planer and Joss Ackland. The BPG awards are voted for by those who write about […]
Mixed picture for Romtelecom
The incumbent Romanian telco Romtelecom has reported a generally disappointing set of financial results for 2006. While its revenues were down by 3.8% to €894.8 million, EDITDA was, at €338.3 million, roughly the same as the previous year’s €341.5 million. It net income in 2006 was €55.2 million, as opposed to €84.8 million in 2005. […]
Fibre to Slovak and Norwegian homes
France Telecom subsidiary Orange Slovensko has said it intends to invest approximately SKK1 billion (€32 million) on a fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) network in Slovakia that will cover almost 200,000 household in 10 cities by the end of the year. “Thanks to this technology Orange will gain a few years start ahead its competitor already this year […]
Ascent opens European Transmission Centre
Ascent Media has unveiled its new European Transmission Centre located at its offices in Stephen Street, Central London. The facility has been designed to offer playout to up to 32 channels. The centre is already in use with Sony Pictures Television International using the facility for the playout of its AXN branded channels into Central […]
GlobeCast in five-year Setanta deal
GlobeCast has signed a five-year distribution deal with Setanta Sports. The new agreement continues a 13-year relationship that extends back to the days when Setanta broadcast a closed circuit sports channel to Irish bars around the UK and Europe. This new agreement gives GlobeCast responsibility for the distribution of six Setanta channels on cable, satellite, […]
Super docu channel for Iberia
Sogecable and chellomedia’s Multicanal have announced an agreement under which the latter will acquire the assets of the documentary channel Documania. Multicanal will then go on re-launch its own documentary channel Odisea in April, offering a much wider variety of programming than at present. Both Documenia and Odisea are long-established services, having been launched 14 […]
RTL Group on the up
Bertelsmann’s RTL Group saw its revenues rise by 10.3% to €5.6 billion in 2006, while operating EBIT was up by 10.4% to €835 million. Bertelsmann itself saw its revenues increase by 7.9% to €19.3 billion and net income more than double to €2.4 billion. In Germany, Vox was RTL’s only channel to increase its audience […]
Hungary prepares for digital licences
Daniel Pataki, the president of the National Communications Authority of Hungary (NHH), has said that the country will start to sell digital TV licences next year. However, this will only happen if legislation governing digital frequencies is passed by its parliament beforehand. Hungary currently operates only a limited DTT service in Budapest and Kabhegy and […]
Last Tango for Luxembourg’s T.TV
Luxembourg broadcaster T.TV (Tango TV) has closed and the station and its assets have been put up for sale. Broadcasts at the Tele2 venture ceased last Friday (March 16) amid reports that the company had racked up losses of €18 million. The entertainment channel launched in February 2002 as a competitor to the national broadcaster […]
4Fun extends coverage
According to local reports, 4Fun Media, the owner of the Polish participation channel 4Fun TV, has signed an agreement with Vingo TV, a UK-based company owned by Timeshift Media. It will see the channel extend its coverage via Eutelsat’s Hot Bird 4 to such markets as the UK and Ireland, which have large Polish communities. […]