2012-09-22 – A YEAR after the cross-carriage law was put in place to keep the invisible hand in check, there is now the sneaking suspicion that someone is being shown the finger instead.

The law, which forces pay-TV operators to share exclusive content with its rivals on request, was first mooted in 2010.

Then, there were two ostensible objectives: first, to spare viewers from paying for two subscriptions and set-top boxes at once – and second, to reduce the incentive for a bidding slapfight like the one StarHub and SingTel’s mio TV got into over the Barclays Premier League (BPL) in 2009.

Read more at Business Times
Read the MDA’s letter in response here

“Between ten and twenty percent of people say they will pay for such a service,” said Sikes, “and In some countries the percentage is even higher.”

“Pay-TV seems to disintegrate, but on the other hand TV everywhere revenue is an unsustainable business. Disintegration is Potentially quite damaging, but pay-TV providers are in the best position to offer these new services.”

“Our task is to offer Convenience for the consumer,” said Erwin Rensen, director, proposition management at Ziggo, Holland’s biggest operator. “We need to ofer flexibility to make content consumption possible everywhere. Of course this may damage our business model, as Some content providers might offer it cheaper, but we try and be the best provider for our customers. The worst case scenario us that you are becoming just an access provider. We are in a battle, because consumers are leaving, so we need to offer our services across the home.”

http://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2012/09/20/pay-tv-operators-best-suited-for-tv-everywhere/

2012/09/19: Following advanced-television.com’s revelation September 10th that Twentieth Century Fox Home was seeking to revive consumers’ interest in the purchase of movies, the company has confirmed the launch of its Digital HD initiative that allows consumers to download or stream their favourite Fox movies on a variety of connected devices.

More than 600 Fox films can now be enjoyed anywhere, anytime in high-definition immediately in the US from Amazon, CinemaNow, Google Play, iTunes, PlayStation, VUDU, Xbox Live and YouTube.

As previously reported, sci-fi thriller Prometheus is now available immediately on Digital HD for less than $15, arriving three weeks before Blu-ray, DVD and VoD.

http://advanced-television.com/index.php/2012/09/19/fox-confirms-digital-hd-roll-out/

2012-9-17: HONG KONG: Celestial Tiger Entertainment has increased its content distribution agreement with Lionsgate to include all of East Asia.

CTE already represents Lionsgate exclusively in Greater China and Southeast Asia, now adding Japan and Korea to that list. The pact covers Lionsgate TV content as well as the studio’s library of feature films.

“Our licensing business in Greater China and Southeast Asia has grown exponentially this past year and we are excited to now represent Lionsgate’s fantastic slate of television programs as well as Lionsgate’s prolific library, including Lionsgate and Summit Entertainment titles, in all of East Asia,” said Wendy Reeds, CTE’s executive VP of content sales and distribution.

http://worldscreen.com/articles/display/2012-9-17-lionsgate-celestial-tiger-entertainment

September 21, 2012: Luxembourg-based SES has loaned a satellite to Thailand’s Thaicom. The move is seen as part of a possible wider co-operation with Thaicom.

The SES satellite is NSS-5, which has been operating for most of its life at 20 degrees West, more or less over the Atlantic Ocean where its C and Ku-band payload provided a link between the Americas and Europe. Its mission there wrapped up in July when the satellite was replaced with the newer and more powerful 72-transponder NSS-7 craft, itself launched in 2002.

http://advanced-television.com/index.php/2012/09/20/ses-looks-to-co-operate-with-thailand/

September 16, 2012: SKYCABLE proudly presented its digitized cable television for the first time in Baguio City.

The company presented the features of its new technology during a press conference last Thursday.

Regional Marketing Head Gidgette Faustino revealed the five plans, which are P280, P399, P499, silver, and gold of the digitalized cable television.

She said with the innovation, a viewer can explore, discover, control, and customize his television channels, adding the viewer can pause, record, and playback movies or shows either live or not.

She said the P280 is the cheapest plan that contains channels like the dzMM teleradyo, CNN, Cinema One, Disney Channel, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, Velvet, BTV, Balls, Lifestyle Network, Star World, Knowledge Channel, and National Geographic channel.

Faustino said the P399 plan contains more channels from HBO.

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/baguio/local-news/2012/09/16/skycable-goes-digital-243149

Sep 20, 2012: The Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association (ASTRA) has welcomed the conviction of Sydney resident Narender Narwal for the theft and illegal on-sale of subscription television (STV). Narwal appeared in the Downing Centre Local Court where he was convicted for making and selling unauthorised decoders. He was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment, fully suspended, on entering a good behaviour bond of five years and fined $15,000.

Narwal’s arrest and conviction resulted from an Australian Federal Police (AFP) investigation supported by STV industry investigators, with assistance from anti-piracy experts from Irdeto, who provided on-site support and technical evidence for the AFP. Narwal was involved in the sale of unauthorised set top boxes programmed to provide a network of people with access to stolen STV channels through an illegal system that used the internet to hack into encoded broadcasts.

http://www.content-technology.com/asiapacificnews/?p=3230&utm_source=C%2BT-Mail+AsiaPacific-21-09-12&utm_campaign=C%2BTmail+21-09-12&utm_medium=email

September 21, 2012: Pay-TV firm Astro Malaysia has set an indicative price range of RM2.70-3.00 per share for institutional investors for its initial public offering (IPO) that could raise up to RM4.56 billion (approx €1.1bn) according to reports.

The IPO, which is expected to be listed by end-September or early October, would be Malaysia’s third-largest this year after share sales by Felda Global Ventures Holdings Bhd in June and IHH Healthcare Bhd in July.

http://advanced-television.com/index.php/2012/09/19/astro-sets-price-range-for-ipo/