p.n Medin 185
(30111 025004 MDLOAN 4281
RESTRICTED
ри
RESTRICTED
FM FCO
TO ROUTINE ABIDJAN
TELNO 240
OF 011609Z NOVEMBER 93
AND TO ROUTINE ALL CLASSIFIED POSTS
CORRECTED VERSION
FROM INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
AMENDED DISTRIBUTION 2/11
NI
Mirr fasti
-
2661 AdiStone NI GLADEY
нив HUB 301/1
BBC WORLD SERVICE TELEVISION "(WSTV)
SUMMARY
3/4
1.
THE TAKE-OVER BY RUPERT MURDOCH'S NEWS CORPORATION OF STAR TV OF HONG KONG, THROUGH WHICH WSTV BROADCASTS ON ASIASAT TO ASIA AND THE MIDDLE EAST, HAS BEEN FOLLOWED BY A DISPUTE OVER WSTV'S PLANS TO START AN OVERLAPPING ARABIC SERVICE IN THE MIDDLE EAST. NO IMMEDIATE THREAT TO WSTV'S ASIASAT SERVICE, BUT THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN WSTV AND STAR NOW SEEMS UNLIKELY TO SURVIVE BEYOND THE OPTIONAL BREAK POINT AT THE END OF NEXT YEAR. OTHER RECENT DEVELOPMENTS INCLUDE A DEAL TO LAUNCH WSTV IN JAPAN EARLY NEXT YEAR.
DETAIL
2. WE HAVE UPDATED POSTS FROM TIME TO TIME ON THE PROGRESS OF WSTV. MANY POSTS CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THIS WITH CLOSE INTEREST AND MAY HAVE BEEN WONDERING ABOUT THE IMPLICATIONS OF NEWS CORPORATION'S UNEXPECTED TAKE-OVER IN JULY OF STAR TV, WSTV'S MAIN INTERNATIONAL PARTNER. THIS CAME AS AN UNWELCOME SURPRISE THEY DO NOT SEE THEMSELVES AND NEWS CORPORATION, WITH WHOM THE BBC HAVE LITTLE AFFINITY, AS COMPATIBLE LONG TERM PARTNERS FOR A MAJOR FLAGSHIP VENTURE LIKE THEIR ASIASAT CHANNEL.
3. A SYMPTOM OF WSTV'S MORE DIFFICULT RELATIONSHIP WITH THE NEW MANAGEMENT TEAM AT STAR WAS THE LATTER'S RECENT CHALLENGE TO WSTV'S PLANS, IN CONJUNCTION WITH SAUDI INTERESTS, TO LAUNCH AN ARABIC SERVICE FROM APRIL NEXT YEAR. THIS WOULD TRANSMIT FROM ARABSAT WHOSE FOOTPRINT OVERLAPS IN THE MIDDLE EAST WITH
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