TalkTalk reported net losses in broadband (-9k), with likely negative pressure on line rental, and weakness also in TV (-23k) although fibre (+36k) and mobile (+48k) net adds remained strong. Ahead of insight from competitor performances, the figures suggest a challenging quarter for the operator

Group revenue growth improved 1.3ppts to -0.4% owing to particularly strong carrier revenues, an inconsistent revenue stream. This was in spite of slowing consumer revenue growth (-1.2ppts to -2.5%) partly owing to cyber-attack related impacts

The concerted strategic shift away from being a price discounter to a fuller featured value for money provider may well encounter similarly challenging quarters in a highly competitive market where rivals have larger marketing budgets and offer deep discounts

Vodafone Europe’s mobile service revenue growth continued to recover, despite regulatory and calendric headwinds, and continued customer service issues in its UK business

The improvement was driven by fairly aggressive price increases, most acutely in Spain, which drove fairly dramatic ARPU growth improvements but also subscriber growth slowdowns

While using network improvements to drive pricing premia is a sound strategy, the timing may be a little premature, and any significant macroeconomic Brexit impact may force Vodafone to reverse course

Video content is crudely defined. If something is not very short (<10 minutes) then it tends to be considered long-form. But there is a middle ground - one which displays a distinctive combination of characteristics in terms of production, broadcasting and viewing

Mid-form video (between 10 and 20 minutes) has the ability to carry the narrative arcs normally associated with long-form programming, whilst also retaining the snackable and shareable attributes of short-form

The footprint of mid-form is, so far, small. However, it is growing, as its unique qualities, such as excellent ad completion, become more readily recognised

Both the commercial and BBC radio sectors generally seem to be in good shape, with radio listening also appearing robust. However, this masks a steep decline among younger adults that shows no sign of slowing down

With radio content available at the swipe of a finger, the linear schedule becomes less relevant, and the challenge broadcasters face is to create online hooks for the broadcast output

News Corp’s acquisition of TalkSPORT will open up new business opportunities as well as consumer engagement across The Sun and TalkSPORT and may prove an important milestone for the Sun brand

European service revenue growth improved in aggregate but with traction noticeably gradual and fragile, and growth remains negative. The future of this fragile recovery is highly uncertain in the wake of a vote to take the UK out of the EU. Most economists have budgeted a slowdown in UK GDP growth, revising 2017 expectations from around 2% to near zero or below. The IMF expect 1.3% growth in 2017 (-1ppt revision) based on “limited” Brexit impact with implied potential for further downward revisions, and it has made more modest cuts to forecasts for other European markets

Mobile service revenues are susceptible to the slowdown but we believe there to be sources of resilience in the revenue stream that would temper the impact including much reduced prepay share of the base, heavily eroded ARPU differential of contract users over prepay and contract tariff value for money, bundling trends, high smartphone penetration (>64%) and data attachment rates (>75%), and 4G coverage and penetration

Following a failed acquisition of O2 in the UK, H3G have turned focus to the proposed JV merger with Wind in Italy where offered remedies are rumoured to have been found acceptable although official confirmation (pending) is only due by 8 September. These include furnishing Iliad as a replacement fourth market entrant with uncertain consequences for the Italian market

Google’s recent product updates and developer conference announcements aim for as many users on as many platforms and devices as possible – a return to strategic form

The company has a dual approach: using Android as a mobile trend-setter while also devising new ways for users and developers on other platforms to use Google services

The reach provided by these initiatives will help Google’s machine learning algorithms to better understand and predict user intent – the cornerstone of the company’s ad business

Adverse market trends are finally touching the iPhone, the mainstay of Apple’s business, which looks healthy in the short term but is facing substantial threats further out

In response, Apple has changed its iPhone pricing, is warming up to developers and seeks to address long-standing problems with its first-party service offerings

While some of the holes in Apple’s service suite are now being patched, the company is still playing catch-up to rivals Google and Amazon in areas like smart assistants, maps and the connected home

The success of Pokémon Go on iOS and Android has met long-held expectations for Nintendo’s potential on mobile

While buoyed by the strength of Nintendo’s intellectual property, the game’s reception also demonstrates how compelling augmented reality can be for user engagement

Would be imitators will quickly follow, but success is likely to be elusive without a close partnership with one of the leading online platforms

Online growth has opened up a new window of opportunity for production companies in short and mid form “online-first” content, with the last few years seeing a steady increase in the number of production companies entering this space 

So far, persistently low broadcaster online-first budgets and poor financial returns from video distributed online has held back growth of mid and short form video. Instead, the main growth in recent times has come from “brand” commissions 

Yet whatever the type of commission and its financial value, short and mid form commissions are eagerly sought after, whether as a potentially lucrative income stream, especially in the case of branded content, or as a calling card for long-form commissions from broadcasters and OTT players such as Netflix and Amazon

The DCMS has published the government’s response to its consultation on the balance of payments between television platforms and public service broadcasters, the so-called issue of retransmission fees

One sure outcome is that Section 73 of the Copyright, Designs and Patent Act (CPDA) 1988, which has hitherto protected cable operators (i.e. Virgin Media) from having to pay retransmission fees, is outmoded and will go

But, we now have a disconnect. The government has stated unequivocally that it expects the continuation of no net carriage payments between the licensed PSBs and the platform operators and may consider legislative changes to ensure this. And yet ITV sees the government response as a welcome first step towards their introduction