16 October 2014
France 24 has concluded a series of new distribution agreements, thus strengthening its presence in English and French in Cambodia, Indonesia, Australia and French Polynesia.
Cambodia:
In Cambodia, France 24 English and French channels are now available on Supernet’s IPTV basic offer in Phnom Penh. Within the offer SuperTV, the channel is available on channels 16 (English) and 63 (in French) and on channels 18 (in English) and 42 (in French) in the SuperDTV package.
Indonesia:
Already available in English on TELKOMVISION, BIZNETWORKS and ZUM TV, France 24 bolsters its distribution in the country by integrating MQM’s cable and IPTV basic offers. The channel is now available in English on channel 105 and in French ‘à-la-carte’ on channel 107.
Australia:
In Australia, France 24 has concluded an agreement with Fetch TV which means the channel is now available in English on the major IPTV offers throughout the country, including OPTUS (channel 183). The channel also recently launched in English on iiNet PC TV offer, Australia’s second largest internet service provider.
French Polynesia:
France 24 is now available in French and English on TIVI’s OTT basic offer. The channel is available on channel 8 (French) and 33 (in English).
About France 24, a France Médias Monde channel (france24.com)
France 24, the international news channel, broadcasts 24/7 to 250 million homes around the world in French, Arabic and English. The three versions have a combined weekly audience of 41.7 million TV viewers (calculation method used without extrapolation in 55 of the 178 countries where the channel is broadcast). From its newsroom in Paris, France 24 gives a French perspective on global affairs through a network of several hundred correspondents located in nearly every country. It is available via cable, satellite, DTT, ADSL, on mobile phones, tablets and connected TVs. FRANCE 24’s new media platforms, which are also available in three languages, attract 14 million visits, 7 million video views a month and 6.5 million followers on social networks.
16 October 2014
The BBC World Service today launched a new ‘lifeline’ Ebola service for people in West Africa on instant messenger app Whatsapp.
The new service is in both English and French and will comprise public health information on Ebola from the BBC, using audio, text message posts and images. It will also include breaking news alerts related to Ebola. The service is available on +44 7702 348651. Whatsapp is the most popular chat app in Africa.
This means Ebola is now the BBC World Service’s biggest health focus since its reporting on HIV/Aids in the 1980s and 1990s.
In addition to this service, the BBC’s Ebola efforts now include:
- News About Ebola, a news and information programme broadcast twice every weekday from 22 September. The programme is focused on the affected region of West Africa, where half of World Service English’s 13.1m African listeners are based. Shortwave transmissions to the affected areas have been increased.
- Ebola Infos, a twice-daily Ebola bulletin in French on BBC Afrique
- Increased partnerships with other broadcasters: the Ebola programmes are being broadcast by more than 50 radio stations in West Africa and on the BBC’s own FM transmitters in key cities.
- Special new interactive editions of Focus on Africa on World Service English on Mondays and Thursdays for audiences to share experiences, concerns and questions on Ebola
- New twice-weekly interactive programming on BBC Afrique, Parlons d’Ebola
- A new daily 10-minute Ebola bulletin on BBC World News TV
- Weekly Ebola bulletins, Ebola Public Health Broadcast, have been produced by BBC Africa in conjunction with the BBC’s international development charity BBC Media Action since August. They are broadcast in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea and Nigeria on the BBC’s English, French and Hausa services. The Swahili, Somali and Kinyarwanda/Kirundi services also carry the broadcasts.
- BBC Media Action has been helping to tackle misinformation about the disease in a radio programme, Kick Ebola Nar Salone (Kick Ebola out of Sierra Leone), produced and broadcast three times a week on 35 partner stations across the country. The show gives people a chance to ask questions of experts, and voice their concerns.
- BBC Media Action has partnered with the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation to deliver ‘lifeline’ communication training to media, officials and humanitarian workers in countries at risk across West Africa. It will also produce media outputs – from discussion programmes to mini-dramas – to tackle rumour and stigma and to help people take action to protect their health in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.
In additional to this special programming, BBC News has been reporting from affected regions across all of its domestic and international outlets from the outset of the outbreak.
Director of the World Service Group Peter Horrocks said:
“This outbreak of Ebola shows no signs of abating. Myths and misinformation about Ebola are still widespread – and life-threatening. The BBC is trusted by millions of people in the affected countries, so we are stepping up our efforts to reach people with timely information, whether they’re listening to the radio, watching TV or using chat apps. We’re committed to playing our part and will continue looking at new ways to reach audiences, for example by developing programmes in local vernacular languages.”
This is the first time the BBC has used a chat app specifically for health information programming, although instant messaging applications including Line, Mixit, BBM, WeChat and Whatsapp have been successfully used for breaking news alerts and while reporting the elections in India and South Africa.
Notes to Editors
News About Ebola is broadcast on World Service English every weekday at 1420 and 1950 GMT.
Focus on Africa is broadcast on World Service English at 1900 GMT on Mondays and Thursdays.
Ebola Infos is broadcast on BBC Afrique every weekday at 1730 and 0802 GMT.
Parlons d’Ebola is broadcast on BBC Afrique on Mondays and Thursday at 1502 GMT.
A daily Ebola TV bulletin is broadcast on BBC World News at 1830 GMT.
The BBC’s Whatsapp Ebola service is available on +44 7702 348651. Users can subscribe by messaging JOIN or JOINDRE to that number on Whatsapp.
16 October 2014
Intelsat S.A. (NYSE: I), the world’s leading provider of satellite services, today announced that an Ariane 5 vehicle successfully launched the Intelsat 30 satellite, which is hosting the DLA-1 payload for DIRECTV Latin America from French Guiana. Liftoff occurred at 5:43 p.m EDT. The Intelsat 30 satellite, hosting the DLA-1 payload, separated from the rocket’s upper stage 28 minutes after launch, at 6:12 p.m EDT, and signal acquisition has been confirmed.
Built for Intelsat by Space Systems/Loral (SSL), Intelsat 30 is a 20-kilowatt class Ku- and C-band satellite. The Ku-band payload, known as DLA-1, is designed to provide distribution services for DIRECTV Latin America in South America and the Caribbean.
The C-band portion enhances Intelsat’s existing C-band service infrastructure serving Latin America. The satellite will be co-located with Intelsat’s Galaxy 3C satellite at 95°W and is expected to have a service life of more than 15 years.
“The Intelsat 30 satellite, and its DLA1 payload, demonstrates the close collaboration and continuing strong relationship between DIRECTV Latin America and Intelsat,” said Intelsat Chairman & CEO Dave McGlade. “We look forward to helping DIRECTV Latin America deliver reliable, high quality entertainment to their subscribers throughout the region.”
Intelsat 30 marks the first of two new hybrid C- and Ku-band satellites, for which the Ku-band payload will provide services to DIRECTV Latin America. The second satellite, Intelsat 31, is scheduled for launch in the second half of 2015.
Resources:
- Journey to IS-30/DLA-1: http://www2.intelsat.com/e/48312/blog-/cxgq/9876423
- Intelsat’s Media Services: http://www2.intelsat.com/e/48312/services-media-services-/cxgs/9876423
- IntelsatOneSM Media Services: http://www2.intelsat.com/e/48312/services-intelsatone-services-/cxgv/9876423
- Intelsat’s Latin America Video Neighborhoods: http://www2.intelsat.com/e/48312/erica-dth-video-neighborhoods-/cxgx/9876423
16 October 2014
Yuriy Artemenko at a meeting in Zaporizhia of media representatives (photo courtesy of NRADA)
The Ukrainian media regulator has moved to ban the broadcast of Russian TV channel 365 Days and Belarusian channel Belarus 24.
On October 15, the Ukrainian National Council for Television and Radio Broadcasting decided to ban the two channels. 365 Days is a Russian history channel. Belarus 24 is the state television and radio channel of Belarus.
In a briefing in Kiev, National Council head Yuriy Artemenko said the decision was based on both channels’ violating clauses of the European Convention on Transfrontier Television (full text of the Convention). Artemenko said the Council will now turn to the courts, to request an official ban of the channels across Ukraine.
The Council’s Deputy Chairman, Grygoriy Shverk, said court hearings against six Russian TV channels were currently underway in the country.
According to a statement on the Council’s website, the decision to ban Russia’s 365 Days was prompted by a complaint and by monitoring conducted by the Council. The Council specifically cited an episode of the programme History of Russia, XX Century, “On the Threshold of Victory”, broadcast by 365 Days on September 9, which it said presented false information about historical events in Ukraine, incited national hatred and had the potential to harm the development of children and adolescents.
Selective monitoring of Belarusian channel Belarus 24 also revealed anti-Ukrainian propaganda and a distortion of information on political developments in Ukraine, said the Council’s site.
Article 24 of the European Convention on Transfrontier Television provides for the settlement of disputes and alleged violations:
1 When a Party finds a violation of this Convention, it shall communicate to the transmitting Party the alleged violation and the two Parties shall endeavour to overcome the difficulty on the basis of the provisions of Articles 19, 25 and 26.
2 If the alleged violation is of a manifest, serious and grave nature which raises important public issues and concerns Articles 7, paragraphs 1 or 2, 12, 13, paragraph 1, first sentence, 14 or 15, paragraphs 1 or 3, and if it persists within two weeks following the communication, the receiving Party may suspend provisionally the retransmission of the incriminated programme service.
3 In all other cases of alleged violation, with the exception of those provided for in paragraph 4, the receiving Party may suspend provisionally the retransmission of the incriminated programme service eight months following the communication, if the alleged violation persists.
15 October 2014
With Euronews Discover and Euronews Business the Group offers thematic channels to an audience of enthusiasts.
Backed by its editorial department of 400 journalists from 30 different countries, Euronews is enlarging its digital offering by announcing the launch of two all-new channels on YouTube.
Now, not only will online viewers be able to find the latest business news on Euronews Business, they’ll also get analysis, computer graphics and interviews with renowned leaders.
Nature, the animal world, festivals and travel are the focus of the unique window on the world offered by Euronews Discover. Here, all the passion for diverse subjects and points of view of the Euronews editorial department is found in the richness of the themes addressed.
These two channels, which just began broadcasting, join Euronews Knowledge, the very first thematic channel launched in April 2013, dedicated to science, space and technology, which attracted almost 200,000 subscribers in just six months.
Euronews, which introduced its first international channel on YouTube in 2007, is now, with its network of twenty channels, part of the Google Preferred Channel Program in France, a list of the most high-performing channels on YouTube.
20 Euronews channels YouTube including 3 thematics TV
15 October 2014
The Chinese government has blocked access in the country to the BBC’s English-language websites.
The blocking of all BBC English language internet pages would appear to be in response to Hong Kong’s “Occupy Central” civil disobedience movement, protesting for fair representation in Chinese elections. Earlier today, the BBC had published video of Hong Kong police assaulting and arresting a protestor which had been circulating online.
In a statement, BBC Global News director Peter Horrocks said: “The BBC strongly condemns any attempts to restrict free access to news and information and we are protesting to the Chinese authorities. This appears to be deliberate censorship. The BBC provides impartial, trusted news to millions of people around the world, and attempts to censor our news services show just how important it is to get our accurate information to them.”
News of the blocking was first announced today by GreatFire.org, a site which monitors web censorship in China in real time. Access to the BBC websites has previously been allowed in China, although the BBC’s Chinese language website has been blocked since its launch. The BBC reported that the last time the BBC’s English-language site was blocked was during its coverage of activist Chen Guangcheng’s escape from house arrest in April 2012.
Instagram, which had been used by Hong Kong protestors to share images, was blocked in China at the end of September. Twitter, Facebook and YouTube are also inaccessible from mainland China.
