Various media outlets are reporting that U.S. Direct-to-Home (DTH) satellite operators Echostar and DirecTV are engaging in possible merger talks. The merger will create a monopoly of DTH services in the U.S., which is the second largest DTH market in the world with 34 million subscribers.

DirecTV has 20 million subscribers in the US and Dish Network 14 million. Shares of Dish Network and DirecTV rose last  following the possible merger reports.

The NAB Show will feature sessions, workshops and panels on the increasing role of ultra high-definition standards for 4K television displays and production technology in the media and entertainment industry. To be held April 5 -10 in Las Vegas, NAB Show is the world's largest annual conference and expo for professionals who create, manage and distribute entertainment across all platforms.

“The advent of new standards bring new challenges: capturing 4K-quality content, editing and archiving resource-intensive footage, and distributing a final product across mediums.”

The Space Tech Expo and Conference 2014 opens its doors at the Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach April 1 – 3, offering the widest showcase of space-related technologies used in the design, build and testing of spacecraft, satellite and launch vehicles, Space Tech Expo & Conference will bring together the key players involved in the space industry, under one roof.

Access to broadband could be the universal catalyst that lifts developing countries out of poverty and puts access to health care, education and basic social services within reach of all, according to the UN Broadband Commission for Digital Development, which met in Dublin this weekend.

The Commission reiterated its call to International community to recognize the transformational potential of high-speed networks and ensure broadband penetration targets are specifically included in the UN post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals.

The NAB Show, the world's largest annual conference and expo for professionals who create, manage and distribute entertainment across all platforms, will host sessions and panels devoted to the increasingly critical topic for all producers of content: the future of media asset management, storage and archiving in the quickly-shifting digital world. The convention takes place April 5 – 10 in Las Vegas.

Arianespace's Arian 5 rocket successfully launched Hispasat's Amazons 4A satellite and SES' ASTRA 5A satellite from its launch facility in Kourou, French Guiana.It was the 59th successful launch in a row for the Ariane 5 rocket.

The NAB Show will host 62 international delegations, including delegations attending for the first time from Germany, the Netherlands, Panama, Paraguay, Italy and Serbia. Approximately 30 percent of the event's 90,000+ attendees will travel from 155 countries to NAB Show, held April 5-10 in Las Vegas. NAB Show is the world's largest annual conference and expo for professionals who create, manage and distribute entertainment across all platforms.

Vislink plc  today announced that it has completed the acquisition of Pebble Beach Systems for a total consideration of £14.9 million (approximately US$ 24.8 million), comprising £12.9 million payable in cash and £2.0 million represented by the issue of 4,700,904 new Vislink ordinary shares at a price of 42.545 pence per share, being the average mid-market closing price of Vislink's shares for the last 25 business days before, but not including, the day of completion.

Harris Broadcast has announced plans to split into two, under the new brands of Imagine Communications and GatesAir. Imagine Communications will be headquartered in Dallas, with Centers of Excellence in Denver, Toronto, Los Angeles, Tel Aviv and Beijing.  Harris Broadcast made the announcement at its inaugural MediaDay held at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Thales signed a binding agreement to acquire LiveTV, JetBlue’s fully-owned subsidiary for a total of US$ 400 million dollars. The sale which is subject to regulatory and other approvals is expected to be completed in mid-2014.