ProSiebenSat.1 and RTL have confirmed the launch of a legal appeal against the decision by the country’s competition regulator to block their proposed ‘German Hulu’ video-on-demand service. The platform was blocked because the Bundeskartellamt was concerned it would be closed to smaller content providers and could create a duopoly in the German VoD market. Both […]
Total US pay TV subscribers remained flat, growing by only some 148,000 during 2010, a 0.15 per cent annual growth rate, indicating no current trend toward video cord cutting/shaving, according to In-Stat. “A substantial portion of pay TV subscribers, however, exhibit similar characteristics to video cord cutting households,” says Keith Nissen, Principal Analyst. “It is […]
Washington-based Discovery Communications is reportedly looking at some of German broadcaster ProSieben’s assets. In particular the factual broadcaster is said to be keen to pick up Pro7’s Nordic TV assets. The channels being sold comprise the former broadcasting assets of SBS Broadcasting, acquired by pro7/Sat1 back in 2007. In a related sale, the favoured bidder […]
March saw a new record for live streaming on BBC’s iPlayer for both TV and radio with 15 per cent of all requests for TV programmes being streamed live. In its monthly report, the BBC said the total number of iPlayer requests in March was 160 million, lightly down on the 162 million January record. […]
On-line and free-to-air catch-up TV specialists Fetch TV says it is in detailed discussions with some of the world’s leading manufacturers of high-end flat-panel TV sets. The aim, says commercial director David Bloom, is to offer and bundle Fetch TV’s interactive HDTV services in with the sale of increasingly popular OTT-enabled ‘connected TVs’, “and allow […]
Propelled by encouraging market developments and increasing audience interest, consumer spending on Blu-ray Discs 3D (BD3D) in 2011 is forecast to rise 533 per cent across the four markets of the US, UK, Germany and France, according to IHS Screen Digest research. Combined consumer spending on BD3D across these territories will reach $213.9 million this […]
The new Egyptian government is making life easier for new privately-owned TV channels to get on air. The new rules are expected to lead to many more privately-financed TV stations emerging. Sixteen new channels have already been permitted. On April 17th, Egypt’s Public Authority for Investment and Free Zones, which overseas broadcasting out of Egypt’s […]
A wide range of home media equipment is now network- or Internet-enabled, with the number of connected devices shipped into consumer markets expected to increase steadily at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21 per cent through 2016. ABI Research’s forecasts for connected devices for the period show that between 2010 and 2016, a […]
Sky has appointed John Cassy to the newly created role of Director of Sky 3D. Cassy, who was previously Director of Sky Arts, begins his new role immediately. The new, dedicated channel director role has been created to build on Sky’s plans to further expand its 3D offering across film, live sports, factual, music, kids […]
The countdown for Arianespace’s Flight 201 is on again. The original launch was suspended on March 30 in the final seconds prior to lift-off when an on-board anomaly was detected on the launch vehicle. YahSat Y1A and Intelsat’s New Dawn will now take to the skies aboard the giant Ariane 5 ECA rocket on the […]