Page 7 - AIB | The Chanel | Issue 1 2013

MEDIA MARKETS | THE CHANNEL
THE CHANNEL | ISSUE 1 2013 | 07
IN BRIEF
RRSAT NEW
C-BAND MCPC
RRsat America, a subsidiary
of RRsat Global
Communications Network,
a leading provider of
comprehensive digital
content management and
global content distribution
services to the TV and radio
broadcasting industries, is
partnering with MEASAT
Satellite Systems to launch
a new C-band MCPC
platform on the AFRICASAT-
1a satellite scheduled for
launch in early 2013. The
satellite will have coverage
across Africa, the Middle
East and Europe, enabling
the new platform to offer
full TV and radio coverage to
the African continent.
DUAL SCREEN
SMARTPHONE
Japanese mobile operator
NTT Docomo is launching a
dual-screen smartphone
which is developed and
manufactured by NEC Casio
Mobile Communications.
The handset will run on
Android and features two 4-
inch wide liquid crystal
display screens which can
be used for different
purposes. Users can check
e-mails or search for online
content on one screen, while
using the other screen as a
touch keypad. The two
screens can be merged to
form a single 6-inch screen.
SMART TV WITH
VOICE
At CES 2013 Samsung
unveiled its new flagship
LED Smart TV, the F8000,
with quad-core processor
which means consumers can
swap between apps, online
services, and on-air TV seam-
lessly and swiftly. The TV set
features S-Recommendation
with Voice Interaction, which
analyses the consumer’s
viewing history and the
popularity of TV programmes
to offer a personalised menu
and lets users search for TV
shows, apps, on-demand
content and more via voice
commands.
2013 telecom
predictions
In 2013, roll-out of LTE [4G]
services will have limited
immediate economic impact,
social media giants look set to
stir up IP-based messaging
services and smartphone
penetration growth rates will
slow considerably, according to
Analysys Mason’s top telecoms
predictions for the next 12
months. The research company
predicts that Apple will continue
to lose market share in the tablet
space and the Voice-over-LTE
investment case will come into
the spotlight for operators.
In 2013 LTE will become a
commercial reality in many more
countries but the industry will
realise that consumers are
unwilling to pay a premium for
LTE mobile broadband, and that
this service will not compete
with next-generation fixed
access on anything other than a
complementary basis. The effect
will be to push down the price of
3G/HSPA mobile broadband
services.
In the area of IP-based
messaging, competition will heat
up as social media giants such
as Facebook move in. European
operator revenue from
messaging will decline by 34% in
the next four years, from EUR28bn
in 2011 to EUR18.6bn in 2017.
The smartphone market will
continue to grow (691m in 2012
to 869m in 2013) but the rate of
growth in new smartphone
connections will significantly
decline: from 29% in 2012 to 20%
in 2013. Both Android and iOS
are predicted to marginally grow
their share of smartphone sales
but Symbian’s market share will
fall sharply. In the tablet market,
Apple will fall below 50% market
share for tablets by the end of
2013. Content ecosystems for
tablets will be a key differentiator
in 2013 and as important a
feature for tablets as the quality
and size of the screen or
processing power.
OTT/Connected TV and non-
linear TV will continue to force
GlobeCast partners with YahLive
YahLive, the Abu Dhabi, UAE-
based HDTV satellite platform
for the Middle East and North
Africa region, and leading
content management and
delivery company GlobeCast,
have entered into a partnership
in which GlobeCast will provide
YahLive with a 24/7 monitoring
and reporting service for
YahLive's satellite signals (video,
audio, and data) across the
MENA region. The local
monitoring and reporting
initiatives will be done by
GlobeCast at Jordan Media City
(pictured) in Amman.
YahLive, a JV between Al Yah
Satellite Communications and
satellite company SES, has in a
short time created an exclusive
HD bouquet of more than 50
quality channels including GEM
Sports TV, Russia Al Yaum, Abu
Dhabi TV, MBC, Cartoon Network
Arabic, and Saudi TV.
GlobeCast's 24/7 monitoring
centre is part of a catalogue of
value-added services that the
company has tested in its
centres worldwide and is now
beginning to implement in the
Middle East.
broadcasters, pay-TV and
telecoms operators to re-think
their strategies. The take-up of
paid-for OTT video services to
the TV in the USA and Canada
will more than double to 53m
households between 2012 and
2017, representing 37.4% of
households.
Figures for the take-up in
Europe are an estimated 2.3m
households in 2013 (= 0.7% of
households), increasing to 32m
(=10% of households) in 2017.
Compared with the USA and
Canada, growth in Europe is
affected by a lower propensity to
pay for video services because
high-quality free content from
public broadcasters is widely
available.