ITV/Channel 4 2012 viewing and NAR outlook
Further sharp year-on-year declines in viewing share by the leading commercial PSB channels, ITV1 and Channel 4, in Q1 2012 run contrary to the general stabilisation of viewing trends as Digital Switchover nears completion
The Channel 4 decline is more easily explained by exceptional factors, while closer examination of NAR trends suggest that ITV Family NAR has performed less well in recent quarters than results releases suggest |
Media, TV |
May 2012 Access this report
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Reversal of CC decision to impose remedies on Sky Movies
The Competition Commission has decided to reverse its provisional decision of August 2011 and has cleared Sky Movies of having ‘adverse effects on competition’ This change of heart – which we think is the first time in the Commission’s history of market investigations – was forecast by Enders Analysis in March BSkyB is the primary beneficiary of this announcement, which will almost certainly delay the growth of SVOD in the UK |
Media, TV |
May 2012 Access this report
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Still headroom for growth - Sky Q3 2012 results
The weak spot of 15,000 net TV additions in a positive quarter for operating profit growth reflects the continuing downward pressures of a struggling economy, with little indication of headwinds to do with connected TV Very strong growth in home communications in a weak quarter for TV net additions underline Sky’s competitive strengths in a market now close to maturity, as well as bringing revenue growth and churn reduction benefits Overshadowing Sky’s Q3 results, Ofcom’s investigation into the “fit and proper” status of News Corp’s shareholding in BSkyB is unlikely to affect the company |
Media, TV, Fixed line, Telecoms |
May 2012 Access this report
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London Olympics win-win for free and pay TV
The London Olympics promise to be a major success for both the free-to-air broadcast licensees and the leading pay-TV platforms as a result of co-operative deals being forged between them
Recent distribution agreements with Sky provide the BBC and Eurosport with a massively bigger window to showcase their credentials in in-depth sports coverage and new technologies, especially 3D |
Media, TV |
April 2012 Access this report
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Sky News email revelations
On 5 April, it emerged that Sky News had authorised a journalist to access emails on two occasions. Although Sky News may have committed a criminal offence, the likelihood of a successful prosecution is extremely slight, in our opinion |
Media, TV |
April 2012 Access this report
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TV platform growth forecasts 2012-2020: the impact of digital convergence
In this first of two reports on TV platform growth, we consider the impact of digital convergence on the traditional broadcast channel distribution platforms. As the analogue era draws to a close, the new era of digital convergence across multiple screens and devices is gathering momentum. We assess the various forces of change, including superfast broadband rollout, the continuing growth of pay-TV adoption and the strategic resilience of Sky and Virgin Media. We provide our forecasts for TV platform penetration to 2020. |
Media, TV |
April 2012 Access this report
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A U-turn at the Competition Commission?
The CC seems to be preparing to reverse its provisional conclusion that Sky’s hold over premium movies is damaging competition |
Media, TV |
March 2012 Access this report
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UK fixed telecoms market: broadband and telephony trends to Q4 2011
In this presentation we show our analysis of trends in UK broadband and telephony to December 2011, based on the published results of the major service providers.
Highlights for the December quarter include a return to the lower rate of broadband market growth seen prior to mid-2010, accelerating growth in the number of subscribers to high speed broadband and the continuing increase in market share of BT Retail and BSkyB at the expense of virtually all other players
This quarter’s edition includes a look at Openreach’s wholesale FTTP On Demand, planned for launch in 2013. |
Media, Fixed line, Internet, Telecoms |
February 2012 Access this report
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Feeling the economic chill: Sky interim 2012 results
Sky’s 16% year-on-year increase in interim profits reflects strong operating efficiencies and reduced marketing costs due to the slowdown of TV gross additions in a tough economic climate, while continuing low churn underlines its product strengths
Fibre broadband deployment and the January launch of streaming-only services by Lovefilm and Netflix signal increasingly competitive conditions, but Sky is well placed and the challenges should take several years to materialise |
Media, TV, Fixed line, Telecoms |
February 2012 Access this report
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TV NAR forecasts: 2012-2016
With the economy drifting sideways, we have set our centre case forecasts at 0-1% average annual growth in TV NAR and assigned a low probability to a repeat of the hyper-cyclical downturn of 2008/9
Comparative international data show a pervasive long term weakness in display advertising trends across the developed world, while emerging markets in Asia, Latin America and Central/Eastern Europe take an increasing share of global budgets |
Media, TV |
January 2012 Access this report
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Netflix faces uphill battle in the UK
The launch of Netflix in the UK and Ireland has ignited the debate on the threat from over-the-top video to pay-TV services from Sky, Virgin Media and BT
Unlike in the US, Netflix’s UK prospects and those of competitors such as Lovefilm, are fundamentally limited, given the availability of low priced pay-TV with strong on-demand components included for free
The impact of Netflix on the UK pay-TV industry is therefore likely to be even smaller than the (hard to discern) effect it has had in the US |
Media, TV, Internet, Technology |
January 2012 Access this report
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Virgin Media's cable broadband speed upgrade: put that in your pipe
Virgin Media’s plan to double the line speed of most of its broadband customers is the latest in a series of moves to retain its position as the leading high speed internet service provider in the face of BT’s deployment of next generation access (NGA)
The move presages further price increases and an upgrade to offers for new cable customers, but is in the first instance about retaining the large existing base of cable customers currently on 10 Mbit/s |
Media, Fixed line, Internet, Telecoms |
January 2012 Access this report
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Digital platform growth post analogue
As Phase 1 digital shift from broadcast analogue to digital nears completion, individual platform growth trends have almost flattened out
The most likely area of change in platform trends over the next ten years concerns basic only subscription pay-TV, where we anticipate an overall increase in the total pay-TV base and change in platform balance arising from the introduction of low price basic packages |
Media, TV |
December 2011 Access this report
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UK broadband and telephony trends to Q3 2011, residential broadband projections to 2016
In this presentation we show our analysis of trends in UK broadband and telephony to September 2011, together with our latest projections for residential broadband subscribers and market shares to 2016. Highlights for the 2011 September quarter include accelerating growth in the number of subscribers to high speed broadband, and the continuing increase in market share of BT Retail and BSkyB at the expense of virtually all other players. This quarter’s edition includes a look at high speed broadband pricing, and our take on the new guidelines on broadband advertising. |
Fixed line, Telecoms |
December 2011 Access this report
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Sky still climbing, but going getting tougher
Sky’s Q1 2012 produced strong 16% year-on-year headline growth in adjusted operating profits, although weakening TV product net additions underlined the challenging economic conditions
Churn remains comparatively low in spite of the economic conditions, while Sky’s current round of major investment in entertainment content, now showing the first signs of bearing fruit, could prove vital to holding churn down and stimulating gross additions |
Media, TV, Fixed line, Telecoms |
October 2011 Access this report
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Openreach's revised pricing for Physical Infrastructure Access
Openreach has announced large cuts in the prices of some important components of physical infrastructure access (PIA). A further substantial reduction in duct prices is possible as a result of an adjustment by Ofcom to Openreach’s regulatory asset value (RAV)
The reductions are helpful to the economics of bids by altnets such as Fujitsu for government funds to deploy rural next generation access (NGA), and to Virgin Media, as it expands its existing cable network footprint |
Fixed line, Telecoms |
October 2011 Access this report
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ECJ Murphy judgment - Who will win?
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) judgment in the Portsmouth pub landlady case looks to have opened the door to legitimising the private or domestic use of decoders to watch premium sports and other pay-TV content outside the territories for which they were licensed
The outcome could prove to be a significant commercial opportunity for Sky to expand its overseas distribution among residential customers, but an extra test for the Football Association Premier League (PL) as it designs the next round of contracts with a view to at least maintaining current revenues |
Media, TV |
October 2011 Access this report
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Sky Movies: the Competition Commission investigates
The provisional findings of the Competition Commission’s (CC) investigation into pay-TV echoed the conclusions of the Ofcom pay-TV investigation in April 2010, concluding that Sky’s control of pay-TV movie rights was having an adverse effect on competition
The big difference between the CC and Ofcom lies in the choice of remedy, with the CC preferring to explore a range of other options rather than proceed with Wholesale Must Offer, a solution that the CC sees as entrenching Sky’s market power rather than undermining it |
Media, TV |
August 2011 Access this report
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UK broadband and telephony trends: Summer 2011
In this presentation we show our analysis of trends in UK broadband and telephony to June 2011, based on the published results of the major service providers. This quarter’s edition includes a first look at high speed broadband subscriber volumes, and our analysis of broadband growth in 2010 based on data recently released by Ofcom. |
Fixed line, Telecoms |
August 2011 Access this report
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Sky FY 2011 results: excellent year of delivery
Fiscal 2011 was a vintage year for Sky, which reported a 23% growth in operating profit and 51% increase in free cash flow as it started to reap the full benefits of its investment in multi-product growth
Q4 2011 showed signs that tougher economic conditions are starting to bite, although the sharp fall in TV product additions was balanced by a fourth consecutive bumper quarter in home communications, in which Sky outperformed the rest of the market |
Media, TV, Fixed line, Telecoms |
August 2011 Access this report
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