Changes in market conditions and consumer behaviour are forcing dramatic shifts and an uncertain future for the pay-TV industry, according to independent telecoms analyst firm Ovum. In a new report – How do Operators Keep Consumers Paying for TV? – Ovum suggests that new technologies and players offering alternative ways to view video are undermining […]
Canada’s Cogeco Cable has reportedly decided to sell its Portuguese cable TV and broadband/telephone operation, Cabovisao. The cable operator, according to the Lusa news agency has invited “expressions of interest” from other international operators and private equity investors. Lusa says some conversations have already started and are well advanced. Cogeco has controlled the business since […]
Sky Television and Television New Zealand (TVNZ) have formed a partnership to launch a new digital pay television service, delivering pay channels over Sky’s digital terrestrial spectrum. Sky has a 51 per cent shareholding and TVNZ a 49 per cent shareholding in the joint venture. The new service will provide paid-for and free content, including […]
A US Court has issued an injunction against Verizon Communications ordering the company to “cease and desist” from the continued, unlawful use of intellectual property belonging to ActiveVideo Networks. The injunction is effective May 23, 2012. In the interim, Verizon must make monthly royalty payments of $2.74 per subscriber per month starting December 1, 2011. […]
Pressure continued to mount on James Murdoch before next week’s AGM of BSkyB, with major investors being lobbied to vote against his continued chairmanship. Labour MP Chris Bryant had written to 40 major shareholders urging them to vote against his re-election as chairman. Bryant says he is “deeply concerned that the re-election of James Murdoch […]
Broadband speeds should be made much clear to consumers, communications regulator Ofcom has told ISPs. The average broadband speed a consumer is likely to actually receive, rather than the package they’re being sold, must be made clear at the point of sale, Ofcom said. Users must also be given easily understandable information about whether ISPs […]
Chello DMC, a playout and content management company, has won a five year contract with Fox International Channels Europe to provide playout services for a bouquet of its European linear TV channels. Under the multi-year contract, Chello DMC will deliver a suite of playout services for 12 FIC linear TV channels in Europe, all of […]
Satellite operator SES is charging German viewers a small ‘technical fee’ to decrypt the HDTV signals from a number of German network broadcasters. SES launched the scheme in late 2009, and the signals are now being viewed by 1.9 million households. The first year of viewing is free, and the major question was whether German […]
Spotify has added about half a million new subscribers in the two months since plugging into Facebook’s new entertainment platform. The announcement that the digital music service had reached 2.5 million paying subscribers comes after a rocky period, with launches in four new European countries offset against a renewed debate about artists’ earnings from streaming […]
Exterity, the Building IPTV specialist, has announced that its IPTV solution has been adopted by ITV Studios newly launched Emmerdale Production Centre in Leeds. The bespoke Building IPTV set-up runs over the facility’s IP network and manages all feeds from the five new studios through two production galleries. dditional information such as which cast members […]