Advanced Television

FTA

TV market in Africa/Middle East to grow 30% to 2021

The TV market in Africa/the Middle East will grow by 30 per cent between 2016 and 2021, going from €10.3 billion to €13.3 billion, according to a report from IDATE. This momentum, which is driven largely by sub-Saharan Africa, represents the world’s fastest-growing TV market, not only today but also for the five years to […]

June 29, 2017

Watchdog relaxes Canal+ rights restraints

France’s Autorité de la concurrence (Competition Authority) has relaxed certain obligations imposed on the Canal+ Group which will allow it to distribute a ‘premium’ channel such as beIN Sports, exclusively in its bundles. The Authority also lifted existing restrictions on the purchase of rights to American films, while maintaining the constraints imposed on Canal+ for […]

June 23, 2017By Colin Mann and Chris Forrester

Italy to get new FTA channel this autumn

Italian media group De Agostini Editore will launch a new national free-to-air channel this autumn. Branded ‘Alpha’ it will mainly target a male audience and will use channel position 59 on the national DTT network. This will be the group’s second FTA channel – ‘Super!’ broadcasts entertainment programmes for a younger audience and is available […]

June 21, 2017From Branislav Pekic in Rome

Ten Group enters voluntary administration

Ten Network Holdings Limited, the holding company for Australia’s Ten Network, is going in to voluntary administration. Such a move seemed inevitable following the withdrawal of backers of its debt, most notably Lachlan Murdoch. In  a Statement, Ten Network Holdings Limited announced that Mr Mark Korda, Ms Jennifer Nettleton and Mr Jarrod Villani of Korda […]

June 14, 2017

Majors establish European Broadcaster Exchange

Germany’s ProSiebenSat.1, TF1 Group (France) and Mediaset (Italy and Spain), are establishing in equal shares the European Broadcaster Exchange (EBX) to address the demand for brand-safe environments and high-quality pan-European video campaigns at scale. Initially, the focus will be on programmatic video campaigns, which involves the automated and data-based management of digital advertising purchases and […]

June 9, 2017

66% of broadcasters likely to offer UHD by 2022

Sixty-six per cent of broadcasters are already providing Ultra HD services or are planning to do so over the next five years, claims a Video Industry HD report from Eutelsat Italia. The survey polled

June 8, 2017From Branislav Pekic in Rome

Mahon appointed C4 Chief Executive

Alex Mahon, currently CEO of Foundry, a global technology business delivering visual effects and virtual reality for the entertainment industry, has been appointed as the next Chief Executive of UK public service broadcaster Channel 4. She was previously CEO of Shine Group until 2015. The announcement by the Channel 4 Board follows the news revealed […]

June 6, 2017

Australia proposes broadcast and content reform package

Australia’s Government has announced a comprehensive package of reforms that it says will improve the sustainability of Australia’s free-to-air broadcasting sector, protect children from exposure to gambling advertising and support the creation of high quality Australian content. Other elements of the package include adjustments to the ‘anti-siphoning’ regime, aimed at giving free-to-air broadcasters a chance […]

June 5, 2017By Colin Mann

Report: Australia’s M&E industry must make ‘frenemies’ to grow

The time has come for Australian media and entertainment companies to make ‘frenemies’ by collaborating and partnering with rivals to achieve growth, with the strong headwinds facing traditional media players set to continue through to 2021, according to a PwC report. PwC’s 16th annual Australian Entertainment & Media Outlook shows that total consumer and advertising […]

June 5, 2017

Hunt to leave Channel 4

Jay Hunt will step down from the role of Chief Creative Officer at UK public service broadcaster Channel 4 at the end of September after almost seven years leading the broadcaster’s creative strategy and programme commissioning, the broadcaster has announced. Channel 4 is currently seeking a replacement for Chief Executive, David Abraham, and it is […]

June 2, 2017