This news is provided free of charge to on-line users by TELE Satellit magazine and TS News Service GB. IT IS FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. It may not be reproduced for commercial reasons by any means what so ever Der TS Nachrichtendienst ist ein Service fuer die Freunde von TELE Satellit und TS-TV und ist nur fuer persoenliche infromation freigegeben. TELE SATELLIT European Satellite News - English Version Number 13, Week ending 21 August 1994 By Martyn Williams CompuServe 100025,1637 Internet martyn@euro.demon.co.uk (c) TELE Satellit Magazine Intelsat 702 begins broadcasting Europe's newest TV satellite, Intelsat 702 began broadcasting last weekend. Testing has been going on all week. The new satellite will bring stronger TV signals to viewers across Scandinavia. The map above represents the west spot beam 1. Viewers inside the 48dBW zone can use dishes of 70cm to receive clear signals. 80cm dishes are needed in the 47dBW zone whilst 90cm dishes are recommended for the 46dBW zone. There is an additional west spot beam which is even stronger with the 47dBW zone extending across southern England, France, Germany and Poland. In addition to television the satellite will also carry telephone and private traffic. More significantly, the satellite will will serve as the only direct, one-hop communications link between the Indian sub-continent and North and South America. Intelsat customers in more than 40 countries on four continents will use the satellite. The satellite, positioned at 1º West replaces the older Intelsat 512 and was launched by Ariane rocket on 17 June at 0707 UTC. The current ku band transponder plan for Intelsat 702 is as follows : 11.016 GHz H TV Norge 11.055 GHz V TV 1000 11.096 GHz H TV 3 Norway 11.173 GHz H STV 2 11.555 GHz H TV 2 Norge 11.679 GHz H STV 1 According to George Wood the other TV 3 services will locate here later in the autumn. The TV 2 Norge relay on Intelsat 515 at 18ºW will cease on 18 September. New Sirius services at 5ºE This week also saw a selection of new satellite services for Scandinavia on the Sirius satellite. George Wood on Radio Sweden, always the best source for Nordic satellite news, reported that Sirius now carries the following line up : 11.785 TV 3 Sweden Clear PAL 11.862 TV 6 / TVG Clear PAL (Womens / shopping) 11.938 TV 4 Sweden Clear PAL 12.015 Filmmax Eurocrypt D2 Mac 12.092 Z TV Clear PAL (Music) The service from Filmmax on Intelsat 601 will close shortly. TV 3 Sweden will remain in clear PAL due to the very tight footprint of the satellite meaning viewers outside the Nordic region cannot see the satellite and so TV 3 explained, there is no danger with TV rights. The services on Sirius and Intelsat 702 wil be in addition to Astra. Polish service to replace TCMC on Astra The new FilmNet Poland channel is to take the place of The Complete Movie Channel on Astra's channel 63 from October. The cutting of the TCMC relay is made necessary because there are no other available channels on Astra for FilmNet's new Polish venture. The new service will use the VideoCrypt 2 system. A FilmNet spokesman explained "FilmNet and MultiChoice both agree that this situation is very unfortunate. However, the actual and potential number of subscribers was by all means too small in Holland and Belgium in comparison with Europe's third largest DTH market (Poland). There was no real, sound economic alternative, sadly enough". The Netherlands and Belgium are so heavily cabled that the majority of FilmNet viewers in those countries will not loose the channel anyway as The Complete Movie Channel will not be discontinued. Subscribers have already been notified by letter that the service will be discontinued on Astra for DTH viewers and been offered compensation. FilmNet Poland was officially launched in Lodz on August 12. An enthusiastic group of around 350 Polish cable operators, DTH dealers and distributors attended the launch as did representatives of Astra. SaRa dead Digital satellite radio on Eutelsat has been abandoned at present after tests were carried out earlier in the year. Eutelsat found that a high proportion of the current LNB's around were unsuitable for the service. The units are too noisy to allow a clean SaRa signal through so the satellite operator has decide to stick with either analogue radio or the emerging SCPC system, used mainly for distribution to headends. PPV comes to Dutch cable The Dutch PTT, Philips Electronics and US company Graff Pay per view have said they intend to set up a joint venture company in Europe with the goal of exploring and developing both ppv and video on demand services in Europe. In addition to this announcement the Casema cable company in The Netherlands announced an agreement with themselves and the new company. Under the agreement Casema and the new joint venture will introduce a new multi-channel package of pay-TV and pay-per-view to more than 400, 000 TV households in The Hague, Utrecht and adjacent municipalities. Initially, programming will consist of several pay-per-view channels where the subscriber will be charged per movie or event and some pay-TV channels on a month-to-month subscription basis. Casema is a major Dutch cable company, serving 1.2 million cable subscribers and operating systems in more than 100 municipalities. Graff Pay-Per-View Inc., operates twelve satellite-delivered channels to more than 15 million available cable and direct-to-home subscriber households in North America and Europe. Graff also operates two pay channels in the UK delivered to subscribers both direct-to-home and in cable systems, and will be expanding its satellite delivery into Europe. Nordic launches on the way for DMX The DMX digital audio package of 30 music channels will launch on Finnish cable next week followed by a cable launch in Norway on 1 September. The service, becoming available to UK, German, Austrian and Swiss satellite users early next year is also planning trials in France and Belgium during September. The new satellite service will use Astra for around 90 subscription radio channels early next year. OFT investigating BSkyB According to the Financial Times the UK's Office of Fair Trading has written to nine cable companies seeking information on how difficult it is to deal with BSkyB and the relationship with the company. The FT reported that the replies will enable the OFT to decide whether to investigate BSkyB and it's dominant market position. Many cable companies have complained in the past about the way BSkyB deals with them and this was seen more than any time when Nickelodeon launched. Many cable companies refused to carry the channel due to the high cost Sky were asking. Arabsat buys another used satellite The Arab Satellite Organisation has bought another used satellite from Canada's Telesat Canada. The satellite, Anik D1, is expected to last for up to three years and will replace the satellite that Arabsat purchased from the Canadians last year. That satellite suffered station keeping problems and started wandering around the sky in early 1993. It is expected to run out of fuel in around 10 months. Anik should be in place over Europe in early 1995. A brand new satellite is bein launched for Arabsat in mid 1996. Happy Birthday Intelsat Intelsat, the International Satellite Oragnization, turns 30 today, 20 August. Japan's H2 fails to launch Japan's new H2 rocket failed to launch Thursday. The launch was the second for the rocket and was vital in boosting local and global credibility of the Japanese space programme. According to technicians at the space centre on Kyushu Island, everything was going well until six seconds before launch when the two SRB's failed to launch. The NSDA said this was due to a computer error. For safety reasons the fuel tanks have to be completely emptied before a re-launch can be attempted, which has been scheduled for 28 August. The rocket's payload was an experimental satellite. Turner buying CBS ? Shoptalk, aka Rumourville USA, reported this week that Ted Turner may be finally buying the CBS network. The current rumour is that Turner will make his superstation WTBS a CBS affiliate and re-create TBS as a satellite only superstation. Commission investigates Murdoch and VOX The European Commission has announced that it is investigating the proposed stake in the VOX TV channel by Murdoch's News International. The deal apparently falls under the EU rules prohibiting concentrations which harm competition. The Commission has a month to clear the operation or order a full inquiry. Revenues up at Intelsat, The Family Channel Intelsat released thier annual report this week and with it details of an increase in operating revenues from telecommunications. The revenue from the business rose from $616m to $685m in 1993. Of that income, 10% was generated by international TV services and a further 10% by domestic and regional services. The network now claims to serve five and a half billion people in over 6000 languages through it's TV, radio, telephone, telex, data and other services. International Family Entertainment, parent company of The Family Channel has announced increased revenues for the first six months of 1994. CEO Tim Robertson said "The Family Channel (UK) is making steady progress. We expect revenues at The Family Channel (UK) to improve for the third quarter because of a substantial contracted increase in the fees earned from the BSkyB direct satellite broadcast service. Revenue for the first six months of 1994 was US$ 2,469,000. Overall the channel made an operating loss of US$ 6,837,000 in the first six months of 1994. Around the world .... - The director of Tajik TV's domestic programming, Davlatali Rakhmonaliev, was shot and killed outside his home in Dushanbe on the morning of 18 August, Russian news agencies reported. Rakhmonaliev was a former director of the state TV in Kulyab, the home of chief of state Imomali Rakhmonov and many supporters of the present neo-Communist government. Sources reporting the murder refrained from speculating on who might be behind the killing, and whether it was motivated by political or regional antagonisms. Bess Brown, RFE/RL, Inc. - Hong Kong Telecommunications are planning to launch a Video on Demand service late next year. The corporation has already signed local partners and discussions with Hollywood studios are underway. Murdoch's Star pay per view service is also seen as a possible partner. - Indian state satellite channel Doordarshan recently suspended transmission of it's regional language satellite channels. They were re-introduced at the beginning of the week with a new schedule and new look. - Thailand has begun experimental educational TV via satellite. The relay is via Thaicom and the Thai government has installed 74 satellite dishes in education centres in remote areas currently unable to receive the terrestrial signal. - Satellite viewers in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, have until Sunday to remove all satellite dishes. A government order threatens dish owners with confiscation of equipment if it is still being used after that day. Sources suggest a new government plan to licence satellite reception will shortly be introduced. Only Hotels are exempted from the order. In brief .... - RTL 5 may have dropped Luxcrypt. All this week they have been broadcasting in clear PAL, of course it could just be an equipment failure ! - Sky Sports 2 launched on schedule, 1800 UK on Friday evening. - Further to our reports that Radio 538 will leave Astra - they are still there and a call to Sky this week managed to elicit no information. When asked about the reports Sky said "it's nothing we have released, I can't comment on that any further". - Asda FM and SuperGold have now completed thier moves to the Sky Sports 2 channel. - TNT and The Cartoon Network teletext will begin during September but limited tests carrying just programme schedules have already begun. - World Tamil Television are back on Eutelsat 2F3 ! They have re-commenced testing on the new channel of 11.559 GHz H after Algerian TV started on the channel they had announced as thiers. Housekeeping .... TELE Satellit News in English is now also available via the SAT-NET collection of bulletin boards. In addition to our English news there is also a daily digest of news in German. German BBS system carries daily news service Via a central hub in Munich the news is distributed to all BBS connected to the so-called SAT-NET. Currently, SAT-NET consists of five bulletin board systems throughout Southern Germany. Any sysop of a BBS from whatever area who is interested in joining the SAT-NET system, may contact the central mailbox "vidi" in Munich or any of the other SAT-NET boxes: BBS city number bps vidi München +49-89-133247 28.800 SAT-BOX Landsberg +49-8191-39747 14.400 First Aid München +49-89-6732410 14.400 BL-Box Balingen +49-7433-15908 28.800 Telepoint BBS Bad Wörishofen +49-8247-31828 14.400 TELE Satellit Magazine This news is from the English language news service of TELE Satellit, a monthly satellite magazine edited in Munich, Germany. It consists of 164 pages, full colour with tables, charts and news with many off-screen photos of the satellite channels plus a informative technical section. Part of the magazine is written in English. Subscriptions are available for DM 120, Europe surface mail; DM 144, Europe airmail and DM 192, ROW airmail. Orders for subscriptions and more information should be sent to : TELE-satellit Customer Service, Silheimer Str. 6a, D-89278 Nersingen, Germany, Fax +49-7308-5296 Where to find satellite news : TELE Satellit News, English : Zipped Windows Write Version - CompuServe UKFORUM library 19, EURFORUM library 5 ASCII Text Version - CompuServe UKFORUM library 19 Fax polling - +31-45-273615 *2*44 ; +49-89-496287 *9 alt.satellite.tv.europe newsgroup on Internet World Wide Web : http://xan.esrin.esa.it:2602/satellite.html Via the SAT-NET BBS network TELE Satellit News, German : ASCII Text Version - CompuServe Deutschland On Line Forum (GERLINE) Fax polling - +49-89-496287 / +31-45-273615 Via the SAT-NET BBS network TELE Satellit TV ! Last Friday of every month, repeated following Sunday . Eutlesat 2F3, 11.141 GHz, Vertical. 20:00 UK, 21:00 CET Other reliable sources of satellite news : - Satellite Journal International provides worldwide satellite news and can be found in UKFORUM, EURFORUM, TELECOM, BPFORUM and CEFORUM plus other networks worldwide including Internet, Nifty Serve Japan and Fidonet. - 3615 SATPHONE on Minitel for the latest hot news ! - 3670-8192 in France for the latest French language satellite news updates - SAT 1 Text, page 550 with fresh news every 3-4 days plus frequency charts. - Radio Sweden Mediascan. 1st and 3rd Tuesday, 20 minutes into the English programme via Astra, Shortwave, Mediumwave 1197 kHz and the World Radio Network. - Satnews on the Internet - Skyguide on the Internet - Radio Netherlands Media Network, Thursday, 23 minutes into the English programme via shorwave and The World Radio Network - SAT NET BBS network BBS city number bps vidi München +49-89-133247 28.800 SAT-BOX Landsberg +49-8191-39747 14.400 First Aid München +49-89-6732410 14.400 BL-Box Balingen +49-7433-15908 28.800 Telepoint BBS Bad Wörishofen +49-8247-31828 14.400 - World Wide Web users can access TS News and the electronic journals above and more information via the European satellite home page, URL http://xan.esrin.esa.it:2602/satellite.html.