BBC Three has become the first TV channel in the world to make the switch from linear broadcast channel to online-first destination, broadcasting its final linear programme – an episode of popular comedy Gavin & Stacey – in the early hours of February 16. The reinvented BBC Three will offer TV shows to stream and […]
UK commercial pubcaster Channel 5 has rebranded Demand 5, its video on demand service, to My5. At the same time, Channel 5 is expanding the range of content available to viewers on demand, with a range of My5 exclusives and box sets in addition to the ability to catch up with programmes from across the […]
The new version of M6 reply service 6play has cumulated 6 million registered users, M6 Group claims. The group revamped its service last December and for mobile usage on laptops, tablets and smartphones pre-registration is required. The service includes content from channels M6, W9, 6ter as well as from specific digital nets such as Crazy […]
There were 309 million TV and radio requests for programmes on BBC iPlayer and BBC iPlayer Radio in December. Overall there was a slight decrease in requests from computers, while the other devices saw increases compared to November. Most notable is the increase in TV platform operators and connected TV devices, as big screen viewing […]
According to consultancy service The Diffusion Group, US multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs) will rapidly move to make recommendation-based programme guides the centrepiece of their updated TV interfaces. Within the next decade, the use of these recommendation-driven guides will flourish, ultimately driving 75 per cent of all TV viewing, according to TDG’s report, Recommendation Revolution […]
Although the BBC seems to be shedding sports that were one seen as its mainstays, with the loss of Formula 1, horse racing and exclusive coverage of the Open Golf Championship, it has responded to the increasing demand to follow sports online by agreeing a four-year digital rights deal for international cricket that will see […]
In 2015 OTT platforms and catch-up TV services in France contributed to the growth of overall TV viewing time. According to Médiamétrie’s round up of the year, the average daily viewing time on the four screens reached 3 hours and 50 minutes per individual, up 5 minutes and 30 seconds. Time spent watching linear TV […]
Irish state broadcaster RTÉ has partnered with Freesat, the UK free-to-air television company, to develop a new product for Saorview, Ireland’s free digital television service and the largest television platform in Ireland. The new product – Saorview Connect – will allow viewers to access a range of on demand content as well as the Saorview […]
Catch-up TV requests in France saw a 26.8 per cent growth over one year and 432.1 million videos were requested last September, after a peak in May of 438.8 million. According to figures from French movie industry body the Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée and research consultancy NPA Conseil, catch-up TV consumption […]
OTT provision is now part of the mainstream – but is also still evolving rapidly. All TV providers, pay and FTA, now feel obliged to supply catch up and back catalogue services. Mainly they are cost centres without much prospect of becoming profit centres. What next? And where will the money come from? Advanced Television […]