Advanced Television

Broadcast

Finland: Yle HD off DNA terrestrial network in March

DNA will shut down its VHF terrestrial network in 2020, and will also be relinquishing its terrestrial network licence at the same time. The schedule for Yle’s HD channel reception has now been specified – the channels will be available via VHF antennas until March 31st. DNA has previously announced that the distribution of MTV3 […]

December 17, 2019

Sky doesn’t want BritBox

The BBC and ITV are facing a significant setback with their BritBox streaming service following news that hopes for a distribution deal with Sky are fading The broadcasters created BritBox in an attempt to take on the likes of streaming giants Netflix and Amazon. The service, which launched in the UK six weeks ago, costs […]

December 16, 2019

UK may decriminalise BBC licence non-payment

The UK government is considering whether failure to pay the TV licence fee should cease to be a criminal offence, Treasury minister Rishi Sunak has confirmed. Sunak revealed that Prime Minister Boris Johnson has ordered a review of the sanction for non-payment of the £154.50 charge, which funds the BBC. Prosecution for non-payment of the […]

December 16, 2019

France: Canal+ to exclusively carry Disney+

The Disney+ streaming service on will launch exclusively on the Canal+ pay-TV platform in France next year. Talks between the two were revealed last month. “This exclusive partnership is a new major step in the transformation of the Canal+ model,” said the French broadcaster’s chief executive, Maxime Saada, in an interview carried by daily Les […]

December 16, 2019

Pirate Bay launches Baystream

The Pirate Bay, the long-running illegal online index of pirated content, has launched a new streaming service, branded BayStream. The BayStream offers a library of top movies and TV shows available to stream (rather than download) that seeks to rival legitimate platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+. BayStream is not the first […]

December 16, 2019

DAB digital radio sales reach 82m globally

WorldDAB’s latest market report reveals that by the end of Q2 2019, over 82 million consumer and automotive DAB/DAB+ receivers had been sold in Europe and Asia Pacific – up from 71 million one year earlier. The report covers Australia, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland and the UK. DAB is now firmly […]

December 16, 2019

Prime Video debuts on DISH Hopper 3

DISH has added the Amazon Prime Video app to Hopper 3, expanding its streaming content options on the US DVR. The app complements the existing DISH experience by allowing customers to instantly stream their favourite Amazon Originals, including Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, from the same platform as their DISH TV […]

December 16, 2019

Sky Deutschland launches €9.99 Sport Ticket

Sky Deutschland has launched a new ‘Sport Ticket’ streaming subscription for €9.99 month. The Sport Ticket will provide subscribers with every live broadcast from the the Bundesliga, the second league and the Champions League, as well as live coverage of the the DFB-Pokal tournament and English Premier League. Other sports in the package include the […]

December 13, 2019

“Non-payment” behind Discovery’s decision to quit OSN

It was widely reported that “unrealistic” carriage fees was behind the decision for Discovery Communications to exit its distribution deal with Dubai-based OSN earlier this week, but Discovery says this is not the case. Dubai’s BroadcastPro trade magazine, quotes Discovery putting the blame squarely on OSN’s failure to pay past dues. The broadcaster stated: “We […]

December 13, 2019By Chris Forrester

Airtel and Dish TV merger back on?

India’s two DTH broadcasting giants, Dish TV and Bharti’s Airtel DTH are – once again – in talks to merge. According to local reports, the two are close to merging and in the process would create the world’s largest TV distribution business. Talks are currently taking place with private equity firm Warburg Pincus leading the […]

December 13, 2019By Chris Forrester