The magazine for global video www.csimagazine.com TV Broadcast • Streaming • Satellite • Cable • Hybrid The leading media for video delivery technology Spring 2021 Remote production Remote Piracy trends Piracy streaming Direct-to-consumer Direct-to-consumer supplement Video compression Video compression Charting the TV industry’s path beyond Covid June 2016 • OTT, VoD, Cloud TV, Cable, Satellite, IPTV, DTT, IoT • The latest news, views and features Contents TV Broadcast • Streaming • Satellite • Cable • Hybrid The leading media for video delivery technology 21 Direct-to-consumer video Sports represents the biggest new opportunity. CSI and MediaKind examine the trends Editor 27 Cable Labs Q&A Goran Nastic Dr Curtis Knittle updates us on the group’s work into DOCSIS 4, DAA, the 10G Commercial Camilla Capece 06 COVER STORY: Covid and media platform and other hot topics Examining the state of the media & Design and production entertainment industry one year on from the 31 Compression supplement with Matt Mills (Manager) start of the pandemic V-Nova Jessica Harrington Deploying better compression opens new 10 Q&A with Verizon Media business cases and brings cost savings to a Regular contributors Adrian Pennington, Philip Hunter, Looking at innovation during and post- range of applications. What are the new David Adams, Stephen Cousins, codec options? pandemic Anna Tobin 12 Analyst corner: AVOD 43 Stats corner Circulation The evolution and consumer uptake of AVOD End-2020 European and US payTV figures Alina Susca and other streaming services from the informitv Multiscreen Index Accounts 14 Piracy in lockdown 44 Technology corner: Smart cities Marilou Tait, Mohamad Saidani SCTE CTO Chris Bastian says the We talk to Irdeto about how pirates also Editorial adapted and changed their business models in pandemic has given rise to new smart tel +44(0)20 7562 2401 the last 12 months community initiatives [email protected] 16 Remote production 48 Buyers Guide Advertising Covid has accelerated and permanently A listing of key suppliers in the cable, telco, tel +44(0)20 7562 2438 [email protected] disrupted traditional sports production broadband and satellite sectors Subscriptions tel +44 (0) 20 1635 588 861 [email protected] Editors report: Spring 2021 Circulation manager: alina.susca@ perspectivepublishing.com Hands up who saw the AT&T-Discovery deal coming… if you did you are in a very small minority as the announcement took the market and analysts by Subscription rates complete surprise. The new company will have annual revenues of about $52 Per year: Europe £88; UK £68; billion and combine an extensive portfolio of brands — HBO, Warner Bros., Rest of World £98. Cheques payable to Perspective Publishing Discovery, DC Comics, CNN, Eurosport, Animal Planet to name but a few — Limited and addressed to the alongside studios and streaming businesses that are in various stages of embryonic growth. Circulation Department It could be messy and there may be some fat that needs to be trimmed but it marks a new breed of media mega-M&As that will define this decade. Meanwhile, most of this issue of Printed by Buxton Press CSI is focused on assessing the effect that Covid has had on different parts of media and entertainment. GN Managing Director John Woods Perspective Publishing Publishing Director 3 London Wall Buildings London Mark Evans EC2M 5PD www.perspectivepublishing.com ISSN 1467-5935 www.csimagazine.com spring 2021 03 03_Contents-V2.indd 1 21/05/2021 11:51:32 News news in brief Streaming grows on the main screen as SVOD subs to hit 1.5bn multiple devices jostle for share There are forecast to be just under 1.5 billion Conviva’s latest report into watch when it’s convenient subscribers to video on the state of global streaming for them rather than demand services globally suggests that big screens following regularly scheduled by 2026, a growth of 591 dominating viewing might programming live.” million from this year. The become the new normal By platform, while Roku average SVOD subscriber for streaming. captured a significant 30% will pay for 2.14 SVOD Streaming on big screens share of global big screen subscriptions, according to accounted for 73% of global viewing time, this dominance new data from Digital TV viewing time and the State of was primarily driven by Research. The total is Streaming report for Q1 North America where it expected to cross the 1 2021 identifies big screen commanded 37% share in Q1 billion mark in 2021. viewing as the key trend. 2021. In Europe, the second Numbers were boosted last While people are streaming largest market for Roku, year by the pandemic, more, they are at home on Roku only accounted for 8% which saw a peak of 201 larger screens as smart TVs captured just 11% share share of the big screen, million subscriptions saw the biggest expansion of of viewing time in Asia trailing a number of other added. The number of viewership with a 115% while desktop and mobile devices including Samsung payTV homes is expected increase over Q1 of last year. phones dominated with with 19%, Chromecast with to remain flat during this In contrast, mobile phones, a combined 84% of 12%, Amazon Fire TV with five year period by tablets, and desktops saw viewing time. 10%, LG TV with 10%, and comparison. growth in line with the “Big screens are here Android TV with 9%. Roku global average. to stay,” said Conviva. “2021 does not fare any better in AWS for M&E In nearly every region, big came with some optimism for other regions, with 4% share Amazon Web Services has screens dominated streaming a return to normalcy but or less in Africa, Asia, introduced the AWS for as connected TV devices, there might be a new normal Oceania, and South America. Media & Entertainment smart TVs, and gaming for streaming. A new normal Some interesting leaders initiative featuring new consoles captured the lion’s that sees big screens emerged as the top big screen and existing services and share of viewing time. Big dominate viewing as people device in different regions, solutions from the compa- screens were most dominant watch less on smaller, mobile including the CanalPlus set ny and its partners, built in North America capturing devices. A new normal where top box with 54% share of specifically for content a massive 81% share, social investment is viewing time in Africa, creators, rights holders, however in most regions big paramount and the powerful Android TV’s 49% share in producers, broadcasters, screens accounted for at confluence of social, Asia, Chromecast in Oceania and distributors. It aligns least 50% of all viewing time. streaming, and advertising with 24%, or Samsung TV in nine AWS Services, 11 At the opposite end of the can no longer be ignored. A South America at 30% share AWS Solutions, dedicated spectrum, big screens new normal where viewers in Q1 2021. AWS appliances, and more than 400 AWS Partners against five dedicated UK TV football rights rollover solution areas. The Walt The Premier League will due to be auctioned in the comes despite rival Disney Company uses continue its existing UK coming months, but will broadcasters unhappiness. AWS to support the global television deal with Sky now automatically extend Due to the damaging impact expansion of Disney+. Sports, BT Sport, Amazon at the current value without the Covid-19 pandemic, the AWS is the preferred Prime Video and BBC Sport, an auction. The three Premier League said it was public cloud infrastructure rolling over the rights for broadcasters paid £5 billion able to demonstrate to the provider, helping improve another 3 years due to the to televise 200 games government exceptional and performance and reliability impact of the pandemic. a season between 2019 compelling reasons for the for Disney+ as the The domestic rights, which and 2022. Exclusion Order, a move that streaming service fell in value by around 10% The decision, approved received tentative approval continues to scale globally. in the previous auction, were unanimously by the EPL, from the government. 04 spring 2021 www.csimagazine.com 4-5_Newsv3.indd 2 19/05/2021 22:00:14 News RDK passes 80m deployed devices news in brief RDK Management has with RDK now deployed software stack has also Verizon sells media revealed the latest numbers across more than 30 leading evolved beyond cable set top unit detailing the continued service providers throughout boxes into telco but also US telco Verizon adoption of RDK open North America, Europe, IoT/smart home services. Communications has sold source software, which is Latin America, and Asia. For example, RDK software its Verizon Media business used to power customer- While the rival Android is available for IP-connected to private equity invest- premises equipment (CPE) TV platform is deployed in cameras. On the broadband ment management firm from broadband and video over 150 operators globally, side, RDK software now Apollo Funds for $5 service providers worldwide. they are smaller in scale, spans across DOCSIS, DSL, billion. Verizon Media is As part of its annual update, either found in Tier 2 or 3 and GPON gateways, which the global tech and media the organisation said there operators or restricted is particularly beneficial to arm of Verizon, which are now more than 80 million to small portions of service providers operating includes ad tech and device deployments across a customers in the bigger a mix of transport networks media platform businesses, variety of devices. The service providers. within their footprints. as well as the Yahoo and number of RDK devices By comparison, most RDK Indeed, during a recent AOL brands, which deployed globally rose from deployments are by Tier 1 webinar, Deutsche Telekom Verizon bought in 2015 60 million in spring 2020, service providers, and the revealed that it is ready to and 2017 for around $4.5 soon start deploying RDK billion each.