(May 8, 2013) Verimatrix, the specialist in securing and enhancing revenue for multi-network, multi-screen digital TV services around the globe, today announced that it will host the latest event in its popular Multi-network Solutions in the Real World Forum series at Connected TV World Summit 2013, May 22-23, 2013 in London at the Seligman Theatre on the lower ground level of the Royal College of Physicians.
Read more at AndhraNews
Kuala Lumpur, 8 May 2013 – MEASAT Satellite Systems Sdn. Bhd. (“MEASAT”) announced today an agreement with Level 3 Communications (NYSE: LVLT), to upgrade the Setanta Sports channel on the MEASAT-3/3a video platform from standard definition (“SD”) to high definition (“HD”).
Founded in 1992, Setanta is an international sports broadcaster with operations in Ireland, Canada, Australia, Asia and Africa. Setanta owns and operates premium sports TV channels on a subscription basis to residential and commercial customers through satellite, cable, broadband and mobile distribution.
“We are delighted to support Level 3 Communications with the upgrade of Setanta Sports channel to high definition,” said Jarod Lopez, Vice President – Broadcast Sales, MEASAT. “The addition of Setanta Sports HD to the MEASAT-3a video platform is an indicator of the strength of 91.5°E as a preferred location for quality HD channel distribution across the Asian region,” he added.
The MEASAT-3/3a video neighbourhood at 91.5°E distributes premium SD and HD channels throughout Asia, Australia and the Middle East. Leveraging MCPC and SCPC platforms operated by partners, the satellites feature a variety of news, general entertainment, sports and factual programming. With 39 HD channels onboard the platform, MEASAT leads the HD channel distribution in Asia.
About MEASAT
MEASAT is a premium supplier of satellite communication services to leading international broadcasters, DTH platforms and telecom operators. With capacity across five (5) satellites, the company provides satellite services to over 150 countries representing 80% of the world’s population across Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa, Europe and Australia.
The MEASAT fleet includes the state-of-the-art MEASAT-3 and MEASAT-3a satellites at 91.5°E which support Asia’s premium DTH (direct-to-home) and video distribution neighbourhood, MEASAT-2 at 148.0°E and MEASAT-5 at 119.5°E. In Africa, the AFRICASAT-1a satellite at 46.0°E provides satellite capacity across the African continent with connectivity to Europe, the Middle East and South East Asia. The MEASAT fleet will be further strengthened with the addition of MEASAT-3b at 91.5°E in Q1 2014 and MEASAT-3c in mid 2015.
Leveraging facilities at the MEASAT Teleport and Broadcast Centre, and working with a select group of world-class partners, MEASAT also provides a complete range of broadcast and telecommunications solutions. Services include 3D, high definition and standard definition video playout, video turnaround, co-location, uplinking, broadband and IP termination services.
For more information, please visit http://www.measat.com
Contact
Ilham Bakti Adnan
MEASAT
+60 (3) 8213 2154
ilham@measat.com
Asia – May 8, 2013 – National Geographic Channels International (NGCI) will be exploring the amazing powers of the human mind in four new commissions announced today. NGCI is partnering with Blink Films on the three-part series Ape Man, which will air in the U.S. and internationally later this year. NGCI has also commissioned Blow Your Mind (1×60) from Twofour, Card Shark (1×60) from Windfall Films and So Shoot Me TV, and the two-part special Street Smart (working title) from Renegade Pictures. The programs serve as companion specials to NGCI’s highly rated series Brain Games, set to premiere season two internationally also later this year.
“These new series and specials investigate the way our brains and bodies really work, and all is revealed using mind-bending experiments and interactive stunts to boggle the eye and bewilder the senses. There will be astonishing revelations, humor and plenty of hard science, too”, said Hamish Mykura, Executive Vice President and Head of International Content for NGCI.
While humans may fancy themselves as a highly sophisticated species, much of our behavior is distinctly primal. With the help of Peter Elliot, whose career in Hollywood has seen him become the go-to actor in movie roles as Apes and Primates, Ape Man is a 3×60 series that introduces viewers to their inner apes to expose our most basic instincts, and their origins in the primate world. Each episode focuses on a different relationship between human/ape behavior – from how office politics can mimic alpha male hierarchies in the primate world to why humans have an overwhelming desire to be accepted by our peers. And, even how men can learn a thing or two from their ape cousins about making a great first impression, an irresistible first move, and going on a fool-proof first date.
Hosted by TV personality Robert Llewellyn, Blow Your Mind uses a mixture of mind-melting experiments, hidden camera stunts and try-at-home tests to uncover just how much the unconscious parts of our brains control our bodies. How do you make a professional football player forget how to kick a ball? Could our automatic reaction times beat the world’s fastest man out of the starting gate? Blow Your Mind reveals the army of neural processes that are operating just outside your control, making you do what you do every day without even realizing it.
In Card Shark, professional magician Drummond Money-Coutts looks at the long-established role of playing cards in tricking our perceptions. He criss-crosses continents to explore the secrets behind advanced card play, card cheating, card magic, and one of the oldest card cons in the world: the Three Card Monte. Exchanging methods with some of the top card sharks, masters and performers in the world, Drummond examines the psychology behind their techniques, and tests his own skills at reading people with a challenging interpretation of the Three Card Monte – in a Muay Thai boxing ring.
Featuring TV presenter and NGCI’s Car SOS host Tim Shaw, Street Smart uses a series of incredible, mind-bending experiments to quiz our critical thinking – and common sense – and demonstrate how seemingly impossible outcomes are jaw-droppingly possible. Street Smart lets the public guess what is going to happen next – and then sees how right or wrong they were with some spectacular experiments, tests and CGI. The two-part special will premiere on National Geographic Channel internationally and in the U.S.
These companion specials follow closely on the heels of the U.S. premiere of Brain Games season 2, whose April 2013 series launch was the highest in National Geographic Channel’s history in the U.S. The series set a ratings record, reaching 1.5 million total viewers.
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About National Geographic Channels International
National Geographic Channels International (NGCI) inspires viewers through its smart, innovative programming that questions what we know, how we view the world and what drives us forward. A business enterprise owned by National Geographic Ventures and FOX Entertainment Group, NGCI contributes to the National Geographic Society’s commitment to exploration, conservation and education through its six channels: National Geographic Channel, National Geographic Channel HD, Nat Geo Wild, Nat Geo Wild HD, Nat Geo Adventure and Nat Geo Music.
Globally, National Geographic Channel (including NGC U.S., which is a joint venture of NGV and Fox Cable Networks Group) is available in more than 440 million homes in 171 countries and 38 languages.
For more information, please visit www.natgeotv.com.
About FOX International Channels
FOX International Channels (FIC) is News Corporation’s international multi-media business. We develop, produce and distribute 350 wholly- and majority-owned entertainment, factual, sports and movie channels across Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa, in 37 languages. These networks and their related mobile, non-
linear and high-definition extensions reach over 1.1 billion households worldwide. We also operate a global online advertising unit .FOX (“dot-fox”) specialized in online video and display, and four TV production houses.
In Asia, FIC operates or distributes 37 channel brands, including the FOX, STAR and National Geographic brands, with over 100 feeds across 14 markets, As the leading pay-TV network in the region, FIC reaches more than 550 million cumulative subscribers across Asia Pacific and the Middle East with offices in Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, India, Australia, New Zealand and the UAE. For more information, please visit www.foxinternationalchannels.com.
For media inquiries please contact:
FleishmanHillard
James Hacking
Tel: +852 2967 8982
Email: James.Hacking@bluecurrentgroup.com
Shirley Lam
Tel: +852 2111 3171
Email: shirley.lam@fleishman.com
Victoria Kirker
National Geographic Channels International
Tel: +1 202 912 3204
Email: vkirker@natgeotv.com
Kelly Jang
Director, Pan Regional Trade Marketing & PR
FOX International Channels Asia
Tel: +852 2621 8875
Email: kelly.jang@fox.com
(May 7, 2013) Al Jazeera’s American operation will open 12 offices in cities including Detroit, Nashville and Chicago ahead of the channel’s launch later this year.
The Qatar-based TV news network bought Current TV for a reported US$500 million from former US Vice President Al Gore last year. Among the prominent staff it has so far hired are veteran investigative journalist Ed Pound and long-time CNN anchor and reporter Ali Velshi.
Read more at Rapid TV News
(May 7, 2013) The SES-6 satellite has arrived at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan ahead of its Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on June 3.
Read more at Broadband TV News
(May 7, 2013) A senior executive at NBCUniversal has suggested that Internet-streaming service Aereo is seeking to exploit what may be seen as loopholes in congressional intent relating to the retransmission of broadcast signals.
Read more at Advanced Television
(May 7, 2013) Nickelodeon has unveiled its plans for SpongeBob SquareShorts: Original Fan Tributes, the first-ever worldwide short-film competition inspired by the hit animated series SpongeBob SquarePants.
Read more at TV Kids
(May 7, 2013) Discovery Communications Inc.’s (DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) first-quarter profit rose 4.5% as the media company reported stronger revenue from its international networks segment, although margins narrowed sharply amid higher expenses.
Read more at ADVFN
Paris, May 7, 2013 – Eutelsat Communications (ISIN: FR0010221234 – Euronext Paris: ETL), one of the world’s leading satellite operators, today published its financial report for the third quarter and nine months ended 31 March 2013.
Commenting on the Group’s third quarter 2012-2013 revenues, Michel de Rosen, CEO of Eutelsat Communications, said:
“Third quarter revenues were up 4.6%. The performance of Video, our main business, accounting for almost 70% of revenues, was underpinned by sustained demand at key neighbourhoods over Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Multi-usage revenues reflected the impact of US federal budget sequestration which significantly affected the outcome of contract negotiations during the quarter. This was partially offset by the integration of EUTELSAT 172A into the fleet.
The record order backlog of €5.5 billion was buoyed in particular by new long-term video contracts in North Africa and the Middle East, lending strong visibility on future revenues. We are pursuing our programme to deploy capacity on seven additional satellites by end 2015 to enable us to meet demand in the highest growth applications and regions, with the first, EUTELSAT 3D, on track for launch on May 14.
Our revenue objective for Full Year 2012-2013 is maintained, with a likely outturn at the lower end of the 5-6% range. Notwithstanding the current investment in our overall commercial activity, the Group’s EBITDA margin is now expected to be around 77.5%.”
Read more at Eutelsat
(May 7, 2013) KENANGA Research has revised upwards Astro Malaysia Holdings Bhd’s earnings forecast by 2.4 per cent for 2014 and 9.9 per cent for 2015.
The firm also upgraded Astro’s shares to “outperform” following the pay television operator’s Internet tie-up with Maxis Bhd.
Read more at Business Times
