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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

Metrics boost for fraudulent video monitoring

Big data and business intelligence online media services specialist NPAW (Nice People At Work) has revealed overlapping metrics built into its YOUBORA Infinity platform to help subscription-based video-on-demand services (SVoD) identify multiple, simultaneous uses from a single user account. Fraud detection is part of YOUBORA Infinity’s module, SmartUsers, to help customers predict churn, identify customer […]

September 8, 2017By Colin Mann

Research: Pay-TV faces ‘perfect storm’ of challenges

The final conclusions of the 2017 Pay-TV Innovation Forum – the global research programme examining the state of innovation in the pay-TV market published by content protection and multiscreen television solutions provider NAGRA, in partnership with research and strategy consultancy MTM – suggest that the pay-TV industry is in a period of unprecedented global change, […]

September 7, 2017By Colin Mann

Sky launching Sky-Fi channel

Sky Cinema is bringing customers a collection of classic and celebrated sci-fi films this September, offering some of the genre’s biggest titles on a dedicated ‘Sky-Fi’ channel. Launching on September 9th, for a month, customers will be able to watch some of the most iconic franchises from the sci-fi genre. The dedicated channel is available […]

September 5, 2017By Nik Roseveare

Joshua returning to Sky Sports Box Office

Sky Sports Box Office will show Anthony Joshua defend his world heavyweight titles against Kubrat Pulev on October 28th.  The bout follows on from two pay-per-view events on Sky Sports Box Office this year; Joshua v Wladimir Klitschko in April and last month’s clash between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor which generated a record number […]

September 5, 2017

Mediaset/Fininvest ups Vivendi claim to €3bn

Italian newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore is reporting that Mediaset and Fininvest are seeking about €3 billion in damages from French media giant Vivendi. The sum comes from the Italian newspaper’s own calculations and is based on company formal filings made by Mediaset. A mediation process is currently underway, says the report. If this mediation fails then […]

September 4, 2017By Chris Forrester

London licensees fined for pirating Sky Sports

A licensee has been found guilty of three offences of dishonest reception of a television transmission by showing Sky Sports to customers without a commercial agreement from Sky. Jagdish Karsan Devshi of the Moonbay Restaurant in Wembley, London, entered a plea of guilty to the charges and was fined £1,026 (€1,118) per offence and ordered […]

September 4, 2017By Colin Mann

Paywizard, Massive Interactive front-end UI boost

Subscription, billing and customer relationship management (CRM) specialist Paywizard has formed a new strategic partnership with targeted user experiences for multiscreen video services expert Massive Interactive. The collaboration will enable operators to use rich data insight and predictive analytics to more effectively target subscribers and tailor the UI at the eight key ‘Decision Moments’ in […]

September 1, 2017

DirecTV “likely to win” $4bn FTC legal action

Judge Haywood Gilliam has “paused” a trial taking place in California between the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and pay-TV operator DirecTV. The FTC is claiming that DirecTV made unjust gains in its subscriber promotions and alleged false advertising, and that some 33 million subscribers signed up for DirecTV services without being clearly aware of the […]

August 31, 2017By Chris Forrester

Mexico joins AT&T rebellion

Mexico has joined Brazil in saying that the AT&T planned merger with Time Warner cannot go ahead unless AT&T sells off its Sky Mexico pay-TV subsidiary. Brazil issued a similar demand last week. Mexico’s Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT) regulator said that once AT&T disposes of its 41 per cent stake in Sky Mexico, and that […]

August 29, 2017By Chris Forrester