MUMBAI: B4U Movies, the stand alone channel that is going the pay way, aims to complete the seeding of set top boxes throughout the country by the end of the month.
The channel, which had earlier planned full encryption by end July, has started an encryption feed from 5 August. Chief distribution officer Debashish Dey says the STBs have just arrived and are being currently despatched to various parts of the country. The channel, says Dey, has received a very good response from the northern, western and eastern parts of the country. An estimated 5000 STBs are being distributed, he said. B4U is using the Smart-card from Nagravision as the encryption module and will switch off the analog feed from 30 August, he said.

B4U Movies will cost the subscriber Rs 8.90 per month. The channel is offering 15 per cent discount on its subscription rate to cable operators making advance payments or quarterly payments. The only channel that is going pay on its own without relying on a bouquet, B4U Music will also take the encryption route from December 2002, says Dey.

USA: PanAmSat which claims to be the premier provider of global video and data broadcasting services via satellite and BT Broadcast Services have announced the formation of a strategic alliance for the distribution of digital video services in Europe, the US and other markets. By leveraging and combining the power of each company?s network, PanAmSat and BT now offer customers a turnkey solution for the global distribution of digital video content.

President and CEO Panamsat Joe Wright said, "For our large video customers, it all comes down to two issues: service reliability and global distribution of digital content. On the first, PanAmSat has the youngest and most reliable fleet in the business. On the second, our agreement with BT provides customers with one of the most extensive capabilities for the global distribution of digital video content in the market. Through the agreement with BT, we have significantly increased the breadth and depth of our offering in Europe. We can now market digital solutions for Europe, as well as provide expanded capabilities to our existing customers around the world."

The group offers flexible, cost-effective tailor-made services to an international client base including broadcasters, news agencies, production companies, special event organisers, and large corporations around the world. The company claims to deliver technically advanced services based on the latest video and Internet technologies, including video streaming, digital terrestrial television, high speed Internet access via satellite and digital business TV.

MUMBAI: Media baron Rupert Murdoch‘s News Corp is reportedly examining the possibility of launching a new network devoted entirely to the reality genre. The tentatively titled Fox Reality Channel will be cable-and-satellite-delivered, according to a report in Electronic Media.

The digital-tier cable channel is expected to be up and running in the United States by 2005. The reality channel could be tested on satellite in the UK before launching in the US. Internationally it will be a delivered through satellite.

Murdoch‘s Fox Network is considered to be a pioneer in reality programming with shows such as the American version of Pop Idol, Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire, Temptation Island, Cops and America‘s Most Wanted.

On the one hand, a depressed marketplace could make News Corp. and other content providers more conservative in their programming and production planning overall. On the other a channel with the irresistible reality buzz might prove overwhelmingly popular for multiple system operators who need to give customers good reasons to go digital.

Planning for the two channels began last year when News Corp was bidding for DirectTV. The assumption sources made for the bid at the time was that when News Corp added the North American direct broadcast satellite service to its vast existing international satellite capacity, which includes British Sky Broadcasting in the United Kingdom and Star TV in Asia, channel capacity would become available and opportunities for launching new channels would naturally arise.