World Vision recently caught up with some NDS customers to ask what made 2007 an important year for them and their businesses. While we were at it we also asked what they hope to accomplish in the New Year.

Julian McIntyre, President and Treasurer, Gateway Communications In early 2007 Gateway Communications announced that NDS would be supplying security for its subscription-based satellite TV platform in sub-Saharan Africa. The system is based on NDS VideoGuard®.

What was your highlight in 2007?

2007 was a great year for Gateway. As a company we doubled in size, we raised almost $200 million to invest in Africa and we consolidated our position in our telecommunications business while launching GTV, our new satellite television business.

Overall, the highlight of the year for me must have been watching the first Premier League game on GTV in a bar in Nairobi. This was really ground-breaking stuff!

What was the most important event in the industry in 2007?

So much has happened in the African telecommunications and media markets in 2007 that it’s difficult to pinpoint any particular event. What has been perhaps most interesting is the level of foreign investment going into these sectors both from Europe and North America but now from strategic regions such as Middle East and China. It is clear to me that Africa is going to see unprecedented investment and growth in the coming years. This makes it a very exciting market to work in.

What is your biggest hope or goal for 2008?

My primary objective in 2008 is to take GTV from a startup operation to a mass-market media platform. I am very pleased with our early results, adding almost 40,000 subscribers in only a couple of months. However I believe that the opportunity is unprecedented with the potential for millions of pay-television subscribers in Africa over the next few years. I want to go a long way towards achieving that in 2008.

What is your New Year's Resolution?

Raise lots more money; buy lots more smart cards!

Dragan Solak, CEO, Serbia Broadband In mid-2006 Serbia Broadband became the first customer for VideoGuard Express™, the solution designed for new and emerging operators ready to launch digital services. They were on air by the end of 2006.

What was your highlight in 2007?

2007 was a very exciting year for SBB because we changed ownership. We believe this is the beginning of a new investment cycle and exciting years as far as investment and development are concerned.

What was the most important event in the industry in 2007?

This was a very successful year for the cable industry. Overall the whole industry continued to grow in 2007. Content quality improved and more services became available and affordable. Most of what we anticipated is happening which makes us think we’re on the right track.

What is your biggest hope or goal for 2008?

Our primary goal is for Serbia to continue on the road to membership in the European Union. We also hope to see the full liberalization of the Serbian and regional telecommunications market. In this new environment, we hope to reach our full potential.

What is your New Year's Resolution?

We have gone through a period of transition and intensive growth. During 2008 we hope to put more focus on the personal satisfaction and the overall experience of our customers.

Vikram Kaushik, CEO, Tata Sky, Mumbai, India When Vikram Kaushik was interviewed in World Vision No. 34 a year ago he said one of his goals was to reach 1 million pay-TV subscribers in the first year after launch. He succeeded.

What was your highlight in 2007?

Tata Sky beat both global and local benchmarks for customer satisfaction in a national Nielsen survey in India and became the Gold Standard for customer service.

What was the most important event in the industry in 2007?

Tata Sky made a world record in the DTH business by crossing the one million connections mark in less than a year.

What is your biggest hope or goal for 2008?

To drastically reduce our cost-to-serve consumers so that we can convert people from analog cable aggressively.

What is your New Year's Resolution?

To innovate continuously in content (interactive applications), product (introduce DVRs), and price (for the basic service).

Mustafa Gozalan, Executive Board Member, Dogan Media Group, Istanbul, Turkey When Mustafa Gozalan discussed D-Smart in World Vision No. 38, his company’s new digital satellite platform had been on air for just a few months. D-Smart is an innovative pay-as-you-go platform with no monthly fee. It lets viewers use both credit cards and scratch cards.

What was your highlight in 2007?

Launch of the D-Smart project.

What was the most important event in the industry in 2007?

The introduction of the D-Smart way of doing pay-TV business.

What is your biggest hope or goal for 2008?

D-Smart breaking the world’s record of the fastest subscriber penetration.

What is your New Year's Resolution?

To stop working 15-16 hours a day!