Advanced Television

Business

Vodafone leans on TV in Q3

Vodafone returned posted positive numbers in Q3 inspite of poor performance in some big markets. In Germany and Spain, in particular, its pay-TV offerings came to the rescue. In Germany the group added 98,000 cable broadband customers, including 35,000 migrations from DSL. Overall, the company’s broadband base was up 56,000 to 10.9 million. That helped […]

February 3, 2021

BBC reveals financial transformation results

The BBC has set out how it has transformed its finances over the past decade to ensure it continues to deliver exceptional value for all audiences. The Corporation has faced an effective real-terms reduction in income of around 30 per cent since 2010/11 as a result of increased funding obligations, such as the World Service […]

February 3, 2021By Colin Mann

STARZPLAY secures debt financing of $25m from Ruya Partners

STARZPLAY, the MENA SVoD service, received its first independent debt financing in the region of $25 million (€20.7m) from Abu Dhabi based Ruya Partners. The funds, secured on the basis of STARZPLAY’s financial strength and performance, will be used towards further strengthening STARZPLAY’s geographic and customer reach, acquiring and producing original content, and maximising long-term […]

February 3, 2021

Amazon, Discovery, TELE System join HbbTV Association

The HbbTV Association, a global initiative dedicated to providing open standards for the delivery of advanced interactive TV services through broadcast and broadband networks for connected TV sets and set-top boxes, has announced that Amazon, Discovery and TELE System Digital have become members of the industry association. The three international players have joined the HbbTV […]

February 3, 2021

Sky hires Reynolds & Thomas for Documentary team

Sky has hired Hayley Reynolds in the role of Commissioning Editor and Janine Thomas as Assistant Commissioning Editor in the newly formed Documentaries and Factual commissioning team. They will both start in their positions in the next month. In their new roles, Reynolds and Thomas will support Poppy Dixon, Director of Documentaries and Factual Commissioning, […]

February 3, 2021

UNIT Studios hires Mortimore and Box

UNIT Studios, the London-based, independently owned and operated creative studio, has kickstarted 2021 by bringing in two senior executives. Joining the business effective immediately is ex-Sky Creative Agency, Discovery Channel and 4Creative Paul Mortimore who will become UNIT’s Managing Director, Creative working alongside Ian Luxford to help expand the business. Additionally, UNIT Studios has also […]

February 3, 2021

Spain: Vodafone eyes Orange for merger plan B

Vodafone Spain has reportedly approached Orange over a possible deal in case its merger plans with MásMóvil fails. Negotiations have stalled in the MásMóvil deal over discrepancies in the control of a possible joint company, and consequently Vodafone is now exploring a joint ‘InfraCo’ with Orange – a big infrastructure company that gathers together all […]

February 2, 2021From David Del Valle in Madrid

Connected device boom demands user services focus

Increasing demands for faster, more efficient and more reliable ways to manage connected devices will make 2021 the year of service and device lifecycle management, according to open broadband standards development organisation the Broadband Forum. Broadband Forum’s User Services Platform (USP) standard offers related data models and the communication protocol to master such needs. The […]

February 2, 2021

Ofcom consults on PSBs and indie production

UK broadcast regulator Ofcom is inviting evidence on the relationship between public service broadcasters (PSBs) and the independent TV production sector. In December 2020, Ofcom published Small Screen: Big Debate (SS:BD), a consultation looking at how to strengthen and maintain public service media in the UK for the next decade and beyond. The current regulatory […]

February 2, 2021By Colin Mann

Univision acquires AVoD service VIX

US Spanish-language content company Univision Communications has acquired AVoD service VIX, which offers content to millions of US Hispanics and consumers throughout Latin America. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed. Earlier in 2021, Univision announced plans to launch PrendeTV, designed to be the only ad-supported video streaming service created exclusively for US Hispanics, […]

February 2, 2021