Broadcast (Cable TV, DTH Satellite, Terrestrial) News

Express-80 and Express-103 satellites launched
Aug 3, 2020 – Two satellites, Express-80 and Express-103, ordered by the Russian Satellite Communications Company, have been launched from Baikonur cosmodrome. Full-scale functioning is scheduled to commence in January and February 2021.
News categories: RSCC, Yuri Prokhorov, Content Distribution, Digital TV, Russia, Satellite

INVIDI extends addressable TV partnership with Tata Elxsi
Aug 3, 2020 – INVIDI Technologies and Tata Elxsi have announced an expansion of their relationship to bring addressable television capabilities to pay TV operators in India, Asia-Pacific and MEA.
News categories: INVIDI, Tata Elxsi, Prasad Sanagavarapu, Nitin Pai, Advertising, Big Data, Digital TV, India, Satellite, Set Top Box

Charter residential video customers up 102,000 in 2Q 2020
Jul 31, 2020 – Charter Communications has reported results to June 30, 2020. Residential video customers increased by 102,000 in the quarter. At the end of the period, Charter had 15.7 million residential video customers.
News categories: Charter Communications, Cable TV, Digital TV, Results, Subscribers, USA

Discovery joins On Addressability dynamic ad insertion initiative
Jul 30, 2020 – Discovery has announced that it will join the On Addressability initiative. The initiative enables Discovery to offer advertisers dynamic ad insertion to audiences across the Charter, Comcast and Cox cable TV footprints.
News categories: Discovery, Spectrum Reach, Comcast Advertising, Cox Media, Keith Kazerman, David Kline, Gina Mingioni, Louis Gump, Advertising, Big Data, Cable TV, Digital TV, USA

Comcast cable video subscribers down 477,000 in 2Q 2020
Jul 30, 2020 – Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA) has reported results for the quarter ended June 30, 2020. Total video customer net losses were 477,000. NBCUniversal's recently launched Peacock has 10 million sign-ups to date.
News categories: Comcast, Cable TV, COVID-19, Digital TV, Results, Subscribers, USA

PMG and American Tower partner to accelerate ATSC 3.0 SFN deployment
Jul 29, 2020 – Public Media Group (PMG) has formed an alliance with American Tower to create a turnkey ATSC 3.0 SFN solution for TV stations. Both companies will build out the networks, while PMG will own, operate and manage the infrastructure.
News categories: Public Media Group, American Tower, Joe Chinnici, Steve Vondran, Rick Ducey, ATSC 3, Content Distribution, Digital TV, USA

Eutelsat 8 West B selected by Strong Roots for Ethiopian FTA DTH
Jul 29, 2020 – Strong Roots Ethiopia Broadcasting Service has taken Ku-band capacity on EUTELSAT 8 West B (Paris: ETL). Strong Roots plans to launch an FTA DTH platform covering Ethiopia as well as Ethiopian diaspora in zones within the satellite’s footprint, notably the Middle East.
News categories: Eutelsat, Philippe Oliva, Tsegaye Alemayehu, Content Distribution, Digital TV, Ethiopia, Middle-East, Satellite

Seven broadcasters launch NEXTGEN TV in Portland, OR
Jul 28, 2020 – Seven local TV stations in Portland, including KATU (ABC), KOIN (CBS), KGW (NBC), KPTV (Fox), KOPB-TV (PBS), KRCW-TV (CW) and KPDX (MyNet), have become among the first in the U.S. to begin broadcasting with NEXTGEN TV.
News categories: Sinclair Broadcast, BitPath, Mark Aitken, John Hane, Tom Casey, Brett Jenkins, Kurt Rao, Steven Bass, ATSC 3, Content Distribution, Digital TV, USA

CANAL+ to launch Ethiopia's first pay DTH platform
Jul 28, 2020 – Eutelsat (Paris: ETL) and CANAL+ have signed a multi-year, multi-transponder contract for Ku capacity on EUTELSAT 7C to support the launch by CANAL+ of a premium DTH platform in Ethiopia at the beginning of 2021.
News categories: Eutelsat, CANAL+, Rodolphe Belmer, Jacques du Puy, Content Distribution, Digital TV, Ethiopia, Satellite