08-09 - TELE-satellite International Magazine
08-09 - TELE-satellite International Magazine
08-09 - TELE-satellite International Magazine
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MEDIA Satellite & Broadband News<br />
L A T I N A M E R I C A<br />
OPERATORS SEEK IPTV ALTERNATIVES<br />
IPTV will take a backseat to other pay-TV platforms<br />
as operators seek alternative strategies to meet<br />
the significant market demand, according to a new<br />
report from Pyramid Research. IPTV is simply not<br />
living up to expectations in Latin America, with less<br />
than 0.1 per cent of households in Latin America<br />
subscribed to IPTV at year-end 20<strong>08</strong> and the technology<br />
had very few net additions during the year.<br />
Pyramid does not expect IPTV to break out of its<br />
niche until around 2012, when it will be approaching<br />
a 5 per cent share of total pay-TV subscriptions.<br />
Pyramid estimates that by 2014, the region will be<br />
home to more than 4.4 million IPTV subscriptions,<br />
which will reach 2.6 per cent of all households.<br />
BRAZIL<br />
SKY BRASIL LAUNCHES HDTV SERVICE<br />
Sky has launched its new HD service, SKY HDTV,<br />
simoultaneously reaching 5,000 cities in Latin<br />
America’s largest country. The HD line-up is as<br />
follows: Discovery Theater HD, FOX-NatGeo<br />
HD, ESPN HD, MGM HD, TNT HD, Voom HD,<br />
Space HD, HBO HD, HBO and SexZone HD.<br />
PERU<br />
KOREAN FIRMS TO BUILD<br />
IPTV INFRASTRUCTURE<br />
A consortium of Korean IPTV firms had signed an<br />
agreement with a Peruvian group to build out the<br />
IPTV infrastructure in the country. The US$ 173<br />
million (KRW 230 bn) first phase of the contract is<br />
to build out the network and a broadcast center,<br />
first in Lima and its environs, to reach about one<br />
million households. Subsequent phases will<br />
expand to a few other cities, when the value of the<br />
contract is expected to grow to over US$ 1 billion.<br />
VENEZUELA<br />
ZTE TO SUPPORT CANTV’S IPTV PLAN<br />
CANTV has selected ZTE to deliver equipment and<br />
integration services to support a USD 00 million<br />
plan to launch IPTV services. In a first deployment<br />
phase, ZTE will provide a head-end system,<br />
middleware, a video distribution network including<br />
VoD servers and VoD management system,<br />
content protection, STB and IP network infrastructure.<br />
The aim of the first phase is to offer IPTV<br />
services to 67.00 trial users with an offering that<br />
could potentially include over 140 linear channels.<br />
CANTV is targeting 1.26 million IPTV customers<br />
within the next six years, according to ZTE.<br />
A S I A<br />
YAHLIVE TO LAUNCH DTH SERVICE IN 20<strong>09</strong><br />
YahLive, a joint venture between SES Astra and<br />
Abu Dhabi’s Al Yah Satellite Communications<br />
(Yahsat), plans to launch its first <strong>satellite</strong> and offer<br />
DTH services from the fourth quarter of 20<strong>09</strong>, Chief<br />
Executive Jassem al-Zaabi said. Yahsat, which is<br />
launching two <strong>satellite</strong>s in 2010 and 2011, is wholly<br />
owned by Abu Dhabi investment firm Mubadala and<br />
holds 65 per cent of YahLive. SES Astra is investing<br />
US$ 50 million in the project while Yahsat will invest<br />
around US$ 100 million. Yahsat’s two <strong>satellite</strong>s are<br />
being built at a cost of US$ 1.6 billion by a consortium<br />
of EADS Astrium and Thales Alenia Space.<br />
ASIASAT SELECTS LORAL FOR ASIASAT 5C<br />
Asiasat has selected Space Systems/Loral (SS/L)<br />
to provide a new communications <strong>satellite</strong> Asiasat<br />
5C. Asiasat 5C will serve as a backup for AsiaSat<br />
5, which is currently being built by Space Systems/Loral<br />
and is scheduled for launch in the third<br />
quarter of 20<strong>09</strong>. Asiasat 5 will replace Asiasat 2<br />
at the orbital location of 100.5 degrees East.<br />
ECHOSTAR TO ENTER ASIAN DTH MARKET<br />
EchoStar Corp. is expanding into the Asian DTH<br />
market following the creation of a joint venture<br />
with regional <strong>satellite</strong> operator Asia Satellite<br />
Telecommunications. The new service, expected<br />
to begin transmission in the second half of the<br />
year, will use the AsiaSat 4 <strong>satellite</strong> to broadcast<br />
an all-digital mix of video and audio channels to<br />
DTH consumers using small <strong>satellite</strong> antennas.<br />
The companies said they will each invest US$ 17.5<br />
million in the new venture and together provide it<br />
with another US$ 18 million in shareholder loans.<br />
Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan are among the<br />
first territories where the service will operate.<br />
CHINA<br />
PCCW REACHES 686.000 IPTV SUBSCRIBERS<br />
Hong Kong-based PCCW reached an installed<br />
base of 953.000 subscribers for its IPTV service<br />
now TV by the end of 20<strong>08</strong>, with 686.000 of