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Our Latest Issues
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Tuesday
Friday 26th September
Cable Europe: "no must carry for on demand"
Google: give us white space
French VOD market ‘double’
Clix launches 100 Mbps triple-play service
BBC commercial arm to C4?
Discovery on YouTube
Oz switch can be regional
GlobeCast to provide Showtime Arabia
Roku opens box
Verimatrix new funding
UPC success in Netherlands
BBC Worldwide inks Nokia deal
Cable Europe: "no must carry for on demand"The European cable lobby group Cable Europe has issued a cautious welcome for the EU’s promotion of infrastructure based competition, (See: Daily News 25.09.08), but it has warned against mandating competitive access to ‘ducts’ and is particularly resistant to any extension of ‘must carry’ rules to include on demand material.
Cable Europe says networks in Europe pass more than 100 million homes of which 73 million are connected to receive digital TV, very fast internet or telephony services. This autumn +100Mbps internet services via cable became commercially available in France (Numéricable), The Netherlands (UPC) and Finland (Welho). More countries are expected to obtain a +100Mbps service via cable before the end of the year.
The cable industry pleads for a stable regulatory regime that stimulates investments in networks. Last year the cable industry invested about 22 per cent of its revenue (E4 billion) in improving its networks. It says that while the proposals of the European Parliament are, overall, supportive of infrastructure based competition, cable is disappointed by the vote in first reading on a measure that mandates all network owners to give third parties access to their ducts, i.e. the plastic tubes laid in the ground in which cable, copper or fibre lines are rolled out.
The current proposal presents an unacceptable major shift in European regulation. It is unheard of for such intrusive regulation to be applicable to all market players, without making any difference between small and big market players.
Whereas in many EU countries the cable industry has become the strongest alternative to national telecom incumbent, the latter typically generates 10 times more revenue than the combined cable industry for that country. Cable Europe hopes that this proposal will be amended before final adoption of the texts in the spring of next year. The operational burden on small operators generated by this regulation would be disproportionate.
On content access to networks, cable operators are obliged to carry TV stations with a "must carry" status on their network. Must carry regulation is in most member states not applicable to satellite, IPTV operators or Internet based video services. The extension of must carry obligations to the on-demand platform of must carry broadcasters would further disadvantage cable. It would oblige cable operators to offer the on-demand content library of any TV station with must carry status. This would hinder the development of on demand services via cable, still a relatively new and emerging part of the cable business.
Prominent cable execs were able to put their point face to face in a meeting with Commissioner Redding at a meeting in Brussels in Wednesday evening. In attendance included: Mike Fries, Liberty Global (active in 14 EU countries); Neil Berkett, Virgin Media (UK); Eugenio Galdon, Ono (Spain); Manuel Cubero, Kabel Deutschland (Germany); Bernard Dijkhuizen, Ziggo (Netherlands); Arnaud Polaillon, Numéricable (France); Duco Sickinghe, Telenet (Belgium); Tomas Franzén, Comhem (Sweden); Niels Brenning, YouSee (Denmark); Johan Flykt, Welho (Finland) and Manuel Kohnstamm, President Cable Europe.
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Google: give us white spaceGoogle co-founder Larry Page called on the Federal Communications Commission to give companies unlicensed access to television airwaves before the November election. Page also said the multiple rounds of tests conducted by FCC engineers are highly unusual, and he accused broadcasters and wireless microphone manufacturers who oppose the proposal of creating unneeded controversy.
Broadcasters and wireless microphone manufacturers are concerned that the mobile devices Google and other companies want to build on static channels will cause interference with their signals.
Access to the vacant TV channels, sometimes called "white spaces," is a top priority for Google and other technology giants such as Microsoft, Dell and Motorola.
"All the FCC needs to say is that we will allow people to use the spectrum in an unlicensed way if their devices don't interfere. Literally, that one sentence, that's all that needs to be said," Page said at a briefing sponsored by the Wireless Innovation Alliance, a coalition lobbying for access to the empty channels.
In addition to Google, Microsoft, Dell and Motorola, the coalition also includes consumer advocates, civil rights groups and rural organisations.
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The French video on demand market may double in value this year, according to a joint study published by research group GfK and French media consultants NPA Conseil.
The survey found that there were around six million VOD downloads across all platforms in the first six months of this year, an increase of nearly 61 per cent over the same period of 2007. American films enjoyed the highest VOD growth rate during the first half of this year with an increase of 93 per cent, compared to around 20 per cent for French titles and 53 per cent of other foreign titles.
"The growth, especially in (subscription video on demand), has been quite tremendous," said NPA managing consultant Jean-Marie Le Guen. "We think the VOD market could reach perhaps E60 million from E30 million last year."Across three categories - TV dramas, youth-oriented programmes and X-rated films - average download prices increased from $4.85 in the first half of 2007 to $5.60 in the same period of 2008. Cut-rate time-limited VOD offers were also found to be becoming more common, such as a promotion Orange launched this month to subscribers of its 24/24 Video package, which offered a library of 1,000 films available for 24-hour rental at a price of $1.47 each, providing a discount of around two-thirds off the normal price.
Movie downloads were found to account for around 66 per cent of the French VOD market. Growth is described as having been fueled by fierce competition between IPTV operators Orange, Free and Neuf Cegetel. All three now offer basic triple-play packages priced at around $44.10 per month.
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Clix launches 100 Mbps triple-play service
From Branislav Pekic in RomeBroadband operator Clix, owned by Sonaecom, has commercially launched its TV, internet and telephony offer via fibre optic cable. Although there is still no regulatory framework regarding Next Generation Networks, Sonaecom is planning to invest E240 million over the next three years, to bring fibre optics to the homes of one million Portuguese. The infrastructure which permits access to the services will initially be available in Lisbon (three areas) and Porto (two areas), before being progressively extended to other parts of Portugal.
Clix is currently offering three different packages:
- Pack XXL with 100 Mbps internet, 95 channels, Home Video, 100 MB for download and 10 MB of upload, unlimited calls for fixed line numbers in Portugal and 16 countries. The price is E64.90 a month.
- Pack XL, costing E49.90, offers 50 Mbps internet, 70 channels, Home Video, 50 MB of download and 5 MB of upload, and unlimited calls during night hours for fixed-line numbers in Portugal
- Pack L provides 20 channels, 30 Mbps internet, Home Video, 30 MB of download and 3 MB of upload, and calls starting from E0.05. The monthly fee is E39.90.Subscribers will also have to pay an additional monthly fee of E5 for leasing the digital box with a hard disk.
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BBC commercial arm to C4?Ofcom proposals on how to plug a gap of up to £235 million in the funding of public service broadcasting (PSB), published this week, include handing over the BBC’s commercial arm in its entirety to Channel 4.
The idea is likely to provoke panic at the BBC, which has been at pains to develop BBC Worldwide – in the face of criticism from commercial rivals – into a highly profitable business exploiting the broadcaster’s programmes around the world.
It is one of a number of new plans announced by Ofcom, the broadcasting regulator, in a major document that follows a year of consultation about the future of PSB in the UK.
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Discovery on YouTubeDiscovery Communications and YouTube have debuted nine YouTube Channels, featuring a robust collection of clips from Discovery's family of world-class network brands. Tailoring content to the global YouTube community, Discovery will also roll out a series of targeted international Channels showcasing localised and native language content for specific regions around the world. The partnership also includes a number of program promotion initiatives designed to tap into YouTube's engaged community and drive viewers to Discovery's networks.
"With YouTube's unmatched reach, Discovery fans from around the world now have another platform to engage with their favorite shows, and new audiences can sample our compelling nonfiction content like never before online," said Josh Freeman, executive vice president, digital media, Discovery Communications. "Our partnership with YouTube is a significant step in the company's strategy to expand the global reach of our content on the web and draw new viewers to our networks."
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Australian Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has opened the door for television broadcasters to switch from analogue to digital reception earlier than expected, after introducing a new Bill in the Senate.
Senator Conroy said the Bill would ensure a "phased approach" to dispensing with the analogue signal on December 31, 2013. "The Government is now able to set a flexible, region-by-region timetable for analog signal turn-off taking into account local market circumstances and community feedback," Senator Conroy said yesterday.
Under existing laws, dates are set according to the television broadcasting licence areas and a 'simulcast period' - where broadcasters in a region transmit on both digital and analogue platforms until the analogue transmission ceases. The law would also give the minister powers to determine which local market areas could be switched over, the dates for the switchover, and a window period of up to six months for it to take place.
"This will mean that, if appropriate, some areas could switch off analogue earlier than currently permitted," said Senator Conroy.
Almost 60 per cent of Australians do not receive digital free-to-air broadcasts. The government has allocated $37.9 million to the transition from analogue to digital.
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GlobeCast to provide Showtime ArabiaIn a five-year deal with Showtime Arabia Globecast is to provide content management and delivery services for 13 of its global channels, with services provided ranging from multiplexing, uplink, and aggregation to playout from GlobeCast’s central London Technical Operations Centre.
Dubai-based Showtime Arabia, the leading Pay TV network in the Middle East and North Africa, has a three-year working relationship with GlobeCast and has now expanded that relationship to include playout services in addition to transport.
The feeds for 13 of Showtime Arabia’s international channels, including Discovery World, Cartoon Network and VH1, are received via satellite and fibre at GlobeCast’s Technical Operations Centre in Central London for aggregation and multiplexing followed by fibre delivery to GlobeCast’s Brookmans Park facility, where it is uplinked to the Nilesat 102 satellite, located at 7¾West.
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Roku, the maker of a set-top box used to stream online video on a traditional TV, will open its platform to any content provider over the next few months, says Roku CEO Anthony Wood, speaking at Streaming Media West.
"We're opening up the platform to anyone who wants to put their video service on this box," says Wood. "We're going to release the software developer kit, so anyone can publish any channel, and users can access web content on their TVs." Currently Roku owners are limited to only stream content from Netflix.
Wood declined to give a hard time line, but he says "this is what we're working on for the future."The move won't change Roku's business model -- the company still makes money from hardware sales. And the opened platform won't affect Roku's relationship with Netflix, according to Wood.
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Verimatrix new fundingVerimatrix, the software CA provider to pay-TV networks, announced JK&B Capital has joined with Goldman Sachs and SunAmerica Ventures in its Series C round of funding. The additional resources add to the business expansion and accelerated deployment of Verimatrix’s 3-Dimensional Content Security solutions into the rapidly-evolving hybrid, cable and satellite markets around the world.
JK&B Capital is a venture capital firm focused on the software, IT and communications markets with more than $1.1 billion of capital under management. A key to JK&B’s success has been its ability to leverage its substantial technology domain expertise to identify, analyse and access the most promising emerging technologies and the companies behind them. JK&B then provides these companies with financial support, strategic guidance and most importantly technical guidance to help them grow and prosper.
Verimatrix had already announced participation of Goldman Sachs and SunAmerica Ventures in its Series C investment round.
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UPC success in NetherlandsInteractive Digital TV from UPC has been established as a great success in the Netherlands. In the first half of 2008, UPC’s Dut sch digital TV customers generated more than 14 million Video on Demand streams. This interactive TV application is now used by over 40 per cent of the digital customer base on a monthly basis. UPC intends to launch a Video on Demand Car Zone in 2009, accessible to all Digital TV viewers.
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BBC Worldwide inks Nokia dealBBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, announced today a licensing deal with Nokia to provide premium video content on the Nokia N96 handset in Singapore, Philippines, Thailand and Malaysia, in line with Nokia‚s continued focus on offering mainstream branded downloadable content on its flagship mobile device.
Thursday 25th September
Confidence key for digital future
GE forms HD and web TV JV
Spain stops TV pirate network
Yahoo revives AOL talks
SiTV offering free channels
Hanaro now SK Broadband
Confidence key for digital futureEurope’s digital economy is expected to grow by 18 percent annually, reaching E436bn by 2012 – provided the region’s content, advertising, e-commerce and access industries adopt measures to sustain consumer confidence. This is according to a new study by the management consulting firm Booz & Company.
Growth up to now has been mainly based on higher user numbers, new infrastructure roll-out or technical innovations. According to Booz & Company this will change: in the next phase of market growth value will increasingly shift from the access business, i.e. selling broadband connections, to more advanced services, e-commerce, content and advertising. As a consequence, future growth relies to a large extent on users increasing their usage of new services as well as their online spend rather than penetrating households with new technologies. This brings significant challenges for the industry in particular for network operators as user behaviour tends to be very fickle in the digital world.
These are the key findings of the Booz & Co study "Digital Confidence – Securing the Next Wave of Digital Growth", commissioned by Liberty Global, Inc., the largest international cable operator and parent company of UPC Broadband and Telenet. The study was presented to a meeting of cable industry leaders in Brussels and senior officials from the European Commission.
Based on the analysis of numerous cases of success and failure, the comprehensive analysis of consumer research and more than 50 expert interviews across Europe and the US the consultants conclude that four areas are key to build Digital Confidence:
- Assure network integrity and quality of service for consumers and related businesses to protect technology platforms and ensure connectivity
- Protect privacy and personal data, prevent unauthorized access to consumer’s private electronic data
- Protect minors from exposure to undesired content and exploitation
- Prevent piracy and theft of copyrighted content
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General Electric Company has confirmed the formation of a new joint venture with Tatung Company, a provider of display technologies, it will form General Displays & Technologies LLC (GDT).
GDT will design, market and service GE-branded HDTVs. These GE-branded HDTVs and complementary products will have interactive Internet functionality. The first series of the product offerings are expected to be available to consumers in Spring 2009.
In addition to offering HDTVs, GDT will partner with NBC Universal to develop an open platform capable of delivering Internet and other digital content directly through the television. This product is expected to allow consumers to view digital HD content from popular websites directly on their television.
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Spain stops TV pirate network
From David Del Valle in Madrid
The Spanish police has dismantled an International TV piracy network targeted at British customers living in Alicante, Murcia and Almeria, in the East of Spain.
Fourteen people have been arrested accused of defrauding TV platforms and the public purse of more than E500 million. The gang, composed of eight Spaniards, three British and three from Eastern Europe - was illegally taking the signal from several British channels to offer them to British TV customers in the east of Spain without paying TV rights or taxes.
The illegal network had 60,000 clients, most of them from the UK, who were paying E590 as a connection fee, plus monthly fees of E18 to 22 or annual fees of E200 to 220 to enjoy the TV services. The network was operating through three companies and had sophisticated equipments to decode and encrypt again to distribute the signals to its clients. The police has seized devices and equipment with an estimated value of E5 million.
The police operation was triggered following a formal a complaint made by Sogecable on the grounds that the platform owned TV rights.
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Yahoo’s new board has cleared the way for a fresh round of discussions with Time Warner over the future of its AOL unit, potentially reigniting negotiations for a combination of the two Internet businesses that stalled earlier this year.
Talks between the two first became serious in the Spring as Yahoo cast around for ways to escape an unsolicited takeover bid from Microsoft, but grew cold again after the software company walked away. Jeff Bewkes, chief executive officer of Time Warner, said last week that he hoped to reach a decision on AOL’s future "fairly soon", though he did not lay out a definitive timetable.
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SiTV offering free channelsShanghai Interactive Television has confirmed that it will offer some of its digital pay TV channels free of charge to digital cable TV subscribers in more than 200 Chinese cities in an attempt to boost take-up of its pay TV services.
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Hanaro now SK BroadbandKorean telco Hanaro Telecom has rebranded itself under the name SK Broadband, after being acquired by mobile operator SK Telecom earlier this year. SK Broadband currently has 760,000 customers for its broad&tv service, which is expected to be expanded to a full IPTV service with broadcast content before the end of the year.
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Wednesday 24th September
MNOs band together on ads
Portugal Telecom’s Meo tops 200,000 subs
OpenTV buys Ruzz TV
Arcep confirms fourth 3G licence
Ofcom consultation for superfast broadband
RTL to take over Alpha Media
Joint channel plan for Aussie TV
MTV buys out Social Project
Latin America pay-TV revenue growth
DigiMeld TV goes live
Hughes launches Helius Business IPTV Solutions
JDSU test platform for FTTx networks
MNOs band together on adsThe UK's five main mobile operators - 3, O2, Orange, Vodafone and T-Mobile - have agreed a deal with the Internet Advertising Bureau in a bid to develop the nascent mobile media sector into a serious advertising medium.
The deal will see the IAB launch a mobile advertising version of the twice-yearly PricewaterhouseCoopers report on the UK internet advertising industry, and includes the formation of a mobile steering group.
The mobile companies are hoping that the IAB can help drive the growth of mobile advertising. IAB's mission to raise the profile, transparency and measurement of the internet advertising industry has been widely regarded as successful.
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Portugal Telecom’s Meo tops 200,000 subs
From Branislav Pekic in RomePortugal Telecom’s pay-TV service Meo has already surpassed the threshold of 200,000 subscribers, half of which are first time clients for the group. During the current quarter, more than 84,000 new subscribers have been added. Meo’s IPTV base represents 30 per cent of Portugal Telecom’s total ADSL clients.
At the end of the second quarter, Meo had a 5.4 per cent share of the Portuguese pay-TV market. TV Cabo, owned by Zon Multimédia, is the market leader with 74.3 per cent.
Besides pay-TV, the Meo triple-play offer also includes voice and internet services. The pay-TV service, available on IPTV and satellite, currently includes more than 110 TV channels and over 1,500 movies available on demand.
Portugal Telecom had set a goal of achieving 100,000 clients by the end of this year.
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OpenTV has acquired Ruzz TV, a privately-held company based in Sydney, Australia that provides turnkey software solutions for television broadcasters. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.
"Ruzz TV is an innovative provider of high-quality technology solutions for broadcasters," said Ben Bennett, OpenTV’s Chief Executive Officer. "With this acquisition, we are excited to complement our products and offer broadcasters around the world the right components to manage their workflow and content processes quickly and efficiently."
Ruzz TV’s key technology provides broadcasters with a platform that enables the optimisation of broadcast play-out operations by seamlessly integrating mission-critical systems and components supplied by multiple vendors.
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Arcep confirms fourth 3G licence
French media regulator Arcep has announced plans to re-launch its campaign to issue a fourth and final 3G mobile licence via a new competitive tender process. The new tender, which is backed by the French government, is designed to increase competition in the mobile market by introducing a fourth player to compete with Orange France, SFR and Bouygues Telecom.
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Ofcom consultation for superfast broadbandOfcom has published proposals to encourage further investment and competition to deliver superfast broadband to UK homes and businesses. The proposals are designed to remove barriers to investment and ensure competition and consumer choice in the superfast broadband market.
Ofcom aims to provide certainty on the future regulatory environment for superfast broadband by setting out new proposals for consultation in five main areas:
* Developing clear standards for wholesale products, thereby allowing communications providers to compete and innovate in the superfast market;
* Allowing pricing freedom where there is effective competition, giving companies the flexibility to price services that reflect investment risk and generate a return on investment;
* Understanding the scope for competition based on access to existing telecoms infrastructure, building on the success of local loop unbundling;
* Facilitating transition by ensuring the smooth and timely move from traditional copper to fibre networks for both industry and consumers as services take off; and
* Communicating the next steps for Ofcom: how we will work with other interested parties including industry, the UK Government and the European Commission.The consultation also outlines Ofcom's proposals on the potential role for the public sector in delivering new investment, such as targeting those locations where the market is least likely to deliver new networks.
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RTL to take over Alpha MediaRTL Group has signed an agreement with Dimitris Contominas, the current owner of Alpha Media Group, to acquire a 66 per cent majority shareholding in the Greek broadcasting company for E125.7 million.
The transaction is subject to approval by the Greek Competition Commission and is expected to close in October or November.
The country’s net TV advertising market grew from approximately E300 million in 2001 to more than E500 million in 2007 and is projected to deliver annual growth of 6 to 7 per cent in the medium-term future.
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Joint channel plan for Aussie TVAustralia's commercial free-to-air TV networks are considering a move to share programming on the digital channels they will launch next year, in an attempt to save costs and make the industry's proposed Freeview platform more compelling for subscribers.
Under the terms of the proposal each of the new multi-channels would be based on distinctly different themes agreed by the networks. The proposal would see Network Ten launching a sports-only channel, with the Nine Network having a "general entertainment" offering and the Seven Network likely to launch a lifestyle channel.
From January 2009, the TV networks will be allowed to broadcast one new standard definition channel with separate programming from their flagship channels. The Government hopes the new channels will convince TV viewers to buy the digital set-top boxes they will need before it switches off the analogue TV signal in 2013.
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MTV buys out Social ProjectMTV Networks has purchased the rest of software company Social Project with plans to integrate more deeply social network features, such as the sharing of videos, among its global network of websites and, eventually, the television channels.
The purchase follows a flurry of activity to boost digital revenue, including the creation this month of new online advertising networks anchored by its networks.
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Latin America pay-TV revenue growthPay TV revenues in Latin America are forecast to be $22.8 billion in 2013 – more than double the 2007 figure. Digital TV subscriptions are anticipated to reach 30.3 million by end-2013, more than trebling from 8.4 million in 2007. So says Informa, which assumes the global downturn will have little effect in S. America.
The battle for dominance of triple-play between Telefonica and Telmex is continuing and is affecting all sectors of the broadcast market. The two giant telecoms groups are exploiting opportunities created by the lack of investment from pay TV’s incumbent players. They are investing heavily to increase their presence across several platforms, including DTH, cable/MMDS and potentially IPTV.
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DigiMeld, a provider of software solutions for streaming and live Internet broadcasting, has launched DigiMeld TV, an online video portal for independent and commercial video producers to self-publish live or on-demand streaming channels using DigiMeld SuperStreamSM, the Company’s Grid-streaming technology.
The DigiMeld TV portal creates narrowcast video channels that are approved and licensed through DigiMeld, and are branded by publishers or aggregators. Using DigiMeld’s grid streaming solution, film festivals or niche broadcasters could transmit real-time events to thousands of Internet viewers. DigiMeld TV provides ad insertion and branding opportunities and provides viewer forums, as well as visitor and viewer statistics.
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Hughes launches Helius Business IPTV SolutionsHughes Network Systems has confirmed that its European operating unit has launched an expanded portfolio of HughesNet enterprise offerings based on Hughes' recently-acquired Helius Business IPTV solutions. The expanded portfolio includes comprehensive digital signage and online training applications.
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JDSU test platform for FTTx networksJDSU has confirmed the release of the MTS/T-BERD-4000 Multiple Services Test Platform for testing and maintenance of FTTx networks. The MTS/T-BERD-4000 is an innovative, modular handheld test instrument that provides communication service providers with a complete tool box to perform tests from the physical layer to the application layer.
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Tuesday 23rd September
Satellites to complete Spain DTT coverage
EC: Telcos must give superfast access
Carphone bids for Tiscali
Comcast details shaping
BskyB unlimited broadband
Orange TV to rely on films?
Online advertising suffers
Telco giants commit to pay-TV
Nokia channel
Sri Lanka Telecom IPTV launches
NDS protects Alice
Synacor for Virgin
Thomson and AUSTAR push HD
Satellites to complete Spain DTT coverage
From David Del Valle in Madrid
The Ministry of Industry is studying to use satellites to extend DTT to all the Spanish population and complete the digital migration as planned in April 2010. Geographical problems and signal interference from illegal TV channels are the main reasons why the Government and the Regional Administrations are looking to satellite distribution of DTT signals.Hispasat is the most likely candidate, although Eutelsat might also have a role. Broadcasters hope that the Government will pick up the bill for the extra cost that the satellite DTT distribution.
By April 2010, private TV must make their DTT transmissions available to 96 per cent of the population, with public channels reaching 98 per cent. According to Impulsa TDT, 89.15 per cent of Spaniards have access to DTT, by December 2008, DTT coverage should reach 90 per cent of the population, extending it to 93 per cent by July 2009.
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EC: Telcos must give superfast accessLeading European telecoms companies should give rivals access to their superfast broadband networks, the European Commission has said. But in a draft recommendation for national telecoms regulators, the Commission also highlighted the importance of ensuring that Europe’s former fixed-line phone monopolies are able to secure appropriate returns on their high-speed broadband investments.
Viviane Reding, European telecoms commissioner, and Neelie Kroes, competition commissioner, on Thursday expressed concern that the EU was lagging behind leading industrialised countries, such as Japan and the US, in the rollout of high speed broadband networks. "We want national rules that will not only encourage the necessary substantial investments in fibre but also strengthen broadband competition," said Kroes.
To encourage fibre networks, the Commission said telecoms companies should be able to achieve returns of their investments in excess of their 8-12 per cent average cost of capital. Europe’s former fixed-line monopolies are nervous about making fibre investments because of uncertainty over returns.
BT said in July that it would only build a £1.5 billion (E1.9bn) fibre network if the UK telecoms regulator allowed appropriate returns. Those returns will be partly determined by the prices that the regulator lets BT charge smaller rivals for gaining access to the fibre network so as to provide broadband services.
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Carphone bids for TiscaliCarphone Warehouse has bid just under £450 million (E571m) for Tiscali UK - a quarter less than the £600 million the Italian ISP hoped for. A sale to Carphone, which recently sold half of its electronics retail unit to Best Buy for £1.1 billion, would pair Carphone’s 2.8 million broadband users with Tiscali’s 1.8 million, creating a UK broadband giant with wide-ranging peripheral interests in IPTV, mobile and landline, computer sales and more.
Comcast has provided US regulators details of how it plans to change the way it manages Web traffic over its high speed Internet network without blocking any applications or content.
Comcast said that under the plan designed to give all users their "fair share" of bandwidth it would focus on managing the traffic of customers who are using most bandwidth when the network is congested. It said it will use software on its network to determine if particular subscribers have been the source of high volumes of traffic and will temporarily give traffic from those subscribers a lower priority status.
It said that when a subscriber's traffic is assigned a lower priority status its traffic could be delayed if the network is congested but would not be delayed if there is no congestion. Comcast said it expect to have the new traffic management system in place across its network by the end of December.
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BSkyB is preparing to launch an ad campaign claiming it is the only company to offer truly unlimited broadband usage. The company is preparing the campaign after deciding to remove its fair usage policy, which caps heavy downloaders, from its top-tier Sky Broadband Max product.
It also said that because it does not ‘traffic shape’ - it can now claim to be the only UK company to offer unlimited broadband. "Customers have told us that they want unlimited broadband to be exactly that, so we've acted on their feedback," said BSkyB.
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Orange is rumoured to be building its IPTV service around on-demand films when it eventually launches a home TV service to take on Sky, Virgin, Freeview and BT Vision. Its ‘TV in the Home’ service is due to launch before the end of he year – some two years behind schedule.
Nationwide trials for the TV service have been running across the UK.
Orange has effectively ruled itself out of bidding for Premiership football rights when they come up for auction in 2010, deeming them to expensive. Films, however, are seen as a logical fit with arguably Orange’s most successful asset in terms of consumer appeal: the Orange Wednesday promotion, offering two for one cinema tickets.
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Online advertising suffersThe credit crisis has hit the online and media industries as research shows that Internet advertising is facing a slowdown after five years of steady growth. Budget cuts and excess inventory are expected to push the market for online display advertising into decline in the third quarter accordiing to research by Enders Analysis.
Growth rates for the UK online advert market climbed to 18.5 per cent for 2008 to £3.3 billion (E4.18bn), against estimates of a 28 per cent increase on 2007. The momentum remains in "paid-for search", the largest division of internet advertising, dominated by Google.
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Telco giants commit to pay-TVThe Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA) is welcoming more telco members to the Association, this month adding Australia's Telstra as a Corporate member.
"The increased participation of telco giants such as Telstra, as well as SingTel, Chunghwa Telecom, Telkom of Indonesia and Reliance of India – each of which recently joined CASBAA – is evidence that the new video platforms recognise that working closely with content owners on multiple levels is essential," said Simon Twiston Davies, CEO of CASBAA.
CASBAA now directly represents 25 digital cable, IPTV and DTH platforms drawn from across the Asia Pacific, along with more than 55 pay-TV channels both domestic and multi-national. In total, the CASBAA membership now tops 130 companies.
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Mobile phone manufacturer Nokia is launching a mobile TV channel, Capsule N96, offering exclusive programming to users of its N96 handset. Available from the start of October, Capsule N96 programmes all run to 96 seconds, offering content themed around motoring, fashion, gadgets, comedy, culture and homes.
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Sri Lanka Telecom IPTV launchesSri Lanka Telecom (SLT) has launched its commercial IPTV broadcasting service following delays caused by a slow rollout of ADSL2+ technology. The IPTV deployment, originally scheduled to be completed in August, is based on UTStarcom’s RollingStream platform. SLT’s wholly owned subsidiary Visioncom has invested around $1 million in the initial launch of its TV-over-ADSL system, which is designed to support around 100,000 subscribers in the next two years.
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NDS protects AliceNDS has confirmed that it is protecting Telecom Italia’s ‘Alice TV’ IPTV service with NDS VideoGuard - its conditional access and DRM technology which provides content protection for both broadcast TV and Video on Demand. Telecom Italia passed 180,000 IPTV subscribers at the end of the first half of this year, and is targeting 300,000 by the end of 2008.
Synacor, a leader in the development and delivery of Internet tools and portals for the cable and telecom industries, recently made new enhancements to Virgin Media’s portal, enabling the media company to provide an enriched user experience for not only its broadband customers, but also any visitor to the Virgin Media Web site.
Synacor, which first partnered with Virgin Media more than a year ago on the redesign of VirginMedia.com, has provided the company with its technology platform and content management system (CMS) to power the graphical user interface and single sign-on capability that makes the Virgin Media portal an attractive home page and content portal for consumers.
Synacor’s technology platform and CMS has also enabled Virgin Media to introduce many online premium content packages and other online applications to its customers as part of the virginmedia.com experience.
Recent enhancements to the portal include the addition of new TV channels, such as Living and Virgin 1. Synacor has incorporated the channels into the core Virgin Media portal, underpinned by their CMS, so that subscribers can access all of Virgin Media’s video and online offerings from one URL.
If a visitor to the media company’s Web site creates a free login account, they can access forums to participate in conversations with other site visitors and more deeply engage with the Virgin Media brand. This has proven to drive more non-customer visitors to Virgin Media’s Web site, because users can engage in free content and forums that cannot be accessed elsewhere without having to pay a subscription fee.
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Thomson and AUSTAR push HDAustralia’s leading regional Pay TV operator, AUSTAR, has selected Thomson, global player in video solutions, to develop and supply a four tuner HD Personal Digital Recorder (PDR) platform along with extensive systems’ integration services. The combination HD STB will mirror AUSTAR’s current MyStar STB, which features both dual Satellite and dual Terrestrial tuners, and will offer AUSTAR customers the experience of watching and simultaneously recording both AUSTAR delivered Satellite content plus local Free-To-Air terrestrial services.
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Monday 22nd SeptemberPay TV ‘safe’ from crunch
Joost browser player out
Videosurf, video search next level?
EU Commission consults on NGA principles
Google joins world brands top 10
CNN appoints Wrenn VP of Digital Services
Irish switchover must be promoted
ITV and Setanta strike highlights deal
MTV Czech channel
Pay TV ‘safe’ from crunchThe US may go through an economic upheaval, but the average American will keep paying to watch television and escape it all - according to top executives at the largest US pay-TV providers.
Executives at the Goldman Sachs Communicopia Conference said that, while there was no doubt the pending US downturn would impact customers, they were all fairly certain the average US consumer would not cut back on cable or satellite bills.
"As we look around us at the economy, the subscription part of the business has done well," said Glenn Britt, chief executive of Time Warner Cable Inc, the second largest cable operator in the US. "I think people look to television as something they can depend on," said Chase Carey, Chief Executive of DirecTV Group, the largest satellite TV provider. "They cut out restaurants, they cut out theatres, but television is something they can hang on to in tough times," said Carey.
Investors have typically seen pay-TV stocks as recession proof or recession resistant because Americans were more likely to try and save money by staying at home to watch TV then go out. But the US economic downturn would be the first since cable operators in particular have started focusing on selling triple play packages.
Some investors and analysts have been concerned that struggling households could try to reduce bills by cutting off cable all together because the triple play bill is larger than a traditional TV only bill. But Time Warner Cable's Britt argued the triple play package offered "great value" and would in fact save money for consumers.
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Joost browser player outJoost has soft-launched its long-awaited in-browser version. This version requires a small proprietary app, "JoostHelper", be installed. Writing a blog CEO Mike Volpi: "One of the great things about working at a startup is the ability to be flexible and make changes when our users, trends or data suggest a new direction. For much of the past year, we’ve listened to the feedback we’ve received from many of the people who use Joost ... and building a new product based on those recommendations." One of Joost’s problems has been resistance to downloading its large player.
Though the unveiling is a "soft launch", it’s gone live along with a new EPG and more social features including JoostFeed that shows friends every show you watch and groups for fans of shows.
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Videosurf, video search next level?VideoSurf is the latest startup that claims it has solved the video search problem. Major video search players like blinkx, Truveo, and Everyzing rely on tagging video clips with descriptions and analyzing the audio portion of clips to make videos searchable through text. VideoSurf cofounder Lior Delgo, a former Yahoo search executive, says his company has made a video search breakthrough by scanning and analyzing the images within videos as a way to organise the content.
VideoSurf works with algorithms that identify people and backgrounds in videos and then converts them into thumbnail frames that summarise sections of the video. Visual computer scanning means search results will be more relevant, says Delgo. "Before this, there was no way to navigate videos visually. You had to rely on tagging content surrounding the video. But video is not text," he says. "If you can visually see what a video is about, you can make better decisions about whether you want to watch it or not."
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EU Commission consults on NGA principles
The European Commission has launched a public consultation on the regulatory principles to be applied by EU Member States to Next Generation Access broadband networks (NGA).
The objective of a common regulatory framework for NGA is to foster a consistent treatment of operators in the EU and thereby ensure the necessary regulatory predictability to invest. The Commission is consulting on the basis of a draft Recommendation, addressed to the regulators in the 27 EU Member States and suggesting definitions for harmonized categories of regulated services, access conditions, rates of return and appropriate risk premiums. The public consultation will be open until 14th November 2008. The Commission will then finalise the Recommendation in the light of comments received and formally adopt it in 2009.
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Google joins world brands top 10Tech companies have put on the strongest showing, and financial companies the weakest, in an annual study on the most popular brands in the world. The two biggest movers in Interbrand's "definitive" 2008 Best Global Brands were Google, which jumped from 20 to 10, and Apple, which jumped 9 spots to 24. Rankings:
1. Coca-Cola
2. IBM
3. Microsoft
4. GE
5. Nokia
6. Toyota
7. Intel
8. McDonald’s
9. Disney
10. Google
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CNN appoints Wrenn VP of Digital ServicesNick Wrenn, CNN International’s managing editor for Europe, Middle East & Africa, has been appointed to the new position of vice president, CNN International Digital Services.
As CNN’s leading executive over all digital assets outside of the US, Wrenn will oversee the editorial direction of the services as well as working with colleagues across CNN.com’s domestic operation and in Turner International to manage the growth of the business through the development of new services.
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Irish switchover must be promoted
A digital 'champion' needs to be appointed to ensure that the switchover from analogue to digital television is achieved as smoothly as possible, the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) has been told.
The contract to provide digital terrestrial television (DTT) in Ireland was won by Boxer DTT, a consortium led by Denis O'Brien's Communicorp and Swedish digital television operator Boxer. Boxer DTT chairwoman Lucy Gaffney said there was still a lack of public awareness of the changeover which will affect every person with a television set in the country.
She said that the Government should appoint an independent body to oversee the change in a similar manner to Digital UK, which has responsibility for ensuring the British public know what is involved. Digital UK is being funded out of BBC licence fees.
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ITV and Setanta strike highlights dealSports broadcaster Setanta, who has exclusive rights to televise England away games for the next four years, has struck a highlights deal with ITV. For a cost that has not been made public, ITV is expected to show the highlights of the world cup qualifying matches at 10.30pm, after its evening news broadcast.
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MTV Czech channelCentral European Media Enterprises, TV broadcaster in Central and Eastern Europe, and MTV Networks have inked a multi-year licensing agreement granting CME rights to launch a localised MTV channel in the Czech Republic, as well as the opportunity to distribute the channel in the Slovak Republic. MTV Czech, which is slated to launch in the first half of 2009, will operate as a fully-localised, 24-hour youth lifestyle channel.
