ITV

Tag: CMMB

  • CASBAA Announces Thirteen-Strong Board of Directors

    CASBAA Announces Thirteen-Strong Board of Directors

    MUMBAI: Since its inception in 1991, CASBAA has welcomed an ever-growing group of members, showcasing the diverse industries and areas that make up Asia Pacific Broadcasting. Now, following its AGM on 29 October, CASBAA has announced its most extensive group of Directors to date, with many of the regional industry’s leading players represented.

     

    A lineup of 13 preeminent Directors will form the new Board: Marcel Fenez (PwC), Amit Malhotra (Walt Disney), Andrew Jordan (Eutelsat), Bill Wade (AsiaSat), Janice Lee (PCCW), Joe Welch (21st Century Fox), Jonathan Spink (HBO), Mark Patterson (GroupM), Ricky Ow (Turner), Alexandre Muller (TV5MONDE), Frank Rittman (Motion Picture Association), Sompan Charumilinda (TrueVisions), and Todd Miller (Celestial Tiger Entertainment).

     

    “We are very fortunate to have such a remarkable group of multichannel TV industry professionals on the CASBAA Board,” said outgoing Chairman Marcel Fenez. “I would like to extend a personal thank you to our long-standing Board members, and a heartfelt welcome to our new Directors. Together, our mission is to lead the Association for the benefit of the CASBAA members and the industry as a whole. Thanks to their combined experience, insight, and dedication, the future of CASBAA looks bright under their direction.”

     

    CASBAA also welcomed two new Corporate Members to its roster. Satellite-to-mobile internet multimedia provider, CMMB Vision is a cutting-edge company employing L-band geo-satellite with converged mobile broadcasting technology to deliver IP-based video, audio and data content directly to mobile users.

     

    Also joining the Association is cable and broadcasting network giant 21st Century Fox, home to the premier portfolio of cable, broadcast, film, pay TV and satellite assets across the globe.

     

    “It is a delight to welcome these new members, who bring with them unparalleled experience and reach in the broadcasting industry. I am confident they will prove to be invaluable additions to the CASBAA community,” said CASBAA CEO Christopher Slaughter.

     

    In a final piece of news, to encourage an even broader range of industry professionals to join the CASBAA community, the Association has added a new membership category. As the industry develops, new players are emerging, with smaller start-ups and entrepreneurial organisations providing invaluable services to the industry.  In order to encourage active participation with the broader CASBAA membership, the new category, Associate Membership, is open to firms with fewer than fifty employees worldwide.

  • SES enables Chinese startimes to expand tv reach in Africa

    SES enables Chinese startimes to expand tv reach in Africa

    MUMBAI: SES (NYSE Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG) announced today that StarTimes Communication Network Technology, China’s most influential system integrator, technology provider and network operator, has signed a 10-year contract on SES-5 at 5 degrees East to expand its media footprint in Africa and deliver direct-to-home (DTH) broadcast services across the continent.

    StarTimes, which is the fastest-growing digital TV operator Africa and has over 2.6 million digital terrestrial television (DTT) subscribers, also acquired SES’ 20% shareholding in South African pay-TV operator Top TV.

    The contract will see StarTimes utilise four transponders as of October 2013 and a fifth transponder from February 2014 to grow their DTH subscribers in Africa. The Chinese broadcaster will continue to broadcast TopTV on SES-5 by using three of the newly-contracted SES transponders that were formerly leased by ODM. The other two out of the five SES transponders contracted by StarTimes will be used to complement their DTT offering in remote and non-urban areas and grow their pay-TV business.  

    “The recent success of StarTimes’s strategic investment in ODM will allow us to reach new audiences in South Africa. The partnership with SES enables StarTimes to have a DTH platform in addition to the existing DTT and mobile TV (CMMB) platforms in sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, the high-powered SES-5 at the prime orbital location of 5 degrees East is ideal in overcoming the challenges of terrestrial coverage to reach large audiences. This will allow us to extend our broadcast reach across the continent and ensure excellent service and picture quality for our viewers,” said StarTimes Group Chairman and President Pang Xinxing.

    “We are honoured that StarTimes has chosen to work with us to complement their DTT business across Africa and to deliver more exciting content to Africa’s dynamic markets,” said Ferdinand Kayser, Chief Commercial Officer of SES. “The new partnership with StarTimes will illustrate how the combination of DTH and DTT is a key enabler in Africa’s migration to digital TV and also help set pace in the continent’s digital migration race.”