Advanced Television

Catch Up

BBC to revamp iPlayer

BBC Director-General Tony Hall has said the corporation needs to reinvent its on-demand iPlayer service to make the leap from a catch-up service to a “must-visit” destination in its own right in the face of rapid growth by its competitors such as Netflix. In a wide-ranging New Year message to BBC staff on ‘Reinventing the […]

January 11, 2017By Colin Mann

UKTV predicts record audiences

Multichannel broadcaster UKTV is predicting it will register record-breaking growth in share of commercial impacts (SOCI) across the last 12 months. UKTV is projecting 7.7 per cent growth of its SOCI to a record year-end high of 9.87 per cent, putting it ahead of Channel 5’s full portfolio and all of Sky’s wholly-owned channels (including movies […]

January 5, 2017

Hulu adds CBS nets to live TV service

Premium entertainment streaming service Hulu has agreed a comprehensive deal with CBS Corporation to carry America’s most-watched broadcast network, CBS, as well as popular sports and entertainment channels CBS Sports Network and POP, with the potential to add additional networks in the future. All networks in the deal will be available to stream live, with […]

January 5, 2017

Report: 29% favour scrapping BBC licence fee

A study conducted ahead of the Parliamentary debate about the BBC’s Royal Charter reveals the British public’s attitude towards the BBC, particularly the licence fee. The study, by research and consulting firm Strategy Analytics, shows that 71 per cent of people feel the BBC is important to them personally and 71 per cent are satisfied […]

December 16, 2016

Planet Earth II tops iPlayer requests

Hit documentary series Planet Earth II is 2016’s most requested show on BBC iPlayer, according to data from the Corporation. The series tops the list of the most popular BBC iPlayer shows of the year so far, with the first episode Islands having been requested more than 3.8 million times. The data has also revealed […]

December 16, 2016

Ofcom prepares ground for BBC regulation

UK comms regulator Ofcom has published several consultations in preparation for regulating the BBC. This follows the publication earlier on December 15th of the final BBC Royal Charter, which details how the BBC will operate in the new Charter period from 2017 to 2027. Broadcasting Code Review This consultation extends all aspects of the Broadcasting […]

December 15, 2016

Fubo scores slew of channel deals

Streaming pay-TV service fuboTV (fubo.tv), which aims to provide the world’s best sports and entertainment programming, is more than doubling its national channel line-up following affiliate agreements with Fox Networks Group, NBCUniversal, A+E Networks, Crown Media Family Networks, Fuse Media, NBA TV and The Weather Channel. This will result in the launch of a new […]

December 15, 2016

Australia: Digital content changes mobile habits

Australians’ increasing appetite for digital content is driving profound changes in mobile device use, services, infrastructure and content delivery, according to the Australian Communications and Media Authority’s Communications report 2015–16, revealing current trends in consumer behaviour and industry responses. “The continuing increase in digital data traffic has been the main cause of change in the […]

December 1, 2016

Motors TV: ‘Business-as-usual with benefits’

Motors TV’s Founder, Jean-Luc Roy, has suggested that it will be ‘business-as-usual with benefits’ for the service’s audiences and suppliers following its acquisition by Motorsport Network. Motors TV has re-affirmed that its current operations will continue unchanged, but that the new ownership would provide significant opportunities for the company’s audiences and business partners alike. Roy […]

November 25, 2016By Colin Mann

Simplestream spreads Blaze TVE roll-out

Video services provider Simplestream has been selected by A+E Networks UK to provide TV Everywhere distribution services for its new UK free-to-air channel Blaze. Blaze is a free-to-air channel that debuted in the UK and Ireland on 20 September 2016 on Freeview and Sky with programming that includes American Restoration, The First 48, Mountain Men, […]

November 23, 2016