NORDIC MEDIA NEWS
SCANDINAVIAN CHANNEL
We received an e-mail recently from Bruce Feller in
the United States, wondering what had become of the proposed cable TV
Scandinavian Channel? Well, as luck would have it, the channel was
belatedly,
and officially, launched last Friday, by the head of Swedish public service
broadcaster SVT, Sam Nilsson, at its headquarters in Denver. Actually, that
just
marked the start of the uplink to the Galaxy 7 satellite. Cable operators
will
have a couple of weeks now to look at the programming and decide whether
they
want to include the Scandinavian Channel in their offerings before the cable
launch on October 15th.
There was an American cable project called the
Scandianvian Channel around ten years ago. It consisted of an hour a month
infomercial from each of the Nordic countries, broadcast as a weekly program
on
an existing cable channel in the US. The programs were of uneven quality and
the
project didn’t survive very long.
Today’s edition of MediaScan is about Scandinavian
Channel, and includes an interview with Katarina af Klintberg, project
manager
for pay-television at SVT.
SIRIUS
Picking up on the question in last week’s program,
TV4 will be moving its analog transmissions soon from Sirius 2 to Sirius 4 .
No
decision has been yet as to digital satellite broadcasts. (Helena Dyrssen,
head
of information for TV4, via Richard Karlsson, “Aftonbladet”)
At the cost of betraying my ignorance, I’ve never
heard of a Sirius 4 satellite, and can’t find it among the current or
upcoming
satellites in the Lyngemark Satellite Chart.
Worship Network has joined the Christian Channel
Europe on Sirius 2 on 12.349 GHz, in MPEG-2. (“Lyngemark Satellite Chart
Headlines”)
Discovery Sci-Tek and Discovery Civilisation have
begun on Sirius 2 with both channels in MPEG-2 on both 12.418 and 12.453
GHz.
(“Lyngemark Satellite Chart Headlines” and “Sat-Europa”)
TELIA-TELENOR
On September 23 Telia and Telenor finally finished
the negotiations aimed at making their merger acceptable to the European
Commission. The agreement means that Telia will spin off its cable-TV
network,
the largest in Sweden, with 1.3 million households. Since Telia is also the
former public telephone company in Sweden, consumers will finally have some
competition between cable and telephone operators.
The speculation is that a foreign investor will
buy the cable company, and Microsoft is among those mentioned. (“Computer
Sweden”)
Swedes, who’ve never heard of Telenor before, have
seemed to regard it as a little brother, similar to Telia, but smaller. The
press here has yet to discover that the merger brings with it Europe’s third
largest satellite operator (after Eutelsat and Astra), as well as a large
chunk
the new Scandinavian Channel in the US.
THOR
Meanwhile, Telenor is using its Thor 3 (1 degree
West) satellite to relay Russia’s ORT to all of Europe, outside of the
Iberian
peninsula. The new channel, called ORT International, is part of the MPEG-2
Canal Digital package, with sole use of the transponder on 12.322 GHz. (TT
and
“Lyngemark Satellite Chart”)
INTERACTIVE DTT
On September 30 Teracom announced the start in Sweden
of interactive digital TV, via its terrestrial DTT network (which virtually
no
one can watch since the decoders still seem to be unavailable) and Active-TV
in
Linkoeping. A sign of things to come (?) the interactivity took the form of
a
Volvo commercial, giving the viewer the chance to send a message back to a
car
dealer, or order more information about the car. (Teracom)
RADIO SWEDEN
There may be a new language joining our domestic
broadcasts to groups with foreign backgrounds in Sweden. There are plans to
start a once a week news bulletin in Somali.
EUROPE
BRITAIN
The BBC has announced a new schedule for its global
news and information channel BBC World. The new format, which will take
effect
from April, 2000, will be built around half hour news bulletins, around the
clock. (“Ariel” via Richard Buckby) Hopefully this means the end of the
feature
programming that currently breaks up the flow of news between 30 and 60
minutes
past each hour.
BBC ONE – MURDOCH NIL
European Union regulators have ruled that public
funding for the British Broadcasting Corporation’s 24 hour television news
channel does not breach EU rules on government subsidies. In approving state
funding for BBC News 24, the European Commission rejected a complaint from
the
channel’s main competitor, Rupert Murdoch’s Sky News. (AP)
SOCCER MADNESS
Not long after failing to buy Manchester United,
Rupert Murdoch’s British Sky Broadcasting has purchased a 9 percent stake in
the
owners of Leeds United. If approved by the club’s shareholders, Sky would
become
the club’s media agent. The European competition authorities are
investigating
the deal. (“What Satellite TV” and “Sat-Europa”)
Meanwhile, the European Commission is examining
the TV deal between BSkyB, the BBC, and Britain’s Premier League. (Origo’s
“Digital TV News”)
Truth can be stranger than fiction….While Sky
Digital and rival ONdigital continue to fight it out over sports rights, and
which events will be carried on channels on each others’ platforms, Rupert
Murdoch has made an end run of sorts, and put the UEFA Champions League in
the
clear, on his German analog channel TM3. This follows ONdigital putting the
Champions League on its own new sports channel, free to anyone with a
decoder,
while refusing to share with Sky. (“What Satellite TV” and “Sat-Europa”)
Rupert
Murdoch strikes a blow to encourage traditionally language-poor Brits to
practise their German?
ASTRA 2
Pakistan TV and Bangla TV are the first Urdu and
Bengali language channels respectively in Britain. They launched on Sky
Digital,
sharing transponder 14 (11.973 GHz), each for 12 hours a day. (“What
Satellite
TV” and (“LyngSat Updates”)
Zee TV, which also features programs from South Asia, has started on 12.129 GHz, in clear MPEG-2. Zee music has started on 11.973 GHz, in clear MPEG-2. (“LyngSat Updates”) (Also see “Murdoch” under Asia/Pacific below.)
The Inspiration Channel and the Welsh S4C2 (with
programs from the Welsh Assembly) have joined Sky Digital on Astra 2A on
12.129
GHz. (“Lyngemark Satellite Chart Headlines”)
British pop star and actor turned investment
commentator Adam Faith announced October 4 his Money Channel has secured a
broadcasting deal with BSkyB. The Money Channel also says it is in
discussion
with British and international cable operators. Twenty-four hour a day
programming is due to start on February 7, 2000. The goal is to carry
consumer-oriented financial programs, with mass appeal to all age groups,
with
complementary interactive services. (Reuters)
EUTELSAT
Eutelsat is readying 7 degrees East as its second
major European “Hot Bird” position, where it will offer rates at less than
one-third the prices offered by its competitors. The company’s first step
will
be transmit a package of at least 8, and possibly 16, free-to-air digital
channels via a transponder that could be functioning within 30 days. (Curt
Swinehart)
Europe’s first Afro-centric channel is
broadcasting in the clear from Hot Bird 3. Africa Independent Television is
broadcasting on 12.111 GHz in MPEG-2 for 12 hours a day, with news, drama,
documentarites, and children’s programs from Africa, the Caribbean, and
other
areas with populations with an African background. AIT says there are plans
to
launch on Astra 2 for Sky Digital viewers. (“What Satellite TV”)
WRN3 and RCI have closed down on Hot Bird 3,
12.476 GHz. (Richard Karlsson in “Aftonbladet”) The German-language WRN3
continues on Astra 1B, transponder 27 (MTV-German, 11.612 GHz), sound 7.38
MHz.
Georgian TV is now on Eutelsat W2 (16 degrees
East), as part of the British Telecom MPEG-2 transponder on 11.304 GHz.
Having
replaced Oman TV there, CNBC Europe has now left Eutelsat W3, while NBC
Europe
is back on Kopernikus 2 (in MPEG-2 on 11.667 GHz). (“Lyngemark Satellite
Chart
Headlines”)
KOSOVO
United Nations “Blue Sky” public radio went on the
air in Kosovo on October 1, with a 24 hour mix of news, music, and features.
The
frequency is 96 MHz FM, and programming is in Albanian and Serbian. There
are
plans to add programs in minority languages and English lessons. Blue Sky is
operated by the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo,
with
financial support from the government of Switzerland. (“satelitv”)
GERMANY
DF-1 and Premiere have merged into Premier World.
They are broadcasting over the following MPEG-2 transponders on Astra 1E and
1H:
11.720, 11.758, 11.798, 12.032, 12.070, 12.090, 12.148, and 12.480 GHz.
(“Lyngemark Satellite Chart Headlines”)
Meanwhile the German public service digital
packages have moved on Astra 1G. The ZDF Vision package has shifted from
12.663
to 11.954 GHz, while the ARD Digital package has transferred from 12.604 to
11.836 GHz, both in clear MPEG-2. Phoenix has started on 11.836 GHz in clear
MPEG-2. (“LyngSat Updates”)
ITALY
Sicilia International has started on Hot Bird 5 on
12.520 GHz, and on Thor 3 on 12.399 GHz, both in clear MPEG-2. (“LyngSat
Updates”)
AFRICA/MIDDLE EAST
NILESAT
Dubai Sports Channel has started on Nilesat 101 (7
degrees West) on 11.881 GHz, in clear MPEG-2. (“LyngSat Updates”)
ASIA/PACIFIC
PAS
Animal Planet, and versions of the Discovery Channel
directed to different Asian and Pacific nations, are now on PAS-8 (166
degrees
East) on 3.900 GHz, sharing an MPEG-2 transponder. (“Lyngemark Satellite
Chart
Headlines”)
MTV Chinese has begun on PAS-2 (169 degrees East)
on 12.605 GHz, in clear MPEG-2. (“LyngSat Updates”)
MURDOCH
Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp is better positioned to
operate in India now that it has swapped its Indian joint venture interests
for
cash, and a 7.5 percent in its existing partner, Zee Telefilms. The move
will
eliminate obstacles Murdoch has had operating as a non-Indian player, and
instead gives his Asian subsidiary Star-TV an insider’s ticket. The joint
ventures involved include Zee TV, Zee News, Zee Cinema,and Siticable. The
deal
is subject to the approval of Zee Telefilm’s shareholders and regulatory
authorities. (Reuters)
NORTH AMERICA
NBA
The National Basketball Association announced on
September 24 that it is launching its own full-time television network.
League
officials say NBA.com TV will not broadcast full games live, but is intended
to
give hardcore basketball fans a flurry of scores and information, while
directing them to where they can see the games themselves. NBA.com TV will
begin
broadcasting on November 2 via satellite television provider DirecTV and
digital
cable provider Viewers Choice. The NBA is currently in the middle of four
year
broadcast deals with Time Warner’s Turner Broadcasting, and General
Electric’s
NBC. (Reuters)
CANAL PLUS
Europe’s Canal Plus has set up Canal Plus US, with
its technological office in Cupertino in the heart of California’s Silicon
Valley, and permanent headquarters in New York City. They will co-ordinate
marketing of MediaHighway, Canal Plus’ broadband interactive television
“middleware” and the MediaGuard conditional access system. Middleware acts
as a
bridge between the system hardware and the operating system to manage
applications such as high-speed Internet access, interactive advertising,
e-commerce, electronic program guides, pay-per-view, and enhanced program
information. So far, Canal Plus has carved out 65 percent of the digital
middleware market in Europe. (Karen Brown in “Cable World”)
TV GUIDE
Gemstar International, maker of electronic guides for
television, and Rupert Murdoch’s “TV Guide” have agreed on a merger that
positions the one-time rivals for growth in new forms of electronic
advertising
and commerce. Industry experts see program guides as a potential tool to
navigate numerous channels, commercials, and electronic commerce sites in
the
future world of digital TV, much like a browser or portal helps computer
users
surf the Internet. (Reuters)
“TV Guide” has announced that it is launching a
Spanish-language insert to focus on Hispanic programming. The insert, to be
called “TV Guide en Espanol”, will be included with TV Guide in the 15
largest
Hispanic markets in the United States, starting on October 25. (Reuters)
LAUNCHES
ATLAS
On September 23, Echostar 5 was carried into orbit on
an Atlas rocket. Positioned at 110 degrees West, it carries 32 DBS
transponders.
(“Lyngemark Satellite Chart”)
ARIANE
On September 25, Western Europe’s Ariane rocket put
the American Telstar 7 satellite into orbit. The satellite, which will be
positioned at 129 degrees West, carries 24 Ku-band and 24 C-band
transponders.
It was originally scheduled to launch with Atlas, but switched to Ariane
when
Atlas launches were halted because of technical problems. (AP, Reuters and
“Lyngemark Satellite Chart”)
PROTON
On September 26, a Russian Proton rocket carried the
LMI-1 satellite into orbit. Positioned at 75 degrees East, it carries 16
Ku-band
transponders in the 12.50-12.75 GHz range and 28 C-band transponders in the
3.4-4.0 GHz range. (AP and “Lyngemark Satellite Chart”)
SEA LAUNCH
The first commercial liftoff for the floating
platform Sea Launch, south of Hawaii, will be October 10. A Russian-made
rocket
is to carry a new satellite for Hughes’ DirecTV system, DirecTV 1R. This
satellite carries 16 Ku-band transponders, and will replace DBS 1 at 101
degrees
West. Partners in Sea Launch include Boeing, Norwegian shipbuilder Kvaerner
Maritime, Russia’s RSC Energia, and Ukrainian rocket maker KB Yuzhnoye/PO
Yuzhmash. (AP and “Lygemark Satellite Chart”)
EUTELSAT
Eutelsat W1R will be launched by Ariane in the fourth
quarter of 2000. (“satelitv”)
Eutelsat has announced that it will include
Ka-band and Skyplex playloads on the Hot Bird 6 satellite, due to launch to
13
degrees East sometime after the last quarter of 2001. Skyplex capacity will
be
available on seven units in 2 to 6 Mbps slots with up to 18 carriers per
transponder. There will be 28 Ku-band transponders covering the entire
European
continent, North Africa, and the Middle East. (“satelitv”)
ARIANE
Future Ariane launches include:
October 19 Orion 2
November 13 GE-4
December 22 Galaxy 11
(“satelitv”)
CYBERSPACE
SWEDEN
Last week the Swedish government once again broadcast
a press conference live over the Internet, with both audio and video. (This
involved the Finance Minister announcing the Auditor General had not been
fired,
but had requested losing her job.) According to the newspaper “Östgöta
Correspondenten” the government broke the law by failing to notify the
Broadcasting Authority before broadcasting over the Internet.
On the other hand, this means the government is in the company of political parties, major companies, and the Church of Sweden in failing to file the proper notification. (While permission is not required for webcasting here, apparently the authorities have to be formally notified first.) (TT)