Digital TV News: Inception

BC Partners-owned United Group acquires Vivacom
Nov 7, 2019 – United Group has agreed to acquire Vivacom, the largest telecoms operator in Bulgaria. The acquisition will accelerate United Group’s growth, expand its geographic reach and cement its position as the industry leader in the region.
News categories: United Group, Vivacom, BC Partners, Victoriya Boklag, Spas Roussev, Nikos Stathopoulos, Bulgaria, Digital TV, IPTV, MnA

ACCESS CO. and EKT integrate the NetRange Application Store
Sep 13, 2019 – ACCESS CO. and EKT have announced that they are extending their partnership to integrate the NetRange Application Store, a widely deployed Smart TV store with a worldwide catalogue of thousands of apps, to deliver next generation TV and OTT consumer experiences.
News categories: ACCESS CO, EKT, Netrange, Dr. Neale Foster, Richard Smith, Apps, Digital TV, HbbTV, Set Top Box

Cifra and Flussonic offer integrated IPTV/OTT solution
Jul 17, 2019 – Cifra and Flussonic have launched a project involving the installation of DRM and IPTV middleware on client devices using the Flussonic Media Server broadcasting platform. The integrated solution will make it possible to offer commercial OTT or IPTV streaming.
News categories: Flussonic, Cifra, Content Distribution, Digital TV, DRM, IPTV, Middleware, OTT, Russia

Hulu U.S. customer base passes 28 million
May 1, 2019 – At 'Hulu '19 Presentation', Hulu revealed continued rapid growth, new original programming and talent deals that expand its content offering, as well as brand initiatives, advertising products and UX enhancements that bolster its goal of becoming the #1 choice for TV.
News categories: Hulu, Randy Freer, Advertising, Digital TV, OTT, Subscribers, USA

ACCESS acquires NetRange
Apr 16, 2019 – ACCESS Europe has acquired NetRange. The acquisition guarantees that the company’s customers will be able to deploy solutions spanning the entire connected entertainment portfolio inside the home, on-the-go and in connected vehicles.
News categories: ACCESS CO, NetRange, Dr. Neale Foster, Jan Wendt, Digital TV, In-Car, MnA, OTT, Smart TV, Worldwide

MultiChoice lists on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange
Feb 27, 2019 – MultiChoice Group Limited (MCG) has listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE). The listed MCG includes MultiChoice South Africa (MCSA), MultiChoice Africa Holdings (MAH), Showmax, as well Irdeto, and all their subsidiaries and affiliates.
News categories: MultiChoice, Naspers, Irdeto, Calvo Mawela, Bob van Dijk, Africa, Content Protection, Digital TV, Finance, OTT, Satellite, South Africa, Worldwide

Cisco releases Mobile Visual Networking Index (VNI) update
Feb 19, 2019 – At the inception of Cisco's Mobile Visual Networking Index more than a decade ago, mobile traffic represented less than 5% of total IP traffic crossing global networks. Today, the role and reliance placed on mobile networking has dramatically increased.
News categories: Cisco Systems, Jonathan Davidson, 5G, Digital TV, Market Research, Mobile, MWC19, Worldwide

NHK partners with Eutelsat to launch world’s first 8K channel
Dec 3, 2018 – NHK has partnered with Eutelsat (NYSE: ETL) to launch the world’s first 8K network: BS8K. A live broadcast took place on December 2nd from the Vatican where images were transmitted to Tokyo via EUTELSAT 12 West B with an uplink provided by M-three Satcom.
News categories: Eutelsat, NHK, M-three Satcom, Gerry O’Sullivan, Content Distribution, Digital TV, Japan, Satellite

RDK launches App Program for service providers
Sep 18, 2018 – RDK Management has unveiled an app program to make it easier to develop and launch apps for RDK-based STBs. Service providers can use a new RDK App Framework to build their own, or choose a pre-integrated solution such as the Metrological App Store.
News categories: RDK Management, Metrological, Steve Heeb, Jeroen Ghijsen, Apps, Digital TV, RDK, Set Top Box, Worldwide