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Sat-ND, 28.5.96

Sat-ND 96-05-28 - Satellite and Media News

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"(c) Copyright 1996 by Sat-ND, http://www.sat-net.com/pck/"
Please send any contributions and comments regarding Sat-ND to
Peter C. Klanowski, Fax +49-451-5820055, pck@LyNet.De

This issue is sponsored by TELE-satellite, Europe's Satellite Magazine 
Have a look at their homepage! >> http://www.TELE-satellit.com/ <<


Kinnevik channels to be replaced by BSkyB
Well, the guessing game finally is over, and rumourmongers have to think of
some new ways to earn money. There will be no Viva, Viva II or whatever on
the three ASTRA transponders when TV3 Sweden, TV3 Denmark and TV1000 will
have left. Instead, it was announced today that Rupert Murdoch BSkyB will
acquire two transponder leases from Kinnevik. The lease on the remaining
transponder is to be bought by Granada Sky Broadcasting, a joint venture
between BSkyB and Granada Group PLC. So, nothing changes for the rest of
Europe - you'll see just scrambled pictures.

Flight 501 on June 4
A new launch date has been set for the first Ariane 5 rocket. Its maiden
flight is  now due to take place on June 4 between 1134 and 1334 UTC, French
Space Agency officials said.

BBC goes digital
The BBC will start digital broadcasts via terrestrial transmitters in 1998.
Although satellite transmission is likely, it's not quite sure whether the
BBC will actually use it. The plans include relaying BBC 1 and 2 in 16:9, but
also call creating new channels, such as a domestic news service competing
with Sky News. (Jitse Groen)

No more information on Veronica
Veronica will stop with all 'informational broadcasts'. Victims are 'Hagens'
and 'Nieuwslijn'. The 'Nieuwslijn' team however is likely to be taken over by
the new RTL 5 news channel. This news channel will take its form between
September and January. There is already very much known about the
programming: Between 6.00 - 9.00 there will be small newscasts. From 12.00
till 14.00 and 17.00 till 19.30 a news show is planned. There will further be
9 o'clock news. The remaining time will be filled with documentaries and
small newscasts on the hour and half hour. (Jitse Groen)

Digital alliance 
NetHold, KPN and Philips have formed an alliance to bring digital television
to the Benelux. This means that the digital revolution in Holland will
probably begin earlier and that there will be more channels than originally
planned. Although some sources suggest that the companies will have a
monopoly, this is not quite the truth. Several American companies are also
active in the Netherlands. It is true however that these companies only have
'small' contracts. The large cable operators are not yet committed. KPN and
Philips own a lot of those large operators. There can also be competition
from the large independent companies, but exploitation of even pay-per-view
services is only profitable above 200.000 households. KPN and Philips by the
way, have plans to merge their cable divisions. KPN Kabel and Philips Kabel
will then own 10% of European cable networks. (Jitse Groen)

ORION 1 goes Internet
Satellites and Internet - the combination looks a bit odd at first glance.
But many satellites offer transponders exclusively dedicated to networking
purposes. Actually, ORION 1 (37.5oW) already supports more than 60
international corporate networks throughout Europe and North America,
including those of several Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in Western
Europe, the United States, and the Pacific Rim. Today, the company announced
that its affiliate Orion Atlantic has signed contracts with three Central
Europe ISPs. They will be linked to the USA over Orion's Internet gateway at
its Rockville, Maryland (USA) headquarters. According to Orion Atlantic Vice
President Graham Lomas, "the market for Internet access service in Central
and Eastern Europe -- especially in the commercial sector -- is growing
enormously."

Yodelling DMX
Zu den Sat-News vom 26.05.96. Laut telefonischer Auskunft soll als naechstes
ein deutscher Volksmusiksender im DMX-Paket aufgeschaltet werden. (Juergen
Krauss)


Thanks to our contributors -
Jitse Groen: jgl@dds.nl
Juergen Krauss: jkrauss@arcos.de

========================================================
Alle Angaben ohne Gewaehr. Copyright 1996 by Peter C. Klanowski,
pck@LyNet.De. All rights reserved.
Einsender erklaeren sich mit Bearbeitung und Veroeffentlichung einverstanden.

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