Inside Digital TV articles from April 2003

Inside Digital TV archives from April 2003

MHP Lifts Off In France.(France's PVR devices are making it the most advanced MHP market)
April 2, 2003... Barry Flynn Editor France has just become the world's most advanced MHP market, with PVR (Personal Video Recorder) devices complying with elements of the European interactive TV middleware's highest profile now available in the shops. ...

Mobile Growth Underpins Interactive TV Prospects.(the boom in interactive television services is due to the growth in mobile penetration)
April 2, 2003... Mark Holmes senior editor The explosive growth in mobile penetration, in particular SMS (Short Message Services) is a key factor behind the boom in interactive TV services, it appears. At the MILIA 2003 conference in Cannes, numerous...

Morgan Stanley Downgrades TV.(Morgan Stanley is pessimistic about the impact of new technologies on advertiser-supported television)
April 2, 2003... Barry Flynn Editor Investment broker Morgan Stanley has released a pessimistic report about the likely impact of new technologies on traditional advertiser-supported television. Drawing on research from their offices around the world,...

UK VOD Slide Continues.(the UK only has just over 12,000 commercial video-on-demand households)
April 2, 2003... Barry Flynn Editor The UK now has only just over 12,000 commercial video-on-demand (VOD) households, according to the latest figures from UK regulator the Independent Television Commission (ITC), down from a peak of 22,316 at the beginning...

BBC Doesn't Expect Sky EPG Problems.
April 2, 2003... Mark Holmes senior editor The BBC believes its position on the Sky EPG will not be affected by its decision not to take Conditional Access (CA) services from BSkyB (See Inside Digital TV Vol 6 Number 6), which it says would save it GBP85...

Broadcasters Search For Interactive Success.(broadcasters are working to make interactive television a success)
April 2, 2003... Mark Holmes senior editor For a broadcaster, developing a successful interactive approach is becoming a vital part of its armoury. But, despite its undoubted potential, being successful in this context is easier said than done. Granada,...

Hashimoto Delivers Strong Broadband Message.(Softbank Broadmedia CEO Taro Hasimoto speaks at the MILIA 2003 conference)
April 2, 2003... Mark Holmes senior editor Taro Hashimoto, the CEO of Softbank Broadmedia, told MILIA 2003 delegates in Cannes during a keynote speech that the explosive growth in broadband is offering new opportunities for programmers and service...

Programmers Shows Caution On Interactivity.(quality television is still more important than interactive content)
April 2, 2003... Mark Holmes senior editor While programmers are looking for further ways for viewers to interact with content, interactivity will still take second place to the quality of television. This was the main message to come out of the opening...

Convergence Index Analysis: France.(a discussion of France's progress in moving towards digital television)
April 2, 2003... In the latest in our series on digital platform convergence, Barry Flynn analyses the prospects for France In the first of this series (Inside Digital TV Vol.6 No.3), we proposed a number of different indicators to measure a territory's...

Briefly.(digital television news briefs)
April 2, 2003... * Spanish digital satellite platforms Via Digital and Canalsatelite Digital (CSD) have been weeding out late-paying and unprofitable customers from their subscriber databases as part of their merger plans. Via Digital is understood to have...

Freeview's 'Top Secret' Receiver Spec Delayed.(the baseline DTT receiver specification for the UK is unlikely to be agreed before the end of 4/03)
April 16, 2003... Barry Flynn Editor The baseline DTT receiver specification for the UK is unlikely to be agreed before the end of this month (April), it now transpires, three months later than expected. Speaking in January, Andy Townend, the BBC's...

News Corp Ready For US Mission.(News Corp. seeks to acquire a 34% stake in Hughes Electronics)
April 16, 2003... Mark Holmes senior editor News Corp's deal to seize a controlling 34 per cent interest in Hughes Electronics in a $6.6 billion cash and stock deal is set to dramatically change the digital landscape in the US. Despite the country having a...

UK i-ads Come Of Age.(the interactive television industry is maturing)
April 16, 2003... Barry Flynn Editor A new survey commissioned by the UK's Direct Marketing Association (DMA) and sponsored by BSkyB and Channel Four, amongst others, concludes that the UK interactive TV (iTV) industry has come of age. The research,...

Toshiba Pessimistic About IDTVs.(Brief Article)
April 16, 2003... Barry Flynn Editor Consumer electronics manufacturer Toshiba appears pessimistic about the future of the Integrated Digital TV (IDTV) in the UK, according to confidential documents made available to Inside Digital TV. Not only has the...

Pace Hopes For European IPTV Breakthrough This Year.(Pace Micro Technology hopes for success with its IPTV division)
April 16, 2003... Mark Holmes senior editor Pace Micro Technology, which has had a turbulent year in more ways than one, hopes its IPTV division can provide a much-needed spark. With telcos looking for ways to increase revenues, TV services could be a key...

Focus: The Potential Of iTV Games And Gambling.
April 16, 2003... Krishna Rao, Datamonitor, Special to IDTV Games and gambling are two of the most profitable revenue streams for interactive TV so far. In 2002 the Western European iTV games and gambling markets together generated less than $300 million,...

'Smart Home' Living: Myth Or Reality?(a discussion fo the Icebox system from Salton Inc.)
April 16, 2003... Barry Flynn has been listening in on a debate about the "smart home" of the future One of the more arresting visions at the Smart Show, which took place in Birmingham between the 6th and 7th of April, was of a salesman plunging a cordless...

Briefly.(television news briefs)
April 16, 2003... * A new joint report by the BBC and UK regulator the ITC has concluded that it is "unlikely" that the UK Government's criteria will be met to enable a nationwide switchover from analogue to digital television in the early part of the 2006-2010...

UK Switch-Off Trial Flawed.(analogue TV switch-off)
April 30, 2003... Barry Flynn Editor The results of a government-sponsored pilot which aimed to simulate the effects of analogue TV switch-off in the UK are, as published, probably worthless, according to Inside Digital TV's analysis. But a conclusive...

ITC Statement To Inside Digital TV.(Letter to the Editor)
April 30, 2003... "I am responding to your enquiry regarding Go Digital. I understand you spoke to my colleague in the press office yesterday, who explained that owing to the confidential nature of the Go Digital report and the strict agreement made by the...

EQT Nabs Deal For Swedish Cable Operator.(EQT Northern Europe to acquire Com Hem from TeliaSonera)
April 30, 2003... Mark Holmes senior editor Swedish private equity firm EQT Northern Europe is to acquire leading Swedish cable operator Com Hem for SEK 2,150 million (236 million euros) from TeliaSonera, a high price according to a number of analysts. ...

Tandberg Targets US Telcos For Digital TV.
April 30, 2003... Tandberg Television, the video and digital TV solution provider, is back in the black. According to results announced on April 24, in the first quarter of this year it made a profit of 7.7 million Norwegian Kroner (985,000 euros). In the same...

US I-Ads Poised For Takeoff.
April 30, 2003... Barry Flynn Editor A new US research company, BrightLine Partners, has concluded that the US market for interactive TV (iTV) advertising will take off next year, when the installed base of households able to receive interactive TV...

Will ETV, ITV Win In Digital Video Market?
April 30, 2003... Gary Schultz, Research Director/President, MRG, Inc. Conventional wisdom says that Europe will go iTV (Interactive TV, e.g. instant weather, gaming, and sports interactive services) and the US will go ETV (Enhanced TV, e.g. on-demand...

Europe's New Resolution: IDTV vs. HDTV.
April 30, 2003... Barry Flynn wonders if it's time for Europe to start thinking about HDTV again European broadcasters are pretty much on their own in their view that digital TV does not equate with HDTV (hi-definition television). The USA, Japan,...

Briefly.(digital television industry news briefs)
April 30, 2003... * Boston-based research firm The Yankee Group is forecasting that Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) in the US will top 27 million subscriber households by year-end 2007. DBS will serve from 20.6 million households at year-end 2003 to 27.1...