Advanced Television

Broadcast

Record year for Virgin on demand

Virgin Media saw a record breaking 2009 with over 750 million on demand views, an increase of 50 per cent on the previous 12 months. Over 59 per cent of Virgin Media's 3.7 million TV customers are now regularly using the service, an increase of over a quarter of a million homes in a year. […]

February 2, 2010

Philippines delays switchover

The Philippines government may push back the deadline for the migration to digital terrestrial TV given the unresolved matter of which platform will be adopted. “2015 might be a stretch to achieve. We have to move it, but hopefully not 2020,” Secretary Ray Anthony Roxas-Chua of the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) said. […]

February 2, 2010

French VOD market up 175% in two years

The French VOD market continues to see growth, mainly driven by operator offers. According to preliminary figures from GFK, the VOD market grew to over E80 million in 2009, up from E53 million in 2008. TV VOD represents from 80 per cent to 90 per cent of VOD revenues in France. In this market, Orange […]

February 2, 2010

US online game subs to double in 5 years

Americans who play online games generated $2.8 billion in subscription revenue in 2009, and stand to pay an annual $5 billion in game subscriptions by 2015, market research provider Pike & Fischer projects in a new report. The number of online gaming paid subscribers, which totalled approximately 19.4 million at the end of last year, […]

February 1, 2010

Sky: Good Q2, launches 3D

Satellite broadcaster BSkyB has reported strong second quarter results and confirmed that it will launch Sky 3D, Europe's first dedicated 3D TV channel, this April. As part of the final preparations for the launch, and to preview the service, Sky will become the first TV company anywhere to broadcast a live 3D TV sports event […]

January 29, 2010

ASSOCHAM: 'Drop customs duty on STBs'

ASSOCHAM (The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India) has urged Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee to withdraw five per cent Customs Duty on STBs in Budget proposals for 2010-11 to provide support to the DTH industry. Customs Duty on STBs had been exempted in 2006 to provide impetus to industries involved in digitisation […]

January 29, 2010

Pay-TV ad limits will harm Sky Italia

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's move to lower advertising ceilings for pay TV will hurt Sky Italia unit and curtail growth at the other networks it says. New Italian regulations would gradually limit the maximum amount of advertising per hour of pay television to 12 per cent in 2012 from 18 per cent now. Free-to-air […]

January 28, 2010

Eutelsat and Rai collaborate on future TV

From Branislav Pekic in Rome Italian public broadcaster Rai and satellite operator Eutelsat have signed a collaboration agreement that will facilitate the transition to television of the future. Several technology issues will be covered by the research and experimentation: Stereoscopic TV (3D) in HD, the development of innovation networks for the feeding of urban repeaters […]

January 28, 2010

RTE plans for Saorview DTV service

Plans for Ireland's new digital television service, to be called Saorview, are moving ahead, with RTE appointing a company to test receivers for the new signal. The state broadcaster is continuing with plans for its DTT service, even though the commercial side of the project has yet to be agreed. Saorview is likely to become […]

January 27, 2010

IAB: VOD could drive video advertising

Spending on online video advertising could be pushed forward by consumers increasing willingness to view video content online, says Guy Phillipson, chief executive at the Internet Advertising Bureau. Phillipson added that he expected video advertising to grow as an online medium, in part because people are “very used to consuming video online” due to the […]

January 27, 2010