As consumers embrace and experiment with a host of new ways of watching TV content, a new GfK MRI report has identified six new TV viewing audience groups and how they combine emerging and traditional options for TV use. TV Share of Clock – the first of four studies in GfK MRI’s new The Future of TV […]
Italian media sector revenues dropped by 3.2 per cent last year, falling from €14.8 billion in 2013 to €14.3 billion in 2014, according to the annual report of the Communications Authority (AgCom). TV maintained the lion’s share of media revenues, although the figure of €8.5 billion was down €1.5 billion, while internet revenues were up […]
Vivendi has decided to raise the price of its public tender offer from €7.60 to €8 to reinforce the attractiveness of its proposed public tender offer to the shareholders of the Société d’Édition de Canal Plus (SECP). The French media group announced in mid-May an offer of €495 million for a controlling stake in pay-TV […]
French media group Vivendi has sacked Canal+ CEO Rodolphe Belmer amid controversy about the future of the pay-TV channel and its prominent satirical puppet show Les Guignols. Canal Plus parent company Vivendi said in a statement that Belmer had been relieved of his responsibilities. It named Executive Vice-President of Canal+ Group, Head of Pay-TV, as […]
Sky and BT Sport, the two UK licensed Premier League broadcasters, have announced their respective first batches of live games. Premier League champions Chelsea will begin their title defence exclusively live on Sky Sports, the first of 24 live matches from the opening seven rounds of the season. Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool will also […]
There are Italian press reports that Sky (which controls the Sky UK, Sky Germany and Sky Italia broadcasters) has offered €1.1 billion to buy Mediaset’s pay-TV arm, which Mediaset has rejected. In a note to clients, investment bank Exane BNP-Paribas hints that this is good news for both Mediaset and Sky. The bank’s report says […]
Telefonica has rebranded its pay-TV platform previously known as Movistar TV to Movistar Plus, following the acquisition of Canal Plus, with the first combined packages to be launched next week. There will be new TV packages: Movistar Plus Familiar, Movistar Plus Cine, Movistar Plus Series, Movistar Plus Deportes and Movistar Plus Futbol. All of them […]
Scripps Networks Interactive has closed on its agreement to acquire a 52.7 per cent interest in Poland’s premier multi-platform media company, TVN, from ITI and Canal+ Group for an all-cash consideration of €584 million. Scripps Networks Interactive will also assume €856 million of debt. “The acquisition of TVN marks an important step forward in Scripps […]
UK over-the-top television platform TVPlayer is to launch TVPlayer Plus, a subscription service, this summer. TVPlayer Plus will be priced from £4.99 (€7.05) per month (with no contract) and enables live streaming of 25+ premium television channels, including Lifetime, HISTORY, H2, Crime + Investigation, Gold, Alibi, Watch, Good Food, Eden, Home, Discovery Channel, TLC, ID […]
Two of India’s largest pay-TV operators, Essel Group’s Dish TV and MSO Siti Cable Networks are forming a joint-venture, Comnet, in order to better negotiate with broadcasters. Comnet’s main role is to tap into the synergies available in jointly dealing with broadcasters and shift the balance of power more in favour of distributors, and to […]