SkyREPORT.COM News Headlines
News Update For 12/16/99
EchoStar Gets SkyView
EchoStar announced late Wednesday night that its proposed $23 million purchase of certain assets belonging to SkyView Media Group was approved by U.S. Bankruptcy Court officials in New Jersey. Dependent upon certain terms and conditions, EchoStar expects to complete the purchase before Dec. 31. "EchoStar's DISH Network is already the industry leader in delivering our U.S. customers their favorite international programming, and the acquisition of SkyView assets will only further strengthen and enhance our diverse ethnic and foreign-language channel offerings," said EchoStar Chairman and CEO Charlie Ergen. SkyView provides ethnic programming for the DirecTV Plus platform. The Ft. Lee, N.J.,-based company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization during the summer. DirecTV and EchoStar's DISH Network are direct competitors in the DBS business. Because of the late-evening nature of the announcement, it was not known how EchoStar's winning bid and eventual purchase of SkyView would impact services aboard the DirecTV ethnic/international platform.
DISH Network Debuts Public Interest Channels
EchoStar's DISH Network unveiled its slate of public interest and educational channels Wednesday, but not before blasting a decision from federal regulators concerning the distribution of informational/learning content. DISH Network's public interest programming initially features the NASA Channel, C-SPAN, the Eternal Word Television Network and Trinity Broadcasting Network. The channels are provided at no additional cost for DISH customers. The company also said it's in discussions with nearly 20 programmers that feature content such as continuing adult education and literacy, college course work, K-12 distance learning, minority and human rights issues and foreign language instruction. Along with the debut of the public interest lineup, EchoStar's Charlie Ergen voiced disappointment with the Federal Communications Commission's implementation of the informational/educational set aside rules. "It had been the goal of EchoStar Communications to create an educational neighborhood at the 61.5 degree orbital location," he said. "The commission's very recent order that requires us to carry public access programming at other orbital locations will result in a less attractive and less viable educational package for consumers, but we will of course comply with the FCC decision." EchoStar has filed a petition for a partial extension of Wednesday's deadline set by the FCC requiring broadcast of all public interest set aside channels. EchoStar said it needs an extension through January so it can contact interested programmers who might be affected by the FCC ruling.
Telesat Canada To Enter US Market
Telesat Canada won full access to the U.S. fixed satellite market via its Anik E1 and E2 satellites, the Ottawa-based company announced Wednesday. The two Telesat satellites were placed on the Federal Communications Commission's permitted space station list - a designation that paves the way for U.S. customers to use Telesat satellites for services liberalized under a World Trade Organization agreement. "Today's announcement means two things. First, it provides an attractive new alternative to U.S. satellite users. Second, it opens up the most lucrative satellite market in the world to Telesat," said President and CEO Larry Boisvert. The Permitted Space Station list denotes all satellites with which U.S. earth stations are permitted to communicate without additional action by the FCC.
Viacom Expands PanAmSat Relationship
Viacom, a long-time customer of Hughes' PanAmSat satellite services unit, is expanding its presence in the Galaxy satellite cable neighborhood, the programmer announced Wednesday at the Western Cable Show in Los Angeles. Viacom, the anchor cable tenant on PanAmSat's Galaxy IX, leases multiple transponders on the satellite for the distribution of several cable television networks. Those networks include The Movie Channel, MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, Showtime, Sundance Channel and VH1. Wednesday's agreement will supply Viacom with an additional C-Band transponder on Galaxy IX to distribute MTV2. Viacom's multiple transponder service, located at 123 degrees, also will migrate to Galaxy XR when that satellite commences services at the same orbital location in the second quarter of 2000. PanAmSat also announced at the Western Show that it has teamed up with GTE, I-Connect Initiative LC and Lucent Digital Video for a broadband "Virtual Presence Environment," a technology that will enable entertainment customers to collaborate on motion picture production, post-production and special effects development from multiple locations. Live demonstrations of the technology are taking place at PanAmSat's Western Show booth.
In other news from the show:
- GI Announces Deals - General Instrument won an increased commitment from Charter Communications for one million additional interactive terminals and was named by the MSO as its cable modem supplier. General Instrument also won a contract from Comcast to upgrade systems in Washington, D.C. And the company announced a set-top box deal with Liberate Technologies.
- GI Invests In DIVA - In more General Instrument news, the company announced it made a $7 million equity in DIVA, the video-on-demand company. The two have worked together in the launch of video-on-demand services in GI's DCT series set-top boxes.
- 3Com Debuts Modems - 3Com Corporation unveiled three new cable modems built on a DOCSIS 1.1 hardware platform. They are the HomeConnect cable modem, OfficeConnect cable modem and the 3Com Cable Modem TMI.
- Microsoft Partners With Philips, Cisco - Microsoft is working with Philips Electronics and Cisco Systems to bring streaming media to consumers through the support of the software giant's Windows Media platform. Philips will integrate and support Windows Media with its cable set-top boxes. Cisco will provide cable operators with networking solutions that offer improvements for Windows Media-streamed content.
INTL: Canadian Company Snubs NFL
- Web Site Expands Despite NFL Threats - A controversial Canadian company that relays TV programs over the Internet will expand into Vancouver, enabling it to "webcast" more National Football League games. Toronto-based iCraveTV.com, led by a former Canadian TV regulator, has received lawsuit threats, though the Internet is unregulated in Canada.
- Philips Helps Launch Turkish Digital TV - Philips Digital Networks, a business group of Philips Consumer Electronics, recently won a contract to launch digital satellite TV and radio services in Turkey. The company will provide the technological backbone for DigiTurk, a start-up satellite services company that will begin operating in March 2000.
- Eutelsat Initiates Atlantic Gate Use - The first regular television broadcasts to North America from Europe using Eutelsat's Atlantic Gate satellite capacity began this month with Digitaly, a 24-hour Image of Italy channel that features programs about Italian culture. The channel is uplinked by Telespazio and downlinked in Ontario, Canada by Juch-Tech Inc.
- Globecomm Wins Japanese Contract - Globecomm Systems has been awarded a $3.2 million contract by Japan's NTT Communications to build a satellite earth station in Okinawa. It will be equipped with ATM switching and supporting services, voice capabilities and access to the U.S. Internet backbone.