| 1998 |
 Chronomedia index
Numbers after entries link to the list of references. |
links and notes |
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Cultural highlights | Predictions made this year |
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| January 8 |
Zenith Electronics introduces its first digital high definition television receivers in the US. Model IQADTV1W has a list price of $5,995. |
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| January 19 |
Titanic becomes the first film to take more than $20m on each of the first
five weekends on release in the US. |
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| January |
Danish media group Egmont and US studio Columbia-TriStar create Egmont-Columbia-TriStar Distribution for theatrical distribution in Norway and Finland. |
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| February 12 |
Handwritten copy of Bernie Taupin's lyrics for the version of
Candle in the Wind revised for the funeral service of Princess Diana sells at auction in Beverly Hills for $442,500, which goes to her charities. |
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| February |
Tele Danmark launches digital cable services, using its Selector set-top box, with Canal Digital channels and pay-per-view. |
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| February |
Sweden's Radio and Television authority receives 60 bids to operate digital terrestrial TV channels. Initially only eight channels are planned; four are set aside for SVT and TV4. Key bidders include Canal Plus and MTG. Launch of services is planned for January 1999. |
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| March 10 |
First Love, debut album by Hikaru Utada, is released and becomes the biggest-selling Japanese record ever, selling 4.5m copies in the first month and 7m by May. |
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| March 12 |
US Federal Communications Commission adopts an order to make mandatory the currently voluntary scheme to incorporate filters (V-chip technology) into television receivers to provide parents with ratings of programme suitability for children and to allow blocking of unsuitable programmes. |
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| March |
Fox switches its theatrical distribution contract in Finland from Finnkino to newly-formed Egmont-Columbia-TriStar Distribution (ECTD). Warner decides to close its Norwegian distribution operation for financial reasons. |
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| March |
Telenor buys SMATV distribution company SF Vision from Bonnier Group’s Svensk Film. |
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| March |
Norwegian public broadcaster NRK announces plans for a new digital channel, NRK International, to be carried as part of Canal Digital's free package. |
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| April 1 |
Alma Media, formed through the merger of Finland's Aamulehti and MTV Group, begins trading under its new name. |
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| April 18 |
In the US Disney launches Toon Disney, a cable channel aimed at children aged 6-12. |
> 13 February 2009 |
| April |
First DVD Video players go on sale in Europe in a 'soft' launch. |
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| April |
Danish broadcaster TV2 buys Nydalen Studios film and television production facility from Egmont and Schibsted. |
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| May 1 |
Icelandic television channel Barnarásin (Children's Channel) begins transmissions. [0066] |
> mid September |
| June 10-July 10 |
Games of the FIFA World Cup football tournament finals, held in France, are televised in 196 counties and attract a cumulative total of 24,770.45m viewers. Total transmission time is 29,145 hours. [0065] |
< 1998
> 2002 |
| July 16 |
A Working Party chaired by Sir Anthony Kenny presents its report on legal deposit of non-print publications (audio-visual and electronic items) to the UK's Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. It recommends that statutory deposit of all films, television programmes and sound recordings is essential if material is not to be lost, citing the British Film Institute's estimate that 80 per cent of all silent films and up to 50 per cent of all sound films no longer exist. |
Read the report online |
| September 7 |
Google search engine company is founded by Sergey Brin and Larry Page, former students of Stanford University. |
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| mid September |
Icelandic television channel Barnarásin (Children's Channel) ceases transmissions. [0066] |
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| September 21 |
Canadian companies Atlantic Communications and Alliance Communications Corporation merge to become Alliance Atlantis Communications. |
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| September 25 |
Icelandic television service The Movie Channel (later called Stöð 2 bíó) begins transmissions. [0066] |
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| October 1 |
BSkyB launches Sky Digital, its satellite digital television service. |
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| October 16 |
Icelandic television service Skjár 1 (Screen 1) begins transmissions. [0066] |
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| October 30 |
Icelandic television service Channel 8 begins transmissions. [0066] |
> September 1999 |
| October |
Internet traffic measurement company Media Metrix merges with its largest rival, Relevant Knowledge. |
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| November 15 |
Launch of UK's free-to-air digital terrestrial television (DTT) service ONdigital with a £90m advertising and promotion budget. Subsidised set-top boxes cost £200. Package of 11 channels costs £9.99 a month, or any six channels for £6.99. |
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| November 27 |
Sega launches its Dreamcast games console in Japan. |
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| December 25 |
US sales of DVD Video players total 100,000 in the past two weeks, bringing the total sold to date to more than a million. |
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| • |
Les Editions de l'Etoile, publisher of French film magazine Cahiers du Cinéma, is taken over by Groupe Le Monde. |
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