SARFT, NDRC Announce Cable DTV Pricing Rules

China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) have released a notice to local authorities mandating tighter regulation of cable television fees.

The notice requires local administrative departments to eliminate unreasonable charges related to subscribers' application to open, relocate, suspend, reactivate, or transfer their accounts. In addition, the notice mandates that cable subscribers whose accounts are converted from analogue to digital may not be charged for their new set-top box and accompanying conditional access card, while cable operators may charge for damaged or lost CA cards according to prices determined by provincial-level authorities. Basic cable service fees will be regulated by government authorities, while cable operators will retain autonomy to set fees for value-added services and premium programming. Moreover, existing fee schedules for basic cable service may not be raised.

According to the notice, cable subscribers in regions undergoing DTV conversion who are temporarily unwilling to switch to DTV are to be offered the option to keep at least 6 analog channels including major central, provincial and local-level stations for free during the transition period.

SARFT to crack down on unlicensed content distribution via Internet TV

China's State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) will implement a new policy to crack down on unlicensed content providers broadcasting via Internet TV.

CMMB Commercial Before July

The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) guarantees nationwide commercial trail operation of the China Mobile Multimedia Broadcasting (CMMB) standard before July 1, reports China Business News quoting senior SARFT official Wang Lian. Another senior official, Wang Xiaojie, said the service is currently free. CMMB will offer interactive services such as stock information, weather reports and e-magazines and will cover 90% of 337 areas by the end of 2010, according to China Satellite Mobile Broadcasting Corporation Vice General Manager Liu Tingjun.

Previous reports said Shanghai would be the first city to launch a commercial trial of the network, with RMB 20 monthly service packages expected out in March.

China Digital TV Q4 2008 Net Profit Down 5%

Digital television conditional access solutions provider China Digital TV Holding (NYSE: STV) has issued its earnings report for Q4 2008, with net revenues reaching USD 16.8 mln, down 13.8% year-on-year. 2008 full-year net revenues rose to USD 70.3 mln, an increase of 26.8% over the 2007 figure.

Net income for the quarter came to USD 12.2 mln, down 5.2% YoY. Net income for fiscal year 2008 increased 27.3% to USD 43.1 mln.

Revenues for the quarter from smart cards and related products were USD 15.4 mln, a decrease of 13.6% from the corresponding period of 2007 and an increase of 2.1% from the third quarter of 2008. Sales of smart cards and related products accounted for 91.4% of total revenues for the quarter, up from 88.9% in the third quarter of 2008.

The company estimates net revenues for the first quarter of 2009 to be in the range of USD 13.5 mln to USD 14.5 mln.

Source:marbridgeconsulting.com

SARFT to Complete Terrestrial DTV Coverage in 3 Years

At the 2009 Broadcast Development Forum, Jiang Wenbo, director of the State Administration of Radio and Television (SARFT)'s Academy of Broadcasting Planning, stated that terrestrial digital television coverage is expected to be extended to 37 cities nationwide by the end of the year, including all provincial capitals. Within 3 years coverage will be extended nationwide, with total investment reaching RMB 2.5 bln. Currently 8 cities, including Beijing and Shenzhen, have terrestrial DTV coverage. RMB 500 mln has been invested so far, mainly towards frequency planning, signal coverage, and network access testing for terminals for the 37 cities participating in the first stage of construction.

Second stage plans include the expansion of standard definition DTV programming to 333 prefecture-level cities and 2,861 counties, with programming provided by CCTV, provincial, municipal and county stations. Jiang stated that China's analog signal will be cut off once all subscribers are able to receive digital coverage.

source:marbridgeconsulting.com/

Shanghai to Launch CMMB in March for 3USD/Month

Shanghai will become the first trial city to begin commercial operation of the China Mobile Multimedia Broadcasting (CMMB) network in March, reports Sina quoting an unnamed insider. The commercial service is expected to offer seven programs for RMB 20(3USD) per month, said the insider. China Mobile (NYSE:CHL, 941.HK) currently charges RMB 10 per month for its mobile TV service.

source:jlmpacificepoch.com

China Telecom, Tiansheng Ally on IPTV

China Telecom (NYSE: CHA; 0728.HK) plans to cooperate with digital TV operator Tiansheng Media in an effort to avoid content shortages previously encountered by the operator during its promotions of IPTV.

Song Zheng, CEO of Tiansheng Media, stated that in the future, the company plans to transition away from cooperating with Internet portal sites such as Sina (Nasdaq: SINA), and move towards partnerships with operators. Song also mentioned the company would seek to extend its English Premier League broadcasting rights by another 3 years.

An informed industry insider stated that the partnership between Tiansheng Media and China Telecom would likely consist of variously priced monthly broadband packages directly bundled with English Premier League soccer matches, with Tiansheng receiving a revenue share of the monthly subscription price.

source:marbridgeconsulting.com