Global pay-TV market added nearly 47 million subscribers in 2012 reaching a total of 864 million subscribers. “The growth in satellite, cable, and IPTV markets was strong, although digital terrestrial TV growth was flat in 2012. ABI Research expects that the pay-TV market will continue to grow in 2013 to reach 907 million subscribers,” said Jake Saunders, VP and practice director of core forecasting.

The World Teleport Association released a new white paper, Best Practices in Buying Satellite Antennas and the RF Chain. The latest in the Four-Nines series of reports shares insights from WTA members on the trade-offs between cost and quality, standards-based and proprietary, and investment risk versus revenue opportunity of purchasing antennas and RF equipment. The report is made possible by the financial support of XipLink.

TV Connect (formerly known as IP&TV World Forum) is to unite the world’s biggest gaming, telcos and high rising OTT players, as it addresses the rapidly converging TV market and future of connected entertainment. CXO level executives from Electronic Arts, AT&T and Spotify will kick-start the three-day event, which builds on the heritage of IP&TV and its legacy within the evolving ecosystem.

Low ARPUs, growing competitive threats, and rival multiscreen services are driving many pay-TV providers in Europe and Asia to explore new business strategies in video services, according to international research firm Parks Associates. TV Everywhere: Growth, Solutions, and Strategies - Europe and Asia/Pacific,a new report from Parks Associates, indicates multiscreen services now reach 66% of pay-TV subscribers in Western Europe, 21% in Eastern Europe, and 9% in Asia, compared to 90% in North America.

Germany has one of the world's most technologically advanced telecommunications systems and is the largest telecom market in Europe. Because of intensive capital expenditures since reunification in 1990, the formerly backward system of the eastern part of the country, dating back to World War II, has been modernized and integrated with that of the western part.

The World Teleport Association published its annual rankings for the Top Teleport Operators of 2012. The annual ranking provides a unique look into the diverse teleport sector of the global communications industry. For the second year in a row, the teleport operators reported their total spending on satellite capacity. The Top Independent Operators in 2012 spent $830 million on satellite capacity, which represented 40% on average of their annual revenues.

For better or worse – and mostly for better, I think –2012 has been the Year of Spectrum. We have seen a series of amazing announcements about step-changes in the number of megabits we can run through a given amount of satellite spectrum. 

The World Conference on International Telecommunications opened on a buoyant note today in Dubai, with positive words of encouragement from government, civil society and industry. ICANN’s President & CEO Fadi Chehadé spoke of a “new season of engagement and cooperation” between ITU and his agency, recognizing ITU’s critical role in the development of the telecommunications industry and broadband infrastructure.

The opportunities for 4K technology - the next step forward in high resolution video - have been much hyped, particularly within the world of broadcast, though beyond digital cinema the appetite for 4K from end users remains limited.  Futuresource expects a number of broadcasters to launch 4K channels as early as 2014 in a webminar held November 28 addressing the realities and the commercial and technological drivers of 4K video technology.

Over 220 million Smart TV sets will be sold worldwide in 2017, up from the 54 million that will be sold in 2012, according to Informa Telecoms & Media’s latest Smart TV device forecasts. 31% of households worldwide will own at least one Smart TV in five years time, according to Informa, with household penetration much higher in North America (63%) and Western Europe (64%).

However, while Smart TV connection rates are rising, they will continue to lag the connection rates of games consoles and media streaming devices (such as Apple TV and Roku).