Category: Software

SPT Asia signs deal with pay-TV platform in Philippines

MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Television (SPT) Networks, Asia has signed an agreement with Sky Cable Corporation to expand carriage of AXN and beTV to the Destiny Cable pay-TV platform in the Philippines.

Both channels are located on Destiny Cable‘s basic tier of channels, which are available to its widest base of subscribers. Destiny Cable customers can now enjoy AXN and beTV on channels 61 and 62 respectively.

"The Philippines is a key market where we continue to invest and hope to entertain even greater audiences by expanding AXN and beTV‘s reach to the country‘s second most subscribed to pay-TV platform, Destiny Cable. Our expanded partnership with Sky Cable Corporation provides even more viewers with access to our high-quality programming," said SPT Networks, Asia EVP and GM Ricky Ow.

With the launch of AXN and beTV on Destiny Cable, SPT Networks, Asia claims that all its channels are now available on every pay-TV platform in Metro Manila and on all major systems in the country.

"We are excited about this new agreement with SPT Networks, one of the producers of top-quality shows in the world. Our relationship with them has truly grown even further through the years. Our growing client base in the Philippines will surely be elated as well since they would be the beneficiaries of these exciting entertainment packages. Subscribers are assured of up-to-date viewing of popular shows that are currently being aired in the United States," said Destiny Cable GM Jon Arayata.

Delivering first run, exclusive top-rated drama series, blockbuster movies, adventure and competitive reality programs from around the world, as well as localized original productions, AXN remains the No.1 rated English GE channel in the Philippines .

beTV is Asia‘s new entertainment hangout for the best of TV. With first and exclusive, award-winning new and returning hit drama, comedy, mystery and lifestyle shows, beTV is a broad GE channel which is female skewing, with a core audience of 18-34 years old.

November 17, 2012
Telefónica, Microsoft to deploy global video platform

MUMBAI: Telecom company Telefónica‘s subsidiary Telefonica Digital and Microsoft have announced a multi-year strategic agreement to create a new global video platform (GVP) for all video entertainment services across Telefónica‘s Operating Businesses.

Based on key Microsoft technologies including the Microsoft Mediaroom platform, the GVP is unique in delivering TV services over both managed (IPTV) and non-managed (over the top) networks, at global scale, to a range of consumer devices.

The first GVP deployments are taking place in Brazil, Chile and Spain, and Telefónica anticipates extending the deployment of TV services based on the GVP to a number of its other Operating Businesses over the next few years.

Telefónica Digital director of digital services Vivek Dev said, "Video is a fast-growing market, and we already play a leading role in delivering Pay TV services to customers in Europe and Latin America. This new platform allows us to reflect the deep and rapid changes happening in this market. It offers the ease and convenience of a global, convergent platform while maintaining flexibility over content for our local businesses. Most important, it allows us to meet customer demands for access to video content on an ever-expanding range of devices".

The GVP, and its use of Mediaroom, will enable Telefónica to deliver to consumers high-performance, differentiated and feature-rich TV services over both its managed high-speed broadband networks as well as "over-the-top" nonmanaged broadband networks. It provides a range of advanced features to TV subscribers, including time-shifting and multiscreen among others, enabling Telefónica to take advantage of its multidevice capabilities.

Microsoft corporate VP, Operator TV Business Tom Gibbons said, "Telefónica is a close partner to Microsoft, and the Global Video Platform, based on the Microsoft Mediaroom platform, will enable them to grow their business and reach new audiences. This new agreement focused on Telefónica‘s GVP further extends our alliance in the world of TV and video entertainment to a range of screens throughout the home and on the go, and the benefits will be enjoyed by many millions of people globally. Through its use of IP-based broadband networks and the Microsoft Mediaroom platform, Telefónica‘s next-generation TV services are poised to delight and entertain millions of consumers across their markets in Europe and Latin America."

These services can be enjoyed by consumers on a range of devices inside and outside the home, including set-top boxes, Xbox 360, tablets and smartphones. Because the Mediaroom platform includes key technologies such as Microsoft PlayReady, Internet Information Services Smooth Streaming and Microsoft Silverlight, the delivery of TV services across these various networks and to multiple screen types can all be done via one common technology infrastructure. This is expected to result in significant efficiencies for Telefónica in time to market, cost of delivery and overall scale.

Earlier this month, Telefónica launched its premium Internet Protocol television (IPTV) service in Brazil, which follows a similar launch in Chile in October. Both services, Vivo TV Fibra in Brazil and Movistar IPTV in Chile, are the first IPTV deployments that take advantage of the new GVP platform and its capabilities, offering an exceptional user experience for their Fiber to the Home customers. In November 2011, Telefónica and Microsoft launched the first service enabled by the GVP: Movistar Imagenio on Xbox 360. It provides subscribers with 12 linear channels focused on sports, including the Spanish First Soccer League (Liga BBVA) under Canal+ Liga Channel.

During the past 14 months, the Microsoft Mediaroom platform has continued to scale its deployments and services, surpassing 11 million consumer households and 22 million set-top boxes across the Americas, EMEA and APAC, further securing its position as the world‘s most deployed IPTV platform.*

November 16, 2012
BBC Worldwide launches YouTube channel

MUMBAI: BBC Worldwide has launched Earth Unplugged, a new YouTube channel from BBC Earth, BBC Worldwide’s global natural history brand.

The channel will feature films created for a digital audience by BBC Earth Productions and is set to become a destination site for wildlife and nature.

Earth Unplugged is BBC Worldwide’s first original-content channel for YouTube and forms part of the company’s plans to build a true consumer facing multi-channel network on the platform.
BBC Worldwide MD for BBC Earth Amanda Hill said, “With Earth Unplugged we’re seeking to connect a new audience with the world around them. YouTube offers a fantastic opportunity to reach people and grab their attention with innovative nature content that will captivate and inspire.”

Earth Unplugged has released a trailer for the channel today which can be viewed here: YouTube.com/EarthUnplugged.

On launch the channel will feature videos for seven unmissable new shows:

Earth Juice will bring viewers weekly news discussing the latest discoveries in the natural world and revealing amazing facts that they may never have heard before: from bees that have produced blue honey to uncovering the real life vampires in the animal kingdom.

Meet My Planet is a glossy and intimate look inside the world of people who have been inspired by the natural world. THE mix of people are from explorers, naturalists and filmmakers to artists and musicians – all of whom have a passion for nature.

Deadliest… is a YouTube exclusive spin-off of the BBC’s TV show ‘Deadly 60‘ and features the ultimate showdowns from the planet’s deadliest animals; the most inhospitable habitats and most dangerous forces of nature.

‘Walking with Dinosaurs‘ will see videos specially created for Earth Unplugged – including the sketchosaurus. Meanwhile Earth Files takes iconic nature stories and gives them a unique digital makeover, fusing high-end graphics and surprising music with beautiful photography to create a brand new experience.

Zoo La La will travel the world uncovering some of the most extraordinary animal behaviour and Bugface, part of Zoo La La, makes insects the star of a new show that has to be seen to be believed!

Amazing Animal Babies will feature films of baby animals and will reveal the stories these infants have to tell.

November 16, 2012
Time Warner secures deal with DirecTV for Lakers channel

MUMBAI: Leading US pay-TV platform DirecTV has entered into an agreement with the new Time Warner Cable SportsNet and Deportes to make the Lakers and other local teams available to Southern California customers.

With this deal, Time Warner now has carriage agreements in place with several distributors including Cox Communications, Charter Communications, Verizon Communications Inc and AT&T. It is believed that Time Warner Cable has paid about $2 billion over 20 years for local broadcasting rights to Lakers‘ games.

The two channels are the local TV homes for Los Angeles Lakers, LA Galaxy and Los Angeles Sparks games, as well as in-depth, dedicated, team-focused programming.

Time Warner Cable SportsNet will be available for DirecTV customers on channel 691 throughout Southern California (Los Angeles, San Diego, Bakersfield and parts of Fresno) as well as Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, Las Vegas and Hawaii. Time Warner Cable Deportes will be available on channel 458.

"DirecTV is pleased that Los Angeles Lakers, LA Galaxy and Los Angeles Sparks games and programming will now be seen by so many people whose loyalty remains the life‘s blood to each team," said DirecTV chief content officer Dan York. "We appreciate our customers’ patience and are happy to have arrived at an outcome that benefits everyone involved. We know that our customers will enjoy the great programming of these three franchises for many years to come.”

“Our partners at DirecTV value Southern California sports as much as we do and we’re thrilled to work with them to bring Lakers, Galaxy and Sparks games and programming to our viewers,” said Time Warner Cable Sports SVP Dan Finnerty. “Time Warner Cable SportsNet and Time Warner Cable Deportes will help bring DirecTV customers closer to these teams than they have ever been before.”

November 16, 2012
No relaxation on digitisation in Delhi, Mumbai & Kolkata

NEW DELHI: The Government has ruled out any possibility of allowing multi-system operators (MSOs) and local cable operators (LCOs) in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata more time to completely switch over to digital delivery of television channels, as has been offered in Chennai.

During the hearing of a case in the Madras High Court, the ministry had said it was willing to extend the digitisation deadline to 31 December for Chennai if all the MSOs or LCOs signed affidavits assuring that they would go digital within the extended deadline.
Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry sources said the extension in deadline offered for Chennai was not applicable to Mumbai, Delhi or Kolkata since the situation in the southern metro was very different.

The sources said while the ministry had signed agreements for digital addressable system with 11 MSOs in Chennai, the largest MSO – the state government-owned Arasu –had only analogue delivery system and needed more time to convert to DAS.

The sources also said I&B Minister Manish Tewari had categorically ruled out any extension of the date in any of the phases, of which the first phase covering the four metros became effective on 1 November. The second phase of digitisation covering 38 cities takes effect on 31 March and all the cable TV delivery systems across the rest of the country are scheduled to go digital by December 2014.

The ministry sources admitted that there would be some differences in the figures given by it on implementation of digitisation or installation of digital set top boxes (STBs) with the actual figures on the ground, but it does not pose any problem as the consumers of these four cities were keen to go digital.

November 15, 2012
Intelsat signs multi-year agreement with Time Warner Cable Sports

MUMBAI: Intelsat, a leading satellite services provider, has signed a multi-year agreement with Time Warner Cable Sports for a turnkey solution that combines the IntelsatOneSM terrestrial network with capacity on Galaxy 17 for the distribution of two new sports-themed channels.

Intelsat will add Time Warner Cable SportsNet and Time Warner Cable Deportes to its video neighbourhood at 91° West, the premier orbital location for sports programming delivery in the United States. The agreement will enable reliable and broad distribution of the new 24/7, high-definition regional channels to viewers in the continental United States and Hawaii.
Through partnerships with the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Galaxy, Los Angeles Sparks and the California Interscholastic Federation, the networks will feature more than 150 live events, extensive team coverage and unparalleled behind-the-scenes access. In addition, Time Warner Cable Deportes will be the first U.S. regional sports network to broadcast entirely in Spanish.

Intelsat will provide on-site encoding and multiplexing at Time Warner Cable’s facility in El Segundo, California, as well as fiber connectivity and uplinking via IntelsatOne. The agreement allows Time Warner Cable Sports to scale its network easily and access Intelsat’s other solutions, such as occasional use services, to provide coverage of live games from across the country.

“With nearly 100 percent penetration of the U.S. cable market, Intelsat’s video neighborhoods are the leading choice for sports programmers, such as Time Warner Cable Sports, seeking maximum viewership in the United States,” said Intelsat Regional Vice President of North America Sales Mark Rasmussen. “This agreement on Galaxy 17 reinforces our long tradition of providing effective delivery solutions to the top content providers in North America and across the globe.”

November 15, 2012
SES launches iPad app showcasing SES satellites

MUMBAI: Leading satellite operator SES has launched a new iPad application, showcasing the SES global fleet of 52 satellites and including over 150 footprints. The app – SES Satellites – is designed by SES to engage its customers and enable them to easily locate the satellites covering their markets.

SES Satellites is the first satellite fleet iPad application with a search tool that displays satellite coverage based on one‘s location and has an augmented reality view which allows customers to easily locate the position of SES satellites by holding and pointing an iPad toward the sky.

Augmented reality view is a camera view of one‘s surroundings, enhanced with digital information. The iPad application also includes facts and figures of the SES satellites and high quality footprints.

“We are pleased to showcase our fleet and coverage using the capabilities of the iPad, with 3D earth navigation and an augmented reality view,” said SES SVP of Marketing and Corporate Communications Niclas Friese Greene.

“This tool illustrates the concept of satellites in space and coverage over the earth, as well as provides information that will enable our customers to learn more about our global fleet. With this new application, we are literally putting our satellite fleet in the hands of our customers.”

November 15, 2012
Online ad revenue projected to reach $143 bn by 2017

MUMBAI: Global online advertising revenues will reach $143 billion in 2017, double the $66 billion recorded in 2010 and considerably up from the $92 billion predicted for 2012, according to a new report from Digital TV Research.

According to Online Advertising Forecasts report, the US will remain the dominant territory for online advertising expenditure. Its share of online advertising revenues
stay at 40 per cent of the global total, although its online ad spend will grow from $26 billion in 2010 to $58.13 billion in 2017.

The report covering 40 countries takes into account the advertising expenditure of fixed broadband. Online advertising is defined in net terms (rate card prices less discounts, agency commissions and production costs).

The UK is projected to retain second place, recording $11.7 billion in 2017 while China is expected to overtake Japan to take third place in 2014. China’s online
advertising revenues will grow from $2.6 billion in 2010 to $10.8 billion in 2017.

This impressive global online advertising growth will be helped as more and more households covert to fixed broadband, the study noted.

By 2017, 745 million homes in 40 countries will subscribe to fixed broadband, up from 473 million in 2010. The 2017 total represents 49.2 per cent of total households, up from 33.5 per cent at end-2010. So online advertising per fixed broadband household will increase from $165 in 2012 to $197 by 2017.

November 15, 2012
RFI deploys RadioTV, Orad’s solution for automated TV production

MUMBAI: Radio France International (RFI), an entity of the AEF Group, leverages Orad‘s solution for automated TV production to record several talk shows in its programme line-up.

The goal is to increase the broadcasting of RFI‘s programmes beyond the availability of on-demand audio contents, while rationalising production costs.

RFI has chosen RadioTV, Orad‘s solution for the automatic production of radio shows, to publish two of its flagship shows on its website and social media channels. A French public radio station RFI‘s long term plans are to rely on Orad‘s solution to offer a sizeable portion of its programmes on different media such as smartphones, tablets, etc.

More often than ever, radio stations give their online audience the opportunity to watch talk shows live, especially political shows.
"Video can give radio the chance to reach a younger, more web-savvy audience, thus broadening its listener base, more so than podcasts. However, we have no intention of getting into video without full mastery of our production costs. In addition, we immediately dismissed single-camera systems, which offer little added value" explains Thierry Fanchon, who is in charge of information systems and technical management at the AEF (Audiovisuel Extérieur de la France)."

Orad‘s RadioTV is a fully automated system based on a voice detection algorithm; as soon as one of the participants speaks into a microphone, the system automatically starts recording video. Transitions from one speaker to the next are done in real time and with no human intervention. For longer exchanges, RadioTV uses a library of pre-defined scenarios allowing, for instance, splitting the screen or offering any other type of visualisation, depending on parameters that are included in the system.

Once the preparation phase was over, the first show to be broadcasted both on radio waves and in video streaming was "L‘invité du Matin" ("The Morning Guest"), hosted by Frédéric Rivi?re, in December 2011. "We chose a two-camera system, since this show revolves around one guest who is a prominent figure in political, economic and social activity, and whose reactions to French or international news are influential. This results in exchanges that are rather guided."

Starting in March 2012, another of RFI‘s flagship shows, ‘Mardi Politique‘ (‘Political Tuesday‘), was fitted with the RadioTV system in a more complex format: "This new show involves four journalists and one guest from the political sphere. In this situation, the system manages four cameras that film the guest (one camera) and the four reporters (two of them are filmed by a single camera), as well as a fifth camera for a wide-angle shot."

Started in April, the show is also streamed live on DailyMotion.

RadioTV also offers many overlay features, allowing users to set up a true window displaying information or to be used as a way to monetize content. "We aren‘t quite there yet, but we intend on moving towards online television as well as tablets or mobile devices."

RFI will soon move to a new location in Issy-les-Moulineaux (southwest of Paris), with larger studios. "We will have 14 studios, in which we should be installing RadioTV systems on a more ambitious scale. The four-camera system was a first step, but we are now looking at every possibility."

November 12, 2012
Euroconsult anticipates 1075 satellites to be built by 2021

MUMBAI: Euroconsult‘s newly released research report, Satellites to be Built & Launched by 2021: World Market Survey, anticipates that 1075 satellites will be built for launch worldwide over the next 10 years by 2021.

The report expects revenues from the manufacture and launch of these 1000 plus satellites will be worth $198 billion, up 36 per cent from that generated by the 800 satellites launched in the past ten years.

In 2011, the industry entered a growth phase with 100 satellites launched that year, an activity unknown since the late 1990s when the first generation of the two commercial constellations for global mobile personal communications were deployed into low Earth (LEO) orbit.

In the next six years, an average of 120 satellites should be orbited each year, then the launch tempo will decelerate at the end of the period as government and commercial satellite constellations complete their deployment.

Governments continue to dominate the space industry

Governments worldwide are responsible for almost two-thirds of the 1000 plus satellites to be launched and for the same proportion of the $198 billion expected in revenues. With 260 satellites to be launched in the decade ahead, Earth observation is the largest satellite application for governments that operate electro-optical and radar satellite systems through national agencies, multilateral cooperation and public/private partnerships.

Satellite demand of civilian government agencies will be much stronger than that of military agencies since military space remains concentrated in a limited number of countries for dedicated applications such as imagery intelligence. Despite the continuous emergence of new space countries globally, the six established space powers continue to dominate 85 per cent of future government satellite demand.

According to Rachel Villain, Director for Space at Euroconsult and Editor of the research report, "Governments in established space countries continue to drive innovation for satellite systems with benefice for their local industries even if systems‘ replacements are more carefully assessed in the countries where cost limits become stricter."

Emerging space countries should represent a market of 110 satellites of different size and capabilities to be developed by local suppliers with the support of foreign companies.

Commercial satellite demand driven by the replacement of existing capacities

In the commercial space sector, almost 75 per cent of recent satellite orders will be launched to replace aged satellites operational in geostationary (GEO) orbit. The sector is made of 50 companies that procure and operate GEO satellite systems to retail satellite bandwidth for communications and broadcasting services.

Despite consolidation through mergers and acquisitions, the sector has enlarged significantly in recent years with numerous government-backed operators acquiring their first satellite to become independent from third parties for satellite bandwidth. 15 satellites are now under development for newcomers such as Turkmenistan, Laos, and Belarus.

Commercial satellites outside the GEO orbit will boost with 120 units to be launched into low and medium Earth orbits in the decade ahead. According to Euroconsult, the market value to manufacture and launch these 120 satellites will be less than 10 per cent of that derived from commercial GEO satellites.

November 12, 2012