North America Digital TV News

Comcast cable video subscribers down 29,000 in 4Q 2018
Jan 23, 2019 – Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA) has reported results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2018. In the quarter, total cable video customer net losses were 29,000. At Sky, customer relationships increased by 164,000.
News categories: Comcast, Sky, Cable TV, Digital TV, Europe, Results, Satellite, Streaming, Subscribers, USA

Viacom agrees to acquire Pluto TV
Jan 22, 2019 – Viacom (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA) has announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Pluto TV, the leading free streaming television service in the U.S., for $340 million in cash.
News categories: Viacom, Pluto TV, Bob Bakish, Tom Ryan, Digital TV, MandA, Streaming, USA

WarnerMedia launches content innovation lab
Jan 22, 2019 – WarnerMedia has announced plans to launch the WarnerMedia Innovation Lab, an incubator that will combine emerging technologies with content from across its operating units to create new and innovative consumer experiences and businesses.
News categories: WarnerMedia, John Stankey, Jesse Redniss, 5G, Advertising, Big Data, Digital TV, Metaverse, Smart Home, USA

Comscore expands partnership with NBC and Telemundo owned stations
Jan 22, 2019 – Comscore and NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations (NBC and Telemundo owned stations), have announced a partnership. All NBC and Telemundo owned stations will now use Comscore’s linear TV currency, as well as its local mobile and desktop insights.
News categories: Comscore, NBCUniversal, Bryan Wiener, Frank Comerford, Advertising, Big Data, USA

Verance and Fincons Group partner for Next Gen TV
Jan 22, 2019 – Verance has announced that it has partnered with Fincons Group. The partnership, targeting the U.S. and Europe, combines Fincons' expertise deploying HbbTV applications with Verance's watermark technology.
News categories: Verance, Fincons, Nil Shah, Francesco Moretti, ATSC 3, Content Identification, Digital TV, Europe, HbbTV, USA

Entertainment device voice control a key feature for 43% of U.S. households
Jan 22, 2019 – Research from Parks Associates finds that 43% of U.S. broadband households that own or plan to purchase a smart TV or streaming media player consider voice control to be an important feature for their next purchase.
News categories: Parks Associates, Craig Leslie, Digital TV, Market Research, Set Top Box, Smart Home, Smart TV, USA

Blockgraph secure data sharing initiative adds industry partners
Jan 22, 2019 – Comcast Cable Advertising (Nasdaq: CMCSA) has launched the next phase of Blockgraph. Comcast is now working with other industry partners in an effort that will facilitate the secure exchange of privacy-compliant audience insights for addressable advertising.
News categories: Blockgraph, Comcast, Jason Manningham, Marcien Jenckes, Kern Schireson, David Kline, Paola Colombo, Advertising, Big Data, Cable TV, Digital TV, USA

Steady growth masks seismic shifts in US video and TV market
Jan 18, 2019 – Futuresource Consulting has unveiled some seismic shifts in the US entertainment space in two recently published reports. Futuresource estimates that the US video and TV industry saw a 1% rise in consumer spend in 2018.
News categories: Futuresource Consulting, David Sidebottom, Digital TV, Market Research, Smart Home, USA

BritBox surpasses half a million subscribers
Jan 17, 2019 – BritBox, the SVOD streaming service from BBC Studios, has announced that it is celebrating half million (500,000) subscribers, doubling year-on-year, as it ends its 22nd month in the U.S. and 11th month in Canada.
News categories: BritBox, BBC Studios, ITV, Soumya Sriraman, Ann Sarnoff, Martin Goswami, Canada, Digital TV, Streaming, Subscribers, USA