TVRO YEAR IN REVIEW 2002 by Robert Smathers JANUARY ======= - World Radio Network leaves the air on Galaxy 5, transponder 6 and goes digital on Telstar 5 Ku-band - Univision leaves GE-1 C-band analog - DISH Network and DSS launch more local stations in the cities they offer by satellite due to must-carry regulations - National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) files a petition with the FCC claiming DISH Network's requirement for a second dish to receive some local cities is unlawful - The free preview of the new digital Canadian cable networks ends on both Expressvu and Star Choice - NBC loses NBA television rights to ESPN, ABC, and AOL Time Warner. The new rights are worth $4.6 billion over 6 years - Telefutura spanish-language network launches - CNN/SI announces it will be going off the air in the near future - the 4DTV DSR-922 and DSR-905 are showcased at the CES in Las Vegas - XM Satellite Radio announces at the end of 2001 they have 30,000 paying subscribers - There are 100,000 total DirectWAY subscribers, 40,000 Starband subscribers at the end of 2001 - Triangle TV Network announces they have 30,000 subscribers paying $15/month and are trying to get their potential viewers to call their cable companies to increase the channel's carriage. By years end, Triangle TV Network was off the air - ABC renews an agreement with Loral Skynet for SNG satellite capacity - Insat 3C is launched on an Ariane 42L FEBRUARY ======== - 2002 Winter Olympics occur; many news and rightsholders feeds are found on the domestic satellites - NBC and HDNet team up to offer some Olympic events in HDTV - SoapNet launches a West feed - Satellite TV Week prints their last issue; ONSAT takes over the subscriber list - Globecast leases additional transponders on Telstar 5 to expand their World TV and their business television and data services; Globecast also signs a shorter term lease to transmit Olympic feeds using Telstar 5 - C-band subscribers are now at 786,149 after having lost 56,560 authorizations in January; by year end, the decrease in authorizations were only about 15,000 a month - XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio join the SBCA - WB Domestic TV Distribution and Pathfire sign an agreement to deliver syndicated programming using Pathfire's Digital Media Gateway IP system - Radioshack signs agreement to sell DISH Network systems; with this agreement, Radioshack now sells both DBS systems - Echostar 7 launches on an Atlas III from Cape Canaveral, Florida - Intelsat 904 launches on an Ariane 44L - Telesat Canada introduces "Direct-to-Cinema" service that delivers movies to movie theaters by satellite - STS-109 Columbia launches on a Hubble Space Telescope repair mission MARCH ===== - Panamsat signs a 10-year agreement with TARBS (Television And Radio Broadcasting Services) for capacity on Galaxy 10R Ku-band - Patriot Antenna Systems acquires Antenna Downlink (ADL) - February C-band subscribers are 769,467 - Turnervision's Bill Turner passes away at the age of 76; Turner built one of West Virginia's first cable systems, later went into the C-band programming business and eventually launched the Wisdom Television and Wisdom Radio services - TDRS-I satellite launches on an Atlas IIA launcher - Satcom K2 was retired after over 16 years of service - DISH Network raises the prices of the Top 50, Top 100 CD and Top 150 packages by $1.00. It is not enough to cover the increase in programming costs but it is still a smaller increase than cable television rates - YES Network launches; Cablevision refuses to pay $2.00 a subscriber to carry the service, but YES Network gets carried on DirecTV, AOL Time Warner systems, RCN and Comcast. - JCSAT-8 and Astra-3A launch on an Ariane 44L launcher - Intelsat 903 launches on a ILS Proton-K rocket APRIL ===== - STS-110 Atlantis launches with the S0 truss to install on the International Space Station - FCC approves NBC's purchase of the Telemundo spanish-language network - Loral Skynet and Hearst Argyle Television sign agreement for SNG and Centralcasting service capacity on Telstar 6 - Panamsat and EWTN sign a 15-year agreement for a transponder on Galaxy 1R with continuing service on Galaxy 1RR replacement satellite - March C-band subscribers are 752,942 - NSS-7 launches on an Ariane 44L launcher - "Tracker Bob" Stubbs, the Satellite TV Week "Free Feeds" columnist for 16 years, passes away - SES Americom petitions the FCC to allow them to launch a television and high-speed broadband service called AMERICOM2HOME from the 105.5 and 105.0 degrees West orbital slots on satellites to be launched in 2003 and 2004. - Mark Shuttleworth becomes the second space tourist to go into space as a Soyuz changeout flight launches to the ISS MAY === - FaithTV launches on Sky Angel DBS - CNN/SI goes off the air on AMC-3 C-band - DirecTV 3's primary spacecraft control processor fails; the backup SCP takes over - DirecTV 5 is launched on an ILS Proton-K rocket - Echostar loses FCC authorization to operate 22 transponders at 175 degrees West longitude as no progress has been made to utilize that orbital slot - There are 732,368 C-band subscribers - DSS adds Las Vegas and Hartford local channels JUNE ==== - World Cup Soccer 2002 in Korea and Japan occurs; a few game and news feeds are available on the domestic satellites - Wisdom Television and Wisdom Radio goes digital on AMC-1 - DirecTV celebrates their 8th anniversary of providing DBS service - Goodlife TV goes digital on Galaxy 1R - Intelsat 905 launches on an Ariane 44L launcher - STS-111 Endeavour launches to the ISS with the Leonardo MPLM, the Mobile Remote Servicer Base System, and the Expedition 5 crew - There are 700,640 C-band subscribers - Galaxy 3C is successfully launched on a Sea Launch Zenit 3-SL launcher - ABC NewsOne analog feed was pulled from Telstar 5 C-band, transponder 8 as a new digital feed service was launched on Telstar 4 - DSS has 10,776,000 subs while DISH Network has 7,464,000 subs - DISH Network expands their service offering to Hawaii; they added Honolulu locals, increased the "Top 70" package to "Top 100" and added more premium movie channels - ShopNBC celebrates their first anniversary as a NBC-branded network JULY ==== - Subscriber counts: C-band 685,790; DSS 10,842,000; DISH Network 7,560,000 - Primetime 24 stations WNBC-TV New York, WSEE-TV Erie, PA, and WKRN-TV Nashville move from AMC-4 C-band to AMC-3 C-band - Hallmark Channel goes digital on Satcom C3 - Alien Works unveils a new flat panal dish - Stellat 5 and N-Star C satellites launch on an Ariane 5 launcher - Sirius Satellite Radio completes the nationwide rollout of their DARS service - A research report shows Bell Expressvu and Star Choice have 63% market share in Canada compared to 35% for cable television - Ka-band licenses at 83 degrees West longitude and 121 degrees West longitude are taken away from Echostar; the FCC states Echostar has failed to reach milestones towards utilizing those orbital locations. Later in the year, Echostar gets the Ka-band licenses back when they prove that a satellite with Ka-band capability, Echostar 9, is nearly done being constructed - XM Satellite Radio ended the second Quarter 2002 with 136,500 subscribers - Echostar wins an Interactive Program Guide lawsuit against Gemstar; Gemstar had said Echostar violated several patents related to their IPG technology but a U.S. District Court disagreed - DISH Network adds Oklahoma City, Providence locals - The FCC reports over 8,000 comments and letters have been received concerning the DISH Network/DSS merger - Loral Skynet celebrates the 40th anniversary of Telstar 1 - DISH Network adds National Geographic Channel and Fox Sports West 2 - Arianespace, Radioshack, and SES Americom join the SBCA - Starband commences service to Puerto Rico - Globecast World Television adds RTV21 and Persian TV Channel 1 to their service - Echostar and DSS pledge to offer local channels in all 210 DMA's if the merger is approved - DSS signs an agreement to carry the Moviewatch channel when it launches in 2003 - DSS announces they will be providing local channels for Buffalo, Cedar Rapids, Oklahoma City, and Norfolk; Providence locals were added in July AUGUST ====== - Hot Bird 6 was launched on the inaugural Atlas V rocket - Echostar-8 launches on an ILS Proton launcher - Atlantic Bird 1 launches on an Ariane 5 launcher - Paramount syndication feeds move from digital on Telstar 5 to analog on Telstar 6 - Headend In The Sky services Outdoor Life Network, Toon Disney, and Health Channel are removed from the 4DTV maps - Vision Channel on Telstar 7 C-band is added to the 4DTV maps - Starband debuts their service in the U.S. Virgin Islands - Wal-Mart begins selling DISH Network systems - WMUR-TV Manchester, NH is added to DSS's Boston locals package - Pegasus says it is leaving the SBCA effective in January 2003; NRTC shortly announces that the organization will remain an SBCA member - At the SBCA Las Vegas show, the SBCA announces the 10,000th satellite installer was recently certified; DARS (XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio) takes center stage at the show - Deutsche Welle inks a deal with SES Americom for digital satellite capacity on AMC-1 C-band; Deutsche Welle launches their digital service and removes their transponder 22 analog feed - DISH Network unveils a new programming package called DISHPak - 60 channels, local TV stations, and STARZ! Super Pak for $39.99 a month - DSS and the SBCA battles a California proposal to impose a 5% tax on satellite television services and calls it unfair as the tax is not imposed on cable-delivered services; shortly thereafter, the California legislature tables the satellite services tax - Globalstar has 75,000 subscribers as of July 1 - Sirius battles allegations that a bankrupcy filing may be coming if the service cannot acquire more investor money; at years end, Sirius has not filed for bankrupcy and received enough funding to continue the service for a while longer - Panamsat signs a contract with Orbital Sciences to build a Ka-band satellite - Connexion by Boeing signs a contract with Intelsat for capacity aboard Intelsat 709 to offer broadband connectivity to jetliners flying the Europe-North America routes. - DSS adds Norfolk locals - DISH Network adds WTTV-TV to their Indianapolis local television package - Subscriber counts: C-band 673,000; DSS 10,874,000; DISH Network 7,650,000 SEPTEMBER ========= - XM Satellite Radio launches Playboy Radio, their first and so far only premium service - DSS adds New Orleans locals - Subscriber counts: C-band 636,270; DSS 10,910,000; DISH Network 7,770,000 - Intelsat 906 launches on an Ariane 44L launcher - Hispasat 1D launches on an Atlas IIAS rocket - CBandNet launches on AMC-4 C-band - WB Network launches a HDTV network feed - DirecTV (DSS) has the best rating in J.D. Power's Consumer Satisfaction Ratings in the Cable/Satellite category. DISH Network is a very close second and then several cable companies rank next in the category - Loral announces they are merging their Cyberstar business division into the Loral Skynet business division - The Wall Street Journal reports that Intelsat and Panamsat are in talks to acquire Eutelsat - DISH Network announces Reno, Harrisburg, and Fresno locals will be added to their service - NFL Sunday Ticket PPV is available in Hawaii for the first time - Globecast World Television adds TV Romania and SBC Television - DSS adds Knoxville locals OCTOBER ======= - STS-112 Atlantis launches to the ISS with the S1 truss segment - Subscriber counts: C-band 617,030; DSS 11,048,000; DISH Network 7,870,000 - NDS is sued by Echostar and DirecTV; Echostar is suing over the fact NDS employees hacked Nagra access cards that are the heart of their encryption system and DirecTV is suing due to the misappropriation of trade secrets - The SpaceConnection signs a lease with Loral Skynet for C-band capacity on Telstar 5 and Telstar 6 for syndication programming feeds - XM Satellite Radio ends the 3rd Quarter 2002 with 201,500 subscribers - DSS adds Outdoor Channel and Fine Living Network to their lineup - Lawyers TV ceases operations - Playboy Television goes digital on Telstar 7 C-band; KKJZ-FM (formerly KLON-FM) leaves the satellite radio airwaves and has yet to return somewhere else as 2002 comes to a close - DISH Network announces plans to add Anchorage local channels - The FCC blocks the DISH Network/DSS merger; a revised merger proposal needs to be filed if the FCC is to reconsider the decision - Cox Sports Television launches on Telstar 7 C-band; provides 650,000 cable viewers coverage of the New Orleans Hornets; there is no carriage on DSS or DISH Network - HDNet signs an agreement with the NHL to televise 65 games in HDTV format - WSNet Holdings files for Chapter 11 Bankrupcy reorganization - Through the Third Quarter 2002, Bell Expressvu has 1,221,000 subscribers while Star Choice has 760,000 subscribers - Galaxy 3C goes into service; DirecTV Latin America transitions from Galaxy 8i to Galaxy 3C while C-band and Ku-band users go from Galaxy 3R to Galaxy 3C - DISH Network signs agreement with the NBA to carry the League Pass PPV package as well as carry NBA TV - Globecast World Television adds Jordan TV - the Department of Justice blocks the DISH Network/DSS merger NOVEMBER ======== - the FCC approves the merger of Comcast and AT&T Broadband - DSS adds Jacksonville locals - Galaxy 3R goes into service at 74 degrees West longitude; Galaxy 6 is taken out of service - Subscriber counts: C-band 601,500 (loss of 241,209 subscribers for the year); DSS 11,150,000; DISH Network 8,000,000 - DSS reaches the 11 million subscriber milestone while DISH Network reaches the 8 million subscriber milestone - New Urban Entertainment leaves the air - Golden Sports launches on Telstar 4 C-band, transponder 9 - America One moves from AMC-3 C-band to Anik E2 C-band, transponder 14 - Liberty Livewire renamed Ascent Media Group - All News Channel goes off the air - A Soyuz replacement mission docks with the ISS; Pop singer Lance Bass did not fly on this mission as his sponsor did not make every payment to the Russian space agency - STS-113 Endeavour launches to the ISS with the P1 truss segment and the Expedition 6 crew - Astra 1K launches on a Proton rocket but fails to achieve the proper orbit due to a misfiring of the Blok DM3 upper stage; the satellite shortly thereafter reenters the earth's atmosphere and burns up harmlessly over the Pacific Ocean - NBC pays $1.25 billion to acquire Bravo - Due to new evidence, Advanced Communications petitions the FCC saying the FCC's 1995 DBS license revokation at the 110 degrees West longitude slot was a violation of the Communications Act. At year's end, the FCC has not made a ruling on the petition. - DISH Network adds Jacksonville, Las Vegs, Buffalo, and Des Moines locals - Faulty receiver software leads to problems for 100,000 DISH Network customers; DISH Network soon restores service to those customers - Satellite TV industry pioneer Taylor Howard was killed in a plane crash. He set up a dish in the 1970's and received HBO. Later, he co-founded Chaparral Communications and was instrumental in establishing the T. Howard Foundation - Echostar 8 has two bad thrusters but service from the satellite will not be affected as there are ten good thrusters. - Hughes Network Services ships their 10 millionth DSS receiver; HNS has been manufacturing receivers since 1996 - SBCA announces they are moving away from an annual exposition type format in favor of an annual meeting format starting in 2003. - DirecTV and the NBA sign a contract to continue carriage of the League Pass PPV package and NBA TV - Industry Canada grants approval to HNS to allow SpaceWay Ka-band service into Canada - DISH Network adds Colorado Springs locals DECEMBER ======== - DISH Network and DSS drop merger talks and a $600 million breakup fee is paid to Hughes Electronics by Echostar. Echostar was able to get out of a committment to acquire Panamsat. - Soon after the merger talks ended, Liberty and News Corp. are rumored to be partners in an attempt to acquire Hughes Electronics - Globecast World Television adds Nigeria's Africa Independent Television - FOX Cable Networks announces they will launch an action sports channel in 2003; DSS already signed up to carry the channel when it launches - DISH Network warns subscribers that TNT and NESN may not be carried on the service on January 1, 2003 as contract talks are not progressing favorably. Just as January 1 approaches, DISH Network announces they have reached an agreement with TNT and NESN. - TDRS-J satellite is launched from Cape Canaveral - DirecTV and the NFL sign an agreement to carry NFL Sunday Ticket PPV for five more years. DSS will carry the NFL Channel. - New Skies Satellites and Microspace sign a contract to deliver data services to Europe and the Middle East utilizing the NSS-7 satellite - NSS-803 satellite is renamed NSS-5 and is placed at 183 degrees East longitude - Hughes Electronics announces plans to pull the plug on terrestrial broadband services but will keep operating satellite-based broadband services - NSS-6 launches on a Ariane 44L launcher - DISH Network announces plans to add Louisville locals in early 2003 - TNT announces a "TNT Plus" version of their service in order to try to recoup costs of sports rights fees - Nimiq-2 is successfully launched on an ILS Proton-M launcher; Nimiq-2 has DBS transponders and a Ka-band payload and will be placed in the 91 degrees West orbital slot to provide Bell Expressvu services. Nimiq-1 is to be moved to 82 degrees West longitude to provide backup and/or expansion capacity. - An Ariane 5 launcher fails to place Hot Bird 7 into orbit