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Our Latest Issues
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Scroll down page or click below for news - latest first
Tuesday
Friday 17th April
Over 1.4bn subs for TV services by 2013
iPlayer goes HD
Entertainment spending not declining
TMT growth funding in danger of drying up
German watchdog to probe Premiere
MRAV systems owners award it thumbs up
SIDSA tests DVB-T and DVB-H in Latin America
TeliaSonera to deliver content from NY to Sweden in 55ms
Terrestrial HD TV pilot launched in UK
SES Astra expands satellite broadband in CEE
DirecTV expands HD movie selection
Panasonic Freesat Blu-ray recorders
Tandberg EN8100 MPEG-2 SD encoder
Net Insight supports TeliaSonera football
WRAL, Raleigh partner on mobile DTV venture
Optibase EZ TV for Amino IP STBs
Digital Rapids integrates Civolution's watermarking
TVN enhances content encoding with Ateme
T-VIPS delivers ATSC-ready cProcessors
AssetHouse inks Sun and 180SQUARED deals
Intelsat programming for AT&T CruiseCast
HaiVision’s MAKITO
Envivio supports US ATSC mobile DTV standard
Over 1.4bn subs for TV services by 2013Broadband households in Europe and the US consistently rank primetime anytime VOD services as the most valuable service out of all TV 2.0 offerings, according to the Parks Associates report ‘Television Services: The Global Outlook’.
The international research firm says that primetime anytime services, which allow viewers to watch a show on-demand on their TV regardless of its original air date, will help service providers gain and retain customers in the competitive global market for TV services. The number of households worldwide subscribing to TV services will exceed 1.4 billion by 2013.
"Online video is not robbing primetime of its audience but supplementing it," said Jayant Dasari, research analyst, Parks Associates. "The majority of US broadband households use online video to catch up on their TV viewing, and 36 per cent of those who pay for Internet video content have increased consumption of primetime television. Moving video from the PC to the TV is a natural progression, one that aligns with consumers’ current behaviour."
Competition among service providers has increased substantially in past few years. For example, while cable operators retain the largest share of the US television service market, subscriptions to telco/IPTV services grew over 110 per cent from 2007 to 2008. Providers can overcome the challenges of this shifting market by leveraging primetime anytime services, which will increase customer satisfaction and create avenues for new revenue-generating service strategies, such as ad-supported VOD offerings.
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The BBC's iPlayer is to start offering high definition streams and downloads of some programmes. It will mean improved picture quality on streams to web browsers.
BBC's head of digital media technology, Anthony Rose, who is responsible for delivering the next generation of BBC iPlayer, said the launch of an HD iPlayer was a significant milestone in improving video quality. "Introducing HD streams users to enjoy BBC programmes in HD without a set-top box," he said.
The updated iPlayer also comes with a diagnostic tool that examines a users Internet connection and automatically switches the streaming options to give the best quality image. The player will now also allow users to customise the size of their viewing window, which the developers say, are now nearly twice as good as the previous high quality format."The new adaptive bitrate technology and speed diagnostics page help optimise the viewing experience, while the resizable window gives users flexibility to switch between different quality streams, hopefully leading to a more satisfying experience overall," said Rose.
Other new features include a new internet speed diagnostics page, the full release of the new BBC iPlayer Desktop, and a cross-platform manager that will allow Windows, Mac, and Linux users to download BBC programmes, including those in HD.
At present, the new HD service, which also includes HD downloads of some programmes, is only available on the BBC iPlayer at present. There are plans to roll out the HD streams to devices such as the Virgin Set Top Box and PlayStation 3, but no date has yet been set.
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Entertainment spending not decliningAccording to Entertainment Trends In America, a tracking study conducted by market research company The NPD Group, most consumers plan to hold steady or increase their entertainment spending in 2009.
According to the NPD report, 75 per cent of consumers surveyed said they will spend the same amount or more on digital music downloads as they did in 2008. Sixty-five per cent will spend the same or more on video games, and 60 per cent will spend the same or more on CDs. Nearly three-quarters (73 per cent) of consumers expect to spend the same amount or more on theatrical movies. Based on comparison to last year’s statistics, the theatrical movie category appears to be in the best position for growth, as only 66 per cent of survey respondents said they would spend the same or more last year.
"Even in the face of a down economy, entertainment remains a popular spending category," said Russ Crupnick, entertainment industry analyst for NPD. "Most consumers say they’ll continue to purchase at least the same amount of many entertainment categories in the coming year."
NPD reported 51 per cent of consumers surveyed purchased a DVD or Blu-ray disc in the prior three months. Purchasing a console or portable video game ranked second at 36 per cent, followed by purchasing a CD at 31 per cent.
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TMT growth funding in danger of drying upThe number of TMT (Technology, Media & Telecoms) businesses who feel they have access to funding for their business to operate effectively has more than halved year-on-year, according to new research from accountants and business advisers BDO Stoy Hayward.
In 2009, only 38 per cent of TMT businesses said it was easy to get access to new funding in comparison to 73 per cent in 2008. In addition, the number who found it difficult to get access to funding more than doubled to 30 per cent (up from 14 per cent last year).
Julian Frost, Head of TMT, at BDO Stoy Hayward said: "We are really concerned about TMT businesses ability to access the funding they need to grow their businesses effectively. We’re hearing increasing levels of frustration being expressed by TMT businesses as financiers say to them ‘meet your growth forecasts and we’ll support you with additional finance’. These dynamic innovative businesses need the additional capital to meet their growth forecasts. All this is just creating a chicken and egg situation."
"As the economic environment remains tough over the coming months, the situation is likely to become increasingly difficult and many businesses may feel that funding has dried up completely," he added.
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German watchdog to probe PremiereGerman financial watchdog Bafin has launched a probe into possible insider trading and market manipulation involving shares in German pay-TV broadcaster Premiere.
The investigation focuses on trades that may be related to a correction of Premiere subscriber numbers last year, a Bafin spokeswoman said. Premiere also confirmed that the probe was under way but declined further comment while the investigation goes on.
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MRAV systems owners award it thumbs upOwners of multi-room audio video (MRAV) systems assign high value to their home entertainment experience, according to a study from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA). The study, Trends in Multi-room Audio Video Usage, found that the vast majority of MRAV owners - 82 per cent - would recommend their system to friends. Eighty-five per cent of homeowners who currently own an MRAV system were so satisfied with the experience that they would once again install a system in a new home. Multi-room audio video (MRAV) systems allow homeowners to play and control audio/video distributed from a centralised system to at least three different rooms of the home.
CEA finds that MRAV owners are music and entertainment enthusiasts who view their system as an enhancement to their lifestyle. Fifty-five per cent use their system daily, with entertainment ranking as the most common usage, followed by owners stating they use the system when they want‚ with no special occasion necessary. Daily users‚ main reason for purchasing a system is to enhance their home entertainment experience (63 per cent), enjoy listening (61 per cent) and entertaining (48 per cent).
"The MRAV market has blossomed as consumers demand access to content anytime and anywhere," stated Steve Koenig, CEA, director of industry analysis. "As the desire for multi-room solutions continues to grow, manufacturers must focus on a variety of solutions, including aftermarket products, to address the vast market of existing home owners who demand multi-room audio."
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SIDSA tests DVB-T and DVB-H in Latin AmericaSIDSA, the International provider of digital technology, is looking to Latin America seeking further expansion in the digital terrestrial and mobile TV markets in the region. The company has carried out several DVB trials, both on DVB-T (terrestrial) and DVB-H (mobile TV) in countries such as Peru, Argentine, Ecuador, Colombia, Uruguay and Panama, with plans to lead some other DVB projects in the region later on this year.
SIDSA has become a key technology partner in Latin America promoting the DVB standard at a time when the continent is debating about different technologies and preparing for a massive growth of the digital TV market.
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TeliaSonera to deliver content from NY to Sweden in 55msTeliaSonera International Carrier has signed a deal to deliver live television broadcasts of a major Swedish entertainment show from New York to Sweden - which it will do in just 55 milliseconds. TeliaSonera International Carrier is the first network operator with its own fibre-based media network to offer this service on an international and transatlantic basis.
Much faster than traditional satellite, the company’s fibre network has an extensive capacity for broadcast television signals, enabling it to deliver live High Definition programming at very high speeds. Swedish talk show Söndagsparty (Sunday Party), produced by Metronome/STO-CPH, will be broadcast live from New York and delivered to Kanal 5’s studios in Stockholm. This will be the first time the show has been broadcast from New York.
"One of the major advantages of TeliaSonera International Carrier’s media network is that there are no limitations to bandwidth, as is the case with traditional satellite transmission. Fibre is faster than satellite and so the classical delay experienced with live broadcasts via satellite will now not appear - this gives viewers a better, real-time experience," claimed Malin Frenning, President of TeliaSonera International Carrier.
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Terrestrial HD TV pilot launched in UKArqiva and Enensys are playing a leading role in the terrestrial high-definition TV (HDTV) pilot launched recently from the Crystal Palace transmitter in south London, utilising the new DVB-T2 standard.
Initiated by Ofcom, the UK communications regulator, and managed by the Pilot Steering Group, the pilot aims to validate the performance expectations of the DVB-T2 specification, by undertaking an extensive programme of laboratory tests, field trials and in-home measurements. The measurement programme will provide information to enable the selection of the best transmission mode to be adopted for the HD multiplex planned to be rolled out as part of the UK’s Digital Terrestrial TV network.
For this purpose, a transmitter has recently been installed at Arqiva‚s Crystal Palace site to carry DVB-T2 test transmissions. This follows successful end-to-end laboratory tests from source to receiver display, and has been made possible thanks to the close collaboration between Arqiva and Enensys. Enensys has provided the real-time and hardware-based DVB-T2 modulator, which has been connected to the Arqiva transmission equipment.
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SES Astra expands satellite broadband in CEESES Astra has signed a further reseller agreement for its two-way satellite broadband service Astra2Connect with the TV and telecommunications operator Towercom in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. With this agreement, SES Astra will significantly expand the marketing and sales of Astra2Connect in Central and Eastern Europe.
Astra2Connect technology offers a highly reliable, always-on, two-way broadband Internet access, including Internet telephony, for flat service fees. The service was launched in early 2007 and is now available in 12 countries throughout Europe.
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DirecTV expands HD movie selectionUS satellite broadcaster DirecTV is now offering the most movies in 1080p, the highest resolution format available for HD video enthusiasts and the same format used by Blu-Ray HD DVDs. DiirecTV customers with DirecTV Plus HD DVR receivers now have access to more than 30 new pay per view movies through the on demand platform, and all new HD pay per view movies will soon be in the enhanced format. Customers can also download additional movie titles via their broadband-connected HD DVR.
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Panasonic Freesat Blu-ray recordersPanasonic has announced the release date and the prices of its range of Blu-ray, Freesat+ recorders for the UK. The top of the range DMR-BS850, which comes with a 500GB hard disk drive will cost £999 while the BS75 model which comes with 250GB hard drive can be purchased for £100 less. All models come with two Freesat tuners, which allow you to watch one channel and record on the other one.
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Tandberg EN8100 MPEG-2 SD encoderTandberg Television, part of the Ericsson group, has announced its latest innovation, the EN8100 MPEG-2 SD encoder. The new system delivers a host of performance and operational benefits for DTH satellite, cable and terrestrial operators, as well as for content aggregators and distributors.
The Tandberg EN8100 is the industry’s next generation MPEG-2 encoder, based on in-house developed technologies and encoding algorithms. It has been designed from the ground-up to deliver revolutionary encoding performance in a high density, low power (6 channels in 1 RU) chassis. The EN8100 cuts MPEG-2 SD bandwidth requirements by at least 15 per cent, even in legacy set-top box operations, and delivers a step change in performance.
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Net Insight supports TeliaSonera football
Net Insight, developer of optical transport solutions for media, IP and broadcast networks, has revealed its Nimbra platform has been selected by TeliaSonera International Carrier to support live sport broadcast transmissions of Sweden's premier football league. Allsvenskan. TeliaSonera is incorporating Net Insight's Nimbra platform into its contribution network to transport uncompressed standard-definition video from all 16 arenas in the Swedish league to a central production and editing facility in Stockholm.
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WRAL, Raleigh partner on mobile DTV venture
Mobile digital television broadcasting joined forces with public transit in the US this week as Raleigh, WRAL and the CBC New Media Group launched the first public deployment of mobile digital TV in a Capital Area Transit bus. The venture delivers real-time digital television and interactive data to CAT buses. CAT bus passengers will be able to view WRAL‚s local and syndicated programming throughout the day, as well as city-oriented news, real-time schedules, route-specific updates and other information on digital screens strategically placed inside buses.
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Optibase EZ TV for Amino IP STBsOptibase, provider of video solutions and Amino Communications, the IPTV entertainment solutions provider, have partnered to integrate the Optibase EZ TV System with Amino AmiNET² set-top boxes. With the newly enhanced EZ TV STB Module, users can access the system’s live or on-demand content on standard-definition or high-definition TVs and plasma screens in addition to PCs and Mac systems. EZ TV System is an integrated video delivery portal that allows distribution of real-time and on-demand content over existing enterprise IP infrastructures.
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Digital Rapids integrates Civolution's watermarking
Civolution, provider of technology and services for media content and Digital Rapids, provider of solutions for bringing television, film and web content to wider audiences, have launched an integrated solution for multiple-format encoding and watermarking, making it simpler and more cost-effective for organisations to watermark and track their content.
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TVN enhances content encoding with AtemeAteme, a specialist in MPEG-4/H.264 video compression technology is working together with TVN, the TV on-demand company, to create more efficient and scalable encoding solutions. TVN’s new streamlined encoding process, built on KFE 2, Ateme’s automated content encoding solution, will allow TVN to more efficiently encode HD and SD content with improved picture quality for a variety of enhanced VOD services. Ateme’s H.264 file based encoding solution, integrated into TVN’s Adoniss platform, is now interoperable with all of TVN’s cable, telco, and DBS affiliates operating in MPEG-4.
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T-VIPS delivers ATSC-ready cProcessorsT-VIPS AS, a global player in professional video management and distribution, has announced full ATSC support throughout its award-winning cProcessor product line designed for signal processing, multiplexing and monitoring. With T-VIPS‚ ATSC-ready cProcessors, DTV operators and broadcasters can newly deploy innovative solutions for IP transport, stream processing, redundancy changeover and digital television transition projects.
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AssetHouse inks Sun and 180SQUARED dealsAssetHouse, the digital proposition management experts and a subsidiary of Amino, has inked a collaboration with Sun Microsystems. The two companies will offer a solution for the burgeoning digital entertainment marketplace. This solution allows service providers to better capitalise content catalogues whilst adding a new dimension to the personalised MyTV‚ experience and hugely extending their ability to target advertising to the end consumer.
AssetHouse is also teaming up with 180SQUARED, specialist in Mediaroom software and integration services. The partnership is working to deliver an end-to-end solution that allows producers, network operators and content owners to use a truly revolutionary method to merge their diverse content and marketing requirements into Microsoft Mediaroom.
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Intelsat programming for AT&T CruiseCastIntelsat, provider of fixed satellite services, and RaySat Broadcasting Corporation (RBC) have contracted satellite capacity on Intelsat’s fleet to enable the delivery of AT&T CruiseCast mobile TV service, a new source of entertainment in family vehicles. AT&T CruiseCast will provide 42 channels of satellite TV and radio to the back seat of cars.
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HaiVision’s MAKITOHaiVision Network Video, vendor of high-performance H.264 encoders, codecs, and IP video systems, has confirmed the immediate availability of the MAKITO, a cutting edge, high definition video encoder. The MAKITO compact encoder combines the efficiencies of H.264 video compression, the image quality of full high definition video and a compact form factor. It is fully integrated with Video Furnace System 5, HaiVision's complete end-to-end HD H.264 IP video distribution solution.
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Envivio supports US ATSC mobile DTV standardEnvivio, provider of compression solutions for Three Screens video convergence, has revealed that it is supporting the proposed ATSC Mobile DTV Candidate Standard for mobile television broadcast in the US in both its award-winning 4Caster C4 convergence encoder and M2 mobile encoder. Envivio products will be utilised by multiple vendors at NAB 2009 in their demonstrations of complete ATSC Mobile DTV video delivery solutions.
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Thursday 16th April
EC investigates Phorm
Spain to cut back ads on public TV
Virgin Media viewers positive about on demand ads
Broadcast technology suppliers maintain growth
US online viewing nears 10bn
KabelKiosk moves to Eurobird 9A
MPDA targets pirates
Dunbar joins SeaChange
J:COM March 2009 subs
Tate art free on iTunes
Red Dwarf success for Dave
News Corp global content portal
Reach selects Tandberg
Arris D5 Universal Edge
Sigma powers Celrun IPTV STBs
Dilithium launches DVO
EC investigates PhormThe European Commission has opened an infringement proceeding against the UK after a series of complaints by UK Internet users, and extensive communication of the Commission with UK authorities, about the use of a behavioural advertising technology known as 'Phorm' by Internet service providers.
The proceeding addresses several problems with the UK's implementation of EU ePrivacy and personal data protection rules, under which EU countries must ensure, among other things, the confidentiality of communications by prohibiting interception and surveillance without the user's consent. These problems emerged during the Commission's inquiry into the UK authorities' action in response to complaints from Internet users concerning Phorm.
"Technologies like Internet behavioural advertising can be useful for businesses and consumers but they must be used in a way that complies with EU rules. These rules are there to protect the privacy of citizens and must be rigorously enforced by all Member States," said EU Telecoms Commissioner Viviane Reding. "We have been following the Phorm case for some time and have concluded that there are problems in the way the UK has implemented parts of EU rules on the confidentiality of communications. I call on the UK authorities to change their national laws and ensure that national authorities are duly empowered and have proper sanctions at their disposal to enforce EU legislation on the confidentiality of communications. This should allow the UK to respond more vigorously to new challenges to ePrivacy and personal data protection such as those that have arisen in the Phorm case. It should also help reassure UK consumers about their privacy and data protection while surfing the Internet."
Online shopping giant Amazon has already said it will not permit Phorm to scan its web pages to produce targeted ads. Amazon UK said: "We have contacted Webwise requesting that we opt-out for all of our domains."
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Spain to cut back ads on public TV
From David del Valle in MadridFollowing the example of France, the Spanish Government has announced that it will drastically limit advertising on public television (which could even result in its complete elimination) as part of a wide-ranging new audiovisual law.
The measure would directly affect national broadcaster RTVE - which operates La Primera and La 2- using a mixed-financing model based on ad revenues and state subsidies. Ad revenues represented E557 million last year for RTVE, with E500 million in state subsidies. For this year, RTVE plans to collect E478 million in ad revenues. Including state-owned Regional channels, public TV in Spain took one third of the total E3 billion advertising TV pie in 2008.
Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero did not reveal how much he planned to cut advertising minutage on RTVE, but some sources point to three minutes per hour against the current 10 minutes or even the complete elimination of advertising. "We will approve and send to parliament a new audio-visual law and a drastic reduction in advertising on public television," he told parliamentarians.
Private broadcasters, represented by the Association UTECA, welcomed the announcement, urging the Government to implement the measure as soon as possible and lobbying for a complete elimination of ad time on public TV. "This year, at the very least, advertising during primetime on the public channels should be eliminated, while, in the span of 12 to 13 months, advertising should disappear from the pubcaster entirely," UTECA secretary general Jorge Del Corral said.
The initiative will be included in the upcoming Spanish Audiovisual Law, but must still be approved by the Spanish parliament.Spain's main free-to-air broadcasters have been hit particularly hard by the economic downturn and by increased competition as digital terrestrial TV takes off. Earlier this year, the country's national association of advertisers called upon the government to limit ad minutes, claiming that saturation advertising was diluting its effectiveness. In 2008, the EC warned Spain that it faced court action for failing to comply with specified advertising limits.
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Virgin Media viewers positive about on demand ads
Virgin Media has revealed the findings from the first-ever dynamic advertising trial on its on demand TV service. As part of a three-month trial, ads from leading brands including Kellogg’s, John Lewis and Royal Mail, were inserted around selected on demand programmes from Virgin Media TV, Channel 4 and Warner TV, to 100,000 homes across north London.Over half, 54 per cent, of Virgin Media’s trial lists were positive about advertising when watching on demand content from commercial providers. Sixty-five per cent preferred to see ads beforehand with ads lasting 30 seconds the most popular format. Respondents also favoured ads relevant to the programme being watched, such as hair care ads before Britain’s Next Top Model or ads for homeware after Grand Designs.
Mark Schweitzer, chief commercial officer at Virgin Media said there was a clear opportunity for on demand television to deliver relevant ads to an engaged and growing audience. "Our TV customers watched more than half a billion on demand programmes during 2008 and the service’s popularity has grown by over 60 per cent during those 12 months. By continuing to develop our on demand TV platform, we can offer even more great content and choice to viewers, a compelling opportunity for advertisers and the potential for an additional revenue stream to broadcasters."
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Broadcast technology suppliers maintain growthIABM, the industry association that represents broadcast and media technology suppliers worldwide, has announced the first publication in 2009 of its Industry Index which tracks the financial performance of supplier companies in the sector.
Growth in sales by companies supplying technology to broadcast and media companies grew by 11.7 per cent year on year to the end of March 2009, according to the index, while 78 per cent of companies tracked in the analysis were in profit, the level of profitability is in decline. European-based vendors are particularly affected by this, with profitability in North American companies holding up well.
"These figures should be seen in context: financial statements published up to the end of March largely reflect the business trends for 2008, so not only are they only just beginning to be affected by the recession, they cover a particularly big year for the broadcast industry," said Roger Crumpton, director of IABM. "That said, it does show that this is a healthy industry, as ready as any to face the difficult times ahead."
"Looking at the qualitative statements made by companies, it is clear that most have already taken appropriate action to protect margins," Crumpton continued. "They are also taking advantage of the global nature of the industry, with sales performance in the Far East, Middle East, India and Australia reported to have held up better than North America and Western Europe."
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Online video data for March 2009 compiled by Nielsen Online indicates that nearly 10 million streams were viewed. The total of 9.67 billion represented an 8.7 per cent increase compared to March 2008. Unique viewers were up 1.9 per cent at 130 million, with each viewer averaging 74.4 streams, an increase of 6.7 per cent. The time per Viewer averaged 190.7 minutes, up 12.6 per cent.
The top online Brands ranked by Video Streams saw YouTube head the table, notching up 5.4 billion Total Streams, with 89.4 million Unique Viewers. hulu trails behind (348.5 million/8.9 million), with Fox Interactive Media the first of the broadcaster sites (207.5 million/14.7 million).
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KabelKiosk moves to Eurobird 9A
The KabelKiosk platform of digital channels operated by the German subsidiary of Eutelsat Communications has commenced broadcasts from the Eurobird 9A satellite, which went into service on 24th February at 9 degrees East.
Dual illumination of the platform will be carried for a three-month period on Eurobird 9A (9 degrees East) and Atlantic Bird 2 (8 degrees West). This will enable cable operators to complete the migration to Eutelsat’s 9 degrees East position and secure room for significant expansion of digital channels and services for independent cable operators in continental Europe, notably Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Denmark and Luxembourg.
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MPDA targets piratesThe Motion Picture Dist. Association of India (MPDA), which is the local arm of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), is stepping up on anti-piracy initiatives across India.
MPDA managing director Rajiv Dalal said that he launch of the Indian arm of MPAA reflected "the coming together of Hollywood and Bollywood in this drive against piracy, which is eating into the revenues of the film industry in India and globally."
He revealed that the body is working with companies operating in the exhibition business to offer anti-camcorder recording training to the staff in order to curb piracy. "Apart from curbing camcording of movies in theatres, controlling Internet piracy is also high on the agenda of MPA in India. We are in the process of putting together a plan for the same."
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Dunbar joins SeaChangeSeaChange International, provider of software and hardware solutions for video-on-demand television, has confirmed the appointment of Ed Dunbar as president and chief operating officer of SeaChange. Dunbar brings 30 years of cable, advertising and broadcast management experience to this newly created position. Prior to his appointment, Dunbar was an area vice president of Comcast Cable Communications serving as general manager of cable systems in Comcast’s Atlanta region.
Jupiter Telecommunications (J:COM), the largest multiple system operator in Japan based on the number of customers served, has announced that the total subscribing households as of March 31st, 2009 served by J:COM’s 24 consolidated franchises reached 3.18 million, up 466,500, or 17.2 per cent since March 31st, 2008. Combined revenue generating units (RGUs) for cable television, high-speed Internet access and telephony services reached 5.67 million, up 851,100 or 17.6 per cent since March 31st, 2008.
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Tate art free on iTunesThe Tate galleries have made hundreds of video and audio downloads available for free on iTunes. More than 400 files are now on iTunes U - a section of the online store which features educational content. Projects include a series of films that use social networking site Twitter to bring the audience's questions directly to artists such as David Hockney.
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Red Dwarf success for DaveThe return of cult sci-fi comedy show Red Dwarf pulled in the highest ratings ever for UK digital channel Dave.
Red Dwarf: Back to Earth attracted more than 2 million viewers when its first new episode was screened, early figures have indicated. It smashed Dave's usual ratings for the time slot, which averaged 266,000 for the whole of 2008. The revival is one of the most popular non-terrestrial commissioned shows, in terms of the live audience for a first broadcast.
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News Corp global content portal
Rupert Murdoch has recruited John Moody, a senior executive of Fox News, to oversee the creation of a global content portal to knit together the editorial resources of News Corp’s newspapers and cable news channels.
The portal, which will not be available to consumers, is designed to help its news divisions from Dow Jones to the Times of London to Fox News better share resources amid pressure on costs from a decline in advertising spending. "In times like this, it makes good sense to maximize resources and know that every part of News Corp know what’s it’s doing," Moody commented.
Murdoch’s various news properties have already begun sharing some content in recent months. Fox News online videos are appearing on the Wall Street Journal’s site, while the New York Post carries some Journal stories.
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Reach selects TandbergTandberg Television, part of the Ericsson Group, has confirmed that Reach, provider of international voice and satellite services in Asia, is extending its HD satellite capabilities with a comprehensive Contribution and Distribution (C&D) solution from Tandberg that includes encoding, multiplexing, modulation and professional receivers. The equipment is being used at Asia’s largest commercial teleport in Hong Kong and at satellite earth stations in Sydney and Perth. Using the Tandberg C&D equipment, Reach provides video contribution circuits for TV networks and Pay TV operators covering SD, HD and DVB-S2 capabilities.
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Arris D5 Universal EdgeArris has announced the availability of a new high-density quad octal‚ module for its D5 Universal Edge QAM (UEQ) solution. The QPM (Quad Port Module) 8DX4 is a high density QAM-RF module that can be used for Video on Demand, Switched Digital Video and DOCSIS M-CMTS applications.
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Sigma powers Celrun IPTV STBsSigma Designs, expert in digital media processing system-on-chip (SoC) solutions for consumer electronics, has revealed that Sigma’s highly integrated SMP8654 media processors will be used to power Celrun’s TD-1100 set-top box (STB) which has been selected by telecom provider LG Dacom to be deployed throughout Korea. As part of this collaboration, Sigma’s chips have been integrated into Celrun’s TD-1100 STB and will support real-time IPTV streaming along with VOD services.
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Dilithium launches DVODilithium, specialist in high-quality multimedia delivery over mobile and broadband networks, has launched its Dilithium Video Optimizer (DVO) that enables content providers and service providers to reduce the bandwidth necessary to deliver video to 2.5 and 3G-enabled devices by up to 50 per cent without reducing video quality. By deploying the DVO, service providers can immediately provide a significantly better user experience as content can be displayed faster, with less buffering on devices and without degradation of video quality.
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Wednesday 15th April
French Internet piracy bill rejected
Spain's pay DTT at crossroads
TDG offers Pay TV strategies
2009 ad forecast drops
IPTV market sees mixed growth
Internet more popular than TVs in 2010
Universal, YouTube to launch VEVO service
ITV faces £20m Setanta bill
Consumers aware of HD but not eager to buy
Increased time-shifting in early prime-time
Terra launches new Internet TV service
WIT live TV app for iPhone
SatLink DTH platform for Africa
ERTU selects Tandberg
T-VIPS JPEG2000 for ORF
French Internet piracy bill rejectedFrench legislators have rejected legislation to permit cutting off the Internet connections of people who illegally download music and films. The government nevertheless plans to resurrect the bill for another vote later this month.
Backers of the bill - record labels, film companies and law-and-order parliamentarians - couldn't rally the needed support during in a near empty lower chamber ahead of the Easter holiday. Lawmakers voted 21 to 15 against it.
The measure would have created a government agency to track and punish those who pirate music and film on the Internet. The government, keen to strengthen its hand in the war against piracy, managed to slip the measure into an April 28th special session devoted to initiatives by President Nicolas Sarkozy's conservative UMP party.
The president's office reaffirmed Sarkozy's wish to get the law passed "as quickly as possible." He "does not plan to renounce this whatever the manoeuvres" to try to stop the bill's passage, a statement said.
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Spain's pay DTT at crossroads
From David Del Valle in Madrid
The Spanish DTT industry - electronic manufacturers, technology and content providers- is urging the Government to award the pay DTT licences as soon as possible on the grounds that a new delay would put at risk an estimated investment in the market of over E5 billion over the next four years.
All parties are asking the Administration to speed up the paperwork that will imply the one by one approval process of the licences, subject to the cabinet meeting's decision, announced by the Ministry of Industry last week. At the same time, the electronic manufacturers are demanding further information about the technical development of the new service and urging the Government to pave the way for the implementation of a horizontal DTT market with open and compatible set-top-boxes.
The Electronic Manufacturers' Association, ASIMELEC, warns that the launch of pay DTT will not be possible at least in four to six months. Manufacturers, software and technology providers, content providers and even potential investors are in a wait-and-see strategy until the final Government's go-ahead endangering a potential business of E5 billion over the next four years, according to Industry figures. More than half of that amount would correspond to set-top-boxes and TV manufacturers and CAS providers; E1.3 billion to broadcasters, installers and TV signal carriers; E750 million to content producers.
Some companies, such as TV channel La Sexta and the Swedish DTT platform Dahlia TV, are already establishing a presence in the Spanish pay DTT market. La Sexta has already asked for a pay DTT licence to distribute pay content, mainly football and some other sports rights. Dahlia TV has announced that it will invest E150 million to develop a pay DTT platform with pay services that could have a fee of E10 a month.
The problem is that a very small percentage of the existing 17 million set-top-boxes in the market are MHP ready and able to have a common interface to insert a pay DTT card. Only 36,000 DTT devices out of 2.4 million sold last year were MHP-based products.
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TDG offers Pay TV strategiesAccording to research advisory company The Diffusion Group (TDG), Pay TV operators must execute three specific tactics in order to defend against emerging competitors and take full advantage of their unique position in the video value chain. Specifically, TDG argues that Pay TV operators must:
- Push existing cable network TV programmes online;
- Deliver today's Internet-only content and bonus material directly to the television; and
- Offer broadband TV services without requiring a traditional Pay TV subscription (as a stand-alone service).By executing these three strategies, Pay TV operators will enhance their defensive position, recapture the attention of the Internet generation, and generate an additional $2 billion in annual revenue by 2013.
Colin Dixon, senior analyst with The Diffusion Group, points to the nascent but emerging threat from OTT video services as the primary reason why Pay TV operators must aggressively pursue online video strategies. "More than half of adult Internet users are interested in an over-the-top broadband TV service," notes Dixon. "So much that they would consider cancelling their existing Pay TV subscription if the OTT service was priced appropriately."
According to Dixon, it will not be long before a variety of companies including CE OEMs, web-based aggregators, and pure-play OTT providers look to tap into this interest and compete more directly with Pay TV operators. "As TV-based web connectivity becomes more prominent, and as web-based content providers more fully exploit these new connections, the 'local cable company' becomes just one of many conduits serving the TV screen. This means that incumbent TV providers risk becoming just another TV input, even an icon on another company's interface."
Dixon notes that this multiplicity of access points has already allowed providers such as Netflix to introduce economically streaming functionality directly to the TV without the burden of proprietary hardware. "Content providers such as Netflix and Amazon are partnering with CE vendors to deliver their content directly to the TV, going 'over the top' of incumbent set-top boxes. As this happens, these simple services evolve to something more akin to premium movie services at a far more economical price than current Pay TV offerings."
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Global advertising spending is set to fall 6.9 per cent this year to $453 billion with the Internet the only medium to attract higher expenditure on ads, media agency ZenithOptimedia said, cutting a previous forecast.
ZenithOptimedia predicts the rate of decline would slow towards the end of the year and said spending might pick up in 2010, although visibility is limited. It had in December predicted a flat 2009 market.
The agency blamed "unprecedented economic problems" for the expected decline, saying this had led to poor corporate confidence and consumers putting off big purchases. "Since we released our last forecasts in December the global ad market has taken a substantial turn for the worse," the company said.
Television, still the most popular medium with advertisers, will increase its share of advertising budgets to 38.6 per cent from 38.1 per cent as cash-strapped consumers spend more time at home watching TV and advertisers stick to what they know and trust. Spending on Internet advertising is set to rise 8.6 per cent, down from 20.9 per cent growth in 2008, driven by consumers searching online for bargains as well as advertisers favouring the medium for its trackable results and innovative methods.
In absolute terms, however, TV advertising spending will decrease by 5.5 per cent and broadcasters will suffer disproportionately as a growing number of digital channels fight for their share of that budget.
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IPTV market sees mixed growthMRG has released its ‘Global IPTV Market Leaders Report - March 2009’, which tracks the top 100 IPTV vendors in 24 regional sub-segments based on the installed base of six video systems products in over 700 IPTV Operations. Continuing growth of subscribers is reflected by increased deployments of IPTV products in Europe, Asia, Rest of World, and especially in North America.
While the closing of Tiscali/Italy and the reorganisation of Nortel leave ripples of change throughout the industry, over 35 new IPTV operations began trials or deployment in the past six months in all 4 regions, leaving ripples of opportunity for existing companies. For the first time, Microsoft has moved upward to second position globally in Middleware and Content Protection, and first in VOD, as its competitors brace for further rolling swells from the software giant. Yet, sixteen VOD vendors remain in the race with each of the top 10 having well over 1 million subscribers. In Content Protection, Verimatrix again scores number 1 globally "far ahead of Microsoft" in a sector clearly leading the industry in its sure-footed march to provision the converged three-screen services markets worldwide and regionally.
Despite the competition in Middleware, over 22 companies continue to compete as if this were a marathon rather than a sprint, despite the fact that each of the six top vendors has well over 1 million subscribers. A similar situation exists with Set-top-Boxes (STBs), with the top 8 suppliers each having well over 1 million subscribers while Motorola and Amino (including its recent acquisition of Tilgin) are beginning to pull ahead.
"Because of widely disbursed engineering, sales and manufacturing, the IPTV STB sector supports more competitive suppliers on a sub-regional basis than earlier multi-channel industries like cable or satellite," states Gary Schultz, CEO of MRG, "In many ways IPTV as an industry looks more like a triple-play version of the mobile phone industry than older models of the multichannel video industry."
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Internet more popular than TVs in 2010If current growth trends continue, the Internet will overtake traditional TV as the most consumed form of media for the first time in June 2010. Internet consumption in 2010 will average 14.2 hours per week, or over 2.5 days a month, compared to 11.5 hours a week, or 2 days a month, for TV, according to a report released by Microsoft.
The report, which analyses people’s online behaviour across Europe and discusses the trends of the future, highlights that while the Internet will become the most popular media, this does not signify the decline in TV, it simply reflects the changing ways we experience TV content. No longer a one-way broadcast experience, TV becomes a two way connected experience delivered via broadband to multiple screens - TV, PC, mobile.
The report outlines that over the next five years, we should see the PC move from being almost the sole provider of the Internet (95 per cent) to representing just 50 per cent of Internet usage as other web enabled or connected devices grow in popularity - such as TV, mobile phones and games consoles5.
Jeffrey Cole, Centre for Digital Future Director, USC Annenberg School, comments: "Rather than shrinking, television will only grow in importance. TV no longer refers to the big screen in the home, but to audio and visual content that will be watched everywhere. It will become our constant companion as it escapes from the home for the first time via the mobile phone and netbook PC. That said, the big screen at home will continue to play an important role. We will save our favourite content for the big screen in the home for cinema like experiences. The gap between the home and theatre has never been so narrow."
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Universal, YouTube to launch VEVO serviceUniversal Music Group (UMG), the world's leading music company and YouTube, the Google-owned video-sharing site, are working together to launch VEVO, a music and video entertainment service that will feature UMG’s premium video content.
In addition to VEVO, YouTube has renewed and extended its successful partnership with UMG that allows users to continue creating and watching user-generated videos containing UMG sound recordings and Universal Music Publishing Group’s compositions on YouTube through various territories around the world. The two companies will also share advertising revenue on YouTube and VEVO.
VEVO will be a premium online music video hub built for consumers, advertisers and content owners that will blend UMG's catalogue of top artists and content with YouTube’s video technology and user community. YouTube will provide the technology infrastructure that will power VEVO and host UM’s library of music videos on the new site. On YouTube, this content will be exclusively available through VEVO.com and a new VEVO channel through a special VEVO branded embedded player.
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ITV faces £20m Setanta billITV faces a bill for at least £20 million if Setanta Sports fails to keep up payments due to the Football Association for showing England football matches.
A clause in ITV's deal with the FA means that the commercial broadcaster would have to pay to show nine England home friendlies between now and 2012 if the privately owned Setanta runs into financial difficulties. The precise fee has not been revealed, but ITV is obliged to pay a "cut price", estimated at more than £2 million a game, so that the FA can be sure of all England home matches being broadcast.
Setanta Sports has been under financial pressure since securing the rights to show only 23 Premier League matches a season from 2010 - half its current total - triggering fears that it may not retain enough subscribers.
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Consumers aware of HD but not eager to buyNinety-nine percent of UK consumers are aware of High Definition (HD) TV but only one in ten (11 per cent) is looking to buy a HD television in 2009, according to figures released by Buckingham Research.
The online panel survey, conducted the market research agency, asked a total of 695 respondents a series of questions regarding their awareness of and feelings towards HDTV and its associated products. 85 per cent of those asked said that they were aware of it, while a further 14 per cent said they were aware but did not understand it. Only 1 per cent responded that they were unaware of the offering.
However, when asked which products consumers considered a priority purchase for 2009, only 11 per cent highlighted HDTV as a probable buy.
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Increased time-shifting in early prime-timeDVR solutions specialist TiVo has reported that primetime programming which aired during the 8pm and 9pm timeslots in the US in February experienced a marked increase in timeshifted viewing over programmes in the 10pm hour, as viewed by TiVo service subscribers.
According to its StopWatch ratings service, an analysis of broadcast networks ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC depicted high levels of Timeshifting between the primetime hours of 8pm and 10pm, with a significant decrease thereafter, as viewers transitioned to live viewing. In fact, the ratings demonstrate that the 9pm timeslot was the most heavily Timeshifted hour with 59 per cent of viewers opting to record programming during this hour and watch it later. The 8pm timeslot was a close second with 58 per cent
Timeshifted viewing, followed by the 10pm hour with only 53 per cent of viewers watching in Timeshifted mode and 47 per cent tuning in live.
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Terra launches new Internet TV serviceLatin American Internet service provider Terra has launched a new version of its Internet TV service. Terra deployed a latest-generation video platform in order to launch the new service, the company said. The service includes new multimedia tools, more interaction with users and more news content.
The company is now offering a beta version of the service and expects it to be fully operational by April 19th, company communications manager for Latin America Ana Pessoa told BNamericas. The service will be available in Latin American countries as well as in the US.
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WIT live TV app for iPhoneWIT Software has unveiled its iPhone ‘Live TV’ app allowing Vodafone Portugal iPhone 3G users to watch real time TV. This is one of the first iPhone Live TV applications to be launched commercially in a mobile operator. It was developed by WIT-Software, in close cooperation with Vodafone Portugal.
With this application, mobile operators do not have to change anything on their network and subscribers can use the service anywhere in the country, as long as they have 3G coverage. This application is available for free on the Portuguese AppStore as ‘Vodafone Mobile TV’ and it can be used by any Vodafone Portugal customer.
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SatLink DTH platform for AfricaSatLink Communications has acquired its own capacity covering sub-Saharan Africa on Astra’s Astra 4A (Sirius 4) satellite located at 5° East. SatLink’s new MCPC (Multi-Channel Per Carrier) is a powerful platform for broadcasters aiming to reach Direct to Home viewing for sub-Saharan African customers.
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ERTU selects TandbergTandberg Television, part of the Ericsson Group, has revealed that the Egyptian Radio & Television Union (ERTU) has selected the latest Tandberg Television MPEG-2 4:2:2 SD encoding solutions for the expansion of its SDH microwave network covering the Red Sea and North Coast Sinai. The expanded network will interconnect over 14 of ERTU’s contribution studios via wireless links, enabling the broadcaster to distribute high quality MPEG-2 4:2:2 content between facilities.
ERTU is Egypt's national broadcaster and the Middle East's largest television and radio producer and broadcaster. With facilities throughout the country, ERTU transmits 11 satellite channels via Nilesat, as well as nine local channels with a total viewing audience of approximately 60 million people.
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T-VIPS JPEG2000 for ORFT-VIPS, global player in professional video contribution and distribution, has announced that its IP video contribution system, based on the increasingly acclaimed JPEG2000 compression standard, has been selected by ORF, Austria’s national broadcaster, as part of its migration to an advanced IP backbone for next generation HD programming.
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