New horizons: What`s in store for TV in 2014

New horizons: What’s in store
for TV in 2014 ?
january/february 2014
Á la carte TV
Cloud UIs
Digital lockers and
UltraViolet
TV White
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Contents
26
Digital lockers
UltraViolet is becoming more successful but more
work is needed as it sweeps across Europe
30
12
Analyst corner
Is there a secret to succeeding with YouTube original
channels? Guy Bisson at IHS provides some analysis
14
la carte TV
With OTT on the rise, will we see a loosening of
current channel bundling strategies?
18
Cloud UIs
As Ziggo blazes the early trail, cloud UIs are coming,
but are not yet right for every operator
22
Viewpoint: TV Anywhere in Europe
TVE apps present many challenges but there is much
to be gained by removing unnecessary restrictions
32
Spectrum access
We look at upcoming TV White Space trials and ask
what impact they might have on the spectrum debate
44
CSI Awards
All the details on this year’s awards, including two new
categories
47
Show diary
Details of all the major events taking place in 2014
COVER STORY – 2014 trends
Our predictions of what we can expect to happen in
the industry over the next 12 months
50
CSI conference
An inside look at our May Converging Home Summit
Editor’s report:
The year has gone off to an exciting start with Vodafone and Liberty Global slugging it out
for what remains of the European fixed-line networks land grab. Vodafone has gone on
record as saying it has a war chest of $30-$40bn for further M&As and that no deal was too
big in terms of future buy-outs. Liberty, for its part, has made no secret of its desire to further consolidate the European cable market. Across the pond, Comcast and Time Warner
Cable, the two largest cablenets in the US, have agreed to merge in a $44bn deal. All these ambitions
reflect a converging telecoms landscape and the significance that broadband networks will assume as
more and more video makes its way onto them. So consolidation and OTT (and by extension cloud and
multi-screen) will continue as big industry trends in 2014. In this iissue, we also have viewpoints on the
battle for the digital living room and the role of IP in sports contribution. Goran Nastic, editor
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News
More Euro cable consolidation ahead
Liberty Global’s apparently insatiable
appetite for expansion has set the
scene yet again for another year of
telecoms and cable M&As in Europe.
The pan-European cable operator
finally got its prey after circling over
Dutch cable operator Ziggo for
almost a year in a deal that values
Ziggo at EUR10 billion. Together
with UPC, another Liberty-owned
cablenet, the merged company will
reach seven million people or about
90 per cent of Dutch homes to better
challenge incumbent KPN.
The deal also expands Liberty’s
already significant European cable
footprint. Liberty has been driving
consolidation of the European cable
market for some time now in order to
profit from rising demand for
broadband and the economies of
scale such consolidation creates.
CEO Mike Fries has long been
arguing that Europe’s cable
companies need to unit to better
fight the telcos. There are an
estimated 7,000 cable networks in
Europe but most are very small and
the overall cable revenues pale
compared to those of the large statebacked telecoms operators.
In Spain, Vodafone is in talks to
acquire Ono while analysts also see
French Numericable as another
potential acquisition target for the
UK-based company. Vodafone now
owns Kabel Deutschland and it
might not be a surprise for Liberty
to swoop over Numericable just as
it did over Virgin Media. The M&A
battles will almost certainly
continue in 2014, although there
aren’t too many more large
opportunities left in the service
provider space in Euorpe. The
Nordics would seem to be the last
bastion and a good bet for any
further activity.
On the vendor front, Pace needs
to plug the compression hole of its
end-to-end portfolio to compete
with the likes of Ericsson, Cisco
and Arris, so an encoding specialist
may well be on the cards for the
UK company this year (it has 30 or
so suppliers to choose from).
news in brief
BT adds download-to-keep
BT claims it has become the first
pay-TV provider in the UK to
offer movies to buy-to-keep as
well as rent via its YouView box.
Titles are available from 20th
Century Fox Home
Entertainment and Sony Pictures
Home Entertainment, along with
a selection of new and old films,
such as Captain Phillips and the
Alien franchise. Prices start from
£8.99 for HD and £5.99 for SD
versions. Movies bought from BT
are streamed instantly to the
customer’s YouView set-top box
and they can keep them
indefinitely and watch them as
many times as they like. The telco
intends to expand the service to
include TV box sets over the
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News
news in brief
Google sells Moto Mobility
Having offloaded the Motorola
home business to Arris last year,
Google is now disposing of
Motorola Mobility although
keeping most of the patents.
Chinese manufacturer Lenovo
has agreed to acquire the handset
business in a $2.91bn deal that
includes the Motorola brand and
Motorola Mobility’s portfolio of
smartphones. Google will
maintain ownership of the vast
majority of the Motorola Mobility
patent portfolio, the main reason
why it bought Motorola in the
first place. As part of its ongoing
relationship with Google, Lenovo
will receive a licence to this
portfolio of patents and other IP.
TiVo acquires Digitalsmiths
TiVo is buying multi-screen cloudbased content discovery and
recommendation service
Digitalsmiths for $135m in cash.
TiVo said the acquisition
accelerates its evolution to a
device and UI independent cloudbased Software-as-a-Service,
yielding a significant expansion in
market opportunity, including
data and analytics. Digitalsmiths
is especially strong in the US,
where it has relationships with
seven of the top ten pay-TV
operators, reaching 64% of payTV homes in the country. Its
service allows operators to deliver
an advanced user experience
integrating search,
recommendations, discovery and
browsing across a variety devices
including iOS, Android, Roku,
game consoles, Kindle and
multiple set-top boxes. The
company’s cloud service handled
almost 150m transactions in
December. It offers personalised
video search, recommendations
and browsing, social trending,
and ‘mood-based’ discovery.
06
January-February 2014
EU probe looks at payTV movie rights
The European Union has opened an
investigation into licensing
agreements between major US film
studios and European pay-TV
broadcasters that may aim to remove
some of the territorial restrictions
that currently exist with film
content.
A report in Reuters suggests that
the anti-trust probe by the
European Commission will focus
on the big 5 studios - Twenty-First
Century Fox, Warner Bros, Sony
Pictures, NBCUniversal and
Paramount Pictures - and large payTV broadcasters including BSkyB,
Canal Plus, Sky Deutschland, Sky
Italia and DTS, which operates
under the Canal Plus brand in
Spain.
Films are licensed by US studios
to pay-TV broadcasters on an
exclusive and territorial basis,
typically to a single pay-TV
broadcaster in each EU member
state, a situation the Commission is
understood not to be happy about,
preferring instead for services and
content be made available to all 28
EU member states.
The Commission will focus on
the broadcasting of movies and not
of sports events and incorporate
satellite as well as internet-based
distribution, Reuters said, adding
that the body was not looking to
force studios to sell rights on a panEuropean basis but rather look at
restrictions that prevented pay-TV
firms from selling content to viewers
in EU member states outside their
home market.
“If you subscribe to a pay-TV
service in Germany and you go to
Italy for holidays, you may not be
able to view the films offered by that
service from your laptop during your
holidays. If I live in Belgium and
want to subscribe to a Spanish payTV service, I may not be able to
subscribe at all,” EU Competition
Commissioner Joaquin Almunia was
quoted as saying.
The precedent is not entirely new.
Back in 2001, the European Court
Of Justice in Luxembourg ruled that
selling movie and TV rights countryby-country goes against the spirit of
the single European market. It
followed a case where an English pub
landlady won against BSkyB and the
Premier League after they tried
stopping her from showing football
matches on her premises using a
Greek pay-TV decoder card. Any
moves in this direction however will
have massive implications on the
current business model although
more flexibility, as is slowly
becoming to happen with rights
windows, will be welcomed by
consumers among others.
Stofa first with Euro CCAP
Danish broadband and cable
TV-provider Stofa is the first
European operator to deploy Cisco’s
next-gen Converged Cable Access
Platform solution.
CCAP platforms allow for video
and data convergence for cable
operators by enabling them to
simultaneously handle video-ondemand and high-speed broadband
traffic within the same access
platform.
The new solution is based on
Cisco’s Modular CCAP offering
and will enable Stofa to reduce
operational costs, save power and
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double subscriber broadband speeds
to develop new services, such as 4k
TV. This first video and data
convergence were implemented in
autumn 2013.
As part of the modular CCAP
solution, Stofa has installed the
Cisco uBR10012 CMTS with 3G60,
PRE5, 3G-SPA and the RFGW10
Universal Edge QAM. With the high
density DS384 line card, Stofa can
now better utilize the existing
infrastructure and run both VoD and
DOCSIS services through common
ports of the DS384 with no RF
combining. The cablenet will decide
whether to potentially let digital TV
replace regular flow TV, which today
exists as a parallel technology within
Stofa and competing companies in
Denmark.
Stofa, which has over 600,000
customers, is the first cable operator
to make this move as a step towards
anall-IP service architecture. A
number of other European operators
are known to be committed to
transitioning to CCAP-based
architectures, including Liberty
Global, Portugal’s Zon (using Arris
gear) and DNA in Finland (using a
Casa Systems solution).
News
Single developer contract for smart TV
Complaints about smart TV
fragmentation are a common
occurrence so the Smart TV Alliance
is planning to set up a Common
Developer Portal that it hopes will
ease the plight of publishing apps for
these devices.
The new portal, due in early
May, will include a joint application
developers agreement and a premium
developer support program, which
should in theory stop app developers
needing to negotiate a separate
developer contract for each
individual manufacturer in order
to publish content.
As part of the “build once, run
everywhere” effort, the alliance
has also launched a new SDK for
enhanced tools. The SDK 3.0
includes updated HTML5 and CSS
features, the new device capability
API and such optional features as
numeric keys, colour keys and
multi-audio.
The group announced its
Developer Support Program at IFA
2013, which made the app
qualification cycle more efficient by
providing a joint manufacturer QA
process. The Premium Developer
Support Program will also provide
developers the ability to publish their
apps to various manufacturers’ app
stores after passing the Joint QA
process in one integrated process.
“The new Common Developer
Portal shows Smart TV Alliance
apps are market ready for
manufacturers, solution providers
and consumers on a variety of
televisions and devices,” said Seijiro
Yasuki, president of Smart TV
Alliance and chief technology
executive of Toshiba. “It encourages
a vibrant smart TV ecosystem and
removes the barriers to application
development while enhancing the
smart TV experience for
consumers.”
The alliance, which added
Shenzhen TCL as its newest
member, is also expanding its
coverage to connect smart TVs to
the smart home, seeing an
important role for these platforms
in increasingly connected
households.
The Smart TV Alliance Smart
Home specification is based on
open standards, including
WebSocket, JSON, HTML5, and
JavaScript, to ensure compatibility
with the greatest number of smart
home devices worldwide, the
organisation said. With smart
home features, applications
running on a Smart TV Alliance
platform can control and interact
with connected devices at home
to optimise the consumer’s smart
TV experience.
Verizon to buy Intel’s media assets
Verizon Communications has
agreed to buy the assets of Intel
Media, which has been developing
the OnCue internet TV service,
for an undisclosed amount, as
it makes a deeper play into the
OTT market.
The transaction will accelerate
the availability of next-generation
video services, the companies said
in a joint statement. After the deal
closes, Verizon expects to integrate
the IP-based TV services with its
FiOS video offer.
Verizon will purchase intellectualproperty rights and other assets
that enable Intel’s OnCue Cloud
TV platform. The telco also looks
set to keep all 350 employees at
the unit, which will continue to be
based in Santa Clara, California
and be led by its current
management team.
“This transaction provides us with
the capabilities to build a powerful,
capitally efficient engine for future
growth and innovation. We will have
the opportunity to enhance, expand,
accelerate and integrate our delivery
of video products and services to
better serve audiences on a wide
array of devices,” said Verizon
chairman and chief executive
Lowell McAdam.
The transaction is subject to
customary regulatory approvals and
is expected to close early in the first
quarter of 2014.
Intel Media had reportedly
been looking for around $500
million, a figure which included
the servers, set-tops, and software
that would have been the foundation
for the OnCue pay-OTT service it
once planned on launching, although
analysts doubted the the company
would have received close to this
amount. As in a lot of cases,
acquiring content rights proved
a major stumbling block to
OnCue’s launch.
TDG analyst Joel Espelien
believes the combination of Intel
Media’s platform and Verizon’s
content muscle could make for a
very interesting play. “Verizon
FiOS offers a decent user
experience, but certainly nothing
to write home about. By acquiring
Intel Media, Verizon could
basically paint the Intel Media
interface Verizon red, plug in its
content, and launch the service
nationwide,” he says.
Verizon has also been upping
its OTT game in other corners
lately. It acquired CDN provider
Edgecast, which gave it customers
like Hulu and Twitter, on top of
purchasing upLynk, a developer
of technology that compliments
CDN services.
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news in brief
Netflix in France
Netflix, which has earmarked
$400m for European expansion
this year, has been told by the
French government it will have to
support the creation of local
content if it goes ahead with its
plans to launch in the country
Culture minister Aurélie Filipetti
said the streaming service will
have to sign up to France’s
content creation support regime
if it launches there in 2014. She
said that Netflix would have to
support the maintenance of
cultural diversity in the same way
as cinema chains, TV channels
and pay TV platforms by
distributing a certain quota of
French and European
programmes. This could
potentially lead to Netflix
commissioning original content
only for the French market,
something it does not do
anywhere else.
Big Data for Channel 4
Free-to-air broadcaster Channel 4
has reached a milestone in its
viewer engagement strategy,
which has helped rollout new
targeted advertising to video on
demand. Channel 4’s database of
registered viewers, which it has
been working on for several years,
has now reached over ten million
registered viewers, which includes
one in two of all 16-24 year olds
in the UK. The broadcaster said
its viewer engagement strategy
has enabled it to introduce new
targeted advertising to video on
demand, which have helped drive
growth in digital revenues, with
an increasing proportion of the
corporation’s commercial revenue
now being directly or indirectly
supported by first party data from
individual users. The next phase
of the strategy will see the data
on viewer behaviour helping to
inform the creative teams.
January-February 2014
7
News
news in brief
TV-related chatter on
Facebook
New research has for the first
time quantified the extent and
timings of TV-related usage and
chatter on Facebook. Two key
findings out of a recent
partnership between Facebook
and SecondSync has found that
60% of TV-related interactions on
Facebook occur while the show is
airing, in real-time, while 80% of
TV-related chatter on the social
network originates from mobile
devices. Interactions from likes of
TV-related content have a long
tail of engagement, they found.
ITV to launch pay-TV
channel
Free-to-air broadcaster ITV is
launching a payTV drama
channel that will be available to
Sky subscribers. ITV Encore, the
broadcaster’s first new channel
for eight years, will commission
original drama series from 2015.
The move marks a further effort
by the company to reduce its
reliance on advertising. In the
past year, ITV has spent about
£100m acquiring small
production companies, whose
shows could now have a new
outlet. ITV Encore is expected to
launch in the summer airing past
ITV drama series, before starting
to commission shows next year.
Sky has exclusive access to ITV
Encore for 18 months.
8k transmission
Japanese public broadcaster
NHK has successfully transmitted
8k Super Hi-Vision television
signals via a single standard UHF
terrestrial broadcast channel over
a distance of 27 km. It is the
latest test by NHK, which is
aiming for commercial broadcasts
of 8k TVs by the end of the
decade.
08
January-February 2014
UK will not go it alone with UHD - DTG
The Digital TV Group has said
there is no need for the UK to
diverge from other countries in
terms of developing its own ultra
HD standard.
Speaking at a media breakfast
briefing in London, the group’s
chief executive Richard LindsayDavies said the definition of UHD
will begin to take shape over the
next six to 12 months, which the
UK will take an active collaborative
part in. “There is no reason why we
should go it alone as the CE
market is different now than in the
‘90s. It is a much more harmonised
market now globally so there is no
reason why any country should
want to go it alone with their own
UHD standard,” he said, in
response to a question if the UK
would mirror the approach in
failing to adopt the hybrid
broadcast/broadband (Hbb) TV
standard that has now spread
widely across Europe and
elsewhere globally.
According to Lindsay-Davies, the
DTG is working with the DVB, the
EBU and other standards bodies in
an attempt to harmonise
fundamental standards. The UK
UHD Forum is also represented in
the FAME project alongside other
UHD Forums, such as the French
and Italian counterparts.
Lindsay-Davies also warned that
the industry as a whole has to be
careful in how the technology is
introduced and avoid some of the
mistakes that were made with early
HD rollouts and the HD-Ready
initiative.
“We’re trying to take an
enthusiastic but measured approach
to UHD to try and get it right. It is
happening faster than people thought
it would. It’s real and much more
tangible, but there is a chance that if
we create a mediocre consumer
experience that it won’t take off. We
have to get it right which is why
we’re taking care over it,” said
Lindsay-Davies.
The DTG was also keen to stress
the difference between UHD and 4k,
arguing that UHD encompasses the
entire experience and not just the
higher resolution. Like other bodies,
the DTG is looking at a whole range
of factors that include dynamic
range, colour requirements, bit depth
of the video, higher frame rates as
well as others.
To this end, it looks after the
newly created UK UHD Forum,
which brings together the entire UK
UHD ecosystem (content owners,
platform operators, broadcasters, CE
makers and silicon vendors) to try
and agree what is meant by UHD
beyond the 4k pixels selling-point
adopted by TV manufacturers. The
DTG noted that sub $1,000 sets
might have the number of pixels but
that does not make them a UHD TV,
only a 4k TV.
“It’s one of the most exciting
things that will happen to the TV
experience over the next ten years,
he added.
Earth stations for faster broadband
Passengers on boats, planes and
other vehicles could enjoy superfast
broadband speeds when travelling
in the UK, thanks to the use of
earth stations.
The decision by Ofcom will
mean that airlines and other
transport operators could in future
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use satellite-based technology to
offer customers broadband speeds
up to ten-times faster than today.
When mounted on moving
vehicles, earth stations can provide
internet to passengers by connecting
to a geostationary satellite,
something that has now been
authorised by the watchdog.
Earth stations will allow much
faster data speeds, as Ofcom is
making available a relatively large
amount of high-frequency spectrum
for their use. According to the
watchdog, speeds could be expected
to reach around 50Mbps to a single
earth station, or more than 10Mbps
to an individual passenger.
Ofcom said devices that are
mounted on land-based vehicles,
such as trains, will be made exempt
from the need for a spectrum licence
altogether. Regulations covering
the exemption from licensing for
land-based earth stations are
expected to be in force by the
summer of 2014.
The first commercial deployments
of the technology on vehicles in the
UK are likely to begin later this year.
UK local TV
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Carriage disputes
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CDN roundtable
OTT QoS
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fragmentation
Tablet TV
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OTT in Asia
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News
news in brief
Afghansat 1 to enter service
Eutelsat will deploy an in-orbit
satellite from February that
marks Afghanistan’s entry into
the commercial satellite business.
Located at 48° East, the
Afghansat 1 satellite will deliver
full national coverage and
extensive reach of Central Asia
and the Middle East following a
deal with the Afghanistan MCIT.
Eutelsat and the MCIT have also
agreed on exploring opportunities
for longer-term cooperation.
Afghansat 1 will support a range
of services including broadcast,
mobile telephony backhaul and
IP connectivity. The satellite will
provide access to ICT and
broadcast services to Afghans,
especially in unserved areas.
Yes to launch OTT service
Israeli DTH operator Yes Satellite
is preparing to launch an online
service in the next few months.
Set to launch in the first half of
the year, the Yes Go internet TV
service will offer between 40 and
50 linear channels, half a dozen
or so in HD, and thousands of
hours of VoD content. It will
initially be available to Yes
subscribers on PCs, MACs, iOS
and Android smartphones and
tablets. At a later date it will
likely be extended to non-subs, as
well as other connected devices
like smart TVs.
Digital head at ProSieben
ProSiebenSat.1 has appointed
Lesley Mackenzie as executive
VP of its E-Entertainment arm,
where he will oversee digital
operations, including online
video businesses Maxdome and
Studio71, plus online games and
music stream-ing. Mackenzie has
worked for Star TV Asia, BSkyB
and was also LoveFilm’s group
digital officer.
10
January-February 2014
Eutelsat and SES reach orbital deal
Satellite operators Eutelsat and SES
have settled a long running dispute
for the 28.5 degrees East orbital
position that will see SES continue
to use its satellite at the location
with Eutelsat leasing multiple
transponders on the fleet.
The agreements include “a
comprehensive settlement of legal
proceedings” concerning the right
to operate at the 28.5 degrees East
orbital position and containing
long-term commercial as well as
frequency coordination elements.
The first agreement ends the
arbitral procedure between Eutelsat
and SES that was initiated in
October 2012 under the rules of
the International Chamber of
Commerce (ICC) in Paris. The
dispute concerned a right of use of
500 MHz spectrum at the 28.5
degrees East. Eutelsat ceased to
operate this spectrum on 3 October
2013 and SES has operated this
spectrum since that date. The dispute
over this right of use has now been
resolved, with SES continuing to
operate its satellites at this location,
and Eutelsat independently
commercialising part of the capacity
of the previously disputed
frequencies.
Eutelsat has now contracted longterm satellite capacity on the SES
satellite fleet at 28.5 degrees East.
Eutelsat will commercialise over
Europe on the SES fleet 125 MHz
(eight transponders) of the formerly
disputed 500 MHz. Eutelsat will also
commercialise on the SES fleet the
250 MHz (12 transponders) which
was not the subject of the legal
proceedings. The 20 transponders
will be operated on three new
satellites which SES is deploying at
the 28.2/28.5 degrees East
neighbourhood – Astra 2F, Astra 2E
and Astra 2G – of which the first
two have been launched and are
operational, while the third is
planned for launch later this year.
The two companies will also
address technical frequency
coordination, using their respective
spectrum at a number of orbital
positions over Europe, the Middle
East and Africa. It confirms and
clarifies in technical terms the
geographic coverage and
transmission power levels for
frequencies at these positions.
Eutelsat estimates the impact on
revenues for its fiscal year 2013-2014
at around EUR5 million after which
time there will be no further impact.
4k OB scooter takes to Danish roads
Danish broadcast production startup Nimb TV has launched the
country’s first ultraHD mobile unit
in the form of a three-wheel scooter
van.
Fully equipped for multi camera
4k production, the compact van is
booked for a season of live
broadcast productions and big
screen events.
“It really puts a smile on people’s
faces to see that the massive
resolution of UltraHD can be
delivered so well out of a tiny van.
The quality is superb and the costs
and energy footprint are so much
smaller than with a conventional
vehicle,” said Nimb TV.
Powering the 4k playout is Softron’s
OnTheAir Video Express, which uses
Softron’s new Smart Playout Engine
that features enhanced capabilities
for television and web stream playout
from the MacOS platform.
Sky AdSmart sees light of day
Sky has officially launched its
AdSmart addressable advertising
service with over 40 brands signed
up.
The service, which has been
undergoing testing since last year,
rolls out with the likes of Tesco,
RBS and Audi targeting
commercial ad breaks based upon
www.csimagazine.com
the viewer’s profile and location,
based on dynamic ad server
technology built-in to Sky+ set -top
boxes, as well as demographic
information from third-party
providers, including data service
company Experian. To counter
privacy concerns, customers are
given the chance to opt out.
AdSmart is initially available in a
fifth of UK households and Sky has
created a sales force split into five
regional teams based that will see
national TV take on local press and
media advertising. Sky said one
quarter of the brands signed up so
far are either new to TV advertising
or had previously quit the market.
News
900m payTV subs in 2013
The global pay-TV market reached
903.3 million subscribers in 2013 and
is poised to pass the one billion
subscriber mark before the end of the
decade.
According to new data from ABI
Research, IPTV operators enjoyed
significant growth (18.5% year-onyear) in 2013 to 92 million
subscribers with a total of $37.2
billion in service revenue, boosted by
FTTH and bundled subscribers. ABI
forecasts that the IPTV subscriber
base will grow to 161 million
subscribers in 2019 accounting for
15% of overall pay-TV market.
The cable TV market grew at the
slowest rate among different pay-TV
platforms with only 3% YoY growth,
ending 2013 with 570.2 million
subscribers. Cable TV subscribers in
Western Europe and North America
declined around 1% and 1.5%
respectively in 2013. However, cable
TV markets in Asia-Pacific and Latin
news in brief
Top 10 pay TV cuntries at end - 2018
Households (million)
Penetration (%)
China India USA Russia Brazil Japan Germany Mexico South Korea UK Netherlands Denmark Belgium Hong Kong South Korea Sweden Norway Puerto Rico Singapore Estonia 312.9
158.0
106.8
32.3
30.5
27.0
23.1
19.0
16.9
16.3
America continued to contribute to
global cable TV market growth,
which is expected to reach a total of
634.5 million subscribers in 2019.
The global terrestrial TV market
reached 9.5 million subscribers at the
end of 2013. A declining pay DTT
subscriber base in Italy and Spain
had an impact on the overall Western
100
97
96
96
95
92
91
91
89
87
European DTT market which
dropped around 5% in 2013. The
DTT market in Africa grew 45% to
2.1 million subscribers in 2013, as
countries start to switch over to
digital.
Overall, the payTV market last
year generated $249.8 billion in
service revenue.
Broadband average speeds rise, but
peak speeds fall
Global average connection speed
continued its upward trend in the
third quarter of 2013, climbing
10% over the previous quarter to
3.6 Mbps.
However, global average peak
connection speeds showed a slight
decline in the quarter of 2013,
dropping 5.2% to 17.9 Mbps,
according to the latest State of
the Internet Report from Akamai.
In Europe, the Netherlands
(ranked #4 globally) achieved the
highest quarterly growth at 23%
with an average connection speed
of 12.5 Mbps.
A number of European countries
saw their average peak connection
speed grow in excess of 20% or
more, including Netherlands,
Czech Republic, the UK, Sweden,
Austria, Romania, Norway and
Ireland.
In terms of “high broadband”
in excess of 10 Mbps, the
Netherlands again experienced
the largest quarter-on-quarter
increase, followed by Denmark,
Belgium, Czech Republic,
Switzerland and Latvia.
1bn TV centric devices
The global installed base of
TV-centric connected devices
surpassed one billion units in
2013 while smart TVs approach
landmark penetration rates.
According to Futuresource
Consulting the figure will exceed
two billion devices by 2017,
driven by smart TV, IP-enabled
set top boxes, game consoles, Bluray players and low cost digital
media adapters. Futuresource
said that 44% of the 225 million
TVs shipped worldwide in 2013
offered smart features and as
consumers increasingly expect
these enhancements on mid-range
as well as high end models by
2017 over 80% of all TV sets sold
worldwide will be enabled for
online connectivity and smart
features. More significantly, 68%
of people who own a smart TV
actually connect it to the internet.
The research also found that STB
shipments remain high - 220
million units in 2013 .
And 1bn smartphones...
Global smartphone shipments
topped 1bn units for first time in
2013. Shipments rose 38.4% from
the previous year to 1.004bn
units, according to IDC.
Smartphones made up 55.1% of
all mobile phone shipments last
year from just over two-fifths in
2012, IDC said. Total global
mobile phone shipments reached
1.822bn units in 2013, up 4.8%
from a year earlier. Samsung
strengthen its lead at 31.3% of
smartphones and 24.6% of the
total mobile market. Apple was in
second place in smartphones,
although its share dropped to
15.3% from 18.7% in 2012.
Nokia’s share of the total market
dropped to 13.8% and it did not
make the top five smartphone
makers.
Source: Ofcom
www.csimagazine.com
January-February 2014
11
Analyst corner
Out with the old,
in with the new?
number of the channels
launched accounted for the
lion’s share of viewing and
subscribers. Overall we found
that just five of the newly
launched channels accounted
for 42 per cent of all
subscribers.
Despite the dominance of
English language-bias among
the active European YouTube
professional channels,
localisation remains as important for YouTube
channels as it is for traditional linear TV players.
Of the three most popular channels by views in
year one of operation, one was German and one
French.
Outside of entertainment, a number of genres
stood out as particularly successful. News content
is extremely popular in terms of subscribers and
subscriber loyalty (measured in views per
subscriber). Factual content, representing an
accumulation of news, health, beauty, food and
automotive, performs particularly well, although
the single most popular sub-category is
automotive content. The dominance of factual
content and, in particular programming about
cars, also explains why we picked up a distinct
male bias in YouTube channel usage. After car
shows, the next most popular sub-genre was
programming about food… perhaps a reflection
of the use of laptops and tablets in place of the
traditional recipe book.
One slight surprise, though, is that we found
channels programmed by Web-native producers
who had not come from the traditional TV market
performed better overall than those backed by
YouTube original channels merely reflect old world
trends and the appearance of strong linear channels
from the payTV space will further shift dynamics
A
new channel, Sky
Episodes First, will soon
bring content from pay
channels Sky One and
Sky Atlantic to
viewers… for free. But
what is more unusual
about this new channel from the UK’s largest
provider of pay TV is that it will be exclusive to
YouTube. With YouTube and other mass-market
online platforms representing brand new ways of
distributing and monetising professional TV
content, it’s a Brave New World when it comes to
the future of TV channels. Or is it? It’s true that
YouTube is increasingly positioning itself as a
platform for original content, much of it made by
established names in the TV business. But our
analysis shows that many of the trends in
performance of these ‘new’ channels will be
absolutely familiar to those in the ‘old World’
traditional TV business.
A little over a year ago YouTube helped to fund
the launch of 46 original channels in Europe.
Well-known producers like Fremantle, Endemol
and All3Media joined lesser known Web outfits
like Base 79 in launching a slate of new channels
on the YouTube platform, although ‘channel’ in
the YouTube sense means a free aggregation of
on-demand content to which users ‘subscribe’ in
order to be notified of new content. Nonetheless,
the key here is the move away from short clips
created and curated by amateurs. One year on, we
analysed the performance of these channels to see
what trends were emerging and whether there
were any unique keys to success in for gaining
viewers on the YouTube.
So what did our research show channel
executives need to think about in order to achieve
success with an online channel? Is there a unique
formula for YouTube success, a secret perhaps
only a member of the youth demographic can
understand? Er… no. For a start, the key genre for
new YouTube channel launches is entertainment,
a mirror of the genre bias in the traditional linear
channel market. Half of the channels featured in
the popularity top-ten measured by views were
English language, reflecting the universality of
English as well as the bias in content production
towards English-language content. Also reflecting
the real world of traditional channels: a small
Youtube’s OC genres ranked by average views
Genre Views (000s)
Automotive
79,134
Food
29,733
Entertainment
186,373
Sport
68,641
Comedy
77,519
Music
53,885
Beauty
19,969
News 17,519
Health
23,983
12 January-February 2014
www.csimagazine.com
Origin professional European Youtube
channel views by genre (000s)
3%
14%
4%
5%
4%
10%
14%
12%
34 %
Automotive
Food
Entertainment
Sport
Comedy
Music
Beauty
News
Health
Source: IHS
Analyst corner
revenue share with YouTube. Ed: the ratio for
these changed last year).
Longer term, Sky’s move to launch a YouTube
channel for what it describes as ‘promotional’
purposes may represent the opening of the flood
gates for strong linear channel brands from the
pay space to exploit the opportunities offered by
the professional content strand on YouTube. Any
such move could significantly change the
dynamics, driven by the better known brands
from the linear space usurping the producer-led
channels that have dominated to date.
content developers from the traditional linear
channel market, although this may be a reflection
of a skew to short-form content rather than a
comment on quality. But it does beg the question:
despite the apparent similarities in trends to the
traditional market, is there a secret sauce to
producing compelling content for a YouTube
channel?
So what of the future?
We believe that the relatively poor performance of
a number channels in comparison to the few very
successful ones means that some sort of shake-up
among the initial batch of new channels is likely.
This may mean a number disappear while
YouTube focuses on the strong players (once
channels break-even they enter an advertising
Guy Bisson is research
director, television, at IHS
Screen Digest. In this regular
column, he gives CSI readers
exclusive insight from the
company’s new channel strategies service
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A la carte TV
Plus ça change
The rising popularity of OTT TV services has
made the old concept of a la carte TV a more
frequent topic of discussion, so can we expect
the current status quo to loosen a little, asks
David Adams
T
hat well-trusted analyst
of the TV industry Bruce
Springsteen put his finger on
the trouble with bundled TV
services 22 years ago, in his
song 57 Channels And
Nothin’ On. While it’s
definitely not one of his better songs, we all know
what the Boss was talking about. A report by US
analyst Needham & Co in December 2013 suggests
that in most US households only about 16 to 20
channels are watched regularly, despite consumers
having access to around 180.
A growing number of consumers seem
to understand that one reason pay TV
subscriptions keep getting more expensive
is because broadcasters and distributors are
subsidising less popular channels in the bundle
to balance their books and find distribution
deals that work for them, the content owners
and advertisers.
If you offered consumers the chance to
construct their own bundle of the channels they
“Many content
owners put a specific
clause in contracts
forbidding operators
to use their channels
or content in an a la
carte offering.”
14
January-February 2014
www.csimagazine.com
really want, many would want to take it. The a la
carte TV concept has been around for years and
already exists in some markets, such as India,
albeit in the face of lengthy legal disputes between
government and broadcasters. But it has become
a more frequent topic of discussion in relation to
lucrative TV markets in Europe and the Americas
in recent years, as the popularity of OTT TV
services has grown. Cable TV operators in
markets like the US now face not just cord cutting
but also politicians keen to arrest the rising cost
of their services. In May 2013, Senator John
McCain introduced legislation in the US congress
to encourage broadcasters and operators to offer a
la carte – although he admitted it had little
chance of becoming law.
The Canadian government has already
announced that it will seek to mandate
unbundling of TV channels. It was revealing that
Ken Engelhart, a vice-president at Rogers
Communications, a Toronto-based operator that
has experimented with a la carte, responded by
saying “If we don’t give Canadians more flexibility
we’re going to lose the whole system to the
Internet anyway, so I really don’t think we have a
choice”. On this side of the Atlantic, a number of
European operators are also offering a la carte
services (or elements of a la carte services),
including BT in the UK, YouSee in Denmark and
Com Hem in Sweden.
Don’t underestimate the bundle
But a la carte will be resisted by powerful vested
interests, including not just operators but content
creators/rights owners too. The December 2013
Needham & Co report, written by analyst Laura
Martin, estimates that between “$80 billion to
$113 billion of US consumer value would be
destroyed by this shrinking channel choice”,
Analyst corner
with the loss of around 124 channels and
$45 billion of advertising, leading to the loss
of 1.4 million jobs.
As Dan Finch, director at streaming, catch-up
TV and media management solutions provider
Simplestream Group notes: “Channel owners like
to be bundled in the most widely distributed
packages and to benefit [financially] from being
part of that, whether they’re actually being viewed
or not.” As he points out, many content owners
actually put a specific clause in contracts
forbidding operators to use their channels or
content in a la carte offering.
“There is a perception that consumers want a
la carte; and to a certain extent that’s true – but
it’s really the business of TV providers to deny
them that,” says William Cooper, founder and
CEO at the consultancy informitv. In any case,
he continues, would-be unbundlers should not
assume a la carte is a cheaper option. “The
evidence is that it would be comparatively
expensive for consumers to use a la carte
services,” says Cooper. “There is some truth in
the economies of scale argument: in a bundle,
channels can be offered at lower overall cost. The
pay TV proposition disguises the actual cost of
TV. People are also poor judges of how much they
would be prepared to pay.”
Cooper concedes that there is a trend towards
more flexible TV services, evidence for which can
be seen, for example, in the slowly growing
popularity of online pay as you go services like
the Sky-owned Now TV. He can also imagine
some channels developing international online
services to reach out directly to consumers. But
overall he warns against underestimating the value
a good bundle of channels offers consumers and
the TV industry.
If a la carte is going to spread through a market
any time soon, says Cooper, it is perhaps least
likely to be in the US, “where the players are very
well-established, the market is very valuable and
there’s a great deal at stake”. So where might we
see a la carte take root?
Shifting viewing behaviour – not so fast
Simplestream’s Dan Finch highlights the
opportunities available to providers of more
niche content, who could put additional resources
into developing OTT offerings, so presenting
consumers with a more open kind of a la carte
option, where operators are no longer the
primary aggregator.
www.csimagazine.com
January-Feburary 2014
15
A la carte TV
“If you’re getting good ratings and you’ve got a
wide distribution then you’re happy where you
are, but the more niche channels probably aren’t
going to be in those basic packages,” he says.
“Technology that will allow any broadcaster to
have their own iPlayer-like experience at a fraction
of the cost becomes interesting.”
This is what Simplestream is doing for its
customers, including Horse & Country TV, which
launched a TV Everywhere service, including a
seven day catch-up service in December.
“We believe heartily in channel unbundling,
and think that it is inevitable, however the way it
might be arrived at is through start-ups that do
not have huge vested interests already in play, so
it has to be an internet phenomenon. But the
invention of TV Everywhere has already meant
that the status quo has been kept in internet
content, and innovation is cramped for new OTT
services,” says Peter White, principle analyst at
Rethink Research, wrote in the company’s recent
Faultline newsletter service.
“But we fully expect a la carte unbundling to
become irresistible at some point in the pay TV
industry. This is the natural end point, which
can be achieved very gradually,” adds White.
Disputing Needham’s figures, he reckons the
around 50 to 60 channels would survive intact
while the rest would find their new niche
audiences over the web and also questions the
assumption that the move would necessarily
increase the cost of sports channels, at least
in Europe.
Adam Nightingale, head of multiscreen sales at
Irdeto, believes the appearance of a pure-play
16
January-February 2014
online TV service, “a fully-fledged service with
linear channels and a whole raft of catch-up
content”, could be an important driver for further
change in many markets. Another would be a
growth in the numbers of content owners
developing services that offered their content
direct to the consumer.
As Michael Tsur, president and co-founder
of open source online video platform Kaltura
points out, some US sports, such as NBA
basketball, already do this.
But for now, says William Cooper, it’s
important to remember the sheer weight of the
vested interests keen to maintain the status quo.
“Everyone is controlled by the people who control
the material that’s appealing to viewers,” he says.
“They are in a very strong position to decide how
that will be packaged. It’s difficult to see how a
new business model might emerge.”
Joachim Bergman, head of operations and
global solutions for Ericsson Broadcast Services,
sees the growth of a la carte as an expression
of broader industry trends driven by more
audience fragmentation. But he thinks one
result of these changes may be that in future
we have fewer broadcast channels, “with better
content”, with long tail content accessible via
non-broadcast sources.
Finally, of course, not all consumers are so
technically savvy that they will be willing and
happy to try to source content on their own –
they want that aggregation service. “Human
behaviour doesn’t change as radically as people
might think,” says Cooper. “That’s one reason
that TV is going to stay the same over the
www.csimagazine.com
YouSee sets the early trail
In Denmark, the operator YouSee has been
experimenting with it for several years.
YouSee, owned by Danish telco TDC, is the
largest cable operator in the country and
Denmark’s second largest broadband supplier.
It also supplies voice and mobile services.
There are a couple of unusual factors in
YouSee’s case: about two-thirds of its
customers access services via infrastructure
paid for by groups of households, rather than
as individual customers; and although 95%
of its customers watch digital services, only
10% do so via a set-top box. Around 60%
of YouSee subscribers take its premium
package, which offers 55 channels, including
25 HD channels.
Mathias Berg, senior vice-president and
head of YouSee at TDC, explains that YouSee
started offering a kind of a la carte service in
2010, giving consumers the opportunity to
choose four extra channels on top of its basic
package. This offer did not prove wildly
popular, but in 2013 the company refined
the service.
“Now it’s a single channel add-on, priced
at €1 to €4,” Berg explains. “You don’t have
to take the bundle of four. That has increased
take-up.” The fact the service is only
accessible to consumers with set-top boxes
will limit take-up, although the company does
believe most of those customers will sign up.
YouSee is just about to launch a new a la
carte offer. Consumers will subscribe to 25
channels, but can then pick and choose from
the other 35. “That allows us to hold on to
the economies of scale for the broadcasters,
but we give you the freedom of choice to pick
and choose the channels you want,” says Berg.
“This concept could be a bit daunting for
a broadcaster, but by keeping the customers
on this platform there will be more money
to content owners; compared to sticking to
a very inflexible platform and so tempting
consumers to try more flexible platforms
elsewhere.”
next few years.” But look back ten years: for many
people in many markets TV has already changed
beyond recognition, in part because of the impact
of OTT and time-shifted viewing.
In another ten years perhaps a la carte will
have started to make a deeper impression – if not
quite the natural endpoint.
Join us at
DVB
WORLD
10 –12 March 2014
Prague
The 14th annual DVB World Conference and Exhibition
is a must for all media professionals. DVB is uniquely
placed to look beyond the current horizon to understand
what the future holds for the world of digital media
distribution. Join us to hear from some of the most
innovative and distinguished figures in the industry to
know what technical, business and social developments
we can expect and how they will effect content delivery
in the near future and beyond.
For futher information, visit the DVB World website.
2014
www.dvbworld.org
Cloud TV
Multi-screen driving
cloud UI rendering
But at multiscreen research
firm Diametric Analysis, principal
analyst Aditya Kishore, argues
that the main attraction of cloud
UI for most operators is
operational at present. “I would say that the
primary motivation for Cloud UI adoption seems
to be more operational benefits in cost and
complexity than ARPU lifts and so on,” says
Kishore. “The primary driver is to be able to take
the grunt work away from the STB and pull it into
the cloud.”
But Kishore agrees that the cloud enables
operators to deploy a consistent and yet optimised
experience across multiple devices. “To do that
you needed in the past to adapt the UI for every
device and every platform,” he says. “The promise
of the Cloud UI is that the device/platform
constraints are eliminated.”
For Ben Gidley, director of multiscreen
solutions at Irdeto, a cloud UI is built on a
standards-based platform, such as Linux, and
allows operators to offer valuable services
without having to rely on a single vendor.
Gidley says it can free operators from the
traditional STB middleware model in the
broadcast world, meaning lower integration
costs, as well as offering more flexibility to
make changes quickly to adapt to consumer
demands. It also has the potential to reduce
STB costs, reduce dependence on a single or
small number of manufacturers and allows TV
services to operate effectively on a new
generation of lean, low-cost generic devices.
“The main benefit of Cloud UI though, is to
deliver a consistent and rapidly updatable user
experience on both broadcast and IP networks
to a wider range of STBs which the operator
wants to support, alongside other connected
devices. When it comes to smartphones and
tablets there is value in understanding how
differently consumers use those devices and in
adapting the UI to be native and natural on
that device, while still consistent and familiar,”
he adds.
According to Gidley, companies such as
As Ziggo blazes the early trail, cloud UIs are coming, but
are not yet right for everyone, says Philip Hunter
T
he race to deploy multiscreen
services and cut costs
associated with set top boxes
is driving many pay TV
operators towards cloud based
distribution, storage and most
recently User Interface (UI)
Rendering. The idea of executing the UI in the
cloud rather than in a set top, gateway or end
device is appealing because it provides an elegant
solution for the challenge of being fast to market
with new services and features serving multiple end
consumer devices with different display capabilities.
But it is not suitable in all cases and there is
disagreement over whether at this stage the main
18
January-February 2014
reason for deploying cloud UI is to cut ecosystem
costs or deliver more competitive and compelling
services that drive up ARPU and customer
retention.
“The primary advantages of cloud-based TV is
speed of innovation, and the ability to manage
multiscreen distribution flexibly, whether to a TV
or any other IP-connected device,” says Marty
Roberts, senior VP of sales and marketing at
thePlatform, the Seattle-based online video
publishing company owned by the largest US
cable operator Comcast. “In the classic pay TV
infrastructure, updates to UIs are measured in
months or years, not weeks as is possible when it
is in the cloud.”
www.csimagazine.com
Cloud TV
Ziggo, which is using cloud to bring customers
content in an innovative fashion, are tapping into
a burgeoning consumer trend for easier and
instant access to great content delivered via a
compelling service.
Indeed, Dutch cable operator Ziggo has been
the cheer leader for cloud UI rendering and has
cited both cost savings and speed to market as
important benefits, as well as all round
improvement in the customer experience. Ziggo
had 229,000 of its subscribers using decoders
activated with a streaming graphical user interface
(SGUI) by end-September 2013. Given that there
were 60,000 at the end of Q1 2013 and 150,000
three months later, it looks like Ziggo was on
around 300,000 by the start of 2014, assuming its
“The TVoD
(Transaction VoD) buy
rate on the cloud-based
devices is on average
higher than that on
our legacy non-cloudbased STBs.”
cloud TV roll out had continued at a similar rate.
The SGUI can be deployed either across
existing set tops or TVs supporting the Common
Interface (CI+) 1.3 standard to perform the CA
(Conditional Access) functions. There are now
about 280 such CI compliant TV models from
Samsung, LG, Philips and Panasonic. The
benefits spring from UI consistency across
multiple devices coupled with rapid time to
market for new features, according to Eric Meijer,
Ziggo’s senior product developer on Consumer
Products and Innovation. “The user interface and
functionality are identical regardless of which
device is used,” notes Meijer. “A Philips CI+ TV
or a Humax STB provide exactly the same GUI
and the same functionality. The turn-around time
for upgrades has been slashed and we can provide
an upgrade of the GUI or functionality on about
280 devices within a few months.”
It may be too early to judge whether Ziggo’s
cloud UI has helped combat churn or gain
subscribers, but it has definitely boosted ARPU,
according to Meijer. “The TVoD (Transaction
VoD) buy rate on the cloud-based devices is on
average higher than that on our legacy non-cloudbased STBs,” he points out.
Ziggo uses ActiveVideo’s CloudTV platform,
which has also landed two other major scalps in
Europe, Liberty Global and Deutsche Telekom.
Liberty Global is using the platform to expand
the reach of its Horizon TV hybrid multi-screen
service in Europe and Latin America. Currently
available to subscribers through hybrid QAM/IP
home gateways in several markets including the
Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland and Ireland,
CloudTV will expand distribution for Liberty to
older cable set tops and eventually other video
devices in customers’ homes.
Meanwhile Deutsche Telekom has been testing
the delivery of cloud TV services in Germany and
Greece with ActiveVideo’s help and has more
recently proceeded with a trial of “virtualised”
IPTV set tops in Croatia. The operator now plans
to start deploying cloud TV without set tops for
up to three million European TV customers
outside its home Germany market.
All these deployments have adopted
ActiveVideo’s approach to cloud TV, where all the
UI functions, including executing the programme
guide software, as well as processing the relevant
metadata for content selection, takes place in the
cloud. “Today if you have guide software on the
set top box, it is tied to middleware software on
the box and in turn to the CPU and SoC,”
explains Sachin Sathaye, VP of Strategy and
Product Marketing at ActiveVideo. “That means
any change in graphic takes 16 months. But if you
have the same guide software in the cloud as
HTML5 as we do you can then send the same
video stream to a managed device, or unmanaged
OTT device like a Roku box.”
An alternative approach gaining traction in the
US is based on the Reference Design Kit (RDK)
developed by Comcast and now licensed by over
50 companies including cable operators such as
Time Warner as well as leading chip and set top
makers. The main difference is that while
metadata is still processed in the cloud, the actual
rendering of the UI takes place in a set top, which
according to Sathaye means it is still dependent
on the capabilities of a client device. “It is not
really cloud UI because only data is handled in
the cloud,” he says. “This is a very device centric
approach and creates PC-like cost structure for
the STB. In a fragmented device ecosystem, this
device dependent approach is consistently proving
to be expensive and time consuming.”
Time Warner Cable recently announced its new
guide with cloud-based features was now on two
million hybrid gateways, with plans to hit six
million by the end of next year. The new guide
was paired with updated cloud-based navigation
services, more programme information, a new
VoD portal and better search and
recommendation capabilities. These are not based
www.csimagazine.com
January-Feburary 2014
19
Cloud TV
on the RDK although there are plans for this at
some point in 2014.
Client side improvements
Other vendors though contend that the trend
towards cloud TV will actually coincide with
increased client capabilities, working in tandem
with server side processing in the network. TV
technology specialist S3 Group, which has also
licensed RDK from Comcast, argues that
improvements in client side capability will play a
crucial role in improved quality of experience.
“Of particular relevance was the emergence of
Ajax (Asynchronous Java Script and XML)
architectures towards the end of the 2000s,”
argues John Maguire, S3 Group’s director of
strategy and marketing. Ajax is a group of web
technologies that has evolved gradually over the
last decade or more to facilitate intelligent and
efficient client/server interaction between
browsers and web sites over the Internet. “This
saw a shifting of significant amounts of the
processing towards the client side and away from
the server to enable richer and more responsive
client applications,” says Maguire. “We expect to
see something similar in the delivery of cloud
hosted UIs for TV. Already some significant
advances have been made in the ability of client
side processors to render HTML5 quickly and run
Java Script efficiently, however we expect to see
further improvements over the next few years.”
Such developments will help cloud based
rendering come of age, since that will require
close synergy with the client, according to Paul
Bristow, VP of strategy at set top box and home
gateway maker ADB. “Over the next few years,
the performance of web browsers in client devices
should improve greatly,” says Bristow. “That will
make it much easier to have a graphics rich,
HTML-based UI with lots of simultaneous video
decoding rendered in the device.”
Bristow emphasizes though that for the time
being at least cloud UI is not suitable for all
operators and that for some it will be a close call
whether the benefits outweigh the disadvantages.
“For sure, a cloud-based UI makes sense for
operators in a 1 gigabit fibre environment,
whereas in a broadcast environment it makes no
sense whatsoever,” he argues. “It’s in between
these two extremes that it becomes more difficult
to determine which solution is appropriate. In
practice, an operator’s choice of a cloud UI will
20
January-February 2014
Ziggo VoD service guide
depend on how much guaranteed bandwidth
there is to the home, how many screens will
have to be supported simultaneously per home,
and the level of UI needed to be competitive in
your marketplace.”
Bristow concedes that cloud rendering could
be a good solution for those operators unsure
over what form of UI would best suit their
subscribers. “With a uniform base of target
devices, using the cloud to do A/B testing “live”
to discover what really works is a great way to
find out,” says Bristow.
Latency and other challenges
Even those operators well suited to UI rendering
still face challenges, notably over latency, traffic
congestion over the access network and scalability
of the whole infrastructure. If latency is too great
then users will experience delay in response to
programme guide requests, which could cause
significant churn given past experience with slow
channel change time associated with many earlier
IPTV services. Congestion is potentially an issue
more with cloud based PVR in the event that
many people are accessing stored content at the
same time. Then scalability is a related issue
associated with increasing levels of UI rendering
and VoD downloads on a per user basis, requiring
infrastructure that can readily be extended
to cope.
Ziggo admits that it has had to tackle some of
these problems as a pioneer for cloud TV. “Due
www.csimagazine.com
to the fact that Ziggo launched this first
worldwide, we are still working on further
improving latency, user experience and stability of
the platform,” says Meijer. “Latency is the biggest
challenge, especially when buffering of the video
signal, and thus on the cloud based GUI, is used.
This means that all parts of the video chain,
including server, connections, edge QAM, TV
and STB all need to be optimised with respect
to latency.”
Congestion has been less of a problem because
consumers only spend at most 10% of their
viewing time inside the programme guide, so that
the amount of traffic generated over the network
is manageable. Scalability can be guaranteed, but
only so long as the architecture allows capacity to
be increased independently as required both in
the centre and periphery of the network, without
having to waste money through over provisioning.
“In our case the central components will deal
with millions of users, while the decentralized
GUI streamers can be expanded by simply adding
servers, comprising standard hardware, in case
additional capacity is required,” adds Meijer.
The case of Ziggo then, along with extensive
tests by some other operators like Deutsche
Telekom, has demonstrated that cloud UI
rendering can work and deliver benefits such as
increased ARPU. But it is not right for all
operators and deployment is likely to proceed
erratically, in fact just as it did in the case of past
radical pay TV technologies.
2014
20 to 22 May 2014
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2014 trends
What’s ahead for TV?
internet TV provider
– has shown how far
OTT has come over
the last few years. The
Goran Nastic looks at what lies in store for the industry
company is ploughing
big money into
this year
original content, and
t’s customary at this time of the year to
regardless of the screen size, an interesting
once this ‘content gap’ narrows further pure-OTT
gaze into our crystal balls and try to predict
thought where tablets and smartphones account
players will be an even more significant force to
what is likely – or unlikely – to happen over
for increasing shares of consumption,” he says.
be reckoned with.
the next 12 months. In the hope that not
Initially there will not be much programming
Even operators will be getting in on the pure
everything will prove out to be wrong, CSI
available in 4k although the likes of Amazon,
OTT act, according to Tvinci. “Now that they
polled a wide range of experts and collated
YouTube, Sony and Netflix are doing their best to
have proven that OTT is here to stay, operators
the results to identify a handful of key
put this right, with announcements of various
are bound to accelerate their transition into pure
trends we can expect to see in 2014. From the
pilots to be shot in 4k. At CES, Netflix CEO
OTT solutions; initially supporting OTT side-bypredictable (4k anyone?) to the more left-field (the
Reed Hastings joined the LG press conference
side with legacy broadcast systems, but gradually
emergence of the Internet of Ghosts) here is what
to announce that real-time, 4k streaming from
replacing them and moving to a pure OTT
the year may have in store.
Netflix will be coming this year on LG TVs,
service,” said COO Amir Eilat.
with ‘House of Cards’ being filmed in that format.
As evidence, just look at Verizon’s big buck
It’s all about 4k
If nothing else, the World Cup in Brazil will prove
acquisitions of Intel’s OnCue business and
The industry loves a good buzzword and in terms
a good opportunity to test 4k broadcasts and
CDN provider Edgecast as proof that the world
of hype at least 2014 will be the year of 4k/ultra
the wider end-to-end chain, which the likes
is going OTT.
HD. Apart from a potential launch in Japan, the
of Comcast have already confirmed they will
As SatLink’s David Hochner notes, what the
next 12 months are highly unlikely to see any realbe doing.
rise of OTT has also done is open up the market
world 4k channels go on air but they will be
This year, then, will see the first real seeds of
for smaller, sometimes more niche broadcasters.
significant from a practical point of view. The
4k – and by extension HEVC – begin to take
There is a growing trend amongst these smaller
UK’s Digital TV Group has identified the next six
shape, sparking real transmissions and
broadcasters to make use of cloud-based managed
to 12 months when the definition of ultra HD will
productions of 4k content and laying early
services and offerings from specialist providers.
begin to take shape. Standards are seen by many
groundwork, but enthusiastic proclamations of
Many of these will predominately be used to
as a critical issue and there is much work taking
a truly meaningful impact will have to wait a
reach out to ethnic communities across the globe
place by the EBU and other bodies to get to grips
while longer.
and those seeking more interactive content.
with the entire value chain.
Accedo CEO Michael Lantz, CEO agrees that
The DTG stressed that UHD should
OTT matures further
the main difference in 2014 will be the entrance
encompass the entire experience and not just be
Gone are the days of OTT being associated only
of niche content providers. “OTT video
about the higher 3840 × 2160 resolution. A whole
with cats on skateboards. Once dismissed by cable
distribution has now reached a mass market state
range of factors including dynamic range, colour
operators as not worthy of their attention, these
and it is now possible for content providers to roll
requirements, bit depth of the video, higher frame
services have not only forced cable into launching
out OTT apps globally with high impact. Business
rates, audio and others need to be taken into
their only TV Everywhere services but they are
models will be subscription-centric, but we will
account here.
now also actively partnering with the likes of
also see innovation and partnerships between
It is a sentiment echoed by Paul Gray, director
Netflix, which has now been integrated with
content providers and distributors to maximise
of European TV Research for DisplaySearch:
Virgin Media and Com Hem. This is the start
awareness and buy-through”.
“Perception trials suggest that broader colour
of a trend and more cablenets will almost
As for TV Everywhere, Accedo believes that all
gamut, higher dynamic range and even-faster
surely follow. This includes, long-tail sVoD
pay-TV operators will launch some sort of TVE
frame rate have a far greater impact on the
to complement premium live and catch-up TV.
presence in 2014 and 2015, although many of
consumer’s experience. Such features also work
Netflix, of course, is the trailblazer of
these are likely to be limited in scope due to
streaming
technical and rights issues.
service
providers and
Blurred lines
its multiple
The line will continue to blur between traditional
Emmy awards
pay TV services and OTT, according to Adam
wins – the
Nightingale, senior director of global strategic
first for an
sales at Irdeto.
I
22
January-February 2014
www.csimagazine.com
2014 trends
“As it is often difficult to subscribe to one
service which satisfies all consumer
requirements, the consumer will start to cherry
pick the content, select the device he or she will
consume the content on and will navigate based
on personalized and social recommendations,
paying for content as and when they want it,”
says Nightingale.
The result of this, he reckons, will be that
OTT will morph into mainstream TV delivery
and consumers will be decreasingly aware of the
medium over which their content is delivered.
The 2014 challenge will be to build a
coherent TV experience, which requires a clear
and articulate presentation of content across all
channels, according to Ericsson. The company
expects TV providers to increasingly aggregate,
curate and add value by enabling consumers to
access any content, at any time.
“Furthermore, we can expect to see revenue
sharing deals, especially when an OTT provider
can benefit from an operator’s on-net CDN to
optimize quality,” adds Jon Haley, VP business
development, Edgeware.
In any case, content like this will be cached so
it can be accessed locally so will not travel along
the whole network backbone each time it is
accessed, notes Dave Welch at Infinera. “The
days when ISPs can be safe in the knowledge that
consumers don’t expect to be able to get HD
content on the go are numbered as we’re
becoming increasingly greedy when it comes to
our content,” he says.
Increase in connected set-top boxes
The number of Internet connected STBs will
continue to grow strongly and this will have an
impact on how content is viewed. Many
commentators foresee decrease in “connected”
use of smart TVs as set top box interfaces
increasingly becomes the default for TV and on
demand services. As the penetration of these
hybrid STBs increase, so will the viewing of catchup through services such as iPlayer, 4OD be
accessed via STBs.
Conversely, smart TVs will stay fragmented in
2014, and it is only longer term that observers see
a shift towards Google, Apple and Microsoft OSs.
(One (bold?) claim by ADB’s Paul Bristow is
that we will see the first TV manufacturer give up
on smart TV this year. Someone introduces a ‘TV
screen’ designed for thin clients: “Skips the smart,
reduces the price,” he argues).
The second-screen/scaling multi-screen
Second screen experiences will come of age and
content consumption will be transformed by the
growing usage of the second screen, which is the
best place for interactivity ranging from control,
discovery and personalisation.
Using adaptive streaming technologies for
second-screen video delivery is becoming
mainstream and some leading broadcasters are
finding that video consumption of their OTT
service is more popular on second screens than
on the traditional TV set, according to Thierry
Fautier, VP solutions & strategy at Harmonic.
“Given this trend, we believe the OTT focus in
2014 will be on scaling services to make them
available across more devices in a profitable way,”
says Futier.
With respect to new VAS, Harmonic’s Fauiter
envisions the catch-up services offered today will
be enhanced by new services, such as start-over
TV and cloud DVR, and better monetised based
on the recording or viewing window. Operators
also have the opportunity to offer their customers
tiered options for extended storage.
Over the next 12 months, Ericsson also expects
to see a repositioning of video strategies towards
long term IP transformation for multi-screen
video, which will enable service providers to
deliver all video over a single IP infrastructure.
It will not only affect what happens from the
head-end to the consumer but also production
and distribution.
Social TV
Social TV will become more than a ‘Like’
button – the next wave of OTT services will
add another dimension to social TV, with
interaction and content enrichment woven into
the viewing experience.
“We will start to see activity feeds with
elements like crowdsourcing (eg “48% of your
friends are watching Breaking Bad now”) and
social recommendations (“Your friends who
liked Titanic also enjoyed Chicago”),” says
Tvinci’s Eilat.
Service providers will be able to analyse these
interactions in order to curate content most
effectively, and launch intelligent campaigns.
SkyIQ, Sky’s media arm, sees Facebook and
Twitter jostling to be TVs social partner. It thinks
new social TV measurement services coming
on-stream will likely mean development of deeper
relationships between programming, advertising
and social, as consumer experience becomes more
joined up.
Personal TV
Some see 2014 as the year when TV moves from
shared to individual experience and targeted,
operator-driven advertising over multi-screen.
Despite all the hype, individualised targeted
advertising only started to become a reality at the
end of 2013 from an operator point of view and
the next 12 months are likely to see only
moderate but steady progress on this front.
The personal TV experience involves a number
of elements to fall into place, including
preferences, permissions, privacy, history, social
networks and household management to name
but a few, making these still early waters for true
personalisation for most operators to make that
complete plunge.
By 2015, Sky IQ predicts viewers will see the
same level of personalisation they see in online
advertising on TV. Using better insight from
detailed viewing data, agencies and brands can
track the success of highly targeted campaigns by
linking all marketing activity.
www.csimagazine.com
January-February 2014
23
2014 trends
The ‘uber’ gateway
All the media processing and distribution
technology that previously required a dedicated
set top for each screen now goes into one
powerful transcoding device that gives service
providers greater levels of versatility and control
than OTT boxes. It also lays to rest the premature
proclamations that the STB is about to witness its
imminent doom.
“You’ll see more of these shipping next year as
service providers respond to consumers’ demand
for more connected entertainment experiences
across all their devices. Down the road, these
gateways will become platforms for providing appbased TV experiences, leveraging sensor
technologies and connected systems to enable
telemedicine, remote education, and more,” says
Arris VP of sales, Cornel Ciocirlan.
By opening up the traditional set-top
architecture to this new connected ecosystem,
service providers are not only changing the face of
entertainment - through service integration at the
device level - but the very mold of the devices
themselves, Ciocirlan argues.
IPTV revival
HTTP unicast is no match for multicast when
it comes to content delivery to large, live
audiences during peak viewing periods,
according to Edgeware’s Healey. “We can
expect operators to revive IPTV multicasting
and utilise this technology for premium HD
programming in 2014,” he says.
Retransmission and fast channel change of
these multicasts will be required in order to
offer truly differentiated quality.
Piracy will become more sophisticated
Piracy remains a big issue for the industry.
Techniques such as deeper encryption and the use
of “blind lockers” such as Mega mean that the
problem will not go away.
To combat piracy and illegal use of service
providers’ content, broad adoption of digital
watermarking is likely to be driven hard during
2014, while there is also need to be able to
identify the perpetrator down to an individual
session, according to Duncan Potter, CMO at
SeaWell Networks.
From a legislation perspective, Irdeto’s
Nightingale expects broadcasters and content
owners will refocus their attention on lobbying
efforts to improve global legislative frameworks.
The impetus here is access to content – and pay
24
January-February 2014
TV operators will need to work with consumers
where possible, highlighting the disadvantages of
pirated content and encouraging legal
consumption. The European Commission has
already set precedence for 2014 with
investigations into programming agreements
relating to geographical access to content, and he
expects to see more of these conversations as the
year progresses.
IP contribution
Many broadcasters and cable MSOs have been
trying out internet contribution in small scale
operations during 2013 with positive results and
the indications are that they will scale this up
in 2014.
The trend of contribution and content
acquisition over the internet (ie, away from
satellite) will ensure cost-efficient news gathering
and open up a route to bring in niche channels at
affordable costs.
Net Insight argues that mezzanine quality will
be replaced by high-quality lossless transmission,
Multi-screen is high on operators’ agendas
a trend that will see an increase in high bit rate
coding formats like JPEG2000 and AVC-I. “We
are also likely to see a continued increase of
uncompressed transport services, especially in
markets where high-capacity fibre networks are
available at a relatively low cost,” says Net Insight.
The Cloud and data centres
More cloud computing means more data centres
and these data centres all need to be connected,
which is leading to a huge increase in network
traffic. On top of this, cloud data centres have to
be distributed globally in order to serve local
customers, so we are seeing a huge growth of
M2M traffic in particular. Unlike the Internet of
Things, this is large scale M2M traffic between
customers and the cloud rather than between
www.csimagazine.com
devices, and it’s proving to be the second largest
drive of internet traffic after video, according to
Welch at Infinera. (Indeed, estimates point at a
30:1 ratio between devices and people which can
be connected.)
He notes that it is becoming increasingly
fashionable to build data centres somewhere cold
and remote, where cooling is free and renewable
energy flows from water or wind power. Facebook
for example, has just located its newest data
centre on the edge of Arctic Circle. But every
little reduction in power consumption helps, and
operators need to look at energy efficient ways of
upgrading capacity without having to lay more
fibre, like photonic integration, which he argues
can upscale network capacity tenfold without
rolling out any additional fibre.
And some others...
Streaming format consolidation. The de facto
multiscreen delivery formats are likely to become
Apple HLS and MPEG-DASH. DASH transport
stream will be broadly viewed as the mezzanine
format for ABR distribution in the US,
reckons SeaWell’s Potter. At the same
time, Europe will drive much broader
adoption of DASH AVC264 at a device
level, proving that ABR protocols are
likely to further proliferate before
converging.
DLNA has been deployed in over two
billion devices and its new CVP-2 standard
enables secure playback across these.
Ecosystem participants deploying CVP-2
will be able to use standardised
technologies including HTML5 Remote
User Interface (RUI), authentication, home
network diagnostics and network power save.
Remote production. As online coverage of the
big sports events is getting increasingly important
and cost reduction is always a big motivator, 2014
is expected to become the big year for remote
production, by Net Insight at least.
Live in-flight TV. Live viewing up in the air
while travelling on an aeroplane could be the next
step. This would be a completely new media for
broadcasters and content providers to adapt to
but fits in with the overall connected vision,
according to SatLink’s Horchner.
Will all of these go according to plan in 2014?
Probably not, and this new unpredictability in
the face of brisk technological change is what
makes the industry such a good one to work in
these days.
12 - 14th March 2014, RAI Amsterdam
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Digital lockers
UltraViolet:
the story so far
UltraViolet was created to provide a single standard
for cloud lockers for digital movie ownership. There are
signs of success but greater marketing is needed to
make it mainstream. Adrian Pennington reports
A
ny initiative by a
conglomorate of
competing studios
attempting to put
together a partnership
of competing retailers
and rival pay-TV
operators is going to be a complicated one to get
off the ground.
In that light, UltraViolet’s record since
introduction in October 2011 isn’t bad, racking
up more than 15 million accounts. Some 2.3
million titles were uploaded to those accounts
during Christmas week alone.
“It’s impressive it has come as far as it has
given the divergent interests of those involved,”
says Dan Cryan, IHS Digital Media, research
director.
Jean-Marc Racine, managing partner at
consultancy Farncombe calls it “a huge
achievement,” adding: “The content industry
hasn’t seen such an impressive innovation for
some time. Any new technology takes time to
bed in. It hasn’t cannibalised studio revenue and
they have created a new way to sell content. I
assume that they can afford to wait for it to
penetrate households.”
26
January-February 2014
The majority of accounts are held in the US
but the licensing system (produced by Digital
Entertainment Content Ecosystem, or DECE) is
also available in the UK (between 800,000-1m
accounts), Ireland, Canada, Australia and New
Zealand. It grew 44% in the first half of 2013 and
continues to broaden internationally, recently
launching into France, Germany, Austria and
Switzerland with Benelux to follow.
The catalogue of UV-enabled film and TV
titles has grown to more than 12,000. This
compares to Netflix, which counts 23,000 movie
titles, and iTunes’ 23,500 but UV exponents argue
for the system’s greater flexibility. In principle,
consumers have the ability to register up to 12 IP
devices and stream or download the movie titles
“There is no
information about
how many people
have redeemed a UV
unlock code for a
DVD purchase. Nor
does DECE reveal
how many digital-only
movies have been sold
in UV format.”
www.csimagazine.com
to those devices. In addition
they may stream the same
title simultaneously on up to
three devices at any one time.
The real question is how –
and how much - is UltraViolet
being used? Such data is kept
under lock and key by DECE
citing the confidentiality of
UV retailers, although it may
be more forthcoming in
future. For now we have to
guess, for example, how many
UV accounts are active. Do
consumers set up accounts and then forget about
them, because that’s one more password to
remember? Or do they regularly visit their online
collection and re-watch favourites?
DECE has said that the more titles in a UV
locker, the more people use it but there is no
information about how many people have
redeemed a UV unlock code for a DVD purchase.
Nor does DECE reveal how many digital-only
movies have been sold in UV format.
“The accounts are growing but they are driven
by the physical business - people cashing in the
UV code which they get with a disc,” says Cryan.
“As a digital purchase proposition UV isn’t really
doing significant numbers. The purchase game
is dominated by Apple, Microsoft, Amazon and
Google, none of whom are involved with UV
at present.”
Ultraviolet is far from the exclusive means of
purchasing Electronic Sell Through (now known
as Digital HD) and is arguably suffering from
OTT, EST and iVOD competition with better
marketing support, or systems from content
resellers which are already in people’s living
rooms. Market leader iTunes holds approximately
45% market share for iVOD and 65% for EST.
“The low-key launch into the market has
probably impacted consumer awareness, and as
a result the adoption of the service,” suggests
Stuart Cleary, EMEA Product Director for Digital
Media at Akamai.
This has not been helped by a reputation for
being overly complex. Sky Movies boss Ian Lewis
was publicly critical last year, insisting that
UltraViolet needs to be simpler and much more
customer-focused.
“It all boils down to the best consumer
experience,” says Racine. “There’s nothing more
Digital lockers
frustrating than buying a piece of content to find
the DRM doesn’t allow you to use it. Every pay
content system has issues at some point which
triggers churn.”
There is evidence that DECE has taken this on
board. YouGov research shows that almost a fifth
(19%) of consumers in the UK were aware of
UltraViolet, a 3% increase from the start of the
year. Over half (55%) of those who have tried
UltraViolet said they were likely to use the service
when they next purchase a physical disc and
almost three quarters (72%) of those who are very
familiar with the system are likely to use the
service again.
Market research by the NPD Group in the
US last summer suggested that 82% of users
were ‘very’ or ‘somewhat’ satisfied with their UV
experiences - levels comparable to Netflix and
iTunes. Some 78% of users indicated that the
registration process was easy, particularly for
those who have signed up in the past year,
which suggests that the authentication process
has improved.
“The positive feedback on UltraViolet is
critically important, not only for the obvious
reason that the service needs to be competitive
with other options for digital home video, but also
because the research pointed out that UV needs
more evangelists,” states Russ Crupnick, SVP of
analysis for NPD.
Jason Keane, president, Saffron Digital says
UV members have been working to streamline the
sign-up process and user experience. “Initially the
user experiences differed greatly from retailer to
retailer as different contributors attempted their
own implementation,” he says. “Simple user flows
are being introduced into services and
applications are making content more accessible
and significantly reducing the amount of time
required to link a user’s retail account with their
UV account.”
New features (multiple languages, chapters
and late binding) are becoming available on
applications and in the players themselves which,
according to Keane, are creating “slick viewing
experiences”.
“As the ecosystem matures and everyone works
more closely together great strides are being made
and the momentum is picking up.”
For Steve Christian, marketing VP of DECE
member Verimatrix, a key innovation was the
ability to ‘lockerize’ an existing DVD collection
to preserve/transfer rights and extend them into
new formats. “Some people find the idea of
maintaining a separate UV account in conjunction
with their current service provider credentials to
be a step too far - and this leads to some rather
bumpy initial impressions and reviews,” he says.
One objective of UV was to extend the lifecycle
of DVDs and Blu-ray discs. The NPD study
showed that 35% of UV users reported that using
the system encouraged them to make more DVD,
Blu-ray, and digital movie purchases.
“From the perspective of today’s UltraViolet
users, the utility provided by physical discs
combined with access to a digital version usable
on a multitude of devices, translates to a hard
benefit at retail,” Crupnick concludes.
Changing consumer digital behaviour
The long term aim of UV though, is to wean
consumers away from physical toward making a
digital purchase. Leaving aside whether UV can
be a front-runner in EST, there are questions
about whether consumer behaviour is angling
more toward streaming.
“Overall consumer behaviour has swung in
favour of renting but in the last 18 months we’ve
seen a bit of a renewal in consumer activity
around purchase,” says Cryan. He attributes this
to the introduction of early EST windows ahead
of VoD and DVD title availability, instead of the
simultaneous rollout with disc purchase and
digital rental/VOD formats.
For example, Warner Bros.’ The Great Gatsby,
Paramount’s Star Trek Into Darkness and
Disney’s Iron Man 3 were available on select
digital platforms a few weeks before street date.
Susanne Ault in Variety observed that the
window is seen by studios as a way to train the
subset of the audience who are DVD collectors to
make the jump to digital ownership by getting
movies earlier than they would on disc.
The home entertainment business ended 2013
is some cheer given the second annual year of
growth for Digital HD and VoD. Figures from the
Digital Entertainment Group showed Digital HD
up 50% for the year, topping $1 billion for the
first time. Of that, the sale of new releases rose
about 150% year-on-year.
“A number of things came together to drive last
year’s success in digital,” outlined Mike Dunn,
Worldwide President, Twentieth Century Fox
Home Entertainment at CES. “Most studios had
similar release patterns which gave a consistency
of approach. An affordable price and an early
window works and gives retailers something more
to say to the consumer. New entrants like Target
Ticket (a digital sell through service from
Comcast) gave sales a boost and aggressive
marketing alerted the consumer to fact that we’re
www.csimagazine.com
January-February 2014 27
Digital lockers
coming to market with something new.”
Consumers have already accepted the concept
of cloud ownership for music and they’ve been
comfortable using services like iTunes for years.
Could the same happen for digital video
ownership as more services become available and
consumers become more comfortable with them?
Also at CES, Sony Home Entertainment
president David Bishop noted the growing impact
of cloud lockers. “In the early days, when iTunes
was the only game in town, there was a physical
limitation in terms of local storage, to how much
the consumer could own. You reach a point where
a customer gets 8-10 movies in a collection then
they have pride of ownership and they know
where their digital movies live.”
As part of its latest Global Cloud Index, Cisco
forecasts 63% annual growth rates for personal
cloud content services such as Google Drive,
DropBox and iCloud. Watch out too for San
Disk/Western Digital’s networked cloud storage
which costs £100 for 2TB of in home hardware
and has the backing of Warners and Fox as
another entre to UltraViolet. Personal content
lockers, though a small part of the overall total,
will be one of the fastest growing types of
consumer cloud IP traffic, according to Cisco.
“These types of personal-storage offerings will
help familiarise consumers with the general
concept of cloud-based services,” says Keane.
“UV (or at least a UV-like approach to digital
content) is the future for digital content.
It gives users that comfort in knowing that if
they purchase a piece of content, that content
can go with them where they want, across
any device, across any platform. This is really
critical to the acceptance of digital media in the
consumer’s mind.”
Verimatrix’ Christian is unsure of any technical
correlation between UV as a rights management
approach and cloud file storage: “The locker
related to UV does not after all store any of the
28
January-February 2014
actual movie content, just the rather binary
information about who owns what and who has
the right to play it back. Conceptually perhaps,
the overlap is about trust and persistence of
information. None of these services yet has
a pedigree for long term storage - but more
offering the proposition of convenience and
device independence.”
What about the retailers?
Ultimately, the UV project hinges on getting
retailers on board. “The long term issue for any
cloud locker is who has the right from a
consumer perspective to look after their digital
stuff – pictures, files, photos, movies,” says Cryan.
“That is a fundamental question. Who will have
any significant scale in the purchase business
if there is no confidence around permanent
digital rights?”
The analyst suggests that brands which
consumers feel may be a safe haven for their
content include Apple, Amazon, Google,
Microsoft, possibly Sony, as well as others
like Dropbox.
“When you look at Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Barnes
& Noble and Samsung, these are brands that
don’t necessarily have a history of looking after
personal content but UltraViolet suddenly gives
them that authority,” says Cryan.
In the US, retailers like Walmart and Best Buy,
have integrated the UV locker with their digital
video retail business but UK retailers have yet to
follow suit.
“Bricks and mortar retailers are realising that
consumers want to consume content online,
available across connected devices, and so a big
focus that they have is to work out how to bridge
that gap,” says Keane.
Last April, Saffron Digital integrated its online
video platform with Akamai’s Sola Media
Solutions and CDN to create an ‘out-of-the-box’
UV solution intended to simplify and shorten
www.csimagazine.com
time to market. Saffron will develop storefronts
that have UV’s common file format player at their
core. The company says it is talking to a number
of “major multi retailers” about launching in
early 2014. It is also launching a US-based service
in Q2.
“Where UV can really come into its own is
when there are more retailers globally offering UV
services, and the prospect of being able to go into
any store or load up any application and at the
click of a button or press of a finger access your
content library is an exciting one,” adds Keane.
Although Disney has yet to join, the company
that could make most difference is Amazon.
Wheeled out on stage at UV’s CES launch in
2011, it has yet to declare its hand. Yet it would
have the infrastructure to play a key role in
service provision.
“The number of current UV accounts will pick
up significantly as more and more retailers launch
their own UV locker gateways, which will make it
a more mainstream method of selling digital
content,” says Keane. “We hope that the adoption
of a striking and consistent packaging regimen,
combined with simultaneous retail service
launches at the end of March, will dramatically
bring digital HD EST/UV to the attention of the
disc buying public in a way it just hasn’t been
thus far.”
Whether they are keeping their powder dry,
or whether it is indicative of the lack of confident
messaging for the scheme, several DECE
signatories declined to talk to Cable Satellite for
this piece.
Blinkbox, owned by DECE member Tesco,
and BSkyB which recently opened up its Sky
Store rental service to non-subscribers, refused
to comment, as did Technicolor which has
launched its own apparently UV-compatible
cloud locker MediaNavi. Sainsbury’s, which
indicated its intention to join DECE a year
ago, also declined. DECE itself wouldn’t front
an executive.
Quoting YouGuv research which showed just
13% of people who are aware of UV actually know
what it does, Shaun Austin, director of media at
YouGov, said the implications are clear. “To
inspire mass take-up of UltraViolet, retailers,
digital content providers and the studios need to
back the service and explain its benefits. If they
follow Tesco and Blinkbox’s lead then there is
potential for the service to become a success.
However, further marketing and education are key
to this.”
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TV Anywhere
TV-Anywhere apps:
the EU single market
consumers and may even be
one of the reasons
to subscribe.
TV providers could
prompt change by not
blocking TV anywhere apps
when used within any of the
EU countries. This is likely
Territorial restrictions placed on TV anywhere apps adds
to lead to a legal challenge
another dimension to the UK pub test case with regards to
which will test whether
the national restrictions
the single EU market for digital services, says Stefan Zehle,
applied by content rights
CEO of Coleago Consulting open
holders trump the rights
he week-end edition of the
because access is only allowed from within the
of consumers within the EU single market.
Financial Times (23 Nov
UK. In the physical world, this is akin to a
A British consumer using a TV anywhere app
2013) led with the story
British holidaymaker being blocked from reading
in Spain does not even involve trade in services.
“Brussels on attack over
a book on the beach in Spain, with the excuse
Hence, another approach might be for a cable
pay-TV rights”, reporting
that the book was bought London. The problem
TV provider to sponsor a test case. This test
on the anti-trust probe by
lies with the country based approach to TV rights.
case would involve a British consumer suing the
European commission over
The 2011, judgement with regards to the Premier
cable TV provider for blocking paid for content
pay –TV rights. This was prompted by the case
League may not have considered the issue
when accessed from a TV anywhere app within
of the British pub landlady fined for showing
because at that time TV-anywhere apps did not
another EU country. The objective would be to
football to UK customers using a satellite card
yet exist.
clarify the law and for the cable TV provider to
from Greece.
Of course, consumers can get around the
lose the case.
The UK pub test case is only the tip of the
blocking by using tunnelling services such as
iceberg in the challenge rights holders and the
Strong VPN which allows a person located in
Maximising the earnings potential
digital media industry face. TV anywhere apps
Spain to look from an internet perspective as if
Free-to-air TV may present a different case but it
have been launched in a number of EU countries,
they are in the UK. This requires some expenses
is in the interest of programme makers and
for example in the UK Virgin TV Anywhere and
and significant effort and is therefore not an
advertisers to allow consumers to view content
Sky Go. Some broadcasters such as ARD in
acceptable mass market proposition. But TV
out of their home country.
Germany provide their programmes online,
providers have an interest in making their content
After all, a consumer not present in the home
viewed simply through a browser.
as accessible as possible to their subscribers.
country cannot view an advertisement if they are
TV anywhere apps give consumers the
This is why they launched TV anywhere apps
blocked from viewing the show which carries the
ability to watch subscribed channels or free-to-air
in the first place. The ability to watch favourite
advertisement. Yet the ads placed in the show are
channels away from home over the internet. The
programmes or sports events while on holiday
no less relevant to viewer simply because they are
increased availability of WiFi connectivity and
makes pay-TV services more attractive to
viewed while abroad for a few days. In fact, TV
large LTE data bundles, coupled with widespread
anywhere apps present TV advertisers with an
adoption of tablets and smartphones, means
opportunity to target ads in a manner that is not
consumers are increasingly watching TV outside
possible with traditional broadcast TV. In
of the home. In the US, 38% of smartphone
other words, the advantages of mobile
owners regularly watch videos on their device and
advertising, such as knowing who watches,
around 10% now watch full-length television
where they watch, and on which device, can
programmes. Consumer behaviour in the EU may
be brought to TV advertising.
be slightly behind the US, but it is certainly
While the world of TV-anywhere apps
heading in the same direction. In short, tablets
presents challenges to rights holders
and smartphones are now another TV outlet.
and TV providers, there is much to gain
The European Single Market allows consumers
for the industry by removing unnecessary
to buy and consume products as if the EU is a
restrictions and instead focusing on serving
single country and producers cannot apply
consumers in manner the maximises
territorial restrictions within the EU. However, a
earnings potential.
British pay-TV subscriber on holiday in Spain
wanting to watch a Premier League football match
Coleago Consulting is a boutique specialist telecoms
on his iPad would find the viewing blocked
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Spectrum
The battle for
spectrum access
In the UK regulator Ofcom is
currently carrying out Europe’s
first white space trial in
collaboration with around 20
public and private organisations
including Microsoft, Google, BT,
Neul, and the Department for
Is TV White Space the magic bullet solution the industry
Transport. The trials range from
needs, and what impact will its use have on incumbent
high definition TV broadcasts
and wireless broadband, to
operators? Stephen Cousins reports
machine to machine (M2M)
pectrum is the raw
signals. As such, TV White Space is billed as
communications and traffic flow monitoring and,
material that will underpin
having the potential to relieve pressure on wireless
if all goes to plan, a commercial rollout could
the future of the internetbroadband networks by providing access to free
begin before the end of the year.
connected world, but as
spectrum located in between digital terrestrial
However, as an unproven technology white
wireless user traffic and
TV signals.
space raises concerns. Its close proximity to
demand for streaming
Specially adapted devices, such as mobile
digital terrestrial television (DTT) signals could
video and other OTT
phones and tablets, could access this spectrum by
potentially cause interference that impacts on
content increases so we move ever closer to a
knowing which frequencies are available, at what
thousands of TV viewers. The technology relies
tipping point where the supply of spectrum is
power levels, and at which times of the day in a
on new databases, like the one developed by
unable to match extraordinary demand.
particular location.
Google, designed to speak to devices and
With bandwidth at a premium, TV white space
Google has long championed the technology’s
communicate information on the power and
technology is being investigated as a means of
potential and in June last year the US FCC
location of available spectrum, but how these
using existing spectrum more efficiently by
approved use of its white space database, which
will function, both technically and commercially,
allowing connected devices to tap into the ‘free’
is already being used to provide public Wi-Fi to
remains unclear. Meanwhile, some have voiced
frequencies that exist in between terrestrial TV
West Virginia University. Meanwhile, the ISP Cal.
concerns that the move into white space
net has launched the first consumer white space
represents another unwanted encroachment
broadband service in California’s Gold Country
into DTT’s territory as it fights to hold onto
area, capable of 2-4Mbps speeds.
valuable broadcast spectrum.
S
32
January-February 2014
www.csimagazine.com
Spectrum
“There is already mounting pressure on
Freeview due to the expected future release of
spectrum for mobile so it’s very important that
this position is not exacerbated,” explains Charles
Constable, managing director of digital platforms
at DTT network provider Arqiva. “There are
already a number of applications working within
TV white spaces, for example local TV is slotted
in between national Freeview and PMSE
(Programme Making and Special Events) utilise
radio mics. We don’t yet know what the impact
will be if we squash further users in ... Loss of
services will risk taking away a lifeline for many.”
The amount of extra network capacity provided
by white space is difficult to gauge as it is affected
by various factors such as the amount of
incumbent DTT and PMSE coverage in a
location, plus the topology and atmospheric
conditions. Ofcom has calculated that within the
470-790MHz UHF TV band in central London,
the best performing white space devices will be
able to access at least nine 8MHz channels at
maximum power in 100% of households, which
demonstrates the technology’s potential.
However, in the more challenging location like
central Glasgow, where DTT is more prevalent,
the regulator predicts that only 60 % of
households would gain access to at least nine
8MHz channels at high power.
White space resides within lower UHF
frequencies compared to conventional 2.4Ghz
Wi-Fi, which means it can reach much further,
enabling services such as rural broadband or
broadband access in remote areas of cities.
M2M communications is expected be a key
driver for future stresses on existing spectrum, as
traditionally disconnected hardware and devices
using in transport, healthcare, energy and
agriculture becomes intelligently interconnected
and part of what’s been dubbed the ‘internet of
things’. Microsoft is currently working with the
University of Strathclyde to examine how white
space can be used to link a network of sensors
around Glasgow to create a ‘smart city’.
In addition, BT and technology specialist Neul
are working with the Department for Transport to
test a white space traffic information system along
a stretch of the A14 between Felixstowe and
Cambridge. This will transmit data on traffic
conditions to the drivers of vehicles in an attempt
to reduce congestion and improve road safety.
Interestingly, not a single mobile operator is
taking part in the trial, perhaps an indication that
it will have limited impact as a channel for mobile
broadband. Gary Clemo, technology advisor at
Ofcom said: “Based on their responses to our
consultation, it seems mobile operators would
prefer to stick with the model of licensed access
to spectrum based on greater surety of access.
However, in France France Telecom has been
involved in research into white space, so it is
possible UK operators will see a use for it in
future.”
Matthew Howett, Practice Leader at IT
technology consultancy Ovum adds: “For the next
few years mobile operators have enough spectrum
to meet projected growth in demand and they will
stick with the auction process to access new
spectrum. This is how they added capacity for 4G
at 800MHz, and in around ten years it’s forecast
that the 700MHz and 2.3GHz bands will come
online and will form the basis for mobile
deployments.”
Databases, databases
The complex, location-dependent nature of white
space frequencies requires the development of
new technology. White space databases must be
set up to allow providers to inform devices on the
ground which chunks of free spectrum are
available for use in their vicinity and for how long.
The devices themselves must be able to transmit
and received bi-directional information with the
databases and include some form of geolocation
technology, such as GPS, able to identify their
precise location. Cognitive radio techniques could
also be utilised that allow them to sense that
www.csimagazine.com
January-February 2013
33
Spectrum
“Ofcom is currently
carrying out Europe’s
first white space
trial in collaboration
with around 20
public and private
organisations slowly.
traditional terrestrial TV may also come into
channels they have been allocated are actually
available before using them.
Although none of these aspects are beyond
current capabilities, there remains a question over
where databases will get their data from to ensure
the system is reliable, and who should be liable
when that information is wrong.
“One must also ask who will run the databases,
assuming they are run as a commercial operation,
how much will it cost for the user to access it?”
asks Peter Siebert, executive director at the DVB.
“It’s also vital that the device can only transmit
on the frequency band allocated to them and that
out of band transmissions are somehow regulated.
This cannot be 100% avoided but filter technology
can reduce it to a certain extent.”
Ofcom insists it will only open up white space
spectrum bands on the basis that they don’t cause
interference with existing services. Gary Clemo
says: “One of the reasons it has taken a such a
long time to get to this stage is we wanted to be as
certain as we could that incumbent users,
including DTT operators, are protected. However,
there’s only so much you can learn from the
modelling and simulation of this kind of dynamic
spectrum access and our trials are designed to see
how it will work in practice.”
Should interference occur, experts suggest a
number of potential solutions. The database could
be configured to automatically turn off white
space devices, stopping interference at the source,
or smart steerable antennas could be used to
reduce interference.
However, it’s also clear that white space
34
January-February 2014
networks will require a high degree of quality of
service to become commercially viable, allowing
end users to switch on devices and immediately
gain access to spectrum. This could prove
problematic if there is interference or no
spectrum is available in a particular location. As
such, perhaps a better application would be for
M2M communication where it is less important
to be able to transmit information immediately.
Whether the technology takes off will also
depend on its global adoption, says Ben Ward at
MLL Telecom. “If not global, the economies of
scale will be small and the development of devices
and protocols that use white space will be
disparate and represent a less profitable business
model for providers.”
How much white space?
White space’s future will also depend on its role
within the overarching battle for spectrum access.
Bandwidth-hungry developments such as HD,
ultra HD/4k and beyond, interactivity and
on-demand are accelerating change and forcing a
rethink of underlying spectrum utilisation. The
expected reallocation of the 700MHz band for
mobile use by around 2020 could limit the
amount of white space available. “Selling this
spectrum may represent an attractive capital lump
sum for the state, but it will reduce the positive
contributions to GDP that white space can deliver
over time as a result of open innovation,” says
Ben Ward, network design engineer at ‘pop-up’
white space provider MLL Telecom.
In the longer term, the continuing role of
www.csimagazine.com
question. Although in many markets it remains a
powerful and comparatively efficient form of
distribution, the spectrum it occupies will be
increasingly challenged.
In the UK, any talk of economic value analysis
in the decision making for DTT is “a nonsense”,
according to Nigel Walley at Decipher, who
argues that it is a highly politicised decision, with
any rational, commercial or technical basis
undermined by emotional considerations.
Freesat, in his opinion, has to be considered as
an alternative free-to-air network when assessing
the future of DTT, making the case that it is
inefficient to run two parallel free-to-air networks
in the UK – the DTT one and the DSat one.
A technical study carried out by the ITC (pre
Ofcom), estimated that technical coverage of UK
satellite services was 98.2% (with errors of -1.6%
and .3%). Both Freesat and Sky quote 98% UK
coverage.
Walley also notes that the industry is a
generation away from the point where IP can be
used for effective mass delivery of live TV. “The
debate has come too early for the broadband
industry,” he says.
“The real issue is whether broadcasters could
make more efficient use of the spectrum they
occupy to release bandwidth for mobile services,”
adds Dr William Cooper, who runs broadband
and broadcast communications consultancy
informitv. “New approaches, such as multicast,
could potentially serve households and mobile
applications while providing additional
bidirectional data services. Ultimately, there needs
to be an informed debate about the long term
evolution of television and how it can coexist with
the increasing demands of mobile applications,”
he concludes.
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CONFERENCES April 5 –10, 2014
EXHIBITS April 7–10
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4K/8K • Broadcast Engineering • Broadcast Management
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PAVILIONS
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ITA Pavilion
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CONFERENCES
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CONFERENCES April 5–10, 2014
EXHIBITS April 7–10
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TRAINING
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WORKSHOPS
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Media Technologies for Military & Government
RF Boot Camp: Understanding Radio &
Television Transmission
SUPER SESSIONS
Featuring thought leaders and disruptors,
these sessions deliver high-level perspective
on the trends and technologies that will shape
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of tomorrow.
Viewpoint
Living room wars
receptiveness to the different ways
in which consumers are
consuming TV content on various
screens – behaviour that must be
understood to stand a chance of
truly ‘owning’ the viewer.
So what else does the industry need to do to
conquer the living-room?
Luke Gaydon on why the TV battlefield is still wide open
T
he TV industry has been
talking about a ‘battle for
the living room’ for the past
decade. But are we any closer
today to a revolution in the
home, or to the birth of a
device that will have
the equivalent transformative influence of
the iPad?
Undoubtedly, today’s iteration of ‘TV’ is
a far cry from the one we were talking about
ten years ago. VoD is here to stay, and viewers
are embracing a blend of OTT services and
apps on a host of devices – with a variety of
monetisation models to match. As we evolve
away from the linear broadcast world, determining
viewer ownership becomes far more complicated.
The goal of ten years ago is still ultimately the
same for consumer electronics and media
companies alike: access the living room
experience and, in turn, gain knowledge and
control of consumer audiences – of their habits,
experiences and monetary transactions. But the
number of combatants vying for control of the
living room is truly exploding – albeit with
mixed strategies from the different players.
What’s more, today’s living room is home to
multiple devices – from connected TVs and
games consoles, to mobile devices, tablets and
laptops. For now, this plethora of screens has a
home in the living room. Indeed, rather than
favouring certain devices, viewers are using
multiple devices together to complement and
augment their TV experiences.
One side that has been overt in its bid for
living-room dominance is the consolemanufacturers. The likes of Microsoft and Sony
have very purposely positioned their game
consoles as fully-fledged home entertainment
hubs designed for gaming and media consumption
in equal measure.
The response from other parties has been
arguably more cautious. Fresh rumours
surrounding the elusive Apple TV hardware
continue to surface, though we could be holding
our breath for some time yet. But competitive
pricing means that console-makers are faced with
very real competition from streaming devices such
as Roku boxes, Google’s Chromecast, and Sky’s
‘NOW TV’ box – the latter of which now has
support from all major UK broadcasters (bar
ITV) and, at its current pricing, could be a
game-changer.
Movements towards the living room might
be cautious, as different players watch to see
how others’ attempts fare, but they speak volumes.
Take the announcement from Sling Media
that Apple TV owners can now stream live TV
content via the Slingbox app. It isn’t a ‘technology
first’, but it does reveal Sling Media’s conviction
that screens are not equal –
that each suits different
purposes. Mobile, for
example, is proving its value
for personal, engaging
interactions including content
search and discovery. But the
TV will always be better
suited for viewing video
content, thanks to
its larger screen size and
resolution.
All screens are not equal
Sling Media’s strategy is one
that shows the company’s
40
January-February 2014
www.csimagazine.com
• Capture the consumer first. Content providers
are already launching TV Everywhere services
that grant direct access to the consumer, as they
look to seize consumer allegiance from service
providers. Netflix is nurturing a loyal following by
throwing TV conventions aside in a content-first
approach that has seen it release full series in one
sweep for binge viewing. Content remains a
primary point of capture.
• Control the user experience. Unified and
compelling experiences across all devices are
proving a core differentiator between offerings,
and the most effective way for media
organisations to increase revenue and stay
relevant to audiences. Key to winning over the
consumer is the delivery of innovative experiences
across all connected screens.
• Have a strategy for content protection.
Premium content sets apart the top TV providers,
but they must be able to protect and securely
deliver their media assets across all devices.
Digital rights management (DRM) may have
been formerly viewed as a necessary evil, but
it will become even more important as content
rights adapt to match the economics of new
use cases.
• Measure, measure, measure. Vital to any
successful monetisation strategy for the living
room will be measurement – of user behaviour
across devices and sessions, but also for video
playback and quality of service. Any strategy must
be considered from the viewpoint of the ROI it
can promise.
For now, the living room remains the final
frontier in TV. But those who focus on following
the consumer – on positioning personalised
experiences and unique content programming
at the heart of their services – will reap the
benefits.
Luke Gaydon is vice president of media, EMEA,
at Brightcove
Production and contribution
IP sports: pushing
the boundaries
multiple link and node
failures, which is not always
achieved with path-protected
networking technologies.
Equally significant is
creating a reliable media
network that can optimally
serve content and service
IP for sports offers better, less costly remote live production, providers now and into the
argues Martin Walbum
future. The next step is to
break down geographical
ike any other industry, the
lsides of the business. They point to the
barriers when building media networks,
broadcasting business is under
enormous bandwidth needed to carry high quality
transforming the way live content is produced,
pressure to find ways to reduce
live content and the inherent “best-effort”
processed, transported and distributed. Greater
costs and make better use of
principle underlying the technology that seem
ability to reach end users on all of their connected
resources, while also becoming
incompatible with the need for real-time,
devices will be critical to success in the decades
faster and more nimble in the
no-downtime content transport. These objections
to come, particularly within live sports.
production of live content. In
were valid some time ago, but massive affordable
many ways, existing network technology, with its
bandwidth is now available and technology has
IP and live sports - an ideal match
dedicated point-to-point approach, is hampering
been developed specifically to overcome these
With IP infrastructure, remote live production
that drive towards efficiency and increased agility.
limitations. Moving to IP actually offers more
becomes faster, easier and less expensive. It’s fast
There is a growing realisation that IP
from an application perspective than has
becoming the de facto standard for the world’s
technology will be a key enabler of change within
previously been available to broadcasters. As well
most prominent sporting events, including the
broadcasting. One could say that IP was made for
as the cost savings, it also provides better
Sochi Winter Games. Software- and hardwarelive media broadcast. Its inherent properties redundancy than ever before.
driven IP systems speed workflows by simplifying
connectionless transport, flexibility, economies of
The underlying key to IP technology is the anythe set up, management and monitoring of IP
scale, and increased bandwidth for greater content
to-any connectivity it provides. From a single
infrastructure and bring substantial cost savings.
transport - are ideally suited to today’s live
interface you can securely transport video signals
Vastly improved content flow between people
environment where set up and tear down of
to one or more receivers in the network without
and locations also brings benefits to the entire
services on demand is required to meet needs that
having to dig trenches, move cables or add
broadcast chain. Once broadcast services are
can change within minutes. IP-based
encoders or decoders at the network edge. Adding
managed within the IP domain, broadcasters can
infrastructures also provide more efficient use of
or taking down connections is quick and easy.
transform production, post-production,
network resources, and decreased operating and
Fully integrated, end-to-end and highly nimble
contribution, and distribution of core assets. The
capital costs, a boon to any production.
IP systems, specifically designed for the broadcast
ability to share these assets quickly and efficiently
Live content (video, audio or associated data)
industry, now offer built-in service provisioning,
on a shared IP network can unleash
is both the most valuable and the most
connection management, service analytics,
unprecedented collaboration and agility, and
challenging asset to protect and manage. Yet
network inventory, and fault-, configuration- and
dramatically increase time to market for new
reliably handling large volumes of high quality live
performance-management functions. IP networks
services, including HD video and content delivery
content that must be transported over large
are also inherently resilient; the network will
over multiple platforms.
distances in real-time is enormously challenging.
always reroute around any link or router failure Whether for the World Cup, Olympic Games
For all of IP’s benefits and significant inroads
assuming the network has been properly designed
or national football broadcasts, IP is delivering.
into the content distribution area, many in the
with resilient nodes and links specifically tailored
Its ability to provide high signal quality, extremely
industry continue to express doubts about IP’s
to the high resilience requirements of
low latency, robust protection, and comprehensive
ability to handle the contribution and production
broadcasters. This allows IP networks to survive
monitoring and control, make IP the logical
choice. With the right solutions, IP networks
compatible with existing network standards and
equipment are now attainable. The sports world
has been an early IP adopter and will likely
continue to push boundaries and field the most
results from IP.
L
Martin Walbum is senior solutions strategist at
Nevion
42
January-February 2014
www.csimagazine.com
2015
Save the date!
March 16 - 19, 2015
Washington D.C.
Conference: March 16 - 19, 2015
Exhibition: March 17 - 19, 2015
Walter E. Washington Convention Center
Washington, D.C.
www.SATSHOW.com
@SATELLITEDC #SATSHOW
23409
CSI Awards 2014
The CSI Awards 2014 – Now open for entries
Deadline for entries: 15 May 2014 – Enter now
Awards Ceremony, Friday 12 September 2014, Amsterdam
CSI is delighted to launch our annual awards, now in their
12th year. Established in 2003 the awards are among the
most prestigious and competitive technology awards in
the industry, designed to recognise and reward innovation
and excellence in the cable, satellite, broadcast, IPTV, telco,
broadband/OTT video, mobile TV and associated sectors.
This year, we are excited to introduce two BRAND NEW
categories in the form of HbbTV, which is gaining traction
in both Europe and globally, and Big Data & analytics, an
emerging area of opportunity in the TV space.
The CSI Awards Categories:
1. Best digital video processing technology
10. Best IPTV technology or service
2. Best cable or fibre contribution/distribution/transmission solution
11. Best mobile TV technology or service
3. Best satellite contribution/distribution/transmission solution
12. Best Web TV technology or service
4. Best monitoring or network management solution
13. Best Ultra HD TV Technology or project
5. Best customer premise technology
14. Best TV Everywhere/multi-screen video
6. Best workflow/asset management/automation solution
15. Best Social TV technology, service or application
7. Best content protection technology
16. Best Contribution to TV Accessibility
8. Best content-on-demand solution
17. Best HbbTV technology or service - NEW
9. Best interactive TV technology or application
18. Best data & analytics innovation - NEW
page forty four
www.csimagazine.com
Awards 2014
CSI magazine
l
Awards
CSI Awards 2014
How to enter:
The CSI Awards Ceremony:
The awards are open to any company or organisation
supplying relevant products, software or services and
embrace the entire ecosystem, from production and playout
through to transmission and in-home distribution and enduser devices.
The CSI Award winners will be exclusively announced at the
annual awards ceremony on Friday 12 September 2014 in
Amsterdam. The event will take place from 6:00pm-7.30pm
and will include drinks and canapes.
Choose your categories and complete the online entry form
today.
Please join us for what will be a wonderful evening.
The 2014 judging panel includes:
•
•
•
•
•
Dr. Roger Blakeway, President, SCTE (Society for Broadband Professionals)
William Cooper, Founder and Chief Executive, Interactive Media and Convergent Communications Consultancy, informitv
Jeff Heynen, Principal Analyst, Broadband Access and Pay TV, Infonetics Research
Dr. Klaus Illgner-Fehns, Managing Director, IRT
Peter White, CEO, Rethink Technology Research
The full 2014 judging panel will be announced shortly
Best of luck with your entries! For the latest news and updates about the CSI Awards
follow us @CSIAwards #CSIAwards
ENTER NOW: www.csimagazine.com/awards
For awards or entry enquiries:
For sponsorship opportunities:
For marketing enquiries:
Hayley Kempen, Head of Events
+44 (0)207 562 2439
[email protected]
Tiro Bestonso, Commercial Manager
+44 (0)207 562 2427
[email protected]
Sarah Whittington, Marketing Manager
+44 (0)207 562 2426
[email protected]
CSI magazine
l
Awards
Awards 2014
page forty five
www.cable-satellite.com
Industry column
Continuing to innovate
4k and mobile delivery will form the key parts of DTG’s
focus for the year ahead
2
014 will be a defining year
for both the DTG and the
TV industry as a whole.
With all eyes looking to the
World Cup in Brazil, there
are some big questions to
be answered: is 4k a
sufficient step beyond HD or do we need the
additional features of Ultra High Definition
(UHD)? Will it be delivered via IP or over
broadcast networks? Are we prepared for the
potential 700 MHz clearance following WRC-15?
As the industry association for digital television in
the UK, the DTG’s role is to bring together
relevant parties to help drive forward innovative
technologies and collaboratively address the
technical challenges at hand.
UHD will undoubtedly continue to dominate
discussions this year. With the NPG Group’s
Display Search unit forecasting 4k TV shipments
hitting 7 million worldwide by 2016, the pressure
to realise UHD in time for the Rio Olympics is on
both broadcasters and manufacturers. The optimal
requirements for frame rates, colour and dynamic
range are all still to be understood.
The national DTG UK UHD Forum,
co-chaired by BSkyB and the BBC, plays a vital
part in identifying and addressing issues around
UHD. The Forum is the only place that
represents the entire UHD ecosystem, from
production to delivery, consumption and retail,
co-ordinating UK requirements to build a
46
January-February 2014
knowledge base for the future interoperability of
Ultra HD. More importantly, the UK UHD
Forum will work hand-in-hand with the Forum for
Advance Media in Europe (FAME) and other
European standardisation bodies to ensure panEuropean adoption of UHD standards.
As an industry, it’s vital to avoid further
consumer confusion around Ultra HD/UHD/4k.
If UHD is going to be a commercial success then
decisions need to be made now to avoid
underselling the technology to consumers;
3840x2160 resolution alone does not equal UHD
TV. But with Japan announcing its plans to start
broadcasting in 8k by 2020 and the ITU approval
of the HEVC H.265 codec in 2013, we are clearly
headed in the right direction. The DTG UK UHD
Forum will help to ensure that UHD is fully
understood and deliver a well-managed
communications strategy whilst this exciting new
technology is still maturing.
Mobile, and specifically delivering AV content
to mobile devices, will be another area of focus
for the DTG. Consumer behaviour has changed
since the introduction of 4G services in 2013;
accelerated by faster download times and greater
bandwidth, according to Ericsson’s 2013 Mobility
Report, mobile video traffic has grown 55%
annually and will represent the majority of all
mobile data traffic by 2019. The BBC iPlayer app
had been downloaded 20 million times by
October 2013 and market research suggests that
by 2018 global online TV and video revenues will
have reached $34.99 (£21.32) billion.
The DTG recently held a Technical Seminar,
“The Video to Mobile Challenge”, which explored
the numerous technical challenges that both
broadcasters and mobile network operators face,
such as re-versioning for multiple devices,
infrastructure concerns, compression capabilities,
and the amount of innovation needed to meet
future consumer demands. With 5G also on the
horizon and the lack of effective mechanisms for
delivering video to mobile, now is the perfect
opportunity for broadcasters and mobile networks
to come together and collaborate. The DTG is
aiming to bring both parties together in 2014 to
address the technical challenges and find efficient
www.csimagazine.com
and viable solutions that meet the
need of broadcasters and mobile
network operators alike.
Other work
This year will also see the continued involvement
of the DTG with TV accessibility. The DTG has
long been active in working to improve TV
accessibility, initially contributing to the UK
Government’s Digital Action Plan and the
publication of the Usability Working Group’s
Usability and Accessibility Guidelines. We now
have two active Working Groups in the area of
accessibility, the DTG Accessibility Group and
the Clear Speech Ad Hoc Group. The DTG is
also engaged with much of the CSI Accessibility
Conference which will take place in June 2014.
Finally, a project close to the DNA of the
DTG’s unique collaborative approach has been
the Future of Innovation in Television Technology
(FITT) Taskforce, which we have been supporting
since its inception in September 2012. The
Taskforce captures both the technical and the
consumer perspective. The final FITT Taskforce
report will be released at the DTG Summit in
May. The report’s findings will provide a horizonscan and make recommendations to inform the
future strategies of government, industry and
higher education. The DTG Summit will bring
together industry heavyweights to discuss what
exactly we mean by the future of television:
“TV 3.0.”
Simon Gauntlett is technology
director at the DTG, the industry
association for DTV in the UK.
This is the latest in a line of
regular guest columns to
provide CSI readers with updates on the
DTG’s initiatives and activities.
Events diary 2014
Date
Name
Location
Website
18-20 February FTTH Conference
Stockholm
stockholm.ftthcouncil.eu
24-27 February Mobile World Congress
Barcelona
mobileworldcongress.com
25-27 February BVE
London
www.bvexpo.com
10-12 March DVB World
Prague
dvbworld.org
11-13 March Satellite 2014
Washington DC
satellite2014.com
11-13 March CabSat Dubai
Dubai
cabsat.com
12-14 March Cable Congress
Amsterdam
cablecongress.com
18-20 March TV Connect
London
tvconnectevent.com
21-23 March CCBN
Beijing
chinaexhibition.com
25 March
CASBAA OTT Summit
Singapore
casbaa.com
5-10April NAB
Las Vegas
nabshow.com
7-10April
MIPTV
Cannes
miptv.com
29April - 1 May NCTA Cable Show
Los Angeles
2014.thecableshow.com
7-8 May CSI Converging Home Summit
London
csimagazine.com/summit
20May
DTG Summit
London
dtg.org.uk/dtg/summit
20-22 May ANGA Com
Cologne
angacom.de/en.html
5 June
TV CSI Accessibility Summit
London
www.csimagazine.com
10-11 June TV of Tomorrow
San Francisco
thetvoftomorrowshow.com
10-11 June PEVE Entrainment
London
screendigest.com/events/peve
10-13 June New Europe Market
Dubrovnik
neweumarket.com
17-20 June Broadcast Asia
Singapore
broadcast-asia.com
11-12 June Connected TV World Summit
London
connectedtvsummit.com
17-19 June Digital Home World Summit
London
digitalhomeworldsummit.com
24-25 June Streaming Forum
London
streaming-forum.com/2014
11-16 September IBC
Amsterdam
ibc.org
18-19 September CTAM Europe/EuroSummit ’14 Copenhagen
ctameurope.com/Event/98
22-25 September SCTE Cable Tec Expo
Denver
expo.scte.org
30
CDN World Summit
London
cdnworldsummit.com
18-20 November OTT World Summit
London
ottworldsummit.com
2-3December Future TV Advertising
London
futuretvads.com
Sept - 2 Oct www.csimagazine.com
January-February 2014
47
Business
Directory
To advertise contact Tiro Bestonso
+44 (0)20 7562 2427
[email protected]
ATX Networks designs, manufactures, markets and delivers a broad range of products to the
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Rödelheimer Landstrasse 75-85, 60487 Frankfurt am Main,
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Tel: +49-17-1998-3676
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.atxnetworks.com
Address: 27 Maylands Avenue, Hemel Hempstead,
Hertfordshire HP2 7DE, UK
Phone: +44 (0)14 42 43 13 00 Fax: +44 (0) 14 42 43 13 01
Website: www.vislink.com Email: [email protected]
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Cisco is the longstanding market-leading supplier of video entertainment. With more than, 7500
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See what Videoscape Unity can offer, visit www.cisco.com/go/videoscape.
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ADB designs, manufactures and deploys solutions to distribute pay-TV and multimedia services
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Advanced Digital Broadcast S.A.
Avenue de Tournay 7, CH-1292 Chambesy, Geneva, Switzerland
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ADB believes in a future where multi-media content will come from multiple sources and
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innovations and software expertise have been recognized by numerous industry awards.
Business
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3400 International Drive, NW, Washington D.C. 20008 USA
Tel: +1 202 944 6800 Fax: +1 202 944 7898
Web: www.intelsat.com
To advertise contact Tiro Bestonso
+44 (0)20 7562 2427
[email protected]
Intelsat is the leading provider of fixed satellite services worldwide. Intelsat supplies video, data
and voice connectivity for leading media and communications companies, Internet Service
Providers and government organizations. Intelsat’s valuable regional video neighborhoods
deliver more television channels than any other system. Intelsat’s terrestrial network of eight
strategically-located teleports and over 36,000 miles of leased fiber complements a global
satellite fleet of more than 50 satellites, covering 99% of the world’s population. Intelsat utilizes
a fully integrated satellite operations model, enabling global delivery from a single platform.
With Intelsat, communications with your customers are closer, by far.
Bridge Technologies designs, develops, and manufactures advanced analysis, measurement, and
monitoring solutions for the digital media, broadcast and telecommunications industries.
Sandakerveien 24c, Building D5
NO-0473 Oslo
Tel: +47 22 38 51 00 Office Switchboard
Tel: +47 22 38 51 01 Office Fax
Web: www.bridgetech.tv
Humax Electronics Co., Ltd, The Mille Building (8th Floor),
1000 Great West Road, Brentford, London TW8 9HH
Web: www.humaxdigital.com
6825 Flanders Drive, San Diego, CA 92121, USA
Tel: +1-858-677-7800 Fax: +1-858-677-7804
Web: www.verimatrix.com
The award-winning VideoBRIDGE series provides an advanced platform for converging TV
services employing stream-based IP packets and all other Digital TV interfaces within DVB and
ATSC for Cable, Terrestrial and Satellite. Compatible with all major industrial standards such as
MPEG-2, h.264/AVC, HTTP based streaming and ETSI TR 101 290, the VideoBRIDGE series
offers a complete end-to-end system for the continuous quality assurance of media services.
The Humax range of award-winning digital TV set-top boxes and recorders for Freeview and
Freesat has a product to suit any TV viewer. Feature rich and technologically advanced, yet
intuitive and easy to use, the Humax range offers the ultimate way to enjoy multi-channel,
subscription-free digital TV, from high definition (HD) and on-demand content, to recording
features and multi-media services.
Verimatrix specializes in securing and enhancing revenue for multi-screen digital TV services
for more than 500 operators around the globe. The award-winning and independently audited
Verimatrix Video Content Authority System (VCAS™) and ViewRight® solutions offer an
innovative approach for cable, satellite, terrestrial and IPTV operators to cost-effectively extend
their networks and enable new business models. As the recognized leader in software-based
security solutions for premier service providers, Verimatrix has pioneered the 3-Dimensional
Security approach that offers flexible layers of protection techniques to address evolving
business needs and revenue threats. Maintaining close relationships with major studios,
broadcasters, industry organizations, and its unmatched partner ecosystem enables Verimatrix
to provide a unique perspective on digital TV business issues beyond content security as
operators seek to deliver compelling new services. www.verimatrix.com
EchoStar Europe is dedicated to enabling digital entertainment providers to optimise revenues
by delivering added-value connected device solutions, services and applications. Through a
comprehensive product range, including STBs, DVRs, home networking and TV anywhere
technology, our solutions enable the provision of state-of-the-art and cost effective
entertainment services.
Beckside Design Centre, Millennium Business Park, Station Road,
Steeton, Keighley BD20 6QW, United Kingdom
Tel: +44 1535 659000 Fax: +44 1535 659100
Web: www.echostar.com
Headquartered in the UK, EchoStar Europe comprises a number of business units and is
affiliated with EchoStar Technologies, a subsidiary of the publicly traded EchoStar Corporation
(NASDAQ: SATS).
www.csimagazine.com
January-February 2014
49
CSI Converging Home Summit 2014
7 – 8th May 2014, IoD Hub, London
This key event is free to attend. Places are limited and early booking is advised.
Register now to be in with the chance of winning a Kindle Fire
CSI magazine’s Converging Home Summit is now open for registration! This two-day conference looks at emerging opportunities
in home networking and the still embryonic smart home market and how different and often disparate stakeholders can work
together to create and tap into new business models created by this converging landscape. Panels will be dedicated to second
screen and companion apps; cloud TV and virtual set-top boxes; search & discovery; Big Data & analytics; future of TV; home
networking and the smart home.
Day 1 - OTT/TV Convergence
Day 2 - Home Networking and the Smart Home
This day will examine some of the key themes affecting the
TV industry, as the internet effect begins to tighten its grip
on the television landscape. Relevant trends will feature
throughout, from the cloud and virtualisation, to search and
discovery, analytics and multi-screen/companion devices. The
day will consist of panel discussions and case study
presentations.
This day will explore home networking and new smart home
initiatives in security, energy, home control and automation,
as well as longer term opportunities. The solutions and
strategies necessary for success in this emerging market will
be discussed, as will the role of the home gateway. The
smart home has slowly emerged as a topic of conversation
at industry gatherings as players attempt to understand the
potential market. These are still very early days, with a lot of
education and learning necessary among all players.
Day 1 - Panel Discussions
Day 2 - Panel Discussions
Cloud TV and Virtual STBs
Search, Discovery and Recommendation
Big Data and Analytics
Multiscreen and Companion Apps
Future of TV
Home Multimedia Gateways
Connected Home
Home Networking
Energy Management
Future Smart Home Opportunities and IoT
For the latest news and updates about the CSI Converging Home Summit follow us @CSISummit #CSIsummit14.
page fifty
www.csimagazine.com
Summit 2014
CSI magazine
l
Summit
Register now: www.csimagazine.com/summit
Keynote Speaker:
Alice Mascia
Vice President of Strategy
Sky Deutschland
Leading industry speakers on the day:
Pedro Cosa Fernandez
Viewer Insight Product Lead
Channel 4
Matthew Huntington
Chief Technology Officer
Freesat
Tony Henderson
Playready Lead Europe
Microsoft
Dag Larsson
Head of Product
Viaplay
John Honeycutt
COO
Discovery Networks International
Marianne Tamborini
Head of Marketing &
Business Development
Swisscom
To book your place:
For sponsorship opportunities:
For media partnerships:
Rebecca-Amie Reeves
+44 (0)207 562 2417
[email protected]
Tiro Bestonso
+44 (0)207 562 2427
[email protected]
Sarah Whittington
+44 (0)207 562 2426
[email protected]
CSI magazine
l
Summit
Summit 2014
page fifty one
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