January launch for Dutch Disney XD


November 25, 2009 07.51


On January 1, Disney XD will take the place of the Dutch language version of Jetix in The Netherlands and Belgium. It is one of the last territories where the Jetix brand will disappear.


After successfully rolling out Disney XD in the USA in February 2009, the channel was first was introduced in France on April 1, 2009 followed by other European territories. Disney XD tries to capture a “cool factor” amongst boys that has sometimes been elusive.


“Disney Channel is a huge business serving kids all around the world, and it’s especially successful with girls, and our goal with Disney XD is to have that same success ratio with boys. Disney XD will showcase great stories and empowering characters with Disney’s brand credibility and a cool creative factor that will set it apart from the pack,” said Rich Ross, then president of Disney Channels Worldwide, at the time of the introduction of the channel.


Disney XD will be distributed over all the platforms that currently carry Jetix, including UPC, Ziggo, CAIW, Telenet, Belgacom TV, KPN Interactieve TV, Tele 2 Vision, Digitenne, TV Vlaanderen and Canal Digitaal Satelliet.
The Disney Channel is carried on an exclusive basis on UPC in The Netherlands and on Belgacom TV and Telenet in Belgium.












TiVo to supply next generation Virgin platform




Virgin Media’s next generation set-top boxes are to run a converged television and broadband platform developed for the cablenet by the US DVR specialist TiVo. The UK cablenet is following in the footsteps of US counterparts Comcast and Cox, which are currently testing the technology in a number of markets.


In a mutually exclusive agreement, TiVo will run both middleware and user interfaces on Virgin’s HD receivers. At the same time, Virgin will become the exclusive distributor of TiVo services and technology that had otherwise disappeared from the UK market.

Virgin Media currently runs the Seachange-owned Liberate middleware across its technology footprint. It is expected that Liberate will continue to be used on SD receivers following the extension of its contract through until 2011.

“TiVo’s proven track record of innovation, strength of its patented technology and experience in developing best in class user environments, make it an ideal strategic partner for Virgin Media as we move aggressively to bring our next generation TV service to market,” said Virgin CEO Neil Berkett. It is planned that the new interface will allow viewers to search and discover content through an integrated VOD and broadband delivery system.


“This deal underscores TiVo’s commitment to expanding its global footprint through strategic alliances with leading international media companies to help them deliver the best in-home entertainment experience for consumers,” said Tom Rogers, president and CEO of TiVo Inc.
Virgin anticipates that its first branded TiVo product will appear during 2010. The cablenet has already signaled its intention to ramp up its HD offer to between 25 and 30 linear channels.


In a reversal of fortune TiVo’s initial foray into the UK market came in 2000, when a two-year agreement was made with BSkyB, an equity interest later extending the agreement for a further year. BSkyB later dropped the technology in favour of the ND's XTV system that is marketed as Sky+.



















The deal is now confirmed.


ART, in a statement fro m Al Jazeera's offices in Doha, Qatar, says the deal was signed November 24.
"Al Jazeera Network acquires ART's sport content and associated ART sport trademarks," said the statement. "ART shall continue to act as host broadcaster for the Saudi Football Federation competitions and to transmit the matches on ART Sport 7 jointly with Al Jazeera Sport Channels until the end of the 2010-2011 season. ART Sport 7 will be available on Al Jazeera Sport Channel bouquet."Terms of the deal were not revealed but they are believed to be close to $2bn.
"Al Jazeera Sport Channel will add a wide array of sport events to the span of its exclusive right portfolio including the FIFA World Cup 2010 and 2014, the African Cup of Nations from 2010 to 2016, several football national league championships from the MENA region and all Saudi League and national team matches," said the statement.

"Al Jazeera Sport Channel will continue transmitting the exclusive rights of La Ligua, Italian Football Seri A, UEFA Champions League, Europa League, Euro Cup 2012 & 2016 and many other sports events."
"ART will distribute Al Jazeera Sport Channels +1 to +8 only on a non- exclusive basis as part of the new ART bouquets," added ART. "ART Sport and Al Jazeera Sport subscribers will be able to access free sports channels from both ART Sport and Al Jazeera's Sport bouquets, for a period of one month starting from December 1, 2009."
ART Sport channels 1 to 6 will cease to be transmitted on December 31st 2010. "ART subscribers will be able to continue to enjoy their sports programmes on Al Jazeera Sport channels as part of the ART bouquet."











TiVo data to help Google sell TV ads



TiVo has announced that it has entered into an audience research agreement with Google in which second-by-second PVR viewing data from TiVo’s stand-alone subscribers will help Google TV Ads to better target advertising.


Google will license and integrate TiVo television viewing data into its measurement of audiences for advertisements sold through the Google TV Ads platform. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed.
The deal will enhance the measurement and accountability of ad impressions for inventory sold using the Google TV Ads auction-based system. The TiVo sample covers all television signal sources including digital cable, analogue cable, satellite, telecom and over-the-air television, in live and time-shifted viewing.


“Google TV Ads is focused on enabling advertisers to target and measure television advertising more effectively,” said Mike Steib, Google’s director of emerging platforms, in a statement. “This deal with TiVo will give advertisers access to even more anonymised viewership data, making Google’s dataset one of the best in the industry. Advertisers can use this data to understand which audiences and ads are most effective, which we think will ultimately lead to more relevant ads for viewers.”


Google TV Ads is an all-digital system for buying accountable and measurable TV advertising. The system allows advertisers to reach up to 96 million households. Since launching in 2007, Google TV Ads has served over 100 billion TV ad impressions.











US Senator wants to eliminate Radio/TV Martí


US Senator Russ Feingold, a member of the Senate Budget Committee, yesterday announced the launch of his “Spotlight on Spending” series to highlight actions Congress can take to reduce the deficit. The first featured provision is the elimination of Radio and TV Martí.

“This relic of the Cold War attempts to broadcast radio and TV signals into Cuba that virtually no one tunes in to,” Senator Feingold said. “Government studies show that Radio and TV Martí are riddled with problems, and fall short of journalistic standards. As we progress toward a more modern and constructive relationship with Cuba, Radio and TV Martí no longer have any real diplomatic or fiscal purpose. I plan to bring up this issue when the Senate takes up President Obama’s recently announced nominees to the Broadcasting Board of Governors. ”

A January 2009 report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that Radio and TV Martí broadcasts face jamming by the Cuban government. According to the GAO, the best available research suggests that the audience for Radio and TV Martí is small, and its effectiveness uncertain. BBG’s International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB) also found that Radio Martí fails to meet certain journalistic standards, “particularly in the areas of balance and objectivity.”

During a June 2009 hearing before a House Foreign Affairs Subcommitee, a GAO official testified that there is “limited information to help assess the relative success on a return of investment for each of the transmission methods.” During the same hearing, John Nichols, a Professor of Communications and International Affairs at Penn State University testified that “…even if (Cubans) are opposed to the Castro government…they are going to look for more credible sources of information and entertainment.”

Senator Feingold argues that the political environment has changed significantly since the inception of Radio and TV Martí, and President Obama’s commitment to international diplomacy and dialogue offers a more effective way to engage with the people of Cuba. The Obama administration has already loosened restrictions on Cuban Americans’ visits to Cuba, and the White House and Congress are considering easing travel restrictions and other ways to normalize relations.

(Source: Press Release by Senator Russ Feingold)










Proton launches Eutelsat W7 successfully




A Proton-M rocket carrying the W-7 French telecom satellite was launched from the Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan at 5:19 p.m. Moscow time on Tuesday, Khrunichev Aerospace Center spokesman Alexander Bobrenyov told the press agency Itar-Tass.


The booster unit and the satellite separated from the rocket on a sub-orbiting trajectory, he added.
“The satellite will be positioned on the designated orbit with five impulses of the booster unit engine,” the Federal Space Agency said.
The launch was initially scheduled for Monday and delayed for 24 hours