EBU seals long-term leases with Eutelsat

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EBU seals long-term leases with Eutelsat for Europe-wide programme exchanges

Washington, Geneva, Paris, 14 March 2012 – The EBU, the world’s largest association of broadcasters, is consolidating its longstanding relationship with Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) with a multiple-transponder contract on two satellites. The renewal of four transponders on EUTELSAT 7A (ex W3A) up to 2016 and the further renewal of four more transponders on EUTELSAT 10A (ex W2A) will support the association’s network that serves 85 national media organisations in 56 countries in and around Europe.

With the stage set for 2012 to be an exceptional news and sports year, including elections in major countries and iconic sports events, the EBU is focused on delivering unique programme material that will give Members a competitive edge in a changing media environment. Satellites remain the bedrock technology used by the EBU for “conveying” content between permanent and temporary locations worldwide.

The EBU is also validating the new-generation satellite newsgathering solution that Eutelsat has launched on its KA-SAT High Throughput Satellite. Called NewsSpotter, this IP service is designed to enable broadcasters to deliver more from the field at low cost, further diversifying live news reporting.

Graham Warren, Director of Network at EBU, noted: “The EBU and Eutelsat have agreed the renewal of a long-lasting relationship. The EBU was the first customer of Eutelsat in broadcast services in the eighties, developing a relationship which has brought success for both parties over so many years. In the fast and ever-changing broadcast technologies world, this renewal is the premise of further successes for the EBU. “

Michel de Rosen, Eutelsat CEO, said: “The EBU represents a hallmark for the highest broadcasting standards. We are delighted to pursue our longstanding cooperation with the association and its Members in public service broadcasting, and are committed to devising new services like NewsSpotter that can contribute to further progress for the industry.”

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU)

The EBU serves 85 national media organizations in 56 countries in and around Europe. It represents its Members and promotes the values and distinctiveness of public service media in Europe and around the world. The Eurovision and Euroradio networks deliver news, sports, events and music to EBU Members and other media organizations. Services to Members range from legal advice, technical standardization and development to coproductions and exchange of quality European content.

For more information about the EBU: www.ebu.ch or follow the EBU on Twitter: @EBU_Eurovision

Press

Michelle Roverelli
Head of communications
EBU
Tel: +41 22 717 2204
Mobile: +41 79 647 17 24
roverelli@ebu.ch

About Eutelsat Communications

Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL, ISIN code: FR0010221234) is the holding company of Eutelsat S.A.. With capacity commercialised on 28 satellites that provide coverage over the entire European continent, as well as the Middle East, Africa, India and significant parts of Asia and the Americas, Eutelsat is one of the world’s three leading satellite operators in terms of revenues. As of 31 December 2011, Eutelsat’s satellites were broadcasting more than 4,150 television channels. More than 1,100 channels are broadcast via its HOT BIRD video neighbourhood at 13 degrees East alone which serves over 120 million cable and satellite homes in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. The Group’s satellites also serve a wide range of fixed and mobile telecommunications services, TV contribution markets, corporate networks, and broadband markets for Internet Service Providers and for transport, maritime and in-flight markets. Eutelsat’s broadband subsidiary, Skylogic, markets and operates access to high speed internet services through teleports in France and Italy that serve enterprises, local communities, government agencies and aid organisations in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas. Headquartered in Paris, Eutelsat and its subsidiaries employ just over 700 commercial, technical and operational professionals from 30 countries.

www.eutelsat.com

For further information

Press
Vanessa O’Connor / Tel: + 33 1 53 98 37 91 / voconnor@eutelsat.fr
Frédérique Gautier / Tel: + 33 1 53 98 37 91 / fgautier@eutelsat.fr

Investors & Analysts
Lisa Finas / Tel: +33 1 53 98 35 30 / investors@eutelsat-communications.com
Léonard Wapler / Tel: +33 1 53 98 31 07 / investors@eutelsat-communications.com

Space Data Association Wins Award

Space Data Association Recognized by World Space Risk Forum and Society of Satellite Professionals International

WASHINGTON (14th March, 2012)—The Space Data Association (SDA), established by commercial satellite operators to improve the safety and efficiency of space operations, has been awarded the “Innovation in Industry Collaboration on the Safe Use of Space” award by the Society of Satellite Professionals International (SSPI). The award, which was presented at SSPI’s annual Stellar Reception on 13th March, will be added to the “Space Risk Management Award” which the SDA received from the World Space Risk Forum 2012 during their recent event in Dubai, UAE; the SDA was honored for its outstanding cooperative efforts to reduce the risk of satellite operations.

The SDA’s Space Data Center (SDC) provides full conjunction assessment (CA) capability and is developing data-sharing in support of radio frequency interference (RFI) mitigation. The SDC provides CA processing for more than 65% of all operational satellites in geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO). SDA took the opportunity of the Satellite 2012 show to host its first SDA User Group meeting on the 12th March in Washington, DC. The all-day event incorporated discussions on improving industry best practices for CA and RFI mitigation, system demonstrations, as well as discussions with 3rd part data providers, prospective members and other industry bodies.

SDA Chairman Stewart Sanders says, “We formed the SDA because we saw a need for improvements in the integrity of satellite operations in order to ensure the preservation of the physical environment we all operate in, as well as to reduce the effect of service affecting RF interference. We are delighted to be recognized by our peers for the significant progress we have made in both of these areas and we hope this industry endorsement will serve as a further signal of the value of our continued efforts.”

The SDA plans additional features for the Space Data Center and is pursuing data-sharing agreements to improve the scope and quality of data available to its membership.

About SDA

The Space Data Association Limited (SDA) is a non-profit international association of satellite operators that supports the controlled, reliable and efficient sharing of data critical to the safety and integrity of the space environment and the RF spectrum. It maintains the Space Data Center, a database of high-accuracy orbital information, which is operated by Analytical Graphics, Inc. (AGI) of Exton, PA. Established in the Isle of Man, its executive members are Eutelsat, Inmarsat, Intelsat and SES. The SDA is open to all satellite operators and other participants. Membership information can be found at www.space-data.org.

Press contact
Vanessa O Connor / Tel. : + 33 1 53 98 37 91 / voconnor@eutelsat.fr

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What The CW’s About-Face On Streaming Says About Piracy, Authentication

(March 15, 2012) – While its relevance in the realm of traditional linear television is more questionable than ever, the CW’s youthful, digitally literate core audience renders the network an important signpost on where the distribution of TV on emerging platforms is headed. And if the CW’s decision this week to collapse the digital debut of its shows on its CWTV.com platform from 75 hours to just eight hours is any indication, it all seems headed back to square one.

As first reported by Variety Wednesday, CW is going to begin streaming series including The Vampire Diaries and Gossip Girl just eight hours after their debut on linear TV. The network explained the move as an attempt to ward off digital piracy—it said 20 percent of streams for its shows were facilitated by unauthorized sources. The network said 50 percent of that illegal viewing comes within the first three days after broadcast.

To view the complete article, please visit http://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/cws-face-streaming-says-piracy-211917466.html

Discovery Kids to launch in Asia Pacific

DISCOVERY NETWORKS ASIA-PACIFIC MAKES ITS FORAY INTO KIDS
– Discovery Kids to launch in Asia Pacific from April 2 increasing Discovery’s portfolio in the region to eight high-quality networks –

Mumbai, March 14, 2012 – Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific (DNAP), a division of leading global real-world media company Discovery Communications, today announced that it will be launching Discovery Kids in the region with India, Indonesia and the Philippines as the first markets to roll out. This announcement was made by Mark Hollinger, president and chief executive officer, Discovery Networks International at the FICCI Frames industry event in Mumbai where he was a keynote speaker.

Sharing details on the launch, Hollinger said, “Discovery Kids will offer children the ideal combination of learning and entertainment. A unique network in the kids’ genre, Discovery Kids will offer children a fun and entertaining way to satisfy their natural curiosity and explore their world with stimulating and imaginative programming. The network will ignite viewers’ imagination through its compelling and differentiated content.”

“With the entry of Discovery Kids in the region, we’ve added a new channel to our portfolio dedicated exclusively to children that reflects the content on Discovery. Parents know what to expect from Discovery – a trusted and safe environment for their children. Discovery Kids delivers on our brand promise to provide quality programming, now to a younger audience, which we hope will grow with us,” said Tom Keaveny, president and managing director, Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific.

Discovery Kids seeks to entertain and educate children with content that sparks their curiosity and helps to develop their cognitive, social, emotional and personal skills, bringing families together by promoting co-viewing with parents. The target audience for Discovery Kids is kids four to twelve years old and their parents, with the core target audience being kids seven to ten years old.

The core values of Discovery Kids in Asia Pacific include being transformative (by providing an immersive world that sparks wonder and curiosity), smart (by giving creative surprises for enquiring minds), playful (by stimulating learning and imagination in a fun and innovative way), and educational (by creating a trusted atmosphere for engaged learning).

Some programming highlights from Discovery Kids at launch include Discovery-produced HEADRUSH featuring Kari Byron from the popular hit series MYTHBUSTERS, THINK BIG and WILD KRATTS. HEADRUSH, an original Discovery production, provides children with an hour of games and experiences, pulling from MYTHBUSTERS. THINK BIG features journeys of young inventors who might just have the next big hit. From the “sibling alarm” to the “toilet paper headband,” each episode is peppered with fun facts, trivia, inspirational success stories and imagination labs to get the viewers to start inventing too. WILD KRATTS, an animated series created by real-life zoologists Chris and Martin Kratt, is a cartoon series with a twist – combining science education with fun and humour, young viewers can join the adventures of the two brothers as they travel around the globe encountering incredible wild animals. The series also teaches children small ways to make big impacts (such as building bat houses), while entertaining them with the Kratt’s usual antics.

Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific launched its first network in the region in 1994 with Discovery Channel. It has since increased its Asia-Pacific footprint and grown its portfolio to eight high-quality networks including TLC, Animal Planet, Discovery HD World, Discovery Science, Discovery Turbo and Discovery Home & Health reaching over 534 million cumulative subscribers in 34 countries.

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About Discovery Kids

Discovery Kids lets children explore their awesome world and ignite their natural curiosity by providing content that is fun and enriching for growing children. The channel stimulates learning and imagination, and provides a safe environment that parents can trust. Discovery Kids offers its viewers a world of endless possibilities through informative and entertaining programming that explores adventure, nature, science, wildlife, history and technology.

About Discovery Communications

Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is the world’s #1 nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers in 210 countries and territories. Discovery empowers people to explore their world and satisfy their curiosity through 130-plus worldwide networks, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Discovery Science and Discovery HD, as well as leading consumer and educational products and services, and a diversified portfolio of digital media services including HowStuffWorks.com. In Asia-Pacific, eight Discovery brands reach over 534 million cumulative subscribers in 34 countries with programming customized in 15 languages.

Contact:
Melissa Tham/Charmaine Huet
melissa_tham@discovery.com/charmaine_huet@discovery.com
DID: (65) 6510 7637/(65) 6510 7545

Youku, Tudou create China’s leading online video company

(March 13, 2012) – Chinese Internet television company Youku and Internet video company Tudou Holdings have signed a definitive merger agreement for Tudou to combine with Youku in a 100 per cent stock-for-stock transaction.

Upon completion, the combined entity will be named ‘Youku Tudou Inc’. Youku’s ADSs will continue to be listed on the NYSE under the symbol ‘YOKU’.

To view the complete article, please visit http://advanced-television.com/index.php/2012/03/13/youku-tudou-create-chinas-leading-online-video-company/

Vanita Kohli-Khandekar: The painful path to digitising TV – India

Even as DTH continues to take away consumers, many cable operators have been resisting digitisation

Vanita Kohli-Khandekar / Mar 13, 2012

Cable operators are fighting, multi-system operators (MSOs) are lobbying, broadcasters are worrying and direct-to-home (DTH) operators are rubbing their hands in glee. So far the whole mandatory digitisation story in India is playing to script. With just under 90 days to go, how ready are we?

The answer: it is going to be a last-minute dash but we might just make it, at least in Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. Delhi is a problem. Chances are all the four metros will be digital by June 30 this year, thanks to aggressive DTH operators rushing in to fill the gap.

A quick background. The 142-million home TV market in India is one of the largest in the world along with China and Brazil. However, in top line ($7 billion, or Rs 35,000 crore) or margins, it is way behind either of those countries. One big reason is that just about 15 to 20 per cent of the money cable operators collect comes back to broadcasters, against 70 per cent globally. This leads to revenue leakage and tax loss.

To view the complete article, please visit http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/vanita-kohli-khandekar-the-painful-path-to-digitising-tv-/467468/

Global Satellite Industry denounces UNIDROIT Protocol

Brussels, 9th March 2012 – The European Satellite Operators’ Association (ESOA), the US Satellite Industry Association (SIA), the Space Industry Association of Australia, the Canadian Satellite and Space Industry Forum, the Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia and the Global VSAT Forum today voiced continued satellite industry opposition to the UNIDROIT Space Assets Protocol to the Cape Town Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment, which was approved today at a UNIDROIT diplomatic conference in Berlin.

The global satellite sector continues to show unprecedented unity in its opposition to the UNIDROIT Space Assets Protocol. In December 2011, nearly 100 companies and trade associations signed a letter to the UNIDROIT Secretary General expressing concerns regarding the draft Protocol.

Signatories included established and start-up satellite operators on all continents, most of the world’s satellite manufacturers and launch providers, the major satellite insurance brokers and underwriters, many banks participating in the satellite sector, and the major satellite and space-related associations.

“It is disappointing that the Berlin Conference moved ahead with a Protocol on space asset financing, over the clear and unified opposition of those involved in the actual business of constructing, launching, operating, insuring and financing communications satellites,” said Patricia Cooper, President of SIA.

Brett Biddington, Chairman of the SIAA, noted “The potentially adverse consequences of the Protocol – especially for manufacturers and smaller, start-up satellite operators – should have been a guiding consideration in the Protocol’s adoption.”

Simon Twiston Davies, CEO of CASBAA said: “This new layer of supra-national law can only make the financing of new satellite projects more difficult and expensive, including those planned by developing nations to serve their citizens.”

Aarti Holla, Secretary General of ESOA, said: “The Protocol comes at a time when the industry benefits from a robust and highly successful satellite financing market. We will now work with our colleagues in the satellite industry on other continents to inform nations of the negative impact of the Protocol on this market as they consider ratification.”

David Hartshorn, Secretary General of the Global VSAT Forum, said: “We hope that States will note the concerns of the global satellite industry and not ratify the Protocol. If they do, it will increase the cost of financing and make it extremely difficult for developing nations to benefit from the delivery of satellite services.”

A full analysis of this issue can be found at www.esoa.net, www.sia.com and www.spaceindustry.com.au

India DTH industry seeks tax sops

NEW DELHI (March 12, 2012): The direct-to-home (DTH) platforms have made a strong plea for doing away with the entertainment tax levied by the states and the 10.3 per cent service tax levied by the Centre.

The DTH Operators Association of India has said that the entertainment tax is unethical as only the broadcasters or those who generate programmes should be taxed.

Harit Nagpal, President of the Association, told indiantelevision.com that the entertainment tax varies from state to state and the average percentage was around 10 per cent.

To view the complete article, please visit http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k12/mar/mar90.php

CASBAA TV Upfronts – Collaboration is Key

Resonating throughout the Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia’s (CASBAA) second TV Upfront – The Hong Kong Screenings, was the success of partnerships between pay-TV networks and brands, and the willingness and flexibility network operators want to bring to the table. Presented by CASBAA’s Asia TV Advertising Coalition in association with Campaign Asia-Pacific, the Hong Kong screenings enjoyed a strong turnout, attracting over 60 media buyers. CASBAA chairman Marcel Fenez praised the level of turnout at the event in his opening keynote speech.

To view the complete article, please click here

Singaporeans among worst online piracy offenders

(March 9, 2012) SINGAPORE – Data from copyright-holders show Singapore has one of the highest incidences of online digital piracy in the Asia-Pacific region, Law Minister K Shanmugam told Parliament yesterday.

On average, it is estimated there are more than 300,000 cases of illegal downloading each month, the worst among 15 countries in the region, he said.

Mr Shanmugam revealed this as he announced the setting up of an Intellectual Property (IP) Steering Committee to develop Singapore as an Asian IP hub.

To view the complete article, please visit http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC120307-0000065/Singaporeans-among-worst-online-piracy-offenders

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