IP, cloud and data to drive pay-TV innovation
July 19, 2016
NAGRA, a Kudelski Group company and independent provider of content protection and multiscreen television solutions, in partnership with MTM, an international research and strategy consultancy, has published initial findings from the first stage of the Pay-TV Innovation Forum, a new global research programme exploring the next phases of growth for the pay-TV industry.
The first research paper sets the scene for the programme and reviews the innovation landscape for pay-TV in Europe. Europe is one of the most advanced pay-TV markets in the world, with 92 per cent of service providers now offering multiscreen services, 49 per cent providing access to third-party OTT services on their platforms, and 30 per cent offering standalone, unbundled OTT services.
However, few are delivering next-generation innovations, such as 4K video (10 per cent) and voice control (3 per cent) at this stage. These areas are set to develop over the course of the next five years, as European service providers are planning to innovate faster and prioritize their investments in order to meet growing consumer demand.
The research also shows that expansion into adjacent business areas is still early stage, with only 12 per cent currently offering home security services and 9 per cent providing home automation services.
The report examines product and service portfolios of 93 pay-TV service providers across the 18 largest pay-TV markets in Europe. It shows that the largest service providers, either pan-regional pay-TV providers or European telcos, are the most advanced.
“It’s fascinating to see that Forum participants mentioned a strong focus on making their pay-TV product offerings better in the years to come, mainly in terms of content, packaging and OTT distribution, while expressing less appetite for expanding into adjacent opportunities,” said Simon Trudelle, Senior Product Marketing Director for NAGRA. “This also means that as competition intensifies, pay-TV service providers will have to accelerate innovation and time-to-market to create more value for their customers, with partnerships with vendors and multi-company collaborations set to become more important. With this in mind, it’s imperative that service providers continue to invest in next generation solutions that improve the user experience across all screens if they are to differentiate themselves, attract new subscribers and keep delivering revenue growth and profitability.”
“Undertaking this research as part of the Pay-TV Innovation Forum has highlighted significant developments within the European pay-TV sector, particularly in terms of how well telcos–relatively new players in pay-TV–have done in building innovative and well-diversified service portfolios,” said Jon Watts, Managing Partner at MTM. “As service providers look to introduce new services, it’s clear that innovation based on IP, cloud and data science technologies will play a key role in strengthening TV and video products across all screens.”
The Pay-TV Innovation Forum research – Mapping the European Pay-TV Innovation Landscape – is the first in a series of white papers reporting on the state of the global pay-TV industry. Additional editions will focus on innovation within Asia Pacific, Latin America and North America and will be published over the next few months, with a final report to be presented at the 2016 IBC Conference.