TV Services (Pay TV, OTT, Broadcasting) News

Singtel puts HOOQ into liquidation
Mar 27, 2020 – Singtel has announced that HOOQ Digital, a joint venture company in which Singtel has an indirect 76.5% effective interest, has commenced a creditors’ voluntary liquidation and has appointed provisional liquidators.
News categories: HOOQ, Singtel, Asia, Digital TV, Finance, Streaming

Six million viewers for Italy's tivùsat
Mar 27, 2020 – tivùsat has announced that the number of Italians who watch its free satellite television service has reached almost 6 million. Over 150 TV and radio channels are available on tivùsat, 52 of which are in HD quality and 7 in 4K.
News categories: tivùsat, Digital TV, Italy, Satellite, Subscribers

NENT Group to launch Viaplay in Iceland on April 1st
Mar 26, 2020 – NENT Group will launch its Viaplay streaming service in Iceland on 1 April. Viaplay will now be available in all five Nordic countries and will be available through direct subscriptions and third-party partnerships.
News categories: NENT Group, Viaplay, Anders Jensen, Digital TV, Iceland, Streaming

TV antenna usage in US broadband households up 25% in 2019
Mar 26, 2020 – According to Parks Associates, 25% of US broadband households use an antenna to watch local broadcast TV channels, up from 15% in 2018. Roughly half of antenna users do not subscribe to any pay-TV services, either traditional or vMVPD.
News categories: Parks Associates, Steve Nason, Digital TV, Terrestrial, USA

Coronavirus expected to add 5% to global VOD subscriptions in 2020
Mar 25, 2020 – Strategy Analytics has published a forecast for SVOD services taking into account the expected impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The forecast expects global subscriptions to increase by 5% in comparison to the pre-pandemic model.
News categories: Strategy Analytics, Michael Goodman, COVID-19, Digital TV, Market Research, Streaming, Worldwide

COVID-19 response to bolster cloud gaming revenues
Mar 25, 2020 – The need for social distancing and sheltering in home during the COVID-19 pandemic could accelerate the adoption of cloud gaming services among new gamers who are looking for additional sources of entertainment, according to ABI Research.
News categories: ABI Research, Michael Inouye, Apps, COVID-19, Digital TV, Gaming, Market Research, Worldwide

iQIYI to launch service experience Testing Stations across Asia
Mar 25, 2020 – iQIYI (NASDAQ: IQ) is rolling-out Testing Stations to provide data on the experience of its service on different devices and networks. The first started in Singapore at the end of 2019. Similar stations are planned for Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia.
News categories: iQIYI, Ye Tao, Digital TV, Indonesia, Philippines, QoE, Singapore, Streaming, Thailand, Vietnam

Switch Media's server-side ad insertion integrated with SpringServe's ad platform
Mar 25, 2020 – Switch Media has announced that its server-side ad insertion (SSAI) technology has been integrated with SpringServe’s ad platform to provide value-added services to OTT providers.
News categories: Switch Media, SpringServe, Luke Durham, Josh Cohen, Advertising, Digital TV, Streaming, Worldwide

Sinclair Broadcast adopts Qligent Vision Compliance Monitoring and Analysis
Mar 24, 2020 – Qligent has initiated deployment of its Vision Compliance Monitoring and Analysis system for Sinclair Broadcast Group (NASDAQ: SBGI). The system will support QoS/QoE, compliance and transmission monitoring across 191 TV stations in 89 U.S. markets.
News categories: Qligent, Sinclair Broadcast, John Shoemaker, Mike Kralec, Digital TV, QoE, Terrestrial, USA