TOP NEWS
* Sky plc will roll out Sky TV as an over-the-top service in the U.K. in 2018, the company announced. The new offering will enable households without a satellite dish to access Sky TV, delivered using a box over broadband.
* Scripps Networks Interactive Inc.-owned Polish broadcaster TVN SA has bolstered its content lineup through a deal with Time Warner Inc.'s Warner Bros., Digital TV Europe reports, citing an official statement. The deal includes free TV and basic pay rights to new and catalog titles from the studio.
UK AND IRELAND
* British Telecom will hasten the review of its auditors following the accounting scandal at the company's Italian unit, London's Financial Times reports, citing people familiar with the situation. BT was originally due to look for a new auditor in 2019, to replace long-term audit partner PwC, according to the report.
* Live Nation Entertainment Inc. acquired a controlling interest in U.K.-based festivals promoter Cuffe & Taylor. Live Nation UK Chairman Denis Desmond said the move is part of the company's plan to expand its U.K. presence.
* Sky Sports snagged exclusive live broadcast rights to all competitive English soccer matches in the new UEFA Nations League, inclusive of up to 900 live matches between 2018 and 2022. The deal also covers home nations qualifiers for Euro 2020 and World Cup 2022.
* The British Broadcasting Corp. landed broadcast rights to all 31 matches of the Rugby League World Cup 2021, including live coverage of at least 16 matches on BBC One (UK) or BBC Two (UK). The remaining matches will be available live online or via the Red Button, according to a news release.
GERMANY, SWITZERLAND AND AUSTRIA
* German utility company EWE AG is eyeing a partnership with Deutsche Telekom AG to provide broadband services to 1 million households in northern Germany by 2026, Reuters reports. EWE reportedly wants to invest $1.3 billion in the project over a 10-year period, beginning this year.
* German media company Bauer Media Group won a legal case over German broadcaster Suedwestrundfunk (SWR) and public broadcaster ARD's title "ARD Buffet," DWDL reports. The ruling states that public commercial broadcasters in Germany will not be allowed to license their brands to publishers for use as print products.
* Negotiations regarding carriage conditions between German pay TV channel Sky Deutschland GmbH and Discovery Communications Inc. are not advancing, Handelsblatt reports. This could result in channels Eurosport 2 HD, Eurosport 1 HD, Eurosport 360 HD and Discovery Channel no longer being available via Sky Deutschland as of Feb. 1.
* Sky Deutschland increased its revenue by 10% to €1.069 billion, up from €974.5 million, for the first half of the 2016-17 fiscal year, according to Mediabiz. However, operating profits dropped 9%. The company grew its subscriber base by 231,000.
* Deutsche Telekom AG bought exclusive pay TV rights for all games of the third-division Bundesliga and women's Bundesliga from German soccer association Deutscher Fussball-Bund, Broadband TV News reports. The deal will include the rights global live broadcasts and highlights.
* Tele Columbus AG will use Metrological's app platform for the smart app portal of its OTT offering advanceTV, Advanced Television reports.
FRANCE
* France's audit court Cour des Comptes believes that the reluctance of the state to see its stake in Orange SA diluted can constitute a handicap for the future development of the company, La Tribune reports. In its audit report, the Cour de Comptes adds that the will of the public authorities to preserve their influence may hinder Orange, particularly at the international level.
* French publisher Jalou Media Group deployed a new digital platform, Lofficiel.com, as an international network, CB News reports. The network will share content generated in 15 countries, pre-translated and republished locally in real time.
* SFR said that its SVOD platform SFR Play has more than 1.2 million subscribers. The number was revealed as part of an announcement for SFR Play's exclusive French broadcast of the German series "The Same Sky."
* The Canal Plus Group SA group, owned by Vivendi SA, announced that the MyCanal player is expected to arrive on Android TV soon, NextInpact reports. In addition, the Toonami channel will be added to its replay offer.
NETHERLANDS, BELGIUM AND LUXEMBOURG
* The District Court of Amsterdam in the Netherlands postponed its decision on whether to convert suspension of payments proceedings for two units of Brazil's Oi SA into bankruptcy proceedings. Oi Brasil Holdings Coöperatief UA and Portugal Telecom International Finance BV will be affected by the upcoming decision.
* Dutch cable provider association NLkabel changed its name to NLconnect, and now also welcomes non-cable network providers, TotaalTV reports. The reorganization is the result of Ziggo NV and Caiway, the association's two largest members, terminating their membership. Liberty Global plc owns Ziggo.
* VRT has opened up VOD platform VRT NU after initially only providing the service to a small sample group, De Redactie reports. The platform is aimed at the Flemish part of Belgium and allows content to be viewed up to a month after it has been shown on linear TV.
* KPN NV and its subsidiaries XS4ALL and Telfort launched a new feature that allows interactive TV customers to review content for seven days using the TV guide, Telecompaper reports. The feature will be applicable to 132 channels, 63 of which are in the standard package and 36 are in HD.
* Tele2 Netherlands Holding N.V. has gained 200,000 Dutch customers since the launch of its 4G network in November 2015, Tweakers reports, based on quarterly results. Tele2 currently provides mobile internet to about 1.1 million people in the Netherlands, a 23.9% increase compared to a year ago.
NORDIC COUNTRIES
* Nokia Corp. won a contract worth up to €500 million from Vodafone unit Vodafone India to ramp up the telco's 4G growth across 10 of India's 22 telecom zones, The Economic Times of India reports, citing people with knowledge of the matter.
* Ericsson AB reported a net loss of 1.6 billion Swedish kronor in the fourth quarter of 2016, down from a 7 billion kronor profit in the year-ago period. For the whole of 2016, the tech group had a net profit of 1.9 billion kronor, down from 13.7 billion in 2015.
* Tele2 Sweden reported revenues of 8.22 billion Swedish kronor in the fourth quarter of 2016, up 18% from the same period in 2015. The rise was mainly driven by Tele2's acquisition of TDC A/S unit TDC Sweden in October. The group had a net loss of 177 million kronor in the fourth quarter, down from a profit of 45 million the year before. For the full year, Tele2 had a net loss of 2.2 billion kronor, compared with a net profit of 1.3 billion in 2015.
* Endemol Shine Nordic appointed Karin Stjärne as its new CEO, Dagens Media reports. She will be responsible for Endemol Shine's operations in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland. Stjärne joins from Modern Times Group, where she was vice president of programming.
SOUTHERN EUROPE
* Italian broadcasting firm Giglio Group cut a deal with RTL Group's RTL 102.5 Network to launch two new channels in HD via satellite through Eutelsat Communications SA's Hot Bird satellites, Advanced Television reports. The Italian company's unit M-Three SatCom will be in charge of transmitting the channels.
* Sky Italia SRL's revenues increased by 30% during the second half of 2016 compared to the previous half, Telecompaper reports. The company also said that it plans to fully roll out its targeted advertising service, Sky Adsmart, this year.
* Mediaset SpA acquired a license for Armoza Formats' reality competition "Curvy Supermodel," Rapid TV News reports. The show will air on the broadcaster's free-to-air channel Divinity.
* Italian telecom industry group Asstel warned of service disruptions in the country's major telcos on Feb. 1 due to a pending strike by workers in the sector, Telecompaper reports. The strike will likely affect the operations of BT Italia, Swisscom AG unit Fastweb SpA, Sky Italia, Telecom Italia SpA, Tiscali SpA, Vodafone Group Plc unit Vodafone Italia, WindTre and Almaviva Contact, among others.
EASTERN EUROPE
* Russian telecom watchdog Roskomnadzor is prepping a draft decision allowing the country's telecom operators to sell service contracts online and over automatic terminals from Jan. 1, 2019, Telecompaper reports, citing Vedomosti.
* Polsat Group is set to launch Polsat Doku, a new thematic channel, on Feb. 10, Telecompaper reports, citing Media2.pl. The new channel will air films and series.
* Russia's Ministry of Communications is still pushing through with its plans for a "Russian Discovery" channel, Broadband TV News reports. While First Deputy Minister of Communications Alexei Volin said negotiations for the project have seen some progress, there is not yet a specific date offered for the launch.
* Eleven Sports Network appointed Martyna Dobrzanska as trade marketing manager of its Polish team, Telecompaper reports, citing Meda2.pl. Dobrzanska is taking a new position in the organization which will cover relations with operators of cable TV and satellite platforms, including cooperation with operators to promote Eleven Sports channels.
FEATURED NEWS
Sky CEO: Discovery is becoming less relevant: Sky CEO Jeremy Darroch launched a rare attack on Discovery Communications during Sky's half-year earnings presentation, as the public dispute between the two companies heats up.
FEATURED RESEARCH
Economics of Networks: NBCUniversal grows revenue across segments in Q4: Nearly 30% of NBCUniversal's revenue in the fourth-quarter of 2016 was derived from cable networks, where revenue increased by 4.0% to $2.5 billion. Revenue gains in the fourth quarter were driven by upticks in distribution, advertising and content licensing.
Sylvia Edwards Davis, Anne Freier, 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.