21 January 2004
US communications, media and entertainment company Comcast launched TV One, a new cable channel aimed at African-Americans. Targeting over 25s, TV One’s lineup will include sitcoms, dramas, a reality gospel show and events such as the Cowboys of Color International Rodeo. The channel will be competing with Black Entertainment Television (BET).
“Comcast strives to provide as diverse an array of programming choices as possible for our subscribers, and we’re working with TV One to make this new network widely available,” said Comcast spokesman Tim Fitzpatrick.
21 January 2004
Asia’s leading broadcaster Star Group Limited, in conjunction with Singapore-based info-communications company StarHub, announced the launch of Star Chinese Movies on StarHub CableTV from 21 January.
This follows the launch of History Channel in India in November and Star Chinese Movies and Xing Kong’s introduction on PCCW’s Broadband in Hong Kong in December. Star Chinese Movies, which features over 100 movies including at least 20 exclusive premieres a month, is aired in Mandarin and the movies are commercial-free. The channel will be offered as free-to-air till February 22.
Star’s other channels available on StarHub Cable TV include Star Movies, Star World, Star Sports, ESPN, National Geographic Channel and Phoenix Chinese Channel.
StarHub operates its own nation-wide broadband network that delivers multi-channel cable TV, data, voice and Internet access. The company will also offer Digital Cable Services in 2004.
20 January 2004
The Association for International Broadcasting is delighted to welcome new members to the organisation.
Harris Corporation, ABS-CBN, Deutsche Welle, ITN International and TV New Zealand have joined the AIB and will benefit from the full range of AIB Member services.
See the full story in AIB News and find out about the benefits of membership by clicking on AIB Membership to the left.
20 January 2004
Ibrahim Helal, editor in chief at Al Jazeera based in Doha, Qatar, has stepped down from his post. He is joining BBC World Service Trust to work on media training projects over the coming two years.
Helal has been with Al Jazeera since 1996 when it was formed with many of the staff who had worked on BBC World Service Television’s Arabic language service.
19 January 2004
On 3 January, the Italian public broadcaster RAI unveiled its two DVB-T multiplexes, which will carry eight TV channels produced by RAI, two run by third-party content providers, and four radio channels.
RAI general director, Flavio Cattaneo, announced that RAI’s digital offer will include simulcasts of its three analogue terrestrial TV networks RaiUno, RaiDue, RaiTre, its satellite services RaiSport, RaiNews 24 and RaiEducational, plus new community channel RaiUtile and new culture/arts channel RaiDoc. Negotiations are currently going on with third-party content providers, including Sat2000 and Euronews.
Italy’s Communications Ministry estimates that 60,000 digital boxes have already been sold, in addition to the 2,000 households in Turin, Rome and Palermo that RAI has equipped with digital boxes to test interactive and multimedia applications. RAI’s digital multiplexes currently cover 50 per cent of the population although coverage will expand to 76 per cent by the end of the year. Receivers currently on the market cost 200-300 euro, but prices are expected to fall as they become more widespread.
