5 August 2015 – In a conference call with analysts this morning Discovery CEO David Zaslav sounded a bit like Friday Night Light’s Coach Taylor trying to boost the morale of a football team that’s losing at half time. Discovery shares opened down more than 5% after it reported weaker than expected Q2 earnings. But Zaslav assured the Street that he sees growth ahead in the challenged mainstays of the pay TV business — advertising and affiliate fees — as well as new digital opportunities.

Read more at Deadline

6 August 2015 – STAR India, which held nearly 26 per cent stake in Ekta and Shobha Kapoor’s Balaji Telefilms, has offloaded all its shares in the company at Rs 63.6 a share. The total deal value is pegged at Rs 108 crore. Balaji’s stock, which opened at Rs 82 a share on the BSE on Wednesday, rallied 16 per cent to Rs 95.25 apiece after the sale.

Read more at Business Standard

5 August 2015 – IPTV operator Singtel TV is set to begin offering Eurosport, which has UEFA Champions League and Europa League rights in Singapore, this month.

The carriage agreement was sealed between Singtel TV and Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific and takes effect August 11. The deal bolsters Singtel’s sports slate, which includes Premier League matches and the football channel ELEVEN. In addition to Champions League action, Eurosport is the local home to the US Open, among other events. Also joining Singtel is Eurosport News. The channels replace mio Sports 2 and mio Sports 3.

Read more at World Screen

6 Aug 2015 – FOX International Channels Thailand (FIC) hopes for at least a 70-per-cent surge in advertising revenue after establishing a local production and sales team and expanding syndication of its broadcasting rights to digital television channels.

MR Rujayarak Abhakorn, FIC’s vice president for Thailand, said yesterday that the Bangkok-based unit had been assigned by the head office to manage a sales team and engage with local TV production houses for its seven pay-TV channels. They are Fox Thai, Fox Movie Premium, Star World, Fox Sports 3, Fox Sport HD, Channel V Thailand and Channel V HD.

Read more at the Nation

LUXEMBOURG, 5 August 2015 — SES S.A. (NYSE Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG) announced today that German broadcaster Deutsche Welle has signed a new long-term capacity agreement on three SES satellites to broadcast two channels in Eastern Europe and Africa.

Deutsche Welle will be broadcasting its German-language TV channel DW via the ASTRA 4A satellite, allowing more than six million direct-to-home households in Eastern Europe and 40 million cable and IPTV households in Europe to receive the channel directly and indirectly.
Deutsche Welle will also broadcast its new English-language channel across Eastern Europe and Africa via the ASTRA 4B and SES-5 satellites. The 24-hour news and information channel, which broadcasts events from Germany and around the world, was already launched on 22 June via ASTRA 19.2 degrees East.

Guido Baumhauer, Director of Distribution and Technology at Deutsche Welle, said, “Deutsche Welle produces high-quality content in 30 languages for the whole world. We are very pleased that we have found, in SES, a reliable technical partner that complements our global satellite portfolio and helps us to broadcast news and information to two of the most important regions in the world.”

“We are very pleased that Deutsche Welle is once again relying on SES to expand its coverage. The latest agreement with Deutsche Welle is an example of how our global satellite network can enable broadcasters to expand beyond their domestic markets to reach international audiences on all continents,” said Norbert Hoelzle, Senior Vice President, Commercial, Europe at SES.

For further information please contact:
Markus Payer
Corporate Communications
Tel. +352 710 725 500
Markus.Payer@ses.com

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About SES
SES (NYSE Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG) is the world-leading satellite operator with a fleet of more than 50 geostationary satellites. The company provides satellite communications services to broadcasters, content and internet service providers, mobile and fixed network operators and business and governmental organisations worldwide.

SES stands for long-lasting business relationships, high-quality service and excellence in the satellite industry. The culturally diverse regional teams of SES are located around the globe and work closely with customers to meet their specific satellite bandwidth and service requirements.

SES holds a participation in O3b Networks, a next generation satellite network combining the reach of satellite with the speed of fiber.
Further information available at: www.ses.com.

4 August 2015 – AMC Global, the international AMC-branded television network, and BT have confirmed that AMC will launch in the UK for the first time on August 28th exclusively to BT customers. AMC from BT will premiere the highly anticipated new series, Fear the Walking Dead, on August 31st and acclaimed drama Rectify on September 1st.

Read more at Advanced Television

Singapore, August 3, 2015: As part of its continuous endeavor to provide TV viewers globally with their favorite Indian TV soaps and serials, Sony Entertainment Television Asia, is pleased to announce the launch of the leading Indian television channels: Sony Entertainment Television Asia, SET Max and SAB, will now be available on Yupp TV in Singapore, known to have one of the largest overseas Indian populations.

One of India’s leading entertainment channels, Sony Entertainment Television Aisa (SET) continues to create exceptionally popular shows since its inception in 1995 with remarkable characters that have remained etched in the minds of the viewers. SET has always been ahead in sensing the pulse of audiences and offers a bouquet of shows that caters to all age groups.

From the very popular Reality shows such as Indian Idol and Kaun Banega Crorepati to Thrillers such as CID and Crime Patrol to top of the line fiction shows such as Ekta Kapoors’ Itna karo Na Mujhe Pyaar, Goldie Behl’s Reporters, futuristic fiction 2025 Aage kya hoga (to be launched soon) to Historical such as Mahanana Prathap to Mythology- Mahabali Hanumaan to Suryaputra Karna, SET keeps venturing in unchartered territories to entertain the audiences always.
Sony MAX, India’s premium Bollywood movies and special events channel boasting of over 1000 titles ranging from latest releases to timeless classics with key banners like Yash Chopra studios, Vishesh Films and Film Kraft.

Sony SAB, a “one of its kind” linear comedy channels focusing on entertaining, with a line-up of 24×7 comedy programs Taarak Mehta Ka Oolta Chasma, Chidiyaghar, Yum Hai Hum, Bade Door Se Aaayein Hain etc.

Mr. Neeraj Arora, EVP and International Business Head, said, “With an aim to offer the finest entertainment to viewers in markets across the world, we are excited to extend our partnership with YuppTV to offer SET Asia, Sony MAX and Sony SAB to subscribers in Singapore. We trust that viewers of South Asian content will enjoy the channels’ wide variety of offerings, innovative programs and light-hearted content dedicated to promoting an enjoyable ‘family-viewing’ experience.”

With this move, YuppTV’s offering has become stronger in the Singapore region. As one of the largest internet TV providers of South Asian Content, YuppTV delivers 200+ Indian TV channels worldwide in 13 Indian languages, as Live TV, and 10 days of revolutionary Catch-up TV, along with Movies from various production houses. Languages in Singapore region include Hindi, Bengali, Punjabi, Marathi, Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil, Gujarati, Sinhala and Kannada.

“Meeting the high demand for Indian television offerings, we are pleased to take three of India’s most popular channels to the TV viewers in Singapore. We are confident that the Indian Diaspora will be delighted to watch their favourite shows on Sony Entertainment Television, SET Max and SAB. The Premium content that YuppTV is offering to the viewers across the world continues to grow and expand its scope as we add leading channels to our catalogue. This launch we trust will be the source of much pleasure to viewers across Singapore,” said Mr. Uday Reddy, CEO of YuppTV.

About Sony MSM Network
Sony MSM Network, one of the leading Hindi Entertainment networks has won over 400 million viewers worldwide, which includes countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, Africa, the Middle East , Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Japan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Maldives etc.

About YuppTV
YuppTV is one of the largest internet TV providers of South Asian Content. YuppTV delivers more than 200 live Indian TV channels in 13+ Indian languages, worldwide. Users can watch live TV, 10 days of Catch-up TV and enjoy Indian movies anytime anywhere. Users can access YuppTV via 25+ internet enabled devices: Smart TVs, Internet STBs, Blu-ray players, PCs, Gaming consoles, Smart Phones and Tablets. Visit us at: www.yupptv.com

For further information please contact:
Anjanaa Wyyuru
Marketing Executive
MSM Asia Limited
Singapore 529482

4 August 2015 – Spanish production company Mediapro has reached an agreement with Vodafone-ONO to launch Qatar’s Al Jazeera Sports TV channel beIN Sports on the platform.

The channel -already available on Telefonica’s Movistar TV- is likely to be launched on other pay TV platforms since Mediapro is negotiating with all distribution TV platforms in Spain.

Read more at Advanced Television

4 August 2015 – StarHub to commission over 80 hours of local productions under PSB Contestable Funds Scheme

Singapore, 4 August 2015 – StarHub, Singapore’s leading pay TV operator, is set to boost its line-up of local content with a fresh round of funding from the Media Development Authority (MDA) under its Public Service Broadcast Contestable Funds Scheme (PCFS) for 2015. With this funding, StarHub will commission over 80 hours of original local productions. To cater to the rising demand for bite-sized content, and to reach a wider audience online, StarHub will be allocating part of this year’s funding to commission short-form content, which will be made available on digital platforms.

Read more at 4rfv.com

4 August 2015 – (Mumbai, 4 August 2015)… BBC Worldwide has announced its first VOD deal in India. The deal, with the leading direct to home provider (DTH) , Tata Sky comprises of SVOD and TVOD services and gives subscribers in eight metros in India, access to the best of the BBC’s drama and comedy via ‘BBC On-Demand’, a branded property on Tata Sky’s platform. Viewers can now also access it online via their TVs, PCs, tablets and mobiles.

Programmes that will be available on the service include Luther, starring Idris Alba, who won a Golden Globe for his role as a brilliant but emotionally impulsive murder detective; The Honorable Woman starring Maggie Gyllenhaal who won a Golden Globe for her portrayal of a powerful businesswoman haunted by events from her past in a thriller set in the Middle East; and Burton and Taylor, based on the legendary acting duo, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor starring Dominic West and Helena Bonham Carter. Kickstarting the block is classic hit Yes, Prime Minister, contemporary comedy, Citizen Khan and an endearing drama, Being Erica.

“In a study commissioned by BBC Worldwide earlier this year, we found that quality of content, British humour, and a love of original British dramas were the top reasons why people, including Indians, enjoy British television programmes,” said Myleeta Aga, SVP and GM of BBC Worldwide in India. “We are very excited to be working with Tata Sky to bring these award winning and high quality programmes, many never before seen in India, to Tata Sky’s subscribers, where they can access them anytime, anywhere.”

“We are very pleased to be partnering with BBC Worldwide to launch BBC-on-demand,” said Paolo Agostinelli, Chief Content Officer at Tata Sky. “Viewing habits and customer needs in the industry are evolving as fast as ever. We are committed to remain the best choice in the country when it comes to premium entertainment, which means we must be able to offer top branded content and the best viewing experience, including increasingly popular time-shifted and device-shifted binge viewing content. We are confident that this is only the start of a very fruitful relationship with BBC”.

– Ends –

For more information, please contact:

For BBC Worldwide:
Jeanne Leong
BBC Worldwide Asia
Tel: +65 6849 5292
Email: Jeanne.Leong@bbc.com

About BBC Worldwide
BBC Worldwide is the main commercial arm and a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Its vision is to build the BBC’s brands, audiences, commercial returns and reputation across the world. This is achieved through investing in, commercialising and showcasing content from the BBC around the world, in a way that is consistent with BBC standards and values. The business also champions British creativity globally.

In 2013/14, BBC Worldwide generated headline profits of £157.4m and headline sales of £1,042.3m and returned £173.8m to the BBC. For more detailed performance information please see our Annual Review website: http://www.bbcworldwide.com/annualreview

About Tata Sky
Launched in 2006, Tata Sky is a JV between the TATA Group and 21st Century Fox. The company has invested in state-of-the-art digital infrastructure, partnered with global leaders to provide superior technology and set-up high-end 24×7 call centers across the country manned by multi-lingual customer service associates.
The Tata Sky brand has achieved significant milestones, industry accolades and is rated as the No 1 DTH brand by the ET Brand Equity 2012 most trusted brand survey. Recently Tata Sky+ HD has been rated as the ‘Product of the Year’, 2013 in the DTH category. The company currently has a presence over 50,000 towns & villages with over 14.5 million connections.