Satellite operator Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company (AsiaSat) and Airwaves Media of Pakistan have signed a lease agreement for C-band capacity on AsiaSat 3S for digital free to air distribution of a new Urdu television channel, TV One, to Pakistan and over 50 countries and regions in the Asia Pacific.

TV One has commenced broadcasting on AsiaSat 3S, offering a mix of programming content including news and current affairs, entertainment, drama and music.

New Zealand film director Peter Jackson, tipped to win an Oscar for his The Lord Of The Rings epic, said recently that he would like to make The Hobbit prequel to the trilogy and work with some of the same actors again.

Jackson said he was sad but also relieved that the mammoth project he has worked on for seven years was over. “I’m glad there’s not a fourth Lord of the Rings film next year,” he said. “I feel very tired and exhausted.” “I’ve been working very hard this year. It was the hardest year of the whole seven really,” he said, adding that the last part had twice as many computer-generated shots as the second, The Two Towers, which won an Oscar for digital effects. “It’s my favourite because it has a stronger emotional depth than the other two films it has a sense of closure,” he said.