UVideos will rely on “thousands of on demand content hours” that users will be enabled to enjoy through videogame consoles, smartphones, tablets and connected TV sets. Likewise, the platform will allow users to see, discuss and share content through any device, and will be fully optimized both for Spanish-speaking and English-speaking audiences, as disclosed by the company in a press release.

In turn, two web-soap-operas will be produced by Univision Studios and will rely on the starring and directing performance of the actress Kate Del Castillo. The first soap opera will be based on the book “Tuya”, written by Del Castillo, and the second one will be a romantic comedy. Additionally, there will be a third soap opera to be produced by Univision Studios and Televisa but no further details have been disclosed regarding said product. Univision is betting on these three new products after the success of “Vidas Cruzadas” and “No Me Hallo” soap operas. Univision’s channel portfolio is completed with TeleFutura and Galavisión.

The agreement with Turner International also includes ‘Blur – No Distance Left to Run’, ‘Take That: Look Back Don’t Stare’ and ‘Radiohead – The King of Limbs – Live in the Basement’. In turn, Globosat acquired five shows: ‘U2: From the Sky Down’, ‘Alice Cooper – Night of Fear’, ‘Judas Priest – Live at the Seminole Hard Rock Arena’, ‘Il Divo: Live in London’ and ‘Hugh Laurie – Let Them Talk’, with the well-known actor of ‘House’.

Finally, A&E Latin America purchased ‘Radio I’s Big Weekend 2011′, which presents the greatest music event in Europe, and will rely on the presence of important artists like Lady Gaga, Arctic Monkeys, Foo Fighters and The Black Eyed Peas. Said agreements were negotiated by Helen Jurado, TV Sale and Distribution VP, and Janel Downing, Sales Manager of BBC Worldwide Americas.

The company will start its Pay-TV service “at any time”, and its telephony service is expected to be released in the summer (Southern winter) in the City of Mexico, Guadalajara and Monterrey, as confirmed to the Mexican media by Marcatel President Gustavo de la Garza. For its Pay-TV service, Marcatel will rely on the experience and know how of Aldea, Canadian international video broadcasting service provider who broadcasted, for example, the South Africa Soccer World Cup 2010 to the Chilean TV network TVN. For such event, the firm also closed an agreement with Televisa. No further details regarding Pay-TV plans have been disclosed yet.

De La Garza has also confirmed that Aldea has recently closed an agreement with the Swedish company Telnor, by meand of which the Canadian company gains access to its infrastructure in Europe and Telnor gains access to Aldea’s fiber network in Latin America. Aldea’s network is present in seven countries of the region like Mexico, Brazil and Argentina.

Marcatel is a 100% Mexican-capital company with more than 15 years of experience in the telecommunications market. At present, the firm renders fixed and Internet services, addressing more than 140.000 corporate and residential clients located in 150 Mexican cities through six customer service offices located all across the country, as informed in its web page. The firm’s headquarters are located in Monterrey, in the state of Nuevo León.

As compared with 2010 closing, most main operators recorded positive results. In 2011, Telefónica added more than 49,000 clients to its subscriber base and closed the year with 386,000 subscribers. DirecTV added more than 41,000 users and reached 240,000 clients.

In turn, VTR closed December with about 911.000 subscribers. Said firm added more than 17,000 clients in a year. Claro recorded 406,000 users and added more than 35,000 subscribers to its base in 2011. As of December 2011, Telsur recorded 49,000 subscribers and added 14,000 users during said year. Despite other DTHs’ growth rates, TuVes closed 2011 with about 11,000 users and, according to the aforementioned regulator, it lost 23,000 clients.

However, when comparing 2011 closing results with 3Q11, VTR, TuVes and Claro lost subscribers. VTR lost about 5,000 users, TuVes lost about 7,000 and Claro lost more than 8,000 clients. In contrast, DirecTV and Telefónica performance stood out as in the case of Telsur. Just in the last three months, Telefónica added more than 9,000 users, DirecTV more than 8,000 and Telsur more than 2,000 clients. In the last quarter of the year, Chilean Pay-TV added just 629 subscribers. In 2011 added more than 139, 000 users. In 2010 such figure was 264,000 clients.

According to the press release, the channel relies on more than a thousand biographies, which include not only famous people but also companies and celebrities like Bill Gates and Donald Trump, in addition to fictitious celebrities like Barbie and Betty Boop, among others. Bio -in SD version- was released in Latin America in 2007 and has already reached 17 million households in the region through the main Pay-TV systems.

Last April, Sky added Fox Sports HD and HBO (simulcast) to its lineup. In its channel lineup, the DTH – DirecTV Group- includes 10 DTT channels -accessed to by means of an Off air tuner-, in addition to the PPV platform Sky On Demand and Premiere HD channel. At least some additional six HD channels -out of the forecasted nine channels- are expected to be added over the course of the second quarter of the year, as disclosed by the company during Investor Day event held last March.

Rush HD is DLA’s extreme-and-adventure-sport-fans-targeted channel. The agreement with Red Bull Media House will enable the channel -and DLA VOD service – to strengthen its offer with more than 200 new shows, which include the best moments of some sport events organized by the beverage manufacturer, like ‘Red Bull Air Race’, ‘Red Bull Rookies Cup’ and ‘Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series’. Additionally, users will gain access to series like ‘The Massive’ and ‘Red Bull Chronicles’.

At present, Ruch HD’s programming offer includes disciplines like BASE jump, kayak, snowboard and windsurf, among others. Rush HD is present in Movistar Chile, CableOnda Panama, TV Cable Ecuador and Sky Mexico, among other operators of the region. In turn, DLA services and products are present in the 95% of Latin American digital operations.

It is not the first time in the year that DLA widens its VOD sport offer. In February, the company announced an agreement with Big Media to include in its catalog 250 new free fight and martial art titles.

Claro Added Value Service Brazilian Director Fiamma Zarife stated that “the success of Ideias TV accounts for our clients’ willingness to rely on an accessible Streaming video consumption option with high quality content, at any time and any place”. “It is the type of service that benefits from Claro’s data network investment sources”, she added. The operator has launched the service by taking advantage of its HSPA+ network deployment.

In order to access to Ideias TV service, users need to enter claroideiastv.com.br through their mobile devices, to include their cell phone number and four-digit password. The platform relies on “a wide programming targeted to different public”. Part of its main content includes Nickelodeon and Cartoon Networks animated series, and MTV, Discovery and Band shows, among others.

Last February, Zarife confirmed Tela Viva portal that the company was evaluating the possibility of launching the classical so-called ‘Ideas Entretenimiento’ OTT model -targeted to fixed residential broadband- developed by Claro Argentina, so as to integrate it with Ideias TV.

Over the course of a press conference, Broc stated that they have worked with other mobile telephony companies. However, “works have been interrupted” while waiting for the relevant decision to be taken by the aforementioned regulating agency. Likewise, he pointed out that the possibility of closing an agreement with any other telephony -including Telcel (Telmex) – company is still open, as disclosed by El Cronista newspaper.

At the beginning of the year, the FCC issued its ruling against Televisa-Iusacell merger. In face of such decision, both companies filed a reconsideration appeal and is waiting for its relevant ruling to be issued next June.

In the meantime, Cablevisión announced the creation its micro-small-and-medium-companies-focused business unit in the city of Mexico. To such ends, the company will rely on voice and data packages to be offered at USD 13.

The channel will start broadcasting soccer games next July. The agreement with Dimayor relies on a 10-year term. According to what the president of such entity Ramón Jesurún has explained Radio Caracol, USD 25 million will be received in the first year – a figure that, if added to the amount already paid by RCN for free-to-air TV, amounts to USD 35 million.

Likewise, the executive stated that agreements that had previously been executed with Pay-TV operators – such as DirecTV, SuperCable, Emcali abd communitarian systems – will be respected. The new channel “can open the market to any other operator willing to rely on Colombian soccer, that is, the doors for this process is open for everybody”.

Accordingly, he stated that “doors are still open for” Telmex, Une and Telefónica, which currently do not rely on games though they have already started negotiations, and that they will be able to negotiate with the new company in charge of broadcasting rights. Although soccer will be the channel’s main feature, other sport disciplines will also be offered.

Every month, the channel HD version will offer an exclusive release (“The month hit”), to be broadcasted 30 days before The Film Zone standard. Likewise, the channel promises “box-office and awarded titles”, in addition to “current series”, as informed by the company in a press release. The channel is placed in Intelsat 11 satellite and relies on 1080i (59.94) quality, “a wider format that keeps details and original dramaticism of movies”.

The Film Zone is one of the two channels of the group -the other is Cinencanal- targeted to operators’ basic programming listings; all remaining portfolio channels are Premium. Therefore, The Film Zone HD joins Cinecanal HD and completes the firm’s basic High Definition offer, as explained by Edgar Spielmann, Moviecity CEO and President. Moviecity’s portfolio also includes other three HD Premium channels: Premieres, Action and Hollywood.