8 March 2016
Nearly 4 billion people remain unconnected in the world. Bridging the digital divide is critical to bolstering a country’s GDP growth and ensuring inclusion from a social, political and economic perspective for any community.
Intelsat (NYSE: I), operator of the world’s first Globalized Network, powered by its leading satellite backbone, announced an agreement with SkyNet de Colombia, a subsidiary of Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de Bogota ETB, to support the Colombian Ministry of Information Technologies and Communications’s Kiosco VIVE DIGITAL Phase III (KDVIII) project, whose sole aim is to bring broadband and internet connectivity to remote communities and schools in rural areas across Colombia.
Under the multi-year agreement, Skynet de Colombia will leverage the high speed performance of Intelsat 29e, the first of Intelsat’s next generation, high throughput Intelsat EpicNG satellites, located at 310° East. Together, Skynet de Colombia and Intelsat will provide broadband and internet connectivity to approximately 600 remote sites, across 250 municipalities. The services delivered to the communities will include internet access as well as programs that promote the use of technologies in the community.
“Intelsat’s high throughput Intelsat EpicNG satellites are bringing unprecedented power, cost savings and accessibility to broadband connectivity to people living in regions where there is a lack of terrestrial infrastructure,” said Rene Otero, CTO, SkyNet de Colombia. ”With greater access to reliable, high quality broadband services, remote communities can receive the same type of advantages and services that are afforded to those that live in the more developed areas of Colombia. We are happy to partner with Intelsat to support the KDVIII initiative and play an integral role in bringing more people and communities on-line throughout Colombia. ”
Intelsat EpicNG’s efficiency delivers more throughput to the user, the backwards compatibility allows customers to use their existing hardware, and the open architecture enables customers to choose the network hardware that best suits their applications. This delivers unprecedented choice, control and consistent levels of service across the platform at a much lower cost of total ownership, enabling fixed and mobile network operators to cost-effectively enhance their networks to meet growing demands from existing customers while also extending the reach of their networks to capture new growth in remote areas.
“The KDVIII project in Colombia is a great example of the role that public and private partnerships can play in ensuring that digital inclusion is available for all citizens, whether they reside in remote communities or urban areas,” said Carmen Gonzalez-Sanfeliu, Intelsat’s Regional Vice President, Latin America and Caribbean. ”The flexibility of Intelsat’s Globalized Network will allow Skynet de Colombia to take full advantage of the power that our next generation Intelsat EpicNG fleet delivers and ensure that SkyNet’s customers receive a seamless broadband experience that continues to be known for its superior quality and reliability.”
Supporting Resources:
(Source: Intelsat press release)
3 March 2016
The use of drones by journalists for newsgathering purposes falls under the right of the media to publish news as well as the public’s right to receive information and ideas, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović said today as she presented a set of recommendations on drone journalism.
“The evolvement of new technology constantly provides new ways for how members of the media collect information and their reporting,” Mijatović said. “Drones play an increasingly important role for how journalists can get information and cover events, and as such, drone journalism constitutes an integral part of the right to freedom of information.”
Drones, or remotely piloted aircraft (RPAs), provide new and advantageous ways to support news coverage. For example, when it comes to reporting on situations of civil unrest, drones provide a remote vantage point, providing crucial coverage while protecting journalists’ safety.
“Deploying RPAs for the purpose of journalism should be put under the dynamics of the exercise of freedom of expression and freedom of information,” Mijatović said. “It is a tool like any other for a journalist and it is part of gathering news.”
In a communiqué issued today, the Representative recommended the OSCE participating States to:
- Recognize that the use of drones by journalists for newsgathering purposes is within the right of the media to publish news as well as the public’s right to receive information and ideas;
- Accept that it is not akin to other civilian uses of RPAs because the publication of news is an exercise of freedom of the media;
- Encourage a legal and regulatory regime for the deployment of RPAs nationally which recognizes the unique and legitimate function of drones for the purpose of newsgathering in the public interest.
The Representative’s communiqué on the use of drones for journalism is available at www.osce.org/fom/225721.
The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media observes media developments in all 57 OSCE participating States. She provides early warning on violations of freedom of expression and media freedom and promotes full compliance with OSCE media freedom commitments. Learn more at www.osce.org/fom, Twitter: @OSCE_RFoM and on www.facebook.com/osce.rfom.
2 March 2016
For the first time, the BBC’s international news services are to use chat apps to bring their hard hitting storytelling to even more people around the globe.
As BBC World News marks 25 years of TV news broadcasting, the channel’s international current affairs programme Our World will use Viber to tell the story of a kidnapping that took place in Mexico, publishing posts via a BBC public channel within the app. It will be delivered to Viber users across a week, replicating the timeline of the original events as told by the victims. This will then be tied in with the television broadcast of the half hour documentary Our World: Kidnapped in Mexico.
For their audiences on the continent and beyond, BBC Africa will be using WhatsApp to tell the story of young people in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) who are using new online ways to get their voices heard and bring change to their country. Across five days clips will be shared from its documentary ‘Young, Angry and Connected’.
The innovative pilot projects, which are set to start from this weekend, mark a significant step forward for the BBC’s use of instant messaging platforms. The broadcaster has been experimenting with chat apps in countries where mobile use outstrips desktop and to reach those people who would not necessarily access its journalism via traditional means. They were trialled as a way of gathering and sharing content during the 2014 Indian Elections and then again during the Ebola crisis, which saw thousands of people across West Africa signed up to receive the latest news and lifesaving information. But the use of the platforms to share content from its documentaries breaks new ground, helping to extend the life and reach of TV programmes.
Trushar Barot, BBC’s Mobile & Apps Editor, explained:
“There are now more users of chat apps globally than there are people on social media. That’s why BBC World Service is focussed on experimenting and developing long term strategies for these platforms. Using them is second nature to hundreds of millions of people around the world. These are the next generation of digital audiences we want to reach out to. Two years ago, we were the first news organisation to develop news accounts in chat apps, but we know we have to continue to innovate on them. Working with the likes of Viber to trial projects like this enables us learn quickly and deliver the types of digital content our audiences are going to increasingly expect.”
Our World: Kidnapped in Mexico on Viber – from 6th March
For the first time a linear TV documentary about a real life kidnapping case is being broken down and retold for users of a public channel on Viber. Users following the channel at www.viber.com/bbcstories will be able to follow the story of a kidnap victim and his wife told in text, images and animations, as if it were happening in real time. The posts will run across a week, around the broadcast of correspondent Vladimir Hernandez’s TV documentary on Friday, March 11th.
Jo Mathys, of the BBC’s Impact team, who developed the chat apps project said:
“What I find exciting about this project is the ability to tell a story as if in real time, and the sense of immediacy that chat app platforms provide. It’s as if the characters are talking directly to the audience. It’s a very different way of story-telling. There’s potential to tell a wide range of current affairs stories using this format.”
The full documentary Our World: Kidnapped in Mexico will be broadcast on BBC World News on Friday March 11th at 2030 GMT with repeats on Saturday March 12th at 1130, 1630 & 2230 GMT and on Sunday March 13th at 0330 & 1730 GMT.
See here for examples of the animations to be used: https://myshare.box.com/s/8sizmm5zrhc15as893zdjqz4eugjb9ic
Young, Angry and Connected on WhatsApp- from the 7th March
BBC Africa’s first ever WhatsApp series “Young, Angry and Connected” will bring the story of young Africans using social media and their mobiles to get their voices heard, to an audience in a unique way. The series will launch on Monday, March 7th and run until Friday, March 11th. A daily clip of around 2-3 minutes will be delivered to those who subscribe to the WhatsApp service number (+44 7734778817) and will be available in French and English. Once the number is added, users can write SIGN UP for English and SOUSCRIRE to receive editions in French. The documentary will then be available in full on BBC.com/Africa and www.bbcafrique.com at the end of the week.
WhatsApp is hugely popular in Africa, and a widely used app for people to communicate, including those involved in the story of Young, Angry and Connected. Many of those featured in the programme depend on WhatsApp to communicate to their peers across the country.
Vladimir Hernandez, Correspondent and Assistant Editor for World Service said: “The rising youth groups in Africa are mobile-first and bringing their story to a wider audience on a chat app is the perfect new way of telling their story.”
A short preview trailer for Young, Angry and Connected is available to watch here: https://myshare.box.com/youngconnected.
(Source: BBC press release)
29 February 2016
RT’s total monthly online audience jumped to 49 million unique users, according to comScore study of RT’s consumption via PCs, mobile devices and YouTube worldwide.* RT maintains its position as a world leader among non-Anglo-Saxon international TV news channels, ahead of Al Jazeera, Deutsche Welle, Euronews and others in terms of worldwide PC audience.**
According to comScore, a global media measurement and analytics company, the aggregate number of unique users for all of RT’s websites and YouTube accounts was 49 million in November 2015. The biggest share of RT’s online audience comes from the USA: 9.1 million people (19%) accessed RT’s content via website, mobile apps and Youtube channel in November 2015.*
RT also remains the top non-Anglo-Saxon international television news station in terms of online desktop audience, ahead of such major international news media organizations as Al Jazeera, Deutsche Welle, Voice of America, Euronews, France 24 and Japan’s NHK.**
comScore, which measures online traffic from PCs and mobile devices across multiple online platforms, has assessed the audience of RT’s websites and YouTube accounts in English, Russian, Spanish, Arabic, French and German. Additionally, comScore results show that RT’s Spanish website is ahead of the Spanish versions of CNN and Deutsche Welle, while RT’s Arabic website, is ahead of the Arabic sites of Sky News, Deutsche Welle, BBC and CNN.***
RT’s online content is also popular in the network’s key markets. In the US, RT is ahead of Al Jazeera, Deutsche Welle and Sky News, and in Britain it has surpassed Fox News, Al Jazeera, Euronews and Voice of America. Both US and UK markets show a high ratio of mobile consumption of RT content – in the US 59% of RT.com’s unique users come from mobile devices, while in the UK this indicator jumps to 66%.
* comScore study GDAN, 15+, worldwide, PC+mobile+Youtube, November 2015.
** According to RT’s custom-defined ranking based on comScore MMX data, 15+, worldwide, PC only, Total Unique Visitors, November 2015.
*** cnnespanol.cnn.com, dw.com/es, skynewsarabia.com, dw.com/ar, bbc.com/arabic, arabic.cnn.com respectively. (Source: RT press release)
26 February 2016
SES Platform Services GmbH (SES PS), a wholly-owned subsidiary of SES S.A.
(NYSE Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG), announces an agreement whereby RR
Media (NASDAQ: RRM), a leading provider of global digital media services to the broadcast and media
industries, will merge its operations with those of SES PS, to create a world-leading global media solutions
provider.
SES will pay a consideration of USD 13.291 per share to acquire a 100% interest in RR Media. The
consideration corresponds to an Enterprise Value of USD 242 million, which will be funded from the group’s
existing financial resources. The acquisition is subject to regulatory approvals, which are expected to be
completed in Q2/Q3 2016.
On completion of the transaction, RR Media and SES PS will be combined to create a new, stand-alone worldleading
media services provider, offering full continuity and enhanced service to their existing customers. With
a comprehensive range of innovative video and media solutions on a global scale, the new organisation will
focus on offering its customers highly optimized content management and distribution solutions that utilize the
combined network of SES PS and RR Media leveraging their multiple satellite positions as well as a large fibre
network and the Internet, in order to maximise audience reach and add monetisation capabilities.
24 February 2016
RT’s channels have secured 13 finalist spots in one of the world’s largest news and documentaries festivals.
Stuck in Yemen, RT’s coverage of the evacuation of U.S. and U.K. citizens from Yemen following air strikes by the Saudi-led coalition, will be competing with CNN, PBS and Al Jazeera for the trophy in the Best Coverage of Continuing News Story division. RT also facilitated Russia’s efforts to get Yemen residents from the U.S. and U.K. out of the country.
RT’s special reportage on the United Nation’s General Assembly meeting in September 2015 and RT America’s coverage of the Baltimore protests that erupted after the death of Freddie Gray are both nominated for Best Newscast.
In the Now, RT’s daily current affairs and media commentary program, is in the finals of the Best News Analysis/Commentary category, while Ameera David is nominated as best News Anchor for hosting financial show Boom/Bust on RT America.
Four of RT’s documentaries made the cut: Trauma, about the humanitarian crisis in eastern Ukraine, in the Current Affairs category; Sleepy Hollow, Kazakhstan, about a sleeping anomaly in a small Kazakh village, as an Environment & Ecology feature; Her War: Woman Vs ISIS – among National/International Affairs documentaries; and Sumud. 40 Years of Resistance, focused on the refugees from western Sahara, by RT Spanish, in the Politics category.
The final four nominations went to RT’s promo projects: Cosmotrek, Politicking with Larry King, Victory Day 70 (RT’s special project dedicated to the anniversary of the Great Patriotic War), and RT 2035 video, created to celebrate the network’s 10 years on air in 2015. The viral clip imagines the channel 20 years from now, with retired President Barak Obama and Secretary John Kerry lamenting the changes in the world.
New York Festival’s World’s Best Television & Films competition honors programming in all lengths and forms from over 50 countries in Television and Film industries. The 2016 awards ceremony will take place on April 19, 2016 in Las Vegas at NAB Show.
RT is a global TV news network that broadcasts 24/7 in English, Arabic and Spanish from its studios in Moscow, Washington, DC, and London. It is available to 700 million viewers worldwide. RT is the most watched TV news network on YouTube with more than 3 billion views. It is the winner of the Monte Carlo TV Festival Award for best 24-hr broadcast, and the only Russian TV channel to garner three nominations for the prestigious International Emmy Awards for News. (Source: RT press release)
