May 2018 Next-generation video compression technologies pOFC DTVE May18.indd 1 30/04/2018 18:21 22-24 OCT.2018 SPORTELMONACO.COM #SPORTELMONACO Meet the Elite SPORTS MARKETING & MEDIA CONVENTION p33Sportel Sportel A4_2018.indd DTVE MarApr18.indd 1 1 22/02/201819/02/2018 13:2609:31 Digital TV Europe May 2018 Contents 20 12. The big squeeze With multiple video compression formats emerging to challenge existing dominant technolo- gies, is the scene set for a period of confusion and fragmentation? Stuart Thomson investigates. 20. Rakuten’s home cinema revolution 24 Rakuten TV has big plans this year, including possible SVOD launches and an invetsment in movies. CEO Jacinto Roca talked exclusively with Stuart Thomson about his plans. 24. TV Connect: awards shortlist unveiled TV Connect is set to take place at London Olympia from May 9-10. Ahead of the event, the organisers have unveiled the shortlist for this year’s TV Connect Awards. 25. ANGA COM 2018: the preview ANGA COM takes place at the Köln Messe from June 12-14. Peter Charissé, ANGA COM’s managing director, talks to Digital TV Europe about the key themes of this year’s event. 25 Regulars 2 This month 4 News digest 10 News analysis 22 Viewpoint 31 Technology 35 People 36 Final analysis Visit us at www.digitaltveurope.com 1 p01 Contents DTVE May18v2st.indd 1 30/04/2018 18:26 This month > Editor’s note Digital TV Europe May 2018 Issue no 338 Dressed to compress Published By: KNect365 TMT Maple House emergence of digital TV; the entry into the video distribution 149 Tottenham Court Road business of telecom operators; the rise of large flat-panel TVs London W1T 7AD The and the accompanying rise of HD video. All of these shifts in the quality Tel: +44 (0) 20 7017 5000 and sources of video we watch on our TV screens were enabled to a large Fax: +44 (0) 20 7017 4953 extent by technological innovations, and in particular by advances in vid- Website: www.digitaltveurope.net eo compression technology. New video compression techniques have enabled service providers to Editor Stuart Thomson push programmes down bandwidth-restricted pipes to consumers and to Tel: +44 (0) 20 7017 5314 improve the resolution of those programmes to give people compelling Email: [email protected] reasons to watch them. The development of MPEG-2 enabled the rollout of digital TV 20 years ago, while the devel- opment of H.264/AVC furthered the ability of telecom operators to deliver video over low-band- Contributing Editor Andy McDonald width copper networks and also allowed less bandwidth-constrained network operators to pro- Tel: +44 (0) 20 7017 5293 vide HDTV services. Email: [email protected] Since 2012, the successor to H.264/AVC – High Efficiency Video Coding or HEVC – has been available, but its rate of adoption by video service providers has been slowed by what many regard as onerous and uncertain licensing terms. There are clearly applications that could pro- Contributors vide incentives for video operators to adopt a more efficient way of delivering video – namely 4K Kate Bulkley, Kaltrina Bylykbashi, Andy Fry, UHD TV and mobile video – but this has not been sufficient – so far – to force a generational Adrian Pennington, Adam Thomas, shift in compression technology. With growth in streaming, video providers have also been Anna Tobin able to make use of adaptive bit-rate encoding to enable services to be delivered over congested networks with no loss of the service. Correspondents Now, a number of new alternative technologies have emerged – most notably AV1 – that France: Julien Alliot; Germany: Dieter could have a major impact on video delivery and spur further innovation. In this issue ofDigital Brockmeyer; Italy: Branislav Pekic TV Europe, we take a look at the current state of play in the emerging battle for compression supremacy. Also in this issue we look at the rationale behind Modern Times Group’s plans to split its Commercial Director Patricia Arescy business into two parts, and talk to Jacinto Roca, CEO of movies-on-demand service Rakuten Tel: +44 (0) 20 7017 5320 TV about new opportunities in the market, the potential for further SVOD launches and the Email: [email protected] need to make movies available sooner after their theatrical release date. Finally, in the run-up to TV Connect and ANGA COM, we take a look at what to expect at these two industry events. l Art Director Matthew Humberstone Marketing Manager Marita Eleftheriadou Printing Wyndeham Grange, West Sussex To subscribe to this magazine or our daily email newsletter please visit digitaltveurope.net/registerhere © 2018 Informa UK Ltd All rights reserved Stuart Thomson, Editor Reproduction without permission is prohibited [email protected] Visit us at www.digitaltveurope.com 2 p02 Ed Note DTVE May18v3st.indd 2 30/04/2018 18:12 pXX CSG DTVE May18.indd 1 26/04/2018 16:26 News > digest Digital TV Europe May 2018 News digest > 4 Comcast confirms cash offer for Sky > 5 Facebook to up video investment > 6 Amazon to increase video investment > 7 BBC to ‘reinvent the iPlayer’ > 8 EU bodies agree 30% quota for Netflix-type services Comcast confirms £22 billion cash offer for Sky By Stuart Thomson > rights of Sky shareholders. 21st Roberts said the combination Century Fox currently holds a would “fuel our ability to invest Comcast has made a firm cash 39% stake in the operator. even further in innovation and offer for Sky that values the pay Comcast chairman and CEO drive more compelling financial TV operator at £22 billion (25 Brian Roberts said the company returns”. The acquisition of Sky, billion), with a commitment to had set an acceptance condition he said, would increase the pro- maintain annual expenditure of 50% plus one share, and that portion of Comcast’s revenues on Sky News for at least 10 years he hoped Sky’s independent di- from outside the US from 9% and to establish an independent rectors would recommend the will continue to support Sky’s to 25%. editorial board for the channel. proposal. Roberts said he did technology hub in Leeds; five, Speaking separately to US The announcement, which not see any material issues with we will maintain Sky’s Software investors and analysts, Comcast accompanied Comcast’s Q1 re- securing regulatory approval for Engineering Academy; and six, finance chief Michael Cavan- sults, puts the US cable and me- the deal. we will continue Sky’s local agh said that the deal was “not dia group in a head-to-head bat- “We know that Sky is very community programmes,” said trying to solve for just being in- tle with 21st Century Fox, whose important to the UK, and we Roberts in an investor call. ternational for the sake of being existing bid for the company respect that as this and part Roberts said that Comcast international” and emphasised values it at £19 billion. of our proposal today, we are had “admired Sky for a long that Comcast was “not striving Comcast’s bid would see Sky making a number of intention time”, that the pay TV operator for diversification internation- shareholders receive £12.50 in statements: one, we will main- was “an outstanding business” ally just for its own sake”. The cash for each Sky share. In ad- tain Sky’s UK headquarters at and that there were “strong stra- attraction of the deal was Sky’s dition, Sky shareholders will be the Osterley campus, which is tegic benefits in combining Sky specific value and performance, entitled to receive any final div- amazing; two, we will continue with Comcast”. he said. idend in respect of Sky’s finan- to support Sky as a leader in con- He said that the European Responding to the move, 21st cial year ended June 30, 2018, tent creation, arts, culture and market was highly attractive and Century Fox said that it “remains up to an amount of 21.8 pence entertainment; three, we have the acquisition would “create a committed to its recommended per Sky share tremendous respect for Sky leading platform for growth”, cash offer for Sky announced on The bid, wich will be financed News and its strong track record combining Comcast’s 29 mil- 15th December 2016 and is cur- by additional debt, is subject to for high-quality editorial and lion US customers with Sky’s 23 rently considering its options. A regulatory approval and the sup- journalistic independence, we million across the UK, Ireland, further announcement will be port of over 50% of the voting will fully maintain that; four, we Germany, Austria and Italy. made in due course.” the first quarter, while its fixed Croatia followed the same pattern, grew, but pay TV led the way with Austria broadband base declined by 2.3% with the pay TV base growing 74.9% growth to reach 258,900 and fixed voice base fell by 4.5%, by 3.8% to 213,900, while fixed customers. Broadband grew by IPTV > A1 grows TV base leading to an overall fall in the fixed broadband and telephony declined 61% while fixed phone customers A1 Telekom Austria saw its domes- base of 2.8% year-on-year. by 2.3% and 4.4% respectively, grew by 10.9%. Mobile subscribers tic and international fixed-line base Mobile subscribers also declined leading to a dip in the overall in Belarus were flat year-on-year. decline in the first quarter, with by 1.7%, driven down by a 10% fall fixed base. Slovenia saw pay Macedonia bucked the trend, with growth in pay TV failing to offset in prepaid customers.