SAT-ITALY 12.12.1997

from: owner-sat-italy@tags1.dn.net
Date: Fri, 12 Dec 1997 19:08:10 +0100
SAT-ITALY - EDITION 46/97 - December 12th 1997 -
Italian Satellite and Media news edited by Branislav Pekic


NEW ITALIAN SATELLITE CHANNELS IN 1998
As has been the case in 1997, the Italian pay-TV network Telepiù will
continue to add periodically new thematic channels to its digital platform
D+ during next year. In January, the third CineCinema channel is expected
to appear, followed soon after by Classica (a classical music channel) and
finally at Easter, the Italian version of the Disney Channel is set to make
it's debut. One important detail is that the Telepiù D+ package will
continue to be transmitted in the Simulcrypt conditional access system,
enabling viewers both with Irdeto and Seca digital boxes to continue
receiving the service. 
Italian state television RAI is hard at work at three new channels, which
will join the already existing thematic channels RaiSat 1-3. There is talk
of a news channel, a religious channel (possibly in cooperation with the
Italian Bishops Conference), a Parliamentary channel and a "Gold" channel
which would transmit the best programs from RAI's extensive program archives.
Viewers who want to subscribe to the Telepiù D+ package can either lease a
digital receiver/decoder (at the cost of 14 DM a month) or buy a digital
box, which costs more than 1,000 DM. Those viewers who only want to receive
the free-to-air RAI and Mediaset digital channels can buy a digital box
(without a CAM) costing between 750 and 1,000 DM.
- A gennaio, è previsto il decollo del terzo canale di film di CineCinema,
subito dopo, è previsto il lancio di Classica (solo musica classica) e
infine, a Pasqua, la partenza del Canale Disney. Il servizio pubblico sta
lavorando sui progetti di canali "all news", "religioso" e "parlamentare"
su un canale "Gold" con il meglio della programmazione della RAI. I canali
digitali di Telepiù continueranno a essere distribuiti con il sistema
Simulcrypt per far convivere i sistemi di codifica Irdeto e Seca.


ITALIAN SENATE TO DISCUSS NEW TV BILL
The Italian Senate is soon set to start discussions on a TV bill which,
when approved, will complete the legal framework in the Broadcasting bill
which became operative last July. The 24-page document includes norms,
which will decrease the amount of advertising on TV and enable the
transformation of the public TV broadcaster RAI into a private holding
company. Here are in short the details of the new bill:
The private TV networks such as Mediaset and TMC will only be allowed to
transmit at most 11 minutes of advertising during one hour of programs (7
minutes for the RAI channels).  During the prime-time slot, between 19:00
and 23:00 hours, the channels will be allowed to air commercials at most
for 20% of the total program time. It will be forbidden to air
advertisements during news bulletins, but only if they last less than 30
minutes. Additionally, TV presenters on RAI's 3 TV channels will be
forbidden from appearing in commercial ads.
The infamous "TV shopping" programs which sell everything from carpets
pictures to body creams will be banned from the national airwaves. This ban
affects all the broadcasters, public and private who have national
coverage. On the other hand, local private TV stations (which already
reserve 90% of airtime to this sort of "programs") can continue to air
them. But, in two years time, the "TV shopping" programs will be allowed
only on cable and satellite TV channels.
Depending on the final text of the bill adopted in the Senate, the public
broadcaster RAI will become more or less open to private capital. The
Italian government has proposed an innovative solution - the creation of a
holding, which would group together companies interested in operating the
various sectors of the TV business. It is expected that the decision to ban
advertising on the RAI Tre TV channel will be confirmed which will mean
that RAI's third channel will in the future be financed at least 50% by
license fee revenues.
Finally, the Italian TV stations will have to reserve "more than half of
it's monthly program schedule" to European produced programs, however this
does not include news, sports, game shows, advertising and variety
programs. Half of the European programs will have to be movies, mostly of a
newer date. In order to fulfill this demand, RAI will have to invest 20%
(30% of the budget for private TV channels) of license fee revenues by 1999
in producing or buying European films and TV series.
- Il governo si prepara a presentare in Senato la nuova legge sulla TV.
Ecco i principali aspetti del testo:
Ogni ora Mediaset e TMC potranno trasmettere pubblicità per un massimo di
11 minuti, la RAI per un massimo di 7. Vietate le inserzioni nei TG. Le
famose aste televisive saranno vietate sia sulla RAI, sia sulle emittenti
nazionali private. Saranno solo le TV locali che riserveranno alle aste più
del 90% della programmazione. Entro due anni, queste TV potranno
trasmettere soltanto via cavo o via satellite.
Le porte della TV pubblica si apriranno ai privati, grazie a una proposta
innovativa di creare una holding. Finalmente, le emittenti nazionali
dovranno riservare ad opere europee "più della metà del tempo mensile di
trasmissione". Il servizio pubblico dovrà destinare alla produzione o
all'acquisto di film europei il 20% del canone entro il 1999 (i privati il
30% della spesa complessiva per acquisti e produzioni).


AUTHORITY FOR TELECOMMUNICATIONS
The Italian Prime Minister, Romano Prodi announced on December 5th his
nomination for the president of the new Telecommunications Authority. The
only candidate is lawyer Enzo Cheli and it's now up to the Parliament and
the Italian President Oscar Luigi Scalfaro to give their consent. The new
Telecommunications authority will be based in the southern Italian city of
Naples. However, the names of the 8 members (divided into two
subcommissions, one for services the other for products) of the Authority
named by the Parliament have yet to be decided. The nomination of Cheli was
greeted with enthusiasm by the Vice Prime Minister, Walter Veltroni, who
underlined the "experience in the field of telecommunications, radio and TV".
The authority will be responsible for the development of the
telecommunications sector, from telephones and television to satellite and
multimedia services. It is estimated that this market will be worth 60,000
million DM by the year 2007. The Authority will have broad powers in:
frequency allocation, deciding on decoder standards, registering
broadcasters, deciding on tariffs and the maximum amounts allowed,
monitoring TV transmissions and sanctioning those breaking the rules among
other duties.
- Il presidente del Consiglio Romano Prodi ha nominato il giurista Enzo
Cheli a presidente della nuova Authority delle telecommunicazioni. Il nuovo
organismo avrà sede a Napoli. La designazione di Cheli sarà sottoposta al
parere delle commissioni parlamentari. Per completare i ranghi mancano però
gli otto membri di nomina parlamentare, suddivisi in due sotto-commissioni.
L'Authority avrà il compito di governare un settore che va dai telefoni
alla TV, dal satellite al multimediale. Le competenze del nuovo organismo
sono praticamente infinite - elabora i piani di assegnazione delle
frequenze, determina gli standard per i decoder, tiene il registro degli
operatori della comunicazione, effetua il monitoraggio delle trasmissioni
TV e applica le sanzioni. 


RAI TO PROMOTE THE EURO
The Italian Ministry of finance and the Euro Committee have signed an
agreement with RAI, which will see the Italian state broadcaster promoting
(until December 1998) the single European currency called Euro. During next
year, RAI will transmit 6 hours of TV and 5 hours of radio programs devoted
to this subject, more than 200 public service TV ads and 800 radio ads will
be aired. The cost of the ads will be at most 10% of their actual cost and
they will be transmitted during the normal advertising breaks.
Additionally, information about the Euro will be included in 80 TV and 140
radio programs, including children's programs.
Finally, a special Internet site will be opened this month to promote the
initiative - http://www.Euro.it
- La campagna nazionale di comunicazione sull'Euro convenzione firmata tra
Tesoro, Bilancio-Comitato euro e la Rai prevede, fino al dicembre '98, sei
ore complessive di trasmissioni televisive e cinque ore di programmi
radiofonici, 200 spot istituzionali televisivi e 800 spot radiofonici.
L'informazione istituzionale sull'euro verrà inserita, in 80 trasmissioni
televisive e in 140 radiofoniche. Da questo mese verrà varato anche un sito
su Internet. 


NEWS IN BRIEF
- As of December 1st, a new movie channel has started broadcasting movies
in the 16:9 format with Dolby Surround audio stereo. The channel broadcasts
as part of the Telepiù D+ digital package.
- The industrial giant Pirelli has bought a 39% stake (to increase at a
later date to 90%) of the Telecom Italia subsidiary Sirti which is a world
leader in the area of installation of cable networks. The market value of
Sirti is estimated to be around 2,262 million-DM.
- According to official data from Telepiù, they have on average 1,000 new
subscribers a day, out of which only one quarter subscribe to the
terrestrial analogue service while ž subscribe to the digital satellite
service D+.


PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS ON RAI TV CHANNELS FOR WEEK DECEMBER 14-20
(All times Central European)

MOVIES
14.XII
RAI UNO, 20:45h - Simple twist of fate (USA-1994), starring: Steve Martin,
Gabriel Byrne
RAI DUE, 00:05h - Uova di garofano (Italy-1988), starring: Federico Zanola,
Lou Castel
15.XII
RAI UNO, 20:50h - La Bibbia - Salomone, Part I (Italy/Germany-1967),
starring, Ben Cross, Maria Grazia Cucinotta
RAI TRE, 21:40h - Scusate il ritardo (Italy-1982), starring: Massimo
Troisi, Giuliana de Sio
16.XII
RAI DUE, 20:50h - Un giorno fortunato, Part I (Italy), starring; Fabio
Fazio, Claudio Bisio
RAI DUE, 00:35h - The new age (Australija-1994), starring: Peter Weller,
Judy Davis
17.XII
RAI UNO, 20:50h - La Bibbia - Salomone, Part II (Italy-Nema~ka-1997),
starring: Ben Cross, Maria Grazia Cucinotta
RAI DUE, 20:50h - Texas justice (USA-1995), starring: Peter Strauss,
Heather Locklear
RAI DUE, 00:30h - Il tesoro di Al Capone (USA-1995), starring: S.Capella,
J.Christopher
18.XII
RAI TRE, 20:45h - Nighthawks (USA-1981), starring: Sylvester Stallone,
Rutger Hauer
19.XII
RAI DUE, 20:50h - Un giorno fortunato, Part II (Italy), starring: Fabio
Fazio, Claudio Bisio
RAI UNO, 23:00h - Sostiene Pereira (Italy-1995), starring: Marcello
Mastroianni, Stefano Dionisi
20.XII
RAI DUE, 20:50h - Risveglio nell'incubo (USA-1995), starring: Joanna Kerns,
John Shea
RAI UNO, 00:35h - Gli anni luce (Switzerland-1981), starring: Trevor Howard

Note:	All movies transmitted in the prime time slot are subtitled on RAI's
teletext pages 777 (Italian) and 778 (English)

SPORT 
14.XII
RAI DUE, 19:00h - Basketball: Italian league, Benetton Treviso-Teamsystem
Bologna
15.XII
RAI DUE, 17:55h - Alpine skiing: World Cup, special slalom (men), I run
RAI DUE, 20:30h - Alpine skiing: World Cup, special slalom (men), II run
17.XII
RAI TRE, 22:55h - Boxing: World title fight (WBU) in middle category,
Silvio Branco-Darren Maciunski
18.XII
RAI TRE, 15:35h - Basketball (women): Euroleague, Sft Como-Bouses
19.XII
RAI TRE, 10:55h - Alpine skiing: World Cup, superG (women), Veysonnaz
20.XII
RAI TRE, 10:55h - Alpine skiing: World Cup, freestyle (women)
RAI TRE, 12:25h - Alpine skiing: World Cup, freestyle (men)
RAI TRE, 15:15h - Volleyball: All Star Game

MUSIC
16.XII
RAI UNO, 19:55h - Opera: Macbeth, live from the Scala in Milan, Part I 
Conducted by: Riccardo Muti, Performed by: Renato Bruson, Maria Guleghina
RAI UNO, 22:50h - Opera: Macbeth, Part II


SAT-ITALY is sponsored by TELE-SATELLITE International
http://www.tele-satellit.com
[Other mailing lists]