The latest round up of OTT Video news, deals, launches and products from the team at Faultline.
The MPEG LA has announced that its HEVC Patent Portfolio License has been updated, in the wake of the recent revisions to the HEVC standard (ITU-T H.265 v3), and expanded to support the 3D Main Profile. The current royalty rates remain unchanged, since the portfolio’s launch in September 2014. The MPEG LA is calling for any new patent evaluation submissions.
Zenterio has announced the launch of Zenterio Services, a dedicated consultancy subsidiary. The company has also acquired 27M (software and testing, 2014), Systemagic (software, 2014), and VTilt (consultancy and integration, 2015), as it aims to become a full-service provider for the TV industry.
Ruwido unveiled that it is behind Sky’s new Sky Q touch remote, which lets users navigate the set top’s new UI using swipes and taps. The Bluetooth remote does away with a lot of the clutter, aiming to let viewers do more of the action onscreen, using the touchpad. The pair say that voice-powered search will be added in the future.
Accedo has revealed that it helped develop maxdome’s new SVoD service, bringing its German audience a redesigned UI for accessing Germany’s largest SVoD library. The cross-platform Accedo XDK allows maxdome to feature video trailers instead of static images inside the UI, and the company says it is now available on the usual array of devices.
XroadMedia has announced that Telekom Slovenije recently used its Ncanto discovery and recommendation systems to relaunch Telekom Slovenije’s IPTV service. Offering personalized recommendations based on viewing behavior and interests, XroadMedia says its cloud-based Ncanto suite is being used across all of the IPTV services.
The UK’s Freesat has launched Wuaki.tv’s VoD service on compatible Humax set tops. The free satellite service will now be able to offer Wuaki.tv’s range of premium content, alongside its other 10 service integrations, which include BBC iPlayer and Netflix.
Turner Communications has launched FilmStruck. Launching in the fall, the OTT streaming platform was developed by Turner Classic Movies in collaboration with the Criterion Collection – which will be the latter’s exclusive streaming home, and include the new premium Criterion Channel.
Huawei has officially launched its new Video-as-a-Service (VaaS) system, which it is aiming at carriers looking to quickly launch video services. Leveraging Huawei’s global aggregation platform, as well as its cloud-based multi-tenant hybrid video platform, Huawei is pitching it as a one-stop shop. IDT has announced that Huawei is using its RapidIO tech in the new system.
MTG is launching a new Scandinavian streaming service that encompasses all of its advertising-supported content in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Set to launch after the summer, MTG is promising to add third-party content to the platform over time.
Verizon has delivered mixed Q1 results, with revenue up 0.6% to $32.17 billion, but $320 million short of the Wall Street consensus. It claimed to have added 640,000 retail postpaid additions, finishing the quarter with 73.8 million smartphone customers. It added 98,000 FiOS broadband connections, and 36,000 FiOS video connections – with FiOS revenue growing 5% over Q1 2015 to $3.5 billion. Ongoing strike action is likely set to negatively impact Q2’s numbers.
Comcast has reported 53,000 new video customers compared to the period a year ago, as well as 35% penetration for its X1 set tops. Quarterly profit was listed as $2.13 billion, on revenues up 5.3% year on year to $18.79bn. Those additions seem to have stemmed from the launch of its Stream OTT service, and Comcast has also been in talks to buy DreamWorks for around $3 billion.
POST Luxembourg has announced the launch of a 4K TV service, that includes a network DVR feature. Available over its fixed line and mobile networks, Post is planning on using Netgem’s N7900 set top to power the 4K service, as well as launching new iOS and Android apps.
German cableco FRK has filed a formal antitrust complaint against Unitymedia, Kabel BW, Deutsche Telekom, and NetCologne. FRK claims that the merger of Unitymedia and Kabel BW, and the subsequent cash injection into DT and NetCologne constitutes a regulator-approved cartel.
Charter has announced its Q1 results, finishing the quarter with 6.8 million residential and SMB customers, up by 5.9%. It posted 15,000 video net additions, with 155,000 internet net additions. Q1 revenue was listed as $2.5 billion, up 7.1% over Q1 2015 – with residential revenues up 6.5% and commercial up 12%.
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), and Ministry of Finance have announced a new robotics industry development plan, aiming to produce 100,000 industrial robots annually by 2020. Senior care and a robotic density of 150 per 10,000 employees are also listed as priorities.
Sirius XM has posted Q1 revenue of $1.2 billion, up 11% – a quarterly record. The company’s net income rose 62% to $171 million, compared to Q1 2015’s $106 million. Total subscribers have exceeded 30 million, up 8% in the year, with 465,000 new subs added in Q1.
Dish Network and Viacom have agreed to a multi-year contract renewal. Details of the transaction were not disclosed, and follow a blackout dispute between the two.
Piksel has announced a new partnership with Liberty Global, to deliver metadata aggregation and enrichment services for Liberty Global’s broadcast and OTT content, using Piksel’s new Fuse product.
Arkena and Cleeng have been selected by Trace for its international multicultural TV network. Trace Play will be a new SVoD service, comprising original and curated content, using Arkena’s live head-end services, and Cleeng’s billing and subscriber management.
Ooyala has announced that it is powering the live-stream international broadcasts of Australia’s National Rugby League (NRL) and National Basketball League (NBL) – the first to use Ooyala’s new Ooyala Live service.
Norway’s Get has selected Arris’ VAP4300 wireless extender for its plug-mounted home network boosting capabilities. Arris predicts that the modern home will soon require an average of three WiFi extenders to accommodate the rise in WiFi demand.
Disney’s ABC wants out of its deal with Univision Communications that launched Fusion. Effective immediately, Univision is taking over ABC’s stake in the media group. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.
France 24 has extended its presence in the Netherlands, with two deals with cablecos Ziggo and Delta. Available on Ziggo’s Horizon set top, which currently comprises around 800,000 of the total 4 million Ziggo households, a full rollout is due at a later date. With Delta, the channel is being included in Delta’s Foreign package, reaching a potential audience of 135,000.
Technicolor is supporting Comcast’s recently announced DOCSIS 3.1 trial in Atlanta, supplying a gigabit modem that Comcast is using ahead of a wider trial rollout.
Futuresource Consulting has found that over one-third of children are using a mobile or portable device to watch video content daily. Some 22% of 15-16 year-olds in the US are consuming more than five hours of YouTube content weekly, with one-third of respondents saying that typical content length was less than five minutes. Funny video is most popular, with watching video being the most popular online activity for children – apart from teenagers, who spend more time on social media and instant messaging.
Game of Thrones’ season six premiere set viewing records for Sky in the UK, with 2.2 million people watching the launch on Sky Atlantic, with 60,000 watching the simulcast at 2am on the Monday morning as it went live in the US. The season five premiere reached 1.6 million viewers, and Sky said there have been 7.1 million downloads of the back catalog over the past six weeks.