MUMBAI:PanAmSat, the global video and data broadcasting services provider has reported revenues of $209.2 million for the second quarter of 2002, in financial results declared last week.
The slight increase in revenues over corresponding figures last year (total revenues for Q2 2002 were $209.2 million, compared to revenues of $208.2 million for Q2 2001) was facilitated by the company‘s world cup soccer coverage, claims PanAmSat. The successful completion of the company‘s largest single event ever for broadcast services, consisting of more than 23,000 hours of 2002 FIFA World Cup coverage to over 24 countries around the globe, was concluded this quarter.
The company has also declared EBITDA of $150.8 million, earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) of $61.0 million and earnings per share (EPS) of $0.13 during the quarter ended June 30, 2002. The company?s EBITDA margin was 72 per cent of revenues for Q2 2002, a seven per centage point increase over the same period last year, says the company.

Other business highlights of PanAmSat‘s Q2 2002 results include:

# The culmination of the company?s $2.0 billion, 30-month, seven-satellite modernisation programme with the successful launch of the Galaxy IIIC satellite on 15 June, giving PanAmSat the youngest, most modern fleet in the FSS industry.

# Quarterly EBITDA increased $16.3 million or 12 per cent as compared to the same period in 2001, despite relatively flat revenues for PanAmSat and the satellite industry as a whole.

PanAmSat president and CEO Joseph R. Wright says the company began to reduce its cost base relative to the revenues realistically expected for this year after last summer‘s performance. "Our operating costs are now over 20 per cent below this time last year. We also refocused our company away from the expensive development of new products for the Internet and back to completing our seven satellite fleet modernization program to create the youngest, most reliable FSS operation in the industry. "

The company expects total revenues for the third quarter of 2002 to be in the range of $190 million to $200 million, with no new sales or sales-type leases.

NEW DELHI: Not only is the Cable TV (Networks) Regulation Bill, 2002, which is supposed to be discussed in Rajya Sabha during this session of Indian Parliament, at variance with the Task Force on CAS recommendations, but it also gives powers to the Indian government which are unparalleled in the whole of Asia, according to a recent survey.
The survey was conducted by seeking responses from lawyers from a number of Asian countries.

Take, for example, the pricing of the basic tier of free to air (FTA) channels. This is to be determined by the Indian government. The survey, a copy of which is available with indiantelevision.com, points out that nowhere does the government control prices anywhere in Asia, except in China and Taiwan.

In China too, price control is done at the local level of governance unlike what is being proposed in India where the price control will be effected through a Central legislation which will make amendments to the proposed law in this fast changing industry very difficult and time consuming.

The findings of the survey are being circulated amongst Rajya Sabha (Upper House of the Indian Parliament) members to highlight the shortcomings in the proposed laws relating to conditional access system (CAS).

Though the business advisory committee of Parliament had listed the CAS Bill on the agenda of the Rajya Sabha (RS), it could not be taken up as both Houses of Parliament were adjourned on Monday due to the Presidential elections. The CATV Amendment Bill is now supposed to be put up in RS for discussion next Monday. Lok Sabha (Lower House) has already okayed the amendments to the Act which seeks to facilitate implementation of CAS.

The survey also points out that in no Asian country are set-top boxes (STBs) mandated through a central legislation. In Singapore, for instance, where the use of STBs is wide-ranging and the maximum percentagewise amongst Asian countries, only newer and digital channels come through STBs, while people having older TV sets continue to access satellite channels without a STB.

Though the I&B ministry-constituted Task Force recommended that DD channels must be carried as part of a "must carry" clause, what the government has gone ahead and done is to take the power to decide what will be the composition of the basic tier of FTA channels. This amounts to a form of censorship, the survey concludes.

The survey compares clause by clause what had been recommended by the Task Force and what finally went into the Bill, which is awaiting Parliament‘s nod to be enacted into a Central law. It also compares the proposed changes being sought to be brought about in India with similar laws existing elsewhere in Asia.

NEW DELHI: The Cable TV Networks (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2002, which was listed for re-introduction in the Rajya Sabha (Upper House of Parliament) today, will have to wait another week before its likely enaction into law.

The Rajya Sabha was adjourned today because of the presidential elections. This is the second time that information and broadcasting minister Sushma Swaraj‘s bid to get the bill through the Upper House has come a cropper due to extraneous circumstances. The bill failed to clear the Rajya Sabha in the last session of Parliament (17 May) due to lack of time and was listed as part of today‘s business.

As per the schedule put out by the Rajya Sabha, Swaraj was to introduce the bill as the fourth item of today‘s listed business and was also to move that the bill be passed. According to I&B ministry officials that indiantelevision.com spoke to, Swaraj was now looking to move the bill next Monday.

The amendments to the Act were passed in the Lok Sabha (Lower House) on 15 May through a voice vote.