Satellite TV News

National Cable Television Cooperative To launch Epix HD

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 15:36:48 +0000

Epix has recently signed carriage deal with Charter after Verizon, Cox and Mediacom. Now, the premium movie channel has entered a deal with National Cable Television Cooperative to launch Epix HD on small cable operators across the United States.

Jon Feltheimer, Lionsgate CEO said, “the mini-major had to date invested $51 million in Epix. The signing brings to 20 million households that will have access to Epix content.”

Verizon Launches 3G Network in Schoharie County

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 16:37:01 +0000

Verizon Wireless has launched its 3G network in Schoharie County. Verizon’s 3G Network will improve broadband network speed such as picture messaging, text messaging, V CAST and V CAST Music.

Verizon Wireless 3G network delivers average download speeds of 600kbps to 1.4Mb, and average upload speeds of 500-800kbps.

“We’ve always believed even the most advanced device is only as good as the network it runs on. We continue to aggressively invest in our Upstate New York network to increase coverage and capacity for our customers, add new services, and maintain our 3G network leadership” stated Gene Fassett, executive director of network for Verizon Wireless’s Upstate New York region.

STAR India PLUS Launches ‘ICC Cricket World’ And ‘Asian Variety Show’ Targeting Non-resident Indians

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 15:55:47 +0000

STAR India PLUS has launched two weekly show targeting Indian nationals settled in North America. STAR India PLUS is a general entertainment channel of South Asian STAR TV group available on DirecTV and Dish Network. ICC Cricket World and Asian Variety Show (AVS) are expected new programming to be launched.

STAR India PLUS will launch ICC Cricket World on January 16th to offer Cricket news, best of cricket every week. AVS is to debut on February 7 with local events and Bollywood related news.

ICC Cricket World broadcast on every Saturday at 8:30 PM ET will offer STAR India plus Cricket fans in North America a weekly half hour episode exclusive with the latest cricket news, recent cricket action including all Tests, Twenty 20s and One-Day International matches, as well as exclusive off-field features and interviews.

Asian Variety Show broadcast on every Sunday at 8:30pm ET/5:30pm PT. produced in North America will be a magazine format show showcasing the best of Bollywood entertainment stories that includes Bollywood Music, movie previews, star interviews with a local focus and programming for Non-resident Indians.

David Wisnia, STAR’s Senior Vice President of Distribution, Sales and Marketing and head of STAR’s North American and European offices, said “Localizing STAR India Plus allows us the opportunity to take the next step in the natural evolution of our business. We are constantly in touch with our viewers and advertisers and as much as they are all excited about the current (Yeh Rishta, Bidaai) and new programming (Maha Music Muqabla, Pratigya) on our channel, there have been requests for more Bollywood news and cricket related shows.”

Ed Gold, State Farm Advertising Director, said “State Farm finds sponsorship of ICC Cricket World/AVS to be an effective way to connect with an important audience of Indian consumers. Just as we are there to help bring them programming that fuels their personal interests and passions, so we will ‘be there’ in their time of insurance need.”

SonicTap To Replace XM Music Channel On DirecTV From February 9, 2010

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 15:48:25 +0000

DirecTV has announced that starting February 9 new music service SonicTap will replace XM/Sirius. SonicTap will provide up to 84 free music channels delivering crystal-clear sound and programming.

DirecTV will be adding 19 new music channels to the lineup on SonicTap.

DirecTV has given a comparison on SonicTap music channels and current XM/Sirius genres:

Ch     XM                   SonicTap
801    The 40’s    Jazz: Big Band/Swing
802    The 50’s    Oldies: Malt Shop Oldies
803    The 60’s    Oldies: 60’s Revolution
804    The 70’s    Oldies: 70’s Hits
805    The 80’s    Oldies: 80’s Hits
806    The 90’s    Pop/Adult Contemporary: 90’s Hits
807    New Channel    Rat Pack
808    Roadhouse    Country: Traditional Country
809    Prime Country    Country: Hit Country
810    Outlaw Country    Country: Red, Rock and Blues
811    Willie’s Place    Country: Honky Tonk Tavern
812    Bluegrass Junction    Bluegrass: Bluegrass
813    The Village    Folk: Folk Rock
814    The Highway    Country: Modern Country
815    New Channel    Holiday & Happenings
816    Top 20 on 20    Pop/Adult: Today’s Hits
817    Pop2K             Pop/Adult Contemporary: Y2K Hits
818    The Pulse    Pop/Adult Contemporary: Hottest Hits
819    Love             Pop/Adult Contemporary: Love Songs
820    Escape             Instrumental: Contemporary Instrumentals
821    The Blend    Pop/Adult Contemporary: Adult Contemoprary
822    Cinemagic    Standards: Silver Screen
823    On Broadway    Standards: Showtunes
824    New Channel    Groove Lounge
825    The Heat    Urban: Hot Jamz (Hip Hop)
826    The Message    Religious: The Spirit
827    Praise             Religious: Gospel Glory
828    Enlighten    Religious: Hallelujah
829    Hair Nation    Rock: Hair Guitar
830    Bone Yard – XL    Rock: Full Metal Jacket
831    Sirius XM U    Rock: College Rock
832    The Spectrum    Rock: Adult Alternative
833    Classic Vinyl    Rock: Classic Rock
834    Alt. Nation    Rock: Alternative
835    Octane    Rock: Ink’d
836    The Loft    Standards: Singers-Songwriters
837    Classic Rewind    Classic Rock: Classic Hits Blend
838    Lithium    Rock: Reality Bites
839    1st Wave    Alternative: Flashback/New Wave
840    Deep Tracks    Specialty: 8-Tracks
841    Liquid Metal: XL    Rock: Spike (Explicit Lyrics)
842    Soul Town    Urban: Classic R&B
843    Heart & Soul    Urban: Silky Soul
844    The Groove    Urban: Old School Funk
845    Strobe    Dance: Retro Disco
846    Backspin    Urban: The Boombox (Explicit Lyrics)
847    Hip Hop Nation    Urban: Hype (Explicit Lyrics)
848    Coffeehouse    Alternative: Coffeehouse Rock
849    The Bridge    Rock: Soft Hits
850    Real Jazz    Jazz: Classic Jazz Vocal Band
851    Watercolors    Jazz: Smooth Jazz
852    New Channel    Jazz
853    New Channel    Metro Blend
854    Bluesville    Specialty: Blues
855    New Channel    Great Standards
856    Spa    Health & Fitness: New Age
857    Chill    Health & Fitness: Zen
858    Area    Dance: SubTerranean
859    BPM    Dance: Dance
860    New Channel    Modern Workout
861    New Channel    PUMP!
862    New Channel    Classic Rock Workout
863    The Joint    International: Reggae
864    Symphony Hall    Classical: Symphonic
865    New Channel    Piano
866    Pops    Classical: Light Classical
867    Radio Disney    Specialty: Be-Tween
868    Kids Place Live    Specialty: The Playground
869    Caliente    Latin: Bailamos!
870    New Channel    Fiesta Tropical
871    Latin Contemporary    Latin Hits
872    Music of the Americas    Music of the Americas
873    New Channel    Regional Mexican
874    Salsa       Salsa
875    Hurbano    Hurbano
876    New Channel    Mariachi
877    New Channel    Carnaval Brasileiro
878    Rock en Espanol    Rock en Espanol
879    Latin Jazz    Latin Jazz
880    New Channel    Familiar Favorites
881    New Channel    Italian Bistro Blend
882    New Channel    Italian Contemporary
883    New Channel    Irish
884    New Channel    Tranquility

Big Ten Network To Launch Pre And Post-Game Hockey Programs in January

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 15:08:10 +0000

The Big Ten Network announced that it will launch pregame, intermission and post-game shows advancing its live coverage of men’s ice hockey this season. These shows will join the sports network’s Friday and Saturday telecasts in January, February and March.

The Big Ten Network has added a pair of former WCHA stars to its lineup, including former University of Wisconsin captain and current Chicago Blackhawks winger Adam Burish and former Golden Gopher and retired NHL veteran Darby Hendrickson.

Quentin Carter, coordinating producer for studio production, said “Adam and Darby both have a tremendous level of experience, knowledge and passion for college hockey, particularly in this part of the country, and that makes them a perfect fit for us.”

Cox Launches NBC Shows in High-Definition in MyPrimetime On Demand

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 14:06:45 +0000

Cox Communications has launched NBC shows in high-definition in MyPrimetime On DEMAND for HD subscribers. Cox has already launched hot shows of ABC, AMC and WE, now NBC joins the On Demand offering of Cox. Following are the shows available in HD On Demand:

The Office
30 Rock
Community
Parks and Recreation
Mercy and Heroes

Chris Pantoya, Cox Vice President of Marketing, said “MyPrimetime gives our customers anytime access to some of the season’s hottest programming in crystal clear HD, whenever they want it. Plus, the addition of Saturday Night Live to the MyPrimetime lineup ensures customers don’t miss any of the “water cooler” moments for which that show has become so famous.”

NBC’s programs on MyPrimetime on Cox is available to HD subscribers on Channel 1. Cox customers can enjoy anytime access to hundreds of episodes from more than 20 networks including ABC, NBC, USA, AMC, TBS, TNT, Comedy Central, Disney and more.

Cox Launches Upgrade For On DEMAND To Digital Cable Subscribers

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 14:39:22 +0000

Cox Communications announced that it has launched an upgrade to the on screen interface to its Cox On Demand with thousands of choices available in the On DEMAND library. This new interface upgrade delivers faster and simpler navigation for Cox Digital Cable customers.

Cox new upgrade includes several enhancements to the Cox On DEMAND service:

Horizontal scrolling provides quicker navigation through folders
Jump back 10 seconds with the new Instant Replay function
Movie previews are available directly from a folder’s main menu
‘Skip’ functions allow the user to skip forward or backward in 15-minute intervals while fast-forwarding or rewinding

Cox is also adding more choices to FreeZone, more HD content and more Movies On DEMAND, including movies that are available on the same day as DVD release.

Kim Stanley Vice President of Operations in Roanoke said “Cox’s goal is to provide customers with an attractive, fast and intuitive On DEMAND experience. The new features make navigation easy, especially since there is now more programming than ever to browse. Cox has increased the amount of On DEMAND programming available to subscribers.”

ESPN Deportes’ 2010 World Cup Programming Plans Announced

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:47:55 +0000

ESPN has announced the broadcast coverage plans of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa by ESPN Deportes to United States fans. ESPN Deportes will deliver more than 40 live matches of the World Cup that also includes Portuguese-language broadcast.

ESPN also announced that its English-language coverage presented live and in high definition on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN360.com. Univision holds the exclusive Spanish-language rights to 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa.

ESPN will broadcast the World Cup in Portuguese in the U.S. for the first time with ESPN’s signature broadband network ESPN360.com will deliver the World Cup matches in Portuguese and also in other languages.

ESPN Deportes will present fans with matches featuring Brazil, Portugal, Argentina, Italy, Germany, France, Spain, Mexico and the USA.

ESPN Deportes’ 2010 World Cup News and Information Shows are as follows:

Cronometro the network’s program modeled after Pardon the Interruption will originate entirely from South Africa featuring co-hosts Jose Ramon Fernandez and David Faitelson debating the hottest topics of the day throughout the tournament

Fuera de Juego will present significant portions of the live international soccer program from Johannesburg;

Futbol Picante the network’s Mexican soccer news program will be aired daily and follow Mexico’s National Soccer team and their journey through the World Cup.

Jorge Ramos y su banda ESPN Deportes Radio’s soccer talk-show (simulcast on ESPN Deportes) will originate from South Africa and feature co-hosts Jorge Ramos and Hernan Pereyra with live guests, entertaining discussions of the day’s sports news and analysis. The program will be broadcast on ESPN Deportes Radio (simulcast on ESPN Deportes) each day in-between the early matches and at the conclusion of the last match of the day( only on ESPN Deportes Radio);

Juego Cruzado the network’s program modeled after Around the Horn will feature the show’s daily panelists opining from newspaper newsrooms in New York, Miami, Los Angeles and Mexico;

SportsCenter – three editions daily – a 90-minute news, highlights and analysis program aired at the conclusion of the last match of the day – and two live one-hour editions to wrap-up all the news and information of the day;

Sudafrica al dia will air during the tournament and feature hits from site on relevant news surrounding all the action from South Africa;

ESPN Deportes will surround the games with its leading news and information franchises, including SportsCenter and Futbol Picante, offering fans the most comprehensive Spanish-language news and information coverage throughout the month-long soccer showcase, in addition to live match coverage in Portuguese.

ESPN Deportes’ news and information shows will have significant presence from South Africa and up to 10 reporters generating content from site. Coverage of the event will include SportsCenter segments, nightly, pre- and post-match shows, with additional studio programming originating from Johannesburg.

DirecTV Launches Local HD Channels in Sherman, Texas-Ada, Oklahoma

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:40:04 +0000

DirecTV’s local high-definition channels launched in Sherman, Texas-Ada, Oklahoma market area. DirecTV delivers local HD channels in 138 markets, representing more than 92 percent of U.S. TV households. Following are the local HD channels available:

FOX and

KXII/CBS

DirecTV also launched PBS in standard definition.

DirecTV subscribers must have an H20, H21 or H23 HD receiver, or an HR20, HR21 or HR23 DIRECTV Plus HD DVR and a Ka/Ku band dish to receive these SD and HD local channels.

Comcast Delivers Hot Primetime Shows On Demand This Month

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:30:50 +0000

Comcast has announced that it offers more than 1,000 episodes from 250 TV series through its On Demand service. Comcast’s On Demand library delivers more than 17,000 choices available anytime including more than 2,600 choices in high-definition.

Comcast On Demand offers primetime shows includes:
Accidentally on Purpose

Curb Your Enthusiasm

Desperate Housewives

Dexter

Nip/Tuck

The Closer

The Good Wife

Two and a Half Men

Derek Harrar, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Video and Entertainment Services for Comcast, said: “Missed an episode of your favorite primetime show, don’t worry, chances are we’ve got it. With hundreds of TV shows available On Demand, our customers can watch the hottest episodes when they want during sweeps or anytime.”