This week, we learn why FAST Euro limits will impede growth versus the US, why there are now 18 TV OSs and counting, and how super apps help broadcasters fight global SVOD.
Top News Stories (1:00)
I attended the CTV World Summit in London this week. I shared three main observations from the conference.
Conference observation #1: Why FASTs won’t grow as fast in Europe (9:30)
Marcus Kyte, a consultant at Oliver and Ohlbaum, presented three reasons he expected FAST growth to be lower in the UK and Europe than in the US. His reasons were:
- A strong local free-to-air (FTA) market
- Too high ad loads versus FTA
- More premium and original content in the US versus Europe and the UK.
Conference observation #2: TV OS market getting more crowded (14:00)
TV OS’s were a big topic at the conference. Presentations claimed that there are now 18 or more TV OS worldwide, and the number looks to increase. Low profit margins on TVs, coupled with the massive amount of money switching from traditional to connected TVs, are attracting new players.
Conference observation #3: Broadcaster super apps will be retarded FAST growth (21:10)
15% of UK TVs are no longer connected to traditional TV sources (neither FTA nor cable TV.) Broadcasters are banding together in super apps that appear on smart TVs in the country. I interviewed Jonathan Thompson, CEO of Everyone TV, an organization leading the evolution of free-to-air TV in the UK. The company is about to launch a super app called Freely, which includes all the major TV broadcasters. The app runs on smart TVs and works broadly like FAST services. In other words, all that is required to watch is a broadband connection.
