Thread: Satellite News February, 2010

This Valentines Day, go on a date with channels from the STAR Network!


3rd Feb, Mumbai: Stay home this Valentines day and cuddle up with your loved ones in cozy confines of your living room! The STAR Network is celebrating this Valentines Season with a whole line up of entertaining properties throughout the week and a big splash on Valentines Day across channels!

If you have a taste for premium English Entertainment, STAR World is the channel you’ve got to look up to! From 8th Feb to 13th Feb, STAR World will air Cupid’s Cuddle, a special Valentines package of a much loved sitcom, ‘How I Met your Mother’. Two episodes of the show will air back to back from 7pm to 8pm (repeat – 12midnight – 1am). On Valentines Day, STAR World will air 10 episodes back to back of ‘How I Met your Mother’ from 5pm to 10pm.

Cuddle up to Hollywood movies with your loved ones from 1pm to 9pm on STAR Movies. The leading movie channel has a special Valentines bash for its viewers with sprightly movies like Blonde Ambition (10.40am), Just Married (12.35pm), 27 Dresses (2.30pm), Pretty Woman (4.40pm) and Penelope (7.00pm).

Channel [V] has a whole host of Valentines specials exclusively put together by the VJs. Catch them play pranks with people on a special programme - Bhanda Phod on 14th Feb at 1pm. Catch Love Confessions at 4pm, in which the VJ’s will be seen egging on people to declare their undying love for their beloved. These VJs will be on “Mission Cupid” as they go to different campuses and try and convince boys and girls to walk up to people they like & express their true feelings & propose to them. At 8.30pm, tune-in to VJ Dates, where the VJs are set up on dates with their biggest fans; and viewers will be privy to all that happens on that date!

Tune in to STAR One for a one hour special episode of Miley Jab Hum Tum on 13th Feb at 9 pm where Nupur-Mayank will celebrate their first Valentines Day after their Wedding. Nupur-Mayank have invited their friends, Suhani-Adhiraj and Gunjan-Samrat for a Valentines day bash and are having a lot of fun together; but their celebrations see an abrupt end as the story takes an unexpected twist at the end of the episode!

Stay Tuned to the STAR Network of Channels this Valentines Season

ABC News content on Hulu


MUMBAI: The programming of ABC News from its platforms and shows will be featured on a branded page on Hulu, an online video service.

The site will feature short form news content and long form programming from morning to night -- including Good Morning America, World News with Diane Sawyer, Nightline, This Week, 20/20 and Primetime limited series.


ABC News president David Westin says, "We’re happy to be able to provide our audience with another way to watch ABC News. We look forward to sharing our reporting with users on one of the top video destinations on the Internet.”

Select programming from ABC News Now (the network’s digital channel) including Top Line, a daily political programme hosted by ABC News’ Political Director David Chalian and senior political reporter and author of The Note, Rick Klein, will also be available on Hulu.

The channel will also feature ABC News Now's Good Morning America Health, which is a health and wellness programme, as well as ABC News Specials and content from the ABC News Archives.

Written by Chris Forrester
Monday, 08 February 2010 10:39
This year sees the 100th anniversary of the first use of infrared photography.

Modern photography itself extends back to the 1820s, but became something of a popular pastime from the 1880s when George Eastman invented his Kodak system.


In October 1910 the Royal Photographic Society in London published the world?s first infrared images, and this year the RPS is celebrating 100 years since the event.


Infrared images use film, or a modern sensor, that is sensitive to near-infrared light, and the end result is quite different from conventional photography whether in black and white or colour. There?s a growing fascination, certainly amongst art-houses and specialist galleries, for images taken with infrared cameras.


To see many fascinating examples of old and more recent infrared images, and to see what?s happening during this 100th celebration year, have a glance at the following sites:

Written by Pascale Paoli Lebailly
Monday, 08 February 2010 20:31
Kids? channel Disney Channel France launched Disney Channel internet radio yesterday following a deal with radio group NRJ.

Accessible through websites nrj.fr and disneychannel.fr , the first kids? radio station launched by a youth channel targets tweens and offers music hits, stars and news all-day long.


With this offspring, Disney Channel intends to strengthen its universe based on music programming. The radio will thus broadcast hits from Disney stars like the Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato or new French singer Sara along with some premieres and songs from tweens? favorite worldwide singers.


Celebrity news will be delivered by NRJ radio?s animator.


The radio station is also available though NRJ?s iPhone and iPod apps.

Disney Channel web radio brings NRJ?s bouquet of web radio channels to 16, plus six internet TV services.

Written by Rose Major
Monday, 08 February 2010 10:41
Travel Channel is launching in New Zealand for the first time, following a deal between Travel Channel International and Sky TV New Zealand.

Available from May, Travel Channel will be available as part of Sky?s basic package.


Richard Wolfe, Travel Channel International?s chief executive, said: ?Sky is one of the most successful Pay TV providers in the world and it is a great privilege for us to be working with them to bring the channel here.


?We think Travel Channel and New Zealand are made for each other, and we are looking forward to people here becoming part of our rapidly expanding international family of viewers.?


John Fellet, Sky Television chief executive, said: ?Sky Television is dedicated to continuing its ongoing commitment to provide unique, entertaining and exclusive television for New Zealanders - Travel Channel is a welcome addition to our platform.?


Travel Channel transmits on 20 satellites in 18 languages acrossEurope, the Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific.

Written by Chris Forrester
Monday, 08 February 2010 10:42
Some of Egypt?s Islamic leaders have issued a religious Fatwa against social networking site Facebook.
BBC Monitoring is quoting Arab-language newspaper Al-Quds al-Arabi saying that some Egyptian religious clerics are calling for Facebook to be a prohibited site.


Shaykh Abd-al-Hamid al-Atrash, the former chairman of the Fatwa Commission in Al-Azhar University, issued a Fatwa on Feb 5 that has aroused ?a loud clamour on the Egyptian streets,? according to the newspaper.


Al-Atrash prohibited access to the social networking site Facebook after ?the rate of divorces and cases of marital infidelity have risen,? said the newspaper. The former chairman of the Fatwa Commission pointed out that the consequences of accessing Facebook are extremely dangerous to public opinion and to people in general, especially Arab and Muslim peoples that have their own special characteristics. Al-Atrash said that Facebook is a destructive tool since it leads to illicit liaisons, which are banned by Islamic shari'ah law. "While one or the other of the spouses is hard at work, the other is having illicit affairs if he or she has free time and does not spend this time in doing something useful and is not restrained by his or her conscience," Al-Atrash said.


However, Egyptian writer Wahid Hamid believes that Facebook is not an absolute evil or an absolute good. ?It has contributed to spreading the works of young innovators who are unable to publish their works in books. It has also contributed to breaching the barriers that dictatorial regimes are seeking to place against opposition activists in order to prevent them from contacting one another,? he was quoted by the newspaper.


In the same context, Ayman Nur, member of the opposition and leader of Al-Ghad [Tomorrow] Party, said that Facebook has helped in bolstering bridges among the public, especially among those concerned with public affairs and activists in the various opposition forces.


Journalist Muhammad Shukr of the Al-Wafd newspaper said that labelling Facebook as a broad tool for marital infidelities is not logical. It has helped in many useful activities. Moreover, anyone seeking prohibited liaisons and is unable to access Facebook can resort to many other ways. Shukr added that Facebook primarily serves social relationships. It also supports opposition activists and creative minds regardless of their inclinations. Thus, issuing a fatwa prohibiting its use serves the dictatorial regimes in the first degree.


Movie producer Khalid Yusuf criticized the prohibition of electronic sites. He said that many such sites, including Facebook, serve the interests of youths. Facebook has contributed to many services activities and is one of the modern methods that spread knowledge and encourage contact among intellectuals regardless of their inclinations. Yusuf pointed out that the fear of worldwide web among some quarters is not justified and cannot be accepted absolutely.

Written by I?aki Ferreras
Monday, 08 February 2010 20:32
These aren't easy times for Astra Spain. The market of the satellite operator in this country has been reduced to the distribution of the signals of Sogecable's satellite pay-TV operator Digital+ and a bunch of international free-to-air channels mainly addressed to foreign residents.

Now the operator also wants to take a piece of the DTT distribution cake but the country's main signal distribution operator Abertis Telecom is likely to make this very difficult. The conflict between the companies has reached a regulator, the Telecommunications Market Comission (CMT).


Astra has asked the CMT to mediate and oblige Abertis to allow it to use its network to distribute the DTT signal before national analogue switch-off takes place on April 3.


Spain's transport and broadcasting of the TV signals is regulated under Abertis Telecom's monopoly although the company must abide by a series of obligations in order to facilitate the development of its competitors' business.


Astra thinks Abertis Telecom is not fulfilling these conditions and has asked the CMT for help, according to the newspaper El Mundo. The satellite operator claims it is impossible to go for two public tenders in the provinces of Arag?n and Extremadura for the deployment of DTT signals because Abertis has not fulfilled its obligations. This is to allow Eutelsat to install its technology at a fair price on the Abertis telecom towers from where Abertis distribute its signals.


But a source from Abertis claimed the prices quoted on both occasions to Astra are well known by everybody and are approved by the CMT.


Astra has another gripe, telling the CMT that Abertis declined to offer it an interconnection price for its network in order to be able to go for those two tenders. But Abertis has declared its obligation is to give a co-installation service and not an interconnection one. This is the core of the problem.


Finally Astra has claimed that Abertis, within its the facto monopoly, is composing the prices it wants.


If Astra does not get the CMT's approval it will have to negotiate individually with all the different broadcasters over the access to their channels to offer its satellite pay-TV clients the whole DTT platform.


Astra is also waiting for the European Comission to formally confirm whether it is right on complaining over the money given by Spain's government for the plan for the DTT extension when no similar cash has been given for any other broadcasting method.

Written by Rose Major
Monday, 08 February 2010 20:34
Hathway Cable?s upcoming IPO has attracted five institutional investors which together will take 18% of the available shares in the cable operator, according to reports.

Paying Rs240 per share, the anchor investors are: Franklin Templeton (2.08 million shares, for Rs500 million); DSP Blackrock (1.19 million shares, for Rs285 million); Reliance Capital trustee (416,675 shares for Rs100 million); Copthall Mauritius Investment (416,675 for Rs100 million) and Tree Line Asia Master Fund (890,675 for Rs214 million).


On Feb 9-11, Hathway is offering 20 million new shares, plus another 7.75 million from investors, for between Rs240-265 per share. The total issue constitutes around 19.4% of the company?s post-issue capital. About 60% of the shares will be sold to institutional buyers, non-institutional investors 10% and retail investors 30%.