8 October 2004
Leading satellite services company GlobeCast has announced a long-term agreement with Prime TV to deliver 24-hour Pakistani family channel PTV Prime to subscribers in the UK, Ireland and Europe. The deal sees GlobeCast providing an end-to-end distribution service for the subscription channel which will be available on GlobeCasts direct-to-home platforms via Eurobird and Hot Bird. In the UK and Ireland, PTV Prime will reach 7.5m people on Sky Digital.
PTV Prime was the first 24-hour Pakistani channel to launch in Europe and has exclusive rights to broadcast state-owned Pakistan Television (PTV) content outside Asia. Offering a mix of family programming in English and Urdu, it features programmes created specifically for European-based Pakistanis, Urdu and Punjabi families as well as PTV content.
PTV Prime (www.ptv-prime.tv) also airs live news bulletins nine times daily from the PTV News Network in Asia. Simultaneously broadcast in Asia and Europe, the bulletins ensure PTV Prime viewers in Europe receive up-to-the minute information and breaking news as it happens in Pakistan.
To provide the feeds for the European news and programming content, GlobeCast downlinks PTV News and Pakistan TV from AsiaSat 3S in Singapore and backhauls it over its global fibre network to London via America. GlobeCast also provides an end-to-end managed satellite distribution service which includes an uplink from Brookmans Park to Eurobird and Hot Bird, enabling the channel to reach a potential 100 million viewers across the UK and Europe. This is the first time a single company has been able to meet PTV Primes global satellite distribution needs.
7 October 2004
Conditions for journalists in Iraq have deteriorated to the point where they now rely on local stringers and employees for newsgathering.
Reporter P. Mitchell Prothero for Dangerous Assignments, the bi-annual magazine of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)writes in his ‘Letter from Iraq’ article that journalists are now fixated on personal security.
News organizations have established themselves in compounds of private homes surrounded by blast walls, or in large hotel complexes with extensive security checkpoints. Such precautions, though not unique to the media, reflect a change from a year ago, when journalists preferred lower-profile, less-secure accommodations on the theory that it would make them less likely to be targets.
This bunker mentality has taken hold among the press corps in Iraq for a few reasons. Insurgents have attacked less-secure hotels once used by Westerners, including journalists. The U.S.-led coalition is largely indifferent to journalist safety, and Iraqi authorities and the public are openly hostile.
For the full article visit:
www.cpj.org/Briefings/2004/DA_fall04/Iraq_Prothero_DA_fall04.html
7 October 2004
Harris Corporation has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Encoda Systems Holdings, Inc., a leading global supplier of software and service solutions for the broadcast media industry, including television, radio, cable, satellite, and advertising agency customers around the world. Encoda’s end-to-end workflow solutions include traffic and billing and program-scheduling systems that are broadcast industry standards, and their automation and media asset management solutions are very complementary to Harris’ existing automation business.
Encoda Systems is a privately held company, owned by Thomas H. Lee Partners, Blackstone Capital Partners, Evercore Capital Partners, and others, that resulted from a combination of Enterprise Software, Columbine JDS Systems, and Drake Automation. Today, the company has approximately 700 employees with operations in the U.S., Canada, the UK, and Australia. It serves more than 600 customers in 34 countries. Encoda revenue for the 12 months ended June 30, 2004, was $124 million. Harris will acquire Encoda Systems for approximately $340 million in cash, subject to post-closing adjustments, customary closing conditions, and regulatory approvals. The transaction is expected to close in early November, and the acquisition is expected to be immediately accretive to Harris earnings in fiscal year 2005 at approximately $0.12 per diluted share. This excludes the write-off of in-process R&D and one-time integration costs, which cannot be determined at this time without unreasonable efforts.
“Encoda Systems is an outstanding strategic fit with Harris’ industry-leading Broadcast Communications business,” said Howard L. Lance, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Harris Corporation. “Encoda’s enterprise software solutions will significantly expand Harris’ existing product offering to the global broadcast media market. Encoda will also give Harris market reach beyond our existing customer base into new cable and satellite markets.
“As digital content continues to move center stage in the media industry, Harris will be leading with solutions for our customers that automate workflow, improve efficiency, and reduce costs,” Lance continued. “With this acquisition, Harris can now truly offer end-to-end workflow solutions – software, hardware, and services – for customers worldwide. Clearly, the combination of Harris and Encoda solutions will create a powerful resource that can address all phases of the complex transition of technology to modernize and streamline operations.”
“The Harris-Encoda combination is a solid partnership between two leaders in the broadcast media industry,” said Don Doctor, chairman of Encoda Systems. “It is good news for our customers and good news for our employees. Harris has made a long-term commitment to the broadcast media industry and has the size and resources to insure continuing investments in technology.”
6 October 2004
The AIB has responded on behalf of its members to the UK’s media regulator’s proposals on Britain’s broadcasting code.
“The AIB is committed to ensuring that the views of international television and radio broadcasters are know by regulators around the world,” said Simon Spanswick, AIB Chief Executive. “We monitor plans for changes to established broadcasting regulation, let our members know what’s happening in markets they may operate in and then collate views and provide a unified response. It’s vital that as broadcasters develop services in new markets worldwide that they know about the regulation there, and planned changes that could have an impact on their business.”
The proposed Ofcom Broadcasting Code in Britain will replace separate codes that were implemented by Ofcom’s predecessors, the Broadcasting Standards Commission, the Independent Television Commission and the Radio Authority.
The AIB submission is available for download at
www.aib.org.uk/UK_Ofcom_Response.pdf
6 October 2004
The AIB will be exhibiting at this year’s Broadcast India industry convention, taking place in Mumbai from 28 to 30 October.
With more than 20,000 visitors expected, this event is the main broadcasting exhibition in South Asia, a burgeoning media market.
“We’ll be representing AIB members at Broadcast India,” says Anver Anderson, AIB Director of Business Development. “Members have the opportunity to use the AIB exhibit as a base, and to display promotional material ensuring that whether or not they have their own exhibit at the show, their brand is in front of thousands of visitors.”
More details of the AIB’s participation will be published at the AIB website in the run-up to the conference and exhibition. The conference takes place on 26 and 27 October, with the exhibition running between 28 and 30 October 2004.
