20 November 2014
The Eurosport Group has signed a significant long-term agreement with international sports marketing company Infront Sports & Media to consolidate its position as the reference channel for wintersports. Eurosport viewers will be able to enjoy the most comprehensive coverage of wintersports events LIVE on TV and digital through to season 2020/2021.
Europe’s leading sports entertainment group will continue to offer LIVE coverage of all FIS Alpine, Cross-Country, Nordic Combined, Ski Jumping, Freestyle and Snowboard World Cup competitions for five seasons from 2016/17 onwards.
In line with Eurosport’s current strategy of expanding exclusivity in pillar sports and for local markets, the broadcaster has secured exclusive coverage in the UK, France,Poland, Romania and Spain for all disciplines of the FIS Alpine and Nordic Skiing World Cup races and in Sweden for the American and Canadian FIS Alpine Ski World Cup races.
By retaining the rights to cover the 2019 and 2021 FIS Alpine and Nordic Skiing World Championships and the 2015 and 2017 FIS Snowboard and Freestyle Skiing World Championships in the agreement the channel will provide coverage of over 200 events every season.
Jean-Thierry Augustin, CEO of the Eurosport Group, said: “Eurosport demonstrates once more a clear commitment to invest in its role as the channel of reference for wintersports. On a strategic level Eurosport continues to secure long-term agreements across its rights portfolio and to increase local exclusivities to provide the best content offer possible for viewers and commercial partners.”
Philippe Blatter, President & CEO of Infront Sports & Media commented: “We are satisfied to announce this major agreement, as Eurosport represents a real occasion for wintersports to get the visibility they deserve around the world. We deem this has been the right choice to reach a wide audience, thanks to the traditional and digital media the broadcaster owns. This will increase the value of wintersports and widen the number of fans and people who practice them.”
The events will feature on Eurosport and Eurosport 2, as well as on Eurosport Asia-Pacific. In Europe alone over 600 hours of broadcasting will be scheduled per season for the FIS World Cups on Eurosport’s channels. The FIS World Cup events will also be available to watch on mobile, tablet, PC and connected TV through Eurosport’s online simulcast service, Eurosport Player.
18 November 2014
The BBG’s networks draw a record-high audience of 215 million people each week, according to a new report released today. This includes noteworthy increases in competitive media markets, on television and online.
Growth in the television audience has been tremendous, with an increase of 14 million from 2013. This is in part due to a successful affiliate strategy, through which BBG partners with more than 2,300 media outlets worldwide. These partnerships bring the BBG more than half of its overall global audience.
“Large audience gains in countries of strategic importance to the United States, combined with our distribution strategy, underscore that we are accomplishing our mission and skillfully utilizing our resources across difficult media environments,” said BBG Chairman Jeff Shell.
Weekly audiences in Russia and Ukraine have doubled as Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty expanded live coverage and introduced new programming in the region to counter Russian misinformation. Together, they reach one in five adults in Ukraine weekly.
VOA’s overall audience grew by seven million, to 171.6 million, due to large audience gains mainly in Indonesia, Bangladesh, Ukraine, Russia and Cambodia. Expanded television offerings on popular affiliate stations drove much of this increase in measured audiences.
RFE/RL’s overall audience expanded by more than five million, up to 23.3 million, a marked 30% increase from 2013. Notable audiences came from Iran, with the launch of Radio Farda’s popular morning program “Breakfast with News” as a television show.
In addition to weekly audience size, the BBG measures impact using quantitative, qualitative and anecdotal data on a wide range of factors, including program quality and trustworthiness, engagement with the news process, and audience understanding of current events. Examples of impact include:
- Radio/TV Martí launched Reporta Cuba, allowing citizen reporters to use mobile technology and digital media to provide eyewitness accounts of news directly from Cuba.
- Radio Free Asia has been at the forefront of breaking news from inside China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), garnering frequent media pickups from the New York Times, Associated Press, Washington Post, and regional media in Asia.
- Alhurra and Radio Sawa provided the Middle East and North Africa an alternative and reliable news source in contrast to ISIL propaganda.
The BBG’s Internet anti-censorship program also expands audience reach and program impact, through deployment of circumvention tools and by facilitating access to closed markets.
To learn more about the BBG’s performance measures, the 2014 Performance and Accountability Report is available here, along with the BBG’s 2014 audience overview and explanation of research methodology.
11 November 2014
UK media regulator Ofcom has declared Russian news channel RT, an AIB Member, to be in violation of its regulations, accusing the broadcaster of bias in its coverage of the Ukraine crisis.
Ofcom’s reprimand comes just two weeks after RT’s launch of its new British news channel, RT UK. Ofcom has summoned representatives from RT to a meeting to discuss the issue the issue further.
The Ofcom report outlined four incidents in early March 2014 in which it found RT’s reporting of the civil strife in Ukraine to be insufficiently impartial. Ofcom declared the Russian broadcaster was in breach of Ofcom’s Rules 5.1, 5.11 and 5.12:
- Rule 5.1: “News, in whatever form, must be reported with due accuracy and presented with due impartiality”.
- Rule 5.11: “In addition to the rules above, due impartiality must be preserved on matters of major political and industrial controversy and major matters relating to current public policy by the person providing a service (listed above) in each programme or in clearly linked and timely programmes”.
- Rule 5.12: “In dealing with matters of major political and industrial controversy and major matters relating to current public policy an appropriately wide range of significant views must be included and given due weight in each programme or in clearly linked and timely programmes. Views and facts must not be misrepresented”.
In the report’s concluding remarks, Ofcom said:
Ofcom emphasises that there is no requirement on broadcasters to provide an alternative viewpoint on all news stories or issues in the news, or to do so in all individual news items or programmes. It is also legitimate for news on a licensed service to be presented in broad terms from the viewpoint of a particular nation-state. We recognise that TV Novosti, providing a service with a Russian background, will want to present the news from a Russian perspective. However, all news must be presented with due impartiality: that is with impartiality adequate or appropriate to the subject and nature of the programme. In particular, when reporting on matters of major political or industrial controversy and major matters relating to current public policy in news programmes, broadcasters must ensure that they reflect an appropriately wide range of significant views and give those views due weight. Presenting news stories with due impartiality in news programmes very much depends on editorial discretion being exercised appropriately in all the circumstances.
In the same report Ofcom also cited a breach of rules by BBC Radio 1 for interviewing an alleged Islamic State fighter on its Newsbeat programme on 13 June. Ofcom considered the story inappropriate for Newsbeat’s youthful demographic.
Ofcom’s report, which includes lengthy analysis of both cases, can be read here.
10 November 2014
NHK WORLD TV Delivers English-Language Lifestyle, Culture and News Content to More than 7.7 million Homes in the Country
Japan International Broadcasting (http://www.jibtv.com/), the distribution company of NHK, and Tricolor TV (http://tricolor.tv/), the largest satellite television operator in Russia, have announced a new partnership which brings NHK WORLD TV (www.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld) to 7.7 million households throughout the country. The stand-alone, 24-hour, English-language television lifestyle and news network produced by NHK, Japan’s sole public, independent broadcaster, launched today.
NHK WORLD TV is now available to viewers in Russia as part of the Super-Optimum and Maximum HD channel packages. The network can be found on channel 178 for MPEG4 STB holders and on channel 209 for HDSTB holders.
“Russia is one of the most significant markets in the world,” said Yoshihiko Shimizu, president and CEO, Japan International Broadcasting. “We are honored to share Asian culture with its people through our high quality and captivating programming.”
NHK WORLD TV provides a 24-hour programming cycle, including a vast selection of science, travel, food and entertainment shows, such as “Science View,” “GREAT NATURE,” “Somewhere Street,” “Core Kyoto,” “Dining with the chef” and “J-MELO.” In addition, a variety of news and world financial affairs programs can be found, including “ASIA BIZ FORECAST,” “ASIAN VOICES” and “NEWSLINE.”
The network also broadcasts an assortment of groundbreaking documentaries and specials, including “Document 72 Hours,” “TOMORROW,” “Shima Kosaku’s Asian Entrepreneurs” and “NHK Documentary.” You can view the entire program schedule at http://www.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/tv/schedule/index.html.
“Tricolor TV is committed to meeting our viewers’ great desire for international programming,” said Mikhail Goryachev director of content, Tricolor TV. “NHK WORLD TV provides a compelling lineup of lively entertainment from Japan and the rest of Asia, as well as vital financial and world news which is sure to satisfy our audience.”
NHK WORLD TV is the third international channel carried by Tricolor TV after France 24 and Deutsche Welle (DW). NHK WORLD TV is now available in 280 million households across 150 countries and regions.
7 November 2014
SES (NYSE Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG) announces that ANATEL, the Brazilian National Telecommunications Agency, has approved the NSS-806 satellite for use at the 48 degree West orbital position recently awarded at auction to SES. The satellite will provide capacity for Brazil and Latin America.
“The use of NSS-806 in the Brazilian and Latin American markets demonstrates SES´s commitment to the region. Although we have up to 4 years to start providing capacity from that position, we are now ready to begin supplying our customers and partners with capacity, thereby expanding opportunities in the region,” said Jurandir Pitsch, director of SES DTH do Brasil.
NSS-806 provides C-band and Ku-band capacity and has 28 transponders available for use in Brazil. Together with SES-6, located at 40.5 degrees West, and SES-10, which is under construction and will in the future occupy the 67 degrees West position, NSS-806 will enable television broadcasters to launch new HD and Ultra-HD channels, for example, or allow telecom operators to improve mobile phone signals in remote areas.
“The demand for capacity in Latin America remains strong and SES is fully committed to meeting that demand. The use of NSS-806 in Brazil will allow our customers to improve their services in Brazil and the other countries covered by the satellite,” said Pitsch.
To expand the reception of signals, SES has initiated an antenna program for Brazilian cable operators, providing free antennas and know-how to those who are interested.
“We believe this new orbital position will be an excellent alternative for regional video distribution and signifies added value for cable operators, since most satellites serving this market already have a very high fill rate,” concluded Pitsch.
SES in Latin America
Today, SES has 11 satellites operating at 10 different orbital positions to provide service in Latin America. In addition, the company reaches 21 million homes and supports four DTH platforms in the region. In 2016, the company expects to launch the SES-10 satellite, which is being manufactured by Airbus Defence & Space and is designed for dedicated service to the region.
ANATEL Auction
In May 2014, SES won 2 Brazilian orbital positions as part of an auction by ANATEL. The company invested 33 million Brazilian Reais to operate in the FSS C, Ku and Ka-bands at the 48 degrees West position, as well as 26.8 million Brazilian Reais to operate in the BSS Ku-band at 64 degrees West. The rights granted by ANATEL are valid for 15 years, renewable thereafter for the same period.
