freeSAT opts for Conax

The Czech and Slovak DTH platform freeSAT is set to start using conditional access supplied by Conax.

According to Parabola, it will be incorporated in HD receivers to be introduced in the market at a future date.

UPC has used several conditional access systems on its DTH platforms.

The original CryptoWorks was disconnected and replaced by Irdeto. Nagra MA is used for the operator’s HD boxes and Conax will be in its new HD receivers. The decision to opt for Conax is influenced by the fact that the system is already used by Focus Sat, UPC DTH’s leading platform in terms of subscriber numbers, in Romania.

Neotion unveils Neohome at IBC

Neotion will unveil Neohome, a complete and secure smart home ecosystem, based on Neotion’s range of Home Gateways and its in-house security processor, compatible with a large range of wireless smart home devices.

The Smart Home market, which forms part of the future of IoT, promises huge growth and revenue, with more
than 100 billion IoT devices to be deployed in the next 10 years across the globe. Built on its core ASIC and
security foundations, Neotion will offer a wide range of Smart Home products and services. In line with any
existing or future OTT strategies, this will open new revenue opportunities for Operators and Broadcasters.

Neotion positions itself as a smart home technology solution provider by offering a complete ecosystem, driven
by a range of Gateways (Zigbee, Z-Wave Wave, etc.) and home automation devices including secure Wi-Fi Cameras, to meet two important consumer demands: safety and security and lighting and energy control.

The two worlds, Entertainment and Smart Home, will be combined on a single application, accessible from all screens (Including tablets and smartphones) in the house, but also the TV. It will be possible for example to receive notifications, view a video stream from the cameras, while watching TV in the living room or in the bedroom.

“By combining these two worlds of entertainment and Smart Home, Neotion opens interesting and exciting perspectives: Our global road map already plans to go even further, in Media content access and management, Music distribution solutions and advanced links with Social Networks.” says Gregory Wieczorek,president of Neotion.

New head for Polish DTH platform

Manuel Rougeron has been confirmed the new president of the Polish DTH platform nc+.

He replaces Julien Verley, who held the position since December 2012 and was last week nominated a member of the board of Canal+ Group in France.

Rougeron has been a board member of nc+ since December 2013. He has also until now been the VP and responsible for programming.

During his 17+ years experience in the media he has held a number of senior positions.

He began working for Canal+ Overseas as a manager in 2007 and subsequently went on to launch a new DTH platform in Vietnam and become the MD of Canal+ South Pacific.

Sky to overtake Liberty Global in Western Europe

Liberty Global has been the largest pay TV operator in Europe for some time (with assets both in the West and in the East). However, its top slot in Western Europe is under threat, with Sky Europe [satellite subs only] expected to overtake its subscriber count in 2017, according to a new report from Digital TV Research.

Liberty Global’s subscriber count will fall as the company has to try to convert 8 million analog cable subs in 2010 to none by 2020 – some of these subs will be lost to other digital platforms. To put it another way, Liberty Global’s analog TV revenues [subscriptions and PPV] in Western Europe in 2010 were $1.5 billion (29% of its total) – but they will fall to nothing by 2020.

Pay TV subscriptions for the 66 operators across 15 countries covered in the Western Europe Pay TV Operator Forecasts report will increase from a collective 82.0 million in 2010 to 93.1 million by 2020. Covering 98 platforms, these operators will continue to represent just under 90% of Western European pay TV subscribers.

Only 36 (55%) of these operators will add to subscribers between 2014 and 2020. Traditional pay TV operators now face greater rivalry than ever before – either from other pay TV platforms such as IPTV or satellite or from “free” multichannel TV services such as DTT and OTT TV and video (such as Netflix).

Spain’s Telefonica will add 2.18 million IPTV subscribers between 2014 and 2020 to take its total to 3.84 million. The UK’s BT and TalkTalk will also gain; climbing by 999,000 and 607,000 IPTV subs respectively.

At the other end of the scale, Germany’s Unitymedia will lose 592,000 cable TV subs, followed by the Netherlands’ UPC (down by 400,000) and Sweden’s Com Hem (down by 390,000 subs). France’s TNT will lose a third of its subs, with Switzerland’s UPC/Cablecom and Finland’s Canal Digital down by a quarter.

Total subscription and VOD revenues for the 66 operators will remain at around $29 billion. These operators account for about 92% of Western European pay TV revenues. Sky Europe [satellite TV subs only] will remain at the top of the revenues league, recording $10.5 billion subscription and VOD revenues by 2020.

Subscription and VOD revenues will fall for 37 of the 66 operators (56%) covered in the Western Europe Pay TV Operator Forecasts report between 2014 and 2020. UPC in the Netherlands will be the biggest winner; increasing revenues by $310 million between 2014 and 2020 as subs convert from analog to digital. However, France’s CanalSat will lose $229 million as homes convert to fixed/triple-play options.

Ultra HD TV to feature in 61% of TV sales by 2020

Ultra HD TV Impresses Consumers And Will Feature In 61% of Global TV Sales By 2020 – Strategy Analytics

• 20% of Households In Leading Markets Will Be Using Ultra HD TV Services by 2020

BOSTON, MA — Ultra HD is on track to become an established feature of TVs by 2020, according to Strategy Analytics’ latest predictions. Falling prices, increased retailer support and strong customer satisfaction are the main reasons for Ultra HD TV’s success. Strategy Analytics now predicts that global sales of Ultra HD TVs this year may exceed 30 million units, and by 2020 61% of annual TV sales will be Ultra HD. The analyst firm also predicts that more than 20% of households in leading markets will be using Ultra HD services from pay TV or online video providers by 2020.

Familiarity with Ultra HD continues to rise. In Strategy Analytics’ August 2015 survey of 2000 US consumers, nearly two thirds of people have heard of Ultra HD, and 30% now claim to have seen Ultra HD TV in a home, retail store or other location. Ratings of Ultra HD video quality remain extremely high, with 95% of people saying they were extremely or somewhat impressed.

“Ultra HD is rapidly becoming a de facto standard in the large screen TV market,” notes David Watkins, Director, Connected Home Devices. “As prices fall, tier one vendors like Samsung, LG and Sony are now looking to entice customers with enhanced UHD TVs which add wider colour gamut and high dynamic range capabilities.”

“Early consumer reaction makes it clear that Ultra HD is here to stay,” says David Mercer, Principal Analyst. “Service providers in pay TV and online video are now responding to this demand by launching new Ultra HD services and we expect this to be a major trend in the TV industry in the next few years.”

DIGI Slovakia to offer CI Plus CAM from SmarDTV

SmarDTV Provides DIGI Slovakia SMARCAM-3.5 CI PLUS Conditional Access Module to Access its Pay-TV Services

CHESEAUX, Switzerland — SmarDTV, a Kudelski Group (SIX:KUD.S) company, today announced that DIGI Slovakia, a subsidiary of Slovak Telekom and the country’s largest multimedia operator, offering services based on Cable, Satellite, OTT and IPTV in Slovakia, is set to launch a CI Plus conditional access modules (CAM) in its network.

SmarDTV’s SmarCAM-3.5 modules embed the latest generation of the NAGRA anyCAST conditional access system which secures DIGI Slovakia pay-TV services since 2014, ensuring highest security for its digital DIGI Pay-TV offering. Thanks to the SmarCAM-3.5 module, these channels are directly accessible on integrated Digital Televisions (iDTVs) with the original TV remote control. SCART or HDMI cables or power leads are no longer needed.

“The CI Plus module complements our digital product offer and meets cable and satellite subscriber’s needs for accessing services without any extras. This product can be used with iDTVs compliant with the CI Plus Standard that is widely deployed in Slovakia”, said Marcel Satanek, CEO of Digi Slovakia.

“The Module is a great plug-in solution that enables consumers to enjoy premium channels directly on their iDTVs without an external box. We are delighted to provide this product to DIGI Slovakia for their subscribers to get the benefits of this technology”, said Jerome Vial, Vice-President of Sales at SmarDTV.

Russia puts back digital deadline

Russia has made important amendments to its federal digital transition plan.

According to RTRS, the country’s first DTT multiplex (RTRS-1), which is distributed by the 3,587 transmitters built to date, already reaches 90% of the population.

Meanwhile, the second multiplex (RTRS-2) is available to 56.8% of the population, while the RTRS has also built 81 transmitters to distribute regional programmes.

The key change is extending the programme by a further three years, during which time there will be simulcasting to help optimise the expenditures of federal budget and broadcasters.

RTRS-1 will now be fully operational in 2016 and RTRS-2 in 2018.

By the end of 2018, RTRS-1 will reach 98.4% of the population and RTRS-2 98.1%.