DigiTAG

Web Letter

May 2009

DigiTAG seeks to inform members and non-members about important developments in the digital terrestrial television market. Each month, DigiTAG distributes its web letter with news updates and further exploration of one topic.

To subscribe to the DigiTAG Web Letter, send an email to the DigiTAG Project Office.

Hybrid broadcast / broadband services

The Internet has increasingly become a source for video content. This is unsurprising as broadband connections are better able to handle large data files and more content becomes available on the Internet. Data released by ComScore showed that Internet users in the United States viewed 14.5 billion online videos in March 2009 which represented an 11% increase compared with February.

Broadcasters have contributed to the success of online video content. One of the most successful Internet service for “catch-up TV” has been the BBC iPlayer which allows viewers in the UK to access any BBC programme broadcast in the past seven days. Many broadcasters throughout Europe have provided similar services with programmes available 7 to 30 days following their initial broadcast on linear scheduled television.

In the United States, Hulu, which offers content from two leading broadcasters, FOX and NBC, is the third most important website for accessing video content having recently surpassed Yahoo. The importance of Hulu has recently been highlighted by the recent decision by Disney, which owns the broadcaster ABC, to join the Hulu platform.

Yet despite the success of broadcasters, the website YouTube, with its 40.9% share of the online video market, remains the leading site in the United States for user up-loaded video content, including both user-generated content and broadcast content. Viewers continue to watch broadcast video clips on YouTube, rather than from broadcaster web portals, in part due to the constraints placed on viewers outside of the broadcaster’s geographical zone from accessing the video content. However, this can have significant financial consequences for broadcasters. Because it had not agree to ad formats and revenue sharing on the Internet with various web portals, ITV has not been able to monetize the video clip of Susan Boyle singing on the ITV show “Britain’s Got Talent” despite being viewed over 100 million times.

Broadcasting initiatives

As broadcasters increasingly use the Internet for the provision of services, questions regarding the integration of broadband and broadcast services have begun to emerge. Some broadcasters have begun to develop strategies for making their services available to viewers that can seamlessly leverage the benefits of both broadcast technology and broadband technology. Simultaneously, consumer electronics manufacturers are developing equipment that enables viewers to access Internet and broadcast services from a single device.

According to one research report from In-Stat, over 40% of young adult households in the United States view Internet video from their television screen at least once per month using devices such as gaming consoles or computer to connect their television screens to the Internet. In-Stat estimates that the revenue from Web-to-TV streaming services will grow to $2.9 billion in 2013. And while these viewers will most likely make a clear distinction between web and broadcast content, it does highlight the demand from young viewers to watch content supplied from various sources on a single device.

Canvas Project
The BBC is in the process of developing one of the most advanced strategies for hybrid broadband/broadcast with its proposed Canvas Project. As part of this strategy, the BBC, together with its partner ITV and BT, would like its viewers to be able to access both linear television using broadcast technology such as DVB-T or DVB-S and on-demand audiovisual content using a broadband connection to the television set. Manufacturers would need to develop receivers equipped with the Canvas software application to access online content, local storage capabilities and significant processing power, an Ethernet port for Internet connection, and a DVB-T or DVB-S tuner. The Canvas software application would then provide the user interface to allow access to certain online content.

At this stage, the proposed Canvas Project requires approval from the BBC Trust. Already, some of the responses to the BBC Trust’s consultation on the project have been unfavorable, with criticism made of the potential central role of the BBC as the developer of technical standards and promoter of new platforms. Regulatory issues may arise especially given that public funding would be used for the Canvas Project. The BBC has also been criticized for the lack of detail on the technical specification and the terms on which it will be made available to other platform operators.

Proposed CE-HTML specification
An initial specification for hybrid broadband/broadcast devices has been proposed by the IRT, the research arm for public service broadcasters in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland, APS, the broadcasting service provider owned by SES Astra, consumer electronics manufacturer Philips, and the software developer ANT.

The specification defines the download and execution of web-based applications. As a first step, it calls for the use of the Internet to access interactive services such as teletext, flash news, sign language, multi-lingual subtitles, and additional programme related data. Viewer access to the Internet would be restricted to broadcast related applications or those of the manufacturer, effectively creating a “walled garden”.

Importantly, the proposed specification complies with the specifications proposed by the Open IPTV Forum and takes into account the relevant DVB and ISMA specifications. At this stage, the EBU has agreed to provide its comments to the specification which may lead to an eventual endorsement. The specification is expected to be standardised by ETSI by the end of the year.

Putting Internet content into perspective

Demand for broadcaster’s content on the Internet has been growing. Broadcaster catch-up services are proving to be very successful with viewers as attested by the 180 million programmes watched on the BBC’s iPlayer in the first year following its launch. Success has also been evident in France where the public service broadcaster France 2 has an average of 50,000 downloads of its news programme each day.

However, these figures must be put into perspective. Every day, over 6 million viewers watch the France 2 news programme on television while BBC1, one of the several BBC services, garners an average audience of 5 million households. The Internet is not yet ready to rival, or replace, broadcast television for the provision of linear content. However, it can serve as an important complement to existing services, as is the case with catch-up services.

And, it should not be forgotten that other technologies, such as PVRs can also serve to provide catch-up services to viewers; content can be downloaded directly onto PVRs for later viewing. In the United Kingdom, the growth of PVRs has been significant with 1.4 million Freeview+ branded receivers sold since the launch last Autumn.

Source: Natalie Mouyal, DigiTAG Project Office

About DigiTAG

DigiTAG aims to encourage and facilitate the implementation and introduction of digital terrestrial television services using the Digital Video Broadcasting Project's Standard (DVB-T). It has some 60 members from broadcasting, network operators, regulatory, and manufacturing organisations throughout Europe and beyond.

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DTT NEWS ROUND-UP

For access to the full articles archive, please go to DigiTAG News

DigiTAG members can access a new report on HDTV services in Europe

This report includes an overview of the general trends in the HD market, information on HD activities in France, UK, and Sweden, as well as an update on the display market and its trends.

The report can be downloaded from the members' only section of the DigiTAG website

Italy - Partial ASO on 20 May in Western Piedmont

Two analogue channels, Rai 2 and Retequattro, will be switched off on 20 May in Western Piedmont. A total of 2.9 million residents in the regions of Turin, Cuneo, and Asti will be affected.

The switch-off of the remaining analogue channels will take place between 24 September and 9 October.

Viewers aged over 65 and with an income of less than €10,000 per year can qualify for a €50 coupon to use towards the purchase of an interactive DTT receiver.

Analogue switch-off is set to be completed in Italy by 2012.

Source: DGTVi website

Slovakia - TU SR invites candidates to bid for two DTT licenses

The Telecommunications Office (TU SR) is inviting candidates to tender for two DTT licenses.

The first license is for the operation of the multiplex providing free-to-air services while the second license is for the operation of two multiplexes providing commercial services.

The bids will be evaluated on such criteria as proposed coverage levels, roll-out plans, and technology used. The tender documents allow for the possibility for introducing DVB-T2 on the two commercial multiplexes.

Applicants must submit their bids by 16 July.

Source: TU SR website

Spain - Some delays anticipated in first phase of ASO

With the first phase of analogue switch-off set to take place in 1286 municipalities around the country in June, the government has announced that 700 of these municipalities do not meet with the DTT coverage requirements.

As a result a total of 14 out of the 32 analogue switch-off projects in the first phase are likely to be delayed. This affects all of the planned switchover projects in the regions of Galicia, Castilla y Leon, Andalucia, and the Basque country.

Source: El País

Bulgaria - 6 applicants for DTT license

The Communications Regulatory Commission (CRC) has announced that it has received 6 bids for the license to build and operate two nationwide DTT networks.

Candidates for this license include the incumbent telecom operator BTC, the Austrian broadcast network operator ORS, the Slovak network operator Towercom, the systems integrator Hannu Pro, and Interactive Media Services.

A second license tender for the operation of 3 DTT multiplexes is open until 27 May.

Source: CRC website

Panama - Selection of DVB-T standard

The President Martin Torrijos has signed a decree adopting the DVB-T standard for DTT services in Panama.

This decision follows the recommendation from the Technical Commission on Digital Broadcasting which had analysed and tested the ATSC, DVB-T, and ISDB standards.

In Band On Channel (IBOC) has been selected as the standard for digital radio.

Source: DVB website

Ireland - One Vision to operate commercial DTT platform

The Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) has announced that it plans to award the license to operate the commercial DTT platform to One Vision.

One Vision will operate 3 DTT multiplexes that will offer commercial DTT services using the MPEG-4 AVC compression format. A further multiplex, offering free-to-air services, is operated by the public service broadcaster RTE.

OneVision is a consortium backed by the commercial broadcaster TV3 and the telecom operator Eircom.