Oct 31, 2012: The Australian Content Investment and Employment Survey results announced at Parliament House in Canberra reveal an investment of $667 million in Australian content by subscription television (STV) platforms and channels in 2011–12. The figures released by the Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association (ASTRA) highlight an increase of 13% from financial year 2010–11. The Survey includes all STV genres of programming.

ASTRA also presented Deloitte Access Economics estimates which place the overall direct contribution made by STV to the Australian economy at $1.4 billion in 2011–12 and at least $7 billion overall since the start of STV in 1995.

In addition to the Survey results, ASTRA highlighted that STV is exporting an increasing amount of hours of Australian programming internationally. Programs like Tim Winton’s Cloudstreet, Grand Designs Australia, Camp Orange, Kings Cross ER, Killing Time, Australia’s Great Flood and many more are reaching viewers as far afield as Canada, Belgium, Denmark, Eastern Europe, Holland, South Africa, Spain, and throughout Asia.

http://www.content-technology.com/asiapacificnews/?p=3513

6 November 2012: NEW DELHI: India is rapidly swinging into digitisation mode. The government on Tuesday started the countdown for second phase of digitisation in 38 cities in 15 states, saying the deadline of 31 March 2013 was sacrosanct.

Information & Broadcasting Secretary Uday Kumar Varma held a high-level meeting to review the preparedness for Phase II encouraged by the successful implementation in Mumbai and Delhi. Digitisation in Kolkata is most likely to happen after Diwali and in Chennai, the fourth metro covered in the first phase, it will be decided by the Madras High Court on Friday.

The ministry has asked MSOs in the 38 cities to make a thorough assessment of the number of STBs required, taking into consideration credible data from the ground level. The MSOs have also been asked to provide information on their plans for procurement of STBs to ensure that the deadline of 31 March is met.

http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k12/nov/nov60.php

November 7, 2012: Bidding for the three-year right to broadcast English Premier League (EPL) soccer matches in Thailand will start tomorrow.

There are at least four bidders: major pay-TV operator TrueVisions, Cable Thai Holdings (CTH), GMM Grammy, and RS. It is speculated that Bangkok Broadcasting and TV (BBTV), the operator of Channel 7, will jointly bid with one of these. They all are in the silent period.

“This bidding round might take one or two weeks, but the final outcome will be known this month,” said a broadcasting-industry source.

The four main contenders qualified last month to bid for the broadcast rights. Among the qualifications are number of viewers, broadcasting technologies, and subscription base.

Given that the competition this time is expected to be fiercer than in the past, it is expected that the winning price could be as high as US$150 million (Bt4.6 billion) for the next three EPL seasons.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/At-least-four-in-bidding-for-rights-to-EPL-broadca-30193801.html

November 6, 2012, BEIJING: China’s Youku Tudou has secured a five-year deal with Sony Pictures Television that brings some 300 new titles to the premium online video platform, which already has agreements in place with studios such as Twentieth Century Fox, NBCUniversal, Warner Bros. and more.

Three hundred titles from the Sony Pictures catalogue—including Groundhog Day, The Fisher King, Men in Black 3, The Amazing Spider-Man and 21 Jump Street—will be available for on-demand viewing. They will be part of the Youku Premium platform.

Youku Tudou, which combines two of China’s largest online video platforms, already has agreements in place with DreamWorks, Paramount, Disney, Lionsgate and others.

http://www.worldscreen.com/articles/display/2012-11-6-youku-tudou-sony-pictures-television

November 7,2012, HANOI – Authorities are seeking ways to put pay TV services in order as operators have continuously revised up service fees whilst failing to improve the services’ quality accordingly.

Pham Hong Hai, director of the Authority of Telecommunications under the Ministry of Information and Communications, said: “The information ministry now is outlining a circular to control the quality of pay TV services and will issue it soon.”

The ministry will issue technical standards relating to the quality of pay TV services, Hai said, adding it will apply criteria to inspect the services from 2013.

As soon as the circular comes into force, those companies offering services with poor quality will be fined. Besides, the circular will tighten control on contents of pay TV services as well.

http://english.thesaigontimes.vn/Home/business/ict/26450/

November 7, 2012, LONDON: Nearly 600 million televisions will be connected to the Internet by 2017, which is up from the 212 million expected at the end of this year, according to a new report from Digital TV Research.

The Connected TV Forecasts report, which covers 40 countries, finds that this global connected-TV total translates to 21.4 percent of all TV sets by 2017. This is up from the 4.7 percent recorded at the end of 2010 and the 8.9 percent forecast for the end of 2012.

http://www.worldscreen.com/articles/display/2012-11-7-internet-connected-tv-research