North America Digital TV News

CBS and Viacom to combine
Aug 13, 2019 – CBS (NYSE: CBS.A, CBS) and Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB) have agreed to merge. The combined company, ViacomCBS, will be a global, multiplatform, premium content company, with the assets, capabilities and scale to be one of the most important content producers and providers in the world.
News categories: Viacom, CBS, Bob Bakish, Joe Ianniello, Shari Redstone, Digital TV, MandA, USA, Worldwide

U.S. STB energy agreement savings top $5 billion
Aug 13, 2019 – Consumers saved approximately $1.6 billion in energy costs in 2018 alone as a result of the voluntary set-top box energy conservation agreement among pay-TV providers, manufacturers, energy efficiency advocates and the CTA and NCTA.
News categories: Consumer Technology Association, NCTA, Natural Resources Defense Council, Doug Johnson, Neal Goldberg, Noah Horowitz, Digital TV, Market Research, Set Top Box, USA

Major U.S. pay-TV providers lost ~1.53 million subscribers in 2Q 2019
Aug 12, 2019 – According to the Leichtman Research Group (LRG), the largest pay-TV providers in the U.S. lost about 1,530,000 net video subscribers in 2Q 2019, compared to a pro forma net loss of about 420,000 subscribers in 2Q 2018.
News categories: Leichtman Research, Bruce Leichtman, Cable TV, Digital TV, IPTV, Satellite, Streaming, Subscribers, USA

Most smart speakers and video streamers are energy efficient
Aug 12, 2019 – Most of the more than 100 million smart speakers and video streaming devices installed in America’s homes are quite energy efficient, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has said in the first independent report on their electricity use.
News categories: NRDC, Noah Horowitz, Digital TV, Market Research, Set Top Box, Smart Home, Streaming, USA

Consolidated Communications launches CCiTV in Southern Maine
Aug 12, 2019 – Consolidated Communications (NASDAQ: CNSL) has introduced CCiTV, a 200-channel TV service that includes restart/replay TV, voice-activated remote control, HD with 4K compatibility and cloud-based DVR storage to enable viewing of content anytime, anywhere.
News categories: Consolidated Communications, Rob Koester, Cable TV, Digital TV, Set Top Box, USA, UX

Comcast Spotlight launches Local TV attribution with TVSquared
Aug 7, 2019 – Comcast Spotlight has announced the launch of an attribution solution that will bring greater accountability to local TV advertising. The product, launched in partnership with TVSquared, allows local cable TV advertisers to measure lower-funnel activity.
News categories: Comcast Spotlight, TVSquared, Hank Oster, Jo Kinsella, Advertising, Big Data, Digital TV, USA

Verance plans Project OAR support for its watermarking platform
Aug 7, 2019 – Verance has announced plans to add support for Project OAR to its Aspect platform. While the technical specifications of OAR have not been revealed, watermarking is expected to factor into the accurate delivery and decisioning of addressable TV advertising.
News categories: Verance, Project OAR, Nil Shah, Advertising, Content Identification, Digital TV, USA

Telaria/Sling TV study shows CTV key to reaching GenZennial voters
Aug 7, 2019 – Telaria (NYSE:TLRA) has published research in partnership with Sling TV, illustrating how Connected TV (CTV) will be the key platform for political advertisers to reach U.S. GenZennial voters, regardless of party affiliation.
News categories: Telaria, Sling TV, Karen Ring, Dave Antonelli, Advertising, Digital TV, Market Research, Streaming, USA

Altice USA smart speaker offers hands-free Altice One voice control
Aug 7, 2019 – Altice USA (NYSE: ATUS) has unveiled its Altice Amplify home speaker. The device features Devialet's sound technologies and has Amazon Alexa Built-In. Altice Amplify also offers hands-free voice control of the Altice One entertainment and connectivity platform.
News categories: Altice USA, Devialet, Hakim Boubazine, Franck Lebouchard, Cable TV, Digital TV, Set Top Box, Smart Home, USA, UX