“Cable operators throughout Asia are preparing to dramatically expand channel capacity on many of their systems through digital technology,” Jonathan Spink, CEO of HBO Asia said in a World Screen News report. He said HBO plans to be one of the first programmers to take advantage of increased channel capacity.

The first new channel HOB plans to launch in Asia is HBO Signature, which is targeted to women. It is planned to debut in Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Macau and Sri Lanka by the end of the year. According to reports, HBO already has struck deals for carriage in all of those countries except Macau.

In addition to programming HBO Signature to women, the company said it plans on two other genre-based channels, but did not disclose what niches they would market toward. A clue could be to look to the U.S. where HBO’s niche channels include HBO Family for children-friendly programming and the self-explanatory HBO Comedy channel. Like the parent HBO Asia channel, along with limited original programming, the new genre channels are expected to offer top Hollywood fare dubbed into local languages.

This is the largest expansion of HBO Asia, which has been operating in Asia since 1992 and serves 25 countries, since the launch of Cinemax Asia in 1996.

For: Wikinews

With six weeks before the sixth and final Star Wars film saga, Revenge of the Sith, hits theaters worldwide on May 19, the movie studios behind the brand has launched a massive marketing and merchandising campaign. It includes toys aimed at children, collectibles for adults active in fandom and other related merchandise such as science fiction novels based in the Star Wars universe.

The 20th Century Fox and Lucasfilm studios make millions of dollars in licensing fees from toy manufacturers and promotional deals with fast-food restaurants, candy and cereal boxes. Even telephone companies are getting into the act. Cingular Wireless will be rolling out a Star Wars-themed promotion and handset downloads within the next few days, according to a company spokesman.

Sales from Star Wars tie-in merchandise has brought in much money over the years. Star Wars toy sales themed with The Phantom Menace brought in $500 million. In 2002, Attack of the Clones toy sales were $225 million, according to reports.

In January 2003, toymaker Hasbro struck the biggest licensing deal for the brand when it agreed to pay Lucasfilm $200 million in cash and stock for the exclusive rights to make Star Wars-themed toys through the year 2018. That figure does not include Lucasfilm’s percentage of the profit from each toy’s sale.

Wal-mart and Target, the two largest toy retailers in the U.S. have entire aisles devoted to tie-in Star Wars action figures, full-sized mock ups of light sabers and other more whimsical items. Hasbro is even marketing a “Darth Tater” special edition of its classic Mr. Potato Head.

The merchandise also has a literary side. Author Matthew Stover has a monetization of Revenge of the Sith as part of a multi-book deal between Lucasfilm and publisher Random House’s science fiction specialty label, Del Rey. Stover’s book has consistently been in the Top 50-most ordered books, according to Amazon.com. Other Sith-themed books released within the past few weeks include coffee table picture books and behind-the-scenes documentation detailing the making of the film.

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U.S. telephone giant SBC Communications is one step closer to offering cable television to the 18 million households in its coverage area. The company announced a $195 million contract with Scientific-Atlanta Thursday to provide a video operations center and regional hubs for the new service. Under the brand name, U-verse, the SBC’s television rollout is set to launch in 2006 after field trials begin later this year.

The company is seeking the so-called “triple play,” where a telecommunications company offers voice, data and video in one bundled package. Local telephone companies like SBC have been losing business to cable TV companies, which have added telephone and Internet services in recent years.

In a slew of recent deals, SBC is looking to stop that trend. Within the past six months it has signed alliances with various technology firms to build out a fiber network to the home strategy. For instance, SBC has a $1.7 billion deal with Alcatel to build out its fiber optic network and a 10-year, $400 million, pact with Microsoft to license its IPTV technology to allow multi-channel television to steam over its Internet backbone.

In most of the U.S. only cable TV companies like Comcast have been able to offer the “triple play” of voice, video and data services. But traditional phone companies like SBC and Verizon have been upgrading their copper wire telephone networks to fiber optic. SBC says it plans to spend billions of dollars to overhaul its telecommunications network, saying the aging and brittle copper wires which were originally laid in the early 1900s do not have enough bandwidth to allow television capability.

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Known officially as “LD 1196,” the bill’s wording adds the term “sexual orientation” to the list of protected classes in the Maine Human Rights Act banning discrimination in employment, housing, education, credit, and public accommodations. The bill was passed by the Maine House of Representatives by a vote of 91-58 Wednesday. The state senate approved the bill the same day by a vote of 25-10 the same day.

Previous protected classes under the state’s human rights act are gender, age, religion, race, and physical and mental disability. Additional language was added to LD 1196 before it passed clarifying that it would not extend marriage rights to same-sex couples and exempts privately-funded religious groups from having to comply with its provisions. The new law takes effect June 30.

Government official said the new law is needed to send a message. The Maine office of the attorney general says that the number of hate crimes against gays and lesbians increased by 12 percent in 2003. Baldacci said those figures underscore why the new law is needed.

“This act not only offers essential civil rights, but serves as a welcome,” Baldacci said in a press conference after signing the new law. “Our doors are open to all people. This is a proud day for Maine.”

But at least one group is organizing to stop the new gay rights law in its tracks. According to reports, the Christian Civic League of Maine has filed initial paperwork to put a voter initiative on the November 2005 general election ballot to overturn the new law.

The group must get at least 50,519 valid signatures from registered voters of the state by a June 28 deadline. Michael Heath, executive director of the group, told the Associated Press that is group has a goal of 70 thousand valid signatures and hopes to raise $2 million to fund a campaign, called a “people’s Veto,” to repeal the new law.

For: Wikinews

Entertainment industry rising star Gail Berman was named president of the Viacom-owned Paramount Pictures film and television studios Wednesday. She is scheduled to start in May. Currently Berman heads up the programming division of the U.S. Fox network.

Berman is credited for the major turn-around in the fortunes of the Fox network. Their ratings were at the bottom of the heap of the four major U.S. broadcast networks when she took over programming in 2000. According to the latest Nielsen ratings, Fox is the No. 1 U.S. network in primetime programming, thanks to such hits as American Idol, real-time suspense drama, 24, and hit teen soap opera, The O.C..

In moving from television to the movies, Berman acknowledged to reporters that she faces a challenging learning curve. She replaces outgoing Paramount president, Donald DeLine.

For: Wikinews

Success may be too much of a good thing for the future of storied BCC series Doctor Who. After the unexpected popularity of last Saturday’s return of the series to BBC airwaves, the star of the show is calling it quits from fears of typecasting.

According to a report from the BBC, actor Christopher Eccleston, who injected a edgier and sexier image onto the title character plans to leave the series once his 13-episode commitment is over later this year. Eccleston told reporters that his last appearance as The Doctor will be for a December Christmas special.

The show, which debuted March 26 after a 16-year hiatus, was the highest-rated television show in the UK that night. With an estimated viewership of about 10.5 million at its peak, more than 44 percent of all television households in the country tuned in to see the new Doctor. “The audience’s response for the new Doctor Who has been incredible and I am really proud to be part of it and I hope viewers continue to enjoy the series,” Eccleston said in a BBC release. At one year, Eccleston will be the shortest-lived Doctor.

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The Chico fraternity also has been suspended by the national Phi Kappa Tau organization and Chico State’s Interfraternity Council, the student governing body for all fraternities. In addition, the national Interfraternity Council issued a press statement saying it was embarrassed by the Chico group’s actions…

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This could be a surprise to some of the 135 million registered eBay users who consider trading on San Jose-based auction site to be a non-taxable hobby. Complicating matters, eBay says it doesn’t report individual sales figures to the government. Users are responsible to report any profits on their own tax returns.

The amount of money traveling through eBay is big business. $33.8 billion worth of merchandise was sold on the site in 2004, up from $5.2 billion in 2000.

Although eBay pays …

For: Wikinews

London, England – After almost a decade off the air, science fiction television series Dr. Who returned with new episodes to BBC airwaves Saturday night, drawing an unexpectedly large audience.

Starring movie actor Christopher Eccleston, the ninth actor cast to play the Doctor, as the newly reincarnated Time Lord, the new series showed off a bigger budget with expensive special effects and a much darker — and sexier — tone. The new star and series got a blessing from actor Sylvester McCoy, who …

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Seattle, Washington – The Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame announced this week the names of its four inductees for 2005. They include filmmaker Steven Spielberg, author Philip K. Dick, artist Chesley Bonestell and animator Ray Harryhausen.

Scheduled to take place on May 6 in Seattle, this will be the first induction ceremony since the hall of fame moved to Seattle from its previous home in Lawrence, Kansas. Induction into the hall is not based on any single work, according to the hall’s press release, but for a lifetime of creative endeavors that “shaped” the science fiction genre.

Inductees come from four categories: film, television and media, literature, art, and a category called “open” which is designed for individuals who do not fit into one of the other categories. 2005 is the first year the hall inducted people for works other than …

For: Wikinews