Five years ago this week…
AirTies gave up pursuing hardware any further, launching its Remote View software which allowed engineers, consumers and help desks to troubleshoot and fix WiFi issues remotely. Bolstered by improved mapping of a typical WiFi home, as well as better reporting on data usage per device, AirTies hoped to reduce the insane amount of fruitless truck rolls operators were carrying out – with one client reporting 90% resulting in ‘no fault found’ or password problems. There was one catch – operators would have to buy all their access points from AirTies, or license its software to be loaded into existing install bases, which were generally Broadcom or Quantenna chips.
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Uruguay-based cable operator TCC has gone live with a new Android TV Operator Tier platform running a UI and custom launcher developed by 3SS, using the 3Ready Product Framework, delivered on a hybrid DVB-C/OTT set top from SDMC. It marks the first Latin American deployment for 3SS, offering subscribers in the capital Montevideo access to the VIVO OTT platform and 146 cable channels.
Liberty Global lost 36,000 pay TV subscribers in Q1 2021. Heavy losses of 51,400 in the UK and 12,700 in Belgium were partly offset by gains of 11,800 in Poland, 9,200 in Ireland, and 6,600 in Switzerland – bringing Liberty’s total European video footprint to 8.32 million. Separately, the VodafoneZiggo Dutch joint venture reported 20,200 fewer pay TV subscribers in the quarter, falling to 3.81 million.
US cableco WideOpenWest has churned out 20% of its pay TV subscriber base in the past year, reporting 291,000 video subs at the close of Q1. The alarming churn rate prompted WOW to open up about the struggles of selling its WOW!tv+ IP-based video product that launched in 2020, due to most subscribers opting for broadband-only or a bundle of broadband with a streaming service resold by WOW.
This week’s IAB NewFronts presentations saw YouTube flaunt new interactive advertising features including letting users send links directly from connected TV devices to mobile devices to drive second-screen shopping.
French CDN specialist Broadpeak has worked with Intel technology to build a benchmarking tool capable of simulating realistic video player behaviors – providing clients with information on CDNs in real conditions, from where tweaks can be made to improve performance. It claims to be one of the first tools offering full support for low-latency video streaming protocols including LL-DASH and LL-HLS.
The Wireless Broadband Alliance’s OpenRoaming standard has been adopted by the Telecom Infra Project (TIP) for the OpenWiFi initiative, officially launching next week. Its vision is to create a giant WiFi network that automatically connects people to secure WiFi networks.
Dutch broadcast services giant NEP has bought content discovery software vendor Stoneroos, which specializes in interactive TV applications and content metadata. NEP plans to strengthen its OTT proposition via the 18-person software development team and says the Stoneroos brand will soon be phased out.
A new Android TV-based set top supporting ATSC 3.0 services has been launched by Israeli manufacturer VBox Communications.
British Telecom has launched a software-defined smart broadcast network described as “a significant step in the evolution of broadcast technology” – designed to simplify the production and distribution of content. Users of the network, coined Vena, can add automation and control features across media ecosystems.
Eurovision Sport has tapped the Haivision Hub video network service to provide multiple real-time video feeds to broadcasters across Europe to enable remote production of the European Aquatic Championships, relying of course on the SRT protocol.
Following on from last week’s olive branch, Vivendi and Mediaset appear to have officially broken bread after five long years at each other’s throats. Vivendi is now prepared to support the relocation of Mediaset’s headquarters to the Netherlands, while the Berlusconi family’s Fininvest firm will purchase 5% of Vivendi’s share capital in Mediaset.
Spanish fiber network operator Onivia will double in size following the acquisition of a majority stake in a large Spanish rural FTTH network set to cover 1.1 million homes once completed. The deal was carried out by Onivia investors Macquarie, ASI and DEI.
Media monitoring firm Interra Systems has added Netflix presets to its Baton Media Player, based on Netflix’s Licensed Delivery Specifications.
Amazon’s advertising revenues are growing much faster than Google’s or Facebook’s. Amazon’s Other segment – which is mainly ad revenue – grew 77% year on year to $6.9 billion. While minute in dollar terms compared to Facebook’s $26 billion, up 48% YoY, or Google’s $55.3 billion, up 46%, the rate of growth suggests that Amazon could be looking to break up the digital advertising duopoly. It is certainly the only serious contender for that disruptive role.
The content taps must be left dripping for a while longer as Hollywood’s top forces, including the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, have extended the return to work agreement until June 30, at least. Essentially, this means that strict Covid practices on set will not be reviewed again until that date, begging the question of when normal production schedules can recommence.
Meredith Corporation has sold its Local Media Group TV stations to Gray Television for $2.7 billion, to focus on its National Media Group magazine arm. The 18 stations span 13 states, including the CBS affiliates in Atlanta, St. Louis and Phoenix, and Fox affiliated channels in Las Vegas and Portland. Gray Television also acquired Midwestern regional station owner Quincy Television in February for $925 million.
Limelight Networks has seen its loss grow nearly fivefold in the past year, reporting a net loss of $25.5 million for Q1. Revenues of $51.2 million were down 10% YoY, with the company citing price compressions and reduced traffic as the main causes.
Eutelsat is paying $550 million to take a 24% stake in OneWeb, expanding from its traditional GEO infrastructure. The stake will see Eutelsat enjoy similar governance rights with Bharti, SoftBank, and the UK government – the other major shareholders. OneWeb says it now has 80% of the funding for its first generation fleet, and has launched 30% of it to date.
NBC has opted not to renew its NHL rights, ceding the hockey coverage to WarnerMedia’s Turner Sports ($225 million annually) and ESPN ($400 million annually). This is the first time in 16-years that NBC won’t have hockey, and given the seven-season deal, it looks like that might the end of an era for NBC.
Initial reports suggest that 27% of US moviegoers paid for large-format screens, between $3 and $5 per ticket. This is well above the pre-pandemic norm, of 15%, and suggests that consumers are after something that is markedly different to their living room experience.
Hispasat will take over the management and signal transport operations of Telefonica’s subsidiary Media Networks Latin America. The pair say that Movistar TV customers will be unaffected by the change, and Telefonica is choosing to focus on fiber optic broadband deployments instead.
Huya has paid $310 million for the exclusive broadcast rights for the League of Legends Pro League (LPL) esports competition, running from 2021 to 2025. This includes three years of VoD rights too, and covers all Mandarin-language broadcasts in mainland China – and not Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan.