25 January 2016
Globecast, the global solutions provider for media, has been chosen by Russian broadcaster Bestseller Channel, distributed by Signal Media International, to extend its reach to the European market via HotBird,. Globecast has also been selected by Soyuz TV, which celebrates the Russian Orthodox Church, to provide distribution services via HotBird.
Working with Globecast brings Bestseller Channel’s high-quality original drama, long-running bestselling series and award-winning made-for-TV movies to the Russian diaspora across the region. Signal Media International’s portfolio consists of 14 Russian language TV channels distributed across CIS, four in Europe and three worldwide. Bestseller is one of the most loved and is highly popular. Globecast is initially redistributing the Russian SD version of the channel via Ku-band for DTH reception using its new Moscow PoP to handle the uplinking.
Soyuz TV, a channel that celebrates and explores the values of the Russian Orthodox Church, is also now being distributed by Globecast Moskva. It’s being uplinked from Globecast’s Paris headquarters after the signal has been received by fibre from Moscow. The channel was looking to improve the quality of its signal and reception for its viewers across Europe and hence selected Globecast.
Biliana Pumpalovic, General Director at Globecast Moskva in Russia, said, “We are delighted to have signed new customers Bestseller Channel and Soyuz TV and that they recognise our unrivalled ability to provide a high-quality service that helps them reach new viewers, expanding their customer base. This is another example of how successfully we have grown Globecast’s business in Russia since 2006. We provide cross-media reach, both into and out of the country, as well as tailored content management and delivery services, including localisation, with access to Globecast’s worldwide network. We can get customers’ content to anywhere they want, in whatever format is suitable for a given market.”
CSTB 2016 sees Globecast in Russia celebrate ten years of successful operation and significant growth in the country, including the establishment of a PoP in Moscow.
Pumpalovic added, “We started small in Russia but the last decade has seen us expand in terms of personnel, local technical capabilities and of course the global reach that Globecast provides. We are leading the charge into providing services – media management, for example – that allow our customers to create precisely the content and channel offering for their specific audience in an efficient way. With our unrivalled connectivity and market knowledge, we are looking forwards to the next 10 years.”
Globecast is exhibiting in Hall 3, Booth 3-302 at CSTB, 26th-28th January. (Source: Globecast press release)
21 January 2016
The announcement by international human rights lawyer Amal Clooney that she will defend RFE/RL contributor Khadija Ismayilova before the European Court of Human Rights has raised the profile of the case along with hopes among media freedom advocates that the additional attention will help secure Ismayilova’s release.
Ismayilova told RFE/RL today through her Baku lawyer that she accepted Clooney’s offer because of the courage Clooney demonstrated while defending imprisoned Al-Jazeera journalist Mohamed Fahmy in Egypt in 2014.
RFE/RL Editor in Chief Nenad Pejic welcomed the announcement, saying “Amal Clooney’s decision to take the case is a powerful affirmation of Khadija and her journalism,” adding, “It’s a triumph for media freedom already. I know that with their combined strength they will win.”
Ismayilova, an internationally recognized investigative journalist from Azerbaijan, was sentenced in September, 2015 to over seven years in prison on spurious tax and finance-related charges that are widely believed to have been brought in retaliation for her reporting on corruption linked to members of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s family. Not a single witness testified against Ismayilova in a trial that rights groups called a “sham.”
International criticism of the Azerbaijani government and Ismayilova’s imprisonment reached a high point in December, 2015 with the introduction of H.R.4264, the Azerbaijan Democracy Act. Introduced by Chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe U.S. Rep. Christopher Smith (R-NJ), the bill would impose sanctions on Azerbaijani officials implicated in human rights abuses.
Clooney will represent Ismayilova together with Nani Jansen, head of the London-based Media Legal Defence Initiative. (Source: RFE/RL press release)
19 January 2016
Euronews is today announcing it will be extending its reach in the Caribbean thanks to a deal with Digicel Play in Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago.
Euronews English service will be fully available for the first time in Jamaica thanks to Digicel Play and will extend its distribution in Trinidad & Tobago thanks to Digicel.
Euronews is currently broadcast to 722,000 households in the Caribbean region.
Digicel Play is a new frontier in home entertainment, giving customers the power to have their entertainment and access to the internet the way they want it. It is jam-packed with cool features making it the most attractive home entertainment experience around. As the only true fibre to the home network, Digicel Play turns homes into the ultimate entertainment zones and delivers TV, superfast broadband and telephony coupled with the best channel and content line-up and the best viewing experience.
Arnaud Verlhac, Worldwide Distribution Director of Euronews said: “We are delighted to see Euronews associated with such a recognised brand in the Caribbean. By choosing Euronews, one of the key international news channel, for its channel lineup, Digicel Play is giving a firm thumbs up to the news content we are delivering and our ability to best serve the needs of the various cultural communities living in or visiting the Caribbean.”
Corine Babani, Distribution Manager North America & Caribbean added: “This new deal is a clear opportunity to increase our visibility in the region and Euronews is proud to deliver independent world news with a unique perspective to the Caribbean region”.
John Suranyi, CEO of Digicel Play for the Caribbean and Central America, comments; “Our customers deserve the best of the best in terms of compelling content and Euronews fits that bill perfectly offering a unique perspective on world events through factual analysis. We are delighted to be welcoming Euronews to the Digicel Play family.” (Source: Euronews press release)
19 January 2016
Under an agreement signed in Paris on Tuesday January 19 with KCNA (the Korean Central News Agency), Agence France-Presse will open a permanent bureau in Pyongyang, North Korea.
‘The opening of an Agence France-Presse bureau in Pyongyang will further strengthen the Agency’s international network. AFP’s role is to be present everywhere in the world in order to fulfil its news mission as completely as possible, in particular through images,’ said AFP Chairman Emmanuel Hoog.
This new bureau, which will produce text, photo and video, will be operational in the first half of 2016. It will join AFP’s existing network of 200 bureaux in 150 countries.
AFP is the second of the major global news agencies to open a bureau in Pyongyang, where few foreign media organisations are present. (Source: AFP press release)
19 January 2016
Globecast, the global solutions provider for media, has been chosen by Russian broadcaster Channel One to help them reach the European market (via HotBird) and Asia (via AsiaSat 5), extending its reach to new audiences. Globecast is providing dual illumination on HotBird with an MPEG-4 channel in addition to the existing MPEG-2 service it provides for the broadcaster.
The leading Russian language channel carries a mix of news, documentaries, feature film productions, as well as entertainment content. Channel One’s existing content stream is being re-broadcast to audiences in these new territories, benefiting from Globecast’s global presence and network capacity.
The live signal from Channel One is received at Globecast’s Moscow PoP and delivered to London. From there it’s uplinked to HotBird for onward European transmission. For Asian audiences, the signal is forwarded to Hong Kong for uplinking to AsiaSat 5.
The addition of an MPEG-4 channel – and the current dual illumination – means that Channel One can smoothly migrate from its existing MPEG-2 SD channel as and when required.
Biliana Pumpalovic, General Director at Globecast Moskva in Russia, said, “We’re delighted to be helping Channel One make this important step in increasing its reach by delivering its content to a new audience. This partnership is also a good illustration of how Globecast can ensure customers meet both their current and future business objectives in a cost effective way, with no disruption to their service; the dual MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 illumination means that Channel One can make the transition seamlessly, as needed.” (Source: Globecast press release)
