North America Digital TV News

71% of US consumers have a TV cord and plan to keep it
Aug 27, 2018 – While cord cutting and shaving may be challenges for pay-TV providers, the vast majority of US consumers still say they are not ready to give up on these proven and deeply established sources of entertainment, according to GfK MRI research.
News categories: GfK MRI, Amy Hunt, Cable TV, Digital TV, IPTV, Market Research, Satellite, Streaming, USA

69% of U.S. households have an SVOD service
Aug 27, 2018 – Consumer research from Leichtman Research Group (LRG) finds that 69% of all U.S. households have an SVOD service from Netflix, Amazon Prime, and/or Hulu. Among those that have an SVOD service, 63% have more than one of these services.
News categories: Leichtman Research, Bruce Leichtman, Digital TV, Market Research, Streaming, USA

SaskTel's maxTV Stream combines traditional TV with OTT content
Aug 22, 2018 – SaskTel has announced the launch of maxTV Stream, its next-generation of TV and entertainment. The service combines the best of traditional television with advanced new features and the latest OTT content from Netflix and YouTube.
News categories: SaskTel, Doug Burnett, Canada, Digital TV, IPTV

fuboTV adopts QoE monitoring solution from Tektronix
Aug 22, 2018 – Tektronix has announced that fuboTV is relying on the company for its Quality of Experience (QoE) monitoring. fuboTV is using Tektronix' Sentry which provides real-time video quality assurance across cloud and virtual streaming workflows.
News categories: Tektronix, fuboTV, Charlie Dunn, Billy Romero, Digital TV, IBCShow, QoE, Streaming, USA

U.S. vMVPDs added 868k subscribers in 2Q 2018 but overall pay TV subs fell
Aug 21, 2018 – Strategy Analytics’ analysis of U.S. pay TV subscriber numbers shows vMVPDs with 868K net adds in 2Q 2018 bringing the total number of vMVPD subscribers to 6.73M, up 119% YoY. Despite this, overall pay TV subscribers fell to 93.78M.
News categories: Strategy Analytics, Michael Goodman, Cable TV, Digital TV, IPTV, Market Research, Satellite, Streaming, Subscribers, USA

Cable and telco DVRs cost US consumers ~$1.84B annually due to ineffective power saving
Aug 20, 2018 – Sense has announced that an analysis of digital video recorders (DVRs) from cable and telco providers shows that they consume nearly as much energy while idle as when your TV is on, and their energy saving modes are not effective.
News categories: Sense, Mike Phillips, Cable TV, Digital TV, IPTV, Market Research, Set Top Box, USA

U.S. cord cutting slows while satellite suffers record customer losses in Q2 2018
Aug 16, 2018 – According to Kagan, the pressure on traditional U.S. multichannel subscriptions abated in the second quarter – a positive direction that is further supported by the forwarded momentum of virtual services Sling TV and DIRECTV NOW.
News categories: S&P Global, Cable TV, Digital TV, IPTV, Market Research, Satellite, Subscribers, USA

Gracenote mobile video analytics gives view on streaming app performance
Aug 16, 2018 – Gracenote (NYSE: NLSN) has announced a Mobile Video Analytics solution aimed at providing visibility into the quality and performance of the most popular mobile video streaming applications. The product will provide a means to better understand how mobile app performance impacts user behavior and attitudes.
News categories: Gracenote, Mike Greenawald, Apps, Big Data, Digital TV, QoE, Streaming, USA, Worldwide

U.S. voice-activated speaker sales to grow 50% by 2019
Aug 14, 2018 – According to The NPD Group, sales of voice-activated speakers will add an incremental $1.6 billion dollars to the U.S. technology industry through 2019, as these devices are leveraged both as an interface to smart home services and as digital assistants.
News categories: NPD Group, Stephen Baker, Big Data, Market Research, Smart Home, USA