Advanced Television

Broadcast

Starz integrates Spotify app

Starz and Spotify, the music streaming service, have revealed plans to launch the first-ever streaming music integration into the Starz premium video streaming service app. Starz has launched an upgraded version of its free Starz app that immerses the Spotify music experience into its video experience for Starz Original series and other Starz premium movie […]

November 30, 2016

Canal+ partners with FreeWheel

Canal+ (Vivendi Group) has announced a strategic partnership with FreeWheel, a provider of premium ad management solutions for the world’s largest media and entertainment companies, to optimise and manage its advertising inventory across all screens.  The partnership will enable Canal+’s sales house, Canal+ Régie, to integrate FreeWheel’s solutions to unify and manage its inventory to […]

November 30, 2016

Cisneros, Facebook LatAm partnership

Cisneros Interactive, a digital advertising division of Cisneros, has signed on to become the reseller partner for Facebook in four key Latin American markets: Bolivia, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Venezuela.  Cisneros Interactive will hire local teams exclusively dedicated to servicing Facebook’s clients in these countries. “We are very exiting about this partnership with Facebook,” said Victor […]

November 30, 2016

AT&T reveals OTT options

As anticipated, AT&T has announced package and price details of its streaming services following its acquisition of DBS satellite operator DirecTV, led by the DirecTV NOW package at $35 (€33). Beginning November 30th, will offer three video streaming services – DirecTV NOW, FreeVIEW and Fullscreen, which it suggests represent TV networks and made-for-digital video content […]

November 29, 2016

Arqiva refinances debt

UK-based TV facilities and transmission specialist Arqiva has refinanced its existing credit lines. The news was confirmed ahead of the company’s Q1 results on November 28th. This includes a £353.5 million bank term loan, due to mature in February 2018; capital expenditure, working capital facilities, due to mature in February 2018; and the group’s overall […]

November 29, 2016By Chris Forrester

Italian TV licensing restructuring a “great success”

Back on July 1st the Italian government revised its TV licensing system. It lowered the annual fee from €113 to €100 and legislated that the fee had to be collected through the electricity or gas utility bills. Prior to this change it had been estimated that between 25-30 per cent of Italian homes evaded the […]

November 29, 2016By Chris Forrester

SES wins M7 HD channels order

Satellite operator SES has leased a transponder to the M7 Group. M7 will use the extra capacity for a batch of HD channels beamed over the Czech Republic and Slovakia from the SES Astra 3B satellite at 23.5 degrees East. The new multi-year agreement will allow M7 Group to host all HD channels of the […]

November 29, 2016By Chris Forrester

Thaicom launches broadcast platform with iSat Africa

Thaicom has signed a contract with iSAT Africa -a growing Broadcasting, Data and Internet service provider with teleports in Africa and Europe – to expand its C-band Multi Channel Per Carrier (MCPC) broadcast platform and service into Africa. The service will facilitate distribution of TV channels on the THAICOM 6 satellite. The MCPC broadcast platform […]

November 29, 2016

New rules for foreign broadcasters in Kazakhstan

All non-Kazakh broadcaster using satellite or cable for distribution in Kazakhstan must now open “representation” offices in the country, according to the country’s Minister of Information and Communications of Kazakhstan Dauren.  Offices have to be opened, or representatives appointed, by January 2017. “The norms, which oblige every foreign channel to have a representation office in […]

November 29, 2016By Chris Forrester

HBO España launches

HBO España – the first HBO branded destination in Spain – has gone live.  Spaniards will now have access to the streaming service that offers all seasons of HBO’s popular and award-winning content and series from other renowned content providers as well as movies, documentaries and family content from Disney and Nickelodeon. The service offers a subscription video on demand […]

November 28, 2016