Following Following In The Frame - October '17

Tom Pammenter Published: 31.10.2017 Industry news

Growing numbers of intellectual property disputes surrounding illegal music and sports streaming have led to an increase in High Court legal battles. Sky, BT, the FA and the music-licensing authority PPL were among the top claimants last year bringing cases against pirates in the ongoing battle to protect the value of the multi-billion pound industries.

In what Broadcast calls a “statement of intent” and “a transformative step”, Apple has hired its first British TV executive as the company intensifies the competition with Amazon and Netflix. Jay Hunt, the executive who has left Channel 4 for Cupertino, home of Apple, is one of the UK’s most senior TV executives and led Channel 4’s £75m poaching of The Great British Bake Off from the BBC. She will report to Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg, Apple’s worldwide video heads, who were poached from Sony Pictures Television in June.

Netflix, meanwhile, has increased its price for British viewers. There's no increase for Britons on the basic price plan of £5.99 per month, but those on the 2S plan will have to pay £7.99, up from £7.49, and those who have been paying £8.99 for the 4S option will have to pay £9.99.

Amazon is to increase its programming spend next year. “The video business is having great results with our most important customer base, which is our Prime customer,” the company’s CFO, Brian Oslavsky, said. “It continues to drive better conversion of free trials, higher membership renewal rates for existing subscribers and higher overall engagement.” Prime members who watch video spend more on Amazon’s other services, he said.

YouTube has unveiled its new YouTube TV app, built for TV devices. Okalo Ikhena, YouTube TV Product Manager, wrote on the YouTube blog: “In the next few days, you’ll be able to stream live TV through the new YouTube TV app on Android TV devices...In the coming weeks we’ll be launching the new app on Smart TVs, such as LG, Samsung, Sony, along with Apple TV.”

LinkedIn appears to be moving fast to integrate video, with CEO Jeff Weiner open to developing or buying original content.

BBC News

Ofcom has told the BBC that the corporation must broadcast more original UK programmes under new rules designed to ensure it offers high-quality, distinctive programmes for its entire audience. From next year, Ofcom wants at least three quarters of all programmes on the BBC’s most popular TV channels to be original productions, commissioned by the BBC for UK audiences – reaching 90 per cent during peak evening hours on BBC One and BBC Two.

At least 10 senior women at the BBC, including presenters, are working with lawyers about the corporation’s gender pay gap and could take legal action if talks fail to resolve the issue. Legal action could take place through an employment tribunal on sex discrimination or a high-court case. Equal pay claims have to be lodged with an employment tribunal within six months of the discrimination, so the matter holds a degree of urgency, given that the BBC’s pay list was published in July so the BBC effectively has until mid-January to resolve disputes.

The BBC has launched a “personalised in-car listening experience”. In plain English, it means the iPlayer Radio app has been updated for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and the new, car-friendly view of the app includes a simplified touch interface. A list of supported vehicles for Apple CarPlay is available here.

And finally…

Following this post on the Frame 25 blog about Arqiva’s central role in the development of 5G in the UK, the company has announced plans to float on the London Stock Exchange next month. The listing is expected to be the largest float of the year so far in terms of proceeds, and will value the company at about £6bn, including debts.
A government report says that a Channel 4 move from London could create 7,500 jobs, but two members of the broadcaster’s senior leadership team say such a move would be disastrous for their business.
Discovery and Eurosport have unveiled their Olympic Winter Games viewing experience plans, one hundred days before the PyeongChang event kicks off. The Make it Yours editorial strategy is designed to give sports fan every-minute access to action across all screens. Eurosport says that it will deliver the first fully digital Games for Europe
Openreach plans to build a large-scale fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) network across the country have been welcomed. FTTP provides a fibre optic connection from the telephone exchange to premises, whereas traditional fibre broadband (FTTC – fibre-to-the-cabinet) is a fibre connection to a local on-street cabinet, then a copper connection from the cabinet to commercial or domestic premises. FTTP's 100 per cent fibre connection offers much faster speeds and improves the performance of your internet connection.