Advanced Television

Netflix to overtake Sky subs?

An analyst says the number of subscribers to Netflix in the UK could overtake the number of homes who are signed up to Sky’s satellite TV service by the end of the year. By the end of 2018, Netflix UK is forecast to hit 9.78 million subscribers according to Ampere Analysis. That will put it […]

January 2, 2019

Dinnage in Premier League U-turn

Discovery executive Susanna Dinnage looks set to stay at the broadcaster after deciding not to take up the role of CEO of the English Premier League, having been named Chief Executive in mid-November 2018. A statement from the Premier League said that despite her commitment to the Premier League in early November, Dinnage had advised […]

January 2, 2019By Colin Mann

UK Govt: Huawei is a concern

UK Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has said he has “very deep concerns” about Huawei being involved in upgrading the UK’s mobile network. Williamson told The Times: “I have grave, very deep concerns about Huawei providing the 5G network in Britain. It’s something we’d have to look at very closely.” Australia, New Zealand and the US […]

January 2, 2019By Nick Snow

Eutelsat: “Still strong growth in HD”

Eutelsat continues to strongly back Ultra-HD, but also admits that there’s plenty of growth still in High Definition as broadcasters switch from Standard Definition transmissions. A December 2018 investor presentation said that the growth in the number of channels in two of their key markets (EMEA and LatAm) remain impressive. In 2017 there were some […]

January 2, 2019By Chris Forrester

Netflix: “Over 45m watched Bird Box”

Netflix has revealed that over 45 million “accounts” watched its Bird Box movie in the first week of release – a new record. The streaming giant, generally renowned for being notoriously secretive regarding viewing figures, said in a tweet that “45,037,125 Netflix accounts have already watched Bird Box — best first 7 days ever for […]

January 2, 2019By Nik Roseveare

OneWeb denies Russian investment

OneWeb, which wants to place at least 600 satellites into orbit and supply the planet with broadband service, has denied it wants Russia to take a stake in the business. Reuters reported the original story that the would-be satellite operator wanted to bring Russia into its scheme. Reuters said that that discussions with Russian prime […]

January 2, 2019

Verizon, Disney agree retrans deal

The Walt Disney Company and Verizon Communications have agreed a new distribution deal, which has averted a potential blackout of Disney-owned channels on Verizon Fios television systems. Resolution of the dispute on the morning of Sunday  December 30th came hours before the New Year’s Eve deadline, without which subscribers would have missed out on college […]

January 2, 2019By Colin Mann

SK Telecom claims 5G live broadcast first

Korean telco SK Telecom says it has achieved the world’s first live TV broadcasting using its commercial 5G network and live broadcasting solution. SK Telecom aired Korea’s largest New Year’s event – which includes a countdown and bell-ringing ceremony, and interviews – at Bosingak, a large bell pavilion located in Jongro-gu, Seoul, for approximately eleven […]

January 2, 2019By Nick Snow

Channel 5 delivers best ever ABC1 ratings in 2018

Channel 5 delivered a record-breaking year for upmarket viewers in 2018, with ABC1 viewers comprising 44 per cent of its audience on average throughout the year, the highest annual percentage in the channel’s history. Channel 5 culminated its strong year-round performance with ABC1s by delivering its best ever Christmas* ratings amongst this demographic, with a […]

January 2, 2019By Sanjeev Bhavnani

Amazon claims record-breaking device sales

Customers purchased millions more Amazon Devices this holiday season compared to last year – the best-selling Amazon devices this holiday included all-new Echo Dot, Fire TV Stick 4K with all-new Alexa Voice Remote, and Echo. The company announced a record-breaking holiday season thanks to its customers all around the world, with more items ordered worldwide […]

January 2, 2019