10 November 2004
Leaders and experts of journalists’ unions and associations from over 20 countries, who met at the beginning of November in Tallinn, Estonia, condemned poor social standards in the media sector in Central and Eastern Europe. Now journalists’ unions are planning to challenge media companies, many of them foreign-owned, over what they perceive to be unacceptable “double standards” of wages and conditions applied at home and abroad, such as non payment for overtime, refusal to provide journalists with access to professional education, and sacking trade unionist activists and those who seek to organize European Works Councils. Participants of the “East Meets West: Social Dialogue in the Media Sector” Conference, organised by the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), noted that “The process of EU enlargement is strengthening European democracy, but also carries some threats to fundamental rights, as set out in the new European constitution, including freedom of the press”.
10 November 2004
On 8 November, leading satellite services company GlobeCast announced that a further three channels have signed up to its global distribution network. New horse-racing channel Racing UK and TWC Re:loaded a spin-off from The Wrestling Channel will be available on BSkyBs platform, uplinked via Eurobird 28.5°E from GlobeCasts Brookmans Park teleport.
GlobeCast has also struck a third deal with Discovery Networks Europe to deliver, via its London to Paris fibre connection, the broadcasters flagship channel in France. Discovery Channel launched in September on Canal Satellite, France Telecom Cable and NC Numericable in France as well as on Parabole Reunion within the French-speaking territories in the Indian Ocean. The launch, with a potential subscriber base of 3.2 million, completes the channels footprint in Western Europe.
GlobeCast head of UK channel distribution Juliet Bayliss said: It is a measure of GlobeCasts flexibility and range of services that such a wide variety of broadcasters have chosen us for their DTH delivery requirements. We now deliver more than 500 channels worldwide and many of those are looking to expand into new territories. We are well-placed to help them.
Racing UK, broadcast by Setanta Sport, is available on Sky Digital EPG 432 as well as via cable on Telewest channel 537. The channel, which launched in May 2004, broadcasts racing from 31 UK racecourses. At launch, it shared its satellite channel location with iSport but moved to its own channel (432) in September. It introduced subscription in October, signing up 50 per cent of its year one target audience in a week. GlobeCast also broadcasts North American Sports Network (NASN) for Setanta.
The Wrestling Channel, run by Dolphin TV, is broadcast on Sky Digital EPG 427 while TWC Re:loaded launched on 25 October on EPG 428.
5 November 2004
The AIB has published a completely new Directory of Global Broadcasting for professionals in the broadcasting industry.
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5 November 2004
SES ASTRA and Go!nternet have announced a new satellite Internet service for Poland via ASTRA 19.2° East. The return path for the one-way satellite service will be provided by PTK Centertel, the operator of Idea Centertel mobile telephony.
The service will be offered under the brand name of Go!nternet. The commercial launch is scheduled for November. In a first phase the service will be available to customers in Mazovia region and later on in the whole Poland. The satellite downlink will be provided via ASTRA 19.2° East and the return channel will be ensured by GPRS technology provided by PTK Centertel. In addition to satellite Internet access, Go!nternet subscribers will be able to watch more than 250 international digital TV and radio channels transmitted from the most popular European orbital position, ASTRA at 19.2° East.
All the user requires is a DVB PC card or a USB Box, a small fixed satellite dish with a universal LNB and a computer equipped with a GPRS modem. The necessary equipment together with its installation is provided by Go!nternet through its Partners network.
Depending on the chosen package offering various download rates (256 kbit/s 10204 Kbit/s) and the length of the subscription contract (from 1 to 24 months) the subscription fee including the GPRS return channel will vary from 109 zloty to 259 zloty per month.
Due to the applied state-of-the-art satellite and mobile telephony technologies the service can be rolled out immediately anywhere within Ideas mobile telephony network.
Commenting on the agreement, Philippe Glaesener, VP and General Manager Sales Broadband and IP of SES ASTRA, said: “Go!nternet is already the second satellite Internet access service via ASTRA offered in Poland but the first to combine two complementary technologies, GPRS and satellite, providing broadband Internet anywhere throughout Poland.
Bertrand Jasinski, President of Go!internet said: With Go!nternet powered by ASTRA & Idea we are introducing a product which is the first of this kind on the Polish market. We want to reach thousands of people who so far could not find a solution to enjoy broadband Internet. Thanks to the bundled satellite and mobile telephony technologies we can finally offer a complete product and only one invoice combining two services.
4 November 2004
Sony Professional Solutions and tv productioncenter zürich (tpc), Switzerlands largest TV production company and a member of the SRG SSR idée Suisse (Swiss Broadcasting Corporation) group, are entering into a strategic partnership in the area of high definition TV.
The two companies plan to jointly launch the HDTV format in Switzerland and drive forward its development as a top priority. As an initial step, tpc has ordered an HD outside broadcast van for 12 to 24 cameras from Sony. This van will be used for the first time at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin. After this event, tpc will be aiming to continuously increase the number of programmes recorded in high definition format, including those which fall under the headings of sport and culture.
According to a study recently conducted by British market research institute, The Business Advantage Group, high definition TV (HDTV) is the next big thing for Europe. This also applies to Switzerland where HDTV productions are already made on a monthly basis. To date, these have mostly been commissioned by Japanese or American TV stations and produced using foreign outside broadcast vans. tpc now wants to kit itself out as the first Swiss TV production company for HDTV.
In order to be best equipped for high definition TV, tpc, Schweizer Fernsehens own production company has decided to enter into a long-term strategic partnership with Sony Professional Solutions. As the largest Swiss TV production company, tpc wants to retain the technical leading edge at all times. To ensure that this is the case, Sony will become the main supplier for HDTV equipment with immediate effect. As part of this joint venture, Sony will provide tpc with HD equipment such as cameras, monitors, recording equipment and HD screen mixers.
