Worldwide (not region-specific) Digital TV News

Rakuten LIVE interactive streaming service launched
May 17, 2019 – Rakuten has announced 'Rakuten LIVE'. Rakuten LIVE allows artists, celebrities and general users to live stream videos and communicate with viewers in real-time. Viewers can interact with streamers by sending comments and 'gifts'.
News categories: Rakuten, Digital TV, Japan, Streaming, UX, Worldwide

Sony and Microsoft to collaborate on cloud for D2C entertainment and AI
May 16, 2019 – Sony and Microsoft have announced that Sony will use Microsoft Azure datacenter solutions for its game and content streaming services, and that the two companies will explore joint development of cloud solutions for the future.
News categories: Microsoft, Sony Corp, Satya Nadell, Kenichiro Yoshida, Big Data, Content Distribution, Digital TV, Semiconductor, Worldwide

IoT now numbers 22 billion devices, but where is the revenue?
May 16, 2019 – The number of devices connected to the internet reached 22.0 billion worldwide at the end of 2018, according to Strategy Analytics. The company predicts that Home will be the fastest growing segment over the coming years.
News categories: Strategy Analytics, David Mercer, David Kerr, Digital TV, Market Research, Smart Home, Worldwide

Insys Video automates celebrity identification and inappropriate content detection
May 16, 2019 – Insys Video has announced technology to automate identification of celebrities and inappropriate content in OTT content. Viewers can, for example, find the exact point in the show where a celebrity appears, while nudity and violence can be automatically flagged and blurred.
News categories: Insys Video, Krzysztof Bartkowski, Big Data, Content Distribution, Digital TV, Streaming, UX, Worldwide

HbbTV Association adds seven new members
May 16, 2019 – The HbbTV Association has announced that seven new companies (ARRIS, Irdeto, DATV, Enensys, Fluendo, Samba TV and SmarDTV) have joined the industry association in the past six months.
News categories: HbbTV Association, Vincent Grivet, Digital TV, HbbTV, Worldwide

b<>com and Viaccess-Orca partner to detect video piracy
May 16, 2019 – In order to develop technologies that protect video content, Viaccess-Orca has partnered with b<>com. The first step in the collaboration is an innovation in watermarking that tracks pirates who redistribute illegal streaming services.
News categories: Viaccess-Orca, b<>com, Paul Molinier, Bertrand Guilbaud, ANGA COM, Content Protection, Digital TV, Streaming, Watermarking, Worldwide

IDC expects worldwide semiconductor revenue to drop 7.2% in 2019
May 15, 2019 – After three consecutive years of growth, with year-over-year growth of 13.2% in 2018, the latest update from IDC forecasts that worldwide semiconductor revenue will decline to $440 billion in 2019, down 7.2% from $474 billion in 2018.
News categories: IDC, Mario Morales, Market Research, Semiconductor, Worldwide

IABM report shows squeezed margins but continuing optimism
May 15, 2019 – IABM has just released its latest Buying Trends Report. The report analyses the financial performance of media companies for the six months to December 2018 and qualitative analysis based on pre-NAB Show 2019 buying trends survey data.
News categories: IABM, Lorenzo Zanni, Digital TV, Market Research, Worldwide

3SS and Media Distillery team up for ultra-personalized AI-powered TV
May 15, 2019 – 3 Screen Solutions (3SS) and Media Distillery have joined forces to launch and commercialize a pre-integrated AI-based end-to-end platform which enables TV service personalization and a range of benefits for operators and their subscribers.
News categories: 3SS, Media Distillery, Kai-Christian Borchers, Roland Sars, Big Data, Digital TV, UX, Worldwide