Illegal satellite TV ... via broadband

SHANGHAI has cracked down on three illegal satellite TV companies that sent signals via broadband to clients' homes.

This appears to be a new way of providing illegal satellite services in Shanghai, a senior official of the city's radio, film and television watchdog said yesterday.

The companies linked servers to satellite receivers and provided the service via the Internet to more than 10,000 families across China, said Zhang Wei, an official with the Shanghai Administration of Culture, Radio, Film and TV.

Their clients only needed broadband access, rather than having to install satellite dishes outside apartments, which are easier for law enforcement officers to detect, he said.

Zhang advised people not to use such services, because, as well as being illegal, most are unreliable.

In China, only certain groups can apply to use foreign satellite TV services. These include education, scientific research, journalism and finance institutions that need to watch foreign TV; hotels receiving foreigners; and the communities with many foreign residents.

All other uses of the service are illegal, according to a rule issued by the country's State Council or the Cabinet.

Yet despite the fact that illegal users can be fined up to 30,000 yuan (US$4,528), the black market in Shanghai is rampant. An insider told Oriental Morning Post that the city has more than 300,000 illegal satellite dishes.

One illegal operator said people could install a device for around 1,000 yuan with no subsequent fees.

In comparison, the Yanlord Town in Pudong, an international community, said the annual fee charged by the state-owned China International Television Corp - the sole legal satellite TV operator in China - is more than 15,000 yuan for each user.

But it is probable that the signal of the illegal satellite TV services will be suddenly lost as a result of the crackdown," Zhang said.

The official also reminded parents to be aware that illegal satellite TV schedules could include foreign adult programs, which their children might inadvertently see.

An official with the law enforcement team in Pudong surnamed Shen said it was very difficult to control personal users, as most installed the dishes inside their apartments.

The team received tip-offs via the hotline 12318 but only managed to force around 10 local users to dismantle their illegal satellite dishes so far this year.

An official with the management company of a local international community said they would not ask users to remove illegal satellite TV, as long as dishes were installed inside apartments.

"It is in the interests of our householders," he said.

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DIRECTV has added HBO and Cinemax programs to its Video On Demand(VOD) lineup

HBO's VOD lineup includes the entire season of the Golden Globe-nominated Boardwalk Empire as well as movies, original shows and documentaries while Cinemax's VOD menu features movies.

The two channels have been conspicuously absent from the DIRECTV On Demand menu. DIRECTV, which launched its VOD service in July 2008, has been offering numerous channels on demand including Showtime, Starz, HDNet, IFC and A&E.

DIRECTV has not issued a press release explaining why HBO and Cinemax are being added now, but it's likely the satcaster recently reached a deal with Time Warner which owns both channels. The two channels were added to DIRECTV On Demand this week.

The satellite TV service has expressed optimism that its VOD service will compete effectively with the On Demand services offered by cable and telco operators. However, unlike their rivals' VOD offerings, DIRECTV's VOD service requires subscribers to connect their set-tops to the Internet.

DIRECTV recently acknowledged that the Net issue has been an obstacle, saying that it plans to soon offer a free service to connect their subscribers' set-tops to the Internet. The company did not offer details, but Investor's Business Daily has reported that DIRECTV is testing a joint Internet service with Verizon.

NAB broadcast TV comprised 30-second TV and radio ads

The National Association of Broadcasters this week unveiled a new on-air campaign promoting broadcast television. The campaign, comprised of 30-second television and radio ads, was previewed today as part of a membership-wide Webcast from NAB's headquarters in Washington, D.C.

The lobby is making its "Future of TV" spot available to radio and television stations for airing from Jan. 4-24. The period coincides with the commencement of the new GOP-controlled congress.

Television spots, produced in both standard- and high definition, will be distributed via satellite on Dec. 16 between 1 and 1:30 p.m. ET from Galaxy 28 transponder C15 at 89 degrees West longitude, uplink frequency of 6225 H; download, 4000 V; audio, 6.2/6.8.

Radio spots will be made available for download at NAB.org. The 30-second ads were produced in both English and Spanish. The ads are embargoed until Jan. 4, 2011.