trending Market Intelligence /marketintelligence/en/news-insights/trending/BGk-VyhuD0qbVDZv_Jz7PA2 content esgSubNav
In This List

Hulu, StudioCanal ink deal; Google defuses row over Russian website rankings

Blog

Europe: 5 key OTT trends to watch in 2022

Podcast

Next in Tech | Episode 50: InfoSec spending up, again…

Blog

Broadcast deal market recap 2021

Podcast

Next in Tech | Episode 49: Carbon reduction in cloud


Hulu, StudioCanal ink deal; Google defuses row over Russian website rankings

TOP NEWS

* Hulu LLC entered into a foreign-language content agreement with StudioCanal, an affiliate of Vivendi SA's Canal Plus SA, Deadline.com reports. The deal covers series "Below The Surface," "Midnight Sun" and "Trust Me" from the international distributor.

* Alphabet Inc. unit Google Inc. told Russian media watchdog Roskomnadzor that its search engine's algorithm has not been altered to move the rankings of individual websites, Reuters reports. The tech giant's statement comes after concerns of a potential discrimination against Russian media, such as news websites Sputnik and Russia Today.

UK AND IRELAND

* Sky plc is urging regulators across Europe to crack down on U.S. tech giants such as Google and Facebook Inc. over dodging tax payments and "a tsunami" of fake news and extremist propaganda online, London's The Daily Telegraph reports. Sky CEO Jeremy Darroch said the companies are doing business online with "no regulation, no accountability and little transparency."

* Irish telco Imagine Communications Group Ltd. plans to invest €300 million for the expansion of its fixed wireless broadband network after succeeding in an initial trial of the service, Dublin's Irish Independent reports. Imagine also plans to expand its business beyond Ireland as well as launch LTE in other countries, including those within continental Europe.

* The British Broadcasting Corp. is launching BBC Radio Cymru 2 with its first broadcast on Jan. 29, 2018, the public broadcaster said. The radio station will cater to Welsh audiences alongside the existing BBC Radio Cymru.

* Irish public broadcaster RTÉ unveiled a partnership with seven colleges and universities through the RTÉ Brainstorm program. The initiative seeks to promote new ideas by academics and researchers across various fields through a dedicated portal within the RTÉ website.

GERMANY, SWITZERLAND AND AUSTRIA

* Munich-based production company Beta Film GmbH is acquiring a 51% stake in Vienna's MR Film company, pending cartel authority approval. MR Film's head office and leadership will remain the same.

* German software company SAP SE announced an expanded partnership with Microsoft Corp. to provide an integrated cloud offering for business customers. The companies committed to deploy each other's cloud solutions internally as part of the move.

* German tabloid Bunte will be using Snapchat Discover in Germany to drive content discovery among women, Meedia reports. Bunte joins other German tabloids and news sites such as Bild.de, Spiegel Online, Vice and Sky.

FRANCE

* Altice NV's SFR Group is rethinking its sports content strategy, Les Echos reports, citing an internal source. The idea is to treat over-the-top as a priority as the group continues to lose linear subscribers, according to the report.

* Vivendi's stake in Ubisoft Entertainment SA crossed the 25% threshold, according to an opinion released by the Autorité des marchés financiers, Reuters reports. Vivendi holds 27.29% of the company's capital and 27.57% of voting rights. Vivendi does not intend to make a public offer or acquire control of Ubisoft.

* French telecom watchdog ARCEP, the General Economic Council and France's Digital Agency published the results of their annual survey on the adoption and use of digital tools in France. Landline connections dropped 2 points to 86% of the population year over year, while mobile use climbed 8 points to 73% in the same period.

* The TV5MONDE network announced the re-election of Yves Bigot as CEO for a second five-year term, beginning Dec. 5. The appointment followed a proposal by France Télévisions SA CEO Delphine Ernotte.

NETHERLANDS, BELGIUM AND LUXEMBOURG

* Dutch public broadcaster NPO will not receive extra government funding to compensate for advertising losses, NRC reports, citing the Nov. 27 parliamentary debate. Government funding for the broadcaster will be lowered by €60 million to €740 million, which NPO CEO Shula Rijxman reportedly hopes to recover by increasing TV distributor fees.

* Dutch internet providers will no longer be permitted to advertise download and upload speeds higher than what is practically feasible on their network, the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets said. The new regulation takes effect Jan. 1, 2018.

* VodafoneZiggo is improving its network capacity in the 2.6 GHz frequency by combining Vodafone's 2x10 MHz licenses with Ziggo's 2x20 MHz license, Telecompaper reports. Regulator Agentschap Telecom recently made an adjustment to Ziggo's license per a request by VodafoneZiggo, changing it to fit the Vodafone network.

NORDIC COUNTRIES

* TalkPool AG said it has acquired a majority stake in TalkPool AB. The parent company acquired a 30% stake in the internet of things design and services company from IT Talks Sweden, which will receive 50,819 newly issued shares in TalkPool AG as compensation.

* Swedish e-book company Storytel AB said it is launching its audiobook services in India. The company said it will initially offer 500 books in Marathi, Hindi and English, but plans to increase the number of available books in 2018.

* Nokia Corp. said it has reached an agreement with Japanese telecom company Energia Communications Inc. to deploy Nokia's G.fast technology in combination with Japan's VDSL, following successful interoperability tests. Nokia said this will enable high-bandwidth consuming applications, and will prepare the operator for increased demand during the 2020 Summer Olympics.

SOUTHERN EUROPE

* Cosmote SA's Cosmote TV is adding gaming channel Ginx Esports TV to its lineup, Broadband TV News reports. The channel will also be available on Cosmote TV Go and on Cosmote Replay TV.

* Telefónica SA's Movistar+ is pulling its app from Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3 and 4, effective Dec. 1, Advanced Television reports. Console users who subscribe to the pay TV platform have been notified of the changes.

* Italy's senate budget commission green-lit the planned implementation of a new "web tax" on Internet companies, Telecompaper reports. The introduction of the new tax law will, however, be pushed back to January 2019.

* Spain's Ministry of Energy, Tourism and the Digital Agenda has revealed plans to allocate about €19.5 million to support at least six smart building projects in autonomous communities including Andalucia, Valencia, Madrid, Catalonia and Galicia, Telecompaper reports. The allocation, which will be coming from public funds, will be used on projects to connect buildings with internet of things technology.

EASTERN EUROPE

* ER-Telecom completed the acquisition of Columbia Telecom SA, Broadband TV News reports, citing TelecomDaily. Financial terms of the deal remain undisclosed.

* Orange SA's Orange Polska SA began offering access to Netflix Inc.'s selected content on Orange TV, through IPTV and a 4K decoder, Telecompaper reports.

* Orange Polska also announced that Piotr Muszynski is stepping down as vice president of the company's management board, Telecompaper reports. Muszynski's resignation is effective immediately, following 16 years of service to the telecom operator.

FEATURED NEWS

The Daily Dose Asia-Pacific: Netflix strikes exclusive Bollywood film deal; Vocus launches sale of NZ biz: Netflix struck a deal to bring its first mainstream production from India exclusively to the streaming platform, while Vocus Group kicked off the sale process of its New Zealand telecommunications business.

Analysts: Regional OTT players eclipse Netflix, Amazon in Southeast Asia: As local content and pricing are key factors for Southeast Asian consumers when selecting a video streaming service, regional players continue to have an edge over global players, analysts have said.

M&A Replay: European deals: Russia clears Uber/Yandex deal; WPP agrees Asatsu-DK stake sale: Uber and Yandex secured conditional approval for a merger of their respective ride-sharing businesses in Russia, while advertising giant WPP agreed on the sale of its 25% stake in Japan's Asatsu-DK to private equity firm Bain Capital.

FEATURED RESEARCH

Technology: Q3'17 smartphone shipments in North America down 1.4% year over year: Sales of new smartphones in North America declined 1.4% year over year in the third quarter of 2017, with total units reaching 47.9 million, according to reported shipments and estimates.

Anne Freier, Sylvia Edwards Davis, Koen Pijnappels and Esben Svendsen contributed to this report. The Daily Dose has an editorial deadline of 7 a.m. London time. Some external links may require a subscription.