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June 12, 2007
This weekly e-mail newsletter covers everything related to Telco-IP Television.
Sí TV-HD to Launch in 2008 with Verizon
Sí TV plans to launch an HD channel in 2008, and the English-language Latino programmer said Verizon Communications already signed on to carry it.
Sí TV-HD will be the first 24/7 HD channel catering to Latino audiences, according to the company. Sí TV said it has been preparing for an HD channel since it started in 2004 and it has more than 200 hours of original content in HD format, including series The Drop, Unacceptable Behavior, The Rub, Dating Factory and Latino Laugh Festival: The Show.
“Young Latinos are a huge economic and political force in America today, and they deserve -- like every consumer -- the ability to enjoy the benefits of high-definition television made by and for them,” Sí TV CEO Michael Schwimmer said in a prepared statement.
Sí TV is currently producing two new HD series: Past Port, in which young U.S. Latinos return to their parents’ or grandparents’ countries of origin; and Total Combat, a reality series about a young Latino couple running a mixed-martial-arts fighting league. Other new Sí TV series for 2007-08, including Flow & Tell and Home Page, will also be shown in HD on Sí TV-HD.
Sí TV said Verizon carries the standard-definition version of the channel on its most widely distributed tier. The network’s other cable and telco distributors include AT&T, Cox Communications, Comcast, Insight Communications and Time Warner Cable.
According to the Simmons NCS/NHCS Fall 2006 Adult Full Year Study, cited by Sí TV, 35% of English-dominant Latino 18-34 TV viewers have HDTV sets.
In other Verizon news, the telco launched FiOS TV in 16 additional New Jersey communities last week.
The video service was added in Chesterfield, Evesham, New Hanover, North Hanover, Pemberton Township, Springfield and Wrightstown in Burlington County; Berlin Borough, Berlin Township, Chesilhurst, Pine Hill, Waterford and Winslow in Camden County; Hopewell Borough in Mercer County; and Maywood and Rochelle Park in Bergen County.
Verizon said FiOS TV is now available in parts of 196 communities around the state.
Verizon also rolled out FiOS TV in Franklin, Lawrence and Southborough, Mass., Monday.
The telco will compete with Comcast in Franklin and Lawrence and with Charter Communications in Southborough. The addition of 16,500 potential households in the three communities brings Verizon’s total availability in Massachusetts to 280,000 households in 44 communities.
And Verizon also announced last week that it will pay stockholders a regularly quarterly dividend of 40.5 cents per share Aug. 1.
The dividend is payable to Verizon investors that acquire stock before the close of business July 10.
Last year, Verizon made $4.7 billion in dividend payments.
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Qwest Eyeing Cable in Iowa
Qwest Communications International is exploring the idea of launching cable-TV service in Iowa following the passage of a bill that transferred franchising authority from local governments to the utilities division of the state’s Department of Commerce, AP reported.
The bill was signed by Iowa Gov. Chet Culver May 30, and it takes effect July 1.
Qwest’s Iowa president, Max Phillips, told AP, “We're evaluating the opportunity.”
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Sky Angel to Fly via IPTV
Dominion Video Satellite will shift delivery of its Sky Angel Christian and family-friendly programming from direct-broadcast satellite to IPTV.
The transition to IPTV in the United States will occur over the next year, and more information will be provided about the transition during the coming months, the company said. “With the loss of a satellite transponder last spring, and as our satellite continues to age, it has become increasingly evident that Sky Angel must embrace new, cost-effective technology opportunities that will enable us to further our vision to deliver the gospel around the world,” Dominion CEO Rob Johnson said in a prepared statement.
“We have been testing the IPTV technology and we are very impressed with the quality of picture and delivery,” he added. “We believe it will be a major step forward for Sky Angel and for all those who support the Sky Angel mission.”
He continued, “Our current subscribers will simply need to use an IPTV set-top box that will allow them to connect their television to high-speed Internet. Overall service will be more economical than our current satellite system and will provide Sky Angel viewers more options.”
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SaskTel to Deploy Symmetricom Gear
Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding (SaskTel) will use Symmetricom's next-generation time and frequency solutions for its networkwide synchronization upgrade.
The Canadian telecommunications provider said it will equip its offices throughout Saskatchewan to support next-generation services including IPTV, voice over IP and third-generation wireless.
SaskTel will source Symmetricom's products, engineering services and ongoing support from Empowered Networks, a leading solutions integrator and Symmetricom's key partner in Canada.
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• The International Engineering Consortium presented Tandberg Television with an InfoVision Award for its iPlex UltraCompression HD and standard-definition IPTV-headend solution.
• Texas Instruments and Network Physics announced a far-reaching development initiative centered on delivering optimized end-user experiences for voice-over-IP and IPTV services, designed around TI’s PIQUA quality-management system.
• EXFO Electro-Optical Engineering launched its NQMSpacket Network Quality Monitoring System, which assures the user experience in packet-based IP networks delivering triple-play services.
• Jorge Forgues joined Avail Media, a provider of IPTV and advanced media services to broadband operators, as chief financial officer. Forgues had held the same title at iDirect.
• KyLinTV, an IPTV service dedicated to the Chinese community living in North America, will present programming during the month of June highlighting men in honor of Father's Day and featuring content on the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
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