AmericaFree.TV, a leading Internet Television broadcaster, and Echelon Studios of Los Angeles, California, announced today a content partnership to carry Echelon Studios movies on AmericaFree.TV’s Internet Television channels, including a new HD movie channel.

Telefonia Bonairiano launches IPTV under the name of “mitv” to its residential and business subscribers. Telbo became the first in the Caribbean and Central America to establish a triple play offering.

Bonairean telecom operator Telefonia Bonairiano NV has launched its Digital TV over ADSL 2+ network enabling residential and business customers to fully benefit from the triple play offering. Besides around 110 live quality channels the offering will also include 50 Audio Channels, Pay-Per-View and Video-on-Demand.

DISH Network satellite TV service is enhancing its already robust international programming lineup by premiering the Thuan Viet channel. Thuan Viet is available exclusively on DISH Network and is the satellite TV provider's first Vietnamese channel.

Thuan Viet is a pure entertainment channel with offerings for the whole family, including hit dramas, comedies, cooking, fashion and travel shows, traditional and modern Vietnamese music, Vietnamese stage performances of Cai Long, Kich and more. Thuan Viet is considered the first true Vietnamese television channel created for America with 100 percent of the programming originating in Vietnam.

DSL Forum's announce the approval of its latest Technical Report, TR-135 Data Model for a TR-069 Enabled STB and the amendment of the industry recognized TR-069, which is set to expedite IPTV rollouts and change the way operators manage their IPTV offering.

Closely following the release of BroadbandSuite Release 2.0, these new specifications are cornerstone to the pending Release 3.0, which will raise the bar to address triple-play augmented via VDSL2, GPON and bonded DSL over a QoS-enabled Ethernet architecture. Release 3.0 will also provide support for multicast to enable IPTV streaming as well as integrated remote management of Set Top Box and attached storage devices. The full release is tentatively scheduled to complete late 2008.

Ericsson has acquired HyC Group a Spanish company in TV consultancy and systems integration with around 110 employees. The acquisition further strengthens Ericsson’s position in the services and multimedia domains as a systems integrator of IPTV solutions. IPTV is a key technology for telecom operators and service providers that aims to offer interactive and personalized broadband TV services to fixed and mobile users. With the acquisition of HyC, Ericsson further strengthens its ability to support operators and service providers in the solution design, installation, integration and operation of IPTV services.

Viacom and Microsoft Corporation announce a broad-based, strategic alliance under which major divisions of both companies will collaborate on advertising, content distribution, event promotions and games over the next several years.

The comprehensive agreement spans across the two companies and includes a number of significant components. Among them:

• Microsoft will license, on a non-exclusive basis, long and short-form television and theatrical content from across Viacom's cable network and motion picture businesses, including MTV, Comedy Central, BET and Paramount Pictures for use on Microsoft properties such as MSN and Xbox 360.
• Microsoft's Atlas division will become the ad server for Viacom's U.S. websites and Microsoft will have the exclusive right to sell remnant display advertising inventory on Viacom's U.S. websites.
• Microsoft will buy advertising on Viacom broadcast and online networks over a five-year period and the companies will work together on promotions and sponsorships for MTV Networks and BET Networks award shows;
• Viacom will work with Microsoft on opportunities to become a preferred publishing partner across Microsoft's casual gaming platforms.

Junction announces the latest speakers for its industry leading event, the IPTV World Forum. The announcement comes as over 130 exhibitors have already confirmed their presence at the show, which is being held from 12th to 14th March at Olympia in London.

The conference will feature over 400 speakers from the telecom, cable, satellite and mobile industries, discussing the latest IPTV developments and issues facing the market.

Brightcove inks a wide-ranging agreement giving IAC businesses the opportunity to launch comprehensive high quality Internet video initiatives with Brightcove. Ticketmaster, Citysearch and 23/6 are among the first IAC brands to utilize Brightcove's platform to create, manage, publish, distribute and monetize video on the Web.

Under the terms of the agreement, any IAC business can easily use Brightcove's on-demand platform to publish video content to their websites, manage syndication and viral distribution, integrate advertising, and launch independent or integrated consumer media campaigns.

The power of producing and distributing content no longer belongs solely to studios and technology vendors it has shifted to the consumer and consumer communities that produce, utilize and interact with the large volumes of content available today.

Analysts predict around 50 million IPTV subscribers worldwide by 2010. As viewing habits evolve from a passive consumption of TV to an interactive user experience, IPTV service providers need to quickly recognize and exploit the market opportunities that lie ahead.

Pace Micro Technology has entered into a conditional agreement to acquire the set-top box and connectivity solutions business (the Philips STB and CS Business) of Royal Philips Electronics (Philips) (the Acquisition). The Philips STB and CS Business employs approximately 335 staff predominantly based in France and is a leading designer and supplier of a range of digital TV products including satellite, cable, terrestrial and IPTV set-top box products. The proposed transaction values the business at up to 95.0 million.

Customers in Wisconsin now have even more reasons to choose AT&T U-verse TV. Wisconsin customers now have access to a suite of new U-verse TV features that further differentiate the service from cable.

The new interactive features available to customers at no extra charge include:

• AT&T U-bar, which brings customizable weather, stock, sports and traffic information to the TV screen. Customers who also subscribe to AT&T Yahoo! High Speed Internet have the option to personalize the U-bar from their AT&T Yahoo! home page to display weather at a specified location, their personal stock portfolio and scores for their favorite sports teams.
• YELLOWPAGES.COM TV, an intuitive new way to search for local businesses and other information via AT&T U-verse TV.
• AT&T Yahoo! Games, available on the television screen, including Sudoku, Solitaire, JT's Blocks, Mah-jongg Tiles and Chess.

SK Telecom plans to launch a VOD TV service that can be used through any Internet operator. SK Telecom will soon start the service with Samsung Electronics to provide set-top boxes. The move comes as three local Internet operators -- Hanarotelecom, KT Corp. and LG Dacom -- step up efforts to capitalize on a burgeoning Internet-based TV business under which their subscribers can view dramas, movies and other multimedia content through high-speed Internet connections.

After a 32% jump in sales in the second quarter, worldwide IPTV equipment sales hit $682.5 million in the third quarter of 2007, up 23% sequentially, according to Infonetics Research's quarterly IPTV Equipment, Services, Subscribers, and Capex report.

Likewise, manufacturers of IP STBs saw revenue jump 35% worldwide in 3Q07 from 2Q07, the report shows.

Other highlights from the report:

• Growth in worldwide service provider revenue from IPTV services is expected to grow more than 10-fold in the 5 years between 2006 and 2010
• Worldwide IPTV middleware revenue is up 1% in 3Q07 from 2Q07
• Motorola leads in the worldwide pure IP STB and hybrid IP/QAM STB markets in 3Q07; Dasan Networks leads the hybrid IP/over-the-air STB market
• 51% of worldwide IPTV equipment revenue in 3Q07 comes from Asia Pacific, 33% from EMEA, 16% from North America, and 1% from CALA

A new breed of retail-based Internet video delivery devices has emerged over the past few years, the most notable being Apple TV. However ABI Research notes that these devices have had difficulty resonating with consumers, largely due to their higher prices and competition from legacy set-top boxes, as well as confusion over the benefits they will ultimately bring to the buyer. Overall, ABI Research believes that this new breed of devices will see shipments of 1.2 million in 2008.

Verizon introduces FiOS TV over its fiber-optic network to the Chesapeake, Virginia area. FiOS TV currently is available to consumers in large parts of Newport News and Virginia Beach. Verizon FiOS TV has earned certification from the independent Fiber to the Home Council for providing fiber all the way to customers' homes.

Verizon FiOS TV is available now to more than 3,500 households in parts of the following Chesapeake neighborhoods: Emerald Greens, Emerald Forest, English Oaks, Estates of Greenbrier, Greenwood, The Hampshire at Greenbrier Wood, Hunningdon Lakes, Hunningdon Woods, Kemp Bridge, Kemp Woods, Kemp Woods South, Kemps Crossing, Lakewood, Norcova Estates, Oak Brooke, Oak Grove Meadows, Oakbrook, Orchard Grove Condos, Stillwater Farms, Stony Run Manor, Towns at Hunningdon Lakes, Vance Level, Warrington Hall, Wedgewood Estates, Welspring, Willow Oaks, Whitehurst and Wynngate Place.