2012-August-16: Recent news that China’s top broadcasting watchdog issued new guidelines restricting production of six genres of TV serials was denied by a senior official from the watchdog group, Beijing Times reported yesterday.

“Media recently reported that the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) issued six restrictions on TV serials. How could that be possible in terms of sentiment and reason?” said Wang Weiping, the deputy director-general of the Department of Teleplay Administration at SARFT.

SARFT aims “to control quantity and improve quality” on the administration of TV serials, Wang added.

Read more: http://www1.szdaily.com/content/2012-08/16/content_7086647.htm

August 15, 2012 – On-demand TV revenues from movies and TV programs (and excluding revenues from other sources such as sports and adult and also excluding SVOD packages and the internet) will reach US$6.0 billion in 2017, up from US$3.9 billion in 2011 and US$2.3 billion in 2007, according to a new report from Digital TV Research.

The On-demand TV Revenue Forecasts report estimates that the US will contribute US$1.8 billion to the total in 2017 – or 30% of the global total. The US provided 46% of the 2007 total. Italy will be second placed by 2017; doubling its revenues from its 2007 total. China (US$550 million) will be third by 2017; having risen from only $30 million in 2007.

From the US$3.7 billion extra on-demand revenues to be added between 2007 and 2017, US$1.2 billion will come from the Asia Pacific region and US$1.0 billion from Western Europe. The USA alone will add US$750 million, followed by China (US$520 million) and Italy (US$327 million).

Digital cable will generate US$2.74 billion in 2017 (or 46% of the total), up from US$1.61 billion recorded in 2011. The USA will provide US$944 million in 2017, with China second with US$418 million.

DTH/DBS will remain the second largest contributor, with US$1.7 billion in 2017. The US (US$610 million) will again remain the leader. The UK will take second place, with US$193 million.

IPTV on-demand revenues will overtake DTT in 2012 to become the third largest on-demand revenues platform. IPTV on-demand revenues will reach US$946 million by 2017. ‘DTT on-demand revenues are mainly confined to Western Europe, especially Italy (US$572 million by 2017).

By region, North America and Western Europe will still supply two-thirds of global on-demand TV revenues by 2017, although this proportion is down from three-quarters in 2011. However, on-demand TV revenues will increase by 145% in the Asia Pacific region over the same period to reach US$1.38 billion in 2017. China will provide a lot of this growth.

Read more: http://www.digitaltvresearch.com/ugc/press/41.pdf

August 10, 2012 – Research commissioned by Tier 1 Internet operator Level 3 Communications to ascertain current trends in viewing broadcast sport has revealed that the Internet is challenging traditional broadcast technology as a means of delivering programming content.

The company suggests that a “perfect storm” is brewing as intense competition between content providers and device makers meets faster, more widely available broadband communications and an insatiable appetite for sport programming on the part of viewers.

Read more: http://advanced-television.com/index.php/2012/08/10/sports-viewers-go-online-and-multi-screen/

August 11, 2012 – TV Everywhere, the linchpin for pay-TV operators in the quest to stave off competition from over-the-top (OTT) services, is not only proving successful, but could very well be a doomsday weapon against Netflix and its ilk. Look no further than NBC’s success with the Olympics as evidence of things to come.

“TV Everywhere…could eventually put Netflix out of business,” said the National Inflation Association in a briefing on multiplatform penetration.

Take, for instance, the success of HBO GO, available free to subscribers via laptop, desktop, smartphone or tablet device and offering access to every HBO sporting event, show or documentary ever aired on HBO. The app sees three times the minutes per viewing session than Netflix, according to NPD Group. HBO GO viewers spend about 50 minutes per session–or, one episode of an hourlong drama like Game fo Thones or True Blood.

In contrast, Netflix viewers only watch around 15 minutes per viewing session.

Read more: TV Everywhere could kill Netflix http://www.rapidtvnews.com/index.php/tv-everywhere-could-kill-netflix.html?utm_source=newsletter_760&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=rapid-tv-news-current-edition-1208#ixzz23OPeSn8y

It’s no more a problem that only Financial Times and the Wall Street Journal have to deal with. As more and more users in India are turning to the internet and social media, mobile phones are emerging as the second most-viewed screen for Indian Indian consumers.

A recent study by online audience and ad measurement platform Vizisense has pointed out that nearly 2 crore of the mobile internet users in India are increasingly turning to their mobile phones.

“Nearly two crore of mobile internet users are cutting their newspapers and television consumption by 50 per cent and shifting to the mobile phones to access content. The screens are changing and English media is seeing the biggest impact,” said Amit Bhartiya vice president and general manager ViziSense.

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/features/weekend-life/article3738288.ece

August 10, 2012 – News Corp’s cable networks saw 15% revenue growth in its latest quarter, although offset by declines in other departments. Total segment operating income for the cable network programming increased 26 percent.

Overall, TV reported quarterly operating income of US$213 million, down US$20 million from 12 months ago.

The quarterly results included a $57 million charge related to the ongoing investigations from the phone-hacking scandal at News International’s News of the World newspaper in London.

Rupert Murdoch, chairman and CEO, said: “We are proud of the full year financial growth achieved over the last twelve months, led by our Cable Network Programming and Filmed Entertainment segments. Not only did we execute on our operating plan and deliver on our financial targets, we returned over $5 billion to shareholders through an aggressive buyback program and dividends. In addition, significant progress has been made in opportunistically addressing the company’s non-consolidated assets, as demonstrated by the purchase of Fox Pan American Sports, the sale of NDS and the announced intention to purchase the remaining ownership stake of ESPN STAR Sports and Consolidated Media Holdings.”

Related links: http://worldscreen.com/articles/display/2012-8-9-news-corporation-loss

03-08-2012: Time Warner has posted a full 33% drop in Q2 profit, to $430 million, thanks to dismal ratings at CNN and magazine sale declines. Total Q2 sales fell 4.1% to $6.74 billion. Net income was down from $638 million one year earlier.

Reflecting a change in operational focus, 70% of Time Warner’s annual operating income came from cable nets, including hotter-than-ever HBO and despite CNN’s woes. The networks side of the house actually increased revenue 4% to reach $3.6 billion in the quarter.

Time Warner has been more focused on broadcast productions of hit shows like Big Bang Theory and the cable nets, as a strategic shift after spinning off Time Warner Cable.

2012/08/08: Walt Disney has reported a strong third quarter, on the back of blockbuster films.

Overall revenue rose 4 per cent to $11.1 billion, operating income grew 18 per cent to $3.2 billion and net income was up 24 per cent to $1.8 billion in the period. Almost all of that growth was driven by its movie studio, which reported a six-fold increase in operating income to $313 million while revenue remained flat at $1.6 billion.

http://advanced-television.com/index.php/2012/08/08/disney-income-up-24/

2012-08-08: China’s broadcasting regulator is awaiting a State Council review of its plans to create a nation-wide company designed to try to integrate this country’s regional cable networks.

The move would be the latest step toward a long-planned consolidation of this country’s media networks.

Caixin media is reporting the new company will be funded through the ministry of finance.

http://english.cri.cn/6909/2012/08/08/2941s715947.htm

2012/08/08 – Indonesia’s Telkom says its lost satellite will cost it around $200 million. The craft (Telkom-3) was placed into a useless low orbit late on Monday when the final stage of a Russian launch rocket failed to operate correctly.  Russia’s space ministry (Roscosmos) has suspended all operations from the launch site at Baikonur pending a full investigation.

The Briz-M stage burned only for 7 seconds, instead of a planned total of 18 minutes.

http://advanced-television.com/index.php/2012/08/08/indonesias-expensive-lost-satellite/