New Skies‘ NSS-7 Atlantic Ocean region satellite entered into commercial service for premiere broadcast, Internet and telecom customers on 30 May.

The milestone, says the global satellite communications company, was capped by a multi-year agreement with BT Broadcast Services, one of the world‘s leading broadcast solutions providers, to launch a new African direct-to-home (DTH) television service for Media Overseas, a unit of Vivendi Universal‘s group.

The two companies will deliver a fully integrated, end-to-end service, using BT‘s owned and operated Pont de Sevres Teleport in Paris and New Skies‘ high-powered NSS-7 Ku-band capacity, says an official release. BT will uplink Media Overseas‘ digital programming packages in Paris to a full transponder on NSS-7‘s Ku-band Africa spot beam for direct broadcast to consumer households throughout Cameroon, C?d‘Ivoire and Senegal.

NSS-7 successfully completed in-orbit testing and entered commercial service on May 30. The satellite, which was built by Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems and launched on 16 April 2002, operates from 338.5 degrees east longitude over the Atlantic Ocean. NSS-7 features nearly 3,500 MHz of capacity spread over 36 C-band and 36 Ku-band transponders. In addition, capacity can be flexibly assigned to eleven high-powered coverage beams, blanketing the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, according to a company release.

NSS-7 was designed to replace the NSS-K and NSS-803 satellites at 338.5 degrees east, combining the extensive television and Internet traffic from the two satellites to debut as a premier video and IP neighborhood in the Atlantic Ocean region. With NSS-7 now operational, New Skies is currently transitioning customers from NSS-K and NSS-803. The company expects to complete the process by late August.

Media Overseas deputy managing director Arnaud de Villeneuve says:"We are especially pleased that the service was up and running on NSS-7 in time for the first match of the World Cup between France and Senegal on May 31, enabling subscribers to watch Senegal‘s victory in digital-quality video and audio."

New Skies‘ senior vice president of sales and marketing, Rudo Jockin says NSS-7 will serve as a major transmission platform for broadcasters, cable programmers, news agencies, ISPs, corporate enterprises, rural telecommunication networks, and direct-to-home television operators.

Public broadcaster Prasar Bharati has invited bids for Hindi feature films to be telecast on public holidays for the rest of the year.

The films are to be telecast at 2.30 pm on each of the holidays, with Doordarshan offering free commercial time (FCT) of 1800 seconds for each. DD is not interested in the golden oldies this time, though. The films, according to a notice released in the press, should not be older than five years, and preference will be given for the latest films. The selection of the films will depend on the highest bid amount, the quality and suitability of the film, the credentials of the bidder and his/her credit rating with DD. The pubcaster has asked for earnest money of Rs 5,00,000 has to be submitted along with the bid. The last date for receiving the tenders is 24 June, and tenders will be opened on 26 June.

Stung by telecast rights holder like World Sports Group Nimbus and Taj Sports (managing Ten Sports channel) not willing to play ball, Prasar Bharati has decided to appeal to the third umpire - the Indian government - seeking a "level playing field" in the name of larger interest of the viewing Indian public.
"The Prasar Bharati board has decided to ask the government to come out with a legal framework, ahead of the enactment of the Communication Convergence Bill, which would make it mandatory for the satellite and cable rights holder(s) to share the feed (of events felt important for Indian viewers) with Doordarshan‘s terrestrial network," Prasar Bharati chief executive K.S. Sarma said today.

The Prasar Bharati oversees the working of pubcasters DD and All India Radio. Despite its corporatisation, which was modelled on British pubcaster BBC, the government (read the information and broadcasting ministry) still retains control over the functioning of DD and AIR.

Addressing a press conference in Delhi on Friday, Sarma said that the government, in consultation with the Prasar Bharati will decide on the events which are telecast worthy and of importance to the Indian viewers and will notify them which will make it mandatory for telecast rights holder to share them with DD and/or AIR.

Pointing out that Parasar Bharati cannot afford to pay "large and heavy fee" to acquire telecast rights, a la private satellite channels, Sarma said, "Instead, we‘d prefer to go in for revenue sharing (with the company that markets the events telecast on DD)."

In recent times, Prasar Bharati has lost out on the live telecast of the ongoing soccer World Cup and is also under severe pressure from World Sports Group Nimbus on the issue of rights of ICC-organised cricket matches, the cable and satellite TV rights which are held by Sony Entertainment TV for six years.

According to Sarma, since the Prasar Bharati board has decided to refer the telecast issue to the government, the formal missive will "be sent soon."

However, he did not elaborate on the fact how the government can have a policy in isolation like this in place.

Chapter IX of the Communication Convergence Bill, 2001 details special provision in respect of certain services, specially live broadcasting of certain events.

The clauses read: "For the purpose of ensuring the widest availability of viewing in India of a national or international event of general public interest to be held in India, the central government shall notify the same well in advance.

"The national or international event of general public interest notified under sub-section (I) shall have to be carried on the network of a public service broadcaster as well. "In order to strive towards providing a level playing field for bidders for broadcasting rights or person interested in receiving broadcasting rights for events notified under sub-section(i), the Commission (the proposed super regulatory authority for IT, telecom and broadcasting areas) shall determine, well in advance of such an event, the principles and terms for the access to the network of public service broadcaster."