Category: Broadcast

International pay-TV broadcaster Canal Plus has extended its partnership with global electronics giant Samsung as it looks to increase its global subscriber base.

The expansion will see Canal Plus’ streaming service pre-installed on the home screens of newly sold Samsung TVs from 2024 and 2025 across Europe, Asia, and in French Overseas Territories where Canal Plus is distributed.

The move comes ahead of the launch of the Canal Plus app in more than 25 French-speaking African territories.

Philippe Schwerer, Canal Plus’ executive vice-president of Industrial Partnerships and New Business, said: “This partnership makes it easier than ever to access all Canal Plus content and bundles on Samsung devices in over 40 countries and paves the way for an expanded collaboration between our two groups.”

Canal Plus has increased its international foothold significantly in recent years, having raised its shareholding in the African media group Multichoice to over 26%, while it acquired a 70% majority stake in SPI International, a US-based media company operating 42 TV channels and multiple digital products, in March 2022.

In 2023, meanwhile, it became a “significant” minority shareholder in Viu, the over-the-top (OTT) streaming platform owned by Hong Kong-based telecommunications group PCCW, to enhance its presence in the Southeast Asia region.

The broadcaster has also been expanding its operations in Central Europe recently and has snapped up rights to English soccer’s Premier League in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

In addition, it has purchased pay-TV operator M7 in Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania.

Canal Plus is a major holder of sports rights in the countries it operates in, namely having exclusive coverage of English soccer’s top-tier Premier League until the 2027-28 season across multiple countries including France, Switzerland (French language only), the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Vietnam.

It also holds the rights to French soccer’s top-tier Ligue 1 in Sub-Saharan Africa through the 2028-29 season and to US-based mixed martial arts series the Professional Fighters League in the same territory.

Meanwhile, its offering in the Netherlands includes ESPN, the rights holder of the country’s domestic soccer top-flight Eredivisie, France’s Top 14 rugby union competition, and padel’s Premier Padel Tour. Sportcal

MainConcept, a provider of video and audio codecs, has announced a partnership with cloud playout solutions provider, Veset, to integrate its JPEG XS SDK into Veset’s cloud playout solution, Veset Nimbus. This integration will enable broadcasters to leverage JPEG XS technology to deliver high-quality live TV with minimal latency for an enhanced viewing experience.

JPEG XS, the video compression standard first released in 2019, is designed to provide visually lossless quality and ultra-low latency at very low compression ratios. Alongside its support for high bitrates (200Mbps+), this makes it ideal for professional media workflows where speed and visual quality are critical, such as live production, broadcast studios and video networks.

For Veset, the JPEG XS SDK makes live video streaming fast and seamless. It efficiently handles both input and output over modern IP networks and is compliant with SMPTE 2110 and VSF TR-07 for reliable content delivery. Through the partnership, Nimbus users can also benefit from MainConcept encoders for both H.264/AVC and H.265/HEVC.

Thomas Kramer, Vice President of Product Management, MainConcept, commented: “There’s a growing demand for advanced compression technologies that enable efficient delivery of high-resolution and low-latency video in professional media workflows, JPEG XS is the perfect codec to meet those needs. By partnering with Veset and adapting our JPEG XS SDK for their Nimbus platform, we’re helping to accelerate that demand.”

Martins Magone, CTO, Veset, added: “JPEG XS is increasingly being used in live production, particularly for sports and news broadcasting where quality and speed are non-negotiable. We wanted to make sure Veset Nimbus users can take full advantage of the numerous benefits that JPEG XS offers so naturally we’re thrilled to partner with MainConcept to do exactly that.”

Additionally, JPEG XS software and hardware processing has recently been added to MainConcept’s Easy Video API (EVA) as part of the MainConcept Codec SDK 15.3 release, enabling EVA users to achieve optimal visual quality with unmatched performance. The Broadcast Bridge

Starting April 1, TV viewers in India may face disruptions in the broadcast of major events like the Indian Premier League (IPL) as over 100 channels—including those from Sony, Star, and Zee networks—risk going off air if the foreign satellites they rely on do not receive timely approval from the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe).

Under the government’s mandate, only foreign satellites with IN-SPACe’s authorisation by March 31 will be permitted to offer space-based communication or broadcasting services in India. While entities such as Intelsat, Oneweb, IPStar, OrbitConnect, and Inmarsat have secured approvals, others—including Hong Kong-based AsiaSat and ApStar, China-based ChinaSat, and Malaysia’s Measat—are still awaiting clearance.

Approval delays and industry concerns
The broadcasting industry is seeking either swift approvals for all pending applications or an extension to prevent disruptions. There are concerns over geopolitical factors, particularly regarding satellite operators with Chinese links.

The approval process requires clearance from multiple ministries, including Home Affairs and the Department of Space. Typically, authorisation takes around 120 days after all necessary details are submitted. However, some applications have been pending since September due to additional queries from authorities.

Industry sources indicate that discussions with IN-SPACe are ongoing, and a resolution is expected by early March. There is speculation that a temporary six-month extension may be considered to allow broadcasters to transition to approved satellites, though no official confirmation has been provided.

Possible disruptions and alternative plans
If approvals do not come through in time, broadcasters may have to shift to other authorised satellites at short notice, leading to potential service interruptions. Given existing contractual obligations, disruptions could also prompt legal disputes between broadcasters and satellite providers.

Some operators are reportedly evaluating backup plans, including shifting to Indian satellites, but the short timeframe makes the transition challenging and expensive. A final decision on pending approvals is expected by the end of February, which will provide more clarity before the March 31 deadline. Financial Express

Vietnam plans to adopt rules that would allow Elon Musk’s Starlink to provide satellite internet services in the country while maintaining full ownership of any local subsidiary, a draft of the regulations shows.

The change paves the way for Starlink to launch in Vietnam and follows protracted talks with its parent company SpaceX, a government official said.

It represents a sudden shift in stance and can be seen as “an olive branch” to SpaceX amid nervousness in Vietnam about tariff threats from US President Donald Trump, according to a person familiar with the matter.

It’s a “demonstration from the Vietnamese side that they can play the transactional diplomacy game if the Trump administration wants that,” said the person.

All sources declined to be identified so they could speak more freely.

Attempts by SpaceX to enter Vietnam – a market of nearly 100 million people – were put on hold in late 2023 after the Communist-run country declined to lift a ban on foreign control of satellite internet providers – a precondition for Musk, who is now a key adviser to Trump.

The draft rules, set to be adopted by parliament in an extraordinary sitting on Wednesday, allow for full foreign control of operations for internet providers who have a network of low-orbit satellites, under a pilot scheme that would run until the end of 2030.

The provision is included in a 12-page resolution that seeks “to remove obstacles in scientific, technological and innovation activities”. Projects submitted under the pilot scheme would require the approval of Vietnam’s prime minister.

SpaceX and Vietnam’s information ministry did not reply to requests for comment.

SpaceX has been expanding its network of suppliers in Vietnam. The Vietnamese government has said the company wants to invest $1.5 billion in the country.

If many Vietnamese firms and individuals were to subscribe to Starlink that could help trim the large surplus in goods and services that the country has with the United States, according to a person with knowledge of the discussions.

Its surplus last year hit a record high of $123.5 billion, the fourth biggest among US partners, according to US data.

Trump last Thursday directed his team to devise reciprocal tariffs on every country that taxes US imports by April 1 and his aides have said countries with large imbalances will be closely scrutinised.

US duties have the potential to seriously disrupt Vietnam’s export-reliant economy, which counts the US as its main market.

Vietnam hosts many China-based manufacturers which have invested heavily in the Southeast Asian country after Trump’s first administration imposed tariffs on China in 2018.

To narrow its surplus with the US, Vietnam has also separately offered to import more US agricultural products, and is discussing other possible imports. Indian Express

SES announced today a new agreement to deliver and manage video content for ATP Tour events around the world using Secure Reliable Transport (SRT) and its unique Sports Content Orchestration Enabler ( SES SCORE) platform enabled by SES’s hybrid IP, fibre and satellite distribution network.

With more than 200,000 hours of live content per year from 3,200 tennis matches across various ATP Masters 1000, ATP 500 and ATP 250 tournaments, SES SCORE gives ATP Media an easy-to-use, centralized platform to manage and deliver its content. ATP Media’s 70+ broadcast partners can select from a variety of video feeds, audio, metadata and other content when creating their broadcasts with a simplified booking process.

“We wanted to give our broadcast partners unrestricted access to up to 10 Court Feeds we produce at our ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, as well as a secure method of delivering the World Feed as we transitioned away from satellite,” said Tom Copeland, Director of Technology at ATP Media. “By working with SES, we’ve created a simple, unified content orchestration and fully redundant hybrid distribution system where our partners can easily book and receive our SRT streams automatically through the SES SCORE Portal, enabling them to regionalise their coverage even further.”

“This is an important agreement, not only because of ATP Media’s status as a major and iconic professional sports media organization, but also that it showcases our unique content orchestration technology and hybrid distribution capabilities,” said Michele Gosetti, Head of Sales, Sports & Events at SES. “Our SES SCORE platform enables ATP Media to offer a single source to its broadcasters for picking various feeds and content sources – from full court views to player and coach isolation shots and more – to customize the broadcast to the tennis fans in their specific markets.” Financial Post

Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb has applied for fast-track approval from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to launch its twin earth station gateways in India, which will be connected to its low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation. The goal is to offer broadband-from-space services to South Asian customers, with the exception of Pakistan and China.

In a January 29 letter, the company told the DoT that its proposal would position India as a satellite communications global hub catering to the needs of international customers across the South Asia region. The letter further stated that the initiative holds geopolitical importance as India can leverage its satellite infrastructure to provide critical services such as satellite-based emergency alerts and disaster recovery assistance across South Asia.

The firm highlighted that its two Indian feeder-link earth station gateways in Mehsana (Gujarat) and Tamil Nadu are technically competent to reach its own LEO satellites. These satellites would serve markets beyond India and provide satcom services to more than 25 countries in the region. Eutelsat OneWeb satellite broadband offerings will address the diverse set of requirements that involve internet access, inflight broadband services, sea communication for commercial ships at international waters, and disaster recovery applications.

The company also aims to provide satellite-based backhaul connectivity, which will enable South Asian telecom operators to extend wireless broadband reach to remote regions with inadequate towers or fiber network connections. Although the company’s satellite infrastructure is very wide in scope, Eutelsat OneWeb will be running on a B2B (business-to-business) model only, with international telecom and distribution partners as its customers.

The company’s efforts to secure advance approval from DoT are in line with the Indian Space Policy 2023, which promotes Indian players to offer satcom services globally. Eutelsat OneWeb’s satellite infrastructure in India is ready for deployment and, once cleared by the government, will start working with international distribution partners and local telecom operators in targeted markets in South and Southeast Asia. They are Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. They will assist in providing multiple satcom services to clients within these nations through the use of the company’s LEO satellite capacity.

While Eutelsat OneWeb has a GMPCS (Global Mobile Personal Communications by Satellite Services) license to provide satellite internet service in India, businesses are not yet allowed to provide satellite broadband services for commercial purposes in India until satellite spectrum is made available through the administrative path. That has not happened yet, and Eutelsat OneWeb is requesting the government permission to utilize its Indian satellite earth station gateways for providing satcom service to markets beyond India.

Indian Space Association (ISpA), an alliance of satellite and space companies, has joined Eutelsat OneWeb in urging early DoT clearance. Permitting Eutelsat OneWeb to provide satcom services beyond India would not only open up revenue streams for the company but also benefit the Indian government, ISpA Director General Anil Bhatt said. Use of the satellite gateways in India by international services would yield license revenue for the Indian government, from the revenues by the Bharti-backed satellite player.

The latest Trai recommendation is also in favour of this proposal, recommending that satcom companies be allowed to utilize satellite gateways in India to offer services in other nations after getting the Centre’s clearance. This can open the way for Eutelsat OneWeb to go ahead with its plans, ushering in new possibilities for India’s space industry and increasing satellite connectivity in the South Asian region.

As India continues to stake its claim as a strong player in the international satellite communications industry, the expedited approval of Eutelsat OneWeb’s satellite infrastructure could be a strong move for building the nation’s strength in the emerging satcom industry. Siliconindia

Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser, Muhammad Yunus, said that he held a conversation with Tesla CEO Elon Musk to discuss a potential collaboration to launch Starlink satellite internet service in the country. In a post on X, Yunus said that he had a great meeting with Musk as they agreed to work together, adding, “Hoping to launch Starlink in Bangladesh soon together with him.” Yunus also extended his invitation to Tesla CEO Musk to visit Bangladesh for the potential launch of Starlink services, underscoring the significance of this initiative for national development, to which Musk responded positively.

In a post from the official handle of the Chief Adviser of the Government of Bangladesh, it was said, “Bangladesh Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Thursday held an extensive video discussion with @elonmusk, the owner of SpaceX, Tesla, and X, to explore future collaboration and to make further progress to introduce Starlink satellite internet service in Bangladesh.”

The discussion was also attended by Khalilur Rahman, High Representative for the Rohingya crisis and priority issues; Lamiya Morshed, Principal Coordinator of SDGs, on the Bangladesh side; Lauren Dreyer, Vice President; and Richard Griffiths, Global Engagement Adviser from SpaceX.

Both Musk and Yunus emphasised the transformational impact that Starlink’s satellite communications can have on Bangladesh, especially for its youth, rural and vulnerable women and remote communities.

According to a press release, their discussion also included how high-speed, low-cost internet connectivity could bridge the digital divide in Bangladesh, empowering education, healthcare, and economic development. India TV News

Direct-to-Home operator Dish TV India Ltd on Friday (February 14) reported a net loss of ₹46.5 crore for the third quarter that ended December 31, 2024. In the corresponding quarter of the previous fiscal, Dish TV posted a net loss of ₹2.8 crore.

The company’s revenue from operations fell 21% to ₹373 crore against ₹472.3 crore in Q3FY24. At the operating level, EBITDA tanked 32.8% to ₹122.6 crore in the third quarter of this fiscal over ₹182.5 crore in the year-ago quarter.

The EBITDA margin stood at 32.9% YoY in the reporting quarter compared to 38.6%. EBITDA is earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation.

Last year in December, shareholders of Dish TV rejected the proposal to appoint two independent directors to the board of direct-to-home service providers. Two special resolutions for the appointment of two independent directors, Amit Singhal and Parag Agarawal, could not get the required support from the shareholders in the postal ballot, the company said while sharing the scrutiniser’s report to bourses.

“We report that Special Resolutions in connection with Item Nos 1 and 2 (for appointment of Amit Singhal and Parag Agarawal) mentioned… in the Postal Ballot Notice, proposed to the Members of Dish TV India Limited did not receive the requisite majority of votes in favour and thus both the Special resolutions were rejected by shareholders,” it added.

The results came after the close of the market hours. Shares of Dish TV India Ltd ended at ₹7.35, down by ₹0.40, or 5.16%, on the BSE. CNBC-TV18

According to the Worldwide Software and Public Cloud Services Spending Guide published by International Data Corporation (IDC), public cloud services spending in Europe will total $221 billion in 2025 and will reach $373 billion by 2028, recording a five-year (2023-2028) compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20%. Platform-as-a-service (PaaS) will continue to be fastest-growing area, fueled by the increasing demand for AI applications, integration of cloud ecosystems, and the need for scalable platforms to support digital transformation.

Some headwinds will linger from 2024, while new uncertainties will threaten European economic stability. The potential tariffs and trade tensions between the United States and the European Union stemming from the new U.S. administration, persistent economic weakness in Germany, and growing competition from China might create challenges for some European industries. As Europe’s economic growth in 2025 remains uneven, this landscape could dent consumer and business confidence, impacting budgets dedicated to cloud-based transformational projects.

“Manufacturing industries, especially chemicals and automotive, are paying the effects of prolonged supply chain disruptions, lower demand, skill shortage, and tough global competition. Deteriorating business confidence will slow down cloud spending, which will still grow but at a slower place compared with verticals like banking or software and information systems,” says Andrea Minonne, research manager at IDC U.K. “Nonetheless, cloud is a growing market and investments will be driven to support automation and tech such as AI and generative AI .”

Banking, software and information services, and insurance will be the industries with the fastest year-on-year spending increases in 2025. Threat intelligence requirements will push banks to build AI-powered tools that can rapidly categorize and summarize data to identify potential threats, requiring a strong cloud foundation. Moreover, last year’s strong investments in datacenters across Europe will support cloud spending to support GenAI and other technologies that will be used in areas including risk assessment, customer service, and back-office process optimization.

Looking at the long term, software and information services will have the highest value 2023-2028 CAGR in Europe, at 24%. The industry’s spending growth will be fueled by rising demand for AI/GenAI solutions, increased investments in R&D for cybersecurity, and the adoption of scalable SaaS solutions. Insurance and life science will also grow their public spending more rapidly than other verticals. Insurance companies will invest in public cloud to modernize core systems, automate operations, and integrate AI-driven risk management to enhance compliance, efficiency, and customer experience. Despite near-term supply constraints and manufacturing limitations, life sciences companies are investing in AI-driven drug discovery, expanding production capacity, and strengthening digital supply chain resilience. IDC

Market research agency Nielsen has collaborated with JioHotstar, the digital platform of the Reliance-Disney joint venture (called JioStar), to provide audience measurement data and analysis of the Indian Premier League (IPL), among the world’s largest sporting leagues valued at $12 billion. JioStar currently has the television and digital rights of the IPL.

This is also the first time that a third-party agency will provide digital viewership data of the mega property, similar to what the Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC) does for television channels in terms of viewership measurement of TV shows and sports tournaments.

“As a trusted leader in audience measurement for over 100 years, Nielsen is committed to supporting the evolving needs of advertisers with data-driven insights,” Arnaud Frade, president (commercial), Asia, said.

JioStar will kick off the initiative with the 2025 edition of IPL, extending the same to other digital properties on JioHotstar. The arrangement will be long term, said sources, with subsequent editions of the IPL on JioStar also part of the initiative. JioStar has IPL media rights till 2027.

While JioStar and Nielsen did not provide financial details of the arrangement, digital measurement is expected to plug a critical gap for advertisers who had to depend on their own analysis or what the over-the-top (OTT) platform would provide them in terms of data in previous years of the IPL. This exercise is expected to be a test case for Disney and Reliance who will broadcast the IPL as a merged entity since coming together in November 2024.

On Friday, JioStar announced that it had merged its two streaming paltforms — Disney+ Hotstar and JioCinema — ahead of the IPL. Subscribers of the two platforms could seamlessly transition to JioHotstar, with the company rolling out “affordable” tariff plans to improve viewership.

The IPL, for perspective, is among the country’s most-viewed TV and digital properties. The 2024 edition of the T20 league, for instance, clocked a TV audience reach of over 550 million on Star Sports. While the digital reach of IPL 2024 on JioCinema was around 550-600 million.

“Through our association with Nielsen, we aim to redefine how advertising on digital/OTT is measured and delivered across India’s most iconic entertainment and sports properties,” Ishan Chatterjee, chief business officer, sports revenue, SMB & Creator, JioStar, said.

Under the arrangement, Nielsen will deploy advanced tools such as Nielsen ONE Ads (which is Nielsen’s DAR — digital ad ratings) and the newly-developed volumetric and reach analysis on the platform to provide insights into viewership and ad performance.

The metrics will be accessible through the Nielsen One dashboard, enabling advertisers to gain valuable insights including impressions, clicks, campaign reach and on-target reach delivered by their campaigns on JioHotstar. Chatterjee said that the offering would address the industry’s need for measurement solutions while enhancing the transparency in advertising performance. Financial Express