Broadcast (Cable TV, DTH Satellite, Terrestrial) News

ABS-CBN plans satellite TV in the Philippines
May 26, 2015 – According to InterAksyon.com, ABS-CBN is planning to offer a satellite television service for the Philippines through its subsidiary SkyCable.
News categories: ABS-CBN, SkyCable, Digital TV, Philippines, Satellite

IPTV revenues in Canada up 39% in 2014
May 21, 2015 – The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission has released data on Canada's broadcast distribution companies. Overall, these companies' revenues increased 1.5% from $8.8 billion in 2013 to $8.9 billion in 2014.
News categories: CRTC, Cable TV, Canada, Digital TV, Market Research, Satellite, Subscribers

Pay TV providers embrace OTT video and 'skinny' bundles
May 21, 2015 – The global pay TV services market, including cable TV, satellite TV, telco TV and over-the-top (OTT) video, totaled $237 billion in 2014, up 7 percent from the previous year, according to the 2015 IHS Infonetics Pay TV Services and Subscribers report.
News categories: Infonetics, Jeff Heynen, Cable TV, Digital TV, IPTV, Market Research, Satellite, Streaming, TV Everywhere, Worldwide

Europe's first FTA Ultra HD channel to launch on Astra at 19.2°E
May 20, 2015 – SES (Paris; Luxembourg: SESG) has announced that it will be broadcasting Europe's first free-to-air Ultra HD channel via Astra 19.2 degrees East. The German shopping channel, pearl.tv, will be produced and broadcast in native Ultra HD as of September 2015.
News categories: SES S.A, Enstyle, Ferdinand Kayser, Michael Sichler, Digital TV, Europe, Germany, Satellite

Altice enters the US market with acquisition of Suddenlink
May 20, 2015 – Altice (Euronext: ATC) has announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire 70% of the share capital in Suddenlink from existing shareholders BC Partners, CPP Investment Board and Suddenlink management.
News categories: Altice, Suddenlink, Cable TV, MandA, USA

Vodafone ends Q1 with 9.1 million TV customers in Europe
May 19, 2015 – Vodafone has announced results for the year ended 31 March 2015. At the end of the period, the company had 11.3 million broadband customers and 9.1 million TV customers in Europe.
News categories: Vodafone, Cable TV, Europe, IPTV, Results, Spain, Subscribers, UK

GatesAir prepares Brazil's Rede VTV for transition to DTT
May 18, 2015 – GatesAir is preparing Brazilian TV broadcaster Rede VTV for a full ISDB-Tb digital TV transition in advance of the country’s 2018 analogue TV shutoff. As part of the solution, systems integrator Foccus Digital is rolling out multiple GatesAir UHF transmitters.
News categories: GatesAir, VTV, Foccus Digital, Joseph Mack, Marcus Mansur, Cesar Donato, Brazil, Content Distribution, Digital TV, ISDB-T

Russian pay TV subscribers reached 37.6 million at end-2014
May 18, 2015 – J'son & Partners Consulting has released results for the Russian pay-TV market at the end of 2014 with forecasts out to 2019. The Russian pay-TV market was the largest in Europe at the end of the year with 37.6 million households receiving cable, satellite or IPTV.
News categories: J'son & Partners, Cable TV, Digital TV, IPTV, Market Research, Russia, Satellite, Subscribers

Belarus completes switch to digital television
May 15, 2015 – The Ministry of Communications and Informatization of the Republic of Belarus (Minsvyazi) has announced that the country has completed its transition to digital TV broadcasting. On May 15, 2015, the final 10 analogue transmitters were switched off.
News categories: Minsvyazi, Belarus, Content Distribution, Digital TV, Terrestrial