Advanced Television

VOD

Report: Going free could work best for Quibi

Quibi recently informed subscribers in Australia and New Zealand of two significant changes to their service: not only would monthly subscription fees be reduced by 40 per cent, but a free ad-supported plan would be phased in over time. Both portend sweeping changes for major markets such as the US, according to a report from […]

August 19, 2020

Sweden: VoD spend offsets cinema loss

Cinemas worldwide were very early subject to an almost complete lockdown, regardless of all other pandemic-fighting strategies. This was true also for Sweden. Consequently, the revenues of cinemas have been highly affected. Mediavision Q2 analysis of Swedish household media expenditure points at an almost 70 per cent year-on-year decrease in cinema spending. So where did […]

August 19, 2020

Netflix acquires Hope Frozen doc

Netflix has announced that Hope Frozen: A Quest To Live Twice, an award-winning documentary feature from Thailand directed by journalist-filmmaker Pailin Wedel, will be available on its service starting September 15th. This documentary takes the audience on a heart-rending journey with Thai Buddhist parents who decide to have Einz, their two-year-old daughter cryonically frozen on […]

August 19, 2020

Analyst: 1.6 trillion hours spent on mobiles in H1

App Annie, a specialist in mobile data and analytics, has released its latest report which shows that consumers spent 1.6 trillion hours on their mobile devices in the first half of 2020. From gaming to streaming movies to social media to video conferencing, mobile has taken centre stage in consumers’ lives — ingraining new app […]

August 18, 2020

Verizon extends Disney deal

US multiplay telco Verizon and The Walt Disney Company have extended their existing agreement, which Verizon says gives customers even more reasons to be on its network. Beginning August 20th, Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+1 will be included in select Mix & Match Unlimited wireless plans, along with features such as Apple Music and the ultra-fast […]

August 18, 2020

Banks react to Bertelsmann consolidation comments

Thomas Rabe, CEO/chairman of Bertelsmann, has shared his view that there’s a strong case and a need for consolidation amongst streaming platforms. His comments prompted a note to clients from a couple of investment banks. Exane/BNPP asked: “Does this give RTL the impetus to be the European broadcasting champion?” The bank adds: “As a reminder, […]

August 18, 2020

DirecTV joins Movies Anywhere  

Cloud-based digital movie ownership scheme Movies Anywhere has confirmed that DirecTV will be joining its digital retailer family, providing another way for users to bring their favourite digital movies together from across different digital retailer accounts and platforms, all in one place. Movies Anywhere is celebrating DirecTV’s launch with a limited-time promotion. Running through September […]

August 18, 2020

Apple orders country music competition series

Apple has ordered its first competition series, My Kind of Country, which will launch a global search for unconventional and extraordinary country music talent that will be produced by Reese Witherspoon’s Emmy-nominated Hello Sunshine, Jason Owen and Emmy Award nominee Izzie Pick Ibarra. Adam Blackstone will serve as musical director of the series, which will […]

August 18, 2020

Fire TV adds Text Banner for visually impaired

Amazon has unveiled Text Banner for Fire TV, a new assistive technology designed for customers with a narrow field of vision, including eye conditions like macular degeneration, glaucoma, and retinitis pigmentosa. Text Banner consolidates onscreen text into a compact, written banner that appears in a fixed location on the screen. The entire Fire TV user […]

August 18, 2020

W4Free launches on Netgem TV

W4free, the AVoD service offering movies, documentaries, and TV series, has launched on Netgem TV in the UK and Ireland. W4Free is available immediately on Netgem’s growing network of fibre broadband providers, Smart TVs, set top boxes and mobile devices. The announcement was made today by Chris Sharp, Chairman, W4free and Sylvain Thevenot, Chief Commercial […]

August 18, 2020