Digital TV News: Apple

New global launch dates confirmed for Disney+
Aug 19, 2019 – The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) segment has confirmed that Disney+ will launch in Canada and the Netherlands, in tandem with the U.S., on November 12 and in Australia and New Zealand on November 19.
News categories: Disney+, Australia, Canada, Digital TV, Netherlands, New Zealand, OTT, USA

Australians turn to multiple subscriptions for entertainment
Aug 19, 2019 – Australians have a growing taste for sports and video entertainment content, sending the SVOD services market to new heights, reaching 12.3 million total subscriptions at the end of June 2019, according to research from Telsyte.
News categories: Telsyte, Foad Fadaghi, Alvin Lee, Australia, Digital TV, OTT, Subscribers

Global smart speaker sales grow 96% to 30.3 million in Q2 2019
Aug 14, 2019 – Global sales of smart speakers continued to soar in the second quarter of 2019, reaching 30.3 million units, nearly double the same period in 2018, according to Strategy Analytics. With a 21.9% share Amazon remained the leading brand, although its share has fallen.
News categories: Strategy Analytics, David Watkins, David Mercer, Market Research, Smart Home, Worldwide

U.S. STB energy agreement savings top $5 billion
Aug 13, 2019 – Consumers saved approximately $1.6 billion in energy costs in 2018 alone as a result of the voluntary set-top box energy conservation agreement among pay-TV providers, manufacturers, energy efficiency advocates and the CTA and NCTA.
News categories: Consumer Technology Association, NCTA, Natural Resources Defense Council, Doug Johnson, Neal Goldberg, Noah Horowitz, Digital TV, Market Research, Set Top Box, USA

Most smart speakers and video streamers are energy efficient
Aug 12, 2019 – Most of the more than 100 million smart speakers and video streaming devices installed in America’s homes are quite energy efficient, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has said in the first independent report on their electricity use.
News categories: NRDC, Noah Horowitz, Digital TV, Market Research, OTT, Set Top Box, Smart Home, USA

Consolidated Communications launches CCiTV in Southern Maine
Aug 12, 2019 – Consolidated Communications (NASDAQ: CNSL) has introduced CCiTV, a 200-channel TV service that includes restart/replay TV, voice-activated remote control, HD with 4K compatibility and cloud-based DVR storage to enable viewing of content anytime, anywhere.
News categories: Consolidated Communications, Rob Koester, Cable TV, Digital TV, Set Top Box, USA, UX

Altice USA smart speaker offers hands-free Altice One voice control
Aug 7, 2019 – Altice USA (NYSE: ATUS) has unveiled its Altice Amplify home speaker. The device features Devialet's sound technologies and has Amazon Alexa Built-In. Altice Amplify also offers hands-free voice control of the Altice One entertainment and connectivity platform.
News categories: Altice USA, Devialet, Hakim Boubazine, Franck Lebouchard, Cable TV, Digital TV, Set Top Box, Smart Home, USA, UX

Conviva releases Q2'19 State of the Streaming TV Industry report
Aug 7, 2019 – Conviva has released the Q2'19 edition of its State of the Streaming TV Industry report, revealing that viewing hours grew 130% year over year while streaming quality improved dramatically. The report also uncovers trends in social media and advertising.
News categories: Conviva, Bill Demas, Digital TV, Market Research, OTT, USA

LG rolls out Apple AirPlay 2 and HomeKit in the U.S.
Jul 30, 2019 – LG has announced that Apple AirPlay 2 and HomeKit are now available through a firmware update on select LG OLED and NanoCell 4K UHD TVs with ThinQ AI capability in the U.S. LG is the first global TV manufacturer to support HomeKit.
News categories: LG Electronics, Digital TV, Smart Home, Smart TV, USA