Airtel Digital TV adds 530,000 subscribers in 4Q 2015

NEW DELHI, India — Bharti Airtel Limited (“Bharti Airtel” or “the Company”) today announced its audited consolidated IFRS results for the third quarter ended December 31, 2015.

Digital TV Services

As on December 31, 2015, the Company had its Digital TV operations in 639 districts. DTH had 11.1 Mn customers at the end of the quarter, which represents an increase of 13.2% as compared to the corresponding quarter last year. Net customer additions for Digital TV during the quarter were 530K, the highest in last 18 quarters. As a result of higher HD penetration and upselling of packs, ARPU increased to Rs 229 as compared to Rs 214 in the corresponding quarter last year.

Customer Base (000’s)

                                           Q-o-Q             Y-o-Y
                      Dec 2015  Sep 2015  Growth  Dec 2014  Growth
                      --------  --------  ------  --------  ------
Digital TV Services     11,106    10,576    5.0%     9,810   13.2%

Operational Performance – India – Digital TV

                                       Dec 31,  Sep 30,  Jun 30,  Mar 31,  Dec 31,  Sep 30,
Parameter                        Unit     2015     2015     2015     2015     2014     2014
-------------------------------  ----  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------
Customers                        000s   11,106   10,576   10,412   10,073    9,810    9,540
Net additions                    000s      530      164      339      263      270      151
Average Revenue Per User (ARPU)    Rs      229      224      222      214      214      220
Average Revenue Per User (ARPU)    US      3.5      3.5      3.5      3.4      3.5      3.6

Monthly Churn                       %     0.7%     1.3%     0.8%     1.0%     1.0%     1.1%

More: Quarterly Results

Content exclusivity key to MENA pay-TV growth

Legitimate pay-TV operators in the Middle East and North Africa are increasingly relying on exclusive content rights to gain subscribers, according to a new report from Digital TV Research.

This is especially true for satellite TV platforms such as beIN and OSN. Dipping into the deep pockets of its owners, beIN in particular has been successful in building its subscriber base in a short period of time.

Simon Murray, author of the fifth edition of the Digital TV Middle East & North Africa Forecasts report, said: “Gaining subscribers in the MENA is no mean feat as piracy remains rampant in most countries. More than half of the region’s homes receive free-to-air satellite TV signals. Furthermore, established pay TV operators now have to compete against new platforms as several IPTV operators put greater emphasis on SVOD than on traditional linear channel packages.”

Despite these hurdles, the number of pay TV homes across the 20 countries covered in the report will double between 2010 and 2021 to 20.9 million, with Turkey accounting for 37% of the 2021 total. From the 5.40 million pay TV homes to be added between 2015 and 2021, 1.98 million will come from Turkey, 0.63 million from Uzbekistan and 0.59 million from Egypt.

About a fifth TV households legitimately paid for TV signals by end-2015. This proportion will climb to 24.2% by 2021. Qatar will record 80% pay-TV penetration by 2021, with Georgia (69%), Israel (68%) and the UAE (62%) also high. However, pay-TV penetration will be below 10% of TV households in Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Syria and Tunisia.

Legitimate pay-TV revenues will climb by 82% between 2010 and 2021 to $5.02 billion. However, growth will only be 25% between 2015 and 2021. Turkey and Israel are expected to contribute 45% of the region’s pay-TV revenues in 2021; down from 52% in 2015 and 63% in 2010.

From the $1,028 million pay-TV revenues to be added between 2015 and 2021, Turkey will supply $206 million, the UAE $141 million and Saudi Arabia $194 million. Revenues in Israel will fall sightly over this period due to greater competition and as subscribers switch to bundles (which means lower TV revenues per subscriber).

Satellite TV will continue to dominate pay-TV revenues, taking nearly two-thirds of the 2021 total (similar to the 2015 proportion). Satellite TV revenues will be $3.21 billion in 2021, up by $0.62 billion on 2015 and up by $1.54 billion on the 2010 total. Greater competition is forcing down satellite TV ARPUs.

The number of homes paying for IPTV will overtake cable subscriptions (analogue and digital) in 2021. There will be 5.36 million IPTV subs in the region by 2021; more than double the 2015 total. IPTV revenues will grow from $140 million in 2010 to $1,022 million in 2021.

For more information on the fifth edition of the Digital TV Middle East & North Africa Forecasts report, please see the Broadband TV News webshop.

Change in Czech DVB-T2 plan

The Czech Republic’s roadmap for the transition to DVB-T2 has become a little clearer.

Digizone reports that the expert group from the Ministry of Industry and Trade for Development and Strategy has, after a month’s delay, submitted a document on what will eventually form a technical plan for the transition. The delay was requested by network and mobile operators, along with broadcasters, for them to submit further commenst, wone of which the expert group has incorporated in its document.

The most fundamental change proposed for the technical plan is that there should be three, rather than two, DVB-T2 transition multiplexes to begin operating from this year until the process is completed in 2021. It would be regional and operated by Digital Broadcasting, which already operates the country’s fourh multiplex.

The two other multiplexes would, as planned, be technically operated by the national transmission company CRa and allocated to the public broadcaster CT and regional stations.

Orion Express on a roll

The Russian DTH platform Orion Express ended 2015 with over 2.8 million subscribers, or 9% more than a year earlier.

This, the company points out, outstripped the general growth of 5.4% in the market in 2015.

Orion Express saw the strongest subscriber growth in the Chelyabinsk region (19%), followed by Chukotka (16%) and Republic of Buryatia (15%). Its total revenues amounted to R3.38 billion (€39.47 million), with ARPU 28% up for the budget package to R83 and 13% for the mainstreamn package to R254.

Drivers for growth included the introduction of the mobile application Telecard, as well as a number of new services.

The basic package gained 50 more channels and as of the end of the year the ‘Unlimited’ package was providing viewers with over 200 channels.

In total, the platform distributed over 300 channels, or 16% more than a year earlier.

Gazprom launches sports channels, inks Chinese deal

Russia’s Gazprom Media has announced that it will launch nine sports channels on January 25.

At the same time, it has also signed a cooperation agreement with the Shanghai Media Group (SMG).

The nine channels are Our Football, “Match! Our Sport , Match! Arena , Match! Game, Match! Fighter, Match! Planet, Match! Football 1, Match! Football 2 and Match! Football 3. Most will be offered to viewers in HD.

Gazprom Media will also jointly produce the channels KHL, KHL TV and Equestrian World.

Meanwhile, the agreement with the SMG covers the coproduction of fims and TV shows, the sharing of libraries and coopertion in the development and distribution of cinema, TV and digital content. According to Dmitry Chernyshenko, the DG of Gazprom Media, the Russian company has already formed an offer of 300 feature films for the first phase of the cooperation with the SMG.

SMG is one of the leading media groups in China and its assets include 15 main TV channels and 15 digital pay-TV channels.

Significantly, the agreement is not the first one between Gazprom Media and Chinese companies.

Last October, Central Partnership, one of its subsidiaries, signed a deal with China Film Group, China’s largest film distribution company.

Siti Cable added 1.1 million digital video customers in Q3 2016

Siti Cable Network has added 1.1 million of digital video customers expanding its footprint and readying a fresh funding of INR 6.5 billion from the promoters. for the third quarter of the fiscal year 2015/2016. Siti Cable’s fiscal third quarter net profit stood at INR 560 million compared to a net loss of INR 229 million in the previous quarter. To recall, the multi-system operator (MSO) had reported a net loss of INR 160 million a year ago.

“The company has achieved the financial turnaround for the first time in its history. We expect this momentum to sustain in the coming quarters,” declared VD Wadhwa, executive director and CEO of Siti Cable.

Operating profit (EBITDA) stood at 159 per cent from the earlier year to INR 1.3 billion and grew by 152 per cent quarter-on-quarter (QoQ). Siti Cable’s revenue for the quarter stood at INR 3.75 billion, registering a 54 per cent QoQ and 68 per cent year-on-year (YoY) jump. Subscription revenue grew to INR 1.46 billion, from INR 1.39 billion in the previous quarter and INRs 1.36 billion a year ago.

On the other hand, the MSO deployed 1.1 million set-top boxes (STBs) in the quarter, activation revenue saw a big growth. While in the three-month period ended 31 December 2015 it stood at INR 1.05 billion, in the preceding quarter it was INR 194 million). In the year-ago period, it was at INR 136 million.

Al Jazeera America is closing down

Al Jazeera America will cease operation by April 30, 2016, the broadcaster announced.

Al Jazeera said that “the economic landscape of the media environment has driven its strategic decision to wind down its operations and conclude its service.”

Al Jazeera America was launched in August 2013, after taking over Al Gore’s Current TV. The channel currently reaches 60.8 million cable homes.

“I have witnessed and worked alongside some of the most talented people any organisation could wish for,” said Al Anstey, CEO of Al Jazeera America, in a statement.

“Since its launch in 2013, the work done by the team at Al Jazeera America has been recognised with nearly every major award an American news organisation can receive. I greatly respect the unrivalled commitment and excellent work of our team, which has created great journalism. We have increasingly set ourselves apart from all the rest, and the achievements of the past two-and-a-half years should be a source of immense pride for everyone.”

At the same time, Al Jazeera said it is to expand digital services in the US, “Al Jazeera Media Network today announced from Doha its intention to expand its existing international digital services to broaden its multi-platform presence in the United States.

“As audiences increasingly turn to multiple platforms, including mobile devices, for news and information, this expansion will allow US and non-US consumers alike to access the Network’s journalism and content wherever and whenever they want.”

Over the coming months the network intends to provide more details around the forthcoming expansion of its multi-platform digital services to the US.

India and China push STB market

Global set-top box shipments maintained elevated levels in 2015, buoyed by demand in emerging market such as China and India, according to SNL Kagan.

Worldwide STB shipments are on track to reach 253.1 million in 2015, up marginally from 248.6 million in 2014, as the global multichannel market swelled to an estimated 959 million subscribers, according to SNL Kagan estimates for global volumes.

Worldwide cable STB unit shipments are forecast to reach almost 75 million units in 2015, roughly the same total that shipped in 2014. With many of the world’s largest cable TV markets approaching saturation, or experiencing increasing competition from other pay TV platforms, demand for cable STBs is expected to be flat in the near-term.

Satellite STB unit shipments continue to be the largest market segment, on track to account for 47% of all global STB unit shipments in 2015.

The market for IP (Internet Protocol) STBs is also projected to remain relatively flat over the next few years, as growing demand for IP STBs in Europe and Asia is offset by declining demand in North America.

Shipments of DVR (Digital Video Recorder)-enabled STB products trended lower in 2015. Select service providers are reducing their PVR product purchases due to cost concerns, and other are introducing cloud PVR services, which can obviate the need for an installed DVR-enabled STB.

HD (High Definition)-enabled STBs are forecast to account for 76% of all global STB unit shipments in 2015, which means there are still more than 60 million SD STBs shipped.
Despite higher volumes, product revenues are forecast to also continue decreasing. By 2019, STB product revenues are projected to be $14.55 billion, down from $17.50 billion at year-end 2015.

Chile's pay TV subscriber growth slows in Q3 2015

SANTIAGO, Chile — Chile’s Subsecretaría de Telecomunicaciones (Subtel) has released pay TV statistics to the end of September 2015. From the end of September 2014, satellite subscribers increased from 1,416,966 to 1,498,941 (up 5.8%) whereas wired (cable TV and IPTV) subscribers grew from 1,355,619 to 1,425,199 (up 5.1%), giving a total for the country of 2.92 million, up 5.5% year-on-year.

Satellite TV subscribers fell 4,950 in the third quarter, with wired connections continuing to make gains (of 14,325), giving a total number of additional pay TV subscribers of less than 10,000, much lower than in previous quarters.

Pay TV Subscribers by operator:

                              Sep-14     Dec-14     Mar-15     Jun-15     Sep-15  3Q Adds  YoY Adds  YoY Growth
                           ---------  ---------  ---------  ---------  ---------  -------  --------  ----------
VTR                        1,004,074  1,008,746  1,003,867  1,018,376  1,022,126    3,750    18,052        1.8%
Telefónica Empresas          572,356    593,121    607,933    625,986    632,390    6,404    60,034       10.5%
Directv Chile Ltda.          449,367    461,808    480,690    506,418    512,504    6,086    63,137       14.1%
Claro Comunicaciones S.A.    470,534    461,791    459,872    459,532    444,000  -15,532   -26,534       -5.6%
Telefónica del Sur            80,044     83,416     86,361     88,724     94,218    5,494    14,174       17.7%
Entelphone                    81,195     83,381     84,966     86,846     89,489    2,643     8,294       10.2%
Pacífico Cable S.A.           77,642     78,657     79,692     81,556     81,057     -499     3,415        4.4%
GTD Imagen S.A.               23,454     23,752     24,239     25,205     26,514    1,309     3,060       13.0%
Cable Central                  7,172      7,369      8,613     11,365     10,444     -921     3,272       45.6%
Tu Ves S.A.                    4,477      5,602      6,783      8,348      9,108      760     4,631      103.4%
Chile Tv Cable S.A.            2,270      2,338      2,399      2,409      2,290     -119        20        0.9%
                           ---------  ---------  ---------  ---------  ---------  -------  --------  ----------                  
Total                      2,772,585  2,809,981  2,845,415  2,914,765  2,924,140    9,375   151,555        5.5%

Pay TV Subscribers by technology:

                              Sep-14     Dec-14     Mar-15     Jun-15     Sep-15
                           ---------  ---------  ---------  ---------  ---------
Wired                      1,355,619  1,374,806  1,378,284  1,410,874  1,425,199
 Quarterly Adds                8,624     19,187      3,478     32,590     14,325
 YoY Adds                     86,078     89,167     72,320     63,879     69,580
 YoY Growth                     6.8%       6.9%       5.5%       4.7%       5.1%
Satellite                  1,416,966  1,435,175  1,467,131  1,503,891  1,498,941
 Quarterly Adds               13,298     18,209     31,956     36,760     -4,950
 YoY Adds                    196,599    165,194    139,493    100,223     81,975
 YoY Growth                    16.1%      13.0%      10.5%       7.1%       5.8%
Total                      2,772,585  2,809,981  2,845,415  2,914,765  2,924,140
 Quarterly Adds               21,922     37,396     35,434     69,350      9,375
 YoY Adds                    282,677    254,361    211,813    164,102    151,555
 YoY Growth                    11.4%      10.0%       8.0%       6.0%       5.5%

Com Hem takes TV remote to the smartwatch

Swedish cable operator Com Hem has developed a trial TV remote application for smartwatches, allowing users to control their TV using their Apple or Android watch.

The app enables viewers to pause TV shows or switch channels. The beta version, which has been developed for Com Hem’s TiVo-based advanced TV platform, also enables viewers to browse between channels and view programme information. The Android version also allows users to select channels using voice commands.

“The growing interconnectivity of multiple devices and screens brings new opportunities for how we consume television. At Com Hem we are constantly looking at how consumer needs are evolving, and we are investigating how wearables can enhance the television experience to make it more fun and simple. This trial is part of that effort, “said James Lowther, acting commercial and product director at Com Hem.

“We are still in the development stage but we believe wearables can make controlling your TV easier and more convenient. This is a prototype; if there is an interest among our customers, we will launch a live version.”

1.2 million subscribers for PLDT's Cignal pay TV

Thursday, January 7th, 2016 

Cignal Subscribers Reach 1.2 M In 2015

MANILA, Philippines — Cignal, the country’s number one pay-tv provider, starts 2016 with 1.18 million subscribers – the first and only pay tv provider in the Philippines to pass the one-million mark.

Launched in 2009, Cignal added 330,000 new subscribers last year, overtaking older, more established industry rivals through the aggressive deployment of its high-quality direct-to-home satellite service and innovative program offerings.

“We would like to convey our heartfelt gratitude to our customers and to our valued partners for enabling us to achieve this industry milestone in 2015. In 2016, we shall build the business further by offering more innovative program packages that will delight customers all over the country,” said Cignal outgoing President Oscar Enrico Reyes, Jr.

The incoming Cignal President Jane B. Basas added that “Cignal has been a leader in providing its subscribers with what has been dubbed as, “awesome clarity, awesome HD” viewing experience that has revolutionized the Philippine television experience. The company will continue to lead the industry in both content diversification and best in class infrastructure given its links with PLDT, the country’s leading telecommunication company.”

Exciting exclusive channels like Hyper, Bloomberg TV Philippines, Celestial Movies Pinoy and Sari-Sari have already been introduced.

Hyper has been made even stronger as the exclusive pay-tv channel with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and the Professional Golfer’s Association of America (PGA). This reinforces Cignal’s existing sports programs that cover the tournaments of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Cignal will also provide exclusive coverage of the forthcoming 2016 Olympics at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Bloomberg TV Philippines is the local extension of Bloomberg Television, the leading international multi-platform 24-hour business and financial news network that provides continuous coverage of the people, companies and ideas that move global markets. Bloomberg TV Philippines is the first business news channel to air on a 24/7 basis in the country. It is set to be the go-to channel in local and international business information and trends.

Celestial Movies Pinoy is a “must-watch” channel for Chinese movie lovers in the Philippines. The channel’s programming is a delightful mix of Tagalized action, romantic comedy, drama, thriller, horror and more. Viewers can also look forward to watching the biggest Asian super stars as well behind-the-scenes specials and interviews.

Sari-Sari is Cignal’s newest general entertainment channel that combines the best content from VIVA and TV5. Watch your favorite classic Viva hits plus fresh new productions featuring some of the hottest stars, original stories and adaptations, directors and production craftsmen.

According to Mediaquest President and CEO Emmanuel C. Lorenzana, “Viva’s excellent track record of producing quality entertainment content matched with Cignal’s leading pay-tv– service is the winning formula.”

In the line-up for the first quarter of 2016 are new programs such as The Feb. 15 Club, Class 3-C Has A Secret, Barrio Kulimlim, Kuya And Me, Sa Ngalan Ng Anak, Tabi Po – all available in the Sari-Sari channel.

Netflix entered in India at a monthly rate of US$ 7.48

The world’s leading content and OTT platform Netflix has switched on its service in India yesterday following the keynote address of the CEO of NetFlix, Reed Hastings at the CES 2016 in Las Vegas. NetFlix services subscription plans are available at a monthly rate of INR 500-800 (US$ 7.48- 11.96).

For INR 500(US$ 7.48) per month, a user can get access to one SD screen, for INR 650 (US$ 9.72) per month, the content can be accessed in HD on two screens at a time. The INR 800 (US$ 11.96) per month plan will give a viewer access to 4K content on up to four screens simultaneously. Netflix also announced that in this year it plans to release 31 new and returning original series, two dozen original feature films and documentaries, a wide range of stand-up comedy specials and 30 original kids series.

In his comments, Hastings said that: “With the help of the internet, we are putting power in consumers’ hands to watch whenever, wherever and on whatever device. From today onwards, we will listen and we will learn, gradually adding more languages, more content and more ways for people to engage with Netflix. We’re looking forward to bringing great stories from all over the world to people all over the world.”

The streaming video provider NetFlix launch in 130 countries comes at a time when it has announced it would spend $5 billion on content in 2016. In India, Netflix will be competing with local OTT players like Hotstar, Ditto TV, Sony Liv and Eros Now. Hooq, a joint venture between Warner Bros., Sony Pictures and Singapore telecom giant Singtel, also launched in India last year and is offering its service at INR 199 (US$ 2.98) per month.

Pay DTT gains in Sub-Saharan Africa as satellite stutters

2015 was yet another momentous year for television in Sub-Saharan Africa. Most countries missed the ITU’s analogue switch-off deadline of June, but DTT, especially pay DTT, made huge gains.

And there is much more to come, partly as Canal Plus unveils its TNT Afrique DTT platform in Francophone countries.

However, the number of pay satellite TV subscribers climbed by a relatively low 7.4% in 2015, according to a new report from Digital TV Research. This was partly due to greater platform choice created by DTT and partly due to economic woes in some countries.

Available in more than 50 countries, DStv had 2.24 million subscribers outside South Africa by September 2015; down from 2.56 million six months earlier and down from 2.36 million a year earlier. Digital TV Research estimates that this total fell to 2.16 million by end-2015, with 2016 also expected to be tough.

Simon Murray, author of the fifth edition of the Digital TV Sub-Saharan Africa Forecasts report, said: “DStv’s problems stem mostly from its rights to exclusive premium content, especially sports. Currency devaluation in most Sub-Saharan countries hit DStv hard. Exclusive content rights for premium content such as English Premier League soccer are usually paid for in US dollars. DStv has been compelled to increase its local currency subscription fees to cover the shortfall due to devaluation. As a result, DStv appears more expensive to locals. To try and attract new subs, DStv has substantially reduced its decoder prices.”

Despite these negative factors, there are plenty of reasons for cheer. Nearly two-thirds of TV homes (36.2 million) took digital signals by end-2015, up from 18.7% (7.9 million) in 2010. Complete digital transition was achieved in Gabon, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda by end-2015. This count will increase from six countries at end-2015 to 11 by end-2016. Digital TV penetration will reach 99.9% in 35 forecast countries by 2021 – or 74.7 million homes.

About two-thirds (50.95 million) of TV households will take DTT (pay and free-to-air combined) as their primary TV signal in 2021, up from only 1.4% (0.59 million) at end-2010. By 2021, 14.85 million – nearly a fifth of TV households – will be primary pay DTT and 36.10 million free-to-air DTT (or 48.3% of TV homes).

DTT will challenge satellite as the top pay TV platform by 2021. In fact, satellite TV will only grow from 19.3% of TV households in 2015 to 21.2% by 2021, whereas pay DTT will rocket from 10.2% to 19.9% over the same period.

Of the 16.91 million pay TV subscribers at end-2015, 10.66 million were pay satellite TV and 5.64 million pay DTT. The pay total will more than double to 33.23 million by 2021, with satellite TV contributing 15.88 million and pay DTT another 14.85 million.

South Africa supplied 5.95 million of the 2015 regional pay TV subs; growing to 8.62 million by 2021. Nigeria will close in on South Africa; increasing from 3.63 million in 2015 to 7.52 million in 2021.

For more information on the fifth edition of the Digital TV Sub-Saharan Africa Forecasts report, please see the Broadband TV News webshop.

Satellite first for Belarus

Belarus is set to launch its first communications satellite this Friday, January 15.

Known as Belintersat-1, it will be located at 51.5 degrees East and begin to provide services after three months of in-orbit testing.

Belintersat-1 will have 20 C-Band and 18 Ku-Band transponders, with four of the latter being 54 MHz rather than 36 MHz.

It will cover Europe, the Middle East, Africa and much of Asia.

Some capacity has already been pre-sold, including at least eight transponders to Chinese companies. Of these, five are for the African beam (C-Band), one for the Central African beam (Ku-Band) and two for the Global beam (C-Band).

Belintersat-1 has been developed with heavy investment from the Belarusian government and in partnership with a number of companies. They include Gilat Satellite Networks (Israel), iDirect (US) and China Satellite Communications Co.

LG to collaborate with Netflix on global expansion

LG to Collaborate on Netflix’s Global Business Expansion

• New Partnership to Offer Extensive Library of Content from the World’s Leading Internet TV Network

TORONTO — LG Electronics today announced that LG has initiated a global partnership with Netflix to facilitate the expansion of Netflix’s global on-demand Internet streaming operations beyond the Internet TV network’s already established markets (the Americas, Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan). The expansion will bring an extensive library of high-quality content, including 4K HDR-mastered original TV series, to more markets in Asia, the Middle East and Europe. LG has been chosen as a primary global business partner of Netflix, due to the superior picture quality and performance they lend to the Smart TV industry and the Netflix viewing experience alike. At the time of Netflix’s launch LG and Netflix will combine efforts to provide prepaid access to the Netflix service.

Among Netflix’s acclaimed original TV show series are Marvel’s Daredevil, Orange is the New Black and Sense8. The company also plans to provide global members with its HDR-mastered original TV series Marco Polo. At the 2016 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas from January 6-9, visitors to LG’s booth (#8204 Central Hall, Las Vegas Convention) will even be able to watch a special 4K HDR clip from Netflix’s popular Dolby Vision™-mastered Marvel’s Daredevil series. Netflix has praised LG’s 4K HDR OLED TVs for having the purest black, contrast and colour vibrancy, all factors which ensure enhanced details and greater dimension when displaying their content.

“Our global partnership with LG will help entertainment lovers worldwide discover and enjoy Netflix,” said Scott Mirer, vice president of device partner ecosystem at Netflix. “We look forward to delighting our members with cutting edge technology and the ability to watch their favorite series in 4K and HDR.”

“We are excited to be the global business partner of the world’s most popular content provider Netflix,” said Brian Kwon, President and CEO at LG’s Home Entertainment Company. “From our side, LG will continue its dedication to innovating display and audio technologies in order to offer global consumers a superior 4K and HDR viewing experience. By adopting the most promising cutting-edge technological advancements, LG will continue to lead in the global premium TV market.”

Albanian digital TV concerns mount

Albania is facing more problems in its troubled transition to digital broadcasting.

Balkan Insight reports that Italy and Montenegro are calling on the country to stop its TV stations from interfering with their mobile phone networks.

It was a precondition of the ITU’s decision to allow Albania to continue broadcasting in analogue after it missed the June 17, 2015 switch off deadline providing it did not interfere with the airwaves of its neighbours.

Gentian Sala, the head of Albania’s Audiovisual Media Authority (AMA), has conceded that the country is under pressure from the EU to complete the transition to digital broadcasting as soon as possible.

Albania held a tender for digital TV licences last year, with its winners being the national channels Top Channel and Klan TV, along with the digital broadcasting platforms Digit-Alb and Tring TV.

It also selected a service named Super Sport, owned by Digit-Alb, and this led to protests by Media Vision that the AMA favoured Top Channel, Digit-Alb and Super Sport.

Media Vision then filed a lawsuit and Tring TV subsequently pulled out and Super Sport was disqualified, leaving the AMA with two more digital licences to award.

MStar integrates Verimatrix VCAS Ultra for 4K TVs

MStar Enhances Security for 4K TVs with Verimatrix VideoMark Forensic Watermarking

• VCAS Ultra Revenue Security with Integrated VideoMark Positions MStar TV SoC for UHD-ready Smart TVs

LAS VEGAS — CES 2016 — MStar Semiconductor, Inc., a leading global semiconductor company for display and digital home solutions, today announced that it has extended its partnership with Verimatrix, the specialist in securing and enhancing revenue for multi-network, multi-screen digital TV services around the globe, to offer a highly secure system-on-chip (SoC) specifically designed for UHD/4K connected TVs. The MStar G6P2 SoC has been integrated with the advanced security features of the Verimatrix Video Content Authority System (VCAS™) Ultra, including hardware-based VideoMark™ forensic watermarking, to meet the MovieLabs security requirements for premium UHD/4K video.

The MStar G6P2 DTV SoC is a highly integrated, all-in-one smart TV solution that supports dual-channel 8/10-bit LVDS output, DTV channel decoding, HEVC/MPEG decoding, VP9 decoding, 3D formatter, and additional security features including Secure Video Path and HDCP2.2. It incorporates a high-performance CPU, GPU, AV codec/security engines, and the advanced video processing engine, MStarACE-PRO4UC fitting for 4K/HDR content.

“G6P2 SoC integrated with VideoMark forensic watermarking will give smart TV manufacturers a head start on their ability to support 4K/UHD services,” said Wayne Tsai, marketing director at MStar. “We are thrilled to partner with Verimatrix to be one of the first to market with a solution that will help our customers establish secure, end-to-end chain of custody for their premium UHD content.”

Verimatrix VCAS Ultra extends operators’ reach to premium UHD services and advanced hybrid network deployments with enhanced content security profiles that have been designed in accordance with MovieLabs’ security guidelines for UHD content. VCAS Ultra is uniquely positioned to provide UHD protection with a balanced, integrated approach to security, which includes its fully integrated VideoMark watermarking technology. Hardware-based VideoMark provides a valuable deterrent in the fight against piracy by protecting high-quality content from rising threats of unauthorized redistribution through a robust, multi-layered security architecture.

“This latest integration with MStar builds on our long-standing relationship to deliver solutions that are highly valued by pay-TV operators,” said Petr Peterka, CTO, Verimatrix. “Delivering and securing premium UHD content is uncharted territory for the industry, so we are committed to enhancing our ecosystem with trusted partners to give next-generation video service providers peace of mind when launching new services.”

At CES 2016, a hardware-based VideoMark demonstration will be available at the MStar demo suite at The Venetian Suite 31-227/229.

Kazakh company buys Russian operators

The Kazakh broadcaster Alma-TV is understood has acquired a number of operators based in Moscow region.

Quoting an unnamed source, Kommersant reports that it has secured the assets through a new company named Alma Group.

It adds that although most of the assets are small, they include 2KOM, which claims a 3% share of Moscow’s broadband market.

Meanwhile, Alma-TV has said that Alma Group does not represent its interests in Russia and refused to comment on its activities.

Kommersant notes that most acquisitions in the industry have until now been of CIS assets by Russian companies rather than the other way round.

Content exclusivity key to MENA pay-TV growth

Legitimate pay-TV operators in the Middle East and North Africa are increasingly relying on exclusive content rights to gain subscribers, according to a new report from Digital TV Research.

This is especially true for satellite TV platforms such as beIN and OSN. Dipping into the deep pockets of its owners, beIN in particular has been successful in building its subscriber base in a short period of time.

Simon Murray, author of the fifth edition of the Digital TV Middle East & North Africa Forecasts report, said: “Gaining subscribers in the MENA is no mean feat as piracy remains rampant in most countries. More than half of the region’s homes receive free-to-air satellite TV signals. Furthermore, established pay TV operators now have to compete against new platforms as several IPTV operators put greater emphasis on SVOD than on traditional linear channel packages.”

Despite these hurdles, the number of pay TV homes across the 20 countries covered in the report will double between 2010 and 2021 to 20.9 million, with Turkey accounting for 37% of the 2021 total. From the 5.40 million pay TV homes to be added between 2015 and 2021, 1.98 million will come from Turkey, 0.63 million from Uzbekistan and 0.59 million from Egypt.

About a fifth TV households legitimately paid for TV signals by end-2015. This proportion will climb to 24.2% by 2021. Qatar will record 80% pay-TV penetration by 2021, with Georgia (69%), Israel (68%) and the UAE (62%) also high. However, pay-TV penetration will be below 10% of TV households in Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Syria and Tunisia.

Legitimate pay-TV revenues will climb by 82% between 2010 and 2021 to $5.02 billion. However, growth will only be 25% between 2015 and 2021. Turkey and Israel are expected to contribute 45% of the region’s pay-TV revenues in 2021; down from 52% in 2015 and 63% in 2010.

From the $1,028 million pay-TV revenues to be added between 2015 and 2021, Turkey will supply $206 million, the UAE $141 million and Saudi Arabia $194 million. Revenues in Israel will fall sightly over this period due to greater competition and as subscribers switch to bundles (which means lower TV revenues per subscriber).

Satellite TV will continue to dominate pay-TV revenues, taking nearly two-thirds of the 2021 total (similar to the 2015 proportion). Satellite TV revenues will be $3.21 billion in 2021, up by $0.62 billion on 2015 and up by $1.54 billion on the 2010 total. Greater competition is forcing down satellite TV ARPUs.

The number of homes paying for IPTV will overtake cable subscriptions (analogue and digital) in 2021. There will be 5.36 million IPTV subs in the region by 2021; more than double the 2015 total. IPTV revenues will grow from $140 million in 2010 to $1,022 million in 2021.

For more information on the fifth edition of the Digital TV Middle East & North Africa Forecasts report, please see the Broadband TV News webshop.

Doordarshan might go for “slot sale policy

The public broadcaster, Doordarshan might go for “slot sale policy” under which professionals would provide programmes in lieu of a share in the revenue that is earned from them. The proposal was made before the Prasar Bharati Board in a meeting. The objective of this proposal is to procure content with a new approach.

The public broadcaster is interested in acquiring content which can ensure that a larger number of viewers are attracted and the space lost to private TV channels is regained. Prasar Bharati is considering to go for a more innovative content procurement model to achieve this.

Officials said that such a policy would ensure that Doordarshan does not have to spend large amounts to acquire programmes while also ensuring that the producer maintains a high quality because of the linking of his earning with the revenue that the programme generates. They added that the programmes acquired through the Commissioning mode, where Doordarshan pays for the creation of content, have not resulted in any serials or shows which have become major hits.

The proposal was already suggested in the 1980s but Doordarshan managed to come up with acclaimed and popular programmes like ‘Hum Log’ and ‘Buniyaad’ in which the procurement model was such that the producer created the content and also the slot price. There were other iconic programmes like ‘Ramayana’, ‘Mahabharat’, ‘Nukkad’, etc which were also procured in a similar mode.

Balaji Telefilms to launch its OTT with exclusive original content

The film and television production house, Balaji Telefilms Ltd will make its entry in the Indian over-the-top (OTT) space with Alt Digital. The streaming service will offer exclusive original content to compete with the existing OTT service providers.

Announced last year, Alt Digital is headed by Nachiket Pantvaidya who welcomed the arrival of the American giant Netflix.

“Our plans to launch Alt Digital have been in motion since last year. We are going to launch with some strong propositions for the digital content consumer. We will launch with exclusive original content and be practically ad-free from the start. As a part of Balaji, we have the experience and competence to produce relevant content for our target group and we will use that legacy to our advantage,” he said.

He further revealed that its service will be for a specific brackets of people and have no intention of targeting all internet video users.

“There is a clear need gap in the industry. Those who want to watch high-quality English/international content have access to it through English entertainment channels and now Netflix. On the other hand, there are those who are happy watching the general entertainment channel content on TV. In between lie the people we want to target. These are people who want to watch out-of-the-box, edgy Indian content,” he added.

On the other hand, Nachiket Pantvaidya did not revealed the kind of exclusive content that Alt Digital will be offering and the subscription rate of the service.

More Android TVs coming this year

According to an Android blog post, 2016 will see the introduction of several more Android-based televisions:

“If you’re looking for a new TV, you can select an Android TV from Sony, Sharp and Philips. Later this year, Android TV will be available from Arcelik, Vestel, RCA, Hisense, TCL and Bang & Olufsen. And, for our users in Indonesia, Linknet now has an Android TV offering.”

Android TV is a smart TV platform developed by Google.

Israeli price increases put on hold

Israel’s Council for Cable TV and Satellite Broadcasting has declined to approve a price increase for pay-TV services put forward by satellite service Yes.

Special offers planned by the DTH broadcaster have also been put on hold.

The decision came alongside a hearing on the setting of rates for Yes and its cable counterpart Hot.

The council said it believes the proposals risk damaging competition and raised concerns over discrimination. It’s also announced plans to establish a policy on the implementation of tariffs. This would oblige operators to publish full details of their rates.

No new offers would be permitted until the policy has been established.

Yes said it was studying the full implications of the hearing and would submit comments by the February 1, 2016 deadline.

Samsung to make all smart TVs IoT ready

Samsung Electronics has announced that its entire 2016 smart TV line-up will be Internet of Things (IoT) ready and connected with the SmartThings platform.

SmartThings is an open platform that allows users to connect, manage and control smart devices and IoT services.

Samsung developed its own IoT hub technology with SmartThings for 2016 SUHD TVs meaning all Samsung’s 2016 SUHD TVs will apply IoT hub technology, allowing the TV to act as the controller for the entire smart home.

SUHD TVs can connect with and control Samsung devices and SmartThings sensors, as well as more than 200 other SmartThings compatible devices including everything from connected lights and locks to thermostats and cameras, from a wide range of high quality third party manufacturers. For the full support of connectivity with SmartThings compatible devices, SmartThings Extend USB adaptor is required.

At CES 2016, Samsung will showcase the future of TV and demonstrate how Samsung’s Smart TVs are at the center of the expanding IoT ecosystem.

“The 2016 line-up of Smart TVs will offer consumers new possibilities and cement Samsung’s market leading position, as the first company to launch IoT ready TVs.” said Hyun Suk Kim, president of Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics.

“With Samsung Smart TVs working with the SmartThings technology, we have an opportunity to reach millions of households,” said Alex Hawkinson, CEO and co-founder of SmartThings.

“Applying this technology into current household devices is a major step forwards that will make it much easier for everyone to experience the benefits of a smart home.”

SmartThings allows consumers to access all their smart devices directly from their smartphone and SUHD TV, rather than having to control individual devices with separate apps. With the SmartThings application, people can easily connect and manage all of their smart home devices and services through a single, simple user interface.

With an outdoor camera connected to their Samsung Smart TV, people can check when visitors arrive and choose to open their front door, directly from their sofa. Motion sensor alerts can also pop-up directly on the TV screen, if movement outside the home is picked up, providing more security and peace of mind, whether at home or away.

The SmartThings application’s Cinema Mood also makes it easier than ever to create the perfect home cinema environment letting consumers automatically adjust everything from ambient lighting to surround sound, so they can instantly provide the optimal film viewing experience.

While each 2016 SUHD TV will be enabled with this SmartThings technology, the functionality will be activated regionally as SmartThings expands its platform availability.

Samsung announces smart TV security solution

Samsung Electronics has announced GAIA, a three-layer security solution for its entire 2016 line up of Tizen-based smart TVs.

The service will give consumers protection across all areas of the smart TV ecosystem, including services, software and hardware security.

“Protecting consumers’ personal information is of the utmost importance to Samsung, both in terms of the company’s values and what’s needed for the continued growth and success of the IoT ecosystem,” said Hyun Suk Kim, president of Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics.

“GAIA is a security solution that will give Samsung customers security and peace of mind now and in the future.”

GAIA protects consumer’s personal data in three ways. Firstly it has Secure Zone, a virtual barrier that creates a secure space and protects the core service operations. A Secure Keypad/Number Pad – the virtual data input mechanism seen on a TV, is used to safeguard consumers’ personal information such as credit card and password.

Secondly, GAIA encrypts important data transmitted between the TV and IoT service servers. GAIA’s built-in anti-malware system detects and blocks any unauthorized programs that may be used for hacking from running or making changes to key part of the Smart TV’s OS.

Thirdly, Security level is also strengthened in terms of hardware. By dividing the Tizen OS into two parts including the main and the security space, data for each space is secured separately. Also, public key used for verifying personal information is included in the hardware chip.

Samsung said it views 2016 as the year the TV will become the centre for Internet of Things (IoT) extensions in the home. As well as being equipped with GAIA, all 2016 Samsung SUHD TVs will be IoT hub technology enabled, allowing the TV itself to act as the controller for the entire home IoT service.

Major change for Russia’s Sistema

Russia’s Sistema Mass Media (SMM) will be transformed into a private equity fund and change its name in early 2016.

Quoted by Vedomosti and AKTR, its president Gulnara Khasianova said that Alexey Katkov would head the fund, with her being on the board of directors and participating in the management.

Significantly, the new fund will invest exclusively in technology projects. Moreover, it will dispose of SMM’s media assets.

These include Stream, which controls nine non-terrestrial pay-TV channels, and satellite TV operator CTV, both of which, says one source, have already been sold to MTS.

SMM is one of the longest established media companies in Russia, having been formed in the early 1990s.