Welcome to News Views, CASBAA’s news round-up culled from sources across the industry for the week ending April 25th. Curated by CASBAA, News Views keeps you in the loop. We always value your feedback, so tell us what you think!
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John MedeirosChief Policy Officer |
Garbage in, garbage out: This commentary notes that satellites are critical for the broadcasting industry to move programming around the world and distribute it over wide areas. So the ITU debate over taking away satellite spectrum really matters to broadcasters. The European Broadcasting Union recently weighed in, analyzing spectrum demand from competing terrestrial services, and finding that current forecasting methodologies vastly overstate likely mobile spectrum needs. The EBU’s experts said the statistical level of confidence in the ITU’s current projections is “virtually zero,” and they warned of significantly adverse impacts on terrestrial broadcasting, satellite services, the cultural and content industries, and society in general. Note to governments: decisions based on garbage numbers will produce garbage policies… |
Desmond ChungAssociate Director, PR & Communications |
So, is the threat of “cord-cutters” real or overblown? According to Experian Marketing Services, an estimated 7.6 million U.S. homes are considered cord-cutters watching streaming or downloaded video during a typical week. And where are they all going? Well, if you are an HBO fan, Amazon, and its associated devices, may be your destination of choice. And music video fans are apparently flocking to Vevo, with monthly viewership up nearly 50 percent to 6 billion! But never fear, Experian also adds: “television is likely to remain the primary device for consumer video.” |
Sara MaderaDirector, Member Relations & Marketing |
Tumblr is making a play for TV advertising dollars stating that, with time shifted viewing, they are getting more TV talk than Twitter. During a show, Twitter may be the social media of choice but, once you take a few days for the rest of us to catch up, Tumblr offers more total users, with deeper conversation and more engagement. But if they want to be a true player in this space, they need to work on providing analytics. Users are key, but measurement is king. |
John MedeirosChief Policy Officer |
Latest from Macau: Macau Cable TV’s license has been renewed for five years, but without the “exclusivity” clause contained in its previous concession (which was never respected anyway, with “antenna companies” serving most Macau households.) The cable company is being given rights to sell triple-play bundles, and compete with telco CTM. Meanwhile, the government has gazetted establishment of its publicly-owned entity to supply FTA channels to Macau households. |
Mandy WuRegulatory Assistant |
Content Isn’t Cheap. Streaming service Netflix announced plans to increase its price after a quarterly earnings report showed that profits edged out analyst estimates. The news of a price hike comes as Netflix continues to add new subscribers at a rapid pace |
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