2012/06/20 – Low cost and viewing flexibility give Netflix an advantage over pay-TV VoD and premium broadcast TV, according to a study from Parks Associates. ‘Choosing Content: Viewing Video’ found Netflix Watch Instantly rates higher in customer satisfaction than premium broadcast TV because of these factors. Netflix also topped pay-TV VoD in terms of cost.

“Consumers can pay for a month of Netflix for about the same amount as for two pay-TV VoD movies,” said Brett Sappington, Director, Research, Parks Associates. “Parks Associates research shows consumers know the quality of the OTT service is not comparable to pay-TV quality, but the cost-benefit comparison is enough to affect their purchase decisions.”

http://advanced-television.com/index.php/2012/06/20/study-netflix-does-cannibalize-pay-vod/

June 21, 2012 – As others queue up on the online video platform that YouTube was monopolising, brands wake up to the potential of this medium.

T hink online video and where do you go first thing? YouTube?

Well, YouTube is certainly the king of this platform – but others are now streaming onto this track too.

“YouTube is an ecosystem of its own with four billion views a month and 50 million unique users. But the monopoly can by all means be broken provided the industry learns to monetise and develop original content for the Web and mobile,” says Sameer Pitalwalla, Director, Video & Celebrity, Disney UTV. The digital team of Disney UTV hosts various channels on YouTube.

In the West, with more and more people beginning to ditch their TV to view videos and live content online, this is one space that is hotting up. Leading the action are players who allow people to not just watch TV but chat about it or join the action. Social TV is the name of the game.

Read more: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/todays-paper/tp-brandline/article3552052.ece

June 20, 2012 – A petition calling for clarity from the Indian regulator over new digital tariff rates for local cable TV operators is to be heard on 25 June by the Telecom Disputes Settlement & Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT).

Filed by an 182-strong body of local cable operators in Delhi known as the United Cable Operator’s Welfare Association (UCOWA), the dispute is over the new carriage rates recently set by the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), prior to the mandatory digitisation of cable TV networks in India’s four major metros at the end of this month.

UCOWA’s president Sukhvinder Pal Sehgal told Exchange4Media that when its operators provided digital services in conditional access system areas, they earned INR 82 as shared commission with the multi system operator. However, under the new digital addressable systems (DAS), the organisation’s members believe they will only earn INR 45 in commission.

Read more: http://www.rapidtvnews.com/index.php/2012062022589/indian-tribunal-set-for-digital-cable-tv-tariff-dispute.html#ixzz1yOKbVIso

June 20, 2012 – The reach of cable and satellite TV in India has recorded a compound annual growth rate of 12.4% in the last nine months, while internet connections increased by 47.3%, according to new data from the Indian Readership Survey (IRS).

The total number of cable and satellite TV viewers in India has grown to 475.18 million, from 462.38 million in the fourth quarter of 2011, says the Media Research Users Council (MRUC) and Hansa Research – the bodies behind the IRS.

In total, television media has risen 5.6% CAGR to 554.65 million, says their latest report for the first quarter (Q1) of 2012.

Read more: http://www.rapidtvnews.com/index.php/2012062022576/robust-growth-for-indias-cable-satellite-internet-sectors.html?utm_source=newsletter_707&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=rapid-tv-news-current-edition-2006#ixzz1yOKEzt3E

June 20, 2012 – A report from Juniper Research has valued the ‘Smart Home’ market at $60 billion by 2017, rising from $25 billion this year – driven by strong growth within the smart home entertainment segment, along with contributions from other segments including smart monitoring & control and smart health.

The report notes that there are many definitions that can be attributed to the smart home concept and these definitions have evolved over the years to include different facets of connected life such as entertainment, control, security and health.

With the role of broadband connectivity moving beyond its traditional use cases, new applications and enhanced services have emerged such as connected TVs, home automation systems and smart metres. These new and improved applications, connected via broadband (mobile or fixed) network systems, will increase the service revenue attributable to the area.

Read more: http://advanced-television.com/index.php/2012/06/20/smart-home-revenues-to-reach-60bn-by-2017/

June 20, 2012 – Global, cross-media project the Linked Content Coalition (LCC), launched back in April to address challenges of managing Intellectual Property in the digital age, is holding its first Plenary meeting in Brussels on Wednesday, 20 June.

Technical work is being undertaken by executives from news media, publishing, TV, film, music, IT and internet media businesses (including Axel Springer, Associated Press, EMI music publishing and Microsoft) to facilitate the more effective management of rights data on the Internet and to make copyright apply in the digital age.

Copyright remains a topical issue internationally. In Brussels alone, legislative proposals on orphan works are nearing conclusion and the LCC expects new proposals before long on collective rights management.

Read more: http://advanced-television.com/index.php/2012/06/20/linked-content-coalition-holds-first-plenary-meeting/

June 20, 2012 – Data from TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Pay-TV Research Service show that IPTV penetration of telcos’ worldwide broadband subscribers reached 15 per cent in Q1 2012, equivalent to 67 million subscribers and 8 per cent of the world’s 812 million pay-TV subscribers. However, widely differing IPTV and pay-TV penetration rates by region point to radically different IPTV growth prospects.

North American telcos, led by Verizon and AT&T, have succeeded in selling IPTV service to almost 40 per cent of their broadband subscriber base. However, with over 80 per cent of households subscribing to some form of pay-TV service, North America’s market is saturated, and subscriber growth is at a standstill. Western Europe’s pay-TV market is also nearing saturation despite having a penetration rate 20 per centage points below that of North America. Market slowdowns here, as well as in Eastern Europe, can be attributed to the continued prevalence of free-to-air service in many countries. In these three regions, telcos will be hard pressed to extend their IPTV subscriber base much further, as success will depend on taking subscribers away from other operators in highly competitive markets.

Read more: http://advanced-television.com/index.php/2012/06/20/iptv-penetration-reaches-15/

June 20, 2012: The Centre has extended by four months to October 31 the deadline for digitising cable signals in Calcutta, Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai.

The Bengal government had demanded an extension but the Centre cited logistical reasons, including delay by the watchdog in issuing regulations, for the postponement. Reports from the field suggest all the four metros, not Calcutta alone, lag in meeting the switchover target. (See chart)

The earlier deadline, set in April, falls next week on June 30. Under the rules notified by industry regulator Trai then, subscribers can choose the channels they want to watch and not let cable operators decide it for them.

Read more: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120621/jsp/frontpage/story_15638621.jsp#.T-J8WReICSo

June 20, 2012 – The 2012-16 master plan for broadcasting took effect on April 4.

Under the plan, issued by the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), a digital broadcasting system will be operating within four years.

At least 80% of households in large provinces must receive a digital signal for radio and TV by year five.

Vice-chairman Natee Sukolrat said in the first eight years of the digital era, users will have to pay 500 to 1,500 baht for a set-top box to watch digital TV.

Read more: http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/economics/298818/five-year-nationwide-digital-master-plan-in-effect

June 20, 2012 – Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp made a $1.97 billion takeover offer for Consolidated Media Holdings, boosting top shareholder and billionaire James Packer’s war chest as he abandons media in favour of casinos.

Mr Packer, who has built stakes in casinos in Australia, London, Macau and Las Vegas, indicated he would accept the offer in the absence of a higher bid for the pay-TV stakeholder, in which he holds 50.1 per cent.

For News, a successful bid would double its stake in pay TV business Foxtel to 50 per cent, and give it 100 per cent of content provider Fox Sports.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/business/murdoch-eyes-foxtel-as-packer-exits-media-20120620-20n13.html#ixzz1yIOwwPnx