to occur in Brazil, on an equal and balanced basis with
Portugal Telecom assuming the lead in some transactions_both
in terms of equity contributions and responsibilities_and
Telefonica in others.  The two companies will decide jointly
on the inclusion of other Brazilian or international
investors in each of the privatisations considered. In
addition Portugal Telecom may take a minority stake in
CRT(Companhia Riograndense do Sul de Telecomunicacoes) a
Brazilian fixed line telephone network operator, in which a
consortium including Telefonica recently acquired 35% of the
voting shares.
                              
                DIRECTV  Signs Three Channels
     DIRECTV International, Inc. has signed a memorandum of
understanding  with NBC Asia and BET International as a
consignor for DIRECTV JAPAN, the digital, direct-to-home
service scheduled to launch this fall.
     NBC Asia's agreement with DTVI would mark NBC's first
entry into the Japanese market.  NBC is currently the most
popular and highest-rated broadcast network in the United
States.
     When the agreement is finalised with DTVI, NBC will
move forward with its plan to create a special channel for
the Japanese market, combining programming from NBC in the
U.S. and its cable networks CNBC and MSNBC.  This 24-hour
channel will combine news programs from Asia and the United
States, arts and documentary programming, popular U.S.
sports, television dramas, talk shows and children's
programming.  Japanese viewers can expect to see some of
NBC's premiere programming, including the network's news and
talk shows such as Best of the Today Show, NBC Nightly News
Live, The Tonight Show With Jay Leno and Dateline.  In
addition, hot-ticket sports events will be part of the line-
up, including World Cup of Golf, Breeders' Cup and Notre
Dame Football.  This new channel will be available for the
first time nation-wide in Japan when DIRECTV JAPAN launches
its nearly-100 channel service.
     Black Entertainment Television has also agreed in
principle to join DIRECTV JAPAN's programming line-up.  BET
International will be creating a new channel for the
Japanese market, BET on Jazz International.  BET on Jazz
International will embrace all forms of jazz and is designed
to entertain the jazz aficionado as well as the novice with
music performances, international and national jazz
festivals, music videos, interviews with the world's leading
jazz artists, concerts and biographical features.  The
channel will also include programs from BET's  U.S. cable
channel, which delivers an exciting mix of entertainment,
sports, music, news and public affairs.
     "DTVI looks forward to concluding these deals on behalf
of DIRECTV JAPAN," said Henry Watson, director of
international programming, DIRECTV JAPAN.  "We believe the
Japanese market will embrace these popular international
networks as part of DIRECTV JAPAN's premiere programming
mix."
MCM International signed a memorandum of understanding with
DTVI also.  The agreement in principle would position MCM
Asia on DIRECTV JAPAN as the first French channel to be
broadcast on a Japanese television platform.  When a final
agreement has been reached with DTVI, MCM International
would provide exclusive basic DTH carriage rights for the
DIRECTV JAPAN platform.  MCM Asia, the French-speaking
musical channel launched in August 1996 in the European
bouquet on Asiasat 2, is broadcast in most Asian and
Oceanian countries, including Australia, New Zealand, China
and India.
                              
   U.S.-Japanese Begin Tests of New High Definition Video
                           Network
     Government and industry teams in the United States and
Japan have begun a series of experiments to test the
transmission of high definition video, computer data, high
resolution images and video signals over the Pacific Ocean
via an combination of satellite links and fibre optic cable.
      A number of these tests, including an experiment
currently under way, are planned for coming years to develop
techniques, standards, and protocols for the satellite
transmission of high data rate images and scientific data,
which until now have been transmitted solely via fibre optic
cable.
     The first experiment, currently being conducted, tests
the ability of satellites to carry high-definition video
signals from Tokyo to California, for such potential
applications as transcontinental editing of movies and
television programs shot on HDV and transmission of HDV
features directly to movie theatres.  Specific goals include
sending and receiving images back and forth across the ocean
in real time using a moderate amount of compression, and
sending master tapes back and forth in slightly less than
real time without any compression.
     For this experiment, a Sony Research Laboratory
facility in Tokyo is now linked via fibre optic cable to an
Earth station in Otemachi, then to the GTE Hawaiian Tel
Earth station in Hawaii via an Intelsat satellite, from
there to an Earth station at the Tripler Army Medical Centre
in Hawaii via fibre optic cable, from Hawaii to a downlink
at JPL's Woodbury Supercomputer Centre in Altadena, CA, via
NASA's Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS)
and, finally, via fibre optic cable to the Sony Pictures
High Definition Centre in Culver City, CA.
                              
   INTELSAT Assembly of Parties Makes Significant Progress
     
     The 21st meeting of the INTELSAT Assembly of Parties
made significant progress in the restructuring of the
INTELSAT Organisation and established a new Working Party to
continue the forward momentum.  Specifically, the Assembly
affirmed its intention to authorise the establishment of a
commercial affiliate (INC) and decided to select The
Netherlands as its jurisdiction of incorporation.
     The Assembly also affirmed its intention to transfer to
INC between three and six satellites as well as the INTELSAT
K-TV satellite currently under procurement for deployment at
the 95 degrees E location, provided specific outstanding
issues are resolved.
     The Assembly also decided to establish a new Working
Party to study, in co-operation with the Board of Governors,
specific outstanding issues needing further development
and/or resolution prior to the establishment of INC.  The
Assembly decided that this new Working Party must complete
its work and offer final restructuring recommendations in
time for consideration by an Extraordinary Assembly of
Parties to be held in early 1998 in Brazil.
                              
PanAmSat-Hughes Communications Galaxy Merger Receives Final
                        U.S. Approval
     PanAmSat  will mail to its shareholders of record as of
April 8, 1997, the proxy statement detailing the planned
merger between PanAmSat and the Galaxy satellite services
business of Hughes Communications, Inc.  Dissemination of
the merger proxy follows review by the United States
Securities and Exchange Commission of the new company's
registration statement.  The final step necessary to
conclude the merger, the vote by PanAmSat shareholders, is
expected to occur on May 8, 1997, now that the SEC has
declared the registration statement effective.
     While more complete information is available in the
proxy statement, the following financial information was
disclosed:
Galaxy
"    Total revenues for 1996 of $482.8 million.
"    Earnings before net interest expense, income tax
expense, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of $303.2
million.
"    At December 31, 1996, backlog of future cash payments
totalling approximately $3.4 billion of which approximately
$359.2 million (representing the net present value of future
cash payments from sales-type leases) had previously been
recognised by Galaxy as revenue.
PanAmSat
"    Total revenues for 1996 of $246.9 million.
"    EBITDA of $170.1 million.
"    At December 31, 1996, backlog of future cash payments
totalling approximately $3.7 billion.
Unaudited Pro Forma Combined Businesses
"    Combined revenues for 1996 of $726.9 million.
"    Combined assets in excess of $6.2 billion.
                              
                    Skytel To Expand In Chile
     Cable television provider Skytel will expand
programming services to Chile and Argentina. Skytel is a
consortium of companies providing satellite television
programs in Mexico and Brazil. The consortium hopes to
provide 24 hours of digital television services throughout
Latin America and the Caribbean. Skytel will announce its
expansion plans for Latin America in the coming months but
Skytel programming will reach Chile and Argentina at the end
of 1997.
                              
            National Geographic Channel To Launch
     The National Geographic Channel and BSkyB have entered
into an agreement to form a new company to launch the
National Geographic Channel in the United Kingdom and the
Republic of Ireland in the Summer of 1997 on BSkyB's multi-
channel platform.
     The National Geographic Channel features new National
Geographic programs as well as various programs from the
extensive National Geographic library.  It will also access
premium programming from independents around the world.
     In the United Kingdom, the National Geographic Channel
will be offered to subscribers as part of Sky's Multi-
Channels package and will also be advertiser-supported.  It
will be available initially for 6 hours each day, from 7
p.m. to 1 a.m.  Plans call for the Channel to be rolled out
on BSkyB's digital platform, at which time its programming
schedule will be expanded to at least 12 hours each day from
1 p.m. to 1 a.m.
                              
     California Microwave Supplies Satellite Earth Station
     California Microwave Inc's. Satellite Transmission
Systems division has won a $2.4 million contract from
AlphaStar. STS will supply an earth station uplink facility
for direct-to-home video broadcast service from the
AlphaStar facility located in Oxford, Conn.
     STS' computerised Graphical Monitor and Control System
will simplify operation of the new Tee-Comm's uplink
station.  The uplink station will include 700W TWT
amplifiers and a filter-combining network which will enable
simultaneous transmission of up to 24 satellite transponders
of video programming.
                              
          Meeting of Arianespace Board of Directors
     The Board of Directors of Arianespace has  proposed its
choice of Jean-Marie Luton, currently Director General of
the European Space Agency, as the future Chairman of
Arianespace Participation with responsibility for defining
and applying European space transportation strategy.
     The Board of Directors postponed the nomination of the
future Chairman of Arianespace SA until late May.
Arianespace SA is the industrial and commercial operating
company for Ariane launch systems.  The Board acknowledged
that Francis Avanzi, currently Executive Vice President and
Chief Operating Officer of Arianespace, is very well-suited
to this position.
A Working Group comprised of the main shareholders and
chaired by Jean-Marie Luton has been charged with preparing
a report for the next Board meeting at the end of May.
                              
     Spice Continues European Growth With French License
     Spice International  has received a broadcasting
license from France's Conseil Superior de L'Audiovisuel
(CSA) to provide "The Adult Channel" on French satellite and
cable television systems.  It is the only foreign adult
television service with such authorisation. The CSA license
also allows Spice programming to be re-uplinked on digital
platforms for the direct-to-home (DTH) market in France.
                              
              PHILIPS WINS MPEG-2/DVB CONTRACT
     
     Philips DVS will deliver a complete digital video
compression and satellite uplink system for NileSat, which
is expected to begin broadcasts to Northern Africa and the
Middle East in early November from its position at 7 degrees
West. NileSat, a consortium of Egyptian companies, provides
services to the Egyptian Radio and Television Union (ERTU).
     The system will initially provide 42 video services
transmitted over six transponders. It may later extended to
all 12 Ku-band transponders.
     The NileSat system will also use DVB Subtitling. The
subtitles are converted to bitmaps at the uplink site and
are transmitted with the video stream. The receiver then
outputs the bitmaps as graphics on the TV set, enabling
subtitles in any language and styling. Multiple subtitle
streams can accompany a video service, with the viewer
making the language selection via the remote control.
                              
                      Upcoming Launches
    "    Check our web site for current listings of 1997
                          launches.
                "    Click on "Launch Info".
      Next Atlas Launch             Next Ariane Launch
   GOES-K  April 24 , 1997         PAS-6 --May 13, 1997
     1:56am - 3:19 am ET
                              
--- Msged/386 4.00
---------------