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SAT-ITALY 10.01.1996
SAT-ITALY (ITALIAN SATELLITE AND MEDIA NEWS) - 10 January 1997
SCT TO JOIN TELEPIU PACKAGE
The Italian hard core TV channel Satisfaction Club Television (SCT) is set
to join Telepiu's digital package DSTV. Talks are currently underway between
the two companies and if successful SCT would be the first adult channel
offered to DSTV subscribers.
SCT started broadcasting in 1994 and is owned by a married couple in Naples
- Domenico Villani and Anna D'Antuono. Interestingly, the whole project has
been financed by five friends of the couple. In the early days the channel
was transmitted via a Russian GORIZONT satellite. Currently the channel is
based in Milan although the signal is uplinked from Paris. SCT already has
around 25,000 subscribers - mostly in Italy (7,000), France, Spain, Germany
and North Africa.
SCT transmits its programs via the EUTELSAT II F2 satellite, four nights a
week (from Wednesday to Saturday). Its programming is made up of adult
movies, cartoons and other adult programming. The program consultant is the
famous Italian porn star Jessica Rizzo, who also owns a satellite channel
called Jessica Rizzo Television.
The annual subscription to the service costs around 600,000 lira (600 DM).
TELEPACE AND RAI INTERNATIONAL START ON HOT BIRD 2
The Rome based religious satellite channel Telepace has started broadcasting
to Europe and North Africa via the new EUTELSAT HOT BIRD 2 satellite on
December 24th. Telepiu broadcasts its programs in the digital DVB standard
(unscrambled) on the frequency 11,804 GHz/Ver. Telepiu has joined RAI's
multiplex package of channels (RAI Uno, RAI Due, RAI Tre) which broadcast on
the same frequency. Last June, Telepace started broadcasting a four hour
service, every Sunday in Italian to Latin America. There are plans to switch
to a 24 hour service soon.
State-run television RAI has started broadcasting its fourth channel, RAI
International via satellite to Europe. It can be found on the HOT BIRD 2
satellite, frequency 11.765 GHz/Ver.
MEDIASET TAKES OVER SPANISH MEDIA INTERESTS
Italian TV holding company Mediaset has taken over interests in several
Spanish media companies from its parent company Fininvest (whose majority
shareholder is Silvio Berlusconi). The deal is estimated to be worth around
183,5 billion lira. These Spanish interests include a 25% stake in
Gestevision Telecinco (a Spanish commercial TV channel), 25% of Publiespana
(advertising company) and 25% of Estudios Telecinco (a TV production company).
The administrative council of Mediaset has also decided to take over TV
rights for Spanish language programming which includes a library of around
5,000 titles and episodes (worth around 40,5 billion lira). During January,
Mediaset will probably buy Fininvest's 10% stake in pay-TV network Telepiu
(estimated cost 180-200 billion lira).
Finally, it seems that German media magnate Leo Kirch is slowly abandoning
all business cooperation with Italian counterpart Silvio Berlusconi. Kirch
is slowly getting rid of his stake in Mediaset and he is expected to close
his participation by March. He has also decided to sell his share in
Telepiu, while on the other hand Silvio Berlusconi would sell his 25% stake
in the German sports service DSF to other business partners.
CECCHI GORI'S SECOND FOOTBALL SCOOP
It seems that Italian media magnate Vittorio Cecchi Gori is registering
success after success against his principal TV rivals RAI and Mediaset.
After the recent court decision that has granted him the broadcast TV rights
to Italian league matches, Cecchi Gori has now suceeded in buying the TV
rights for the Italian national team.
His company Cecchi Gori Communications has signed an agreement with German
media company UFA (Bertelsmann) for the Italian TV rights to the match
England-Italy which is to be played on February 12th. Additionally, Cecchi
Gori's channels TMC and TMC2/Videomusic will be able to transmit around 60
qualifying matches for World Cup'98 and European championships 2000. The
deal is said to be worth about 6 million dollars.
Media analysts are even suggesting that the cooperation between Cecchi Gori
and Bertelsmann doesn't end with this agreement. There is a possibility that
the German company may invest in his TV companies since Cecchi Gori has
always been in search of foreign capital.
However it's not all roses for Cecchi Gori. The biggest problem he faces is
the limited coverage of his two channels throughout Italy. TMC is received
in 78% of Italian homes while TMC2/Videomusic cover 75%. This means that a
potential 3 million Italians will not be able to watch this decisive match
in the qualifying round. However Cecchi Gori is optimistic that this problem
will be resolved by March 31st.
The next few weeks will be decisive since the Italian football federation is
set to decide who will be granted the TV rights for the other games of the
Italian national team. The minimum sum asked is 40 billion lira.
PROGRAMME HIGHLIGHTS ON ITALIAN SAT-TV CHANNELS
FOR THE WEEK JANUARY 13-18
PRIME-TIME MOVIES
13.I - ITALIA 1, 20:30h - Tremors (USA-89) starring: Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward
13.I - RETE 4, 20:40h - Dead before dawn (USA-95) starring: Cheryll Ladd,
Jameson Parker
13.I - RAI UNO, 20:50h - Shadowlands (UK-93) starring: Anthony Hopkins,
Debra Winger
13.I - CANALE 5, 20:50h - Ladri si nasce (ITA-96) starring: Pippo Franco,
Serena Grandi
13.I - RETE 4, 22:40h - The prince and the showgirl (USA-57) starring:
Merilyn Monroe, Laurence Olivier
14.I - RAI DUE, 20:50h - Malicious (USA-95) starring: Molly Ringwald, Patric
Mc Gain
14.I - CANALE 5, 20:50h - Problem child 2 (USA-92) starring: Michael Oliver,
John Ritter
14.I - RETE 4, 23:30h - Irma la Douce (USA-63) starring: Shirley Mc Laine,
Jack Lemmon
15.I - RETE 4, 20:40h - Bianco, rosso e Verdone (ITA-81) starring: Carlo
Verdone, Milena Vukotic
15.I - RAI UNO, 20:50h - Deadly vows (USA-92) starring: Gerald McRaney,
Josie Bisset
15.I - CANALE 5, 20:50h - Il prezzo della vita (ITA-93) starring: Simona
Cavallari, Jean Sorel
15.I - RETE 4, 22:50h - Nella citta l'inferno (ITA-58) starring: Anna
Magnani, Giulietta Masina
16.I - RETE 4, 20:40h - Chicago hope (USA-95) starring: Adam Arkin, Mandy
Patinkin
16.I - RAI DUE, 20:50h - Storia di Chiara (ITA)- Part I, starring: Barbara
de Rossi, Jean Dalric
16.I - RETE 4 , 22:40h - Per grazia ricevuta (ITA-70) starring: Nino
Manfredi, Delia Boccardo
17.I - ITALIA 1, 20:30h - No contest II (USA-96) starring: Shannon Tweed,
Lance Henriksen
17.I - RETE 4, 20:40h - Places in the heart (USA-84) starring: Sally Field,
Danny Glover
17.I - RAI TRE, 20:45h - Nighthawks (USA-81) starring: Sylvester Stallone,
Billy Dee Williams
17.I - RAI DUE, 20:50h - Storia di Chiara (ITA) - Part II
17.I - RAI UNO, 22:40h - Legend (USA-85) starring: Tom Cruise, Mia Sara
17.I - RETE 4, 22:45h - The mountain (USA-56) starring: Spencer Tracy,
Robert Wagner
18.I - RETE 4, 20:30h - Goldfinger (UK-64) starring: Sean Connery, Honor
Blackman
18.I - RAI DUE, 20:50h - Probable cause (USA-94) starring: Michael Ironside,
KateVernon
18.I - CANALE 5, 20:50h - Le comiche 2 (ITA) starring: Renato Pozzetto,
Paolo Villagio
18.I - ITALIA 1, 22:30h - Invasion USA (USA-85) starring: Chuck Norris,
Richard Lynch
18.I- RETE 4, 22:50h - Tobruk (USA-67) starring: Rock Hudson, George Peppard
18.I - CANALE 5, 23:10h - Occhio Pinocchio (ITA-94) starring: Francesco
Nuti, Chiara Caselli
SPORT
14.I - RAI TRE, 10:10h - Alpine skiing: World cup, Super G (m) from Adelboden
15.I - ITALIA 1, 20:30h - Football: Supercup PARIS ST GERMAIN-JUVENTUS
16.I - RAI TRE, 15:40h - Basketball: Italian league A2, REGGIO EMILIA-GORIZIA
17.I - RAI TRE, 10:25h - Alpine skiing: World cup, Super G (w) from Zweisel
17.I - RAI TRE, 15:40h - Volleyball (w): Italian league CISLAGO-REGGIO CALABRIA
18.I - RAI TRE, 10:25h - Alpine skiing: World cup, Super G (w) from Zwiejel
18.I - RAI TRE, 12:15h - Alpine skiing: World cup, downhill (m) from Wengen
18.I - RAI TRE, 17:15h - Volleyball (w): Italian league CHYMODA BARI-GIERRE ROMA
MUSIC
17.I - ITALIA 1, 23:00h - Free Pass - Zucchero special
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