euro news_news 24/04/2014 12:18 Page 1
Telecom Italia
to carry Sky
content
ky and Telecom Italia
have agreed a deal
that will allow
Telecom Italia customers to
access the entire Sky Italia
television offer through its
ultra-broadband networks,
using a My Sky HD decoder
specially created for
Internet TV.
The pair say the partnership
confirms the industrial
importance for the two
companies, leaders in their
respective sectors, of operating
in the broad entertainment
market by synergising their
assets and skills, also in view of
the development of broadband in
Italy. The Sky offer becomes the
key element of Telecom Italia’s
ultra-broadband strategy, and
access to the new generation
network allows Sky to benefit
from an additional distribution
platform for its programmes.
From 2015 consumer customers
of Telecom Italia will be able to
access a Sky offer that is
equivalent, in terms of content,
services and pricing, to the
satellite offer.
Similarly, the agreement with
Telecom Italia has strategic
importance for Sky, because it
makes the whole of its extensive
S
BBC iPlayer 30-day
catch-up
The BBC Trust has approved
proposals from the BBC
Executive to extend the
catch-up window for
programmes on BBC iPlayer
from seven to 30 days.
The catch-up extension
will mean that programmes
will be available on iPlayer to
stream or download for 30
6 EUROMEDIA
offer of exclusive services and
programmes available on
broadband - starting with High
Definition and the many features
of My Sky HD - allowing it to
expand the sales base of pay-TV
and access a new share of the
market represented by potential
subscribers who cannot install a
satellite dish, such as families
living in the many historical and
artistic centres of Italian cities
who to date have not had access
to the best Italian television offer
and the new viewing experiences
it offers.
The Sky offer will be
primarily directed towards
customers who have a fibre optic
connection, and will be a driver
for the development of ultrabroadband.
Marco Patuano, CEO of
Telecom Italia, said the
agreement was part of Telecom
Italia’s overall strategy, which
identified the offer of premium
content as an element that added
value to its new generation
network infrastructure. “Indeed,
we are totally convinced that one
of the main drivers of our
business is the development of
innovative services, particularly
in entertainment for the
consumer market. This
partnership, which allows our
customers to access the most
extensive pay TV offer available
on the market, is particularly
satisfying for us, since it creates
a new industrial model for the
consumption of audiovisual
content, thanks to the
technological skill of Telecom
Italia and the production knowhow of Sky,” he declared.
“Until today, satellite was the
only technology that could bring
the full richness of our offer into
Italian homes, guaranteeing the
quality standards that have
always been associated with the
Sky brand,” noted Andrea
Zappia, CEO of Sky Italia
(above). “So we are very satisfied
with this important agreement
that, thanks to Telecom Italia’s
ultra-broadband network and the
possibility of developing a new
generation IPTV platform, allows
us to assure the excellence of the
Sky user experience also through
the internet, with High
Definition, on Demand and all
the features that enrich the
viewing experience, starting with
My Sky HD. We are convinced
that the partnership with
Telecom Italia represents a great
opportunity to extend the
customer base for pay-TV in
Italy, bringing the Sky offer into
the homes of all those families
who could not access it before
today and creating new
motivations to try Sky TV
specialities.”
days after they are first
broadcast, rather than the
current seven days. The
changes are expected to be
implemented from this
summer.
Under the plans approved
by the Trust, the current
'series stacking' option,
where multiple episodes of a
TV series can be downloaded
retrospectively, will end,
although it will still be
available for radio
programmes. Instead,
individual TV episodes will be
available for longer under the
30 day extension.
In a statement, the BBC
Executive said: "People keep
telling us they want
programmes to be available
on BBC iPlayer for longer - so
extending availability from
seven to 30 days will make
iPlayer even better. New
iPlayer already has
downloads, better
recommendations, HD, live
restart, favourites and
collections, and extending
the catch-up window to 30
days gives people even
longer to enjoy their
favourite BBC programmes.
We will now set about
making this happen with the
aim to roll this out from the
summer."