Mike Williams, telecoms analyst at investment bank Exane BNP-Paribas, says the battle for eyeballs – and subscribers – is escalating among pay-TV players and as OTT content quality and quantity continues to improve. The bank’s report says: “We expect them to increasingly try to compete as substitutes (rather than complements). Additionally, as OTT players, most […]
Sony Pictures Television Networks (SPT) has reached an agreement with Liberty Global to acquire the Film1 group in the Netherlands. Under the deal, SPT will fully own and operate the five premium pay-TV channels under the Film1 umbrella along with its Film1 Go service, pending regulatory approval. The five Film1 channels include Film1 Premiere, Film1 […]
Analysis from MoffettNathanson asks the all-important question as to the position of US cable & satellite if so-called ‘cord-cutting’ turns out to be actually worse than expected. MN reports that the last 3 months have seen a flurry of
African pay-TV operator Multichoice is happy to sign up subscribers wherever they live, but it seems that there are many of its South African DStv viewers who don’t live in South Africa, but in neighbouring Zimbabwe, and yet pay for their sub in South Africa’s Rand. Multichoice Zimbabwe’s head of publicity Liz Dziva, in an […]
In the March-April issue of Euromedia (available first day of NAB, April 11), we examine Big Data and its role in making television better and, thereby, more profitable. What do we mean by better? In this context it seems we mean more targeted, better curated, totally focussed on a viewer’s needs, interests, desires… Of course, […]
Kuwait-based investment fund KIPCO, which owns a majority stake in Dubai’s pay-TV operator OSN, says that it sees “enormous potential” for continuing growth in subscribers, revenues and profits at OSN. A statement on May 25th from KIPCO reports that OSN’s net profits jumped an impressive 66 per cent, although did not convert this into a […]
According to ABI Research, the worldwide pay-TV market grew at a steady rate of 4 per cent in 2014 to reach 923.5 million subscribers. “Despite the growth in subscriber base, weak currency exchange rates resulted in a slower increase of pay-TV market service revenue. Worldwide the pay-TV market generated $257 billion in 2014 and is […]
Pay-TV revenues, subscriptions and on-demand, in North America peaked in 2013 at $102.86 billion, according to a report from Digital TV Research. The latest edition of the Digital TV North America report forecasts that revenues will fall by 11.7 per cent or $12.04 billion between 2014 and 2020 to $90.71 billion in 2020. Cable revenues […]
A report from IHS Technology says that Russia’s weak economy, and tough regulatory changes are making life difficult for pay-TV broadcasters. The new regulations, in place since the beginning of 2015, restrict
Sky is unexpectedly increasing its subscriber prices in the UK. Normally any price rise happens in September but the hike comes just 6 weeks after the broadcaster agreed to pay the Premier League £4.2 billion for a share of the TV rights. The all-important ‘sports’ bundle will cost an extra £1 (to £47) a month, […]