19 January 2004
GlobeCast WorldTV, the third-largest direct-to-home satellite television service in America, delivers the first Bulgarian television station in North America via its platform on Telstar 5.
TV Bulgaria is the satellite channel of Bulgarian National Television. Since 1999 it has broadcast news, current events, top shows and the best of Bulgarian movie and television productions to Bulgarians living in North America.
GlobeCast provides TV Bulgaria with an end-to-end satellite distribution of its channel including encryption, uplink and space capacity. GlobeCast receives TV Bulgarias feed at its Paris gateway and sends the feed via fibre to its Los Angeles teleport for uplink to GlobeCast WorldTV on Telstar 5.
GlobeCast is also managing TV Bulgarias DTH Call Center Services in North America, including equipment sales and subscription management.
GlobeCast, the worlds leading satellite services company operating a global network of satellite distribution platforms for broadcast and advanced content delivery, is a member of the AIB.
19 January 2004
Vectone Entertainment Network has teamed up with satco GlobeCast to deliver its community channels: Vectone Urdu, Vectone Bangla, Vectone Tamil and Vectone Hindi on its proprietary Eurobird and Hot Bird platforms.
The four Asian community channels Vectone Urdu, Vectone Bangla, Vectone Tamil and Vectone Hindi are free to air and are broadcast in the language identified by the channel titles. Vectone’s channels are totally interactive and allow the audiences from the UK, Europe and the Middle East to interact live with the presenters in their London studios. This capability will be extended to their interconnected Asian and European studios in the future as well.
GlobeCast is a member of the AIB.
19 January 2004
Omnibus Systems, the award-winning provider of comprehensive automation and asset management solutions to the broadcast industry, has received a capital injection of $12.5m (approximately 10m) from majority shareholder Palamon Capital Partners. The new funding is earmarked for further development of G3 technology and further US expansion, as the company positions itself to address the needs of the growing automation and asset management market for digital television operations.
It follows the completion of a market study conducted on behalf of Palamon by the management consultants McKinsey & Company which indicated that OmniBus’ groundbreaking G3 architecture shows enormous potential in the broadcast market. OmniBus G3 technology offers a unique implementation of micro-modular design, delivering integrated units of functionality, each of which addresses the precise requirements of individual users. In sharp contrast to the “one-size-fits-all” approach of traditional software development, G3 provides tailored, task-specific modules that share a common interface. Because this flexible, scalable architecture is based on standard, open-IT protocols, it allows broadcasters to use a single, consistent interface to integrate, control and configure OmniBus products and third-party equipment for smooth content-flow management throughout entire operations.
To guide the company through this new chapter in its development, Mike Oldham – previously the CEO of OmniBus Systems’ North American subsidiary – has been appointed Chief Executive Officer with worldwide responsibilities. “We go into 2004 in great shape. As a result of a significant increase in orders during 2003, we have our strongest-ever order book and we have attracted important growth funding from our biggest shareholder,” said Oldham.
Omnibus Systems is a member of the AIB.
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.
19 January 2004
Radio Romania International (RRI), Romanias radio voice to the world, has dramatically expanded its availability via digital satellite to listeners around the world with the conclusion of an agreement for transmission services with World Radio Network (WRN), the London-based international broadcaster and transmission service provider.
The agreement covers the distribution of RRIs daily English, French, German and Russian programmes via WRNs various international news networks. Via WRN, RRIs programmes can also be heard on local cable services and local AM/FM stations in many countries and as on-demand archived audio files via the WRN website.
Romania International is tasked with informing the world about both the modern, democratic Romania as well as looking at the countrys rich cultural and historical traditions. The daily English programme, produced by a dedicated team of English-speaking journalists, producers and editors at RRIs headquarters in Bucharest, covers all aspects of life in the country including national and international news, commentaries and special reports focused on Romania and its geographical neighbourhood, all delivered by a broad network of correspondents.
Karl Miosga, WRNs Managing Director said: RRIs programmes will be more widely available to both new and existing listeners around the world in crystal clear digital quality. We hope for a long partnership with RRI and we warmly welcome them to the family of international broadcasters that make up WRN.
World Radio Network is a member of the AIB.
