News

Sony UK has revealed prices for its forthcoming 4K Ultra HD TV sets that are considerably lower than expected, and likely to more quickly establish the new higher definition TV format when satellite broadcasts start in the next few years. The 55in and 65in models boast 3840x2160 resolution screens – four times the detail of current HD images – for Ultra HD display, and will be available in shops in the next few weeks for £4,000 (about €4700) and £6,000 (€7000) respectively – a huge reduction on initial predicted prices of £15,000 and more.

The most complete online catch-up TV service in the UK is available to owners of Sky+ HD boxes, with access to missed programmes from hundreds of channels including the bouquets of all four main national networks, BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 (from BBC iPlayer, ITV player, 4OD and Demand5, respectively) along with content from Sky Movies, Sky Sports, and Sky TV channels such as Sky One, Sky Atlantic, Sky Living, as well as National Geographic Channel, History, and Crime & Investigation Network.

Entertainment and celebrity channel, E! is now available in high definition to viewers in Germany and Austria from the Sky Deutschland pay-TV platform. The female-skewed channel mixes locally produced shows, such as Fulminant, reporting on German events and celebrities, with international shows such as Live from the Red Carpet, Fashion Police, and The Saturdays – The Way Up.

Despite the availability of online TV and on-demand services, nearly a third of German viewers regularly ‘time shift’ broadcast TV – record a show to watch at a later date – according to research from German trade association, Bitkom.

According to the SES`annual market research study "Satellite Monitor" in conjunction with the Establishment Survey and conducted by GfK Ukraine, 22% of all households in the Ukraine now receive satellite TV, with 98% of them watching channels from ASTRA satellites, principally those at the ASTRA 5°E and ASTRA 31.5°E orbital positions, where the Viasat Ukraina and Ukrkosmos platforms broadcast.

A report from Thinkbox, the marketing body for commercial TV in the UK, has revealed that watching traditional ‘linear’ TV, such as the DTH satellite broadcasts from Sky and Freesat via ASTRA 28.2°E, is still the mainstay of UK TV viewing. In 2012 British viewers each day watched an average of 4 hours 1 minute of linear TV on a television screen (the third consecutive year the figure has remained above four hours a day), despite the growth in viewing on other devices and from other sources.

Over 3.1 million smart TV sets were sold in Germany in 2012, according to a report from the German consumer electronics association Gfu (Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Unterhaltungselektronik) and over a third of all flat screen TVs sold in Germany were equipped with internet connectivity.

Two new channels have joined the Freesat free-to-air DTH satellite platform for the UK. Viva and Travel have both been previously broadcasting from ASTRA 28.2°E free-to-air and as part of the Sky UK platform, and have now joined the Freesat EPG.

English Club TV, the English-language teaching channel, has launched a high definition version of the channel available to viewers in the Ukraine and CIS and Baltic countries. ECTV is aimed at viewers of all ages who want to learn or improve their English. The channel broadcasts from the ASTRA 4A satellite at 5°E and as part of the MagtiSat platform from ASTRA 1G at 31.5°E.

Visit www.english-club.tv for more information

Sky News Arabia, the overseas version of BSkyB’s UK service Sky News aimed at Arab speaking viewers, has launched in the UK. The channel broadcasts from ASTRA 28.2°E as part of the Sky UK platform and is available free-to-air to all viewers of the 28.2°E satellites.