BBC Studios, Discovery complete UKTV deal
BBC Studios, the Corporation’s commercial subsidiary, and multichannel programmer Discovery have confirmed the close of the UKTV transaction, announced on April 1st, 2019. Discovery formally takes over control of lifestyle…
SK Telecom 5G-ATSC 3.0 mobile demo success
Korean cellco SK Telecom, together with Sinclair Broadcast Group and Harman International Industries, has successfully demonstrated next-generation TV broadcasting by combining ATSC 3.0-based broadcast network and SK Telecom’s 5G network.…
China/Laos to launch extra digital channels
According to China’s Xinhua news agency, China and neighbouring Laos have agreed to create more digital TV channels to allow their respective TV audiences a broader range of programmes. Director…
Ivory Coast accelerates digital migration with SES
Ivory Coast’s public broadcasting company, the Société Ivoirienne de Télédiffusion (SIDT) has selected SES as its digital partner in a major move to meet the country’s 2020 deadline for switching…
France: IPTV passes DTT reception
IPTV reception has continued its steady growth in the third and fourth quarters of 2018 and is now received by 56.7 per cent of French homes (up 1.7 point over…
ATSC 3.0 UHD HDR test success
In a field test conducted under the auspices of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) in Cleveland, Ohio between May 14th and May 16th, an engineering team from multiple industry…
Sportitalia to launch 4 new FTA channels in July
Italian broadcaster Sportitalia will expand its FTA offer on DTT from July, with the launch of four new thematic TV channels. Sportitalia HD, SI Solo Calcio, SI Motori and SI…
Eutelsat Q3 saved by the tax-man
Eutelsat has turned in another quarter of disappointing, and in the process issued its fifth downgrade in the past seven quarters. This time, Eutelsat cut its current year’s trading guidance…
Thai TV licences returned
Thailand’s media regulator says that seven of the nation’s DTT broadcasting licences will be returned. Bright TV (Channel 20), Voice TV (Channel 21), MCOT Family (Channel 14), Spring News (Channel…
Italy: Mediaset close to purchase of Sony DTT channels
Italian commercial broadcaster Mediaset is close to buying national DTT channels 45 and 55, currently used by Sony Pictures Television for its Pop and Cine Sony channels. According to daily…
8K over 5G live at Roland-Garros
French PSB France Télévisions is to stream more than 100 hours live in 8K over 5G, in association with Orange during the upcoming Roland-Garros tennis open (May 26th-June 9th). Images…
Mediaset dropping DTT distribution
Italian broadcaster Mediaset has announced it will stop broadcasting its pay-TV service Premium on digital terrestrial from June 1st. Distribution will continue via its premium online platform Infinity. Following the…
Research: Digital conversion boosts Eastern European pay-TV
Pay-TV revenues in Eastern Europe will peak at $6.95 billion (€6.2bn) in 2019 – before slowly falling to $6.59 billion by 2024. Analogue cable revenues will drop by $844 million…
Spain: Pay-TV nears 7m subs
Spanish pay-TV has maintained strong growth with 6.8 million pay-TV subscribers at the end of 2018, according to the latest data from CNMC. In the last quarter of 2018, pay-TV…
EC OKs Spain’s DTT aid scheme
The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €150 million Spanish aid scheme to support households that would otherwise lose television reception after the migration of digital…