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Our Latest Issues
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Tuesday
Wednesday 17th March
US broadband plan: FCC wants open gateway for cable
UK piracy bill clears Lords
KIT buys Multicast
Spain's Imagenio launches basic IPTV offer
Sky and LG bringing 3D TV to pubs
Virgin Media launches HD STB
Akamai selected as Netflix partner
Altibox deploys Agama STB
US broadband plan: FCC wants open gateway for cableThe FCC wants the US cable industry to adopt an open-standard, "gateway" device to replace current set-tops by the end of 2012, according to extracts of the FCC's National Broadband Plan.
The cable industry has resisted a one-size-fits-all approach to set tops. The FCC wants the new "gateway" to be a standard interface that "bridges" conditional access, tuning and reception functions, with no additional functionality. The FCC says it should be cheap and allow CE makers to sell network-neutral devices that can access content independent of any particular platform or third party, allowing those consumer electronics companies to design to a common interface, and to open standards.
The device will also need to pass through content protection flags from cable operators. The commission proposed interim milestones to make sure operators were gearing up for the switch, and penalties for those who are not installing the gateways in all new homes, or all box replacements, by December 31,st 2012.
The leak comes as the FCC is about unveil the first plan to give every American super-fast broadband by 2020. The Federal Communications Commission said broadband was the "greatest infrastructure challenge". It estimates that one-third of Americans, about 100 million people, are without broadband at home. The goal is to provide speeds of 100 megabits per second (Mbps), compared to an average 4Mbps now.
In an executive summary released ahead of the presentation to Congress the FCC said: "Broadband is a foundation for economic growth, job creation, global competitiveness and a better way of life. It is changing how we educate children, deliver healthcare, manage energy, ensure public safety, engage government, and access, organise and disseminate knowledge".
Requested by Congress, the plan of over 350 pages looks set to touch off intense lobbying. The FCC are due to vote today (Tuesday) on publishing a summary of "Connecting America: The National Broadband Plan."
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UK piracy bill clears LordsLegislation to combat Internet piracy in the UK, including Internet bans for persistent illegal file-sharers, has cleared the Lords and now goes to the Commons where it may be rushed through before the general election.
Peers passed the Digital Economy Bill, which has cross-party support, after further concessions on a controversial the "catch-all" clause 17.
However with amendments that would have meant rights holders obtaining court orders to compel ISPs to disconnect offenders were rejected as unworkable, wide powers remain in place for ministers to amend copyright law to respond to future technological changes.
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KIT buys MulticastThe shakeout of the online video services space continues. KIT Digital, the online video tools player now based in Prague, has bought rival video player Multicast, for about $18 million, a week after it announced closing a $15 million equity offering. Of the $18 million KIT-Multicast deal, $4.9 million is in cash and the rest is in 1.3 million shares of KIT digital common stock, plus the assumption of approximately $4.6 million in long-term liabilities.
Multicast, based in Atlanta, hosts live as well as on-demand video events and focuses primarily on corporate audiences. It says it has about $12 million in annualized recurring licensing fees for its IP video management software, with other additional revenues related to professional services.
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Spain's Imagenio launches basic IPTV offer
From David Del Valle in MadridIn an attempt to foster subscriptions, Telefonica-controlled IPTV platform Imagenio has launched a new basic tier called Imagenio Flexible, at a price of E10 a month, including a rental decoder.
The new offer gives access to commercial TV channels, DTT platform, Regional channels, International news channels as well as to the VoD service Videoclub and a thematic package amongst Documentaries, Music, Sports, Movies, Series or Kids.
Imagenio currently has over 702,000 subs, with a market share of 17 per cent. Over the last year, the company gained more than 90,400 subs.
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Sky and LG bringing 3D TV to pubsSky has purchased 15,000 3D TVs from the Korean TV manufacturer LG, which will be installed in pubs across the UK, in preparation for the roll out of the pub-only 3D sports channel next month.
"The deal to supply the broadcaster with 15,000 3D TVs is the largest deal of its kind. Sky plans to install the TVs in public venues across the UK in advance of plans to broadcast weekly Premier League matches in 3D beginning this spring," LG said in a statement.
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Virgin Media launches HD STB
Virgin Media is aiming to make HD TV more affordable by ensuring customers do not need to pay extra for high definition. So far this year Virgin Media has announced the addition of six new HD channels with more to come. Consumers will soon be able to make the most of this growing line-up with a new HD set-top box – the V HD Box – which will be available for no additional monthly subscription fee.New and existing TV customers can get the new V HD Box from March 22nd for a one-off cost of just £49 (E54) plus installation. There are no extra on-going subscription fees.
The Cisco-made box is 3D-ready and includes HDMI, SCART, USB and Ethernet ports to make the most of any digital home cinema experience.
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Akamai selected as Netflix partnerAkamai Technologies has been selected as the primary content delivery network for movies and TV episodes streamed instantly over the Internet by Netflix. Akamai gives Netflix a strong foundation for the continued growth of its ability to stream instantly, including Netflix’s planned expansion to stream to one country outside the US later this year.
By the end of 2009, almost half of the 12.3 million Netflix members had instantly watched a movie or TV episode on either a computer or TV via a Netflix ready device. Netflix projects that number will grow dramatically this year and in the years to come. Netflix chose Akamai’s global distribution platform for its highly scalable performance and storage capacity to ensure uninterrupted streaming of movies and TV episodes during peak times.
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Altibox deploys Agama STBAgama Technologies has confirmed that the Norwegian triple-play service provider Altibox (formerly Lyse Tele) has selected to commercially deploy a full-scale Agama Embedded Monitoring Solution in their set-top box population. The installation monitors both IPTV and VOD services, and enables Altibox to ensure the quality of experience with their substantial and growing subscriber base.
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Tuesday 16th March
C5 fails HD deadline
Spain puts an end to must-carry
Suppliers turnover down but signs positive
FDA head targets ‘tweens’ in film piracy battle
SCI FI HD on Virgin
Rentrak signs contract with MTV Networks
TV Genius for FetchTV
Verimatrix secures ABS-CBN multi-network pay-TV
C5 fails HD deadlineChannel Five in the UK will not be launching a high definition TV service on Freeview before 2012 after failing to give a launch date or programming schedule to the media regulator, Ofcom.
Ofcom said that it would no longer reserve capacity on the service for the broadcaster, which made a loss last year. Five had been unable to "resolve certain key criteria by the end of 2009" asked for by Ofcom, including committing to a launch date for a HD channel and providing satisfactory details and a commitment to a schedule.
The broadcaster had intended to run a selection of its own programming in HD each evening and shows from other suppliers during the day.
Channel 4, which is launching its HD service in the coming weeks, and the Welsh version S4C had also expressed interest to Ofcom in taking the Freeview slot that the media regulator reserved for Five. However, Ofcom also said that Channel 4 and S4C had also not submitted a viable plan.
Ofcom said that the right to use the unreserved capacity now reverts to the BBC, which runs the Freeview multiplex the HD channels are being rolled out on. But Ofcom added that next year it would give commercial broadcasters "another opportunity to provide an additional HD service by 2012".
"Five is not in a position to take up the fourth Freeview HD channel," said a spokesman for the broadcaster. "It was always going to be financially challenging to provide the fourth HD service on DTT at a time when all advertising-funded businesses are under considerable pressure. However, we remain committed to launching a HD version of Five and intend to apply for the fifth HD stream when Ofcom advertises it next year. We hope to provide the fifth service on the Freeview HD platform in 2012."
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Spain puts an end to must-carry
From David Del Valle in MadridThe must-carry obligation traditionally imposed on nation wide terrestrial TV channels to open up their signals to cable and satellite platforms for free distribution is coming to an end in Spain.
The new overall TV law (Ley General Audiovisual) frees private TV channels from the must-carry obligation and allows them to negotiate a fee with cable and satellite platforms. The measure is not applicable to public (Regional or National) broadcasters which will still have to give their signal for free.
UTECA, the private TV Association, has welcomed the must-carry elimination arguing that "the must-carry obligation does not make any sense with the analogue switch-off and the diverse offer of digital TV channels".
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Suppliers turnover down but signs positiveIABM, the industry association that represents broadcast and media technology suppliers worldwide, has published its latest Industry Index which tracks the financial performance of supplier companies in the sector.
Global sales turnover by those supplying technology to broadcast and media companies has declined by 7.2 per cent for the last 12 months as compared to the prior 12 months. There are indicators, however, that during the last quarter of 2009, the decline was halted.
Almost half the companies (47 per cent) in our sample are loss making in this latest 12 month period, with some 29 per cent of organisations moving from profit into loss.
IABM Director General, Peter White, said "Although the worst appears to be over and a degree of optimism is discernible, 2010 is still shaping up to be a fairly lack lustre year. As we exit the year, however, we do expect to see better signs of market improvement with a more promising 2011 and 2012."
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FDA head targets ‘tweens’ in film piracy battleThe head of the body which distributes films in the UK has called for new methods to be employed in the battle to defeat internet piracy. During a keynote speech as president of the Film Distributors' Association (FDA), Lord Puttnam said young people needed to be educated at an early age that it was wrong to illegally download copyrighted material.
"The concept of intellectual property and its value needs to be embedded inextricably into the school curriculum," he said. "We need to establish beyond doubt that if people want films on offer in a variety of ways and formats, as we hope and believe they do, then they are required to pay a fair price."
Puttnam highlighted a recent FDA project aimed at the vital "tween" generation of 8 to 11-year-olds, a teaching resource designed to stimulate classroom debate about why copyright existed. "Today, it's encouraging to report that this resource has been supplied, free upon request, to almost one in five primary schools in the UK – that's 4,000 out of a little over 20,000 schools," he said.
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SCI FI HD on VirginVirgin Media has signed an agreement with Universal Networks International to make the SCI FI channel available to its digital TV customers in High Definition. Launching on Virgin TV in advance of its anticipated rebrand to Syfy HD on 13th April, the channel will show some of the best science fiction entertainment, including the UK premiere of V, a re-imagining of the 1983 acclaimed mini-series.
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Rentrak signs contract with MTV NetworksRentrak Corporation, an expert in multi-screen media measurement serving the advertising and entertainment industries, has announced that MTV Networks (MTVN) has become the first major cable group to subscribe to Rentrak's TV Essentials service. MTVN will use the massive set-top viewing database available through TV Essentials to make more informed decisions in audience targeting, advertising, and programming.
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TV Genius for FetchTVTV Genius has confirmed that its Content Delivery Platform has been selected by IP Vision, the UK-based platform owner, to enhance the functionality of the TV listings on IP Vision’s FetchTV service. TV Genius and IP Vision have worked together to provide a fully searchable solution across web, mobile and hybrid DTT/IP TV. The solution provides a central portal for the accurate search and relevant recommendation of programming from a variety of sources, whether it’s traditional linear broadcast, Internet video or IPTV.
FetchTV offers over 50 channels through the Freeview UK DTT service, PVR functionality, a comprehensive library of over 2000 hours of VOD content, and content over-the-top from the BBC iPlayer with the Sky Player service available soon.
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Verimatrix secures ABS-CBN multi-network pay-TVVerimatrix has confirmed that ABS-CBN International has deployed globally the software-based Verimatrix Video Content Authority System (VCAS) system on its DVB-S and IPTV networks. This marks the pay-TV industry’s first major upgrade to a cardless security solution for separate networks on a single security head-end.
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Monday 15th March
Murdoch: Governments must punish piracy
News Corp Sky buy out rumour
ITV1 HD in April
RTL seeks Euro wide relaxation on TV ad rules
Sogecable has to refund E40m to ONO
SeaChange flat
CNN Mobile on FLO TV service
Telekom Austria selects Alcatel-Lucent
Murdoch: Governments must punish piracyJames Murdoch has called on governments to get tough on illegal downloading, which he said was no different from shoplifting. He made the call at the Abu Dhabi Media Summit.
Stressing that future growth would come from original content production, he said: "We need enforcement mechanisms and we need governments to play ball. The idea that there's a new consumer class and you have to be consumer-friendly when they're stealing stuff. No. There should be the same level of sanctity as there is around property. Content is no different. They're not crazy kids. No. Punish them."
"It's a basic condition for investment and economic growth and there should be the same level of property rights whether it's a house or a movie," he said.
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News Corp Sky buy out rumourShares in BskyB plc rose four per cent at the end of last week on rumours that News Corp is preparing a bid to buy out its fellow shareholders in BskyB and take the firm private. News Corp currently owns 39 per cent of BskyB.
However, News Corp has not commented and many wonder why they would pay a large premium to secure ownership of a business they already effectively control. That said the company will face another era of investment as it grapples with IP and it may be News Corp believes this will be easier to handle away from the market.
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ITV1 HD in AprilITV will launch its first high definition channel, ITV1 HD, on April 2nd on all major distribution platforms ahead of the 2010 World Cup.
ITV1 HD will simulcast the ITV1 schedule on Virgin Media, Sky, Freeview and Freesat from 2 April and show sports coverage, HD dramas and factual programming in HD.
Peter Fincham, ITV director of television, channels and online, said: "The availability of High Definition content is something viewers have come to expect as standard and, as we approach the 2010 World Cup, I'm delighted that we are able to launch our new channel, ITV1 HD.
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RTL seeks Euro wide relaxation on TV ad rulesEuropean broadcaster RTL is seeking a relaxation of advertising rules to allow innovations such as sponsors’ logos to be shown in the top right-hand corner of television screens, its chief executive Gerhard Zeiler said.
Zeiler explained that regulators in all the countries in which it operates are increasingly aware of the financial pain caused to free-to-air broadcasters by the recession in advertising. "Within the next five years, our industry will have to take steps… to offer to open up new forms of advertising," he said.
With increased technological ability, this could include targeted advertising and product placement in popular programmes, but also the expansion of other sponsorship activities.
"We could go to the regulators – it is already happening in some countries – and say ‘why not have the sponsor logos, let’s say, in the right upper corner [of the TV screen], when the broadcaster’s logo is in the left upper corner’," he said. "I am pretty much convinced regulators are more open to gradually allowing more liberalisation in terms of the advertising forms, which we will have in TV."
He compared the growth of advertising on the internet which is not inhibited by any restrictions.
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Sogecable has to refund E40m to ONOIn the long running pay-TV football rights dispute Spanish pay-TV operator Sogecable has been told to pay back cable operator ONO E40 million. ONO acquired secondary rights from Sogecable and now a Spanish court has ruled that it abused its dominant position to force ONO to pay an excessive fixed amount. Sogecable is will appeal the decision.
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SeaChange flatSeaChange International has published financial results for its fourth quarter and full year ended January 31, 2010. Total revenues for the fourth quarter were $53.0 million, $1.0 million lower than fourth quarter 2009.
Total revenues for all of 2010, ended January 31st, were $201.7 million, which was $0.1 million lower than total revenues of the prior year. Net income for 2010 was $1.3 million compared with $10 million 2009.
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CNN Mobile on FLO TV serviceFLO TV, a wholly owned subsidiary of Qualcomm, has expanded its partnership with Turner Broadcasting to bring consumers CNN Mobile, a channel that includes programming from CNN/US, CNN International and HLN, as well as CNN.com content. The channel will be available on the FLO TV Personal Television and FLO TV Auto Entertainment platforms, in addition to its current availability as part of AT&T Mobile TV.
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Telekom Austria selects Alcatel-Lucent
Telekom Austria has selected Alcatel-Lucent's Triple-Play Service Delivery Architecture (TPSDA) to enable it to extend the reach of its triple-play services to include smaller communities across the country. Alcatel-Lucent will also provide professional services in the areas of project management, software subscription, support and repair management, and technical support services.
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