Analysis

One of the most pressing questions facing both the sell-side and buy-side of the television industry is  how we embrace linear and digital as...

The results of the Videonet Connected TV Awards 2020 have been revealed during a 'virtual ceremony'. The Walt Disney Company won ‘The Premium TV...

A new report identifies network, device and data security – including the protection of personal privacy - as a foundational requirement for companies offering smart home services, and suggests that communications service providers have a head-start in the race to fulfil the role of digital guardian.

Today, broadband competition is about speed, especially speed into the home, but Deutsche Telekom knows it must move from focusing only on speed and look at how it gives customers the tools to control their Internet experience. Giving consumers more control requires next-gen technology wrapped in a super-friendly UX. The company is determined that the increasingly connected Deutsche Telekom home ‘thinks human.’

The much-anticipated streaming service launched in seven more European markets this week. It provides great value-for-money, will obviously benefit from the current virus lockdowns, and raises questions about how Pay TV operators cope over time with lost content exclusivity, although major European platforms including Sky and Canal+ are among the launch distribution partners. The ad-free service allows up to four concurrent streams and unlimited downloads to ten devices on a €6.99 subscription.

Harnessing data from across the digital advertising ecosystem, ad-tech leader Amobee has revealed the rapid reaction of U.S. brands and agencies to the coronavirus crisis. Many are pausing their spend temporarily, then deciding to stay in-market but often with completely new consumer messages that shift away from activation and towards high-level branding, often value-based.

No prizes for guessing that having been sent home from school and college, in the middle of a crisis that will shape their early lives, young people are watching more telly. The viewing figures would be great news for TV under any other circumstances, but are mixed with a fall in ad revenues, lost programme production and empty sports schedules.

The implications of coronavirus for television and the wider media industry are huge, as they are for every sector and home. In summary, it will mean more viewing, the likelihood of less advertising revenue, a boost for new streaming services, shorter theatrical windows, a growth in esports value and more UGC from youngsters who are off school. This story also outlines what media and technology companies are doing right now as a result of the crisis.

The one-day virtual Connected TV World Summit agenda for Wednesday March 18 has been published and includes insights about the control versus reach trade-offs associated with aggregation, whether the economics still work for commercial broadcasting and large international streaming services, and how we unify linear and digital advertising. The live stream is free to all delegates.

NBCUniversal has officially launched One Platform, where linear and digital audiences are treated as a single pool of consumers. Advertisers can buy classic linear TV audiences, buy cross-platform against Nielsen demos, or create audience-based and custom segments to reach on all screens. Planning a sophisticated, multi-strategy and multiplatform campaign becomes a simple step for planners. The capabilities contained in One Platform represent a giant leap for television.