Trade groupings the Smart TV Alliance and HbbTV Association are to merge the activities of the Smart TV Alliance into HbbTV, extending the scope of the HbbTV Specification to address Over-The-Top Services. The pair say their combined forces will streamline standards for OTT innovation so consumers can enjoy ever more interactive experiences on their connected […]
The Swedish State has approved Com Hem’s SEK 1,330 million (€144m) acquisition of pay-TV operator Boxer TV-Access AB, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Teracom Boxer Group AB. Com Hem now awaits the Swedish Competition Authority’s approval before the acquisition can be completed. Boxer is a pay-TV operator in the DTT network in Sweden with approximately 500,000 […]
Europe needs to invest €700 billion in digital infrastructure to catch up with the US and China, Commissioner Guenther Oettinger said. The commissioner for the digital economy warned that if Europe doesn’t develop fibre-optic networks and nextgen 5G applications and networks fast enough, “we will lose, because important technological applications will not be possible any […]
Israel-based satellite operator Spacecom is likely to be bought by China’s Xinwei Group for $285 million. But the deal is dependent on SpaceX launching Spacecom’s latest satellite into orbit on Saturday morning, September 3rd. The lift-off is scheduled for 3am (Florida time) when a two-hour window opens for the launch of Amos-6, a much-needed satellite […]
Sometime in September – the company is vague about the precise date – London-based speciality satellite operator Avanti Communications will unveil its preliminary results for the trading year to June 30th. On May 16th Avanti issued a Q1 trading update, talking optimistically of future prospects and re-affirming its overall full-year guidance. However, bless than two […]
All viewers who use the iPlayer to watch any BBC programmes must now be covered by a TV licence after new rules came into force. Previously, iPlayer users only needed a licence if they were using the service to watch live broadcasts. That meant it was legal to watch programmes after broadcast on catch-up without […]
Chief revenue officer Ralf Jacob is taking over as president of Verizon Digital Media Services from Bob Toohey who has been named executive VP for AOL, which Verizon acquired for $4.4 billion last year. Jacob, who joined Verizon in late 2013, after the company acquired cloud-based streaming media company upLynk, had been chief revenue officer […]
The US auction of 100 megahertz of spectrum in the 600 MHz band has abruptly ended, with the FCC saying the auction had failed to meet the required conditions. Unsaid was the lack of enthusiasm from bidders. Observers had said that their willingness to stump up ever-higher amounts had waned. There had been 27 individual […]
Cable Europe, the Association representing broadband cable operators, has urged caution in the use of the BEREC guidelines, designed to give National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs) direction in implementing the Net Neutrality Regulation (Regulation 2015/2020). According to Cable Europe, the Digital Single Market is one of the greatest ambitions of the European Union and the Regulation […]
Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) has revealed that SPN and its affiliates have entered into definitive agreements to acquire TEN Sports Network from Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEE) and its subsidiaries for $385 million (€345.4m). Completion of the acquisition is subject to regulatory approval. The acquisition will add South Asia’s leading sports network to SPN’s […]