DISH Launches Google TV Solution for $179

DISH Network has just announced that its Google TV solution is now available to customers for $179, the lowest price on the market according to the company. The service, which combines Google’s Web search capabilities with DISH Network’s onscreen programming data, DVR and Video on Demand content, aims at delivering a comprehensive and seemsless entertainment experience to DISH subscribers.

“Only DISH Network customers will have access to the most fully-featured Google TV experience available, which includes our unique pairing protocol for simultaneous search capabilities across Web and DVR content, as well as DISH Network’s VOD programming,” said DISH Network Chief Marketing Officer Ira Bahr. “Customers can now surf the Web, check email, interact with social media, and find additional online television content all from the comfort of their living room sofa.”

“Google TV makes the Web another channel on your TV by bringing the Internet together with the TV programming you know and love,” said Rishi Chandra, lead product manager for Google TV. “We’re excited to work with DISH Network to bring an enhanced Google TV experience to its subscribers so they can find even more content to watch – whether on their DVR, TV or the Web.”

Swedish Private Equity Firm Parsifal Offers to Acquire France Telecom’s Channels

In an interview with the French daily Le Figaro, Peter Ekelund CEO of Parsifal said that the Swedish-based investment fund is ready to acquire France Telecom’s pay-TV channel Orange Cinema Series and is waiting to see what the operator’s terms are: “I have a clear idea of the price we would like to pay but I’m waiting to see what are France Telecom’s terms” he said.

Peter Ekelund added that his group is prepared to act quickly and that his offer did not raise any competition issues, unlike that of Vivendi’s Canal+.

If successful, Parsifal plans to propose the channel to all providers, not only to France Telecom, which will multiply the current subscriber base by five or six and make the TV channels more profitable according to Ekelund.

Zain Launches Mobile TV for iPhone Users

Zain Kuweit has announced that iPhone users can now access Mobile TV services on their devices.

Through this service, which was already available to other 3G-mobile phone users, prepaid & postpaid customers can view live selected television channels on their handsets.

According to Zain, these TV channels include Al-Watan, Al-Watan Plus, Al-Rai, Kuwait Sports Channel, Gulf, and Rotana Channel collection.

Earlier this month, Zain announced its Group consolidated financial results for the first nine months, ending 30 September 2010. For the Jan-Sept. period, the Zain Group generated consolidated revenues of KWD 1.01 billion (US$ 3.5 billion), an increase of 8.4% compared to the same period of 2009. The company’s consolidated EBITDA reached KWD 448 million (US$ 1.55 billion) reflecting an EBITDA margin of 44% with EBIT reaching KWD 324 million (US$ 1.12 billion). Net Income soared 411% to reach KWD 976 million (US$ 3.37 billion).

Orange Adds Music Streaming Service Deezer to its 4Play Package

Orange, which had launched its 4-play offer comprising Internet, TV, fixed and mobile telephony in August 2010, will now provide music streaming with its service. Following a partnership with French music streaming company Deezer, the company has added a library of 7 million titles to its offer; the catalogue is now available at €5 euros a month.

By including Deezer’s Premium music service, the operator enables its Orange Open (4-play) subscribers to enjoy unlimited access to music, anytime, anywhere and without the need of an Internet connexion.

Today, Orange’s 4-play offers range from €54.9 to €109.9 a month, with mobile services that go from 1 hour a month to 24/7 illimited phone calls.

Netflix Subscribers Up 52%, Revenues Up 31% In Q3 2010

Netflix has reported results for its third quarter ended September 30^th. During the quarter, subscribers increased by 52% year over year to 16.9 million customers from 11.1 million at the end of the same period last year and 13 percent sequential growth from 15 million subscribers at the end of the second quarter of 2010. Net subscriber change in the quarter was an increase of 1.9 million compared to an increase of 510,000 for the same period of 2009 and an increase of 1.03 for the second quarter of 2010. Netflix now expects to reach between 19 million and 19.7 million subscribers by the end of the year instead of its earlier forecast of 17.7 million to 18.5 million.

Revenue reached $553.2 million, which represents 31% year-over-year growth from $423.1 million for the third quarter of 2009, and 6 percent sequential growth from $519.8 million for the second quarter of 2010.

Reed Hastings, CEO, said: “Q3 represents our fourth consecutive quarter of more than one million net subscriber additions. This growth is clearly driven by the strength of our streaming offering. In fact, by every measure, we are now primarily a streaming company that also offers DVD-by-mail. At the same time, the introduction of our streaming offering in Canada in late September has provided us with very encouraging signs regarding the potential for the Netflix service internationally”.

Vietnam: VNPT To Launch Mobile TV

VNPT, Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Group, is planning to extend its MyTV IPTV service to mobile phone by 2011. VNPT’s IPTV service was launched in September 2009 initially in Hanoi. MyTV provides multi services such as TV Broadcasting, Audio Channel, Time-Shift TV as well as on demand services like Video on Demand, Music on Demand, TV on Demand, Game, Karaoke… etc. The service offers over 60 domestic and international channels and has attracted more than 150,000 subscribers which is the double of its original expectations according to VNPT.

Canal+ to Offer Content on Xbox Game Console

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and Canal + Group chairman Bertrand Meheut announced yesterday in Paris that the group’s five channels, along with CanalSat sixty, will be available in December to the 1.8 million Xbox 360 owners  in France.

However, users have to subscribe to those channels. This move aims at enriching the already existing services on the Xbox 360, Canal + on demand and CanalPlay Foot +.

Vodafone Portugal launches three-screen VoD

After it launched a new VOD service for its IPTV customers in February, Vodafone Portugal has now extended its offer to mobile users.

Vodafone Portugal Subcribers will now be able to rent films and TV series from a library of 1,000 titles and watch them across all three screens – TV, PC and mobile.

The company had close to 450,000 VoD enabled customers in Portugal as of June 2010, according to Dataxis Intelligence’s market research service.

Cogeco Cable Partners with Radio-Canada to Offer On Demand Shows

Cogeco Cable has recently announced that it has signed an agreement with Radio-Canada to offer On Demand, a selection of Radio-Canada’s TV shows. All Quebec Digital TV customers who have Video On Demand (VOD) can now enjoy free access to their favourite shows only 24 hours after the original broadcast.

“Our customers are real fans of certain TV series, but sometimes their schedules just don’t allow them to tune in, and they’d like to have more flexibility. We wanted to give them more control over their TV experience, for free. That’s what we had in mind when we signed this agreement with the SRC,” declared Ron Perrotta, Vice-President, Marketing and Strategic Planning at Cogeco Cable.

Google TV announced content partnerships

WASHINGTON —Google said Monday that Amazon, the NBA, Netflix, The New York Times, NBC Universal, USA Today and others will provide content and applications for the upcoming “Google TV.”

Google TV, which the Internet search giant unveiled in May at a software developers conference in San Francisco, is to be available this month.

Developed in partnership with Sony, Logitech and Intel, Google TV allows users to mesh television viewing with surfing the Web.

Google launched a website, , on Monday that provides an explanation of how Google TV works and gives information about how to purchase an Internet-enabled TV from Sony or a set-top box from Logitech.

Google TV, which is powered by Google’s Android software and Chrome Web browser, can be accessed using the Sony TVs or set-top boxes from Logitech that route Web content to existing TV sets.

Pricing and the exact date of availability were not announced. Logitech is scheduled to hold a press conference on Wednesday and Sony is staging its own event next week.