October 2013 12 World of $35.9 million, down 16 percent from $42.6 million during the same quarter last year (though the 2012 report included a one-time gain related to the sale of Latin American pay-TV assets to Chellomedia). On the up side, MGM’s income increased to $339 million, up 164 percent. The company recorded a significant rise in its home entertainment business, with revenues of $179.9 million, up 533 percent. Vietnam TV Lost In Translation The Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia is concerned over the Vietnamese government’s mandate that foreign TV channels pay for simultaneous translation of all programs into Vietnamese. The mandate caused VSTV, a pay-TV operator owned by France’s Canal Plus and Vietnam’s national broadcaster, to suspend 21 TV channels, including CNN and BBC. “Now the U.S. Congress wants to get into the act with a bill that is not considered a tax increase, but simply a means of collecting existing state taxes.” VideoAge’s March 2012 story on tax downloads “The Marketplace Fairness Act passed the U.S. Senate in May, with broad bipartisan support and the backing of President Obama. The bill would allow states to force collection, with no need to prove nexus [physical presence].” Fortune’s June 10, 2013 issue on “Amazon’s War [on Internet sales taxes]” Notable Quotes In July, 1st TV launched in Zimbabwe as an alternative to Zimbabwe BroadcastingCompany, the statebroadcaster that for 30yearshasdominated the country’s radio and television industry and has been criticized as being a mouthpiece for President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party. The new free-to-air satellite network has branded itself as the country’s first independent, impartial television station, immediately prompting the country’s ruling party to call it a pirate station and threaten to “cripple” it. The new network, which airs for five hours a day, is being broadcast from neighboring South Africa, as it was unable to obtain a TV license in Zimbabwe. The station’s executive producer says there are 700,000 households in the country with satellite decoders. Funding for the channel comes from private investors and donors, he said. The July elections — which saw the controversial re-election of Mugabe — provided a catalyst for the station’s launch. Zimbabwe State TV’s “1st” Rival (Continued from Page 10)
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