BBC’s Danker: ‘Simplify connected TV’
Suggesting that connected TVs are “punching below their weight,” in terms of iPlayer requests, Daniel Danker, General Manager, iPlayer at the BBC has called on consumer electronics manufacturers to simplify such devices. “If connected TV is going to be mainstream, you have to go back to basics,” he told delegates at the DTG Summit 2012 in London. This entailed the…
Mar 2 2012 / Read More »
US broadcasters unite to stop Aereo TV service
Eight television networks and local broadcasters in New York have filed a suit against Aereo, a company that recently announced plans to deliver live local television programming online. The lawsuit…
Mar 2 2012 / Read More »
Mediaset to launch Premium Play for iPad
Italian commercial broadcaster Mediaset has announced that its Premium Play service will be available for the iPad from April. The service provides access to over 2,000 TV programmes that can…
Mar 2 2012 / Read More »Hispasat boss resigns
Petra Mateos-Aparicio Morales has stepped down from Hispasat’s board as chairman, a position she has held for the past seven years. In a statement, she said that the time had…
Mar 2 2012 / Read More »
American DVR usage up fivefold in 5 years
Among the three major devices connected to TVs (video game consoles, DVRs and DVD players), DVRs account for the greatest percentage of Americans’ watching time, reports Nielsen. Since 2006 the percentage of time Americans spend watching live TV in the home has fallen from 89…
Mar 2 2012 / Read More »Dish TV ties up with neighbourhood operators
Stiff competition from digital cable operators has forced India’s biggest DTH television company, Dish TV, to partner with neighbourhood cable operators, opening up a new front in the war between the DTH and cable industries. India’s top four metros – Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata…
Mar 2 2012 / Read More »Canada Prime Time: “Piracy is Good”
A Canadian media conference has been told that piracy is a good thing as illegal downloading secures indie producers more business and markets for their product. “We’re really coming to a place right now where piracy and file sharing is actually doing what it’s supposed…
Mar 2 2012 / Read More »Arianespace to top $1.3bn this year
Jean-Yves Le Gall, CEO at Arianespace, speaking in Dubai, says that his company’s revenues this year will exceed €1 billion ($1.3bn) and it is likely to launch 10-12 satellites during the year. “Globally, I think demand will not increase so much but there is a…
Mar 2 2012 / Read More »Belgacom TV hits 1.2m subs
Belgian telco Belgacom has reported a strong performance for its TV operations in 2011, despite falling revenues and profits. The total number of subscribers to its ‘Belgacom TV’ IPTV service reached 1.211 million by the end of December, up 24 per cent from one year…
Mar 2 2012 / Read More »CASBAA: Indonesia pay-TV a market to watch
Indonesia’s pay-TV market is taking off, speakers told a capacity crowd of delegates at CASBAA’s Indonesia in View: Growing Pay TV forum, held in Jakarta on February 29th. With more than 2 million paying subscribers at the beginning of 2012, a host of new distribution…
Mar 2 2012 / Read More »ODG launches SVOD services in Croatia with B.net
B.net, Croatia’s leading cable and Internet operator and SeaChange International’s video-on-demand aggregator subsidiary On Demand Group (ODG) have confirmed the launch of subscription on demand (SVOD) services. The service builds on the successful launch of the transactional video on demand movie service launched by B.net…
Mar 2 2012 / Read More »Record BBC Persia’s viewing despite jamming
The BBC’s Persian TV channel continues to be hard hit by signal jamming and censorship, as well as physical intimidation from Iranian thugs. But the endless switching of transponder transmission locations has not hurt its viewing numbers, which have rocketed in this past year. New…
Mar 2 2012 / Read More »Brazil’s Ginga middleware slips to 2013
Brazil’s obligatory introduction date for its ‘Ginga’ set-top box middleware has slipped. Originally planned for this year, the new requirements are that 75 per cent of digital LCD-TVs produced in Brazil (from its dedicated duty-free zone in Manaus province) must now be Ginga-enabled from July…
Mar 2 2012 / Read More »BBC launches Russian App
Russian-speaking iPhone and iPod touch users around the world now have instant access to the latest news from the BBC by downloading the new BBC Russian App, available now on the App Store. The BBC Russian App offers news stories from bbcrussian.com as well as…
Mar 2 2012 / Read More »
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DStv is seeing off TopTV
South Africa’s TopTV has had a tough couple of weeks, having lost its CEO and with news emerging that barely…
Chris Forrester - Mar 2 2012 / Read More »
Payment by results?
By common consent, two types of employee in the modern world are vastly overpaid: bankers and footballers. The difference, again…
Nick Snow - Feb 23 2012 / Read More »
Bell enhances Mobile TV player with QuickPlay
Bell has announced further enhancements to its Mobile TV service including an improved interface, an advanced programming guide and other innovative features. Powered by Canada’s…
Mar 2 2012 / Read More »Telenet extends distribution of Sundance Channel
Belgian cable operator Telenet has extended its distribution agreement with the AMC/Sundance Channel. The US channel will now be available in 1.4 million households in…
Mar 2 2012 / Read More »Winter X Games Tignes on ESPN
For the third straight year, Winter X Games Tignes will be covered live and exclusively by ESPN on television and broadband in the UK, as…
Mar 2 2012 / Read More »European Union TV expands satellite reach with Eutelsat
Ebs and EbS+, the European Union’s TV information services have moved their satellite services to the Eutelsat 9A satellite operated by Eutelsat Communications. The two channels are…
Mar 2 2012 / Read More »Windstream launches Merge channel
Windstream has announced the launch of Merge, the company’s new high-speed Internet and streaming entertainment service in the US Merge allows consumers to customise their…
Mar 2 2012 / Read More »EU eyes €110bn e-Comms Single Market jackpot
The European Commission has released a study showing that, if the internal market for electronic communications were completed, the EU gross domestic product (GDP) could…
Mar 1 2012 / Read More »