Advanced Television

Thomson and MStar Semiconductor to demo advanced 4K OTT delivery to connected TVs during CES

At the 2014 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Thomson Video Networks and MStar Semiconductor will demonstrate advanced delivery of over-the-top (OTT) content to connected TVs via the emerging High-Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) standard. The demonstration will highlight the interoperability of Thomson Video Networks’ award-winning ViBE VS7000 multi-screen encoding/transcoding platform with MStar’s 4K […]

January 3, 2014

Channel 5 for sale?

Richard Desmond has appointed Barclays to advise on a possible sale of Channel 5. The process is said to be at an early stage with no potential buyers yet approached. The move follows Desmond taking “soundings” among rivals, including ITV, about the potential appetite to buy Channel 5 last spring. Desmond added Channel 5 to […]

January 2, 2014

German, French YouTube beating UK

YouTube’s 46 generic channels are doing better in Germany and France than those being viewed in the UK. A study by IHS Electronics & Media over the past year states that the German and French offering gathered an average of 14 million views, while the UK offering tempted just 11 million views. However, IHS suggests […]

January 2, 2014By Chris Forrester

Booming digital services mean retail growth

Fast-growing digital services such as Spotify, Netflix and Steam helped entertainment retailing in 2013 deliver what is likely to have been its best result since 2009, according to preliminary year-end figures released by UK trade body the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA). The overall UK music, video and games market was worth £5.4 billion in 2013, […]

January 2, 2014

TVPlayer app set for launch

Live streaming, catch-up TV and media management solutions provider Simplestream has confirmed the availability of its free live TV streaming app – TVPlayer – prior to a full service launch later in January. TVPlayer has been selected by Apple as one of its best new apps, with Simplestream already seeing huge traffic. It is also […]

January 2, 2014By Colin Mann

YouView shareholder funding up 30%

YouView gathered more than £40 million (€47m) in funds from its shareholders in the last financial year, with staff costs increasing by almost 50 per cent as the Internet-based TV service finally launched. YouView called on £42.1 million on funds from its backers – the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, BT, Arqiva and TalkTalk […]

January 2, 2014

Eutelsat acquires Satmex

Eutelsat Communications has confirmed closure of the transaction to acquire 100 per cent of the share capital of Satélites Mexicanos (Satmex) having obtained all required government and regulatory approvals. The transaction amounts to $831 million. Welcoming the completion of the transaction, Michel de Rosen, Eutelsat Chairman and CEO, said: “With the acquisition of Satmex, Eutelsat […]

January 2, 2014

Spain: €2m fines for children’s content breaches

The Spanish regulator CNMC has imposed fines of over €2 million on broadcasters Mediaset Spain and Atresmedia for failing to respect the specific time slots when material unsuitable for children should not be shown. Mediaset was fined a total of €1.57 million for broadcasting on its FDF channel three episodes of the comedy series ‘La […]

January 2, 2014From David Del Valle in Madrid

Netflix testing user-based pricing

Netflix is testing new prices based on the number of people who can use an account, a move that could force customers to pay more for additional family members. Netflix is offering some new customers plans that provide access on as many as four screens, letting household members watch different shows at the same time. […]

January 2, 2014

Thai digital TV auction staggers regulator

It seems TV in Thailand is even more valuable than cellular licences. The December 25th auction of 24 new digital TV licences raised a staggering $1.55 billion, which was greater than that raised by a 3G telecoms licence in October 2012. The 20 successful bidders paid Thai Baht 50.62 billion, while the 3G licence went […]

January 2, 2014