TV Services (Pay TV, OTT, Broadcasting) News

MRC issues guidance on OTT/CTV and SSAI video measurement
Aug 30, 2021 – The MRC has issued a final version of its updated guidance and best practices document for measurement in OTT and CTV environments, and when Server Side Ad Insertion (SSAI) digital video techniques are used.
News categories: Media Rating Council, Advertising, Digital TV, Streaming, USA

U.S. SVOD subscriptions to grow to 450 million in 2026
Sep 2, 2021 – Digital TV Research expects SVOD subscriptions in the US to climb by 33% from 338 million at end-2021 to 450 million in 2026, with about 87% of TV households subscribing to at least one SVOD platform by then.
News categories: Digital TV Research, Simon Murray, Digital TV, Market Research, Streaming, USA

HBO Max app now available on VIZIO SmartCast TVs
Sep 1, 2021 – VIZIO (NYSE: VZIO) and WarnerMedia have announced that the HBO Max app is now available on VIZIO SmartCast, giving SmartCast viewers in the U.S. access to the HBO Max app directly on their VIZIO SmartCast TVs.
News categories: VIZIO, WarnerMedia, Mike O’Donnell, Jennifer Mirgorod, Apps, Digital TV, Smart TV, Streaming, USA

Independent Show 2021 to be all virtual
Sep 1, 2021 – The National Cable Television Cooperative (NCTC) and ACA Connects (ACAC) have announced that the 2021 Independent Show will be held online. The online show will still be held on Oct. 5-6 as scheduled.
News categories: NCTC, ACAC, The Independent Show, Brad Mefferd, Lou Borrelli, Patricia Jo Boyers, Matt Polka, Cable TV, Digital TV, Show, USA

Share of U.S. households with a top SVOD service steady at 78%
Aug 31, 2021 – Research from Leichtman Research Group (LRG) finds that 78% of all U.S. households have an SVOD service from Netflix, Amazon Prime, and/or Hulu – compared to 78% in 2020, 74% in 2019, and 59% in 2016.
News categories: Leichtman Research, Bruce Leichtman, Digital TV, Market Research, Streaming, USA

Wurl Analytics releases SVOD churn analysis report
Aug 31, 2021 – Wurl has formed a research division of the company, Wurl Analytics. In its first report, Wurl Analytics uncovers the financial impact of churn, both in terms of lost revenue and subscriber acquisition costs.
News categories: Wurl, Sean Doherty Jr, Digital TV, Market Research, Streaming, USA

Three million active users for Beeline TV in Russia in 2Q 2021
Aug 30, 2021 – VEON (NASDAQ:VEON; Amsterdam:VEON) has announced results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2021. VEON's digital businesses continued to perform well. Beeline TV in Russia had 3.0 million monthly active users (+24% YoY) in 2Q21.
News categories: VEON, Digital TV, IPTV, Kazakhstan, Results, Russia, Streaming, Subscribers, Ukraine

HbbTV Conformance Test Suite version 2021-2 released
Aug 31, 2021 – The HbbTV Association has published a new version of the HbbTV Conformance Test Suite. The v2021-2 release includes new tests developed for Targeted Advertising (HbbTV-TA) and HbbTV specification v2.0.3.
News categories: HbbTV Association, Vincent Grivet, Advertising, Broadcast, Digital TV, Europe, HbbTV, Smart TV, Worldwide

SE Asia online video revenues to reach $4.5bn in 2025
Aug 31, 2021 – Online video market revenues in South East Asia are set to rise to $4.5bn by the end of 2025 according to Omdia. It's forecast that 62% revenues will come from advertising in 2025.
News categories: Omdia, Kia Ling Teoh, Jun Wen Woo, Asia, Digital TV, Market Research, Streaming