Advanced Television

OTT

Report: OTT outspending most linear broadcasters

Between 2013 and 2015, Netflix and Amazon more than doubled their annual expenditure on programming. In 2013, Amazon spent $1.22 billion; that jumped to $2.67 billion in 2015. In the same timeframe, Netflix spending rose from $2.38 billion to $4.91 billion, according to the findings from World TV Production Report 2016, a forthcoming study by […]

October 17, 2016

France: 15% broadband users have SVoD

Fifteen per cent of French broadband users are also SVoD subscribers according to figures released by Médiamétrie. This is an increase of 25 per cent from eight months ago. Mediamétrie’s data also revealed that half of the SVoD say they use the service(s) every day, whilst three in four use it at least once a […]

October 17, 2016From Paoli-Lebailly Pascale in Paris

Hisense, Foxxum extend strategic partnership

Working together closely since 2012 on an exclusive basis for Western Europe, high-tech specialist Hisense and Foxxum, a player in Smart TV solutions, have built up a successful Smart TV platform for the Hisense brand in this entire area. In order for Hisense to take advantage of this platform outside of Western Europe the contract between […]

October 17, 2016

Facebook adds TV video streaming

Facebook is rolling out the ability for users to stream videos from Facebook to their TV, allowing them to enjoy their favourite videos on a larger screen through devices such as Apple TV or Google Chromecast. According to Brent Ayrey, Product Director, Facebook is focused on creating video experiences that people want, and is responding […]

October 14, 2016

FilmOn for Roku

FilmOn TV has has its first channel on Roku. Roku streaming players, sticks and TVs will be able to stream content from FOTV’s OTT app, both live and on demand. The on demand content is free, as is most of the live programming. The FOTV app is available on iOS and Android devices and is […]

October 14, 2016

IPTV ‘banned’ in Bangladesh

Bangladesh, which has only just permitted DTH broadcasts (via operator RealVu) to start, has slapped a ban on the country’s embryonic IPTV and VoD service providers. The local regulator (Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, BTRC) already has something of a reactionary reputation. In 2013 it slapped a similar ‘ban’ on online blogging, as well as limited […]

October 14, 2016By Chris Forrester

Netflix US has just 31 of IMDb top 250 movies

According to a study by the Streaming Observer, the US Netflix service offers just 31 movies from the top 250 as voted for by the Internet Movie Database (IMDb). The report also suggests that the number of these popular movies available to Netflix users is shrinking. A previous study by a Reddit user in 2014 […]

October 14, 2016

Canal+ Group overhauls brand and packages

France’s Canal+ Group says it is going on the offensive, entirely revamping its TV packages, and widening its distribution channels to reach more subscribers and grow its market. The Group is introducing a simpler choice of options under the Canal brand, including the Canal+ channels and all the themed channels previously available from CanalSAT (the […]

October 13, 2016

Pluto TV attracts $30m Blue Chip investment

Start-up OTT television streaming service Pluto TV has raised $30 million (€22.7m) from investors including ProSiebenSat.1 and Scripps Networks Interactive to fund a European expansion. Other participants in the Series B round include Sallfort PrivatBank and existing investors US Venture Partners, Sky, Luminari Capital, Chicago Ventures, and Thirdwave Capital Partners. The new funding gives Pluto […]

October 13, 2016By Colin Mann

Amazon unveils Music Unlimited service

As anticipated, Amazon is entering the music streaming sector to compete with iTunes and Spotify with the launch of Amazon Music Unlimited, an on-demand music service that Amazon says redefines music streaming by putting a catalogue of tens of millions of songs and thousands of hand-curated playlists and personalised stations not just at the tips […]

October 13, 2016