Website: Rapid TV News

AETN says Romanian cable operators Telemach and DCS are now carrying its History factual channel.

History is fully localised for Romanian viewers.

The channel offers programmes that cover a diverse variety of historical genres ranging from ancient to contemporary history, technology to natural history, as well as military history, science, archaeology and pop culture.

Christina Foley, Commercial Director, AETN UK, said “We are delighted that History’s Romanian reach continues to grow and we look forward to working closely with our partners to build our channel profile amongst their subscribers.”

Now available in over 145 countries in more than 200 million TV households, History is the only international television network devoted exclusively to historical programming.

The network is the leading destination for revealing, award-winning, original programmes that connect history with viewers across multiple platforms.

History says it had its best year ever in 2009 in the US, finishing as the #5 ad-supported network in primetime for men aged 25-54 and coming in at #9 among all ad-supported cable networks in its key demographic of Adults for A25-54, breaking into the top 10 for the first time.

Additionally, History was the #5 ad-supported network in primetime for men 25-54.

Internationally, 2009 was also a strong year for the network, with History ending the year as the #1 factual brand in markets like Spain, Italy and Mexico, and the #2 or 3 factual brand in all markets.

History was first launched by AETN in January 1995 in the United States.

AETN UK, the UK joint venture with BSkyB, launched in November 1995 and operates History, Bio, Crime & Investigation Network, Military History, History HD, Bio HD and Crime & Investigation Network HD in the UK.

The joint venture also operates services in Scandinavia, the Benelux, Central Europe, Sub-Sahara Africa, Greece and the Middle East.

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Website: Rapid TV News

International viewers to news programmes must not be shown images that are disturbing or too graphic, says UK television regulator Ofcom.

Ofcom has ruled that a news broadcast by Doha-based news channel Al Jazeera (but licensed by Ofcom) that featured video of a number of people in Nigeria being shot dead by Nigerian security forces was a breach of Ofcom guidelines (Rule 2.3 (offensive material must be justified by the context) of the Code).

The transmission was made on Feb 9.

Viewers were pre-warned by Al Jazeera that the images were “very disturbing”.

The footage included images of seven men, in three separate groups (one group of four, a group of two, and then an individual), and claimed to be members of a Muslim group, being walked forward onto a road.

“All three sets of men were forced to lie face down on the ground. They were then shown being shot a number of times in the back of their bodies,” said Ofcom, in its April 26 report into the transmission.

Al Jazeera apologised for causing any offence but stated its belief that the inclusion of the footage in the report was editorially justified.

The broadcaster said that the report concerned extra-judicial killings in Northern Nigeria, and that given the strong nature of the footage, the decision to broadcast this content “was not taken lightly or without due consideration of our internal editorial guidelines and our obligations under…the Code, both of which we take extremely seriously”.

Al Jazeera outlined the steps that it had taken upon receiving the material, to decide whether, and in what manner, to broadcast it, including senior editorial staff and experts in Nigerian politics viewing the content.

The broadcaster said that the events depicted in the footage indicated that “a clear crime and human rights violations had occurred”, and therefore merited a full report.

According to Al Jazeera, there was “a vigorous inclusive discussion among senior editorial staff in which it was decided that, on balance taking into account the Channel’s obligations under the Code and to our audience, the gravity of the crime and the public interest in accurate and full reporting warranted showing the point of death images”.

In reaching its decision to broadcast the footage, Al Jazeera said that it believed its approach was “broadly consistent with the approach Ofcom has previously viewed as compliant with the Code” in relation to coverage of previous news stories featuring the 7/7 London bombings and the execution of Saddam Hussein.

Ofcom admitted the on-screen murders were cold-blooded and ruthless, adding: “It is important that the news is not sanitised and broadcasters are free to report the reality of war and other atrocities – in line with the broadcaster’s and the audience right to freedom of expression.

“The Code does not prohibit the broadcast of offensive or challenging material but requires that any potential offence must be justified by the context.

“However, in line with the Communications Act 2003 and the Code when transmitting such footage, broadcasters must also ensure that it applies generally accepted standards.”

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Al Jazeera news breaks Ofcom rules

Website: Rapid TV News

Poorer viewers in Ecuador will be the main beneficiaries of a 40,000 set-top box donation being made by Japanese manufacturers ahead of the nation’s adoption of the Japanese/Brazilian ISDB transmission system.

Ecuador’s Superintendent of Telecommunications, Fabián Jaramillo, says that Japan would deliver 40,000 set-top-boxes to low income people.

The official did not disclose whether the STBs will be delivered free-of-charge or they will have a symbolic value because “the government is supposed to take a decision about it”.

The analogue blackout is expected to take place between 2016 and 2020. Ecuador TV, the public broadcaster, already relies on a trial ISDB signal in some public schools located in Quito.

Additionally, according to the local media, Japan committed itself to providing basic low cost STBs, whose value has been fixed at about US$50.

Pursuant to a memorandum signed by both countries at the end of March, this year, Japan will carry out a pilot project for the broadcasting and reception with HD, one-seg, and Tele education. Ecuador will also be supported for the reception of signal in areas of difficult reception, according to a report in NexTVLatam.

Brazil says it will also support Ecuador in the realization of a technological development pole and a content generation project.

Japan will cooperate in the drawing-up of a digital TV implementation master plan which includes spectrum ordering, channel assignment (Channels 21 to 49 will be assigned in UHF), equipment renewal and network conditioning; programming and technology production technology studies; radio broadcasting studies, digital edition and broadcasting; data broadcasting program development; interactive program technologies; development of software, middleware and other applications.

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Japan gives STBs to low income families in Ecuador

Website: Rapid TV News

Hong Kong cable operator i-Cable has agreed to let free-to-air networks ATV and TVB broadcast a selection of matches from the forthcoming soccer World Cup – but only if they broadcast the entire coverage, adverts and all.

ATV and TVB’s digital-terrestrial channels will screen the opening match, both semi-finals and the final, as well as highlights and six magazine shows.

Each match will include all the ads i-Cable is running, as well as related programming.

i-Cable has exclusive rights to the World Cup, which kicks off on June 11.

Hong Kong’s government had been exerting pressure on all parties to come to an arrangement so at least some of the key matches could be seen free-to-air.

But only around half of Hong Kong’s homes will be able to view the matches on the free-to-air broadcasters as penetration of DTT stands at about 50%, or 1.2 million.

i-Cable has some 1 million subscribers.

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i-Cable strikes free-to-air World Cup deal

Website: Rapid TV News

It now seems that a powerful solar flare on about April 5 hit the Galaxy-15 satellite that normally beams Fox Sports, ESPN, Starz/Encore, AMC and the Sundance Channel and others to US viewers.

Two weeks ago Intelsat, which operates Galaxy-15 from 133 degrees West, said the powerful satellite had suffered an “anomaly”.

They confirmed that the satellite’s transponders, remarkably, were still working but the satellite was no longer responding to ground-based telemetry commands.

The craft was built by Washington-based Orbital Sciences, and its CEO David W. Thompson, has said that “the cause of the failure is probably traceable to a fairly severe level of solar activity that occurred over the April 3-April 5 period.”

No other Orbital-built spacecraft were affected during that period.

Mr Thompson said the solar flare theory was their “best informed guess” as to the reasons for the problems.

Orbital was also hopeful that once Intelsat’s clients were moved to their new home, and intensive tests could begin on Galaxy-15, then service could well be resumed “by this summer”.

Intelsat has since made plans to relocate its broadcasting clients onto another Orbital Sciences craft, Galaxy-12, and this is being done without loss of service.

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Galaxy-15 satellite damaged by solar flare