ITV

Tag: HDNet

  • Google opens video marketplace

    Google opens video marketplace

    MUMBAI: Live from the 2006 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Google Inc. announced the planned opening of the Google Video store, the first open video marketplace enabling consumers to buy and rent a wide range of video content from a major television network, a professional sports league, cable programmers, independent producers and film makers.

    This fast growing collection of videos will include prime-time and classic hits from CBS, a full slate of NBA games from this season and outstanding performances from the past, music videos from Sony BMG, Charlie Rose interviews as well as news and historical content from ITN and new titles being added everyday, informs an official release.

    “Google Video will let you watch lots of high quality video on the web for the first time. You can search and browse, and we make it fast and easy for you to watch,” said Google’s co-founder and president, Products Larry Page. “For video producers and anyone with a video camera, Google Video will give you a platform to publish to the entire Google audience in a fast, free and seamless way.”

    Available soon, people who visit the Google Video homepage at http://video.google.com will be able to browse listings of video by category from the store or search Google’s entire collection of videos by simply entering keywords into the search box, the release adds.

    “This is yet another exciting platform in which CBS can leverage its market-leading content to a whole new audience,” said CBS Corporation president & CEO Leslie Moonves. “Making our programming accessible to the Google Video store guarantees our shows significant new exposure to millions of users who are likely to access this web service and who may not be traditional TV viewers. As the industry’s most prolific generator of popular TV content, it’s only natural that CBS would partner with Google on this service, which is destined to become one of the web’s most popular destinations.”

    CBS’s current primetime hits will include CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, NCIS, Survivor and The Amazing Race. Library classics will include I Love Lucy, The Brady Bunch, The Twilight Zone, MacGyver, Have Gun Will Travel, Mannix, My Three Sons, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager. All CBS programs will be presented commercial free.

    Google Video will also feature NBA games from this season and some of the greatest individual performances in NBA history. Marking the first time NBA fans can purchase full NBA contests on the Web, each NBA game for the rest of this season, including the NBA Playoffs and The Finals, will be available to fans in its entirety 24 hours after the contest’s conclusion. In addition, the highest scoring games of several of the NBA’s best players will be available including Kobe Bryant’s 62 point performance in three quarters vs. Dallas last month.

    Additional highlights of Google’s video collection will include:
    Music videos from Sony BMG. The line-up of launch videos includes offerings from some of SONY BMG’s global superstar artists, including Christina Aguilera, Beyonce, Kenny Chesney, Destiny’s Child, Kelly Clarkson, Alicia Keys, Lil’ Flip, Jessica Simpson, Shakira, System of a Down, Switchfoot, Usher, and many more.

    Feature Length Independent Films from Greencine.com. Including works by legendary Polish director Andrzej Wajda (Promised Land), documentary filmmaker Ted Bonnitt (Mau Mau Sex Sex) and independent actor/director Caveh Zahedi (In the Bathtub of the World).

    Historic, news and educational footage from ITN. This material ranges from coverage of key events in 2005 such as the Pope John Paul II’s death, back to a recording of the 1896 coronation of Tsar Nicholas II – one of the earliest known pieces of moving imagery.

    Charlie Rose interviews. Including interviews with Henry Kissinger, Oliver Stone, Quentin Tarantino, Martha Stewart, Martin Scorsese, Harrison Ford, Dan Rather, Charles M. Schulz, Steve Jobs, Jay Leno, Tom Brokaw, and others.

    Cartoon classics from Classic Media. Featuring many of the world’s most famous animated series such as Felix the Cat, Casper The Friendly Ghost, and Rocky and Bullwinkle.

    Children’s educational programming from CLEARVUE & SVE. Educational video topics vary from teen education on tattoos to explanations about the workings of the human brain.

    Clips from Getty Images’ Archive Films Collection. A diverse collection of short clips that capture personalities, moments and eras throughout history – selected from vintage newsreels and educational film, as well as contemporary news and events from around the world.

    There will be thousands of titles for sale in the Google Video store with more titles added everyday. The list of content producers will also include a broad range of entertainment and educational partners including among others, BlueHighways TV, CareTALK, Fashion TV, here! TV, HDNet, HilariousDownloads.com, Image Entertainment, iWatchNow.com, Kantola Productions, MediaZone.com, Plum TV, PorchLight Entertainment, SOFA Entertainment, Teen Kids, Trinity Broadcasting Network, WGBH, Wheels TV, and Wilderness Film India Ltd.

  • PanAmSat solidifies HD dominance with National Geographic HD win

    PanAmSat solidifies HD dominance with National Geographic HD win

    MUMBAI: National Geographic HD has chosen to join PanAmSat’s high-definition neighborhood. PanAmSat’s Galaxy HD neighborhood reaches over 9,000 cable systems throughout the US and features many of America’s top HD offerings, including: HBO HD, Cinemax HD, National Geographic HD, HDNet, HDNet Movies, Encore HD, ESPN HD, Fox Sports Net HD, NBA HD, NFL Network HD, The Outdoor Channel, Showtime HD West, STARZ! HD, TNT HD, WB HD and Wealth TV.

    “National Geographic’s high-quality, award-winning programming lends itself perfectly to high-definition television delivery. By joining the A-list roster of customers on Galaxy 13, National Geographic HD will enjoy the industry’s best coast-to-coast coverage that this powerful spacecraft offers. And, bar none, the Galaxy HD neighborhood delivers what television networks want — to pass every potential HDTV cable home in the nation’s top ADIs,” said PanAmSat executive vice president global sales and marketing Mike Antonovich.

    National Geographic HD is distributed by Fox Entertainment Group. Fox had signed a long-term, multi-year, multi-satellite, multi-transponder deal with the Company, consolidating its entire suite of US programming onto PanAmSat’s global fleet as well as a significant portion of its international traffic. The contract was later expanded to include two additional transponders on Galaxy 13, the new home for National Geographic HD.

    High-definition television has made large strides in the US and is predicted to make even larger inroads in the next four years.

    According to industry analyst reports, by 2009, HDTV will be in 52 million households, up from the current four million households. Northern Sky Research estimates that 500 channels will be broadcast in HD by 2010. And, the Consumer Electronics Association reports that seven in 10 consumers are planning to purchase a digital cable-ready HDTV as their next television.

    Ultimately, the continued price reductions in the HDTV arena, coupled with the looming analog cut-off, will result in 55 percent of US households having at least one HD-capable TV by the end of 2010 explain analysts from Leichtman Research Group’s in a recent report entitled, “HDTV: Awareness, Interest and Intent to Purchase 2005.”

  • NASA and HDNet announce HDTV broadcast partnership

    NASA and HDNet announce HDTV broadcast partnership

    MUMBAI: NASA and HDNet have joined together to provide high definition TV coverage of space shuttle launches through 2010. The agreement ensures the remaining shuttle lift-offs and landings at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida will be broadcast in the highest quality television format available.

    NASA administrator Michael Griffin and HDNet chairman and president Mark Cuban will discuss formal details of the agreement during a news conference on 6 April in Colorado.

    “We appreciate the financial investment and technical expertise HDNet has brought to the table to help us reach audiences interested in this next generation of television,” Griffin said.

    HDNet will broadcast the flights in high definition TV, known as HDTV, which has at least twice the resolution of standard television formats. HDNet also will provide the agency a standard broadcast signal of launches for use by media networks and NASA TV. When possible, it will air HDTV coverage of NASA’s expendable rocket launches on its network.

    “This is an exciting deal for HDNet. Every shuttle launch is a unique and historic American experience. For the next four years, the place to watch this full live broadcast experience in high-definition will be on HDNet. We are proud that NASA has partnered with HDNet for this important role,” Cuban said.

  • Panamsat reports four per cent revenue growth

    Panamsat reports four per cent revenue growth

    MUMBAI: Global satellite service provider Panamsat has reported financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended 31 December, 2005

    For the year, total consolidated revenues of $861. million increased by 4.1 per cent from 2004 while video services revenues grew by 7.3 per cent over 2004. This year was significant as the company was acquired by Intelsat for $3.2 billion.

    The company paid down $676 million of long-term debt and paid out $300.3 million of dividends to shareholders as a result of strong financial results and a successful IPO. The company also achieved a year end 2005 cash balance of $126.3 million compared to $39 million at year end 2004.

    Total revenues for the fourth quarter of 2005 were $229.2 million, compared to revenues of $207.7 million for the same quarter last year, an increase of 10.4 per cent.

    Panamsat CEO Joe Wright said, “Panamsat finished the year in an extremely strong position as we completed one of the most successful years in the company’s history. Our management team has now met or exceeded guidance for four years in a row while also continuing to increase our revenues and profitability. The utilisation on our satellite

    fleet increased to 73 per cent compared to an industry average of less than 60 per cent, while our fleet reliability remained at an industry high of 99.9 per cent.

    “Equally as important as our strong financial results, we made real progress in the three major strategic areas that we identified early last year for future growth: 1) High Definition video in North America and expansion of Direct-to-Home (DTH) video services in international markets. 2) satellite-based connectivity in rural America and remote regions of the world and 3) servicing the U.S. Government. We capped off the year with an agreement to merge with Intelsat.
    “In the first strategic area of video expansion, we expanded our industry leading HD

    neighborhood in the U.S. on Galaxy 13 by signing a multiple year, multiple transponder contract with HDNet as well as by adding new channels to the platform including the Outdoor Channel. In addition, to meet strong demand for Ku-band capacity in North America, we signed an agreement with JSat to co-develop the Ku-band Horizons-2 satellite for the US market, which will support expanded HDTV, digital video, and IP-based content distribution

    networks to broadband Internet and satellite news gathering (SNG) services.

    “We also launched Vis-a-TV, an ethnic programming service for the U.S. marketplace. Vis-a-TV represents a milestone for the industry as it is the first time an operator will partner with its customers to bring the world’s programming to the U.S. Internationally, we developed the PanGlobal TV DTH

    platform in Australia, which currently offers 25 different channels of ethnic programming content and will be duplicated in additional international markets, including New Zealand, this year.

    “In our second strategic area, providing satellite-based connectivity to developing markets, several of our initiatives have already developed into real growth opportunities. In South Africa, we joined the Liberty Foundation and are providing over 1,000 schools with general curriculum and other teaching aids from Johannesburg. We are also using our satellites to provide health education to citizens across the country via a network of government healthcare clinics. In Mexico, we have joined with our partner Grupo Pegaso to expand satellite-based broadband services to government, enterprises and consumers.

    “Our G2 Satellite Solutions unit, formed several years ago, also made significant progress during the year. This Panamsat subsidiary now accounts for nearly $90 million in annual revenues and is recognised as one of the

    premier full-service total solutions providers to the U.S. Government. In 2005, the G2 team created a managed network solution specifically for the US government and its various agencies.

    “The network uses high-powered Ku-band beams around the globe to deliver voice, data, video and Internet connectivity. At the end of 2005, this service was installed in over 300
    locations and is projected to be the fastest growing part of the business. And, equally important, we were able to clearly demonstrate the value of our satellites in the case of emergencies such as Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma. We were ready then and will be in the future to provide communications services in the event of an emergency, either natural or man-made,” adds Wright.