15 December 2014
SES S.A. (NYSE Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG), Ceska Televize (CT), RTVS and Ceske Radiokomunikace announced today that they will begin test broadcasts of Ultra HD content via SES’s ASTRA 3B satellite.
The Czech Republic public TV provider CT and Slovakian public broadcaster RTVS, in cooperation with leading Czech provider of digital infrastructure Ceske Radiokomunikace, are spearheading the first Ultra HD broadcast trial via ASTRA 3B at the orbital slot of 23.5 degrees East.
CT, RTVS, Ceske Radiokomunikace and other leading companies from the broadcasting industry in Czech Republic and Slovakia are part of the Ultra HDTV Forum. Formed in October 2013, the Forum’s primary task is to look at the production and distribution of Ultra HD content in Czech Republic and Slovakia. SES has recently become a member of the Ultra HDTV Forum.
“SES has been at the forefront of new broadcasting technologies since the arrival of digital DTH in Europe in 1996 and HDTV in 2005. We are committed to working with industry partners in developing the Ultra HD ecosystem and are delighted that the public broadcasters of Slovakia and the Czech Republic are keen to deliver an incredible and immersive viewing experience via satellite,” said Norbert Hölzle, Senior Vice President of Europe, Commercial at SES.
“Ceska Televize believes that the adoption of Ultra HD will be much faster than HD and is eager to make sure it arrives soon in the Czech Republic. We welcome the opportunity to collaborate with SES to conduct these Ultra HD test broadcasts and to work closely with SES following their new member status in the Ultra HD TV Forum,” said Ivo Ferkl, Chief Technical Officer at Ceska Televize.
“Having produced and broadcast all our shows in HD, RTVS is keen to remain the trendsetter in Ultra HD broadcasting and to position ourselves as a leader in technical innovation. As a first step, we will be offering our Ultra HD content on the ASTRA satellite, together with our partners,” said Václav Mika, Director General at RTVS.
“Ceske Radiokomunikace is pleased to be working with strategic industry partners — Czech and Slovakian public broadcasters and SES – to develop the Ultra HD ecosystem and to play a role in defining the TV landscape of the future,” said Martin Gebauer, CEO, at Ceske Radiokomunikace.
Parameters for the reception of the free-to-air Ultra HD broadcast trial demo channel:
Astra 3B @23.5 East
Transponder 3.204
11,778.050 MHz
Vertical polarization
27.5 Mbit/s
QPSK
FEC 9/10
Service ID: 5390
Service Name: Test UHD Forum
15 December 2014
Eutelsat Communications (NYSE Euronext Paris: ETL) and nc+, a driving force in pay-TV services in Poland, today announced the signature of a major contract for the renewal of nine transponders at Eutelsat’s HOT BIRD video neighbourhood.
The agreement equips nc+ to pursue the expansion of its platform of digital services that broadcasts to 2.2 million subscriber homes equipped for Direct-to-Home reception in Poland. nc+ entered the market in 2013 when the Canal Plus-owned CYFRA+ platform that was launched
from the HOT BIRD position in 1995 joined forces with TVN’s “n” platform, also broadcasting through the HOT BIRD satellites. The platform today offers viewers more than 160 channels, of which almost 50% are already in HD, as well as access to over 400 free-to-air channels, including 20 in Polish.
Julien Verley, CEO of nc+, said: “Poland is a very important satellite-driven broadcasting market.
Thanks to satellite transmission we are able to provide exceptional image quality with today’s
best HD quality and in the future with the 4k standard. nc+ is at the forefront of technological
changes and we are proud to cooperate with such a strong and reliable partner as Eutelsat. We
look forward to strengthening this cooperation.”
Michel Azibert, Chief Commercial and Development Officer at Eutelsat, added: “Almost 25 years
since the launch of multi-channel broadcasting in Poland through Eutelsat satellites, that was
followed by the transition to digital and the launch of High Definition, we are proud that nc+ has
today renewed its trust in us. This new agreement further consolidates and confirms Eutelsat’s
HOT BIRD position as Poland’s neighbourhood of choice for free-to-air and pay-TV
broadcasting.”
12 December 2014
The Kenyan government has ordered that news agency Al Jazeera be investigated and face possible charges, over the network’s recent report alleging that the Kenyan police had been running death squads, with the knowledge of Western powers.
The Al Jazeera documentary, Inside Kenya’s Death Squads, asserted that the most high-profile assassinations were aimed at Muslim leaders, including those with links to the al-Shabab militant group and that Western intelligence agencies provided some of the information needed to carry out the killings.
The controversy comes just as Kenyan lawmakers in the country’s National Assembly are fiercely debating new security laws, which include proposals to limit picketing and holding public meetings.
The twitter feed of Kenya’s Interior CNG Ministry has promoted a hashtag #SecuringKenya, and responded to the Al Jazeera documentary in a series of tweets:
Govt has instructed relevant authorities to begin investigations with a view to bringing charges against those involved in…cont’d.
…Aljazeera documentary..
The documentary was deliberately planned & aired at a time when Kenya is seeking support to strengthen it’s war against terror.. cont’d
Cont’d through legislative reforms.
The tone & subjective nature of the documentary was deliberately skewed to support & empathise with terrorists & their sympathisers cont’d..
cont’d…without any consideration for the hundreds of innocent Kenyans who have died in the hands of terrorists.
The timing of the documentary is also suspicious & appears meant to derail KE’s efforts to fight terrorism.
Three Al Jazeera journalists, Mohamed Fahmy, Peter Greste and Baher Mohamed, have been jailed by Egyptian authorities for almost a year.
11 December 2014
The Broadcasting Board of Governors has partnered with
Hub Accra, a Ghana-based tech incubator, to develop mobile solutions to promote civic engagement in West Africa.
The partnership will create fellowships to provide local members of the tech and entrepreneurial communities with practical experience designing and developing mobile applications and services in collaboration with the BBG’s Office of Digital & Design Innovation.”We’re excited to work with Hub Accra to develop innovative mobile products that serve West African audiences and follow BBG’s principles for high-quality journalism. Engaging communities in the Sahel in this process will play a great role in building tools for civic engagement by West Africans, for West Africans,” said Adam Martin, acting director of ODDI.
The partnership will help provide Hub Accra program participants with media training, as well as mentoring in areas related to media development and local sustainability.
Hub Accra fellows will explore ways to share news, information, cultural programming and social commentary to mobile device users not served by traditional media channels in the Sahel region.
This initiative is part of the BBG’s significant investment for expanding content creation and distribution to the Sahel, with a focus on promoting original high-quality journalism and providing digital media for next-generation audiences.
The team of participants in the program include: Kofi Kwansa Bart-Plange, a Product Manager with Starfish Mobile Ghana, Mr. Bart-Plange is an Innovative software engineer, specializing in mobile applications and solutions development with over ten years of experience. He will serve as the Team Lead. Mukaila Hadi, Gbeila Aliu Wahab, Francis Kofigah and Samuel Kweku-Bio Dzidzornu, developers with Poll Afrique, a mobile startup team with the goal of, ‘helping make regional information easily accessible, by providing a platform that allows Africans to share their views via SMS and web.’ (Source: BBG press release)
11 December 2014
Intelsat S.A. (NYSE: I), a leading provider of satellite services, announced today that current Intelsat President and Chief Commercial Officer Stephen Spengler has been promoted to Deputy Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately.
Under the company’s succession plan, Intelsat Chairman and Chief Executive Officer David McGlade will transition to the position of Executive Chairman, effective April 1, 2015, at which time Mr. Spengler will become Chief Executive Officer. Mr. McGlade will have served as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer for 10 years.
Mr. Spengler has been with Intelsat in various executive positions since 2003, including serving as Executive Vice President, Sales, Marketing and Strategy. Mr. Spengler has nearly 30 years’ experience in the satellite and telecommunications industry. During his tenure at the company, Mr. Spengler led the development of Intelsat’s global mobility network, in which Intelsat now has a leading share of maritime and aeronautical broadband services. He has also overseen the development of the company’s next generation satellite platform, Intelsat EpicNG®, of which the first satellite is expected to launch in late 2015.
In announcing these changes, Mr. McGlade stated, “Steve is a proven leader with outstanding customer and communications industry knowledge and the ability to execute a global plan. His vision has been instrumental in driving our next generation strategy, and in building new innovative services with the commercial satellite services we provide.”
“Intelsat’s role in providing global connectivity has never been more relevant than it is today,” said Mr. Spengler. “Our entire company is focused on delivering services that support the future growth of our customers. I am honored to lead our team during a period when our technology and services are poised to accelerate the spread of broadband connectivity globally.” (Source: Intelsat press release)
10 December 2014
French international news channel France 24 is now broadcast live 24/7 in three languages (English, French and Arabic) on YouTube, the n°1 online video platform.
This agreement allows France 24 to further facilitate accessibility to its three channels and allows all Internet users to watch them in high definition (720p – 16/9) on any type of device (PC, mobile phones, tablets).
With this new service all YouTube users can also comment and discuss in real time the channel’s programmes by using the chat module to the right of the screen.
In addition to this new non-stop broadcasting service, France 24 also occasionally broadcasts live events that bring together a community of Internet users at a given moment and then offers a replay of the entire programme once the live broadcast is over (70th anniversary of the Normandy landing, live speeches at the UN General Assembly, press conferences, etc.).
France 24 has been on YouTube ever since its launch in December 2006 (reports, debates, magazine replays), and has already notched up over 300 million video views and currently attracts around 6 million views a month.
Broadcasting France 24 on YouTube is part of France Médias Monde’s global strategy for a multi-platform, multilingual syndication of its channels, increasing accessibility to their content by building new bridges between their digital services.
France 24 is available live on YouTube on the following addresses:
In English: http://f24.my/YTliveEN
In French: http://f24.my/YTliveFR
In Arabic: http://f24.my/YTliveAR
(Source: France 24 press release)
