(Nov 6, 2013) Star India is investing US$3.2 billion (INR200 billion) over the next three to five years to develop sports coverage in the country and take equity stakes in new football initiative the Indian Super League, the Hockey India League and the India Badminton League.

Read more at Rapid TV News

(Nov 6, 2013) Fox International Channels (FIC) has received approval from the Irish Competition Authority to complete the acquisition of Setanta Africa Services Ltd.

Read more at Broadband TV News

(Nov 7, 2013) Time Warner Inc’s third-quarter profit beat estimates, driven by growth at its cable networks, and its chief executive said on Wednesday a new cable package offered by No 1 cable operator Comcast would help HBO expand its subscriber base.

Read more at The Economic Times

(Nov 5, 2013) Simon Thomas will join Fox International Channels’ (FIC) executive management team in January as Executive Vice President of Global Sports and Content Sales. The appointment comes as FIC continues to expand its worldwide sports presence and ownership of premium sports rights as well as its catalogue of original factual, lifestyle and scripted content.

Read more at Advanced Television

PHILIPPINES, 5 November 2013 – Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) Asia, a division of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB) today announced it has entered into an agreement with Viva Communications, Inc., to collaborate on local production, on-ground events and marketing and advertising sales for MTV Philippines. Effective January 2014, MTV Philippines will become a dedicated Filipino feed and be re-branded as MTV Pinoy and reach over 1.22 million Filipino households.
The importance of the Philippines for the 24-hour world class youth entertainment channel is demonstrated not only through the channel’s current availability in the Philippines through an MTV Asia feed, but also through a weekly program, 100% Pinoy, which is dedicated to introduce and feature Filipino acts to viewers across the region.

“We have a strong MTV fan base from the Philippines, so this move demonstrates our commitment to strengthen local programming and cater to the specific viewing preferences of Filipino millennials. It is vital for us to find the right partner who is not only able to help extend MTV’s presence and deepen our brand engagement, but shares the same synergy as we continue to promote and reflect local and cultural tastes and music talents across the region,” said VIMN Asia’s executive vice president and managing director, Indra Suharjono. “Over the past twelve months, we’ve seen our business evolve and hit new milestones in the Philippines, where we further expanded Comedy Central Asia, MTV Live and Nick Jr. distribution in the Philippines, so this is yet another milestone that reinforces how invested we are in this market.”

Plans for MTV Pinoy include local productions, on-ground events and an enhanced range of programs specially catered for the Philippines youth market, including the “MTV VJ Hunt” for the Philippines. The selected MTV VJs will become the extension of the brand’s personality in the Philippines, present MTV Pinoy’s original productions, introduce viewers to the hottest local and international talents that go through the Philippines. The plan is to fully localize MTV Pinoy – made in Philippines for Filipino viewers.

“Viva Communications is very excited to collaborate with VIMN to launch such an iconic youth entertainment brand like MTV by leveraging our strengths in local production and our strong relationships with agencies and advertisers,” said Vic del Rosario Jr., chairman and CEO, Viva Communications, Inc. “We are confident in our ability to bring great Pinoy programming that will help grow a strong base of core viewers across the Philippines and enable MTV to be more locally relevant to subscribers.”
Five months ago, Viva had commenced as Comedy Central Asia’s provincial distributor in the Philippines.

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About Viva Communications, Inc.
Viva was established in 1981 as a film production company. Over the years, Viva Communications has become one of the largest entertainment companies in the Philippines with interests in movie production, home video, artist management, music, concert and event management, and pay television.

About MTV
MTV is the world’s premier youth entertainment brand. With a global reach of more than a half-billion households, MTV is the cultural home of the millennial generation, music fans and artists, and a pioneer in creating innovative programming for young people. MTV reflects and creates pop culture with its award-winning content built around compelling storytelling, music discovery and activism across TV, online and mobile. Outside of the United States, MTV is part of Viacom International Media Networks, a division of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. For information about MTV in Southeast Asia, visit www.mtvasia.com.

About Viacom International Media Networks
Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN), a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), is comprised of many of the world’s most popular multimedia entertainment brands, including MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, BET, Paramount Channel, VH1, VIVA, COLORS, Game One and Tr3s: MTV, Música y Más. Viacom brands are seen globally in more than 600 million households in 170 territories and 37 languages via more than 200 locally programmed and operated TV channels and more than 550 digital media and mobile TV properties. For more information about Viacom and its businesses, visit www.viacom.com. Keep up with Viacom news by following Viacom’s blog at blog.viacom.com and Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/Viacom.

Media Contacts:
Viacom International Media Networks
Adeline Ong, Senior Director, Corporate Communications, Asia
t: (65) 6420 7240 m: (65) 9366 7323
e: adeline.ong@vimn.com

Viva Communications, Inc.
Andrew de Castro, Channel Head – MTV Pinoy
t: (63) 2 6876181 loc 613 m: (63) 9399 157400
e: adecastro@viva.ph

(November 5, 2013) COME 2014, Singapore viewers will be able to enjoy more quality local programming on pay-TV as well beyond Free-To-Air (FTA) television.

The Media Development Authority (MDA) said on Tuesday that it has appointed StarHub to commission and produce original Public Service Broadcast (PSB) programmes which will air on its pay-TV and Internet television platforms, and be made available to all.

PSB programmes play a significant role in contributing to Singapore’s nation-building objectives to foster a cohesive, inclusive and informed society.

Read more at The Business Times

Alliance creates synergies and opportunities to accelerate growth in the satellite M2M market

5 November, 2013 – LONDON: Inmarsat plc (LSE: ISAT), the leading provider of global mobile satellite communications services, and ORBCOMM Inc. (Nasdaq: ORBC), a leading global provider of Machine-to-Machine (M2M) solutions, today announced a strategic alliance to collaborate on joint product development and distribution to address the needs of the rapidly growing satellite M2M market. In addition, they will investigate opportunities for future satellite network expansion and integration.

Inmarsat and ORBCOMM will work together to create a standard satellite platform and develop cost-effective hardware and flexible service pricing models for the global M2M industry. ORBCOMM is in the process of building a series of interchangeable modems powered by ORBCOMM’s OG2 VHF network and Inmarsat’s L-band network. These modems are expected to have the same footprint, connectors, power input, and programming environment. Manufacturers and partners will be able to drop in the appropriate modem that corresponds with either the ORBCOMM or Inmarsat network based on geography, message size and delivery speed for unrivaled ease of use and flexibility.

In addition, users will be able to take advantage of ORBCOMM’s relationships with Tier One cellular providers for dual-mode service, including either satellite network. ORBCOMM also will offer its unique MAPPTM (Multi-Network Access Point Platform), which seamlessly translates and integrates the communications from its diverse network service partners into a uniform set of commands and information. This will facilitate a uniform platform for provisioning, billing and multi-mode access for M2M applications, supported by Inmarsat’s M2MAP (M2M Access Platform), enabling access to network and terminal management tools for wholesale integration with ORBCOMM.

These versatile offerings are expected to be available in ORBCOMM’s end-to-end solutions businesses in the heavy equipment, fixed asset and transportation industries, as well as through ORBCOMM’s Value-Added Reseller (VAR) and Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) channels. ORBCOMM will be leveraging off Inmarsat’s IsatData Pro (IDP), a satellite packet data service offering the highest payload and lowest latency in the market, and BGANM2M, a 3G service offering real-time IP data up to 512 kbps on a single global SIM – the only service of its kind in the satellite M2M space. ORBCOMM and Inmarsat expect to distribute these solutions globally through their extensive commercial and government distribution networks. Given the compelling complementary, respective strengths in coverage, response time, antenna size, and message size, the quality of service and geographic footprint of the ORBCOMM and Inmarsat offering will be unmatched.

ORBCOMM and Inmarsat will also look to find potential synergies in multiple areas, which could include leveraging technologies, capital expenditures, product development, satellite operations, and ground infrastructure support for future satellite deployments. Today, ORBCOMM operates a constellation of low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, and Inmarsat operates a constellation of geostationary (GEO) satellites.

“By working with ORBCOMM and leveraging their 20 years of expertise in M2M, we can round out our mobile communications offerings by delivering ORBCOMM’s dynamic M2M solutions and dual-mode network services to our global customer base,” said Rupert Pearce, Inmarsat’s Chief Executive Officer. “Our combined strengths will be unmatched in the satellite M2M space. We look forward to working with ORBCOMM to maximize our service offerings in the satellite industry and expand our footprint in M2M through our ground-breaking standard satellite platform.”

“As the leader in satellite M2M, we are excited to team with Inmarsat, the industry’s largest MSS player, to set the standard for satellite solutions in M2M,” said Marc Eisenberg, ORBCOMM’s Chief Executive Officer. “Our goal with Inmarsat is to create a compelling offering for the M2M industry by developing a truly innovative, scalable – and most importantly – a standard satellite-based global M2M platform. We want to make it as easy as possible for M2M solutions companies to use the most appropriate network for their unique application needs without having to invest huge amounts of development time and capital in each capability.”

ORBCOMM and Inmarsat will host a conference call to discuss their strategic alliance on Tuesday, November 5, 2013, at 10:00 A.M. Eastern Time (USA)/3 P.M. GMT (UK).

To access the conference, UK callers should dial 0800-358-5271, while US participants should dial 1-888-549-7880 at least ten minutes prior to the start of the call. All other international callers should dial 1-480-629-9643. To hear a live web simulcast or to listen to the archived webcast following completion of the call, please visit the Company’s website at www.orbcomm.com, select the “About Us” tab, then the “Investor Relations” tab, then select “Presentations and Webcasts,” to access the link to the call. To listen to a telephone replay of the conference call, please dial 1-800-406-7325 domestically or 1-303-590-3030 internationally and enter reservation identification number 4649158. The replay will be available from approximately 12:00 PM ET on November 5, 2013, through 11:59 PM ET on November 19, 2013.

About Inmarsat

Inmarsat plc is the leading provider of global mobile satellite communications services. Since 1979, Inmarsat has been providing reliable voice and high-speed data communications to governments, enterprises and other organizations, with a range of services that can be used on land, at sea or in the air. Inmarsat employs around 1,600 staff in more than 60 locations around the world, with a presence in the major ports and centres of commerce on every continent. Inmarsat is listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE: ISAT.L). For more information, please visit www.inmarsat.com.

About ORBCOMM Inc.

ORBCOMM is a global provider of Machine-to-Machine (M2M) solutions. Its customers include Caterpillar Inc., Doosan Infracore America, Hitachi Construction Machinery, Hyundai Heavy Industries, I.D. Systems, Inc., Komatsu Ltd., Cartrack (Pty.) Ltd., and Volvo Construction Equipment, among other industry leaders. By means of a global network of low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites and accompanying ground infrastructure as well as our Tier One cellular partners, ORBCOMM’s low-cost and reliable two-way data communication services track, monitor and control mobile and fixed assets in our core markets: commercial transportation; heavy equipment; industrial fixed assets; marine; and homeland security.

ORBCOMM is an innovator and leading provider of tracking, monitoring and control services for the transportation market. Under its ReeferTrak®, GenTrakTM, GlobalTrak®, and CargoWatch® brands, the company provides customers with the ability to proactively monitor, manage and remotely control their cold chain and dry transport assets. Additionally, ORBCOMM provides Automatic Identification System (AIS) data services for vessel tracking and to improve maritime safety to government and commercial customers worldwide. ORBCOMM is headquartered in Rochelle Park, New Jersey and has its network control center in Dulles, Virginia. For more information, visit www.orbcomm.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements discussed in this press release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements generally relate to our plans, objectives and expectations for future events and include statements about our expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, intentions, assumptions and other statements that are not historical facts. Such forward-looking statements, including those concerning the Company’s expectations, are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from the results, projected, expected or implied by the forward-looking statements, some of which are beyond the Company’s control, that may cause the Company’s actual results, performance or achievements, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In addition, specific consideration should be given to various factors described in Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” and Part II, Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and elsewhere in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012, and other documents, on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly revise any forward-looking statements or cautionary factors, except as required by law.

Oslo, Norway, November 4th, 2013: Conax, a leading global provider of solutions for securing digital video content distribution on all devices and part of the Telenor Group, today announced strong results in Q3. Conax experienced a quarterly revenue growth of 20% with a corresponding EBITDA growth of 24% compared to Q3 12, driven primarily by sales of smart cards, CA Modules and continuous efficiency gains.

“We are seeing robust growth in emerging markets and significant interest and demand for advanced solutions, playing a strong role in the third quarter. Conax also further strengthened its broad customer portfolio with 5 new operators from Europe, Middle East, Africa and South East Asia,” says Morten Solbakken, President and CEO, Conax.

“I am extremely pleased that the new energized profile and Conax direction launched in Q3, 2012, continues to receive such positive affirmation from the market.”

***

About Conax (www.conax.com)
Conax provides the future-oriented security solutions and expertise that empower multi-screen digital TV content providers around the globe to deliver premium content over the combined Over-The-Top scenario of broadcast, broadband and connected devices securely and eliminate potential revenue threats. Conax Contego™ portfolio of solutions furnish content providers, cable, satellite, IP, mobile and terrestrial operators with solutions that offer a competitive advantage – reduced hardware costs, easy deployment and upgrade. Conax flagship, Conax Contego™, bundles 25 years of pioneering experience into one unique solution to guide operators in navigating and realizing new business models. Through its benchmark policy for security-evaluated client devices and strategic partner network, Conax technology secures content for operators representing 140 million pay TV consumers in over 85 countries
around the globe.

ISO 9001 & 27001 certified, Conax is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, and represented in Russia, Germany, Brazil, USA, Canada, Mexico, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, China, Singapore, with 24/7 Global Support operations in India. Conax is part of Telenor Group who has operations in 11 markets, 33.000 employees, 150 million mobile subscriptions and is among the world’s largest mobile operators. Telenor corporate responsibility. Follow Conax at www.twitter.com/ConaxAS

Conax media contact
Leslie Johnsen
Head of Public Relations & Communications, Conax
Mob: +47 41 45 80 43
Email: leslie.johnsen@conax.com

Telenor Broadcast media contact
Jørgen Thaule
Communications Director, TBH
Mob: +47 91 55 96 07
Email: Jorgen.thaule@telenor.com

HONG KONG, 4 NOVEMBER 2013 – Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) Asia, a division of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB) today announced the launch of MTV China, Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. on TVB Network Vision through the optical-fibre networks of Hutchison Global Communications Limited, that went on-air on November 1st. This enables TVB Network Vision subscribers to access Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. on Channel 65 and 66 respectively, while subscribers can access MTV China on Channel 38.

“We are delighted to add a new carriage partner in TVB Pay Network Vision, and to see the expansion of our brands’ presence in Hong Kong,” said VIMN Asia’s executive vice president and managing director, Indra Suharjono. “We’re particularly excited to introduce Nick Jr. to Hong Kong and to help fill a gap in preschoolers’ programming here, which offers parents a trusted edutainment channel for their young children to learn while they ‘play’ with well-loved characters like Dora the Explorer and new properties like The Paw Patrol.”

“We at TVB Network Vision are very excited to bring VIMN’s high quality programming services to TVB Network Vision’s subscribers on our new fibre-optic distributed platform. The addition of these channels, following our investments in our new fiber infrastructure demonstrates our commitment to deliver the best entertainment and education to our subscribers, ” said TVB Network Vision’s CEO, Felix To.

MTV is the world’s premier youth entertainment brand. MTV is the cultural home of the millennial generation, music fans and artists, and a pioneer in creating innovative programming for young people. MTV reflects and creates pop culture with its award-winning content built around compelling storytelling, music discovery and activism across TV, online and mobile. MTV China is seen in over 14 million households in China, and is available in Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Myanmar, and Cambodia. The channel brings the best mainstream English and Chinese content to its audience. MTV China’s tent-pole programmes include Style Gala and CCTV-MTV Mandarin Music Honors.

Nickelodeon, now in its 34th year globally and 15th year in Asia, is one of the most globally recognized and widely distributed multimedia entertainment brands for kids and family. Creating surprising and playful entertainment experiences everywhere it goes, Nickelodeon has a portfolio that includes television programming and production around the world, plus special events, consumer products, digital offerings, recreation, books, feature films and pro-social initiatives. Nickelodeon’s brands are seen globally in more than 450 million households in over 100 territories via more than 70 locally programmed channels and syndication.

Nick Jr., is “the Smart Place to Play,” giving kids and parents what they want – educational and entertaining content with great stories and characters that empower kids to learn while they play. The educational curriculum is in everything Nick Jr. does – the shows, packaging and promos – delivered by all the Nick Jr. characters kids know and love. The award-winning and exclusive international properties including Dora the Explorer, Team Umizoomi, Bubble Guppies and Tickety Toc, are designed to engage and encourage early childhood development.

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About TVB NETWORK VISION
TVB NETWORK VISION Limited is principally engaged in providing pay TV services and teleport services both in Hong Kong and internationally. Major shareholders of TVB NETWORK VISION Limited include Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB), Gemstone Pacific Limited and See Corporation Limited.

TVB NETWORK VISION offers over 62 local and international channels. Other than the driver channels provided by TVB, namely “Drama 1″, “Drama 2″, “TVB Classic”, “TVB Encore”, “TVB Movies”, “TVB Window”, “TVB Good Show”, “TVB Sports “, “TVB Food”, “TVB Kids”, “TVB Entertainment News”, “TVBN”, “TVBN2″, TVBS-News”, “TVBS-Asia” and “TVB8″, TVB NETWORK VISION also provides programming in news, movies, sports and infotainment to meet the diverse needs of the Hong Kong audience.

TVB NETWORK VISION is currently transmitted via satellite through existing communal aerial broadcast distribution (CABD) networks into set-top boxes of individual homes or via DTH to homes without CABD networks. It also transmits its service via the broadband television networks of PCCW’s NOW TV and the broadband and optical- fibre networks of Hutchison Global Communications Limited.

For more information, please visit www.tvbnetworkvision.com.

About Viacom International Media Networks
Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN), a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), is comprised of many of the world’s most popular multimedia entertainment brands, including MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, BET, Paramount Channel, VH1, VIVA, COLORS, Game One and Tr3s: MTV, Música y Más. Viacom brands are seen globally in more than 600 million households in 170 territories and 37 languages via more than 200 locally programmed and operated TV channels and more than 550 digital media and mobile TV properties. For more information about Viacom and its businesses, visit www.viacom.com. Keep up with Viacom news by following Viacom’s blog at blog.viacom.com and Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/Viacom.

Media Contact:
Viacom International Media Networks
Adeline Ong, Senior Director, Corporate Communications, Asia
t: (65) 6420 7240 m: (65) 9366 7323
e: adeline.ong@vimn.com

TVB Network Vision Limited
Amy Poon, Assistant Public Relations Manager
t : (852) 2399 9335
e : amypoon@tvbnv.com

Emma Bok, Public Relations Executive
t : (852) 2399 9312
e : emmabok@tvbnv.com