Control of Content available over Cable TV?

The last hearing of CBNSat held yesterday had some statements that may affect the whole Cable TV Industry in Sri Lanka. Please read CBNSat Case : Magistrate orders to meet Minister .
It has been made known that the Minister of Media has concerns over the somethings shown on CBNSat such as Fashion Shows and also something to the affect of transmission of security issues.

If channels are to be controlled on Cable TV operators due to moral influences then the local TV stations will also be under scrutiny since they also show stuff that is questionable. In fact there are more viewers of local TV and less viewers of Cable TV and the affects of so called immoral influences of Cable TV is much less when compared to local TV.
It is accepted that some things that are shown are not acceptable but why is this becoming an issue now when this was shown all these years over cable operators in Sri Lanka. The channel in question Fashion TV is shown over TV's in ODEL & HOUSE OF FASHION'S also and over every cable tv operator in sri lanka. It is a Free to Air Channel. People have the right to choose what they see and what they do not want to see and the technology should be made available to them to block out unwanted material.

It is also being revealed that certain channels are to be restricted under "security concerns". Well what these channels are no one knows but it looks like it will be CNN & BBC (it is only speculation). If this is true then it will be very bad since these channels are available over local tv channels in Sri Lanka and accessible freely over the Internet. Is this sensorship that is coming into Sri Lanka on the pretext of a different name.

We are going to have a Wimax operator in the country and then Internet access will be very common and stopping the worlds two leading news channels will not help. Information is available for free access to people. All one has to do is to access the Internet and there is loads of information.

It is high time that all channels Cable and Local joined forces to encounter what is beginning to look like the beginning of a period of time where all the channels are going to be told what they can show or not. Free Media by the looks of it seems to be under threat

All we request is let sense prevail. Free Media Movement, over to you.

Related Links CBNSat : 7th Hearing - A Soup and a Laugh
CBNSat Case : Magistrate orders to meet Minister

Telecom imports subject to Defence Ministry Approval - The Daily Mirror 29th June 2006

On a Presidential directive all imports of telecommunications apparatus will be subjected to prior approval from the Defense Ministry as a security measure, the TRC said yesterday.

"TRC of Sri Lanka has been directed to seek clearance from the Ministry of Defence before the issuance of any licenses and for the importation of telecommunications apparatus which may have an impact on national security. This move has been initiated due to te current development in the security situation in the country," the TRC said in a statement.

Hurrah CBNSat Blog is now back in action

Yipee, a big thank you out to the Blogger Team who have taken steps and unblocked the CBNSat blog in a short period of time.

Now we can continue to provide our readers the latest news as it happens regarding CBNSat.

Thank You once again for all those who came forward to help us when this blog was blocked.

Admin

CBNSat 8th hearing on 3rd July 2006

Reports indicate that the case has been postponed for Monday the 3rd of July 2006. The reason for postponement is not yet know and I am sure that my fellow bloggers will continue to update this story as the day progresses.

There are also reports that the date of postponement is 20th July 2006. This date is highly unlikely though. Could someone confirm the correct date.

Initial reports indicate that the postponement is due to the Media Ministry not giving approval for the broadcast.

Anyway confirmed reports will come as the day progresses

CBNSat 7th Court Hearing today

Today will the 7th Court hearing for CBNSat and I would like to point out that according to the LBO report published below, the case against CBNSat should be dropped.

We were hoping for a positive result from the LBN Case yesterday but since nothing happened in that front and their situation seems to be more complicated than CBNSat, we hope that at least the CBNSat customers will be seeing an end to this fiasco.

We will be posting you updates on the CBNSat forum also, but since it is blocked we cannot make any posts on the front page and can only post them as comments. So please read the comments carefully and very important news will be posted on this blog too.

This blog will keep you updated on the proceedings in court today and I hope the readers will keep the information flowing in.

CBNSat Blog has been blocked

Folks there seems to be a problem with the CBNSat Blog. I received as email from Blogger saying that they have identified my blog as Spam and they have blocked. I have submitted a request for unblocking.

The last time this blog TV Radio Sri Lanka was blocked it took two weeks for release.

I request all of you to continue commenting on the site. I will also leave articles as comments on the blog and you guys can do the same.

Maybe someone has complained that this is a spam blog just to stop what we are doing. Any important news news regarding CBNSat will be on the TV Radio Sri Lanka blog also.

Keep Blogging folks. Hope the CBNSat hearing brings good news for all their customers today.

Sri Lanka to issue license for satellite TV operators

June 26, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka Monday asked satellite television broadcasters to get themselves registered and fixed an annual fee of 500,000 rupees.

The Telecommunications Regulatory Commission said cable distribution networks and satellite communications networks have to apply by July 21, 2006 to secure a license. “It applies to all satellite or cable television companies currently in operation here,” TRCs Director General Kanchana Ratwatte told LBO. Operators will be subjected to an annual cess fee based on 0.3 percent on total sales subject to a minimum 500,000 rupees. The five-year license is renewable subject to performance and adherence to license conditions. “The licensee will not be permitted to establish its own telecommunications links, other than access to satellites, to connect the system to other compatible licensed systems,” The TRC said.

The move comes following a government crackdown on three private satellite television stations – LBN, CBNSat and SATNet – for operating without license. Currently there are four-large satellite operators, but quite a few small timers operate showing free-to-air content.

Why no blog for SATNet? : The Answer

I received an email questioning me why I have not started a blog for SATNet. The reason behind this is that since SATNet is not a CableTV operator and only a vendor/agent for Dish TV India and Star TV Hong Kong therefore they do not qualify to have a blog. I have only created blogs for the major Cable TV companies in Sri Lanka and I have not created blogs for even the Multivison sub agents.

It is hard for us to stay in Sri Lanka and advice Dish TV and Star TV how to carry out their operations but if the operator is in Sri Lanka then we have a better say in their operations. This is because the above operators do not view Sri Lankan's as a target audience and only Sri Lankan operators view Sri Lankan's as a target audience.

Once again I stress that this blog is not operated by any cable tv operator in sri lanka and I am not an employee of a cable tv operator. This is a service to keep the tv and radio enthusiasts updated on the latest happenings on the TV & Radio Industry in Sri Lanka. The operator specific blogs are for their customers to give their views on the service and also any new information on the operator. It will also provide an area for the customers to meet up and discuss any problems they have had with the operator and also to tell others about their good/bad experiences with the operator. At the moment the CBNSat and LBN Blog are working on getting these two services back on line.

Satellite TV Providers under spotlight - Daily Mirror 23rd June 2006

Amidst confusion and public anger over the withdrawal of satellite or cable TV facilities, President Mahinda Rajapakse has directed the TRC to register all satellite service providers, the government said yesterday. He has also directed the commission to implement other measures in accordance with section 66 (1) of the Sri Lanka Telecommunication Act No. 25 of 1992.

Media Minister Anura Preiyadarshana Yapa said the commission would proceed to set out rules to regulate the services provided by satellite service providers, monitor their operations and usage of satellite communication faclilities provided to the customers.

The TRC will also register all apparatus required for satellite communications including transmission and reception.

The Mninister said the decision was taken as it has been found that none of the satellite TV providers had regsitered themseleves in accordance with the act.

For the Daily News article please click here

DCV becomes Ruhuna 2001 Multivision

Delta Cable Vision (DCV) a cable tv provider in Mabole, Wattala has undergone a change it seems. They are now displaying the name Ruhuna 2001 Multivision instead of DCV.

Looks like it is a ploy to mislead the investigation. Since Multivision supposedly has the license to carry out cable tv operations it looks like that they are asking their subagents to display Multivision instead of the subagents name. If the subagent company display their own name they may also be required to obtain a license so if they operate under Multivision name, they can use the license that Multivision has.

Did this happen to DCV only or to all Multivision subagents throughout the country? Hopefully our readers will be able to post by checking on the subagents operating in their area. Over to the management of DCV and Multivision to give their side of the story.

Reality TV to be renamed Zone Reality

Entertainment firm Zone Vision Networks has announced a new global brand for the company's corporate identity and its channels.

The company will introduce an umbrella brand, Zonemedia, on 26 June. New logos and names for the company's six thematic channels will also be rolled out.

Reality TV, which is distributed in India by Zee Turner will be renamed Zone Reality. Romantica becomes Zone Romantica, Club becomes Zone Club, The Horror Channel becomes Zone Horror and Europa Europa becomes Zone Europa.

Zone Vision chairman Chris Wronski says, "Our new look reflects the developments that have taken place in the business in recent years, which encompass the launch of new satellite TV channels, as well as web and Wap sites. Viewers will continue to enjoy the distinctive programming they have come to expect from their favourite Zonemedia channels."

Branding and communication agency Kemistry created the network's new identity. The modern look and feel provides a cohesive identity across Zonemedia's growing portfolio of thematic channels.

London-based Fig Jam Marketing provided additional creative and logistical support.

Reality TV is available in Sri Lanka exclusively on CBNSat.

Srilakvahini telecast beams to 140 countries

A new Satellite TV Station is to commence broadcasts soon. Given below is the article appearing in the Daily News of 19th June 2006.

COLOMBO: The television industry is achieving yet another milestone by introducing a state of art technology via Satellite Television in Sri Lanka.

"Future Satcom" obtained the government approval of telecasting rights and the company is confident that all Sri Lankans and the rest of the world will enjoy the quality programmes in the future.

Based on the theme "New Sri Lanka to the world" Future satcom is determined to make the project a reality and all Sri Lankans living abroad and citizens of Sri Lanka will enjoy the channel "Srilakvahini.

News, documentary, musicals, religious activities, cultural activities, entertainment, sports, teledramas, films, live programmes, educational programmes, and many other activities in Sri Lanka will be on your Television screen.

Srilakvahini will broadcast its television network to Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and African countries, Russian Federation, Middle East and will beam to 140 countries.

This unique channel will cover national languages namely Sinhala, Tamil and International language English.

Srilakvahini the new channel will commence its operations within the next few days.

SATNet launches Web Site

Looks like SATNet has launched it's website http://www.startvlanka.com/ or http://www.satnet.lk/

They claim to be "Sri Lanka's first Digital Stereo Satellite Broadcaster", a claim which TV Radio Sri Lanka had criticised them for making a last month back. The links to our previous posts are as follows

SATNet Post 1
SATNet Post 2

Hopefully someone took the advice that I gave.

Under the earlier name Star TV Lanka (Pvt) Ltd., they were selling Star TV connections and now under a new name they are selling Star TV and Dish TV connections. This in no way makes SATNet the first Digital Stereo Satellite Broadcaster because there is no broadcasting being done in Sri Lanka. The first Sri Lankan DTH Service is CBNSat. SATNet is not a broadcaster but only a dealer, they claim to be a broadcaster.

The website and it's layout bears a striking resemblance to the CBNSat website. In addition there are several comments on this blog and forums belonging to TV Radio Sri Lanka and a few newspaper reports pointing at SATNet for causing the problems on CBNSat and the Cable TV Industry in Sri Lanka.

Over to the management of SATNet to give their side of the picture.

LBN Shutdown

LBN Cable TV has shut operations from last evening. Please refer our LBN Forum for further information.

http://lbncable.blogspot.com/

Government to impose fine on TV Stations

Power and Energy Minister John Senevirathne appealed to the public to go to bed early, apparently at 10:00PM. In addition to this there will be a monthly payment of Rs 1 Million for TV stations who broadcast after 10PM. He is to have meetings with the operators of TV stations.

Apparently without increasing the power output in the country, the present government is trying to reduce the power consumption using the citizens of this country. There is also said to be a remarkable increase in the power consumption since the local time was changed from GMT + 6 to GMT + 5:30.

In this age of Internet, Satellite Television, Cable TV, I wonder whether this is a responsible statement to make.

It is true that Sri Lankans should stand united and his other suggestions such as installation of CFL bulbs are excellent directives, but it is unfair to carry out something like this. Working class people often finish their housework and watch tv around 10PM will be deprived of entertainment and tv stations will lose advertising revenue.

I wonder whether this will apply to Cable TV providers who in any event will not be able to stop their broadcasts after 10PM, because if it does there may be a increase in monthly fees.

Hope the minister will reconsider and find alternative solutions to the power crisis.

BBC World becomes Pay TV Channel today

With effect from today BBC World available in South Asia on PanAmSat10 has encrypted it's services. All those who were viewing BBC World on a satellite dish will not be able to receive this channel henceforth.

Only Cable TV operators and DTH subscribers will be able to view this service from today onwards.

Will the subscribers of the Pay TV channels in Sri Lanka please inform whether they can still receive BBC World from their operator.

Dear CBNSat Customers (A fellow reader takes matters into his hands)

Dear CBNSat customers !

I'm going to forward a formal request to TRC asking them to take immediate action to restart CBNSat services on behalf of the customers.

Please send me your following details to cbnsat@gmail.com

Name
Address
Contact No and
CBNSat Account number

WE HAVE WAITED ENOUGH !

** The above request is not from TV Radio Sri Lanka. This was a comment on this blog that I copied and pasted. I appreciate the work that is being done by this individual, it is time for the customers of CBNSat to get down to business and email this individual today, with all the information.

The above individual looks geniune but please take care when releasing personal information.

For the latest news on the situation at CBNSat please view the CBNSat Forum

Derana to show Sri Lanka vs England One Day Series 2006

Even though Derana is a new channel, they have been showing a lot of sports events. In true Derana tradition the England vs Sri Lanka One day series 2006 will be shown live.

Anyone who knows the schedule, please post it as a comment for the other readers.

Are Multivision subagents legal?

There are several Cable companies cropping up in several areas calling themselves Multivision authorised companies and they are providing Cable TV connections for about Rs 500/= for a month. In fact there have been several Comet Cable customers complaining that they pay Rs 1200/= and more to get these channels directly from Comet whereas the subagents give all these channels plus more for Rs 500/= per month. Some examples of these sub companies are Delta Cable Vision in Wattala and a Cable TV operator in Negombo, etc. Maybe the reason for the increased cost maybe that Comet Cable provides a wireless service whereas the sub agents are on fixed wire systems.

The authorities must look into the legality of these services and issue appropriate licenses and guide them to obtain the required licenses since their customers too might be inconvienced like these CBNSat csutomers if the Police/CID raids and shuts them down.

Here are the questions that arise when it comes to the Multivision subagents

1. Does Multivision have the authority from its content providers to distribute its content on the Fixed Wire Cable via sub agents as well as the Wireless Platform.
2. Are the subagents granted approval by the TRC, etc
3. Do the subagents have the authority to distribute local channels
   

This post is not intended to bring trouble on Multivision or sub agents like Delta Cable Vision but it is intended to make sure the authorities check these operations out and grant neccessary approval, if they do not have the approval.

Dish TV signs up SET-Discovery

Dish TV India has signed up the SET- Discovery channels. This will increase the choice available on Dish TV for all Indian viewers. It is yet to be seen whether the Sri Lankan viewers of Dish TV will be able to receive these channels as well.

Anyway this is a big break for Dish TV who have been operating without the SET- Discovery Channels as well as the Star Channels.

There is no news however regarding when Dish TV will be able to get the Star Channels.

CBNSat court hearing on 14 June 2006

The CBNSat court hearing is now on the 14th June 2006. Hopefully their will be relief for the customers of CBNSat at this hearing.

Why can't the judge restore the CBNSat transmissions and then carry out investigations.

For more info on this visit our CBNSat forum.

SLRC Get your World Cup act together

With Rupavahini securing the rights for the Football World Cup 2006. Looks like they are carrying out their ever popular Dog in the Manger attitude.

Most of the matches are recorded. Can't the National TV provider drop some of it's programmes and show all the matches live.

A large proportion of the Sri Lankan public cannot afford or cannot access Cable TV. Some Cable TV companies are shut down also.

Over to the management of SLRC.

Please show all the matches live.

LBN Goes Digital

Sorry for not posting all these days since I was down with the flu.

LBN Cable TV has announced that they have begun Digital Cable TV. This is the second Digital TV company in Sri Lanka. The first is CBNSat.

LBN anounces that they will also provide the following services in the future.

HDTV - High Definition TV
Voice on Demand
EPG - Electronic Programme Guide

CBNSat court hearing scheduled for June 12th

CBNSat which has had its broadcast station sealed will be having the next court hearing on Monday 12th June 2006 upto which they will not be able to carry out transmissions.

For full report of this situation please refer the CBNSat Forum.

CBNSat is accused of carrying out pay tv operations illegally notable after One Year in Operation. They are scheduled to have a press briefing today.

Several sources point fingers to Chariman of rival SATNET which is a dealer for Star TV and Dish TV India for having orchestrated this scenario.

SATNET have previously claimed that they are the first true broadcaster of Digital TV in Sri Lanka whereas they are only a dealer for the above mentioned companies.

Channel Eye to telecast opening Ceremony of Football Worldcup live

SLRC Channel Eye is to telecast the opening cermony of the FIFA World Cup live. The broadcast is due to start at either 7:15PM or 7:50PM the time which is not yet certain.

All Football matches will not be shown live since the matches after 10:30PM will shown live and any match before 10:30PM will be repeated after 10:30PM.

Rupavahini will carry repeats of alll matches after 12:45PM everyday.

Please refer link on a post further down.

Comet Cable Forum now open

All Comet Cable customers can visit http://cometcable.blogspot.com/ and post their thoughts and views on Comet Cable.

Please note that special news about CBNSat and Comet Cable will appear on this blog as well as the forums.

You can make use of the forums related to the provider for commenting. We are still contemplating the decision whether to open forums for LBN Cable and a general one for the other operators. Please repond with your views.

This Blog is not Sponsored by CBNSat

Some posts are appearing on this Blog saying that this blog is Sponsored by CBNSat. I would like to clarify that this Blog is an independant blog and is not affliated to any CableTV operator or any other broadcaster in anyway.

Pleae do not bring false allegations of this manner.

Ten Sports and Sun TV soon on CBNSat

Amid all this controvery about the stoppage on CBNSat transmissions. I heard a day before the shutdown that Ten Sports and Sun TV will be on CBNSat in about 3 months.

But with things turning out this way that might have surely extended.

CBNSat Forum

A big Thank You for the people who are taking part in the CBNSat forum. Please refer to that forum for the latest news and information about the present situation on CBNSat.

Sony - Discovery reach agreement with Dish TV

It's been a long time coming but after endless rounds of discussions, India’s first direct-to-home service Dish TV has finally reached mutually agreeable terms with the Sony-Discovery One Alliance distribution bouquet to carry their channels.

The two parties arrived at a memorandum of understanding today and the official signing will happen anytime in the next few days, sources close to the developments tell.

The One Alliance channels will begin beaming off the Dish platform within the next few days and the billing cycle is effective from 1 July on. The financial terms that the two parties have agreed to were not available at the time of filing this report.

For Dish TV, this resolves one half of the problem it has been facing ever since its launch - its inability to offer subscribers channels from the One Alliance and Star bouquets.

With the addition of the Sony bouquet, Dish TV can look forward to a major ramp up in subscriber numbers. Two key events that are expected to drive acquisitions in the immediate term are the ongoing India-West Indies Test series and the Fifa World Cup. The Word Cup kicks off in Munich, Germany, on 9 June while the second Test in St Lucia, West Indies, will take place between 10 and 14 June. ESPN Star Sports (already on the Dish network) has exclusive rights to the World Cup while Ten Sports - part of the One Alliance bouquet - is exclusively airing the cricket in the Caribbean.

A contentious issue that automatically gets resolved with Sony's sign-up on Dish is the legal spat that Subhash Chandra’s DTH service has been having with Viacom channels MTV and Nick since last year. Both channels are part of the One Alliance.

In a letter sent to the information and broadcasting ministry last month, Dish TV had petitioned that despite the sector regulator’s directive on making available content to all platforms and a favourable judgement from disputes tribunal TDSAT, the “conduct of MTV” has been “clearly in violation” of the interconnection regulation of 2004.

Dish TV’s parent ASC Enterprises' contention was that despite carrying on commercial negotiations with MTV Networks India for several months, the content provider and its distributors in India (One Alliance) had stalled any fruitful conclusion of such talks.

Thank You Blogger Team & Yaron Davidson

A big thank you to the Team at Blogger for unlockinh this blog and allowing it to continue operating. These are turbulent times in the broadcasting arena and I sincerely thank you for helping me out.

A thank you also out to Yaron Davidson for giving me help on getting this blog unlocked. Appreciate your work.