Advanced Television

Cable

Liberty, Ziggo near takeover deal

Liberty Global is finalising takeover talks with Dutch operator Ziggo, according to reports. Liberty, Europe’s largest cable operator and already owns 28.5 per cent of Ziggo, and is keen to continue consolidation of the European cable market. The companies could announce a deal as early as mid-January, according to Bloomberg. Ziggo’s shares rose 2.7 per […]

January 7, 2014

Cisco floats Videoscape into the Cloud

In a further move distancing video delivery services away from the customer’s set-top box and the operator’s network infrastructure, Cisco has announced an expansion of its Videoscape TV services delivery platform to include a host of new cloud video capabilities, including an industry-first Videoscape ‘as-a-service’ offering and open cloud software technologies based on OpenStack. These […]

January 7, 2014By Colin Mann

Altice plans IPO to raise €750m

European cable operator Altice has confirmed plans to list its shares on the NYSE Euronext with the aim to raise €750 million. The proceeds of the IPO will be used to pay down debt and develop Altice’s businesses, which include stakes in French cable company Numericable and a mobile operator in Israel. Altice also agreed […]

January 7, 2014

Widespread TV Everywhere unfamiliarity

Findings from a recent survey carried out by next-generation video and search experience specialist RAMP on consumers’ awareness and usage of TV Everywhere have revealed that 82 per cent of respondents are unfamiliar with TV Everywhere, and only 4 per cent know their login details. The survey also found that: 27 per cent of respondents […]

January 3, 2014

KD’s von Hammerstein to resign

Dr Adrian von Hammerstein is to resign from his position as Chief Executive Officer of cable MSO Kabel Deutschland at the end of March 2014. Dr Manuel Cubero will succeed as the company’s CEO effective April 1st 2014. Cubero currently serves as Chief Operating Officer and Deputy CEO. Further management changes will see Gerhard Mack, […]

December 20, 2013

Cable revenue shrinks, telco IPTV and satellite surge

Analysis of worldwide video service revenue in the first half of 2013 (1H13) by market research firm Infonetics Research has revealed that telco IPTV operators continue to enjoy strong growth, largely to the detriment of incumbent cable operators. “Telco IPTV operators AT&T, China Telecom, and Deutsche Telekom continue to enjoy strong growth in new subscribers […]

December 19, 2013

Pay-TV providers elicit most swearing

A study by US advertising analytics company Marchex Institute has revealed that pay-TV providers rank among the highest businesses that elicit profanity-laced tirades from consumers who flip out and curse when on the phone with a business. Writing in the company blog, John Busby, Senior Vice President, Marchex Institute, notes that of 20 industries surveyed […]

December 19, 2013By Colin Mann

Charter readies $135 per TWC offer

Charter Communications is preparing to make an offer of less than $135 a share for Time Warner Cable, according to Bloomberg. The offer will consist of a mix of cash and Charter stock. The deal would have an equity value of around $38 billion. Charter believes it can get away with offering what is a […]

December 17, 2013

Liberty Global in Ziggo takeover talks

US cable group Liberty Global is in takeover talks with Dutch operator Ziggo, its latest move to consolidate the sector in Europe in a deal analysts say could cost around €5 billion. Ziggo, which rejected an approach from the company controlled by John Malone in October as too low, said no decision has yet been […]

December 12, 2013

TWC CEO: Comcast merger not imminent

Time Warner Cable’s incoming CEO Rob Marcus, speaking at the UBS Global Media series of presentations in New York, told analysts that his previous comments seeming to suggest that a TWC merger with cable giant Comcast was imminent were taken “out of context”. Marcus did not deny that a merger would release shareholder value. “Whether […]

December 10, 2013By Chris Forrester