Digital content will provide “complete new business models” and “the flexibility to be creative” for content owners, carriers and others, but confusion over the “content lifecycle” -- standards, protection and operational issues -- is holding the market back, KPMG analysts said in a USTelecom Web presentation Tues. The clash between and within traditional players like telcos and music labels, and new entrants in hosting and delivery solutions, will be resolved over time, but many questions remain. “The rules of the analog world don’t apply anymore,” and some of the telecom stalwarts will leave the “ecosystem,” said Senior Mgr.-Risk & Advisory Services Trent Larson.
U.K. consumers are keen to try British Telecom’s (BT’s) mobile broadcast digital TV and radio service, set to launch later this year, BT said. A pilot study, with 1,000 subjects the 3rd-largest of its kind in Europe, found 2/3 willing to pay up to Pounds 8 ($14) a month to get digital radio and TV over mobile phones, BT said. BT Movio is carried via the digital audio broadcast network over an Internet-Protocol smartphone from Virgin Mobile, BT’s partner in the venture. Most study subjects said they'd consider upgrading their phones to get the service. Nearly 3/4 said they'd pay for the service on their current networks if competitively priced, and 38% said they'd switch networks. Around 38% said they tune in weekly or more often to digital TV and radio on cellphones, with TV time averaging more than an hour weekly and radio time more than 90 minutes. A “large proportion” of testers said they would like their mobiles to get up to 5 kinds of mobile TV channel, including news, sports, sitcoms, music and comedy. BT Movio complements 3G-based mobile TV, so unlimited users will have access to live broadcasts on multiple digital TV and radio channels. BT is talking to mobile operators about rolling out a consumer service after the wholesale product becomes available.
Britain’s Sky Bcstg. Tues. introduced 2 services -- Sky by broadband and Sky by mobile -- to give customers greater flexibility in how, when and where to watch TV. Users can download hundreds of movies and more than 1,000 sports clips to PCs with Sky broadband, or watch news on the move with Sky mobile. Broadband accounts for 57.4% of all U.K. Internet connections and almost 1/2 (47%) of Sky digital customers have broadband connected PCs, compared with a national average of 38%, the company said.
DBS providers opposed most broadcaster requests for federal exemption from DTV signal requirements set to take effect in 4 months, as the FCC reviews the slew of waiver requests. DirecTV and EchoStar, questioning a combined 38 requests in separate FCC filings, said their subscribers would unfairly lose the ability to get higher quality pictures. Seventy stations are seeking testing exemptions because they may lack sufficient signal strength to pass muster, said an FCC official, adding that the Commission will act soon on the requests.
Spanish-language low power TV stations may overtake full power rivals next year, predicted BIA Financial Network (BIAFN). In June, almost half the 151 Spanish stations were low-power, said the media researcher. In making its forecast, the group referred to recent purchases of low power Hispanic TV stations by McGraw-Hill and Viacom. Even though low power stations aren’t available in an entire media market, “there is tremendous value in buying them,” said Raquel Tomasino, exec. vp- Catells & Asociados, an Hispanic ad agency. Such stations “are delivering [to] the metro and outlying areas, which is where Hispanics live,” said Tomasino in a statement accompanying the BIAFN report. Univision has 54 low power and “Class A” stations, while Telefutura has 38 and Telemundo has 32, said BIAFN.
The N.Y. City Council passed an ordinance to create a 15-member Broadband Advisory Committee to recommend how the city can apply municipal resources to promote broadband networks and services employing terrestrial and wireless technologies. Eight members would be mayoral appointees; the rest would be appointed by the council. The panel would run studies for 2 years, issuing progress reports when appropriate. The panel would have to hold public hearings in each of the city’s 5 boroughs and take written comments. The city has broadband available in nearly every residential area through cable or DSL service, but only about 38% of households where service is available actually subscribe. The ordinance has gone to Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R), who has until Jan. 31 to act on it.
Portugal Telecom said Thurs. it had bought back just under 38 million shares, or 3.23% of capital, this year. The carrier said it will cancel the shares, completing the 10% buyback begun Sept. 2003.
Congress should pressure the cable industry to provide a la carte to Americans, consumer groups said Thurs. at a news conference. A letter seeking govt. intervention -- signed by 38 entities claiming to speak for families’ interests -- went to Congress Wed. “We don’t pay for food we don’t want to eat, we don’t pay for magazines we don’t want to read, yet we are forced to pay for multiple channels we have no desire to watch,” the letter said: “Until the cable companies lose their virtual monopolies, we need congressional intervention.”
MCI, Xtera, Mintera and Juniper Networks transmitted at 40 Gbps over a 3,040-km fiber field in MCI’s Dallas metro area network, MCI said. The test showed existing infrastructure can support high-bandwidth Internet protocol traffic over Ultra Long Haul distances, it said. The trial, conducted in Oct. and Nov., carried 74 channels of 10 Gbps traffic and 2 channels of 40 Gbps traffic over 38 individual 80-km spans around metro Dallas. MCI tested 40 Gbps transmissions in 2004 between San Francisco and San Jose, and between Sacramento and Salt Lake City.
ChinaSatcom signed a satellite production contract with Alcatel Alenia Space, Alcatel officials said. Alcatel said it will build Chinasat 6B for regional TV broadcast, enabling ChinaSatcom to expand its Chinese services. The craft, to be based on Alcatel’s Spacebus 4000 C2 platform, will carry 38 C-band transponders, Alcatel said. The satellite is to be perched at 115.5 degreesE by the Chinese Long March 3B launcher.