Worldwide (not region-specific) Digital TV News

Telecom revenue growth muted in 2017
Dec 20, 2017 – Despite unabated network usage, global telecom revenue is on track to grow just 1.1 percent in 2017 over the prior year, according to IHS Markit (Nasdaq: INFO). Global economic growth prospects, meanwhile, are looking up.
News categories: IHS Markit, Stéphane Téral, Michael Howard, Big Data, Market Research, Worldwide

HbbTV Association publishes OpApp specification
Dec 19, 2017 – The HbbTV Association has announced that it has published its Operator Applications Specification. Building on HbbTV 2, the specification allows TV operators, in partnership with TV manufacturers, to provide an operator-branded experience as an application on TVs.
News categories: HbbTV Association, Klaus Illgner, Alberto Sigismondi, Rob Koenen, Apps, Digital TV, Europe, Smart TV, Worldwide

Ofcom publishes International Communications Market Report 2017
Dec 18, 2017 – This is the twelfth year in which Ofcom has published the International Communications Market Report, which provides comparative international data on the communications sector. The report compares industry structures and consumer outcomes in the UK with those in 16 comparator countries.
News categories: Ofcom, Digital TV, Market Research, UK, Worldwide

iflix celebrates 10 billion minutes streamed in 2017
Dec 18, 2017 – iflix is thrilled to share its latest milestone – 10 billion minutes streamed across its platform in 2017. The achievement marks an incredible uptake in user engagement, with cumulative viewing minutes up well over 400% from three billion total minutes streamed at the end of 2016.
News categories: iflix, Mark Britt, Asia, Digital TV, Market Research, Middle-East, Streaming, Worldwide

mParticle launches data collection SDK for Microsoft Xbox
Dec 14, 2017 – mParticle has announced the general availability of its native Xbox SDK. With this launch, mParticle can now support native client-side data collection across more than 10 digital platforms.
News categories: mParticle, Cheddar, Michael Katz, Devin Emery, Big Data, Gaming, USA, Worldwide

VR Industry Forum to publish industry guidelines at CES
Dec 14, 2017 – The Virtual Reality Industry Forum (VRIF) has announced the general availability of its first set of VR Industry Guidelines, which includes topics relevant for VR content production, distribution, security and consumption.
News categories: Virtual Reality Industry Forum, Rob Koenen, Christian Egeler, CES2025, Metaverse, Worldwide

OTT video ad spending grows 18X on SpotX platform in 2017
Dec 14, 2017 – SpotX has released figures illustrating explosive growth in global OTT video advertising spend across its platform. The portion of overall ad budgets spent with OTT inventory owners increased from 8% in October 2016 to over 26% of total spend for October 2017.
News categories: SpotX, Kelly McMahon, Jay Prasad, Adam Lowy, Advertising, Market Research, Streaming, Worldwide

The Walt Disney Company to acquire Twenty-First Century Fox
Dec 14, 2017 – The Walt Disney Company and Twenty-First Century Fox have announced that they have entered into an agreement for Disney to acquire 21st Century Fox, including the Twentieth Century Fox Film and Television studios, along with cable and international TV businesses.
News categories: Walt Disney, Twenty-First Century Fox, Robert A. Iger, Orin C. Smith, Rupert Murdoch, Digital TV, MandA, Satellite, Worldwide

OTT TV revenues to surge, approaching $120 billion by 2022
Dec 13, 2017 – Data from Juniper Research has found that SVOD services will drive a surge in OTT revenues to reach $120 billion in 2022, up from $64 billion in 2017. The research also found that over a quarter of global households will subscribe to SVOD services by 2022.
News categories: Juniper Research, Digital TV, Market Research, Streaming, Worldwide