TV Services (Pay TV, OTT, Broadcasting) News

MainStreaming secures $6 million funding
May 15, 2019 – MainStreaming has announced it has secured $6 million in a new round of funding, bringing its total raised to over $10 million. This round was led by Indaco Venture Partners SGR, together with Sony Innovation Fund and existing investor, United Ventures.
News categories: MainStreaming, Indaco, Sony Innovation Fund, Antonio Corrado, Alvise Bonivento, Gen Tsuchikawa, Content Distribution, Digital TV, Italy, Streaming, Venture Capital, Worldwide

SK Telecom to offer world's first live TV sports broadcast over 5G
May 15, 2019 – SK Telecom (NYSE:SKM) has announced that it will offer live broadcast of the 'SK Telecom Open 2019’' on both JTBC Golf, a TV channel operated by JTBC, and 'oksusu', Korea’s largest OTT video service, using its commercial 5G network.
News categories: SK Telecom, Kim Hyuk, 5G, Digital TV, Korea

Sony and Chicken Soup for the Soul launch Crackle Plus
May 14, 2019 – Sony Pictures Television (SPT) and Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment (CSS Entertainment) (Nasdaq: CSSE) have launched their new streaming video joint venture named 'Crackle Plus' and announce closing of related transactions.
News categories: Chicken Soup for the Soul, Sony Pictures Television, Digital TV, Streaming, USA

Philo brings streaming TV to WOW! broadband customers
May 14, 2019 – Philo has announced an agreement with WOW!, a provider of internet, data, voice, cloud and cable TV in the Midwest and Southeast. Philo's service, at $20 per month, will be available to all of WOW!’s broadband customers beginning mid-year.
News categories: Philo, WOW!, Andrew McCollum, Roger Seiken, Digital TV, Streaming, USA

FreeWheel announces programmatic OTT offering for local TV buyers
May 14, 2019 – FreeWheel (Nasdaq: CMCSA) has announced that members of the FreeWheel Advertisers’ network using the Strata platform can now programmatically access the full OTT marketplace through exchanges and direct premium publisher integrations.
News categories: FreeWheel, Joy Baer, Frost Prioleau, Advertising, Digital TV, Streaming, USA

Cyfrowy Polsat contract pay TV subscribers down 22,000 in 1Q 2019
May 14, 2019 – Cyfrowy Polsat Group has reported results for the first quarter of 2019. The company finished the quarter with 5.1 million contract pay TV subscribers, down 21,000 versus the end of 2018, and up 93,000 year-on-year. In March 2019 Cyfrowy Polsat introduced its EVOBOX IP set-top box.
News categories: Cyfrowy Polsat, Digital TV, IPTV, Poland, Results, Satellite, Set Top Box, Streaming, Subscribers

Digital Alert Systems and Kaltura bring EAS Alerts to Cloud TV services
May 14, 2019 – Digital Alert Systems and Kaltura have announced that the Kaltura TV Platform is first to support Digital Alert Systems' EAS-NET communications protocol, allowing customers to comply with EAS/CAP regulations by providing critical emergency messages within their Cloud TV deployments.
News categories: Digital Alert Systems, Kaltura, Bill Robertson, Gideon Gilboa, Digital TV, PAYTV19, Regulation, Streaming, USA

Major U.S. pay TV providers lost ~1,325,000 subscribers in 1Q 2019
May 14, 2019 – Leichtman Research Group (LRG) has found that the largest pay-TV providers in the U.S. lost about 1,325,000 net video subscribers in 1Q 2019, compared to a pro forma net loss of about 305,000 subscribers in 1Q 2018.
News categories: Leichtman Research, Bruce Leichtman, Cable TV, Digital TV, IPTV, Satellite, Streaming, Subscribers, USA

Disney and Comcast agree on Hulu's future governance and ownership
May 14, 2019 – Disney (NYSE: DIS) and Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA) have announced that Disney will assume full operational control of Hulu, effective immediately, in return for Disney and Comcast entering into a 'put/call' agreement regarding NBCUniversal’s 33% ownership interest in Hulu.
News categories: Comcast, Disney, Digital TV, MandA, Streaming, USA