It was a question from an analyst that prompted a rare note of indignation from BSkyB’s normally calm and collected CEO Jeremy Darroch. Asked whether BSkyB would continue to monitor the make-up of its board of directors, Darroch said it was quite ludicrous to suggest that News Corp was not a entity to hold a broadcasting licence. Darroch, speaking to [...]
Sky has reported pre-tax profits of £1 billion in the year to the end of June, as the company announced a £750 million share buy-back to appease investors unhappy after the failure of News Corp’s bid to takeover the satellite broadcaster. Sky has said that News Corp will participate in the share buy-back programme but that its 39.1 per cent [...]
SES unveiled its half-year results on July 29, stating that recurring revenues were up 3 per cent to €853 million, EBITDA up 4.2 per cent to €644.4 million and a margin of 75.5 per cent, culminating in operating profit up 4.1 per cent to €402m. SES’s overall backlog stands at €7 billion. SES says the strength of the Euro against [...]
BBC TV and Sky Sports have been awarded the live rights to Formula 1 between 2012 and 2018. The BBC currently screens the sport on an exclusive basis in the UK. The broadcasting partnership will include: – All races, qualifying and practice sessions live on Sky Sports across TV, Online and Mobile and Tablet devices. – Half the races and [...]
Everyone expected Paris-based satellite operator Eutelsat to improve on last year’s revenues of €1.04 billion. Few would have expected growth of 11.5 per cent, well above guidance, and taking revenues to an impressive €1.168 billion. Indeed, Eutelsat is now saying that this current trading year (to June 30 2012) will see revenues above €1.235 billion, and “accelerating” in the subsequent [...]
As it reported a big increase in its first-half net profit, Australian regional pay-TV provider Austar remains confident that the proposed merger with Foxtel will go ahead, despite the recent concerns raised by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). Austar chief executive John Porter indicated the transaction was expected to be completed either late this year or early 2012. [...]
Sky and Atlantic Productions will join forces to create a new production company, Colossus Productions, to develop original 3D programming for both UK and international audiences. The homegrown shows will be showcased on Sky 3D, Europe’s first dedicated 3D TV channel, before being distributed to other platforms and countries. Sky has enjoyed a long-standing relationship with Atlantic Productions and has [...]
The Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (AFACT) has written to at least one ISP requesting a meeting to discuss implementing an “automated processing system” for copyright infringement notices to be distributed to customers. It currently engaged in a high-profile legal battle with ISP iiNet over BitTorrent, which is expected to reach the High Court this year. It is believed that [...]
Spain’s largest cable company ONO is set to launch its first HDTV service in August 2011with an offer of up to ten HDTV channels: Mediapro’s Gol TV, News Corp’s Fox, Sony’s AXN and Sony TV, Viacom’s MTV Live HD, Spain’s national public broadcaster TVE HD, Grupo Planeta’s national private broadcaster Antena 3, Mediaset Espana’s Telecinco HD and Mediapro’s laSexta HD. [...]
Amazon has confirmed the acquisition of Pushbutton, the UK-based TV technology company. Pushbutton develops apps for next-generation and interactive television and connected devices, and was responsible for developing the LOVEFiLM movie streaming service on Sony Bravia Internet-enabled TVs and the PlayStation 3 last year. The e-commerce giant, which bought the remainder of LOVEFiLM in January for a reported £200 million, [...]
