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Netflix gaining ground on free VoD services

When it comes to adoption of SVoD services such as Netflix or Amazon Prime Video, the UK lags behind the US and Canada by some distance. But research carried out by investment bank RBC Capital Markets reported by eMarketer found that Netflix, in particular, was gaining ground on the UK’s leading free VoD providers. Among […]

September 19, 2016

Italy’s Rai launches free OTT service

Italian public broadcaster Rai has launched its new multimedia platform, with free access via app and PC, both online and offline. RaiPlay offers users a constantly updated catalogue of content. It includes 14 RAI channels in live streaming (Rai1, Rai2, Rai3, Rai4, Rai5, RaiNews, RaiSport1, RaiSport2, RaiMovie, RaiPremium, RaiYoyo, RaiGulp, RaiStoria, RaiScuola), a TV Guide, […]

September 19, 2016From Branislav Pekic in Rome

Ericsson, Google partner for consumer pay-TV experience

Ericsson and Google are partnering to extend the reach of the Ericsson cloud-based MediaFirst TV Platform into the Android TV ecosystem, Google’s operating system for the set-top-box. Ericsson MediaFirst is a software-defined, media-optimised end-to-end portfolio suite for the creation, preparation, management and delivery of next generation pay-TV to any screen with an immersive TV viewing […]

September 8, 2016Colin Mann @ IBC

BBC’s Rivera takes Eurosport digital role   

In line with its strategy to bring premium content to more viewers on more screens than ever before, Discovery Communications has appointed Ralph Rivera – formerly Director, BBC Digital – to the newly created position of Managing Director, Eurosport Digital. He will begin the role on September 26, based in London, and will report to […]

September 6, 2016

UKTV Britain’s fastest-growing broadcaster

Darren Childs, CEO of multi-channel programmer UKTV, has declared the service to be Britain’s fastest-growing broadcaster. Speaking at UKTV Live, its annual showcase event, at the BFI in London, Childs noted that the company had grown impacts by 40 per cent since 2010, and was home to two of the largest non-PSBs. “UKTV is now […]

September 6, 2016By Colin Mann

OTT adoption up 12% among US households

Findings from Parks Associates’ OTT Video Market Tracker service indicate that Netflix, WWE Network, and Hulu have the highest Net Promoter Scores among major OTT video services in the US. The international research firm notes that adoption of OTT video subscriptions has increased by 12 per cent since Q3 2014, with the number of available […]

September 2, 2016

TV licence iPlayer in effect, but how is it enforced?

All viewers who use the iPlayer to watch any BBC programmes must now be covered by a TV licence after new rules came into force. Previously, iPlayer users only needed a licence if they were using the service to watch live broadcasts. That meant it was legal to watch programmes after broadcast on catch-up without […]

September 1, 2016

BBC3 content over 10% of iPlayer requests

BBC Three’s contemporary British drama Thirteen is the most requested show on BBC iPlayer in 2016 with 3 million requests.  The five-part drama from new writer Marnie Dickens is ahead of England v Wales at Euro 2016 which had 2.8 million requests. To date in 2016, BBC Three has seven of the top 20 most […]

August 23, 2016

Record breaking Rio for BBC Sport’s digital service

BBC Sport’s coverage of the Olympics Games in Rio reached 102.3 million unique global browsers, with 68.3 million coming from the UK, the biggest ever success for BBC Sport’s digital service. Across the BBC Sport website, app, Red Button+ on connected TVs, BBC Sport 360 and BBC iPlayer, record numbers engaged with the BBC’s coverage […]

August 23, 2016

iPlayer loophole closure to block 4,000 hours of content

On September 1st, users of BBC’s on-demand service, iPlayer, will no longer be legally allowed to access it without a TV licence, currently paid for by some 26 million households. According to findings from research firm Ampere Analysis, this will deprive them of access to nearly 4,000 hours of on-demand content, around 75 per cent […]

August 12, 2016