NAGRA, the Kudelski Group digital TV business and independent provider of content protection and multiscreen television solutions, has announced that its QuickStart Hybrid solution is enabling a combined OTT and DTT offering for Vodafone España, a provider of unified communications services including voice, messaging, mobile data and fixed broadband services. NAGRA’s end-to-end QuickStart Hybrid allows […]
Netflix is to charge an extra $3 a month to new users in the US to view its 4K output, but the Ultra-HD content will be available for no additional fee when subscribing to its $11.99 ‘family’ bundle. “We decided to move 4K UHD video into our four-stream plan for new members who sign up […]
Starz, the US pay-TV network, has struck a deal to build an OTT service that will launch in the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Latin America. The company is creating the international Starz Play service with Peter Ekelund’s Parsifal Entertainment, which helped launch HBO’s streaming service in Nordic countries. “What we focused on is how […]
Findings from market research and consulting company Parks Associates indicate that 37 per cent of US broadband households regularly use transactional services for OTT video, such as online video rentals and downloads. The vast majority of consumers making these à la carte purchases also have a streaming video subscription, emphasising the potential role of transactional […]
Sky has invested $500,000 in LA-based online video aggregator Pluto.TV as part of its strategy to drive innovation by partnering with pioneering technology companies. Pluto.TV is an online television platform that aggregates video content from across the web and programmes it into themed TV channels. By using a combination of technology, data and a team […]
OTT live streaming services specialist Simplestream has secured substantial funding from international growth capital firm Beringea. The investment will accelerate the expansion of TVPlayer, Simplestream’s B2C live TV streaming service, and facilitate the addition of more channel packs and multi-channel catch-up functionality. TVPlayer is a live TV aggregator of more than 45 free-to-air channels, enabling […]
Free will not surrender to Netflix for now, according to Illiad MD Maxime Lombardini, talking at a conference organised by French telecom regulator Arcep. Not wishing to follow Orange, Bouygues and SFR, Lombardini said that “carrying Netflix under Netflix offered terms, like the others have agreed, it doesn’t seem a good idea to us.” Netflix […]
Netflix is employing 300 people to maintain and improve its content recommendations, and spends $150 million according to the company’s Chief Product Officer Neil Hunt. He told an ACM conference that even improving recommendations a little bit could lead to dramatically increased revenue due to smaller churn. Hunt explained Netflix has a very limited window […]
Digital entertainment content ownership ecosystem UltraViolet could be boosted by the presence of Amazon among its participants. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the online retailer is in talks with at least three studios to join the consortium. Currently, those who purchase a digital movie from Amazon can watch it only via an Amazon […]
The TV set has become the screen of choice to watch catch-up TV content in France; 2.2 million viewers now watch replay television each day, whatever the screen is. According to Médiamétrie’s Global TV survey catch-up TV fans grew by 22 per cent over 2014, and the TV set has become the key screen to […]