China Digital TV ships 17 million smart cards in 2013

China Digital TV Holding Company, a leading provider of conditional access (CA) systems to China’s digital television market, shipped approximately 4.95 million smart cards in the Q4 2013 compared to 4.07 million in the same period in 2012, and 4.76 million in the third quarter of 2013. Over the full year, the company shipped approximately 17 million smart cards, compared to 15.35 million smart cards in 2012.

“In addition to usual seasonal factors ahead of the Chinese New Year, the better-than-expected shipment volume for this quarter was largely due to increased smart card demand from key Chinese cable TV operators, including in Jiangsu, Guangdong, Sichuan, Shandong, and Jiangxi provinces,” said Jianhua Zhu, China Digital TV’s chairman and chief executive officer.

Zhu said solid growth in the overseas market continued to be an important driver of the company’s market diversification strategy – especiallykey markets such as Venezuela, Taiwan and India.

Thailand to start digital broadcast on April 1

Four Thai provinces will soon have access to digital terrestrial television (DTT) signals after the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) set April 1, 2014, as the start date for system testing.

Residents in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Nakhon Ratchasima, and Songkhla will be able to watch the new DTT system as of April 1, while the service will be extended to cover seven other provinces by June. The DTT system will cover all 22 million TV-equipped households nationwide in four years.

Meanwhile, NBTC says it will soon complete discussions on the provision of set top boxes and antennas, and how to lower the cost of these items for the public.

Russian pay-TV companies team up

Leading pay-TV operators and media groups in Russia have joined forces to form a new association.

According to Vedomosti, it is a non-profit partnership called Media Communications Union (NP MKS) and lists MTS, ER Telecom Holding, VimelCom, MegaFon, Rostelecom, CTC Media, Prof-Media and National Media Group (NMG) among its members, who together account for around 80% of the country’s pay-TV market.

Although Russia already has a large cable association (AKTR), it does to not actively defend the interests of leading operators such as those who have formed NP MKS.

However, the two associations will not compete with each other.

NP MKS’s main objectives will be to propose industry strategy and improve legislation.

Ukraine: DTT problems and solutions

Ukraine needs to implement a number of far-reaching measures to get its troubled transition to digital broadcasting back on track.

Quoted by Mediasat, Ivan Omelyanuk, an expert on digital TV and member of DigiTAG, said that there had been several shortcomings in the transition process.

The main ones were lack of transparency in choosing the operator of four multiplexes (Zeonbud); unfair competition in the choice of TV channels to be carried on the multiplexes; encryption of channels that should have been offered FTA, leading to an increase in the cost of receivers; opting for multi (MFN) and rather than single (SFN) frequency networks; failure to exploit the benefits of DVB-T2; and insufficient coverage achieved by DTT signals.

To remedy this, Omelyanuk proposed the immediate prohibition of encoding DTT signals, which would result in the cost of receivers halving; use of SFNs; introduction of 7-8, mostly national, TV channels on the first multiplex; cancelling Zeonbud’s licence and holding another tender for the four multiplexes it currently operates; use of digital frequencies by local TV stations; the establishment of a commission to oversee the transition to digital broadcasting, with gradual ASO to start immediately.

Pakistan authorites raid cable TV operators

The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) has raided nearly 40 cable TV operators in the regions of Rawalpindi and Islamabad for airing illegal channels.

Pemra enforcement team headed by the Regional General Manager Shamim Gul Durrani seized hardware used in the illegal transmission and insertion of channels, following a large number of complaints from the public.

Cable operators whose systems were inspected include The Professionals, World Call (Pvt) Ltd, Web Com (Pvt) Ltd, SA Assocaites, Five Star Cable Network, Ocean Cable Network, United Communication Shan Cable Network, DHAI Teleman and Pasban Cable Network.

Internet capable TVs in 22% of Australian homes

OzTAM, the official source of television audience measurement (TAM) covering Australia’s five mainland metropolitan markets and nationally for subscription television, has announced the release of its Q313 Australian Multi-Screen Report.

Some of the key findings: Q3 (July-September) 2013

Internet capable TVs are now in 22 per cent of homes (18 per cent in Q3 2012).

With the analogue switch-off imminent, 99 per cent of homes had converted to digital terrestrial television (DTT) by Q3 2013, and 89 per cent had converted every working TV in their homes.

PVR penetration has been relatively steady in recent quarters, now in 53 per cent of Australian homes (50 per cent in Q3 2012).

12.3 million Australians watch some video (both television broadcast and non-broadcast content) on the Internet each month: an average of 5:18 per month. Such viewing is highest among people aged 18-24 (10:50).

92.8% of all video viewing – including broadcast and non-broadcast video – is on the traditional TV set, with other devices accounting for 7.2%:

• 95:51 per month on the TV set
• 5:18 per month online via PCs/laptops
• 1:20 per month on smartphones
• 50 minutes per month on tablets

More: Q3 2013 Report (pdf)

Singapore to subsidise digital migration costs

The Singapore government has said that up to 170,000 households could receive some form of financial aid to mitigate the cost of migrating to digital terrestrial television (DTT) – with the low-income group to get help with almost the full cost.

Communications and Information Minister Yaacob Ibrahim said DTT is expected to be rolled out to all Singapore households by 2020, and DTT set top boxes are expected to retail for about S$129 (USD 102) when they become available.

“Certainly, we want low-income households to migrate without having them spend a lot of money, so we hope we can help them by giving them assistance through the set-top box, the antenna and a bit of funding for installation,” said Yaacob.

Russia casts doubts on ASO

Russia is against fixing a date for the switch off of analogue TV services.

Quoted by 1prime.ru andAKTR, Alexei Volin, the country’s deputy minister of communications, said that if it were to have one it could lead to disruption for regional broadcasters.

The current plan sees Russia completing ASO by 2015. Volin said that a lot of progress has been made in the introduction of the first and second DTT multiplexes.

DTT signals should be available to 80% of the population this year, rising to 97.5% in 2015.

Even if all analogue TV signals were switched off in 2018, the move would still have an impact on 500 regional TV stations.

Ukrainian boost for Viasat

Triolan, Ukraine’s second largest cable operator, is again distributing Viasat channels.

Its portfolio now includes four movie channels (TV1000, TV1000 Action, TV1000 Comedy and TV1000 Russian Kino), three factual channels (Viasat History, Viasat Nature and Viasat Explorer) and Viasat Sport, which have been made available to all Triolan subscribers.

Commenting on the development, Andrey Burenok, country manager of Viasat Ukraine, said: “We are proud that our movie, factual and sports channels will once again be available to Triolan’s subscribers.. We consider Triolan a sound partner that we can work together with in developing the pay-TV market in Ukraine.”

Triolan last carried Viasat channels in 2012.

Local reports say that Triolan is now in talks with Russia’s NTV-Plus.

If successful, they could result in the operator’s offer increasing to over 100 pay channels by the end of this year.

Afghanistan plans satellite future with Eutelsat

Afghanistan has signed a strategic partnership with Eutelsat that it hopes will accelerate access to satellite infrastructure for digital services.

The agreement between Eutelsat Communications and the Afghanistan Ministry of Communications & Information Technology (MCIT) will see Eutelsat deploy an in-orbit satellite from February 2014 to 48 degrees East to deliver full national coverage and extensive reach of Central Asia and the Middle East. The satellite will be officially called AFGHANSAT 1 by the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, reflecting Afghanistan’s entry into the commercial satellite business.

Commenting on the agreement, His Excellency Minister Sangin said: “AFGHANSAT 1 is a new milestone in the development of the ICT sector in Afghanistan, which in the last 12 years has already seen mobile telephony coverage of 88% and penetration grow from zero to 75% through the licensing of six operators, ICT sector employment provided for more than 138,000 people and more than $2.1 billion invested in the national economy. We are very happy to partner with Eutelsat on AFGHANSAT 1 which will provide access to ICT and broadcast services to Afghans, especially in unserved areas, and support our vision of transforming Afghanistan into an information society.”

Speaking at the signing ceremony at the MCIT in Kabul, Michel de Rosen, Chairman and CEO of Eutelsat, said: “This MOU represents the fastest and most effective route to accessing infrastructure configured to deliver full coverage of Afghanistan and surrounding regions. It enables Afghanistan to scale up capacity as and when needed and to offer broadcasters, telcos and ISPs the immediate benefit of resources providing exceptional reach and performance. We are honoured to be Afghanistan’s chosen partner for this important initiative.”

Shift in 4G-DTT interference support

at800, the industry-run organisation responsible for troubleshooting 4G interference issues, is revising its service after receiving less viewer complaints than anticipated.

“Five months after the launch of mobile services using 4G at 800 MHz, at800 is confident that disruption to Freeview will be less widespread than initially estimated. It is therefore able to refocus its resources to better serve those viewers who are affected by the activation of new 4G masts in their area,” the telco-backed organisation said in a statement.

at800 is planning to reduce the number of days taken to “restore service to previous quality” from 15 to 10 working days. The service is offered when a viewer’s primary means of watching TV is from Freeview and there is perceived interference from a 4G telephony mast.

If 4G interference is proved to be the cause at800 will install and test the necessary filters.

Ben Roome, CEO of at800 said, “We’ve used evidence gathered over the past ten months to assess how best to support viewers whose TV is affected by 4G at 800 MHz. The changes we’re announcing today will help us provide a better, more effective service.”

The revised approach from at800 has been fully endorsed by the 4G/TV Co-existence Oversight Board, which represents consumers, broadcasters, mobile operators, Ofcom and the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS).

MTS charts digital progress

Russia’s MTS ended 2013 with 25% of its pay-TV subscribers receiving digital TV services.

According to the company, this followed its decision in November 2013 to only offer digital TV to its new customers.

MTS adds that in 2013 its domestic internet and digital TV services were extended to over 10 cities in the Volga, Central, Southern, Siberian, Far East and North West Federal districts.

As of the end of the year, every third digital TV subscriber received additional programme packages, with a quarter opting for the most popular ones, which included film, sports, kids and music.

The total number of channels it offers doubled to 340, while those in HD increased almost nine times to 37.

MTS also says it continued to roll out its triple play offer in 2013 to a number of cities, and subscribers in Moscow were offered internet access speeds of up to 1Gbps, using GPON technology.

It adds that it completed a multi-year investment programme in 2013, transferring 90% of its networks to FTTH technology.

MTS now plans to launch a single hybrid platform in the first half of this year.

It concludes by saying that it now provides fixed services in almost 180 cities in Russia, with 2.6 million customers opting for pay-TV, 2.3 million for broadband internet access and one million for mobile TV.

CTH to focus more on satellite

Cable Thai Holdings (CTH), one of the biggest pay TV operators in Thailand has announced that it will be focussing more on its satellite TV operators. In order to do that, it will be severing ties with few of its local cable television partners. This way, the player hopes add to is subscriber base with this move.

Chirdsak Kukiattinun, chairman of the CTH executive committee, noted that CTH has been encountering problems when it comes to expanding on a local level through local cable operators and that was one of the reasons why it has decided on such a drastic measure. This means CTH will be letting go of 70 cable partners. Currently it has 170.

CTH has been very vocal about its ambitious expansion plans. It currently has 500,000 subscribers to its name. But the company has noted that it wants to increase it to 3 million by the end of this year itself.

One TV looks at expanding to Kandal

Cambodia’s One TV, the first foreign broadcasting project of Russia’s GS Group, will launch in the tenth Cambodian province Kandal as of February 7, 2014.

One TV was launched in 2012 as a joint venture with the largest private company of Cambodia, and became the first nationwide digital terrestrial TV operator in the country. Service is already available in the capital, Phnom Penh, and eight Cambodian provinces.

One TV has achieved steady subscriber growth of 20%-25% per month since launch and Dataxis estimates the pay-DTT operator had around 55,000 subscribers end-September, 2013, up from 9,000 at the end of 2012.

No conclusion with Thaicom 8

Thailand’s broadcast regulator, National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) continues to grapple over the issue of providing Thaicom 8 with a licence. Thaicom 8 is one of the satellites slated to be launched by the Thai satellite operator, Thaicom.

According to Settapong Malisuwan, chairman of the NBTC’s telecom committee, the broadcaster has asked the Information and Communications Technology Ministry’s opinion on couple of specific issues when it comes to Thaicom 8 licence. The committee first wants to know if the country’s minister will allow Thaicom 8 to orbit in 78.5 degrees East longitude slow. This is a problem only because currently Thaicom 5 and 6 are currently occupying that very same slot.

NBTC has noted that the ministry has not provided answers to its problems as of yet and hence the licencing has come to a standstill for now. In the meantime, this year, Thaicom was able to successfully launch Thaicom 6 in January into space. It also will be launching Thaicom 7 this year.

Swisscom TV reaches a million

Swisscom said that the number of its IPTV homes has grown with 209,000 subs to reach one million in 2013, up 26.4%.

The new milestone means that Swisscom TV now reaches one in every three Swiss households.

Of the total, 939,000 homes take the basic TV offer. Around 410,000 subscribers use the TV Replay function, which allows to restart a programme from the beginning.

Programmes from around 70 channels can be viewed up to 30 hours after the original broadcast.

The operator also said that during last year., 8.8 million live sports and movies (VOD) were requested, a plus of 10.7%.

The operator’s total number of fixed broadband homes grew 4.9% to 1.81 million.

Vectra grows digital TV base

The Polish cable operator Vectra ended 2013 with 816,900 TV subscribers, of whom 551,600 opted for digital services.

The latter figure, according to data supplied to Wirtualne Media, was 19.2% more than a year earlier and contrasted with the analogue total, down by 15.7% to 265,300 over the same period.

Vectra’s fixed internet subscriber total meanwhile stood at 448,848 at the end of 2013, up from 379,995 a year earlier.

On the other hand, its mobile internet subscriber total fell, from 28,564 to 28,307, in 2013.

Its telephony subscriber total at year’s end was 163,920, compared to 140,949 at the end of 2012.

Vectra, which vies for second place in Poland’s cable market with Multimedia Polska, had in total 877,435 subscribers at the end of 2013, up from 822,483 a year earlier.

Ukraine favours cable and DTH

Ukrainian viewers are increasingly opting for cable and satellite services – and increasingly also IPTV – at the expense of terrestrial TV.

Quoting data produced by the Industrial Television Committee (ITC), Capital and AKTR report that the number of terrestrial TV homes in the country fell by 1 million to 5.8 million in 2013.

At the same time, the number of cable TV subscribers rose by 6% to 5.9 million and DTH homes by 200,000 to 4.7 million.

The IPTV viewer total meanwhile increased from just over 70,000 in 2012 to several hundred thousand last year and is now expected to double or triple each year.

Interestingly, only a few hundred thousand DTH viewers pay to receive their services.

As a result, DTH revenues last year amounted to only UAH44.8 million (€3.74 million), compared to the UAH1.5 billion made by cable operators.

ViewSat achieves record MENA growth

The increase in the number of private broadcast channels in the Middle East and the industry-wide push towards greater coverage and expansion into new markets have resulted in a year of record growth for ViewSat.

The global provider of broadcast services for television and radio channels doubled its broadcast capacity and channel count with the launch of its second Middle East and North Africa (MENA) satellite transponder, expanded its service network throughout North Africa, the Middle East, Sub Saharan Africa and North America and increased its investment in the region.

ViewSat now manages the distribution of over 70 regional channels.

By expanding its partnership with Intelsat, ViewSat secured capacity on the Galaxy 19 satellite, permitting its customers to target an audience of over 7 million viewers in North America. The company is also preparing to offer Over the Top (OTT) services to its customers.

Reflecting on the company’s enormous success in the past year, Safia Rabna, Head of Sales and Marketing at ViewSat, said, “2013 was truly the year where we took the MENA market by storm. Viewer interest in coverage of the unrest in the region proved to be a key factor in driving the need for broadcast services. While traditionally our customers have been religious channels, there are now a number of new entrants hoping to capitalize on the massive demand for news, entertainment, and life-style content.”

“Our extensive investments in state-of-the-art equipment, deep regional expertise and step-by-step guidance make us the turn-key solution provider that these new channels need. We offer tailor made services with guaranteed QoS, which has proven to be a winning combination for our customers,” she explained.

The company maintained its position in Egypt with steady growth in the country through 2013, and managed managed to expand further in the region with new business in Lebanon, Qatar, Kuwait and Jordan. Advanced connectivity and penetration of internet services have also opened a new revenue stream for the company by way of web streaming of television and radio channels.

Outlining ViewSat’s objectives for 2014, Safia said, “Besides rapidly expanding our capacity, network coverage and customer base, OTT will be our major focus this year. We have already witnessed the popularity of these services and are keen to position ourselves as the one-stop-shop for all our customers’ broadcast needs.”

During the year, ViewSat plans to establish new regional offices to help grow its footprint and will increase its engagement with customers to drive uptake of its cost-effective live solutions across the Middle East.

Kudelski and Cisco ink patent deal

Kudelski Group has signed a multi-year patent cross-license agreement with Cisco Systems, Inc. under which the companies will license their respective patent portfolios to each other with certain restrictions.

Furthermore, the parties have resolved all pending litigation between the companies and Cisco will pay Kudelski Group an up front, lump sum payment.

Joe Chernesky, senior VP of Intellectual Property and Innovation at The Kudelski Group, said: “As it has done throughout its 60+ year history, the Kudelski Group continues to invest heavily in innovation and the development of intellectual property.

“This agreement with Cisco represents further validation of our intellectual property portfolio while enabling a new area of collaboration between the two companies.”

Samsung adds The Weather Channel

The Weather Channel has become the latest service to join Samsung’s Smart TV store, Samsung Apps.

The new app features live TV streams, detailed local weather forecasts, severe weather reports plus the latest videos and user-generated content, delivering the most up-to-date and reliable weather information to Samsung Smart TV viewers.

Content within the new Smart TV App is displayed in an easy-to-use, intuitive interface with background images themed to the live weather conditions. As the weather app evolves in 2014, it will include voice and motion control, providing viewers with an even greater interactive experience.

Key features of the app include live TV streams directly on the Smart TV App during severe weather events; maps featuring radar and cloud map layers, displaying up to five hours of animation, with zoom in and out functionality for Samsung Smart TV models made from 2012 onwards; severe weather alerts and notifications on-screen; current conditions, as well as hourly, 36-hour and 10-day forecast detail, including a 10-day graph displaying both the forecasted and the average high and low temperatures; latest videos and user-generated weather-themed videos; weather-triggered images, themed on predicted weather type for each day/period; and ability to save up to 10 cities as favourites.

Commenting on the new app, Guy Kinnell, head of TV and AV at Samsung Electronics UK & Ireland, said: “From being a conversation starter through to how it will affect our journey into work, as a nation we’re often fascinated by the weather. By adding The Weather Channel App to Samsung Smart TVs, we are providing viewers with the most accurate weather updates on the biggest screen in the home, along with the most interactive and immersive Smart TV viewing experience.”

Nicolo Mascheroni Stianti, MD, EMEA, The Weather Company, added: “We are incredibly excited about our partnership with Samsung and look forward to continuing to enhance our initiatives and building products that take advantage of the progressive features of Samsung’s latest operating systems.

“Today’s announcement further strengthens our position as a multi-platform operator as we continue to deliver our hyper-local, content-rich offering across Europe.”

There are now over 650 apps available to download on the Samsung Smart Hub in the UK.

Services available on Samsung Smart TVs include Spotify, Rightmove, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.

MTG and Viacom sign Scandinavian VOD deal

Modern Times Group has signed a partnership agreement with Viacom International Media Networks to include exclusive advertising-funded video on demand content.

Content from the MTV and Comedy Central channels will feature in MTG’s free-TV online ‘catch-up’ services in Sweden, Norway and Denmark from February 4. MTG will also handle advertising sales for Viacom’s online platforms, and sell the combined online reach of the MTG and Viacom online catch-up TV services to advertisers.

MTV and Comedy Central content will therefore be shown on TV3Play.se, TV6Play.se, TV8Play.se, and TV10Play.se in Sweden; and MTV content will be shown on TV3Play.no, Viasat4play.no and TV6Play.no in Norway, and on TV3Play.dk in Denmark.

The content includes MTV and Comedy Central hit formats such asCatfish, Geordie Shore, Teen Mom and The Daily Show, as well as an extensive library of TV series such as The Hills, Punked and Cribs. Kids TV series such as SpongeBob and Dora the Explorer from Viacom channel Nickelodeon are also already available through MTG’s Viaplay online pay-TV subscription service.

The online advertising sales agreement follows earlier agreements between MTG and Viacom, whereby MTG already sells airtime on Viacom’s linear channels MTV, Comedy Central and VH-1 as part of its free-TV advertising sales packages in Denmark, Norway and Sweden.

“This is a key new step in the development of our strong partnership with Viacom, and reflects our determination to be the leading online and offline provider of high quality and relevant entertainment products in all of our markets,” said Jørgen Madsen Lindemann, president and CEO of MTG.

“This exciting content and sales agreement will provide our online viewers with even richer and more varied content experiences through multiple screens and devices, and provide our advertising customers with increased reach and impact”.

Czech freeSAT gains Premier League

The UPD DTH platform freeSAT has added coverage of the Premier League to its offer in the Czech Republic.

It is being provided by Slovak Sport.TV2, which joined the channel line-up on January 31.

Commenting on the development, Jim Helfgott, UPC DTH marketing and sales president, said: “We are pleased to further enrich our freeSAT plus package line-up through the addition of Slovak Sport.TV2 in the Czech Republic. This will further enhance our already rich package of channels giving our customers more choice without additional costs. Our plus service guarantees to our customers the best channels available in our markets”.

FreeSAT is the first DTH platform in the Czech Republic to offer its subscribers Slovak Sport.TV2.

KPN reaches almost 2 million TV homes

44% of all KPN residential customers now have triple play, a figure boosted by the operator’s IPTV offer.

The company said it had almost two million TV customer at the end of December 2013, equalling a market share of the digital TV market of 25%.

KPN also said it had 484,000 FttH customers.

Despite its success in the Dutch TV market, the company as a whole is not rowing week with more job cuts as Q4 sales fall 10%.

Pay TV subscribers in Asia Pacific region surpass 538 million

At the end of the third quarter of 2013, the research from Dataxis shows that the Asia Pacific region has a whopping 538,486,593 pay TV subscribers. For the same quarter from 2012, there were a total of 476,734,798 subscribers in the Asia Pacific region.

This means the growth in pay TV subscribers in a span of year has increased by 12.9%. In terms of Direct Digital
Cable pay TV subscribers, Australia alone accounts for 84,000 of them. Bangladesh accounts for 72,000 and India accounts for 26,531,000 of the subscribers in total. Whereas the numbers are more impressive when it comes to analogue cable pay TV subscribers in many of the developing countries in the region.

In terms of analogue pay TV subscribers, India alone accounts for 87,409,000 subscribers, Laos accounts for 36,300 subscribers, Mongolia has 93,900 subscribers and Myanmar has 1,300,000 for the third quarter of 2013.

ABS-CBN looks to long term expansion

ABS-CBN Corporation a diversified Filipino media conglomerate, has announced that it has raised USD 132 million from its maiden bond in order to finance a five year expansion plans for the country. The company is currently owned and controlled by the powerful Lopez family.

The company will be focusing on digital terrestrial TV as well as ensure its pay TV business, Sky cable is also serviced appropriately. Aldrin Cerrado, chief financial officer of ABS-CBN, said in a statement.“The success of this bond issue is a major achievement for our company and is a culmination of management’s adoption and efficient execution of key business strategies over the last few years,”

BDO Capital president Eduardo Francisco has noted that the industry has welcomed ABS-CBN’s move. He said, “The positive response we received from investors reinforces our view that ABS-CBN has earned a solid credit standing among the domestic investing community.”

Indonesia gets its first Bollywood channel

India based media company, Zee Network has launched two new channels in Indonesia – Zee BioSkop and Veria Living channels. The channels are expected to reach an audience of over 10 million pay tv subscribers in the country.

While Veria Living is a wellness channel, Zee Bioskop will be the first ever 24 hour Bollywood channel to broadcast in Indonesia. Subhash Chandra, Chairman, ZEEL, said, “Indonesia and India share a lot of similarities when it comes to culture, values and entertainment appetite, in addition to being maritime neighbours. Indonesia is economically one of the fastest growing markets with huge potential for Pay TV growth. I am confident these launches will flag off a new beginning for our venture and relationship between the two countries.”

Sushruta Samanta, Business Head – Asia Pacific, ZEEL, said, “During the focused group research, we were amazed to see the massive response for our Bollywood content. ZEEL holds the largest Bollywood library, which will aid Zee Bioskop in setting new records in viewership trend. Indonesia is definitely a key market for our APAC expansion plan and opening of Indonesia office is a first step towards that direction.”

Media companies hope to cash in on digital channels in Thailand

With the 24 commercial digital channels slated to start airing from April 1st, in Thailand, several of the bid winners who walked away with licences are already talking about profiting from the digital television services. RS Public Company Limited, a Thai entertainment company, with stakes in various platforms including television is among those who are waiting to reap the benefits of the auction.

RS chief executive officer Surachai Chetchotisak said, ” Once Channel 8 was available on the digital terrestrial platform, the company is hoping to widen its audience base on top of existing cable and satellite TV viewers. The media and broadcasting businesses have now become key drivers for the company.”

Apart from RS, another media giant in the country, GMM Grammy is also looking forward to bringing its channels to the public. The player had won one HD Variety licence and one SD Variety licence. GMM Grammy chairman Paiboon Dumrongchaithum said, ”It is quite clear that GMM One satellite channel will be transformed and rescheduled into an HD variety channel on the digital terrestrial TV platform in April, while the other one is developing a concept and programming.”

Telekom targets OTE acquisition

JANUARY 31, 2014 09.36 EUROPE/LONDON BY CHRIS DZIADUL

Deutsche Telekom has renewed its interest in buying the 10% stake in the telco OTE currently held by the Greek state.

According to Ekathimerini, Telekom’s new head Timotheus Hoettges has met with the Greek PM Antonis Samaras and management of OTE to discuss a possible acquisition.

He also told the PM of Telekom’s international growth strategy, as well as plans to develop OTE, that will see an investment of €1.2 billion over the next four years.

Telekom currently holds a 40% stake in OTE, which beyond Greece also has a presence in Romania through Romtelecom and Cosmote Romania and Albania through AMC.

Smart TV shipments grew 55 percent in 2013

Friday, January 31st, 2014 

One-Third of Global Flat Panel TV Shipments in 2013 Were Smart TVs

BOSTON, MA — According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, global Smart TV shipments grew 55 percent year-over-year to reach 76 million units in 2013, accounting for 33 percent of total Flat Panel TV (FPTV) during the year.

Strategy Analytics’ Smart TV Forecast report found that Western Europe was the leading market for Smart TV in terms of penetration of shipments with close to 45 percent of FPTVs shipped in the region last year being Smart TVs. Looking to the future, the company predicts that global Smart TVs will account for 44 percent of FPTV shipments in 2014 and 73 percent by 2017 by which time it says virtually all mid to high-end TV sets will include some form of IP connectivity.

“Smart TVs are steadily moving mainstream and are integrating into a multi-platform offering alongside smartphones, tablets and PCs. Manufacturers will do well to focus their efforts on enabling better communication and sharing with second screen devices” said David Watkins, Director of Strategy Analytics’ Connected Home Devices service.

Analyst Eric Smith added, “While Smart TV adoption is certainly gaining momentum, a true measure of its success is whether consumers are actually using the Smart functionality. Our consumer survey data show that around 50 percent of Smart TV owners across the USA and major European markets are currently using their TV’s Internet capabilities, so vendors must continue to add compelling applications and services to entice consumers to utilize their platforms.”

Ghana publishes conformance procedure for Digital TV logos

Friday, January 31st, 2014 

NCA Publishes procedure for the award Conformance Logos for Digital TV sets and decoders

Ghana’s National Communications Authority (NCA) has published the procedure for the award of the Conformance Logos for Digital TV sets and decoders. This conformance procedure also called conformance regime requires all manufacturers and/or dealers of television sets and set-top boxes for Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) to test their products with accredited laboratories before being granted the authorisation to use the conformance logos i.e. the Digital Ghana thumb logos. The logo will confirm to consumers that the receiver is Ghana DTT compliant.

The Authority has accredited and shortlisted eligible test labs around the world to provide standard tests on all models of set-top boxes (STBs) and integrated digital television sets (iDTVs), to verify that these DTT receivers conform to the Minimum Requirements for Free to Air (FTA) Digital Television Receivers.

The effective date of this regime is 1st January, 2014. Application forms for the conformance logo and the timeframes for processing the logo applications are contained in the publication. Dealers, manufacturers, agents and retailers of TV sets and set top boxes in Ghana are required to submit returns on the data of the purchasers of their products as required by the existing bodies of law. The publication details out the required information.

The Authority shall commence a nationwide public education on the conformance logos to guide the general public in their purchasing decisions. Consumers who wish to acquire TV sets and/or decoders should look out for the Digital Ghana thumb logos. They should also provide information on their names, area where the product would be used and telephone numbers upon purchase.

Accredited Conformance Test Laboratories:

DTG Testing Limited (DTGTL), London, UK
National Testing & Inspection Center for Radio & TV Products (TIRT), Beijing, China
Digital TV Labs, Bristol, UK
Altech Multimedia (AMM), Mount Edgecombe, South Africa
SONY EMCS (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
SONY EMCS EMC/RF Test, Chiba, Japan
SONY KODA EMC Test Laboratory, Aichi, Japan

Motive Television STB deployment exceeds expectations in Turkey

Thursday, January 16th, 2014 

Rollout of Set Top Boxes containing Motive technology ahead of plan

LONDON — Motive Television (“Motive” or “Company”) has been informed by Digiturk, the largest satellite broadcaster in Turkey with over 2.5 million subscribers, that during 2013 approximately 115,000 set-top boxes containing Motive’s technology were provided to subscriber homes. Motive was also advised that a similar figure is anticipated for the year 2014.

This exceeds the estimates given by Motive on 29 May 2013 when it announced that “although it cannot predict the eventual number of Digiturk subscribers who may take up the Company’s technology in the next two to three years, the Company conservatively estimated that at least 100,000 of Digiturk’s subscribers would receive set-top boxes with Motive’s technology”. Motive receives license fees royalties based upon the number of set-top boxes manufactured that are enabled with Motive’s technology payable twice yearly based on shipments for the past six months.

These better than predicted sales are expected to contribute to the Company’s revenue for the year ended 31 December 2013 being at least as high as the revenue generated in 2012.

Leonard M Fertig, CEO of Motive commented, “Today’s figures indicate that this prior estimate will be exceeded and this is evidence of success and rapid acceptance of the product. Motive continues to work with Digiturk to support and further develop its services.”

Inverto ships Entropic-based Unicable multi-switch to DTH operator in India

Tuesday, January 21st, 2014 

Inverto Ships Entropic-Based Unicable Multi-Switch to a Major Satellite Operator in India for Support of Multi-Dwelling Unit Subscribers

NEW DELHI, India — 22nd Convergence India 2014 Conference — Entropic (Nasdaq:ENTR), a world leader in semiconductor solutions for the connected home, and Inverto Digital Labs, a leader in broadcast reception and streaming products, today announced a major direct broadcast satellite (DBS) operator in India has deployed Inverto’s Quad Unicable™ multi-switch based on Entropic’s proven, third-generation Channel Stacking Switch (CSS), the EN5288. By implementing Inverto’s Quad Unicable multi-switch, the operator can enhance TV viewing experiences of Multi-Dwelling Unit (MDU) subscribers by enabling multiple tuners and viewing locations off a single-cable run from the trunk system that already exists in the building.

Inverto’s Unicable multi-switch with Entropic CSS technology enables the DBS operator to significantly reduce satellite installation costs by sending multiple video streams from multiple satellites into and around the home – over a single-cable feed. This simplified cabling approach allows the operator to deploy set-top boxes (STBs), with multiple tuner capabilities, in multiple rooms, without adding additional cabling by using the existing single-cable run from the MDU’s trunk.

The new multi-switch leverages the industry standard CENELEC EN50494, which facilitates the delivery of broadcast programming to a maximum of eight STBs over a single coaxial cable. This in turn allows operators who have incorporated the standard into their STBs ahead of deployment to future-proof subscribers’ in-home networks allowing seamless deployment of DVR and multi-room solutions – at any time – with CSS products.

“We are working with a major India-based DBS operator who is taking a unique single-cable architecture approach to delivering entertainment and advanced services into the homes of its subscribers,” said Gil Laifer, Senior Director of Products, Inverto Digital Labs. “By implementing our Unicable products with Entropic’s advanced CSS technology, operators can increase average revenue per user, improve subscriber satisfaction and have the ability to reduce churn. Specifically, Unicable products allow upgrading services to users in multi-dwelling units without the need to change the single cabling architecture which is prevalent across the Indian market. These savings for the operator can be of a significant order.”

Entropic’s EN5288 is a widely-deployed CSS solution that significantly reduces both the cost and complexity of direct broadcast satellite (DBS) installations. Designed to address both MDU and Single Family Unit (SFU) requirements, the integrated circuit solution offers the lowest bill of material (BoM) component count, smallest package size and adds key advancements in power-efficiency.

“Our CSS technology continues to be the global standard for DBS single-cable architectures,” said Al Servati, vice president, Marketing, Entropic. “Deploying our technology with long-term partner Inverto in the India satellite market is proof that service providers recognize the opportunity to deliver more entertainment and increase service offerings – all through the simplified single-cable approach.”

100,000 subscribers for Georgia's MagtiSat

Wednesday, January 22nd, 2014 

MagtiSat, Georgia’s first domestic direct-to-home (DTH) satellite platform broadcast via ASTRA, celebrates its second birthday with more than 100,000 customers across the country and 3 new in-house digital TV channels exclusively available to MagtiSat subscribers

TBILISI/LUXEMBOURG — SES S.A. (NYSE Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG) and MagtiCom, a mobile and telecommunications company in Georgia, announced today that after 2 years of operating MagtiSat, the first domestic DTH platform in Georgia, the company already has more than 100,000 subscribers and their number is constantly growing. MagtiSat is broadcast by ASTRA’s 1G satellite (31.5 degrees East).

To mark the second year of its successful operations, MagtiSat has launched 3 new in-house cinema channels—“Magti Hit”, “Magti Kino” and “Chveni Magti”:

• Magti Hit screens the most popular movie hits of the 21st century in Georgian and in HD.
• Magti Kino features the most popular and high-earning films of the past 20 years in Georgian.
• Chveni Magti broadcasts masterpieces of Georgian feature and documentary films.

MagtiSat currently offers subscribers more than 100 channels in standard definition (SD) and 6 in high definition (HD) within different programme packages.

Thanks to satellite broadcasting provided by the ASTRA satellite owned and operated by SES, MagtiSat is available all over Georgia, including in the country’s mountain regions. Two years on the market has shown that demand for satellite TV broadcasting is significant in Georgia—not only in the regions, where other telecommunications networks are either difficult to deploy or not cost-effective, but also in the country’s capital, where digital terrestrial TV and IPTV solutions are present.

Based upon global trends and strong demand for high-quality digital broadcasting in Georgia and in the region as a whole, MagtiCom and SES built an uplink station in late 2013. With an antenna radius of 6.3 metres and weighing in at over 6 tonnes, this satellite ground station is unique in Georgia in terms of power and operational output, and is one of the largest in the entire Caucasus region.

Mr Irakli Lobzhanidze, MagtiCom’s Marketing Director: ’We are proud to announce today that the number of MagtiSat subscribers has grown three-fold over the past year and has reached around 115,000. According to our data, we became the country’s largest pay-TV operator in a mere two years. We believe that the secret of our success is our country-wide world-class satellite TV coverage, the unique content we offer and great customer service.’

Mr Håkan Sjödin, SES’s Vice President (Sales) for Scandinavia, the Baltic and Eastern Europe: ’We would like to congratulate our partner MagtiCom for the great results they have achieved in only 2 years, and are proud to be part of their success. This year we are planning to launch ASTRA 5B, a new satellite which will extend SES’ transponder capacity and geographical reach across Eastern Europe and the South Caucasus. We hope that this launch will increase our successful co-operation with MagtiCom, and that together we will implement new, thriving projects which will reveal the benefits and potential of satellite broadcasting to all.’

VIDEOCON d2h connections reach 10 million in India

Tuesday, January 28th, 2014 

VIDEOCON d2h celebrates the achievement of 10 Million connections in a short span of just 4 years

MUMBAI — Videocon d2h, Asia’s Most Promising Brand & Fastest Growing DTH Service has crossed 10 million connections. The youngest & latest entrant in the DTH industry went pan India in 2010 and has grown tremendously in the last 4 years.

On celebrating the success story of 10 Million connections in a very short period of time, Videocon d2h credits this growth and popularity of the brand to the wide range of channels and services, high definition services and impeccable focus on customer service & satisfaction. For Videocon d2h, the encouraging response from the customers is an ample testimonial to the trust placed on the brand and its superior performance. Videocon d2h has also firmly established itself as the leader in the High definition category.

Videocon d2h’s success is a reflection of its commitment of ushering in pioneering industry defining propositions to ensure customer delight.

Mr. Saurabh Dhoot – Director Videocon group stated “Our commitment is to deliver the best to our customers and the encouraging response of the customers is an endorsement of our services. The quality of our customer base is extremely healthy due to the focus on high quality technology & customer friendly services. Having a 10 Million Subscriber base in such a short time is a strong testimony of Videocon d2h’s success in a highly competitive DTH market in India”

Mr. Anil Khera – CEO Videocon d2h added, “We would like to thank our customers for reposing their faith in the brand and continuing to support us in achieving 10 million connections. Our offerings like Maximum Channels & Services, India’s first active 3D channel, India’s 1st 1000 GB Asli HD Recorder, India’s 1st Radio Frequency Remote and many more have brought smiles to millions of households across India. We are continuously differentiating ourselves from competitors by offering quality services and great customer experience.”

Airtel Digital TV adds 913,000 subscribers in 2013

Wednesday, January 29th, 2014 

NEW DELHI, India — Bharti Airtel Limited (“Bharti Airtel” or “the Company”) today announced its audited consolidated IFRS results for the quarter ended December 31, 2013.

As on December 31, 2013, the Company had 287.4 million customers consisting of 275.2 million Mobile, 3.4 million Telemedia and 8.8 million Digital TV customers.

Digital TV Services

As on December 31, 2013, the Company had its Digital TV operations in 639 districts with 8.8 million customers, an increase of 11.6% as compared to corresponding quarter last year. Net customer additions for Digital TV during the quarter increased to 235 K as compared to 120 K in the previous quarter, primarily driven by festivities during the quarter. ARPU increased by Rs 21, to an all-time high of Rs 207, as compared to Rs 186 in the corresponding quarter last year.

The multiplier impact of increased customer additions and higher realisations during the quarter, pushed up revenues from Digital TV services by 25.8% to Rs 5,384 million as compared to Rs 4,280 million in the corresponding quarter last year.

Key Company Developments – Digital TV

Airtel Digital TV launched LIVE Tweets on TV – a revolutionary convergence of tweeting and television viewing. The concept is an innovation in the DTH industry across the world that allows customers to experience Twitter on TV.

SD+ Recorder launch: “SD recorder box with unlimited recording using an external pen-drive” launched in Oct‟13. Airtel Digital TV is now the only DTH player in country to offer recording on all types of its boxes.

Operational Performance – India – Digital TV

                      Dec 31,  Sep 30,  Jun 30,  Mar 31,  Dec 31,
                Unit     2013     2013     2013     2013     2012
               -----  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------
Customers      000's    8,807    8,572    8,452    8,100    7,894
Net additions  000's      235      120      352      207      439
ARPU              Rs      207      198      197      184      186
ARPU             US$      3.3      3.2      3.5      3.4      3.4
Monthly Churn      %     0.8%     1.0%     0.6%     1.1%     1.3%

Digital TV Services – Our Direct-To-Home (DTH) platform offers both standard and high definition (HD) digital TV services with 3D capabilities and Dolby surround sound. We currently offer a total of 394 channels including 19 HD channels and 4 interactive services.