CESSON SEVIGNE, France—Broadpeak will highlight how it enables pay-TV operators, content providers and OTT players to deliver compelling video streaming experiences to subscribers with its software on-premise, as a service or a hybrid of both at IBC 2022, Sept. 9-12, at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Centre. 

The company’s CDN, multicast Adaptive Bit Rate (ABR) and advanced streaming solutions offer a high-quality experience (QoE) and enable collaboration between operators and content providers, Broadpeak said. 

"As video delivery evolves, energy efficiency is becoming more and more critical. We look forward to showing how Broadpeak's CDN technologies enable sustainable video streaming while improving video quality of experience and opening up new monetization opportunities," said Broadpeak CEO Jacques Le Mancq.

The company will highlight:

• Its advanced CDN that future-proofs video delivery by leveraging an open, dynamic and elastic architecture;
• It's nanoCDN multicast ABR (mABR) solution that enables scalability and low-latency for live multiscreen delivery environments. The company will demo how it improves QoE, especially at peaks, and its efficiency for targeted ad delivery;
• An active member of the SVA Open Caching Initiative, Broadpeak will feature how an in-network open caching system can solve traffic problems and enable cooperation between content owners and pay-TV operators; 
• It's broadpeak.it, the company’s software-as-a-service that streamlines video streaming. It also will introduce the Video Edge CDN, a simple way to buy CDN capacity from internet service providers.

More information is available on the company’s website.

See Broadpeak at IBC Stand 1.B79.

STOCKHOLM, COPENHAGEN, OSLO—Paramount’s Pluto TV has announced that it will be launching Sweden, Denmark, and Norway on May 18 as the first free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) service in the Nordics with more than 70 curated and exclusive channels per market.

Pluto TV in Nordics will offer 210 original channels across multiple genres, including movies, TV series, reality, kids' IP, sports, news, and more upon launch. Content includes iconic titles from Paramount’s library, such as "Catfish: The TV Show," "South Park," and "Dora the Explorer," and movies channels including action, comedy, and thrillers.

In addition, a new extended on-demand free section powered by Viafree will include the best local series and popular reality shows. In addition, the service will have content from multiple international partners to be announced soon. 

“Pluto TV in Nordics has an exclusive proposition,” explained Olivier Jollet, general manager and senior vice president, Pluto TV International. “For the first time, we’re combining the streaming linear TV model that has already enchanted American and European consumers, with a new extended on-demand section powered by Viafree to offer the best of international and local content in one service. I’m confident that Pluto TV will capture the attention of the Nordics markets and consumers, quickly becoming a new destination both for fans of curated content as well as for clients and partners interested in investing in a new and unique streaming service.”

Lars Mossing, Senior Vice President, Ad Sales, NENT Group added that “We are looking forward to Pluto TV’s Nordic launch on 18 May. Viewers will be able to enjoy popular Viafree formats as part of Pluto TV’s offering, while we are able to offer advertisers an attractive proposition as the platform’s advertising sales partner in the region.”

NENT Group serves as Pluto TV’s exclusive advertising sales partner in Sweden, Denmark, and Norway.

Pluto TV will be available on all major streaming devices (TV, smartphone, tablet, PC) via the Pluto TV browser www. Pluto.tv, via app on Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Samsung, LG and the iOS and Android apps available on the Apple Store and Google Play. 

LONDON—As streaming platforms seek to address high churn rates, a growing number of streamers are moving away from simultaneously offering a full season of episodes for binge viewing to a strategy of releasing new episodes on a weekly basis, according to a new report from Ampere Analysis. 

That report noted that in contrast to Netflix’s strategy of full season releases, mirrored by other platforms like Amazon and Hulu, a wave of new SVOD entrants are employing the classic model of gradual episode releases for their own original titles. 

While the trend may be only temporary, Ampere found that a weekly release schedule limits subscriber churn and better maintains engagement with content over time. The strategy is also helping to eke out perceived value in smaller catalogs.

Rahul Patel, senior analyst, explained that “a weekly release pattern more easily facilitates conversation around a show. Between episodes, viewers have ample time to discuss and re-watch episodes, which is less likely to be the case if an entire season is released together. Hence, weekly releases can lessen the chance of engagement with a show decaying rapidly after its initial release. By extension, weekly releases can benefit lower profile titles—particularly those not based on recognisable Intellectual Property—as positive word of mouth sentiment has more time to build and spread. By releasing the totality of an unknown season in one stroke, a platform runs the risk of the title being crowded out in an increasingly competitive content market.”

One reason for the move to weekly releases by new platforms is the size of their overall on-demand library, Ampere reported.

At launch, the U.S. Disney+ catalog was 10% the size of Netflix’s by total duration, while HBO Max’s was 26% and Apple TV+’s less than 1%. 

In addition, the number of flagship Originals available in the first months of launch was also limited, especially due to delays caused by COVID-19-related production shutdowns.

The move to a weekly release strategy across a range of high-profile Originals reduced the risk of churn over time, the report found. For example, Disney+ released episodes of new Marvel Cinematic Universe TV shows across 34 weeks in 2021. A fan of Marvel content wanting to avoid the plotlines being spoiled would have to subscribe to Disney+ for the majority of the year to watch each episode at the earliest opportunity.

The report also found that engagement declined faster for full-season releases. The Ampere Popularity Score indicated that engagement with a TV show decays faster for full-season releases when indexed against their popularity at launch. 

Comparing top Netflix (full-season releases) with HBO (weekly releases) shows, Ampere found that the popularity of the former dropped to 80% of the premiere month within one month of release compared to four months for the latter.

WASHINGTON D.C. — The global theatrical and home entertainment market rebounded in 2021, surpassing pre-pandemic levels and reaching $99.7 billion in consumer spending according to a new report from the Motion Picture Association (MPA), which also reported increases in streaming subscriptions and production of TV series and films. 

When the pay TV market is included, the combined figure for consumer spending reached $328.2 billion, matching the pre-pandemic 2019 record high, the MPA said. 

While both the international and U.S./Canada theatrical markets grew substantially compared to 2020, streaming continued to drive the growth of the overall industry, MPA researchers reported. Subscriptions to streaming services reached 1.3 billion globally, marking a 14% increase over 2020.

The MPA reported that about 80% of U.S. adults watch movies and shows/series via traditional television services and online subscription services, the highest proportion of the home/mobile viewing methods.

More than half (53%) of U.S. adults reported that their viewing of movies or shows/series via an online subscription service increased during the COVID-19 pandemic period, while 42% reported that their viewing via pay TV increased.

The report also found a notable increase in production for both film and TV.  

In the U.S. in 2021, there were more than 1,800 original series released, including nearly 560 scripted original series, a 15% increase from 2020, when many series skipped seasons due to pandemic-related production delays. The increase in 2021 was driven by original series released on online services, which reached nearly 700 series in 2021. 

There were nearly 180 original films exclusive to online services released in 2021, comparable to 2020 and an over 90% increase from 2017, the report found. 

In the United States, the combined theatrical and home/mobile entertainment market was $36.8 billion in 2021, a 14% increase compared to 2020, but notably overtaking the 2019 figure of $36.1 billion.

The new data comes from the MPA’s “2021 Theatrical and Home Entertainment Market Environment Report,” (THEME), which includes in-depth data into how the film, television, and streaming industry performed during the year, as well as audience demographic information.

“As the Motion Picture Association marks its 100th anniversary this year, our latest THEME Report underscores how resilient and dynamic our industry is, and I couldn’t be more optimistic about the future of our business,” said Charles Rivkin, chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association. “We are just getting started in writing the next chapter of our industry as streaming continues to boom, theaters are rebounding, and the overall global market for our entertainment product recovers and breaks records. Our members are the most innovative companies on earth. Their capacity to bring people together through the timeless magic of extraordinary stories will continue to captivate billions of viewers over the next 100 years.”

Additional data points from the report included: 

• The number of subscriptions to streaming services around the world increased to 1.3 billion (up from 1.2 billion in 2020) and to 353.2 million in the United States, both representing a 14% increase from 2020.
• Online services also produced 179 original films released exclusively to their platforms in 2021, comparable to 2020 but representing an almost 60 percent increase from 2019.
• In 2021, the global home/mobile entertainment market reached $78.5 billion, representing a 14% increase compared to 2020 and a 41% increase compared to 2019. In the United States, it increased to $32.3 billion last year. This growth was driven by the digital market which increased 11% in the U.S. and 24% internationally.
• Production increased in 2021 due largely to the early and effective implementation of the industry’s strict health and safety protocols. 943 films entered production during 2021, an increase of 111% compared to 2020.
• More than 85% of children and more than 55% of adults watch movies and/or television shows on mobile devices.
• The Hispanic/Latino ethnicity category is overrepresented relative to their share of the U.S. population in terms of daily viewers of several viewing methods.
• On the theatrical side, the global box office, which includes all films released in each country, was $21.3 billion in 2021, up 81% from 2020 but remained below pre-pandemic levels. The international box office, outside the U.S. and Canada, accounted for 79% of the global market. Due to COVID-19 impacts on the theatrical market, including varying theater closures and reopenings, comparing the box offices of different countries remains challenging. Under those parameters, the top three box office markets outside the U.S. and Canada were China ($7.3 billion, including online ticketing fees), Japan ($1.5 billion), and the U.K. ($0.8 billion).
• The U.S./Canada box office was $4.5 billion in 2021, up 105% since 2020. Although the market was still lower than pre-pandemic levels, the number of tickets sold (470 million) was up 100% compared to 2020. 

The full report is available here. 

NEW YORK—MSNBC has announced plans to significantly expand its streaming content on Peacock with plans to launch a dedicated Hub for premium subscribers that will include much of its lineup as well as originals and specials. 

The new dedicated hub, which is scheduled to bow in early spring 2022, on Peacock will provide select programming to Premium subscribers.  

“We are reimagining the MSNBC experience by adding the core of our perspective programming to Peacock and reaching audiences wherever they are and however they choose to consume content,” said MSNBC president Rashida Jones. “As MSNBC has the most loyal viewers on cable news, our streaming expansion will further strengthen our portfolio 24 hours a day, seven days a week on all platforms.” 

In early spring, the MSNBC hub on Peacock will feature the best of the network’s programming including episodes of “Morning Joe,” “Deadline: White House,” “The Beat with Ari Melber,” “The ReidOut,” “All In with Chris Hayes,” and MSNBC’s weekend perspective programming, all streaming on-demand the next day.  

Additionally, specials with top hosts including Rachel Maddow, Nicolle Wallace, Chris Hayes, Trymaine Lee and others will premiere later this year, streaming exclusively on Peacock.

The MSNBC hub will also feature all documentaries from MSNBC Films, including "Diamond Hands: The Legend of WallStreetBets," an NBC News Studios and ZCDC production, which will premiere on MSNBC on April 10 and available to stream next day on Peacock.  

MSNBC is also expanding its current offering of original shows on Peacock, the company said. 

As previously announced, political strategist Symone Sanders and longtime MSNBC and NBC News legal analyst Katie Phang are set to debut their respective daily programs on Peacock and MSNBC this spring. These original voices will join the lineup of MSNBC streaming including ZerlinaMaxwell, Mehdi Hasan, and Ayman Mohyeldin’s programs on Peacock.  

“The MSNBC hub on Peacock will continue to expand Peacock's robust news offering and add more value for Premium subscribers,” said Peacock president Kelly Campbell. “MSNBC programming provides valuable perspective that builds upon Peacock's commitment to bring consumers timely and topical programming from a wide range of voices.” 

The new MSNBC hub on Peacock builds upon NBCU News Group’s established streaming offerings, the company said. 

Under Chairman Cesar Conde, NBCU News Group initiated significant investments to accelerate its streaming programming and platforms, adding hundreds of new jobs and several new live hours of original shows across NBC News NOW and TODAY All Day, both of which will remain available to viewers at no cost and all also available on Peacock. 

Peacock’s growing news programming includes the new MSNBC hub as well as live and on-demand channels including NBC News Now, Sky News, TODAY All Day, NBC LX, Telemundo Al Día, and Dateline 24/7; live and on-demand local NBC station coverage including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, Philadelphia, Boston, Dallas, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., San Diego and Connecticut; full episodes on-demand of NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, Meet the Press with Chuck Todd and Noticias Telemundo; the largest Dateline streaming library; exclusive original shows from MSNBC hosts Mehdi Hasan, Zerlina Maxwell, Ayman Mohyeldin; curated playlists from “TODAY,” “NBC Nightly News,” “Meet the Press,” “Noticias Telemundo,” MSNBC, CNBC, NBC Sports, E! News and “Access Hollywood.”

MONTREAL—Telstra Broadcast Services (TBS) has chosen Grass Valley’s GV Agile Media Processing Platform (AMPP) to enable cloud-based production and playout for an Australian sports streaming service.

GV AMPP is powering Stan Sport, a UHD premium live and on-demand, add-on sports package, which includes UEFA Champions League. TBS’s adoption of GV AMPP is the cloud-native platform’s first live sports application in the Asia-Pacific region, although the platform is used by other media organizations in the region, Grass Valley said. 

“We wanted a truly cloud-first solution to deliver the flexibility that is absolutely essential to meet Stan’s requirements,” said TBS CTO Carl Petch.

“We recognized the potential of AMPP when it launched in 2020, and we’ve seen several other successful global deployments of the technology. We’re thrilled to be named a managed service provider for AMPP and to have our first live customer streaming in UHD. We are excited about our partnership with Grass Valley and what we can achieve together using the public cloud environment, our networks and their software.”

Stan can manage 32 simultaneous live channels at peak times to bring every Europa League game to Australian fans with GV AMPP. For the first time, key Champions League matches are being presented live in UHD. No physical infrastructure is required, it said.

TBS provisions each channel for the duration of the game, while Stan Sport operators manage each channel from a customized interface using a standard web browser from anywhere with a public internet connection, the company said.

“Getting premium live sports content to our subscribers in the most efficient and reliable way, without sacrificing quality, is a key focus for our business. It is vital that we have access to state-of-the-art technology that enables us to do that,” said Stan CTO John Hogan. “Our experience with AMPP and TBS is that they are delivering a streamlined, reliable and robust solution that meets all of our operational requirements. The Stan Sport team is very pleased with the quality and consistency of the platform. It has enabled us to deliver the premium, edge-of-your-seat content for which we are known.”

The deployment also enables TBS to create new revenue stream opportunities by allowing Stan and other media companies to innovate and deliver new customer experiences, it said.

More information is available on the Grass Valley website.

NEW YORK—CNN has announced its subscription streaming service CNN+ will debut on March 29, 2022 in the U.S., with early subscribers getting a half off lifetime deal of $2.99 if they subscribe directly with CNN+ within four weeks of launch. 

Thereafter, CNN+ will be available for purchase at $5.99 per month or $59.99 per year. The early subs will be able to keep the $2.99 pricing for as long as they remain subscribers. 

“March 29 will be an important day in the history of CNN and CNN+ will be a critical part of our future,” said Andrew Morse, CNN executive vice president, chief digital officer and head of CNN+. “I am so proud of the work our teams have done to ensure our world class journalism and storytelling comes to life on this new platform. We can’t wait for our subscribers to experience it.”

As previously announced, CNN will have a single CNN app that will offer access to both CNN+ and TV everywhere experiences, with easy navigation between the two. 

In the single CNN app, CNN+ customers can explore a range of new live, on-demand and interactive content through editorially-curated and personalized experiences that suit their interests. 

Pay TV customers can also enjoy the TV everywhere experience that includes linear TV feeds of CNN, CNN International and HLN as well as a substantial on-demand offering available exclusively to pay TV customers.

CESSON-SÉVIGNÉ, France—Broadpeak has announced that the Austrian operator Magenta Telekom, which is part of the Deutsche Telekom Group, is using a Cloud PVR solution from Broadpeak to deliver its streaming service, Magenta TV. 

Using Broadpeak's solution, Magenta Telekom can deliver live, VOD, Cloud PVR, catch-up TV, time-shift TV, and other advanced services to subscribers on any screen, the companies said. 

"When launching our new streaming service, we wanted to provide a state-of-the-art experience for subscribers, giving them access to all of their favorite TV shows anytime, anywhere, on any device," said Christian Jaros, vice president of entertainment at Magenta Telekom. "Broadpeak's solution is easy to deploy and scalable, enabling us to bring cloud time-shift, start-over TV, catch-up TV, and PVR services to our customers, without deploying new hardware in their homes."

Magenta Telekom is using Broadpeak's Cloud PVR solution, including the BkS350 Origin Packager, the BkM100 Recording Director and Scheduler, the BkA200 Video Delivery Monitoring, and network-attached storage to deliver 300 channels. 

The Cloud PVR solution allows Magenta Telekom subscribers to record an unlimited amount of content simultaneously on TVs, set-top boxes, smartphones, tablets, and other devices.

"Magenta Telekom is leading the way with its future-proof streaming service," said Jacques Le Mancq, CEO at Broadpeak. "We are very proud of our collaboration with Magenta Telekom and we strongly believe this deployment will serve as an excellent blueprint for how to successfully launch Cloud PVR services."

More information about Broadpeak solutions can be found at broadpeak.tv.

LOS ANGELES—HBO Max has launched in 15 additional European countries, including the Netherlands, Portugal, Hungary, Poland, and Romania, making the WarnerMedia streaming platform available in 61 territories across Europe, the U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean.

Later this year HBO Max will expand to a further six countries – Turkey, Greece, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

The platform launches with a promotion offering all customers in Central and Eastern Europe and Portugal more than 30% off the monthly price for the lifetime of their subscription. 

In the Netherlands, HBO Max launches with two tiers, both at 50% off the regular monthly subscription price for the life of the subscription. A monthly subscription to the standard tier (with HD 1080p, 4K, three concurrent streams, 30 downloads) is €3.99 and a monthly subscription to the basic tier (with HD 720p, one concurrent stream, five downloads) is €2.99.

“From today, HBO Max is streaming in 21 European countries with Central and Eastern Europe, Portugal and the Netherlands joining the Nordics, Spain and Andorra where we launched the platform last year,” said Christina Sulebakk, general manager, HBO Max EMEA. “Central and Eastern Europe is where it all began for our European business back in 1991 with our first linear channels and we’re pleased that today, more than 30 years later, we’re bringing fans in the region a completely new way to access all their favorite entertainment.”

The 15 countries where HBO Max launched today are: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, and Slovenia.

HBO Max launched in the U.S. in May 2020 and is rapidly rolling out globally. In June 2021, it became available in 39 territories in Latin America and the Caribbean and in October 2021 it arrived in Europe, launching in the Nordics, Spain, and Andorra.

NANTES, France—EasyBroadcast will demonstrate its end-to-end video streaming solutions and technologies, including its Viewer-Assisted Delivery (VAD) adaptive streaming technology at the NAB Show, April 23-27, in Las Vegas.

VAD reduces latency, buffering and dependency on primary network deliver channels thereby improving quality of service (QoS) and quality of experience (QoE) of streaming content, the company said.

An alternative to traditional content delivery network (CDN) delivery, VAD changes the economics of video streaming, relying on a combination of CDNs and peer-to-peer adaptive streaming. With VAD, service providers can achieve instant scalability during peak viewing and monetize their video streaming services through real-time analytics, it said.

EasyBroadcast is a member of the SkyFlow Consortium, which has delivered native IP over satellite using Generic Stream Encryption (GSE) and (Multiprotocol) MPE encapsulation.  As a member, EasyBroadcast will demo its joint satellite, OTT and education solution, it said.

The company will also feature its turnkey, end-to-end OTT streaming solution at the 2022 NAB Show. The EasyBroadcast OTT offering enables broadcasters and service provides to deliver and monetize high-quality TV and video content to computers, mobile devices and smart TVs in a secure and scalable way while harnessing the potential of their audiences with VAD, it said.

See EasyBroadcast in the French Pavilion at the NAB Show.

More information is available on the company’s website.

Chelmsford, Mass. – Nov. 19, 2019 – Frost Cutlery in Chattanooga, Tenn., sells knives, swords, kitchen cutlery and other collectibles through its program, Cutlery Corner Network, producing 16 hours of original programming each week on its Broadcast Pix™ integrated production system. The show is streamed in HD at 720p to its growing online audience watching via Amazon, Hulu, and YouTube.

“It’s the workhorse of what we’re doing here,” said Tim Colvard, director of broadcast operations. “The Broadcast Pix switcher has made what we put online better than anything we’ve done in the past. It outperforms the other choices, and the technology performs perfectly. We don’t need as many supporting personnel because we know the Broadcast Pix system has a comprehensive toolset and is totally reliable.”

Frost Cutlery recently upgraded their software to BPswitch™, which works with its existing Broadcast Pix control panel. Colvard said the production flow is “seamless” between BPswitch and the various graphics sources used for the graphic intensive shows, noting two key features he particularly likes – Media Aware Macros and Key Priority Windows.

The new system’s Media Aware Macros are “a big part of our automated workflow – and I want to exploit them more,” he said. “The Key Priority Windows just simplify everything by allowing us to quickly change the order of key layers without resetting each key.” This is ideal when an episode includes a chromakey segment and separate keys for the product number, product details and shipping information.

Broadcast Pix: simplifying and automating streaming production workflows.

About Broadcast Pix

Founded in 2002, Broadcast Pix offers the complete toolset required to make great programs, elegantly integrated and easy to use. Our integrated production solutions feature patented control and automation technologies, plus the BPNet ecosystem that provides cost effective, secure cloud services for backup, control, and collaboration. Broadcast Pix is proud to have more than 5,000 government, broadcast, live event, and visual radio customers in more than 100 countries. Learn more at broadcastpix.com.

Broadcast Pix and BPswitch are trademarks of Broadcast Pix, Inc.

WASHINGTON—AT&T is writing a check for $60 million to the FTC to settle litigation over allegations that it misled its smartphone customers with what it called “unlimited” data plans, but that instead would often reduce customers’ data speeds for things like video streaming and web browsing.

The allegations stem from a 2014 complaint that said AT&T did not adequately disclose to customers signed up for its unlimited data plan that AT&T would reduce their data speeds if they reached a certain amount of data use in a given billing cycle; according to the claim, that data point was 2 GB. This “throttling” would impact things like streaming video through the phones or web browsing. As of October 2014, an alleged 3.5 million customers were impacted by this practice.

“AT&T promised unlimited data—without qualification—and failed to deliver on that promise,” said Andrew Smith, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “While it seems obvious, it bears repeating that internet providers must tell people about any restrictions on the speed or amount of data promised.”

In addition to the monetary portion, the settlement prohibits AT&T from making any representation about the speed or amount of mobile data without disclosing any material restrictions. The FTC says the disclosures must be prominent and not hidden in fine print or behind hyperlinks.

The $60 million will be used to help provide partial refunds to current and former customers that signed up for unlimited plans but experienced throttling issues. Customers will not need to file claims for a refund.

LONODN—As 5G rolls out internationally, a new report from IHS Markit has found that there quarters of U.S. consumers say they will expand their video streaming activity as they adopt the new technology.

When asked to name which types of activities they are likely to increase due to the arrival of 5G, consumers ranked video streaming first, ahead of video calling, social media, mobile gaming, virtual reality and augmented reality, according to the survey. As a result, the deployment of 5G will help cause video usage to account for 70% of mobile network traffic in 2022, up from 47% in 2015, said IHS.

“The promise of faster video streaming through 5G is generating enormous enthusiasm among consumers,” said Joshua Builta, senior principal analyst for IHS. “Interest is particularly high for those younger than 50, with 81% of survey respondents in that age range citing video streaming as the top activity for 5G. Consumers are expressing strong interest in video streaming both on smartphones and for home internet services, which are equally supported by 5G.”

The results are part of IHS Markit’s Digital Orbit report. The survey was conducted May 22-27, 2019, among 2,031 respondents, 95% of whom were U.S.-based.

SAN FRANCISCO—How much would you be willing to pay to stop having to dig through your couch to find the TV remote? According to a new report from the Natural Resources Defense Council, the cost may actually be more than purchasing a smart speaker to hook up and control the TV.

In its report, “Energy Impacts of Smart Speakers and Video Streaming Devices,” the NRDC does find that most smart speaker (i.e. Amazon’s Alexa) and video streaming devices are energy efficient. Despite being turned on at all times, most only consume $1.50-$4 worth of electricity annually as smart speakersuse less than 2 W of electricity while they are in standby mode waiting for a command, while streaming devices (Roku, Google Chromecast) consume 3 W or less in standby.

But that conservation can be made moot if consumers are linking smart speakers to some TVs to access voice commands. When connected with some newer TVs, pairing a smart speaker with the TV can result in standby mode generating 1 W to more than 20 W, possibly doubling a TV’s overall annual energy use and add about $200 in energy costs over a TV’s lifetime. More broadly, such energy increases could have an impact on the annual national electricity consumption could increase by three to six coal-burning power plants’ worth of electricity. As a result, $1.3 billion to $2.5 billion could be added to U.S. consumers’ electric bills each year with one-fourth or half of TVs connected to smart speakers.

To address this, NRDC says that TV manufacturers must address this problem with updated designs.

“Our report should be a wake-up call for all TV manufacturers to improve their products to support hands-free operation without needlessly sucking massive amounts of energy as the next big energy vampires in our homes,” said Noah Horowitz, co-author of the report and director of NRDC’s Center for Energy Efficient Standards. “Up to $2.5 billion in extra electricity costs would be an appallingly high price for consumers and the environment to pay just to wake our TVs with a voice command.”

The full report is available here.

VALLEY COTTAGE, N.Y.—A recent report from Future Market Insights (FMI) took a look at the projected growth of the global video streaming market. As of 2018, per FMI’s report, the market stood at $138.99 billion, and over the next 10 years—to 2028 to be exact—the global video streaming market is expected to grow to $591.11 billion, at a compound annual growth rate of 15.6%.

FMI based its analysis by splitting the video streaming market into five categories: by type, by content delivery channel, by revenue model, by industry and by region. Focusing on the basis of type, there are two segments of video streaming—live and on-demand. Between the two, live video streaming is expected to be the major force during the forecasted period, growing from a market share of 32.5% in 2018 to a projected share of 43.3% in 2028.

In the realm of content delivery things are looked at through OTT, pay TV and IPTV. FMI predicts OTT to be the main driver due to a high CAGR, though IPTV is expected to see a significant growth as well, with a projected growth from $23.38 billion in 2018 to $103.47 billion at the end of the 10 years.

Subscriptions are the favored method when it comes to revenue model. From 2018-2028 subscription-based revenue is projected to grow from a 49.6% market share to 51.5%.

Looking by industry, commercial—which includes media & entertainment, education and others—is reportedly set to grow from $44.29 billion in 2018 to $214.3 billion in 2028.

The report also takes a look at a number of different regions, specifically North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, South East Asia and others in Asia Pacific, Japan, China and MEA.

FMI does note that there are potential challenges to the growth of the video streaming market, including interruptions in streaming flow, piracy and low bandwidth or limited streaming speed.

To read the full report, click here. 

At IBC2018, Interra Systems will spotlight its Baton ABR and Orion-OTT solutions for delivering high-quality streamed video. Baton ABR and Orion-OTT perform quality control and monitoring for VOD content from ingest to NOC and other distribution points. The company says visitors will be able to see how Baton ABR’s checks at pre- and post-transcode stages, along with Orion-OTT's delivery-specific checks and features, assure QoE for every stream on every device. For live-event streaming, Orion-OTT offers a platform that can monitor a large number of streams for adaptive bitrate compliance along with audio-video quality checks in real time. The solution suite also supports closed captions, ad verification/compliance and DRMs.

Interra Systems’ OTT solutions can be deployed in the cloud or on premises, providing enhanced efficiency and flexibility for any workflow. When complemented by the company’s Orion system for real-time monitoring of IP-based infrastructures, Baton ABR and Orion-OTT provide broadcasters with a total solution for streaming superior-quality services. Orion looks at all aspects of video streams, such as QoS, QoE, closed captions, ad-insertion verification, reporting, and troubleshooting.

Interra Systems also will introduce Winnow, a machine-learning-driven add-on for its Baton QC solution. Enabled by artificial intelligence, Winnow offers broadcasters a compliance solution powered by machine-learning and computer vision technologies. The company says that integrated with Baton, this enhancement can be deployed in both cloud and on-premises environments. Relying on user-defined rule sets, Winnow checks compliance and identification of content against regulations in different countries, regions and organizations.

Baton also includes support for the VAST protocol, hybrid QC workflows, as well as enhanced support for HDR content and audio language-detection capabilities.

Demonstrations will be held in the Interra Systems’ Stand 7.C09. The IBC2018 show is Sept. 13–18, in Amsterdam. For more information or to register, visit www.ibc.org.

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NEW YORK—Verizon and NBA want to be a dynamic duo on the court, as the two have announced a multi-year partnership that will seek to deliver NBA content to fans via Verizon’s media brands, including Yahoo.

The new deal provides Verizon users to purchase NBA League Pass in the U.S. for video streaming of live out-of-market games on Yahoo Sports and other Verizon media platforms; registered users will also have be able try an eight-game preview of the League Pass subscription offering with Verizon’s “It’s On Us” program. Additional offerings on Yahoo Sports and other Verizon media platforms include a daily show highlighting NBA action, storylines and commentary, as well as original sports and lifestyle programming.

Innovation will also be part of this new partnership, with the development of augmented reality and other new forms of content. An update of fantasy experiences is also planned.

These new offerings will become available beginning with the NBA All-Star 2018 weekend in Los Angeles.

BOSTON—A recent report from Strategy Analytics shows that spending on video streaming will increase by $1.19 billion in 2016 to a total of $6.62 billion, but according to Strategy Analytics, this is a sign of the market beginning to slow down. The reason for that belief is that for the first time the growth rate of the video streaming market to be less than the previous year—$1.21 billion in 2015—indicating that the market may be reaching saturation.

“Although the change in increase is relatively small, its direction is extremely significant,” said Michael Goodman, Strategy Analytics’ digital media director. “It shows that, whilst actual market saturation is a few years off yet, the domestic U.S. streaming subscription market is now on the backside of the adoption curve. The incremental increase in annual dollar spend will decline from here on.”

Nearly 60 percent of homes subscribe to a video streaming service, i.e. Netflix, Amazon, or Hulu. An estimated 40 percent of households subscribe to at least two video streaming services, per Strategy Analytics. Goodman notes that market saturation resides around 85 percent for broadband households. He forecasts that annual growth will fall below 8 percent within the next five years.

Additional findings of the report include other methods of consumer spending on home video. DVD/Blu-Rays are the second most popular format, but that method is declining 7 percent for purchases to a 30 percent consumer and 10 percent for rentals to 14 percent. Downloading is on the rise, inversely, with 17 percent purchasing downloads; download renting is down however to 5 percent.

Overall, Americans are predicted to spend $19.09 billion on home video in 2016, a 3.6 percent increase from 2015. With the addition of advertising’s $8.82 billion, overall revenues are expected to hit $27.3 billion, an 8.3 percent growth.

Read the full report here.

DALLAS—AT&T has announced that starting Tuesday, Jan. 12, new and existing AT&T consumer wireless customers who have or add AT&T DirecTV or AT&T U-Verse TV may sign up for the new AT&T Unlimited Plan. The new plan offers more data for video, playing games and surfing the web on mobile devices. Unlimited data and unlimited talk and text are also part of the new deal.

To add the plan to a smartphone is $100/month, with $40/month for two additional phones, and a fourth can be added at no cost. Additional devices can be added to the plan, like a tablet at $40/month or a smart watch at $10/month.

AT&T intends to offer more integrated video and mobility plans throughout 2016. The company also plans to launch a range of new video entertainment options later this year.

STAMFORD, CONN.—It’s out with the old and in with the new for NBCSports.com, as the NBC Sports Digital announced that a redesign of the website will launch for fans on Monday, Sept. 7. Among the site's new features, NBC Sport Digital focused on improving its live and short-form video offerings.

Redesigned NBCSports.com

NBCSports.com offers live streams of more than 2,000 events annually through its NBC Sports Live Extra, its live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, tablets and connected TVs. To help users keep track of live and upcoming events, NBCSports.com will feature a live streaming schedule that will be visible site wide. Live events will be distinguished with a “Watch Now” label, while the schedule will include upcoming events up to 72 hours in advance. A full schedule up to a week in advance will be available on the NBC Sports Live Extra landing page. According to Jack Jackson, vice president of web product development for NBC Sports Digital, the schedule will also vary from page to page depending on the sport.

Short-form, on-demand video content is also a more emphasized element of the redesign, focusing on sharing and discovery of event highlights and original programming.

“Folks can dive in on each of the different franchises we have, whether that’s Pro Football Talk or highlights from a specific sport,” said Jackson. “It’ll be much easier to dive in, look for the content you want, browse things, see similar content; so hopefully the discovery is a lot better on our short form clips.”

Another key goal for NBCSports.com was to optimize its design for both desktop and mobile devices with the new diversity of screen sizes since the site��s last redesign in 2010. The handset version of the site is responsive, able to fill the screen of whatever device, while the desktop version is adaptable, expanding but keeping its editorial organization on different screen sizes.

Additional new features include updated player news for fantasy sports from Rotoworld.com, as well as infinite scrolling and story explorer features for users to browse more content.

SWANSEA, WALES – As the race for the 2016 Presidential Election gets underway, Fox News channel is using the Quicklink Skype TX on “Fox with Friends” to discuss the latest in the polls with experts like former George H.W. Bush Chief of Staff John Sununu.

Quicklink Skype TX

The Quicklink Skype TX is a touchscreen 1U rack mount or desktop unit that provides professional reception or transmission of Skype calls through the SDI/HDMI interface. Designed to be ultra-quiet, the Quicklink Skype TX enables news broadcasts to be transmitted with minimal noise interference. Fox News uses it to transmit two-way video and audio from a remote office location back to a setup in its TV station.

A new feature of the Quicklink Skype TX is the Bondio network enhancer. Bondio improves the contributor’s bandwidth by bonding a combination of internet connections together to create one super connection. This allows for the Quicklink Skype TX to be used even in areas with less than ideal network connections. Quicklink is offering the Bondio free of charge for a limited period with the purchase of the Quicklink Skype TX.

Quicklink, based in Wales, is a provider of broadcast technologies for news, sports, entertainment and corporate media.