Oceania (Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, Polynesia) Digital TV News

Nearly 40% of Kiwis now have S-VOD in the home
Mar 1, 2017 – Over a million New Zealanders now have Netflix, but Lightbox is the faster growing Subscription Video On Demand (SVOD) provider, according to Roy Morgan Research.
News categories: Roy Morgan Research, Norman Morris, Digital TV, Market Research, New Zealand, Streaming, Subscribers

Spark partners with Netflix for New Zealand broadband
Feb 27, 2017 – Spark and Netflix have announced an exclusive partnership that gives Spark broadband customers a subscription to Netflix’s Standard plan for one year when they sign up to a 24 month Unlimited Data Spark broadband plan.
News categories: Spark, Netflix, Jason Paris, Broadband, Digital TV, New Zealand, Streaming

New Zealand Commerce Commission blocks Vodafone/Sky merger
Feb 23, 2017 – The Commerce Commission has declined to grant clearance for the proposed merger of Sky Network Television and Vodafone New Zealand. The Commission’s assessment focused on the impact of the proposed merger on competition in both the broadband and mobile telecommunications markets.
News categories: Commerce Commission, Sky Network Television, Vodafone, Dr Mark Berry, Digital TV, IPTV, MandA, New Zealand, Satellite

Australian sales of VR headsets exceed 200,000 units in 2016
Feb 21, 2017 – Sales of virtual reality headsets are off to a strong start in Australia with more than 200,000 units sold in 2016 with mobile VR taking around 70 per cent share of units sold, according to Telsyte.
News categories: Telsyte, Foad Fadaghi, Australia, Market Research, Metaverse

Australian Netflix subscribers still watch (some) commercial TV
Jan 31, 2017 – According to Roy Morgan, Netflix subscribers in Australia watch less commercial TV than others - but not simply because they have now have SVOD. Many subscribers were already watching less commercial TV, which was a driving reason to subscribe in the first place.
News categories: Roy Morgan, Michele Levine, Australia, Digital TV, Market Research, Streaming

SONIQ Smart TVs integrate SERAPHIC browser for YouTube TV
Jan 17, 2017 – SONIQ, the Australian smart TV manufacturer, has announced a partnership with SERAPHIC to provide YouTube TV on its smart TVs. SERAPHIC’s Sraf HTML5 Browser matches all performance and memory usage requirements for YouTube TV certification.
News categories: SERAPHIC, SONIQ, YouTube, Ye Wang, Simon Wu, Susan Wojcicki, Australia, Digital TV, HTML5, Semiconductor, Smart TV, Streaming

Amazon Prime Video launches globally
Dec 14, 2016 – Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) has announced that Amazon Prime Video is now available to customers in more than 200 countries and territories around the globe. Customers can watch on Android and iOS phones and tablets, Fire Tablets and LG and Samsung smart TVs.
News categories: Amazon, Tim Leslie, Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Channel Islands, Chile, Colombia, Congo-Brazzaville, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Digital TV, Dominican Republic, DRC, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Korea, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Melanesia, Mexico, Micronesia, Mobile, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Polynesia, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Sudan, Spain, Sri Lanka, Streaming, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, UAE, Uganda, UK, Ukraine, Uruguay, USA, Uzbekistan, Vatican, Venezuela, Vietnam, Worldwide, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

FreeviewPlus doubles Australian penetration in less than 12 months
Dec 13, 2016 – Freeview Australia’s hybrid TV service FreeviewPlus has notched up strong growth in 2016, with the most recent figures showing household penetration has risen to 20% – double the figure released earlier this year.
News categories: Freeview Australia, Liz Ross, Australia, Digital TV, HbbTV, Market Research, Satellite, Set Top Box, Terrestrial

OTT TV subscription rates poised to soar this Christmas
Dec 8, 2016 – According to Paywizard, TV audiences across the world are wholeheartedly embracing online pay-TV, as the proportion of consumers with OTT subscriptions has leapt from 25% to 45% in just 12 months with even more planning to sign up prior to Christmas.
News categories: Paywizard, Bhavesh Vaghela, Australia, Brazil, Digital TV, Germany, Market Research, Singapore, Streaming, UK, USA