4 December 2013
Intelsat S.A. (NYSE: I), the world’s leading provider of satellite services, today provided an update on its satellite capacity and other critical connectivities being used in a number of restoration initiatives in the Philippines following Typhoon Haiyan.
Immediately after the disaster occurred, Intelsat began working with customers and partners to ensure that the necessary infrastructure and satellite capacity were in place to accelerate the restoration of vital communications for relief workers and businesses in the Philippines.
Leveraging its flexible satellite infrastructure, Intelsat repointed a Ku-band beam on the Intelsat 8 satellite to bring urgently needed capacity to the Philippines, in addition to providing capacity on other satellites already serving the region. Intelsat is also providing an uplink via the IntelsatOne℠ terrestrial network from the Kumsan, South Korea Teleport and a downlink in the Philippines. In total, three satellites are restoring connectivity and services to relief workers on the ground.
“With devastation of this magnitude, it is critical that humanitarian workers have the connectivity necessary to support their relief efforts,” said Stephen Spengler, President and Chief Commercial Officer, Intelsat. “Given the breadth and size of our satellite fleet, we were able to quickly mobilize and redirect capacity, demonstrating the ability of satellite-based solutions to provide rapid response communications. We are working hard to help our customers provide much needed aid and services to those communities deeply impacted by Typhoon Haiyan.”
Leveraging the depth and resources of Intelsat’s satellite infrastructure in the Asia Pacific region, the company:
•Delivered bandwidth support to the American Red Cross International Emergency Response unit’s operations in the Philippines. Intelsat provided Ku-band capacity via its Intelsat 8 satellite and partnered with KTSAT Co. Ltd., the KT affiliate specializing in satellite solutions, which donated its teleport services and IP bandwidth to support the IntelsatOneSMnetwork broadband solution.
•Donated C-band capacity on Intelsat 902 to provide Astrium, the world’s second largest space company, satellite connectivity for major global humanitarian agencies to conduct emergency rescue missions in the region affected by the typhoon.
•Worked closely with GATR Technologies® to support telecommunications teams dispatched by Cisco Systems and the non-profit Global Disaster Immediate Response Team (Global DIRT) in some of the hardest hit regions. GATR provided inflatable satellite terminals and support personnel while Intelsat donated bandwidth on the Intelsat 19 satellite, connecting back to the public network via the Intelsat Napa teleport.
Intelsat has a long history of contributing ongoing satellite connectivity to social and humanitarian causes around the world, including the Mindset Network in South Africa, the Children’s National Medical Center Telehealth Program in Morocco and Medical Missions for Children in Latin America and the Caribbean. Responding to natural disasters, Intelsat provided satellite connectivity for relief and rebuilding efforts in the wake of the earthquake in Haiti in 2010.
2 December 2013
The BBC will open a news bureau in Burma, also known as Myanmar, BBC Director of Global News Peter Horrocks announced today.
The announcement comes after the BBC, along with three other international broadcasters, received official permission to open a news bureau from the Myanmar Ministry of Information.
The BBC aims to open its bureau next year. It will also house reporters from the BBC Burmese service.
Peter Horrocks said: “Burma has long been a byword for media repression and censorship but within the last year there has been rapid and welcome change, with BBC global news services being allowed to broadcast trusted impartial news on radio, television and mobile. Opening a BBC bureau in Burma/Myanmar is another highly significant milestone and an encouraging sign that the country is moving towards media freedom.
“The BBC will continue to stand by its principles of impartial, balanced journalism, reporting events in Burma without fear or favour. The BBC’s charity BBC Media Action will continue its work to help train the next generation of Burmese journalists.”
Notes to editors:
BBC Burmese broadcasts for half an hour in the morning (at 06.30, repeated at 08.30 local time), and 45 minutes in the evening (at 20.15, repeated at 21.00). The programmes are presented from the London and Bangkok studios of the BBC. The radio programming is broadcast on shortwave and on PAS10 and Palapa satellite television channels and streamed online via bbcburmese.com. Mobile-phone users in Myanmar can receive two BBC Burmese audio news bulletins every day updated at 8am and 6.30pm local time. In addition to providing the latest news and current affairs, BBC Burmese offers its audiences a variety of programmes on education, sport, health, technology as well as weekly debates on topical issues. A weekly interactive programme gives listeners the opportunity to have their say. In addition to covering general news, trade and commerce, bbcburmese.com offers special clusters around major global and regional events.
BBC Burmese is part of BBC World Service – an international multimedia broadcaster which delivers a wide range of language and regional services on radio, TV, online and via wireless handheld devices. BBC World Service uses multiple platforms to reach its weekly audience of 192 million globally, including shortwave, AM, FM, digital satellite and cable channels. Its news sites include audio and video content and offer opportunities to join the global debate. BBC World Service offers its multilingual radio content to partner FM stations around the world and has numerous partnerships supplying content to news websites, mobile phones and other wireless handheld devices as well as TV channels. For more information, visit bbc.com/worldservice.
1 December 2013
HRH Princess Rym Ali of Jordan called on the Arab world to fight discrimination, saying it is not the West’s role to correct “negative stereotypes” about the Middle East region.
Princess Rym, founder of the Jordan Media Institute in Amman, spoke at an event held on Saturday to mark the relaunch of the Al Arabiya News website and the 10-year anniversary of the Al Arabiya News Channel, the region’s leading news station. “I am aware of the negative stereotypes portrayed in Hollywood, but also of the discrimination in covering Arabs or Arab affairs in some Western news outlets. It remains our duty to fight every word that is anti-Arab or discriminating against us,” Princess Rym said. “When I am asked why we are given a bad reputation, my answer is to ask in turn, ‘whose responsibility is our image?’ At the end of the day, is it not our role to work on our image as Arabs, rather than expect the West to take up our battles?” Princess Rym said that people from the region should not believe the notion that there is a “systematic plot” against them. “It is my experience that there is also a lot of innocent or naïve ignorance about who we are,” she said. “And here, we have another duty, that to inform the other about whom we really are and help them stay away from stereotypes.”
Speaking at an event held at the Armani Hotel in Dubai, Princess Rym offered her congratulations at the relaunch of the Al Arabiya News website. She said the website’s new translation service of Arabic-language TV broadcasts by the Al Arabiya News Channel would help boost understanding of the Middle East. The state-of-the-art translation service, part of the Al Arabiya News website’s View More video section, will broadcast regular news bulletins and programs first aired by the Al Arabiya News Channel. “It should truly allow much better communication through the media. Its English website, launched five years ago and re-launching now… offers people around the world an opportunity to hear our stories from our perspective and in a professional manner.”
Abdulrahman al-Rashed, General Manager of Al Arabiya News Channel, said the video service would help “bridge the gap” in boosting understanding of the Arab world among Western audiences. The video-translation service provides a true picture of the news that is consumed by Arab audiences – and not one tailored for a Western viewers. “Al Arabiya is not a station catered for Western audiences – this is what the Arabs see and watch,” he said.
Al-Rashed spoke of the “blood, sweat and hard work” that had gone into running the Al Arabiya News Channel, which launched in 2003 and this year marks its tenth anniversary. “It has been really quite a very difficult 10 years for everybody, but definitely the job has been done,” he said. Faisal J. Abbas, Editor-in-Chief of Al Arabiya News, introduced the new features of the website, including the View More video service.
The speeches were made at the close of the Al Arabiya News Global Discussion, which saw three expert panel sessions discuss the theme “bridging the communication gap between East and West.” The first panel explored the theme of the Arab world’s lobbying of the West. Hisham Melhem, Al Arabiya’s Bureau Chief in Washington, DC., told the forum that the Arab world has “a long way to go” in making its voice heard. Adrian Monck, managing director and head of communications and media at the World Economic Forum, said that a lack of engagement in the Arab world was holding back its lobbying efforts. “One of the things holding the Arab voice back is the lack of an Arab public sphere, and a lack of voices who are willing to stand up and be counted,” he told the panel. Dr. Adel al-Toraifi, Editor-in-Chief of the Asharq al-Awsat newspaper, and Chris Doyle, the director of The Council for Arab-British Understanding (Caabu), also spoke on the panel.
A second panel at the “Al Arabiya News Global Discussion” forum addressed the Western media’s coverage and understanding of the Arab world. Panelists included Professor George Brock, Head of Journalism at City University in London; Khaled al-Maeena, Editor-in-Chief of the Saudi Gazette newspaper; Talal al-Haj, the New York/U.N. Bureau Chief for the Al Arabiya News Channel; and Charles Glass, a broadcaster, journalist and writer with a vast experience reporting on the Middle East. Ignorance of the Middle East is partly fuelled by “inherent bigotry” among some Western media outlets, Talal al-Haj said. “There is… no conscience or acknowledgement [of Arab issues in Western media]. There is inherent bigotry between the media,” al-Haj told the panel.
The forum also hosts a special session entitled “What Does it Mean to be a Regional Spokesperson?”, with Joshua Baker, the U.S. Department of State’s regional Arabic-language spokesperson, and Rosemary Davis, regional spokesperson for the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
All the debates were recorded and will be made available online at http://alarabiya.net/english
29 November 2013
If you are interested in distributing your content to top cable platforms in Asia, RRsat’s new C-band DVB-S2 platform on AsiaSat 5, the most trusted contribution satellite for the Asian market, is now available at special prices.
Positioned at 100.5˚E, AsiaSat 5 comprehensive C-band footprint covers Asia and Australia and is the satellite of choice for all major Asian terrestrial broadcasters cable networks and pay TV platforms – serving millions of households.
The prime platform is used for contribution of top tier channels such as Fox Channels, TVE, FTV, APTN, Rai, Playboy and many others as well as for contribution and distribution of major live and sports events in Asia.
Thanks to the unique location of its Middle East broadcast facility and teleport, RRsat offers a convenient one-hop delivery solution via its AsiaSat 5 platform from Europe to Asia and vice versa. RRsat completes the solution with its comprehensive content management, preparation and playout services.
RRsat broadcast solution with AsiaSat 5 C-band platform highlights:
- Asia’s most established and powerful satellite platform
- Allows instantaneous access to all major Asian cable and pay TV platforms
- Wide footprint includes Asia and Australia
- One-hop delivery from Europe to Asia and Asia to Europe from RRsat’s Middle East broadcast facility
- End-to-end solution including comprehensive content management and playout services (Source: RRsat press release) www.rrsat.com
29 November 2013
WRN Broadcast today announced that it has signed an exclusive multi-year contract with CSC Media to provide playout and media management services.
A global broadcast company, WRN Broadcast provides multi-platform technology solutions across a complete range of broadcast services including multi-channel playout, media management and distribution for broadcasters, content rights holders and platform operators.
WRN Broadcast, which was awarded the exclusive contract following a competitive tender, will be responsible for CSC Media’s complete portfolio – the UK’s largest independently-owned bouquet of eighteen channels, including Chart Show TV, Tiny Pop, True Entertainment – and the social media TV channel BuzMuzik, launched in 2012. The channels, which are available 24 hours a day launched this week.
Remy Minute, Managing Director, CSC Media, said: “I’m delighted to have awarded WRN Broadcast the contract for playout and media management for CSC Media. It was of primary importance that we appointed the right partner to enable our continued growth and positively meet the demands on delivering the excellent channels we have in our network. I’m thoroughly impressed with WRN Broadcast and confident that with their first-class service and expertise we’ll be able to achieve success.”
Under terms of the contact, WRN Broadcast will be responsible for delivering 15000 hours of television services for CSC Media every month, across Sky, Virgin Media, Freesat and international affiliate partners including DSTV/Multichoice.
David Treadway, CEO, WRN Broadcast, added: “We are excited to have been chosen by CSC Media to provide these services as its exclusive broadcast partner. This is a significant win for WRN Broadcast and it is testament to our growth, ambition and reputation as it is to our excellent track record in delivering high quality, reliable and cost effective broadcast solutions. We look forward to working with CSC Media and developing our relationship further over the coming years.”
29 November 2013
The Eurosport Group has signed a multi-year agreement deal for the distribution of Eurosport HD and Eurosport 2 HD with one of the biggest Russian IPTV operators, Beeline TV.
Eurosport and Beeline TV secured a deal for the return of Eurosport’s channels onto the IPTV platform.
Beeline TV is owned by VimpelCom, and is one of the Russian leading IPTV platforms with over 900,000 active subscribers across Russia.
With this new agreement, Beeline TV subscribers can watch 1500 hours coverage of the wintersports season, including ski jumping, cross country and biathlon World Cup tournaments. In the coming year, fans can enjoy extensive live action from three tennis grand slams, starting with the Australian Open in January.
| Eurosport HD also broadcasts a full calendar of cycling with top races such as Giro d’Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta. Each weekend Eurosport 2 HD broadcasts up to 5 live matches from the German football league, Bundesliga.
Olivier Bramly, Sr. Executive VP, Global distribution said: “We are delighted to be back on the Beeline IPTV Platform. Eurosport offers an unrivalled portfolio of live sporting events, which feature many famous Russian athletes, we are confident fans will enjoy.”
Anna Ryzhikova, chief of OJSC VimpelCom’s Wire Internet and TV Services Marketing Department said: “In our country sport is an important part of our lives. We are happy to offer Beeline TV users the opportunity to watch the most current sporting events through this new agreement with Eurosport.”
The deal with Eurosport completes an impressive Beeline TV HD offer consisting of more than 40 channels produced in High Definition. |
