Nagravision has been chosen by kbro, Taiwan's leading cable multiple system operator (MSO) as the exclusive conditional access (CAS) vendor for its new broadcasting system; the companies have signed a five-year exclusive contract. Leveraging Nagravision, kbro will launch HD services by the end of the year.
The BBC and Adobe Systems have announced the public beta of the new BBC iPlayer Desktop download manager built on Adobe AIR, a key component of the Adobe Flash Platform. The new BBC iPlayer Desktop beta will enable Windows, Mac and Linux users to download programmes to their desktops. Previously, the ability to download programmes was only available for Windows [...]
Frontier Silicon has announced its founding membership of the Internet Media Device Alliance (IMDA), to be launched at next month's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Frontier's CEO, Anthony Sethill, has been appointed to serve on the steering committee of the new association. IMDA aims to develop and promote a set of open standards and device profiles to maximise growth [...]
Macrovision Solutions Corporation, a digital entertainment specialist, has reached an agreement to sell its TV Guide Network property to Allen Shapiro and One Equity Partners for approximately $255 million, plus up to an additional $45 million payable through earn-out provisions through 2012. The transaction, expected to close no later than April 1st, 2009, includes the TV Guide Online (tvguide.com) business. [...]
Rainbow Media is closing down the domestic operations of its Voom high-definition programming service. The shutdown follows Dish Network's decision in May to drop Voom's 15 channels. The only other major distributor of the channels is Cablevision Systems, Rainbow's parent company. Rainbow sued EchoStar Communications, which was Dish's parent company before it was spun off, over the carriage dispute. "Voom's [...]
YouTube has begun a push of its new high definition (HD) content with the launch of a dedicated section of the site. Visitors to the site are now also able to watch HD content from publishers including EA and Sega in a new large video player. …..
A UK government commissioned report has backed digital DAB to have a key tipping point for the “migration” from analogue to digital radio by 2015. The Digital Radio Working Group said the UK could not begin to look at a wholesale transfer from analogue radio until at least 50% of all listening was via digital and national DAB coverage was [...]
In 2009, worldwide revenues for liquid crystal display (LCD) TVs are expected to fall for the first time since the category was launched, market research firm DisplaySearch said. They forecast LCD television revenues would fall 16 percent year-on-year to $64 billion in 2009, with total TV revenues expected to decline 18 percent to $88 billion. “DisplaySearch expects that 2009 will [...]
MTV in the UK is to cut up to 80 jobs – around 10% of its workforce – as part of Viacom’s global plan to save $250m in 2009. MTV UK, which encompasses channels such as MTV One, VH1 and TMF, told staff last Thursday that it would begin a 30-day consultation on the cuts, which are expected to affect [...]
The European Commission says one year after the entry into force of a new EU Directive meant to liberalise TV rules and remove outdated and bureaucratic restrictions on the provision of digital TV over the Internet, video on demand and mobile TV in Europe, EU Member States have made little progress in adapting national rules. Only Romania has comprehensively implemented [...]
