Airtel Digital TV adds 376,000 subscribers in 2Q 2014

Tuesday, July 29th, 2014 

NEW DELHI, India — Bharti Airtel Limited (“Bharti Airtel” or “the Company”) today announced its audited consolidated IFRS results for the first quarter ended June 30, 2014.

Digital TV Services

The Company’s Direct-To-Home (DTH) platform offers both standard and high definition (HD) digital TV services with 3D capabilities and Dolby surround sound. Bharti Airtel currently offers a total of 400 channels including 20 HD channels and 3 interactive services.

As on June 30, 2014, the Company had its Digital TV operations in 639 districts with 9.4 million customers, an increase of 11.1% as compared to corresponding quarter last year. Net customer additions for Digital TV during the quarter increased to 376K. As a result of higher HD penetration and upselling of packs, ARPU increased by Rs 17 to Rs 214 as compared to Rs 197 in the corresponding quarter last year.

Revenues from Digital TV services increased by 20.7% to Rs 5,915 Mn as compared to Rs 4,900 Mn in the corresponding quarter last year. EBITDA for the quarter increased to Rs 1,437 Mn as compared to Rs 760 Mn in the corresponding quarter last year. EBIDTA margin improved significantly to 24.3% in the current quarter, as compared to a margin of 15.5% in the corresponding quarter last year.

During the current quarter, the Company incurred a capital expenditure of Rs 2,627 Mn for higher procurement of boxes for higher gross adds. Cash burn during the quarter at Rs 1,190 Mn has dropped, compared to Rs 1,479 Mn in the corresponding quarter last year.

Key Company Developments – TV

Launched “Pocket TV” app on iOS, enabling Airtel Digital TV subscribers to view TV on their mobiles, tablets etc.

Airtel is the first company in India to provide real-time integration of all the three screens viz. television, mobile and computer enabling its customers to record their favorite TV programs through mobile and web.

In partnership with Disney India, Airtel Digital TV launched its first English Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD) channel – “Disney Family Movies” to showcase popular Disney movies including Hollywood classics, popular animation movies and live action titles.

Customers – Digital TV Services (000s)

Jun 30,  Mar 31,  Q-on-Q  Jun 30,  Y-on-Y
   2014     2014  Growth     2013  Growth
-------  -------  ------  -------  ------
  9,388    9,012      4%    8,452     11%

Operational Performance – India – Digital TV

                                       Jun 30,  Mar 31,  Dec 31,  Sep 30,  Jun 30,
Parameter                        Unit     2014     2014     2013     2013     2013
-------------------------------  ----  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------
Customers                        000s    9,388    9,012    8,807    8,572    8,452
Net additions                    000s      376      205      235      120      352
Average Revenue Per User (ARPU)  Rs        214      203      207      198      197
Average Revenue Per User (ARPU)  US$       3.6      3.3      3.3      3.2      3.5
Monthly Churn                    %        0.6%     0.9%     0.8%     1.0%     0.6%

Brazil adds 513,000 pay TV subscribers in 2Q 2014

According to Brazil’s Agência Nacional de Telecomunicações (Anatel), the country’s pay TV subscriber base ended June 2014 at 18.97 million, with 513 thousand new subscribers being added in the quarter and 2 million over the preceding 12 months.

In the quarter, satellite made the most progress, adding 325 thousand subscribers.

Anatel has now begun to include data on pay-TV subscriptions via Fibre to the Home (FTTH).

Pay TV subscribers by technology

                                                  2013
        ----------------------------------------------
                1Q          2Q          3Q          4Q
        ----------  ----------  ----------  ----------
DTH     10,367,271  10,501,430  10,837,878  11,127,861
Cable    6,337,134   6,438,784   6,738,530   6,868,694
MMDS       101,289      33,758      15,907      19,747
Others       3,580          66       3,541       3,375
        ----------  ----------  ----------  ----------
Total   16,809,274  16,974,038  17,595,856  18,019,677
 Adds      620,317     164,764     621,818     423,821

                          2014             Change               Change
        ----------------------            2Q 2014              2Q 2014
                1Q          2Q         v, 1Q 2014           v, 2Q 2013
        ----------  ----------  -----------------  -------------------
DTH     11,406,577  11,731,297  324,720    (2.8%)  1,229,867   (11.7%)
Cable    6,981,876   7,159,588  177,712    (2.5%)    720,804   (11.2%)
MMDS        15,298      12,799   -2,499  (-16.3%)    -20,959  (-62.1%)
Others       3,679       3,389     -290   (-7.9%)      3,323 (5034.8%)
FTTH        47,927      61,491   13,564   (28.3%)          -         -
        ----------  ----------  -----------------  -------------------
Total   18,455,357  18,968,564  513,207    (2.8%)  1,933,035* (11.4%)*
 Adds     387,753*     513,207

Pay TV subscribers by operator

Company                        1Q 2014*     2Q 2014
---------------------------  ----------  ----------
Telmex (Claro/Embratel/NET)   9,875,385  10,105,578
Sky/DIRECTV                   5,480,346   5,616,713
Oi                              828,276     886,554
Vivendi (GVT)                   752,965     799,311
Telefônica                      596,832     687,810
Big Brasil (Viacabo)            159,737     159,195
Algar (CTBC Telecom)            135,146     133,282
NossaTV                         108,422     113,748
Cabo Serviços                    48,186      49,316
Prefeitura de Londrina/Copel     12,407           -
Others                          409,728     417,057
---------------------------  ----------  ----------
TOTAL                        18,407,430  18,968,564

* Excluding FTTH

India registers 1.85 million additional DTH subscribers in 1Q 2014

NEW DELHI — The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) today released the “Indian Telecom Services Performance Indicator Report” for the Quarter ending March, 2014. This Report provides a broad perspective of the Telecom Services and presents the key parameters and growth trends for the Telecom Services as well as Cable TV, DTH & Radio Broadcasting services in India for the period covering January to March, 2014, and is compiled on the basis of information furnished by the Service Providers.

DTH Services

Apart from free DTH service of Doordarshan of Prasar Bharti – a public broadcaster, there are 6 private DTH Operators and all these 6 Operators are offering pay DTH services to the subscribers. Total number of registered subscribers and active subscribers being served by these six private DTH operators, as reported to TRAI, are 64.82 million and 37.19 million respectively at the quarter ending 31.03.2014.

DTH subscribers (millions):

                                                  2012
            ------------------------------------------
            End-March   End-June  End-Sept.   End-Dec.
            ---------  ---------  ---------  ---------
Registered      46.25      48.45      50.91      54.52

                                                  2013
            ------------------------------------------
            End-March   End-June  End-Sept.   End-Dec.
            ---------  ---------  ---------  ---------
Registered      56.50      58.89      60.71      62.97
 Active                                          35.81

                 2014
            ---------
            End-March
            ---------
Registered      64.82
 Active         37.19

Digiturk launches overseas OTT

Turkish satellite platform Digiturk is launching a new premium pay-TV service for viewers overseas.

The satcaster has selected a joint solution offered by AirTies and Octoshape to deliver the 80-channel OTT package that will be available on smart phones right through to big screen TVs.

The Digiturk service offers features such as 12 hour time shift for live TV, catch up TV, YouTube, internet radio, media playback over DLNA and USB connected devices. For local Turkish subscribers, Digiturk offers a traditional satellite bundle with an Octoshape OTT Web Player. For the international markets located beyond satellite reach, the AirTies Air STB facilitates an OTT/IPTV service over the public Internet.

“Watching an AirTies-Octoshape powered experience is equal to, or even better than, a traditional broadcast equivalent,” said Bulent Celebi, Chairman at AirTies Wireless Networks. “We are also proud of our OTT/IPTV deployment for Digiturk given the immediate value they’ll see in terms of increased consumer footprint and reduced time to market.”

“Delivering high quality OTT/IPTV programming on behalf of Digiturk will drive extended consumer engagement for them and ultimately top line revenue,” added Michael Koehn Milland, CEO of Octoshape. “Our joint implementation with Airties guarantees an always-on broadband TV service and represents a major opportunity for DTH providers to increase revenues by offering services in new markets.”

Digiturk is owned by the Savings Deposit and Insurance Fund (TMSF) with interest from a number of parties.

Viasat denies Ukrainian charges

Viasat has refuted the findings of an unscheduled inspection of its output in Ukraine by the country’s National Council on TV and Radio.

ProIT and Telekritikareport that the council found Vision TV, which provides satellite TV services in Ukraine under the Viasat brand, was retransmitting the Russian TV channels Rossiya 24, RTR- Planeta and TV Center, as well as distributing a total of 129 channels, rather than the 73 specified in its licence.

One of these channels was the promotional channel Viasat.

In response, Oksana Ferchuk, the deputy director of Vision TV, said that due to the lack of activity by the council in the last six months the company had been unable to apply for any licence renewals.

She also categorically denied the company was relaying any Russian channels in Ukraine, with RTR-Planeta having been withdrawn on March 26 and the others never having been carried.

Ferchuk also said that Viasat was the most obedient satellite operator in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Gregorij Shverk, the council’s deputy chairman, said that its goal was not to punish Viasat.

86% of Dutch homes are digital

86% of all Dutch television homes now have digital reception, up from 82% in December 2013. One in three homes have a PVR, while 49% have at least one tablet.

These figures were published by SKO, the Dutch institute for audience research, as part of its half-yearly Media Standaard Survey (MSS), compiled by TNS NIPO research.

In terms of mode of transmission digital terrestrial (via KPN Digitenne) now accounts for 8%, down from 9%, while satellite DTH is slightly up at 6% (from 5%).

IPTV and FttH connections remain stable at respectively 11% and 7%.

In terms of equipment, 22% of all TV sets are now connected sets (up from 19%), while 36% have a hard disk recorder, 21% have a PVR built-in with their set-top box.

DVD ownership is slightly down, 53%, down from 57% six months ago. 49% of all Dutch homes now have a tablet, either Android or iOS, up from 45%.

32% of Dutch household have a game computer (Xbox, Playstation, Wii, PSP, etc), in 26% of all homes the console is connected to the TV set.

Tricolor TV hits back at minister

The leading Russian DTH platform Tricolor TV has published an open letter criticising Alexei Volin, the country’s deputy minister of communications and mass media.

In it, Tricolor TV takes exception to comments he made in an interview that appeared on the Forbes.ru website on July 17 concerning the 2006 federal law “On advertising” and how it distinguishes between paid (DTH/cable) and FTA channels.

The most contentious of these was that Tricolor TV’s business is not to serve customers but the sale of equipment, something that is strongly denied by the platform, which says that its main source of income is in fact subscription fees.

It adds that it is not engaged and has never worked in the sale of reception equipment, instead forming TV packages and distributing TV signals through leased transponder capacity on satellites.

Tricolor TV also says that at the same time it considers ARPU growth a priority and has always believed in providing subscribers with qualitatively new services, introducing new TV packages, improving content offers and new technology.

It concludes by inviting Volin to a discussion in its offices. It is “very important for us to know your opinion about the market and the possible prospects of its development”.

América Móvil pay TV subscribers pass 20 million

MEXICO CITY — América Móvil, S.A.B. de C.V. (“América Móvil”) [BMV: AMX] [NYSE: AMX] [NASDAQ: AMOV] [LATIBEX: XAMXL], announced today its financial and operating results for the second quarter of 2014.

América Móvil had 20.3 million Pay TV subscribers at the end of June, adding 608 thousand in the quarter. Versus the year before Pay TV RGUs rose 13.7%. Most of the additional subscribers were in Brazil where the company added 500 thousand Pay TV units in the quarter.

Azerbaijani cable TV operator launches new HD TV receiver

Azerbaijan cable television operator, Ailə TV, announced a new HD TV receiver, DVB-C HD TV, featuring a wide functionality and availability equipped with HDMI and USB ports that provide high clarity image.

The new HD TV receiver will be costs the same as the standard SD digital TV receivers at AZN 40 (USD 51).

Caspian Telecom LLC plans various promotional events to ensure maximum availability of Ailə TV services in the country.

DIGI secures Hungarian pay-DTT carriage

Antenna Hungária (AH) will add DIGI Sport 1 and DIGI Sport 2 to the channel line-up of its pay-DTT service MinDig TV Extra on August 1.

AH and RCS&RDS-owned DIGI have agreed that following a test period the two channels will be offered on MinDig TV Extra from October 1.

DIGI Sport 1 will be in the core package and DIGI Sport 2 in a new, themed package.

Furthermore, the two channels will be available to all MinDig TV Extra basic package to subscribers until September 30.

MinDig TV Extra will see its current channel line up start to increase on October 1, from the current 35 to 55.

SES launches digital TV platform for West Africa

LUXEMBOURG & LAGOS — SES S.A. (NYSE Paris:SESG) (LuxX:SESG), in cooperation with service provider Computer Warehouse Group (NSE Nigerian Stock Exchange: CWG), today announced the launch of a new digital TV platform for West Africa on SES’s ASTRA 2F satellite at 28.2 degrees East.

This independent and neutral TV platform in Nigeria will be the country’s first free-to-air (FTA) DTH digital TV platform and provide the opportunity for broadcasters to reach millions of satellite homes in West Africa which are pointing their dishes to 28.2 degrees East. Besides providing additional growth opportunities for local and international broadcasters, the platform could be used to quicken the pace of digital migration.

The platform provides end-to-end contribution, ground and space services to local, regional, national and international TV broadcasters across West Africa. SES will be providing the space segment and specific ground services, while CWG will be managing the teleport services as an SES partner teleport operator, providing high operational standards. The service will start in September 2014.

The 28.2 degrees East orbital position is SES’s prime orbital position for West Africa and its FTA reach is one of the highest in the region. Today, SES already transmits 28 FTA channels at the 28.2 degrees East neighbourhood.

Austin Okere, Founder and CEO of CWG, said, “For years, the majority of households in West Africa has been shut out of the digital broadcasting experience. Together with SES, we are excited to enable broadcasters to deliver their content cost-effectively, and in excellent technical quality to millions of households across the region.”

Ferdinand Kayser, Chief Commercial Officer of SES, said, “Broadcasting via satellite provides better picture quality and a 100 percent coverage of even the most remote areas and regions. The long-term partnership with CWG will open up new possibilities for local and international broadcasters and allow them to drive digitalisation and reach their audiences across West Africa quickly and cost-effectively.”

Ultra HD TVs make gains but still lack market penetration

Ultra-High-Definition TVs Make Gains but Still Lack Market Penetration

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Ultra-high-definition televisions (UHD TVs) continued to make slow and steady inroads throughout the world, but their share of the overall flat-panel TV market remained minimal by the end of May, suggesting that UHD TV pricing in the market remains too high to gain meaningful share, according to a new report from IHS Technology (NYSE: IHS).

Among the top 13 brands for liquid-crystal-display televisions (LCDTV) worldwide, the share of UHD TV shipments reached 5 percent in May, up from 4 percent in April, 3 percent in March and 2 percent in February, as shown in the attached table. But while UHD TV share has expanded by at least 1 percentage point for the last three months, growth hasn’t budged much since September last year when the market was already at the 2 percent level. The top 13 brands account for more than 75 percent of total LCD TV shipments, and also represent over 90 percent of overall UHD LCD TV shipments.

UHD TV shipments this year are projected to grow to 14.5 million units, up from just 2.0 million in 2013, as global brands deploy aggressive marketing efforts and roll out new models.

“Growth in this year’s global UHD TV market is a reflection of plans among TV makers, especially the Chinese, to increase sales. And expansion in UHD TV volume is mostly scheduled for the second half this year,” said Jusy Hong, principal analyst for consumer devices.

UHD TVs are considered part of the LCD TV market at present. There are no UHD plasma-display-panel televisions (PDP TV), and UHD organic light-emitting-diode (OLED) TVs will be available at the end of this year. UHD TVs have much higher resolution than conventional high-definition sets, but the dazzling images come at a steep trade-off: their prices can be several times those of LCD TVs.

“In China, for instance, the share of UHD TVs continues to stay below 10 percent despite vigorous promotion by brands because high UHD TV pricing acts as a barrier for wider acceptance,” Hong said. That observation, while true of China, the world’s biggest TV market, can also be extended to the largest UHD TV markets worldwide. For China’s biggest sales season for the year during the country’s national holiday in October 1, TV makers, however, are planning more aggressive UHD promotions to boost penetration.

Among UHD TV makers in May, the Chinese had the largest proportion of UHD TV shipments in relation to total LCD TVs, at 9 percent; followed by the South Koreans at 5 percent and by Japan at 2 percent. The South Koreans, however, shipped more UHD TVs, thanks to the size and heft of its two makers—Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics—which also happen to be the world’s largest TV manufacturers.

The two South Korean makers accounted for 46 percent of total UHD TV shipments in May, compared to a combined total of 45 percent for the six makers of Chinese origin—Changhong, Haier, Hisense, Konka, Skyworth and TCL. Chinese TV brands are popular in their own country but not overseas, and the challenge facing them if they wish to increase global market share is to boost quality, not just rely on lower pricing, IHS believes.

Flat-panel televisions overall amounted to 18.1 million units in May, down 6.4 percent from April but up 7 percent from the same time a year ago. Of the total, LCD TVs—including UHD sets—accounted for 17.4 million units, with PDP TVs making up the remainder at 708,000 units.

In particular, plasma sets have been enjoying higher-than-expected sales during the first half of this year because of promotions tied to the World Cup, but shipments are projected to fall sharply now that the quadrennial soccer spectacle is over.

These findings are available in the report, “TV Systems Databases: Monthly TV Shipments – June 2014,” from the Consumer Electronics service of IHS Technology.

Videocon d2h chooses Broadcom for HD Satellite DVR

Videocon d2h Chooses Broadcom to Deliver HD Satellite Service to Growing India Pay-TV Market

• New Digital Video Recorder Delivers High Definition Interactive Services

IRVINE, Calif. — Broadcom Corporation (NASDAQ: BRCM), a global innovation leader in semiconductor solutions for wired and wireless communications, today announced that Videocon d2h, India’s fastest growing direct-to-home (DTH) satellite service provider, has selected Broadcom’s highly integrated satellite set-top box (STB) system-on-a-chip (SoC) device to power their latest high definition (HD) universal serial bus (USB) digital video recorder (DVR). Broadcom’s BCM7358 HD satellite STB SoC enables Videocon d2h to accelerate deployment of HD satellite STBs to subscribers throughout the region while reducing design complexity, size and overall system cost.

Designed to address consumer demand for pay-TV programming, Videocon d2h’s HD USB DVR is capable of recording content on a USB storage device and offers enhanced digital picture quality with optimum 1080p resolution. The Videocon d2h HD USB DVR is powered by Broadcom’s BCM7358 single-channel 1080p HD advanced video coding (AVC) satellite receiver chip, featuring a high performance CPU and graphics engine, Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA®) connectivity support and advanced security functionality.

According to IHS, STB industry revenue will reach a record $22.8 billion in 2015, driven largely by growth in emerging markets and subscriber demand for HD content1. “As pay-TV operators move to accommodate changes in delivery platforms and formats, including the adoption of HD, STB shipments will continue to rise, hitting record levels for the next few years,” said Daniel Simmons, IHS Technology Director for Connected Home research. “Technology-based service differentiation is becoming increasingly important for pay-TV operators in emerging regions, as these markets begin to mature and saturate. Transitioning subscribers from SD to HD at minimal cost will be critical for driving further pay-TV growth in emerging markets.”

“The silicon innovation that Broadcom provides has been a key factor in our continued success in delivering rich content to our growing subscriber base,” said Anil Khera, Videocon d2h CEO. “We’re leveraging a variety of Broadcom STB silicon throughout our portfolio and plan to extend our manufacturing capabilities to meet the needs of other cable operators in the region.”

“The Indian television market is undergoing a major transition, and operators such as Videocon d2h are leading the charge in dramatically improving the quality and variety of content delivery,” said Rajiv Kapur, Broadcom India Senior Director of Business Development. “As an established leader in STB silicon innovation around the world, Broadcom is delivering the technology required for a growing number of consumers to enjoy more sophisticated features such as HD-quality content, digital video recording and on-demand services.”

Videocon d2h is India’s fastest growing DTH service provider, offering 500 channels and services. Videocon d2h also has 27 Asli HD and 239 regional channels and services on its platform. Videocon d2h for the first time in India has successfully previewed 4k Ultra HD DTH services, offers India’s first 1000 GB HD DVR and is the first DTH service provider to offer radio frequency remote control.

Key Features of the Broadcom® BCM7358 SoC

• 1080p AVC decode & display
• Integrated LNA, tuner & DVB-S2 demodulation
• 16-bit DDR3 support for optimal cost/performance
• Over 750 DMIPS application CPU
• Advanced security for all major conditional access

Availability

The Videocon d2h HD USB DVR is now available to India subscribers. The Broadcom BCM7358 satellite STB SoC is currently available.

Technicolor delivers 11 millionth set-top box to Tata Sky

Technicolor and Tata Sky ‘score’ 11 out of 10

PARIS, France — Technicolor (Euronext Paris: TCH ; OTCQX: TCLRY) is proud to announce two special landmarks in its relationship with Tata Sky, India’s leading direct to home (DTH) service provider and HD market leader – the 10 year anniversary of the partnership and the delivery of the 11 millionth Technicolor set-top box.

These special milestones follow an announcement in May of this year for Technicolor to ship 4K set-top boxes in volume to Tata Sky from early 2015.
“On behalf of Technicolor, I’d like to thank Tata Sky for its ongoing co-operation and congratulate the company on its achievements as India’s market leader. We look forward to continuing our partnership and helping to deliver even more successful and exciting services to consumers across India in future,” said Michel Rahier, President of Connected Home Division at Technicolor.

Tata Sky MD & CEO, Harit Nagpal, added “Over the past 10 years Tata Sky’s vision has been to offer its customers the best, most compelling video experience. Technicolor has been a true partner in that quest, delivering high quality products and services. And 2015 will be a great year for our partnership as we deploy 4K STBs across the Indian market, once again, underlying our commitment to delivering the most recent technologies and the highest quality content.”

MTS sole bidder for DTH on ABS-2 over Russia

Russia’s Federal Service for Supervision in the Sphere of Telecom, Information Technologies and Mass Communications (ROSKOMNADZOR) has said that it has received only one application to run a direct-to-home (DTH) television service on the ABS-2 satellite launched in February this year.

The single bidder was Sistema, Russia’s largest publicly listed holding company, applying through its affiliate CTV – a holder of the required broadcasting licence. Assuming that there are no issues with the application, the company will be declared the winner at the end of July. According to RBC Daily, the service will be operated by Mobile TeleSystems OJSC (MTS), another company controlled by Sistema.

ABS-2, located at at 75°E, has a footprint covering almost the entirety of Russian territory.

Ukrainian call for DTT consultation

The Ukrainian DTT operator Zeonbud wants to consult with the National Council on TV and Radio over the latter’s decision to cancel a requirement for it to encode its signals.

According to ProIT, the regulator made the decision on July 17, thereby annulling one it had made in October 2011 requiring Zeonbud to use conditional access.

Zeonbud says that alongside the positive effects of the new decision there are a number of risks to the strategy of developing digital TV in Ukraine.

There are also technical, organisational, legal and financial issues to be resolved.

Ecuador's CNT TV ends June with 228,188 subscribers

QUITO — Ecuador’s Corporación Nacional de Telecomunicaciones (CNT) has said that it ended June with 228,188 subscribers to its CNT TV service. The service, which launched two and a half years ago now has 18% of the market.

CNT TV has a range of packages including a PLAN SÚPER in standard definition offering 71 channels, and a PLAN PLUS HD DVR package which adds 15 channels in high definition, and includes a personal video recorder.

Den Networks deploys DOCSIS 3.0 technology

Indian multi-system operator (MSO) has extended its association with the technology provider, Cisco, to deploy DOCSIS 3.0 technology to launch next-generation cable broadband services. The MSO will soft-launch its ultra-high-speed broadband service in Delhi and intends to expand the offering to other cities. The DOCSIS 3.0 enables Den to provide a seamless online experience with no buffering, fast downloads and higher-quality video content.

“We are excited by the high-speed Internet opportunity in India. With this superior technology, we are aiming to provide our broadband subscribers with a fast and consistent online experience,” said Mohammad Ghulam Azhar, Chief Operating Officer at Den Networks.

Cisco claims that the DOCSIS 3.0, a key component of the Cisco IP NGN architecture, delivers a speed of 300 Mbps per subscriber. Den is apparently providing provides cable television services to 13 million homes across 200 cities and aims to leverage the untapped, high and highly potential broadband market covering over 100 million cable TV homes in India.

Kazakhstan invests KZT 36 bn on DVB-T

The Kazakhstan government has announced an investment over KZT 36 billion (USD 196 million) in next three years for the on-going development of digital video broadcasting — terrestrial (DVB-T) services in the country.

This year, the government has planned to spend KZT 14.4 billion (USD 78.4 million). In 2015 and 2016, it will invest about KZT 14.3 billion (USD 77.9 million) and KZT 7.3 billion (USD 39.7 million) respectively.

The government has planned to complete the transition of digital broadcasting in 2015. In 2010, the country had embarked on the digitalisation process and the work is currently in progress.

Thaicom to broadcast HD-DTT channels direct-to-home via satellite

Thaicom gets ready for Digital Terrestrial HD channels broadcasting

NONTHABURI — Thaicom PLC is ready to start broadcasting the high definition (HD) channels of the Digital Terrestrial (DTT) TV, as part of Thailand’s television platforms analogue-to-digital transition. Viewers will be able to enjoy the high quality HD broadcasts of DTT-HD channels through THAICOM satellite network nationwide.

Suphajee Suthumpun, Chairman of the Executive Committee and CEO, Thaicom Public Company Limited revealed that, “Thaicom, Thailand’s satellite broadcasting service provider, has been preparing for the launch of HD services for DTT channels via Thaicom’s satellite network. This service will complement Thailand’s DTT broadcasts, as viewers will be able to view these DTT channels at HD quality through our satellite network in addition to the present standard definition channels already carried on our system.”

Thaicom will start the first phase of broadcasting the HD channels for DTT in July of this year on C-band. Broadcasts of the HD signal on the Ku-band will be provided in the next phase of the roll-out. The Company is now working with prospect DTT channels to commence the services.

With HD-enabled “DVB-S2-HD” set-top boxes, viewers will be able to enjoy the high picture quality of the HD channels of DTT in addition to the hundreds of other Satellite TV channels already available on THAICOM satellite platform.

“The transition from analogue TV to digital is an important step for Thailand’s broadcasting industry. The emergence of DTT will bring new quality TV programs to all viewers in addition to satellite TV channels. Thaicom is committed to enhancing the audience’s viewing pleasure and aims to ensure viewers’ convenience and satisfaction,” Suphajee said.

Ziggo claims churn continues to decline

Similar to the last few quarters, Ziggo recorded lower churn compared to the previous year, the company said at the presentation of its Q2 figures.

Customer churn in Q2 2014 was 7.6%, down from 9.5% in Q2 2013 and down from 8.6% in Q1 2014. Typically, the first and fourth quarters are traditionally the quarters with relatively high ‘seasonality’ churn compared to the other two quarters.

The number of digital TV subscribers increased by 10,000 to 2.27 million in Q2, representing a penetration of 86.3%. The number of TV-only subscribers decreased by 21.3% compared to the same quarter last year, landing at a total of 668,000 as at June 30, 2014. The decrease was mainly due to the upsell of the dual play and triple play bundles to TV-only subscribers, as well as churn among TV-only subscribers.

Subscribers to digital pay TV decreased by 34,000 during the second quarter, which was negatively affected by seasonality due to the end of the football season. For the full year, the number of subscribers to digital pay TV was down by 45,000, due to the difficult macro-environment, the switch from subscription-based to on-demand-based video consumption and increased competition from OTT premium TV providers.

Commenting on the future merger with UPC CEO René Oberman said in a statement: “Until the merger with the Dutch operations of Liberty Global closes, which is expected to happen in Q4, we will run the company completely independently. Our management team is committed to delivering the targeted financial results, whilst aiming to outperform our Dutch peers on revenue growth at the same time.”

Middle-East ends Q1 2014 with 6 million pay TV subscribers

According to Dataxis, at the end of March 2014 there were 6 million pay TV subscribers in the Middle East, up from 5.05 million at the same date in 2013, an increase of 18.73%.

The largest market segment was satellite which claimed 4.0 million of the total, up 24% year-on-year. All established segments grew over the period except for basic cable where the subscriber number fell by just over 6%.

Middle East pay TV subscribers

                                  End-March
                 --------------------------   Y-o-Y
                         2013          2014  Growth
                 ------------  ------------  ------
Total            5.05 million     6 million  18.73%
 Satellite        3.2 million     4 million     24%
  Satellite HD    1.7 million   2.3 million   31.8%
 Basic Cable          928,000       872,000  -6.03%                
 IPTV                 898,450  1.12 million  25.52%

Source: Dataxis via NexTV Africa Middle East

nc+ launches satellite STB with WiFi in Poland

In late July and early August Polish pay TV operator, nc+, will make available its new ‘wifibox+’ satellite set-top box.

The box has built-in Wi-Fi allowing wireless access to the company’s netVOD+ video-on-demand (VOD) service. Users can also play video and audio files on the device, and can connect an external hard disk drive to record programs and add timeshift functionality.

The box is based on an STiH237 (Cardiff) set-top box processor from STMicroelectronics.

Ukrainian interactive TV service launches

Media Group Ukraine (MGU) has transformed its online movie offer OLL.TV into a full interactive digital TV service.

According to the company, OLL.TV, which was launched two years ago, is as of July 15 providing viewers with more than 130 Ukrainian and the world’s best TV channels, along with a rich video library of movies, TV series and shows.

It adds that OLL.TV originally offered viewers movies and series within a paid subscription and was accessible on PCs, smart TVs and media players.

However, the new version is accessible via TVs with set-top boxes, though will also become available on smart TVs and mobile devices later this year.

OLL.TV has from the onset partnered with the incumbent Ukrtelekom and more recently Vega.

Alexei Kurakin, MGU’s director of business development, said that it aims to work with the whole market and is currently negotiating to launch OLL.TV on other platforms.

Chile's Mundo Pacífico launches digital cable TV

Chilean cable TV operator Mundo Pacífico has launched a digital television offering. The company already offers a 62 channel analogue television service, and has now launched an all-digital option. The ‘TV Digital HD’ package, as well as including the channels in the analogue package, adds 16 new channels in standard definition and 12 more in high definition. Premium HD Movie, Sports and Adult packages are also available.

The TV Digital HD package costs 18,900 pesos ($34) per month.

According to NexTV Latam, the company has acquired 3,000 set-top boxes for the initial roll-out, representing around 4% of its subscriber base (74,000 at end-2013).

Africa ends 1Q 2014 with 14.5 million pay TV subscribers

According to Dataxis, at the end of March 2014 there were 14.5 million pay TV subscribers in Africa, up from 11.6 million at the same date in 2013, an increase over the year of 25%.

The largest market segment was satellite which claimed 11.0 million of the total and was up 18.5% year-on-year. The segment with the highest growth rate was digital terrestrial pay TV, which grew 74.4% over the preceding year to end the quarter at 2.45 million subscribers.

Africa pay TV subscribers

                                  End-March
                 --------------------------   Y-o-Y
                         2013          2014  Growth
                 ------------  ------------  ------
Total            11.6 million  14.5 million     25%
 Satellite       9.09 million  11.0 million   18.6%
  Satellite HD   4.83 million  5.32 million     10%
 Pay-DTT         1.41 million  2.45 million   74.4%
 Basic Cable          577,350       634,750   9.94%
 MMDS                 327,300       338,500   3.42%
 IPTV                 202,600       270,600  33.56%

200,000 HbbTV-enabled televisions in Hungary

According to Antenna Hungária, there are more than 200,000 HbbTV-enabled televisions in Hungary, with 10% of owners having taken advantage of the feature. About one third of flat screen TVs available in the market are now also HbbTV-capable.

Antenna Hungária launched a free HbbTV trial on its MinDig TV Extra digital terrestrial pay TV service in October 2013.

Orange to launch HDMI dongle to combat Netflix

Orange is launching its own HDMI dongle called Orangecast offering a multitude of OTT services.

Modelled on Google’s Chromecast, the dongle will offer access to the VOD service of Orange Cinema Series, streaming local and international TV stations, music from Deezer and games, according to a report in L’Express.

“We will soon commercialise this product and offer a product that is different from Google,” said Stéphane Richard, the CEO of Orange, last May. The move is to confront Netflix, which is due to launch this September in France.

As the planned Orangecast will make any modern TV set with a HDMI port into a connected TV set, the new device will allow Orange to roll out its services across France, also to broadband customers of ither providers. In addition, Orange can also offer the service, or selected parts of it, outside France – for instance to the overseas territories and departments.

The company would not comment to L’Express on the matter other than to confirm that it was working on a dongle without giving any information on the service’s content or launch date.

Indonesia’s APMI asks govt to check illegal pay-TV operations

Indonesian Multimedia Businessmen Association’s (APMI) Secretary General, Arya Mahendra, has urged the Indonesian government to control operational license in the pay-TV market and curb illegal operations.

“The government is expected to limit the issued license and organise the operators well in running their business activities. There are even TV operators who steal broadcasts from official operators, connected to their customers and make routine payment every month,” stated Arya Mahendra.

Incumbent and legal pay-TV operators are incurring loss losses and are facing reduction in new customer potential due to a few service providers who are operating without an official licence, added Arya.

Cabovisao sues football league JULY 14, 2014 10.11 EURO

Altice Group, which owns the cablenet Cabovisao, is suing the Portuguese Football League claiming it has failed to honour its contract with Ma Chaine Sport channel (MCS).

Diario Economico says Altice is accusing the league of having sold the contract for transmission of the league twice over. But an unnamed source at the league claims MCS did not establish a dedicated channel to show the matches, which were instead offered to rival TVI.

In November 2012 TVI announced it had signed a contract with the league to screen the League Cup over two seasons.

One month from the start of the 2014/15 season the league is already in difficulty because it is still without a sponsor.

A large financial settlement could put the league itself at risk.

Den Networks deploys DOCSIS 3.0 technology

Indian multi-system operator (MSO) has extended its association with the technology provider, Cisco, to deploy DOCSIS 3.0 technology to launch next-generation cable broadband services. The MSO will soft-launch its ultra-high-speed broadband service in Delhi and intends to expand the offering to other cities. The DOCSIS 3.0 enables Den to provide a seamless online experience with no buffering, fast downloads and higher-quality video content.

“We are excited by the high-speed Internet opportunity in India. With this superior technology, we are aiming to provide our broadband subscribers with a fast and consistent online experience,” said Mohammad Ghulam Azhar, Chief Operating Officer at Den Networks.

Cisco claims that the DOCSIS 3.0, a key component of the Cisco IP NGN architecture, delivers a speed of 300 Mbps per subscriber. Den is apparently providing provides cable television services to 13 million homes across 200 cities and aims to leverage the untapped, high and highly potential broadband market covering over 100 million cable TV homes in India.

DVB-T2 first for Czech Republic

Ceske Radiokomunikace (CRa) has become the first company in Central Europe to undertake DVB-T2 tests with the new HEVC compression codec.

According to Michal Bures, who is heading up the Ultra HD trial for the Czech transmission company, they already show that it is possible to achieve savings compared to the current bitstream using MPEG-2.

This means that in future it will be possible to three TV channels in Ultra HD or 10 in HD on one DVB-T2 multiplex.

In the case of SD, it will be possible to distribute up to 40 channels, compared to the eight currently via a DVB-T MPEG-2 multiplex.

Marcel Prochazka, director of regulation and strategy at CRa, added that the migration to DVB-T2 with HEVC will enable the development of entirely new types of services for TV viewers.

Besides increasing the number of channels in higher quality, it will allow for mobile TV reception and the interconnection of TV with internet services.

It is assumed that DVB-T and DVB-T2 will operate in parallel with each other for several years, and negotiations as to when DVB-T2 can be introduced are currently being undertaken with the Czech Telecom Office (CTU).

The DVB-T2 tests are being undertaken with the support of Sony.

Peru adds 65,600 pay TV subscribers in 2013

Peru’s telecoms regulator (Organismo Supervisor de Inversión Privada en Telecomunicaciones – OSIPTEL) has released pay TV statistics for the country to the end of 2013.

The country added 65,601 subscribers during 2013, to finish the year at 1,384,884, up 34,912 in the final quarter.

                              Mar-12     Jun-12     Sep-12     Dec-12
                           ---------  ---------  ---------  ---------
América Móvil Perú              n.a.    184,347    182,542    175,232
DIRECTV Perú                 110,382    125,617    140,533    148,057
Telefónica del Perú          385,240    400,054    450,977    470,581
Telefónica Multimedia        423,513    415,183    415,499    410,095
Others                       234,670     29,710     74,892    115,318
                           ---------  ---------  ---------  ---------
Total                      1,153,805  1,154,911  1,264,443  1,319,283
        
                              Mar-13     Jun-13     Sep-13     Dec-13
                           ---------  ---------  ---------  ---------
América Móvil Perú           174,547    180,002    195,189    209,911
DIRECTV Perú                 159,847    171,242    186,624    223,087
Telefónica del Perú          489,031    507,340    506,573    512,796
Telefónica Multimedia        399,305    388,737    374,826    383,673
Others                       107,384    110,469     86,760     55,417
                           ---------  ---------  ---------  ---------
Total                      1,330,114  1,357,790  1,349,972  1,384,884

DVB approves UHDTV specifications

The Steering Board of the DVB has given its approval to the Phase 1 specification drawn up for Ultra High Definition TV services.

At the 77th meeting of the Board there was also approval for technical protocols for companion screens and MPEG-DASH.

DVB-UHDTV includes an HEVC Profile for DVB broadcasting services that draws, from the options available with HEVC, those that will match the requirements for delivery of UHDTV Phase 1 and other formats. The specification updates ETSI TS 101 154 (Specification for the use of Video and Audio Coding in Broadcasting Applications based on the MPEG-2 Transport Stream).

The system allows for images four times the static resolution of the 1080p HDTV format, at frame rates of up to 60 images per second. Contrast will be drastically improved by increasing the number of bits per pixel to 10 bit. From the wide range of options defined in the HEVC Main 10 profile, Level 5.1 is specified for UHD content for resolutions up to 2160p. For HD content, HEVC Main profile level 4.1 is specified for supporting resolutions up to 1080p.

It also accounts for the possibility that a second phase may later use higher frame rates.

“HEVC is the most recently developed compression technology and, among other uses, it is the key that will unlock UHDTV broadcasting,” said DVB Steering Board Chairman, Phil Laven. “This new DVB–UHDTV Phase 1 specification not only opens the door to the age of UHDTV delivery but also potentially sets the stage for Phase 2, the next level of UHDTV quality, which will be considered in upcoming DVB work,” he continued.

The board also approved the specification for Companion Screens and Streams, Part 2: Content Identification and Media Synchronization. This specification concentrates on the identification and synchronisation of a broadcast service on a TV device, a regular display or set-top box and screen, and a companion device. The latter would then be able to run related content through a triggered event.

The approval of an MPEG-DASH Profile makes it possible to run the transport stream in a DVB environment.

Standardisation on all three is being sent to ETSI for formal approval.

Ziggo launches Wi-Fi phone calls JULY 4, 2014 07.15 EUROP

Dutch operator Ziggo is to introduce Ziggo Bapp for its fixed line customers.

With this free app, Ziggo customers can make calls via Wi-Fi using a smartphone or tablet and at the same rates as a fixed line subscription.This app is a handy and cheap option, particularly for making calls from abroad.

For Ziggo customers with a VolopBellen Altijd subscription the costs for all Dutch mobile and fixed numbers are already included, even from abroad.

Ziggo Bapp can be downloaded free from the App Store and the Google Play Store.Once customers have made a Ziggo Bapp account in MijnZiggo and activated the app on their smartphone or tablet (iOS/Android), customers can immediately make calls with Ziggo Bapp.

Ziggo has been testing Bapp for some time, while UPC has also launched a similar service some time ago.

Chile adds 76,000 pay TV subscribers in 1Q 2014

Chile’s Subsecretaría de Telecomunicaciones (Subtel) has releases pay TV statistics to the end of March 2014. From the end of March 2013, satellite subscribers increased from 1,039,535 to 1,327,638 (up 27.7%) whereas wired (cable TV and IPTV) subscribers grew from 1,217,905 to 1,303,822 (up 7.1%), giving a total for the country of 2.631 million, up 16.6% year-on-year.

Pay TV subscribers:

                               Dec-12     Mar-13     Jun-13     Sep-13     Dec-13     Mar-14
                            ---------  ---------  ---------  ---------  ---------  ---------
Operator
 VTR Telefónica S.A.          926,047    948,586    966,647    978,713    984,643    993,934
 Telefónica Multimedia        418,292    435,641    458,018    473,693    496,349    519,479
 Claro Comunicaciones S.A.    383,617    405,312    425,355    452,681    456,003    465,460
 DIRECTV Chile Ltda.          284,687    313,528    337,276    362,994    380,453    403,960
 Telefónica del Sur            56,905     60,099     62,597     64,980     67,904     71,400
 PACIFICO CABLE S.A.           61,178     64,399     67,337     69,659     71,824     74,167
 GTD IMAGEN S.A.               15,810     17,257     18,209     19,591     20,583     21,495
 Cable Central                  9,828      9,961      9,376      8,978      8,122      7,785
 TU VES S.A.                    3,615      2,657      2,148      3,750      3,507      3,210
 Entelphone                         -          -     31,781     54,869     66,232     70,570
                            ---------  ---------  ---------  ---------  ---------  ---------
Connection type
 Wired (IPTV/Cable)         1,177,637  1,217,905  1,246,254  1,269,541  1,285,639  1,303,822
 Satellite                    982,342  1,039,535  1,132,490  1,220,367  1,269,981  1,327,638
                            ---------  ---------  ---------  ---------  ---------  ---------
Total                       2,159,979  2,257,440  2,378,744  2,489,908  2,555,620  2,631,460
 Quarterly increase            86,635     97,461    121,304    111,164     65,712     75,840