Broadband TV News
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Greece’s PAOK upgrades OTT platform
The Greek football club PAOK has teamed up with Insys Video Technologies to launch a brand-new version of its OTT streaming service, PAOK TV. Built using InsysSport, PAOK TV is fully cloud-based, running on Amazon Web Services (AWS). Commenting on the dev
Broadband TV NewsITV advertising revenues fall 43%
ITV has said it’s not possible to provide financial guidance for the remainder of the year. Its after a turbulent second quarter that led to the broadcaster seeing advertising revenues tumble by 43%. Despite an increase in overall viewing to the ITV famil
New Disney streaming service to take Star brand
Disney is to launch a new international general entertainment streaming service in 2021. It will use the Star brand acquired by Disney as part of its acquisition of properties from News Corp. During a call following Disney’s third quarter earnings, CEO Bo
Record numbers turn to BBC iPlayer
A record number of viewers turned to the BBC iPlayer during the first half of 2020. The streaming service received 3.1 billion requests, representing a 47% increase on the previous year. The period between April and June marked a new “best ever” quarter f
Report: Comcast drops plans for international news channel
Comcast has shelved its NBC Sky World News project after the costs of Covid-19 made it unviable. The Financial Times reported the London-based channel would not now go ahead because the business model had been torn apart by the pandemic. It was the first
New Express-80 and Express-103 satellites now in orbit
Russia’s two latest spacecraft are now in geostationary orbit. Launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome on behalf of the Russian Satellite Communications Company (RSCC) on July 31, 2020, the two satellites will be placed at 80 degrees and 96.5 degrees East.
ViacomCBS to Launch Connected Video Ad Platform
ViacomCBS has confirmed the launch of video advertising platform ViacomCBS EyeQ. It will be developed as a single point of entry for digital video content from the ViacomCBS portfolio, bringing together all of ViacomCBS’ connected video assets — including
“Extremely challenging quarter” for Magyar Telekom
Magyar Telekom’s revenues in the second quarter amounted to HUF160,754 million (€465.1 million), or 2.2% less than in the same period last year. Its profit, at HUF10,543 million, was 21,3% lower than in Q2 2019. In its latest set of results, the company s
Armenia restricts foreign channels
Armenia’s president Armen Sargsyan has signed off a law that restricts the terrestrial distribution of foreign TV channels. Interfax reports that the restrictions also apply to Russian channels. It adds that the law legislation, entitled On Audiovisual Me
Ofcom: Lockdown adds to streaming growth
UK adults spent 40% of their time in front of a screen at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. In its annual survey of Britain’s media habits, the regulator Ofcom found that audiences were spending twice as much time watching streaming services as they
Tough times for Discovery
Discovery has posted total revenues of $2,541 million for the second quarter, a 12% reduction on the corresponding period last year. Its net income was 71% lower at $271 million. Discovery’s International Networks saw their ad revenues slump by 41% year-o
STV Player launches across UK on Freeview Play
Scottish video on demand service STV Player has launched UK wide on the terrestrial platform Freeview play. It’s part of the Channel 3 broadcaster’s strategy to significantly increase the addressable market for its digital streaming platform. Viewers in E
MediaKind launches Aquila On-Demand OTT asset processing
MediaKind has launched a new video on demand solution for the processing and delivery of video files over any network and any device. Aquila On-Demand supports the latest technologies such as HEVC, 8K and CMAF whilst addressing the challenge in delivering
France 4 gets one year reprieve
Youth focussed channel France 4 has been granted a one year reprieve by the French government. The public broadcaster was expected to close on Sunday August 9, but will now remain on-air for another 12 months. However, new culture minister Roselyne Bachel
Kathryn Richardson re-joins ViacomCBS
ViacomCBS Networks International (VCNI) has appointed Kathryn Richardson VP, business and legal affairs, for its business in the UK. Based in the London office, she will dually report into Sebastian Chames, senior VP, general counsel, VCNI, and incoming U
Rostelecom gains pay-TV subs
The Russian telco Rostelecom ended the second quarter with 10.7 million pay-TV subscribers, or 4% more than in the same period last year. Of these, 5.8 million (+7%) received IPTV services. Pay-TV (B2C) ARPU was unchanged at R248 (€2.87), while that for I
Disney+ makes its mark
Disney+ had 57.5 million subscribers globally as of June 27. At the same time, its ARPU stood at $4.62. In its latest set of results, Walt Disney notes that the figures include Disney+ Hotstar, which launched in India as a conversion of the pre-existing H
Albanian authorities seize TV stations
The Albanian TV stations Ora News and Channel One have been seized by the country’s Special Prosecutors. Balkan Insight reports they are among the assets owned by Ylli Ndroqi, who the prosecutors say is suspected of acquiring them from the proceeds of int
Rebrand as Eleven Sports celebrates 5 years
Esports, women’s, and local sports have been named as part of a new strategy by Eleven Sports. The five-year old broadcaster owned by Andrea Radrizzani’s Aser Ventures announced its ‘Eleven 2.0’ strategy with a new visual look and an extension to a portfo
Sky Deutschland removes ‘HD’ from channel names
German pay-TV operator Sky Deutschland will drop the ‘HD’ suffix from the names of its channels. “We are removing HD because we now regard ‘HD’ as standard and no longer want to carry it in the names,” a Sky Deutschland spokesman told Broadband TV News, a
Vivacom extends interactive TV service
The Bulgarian incumbent Vivacom has launched a new service named Viva TV Go. It allows internet users, irrespective of their ISP, to access 70+ TV channels, over 25 are in HD, plus additional content. Viva TV Go can accessed both via Wi-Fi and LAN connect
Vivendi: all options on DTT licence open
Vivendi chairman Arnaud Roy de Puyfontaine has said all possibilities over the future of its terrestrial licence are under consideration, including the possibility of non-renewal. De Puyfontaine said France was at a crossroads and that the company’s finan
Coronavirus pain for Liberty Global
Liberty Global saw revenues decline by 4.5% in the second quarter as the TV and broadband operator felt the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. The company behind Virgin Media and Vodafone-Ziggo accrued losses of $504 million. The falls came despite an i
Ukrainian carriage dispute over
The Ukrainian ISP Lanet will restore channels from the 1+1 Media Group to its line-up. This follows a dispute between the two parties which was resolved by “successful negotiations”. In a statement Lanet said that “the retransmission of TV channels of the
Austria’s ORS chooses 3SS for new simpliTV service
3 Screen Solutions (3SS), the German provider of software solutions for set-top boxes and multiscreen entertainment, has been chosen by Austria’s national broadcasting services provider ORS for the upcoming launch of its new simpliTV digital TV service. 3
TVP secures DTT capacity
The Polish public broadcaster TVP has signed a deal with the national transmission company Emitel for distribution of its channels on the country’s third multiplex (MUX-3). The contract between the two parties, which is valid for 10 years, covers not only
Magine Pro inks Croatian OTT deal
Magine Pro has entered into an agreement with Endorphin, the company that recently acquired the exclusive domestic and global rights for the HNS Croatian First Football League from 2022 to 2032. As a result, Endorphin will use the Magine Pro end-to-end st
DreamWorks expands in Africa
NBCUniversal International Networks (NBCUIN) and the African pay-TV operator StarTimes have launched the 24-hour kids and family entertainment channel DreamWorks on the latter’s platform across Sub-Saharan Africa. Commenting on the development, Lee Rafter
Marco Hellberg to head M7 in Germany
Marco Hellberg has taken over the management of Eviso Germany, the M7 business partner in Germany, on August 1, 2020. In his new role, Hellberg will further drive the growth of Germany’s leading provider of TV entertainment for cable and IP networks, acco
Stingray Music launches with six partners in the US
Canadian Stingray Group is launching Stingray Music with six leading platforms in the United States: Comcast Xfinity, Distro TV, Freecast’s Select TV, Channel Plus on LG, MX Player, and Xumo. These distribution agreements grow Stingray’s potential reach b