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Our Latest Issues
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Scroll down page or click below for news - latest first
Tuesday
Friday 23rd July
BSkyB agrees proposed deal for Easynet
Pay-DTT for France
UK delays changes to sports TV coverage
Netflix profits up 34%
Ofcom shakes up broadband complaint measures
Stolen movie equals lost sale
Qualcomm eyes MediaFLO sale
China Mobile expects to earn 720m Yuan from mobile TV
MENA: online beats TV
Motorola, SARFT agency in NGB deal
500m Facebook users
China cracks down on net piracy
AOL video clips deal with ITN
Mediaroom compatible STB platform by Sigma
BSkyB agrees proposed deal for Easynet
BSkyB has reached an agreement over the proposed sale of its business-to-business telecommunications operation, Easynet Global Services, to LDC, a leading UK private equity company.
LDC will pay Sky £100 million for the business on completion of the transaction, subject to regulatory approval and a works council consultation in respect of certain Easynet employees. LDC, which is fully funded by the Lloyds Banking Group, is backing current Easynet CEO David Rowe and his management team.Under the proposal, Sky will retain the UK network assets that it acquired as part of the original acquisition of Easynet Group in 2005. As part of the proposed sale, Sky and LDC will enter into a long-term supply agreement to grant Easynet Global Services continued access to Sky's fibre network, which continues to support Sky Broadband and Sky Talk services. Easynet will also continue to be a key supplier to Sky.
Andrew Griffith, Sky's Chief Financial Officer, said: "The acquisition of Easynet was central to the early success of Sky Broadband and Sky Talk. Whilst retaining the UK network assets to support the continued growth of our residential customers, we propose to exit the B2B segment with the sale of the business to a credible team and on attractive terms."
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Pay-DTT for FranceFrance’s TV regulator, the Conseil supérieur de l’audiovisuel (CSA) has invited bids to run a pay-TVservice on the R3 digital terrestrial multiplex.
Bids must be submitted by October 15th, 2010, with public hearings and selection scheduled for December 2010, followed by service authorisation in January 2011. Capacity still available on the same multiplex set aside for on-demand services will be opened for expression of interest in September 2010.
The CSA will invite expression of interest in the third quarter of 2010 for capacity on multiplex R7; one set aside for two additional pay channels, the other two free channels in high definition.
Michel Boyon, President of CSA, said that the body planned to give pay-DTT another chance, with the CSA’s decision based on meetings held with pay-TV operators in March 2010, as well as other interested parties. "Pay-TV can meet the expectations to which free channels are unable to provide an appropriate response, " he said.
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UK delays changes to sports TV coverage
The London Olympics and Euro 2012 football tournament will be shown on free-to-air television in Britain after the government deferred until 2013 any changes to the rules on broadcasting sports events.
Sports Minister Hugh Robertson said that changes to the broadcasting landscape, including the completion of a switchover to digital transmission in 2012, meant it was not the right time to review the list of protected events. "The current economic climate also points to us not making a decision at this time which could adversely impact on sport at the grassroots. I have therefore decided to defer any review until 2013, when we will look at this again," Robertson said in a statement.
England's home cricket test matches are not protected and migrated to Sky following the hugely popular 2005 England victory over Australia in the Ashes. A review by former Football Association Executive Director David Davies in 2008 proposed adding home Ashes test matches to the list, as well as the home countries' football qualifiers for major tournaments.
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Netflix profits up 34%Netflix, the online movie-rental service, has reported second-quarter profit rose 34 per cent. The shares fell after sales missed analysts’ estimates and the company said it would spend for more exclusive content. Net income advanced to $43.5 million from $32.4 million a year earlier. Sales rose 27 per cent to $519.8 million.
The combination of streaming and mail-order titles has helped the company reach 15 million subscribers at June 30th, up 42 per cent from a year earlier and 7.4 per cent from the first quarter.
Chief Executive Officer Reed Hastings said Netflix will pay more to get movies and television shows that can be delivered through the Web to game consoles, Blu-ray players and Apple’s iPad. The company said 61 per cent of subscribers use its Web service, up from 55 per cent in the first quarter.
"We can start to afford some major TV shows and movies on an exclusive basis," Hastings said in a statement. Netflix plans "a mix of more-expensive exclusive content and lower-cost non-exclusive content."
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Ofcom shakes up broadband complaint measuresOfcom has confirmed new measures that will force UK broadband ISPs into making their customers aware of the official complaint handling processes (Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) schemes).
The regulator claims that, in 2009, approximately three million consumers failed to resolve complaints with their phone and broadband provider after 12 weeks. In addition, three quarters (77 per cent) of those consumers were found to be unaware that a resolution service existed to investigate their complaints.
A further welcome move would be for phone and Internet providers’ complaints data to be published. If consumers could compare performance on complaints handling it would allow them to factor this into their choice of provider and act as a spur to companies to improve help for customers who have cause to complain.
At present, all UK ISPs are required to join an Ofcom-approved ADR scheme, such as CISAS or OTELO, and adhere to the final decisions made by that scheme. The advantage they have is that an ADR is free and can order your ISP to either fix the problem or pay compensation (up to £5000).
Ofcom Chief Executive, Ed Richards, said: "We want to make sure that when something goes wrong, consumers are able to find out easily how to make a complaint and can be assured that their provider will be able to handle their complaint effectively."
So, from 2011, ISPs will have to include information of the relevant dispute resolution service on all paper bills. They will also have to write to consumers whose complaints have not been resolved within 8 weeks to inform them of their right to take their complaint to a dispute resolution service.
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Stolen movie equals lost sale
From Colin Mann in LondonResearch carried out by The Diffusion Group suggests that where digital content is not available for copying or P2P sharing, consumer are more likely to purchase or rent that material via legal means.
TDG senior partner Colin Dixon told delegates at the Rovi/TDG presentation on Video Piracy among Consumers that piracy prevention could be equated to revenue protection. Suggesting that portability of content was a strong driver in current usage, Dixon said that consumers were willing to pay "reasonable prices" for such convenience. "If you get what you want from the copy, you’re good to go," he added.
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Qualcomm eyes MediaFLO saleMobile technology specialist Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs has confirmed that the company is in talks to sell off its struggling mobile television initiative in MediaFLO, with the timeline for the sale expected between this year and next before declining to elaborate further.
The broadcast technology utilises the 700MHz spectrum closest to analogue UHF TV channel 68 to deliver programming to phones and devices equipped with transceivers for a monthly fee in a bid to emulate the success of other mobile television initiatives such as T-DMB and 1seg in Korea and Japan respectively.
The FLOTV service was launched in 2007 with the help of Verizon Wireless and programming from NBC Universal, ESPN, News Corp, ABC Networks and Viacom with further expansion in 2008 to AT&T and international trials in order to drive growth with limited success. The MediaFLO division has also attempted a direct to consumer sales model with the launch of the HTC manufactured MediaFLO Mobile TV last year currently sold in Best Buy locations and given away during CES earlier this year.
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China Mobile expects to earn 720m Yuan from mobile TV
China Mobile expects to earn 720 million Yuan (E82m) from its mobile TV business within three years Zhang Yan, a director of the China Mobile Research Institution, has said.
China Mobile cooperated with the Broadcasting Corporation of China to roll out China Mobile Multimedia Broadcasting (CMMB) in March 2009.
China Mobile currently has a total of one million mobile TV users.CMMB operates on two modes and combines services that are free of charge with fee-based services. The price of basic services is six Yuan per month.
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MENA: online beats TVInternet users in the Middle East are spending more time online than watching television according to a survey published by online research company Effective Measure and carried out in conjunction with Spot On Public Relations. The survey of over 2500 internet users across the Middle East and North Africa clearly shows that 88 per cent of Internet users in the region access the Internet daily, with many spending more time on the Internet than they do watching television.
"The survey clearly shows that people are accessing the Internet throughout the day and night, while other media such as newspapers, radio and television have peak times of usage," said Effective Measures’ CEO Brendon Ogilvy. "In addition, more people are accessing the Internet on a daily basis and spending longer online, both in browsing and in updating social networks, than they are spending consuming ‘traditional’ media such as newspapers, radio, television and magazines. The findings show a real movement in the way people are accessing information here in the region.’
Motorola, SARFT agency in NGB deal
Reports from China suggest that has entered into an agreement with the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television's (SARFT) Academy of Broadcasting Planning (ABP) concerning the country's next generation broadcasting (NGB) network.
It is understood that the company has agreed to supply cable TV set-top box solutions, co-operate with the agency in NGB-related testing and evaluations, and provide relevant equipment and technical support.
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500m Facebook usersFacebook has passed its 500 millionth user, making it the biggest social network in the world and also the fastest growing. Chief executive Mark Zuckerberg thinks it is "almost guaranteed" to reach one billion users – given that it is the biggest social network in every country except Russia, Japan and China.
Facebook's own user figures are based on members that have used the site within the past month: of those 500 million, it says, half use the site every day, and for an average of 34 minutes. 150 million users access the site by mobile. "This is the quiet revolution for Facebook," says the company's head of policy for Europe, Richard Allan. "We are well positioned for the world beyond the broadband-connected PC."
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China cracks down on net piracy
Chinese authorities have launched a three-month nationwide campaign on Wednesday to crack down on illegal pirating on the Internet. Internet websites based in China that are found selling pirated books, DVDs, or other publications, as well as those providing links to pirated music, software, and movies, could be blocked and shut down.Authorities in charge of copyright protection, the police, as well as industrial and commerce officials, will conduct the campaign until the end of October, according to a statement issued by an office in charge of co-ordination for the nationwide operation.
The authorities will monitor websites dealing with online businesses of publications, especially those that contain online games, literature, popular TV programmes, movies and music.
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AOL video clips deal with ITNAOL has inked a deal with ITN to receive hundreds of hours of news, entertainment and lifestyle clips in the latest stage of its reinvention as a content-rich portal.
The deal, which comes a month after AOL pledged it would be the "largest net hirer of journalists in the world", will see hundreds of video news clips provided to AOL each week. ITN, which won the content deal after a competitive pitch run by AOL, will provide news covering UK, world, showbiz, money and sports as well as entertainment and lifestyle content spanning video gaming, music, TV, movies and fashion.
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Mediaroom compatible STB platform by SigmaSigma Designs, a provider of system-on-chip (SoC) solutions, has confirmed the availability of its Microsoft Mediaroom compatible set top box platform based on Sigma's SMP8652 media processor SoC. SMP8652-based set top box designs have completed integration with Mediaroom client software and are anticipated to begin deployment with leading carriers in the second half of 2010.
Mediaroom is the world's most deployed IPTV platform, with a global customer base delivering services to more than five million subscriber households.
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Thursday 22nd July
OFT to study BSkyB-Virgin Media TV deal
Top Up TV brings Sky Sports Freeview
TeliaSonera sees positive Q2
US ranks 23rd in broadband development
Apple profits soar
Yahoo results disappoint
CRTC to review satellite TV policies
China Mobile and China Telecom select Alcatel-Lucent
Wowza, SIDSA partner for web and mobile solutions
UEBO plays on with PlayOn
Eutelsat appoints Bair
OFT to study BSkyB-Virgin Media TV deal
From Colin Mann in LondonUK consumer and competition authority the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is to examine BSkyB’s intended acquisition of Virgin Media Television.
The OFT said it would examine whether the deal resulted in the creation of a merger situation under the 2002 Enterprise Act, and a lessening of competition in the marketplace. It has asked for interested parties to submit their views on any competition or public interest issues by August 4th.
BSkyB has received regulatory approval in the Republic of Ireland, and has paid Virgin Media an initial £105 million (E125m) and up to a further £55 million if and when the deal achieves regulatory clearance in the UK. The agreement also allows Sky to pay less if the OFT raises competition issues.
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Top Up TV brings Sky Sports to FreeviewTop Up TV has confirmed that it will bring Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 2 to over 10 million Freeview homes in the UK when it launches its new sports packs on August 20th. The announcement follows competitor BT Vision’s decision to offer the channels on Freeview.
Sky Sports 1 and 2 will join ESPN on Top Up TV, giving subscribers live access to 2010/11 Barclays Premier League games and Champions League matches previously only available on satellite and cable.
Top Up TV will offer Sky Sports 1 for £22.99 a month, Sky Sports 1 and 2 for £31.99 a month and the whole pack, Sky Sports 1 and 2 and ESPN, for £39.99 a month. Top Up TV will also offer Sky Sports 1 and 2 free for the first month with no obligation to a contract if customers subscribe before September 6.
In contrast to Top Up TV’s rates, BT Vision is offering one service at £11.99 and both at £16.99, both considered to be loss-leading. To obtain these packages, new customers have to agree to a 24-month deal and pay £11.54 in line rental and £17.99 for a TV pack, telephony package and up to 20Mb broadband deal.
BSkyB offers Sky Sports 1 or Sky Sports 2 for £29, or a pack including all four Sky Sports channels, Sky Sports News and extras such as broadband and telephony for £38 – with line rental of about £11 on top.
Virgin Media offers Sky Sports 1 or 2 for £13.50, but this requires buying its basic TV channel pack for an extra £11. To buy Sky Sports 1 through 4 and Sky Sports News costs £20.50 on top of the basic channel pack.
In March, Ofcom ruled that Sky would have to cut the price it charged rivals to show its premium sports channels.
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TeliaSonera sees positive Q2Nordic telecommunications operator TeliaSonera has reported net profit rose around 17 per cent in the second quarter, largely due to lower costs.
The company’s report showed a net profit of 5.2 billion kronor ($706 million) for the April-June period, up from 4.5 billion kronor in the same three months last year.
Revenues slumped by around 2 per cent, however, to 27 billion kronor. TeliaSonera says exchange rate fluctuations weighed on the result. In its outlook for 2010, the Stockholm-based company says net sales in local currencies and excluding acquisitions are expected to be "in line" with the first half.
From the end of the second quarter in 2009, the number of subscriptions have increased by 12.8 million to 152.4 million.
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US ranks 23rd in broadband developmentThe US still trails much of the world in broadband development, ranking 23rd on the list of the top 57 countries, according to rankings released by analyst firm Strategy Analytics. South Korea holds on to the title of the world’s most advanced broadband market. Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Lithuania, and Japan round out the top five slots.
The rankings are the result of a new broadband measurement tool launched by Strategy Analytics. The ‘Broadband Composite Index‘ (BCI) examines and scores the broadband development of fifty-seven individual countries in five categories, including household penetration, speed, affordability, value for money, and urbanicity. The resulting score provides a more balanced and robust view of broadband development, according to the firm.
The US, which placed 23rd on the list, trailed the rankings in a number of the five index components. Ben Piper, Director of the Strategy Analytics Multiplay Market Dynamics service and author of the report said competition—or the lack of it—is to blame for the high prices and low average speeds in the US. "With essentially zero intra-platform competition, US service providers have little incentive to innovate offerings or differentiate beyond par," he commented.
The UK ranked 22nd on the list.
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Apple profits soarApple has posted soaring Q3 profits - thanks largely to sales of the iPad and iPhone. The California technology company posted a 78 per cent rise in net income between April and June of $3.25 billion - up from $1.8 billion a year ago.
Revenue rose 61 per cent from last year to $15.7 billion, making it the company's highest quarterly revenue ever and fuelling speculation it may beat Microsoft's revenue figures due this week.
Sales of iPhones hit 8.4 million, up 61 per cent from last year, even though the company stopped shipping more of the previous-generation iPhones after the updated model, the iPhone 4, was announced in early June.
Although its release coincided with only the last three days of the quarter, 1.7 million iPhone 4s were sold in what Apple chief executive Steve Jobs called "the most successful product launch in Apple's history".
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Yahoo results disappointYahoo squeezed increased revenue from flat sales but failed to meet analysts’ expectations for the quarter as it lost advertising to rivals, Google and Facebook.
The Internet group saw sales of $1.13 billion in the three months to June, excluding revenues shared with partner sites, compared to the $1.16 billion expected by analysts. "We were on the low end of our revenue guidance," Carol Bartz, chief executive said. "Our top job here is to grow the top line, so we’re not trying to squeeze every cost out."
Display advertising, which constitutes the majority of Yahoo’s revenue, rose by 19 per cent. Search advertising, however, was down 8 per cent year on year. "Search was basically sluggish for us the whole quarter," said Bartz.
She said the growth in display was the result of shifting ad trends allied to new formats the company is introducing. "Users today want to go beyond words presented on the screen," she said. "And they want it very personally relevant and local." Yahoo is experimenting with ad units that encourage social sharing, and Bartz said the company would roll out more.
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CRTC to review satellite TV policies
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) is to hold public hearings this autumn into the country's satellite TV and direct-to- home broadcast policies and regulations.
The Commission wants to address matters relating the country's transition to digital TV, local television access and broadcast commercial substitution, all of which have been controversial issues for the broadcast and telecom regulator.
The CRTC currently provides a framework for the DTH distribution of conventional TV stations to subscribers, and the manner in which DTH distribution uses simultaneous commercial substitution.
Two licensed direct-to-home broadcast distribution satellite services currently operate in Canada: Bell TV and Shaw Direct.
Each operates under a licence that allows them to transport broadcasting programming services from where they originate to other broadcasting distribution undertakings (BDUs) - such as cable BDUs - which, in turn, sell these services to their subscribers.
Although their DTH and satellite relay distribution undertakings (SRDU) services are licensed separately, Bell TV and Shaw Direct use the same facilities such as satellites, ground stations and other facilities, to offer both types of services.
This means that choices made or actions taken with respect to one type of service frequently have an impact on the other.
The Commission recently licensed a third DTH service - FreeHD Canada - to provide both DTH and SRDU services, but it says it has not yet received notification that FreeHD's DTH or SRDU services are in operation.
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China Mobile and China Telecom select Alcatel-LucentAlcatel-Lucent has been selected by both China Mobile and China Telecom to deploy its Passive Optical Networks (PON)-based solutions to cost-effectively deliver a wide range of next-generation broadband services such as HDTV and high-speed Internet throughout China.
Alcatel-Lucent’s fibre-based solutions will be deployed in 14 provinces for China Mobile, and in more than 18 provinces for China Telecom. The contracts were secured through Alcatel-Lucent Shanghai Bell, Alcatel-Lucent’s flagship company in China. Under the contracts, Alcatel-Lucent will deploy its 7342 Intelligent Services Access Manager Fibre-to-the-User (ISAM FTTU) platform.
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Wowza, SIDSA partner for web and mobile solutions
Media server software company Wowza Media Systems and SIDSA, the Spanish provider of audiovisual technology for broadcasters and network operators, have integrated SIDSA’s digital TV products portfolio with Wowza Media Server 2 to extend the reach of customers' digital content to new Internet and mobile audiences.
The pair suggest that Wowza's unified media server enables SIDSA customers to reach larger Internet and mobile audiences without having to resort to multiple costly proprietary technologies.
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Santa Clara California-based UITStor has revealed that its new UEBO consumer electronics line has partnered with PlayOn, a service from Internet TV service provider MediaMall Technologies. The partnership will bring a number of Internet TV channels and video content services to the TVs of UEBO customers via a simple, convenient TV remote control interface.
With the PlayOn partnership, UEBO device users have access to rich Internet video content on their TVs. Content from Hulu, Netflix, CBS, ESPN, MLB, CNN and YouTube can be easily browsed and played using a simple remote control.
Raymond Yow, Director of Marketing of UITStor, said the company’s M200 Media Player was part of a new category of devices that help people bridge the gap between their PCs and TVs.
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Eutelsat appoints BairEutelsat Communications has confirmed the appointment of David Bair as Chief Technical Officer. Bair joins Eutelsat from EchoStar Satellite Services where he was Senior Vice President of Space Programmes and Operations. During his tenure, EchoStar instituted a new flight operations group to fly its own satellites, and the EchoStar fleet grew from five to 14 spacecraft.
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Wednesday 21st July
Sky Italia cleared to bid for frequencies
US networks stream 90 per cent of content online
Digital broadcast mobile TV captures subs
Home entertainment industry in recovery
Bandwidth caps barrier to emerging Internet TV competition
Sky Sports HD on Virgin
300m watch TV on laptops in China
Netflix launching Canadian service
Connected TVs shipments surge
DECE unveils UltraViolet brand
Red Bee Media brings HD to Film4
T-VIPS appoints Germer
Zappware inks deal with Swiss cable operator
Sky Italia cleared to bid for frequenciesThe European Commission has cleared News Corp's Italian satellite unit Sky Italia to compete for a digital terrestrial television frequency in Italy, a move that will escalate competition with rival Mediaset.
The clearance is given on the condition that Sky Italia uses the frequency for free-to-air television and not for pay-TV, the commission said.
Italian telecommunications regulator AGCOM was waiting for the commission's decision before opening a tender among Italy's main broadcasters aimed at assigning five new digital terrestrial frequencies.
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US networks stream 90 per cent of content onlineA survey by Clicker has found that US networks ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox and The CW posted roughly 4,420 full episodes online from 127 shows last season, which comes to roughly 90 per cent of the total number of shows but didn't include primetime sporting events and NFL-related shows .
Clicker, which bills itself as a TV guide for the Internet, found that 50 per cent of the episodes came online within a day of their original airdates. The downside for so-called ‘cord cutters’ - who give up their pay-TV subscription in favour of online viewing - is that the content wasn't online very long, with 60 per cent of the shows offline within three weeks of their original airdates.
Among the network broadcasters, ABC and CBS had the most shows available online, with ABC holding a slight edge. The CW had the highest percentage of shows available online at 100 per cent last season. CBS was tops in terms of the total number of episodes, having posted just under 1,750 online.
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Digital broadcast mobile TV captures subsNew research from In-Stat identifies that the largest number of mobile TV subscribers/viewers will come from digital broadcast. This will be followed in numbers by analogue broadcast viewers. However, while mobile TV subscribers will be lower, they will generate the lion's share of revenue, with over $15 billion in subscription revenue by 2014.
"Global 3G network development is driven by the popularity of data services such as social networking and texting," says Norm Bogen, In-Stat analyst. "Mobile TV stands to leverage this demand."
Research by In-Stat found the following:
- Mobile TV subscribers will generate over $15 billion in subscription revenue by 2014.
- Mobile TV broadcasting standards remain fragmented by geographic region worldwide, with CMMB, ISDB-T (1seg), ATSC-M/H, DVB-H, MediaFLO and DMB all finding deployments.
- Asia, primarily India and China, will drive mobile TV subscriptions.
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Home entertainment industry in recoveryThe home entertainment industry began to recover in the second quarter of this year, with consumer spending on pre-recorded entertainment products relatively flat with second-quarter spending in 2009.
Numbers released today by DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group also indicate a 2.3 per cent rise in consumer transactions in the first six months of this year.
A tough first quarter, however, still led to a 3.3 per cent decrease in first-half spending. Consumers spent an estimated $8.8 billion on DVD and Blu-ray Disc sales and rentals as well as digitally distributed programming, compared with a revised estimate of $9.1 billion in the first six months of 2009.
Spending was down just 0.7 per cent in the second quarter, a far cry from the 8 per cent decline reported in the first quarter of 2010.
"Clearly, we are still grappling with a challenging marketplace and a tough economy, but overall the trends we are seeing are encouraging," said Warner Home Video president Ron Sanders, also president of DEG: The Digital Entertainment.
Digital distribution accounted for $1.1 billion in first-half consumer spending, up 23.1 per cent from the first half of 2009. Electronic sell-through (mostly through Apple iTunes) generated an estimated $285 million, up 36.9 per cent, while video-on-demand (VOD) brought in an estimated $865 million, up 19.1 per cent.
Blu-ray Disc also continued to post impressive gains, with combined consumer spending on purchases and rentals of the high-definition disc estimated at $982 million for the first half of the year. Blu-ray Disc sell-through rose 84 per cent, to $733 million. Isolating the second quarter, Blu-ray Disc sales were up 112 per cent to $363 million, thanks at least in part to the Blu-ray Disc success of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment’s Avatar, which in April sold an estimated 2.7 million Blu-ray Discs in its first four days in stores.
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Bandwidth caps barrier to emerging Internet TV competitionAT&T ’s recent decision to implement broadband caps and charge extra fees for heavy data usage on wireless devices poses grave implications for potential media substitutes hoping to displace traditional TV, according to iSuppli Corp.
By discontinuing at the end of June its old phone plan allowing subscribers unlimited access, AT&T is seeking to limit the intensive data usage of smart phones such as Apple ’s iPhone, as well as the new Apple iPad tablet. Going forward, however, the caps will make it difficult for any high-quality streaming application hoping to become a true TV substitute to get off the ground without the support of wireless operators.
"iSuppli believes that most of the emerging streaming Internet models are mistaken in postulating that they could displace, over time, traditional television and movie delivery mechanisms without paying for related network costs," said William Kidd, director and principal analyst for financial services at iSuppli.
Although broadband caps help properly price an access service for the small percentage of subscribers that take up a disproportionate share of network traffic—usually through their heavy use of data—streaming media presents unknown risks.
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Virgin Media has announced the addition of Sky Sports HD1 and Sky Sports HD2 for the very first time to its line-up of HD channels. Featuring Premier League Football, Cricket and Rugby Union amongst a wide range of other popular sports, Sky Sports HD1 and HD2 will join ESPN HD, EuroSport HD, BBC HD and ITV1 HD on Virgin Media.
The new Sky Sports HD channels will be available from August 2nd and will cost £7 per month on any TV package when subscribing to Sky Sports in standard definition.
The addition of Sky Sports HD1 and HD2 follows Virgin Media's deal with Sky to bring its customers a wide range of new HD channels and Red Button interactive services. The deal also adds Sky 1HD, Sky Arts HD and Sky Movies HD channels for the very first time, which will take the total number of HD channels on Virgin Media to 30.
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300m watch TV on laptops in ChinaInternet television has taken off in China, with some 300 million people there watching programmes that they regard as an alternative to state-controlled programming, the New York Times has reported.
Some of the Chinese video sites, the newspaper noted, are spending aggressively to license content from the US but users are also uploading hundreds of pirated movies and TV shows, some of them within hours after they are broadcast in the US.
Victor Koo, founder and CEO of Youku.com, told the Times that his website is working with the MPAA to improve monitoring and remove unlicensed copyrighted material. The piracy issue, the newspaper observed, is also acting as a damper on advertising. AdChina chief Alan Yan told the Times that many advertisers want to transfer some of their budgets to online video. "But first, the video sites need to solve some of the copyright issues on the content."
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Netflix launching Canadian serviceNetflix, the Internet movie subscription service, will expand into Canada this fall offering unlimited movies and TV episodes streamed instantly to TVs and computers for one low monthly fee. The Canadian launch will mark the first availability of Netflix outside the US.
Canadian Netflix members will be able to instantly watch a broad array of movies and TV episodes right on their TVs via a range of consumer electronics devices capable of streaming from Netflix, as well as watching on PCs and Macs.
In addition to representing its inaugural international market, Canada will also mark the first streaming-only service promoted by Netflix.
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The TV market is entering a new phase, as connected TVs hit the mainstream. According to the latest DisplaySearch Quarterly TV Design and Features Report, Internet connectivity has emerged as a key feature in TVs this year.
The report, which surveyed 2010 product ranges from leading brands, notes that 55 per cent of TV models available across Japan, North America, Europe, China and India have Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) capability. Overall, this is expected to translate to over 45 million connected TV sets, 19 per cent of flat panel TV shipments in 2010. DisplaySearch forecasts the connected segment to reach 119 million units in 2014, accounting for 42 per cent of all TVs shipped worldwide.
"We have seen DLNA as a solution in search of a problem for a long while, but with the surge in media streaming, the technology has found its place - creating business opportunities for TV set makers, broadcasters and retailers," said Paul Gray, Director of TV Electronics Research. "The Internet video battleground will take place in the living room, with all facets of the TV supply chain trying to stake claims. As a result, the competition is creating attractive new viewing choices for consumers, which underpins the value of the TV’s network connection."
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DECE unveils UltraViolet brand
The Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem, a cross-industry consortium dedicated to driving a new, open market for digital content distribution, has unveiled its consumer brand – UltraViolet.
Complementing the physical DVD and Blu-ray home entertainment markets, UltraViolet will allow consumers to watch their digital entertainment across multiple platforms, such as connected TVs, PCs, game consoles, smartphones and tablet PCs, in an easy, consistent way. Since all UltraViolet offerings will work together, consumers will be able to select which products and devices they prefer from a spectrum of familiar companies – ranging from major studios to consumer electronics companies to cable, web and other service providers. In addition, the UltraViolet name and logo will help identify entertainment products and services designed to work together seamlessly.
Red Bee Media brings HD to Film4
Red Bee Media has been appointed by Channel 4 to provide content management and delivery services for a new HD version of Film4.
Film4 HD, available immediately, will broadcast a simulcast of Film4’s schedule and in its first week will screen a range of quality and iconic movies in HD.
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T-VIPS has appointed Lutz Germer to be Regional Sales Manager, Germany. Germer joins the company as it looks to consolidate its industry position and satisfy growing demand for its digital video transport solutions in the German market. Germer has a record of success in senior sales roles with Barco, Grass Valley/Thomson and Broadcast Television Systems/Philips. He has expertise across the video transport chain and has also built a reputation as an expert in the digital cinema market.
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Zappware inks deal with Swiss cable operatorZappware, the Belgian one-stop solution provider for interactive digital TV on multiple TV platforms, has signed a deal with Swiss cable operator naxoo for the delivery of a broad range of interactive TV services. The deal includes an Electronic Programme Guide, a VOD service, a Personal Video Recording service, and a media player service which is based on DLNA.
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Tuesday 20th July
Freesat goes pay?
Sky Deutschland appoints Carey
Sky Sports News goes HD
UKTV to expand VOD
New media behaviours are sticking
Asia-Pacific broadband market sees growth
Nokia Siemens buys Motorola wireless assets
MTS acquires Multiregion for $124m
Hulu Plus previewing on PS3
Strong licenses Thomson
GlobeCast expands and rebrands fibre network
Cross platforms add 46% to ESPN World Cup audience
comScore launches Video Metrix 2.0
S3 and Broadcom support BSkyB’s STB development
Freesat goes pay?Freesat is considering a move to expand by moving into pay television and offering users the chance to subscribe to Sky Sports 1 and 2. It is debating the option that has come available as result of the reduction in wholesale prices forced on BSkyB by Ofcom.
Emma Scott, managing director said: "We are looking at pay television. There is a lot of discussion around the Freesat and pay television issues taking place at board level. We haven't taken a final decision." Having seen BT Vision’s moves to market the sports channels Scott says "My personal view is that it would be odd for Freesat not to offer the option as well." Unbundled pay television could be "nirvana for some consumers", Scott said, as "not everyone wants to subscribe to the full pay package".
In order to offer pay-TV services, however, Freesat would require the approval of the BBC Trust, and, of course, there may be a few problems with the brand name.
Freesat, launched by the BBC and ITV as a joint venture in May 2008, has built a customer base of 1.25 million, ahead of expectations, and is projected to reach 2 million by the end of switchover in 2012. It offers more than 150 channels, high definition and access to the BBC iPlayer. More than half its customers are former Sky homes, followed by Freeview homes upgrading, with the majority opting for HD boxes.
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Sky Deutschland appoints CareyThe Supervisory Board of Sky Deutschland has appointed Chase Carey, Deputy Chairman, President and Chief Operating Officer of News Corp, as Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Sky Deutschland. Chase Carey replaces Markus Tellenbach who will take on the role of Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board with immediate effect.
Chase Carey: "I am very pleased to accept the position of Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Sky Deutschland. I believe that there is considerable potential to grow pay TV in Germany and Austria and I am committed to the future success of the company."
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Sky Sports News goes HDSky Sports News is being broadcast in HD for the first time. The move to HD will coincide with the channel’s move to subscription status, which will see it become exclusively available to Sky, Virgin Media and Talk Talk TV homes and dropped from Freeview.
From August 23rd the channel will also launch a dedicated iPad application which will offer continually updating breaking news, views and opinion from the world of sport. The iPad app will also offer streaming access to Sky Sports News Radio, a new service which will offer rolling sports news coverage. This service will also be available through skysports.com.
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UKTV to expand VOD
UKTV is aiming to launch so-called 'pull-on-demand' services on Virgin Media and BSkyB's pay-TV platforms by the end of the year and is in talks with Project Canvas, according to commercial chief Julia Jordan.Earlier this month, UKTV signed a 10-year, billion-pound ad deal for Channel 4 to handle all its ad sales, including VOD and the UKTV websites, as well as the 10 linear channels, from January 2011.
Sky currently offers some content from UKTV channels, such as Dave and Watch, as part of its push VOD services, to Sky PVRs.
Jordan said: "We’re talking to Sky and Virgin and working to launch pull-video on demand later this year. We’re talking about UKTV’s commissioned content initially, which, in itself, would make a considerable offering."
A sizable proportion of the programming on UKTV channels is archive BBC content, but Jordan said she would not want to comment on whether BBC content would also be available.
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New media behaviours are stickingInterpret, a US market research firm, has released data from its quarterly New Media Measure study that tracks media behaviours, device ownership, attitudes and product consumption. Behaviour and trending data from its 2010 first-quarter report reveals the continued proliferation of social networks, further growth of streaming video and the domination of free mobile apps in the marketplace.
The study found that not only have consumers been streaming more movies and TV shows than a year ago (12 per cent and 5 per cent more, respectively), but Netflix has greatly increased its share of the streaming video market, up 36 per cent from the first quarter of 2009. Streaming continues to be the dominant method for consuming content online, as downloading TV and movies has remained flat.
The quantity and quality of streaming outlets may have helped curb piracy, as the incidence of illegal downloading of movies (9 per cent) and TV shows (7 percent) is well below that of music (20 per cent). Consumers claim the convenience and ease of use, as well as the lack of funds to pay for entertainment, are the main reasons they are driven to file-sharing.
Social networking shows no hints of waning popularity, as usage of social networks has increased 20 per cent from the first quarter of 2009. Facebook remains the leader, growing 33 per cent over the past year. Facebook has also become a boon for casual gaming, eclipsing Yahoo! as the most visited gaming site among casual gamers – 28 per cent in the past month have played a game on Facebook (versus 21 per cent for Yahoo!).
"New media behaviors such as social networking and online video consumption have true staying power," said Josh Bell, Executive Director, Interpret. "No passing fad, consumers are already weaving these activities into the fabric of their daily lives, and it is all happening extremely fast. Moreover, consumers appear to be turning to legal modes of content distribution, suggesting consumers see tangible value in the experiences video content providers are offering."
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Asia-Pacific broadband market sees growthIn a recent analysis of the Asia-Pacific broadband market, SNL Kagan found that despite recessionary pressures, the region’s broadband subscriber base grew 17.7 per cent to 181.4 million in 2009 compared to 154.1 million in 2008, with a household penetration of 22.2 per cent at year-end 2009. SNL Kagan forecasts the market will continue to grow, increasing from 208.8 million households at year-end 2010 to 352.5 million by 2015, a five-year CAGR of 11 per cent.
According to analysis, the 12 fixed broadband providers under review, in aggregate, saw steady growth in average quarterly subscriber net additions between 2006 and 2009, increasing from 4.5 million subscribers per quarter in 2007 and 2008 to 6.4 million in 2009. However, the market was not completely immune to the recession. Outside China and India, in aggregate, Asia’s top fixed broadband providers experienced a 50.8 per cent decrease in average quarterly subscriber net additions in 2009. Continued growth in 2009 was driven primarily by China Telecom, China Unicom and India’s BSNL.
"Chinese and Indian telco giants have weathered the global financial crisis far better than their regional peers," said SNL Kagan Senior Analyst Ben Reneker. "Stronger macro-economic fundamentals as well as consumer confidence and high telecommunications market growth potential allowed telcos in these countries to achieve the highest growth rates among the operators surveyed."
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Nokia Siemens buys Motorola wireless assetsNokia Siemens Networks and Motorola have jointly announced that the companies have entered into an agreement under which Nokia Siemens Networks will acquire the majority of Motorola’s wireless network infrastructure assets for US $1.2 billion in cash. The companies expect to complete closing activities by the end of 2010.
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MTS acquires Multiregion for $124mMobile TeleSystems, Russia’s biggest mobile phone operator, has acquired broadband and cable television provider Multiregion in a move to boost exposure to the fast-growing market segments.
MTS, part of services conglomerate Sistema, paid $123.5 million in cash for a 100 per cent stake and will assume debts totalling roughly $94.4 million.
"The acquisition will significantly enhance our position in the rapidly growing broadband and cable TV markets in the Russian regions," chief executive Mikhail Shamolin said.
"As the largest integrated telecommunications provider in Russia and the CIS, MTS will be able to provide its customers a broad, innovative and bundled offering of mobile and fixed-line telephony, high-speed broadband Internet access and television services in over 110 cities in Russia."
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Hulu Plus previewing on PS3Sony has launched a preview of the premium online video service Hulu Plus for PlayStation 3 users who have a Plus network subscription. All PlayStation 3 owners will have access to Hulu Plus in the coming months. Anyone with a PlayStation Plus subscription can download the Hulu application then request an invitation to check out the video service.
Last month, Hulu revealed the Plus service and its arrival on both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The subscription will cost $9.99 a month.
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Strong licenses ThomsonThe Strong Group is to license Thomson brand to distribute a full range of high end and innovative free-to-air set-top boxes (satellite, terrestrial, cable, IPTV) in Europe, and selected countries in the Middle East and Africa.
Khaled Debs, CEO of Strong said: "I am pleased that we will be able to further strengthen our position in the market, by leveraging the power of the Thomson brand to provide consumers the best technology and reliable products."
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Cross platforms add 46% to ESPN World Cup audienceNetworks owned by The Walt Disney averaged a US record 3.2 million viewers per live 2010 World Cup match, according to Nielsen data. Factoring in out-of-home usage and time spent with other platforms that figure jumps to 4.7 million, according to the ESPN XP research initiative.
Out-of-home viewing and usage of non-TV platforms added 46 per cent to daily World Cup TV average audience, with the former providing a 14 per cent lift and the other vehicles adding 32 per cent. As such, the 3.2 million average audience, which was up 41 per cent from the 2006 World Cup in Germany, reached 4.7 million when the other platforms were considered.
While ABC's coverage of the final on July 11 netted an average audience of 15.5 viewers, making it the most-watched World Cup telecast ever, ESPN XP estimates the total audience at 18.1 million, when out-of-home viewing and consumption on the other platforms were calculated.
Elsewhere, the research indicated that 160.5 million person engaged with ESPN's varied World Cup platforms - TV, radio, Internet, mobile, magazine - some 55 per cent of all Americans. On the average day, 90 per cent of users watched ESPN content on TV, 27 per cent used the Internet, 11 per cent listened to radio, 6 per cent used mobile and 2 per cent read ESPN The Magazine.
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GlobeCast expands and rebrands fibre networkGlobeCast has announced that its international fibre network, newly renamed the GlobeCast Backbone Network, now offers broadcasters the ability to not only reach new markets, but to connect to major bouquet operators, broadcasters, playout facilities, media centres and teleports worldwide. The network now reaches 32 Points-of-Presence around the globe including, most recently, Johannesburg and Sao Paulo.
Sky, RAI, Al Jazeera, Fox, Disney, Discover, Pramer and France Televisions are just some of the major worldwide broadcasters that benefit from the GlobeCast Backbone Network.
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comScore launches Video Metrix 2.0comScore, specialist in measuring the digital world, has announced the introduction of Video Metrix 2.0, the next generation of comScore’s online video measurement service. The new service offers several enhancements – including reporting of online video ad impressions – designed to better align with the realities of today’s online video landscape.
"Online video has evolved in recent years from a medium delivering primarily user-generated content to a channel that now delivers a great deal of professionally produced long-form content that is identical to what a viewer would find on TV," said Tania Yuki, comScore senior director of video and cross-media products. "Consequently, more attention is rightfully being given to the monetisation of the online video medium, particularly as it relates to the existing TV landscape."
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S3 and Broadcom support BSkyB’s STB developmentS3 Group has collaborated with Sky on the development of its latest HD, low-power STBs, the DRX890 and the DRX895. These boxes include highly integrated and advanced STB technology from Broadcom. Both boxes boast enhanced features, increased storage capacity and energy saving capabilities. And as with Sky’s existing Sky+HD STBs, the boxes have also been designed to support future services launching in 2010 such as broadband-enabled video-on-demand and 3DTV.
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Monday 19th July
STB shipments Up 9%
Orange Sport can stay exclusive
UK cross ownership rules to be scrapped
Google profits underwhelm
CASBAA backs strong WIPO treaty
Sky Sports responds to competitor promos
Vevo to push multiplatform delivery
MGM on SinemaTV
STB shipments Up 9%Shipments of digital set-top boxes and DVRs topped 200 million in 2009 as close to 50 million TV households adopted free-to-air and pay-digital services. Growth in 2009 STB shipments can be attributed to analogue terrestrial switch-off in the US and strong demand in emerging markets such as China and India. More than 27 million digital terrestrial set-top boxes, or 13 per cent of world shipments, were shipped to the US in 2009. Close to 30 per cent of STBs shipped in 2009 went to Brazil, China, India, and Russia.
The world STB market has shifted slightly in response to the global economic slowdown, notes IMS analyst Anna Maxbauer. "Contractions of disposable income meant fewer households were able to adopt digital TV or upgrade to advanced services in 2009. Many operators delayed equipment upgrades, modified pricing, or focused on enhancing bundled offerings as a result."
Demand for STBs will remain strong in 2010, notes Maxbauer. "China’s digital cable and FTA satellite projects, digitisation of TV households in emerging markets, and imminent ASOs in Europe will require tens of millions of additional set-top boxes in the next 18 months."
According to IMS Research, the official count of 204 million STBs shipped in 2009 is within one percent of the shipment number originally forecast by IMS Research in the 2009.
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Orange Sport can stay exclusiveThe French Appeal Court has awarded Orange the right to keep its sports channel Orange Sport available exclusively to its own pay-TV subscribers, following appeals by competitors Free and SFR.
The court also ruled that the bundling of broadband services with the sports channel does not constitute an unfair trade practise, stating that this approach encourages competition and enables broadband operators to differentiate themselves from rival offerings. SFR and Free filed the appeal with the after the Paris Court previously ruled in favour of Orange.
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UK cross ownership rules to be scrappedThe UK coalition government is planning to relax local cross-media ownership rules by November to pave the way for mergers required to create a new generation of multimedia content providers.
Other features of the government's plans for the media and technology sectors, unveiled by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, include pushing back the Labour administration's promise of universal 2mbps broadband from 2012 to 2015 (see ATV news 16/07/10).
Licensing for a new generation of local TV stations would begin by the summer of 2012, the department said, and it would conclude negotiations for a new BBC licence fee settlement by that April. Work on the new communications bill will begin in November, with the draft legislation due to be introduced to parliament in November 2012 and likely to become an act by 2015.
The department said that it intends to decide by January 2012 whether to use part of the TV licence fee to fund broadband delivery to rural areas.
By the summer of 2012, it expects to begin licensing the first of as many as 80 local TV companies, part of a plan to see local media companies deliver TV, print and online content to replace services such as ITV's regional news.
The DCMS said that 10 to 20 local TV stations will be licensed by the end of the current parliament in 2015. It wants to "foster the development of a new breed of strong local media groups, by removing local cross-media ownership rules to encourage local TV".
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Google profits underwhelmGoogle once again posted double-digit revenue increases during the second quarter and profits were up as it benefited from the robust search-ad market. Net revenue was up 25 per cent to $5.09 billion, from $4.07 billion during the same period a year ago and Earnings Per Share increased to $6.45 from $5.36 disappointing Wall St as spending on staff, capital programmes and acquisitions claimbed.
Overall, Google said the revenue generated from its sites, which include YouTube, was up 23 per cent to $4.5 billion, while revenue brought in through AdSense was up 23 per cent to $1.68 billion.
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CASBAA backs strong WIPO treatyCASBAA has this week reaffirmed the urgency of addressing the issue of pay-TV piracy across the Asia Pacific during an international seminar on copyright protection for broadcasters.
The Seminar was jointly organised by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) and the Government of India. Anjan Mitra, CASBAA’s Executive Director – India, said that the unauthorised distribution of video content is the biggest barrier to innovation and investment in the pay-TV industry, severely damaging revenues and reducing incentives to produce premium content for consumers.
Mitra also presented case studies on how pay-TV content has been pirated, including the unauthorised re-broadcast of content in Australia, Vietnam, the Philippines and China.
According to CASBAA, pay-TV revenue leakage in Asia almost topped $2 billion in 2009. Despite digital deployments making pay-TV signal theft more difficult, the piracy problem remains rampant, with online services only adding to the challenges.
Working through organisations such as WIPO, which is promoting a new international treaty to protect the rights of all broadcasters, CASBAA is urging industry and governments to join hands to address the issue through technology, up-to-date legal frameworks and active enforcement measures.
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Sky Sports responds to competitor promosBSkyB has recruited Eric Cantona for one of its biggest advertising campaigns for Sky Sport as it fights back against the BT promotions promising cut price access to the sports channels following Ofcom’s imposition of regulated wholesale price controls.
"You'll only get all of Sky Sports with Sky," runs a voiceover, which ends by pointing out that Sky offers four sports channels as well as Sky Sports News, which is soon becoming a subscription channel like the other Sky Sports services.
Vevo to push multiplatform deliveryVevo CEO Rio Caraeff has said the online music video company will soon launch apps for multiple consumer electronics devices in the US.
Vevo has plans for the TV, and will be taking multiple approaches to reach consumers in their living rooms. The company is already working on an app for Boxee’s media centre platform, and is also working with a number of other consumer electronics manufacturers to get onto their connected devices.Caraeff said Vevo will be on at least one connected living-room platform by the end of the year, whether it’s a game console or a broadband STB. Vevo is also talking to pay TV distributors like Comcast and Verizon to hook into their cable and VOD distribution.
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MGM on SinemaTVTurkish pay-TV operator SimemaTV has agreed a pay-TV package deal with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios (MGM). The company, that runs the SinemaTV and FilmClub brands with distribution over DTH, cable, IPTV and web TV across the country, will now be bale to offer films from the Rocky, Terminator and James Bond franchises among others.
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