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Sky capitalises on HD TV

By James Lawson, ITWeb journalist
Johannesburg, 01 Feb 2010

Sky capitalises on HD TV

Sky says it added 172 000 customers in the last three months of 2009, due to improved performance from its high-definition (HD) television channels, reports The Independent.

The sharp rise in HD subscriptions helped to push up the company's first-half revenues by 10% to £2.9 billion (R35 billion). Its operating profit showed 3% growth because it spent £70 million (R850 million) on subsidising HD set-top boxes. With these costs stripped out, operating profit was up 21% at £471 million (R5.7 billion).

"It has been another good quarter in what remains a tough environment, with more customers joining Sky and strong demand across our entire product range," says Jeremy Darroch, Sky's chief executive.

Largest mobile multimedia network

China's state-owned mobile TV service provider, China Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), has established the world's largest mobile multimedia broadcasting network, according to People's Daily Online.

Last week, the CBC made the encryption operation of the mobile TV service officially available in 280 cities in China's 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities. China Mobile Multimedia Broadcasting (CMMB) is a new broadcasting technique the government has fully promoted since 2008.

It features clear viewing and listening of live TV broadcasts for viewers who are on the move. Any type of terminal installed with the CMMB chip and is equipped with a 7-inch or smaller electronic display screen that can function as a portable TV.

Fox Soccer broadcasts in HD

Fox Soccer Channel is now broadcasting in HD, with the 24/7 soccer network adding the HD symbol to its coverage, states EPLTalk.

The next step for cable and satellite carriers is to manually add a HD channel (cable) or HD sub-channel (satellite), so while Fox is broadcasting in HD, it's up to the carriers to select their distribution route.

Not all programming shown by Fox is HD content, and not all carriers have added the HD feed as of yet. In such an instance, DirecTV is receiving the HD signal from Fox Soccer Channel, but have not yet added the HD feed.

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