UK (United Kingdom, Great Britain & Northern Ireland) Digital TV News

UK entertainment market growth rate doubles to 6.4% in 1H 2017
Jul 25, 2017 – Music, video and games sales in the U.K surged by 6.4% in the first half of 2017 compared with same period of 2016, according to figures released by the Entertainment Retailers Association.
News categories: Entertainment Retailers Association, Kim Bayley, Digital TV, Market Research, Streaming, UK

Linear TV viewing declined across the big five European markets in 2016
Jul 25, 2017 – According to IHS Markit (Nasdaq: INFO), linear TV viewing declined across the big five European markets in 2016, with personal video recorder (PVR) time-shifted viewing starting to plateau as PVRs become standard in pay‑TV offerings.
News categories: IHS Markit, Fateha Begum, Digital TV, France, Germany, Italy, Market Research, Spain, UK

Sky expands its use of Cisco's video security portfolio
Jul 17, 2017 – Sky and Cisco have announced that the companies have extended their collaboration to include a multi-year digital security agreement to support the expansion of Sky video services across any screen.
News categories: Cisco Systems, Sky, Conrad Clemson, Alun Webber, Content Protection, Digital TV, DRM, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Mobile, Satellite, UK

TVPlayer selects SpotX as video ad serving platform
Jul 17, 2017 – SpotX has been appointed as the ad serving infrastructure for TVPlayer across all their inventory, including connected TV, desktop and smartphones. Advertisers and their agencies can now target TVPlayer’s one million-strong UK audience using data-driven buying.
News categories: SpotX, TVPlayer, Leon Siotis, Rob Hodgkinson, Advertising, Big Data, Digital TV, Streaming, UK

BBC iPlayer introduces live restart from the TV guide with Freesat
Jul 12, 2017 – Live restart was pioneered by BBC iPlayer, and has been available for web and mobile browsers and for viewers watching on connected TVs for some time. Starting with Freesat, it’s now being made part of an EPG for the first time.
News categories: BBC, Freesat, Dan Taylor-Watt, Apps, Digital TV, Satellite, Set Top Box, Streaming, UK, UX

SpotX to monetise the STV Player
Jul 12, 2017 – SpotX has been chosen by STV to help manage programmatic video monetisation for the STV Player. Now, advertisers and their agencies can target Scotland-based viewers of programmes using programmatic techniques.
News categories: SpotX, STV, Leon Siotis, Paul Gidley, Advertising, Apps, Digital TV, Mobile, Streaming, UK

BBC Taster launches virtual reality app
Jul 5, 2017 – BBC Taster has launched a virtual reality app available for Android and iOS. The app will feature a range of content designed to push the limits of virtual reality on mobile devices, including animated VR, interactive 360° videos, dynamic binaural audio and branching narratives.
News categories: BBC, Andy Conroy, Damian Kavanagh, Apps, Digital TV, Metaverse, UK

Verimatrix acquires data collection technology team from Genius Digital
Jun 23, 2017 – Verimatrix has announced the acquisition of the MiriMON technology and development team from Genius Digital. The client device data collection technology has already been integrated within the Verimatrix Verspective Operator Analytics solution suite and ViewRight Ultra downloadable app packages.
News categories: Verimatrix, Genius Digital, Tom Munro, Tom Weiss, Big Data, Digital TV, MandA, UK, Worldwide

GroupM revises 2017 UK advertising growth forecast down to 4.1% from 7%
Jun 22, 2017 – UK advertising is set to see an eighth successive year of growth in 2017 with a 4.1% increase in spending. The forecast is a downward revision from the 7% growth predicted in November 2016, partly attributed to a generalised drop in TV investment.
News categories: GroupM, Adam Smith, Nick Theakstone, Advertising, UK