Advanced Television

Eurosport apologises for more Bundesliga OTT fails

Eurosport is facing criticism in Germany for technical problems during its OTT coverage of the season’s first two Friday night Bundesliga games. Coverage of the Hamburger SV-Leipzig match on September 8th was marred by technical hitches – just two weeks after fans were frustrated by problems with the season’s first Friday night game. The broadcaster […]

September 11, 2017

Netflix, Amazon expected to withdraw from Russia

Netflix and Amazon Prime Video will boost the Eastern European SVoD sector considerably. The Eastern Europe OTT TV & Video Forecasts report from Digital TV Research estimates that Netflix will have 3.43 million subscribers by 2022, nearly triple its 2016 result. Amazon Prime Video’s achievements will be less impressive, but will still have 1.12 million […]

September 11, 2017

SES orders 7 O3b ‘mPower’ satellites

Satellite operator SES used the Euroconsult Satellite Business Week event to announce a major contract with Boeing to build seven “super-powered” craft as additional satellites for its O3b fleet. According to SES these new satellites represent a “the beginning of a new era in global cloud-scale connectivity”.  SES says the order represents a “rapidly expandable and […]

September 11, 2017By Chris Forrester

Inside Secure completes €16m fundraising

Inside Secure, a specialist in security solutions for mobile and connected devices, has announced the successful completion of fundraising in the global amount of €16 million through the issuance of bonds convertible into new shares and/or exchangeable for existing shares (“OCEANE”) due in 2022. The OCEANE bonds have been offered by way of two private […]

September 11, 2017

DStv sued over Zimbabwe $ subscriptions

Subscribers to DStv’s Multichoice pay-TV in cash-strapped Zimbabwe are having to pay their monthly fees in US dollars (or other ‘hard’ currencies). Now, a local lawyer is asking the nation’s High Court for an order to compel Multichoice to accept payment in more traditional forms. James Majatame of Takawira Law Chambers is seeking the court-issued […]

September 11, 2017By Chris Forrester

SiriusXM says future is “connected cars”

September 8th saw David Frear, CFO at pay-radio operator Sirius/XM. Speaking at a Bank of America/Merrill Lynch media conference, talk about the prospects for his business, and where growth would likely occur over the next 3-5 years. “I think it’s becoming more and more [about] the connected car. We think about what’s going to drive […]

September 11, 2017By Chris Forrester

Bike Channel UK to close

An administrator has been appointed at Bike Media Ltd. A statement on September 8th said that the company had run out of [financial] options and would close and the channel removed from distribution on Sky, Virgin Media and Freesat. Six staff will lose their jobs and buyers are being sought for the broadcaster’s assets. “Bike […]

September 11, 2017By Chris Forrester

Satellite Business Week starts with good news

Euroconsult’s Paris ‘Satellite Business Week’ opened September 11th with a series of highly-positive reports on the ‘state of the industry’. In truth, the news for satellite operators this past year has not always been good, but those older sentiments are fast-evaporating if equity analysts at investment bankers Jefferies are right. Jefferies, and analyst Giles Thorne, […]

September 11, 2017

Eutelsat, V-Nova team for HD video contribution

Satellite operator Eutelsat Communications and next generation compression solutions specialist V-Nova are unveiling at this year’s IBC a new satellite-delivered studio-quality HD contribution solution that they say, for the first time, offers broadcasters and video service providers a true alternative or back-up to fibre in terms of quality and bandwidth-efficiency. The new solution leverages V-Nova’s PERSEUS […]

September 11, 2017

Fremantle takes Easy Tiger stake

FremantleMedia has acquired a majority stake in the brand new Australian drama company Easy Tiger Productions. The high-end scripted indie will be led by producer Ian Collie, who will take up the position of Managing Director. Collie co-founded Essential Media in 2006 and rapidly built its drama division into one of Australia’s foremost creators and […]

September 11, 2017