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Pay TV

Sky deal likely to face ‘fit and proper test’ soon

Comments by the Prime Minister David Cameron this morning make it more likely that Ofcom will step in sooner rather than later to apply the ‘fit and proper person(s)’ test of the Broadcasting Act to News Corp in its bid for BSkyB in the light of the News International voice mail hacking scandal. Speaking ahead […]

July 7, 2011By Nick Snow

PPV will outstrip subs on OTT

Companies offering OTT content are exploring new strategic ways to monetize their services, which will drive service revenues in the world OTT market at an average compounded annual growth rate of 32% through to 2016, reaching $16.4 billion, forecasts IMS Research. OTT subscriptions, such as ones offered by Netflix Watch Instantly and Hulu Plus, are […]

July 6, 2011

Pay TV must add extra services

Pay TV operators will increasingly need to add new services such as Spotify and YouView to their bundles to keep existing subscribers and attract new ones. Although the simple packaging of telecoms and media products at a discounted rate might not seem like the most innovative strategy, it has proved to be the most powerful […]

July 6, 2011

Industry actions can boost video uptake

Although soon-to-be-released figures suggest that video consumption has slipped into third place in terms of consumer spend behind cable and satellite subscriptions and ISP subscriptions, Lavinia Carey, Director General of the British Video Association contends that with appropriate actions, the sector’s position can be restored. Participating in the Industry Leadership Debate on ‘Owning a slice […]

July 5, 2011By Colin Mann

Sky Italia drops Mediaset channel as row escalates

Sky Italia, the Italian pay-television unit of News Corp, has pulled a Mediaset channel from its offering in the latest row between the country’s two largest private broadcasters. Sky Italia said it had pulled the Mediaset Plus channel because Mediaset was not providing the kind of content expected under its contract. Mediaset Plus showed the […]

July 4, 2011

APAC broadband and pay TV revenue up 34% by 2016

Asia-Pacific telcos are forecast to see service revenues from DSL, fibre broadband and IPTV rise from $52.5 billion in 2010 to $79.5 billion in 2016 according to ABI Research. Significant revenue growth will come from fibre broadband and IPTV services, offset slightly by some declines in broadband DSL. China’s Triple-Play Net Convergence initiative has already […]

July 1, 2011

Sky takeover close after more conditions

Jeremy Hunt, the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, has finally published the results of the consultation launched on 3 March on the undertakings in lieu offered by News Corporation in relation to their proposed merger with BSkyB. Alongside this he has also published subsequent advice from Ofcom and the OFT and […]

June 30, 2011By Colin Mann

Research: Cord-cutting is for the young

Just three per cent of pay-to-view customers report have ‘cut the cord’ and cancelled their television service in favour of other viewing options, according to the 2011 US Residential Pay-to-View Study from influential marketing information services company J.D. Power and Associates. The inaugural study provides insights concerning attitudes, viewing preferences, behaviour patterns, awareness and experiences […]

June 30, 2011

Mediaset Premium reaches 2m subs

The pay-TV service of Italian commercial broadcaster Mediaset should end the year 2011 with a 20 per cent growth in revenues over the previous year. The prediction has come from Mediaset vice president, Piersilvio Berlusconi, during a press conference to present the autumn programme schedules to advertisers. According to Berlusconi, the number of subscriptions reached […]

June 30, 2011From Branislav Pekic in Rome

Sky Anytime expands to Austria and Germany

Pay-TV giant Sky has confirmed it will launch the new Sky Anytime service in Austria and Germany this August. This will allow customers to access on-demand content through their Sky+ HD PVR. Sky Anytime will let users view selected films, entertainment and sports content from their subscription package on-demand. The service is accessible direct through […]

June 30, 2011