Coronavirus T.I.M. News Hub - week 15

Telecom traffic

• Updated BEREC report on the status of internet capacity in light of Covid-19 crisis
• Special emergency session of the Broadband Commission pushes for action to extend internet access and boost capacity to fight COVID-19
• COVID-19 – Openreach Update on Future G.fast and FTTP Plans
• Reports show internet traffic stabilising as conferencing, streaming keep demand high
• BEREC makes public summary reports on status of internet capacity
• Vodafone fixed broadband usage up more than 50% in Italy and Spain
• Tracking COVID-19’s Impact on Global Internet Performance (Updated April 6)
• Telefonica reports jump in calls abroad over fixed network during Covid-19 crisis
• NBN Co sees peak download throughput jump 18% to 13.1 Tbps
• Kazakhtelecom reports 20% jump in data traffic
• Vodafone NZ network traffic grows 20-100% from February, international roaming plunges 99%
• COVID-19 broadband usage starts to plateau—OpenVault
• Australian operators form work group to manage congestion caused by covid-19 pandemic
• Euskaltel traffic up 90% on landlines and 65% on mobile
• Global Video Downloads Increase, Due To Broadband Slowdowns
• Romania fixed internet traffic up 21%, mobile internet up 12% amid Corona crisis
• Google's video chat service adds 2 million users a day amid coronavirus
• Irish Minister sign regulations for temporary release of extra spectrum
• UPC Switzerland sees mobile calls nearly double
• DNA's strong growth in voice traffic hits the morning - the need for bilateral talks has grown during the exceptional period
• Microsoft Teams breaks daily record with 2.7 billion meeting minutes, tops mid-March high by 200%
• Verizon & AT&T Report Number Of Phone Calls Are Up Over 30%
• Wi-Fi Calling Up 101%, Voice Calls 36%: Study

Telecom retail impact

• Belgium allows telecom shops to reopen
• Belgian regulator provides guidelines for reopening telecom shops
• A1 to reopen ten more shops from 14 April

Other telecom impact

• GSMA condemns attacks against mobile phone masts
• 5 Reasons Why 5G Has Nothing to do with COVID-19
• WhatsApp limits mass message-forwarding to try and stop the wild spread of coronavirus misinformation
• KPN sees limited impact on Q1 results from pandemic
• Covid-19 crisis to hit telecom revenues this year - TIM CEO
• Eutelsat sees marginal revenue impact from Covid-19 pandemic, plans 30% dividend cut
• Smartphone sales to fall 23% this year due to Covid-19 impact - study

Media consumption

• Snapchat Viewership Soars, Both For Pandemic News, Gaming
• Brits Turn To Trusted Media During COVID-19 Lockdown
• Europe: VoD up 41%, live streaming down 30%
• Data: Covid-19 reshaping content consumption
• Survey: Younger Users Increase Mobile and CTV Usage

Media events

• London’s West End Will Be Closed Until June Due to the Coronavirus Crisis
• Venice Film Festival Rules Out Digital Option
• British Open cancelled, rest of golf major schedule reworked
• Bob Iger Floats Temperature Checks at Disney Parks, but Wall Street Sees Two Years Before Normalcy Returns
• Edinburgh Festival goes digital
• All Microsoft events will be digital-only until July 2021
• Broadway Extends Shutdown to June Due to Coronavirus
• Disney Furloughs Hit Film Labels, Including Marvel and Lucasfilm
• Universal Studios to Keep U.S. Theme Parks Closed Through ‘at Least May 31’

Video supply

• Salto: the launch of the TF1, M6 and France TV platform postponed to the fall
• Iflix Asian Streamer Cuts Jobs as Coronavirus Adds to Debt Woes
• Comcast opens its VOD vaults further amid COVID-19 crisis
• Comcast Makes More Than Two Dozen More Entertainment Networks and Subscription Video Services Available for Free
• Eleven Sports offering free content In Italy And Portugal

Media and internet impact

• M6 and TF1 ask to defer Euro 2020 rights payments
• Lagardere proposes not to pay a dividend
• Formula 1 bosses take pay cut and furlough staff as teams discuss further cost cap
• Swiss public broadcaster furloughs 600 employees due to Covid-19 crisis
• Sky Deutschland in talks with German Football League over advance payments for TV rights
• WPP 'Can't Rule Out' Job Cuts
• Eventbrite lays off half its workforce as coronavirus crushes events business
• Alphabet’s drone service has completed more than 1,000 deliveries during the past two weeks of the coronavirus crisis.
• Facebook CPMs Crash, Fall To All-Time Low
• Channel 4 to furlough 10% of staff, executives take 20% pay cut
• Yelp lays off 1,000 employees and furloughs 1,100 more

Telecom and internet metadata

• Facebook asks users about coronavirus symptoms, releases friendship data to researchers
• Facebook is developing new tools for researchers to track if social distancing is working
• Alphabet (GOOGL) Tracks Coronavirus Cases Using Location Data
• Behind the global efforts to make a privacy-first coronavirus tracking app
• EU data watchdog pitches pan-European COVID-19 app 
• EC sets out rules for Covid-19 mobility tracking
• Data guardian seeks pan-European Covid-19 action
• EU privacy regulators to develop guidance on using location data to track covid-19
• Vodafone using crowdsourcing app to fight coronavirus
• Vodafone Foundation and scientists at Imperial College London team up to use crowdsourcing app to help in the fight against Coronavirus
• Verizon Media Launches COVID-19 Search Engine For Research

Telecom support plans

• BT pledges no coronavirus-related job cuts; CEO Jansen donates salary to charity
• ICASA orders zero-rated access to websites providing coronavirus public information
• Intel boosts COVID-19 aid, research to $60 M
• Telenet offers Yelo Play free to hospitals, care homes
• Maxis offers 1GB of data per day during covid-19 crisis
• DNA provides a food bag service to hundreds of seniors
• Sunrise partners with Zurich and Bank Cler to back vouchers for small firms closed by coronavirus
• Makedonski Telekom donates internet for long-distance learning
• Digi offers free Covid-19 digital insurance plan for 200,000 customers
• Cable One donates USD 300,000 to support Covid-19 relief
• OTE buys beds, monitors for hospital ICUs
• LIBERTY GLOBAL ANNOUNCES CREATION OF $4 MILLION COVID-19 EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE FUND

Media and internet support plans

• SoundCloud Unveils Initiatives to Support Musicians on the Platform
• Etsy Launches 'Stand With Small' Campaign
• ITV cancels directors' bonuses to help manage costs during Covd-19 crisis
• ITV supports NHS Charities Together campaign to thank NHS staff
• APPLE MUSIC LAUNCHES $50M ADVANCE FUND FOR INDEPENDENT LABELS HIT BY COVID-19 IMPACT
• Twitter CEO to spend USD 1 bln on new charity for Covid-19 relief, girl's education
• Snapchat launches AR lens for Covid-19 donations
• Scandinavian media poised to receive state aid to mitigate virus fall-out
• Xandr Donates $200K, Delivers PSAs, To Help Coronavirus Fight
• Lagardère proposes the transformation of its dividend into the creation of a “Covid solidarity fund” for its employees
• ViacomCBS Launches $100 Million Coronavirus Relief Fund

Pharma news

• Bill Gates is funding new factories for 7 potential coronavirus vaccines, even though it will waste billions of dollars
• Coronavirus may 'reactivate' in cured patients, Korean health authority says
• Denmark-based startup BluSense develops 12-minute COVID-19 diagnostic test

Macro news

• EU countries use looser state aid rules to uphold troubled firms
• EU in push for digital transformation after COVID-19 crisis
• Lockdown to cost £2.4bn a day as economy crashes
• Austria’s government presents COVID-19 exit schedule
• EU ministers to agree virus rescue plan, not ‘coronabonds’
• EU to debate strategy to exit virus lockdown
• EU announces €15 billion to fight virus in developing countries
• Eurogroup agrees on €540 billion corona-package

Coronavirus T.I.M. News Hub - week 14 - UPDATED

Network traffic

• Steam sets new concurrent user record for the third time in as many weeks
• Vodafone New Zealand voice traffic jumps 70% amid covid-19 lockdown
• Euskaltel maintains national expansion plan, sees data surge
• Moldova mobile data traffic up 29% year-on-year in 2 weeks to 23 March
• Gebruik van WhatsApp in Spanje met 700% gestegen
• AT&T Sees Wi-Fi Calling Jump 76%, Texting 46%
• Microsoft announces Teams for consumers, Skype daily active users up 70% to 40 million
• Comcast says voice and video calls have skyrocketed 212 percent during widespread self-isolation
• Comcast’s Broadband Network Supports Usage Spikes
• Comcast says peak internet traffic up 32% since start of March
• Comcast claims video-on-demand is hitting record highs
• Windstream data traffic up 30% since mid-March
• Video, IM, Texting Drive Mobile During COVID-19 Crisis
• Video conferencing app downloads go through the roof
• Video Streaming to TVs Soared 85% in U.S. in First Three Weeks of March, Nielsen Says
• Italy: TV viewing up 108min a day during Covid-19
• Conviva: Daytime Viewing Up As Much As 43% in March 17-23 Week
• Portugal: TV consumption up 40%
• Report: Global streaming up 20%; Primetime shifts
• Zattoo records 13% increase in viewing time in March
• BBC sees record demand for kids content on iPlayer, BBC Bitesize
• Xumo, Verizon Fios See Big Increases in Video Usage
• Netflix leads on downloads, but YouTube Kids grabs more hours
• Dutch listen to more radio since coronavirus measures
• Voice traffic growth slows in Portugal, still up 34% compared to early March
• Digital News Subscriptions Grow During COVID-19 Crisis
• Coronavirus Disruption Leads to Jump in Cloud Services Use
• Masmovil, Yoigo unveil new health, education and entertainment services
• How Snapchatters are adapting to the COVID-19 health crisis
• Facebook debuts standalone Messenger app on Mac and PC
• Tracking COVID-19’s Impact on Global Internet Performance
• Study: European daytime broadband usage up 65%
• Vodafone says upstream broadband data flows have doubled in some markets
• Eurona satellite internet connections up 60% during lockdown
• Surge in downloads amid coronavirus will see consumer app spending double over five years, report says
• Consumers spent record $23.4 billion on apps in Q1 2020, thanks to being stuck indoors
• Vodafone to add 4 Tbps of capacity to its networks due to COVID-19
• AT&T sees surge in cloud-based VPN usage due to COVID-19
• Cellular network traffic up 10-20%; carriers tell FCC networks are holding - Network operators told the FCC that voice has emerged as the “new killer app”

Network build-outs (5G and FTTH)

• Spain postpones auction of 5G-ready frequencies in 700 MHz band
• Proximus lowers dividend to accelerate investment in fibre roll-out
• Hutchison, HKT, China Mobile to launch 5G service in Hong Kong on 1 April
• New T-Mobile US with combined resources to launch on April 1, 2020
• T-Mobile completes takeover of Sprint, Sievert starts as CEO
• Report: Coronavirus will delay 5G markets
• SK Telecom: 5G subs heavy media users
• French regulator confirms delay to 5G auction
• Telefonica to halt fibre installations until lockdown over - report

Telecom retail stores

• Swisscom considers reduced hours for employees
• Bouygues Telecom to tap partial unemployment scheme for retail staff
• Veon trading update points to pressure on sales from shop closures, lower roaming
• Hutchison Drei Austria employs staff from closed shops for customer service from home

Telecom support programs

• Waoo! provides free access to Skidos children's education app as coronavirus shuts schools
• Telia Lithuania donates EUR 100,000 to help fight pandemic
• AT&T offers customers 15 GB extra hotspot data, free delivery
• T-Mobile US to donate up USD 0.5 mln for healthcare workers, families in need
• iliad Group sets up solidarity fund to help very small- and medium-sized subcontractors
• Coronavirus: Orange sets-up 8 million euro crisis fund in Europe, Africa and the Middle East
• Comcast commits $500 million to help its workers affected by coronavirus; top execs donate salary
• FCC approves USD 200 mln covid-19 telehealth programme

Metadata

• In coronavirus fight, oft-criticized Facebook data aids U.S. cities, states
• Pinterest CEO and a team of leading scientists launch a self-reporting COVID-19 tracking app
• Apple CEO Cook Questioned by Senators on Covid-19 Screening App
• Google uses location data to show which places are complying with stay-at-home orders — and which aren’t
• Google Reveals Location Data to Help Public Health Officials
• European coalition to develop “privacy-preserving” tech for contact tracing

Media events (B2B and B2C)

• MIDEM 2020 Conference Cancelled, Reboots as Digital Edition
• Hannover Messe cancelled because of coronavirus
• ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit Is Telling Fans Hard Truth: Coronavirus Could Cancel Football Season
• Wimbledon Tennis Tournament Canceled Due to Coronavirus
• Uefa suspends Champions League indefinitely, postpones June play-offs
• LFP dealt further blow as beIN suspends rights payments
• Fox Predicts Return of Sports In 3Q, 4Q
• ‘Morbius,’ ‘Ghostbusters’ Sequel and More Sony Movies Pushed Back to 2021
• ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Release Pushed to December
• Will the Coronavirus Pandemic Wipe Out All of Summer Blockbuster Season?
• Eurovision Sport negotiates archive access with federations
• Edinburgh Festivals Called Off Due to Coronavirus Concerns
• Alternatieve Songfestival live vanuit Studio 21 in Hilversum
• After Coronavirus Cancellation, SXSW Partners With Amazon Prime on Online Festival
• SALTO: A FULL DEPLOYMENT THAT COULD BE POSTPONED UNTIL THE FALL
• BeIN offers entertainment upgrades to offset Covid-19 impact
• HBO unveils free 500-hour streaming plan, incl ‘Sopranos’ & ‘The Wire’
• Megafon offers free access to fitness videos
• Cannes Lions Canceled for 2020
• Amazon to delay Prime Day event due to coronavirus, outlines cloud risks
• ‘Artemis Fowl’ Will Skip Theatrical Release and Debut on Disney Plus
• ‘Black Widow,’ ‘Eternals,’ ‘Indiana Jones 5’ and More Disney Films Get New Release Dates
• China’s Film and TV Production Makes Partial Restart After Coronavirus Hiatus

Media staff and salary cuts, profit warnings

• WPP cuts awards, reduces top salaries and freezes hiring amid Covid-19 crisis
• Ad giant WPP launches £2bn savings plan as Covid-19 hits business
• UK ad market faces drop of 50% in April
• Fox Corp. Joins Other Media Cos. in Suggesting Pandemic May Affect Results
• RTL Group withdraws outlook for 2020 and dividend proposal for 2019 due to the coronavirus outbreak
• Bouygues Telecom suspends guidance for 2020 due to Covid-19 uncertainty
• Disney unveils raft of pay cuts to deal with Covid-19
• Disney to furlough employees amid coronavirus crisis
• Top Comcast, NBCUniversal and Sky Executives to Donate Salary Amid Coronavirus Crisis
• Endeavor Officially Announces Pay Cuts as Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell Forgo Salaries
• IHEARTMEDIA FURLOUGHS EMPLOYEES; CEO BOB PITTMAN GIVES UP $1.5M SALARY FOR REMAINDER OF 2020
• ITV Executive Board Takes 20% Pay Cut During Coronavirus Lockdown
• Dazn to suspend rights fees for cancelled games - report
• Lionsgate Layoffs Hit Feature Film Marketing and Distribution Department
• Cinemark Cuts Employee Wages Temporarily After Coronavirus Closes Theaters
• IATSE Estimates Up to 95% of Its Members Are Out of Work Due to Coronavirus
• Airbnb has reportedly dropped its internal valuation to $26 billion as the coronavirus halts travel worldwide

Media support programs

• National Geographic Society Launches Fund For Journalists Covering COVID-19
• Facebook to invest USD 100 mln more in Journalism Project during coronavirus crisis
• Facebook announces $40 million grant to U.S. small businesses
• Google commits USD 800 mln worth of help during coronavirus oubreak
• SONY LAUNCHES $100M COVID-19 RELIEF FUND, INCLUDING MONEY FOR ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY
• Jeff Bezos will donate $100 million to help food banks that are facing shortages due to the coronavirus outbreak
• Sling TV to donate movie rental profits to purchase healthcare supplies through Good360, Covid-19 response efforts
• Film Academy Donates $6 Million to Support Motion Picture Employees Affected by Coronavirus

Macro and politics

• Macy’s, Kohl’s have about 5 months of cash available putting them at risk from extended closures, analysts say
• J.C. Penney furloughs most of its 90,000 workers as stores remain closed until further notice
• Shipments Of TV Sets Now Projected To Sink By 9% This Year
• These 16 companies are working on coronavirus treatments or vaccines — here’s where things stand
• Europe’s COVID-19 App Attack
• Orbán to rule by decree with new powers to ‘silence critics’
• Centre-right leaders ask Tusk to expel Orban’s Fidesz from EPP
• EU Commission expects deeper recession than in 2009
• CARES Act Telecom Funding Includes $300M for FCC Telehealth, USDA ReConnect Program
• Apple is reportedly worried that people won't have the money to buy new iPhones this year, and it's an ominous sign of what's to come for people's finances
• Foxconn plays down 5G iPhone production claims
• Global mobile phone sales to fall 13% in 2020 on Covid-19 impact - study
• Start-ups cut nearly 4,000 jobs in March as coronavirus impact ripples through tech
• Europe races to rescue its tech industry as start-ups fight for survival
• eBay is waiving seller fees for new businesses to help shuttered retailers move online
• U.S. Jobless Claims Soar to Once-Unthinkable Record 6.65 Million
• ‘We are writing history, not an economics textbook’, Conte tells Germans
• Evaluating the initial impactofCOVID-19 containment measures on economic activity
• OECD portal Tackling coronavirus (COVID-19)

Coronavirus T.I.M. News Hub - week 13 - UPDATED

Telecoms traffic

• T-Mobile tracks ‘dramatic’ spike in messaging, launches low-cost phone plan
• AT&T, Verizon see consumers dial up voice usage
• Phoning It In: COVID-19 Drives Consumers Back To Speaking On Phones
• Telstra voice services impacted by high number of calls to government agencies
• 70% increase in Facebook Messenger group video calls: Report
• Virgin Media sees a 95% upstream traffic spike during daytime hours
• Vodafone New Zealand sees 50% mobile data usage growth in one week
• VPN traffic surging in response to increased telework
• How Zoom, Netflix, and Dropbox are Staying Online During the Pandemic
• Covid-19 travel restrictions to cost operators USD 25 bln in roaming revenues
• Coronavirus has led to a 775 percent increase in usage of Microsoft Azure cloud services
• BEREC report on the status of internet capacity

Telecoms metadata

• EU’s Breton defends COVID-19 telecoms data acquisition plans
• Slovakia to track coronavirus victims through telecoms data
• WHO calls for privacy focus in virus tech use
• European Data Protection Supervisor: data sharing to combat COVID-19 is legit

Telecoms other

• Telia Company to give updated 2020 outlook as soon as possible due to increased uncertainty as COVID-19 impacts TV & Media unit - Board of Directors adjust 2019 dividend proposal
• COVID-19 Leading To Shortfall Of Phones, Smart Devices

Media events

• Fifa opens video archive to serve fans in isolation
• UEFA.tv offers classic match re-runs
• All the virtual concerts, plays, museums and other culture you can enjoy from home
• Olympic Games Will Be Postponed a Year Due to Coronavirus
• Tony Awards Postponed Due to Coronavirus Pandemic

Media streaming impact

• Exclusive: Disney+ Sees Huge Subscription Spike As Homebound Audiences Clamor For Content
• CuriosityStream viewing up 70%, Pluto TV up 73% in news
• Comscore: TV Viewing Up 40% For Cable TV News Networks, 13% Higher For Top Broadcast Networks
• Comscore Finds In-Home Data Usage Surging
• Netflix Streaming Traffic Hits All-Time Highs on AT&T Networks
• WarnerMedia records 20% increase in TV viewing in week from 14 March
• Disney+ rolls out in Europe
• Limelight: “Disney ups pressure on streaming services”
• Why Are Music Streams Down If Everyone’s Stuck at Home? Experts Weigh in

Media impact

• AMC Theatres Furloughs CEO and Staff as Coronavirus Pandemic Closes Cinemas
• More Than 500 Cinemas in China Reopen as Coronavirus Threat Recedes
• China Moves to Re-Shutter All Cinemas Nationwide
• DPG and Roularta confirm the use of temporary unemployment
• Coronavirus - Roularta suspends the publication of two free titles for five weeks
• Netflix's Ted Sarandos says coronavirus-related shutdown won't disrupt content, for now at least
• Netflix Experiences Temporary Outages Across U.S., Europe
• Endeavor Lays Off 250 Across Company, Exploring Wide Salary Cuts
• ITV reduces programme budget by £100m as ad market deteriorates
• Coronavirus Hits ITV as Programming Budget Cut by $116 Million
• ITV in “unprecedented and uncertain times”
• ITV warns of increasing Covid-19 impact on advertising revenues
• TF1 puts its financial performance objectives on hold
• France’s TF1 prepares for “significant” Covid-19 impact, as ads & production hit
• Publicis Groupe Cuts Freelance, Other Outsourced Work
• LAGARDERE: 2020 guidance is suspended
• Twitter Withdraws Q1 Guidance Due to COVID-19 Impact
• Twitter warns of Q1 operating loss on advertising slump during pandemic
• Discovery Withdraws 2020 Fiscal Outlook, Draws Down $500 Million Amid Coronavirus Outbreak
• Comcast Warns Virus Crisis "Could Have a Material Adverse Impact on Our Results"
• Technicolor withdraws 2020-2022 guidance in view of Covid-19
• Sony may cancel profit revision due to coronavirus impact
• ViacomCBS, Following Disney, Comcast, Announces $2.5 Billion Debt Sale
• Facebook reports jump in messaging, softer ad revenues in countries hit by Covid-19
• Coronavirus Transforms Facebook into Major News Hub Again
• FROM AMAZON TO FACEBOOK, DIGITAL ADVERTISING IS IN A STATE OF SHOCK
• Facebook, Google Could Lose Over $44 Billion in Ad Revenue in 2020 Because of Coronavirus
• Forecast: Sports to lose $2bn media revenue in 2020
• Telenet replaces Play Sports programming with Play More content
• Health, trust and journalism: a Coronavirus Plan for the Media
• Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resort will remain closed until further notice

Media funds

• Patreon Establishes ‘What The Fund’ Grant To Offset Economic Uncertainties Caused By Coronavirus
• EMERGENCY CORONAVIRUS FUND FOR SONGWRITERS WORTH UP TO $43M LAUNCHED BY GEMA IN GERMANY
• Entertainment Industry Foundation Launches Coronavirus Response Fund
• Netflix donates $1.2m to BFI, Film & TV Charity’s Covid-19 fund
• SPOTIFY PLEDGES $10M FUND TO SUPPORT ARTISTS HIT BY CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
• Variety to Contribute Portion of TV Season Award Proceeds to Support Industry Organizations Impacted By Covid-19
• EMERGENCY FUNDS TO SUPPORT FREELANCE ARTISTS IN THE NEW/CREATIVE/IMPROVISED MUSIC COMMUNITY.
• SoundCloud teams with Twitch to help musicians get paid from livestreams

Macro

• White House, Senate Agree On $2 Trillion Coronavirus Rescue Plan
• Senate Approves Massive $2 Trillion Coronavirus Stimulus Bill
• House Passes $2 Trillion Coronavirus Bill as Lawmakers Promise Additional Aid
• When $2.2 trillion is not enough
• How the coronavirus stimulus bill helps you
• Theater Owners Chief Says Coronavirus Stimulus Will Help Cinemas Survive
• France creates $4.3 billion coronavirus relief program to save struggling startups
• Eurogroup nearing agreement to use bailout fund against pandemic
• Germans and Dutch set to block EU ‘corona bonds’ at video summit
• EU Parliament votes financial assistance for countries affected by COVID-19
• Leaders clash over stimulus against pandemic, pass hot potato to Eurogroup

RTL Group: 2019 results, targets 2020 and 2025, update to strategy

19Q4

• streaming subs (Videoland + NOW) 1.44m (paying subs: Videoland +29% yoy, Now +45% yoy)
• established Format Creation Group (FC Group): develops non-scripted formats for RTL broadcasters & their streaming services, focus on entertainment formats, reality & game shows
• acquires 50% of M6 tech unit Bedrock (used by M6 Replay & Salto, also RTL BE, RTL HU, RTL Croatia), 3rd-parties may buy into Bedrock

2019

• streaming rev EUR 135m

Outlook 2020 (incl early assesment of corona virus outbreak)

• rev growth 2-3% to EUR 6784-6851m (TV ad rev slightly down, Fremantle growth 4-6%)
• adj EBITA stable = EUR 1156m (excl additional streaming startup losses) or down 7% = EUR 1075m (incl such losses at max)
• content spend Videoland & TV Now EUR 350m (2019: 85m)

Targets 2025

• streaming subs 5-7m
• streaming rev >EUR 500m
• content spend per annum EUR 350m
• EBITDA break-even by 2025

Strategy

• to increase reach & improve monetisation
• 3 pillars
• Strengthen core (families of channels, digital channels)
• consolidate footprint incl through acquisitions
• increase non-ad rev from platform operators
• invest in content & sports rights
• increase oper efficiency
• started to review strategic options for BroadbandTV and SpotX
• cost reductions
• Expand growth businesses (streaming, production, technology)
• build national streaming champions (standalone or via partnerships) to complement Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+
• hybrid business model: SVOD, AVOD, 3-rd party & originals
• diversify Fremantle portfolio, increase scale, focus on drama
• create open ad-tech platform based on Smartclip
• Foster alliances in European media
• RTL AdConnect partnered with ITV, RAI, Medialaan
• Ad Alliance (Germany) partnered with Media Impact (Axel Springer and Funke Mediengruppe)
• Dutch Ad Alliance integrated sales activities of RTL NL, BrandDeli, Adfactor, Triade Media)
• Bertelsmann Content Alliance in DE

KPN 19Q4: overview of details

The KPN share is down 6% on disappointing revenues, partly due to phasing and increased FTTH investment. Also, somewhat lower EBITDA outlook for 2020.

The results details (except the financial and operationals of the factsheets):

19Q4

• Divestments impact -EUR 2m on rev, -EUR 6m on EBITDA AL.
• Cost savings +EUR 38m to EUR 141m of 2019-2021 program of EUR 350m from simplification and digitalisation (IT stacks from 20 to 2, core networks from 5 to 1).
• FTTH HP additions 120k in 2019, roll-out currently in 70 areas, technology choice G-PON & XGS-PON.
• FTTH HA net additions 19Q4: 14k
• VDSL-FTTC roll-out (nearly completed) 2019: +1500 cabinets, +390k HP.
• FTTH vs FTTC in 2019: NPS +2, ARPU +EUR 6, convergence +6 pp, churn -40%.
• Mobile site modernisation (Massive MIMO, 5G-ready): 640 in 19Q4 (increases speed 30%, enables 3G switch-off).
• All-IP migration on track, 175k lines to go (enables SDH/TDM switch-off);
• Business portfolio (1): KPN Small Business for SoHo market, KPN EEN for SME market, KPN Smart Combinations and KPN Smart Integration for LE/Corporate market.
• Business portfolio (2): 1. Access and connectivity, 2. Cloud and workspace, 3. Security and business continuity.
• Integrated IT-activities of RoutIT, Divider, Startready, InSpark.

Outlook

• 2020: adjusted EBITDA AL stable to slightly up, capex EUR 1.1b, FCF growth >= MSD, DPS 13.0c.
• 2019-2021 maintained: adjusted EBITDA organic growth, capex stable EUR 1.1b per yr, FCF CAGR MSD, progressive DPS; capex mix shift from 35 to 50% for access, mobile network 5G-ready by YE 2021, add 300k converged HH, increase SIMs/HH 10%, converged postpaid base 70%, cost reduction to serve KPN EEN 25%, cost reduction IT 75%.

Comcast / NBCUniversal Investor Day for Peacock: all specs on launch dates, business model, tiers and content

Investor Day for Peacock

Launch dates

• 200415 for Comcast Xfinity X1 (video) & Flex (BB-only) subs
• 200715 generally in the US
• International launch later

Business model

• Focus on ads, ad load 5 min/hr
• Focus on HH (all genres)
• Tiers
• Peacock Free: limited programming, 7500 hr; with ads
• free for all
• Peacock Premium With Ads: complete programming 15k hr incl. live sports and early access to late-night shows; with limited ads
• free for Comcast and Cox subs (24m)
• 5 $/mo for non-subs
• Peacock Premium: incl. non-televised Premier League soccer games; ad-free
• 5 $/mo for Comcast and Cox subs
• 10 $/mo for non-subs

Content

• With originals (series and films)
• Live sports
• Platform based on Sky tech

Targets

• 30-35m subs YE 2024
• Cumulative EBITDA investment 2020-'21 $2b
• Outlook 2024: 30-35m active subs, ARPU $6-7, revenue $2.5b, adjusted EBITDA break-even

AWS re:Invent: main innovations and partnerships

AWS re:Invent (191202-06): see https://press.aboutamazon.com/press-releases

Apart from a number of compute and storage innovations, orders, new renewable energy projects and new fulfillment centers, here are the main novelties.

Services

• Amazon Translate adds 22 languages (total 54; 2804 pairs)
• Amazon Transcribe Medical, ML-based: allows physicians to dictate clinical notes and speech into accurate text in real time
• AWS DeepComposer: AI music composer
• Amazon Braket: quantum computing services
• AWS Wavelength: to build applications that serve end-users with single-digit millisecond latencies over 5G
• AWS Outposts: managed & configurable compute and storage racks (and databases, analytics, ML) built with AWS-designed hardware that allow customers to run compute and storage on-premise (in hybrid cloud), brings native AWS services, infrastructure and operating models to virtually any datacenter, co-location space or on-premises facility
• AWS Local Zone in LA for single-digit latency; first customers: Netflix, FuseFX, Luma Pictures

Partnerships

• With Formula One Group (Formula 1) for Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) project to simulate the aerodynamics of cars while racing, for 2021 car design.
• With Fox to enable a new cloud-based media production and delivery platform, a single platform will be used to deliver both traditional broadcast and D2C streaming services.
• With Verizon, Vodafone Business, SKT, KDDI: to use AWS Wavelength for 5G edge computing.
• With Novartis on digital transformation: reimagine core pharmaceutical manufacturing, supply chain and delivery operations, create Insight Centers that provide real-time visibility across its network of manufacturing operations & distribution centers.
• With Slalom to build joint AWS | Slalom Launch Centers (Launch Centers): help customers migrate to cloud & modernize IT; first 3 centers in Seattle, Chicago, Atlanta.
• With National Football League (NFL) to advance player health and safety using cloud and AI.