[Prev][Next][Index]

SAT-ITALY 14.11.1996

ITALIAN SATELLITE AND MEDIA NEWS - 15 November 1996

HOME SHOPPING NETWORK COMES TO ITALY
The US shopping channel Home Shopping Network (HSN) is planning to enter the
Italian TV market from the beginning of next year. HSN will take over the
private TV channel Retemia which will be transformed into a dedicated
shopping channel. 
Retemia which broadcasts out of Lucca was created by businessman Giorgio
Mendella who later left due to problems with the justice. The current
shareholder structure is as follows: 40% is owned by small investors (around
4,000) with 30% owned by the Lagosten family (Raimondo Lagosten is president
of Retemia) and another 30% by the Cingari family.
According to a recent EU directive, which is to be finally approved by the
end of this month, thematic TV channels (ie. home shopping channels) are not
limited in the number of commercials they carry. 
The value of Retemia is estimated at around 120 billion lira, with its
biggest advantage its coverage area - around 80% of the Italian territorry.
HSN together with rival company QVC dominates the TV shopping sector in the
USA which is estimated to be worth several thousand billion lira a year.

DATABROADCASTING VIA SATELLITE
RAI has announced plans to start databroadcasting via satellite through two
new services called Datavideo and Skybroadcasting. These two services will
enable viewers to receive a huge amount of data via the TV set and a PC. The
maximum quantity of data that is currently possible to transmit is around 12
Mbyte/hour, or as is the case 32 Kbit/s for Datavideo services and 64 Kbit/s
for Skydata.
It is expected that in the near future, transmission speed will increase to
256 Kbit/s and these new services would be transmitted using spare
subcarriers on the EUTELSAT HOT BIRD 1 satellite. 
Currently studies are being conducted into the feasibility of introducing
other DVB compatible systems for data transmission via satellite which would
include speeds of up to 6 Mbit/s.

SUCCESS FOR MTV IN ITALY
One year ago, MTV Europe signed an agreement with Italian pay-TV network
Telepiu for terrestrial rebroadcasting of MTV's programs throughout Italy.
MTV Europe has since also joined Telepiu' digital package DSTV which is
transmitted via EUTELSAT 13 degrees East.
From 21 June 1995, Italian viewers have been able to watch MTV Europe 13
hours a day via the Tele+3 channel. Two factors - programs are transmitted
unscrambled and some Italian voice-overs on commercials and some programs
have contributed to excellent ratings. In fact, MTV has become the fifth
most watched TV channel among young viewers (age group 15-34). It is
currently received in 11 million Italian households (54 million throughout
Europe). Out of the estimated 6,000 telephone calls to it's London HQ,
around half comes from Italy. 
Currently, MTV Europe's revenues come from advertising (70%) and cable
subscriptions (30%). A large part of advertising revenues comes from Italian
companies such as Replay, Sisley and Perfetti.

MERGER FOR STET AND TELECOM ITALIA
During a meeting on November 11th in Brussels with EC commissioner Karel van
Miert, the Italian finance minister Carlo Azeglio Ciampi has announced on
November 11th the merger of the state telecommunications operator Stet with
its holding company Telecom Italia. This decision was made due to the
inability to sell off Stet instantly and it will ease the privatization of
the whole telecom giant, in accordance with EC directives. After the merger
takes effect (by May next year), negotiations will start in earnest with
potential foreign investors and it is expected that the telecom giant will
be put on the market next autumn.
In a separate press release, Stet has announced that it will, through one of
it's holding companies (Stet International), enter the Israeli
telecommunications market. Golden Lines International Ltd. In which Stet
International has a stake of 26,4% has been awarded by the Israeli
government two licenses for international telecommunication services. Golden
Lines plans to invest around 200 million dollars for the next three years.

RAI PICO TO RETURN
After several months of experimental broadcasts on the EUTELSAT II F4
satellite, RAI's experimental educational service PICO (Progetto Istruzione
Comunicazione Orientamento) is set to return soon. RAI PICO will probably be
transmitted  via EUTELSAT's HOT BIRD 1 or 2 satellite. This service which is
realized in cooperation with the Ministry of education seeks to introduce
new channels of communication between the Ministry on one side and
elementary and high schools throughout Italy on the other.

RAI SIGNS TV DEAL WITH DISNEY EUROPE
The new director for cinema and fiction programming of the state-run
television RAI, Sergio Silva has announced on November 13th that a agreement
has been signed with Disney Europe for new programs. During the press
conference, he also said that more details about future projects as well as
movies acquired will be announced mid-December. 
Silva said that from the programming aspect, Italy is in a serious crisis.
With its 64 hours of nationaly produced fiction programming in the first
quarter of 1996, Italy is the last in Europe while the percent of non-EC
produced programming amounts to 70% (94% on rival network Mediaset). The
number of American movies on Italian TV channels is far superior to the
number of Italian titles shown - in 1995 for example, in prime-time RAI
broadcast 449 and Mediaset showed 635 American produced movies. During this
year, RAI plans to spend 200 billion lira in production of movies and
fiction programming with 300 billion earmarked for acquisitions.  

TELEPACE ON HOT BIRD 2
Telepace, the catholic TV station that broadcasts from Rome has announced
that it will broadcast from the EUTELSAT HOT BIRD 2 satellite. Telepace has
up till now broadcast several hours a day of programming via the EUTELSAT II
F3 satellite (located at 16 degrees East).
Telepace will join several other Italian based TV companies which have
announced plans to broadcast (in digital mode) on the new satellite. The
transponder reservations are as follows: Telepiu (4 transponders), RAI (2),
Stet (2), Mediaset (1) and Cecchi Gori Group (1). 

PROGRAMME HIGHLIGHTS FOR 17 - 23 NOVEMBER ON ITALIAN SAT-TV CHANNELS
PRIME-TIME MOVIES
17.XI - CANALE 5, 20:30h - Ricky & Barabba (ITA-92) starring: Renato
Pozzetto, Christian de Sica
17.XI - RETE 4, 20:40h - Final analysis (USA-92) starring: Richard Gere, Kim
Basinger, Uma Thurman
17.XI - RAI DUE, 20:50h - Suspicious agenda (USA-94) starring: Nick Mancuso,
Richard Grieco
17.XI - RETE 4, 22:35h - Drugstore cowboy (USA-89) starring: Matt Dillon,
Kelly Lynch
18.XI - ITALIA 1, 20:30h - Rimini, Rimini (ITA-87) starring: Paolo
Villaggio, Laura Antonelli
18.XI - RAI UNO, 20:50h - Four weddings and a funeral (UK-94) starring: Hugh
Grant, Andie Mac Dowell
18.XI - CANALE 5, 20:50h - Last action hero (USA-93) starring: Arnold
Schwarzenegger, Austin O'Brien
18.XI - RETE 4, 23:00h - Psycho III (USA-86) starring: Anthony Perkins, Jeff
Fahey
18.XI - RAI DUE, 00:40h - Atame! (SPA-90) starring: Victoria Abril, Antonio
Banderas
19.XI - RAI DUE, 20:50h - Sommersby (USA-93) starring: Richard Gere, Jodie
Foster, James Earl Jones, Bill Pullman
19.XI - ITALIA 1, 22:30h - Freejack (USA-91) starring: Emilio Estevez, Mick
Jagger, Rene Russo, Anthony Hopkins
19.XI - RETE 4, 23:30h - The abyss (USA-89) starring: Mary Elizabeth
Mastrantonio, Ed Harris 
20.XI - ITALIA 1, 20:30h - Edward Scissorhands (USA-90) starring: Johnny
Depp, Winona Ryder, Diane Wiest, Vincent Price
20.XI - RETE 4, 20:40h - Suspect (USA-87) starring: Cher, Dennis Quaid, Liam
Neeson
20.XI - RAI UNO, 20:50h - Nur des sieg Zahlt (GER-95) starring: Christiane
Paul, Heino Ferch
20.XI - RAI DUE, 20:50h - Mamma, mi si e depresso il papa (ITA-95) starring:
Adriano Pantaleo, Andrea Roncato
21.XI - ITALIA 1, 20:30h - The undercover kid (USA-95) starring: Bradley
Pierce,  Melora Hardy
21.XI - RETE 4, 20:40h -  Seduced and betrayed (USA-95) starring: David
Charvet, Susan Lucci
21.XI - RAI UNO, 20:50h - The innocent (USA-94) starring: Kelsey Grammer,
Keegan McIntosh
21.XI - RAI DUE, 20:50h - Off beat (USA-86) starring: Judge Reinhold, Meg
Tilly, Joe Mantegna, John Turturro 
21.XI - ITALIA 1, 22:30h - Action Jackson (USA-88) starring: Carl Weathers,
Sharon Stone
21.XI - RETE 4, 22:35h - Pacific heights (USA-90) starring: Michael Keaton,
Melanie Griffith, Matthew Modine
22.XI - RAI TRE, 20:30h - Jeremiah Johnson (USA-73) starring: Robert Redford
22.XI - ITALIA 1, 20:30h - Lionheart (USA-91) starring: Jean Claude van Damme
22.XI - RETE 4, 20:40h - Earthquake (USA-74) starring: Charlton Heston, Ava
Gardner, George Kennedy
22.XI - RAI UNO, 20:50h - Il caso Vulcano (ITA-96) starring: Diego Ribon,
Patrizia Piccinini
22.XI - RETE 4, 23:10h -  52 Pick-up (USA-86) starring: Roy Scheider, Ann
Margret
23.XI - RETE 4, 20:40h - The battle of Britain (UK-69) starring: Michael
Caine, Laurence Olivier
23.XI - RAI DUE, 20:50h - Ed McBain's 87th Precinct (USA-96) starring: Dale
Midkiff, Joe Pantoliano
23.XI - RETE 4, 22:35h - A man called Horse (USA-70) starring: Richard Harris
23.XI - CANALE 5, 23:15h - Il presidente del Borgorosso football club
(ITA-70) starring: Alberto Sordi, Margherita Lozano

SPORT
17.XI - RAI DUE, 19:00h - Basketball: Italian league  KINDER BOLOGNA-CAGIVA
VARESE
19.XI - RAI UNO, 20:40h - Football: UEFA Cup  INTER-BOAVISTA (live)
20.XI - CANALE 5, 20:20h - Football: Champions league  MANCHESTER
UNITED-JUVENTUS (live)
20.XI - ITALIA 1, 22:30h - Fudbal: Champions league  PORTO-MILAN 
21.XI - RAI TRE, 20:30h - Alpine skiing: World cup, grandslalom (women) from
Park City
22.XI - RAI TRE, 15:40h - Volleyball (women): Italian cup - final A2
22.XI - RAI TRE, 00:00h - Alpine skiing: World cup, grandslalom (men) from
Park City
23.XI - RAI TRE, 15:30h - Volleyball (women): Italian league BERGAMO-MODENA
23.XI - RAI TRE, 17:55h - Alpine skiing: World cup, slalom (women) from Park
City
[Other mailing lists]