LG brings 4K OLED TV to India

LG has introduced 4K OLED TV in India. The TVs have LG’s propriety WRGB technology and deisplay 33 million colour sub-pixels.

The South Koran electronics’ giant has launched two variants of the 4K OLED TV in the country; 55-inch model at INR384,900 and 65-inch at INR579,900. The TV comes with 3D glasses and has Harmin Kardon sound technology.  According to the manufacturer, the TV comes with easier-to navigate smart TV remote function.

“With the LG 4K Oled TV, we promise consumers in India the ultimate immersive cinematic experience. Time and again we have initiated ground-breaking innovation and raised the bar not only for ourselves, but for the industry as well. This latest Oled TV underscores LG’s commitment to bringing the best in home entertainment to our consumers,” said Howard Lee, Director-Home Entertainment, LG India, according to FirstPost.

GS Group releases twin-tuner for Tricolor

The GS Group holding company has released a new twin-tuner server set-top box under the General Satellite brand, designed for the Russian market – GS E502.

The latest-generation digital set-top box allows watching satellite TV simultaneously on two screens: TV and tablet or smartphone. Tricolor TV, the Russian digital TV operator, has already confirmed its interest in this equipment.

The GS E502 server STB is aimed at providing a greater number of users with the opportunity to watch TV on mobile devices. Design of the new set-top box includes two DVB-S/DVB-S2 tuners for receiving and transmitting the satellite signal simultaneously on a TV screen and a second screen: tablet or smartphone.

“Consumer devices that elaborate the possibility of mobile TV viewing are now more than ever in demand in the Russian telecommunication market. For our part, we see an intense interest of our subscribers in the Play. Tricolor application launched last year for viewing satellite TV on tablets and smartphones. For us it is especially important that GS Group, being a long-term technology partner of Tricolor TV, is able to provide relevant solutions to cater the users’ growing demand”, commented Evgeny Mikheichev, head of the technology marketing department of Tricolor TV.

DTH driving HDTV boom in South Asia

DTH leads HDTV boom in the SAARC region seeding 4 million STBs: Dataxis report

• Dataxis research analyses the HDTV market in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka

BANGALORE — High-Definition television (HDTV) segment in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) region is expected to boom over the next three years, says a new research report published by Dataxis. The report notes that the steady increase in HDTV subscribers and the number of HDTV channels in the region, driven by the digitization drive, could lead to robust growth in the segment.

HDTV segment, both in terms of HDTV set-Top-Box penetration and HDTV channels have witnessed steady growth in the last four quarters, with HDTV penetration in the SAARC countries reaching 4.2 million in the quarter ended March 2015, says the new Dataxis report titled “SAARC: HDTV Market Q1 2015.”

According to the report, the number of HDTV broadcasts in the SAARC region in the last couple of years rose as more number of television houses launched HD channels buoyed by consumer demand for quality content.

The steady increase in HDTV penetration in the SAARC region is mainly due to India, which accounts for more than 90% of the total HD subscribers in the SAARC countries — Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka — tracked in this report.

The HDTV penetration in India is driven by DTH players, who are aggressively promoting HDTV STBs in the country. Dataxis report finds that DTH operators in India have seeded about 4 million STBs in Q1 2015 compared to less than 0.3 million HD STBs seeded by the MSOs in the same period.

Although, the MSOs in the country had a slow start in seeding HD STBs, mainly due to the delay in implementing gross billing, cable operators have begun pushing HD STBs to customers in metros and other phase-2 cities where gross billing is in place. HD STB seeding by MSOs are expected to gain traction by the fourth quarter of 2015.

“DTH players are expected to lead the HDTV penetration in India for the next couple of years, however, MSOs are also expected to come on board as the demand for HDTV and UHD content is on the rise in the phase-2 cities where cable TV dominates the Pay-TV market.”, according to Sreeja VN, Media Analyst at Dataxis.

The number of HDTV channels broadcast in the SAARC region has increased significantly in 2014-2015. India, which had just three true HDTV channels in 2010, leads the SAARC region with 50 HDTV channels in Q1 2015, finds Dataxis report.

Portugal adds 36,000 pay TV subscribers in 2Q 2015

According to Portugal’s Autoridade Nacional de Comunicações (ANACOM), there were 3.43 million subscribers to subscription TV in the country at the end of the second quarter of 2015, 36,000 (+1.1 percent) more than in the [revised] previous quarter, and an extra 182,000 (+5.6 percent) compared to the same point in 2014.

At the end of June, cable TV represented 39.5 percent of total subscribers, with DTH comprising 17.7 percent, and xDSL/IP making up 22 percent. Optical fibre (FTTH/B) accounted for 20.8 percent of all subscribers.

The total number of cable television service subscribers – around 1.354 million – was 6 thousand down on the [revised] previous quarter (-0.5 percent). The number of DTH subscribers stood at 607 thousand, 3 thousand more (+0.5 percent) than in the previous quarter, and 15 thousand up over the year (+2.6%). xDSL was down 5 thousand (-0.7 percent) in the quarter, though still gained 34 thousand over the year (+4.7 percent).

The fastest growth was in subscribers to subscription TV via optical fibre (FTTH/B) which increased by 6.6 percent in the quarter and 30.1 percent annually, reaching a total of 715 thousand.

Subscription television service subscribers by technology (Units: 1000 subscribers; %)

                                                             Quarterly     Annual
                           14Q2   14Q3   14Q4   15Q1   15Q2  variation  variation
                          -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  ---------  ---------
Cable                     1,386  1,376  1,367  1,360  1,354      -0.5%      -2.3%        
DTH                         592    594    601    604    607       0.5%       2.6%
FTTH/B                      550    587    627    671    715       6.6%      30.1%
xDSL                        720    738    756    759    754      -0.7%       4.7%
                          -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  ---------  ---------
Total                     3,248  3,294  3,350  3,394  3,430       1.1%       5.6%

With the Acquisition of MEO on the 2nd of June 2015, Altice became the largest pay TV provider in Portugal with a share of 47.1%. The NOS Group are in second place with a share of 43.7 percent and Vodafone follows in third place on 9.0 percent. Vodafone continues to gain share at the expense of the other providers.

Shares of subscription TV subscribers (Units: %)

                           14Q2    14Q3    14Q4    15Q1    15Q2
                         ------  ------  ------  ------  ------
Grupo NOS                 45.3%   44.5%   44.0%   43.8%   43.7%
Grupo Altice                                              47.1%
 PT Comunicações/MEO      41.9%   42.1%   42.2%   41.9%   41.4%
 Cabovisão                 6.7%    6.5%    6.2%    6.0%    5.7%
Vodafone                   5.9%    6.7%    7.5%    8.2%    9.0%
Other providers            0.2%    0.2%    0.2%    0.2%    0.2%

24.8 million connected TV sets in the top 5 Latin American countries

There will be 58.5 million connected TV sets in the five largest Latin American countries by 2018

• Dataxis’ research analyzes the performance of multiscreen markets in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Mexico

BUENOS AIRES — According to the new research published by Dataxis – Multiscreen scenario in Latin America – focused on the five largest Latin American countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Mexico)- by Q4 2014 there was a total of 78.3 million digital, 75.8 million HD-ready, 24.8 million Connected TV (Smart TVs) and only 60,900 4K TV sets installed.

Dataxis estimates that in 2018 there will be a total of 135.5 million digital, 120.9 million HD, 58.5 million Connected and 1.3 million 4K installed TV sets. Digital and HD TV sets will become the new standard by that year, while Connected and 4K TV sets will become the new premium products.

As for the mobile segment of the multiscreen market, there was a total of 300,000 installed smartphones in the five largest countries of Latin America in 2006; that figure grew to 56.5 million in 2010. Dataxis estimates that there will be a total of 227.4 million smartphones installed by 2019, a 302% increase compared to 2010. On the other hand, 12.5 million smartphones were sold in 2010. That figure grew by 778% to 109.8 million in 2014. According to Dataxis, 137.8 million smartphones will be sold in 2018, a 26% increase when compared to 2014.

They were 140,000 tablets installed in 2006 in the five analyzed markets. That figure grew to 27.6 million in 2010. Dataxis estimates that there will be 62.9 million tablets installed in 2018, a 128% increase compared to 2010. On the other hand, the number of tablets sold in 2010 was 200,000. By 2014 that number had grown 10,700% to 21.6 million. Dataxis estimates that 36 million tablets will be sold in 2018, a 67% increase compared to 2014.

Thailand digital TV operators sue NBTC for THB9.5bn

Five digital television operators in Thailand have petitioned against the broadcast regulator, National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission for inefficiency in propagandising migration to digital TV, reported Bangkok Post.

BrightTV, GMM Channel, GMM One, PPTV and Thairath TV have sued for an amount of THB9.55 billion at the Central Administrative Court on Monday. The operators have also appealed the court to direct NBTC to postpone the third instalment of digital TV licence fees which was supposed to be paid in May 2016.

According to the operators, NBTC has been sluggish in distributing digital TV set-top-boxes and expanding digital TV networks. They have also accused the regulator of being incompetent to attract more bidders for digital TV licences.

The NBTC granted over 24 commercial digital TV licenses to 17 bid winners in an open auction held in December 2013. It generated over THB50.9 billion.

Quickflix scraps a Chinese acquisition deal

Quickflix has abstained from acquiring a Chinese content company owing to Chinese regulations which was accentuated through due diligence. The video streaming company had announced this non-binding acquisition agreement with a Shanghai-based film and television production company on 5 August.

“Based on due diligence of the Shanghai-based company and advice received in relation to Chinese regulations and restrictions, Quickflix has decided that it will not be proceeding with an acquisition,” said the company in a statement issued to Australian Securities Exchange on 25 August.

The company further added, “Quickflix recognises distribution of content into China and of Chinese content to the rest of the world is a significant opportunity and it is continuing to develop a China strategy. Quickflix is also pursuing opportunities for licensing and operating its studio-accredited streaming platform as a branded or white-label service in other international markets.”

Through this deal, Quickflix intended to aggressively tap international video market apart from Australia and China and thereby enhance its subscriber base. It also anticipated to improve its financial outlook and ability to access further capital for growth through this deal. “The Shanghai-based company is profitable and generates free cash flow. Consolidation with Quickflix would result in the combined entity having a significantly improved financial outlook and ability to access further capital for growth,” Quickflix had mentioned earlier.

Quickflix also scrapped its content deal with Presto because Presto had allegedly not met the reseller agreement. This deal was signed in May 2015.

DD India unlikely to be carried via Hot Bird 13B

DD India’s satellite licence period is nearing its expiration date, meaning that the channel will not likely find a seat on the Hot Bird 13B.

The public broadcaster, Prasar Bharti, had plans of taking its news channel to Indians living abroad by getting onboard the EUTELSAT’s Hotbird-13 B satellite. Prasar Bharti is now in talks with Deutsche Welle for a renewal of the deal for channel carriage, however, the agreement is unlikely to go through as the German broadcaster doesn’t have enough bandwidth.

“There are plans to renew it but Deutsche Welle is not having the bandwidth to carry the channel. If it doesn’t work out, we won’t be on Hot Bird 13B. So we are working on various options. Either we will try to do it ourselves or will talk to other distributors,” DDG (commercial) CK Jain told TelevisionPost.com.

Back in 2014, Deutsche Welle had partnered with DD India. The deal was aimed at helping DD India reach 120 million-strong audience across Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Refreshed YouSee lets customers C More

YouSee says its responding to changing customer behaviour with the launch of a 1,400 film package from C More. The selection is available to all new TV customers, who are also being given the option to buy HBO Nordic, after a three-month trial period.

“Today, YouSee is primarily perceived as a provider of TV, broadband and telephony. In the future, we will be seen as the leading entertainment universe. This means that we gather all the content from both TV stations and film services in one place. And most importantly; making it free for customers themselves to decide what they want to see where and when. It also means that we will eventually have to deal with the structure around our TV packages and look at how we get even more freedom on the pitch, “said YouSee CEO René Brøchner.

The Danish cable network is also refreshing its logo. The house colour remains green, but the logo now contains a single stripe. “The stripes have done a good job for us to ensure recognition and distinctive. But today we are ready with a new YouSee, and it must of course be marked with a new look. To change the customers’ perception of us, we also need to change the way we look,” says Brøchner.

All Basic Package Customers get access to more Web TV, adding the service to an additional 1.1 million TV customers, who can watch on mobile, tablet or PC.

Since the early summer YouSee has upgraded about 400,000 broadband customers to a minimum of 50 Mbps, according to the operator the country’s highest average speed.

1,400 satellites to launch by 2024

Around 140 satellites with a launch mass over 50kg will be launched each year for the next decade.

The forecast from Eurosconsult’s Satellites to be Built & Launched by 2024 forecasts 1,400 satellites over the next 10 years at a value of $255 billion. Unlike the company’s previous report the number of satellites is due to grow more than the market value over the decade.

“The increase in satellite number would be significantly higher if two mega-constellation projects for small communications satellites were included in the forecast,” said Rachel Villain, Principal Advisor at Euroconsult and editor of the report. “The 1,400 satellite count over the decade already includes 350 satellites to be deployed by ten commercial constellations into low or medium Earth orbits for communication or Earth observation.”

In the commercial space sector, Euroconsult anticipates a total of 550 satellites to be launched over the decade by 40 companies. Most of these satellites will be for the replacement of the communications capacity currently in orbit. 80% of the commercial space market remains concentrated in geostationary orbit, the destination of 300+ satellites operated by 30 companies for communications and broadcasting services.

But it is governmental satellites that will be responsible for 75% of the $255 billion. 90% of that market is down to ten countries with an established space industry; the United States, Russia, Europe (France, Germany, the UK, Italy and Spain), China, Japan and India.

Kudelski on the up

Kudelski has posted revenues of CHF425 million (€395 million) for the first half of the year, or 6.2% more than in the same period in 2014.

Its operating income was up by 9.7% to €30.4 million over the same period, while its net income of CHF9.8 million in H1 contrasted with one of only CHF0.6 million a year earlier.

The group notes that compared to the strong first half 2014, which was supported by the one-time licensing revenues from the Cisco patent licensing agreement, integrated Digital TV segment (iDTV) constant currency revenues for the first half 2015 grew by 6.8.

They benefitted in particular from the underlying growth of the core digital TV business, to CHF324.4 million.

Meanwhile, operating income for the segment improved by 17.9%, reaching CHF
52.6 million.

Looking to the future, Kudelski expects H2 iDTV revenues to be higher than those in the first half. It has updated its total revenue guidance from CHF845 to 875 million to a new range of CHF920 to 940 million.

It has also raised its operating income guidance from CHF50 to 65 million to CH70 to 80 million.

Despite OTT, free and live TV remain tops

Free and live TV remain the favourite choice of consumers, but wider availability of OTT services are fuelling popularity and usage.

Futuresource’s latest Living with Digital consumer research study identified live TV (pay & free) is still the primary viewing choice for 65% of respondents across the territories with France showing the most solidarity at 75% compared to 59% in both US and UK. Although cost was the primary or secondary reason for respondents dropping pay-TV services across all territories, indicative of alternative content sources, respondents are also pledging continued allegiance to premium tier pay-TV subscriptions with over a third of pay-TV respondents taking movie packages and over 40% taking sports – as high as 57% in US.

That said, OTT services are certainly coming of age with over 40% and 20% of US and UK respondents respectively taking Netflix. Amazon Price Instant Video is also seeing continued rise with 23% of US and 10% of UK respondents taking the service. In the UK 20% of Prime subscribers signed up primarily for the video service.

The ‘audio renaissance’ is evident once more in this wave of research. The number of paid-for streaming music subscribers has approximately doubled in all countries compared to wave 9 (conducted Q4-14), being similar to the overall increase in total (free and paid-for) streaming users, with Spotify showing excellent growth. The evidence presented suggests that paid-for users are driving the overall streaming base higher. Germany is the one country which has ‘broken out’ in this wave, as those listening to any streaming service hits 31%, up from 21% in the previous wave. Finally all types of music consumption above have shown growth, apart from music downloading which was stagnant in all countries apart from the USA.

Connected TV is increasingly established, findings state that one third of all respondent had a ‘Connected TV’ and 69% accessed music or video entertainment services at least once a week, up from 63% in the previous wave. Interestingly 30% of US connected TV owners also access services on their set every day. 

David Sidebottom, Principal Entertainment Analyst at Futuresource revealed that, “DMA ownership has almost doubled across the US and the European countries sampled. In terms of total DMA ownership, 15% of the total respondents, one in four 26-35 year olds and one-third of Netflix subscribers have a DMA integrated into their devices. Google Chromecast in particular has stimulated growth across all markets covered, having a DMA ownership share of 30%. 62% of DMA users watch paid-for video on them (76% in the USA) and 80% use them at least once a week, a quarter every day.”

The report clearly demonstrates how video dominates the market in relation to connected TV and content consumption, with 83% consuming all video content formats, up from 80% previously. Half of 16-25 year olds are enjoying subscription on demand video both online and through connected TV apps. Most non-video activities such as general web surfing, accessing information services and social networking have not surprisingly shown steady increases over the last two consecutive periods.

A comparison of both digital and optical video formats adoption is also explored across the different markets. Interestingly, despite the growth in connected hardware and increase in digital video service options, over half of respondents still buy DVDs or Blu-rays, similar to wave 9. Moreover, the proportion of consumers buying DVDs or Blu-rays has increased in the USA and UK, bucking the trends from the previous wave. DVD Buyers have a slight female skew in most countries and are likely to have children at home, especially under 12’s. They also have a slightly higher tech adoption than the overall base and are much more likely to use digital services.

Slovakia edges to DVB-T2

The Slovak national transmission company Towercom is likely to begin DVB-T2 commercial broadcasting next year.

Zive reports that this is later than the company had originally planned.

Quoting Michal Suran, Towercom’s marketing manager, it adds that the transition will be gradual rather than undertaken in a single leap.

Towercom operates all the national multiplexes in Slovakia and initially planned to switch the fourth one to DVB-T2.

The company now expects to use different formats on the multiplex, namely HEVC and MPEG-4, or all MPEG-4 or HEVC.

Its response will be based on market conditions.

Reliance Big TV market share decline continues

MUMBAI — Reliance Communications Limited (RCom) has announced its consolidated financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2015.

Reliance Big TV (Direct-To-Home business)

Our Direct-To-Home (DTH) digital TV Business, branded as Reliance Big TV, offers a full combo of Standard Definition, High Definition & High Definition-DVR STBs, along with largest channel bouquet. We also introduced a new technology advancement which made us the 1st operator to offer all 273 channels in HD like quality. Reliance offers nationwide Direct-To-Home satellite TV services, employing state-of-the-art MPEG4 technology.

Reliance Digital TV is available at nearly 35,850 outlets across 8,350 cities in the country. The retail and distribution reach, as well as other elements of infrastructure established for our wireless network, have been leveraged to expand our DTH presence. Reliance Digital TV currently has 4.87 million subscribers, with 6% share of the DTH market in India. We launched India’s first High definition cum Advanced Digital Video recorder (HD DVR), offering 200 hrs of recording, trick play functions & universal remote for operating three devices.

During the past 3 months, there has been a significant enhancement in the, already stable product quality. Our Set Top Box (STB) Failure Rate is 0.96%, which is amongst the best internationally & by far the best in India.

                                          2014        2015
                        ----------------------  ----------
                          Q1    Q2    Q3    Q4    Q1    Q2
                        ----  ----  ----  ----  ----  ----
Subscribers (millions)   4.8  4.82  4.82  4.87  4.87  4.87
India market share        8%    8%    8%    7%    7%    6%

More: Press Releases

DishTV launches DishFlix Push VOD in India

DishTV launches its first Home Video System–DishFlix in India

• First of its kind PUSH VOD service
• Revolutionary offering that will redefine ‘Home movie viewing’

NEW DELHI — Another first from the pioneer and the market leader of Indian DTH industry. DishTV launches ‘DishFlix’ a push VOD service that will redefine the home movie viewing. With the introduction of one of its kind and innovative Push VOD service, “DishFlix,” DishTV aims to empower consumers to enjoy uninterrupted Ad-Free (No Commercials) entertainment.

Viewers will be able to pause, play, fast forward and rewind movies or TV shows at their own convenience. Another unique feature is that this service will not require any internet connection as the content will be pushed to the customer’s STB through satellite. Customers need to buy a DishFlix Box that comes preloaded with 50 movies. Out of these, 15 movies will be refreshed every month on FIFO (First in First Out) basis (one new movie every two days) so that the viewable movie library is always updated. As stated above this little wonder works without internet, using advanced satellite technology.

Pricing

DishFlix hardware will be available at a price of Rs.5990/-, with a monthly subscription to Flix studio at Rs.100/-.

Speaking on the occasion of the DishFlix launch, Mr. R.C Venkateish, Chief Executive Officer, DishTV India said, “As industry leaders and pioneers of the DTH sector, we continue to reinvent and redefine the market with thought leadership to be ahead of the pack. DishFlix is a highly differentiated and extremely consumer friendly move for all those movie buffs. This is a never before kind of unique offering for all those valued subscribers who will choose our services”.

“We are confident that DishFlix will set higher benchmark in the entertainment industry by addressing the need of every member in the family by offering blockbuster movies from Bollywood and Hollywood across various genres. This will translate into huge competitive advantage for DishTV as none of the other competitors both from cable as well as DTH offer this facility,” he further added.

DVB-T2/HEVC trial to begin in North-Rhine Westphalia

MEDIA BROADCAST and German public broadcaster, WDR (Westdeutscher Rundfunk), have announced the start of a DVB-T2/HEVC trial in the region of North-Rhine Westphalia. The trial, covering both static and mobile reception, is due to begin on August 18th.

WDR will broadcast a DTT multiplex of free-to-air public channels on channel 40 from the transmitter at Venusberg (near Bonn), whilst Media Broadcast will broadcast a multiplex of commercial channels on channel 43, from the Colonius transmitter in Cologne. The two 20kW transmissions will combine to form a single-frequency network (SFN).

The trial is intended to support the testing of the whole transmission chain from transmitter to receiving devices, enabling manufacturers of broadcast equipment and receivers to test their products, in advance of the launch of the full service in June 2016. A DVB-T2 HD logo has been created for compliant devices.

Record pay-TV subscriber losses in US

SNL Kagan estimates the US cable, DTH and IPTV platforms collectively shed more than 600,000 video subscribers in the three months ended June 30, falling to 100.4 million combined residential and commercial subs at mid-year.

The slide, which follows an uncharacteristically weak first quarter, points toward the likelihood of a much larger decline for full-year 2015 than the industry produced between 2010 and 2014, during what could essentially be seen as a period of general malaise.

The second-quarter crater was the product of a dramatic softening in the IPTV video sector, combined with an accelerated drop in DTH subscribers along with cable’s persistent decline. While cable sub losses slowed, they remain by far the greatest source of downward pressure on multichannel subscriptions. Speculation swirls around the decline in DISH Network subscribers coinciding with the promotion of the provider’s alternative Sling TV OTT offering, but the estimated loss from DISH was compounded by a decline at DIRECTV to drive the satellite total lower.

Cable’s basic-subscriber losses, at 350,000, came in at their lowest level since 2008, when the segment shed 211,000 basic video customers in the seasonally weak period. For perspective, from 2009 through 2014, second-quarter net losses averaged 609,000.

The telcos increasingly appear to be trading subscriber gains for improved financials. AT&T’s U-verse has aligned its strategy with DIRECTV’s focus on profitability. As a result of the belt tightening, the combined multichannel video subscribers served by FiOS and U-verse were flat at 11.7 million at the end of the second quarter, behind net adds of just 4,000.

The DBS segment lost an estimated 304,000 subscribers, as DIRECTV and DISH Network both reported record declines. The DBS segment retreated to just under 34 million subs. (The DBS figure has moved from a reported total to an SNL Kagan estimate as DISH changed its financial reporting.)

DVB-T2/HEVC trial to kick off in Cologne/Bonn

WDR, the affiliate of German public broadcaster ARD serving federal state North-Rhine Westphalia, and German transmitter network operator Media Broadcast will commence their joint DVB-T2/HEVC trial in North-Rhine Westphalia on August 18, 2015.

WDR will transmit a multiplex on DTT channel 40 offering free-to-air public channels while Media Broadcast will use DTT channel 43 to broadcast a multiplex carrying commercial channels.

Transmissions will take place from the transmitter site Venusberg near Bonn (WDR) and from the Colonius transmitter site in Cologne (Media Broadcast) as a single frequency network with 20kW each.

The trial is set up to test the whole signal chain from the transmitter to the reception device. It will enable manufacturers of broadcast technology and manufacturers and importers of reception devices to develop and test suitable devices.

All standard usage forms will be tested from stationary reception to portable and mobile reception. Hybrid reception devices for DVB-T2 and internet offerings will also be tested. Compatible receivers carry the logo DVB-T2 HD; current DVB-T receivers are not suitable.

Technical trials for the new DVB-T2/HEVC network which will enable HD channels on DTT in Germany for the first time are also carried out in Munich and Berlin. The first regular TV channels in the new standard will be broadcast from June 2016 in large urban areas – in time for the European Football Championship.

Is OTT friend or foe to pay-TV?

OTT streaming video on demand services remain a complement to, not a replacement for, traditional pay TV, according to Horowitz Research.

40% of internet users have multichannel and an OTT SVOD service, 42% have multichannel only, 11% have an OTT SVOD service only, and 7% have neither. Among OTT SVOD users, 78% are also multichannel subscribers. But recent OTT developments from traditional pay TV distributors—DISH’s Sling TV and DirecTV’s Yaveo—could start changing the game.

“For many, streaming video has become an integral part of the viewing lifestyle. The idea of an Internet TV service, at a lower price point and with more customizable options, is an attractive prospect,” said Adriana Waterston, Horowitz’s SVP of insights and strategy.

The study finds that among internet users overall, 51% have access to an OTT SVOD service (i.e., Netflix, Hulu paid, or Amazon Prime Instant Video), rising to 75% among Millennials. In fact, Millennials are three times as likely to have an OTT SVOD service and no multichannel (21% among Millennials, vs. just 7% among 35+) and nearly half (48%) report spending more than 50% of their viewing time streaming.

Furthermore, 55% of Millennials who are multichannel subscribers say that if the price were right, they would subscribe to an Internet TV service instead of their current cable or satellite service, compared to 43% of 35+. “For Millennials, streaming is as natural as turning on the TV set, so an OTT service direct from a distributor could be a natural fit,” says Waterston.

“No longer tied to their physical infrastructure, OTT offerings have the potential to offer huge opportunity for distributors to reach beyond their footprint, shaking up the entire pay TV model,” Waterston adds.

Multiplatform Content & Services is a syndicated consumer survey focusing on video consumption across all platforms. The survey was conducted online by Horowitz Research in May 2015 among 1,568 broadband Internet users 18+.

Nova tops 0.5m pay-TV subs

Greece’s Forthnet ended the second quarter with a record 509,088 pay-TV subscribers, or 5.5% more than a year earlier, with the main driver for growth being the rollout of triple play.

As of the end of June, 364,727 households received Nova triple play/bundled services, up 5.9% on a year earlier.

However, there were 4,354 fewer new households receiving such services in Q2, compared to 20,873 more a year earlier.

Revenues for the company’s retail pay-TV business in H1 amounted to €69,653,000 (+0.4%), while its total revenues in the period were €182,826,000 (-6.9%). Adjusted EBITDA was €29,172,000 (-9.7%).

Commenting on the results, Panos Papadopoulos, said: “In the second quarter of 2015 the company’s key figures exhibited similar to the first quarter trends. Our subscription base continues to grow on a YoY basis, despite the macroeconomic environment. Under the current conditions we remain conservative and we focus on the quality of the services we provide and the improvement of our cost structure”.

India adds 610,000 active DTH subscribers in 1Q 2015

NEW DELHI — The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) today released the “Indian Telecom Services Performance Indicator Report” for the Quarter ending March, 2015. The 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 1st January to 31st March, 2015 and is compiled on the basis of information furnished by the Service Providers.

Cable TV Services

As on 31.03.2015, there are a total of 155 Multi System Operators (MSOs), who have been granted Permanent Registration (for 10 years) by Ministry of I&B, for providing Cable TV services through Digital Addressable Systems.

The digitization, with addressability of cable TV sector is in progress, in a phased manner. It is planned to be completed in four phases. The cut-off date for migration to “Digital Addressable Cable TV Systems” for the first phase, covering four metropolitan cities, was 31.10.2012 and for second phase, covering 38 cities having population more than 1 million, was 30.03.2013. The cut-off date for third phase was 30.09.2014 and for the fourth and final phase was 31.12.2014. However, the cut-off date for third phase & fourth phase was further extended up to 31.12.2015 & 31.12.2016 respectively.

DTH Services

At present, apart from the free DTH service of Doordarshan Prasar Bharati, a public broadcaster, 6 private DTH Operators are offering pay DTH services to the subscribers.

As per the information submitted by the DTH operator through quarterly PMR for DTH services, total number of registered subscribers and active subscribers being served by these six private DTH operators, as reported to TRAI, are 76.05 million & 41.15, million respectively as on 31st March 2015.

DTH subscribers (millions)

                                                  2014
            ------------------------------------------
            End-March   End-June  End-Sept.   End-Dec.
            ---------  ---------  ---------  ---------
Registered      64.82      67.57      70.33      73.06
 Active         37.19      38.24      39.13      40.54
 Inactive       27.63      29.33      31.20      32.52

                 2015
            ---------
            End-March
            ---------
Registered      76.05
 Active         41.15
 Inactive       34.90

Alibaba, Tencent to invest in Whaley

Alibaba Group Holding and Tencent Holdings are planning to invest in a smart-TV start-up, Whaley Technology owned by China Media Capital, to jointly tap smart-TV ecosystem, reported Wall Street Journal.

Whaley which was launched earlier this year will launch TV sets this month. The TV sets are being designed by a Chinese team and made by TPV Technology, PC monitor and LCD TV manufacturer in China.

Alibaba and Tencent will also facilitate Whaley to develop content. Smart-TV sets will offer content that CMC owns and content from its partners namely Time Warner, Oriental DreamWorks, STAR China, China Sports Media and Hong Kong’s TVB. Over time, Whaley plans to add more content from various other partners.

“We want to disrupt and restructure this industry,” said Li Ruigang, Chairman of China Media Capital. According to him, Whaley was established with an aim to dominate the value chain, providing everything from content and manufacturing to distribution. Whaley’s business model involves collecting viewer data to help determine which products and services its customers might like, he added.

“In the future, technology will improve and costs will keep falling,” Li said. “But understanding content will always be the most important thing, and that’s what we are good at.”

India has over 34 million inactive DTH subscribers

India has 34.9 million inactive direct-to-home service subscribers, according to latest report from Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.

Tata Sky, Dish TV, Videocon d2h, Airtel Digital, Sun TV and Reliance Digital TV are the six operators that provide DTH services in the country. Together, they have about 41.15 million active subscribers. According to the TRAI report, total number of registered subscribers stands at 76.05 million compared to 73.06 million subs that were registered last year. Around 155 MSOs have Permanent Registration for providing Cable TV services. Permanent licences are issued for a period of ten years.

Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has said that the country has 829 TV channels as of 31 March, 2015. Total number of pay TV channels stands at 245, reports Indian Television.

Slovakia ends 2014 with more than 1 million DTH subscribers

BRATISLAVA — According to Slovakia’s Regulatory Authority for Electronic Communications and Postal Services (RÚ – formerly TÚ SR), at the end of 2014 Slovakia had more than one million subscribers to pay TV via satellite. Slovakia has four satellite TV service providers. In addition there were 470 thousand subscribers to cable TV, with 209 thousand of those connected digitally using DVB-C. IPTV subscribers numbered 244 thousand.

In Slovakia there is also broadcasting via MMDS and terrestrially using DVB-T.

TrueVisions revenue surges by 20% in 1H2015

TrueVisions, pay-television arm of True Group, has recorded a revenue of THB5.90 billion in the first half of the year 2015, raise by 20.4% year-on-year, as compared to THB4.90 billion in the first half of the year 2014. Its service revenue and product revenue stood at THB5.82 billion and THB81 million respectively in 1H 2015. At the end of June 2015, its pay-TV subscriber base was 2.7 million.

During the second quarter of 2015, the company’s revenue has increased by 19% year-on-year due to the strong advertising growth; it rose to THB2.99 billion in 2Q 2015 as against THB2.50 billion in 2Q 2014. Subscription and installation revenue was flat at THB1.9 billion in 2Q 2015.

The company has posted a revenue of THB594 million from music entertainment and music events revenue in this quarter.

TrueVisions’ operating expense has surged by 23.5% y-o-y to THB2.6 billion due to higher cost of providing services related to content and music entertainment in the 2Q 2015. Its EBITDA stood atTHB296 million in the same period.

Hathway’s Q1-2016 standalone TIO grows 5.7%

Hathway Cable & Datacom, the multi-system operator (MSO), reported a 5.7% growth in standalone Total Income from Operations for the quarter that ended 30 June, 2015. TIO now stands at INR2.64 billion compared to INR2.50 billion in Q1-2015.

The company has 11.8 million subscribers; including 8.6 million subscribers accessing digital TV services. The third leg of digital addressable system or DAS Phase III is expected to increase the MSO’s presence in tier II and III cities. Hathway has installed 100,000 set-top boxes during the first quarter of the fiscal and its inventory stands at 500,000 STBs.

Hathway’s EBITDA was at INR327 million, down 25.4% to INR438 million in the corresponding quarter of 2014. Its Average Revenue per User or ARPU increased to INR 100 (net of tax) in Phase I markets and INR 76 in Phase II markets. Carriage revenue was up 8 %, reports Television Post.

Siti Cable seeks shareholders’ approval for latest round of fund raising

Siti Cable Network has sought shareholders’ approval to raise USD 100 million. The multi-system operator plans to gather funds via equity shares via public issue, private placement or qualified institutional placement

According to the company, the funds will be used to expand network in DAS phase III and IV areas as well as build value added services, reports Indian Television. The funds will also be used to pare the company’s debts.

“The company sought shareholders’ approval to raise funds through one or more placements of equity shares in domestic and/or one or more international markets whether by way of private placement or otherwise, in one or more tranches, so that the total amount raised shall not exceed rupee equivalent of $100 million,” the company said in its BSE filing.

Back in October of 2014, the company’s shareholders had approved a proposal of raising USD100 million (INR6.42 billion). Siti Cable was, however, able to raise of INR2.21 billion until March of 2015, according to Television Post.

Amagi to introduce new managed playout service

Amagi has launched a new managed playout service that promises to simplify video content preparation, management, and delivery for broadcasters.

The cloud-based broadcast infrastructure and targeted TV advertising company, Amagi, says that its latest service can help broadcasters manage quality control, traffic and scheduling.

Using the ne content delivery and play out management system will enable broadcasters increase the efficiency of content distribution with its affiliates across the world. The new solution  is based on a hybrid architecture consisting of cloud-management and edge-playout platform.

“Faced with the challenge of delivering more content to an ever growing number of devices, today’s broadcasters need scalable, flexible, and cost-effective playout solutions,” said K.A. Srinivasan, co-founder of Amagi. “Our next-generation cloud-based service transforms the way broadcasters handle video content, enabling them to distribute content more efficiently and cost-effectively on a global scale. Building on our successful CLOUDPORT infrastructure, we are now providing automated, technology-driven services, and partner marketplace to provide a completely managed playout service to TV networks.”

The company will be showcasing the product at BC2015 in Amsterdam, Sept. 11-15.

KATV1 unveils hybrid STB for AZN50 in Azerbaijan

KATV1, Azerbaijan based cable television operator, has launched a hybrid set-top-box, Myvideo Smart Box for AZN50. The device allows to watch TV/ video through internet and comes with a quad-core processor.

Myvideo Smart Box provides access to all the national channels for free and foreign television channels are available for AZN10 per month. It offers over 110 channels and users can view archive content of any channel up to 10 days using the backup service.

Myvideo Smart Box provides access to its video-on-demand service, myvideo.az. The box comes with social media applications such as Skype, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube.

“One of our main tasks to provide viewing of the national channels from around the world Azerbaijanis. Myvideo Smart Box allows you to do this on television that provides a great convenience. In fact, any Azerbaijani can at home anywhere in the world to watch our TV channels, and be closer to Azerbaijan. Myvideo.az intends to apply to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Azerbayzhana and the State Committee for Work with the Diaspora to assist in this matter. Myvideo.az also ready to provide Azerbaijani embassy device Myvideo Smart Box, to allow viewing of the Azerbaijani channels,” said the company to a media firm in Azerbaijan.

DTH leads in Moscow

Viewers in Moscow have a clear preference for satellite TV despite the wide availability of cable services.

Quoting the Department of Information Technology (DIT), AKTR andIstochnik report that at the end of the Q2 there were 2.2 million digital TV users in the Russian capital.

Of these, 41% opted for DTH, 31% for cable and 28% for IPTV, with the latter being the fastest growing segment.

The DIT also notes that there is growing interest in HD services, with channels in the format accounting for around 10% of the line up of basic digital TV packages, typically offering 105 channels.

Significantly, the DIT in addition says that the cost of receiving satellite TV services has increased by almost 120% since the beginning of this year.

This compares to only 1.5% for IPTV and 9% for cable.

Growth in the Moscow pay-TV market is expected to slow as viewers turn increasingly to online video and personalised content.

Poland’s nc+ holds steady

The Polish DTH platform nc+ ended H1 with 2.1 million post-paid subscribers, down 100,000 on the same period last year.

Its ARPU, at PLN68 (€16.4), was little changed on the PLN67.6 posted a year earlier, while revenues in the first six months of the year were down from PLN1,072 million in H1 2014 to PLN1,041 million this year.

EBITDA for the period was PLN210 million (PLN221 million) and TVN’s share of nc+’s profit amounted to PLN29 million (PLN22 million).

TVN’s revenues in H1 were PLN808 million (PLN798 million in H1 2014) and adjusted EBITDA PLN265 million (PLN262 million). Its net profit was PLN116 million (PLN126 million).

Separately, Christian Anting has been appointed to TVN’s management board with immediate effect.

He will be responsible for all of the company’s digital & e-commerce activities, including online entertainment and OTT services, e-commerce and retail, as well as TVN Ventures, the company’s digital venture arm.

His responsibilities also include TVN’s international channel distribution activities, including the group’s international channels iTVN and iTVNExtra.

Dish TV takes its ‘Zing’ to Kerala

Dish TV has launched its regional direct-to-home TV  brand Zing in Kerala. The move is expected to strengthen the DTH service provider’s position in the Southern states.

Zing is already present in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. The DTH arm now aims to expand in Kerala by giving its subscribers 150+ channels coupled with 27 Malayalam channels at INR99 a month.

“Our consumer demographic study has indicated that large segment of TV viewers from medium and small town prefer content from their own region. Zing will address this need and provide maximum available regional content (27 Malayalam Channels and Services) to viewers through exciting packs as compared to other DTH brands,” RC Venkateish CEO of Dish TV, according to Indian Television.

Betting on the regional markets has already paid off for the DTH company. Dish TV added 390,000 net subscribers for the quarter ending June, 2015; mostly due to subscriber additions in non-Hindi speaking territories.

Airtel Digital TV adds 339,000 subscribers in 2Q 2015

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, 2015.

Digital TV Services

As on June 30, 2015, the Company had its Digital TV operations in 639 districts. DTH had 10.4 million customers at the end of the quarter, which represents an increase of 10.9% as compared to the corresponding quarter last year. Net customer additions for Digital TV during the quarter were 339,038.

Customer Base (000’s)

                                           Q-o-Q             Y-o-Y
                      Jun 2015  Mar 2015  Growth  Jun 2014  Growth
                      --------  --------  ------  --------  ------
Digital TV Services     10,412    10,073    3.4%     9,388   10.9%

Operational Performance – India – Digital TV

                                        Jun 30,  Mar 31,  Dec 31,  Sep 30,  Jun 30,
Parameter                        Unit     2015     2015     2014     2014     2014
-------------------------------  ----  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------
Customers                        000s   10,412   10,073    9,810    9,540    9,388
Net additions                    000s      339      263      270      151      376
Average Revenue Per User (ARPU)    Rs      222      214      214      220      214
Average Revenue Per User (ARPU)    US      3.5      3.4      3.5      3.6      3.6

Monthly Churn                       %     0.8%     1.0%     1.0%     1.1%     0.6%

During the quarter, Airtel Digital TV announced the launch of its first indigenously manufactured set-top-boxes. The “Made in India” set-top-boxes will be available in HD to begin with and soon all of Airtel Digital TV‟s set-top-boxes will be manufactured in India. With this, Airtel Digital TV has become the latest corporate to join the Govt‟s Make in India initiative contributing to its growing proliferation across sectors. The launch also provides the much needed impetus to build an ecosystem that will drive indigenous manufacturing of DTH set-top-boxes empowered with production capabilities as well as technical expertise within India.