President-elect Donald Trump met with Republican FCC commissioner Ajit Pai this week, leaving us poised for the naming of a new FCC Chairman to fill Tom Wheeler’s shoes, who is stepping down on the day of Trump’s inauguration. Many believe Pai will be chosen as interim FCC Chairman, but there is every chance that the FCC will become a shrinking operation under Trump’s reign, and if Pai does eventually take the helm, we suspect the meeting was to ensure he will be driving an agenda which represents the interests of the President-elect, rather than the Republican party in general.
German cable operator Tele Columbus has finally rolled out its 4K hybrid IP video service advanceTV, over a year since it was first scheduled to launch. AdvanceTV, powered by Espial’s G4 set top client and Media Services Platform (MSP) software, provides Tele Columbus’ 3.6 million connected homes with an offering combining OTT video, linear TV, apps, DVR capabilities, plus the integration of German SVoD service maxdome.
Cable One has acquired smaller US cable operator NewWave Communications for $735 million in cash. Cable One will inherit 214,000 residential and 21,000 business subscribers. This came as a surprise to most, as Cable One was rumored to be a target for acquisition rather than the opposite, with Altice tipped to be preparing a bid – which still cannot be ruled out just yet.
The investigation into the proposed takeover of Mediaset by Vivendi has not yet been blocked as reports may suggest, with Italian regulator Agcom releasing a statement saying the probe is still ongoing. Four Agcom commissioners have stamped the acquisition as “invalid,” according to la Repubblica. Agcom says its investigation could take between 120 and 180 days.
Samsung has partnered with retail management firm iQmetrix to launch what it is calling an “endless aisle project.” This involves the launch of self-serve kiosks in 200 stores to showcase its Samsung Gear wearables and connected home devices, to combat limited space in retail environments.
Landline telephones are now absent from 52% of US households, doubling from 26% in 2010, according to research from GfK’s MRI Survey of the American Consumer. In millennial households, this figure shoots up to 71% today, from 47% in 2010, while 23% of senior citizens’ households have now done away with the traditional landline in favor of cellphones.
Pay TV service providers and set top manufacturers in Canada have agreed to improve the energy efficiency of set tops, without outlining a plan as to how this will be achieved. At least 90% of new set tops made will meet new standards of 2.7 TWh (terawatt hours) by 2021, down from 3.4 TWh in 2016. Companies in on the initiative include operators Bell, Cogeco, Rogers, Shaw, and Vidéotron, plus manufacturers Arris and EchoStar.
Samsung has inked another deal this week, joining the Audi Progressive Semiconductor Program (PSCP) to supply its Exynos SoCs for the in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) systems in Audi vehicles. Samsung says its Exynos processors can operate up to four different domains and displays simultaneously, supporting multiple operating systems.
Altice USA is advising its Connecticut-based Optimum broadband subscribers to purchase the CBS All Access SVoD service, in retaliation to a blackout of CBS affiliate WFSB-TV. Altice’s Optimum subsidiary has a distribution deal with CBS All Access priced at $5.99 a month.
The HbbTV Association has announced an RFP for the formation of a reference application for online streaming of online video using DRMs to HbbTV set tops and TV sets. The group says it aims to assist broadcasters and content providers in monetizing content via HbbTV, and has approached DRM suppliers for support.
Qualcomm has received a complaint from the US FTC (Federal Trade Commission) for the violation of laws pertaining to practices which enabled the growth and advancement of mobile communications worldwide – to “maintain its monopoly.” Qualcomm has returned fire, claiming that the filing is significantly flawed, and protests its innocence that it has never withheld the supply of chips to obtain agreement to unreasonable licensing terms. Qualcomm’s share price has dipped as a result.
African digital TV network StarTimes will hit 10.61 million subscribers by 2022, growing from 4.18 million subscribers today, according to Digital TV Research. MultiChoice is the leader in the pay TV market in Sub Saharan Africa, with 11.61 million subscribers at the end of 2016 across its Dstv and GOtv platforms, forecast to reach 17.66 million by 2022.
Mexican telecoms authority Instituto Federal de Telecomunicaciones (IFT) won’t be changing its decision to deny América Móvil a pay TV license any time soon, according to some local analysts.
TV broadcasters have slashed their pricing for the FCC’s reverse spectrum auction to just over $10 billion in stage 4, down from the initial $86 billion asking price and it looks like this is the level it will go through at.
Shaw Communications of Canada has licensed Comcast’s X1 video platform and will be deploying it under the name BlueSky TV – packaged with its broadband service costing $75.85 (USD) for a whole year.
Investment banking firm Jefferies has cut its forecast for Q4 postpaid net adds for both AT&T and Verizon. It estimates that Verizon gained 786,000 postpaid subscribers in the quarter, not the original 943,000 figure. While it reduced AT&T’s postpaid net adds from 449,000 down to 315,000.
Italian media company Mediaset intends to launch an ad-supported VoD service in October this year, creating original content through ProSiebenSat.1’s Studio71, following last week’s media alliance deal. The deal will see TF1 and Mediaset invest €53 million ($56.5 million) in ProSiebenSat.1’s MCN Studio71, taking 6.1% and 5.5% stakes, respectively. ProSiebenSat.1 will retain around 70% holding in Studio71 and will take a minority stake in TF1’s Finder Studios. Mediaset will benefit from bringing the Studio71 business to Italy.
US broadband equipment manufacturer Adtran grew revenues to $163 million for Q4 2016, up from $139 million in the previous quarter. Net income increased from $5.7 million in Q3, to $7.5 million in Q4.
US compression company Harmonic has launched ProStreamX, a software-based processing system for the support of DVB CSA3 (Common Scrambling Algorithm) encryption and 10 Gbps processing, claiming to be the industry’s first of its type. It says ProStreamX is ideal for securing distribution of 4K and UHD broadcast and multiscreen services, integrating with conditional access systems from the major vendors, with certification for DVB CSA3 scrambling by Irdeto and Cisco. ProStreamX includes IP video gateway capabilities such as multiplexing, scrambling, splicing and blackout switching.
SPI International/Filmbox Channels Group will be adding six international thematic channels to Dish Network’s Sling TV OTT service, to broaden its reach beyond English-language audiences. The new channel bundle includes DocuBox HD, FightBox HD, FashionBox HD, Fast&FunBox HD, 360TuneBox and NatureVision TV.