Showing posts with label AT&T. Show all posts
Showing posts with label AT&T. Show all posts

Monday, May 24, 2021

Week 20 in Telecoms, Internet, Media (UPDATED)

CORPORATE

  • KPN: Telegraaf: EQT and Stonepeak still interested in offer
  • Telefonica: Rumor: to sell Zeleris (logistics), wants EUR 100m, HIG Capital interested
  • BT: Fitch: agreement with BT Pension Scheme (to meet part of its pension deficit repair plan through an asset-backed funding (ABF) structure) is broadly neutral to BT's leverage profile and rating
  • CityFibre (West Street Infrastructure Partners = Goldman Sachs 35%, Antin Infrastructure Partners 35%): Rumor: to sell 30% stake for GBP 1b to ~20 pension & investment funds, to expand target from 8m to 10m premises 
  • Vodafone
    • 20/21Q4 prelim
      • guidance 21/22: adj EBITDA AL EUR 15.0-15.4b, capex GBP 8b (raised), adj FCF >EUR 5.2b
      • Strategy Update
        • to apply for EU's Recovery & Resilience facility
        • targets rev growth, adj EBITDA AL growth MSD, adj FCF growth FCF, leverage 2.5-3.0x, dividend minimum 9c
        • focus on 1. Network investment (fixed & 5G), 2. stronger, more comprehensive product offering, 3. accelerate digital capabilities, 4. flexibility to support Vantage Towers
    • Rumor: interested in co-investment with BT to build 5m premises by 2026
  • VodafoneZiggo: Ziggo Sport to lose Formula 1 rights from 2021/22 season to NENT Group, rumored to pay >EUR 30m, to establish Viaplay, with Bundesliga football (currently at RTL NL); reaches 1.5m viewers
  • Liberty Global
    • CMA approves Virgin Media / O2 UK merger without remedies, to close 210601
    • Establishes JV AtlasEdge Data Centres with Digital Colony to develop >100 edge datacenters in Europe, to close & launch 21Q3; for s 5G, gaming, IoT, edge compute applications; e Josh Joshi to be Exec Chair; Virgin Media UK & IE, Sunrise UPC, UPC Poland to be anchor tenants, open for 3rd parties
  • Cegeka: Citymesh plans to expand mobile nationwide and into consumer market under new brand, to invest EUR 100m, to participate in upcoming auction (700, 900, 1400, 1800, 2000 bands)
  • Iliad: 21Q1; delays fixed-line market IT entry to after summer 2021; expects Iliad IT to report positive EBITDA AL over 2021; to sell remaining 30% stake in towerco FR (On Tower France = Cellnex), >EUR 600m; to revise Op CF target for FR (excl B2B, originally EUR 900m) by Sep 2021
  • Altice Europe: SFR acquires 50% stake in RegloMobile (MVNO France, 770k subs; = Afone Participations) from E Leclerc Group (retailer)
  • 1&1 Drillisch: Finalises nat roaming (2G, 3G, 4G plus 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G MVNO; excl 4G in urban areas from 260101: 1&1 Drillisch 5G covered areas) deal with Telefonica DE, 5 yr; 1&1's subs to be migrated to own network after certain period
  • Gamma Communications: AGM & 21Q1 trading update; outlook 2021: rev, adj EBITDA, adj EPS at high-end of range of market forecasts (rv GBP 442-461, adj EBITDA 86-94m, EPS 55-63p)
  • Deutsche Telekom
    • CMD (1)
      • Targets 2021-24: rev CAGR 1-2%, adj EBITDA AL CAGR 3-5%, FCF >EUR 18b by 2024 (2020: 6.3b), EPS >EUR 1.75 by 2024 (2020: 1.20), pay-out ratio 40-60% of EPS (lower limit EUR 0.60); aims for sustainable growth
      • 5 key action areas: 1. Turning customers into fans (leader in terms of customer experience in fixed, mobile, convergence; superior networks and best-in-class service), 2. Lead in B2B in Europe (rev CAGR 2% in DE and Europe; T-Mobile US to double market share), 3. A new level of sustainability (to become climate neutral in terms of its own emissions (Scope 1 and 2) by as early as 2025, from 2040, 10 years earlier than the original target, this will apply to the entire value chain (Scope 1, 2 and 3), management compensation contains components based on these targets), 4. Number one in fiber and 5G (FTTH penetration >60% by 2030, from 5% currently; to add 2.5m HP/yr from 2024; 5G coverage 97% pops coverage by 2024), 5. We continue to drive digitization (continue to digitize its business at all levels, 30 percent of purchases by customers in Germany to go via our electronic channels by 2024) 
      • Strategic review for T-Mobile NL (preparing for sale) & towers
    • CMD (2)
      • Targets tech & inovation
      • Targets T-Systems
      • Group Development (US, BT stake, NL, Towers, DTCP): valuation T-Mobile US $76b, BT stake GBP 1.9b, GD Towers EUR 12.8b, T-Mobile NL EUR 5.7b incl towers 5.0b excl towers (reduced EBITDA AL EUR 30m) (based on broker estimates), own valuation EUR 6b (enterprise value)
      • Targets T-Mobile NL ('Crown Jewel') YE 2024: 900k fixed subs, FMC penetration of branded base >40%, >50% of customer transaction digital
      • GD Towers ('Kingmaker asset') targets 2024: add 6k sites, 15k site extensions, external rev CAGR >3% (3rd party business), lower opex/site; targets GD 2024: rev CAGR >2%, adj EBITDA CAGR >4%, cash contribution AL CAGR >6%
  • AT&T
  • SingTel: Plans impairment charge on Amobee (ad platform), Trustwave (cyber security), Optus (Australia)
  • RTL
  • Vivendi: Reduces ambition for ownership of UMG after IPO 210927 of 60% from 20 to 10% (Tencent to retain 20%), may sell 10% to US-based investor or increase float to 70%; to retain 10% stake for minimum 2 yr; UMG 21Q1: rev EUR 1809m (+9.4%; recorded music +10.8%, music publishing +6.9%, merchandising & other -10.0%), EBIT 322m (+36%)
  • Google: Bloomberg: Waymo plans to raise $4b, considers IPO

VIDEO

  • Amazon
    • The Information: to offer $7-10b for MGM (studio, channel Epix); Variety: to offer $9b (others expect $5b)
    • libary of 4000 films (incl James Bond, Hobbit, Rocky/Creed, RoboCop, Pink Panther franchises) + 17k episodes (incl Stargate, Vikings, Fargo, The Handmaid’s Tale, Get Shorty, Condor, Fame, American Gladiators, Teen Wolf, In the Heat of the Night), unscripted shows (incl The Voice, Survivor, Shark Tank, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, The Hills)
    • MGM 21Q1: rev $403m (+27%), net income $29.3m
    • Variety: valuation $5-6b + debt, Eon Productions (= Broccoli family) control James Bond franchise, insist in theatrical release, refuse spin-offs
  • NENT Group: Plans to launch Viaplay in NL 22Q1 as streaming ad-free SVOD service
  • WarnerMedia: HBO Max AVOD tier (HBO Max With Ads)
    • to cost 10 $/mo
    • to launch in US early June 2021
    • to exclude day-and-date Warner Bros movie premieres throughout 2021
    • no ads against HBO originals; minimal ad load
    • to produce equal margin to ad-free tier
    • ad types: Brand Block, Pause Ad, Branded Discovery
    • ad-free tier to expand to Latam/Caribbean end June 2021
    • to upgrade HBO-branded streaming services in Europe to HBO Max 21H2
    • Some HBO Max originals to be aired on TBS & TNT from summer 2021
  • ViacomCBS: CBS plans addressable commercials for broadcast TV from 21H2
  • Netflix
    • Established division (events/spectacle team) focused on obtaining franchise rights; currently 90 shows in development based on already established properties across comics, books, manga, video games
    • Rumor: plans expansion into videogames, ad-free, may be bundled with SVOD - Confirms expansion into interactive entertainment
  • Vimeo: Launches enterprise-grade video hub

MUSIC

  • Spotify
    • Launches virtual concert series May/June 2021 (with The Black Keys, Rag’n’Bone Man, Bleachers’ Jack Antonoff, Leon Bridges, girl in red)
    • Spotify for Artists publishes Fan Study
    • Partners with Storytel (500k audioboks, 1.6m subs) to allow Storytel subs to connect their account through Spotify to access their audiobooks within Spotify’s app (based on Open Access Platform, to add more OAP partners)
  • Amazon: Allows Amazon Music Unlimited subs (10 $/mo for Amazon subs, 8 $/mo for Prime subs, 15 $/mo family plan) free upgrade to Amazon Music HD (originally 15 $/mo); 70m tracks in HD (lossless, 16 bit, 44.1 kHz) o/w 7m in UHD (24 bit, 192 kHz), some upgraded to 3D Audio (Dolby Atmos, Sony 360RA)
  • Apple: To migrate to lossless audio (ALAC; from 16 bit 44.1 kHz to 24 bit 48 kHz and24 bit 192 kHz) & spatial audio (Dolby Atmos) June 2021, price unchanged; total 75m tracks

WEB SERVICES

  • Google I/O 
  • Snap
    • Partner Summit
      • new services
      • Spotlight paid out $130m since launch to creators (5400)
      • reaches 500m MAU
      • demos Spectacles gen 4 for AR creators (currently 200k, supports with $3.5m + $1m with Verizon for 5G-based AR): AR (dual waveguide displays capable of superimposing AR effects made with Snapchat’s software tools), 4 built-in microphones, 2 stereo speakers, built-in touchpad, Connected Lenses (allows multiple people to see and interact with the same scene in AR)
      • launches Ghost (AR innovation lab)
    • Acquires WaveOptics (AR display supplier, powers Spectacles), >$500m
  • Microsoft launches personal (consumer) version of Teams: chat, video calling, share calendars, locations & files (online (teams.live.com) or app for desktop, Android, iOS) 
  • Vodafone UK launches 3 packages for SME around Wix services (website creation tool): Get Selling Online (10.5 GBP/mo excl VAT; create presence, with payments), Peace of Mind Online (13; adds security), Supercharge My Business Online (22.4; adds Microsoft 365)

TELECOM SERVIVES

  • Ziggo launches internet-only tiers: 75/10 Mb/s for 42.50 EUR/mo, 300/30 for 53, 600/40 for 60.50, 1000/50 for 65.50

NETWORKS

  • Ookla Speedtest Global Index (April 21): global average FBB 102/54 Mb/s, MBB 53/13 Mb/s; FBB: Singapore #1 (246), S Korea #2 (242), HK #3 (241), Monaco #4 (220), RO #5 (214), NL #25 (153); MBB: UAE #1 (191), S Korea #2 (186), Qatar #3 (181), China #4 (149), KSA #5 (148), NL #9 (107) 
  • GSMA calls on governments to allocate 6 GHz band (5925-6425 & 6425-7125) to 5G (at least 6425-7125 portion, 5925-6425 license-exempt; currently mostly for WiFi) for mobile, smart city, smart industry, smart transport
  • Melita (first in Malta) launches 5G (in existing spectrum), nationwide, with Ericsson
  • Sunrise UPC proposes 5G for Smart Buildings (using MR, AR) for Building Information Modeling (BIM); demos transparent building app from Builcon (MR glasses see through walls, enabling them to detect where pipes, cable routes and ducts run)

REGULATORY

  • Platforms
    • EU proposes unified corporate tax regime, based on OECD rules (to be agreed June 2021)
    • US House Dems propose Social Media DATA Act: forces platforms to share data (ad libraries) with researchers and FTC (description of the audience that was targeted, information about how many people interacted with the ad, details about whether the ad was optimized for awareness, traffic or some other purpose); working group within FTC to establish best practices around social media research
  • Apple: lawsuit Epic Games (Fortnite) vs. Apple ongoing


at 12:01 am 0 comments
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Monday, May 17, 2021

WarnerMedia to merge into Discovery

All documents here.
  • To merge WarnerMedia with Discovery in all-stock, Reverse Morris Trust transaction
    • To transfer WarnerMedia to Magallanes (SpinCo, incl $43b debt, to pay special dividend to AT&T, also $15b debt from Discovery, leverage 5x at closing)
    • To be separated as dividend or exchange offer
    • Next to merge with Drake Subsidiray (= Discovery)
    • AT&T shareholders to own 71% stake, Discovery shareholders 29%
  • To close mid 2022
    • Termination fee if merger not consummated by 230715: Discovery to pay $720m or AT&T to pay $1.77b
    • Supported by John Malone and Advance/Newhouse (together own 44% of Discovery)
  • New Discovery
    • Expect cost synergies 3b $/yr
    • To own 200k hr of programming
    • CEO David Zaslav to be CEO (Jason Kilar remains CEO of WarnerMedia)
    • To deleverage to 3.0x in 24 mo (long-term target 2.5-3.0x)
    • Targets 2023: rev $52b (o/w >15b from D2C), adj EBITDA $14b (pro forma 2020: rev 39b, EBITDA 12b)
  • AT&T adjusts guidance pro-forma
    • Rev CAGR LSD, adj EBITDA CAGR MSD, adj EPS CAGR MSD
    • Annual capex $24b (to expand 5G to 200m pops YE 2023, FTTH to 30m premises YE 2025)
    • Annual dividend payout ratio 40-43% on anticipated FCF of over $20b
    • Leverage 2.6x at closing, <2.5x YE 2023



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WarnerMedia - Discovery merger implications

Bloomberg reported of a merger of AT&T's WarnerMedia with Discovery.
  • Combines broadcast (linear channels) and D2C (streaming), as well as premium content (HBO) with low-end (reality). Also, WarnerMedia is big in factual as well (CNN, providing a solid add-on for Discovery's portfolio) and Discovery adds sports (Eurosport, adding weight to HBO).
  • Deal structure, management unclear as yet.
  • Verizon selling Verizon Media, AT&T spinning of WarnerMedia raises the question: what about the other telco/media marriages? (Comcast, Telenet, Telia)
  • Consolidation: in a crowded market (streaming) where 'stacking' is a big unknown, combining two entities is a good thing. They lose some focus (in terms of brand image) but gain portfolio breadth and scale. After all, we are still seeing newcomers in the D2C space and some even produce 'oroginals' (which is pointless if you don't have a sizeable budget - people will simply churn after seeing the exclusives).
  • Pricing: adding the individual prices for HBO Max ($15) and discovery+ ($7) results in too high a price for many, given competitor pricing and the stacking issue. They may need to focus on volume (market share) rather than price.


at 9:33 am 0 comments
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Monday, March 15, 2021

Week 10 in Telecoms, Internet, Media

Corporate

  • Updates
    • Elisa: Capital markets day: targets 2020-23 rev growth CAGR >2%, EBITDA growth CAGR >3%, capex/sales max 12%, net debt/EBITDA 1.5-2.0x, equity ratio >35%, profit distribution (dividend, capital repaymnet, purchase of treasury shares) 80-100% of previous year's net profit; To grow in global telco software business (customers include DT) and industrial software for manufacturing [Consumer NPS 31.8]
    • Deutsche Telekom: T-Mobile US Analyst Day    
    • AT&T: Analyst Day Strategy Update & 5G Strategy    
    • Verizon: Investor Day    
    • US Cellular (TDS): Acquired 254 C-band licenses covering 94% of subs in FCC auction 107, $1.46b
  • Towers
    • Monaco Telecom (Xavier Niel): Sells towers Malta, Cyprus to Phoenix Tower (815 towers + build-to-suit sites), to close end 2021
    • Vodafone: Vantage Towers Sets IPO price range EUR 22.50-29.00, market cap EUR 11.4-14.7b; to sell stakes in IPO to investors Digital Colony (EUR 500m) and RRJ (EUR 450m); tosell 88.9m shares to raise EUR 2.0-2.8b (incl 25% upsize & 15% greenshoe), 19.1-24.6% to be listed; subscription period until 210317, first trade Frankfurt 210318
  • Other
    • Dropbox: Acquires DocSend, $165m: document sharing via secure link
    • PayPal: Acquires Curv (crypto security, Israel), rumored price <$200m
    • Stripe: Raises $600m at $95b valuation from Ireland’s National Treasury Management Agency, Allianz, Fidelity, Baillie Gifford, AXA, Sequoia Capital
    • Airspan Networks plans IPO via SPAC merger on NYSE, symbol MIMO
    • RTL: 20Q4

Networks

  • FTTH
    • UK: CityFibre (Antin, Goldman Sachs) plans Phase 2: adds 216 towns (3m homes, GBP 1.5b) to cover <33% by 2025 (England, Scotland; 8m homes, 800k businesses, 400k publi sector sites, 250k 5G sites); currently 650k homes, 14 ISPs
    • DE: TNG (= Intermediate Capital Group) raises EUR 73m debt for rural FTTH (200k premises) from UBS, others
    • DE: Telekom DE plans 600k FTTH lines in Berlin by 2025, 1m by 2027
    • DE: Deutsche Glasfaser plans 300k FTTH lines in Saarland, EUR 500m
  • LEO

Services

  • Deutsche Telekom
    • T-Mobile US plans opt-out advertising program from 210426 (excl business accounts & children): targeted ads based on anonimised online activity
    • Telekom DE partners with Envision Digital (Charging by EnOSTM) for home EV charging solution, with SIM and IP-VPN, from 37 EUR/mo (incl 100 kWh)
  • Video

Regulatory

  • Spectrum auctions
  • ACCC publishes Issues Paper on the impact of default settings for search engines & browsers on mobile devices, consultation until 210415 - Plans report on app marketplaces 210331
  • EC publishes Digital Decade plan, proposes Digital Compass: 1. Digitally skilled citizens and highly skilled digital professionals (incl 20m ICT specialists), 2. Secure, performant and sustainable digital infrastructures (gigabit connectivity, 5G, quantum computer, 10k climate-neutral secure edge nodes), 3. Digital transformation of businesses (cloud, Big Data, AI; double the number of unicorns), 4. Digitalisation of public services (incl e-medical records) - BEREC supports


at 9:50 am 0 comments
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Saturday, March 13, 2021

AT&T Analyst Day: Strategy Update & 5G Strategy

Analyst Day: Strategy Update & 5G Strategy, Presentation
  • HBO expansion
    • HBO Max AVOD tier to launch June 2021 (has $80m in ad bookings), will not include 2021 theatrical releases, HBO original series will not have ads inside
    • raises subs targets HBO/HBO Max (excl free trials, Cinemax) to 120-150m YE 2025 (from 75-90), 67-70m YE 2021 (61m YE 2020 o/w 41.5m in US)
    • HBO rev target $15b in 2025 (2020: $6.8b), HBO Max investements peak in 2022, break-even in 2025
    • HBO Max to expand to 60 new markets in 2021 (39 in Latam June, 21 in Europe H2)
    • no plans to add live sports to HBO Max in 2021
    • target HBO Max ARPU $12 in 2021, $14 in 2025 (2020: $11.7)
  • FTTP expansion
    • to add 3m lines in >90 metro areas in 2021 (current BB coverage 52.97m HH o/w 14.93m on FTTH, 22.6m on FTTN/VDSL, 13.9m on ADSL)
    • 70% of FTTH gross adds are new to AT&T
  • C-band spectrum (80 MHz in 3.7-4.2 GHz band)
    • acquired for $27.4b (o/w $23b payable in 2021)
    • deployment from 2021 (40 MHz), associated capex $6-8b (mostly 2022-24)
    • current 5G coverage 230m pops in 14k cities, 5G+ (mmWave) in 38 cities
    • 5G key areas
      • Sports & venues (5G+ in new 17 venues YE 2021, total >40; interactive experiences, holographic capabilities)
      • Entertainment Retail (5G+ at >30 locations; from immersive AR experiences to IoT integrations) & Gaming (low latency 5G+, unique streaming opportunities, cloud gaming, plans gaming alliances)
      • Travel & transportation (5G+ at 7 new airports YE 2021, autonomous vehicles, connected trains)
      • Business transformation (complement business fiber with FWA with Sierra Wireless and Cradlepoint routers; universities, healthcare incl AR & VR; MEC for Private 5G, autonomous drones, video AI, synchronous media collaboration, connected vehicles)
      • Security & public safety
  • Guidance 2021 unchanged
    • rev growth 1% (wireless SR 2%)
    • adj EPS stable
    • gross capital investment $21b (capex $18b)
    • FCF $26b
    • div $15b (pay-out ratio high 50s)
    • leverage target YE 2021 3.0x (incl $6b debt increase for C-band spectrum), by 2024 2.5x
  • Expected business trends
    • wireless EBITDA growth from share gains, customer growth, adoption of unlimited plans
    • increased fiber penetration
    • business wireline margin improvement from portfolio simplification
    • WarnerMedia improvements (HBO Max scales, ad improvements, cost savings from restructuring)
    • AT&T Latam improvements (customer growth, expense mgt)
  • Other
    • current data usage average (GB/line/mo) over fixed 280 down, 39 up, fixed 318 (CAGR 2015-2020 38%), wireless 5.6 (CAGR 35%)
    • current spectrum 72 MHz low-band, 173 MHz midband, 1040 MHz mmWave
    • current FTTH ARPU $58

at 3:47 pm 0 comments
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Monday, November 02, 2020

Week 44 in Telecoms, Internet, Media

Corporate

M&A

Earnings

Networks

FTTP

  • KPN: Acquires Sterk Midden-Drenthe FTTH: 5900 premises in 23 villages, to close Nov 2020; to provide service on the network from 2021
  • Primevest & T-Mobile NL start FTTP roll-out in Eindhoven: 29k premises in Centrum, Strijp, Gestel (186 route km, 1680 fiber km), to finish end 2021
  • Proximus: Establishes JV with Eurofiber to design, build, maintain, upgrade FTTH in Wallonia, target 500k premises
  • Telefonica DE: Establishes 50/50 OA FTTP JV with Allianz, EUR 5b in 6 yr (Telefonica EUR 500m in equity, Allianz EUR 1b + external financing): rural & semi-rural FTTP to 2m HH; Telefonica Infra to own 40%, Telefonica DE 10%, Allianz 50%; to close 21H1
  • Comcast: Sky UK launches FTTP option for Sky Broadband Superfast and Sky Broadband Ultrafast subs; coverage 3m HP, target 7.3m by March 2021; average speed 145/27 Mb/s; 35 GBP/mo; G.fast reach 2.8m HH, FTTC 28.9m

5G

  • Finnish Shared Network Ltd (SYV; = DNA, Telia FI) orders 5G RAN from Nokia (also: 2G, 3G, 4G site modernisation), 2021-2023
  • OnePlus launches Nord N10 5G, EUR 200 (without 5G: from EUR 200)
  • TPG Telecom plans 5G-based FWA service ('the method of delivery of broadband, whether via fixed line or mobile, is increasingly irrelevant')
  • T-Mobile NL reaches near-nationwide (90% pops) coverage
  • Post Luxembourg orders 5G Core & RAN from Ericsson
  • BT plans Private 5G in Belfast Harbour, to launch early
  • C Spire to launch 5G in Brookhaven (Lincoln County) & Columbus (Lowndes County)
  • FCC (US) establishes 5G Fund for Rural America, $9b in 10 yr
  • Vodacom ZA orders 5G (Cora, RAN, FWA) from Nokia (incl 700/800, 2600, 3500 MHz bands to be auctioned 21Q1)
  • T-Mobile US expands 5G-2500 by 200 to 410 cities; target 100m pops coverage YE 2020
  • Verizon 5G Home Internet (FWA) expands to Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, San Jose (total 12 cities)
  • DNA expands 5G to Ylivieska, total pops coverage <1.5m
  • Telenor SE launches 5G in Stockholm, nationwide by 2023l unlimited data 570 SEK/mo
  • Hrvatski Telekom launches 5G in parts of Zagreb, Rijeka, Split, Osijek, Samobor, Sveta Nedelj, based on DSS

Services

Video

Other

  • Music: Google: YouTube Music & Music Premium reach 30m paying subs at 200930 (35m incl free trials)
  • Gaming: Facebook: Launches Facebook Gaming (beta; cloud gaming, no downloads), free, first on Android & web (not on iOS over Apple's App Store policy [see Apple 200911]), 6 games (mobile-first), users can chose Player Name
  • Television
    • T-Mobile US relaunches TVision, with dongle (Android-based, $50, with Bluetooth for casting from devices, Google Play), remote (with Google Assistant; dedicated buttons for Netflix, YouTube, EPG, nDVR); tiers: TVision Live 40 $/mo (3 simultaneously streams, 100 hr storage), Live TV+ 50 $/mo (10 more channels), Live Zone 60 $/mo (20 more channels); access to 3rd-party services via TVision Channels (Showtime 11 $/mo, Starz 9 $/mo, Epix 6 $/mo), TVision Vibe 10 $/mo (30 entertainment channels); promo for Live TV+ and Live Zone subs: 1 yr free Apple TV+; to be available for non-subs 2021
    • Canal+ Polski launches hybrid DTT/OTT box (based on Android TV'4K, HDR), PLZ 300 (EUR 65); with 4 tiers
  • Broadband: Orange BE launches Home Internet (BB-only): 100 Mb/s for 40 EUR/mo (TV add-on 15 EUR/mo, voice 10 EUR/mo, Internet Boost to 400 Mb/s 15 EUR/mo); with FUP (max 750 GB/mo)
  • Chat: Facebook: WhatsApp reaches 100m messages/day
  • Apple
    • FT: plans search engine competitor as part of iOS 14L shows own results, links directly to sites
    • Launches Apple One: bundle of Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, iCloud; 3 tiers: Individual 15 $/mo (50 GB), Family 20 (200 GB, max 6 users), Premier 30 (2 TB; max 6 users; also has News+, Fitness+)

Regulatory

  • Google
    • Search engine alliance of DuckDuckGo (US), Ecosia (DE), Lilo (FR), Qwant (FR), Seznam (CZ) ask EC for trilateral meeting to establish a more effective preference menu in Android to more easily choose a default search engine
    • AGCM (Italian Competition Authority) starts investigation into digital ads market for p[ossible abuse of dominant position
  • Facebook: Sued in England/Wales in CALS (Facebook You Owe Us) over failing to protect users' personal data in the Cambridge Analytica breach
  • Platforms
    • ACCC Digital Platform Services inquiry interim report: Google 58% and Facebook 23% of digital ad spend (2018: 49 resp 24%)
    • Marrgethe Vestager (EC VP for Digital Affairs) opposes company break-up for internet platforms (but doable)
    • Hearing US Senate Commerce Committee with CEOs of Facebook (Mark Zuckerberg), Twitter (Jack Dorsey), Google (Sundar Pichai) over content moderation and Section 230


at 12:23 am 0 comments
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Monday, September 07, 2020

Week 36 in Telecoms, Internet, Media

NETWORKS 

Fixed/FTTP

  • Cable.co.uk & M-Lab: Worldwide Broadband Speed League (551m speed tests in 221 countries): #1 Liechtenstein (media downlaod speed 230 Mb/s), #2 Jersey (218), #3 Andorra (213), #4 Gibraltar (183), #5 Luxemburg (118), #11 NL (96)
  • TIM approves establishment of FiberCop, KKR taking stake (37.5% for EUR 1.8b based on equity value EUR 4.7b, EV EUR 7.7b), Fastweb (Swisscom) to own 4.5% for including Flash Fiber stake, TIM to own 58%, to close 21Q1; TIM to be exclusive provider of construction & maintenance; FiberCop to employ 100 FTE
  • Telefonica: Telefonica ES plans copper switch-off by 2025
  • FR adds $240m to rural fiber program (2013) 

Mobile/5G

Launches

  • Singtel launches 5G trial (first 20k subs free, additional pay 10 SID/mo extra): 2.1 & 3.5 GHz bands, NSA, max >1 Gb/s, with smartphones
  • Telefonica ES launches 5G, target coverage 75% YE 2020: NSA, DSS, in 3.5, 1.8/2.1 GHz bands
  • DirecTV Colombia (= AT&T;owns 2×15 MHz of FDD-LTE & 40 MHz TD-LTE spectrum in 2600MHz band) launches FWA over 5G in Bogota, max 100 Mb/s
  • SmarTone (HK) adds FWA over 5G service, 150 HKD/mo ($19)
  • Lao Telecommunications Company (LTC) launches 5G in Vientiane
  • Telia DK and Telenor DK to launch 5G end Sep 2020

Expansion

Technology

CPE

Network equipment

Regulatory



SERVICES

Telco bundles
  • EE (BT) launches The Full Works Plan for iPhone: unlimited mobile data, iPhone upgrade anytime, access to Apple Music, Apple TV+ & Apple Arcade; add-ons: BT Sport Ultimate app 
  • Sunrise resells Samsung Sero (Lifestyle TV, 43 inch, rotates between horizontal & vertical orientation), 71 CHF/mo for 24 mo for BB subs; as part of accessory plans (also: Samsung TVs, Sonos Beam Soundbar, Apple iPad & Apple TV) 
  • 3 UK bundles FWA over 5G with free Apple TV 
Video

Walt Disney

  • Distr deal with TIM: bundles TIMvision, Netflix, Disney+ in Mondo Intrattenimento service as part of TIM Super Wi-Fi TV over FTTH (max 1 Gb/s) or FTTC (max 200 Mb/s), 50 EUR/mo or stand-alone 14 EUR/mo
  • Rumor: Disney+ to add Group Watch feature 200904, max 7 people
Netflix

  • Launches promo for non-subs: free access without sign-up to 10 season 1 episodes 1 of orginal series (Murder Mystery, Élite, Boss Baby: Back in Business, Bird Box, When They See Us, Love Is Blind, The Two Popes, Our Planet, Grace and Frankie), only on Android, PC, Mac
  • Dynamically adjust bit rate to match the content, reduces average bit rate by 50% with no loss in image quality, number of rebuffers -65%
Other

Music

Amazon Music (55m users) partners with Twitch to add live streaming music to Amazon Music app

Web services

Google

  • Launches Kids Space mode for Android tablets, first for Lenovo Tab M10 HD Gen 2: access to library of apps, games, videos, books
  • Updates Keen (social net collections of links, texts, etc): adds photo uploads
  • Google Maps adds in-app parking payment over Google Pay, first in Austin (Texas)


CORPORATE

AT&T

Vodafone

Vivendi
  • Demands (with Amber Fund) EGM at Lagardere; combined 44% of capital, <30% of votes; demand new Supervisory Board members
  • ECJ: Italian law requiring Vivendi to freeze its stake in Mediaset on antitrust grounds infringed the union’s regulations
Bytedance
Other
  • Sunrise: Salt sues in US over planned UPC Schweiz merger; subpoenas Liebrty Global, Liberty Media, Liberty Global Chair John Malone & CEO Mike Fries
  • Telefonica DE: Transfers 5975 rooftop sites & 58 tower sites to Telxius (= Telefonica), EUR 1.5b
  • Iliad: 20Q2
  • Patreon: Raises $90m from New Enterprise Associates, Wellington Management etc at $1.2b valuation; total raised $256m
  • Palantir: Amended S1 IPO filing

REGULATORY

Facebook
Other
Platforms general
  • Apple (developers), Google (ad buyers), Amazon (3rd-party sellers) to pass on Digital Services Tax in UK (2%), AT (5%), Turkey (5%) from Nov 2020
  • US gvt/POTUS Trump plans action against more Chinese apps, after TikTok
  • India bans 118 more Chinese apps (prejudicial to sovereignty & integrity of India, defence of India, security of state, public order); total 224
  • DoJ Austria plans platform (>100k users, rev >EUR 500k) obligation to remove criminal content within 24 hr & otherwiser illegal content withion 7 days, non-compliance fine max EUR 10m 
  • Multilateral Mutual Assistance and Cooperation Framework for Competition Authorities (MMAC) established by US DoJ, US FTC, UK CMA, New Zealand Commerce Commission, Competition Bureau Canada, Australian ACCC: to improve coordinated & pro-active informal cooperation & assistance
  • Axios: Facebook, Google, Twitter, Reddit are holding regular meetings with federal law enforcement & intelligence agencies to discuss potential threats to US Presidential election integrity.
  • AT&T proposal: Section 230 should not apply if platform actively curates, proposes disclosures about how they collect & use data, how they rank search results, how they interconnect & interoperate with others,how their algorithms preference some content, products & services over others
  • 15 Streaming services in India (Zee5, Viacom18, Disney Hotstar, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, MX Player, Jio Cinema, Eros Now, Alt Balaji, Arre, HoiChoi, Hungama, Shemaroo, Discovery Plus, Flickstree) adopt self-regulation (Universal Self-Regulation Code for OCCPs) to pre-empt government censorship::age classification, content descriptions, control tools, create consumer complaints department and/or an internal committee and an advisory panel to deal with complaints and appeals


at 9:58 am 0 comments
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Thursday, October 31, 2019

HBO Max: all the specs

Launch date:
  • May 2020
Content:
  • focus on 3 areas
    • kids/family
    • millennials/Gen-Z
    • adults (focus on women)
  • new series rolled out one episode at a time
  • total 10k hr at launch o/w 1800 films, incl
    • originals (31 series in 2020, 50 in 2021)
    • library content from Warner Bros, New Line, DC, CNN, TNT, TBS, truTV, Turner Classic Movies, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Crunchyroll, Rooster Teeth, Looney Tunes etc
    • 3rd-party licensed content
  • to add live special events
Pricing:
  • 15 $/mo
  • free for 10m existing AT&T HBO subs & HBO Now direct-billed subs
  • plans new bundles with free HBO Max for premium video, mobile, BB subs (total 170m D2C relationships, 5500 retail stores)
  • to add AVOD tier within 1 yr (with added content)
Tools:
  • personalised profiles & homepages
  • curated recommendations
  • co-viewing (shared homepages separate from personal homepages)
  • parental PINs
  • downloads for offline viewing
Targets:
  • 75-90m subs in Americas & Europe YE 2025 o/w 50m in US
  • incremental investment $1.5-2.0b in 2020 (for new content, foregone licensing revenue of own content, operating expense for the technology platform, marketing)

at 12:22 am 0 comments
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