UK digital entertainment sales top £1bn

Digital sales of music, video and games exceeded £1 billion for the first time in 2012, according to official year-end figures released today by the UK’s Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA).

With a final year-end tally of £1.033 billion (€1.272bn), digital sales of music, video and games grew by 11.4 per cent over 2011 to account for a quarter of the combined entertainment market. Disc sales of CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray and videogames still account for just over three quarters of the entertainment market, despite falling by 17.6 per cent compared with 2011.

Newtec Smashes Long-Standing 500Mbps Satellite Throughput Barrier

In the current economic climate, satellite service providers are looking to get more out of what they already have, or to do the same with less. In competition with terrestrial markets it is important for satellite service providers to always offer the best possible value to customers.

Advances in technology are making this possible.

According to Dave Suffys, Sales Support Manager, at Newtec, the company is testing one of our newest technologies, Clean Channel Technology™ (CCT), which is a potential S2 extension candidate. It consists of three things; a reduction of the roll-off factors, significantly reduced RF sideband noise and a much cleaner carrier.

OTT & Broadband help MSOs tide over ‘Pay TV’ losses

Although US cable operators have some good news to celebrate in 2012, having posted their best third-quarter performance in terms of video subscribers in at least two years, they still lost nearly half

a million subscribers during the period as competition from IPTV services from telcos such as Verizon FiOS and AT&T U-verse continued to diminish the cable companies’ opportunity to add new households to their customer rolls.

Even worse for them, according to IHS Screen Digest, their net subscriber losses for the full year of 2012 are expected to exceed those in 2011, according to the information and analytics provider’s Television Intelligence Report.

Disney, Charter agree fresh distribution deal

US broadband communications company Charter Communications and The Walt Disney Company have agreed a comprehensive long-term distribution agreement to deliver Disney’s line-up of top quality sports,

news and entertainment content to Charter TV customers across televisions, computers, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles and Internet-enabled televisions. The renewal agreement supports the companies’ mutual goal to deliver the best video content to customers across multiple platforms. Launch of content across these new distribution platforms is planned to begin in the first half of 2013.

Cable landing fee cut to make international bandwidth cheaper

International bandwidth in the country will be available at 50 per cent the cost with effect from January 1.

This follows a decision by the TRAI to slash cable landing station charges from this year after long-distance players complained of high charges.

EGoM on spectrum to meet on January 3 to discuss auction details

The Empowered Group of Ministers on spectrum, headed by Finance P Chidambaram, is scheduled to meet on January 3 to discuss details of the spectrum auction due this fiscal. 

"EGoM is meeting this Thursday," official sources said. The EGoM, they said, will discuss the auction plan prepared by the Department of Telecom (DoT) after the Cabinet approved the sale of unsold GSM spectrum in 1800 Mhz band and in the premium 900 Mhz spectrum band. 

Videocon d2h to premiere ‘Vishwaroopam’ before theatrical release

Videocon d2h, India’s fastest growing DTH service is set to telecast the premiere of the movie Vishwaroopam on PPV (Pay Per View) mode. With this facility, Videocon d2h subscribers will now be able to enjoy the premiere of the movie before it releases in the theatres.

The movie, which will be telecast on 10th Jan 2013, will be charged at Rs. 1000 per view in Tamil language (Channel No. 221) and Rs. 500 per view for Telugu (Channel No. 219) & in Hindi (Channel No. 220). The movie has been directed by and stars Kamal Hassan; one of the biggest cinema actors in the country.