Satellite Television (DBS, DTH, DSat, DVB-S, DVB-S2) News

Freeview New Zealand passes quarter million mark
Jul 15, 2009 – Tightened consumer spending, an increase in TV viewing habits and improved affordability of Freeview|HD® receivers are all paying dividends for Freeview, with the latest figures confirming it is now available in more than a 250,000 Kiwi homes.
News categories: Freeview NZ, Digital TV, Market Research, New Zealand, Satellite, Set Top Box, Smart TV, Terrestrial

Serbia Broadband Adds New 'Total TV' Capacity at 16°E
Jul 13, 2009 – Serbia Broadband (SBB) has announced the expansion of its Total TV platform with new multi-year contracts concluded with Eutelsat Communications (Paris: ETL) for two transponders at its 16 degrees East video neighbourhood.
News categories: Serbia Broadband, Eutelsat, TOTAL TV, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Content Distribution, Croatia, Digital TV, Montenegro, Satellite, Serbia, Slovenia

13.09 million DTH subscribers in India at end March 2009
Jul 13, 2009 – TRAI has released its Telecom Services Performance Indicators Report for the first quarter 2009. At the end of March, the total number of DTH subscribers was 13.09 million and the number of set-top boxes in CAS notified cable TV areas was 770,053.
News categories: Telecom Regulatory Authority Of India, Cable TV, Digital TV, India, Market Research, Satellite, Set Top Box, Subscribers

Orbit Group And Showtime Arabia Merge Pay-TV Operations
Jul 12, 2009 – Showtime Arabia and the Orbit Group of Companies have announced the merger of their pay-TV operations to form a new company and create the leading pay-TV platform in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
News categories: Orbit Group, Showtime Arabia, Bahrain, Digital TV, MandA, Middle-East, Satellite, UAE

DISH Mexico at 530,000 subscribers after 6 months
Jul 9, 2009 – Dish México, the DTH joint venture between Echostar, MVS Comunicaciones and Telmex, has reported that it has reached 530,000 subscribers in the first six months since its launch in November 2008.
News categories: Dish México, Mexico, Satellite, Subscribers

Cable Passes Satellite as Leading Digital Pay-TV Platform During 2008
Jul 9, 2009 – Preliminary results from IMS Research's forthcoming 2009 study on the World Market for Set-top Boxes and iDTVs has revealed that during 2008 the dominant digital pay-TV platform shifted from DTH satellite to digital cable.
News categories: IMS Research, Cable TV, Digital TV, Market Research, Satellite, Set Top Box, Smart TV, Subscribers

Arabsat and Sudanese Radio & TV to operate DTH platform from Khartoum
Jul 7, 2009 – The Arab Satellite Communications Organization (Arabsat) and the Sudanese Radio & TV corporation have signed an agreement to launch and operate a DTH platform in Khartoum. The platform is to be ready for operation by the end of this year.
News categories: Arabsat, Sudanese Radio & TV Corp, Content Distribution, Satellite, Sudan

TV IC Market Declines Seasonally to 30.8 Million Units Shipped in Q1'09
Jul 6, 2009 – The TV IC market declined seasonally to 30.8 million units shipped into flat panel TVs in Q1'09, according to the latest research in the DisplaySearch Q2'09 Quarterly TV Electronics Report. Shipments were down 4.3 % Q/Q, but up 11% Y/Y.
News categories: DisplaySearch, Digital TV, DVB-S2, Market Research, Semiconductor, Smart TV, Terrestrial

India imposes 5% import duty on STBs
Jul 6, 2009 – In India's Budget for 2009-2010 a 5% import duty was announced for set-top boxes.
News categories: India, Regulation, Satellite, Set Top Box