Advanced Television

Catch Up

Channel 4 draws record young streamers

Channel 4 has unveiled its most popular shows, viral social clips and viewing trends of 2020, a year which saw growth in viewing across all key platforms, particularly amongst young viewers. In an unprecedented year of global upheaval, viewers have turned to Channel 4 in significant numbers both to its streaming service, All 4, and […]

December 21, 2020

Virgin Media reveals record-breaking 2020

As a tumultuous 2020 draws to a close, UK multiplay operator Virgin Media has revealed how the year’s events have accelerated broadband usage, shifted TV habits and reconnected loved ones. In 2020, the nation consumed a record-breaking amount of data, tuned into more TV, and spent longer on the phone, based on new analysis of […]

December 17, 2020

Study: US users bundling 7 video services

2020 has seen an accelerated transition of viewing from traditional channels to free and subscription streaming video services, as consumers had more options to choose from and more time at home under Covid restrictions, according to The NPD Group’s new TV Switching Study, which tracks changes in the ways US consumers view and buy digital […]

December 15, 2020

BBC iPlayer exceeds 5bn annual requests

This year there have been 5.3 billion requests to stream content on the BBC iPlayer service across January to November, 33 per cent ahead of the same period last year, and already 850 million requests higher than the whole of 2019. Killing Eve has once again been a huge hit, with nearly 40 million requests […]

December 8, 2020

Research: 14% Australians plan to drop pay-TV

A growing number of Australian consumers are cutting their pay-TV subscriptions as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a recent survey of 1,000 Australians by JWS Research for The Trade Desk Fourteen per cent of Australians that use pay television services intend to cancel, put on hold or let lapse their pay-TV services […]

November 24, 2020

BBC Sounds now on Freesat

UK free-to-air satellite TV platform Freesat has confirmed the addition of BBC Sounds to its latest range of 4K TV set-top boxes and growing portfolio of apps. The BBC Sounds app gives access to over 80,000 hours of music, radio and podcasts, making it easier for listeners to discover and enjoy live radio, music and […]

November 24, 2020By Colin Mann

France: 30% don’t use catch-up

Thirty per cent of French viewers never use FTA channels’ replay services, according to findings from consultancy NPA Conseil and research firm Harris Interactive’s latest OTT barometer. However, 23.9 per cent use catch-up on a daily basis, mostly during prime-time, while 13.8 per cent and 14.7 per cent have a weekly and monthly usage respectively. […]

November 20, 2020From Pascale Paoli-Lebailly in Paris

Ex-Freesat CEO: FTA rebrand needed

Seasoned broadcast executive Emma Scott, former CEO of UK free-to-air digital satellite platform Freesat and previously responsible for the launch of DTT service Freeview, has suggested that there is an opportunity for a rebrand of such services in the era of multiple streaming services. The UK has connected platforms Freeview Play and YouView in addition […]

November 11, 2020By Colin Mann

Virgin TV 360 for connected entertainment era

UK multiplay operator Virgin Media has launched a new TV platform, Virgin TV 360, which it says offers a 360, seamless connected entertainment experience. The advanced TV line-up includes a new Mini box, new TV remote with voice control and smart new features which offer a fully-integrated, voice-activated and personalised service. According to Virgin, the […]

November 10, 2020By Colin Mann

Freeview extends Vestel deal

Freeview has renewed its contract with Vestel, the biggest manufacturer of TV sets in Europe, for a further five years. The deal means that the Freeview Play service will have prominence on all new Vestel manufactured TV sets. As well as being Europe’s largest set manufacturer, Vestel is a market leader in the UK, producing […]

November 10, 2020