Cielo (21st November)
Cielo (http://www.cielotv.it/) on Italian DVB-T channel 26, and web streaming has acquired the tv rights for Italian Serie A from 2102 to 2015 included in the so called “6A” package. The network is allowed to broadcast goals and highlights in the time band 18-18,15 (while Italian national broadcaster RAI is allowed only from 18,15 hrs onwards) plus live links before and during the matches and interviews after the match.
RAI International
Italians living abroad, as happened in the past, can follow “La giostra dei gol” a Sunday appointment with Serie A goals on RAI International, due to a recent agreement reached by RAI and broker MP&Silva who is entitled with international wrights.
Mediaset Premium
Mediaset recently acquired the exclusive rights for Australian Soccer which sees Alex Del Piero involved with Sidney FC. The DVB-T pay tv will follow the whole Australian football championship with matches never overlapping the Italian Football Championship matches. This will allow Italian fans to discover on their tv sets, but also online via PC and mobile tablets -through the free service Premium Play- a charming series of rather unknown but charming matches.
LTE
Italy is worried due to the advance of new cellular networks LTE. The issue is well known and a lot many broadcast industry professionals are scared due to the possibility of Long Term Evolution networks creating interferences to tv airing systems. This could be possibly even more evident in the border bands among the two transmission systems. Eurotek Loris Trucchi, high frequency equipments manufacturer, recently declared: “LTE full power transmitters on all UHF band could easily saturate the receiving TV antenna switchboards filters in the surrounding areas. Actually the new mobile applications are using frequencies previously implemented on DVB-T and DVB-C (on cable) networks so all receiving domestic plants may be compromised in the areas nearby the telco broadcast sites.”
DVB-T equipments and antennas are designed to receive radio signals in the 800 MHz band and a too powerful LTE 800 signal may “officially” interfere with DVB-T signals or even overlap it creating inconveniences of different intensity, from a compromised sound and images with single defective pixels or distorted audio, up to the total loss of tv image in the worst cases. Interferences may be caused by LTE radio base stations or even by USB keys, smartphones, modems, etc, and at present some enquiries are going on from the competent Ministry to face these difficulties. In this direction the so called Decreto Legge “Crescita 2.0” or “Trasforma Italia”, which contains urgent measures for innovation and growth approved on 4th October from Italian Consiglio dei Ministri, includes relevant novelties and recommendations in order to reduce interferences. Actually, as stated in “Art.14 comma3” of Italian law, within 60 days we are awaiting an official set of rules by “Ministero dello Sviluppo Economico” stating that any measure issued to reduce interferences is to be charged only to telco operators.
DVB-T
Italy, in the mean time, is still struggling with the effects of digital tv transmissions switch over completed last July. Though many areas seem reasonably happy with transition, many others are reporting an unbelievable series of issues, even in big cities. This is mainly due to signals overlapping derived from several high frequency broadcasting sites, and the solution is still to be found. Many request a better strategy in designing networks and assigning tv channels, while others believe the situation is even more difficult, due to a complete lack of a central governmental plan involving financial, economic and technical improvements to overcome the grip of a generalized crisis.
AutoMoto TV
A new tv channel is born on SKY Italy, on satellite channel 139, is dedicated to all cars and motor cycles fans. The offer is very rich and comprises daily programs like Auto News and Moto News, a sports talk show, RR-Races Report, and many others along with Formula Uno Life, GP Life and Rally Life, retrospectives based on vintage videos and today's American Supercross races, Italian Rally and a lot more.
